#16DABash DIG TOO DEEP by Amy Allgeyer + #Giveaway!

DIG TOO DEEP
By Amy Allgeyer
Publication date: April 1st, 2016
Category: YA

From Goodreads: With her mother facing prison time for a violent political protest, seventeen-year-old Liberty Briscoe has no choice but to leave her Washington, DC, apartment and take a bus to Ebbottsville, Kentucky, to live with her granny. There she can finish high school and put some distance between herself and her mother--her 'former' mother, as she calls her. But Ebbottsville isn't the same as Liberty remembers, and it's not just because the top of Tanner's Peak has been blown away to mine for coal. Half the county is out of work, an awful lot of people in town seem to be sick, and the tap water is bright orange--the same water that officials claim is safe to drink. When Granny's lingering cold turns out to be something much worse, Liberty is convinced the mine is to blame, and starts an investigation that quickly plunges her into a world of secrets, lies, threats, and danger. Liberty isn't deterred by any of it, but as all her searches turn into dead ends, she comes to a difficult decision: turn to violence like her former mother or give up her quest for good. 

Add to Goodreads | Watch the book trailer

DIG TOO DEEP was a great look at the current water crises all over this country due to Mountaintop Removal mining. In fact, every time I see a post by Erin Brockovich on Facebook, I'm immediately reminded of DIG TOO DEEP, as not only is this story a reality for many, many people at the moment, but it's also informative as to how the mining culture feels the way they do about speaking against everything. (And how the water contamination can get to be so bad, so fast!)

Another thing I appreciated about DIG TOO DEEP was how the main character, Liberty, stood up for what she believed in, even though it wasn't the safe or easiest decision. Between the writing, the dynamic between a few of the characters (Liberty and her grandmother, especially) and getting a taste of the great Kentucky setting, I found DIG TOO DEEP to be informative, articulate, interesting, and a downright frustrating, wonderful book. I was excited to talk to Amy about DTD, and asked,

What are the difficulties/struggles/or rewards of writing about such a real life, complex topic?

Her response:

This is such a great question because part of what drew me to the issue of Mountaintop Removal mining is that it *is* so very complex.

It’s clear that Mountaintop Removal mining is disastrous for the environment. And it’s become evident that there are very serious health issues associated with living near MTR mines.

But at the same time, the people in these communities depend on the mines for jobs. Often, mining jobs are the highest paying jobs in the area. The money from mining jobs doesn’t just help families of mine workers. It also helps the local businesses where they shop. Mine jobs often pay enough that the families have some disposable income, which creates a market for bookstores and hair salons, home improvement contractors and house cleaners—businesses that otherwise might not even exist in these areas. So mining jobs create other jobs.

But…people are dying in these communities because of the mines. Cancer, gall bladder issues, birth defects and stillbirths. These are lives literally lost because of Mountaintop Removal mines.

The bottom line: MTR mines keep towns alive at the same time they’re killing the residents. It’s a savage sort of irony. And when you add in the coal companies’ drive for profit, the crippling poverty in the area, the deep pockets of coal lobbyists which sway the government from enacting protective measures that might force coal mines to find safer ways to extract coal…it’s a very complex and difficult situation.

I love writing about heavy issues with no clear right and wrong. Putting a character, like Liberty, through the difficult process of choosing where to make her stand creates amazing tension. And I think those moments really resonate with people…especially teens, who grapple with figuring out who they are and what they stand for on a daily basis. The difficulty in writing about complex issues, though, is that there will always be people who disagree with your story—people who think you got it totally wrong. And as a writer, that’s an uncomfortable place to be.

Whew! I'm so glad she loved writing about this, because it's something we ALL need to be more aware of. :(

About Amy:

The youngest of seven kids, Amy has been writing stories since she first learned to make her letters face the right way. Her work has appeared in Family Fun, A Fly in Amber and Stories for Children. As an architect, she spends her days restoring hundred-year-old homes in Boise where she lives with her son, a feral house cat, and a fake owl named Alan. She hates chocolate, but loves vegetables. She also loves travelling to foreign lands and the smell of honeysuckle on humid Southern nights. 

Amy's Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

And now, for a giveaway! Amy is giving away a hard copy of DIG TOO DEEP and some swag to one winner (US only)! I highly recommend entering this (or picking up a copy for yourself--it's so pretty) DTD is a bit of an underrated book, I think, and was easily a four-and-a-half star read. Aside from a bit of profanity and talk of drugs, I'd recommend it to anyone 12 and up.

