Halloween Excitement! Book Excitement! EXCITEMENT EXCITEMENT!

Too many good things in the world and not enough time to tell you about them fully because I need to go tease my hair. It's Halloween, after all, and since I pretend every day is Halloween, when it's really Halloween, I need to go big to differentiate.

Anyway, let me explain. Or maybe I'll just pull an Inigo.

EXCITEMENT 1: My son turns 10 today! DOUBLE HOLIDAY WITH DOUBLE DIGITS. He's the best. He used to look like this, but now he doesn't. Well, he still makes that face, but it's bigger and with more orthodontia now. Also, he's awesome. I love being a mom in general and his mom in particular.

EXCITEMENT 2: Lots of new Carrie books are coming! The Bad Hair Day paperback releases November 12, and Sally Slick and the Steel Syndicate is starting to ship EARLY from the Evil Hat store. WOOP! Ordering there will net you a free ebook copy along with the printed one, so your ereader won't go hungry. The Young Centurions RPG, which will allow you to play in the same world as Sally Slick and the Steel Syndicate, is in the editing stage, so you should see that in the early stages of 2014! WOOP WOOP! And I just saw the full book jacket for Demon Derby, which means ARCs should follow soon-ish. ALL THE WOOPS!

EXCITEMENT 3: Furthermore, a NEW new Carrie book will be coming out sometime next year! That's right, peeps! I sold another one, and this is a bit of a new direction for me, so I'm crazy excited. I'm writing a tie-in book for War of Ashes, which is currently a miniature game, will soon be an RPG, and hopefully will go in even more exciting directions after that. The War of Ashes world is "grimsical," and let me tell you--after I heard THAT I pretty much prostrated myself on the floor and refused to move until they let me write a book there. The WoA world is kind of like the love child of Tim Burton and Terry Prachett...populated by Muppets with pointy objects.

It's probably important for me to say that this book will be adult in the same way that Terry Prachett is "adult." In other words, it'll be longer than my other ones, and there might be a few swear words in it. There will likely be jokes in it that kids won't get but should generally be safe as long as they're interested. So what's it about? I'm glad you asked! Here's the pitch:

War of Ashes: Off on a Ylark:

Gicca Nummus is the Senior Ylark Handler of the village of Dumas. It’s a prestigious position, and he’d be thrilled if he hadn’t just left a more prestigious position designing Things That Do Things—machines—for the priests of Ilunui. But his elder brother Ficca is the new priest of Dumas, and someone has to keep that cheese-brain from burning down the village where they grew up.

Elani Usus has a similar problem. She’d much rather be anywhere but Dumas, doing anything other than serving unending drafts of kogg in the inn. But her father, Lukkus, is the town elder, and he deals with things he doesn’t understand by faking it. Badly. The idea that his little fawny-wawny might want to do anything other than pour kogg? It doesn’t compute. After all, the blubber-noggin can’t count past three. And uses phrases like “fawny-wawny.”

When the first wave of the Vidaar fleet appears in the great sea to the south, Gicca and Elani have to step up. If they leave the village’s defense to their relatives, the whole town of Dumas is going to explode. Or be enslaved. Or explode, be enslaved, and then explode again for good measure.

His inventions and her leadership skills turn the tide of battle and save the town despite the bumbling efforts of Ficca and Lukkus. All they manage to do is burn down the inn and cover the enemy with cheese curds. But the defense of Dumas is just the beginning. Someone has to get to Ilunui. Someone has to alert the Houselords. And most of all, someone has to keep those dumbasses from burning Dumas.

****

Exciting, right? This should explain why--despite repeated promises that I'll do it more often--I haven't been blogging. I've been writing books instead, and I hope that's cool with you. :)

I have to send out a thank you to Josh at Zombiesmith, creator of War of Ashes, for letting me live in his world for a while. And to my brothers-from-another-mother at Evil Hat, for recommending me to him in the first place and failing to mention the part where I'm an over excitable diva.

So, in celebration of all this awesome, I'm throwing a party! First, we're going to dance like this...

Then I'm going to give out ALL THE BOOKS. Signed copies of Bad Taste in Boys, Bad Hair Day, and Sally Slick and the Steel Syndicate. Enter before November 8th to win!

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The SOUL POSSESSED pre-release blog tour!

