YA Spring Scavenger Hunt Coming!!

Hello Everybody,

It's time to announce the final lineup of the Spring Scavenger Hunt! This year it will be bigger and badder than ever before with 60 count 'em 60 YA authors! (including my Sourcebooks Fire house sistas: Janet Gurtler, Lisa and Laura Roecker and Jess Shirvington) With fabulous prizes around every corner you DO NOT want to miss this!

Below is your sneak preview of the authors and the books they will be featuring on the hunt. Keep scrolling! These covers are all amazing and imagine what wonderful stories await inside each book!

JUS ACCARDO





AMBER ARGYLE





LISA T. BERGREN





LISA BURSTEIN







SOFIE COUCH





KIMBERLY DERTING





LAURA A.H. ELLIOTT





CHRISTINE FONSECA





ABBI GLINES





CYNTHIA HAND





KAREN AMANDA HOOPER





S.R. JOHANNES





GINA LINKO





GRETCHEN MCNEIL





MIKE MULLIN





ERICA O’ROURKE





JOY PREBLE





JESSICA SHIRVINGTON





TIFFANY TRUITT





DEBBIE VIGUIE





ANN AGUIRRE





JENNIFER L. ARMENTROUT





LEAH BOBET





TERA LYNN CHILDS





WILLOW CROSS





DJ DESMYTER





LEIGH FALLON





TARA FULLER





JANET GURTLER





CINDY HOGAN





COLLEEN HOUCK





ELANA JOHNSON





JAMIE MANNING





CLAIRE MERLE





S.L. NAEOLE





GREGG OLSEN





LISA & LAURA ROECKER





JERI SMITH-READY





CAT KALEN





LANI WOODLAND





JOSEPHINE ANGELINI





BRODI ASHTON





CK BRYANT





ANGELA CORBETT





GINA DAMICO





BREE DESPAIN





BETH FANTASKEY





MARLEY GIBSON





RAE HACHTON





NANCY HOLDER





TARA HUDSON





SUZANNE LAZEAR





MYRA MCENTIRE





ALEXANDRA MONIR





LISA NOWAK





AMY PLUM





INARA SCOTT





TISH THAWER





MAGAN VERNON





RASHELLE WORKMAN

Worth the long scroll, right?

Personally, I'd like to get all of them!

Leave a comment on this blog telling me which book or books you're most excited about... besides ANASTASIA FOREVER, of course!

Brilliant and gifted author Beth Revis has created a website just for our Scavenger Hunts! Click on the YA Scavenger Hunt image below to be redirected there. Because we have so many authors this time we are breaking into three groups. We have BLUE TEAM, RED TEAM, and YELLOW TEAM!

Each group is made up of 20 authors and I am on TEAM BLUE!!

This means that my bonus material (AND IT'S AWESOME BONUS MATERIAL FROM ANASTASIA FOREVER THAT YOU WILL ONLY SEE HERE!) will be found on the blue team. If you get lost on the hunt simply return to the hunt website and pick up where you left off. While you check out the website, don't forget to vote on the polls, follow the site, and check out all the prizes. You can even tweet from there too!

I will be offering some very special prizes: not only a limited availability ARC of ANASTASIA FOREVER, but also a HAUNTED t-shirt and other yet to be announced very amazingly cool goodies. Trust me. You will love it!

THE YA SCAVENGER HUNT BEGINS THURSDAY MARCH 29TH AT NOON PACIFIC TIME AND ENDS SUNDAY APRIL 1ST AT NOON PACIFIC TIME! THAT GIVES YOU ONLY 72 HOURS TO COMPLETE THE HUNT!

GOOD LUCK TO ALL!

Second Skin Blog Tour

Today, as part of the SECOND SKIN BLOG TOUR, I welcome author and writerly friend, Judith Graves from up north in cold Canada to the blog. Second Skin is the sequel to Under My Skin, book 1 of the Skinned series.

Here's a description of book 1:

All her parents wanted was for Eryn to live a normal life…

Redgrave, Alberta had its share of monsters before Eryn moved to town. Mauled pets, missing children. The Delacroix family is taking the blame, but Eryn knows the truth. Something stalks the night. Wade, the police chief’s son and Redgrave High’s resident hottie, warns her the Delacroix are dangerous. But then so is Eryn–in fact, she’s lethal. But she can’t help falling for one of the Delacroix boys, dark, brooding–human Alec. And then her world falls apart.

A normal life? Now that’s the real fairytale.

Leap Books, 2010

ISBN-13 978-1-61603-000-1
ISBN-10 1-61603-000-3

And here's what book 2 is going to be like:

ith FIENDS like Eryn…

Monsters. Bloodsuckers. The evil. The damned. Eryn McCain knows they exist— she’s been hunting them since she was a child. At sixteen, she’s ready to take on all comers. Being a shapeshifter gives her an advantage when it comes to her unusual part-time job. The hours suck and the pay is, well, non-existent, but bonuses like inhuman strength and night vision make tracking scary beasties a dream come true. Especially in a town like Redgrave.

