Katie Hamstead's Blog, page 25

Son of a Pitch Round 2 Begins

And so it begins! Throughout the week, watch out on the blogs for the authors who will be leaving their feedback and five votes each. To find the voting authors, click HERE. The top twenty will be selected, emailed, and posted here on Friday.

Note: Do not comment on other entrants' posts, only your own. You can bribe, coax, share, tweet, and do whatever to your entry, but you cannot comment on anyone else's.

And here are this round's entries:

Young Adult:


New Adult:


Adult:

Son of a Pitch Round 2 Entries CLOSED

Now CLOSED

***Watch this space for another round in Sept***

This week, published authors will give you feedback. The Son of a Pitch team, who are all published, will post your emailed in queries and 250 words on their blogs. Please use the formatting below and email to:
sonofapitchcomp@yahoo.com.au
Subject: Son of a Pitch! (Category + Genre)

Formatting:Title: (Name of Manuscript)Age and Genre: (YA/NA/Adult then Genre)Word Count: (to the nearest thousand)
Query:Insert query here. No bio please.
First 250 Words:i don't care if this is from a prologue or chapter one. That's up to you.
Incorrectly formatted emails will be eliminated.
The  first fifty entries  will go into this round.
But don't be discouraged if you don't make it! The feedback you received in round one will help you with querying elsewhere, and let us know your success story so it can be shared on the blog. 

Son of a Pitch Round 2 Entries OPEN!

Now CLOSED

***Watch this space for another round in Sept***

This week, published authors will give you feedback. The Son of a Pitch team, who are all published, will post your emailed in queries and 250 words on their blogs. Please use the formatting below and email to:
sonofapitchcomp@yahoo.com.au
Subject: Son of a Pitch! (Category + Genre)

Formatting:Title: (Name of Manuscript)Age and Genre: (YA/NA/Adult then Genre)Word Count: (to the nearest thousand)
Query:Insert query here. No bio please.
First 250 Words:i don't care if this is from a prologue or chapter one. That's up to you.
Incorrectly formatted emails will be eliminated.
The  first fifty entries  will go into this round.
But don't be discouraged if you don't make it! The feedback you received in round one will help you with querying elsewhere, and let us know your success story so it can be shared on the blog. 

Release! Asleep by Krystal Wade

To celebrate the release of the spine-chilling YA psychological thriller ASLEEP by Krystal Wade, we have a full blog tour and exciting giveaways ahead! ASLEEP is the debut novel from Blaze Publishing, and answers the question of what happens when Sleeping Beauty meets Freddy Krueger. If you want to see more of ASLEEP, you can still find the Ten Weeks of Teasers and other great content on the Blaze Publishing blog. Order your copy now!

Asleep
Krystal Wade
Published by: Blaze Publishing
Publication date: February 16th 2016
Genres: Horror, Young Adult

“To cure fear, you must use fear.”
Rose Briar claims no responsibility for the act that led to her imprisonment in an asylum. She wants to escape, until terrifying nightmares make her question her sanity and reach out to her doctor. He’s understanding and caring in ways her parents never have been, but as her walls tumble down and Rose admits fault, a fellow patient warns her to stop the medications. Phillip believes the doctor is evil and they’ll never make it out of the facility alive. Trusting him might be just the thing to save her. Or it might prove the asylum is exactly where she needs to be.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / Signed CopyFollow the Blog Tour! Tuesday 2/16Wednesday 2/17Thursday 2/18Vicki Leigh: First Chapter ReadingJordan Elizabeth: First Chapter ReadingEve Langell: First Chapter ReadingCase Maynard: Promo PostWhat A Nerd Girl Says: InterviewA Thousand Books: Teaser OneFriday 2/19Saturday 2/20Sunday 2/21OriginiquEquanimity: Promo PostJanelle Howard: Teaser TwoArchaeolibrarian: Teaser ThreeRyan Hill: InterviewNerd Girl Official: Promo PostTesairie’s Book Reads: Promo Post
Chapter 1 read by author:

