Friday, April 3, 2009

Win a SIGNED copy of The Forest of Hands and Teeth + Launch Party Swag

Enter the Book Giveaway for a SIGNED copy of The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan and swag from the Book Launch Party of Awesome!

So, you didn't get a chance to go to the launch party for The Forest of Hands and Teeth? Don't feel bad! Beth Revis has got you covered!

She's prepared a goody bag of all the stuff from the launch party--a little zombie man, a tin of gummy brains, a bookmark, a postcard of the launch party, and, best of all, a signed copy of Carrie's book!

If you'd like to win all the swag she stashed from Carrie's party, all you have to do is leave her a comment, telling her:
- What swag you'd like to give for your book launch (if you're an aspiring writer),
- What swag you did give away at your book launch (if you're a published author), or
- What swag you think would be cool to get if you went to a book launch for your favorite book (if you're a reader).

As always, there are many ways to win... But, you'll have to click on over to Beth's blog to find out what those ways are and to read the rules. Contest closes on April 5th.

Good Luck & Happy Reading!

~Willow

Friday, March 27, 2009

Murv (a.k.a. - M.R. Sellars) is over at Bitten By Books!

Exclusive Bitten by Books
Interview with Author M. R. Sellars

A big welcome to our readers today! Be sure to read to the end of the interview to find out how to WIN the fabulous prizes being offered up. Open to readers worldwide!

NOTE: This is not a fixed time event, the post just goes live at 10:00 pm CDT. You can stop by any time during the day or evening and leave your questions and comments through tomorrow afternoon.

Interview:
Hi M. R.! Welcome to Bitten by Books, we are excited to have you here today! I would like to thank you taking the time to join us for the question and answer session with our readers. It has been very interesting to get to know more about you and what makes you tick as a writer! Readers, if you haven’t done so already please stop by and get your copy of M.R.’s latest release Blood Moon.

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To read the rest of the interview and learn how to enter the contest to win one of the following prize packs, click on over to Bitten By Books.

- 10 Autographed copies of Blood Moon
- 6 Autographed copies of Harm None
- 1 COMPLETE Autographed set of The Rowan Gant Investigator Series

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To read reviews on the Rowan Gant Investigator Series posted by Bitten By Books, as well as my comments to the reviews, click here.

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Good Luck & Happy Reading!

~Willow

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Save the Contemporary - Lisa Kleypas, Smooth Talking Stranger

Ella Varner has it all–a successful career as an advice columnist, a handsome boyfriend, and a circle of friends in Austin. When anyone has a problem, Ella knows the answers.

But one night she receives a call that changes everything. And as Ella’s world is turned upside-down, she meets a man who is the opposite of everything she ever wanted . . . a man who will offer her the most irresistible challenge she has ever known . . . Excerpt

To reward those who help spread the contemporary goodness, St. Martin’s Press has provided us with 20 copies of Smooth Talking Stranger to giveaway and a grand prize package of 20 titles from SMP’s backlist (Lora Leigh, Jennifer Crusie, Cheyenne McCray, and the like) to a random entrant.

To participate... Head on over to Save The Contemporary!

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Good Luck & Happy Reading!

~Willow

Sunday, March 22, 2009

A Circle of Books Contest - Drood by Dan Simmons

A Circle of Books is giving away three copies of Drood, by Dan Simmons Audio Book.

The last day to enter is March 31st and the winners will be announced on April 1st, 2009.

Click here to enter.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Amazing Twilight Giveaways!

BookRoom Reviews and Mom on the Random are both in the midst of several Twilight inspired contests. Here's a glimpse of what each site is giving away:

BookRoom Reviews

Scare Baby T-Shirts... click here to enter.
Oak Boston button pins... click here to enter.
Custom Scents Online parfum spray... click here to enter.
Charm Factory charm bracelet... click here to enter.
Terra Firma Cosmetics Twilight inspired makeup kits... click here to enter.
Last Day of Forever Designs jewelry... click here to enter.

Mom on the Random

Scare Baby T-Shirts... click here to enter.
Oak Boston button pins... click here to enter.
Custom Scents Online parfum spray... click here to enter.
Charm Factory charm bracelet... click here to enter.
Terra Firma Cosmetics Twilight inspired makeup kits... click here to enter.
Last Day of Forever Designs jewelry... click here to enter.

