Friday Ephemera, 8/26/11 Edition

 Friday Ephemera  12 Responses »
Aug 262011
 
BOOKS OUT THIS WEEK I’M IN LOVE WITH

Jackson Pearce’s book SWEETLY was released this week! I can’t wait to read this! The cover is gorgeous and I loved Sisters Red.

 

 

This Dark Endeavor: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein by Kenneth Oppel – Oh how excited I’ve been for this book to finally come out! Like Sweetly, I’ll be buying this in hardback because I just really love this cover.

 

 

Writing
Publishing
  • Ewan Morrison wrote an article for The Guardian which is so bleak you might want to get a pint of ice cream out before you even begin reading. I think this article is the far edge of publishing apocalyptia and is probably more like an “absolute worst case scenario” than “Absolute Truth.”
  • Dear Author responded with a similar “Whoa, pump the breaks, Ewan” reaction that I had when I read it.
  • The Rejectionist had a pretty strong reaction to this article in the NYT that talks about how the reason boys aren’t reading anymore is because there are too many girls involved and I don’t know about you but this article makes me feel oh-so-slightly-homicidal.
  • One of my favorite YA writers, Courtney Summers, just announced her next book will come out sometime around June of 2012. It is called THIS IS NOT A TEST. And dude, it’s about zombies.

It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self. To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up.

As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live. But as the days crawl by, everyone’s motivations to survive begin to change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life–and death–inside.

When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?

Contests!
  • YA Highway is having a First Lines Contest. Up for grabs are 6 ARCs, including The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer and Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi. I WANT THIS SO MUCH.
  • Lydia Kang is hosting a 900 followers contest. As a blogger rolling up on 200 followers, I just sort of can’t imagine having that many awesome people within arms reach.
  • Lisa McMann has some prize pack contests going on
Holy Crap Our World is Awesome
Wicked & Tricksy
 Things You Should Join

(Because they are good for the soul)

Alex J. Cavanaugh is like, the master of blogfests and community ideas, and he came up with one that I am so in love with. I think all of us can benefit from getting involved in his Insecure Writer’s Support Group.  From his blog:

“Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!”

The first post date is Wednesday, September 7th. For more info and to sign up, go here.

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Have you signed up for the Writers’ Platform-Building Campaign yet? Honestly, I don’t know how you’ve held out this long if you haven’t. But you’ve only got a couple of days left to give in, so you might as well make today the day :-) See you there!

Awards

I am terrible, terrible, terrible about posting about awards I am given for my blog. I have a couple to post about not next week but the week after, so for those of you who gave them to me, THANK YOU SO MUCH I HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN YOU. I just plan several weeks of posts in advance and then have trouble adapting when something like a cool blog award comes up. Since next week is Hot Dystopian Summer Nights, I’ll update my awards the following week. Thank you again, I love you all! 

 

 

Post FAIL

 Blogfest, Blogging, Contests!  2 Responses »
Jan 272011
 

Somehow in my post planning I skipped over today. Today I am officially a dunderhead. It’s ok though, I wear my mantle with pride.

Today is good day then to let you know I’m going to be trying out some new layouts for my blog this weekend. I feel like the traditional blog layout isn’t working for me as well as it could and there is a magazine layout I found that I really love and want to try out here on Tell Great Stories. I’m going to be messing around with it this weekend starting friday night so if you check here and everything is messed up (or not working at all) you know why. I promise by monday morning everything will be at least semi-functional. Promise!

If you haven’t yet, don’t forget to sign up to receive a handmade Valentine Card from me! Click Here to sign up. I’ve already started working on them and the first one is nearly complete. And I kind of love it a whole lot. I can’t wait to mail these out to all of you.

Spread the love about my upcoming Blogfest and contest! SMITTEN! is only a few days away and I am very excited!  I can’t wait to read everyone’s entries. I’ve built the Mr. Linky for the blogfest. It is my first Mr. Linky and I’m so proud.

Don’t forget that Nathan Bransford’s contest ends today! Hurry and enter before it is too late. We’ll talk more about the entries soon. I’ve read through maybe 250 of them now.