Author Bio:
Krystal Wade can be found in the sluglines outside Washington D.C. every morning, Monday through Friday. With coffee in hand, iPod plugged in, and strangers-who sometimes snore, smell, or have incredibly bad gas-sitting next to her, she zones out and thinks of fantastical worlds for you and me to read. How else can she cope with a fifty mile commute?
Good thing she has her husband and three kids to go home to. They keep her sane.
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Want to stay up to date on everything from Blaze Publishing? Sign up for our newsletter so you don't miss a thing! The first 100 subscribers get free Blaze bookmarks (UK, US, and Canada only) AND get added to our Loyal 100 group, which gives you access to exclusive news, teasers, prizes, and ARCs!

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GIVEAWAY!
We're giving away some awesome prizes to celebrate the release of ASLEEP, including this stylish cuff! Enter with the Rafflecopter below and tell your friends!

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Son of a Pitch Round 1: Peer Critique Week

Welcome to the first round of Son of a Pitch! This week is all about getting feedback so you can be on your A game. Use the formatting below, and leave a link to your entry in the comments. And please jump around to the other links to leave feedback to at least three others. Your perspective could be invaluable to someone.
***Note: Participation in this round isn't a prerequisite to the rest of the comp, but it will give you an edge in the next few rounds.***
Formatting:Title: (Name of Manuscript)Age and Genre: (YA/NA/Adult then Genre)Word Count: (to the nearest thousand)
Query:Insert query here. No bio please.
First 250 Words:i don't care if this is from a prologue or chapter one. That's up to you.
Entries for the next round will open on Friday at 10 a.m. MST. Please use the formatting above and email to:
sonofapitchcomp@yahoo.com.au
Incorrectly formatted emails will be kicked off the island. The  first fifty entries  will go into this round. A post will go live at that time, and will show CLOSED once all fifty places are filled. Those who make it through will receive a confirmation email.
Good luck!

Son of a Pitch Publisher Jolly Fish Press

We are Jolly Fish Press, a publishing house based in Provo, Utah, which publishes trade fiction and select non-fiction books in the national and international market. We excel in exceptional cover design, worldwide online and brick-and-mortar distribution, expansive publicity and marketing campaigns, subsidiary rights representation, and most of all, our drive and ability to find exceptional, yet undiscovered authors, jump starting their careers with maximum exposure, sales, mentoring, and higher than industry average royalty rates.
In less than a year into our first full title list, we’ve accomplished what takes most new presses several years, namely:
1.Partnered with IPG, one of the top independent book distributors in the world.2.Established relationships with several of the top NY literary agents.3.Received national media attention from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, and other top industry newspapers.4.Caught the attention of numerous movie and television production studios.5.Gained subsidiary rights representation throughout the world.6.Gathered a list of 50 potential bestsellers all over the US and Canada.
Jolly Fish Press is a publishing house with audacity: we seek the best authors, fashioning them into celebrities, and inserting innovations every step of the book-market way. Yup, we do, in fact, disrupt the industry. And we're proud of it.
We accept:
Commercial and literary fiction, historical, fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, humor, horror, thriller, middle-grade, YA.
What we are looking for:
Each editor looks for something a little bit different as you'll find in their bios at JollyFishPress.com, but we are always excited about Sci-Fi YA thrillers, quirky and scary MG, adult thrillers, horror for MG and up, dark and gritty fantasy, and love stories that come at everything from a new angle.
Reece Hanzon specializes in science fiction and fantasy. He is especially interested in sci-fi thrillers, space opera, cyberpunk, urban fantasy, sword and sorcery, and epic fantasy. He has a B.A. in communications, with a minor in editing, from Brigham Young University. Reece has been with Jolly Fish Press since 2012, and worked on various projects, including: The Moonlight Trilogy by Teri Harman; The Psionic Earth series, by Dan Levinson; The Samaritan's Pistol by Eric Bishop; and Dependent by Brenda Corey Dunne.Reece’s latest acquisition includes the Tokens and Omens series (JFP, Spring 2016) by Jeri Lynn Baird.Follow Reece on Twitter @Reece_Hanzon
An avid reader, writer, and editor, Kelsy Thompson graduated with her bachelor’s degree in creative writing from Weber State University. She’s had a love affair with the written word since she was a small child, and especially enjoys young adult literature, science fiction, fantasy, romance, mysteries, and historical fiction. She currently works as the managing editor at Weber—The Contemporary West and is thrilled to be part of thze Jolly Fish team. Follow her on Twitter @KelsyThompson

