P.J. Hoover's Blog, page 23

Winners!

Thank you to those who entered to win! The winners for my 1 YEAR from SOLSTICE GIVEAWAYare


An ARC of FOR DARKNESS SHOWS THE STARS by Diana Peterfreund (Balzer & Bray, June 12, 2012)



JENNIFER!
*****


An ARC of THE PECULIARS by Maureen Doyle McQuerry (Amulet, May 1, 2012)




Gretchen O'Boogie!
*****

An ARC of THE BOOK OF BLOOD AND SHADOW by Robin Wasserman (Knopf, April 10, 2012)


Marshan Grigsby!
*****

An ARC (and ALA promo bag) of I HUNT KILLERS by Barry Lyga (Little, Brown, April 3, 2012)


Bonnie!
*****

And don't forget I'm also giving away:


ARCs of SURRENDER and POSSESSION to one lucky winner!
CLICK HERE TO ENTER!







An ARC of LAUGH WITH THE MOON by Shana Burg (Delacorte, June 12, 2012)
CLICK HERE TO ENTER!

IT IS TIME...

...for THE


Hope you all have as productive of a weekend as I'm going to!

Giveaway! LAUGH WITH THE MOON and Shana Burg!

There is always something special about when someone in our Austin Kidlit community comes out with a new book. We have a wonderful group here and so many books to speak of. But each book is a blessing and something that should be shared with the world. And today I'm happy to share with you a brand new book that is completely worth checking out!

LAUGH WITH THE MOON by Shana Burg (Delacorte, June 12, 2012)



This is such an amazing and unique book trailer. I couldn't watch it without getting a tear in my eye.




From Amazon:

Thirteen-year-old Clare Silver is stuck. Stuck in denial about her mother’s recent death. Stuck in the African jungle for sixty-four days without phone reception. Stuck with her father, a doctor who seems able to heal everyone but Clare.
Clare feels like a fish out of water at Mzanga Full Primary School, where she must learn a new language. Soon, though, she becomes immersed in her new surroundings and impressed with her fellow students, who are crowded into a tiny space, working on the floor among roosters and centipedes.
When Clare’s new friends take her on an outing to see the country, the trip goes horribly wrong, and Clare must face another heartbreak head-on. Only an orphan named Memory, who knows about love and loss, can teach Clare how to laugh with the moon.
Told from an American girl’s perspective, this story about how death teaches us to live and how love endures through our memories will capture the hearts of readers everywhere.


****

Now I'm happy to offer up for giveaway an ARC of this fabulous new release!

It's easy to win! Two things to note...

1) This giveaway is open until 12:01 am on June 23, 2012
2) Contest is US only!

To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


***

And while you are at it, check out my other current giveaways!

I am offering up an ARC of SURRENDER and POSSESSION to one lucky winner!
CLICK HERE TO ENTER!






An ARC of FOR DARKNESS SHOWS THE STARS by Diana Peterfreund (Balzer & Bray, June 12, 2012)
An ARC of THE PECULIARS by Maureen Doyle McQuerry (Amulet, May 1, 2012)
An ARC of THE BOOK OF BLOOD AND SHADOW by Robin Wasserman (Knopf, April 10, 2012)
An ARC (and ALA promo bag) of I HUNT KILLERS by Barry Lyga (Little, Brown, April 3, 2012)

CLICK HERE TO ENTER!



Good luck!

And just a quick note...

For your Wednesday reading enjoyment, there's an interview with me over on The Enchanted Inkpot today talking about SOLSTICE! (CLICK HERE TO READ)

Hope you all are having a great week!

FORMER DEBUT: Ellen Booraem, Class of 2k8

This week's former debut is another author from my class, The Class of 2k8! I loved our class. There was such a great group dynamic. We shared all our ups and downs (mostly ups). And we stayed in touch. So without any more delay, I bring you, Ellen!


