Jeannie Lin's Butterfly Swords launch celebration

Join Jeannie Lin's Butterfly Swords launch celebration for giveaways and special features at http://www.butterfly-swords.com

The official release date for Butterfly Swords is October 1, 2010!

Join in the launch activities and help spread the word. In return, you get positive karma and you’ll be entered in the prize drawing. Winners will be randomly drawn on September 15, October 1, and October 15.

All giveaways are open to both U.S. and international readers!

Grand Prize - A pair of steel butterfly swords*. The very same ones I used with my costume in the Dress For Historical Success workshop!

Grand Prize - A one-of-a-kind annotated version of Butterfly Swords with handwritten comments by moi. Think of it as the DVD commentary, book version. It will include discussion about story elements, reflections, how parts of the story evolved. Thought it might be fun to do.

Grand Prize - A color 8.5 x 11 print of Butterfly Swords by deviantArtist schumy330 (Cha Cha).


The three Grand Prizes will be drawn on October 15.

October Book giveaways – Individual names will be drawn for: one of two autographed copies of Butterfly Swords by Jeannie Lin or a copy of the graphic novel of Heaven Sword & Heaven Sabre, vol. 1 by Jin Yong. Winners will be drawn October 1.

Party favors – Official Butterfly Swords charms are going out to all newsletter subscribers. Sign up HERE to receive the insider track on Butterfly Swords and receive a custom designed charm.

"Waiting On" Wednesday: Fury of the Phoenix

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Fury of the Phoenix (Kingdom of Xia #2) by Cindy Pon
Published April 1st 2011 by Greenwillow Books

From Goodreads:
When Ai Ling leaves her home and family to accompany Chen Yong on his quest to find his father, haunted by the ancient evil she thought she had banished to the underworld, she must use her growing supernatural powers to save Chen Yong from the curses that follow her.

WWW Wednesdays (September 29)

Hosted by Should Be Reading
To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
* What are you currently reading?
* What did you recently finish reading?
* What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?

The Disappearance by Bentley Little

What did you recently finish reading?

Spider Bones (Temperance Brennan #13) by Kathy Reichs

What do you think you’ll read next?

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

A-Z Wednesday - H

Welcome to A-Z Wednesday!!
To join, here's all you have to do:
Go to your stack of books and find an author whose first or last name starts with the letter of the week.
Post:
1~ a photo of the book
2~ title and synopsis
3~ link (Amazon, Barnes and Noble etc.)
4~ Go to Reading At The Beach and leave your link in the comments.
If you've already reviewed the book, add it or the link to your post.

This week's letter is: "H"

Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill
Trivia - Joe Hill is the son of Stephen King

Summary from Amazon
Middle-aged rock star Judas Coyne collects morbid curios for fun, so doesn't think twice about buying a suit advertised at an online auction site as haunted by its dead owner's ghost. Only after it arrives does Judas discover that the suit belonged to Craddock McDermott, the stepfather of one of Coyne's discarded groupies, and that the old man's ghost is a malignant spirit determined to kill Judas in revenge for his stepdaughter's suicide. Judas isn't quite the cad or Craddock the avenging angel this scenario makes them at first, but their true motivations reveal themselves only gradually in a fast-paced plot that crackles with expertly planted surprises and revelations.

Teaser Tuesdays: The Disappearance

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading


Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

~*Grab your current read
~*Open to a random page
~*Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

The Disappearance by Bentley Little

Gary tried to scream, but only a tiny puff of air was expelled from his mouth. The air became visible, a round, vibrating sphere.

~* page 13

Princess Bookie's Contest Craze

The first Contest Craze Mini Challenge #1 is to blog about your top 5 list of books for 2011 and why you want them!
The winner will receive a pack of ARCs.

Here are my five top books:

Away (The Line, #2) by Teri Hall Published 2011
"The Line" ended on a great cliffhanger and I am very curious where the story will lead next.


The Water Wars by Cameron Stracher - January 1st 2011
Dystopian novels are one of my favorite genres and I've heard a lot of good reviews about this book.


Across the Universe by Beth Revis - January 11th 2011
A sci-fi, love story, and thriller - what's not to love? I'm not sure if it’s what I'm expecting but I'm can barely wait to finding out.