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Wanting to check out more 2016 debut authors? Here's the schedule for the entire month of June! (Blogs not hyperlinked yet, sorry!)


June 1st

My Book Addiction - Kristy Acevedo

SleepsOnTables – Michele Bacon

Adventures in Writing – Jennifer DiGiovanni

Sci-Fi and Scary - Margaret Dilloway

YaReads - A. E. Conran

BookCatPin - Anna Michels

June 2nd

Alice Reeds – Sarah Alexander

The Hermit Librarian – Anna Breslaw

Me, Myself, and I - Melissa Gorzelanczyk

Pulp and Mystery Shelf – Kim Savage

With Love for Books - Kat Helgeson

June 3rd 

Let Me Tell You A Story - Amy Allgeyer

Gabriella M Reads – Tobie Easton

Bookish Wanderlove – Emily Martin

Brittany's Book Rambles - Robin Reul – Guest Post

Kirstyes - Books, Occupation - Magic! - Jennifer Mason-Black

Diane’s Book Blog – Michael Miller

Pimples, Popularity, and Protagonists – R.S. Grey

June 4th

Ink Sisters Write – Brooks Benjamin

21st Century Once Upon A Times – Lucy Keating

With Love for Books – Amber Smith

Swoony Boys Podcast - Mia Siegert

Vi3tBabe – Judy Sheehan

June 5th  

Diane’s Book Blog – Sarah Ahiers

 Cover2Cover - Kerry Kletter

 The Candid Cover - Jenny Moyer

 Lost in Lit – Katherine Fleet

 Alice Reeds - Jenny Manzer

 June 6th 

 Gabriella M Reads - Ami Allen-Vath

 Two Chicks on Books - Nicole Castroman

 Lisa Loves Literature – Janet B. Taylor

 Downright Dystopian – Jeff Garvin

 June 7th 

The Hardcover Lover - Ashley Herring Blake 

Here's to Happy Endings - Meg Leder

 Vox Libris – Catherine Lo

 YaReads – Scarlett Kol

 The Book Cellar - Julie Hammerle

 Ink Sisters Write - Kenneth Logan

 Pimples, Popularity, and Protagonists – Jenna Welch

 June 8th 

Go Read A Book - Natalie Blitt

 Curling Up With A Good Book - Lindsey Klingele

 Across the Bookiverse - Kathy MacMillan

 The Reading Nook Reviews - Rebecca Podos 

June 9th 

The Book Beacon - Andrew Brumbach

The Turning Pages – Shannon M. Parker

 Book Lovers Life - Patrick Samphire

 Bibliophilia, Please - Gordon Jack

 June 10th 

With Love for Books - Harriet Reuter

Hapgood the bookdragon - Marisa Reichardt

 Cue My Muse - Laura Shovan

 Rockin' Book Reviews – Bryan Methods

 June 11th 

Kirstyes - Books, Occupation - Magic! - Kiran Millwood Hargrave 


Arctic Books – Laura Tims

Book Lovers Life - Sarah Schauerte Reida

 June 12th 

Bibliophilia, Please - Julie Eshbaugh

Mundie Kids – Robin Yardi

YaReads – Martine Lewis

June 13th 

Little Book Heaven - Michelle Andreani

YaReads – Carrie Firestone

 Me, Myshelf, and I – Peter HoffMeister

 Emily Reads Everything – Emily Skrutskie

 June 14th 

Downright Dystopian - Christian McKay Heidicker

Brittany's Book Rambles - Kerri Maniscalco

Platypire Reviews – Nanci Turner Steveson

June 15th 

My Book Addiction – Jennie K Brown

 Sci-Fi and Scary - Jennifer Bardsley

June 16th 

Milky Way of Books – Ava Jae

Rachel's Book Reviews – Jeff Zentner

June 17th 

Write Writing Written - Lily Anderson

Two Chicks on Books – Kim Zarins

Pink Polka Dot Books - Heather Smith Meloche

June 18th 

Pimples, Popularity, and Protagonists – K.C. Held

Wishful Endings – Elizabeth Briggs

Cue My Muse - Lee Gjertsen Malone

June 19th 

Read.Sleep.Repeat. - Rahul Kanakia

YaReads – Dee Romito

With Love for Books – Jessica Taylor

 June 20th 

YaReads – Kurt Dinan

A Perfection Called Books – Erin Summerill

21st Century Once Upon A Times - Riley Redgate

My Book Addiction - Janet Sumner Johnson

June 21st 

YaReads - J. Keller Ford

What's Write About This – Erin Teagan

Alice Reeds - Aditi Khorana

Latte Nights Reviews – Mia Garcia

June 22nd 

Pink Polka Dot Books – Emily France

