Heather Self's Blog, page 14

Be Pretty Contest from Lisa Burstein

Lisa Burstein has launched a contest giving followers a chance to win one of three designer prom dresses from Kay Unger (Phoebe Couture), and 2 Sephora $20 gift cards in time for prom season. 
You read that right.  Win a Designer Prom Dress.  Lisa Burstein is celebrating the upcoming release of PRETTY AMY, and to sweeten the pot, 3 Phoebe Couture Evening Dresses are being given away.
WOW!
PRETTY AMY starts on a prom night that goes horribly and hilariously wrong. Prom night or any special night doesn’t always go as planned. There is a lot you can’t control: the weather, your date’s breath and sometimes even the whim of a policeman. 
Luckily, you can control the way you look and PRETTY AMY wants you to look good.
Designer good. $200 Designer good! See more at Lisa Burstein’s website!
To celebrate PRETTY AMY entering the world on May 15th! Lisa is giving away 3(!) Size 8 Phoebe Couture evening dresses, generously donated by Kay Unger and 2(!) $20 Sephora gift cards.
4 lucky people will win! Contest starts 4/17 and goes until 5/17
To make this even MORE fun, some brave Entangled authors, editors, publicists and interns have given Lisa their prom photos. She will be posting them on her Facebook page over the next month as well!
So go go go and you can check out my review of Pretty Amy right here!

COVER REVEAL: Madly and the Jackal by M Leighton

Holy moly, y'all! I have been DYING for this sequel since I first read Madly and Wolfhardt back in the day. Madly was actually the FIRST book I ever reviewed on this blog so I'm super excited to reveal the cover and blurb for the next installment. Gotta say, the blurb makes me a bit nervous as Jackson is one of my favs ever!

How deep does love run?  Deeper than the ocean?  Deeper than memory?  Deeper than magic?
Following their plan to save Atlas, Madly and Jackson return the spirit of Wolfhardt to his prison beneath the sea.  But even the best laid plans couldn’t account for the surprises they find.  This time, Lore aren’t their only challenges. 
Madly is special in ways no one could have guessed and dark forces seek to control her.  They want her power, but first they must weaken her.  They need her beaten. Vulnerable.  Near death.  And alone.  But that task isn’t an easy one with Jackson at her side.  The strongest of their kind, the only way to separate Jackson from Madly is to destroy his love for her, to erase it from his mind.  And his heart.  
Is it possible to steal Jackson’s love from Madly?  Or is their love the only truly unbreakable thing?
Follow Michelle on twitter to stay up to date on all the Jackson Madly news and go read Madly and Wolfhardt so you're ready for this one! You won't be disappointed.

YA Indie Carnival: Friday the 13th

Dunh, dunh, dunh! What better place to be than a CARNIVAL for today of all days! In honor of today, a quick OUaT on a possible origin of the dread of today's date. We'll call it historical sorta fiction? Historical mostly fiction? At any rate, the Knights Templar were real as was their subsequent demise.

Once upon a time...


There was an order of monks, who were the fiercest fighters in all the land. Many a pilgrim relied on their protection to journey to and from the Holy Land. The lands surrounding Jerusalem were controlled by the cursed Moors and their fear of the Templars was so great that when one was captured in battle they were immediately slain. Not only were these monks warriors, but they were also learned men.They had interests in archaeology. They established new practices in baking, and agriculture. They were present in the day to day lives of people throughout many countries and regions. Because of this, their religious order became wealthy and had great treasure and power. Now this brought great concern to the Pope, who organized a meeting between the leader of the Knights and another religious order. The Knight was delayed but the meeting moved forward. The Pope and the other Grand Master had some concern over charges that had been brought against the Knights. While they believed them to be false, the matter was investigated further by sending queries to the King of France. Now Philip was an evil man and in great debt to the Knights as he'd borrowed large sums of gold to fund his war with England. Seizing the opportunity to have his debts forgiven, Philip pressured the Pope to levy charges against the brave Knights. As the Knights treasure would then become his, the Pope agreed. On Friday, October 13, 1307 arrest warrants were issued for many French Knights who were then tortured into confessing to the crimes of apostasy, heresy, idolotry and others. The Knights did not live happily ever after.

The End.


Don't forget to check out the other Carnie blogs and click below to find out what's new!

Review: Tangled Tides by Karen Amanda Hooper

Amazon    Barnes & Noble
Yara Jones doesn't believe in sea monsters—until she becomesone.

When a hurricane hits her island home and she wakes up with fins, Yara findsherself tangled up in an underwater world of mysterious merfolk and secretiveselkies. Both sides believe Yara can save them by fulfilling a broken promiseand opening the sealed gateway to their realm, but they are battling over howit should be done. The selkies want to take her life. The merfolk wantsomething far more precious.

Treygan, the stormy-eyed merman who turned Yara mer, will stop at nothing andsacrifice everything to protect his people—until he falls for Yara. The tidesturn as Yara fights to save herself, hundreds of sea creatures, and the mermanwho has her heart. She could lose her soul in the process—or she might open thegateway to a love that's deeper than the oceans.

