***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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It’s Saturday. The alarm seems to go off earlier and by alarm I mean my roommate poking me with her finger. The Starbucks line seems longer and the excitement seems bigger. Maybe it’s the caffeine or maybe it’s because SCBWI Conferences are freaking awesome. Realistically–it could be both.

Starting off the morning with Karen Cushman and COURTING SURPRISE. She was fabulous so I must share some of my favorite bits of advice and wisdom…

*The function of freedom is to free someone else.

*Rules: Make your own rules, or better yet, don’t follow any.

*We find the unconscious gifts we give ourselves.

*There is a difference between and editor and a critic.

*Tell the truth–there are things we are morally certain of and that the kind of truth I’m talking about.

*Write with passion and heart.

*Lighthouses don’t run around looking for boats to save–they just stand there and shine. (My favorite)

I’m going to be honest–this year was the year of the Panels. The Editor, Picture Book and Agent Panels were among the best I’ve ever seen this time. I was truly impressed. This was the Editor Panel: HOW TO SUCCEED IN PUBLISHING–FINDING YOUR VOICE.

From left to right with some of their best tips…

(JB) Jordan Brown

(EH) Elise Howard

(NP) Neal Porter

(LO) Lin Oliver–Moderator

(FJ) Farrin Jacobs

(TB) Tamar Brazis

(LG) Laura Goodwin

How do you define voice?

LG–It’s what makes an author unique. Equated with style, not to be confused with being stylish. The more you know who you are the clearer your voice is.

EH–Read Dan Gutman’s faculty bio from the conference and 1,200 people knew who she was talking about. That’s voice.

FJ–Things can be “too voicey” and feel unnatural.

JB–Bad voice is when you are picturing an author in their house trying to write a scene instead of being swept into a scene.

What are the attributes of successful authors/illustrators?

LG–Flexibility

EH–They are a contradiction. When you send an editorial letter, they do what you’ve asked but they likely do it in their own unique way, bringing something new and unexpected to the table.

TB–The ability to revise–separate your ego from the project to make the work the best it can be.

FJ–They keep their “stuff” to themselves.

NP–Expensive presents. Ha!

JB–The knowledge that the editor and the author know that they are working together towards the same goal.

There is something special about Bryan Collier. Something very special. Once again he was one of those speakers who I listened to and wondered how my life could have been complete without knowing that he was in it. He blew me away when he talked about FROM A SEED TP A TREE. I’ll share some of him most moving bits, but know that it can’t possibly do him justice–he wears his heart on his sleeve.  Every emotion he has is illustrated clearly on his face and he is a charming, funny, intelligent, beautiful soul. If you ever get a chance to meet him…you will come back here and tell me that I was right.

*What I do with my work–I’m chasing HAROLD AND THE PURPLE CRAYON every time. *heart squish*

*On Ezra Jack Keats–I never met him and he never met me, but when he wrote the SNOWY DAY, he spoke to me directly.

*In high school–I loved sports, but nothing touched me deeper than making art.

*You have to protect and nurture this artistic seed inside of you, but you still have to eat. Give up the romantic notions and do what you have to do.

*On visiting the lobbies of publishing houses every week for seven years, in order to try to sell a book–The publishing houses didn’t know what they did to me when they let me sit in their lobbies. It was magical, incredible. Julie Andrews walked by one day. I just wanted to get there.

*Everybody’s afraid of your dream–nobody knows what is going on inside of you.

Of course I floated down to my first break-out session of the day…

Lots of fun and great information from Jay Asher–NO BOOKMARKS ALLOWED: HOW TO INJECT SUSPENSE INTO YOUR NOVEL

Jay used one of the greatest suspense stories of all time to teach us what we needed to know…

There’s a Monster at the End of This Book! LOL!

So what do we need to keep the bookmark from slipping between the pages?

*Anticipation

*You have to have one character the reader cares about.

*A satisfying ending is unpredictable, but you believe it had to happen just that way.

*Inject suspense

*Use chapter endings to your advantage.

