COVER REVEAL: To Be Yours

Okay, so I am super excited to be showing you my cover for my next young adult contemporary romance novel, TO BE YOURS. It's coming on January 16, and while I know the cover doesn't look like it, the MCs live in Idaho and get snowed in...

But the story goes all the way to summer, so I think the cover is still a great fit. In fact, I freaking LOVE this cover! Are you ready to see it??

Well, here it is!

And here's a little bit about the book.

TO BE YOURS: When seventeen-year-old Eden Scotson skis to the bottom of a mountain on a routine trip with her older brother's best friend, Grayson Young, they find the lift non-operational and the biggest storm of the season upon them. Compared to dealing with the complexities of friendship and more-than-friendship, overcoming grief, and learning how to forgive old wounds, physically climbing the mountain back to safety will be the easiest part of the journey for both Eden and Grayson.

I hope you'll preorder a copy today!

JUST FRIENDS is out today!

Dude, so it's true. I'm writing YA novels again. I have one out today, in fact. You may have seen it around on Facebook, twitter, or instagram. I'm not sure if people still come to blogs or not, but I figured I better put it here too.

JUST FRIENDS is a novel I poured my heart and soul into a few years ago. It made the rounds in New York, but ultimately, it went on the hard drive. Until this past summer, when I decided to resurrect it.

Kindle Scout passed on it, and I thought, "I know how to self-publish. And I know how to hire great editors." So I did the second, and now I'm doing the first.

I hope you'll go get a copy! JUST FRIENDS is told entirely from a male POV, something I've never done before. (Yes, I know ABANDON was told from two male POVs. Two. This is the first time I've attempted to have one boy carry the whole story. I think it turned out pretty well!)

About JUST FRIENDS: High school senior, Mitch Houser, is thrilled to have multiple colleges recruiting him because of his record-breaking times on the track, but Mitch hasn’t told anyone the real reason he’s been setting records.

He’s trying to outrun his girl problems.

Mitch can't keep running from his problems, and he'll have to face both Jade and Holly—and decide which one of them to put into the “just friends” category.

Go get your copy now!

New YA Contemporary Romance Coming Soon!

Okay, so I know I haven't been around much, especially here on this blog. I had so much going on over the summer, from hitting the USA Today bestseller list and trying to keep up with my insane pen name publication schedule.

But somehow, during everything, I managed to get a couple of YA contemporary romances written and edited and ready for publication!

The first is called JUST FRIENDS and it's coming out on December 12. The second TO BE YOURS, will be out on January 16. I'm getting the cover finalized with my designer right now, but it should be up for sale soon!

About JUST FRIENDS: High school senior, Mitch Houser, is thrilled to have multiple colleges recruiting him because of his record-breaking times on the track, but Mitch hasn’t told anyone the real reason he’s been setting records.

He’s trying to outrun his girl problems.

It’s bad when his friend starts dating his younger, freshman sister. It gets worse when his best friend from childhood, Holly Isaacson, pulls away from Mitch. They used to switch phones during AP History and type each other random notes throughout the day, but lately, Mitch has been keeping his phone safely in his own pocket.

Lance, Mitch’s only competition on the track and good friend, tells Mitch over and over that Holly isn’t ten years old anymore, that she’s worth taking a second look at. Mitch rolls his eyes and tells his friend to shut up, the way he has for years.

And worst of all is the idea of Holly becoming buddy-buddy with Jade Montgomery, who is Mitch’s latest crush. He wants to move Jade from a girl he invites to eat dinner with his family to a girl he takes out to dinner—and maybe kisses afterward. Mitch, who isn’t a great conversationalist, struggles to find the right way to ask Jade out and explain his “just friends” status with Holly.

So Mitch runs, and he runs fast. Things progress with Jade at the same rate they fall apart with Holly. Mitch is under pressure from his parents to fill out his college applications. He’s unsure what to do about Holly. He argues constantly with his sister about her boyfriend. And Lance’s voice about Holly refuses to be silenced.

Most days, Mitch can’t change into his running clothes fast enough. But running from his problems isn’t a good solution, and Mitch has to face both Jade and Holly—and decide which one of them to put into the “just friends” category.

I hope you'll get a copy today! Available in Kindle Unlimited or for $2.99.