Blog Tour: Russian Tattoos by Kat Shehata

Russian Tattoos – Obsession by Kat Shehata
Published by: Limitless Publishing
Publication date: January 12th 2016
Genres: New Adult, Romance, Suspense
Synopsis:Falling in love isn’t a crime—but falling in love with a Russian mob boss could be deadly.
Competitive tennis player Carter Cook wants a taste of freedom. Her overprotective father monitors every aspect of her life, so when he becomes employed by Vladimir Ivanov –a sexy Russian with an array of tattoos and an accent that weakens her knees—a taste of danger is within Carter’s grasp. Behind her father’s back, she enjoys spending time with Vladimir at his lavish estate. But is he really the upstanding businessman she believes him to be?
Vladimir Ivanov—godfather of a Russian mafia crime ring.
Vladimir spent five years of his life in a Siberian prison camp and has earned every tattoo inked into his skin. He is a powerful man who gets what he wants, and after stalking the gorgeous tennis player for years—he wants Carter. A little charm melts her heart, and behind the scenes, he orders his henchman to track her every move.
He’s a tattooed stick of dynamite ready to blow at the slightest spark.
As their romance reaches deadly levels, Carter senses something’s not right. When she’s lured into a compromising position at the hands of a shady European drug dealer, she calls in Boris, Vladimir’s right hand man, to rescue her—without telling Vladimir. With his authority questioned, he sets out to teach Carter a lesson about loyalty she’ll never forget.
When Carter realizes she’s in too deep, she must fight for her freedom before the attraction turns fatal. But the Russian mafia plays for keeps, and Vladimir’s fierce lust to possess her spirals their romance out of control.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27775715-russian-tattoos
Purchase:Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018RVC5YM?ie=UTF8&camp=213733&creative=393177&creativeASIN=B018RVC5YM&linkCode=shr&tag=hebosh-20&linkId=UHT2WEE33JDITWBT&qid=1448949755&sr=8-1&keywords=Russian+Tattoos+ObsessionB&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/russian-tattoos-obsession-kat-shehata/1123224226?ean=9781680584455
Author's Favorite Scene:
First, I want to thank you for interviewing me about my new release, Russian Tattoos. It is an honor to be featured on your blog.Being an author is the best job in the world. I love what I do, and I am grateful for every single person who chooses to read my work. I love writing the intense and dramatic scenes where Vladimir unleashes his dark side, and the scenes where he lets his guard down and makes Carter feel like the most important person in the universe. My favorite gritty scene is the one that was most difficult to write: Chapter Twelve—Filthy.
Up until this point, Vladimir has displayed his sexy, suave, and charismatic side to Carter, a young woman he hired to work at his private estate. She is enamored by his charms and looks up to him, especially after he hires her father and rescues her family from financial hell. In this chapter however, she has lied to Vladimir and is about to meet his dark side—the pakhan. Vladimir dishes out a verbal lashing to Carter that reveals there is more to his personality than simply the charming businessman she has grown to adore.
Vladimir is a bad guy in some respects, but he’s not all bad.
Their relationship is tumultuous, but there are many tender and romantic moments as well. Vladimir is guarded with his feelings and when he reveals his sensitive side to Carter, their relationship blossoms into a romance. My favorite sexy scene is Chapter Forty-Five—An Imaginary Line.