Young Adult fans of Mermaids, Selkies, Sirens and Gorgons will love this taleof the sacrifice one makes for genuine love. Love that could be lost at anymoment to the ever-changing tides.

Rating: 4
This book had been on my TBR for a while because I really love mermaids. I swam so much when I was a kid I thought if I stayed in the pool enough I would turn into one. Sadly, I am still land-bound and have no sea-legs. or fins. ok. no more rabbit trails. 
I really enjoyed this book. Yara's spunk was so great and I loved the mystery surrounding her parentage. Treygan took a little to warm up to but I totally blame the author for that as she was a bit tricky in her story-telling.  THREE different POVs are used to tell this story, and the third POV is the one that had me second-guessing intentions. I'll let you be surprised by who it is so the review can remain spoiler free! 
Yara's Uncle Lloyd was a kind, yet mysterious, minor character, who ended being a sah-weet dude that...[insert spoiler here ;)] Treygan's band of "merry men" also provide levity and humor to counteract Treygan's serious demeanor. 
The inclusion of so many different mythological sea creatures was AWESOME! Rarely does a book come along that includes selkies, sirens, AND gorgons with the mermaids. The lore behind the creation of, as well as the world building for each race,  the selkies and mermaids, was wicked cool. For example, mermaids are ranked by the colors of the rainbow. Their hair and fin color changes as they ascend in rank through the colors. Cool, right? There are other neat things that showcase the differences between the two but I'm not going to tell you what. :)
While the Goodreads title shows this as the first in a series it doesn't end on a cliffhanger (thank goodness!) and I was quite pleased at the end of it. Great read all in all. I'm sure I'll be reading it again.
Find the Author: TwitterBlog
Goodreads

COVER REVEAL: Greta and the Goblin King by Chloe Jacobs

Time for another Entangled pub cover reveal! The blurb to this book really has me interested. Release date is November 13, 2012; mark those calendars! Also, check back here in September for an exclusive excerpt of Greta and the Goblin King!


While trying to save her brother four years ago, Greta wasthrown into the witch's fire herself, falling through a portal to a dangerousworld where humans are the enemy, and every ogre, goblin, and ghoul has a darkside that comes out with the full moon.
To survive, seventeen-year-old Greta has hidden her humanityand taken the job of bounty hunter—and she's good at what she does. So good,she's caught the attention of Mylena's young Goblin King, the darkly enticingIsaac, who invades her dreams and undermines her determination to escape.
But Greta's not the only one looking to get out of Mylena.The full moon is mere days away, and an ancient evil knows she's the key toopening the portal. If Greta fails, she and the lost boys of Mylena will die.If she succeeds, no world will be safe from what follows her back…



Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13260802-greta-and-the-goblin-king
Barnes and Noble pre-order: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/greta-and-the-goblin-king-chloe-james/1040613977

Amazon Pre-order: http://www.amazon.com/Greta-Goblin-King-Chloe-Jacobs/dp/1620610027/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333978677&sr=8-1


About Chloe:Chloe Jacobs is a native of nowhere and everywhere, havingjumped around to practically every Province of Canada before finally settlingin Ontario where she has now been living for a respectable number of years. Herhusband and son are the two best people in the entire world, but they also makeher wish she'd at least gotten a female cat. No such luck. And although the dayjob keeps her busy, she carves out as much time as possible to write. Bringingnew characters to life and finding out what makes them tick and how badly shecan make them suffer is one of her greatest pleasures, almost better thanchocolate and fuzzy pink bunny slippers.Twitter: www.twitter.com/Jacobs_ChloeFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/ChloeJacobsAuthorWebsite: http://www.chloejacobs.com

YA Indie Carnival: Fav Spring Break Scenes

Good day fellow Carnival lovers! It's time for mucho mas rides with some awesome Indie authors. This week we're taking Spring Break, and then taking one! The carnival is hitting the beach (or maybe skiing) next week so be sure you check out our spring break scenes by clicking above.
So, y'all. I don't have a spring break scene. I even wracked my brain from all the novels I've read and while I'm SURE there must be one in one of them, nothing came to mind. I even went so far as to think if there was a movie with some awesome spring break-iness happening that I could mention and am drawing a complete blank. So it's up to you, dear readers! Hit me with some spring break goodness--maybe I can read a couple of them :) Don't forget to check out all the latest Carnival news-there's a lot!-including my cover! Woo hoo!

Cover Reveal: the One by ME & Thank you

Well, it happened. At midnight central last night some amazing blogger and author friends helped reveal the cover to my debut novel. Wow that's surreal. So go check out the blogs below, follow them, stalk them on twitter they're all pretty freaking amazing and you can see my cover at any one of their blogs or on Goodreads.

Dani (masterful blogger)
Amy (and the Sisters!)
Ashley (#ZombieQueen Extraordinaire)
Autumn (enthusiastic cheerleader)
Heather (Heather's United!)
Tess (uber motivator)
Mandy (indie author pimpster)
Jackie (sweet faery)
Nichole (GREAT author and sweet southern belle)
Michelle (superb writer and sista)


Oh, oh!  I HAVE to thank the totally Uh-MAZ-ing Stephanie Mooney who took my strange cover idea and turned it into something BEAUTIFUL!

