Asheville to Nashville Giveaway

Ash2Nash Book Tour was created by three authors living in Tennessee and North Carolina. Realizing they lived very close to one another and because book tours never come down to the southern states--and they don't; it's very depressing--they decided to create a tour for their fellow book-loving southerners It featured authors:

• Beth Revis--Across the Universe
• Myra McEntire--Hourglass
• Victoria Schwab--The Near Witch
• Ruta Sepetys--Between Shades of Gray
• Michelle Hodkin--The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer
• Alan Gratz--Fantasy Baseball
• Stephanie Perkins--Anna and the French Kiss
• Rachel Hawkins--Demonglass

 The tour has recently ended, but I just discovered there is still a giveaway going on at the Ash2Nash blog. You can win signed copies of the books listed above, plus posters and swag! But you better hurry. It ends tonight!

Have you read any of these books listed above? If so, what did you think? Are any of these books on your "To Be Read" list?

Calling Team Jace Wayland! We're Bringin' Out the Big Guns

Hey everyone! For those of you who love The Mortal Instruments series--featuring City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass, and City of Fallen Angels--by Cassandra Clare, it's time to go vote for Jace Wayland over at The YA Sisterhood.

What's the perks of this? Not only could Jace win the Crush Tournament, you can enter to win an ARC of the second installment of The Infernal Devices, Clockwork Prince, by Cassandra Clare. From Cassie's blog, here is what you have to do:

"The ARCs should be out in 3 weeks or so, and they are making only a limited amount — maybe a hundred — and this is the last time I'll have ARCs for a book, so this is a collector's item. :) All you have to do is

 

1) vote for Jace http://ya-sisterhood.blogspot.com/2011/08/grande-finale-jace-vs-zachary-match-24.html

 

2) post somewheres during *my* overnight about the contest in a manner you can link to and that is time-stamped between 8pm and 8am American Central Standard Time) (11am to 10 Aussie time, etc, I'll figure it out)about the contest, link to it, and ask people to vote for Jace

 

3) post the link here — if you post anonymously, give me some handle by which I can identify you in case you win, even if it's Goldidoodle Thisteldean

 

4) Profit! Well, more like "Maybe win an ARC and be one of the few people in the world who get to read this book early!"

Cool, right? Now go spread the news. And the link.

http://ya-sisterhood.blogspot.com/2011/08/grande-finale-jace-vs-zachary-match-24.html

*Contest open to anyone in the world who cares to post between 8pm and 8am central"

 

I'm so excited! Thanks so much Cassie for this amazing opportunity! And good luck Jace!

Read Me, Bookmark Me, Love Me Giveaway...

Over at Read Me, Bookmark Me, Love Me there is a 850 follower giveaway going on! You can win one of eight different books released in May-July. And that's only part one!



In part two of the giveaway you can win an August-October release.



So you better go over and check it out! Good luck! :)

"My Touch is Power"--Shatter Me

Want to win an ARC of "Shatter Me" by Tahereh Mafi as much as I do? Then here are two good chances at

• Courtney Allison Moulton and
• Tahereh Mafi

I've entered a few of these contests for this book and dying to read it! I know I have posted this a billion times, but I still can't get over how much I love the book trailer." Rarely ever do book trailers stick with me, but this one has since May or so, whenever it came out.

For those of you who don't know what the book is about, here is the blurb from Goodreads.com

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days. The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old-girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

In this electrifying debut, Tahereh Mafi presents a world as riveting as The Hunger Games and a superhero story as thrilling as The X-Men. Full of pulse-pounding romance, intoxicating villainy, and high-stakes choices, Shatter Me is a fresh and original dystopian novel—with a paranormal twist—that will leave readers anxiously awaiting its sequel.

Good luck to everyone that enters, but I hope I'm a winner, too! *Crosses fingers!!*

Awesome July

Hi everyone! I can't hold it in any longer. I have to say that July was a pretty awesome month. I won four books--Divergent being one--Divergent tattoos, and an amazing blog award--thanks again Francesca Zappia! :D

In May, I submitted an entry to Novel Novice, a dedicated YA book website that has monthly writing contests, and their book of the month at the time was Divergent. Most of the time the writing contest is for short stories, but in May it was an essay and the question was "What's your faction?" Yesterday I discovered that I was one of the five winners, and I just wanted to share my entry with you all. I hope you guys like it!

"To hear my name at the Choosing Ceremony would send my heart into a frenzy. I’ve never been good with crowds, and having hundreds of people hungrily watch me make the biggest decision of my life wouldn’t help my anxiety. And to top it off, they hand me a knife.

Well, at least it’s meant for me to cut myself…

When I ask others, “Which faction do you think I belong in?” I always get the same answer. Abnegation. It’s a complement and I want to help others, but I am too selfish to be eternally selfless.

I will be involved.

As for Candor, I respect honesty, but the truth can hurt others too much for me to bear.

I will be kind.

And let’s face it; I don’t have a brave bone in my body. Though I dream for the excitement of a Dauntless life, I dream of a life in a faction more.

I will be self-sufficient.

As I stand at the faction bowls, the tip of the blade making a scarlet mark across my palm, I am at a crossroads. Erudite or Amity?