One of the best things about being in this whole writing biz is getting to meet awesome people. And Katlyn Duncan is one of them! I remember when she sold her first book, Soul Taken, and I got really overly excited and probably creeped her out. But hey, I like it when good things happen to good people. Anyway, when she asked if I could take part in her Soul Possessed blog tour, I was all HECK TO THE YEAH. So without further ado, here's Katlyn!

PS - Her cover is gorgeouser than gorgeous. That is too a word.

*****

I am so excited to be kicking off my Soul Possessed Pre-release Blog Tour with Carrie Harris! Keeping with the zombie theme of the first book in her series, Bad Taste in Boys, Carrie came up with a great post question.

What four YA characters would you like to hang out with during a zombie apocalypse?

I’m a big Walking Dead fan (and of zombies in general) so I pretty much think about this situation at least once a day. Well, with real people at least. But the YA character theme is very fun!

First off, I would want someone with brains. Hermoine Granger (Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling) hands down. She is extremely intelligent and carries a tiny bag with endless supplies, perfect for keeping anything we find in a safe place. Also her having a bit of defensive magic always helps.

Next, I need a guy with brute strength. You know, just in case we are scavenging for food in a house and Hermione is on a bathroom break. So I picked Jacob Black (Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer). As much as I think Taylor Lautner is adorable, I am talking book Jacob. Six feet seven inches of muscle with the ability to turn into a bloodthirsty creature at a moments notice? Heck yes! And with his abnormally high body heat, I know my toes and fingers won’t fall off if we encounter cold weather.

For strategizing and a great fighter, I chose Prince Ash (The Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa). He is smart and calculating, making him the leader of our little group. If he can successfully navigate the Nevernever, I am convinced he can handle a zombie apocalypse. And he’s not hard to look at either. *swoons*

And even though my group is already pretty amazing I thought I’d add a necromancer into the mix. Chloe Saunders (Darkest Powers trilogy by Kelley Armstrong) may be a doe-eyed petite girl but when it comes to things that are dead, having her to control them if needed would be a key to our survival.

So there you have it! The five of us would have many adventures trying to find food, shelter, and possibly a way out of one scary situation. That could be a book in itself! Thanks for having me Carrie!

I am hosting two giveaways below. The international giveaway is for a $25 Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk gift card. All you have to do is pre-order Soul Possessed and email me your pre-order confirmation at duncankatlyn@gmail.com and you are automatically entered! The second giveaway is for U.S. only and it is an eBook of Soul Possessed from Amazon.com. Good luck!
 

Release Date: October 28, 2013
Publisher: Carina UK
Series: Book 2, The Life After Trilogy
Genre: YA Paranormal
ISBN: 9781472044556
Pre-Order Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK
iTunes US | iTunes UK
Add on Goodreads

Life after Life

Now Maggie has been given the chance of her after-life to become a Guard, nothing will stand in her way. Not even the undeniable attraction she feels for her trainer and past love—Jackson. But when the battle between Shadowed and Guard begins again which side will she choose?

When her boss, Felix, partners Jackson and Maggie up with Ally and Cooper to investigate terrifying Shadowed activity, she doesn’t think it could get any worse. Jackson and Cooper barely tolerate each other and this time, Maggie isn’t just proving her loyalty to the Guard during one mission...she has a side mission too. One so secret and so dangerous she can’t tell a soul...

Excerpt:


"Margaret!" Gemma shouted with glee. "Come out of there, I know you are trying to scare me!"

I watched the young red-haired girl put her hands on her hips, trying to be brave. She scanned their father's study, narrowing her eyes. The fire roaring in the hearth was the only source of light in the room, casting dark shadows across the furniture.

Maggie hid behind her father's chair, in silent wait for her prey.

"I'm going to tell Mother!"

Maggie's little hands tightened on the chair but she didn't make a sound. I walked over to her, watching her mouth twist up into a sly grin. She was the older of the girls, but she protected her sister fiercely, proclaiming she was the only one who could tease her. Gemma hated when Maggie played games, but it thrilled Maggie no end and I could feel excited anticipation roll off her in waves.

Gemma's bravery faltered as she stepped forward toward the overstuffed armchair, expecting her sister to jump out at her at any moment.

But Maggie waited. She had incredible patience, but I sensed that part of it was stubbornness and a desire to test boundaries. Her head poked out from behind the chair just as Gemma turned toward the love seat. I watched as Maggie slowly came out of her hiding spot and charged at her sister.

Gemma let out a scream but Maggie covered her sister's mouth with her hand.

Both girls collapsed on the floor, Gemma's muffled squeals threatening to break through Maggie's tiny fingers.

"Shh," Maggie cooed.

Gemma managed to wrestle her mouth away from Maggie's hand. "I hate you!" Her indignation faltered into a fit of giggles and Maggie quickly joined her.

As she helped her sister up from the floor Maggie said, "Gemma. You need to always expect the unexpected. You can't go through life being scared all the time." Even though Maggie was a mere nine years old, she spoke as if she'd lived lifetimes before. It was one of the things that drew me to her more than any other Prognatum I'd watched.

Maggie took a handkerchief and wiped her sister's cheeks.

"A lady wouldn't do that to her sister," Gemma said, finally relaxing.

"I don't want to be a lady," Maggie stated firmly. "I want to see the world and not just make babies for the rest of my life."

Gemma shook her head. "That's what we are supposed to do. That's what Mother does."

Maggie's indignation flowed through her and into me. I knew Maggie was born to follow through with her Prognatum duties, she just didn't know it yet. It was rare for a Prognatum to want the Guard position but Maggie would be thrilled when her father revealed it to her at seventeen.

As Maggie reached down to help Gemma up from the floor she whispered, "It's not for me."

Gemma wrapped her sister in a tight hug. "I will love you either way, dear sister."

Maggie rested her head against Gemma's shoulder. "I love you too."

Release date: June 4, 2013, Carina UK
Series: Book 1 in The Life After Trilogy
Genre: YA Paranormal
ISBN: 978-1-472-01709-3

After-life just got a lot more complicated

Maggie is a Soul Collector. It’s her job to transport souls from the Living Realm to the After – but during a mission to find a stolen soul, she ends up stuck in a teen mean girl’s body. Trapped, Maggie’s soul is catapulted into Ally’s life – and the human world she hasn’t experienced for one hundred years. But, as a descendant of the most powerful beings in the After, Maggie must rescue Ally before the girl’s soul dies…

To survive, Maggie must uncover devastating secrets – because with one soul taken by a terrifying enemy, Maggie’s could be next!

Excerpt: I knelt down again next to Ally and reached out to touch her skin. Even though the sensation was unpleasant, I could feel her pulse as it rapidly declined.

"No," I moaned.

I looked up again to see if any of the Guard could help, but no one was around.

I looked back down at Ally. Her face was paling by the second. My soul started to tingle. I leaned closer to her body, reaching my hand out to touch her face again, when her arm moved toward mine.

I jumped back.

Heather pushed through the crowd. “Did she just move? Did I see her move?” Streaks of black mascara ran down her cheeks.

A ringing sensation tickled my ear and I tuned in to the True Soul’s presence. I looked at each human. The True Soul was close, but who had it? They all seemed equally shocked at the tragedy.

An uncomfortable pressure in my chest drew me closer to her body.

My soul slanted toward hers until I was practically on top of her. I helplessly watched my hand morph and stretch toward her body. "What the—?” I tried to pull back but the strength of whatever was happening had other ideas. My hand disappeared first, then my arm, then my torso.

But before I could call for help, my world went dark.

To Purchase: Mills&Boon | Kindle (US) | iBooks (US) |  Kobo | Google Play | Sony Store | Kindle (UK) | Nook (UK) |  iBooks (UK)

Excerpt:

I knelt down again next to Ally and reached out to touch her skin. Even though the sensation was unpleasant, I could feel her pulse as it rapidly declined.

“No,” I moaned. I looked up again to see if any of the Guard could help, but no one was around.

I looked back down at Ally. Her face was paling by the second. My soul started to tingle. I leaned closer to her body, reaching my hand out to touch her face again, when her arm moved toward mine.

I jumped back.

Heather pushed through the crowd. “Did she just move? Did I see her move?” Streaks of black mascara ran down her cheeks.

A ringing sensation tickled my ear and I tuned in to the True Soul’s presence. I looked at each human. The True Soul was close, but who had it? They all seemed equally shocked at the tragedy.

