New Alloy Imprint and a Giveaway

Hello, friends. So today I have some pretty cool news to share with you, a few great books to add to your ever-expanding to-be-read piles, and a giveaway, which is what I suspect drew you to my blog in the first place. But to explain all this, I’m going to hand the mic over to my fellow Bookanista, another Tracy—one whose parents didn’t torture her by adding an “e” to her name, thereby making it impossible for anyone to remember how it’s spelled.

***

Hello! My name is Tracy and I am so excited to be here today, celebrating with my blogger buddies! WHAT are we celebrating, you ask? Well, today marks the launch of a very exciting, special new program. Alloy Entertainment (of Vampire Diaries, Gossip Girl, and Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants fame) has partnered with Amazon to create a new imprint! As a “Powered By Amazon” imprint, it will be exclusively distributed by Amazon. Here’s more info from the official press release:

Today, Amazon Publishing and Alloy Entertainment, a division of Warner Bros. Television Group, announced a digital-first imprint that will focus on young adult, new adult and commercial fiction. The new imprint, named Alloy Entertainment, will be part of Amazon Publishing’s Powered by Amazon program. Powered by Amazon enables publishers and authors to leverage Amazon’s global distribution and personalized, targeted marketing reach.

I am super super proud to share that my previously self-published novel, Shattered Veil, is one of the inaugural books in this program! It has been retitled Rebel Wing, given a new cover (check out the beauty below!), fully edited, and I am so, SO excited to share it with you today! In addition, two other books are part of the launch, and they are AWESOME. Read on for more info and purchase links for Every Ugly Word by Aimee L. Salter and Imitation by Heather Hildenbrand.

YA Scifi Adventure

“I've never been actively jealous of a fictional character . . . until now. Aris’s adventures set my imagination on fire, and made my heart take flight.” ~Kass Morgan, author of New York Times bestseller The 100

The Dominion of Atalanta is at war. But for eighteen-year-old Aris, the fighting is nothing more than a distant nightmare, something she watches on news vids from the safety of her idyllic seaside town. Then her boyfriend, Calix, is drafted into the Military, and the nightmare becomes a dangerous reality.

Left behind, Aris has nothing to fill her days. Even flying her wingjet—the thing she loves most, aside from Calix—feels meaningless without him by her side. So when she’s recruited to be a pilot for an elite search-and-rescue unit, she leaps at the chance, hoping she’ll be stationed near Calix. But there’s a catch: She must disguise herself as a man named Aristos. There are no women in the Atalantan Military, and there never will be.

Aris gives up everything to find Calix: her home. Her family. Even her identity. But as the war rages on, Aris discovers she’s fighting for much more than her relationship. With each injured person she rescues and each violent battle she survives, Aris is becoming a true soldier—and the best flyer in the Atalantan Military. She’s determined to save her Dominion . . . or die trying.

Purchase Here

About Me

Award-winning author, Army wife, and mom Tracy Banghart has an MA in Publishing and an unhealthy affection for cupcakes. Her quiet childhood led to a reading addiction, writing obsession, and several serious book boyfriends. Rebel Wing is her third novel. She can be found at TracyBanghart.com.

When seventeen-year-old Ashley Watson walks through the halls of her high school, bullies taunt and shove her. She can’t go a day without fighting with her mother. And no matter how hard she tries, she can’t make her best friend, Matt, fall in love with her. But Ashley also has something no one else does: a literal glimpse into the future. When Ashley looks into the mirror, she can see her twenty-three-year-old self.

Her older self has been through it all already—she endured the bullying, survived the heartbreak, and heard every ugly word her classmates threw at her. But her older self is also keeping a dark secret: Something terrible is about to happen to Ashley. Something that will change her life forever. Something even her older self is powerless to stop.

Perfect for fans of Thirteen Reasons Why and The List, Every Ugly Word is a gripping and emotional story about the devastating consequences of bullying.

