Follower Love Giveaway Hop

The Follower Love Giveaway Hop event is organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer.  Over 200 blogs have signed up to host a book related giveaway and we are all linked up together so you can easily hop from one giveaway to another.  The hop runs from Tuesday, February 8th through Sunday, February 13th.

2011 Debut Author Challenge Giveaway Theme - I decided to giveaway two books that have been on my much wanted to read list.   

Giveaway # 1 The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney

Description from GoodReads:
Freak. That's what her classmates call seventeen-year-old Donna Underwood. When she was seven, a horrific fey attack killed her father and drove her mother mad. Donna's own nearly fatal injuries from the assault were fixed by magic—the iron tattoos branding her hands and arms. The child of alchemists, Donna feels cursed by the magical heritage that destroyed her parents and any chance she had for a normal life. The only thing that keeps her sane and grounded is her relationship with her best friend, Navin Sharma.

When the darkest outcasts of Faerie—the vicious wood elves—abduct Navin, Donna finally has to accept her role in the centuries old war between the humans and the fey. Assisted by Xan, a gorgeous half-fey dropout with secrets of his own, Donna races to save her friend—even if it means betraying everything her parents and the alchemist community fought to the death to protect.  

Giveaway #2 Clarity by Kim Harrington (Advanced Reader Copy - book releases in March 2011)

Description from GoodReads:
When you can see things others can't, where do you look for the truth?
This paranormal murder mystery will have teens reading on the edge of their seats.
Clarity "Clare" Fern sees things. Things no one else can see. Things like stolen kisses and long-buried secrets. All she has to do is touch a certain object, and the visions come to her. It's a gift.

 And a curse.

When a teenage girl is found murdered, Clare's ex-boyfriend wants her to help solve the case--but Clare is still furious at the cheating jerk. Then Clare's brother--who has supernatural gifts of his own--becomes the prime suspect, and Clare can no longer look away. Teaming up with Gabriel, the smoldering son of the new detective, Clare must venture into the depths of fear, revenge, and lust in order to track the killer. But will her sight fail her just when she needs it most?

Rules for the Contest:

1. Please do not enter any personal information in the comments section, you must complete the Entry Form to officially enter the contest.
2.  The Contest runs from 12:00 a.m. PST on February 8, 2011 to 11:59 p.m. PST on February 13th.
3.  You must be a follower of this blog to enter.
4.  You must be 13 or older to participate in this contest.
5.  You must indicate which giveaway that you would like to be entered into.  You may enter both.
6.  If you are selected as a winner, I will notify you by e-mail.  If you do not respond within 48 hours, I will select a new winner.
8.  International participants are welcome to enter the contest.

Kindle Giveaway!!!

Yes, you heard it right-- it's a kindle giveaway! This was an idea started by Mavie (The Bookologist) and Reggie (The Undercover Book Lover) and that Lisa and I hopped in on.  We are hosting a really big joint contest! Lisa over at A Life Bound by Books , Mavie over at The Bookologist, Reggie over at The Undercover Book Lover, and I have decided to each chip in for a Kindle. Since we didn't want to spend too much, we're buying the Kindle Wi-Fi that costs $139 for our giveaway prize.

Holds over 3,500 books: The ultimate travel companion, Kindle weighs 8.5 ounces and holds up to 3,500 books. No longer pick and choose which books fit in your carry-on. You can always have your entire Kindle library with you.

Get books in 60 seconds: Whispernet utilizes Amazon's optimized technology plus Wi-Fi networks to enable you to wirelessly search, discover, and download content on the go. Your books and periodicals are delivered over Wi-Fi via Whispernet in less than 60 seconds. Wireless download speeds can vary based on file size.

Battery life of up to one month: A single charge lasts up to one month with wireless off. Keep wireless always on and it lasts for up to 3 weeks. Battery life will vary based on wireless usage, such as shopping the Kindle Store, web browsing, and downloading content.

Only 8.5 ounces: When reading for long periods of time, we know that weight matters. That’s why we worked hard to make our newest Kindle lighter than ever – only 8.5 ounces – so you can read comfortably for hours with just one hand. Kindle is lighter than a typical paperback, and thinner than a magazine. Just a third of an inch in profile, Kindle fits perfectly in your hands.

Never gets hot: Unlike a laptop or tablet, Kindle never gets hot so you can read comfortably as long as you like.

Screen rotation: Manually rotate the display from portrait to landscape to view maps, graphs, tables and Web pages.

and so many other cool features and specs....

"The Kindle is Amazon's #1 bestselling item for two years running. It’s also the most-wished-for, most-gifted, and has the most 5-star reviews of any product on Amazon. Now it's even better."

