Get Ready For The YA Scavenger Hunt

Sorry for the blog silence, but I've been super busy finishing up THE SAVAGE GRACE. But don't worry, I've got something awesome and exciting to make up for all the quiet...

Announcing: THE YA SCAVENGER HUNT!!!


Mark your calendars for August 1st because you're not going to want to miss this. There will be bonus material from some of your favorite YA authors, and prizes galore! The Scavenger Hunt is a one day only event, so don't hesitate to join the fun.

Participants include: YA authors Josephine Angelini, Tera Lynn Childs, Angela Corbett, Kady Cross, Heather Davis, DJ Desmyter, Bree Despain, Leigh Fallon, Marley Gibson, Abbi Glines, Colleen Houck, Tara Hudson, Elana Johnson, Sophie Jordan, Myra McEntire, Alexandra Monir, Lisa Nowak, Amy Plum, Beth Revis, Lisa and Laura Roecker, Inara Scott, Jeri Smith-Ready, Lani Woodland.

Go HERE to find out more info from the Hunt's organizer, Colleen Houck.

And be sure to come back here on August 1st to find out how you can get your hands on exclusive bonus material from THE LOST SAINT, my own personal prize pack, and so much more!

Spread the love: Myra McEntire and HOURGLASS

Hey friends,

So it's that time again when I get to spread the love (i.e. rant and rave) about something that I think is truly awesome. And I've been saving this post for something (and someone) that has brought pure giddiness and joy into my crazy and hectic life over the last few weeks:

HOURGLASS by Myra McEntire

Synopsis:

One hour to rewrite the past . . .

For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn't there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents' death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She's tried everything, but the visions keep coming back.So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson's willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may change her past.

Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he's around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should have happened?

Full of atmosphere, mystery, and romance, Hourglass merges the very best of the paranormal and science-fiction genres in a seductive, remarkable young adult debut.

I'd been wanting to get my hands on Myra's book ever since I first read about the premise several months ago. Then I got to know the hilarious Myra McEntire over twitter and email, and I wanted her book even more. And then when Myra showed me the cover, I was like: MUST. HAVE. NOW.

Luckily, Myra and I share the same publisher, so I concocted a wild scheme to infiltrate their offices in order to kidnap Elizabeth Law's life-size Edward Cullen cutout to hold for ransom in exchange for an advanced readers copy of HOURGLASS. However, someone else beat me to the kidnapping. And as it turns out, all I had to do was ask nicely (a.k.a. leave huge hints that I was dying to read it/would kill someone in order to get a copy) and my super editor sent me the book.

Let me tell you: BIG mistake on his part. Because all writing on THE SAVAGE GRACE ceased the moment I started reading HOURGLASS. (Don't worry, I'm back to writing again.)

HOURGLASS fully lived up to my high expectations. I am totally jealous of Myra's killer descriptive prowess. I just love the way she can describe a character/action/setting with just a few, choice, evocative details that make me want to swoon with writer envy.

The other thing swoon-worthy about this book are the guys. All I can say about Micheal and Kaleb without going on for another hour is: YOWZA! The passion and yearning electrifies the pages of this book. (Yet it's still pretty darn clean for readers who are sensitive to those sorts of things.)

And by far the best thing about HOURGLASS is the main character, Emerson. As many of you know, I am the mother of all boys--whom I love with all my heart and wouldn't trade for anything. But sometimes, my heart also aches for the daughter I don't have, and the name I've had picked out for a little girl ever since I was in college just happens to be Emerson. And if I had a daughter, I'd want her to be a lot like the main character of this book (minus the stint in the mental institution): sassy, witty, intelligent, able to beat up boys, but still looks adorable in an awesome dress.

*Side note: If I had 2 daughters, I would have named the second one Ava, which happens to be the name of another character in this book--but I wouldn't want my daughter to be like her. (You'll see why.)

Okay, so have a I ranted and raved enough? What more do I need to say to convince you to GO. READ. THIS. BOOK??

Oh, one last thing. Reading this book will make you feel smart. Because not only is it sexy, it's also full of science (but not in a "Yikes, this makes my brain hurt!" sort of way).

And one last, last thing--HOURGLASS hit stores today, so now you can read it too!

For all this goodness, I hereby declare today:

Spread The Love for Myra McEntire and HOURGLASS Day! I highly suggest you celebrate by picking up a copy of the book and cancelling all other plans until you're done reading.


**Disclaimer: I have NOT been asked to endorse this book by Myra, my publisher, or anyone else. I simply wish to spread the love for books that I truly enjoy.

p.s. What do you think of the new blog format? I think it's easier to read. Hope you like it.