And the winners of the Trick-or-Treat Contest are…

 Contests!, Zombies!  5 Responses »
Oct 312010
 

I am so thrilled to announce the two winners of my Trick-or-Treat book giveaway contest! I had a lot of great entries and I am even more excited about the people who have found my blog and stuck around. I really love you guys!!!! Thank you so much!

I won’t hold you in suspense any longer though. The two winners are…

Elena

and

Jamie M.

CONGRATULATIONS!

I’ll be getting both boxes in the mail sometime this week. I will also be dropping you both emails tomorrow with details about when I’m shipping them out. I hope you enjoy the boxes!

Happy Halloween to the rest of you! It has been a fun month and aside from my one glitch, I really enjoyed posting all the time. I have one post I did not manage to make before the end of the holiday so I will be doing that later next month.

Speaking of next month, at midnight tonight the world kicks off NaNoWriMo – that is National Novel Writing Month and it is a pretty big month for the writing blogosphere. I still intend to post regularly, but I may drop to 3 times a week (mon-wed-fri) instead of 5 days a week. We’ll see. I hadn’t planned to join NaNo this year, but at the last minute I decided what I could really use is a jump start to the creativity center of my brain which has shriveled up a little from editing. I’m going to write a separate story in the same universe as the novel I’m writing and I’m hoping that’ll get me revved up come December to jump back into the main novel.

Who else is doing NaNo this year? Please let me know! My name over there is: tellgreatstories and you’re absolutely welcome to buddy me. I’ll be doing a lot more cheerleading for everyone else than writing, I think, and that’s ok with me. I want to help everyone succeed!

Being that it is the last day of October and Halloween is finally upon us, I have only a couple more things to point you to for the horror lover in us all. First, a t-shirt to tickle the nerd in all of us:

YES. ZOMBIE SCHRODINGER’S CAT FOR THE WIN. You can purchase your very own over at SplitReason for $18.95. I’m wringing my hands over it but I think I’m going to get one.

Unshelved is a comic I love and wholly support, and they posted a preview of the first 3 issues of a new comic called Rotten. Zombies in the Wild West which reminds me of Deadlands the roleplaying game and that’s cool enough for me. I have read the first 2 previews and it looks pretty good. I love me some comics so I’ll be checking them out. It was very nice of the creators to give us a preview. You never see comics being that cool. (Also the post with the preview PDF links have other reviews of zombie books if you’re interested.)

October Blogfest: Trick-or-Treat Book Box Giveaway Revealed!

 Contests!  No Responses »
Oct 172010
 

Now that we are past the halfway point  of October (Noo! Where has it gone!) I wanted to reveal the books in my October Trick-or-Treat book giveaway.

If you haven’t already signed up, you can do so by going to the  link to the original post -> Here

I am giving away 2 boxes and each box has 3 books. They also have a bunch of little awesome and creepy Halloween treats including a pirate ship flag, markers, rubber rats, and more.

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Box #1:

Madapple by Christina Meldrum (hardback)

From Good Reads: A girl who has been brought up in near isolation is thrown into a twisted web of family secrets and religious fundamentalism when her mother dies and she goes to live with relatives she never knew she had.

Prom Nights From Hell: Paranormal prom stories from five hot authors including – Meg Cabot, Stephanie Meyer, Kim Harrison, Michele Jaffe, and Lauren Myracle.

From Good Reads: Take bad prom nights to a whole new level—a paranormally bad level. Wardrobe malfunctions and two left feet don’t hold a candle to discovering your date is the Grim Reaper—and he isn’t here to tell you how hot you look.

From angels fighting demons to a creepy take on getting what you wish for, these five stories will entertain better than any DJ in a bad tux. No corsage or limo rental necessary. Just good, scary fun.

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by  Alvin Schwartz

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Box #2

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan (Paperback)

From Good Reads:

The Sisterhood always knows best.
The Guardians will protect and serve.
The Unconsecrated will never relent.
And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth. But, slowly, Mary’s truths are failing her. She’s learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future-between the one she loves and the one who loves her.

And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death?

The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong (Paperback)

From Good Reads: After years of frequent moves following her mother’s death, Chloe Saunders’s life is finally settling down. She is attending art school, pursuing her dreams of becoming a director, making friends, meeting boys. Her biggest concern is that she’s not developing as fast as her friends are. But when puberty does hit, it brings more than hormone surges. Chloe starts seeing ghosts–everywhere, demanding her attention. After she suffers a breakdown, her devoted aunt Lauren gets her into a highly recommended group home.

