EEEEEEEE!! I'M SO EXCITED!!!!!

HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY, SHANNON MESSENGER!!

YOU GUYS.

KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES COMES OUT TODAY!!

CAN YOU FEEL THE ENERGY OF MY HAPPY DANCING ALL THE WAY OVER THERE???

I AM SO FREAKING EXCITED THE REST OF THE WORLD GETS TO DISCOVER THIS AMAZING STORY. 

BUT.

BUT.

DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT STEALING KEEFE FROM ME. 

YEAH. THAT'S RIGHT. 

THE ONLY PERSON WHO GETS TO SHARE KEEFE WITH ME IS SARAH WYLIE. SHANNON'S OTHER CP. THE COOLER SARAH. BECAUSE I HAVE TO HAND IT TO HER, SHE CAME UP WITH THE TEAM KEEFE CONCEPT. 

BUT OTHERWISE?

HANDS OFF, MOFOS. 

AND SPEAKING OF SARAH, WE'RE TEAMING UP IN ANOTHER WAY, TOO! WE'RE GIVING AWAY THREE COPIES OF KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES.

DUDES. YOU WANT THIS BOOK. 

YOU WANT TO DISCOVER SOPHIE FOSTER AND HER NEW (FREAKING AWESOME) WORLD. 

YOU WANT TO DISCOVER FITZ AND KEEFE AND DEX AND BIANA, HER NEW (FREAKING AWESOME) FRIENDS.

YOU WANT TO DISCOVER THE BLACK SWAN. 

OR . . . DO YOU?

DUN DUN DUNNNNNN.

THIS MIDDLE GRADE NOVEL IS ABSOLUTELY PERFECT FOR MIDDLE GRADERS! EVEN RELUCTANT READERS WILL FALL FOR THIS STORY, JUST YOU WATCH.

BUT YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE? 

THIS BOOK WILL REACH ANYONE OF ANY AGE. I'M 31 AND THIS BOOK IS ONE OF MY FAVORITES OF ALL TIMES. YES, I'M SHANNON'S CP, BUT I SWEAR, I'M SAYING THAT COMPLETELY UNBIASED. 

I WILL READ THIS BOOK AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR FOREVER. 

FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A FREE COPY OF KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES, ENTER HERE!!
  Rafflecopter giveaway !!

IF YOU WANT AN EXTRA POINT, SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT THE GIVEAWAY!

THAT'S IT. 

GIVEAWAY IS OPEN FOR A WEEK! SO MAKE SURE TO ENTER BY NEXT MONDAY, OCTOBER, 8TH. (AND IT'S OPEN INTERNATIONALLY!)

PS. I'M SURE THERE ARE TONS OF CELEBRATIONS FOR KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES ALL OVER THE BLOGOSPHERE FOR SHANNON TODAY! DEFINITELY CHECK OUT SARAH AND ELANA'S POSTS, TOO!!

Dear Shannon, 

I am so thrilled that today is finally here. The moment you've waited for, and worked so hard for. The release of your first novel! I'm so bummed I can't be there to celebrate with you today, stupid opposite coasts, and all. But I'll see you in a few short weeks, and we'll celebrate then. And for today, just know I'm grinning ear-to-ear, all the way to the store to buy my own, finalized copy of Keeper!  

Enjoy today. I wish you all the success in the world--you certainly deserve it. 

Love,

Sara

♥S 

CHANNING TATUM, Plus: Karen, Katy, Literary Rambles . . .

MAY I TELL YOU ABOUT CHANNING TATUM???

So this happened:

And then I became really popular with retweeters for a day. It was fun.

I mean, I know it's a small thing. One little retweet.

But, um, Channing Tatum tweeting me?

Made me giddy. 

I've loved him since Step Up and see every movie he's in.

(I don't even care if it was his marketing people or whatever either. In my mind? Me and Channing had a conversation twitter moment that will last forever.)

Next up? Ryan Gosling. I now have faith that it could happen. And maybe Adam Levine. And Jared Leto.