The Dark and Hollow Places by by Carrie Ryan - March 22nd 2011
The Forest of Hands and Teeth series is one of my favorites and I'm really looking forward to rest of the story. Carrie Ryan writes from the heart and it shows.


The Land of Painted Caves (Earth's Children, #6) by Jean M. Auel - March 29th 2011
Where to start? I have waited year after year for the next installment in this series. Finally, here we are at the end; I will be sad to finish but I never want to wait for books like this again. It almost put me off reading series, at least until they were complete. Hopefully, the years of waiting (more then I care to admit) will pay off.

James Patterson's "Witch & Wizard" - Banned Materials

I read James Patterson's Witch & Wizard and at the back of the book Patterson includes an appendix titled - Excerpts of NEW ORDER PROPAGANDA as Disseminated by The Council of N.O. "Arts" section.

I felt the need to decipher the "Banned Materials" (with Google's help) in honor of Banned Books Week and how censorship is ridiculous.

Here are my answers (guesses):
Especially Offensive Books That Have Been Banned: As Dictated by The One Who Bans Books
The Blueprints of Bruno Genet - The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
Margaret's Pen - Charlotte's Web by E. B. White
The Pitcher in the Wheat - The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Thunder Stealer - The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Ratter's Trip Down - Watership Down by Richard Adams
Gary Blotter and the Guild of Rejects - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
The Firegirl Saga - The Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer
The Eldest Dragon - the Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr books by Christopher Paolini

edit to add: Maybe The Firegirl Saga is the The Firekeeper Saga; I haven't read this series but it is closer to the source.

-----------
Some Particularly Reprehensible Noise Polluters Of The Former Age: As Defined by The One That Monitors Auditory Stimuli
The Groaning Bones - The Rolling Stones
"Emerald Wednesday" is "Ruby Tuesday"
"(I've Got No) Retribution" is "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"
Ron Sayer - John Mayer
"Your Skin Is an Amusement Park" is "Your Body Is Wonderland"
B4 - U2
We Shall Be Titans - They Might Be Giants
WWA (Wizards With Attitude) - N.W.A (*iggaz With Attitudes)
Stonesmack - Coldplay
"A Flood of Redness to the Face" is "A Rush of Blood to the Head"
The Walking Heads - The Talking Heads
Toasterface - Radiohead
Lay-Z - Jay-Z
-----------
Museums that Have Thankfully Been Razed By The New Order: As Mandated by The One Who Micromanages Public Gathering Spaces
POPA is MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) in New York City
The Britney is The Whitney in New York City
The Betelheim is The Guggenheim in Bilboa
The Jonesonian is The Smithsonian
The Fate Gallery is The Tate Gallery in Britain
The Fusili is The Ufizzi in Florence, Italy
----------
Visual "Artists" Who Are No Longer Sullying The World: As Annotated by The One Who Assesses Visual Stimuli
Pepe Pompano - Pablo Picasso
Wiccan Trollack - Jackson Pollock
Max Earnest - Max Ernst
De Glooming - Willem de Kooning
Margie O'Greeffe - Georgia O'Keefe
Freida Halo - Frida Kahlo

The Guardian Legacy: BFF- International-Giveaway

Awakened by Ednah Walters
For two lucky readers, a chance to win an Awakened Pack at The Guardian Legacy

To enter fill out the form HERE
First winner gets:

1. 2 Guardian Legacy tees
2. A signed ARC of Awakened (comes with 2 signed bookmarks)
3. A Guardian Legacy key chain
4. Two Guardian Legacy pens

Second winner gets:

1. One t-shirt
2. A signed ARC of Awakened (comes with a signed bookmark)
3. A Guardian Legacy pen

The contest runs from Friday-Thursday, winners are picked on Friday morning.

Friday56: No One Noticed the Cat

Rules:
* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of Storytime with Tonya and Friends' blog.
* Post a link along with your post back to Tonya and Friends.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Closest Book: No One Noticed the Cat
Author: by Anne McCaffrey
Page 56, sentence 5:
"I love you, too, Lady Willow," he said in a loud enough voice to stop the music and cause everyone to stare at him.

