Judith Graves's Blog, page 3
September 27, 2015
Fright Before Christmas: Cover Reveal
Ah…Christmas – a holiday rich with magic, wishes, traditions, and family drama. There’s no better combination for a horror story, as the 13 contributing authors in this upcoming middle grade level horror anthology can attest. Like your festivities with a bit of edge of your seat thrills? Editors, Shannon Delany and Kelly Hashway, have ensured THIS is the short story collection for you!
I’m excited to have an offering in FRIGHT. The Tell-Tale Scarf and is a nod to one of my favourite horror writers, Edgar Allan Poe.
But mine is just one of many heart-pounding reads by wicked cool authors, such as: Richard Ankers, Jessica Bayliss, Ty Drago, Patrick Hueller, Ally Mathews, Laura Pauling, Boyd Reynolds, Medeia Sharif, Andrea Stanet, Lea Storry, Dax Varley, and Jacqueline Horsfall.
Without further ado, here’s the COVER!
Summary:
It’s the most wonderful time of year…or is it?
Christmas Eve is a night of mystery and magic, but not always in ways we expect. Things lurk in the shadows and they’re not the least bit jolly or merry. Let’s just say some presents are better left unopened.
‘Tis the season to be screaming along with our thirteen tales of holiday horrors. Ghosts. Monsters. Demons. And more!
This Christmas, be careful what you wish for…
Booktrailer:
Pre-Order Sale and Book Links:
Goodreads
Pre-Order ebook sale for $1.99 – regular price $3.99
Amazon
B&N
iBooks
ENTER TO WIN 1 of 10 COPIES!
Goodreads Book Giveaway
Fright Before Christmas
by Shannon Delany
Giveaway ends December 05, 2015.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
September 6, 2015
The Crossroads Blog Tour 2015
We’re back with more great authors and titles you’ll DIE to read! And this year we’re featuring both young adult and middle grade paranormal / horror / thriller tales. Watch the THIS PAGE for more info. Tour will take place October 26-30, 2015.
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CONFIRMED AUTHORS: To Be Announced
From small to big-gun presses, debut novels to bestsellers, we’re offering unprecedented (and free!) access to amazing YA authors. This October, thirteen paranormal writers will embark on an exciting blog tour that will hook readers up with great reads and cool SWAG. This year we have the most EVER on our author roster. Here they are in no particular order – not even freaking alphabetical:
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BOOK BLOGGERS: To Be Announced
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HOW THE TOUR WORKS
In a round robin format, each day of The Crossroads Blog Tour our participating bloggers will feature two Crossroads authors. There will be daily swag draws in addition to…
A Grand Prize Giveaway of a $50 Amazon gift card which will be drawn using the Rafflecopter entry system and is open TO EVERYONE!
Follow the tour on Twitter: @TheCrossroadsBT
And Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Crossroads-Blog-Tour/218310244897337
September 4, 2015
Middle Grade Holiday Horror Anthology
This Christmas, be careful what you wish for…
You know I love a good scare and what better time of year for a chilling read than during the Christmas holiday season? On September 28th I’ll be able to share the spooktacular cover for Leap Books first middle grade anthology: FRIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS: 13 Tales of Holiday Horrors.
Here’s the summary:
It’s the most wonderful time of year…or is it?
Christmas Eve is a night of mystery and magic, but not always in ways we expect. Things lurk in the shadows and they’re not the least bit jolly or merry. Let’s just say some presents are better left unwrapped.
‘Tis the season to be screaming along with our thirteen tales of holiday horrors. Ghosts. Monsters. Demons. And more!
This Christmas, be careful what you wish for…
My story in this collection, edited by the dynamic duo, Shannon Delany and Kelly Hashway, is one of many fun, creepy reads. As you can probably guess by its title: The Tale Tell Scarf it’s a nod to one of my favourite horror writers, Edgar Allan Poe. (I love his work so much I have the ink on my arms to prove it!) 