At first, Lyle House seems a pretty okay place, except for Chloe’s small problem of fearing she might be facing a lifetime of mental illness. But as she gradually gets to know the other kids at the home–charming Simon and his ominous, unsmiling brother Derek, obnoxious Tori, and Rae, who has a “thing” for fire–Chloe begins to realize that there is something that binds them all together, and it isn’t your usual “problem kid” behavior. And together they discover that Lyle House is not your usual group home either…

More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz

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I’m so excited about these books! I’m especially proud of finding these Alvin Schwartz books because nothing says Halloween like Alvin’s collected folklore and Stephen Gammell’s ridiculously creepy artwork. These books came out when *I* was in elementary school, and yet they are still quintessential creepy reading (and appropriate for a younger audience if you have kids. I purchased copies of these books when I was in 5th and 6th grade from our Weekly Reader. I still have my copies, though they are in sorry shape.)

Don’t forget to go sign up! Click on the link at the to of this post, at the top of the blog page, or on the left hand column at the very top under “Contests.” I’ll be drawing 2 names at random on October 30th and announcing the winners on October 31st. Good luck and Happy Halloween!

Art by Stephen Gammell-

Belated blogfest post, so in the meantime…

 Uncategorized  2 Responses »
Oct 042010
 

Today’s October Blogfest is going to be a little late because I forgot the file at home on my home computer. Whoops. Sorry guys. Clearly I am not organized enough to host a fest of any sort!

In the mean time, why don’t you go sign up for one of the two Trick-or-Treat giveaways? (Sign up sign up! Send your friends! Make a girl happy to give stuff away! ) I’ve picked up a few items so far, and one box will have The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan (paperback) and I have a zombie magnet “Sometimes I worry about zombies” and a Witch Lego minifigure. Send your friends over to sign up too!

This week’s October Blogfest will contain posts on the following topics:

  • Monday: A poem by me called “Kingdom of Monsters and Lost Children”
  • Tuesday: The scariest children in cinema
  • Wednesday: Music by Voltaire
  • Thursday: On writing horror- Setting
  • Friday: Short Halloween Story by me
  • Saturday: More Comics
  • Sunday: And a Picture Tour of a Haunted Asylum

The following week we’ve got Haunted places across the US, another short halloween story, Horror Artwork by one of my favorite artists ever, On writing horror: Characteristics of horror, Some monster of the week love, and Horror inspired games.

Non-October Blogfest related posts coming up too. The Banned Book Reading Challenge is coming to a close soon, and I’ve got my reviews and wrap-up party ready to go. I’ve also had the pleasure of reading some really fantastic contemporary YA that I can’t wait to share with you all.

In writing news: Still working tirelessly at edits and rewrites. Honestly I don’t know when it will ever end. I am not doing NaNoWriMo this year. Are you?

October Blogfest: Halloween Trick-or-Treat Goodie Box Giveaway

 Things Worth Sharing  6 Responses »
Oct 012010
 

From October 1-30th, sign up to win one of two Halloween Goodie Boxes. The contents of the Trick-or-Treat goodie boxes are currently secret since I’m still putting them together, but will include YA books, stickers, magnets, artwork, candy, silly Halloween things, bookmarks, who knows!

On October 31st, I will randomly draw and announce the winners.

The rules are simple.

  1. Open to U.S. Residents only. Sorry guys :-(
  2. You must be at least 13 years of age, make sure you get your parent’s permission first! Grown ups probably don’t need their parent’s permission :-) I cannot verify this information of course, so if you enter I’m taking you at your word that you are allowed to enter.
  3. You must fill out the form below with your name, email, and address.
  4. You get additional entries for sharing a link to the Blogfest on your blog, Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, etc.
  5. On October 31st, I will post your First Name and Last Initial and send you an email at the email address provided letting you know you’ve won.
  6. I reserve the right to alter this contest in any way at any time. For instance, my last contest I ended up choosing not one but two winners, just because.
  7. After I’ve selected the winners, I will delete all of the entries. Your personal info is your own and will not be used for any purpose but in sending out the winnings of this contest.
  8. If you’ve won any of my other contests, that’s ok! You can enter and win this one too if you’re lucky enough!