*Suspense killers: bad dialogue, unnecessary description, forced motivation, vague action.

After a yummy break for lunch. (Frozen yogurt with M&M’s and chocolate sprinkles may have been involved.) We returned for another bang up keynote by Clare Vanderpool, author of MOON OVER MANIFEST. Clare was hysterical and moving when she talked about WRITING IN THE CROSSROADS: WHERE CRAFT AND CREATIVITY MEET.

Loved it when she talked about a little neighborhood boy who booked her to come into his classroom and talk. (too stinkin’ cute) He also asked her to sign his book–unfortunately for Clare it was the 4th Lemony Snicket book. ROTFL!!! Of course she did it. <3

*There is no “What to expect when your win the Newbery.” (Clare won as a debut author)

*Knowledge of craft can form the foundation to create.

*If we think we’re going to get our hands slapped every time we write a sentence, than it’s almost impossible to create.

*You really do have to put in the miles–just like running.

*It’s about writing, writing and more writing–you can’t learn to ride a bike without actually riding the bike.

*Sometimes we think something is wonderful and it’s not, but sometimes we think something is horrible and it is not.

* My theory is that the universe is made up of story.

Next up was Deborah Underwood and THE POWER OF QUIET.

Shhhh…

*It might look like I’m doing nothing, but at the cellular level I’m very busy.
*Quiet is not validated in our society at all.
*There are built in pauses in our life.
*We owe it to the kids who read our books to make time for quiet–great things come from those pauses.

Back to the last break-out session of the day.

Jordan Brown–WRITING FOR BOYS

False perception: Writing for boys=Writing for people who don’t like to read. It has less to do with the ability to read and more to do with how to pitch to boys.

*Boys won’t like reading if they don’t like what they’re reading.

*Boys live in a multimedia world.

*Rise of the “Do it Yourself Aesthetic.”

*Developing connections with authors and readers

Kinds of things that have boy appeal.

*Boys don’t like to be talked down to.

*Boys do like gross-out humor but they know when it’s just thrown in randomly.

*Don’t assume that the things they like in life (sports etc…) are the only connections they will make to reading.

*Tether your fiction to the truth.

*It doesn’t have to be a boy character, but it helps.

*Guys just want to be yelled at less. Avoidance. They aren’t all about the personal development like girls.

*High concept doesn’t mean low quality.

*Don’t be afraid of illustrations or technology.

Okay–I’m read to start to gush again. It’s time for more Ruta Sepetys, SCBWI success story and author of BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY.

Ruta talked about YOU CAN’T BREAK THE BROKEN: WRITING EMOTIONAL TRUTH

Ruta started to write because someone asked her what her story was and she dared to dig deep. She repeats often that history holds secrets, but it’s not just a political history that does this–it’s our own.

*How much of your emotional stuff are you willing to give?

*What is the novel only you can write?

*What scares you?

*What causes you pain?

*What do you wish would just go away?

*Expose your emotional truth, putting it behind your fiction–that is timeless.

*The things you are feeling–there is a reader out there who experiences the same thing.

*I met my savage self when I undertook this writing.

*You can’t break the broken–but you can glue yourself back together.

*Reveal yourself–you have a safety net–the SCBWI

By the time Ruta asked us “What is your story?” I was in tears and profoundly moved. Just like Bryan Collier, I can’t begin to translate the power of this keynote on to the page but I can tell you that I walked away feeling as if I give anything less than this to my writing than I’ve sold myself short.

Deborah Halverson did an amazing job with AN UP TO THE MINUTE SURVEY OF MARKET NEEDS AND TRENDS.

Just the broad strokes…

*Picture books–improved market, but still fragile.

*Chapter books–room for growth.

*MG–best spot for acquisition.

*YA–More successful that ever, but very dependent on the big list authors while the mid list authors are still struggling.

General Submissions:

*High use of agents (conference appearances and referrals)

*What’s in the slush pile is sent prematurely–not usually a thought out fit.

*It’s hard to find self-published authors who can turn into successful acquisitions.

