Cover Reveal: NIGHT STUDY by Maria V. Snyder and a Giveaway!

Hey everyone! So Maria V. Snyder revealed the cover for NIGHT STUDY on Facebook and her blog today! It's gorgeous and since I adore her and her books I wanted to help spread the cover reveal love and also link to her giveaway for an early copy of NIGHT STUDY!

Now on to the reveal!

About NIGHT STUDY: Goodreads
Pre-order it! Amazon | B&N 

Ever since being kidnapped from the Illiais Jungle as a child, Yelena Zaltana's has been fraught with peril. But the recent loss of her Soulfinding abilities has endangered her more than ever before. As she desperately searches for a way to reclaim her magic, her enemies are closing in, and neither Ixia nor Sitia are safe for her anymore. Especially since the growing discord between the two countries and the possibility of a war threatens everything Yelena holds dear. 

Valek is determined to protect Yelena, but he's quickly running out of options. The Commander suspects that his loyalties are divided, and he's been keeping secrets from Valek...secrets that put him, Yelena and all their friends in terrible danger. As they uncover the various layers of the Commander's mysterious plans, they realize it's far more sinister that they could have ever imagined.

About Maria:

Maria V. Snyder changed from being a meteorologist to a novelist in 1995, when she began writing to keep her sanity while raising two children. Since then, she has published numerous freelance articles in magazines and newspapers, and teaches fiction-writing classes at the local college and area libraries. The classes give her the wonderful opportunity to encourage fellow writers, and to keep improving her craft.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Maria always had a fascination with big storms. Dreaming of chasing tornados, Maria earned a bachelors of science degree in meteorology at Penn State University. But she discovered, much to her chagrin, that forecasting the weather wasn't one of her skills. In order to chase tornados you had to predict where they might form. Creating fantasy worlds where she has complete control of the weather was more agreeable to her.

Maria's research on food-tasting methods with an expert chocolate taster, her husband, turned out to be a delicious bonus while writing Poison Study.

Maria has a brown belt in Isshinryu Karate, and enjoys playing volleyball and the cello. Traveling in general and via cruise ship in particular are her biggest distractions from writing. Maria has traveled to Belize, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Europe, Mexico, the Caribbean and through the Panama Canal.

Maria lives with her husband, son, daughter and yellow lab, Hazelnut, in Pennsylvania where she is at work on more LUNA novels. She is also pursuing a master's degree in writing popular fiction from Seton Hill University.

Where you can find Maria:

Website/Blog/Facebook/Goodreads

Giveaways (International):

Head over to Maria's blog to enter to win one of Four signed copies of NIGHT STUDY!! 
Open INTERNATIONALLY! (books will be sent in December to the four winners)

#T4T- Boneseeker by Brynn Chapman and Endless by Amanda Gray And A Giveaway!

Welcome to this week’s Two for Thursday Book Blitz #T4T
presented by Month9books/Tantrum Books!

Today, we will be showcasing two titles that may tickle your fancy,
and we’ll share what readers have to say about these titles!

You just might find your next read!

This week, #T4T presents to you:

Boneseeker by Brynn Chapman and
Endless by Amanda Gray

Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!

Arabella Holmes was born different and raised different. After it became apparent she wouldn’t fit the role of a proper 1900′s lady, her father, Sherlock, called in some lingering favors, and landed her a position at the Mutter Museum. The museum was Arabella’s dream; she was to become a purveyor of abnormal science. What her father called a BoneSeeker.

Henry Watson arrives at the Mutter Museum with a double assignment–to become a finder of abnormal antiquities and to watch over and keep Arabella Holmes. An easy task, if he could only get her to speak to him instead of throwing knives in his general direction.

But this is no time for child’s play. The two teens are assigned to a most secret exploration, when the hand of a Nephilim is unearthed in upstate New York. Soon, Arabella and Henry are caught in a fight for their lives as scientific debate swirls around them. Are the bones from a Neanderthal … or are they living proof of fallen angels, who supposedly mated with humans according to ancient scrolls?

