It's no secret: autumn is my favorite time of year, especially because of Mother Nature lashing out her brightest colors before killing everything for winter. And then there's Halloween, the celebration of the Dead and the Un-Dead. So pretty the skulls and spiders adorning the neighborhood, the pumpkin grins and the skeleton dances, so inspiring for future stories to come.
And so I want to spread the dark joy of scaring people, of making people squeal in disgust and hide in fright by giving away a signed copy of my collection of dark tales for young adult, Girls & Monsters, as well as The Monsters Collection of Skellies. Of course, I won't be celebrating alone, so please visit my fellow Coffin Hoppers blogs and websites for other scares and goodies by clicking the sexy zombies, up above.
*Girls & Monsters Giveaway*
1st prize winner gets a signed copy of Girls & Monsters plus The Monsters Collection of Skellies, made by moi.
2nd prize winner gets a digital copy of Death By Drive-In, an anthology featuring stories written by 24 horror authors/Coffin Hoppers.
Beginning on Octobre 24th and ending on Halloween at midnight (east), the contest is international, the winners will be picked by ramdom.org, and the prizes shipped the next day. Good luck♥
Here's one of my not-so-secret secrets:
I have tons of journals filled with ideas and a bunch of half-written
stories dispersed in my computer. Oh no sir, I'm not the type of
writer who leaves projects unfinished, but it happens that after
starting a plot, its complexity or direction isn't working for me. So
I let go more than abandon, because one day, I'll come back to it –
and I always do.
Not this time, folks. Only fresh ideas
for this new collection of ghostly stories where girls confront their
deepest fears... and I'm actually scared. Of course I've been
thinking about this project for a while, so ideas are slowly growing
into creepy plots, but there's nothing already written on my plate
like my past collections of novellas, and it makes me jittery.
So what is a girl to do? I'm trying to
grasp as much information as I can, about things we don't fully
understand with the little evidence out there. Like a junkie, I'm
watching all these ghost hunters shows where people go willingly to
haunted places to poke at spirits and gather EVPs, images of shadow
figures and responsive communication – if any. Sceptic or not, it's
beginning to form in my mind: girls who are scared, girls who don't
believe, girls who are trying to help, girls who see dead people, and
girls who won't confront the truth. And very slowly, they tell me
their stories and how they deal with the fact that in the end we all
die, and that we might become ghosts ourselves.
And then some miracle happens and
someone captures such inspiring pictures, I completely lose my breath
– and I'm still trying to catch it. Neil Gaiman posted this
abandoned amusement park on Tumblr
Haunted, much? Seriously, look at the
fog and the plants invading the structures – you can almost hear
the screams of glee as the roller coaster rides down the rusty rails.
But it's only an echo, because like many other places in New Orleans,
it never got over the catastrophic disaster and it's slowly dying
after being deserted and forgotten.
I can't forget, though – a bit like
those ghosts who can't let go of what they knew and who they loved
and how they used to be. So that will be my inspiration, an homage to
people who are gone, places that are falling apart, and things we
used to believe in.
Wish me luck? I need it, embarking on
this Girls & Ghosts quest to give a voice to those who don't have any. One thing for sure: dark it will be, I
promise.
***
Want an autographed softcover of Girls
& Monsters? Giveaway ends June 28th, don't miss out ♥
I'm honored to welcome the ever lovely, ever dark Anne Michaud to ADR3NALIN3 today! I met Anne via blogger and fell in love with her delectable, seductive, and morbid prose while reading the short stories and poems she would post on her blog. Now at last she has a book coming out and the whole world can savor her terrifyingly twisted tales! Her new YA horror novel is launching in just a few days, so she has stopped by to tell us a little about it.
Anne, you have the spotlight!
