Today is your lucky day–you have multiple chances to win my ARC of ALL FIXED UP (Ciel Halligan #4)

by the fabulous Linda Grimes!!!!

Linda is one of my Wolf Pack Sistahs at Wolfson Literary and she was super-duper sisterly and sent me an advanced copy of ALL FIXED UP!!!  I love her for not making me wait to find out what happened to one of my favorite characters in the book world. And since I just finished reading ALL FIXED UP, I get to tell everyone how awesome it is AND I get to be one of the nicest people on the planet because I’m sharing my copy with another Ciel fan.

But before I get to the giveaway, let me tell you a little about the book…

Coming May 24, 2016 — Tor Books

The hilarious adventures of human chameleon Ciel Halligan continue in the fourth installment of this original urban fantasy series, All Fixed Up.

Ciel Halligan, aura adaptor extraordinaire, has a lot of experience filling in for her clients–as them. A rare genetic quirk gives her the ability to absorb human energy and project it back out in a flawless imitation. She’s hard at work, posing as a well-known and celebrated astronaut, about to make a stunning announcement on behalf of the space program…when the photographer documenting the job sees right through her aura. Worse, it soon becomes apparent that he not only knows Ciel’s not who she’s supposed to be, but means her harm.

When Ciel’s elderly Aunt Helen—also an aura adaptor—is murdered in Central Park, and the same photographer shows up at the funeral, Ciel starts to feel even more exposed. Then more adaptors are killed in the same way, and she becomes terrified her friends and family are being systematically exterminated … and it’s starting to look like she’s the ultimate target. She turns to Billy Doyle, her best-friend-turned-boyfriend, for help, but when an unexpected crisis causes him to take off without a word, she’s left to rely on her not-so-former crush, CIA agent Mark Fielding.

Staying alive, keeping control of her romantic life, and unraveling the mystery of why adaptors are being pursued becomes a harder balancing act than ever in this new Ciel Halligan adventure from Linda Grimes.

And here is my review of ALL FIXED UP:

I’m just going to say it–I LOVE the Ciel Halligan books! I don’t know how Linda Grimes does it, but ALL FIXED UP is my favorite to date. The more she writes, the better she gets. Once again Grimes captures the perfect balance between humor, steamy romance and heart. If you like Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum, but want to add a supernatural twist, you are going to love Ciel Halligan!!!!

And in case you’ve some how managed to miss this fabulous series, I wanted you to get a look at all the covers and some of the fabulous reviews. You do see that OUTLANDER’S Diana Gabaldon thinks it’s awesome too! Right along with RT Book Reviews and Library Journal. And me, of course.

And I don’t want you to leave without getting to know Linda a little better…

Linda grew up in Texas, where she rode horses, embarrassed herself onstage a lot, and taught teenagers they’d have to learn the rules of English before they could get away with breaking them for creativity’s sake. She currently resides in Virginia with her husband, whom she snagged after he saw her in a musical number at the now defunct Melodrama Theater in San Antonio. (There’s nothing like a rousing chorus of “If You Wanna Catch a Fish You Gotta Wiggle Your Bait” to hook a man for a lifetime.)

Like IN A FIX’s globetrotting main character, aura adaptor Ciel Halligan, Linda has spent her fair share of time overseas, though fortunately under less stressful circumstances. Kidnapping and daring rescues are all well and good in fiction, but she prefers sanity in her real life.

And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for. It’s time to give my ARC of ALL FIXED UP to one lucky winner!!! The Rafflecopter below will give you all kinds of chances to win.

Ready. Set. Go!

****If you haven’t started this series yet–Linda is also throwing in a signed copy of her first book in the series IN A FIX for the winner!!! It’s your lucky day!!!!!****

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tags: All Fixed Up, ARC, Ciel Halligan, Contest, Diana Gabaldon, giveaway, Janet Evanovich, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, Library Journal, Linda Grimes, Michelle Wolfson, Outlander, RT Book Reviews, Stephanie Plum, Wolf Pack, Wolfson Literary

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I just finished another amazing book by my fellow Wolf Pack Sistah, Daisy Whitney. Check this out…

Available: September 3rd 2013 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens

Seventeen-year-old Julien is a romantic—he loves spending his free time at the museum poring over the great works of the Impressionists. But one night, a peach falls out of a Cezanne, Degas ballerinas dance across the floor, and Julien is not hallucinating.

The art is reacting to a curse that trapped a beautiful girl, Clio, in a painting forever. Julien has a chance to free Clio and he can’t help but fall in love with her. But love is a curse in its own right. And soon paintings begin to bleed and disappear. Together Julien and Clio must save the world’s greatest art . . . at the expense of the greatest love they’ve ever known.