Purchase Here

About Aimee

Aimee L. Salter lives in Southern Oregon with her husband and son. She writes novels for teens and the occasional adult who, like herself, is still in touch with their inner-high schooler. She never stopped appreciating those moments in the dark when you say what you’re really thinking. And she’ll always ask you about the things you wish she wouldn’t. Aimee blogs for both writers and readers at AimeelSalter.com. You can also find her on Twitter and Facebook. Every Ugly Word is her debut novel.

Everyone is exactly like me. There is no one like me.

Ven wrestles with these contradicting truths every day. A clone of wealthy 18-year-old Raven Rogen, Ven knows everything about the girl she was created to serve: the clothes she wears, the boys she loves, the friends she loves to hate. Yet she’s never met the Authentic Raven face-to-face. Imitations like Ven only get to leave the lab when they’re needed—to replace a dead Authentic, donate an organ, or complete a specific mission. And Raven has never needed Ven . . . until now.

When there is an attack on Raven’s life, Ven is thrust into the real world, posing as Raven to draw out the people who tried to harm her. But as Ven dives deeper into Raven’s world, she begins to question everything she was ever told. She exists for Raven, but is she prepared to sacrifice herself for a girl she’s never met?

Fans of Cinder, The Selection, and Sara Shepard’s Lying Game series will love Imitation, a thrilling, action-packed novel sure to keep readers guessing until the very last page.

Purchase Here

About Heather

Heather Hildenbrand was born and raised in a small town in northern Virginia where she was homeschooled through high school. She now lives in coastal VA, a few miles from the Atlantic Ocean, with her two adorable children. She works from home, part time, as a property manager and when she's not furiously pounding at the keyboard, or staring off into space whilst plotting a new story, she's lying on the beach, soaking in those delicious, pre-cancerous rays. Heather loves Mexican food, hates socks with sandals, and if her house was on fire, the one thing she'd grab is her DVR player. You can find out more about her and her books at HeatherHildenbrand.blogspot.com.

Heather is a co-founder of Accendo Press, a publishing group she operates with fellow authors Angeline Kace and Jennifer Sommersby. Accendo (a-CH-endo), A Latin word, means “to kindle, illuminate, inflame, or set fire.” This is something Accendo strives to do inside a reader’s imagination with every title released.

Thanks so much to my wonderful bloggers friends who are helping me spread the word! And don’t forget to enter the giveaway below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Winners!

The votes have been tallied and there are four lucky winners of my Follower Appreciation Giveaway. I’ll do this in reality TV fashion:

Hundreds of lovely readers stand before me, but I only have four names in my hand. If I call your name, you’re still in the running to be America’s Next Top Model you’ve won the prize shown above your name.

Susan Crispell

Krispy

Yahong

Dahlia Adler

Congrats, ladies! Please send me an email (tracey [dot] neithercott [at] gmail [dot] com) with your address and I’ll make sure you get your winnings!

Giveaway Time!

It has come to my attention recently that I now have over 400 followers on this blog.* Looks like I’ll have plenty of people to brainwash into doing my evil bidding.

(Did I say brainwash? I meant adore. No brainwashing going on here. Nope. None.)

I think it’s only appropriate to celebrate my nefarious plan coming together new friends with a giveaway. I’ll pick four followers to each win one of these four prizes:

Leap of Faith by Jamie Blair

Guys, I loved this book and I haven’t seen enough buzz about it. I plan to review it later, but for now, know that it’s a fantastic YA contemporary and I can’t wait for the winner to read it.

Scarlet by A.G. Gaughen

The second book in this series comes out in February, and you’ll want to read it once you finish Scarlet. It’s a great take on Robin Hood with a confident and likeable main character, strong plot, and great use of a rough dialect.

$15 Amazon gift card

Go ahead, get whatever your heart desires.

THE WINNER WIL GET THE ROLL-ON VERSION.

Demeter Paperback roll-on perfume oil

New-book scent. ’Nuff said.