***
They hide under the bed, in the closet or in a dark corner of your mind; they want to scare, play with or eat you. Monsters are everywhere, feeding off your screams, waiting for the perfect moment to attack - and sometimes, only girls can kick their butts. A killer mermaid, suburbia, hallucinations, one huge spider and zombies all face their match in this dark horror collection of 5 novellas for young adult. Annoyed by weak and fragile protagonists waiting for boys to save the day? Here's GIRLS & MONSTERS! Death Song, an excerpt:
Something catches in the back of my throat. I hide my face in my hands to quiet the sobs. But then, something ain’t right. Air moves around me and I stop. I look between my fingers, but the blur of my tears thickens everything: the bathtub, the towels, and someone on the floor. A woman’s in here with me, door still closed and locked. An exhale, like after a deep swim, and a smell, like the swamp close to my empty home. A chill runs down my back, I wipe my eyes, rub and scratch them to see more clearly. And I do. Two gray hands scratch the floor tiles, nails green with algae, putrid flesh sagging on her legs, arms and torso, hair so long and wet and heavy, it drags her down. Diluted, impossible to focus on, like little waves rippling over her body from head to foot, seaweed in the water. Scales and fins, mermaidlike, little knives, those are. And they scrape the floor, like a fork on a plate. It’s her—Limnade. She opens her mouth of scissor-teeth and the rotten smell of fish wraps around my throat like two hands trying to choke me. "You can’t be…” I don’t finish my breathless thought and jump backward, knocking over the dish of decorative soaps. Blurry waves, vision impaired, out of focus, unreal. She crawls toward me, eyes unblinking, lethal, hands inches from me: my legs refuse to move, as my body feels like stone. Frozen, hypnotized, a statue. Then I hear something coming from within her…A melody, reminding me of something lost, tickles my ears. It drags on until the sweetness turns sickly, vibrating into a full-on super-scream, hyenalike, enough to pop my ears and make them bleed. Her large mouth deforms her face into one gap of black, the cry so high and strident, I scream from the pain. Limnade stares at me, everything but her fades away—Jo’s nice bathroom, Jo’s new life, Jo himself, none of it matters anymore. Her fingers brush my forehead, they’re cold and sticky like clams. And I let the darkness take me away.
***
To celebrate the release of Girls & Monsters on April 30th, the author has handcrafted Skellies, The Monster Collection, each representing a monster of the 5 stories. The giveaway also includes a softcover of the collection, autographed if requested. The grand prize winner will be announced during the book launch's LIVE CHAT with Anne Michaud on April 30th at 9PM (east)! Girls & Monsters will be available at Darkfuse and other retailers from that date on. ♥
***
Anne Michaud
She who likes dark things never grew up. She never stopped listening to gothic, industrial and alternative bands like when she was fifteen. She always loved to read horror and dystopia and fantasy, where doom and gloom drip from the pages. She, who was supposed to make films, decided to write short stories, novelettes and novels instead. She, who’s had her films listed on festival programs, has been printed in a dozen anthologies and magazines since. She who likes dark things prefers night to day, rain to sun, and reading to anything else.
I recently published a post on how I self-published the audio rights to my debut Young Adult book – In the Arms of Stone Angels – through ACX/Audible. The link to that post is HERE. The process has been effortless and actually fun. Picking out the narrator and being in charge of cover art and other production decisions expanded my industry knowledge too. I highly recommend the experience.
The award-winning narrator and voice actor, Michelle Ann Dunphy, is amazing and really brings to life my character, Brenna Nash. Whether you’ve read the book or not, hearing what Michelle brings to this project makes this audio book very special. I hope you will try it or donate a copy to your local library for others to enjoy. Croco Designs, the talented Frauke Spanuth, did the cover art.
I am announcing a Goodreads contest to giveaway this audio book. The contest will start in December 2012. Good luck!
A quick heads up: Christmas in Wonderland, Splintered's official virtual book tour, is coming up next month. We’re not just doing author and character interviews, we're going to spotlight several of the unique "landscapes" Wonderland possesses. We’ll have posts, contests, and images tailored for each stop.
Christmas in Wonderland will be a tour through Splintered's Wonderland settings, fashions, food, and parties, all tied to a Christmas theme.
