P.J. Hoover's Blog, page 5

See you in Vegas!

I'm off this weekend to the American Library Association annual conference, this year held in Las Vegas! I've never been to Vegas before, so color me double excited.

In case you'll happen to be there, I would love to see you! My schedule is:

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Saturday, June 28th, 2014

AAP Children’s Author Speed Dating 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.Las Vegas Convention Center | Room N112
Pre-BFYA Feedback Lunch11:00 a.m. – 12:45 p.m Las Vegas Convention Center Room N113
*****
Sunday, June 29th, 2014
YALSA’s YA Author Coffee Klatch9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.Las Vegas Hotel | Ballroom C
Signing The Emerald Tablet #4771:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Signing Tut: The Story of My Immortal Life at booth #5323:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
*****
Happy ALA!

Featuring Stacy Nyikos and "Toby"

Today I'm so happy to feature friend and fellow author Stacy Nyikos with her latest picture book, TOBY!

For anyone who's been fascinated with the amazing journey that cute little sea turtles have to take when they hatch to make it to the ocean, TOBY is perfect. I admit that while reading the book, it found a special place in my heart. We watched the sea turtles be released into the ocean a couple years back at Padre Island National Seashore, and I couldn't help but think of those darling little turtles as I read TOBY. It's fun. It's cute. What more could you want?

TOBY by Stacy Nyikos (Stonehorse Publishing, June 30, 2014)



About TOBY:

Birds and crabs and crocs - oh my! - stand between Toby and his new ocean home. Can he outslip, outslide, out double-flip and dive them? Join this plucky little sea turtle on his adventures from egg to ocean.


About Stacy Nyikos:

In a quiet little office/at a comfy little desk/Stacy Nyikos chews on pencils/and scribbles silliness…when she’s not plucking splinters from her teeth, that is. Stacy holds an MFA in Writing (silliness) for Children from Vermont College. She spends her days chasing—or being chased—by stories. Toby is her latest catch. He sees it the other way around—catching her in the form of two very curious but courageous rescue sea turtle’s she met during a behind the scenes tour of her local aquarium. Either way, a lot of pencils got crunched writing his story.

TOBY releases on June 30, 2014!
For other stops on the Toby blog tour please check http://www.stacyanyikos.com/blog.html.

Source of book: From author at request

Thank you, Kirkus!

There is not much better than starting the weekend out with a **sweet** review from Kirkus for TUT: THE STORY OF MY IMMORTAL LIFE!

"...the tension between Tut and creepy Horemheb is a well-placed and -paced plot driver. 
 A pyramid history buffs and fantasy fans will delight in excavating." —Kirkus

Thank you, Kirkus!

Yay, and hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

A Shout Out for the Writing Barn

I just want to do a quick shout out to The Writing Barn, one of the most awesome locations for a class, retreat, or party right here in south Austin. My pal Bethany Hegedus is the owner of The Writing Barn, and I've been there for classes, parties (with goats and a rockabilly band), and just to hang out. In case you are ever looking for something like the barn, here are the official details!

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The Writing Barn is a retreat, workshop, and event space located in Austin, Texas. 



Writing Barn Presents events are designed to offer thoughtful programming to engage writers of all levels to continue to study craft, provide a safe space for experimentation, read and analyze current books, and to come away from the intensives with revision ideas, and tips and tools to take works-in-progress to the next level.



The 2014 WB Presents events are:

Full Novel Revision Week: YA, MG and More with Kathi Appelt, Shana Burg, Rita Williams-Garcia, and Bethany Hegedus  coming up in August.


The Complete Picture Book Workshop: Tips to Help You Write, Revise, & Sell with top-picture book agent Erin Murphy and best-selling authors Liz Garton Scanlon and Audrey Vernick in September.



Along with special events, where writers of all levels are welcome to apply, we also offer Advanced Writer Weekend Workshops.

The goal of this AWWW series is for dedicated and productive writers (agented/published/or on-the-verge) to spend time with their peers, attending lectures and workshop to enhance skills and to re-energize their commitment to their craft as their career develops and changes.
Faculty lectures are on par with MFA programs.
We welcome attendees from around the country, and have lodging options for those traveling from outside Austin.

The 2014 AWWW series includes:

Advanced Writer Weekend Workshop, Writing Outside the Box with author/agent Ammi-Joan Paquette and author K.A. Holt in October.