Emily Reads Everything - Sonya Mukherjee

YaReads - Everly Frost

Little Book Heaven - Paula Garner

June 23rd 

Latte Nights Reviews - Kathleen Glasgow

Bookish Wanderlove - Karen Hattrup

 June 24th 

My Bookish Year – Erica M Chapman

The Eater of Books! – Julie Buxbaum

The Book Cellar - Jill Diamond

YaReads - Dana Elmendorf

June 25th 

Pretty Deadly Reviews - Laurie Elizabeth Flynn

My Book Addiction - Erin Petti

SleepsOnTables - Parker Peevyhouse

The Phantom Paragrapher - Julie Leung

June 26th 

The Book Cellar - Evangeline Denmark

 The Reading Nook Reviews – Kathryn Purdie

 Gabriella M Reads – Stephanie Scott

 Read.Sleep.Repeat. - Lisa A. Koosis

 June 27th 

The Book Beacon - Claire Fayers

YaReads - Cheryl Blackford

Bookish Wanderlove - Jenn P. Nguyen

Bibliophilekid - Emily Cox and Nicole Allen

BookCatPin - Laura Stampler

June 28th 

Pandora’s Books - Audrey Coulthurst 

My Book Addiction – Abby Cooper

Downright Dystopian – Katie Kennedy

Hannah Plus Books – Tom Crosshill

Book Lovers Life - Cynthia Reeg

June 29th 

Media Geeks Unite - Tricia Clasen 

Tigersbooksandme - Destiny Soria

Mindjacked – Margot Harrison

books are love - Caleb Roehrig 

Emily Reads Everything - Janet McNally

Platypire Reviews – Tara Sims

YaReads - Isabel Bandeira 

June 30th 

On Starships and Dragonwings – Traci Chee

Doodle's Book Reviews - Meghan Rogers

Pandora’s Books - Kathleen Burkinshaw

Bibliophilia, Please - Bridget Hodder

Swoony Boys Podcast - Krystal Sutherland

 Alice Reeds - Karen Fortunati

 My Book Addiction - Mike Grosso

 The Reading Nook Reviews - Lindsey Roth Culli

Book Lover’s Life– Abigail Johnson

YaReads – Sarah Glenn Marsh

What's Write About This - Wade Albert White

Audiobook giveaway + May's LFT

I'm doing a flash audiobook giveaway of IF I SPEAK TRUE! Also, considering how crazy-busy everything is this time of the year, I thought I'd put together a post sharing what's coming up, rather than and end-of-the-month, what's already passed. (That's where the LFT comes in, which stands for May's "looking forward to".)

So, first, the audiobook giveaway:

I'm giving away a total of THREE audiobooks of IF I SPEAK TRUE, book one in the Flora series. This giveaway is going to be posted on more than one platform, with ONE audiobook given away here on Rafflecopter, one on Facebook, and one on Instagram. It's a quick, two-day giveaway, just for fun. (Psst: if the series has sparked your interest, the ebooks--Rowan's novella, especially--are quite fairly-priced. :D )


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Next, here's a giveaway that ends in two days... Beth Revis' PAPER HEARTS series (original post):

 

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and, coming up this month...

May 7th: My 19th wedding anniversary! Oh, wait.

May 7th: The Lonely Ones by Kelsey Sutton excerpt. Find Kelsy and/or The Lonely Ones on:

Goodreads | Twitter: @KelseyJSutton | Facebook | Website

Coming up the entire month of June: YA Reads' DEBUT AUTHOR BASH! (Sign-ups are closed, but if you'd like to get an idea of just how many awesome-sauce YA authors will be featured this year, check out this post.)

I'll be featuring Amy Allgeyer, author of DIG TOO DEEP, on June 3rd!

And that's about it! :) Have a blessed week!

5th Annual Black Friday Book Bonanza (#booklove / #giveaway)

Welcome to the 5th annual Black Friday Book Bonanza hosted by Kimba at Caffeinated Book Reviewer and Jennifer at Bookshelfery! This is my first time participating in the BFBB, and I am so excited! As I'm writing this post, there are over 60 participants. Wow, right? I mean, yay books! (And yay CHRISTMAS!)