Name: Ellen Booraem
Debut Group: Class of 2k8
Debut novel:

Hi, Ellen!
PJH: Okay, so it’s been three and a half years since you graduated from your debut class. Personally, I miss the heck out of knowing what my classmates are up to. So give us the low-down. What have you been up to in the last few years? New books? New degrees? New pets? What has been going on, and what do we have to look forward to from you in the future?

EB: I continue to be phenomenally lucky—who knew you could start a whole new career in your 50s?

My second book, SMALL PERSONS WITH WINGS, came out in January 2011. It’s another middle-grade fantasy, this time about a thirteen-year-old girl who discovers that her family has a thousand-year-old pact with a tribe of Parvi Pennati, or SMALL PERSONS WITH WINGS. (They look like fairies, but hate to be called that.) There’s a lost magic ring and an evil real estate agent/plumbing inspector.

Small Persons made “best of 2011” lists for Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, The Washington Post, and the Bankstreet Center for Children’s Literature—all of which was a thrill and a half. It came out in paperback over the winter, and
Now I’m in the editing phase of a third book this one about twelve-year-old Conor O’Neill, who has a visit from a banshee—an ancestral spirit who keens when someone in her family is about to die. This banshee is actually a young girl who died around 500 C.E. Conor sets out to prevent the death she’s come for.

Otherwise, my most exciting recent event was a trip to Ghana in January. A friend and I lived in a village for a week doing volunteer work, then traveled all over the country for a couple of weeks. A family took us under their wings, and ushered us to places we’d never have seen on our own. I’m dying to go back, and am trying to persuade my partner, Rob, to go with me. (Fat chance—his biggest thrill is staying in his studio and painting all day.)


SMALL PERSONS WITH WINGS (Puffin, February 16, 2012)


PJH: If you could summarize to a debut novelist the best part of being a member of an author group like the “Class of” groups, what would you say?

EB: I would have been lost without the Class of 2k8, not least because I live in rural Maine, far from most clusters of author-types. First-time publication has lots of ups and downs and bumps in the road—going through all that as part of a group, sharing experience and advice, was priceless.

For those of use who weren’t getting a lot of marketing support from our publishers, 2k8’s group efforts in that realm also were invaluable.

I’m still in touch with some 2k8ers (you, for example, PJ!). When 2k8 ended some of us scurried to replace it. You and I and some others now belong to The Enchanted Inkpot group blog for middle-grade and young-adult fantasy lovers. I don’t think I’ll ever want to be without some sort of online authors’ group. It’s a way of keeping your name and news out there, certainly, but I’m really addicted to the moral support.


  
PJH: Though I absolutely loved being a debut author, I’m really thrilled with all the experience I’ve gained since. What advice would you give to those who are debuting now? What do you wish you had known when you started out?

EB: I didn’t have a clue how to revise a manuscript—or even what “revision” really meant—and I’m only just getting the hang of that. There’s a ton of resources out there to help you get your brain turned in the right direction after you’ve finished the rough draft—Darcy Pattison and the Verla Kay blueboards are just two. I’d definitely try to take advantage of them if I were starting over. When I think of what I put my poor editor through on the first go-round …



PJH: In addition to writing the next mega-million bestselling novel, what do you want to accomplish in the next five years? Do you want to write five more books? Get your black belt in Kung Fu? Walk the Great Wall of China? Let’s hear it.

EB: A book every other year seems to be my speed—if I can rev that up just a little, I’ll be happy. Mostly I just want to keep getting better at this—my long-term goal is to make a kid yell, “No! No! Don’t do it!” at the printed page.

Otherwise, I want to travel more, spend at least a month teaching in a Ghanaian village, and finish our darn house, which we built with our own hands nineteen years. The upstairs still has plywood floors and untrimmed windows, and we still don’t have a screened-in porch. In Maine mosquito season, that’s essential!



PJH: Anything else you want to add? Five reasons to read your book? A picture of your writing space? How you celebrated when you signed your contract? Your choice!