On top of having a few small giveaways along the way, there will be a big giveaway at the end of the tour. Here's a sneak peek at the posts and the gracious blogs who are hosting:
The smaller prizes include some very UNIQUE Splintered related
merchandise:
Fairy captured in a jar ... miniature bird cage ... a flocked flamingo ornament ... glass heart ... vintage chess pieces ... Wonderland recipe
journal ... and the list goes on.
So be sure to join us for the official Amulet Splintered Virtual Tour ***Christmas in Wonderland:
The Twelve Days of Splintered*** coordinated by the lovely and talented Gabrielle
Carolina at The Modge Podge Bookshelf.
Until then, have a blessed and safe Thanksgiving. :)
This is a crazy month for me, writing to a deadline and also working up posts and interviews for my upcoming Splintered virtual tour. So I'm making it easy on myself and reposting the details of the contest going on at my personal blog, in case any of you haven't seen it yet. ^.^
Here's a quick rundown for my Unlock the Secrets to Splintered Giveaway (and yes, it's International!):
What inspired this contest, you ask? Well, as of September, readers could visit this link to see Amulet's official landing page for our Unlock the Secrets to Splintered campaign.
Here are the five steps to unlocking Splintered:
September: Unlock the Music...
October: Unlock the Madness Within...
November: Unlock Creativity...
December: Unlock Chrismakkuh...
January: Unlock Alyssa's Wonderland...
At the first of each month, a virtual key will be provided on the landing page, opening up one secret. September and October are already opened, so stop by and check out those mysteries.
Also, be sure to visit the landing page often and pay close attention, because there will be some big giveaways in the upcoming months, along with some frabjous interactive activities.
Here's just a sample of what's up for grabs in the not-so-distant future:
10 SIGNED Splintered advanced reading copies, an abundance of Splintered and Alice swaggery (including jewelry, posters, playing cards, assorted Alice books, and the list goes on...), 10 SIGNED Splintered hardbacks.
BUT, let's talk about what's up for grabs today in my present giveaway.
1. First Place: 5-first place winners will receive a SIGNED Splintered ARC.
2. Second Place: 1-second place winner will receive: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland: "Open Me for Curiouser and Curiouser Surprises" with illustrations by Harriet Castor.
This book is gorgeous! And here are just a few of the extra features that set it apart from the pack:
A pull-tab that makes Alice grow and grow
A pop-up courtroom scene
Doors on flaps that open to show an assortment of curious objects
A special tab that makes the Cheshire Cat magically disappear
An attached Mushroom Booklet that helps Alice return to normal size
3. Third Place: 1-third place winner gets to choose one of these pictures from my fan art page, printed with a matching excerpt from the book. (No worries, each of the pictures were given to me by the artists to use as I please--thank you lovelies!). Click on the pictures to enlarge.
4. Fourth Place: 3-fourth place winners will receieve assorted Splintered swag including: Signed bookmarks, funky and colorful Alice gift tags, and signed bookplates.
5. Fifth Place: 5-fifth place winners will receive a Splintered secret key necklace.
That's a grand total of FIFTEEN winners! I hope you'll be one!
The giveaway will last for the entire month of October, all the way through Halloween.
**WANT TO ENTER? Hop over to my Contests and Giveaways page. There's a rafflecopter that will lead you through the steps to get entered.**
Hi folks! I'll have a full post tomorrow (on really cool new Cover Reveals, so be sure to tune in for that!) But I wanted to hijack this space today to share a way that you can win a FREE BOOK! That's right: absolutely, 100% free with no further obligation, spam, or other strange requirements/hassles (learned this one the hard way myself- NEVER click on a link for a free iPad! I'm still digging my way out of a stack of unwanted magazine & dvd subscriptions and cosmetics).
HarperTeen is giving away TONS of copies of my upcoming release DON'T TURN AROUND, which has received starred reviews from Kirkus and Voya, and was just chosen for the Autumn 2012 Kids' Indie Next List - "Inspired Recommmendations for Kids from Indie Booksellers."