Tell Great Stories Presents: October Blogfest – 31 Days Celebrating Everything Autumn, Spooky, and Make-Believe

 Things Worth Sharing  1 Response »
Oct 012010
 

There is something about October in the Midwest that cannot be experienced anywhere else in the world.

The air is saturated with the smell of October. Colored leaves fall slowly to carpet yards and streets mix with the fragrance of slightly wet, chilled rot where they pile against the curb. Pumpkins and apples and gourds decorate stoops and floating ghosts hang and sway from gnarled tree branches. The smell of cold air accompanies the sound of crunching leaves when you cut through the park, too loud against the muted silence of chilly October air. Heavy warm foods replace light, cool summer treats. We fatten up for the long cold winter and embrace the superstitions of Halloween. Jack-o-lanterns replace pumpkins, bound corn stalks are set up against front doors, and wards against evil are hung as decorations. Every classroom smells of chocolate and hot apples. Moments are remembered better during these October days. There are hayrack rides to arrange, pumpkin fields to visit, pies to bake. Everything about the world hints of ghosts and spirits. There are new identities to plan and a metamorphosis to undertake. We are not just ready to be scared, we are ready to be transformed.

In honor of my favorite month of the year culminating on All Hallows Eve, I present to you:

Every day during the month of October, from the 1st to the 31st, there will be a post about all things October. No festival would be complete without a contest, so beginning October 1st and announced on October 31st, everyone will have the opportunity to sign up to win one of two Halloween boxes of goodies, the contents of which I will reveal throughout the month.

I hope you’ll share this information with your readers and friends and pass along the link and/or the poster on your blog. The more participants, the merrier! If you do share, send me an email or drop me a comment and let me know! I’d like to do something special for everyone nice enough to spread the word. My email: tellgreatstories@yahoo.com

If you look up to the navigation bar beneath my blog header, you’ll see I have created a page called October Blogfest. I’m keeping a running page of all 31 October Blogfest posts under one tab for your convenience. The main posts will be here on my blog page, but if you just want to read the October Blogfest posts, you can read under that tab.

Among the post topics this month there will be:

  • The mythologies surrounding Halloween
  • Halloween around the world
  • Monster-of-the-Week analysis
  • On writing horror (atmosphere, characters, conflict, villains)
  • Movies, games, and music that inspire all things October
  • Recipes and pictures of October in the Midwest
  • Professional theater make-up and zombie costume tutorial by an awesome costuming grad student
  • Haunted places across the US
  • A picture tour of a haunted asylum
  • Awesome YA Horror books
  • An essay on the psychology of fear
  • Haunted artwork, stories, videos, blog posts and artistic creations on the web

CONTEST: Win a hardback copy of Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins!

 Contests!, Dystopian, Things Worth Sharing  4 Responses »
Aug 252010
 

Exciting news!

Well, exciting news for you, anyway!

I preordered Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins from Amazon and got a message release day saying that it was in my home city but it would not be delivered on time. Imagine how insane I went when I heard that news! So on my way home we stopped and picked up another copy at Borders (along with an awesome mockingjay keychain) but lo and behold, when I got home a package was waiting for me. They’d managed to deliver the book anyway!

So I’m going to give away my second copy to one lucky reader! This is my first contest so please, go easy on me.

Here are the rules

  • US residents only
  • Fill out the form below
  • One entry per person
  • Entrants must be 13 years or older (and it’s a good idea to get your parent’s permission before you enter if you’re still living with mom and dad!)
  • Contest deadline is September 3rd, 2010!
  • And finally, please tell someone about the contest! Put a link in your blog, Facebook, Twitter…tell your best friend, your dog, your mom, your little brother, anyone who’d like to own their own hardback copy of Mockingjay. Pass on the contest to at least one other person!

Privacy stuff:

I’ll randomly pick one winner and drop the box ASAP. All other entries will be deleted entirely. I won’t be sharing any personal info with anyone and when I announce the winner it’ll just be your first name and last initial.

If you want to share your website, blog, Facebook, or twitter account with me after you enter, leave it in the comments! Who doesn’t love meeting new people?

Good luck!