Sent to recover the skeleton, they discover they are the second team to have been deployed and the entire first team is dead. And now they must trust their instincts and rely on one another in order to survive and uncover the truth.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Chapters | TBD | IndieBound | iBooks | Google Play | BAM

WHAT READER’S ARE SAYING:

“For the love of all things Sherlock! I loved this book to bits. I felt like I was seeing old friends.” – Kristie, Lost in Ever After


“Boneseeker is one that fans of historical mysteries and a little bit romance along the way will enjoy.” – Jenea, Reviewer


"A fab idea to take Holmes and Watson to the next generation and to have them on a kind of steampunk/ science adventure” – Nicky Peacock, Author

Born and raised in western Pennsylvania, Brynn Chapman is the daughter of two teachers. Her writing reflects her passions: science, history and love—not necessarily in that order. In real life, the geek gene runs strong in her family, as does the Asperger’s syndrome. Her writing reflects her experience as a pediatric therapist and her interactions with society’s downtrodden. In fiction, she’s a strong believer in underdogs and happily-ever-afters. She also writes non-fiction and lectures on the subjects of autism and sensory integration and is a medical contributor to online journal The Age of Autism.

Author Links: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest

IN A RACE AGAINST TIME, HOW DO YOU KEEP THOSE YOU LOVE SAFE?

Jenny Kramer knows she isn’t normal. After all, not everybody can see the past lives of people around them. When she befriends Ben Daulton, resident new boy, the pair stumbles on an old music box with instructions for “mesmerization” and discover they may have more in common than they thought.

Like a past life.

Using the instructions in the music box, Ben and Jenny share a dream that transports them to Romanov Russia and leads them to believe they have been there together before. But they weren’t alone. Nikolai, the mysterious young man Jenny has been seeing in her own dreams was there, too. When Nikolai appears next door, Jenny is forced to acknowledge that he has traveled through time and space to find her. Doing so means he has defied the laws of time, and the Order, an ominous organization tasked with keeping people in the correct time, is determined to send him back. While Ben, Jenny and Nikolai race against the clock -- and the Order -- the trio discovers a link that joins them in life -- and beyond death.

Amazon  | Chapters | B&N | Kobo | TBD | Indiebound | Google Play | BAM | iBooks

WHAT READER’S ARE SAYING:
“I thought this book was pretty amazing – the characters, the setting and the adventure all came together to create this romantic yet ultimately dangerous story with a perfect time travel twist!” – Hannah – Lemonade Library

“I started reading this not knowing completely what the story was about but there's an amazing love story as well as a bit of history thrown into the mix along with some time travel and a soul mate and reincarnation!” – Anna – Bound in Ink Books

“This book is a very interesting twist on time travel, history and romance, something I would love to see adapted on the big screen in the future.” – Lyn - Reading Tsinoy

Amanda Gray believes in magic and fantasy and possibilities. She is a team of two bestselling authors who live only miles apart but have never met in person. They talk on the phone and are the best of friends and between them have written more than a dozen novels and novellas and have had their work appear on television.

Complete the Rafflecopter for your chance to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour- WHILE YOU WERE GONE by Amy K. Nichols a Playlist and A Giveaway!

I am so excited to be hosting a spot on the WHILE YOU WERE GONE blog tour! I have Amy's playlist to share with you today and of course I'll share the videos for them! And make sure to enter the giveaway to win a hardcover of the book!
Haven't heard of WHILE YOU WERE GONE ? Check it out!

Title: WHILE YOU WERE GONE

Author: Amy K. Nichols

Pub. Date: August 4, 2015

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Pages: 304

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Find it: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Goodreads

An artist without a cause meets a rebel without a clue.

Eevee is a promising young artist and the governor’s daughter in a city where censorship is everywhere and security is everything. When a fire devastates her exhibition—years in the making—her dreams of attending an elite art institute are dashed. She’s struggling to find inspiration when she meets Danny, a boy from a different world. Literally.

