Happy Book Birthday, ABANDON!

Happy Book Birthday

to ABANDON and Elana Johnson!!

 

 Enter to Win:

To celebrate, Regal Literary is giving away three hardcover and three paperback editions to some lucky winners, and in case you’re a newcomer to the series, they are offering copies of Possession and Surrender as well.

 

The contest ends on June 18, so enter below for your chance to win before it's too late!

 

http://regal-literary.tumblr.com/post/52140454696/abandon

 

BLOG TOUR: Lair of the Serpent -- Review + Giveaway

 

*** BLOG TOUR ***

Lair of the Serpent

 by T. Lynn Adams

Blurb:

Jonathon can’t wait to surprise Deliah for her birthday. With a little help from Deliah’s brother, Severino, he plans to visit her in Cambodia where she’s working as a humanitarian volunteer.

But Jonathon arrives only to find a panicked Severino—and no Deliah. 

Jonathon and Severino are determined to find Deliah before it’s too late—but it might not be that easy. Now, with the orphan Chey and their friend Juan, Jonathon and Severino must fight their way through human trafficking rings, a dense jungle, and a radical group bent on using Deliah as a human sacrifice in order to find the Nāga Mani, a sacred and powerful stone. 

Lair of the Serpent seamlessly blends intense action and suspense with family loyalty and tender romance. The rich setting and colorful characters will ignite your imagination, while the twisting plot and elements of fantasy will satisfy every adventurer’s thirst for exotic quests.

This exciting YA thriller is being released this month by Cedar Fort. The movie rights have already been optioned by the Oscar-winning producer of Life of Pi and Avatar!! It's a good one, folks--I loved the fast pace and the awesome storyline, and  I know it will be a huge hit with my high school students. I've already recommended it to my librarian.

GIVEAWAY:

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

            I will announce the winner on Friday.  Good luck!! 

MMGM -- Blog Tour + Guest Post

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

Shannon Whitney Messenger decided it was time to give middle grade stories the attention they deserve, and "Marvelous Middle Grade Mondays" was born. 

Back in March I reviewed a great book, DEADWEATHER AND SUNRISE, here.  Today, I am thrilled to share the sequel, NEW LANDS, as part of Geoff's blog tour, and I'm doubly thrilled that Geoff agreed to share the story of his writing journey with us!  Thanks, Geoff!

BLOG TOUR + GUEST POST

NEW LANDS (CHRONICLES OF EGG)

 

by Geoff Rodkey

Blurb:

After a narrow escape from Deadweather Island, Egg and his slightly deranged partner Guts head for the remote New Lands. They’re in search of the lost Okalu tribe, who hold the key to the mysterious treasure map that Egg can't decipher. But the ruthless Roger Pembroke is hard on Egg's trail, and the New Lands are full of new enemies—against which our heroes' only weapons are their brains, their courage...and the two dozen swear words Guts just memorized in the local tongue.
 
They're going to need help. But who can they trust? Is Kira, the beautiful and heavily armed Okalu refugee, their ally…or their enemy? Is Pembroke's daughter Millicent on Egg's side…or her father's? Why on earth is the notorious pirate Burn Healy being so nice to them? And the biggest question of all: what shocking secret is Egg about to discover in the shadow of an ancient Okalu temple?  

 

*** GUEST POST ***

Digging Up a Story

In his indispensable book On Writing, Stephen King describes writing a novel as a kind of archaeology: you don't invent the story so much as dig it up from somewhere in your subconscious, then chip away at the dirt and muck until you find out what it is you've got. 

When I first read that metaphor, I had no clue what Stephen King was talking about. I'd spent most of my career writing screenplays, which are structurally rigorous enough that it seemed as crazy to start a script without a clear idea of the story than it would be to start building a house without a blueprint for the second floor.

It wasn't until I actually wrote a novel myself--the middle grade comedy-adventure Deadweather and Sunrise--that I realized books aren't screenplays, and Stephen King was exactly right. In the three years that passed from my initial idea to the completed manuscript, the final story turned out to be something completely different from the one I thought I was digging up when I began. 

It all started with a character who popped into my head one day. His name was Crooked Pete, and he was a pirate--but all the other pirates thought he was cursed, so they wouldn't let him on their ships, and the only job he could get was working as a waiter in a pirate-themed restaurant. 

That seemed funny to me, so I started thinking about what kind of a world might have both working pirate ships and a pirate-themed restaurant. From there, I came up with an island inhabited entirely by pirates (and which, for weather-related reasons, I initially named Sweatbath).

