Blog Tour: The Undead Road by David Powers King

Okay, so I'm very excited to be talking about THE UNDEAD ROAD. I absolutely loved the book, so when David asked me to be on his blog tour, I jumped at the chance.

About THE UNDEAD ROAD: Nothing brings the family together like a zombie apocalypse …

Fifteen-year-old Jeremy Barnes would rather watch a zombie movie than shoot a real one, but he has no choice if his family wants to survive the end of the world. Their plan? Drive across the infected United States to a cabin in the Colorado Rockies without a scratch, but their trip takes a complicated detour in the middle of Nebraska when they find Kaylynn, a girl who can handle a baseball bat better than Jeremy can hold a .45 Berretta. And when they stumble into a sanctuary, Jeremy soon learns that Kaylynn is stronger than she looks—a deadly secret lies inside her.

After the radio picks up a distress call from Kansas City about a possible cure, Jeremy’s parents go with a team to investigate. They never return. The only way to find their parents is for Jeremy and his sister Jewel to rely on a dangerous girl who might just turn on them at any moment.

Buy on Amazon -- ebook or paperback (the paperback release is TODAY! Yay!) Not only that, but the book is on sale this week for only 99-cents! Get your copy while it's discounted!

Isn't the cover fantastic?! I think it is. And that's just where the awesome begins.

My review: I love a good zombie story and this one is AMAZING! Jeremy is a fun and likeable character living in an un-fun and unlikeable world. His devotion to his family is admirable, and his quick thinking saves the day quite often. Just as often, he finds himself in difficult predicaments -- you would too if you lived in a world completely infected with Vectors (zombies).

When Jeremy meets Kaylynn, he knows she's different. But it's about more than her intoxicating eyes. She's been infected, but she can control it. She's not one of the thousands of Undead walking around looking for their next snack. And both Jeremy and Kaylynn want to know why.

When Jeremy and his little sister, Jewel, get separated from their parents, they're hoping to stay safe in David City. No such luck. A Vector horde converges, forcing the kids to take the family Explorer and follow the map left by Jeremy's dad. Jeremy's parents went to get the cure that had been radioed in, and Jeremy wants it for Kaylynn. At the very least they'll get some answers.

There are tons of problems between David City and Kansas City, however, and none of them are the kind you write home about. The pacing of the novel is swift, causing readers to flip pages as fast as they can devour them. I couldn't wait to see what Kaylynn could do, and why. I wanted Jeremy and Jewel to be reunited with their parents.

And most of all, I can't wait to read the next installment in the Zombie Summer series! This is a great first book of a great new series.

About David Powers King: David Powers King was born in beautiful downtown Burbank, California where his love for film inspired him to be a writer. He is the co-author of the YA fantasy novel WOVEN, published by Scholastic. An avid fan of science fiction and fantasy, David also has a soft spot for zombies and the paranormal. He currently lives deep in the mountain West with his wife and three children.

Follow him! He's an awesome author.

Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Newsletter

David is running a contest as part of the blog tour. Visit davidpowersking.com and leave and comment and/or tweet about The Undead Road (at least once) for a chance to win a free ebook. One out of every 10 comments and tweets is a winner! Use the Twitter Button below to ensure the author will see your tweet.

Tweet

Follow the whole tour here:

Alex Cavanaugh

Donna Hole

Chemist Ken

Elana Johnson (you're here!)

Nick Wilford

Susan Gourley (Jan 27)

Tara Tyler (Jan 27)

Kristin Smith (Jan 27)

Lidy Wilks (Jan 28)

Elizabeth Seckman (Jan 28)

M.J. Fifield (Jan 29)

Michael de Gesu (Jan 29)

Reading Report

Okay, well, I just thought you should all know that I have read this week! I feel like I should be accountable for it, since I said I was going to do it.

So I read:

1. ALL FALL DOWN by Julie Coulter Bellon (romantic suspense). I really liked this book. It moved quickly, and there was a lot of action mixed in with the romance. I don't think I've ever read a romantic suspense, so it was new for me, and I really liked it.

2. SEVEN DAY FIANCE by Rachel Harris (romance). I'm not really sure why I'm gravitating toward romance, but I am. I have tons of books on my Kindle, and when I have the choice between a YA science fiction/fantasy, I'm choosing the romance!

This one was a good example of the genre, and I read it in a single day. Go me!

3. FROM THE MOMENT WE MET by Marina Adair (romance). Another fun one! I think I'm gravitating toward these stories, because A) I love romance, and B) they're easy and fun to read. Not that speculative fiction isn't, but I've found I don't have as much to pay attention to in a romance.

Anyway, this apparently, is the 5th one of these in the series. They're all available on Kindle Unlimited, and I think I'm going to read them all.

Do you find yourself gravitating toward a specific genre? Does it surprise you which one?

RUN RUN RUN by Lee Strauss

Okay, so a friend of mine has a new serial called GINGERBREAD MAN out, with 3 episodes. This way of writing short installments of a story is fascinating to me, as is the entire premise of this series.


