Holiday Romance Gift Haul Giveaway

HOLIDAY ROMANCE GIFT HAUL GIVEAWAY

November 7-27

Grand Prize Haul Includes Gifts from 40 Authors!

https://bookwrapt.com/gift-haul/

Christmas is coming early for one lucky winner. 7 gift cards, 17 paperbacks (most autographed), a light diffuser and essential oil collection, a T-shirt, 2 literary-themed mugs, Godiva chocolate, 3 gorgeous pieces of jewelry, book-themed ornaments, a book tote, and swag galore from some of your favorite authors. Enter Nov 7-27 for your chance to win the haul!

Then pull in your own book haul with page-turning reads from our book fair. Ebooks in all romance genres, 2.99 or less, or FREE. While you’re shopping, play our scavenger hunt game with a bonus gift box of holiday goodies up for grabs!

https://bookwrapt.com/gift-haul-book-fair/ 

(This giveaway is sponsored by the authors listed below)

Amanda Uhl • Amy Knupp • Angelica Kate • Angelica R. Jackson • Aubrey Wynne • Brooke Warren • C.D. Gorri • Calinda B • Callie Bardot • Crystal Dawn • DB McNicol • Debbie White • E.B. Black • Eichin Chang-Lim • Eliza Watson • Elizabeth Rose • Ellen Mint • Em Petrova • G.K. Brady • Holly Cortelyou • Jacqueline Diamond • Jennifer Wilck • Joanne Dannon • Josie Riviera • Judith Sterling • Karina Kantas • Kat Drennan • Kat Samuels • Kerry Blaisdell • Leeann Betts • Linda Mooney • Lori Herter • Lucy Lakestone • Melissa McClone • Michelle Dalton • Michelle Jo Quinn • Mona Sedrak • Nikki Lynn Barrett • Penelope Wylde • Renee Ann Miller • S.L. Sterling • Sabrina Kade • Soraya Naomi • Stephanie Queen • Stormy Legend • Susan Jean Ricci • Tammy Andresen • Tana Stone • Theresa Paolo • Tracy Ellen • Zoe Dawson • Aileen Harkwood

Secret Magicks Giveaway for PNR, FR, and UF

Paranormal romance, fantasy romance and urban fantasy lovers, how would you like to

take home a Kindle, Amazon gift card, or ebook prize pack where you get to choose the

list of books you want from Amazon? Enter now for your chance to win!

Plus, check out the Secret Magicks Book Fair for a scavenger hunt game with a

personal, leather-bound spell book up for grabs, and a huge shelf’s worth of page-

turning vampire, angel, shifter, witch, fae, and other reads for 2.99 or less, some FREE!

Secret Magicks Paranormal Romance & Urban Fantasy Giveaway

October 11-31

Kindle Fire 7 • Amazon Gift Cards • Ebook Packs • Leather-Bound Spell Book

https://bookwrapt.com/secret-magicks/

https://bookwrapt.com/secret-magicks-book-fair/

(This giveaway is sponsored by the authors listed below)

Alex Gordon • Amanda Uhl • Angelica R. Jackson • Bernadette Rowley • C.D. Gorri • Carrie Pulkinen • Christa Paige • Christina McKnight • D. Lieber • Dawn Marie Hamilton • Denise D. Young • E.B. Black • Eichin Chang-Lim • Elizabeth Rose • Erica Monroe • Greg Alldredge • J.L. Myers • J.C. Andrijeski • Judith Sterling • Karen Michelle Nutt • Karina Kantas • Katherine Gilbert • Kerry Blaisdell • L.E. Harrison • Lisa Voisin • Megan Starks • Mimi Barbour • N.D. Jones • Rebecca Hefner • Sedona Venez • Sharon Ashwood • Stephanie West • Zoe Dawson

Lean into Love giveaway and book fair

I'm participating in a fantastic romance book promo with Crow's Rest and Merlin's Stronghold both on sale ($.99 and $1.99 respectively). Great prizes for the giveaway and don't forget the book fair and scavenger hunt. Details and links below my graphic

LEAN INTO LOVE ROMANCE GIVEAWAY

Enter for Your Chance to Win August 1-21!!

https://bookwrapt.com/lean-into-love/

Romance means leaning into someone you love and knowing they’ll be there for you. Over forty romance authors are here for you, too…with an amazing giveaway! Enter now for your chance to win a Kindle Fire, Coach wristlet, ebook prize pack, or Amazon gift card.