Internal Mood:

*Cautiously optimistic

*Tastes of editors doesn’t change because of the market.

*Creativity is at the heart of what we do.

TIME FOR THE HIPPIE HOP!!!!!

Jodi Moore and Mike Jung

Amy Nichols and Me!!! (We’re blurry because we hippy hopping LOL!)

Me, Stephanie Ruble and Jodi Moore

Gretchen McNeil and Me!!!! Love her. <3

Debra Driza and Me…who knew she was so tall???

RA of Eastern Upstate New York…Nancy Castaldo in a fabulous jump suit!

Yes, we LOVE Lin Oliver!!!!

Leeza Hernandez had my favorite costume of the night!

Can you guess who this is? I’ll give you a hint from above…he loves Grover.

And don’t forget you can still win a Pre-order of TOUCHING THE SURFACE…HERE. 

PS. It’s now 2am and I don’t have the braincells to read this over. I’m too tired to ask a creative conversational question so pop in if you’ve got something to say and if it’s got typos or formatting bloopers…I’ll fix it later *yawn* Night…

Tags: Bryan Collier, Clare Vanderpool, Conferences, Contest, Deborah Halverson, Deborah Underwood, Hippie Hop, Jay Asher, Jordan Brown, Karen Cushman, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, LA12SCBWI, Ruta Sepetys, SCBWI, Touching the Surface

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I always like to start of the recap with some of Lin Oliver‘s Conference stats. I’ll be honest, it’s soooo much funnier when she lays them out, but I do still think they are interesting even when she’s not delivering.

The 41st Annual SCBWI Summer Conference had…

1,234 Attendees
46 States (Yes, the Dakotas and a few more were missing again!)
15 Countries
411 Published and the remainder Pre-published
171 Males (Yes–we stole their bathroom again.)
941 Females
122 Undeclared (They had more bathroom options than anyone LOL!)

This year’s opening ceremonies included an Olympic theme and we even had a torch match to help kick things off. And kicking things off meant we got to hear about TIMELESS books from the great Arthur Levine.

The question was asked…Should we look at a book with timelessness in mind? Do you have an answer? Opinion?

For this Keynote, we looked at the books that spanned Arthur’s career–the ones he felt were timeless.

*GOODNIGHT GORILLA
*MIRETTE ON THE HIGHWIRE
*THE ROUGH-FACED GIRL
*THE GOLDEN COMPASS
*WHEN SHE WAS GOOD
*HARRY POTTER
*HOW ARE YOU PEELING?
*MILLICENT MIN
*THE ARRIVAL
*THE SNOW DAY

Throughout the whole conference, this theme was revisited in many other keynotes and sessions, all with differing opinions on what makes something timeless, but almost everyone seemed to agree that it couldn’t and shouldn’t be predicted.

*PREPARE FOR SHAMELESS PLUG*

On that note, I will not be so bold as to say that my friend Mike Jung‘s up and coming Arthur Levine book will be timeless–but I’m pretty sure that GEEKS, GIRLS AND SECRET IDENTITIES is going to be made of awesome!!!!!

*BACK TO OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED PROGRAMMING*

The second keynote of the morning was NEVER ABANDON IMAGINATION by the very funny Tony Diterlizzi.

Tony started out with an amazing quote…

“If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.”
― Albert Einstein

Ummm how did I live my life not knowing that one?

But here are some of Tony’s best lines too…

*Imagination has to be instilled at a very young age. In my opinion–when they pop out!

*Each year, as I get better at my craft, I’m another year further away from the kid in me.

*All that Dorothy, Wendy and Alice ever wanted was to go home. There is a longing to be in a place that makes us feel safe and loved.

*I’m a Jedi. (On Star Wars love…all the best ones are *wink*)

It’s Apocalypsie Time!!!!!

One of my buds from the debut group of authors called the APOCALYPSIES is the lovely Lissa Price, author of STARTERS. And she had a wonderful breakout session called HOW TO APPLY SCREENWRITING TECHNIQUES TO MAKE ANY BOOK BETTER.