FRINGE meets CASTLE in this New Adult Sci-fi Mystery Suspense by Amazon best-selling author Lee Strauss.

College girl meets boy online.
A killer targets girls like her.
She's next on the list.
The boy wants to save her.
She thinks it's him.

It's worse than they both think.

RUN RUN RUN is the first part of a three part episode - Gingerbread Man - in the romantic suspense series, A Nursery Rhyme Suspense.

Amazon | iBooks | Nook | Kobo | Google Play

Check out AS FAST AS YOU CAN, the second episode in the series.

Marlow finds himself in a "new world" and has to convince Sage of the danger at hand. Their friendship grows as they work together to track a killer and hopefully find their friend Teagan before it's too late.

AMAZON




And look for the last installment, coming in the next couple of days, YOU CAN'T CATCH ME. 

Marlow and Sage were on track to catch a killer, when the unbelievable happened. Now Marlow has to convince this "new" Sage of the danger and their friend Teagan remains in grave peril.

AMAZON

I just think it's a brilliant concept. I mean, nursery rhyme suspense stories? Mystery? Romance? That's like triple-play fantastic!

The first episode is free, and the other two are 99 cents. I hope you'll give them a try!

What's the latest story you've heard of that made you go "I wish I'd thought of that!"? 

Cover Reveal: GIRLS ON FIRE boxed set

Okay, so there's an amazing boxed set coming out next Monday, June 16. The reason I know it's amazing? I know all of the other nine authors, and I've read several of their books!

The tenth author and book is mine. A title I've never released before--one I'm announcing tomorrow (so stay tuned for that!).

Here's what the boxed set is about: Ten powerful YA heroines kicking butt and fighting for love.

Today we're revealing the cover for the boxed set. Here it is!!

About the novels in the GIRLS ON FIRE boxed set:
WITCH FALL – Amber Argyle
High Fantasy
Supreme in their dominion over seasons, storms, and sea, the witches have forgotten the unmatched destructiveness of mankind. And among the weapons men seek are the magical songs of the witches. Born of witches but raised among their enemies, Lilette searches for a way to heal the rift between mankind and the witches. But it may be too late to save either. For if there is one thing Lilette has come to know for certain, it’s that all things fall.

ETERNAL STARLING – Angela Corbett
Paranormal Romance
For centuries, Alex Night and Emil Stone have yearned for Evie Starling. When both men claim to be her soul mate and tell her about an unbelievable past, Evie learns that she’s not the person she thought she was, and her soul is about to become the rope in an eternal tug-of-war.

AWAKENING – Christy Dorrity
Fantasy
When an ancient curse threatens McKayla McCleery's family, she must decide what in her life is real and what is fantasy. Based in Celtic mythology, Awakening is a gripping young adult fantasy that is rife with magic, romance, and mystery.

INEVITABLE – Tamara Hart Heiner
Suspense
Visions of death plague Jayne, who thinks watching her sister die is the worst that could happen to her. But when she witnesses a murder, Jayne realizes that the next death she sees might be her own.

WATCHED – Cindy M. Hogan
Romantic Suspense
Change. She longed for it.
A murder. She will never be the same.

THE FORGOTTEN ONES – Laura Howard
Fantasy
Allison O'Malley doesn't trust her father, so why would she believe his fairy tale about a long forgotten Irish people, the Tuatha de Danaan? But truths have a way of revealing themselves. Secrets will eventually surface. And Allison must learn to set aside her plan and work with her father if there is even a small chance it could restore her mother's sanity.

ELEMENTAL HUNGER – Elana Johnson
Futuristic Fantasy
Sixteen-year-old Gabriella Kilpatrick can shoot fire from her hands, which would be great if she didn’t get blamed for a blazing inferno that kills 17 schoolmates. Gabby will have to learn who she can trust, how to control her own power, and most of all, how to lead a Council of Elementals, most of whom have more control over their power than she does. If she can’t, she’ll find herself just like those 17 schoolmates: burned and six feet under.

THE FAERIE GUARDIAN – Rachel Morgan
Fantasy
Kickbutt faerie Violet is about to graduate as the top guardian trainee of her class, but when an assignment goes wrong and the human boy she’s meant to be protecting follows her back into the fae realm, a dangerous plot is set in motion.

PERCEPTION – Lee Strauss
Dystopian/Romance
Eternal Life is to Die For.
A spoiled genetically altered girl needs the help of a jaded “natural” boy to find her missing brother.

INTRINSICAL – Lani Woodland
Paranormal
The gene that allows the women in Yara’s family to see and communicate with spirits seems to have passed her over. Until the night she rescues a local hottie from an attacking ghost. Her act of heroism attracts the attention of the evil spirit, and she finds herself entrenched in the middle of a sixty-year-old curse that haunts the school, threatening her own life as well as that of her friends.