Official Information:

• To enter, fill out the form below (make sure to follow and read carefully)
• Only one entry per person (this means you can not submit an entry from all four sites)
• This is only open to U.S. residents
• The contest ends on March 4, 2011 at 11:50 p.m. PST.
• The Kindle will be ordered from Amazon & will be shipped directly to the winner
• Entrants must be 17 years of age or older to enter
• For more information check the Bookologist's contest policy

Dreaming of Books Giveway Hop!!!

This hop was organized by Kathy from I am a Reader, Not a Writer, and Martha from Reviews by Martha's Bookshelf.

Over 160 participating blogs are offering a book related giveaway and we are all linked up together so you can easily hop from one giveaway to another.  The hop runs from Friday, January 14th through Monday, January 17th.

I have selected to do a Book Award Themed Giveaway in honor of the ALA Youth Media Awards Announcements earlier in the week.

Giveaway #1 the Caldecott Award:

Description from GoodReads:
Friends come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. In Amos McGee’s case, all sorts of species, too! Every day he spends a little bit of time with each of his friends at the zoo, running races with the tortoise, keeping the shy penguin company, and even reading bedtime stories to the owl. But when Amos is too sick to make it to the zoo, his animal friends decide it’s time they returned the favor.






Giveaway #2 the Newbery Award:

Description from GoodReads: 
he movement of the train rocked me like a lullaby. I closed my eyes to the dusty countryside and imagined the sign I’d seen only in Gideon’s stories: Manifest—A Town with a rich past and a bright future.

Abilene Tucker feels abandoned. Her father has put her on a train, sending her off to live with an old friend for the summer while he works a railroad job. Armed only with a few possessions and her list of universals, Abilene jumps off the train in Manifest, Kansas, aiming to learn about the boy her father once was.
Having heard stories about Manifest, Abilene is disappointed to find that it’s just a dried-up, worn-out old town. But her disappointment quickly turns to excitement when she discovers a hidden cigar box full of mementos, including some old letters that mention a spy known as the Rattler. These mysterious letters send Abilene and her new friends, Lettie and Ruthanne, on an honest-to-goodness spy hunt, even though they are warned to “Leave Well Enough Alone.”
Abilene throws all caution aside when she heads down the mysterious Path to Perdition to pay a debt to the reclusive Miss Sadie, a diviner who only tells stories from the past. It seems that Manifest’s history is full of colorful and shadowy characters—and long-held secrets. The more Abilene hears, the more determined she is to learn just what role her father played in that history. And as Manifest’s secrets are laid bare one by one, Abilene begins to weave her own story into the fabric of the town.

Powerful in its simplicity and rich in historical detail, Clare Vanderpool’s debut is a gripping story of loss and redemption.

Giveaway #3 the Schneider Family YA Award:

Description from GoodReads: 
The Challenge: Piper has one month to get the rock band Dumb a paying gig. The Deal: If she does it, Piper will become the band's manager and get her share of the profits.
The Catch: How can Piper possibly manage one egomaniacal pretty boy, one talentless piece of eye candy, one crush, one silent rocker, and one angry girl? And how can she do it when she's deaf?
Piper can&#39t hear Dumb&#39s music, but with growing self-confidence, a budding romance, and a new understanding of the decision her family made to buy a cochlear implant for her deaf baby sister, she discovers her own inner rock star and what it truly means to be a flavor of Dumb.



I was especially thrilled that FIVE FLAVORS OF DUMB won a Schneider Family Award.  Were there any books that you were cheering for that won? - Aly

Rules for the Contest:

1. Please do not enter any personal information in the comments section, you must complete the Entry Form to officially enter the contest.
2.  The Contest runs from 12:00 a.m. PST on January 14th to 11:59 p.m. PST on January 17th.
3.  You must be a follower of this blog to enter.
4.  You must be 13 or older to participate in this contest.
5.  You must indicate at least two giveaways that you would like to enter.  There will be a total of 3 winners selected.
6.  If you are selected as a winner, I will notify you by e-mail.  If you do not respond within 48 hours, I will select a new winner.
8.  International participants are welcome to enter the contest.

Welcome to the Mid-Winter's Eve Giveaway Hop

Midwinter's Eve is the longest night of the year so why not spend it entering some great giveaways.

The is a quick hop that runs from 12:01 AM on Tuesday, December 21st to 11:59 PM on Wednesday, December 22nd.  Kathy from I am a Reader, Not a Writer is hosting this wonderful event and I am so excited to be a part of this Giveaway Hop. 

Giveaway #1:

A signed hardcover copy of Thirteen Plus One by Lauren Myracle

Description from GoodReads:
Winnie Perry is fourteen now, and the countdown to high school is shaping up to be as eventful as an entire year of middle school. Not only are things shaky with her boyfriend, Lars, but BFFs Dinah and Cinnamon have been acting weird, big sister Sandra is college-bound, little brother Ty has smuggled a stolen penguin home in his backpack, and new baby sister Maggie has everything turned upside down. It’s a lot for anyone to handle, and loyal Winnie is so busy worrying about everyone else that she hardly notices that she might just be struggling a little bit herself.