The scene takes place in Miami, Florida and Vladimir is doing everything in his power to show Carter how much she means to him. It’s not the expensive hotel suite, the flowers, or fancy food—it’s the moment when Vladimir reveals his feelings and shows Carter how much he cares for her. He’s playful, loving and sexy, but underneath the surface, the pakhan is waiting to make his entrance. Will Vladimir prevail or will the pakhan? Russian Tattoosis full of twists and turns until the very last page.

AUTHOR BIO:Kat Shehata went to school with a bunch of animals–literally. She is a graduate of the Cincinnati Zoo’s Animal Conservation and Care Program. Her first career involved caring for exotic, dangerous, and adorable animals as a zookeeper. She has had her shirt ripped off by a jealous orangutan, hand-fed grapes to fruit bats, played tug-o-war with a three-toed sloth, and escorted an elephant down Pete Rose Way in the Cincinnati Reds Opening Day Parade. As an author, Kat weaves her love of animals into her work. She is the co-author of New York Times bestseller Animals on the Other Side.

She is a competitive tennis player and spends her free time smashing tennis balls, cheering on her teammates, and playing matches in a recreational league. She lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband, three kids, and an enthusiastic poodle. She holds a bachelor’s degree in theatre from Wilmington College, a professional writing certificate from the University of Cincinnati, and a master’s degree in creative writing from Spalding University.
Author links:http://www.katshehata.com/https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/64088.Kat_Shehatahttps://www.facebook.com/katshehatafanshttps://twitter.com/katshehataa Rafflecopter giveaway

Son of a Pitch Publisher: Carina Press

Carina Press is a digital-first imprint from Harlequin. A natural extension to the Harlequin business; Carina Press builds on our digital strength and gives us greater flexibility in the type of editorial we acquire from authors and offer to readers. We connect authors with a great story to tell, with readers who will love to read it.
The Editors:
Rhonda HelmsRhonda Helms is experienced on both sides of the editorial desk. She’s a multi-published author in teen and adult fiction, and she’s been editing for Carina Press since February 2010. She has a Master’s degree in English and a Bachelor’s degree in English, creative writing.Rhonda is an eclectic reader and editor, and she enjoys receiving submissions in a number of genres. Though she’s always open to a fantastic read, she’s eagerly looking for the following types of submissions (with varying levels of romance and ‘heat,’ depending on what suits the story): multicultural/People of Color, new adult, gothic romance, contemporary full-length romance, handymen/handywomen, first responders, military, romantic suspense with a fresh hook, and novels with series potential. In short, she wants to get drawn into a compelling tale.You can follow Rhonda on Twitter @RhondaEdits
Alissa DavisAlissa Davis dreamed of becoming a professor of English literature—until she discovered she didn’t like teaching and that she loved genre fiction even more than Brit Lit. With that in mind, she moved to New York, got her MS in Publishing and landed a job at Dorchester. She eventually left Dorchester to move across the country with her husband and daughter and work with the incredible team at Carina Press.When she is reading submissions, she looks for memorable characters, high-stakes conflict and detailed world-building. She is acquiring in all genres but particularly loves angsty/dark contemporary romance, LGBT romance, New Adult, historical romance, cozy mysteries and erotic romance.You can follow Alissa on Twitter @alissadenay
Libby MurphyWhile pursuing a degree in public health, Libby realized her love for writing and books was far greater than her love for keeping people germ-free, so she picked up a minor in writing. After graduation she worked as an editor and managing editor for Entangled Publishing. She’s had the pleasure of editing several award-winning, NYT and USA TODAY bestselling authors, but gets a huge thrill out of finding an amazing debut author in the slush pile.She is actively acquiring across several genres, and is on the lookout for a killer voice and fun, emotional reads. Particularly, she loves contemporary romance, romantic suspense, cozy mysteries, historical romance (Regency, Highlanders, and Medieval), urban fantasy, and paranormal romance. And in all of those categories she would like to see adult, new adult, higher heat levels (super-hot to erotic romance), humor, high-concept plots, and series potential.You can follow her on Twitter at @Libby_Murphy.

