Tag: YA

Posted in News

SALT & VENOM Cover Reveal

Posted on by Amy McNulty

I’m excited to show off another amazing cover by Najla Qamber Designs in the Blood, Bloom, & Water Series! I’m hard at work at finishing this book, which features only Ivy’s point of view and showcases the merfolk side of the conflict. I had to bump publication from September to October, but I hope that might mean less time between Books Two and Three.

 

Title: Salt & Venom

Series: Blood, Bloom, & Water Book Two

Publisher: Snowy Wings Publishing

Publication Date (tentative): 10/16/2018

An emboldened merman. The daring girl who agreed to be his champion. The upcoming battle that threatens to change everything they believe in.

Ivy Sheppard never wanted the ability to turn into a mermaid—though her wicked ice powers are nothing to sneeze at. Now her step-sister is her enemy, the fairy she once trusted may not be the ally she hoped for, and her new boyfriend wants her to transfer schools to avoid the vampires taking over Union High. Between dodging parents’ concerns, pretending she can stand to even look at the step-sister who sided with the bloodsuckers, and still aiming to end it all without violence, Ivy is in over her head. Unfortunately, these ancient enemies are itching to get the conflict started and Ivy may have no choice but to become the warrior the merfolk need her to be.

The second book in the Blood, Bloom, & Water series starts the war between fangs and fins in earnest as the merfolk plan their assault to bring down the unnatural undead vampires once and for all.

Add to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39878355-salt-venom

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Posted in Reading

My Favorite Fairy Tale Blog Hop Stop!

Posted on by Amy McNulty

Welcome to the 2018 Fairy-tale Blog Hop. Thirteen fabulous fairy-tale authors have gotten together to talk about their favorite fairy tales. Follow the links at the bottom of each blog post to hop to the next author’s website. Collect our favorite numbers to total up at the end and enter to win a print collection of our books! (There are several anthologies, debuts, and even an ARC for a BLINK YA book you can’t buy in stores yet!)

My Favorite Fairy Tale

Like many Disney fanatics, animated musicals were among my first introductions to fairy tales. In my youth, Aladdin was my favorite fairy tale—I loved the humor and Princess Jasmine was a kick-butt heroine for much of the movie, the kind I strived to be. However, as time passed, my second favorite Disney film became my favorite fairy tale overall: Beauty and the Beast. Perhaps it was because I grew to love the Byronic hero in fiction: brooding, troubled, and saved by the love of a strong-willed heroine. (In the vast majority of cases, it’s not a healthy relationship to emulate—but it’s always swept me off my feet in fiction.) And that’s the key, I think, to why Beauty and the Beast continues to mean so much to me, causing me to fall in love with the live-action movie version almost as much as the original animated tale. The Beast is a jerk, focused entirely on his own suffering, but he learns to be a better person and put others before himself thanks to the power of love. Not just someone loving him—but more importantly, him loving someone else.

In the Disney version, Belle is confident and unwilling to put up with a lot of the Beast’s unreasonableness, standing up for herself and those she cares for. That’s my favorite kind of heroine, especially in a hate-to-love scenario, because she doesn’t compromise who she is for a relationship. (Fantastical reasons for her captivity aside.) In the original fairy tale, Beauty is more passive and self-sacrificing, though the Beast is somewhat less cruel, too. She may be a little too passive for my tastes, but it’s still beautiful that she sees past the Beast’s hideous exterior and demonstrates selflessness.

There are elements of Beauty and the Beast in my The Never Veil Series—the moody, mysterious lord and the stubborn girl who’s his would-be captive. So when I finally had an idea to work on a “fairy tale retelling” (in my case, it was a prequel), I didn’t choose my favorite fairy tale, instead picking one I never particularly thought much about: Jack and the Beanstalk. I actually strangely was inspired during a Rifftrax Live showing of Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny. But that’s a tale for another time.

The giveaways are over!

Bibbidi bobbidi boo! 15 is my magic number for you. Go on to author Elizabeth Hopkinson’s website for more fairytale fun!