Publication date: June 16, 2014
Price: 99 cents for 10 amazing YA novels!

Add the boxed set on Goodreads.

And click on each author's name to learn more about them and their books.

• Amber Argyle
• Angela Corbett
• Christy Dorrity
• Tamara Hart Heiner
• Cindy M. Hogan
• Laura Howard
• Elana Johnson
• Rachel Morgan
• Lee Strauss
• Lani Woodland

I'm very excited about being included in this amazing boxed set, with these amazing titles and authors! What do you think of the cover?

Judging a Book by its Cover (and Title)

Okay, so I read a lot of books. Usually it's something one of my friends wrote, or a recommendation from a friend, or something that's getting a lot of buzz. But recently, I've decided to try reading something I've never heard of before.

Shocking, I know.

Buy here

So I go to the Kindle (which is how I read now. I know, you're disappointed), and I simply start clicking around. I find this book called FLAT-OUT LOVE by Jessica Park. I read it--and I really like it. Like, like it a lot.

It's not exactly YA, but it reads very much like a YA. I suppose this is called New Adult (Julie, the MC is a freshman in college), a genre I'll admit I've been skeptical about and honestly, a little scared of.

See, I don't want the entire plot to be the romance. Don't get me wrong. Romance is essential in the books I love, but I've read so much that I'm getting weary of the busy/scorned/betrayed/world-weary woman falling for the sexy/hot/tall/dark/handsome/motorcycle-riding guy. That said, I still read a lot of those and enjoy them. I know, I'm a mixed bag.

Anyway, I've derailed here. I've read several NA novels, and I've found they're not really my thing. I've found them to be a bit romance-heavy, and sometimes more sexy than I want to read.

But FLAT-OUT LOVE wasn't either of those. There is romance--and I really enjoyed and was rooting for it. But there's more. There are other--more important--plot lines going on. Real relationships and real problems being explored. Some romance, but not the immediate kind of romance, but the kind of relationship that takes months to build.

That's why I loved the book. So I finish, and I want to read more books like that. Well, the Kindle (or Amazon) will tell you what other books people are buying when they buy FLAT-OUT LOVE.

And I started judging. That cover looks too romance-heavy.
That cover looks too sexy.
What is that on the cover?
I can't read that title. (Remember, I'm on the Kindle. It's small.)
I can't pronounce that character's name.

I'd only click on the covers that looked like I might get something that had substance and sported a title I could read easily. Then I'd read the book description. I'll admit that none of them piqued my interest for one reason or another, and I'm still looking for my next read that's like FLAT-OUT LOVE.

But I realized that book covers and titles are really important to me, and I think, all readers. It's our first judgement of a book. It might be that we'd really enjoy what's behind the cover, but we'll never see it if that first impression isn't done well.

Do you find yourself judging books this way? And do you have any recommendations for what I can read if I loved FLAT-OUT LOVE? I'd love to hear them!!

BY BLOOD Blitz!

Okay, there were so many B-words I could've put in that title. "By" and "Banghart" also start with B! So today is the BY BLOOD by Tracy E. Banghart Book Blitz!!

Doesn't that sound shiny? That's because it is!

Tracy is releasing her book today for the first time in paperback! I know how awesome of a moment that is, so I wanted to celebrate with her.

First, the amazing cover!

Add to Goodreads
Buy on Amazon

About BY BLOOD: For 17-year-old Emma Wong, spending a summer in England should be a dream come true. Gorgeous scenery? Check. Lots of hot guys with accents? Yes, please.

Throw in an estranged mom, annoying new stepdad, and drooling baby half-brother, and it’s a disaster even her favorite cherry red leather jacket can’t fix. Even worse, there’s (hot) live-in research assistant Josh to contend with. The only thing more embarrassing than drunk-kissing him hours after they meet? Knowing he’ll be witness to her family’s dysfunction all. summer. long.

But when Emma meets a mysterious girl who happens to be a Druid, her vacation suddenly promises to be far more intriguing than she anticipated. Powerful rituals, new friends, an intoxicating sense of freedom...and Simon, the sexy foreign stranger she was hoping for. It’s all a perfect distraction from dirty diapers and awkward family dinners.

Trouble is, intriguing doesn’t often mean simple. And Emma is about to discover just how not simple her life really is.

I'm reading BY BLOOD right now, and I can tell it's going to be a page-turner. Susanne Winnacker (author of IMPOSTOR -- one of my favorite reads of 2013!) said this about BY BLOOD: “By Blood effortlessly transports you to the cobblestone streets and small pubs of Oxford, and Emma’s sassy voice pulls you right into the story with its hot British boys and touch of magic. A must read!”

So far, I agree with her. So if you haven't put BY BLOOD on your radar, do it today!

