It’s release day for TURN TO DUST AND ASHES, the second and final book in the Fall Far from the Treeduology! I want to thank the readers who enjoyed the first book and reached out to me because although I know the story wasn’t fully told after just one book, I wasn’t sure I was going to go back to this world to finish the tale since I wrote the first book four years ago now and I have other projects on my to-write list. This book literally exists because some of you asked for it!
Watch for the paperback version in the next few weeks! The paperback will be available widely at outlets such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Book Depository.
To celebrate, the e-book of Book One in the series is just 99¢ during release week! Both are free on Kindle Unlimited.
One of the things I love the most about Melissa Giorgio‘s Smoke and Mirrors series is that she has shorter books about new characters about to appear in the main series, so you really get to feel for the new people before they show up in the main narrative. This is the second such book in the series and wow, look at this cover!
In a world where magic is real and dragons are extinct, the people of Meradell are keepers of a great secret: Dragons live. Highly protective of these magnificent creatures who were prosecuted relentlessly during the old wars, the Meradellans promised two hundred years ago to never betray them. But even though the ancient beings live peacefully, the magic is dying, and no new dragons have hatched in nearly three hundred years.
At fifteen years old, Nerine is in awe—and just a touch envious—of her older sister’s bond with one of the majestic beasts. When her sister’s dragon—the last one to hatch in the mountains—might become a mother herself, Nerine wonders why her sister should have all the glory. Setting off with her best friend, Nerine climbs the mountains in hopes of glimpsing the hatchlings.
What she encounters there is nothing she imagined or expected, and a disastrous chain of events brings about both the worst and best moments of Nerine’s life. Now she must learn to heal her heart and look to the future if she hopes to save both the dragons and herself.
Featuring a new cast of characters, Run and Touch the Sky is the penultimate book in the Smoke and Mirrors series by author Melissa Giorgio.
Above is the cover for the second and final book in the Fall Far from the Tree duology, which I can now announce is publishing September 5th! That means I have a lot of work ahead of me in the meantime, but I can’t wait to share the rest of these characters’ journeys with you. Below is the blurb (spoilers for Book One), too:
Turn to Dust and Ashes (Fall Far from the Tree #2)
Coming September 5th, 2017 from Patchwork Press
Impassive. Devious. Besieged. Naive. In the ashes of their parents’ cruel sovereignty, four teenagers are left holding the reins with no idea how to lead their peoples to peace and prosperity.
Rohesia, told she is the true heir to Hanaobi, must choose between ruling the duchy in her father’s place and returning with her cousin to seek the throne that is more rightfully hers. Without her father figure, she has little interest in either, but there is no escape from the infamous legacy of her parents on both sides of the sea.
Fastello, left to lead both his father’s people and to seek the rule of the entire duchy, has never had so much responsibility in his life. Grappling with heartbreak the likes of which he’s never experienced, he doesn’t know if he has it in him to try to fill the hole so many people so desperately want him to fill.
Kojiro, adrift in a strange land and emboldened by the actions of the people he met there, is determined to find his courage and free his people from the tyranny of his mother’s reign. However, with her number one foe defeated, the empress of Hanaobi is more unstoppable than ever.
Tomiko, the perfect daughter to the strict and controlling empress, is sheltered from the reality of the world but eager to discover the truth. Before the war is over, she must decide between fealty to her mother and loyalty to her brother, knowing full well that either way, her family will never be whole again.
The goals of each of these four young adults are bound to clash—but there’s no escaping their destinies, no matter the destruction left in their paths.
It’s Ballad of the Beanstalk‘s release day! That means you can get your hands on my prequel story to Jack and the Beanstalk for just 99¢ now through April 18th. Then the book goes up to $2.99, so act fast!
For those who prefer paperbacks, you can order one at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository (free shipping worldwide!), CreateSpace, and even at your local bookstore if you ask them to order you a copy!
Advance reviews say:
“The ending is both surprising and expected. But in the best of ways when retelling a story that is not an automatic happily ever after.”
“I loved the spin that Amy McNulty put on this classic tale of Jack and the Beanstalk!”
“What an awesome take on the Jack and the Beanstalk world. This book was very engaging.” ~author Dorothy Dreyer
Who doesn’t love a fun challenge with the possibility of winning great prizes? From now through April 7th, NOBODY’S GODDESS is one of eight books in the YA fantasy reading challenge. The challenge involves reading some amazing YA fantasy books. How fun is that? So how do you participate?