With humor and honesty, Lauren Myracle brings us another pitch-perfect novel featuring the characters that her legions of fans have grown up loving.

Giveaway #2:

A signed hardcover copy of Only The Good Spy Young (Gallagher Girls, Bk 4) by Ally Carter

Description from GoodReads:
When Cammie Morgan enrolled at the Gallagher Academy, she knew she was preparing for the dangerous life of a spy. What she didn’t know was that the serious, real-life danger would start during her junior year of high school. But that’s exactly what happened two months ago when Cammie faced off against an ancient terrorist organization dead set on kidnapping her.

Now the danger follows her everywhere, and even Cammie “The Chameleon” can’t hide. When a terrifying encounter in London reveals that one of her most-trusted allies is actually a rogue double-agent, Cammie no longer knows if she can trust her classmates, her teachers—or even her own heart.

In this fourth installment of the New York Times best-selling series, the Gallagher Girls must hack, spy, steal, and lie their way to the truth, as they go searching for answers, recognizing that the key to Cammie’s future may lie deep in the past.

Giveaway # 3:

A signed hardcover copy of The Reckoning (Darkest Powers, #3) by Kelley Armstrong

Description from GoodReads:
My name is Chloe Saunders. I'm fifteen, and I would love to be normal.

But normal is one thing I'm not.

For one thing, I'm having these feelings for a certain antisocial werewolf and his sweet-tempered brother—who just happens to be a sorcerer—but, between you and me, I'm leaning toward the werewolf.

Not normal.

My friends and I are also on the run from an evil corporation that wants to get rid of us—permanently.

Definitely not normal.

And finally, I'm a genetically altered necro-mancer who can raise the dead, rotting corpses and all, without even trying.

As far away from normal as it gets.

Happy Holiday! And have fun entering all of the giveaways! - Aly

Rules for the Contest:

1. Please do not enter any personal information in the comments section, you must complete the Entry Form to officially enter the contest.
2.  The Contest runs from 12:00 a.m. December 21st to 11:59 p.m. PST on December 22nd.
3.  You must be a follower of this blog to enter.
4.  You must be 13 or older to participate in this contest.
5.  Comments are nice and always appreciated but will not enter you into the contest.
6.  You must indicate at least two giveaways that you would like to enter.  There will be a total of 3 winners selected.  If one of your choices were already selected, you will receive the second choice. 
7.  If you are selected as a winner, I will notify you by e-mail.  If you do not respond within 48 hours, I will select a new winner.
8.  International participants are welcome to enter the contest.



Here is a list of all the participating blogs:

Welcome to Gratitude Giveaways!!!

Kathy over at I Am a Reader, Not a Writer Blog organized this amazing Giveaway.  There are 175+ bloggers participating in this event.  For my followers, I will be having 2 different giveaways which means 2 winners.

Giveaway #1 - Middle Grade Book Giveaway

A hardcover copy of Ellen Potter's The Kneebone Boy

Description from GoodReads:
Life in a small town can be pretty boring when everyone avoids you like the plague. But after their father unwittingly sends them to stay with an aunt who’s away on holiday, the Hardscrabble children take off on an adventure that begins in the seedy streets of London and ends in a peculiar sea village where legend has it a monstrous creature lives who is half boy and half animal. . . .

In this wickedly dark, unusual, and compelling novel, Ellen Potter masterfully tells the tale of one deliciously strange family and a secret that changes everything. 

Giveaway #2 -YA Book Giveaway

A signed copy of Fallout by Ellen Hopkins

Description from GoodReads:
Hunter, Autumn, and Summer—three of Kristina Snow’s five children—live in different homes, with different guardians and different last names. They share only a predisposition for addiction and a host of troubled feelings toward the mother who barely knows them, a mother who has been riding with the monster, crank, for twenty years.
 
Hunter is nineteen, angry, getting by in college with a job at a radio station, a girlfriend he loves in the only way he knows how, and the occasional party. He's struggling to understand why his mother left him, when he unexpectedly meets his rapist father, and things get even more complicated. Autumn lives with her single aunt and alcoholic grandfather. When her aunt gets married, and the only family she’s ever known crumbles, Autumn’s compulsive habits lead her to drink. And the consequences of her decisions suggest that there’s more of Kristina in her than she’d like to believe. Summer doesn’t know about Hunter, Autumn, or their two youngest brothers, Donald and David. To her, family is only abuse at the hands of her father’s girlfriends and a slew of foster parents. Doubt and loneliness overwhelm her, and she, too, teeters on the edge of her mother’s notorious legacy. As each searches for real love and true family, they find themselves pulled toward the one person who links them together—Kristina, Bree, mother, addict. But it is in each other, and in themselves, that they find the trust, the courage, the hope to break the cycle.
 
