My Reads for 2014

Posted on December 31, 2014December 31, 2014 by Amy McNulty

Another year down, and less than a year until Nobody’s Goddess releases! We announced the deal this past January, but I actually knew as far back as September 2013 that Month9Books was interested and I had to sit on the news. I’ve been so excited about the release that it seemed like it would take forever, but the year has flown by. This year it’s gotten a new title and a cover (although I haven’t been able to share that with you yet) and has gone through a few more revisions. I also managed to write both sequels to it (one’s been turned in to my publisher and has begun revisions, one’s still a draft), which are due out in 2016 and 2017.

The past couple of years, I’ve posted a list of all the books I read (not including graphic novels and manga, of which I’ve read many) on this blog to celebrate New Year’s. Why continue to do that now that I have a Goodreads account? Well, I don’t always post what I’m reading there—unless I feel especially passionate about sharing it with you all. As a soon-to-be published author myself, I feel weird about assigning grades and criticizing other people’s novels, especially since if I don’t love something, it might just be my own tastes, you know? This is a way for me to celebrate how much I’ve read each year.

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness (I was reading it at the end of 2013 and finished it in early 2014)
When Did You See Her Last? by Lemony Snicket
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness
Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness
Vicious by V.E. Schwab
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Monk Helps Himself by Hy Conrad
Monk Gets on Board by Hy Conrad (my bf and I discovered there were more Monk books by a new author, yay!)
Daughter of Chaos by Jen McConnel
A Brief History of Montmaray by Michelle Cooper
Fire of Stars and Dragons by Melissa Petreshock
The FitzOsbornes in Exile by Michelle Cooper
Life, A.D. by Michelle E. Reed
The FitzOsbornes at War by Michelle Cooper
Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo
The Islands of Chaldea by Diana Wynne Jones (her last book! ;-;)
18 and 19. The Shadow Stealer by Melissa Giorgio (twice, a few months apart—not out until early 2015, but I beta read 🙂
(See above)
A Promise of Magic by Melissa Giorgio (a novella, but easily as long as a novel!)
Monk Is Open for Business by Hy Conrad
File Under: 13 Suspicious Incidents by Lemony Snicket
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell (which I read after loving the TV series *hearts*)
The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet by Kate Rorick
The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith/J.K. Rowling
Branded by Abi Ketner and Missy Kalicicki
Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
Greta and the Goblin King by Chloe Jacobs
Landline by Rainbow Rowell
In a Handful of Dust by Mindy McGinnis
Attachments by Rainbow Rowell
Blood of My Blood by Barry Lyga
Shouldn’t You Be in School? by Lemony Snicket
My True Love Gave to Me by Stephanie Perkins et al.
Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Split Second by Kasie West (still in progress)

Not as many as last year, but I’m still happy with my progress!

2014 NYC Books of Wonder Visit (Fierce Reads)

Posted on September 19, 2014September 26, 2014 by Amy McNulty

A year ago I posted about my first Books of Wonder event in New York City, and now I can post about my second. My boyfriend and I try to visit NYC every year to see some of his family. Coincidentally, my best friend Melissa Giorgio, whom I’ve known since before I even met my boyfriend, is a local, so I get to visit her each year, too! (We met through old-fashioned handwritten letters a long time ago, believe it or not. And we’re both writers who beta for one another.)

This year I was in NY in time for the Fierce Reads stop there. Like last year, I hadn’t read any books by any of the authors showcased, although Melissa and our mutual friend, book blogger and writer River, love a number of their books so I’m quite familiar with them. Ann Aguirre, Caragh M. O’Brien, Marie Rutkoski and Emmy Laybourne were there to discuss their books, writing in general and random, amusing trivia about them. All of the books seemed marvelous, but I limited myself to two paperbacks, which I got autographed. I love hearing YA authors speak. They’re always entertaining and have such great things to share about writing. If I’m ever lucky enough to give a talk about Nobody’s Goddess, I hope I can speak as well as they do!