When an ancient demon targets Redgrave High, Eryn and her crew of hunters must face their innermost fears to prevent the Harvest Moon Dance from becoming one serious Monster Mash. Loyalties are tested and temptations abound. With questions ever brewing, can Eryn share a future with the brooding, noble, human Alec—the hunter after her heart? Or will she succumb to her enemy’s son, Wade, a seductive predator as bloodthirsty as she is?

What happens when you’re both the beauty and the beast?

Leap Books, 2011

ISBN-13 978-1-61603-006-3
ISBN-10 1-61603-006-2

And now let's see what Judith had to say when I asked her a few questions!

1. Tell us a little about what to except in Second Skin. Eryn McCain is back, of course. And I love the line on your book trailer, "What happens when you're both beauty and beast." But can you give us a few hints about book
Oh, she’s back alright, she’s feisty that way. ;) Eyrn is a monster hunter, she tracks rogue paranormal creatures and banishes them from this world, however, she’s a bit challenged with this roles as she herself is half-human, half-wolven. She can shapeshift into a wolf. But she hasn’t fully shifted – she’s scared of what her wolf will bring. Bloodlust. Rage. Instinct over compassion. Each day it gets tougher to resist her dark side. In Second Skin her small (but creepy!) town is invaded by an ancient demon and suddenly everything Eryn fears comes to pass. She’s living a nightmare and can’t wake up. Hopefully some questions are answered in Book 2, but be prepared for a killer ending to setup Book 3 of the SKINNED series, Skin of My Teeth.

2. You're a speculative fiction/paranormal kind of girl. Why? What attracts you to genre fiction? What books/films inspired your writing?

I write in this genre because I’m also a huge fan. I’ve always read horror/paranormal/sci-fi/fantasy and while I do occasionally branch out to other genres, I often find myself wishing contemporary fiction or thrillers would bust out and incorporate some supernatural elements. I often feel something is missing. Some aspect of the unknown.

I’m a huge Buffy fan, I admit that freely. Eryn, the lead in the SKINNED series, was inspired by her – the snark, the insecurities, the ass-kicking. I also adore Jim Butcher’s adult urban fantasy series, the Dresden Files. Hmm…if I compare Butcher’s Dresden and Whedon’s Buffy – it’s clear I enjoy reluctant hero types living in dark, hidden, mystical worlds – fighting a new creature each week. I think that sums up the SKINNED series as well.

3. Not everyone may know that you are also a screenwriter, which you talk about on your blog. Why screenwriting? How is it different than novel writing? Any screenplay role models you'd like to chat about?

I’ve recently dabbled with writing scripts and have several in the works. I’ve co-writen a spec script for network television - with my brilliant writing partner Dawn Ius. We’ve also developed a new series treatment and pilot episode which is being pitched around. Hollywood for hurry up and wait. ☺ The plot structure I established for writing scripts has actually helped enormously with plotting my fiction projects. I recommend every fiction writer read Blake Snyder’s, Save The Cat: The Last Book On Screenwriting That You’ll Ever Need. Changed my writing life, it did.

Steven Speilberg (Poltergeist), Diablo Cody (Juno, Young Adult), John Hughes (Breakfast Club, Uncle Buck, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off), William Goldman (The Princess Bride), James Cameron (Terminator) and Shauna Cross (Whip It) are current influences.

4. Will Eryn have any more adventures after Second Skin? i.e. -- is there a book 3 in the works?

You betcha! Skin of My Teeth will launch in 2013 and sees Eryn taking on a deck of malevolent spirits possessing the Redgrave High student body via a trading-card game. It’s all fun and games ‘til somebody dies.

4. Tell us a little about the Alec/Wade love triangle in the book. Do you enjoy writing romance scenes?

As Eryn learns more about her wolven side, things heat up between her and the boys. Her internal struggle – beast against human nature - is reflected in the push / pull she feels for Alec, the noble human hunter, and Wade, the bloodthirsty vampire with magical powers. In many ways the love triangle serves to highlight Eryn’s own growth / conflict.

I enjoy generating sparks between my characters and struggle to keep it “real” while building some heat. These scenes are often more challenge to write than what I would call, fun.

5. What's up next for Judith Graves?

A few things. There’s Book 3 and possibly Book 4 of SKINNED. I also have a steampunk prequel series to SKINNED coming out in 2014 called STRANGEWAYS after the lead character, Amelia Strangeways – a ghosthunter / necromancer working for the Hunter Council. The same Council that may or may not be corrupt in Eryn’s day. There are cross over characters between both worlds – aka, the immortal ones.