WWW Wednesdays (September 22)

Hosted by Should Be Reading
To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
* What are you currently reading?
* What did you recently finish reading?
* What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?
Rich and Mad by William Nicholson

What did you recently finish reading?
Infinite Days (Vampire Queen #1) by by Rebecca Maizel

What do you think you’ll read next?
Spider Bones (Temperance Brennan #13) by Kathy Reichs

"Waiting On" Wednesday: Overprotected

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Overprotected by Jennifer Laurens
Published: February 2011 by Grove Creek Publishing

From Goodreads:
Ashlyn: A lonely society princess living in New York City.

Daddy hired you to be my bodyguard.

Colin: Childhood enemy, now her protector.

Daddy thought I’d be safe. He thought I’d never fall in love. He thought he could keep me forever.

Charles: obsessed with keeping her safe, keeping her his, he hires the one person he knows she could never fall in love with: Colin.

Daddy was wrong.

The Hiding Spot Giveaway: Signed UK Edition of Shade

The Hiding Spot is hosting a giveaway for a signed copy of Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready with the cover for the UK edition.
(US on left, UK on right):


To enter, fill out the form HERE
Contest will close October 21, 2010.
Open Internationally!

Teaser Tuesdays: Infinite Days

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

~*Grab your current read
~*Open to a random page
~*Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Infinite Days (Vampire Queen #1) by Rebecca Maizel


Grief is an emotion not completely foreign to vampires but it feels more like a shift or a change in the direction of the wind. It is a silent flutter, a parasitic reminder of the many layers of pain that define the vampire world.

~* page 24

Ednah Walters International Awakened Giveaway

FIRST INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY - 4 winners get 4 things.
To enter, leave your name/e-mail and a repost link HERE

This week:
1). A signed ARC of Awakened
2). A Guardian Legacy T-shirt
3). A Guardian Legacy pen
4). A Guardian Legacy bookmark

This giveaway is open to international participants too.
PLEASE READ: Check back to see if you’ve won, otherwise you’ll give up the prize after one week.

Bart's Bookshelf: The YA Dsytopian Reading Challenge

The Dystopian Reading Challenge is hosted by Bart's Bookshelf
October 1, 2010 through December 19th 2010.

Level 1: Is the ‘taster’ level. This is for people who just want to join in with no other commitment than to read just the one young adult dystopian novel, between the 1st October and 19th December.

Level 2: Is for those wanting a little bit more of a challenge, but still have some wriggle-room to participate as real life permits, requirement for this level is just two to four, young adult dystopian novels, between the 1st October and 19th December.


Level 3: Is for the dystopian die-hards! Minimum requirement for this level is five young adult dystopian novels, between the 1st October and 19th December. There is, however no maximum cap, you can keep reading for as many books as you like!

If you would like to take part in the challenge, visit Bart's Bookshelf to sign up and for more information!

Friday 56: Song of Scarabaeus

Rules:
* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of Storytime with Tonya and Friends' blog.
* Post a link along with your post back to Tonya and Friends .
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Closest Book: Song of Scarabaeus
Author: Sara Creasy
Page 56, sentence 5:
"Don't get too cozy with the enemy. You're not part of this crew"
"But it makes sense to play nice, right? She brought things for you, too." Edie tapped the duffle bag with the toe of her boot. "And she gave me back my own boots."

"Three Things" Thursday

A new feature on Biz Mommy – Three Things Thursday. What are 3 little known facts about yourself?
Since I'm late, I've tried to come up with 3 things that also have a three theme.
1. I have partial simple syndactyly (the 2nd and 3rd toes are webbed)
2. One of my favorite movies is the 1953 "The War of the Worlds". (The aliens had three fingers and eyes)
3. One of my favorite book trilogies is "The Tripods Trilogy" series by John Christopher

The White Mountains (1967)
The City of Gold and Lead (1968)
The Pool of Fire (1968)

He wrote a prequel twenty years later called, "When the Tripods Came" (1988)

A Good Addiction's Blogoversay Giveaway!

Up for grabs are three signed books.
First place will get first pick, second place gets second choice, and third gets what is left:

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
Firelight by Sophie Jordan
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (paperback)

Fill out the form HERE
Contest ends Tuesday, September 28 at 6 pm CST.

Spooky Legends

2 supernatural blogs + 14 spine-tingling days + 28 frighteningly talented authors & characters, creepy cool urban legends, and the most chilling new releases of the season = Spooky Legends

Brought To You By Your Favorite Characters
October 18th – October 31st


Dark Faerie Tales and All Things Urban Fantasy are teaming up for this wickedly wonderful event that will feature some of the biggest names in paranormal fiction writing Brand New accounts of the most infamous urban legends from the perspective of the characters we love.