So watch for the cover reveal on September 28th and add FRIGHT to your Goodreads shelves now! If you’re a blogger and want to help spread the word, click on the cover reveal sign up form HERE!
Retribution Trilogy in School Library Journal
Recently the School Library Journal published a list of high interest titles for struggling readers. RETRIBUTION made the list!
From School Library Journal: Accessible Reads for Struggling and Reluctant Readers | Hi-Lo Roundup:
MYSTERIES AND ACTION
BROUWER, Sigmund. Unleashed. 168p. ISBN 9781459807303.
DEEN, Natasha. Burned. 168p. ISBN 9781459807266.
GRAVES, Judith. Exposed. 144p. ISBN 9781459807228.
ea vol: (Retribution). Orca Bks. Oct. 2015. pap. $9.95.
Gr 9 Up – Wealthy trust-fund baby Jace seems to have it all in Unleashed, but trouble brews under the surface; he is constantly trying to protect his brother from their father’s abuse, and their mother’s neglect. As he trains to defend himself, he gradually learns trust through two girls who are also working toward retribution. In Burned, Josie is scraping by as a homeless teen after a dirty cop set her house ablaze. She has to team up with unlikely partners in order to exact justice for her family. Raven survives as the protégé of a car theft boss in Exposed, training new recruits. But when her boss reveals himself to be a murderer, Raven is determined to bring him down. Falling on the longer side of hi-lo spectrum, these titles boast an average of 150 pages. However, large text and middle grade reading levels make the series accessible to struggling teen readers.
SOMT: Volume 2 Delay
They're on the way...
Hmm...how about a small, exclusive Goodreads excerpt?
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Though I knew he felt the weight of my stare, Alec made no move to start the engine and end our time together. Was he pissed at me for not telling the crew about the reaper card earlier?
The tension in the truck grew.
Changed.
I caught a slight hitch in Alec’s breathing. The hand he lowered from the wheel now lay fisted on his thigh.
Maybe he wasn’t mad exactly. This was the first time we’d been alone together since we’d both recovered from our encounter with the nightmare demon. Since we’d shared that intense kiss. Maybe he was trying not to give into the pull, struggling to keep himself in check and not jump my bones? I licked my lips at the thought.
Accepting my wolf, fully embracing her power and place in my life had come with unexpected consequences. The bitch was quick to arouse. While being with Flint seemed to mostly piss her off, being around Alec or Wade sparked a very different response. She tapped into my own conflicted emotions about the two guys and grew impatient. Didn't want to hold back. Wanted to push each of them to see who would break first.
Who would try to claim me.
And, damn her, maybe I wanted it too.
I hissed a breath out through my teeth.
Alec shot me a sideways glance. Something in my expression must have revealed too much. Immediately his brown eyes darkened.
"Eryn." Just my name. That was all it took to set my heart knocking. He shifted close, leg pressed against mine. Reached out, then paused, giving me a few seconds to pull back and stop his approach.
As if I could.
August 31, 2015
Canadian Children’s Book Week 2016
Next May I’ll be touring with 30 authors, illustrators, and storytellers from across the country as part of the TD Canadian Children’s Book Centre, Canadian Children’s Book Week program…or to keep it short and sweet – Canada Book Week.
This tour is unique in that it enables artists to extend their reach outside of their home province. We’ll be blasted all over the place…somewhere other than home. The fun part? We won’t know where we’re travelling to until around October-ish…all part of the grand adventure that awaits. 
Check out the background info…
“The Canadian Children’s Book Centre is excited to announce the authors, illustrators and storytellers who will be touring for TD Canadian Children’s Book Week 2016 (May 7 – 14, 2016).
TD Canadian Children’s Book Week is the single most important national event celebrating Canadian children’s books and the importance of reading. Over 28,000 children, teens and adults participate in activities held in every province and territory across the country. Hundreds of schools, public libraries, bookstores and community centres host events as part of this major literary festival.
