Vanessa Barneveld's Blog, page 16

This Is Your Afterlife Book Trailer Reveal!

Happy Friday!

It's hard to believe This Is Your Afterlife will be out in just 11 days — October 21. So surreal! Plans for my Paranormal Party are shaping up well. (My classes at the Antipodean Alliteration Avoidance Academy aren't going so well.) I hope you'll join me, my guests, and maybe a ghost or two. It's all happening from October 22 right up till Halloween, US EDT. There'll be a giveaway for a lucky commenter each day.

My guest list is packed with YA writer friends who've been there for me through thick and thin. I'm sure you'll love them as much as I do!

October 22 - Pintip DunnOctober 23 - Amanda AshbyOctober 24 - The party moves to the Ruby-Slippered Sisterhood for the day.October 25 - Shea BerkleyOctober 26 - Sara HantzOctober 27 - Erica O'RourkeOctober 28 - Elizabeth LangstonOctober 29 - Kim MacCarronOctober 30 - Stephanie KuehnertOctober 31 - Tina Ferraro

For more release-related interviews and guest blog updates, keep an eye on my website's About and This Is Your Afterlife pages.

And now for Afterlife's official book trailer — check it out! My husband's band, the Model School, supplied the song, View from the Woods. (Thanks, TMS!) I thought it was fitting, since I wrote a lot of Afterlife while the band recorded demos in my attic. Enjoy...

Pre-Order Links...

Bloomsbury Spark

Amazon | iTunes Australia | iTunes US | Google Play | Kobo | B&N

The YA Scavenger Hunt is over!

That was ridiculously fun! Thank you to all for participating in the 72-hour marathon. Huge thanks to the one hundred and one readers who took time out of the hunt to comment on my blog. You made my first YASH even more special. I can’t wait to see who wins the grand prizes!

I ran a separate contest here on my blog. Commenters who named their all-time fave YA book had a chance to win a $10 Amazon e-card. (“This is the hardest question ever!” said Jordan.) The winner of this gift card will be announced October 10 along with the overall YA Scavenger Hunt prize winners. Be sure to check the official site then!

I was unable to respond to all of your comments individually, but I read every single one. Here's a summary of your responses.

Jay said picking a favorite book was “like asking me to pick my favorite cat.” Having two fabulous fur companions myself, I can relate to your dilemma!

"Ahh!!! This is me screaming because I'm absolutely terrible at picking favorites," said Jenn. 

Bethany said, “This is one of those questions where with different moods, I could give you different answers.”

I was especially touched by people who mentioned books that got them into reading YA. For Lisa and Rachel, it was theTwilight saga. Pamela wasn't a fan of reading until Stephenie Meyer came along. Hope holds special place in her heart for the books drew her into the YA fiction world — Divergent and the Hunger Games.

Many of you named books by authors I love, love, love – Eva Ibbottson (Myra, I’m putting A Company of Swans on my TBR pile immediately!), Stephanie Perkins, Simone Elkeles, Sarah Dessen. Cal said of Elizabeth Wein's Code Name Verity, "I felt so many emotions during this book. It was insane and amazing." Totally with you there, Cal! 

Series by Colleen Houck (Tiger’s Curse), Jennifer Armentrout (Lux), Marie Lu (the Legend series), Cassandra Clare (Mortal Instruments), Julie Kagawa (the Iron Fey series) and Richelle Mead (Vampire Academy) struck a chord. Katherina said her life wouldn't be complete without The Seer and the Sword by Victoria Hanley and the Dark Is Rising series by Susan Cooper.

Thanks to you guys, I've found a number of new-to-me authors. I agree with Kathy – so many great books are being published. There’s really something for everyone, and that’s what I love about YA fiction.

For the record, my all-time fave YA is Remember Me by Christopher Pike. It’s a book that changed the way I thought about life and death. Like Heather, whose favorite was the Angel Eyes series, I first read Remember Me many years ago and I think about it to this day.