Winner of the "share the title" giveaway

Hey all, I'm in the thick of working on THE SAVAGE GRACE right now (this scene involves a shirtless, a gun with silver bullets, and . . . a shirtless guy) so I'm just popping in for a bit to announce our winner of ENTWINED by Heather Dixon:

JESSY (please email me at readbree AT gmail DOT com with your mailing address to claim your prize.)

Sorry for the short post. I promise to write about much more interesting things once this draft is turned in! (I've got a few ideas brewing already.)

Oh yes, and I am so glad you all love the title for THE SAVAGE GRACE as much as I do! And thank you for spreading the word. Y'all seriously rock!

TDD3 has a title--and I can share it now!

5/18/2011

So, I guess the cat is essentially out of the bag now. Some of you may have already seen this on Amazon (they apparently beat me to the punch) but I am now finally allowed to share with you all the title for the third and final Dark Divine installment.

Are you ready for this?

Book 3 is titled:

The Savage Grace (to be released December 27th, 2011)

The book cover has also been completed, and it is, of course, gorgeous. However, I am not at liberty to share that yet. I will do so as soon as I get the green light and a final image from my publisher (and hopefully I won't get upstaged by Amazon again... heheh).

I am very excited about this title, and as with THE DARK DIVINE and THE LOST SAINT, the title references more than one thing in the story.

To share my excitement over the title, and to get you all a little pumped up for the cover reveal, I've decided to hold another giveaway. There are still a lot of people out there who still don't know that there's a third book planned in the DARK DIVINE trilogy, and I need your help getting it out there so everyone will know. So if you go forth and share the title and release date (December 27th, 2011) of THE SAVAGE GRACE (and the fact that it is the third book in the trilogy) I'll enter you to win a rare signed copy of ENTWINED by Heather Dixon.
(Heather doesn't do signings--so I was extremely lucky to get a copy signed to give away. And believe me, you want it!)

Feel free to share the title and release date however you feel will get the word out, and then tell me about what you did in the comments of this post. Only one entry per contestant, but multiple mediums of dissemination is always appreciated. :)

Giveaway ends at midnight MST on May 24th. Winners will be picked and announced here on the blog the following day.

On a completely different note, have you seen the recap Heidi R. Kling and I did of the season 2 finale of THE VAMPIRE DIARIES? If not, go check it out on Smart Pop Books' Blog and be sure not to miss the puppet show at the bottom of the post ;-). I'm really quite proud of it.

Spread the Love: Be a character in TDD3 & help tornado victims in Alabama

5/11/2011

Hey friends-

GOOD NEWS:

The 3rd book in the Dark Divine trilogy finally has a title and a cover--I'm just not allowed to share them with you yet. But I will as soon as I get the go ahead from my publisher. Seriously, I HATE keeping secrets!

IN THE MEANTIME:

I'm devoting this week's "Spread the Love" post to showing a little love for the people of Alabama. As many of you know, several cities in Alabama were practically wiped off the map by tornadoes. I have many family and friends out there who have seen their communities devastated not only by the storm, but also by a loss of hope. Blogger Courtney Barr (a.k.a. The Southern Princess) asked me if I'd be willing to donate to the ALL 4 ALABAMA Tornado Relief Auction to help raise money for these communities--and I jumped at the chance to help.

In addition to donating signed copies of THE DARK DIVINE and THE LOST SAINT to be auctioned off, I decided to throw in something extra special...

Have you ever wanted to see your name in a book? Ever imagined yourself interacting with some the characters in the novel your reading? Ever wanted to BE one of the characters? Here's your chance:

I'm auctioning off the opportunity to BE a character in the third Dark Divine novel!

Details--what the winner of the auction can expect:

1. Your character will be named after you (or a name of your choosing--as long as it's not too ridiculous).

2. Your character will have multiple lines of dialogue (not just an "extra" in the background).

3. Your character will fit your physical description (eye color, hair color, gender, & ethnicity).

4. Your character will have supernatural abilities (and get to kick some butt!)

5. The 3rd book in the Dark Divine trilogy will be published in December of 2011--so you don't have to wait forever to see yourself in a book!

6. Signed copies of THE DARK DIVINE and THE LOST SAINT so you can brush up on the previous books before meeting your character.

So whether you're a fan of TDD, or just want to be a character in a published novel, click HERE to go bid in the ALL 4 ALABAMA Auction.

(There are MANY other items also up for bid, so check those out while you're there.)

NOTE: Do not place bids for the auction here on my blog, you must go HERE in order to bid.