Reading

You get a cheap book! You get a cheap book! Everybody gets a cheap book!

Posted on July 13, 2014July 13, 2014 by Amy McNulty

Long-time readers (of this blog that’s hardly ever updated anymore) know I’m the beta reader and one of the biggest fangirls for Melissa Giorgio’s The Silver Moon Saga. Now it’s your turn to see what all the fuss is about because:

Reading

My Reads for 2013

Posted on December 28, 2013 by Amy McNulty

Okay, there are a few days left in the year, but I probably won’t finish the book I’m working on before then. (But who knows, I could get really addicted–if so, I’ll edit this entry!)

Last year I listed the books I’d read for the year at the end of the year, and I thought I’d keep up the tradition. It’s a fun retrospective, and I’m especially happy since this year I read way more books than I usually do (which is still very little compared to some avid readers out there). As usual, most of the books are YA, but some MG and adult made their way on there.

This year a number of things happened, reading-wise:

Early in the year, I set out to finish my to-read shelf by the end of the year. By which I mean the books I had literally sitting on a shelf, ones I’d never read before. Somehow, that shelf got full of books I didn’t touch for YEARS. I think the oldest one had been sitting there since 2008, the last time I “caught up.” I did catch up about halfway through the year (even though I added some new books along the way), right in time for ALA.
I attended the American Library Association annual conference in June just because it was nearby (Chicago). I’m not a librarian, but it was open to the public, and as a writer and reader, I thought it would be fun. (Especially after hearing from friends how awesome Book Expo America is.) I got my first-ever set of ARCs, most of them books I’d never even heard of before going but seemed appealing, and I made it a quest to read them all before their release dates, and I did.
I got a Kindle for my birthday, after years of thinking I’d hate reading e-books. Now I change between reading paper copies and e-books pretty often! I like how e-books are instantly available and most of the time more affordable than paper copies. They also take up less space, obviously, and although I still prefer paper copies, I’m trying to cut back on the books I own since I have so many already. This way I still own them, just in virtual space.
I went to the library more often toward the end of the year to save money and save book shelf space by just borrowing some books I found appealing. Mostly books by authors I’d read earlier in the year and because I then wanted to read everything they wrote!
I went to an event at Books of Wonder not having heard of the YA authors there and walking away with three of their books and putting the rest on my get-from-the-library list.
…And now thanks to the Kindle and the library and all the many, many books that seem interesting, I have a sizeable to-read list again. And I’m not even counting the many, many books I want to read but I don’t have a copy of yet. (I also want to re-read some books soon!) It never ends. The reader’s happy but overwhelming dilemma.

The 2013 list (not counting the many graphic novels and manga I read this year as well):