If you haven't participated in the BFBB before, the rules are pretty simple. Each participating blogger/author has their own bookish-related giveaway that will run from 12:01am on November 27 through 12:01am November 30 (so basically the entire Thanksgiving weekend). Some will be US only, some will be INTL. (To find/enter the other giveaways, see the links beneath the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.)

And now, my Black Friday Book Bonanza shtuff:

What's up for grabs (US only):

* And then I realized adventure was the best way to learn 7x9 journal

* IF I SPEAK TRUE (book one of the Flora series)

* The Princess Bride DVD

* Sailboat 5x7 journal 

* $10 Target gift card (get that book you've been wanting!)

* bookish swag (not pictured)

Total value: Over $45!!! (Give as a gift, split it up into a couple of different gifts, or keep everything for yourself!)

I love journals because they're great for keeping track of your favorite book quotes, organizing bookish wish lists, or jotting down writing ideas that come to you while reading! The Target gift card was a given, because hello: books. And The Princess Bride DVD, well... Dahlia in IF I SPEAK TRUE loves The Princess Bride, so I had to throw that in, too! :)

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Oh and hey, INTL peeps! Of course I didn't forget that you're special, too! Here's an easy peasy ebook giveaway just for you:


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Now check out the rest of the Black Friday Book Bonanza participants!

       or:

Happy Blessed birthday to meeeeee (my 3rd annual #JLBbirthdaybash)

You guys! I turn another year young this month, and am celebrating with my 3rd annual birthday bash!

After searching here and there for the *perfect* things (and a bit of collaboration with some peeps), I've finally come up with what I want to share: a bunch of lovely things I know you will love to have (or even pass along to others)! I'll probably add more items over the next few weeks, so check back often!

The deets:

 * Giveaway is US only (sorry guys, but shipping).

 * Ends Sunday, October 25th at 11:59 p.m. PST

There are MANY ways to enter. Because it IS my birthday and, therefore, about me and how much I love connecting with others, I added more entry options than usual. Feel free to enter all or only one or two, if you like.

And now, a quick breakdown of the winnings:

* Living Wonders Color Art coloring book (this thing has birds, owls, lots of other animals. It totally rocks).

* The Spectacular Now DVD

* a paperback of Elsker by ST Bende

* Live Wondrously pocket journal by Hafsah / IceyDesigns

* Three lovely books/coffee/tea custom-made bookmarks by Katie / Punk Projects (notice she made the mugs as a bird, fox, and owl... I love them so much)

* A Woodland Pals sticker book

* adorable hot air balloon PostIt notes

*various swag

All of which comes to a value of over $55 dollars!!!

Are you excited? I sure am! Go ahead and enter below!

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

FALL 2015 YA SCAVENGER HUNT (#YASH) + exclusive #giveaway

It's #YASH time! *throws coffee bean confetti* 

Welcome to the FALL '15 YA SCAVENGER HUNT. On this hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each participating YA author (that's 160 this year), you also get their favorite number. Add up the numbers, and enter the total for a chance to win a major prize. Every team will have a winner, and that winner will receive at least one book from each author on that team! This means there are EIGHT SEPARATE GRAND PRIZES of at least 20 books in each grand prize!!!! But play fast: this contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only last until noon PST on Sunday, October 4th!

A few quick things: If you get lost for some reason, no worries--just go to this link: YA Scavenger Hunt: Stuck? Each team AND all of the authors are listed there, so you can pick up where you left off. :) If you've never done this before but would love to participate, check out YA Scavenger Hunt: How to Hunt.

Directions: Somewhere below, you'll see that I’ve listed my favorite number (in pink). Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on TEAM PINK, and then add them up (don’t worry, you can use a calculator!).

Entry Form: Once you’ve added up all the numbers, make sure you fill out the form here to officially qualify for the grand prize. Only entries that have the correct number will qualify.

Rules: Open internationally. Anyone below the age of 16 should have a parent or guardian’s permission to enter. To be eligible for the grand prize, you must submit the completed entry form by October 4th. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.

And now for the author and book I am hosting: Lisa T. Cresswell, and THE COLOR OF WATER! Lisa is a professional archaeologist that writes fanciful stories for young adults. She lives in Idaho with her family and way too many furry pet friends!  


