Alivia Anders's Blog, page 9

Hoppy Easter Eggstravaganza Giveaway!

Hoppy Easter Eggstravaganza Giveaway HopApril 6th to 12thHosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer & Yara @ Once Upon A Twilight



Being an Easter Egg Hop and all, I decided to offer something a little different than just your average book mix, especially since both this giveaway and Illumine's Wish will play cross-over at some point. So to make this a special giveaway specially made just for the hop, I've got a cool mix of things up for grabs! 


Here's the goodie basket! 
- A butterfly pendant, hand wire wrapped by Stone Soup Designs 


- A $5.00 Amazon gift card (delivered wirelessly on April 13th) 


- 5 signed Illumine bookmarks 








*Please note, my giveaway is only for US residents this time around. However, ILLUMINE'S WISH is an INTERNATIONAL giveaway and will be starting on APRIL 8TH if you'd like to enter!














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Illumine's Wish: The Mega-Blog Event!

Okay, I think I've had enough coffee to write this all out coherently.

First, let me ask you a question; when it was your birthday, what did you wish for when you blew out the candles? A pony? Happy love life with a dream boy? Hit a bestseller list with your debut novel?

If you're thinking on the same coffee-intoxicated brainwaves as I am, the last question probaly caught your eye. How many 21-year-olds do you know who pick, out of everything they could have on their special day, to see their book on a bestseller list? This one, of course.

I know, it's completely insane. I'm basically pimping myself out on my birthday in hopes of making my birthday wish come true. Wait, aren't birthday wishes not supposed to be spoken aloud, for fear of them never coming true? Well, how does a wish like this come true if I don't share it? Easy, it doesn't. But now that I am sharing it, there's a chance that, by the end of April 11th 2012, I could have my wish come true.

How? With your help.

Over the last couple of weeks, I've been contacting anyone who was interested in participating in a SPECIAL SECRET event over Twitter, Facebook, email, you name it. The response was great, by the way! I had a mix of friends and new-aquaintances reach out to me, curious about my little hush-hush spectacle I kept muttering about.

The event, titled ILLUMINE'S WISH, is in a sense, a blog hop with an ultimate 'wish'. Throughout the week of April 8th until the 14th, various blogs around the internet will be hosting giveaways of Illumine signed paperbacks, bookmarks, ebooks, a little of everything! Each blog participating will be mentioned here, highlighting anything from guest posts, reviews, you name it!

Then there's the big prize. The big prize, which will run all week right here on my blog, is your chance to win one of ten ARCS of Obumbrate! Five of them will be paperback format, while the other five will be ebook versions. Winners of the ARC giveaway will be announced on April 20th right on here along with the cover reveal of OBUMBRATE! How cool is that?!

Now, back to ILLUMINE'S WISH. Even though I've already gathered all participants for the event, let's just say you want to help achieve this goal with me. How can you go about doing this, you ask? I say easy! Tweet about it, post about it on Facebook. Spread the photo and the details as far as you can virally. Let your corner of the world know that one author is going bonkers to make her dream come true and really have something to celebrate her 21st birthday about! You can put the button for ILLUMINE'S WISH right on your blog, Facebook, Twitter, anywhere. I really mean it when I say that every mention counts. It's like one voice out of the whole choir. Alone, the voice is beautiful and elegant, but combined with the whole choir it becomes mesmerizing and powerful.

Let's make ILLUMINE'S WISH like a choir, mesmerizing and powerful. Together, we can do this!

Free Book and Mega Giveaway!