Lissa helped explain high concept movies and books.

*High concept is to be thought of as an internal phrase, not something we should be using in queries or throwing around with editors. It’s how we need to visualize our own work to make it very competitive.

*High concept creates an “ah-ha” moment in one or two sentences–often with a touch of emotion and/or irony.

Lissa then became hands on with the crowd, helping them to tweak pitches and first lines to their best advantage. She was also very clear that not all books are high concept and literary works can be equally as successful, but how they capture the attention of agents, editors and readers is very different.

And there may have been some Apocalypsie goofing around that Lissa had to deal with also LOL!

Next up was Sara Shepard talking about SCANDALS, LIES AND MURDERS: HOW TO MAINTAIN MOMENTUM IN A SERIES.

Sara is the author of the PRETTY LITTLE LIARS and LYING GAMES series. Here are some of her best bits…

*Know who your murder is before you set out.

*Always incorporate a red herring into the series.

*Leave a bit to chance. The narrator has to be a little bit unreliable, especially is suspicion is cast upon them.

*You have to be willing to change.

The next Keynote of the day was Patricia MacLachlan–REVISING MY LIFE.

I really didn’t take many notes, I sort of just soaked her up and enjoyed every minute of her speech. Aside from writing HILARIOUS!!!!! and putting hearts all over the page, I captured this one to keep…

Childhood is powerful–children experience life along side us. We are all children.  The child knows all…

My next break out session was with Ruta Sepetys. I’m going to warn you. You are going to be hearing a lot about Ruta from me. I am going to refrain from gushing like a fool right off the bat, but consider yourself warned. You may want to come to the blog prepared for full-on-hero worship because it is inevitable.

Ruta–don’t hate me. I have many flattering pics of you and I fully plan to use them, but this one just captured how funny and accessible you were and it made me smile. This breakout session, MEDIA PREP: AUTHOR TIPS FOR RADIO, TV AND PRINT COVERAGE was part of the PRO Track–classes designed for the student who has different needs now that they are published.

I now have an endless amount of information to contemplate. Here are some of the broad strokes…

*Develop message points

*Distill them down to sound bytes

*Bridges allow you to communicate your message with a less than perfect question

*Pivots allow you to take something negative and turn it positive

*Never wing it…EVER!

The last Keynote of the day was HOW A DUMBASS LIKE ME GOT 100 BOOKS PUBLISHED by Dan Gutman. As you might imagine, this speech was funny, irreverent and very smart. Dan started off by giving us a list of advice starting with…

#13  Ignore all advice

#12  Join SCBWI (which negates number 13)

#11  Be persistent

#10  Try everything

#9    Don’t get stuck in a rut

#8   Become famous (like Madonna and then you can write anything and someone will print it LOL!)

#7   Find something really popular and then write something better

#6   Never write on an empty stomach (use paper)

#5   Break the rules

#4   Promote the hell out of yourself

#3   Take the Bull by the horns

#2   Use your strengths

#1   There is NO SECRET…when you do what you love, you love what you do.

Time for the Pizza Party and Book Sale honoring SCBWI Published Attendees. *yum and squee* Next year I’ll have pizza AND a book!!!!

Jodi Moore holding down the fort while Verla Kay had to step away. Seriously, doesn’t every one want to be Verla, mom of the Blue Boards?

Woo hoo!!! Got to meet fellow Apocalypsie Robin Mellom (Author of DITCHED) with her new MG novel THE CLASSROOM. Already loved DITCHED so had to get a copy of this one for me and the boys!!!!

I didn’t list the event times like I sometimes do, but in case you’re wondering…Jodi and I, registration and the Starbucks line were in full swing by 7:30 am and the Book Sale finished at 7:30pm. Somewhere after that hunted down dinner before I stayed up too late talking.  For clarity, there was a quick break for lunch and I got to share a meal with my lovely RA for SCBWI Eastern Upstate New York—Nancy Castaldo. (Fun pics coming in future installments LOL!)