THE COLOR OF WATER bonus material: 

Everyone's heard of Blackbeard, right? The terrible pirate? Hollywood staple pirate character? But did you know that Blackbeard was a real person named Edward Teach? I remember as a kid thinking he was just a cartoon-ish character and being amazed to learn he was real. You can read all about him on Wikipedia.  Born in 1680, he only lived to be about 35 or 40 years old because he was finally captured and beheaded in 1718. Perhaps because it was so long ago, he's become the stuff of legends? Even his flag is kinda creepy.

The ghost of Blackbeard is the main baddie in my new novella The Color of Water. He was such delicious fun to write, re-imagined as a modern day biker. Here's a sneak peek of my heroine, Samantha, unexpectedly seeing Blackbeard, aka Teach, on the streets of Beaufort ~


    The summer sun was still hot enough to make me sweat, but it was cooling down as the shadows got longer. The rain had left steamy puddles along the sidewalks, but the sky was clearing just like Matt said it would. Seeing nothing unusual at the Queen Ann’s, I kept walking, turning down an alley to avoid all the tourists on Front Street. That’s where I saw them – a man and a woman having a hella fight in the alley. My heart jumped up into my throat when I realized it was Harley man – Teach.

    I ducked behind a dumpster and tried to blend into the back of a building. It didn’t seem to matter to Teach and his lady friend because their screaming argument suddenly dissolved into a groping, kissing thing. I couldn’t stop staring at them. Teach’s beefy, tattooed arms wrapped the woman like an octopus’s tentacles, his fingers snaking through her God-awful, red-orange dye job. She didn’t seem to mind. She kissed him like she was starving and he was a steak dinner. After coming up for air, they stumbled back inside the building.

    I saw the door was printed with ‘No one under 21 admitted’ as I hurried past. If he was going to kill her, he would have done it right there, wouldn’t he? I resolved not to tell Matt about it, since he obviously didn’t want me anywhere near Teach. I didn’t want to risk making him mad again. I picked up my pace, running a few blocks so I wouldn’t be late.

You can find The Color of Water in print and ebook on Amazon and Goodreads! Enjoy~

Check out THE COLOR OF WATER 5 different ways: at Lisa's website | Buy The Color of Water | Request it on NetGalley | Check out the Pinterest Page | Add it to Goodreads

Here are the books up for grabs for Team PINK:

Make sure you head over to Nicole Zoltack's to keep playing!

Also, IN CELEBRATION of the FALL YASH, I'm giving away all three books currently in the Flora series (paperbacks for a US winner, or ebooks for an INTL winner), plus a $5 Amazon e-gift card!  Happy hunting!

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I've FLIPPED... it's the RUNNING DREAM! Yes, I CONFESS... I'm doing a Wendelin Van Draanen #GIVEAWAY!

So... get this. I'm at the Central Coast Book and Author Fair on Sunday (more about that in a post next week), and guess who is ALSO there with a table FULL o' books? The lovely Wendelin Van Draanen!!!! (WHAT!) Now, I realize she's most known for FLIPPED or her Sammy Keyes series, but the book my teenage daughters recognized immediately is the book this quote above is from: THE RUNNING DREAM. Speaking of...

GUESS WHAT. Wendelin was kind enough to sign THE RUNNING DREAM, FLIPPED, and CONFESSIONS OF A SERIAL KISSER specifically to give away to one precious Let Me Tell You A Story winner! 

HOORAY!

More about entering in a moment, but first, the blurbs:

TRD blurb: Winner of the 2012 Schneider Family Book Award

Jessica thinks her life is over when she loses a leg in a car accident. She's not comforted by the news that she'll be able to walk with the help of a prosthetic leg. Who cares about walking when you live to run?

As she struggles to cope with crutches and a first cyborg-like prosthetic, Jessica feels oddly both in the spotlight and invisible. People who don't know what to say, act like she's not there. Which she could handle better if she weren't now keenly aware that she'd done the same thing herself to a girl with CP named Rosa. A girl who is going to tutor her through all the math she's missed. A girl who sees right into the heart of her.

With the support of family, friends, a coach, and her track teammates, Jessica may actually be able to run again. But that's not enough for her now. She doesn't just want to cross finish lines herself—she wants to take Rosa with her.