Tracy on Facebook
Tracy's blog
Tracy on Twitter

Tracy E. Banghart is a cheesy movie–loving, fantasy football–playing (go Ravens!), globe-trotting Army wife who began “practicing” her craft at the age of five, when she wrote her first story. She loves visiting the international friends she met while pursuing her MA in Publishing and spends a portion of every summer at her family’s cabin in Canada, where she finds inspiration and lots of time to relax on the dock. She lives with her husband, son, two lazy dogs and one ornery cat. When not writing or spending time with her family, she is on a mission to bake the perfect cupcake.

Tracy’s next novel, Moon Child, a companion to By Blood, will be available this August!

Tracy is running a giveaway with the Blitz! She's giving away a signed paperback of BY BLOOD and a whole slew of hardcover books (US only), and a signed paperback of BY BLOOD + a $50 Amazon gift card to an international winner! Enter in the Rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Best of 2011: Books

Dude, so this post could be miles and miles long. I promise I'll do my best just to highlight a few, okay? Okay.

Best Dystopian Read of 2011: PRIZED by Caragh M. O'Brien. It's the second book in the BIRTHMARKED trilogy--and I loved Birthmarked (also read this year). This novel was absolutely amazing. I aspire to write like this.

Runners-Up: DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth, ASHFALL by Mike Mullin, THE ELEVENTH PLAGUE by Jeff Hirsch.

Best Contemporary YA: VIRTUOSITY by Jessica Martinez. I've blogged about this book before, so I won't go on and on again. But it's a fabulous read. Buy it for yourself for Christmas.

Runners-Up: MOONGLASS by Jessi Kirby, THE LIAR SOCIETY by Lisa & Laura Roecker, THE DAY BEFORE by Lisa Schroeder, SEAN GRISWOLD'S HEAD by Lindsey Leavitt.

Best Fantasy: THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS by Rae Carson. Once again, I've blogged about this book, and I just can't stop thinking about it. I want to write a book in this genre. At the same time, I'm scared I'll do it badly. So yeah. A book that tells a great story and inspires authors to write better. You can't go wrong.

Runners-Up: THE NEAR WITCH by Victoria Schwab, CLARITY by Kim Harrington, CHIME by Franny Billingsley, RUBY RED by Kersten Gier

What are you best reads of 2011?

In An Attempt for Depth

Okay, so I don't think it's any secret that I am an escapist reader. I've said it several times here on the blog. I think I've confessed this too: I only read YA novels. Sometimes the ocassional middle grade. But, yeah, usually YA.

As the new year approaches, I've been thinking of how I can add some depth to my life. And I've decided to read an adult novel. Or at least something I should've read in high school. Or something.

Some choices are obvious. A Tale of Two Cities. Huckleberry Finn. Something by Jane Austen. (Yeah, I've read none of those.)

And let's face it, this might be the only novel I read for this purpose, so I want to make it a good one.

So... what should I read?

Also, I will be gone the rest of the week eating pie and generally giving thanks. See you next week!

What Makes A Story Great?

So I've been doing a lot of reading lately, and I've been thinking (always dangerous). Sometimes I'm reading along, and something amazing happens and I think, I love this book.

Which makes me wonder: What makes a story great? When you're reading, when do you know you love a book? Can you fall out of love after having that I love this book moment?

WriteOnCon Amazing Amazingness

First, have you ever realized how hard it is to title a blog post? Mine are getting lamer and lamer.

But what we have going on today ISN'T lame (thankfully). Announcing...

A WriteOnCon Live Event AND an Epic Giveaway of Epic Epicness! (That's right!)



When: Monday, September 27. 7:00 PM EDT.
Where: WriteOnCon site.
What: A live chat with industry professionals!
Who: Literary agents Jessica Sinsheimer and Roseanne Wells

As if that weren't enough, we WOC organizers are having giveaways to lure you in get you excited about this event and to motivate you to spread the word! (Shannon, LiLa, Jamie, Casey, Jen)

And if that's still not enough, be sure to check out the WriteOnCon site today and tomorrow--every stinkin' HOUR--for some amazing prizes from some Elevensies authors, including yours truly! We're talking pre-orders, ARC's, and critiques. That action is happening over on the WOC site, so go go go!!

Right here, on this blog, I've got some amazing young adult titles, signed by their equally amazing authors.

LOSING FAITH by Denise Jaden.

BREAK by Hannah Moskowitz.

There are many, many ways to get extra entries for this contest.

Mandatory thing:
1. Fill out the form by Sunday, September 26 at midnight.

Optional things:
1. +1 for commenting on this post
2. +2 for tweeting about this contest
3. +2 for posting or linking this contest on your blog/website/facebook
4. +1 for each of my co-organizer’s blogs or websites that you follow (Shannon, LiLa, Casey, Jamie, Jen)
5. +10 for donating to the WriteOnCon website (over on the right side, down under the follow widget)

Now…listen. WriteOnCon is something we designed to be totally and completely free for everyone, so we hate taking money from anyone. But, unfortunately, the only way we can avoid another Error 403 disaster is to have way better web hosting, and sadly, that doesn’t come for free—no matter how much we bat our eyelashes.

So sadly we have to pay to keep WriteOnCon 2011 EPIC. But we want to make a few things clear:

-You DO NOT have to donate to enter (or win) any of these contests
-You DO NOT have to donate to participate in the live events
-You DO NOT have to donate to attend our next conference
-IF you decide to donate, we’re only recommending something small, like $5.00

So it’s completely up to you if you want to donate. If you can—THANK YOU, and we wanted to reward you with extra contest entries. If you can’t—no worries. Absolutely none!

Okay?

Okay.

The FORM IS HERE.

Stealing from Candyland...Elana out.

Oh, wait! What do you have in your life that is amazingly amazing? Or epically epic??

Book Day Giveaway! Day Five

Before we go all crazy for the final day of the giveaway, be sure to check out my query for CONTROL ISSUES on Matt's blog.

Yes, someone's going to publish my book. I can barely contain the tremors, trust me. Since you guys have been around for a lot of my journey, I'm giving away some Super-cali-fragilistic-expial-i-docious stuff. And if that's not epic, I don't know what is.

My book is a young adult dystopian novel in the vein of The Giver and The Hunger Games. Therefore, my giveaways are young adult/middle grade dystopians.

Each day this week there will be two prize packages available. The rules to enter are super-simple.
1. Go to The League of Extraordinary Writers blog. (I'm a co-author.) Follow.
2. Leave a comment ON THIS POST.
3. NEW RULE: You must follow Christina Lee's blog, as she's giving away a major amount of amazing jewelry!

Winners will be chosen from the comments of this post. I will check to make sure the winner has followed the League blog AND Christina's blog.

What can you win? What can you win? WHAT CAN YOU WIN??

THE DEAD-TOSSED WAVES prize package:
1. A copy of The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan (hardcover)
2. Matching bookmark created by Elana
3. A box of peanut butter patties -- Girl Scout Cookies!
4. $5 gift card to Barnes & Noble
5. Handmade, personalized (non-scribbled upon, I promise) notebook for all your artistic needs (6 x 9 inches)
6. Copy of From the Query to the Call OR a query critique by Elana
7. A $35 gift certificate for a piece of jewelry from Christina Lee (click here for her jewelry site)

THE MAZE RUNNER prize package:
1. A signed copy of The Maze Runner by James Dashner
2. Matching bookmark created by Elana
3. A box of peanut butter patties -- Girl Scout Cookies!
4. $5 gift card to Barnes & Noble
5. Handmade, personalized notebook for all your writing needs (6 x 9 inches)
6. Copy of From the Query to the Call OR a 10-page critique by Elana
7. A $40 gift certificate for a piece of jewelry from Christina Lee

Again, all you have to do to win is 1) Follow The League of Extraordinary Writers and 2) Leave a comment on THIS POST. (Tell me which prize package you'd like most. If possible, I'll give it to you.) and 3) Follow Christina Lee's blog.

This giveaway will remain open for 24 hours! That's it. You snooze, you lose. Winners will be announced at 3:00 PM tomorrow. Phew! This concludes the Book Deal giveaway extravaganza!!

Thanks for celebrating with me! And next week is going to feel so lamesauce. Le sigh.

Book Deal Giveaway! Day Four

TODAY'S CONTEST IS OPEN UNTIL NOON (mst).

And my query letter for CONTROL ISSUES is being broken down on Matt's blog today. Go. Follow him. Read. Comment. Whatever.

Yes, someone's going to publish my book. I can barely contain the tremors, trust me. Since you guys have been around for a lot of my journey, I'm giving away some mind-blowing loot (oh, man. *hangs head in shame*).

My book is a young adult dystopian novel in the vein of The Giver and The Hunger Games. Therefore, my giveaways are young adult/middle grade dystopians.

Each day this week there will be two prize packages available. The rules to enter are super-simple.
1. Go to The League of Extraordinary Writers blog. (I'm a co-author.) Follow.
2. Leave a comment ON THIS POST.

Winners will be chosen from the comments of this post. I will check to make sure the winner has followed the League blog.

What can you win? What can you win? WHAT CAN YOU WIN??

GONE prize package:
1. A copy of Gone by Michael Grant (paperback)
2. Matching bookmark created by Elana
3. A box of peanut butter patties -- Girl Scout Cookies!
4. $5 gift card to Barnes & Noble
5. Handmade, personalized notebook (sans scribbling *embarrassed* You would not believe what my kids do to their notebooks! Don't they know they're like, sacred artifacts or something?) for all your writing scribbling needs (6 x 9 inches)
6. Copy of From the Query to the Call OR a query critique by Elana

ENDER'S GAME prize package:
1. A copy of Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (paperback)
2. Matching bookmark created by Elana
3. A box of peanut butter patties -- Girl Scout Cookies!
4. $5 gift card to Barnes & Noble
5. Handmade, personalized notebook for all your writing needs (6 x 9 inches)
6. Copy of From the Query to the Call OR a 10-page critique by Elana

Again, all you have to do to win is 1) Follow The League of Extraordinary Writers and 2) Leave a comment on THIS POST. (Tell me which prize package you'd like most. If possible, I'll give it to you.) and 3) Tell me my hair looks great. (Ha! We'll see who's reading carefully!)

This giveaway will remain open for 24 hours! That's it. You snooze, you lose. Because tomorrow, I have TWO more prize packages to give away! Winners will be announced at 1:00 PM tomorrow. And the new giveaway will go live at 2:00 PM.

Thanks for celebrating with me!

There Are No Small Deals

Hey, so I heard the wise Laura Rennert say this at the conference I just attended. (Side note: I'm presenting again -- this time at the League of Utah Writers -- this Saturday! Come see me if you can!)

She said, "There are no small deals."

My heart took courage at that. I've sort of been wrestling with something, and I hope it'll make sense.

I know my book isn't going to sell for a lot of money. I could go on and on about why I think that, but I'll spare you.

Let's just say I have a feeling. So here's my question for you:

Does that make my book not as good as one that does sell for a lot of money?

Does the amount of money paid make a book better?

And before you guys get all "That's ridiculous, E," or whatever whatever, really stop and think about it. When you read the deal on Publisher's Marketplace that says the trilogy sold in a major deal, don't you automatically think that book is better than one that didn't?

Just the same way we think some agents are better than others...? Bigger names = better agent, right?

So it stands to reason that bigger money = better book.

I have a firm opinion on this, but I'm wondering what you all think. So tell me! Does bigger money mean a better book? Why or why not? Or is Laura Rennert right and there are no small deals?

Fantabulous Followers Giveaway

Okay, here's another amazing Monday. Now Monday isn't usually that great of a day. But today, in celebration of my fantabulous followers, I'm having a book giveaway. (I was going to do this for reaching 500 followers, but now there's over 700 of you! So SEVEN books will be offered!)

And not just any book giveaway. These books will be signed by their authors. Personalized, even. Here are the books you can win:

The Naughty List by Suzanne Young

Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves

Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Gone by Lisa McMann (won't be personalized)

Captivate by Carrie Jones

The Secret Year by Jennifer R. Hubbard

It's super easy to enter. Simply do these three things:
1. Follow my blog. (Widget right over there... -->)
2. Follow Suzette Saxton and Bethany Wiggins' blog - they have a wicked contest going on today too! Agent critiques and stuff. Check it out!
3. Fill out the form below.

My twitter. My facebook. Contest is open until Sunday, March 14 at 10 PM MST. Good luck!

Before You Unplug

Okay, guys, if you're going to be unplugged next week, listen up! Come by the blog on Monday before you go all hermit-like, okay?

Why?

The contest! The contest! I mean, no one's gonna be Mardi Gras-ing it up like me and Shelli. I mean, NO ONE.

I think Shelli's announcing her festivities today, and I'm having a pretty major contest right here on Monday. I will say that the contest involves literary agents. Five literary agents. So don't unplug till you stop by on Monday.

And that's not all I have planned. You may have noticed that I hit 500 followers this month. So I'm in the middle of organizing another giveaway for next month.

Which brings me to my questions for today. Do you like blog contests? What do you like to win? Explainage would be good, but simply a yes/no and a list of prizes you'd like would suffice.

Man, I sound so professional today. I mean, "suffice"? *snarf*

Oh, and I'm at this amazing writerly thing today with a bunch of kewl writerly peeps. I went yesterday too, so I'll try to catch up on all the bloggy stuff over the weekend, okay?

Okay.

Thankful Thursday - Teachers

When's the last time you were in a classroom? A real one, like non-college or high school. Like elementary school, yeah, let's go with elementary school. Have you been to an elementary school recently?

They're awesome. Here's why.

I went to my husband’s classroom last week. Or maybe two weeks ago. Or it might have been at the beginning of August. It doesn’t matter.

Because in his room, shelves line the entire back wall. These shelves hold magic. These shelves hold books. New worlds. Funny people I want to meet and cry with and laugh with and hug. Mean girls I want to see fall on their faces. Magicians. Boys who can draw terrible things and fly like the wind and ride horses and save kingdoms.

Classrooms house joy. They house printed books. None of the students have e-readers or Kindle’s or discuss if books should come in different formats. They hold power in their hands. They hold books.

And that is why books will always be published in the traditional way. For there is no thrill in lightly running your finger down the spine of your Kindle. Or flipping the pages of your iPhone. Or opening a new book and breathing in the scent that is unmistakably wonder.

So this Thursday, I am thankful. For books, in all their varieties. For teachers and students and parents who buy books. For authors who write them. Publishers who print them.

What are you thankful for?

Holy Lotta Books

Okay, I don't normally enter contests, like ever. But this one is just too much NOT to enter.

Check it out.

This is a sampling of the books you can win in this contest.

The Winner Will Get All These Books.

1. Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick ARC
2. Along For The Ride by Sarah Dessen ARC
3. Kiss of Life by Daniel Waters ARC
4. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater ARC
5. Troy High by Shana Norris ARC
6. Love You Hate You Miss You by Elizabeth Scott ARC
7. Reincarnation by Suzanne Weyn ARC
8. Lovestruck Summer by Melissa Walker
9. Death by Series by Linda Gerber (3 books total)
10. a 5 dollar giftcard from Walmart (you can buy yourself half of a book with it, lol)
11. 3 Sarah Dessen books ( Just Listen, This Lullaby, Someone Like You)
12. Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson
13. Fire By Kristin Cashmore ARC
14. Last but not least, I have some extra amazon cards, so I will also include a preorder for CATCHING FIRE BY SUZANNE COLLINS. It will be shipped to on or around Sept 1st (whenever they ship it)
AND a book of your choice (under $15.00 please and it can be a preorder as long as it comes out in September-so many good books get released)

I mean, come on. This is too good to pass up. And you get an extra entry if you tell her I sent you!

And now... I'm unplugging. I swear.

A Love-Hate Relationship Brought to You by the Blog Chain

Blog chain time again! BTW, some of you have asked how to participate in the blog chain. This chain started when a group of friends from the QueryTracker forum decided to link together and discuss a set topic. We maintain a schedule, a rotation of who picks the topic and a general discussion board where we share real life things using RallyStorm. It really is quite fun, and if you're interested in more deets on how to start your own blog chain, shoot me an email. Or leave a comment here. Or PM me through Rally. Some of you are already there.

So back to the regularly scheduled programming. This chain is about one of my favorite topics - characters. Creating characters, reading about them, is what makes writing enjoyable. It's why I love to read. I love to see what other people will do in the face of impossible odds.

In your reading and writing, which do you prefer – a main character that is intriguing, or one that is likeable? Who are the characters that you love the most? And who are the ones that you love to hate?


Michelle started this chain, so go back to her blog to hear the specifics of her answer.

I’m going to start by springboarding off something she said. She was talking about Scarlett O’Hara and how she’s unlikable and yet we read. Well, I don’t. I haven’t read that. It was probably printed before I was born. I don’t normally read or watch movies that were made before I was born. Shallow, I know. I think I already had this “classics” confession.

Anyhow, that got me thinking of books I’ve read where I absolutely hated the main character. I know you know what I’m thinking of.

Twilight.

Okay, I'll just get it out there. I hate Bella. Really, really hate her. I was talking with my crit group last week and we discussed this for a few minutes. We all hated Bella, and most girls say they don’t like Bella either. So why do they read a book narrated by Bella?

Ahhh, Edward. And one girl (I think it was Stacy) said that the teen girls (and other women) read Twilight because they think they deserve Edward more than Bella, because Bella is just so stupid and unlikable. So if Edward likes her…he can like them—more.

People read Twilight because the real “hero” of the book is Edward, even though he’s not the one telling the story. He’s the likable one. The intriguing one. The one that keeps us turning pages. (At least until Book 4 when he turns into a complete and utter moron, but that is a post for another day in the far distant future.)

So I think that’s what it comes down to this: Who is the real hero of your book? Is it really the narrating character? Or is it someone else? No matter who it is, that’s the person that’s going to propel a reader through a book, which means you must have someone like that in your book. Even if it's not the narrating character.

So let’s see if I’ve answered the question (doubtful, I like tangents). Ha! I actually did--at least the likable and intriguing part.

So moving on to characters I love the most…hmm. I like the underdog who has spunk and guts and real emotions. Percy Jackson. Katniss in The Hunger Games. I also loved Rue in that book. Yes, Harry Potter and all the injustices he has to endure. Travis in The Forest of Hands and Teeth. He was the romantic one, the quiet guy who Mary loved. I like characters with flaws, but who work to overcome them.


Onto characers I hate. I don't think I do. Even Darth Vader--the villian, the epitome of evil--is a likable character. People like him so much they made three movies just to tell his story. So even villains can be intriguing and drive the reader to turn pages. (Or maybe I just like light sabers.) But really, he's a character we love to hate, because his past is so tragic. So we love him, yet we hate him at the same time.

If you can manage to write a character we love and root for (the hero) combined with another character we love to hate (the villain), and ultimately we want him to be defeated but it's still sad when he is, then you've found the winning combination of characters that will make your book a page-turner. Think Star Wars with Luke and Darth. Harry Potter with Harry and Voldemort.

That is all. Annie is up in the chain tomorrow, and I know she'll have something uber-awesome to say on this topic.


What do you think? Which characters do you like? Do they have to be likable? Intriguing? Does that person have to be the one telling the story? Which charcters do you have a love-hate relationship with? Why? What makes them so loveable and yet hateable at the same time? What kind of characters do you like to write?

Blog Chain - I Love Me Some Books

Okay, Kate started this chain with this: This time...I'd like to focus on the flip side of the writing coin - reading. Specifically, what books have influenced you? This can be books that influenced you as a writer, or simply books that touched you as a human being. If you want to talk about one book, a top three, ten, or even twenty go right ahead.

Annie posted before me and Terri is up next. Everyone's been going all crazy about how they could go on and on about this topic.

Um, me? Not so much. See, I don't read to learn something new. About life, about the chemical reactions of copper and peroxide, about myself, about anything. To me, that's not what reading is for. I can Google if I want to learn something new. Or ask someone who already knows. Or just by trial and error. But reading? Pshaw. That takes the whole point of reading away. Because reading should be...well, keep reading. *winks*

I'm what you'd call a shallow reader. I read for fun. The end.

So books that have touched me? *scratches head*

Influenced me as a writer? *panic face*

Don't get me wrong, I love me some books. I've always loved books, but not in the way that they can teach me a lesson and/or influence my life. More like in the way that I can escape to a new place, experience something cool or get caught up in a romance that leaves me breathless. Reading, for me, has never been about the writing. It's been about the stories, the people, the places.

Only recently (translation: when I tried writing myself) did the books I read have any other purpose other than to entertain me. So if you're looking for something deep here, um, maybe you better go back to Archy's post. Or Christine's. Or Annie's. Or pretty much anyone else in this chain.

My list of books I love randomly changes based on what I've recently read that I love. Ha! Go figure. I've blogged about some of these before, but here's my best shot. You should note that these books are on my list for their entertainment value. Now, before you go all ballistic on me, that doesn't mean they're not written well. I just didn't happen to be paying attention to that at the time.

1. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
2. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
3. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. Heck, anything this man writes is pure entertainment for me. (And good writing.)
4. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
5. Percy Jackson and The Olympians by Rick Riordan
6. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
7. Maximum Ride by James Patterson
8. Alcatraz and the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson
9. The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud

These books I love because of the way the author wove words together. Some of them I didn't actually finish, because I wasn't entertained enough to do so. But the writing? Brilliant. I have pages folded down, images I've scrawled on post-its and happy faces in the margins of especially poignant sentences. This all came about after I decided to be a writer. I do think these books have helped me become a better writer, simply by helping me define what kind of writer I want to be.

1. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
2. Enna Burning by Shannon Hale
3. Anything by Nancy Farmer or Cornelia Funke
4. Tantalize by Cynthia Leitich Smith
5. A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
6. Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Notice there are no classics in either list. Um, that's not fun reading. At least not for me. Heck, I was on the Academic Olympiad in high school *insert geek song of your choice*. We even had these totally schweet T-shirts and everything. I don't think any of my former geekalicious Olympiad's read this blog so I can say this out loud: I didn't read the books we were supposed to for the competition. Why? Cuz A Tale of Two Cities and Huckleberry Finn are NOT entertaining reading! That is not my idea of a fun time.

But reading about magic and moving staircases and hoverboards? Oh, yeah. Djinn and faeries and alternate realms? Bring it on. The first kiss and riding in the Sun God's chariot and jumping out the window of a fifty-story building and unfurling your wings? Yes, yes, YES!

There are also only young adult and middle grade books on my list. That's what I like to read (and write), because it's fun.

So I read for entertainment. Funnily enough, that's also why I write.

Can you answer Kate's question? What books have influenced you? And maybe just because they were a good yarn that kept you turning pages way past your bedtime.

Contest Winners! And So Many New Books to Read

Wow, you guys are so full of awesome. There were so many comments on last Friday's call for the best books and authors on the planet. I carefully typed them all up in a fancy Word document and did some serious printage and scouring at the library. And then I'm going to head to the bookstore. And then maybe Amazon. One can never have too many books. Or amazing authors to emulate. But enough babbling about my future plans which may or may not come to fruition (challenge: use this word in a sentence today! ha ha!).

So on to the winner!

It's Sandra!

And you can email me with your prize choice.
1. Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
2. Looking for Alaska by John Green
3. Or a critique of the first ten pages of your novel

And the second place winner! You didn't think I was going to have more than one, didja? Ha! I like to keep you on your toes.

Sara Tribble can email me what she wants, in list form, please. Like, "1. Looking for Alaska 2. Critique 3. Wicked Lovely" Then whatever Sandra doesn't pick, I'll give you your top choice if it's available. Does this even make sense? It does inside my own brain, but you never know on the outside.

And the third place winner is Windsong. Just email me. You'll get what you get and you won't throw a fit. Oops! My inner teacher/mom just surfaced.

Email: elanajohnson (at) gmail (dot) com

Thanks for suggesting the great reads! I went to the library yesterday and they had some Patricia McKillip and some Bernard Cornwall. I put Tad Williams on request, same with Cassandra Clare (which I already had on request). And I've had Suzanne Collins' on request for like, two weeks, so we'll see if I ever get that. And I have Diana Gabaldon's book in my closet...I've really got to read that...