Have you visited every author’s website and collected all the numbers? Want to win all these fairy tale stories in paperback? Here’s where you’ll find the giveaway!

Before you leave my site, consider entering my bonus giveaway! You could win:

  • One e-copy three-pack of NOBODY’S GODDESS, NOBODY’S LADY, and NOBODY’S PAWN, the complete trilogy (my YA romantic fantasy The Never Veil Series)
  • One e-book of BALLAD OF THE BEANSTALK, my YA romantic fairy tale fantasy
  • One e-copy two-pack of FALL FAR FROM THE TREE and TURN TO DUST AND ASHES, my dark YA fantasy duology
  • One e-book of FANGS & FINS (Blood, Bloom, & Water Book One), my YA paranormal romance/urban fantasy series

Enter here!

Posted in News

FANGS & FINS Cover Reveal!

Posted on by Amy McNulty

There’s less than one week until publication (May 1st), but it’s cover reveal time for Fangs & Fins at last! (Thanks to Najla Qamber Designs for this amazing cover!)

That also means time is running out for you to get your digital copy for just 99¢! The ebook is Kindle exclusive (which means it’s free for Kindle Unlimited subscribers), but the paperbacks will be available widely, so watch for links in this space next week.

This is my ode to Twilight and other fun but also action-packed paranormal romance and urban fantasy. It’s been such a blast to write and I can’t wait to dive back in to what’s going to be a five-book series.

Click here to pre-order for just 99 cents!

Posted in Geek Out

YA Scavenger Hunt: Team Pink Stop

Posted on by Amy McNulty

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 for 120 hours!

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’m a part of the PINK TEAM–but there are also a lot of other teams for which you can try to win a whole different set 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 hidden my favorite number. Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on the blue team, and then add them up (don’t worry, you can use a calculator!).
Entry Form: Once you’ve added up all the numbers, make sure you fill out the form here to officially qualify for the grand prize. Only entries that have the correct number will qualify.
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 April 8th at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.
SCAVENGER HUNT POST
 Today, I am hosting Marlo Berliner on my website for the YA Scavenger Hunt!
Marlo Berliner is the award-winning author of THE GHOST CHRONICLES, her debut book which was released in November 2015 to critical acclaim. The book won the 2016 NJRW Golden Leaf Award for Best First Book, was named FINALIST in the National Indie Excellence Awards for Young Adult Fiction, received the Literary Classics Seal of Approval, was awarded a B.R.A.G. Medallion, and was named one of the “best indie YA books we have seen in the past year, from both self-publishers and small presses” by IPPY Magazine. Marlo is represented by Eric Ruben of the Ruben Agency and she writes young adult, women’s fiction, and short stories. She is also an editorial intern for a NY literary agent. Her second book, THE GHOST CHRONICLES 2, was released in October 2017.

When she’s not writing or editing, Marlo loves reading, relaxing at the beach, watching movies, and rooting for the Penn State Nittany Lions. After having spent some wonderful time in Pittsburgh and Houston, she’s now back in her home state of New Jersey where she resides with her husband, two sons, and a rambunctious puppy named Max.

Website: http://marloberliner.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/marloberliner

Instagram: https://instagram.com/marloberliner

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theghostchronicles/

VIP Newsletter signup: http://eepurl.com/bECmA1

BOOK BLURB FOR THE GHOST CHRONICLES 2:

*If you love ghost stories and the paranormal, then THE GHOST CHRONICLES series is the perfect new read for you!*

What’s there to fear if you’re already dead?
Plenty.
Michael and Sarah now know for certain, there is a destination after death.
They also know they better find their way out of the afterlife fast, before the devil claims Michael’s soul.
What they don’t know?
Before they can get to heaven…
they may just have to go through hell.