So click on over and check out these duplicate contests and double your chances for winning any or all of the prizes.

Good Luck!

~Willow

Friday, March 13, 2009

Bitten By Books Contest - Molly Harper

Exclusive Bitten by Books

Interview with Author Molly Harper

A big welcome to our readers today! Be sure to read to the end of the interview to find out how to WIN the fabulous prizes being offered up. The contest runs today through tomorrow at 3:00 EDT time. Open to readers worldwide!

NOTE: This is not a fixed time event, the post just goes live at 10:30 am CDT. You can stop by any time during the day or evening and leave your questions and comments.

Interview:

Hi Molly!

Welcome to Bitten by Books, we are excited to have you here today!

I would like to thank you taking the time to join us for the question and answer session with our readers. It has been very interesting to get to know more about you and what makes you tick as a writer! Readers, if you haven’t done so already please stop by and get your copy of Molly’s upcoming release Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs.

BBB: What do you find the most challenging aspect of writing?

MH: Reigning in my “tangents” and sticking with an effective, fluid plotline. I tend to develop these really interesting little supporting characters, who are fun and fascinating, but ultimately do nothing to move the story along. And because I’m so fond of them, I tend to take it personally when someone suggests cutting them. This is odd because cutting those characters inevitably makes the story better. I guess I am a slow learner.

BBB: What is the most rewarding aspect of writing for you?

MH: When I read something I’ve written aloud and someone laughs at just the right moment. There is nothing better than that.

BBB: What impact do electronic readers such as Kindle 2or Sony Digital Book Reader create on the bottom line for authors in the end? Do you feel they have a negative impact or positive, or no impact at all that you can see?

MH: Like anything there are pros and cons, but any medium that delivers the books people want is a good thing. I’ll put it this way, before I bought an iPod, I bought maybe three CDs in a year. Since I bought an iPod, I’ve probably increased my music consumption ten-fold. So when I actually get around to buy an electronic reader, my book consumption will probably increase, too. I don’t think people will buy fewer books just because they’re easier to carry around.

BBB: Will Jane ever kick her sister’s ass??? Or will we readers at least see Jenny get what she deserves?

MH: There is an ass-kicking royale on the horizon. You will have to wait for it. But that the foam bats and mud pit involved will be worth the wait.

Yes, I am serious.

BBB: What will Jane do now that she’s no longer a librarian?

MH: She will continue working with Mr. Wainwright at Specialty Books. She’s happy there. She has a purpose. The books, and Mr. Wainwright, need her.

BBB: How do you keep track of your world building?

MH: I keep my “rules” that I laid out in the first book I a separate document so I can refer back to it. It keeps me from violating my own vampire lore, like if Jane developed a sudden aversion to crosses when I’ve established that religious articles have no inherent power over vampires.

I do struggle with keeping up with names of minor characters, because I’ve renamed Zeb’s family members and Jolene’s cousins a half-dozen times. So I have to keep a list of those, too.

BBB: Can you tell us what your next release (s) will be? Do you have any more books planned for Jane Jameson and company? And do you have stand alone titles forthcoming?

MH: Nice Girls Don’t Date Dead Men, the follow up to Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs, will be released in September 2009. The third book, Nice Girls Don’t Live Forever, is tentatively scheduled for release in January 2010. I have written a non-paranormal romantic comedy, which I hope sells soon. And when I put the finishing touches on the third Jane Jameson book, I want to finish a werewolf romance book I have outlined. I’ve really enjoyed writing the “one-shot” books. It’s amazing how quick writing a stand-alone title seems when you’ve been working on the same series for two years! It’s like instant gratification by comparison.

BBB: How do you dream up your characters and are they inspired by anyone famous.

MH: Jane came to me as the hapless victim of my question, “What would be the most embarrassing way possible to be turned into a vampire?” And now she’s become the friend I hang out with late at night, which just sounds sad. My husband insists that Gabriel Nightengale is based on him… and I don’t see the harm in letting him think that. All of the other characters seemed to blossom from the corners of my brain as I wrote. It was like they walked in front of my computer and introduced themselves, i.e. “Hi, I’m Aunt Jettie. You need me to be a stabilizing force in Jane’s life and provide paranormal exposition.”

And when I picture the characters, their mannerisms are uniquely theirs. When describing them physically, I try to think of the actor I would cast in their part. I won’t reveal my choices as I don’t want to come across as, well, creepy.