The Art of the Sale: with best-selling authors Jenny Han and Siobohan Vivian in December.

The Book House, our new lodging will have bedrooms: Pulitzer and Booker on the top floor. These rooms will have two double beds. The Newbery, Caldecott, and Printz rooms will be on the ground floor, with two single beds per room. Each room has its own private bath.  Complete with a galley kitchen and a living room, the Book House has it all. There is even a wrap-around porch with plenty of outlets for writing outside.  The Book House opens in August!



Private & Group Retreats

With the addition of The Book House, The Writing Barn  7.5 acre grounds will sleep 18. The Writing Barn 3-4, The Book House 10, and The Cabin 3-4. Each building may be rented independently or as a whole. If traveling from out of town, consider a week long retreat, as we offer discounts for longer stays.  Peak season is winter through spring. Low season: the holidays and summer months.

*****

Please visit The Writing Barn site for more information!

Featuring Joy Preble and THE A-WORD

Hey Peeps! I wanted to share with you news about the latest book released today by on of my favorite people, writing pal Joy Preble. Joy is the author of the DREAMING ANASTASIA series as well as THE SWEET DEAD LIFE which came out last year. Today, the sequel to THE SWEET DEAD LIFE is out!

THE A-WORD by Joy Preble (Soho Press, May 13, 2014)



About THE A-WORD:

Jenna Samuels and her guardian angel brother battle heavenly head-honchos and earthbound bullies in this Texas-set hilarious follow up to The Sweet Dead Life. 
It's been almost a year since Jenna Samuel’s stoner brother, Casey, bit the dust and returned as her guardian angel. A year since Casey and his “angel boss,” Amber Velasco, saved Jenna’s life and helped her foil the bad guys—more or less. A year in which Jenna has solved the true mystery of the universe: how to get one Ryan Sloboda to ask her out.
Jenna’s feeling mighty cheery about life and love. But Casey, whose doomed relationship with Lanie Phelps (who has no idea her boyfriend is, well, dead) isn’t doing much to distract him, has his own big question: Why is he still hanging around?
Bo Shivers, a heavenly head honcho Jenna and Casey didn't even know existed, might have the answer.  Bo knows something big is coming. Something that might just change everything for Jenna Samuels, who once again finds herself up to her non-winged shoulders in heavenly secrets of global proportions—just as she’s finally found the perfect Homecoming Dance dress.
***
Praise for THE A-WORD: A SWEET DEAD LIFE NOVEL
“Light, snarky, and heartfelt... The A-Word rolls along cheerfully through Halloween pranks, high school football, investigative reporting, angel-powered action, and a very realistic amount of aimless driving around.” —School Library Journal
“Sassy, smart-mouthed, cowboy-boot fan Jenna Samuels is back once again, fighting evildoers with the aid of her angelic cohorts..... has many of the elements that made its predecessor, [The Sweet Dead Life], so much fun.” —Kirkus Reviews
“The earthbound angels are as authentic as the down-to-earth people in The A-Word, but where the book really spreads its wings is in the interaction between the two. Resourceful teens and heavenly beings team up to get to the roots of a very modern mystery, and the big questions of the universe share space with first dates and football games. The result: a smart, original (and slightly celestial) mystery with a distinctly Texan flavor.” — Michael Northrop, author of Trappedand Surrounded by Sharks
"Joy Preble gives it all! Humor, wit, emotion, and romance! Fabulous fun!" —New York Times  bestselling author Sophie Jordan
“Romance, sassy humor, and a pain-in-the-rear brother … Who knew having a guardian angel could be so hard and so much fun to read?” —New York Times Bestselling Author C.C. Hunter

Librarian and Educator TUT ARC Giveaway!

Hi! P. J. Hoover here, and in anticipation of the upcoming release of my newest MG novel, Tut: The Story of My Immortal Life (Starscape/Macmillan, September 16, 2014), I'm excited to offer up for giveaway five ARCs! 
This giveaway is open to librarians and teachers. 
To enter, please email me at the address below and mention that you would like to be entered!  

 The giveaway will run through May 5th.    
 
About Tut: The Story of My Immortal Life:

You'd think it would be great being an Egyptian demigod, but if King Tut has to sit through eighth grade one more time, he'll mummify himself.