I’ve always pictured my bookish-self trying to expand my knowledge, but I question my potential. Intelligence is innate, not learned, and I fear I would fail Erudite’s initiation. Though there is a conflict between Erudite and Abnegation, but I will not let it influence my decision.

I will forgive.

Then there is Amity, a society who cherishes many of the same aspects as I do: forgiveness, kindness, trust. I could have a helpful career as a counselor; I can flaunt the beautiful colors red and yellow.

I will trust, even if only in myself.

So I plunge my hand over a bowl and let my blood drip onto soil.

I am Amity, I am peace."

 If I were really in the choosing ceremony, I would probably panic between erudite and amity, and maybe even dauntless.

Just for fun, what faction might you choose?

Shatter Me

A few months ago I posted how much the trailer to "Shatter Me" by Tahereh Mafi intrigued me, and how much I wanted to read it, which can be found in this post here. Well, now I have a chance to win an ARC over at A Fool's Golden Paradise, and you do, too, if you would like to enter. I'm so excited! I know I've already made this clear, but I'M DYING TO READ THIS BOOK! Wish me luck! And I, too, wish you luck if you are going to enter.

400 Hours to "Four Hundred Days" Drawing Contest



Four Hundred Days book cover

For those of you who like to draw, sketch, or create art electronically, I discovered a character/creature drawing contest going on over at Stuck In Books for "Four Hundred Days" by Lor Mandela. They are giving away prizes for first and second place, but you better hurry; it ends tonight at 11:59

It's been a while since I've drawn, but I gave it a shot.
The description given for Maggie is:

• Seventeen years old
• From Glenhill, Iowa
• Long curly, black hair almost to her waist
• Vivid blue eyes
• Full peachy lips
• Slightly freckled cheeks
• Very beautiful

I hope I did all right. *Crosses fingers*

How About Some Free Books?

Sorry to be misleading, but they're not from me. Don't throw tomatoes, yet; I have good news! I do know of a place, however, where they are offering a contest/drawing for some of the hottest books to come out this year, and that place is the YA Highway. (Link:  http://www.yahighway.com/) They are celebrating their two year anniversary, and what better way than with a contest to win some free books?

I know. I love them, too.

To enter there are two requirements that must be met:  the person entering must follow the YA Highway, and they must live in the United States or Canada for a chance to win most of the books offered. There is, however, an international prize of a signed copy of City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare. Talk about EPIC!!

As if the international prize itself isn't amazing enough, there are other books available to be won such as:  Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafia, The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney, and After Obsession by Carrie Jones and Steven E. Wadel. And those are only a few.

Personally, if I could win any book off the list, I would choose Shatter Me. What drew my attention to the book was the trailer which I first found on Facebook a few weeks ago. The first and only thing that passed my mind when I saw it was, "Wow!" After watching it a few times, I was finally able to think, "If I get my book published, I want the book trailer to be that awesome."

Even though I'm an avid reader, I find myself amazed by the beauty and majesty that words can create when pieced together correctly; how they can send tingles down your spine at a mere description. This one minute trailer is one of those wonderful examples. It might just be my opinion, but I suggest you take a peek and let me know what you think.

Which book(s) offered from the YA Highway would you like to win most?

To Do List: Enter Contest to Win "Divergent". Check!

Woo! Day two in Blogworld for me! :D Well, here goes with today's post...

I don't know about you, but I think there have been a TON of seemingly amazing young adult books come out this year, and it's only half over! Though there are many I want to read, there is one in particular that I have been on the edge of my seat over: "Divergent" by Veronica Roth. It is a dystopian novel that released May 3rd. I haven't read many dystopian novels (The Hunger Games included) but this one certainly grabbed me from the blurb. I haven't gotten to read all of it yet--I've read the first 100 pages offered at harpercollins.com--and it's driving me crazy. I need to buy it, get it at the library, or win it--which I'm trying to do ^_^

If you aren't familiar with "Divergent" the book is about a girl named Tris who lives in a dystopian Chicago. The society is divided into five factors--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On a certain day all sixteen year olds must choose which faction they want to spend the rest of their lives in. A person can choose an all new faction and leave their family behind, or remain in the faction they are familiar with. The book follows which decision Tris makes.

"One Choice Can Transform You" is the book's motto. And for Novel Novice's contest it was all about choices; about which faction we would choose if we lived in Tris' world.

This was a hard subject for me, only because I was at a crossroads. I could certainly see myself spend the rest of my life studying and with my nose pressed in books, but when it comes to Erudite's initiation, I had to think realistically. There is a good, horrific chance that I would epically fail. If you read the book, you will discover what happens to those who fail initiation--I don't want to spoil it for you.

My other option was Amity. They cherish many of the aspects that I do: truth, kindness, self-sufficiency, forgiveness, and involvement. I could see myself in Amity; I felt confident, so I made my choice. I would be Amity.

I find it a good thing that our societies aren't divided into these factions. In real life, I would never be able to choose between Erudite and Amity. Luckily it was just a writing contest that is still open until midnight tonight (Pacific Time if I have it right) on novelnovice.com. The top 5 winners will receive a copy of the book! *Excitement!!*

Just out of curiosity, which faction would you choose? And are you interested in reading the book? Or have you all ready read it--if so what did you think, I would love to hear your opinion?