Stephanie DoigAssistant Editor for Carina Press, Stephanie began her career at Harlequin eight years ago and has been working with the Carina Press team since 2011. In her time at Harlequin she has worked as a proofreader, copy editor, and author liaison before moving to the editor’s desk. Stephanie reads across genres, but is especially interested in contemporary romances with smart, sharp dialogue, fast-paced romantic suspense, and paranormal/urban fantasy series with continuing characters and solid world building.You can find Stephanie on Twitter @StephanieDoig

Cover Reveal for my novel Princess of Tyrone!

Thank you to YA Bound for hosting this cover reveal today. Also, a huge thank you to the team at Curiosity Quills that pulled this concept together from my random ramblings and herming and hawing, especially Andy, the artist who created this final amazing cover.
So, let's get to what you've been waiting for....
















Ta da!!!Do you likie? I Love!!!Here is the blurb for you. Release will be March 31st.
Apolline is happy hunting magical creatures on her pirate infested outer-perimeter planet. She is a fantastic shot, and doesn’t flinch at the blood and guts of her kills. Never once did she consider she could be the missing Princess of Tyrone.
All her life, she has heard the story of the Princess, cursed to sleep for eternity, unless her betrothed, the Prince of Oran, gave her true love’s kiss. Although Apolline knows she is betrothed, she thinks her fairy guardians arranged it out of ignorance of human ways. The thought she could be a princess is inconceivable.
Then Allard appears. Handsome, charming—but he’s not hers to have. He’s betrothed, too. Her guardians warn her against her new found friendship, but she and Allard meet in secret anyway. Despite her rough exterior, he sees beyond her gun-slinging bravado, and their love blossoms.
But the deadline for the sleeping curse is approaching. If Apolline falls in love with the wrong person, she could end up sleeping forever.
A quirky, adventurous retelling of Sleeping Beauty, with a less than princess-ly princess! 

Blog Tour: An Italian Adventure by Gaia B. Amman

An Italian Adventure by Gaia B. Amman
(Italian Saga, #1)
Publication date: November 1st 2015
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Synopsis:A humorous coming of age tale of friendship, sisterhood, and family drama set against the gorgeous backdrop of northern Italy.
Recommended for fans of Jandy Nelson, John Green, Neil Gaiman and Sherman Alexie
Italy, the late 80s. Leda is a bookish tomboy whose life is turned upside down by shady Nico, who just moved north from Sicily. Their unlikely friendship will evolve through a whirlwind of adventures leaving both kids transformed. Ultimately, Leda will discover that adults aren’t always right, marking the end of childhood and the beginning of everything else.
Recommended for ages 13 and above. Some swearwords, mostly in Italian.
The book is the first in a series following the same characters throughout their life.Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26159157-an-italian-adventure?ac=1&from_search=1
Purchase:Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Italian-Adventure-Saga/dp/1516916204/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1446149022&sr=8-1&keywords=an+italian+adventureB&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/an-italian-adventure-gaia-b-amman/1122830154?ean=9780996805100
Purchase book 2: http://www.amazon.com/Out-Nest-Italian-Summer-Saga-ebook/dp/B017GDYH9I