Granted the gift of immortality by the gods-or is it a curse?-Tut has been stuck in middle school for ages. Even worse, evil General Horemheb, the man who killed Tut's father and whom Tut imprisoned in a tomb for three thousand years, is out and after him. The general is in league with the Cult of Set, a bunch of guys who worship one of the scariest gods of the Egyptian pantheon-Set, the god of Chaos.

The General and the Cult of Set have plans for Tut... and if Tut doesn't find a way to keep out of their clutches, he'll never make it to the afterworld alive.


For more information about me or any of my books, please visit my website. 

TLA 2014! San Antonio, here I come!

I adore everything about Texas, and this week I'm heading to San Antonio, land of the Alamo, for the 2014 Texas Library Association annual conference. Books! People who love to talk about books! Good times!

In case you'll be there, I would love to see you. My schedule for the next few days is below.

Wednesday, April 9th 10:15-11:00 - Book signing - Booth 2522 (Overlooked Books booth)     11:00-12:00 - Texas Sweethearts & Scoundrels Annual Reception - Booth 2522 (Overlooked Books Booth)3:00-4:00 - Book signing - Booth 2243 (Book Festivals of Texas booth)
Thursday, April 10th9:30-10:00 - TT4L Teen Event10:45-11:15 - TUT: THE STORY OF MY IMMORTAL LIFE ARC signing - Tor/Macmillan Booth 144812:00-2:00 -YART Texas Tea Event
Hope to see you there!

YA SCAVENGER HUNT & SOLSTICE GIVEAWAY!

Hi! P. J. Hoover here, author of the dystopian/mythology YA novel, SOLSTICE (Tor Teen, June 18, 2013), and I'm crazy excited to host this stop for the YA Scavenger Hunt! 

(and p.s. I'm so excited that I'm giving away a second copy of SOLSTICE below, so make sure to check it out!)
Hi! Thanks for visiting!
This tri-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 TWO contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or all! I am a part of the BLUE TEAM--but there is also a red team for a chance to win a different set of 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 homepage.

*** SCAVENGER HUNT PUZZLE ***
Directions: Below, you'll notice that I've listed my secret number. Collect the secret numbers of all the authors on the blue 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 April 6th, 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 APRIL TUCHOLKE on my website for the YA Scavenger Hunt!

Hi, April!
APRIL'S BIO:
April Genevieve Tucholke digs coffee, redheaded heroes, attics, and discussing poison at the breakfast table. She is the author of BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA and the sequel BETWEEN THE SPARK AND THE BURN. She lives in Oregon at the edge of a forest.

You can find out a ton more about April on her website!

And if her book sounds like something right up your alley (which of course it does), you can buy it here!

*** EXCLUSIVE CONTENT


ABOUT Between the Spark and the Burn:Last summer the Redding brothers—crooked-smiling liar River; laughing, hot- tempered Neely; and mad, knife-wielding Brodie—descended on Violet White’s seaside town, bringing chaos. Then Brodie and River disappeared. So when Vi catches a late-night radio show whispering of eerie events in a distant mountain village, she seizes on it—this could be River or Brodie. Vi and Neely’s search takes them to frenzied mountain towns, cursed islands, and an empty, snow-muffled hotel. They find a girl who’s seen the devil, a sea captain’s daughter, and a sweet, red-haired forest boy who meets death halfway. All the while, Vi’s feelings for Neely grow sharper, the stakes higher, and the truth harder to pin down. If only Violet knew that while she’s been hunting the Redding boys . . . someone’s been hunting her. 