Goodreads –

THE GHOST CHRONICLES: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28054797-the-ghost-chronicles

THE GHOST CHRONICLES 2: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35097006-the-ghost-chronicles-2

AUTHOR PAGE: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14560514.Marlo_Berliner

Buy the Book: Amazon Barnes&Noble Indiebound

EXCLUSIVE CONTENT THE HUNT IS OVER!! BONUS MATERIAL IS GONE!
Before you go, consider entering my own mini Rafflecopter giveaway! I’m offering a bunch of my books in e-book form! (Mobi, epub, or PDF)
  • One e-copy three-pack of NOBODY’S GODDESS, NOBODY’S LADY, and NOBODY’S PAWN, the complete trilogy (my YA romantic fantasy The Never Veil Series)
  • One e-book copy of BALLAD OF THE BEANSTALK, my YA romantic fairy tale fantasy
  • One e-copy two-pack of FALL FAR FROM THE TREE and TURN TO DUST AND ASHES, my dark YA fantasy duology
  • One ARC e-copy of FANGS & FINS (Blood, Bloom, & Water Book One), available mid-late April!

(If you already have the prize you win, you’re welcome to select another one of my books as a substitution.)

Click here to enter my Rafflecopter giveaway!

Posted in News

FANGS & FINS Pre-Order!

Posted on by Amy McNulty

fangsfinspromo

FANGS & FINS (Blood, Bloom, & Water Book One) is only 99 cents during pre-order and for the first week of sale. It’s going to be in Kindle Unlimited, so the e-book will be Kindle exclusive for the foreseeable future, although the paperback will be available widely.

I’m super excited about introducing you all to my merpeople and vampires and the high school girls stuck in the midst of their war! Book One is just the beginning.

amazon buy2

A dapper vampire. A sullen merman. Two heirs to a great conflict—and each needs to claim a beloved to become his kindred’s champion.

High school senior Ember Goodwin never had a sister, but after her mom’s remarriage, she now has two. The eldest is no stranger to her—Ivy is a witty girl in her grade who’s almost never spoken to the shy bookworm before—but she’s surprised to find the popular girl quite amiable. Their burgeoning friendship is tested, however, when Dean Horne, a pale, besuited charmer, shows interest in them both and plans to reveal his appetite for blood to the one who’ll stand by his side.

Seventeen-year-old Ivy Sheppard is tired of splitting her time between her dad’s and her mom’s, particularly when her dad uproots their lives to move them in with his new wife and step-daughter. Used to rolling with her parents’ whims, she tries to make the best of it and befriend her nerdy new step-sister. Her hectic life grows more unwieldy when she catches the eye of junior Calder Poole, whom she swears she sees swap well-toned legs for a pair of fins during a dip in a lake. Now she’s fending off suitors left and right, all while trying to get to the bottom of the strange happenings in her town.

The first book in the Blood, Bloom, & Water series sets family against family and friend against friend as an epic, ancient war comes to a head in a supposedly sleepy suburb.

Coming from Snowy Wings Publishing May 1st, 2018!

Posted in News

The Kraken Collective Anniversary Sale and Celebration!

Posted on by Amy McNulty

To celebrate the first anniversary  of The Kraken Collective, an alliance of indie authors of LGBTQIAP+ speculative fiction, there’s a big sale going on right now with speculative fiction books featuring LGBTQIAP+ main characters! I’m excited that BALLAD OF THE BEANSTALK is a part of this. Play games, get to know the 19 authors involved, and get some wicked deals during the event! Watch the hashtag #KrakenFriends2018 for more. The sale ends February 1st.

In addition to getting some great deals, you can also take a fun personality quiz that will match you with a character from one of these books! Click here to play.

We’re each hosting another author who’s participating in the sale, and I’m excited to present to you author Miri Castor.

Here’s an excerpt from Miri’s featured novel, Hope in Nautical Dusk:

Dawn cast a pale orange hue in the sky as Opal’s eyes fluttered open. Her heart raced, threatening to claw out her chest as she pressed her hand against her forehead.

“A nightmare?” she moaned.

Opal’s recollection was murky. All she knew was that her slumber was disrupted with some kind of dream. Her race car alarm read 5:35 AM, twenty minutes before she had to wake up for the trip to Manhattan. Eager to get more sleep in, Opal closed her eyes and allowed soothing darkness to blanket her once more.

