Giveaway Interview THE SECRET SIDE OF EMPTY by MARIA ANDREU @WriterSideofM Win a Kindle Fire

 The Secret Side of Empty by Maria Andreu

It's the story of a teen girl that is American in every way except for in one very important way: on paper. She was brought to the U.S. as a baby without proper documentation, so she's "illegal." As the end of the safe haven of her high school days draw near, she faces an uncertain future. Full of humor and frustration and love, The Secret Side of Empty speaks to the part in all of us that has felt excluded or has had a secret too scary to share. What M.T., the main character, finally discovers is the strength of the human spirit and the power that's unleashed when you finally live the truth.

Maria’s writing has appeared in Newsweek, The Washington Post and the Star Ledger.  Her debut novel, The Secret Side of Empty, is the story of an “illegal” high school senior.  It was inspired by Maria’s own experiences as an undocumented teen.  Since becoming a citizen, Maria has run her own business and has become a soccer mom. She lives with her 13-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son in northern New Jersey.

Links
Maria Andreu’s website- http://mariaeandreu.com/
Maria Andreu on Twitter: https://twitter.com/WritersideofM
Maria Andreu on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maria.andreu.books

From Amazon:

What's it like to be undocumented?  High school senior M.T. knows all too well.  With graduation and an uncertain future looming, she must figure out how to grow up in the only country she's ever called home... a country in which she's "illegal."


M.T. was born in Argentina and brought to America as a baby without any official papers. And as questions of college, work, and the future arise, M.T. will have to decide what exactly she wants for herself, knowing someone she loves will unavoidably pay the price for it.  On the way, M.T. must navigate first love, letting go of her childhood friends as they begin a life she can't share, a difficult relationship with a father who grew up a world away and a mother struggling to find her way in America.  What is it like when the only country you've ever known says you don't belong?  The Secret Side of Empty offers an intimate, often surprising glimpse into a story you often hear on the news but have never heard told this way before.


Author Maria E. Andreu draws from her personal experience as a former undocumented immigrant to explore issues of belonging, keeping secrets and what it's like to be undocumented.  More than that, The Secret Side of Empty is a story that will touch anyone who has ever felt excluded or unsure about the future or has kept a secret she felt was too big too share.

Pre-Order your copy here:  



 1. What is the first book you remember reading by yourself as a child?

It haunts me that I can’t remember the title, because it was a book that really blew my mind.  It was about a girl who had a doll in a little wardrobe case filled with outfits.  Then she lost it.  Every time she told the story of how wonderful the doll and her outfits were, it got a little more embellished.  Eventually it became The Greatest Doll Ever.  After the winter passed she found it under a pile of leaves.  It was not as amazing as she had made it out to be.  I thought that was profound – that memory can shift like that and that we can believe things that aren’t so.  I read that book over and over again.

2. What are you reading right now?

I’m reading two books (as I usually am).  I am totally loving Why We Write, a collection of essays by successful writers about the writing process and their motivation.  Totally inspiring.  I’m also reading The Willpower Instinct, which is about creating habits that make you more productive.  I’m hoping it will help me to finish writing two books per year.  ;-)

3. How does your garden grow?

Well, I’m a gardener, so it grows awesome.  Last year I planted an obscene amount of iris rhizomes and this year I may get even more.  I love plants that you put in the ground in the fall and which flower in the spring.  It feels like a promise, like held breath.  You put these uninspiring looking brown roots in the ground, then they get frozen and it seems like maybe it was all folly.  Then in the spring they grow green and burst with color.  It’s miraculous.

4. What is the last thing you Googled?

I actually just Googled “how does your garden grow” to make sure it wasn’t some cool underground reference I should be getting but wasn’t.  I am an obsessive Googler.  When Google came into my life I felt I finally understood how I was going to be at peace in the world.  As someone who loves to know everything, Google pulled me out of the darkness of not knowing.

5. What makes you cringe?

People being mean to other people.



WANT TO WIN AN AMAZON GIFT CARD & A KINDLE FIRE?



Maria is giving away two separate prizes on her tour, a $250 Amazon Gift Card AND a Kindle Fire.

