Tag: Books

Posted in Geek Out, Reading

My Reads for 2014

Posted on 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.

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

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

Posted in Uncategorized

Sassy Summer Book Party!

Posted on by Amy McNulty

A few days ago I was a guest on the Dragon Blog, which is hosted by the Sassy Sisters Melissa A. Petreshock (author of NA fantasy romance Fire of Stars and Dragons) and writer Jennifer Streck. Today I can tell you about their:

Sassy Summer Book Party!

The Cosmic Cloud Called Orion Nebula

I’m one of SIXTY-ONE authors who’s partying in the digital realm and donating a book. Whether you love YA, NA or adult/erotica, there’s a prize pack (or two or four) for you!

Since NOBODY’S GODDESS isn’t out yet, I donated (what else? ^^) THE SIGHT SEER, book one in the Silver Moon Saga, by Melissa Giorgio.

Win that and seven other books in this pack.

Stop by now through August 17th and tell your friends! Enter to win so many books or an Amazon gift card! 🙂

Posted in News

The Soul Healer Release Day! (And There Are So Many E-books to Win!)

Posted on by Amy McNulty

Those of you who have already read The Sight Seer and An Autumn Dream, books 1 and 1.5 in The Silver Moon Saga already probably know this, but The Silver Moon Saga is one of my favorite YA series of the past few years. But honestly, you guys might figure I’m biased, since my beta reader extraordinaire/best friend Melissa Giorgio wrote them, and I got to read them before anyone else.

Today is the day Silver Moon fans have been waiting for: Book 2 in the series, The Soul Healer, releases in Kindle e-book! (Paperbacks will follow shortly.)

Buy it now!

 

soulhealercover

It’s been two months since Gabi Harkins first learned of demons and the mysterious hunters who battle them. After discovering a few unbelievable surprises about herself, she simply wants to settle into a normal routine that involves dating her boyfriend Rafe Fitzgerald, hanging out with her friends, and eating lots of dessert. But when her peaceful life is destroyed by the ultimate of betrayals, Gabi must rely on her wits—and a few new crazy friends—to survive her hardest challenges yet.

The sequel to The Sight Seer combines action, romance, and a healthy dose of humor as Gabi struggles to learn the truth about the secrets that surround her life.

To celebrate, Melissa and I are hosting a two-hour party tonight on Facebook from 6 pm to 8 pm US Eastern. Everyone is welcome to come, even if you can only drop by for a little bit. We’ll be giving away donated e-books from a number of lovely authors throughout the evening. I’m also donating a complete The Silver Moon Saga e-book set (well, the two books and one novella out so far!) myself. If you already have books 1 and/or 1.5, I’d be happy to send those to your friend’s Kindle while you just get the books you need if you like. We can create more fans together!

contestprizes

Click here to join the Facebook party!

Posted in News

The Veiled Man’s Goddess New Title Reveal

Posted on by Amy McNulty

I’d be the first to admit that titles aren’t my strong suit. Or at least I never stumble upon the title for a project and think wholeheartedly “This is the perfect title!” like some writers do. (See The Sight Seer and the whole Silver Moon Saga for one such example.) I didn’t come up with a title for my Month9Books debut until after I wrote and edited the first draft. I think I was going for something akin to The French Lieutenant’s Woman (in that the woman/”goddess” is supposed to be focus, but you’re still also drawing attention to the man to whom she “belongs” in a way). And I liked the idea of a veiled man (he features prominently in the book) since when you think of veiled people, you usually think of veiled women, right?

Still, I knew something was off about it. It worked in a way, but it didn’t fit with YA titles I’ve seen before. Who’s this man (not even a “boy”) and what’s he doing in my YA book? And then there’s the slightly erotic overtones of a man + his goddess that I didn’t mean to convey. There’s plenty of romantic tension (and just plain tension) between the two, but they never stray into erotic territory in the draft.