Fall For Young Adult Reads!

Okay, so it's finally getting pretty chilly around these parts. And a bunch of us YA authors got together with Kelly Hashway to bring you an amazing YA giveaway! It runs from November 9 - November 15.

You could win one of the following:

• 2 $40 gift cards
• eBook of PERFECT FOR YOU by Ashelyn Drake
• eBook of FINE ART OF PRETENDING by Rachel Harris
• eBook of SOMETHING ABOUT LOVE by Elana Johnson
• eBook of ELEVATED by Elana Johnson
• eBook of PLAYING WITH FIRE by Sherry Ficklin
• One of the GUARDIANS OF GALAXY books by Ednah Walters
• RITE OF REJECTION by Sarah Negovetich
• 4 copies of THE TROUBLE WITH DESTINY by Lauren Morrill
• eBook set of THE DARK BETRAYAL Trilogy by Nichole Chase
• eBook of TOUCHING SMOKE by Airicka Phoenix

So there will be a lot of winners! And it's open internationally! You can win one of my YA novels-in-verse, either ELEVATED or SOMETHING ABOUT LOVE. So get entering!

a Rafflecop-ter giveaway

Writing in Multiple Genres

Okay, so I've long been a proponent of writing what I want to write. I'm published in YA/NA science fiction, YA contemporary romance, and most recently I've branched out into adult romance, both contemporary, paranormal, and inspirational.

I've also written YA fantasy (which I hope will be published one day), and I continue to want to write what I want to write.

I think there are some good things about this, but there's also a downside. For the most part, I think traditional publishers want to fit their authors into certain molds, and that seems to work well. For example, when I pick up a Brandon Sanderson novel, I know what kind of novel I'm going to get, in both genre and writing. I think that's a very good thing. It's a branding thing.

But I don't want to only write and publish YA science fiction. So I've struggled over the past couple of years. Should I write under pen names? Why can't I write adult romance and YA science fiction? Can't readers look at covers and back cover copy and know what kind of book they're going to get?

I've never really been sure what the right answer is. Do you have any ideas? Do you typically write in the same genre, or have you been exploring in different genres?

ELEVATED release day!!

Throughout the years, I have visited your blogs. You've read mine. Or I've taught a class you attended, or attended a class you taught. Or maybe I've read your books and you've read mine. Maybe you've participated in the many blog tours, blitzes, or cover reveals I've organized. Maybe we're twitter or Facebook friends, or maybe we share a deep love of bacon.

Whatever our connection, I hope that today, I can solicit some support from you. See, my debut YA contemporary novel is releasing this very day, and I'd like to make a big splash in the huge pool of contemporary novels. ELEVATED also marks my entry into the Indie realm of publishing.

I hope you'll help me celebrate both of these landmarks by buying a copy of ELEVATED -- it's only $4.99, and would really make my day!

Celebrate by buying the book!

• Kindle
• Nook
• iPad / iPhone
• Kobo

Celebrate by reviewing!

• Amazon
• Barnes & Noble
• Goodreads
• Your blog -- I can provide you with a media kit to make this easy, peasy. Just ask!

Celebrate by recommending ELEVATED to a friend -- it's easy! Just tweet or Facebook or link to this blog post.

Tweet: Buy ELEVATED, a new #YA #contemporary novel from @ElanaJ today to celebrate the release! http://amzn.to/1jnTY4F

Facebook: Buy ELEVATED, a new YA contemporary novel from Elana Johnson today to celebrate the release! http://amzn.to/1jnTY4F

You can find out more about ELEVATED -- and what people have to say about it -- on Goodreads. I, of course, think it's fabulous, but you can read the reviews -- and the author endorsements below -- and decide for yourself if it's worth your $5.

"ELEVATED will take you on an emotionally gripping journey through the highs and lows of first love."
~Carolee Dean, author of Take Me There and Forget Me Not

"Poignant, raw, and intense, ELEVATED is a novel that will grip your heart and linger in your mind long after you turn the last page."
~Stasia Ward Kehoe, author of Audition and The Sound of Letting Go

Thank you, and I hope you have a great day!

Updated ELEVATED cover!