Like a master painter herself, Daisy Whitney brings inordinate talent and ingenuity to this romantic, suspenseful, and sophisticated new novel.A beautifully decorated package makes it a must-own in print.

Kimberly’s Review of STARRY NIGHTS:

One of the biggest things that I love about Daisy Whitney’s writing (and I love a lot) is just when I think I know who she is as a writer, she redefines herself. Often, for authors, this kind of an evolution is a by-product of an ever changing market. I don’t feel that’s true for Daisy. I think she is a sponge in her own life, soaking up a million people, places and things that are interesting. And then she writes about the things she loves and the things that fascinate her. She writes about the questions she has and the things that must be witnessed. She writes what she knows and what she needs to know. And then luckily, she shares it with us.

It is obvious that STARRY NIGHTS was born from Daisy’s love of art and her desire to share the magic she feels, not only for paintings, but for artistic expression in general. Her passion for her topic was infectious and it raised my curiosity about some pieces that weren’t in my vocabulary before. This book could be used, to great collaborative effect, with art and english teachers.

I was also fascinated by Daisy’s take on Renoir. I think that in our society, we often have a tendency to confuse the artist with the art. When we have a big name Hollywood star, an athlete, artist or politician we love, it’s hard to look past our adoration for their craft or skill when their private life raises red flags. What to do about such real life discrepancies is a topic for another day, but what I loved was that Daisy subtly raised the question.

Additionally, I’m a big fan of books that step outside the typical take on the paranormal. I believe there’s a lot more magic in the world than we open ourselves up to. STARRY NIGHTS is different than anything else that’s out there and that is a wonderful thing. It creatively crafts elements of paranormal intrigue with something that in today’s day in age, could literally become a lost art. STARRY NIGHTS makes reading and learning about art history really cool. I’m also a huge fan of Daisy’s funny bits. If you read STARRY NIGHTS, one of the best payoffs is finding out what the Mona Lisa has been thinking all this time. It’s hysterical and adorable.

And on a little side note, I loved that every night when I curled up in bed, I got to go to Paris for a little while. I walked the streets, saw the sights, smelled the coffee and tasted the food. I can not wait until I get to revisit Paris and bring my kids. And I know, when I go and walk into the Musee d’Orsay and the Louvre, thanks to Daisy Whitney and her STARRY NIGHTS, I’ll be waiting for the art to come alive.

You can PRe-order STARRY NIGHTS here…

*Barnes & Noble

*Amazon

*IndieBound

By day, Daisy Whitney is a reporter and ghostwriter. At night, she writes novels for teens and is the author of THE MOCKINGBIRDS and its sequel THE RIVALS (Little, Brown). Her third novel WHEN YOU WERE HERE released in June 2013 (Little, Brown), and her fourth novel STARRY NIGHTS (Bloomsbury) hits shelves in September 2013. When Daisy’s not inventing fictional high school worlds, she can be found somewhere north of San Francisco walking her adorable dog, watching online TV with her fabulous husband or playing with her fantastic kids.  A graduate of Brown University, she believes in shoes, chocolate chip cookies and karma.  You can follow her writing blog and new media adventures at DaisyWhitney.com. (I don’t rate books on GoodReads, nor do I check the site so please friend me on Facebook instead.)

Enter to win my ARC of STARRY NIGHTS by Daisy Whitney!!!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check out the Rafflecopter’s Leave a Comment (above) for bonus entries!!! I want to hear about what piece of art you’d like to hang out with.

Tags: ARC, Bloomsbury, Contest, Daisy Whitney, giveaway, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, Michelle Wolfson, Starry Nights

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***THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED***

I just finished my ARC of SKINNY by Donna Cooner and nice girl that I am, I’m willing to give it away to one lucky winner. Yay! Before I tell you how you can win, here’s a little bit about SKINNY…

Find your voice.

Hopeless. Freak. Elephant. Pitiful. These are the words of Skinny, the vicious voice that lives inside fifteen-year-old Ever Davies’s head. Skinny tells Ever all the dark thoughts her classmates have about her. Ever knows she weighs over three hundred pounds, knows she’ll probably never be loved, and Skinny makes sure she never forgets it.

But there is another voice: Ever’s singing voice, which is beautiful but has been silenced by Skinny. Partly in the hopes of trying out for the school musical—and partly to try and save her own life—Ever decides to undergo a risky surgery that may help her lose weight and start over.