Plus, don’t forget to shop our book fair and enter the bonus giveaway. While you’re there, score a fab freebie, a short story download by A.K. Shelley exclusive to this event!

https://bookwrapt.com/lean-into-love-book-fair/

(This giveaway is sponsored by the authors listed below)

A.K. Shelley • Aileen Fish • Allyson Lindt • Amanda Uhl • Amy Knupp • Angelica R. Jackson • Anna Durand • Aubrey Wynne • Bernadette Rowley • Betty Shreffler • Callie Bardot • Connie Dave • Crystal Dawn • Eichin Chang-Lim • Em Petrova • Inge-Lise Goss • Isabella Thorne • J.C. Andrijeski • Jacqueline Diamond • Jami Denise • Jean Jacobsen • Jennifer Faye • Joanne Dannon • Josie Riviera • K.A. Servian • Karen Michelle Nutt • Kristy Tate • Linda Mooney • Lori Sizemore • Margaret Tanner • Mariah Stone • Melissa Belle • Michelle Jo Quinn • Mona Sedrak • Naleighna Kai • Nikki Lynn Barrett • Nina Crespo • Penelope Wylde • Soraya Naomi • Susan Jean Ricci • Tamara Ferguson • Theresa Paolo • Tracy Ellen • Zoe Forward

DATE WITH A ROCKSTAR Blog Tour!

One of my fellow Spencer Hill Press authors, published through imprint Spencer Hill Contemporary, has a book coming out today!

To help celebrate, Sarah Gagnon has joined me for a Top Ten list, and a giveaway. But first I have to say her book, Date With a Rockstar, has a truly unique premise:

Only one girl will win the cash prize...and a chance at love with Jeremy Bane.

Monet isn’t just another lust-struck teenager trying to win the heart of Rock God Jeremy Bane--she needs the prize money from his new reality show to cure her illness.

Monet has Fluxem, a contagious disease that's spread through saliva. It's completely curable if you have enough money, which she and her single mother don't. Now that she's on the show, Monet has to work harder to keep her Fluxem hidden. She only has to keep the secret long enough to woo Jeremy Bane so he picks her as the winner. She doesn't even care about the love part; the prize alone will change her life.

But the real Jeremy Bane is nothing like she imagined. Monet finds herself fighting against feelings that make her want to give in to her attraction and Jeremy's attempts for a kiss. The further she goes in the competition, the more impossible it becomes to resist him--and when the producers turn the tables and start digging up dirt on the contestants, Monet fears her secret will be revealed before she's ready and ruin everything.

The only way to win Jeremy's heart is to tell him the truth, but confessing her disease could cost her the competition, the prize money, and him.

Doesn't that sound like a great romantic twist? And I think Sarah knows from romance, because she shared a list of Top Ten Kisses:

Sarah says: "I have definitely not read enough to qualify my opinions on top ten. So this is just going to be a list of ten really awesome kisses."

1. The first time Anita Blake and Jean-Claude kissed. That series is one I will never get tired of. If only I could control the dead and have powers that increased through kissing.

2. When Claire and Jamie first kissed in Outlander. Gabaldon had me the first time Claire climbed on the horse behind him, and now the show. He’s just so perfectly cast, I love watching and reading all my favorite scenes back to back.

3. These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman. Sigh, this book. So hard not to go total fan girl here. Tarver for me was a perfect hero, and Lilac’s strength was so endearing that when they finally got over hating each other, the romance felt so epic.

4. Alienated by Melissa Landers. I love when characters are closed off emotionally or physically and then all of a sudden a passionate kiss begins to change everything. An emotionally cold alien is the perfect set-up and the dialogue and chemistry leading up to the kiss, wow.

5. Unteachable by Leah Raedar. That whole book is a vortex of sexy from the first kiss to the last. Forbidden kisses are sometimes the best.

6. Archer’s Voice by Mia Sheridan because when the character development is so complete, every kiss reads right into my heart.

7. Pride and Prejudice, because Mr. Darcy must be added to all lists.

8. The Mind Readers by Lori Brighton. I can only imagine the craziness of being able to read someone’s thoughts while kissing them.

9. Cinder by Marissa Meyer. I was rooting for Cinder so hard, that my brain almost popped when Prince Kai finally kissed her.

10. Losing It by Cora Carmack. I love it when a heroine sets out to do something sexual. That alone is so empowering to me, add in Garrick’s British accent and Bliss’s internal dialogue— I was hooked. 

I have to agree with a lot of those--they are pretty awesome kisses! I'm going to wrap up the post with more about Sarah, and links to where you can find her book

Sarah Gagnon grew up in the frigid woods of Maine amidst snow and animal skins and has now moved back home. As a small child she wrote ship-wrecked romances all while being stared down by a taxidermied duck.