Visit the TD Book Week site (www.bookweek.ca) in October to find out what province/territory each of these creators will be touring and the types of readings and workshops they will be giving. Schools, libraries, bookstores and community centres interested in hosting a Book Week visitor can apply online starting mid-October.”
And see the full roster of touring artists HERE. Congrats to everyone involved!
August 14, 2015
Exposed Booktrailer
It’s getting super close to the launch of The Retribution Trilogy – October 13th – and while we do have a booktrailer for it generally, each of the Retribution authors have also created one for our specific titles.
So here’s mine for EXPOSED:
Nifty, eh? But wait, there’s more! Why not check out Natasha Deen’s BURNED trailer and fun Retribution clips, and Sigmund Brouwer’s trailer for UNLEASHED as well?
June 8, 2015
When Sparrows Fall Book Blitz and GIVEAWAY!
I’m thrilled to take part in the Book Blitz for Leap Books author, Diana Blackstone’s debut novel, When Sparrows Fall. This middle grade historical has been in the Leap stable for a while now and it’s exciting to release it into the world. Don’t forget to enter the Amazon gift card GIVEAWAY at the end of this post!
About the book:After her mother’s arranged marriage to her recently deceased father’s bitter brother, thirteen-year-old Susanna Stutzman faces a crisis of faith. Everything seems to be going wrong in her life.
As if her new father’s nasty temper isn’t enough, her cousin Mary, now her stepsister, hates her, as does her new teacher.
When Susanna’s discovery of a strange nighttime visitor at her mysterious neighbor’s home leads to the unveiling of secrets, Susanna is forced to make a choice between her conscience and her Mennonite community.
Buy Links:
Goodreads | Smashwords | Amazon | iTunes | B&N
READ AN EXCERPT
That night, sleep eluded me again as I thought about Uncle Jacob’s prior courtship with Sister Brubaker. Reliving my moments on the steps with Martha, I smiled in the darkness. It felt good to have a new friend. Surrounded always by family, I hadn’t realized how lonely I’d been.
Through the slightly open window, the sound of a dog barking in the distance interrupted my thoughts. I scooted out of bed and tiptoed to the window, not wanting to wake Mary. I pulled the curtains apart.
No mysterious lanterns or wagons tonight. The moonlight dusted the treetops with silver. An owl hooted nearby. A cat crouched in the grass, prepared to pounce on its unsuspecting midnight feast. Subtle movement in the shadows caught my eyes. The doe had returned, along with another. They grazed peacefully under a crabapple tree near the fence.
Suddenly, their heads jerked upright, and they stared briefly in the same direction before leaping into the darkness.
I craned my neck to see what startled them but quickly stepped backward. Aunt Lydia had left her house and was heading toward the barn. This time no man accompanied her, but she carried a heavy-looking basket in her arms. She was in the barn no more than a minute before she emerged again and walked toward the house, her arms empty. Why had she left the basket in the barn? What was in it?
I leaned toward the windowpane again, trying to get a better look. She stopped and glanced up toward me. My heart skipped a beat and began to race. I fell back into the shadows. Had she seen me? I waited a moment until the beats in my chest returned to almost normal, then crouched down and peeked through the outside edge of the curtain. She was nowhere in sight.
What was she hiding in that barn? Stolen property? Moonshine? The desire to sneak over there and snoop was almost overwhelming, but if I were caught, my uncle’s wrath would be severe. No, I had better not risk that. A gust of cool air blew through the window, raising goose bumps on my arms. I pulled it shut, closed the curtains, and crawled into bed.
About the Author:
Diana has been a voracious reader since age nine when she discovered The Chronicl
es of Narnia after a librarian handed her the first book in the series. She credits hay fever for her interest in writing stories. Unable to play outside without misery from the age of ten, she spent half of every summer vacation inside reading and writing stories until the pollen count dwindled.