With the support of her best friend, Ever begins the uphill battle toward change. But demons, she finds, are not so easy to shake, not even as she sheds pounds. Because Skinny is still around. And Ever will have to confront that voice before she can truly find her own.

Kimberly’s Review of SKINNY:

Skinny is a story of friendship and courage and it was beautiful. My favorite part of this book was the realization that we all have choices–we can stay in fear or we can step into the light and see what comes our way. I love that.

This contest is opened in the US only. Please remember to put your contact information in your comment. How to win? Tell me what you do to battle the negative voice you sometimes hear inside your own head.

Tags: ARC, Contest, Donna Cooner, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, Skinny

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***THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED!!!!***

At BEA I was lucky enough to grab an ARC of  WHAT’S LEFT OF ME by my fellow Apocalypsie, Kat Zhang. And now you’re lucky because I’m giving you a chance to win my ARC. Before I tell you how, let me give you a little preview of WHAT’S LEFT OF ME (#1 in The Hybrid Chronicles.)

Eva and Addie started out the same way as everyone else—two souls woven together in one body, taking turns controlling their movements as they learned how to walk, how to sing, how to dance. But as they grew, so did the worried whispers. Why aren’t they settling? Why isn’t one of them fading? The doctors ran tests, the neighbors shied away, and their parents begged for more time. Finally Addie was pronounced healthy and Eva was declared gone. Except, she wasn’t…

For the past three years, Eva has clung to the remnants of her life. Only Addie knows she’s still there, trapped inside their body. Then one day, they discover there may be a way for Eva to move again. The risks are unimaginable–hybrids are considered a threat to society, so if they are caught, Addie and Eva will be locked away with the others. And yet…for a chance to smile, to twirl, to speak, Eva will do anything.

In order to win, you need to tell me what you think the biggest problem would be with have two distinct, but closely connected souls, in one body. I’m thinking it would be pretty traumatic if my other self had a different taste in books LOL! Leave your problem in the comments below with your contact information. You can’t win if I can’t contact you. This contest is open internationally and it will be running all weekend.

Tags: Apocalypsies, ARC, Contest, debut, Kat Zhang, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, What's Left of Me

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Another successful SCBWI Eastern PA Pocono Mt. Retreat! Every time I attend this conference there is something special going on. This year I was thrilled to spend the weekend with Laurie Halse Anderson and to bring a friend to her first writing conference, but more about that later. First off, everyone celebrated the 20 year anniversary of the conference by exchanging memories. I was still in transit, but my buddy Jodi Moore (author of WHEN A DRAGON MOVES IN) told the very special story of the Golf Bag Holder. If you haven’t heard this story you can read about it HERE.

Now we have two of our “babies” sitting in the Golf Bag Holder with us. <3

Now that everyone knows the secret of the Golf Bag Holder, everyone wants in on the love. This just makes me smile.

First up was my Workshop Session with Sara Sargent, who talked about Inspiration, World Building and Other Indoor Sports.

My favorite thing she said in this session was that watching a character evolve is fun. Seeing it happen live is exciting, so take your reader on the ride with you instead of giving them so much backstory. I don’t think I can ever be reminded of this too much. Great advice.

The first Keynote speaker of the Conference was New York Times best selling illustrator Amy June Bates…

***WELCOME SATURDAY***

This is the part of the program where the Friday all-night gab-fest mutates into a dire need for coffee AND the heart thumping anticipation of knowing that Laurie Halse Anderson is going to be the morning’s guest speaker. *SQUEE*

Laurie’s keynote was Writing the life of Your Dreams. Crap! How am I going to pick out just a few choice phrases for you to savor when everything she says resonates with me and makes my heart grow by three sizes? I’ll do my best…

*Never Google your name–You only need to know what YOU think of your work.

*Writing time will not magically appear.

*Having a dedicated writing space opens up a dedicated writing space in your brain.

*Give yourself the gift of art, especially if you’re feeling dry. You need new stuff going into the well.

*”I would rather have a root canal and then chew on aluminum foil that write a first draft.” I LOVE THIS WOMAN!

*Ideal ratio of time spent for writers–10 hours writing : 5 hours reading : 1 hour farting on the internet. *head thunk*

Next up I had the pleasure of having a second Workshop session with the lovely Sara Sargent. 

It was a packed house so I pulled up a section of rug, which was actually rather comfortable. This session with Sara was about TENSION and how to take your novel to the next level.

My third Workshop session was outside of my usual box, but I enjoyed it tremendously. YOU CAN’T MAKE THIS STUFF UP: HOW TO USE PRIMARY SOURCES TO CREATE NARRATIVE NON-FICTION by Deborah Heiligman.