She has a BFA in photography and a minor in writing from the University of Southern Maine. She's the mother of two tiny, feral children and two ill-behaved dogs. For fun she’s taken up construction and interior design. Her first project: moving into a dilapidated farmhouse with her computer-genius husband. 

Website 

Twitter

Facebook

And here's where you can find your own copy of Date With a Rockstar

Goodreads

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

IndieBound

The Book Depository

Kobo

And...I did mention something about a giveaway, didn't I? If you live in the U.S., you could win a DATE WITH A ROCKSTAR t-shirt, and a paperback copy of the book! Enter through the Rafflecopter below

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Smexy Teaser Tuesday

Another teaser from Crow's Rest for your enjoyment today! Click on it to see it bigger

You can find all the add and buy (pre-order) buttons here

Cover Reveal for Dead Over Heels by Alison Kemper

So I've been sad for a few months that neither of our schedules allowed for me to beta read Alison Kemper's next book, Dead Over Heels. But I won't be sad for long, because this book will hit the e-shelves soon! In the meantime, Alison and Entangled revealed the cover:

Ava Pegg isn’t sure exactly what her parents were thinking when they bought a vacation home in dull-as-dirt Glenview.

Then the cute-but-really-annoying boy next door shows up at her place in a panic…hollering something about flesh-eating zombies attacking the town. Now the undead are walking in Glenview, and they are hungry.

Panicked, Ava and Cole flee into the forest. No supplies, no weapons. But that’s the funny thing about the Zombpocalypse. You never know when you’ll fall dead over heels for a boy… 

Add Dead Over Heels on Goodreads here!
(And this is another cover design by X-Potions Design, who also did my cover and Alison's first book, Donna of the Dead)

Switchup for the July Mystery Agent Contest on Operation Awesome

After a long hiatus, the Mystery Agent contest is back on Operation Awesome. There is an added step now--a Rafflecopter to enter for a slot in the contest. This will allow overseas/international folks to enter, and save the Operatives from having to camp out on the computer to close out the contest, yay!

July's Mystery Agent is looking for manuscripts in these categories:

- Young Adult horror/thrillers

- Contemporary YA with a hook

- Speculative fiction

- All kinds of adult romance

- Picture books

So if you have a polished, ready-to-pitch query, go here and enter the Rafflecopter for your chance at a contest slot! Good luck!

Happy Book Birthday to Alison Kemper!

My crit partner, Alison Kemper, has her debut today with Donna of the Dead, a teen romance in the thick of the zombie apocalypse! As part of Entangled Teen's March release promo, Donna is only .99 for a limited time! Click on the cover (designed by another friend, Kelley York, btw) and get your copy!

And while you're waiting for it to download, here's a catchy zombie song to entertain you

Pitch Contest with YAtopia and Entranced Publishing

Brief post today--just directing your attention to a great contest opportunity.

YAtopia and Entranced Publishing are teaming up for a pitch contest, with a chance at a slot in an online editing workshop and possible e-publication on the line.

On September 7th (UPDATE: they've moved it up to September 1!), you'll need to have the following ready for their pitch contest post:

- Name
- Email
- Title
- Age-range & Genre
- Word-count
- Hook (100 words or fewer)


So head on over and check out the details!

YA Market Listing: Call for Pugalicious Press Anthology

Update March 2013: Pugalicious has unfortunately shut down. 

Details from their blog:

"We are looking for YA short stories to include in our first ebook anthology, titled Timeless!

If your short story is between 3000 and 7500 words and fits into the genre of YA historical romance we want to read it. The story can include steampunk, fantasy, or adventure, as long as it includes some historical elements then we are interested in reading it.

Submit the whole manuscript as a Word .doc file (no .docx) by March 30, 2012, with the subject heading: submission–YA anthology.

Please include a bio, publishing credits if any, and a synopsis."



Update March 2013: Pugalicious has unfortunately shut down.

What's Your Flavor? A Buffet of Contests

Writer's Digest is not only an invaluable source for improving your craft and keeping up with market news, they also offer contests throughout the year. Their biggest two are annual well-established competitions:

The annual Short Story Competition (in its 12th year) with a maximum of 1,500 words. Any genre, any style, but 1,500 words is challenging! If you're up to it, the entry fee is $20 and the deadline is November 15, with the winners notified by the end of February 2012.

The deadline for the 80th WD Annual Writing Competition has already passed, but the winners will be announced in October, and details for the next competition in November. WD also has competitions for poetry, screen plays, self-published books, and "Your Story" (which uses a writing prompt).