When my agent took on the book, he warned the title would probably need to be changed if it sold, and he was right. So after quite a while of back and forth, with Jason and Month9Books publisher/editor Georgia McBride and I all tossing out many (many!) solid, lovely ideas that still didn’t quite fit, and even after Georgia asked her colleagues for feedback on a few of our top ideas, we decided to step back and re-think. Then Georgia came back with a suggestion from my new editor Lindsay Leggett from a line in my novel and it clicked. Georgia’s suggestion for the series title after that just fell into place. (And yes, I still have to come up with titles for books 2 and 3–I have titles, but they probably won’t stick, either–but that’s for another day!)

So what sold as The Veiled Man’s Goddess will now be known as:

Nobody’s Goddess

Book 1 in The Never Veil Series

What do you think? It makes a lot of sense (well, once you’ve read the book! She’s both “the veiled man’s” and “nobody’s” goddess in a way), and I think it’s better suited to YA. I got stuck because I was determined to fit “veil” in there somewhere (it’s such a lovely word), but we got it in the series name, so I’m happy!

And I just got my first round of edits! I’m excited about the suggestions and looking forward to shaping Nobody’s Goddess into the book I hope you all eventually read.

Posted in News

The Soul Healer by Melissa Giorgio Cover Reveal

Posted on by Amy McNulty

Last month, I blogged about the news that book 2 in my bestie/beta reader Melissa Giorgio‘s Silver Moon Saga is due out April 11th. Today, we have the gorgeous cover reveal!

soulhealercover

It’s been two months since Gabi Harkins first learned of demons and the mysterious hunters who battle them. After discovering a few unbelievable surprises about herself, she simply wants to settle into a normal routine that involves dating her boyfriend Rafe Fitzgerald, hanging out with her friends, and eating lots of dessert. But when her peaceful life is destroyed by the ultimate of betrayals, Gabi must rely on her wits—and a few new crazy friends—to survive her hardest challenges yet.

The sequel to The Sight Seer combines action, romance, and a healthy dose of humor as Gabi struggles to learn the truth about the secrets that surround her life.

Add The Soul Healer to your Goodreads to-read list now!

melissabiopic

Melissa Giorgio is a native New Yorker who graduated from Queens College with a degree in English. She’s always dreamed of being a writer and has been creating stories (mostly in her head) since she was a little girl. Also an avid reader, Melissa loves to devour thick YA novels. When not reading or writing, she enjoys watching animated films, listening to music by her favorite Japanese boy band, or exploring Manhattan.

 

Isn’t the cover so lovely? The image perfectly brings the book to life, and I can’t wait for everyone to read it!

Posted in News

My Book and Profile Are on Goodreads!

Posted on by Amy McNulty

Some of you may have missed the news, but you can already add THE VEILED MAN’S GODDESS to your to-read list on Goodreads.

Just today I finished updating my Goodreads Author Page. Become a “fan” to follow my updates, although I understand if you feel you can’t because you haven’t read my book yet!

Since a more detailed summary of THE VEILED MAN’S GODDESS is available on Goodreads, I’ll share it here:

In a village of masked men, magic compels each man to love only one woman and to follow the commands of his “goddess” without question. A woman may reject the only man who will love her if she pleases, but she will be alone forever. And a man must stay masked until his goddess returns his love—and if she can’t or won’t, he remains masked forever.

Where the rest of her village celebrates this mystery that binds men and women together, seventeen year old Noll is just done with it. She’s lost all her childhood friends as they’ve paired off, but the worst blow was when her closest companion, Jurij, finds his goddess in Noll’s own sister. Desperate to find a way to break this ancient spell, Noll instead discovers why no man has ever loved her: she is in fact the goddess of the mysterious lord of the village, a Byronic man who refuses to let Noll have her right as a woman to spurn him and who has the power to fight the curse. Thus begins a dangerous game between the two: the choice of woman versus the magic of man. And the stakes are no less than freedom and happiness, life and death—and neither Noll nor the veiled man is willing to lose.

Posted in News

The Sight Seer 2, The Soul Healer, Is Out in April!