EB: Remember those “this is your brain on drugs” ads? This is my office during revision. Note the plywood floor and un-trimmed windows.



PJH: I love this office!

PJH: Thank you so much for being here! And good luck with everything in the future!

EB: Thank you, PJ! This was fun, and I love the idea of catching up with all our old classmates!


Bio: Ellen Booraem has been writing for a living for nearly forty years. After twenty years writing and editing rural weeklies, she quit her job at the age of 52 to write her first middle-grade fantasy,


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Thanks for helping me celebrate former debuts! And if you are a former debut and are interested in being featured, check out this post here!

BLOG TOUR! GIVEAWAY! SURRENDER by Elana Johnson

I'm so excited to be part of the official blog tour for Elana Johnson and her brand new companion novel to POSSESSION...

SURRENDER by Elana Johnson (Simon Pulse, June 5, 2012)


And as part of this blog tour, Elana has stopped by with a fantastic guest post.

And if that's not good enough, we have two giveaways going on! One offered up by Elana, and one offered up by me! So make sure to visit the end for the giveaways, but until then, here is Elana!

*****


The Pantser PlusesA guest post by Elana Johnson
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Okay, so I don’t outline. Well, I do, because my agent makes me, but I hate it. I’d rather write the whole book and then think about it as a whole. So that’s what I usually do for my agent. I write the book and then tell her I’ll send her a sample and an outline. By that time, I don’t have to write the outline from blank pages—I’ve got the majority of the book done.
So today, I thought I’d do a top ten list of why pantsers rule. Here we go!
10. No brain cramps. We don’t have to sit and obsess over every plot point before getting words on paper.
9. We’re environmentally conscious. No extra paper taken to draw up details we’ll just change later. Sometimes we plant trees too! Win/win.
8. We’re excellent revisers. We have to be to fix the mess that is a zero-pantsed-draft. Want to improve your revision skills? Don’t outline!
7. We always win NaNo. No plot? No problem! Just keep tying, just keep typing. This really helps get that NaNo badge by like, November 10.
6. We’re more active on twitter. I mean, we get our word counts in pretty quick, so there’s always time to play around on the Interwebs. And that’s good, right?
5. There are always pleasant surprises just around the corner. Since we don’t know what’s going to happen, we get to smile more with something amazing happens in the story.
4. We get to know our characters slowly, the way real relationships happen. Since we don’t have every detail planned, our characters and their motivations come as we write. It’s almost like making a new friend with every book!
3. There’s no time for writer’s block. We’ve got to get this draft spewed out before we forget things! Writer’s block? Pantsers push on through.
2. The freedom is exhilarating. We’re not tied to anything, and that’s the best feeling in the world.
1. Sometimes pantsers write without any pants at all. I highly recommend it. Ha!
So do you outline or are you a pantser?
This week you can win one of three $15 Barnes & Noble gift cards and become a winner winner, chicken dinner! All you have to do is fill out this rafflecopter widget with what you’ve done. NOTE: One of the options is to blog about a time you didn’t surrender. Go here for full details on this, including how to sign up for your free swag package!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

*****

And for the second giveaway, I am offering up an ARC of SURRENDER and POSSESSION to one lucky winner!


[image error]      
It's easy to win! Two things to note...

1) This giveaway is open until 12:01 am on June 23, 2012
2) Contest is US only!

To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


*****

About SURRENDER:

Raine has always been a good girl. She lives by the rules in Freedom. After all, they are her father’s rules: He’s the Director. It’s because of him that Raine is willing to use her talent—a power so dangerous, no one else is allowed to know about it. Not even her roommate, Vi. All of that changes when Raine falls for Gunner. Raine’s got every reason in the world to stay away from Gunn, but she just can’t. Especially when she discovers his connection to Vi’s boyfriend, Zenn. Raine has never known anyone as heavily brainwashed as Vi. Raine’s father expects her to spy on Vi and report back to him. But Raine is beginning to wonder what Vi knows that her father is so anxious to keep hidden, and what might happen if she helps Vi remember it. She’s even starting to suspect Vi’s secrets might involve Freedom’s newest prisoner, the rebel Jag Barque….