Okay, and even cooler news?

Karen Hooper's book, Grasping at Eternity, comes out tomorrow!

Leave it to Maryah Woodsen to break the one rule that will screw up eternity: Never erase your memories. 


Before entering this life, Maryah did the unthinkable—she erased. Now, at seventeen years old, she’s clueless that her new adoptive family has known her for centuries, that they are perpetually reincarnated souls, and that they have supernatural abilities. Oh, and she's supposed to love (not despise) Nathan, the green-eyed daredevil who saved her life. 


Nathan is convinced his family’s plan to spark Maryah's memory is hopeless, but his love for her is undying. After spending (and remembering) so many lifetimes together, being around an empty version of his soulmate is heart shattering. He hates acting like a stalker, but has no choice because the evil outcast who murdered Maryah in their last lifetime is still after her. 

 I've already posted about this novel, but you guys. Please, please get it and fall in love the way I did. You can thank me after you've stayed up way too late to finish the story, okay?

Find Grasping at Eternity on Amazon or Barnes and Noble!


And in other news, there are some cool books and ARCs up for grabs in contests!!

Three ARCs of Shannon Messenger's Keeper of the Lost Cities at her blog. (Trust me. You want one of these babies. Bad.)

A SIGNED copy of The Disenchantments at Katy Upperman's blog!

Lola and the Boy Next Door also at Katy Upperman's blog!

Torn at Literary Rambles!











And my own giveaway here for Monstrous Beauty, The Raft, and Wake!

Are there other giveaways I'm missing? If so, leave them in the comments for other people to see!

Happy Thursday.

♥S

YOU GUYS YOU GUYS YOU GUYS!!!

In case you haven't been part of the Twitter celebration today . . .

Remember these???

Well . . . I'm finally allowed to share what they were about!!

You all know my CP, Cristin Terrill, right? (And if not--you should!!)

Those tweets were because her book, All Our Yesterdays, was at AUCTION!! Like . . . a BIG auction. Which I can't share too much about--but suffice to say, everyone was clamoring for her book.

AS THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN!!

BECAUSE IT'S AMAZING.

She chose to go with Disney Hyperion--and I am so, so, so happy for her! 

All Our Yesterdays is a YA time travel novel. Like . . . Terminator, but with teen angst instead of robots.

Seriously, Cristin is one of the most talented writers out there--and I hate to toot my own horn, but I knew she would sell this book from the moment she started writing it. And I'm not the only one. Believe me.

There's so much more to say about it--but I'll let Cristin share her story--including exactly what the story's about!!! Check out her blog for all the details!!

Here's a pic of Cambria Dillion, Cristin, and me out celebrating!!

CONGRATS, CRISTIN!!!! ♡♡♡

LOOKIE LOOKIE!!

Hee!!

I am so happy to share with you that my dear friend and very talented author Karen Hooper has a new book coming out!! AND she's sharing her cover with the world today!! 

Grasping at Eternity

(Book 1 of The Kindrily series)

Don't be embarrassed if you're drooling right now. This is a judgment-free blog.

Karen's book is X-MEN meets MY NAME IS MEMORY, expected to be releasing May 2012, and it. is. amazing.

Here's a little more about what you can expect:

Leave it to Maryah Woodsen to break the one rule that will screw up eternity: Never erase your memories.

Before entering this life, Maryah did the unthinkable—she erased. Now, at seventeen years old, she’s clueless that her new adoptive family has known her for centuries, that they are perpetually reincarnated souls, and that they have supernatural abilities. Oh, and she's supposed to love (not despise) Nathan, the green-eyed daredevil who saved her life.

Nathan is convinced his family’s plan to spark Maryah's memory is hopeless, but his love for her is undying. After spending (and remembering) so many lifetimes together, being around an empty version of his soulmate is heart shattering. He hates acting like a stalker, but has no choice because the evil outcast who murdered Maryah in their last lifetime is still after her.