Many thanks to all the hunters! I hope to see you again soon. Remember, check the YASH site on October 10 to see the list of winners. If you win my book, This Is Your Afterlife, please note this is a digital-only release and it’ll be out October 21 from Bloomsbury Spark. 

P.S. The lovely A. Lynden Rolland hosted me during YASH. If you missed a chance to see my book trailer on her post starring the characters pictured above, don't worry — you'll see it again when it's officially unleashed on October 10. ;) 

 

 

YA Scavenger Hunt 2014

Welcome to YA Scavenger Hunt! This bi-annual event was first organized by author Colleen Houck as a way to give readers a chance to gain access to exclusive bonus material from their favorite authors...and a chance to win some awesome prizes! At this hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each author, you also get a clue for the hunt. Add up the clues, and you can enter for our prize--one lucky winner will receive one signed book from each author on the hunt in my team! But play fast: this contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online for 72 hours!

Go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page to find out all about the hunt. There are SIX contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or all! I am a part of the ORANGE TEAM--but there is also a red team, a gold team, a blue team, a red team, and an indie team for a chance to win a whole different set of signed books!

 If you'd like to find out more about the hunt, see links to all the authors participating, and see the full list of prizes up for grabs, go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page.

Scavenger Hunt Puzzle

Directions: Below, you'll notice that I've listed my favorite number. Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on the orange team, and then add them up (don't worry, you can use a calculator!). 

Entry Form: Once you've added up all the numbers, make sure you fill out the form here to officially qualify for the grand prize. Only entries that have the correct number will qualify.

Rules: Open internationally, anyone below the age of 18 should have a parent or guardian's permission to enter. To be eligible for the grand prize, you must submit the completed entry form by OCTOBER 5, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.

Scavenger Hunt Post

Today, I am hosting my dear friend Erica O'Rourke for the YA Scavenger Hunt! Erica is the award-winning author of DISSONANCE and The Torn Trilogy. She likes Doctor Who, anything ginger, and staying up late. 

Find out more information by checking out Erica's website and learn more about DISSONANCE here! Buy the book at Amazon.

Erica O'Rourke, author of DISSONANCE

Exclusive Content


















Dissonance

Every time someone makes a choice, a new parallel world is spun off the existing one. Eating breakfast or skipping it, sneaking out instead of staying in bed—every decision creates an alternate universe in which an Echo self takes the road not traveled. As a Walker who can navigate between these realities, Delancey Sullivan is training to help keep the dimensions in harmony.

When a training accident goes awry, Del is forbidden from Walking. But she secretly starts to investigate other dissonant worlds and gets tangled up with an Echo of her longtime crush. She knows she shouldn't keep seeing him. And as Del persists, she uncovers a truth that the Council of Walkers is trying to hide—a secret that threatens the entire multiverse.

Here's a bonus scene by Erica called Doughnut Simon Meets Del:

In DISSONANCE, Del meets a variety of Simon’s Echoes. But I wondered what it would be like to see their first encounter through an Echo’s eyes…

 “A dozen jam thumbprints,” says the girl behind the counter, passing me the white paper bag. She hands me the change, her fingertips brushing my palm when they don’t need to.

“Thanks,” I say shortly, dropping the coins in the tip jar.

“Are they all for you?” She taps the silver spike wrapped around my wrist, her smile inviting me to linger. She’s cute enough – pert nose and big brown eyes and glossy lips – but I can’t be bothered. Not today.

My leather jacket creaks as I shrug. “They’re for my mom.”

Her whole body softens – head tilted, lips parted, hands pressed to her heart – and I know exactly what she’ll say next. “Awww….that’s so sweet.”

“I’m not sweet.” True. But she takes it as a promise, not a warning. I lighten the words with a grin. “See you next week.”

Iggy, tied to the bench out front, is losing it – seventy-six pounds of chocolate lab jumping around, barking, and acting like I’ve brought him a bag full of bacon.

“Settle down,” I tell him, and untie the leash. Obedience school wasn’t his strong suit, but I’m surprised when he bolts and then stops short. Something flickers at the corner of my eye as I lunge for his collar – and when I look up, there’s a girl standing in front of me, our hands meeting over Iggy.