Then I started thinking about what kind of trouble I could get Crooked Pete into, so I sent a lawyer into the pirate-themed restaurant with a business proposition on behalf of a shadowy, unnamed client. 

The shadowy client turns out to be a very obnoxious twelve-year-old rich kid, whose family has just disappeared under mysterious circumstances, leaving him in control of their island plantation. His sudden and rather large inheritance has made him very grandiose, and he tells Crooked Pete he wants to hire him as muscle because there are some people he'd like to have killed. Eventually, the kid encounters a very pretty girl on the island next door, and he orders Crooked Pete to kidnap her, but she's a real handful in a Ransom-of-Red-Chief sort of way, so she winds up bossing both Crooked Pete and the kid around.

As I thought about it, though, the obnoxious rich kid started to grate on me. He was funny, but I wasn't sure I wanted to follow him around for a whole book, let alone root for him. So I got rid of his money. Then I got rid of his bad attitude. But somebody needed a bad attitude, so I gave it to the rest of his family, who I decided should hate his guts. 

Then I had to figure out why, if he was a fundamentally decent kid, his own family would hate him. That led to a lot of thinking about the history of both the family and the world they lived in. 

And the more I thought about that world--a slightly dark and dangerous one, full of actual pirates capable of committing actual violence--the more I began to realize the pirate-themed restaurant didn't have any place in it. 

And with no pirate-themed restaurant to work at, there wasn't much point in keeping Crooked Pete around. 

Suddenly, it was three years later, and I had a finished manuscript in my hands. While a few of my early ideas remained in some form--there's still a kid on a pirate-infested island, and his family disappears under mysterious circumstances, and he falls for a pretty girl who's a real handful--most of it didn't look anything like what I'd started with. 

Crooked Pete and the pirate-themed restaurant, who were the first things I dug up, and who seemed initially like the most interesting part of the story, turned out to be the dirt and the muck that I had to scrape off in order to get to the really good stuff underneath. 

And there was a LOT of good stuff buried under there--Deadweather and Sunrise became the first in a trilogy, with a breadth and depth I can't imagine a pirate-themed restaurant story could have sustained. 

Its sequel, New Lands, comes out in May, and I just finished a first draft of the final book in the series, Blue Sea Burning. Now that the story's nearly complete, it's time to dig something else up.

I'm tempted to start over again, back with Crooked Pete at the pirate-themed restaurant, just to see if I can dig up a completely different story from the same source. 

But somehow, I suspect it doesn't work that way. 

MMGM -- House of Secrets

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

Shannon Whitney Messenger decided it was time to give middle grade stories the attention they deserve, and "Marvelous Middle Grade Mondays" was born.

House of Secrets

by Chris Columbus, Ned Vizzini and Greg Call 

 

Blurb:

From legendary Hollywood director Chris Columbus (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets) and bestselling author Ned Vizzini (It's Kind of a Funny Story) comes this first book in an epic new fantasy series.

Brendan, Eleanor, and Cordelia Walker once had everything: two loving parents, a beautiful house in San Francisco, and all the portable electronic devices they could want. But everything changed when Dr. Walker lost his job in the wake of a mysterious incident. Now in dire straits, the family must relocate to an old Victorian house that used to be the home of occult novelist Denver Kristoff—a house that feels simultaneously creepy and too good to be true.

By the time the Walkers realize that one of their neighbors has sinister plans for them, they're banished to a primeval forest way off the grid. Their parents? Gone. Their friends? A world away. And they aren't alone. Bloodthirsty medieval warriors patrol the woods around them, supernatural pirates roam the neighboring seas, and a power-hungry queen rules the land. To survive, the siblings will have to be braver than they ever thought possible—and fight against their darkest impulses. The key may lie in their own connection to the secret Kristoff legacy. But as they unravel that legacy, they'll discover it's not just their family that's in danger . . . it's the entire world.

This book felt like it was written by a Hollywood producer and director. It flies from one nail-biting scene to another, building upon the layers and characters of the story as we go. It reminded me a bit of JUMANJI--the craziness and unexpectedness that comes with new and strange surprises. I enjoyed the complexity of the plot and the likability of the characters and will happily read other stories by these authors in the future.