Told in three voices and punctuated by news articles chronicling the family’s story, FALLOUT is the stunning conclusion to the trilogy begun by CRANK and GLASS, and a testament to the harsh reality that addiction is never just one person’s problem.

Here are the rules:

1. You must complete the form below.  (Comments are appreciated by will not enter you into the contest.)

2. You must be 13 years or older.

3. You must be a follower of this blog.

4. All entries must be submitted by November 28, 2010 at 11:50 PST.

4. International participants are welcome.

Gratitude Giveaways is hosted by Kathy @ I Am A Reader, Not A Writer. This is a giveaway hop that runs from Wednesday, November 17th to Sunday, November 28th. Stop by each blog during those days to enter all the fantastic giveaways.

Here are all the participating blogs:

Crossroad Tour Winners

It is always fun to announce winners and there are three winners to announce. 

Winner of the signed copy of VAMPED by Lucienne Diver is:
Cindy (Blog- Cindy's Love of Books)

Winner of the 1st Crossroads SWAG pack is:
Heather (Blog - Buried in Books)

Winner of the 2nd Crossroads SWAG pack is:
Kristen (Blog - My Bloody Valentine)

It is sad to see the Crossroads Tour end, but glad everyone had so much fun.

And once again, congratulations to all the winners.

- Aly

The Crossroads Tour: Day 16 Amy Brecount White

Each day of The Crossroads Tour, a new question will be revealed on The Crossroad Blog Tour main page and each day the answer to that question will be found within one of the 16 different blog posts by Crossroads Tour authors. Your job is to get the question, read the blog posts, and collect all 16 answers by the end of the tour, on Halloween. Go HERE to get today's question and links.

Today is the last day for The Crossroads Tour and Amy Brecount White is stopping by to celebrate Halloween with some of her own Halloween memories.  Amy is a 2010 Debut author.  Her book, Forget-Her-Nots was released earlier this year.  You can read a couple of chapter here on her site.

What is your most embarrassing/funny/scary Halloween experience or costume?

In college, my friend Suz and I were really into philosophy and had read this cool book called, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig. We smeared mascara on our faces and hands, dressed grunge, and went to the party as motorcycle mechanics. One of my best Halloweens ever.

Do you have any Halloween family stories that you can share with readers?

I’m allergic to nuts and peanuts, and so are two of my three children. Halloween can be scary for us in a strange way. But it was pretty funny when one of my kids looked at the usual candy selection someone offered -- Snickers, Baby Ruth, Reeses -- and says, “Excuse me, do you have anything without nuts?”

LOL. We have to weed through everything when they get home.

White bellflowers and orange crocuses for hosting me, Aly!! - And thanks Amy for stopping by - here's to a peanut and nut free Halloween!!!!!

For more information on Amy Brecount White, check out her website: www.amybrecountwhite.com

To find her on Twitter, folllow: @amybrecountwhit

Since this is the last day of The Crossroads Tour, there is a SWAG Pack giveaway.  The picture below is what will be included in the pack.

The rules to entering:

1.  Please fill out the entry form below.
2. You must be 13 or older.
3. You must have left a comment on at least one blog post from Tour Days 9 to 16 (today would count).  (Additional points for additional comments.)
4. Tweet the contest (optional)
5. Only one entry per participant.
6. Open Internationally.
7. All entries must be in by Tuesday, November 2, 2010 at 11:59 PDT 

Congratulations the Crossroads Mid-Tour Swag Contest has a Winner!

Congratulations to Heather (Buried in Books) for winning the Mid-Tour Swag Contest Pack #1.  Heather has been an amazing follower of the Crossroads Blog Tour.  Thanks for checking out every post and making comments. 

Note:  Heather has already claimed her prize.

Crossroads Mid-Tour Swag Giveaway

It is just a little over the halfway point in the Crossroads Tour, so I thought it was time for a little giveaway.  Thanks to the participating authors in this incredible Halloween Blog Tour, I have some book swag.  Just enough to make two Swag Packs.  The first one is comprised of goodies from (mostly) the authors that have already guest posted on this blog.  The second will include goodies from authors still to come.

Here is a picture of the first Swag pack:

The rules to entering:
1.  Please fill out the entry form below.
2. You must be 13 or older.
3. You must have left a comment on at least one blog post from Tour Days 1-8.  (Additional points for additional comments.)
4. Tweet the contest (optional)
5. Only one entry per participant.
6. Open Internationally.
7. All entries must be in by Tuesday, October 26, 2010 at 11:59 PDT

Congratulations! We have a Winner!

Congratulations to Marisa who won the signed copy of Gabby & Gator by James Burks.  Your girls are going to love it. 