The blurb for FLIPPED: Flipped is a romance told in two voices. The first time Juli Baker saw Bryce Loski, she flipped. The first time Bryce saw Juli, he ran. That’s pretty much the pattern for these two neighbors until the eighth grade, when, just as Juli is realizing Bryce isn’t as wonderful as she thought, Bryce is starting to see that Juli is pretty amazing. How these two teens manage to see beyond the surface of things and come together makes for a comic and poignant romance.














Blurb for CONFESSIONS OF A SERIAL KISSER: EVANGELINE LOGAN WANTS a kiss. A spectacular, heart-stopping, life changing kiss. Somehow The Crimson Kiss (a romance novel she’s become obsessed with) and Four Steps to Living Your Fantasy (a self-help book she’s reading) have fused in Evangeline’s mind and sent her on a quest for a kiss. But the path to perfection is paved with many bad kisses—the smash mouth, the ear licker, the “misser.” The phrase “I don’t kiss and tell” means nothing to the boys in her school. And worse: someone starts writing her name and number on bathroom walls. And worst of all: the boy she's just kissed turns out to be her best friend’s new crush. Kissing turns out to be way more complicated than the romance novels would have you believe . . .


Due to the cost of shipping, this giveaway is US only (sorry). Ends 10/11 at 11:59 p.m. PST

Make sure to add a few of her books to your Goodreads!

And now... the giveaway:

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The Words We Thought Were True cover reveal + giveaway

It's HERE! 

It's finally here! 

After MONTHS of sitting on this, I finally get to share! 

The Words We Thought Were True (Cozenage, #2)'s cover is out. Go to IceyBooks (link) for a first look + enter to win an ARC + ebook! 

Pencils + journals = An @IceyDesigns GIVEAWAY!

So my lovely pal, Hafsah, has gotten *so* many wonderful things in her shop lately that I just HAD to host a giveaway. I mean... have you seen this stuff? JOURNALS! POSTERS! BOOKISH PENCILS! HAND LETTERED QUOTE ART, and MORE!!!

So many lovely things, and all of them gorgeous. There's more in her Etsy shop, so check it out. And... that's it! Enter the giveaway to win either a pack of pencils, or one of her precious journals, and spread the word! I can't wait to see who wins! :D

Deets: US only. Contest ends September 13th at 11:59 p.m. PST 

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July's #JLBgivesawayanINDIE: 2 time travel books, + go back to Shakespearean time w/a Romeo & Juliet DVD!

July's #JLBgivesawayanINDIE is not one but two of Nicole Zoltack's time travel standalones!!! As a BONUS, we're also giving away a DVD of the The Most Dangerous Love Story Ever Told (US only)! More about the DVD soon, but first, here's a little about Love Before Honor and The Test of Time:



Love Before Honor: Honor. Truth. Loyalty. Love. All of these matter most to Sir Gerald. To avenge his love's death, he challenges her murderer to a duel. Her twin, however, feels that Alice never loved Gerald and gives him a tea. Alice had also given him teas, which enhanced his love for her, but this tea is different. This tea sends him to into the future, to the Regency era.

Lady Vanessa seeks a Christmas treat when she hears something outside the manor. Upon investigation, she sees a man dressed in armor. Unwilling to turn away a confused man with the approaching holiday, she convinces her parents to house Gerald until the new year.

Scandal has forced her parents to accept William as their daughter's best chance at marriage. Although rich, he does not understand her or her love of books and only sees her for her looks, whereas Gerald listens to her, confides in her and she him. With the approaching holiday, nothing is certain - not whether Gerald can discover a way back to his duel, whether he can move on from Alice, and not whether this Christmas will be a happy one for either Gerald or Vanessa.

add to Goodreads 

The Test of Time: Katia jumps at the chance to go to England with her best friend after Rose ditches her deadbeat boyfriend. While walking through the market, she spies a large mansion and recognizes the guy out front as her high school friend Tony. Just as they start to reconnect, Katia passes through times and lands in the arms of Lord Landon, who looks like Tony but certainly doesn’t act like him.

Soon, Katia learns that this 1815 is different from the one in history books. Trapped in a parallel world, Katia struggles to not fall for Landon but his charm proves too much for her. Just when she is about to confess her love for him, Katia travels through time yet again.

The course of love never did run smooth and if Katia can’t figure out and master the test of time, she’ll never see or friends again, or worse, never be reunited with Landon.

add to Goodreads 

***

As mentioned earlier, not only are we giving away two time travel romance e-books, but we're also giving away a DVD of the ULTIMATE romance: Romeo & Juliet! Woohoo!

