Girls Gone Sci-Fi Tour *^_^*!

My signed tour poster :3.
Left to right: Jessica Brody, Lauren Miller, Tamara Stone, Jessica Khoury

Yes. I got to meet these Girls Gone Sci-Fi ladies in Birmingham, AL! Woohoo! :)

Jessica Brody, Lauren Miller, Tamara Stone, and Jessica Khoury are fantastic authors who write about uber cool (and, let's admit it, often scary) scifi scenarios involving things like time travel, cloning, memory/genetic manipulation, and parallel universes.

This was me (Anna):

Image Credit: Disney Wikia 

Except I was about 10x more awkward because I was so nervous. Seriously, I walked up to Tamara Stone because I wanted to speak with her and drew a complete Blank. So embarrassing lol. Despite my awkwardness, however, I still had a blast meeting/greeting everyone and chatting about books/life/being directionally challenged. 

Fun Facts: 

While chatting with fellow TFC alum Jessica Khoury, I discovered (or was reminded? I feel like I knew this...maybe...) that she was originally a Cross-Cultural Studies major before she switched to English. 

Lauren Miller is severely directionally challenged. There is hope for people like me haha! Also, random and weird thing I noticed after looking at the pics I took: we both tilt our heads when getting our picture taken.

The first shot was blurry, so we had to take a second. I have no idea what I'm looking at lol

Stone and Khoury sign on the bottom of their books, while Brody and Miller sign on the top. We all thought that was interesting. Also, it adds a nice symmetrical touch...

Highlights:

The Q&A was fantastic, especially the insider info on 'how to get blurbs' (ask very, very nicely; build connections and THEN ask very, very nicely; enlist your stellar editor/agent/publisher...and they'll ask very, very nicely!).

When I mentioned that I forgot to bring my Unforgotten necklace, Jessica Brody gave me a high-five and expressed that I was the first Unforgettable Fan she'd encountered on tour. I'm not sure if she meant the whole tour or just in Birmingham, but it made me happy regardless. 

I snagged some stellar swag--and totally caved on getting a signed copy of Parallel ^_^':

My pic shows like 3 swag items, but of course they had loads of stuff--stickers, bookmarks, pins, etc. But I played Operation Vitro and the Unforgettable Fan Challenge, so I already had a lot of cool stuffs ^_^. 

I must add that Parallel is SHIMMERY. Of course the pic doesn't do it justice--I mean, seriously, you can't even really see the *shimmer* :/. You should check it out on Goodreads; better pic quality for sure :). 

*sideways glance*

Ok, you should check it out on Goodreads anyway... 

AND I also was blessed with a 50 page preview of Free to Fall. WIN. No. Mega Win. If I knew how to dance and I actually danced when I was excited about things in the first place, I would have *Danced*.

Here it is, in all its 50-page splendor *^_^*

ANNNND, after explaining my ambition to be a YA sci-fi/fantasy author and a bit of my series to Jess Khoury, she told me to let her know when I was finished. 

Maybe you don't see why this is so exciting, so I'll explain: I greatly admire Khoury for both the things we have in common (a surprising amount, really) and the things we don't. I've always loved her work--even before she became a published author. So...it's kind of a big deal to me ^_^'.

If you missed out on the tour, my condolences--but I have good news! You can watch a Recorded Interview Here, compliments of WREG Channel 3 News.   Also, I'm sure that at least one of the authors will be blogging about the tour shortly, if they haven't already. 

You can find out more about these fabulous authors and their novels on their websites:

| Jessica Brody | Lauren Miller | Tamara Stone | 
| Jessica Khoury |

Swimming to Tokyo AND Lifestyles of the Rich and (In)famous *Double Cover Reveal*

March has flown by--but before it ends, I have a few posts to share (next post will be about the Girls Gone Sci-fi Tour :3!)--like this double cover reveal :)! Enjoy.

SWIMMING TO TOKYO 

Brenda St. John Brown

Release Date: July 28, 2014
Publisher: Spencer Hill Contemporary

The rules for swimming are simple: 

Rule #1: There is no lifeguard on duty.

Since her mom died three years ago, nineteen-year-old Zosia Easton’s been treading water. Living at home. Community college. Same old Saturday nights. So when her father breaks the news he’s taken a job transfer—and by the way, it means renting out the house that's been her refuge—a summer in Tokyo feels like it just might be a chance to start swimming again. 

Rule #2: Beware of unexpected currents.

Finn O’Leary has spent God knows how many years trying to drown out his past. Juvenile detention. Bad decisions. Worse choices. He’s managed to turn it around – MIT, Dean’s List, a sexier-than-thou body with a smile to match – at least on the surface. When his mom asks him to spend the summer with her, Tokyo seems as good a place as any to float through the summer.

Rule #3: Swim at your own risk.

| Goodreads |

Find Brenda online: 

| Facebook | Twitter |

| Website |

LIFESTYLES OF THE RICH AND (IN)FAMOUS 

Tierney Fowler

Release date: August 19, 2014
Publisher: Spencer Hill Contemporary

Nyx Carrington, notorious for her red lipstick and over-the-top personality, has just snagged the dreamiest A-Lister in Manhattan. Tristan Halifax, a gorgeous, arrogant man with a penchant for beautiful women, could be Nyx’s chance at true love. After her last disastrous relationship with her not-so-dream guy, the brooding Crashbang bassist, AJ Abbott, Nyx is ready for a new start.