The Crossroads Tour: Day 1 Lucienne Diver

Each day of The Crossroads Tour, a new question will be revealed on The Crossroad Blog Tour main page and each day the answer to that question will be found within one of the 16 different blog posts by Crossroads Tour authors. Your job is to get the question, read the blog posts, and collect all 16 answers by the end of the tour, on Halloween. Go HERE to get today's question and links.

My first guest for the Crossroads Tour is author Lucienne Diver . Her second book in the Vamped Series, ReVamped, came out in September. By commenting on this post and following the directions below, you will have an opportunity to win a signed copy of VAMPED. If you haven't read Lucienne's  books, go out and get them. They are a fun read and perfect for Halloween.

Description from GoodReads:
Gina Covello's Perks and Pitfalls
of Vamp Life
1. Hello?! Eternal youth and beauty!

2. Free. Designer. Clothes.

3. My hot new boyfriend Bobby went from chess dud to vamp stud.

4. No reflection! First order of business: turn my own stylist to stop the downward spiral from chic to eek.

5. Vampire vixen Mellisande has taken an interest in my boyfriend, and is now transforming the entire high school into her own personal vampire army. If anyone's going to start their own undead entourage it should be me.

I guess I'll just have to save everyone from fashion disasters and other fates worse than death.

Thanks Lucienne for stopping by and sharing with readers some of your Halloween experiences.  

Do you have any Halloween Traditions that you continue to celebrate with or have created for you and your family?

Halloween has always been my favorite holiday. I met my husband when we both worked as actors at a haunted house, and I continue to find any excuse to dress up in costume to this day.

I’ve always loved creating. From the time I was old enough to sew, which is as far back as I can remember, I made costumes for my sister and myself. There were no store-bought costumes for us! A bat, a black cat, a horse, a goddess, a butterfly, an alien…we were so many things. Anything we could imagine and I could cobble together.

I trick-or-treated well into college. I had an excuse! I lived in International House, which was a very special floor of one dorm dedicated to students from all over the world and those of us who wanted to live and learn among them. Many of the students had never trick-or-treated or seen snow or done any number of things that we had fun showing them. I’ll never forget the year we took our friend Yukio, from Japan, trick-or-treating. She wore a fabulous traditional kimono and wooden shoes. We wondered how she was ever going to make the rounds without destroying her feet, but she never complained. We hit house after house, garnering some funny looks and questions about whether we weren’t too old for all this, but we persevered and made it back to campus with quite the impressive haul. The next day, I saw Yukio giving the chocolate away! Horrified, I told her that the candy was the whole point of trick-or-treating, but it hadn’t been so for her. In fact, Yukio’s version of delicacies was slightly different than ours—something involving crackers and see-through fish.

Later in college, we found excuses to dress up with alter-ego parties, where you were supposed to come as your polar opposite. (For anyone interested, my recurring character was Butch-the-auto-mechanic. He was scruffy and dirty and yes, he stuffed. He also scratched, spat and swaggered.)

If that wasn’t enough, there were plays, Renaissance Faires, and all kinds of extras. My husband and I even had our own theme wedding, a late fourteenth century medieval affair. My die-hard Roman Catholic family was so relieved we didn’t have our ceremony at the haunted mansion they even dressed up in garb for the big day.

When our son came along, he did so with his very own outré fashion sense. Rarely did he leave the house between the ages of two and six (give or take) without a costume or a cape. Superheroes were his thing…Batman, Robin, Spiderman, Superman, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles…you name it. He still keeps a costume bin in his room, which gets busted into whenever he has friends over. So, we’ve infected him, raising the next generation fiction fan. We’re very proud.

I can’t speak for everyone, but I know that I live too much in my head. The appeal of a costume is that you get to live in someone else’s head for awhile. You’re not just wearing a piece of cloth or latex or whatever, you’re wearing a persona. You get away from your everyday worries and responsibilities and you give yourself over to make-believe. As big blue superhero The Tick says, “Reality is just a one-trick pony.” I tend to like taking imagination out for a spin.

For more information about Lucienne Diver and her books, check out her website: http://luciennediver.com 

You can find her on twitter: @luciennediver


To enter to win a signed copy of VAMPED please fill out the entry form. Here are the rules:
1. Only one entry per person
2. All entrants must be 13 years or older.
3. Contest is open until October 31, 2010 at 11:59 PST
4. Contest is open to international participants.
5. Commenting on the post will earn you an additional entry.
6. Winner must respond within 48 hours of notification or a new winner will be announced.




Good luck and happy reading! The Crossroads Tour is going on until October 31, 2010. Check back to see what other fun giveaways will be happening. Tomorrow author, Tonya Hurley will be stopping in.

Crossroads Tour is coming!!!!!!!