Go forth and enter, my minons dear friends. You have until Feb. 10 to enter:

a Rafflecopter giveaway


* Warning: Mushy-gushy stuff ahead. I cannot believe this. It is truly baffling, but I thank all of you for reading my ramblings and putting up with my nonsense. You are patient and kind and I’m so happy each and every one of you is reading. Group hug?

Two Sequels Down...

Before I get going, I want to announce the four winners of the YA Superlatives Blogfest giveaway. (Pay no attention to how long it took to pick the winners. La la la...)

Rachel at Beauty and the Bookshelf

Rebekah Faubion

Sophia L.

Stephanie Allen

Lovely winners, please email Katy Upperman (katy.upperman@live.com) to pick your choice of any 2013 book. Congrats!



Moving on...

Most of the time I like to think of New Year’s resolutions as a list I make at the beginning of January then promptly forget for the rest of the year. This is a momentous occasion, then, because not only have I not forgotten about my 2014 resolutions, but I’m making decent headway with one of them.

Not too long ago I wrote about my trouble finishing bookseries, and this year I made it my mission to read sequels to books I loved. (It was that or resolve to exercise daily and you know that’s just a recipe for self-loathing.) Two down and … well, best not to think about how many I have left to go.

READ DESCRIPTION ON GOODREADS.

I read the first book in the Unearthly series at a time when I was mostly sick of angel stories and definitely tired of love triangles. It’s a wonder I even picked it up, but the good reviews swayed me, and I’m thankful for it. The plot is refreshing, the angels unlike the same old characters I’ve read in a dozen other YA paranormal books, and the love triangle one that actually makes sense. (Which is why I awarded it Best Use of a Love Triangle during the 2011 YA Superlative Blogfest.)

I was nervous to read Boundless, though. I loved the first two novels and didn’t want the final book in the series to ruin the story. Thankfully, the final book was as satisfying as Unearthly and Hallowed. Hand’s characters, which were wholly realized even in the first book, are like old friends here, and yet many are given new depth in this installment—most notably Samjeeza. His interactions with Clara are touching despite the fact that his character is still menacing. In fact, there were so many moments, small little scenes—not just between Clara and Samjeeza—that I wanted to hold onto and reread before the series ended.

This, at times, was a heartbreaking story. I won’t go into too much detail for those of you who haven’t read the first two books, but the love between Clara and her family—and the struggles she has surrounding them—is at times sweet and heartbreaking, especially those involving her brother.

And, of course, there was the romance, which if you’ve read the previous two books you know is more than the typical “I love him, but I also love him” sort of love triangle. I won’t say how the relationships in the book end, but that I was fully satisfied with the very final scene.

I can’t think of an angel series I’ve enjoyed more. And this is definitely at the top of favorite paranormal romance reads. Even if you’re not a paranormal YA fan, and even if you’d rather watch the Bella-is-depressed scene in Twilight on repeat than read another paranormal romance, I’m confident you’ll like the Unearthly series.

READ DESCRIPTION ON GOODREADS.

Before this book came out, I was antsy to get my hands on it, checking the publication date nonstop in the hopes that maybe I’d misremembered and it was already out. Then, when it came out, I stalled. I loved Throne of Glass. It was one of my favorite books of the year, and yet I worried Crown of Midnight wouldn’t live up to high expectations I’d set.

I have no idea how Maas managed to outdo her first novel. I loved Celaena in Throne of Glass, but she’s grown since. Dorian and Chaol are richer characters in this book, too. And, well, my heart breaks for Dorian. I loved him and Celaena in Throne of Glass and hoped that, maybe, he’d be with Celaena again by the end of the series. Of course, I knew going into this book that the romance in Crown of Midnight centered on Chaol and Celaena. Now I even see that Celaena’s feelings for Chaol are stronger than anything she ever felt for the prince. But, oh, does his POV make you want to give him a giant hug.

