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Signed SWEET EVIL Trilogy Giveaway and YA Pick and Mix 4/29 Edition

by Martina Boone

Some amazing stuff this week! Seriously, it’s like Christmas, and I’m so, so honored to have incredible blurbs for Compulsion from two of my favorite authors. Megan Shepherd’s MADMAN’S DAUGHTER and HER DARK CURIOSITY combine creepy originality and romance to induce double chills, and Kat Zhang’s haunting philosophical questions crept up on me for months after I read her beautiful and fast-paced dystopians WHAT’S LEFT OF ME and ONCE WE WERE.

Here’s what they had to say:

“Beautifully written, with vivid characters, a generations-old feud, and romance that leaps off the page, this Southern ghost story left me lingering over every word, and yet wanting to race to the compelling finish. Martina Boone’s COMPULSION is not to be missed.” — Megan Shepherd, Author of THE MADMAN’S DAUGHTER 

“Ancient spirits, mystery, and Southern charm—what more could you ask for? COMPULSION mixes dark magic with darker family secrets in a way that’ll make you relieved there are two more books. I can’t wait to continue reading about Barrie and the rest of Watson island!”— Kat Zhang, Author of WHAT’S LEFT OF ME

Amazing right? The world is full of awesome. At least until I remember how far I  have to go on Book Two still (one third of the whole freaking book!) and the panic sets in. 

Do you ever panic about your writing? How do you get over it?

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

via Pinterest from  Found on qsprn.com

YA GIVEAWAY OF THE WEEK

The third and final book of the SWEET EVIL trilogy by the incomparable Wendy Higgins launches today. You don’t want to miss this one, and seriously? If you haven’t read the first two books, what are you waiting for. Run, don’t walk.

In honor of the launch, I’m giving away a signed set of the complete trilogy. It’s only for a week though, so enter fast!

Sweet Evil

by Wendy Higgins

Signed Paperback
Harper Teen
Released 4/15/2014

Embrace the Forbidden

What if there were teens whose lives literally depended on being bad influences?

This is the reality for sons and daughters of fallen angels.
Tenderhearted Southern girl Anna Whitt was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She’s aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but it isn’t until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage and her willpower is put to the test. He’s the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.

Forced to face her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns?

Purchase Sweet Evil at Amazon
Purchase Sweet Evil at IndieBound
View Sweet Evil on Goodreads

* * * *


Sweet Peril

by Wendy Higgins

Signed Paperback
HarperTeen
Released 4/15/2014

Anna Whitt, the daughter of a guardian angel and a demon, promised herself she’d never do the work of her father—polluting souls. She’d been naive to make such a vow. She’d been naive about a lot of things.

Haunted by demon whisperers, Anna does whatever she can to survive, even if it means embracing her dark side and earning an unwanted reputation as her school’s party girl. Her life has never looked more bleak. And all the while there’s Kaidan Rowe, son of the Duke of Lust, plaguing her heart and mind.

When an unexpected lost message from the angels surfaces, Anna finds herself traveling the globe with Kopano, son of Wrath, in an attempt to gain support of fellow Nephilim and give them hope for the first time. It soon becomes clear that whatever freedoms Anna and the rest of the Neph are hoping to win will not be gained without a fight. Until then, Anna and Kaidan must put aside the issues between them, overcome the steamiest of temptations yet, and face the ultimate question: is loving someone worth risking their life?

Purchase Sweet Peril at Amazon
Purchase Sweet Peril at IndieBound
View Sweet Peril on Goodreads

* * * *


Sweet Reckoning

by Wendy Higgins

Signed Paperback
HarperTeen
Released 4/15/2014

It’s time.

Evil is running rampant and sweet Anna Whitt is its target. Nobody knows when or how the Dukes will strike, but Anna and her Nephilim allies will do anything necessary to rid the earth of the demons and their oppressive ways.

The stakes are higher than ever, and Anna is determined that the love she feels will be her strength, not a liability. But trying to protect the ones she loves while running for her life and battling demonic forces proves to be perilous—especially as faces are changing and trust is fleeting. When the Duke of Lust sends Anna’s great love, Kaidan Rowe, to work against her, Anna must decide how much she’s prepared to risk.

In the most sensual and fast-paced installment yet, Sweet Reckoning brings all the beloved Neph together one last time to fight for their freedom.

Purchase Sweet Reckoning at Amazon
Purchase Sweet Reckoning at IndieBound
View Sweet Reckoning on Goodreads

BOOKS, BOOKS, BOOKS

  • A brand spanking new trailer for The Fault in Our Stars has hit and it has turned us to mush
  • We Need Diverse Book Campaign!
  • Harper Lee agrees to release To Kill A Mockingbird as an e-book
  • Mundie Mom’s revealed the cover of the 5th and final book in Jennifer L. Armentrout’s LUX series, Opposition
  • JK Rowling expresses her sadness that her mother never experienced her daughter’s success
  • Maggie Stiefvater revealed the title and cover of the 3rd Raven Cycle book and it is beeeautiful! Plus, she shared notes from her first original draft of The Raven Boys
  • On April 19th, Alexandra Duncan, the author of Salvage, wrote an amazing post about slut shaming in YA
  • Stephanie Meyer’s production company options film rights to Mindy McGinnis’ post apocalyptic debut, Not A Drop To Drink
  • The UK/US covers of the Sarah J. Maas’ Heir of Fire was revealed on the Throne of Glass facebook page
  • John Green listed on Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People’s list and Shailene Woodley writes the post about it
  • Love Frozen? What about Game of Thrones? For fans of the two, here’s a great mashup of the epic, unforgettable song. In Let It Go(T), singer Gail Folsom does a fabulous job with the lyrics by Joanna Robinson and Dave Gonzales. But warning, there are spoilers for Season 4. : )
  • JennaDoesBooks made up an amazing spreadsheet of all the author’s signing at BEA and guess who’s on it?! 