For a chance to win the$250 Amazon gift card, OR the Kindle Fire leave a comment on her blog post for that day. Winners will be randomly selected on September 30th.

GO TO MARIA'S WEBSITE AND COMMENT ON HER CURRENT POST TO ENTER! 
http://mariaeandreu.com/

YALL FEST Interview with CJ LYONS @yallfest @cjlyonswriter

Stop by YALLFEST.ORG for more info!  

Describe your book in 5 words:

CJ: Girl dying of broken heart (literally)

What is the hardest line to write- the first or the last?

CJ: The first. I’ll often return to it over and over again until I’ve sliced and diced and fine-honed it to that perfect combination of intrigue, visceral reaction, and emotional connection with the reader.

What one young adult novel do you wish you had when you were a teen? Why?

CJ: Code Name Verity because it is so emotionally honest and inspiring, empowering, not to mention gut-wrenching. Really brings the era to life as well as the sacrifices made in the name of freedom.

Tell us 5 random facts about yourself.

CJ: When I was a kid I worked summer stock theatre and was actually a theatre major undergrad before switching to pre-med.
I’ve had two hard landings in helicopters while working as a flight doc.
 I survived rampaging Cape Horn Buffalo and a pack of wild baboons, not to mention a leopard (he’s already eaten) while hiking in Hells Gate Park in Kenya.
 I’m a Capricorn.
I diagnosed my niece with the heart condition that’s at the center of my YA thriller, BROKEN.

What are you working on now?

CJ: DAMAGED, my next YA thriller, due out in 2014. It deals with the really tough topic of abuse and coercion and is the most difficult book I’ve ever tackled—there have been times while writing when I was literally in tears as I typed.

What is your favorite genre to write in? To Read?

CJ: I created my own genre of Thrillers with Heart—I love writing fast paced stories with raising stakes but centered on the emotional heart of an evolving relationship. As for reading, I read almost every genre but especially love YA, magical realism, and thrillers. As long as a story grabs me by the throat and won’t let me go because I’m too worried about what the characters are going through, I’ll read it and love it.

Giveaway DARKEST WORLDS: A DYSTOPIAN ANTHOLOGY Win $50 ! #BookBlast

Darkest Worlds: A Dystopian Anthology An anthology that explores what humans are made of when society falls to its knees. Darkest Worlds includes six original novellas by award-winning authors and best sellers of Young Adult and New Adult Dystopia. All proceeds go to Girls Write Now, a charity that promotes literacy of inner-city girls.  

Amazon * Kobo

Barnes & Noble

  Nessa: A Breeders Story by Katie French, author of The Breeders: Eighteen-year-old Nessa knows what it’s like to be an endangered species. Growing up in a dying world where nine out of ten babies are born male, she survives by trusting no one. When Marlin, the nineteen-year-old gunslinger, kills the man who has been keeping her enslaved, Nessa decides he might be her meal ticket. What she doesn’t realize is love is still possible, even in their decimated world.   MOON by S.K. Falls, author of World of Shell and Bone: Loyalty. Obedience. Patriotism. Moon Stewart has no doubt that the New Amanian way of life is the right way. The only way. But was there ever a time when she felt differently? In this companion novella to the dystopian bestseller World of Shell and Bone, the secrets of Moon's past are revealed, giving readers a glimpse into the mind of their favorite antagonist.   The First Unforgivable Thing by Zoe Cannon, author of The Torturer’s Daughter: When a dissident working undercover as an interrogator is ordered to torture a confession from the only girl he’s ever loved, he chooses to defy both the totalitarian regime and the resistance by helping her escape—but she has an agenda of her own...   The Keeper by A.G. Henley, author of The Scourge: a finalist for the Next Generation Indie Book Award. Peree knows his duty as the new Keeper of the Water Bearer, Fennel, is to make sure his people get every drop of their share of the water she collects when the flesh-eating Scourge roam the forest. He will motivate her, distract her, do anything he can to keep her working. He knows his duty is to his people and his people alone. What he doesn’t know is that he's falling in love with her.   Survival Lessons by Kate Avery Ellison, author of Frost: A young Farther prisoner named Eva escapes into the monster-filled wilderness of the Frost with a band of fellow inmates, all of whom are harboring secrets...but little do they know that Eva has secrets of her own. Set in the world of The Frost Chronicles.   clean slate complex by Megan Thomason, author of the daynight series: Homeless Alexa Knight agrees to help the do-gooder non-profit The Second Chance Institute in return for medical care for her sick mother. The SCI is wooing the poor and downtrodden into their Clean Slate Complexes--where "everything is provided" from jobs to food, shelter, clothing, and education. Unfortunately, as with all things that sound too good to be true, there's a catch...  