This #JLBgivesawayanINDIE lasts for two weeks, and is US only. 

Here's the Rafflecopter! :D

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Summer Giveaway Bonanza

Hey, guys! A couple of giveaways are ending soon, so I just wanted to send out a reminder! (Click the link to see all of the giveaways in one place!)

Have a blessed weekend! :)

April's #JLBgivesawayanINDIE #giveaway: UNBREATHABLE by @HafsahFaizal

Enter to win the bottom Kindle
cover with a quote of your choice!

After a month off due to... life... we're back with April's #JLBgivesawayanINDIE giveaway and photo-a-day challenge! This month's indie is UNBREATHABLE by the beautiful Hafsah Laziaf of IceyBooks and IceyDesigns. This lady is a triple threat, guys. She designs, she writes, she draws, she is a gamer, she has a big heart, she runs an amazing book blog... whoops... that's way more than three things, isn't it? ;)  Well anyway. Her book is unique and it's what you call a "space opera", and I know you guys are going to LOVE it.

About UNBREATHABLE:

One hundred and fifty years ago, Earth was destroyed, and the remaining humans fled to the dusty red planet of Jutaire, where the only oxygen is manufactured, food is scarce, and death strikes often.

When Lissa's father discovers Earth still exists, she accidentally inhales the toxic air of Jutaire, and in one breath, discovers she isn't quite human.

Her father hangs for his discovery, and Lissa knows the Chancellors will come for her, for she saw the Earth that night too. With nothing to lose, she sets out to expose the truth. It isn't long before she meets Julian, a beautiful boy who can breathe the toxic air like she can - and shows her that the Jute, the original inhabitants of the planet, are more tangled in their lives than she knows.

But the Chancellors are only pawns in a greater game - one where the Jute control everything. Worse, the Jute plan to leave Jutaire for Earth, but to get there, they need her. And they'll stop at nothing until Lissa is in their clutches, even if they kill every human in the process.

The race for Earth has begun.

Unbreathable is a tale of love, redemption, and sacrifice, and one girl's struggle to find her place in a world where she doesn't belong. Add to Goodreads

See? Doesn't it sound incredible? I'll be sharing the Rafflecopter below, but first, here's this month's photo-a-day challenge. It was a lot of fun coming up with challenges that were UNBREATHABLE-themed. (Remember, you don't *have* to participate in the photo-a-day challenge to win the Rafflecopter giveaway, but we'll be choosing two random challenge participants on Insta/Twitter and giving them something UNBREATHABLE-ish just for playing.) So share the below challenge, take those photos, use the hashtag #JLBgivesawayanINDIE on Twitter and/or Instagram, make sure to tag us so we *see* them, and have fun! (The photos can be bookish, but feel free to interpret the challenge word however you like.)

And now for the Rafflecopters! :D

Remember the photo you saw of the two Kindle covers at the beginning of the post? Well the uber-talented Katie Smith made those! The pink one is with a quote from UNBREATHABLE in unavailable, but the one above is up for grabs and she will personalize it with a quote of your choice! 

US giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Plus, I decided to do one that's INTERNATIONAL:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Woo! Spread the word, ya'll! :)

So much writerly news this week, just come on over for coffee.

I'm alive! (Okay, I'm sure you already knew that, but I've refrained from doing the past few Friday writerly news posts because a) it's been crazy around here and b) honestly, I felt like I was bugging people with them!) 

I have lotssss to say, so grab something sweet and a mug, and get comfy! 

*pours you coffee* 

First off, Tiny and I are celebrating!

Please ignore Tiny's wig. We've been dancin' it up to
Meghan Trainor's Dear Future Husband all morning.

WHY are we celebrating, you ask? Well...

Writerly News: If I happened to be doing this post in proper, I'll-get-you-to-read-the-entire-post-first-before-giving-you-the-news social media fashion, I wouldn't share this until the very end of the post. But I know ya'll are busy and, if you're like me, skim because there's so much to read on the interwebs and (so little time to do it), so here it is....

I have a title for Cozenage #2. 