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore (autographed, thanks to a friend who got it for me; I started this one in 2012 but finished in the new year; probably my favorite in the trilogy)
Mr. Monk Gets Even by Lee Goldberg (the last book in the series! It was like saying a second farewell years after the TV show ended ;-;)
Insurgent by Veronica Roth
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (I was really into this book! It came highly recommended)
The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling (the beginning was a bit of a slog, but I was really addicted after the first 100 pages or so; it’s depressing, but good, and I’ll read whatever she writes!)
The Luxe by Anna Godbersen
Rumors by ditto
Envy by ditto
Splendor by ditto (I read the whole series at once, a gift from a friend)
City of Swords (Stravaganza 6) by Mary Hoffman (sorry to see this series end!)
A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan (so good, a gift from a friend, and I wish more people read it!)
The Witch of Duva (novella) by Leigh Bardugo
The Juniper Game by Sherryl Jordan (I bought a bunch of her books years ago since I liked the books of hers I’d read when younger)
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
Wizard for a Day by Sherryl Jordan
The Bears’ Famous Invasion of Sicily by Dino Buzzati (I picked this one up years ago just because I saw it had an introduction by Lemony Snicket, ha)
A Time of Darkness by Sherryl Jordan
The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani
Time of the Eagle by Sherryl Jordan
The Too-Clever Fox (novella) by Leigh Bardugo
Sabriel by Garth Nix
Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
Secret Sacrament by Sherryl Jordan (this was actually a rare re-read because Time of the Eagle was the sequel and it reminded me how much I loved the first one)
The Sight Seer by Melissa Giorgio (I’m cheating here, ha; I read this in 2011 before she even queried it, not this year that it came out, but this year I DID read the sequel as a beta reader, so I did read a book by her and it counts toward my # XD)
Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis (autographed at ALA; really good and different!)
The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith/J.K. Rowling (I liked it better than The Casual Vacancy, although nothing will be as good as HP, of course, but it was a fun, faster-paced read)
Sometimes Never, Sometimes Always by Elissa Janine Hoole (autographed at ALA)
Inhuman by Kat Falls
Unthinkable by Nancy Werlin (autographed at ALA; I liked this so much despite not reading the books that came before it that I made it a quest to read all of Werlin’s books!)
Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer by Katie Alender
The Wolf Princess by Cathryn Constable
Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott (oo, still not out! I’ve read an ARC that’s still not out!)
Impossible by Nancy Werlin (the first book in the Unthinkable canon; love this series!)
I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga (I read it since I like Dexter)
The Registry by Shannon Stoker
The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl by Barry Lyga
Goth Girl Rising by Barry Lyga
Pivot Point by Kasie West (pretty awesome, better than I was expecting!)
Dexter’s Final Cut by Jeff Lindsay (a better maybe-ending to the series than the TV one, I suppose!)
Extraordinary by Nancy Werlin
The Killer’s Cousin by Nancy Werlin
Game by Barry Lyga
Allegiant by Veronica Roth
A Shimmer of Angels by Lisa M. Basso
The Waking Dark by Robin Wasserman (autographed when I met her at Books of Wonder in NY; the first YA book my bf actually asked to borrow and liked!)
An Autumn Dream (novella) by Melissa Giorgio
Double Helix by Nancy Werlin
The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin (so gripping, I read it in two sittings~)
Black Mirror by Nancy Werlin
More Than This by Patrick Ness (not the book I bought autographed by him at Books of Wonder, but it seemed intriguing, so I got it from the library)
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness (this is the one I got autographed; still reading)

Reading

An Autumn Dream by Melissa Giorgio Releases!

Posted on November 14, 2013 by Amy McNulty

An Autumn Dream by Melissa Giorgio, a Silver Moon Saga Novella, is out today! Buy it now for only 99 cents!

Gabi, Rafe, and all of their friends are back in three exciting short stories that bridge the gap between books one and two of the Silver Moon Saga. Join them as they celebrate Halloween in A Sweet Treat—can they make it through the night without Gabi destroying her costume? Find out what Rafe’s really afraid of in Indiana Rafe, a story told exclusively from his perspective. And in An Autumn Dream, Gabi struggles to make amends with a painful part of her past. Filled with laughter and tears, demon battles and plenty of kissing, this novella is a must read for fans of The Sight Seer!

For fans of The Sight Seer, the first book in the Silver Moon saga, getting your hands on this book is a no-brainer!

Reading

YA Novella Giveaway: An Autumn Dream by Melissa Giorgio

Posted on November 6, 2013November 17, 2013 by Amy McNulty

This contest is over!! Congrats, Megan S., for winning!

All contests over! Thanks for entering!

Enter Melissa’s own Giveaway of Awesome, where you can win An Autumn Dream PLUS many other prizes!

And who doesn’t love even MORE chances to win? Head on over to River and Sam’s book review blog for another chance for a free copy!

An Autumn Dream by Melissa Giorgio, a Silver Moon Saga Novella, coming November 14th

For fans of The Sight Seer, the first book in the Silver Moon saga, getting your hands on this book is a no-brainer, so I thought I’d give one lucky fan a helping hand!

So here’s the deal.

I’m giving away one e-book copy of An Autumn Dream. The e-book is for the Kindle only, so the winner will have to provide me with an e-mail address connected to his or her Kindle account. If you don’t have a Kindle, you can still get the digital Kindle copy and read it via a free Kindle app for PCs, Macs, tablets, smartphones and web browsers.

Click here to enter to win An Autumn Dream e-novella.

Contest ends November 13th, the day before An Autumn Dream‘s book birthday. Once the e-book is available, and the contest ends, I’ll send it to the winner after I confirm his or her Kindle e-mail address. Enter every day, and follow the instructions on Rafflecopter for even more chances!

Geek Out, Reading

My First Books of Wonder Event

Posted on September 23, 2013September 23, 2013 by Amy McNulty

Every few months in the past year or so, my NY bestie and fellow writer Melissa tells me about going to YA author events at Books of Wonder, an independent children’s bookshop in Manhattan. So when visiting NY this year, I half jokingly asked her if the bookstore would have an event when I’d be there, and they did! I hadn’t heard of a single one of the authors there. Melissa had only heard of/read one book of one, but we figured, why not?

The guests who showed (I think one may have canceled) were Patrick Ness, Robin Wasserman, Alex London, and Gene Luen Yang. Before the event (because I feel weird taking pictures of people without their permission, heh):

I browsed some of the books by the authors we’d see and wasn’t sure which I wanted to buy. Melissa bought one to get signed for a friend. We got seats at the event and waited. And it was so fun! Even my non-YA-author-reader boyfriend had a nice time. Seriously, they were all incredibly funny, and I think I could never in a million years be as entertaining if called on to give a talk. (I’m worried about future signings apparently, ha.) The authors were also good at pitching their books to the point where I wanted ALL THE BOOKS. I settled on buying three… But I wished I could buy them all. ;-;

The authors were all nice, but I was too chicken to say much other than their books sounded great… (And point out to two of them I didn’t have a nifty post-it with my name on it like everyone else–but that was rectified by the time I saw the third one.) Mr. Ness asked if I’d just bought the book there, and I said yes and admitted I’d never read ANY of his books, and he said not to worry, I hadn’t been spoiled much (a fan in the audience asked what she even admitted was a spoilery question 0-0) and he hoped I enjoyed it. The other authors seemed like big fans of his, so I’m sure his writing is awesome!

It was a fun way to spend an afternoon, and I definitely recommend that anyone in Manhattan keep an eye out for future events!

My goodies:

News, Reading

Cover Reveal: Darkness Watching by Emma L. Adams

Posted on August 31, 2013August 30, 2013 by Amy McNulty

Anyone reading my blog lately has noticed I participated in the WIP marathon for the month of August, and that helped me really crack down on my writing goals. I wouldn’t have found out about the group if I hadn’t become Twitter friends with Emma L. Adams, one of the WIP marathon participants. She’s a MG/YA/NA author who writes some pretty awesome-sounding fantasy and paranormal stuff. So I decided to join in on her cover reveal today! This book sounds great, so let’s all check it out next month! Enjoy the pretty:

Darkness Watching by Emma L. Adams
(Darkworld #1)
Publication date: September 30th 2013
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy

Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Ashlyn is one interview away from her future when she first sees the demons. She thinks she’s losing her mind, but the truth is far more frightening: she can see into the Darkworld, the home of spirits– and the darkness is staring back.

Desperate to escape the demons, Ash accepts a place at a university in the small town of Blackstone, in the middle of nowhere – little knowing that it isn’t coincidence that led her there but the pull of the Venantium, the sorcerers who maintain the barrier keeping demons from crossing from the Darkworld into our own world.

All-night parties, new friendships and a life without rules or limits are all part of the package of student life – but demons still stalk Ash, and their interest in her has attracted the attention of every sorcerer in the area. Ash is soon caught between her new life and a group of other students with a connection to the Darkworld, who could offer the answers she’s looking for. The demons want something from her, and someone is determined to kill her before she can find out what it is.

In a world where darkness lurks beneath the surface, not everyone is what they appear to be..

AUTHOR BIO:

Emma spent her childhood creating imaginary worlds to compensate for a disappointingly average reality, so it was probably inevitable that she ended up writing fantasy and paranormal for young adults. She was born in Birmingham, UK, which she fled at the first opportunity to study English Literature at Lancaster University. In her three years at Lancaster, she hiked up mountains, skydived in Australia, and endured a traumatic episode involving a swarm of bees in the Costa Rican jungle. She also wrote various novels and short stories. These included her first publication, a rather bleak dystopian piece, and a disturbing story about a homicidal duck (which she hopes will never see the light of day).

Now a reluctant graduate, she can usually be found in front of her writing desk, creating weird and wonderful alternative worlds. Her debut novel The Puppet Spell, published in 2013 by Rowanvale Books, is a fantasy tale for young adults and the young at heart, inspired by her lifelong love of the fantastical, mythology, and video games. Emma also writes supernatural fantasy novels for older teens and adults. Her next book, Darkness Watching, is the first in the upper-YA/New Adult Darkworld series, and will be published in September 2013 by Curiosity Quills Press.

Author Links:

Website: http://emmaladams.weebly.com/
Blog: http://throughthegateway.blogspot.co.uk/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ELAdams12?ref=hl
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ELAdams12
Goodreads profile: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6563991.Emma_L_Adams

Geek Out, News, Reading

The Sight Seer Is Only 99¢ This Weekend!

Posted on August 23, 2013 by Amy McNulty

If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you may have noticed me getting excited over a particular book release. The Sight Seer, published by Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly, is one of my dearest friends’ first published book. Melissa Giorgio and I are beta readers for each other, and I had the pleasure of reading about Gabi and Rafe and all those nasty tricky demons long before most. If you haven’t followed my advice to check her book out yet, now is the time.

That’s right, for three days only you can get your hands on a Kindle copy of The Sight Seer for just 99 cents! This is a limited time sale, and you may never be able to read this book for so cheap ever again.

So click here and buy The Sight Seer! Sale ends this Sunday, August 25th! Don’t forget to tell your friends!

Gabi Harkins likes to think she’s a pretty normal sixteen-year-old. She goes to school, suffers though an awful part-time job, and deals with a bratty younger sister. But when a potential shoplifter morphs into a monster right in front of her, Gabi realizes her life is far from normal—especially when that monster follows her home and ends up battling a boy wielding a sword in her backyard.

The boy, Rafe Fitzgerald, is a member of Silver Moon, an organization devoted to eradicating demons before they kill humans. If this little bit of news isn’t earth-shattering enough, Rafe reveals that he needs Gabi’s help. As strong as Rafe is, he does not possess the Sight—a rare ability that allows a hunter to See through a demon’s glamour, enabling them to strike before the demon does. But guess who does?

While Gabi is reluctant to face another demon, she knows she owes Rafe big time for saving her. Together, they’re thrown headfirst into heart-stopping situations as they battle newer and more frightening demons. When she starts to fall for Rafe, Gabi knows her normal life is gone forever.

Geek Out, Reading

The Sight Seer is in paperback!

Posted on July 5, 2013July 5, 2013 by Amy McNulty

Those of you without a Kindle or those who just prefer the feeling of a paper book in your hands:

The paperback version of Melissa Giorgio’s The Sight Seer is now available! Please support my friend!

Gabi Harkins likes to think she’s a pretty normal sixteen-year-old. She goes to school, suffers though an awful part-time job, and deals with a bratty younger sister. But when a potential shoplifter morphs into a monster right in front of her, Gabi realizes her life is far from normal-especially when that monster follows her home and ends up battling a boy wielding a sword in her backyard.

The boy, Rafe Fitzgerald, is a member of Silver Moon, an organization devoted to eradicating demons before they kill humans. If this little bit of news isn’t earth-shattering enough, Rafe reveals that he needs Gabi’s help. As strong as Rafe is, he does not possess the Sight-a rare ability that allows a hunter to See through a demon’s glamour, enabling them to strike before the demon does. But guess who does?