Okay, so a few weeks ago, I released the cover to my forthcoming novel, ELEVATED. It was a fabulous cover! But based on some feedback, my designer and I decided to do a little updating with the fonts, sizes, colors, and images.

Since this is a digital-release only, there are different things to think about than with a print title. I am new to navigating the Indie publishing waters, so everything has been a learning curve. Creating a cover has been one of the most rewarding and also one of the steepest curves.

The new cover for ELEVATED is below. I think it's close enough to the first one that it is still recognizable. What do you think?

I am so excited to unleash this book on the world! Less than a week now!!

ELEVATED cover reveal!

Okay, so most of you know I'm publishing my YA contemporary novel on February 18. And if you didn't know, now you do! It's called ELEVATED, and here's what it's about.

About ELEVATED: The last person seventeen-year-old Eleanor Livingston wants to see on the elevator—let alone get stuck with—is her ex-boyfriend Travis, the guy she's been avoiding for five months.

Plagued with the belief that when she speaks the truth, bad things happen, Elly hasn’t told Trav anything. Not why she broke up with him and cut off all contact. Not what happened the day her father returned from his deployment to Afghanistan. And certainly not that she misses him and still thinks about him everyday.

But with nowhere to hide and Travis so close it hurts, Elly’s worried she won’t be able to contain her secrets for long. She’s terrified of finally revealing the truth, because she can’t bear to watch a tragedy befall the boy she still loves.

Add it on Goodreads!

I had a couple of fellow verse novelists read ELEVATED, and here's what they had to say.

"ELEVATED will take you on an emotionally gripping journey through the highs and lows of first love."
~Carolee Dean, author of Take Me There and Forget Me Not

"Poignant, raw, and intense, ELEVATED is a novel that will grip your heart and linger in your mind long after you turn the last page."
~Stasia Ward Kehoe, author of Audition and The Sound of Letting Go

And now here's the cover!!

Photo and design by Erin Summerill Photography

I'm also doing a $15 PayPal cash giveaway, so help spread the word about ELEVATED's cover and enter to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


And tell me what you think of the cover!

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS by John Green

Okay, so I think I might be the last person on the planet to read THE FAULT IN OUR STARS. Part of that is my rebellious nature. I automatically buck against anything that "everyone seems to like" or that "everyone is doing."

Might be lame. I don't know.

The other part of this equation is that I often don't like books that everyone else does. Then I have to wonder why everyone likes this book that I really don't. Is it them? Is it me?

So I held off on reading THE FAULT IN OUR STARS. I just couldn't do it when everyone else did, mostly out of fear that once again, I'd be disappointed and left pondering why I couldn't like a book that seemingly everyone else on the planet does.

Thankfully, that didn't happen. I read THE FAULT IN OUR STARS, and I really liked it!

About THE FAULT IN OUR STARS: Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.

I think the thing I liked best was that while this is a tragedy, the main characters don't give up. It's a story that encompasses life--because those of us plodding along on this orb aren't giving up. We keep putting one foot (and in the case of Augustus, he only has one, which I thought was brilliant) in front of the other, and hoping.

I've read lots of reviews and such of this book, claiming I'd cry. Well, I didn't, but that just might be because I'm heartless (ha!). But I really did enjoy the journey Hazel and Augustus embark on together, and it reminded me that every day I live should be filled with hope no matter what circumstances I'm facing.

Check out what the other Bookanistas are raving about:
Katy Upperman ponders LOVE AND OTHER PERISHABLE ITEMS by Laura Buzo
Kimberly Sabatini wonders at WHEN YOU WERE HERE by Daisy Whitney
Tracy Banghart loves LACRIMOSA by Christine Fonseca
Corrine Jackson adores the ARCADIA BELL series by Jenn Bennett
Rebecca Behrens delves into CODE NAME VERITY by Elizabeth Wein
Lenore Appelhans raves about THE RULES by Stacey Kade
Stasia Ward Kehoe wraps up National Poetry Month with THE POETRY TEACHER’S BOOK OF LISTS by Sylvia Vardell
Christine Fonseca celebrates UNDER THE NEVER SKY by Veronica Rossi
Jessica Love hails THIS IS WHAT HAPPY LOOKS LIKE by Jennifer E. Smith
Shannon Messenger discusses some recent reads