While Maryah’s hunter inches closer, she and Nathan make assumptions and hide secrets that rip them further apart. Maryah has to believe in the magic within her, Nathan must have faith in the power of their love, and both need to grasp onto the truth before they lose each other forever—and discover just how lonely eternity can be.

I meannnnn, do I really even have to SAY anything right now?

Well, yes. Because I want to. :)

You guys KNOW how much I love Tangled Tides--but Grasping at Eternity? It's got a spot in my heart that will never be replaced. The romance is epic and the story is sweeping. I can't wait until you all get to read it!!

It's here on Goodreads, and Karen's posted about this on her own blog today--so go check out the full story from her!

Congratulations, Karen!

MAJOR HAPPY DANCE BEGINNING IN 3. . . 2 . . . 1!!!

EEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!! <---how Sara sounds when she's SUPER EXCITED TO SHARE SOME AWESOME NEWS

And this awesome news has had such a LONG TIME coming to you!

GUESS WHICH IMMENSELY TALENTED AUTHOR HAS ANOTHER BOOK DEAL?????

Seriously. Even Jason Bateman wants to know!

Well, Jason Bateman, I can FINALLY tell you and the rest of the world that it's THIS GIRL!! 

SHANNON MESSENGER!!

You guys all know about my abso-freaking-amazing CP Shannon's deal for her MG series, starting with Keeper of the Lost Cities, announced in October. (Which, for the record, I am *still* happy dancing about!) (And have you seen the awesomesauce cover for it???)

BUT SHE ALSO SOLD HER YOUNG ADULT SERIES!! A two-book deal, starting with Let the Sky Fall. 

I want to tell you all about it, but I like to let Shannon do that herself--it is her news, after all. (Check out her blog post here!) I *will* however, tell you this:

Dude, it's. so. freaking. good. 

Like, steal-the-wind-from-your-lungs-when-you-read-it good. 

(Pun intended!) 

(Ba-doom-ching.)

I was going to film myself doing a happy dance for her, but this guy pretty much sums it up:

♥♥Congratulations, Shannon! I truly couldn't be happier for your SUPER DUPER DESERVED success. I can't wait for this book to sweep the world away with it's moving story, amazing characters, and gorgeous prose. ♥♥

Dude. What are you still doing here? Head over to her blog to check it all out!!!!

BOOK BIRTHDAY: TANGLED TIDES!!

You guys, you guys, you guys! GUESS WHAT TODAY IS!!

Here's a hint:

Yara Jones doesn’t believe in sea monsters—until she becomes one.

When a hurricane hits her island home and she wakes up with fins, Yara finds herself tangled up in an underwater world of mysterious merfolk and secretive selkies. Both sides believe Yara can save them by fulfilling a broken promise and opening the sealed gateway to their realm, but they are battling over how it should be done. The selkies want to take her life. The merfolk want something far more precious.

Treygan, the stormy-eyed merman who turned Yara mer, will stop at nothing and sacrifice everything to protect his people—until he falls for Yara. The tides turn as Yara fights to save herself, hundreds of sea creatures, and the merman who has her heart. She could lose her soul in the process—or she might open the gateway to a love that’s deeper than the oceans.


*HAPPY DANCE*

Today is Karen Hooper's BOOK BIRTHDAY!!

There's a whole release day theme--but first? I just have to say . . .

I've been a fan of this book for a long time. Yep. My love affair first began on July 11th, 2010. The first time Karen let me read this novel. I was at the beach (how appropriate!) and I missed almost an entire day of sun because I couldn't drag myself away from her story. I've had the opportunity--the pleasure--to watch it grow from that stream of something fabulous into what it is now: an entire ocean of awesome.

And finally you guys get to go swimming in it, too!!

Tangled Tides is dark and romantic . . . The cast is full of merfolk and selkies and sirens and gorgons, each with hidden pasts and secrets that run as deep as the sea.  It's not your standard Disney-style mermaid tale, trust me. In case you haven't already (and if so, omg why not???), add this book to your list of must reads. You won't regret it.