There are six words in the title, (yes, the title comes straight from a line in the book, as usual) and they totally encompass the storyline and I just can't explain how excited I am. *almost spills coffee* 

FYI, those of you who've subscribed to my e-newsletter (the subscribe link is over there to the right on the sidebar), you will find out a few days sooner. (I'll also be doing something different in regard to ARCs for book two via my newsletter: sending out actual advanced readers copies to about 30 people. ARCs won't be coming out for months from now, mind you, I'm just trying to plan ahead--so if you might be interested in reading/reviewing an ARC, I suggest subscribing, too.) The announcement will go up on April 1st, but do know that it is the real deal and I'm not pranking anyone (Tiny tried to talk me into it, but I gave him some peanut butter and told him to shut it). Normally, I'd put it up on Friday the 3rd, but the blog will be taken over for a couple of days. Which brings me to my next announcement... 

YA Scavenger Hunt: I'm happy to report that I'll be participating in the Spring 2015 YA Scavenger Hunt! There are a TON of authors participating (8 teams with 20 authors on each team) which = a TON of books up for grabs! I'm on Team Pink:

Yes, that's Cozenage, #1, Pity Isn't An Option, right there! Seeing it makes me even more excited about book two! 

I'll be sharing the other seven teams with you next week! :)

SCAVENGER DEETS: 2015's Spring YA Scavenger hunt is Thursday, April 2nd through Sunday, April 5th. To learn about how the hunt works, GO HERE. To find out the latest info as stuff is updated, follow YA Scavenger Hunt on Twitter HERE or Facebook HERE.

ICYMI:

In celebration of IceyDesigns settling on a business brand and starting up a blog, Hafsah, the creator of IceyDesigns (and co-blogger at IceyBooks) is throwing a pretty cool giveaway. This lady is mad-talented (she's designed all of my Flora and Cozenage series covers, and my entire blog, as well) and I send everyone looking for design her way, because she rocks! Read about how she created her brand and enter the giveaway to win either a $100 credit toward design or $50 Barnes and Noble gift card, HERE. 

I was going to tell you guys about the lack of a #JLBGivesawayanINDIE for March and what's coming up for April, but I think that's more than enough to read this week, so look for it next Friday. WHEW!

Have a blessed weekend!

This Valentine's Day, spread the #booklove & enter to win books + Amazon & Etsy gift cards!

Yes, you read that right! We're spreading the #booklove this weekend with the simplest, most exciting way EVER, and throwing a giveaway, to boot! After seeing so many books with a decent amount of reviews on Goodreads (indies especially), but realizing what a surprising number of those reviews never make it to actual purchasing sites like Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords, I thought, maybe readers just need a little incentive! 

Reviews influence purchases...
which raise books in the ranks... 
which gets them in front of more readers...
which means they eventually get into more reader's hands... 

and that's exactly the point of spreading the #booklove: getting books to more readers! 

So. Here's how it works:

The main point of this giveaway is to encourage readers who've reviewed books on Goodreads to also share those reviews on other websites. Think of it as passing the word along, without having to do much more than copying and pasting! Easiest #booklove ever, right?! There will be no required links to share, nor will we require proof in any other way; it's all based on the honor system. We're simply encouraging readers to spread the word a little further. 

If you have no reviews to share but still want to get in the Valentine's Day spirit, feel free to share #booklove by mentioning a few of your current favorite authors or books on Twitter, Insta, Tumblr, FB, or anywhere else using the above graphic and/or by linking to this giveaway. (Don't forget to use the hashtag!) 

And now, here's what's up for grabs as a thank you for sharing the #booklove: one winner will receive TEN e-books, two novellas, an Etsy gift card, and an Amazon gift card! YAY! Read about the authors and gifts up for grabs below the Rafflecopter. As always, there's a free entry as well as other features that can get you extra entries. THANK YOU for helping us share the #booklove!

You've got sweet YA conspiracy theory, sweet NA Norse mythology, YA superheroes, YA magical realism (with a bit o' romance), and a YA space opera. Talk about lots of fun reading options!!! Remember, all readers are welcome to enter, but keep in mind that the entire spirit of the #booklove giveaway is to encourage readers to share thoughts/reviews already on Goodreads to other sites so that their favorites can be brought to the surface of the book sea that is the internet (or even be inspired to share their #booklove in some other way, like spreading word of mouth on social media or even writing review/s if they've been meaning to, but haven't gotten around to it yet). 

And now for the Rafflecopter:

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Stacey Nash, author of Forget Me Not and Remember Me (link) 

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

ST Bende, author of The Elsker Saga (link)

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Hafsah Laziaf, author of Unbreathable (link)

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Cheyanne Young, author of the Powered trilogy (link)

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Jessica L. Brooks, author of the Flora series (link)

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble