Never Enough Prize Vault!

Bookmark this page! You'll want to come back here over the next two weeks to swoon and dream and decide which prize pack you would most like to win! As I mentioned in an earlier post, Simon Pulse has been extremely generous in donating a whole lot of books to my prize vault to celebrate the release of Never Enough. It's time for a look at what's up for grabs...

Prize Pack A includes:

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson
Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
Black Heart by Holly Black
Lifted by Wendy Toliver
Perfect by Ellen Hopkins











Prize Pack B includes:

Being Friends With Boys by Terra Elan Mcvoy
Dust Lands by Moira Young
The Alchemy of Forever by Avery Williams
This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel
The Demon's Surrender by Sarah Rees Brennan

Prize Pack C includes:

Blood Red Road by Moira Young
Torn by Margaret Petersen Haddix
Dust & Decay by Jonathan Maberry
Wrecked by Anna Davies
The Limit by Kristen Landon






In case you missed it, that's THREE packs of five books. But that's not all! I have one grand prize box of books, and this is a very special box because it includes TWO celebrations! Half of the books are from Simon Pulse, or from my own bookshelf, and are celebrating the birth of NEVER ENOUGH. The other half of the books have been donated by my most amazing critique partner, Shana Silver, and I'd like to include those to celebrate a much more precious birth...the birth of her first baby!

Here's what the Grand Prize Pack includes...

White Cat by Holly Black

Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury

Paper Towns by John Green

Fury by Elizabeth Miles

Perfect by Ellen Hopkins

The Season by Sarah MacLean

The Absolute Value of -1 by Steve Brezenoff

A Curse As Dark As Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce

Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus

Red Glove by Holly Black

Wings by Aprilynne Pike

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

Kitty Kitty by Michele Jaffe

Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson

Golden (audiobook) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin 

(not pictured because I'm sneaking in a quick read!)

I'm very excited about these upcoming couple of weeks and my chance to give away these fabulous prizes! The box sets can only go to someone with a U.S. mailing address, due to exorbitant international mailing costs, but because I SO HIGHLY VALUE my international readers as well, if I draw one of your names, you will still definitely get a prize (some extra-special Never Enough swag, or a book of your choice from Book Depository!)

Keep your eye on my blog in the coming days, as there will be lots of chances to enter to win these great gifts. If you see @shanasilver around Twitter, make sure to pass along your thanks and congratulations (at time of writing this, she has not gone into labor, but it could happen AT ANY MOMENT!). 

And don't forget to come back! All the fun will be happening right here, between July 3-15th, as Shana welcomes her new bundle of preciousness and  I welcome my new book baby into the world!

Never Enough Secrets: On the Topic of Sex

I know I'm sticking my toes in some pretty fiery waters here, and I don't want to start a heated debate. I just wanted to share another secret with you from my new book Never Enough.

There's sex in it.

It's true, and many of you may be shaking your heads, thinking, "okay, where's the big secret?" Because there are plenty of YA novels out there with sex scenes in them. The difference is, this is the first one of mine.

And so, rather than debating the topic, I just wanted to share a little of my own personal thoughts on the subject. To me, sex is a very private thing. Maybe the most private thing. I've never been one to talk to girlfriends about intimate details of my relationships. It's just not me. To be honest, it makes me uncomfortable reading a sex scene in a book or watching a movie with a vivid sex scene in it (though for some reason I always seem to rent those kind of movies when my mom is coming over!). To me, it feels like the act is meant only for those involved, and not for me.

So why did I write a sex scene into my book then? I'm not sure what to say to that, except that the story and the characters come first. The integrity of the story matters to me. I want my stories to be reflections of true human existence. I write, in part, because it helps me sort out my own thoughts and feelings about the world, and so if I'm not being true to my characters, I don't feel like I learn anything. The places Never Enough went are where the characters took me, and while I got lost and caught up in character during the writing of the sex scene, I admit, it still makes me uncomfortable every time I read it.

Coming up to the launch of Never Enough, I've had some feelings of trepidation about this. If it makes me uncomfortable, how uncomfortable will it make others?  I think of certain friends and family reading this scene and I wonder if they'll look at me differently or be offended or have trouble meeting my eye after reading this book. But the truth is, the same with every other thing that happens in this book, I was telling Loann's story the best way I knew how. The most honest way I knew how.

And, like I said, I'm a very private person when it comes to sex, but here's one more thing that I didn't plan, but that just came out of the end product: this book is a book I wish I'd read when I was a teen, sex and all. No, I wouldn't have been comfortable reading it, but it would have helped me think beyond my preconceived ideas about sex and made me feel like I wasn't alone.

So I hope if you're reading this and you're a blog reader or a friend or a parent, or all of the above...I hope you'll give Never Enough, a chance and know that the story is not about me, the author. It's about Loann and Marcus and Claire, and I hope you will love the brief glimpse I was able to give into their lives.

Local Launch Party!

I finally have the details for my local launch party! If you're not from the area, not to worry. I will be doing a big online launch as well with LOTS of prizes! More coming on that soon, but for now, this...

(Click on picture to go to the Facebook Event Page and let me know that you're coming!)

I hope to see lots of you there!

GCC Presents Myra McEntire and TIMEPIECE!

Isn't that the coolest cover? I love it! I'm welcoming another girlfriend from Girlfriends Cyber Circuit, Myra McEntire, and her new release, TIMEPIECE!

 

ABOUT TIMEPIECE:

Kaleb Ballard was never supposed to be able to see ripples—cracks in time. Are Kaleb’s powers expanding, or is something very wrong? Before Kaleb can find out, Jonathan Landers, the man who tried to murder his father, reappears. Why is he back, and what, or whom, does he want?
 
In the wake of Landers’s return, the Hourglass organization is offered an ultimatum by a mysterious man. Either they find Landers and the research he has stolen on people who might carry the time gene, or time will be altered—with devastating results for the people Kaleb loves most.
 
Now Kaleb, Emerson, Michael, and the other Hourglass recruits have no choice but to use their extraordinary powers to find Landers. But where do they even start? And when? Even if they succeed, just finding him may not be enough. . . .
 
The follow-up to Hourglass, Timepiece blends the paranormal, science-fiction, mystery, and suspense genres into a nonstop thrill ride where every second counts.

CONTEST:

Myra has a contest on her site - http://myramcentire.com - that will run from June 18^th to June 25^th. She’ll be giving away signed copies of HOURGLASS and TIMEPIECE, signed posters of the covers, a goodie basket inspired by her characters, and signed books from other authors!

ABOUT MYRA McENTIRE:

Myra McEntire knows the words to every R&B hit of the last decade, but since she lives in Nashville, the country music capital of America, her lyrical talents go sadly unappreciated. She's chosen, instead, to channel her "mad word skills" into creating stories. She's an avid Doctor Who fan and will argue passionately about which incarnation is the best. 

You can find her at:

http://MyraMcEntire.com

https://twitter.com/#!/MyraMcEntire

Myra stopped by for a short interview. Welcome, Myra! Can you tell me about your book in seven words or less.

Boy changes, falls in love, corrects mistakes 

Other than your main character, who's a favorite character of yours in your novel and why?

I love love love Lily. I never ever had to struggle with what she was going to say or do, because she’s one of those that just sprung up fully formed! 

What's one piece of writing advice you would give to aspiring authors?

Read. Read. Read. And then, read.  

What did you write when you were a teen? Did you journal? Write poetry? Write overly literary or emotional stories? Or avoid writing altogether?

I wrote terrible, terrible poetry. I just found some, and I’ll be posting on the blog soon.

 
What's the last book you read that you really loved?

Everneath by Brodi Ashton. It surprised me, because I didn’t expect the level of emotion it achieved. I knew it would be good, but I didn’t know it would rip my guts out. In a nice way. 

Thanks, Myra, and congratulations on your release!

I LOVE Fan Art!

I apologize if these fan art pieces are getting old to me, but they will never get old to me. I seriously LOVE being able to get glimpses into how readers connect with my books. Remember my young friend Kaylie, who sent me this beautiful poster a little while ago? (I especially love the shofar down in the right hand corner!)

Well, Kaylie just send me another awesome piece of fan art! Her very own book trailer for Losing Faith. Have a look...

Don't you just love Tessa?!

Thank you so much, Kaylie, and I'm so glad that you enjoyed Losing Faith!

Teen Author Tuesday Presents Laura Bowers and JUST FLIRT!

 A secret blog and an off-limits go-cart racer? I'm in! JUST FLIRT by Laura Bowers is out this month. Watch the ultra-cute trailer to see what it's about!

Laura Bowers stopped by for a short interview about her book. Welcome, Laura! Can you tell me about your book in seven words or less?

A secret blog turns everything upside down.

Other than your main character, who's a favorite character of yours in your novel and why?

I love all my characters, but my heart is most smitten for these two grubby, rebellious twins called the Cutson brothers who are always getting into trouble! They also say my favorite line from the book:

“We ain’t seen nothing, puppy hater.”

What's one piece of writing advice you would give to aspiring authors?

Always put craft before publication.

Sometimes new writers—and old ones like myself—get so wrapped up in social media or their efforts to sell a book that they forget to concentrate on what’s most important: Improving their craft and continually writing, reading, and learning because the best way to sell a book is to write an amazing, powerful manuscript.  

What did you write when you were a teen? Did you journal? Write poetry? Write overly literary or emotional stories? Or avoid writing altogether?

Despite getting an A in Creative Writing, (my only A in high school,) I never wrote much as a teen and I never thought it was possible for someone like me to be an author—someone who wasn’t on the newspaper committee, never made honor roll, or had big college plans. This preconceived notion followed me to my late twenties, until I finally realized that everyone had a voice worth sharing . . . even me.

What's the last book you read that you really loved?

Faith, Hope, and Ivy June, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. I absolutely loved, loved, LOVED this book! I literally couldn’t put it down.

Thanks so much for stopping by, Laura!

You can pick up a copy of Just Flirt from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, or from your favorite independent retailer. Find out more about Laura and her books at http://laurabowers.net

Never Enough Secrets: Why Eating Disorders?

I'm having fun answering lots of interview questions these days (believe me, if there's ever been ANYTHING you've wanted to know about me, you'll find out in the next month!) The question I get asked the most often by far is, "What inspired the writing of this book?"

I've shrunken down my reasons to a short answer I can use for interviews, but I asked my editor for permission to share the author's note that's at the end of Never Enough that goes into a little more detail, and I just heard back with the OK. One thing that never made it into the author's note was that at the time I met my friend who was struggling (explained below) I was just coming out of a season in my life that I was very involved in the fitness industry. I'd spent months on end dieting on only chicken and salad, and had stood up on stage to get judged on my body. For me, it was a very unhealthy lifestyle, both physically and emotionally.

Here's a sneak peak at more of the inspiration for the story... my Author's Note from Never Enough...

Author’s Note:

Many of us have suffered from a food issue of some kind, whether it’s cutting calories on a regular basis or trying to “make up” for last weekend’s junk food binge. These are simple solutions, ones that don’t seem dangerous or hard to control. I’ve personally struggled with my perception of healthy eating on and off for years. For me, conquering this has only come by way of self-acceptance, but even still, it seems more than possible that I might fall back into destructive patterns at any time. 

When it comes to severe eating disorders, often times we can’t understand why some won’t just make better choices when it comes to food. I have known women who have suffered severely from eating disorders, and, yes, it can be easy to judge. But our lack of understanding and compassion is one reason that so many people suffer alone, only letting their disorder become worse. An eating disorder gives a false sense of control, while in reality it's an all-consuming monster that wants to take over every bit of a person’s life.

My first inspiration for writing this book was a close friend of mine who has suffered for many years with a combination of severe eating disorders. I didn’t write this book to show her or teach her anything. I wrote it because I wanted to understand her and connect with her in a way that would be helpful rather than hurtful.

My friend can’t avoid food like she’d avoid cigarettes if she were quitting smoking. She has to face her addiction every day. Sure, it gets easier. But then sometimes it gets harder again. Above all, I’m glad I made a deeper connection with her and with others. Honesty among true friends can be a hard thing to come by, but it’s worth the effort to not have to endure a life-long battle alone. You may be surprised how accepting others can be. And then maybe you’ll start accepting yourself.

It’s estimated that over eight million Americans suffer from an eating disorder, and eating disorders have the highest death rate among mental illnesses. The statistics are scary—don’t try to battle it by yourself. And if you’re not the one suffering and someone comes to you, admitting they have a problem, be a supportive friend. Encourage him or her to seek help, and then walk through it with them.  Making the first move to be honest is hard, but I guarantee there’s somebody in your life that really needs you.

And who knows? Maybe you need them too.

For more information on eating disorders, where to get help, or how to be a support to someone with an eating disorder, visit the National Eating Disorders Association at www.nationaleatingdisorders.org