Don’t forget that I have an on going contest to win a pre-order of TOUCHING THE SURFACE right HERE! The contest will be open the whole time I’m recapping the conference. Stop over to win!!!

Are you tired yet? Any presenters that I’ve convinced you that you must see? Oh, my friend, you ain’t seen nothing yet! Be back on Friday with more.

Tags: Apocalypsies, Arthur Levine, Blue Boards, Contest, Dan Gutman, Ditched, Geeks, Girls and Secret Identities, Jodi Moore, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, LA12SCBWI, Lin Oliver, Lissa Price, Mike Jung, Nancy Castaldo, Patricia MacLachlan, Robin Mellom, Ruta Sepetys, Sara Shepard, SCBWI, SCBWI Eastern Upstate New York, Starters, The Classroom, Tony Diterlizzi, Touching the Surface, Verla Kay

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

Had an absolute BLAST at SCBWI LA 2012!!! Duh! I can’t imagine having a bad time with my crazy, wonderful tribe. I’ll start blogging on Wednesday but I thought, since I have a couple minutes in the airport and a blog post due for today that I’d give you my conference “bloopers” first LOL!

Every year the tribe gets together on Saturday night for a themed dance party. This year was a 60’s Hippie Hop. And while I’m not one for dressing up–I am one for dancing like a fool. Mission accomplished….

Ummmm…moving on. So after staying up late dancing and talking to my friends until the late hours of the morning, I found getting up at 7:30 the next day a bit on the tragic side. But I did it it because I hate to miss any speaker or a single minute with my best buddy, Jodi. So, I dragged myself down to the overly long Starbucks line only to find out I’d left my SCBWI name tag in my room. Crap! Of course I run back up to the room to get it….Gahhhhhh….only to find out that I my key was in my name tag holder from last night’s Hippie Hop. *Pulls out Hair* So back down I go to get Jodi’s key and they I’m back up to retrieve my stuff. It’s a testament to how long that coffee line was that I still had to wait in it when I got back. *growls at barista* And just for the record…the coffee didn’t even help. Luckily for me I get a massive adrenaline rush from hearing fabulous speakers and the day was full of them.

I guess as far as bloopers go–dancing like a spaz (my girls at Workshop would be so embarrassed proud) and taking a few extra elevator rides with caffeine withdrawl really aren’t that bad. My recap posts will be full of awesomeness!

And can I tell you a secret? I may have also–in addition to looking like a spaz–looked so happy because of my book. I couldn’t stop thinking that the next time I come together with my tribe–I will be an author. And that, in and of itself, makes me want to dance and just not care what I look like. It just makes me feel good inside.

So, to celebrate my impending book and my earth shattering bravery at publicly posting a *clears throat* less than attractive, can’t be blamed on alcohol, picture of myself for your entertainment–I’m going to give you a chance to win a pre-order of TOUCHING THE SURFACE.

This contest will be open through all of my #LA12SCBWI recap posts and is open internationally. You must remember to put your contact information in your comment, because you can’t win if I can’t get in contact with you. What do you have to do to win? You can make a caption of my “lovely” picture. You can share one of your bloopers–picture or story. You can ask a question about the conference or conferences in general. You can even just tell me what you’re looking forward to about TOUCHING THE SURFACE.

Opps…my plane is getting ready to board and I don’t need that kind of blooper so time to go! See you on the east coast!

Tags: Conferences, Contest, giveaway, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, LA12SCBWI, SCBWI, Touching the Surface

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

It’s contest time! I’ve got an ARC of PUSHING THE LIMITS by fellow Apocalypsie Katie McGarry to give away. And it’s a GREAT ONE!!!!!

 PUSHING THE LIMITS by Katie McGarry

Available July 31, 2012–TOMORROW!

“I won’t tell anyone, Echo. I promise.” Noah tucked a curl behind my ear. It had been so long since someone touched me like he did. Why did it have to be Noah Hutchins? His dark brown eyes shifted to my covered arms. “You didn’t do that-did you? It was done to you?” No one ever asked that question. They stared. They whispered. They laughed. But they never asked.