Ever feel like there aren't enough hours in the day? I'm kind of in that boat right now. I'm going to post a short little update on the wildness in my life, but tomorrow I swear on my soul I will be posting a detailed, marvelous post on the giant event next week called ILLUMINE'S WISH. However, until then, here's my crazy list. 
- ILLUMINE, in ebook format, is FREE for the next 48. Yes, hours. Yes, I am crazy. Please download it, share it, be my knight in golden armor and run around your neighborhood proclaiming it. And give them this link!
- OBUMBRATE,  book two, finally has a cover! It will be revealed in all its glory on APRIL 20TH! I'm very proud of this, and I can very confidently say it's some of my best graphic design work. 
- LIMITED EDITION OBUMBRATE BOOKMARKS are up for grabs on FACEBOOK PAGE! All YOU have to do is get that page up to 400 likes and then I'll hold a huge drawing for them! 
- Tonight I will be at a charity event supporting a local hospital's burn unit, and while I'm selling my books there for donations, I figured I could extend the favor to my fans who aren't in the immediate area as well. So if you purchase a SIGNED COPY (right hand side of the screen) before 8PM EST, I'll donate 30% for each one bought. It's a kickass cause, and I'm proud to do this! Here's the Facebook page event about the charity hosting tonight!
- I'm pretty sure in the next month or so, not only will I have TIS website up and ready to run (THEILLUMINESERIES.COM) but I will open a cute little tab here offering some neat things like posters, bookmarks, t-shirts, all strictly made by me and my madness at home. Yay! 
- And lastly, if you can't keep your pants on for July to get a copy of OBUMBRATE, you are in luck! Tomorrow I will unveil just how you can get one of TEN, yes ten, ARCS of OBUMBRATE! MEGA YAY!! 


So until tomorrow, stay crazy, keep your eyes glued to my blog and remember, spinach is not very delicious on ice cream. Not that I know anything about this. 

Things I Try To Remember, But Never Do

We all get a little scatterbrained at times. As people, it's totally normal. In fact, if you don't have a moment of "What the heck was I doing?" in your life, I'm going to say you're probably a robot, and hopefully you come in peace and won't destroy our world a-la evil Transformers style.

This could get ugly.

If you've ever asked a writer some of the things they haven't done yet, but probably should have, they'd most likely give you a look reminding you of Filch's petrified cat in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. We're writers- we're not supposed to forget things, especially things like important plot points or hair colors of characters or how many times we ran the wash cycle on the washer for the same load of clothes. But usually we're clustered, forgetful of appointments or dates or meetings with friends, occasionally forget the USB drive at the printer shop, and if we ate that day. Or yesterday. Or maybe last week. I essentially discovered just how bad my forgetfulness was while I was hunched over my lovely tomato basil soup from Cosi, which is delicious by the way, and thought that I'd share some of the biggest things I tend to forget.

1- Did I charge my phone/ipad/MP3 player/thing of usual importance the time I forget to charge it?
This is my most common culprit. You know how it goes- you're setting up to write all la-de-da, and next thing you know BAM. It smacks you in the head you forgot to charge the thing you need most! How the heck can you write when your ipad is dead?

2- Commenting and liking ALL THE THINGS on Facebook. Also counts for RTing ALL THE THINGS on Twitter. 
 Yes. I like your post. I also will go down my news feed and like, well, pretty much everything I find remotely interesting. Twitter? Same thing, only they call it re-tweeting (RTing). After a day or two of relative inactivity I will actually go back through half of the day and freakishly comment on just about everything I can find something to say about. This is called spamming. I am lame.

3- Not commenting back on reviews (for the most part).
I'm still trying to understand why this is such a faux pas, like say when the review is good. Usually I'll see a review and say aloud, "SQUEE! LOOK, NEW HAPPY REVIEW!" And then proceed to type that out and hit send. Somehow, this is wrong. Because nine times out of ten if I do that, all comments afterwards NEVER HAPPEN. And then I feel like I totally did that, and crawl into a hole where I write all the depressing parts of my books because I am a depressing soul.

4- Did I put pants on? 
Yoga pants do not count. Sweatpants don't count, either.