For more details click here

From October 16th to 31st come join in on the Halloween fun. Sixteen YA Paranormal authors and 16 Bloggers join together to celebrate the season in a virtual meeting at the crossroads.  This will be exciting and lots of fun.  Each day there will be a new question posted on YA author, Judith Graves' blog page.  To find the answer, you will need to check out the websites of the 16 bloggers.  While checking it out, you will have a chance to win cool swag, and get to know new authors and bloggers.

For complete details on how the Crossroads Tour will work, check out the authors participating, and see the list of bloggers click here.

To read the official press release, you can go here.

There will also be two chats with Crossroads authors.  The lovely folks over at Page Turners Blog will be hosting author chats on the evenings of October 31st and November 1st.  Click here for full information on the chats. 

See you at the Crossroads.

Winners for the Thank You to My Followers Contest

Cue up the drum roll....the winners are in!  Remember there are actually a total of six lucky winners. All winners were generated with Research Randomizer number generator.

For the 2 Clockwork Angel Posters:
# 7 - Lucky Proof
# 15 - Aik

For the 2 Bookmark Packs:

The Debut Author Pack goes to:
#4 - Raven

The 2010 Release Bookmark Pack goes to:
#2  - Lisa

And now for the big winners....

# 12  - Khelsea will be receiving her first choice which is the ARC of Torment by Lauren Kate (and she has claimed it already - yay!)

#1 - Cynthia will be receiving her first choice which is the signed copy of Heist Society by Ally Carter.

I have emailed all of the winners and you have 24 hours in which to claim your prizes. 

Congratulations to all the lucky winners and thanks for following!
-Aly

P.S.  Lucky Proof (Victoria) - Your email bounced back.  I will try again, but if you are reading this can you email me at kidlitfrenzy(at)gmail(dot)com Thanks

Thank You for Following Contest

Update 8/31/10: In celebration of the release of Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare, anyone entering this contest (see information below) will automatically be entered into an additional drawing for 1 of 2 Clockwork Angel posters.  They are beautiful.  Plus the two bookmark packs now include a Mockingjay Bookmark and Tattoo.  WooHoo! Remember - contest ends at 11:59 PDT tonight.

When I realized that I was going to need to move my blog from WordPress, I felt horrible for everyone that had already signed up. Then it hit me, why not hold a contest as a thank you for everyone who signed on and then moved with the blog. However, I didn't want new people to feel bad either so I have a little something for new followers as well.

For followers who moved over from WordPress:
You have a chance to win one of the following books -



Description from GoodReads:
When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her on a trip to the Louvre...to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria...to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own--scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind. Unfortunately, leaving "the life" for a normal life proves harder than she'd expected.

Soon, Kat's friend and former co-conspirator, Hale, appears out of nowhere to bring her back into the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has good reason: a powerful mobster has been robbed of his priceless art collection and wants to retrieve it. Only a master thief could have pulled this job, and Kat's father isn't just on the suspect list, he is the list. Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Kat's dad needs her help.

For Kat there is only one solution: track down the paintings and steal them back. So what if it's a spectacularly impossible job? She's got two weeks, a teenage crew, and hopefully just enough talent to pull off the biggest heist in history-or at least her family's (very crooked) history.


Note: This is a hardcover signed by Ally Carter.




Description from GoodReads:
Growing up in a world of wealth and pastel-tinted entitlement, fifteen-year-old Carly has always relied on the constancy—and authenticity—of her sister, Anna. But when fourteen-year-old Anna turns plastic-perfect-pretty over the course of a single summer, everything starts to change. And there are boys involved, complicating things as boys always do. With warmth, insight, and an unparalleled gift for finding humor even in stormy situations, beloved author Lauren Myracle dives into the tumultuous waters of sisterhood and shows that even very different sisters can learn to help each other stay afloat.

Note: This is a paperback copy but it is signed by Lauren Myracle.



Description from GoodReads:
How many lives do you need to live before you find someone worth dying for? In the aftermath of what happened at Sword & Cross, Luce has been hidden away by her cursed angelic boyfriend, Daniel, in a new school filled with Nephilim, the offspring of fallen angels and humans. Daniel promises she will be safe here, protected from those who would kill her. At the school Luce discovers what the Shadows that have followed her all her life mean - and how to manipulate them to see into her other lives. Yet the more Luce learns about herself, the more she realizes that the past is her only key to unlocking her future...and that Daniel hasn't told her everything. What if his version of the past isn't actually the way things happened...what if Luce was really meant to be with someone else?

Note: This is an advanced readers copy. It is not signed.

I will pick two winners who will be able to chose one book each from the selection of three books. I can not promise that you will receive your first choice though I have asked you to indicate your preference on the entry form.

Now on to new followers:

If you are a new follower and enter the contest, you have a chance to win a collection of bookmarks. There will be two winners chosen.