New this year are separate genre short story competitions, with a maximum of 4,000 words. Entries are also $20, with a chance to win up to $1,000. The deadlines for each genre are:

September 15
Science Fiction/Fantasy
Thriller/Suspense

October 1
Young Adult Fiction

October 15
Romance

October 22
Crime

October 31
Horror

So start pondering some story ideas now, so that you'll have a finished story by the deadline! I may enter more than one category, just for the challenge of stretching my genres.

What about you--do you find yourself keeping to one genre when you write, or do you write all across the board?

Images courtesy of DailyClipArt.net

Carolrhoda Books is Looking for Open-Ended YA Romances

Don't forget--he was only accepting manuscripts until June 24,2011, so you'll need to wait for the next open period. But it's still useful to get his take on romance in YA by reading below:
Andrew Karre had some interesting things to say on the Carolrhoda blog about romance in YA. It's a long (but insightful) post, so I picked out a few pertinent bits for what he's soliciting now for YA manuscripts:

"I’m increasingly interested in the romantic arc of YAs where there is a central romance. Specifically, I’m concerned with the end of that ARC. Do YA romances tend unswervingly toward a marital apotheosis, whether actual or implied?

Marriage is a powerful force in our storytelling traditions. A marriage is the formal ending of almost any Elizabethan comedy. . . So it’s no surprise it comes up in YA, but I’m wondering if there is unexplored territory here due to to the overwhelming pull of The Wedding on our stories (I’m looking at you, epilogue to Deathly Hallows).

I think one of the trickiest things about YA is that it is fundamentally anti-ending, despite all the ceremony we associate with the end of high school. . .Teenagers make their peace with uncertainty as they end adolescence, but they don’t resolve that uncertainty. This applies to relationships (what is a marriage if not a resolution of uncertainty?).

I’ll take queries for existing manuscripts that address this theme. I’m interested in YAs with central romances that know they’re doomed (and not for extraordinary reasons—fatal illnesses, galactic cataclysm, etc.) and how they cope. Go here for how to send queries. The query offer is good until 11:59 PM on June 24, 2011."

And by existing manuscripts, he means finished and polished. Don't waste this chance with something you've pulled out of a dusty drawer--he doesn't open to submissions all that often!

P.S. Sunday June 19 is the last day to enter to win a signed copy of Through Endangered Eyes: a poetic journey into the wild. If you know a child who loves animals (even if it's your inner child), you want this book!

RTW: Paris & a Boy

Road Trip Wednesday is a "Blog Carnival," where YA Highway's contributors and followers post a weekly writing- or reading-related question and answer it on their blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic.

This week's topic: You're re-reading one of your favs when someone asks the dreaded question: "What's that book about?" Give us your best off-the-cuff blurb of any book, any genre, and have your readers try to guess the title in the comments!

Thought I'd do a book that I read last week; it should be well-known enough that people can guess it.


"So there's this girl that gets sent to Paris for her last year of high school, and you think she'd be way excited but she's actually really lonely and missing her friends. And then she meets this totally hot guy that makes Paris much more interesting, and it seems like he likes her a lot too--maybe they'll be more than friends? Oh, but he has a girlfriend. And she has a boy back home that's an almost-boyfriend. But otherwise they're perfect for each other . . ."

Did I make it too easy? Put your guess in the comments!

P.S. Pitch University is doing another Pitchfest this week, and the entries and agents' feedback will be posted next week (video pitches and queries). There is still time to submit, but it's also a really good learning experience since you can see all the submissions and feedback in one place.

P.P.S. The contest to win a signed copy of picture book Through Endangered Eyes: a poetic journey into the wild is open through Friday! Just comment on Monday's post to enter.

RTW and some news!

Road Trip Wednesday is a "Blog Carnival," where YA Highway's contributors and followers post a weekly writing- or reading-related question and answer it on their blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic.

This week's topic: Who are your favorite literary couples?
You know -- the ones you like by themselves, but LOVE together!



First, some nominations in adult titles: Sookie and any of her many lovers (but especially Eric), Claire and Jamie in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander, and Jack and Eliza in Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson.

For YA: Mary "Jacky" Faber and Jared in the Bloody Jack books, Blossom and Alexander in Ghosts I Have Been by Richard Peck, and Aislinn and Seth from Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely series.

What do all these various couples have in common? Each half of the whole is a fully-realized character, with a "real" life taking place offstage. No sitting by the phone waiting for a call for these love interests!

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And now for some news! My video pitch was chosen to be critted for Pitch University's Pitch Evaluation Lab! What's more, I impressed agent Christine Witthohn so much that she asked me to send her the full manuscript of my book!

I would really encourage people to dive in and submit a video--it's a great learning experience, and it just may lead to a request!

P.S. for another example of my burgeoning mad video-ing skills, check out this special video for Valentine's Day