So wrong for each other…and yet so right.

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with “freaky” scars on her arms. Even Echo can’t remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal. But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo’s world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she’ll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

You can order PUSHING THE LIMITS here…

*Barnes & Noble

*Amazon

*IndieBound

Kimberly’s Review of PUSHING THE LIMITS:

I am crushing on Noah Hutchins in a big way. Nothing gets me like a bad boys who’s really a good guy at heart. The best of both worlds. But I loved Echo too. (And her name and what it meant to the story) She tugged at my heart strings and I was constantly rooting for her, so sympathetic to her pain. What a fabulous, well spun story. It never shied away from very dark topics, yet left me smiling more times than I can count with it’s smartly placed humor. I couldn’t put this book down and I can’t wait to get my hands on DARE YOU TO because the supporting characters in PUSHING THE LIMITS were wonderful and I absolutely want to learn more about them.

KATIE MCGARRY was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, and reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan.

You can find out more about Katie McGarry and PUSHING THE LIMITS here…

*Website/Blog

*Twitter

*Facebook

*Goodreads

*The Apocalypsies

*YA Fusion

In order to win the ARC of PUSHING THE LIMITS you need to tell me what limits do you push? Is there an a aspect of your life where you’re unusually brave? Willing to step outside of your comfort zone? What are you willing to be daring for? This contest is open internationally and don’t forget to include your contact information in the comment–you can’t win if I can’t reach you.

Tags: Apocalypsies, Book Review, Contest, Katie McGarry, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, Pushing the Limits, YA Books

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***THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED***

My nightstand has started to groan and mumble under it’s breath and it’s not even holding all my books from BEA. Which means, yeah…now the dresser is starting to complain too. It’s getting loud in my room when I’m trying to sleep, so to quiet down the furniture, I’ve decided I need to part with some of my lovelies from time to time. Today will be my first Save the Nightstand Contest!

What am I giving away?

It’s an unopened package from BEA that includes the soft cover of DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE by Laini Taylor AND an Exclusive Extended Preview of DAYS OF BLOOD AND STARLIGHT!!!! (Release Date– November 6th)

No, I haven’t hit my head LOL!

So, why am I giving this away without even having taken off the wrapping and peeked inside?

First, I’ve read Smoke and Bone already so I already have a copy. Second, I know that the teaser will just drive me crazy!!!! It’s like asking me to hold an ice cream cone but only take a lick. Do you want my head to explode?

But I’m figuring some of you have been dying to read book one before Blood and Starlight comes out OR you just have a lot more control than I do and you’re capable of licking your books without any major ramifications.

So how do you get this lovely little book appetizer?

THE DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE did something that is really hard to do in the book world–it brought something unique to the table. In my opinion, the fresh concept combined with the fabulous writing made this book a force to be reckoned with. So I want to talk about what makes a book a stand out. Why do books go viral? And is viral created equal? Do you give the same weight and respect to all books that go viral? Do you see THE DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE the way you do TWILIGHT, DIVERGENT, THE SHACK, THE HELP or FIFTY SHADES OF GREY?  (just to name a few viral examples) Is it the characters or the content? Is it word of mouth or marketing or perhaps just luck? I’d love to hear what you think about the topic.

This contest is open internationally and don’t forget to leave your contact information with your comment. You can’t win if I can’t reach you. Usually I run the contest all weekend but if the conversation is really good I reserve the right to make it last a little longer LOL! The winner will be picked by Random.org. Good luck and much thanks from my nightstand and my dresser.

Tags: Contest, Days of Blood and Starlight, giveaway, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, Liani Taylor, Save the Nightstand, The Daughter of Smoke and Bone

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

I’m not going to tease you. I have a copy of Level 2 (The Memory Chronicles #1) by Lenore Appelhans up for grabs!!!! I know you want it.  And if you didn’t know if you want it, I’m here to convince you that you absolutely do…

Since her untimely death the day before her eighteenth birthday, Felicia Ward has been trapped in Level 2, a stark white afterlife located between our world and the next. Along with her fellow prisoners, Felicia passes the endless hours downloading memories and mourning what she’s lost—family, friends, and the boy she loved, Neil.