BBB: What is your all time favorite paranormal/urban fantasy book?

MH: Demons Are a Ghoul’s Best Friend by Victoria Laurie. I always have high hopes for the “payoff” in a ghost story, the moment when you see the haunting’s backstory. And I’m usually disappointed because the ghost’s background isn’t scary enough.

Of the books I’ve read and movies I’ve seen, “Demons” is the only ghost story I’ve walked away from thinking, “There is no way to improve upon that. My expectations are totally fulfilled.” Even though the ghost is a sick, twisted $&#@, Laurie offers the reader an awesome piece of storytelling.

BBB: What do you like to do in between all the time you spend writing?

MH: Hmmm. Work full-time, raise my kids, and try to make my husband feel like he hasn’t been totally abandoned to my wild ambition? Oh, and sleep.

I’m a huge movie buff, but I have the world’s worst taste in movies. Seriously, I paid good money to see The Rage: Carrie 2 in theaters. The good thing is the DVDs I want are always available at the store… because no one else wants them. I love to read, but I have a harder time doing that since the book sold, because as much as I’m enjoying a book, the whole time I’m thinking, “I really should be working on my own stuff right now.” I used to cross-stitch and decorate really ornate cakes for fun, but it’s hard to justify spending three hours creating fondant flowers when you have a publishing deadline hanging over your head.

BBB: What did you do before you became a writer? Do you write full time?

MH: I worked for six years as a newspaper reporter, covering education… which ended up including courts, cops, quilt shows. I also got to write about bizarre happenings, such as the man who lost the full-grown bear he kept in his basement because he had to run inside to answer the phone while taking the bear for a “walk” in his backyard. I loved my job, but I left the paper in 2006 so I could keep a more stable schedule for my family. I had nights off for the first time in my adult life and suddenly had the time and energy to write!

I worked as a secretary as a Baptist church while I wrote vampire books at night. I still work full-time, writing for a medical advocacy group, then writing at night after the kids go to bed. At first, my goal was to sell one book. Now my goal is to write enough books that I can stay home and write full-time

BBB: Is there more to Zeb’s headaches?

MH: Yes, but you’ll have to read Book 2, Nice Girls Don’t Date Dead Men, to find out. But don’t worry, it’s not a tumor. This is Half-Moon Hollow, not Days of Our Lives.

BBB: Will we be seeing more of the werewolves? Or get some of their stories too?

MH: Yes, Jolene and her family will play a major role in Nice Girls Don’t Date Dead Men, as Zeb and Jolene plan their wedding. I didn’t mean to base the werewolves on any particular family, but several friends have accused me of character infringement because Jolene’s big loud, over-involved redneck pack reminds them of their families. The McClaines are fun to write about. Just imagine people who think Thomas Kinkade in fine art and live their lives by the tenets set forth in Walker, Texas Ranger. And they also happen to turn into wolves.

I’m all about the subtlety.

BBB: Will Dick Cheney get his HEA?

MH: Dick is my favorite character in the series, which is probably why he gets the best lines. So of course, he will get his happy ending. It won’t be the way he expects it to work out, but he will be very content by the end of his story.

BBB: How true are rumors that you secretly crave chocolate Yoohoo’s and Moonpies at the full moon? Favorite flavor?

MH: The rumors of my Yoohoo consumption are greatly exaggerated. Seriously, I don’t know why the Yoohoo intervention was necessary. I can quit any time I want!!

And chocolate Moon Pies, thank you very much. If you heat them up, they taste like s’mores!

BBB: What is your favorite quote of all time?

MH: If you’re normal, the crowd will accept you. But if you’re deranged, the crowd will make you their leader. – Christopher Titus

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Readers, learn more about Molly Harper here:

Read the Bitten by Books reviews of the author’s work here.
To visit the author’s website go here.
To visit the author’s blog go here.

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Readers, here’s how to enter the contest. You can do ONE or ALL of these things, and each one will give you additional entries at a chance to WIN. ONE lucky participant will win an amazing prize package that includes an AUTOGRAPHED copy of Molly’s upcoming NEW release Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs. Also included in the prize package will be a signed cover flat, bookmarks and the absolutely necessary to survival in the south…An RC Cola and a box of Moonpies. Contest is open to international readers.

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Click here to head over to Bitten By Books to learn how to enter this contest.