An uncomfortable pressure in my chest drew me closer to her body. My soul slanted toward hers until I was practically on top of her. I helplessly watched my hand morph and stretch toward her body.

“What the—?” I tried to pull back but the strength of whatever was happening had other ideas. My hand disappeared first, then my arm, then my torso.

But before I could call for help, my world went dark.

About the Author: Katlyn Duncan was born and raised in a small town in western Massachusetts. Her overactive imagination involved invisible friends, wanting to be a Disney Princess and making up her own stories. Her bibliophile mom always encouraged her love of reading and that stayed with her since. Even though she works full time in the medical field Katlyn has always made time for books, whether she is reading or writing them.

Katlyn now lives in southern Connecticut with her husband and adorable Wheaten Terrier and she is thrilled to finally share her stories with the world.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | Goodreads | Carina UK
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Bookanistas: Sally Slick Cover Love

For this week's Bookanista post, I'm so thrilled to finally be able to show off the cover of my upcoming book, SALLY SLICK AND THE STEEL SYNDICATE! Sally's an exciting book for me. It has the same fast paced silliness you can find in the Kate Grable books, so it should appeal to people who liked them. But it's also the kind of book you can give to younger siblings too, without fear that they'll be grossed out by kissy bits or puking zombies. And I watched a lot of Indiana Jones while I wrote it, and any excuse to do that is awesome.

Anyway. I should shut up and let you see the gorgeous cover that was designed by Dani Kaulakis. She's a suuuuper geeenius.

Let me tell you, I got the HUGEST kick out of seeing all of these characters that I'd written come to life on this cover. It's my first illustrated cover, and I lurve it with a lurvely lurve. SO THRILLED.

And here's a little about the book!

Every hero has a story. This one starts with a girl and a racing tractor.

Sally Slick knows she’s meant to be more than a Midwestern farm girl. What she wants more than anything is to be an inventor when she grows up—and she has the custom-built racing tractor to prove it. But good girls in 1914 don’t go off to the city in search of adventure. Everything changes when Sally’s big brother comes back from Chicago with a robot in hand and mobsters on his heels. With the help of her friend, wannabe hero Jet Black, Sally will risk everything to protect the people she loves.

Those bad guys are about to get a giant wrench thrown right into their plans.

I want to send a special shout out to some awesome people who are helping me show off the pretty today: Courtney, Matthew, Jessica, Amanda, Denis, Lisa, Jen, Larissa, Fauzan, Cari, Courtney Ann, Matt, Elana, Julia, Ashley, Katie, Jen, Stasia, and Jenn. If I had to choose between having all of you in my posse, or having Sally's brothers, I'd totally choose you. And that's saying a lot. :)

You can now preorder the book (hopefully Amazon will eventually realize that I wrote the darned thing), and add it to your Goodreads list too!

And if that's not awesome enough, check out all this Bookanista coolness!!!!

Shari Arnold marvels at THE MOON AND MORE by Saran Dessen

Tracy Banghart is thrilled by 3:59 by Gretchen McNeil

Christine Fonseca shivers over SHATTER ME by Tahereh Mafi

Elana Johnson reveals the cover of SALLY SLICK & THE STEEL SYNDICATE by Carrie Harris

Corrine Jackson is nuts for AU REVOIR, CRAZY EUROPEAN CHICK by Joe Schreiber

Jessica Love joins the BY BLOOD by Tracy Banghart book blitz – with giveaway

Shannon Messenger  raves about JELLICOE ROAD by Melina Marchetta

Tracey Neithercott adores THE ARCHIVED by Victoria Schwab

Kimberly Sabatini is touched by OUT OF REACH by Carrie Arcos

Katy Upperman gushes over THE GIRL GUIDE by Christine Fonseca

Bookanistas: INSOMNIA

Welcome to Bookanista Thursday! Lots of excitement going on here today, so let's get right down to it! Today, I'm featuring a book that I loved enough to BLURB--Jenn Johansson's INSOMNIA. Here's what I said about it:

"Completely unputdownable. I've decided to nickname Johansson 'Scary McScarypants,' because she spooked me in all the best ways. Who do I have to bribe to get book two now?!"

 You should call her Scary McScarypants too. I think she'd love that.