Good dog, I think.

There’s a bite in the air, but her skin feels warm and soft against mine, and this time, the urge to linger kicks in strong. So I do.

She seems blurry, almost, like I’m looking at her through old glass. I blink, and my vision clears. The girl before me is small and curvy – at least, I think she is, underneath the giant green sweater that hangs halfway to her knees. Jeans with holes in all the right places, a backpack slung over one shoulder, red-brown hair that’s tipped with black, and a look on her face that says she’s afraid of dogs.

Except she’s rubbing Iggy’s brown-velvet ears. She’s not afraid of dogs, which means I’m the one putting the startled expression on her face. “You’re making me look bad, Ig.”

Her eyebrows arch at that, almost like she’s amused, but she doesn’t speak. She smells like coffee and chocolate, sharp tempered by sweet. I approve.

I try again. “Iggy won’t bite, I promise.”

Her gaze -- more green than brown, flecked with gold – drops to my wrist. She looks familiar, like someone I’ve spotted through a crowd. Déjà vu, or something like it. “Don’t I know you?”

She unfreezes long enough to jerk her hand away. “Del,” she says, and her voice husky like she just woke up. “School, maybe?”

“Maybe.” But I can’t figure out how I would have missed her -- the hair or the boots or the attitude. I sure as hell haven’t been paying attention to my classes. “Or maybe I need to get my eyes checked.”

She doesn’t seem to hear me – she’s looking at the bakery instead. “Oh?”

I want those green-brown-gold eyes on me again, so I lower my voice. “Something must be wrong if I haven’t noticed you.”

She turns back, eyes flashing, lip curling. “Really? That’s the best you can do?”

Even Iggy looks at me reproachfully. I’m not used to being called out, and without thinking, my smile turns real. “Too obvious?”

“You’re not going to win any points for originality.” She rocks back on her heels, studying me, more amused than irked. “What are you doing here?”

“It’s Thursday,” I say, holding up the paper bag. Her brow furrows, like she doesn’t follow the logic. “My night to make dinner. I always pick up cookies for my mom, to make up for the inevitable kitchen disaster.”

Unlike the girl in the bakery, Del doesn’t turn to putty. Which is good. I might have quit the basketball team, but I still enjoy a challenge.

“You could learn to cook,” she says.

Considering how little my mom eats these days, there’s not much point. I’m pretty much a mac and cheese, sloppy Joes, chili kind of guy. Spaghetti, if I’m feeling ambitious. Anything is an improvement over the last round of chemo dinners. Buttered noodles or scrambled eggs or chicken soup from a can. No matter how bad my mom feels, or how badly I burn the food, shortbread cookies with a dot of raspberry jam in the middle save the day.

But I don’t want to think about those meals, or what it’s going to be like when there’s an empty place at the table. I shrug and redirect. “I don’t mind. Besides, if I hadn’t stopped by, I wouldn’t have run into you.”

She smiles for the first time, and it transforms her face from interesting to irresistible. I go with my gut, saying, “There’s a band playing at Grundy’s tonight. They’re supposed to be pretty good. Want to meet up?”

I’d heard the drummer was kick-ass, but at this point I’m more interested in Del. There’s something brewing behind those green-brown-gold eyes and cryptic smile, and I want in.

Her mouth opens slightly, like she’s about to answer. She glances away as an old guy ambles out of the bakery, laden with doughnuts and coffee. She sighs. “I have to go.”

Iggy tries to bolt again, but I tighten my grip and frown at him. “Is that a no?”

She bites her lip, like the fate of the world depends on her answer. “It’s a maybe.”

Before I can reply, she heads for the old man, saying, “Bye, Iggy. Stay out of trouble.”

She doesn’t say goodbye to me, but I’m choosing to see it as a win – it means she’ll see me later. I load Iggy into the Jeep, cookies stowed safely away, and check the mirror.

Del’s standing on the corner, next to the old guy – her grandfather, maybe? But she’s watching me.