Raised in a foster home, Danny has led a life full of hurt and hardship until a glitch in the universe changes everything. Suddenly Danny is living in a home he’s never seen, with parents who miraculously survived the car crash that should have killed them. It’s like he’s a new Danny. But this alternate self has secrets—ties to an underground anarchist group that have already landed him in hot water. When he starts to develop feelings for Eevee, he’s even more disturbed to learn that he might have started the fire that ruined her work.

As Danny sifts through clues from his past and Eevee attempts to piece together her future, they uncover a secret that’s bigger than both of them. . . . And together, they must correct the breach between the worlds before it’s too late.

Now on to the playlist! 

CRAWLING IN THE DARK: The Music that Influenced WHILE YOU WERE GONE

Music is a huge part of my life. There are always songs playing in my house, in my car, in my head. So it’s no surprise that it plays a big role in my writing as well. Part of my process is finding music that captures the tone of the chapter or scene I’m currently working on and listening to it on repeat as I write. While writing Now That You’re Here, the first book in the Duplexity series, I built a playlist that corresponded with the chapters, characters and overall feel of the book. Writing the follow-up book, While You Were Gone, was no different. By the time I completed the first draft, I’d also completed a playlist that conveyed the feeling and arc of the story.

Comparing the two playlists is interesting. The songs that influenced Now That You’re Here strike me as somewhat dreamy and love-centric. While there are love songs on the While You Were Gone playlist, overall the tone is grittier, the tempos are faster, and there’s a lot more angst. Which is fitting. Now That You’re Here is an emotional journey centered around two people’s discovery of each other, set in a world that is for the most part benevolent. While You Were Gone is also the story of two people’s discovery of each other, but the journey is more external and the world is pretty much out to get them. Thus the grit and the angst.

There was one cool coincidence with the books that involved music. Back when I was working on Now That You’re Here, I was driving in my car and a song came on the radio I’d never heard before. It started out simple, just a repeated piano chord progression. Then Rihanna began singing, and I was struck by how perfectly the words matched up to the story I was writing. The song was “Stay” and it quickly became my go-to theme song for the book. A year or so later, I was driving in the car and a song came on the radio that caught my ear. It started out simple, just a repeated guitar progression. Then the verse began and I was struck by how perfectly the words matched up with the story I was writing. The song was “Renegades” by X Ambassadors, and it quickly became the theme song of While You Were Gone. 

Danny and Eevee also have their own theme songs. In Now That You’re Here, Danny’s song is “Starlight” by Muse. Eevee’s is “Satellite” by Guster. In While You Were Gone, Danny’s song started out as “Vicarious” by Tool but changed to “Map of the Problematique” by Muse. Eevee’s is both “No Light, No Light” by Florence + The Machine and “She” by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians.

The funny thing about linking music and story is that that connection doesn’t end just because the book is finished. Sometimes I’ll be out somewhere, standing in line for a coffee or something, and a song will come over the sound system that triggers a scene or chapter in my mind. Suddenly my writing brain turns on and I’ll kind of forget where I am, that I’m supposed to be standing in line for that coffee. My mind is a million miles away, in a parallel universe of sorts.

Here are some of the songs that influenced While You Were Gone. You can find the complete playlist on my website, at http://amyknichols.com/?page_id=758. I hope you enjoy listening, and I really hope you enjoy reading the books! Also Jaime *cutting in* I hosted the playlist for Now That You're Here last year for the blog tour so if you want to check that out click on this link :)

Crawling in the Dark – Hoobastank

No Light, No Light – Florence + The Machine

Come A Little Closer – Cage the Elephant

Club Foot – Kasabian

Map of the Problematique – Muse

Renegades – X Ambassadors

About Amy:

Amy K. Nichols has been crafting stories for as long as she can remember. She is the author of YA science fiction novel Now That You're Here, to be published by Knopf December 9, 2014. The follow-up, While You Were Gone, will be published in 2015. She is mentored by award-winning crime novelist James Sallis and lives on the edge of the Sonoran desert with her husband and children. Amy is a member of SCBWI and SFWA, as well as the Class of 2K14 debut authors. Visit her online at http://www.amyknichols.com.