 

 

 

Middle Grade Feature for Earth Day + GIVEAWAY

You Can't Have My Planet, 

But Take My Brother Please

 by James Mihaley

 

Blurb:

Thirteen-year-old Giles is the last person anyone would expect to save the planet. He's not as charming as his little sister, and not as brainy as his goody-goody older brother. But when Giles witnesses an alien realtor showing Earth to possible new tenants, he knows he'd better do something. With the help of an alien "attorney" and the maddest scientist in middle-grade fiction, Giles just might save humans from eviction from Earth. Let's hope so. The alternatives are...not so hospitable. 

This hilarious and eco-friendly book was recently released in paperback, just in time for Earth Day! James is a fellow Project Middle Grade Mayhem author and an all-around awesome guy. Whether in celebration of Earth Day or not, this is a don't-miss middle grade title. Original, laugh-out-loud funny, and full of adventure, You Can't Have My Planet, But Take My Brother Please has a perfect 5 star rating on Amazon. You'll love it!

******************************

GIVEAWAY:

James has agreed to a giveaway! One lucky winner will receive a free copy of You Can't Have My Planet, But Take My Brother Please.

To enter: 

1. Be a follower of this blog
2. Leave a comment by Friday, April 26th
3. Follow James on Twitter

GOOD LUCK!

UPDATE:
And the winner is . . .

SA Larsen!


******************************

You can stalk James at the following locations:  

• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jamesmihaley. 
• Website: http://www.jamesmihaley.com/
• Twitter: @JazzfunkJimmy
• Project Middle Grade Mayhem: http://project-middle-grade-mayhem.blogspot.com/

The Lies That Bind

 

The Lies That Bind

by Lisa & Laura Roecker

 

Blurb:

Another Sister Gone—You Can't Let Them Get Away With This

Kate has heard of messages from beyond the grave, but she never expected to find one in a fortune cookie. Especially from her best friend, Grace—who's supposed to be dead.

At the elite Pemberly Brown Academy, nothing is as it seems. A popular girl has gone missing, and Kate owes it to Grace's memory to find out what happened. But in a school ruled by secret societies, who can she trust? Definitely not Bradley (despite his hotness) — he's one of them. Still, she may just have to get closer to him if she wants to get some answers.

Kate's next mystery at The Pemberly Brown Academy is every bit as riveting and surprising as the first. I loved LIAR SOCIETY, and I have to say that LIES THAT BIND is just as good. Even the cleverest of mystery fans won't be able to predict what's coming--Lisa and Laura Roecker are just too good. I don't think I've ever read better YA mystery than these. They are suspenseful, action-packed, funny, romantic, and impossible to figure out--all in one!

I love these books, my students love these books, and I have no doubts that YOU will love these books! Don't miss out. 

MMGM -- Loki's Wolves

 

  Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

Shannon Whitney Messenger decided it was time to give middle grade stories the attention they deserve, and "Marvelous Middle Grade Mondays" was born.

Loki's Wolves

by K.L. Armstrong & M.A. Marr

 

 

Expected publication: May 7th 2013

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

 

 

Blurb:

In Viking times, Norse myths predicted the end of the world, an event called Ragnarok, that only the gods can stop. When this apocalypse happens, the gods must battle the monsters--wolves the size of the sun, serpents that span the seabeds, all bent on destroying the world.

The gods died a long time ago.

Matt Thorsen knows every Norse myth, saga, and god as if it was family history--because it is family history. Most people in the modern-day town of Blackwell, South Dakota, in fact, are direct descendants of either Thor or Loki, including Matt's classmates Fen and Laurie Brekke.

However, knowing the legends and completely believing them are two different things. When the rune readers reveal that Ragnarok is coming and kids--led by Matt--will stand in for the gods in the final battle, he can hardly believe it. Matt, Laurie, and Fen's lives will never be the same as they race to put together an unstoppable team to prevent the end of the world.

  

First, you should know this book passed the "kid test", as both my 5th grade son AND 3rd grade daughter read it and loved it. It took my son a little longer to get sucked into the story than my daughter, but once he did he couldn't put it down. He even used it for a book report, feeling pretty proud of himself for sharing a book that isn't out yet!

 

Loki's Wolves is a fantastic middle grade fantasy-adventure, and it lives up to the reader expectations that come from such well-known authors. I highly recommend it for all mythology lovers!

 

 

 

  

Blog Tour -- Return of the Mystic Gray

 
BLOG TOUR

Return of the Mystic Gray

by Steve Westover
 

Released April 9th, 2013

Cedar Fort Publishing

 
Blurb:

Ethan and his friends are back in a brand-new adventure! With inherited powers they don't understand and can't quite control, they head back to Crater Lake to rescue their friend Jacob, train for an epic battle, and join forces with a powerful ally---the Mystic Gray. Filled with action, adventure, and mystery, this book is a thrilling addition to the Crater Lake series!