We’re months away from the release of THE WHISPERING ECHOES, Book 3 in the Smoke and Mirrors series by Melissa Giorgio! This just might be my favorite of the series… Not that the others weren’t amazing, but this one has. THE.BEST.DRAGON.SCENES.EVER!
A thousand years ago, the old wars came to a halt when the world’s three most powerful and dangerous magicians were trapped inside a prison stone. The stone has remained safely locked away inside the city of Dusk… until now. The cunning sorceress Aeonia has stolen the stone and Irina, Leonid, Vernen and their friends are desperate to track her down before the stone starts whispering to Aeonia with false promises of power.
But the journey isn’t easy. After a chance encounter with magic-hunting knights Claudette and Emile Borde that has unexpected consequences, Irina soon discovers the world outside of Dusk is nothing like she imagined. But to give up means to doom the world, and Irina will do whatever it takes to prevent that from happening. When a series of dire events forever changes the travelers, Irina will be forced to make a sacrifice which she’s not sure she’s capable of.
With more magic and danger than ever, the third book in the Smoke and Mirrors series will leave readers breathless as they race to read the explosive final pages.
***
See how well it goes with the rest of the series?
If you’ve yet to check out Smoke and Mirrors, start with the first book, THE FADING DUSK, today! It’s free on Kindle Unlimited.
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In the gritty city of Dusk, seventeen-year-old Irina makes her living as the street magician Bantheir’s assistant. The job isn’t glamorous, but she loves the crowds, the shows, and most of all, the illusion of magic. But Irina’s world is shattered the night she is arrested and charged as Bantheir’s accomplice to murder—murder by magic.
Real magic, the kind that’s been forbidden since the old wars.
Irina finds the idea of flashy showman Bantheir using actual magic to kill someone laughable, but she’s the only one who sees how ridiculous the claim is. But how can she convince everyone Bantheir is innocent when they’ve already made up their minds? Desperate, Irina must decide who she can trust to help her win her freedom. Is the surly, handsome Captain Leonid telling the truth when he says he believes Irina is innocent, or is he just using her to get to Bantheir? What about Aden, the sweet soldier and longtime fan of Irina’s who claims he’s on her side?
Irina said she wanted to know the truth, but when she stumbles across a dark secret that changes everything, will she be strong enough to survive?
A few years ago, I started a tradition of listing all of the books I’ve read (not including manga or graphic novels, of which I’ve read a lot!) as a sort of memento of the fictional worlds I’ve been to throughout the year. I don’t keep my Goodreads profile updated with all of these reads because I don’t feel right doling out public criticisms of books as an author myself. This year, I decided to include the client books I’ve read as well (but only revealing the names of the books that have been announced, of course) because they should certainly count toward my total!
I know there are a few days left in the year, but I’m only halfway through a long book, so I won’t be reading any others!
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater – started in 2015
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo – started in 2015
A Madness So Discrete by Mindy McGinnis
There Once Were Stars by Melanie McFarlane
Watched by Sharde Richardson
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
Why Is This Night Different From All Other Nights? by Lemony Snicket
A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab
Kindred Spirits by Rainbow Rowell (novella)
Life and Death by Stephenie Meyer
Winter by Marissa Meyer
The Whispering Echoes by Melissa Giorgio
The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater
Stars Above by Marissa Meyer
This Monstrous Thing by Mackenzi Lee
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling and Jack Thorne
Spinning Thorns by Anna Sheehan
What Doesn’t Kill Us by Stephanie Henry
The Story of Us by Stephanie Henry
C-Vac by Stephanie Henry
Book by client
The Descendants and the Missing Guardian by Melanie McFarlane
Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
Book by client
The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis
Book by client
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
By the Icy Wild (Mortality Book 3) by Everly Frost
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas (still reading into 2017)
Tricks can be fun, but TREATS are way better. And this contest gives you a chance to win a ton of treats in the form of signed books, ebooks, candy, book swag and more from 13 authors!! We know…it’s kind of SPOOK-TACULAR!
So WHAT WILL YOU WIN??
A creepy-awesome black canvas tote bag with a cool skull on the cover, filled with each of the books noted below as well as bookmarks and other great book swag. You will also win all of the treats that the author’s list on their pages PLUS a bunch of other candy treats all in a black plastic cauldron. You’ll even get the cute little plastic skulls shown in the prize photo.
LIST OF PARTICIPATING AUTHORS and their AWESOME BOOKS!