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Tumblr | Pinterest | YouTube | Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

10 winners will receive finished copies of WHILE YOU WERE GONE. US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check out the Tour Schedule!

Week One:

7/27/2015- Bookhounds ya- Interview

7/28/2015- The Best Books Ever- Review

7/29/2015- Two Chicks on Books- Guest Post

7/30/2015- The Cover Contessa- Review

7/31/2015- Me, My Shelf and I- Interview

Week Two:

8/3/2015- A Dream Within A Dream- Review

8/4/2015- Fiktshun- Guest Post

8/5/2015- Fiction Fare- Review

8/6/2015- Fire and Ice- Interview

8/7/2015- The Young Folks- Review

Dying To Read (115)- SWORD AND VERSE by Kathy MacMillan

Hey y’all thanks for stopping by to see my Dying to Read post and of course as always I have to give credit to the lovely Jill over at Breaking the Spine for the Waiting on Wednesday Meme!

Y'all know me and fantasy so of course this one is on my TBR. Also look at that gorgeous cover!!!!!

Title: SWORD AND VERSE

Author: Kathy MacMillan

Release Date: January 19, 2016
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 400
Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Find it: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | iBooks

Raisa was only a child when she was kidnapped and enslaved in Qilara. Forced to serve in the palace of the king, she’s endured hunger, abuse, and the harrowing fear of discovery: everyone knows she is Arnath, but not that Raisa is a Learned One, a part of an Arnath group educated in higher order symbols. In Qilara, this language is so fiercely protected that only the King, the Prince, and Tutors are allowed to know it. So when the current Tutor-in-training is executed for sharing the guarded language with slaves, and Raisa is chosen to replace her, Raisa knows that—although she may have a privileged position among slaves—any slip-up could mean death.

That would be challenging enough, but training alongside Prince Mati could be her real undoing. And when a romance blossoms between them, she’s suddenly filled with a dangerous hope for something she never before thought possible: more. Then she’s propositioned by the Resistance—an underground army of slaves—to help liberate the Arnath people. Joining the rebellion could mean freeing her people…but she’d also be aiding in the war against her beloved—an honorable man that she knows wants to help the slaves.

Working against the one she loves—and a palace full of deadly political renegades—has some heady consequences. As Raisa struggles with what’s right, she unwittingly uncovers a secret that the Qilarites have long since buried…one that, unlocked, could bring the current world order to its knees.

And Raisa is the one holding the key. 

So what do you think? Will you be adding this to your pile? What are you dying to read this week?

Top Ten Tuesday (35)- Ten Characters Who Are Fellow Book Nerds

Hi thanks for stopping by!!! And welcome to my Top 10 Tuesday post! 

Thanks to the lovely ladies at The Broke And The Bookish for creating this weekly meme!

Here's this week's topic.

July 28: Ten Characters Who Are Fellow Book Nerds (love reading, are writers, work at a bookstore, etc.) 



This one is hard but I will try my best. Since I don't read contemporaries none of my characters work in bookstores but, everyone on this list is an avid reader or storyteller heck some use a book as a portal, one is a book blogger, and another lives in a library!

1. Madeline Landry from Landry Park Series by Bethany Hagen.

2. Iolanthe Seabourne and Titus from The Elemental Trilogy by Sherry Thomas. 

3. Shahrzad from The Wrath & The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh.

4. Echo from The Girl At Midnight by Melissa Grey.

5. Seraphina from the Serpahina series by Rachel Hartman.

6. Olivia Mead from The Cure For Dreaming by Cat Winters.

7. Sydney Sage from The Bloodlines Series by Richelle Mead.

8. Katy from the Lux Series by Jennifer L. Armentrout.

9. Celaena Sardothien from The Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas.

10. Raven Weathersby from The Artisans by Julie Reece.

So this is my list. What about you? What were the last books you received or bought?