Overnight, Nyx’s relationship status with Tristan turns her into America’s Sweetheart—complete with scandalizing parties, new friendships with Manhattan’s Golden Boys, and unending photographers. It’s the perfect moment in the spotlight with Tristan—or it would be if AJ would stop writing chart topping love songs dedicated to her red lipstick.

When AJ crashes back into her life declaring that wants to reignite their high school romance, Nyx’s love life gets complicated. And when the press hears about problems with the “it” couple, they turn on Nyx—jeopardizing her relationship with Tristan, ruining her reputation, and discovering her old skeletons. Nyx’s newfound fame as America’s Sweetheart may leave her brokenhearted. 

Celebrities are supposed to have it all, but having it all could mean losing everything that used to matter.

| Goodreads | 

Find Tierney Online: 

| Website | Twitter |

I WISH Elizabeth Langston *Cover Reveal and Giveaway*

Book Info
Paperback:  312 pages
Expected publication:  November 18th
ISBN:  1939392233 

And the cover...*^_^*

Blurb
Book 1 in a new series.

Lacey Linden is hiding the truth of her life—a depressed mom, a crumbling house, and bills too big to pay. While her high school classmates see a girl with a ready smile and good grades, Lacey spends her evenings seeking ways to save her family. On a get-cash-quick trip to the flea market, Lacey stumbles over a music box that seemingly begs her to take it home. She does, only to find it is inhabited by a gorgeous "genie." He offers her a month of wishes, one per day, but there's a catch. Each wish must be humanly possible.

Grant belongs to a league of supernatural beings, dedicated to serving humans in need. After two years of fulfilling the boring wishes of conventional teens, he is one assignment away from promotion to a challenging new role with more daring cases. Yet his month with Lacey is everything that he expects and nothing like he imagines. Lacey and Grant soon discover that the most difficult task of all might be saying goodbye.

| Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble |

About the Author

Elizabeth Langston lives in North Carolina, halfway between the beaches and the mountains. She has two teen-ish daughters and one husband (a geek like her). When she's not writing software or stories, Elizabeth loves to travel with her family, watch dance reality TV shows, and dream about which restaurant ought to get their business that night.

In addition to I WISH, Elizabeth's debut novel WHISPER FALLS released in November 2013. Its sequels, A WHISPER IN TIME (April) and WHISPERS FROM THE PAST (October), release in 2014. Learn more about her at http://www.ElizabethLangston.net.

| Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook |

| Blog | Website |

Giveaway
Although I don't have a giveaway to offer you on my blog, Elizabeth has one on hers! She's hosting a giveaway for her WHISPER FALLS series :)

Check it out on her blog.  

Blue Rose Sarah Daltry *Book Blast and Giveaway*

This book blast is a little different than ones I've done in the past because...

It has a BOOK TRAILER!!! Plus, it has an excerpt and some sweet extras (graphics and the like). I'm excited to share this with everyone today ^_^!

Synopsis

BLUE ROSE
Flowering 1.3

“Four. My life has been shaped by four people. Four men, to be more specific. My father, my stepfather, my best friend, and my boyfriend. The first two shaped it in horrible ways, but what I am, who I am, is all because of four men.” 

Alana Reardon has secrets. Some of them are too dark to tell, but everyone already thinks they know anyhow. At 20, she takes too many pills, hides the parts of her that she hates, and willingly becomes the person that they think she is. A slut. A whore. Trash.

There have only been two guys who ever saw Alana as more: Jack, the guy she can’t get over, and Dave, the one who never got over her.

With the help of therapy, facing her past, and the inevitable ways that life changes without your permission, can Alana learn to stop blaming herself? Can she allow love into her life? Is she ready to move on?

**Warning: This book deals with topics of abuse and may trigger reactions in people who have experienced those things in their own lives.**

| Goodreads | Amazon |

Book Trailer!!!

Excerpt!!!

Later that day, at lunch, I had just found a seat by the window when he sat across from me. I was used to sitting alone. He didn’t say anything, and he had nothing to eat. He looked up at me, though, after a few minutes, and his eyes did it again. I hated my body, hated the way I looked, hated that somehow I owed my body and my looks to everyone else. But when Jack looked at me, I wanted to let someone touch me. I wanted him to hold me. He felt like safety.

It didn’t even make sense. He was just a broken kid, like me. He always wore the same threadbare hoodie. Most days, it covered his head. He was cute, but awkward. His hair was too long and usually greasy. His Chucks were a little too big, so they looked a little like clown shoes. Yet those gorgeous eyes were all I cared about. I hadn’t considered guys at all. I didn’t find them attractive, and I certainly couldn’t see the appeal of sex or of intimacy. With Jack, though, the thought of him near me didn’t make me nauseous.

“Do you want my orange?” I asked him.

“Are you sure?”