Amy McNulty – NOBODY’S GODDESS (advanced paperback)
Kiran Oliver – DAYBREAK RISING (ebook)
Dorothy Dreyer – SCARE ME TO SLEEP (Kindle ebook)
Jodie Andrefski – THE SOCIETY (signed paperback)
Julia Ember – UNICORN TRACKS (paperback)
Julie Reece – THE ARTISANS (signed paperback)
Nina Rossing – FJORD BLUE (signed paperback)
Pat Edsen – BEYOND YOUR TOUCH(signed paperback)
Pintip Dunn – FORGET TOMORROW (signed paperback)
S.A.Larsen – MOTLEY EDUCATION (signed paperback)
Suzanne van Rooyen – OBSCURA BURNING (Releases 11/10 ebook)
Vanessa Barneveld – THIS IS YOUR AFTERLIFE (Kindle ebook)
Vicki Weavil – FACSIMILE (signed paperback)
SO HOW DO YOU SNAG THE LOOT YOU MAY BE ASKING ABOUT NOW, RIGHT?
It’s simple, and you don’t even have to dress up and walk in the cold, door to door, to get the goodies. Visit each of the THIRTEEN participating author websites. You will find the name of the candy/treat they are giving away, as well as what BOOK they are offering as part of the PRIZE PACK! Be sure to write down the name of the treat, you’ll need it later. Each author will provide a link to another author website on the hunt. (We are making it nice and easy so you don’t get lost in the dark) =)
Have fun reading all about the books each author is giving away in the prize pack, plus any other tricks and treats the authors may have in store for you.
When you have collected the names of all 13 author “TREATS”,head on over to complete the Trick or Treat Hunt Page Google Forms doc and enter the correct treat next to the corresponding author name.
You can enter for BONUS chances to win via the Rafflecopter found on each author’s website, by doing things like following them on Twitter or following their Goodreads page, or tweeting about the Hunt!
The contest runs from Friday October 28th, 2016 through Midnight, October 31st, 2016 (EST)
Winner will be announced November 1st.
Contest is US only. Thank you for your understanding.
For my part of the hunt, I am giving away a copy of NOBODY’S GODDESS!
For my treat prize, I’m throwing in one of my favorites: HELLO PANDA COOKIES (CHOCOLATE BISCUITS).
To continue on the hunt, be sure to head on over to Julie Reece’s blog. She is the author of several YA novels, and for this hunt she is giving away a signed copy of The Artisans.
But before you head out, don’t forget to write down the name of my treat, and enter to win via the rafflecopter below. Feel free to leave a comment telling me YOUR favorite Halloween treat for another entry. Remember, you can tweet daily about the contest for another chance to win. Happy hunting, and good luck!! Thanks for stopping by my blog! =)
THE HUNT IS OVER! THANKS FOR PARTICIPATING! Welcome to YA Scavenger Hunt! This bi-annual event was first organized by author Colleen Houck as a way to give readers a chance to gain access to exclusive bonus material from their favorite authors…and a chance to win some awesome prizes! At this hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each author, you also get a clue for the hunt. Add up the clues, and you can enter for our prize–one lucky winner will receive one book from each author on the hunt in my team!But play fast: this contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online through Sunday, October 9th!
Go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page to find out all about the hunt. There are multiple contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or all! I am a part of the PURPLE TEAM–but there are several other teams you can check out for a chance to win several different sets of books!
If you’d like to find out more about the hunt, see links to all the authors participating, and see the full list of prizes up for grabs, go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page.
SCAVENGER HUNT PUZZLE
Directions: Below, you’ll notice that I’ve listed my favorite number. Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on the purple team, and then add them up. (Don’t worry, you can use a calculator!)
Rules: Open internationally, anyone below the age of 18 should have a parent or guardian’s permission to enter. To be eligible for the grand prize, you must submit the completed entry form by October 9th, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.
Today, I am hosting Marilyn Peake on my website for the YA Scavenger Hunt!
Marilyn Peake is the author of both novels and short stories. Her publications have received excellent reviews. Marilyn’s one of the contributing authors in Book: The Sequel, published by The Perseus Books Group, with one of her entries included in serialization at The Daily Beast. In addition, Marilyn has served as Editor for a number of anthologies. Her short stories have been published in seven anthologies and on the literary blog, Glass Cases. AWARDS: Silver Award, two Honorable Mentions and eight Finalist placements in the ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Awards, two Winner and two Finalist placements in the EPPIE Awards, Winner of the Dream Realm Awards, Finalist placement in The National Indie Excellence Book Awards, and Best Horror Award in the eFestival of Words Best of the Independent eBook Awards.
Shade: Girl on a hero’s journey, going from smart-ass to badass.