And come back next week for my Ten Fairytale Retellings I've Read/Want To Read (this one will be easy I love fairy tale retellings)!

Hugs,

Jaime

M9B Friday Reveal- Month9Books Fall Books Preview And A Giveaway!

Welcome to this week’s M9B Friday Reveal!

This week, we are sharing the

Month9Books Fall Books Preview!

Check out these amazing titles coming from Month9Books this Fall!.
They look amazing!

Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!

SERPENTINE is a sweeping fantasy set in the ancient Kingdom of Xia and inspired by the rich history of Chinese mythology.

Lush with details from Chinese folklore, SERPENTINE tells the coming of age story of Skybright, a young girl who worries about her growing otherness. As she turns sixteen, Skybright notices troubling changes. By day, she is a companion and handmaid to the youngest daughter of a very wealthy family. But nighttime brings with it a darkness that not even daybreak can quell.

When her plight can no longer be denied, Skybright learns that despite a dark destiny, she must struggle to retain her sense of self – even as she falls in love for the first time.

“Vivid worldbuilding, incendiary romance, heart-pounding action, and characters that will win you over–I highly recommend Serpentine.” Cinda Williams Chima, best-selling author of the Seven Realms and Heir Chronicles fantasy novels

“Serpentine is unique and surprising, with a beautifully-drawn fantasy world that sucked me right in! I love Skybright’s transformative power, and how she learns to take charge of it.” ~Kristin Cashore, NYT Bestseller of the Graceling Realm Series

“Serpentine’s world oozes with lush details and rich lore, and the characters crackle with life. This is one story that you’ll want to lose yourself in.” ~ Marie Lu, New York Times bestselling author of Legend and The Young Elites

Amazon | B&N | BAM | Chapters | Kobo | TBD | Mysterious Galaxy (make sure to enter her pre-order giveaway if you purchase from Mysterious Galaxy!)

Cindy Pon is the author of Silver Phoenix (Greenwillow, 2009), which was named one of the Top Ten Fantasy and Science Fiction Books for Youth by the American Library Association’s Booklist, and one of 2009′s best Fantasy, Science Fiction and Horror by VOYA. The sequel to Silver Phoenix, titled Fury of the Phoenix, was released in April 2011. Serpentine, the first title in her next Xia duology, will be published by Month9Books in September 2015. She is the co-founder of Diversity in YA with Malinda Lo and on the advisory board of We Need Diverse Books. Cindy is also a Chinese brush painting student of over a decade. Visit her website at www.cindypon.com.

Connect with the Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr | Goodreads

Four clans have been at war for centuries: the Kodiak, the Raven, the Wolf and the Ram. Through brutal war tactics, the Ram have dominated the region, inflicting death and destruction on their neighbors.

Seventeen-year-old Zo is a Wolf and a Healer who volunteers to infiltrate the Ram as a spy on behalf of the allied clans. She offers herself as a Ram slave, joining the people who are called the “nameless.” Hers is a suicide mission – Zo’s despair after losing her parents in a Ram raid has left her seeking both revenge and an end to her own misery. But after her younger sister follows her into Rams Gate, Zo must find a way to survive her dangerous mission and keep her sister safe.

What she doesn’t expect to find is the friendship of a young Ram whose life she saves, the confusing feelings she develops for a Ram soldier, and an underground nameless insurrection. Zo learns that revenge, loyalty and love are more complicated than she ever imagined in the first installment of this two-book series.