5- Blogging regularly? HAH. 
Remember my little vow to routinely blog early on in the year? Yes, I've remained consistent that I'm still posting (most because I love writing blog posts, it's like an open invitation to show you guys my brain and just how bonkers I absolutely am (the Hatter and I would get along VERY well)) but I'm still trying to learn the whole 'blog on this day and that day EVERY WEEK, ALIVIA.' I can't do that! Well, I could, but that would mean scheduling posts and losing the spontaneous weirdness and all the fun things that make me absolutely batty. So yeah.



Speaking of, I totally forgot to refill my cup of soda. Crap.



Is there anything you try to remember to do?

OBUMBRATE Sneak Peek, Part 2!

I know these kinds of unveilings are typically reserved for Tuesdays or Thursdays, but I'm going to do a little breaking of the rules here and give you guys a little teaser of Obumbrate that no one's seen yet! Also, don't forget Obumbrate's cover reeal will be April 20th! Trust me, it'll be here before you know it.

(Please note- I have nothing against sharing my sneak peeks, but please provide a link back to this blog and let me know. This way, I don't think you're stealing, and I won't come after you with rabid penguins and a rusty spoon.)

"Essallie, Essallie are you still there?"
"I'm still here."
"Listen to me, right now. You need to go to the police. Let them know what you saw. I'm getting in the car right now."
"Jayson, if I go to the police, they'll arrest me on the spot. It's too much like Chase's death. How coincidental can you get? The second I'm home, and they're dead?"
"Running from the police is the last thing you want to do-"
"And turning myself in is on the same list," I sighed. "It's me they're after, not Gram, not Grand, not Chase."
"Who's after you, Essie?"
I started to answer when another set of footsteps sounded behind me. I turned around to come face-to-face with the woman I'd spotted in the apartment. Slowly, I lowered the phone from my face, pressing it against my leg so Jayson couldn't hear.
"Who are you?"
"Now, must we start with all the tense formalities? Or can we skip them and get straight to the part where you come along with me?"
I held out my free hand and ignited a ball of brilliant blue flame. "Why does nobody answer my questions?"
She gave me a sharp, cryptic smile. "Who I am is none of your concern." She extended a hand out to me, flicking tresses from her long ponytail over her shoulder. "This can be done easily or painfully. I'd rather take you in whole, and not in a jar. But I can promise you that, voluntary or not, we will get what we want from you."
"What is it you want?"
"The same thing everyone wants. Your blood." Her fingers wiggled at me impatiently. "It'll be over before you know it, just come with me."
My eyes locked on her outstretched hand. I studied the curvature of her fingers, the slender black nails sharpened to small points at the top. Just at the peak, a fleck of dried blood clung to a single one. I thought of my grandfather and grandmother, fighting off the woman before me, her nails slashing through skin and muscle and veins, their blood forever on her hands.
I exploded.

Why We Fall For The Bad Boys

Ladies, raise your hand if you've read a book with a residential 'bad boy' you just couldn't get enough of.

If you've read any of the books published in the last billion years, you know exactly what I am talking about. That's right, the bad boy. You know the standard clichés; Tall, dark, brooding. May or may not have a motorcycle. May or may not have wild and unkempt hair. Secretly holds a heart of good under his rugged exterior. I could go on all day! Our hearts hold a secret soft spot for these guys, and no matter how bad they get we still find something inside of them worthy of redeeming. But why? Why do we love these obvious bad choices in men?

They draw you in, virtually against your will. Let's take Noah Shaw from The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer as an example. Mara knows early on that Noah is the stereotype bad boy, a rebel, and vulgar at that, whispers of him having bedded every girl in school circling him like a bad odor. Yet as if it were beyond her control, she finds herself falling in love with him. Was it luck? Not even close. Bad boys are automatically built to be seductively cunning, and when paired with the occasional act of redemption blended into the mix it forms one hell of a potent drink for any girl to sip.

Sprinkle in some love! Perhaps one of the most enticing parts of the bad boy is the redeeming quality hiding just under the surface. Take Kayden from my book Illumine for example. He's a terrible guy in every bit of the sense- he's killed, manipulated, used and abused. So why doesn't Essallie drop him like a hot rock? Because deep down, Kayden still shows that random moment of kindness, a spark of possible humanity. And more often than not, that's only one piece of the puzzle leading to...