Game on.

Great scene, Erica! 

Now, don't forget to enter the contest for a chance to win a ton of signed books by me, Erica O'Rourke and more! To enter, you need to know that my favorite number is 3. Add up all the favorite numbers of the authors on the orange team and you'll have the secret code to enter for the grand prize!

Continue the hunt... 

To keep going on your quest for the hunt, you need to check out the next author, Skylar Dorset.

 

But before you go, for your chance to win a $10 Amazon e-card from me, answer this simple question in the comment box below:  What's your all-time favorite YA novel?

The winner will be announced October 7 on the YASH site.

Thanks for playing, everyone! Good luck!

~ Vanessa

Tweet #YASH

Cover Reveal - One Wish Away by Kelley Lynn

I am so pleased to show off Kelley Lynn's striking new cover. Isn't that glowing title font divine? It sets off the book's astronomy theme so well. Read all about One Wish Away below, and make sure you get your copy come November 11! 

One Wish Away














by Kelley Lynn

Release Date: 11/11/14

Bloomsbury Spark




Book Summary:

Be careful what you wish for…




Lyra has always been ahead of the curve. Top of her class in school, a budding
astronomer, and with a best friend like Darren she barely has time to miss the
mother who abandoned her family years ago. She's too busy planning to follow in
her father's footsteps, and to become the youngest astronomer at Space
Exploration and Discovery.




When a star goes missing Lyra is determined to get to the bottom of it
only to discover her braniac dad is the mastermind of a top-secret
government experiment. They promise to build a perfect world, one galaxy at a
time, but with every tweak of the present, a bit more of the future starts to
crumble.




Lyra has to go undercover to reveal the truth and let humanity decide if
the consequences are worth more than wishing on a star.























































About the Author

Eventually the day came when the voices in Kelley Lynn’s head were more
insistent than her engineering professor’s. So instead of turning to her
Thermodynamics book, Kelley brought up a blank page on her computer screen and
wrote. Somewhere along the way she became a Young Adult author.




Kelley was born and raised a Midwestern girl. She’s not afraid to sweat and
fills her free time with softball, soccer and volleyball. (Though you probably
don’t want her on your volleyball team.) She occasionally makes guest
appearances as a female vocalist for area bands. Music plays a large role in
her writing process as well as the characters and plot lines within her
stories.



You can find Kelley hanging out at her blog, titled in her name, as well as the
group blog she shares with her fellow critique partners, Falling for Fiction.
Kelley is a member of the Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators.












Author Links:

     




Cover Reveal Organized by:

Now, to continue with the star theme, an interactive astronomy textbook called Reach for the Stars: Touch, Look, Listen, Learn has just been released for Apple's iPad. It was designed for vision-impaired children, but anyone can enjoy it. Here's the link for US readers. If you're in Australia, download it from the iBookstore. It's free!

Paranormal Party - October Guest List

My debut paranormal YA novel, This Is Your Afterlife, will be published by Bloomsbury Spark next month — October 21, to be exact! I'll wait here while you mark it on your calendar. (Kidding!)

To celebrate this milestone, I'm throwing a paranormal party with some freakishly talented YA authors. They're blogging here between October 22 to October 31 (US EDT). Every one of these authors has supported me as critique partners, cheerleaders and darn good friends. I hope you'll join us for some spooky paranormal and Halloween-themed posts. We'll have virtual cake and give away actual prizes. 