"Jenkins brings edge-of-your-seat adventure to this intriguing new world. I can’t wait to read more!”~ New York Times bestselling author Jessica Day George

"Wow....WOW, WOW, WOW! I have no words to describe how much I love this book. Jenkins writes characters who are just so easy to love, and when you love a character it makes the book so much better. And I loved all the characters. Zo, Tess, Joshua and Gryphon. Gryphon is definitely my favorite - but who wouldn't love Gryphon? Of course I do have a soft spot for our heroine, Zo." ~Bri, Blogger @ Once Upon A Twilight

"Nameless destroyed me in the best way possible. The romance was subtle, but written beautifully. The plot was very intriguing and the pacing was spot on. I loved the entire cast of characters, every single one of them added to the story. Trust me when I say you should preorder it, add it to your TBR, request it from your library, do whatever you have to do to get this book in your hands because if you are a YA fantasy fan like me you need this book in your life!" ~Bridget, Blogger @ Dark Faerie Tales

"NAMELESS is epic storytelling at its best. My mind is still reeling from the world that I have just been immersed in and I don't want to leave it. Can I please have the sequel NOW? Because I need to know what happens next but in the meantime I'm just going to re-read it again and again. Is it that good, you may ask? Hell yes!!! And you will think so too. Trust me." Nancy, Blogger @ Tales of A Ravenous Reader

"To say that I love this book is an understatement. It completely blew me away! I am so happy that I took a chance on it. NAMELESS is one book that you can re-read over and over again and it will still feel fresh! I cannot wait for the world to read it and fall under the NAMELESS spell. Because that’s what I feel like I am under, a spell that has me trapped in Zo's world and won’t let me out! I don’t want out!"~Damaris, Blogger @ Good Choice Reading

Amazon | B&N |  iBooks | TBD | Chapters | B&N | Kobo

With her degree in History and Secondary Education, Jennifer had every intention of teaching teens to love George Washington and appreciate the finer points of ancient battle stratagem. (Seriously, she’s obsessed with ancient warfare.) However, life had different plans in store when the writing began. As a proud member of Writers Cubed, and a co-founder of the Teen Author Boot Camp, she feels blessed to be able to fulfill both her ambition to work with teens as well as write Young Adult fiction.

Jennifer has three children who are experts at naming her characters, one loving, supportive husband, a dog with little-man syndrome, and three chickens (of whom she is secretly afraid).

Visit her online at jajenkins.com

Connect with the Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest |Instagram

“Where shall I start?” asked Minotaur.

Ovid made an expansive gesture with both hands. “Where else but the beginning of course.”

Minotaur nodded his huge head. “Yes,” he said. “Yes,” his eyes already glazing over with the weight of thousand year old memories. And then he began.

So begins the story of Asterion, later known as Minotaur, the supposed half bull creature of Greek legend. Recorded by the famous Roman poet, Ovid, Asterion tells of his boyhood in Crete under the cruel hand of his stepfather Minos, his adventures with his friend, Theseus, and his growing love for the beautiful Phaedra.And of course what really happened in the labyrinth.

This is the true story of the Minotaur.

 “Lovers of mythology will enjoy this coming-of-age adventure and be surprised by the believable, "true story" of the Minotaur.”~ School Library Journal

Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Kobo | BAM | Chapters | Indiebound | TBD

Phillip W. Simpson is the author of many novels, chapter books and other stories for children. His publishers include Macmillan, Penguin, Pearson, Cengage, Raintree and Oxford University Press.

He received both his undergraduate degree in Ancient History and Archaeology and his Masters (Hons) degree in Archaeology from the University of Auckland.

Before embarking on his writing career, he joined the army as an officer cadet, owned a comic shop and worked in recruitment in both the UK and Australia.

His first young adult novel, Rapture (Rapture Trilogy #1), was shortlisted for the Sir Julius Vogel Awards for best Youth novel in 2012.

He is represented by Vicki Marsdon at Wordlink literary agency.

When not writing, he works as a school teacher.
Phillip lives and writes in Auckland, New Zealand with his wife Rose, their son, Jack and their two border terriers, Whiskey and Raffles. He loves fishing, reading, movies, football (soccer) and single malt Whiskeys.

Connect with the Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads


Review copies (eGalleys) for theses books are available! Reviewers request them HERE!

Complete the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win!

Title(s) will be sent upon release.

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