Posted on by Amy McNulty

Anyone who’s followed my blog for a while knows that author Melissa Giorgio is one of my best friends and beta readers, so of course I’m a little biased, but I truly think her debut series, The Silver Moon Saga, is one of the funniest YA reads out there with some of the best characters. (Don’t be fooled, though–there’s plenty of dynamic action, too!) The first book, The Sight Seer, came out last summer and became an Amazon bestseller. She followed up with a novella set between books 2 and 3, An Autumn Dream, in the fall.

And now she’s posted the news: Book 2 in the series will be called The Soul Healer, and you can buy it April 11th!

It’s been two months since Gabi Harkins first learned of demons and the mysterious hunters who battle them. After discovering a few unbelievable surprises about herself, she simply wants to settle into a normal routine that involves dating her boyfriend Rafe Fitzgerald, hanging out with her friends, and eating lots of dessert. But when her peaceful life is destroyed by the ultimate of betrayals, Gabi must rely on her wits—and a few new crazy friends—to survive her hardest challenges yet.

 The sequel to The Sight Seer combines action, romance, and a healthy dose of humor as Gabi struggles to learn the truth about the secrets that surround her life.

I can tell you as one of her betas that fans of book 1 will love book 2 just as much, if not more, so watch this blog for more news as it becomes available!

You can already add the sequel (AND book 3! No release date yet for that one, though) on GoodReads. Click here for book 2 and here for book 3!

Posted in Reading

My Reads for 2013

Posted on 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):

  1. 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)
  2. 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 ;-;)
  3. Insurgent by Veronica Roth
  4. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (I was really into this book! It came highly recommended)
  5. 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!)
  6. The Luxe by Anna Godbersen
  7. Rumors by ditto
  8. Envy by ditto
  9. Splendor by ditto (I read the whole series at once, a gift from a friend)
  10. City of Swords (Stravaganza 6) by Mary Hoffman (sorry to see this series end!)
  11. A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan (so good, a gift from a friend, and I wish more people read it!)
  12. The Witch of Duva (novella) by Leigh Bardugo
  13. 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)
  14. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
  15. Wizard for a Day by Sherryl Jordan
  16. 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)
  17. A Time of Darkness by Sherryl Jordan
  18. The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani
  19. Time of the Eagle by Sherryl Jordan
  20. The Too-Clever Fox (novella) by Leigh Bardugo
  21. Sabriel by Garth Nix
  22. Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
  23. 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)
  24. 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)
  25. Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis (autographed at ALA; really good and different!)
  26. 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)
  27. Sometimes Never, Sometimes Always by Elissa Janine Hoole (autographed at ALA)
  28. Inhuman by Kat Falls
  29. 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!)
  30. Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer by Katie Alender
  31. The Wolf Princess by Cathryn Constable
  32. Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott (oo, still not out! I’ve read an ARC that’s still not out!)
  33. Impossible by Nancy Werlin (the first book in the Unthinkable canon; love this series!)
  34. I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga (I read it since I like Dexter)
  35. The Registry by Shannon Stoker
  36. The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl by Barry Lyga
  37. Goth Girl Rising by Barry Lyga
  38. Pivot Point by Kasie West (pretty awesome, better than I was expecting!)
  39. Dexter’s Final Cut by Jeff Lindsay (a better maybe-ending to the series than the TV one, I suppose!)
  40. Extraordinary by Nancy Werlin
  41. The Killer’s Cousin by Nancy Werlin
  42. Game by Barry Lyga
  43. Allegiant by Veronica Roth
  44. A Shimmer of Angels by Lisa M. Basso
  45. 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!)
  46. An Autumn Dream (novella) by Melissa Giorgio
  47. Double Helix by Nancy Werlin
  48. The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin (so gripping, I read it in two sittings~)
  49. Black Mirror by Nancy Werlin
  50. 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)
  51. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness (this is the one I got autographed; still reading)
Posted in Reading

An Autumn Dream by Melissa Giorgio Releases!

Posted on by Amy McNulty

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

autumndreamnovella

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!