And it’s not just because he’s hopelessly in love with a girl who loves his best friend. It’s the line he’s walking between his old life—weak in his position as prince—and this new one where he cares what his wicked father is doing to the kingdom. He’s trying to figure out his place as prince as well as developing magical powers, and his scenes of struggle and self-realization were some of my favorite in the book.

I also found I liked Chaol better in this book. His love for Celaena and his resolve to follow the king’s orders despite his desires to betray them for Celaena were captivating, as was his conflict with his father.

The plot in this sequel was twisty and more complicated than the first, and you can see that Maas is building bigger story than the one Throne of Glass hinted at. I imagine that the next book in the series, Heir of Fire, will be even better still. Overall, a strong second book with excellent characters, a phenomenal ending, and a third book publishing way, way too far in the future.

 What have you read recently?

Yep, There's A Giveaway

Some (very misguided) people believe summer prep begins as follows: Avoid food. Double up at the gym. Find a suit with Spanx. That’s all well and good, I guess, but we Bookanistas thought it’d be more fun to usher in warmer temps with a different sort of makeover. One that involved a little less sweat and a little more literature.

Also, one without the whole crash diet ordeal.

So, you know, voila! That, my friends who are too uninterested to click the link, is the new and improved Bookanistas site. It’s mighty fine, folks. Mighty fine.*

But wait, that’s not all. I know, I know, seeing a new and purty site is gratifying for you and all, but some of the Bookanistas had the bright idea that it’s not a true celebration until someone breaks out the free books.

There, I said it. Free books. As in: THERE IS A GIVEAWAY. 

But before we get to that, I’d like to—in the spirit of summer reading—offer you a list of five books you need to bring with you on your next beach trip.

Audrey Wait! by Robin Benway  I’ve professed my love for Robin Benway on multiple occasions, including my gushing review of this very book. I can’t help it. It’s like catnip to me. If I were a cat. Or something. Forget the metaphor. This book is hilarious and the perfect read for a relaxing day at the beach. When you’re done, assume I’m saying, “YOU ARE WELCOME.”

Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty  I would happily live in Jessica Darling’s head. She’s a hilarious narrator who makes this story fly by. Though it doesn’t hurt that it includes one of my favorite YA boys ever: Marcus Flutie. Sigh.

Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson  Two words: Road Trip.**

The entire Summer I Turned Pretty series by Jenny Han  This is possibly the most perfect YA summer series ever written. Yes, the books take place at the beach. No, they’re not fluff. I’ve mentioned my love for this series so many times here, but it boils down to this: Really great characters, each and every one of them.

For all of you who read through that before getting to this point: High-five. And now for what you’re really interested in: PRIZES! The winner of the Bookanista Relaunch giveaway of awesome will receive:

Signed copies of these Bookanista-authored books…

If I Lie and Touched by Corrine Jackson PLUS ARCs of Just One Day and Speechless

Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger

By Blood by Tracy Banghart

Possession, Surrender, and Abandon by Elana Johnson

Touching the Surface by Kimberly Sabatini (plus a swag surprise)

Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris

Audition by Stasia Ward Kehoe

The Girl Guide by Christine Fonseca (plus sweet swag)

Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza

Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans

And a second winner will get a box filled with Bookanista-beloved reads including:

Ditched by Robin Mellom

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Taken by Erin Bowman

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama

Sparrow Road by Sheila O’Connor

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You can find lots more Bookanista Relaunch Book Love at our sites around the interwebs: Carolina Valdez Miller, Carrie Harris,  Christine Fonseca, Corrine Jackson, Debra Driza, Elana Johnson, Jessica Love, Katy Upperman, Kimberly Sabatini, Lenore Appelhans,  Nikki Katz, Rebecca Behrens, Shannon Messenger, Shelli Johannes-Wells, Stasia Ward Kehoe, Tracy Banghart  

__________

* As in, I have spent way too long gazing longingly at those pretty book covers. It’s a sickness. I think it’s, like, legit and all.

** Okay, fine, I’ll go on. It’s an adorable, quick read with a believable romance that makes you wish Matson would write a sequel.