Thanks to her offbeat mother, Shade’s full name is Galactic Shade Griffin. Having a name like that while being the new girl in school is pretty much catnip for bullies. The summer before Shade’s junior year of high school, her mother breaks up with yet another boyfriend and moves them once again to a new town.
This time, they move into a dilapidated old house where Shade has an entire attic bedroom to herself—at least until she discovers it’s haunted by the ghost of a teenaged boy named Brandon Yates. When Shade’s best friend goes missing, her life becomes even more complicated. With the help of Brandon who’s struggling with his own issues in the world beyond, Shade faces the question of whether or not she has what it takes to become a true hero.
Although this novel deals with a number of serious issues—drug and alcohol abuse, cutting, and disturbing world events—it’s primarily a novel about a teenaged girl finding out who she really is and that she’s capable of so much more than she ever thought possible.
SHADE is a YA Paranormal Mystery novel. It was a Finalist in the 2015 National Indie Excellence Book Awards, Young Adult Fiction Category.
Both the new (left) and the old (right) cover are so eye-catching, don’t you think? *-* Marilyn has a message before she shares her exclusive content!
Hi, everyone!
This is my second time participating in the YA Scavenger Hunt and I’m delighted to be here! This month, I’ll be publishing Shade and the Skinwalkers, Book #2 in my YA Paranormal Mystery series. In Shade, the first book in the series, the main character, a spunky teenaged girl named Shade, hears and sees her first ghost. In Shade and the Skinwalkers, she comes face-to-face with some things she finds difficult to accept. She discovers that she’s a ghost whisperer who can see and hear many ghosts. She also discovers shapeshifters, including the evil skinwalkers. Here’s a brief summary of Shade and the Skinwalkers and an excerpt describing part of Shade’s first day in a new school after her mother moves them to a trailer park in Roswell, New Mexico. It was not a particularly good day.
Also, I’m hosting a Giveaway on my website as part of this YA Scavenger Hunt. I’m giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card along with a Kindle or paperback copy of Shade and the Skinwalkers. (Kindle or paperback format is totally up to the winner.) You can sign up here: http://www.marilynpeake.com/giveaways.html
Best Wishes,
Marilyn Peake
Me with some outer space aliens at the International UFO Museum and Research Center in Roswell, New Mexico. I’d wanted to go there for a long time and thoroughly enjoyed myself!
Everything is outer space aliens in Roswell. Here, I was talking with an alien who was calling home. 🙂
Brief Summary of Shade and the Skinwalkers (Book #2 in the Shade Series):
Shade’s mother moves them once again to a new town. Ashamed of what she did in their previous town, she ignores how hard it was for Shade to make friends there and drags her off to a remote trailer park on the outskirts of Roswell, New Mexico. Shade encounters Kai Zahnii, a disheveled teenaged girl, crying outside the trailer next door. Destiny, it seems, has placed Kai in her life. Kai reveals the true depth of Shade’s ability to speak to ghosts. She also introduces her to skinwalkers, shapeshifters who practice unspeakable evil.
THE SCAVENGER HUNT IS OVER, SO THE EXCERPT IS GONE! I HOPE YOU’LL STILL CHECK OUT MARILYN’S BOOKS!
This is a photo I took of one of the lakes at Bottomless Lakes Park, the one in which an important scene takes place in Shade and the Skinwalkers.
To keep going on your quest for the hunt, you need to check out the site of the next author, Robert L. Slater!
Before you go, consider entering my own mini Rafflecopter giveaway! I’m offering a bunch of my books in e-book form! (Mobi or Epub)
An e-copy two-pack of NOBODY’S GODDESS and NOBODY’S LADY, the first two books in my YA romantic fantasy The Never Veil Series (for readers new to the series; if you’ve already read them, I’ll send you NOBODY’S PAWN instead!)
An e-book ARC copy of NOBODY’S PAWN, a few weeks before it comes out (if you win and you’ve never read the other two books in the series, I’ll send you those as well!)
An e-book copy of FALL FAR FROM THE TREE, my dark YA fantasy
An e-book copy of JOSIE’S COAT, my YA sci-fi novelette
I’m excited to finally reveal the new covers for The Never Veil Series books and to announce that the e-books for the first two are back up for sale. (Watch for them at B&N and Kobo soon.) Nobody’s Pawn is also available for pre-order! (The paperback will be available soon.)
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THE HUNT IS OVER! THANKS FOR PARTICIPATING! Welcome to YA Scavenger Hunt! This bi-annual event was first organized by author 
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Amy McNulty 