At the sound of her alarm, she hauled herself out of bed to see golden sand piled atop her legs. The nightmare slashed across her chest and the back of her head – Mimoza threw cars at her, and slammed Aaron’s head into the car. Maybe he did worse.

Opal panted as she turned on the lamp and examined her face. Nothing hurt anymore, and her mouth reeked of a musty morning odor.

“I did it! I went back in time.” Opal had to smack herself to make sure it was real. “Is Aaron…?”

She picked up her phone and called him.

“Mmm, yeah?” he groaned.

Tears welled up in her eyes. Too happy to speak, Opal dropped to the floor. “Mmm…this a wakeup call?”

“Aaron, I –” Opal started.

What am I doing? 

She shook the idea from her mind. Was she going to tell Aaron she came from a timeline where she saw his head get smashed in? Now that she was back here, things could play out differently. They had to.

“L-let’s go somewhere else, Aaron,” Opal said. “Like Union Square or Bryant Park.”

“Wait, what? What about Times Square?” Aaron moped. “Let’s talk about it later. I gotta get ready.”

He hung up, and Opal’s hand trembled. She squeezed the tears out of her eyes as she rushed to the bathroom. After finishing up, Opal put on her outfit and undid the soft twists from her hair.

She went toward Sarah’s room, her last memory of her bringing Opal to a halt. She smacked her cheeks, the sudden fear leaving her.

It’ll be different this time. It’ll be a better future.

“Sarah, get up.”

The train arrived at the same time as last time. Sarah slid into the window seat, Opal and Aaron behind her. Aaron started off with the same jokes about everyone. The same hot coffee spilled on the same slacks, and the same couple talked about the same interview; Opal let the déjà vu wash over her as she listened.

She watched Aaron as he slept against the window. He had a clean face – no blood, no dirt. Nothing but peace as he dreamed beside her.

You believe in me and my Twilight, right?  Then I’m not letting you get hurt again, Aaron. I promise.

Learn more about Miri Castor here or click here to buy Hope in Nautical Dusk on Amazon!

Posted in News

Announcing Magic at Midnight!

Posted on by Amy McNulty

Magic at Midnight - ebook

I’m excited to announce the YA fairy tale anthology book coming in May from one of my publishers, Snowy Wings Publishing! I’m one of the editors on this book and it’ll also have my retelling of Rapunzel, a standalone prequel to my upcoming YA paranormal romance series, Blood, Bloom, & Water!

Once upon a time is eternal…

Turn the pages and fall into the enchanting worlds of beloved, age-old fairy tales made new again in this fifteen-story collection from Snowy Wings Publishing.

A girl with long, long hair is trapped in an attic, ensnared by promises of immortality, the radio her only companion. An android wants to believe in her life, that the feelings she has are real—and that she might be just as beautiful as her famous stepsister. A gamer must save her true love from the mysterious, dark entity that has ensnared him in their MMORPG. A modern teen is lured to the fantastical Land of the Dolls, and only her own cunning can help her escape. These are just a few of the bewitching tales found within Magic at Midnight.

From sci-fi to fantasy, contemporary to historical, paranormal and more, there’s a fairy tale retelling in this collection for every reader. Featuring stories from bestselling and award-winning YA authors as well as emerging voices, this anthology will take you to distant worlds and back again—all just familiar enough to make you feel at home.

This gorgeous cover was designed by KimG Design, the amazing designer behind the original The Never Veil covers.
Magic at Midnight - fullwrap.jpg
Posted in News

Turn to Dust and Ashes Release Day!

Posted on by Amy McNulty

It’s release day for TURN TO DUST AND ASHES, the second and final book in the Fall Far from the Tree duology! 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.

Buy Book One – Buy Book Two

(Click here for more Book One links to get the paperback!)

Posted in News

RUN AND TOUCH THE SKY Cover Reveal

Posted on by Amy McNulty

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.

Add to your Goodreads to-read list!