Then a girl in a neighboring chamber disappears, and nobody but Felicia seems to recall she existed in the first place. Something is obviously very wrong. When Julian—a dangerously charming guy Felicia knew in life—comes to offer Felicia a way out, she learns the truth: a rebellion is brewing to overthrow the Morati, the guardians of Level 2.

Felicia is reluctant to trust Julian, but then he promises what she wants the most—to be with Neil again—if only she’ll join the rebels. Suspended between Heaven and Earth, Felicia finds herself in the center of an age-old struggle between good and evil. As memories from her life come back to haunt her, and as the Morati hunt her down, Felicia will discover it’s not just her own redemption at stake… but the salvation of all mankind

You can pre-order Level 2 here…

*Barnes & Noble

*Amazon 

*IndieBound

*Additional Booksellers

Kimberly’s Review of Level 2…

Lenore Appelhans is a fellow Apocalysie, a Simon & Schuster sibling and also a kindred soul when it comes to exploring the afterlife. We’ve been dying to read each other’s books and HA! I snagged a coveted ARC of Level 2 at BEA!!!!

What immediately captured my attention was Appelhans strong writing. She’s a pro. Period. The story creatively jumps between lots of different perspectives in the past and the present and I never once was lost. Her storytelling and transitions were seamless. I was also fascinated by how Appelhans explored many of the same concepts that I was fascinated with in Touching the Surface, but she did this in such a different and unique way. I’ve never seen the afterlife explored in a dystopian manner before and it was really fascinating. I particularly liked the stark white of the world and the use of the bee hive throughout the story.

I don’t want to give out any spoilers, but I love a book that doesn’t let me settle into a firm opinion too early. I adore rounding the corner and finding that what I though I knew, might not be true. Level 2 gave me the perfect amount of “shake-up” in anticipation for the next book BUT considering that Level 2 won’t hit the bookshelves until early 2013 I’m stomping my foot like a toddler. I can’t believe how long I’m going to have to wait to see what happens next. *groan*

And BTW…the cover is perfect and in case you’re wondering…TEAM JULIAN!!!!

Lenore Appelhans

My debut YA novel Level 2 will be published by Simon & Schuster BFYR on Jan 15, 2013.

My debut picture book CHICK-O-SAURUS REX (w/ Daniel Jennewein) will follow from S&S in 2013. I’ve been blogging about books (Presenting Lenore) since April 2008.

Thanks to my father’s job in the US military, I became addicted to travel early.  To date, I’ve visited nearly 60 countries and have stepped on every contintent except Antartica. My travels inspire my writing – in fact, the original spark of the idea for LEVEL 2 grew out of an argument with my grandmother about whether it was better to spend my money on Precious Moments figurines (her view) or plane tickets (my view).

I currently live in Frankfurt, Germany and the last foreign country I visited was Kuwait (March 2012).

Fun facts:

• I’ve lived in 7 US states (North Dakota, Colorado, Utah, California, Ohio, Kansas, Oklahoma) and 5 foreign countries (Greece, Ecuador, Spain, Japan, Germany)
• I have 3 fancy Sacred Birman cats. You can see pictures of them in cute and crazy poses on my blog.
• I wrote my first book, Timothy the Bug, in the car on a family vacation when I was in the 5th grade. In 8th grade, I made it to the state semi-finals in Ohio’s Power of the Pen competition (I placed 5th at the regional level).
• I’ve swam with sea lions in the Galapagos Islands, walked with lions in Zimbabwe, fed anteaters in Tikal, Guatemala, braved fire ants in Australia, chased a puffin across a black sand beach in Iceland and narrowly avoided stepping on a snake in Burma.