Katie French

Facebook * Twitter *Blog

 

S.K. Falls

Facebook * Twitter

 

Zoe Cannon

Facebook * Twitter * Blog

 

A.G. Henley

Facebook * Twitter * Blog

 

Kate Avery Ellison

Blog * Twitter

 

Megan Thomason

Facebook * Twitter * Blog

 

Girls Write Now--charity

Website

The Girls Write Now mission is to provide guidance, support, and opportunities for at-risk and underserved girls from New York City’s public high schools to develop their creative, independent voices, explore careers in professional writing, and learn how to make healthy school, career and life choices.

 

  BookBlast Giveaway
$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

 Ends 9/30/13

 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.


  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway SEPTEMBER MYSTERY BOOK

WELCOME TO THE  September MYSTERY BOOK GIVEAWAY!

Here is your blurb - right from Amazon.  If there are characters mentioned, I have Xd out the names.  





What happens when you put a suicidal eighteen-year-old philosophy student, his ex-girlfriend, his best friend, and his newborn baby in a truck and send them to Grandma's house? This debut novel by Emil Ostrovski will appeal to fans of John Green, Chris Crutcher, and Jay Asher.

This book will be released on September 24, 2013



PLEASE DON'T POST THE TITLE IN THE COMMENTS - 
THERE IS A PLACE ON THE ENTRY FORM  FOR YOUR GUESS.  

WANT TO WIN THIS BOOK?
This book is an advance reader paperback
Contest is open to anyone with a US  mailing address and ends 9.30.13
Winner will be chosen by Random.org  -  Void Where Prohibited.
Winner will have 48 hours to respond to email or a new winner will be chosen
Duplicate entries will be deleted.  This giveaway is sponsored by ME!


Complete the form below!

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Giveaway THE PITCHER by WILLIAM HAZELGROVE @Rocketman46

The Pitcher

“I never knew I had an arm until this guy called out, “Hey you want to try and get a ball in the hole, sonny?” I was only nine, but mom said, “come on, let’s play.” This Carney guy with no teeth and a fuming cigarette hands me five blue rubber balls and says if I throw three in the hole we win a prize. He’s grinning, because he took mom’s five bucks and figures a sucker is born every minute. That really got me, because we didn’t have any money after Fernando took off, and he only comes back to beat up mom and steal our money. So I really wanted to get mom back something, you know, for her five bucks.” A boy with a golden arm but no money for lessons. A mother who wants to give her son his dream before she dies. A broken down World Series pitcher who cannot go on after the death of his wife. These are the elements of The Pitcher. A story of a man at the end of his dream and a boy whose dream is to make his high school baseball team. In the tradition of The Natural and The Field of Dreams, this is a mythic story about how a man and a boy meet in the crossroads of their life and find a way to go on. You will laugh and you will cry as The Pitcher and Ricky prepare for the ultimate try out of life.

Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Author William Hazelgrove

 William Hazelgrove is the best selling author of five novels, Ripples, Tobacco Sticks Mica Highways and Rocket Man and The Pitcher His books have received starred reviews in Publisher Weekly, Book of the Month Selections, Junior Library Guild Selections, ALA Editors Choice Awards and optioned for the movies. He was the Ernest Hemingway Writer in Residence where he wrote in the attic of Ernest Hemingway’s birthplace. He has written articles and reviews for USA Today and other publications. His latest novel Rocket Man due out May 1, 2013 was chosen Book of the Year by Books and Authors.net. He runs a political cultural blog, The View From Hemingway’s Attic. A forthcoming novel, The Pitcher will be out Sept 1, 2013. He lives in Chicago.