The heart of gold. At the center of every crafted bad boy is a pure heart, a flourish of gold stronger than their darkest behaviors. I could use two people here easily to prove my point, but I'll stick to Serverus Snape for this example. Snape carried a torch for Lily Potter his whole life, even after her death, and that drive to protect what was left of her in Harry is what kept his heart pure despite everything he'd done to the contrary.

With all the staggering evidence mounting, how can you not want to cozy up to Mr. Multi-Piercings and his biker gang? Well, maybe that's a little extreme.

The Lunar Blog Hop Giveaway!

Oh my! Sorry this is going up late!

Alright, so who's ready to get their hands on a copy of Illumine?! I've got a beautiful paperback copy of Illumine right here for you- all you have to do is enter in the giveaway! That's right- I'm participating in my first Blogger Hop giveaway- namely the Lunar Blog Hop!

So what do you have to do to enter in the giveaway? Oh, that's easy. Ready? Read the Raflecopter below and "like" my author page on Facebook! Easy peasy. The list below the Raflecopter will list other blogs in this HUGE giveaway- so 'hop' from each blog and enter to win other awesome prizes!

*Please note, my giveaway is only for US residents this time around. But I'll be hosting an international giveaway in April, so check back then!


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Sh*T My Friends Say, Part Three

(I have the sinking feeling this is going to become a regular staple on my blog. Keep it up, friends! Apparently you're hilarious, har harrr.)

The following two posts are from a friend of mine, named Katie, who every now and then offers me a little wiggle room with our conversations. Sometimes they turn terribly dirty. Other times they turn awkwardly funny. Observe.



And when my potato making noises haven't gotten her in giggles, conversations about Wendy's frosties do. Who knew all it took was frosties and a hot tub to get the best of both worlds?

OBUMBRATE Is Underway! Plus, A New Series

Phew! It's Tuesday already? Why do my weeks keep running away so fast?

I had originally planned to give you all a second sneak peek into Obumbrate, the second book to Illumine, but I get so giddy at the thought of letting any more of it out that I just can't bring myself to post it! But fret not- if you haven't already read the first three segments I've posted, they're available right here! Hopefully the segments have you excited to read it as excited I am to release it this July!

In other totally-out-of-the-blue news, I can officially say I've started on a new dystopian series on the side as well. It's first book, titled Unwanted, is scheduled to come out next summer. It's not that I need an arm and a leg of time to write and fine tune it- it's that I'd like to focus on TIS first and get that well into itself before I start dedicating my mind to a new set of characters and their own insane issues. It could also have to do with the fact that the MC can't make up her mind and tell me if she wants to be called Emily or Rebbekah. Oh, the woes of a writer.

Recently I've picked up onto some of my favorite old pieces of music- specifically when ABC announced they were going to play Alice in Wonderland on TV. You know, the one that completely solidified my thoughts that Alice and the Mad Hatter would make the cutest couple on Earth? It also made me wonder about my birthday... and how very Unhappy it should be. I'm wondering if I can find the time to make an Alice in Wonderland dress to wear on my birthday and go with the cake I'm making. Oh, man, my brain could go on and on like this all day. Especially when you listen to this.

Sh*t My Friends Say, Part Two

There was such an overwhelming response to Sh*t My Friends Say, Part One! Who knew my friends were funny and amusing to read? I just thought they've existed solely to drive me borderline insane and manic.

I noticed, though, on my last post that I hadn't shown you any of the conversations I have with one of my closest friends, Steph. I've mentioned her on here a couple of times, but most of you only know her by her name. Let it be known that she isn't my one of my best friends just because she's freaking inhumanly gorgeous- she's one of my favorite people to talk to. Why? Because we can have conversations like these naturally.