Diana serves as a high school English teacher and academic support coordinator. She originally chose to teach older students because she thought they would be able to manage their own bodily fluids better than little kids would. She’s discovered she was mostly right about that, and as a bonus, she finds teenagers a blast to spend her days with.
She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband Alan and youngest son Isaac. Her adult son Mitchell lives only a four-hour drive away, but Diana wishes it was four minutes instead. She has two cats. Her Maine Coon named Mister Mistoffelees weighs twenty pounds. He is as sweet as he is huge. The other is a feisty Siamese-mix named Sabrina.
Goodreads | Website | Facebook | Twitter
June 3, 2015
Book Expo America 2015
Wow. What a trip. I’m a few days back from Book Expo America 2015 and I’m still in a New York state of mind. Perhaps going to the Billy Joel concert at Madison Square Garden is to blame. Or maybe it’s just a lingering big city madness that will eventually fade. Either way, BEA has left me inspired, even more enthused about publishing, and I walked away with some amazing memories.
If you’re not familiar, BEA is the 
largest publishing trade show in North America, attracting industry peeps from around the globe, not to mention authors, agents, editors, a slew of celebrities, and most importantly – librarians, educators, and booksellers. No matter how fancy the booth, those are the true stars of an event like BEA, the people who actually buy the books and promote them / use them in the real world.
This was my second time at BEA, but my first doing an actual in-booth signing for a book launching in October, EXPOSED is one volume in the Retribution Trilogy being released by Orca Book Publishers. So exciting to talk up the trilogy, the characters, the authors…and sign / hand out copies while chatting all things bookish with my editor, and Orca publisher, Andrew Wooldrige.
But I was also at the show as co-publisher of Leap Books and managed to work in meetings with one of our authors and Leap’s founder. The shows many sessions on marketing, publishing trends, etc came in handy, as did the multitude of networking opportunities. Like the Blogger / Author Meet-Up I organized. Such fun to meet new author/blogger friends as well as connect with people I’ve known through social media, but finally got to see face-to-face.
Plus, my husband and I managed to work in a full day of touring NY and I scooped up a bunch of great new titles, swag, and resources to bring home and share with my school library.
Would I go back? You knows it!
April 20, 2015
Retribution Trilogy: Cover Reveal
I am so excited for the release of the Retribution Trilogy – a series I co-wrote with Alberta authors, Natash Deen and Sigmund Brouwer – coming this October from Orca Book Publishers.
A homeless kid burning for revenge,
a car thief who will scale any height and a boxer with a secret life…
all seeking vengeance on the adults who wronged them.
Each of these teen rebels has a specialized skill
and the motivation for retaliation, but they cannot succeed alone.
Reluctantly agreeing to become a team is the first step towards RETRIBUTION.
This isn’t your typical YA series.
Retribution follows four main characters as they learn working together is the only way they individually get what they want. Each novel features the “origin” story for a different character, while showing how Team Retribution forms from that character’s point of view. To get the full scope of the layers and backstories, you need to read all the books, however, they can be read in any order and contain key “cross-over” scenes that appear in each book.
Anyway, without further ado, here are the dangerously cool covers!
About EXPOSED
Raven will have to learn to fly if she is to survive.
Raven is cunning, aggressive and whip-smart—she’s had to be to survive. She was taken in at a young age by the boss of a car-theft ring, who rescued her from a life of hell. For too long she’s believed she owes him everything and used her uncanny urban climbing skills to train young recruits for what she believes are victimless crimes. Until Raven discovers that his compassion for the kids he wrangles into the ring is just a front, and they are all merely tools of his trade, nothing more. When he’s responsible for the death of Raven’s young “apprentice,” she finally sees him for what he really is—and sets out to bring him down.
Stealing cars to get by and pay her debts, Raven excels at urban climbing and takes pride in her job—until she is forced to take sides and bring down a car-theft ring in this fast-paced entry in the Retribution trilogy.
Discover more via the series website.
Pre-order on Amazon! Add EXPOSED to your Goodreads shelves today!