About Elana:

Elana's work including POSSESSION, REGRET, and SURRENDER is available from Simon & Schuster wherever books are sold. She is the author of From the Query to the Call, an ebook that every writer needs to read before they query, which can be downloaded for free on her website. She runs a personal blog on publishing and is a founding author of the QueryTracker blog. She blogs regularly at The League of Extraordinary Writers, co-organizes WriteOnCon, and is a member of SCBWI, ANWA and LDStorymakers. She wishes she could experience her first kiss again, tell the mean girl where to shove it, and have cool superpowers like reading minds and controlling fire. To fulfill her desires, she writes young adult science fiction and fantasy.

Blog: http://elanajohnson.blogspot.comFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/possessionthebookTwitter: http://twitter.com/#!/elanaJ

*****

Good luck! And thanks for stopping by! And please check out my other giveaway going on now for four awesome YA books!
CLICK HERE TO ENTER!

Enchanted Inkpot! Haiku!

Happy Monday!

There's a super fun post over on The Enchanted Inkpot today. It's fantasy Haiku inspired by a word bubble. Each author had to use two words from the bubble and, of course, stick to the Haiku format. I came up with two: one inspired by SOLSTICE and one inspired by TUT!



Head over if you get a chance, and I hope you all have a great week!

Former Debut: Alissa Grosso, Class of 2k11

Yes, it's a completely special week since I am featuring two fabulous former debuts today! Yesterday we had Leah Cypess, and today is Alissa Grosso! Please help me welcome Alissa to the blog!


Name: Alissa Grosso
Debut Group: Class of 2K11
Debut novel: POPULAR

Hi, Alissa!
PJH: Okay, so it’s been 1 year since you graduated from your debut class. Personally, I miss the heck out of knowing what my classmates are up to. So give us the low-down. What have you been up to in the last year? New books? New degrees? New pets? What has been going on, and what do we have to look forward to from you in the future?

AG: Well, I haven't wasted any time. My second novel, FEROCITY SUMMER just came out on May 8, exactly one year after my first novel. Of course I've been busy writing and then there was a move thrown in there (across state lines, no less, which sounds much more impressive than to the next county over, both of which are entirely true.)

FEROCITY SUMMER (Flux, May 8, 2012)

PJH: If you could summarize to a debut novelist the best part of being a member of an author group like the “Class of” groups, what would you say?

AG: I know the big draw is the shared marketing power, and believe me, I really do think this was awesome. It definitely helped me as an author whose book was published by a small press to help get the word out about my book. However, for me the best part is this lifelong group of friends that I've made. This is the best writing support group ever. Whether I want to gripe to someone about a bad review or share the joy of a new success, these folks are there for me. I really feel lucky to have found such an amazing group of writers.



PJH: Though I absolutely loved being a debut author, I’m really thrilled with all the experience I’ve gained since. What advice would you give to those who are debuting now? What do you wish you had known when you started out?

AG: There is no one way to do things, and no one has yet figured out the perfect way to market a book. I really felt a bit overwhelmed and burned out by all the marketing I tried to do for Popular. I don't really have a good way to measure what worked and what didn't work. So, this year I am focusing on doing the things that I enjoy doing and passing up opportunities that I don't feel are a good fit for me. Of course, the best advice is to enjoy your debut year and have fun.


PJH: In addition to writing the next mega-million bestselling novel, what do you want to accomplish in the next five years? Do you want to write five more books? Get your black belt in Kung Fu? Walk the Great Wall of China? Let’s hear it.