Be warned, however, that a there's an underwater web war raging between the creatures in Karen's story. And while Karen says she loves them all, she wants us each to choose a side.

So . . .

I CHOOSE . . .

. . . wait for it . . .

. . . wait for it . . .

MERFOLK!

DUH.

As if there was ever any question.

I mean, who didn't dream of being Ariel while growing up? And like I said before--Karen's story is a far cry from a Disney mermaid story, but still. Sometimes I butterfly kick at the pool or in the ocean and pretend I'm secretly a mermaid. To. this. day.

How could I choose anything else?

And in honor of my love for all things merfolk--I'm giving away TWO copies of Tangled Tides! OPEN INTERNATIONALLY! (Ends December 1st.)

All you have to do is leave a comment on this post with your email address. AND your answer to the question of the day.

Want another chance to win? Karen's giving away a SIGNED copy of her book (and some other sea creature-themed prizes!) on twitter! To enter? Just join the underwater web war by tweeting which sea creatures you're rooting for and why. Use the hasthag #TangledTides and you'll be entered to win :)

Karen will be on Twitter all day celebrating and answering questions--make sure to stop by and say hello. @Karen_Hooper

So tell me--are you Team Merfolk, Selkies, Sirens, or Gorgons?

Links for Tangled Tides:

Amazon

Rhemalda Bookstore

Barnes & Noble

Goodreads

PS. I apologize for any formatting issues or spelling errors! I'm currently in Jamaica (ya mon! <--- Sara's Jamaican accent . . . ) without Internet access to make edits. Thanks in advance for your comments and support for Karen's BIG DAY!

PPS. If you're a robber, you should know we have friends house sitting for us. With really big muscles. Don't even think about it.

DUDE! GUESS WHAT??? (HINT: IT'S AMAZING!)

You guys!!!!

My amazing and talented CP, Shannon Messenger, has some AMAZING NEWS to share!!

I don't want to steal her thunder, so make sure you check out her post--but I will say that it has to do with an amazing BOOK DEAL!!!

*HAPPY DANCE*

Seriously. This is what I looked like when she told me the news...

I will also say that since the first time I read even just the first few pages of this amazing series, I knew it was going to sell. Because it's way, way, way too amazing to not be read by everyone!!

Wanna know what her series is about? GO CHECK OUT HER POST!

And, to Shannon--

Get ready for a wild, AMAZING ride! ♥ ♥ ♥

xoxoxo

Amazeballs.

Have y'all seen Karen Hooper's cover for Tangled Tides???

Seriously, how gorgeous is it? All I want right now is to be a mermaid.

Click here: AND GO TELL HER HOW MUCH YOU LOVE IT!!!

Monday Fabulous Announcement

Dudes, the good news just keeps on flowing! Seriously, I have the most talented, amazing, fabulous writing friends EVAR.

Today's good news?

Miss Karen Amanda Hooper has a book deal!

With Karen back in October 2010 <3

Yup, you read that right. A BOOK DEAL.

As in, her awesome book, Tangled Tides, is 


going. 


               to. 


                              be. 


                                             published. 
Published!!!

*happy dances*

*tosses sparkle confetti*

*jumps up and down*

So go now! Head over to her blog to learn all the deets AND tell her how marvelous she is :)

OH. And when you're done over there, get to the twitter and wish @cristinterrill a HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Friday Fabulous Announcement!

Soooooooo I told you guys I'd have some fun things to tell you about in the next few weeks. And here is FABULOUS THING NUMBER ONE!

Ricki Schultz--you guys know her right??? If not, omg, get your butt to her blog and meet her!

Well, Ricki SIGNED WITH AN AGENT!! A fabulous, fabulous agent! Barbara Poelle of the Irene Goodman Literary Agency.

Pre-agent days with the Rickster <3 

I've read the manuscript that Ricki snagged Barbara with--and let me tell you, after the first fifteen pages I knew this manuscript would be THE manuscript. Ricki's an amazing writer--and a great friend.

So, seriously. Go congratulate her--because she deserves it :)

We Interrupt Regularly Scheduled Programming...