It wasn’t a groundbreaking question. But it was how I knew that what I naturally felt for Jack was right. Because no one had ever asked me that. No one had asked if I minded, if I was sure, if something was okay. They just took things.

“Yeah.”

He took it and I handed him my knife. It was flimsy plastic and wouldn’t even pierce the rind, so I took the orange back and peeled it with my fingernails. Jack just watched me and, when I handed him the orange, now peeled, he smiled. His upper lip curled more than it should have and he looked silly, smiling at an orange. But he drew the same smile from me.

“Thank you,” he said, and he pulled two slices free from the whole and handed them back to me. I didn’t eat them right away. I just watched him eat his part. He was messy and he ended up covering himself in the juices. He unzipped his hoodie after the orange squirted down the front. Underneath, he was wearing a washed out blue T-shirt with a train on it. He looked ten.

“Nice shirt,” I teased.

He looked down. “I live with my grandmother. She has no concept of clothes.”

“It’s cute.”

He smiled again and it was less awkward this time. “Do you live with your grandmother, too?”

I was wearing a huge black sweater over baggy black pants. “No. I just… I don’t like people looking at me.”

“Yeah. I get that.”

He didn’t tell me that I was too pretty to dress the way I did; he didn’t say my body was too good to hide. He just went back to eating his orange, letting the juice spill all over the train shirt. We were fourteen, but I already knew Jack would always be the only thing that mattered in my future.

About the Author
Sarah Daltry writes about the regular people who populate our lives. She's written works in various genres - romance, erotica, fantasy, horror. Genre isn't as important as telling a story about people and how their lives unfold. Sarah tends to focus on YA/NA characters but she's been known to shake it up. Most of her stories are about relationships - romantic, familial, friendly - because love and empathy are the foundation of life. It doesn't matter if the story is set in contemporary NY, historical Britain, or a fantasy world in the future - human beings are most interesting in the ways they interact with others. This is the principle behind all of Sarah's stories.

Sarah has spent most of her life in school, from her BA and MA in English and writing to teaching both at the high school and college level. She also loves studying art history and really anything because learning is fun.

When Sarah isn't writing, she tends to waste a lot of time checking Facebook for pictures of cats, shooting virtual zombies, and simply staring out the window.

| Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest |

| Tumblr |

| Website |

Giveaway

International. Must be 13+ to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

2014 YA March Madness

Can I just say that I think this idea is absolutely Genius?!

For people who aren't all that into sports (and/or who like books...or contests in general...), this is fantastic way to celebrate the 'madness of march'! 

Here's how it works: 

There are 4 genres that are acting as regional brackets--Fantasy, Paranormal, Sci-fi/Dystopian, and Contemporary. 

To enter books into each bracket, YOU nominate titles you think are worthy of the honor...the bracket showdown begins, and YOU vote for your ideal YA champion(s). Easy peasy!

The rules:

The books you nominate *must* have been published in 2013. 
They must be YA books.
They must fit the genre/bracket you are entering them for (i.e. don't enter a fantasy book in the contemporary bracket)...and you must enter them on the correct blog. More on that below.
You can only nominate 2 books per genre/bracket.

Any book that doesn't meet all of the reqs won't be counted. 

Nominations are open until Saturday, March 8th, 11:59pm EST (8:59pm PST, 10:59pm CST).

Here are the blogs where you can nominate your faves:

ChickLovesLit (Contemporary)

Two Chicks On Books (Sci-fi/Dystopian)

Katie's Book Blog (Paranormal)

The Book Cellar (Fantasy)

And if you're looking for specifics...

Nominations: Saturday March 1 – Saturday March 8

Bracket Reveal: Tuesday March 11

First Round Voting: Wednesday March 12 – Saturday March 15

Second Round Voting: Sunday March 16 – Wednesday March 19

Third Round Voting (Sweet Sixteen): Thursday March 20 – Sunday March 23

Fourth Round Voting (Elite Eight): Monday March 24 – Wednesday March 26

Fifth Round Voting (Final Four): Thursday March 27 – Saturday March 39

Championship Voting: Sunday March 30 – Tuesday April 1

Also...feel free to campaign on Twitter, Tumblr/your blog with the hashtag YAMM (#YAMM)/the graphic to let others know about the MADNESS to make this contest as stellar as possible! 

Happy nominating!!

POT OF GOLD GIVEAWAY *Darkly Delicious YA and Book Nerd Tours*

Welcome to the Pot of Gold Giveaway

hosted by Darkly Delicious YA and Book Nerd Tours !

Three winners will receive
AMAZON GIFT CARDS!

But in addition....

One Very Lucky Leprechaun 

will receive a

KINDLE FIRE HD

pre-loaded 

with great YA & NA books!  

Click on the covers to get to know the authors 
that are participating in the giveaway 
and learn more about their books!

                                                                             

The Rafflecopter is a wee bit long, but worth it! 

May the Luck of the Irish be with you!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A big thank you goes out to all the authors and bloggers who helped make this event possible! The authors at Darkly Delicious YA couldn't have pulled this off without our amazing co-host, Book Nerd Tours, and everyone's wonderful support. 

"LUCK MAITH" to you all!