Collection One are all debut authors - Anastasia Hopcus, Kimberly Derting, Kay Cassidy, Heidi R. Kling, Jennifer Cervantes, Christina Diaz Gonzalez and Rhonda Hayter.

Collection Two is a variety of 2010 releases - Michelle Zink, Lisa Schroeder, Maggie Stiefvater, Jennifer Cervantes, Christina Diaz Gonzalez, and Heidi R. Kling.

Just for fun - some of them are even signed.


Here are the Rules:
1. Everyone who is interested in participating must fill out the form below.
2. Contestants must be 13 years or older.
3. Each contestant can only enter one time. Any duplicate entries will be disqualified.
4. This contest will run through Tuesday, August 31, 2010 at 11:59 PDT.

Win an ARC of Crescendo & Support Literacy

Author: Becca Fitzpatrick

Publisher:  Simon & Schuster (October 2010)

Reading Level: YA

Description from GoodReads:

Nora should have know her life was far from perfect. Despite starting a relationship with her guardian angel, Patch (who, title aside, can be described anything but angelic), and surviving an attempt on her life, things are not looking up. Patch is starting to pull away and Nora can't figure out if it's for her best interest or if his interest has shifted to her arch-enemy Marcie Millar. Not to mention that Nora is haunted by images of her father and she becomes obsessed with finding out what really happened to him that night he left for Portland and never came home.

The farther Nora delves into the mystery of her father's death, the more she comes to question if her Nephilim blood line has something to do with it as well as why she seems to be in danger more than the average girl. Since Patch isn't answering her questions and seems to be standing in her way, she has to start finding the answers on her own. Relying too heavily on the fact that she has a guardian angel puts Nora at risk again and again. But can she really count on Patch or is he hiding secrets darker than she can even imagine?

Recently, I acquired an ARC of CRESCENDO by Becca Fitzpatrick.  I am pretty certain that the person who had it was clueless about how many people would do just about anything to get their hands on it.  I started to think about it and decided that rather than keep it solely for myself I would hold a contest.  But I didn't want to hold any contest.  I decided I wanted to connect it with something that is really important to me.  Early literacy is a big concern of mine.  How do we help children get excited about books and reading?!

Rather than just have people comment about why they want this ARC or have you follow the blog.  There will be some challenges which will help support literacy and earn you entries.

Here are the rules:

1.  All participants must complete an entry form.

2. You must be 13 or older to enter.

3. On the form, there are some required items that anyone can complete in order to enter.  To earn additional entries, there are some challenges that I believe most people can complete but are not required in order to enter.

4. The contest is open internationally.  International participants - if you are unable to complete something because it does not apply to your country, please email me at: kidlitfrenzy(at)gmail(dot)com.

5.  To encourage people to do more than just comment and follow the blog, I will also throw in an  ARC of Matched by Ally Condie .  What does that mean?  If the selected winner only did the basic and wins, you get the ARC of CRESCENDO.  However, if the selected winner did many or all of the items, then s/he will also win MATCHED. (Note:  Judging this will be at my discretion.)

6.  The contest will end at 11:50 P.M. PDT on August 23, 2010.

Click here to complete the entry form.  Please email me at kidlitfrenzy(at)gmail(dot)com if you are unable to access the link for the form.

Maggie Stiefvater, Linger Contest, and photos

Some of you may know that I started out reviewing on Young Adult Literature Review Blogspot.  I still hang out of there with my friend Vi and Renee.  I did a blog post with my photos from the Maggie Stiefvater event at Borders/Glendale (Monday, July 26, 2010) and am offering up a signed copy of my ARC of Linger.  To enter the contest, find out more about this phenomenal event, click here.

Winner of the Keys to the Repository Contest

Congratulations!  There is a winner for the Two-in-One Contest.  Diana G. - you won a signed copy of The Keys to the Repository by Melissa De La Cruz.  Please contact me at kidlitfrenzy(at)gmail(dot)com within the next 24 hours.

Thanks to everyone who entered.  For those of you, who were hoping to win, the Heist Society by Ally Carter - keep an eye open for another chance to win.

Two-in-One Post

Debut Author, Joelle Anthony (RESTORING HARMONY), is celebrating Indie Bookstore Week over on her blog.  You can check out her blog post and contest here.  In honor of Indie Bookstore Week, I want to tell you about my favorite local indie Bookstore.

Vroman's Bookstore is located in Pasadena, CA.  It is an amazing bookstore, with incredible customer services, and the most fantastic  events.  Of course one of my favorite areas of the store is the children's section which is quite large (actually there are some indie Bookstores that would fit in the children's book area) and the selection of books from picture books to YA is fabulous.