The exclusive content here is awesome! 
IT'S AN EXCERPT FROM Between the Spark and the Burn! 
You can't ask for anything better than that! Enjoy :)
***
We parked the car next to the small, steepled, red-roofed church at the end of the main road. We got out. Stood still. Took the town in.
The first thing I noticed was the quiet. The deep, deep, middle-of-the-forest quiet. After the quiet, I noticed the lack of Christmas decorations. No lights on trees, no greenery around door frames, no cheery red tinsel hung between streetlights. All the towns we’d passed recently had put up their own slightly shabby holiday trimmings, making the streets seem more cheerful and sweet than usual. But not Inn’s End.
And then I noticed the birds.
Black-feathered corpses. Everywhere. Piled up on steps, kicked into snow piles, dangling by their necks from lampposts and signs. There were eight nailed to the door of the dark, abandoned-looking Youngman’s Inn, and five hanging by their feet from the iron church gate.
The four of us walked down the center of the road. Still and silent. I saw lights in windows, but there was no one in the street. Not a soul.
The sun was just a sliver on the horizon now, like a small prayer said without much hope. The orange-pink light reflected off the snow and turned the world a strange, ominous color that put dark thoughts in my head.
“What was it that Wide-Eyed Theo said?” Neely asked, quiet.
“The devil-boy commands a flock of ravens,” Luke said, voice low.
I shivered, a sick, hard shiver, like the ones you get when you have the flu.
My wrists started hurting, sharp and cold at first, and then hot and full of sting. I tore my mittens off and turned my hands over, but all I saw was the same pink scars, looking like they always did.
“I don’t like it here,” Luke said. His words fogged up in the cold air. His eyes were wide open, his arms straight down at his sides. “Vi, I have a bad feeling about this town. This—” He nodded his chin at the dead birds, their feathers ruffling in the chill wind. “I don’t like it, sister. We should leave. Now.”
Sunshine turned around in a circle, saying nothing. So far she and Luke had flirted and kissed and been in love and acting like this trip was all good fun.
But now I saw it in her eyes. Fear. True and blue and as deep as winter is cold.
A door opened. One of the white houses at the far end of the street. It opened and then slammed closed again. The attached cluster of dead, black feathers swung back with it and hit the wood with a thud.
A girl stood on the steps.***
And don't forget to enter the contest for a chance to win a ton of signed books by me, April Tucholke, and more! To enter, you need to know that my secret number is 13. Add up all the secret numbers of the authors on the blue team and you'll have all 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!

JESSICA SPOTSWOOD
***

DOUBLE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING SOLSTICE!

“Solstice is one red-hot read—it intrigues, sizzles, and satisfies.” —Cynthia Leitich Smith, New York Times bestselling author 
In celebration of the Scavenger Hunt, I'm offering up a second copy of SOLSTICE (Tor Teen, June 18, 2013) here (US only).

It's easy to win! Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below.


a Rafflecopter giveaway
Good luck, and may all your reading be enjoyable!

About SOLSTICE:

Piper's world is dying. Each day brings hotter temperatures and heat bubbles that threaten to destroy the earth. Amid this global heating crisis, Piper lives under the oppressive rule of her mother, who suffocates her even more than the weather does. Everything changes on her eighteenth birthday, when her mother is called away on a mysterious errand and Piper seizes her first opportunity for freedom. 

Piper discovers a universe she never knew existed—a sphere of gods and monsters—and realizes that her world is not the only one in crisis. While gods battle for control of the Underworld, Piper’s life spirals out of control as she struggles to find the answer to the secret that has been kept from her since birth.

***

And one more time...


CONTINUE THE HUNT
To keep going on your quest for the hunt, you need to check out the next author!

JESSICA SPOTSWOOD

Spring Forward with The Texas Sweethearts & Scoundrels!

Please take a moment and hop over to the Texas Sweethearts & Scoundrels blog to find out all our recent news!

BOOKS TO LOVE: TRAPPED IN LUNCH LADY LAND by David M. Simon

So I had a great time reading this one. TRAPPED IN LUNCH LADY LAND follows the adventures of Josh and Patty Anne as they are (you guessed it) trapped in a strange world called Lunch Lady Land. Their adventures are very reminiscent of THE WIZARD OF OZ, with meeting new friends (and adversaries) and finding themselves deep in trouble. In addition, the world around them is edible which made me incredibly hungry as I read.
This book will have huge appeal to the younger crowd, probably 2nd grade and up, both boys and girls alike. Totally worth checking out for those younger readers in your life. I enjoyed the adventure from start to finish!

TRAPPED IN LUNCH LADY LAND by David M. Simon (Cbay Books, May 7th, 2014)




About the book:

Josh and Patty Anne aren't exactly the best of friends (ok, they detest each other), but after they both end up trapped somewhere beneath their school in a land made up of school cafeteria food, they quickly learn they have to work together if they want to survive. With the help of some unusual friends they meet along the way, the two must brave countless dangers unlike anything in the normal world. If they can survive the skybeater, the canisaurs and the tater-tot throwing ladle monsters, Josh and Patty Anne might just make it home alive.

Trapped in Lunch Lady Land was the very first Middle Grade Winner in the Yummy but Brainy Writing Contest presented by CBAY Books.

Source of book: From publisher by request