October 22 - Pintip Dunn, a three-time Golden Heart finalist and brand-new Entangled Teen author.October 23 - Amanda Ashby, a multi-published YA and MG author, will join us from Middle Earth, aka New Zealand.October 25 - Shea Berkley, multi Golden Heart nominee, multi-pubbed Entangled Teen author, and a seriously cool chick (it says so on her conference badge below!).October 26 - Sara Hantz, Entangled author of Will the Real Abi Saunders Stand Up?, In the Blood, and The Second Virginity of Suzy Green.October 27 - Erica O'Rourke, Golden Heart winner and author of Dissonance (Simon & Schuster).October 28 - Elizabeth Langston, multi Golden Heart finalist, and author of an awesome array of magical realism books from Spencer Hill Press.October 29 - Kim MacCarron, four-time Golden Heart finalist and owner of a golden heart.October 30 - Stephanie Kuehnert, also a seriously cool chick, author of I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone, Ballads of Suburbia (both from MTV Books) and an upcoming zine-style memoir from Dutton Children's Books.October 31 - Tina Ferraro, a RITA-nominated YA author who's currently celebrating her latest sale to Leap Books with Half-Life.My other release-month interviews and goings-on:October TBA - super-fun interview with Afterlife's cover designer Jenny Zemanek over at her blog, Supernatural Snark.October 17 - Waterworld Mermaids blog with Pintip Dunn.October 21 - Book Birthday Bash with Anna Campbell at the Romance Bandits blog.October 24 - Shea Berkley challenges me to play Question or Dare? at our Ruby-Slippered Sisterhood group blog.

I randomly found this shirt on Amazon. It may or may not be one of the swag items on offer. ;)

Seriously, this is not my doing. I *believe* it was made for people who happen to heart the town of Barneveld.

 

 

Cover Reveal!

I'm so pleased to reveal my first-ever book cover! Bloomsbury hired a wonderful designer, Jenny Zemanek of Seedlings Design Studio, and this is what she came up with:

Sixteen-year-old Keira Nolan has finally got what she wanted—the captain of the football team in her bedroom. Problem is he’s not in the flesh. He’s a ghost and she’s the only one who can see him.

Dreamy, isn't it? This is the design that brought a tear to my eyes when I saw the first draft in New York. I love the way the colours blend together, and that flare on my heroine's shoulder adds a nice bit of warmth. And being fond of fonts, I think the 'Afterlife' text is perfect. One of the many things I've enjoyed about working with my editor is that she gave me a lot of input into cover's overall look and feel. Jenny nailed everything on my 'want' list. (THANK YOU, JENNY! ) Check out the other covers she has created here. Ooh, and if you love stationery as much as I do, you'll drool over her promo gallery. 

Now, as for the actual book, I can announce that the release date is October 21. I'll be spending that day blogging with Anna Campbell and the Romance Bandits. (Sounds like a band, right?). I'll soon post details on upcoming interviews as well as a huge Paranormal Party that will be held on this very blog. I'm lining up some fabulous YA authors as my guests, and there will be giveaways galore.

Last week, I met with the Bloomsbury Sydney office. They were extremely generous with their time and their lamingtons! Not only that, they sent me off with a swag bag — books from fellow Australian author Marianne Curley, Sarah J. Maas, Joanna Rakoff, and Jenny McLachlan's awesomely titled Flirty Dancing. Thank you to all at the Bloomsbury Sydney office for making me feel so welcome and authorly!

I haven't forgotten about the part 2 of my Merry-Go-Round series of blog posts! I'll have that up soon...

 

 

 

Merry-Go-Round Part 1

Apologies for my absence. I’ve been on a revision/travel/revision/bronchitis/revision merry-go-round. I’m sure you don’t want to know about the bronchitis, so let’s talk about travel, eh?

I flew to the US on business in July. When I arrived at LAX Customs, the immigration officer asked me the usual questions about what business I was conducting in the US, etc. I managed to work in the title of my book, This is Your Afterlife, during our conversation. He looked very puzzled and said, “What?” “It’s This is Your Afterlife. Sir.” “What?” “This is Your AHHHfterlife.” He still didn’t get it. So I affected an American accent and said, “This is your AIRRRterrrlife.” And then he understood! We had a good ol’ laugh and he let me into the country.

 A few days later, my CP Kim MacCarron picked me up from Dulles Airport and spirited me away to her home in Virginia to meet her gorgeous family. Then we rushed over state lines to meet our other CP Pintip Dunn at a fabulous seafood noshery called BlackSalt. Seven courses. Divine. Pintip insisted I stay with her family even though she had only recently given birth, for goodness sake. So lovely to spend time some one-on-one time with her because we knew she wouldn't be able to join us later in San Antonio for the RWA conference.