To announce that

Carolina Valdez Miller has signed with an agent!!

*tosses confetti*

*jumps up and down*

*gets dizzy*

*keeps jumping anyway*

Carol signed with Vickie Motter of Andrea Hurst & Associates. (Vickie, fyi, has a fabulous blog found at: http://navigatingtheslushpile.blogspot.com//)

If you browse the Andrea Hurst website, you'll see that they represent brilliant, emerging authors who have something important to say.

And that description fits Carol to a flipping T!

No wonder Vickie wants to represent her :)

Make sure hop over to Carol's blog and congratulate her on this WELL DESERVED step in her career!

I'm giving away some treats in celebration! (So are a TON of other people--it's a Blog Party--read through the rest of my post to find out who and what!)

In honor of Carol's ability to write such wonderful paranormal stories, I'm giving away:

• A SIGNED copy of The Dark Divine, by Bree Despain
• A SIGNED copy of Raised by Wolves, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

AND because Carol writes such gripping plots, I'm giving away something that might help you follow in her footsteps:

• A copy of Write Great Fiction: Plot & Structure

Because this is such a HUGE deal--I'm going to make this a HUGE win: this giveaway is winner take all!!

Want to win? 

You must be a follower of both my and Carol's blogs. You get an extra point if you follow everyone else who's giving something away in honor of Carol's big news. So let me know if you have one or two points in a comment on this post--and that's it! You're entered :) 

The giveaway starts today at 10am and ends on April 1st (winners announced April 4).

But, dude, my giveaway is NOTHING compared to some of the other things up for grabs!

First of all, Carol's giving away:

• A first page critique from her literary agent, Vickie Motter 
• A KINDLE!
• A signed copy of Escaping into the Open: the Art of Writing True by Elizabeth Berg
• A Signed Hardback of Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready
• A signed Hardback of Passing Strange by Daniel Waters

As if that's not enough, all these people are giving things away in celebration too!

Heather's Odyssey

Critique Sisters Corner

J. Koyanagi

Simon Larter

LK Gardner-Griffie

Lola Sharp

Elizabeth Davis

Tracey Neithercott

Kristen Yard  

Christine Fonseca

Jonathon Arntson

Eisely Jacobs
Denise Grover Swank

So go congratulate Carol! Check out everyone else's giveaways! Good luck :)

And: CONGRATULATIONS CAROL!

Pop the champagne!!

Why?

Because my CP Cristin Terrill signed with literary agent Diana Fox of Fox Literary, LLC!

As soon as I began reading for Cristin, I knew she would get snatched up by someone amazing. And I can't wait until the rest of you have a chance to read the awesome that is her book!

For now though, head over to Cristin's post about it (<---click there) and join me in congratulating her!!

Congratulations Cristin!!

♡Sara

Creepy

I just wanted to make sure nobody missed out on Carol's hysterical post: How to be Musically Creepy.  It's odd--and it's definitely creepy. And if you're in need of a weirded out laugh, it's the perfect thing to read today!

This is Carol. She's hot so you'd never believe the stuff her twisted mind comes up with ;-)





Seriously, go check it out!

An Introduction to STEAMPUNK! (Guest Post)

This post was written by Miss Alexandra Shostak.  (Click her name to be directed to her blog.)  Alexandra is a really fantastic writer, soon to be agented, and has introduced me to the world of steampunk.  Now she'll do the same for you!  And please, even if you're not interested in steampunk (which I'm telling you, you should be), you know one look at her smokin' picture made you interested in whatever she has to say :-P

Steampunk. Doubtless you’ve heard something about this genre of music, fashion, and literature in the past few months. It’s said by many to be the “up and coming” trend in books, and it’s already making headway in other areas of life (if you’ve ever seen someone checking a pocket watch or walking around with a parasol, likely they’re dressed steampunk). But though a lot of people have heard this word floating around, many people still want to know: what exactly is steampunk? So, I’m going to do my best to impart to you the knowledge I’ve accumulated both in reading and writing steampunk.