A little about the book, courtesy of Jenn's website!

It's been four years since I slept, and I suspect it is killing me.

Instead of sleeping, Parker Chipp enters the dream of the last person he's had eye contact with. He spends his nights crushed by other people's fear and pain, by their disturbing secrets--and Parker can never have dreams of his own. The severe exhaustion is crippling him. If nothing changes, Parker could soon be facing psychosis and even death.

Then he meets Mia. Her dreams, calm and beautifully uncomplicated, allow him blissful rest that is utterly addictive. Parker starts going to bizarre lengths to catch Mia's eye every day. Everyone at school thinks he's gone over the edge, even his best friend. And when Mia is threatened by a true stalker, everyone thinks it's Parker.

Suffering blackouts, Parker begins to wonder if he is turning into someone dangerous. What if the monster stalking Mia is him after all?

Scary, right?!? This book really creeped me out, but not so much that I wouldn't interview Jenn herself. Here she is, kindly responding to some very random questions!

C: When I met you, I knew we were kindred spirits because we both write emails that are all: RANDOM CAPITALS!!!!!! :) :) :) Can you tell us about a !!!!! :) :) :) moment you've had recently?

J: Sure! It feels like I'm having those almost every day right now with all the crazy release happiness. A particularly fun one though was when I received my final author copies and saw the cool things my publisher did to the cover. The matte with glossy cracks looks INCREDIBLE in person. I just sat and stared...then jumped up and down...then stared more. 

C: I have to admit that I'm a little flummoxed. On one hand, you're all !!!!! :) :) :), but on the other hand, there's a reason I've nicknamed you Scary McScarypants. You bring teh scary in INSOMNIA. How on earth did that happen? Have you always been a horror fan?

J: Haha, it flummoxed me at first as well. I have not always been a horror fan. In fact, for a long time I was terrified of all scary movies. But I have always enjoyed reading scarier books. I think there is something special about the way the brain filters a scary book. It pictures mostly monsters and images that the person can handle, like a built in filter. Brains are tricksy like that. I guess you could say I love playing with people's brains...but not eating them...I'm not a zombie (that I know of).
C: Imagine this: you have insomnia, and your only hope of true sleep is to try and match eyes with either David Hasselhoff or Richard Simmons each night. Who do you choose and why?

J: Oh wow...tough choice. I'd have to consider David Hasselhoff as the lesser of two evils here. I can't handle the incredible amount of bounciness and hyper energy that Richard Simmons give off and I'm certain I'd end up killing him. The Hoff and I, I have a feeling we'd hit it off. We both love Germany and the color red, for example. It's like we've always been destined to be friends.

C: Totally random questions! I specialize in them! What one TV show or movie franchise do you wish they'd revive? I want more Space Ghost Coast to Coast with the fire of a thousand suns.

J: This is hard actually because there are so many that I think they'd mess up if they brought them back (like Friends...I LOVE it...but please don't ruin our happy memories with a depressing revival). My top choice would have to be Eureka. It lends itself well to starting off in a new place. Plus, I adore how much it makes my brain work. (Wow, I talk about brains a lot. I'm suddenly ultra-aware of it.) If you all haven't seen Eureka, every season is currently on Netflix instant. You must remedy this immediately. I have three names for you: Nathan Stark, Zane Donovan and Holly Martin (Felicia Day). 

You can all thank me for this later. C: Imagine this: You're in high school, and I'm your best friend. A sparkly vampire and a glow-in-the-dark werewolf want to take us to prom. Should we ditch them, or should we go?

Oh...we definitely ditch them. And go party it up hardcore on our own. We could invent new dances and do a spotlight-Thriller-duet performance. There would be much envy had by all...so much...so, so much.

Plus, we could make vampires and werewolves cry, which has been on my to-do list for quite some time now. ;-) 

C: If you had a theme song, what would it be?

J: My theme song would be Dark Side by Kelly Clarkson. My kids call it "Alien Baby Music"...I really don't think I need to say anything more than that...

C: And for my last question: !!!!!!! :) :) :) ! :D????

J: !! ;-)!! :) :) :) !! =oD =oD ^^ !!!!!

Thank you so much for having me! This was such a fun interview. You = the best! :)

*****

Thanks so much for visiting us, Jenn! And the best part of this is that Jenn is giving things away! Books! Critiques! Enter below!

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And don't forget to stop here to sign up to review SALLY SLICK AND THE STEEL SYNDICATE before you visit the rest of this week's Bookanista awesomeness!
 

Carolina Valdez Miller celebrates 17 & GONE by Nova Ren Suma

Christine Fonseca praises THE PLEDGE by Kimberly Derting
Corrine Jackson is wild for WHEN IT HAPPENS by  Susane Colasanti

Elana Johson invites you to her ABANDON release par-tay!

Katy Upperman is bewitched by NANTUCKET BLUE by Leila Howland
Lenore Appelhans  swoons for STAR CURSED by Jessica Spotswood…with an annotated snippet
Stasia Ward Kehoe is wild for THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER by Stephen Chbosky
Tracey Neithercott  highlights WHERE THE STARS STILL SHINE by Trish Doller
Tracy Banghart  raves over JUMP WHEN READY by David Pandolfe

Sally Slick cover reveal!

I'm happier than Richard Simmons on...well, than Richard Simmons. I just got the final Sally Slick cover in my inbox, and it releases on December 3rd, which is NOT THAT FAR AWAY! Seriously. I'm Simmonsing, only without the short shorts.

This means that I get to start planning the release things, and that is something that makes me super mega happy! (But still no short shorts. Sorry.) Are you interested in participating in the exclusive SALLY SLICK AND THE STEEL SYNDICATE cover reveal on June 20th? Would you like to review an advance copy? Would you like to participate in a blog tour? Sign up via this form, and I will do my absolute best to make it happen.

Not entirely sure if the book is up your proverbial alley? The full description will be released along with the cover, but I can tell you that this is a pulp-style adventure that falls somewhere in the younger YA/tween range. It has ADVENTURE! CHILLS! THRILLS! And I watched a lot of Indiana Jones while I wrote it. So yeah. If that appeals to you, signeth up, and I will try to hooketh you up!

Um....yeah. I don't get all the eth-ing either. But at least it's not short shorts.

Bookanistas Relaunch with Giveaway!

As May draws to a close, we're celebrating the start of summer and another great beginning: THE RELAUNCH OF THE BOOKANISTAS! New members, new logo, new website design and a whole lot more of the book love we all adore!

You know those moments where you see the cool people from across the room--like in the cafeteria or something--and the only thing you really want is to be a part of the cool people, only you're secretly convinced that they are probably total butts in real life, only maybe they aren't? (This makes total sense to me. Doesn't it to you?) Anyway, I'm so thrilled to be a part of the Bookanistas, because they are cool people. This means that at least a small part of me? COOL.

Now that I've convinced you of my coolness, I'm going to book-geek out on you. I tend to fly through books during the summer more than I do any other time. Some of them are comfort reads--I read GOOD OMENS by Neil Gaiman and Terry Prachett every summer and laugh like a complete hyena. (As opposed to a partial hyena? Whatever.) And I usually go through the Harry Dresden books during the summer. DEAD BEAT is one of the best. Books. Evar.

I'll be rereading the DIVERGENT books in preparation for the movie (and I totally squealed when I was in Chicago last weekend and saw a series of gates labeled with the various factions). And HOLD ME CLOSER, NECROMANCER, which never fails to make me laugh (because hello--potato hockey). And DEVILISH, which I think is the unsung hero of Maureen Johnson's backlist and the reason I queried my agent.

The Bookanistas are looking forward to bringing some new titles to your attention, but do you have any comfort reads that you'll never EVER tire of?

And don't forget the prizes!

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THE WINNER OF THE BOOKANISTA RELAUNCH GIVEAWAY OF AWESOME WILL RECEIVE signed copies of these Bookanista-authored books…

• IF I LIE and TOUCHED by Corrine Jackson PLUS ARCs of JUST ONE DAY and SPEECHLESS
• LET THE SKY FALL by Shannon Messenger
• BY BLOOD by Tracy Banghart
• POSSESSION, SURRENDER and ABANDON by Elana Johnson
• TOUCHING THE SURFACE by Kimberly Sabatini (plus a swag surprise)
• BAD TASTE IN BOYS by ME!!!!!!
• AUDITION by Stasia Ward Kehoe
• THE GIRL GUIDE by Christine Fonseca (plus sweet swag)
• MILA 2.0 by Debra Driza
• LEVEL 2 by Lenore Appelhans

AND A SECOND WINNER WILL GET A BOX FILLED WITH: Bookanista-beloved reads including DITCHED by Robin Mellom, JELLICO ROAD by Melina Marchetta, TAKEN by Erin Bowman, CLOCKWORK ANGEL by Cassandra Clare, MONSTROUS BEAUTY by Elizabeth Fama and SPARROW ROAD by Sheila O’Connor.

You can find lots more Bookanista Relaunch Book Love sites around the interwebs:
Carolina Valdez Miller
Christine Fonseca 
Corrine Jackson 
Debra Driza
Elana Johnson
Jessica Love
Katy Upperman 
Kimberly Sabatini 
Lenore Appelhans
Nikki Katz
Rebecca Behrens
Shannon Messenger 
Shelli Johannes-Wells
Stasia Ward Kehoe
Tracey Neithercott
Tracy Banghart  

Bookanistas: The Dinocalypse Trilogy by Chuck Wendig...with a giveaway!

Welcome to Bookanistas Thursday, in which a bunch of super cool authors (and me) talk about books you might not have heard of yet. Because we all need excuses to buy more books. That's what I keep telling my husband, anyway.

Actually, come to think of it, I don't need an excuse at all.

But anyway. Today, I'd like to tell you about the Dinocalypse trilogy, because psychic dinosaurs are always cool. This series starts with DINOCALYPSE NOW, which is already out, and continues with BEYOND DINOCALYPSE, which hits shelves June 18th. So there's just enough time to read book 1. BAZINGA!

Here's the official blurby thing for DINOCALYPSE NOW, courtesy of Goodreads:

Spirit of the Century presents Dinocalypse Now! When the Century Club is called in to prevent the assassination of FDR, it's just another day on the job - but what they discover puts not just the President, but the entire world in jeopardy. With psychic dinosaurs taking over Manhattan and beyond, it's up to Sally Slick, Jet Black, Mack Silver, and the other Centurions to save humanity - from extinction!

Now, I have a confession to make--I just finished a book for Evil Hat Productions which is set in the same world as DINOCALYPSE. I work for them. I am biased. However, in some ways, that makes me a little more critical rather than less. Let's face it; if you wrote a book for a series, and the rest of the series SUCKED, that would be bad. So it was a tremendous relief to me when I opened up the book and began laughing within minutes of reading. I dare you to read about when FDR beans a psychosaur with a microphone stand and NOT laugh.

The best way to describe this series is like an Indiana Jones movie, with all the action and wisecracks and impossible odds and weirdness. It starts off fast and never lets go. And one of the best things about it is that it's clean enough and FUN enough to appeal both to me and to my 9-year-old son. In fact, shortly after my copy arrived, he claimed it and won't give it back. Endorsement-wise, it doesn't get much better than that, and he doesn't work for Evil Hat. :)

Now, one thing that my EH connection gets me is TEH COOL STUFF. I have a copy of DINOCALYPSE NOW, plus a Spirit of the Century collector's patch, plus a Spirit of the Century pin. Enter to win via the Rafflecopter below, open to US residents only. Give it to an adventure-loving kid you know or keep it for yourself. I promise not to tell.


a Rafflecopter giveaway And while you're at it, check out these awesome Bookanistas!

Lenore Appelhans  is blown away by REBOOT by Amy Tintera

Tracy Banghart & Debra Driza join THE GIRL GUIDE by Christine Fonseca book blitz!

Corrine Jackson is stunned by BREAKING BEAUTIFUL by Jennifer Shaw Wolf

Nikki Katz  wonders at THE GRAVE WINNER by Lindsey Loucks

Gretchen McNeil talks TRUTH OR DARE by Jacqueline Green

Elana Johson admires INSOMNIA by Jenn Johannson

Tracey Neithercott celebrates THE YEAR OF SECRET ASSIGNMENTS by Jacqueline Moriarty

Katy Upperman fawns over FINNIKIN OF THE ROCK by Melina Marchetta

Rebecca Behrens is wowed by THE FIFTH WAVE by Rick Yancey