In New York, I saw Neil Patrick Harris in Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Brilliant. Got my hair did at the Drybar in Murray Hill — highly recommend this salon for travellers or anyone else who hates blow-drying their hair in 100F weather. They do only blow-dries (or blow-outs), and my stylist wrangled my thick hair very well. Later, I met my editor, Meredith Rich, for the first time. She took me and my agent, Beth, to lunch and showed us the drafts for my debut book’s cover. It was such a surreal moment I nearly cried into my fries. Needless to say, I’m thrilled about the artwork so far and can’t wait to share the final cover with the world!

The Chrysler and Grand Central Station



























Hot dog #1



























The Flatiron Building



























View from the Highline



























The Chrysler again - my favourite Art Deco building



























The Empire State Building



























The Guggenheim Museum



























Radio City Music Hall

 

Speaking of covers, my fellow Bloomsbury Spark author Theresa DaLayne revealed hers while I was on the dizzying bronchitis phase of the merry-go-round. I LOVE this cover. The Edge of You is a New Adult romance set in Alaska and you can get your hands on it September 25. I’m really looking forward to reading this one! 

That’s it for now. I’ll tell you all about my exciting San Antonio stop in the next merry-go-round post!

Cover Reveal! Amy Patrick's Channel 20Something

It has become a tradition for each Golden Heart finalist class to give itself a nickname. In 2009, we called ourselves the Ruby-Slippered Sisterhood, or Rubies for short. You can read about how we arrived at that name here. The following year, after our original conference venue was washed out by the Nashville floods, we thought Unsinkables best described us. And this year, after much debate (and fierce campaigning by Kim MacCarron!), the 2014 group will be forever known as the Dreamweavers.

My fellow 2014 YA finalist Amy Patrick is weaving a dream into reality with the release of her debut New Adult romance, Channel 20Something, on August 12. Today we're showing off her brand-new cover. Are you ready? Here it is:

Click on the pic to hit the Goodreads page.

It's gorgeous, right? I love it.

Amy brings her real-life news anchor experience to Channel 20Something. Here's the official synopsis:

22-year-old Heidi Haynes is almost one year into her “real life”. She has her first reporting job and her first apartment, but she’s yet to experience first love. Yes, she’s in a comfortable relationship with her college sweetheart, and according to her friends and family, he’s perfect for her. But for some reason she’s not as eager to talk about walking down the aisle as he is.

And while Heidi’s doing what she wants to do, she’s not where she wants to be. She longs for big cities, big-market breaking news, and real independence from her way-too-close-by helicopter parents. Problem is, the last time she left the security of home for new places and new people, things didn’t go so well. Disastrously, in fact, and she came running back to a local college and a “safe” boyfriend.

Well-traveled Californian Aric Serrano plans to stay in small-market-Southern-Hell just long enough to grab a cup of coffee and put together a kick-ass “escape tape”. He’ll serve his one-year contract, then he’s taking off for a higher rung on the TV sports ladder—alone—the way he likes it. But when he walks into the newsroom and meets Heidi, he may have finally found something and someone worth committing to.

Heidi would be so much more comfortable if she could avoid her new co-worker—he’s just her type—the type she’s so careful to avoid. But that becomes impossible when she and Aric are forced to work together on the weekend news. Now there’s no denying the attraction between them, and she’ll have to decide between settling for the “good enough” life she already has or taking the risk of going for what she dreams of, an exciting career and a real love.

About Amy

Amy is a two-time Golden Heart finalist (2013 and 2014). She lives in Rhode Island with her husband and two sons and actually craves the heat and humidity of Mississippi, where she grew up. She's been a professional singer and news anchor and currently narrates audio books as well as working as a station host for a Boston TV station.

Find her on Twitter, Goodreads, and her website. Remember, Channel 20Something debuts on August 12. Put it on your calendar!

Writing Thought of the Day #2

Writing Thought of the Day #1