You can find out more about Lenore Appelhans and Level 2 here…

*Website

*Presenting Lenore  (Blog)

*Goodreads

*Twitter

*The Apocalypsies

*The League of Extraordinary Writers

So, that’s it. JUST TEASING! You want to know what you have to do to win the ARC of Level 2, right? It’s easy-peasy. Just let me know if you believe in the afterlife or not. If you don’t–that’s cool and I’d love to hear why. But if you do..how do you picture it? What’s your vision of what comes next? Any “I saw the light” accounts out there? Bring it on. And don’t forget to leave your contact information. You can’t win if I can’t reach you.

Tags: Apocalypsies, Contest, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, Lenore Appelhans, Level 2, Presenting Lenore

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It’s your lucky day! I’m having a creepy giveaway. I’ve got two books here that will make your hands sweat while you’re reading them. First up is DISPIRITED by Luisa M. Perkins…

Cathy sees things that are invisible to everyone else. Her new stepbrother’s bizarre behavior. A ghostly little boy. An abandoned house in the woods. But she doesn’t see how they’re all connected. And what she doesn’t see might just kill her.

READ AN EXCERPT HERE.

Luisa M. Perkins is the author of Dispirited, published by Zarahemla Books in March 2012, and co-author of the novel The Book of Jer3miah, forthcoming from Shadow Mountain in August 2012.
Past publications include the cookbook Comfortably Yum and the LDS YA novel Shannon’s Mirror. She has had numerous short stories and essays published in print and online. She has been a member of the Whitney Awards Committee for the past two years. She and her husband Patrick live with their six children in New York’s Hudson Highlands.

Kimberly Sabatini’s Review of DISPIRITED…

DISPIRITED is one little creeper of a book and I mean that in the very best of ways. What I loved about it was that Perkins made reality, myth and the paranormal seamlessly blend in a way that captured my attention and made me wonder if there was really a lot more going on under my day to day reality. If you’ve ever had a chill run down your spine for no reason–DISPIRITED will make you wonder if perhaps you weren’t just being perceptive.

Bonus love for this book because Perkins wrote this while living in my area and her writing was peppered with local references making the story even more believable and interesting for me. If you like IMAGINARY GIRLS by Nova Ren Suma or a darker story that makes you think AND shiver…DISPIRITED is a perfect choice for you.

The second book you have a chance to win is WHAT SHE LEFT BEHIND by Tracy Bilen.

Tags: Apocalypsies, Contest, Dispirited, giveaway, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, Luisa M. Perkins, Tracy Bilen, What She Left Behind, YA Author, YA Novel, YA Writer

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Yesterday kicked off SUPER SWAG SUNDAY!! Fellow Apocalypsie, Laurisa White Reyes, debut author of THE ROCK OF IVANORE: Book One of the Celestine Chronicles is hosting SUPER SWAG SUNDAY on her blog–A Thousand Wrongs. And guess what? I’m one of thirty-one authors participating…

Here’s how it works…

SUPER SWAG SUNDAY is a celebration of the best in new kids and teens
literature. What is swag? Swag is all the fun stuff authors giveaway
to promote their books and I’ve got TONS OF IT!!!!

31 authors (many who are Apocalypsies) have donated everything you can
imagine for this event: signed bookmarks, postcards, tattoos,
stickers, pins, magnets, pens, frishbees, rubber bugs, origami, guitar
picks, fortune cookies, and more!

Every day for 7 days I will spotlight 4 or 5 new titles from the most
amazing up and coming children’s and teen authors. Then, next Sunday,
June 10th seven (7) giveaway winners will be announced. Each winner
will receive a MEGA SWAG PACK containing swag from every spotlighted
author!

You can enter the giveaway just once or every day for more chances to
win! This is great way to kick off your child or teen’s summer
reading! Come on by first thing tomorrow morning and join in the fun!

http://1000wrongs.blogspot.com

Here are some of the goodie you can win…

What are you waiting for? Oh, right–I always ask you a question. What is your most prized piece of book swag you’ve ever received?

Tags: A Thousand Wrongs, Apocalypsies, Contest, Contest. swag, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, Laurisa White Reyes, Super Swag Sunday, Swag, Touching the Surface

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