AG: The next 5 years? There are so many things I'd like to do. I think there's probably another move in my future. There are at least half a dozen novels in various unfinished states that I must do something about. I'd also really love to be on Jeopardy! . . . and win, of course!

POPULAR (Flux, May 8, 2011)

PJH: Anything else you want to add? Five reasons to read your book? A picture of your writing space? How you celebrated when you signed your contract? Your choice!

AG:
I'll spare the world a picture of my writing space. It's a mess. Also, I can't remember how I celebrated when I got my signed contract. So instead I'll share 5 reasons to read my new book, FEROCITY SUMMER.

1. I've probably destroyed any chance I ever had of being a speaker at my high school for using it in a book about an illegal drug and some teens who are not always so law abiding. My best hope is that they will buy several copies to burn in effigy and I'll get some free publicity out of the deal.

2. That said, you should read the book because it is a book about an illegal drug and some teens who are not always so law abiding.

3. My boyfriend who doesn't read novels, read it in two and a half days. (This is probably less compelling if I mention that he was laid up in bed with a bad back.)

4. My editor said it was like a love child between David Lynch and A.S. King, and when this was met with puzzled silence on my part, assured me that this was a GOOD thing.

5. Parts of the book are based on actual experiences. Other parts are completely made up. If you read the book and ask me nicely, I might tell you which are which.



 

AG: Thanks so much for doing this!


PJH: Thank you for being here!


BIO: Alissa Grosso is the author of the young adult novels POPULAR (Flux, 2011) and FEROCITY SUMMER (Flux, 2012). She is also a library sales representative and a freelance writer. In the past she has worked as a newspaper editor, a children’s librarian and a long, long time ago as a tavern wench complete with Colonial style costume.



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Thanks for helping me celebrate former debuts! And if you are a former debut and are interested in being featured, check out this post here! 

Former Debut: Leah Cypess, Class of 2k10

This week, I'm excited to feature two former debuts! The first is a member of THE ENCHANTED INKPOT, the amazing blog I'm part of that is filled with wonderful authors who write fantasy books for kids and teens. Please help me welcome Leah Cypess to the blog, and let's see what she has been up to!


Name: Leah Cypess
Debut Group: Class of 2k10
Debut novel: MISTWOOD

Hi, Leah!

 PJH: Okay, so it’s been 2 years since you graduated from your debut class. Personally, I miss the heck out of knowing what my classmates are up to. So give us the low-down. What have you been up to in the last few years? New books? New degrees? New pets? What has been going on, and what do we have to look forward to from you in the future?

LC: 
New books - none yet (PJH: except for NIGHTSPELL, below), but I've got a duology about assassins that I'm working on frantically; the first one is scheduled for publication in Winter 2014. I'm really, really excited about these books.

New degrees - Nope. Though I really do know a lot more about assassins than I used to.

New pets -- Nope. But even better, I have a new baby! He's seven months old and... wait, I have pictures here somewhere... wait, what was I supposed to be talking about? Oh, right...


NIGHTSPELL (Greenwillow, May 31, 2011)


PJH: If you could summarize to a debut novelist the best part of being a member of an author group like the “Class of” groups, what would you say?

LC: Having people to share this crazy experience with! I'm incredibly grateful and fortunate to be published, but while Ionce saw publication as the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, now I realize that it's only the beginning of a journey that has very high highs but also very low lows. Being around people going through the same experience played a large part in keeping me sane(ish).



PJH: Though I absolutely loved being a debut author, I’m really thrilled with all the experience I’ve gained since. What advice would you give to those who are debuting now? What do you wish you had known when you started out?

LC: I wish I had known that for the most part, your publisher isn't going to tell you anything unless you (or your agent) asks them. Don't assume no news is bad news; instead, assume that everyone in publishing is doing the job of two people and doesn't necessarily have the time to remember to email you updates. (Yes, even though you ARE the author.) I also wish I had known how much marketing can take over your life. With regard to marketing, my advice would be to pick certain things that you're going to do - things that are both effective AND not incredibly draining for you -- , and do exactly that. Budget the time you spend on promotion. Self-marketing is required for most writers, but if possible, you should never allow promotion to become more important than writing the next book.