* Thanks so much to Alyssa Hamilton for help with this section, and don’t forget to stop by Swept Away By Books for her book reviews!

    

WRITING TIP OF THE WEEK

“Becoming a writer is about becoming conscious. When you’re conscious and writing from a place of insight and simplicity and real caring about the truth, you have the ability to throw the lights on for your reader. He or she will recognize his or her life and truth in what you say, in the pictures you have painted, and this decreases the terrible sense of isolation that we have all had too much of.” 
― Anne Lamott 

Martina Boone

Martina Boone is the award-winning author of the romantic southern gothic Heirs of Watson Island series, starting with COMPULSION from Simon & Schuster, Simon Pulse and the Celtic Legends Collection of novels set in Scotland, Cornwall, and Ireland beginning with LAKE OF DESTINY. She’s passionate about improving lives through literacy and the love of books, and she runs the Compulsion For Reading program to distribute books to underserved schools and libraries.

She lives with her husband, children, Shetland Sheepdog Phinney, and Zoey the lopsided cat, and she enjoys writing contemporary romantic fiction with a hint of magic set in small towns and beautiful places. When she isn’t writing, she’s addicted to travel, horses, skiing, chocolate flavored tea, and anything with Nutella on it.

Post © Martina Boone and/or Adventures in YA Publishing. All rights reserved.
Posted: Apr 29, 2014
Category: Imported from AYAP
Tags: Martina Boone | YA Fiction Giveaways

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The first slide is an animation of a science/magic room in a castle. A cartoon character of a mad-scientist looking man in in the foreground says: “Hello! Dr. Frankenstein here to say, Well Done on kid lit zombie week! I’m an expert at reviving the dead, and let me assure you, with a little spark, you can bring dead projects to life. Especially if you dig up parts from other dead things. I’ll even let you have a sneak peek at my laboratory’s store room to consider potential parts for your dead project. If you see something with a yellow glow, that means you should click it. Have fun!”

He points to the right side of the screen and a new scene slides in of a castle science/magic storage room. There are various cartoon Frankenstein body parts scattered around. Some of them have a yellow glow. If you click on them, the images below appear (I’ve added alt text to them, so I hope it works).

The Heart of your story is the main character. The protagonist is the beating core that truly brings your story to life. If your MC doesn't make kids (and their grown-ups) care within the first few pages, your story will flatline. </p> <p>Your main character needs to be:<br /> • Relatable enough for kids to see themselves<br /> • Unique enough to stand out in the slush pile<br /> • Active enough to drive the story<br /> • Memorable enough to survive multiple readings at bedtime</p> <p>Where do you find this amazing donor heart? It might be the very thing you loved so much about the manuscript you want to revive. It might be the younger sister from your shelved YA novel. Or maybe it’s the hilarious kid you blogged about meeting at a school visit. Find a character beating with potential and place it in the center of your story.<br />
The Brain of your story is the theme or central message. The theme is the big idea that controls everything else. Picture books are more than stories - they're tiny life lessons disguised with humor and heart.</p> <p>But your theme needs to be:<br /> • Subtle enough not to trigger the dreaded "didactic" rejection<br /> • Clear enough for a four-year-old to grasp<br /> • Universal enough to speak to both kids and adults<br /> • Fresh enough to prevent agents and editors from responding with "Not another sharing/bedtime/first-day story!"</p> <p>Check your other dead manuscripts to see if there is a recurring theme, something that really seems to be speaking to you. Find the bit of poetry you scribbled on the back of a receipt to see what theme inspired it. Reread the pep talk you texted your critique partner at 1am. Pick the theme that will drive your story, giving it purpose, direction, and deeper meaning.<br />
The Legs of your story is the plot. Not to be confused with a grave plot.🤪 The plot is what keeps everything upright and moving, as well as providing support for all the other elements. You have very few words to use in a picture book, so you need to do a lot with each plot point.</p> <p>In general, your plot should:<br /> • Hook readers fast<br /> • Build tension that a child can follow<br /> • Create page turns that feel natural<br /> • Wrap up in a way that satisfies</p> <p>You can borrow a plot twist (a leg) from one manuscript and the opening (the other leg) from a different manuscript. Consider if the subplot of the middle grade novel you trunked would work better as a picture book. Or maybe your Facebook post about a disastrous camping trip could become a story for kids. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other until you have your storyline.
The Arms of your story are the side characters.
The Torso of your story is the setting. Setting helps a story breathe and connects all the elements of the story. It isn't just where your story lives, it's what makes your story ALIVE. It's the difference between "this happened in a park" and "this happened in that park, the one with the twisty slide that burns your legs and the creaky swing that sounds like a baby crying.”</p> <p>Your setting should:<br /> • Make your character's world feel real<br /> • Contain your story in a way that makes sense to young readers<br /> • Connect different scenes and moments organically<br /> • Give your illustrator enough room to add visual subplots</p> <p>Half-finished manuscripts are a great place to dig up settings, since you worked out the place details before the plot petered out. Or maybe you had to cut a second fantastic location from your chapter book. You can also revisit the detailed caption from your Instagram carousel documenting your tour of that delish candy shop. Disinter a robust setting that can house all of your story's vital organs.

After you press the Click When Done circle button, the lights flash with the sound of electricity buzzing. Then the screen goes black and lightning zaps across the screen with the sound of thunder.

The screen then lights up to show the storage room, and all the Frankenstein pieces have been assembled into the whole monster. An upbeat song plays in the background. Then a speech bubble pops up with the words, “I’m alive! I’M ALIVE!” Then the screen goes to black. 

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