Beginning on October 18th and running every day through Halloween, Angela and Abigail will each be featuring different authors, legends, characters, and BIG giveaways for all the new releases coming out this fall.

"Waiting On" Wednesday: Razorland

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Razorland by Ann Aguirre
Published April 12th 2011

From Amazon:
In Deuce's world, people earn the right to a name only if they survive their first fifteen years. By that point, each unnamed 'brat' has trained into one of three groups-Breeders, Builders, or Hunters, identifiable by the number of scars they bear on their arms. Deuce has wanted to be a Huntress for as long as she can remember.

As a Huntress, her purpose is clear--to brave the dangerous tunnels outside the enclave and bring back meat to feed the group while evading ferocious monsters known as Freaks. She's worked toward this goal her whole life, and nothing's going to stop her, not even a beautiful, brooding Hunter named Fade. When the mysterious boy becomes her partner, Deuce's troubles are just beginning.
Down below, deviation from the rules is punished swiftly and harshly, and Fade doesn't like following orders. At first she thinks he's crazy, but as death stalks their sanctuary, and it becomes clear the elders don't always know best, Deuce wonders if Fade might be telling the truth. Her partner confuses her; she's never known a boy like him before, as prone to touching her gently as using his knives with feral grace.

As Deuce's perception shifts, so does the balance in the constant battle for survival. The mindless Freaks, once considered a threat only due to their sheer numbers, show signs of cunning and strategy... but the elders refuse to heed any warnings. Despite imminent disaster, the enclave puts their faith in strictures and sacrifice instead. No matter how she tries, Deuce cannot stem the dark tide that carries her far from the only world she's ever known.

WWW Wednesdays (September 15)

Hosted by Should Be Reading
To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
* What are you currently reading?
* What did you recently finish reading?
* What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?
Firelight (Draki #1) by Sophie Jordan

What did you recently finish reading?
White Cat (Curse Workers, #1) by Holly Black

What do you think you’ll read next?
Infinite Days (Vampire Queen #1) by Rebecca Maizel

Teaser Tuesdays: Clockwork Angel

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

~*Grab your current read
~*Open to a random page
~*Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices #1) by Cassandra Clare


Angels, Tessa thought, wondering, but she didn't say it. That light, so bright - what else could they be?

~* page 47

The Guardian Legacy Back-to-school Giveaway

To celebrate the release of AWAKENED, Ednah Walters' debut YA fantasy, she is giving away to two winners:
1). A signed ARC of Awakened.
2). A Guardian Legacy T-shirt (black, female sizes small, medium, large or Xlarge)
3). A Guardian Legacy pen.
4). A Guardian Legacy notepad

To enter, leave your name HERE with your re-post line or link.

BlogFest 2010

Blogfest 2010 is hosted by Cinnamon at A Journey of Books.
Check out her her blog for the full list of over 250 participating Blogfest blogs!

To keep track of which blogs you have been to and which giveaways you have entered click on the link to the Tracking Site and register with your email address.

This site will allow you to track your progress and the best part is that every blog you visit and mark off through this tracking site will give you one entry into the massive giveaway!

Friday56: World War Z

Rules:
* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of Storytime with Tonya and Friends' blog.
* Post a link along with your post back to Tonya and Friends .
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Closest Book: World War Z
Author: Max Brooks
Page 56, sentence 5:
"Remember the whole thing about "people don't need big governments, they need big protection, and they need it big time!" Jesus Christmas, I think half the country creamed their pants at that."

"Waiting On" Wednesday: Across the Universe

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Across the Universe by Beth Revis
Published January 11th 2011

From Goodreads:
A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder.

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.
Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone—one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship—tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn’t do something soon, her parents will be next.
Now, Amy must race to unlock Godspeed’s hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there’s only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

WWW Wednesdays (September 8)

Hosted by Should Be Reading
To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
* What are you currently reading?
* What did you recently finish reading?
* What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?
The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade


What did you recently finish reading?
Dragongirl (The Dragonriders of Pern) by Todd McCaffrey


What do you think you’ll read next?
White Cat (Curse Workers, #1) by Holly Black (I will read this, I swear!)