PJH: In addition to writing the next mega-million bestselling novel, what do you want to accomplish in the next five years? Do you want to write five more books? Get your black belt in Kung Fu? Walk the Great Wall of China? Let’s hear it.

LC: Oddly enough, learning martial arts is one of my goals for the next five years! Another is getting my desk organized. (Chances are, I will become a black belt first.) I have more book ideas than I do time to write them, so if I could write five books in the next five years, that would be fantastic. I also want to step up my short story writing, which I really enjoy and which tends to fall to the wayside when novel deadlines loom. And while the Great Wall of China is on my bucket list, in the near future I'd really like to travel to Nova Scotia. It's close enough that it seems like it should be doable even with three small children.



MISTWOOD (Greenwillow, April 27, 2010)

PJH: Anything else you want to add? Five reasons to read your book? A picture of your writing space? How you celebrated when you signed your contract? Your choice!

LC: I signed my contract about a month after accepting the offer, and by then I was knee-deep in revisions! When I got the call, though, I jumped around my living room for a solid ten minutes. Which was pretty impressive, as I was seven months pregnant at the time.

LC: 
Five reasons to read my book(s):
1. You like tough heroines.
2. You like fantasy-mystery combinations.
3. You like books that take place in different kinds of worlds.
4. You like books where the characters face tough choices.
5. You are breathing.


LC: Thank you so much for having me on your blog!

PJH: Thank you so much for being here!


BIO: Leah Cypess is the author of two young adult fantasy novels, MISTWOOD & NIGHTSPELL, with another fantasy duology scheduled for release in 2014. She has also published numerous short stories. She lives in Brookline, Massachusetts with her family.

***

Thanks for helping me celebrate former debuts! And if you are a former debut and are interested in being featured, check out this post here!  

1 YEAR from SOLSTICE GIVEAWAY!

Yes, I admit it. I am totally excited about the release of SOLSTICE from Tor Teen in June 2013. The tentative release date is June 21, 2013 (the Solstice...get it?), and in honor of being about 1 year away from this, I'm excited to host another giveaway! But first, a quick about SOLSTICE...


Where Mythology and Dystopia meet...

Piper’s world is dying. Global warming kills every living thing on Earth, and each day brings hotter temperatures and heat bubbles which threaten to destroy humanity. Amid this Global Heating Crisis, Piper lives with her mother who suffocates her more than the chaotic climate. When her mother is called away to meet the father Piper has been running from her entire life, Piper seizes an opportunity for freedom.


But when Piper discovers a world of mythology she never knew existed, she realizes her world is not the only one in crisis. While Gods battle for control of the Underworld, Piper's life spirals into turmoil, and she struggles to find answers to secrets kept from her since birth. And though she’s drawn to her classmate Shayne, he may be more than he claims. Piper has to choose whom she can trust and how she can save the people she loves even if it means the end of everything she’s ever known.



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Today, up for giveaway are four young adult ARCs! Four books. Four winners!
Look how much better your odds already are!


An ARC of FOR DARKNESS SHOWS THE STARS by Diana Peterfreund (Balzer & Bray, June 12, 2012)




An ARC of THE PECULIARS by Maureen Doyle McQuerry (Amulet, May 1, 2012)




An ARC of THE BOOK OF BLOOD AND SHADOW by Robin Wasserman (Knopf, April 10, 2012)




An ARC (and ALA promo bag) of I HUNT KILLERS by Barry Lyga (Little, Brown, April 3, 2012)



*****

It's easy to win! Two things to note...

1) This giveaway is open until 12:01 am on June 16, 2012
2) Contest is US only!

To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter form below.



a Rafflecopter giveaway