And it's super easy to enter! Just RT this on Twitter:
@EpicReads Off the grid. On the run. DON'T TURN AROUND by @michelle_gagnonhttp://vsb.li/zJ3A8c RT for a chance to win!
Today through tomorrow, over at my personal blog, A Still and Quiet Madness, I'm giving readers a shot at winning one of these three FAB prize packages:
Young Adult Fantasy Gift Package
Adult Literary Gift Package
Alice in Wonderland Postcard Gift Package
All you have to do to be entered is watch three fabulous book trailers and answer a question about them ... so if you're up for it, hop over for a chance to win!
Don't you just hate when someone teases you, tempts you, and taunts you with the promise of something amazing and, then, when you're salivating at the chops, they walk away laughing without giving you anything at all? Feels kinda like this...
Well, here at ADR3NALIN3, we understand the subtle art of teasing. We're authors, after all. And we know that a tease is only fun if the teasee (yes, it's a word! I just made it one, see?) eventually gets what they're promised.
Back in January, our Weekend Warriors, Frans and his zombie twin, Hans, teased our readers on this post, promising details of how to win this EPIC ADR3NALIN3 gift pack:
Bet you thought we forgot, right? Well we didn't. And today I'm going to give you all the deets you need to make this lovely dream package a gratifying reality.
What does this pack entail, you ask?
- Jordan Dane: ON A DARK WING autographed paperback and a snack pack inspired by her main character.
- Ilsa J. Bick: DROWNING INSTINCT and ASHES autographed hardbacks
- Jennifer Archer: THROUGH HER EYES authographed hardback
- Chris Grabenstein: CURIOSITY CAT autographed paperback and assorted bookmarks
- Dan Haring: OLDSOUL autographed ARC
- Carol M. Tanzman: DANCERGIRL autographed paperback
- Brett Battles: HERE COMES MR. TROUBLE autographed paperback
- A.G. Howard: A creepy Alice in Wonderland themed journal, ribbon bookmark, and a signed bookplate, in homage to SPLINTERED, her upcoming YA Alice in Wonderland spinoff
- AND assorted and sundry swag too numerous to mention
How to win it? Easy cheesy (you'll have to read the Frans and Hans post to truly appreciate that little adage). Just hop over to Young Adult Books Central where they're having a Mega-Giveaway of EPIC Proportions.
Our package isn't the only thing up for grabs, either. Over twenty-some established and debut YA authors donated: t-shirts, lanyards, temporary tattoos, SIGNED books, SIGNED bookmarks and bookplates, magnets, felt coffee sleeves, shuriken hair clips, a USB flash drive, bracelets, pens, notepads, keychains, and more. There are five different prize packages to win, including ours.
So what are you waiting for? Hop over and enter the giveaway! (Entrants must have a US mailing address.)
The giveaway is open for entries from now until midnight, March 1st. Winners will be announced on Friday, March 2nd.
See? Here at ADR3NALIN3, we know how to make teasing fun. (◕‿-)
On Dec 19 through Jan 2, 2012, the fabulous YA debut author Trisha Wolfe of the YA Bound blog will host my ON A DARK WING virtual book tour. We had over 50 blogs wanting to host a stop so we will have a BLAST tour format. My dark angel will be everywhere. Be on the lookout.
Here is the LINK for the tour schedule. Check out all the great blogs and tour stops planned. We'll have loads of reviews, character interviews (including one with Death), the inspirations behind the book, Dream OADW Film Cast and plenty of excerpts from the book, plus sneak peeks at my upcoming Crystal Child series with Harlequin Teen. There will also be a LIVE CHAT hosted by YA Bound at 7:00 PM EDT on January 5th to announce the winners of the grand prize and the giveaways. What a way to kick off 2012!
For book giveaways, my character Abbey Chandler will be sending a SECRET gift with each book. Shhh! She's not telling anyone what it is, not even me. Only the winners will know when they get the package. (She's such a drama queen.)
And the grand prize is named GRAND for a reason. Stay tuned for that. Announcement coming soon!
*Girls & Monsters Giveaway*