Website * Blog * Facebook * Twitter

Blog Tour Schedule

  BookBlast Giveaway
 $50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
 Ends 9/30/13

 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.




  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review ROGUE by GINA DAMICO @HMHKids @GinaDamico

Book Description

Release date: September 10, 2013 | Series: Croak

Lex, a teenage Grim Reaper, has the power to Damn souls, and it’s getting out of control. Her boyfriend, Driggs, is dead . . . sort of. She’s a fugitive, on the run from the maniacal new mayor of Croak and the townspeople who want to see her pay the price for her misdeeds. Uncle Mort rounds up the Junior Grims to flee Croak once again, but this time they’re joined by Grotton, the most powerful Grim of all time. Their new mission is clear: Fix his mistakes, or the Afterlife will cease to exist, along with all the souls in it. The gang heads for Necropolis, the labyrinth-like capital city of the Grimsphere. There, they discover that the Grimsphere needs a reboot. To do that, the portals to the Afterlife must be destroyed . . . but even that may not be enough to fix the damage. Things go from bad to worse, and when at last the fate of the Afterlife and all the souls of the Damned hang in the balance, it falls to Lex and her friends to make one final, impossible choice.

  About the Author


  Gina Damico is the author of Croak, Scorch, and Rogue. She received a degree in theater and sociology from Boston College, where she was active with the Committee for Creative Enactments, the country’s only collegiate murder mystery improv comedy troupe. She has since worked as a tour guide, transcriptionist, theater house manager, scenic artist, and movie extra. She lives outside of Boston with her husband, two cats, and a closet full of black hoodies. Visit her website at www.ginadami.co.

SOURCE:  AMAZON VINE

MY THOUGHTS

ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT

*** spoilers if you haven't read the first two in the series ***

And why haven't you read these awesome books yet?

Lex is quickly learning that she has skills above and beyond the ability to Damn and none of them are supernatural.  With Driggs being somewhere between ghost and dead-dead, she can still see him and hold him once in awhile.  As the Grimsphere is starting to collapse and might signal the end of the afterlife, Lex and her uncle Mort must contain the damage and prevent the downfall.  Armed with the Wrong Book and which is attached to the Grim Creator, Grotton, the Juniors must follow the clues to save everything for the afterlife.  Can they do it in time?


 Of course, the Junior have many tricks up their sleeves, including fast thinking and Uncle Mort's theories.  They head to Necropolis, to seal the last opening to the Grimsphere where Norwood, has already somewhat taken over.  This is such a thrilling conclusion that left me feeling a bit bittersweet.  I was so sad that Driggs was no longer corporeal but could be when he touched Lex.  I am going to miss the dry sense of humor and swift comebacks of Lex and Uncle Mort. 



These characters aren't perfect, they make a lot of mistakes and some die.  The romance between Driggs and Lex is just swoon-worthy.  These two are meant for each other even if they can't always be together.  A little more about Driggs' history is also explained and it is pretty sad.    Do yourself a favor and go grab all three books to read before summer ends.  You won't be disappointed.  Sigh, I have to get over the end of this series.  I am going to miss Lex so much. 

Disclosure I received this book from the publisher at no charge and in no way influenced my review. If you are considering purchasing this book or anything else from Amazon, please use my link above since I earn a very small percentage of the sale which helps pay for shipping my giveaways!

YALL FEST Interview with LAUREN OLIVER @YALLFest @OliverBooks

For more information:  YALL FEST 

What one thing do you need to have when you write?

Coffee!

What is the hardest line to write- the first or the last?

Honestly, neither. It’s just every single line in between that feels impossible.

Best writing tip you ever received?

Aim for truth and beauty will follow.

Tell us 5 random facts about yourself.

I have fourteen tattoos. I can fall asleep any time, any place. I have a phobia of worms. I hate fruit. I wrote my first novel largely on my Blackberry.

Where's your favorite place to write?

In my sunroom in upstate New York.

What are you working on now?

Two different middle grade books and an untitled young adult novel that my agent described as “the most disturbing thing he’s ever read.” Oops!

What is your favorite genre to write in? To Read?

I love realistic books that include just a hint of fantasy.