You can read the intro tale, Strangeways Versus The Wraith in SPIRITED, an anthology of ghostly tales featuring authors such as Maria V. Snyder, Candace Havens, Shannon Delany, Dawn Dalton, Kitty Keswick and more! Proceeds from sales of SPIRITED go to 826 National, a literacy-based charity.

7. Advice for aspiring writers?

Read. Write. Repeat.

8. Buffy or Edward? Why?

Buffy! She has my enduring loyalty – especially after the “Buffy vs. Dracula” episode.

Additional stuff:

Here’s my website: www.judithgraves.com and the site for my new steampunk series: www.strangewaysnovels.com

The trailer for Second Skin: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-k3nLeITPU

Follow me on Twitter: @judithgraves

Thanks so much, Joy!

Thank *you* Judith!

For the rest of the Second Skin Blog Tour Schedule, click HERE!

And stop by Judith's blog this morning because we're having an interview exchange and she's asked me all about ANASTASIA FOREVER and THE SWEET DEAD LIFE!

It was a Crawfish weekend

Went for crawfish this weekend. If you live here in Texas it's what you do during the 'season.' These are from Willie's Icehouse in case you need to know that kind of thing. Crawfish, potatoes, sausage, corn (although we'd eaten the corn by the time I snapped this pic) and beer to wash it all down. Preferably something local like my St. Arnold's Amber, although it doesn't really matter. For the uninitiated, crawfish look like tiny little lobsters. Just to understand their pedigree, please note that they are also referred to by some as 'mudbugs' and that my first experience with them when we moved here from Chicago is that I saw some in our ditch after it rained a bunch. But the ones you eat are generally 'farmed' in Louisiana. Someone boils them up with spicy seasoning, not unlike a crab boil and you snap off the head, pull the meat out of the tail and if you're not me, you suck the gunk out of the head.

Honestly? Heaven!

Big blog doings the rest of the week: tomorrow is my mutual interview with Judith Graves about her new Second Skin. Click on the Second Skin banner on the side of the blog for more info.

And Wednesday, I'll be posting my teaser for the YA Scavenger Hunt coming up at the end of the month. 60 authors! HUGE PRIZES!! Lots of fun. I am very very excited.

And the countdown is on to the arrival of my uber agent Jen Rofe, who is speaking at our local SCBWI conference. If you haven't signed up, I think there's still a little room. I'm especially excited about this conference because it's the first time I'm on faculty doing critiques.

And now I'm going to back to hide in the writing cave and finish draft two of a book I am in love with. It's romantic and it's funny and I think you're all going to love it someday.

Beware the Ides of March

Yeah, Caesar, you're going down in a second. And Brutus is taking you there. This movie still, btw, comes from the singularly worst version of Caesar that I've ever seen (although the one with Charleton Heston as Marc Antony comes a close second... actually there is NO good version), but mesmerizing because Marlon Brando plays Marc Antony and well, it's Brando for God's sake. I used to show this version when I taught the play, pausing on a crowd scene where one of the extras gets caught in another extra's toga and has to bat his way out. Yeah, when you're teaching Caesar to 30 10th graders six times a day, this is high comedy.

Anyway, it's the Ides of March, dear readers. Beware.

And while you're watching out for Brutus and his dagger and portentous omens and guys running through the streets on fire (oh wait, I think that's the Republican primary), hop on over to the Second Skin Blog Tour (just click on the banner on the side of my blog) Judith Graves's new book in the Skinned Series is out and we're all hosting various posts and events to CELEBRATE! I'm up, interviewing her on 3/20 and she is likewise interviewing me! So stop back then, too.

Been a weird week - the kind with the gut-wrenching lows and the euphoric highs -- in fact, both came in one day, which like I say was weird.

So beware!

Or as my husband and I like to say, quoting John Irving's The World According to Garp, "Beware the Undertoad" Which is just as fun as saying Beware the Ides of March.

Fried What?

This is the Fried Cherry Koolaid that I ate at the Houston Livestock and Rodeo Friday night. That is husband's hand holding it. We were like wet dogs right then because it was pouring rain and we were the only ones on the Carnival Midway at the Fried What? booth. But fried cherry koolaid? C'mon. You gotta try it. It's not that sweet and surprisingly yummy. Plus that's what you do at the rodeo - you eat ridiculous things that are not part of any actual food group. Fried or on a stick or both. Often in portions that would feed a small country, although the koolaid balls were a surprisingly modest size, dontcha think? (full disclosure, one is missing - I snarfed it while pulling my phone out of my pocket to take a pic)

After that it was the rodeo itself with bull riding and calf roping, and bucking broncs, and mutton busting (which is where they strap little kids to sheep and see how long they hang on. yes. we do this in Texas) and an opening parade with fireworks and a bareback rider and later Reba in concert and more fireworks and then we slogged through the rain to our car.

Plus many shopping booths with cowgirl bling.

Cause you know. It's Texas.

This is what we do, y'all.