Like its predecessor, “Return of the Mystic Gray” is set at Oregon's pristine Crater Lake and follows the exploits of Ethan, a pudgy and reluctant hero, and his band of misfit friends who are beginning to realize that their last Crater Lake adventure left them with inherited powers they don’t understand and can’t quite control. Though the kids live in different parts of the country, they are all drawn back to Crater Lake to resume their battle with the evil Chief Llao and hopefully find their lost friend, Jacob.

A year ago I posted a review of Steve's first book, Crater Lake, here. I have to echo those thoughts a little now, because book 2 is just as good. Like Crater Lake, Return of the Mystic Gray once again combines courage, magic, friendship, and teamwork, while still maintaining the wilderness adventure, Native American folklore, and local legend that I loved the first time around. These books are ideal for middle grade mystery/adventure lovers. I highly recommend them BOTH!  

Return of the Mystic Gray is currently available on BooksAndThings.com, and BarnesAndNoble.com. and Amazon.com.

 “Growing up in Oregon, I loved camping in the mountains with my fellow Scouts,” said Westover. “I even camped in the snow, cross-country skiing into camp and building snow caves. Many of those experiences inspired this book. Unlike the warm summer adventure the kids had in Book 1, they are now at Crater Lake in the dead of winter with miles of snow and frozen landscape. It’s beautiful, but treacherous.”

Website: www.stevewestover.com
Blog: http://westoversleftovers.blogspot.com/
Twitter: @stevenwestover

MMGM -- Deadweather and Sunrise + Giveaway

 

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

Shannon Whitney Messenger decided it was time to give middle grade stories the attention they deserve, and "Marvelous Middle Grade Mondays" was born.

Deadweather and Sunrise

by Geoff Rodkey

   

Blurb:

It's tough to be thirteen, especially when somebody's trying to kill you.

Not that Egg's life was ever easy, growing up on sweaty, pirate-infested Deadweather Island with no company except an incompetent tutor and a pair of unusually violent siblings who hate his guts.

But when Egg's father hustles their family off on a mysterious errand to fabulously wealthy Sunrise Island, then disappears with the siblings in a freak accident, Egg finds himself a long-term guest at the mansion of the glamorous Pembroke family and their beautiful, sharp-tongued daughter Millicent. Finally, life seems perfect.

Until someone tries to throw him off a cliff.

Suddenly, Egg's running for his life in a bewildering world of cutthroat pirates, villainous businessmen, and strange Native legends. The only people who can help him sort out the mystery of why he's been marked for death are Millicent and a one-handed, possibly deranged cabin boy.

Come along for the ride. You'll be glad you did.

This is such a fun book! Fans of middle grade adventure filled with non-stop action and thrills should not miss this one. I can't wait to share the sequel with you when I participate in the blog tour in May--you'll love that one, too!

I enjoyed this one so much that I am giving away a copy to one lucky winner. Just fill out the rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*********

And for a little extra fun, check out these reviews:

* In The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books starred review: "The fast-paced swashbuckling will surely satisfy fans of adventure, but it's really Egg's narration that makes this pirate story rise above its counterparts'' and

* Kirkus: "Fans of pirates and perilous quests will certainly enjoy this tale of hijinks on the high seas and eagerly anticipate the next installment in Egg's story."

* February's 2012 Top Shelf review: "Almost every character in this book is deliciously awful and the dialogue is often laugh-out-loud funny.  Sometimes it's hard to be a boy with a conscience, but throughout, Egg remains upright, honest and unintentionally brave." 

Places you can find Geoff:     * Official Chronicles of Egg website 

* Follow Geoff Rodkey on Facebook   

* Follow Geoff Rodkey on Twitter: @GeoffRodkey

* Geoff's blog 

Places you can buy Deadweather and Sunrise:

* Barnes & Noble:                                              

* Amazon:                                                             

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Coming Soon:

Blog Tour -- Inevitable

Announcing the release of Inevitable, 

the newest young adult suspense novel by Tamara Hart Heiner!

Blurb:

Visions of death plague Jayne, who thinks watching her boyfriend die is the worst that could happen to her. But when she witnesses a murder, Jayne finds herself caught up in a dangerous world of intrigue and suspense.

As it turns out, she is not the only one doing the stalking. The killer is on to her, and all of her visions of the dying don't reveal how her life will end. Somehow, she must stop the murderer before he arranges Jayne's own inevitable death.

**First page
Available on Amazon.com, Smashwords.com, Barnes & Noble.com, and Kobo.com!

After an awesome ebook launch on Facebook, Tamara's trying hard to top that with the paperback. So here's the plan:

1) For the entire month of March, every comment on Tamara's blog gets entered into a drawing to win a HARD COPY of one of her books. (You get to choose which one!)

2) Leave a comment on THIS BLOG for a chance to win ALL of her young adult ebooks!

3) Enter the Goodreads Giveaway for another chance to win Inevitable.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Inevitable

by Tamara Hart Heiner

Giveaway ends April 02, 2013.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

4) If you SPREAD THE NEWS, whether it's on your blog, on Facebook, on Twitter, or just plain word of mouth, you'll be entered into a drawing for a $50 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble gift card. Email Tamara at tamarahartheiner dot com and tell her how many times you did it, and you'll be entered into the drawing that many times!

Are we ready??? Get set! Go!

 

About the author: I live in Arkansas with my husband and three children, two crazy boys and one pretty little princess. I used to spend a lot of time writing until I had a baby and discovered Facebook. Now you'll often find me on there pretending to have a social life.

I am the author of three young adult suspense novels, PERILOUS, ALTERCATION, and INEVITABLE. You can find out more about what I'm writing and catch deleted scenes from my books on my blog at http://tamarahartheiner.blogspot.com.

MMGM -- Bitopia

 

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

Shannon Whitney Messenger decided it was time to give middle grade stories the attention they deserve, and "Marvelous Middle Grade Mondays" was born. 

Bitopia

by Ari Magnuson

 

 

 

 

Blurb:

 

Named to Kirkus Reviews' Best of 2012!

When you run from bullies, you never know where you might wind up…

Bitopia is a wonderland of fantastical foliage and mysterious creatures. It’s also a place where Venators lurk, vile creatures that relentlessly hunt children. So the children of Bitopia, the only human inhabitants, are forced to live in a high-walled city for protection, a medieval metropolis of cold and shadow where time passes but no one ages, a place of no escape.

Like all the other children of Bitopia, Stewart arrives there unexpectedly while fleeing from bullies. And, like all Newcomers, Stewart dreams of finding a way back home. Risking exile from the city and the protection that it offers, Stewart and Cora, his Finder, discover a clue to escaping, one that presents them with a terrible choice: face their greatest fear and risk death, or be trapped in Bitopia forever.

A fast-paced adventure that addresses a fundamental element of bullying-fear-and provides readers with an example of how to deal with bullying on their own.

 

 

As a teacher AND a mom, I really appreciate this book and its creative approach to bullying. What I love even more, though, is that the message is embedded within a fun and vivid storyline. Kids who love fantasy will enjoy this book just for the story--the anti-bullying message is simply an added bonus.

 

For all my teacher-writer friends out there, BITOPIA has a great teacher's guide full of strategies for implementing the book into bullying discussions and lessons.

 

 

 

MMGM -- Hollow Earth

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

Shannon Whitney Messenger decided it was time to give middle grade stories the attention they deserve, and "Marvelous Middle Grade Mondays" was born. 

Hollow Earth

by John Barrowman & Carole E. Barrowman

 

Blurb:

Imagination matters most in a world where art can keep monsters trapped—or set them free.

Lots of twins have a special connection, but twelve-year-old Matt and Emily Calder can do way more than finish each other’s sentences. Together, they are able to bring art to life and enter paintings at will. Their extraordinary abilities are highly sought after, particularly by a secret group who want to access the terrors called Hollow Earth. All the demons, devils, and evil creatures ever imagined are trapped for eternity in the world of Hollow Earth—trapped unless special powers release them.

The twins flee from London to a remote island off the west coast of Scotland in hopes of escaping their pursuers and gaining the protection of their grandfather, who has powers of his own. But the villains will stop at nothing to find Hollow Earth and harness the powers within. With so much at stake, nowhere is safe—and survival might be a fantasy.

I loved this book! It is filled-to-bursting with mystery and suspense, fabulous characters, and an amazing storyline that had the writer in me drooling. Wow. This is without question one of my favorite reads of 2013 so far. If you are a fan of MG fantasy and adventure, DO NOT MISS this one!!