It’s very hard for me to choose a favorite scene form “An Italian Adventure, It will All Make Less Sense When you Grow Up”since for every scene in the book there are probably nine I cut out. I chose the one below because I find it cute and funny, a reminder of what it is like to fall for a first crush, which by the way is a lot more awkward when you are a bookworm and a tomboy. Here, main character Leda (Lee) is at the seaside, during summer, beside a pool in the gorgeous Island of Sardinia, west of Italy.
[…]A few hours later Ezio, the most handsome guy I had ever seen, asked me, “And what's your name?”He looked just like Chris from the movie Stand by me, for whom I had developed a remarkable crush. I loved bad boys, maybe they reminded me a bit of Nico. I stared at gorgeous Ezio, wondering about protocol. Should I give him the stink eye and ignore him, kick him in the shins just in case, or simply answer his question?The only guy older than me that had ever paid me any mind was the bully who had tried to drown me. Repeatedly. The longer it took me to utter anything, the more the words got stuck in my throat. Instead of leaving me be, shrugging, as I expected, Ezio leaned his head sideways and kept looking at me with a smile in his eyes, waiting for me to catch up.I ended up answering, “Leda, but everyone calls me Lee,” cursing myself for not kicking him in the shins. To make up for it, I tried to stare back at him to intimidate him and found myself looking at the ground instead, since I was blushing like the hopeless dork I truly was. While I waited for the inevitable banter or, better, for the earth to swallow me whole, he added without batting an eyelid, “Well, Leda, you have the most amazing eyes that I’ve ever seen.”Unfortunately, the earth did not swallow me. Worse yet, I felt myself blushing more, in spite of my amazing eyes being glued to the tiles around the pool. I just managed to reply, “I said that everyone calls me Lee.”“I heard you the first time, Leda.”Just then, his friend Franco called Ezio back for his turn at Ping-Pong. I hoped no one noticed my embarrassment.Pathetically, Ezio was fourteen. Only a few hours before I had laughed at Viola for her decrepit light technician and now…Since the entire mini club was staring at the two Ping-Pong players, I took the liberty to glue my amazing eyes on Ezio. He was wearing blue swim trunks and was shirtless. Shirtless. Shirtless. Like everyone else since we were at the pool, I had to remind myself. Yet only his bare chest seemed to bother me.He didn’t look like Flavio, Peo or Nico who were still kids, like me (again, mental note to self). His shoulders were wide over his narrow waist, his muscles more defined than those of a ten-year-old.“Lee, I think you’ve been in the sun a bit too much.” The mocking remark woke me up from my trance. I peeled my gaze from Ezio to glance at the staff girl who ran the mini-club. She winked at me and burst out laughing.  A few kids turned to look at us quizzically, then back at the game.The staff girl whispered in my ear, “Actually, you look really smitten…by the sun, I mean.”I growled, “Oh, shush!” but she looked even more amused. I realized that I was losing my intimidating ability which, sadly, was the only modality of interaction I knew. I only felt safe if I hid my weaknesses by making people around me feel more scared than I was. Without my tough-cookie reputation and without the rest of the quartet at my side, I was a fish out of water, a ten-year-old, short, skinny, and rather shy…girl. What a shame. Ezio won the match, which meant that I had to face him in the final. I was pretty good at Ping-Pong. I had grown up playing against Dad who had defeated me with no mercy since the dawn of my childhood, hoping to raise a champion. I was no champion, but usually destroyed my peers.
Nonetheless, Ezio was much older and had the physical advantage of height and strength. Just thinking of the word physical associated with Ezio made me blush. Merda. I reached for my racket. Not to mention that, if I caught even so much as a glimpse of him, I was at risk of missing the ball altogether. This was going to be awful.


AUTHOR BIO:Gaia B Amman was born and raised in Italy. She moved to the United States in her twenties to pursue her PhD in molecular biology. She’s currently a Professor of biology at D’Youville College in Buffalo, New York, where she was voted “the professor of the month” by her students. Her research and commentaries have been published in prestigious peer-reviewed international journals including Nature.

A bookworm from birth, she wrote throughout her childhood and won two short story competitions in Italy in her teens. Gaia is an avid traveler and many of her adventures are an inspiration for her fiction. Mostly she is passionate about people and the struggles they face to embrace life. Her highest hope is to reach and help as many as she can through her writing as well as her teaching. She authored the Italian Saga, an irreverent series of humorous and insightful young adult novels taking place against the gorgeous backdrop of Northern Italy. The books, light-hearted and funny at first sight, deal with issues like sexuality, divorce, friendship, abuse, first love and self discovery.

Among her favorite authors are J.K. Rowling, Jandy Nelson, Neil Gaiman, Chuck Palahniuk, Kurt Vonnegut, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Antoine de Saint Exupèry.
Author links:http://www.gaiabamman.com/https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14233144.Gaia_B_Ammanhttps://www.facebook.com/italianSaga?fref=tshttps://twitter.com/gaiabamman
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