Cover Reveal: the One By....

ME! That's MY book. *breathes into paperbag* except...where the heck did that cover go...

Maybe it's over here...

Review: Pretty Amy by Lisa Burstein

Amy is fine living in the shadows of beautiful Lila and uber-cool Cassie, because at least she's somewhat beautiful and uber-cool by association. But when their dates stand them up for prom, and the girls take matters into their own hands—earning them a night in jail outfitted in satin, stilettos, and Spanx—Amy discovers even a prom spent in handcuffs might be better than the humiliating "rehabilitation techniques" now filling up her summer. Worse, with Lila and Cassie parentally banned, Amy feels like she has nothing—like she is nothing.
Navigating unlikely alliances with her new coworker, two very different boys, and possibly even her parents, Amy struggles to decide if it's worth being a best friend when it makes you a public enemy. Bringing readers along on an often hilarious and heartwarming journey, Amy finds that maybe getting a life only happens once you think your life is over.

Rating: 3* (slightly spoilery)
Meet Amy, the slightly awkward "yes man" in a trio of  high school seniors. Lila has set Cassie and Amy up with blind dates for their high school prom and it quickly goes to hell in a hand basket. The trio gets stood up, finds a monster bag of pot and manages to gets pulled over. The girls get arrested and so begins the real story. Y'all. Amy is one HOT. MESS. And so is her family, though she is the only child. I seriously wanted to punch her mom in the face over her handling of Amy's arrest, at least the emotional part of it--having Amy pay for her own lawyer was actually pretty brilliant but I digress. Her dad is kind of a sad character in that you can tell he loves his daughter and tries to make up for her mother's lack of connection but he still puts his job first. I didn't feel like Lila or Cassie were particularly sympathetic characters which was fine. You're not supposed to like them, this is Amy's story, Amy's journey. And y'all, it's one every mother of a girl should read. It's a story high school teacher's should read, and one teenagers should read. As a 35 year old it's easy to look back and see aspects of Amy in myself--the desire to belong, to fit in, to have people who GOT me. And if I couldn't find that, I could at least have people who kept me from being isolated. THIS is Amy's story, and the story of the teenager many of used to be, the one yearning for connection. It's what we do, and who we choose to connect with that shapes us (and Amy) during the high school years. I think that's what Amy (and hopefully the rest of us) learns in the end. That it is about our choices and the consequences that result. This is not a light, or particularly "fun" read, however there is enough quick wit, and sarcasm to keep the book from being too heavy, mostly provided by a wickedly awesome bird. Yup. You read that right. 


*I gave this story a 3 because per my rankings it's one I liked but would probably not read it again. I WILL however recommend it to any teachers, parents, teenagers I know in hopes that they remember or recognize a part of Amy in themselves in order to better relate to each other. Pretty Amy releases on May 15. 

While it Lasts By Abbi Glines Cover Reveal

Yes. I know. You're all like holy cow ANOTHER Abbi cover reveal?! That woman is a writing machine! Yes. Yes she is. This is NOT a bad thing people since Abbi's stuff is awesomesauce! And this one is all about Cage--who we met and mostly liked--in Because of Low.  Cage's story, White it Lasts, will be available July 31, 2012.  I decided this time to do the blurb first so you're not distracted by the cover.  That's been a problem for some (eyes Autumn) so be careful you don't hurt yourself.


Maybe driving home after a few (or more) shots of tequilahad been a bad idea, but hell, he did it all the time. The cops had to havebeen freaking bored to have pulled him over. He wasn't even swerving! That'sCage York's story and he's sticking to it.
Unfortunately, his baseball coach isn't buying it. Cage hasa free ride to the local junior college for baseball -- or he did, untilhe'd gotten a DUI. Now, Cage has to decide: does he drop out and give up hisdream of getting noticed by a college in the SEC, and possibly making it intothe Major Leagues -- or does he give in to his coach's demands and spendhis summer bailing hay?
Eva Brooks had planned out her life step by stepwhen she was eight years old. Not once over the years had she lost sight of hergoals. Josh Beasley, her next door neighbor, had been the center of thosegoals. He'd been her first boyfriend at seven, her first kiss at ten, her firstdate at fifteen, and her first tragedy at eighteen. The moment she'd receivedthe phone call from Josh's mother saying he'd been killed along with four othersoldiers just north of Baghdad, Eva's carefully planned life imploded in theworst way possible.
Cage isn't real happy with his closet-sized bedroom in theback of a foul smelling barn, or his daily interactions with cows, but he knowsthat if he doesn't make his coach happy then he can kiss his scholarshipgoodbye. Only a sick and twisted man would decide his punishment was to beworking on a farm all summer. No hot babes in bikinis waiting to meet aSouthern boy to make her vacation complete. Just him and the damned cows.
Oh -- and an uptight, snarky brunette with the biggestblue eyes he's every seen. But she doesn't count, because as hard as he's triedto charm her out of her panties - he's pretty sure she'd rather see him hungfrom the rafters than let him get a taste of her pretty little lips.