Today, I was at Vroman's for an author event.  Two awesome YA authors were featured at the afternoon event. Ally Carter (Heist Society, The Gallagher Girls) and Melissa de la Cruz (Van Alen Legacy, Blue Bloods) shared the spotlight in front of a packed out audience.



Ally Carter began with talking about her books followed by Melissa De La Cruz.

Of course, Pasadena and the Los Angeles area is home to some great YA authors who also stopped by to show their support.

Yes, you guessed it Margie Stohl and Kami Garcia were in the audience.  They brought along Vania (known on Twitter as ReverieBr).



After waiting in line and getting books signed by both Melissa and Ally.  They were gracious enough to take pictures with me.



Thanks Kami for taking the picture of Melissa and me.  Vania snapped the one of me and Ally.



Also, another local blogger and friend was on hand.  Here is a picture of Janelle and Ally.



Now for a surprise.  I have a hardcover copy of the Heisty Society signed by Ally Carter and a copy of the Keys to the Repository signed by Melissa de la Cruz to give away.   One lucky winner will be able to win one book (either Heist Society or the Keys to the Repository).

Here are the rules:

1.  All entrants must complete the attached entry form.

2. Entrants must be 13 or older.  International participants are welcome.

3. Please leave a comment about which book you would like and why.

4. Contest closes at 11:59 p.m. PDT on Wednesday, July 28, 2010.

Please complete the Entry Form (click for link).  If you have trouble with the link, please email me at kidlitfrenzy(AT)gmail(DOT)com.

Good luck everyone and if you have an Indie Bookstore in your area - go out and support it!

- Aly

And we have a winner...

For the first Summer Giveaway Challenge, we have a winner - Sharmaine (@rawstatic)!  I will be sending you an email which you will need to respond to within 24 hours.  Congratulations on winning a signed copy of Shadowed Summer by Saundra Mitchell.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

-Aly

Summertime Reading Giveaway...

Do some books remind you of a particular time of the year? Some books make me think vacation.  Others remind me of where I was or a particular time in my life.  However, some books seem like great summer reading material.  For the next few weeks, I am going to be hosting a series of book contests.  Yes, you read that right...book contests - plural.

I am kicking the Summer Reading Giveaway with a book that says summer to me but one that I don't think has gotten as much recognition as I think it should.  I am featuring Saundra Mitchell’s Shadowed Summer.  Saundra has been wonderful and sent me a signed book plate for the book, and some additional swag including a Shadowed Summer bookmark, sticker, and a Vespertine book card.

Description from GoodReads:

Iris is ready for another hot, routine summer in her small Louisiana town, hanging around the Red Stripe grocery with her best friend, Collette, and traipsing through the cemetery telling each other spooky stories and pretending to cast spells. Except this summer, Iris doesn’t have to make up a story. This summer, one falls right in her lap.



Years ago, before Iris was born, a local boy named Elijah Landry disappeared. All that remained of him were whispers and hushed gossip in the church pews. Until this summer. A ghost begins to haunt Iris, and she’s certain it’s the ghost of Elijah. What really happened to him? And why, of all people, has he chosen Iris to come back to?

My Review:

I actually read Shadowed Summer by Saundra Mitchell back in December.   It had come to me highly recommended, and someone joked that it should be read in the middle of the winter.  So I did read it surrounded by 2 feet of snow outside.  It is one of those books that warms you up.  When I jumped into the first chapter of the book, I could feel the heat and humidity of the Louisiana summer rising off the page.

But to be fair, this is truly a summer book.  Mitchell's Shadowed Summer is a southern gothic ghost story. From the first pages, Mitchell drew me into her world and kept me reading.  I could almost sense myself walking around this small Louisanna town in the summer with the heat and humidity rising from the ground, and the laziness of the days. Her characters - Richly developed, and come alive on the pages. There is friendship, secrets, and more. Mitchell's background as a screenwriter lends itself to crisp writing without excessive words and pacing that never drags. If anything, I wanted to spend more time in her world and was sad to see the story end even though the length was appropriate. And even though part of me thought I knew how the book was going to end, I was still was a little surprised.

I would highly recommend this to anyone, and I do.  Mitchell has been added to my favorite author "watch list" and I can't wait for her next book Vespertine to be released in 2011.

To Enter the Contest:

1. You must fill out the form below.

2. You must be 14 years or older to enter the contest.

3. You must submit the form prior to 11:59 p.m. PDT on Sunday, July 11, 2010

For Extra Entries:

- Leave a comment in the comment section about your favorite summer book (1 extra entry)

- Tweet it, Blog about it, or post it on your blog or Facebook page (each item will earn you 2 extra entries)

- Follow the Blog (New followers will get 1 extra entry, Current Followers will get 2 extra entries)

Good luck,

-Aly

Click Here for Entry Form

Please email me at alybee930 (at) gmail (dot) com If you have any troubles with the entry form.