As I mentioned, narrative non-fiction is not something I ever plan to write myself. Research makes me break out in hives, but I LOVED hearing about how Deborah created CHARLES AND EMMA and I’m biting at the bit to read it now. Attending this session gave me lots of great take aways that I could translate into my own writing life, but the one thing that really struck a cord was when Deborah said…”It all has to be in service to the love story.” What she meant was that, with an avalanche of facts and interesting information to pick from, the only way to successfully chose what to put in the book came when she reminded herself that her story was a love story and all the information needed to progress that plot line of Darwin’s life. I loved being reminded of that–I know how helpful it is to have that focus in my own writing. So, as a little side note, I highly encourage you to step outside of your box every once in awhile and take a session that you don’t think will be a perfect fit, because you just might find something wonderful in the unexpected.

Now it’s time for Laurie Halse Anderson to get mean about revision in Workshop #4

I’ll share a couple of her secrets with you…

*Everything needs to be on the table to be cut or changed–even the main character.

*It doesn’t matter if it REALLY happened. It’s only good if it informs the story.

*It can always be better.

*The fun of reading is the mystery–don’t weigh down it down with too much back story.

*Make the character’s life hard.

*Kids reach for books to find out how other people deal with situations.

*THE GAP-this magical place between the reader and the story. You want to trust the reader enough to let them fill out some of the places on their own.

At dinner, Taylor and I had our very first knitting lesson. It was so much fun when it stopped being confusing LOL!

This is how I started…

And this is how I ended…

Megan, Carli, Kim, Stephanie and Taylor

After dinner the lovely Kay Winters talked about THE POWER OF PICTURE BOOKS.

BTW–Guess who had an ARC in the Silent Auction?

ME!!!!! I’m very happy that TOUCHING THE SURFACE could help raise funds for next year’s scholarships. And the auction winner was…

My girl and yarn guru, Carli Bandeira. I really hope she loves it. <3

And just when you think that we’d exhausted our sugar rush from the Sweet Inspirations candy bags with writing prompts…

It’s time for a dance party… Twist and Shout!!! Oh, and Mary–we did Jagger LOL!

***YAWN…WELCOME SUNDAY***

Heading back in after checking out of our room and putting our bags in the car, Taylor and I were cruelly reminded (by Megan and Jodi) that we had yet to make it to the table with the morning beverages LOL!

Next I got the chance to hear Deb Heiligman speak some more…

*Writing for children is the most important job in the world.

*When I am writing I recognize myself–I know who I am when I’m writing.

And to finish off the conference there was a FIRST PAGES/FIRST LOOKS Panel that evaluated the first pages of picture book, middle grad and young adult manuscripts in addition to a selection of three illustrations by three of our artists. And of course, because the conference was so wonderful, I can’t help but avoid saying goodbye. Here were some more highlights from the weekend…

Friends sharing their books.

I finally was formally introduced to Carli’s tea duck. He totally quacks me up!

A full circle moment for me–getting to share one of my heroes with someone I love very much. Laurie personally welcomed Taylor into our tribe.

We stand on the shoulders of those who came before us…

Laurie and Taylor. This makes my heart squish.

Laurie signing books for the Fishkill Frogs!

Taylor with knotted yarn barf. ROTFL!

Sara Sargent and I have a very similar chocolate addiction. We bonded. Green & Black’s Organic

Yep, I was totally trying to put Angie in my suitcase. I love this lady.

And speaking of love…

I know it’s a little blurry, but the thing is…I can see it clearly and that is all that matters.

Monday is almost here and I’m more than tired. I stayed up too late talking to my friends all weekend, but very moment was a gift I couldn’t pass up, and speaking of presents…

I’m now the proud owner of my very own Time Turner. It feels good to have it–you never know when you might need it. But for now…

I don’t want to go back and change a thing–it was perfect.

I’m taking questions about the conference or the magic of the Golf Bag Holder.  Or you can feel free to chime in about the sheer awesomeness of Laurie Halse Anderson or the SCBWI Eastern PA. Wish you all could have been there.

Tags: #SCBWIPA, Amy June Bates, ARC, Carlu Bandeira, Charles and Emma, Deborah Heiligman, Golf Bag Holder, Jodi Moore, Kay Winters, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, Knitting, laurie halse anderson, revision, Sara Sargent, SCBWI, Simon Pulse, Time Turner, Touching the Surface, WHEN A DRAGON MOVES IN by Jodi Moore

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