Most simply, steampunk is a genre of speculative fiction—it’s most commonly set in Victorian London, which means it has many historical elements, but it focuses on technology that doesn’t exist. Steam power is generally the driving force of this technology, which features things like (but not limited to) trains, airships, and automobiles. This is where science fiction enters into the equation. In many of these alternate histories, the technology also centers around engines, like difference engines or analytical engines—extending the technology farther than it ever went in real life.

However, steampunk doesn’t have to be historical, and it doesn’t have to be science fiction, either. Sometimes the world in which the book is set is made up—a fantasy world. Many times magic also comes into play in these stories, blending the science fiction aspect of steam-powered technology with mythological creatures, sorcery, and really excellent world-building. Like any genre, steampunk weaves in and out of other genres, and it doesn’t have to have every single one of these elements to make it steampunk. But the defining characteristic is the presence of steam power, and technology based on that power.

There are actually several examples of steampunk in pop-culture that people didn’t know were steampunk until recently. Most notably is THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN. I recommend checking out both the Alan Moore comic, and the film. Also, if you’ve seen the Disney movie “Atlantis” that’s also an example of steampunk—and it’s just a really good movie in general :)

There are more and more steampunk books showing up—several people have told me they’ve seen a steampunk display at Barnes & Noble. But I’m going to recommend a few that I think really capture what the genre is. They aren’t the only ones out there, and I’m constantly looking for new ones (so if you find one I didn’t list, let me know!)

1. THE DIFFERENCE ENGINE by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling – Even though steampunk seems to be a new genre, given the amount of press it’s getting lately, it’s actually been around for several decades. THE DIFFERENCE ENGINE falls in the category of historical and science fiction steampunk, and it is one of the books that first defined the genre.
   
2. PERDIDO STREET STATION by China Mieville – Many of Mieville’s books fall into the steampunk category, but this is probably his most popular. This one isn’t historical; it’s set in a fantasy steampunk world, and blends fantasy and science fiction together.
   
3. WICKED GENTLEMEN by Ginn Hale – This example of steampunk is mostly fantasy. It’s also set in a fantasy world, but Hale’s world is based pretty directly on a Victorian city. This book (actually two novellas following the same characters) follows the relationships between the characters more closely than it does the speculative technology.
   
4. LEVIATHAN by Scott Westerfeld – I haven’t read this one yet, because it just came out a few weeks ago. This YA novel is historical, and it takes elements of fantasy and science fiction to create a very unique world. It’s set a little later in time than most Victorian steampunks; it happens on the eve of World War I. Also, it has illustrations. I’m really excited about the illustrations—I can’t wait to read it.
   
5. CLOCKWORK HEART by Dru Pagliassotti – Another fantasy steampunk, with a really well-imagined world, and a really great romantic sub-plot. This one is especially cool, because the main character has metal wings that she uses to fly over the city.

These are just a few examples of steampunk books that I think really stick out, but there are of course many more, and my “to-read” list is always getting longer. Also, Cassandra Clare (known for her YA series MORTAL INSTRUMENTS) is coming out with a steampunk series. The first installment, THE CLOCKWORK ANGEL, is set to be released in 2010.

Tor.com had “steampunk month” last month—and their blog was a wealth of information about anything and everything steampunk. It was really informative, interesting, and just fun. There was some really great stuff, including awesome pictures and videos. I definitely recommend checking it out.

I suppose now is the time that I tell you something about me, then. Well, I write fantasy, and the most recent novel I completed is a steampunk called MEMENTO MORI. It’s more on the fantasy side of steampunk than the science fiction side, though there is a lot of clockwork—clockwork taxis, clockwork mages, clockwork corpses… you get the idea ;) I really loved writing it, since steampunk has been one of my favorite genres for several years now, and I definitely plan to continue writing steampunk.

That’s it! Thank you Sara, for letting me guest blog—you’re awesome :) And I hope my post was informative, and made at least one person want to go out and buy a steampunk novel.


No, Alexandra - thank YOU!