This big box of books is up for grabs, and I'm adding a signed paperback copy of Small Town Sinners!
Win-It Wednesday
Win-It Wednesday: 9 Books!
This giveaway is going on for a few weeks, so read full details here and enter in various ways for a chance to win this stack of 9 books, all shipped in a box to your door! Wheeee!
Win-It Wednesday: A S%#t-Ton of Books!
Hey, guys.
I have been so lax about Win-It Wednesday that I feel required to make amends. First, the winner of a Tara Altebrando e-book is... Kay! Kay, let me know which book you'd like and I will figure out how to e-deliver it to you!
Next: I haven't mentioned that the paperback of Small Town Sinners is coming out on 1/22, so let me just say this: THE PAPERBACK OF SMALL TOWN SINNERS IS COMING OUT ON TUESDAY! Ooh, there it is! Looking a lot like the hardcover with a zoom lens!
What thrills me most about a book release are sightings in the wild. Author friends can tell you that I often go into bookstores and snap phone shots of their books to send to them. Some may think I'm crazy, but I really do love that moment of: It's there! In a store!
Your challenge, if you choose to accept it, is to find Small Town Sinners, the paperback, in the wild for me. Snap a pic if you can, and email it to melissawalkerbooks AT gmail, or just tell me where you saw it in the comments. (If you buy it -- YAY! -- but not required.) Libraries also count, of course, though they're partial to hardcovers. I will randomly choose one person from the emails and comments to win a full box of books:
That's right. You will win a box full of these very books. Chock full of treasures, I tell you. Click to enlarge, but don't drool on your screen.
I'll keep this one going for a few weeks because you need time to find the book! And I will thrill every time you see it in the wild. Thank you!
PS-Yes I know it's Thursday. I'm behind.
PPS-Update: More ways to enter below, but +10 entries if you spot the book and let me know. That's the big one!
Win-It Wednesday: Your Choice of Tara Altebrando e-Books
The winner of Dear Teen Me is... Macy! She stacked the comments, which was totally legit, and it worked! Yay! Send me your address, M.
Now, the only thing I can say about how inconsistent Win-It Wednesday has been late is: Sorry! I'm working on a ton of stuff (and a new book!) so I'm just... behind.
But here's a good one: Yesterday I posted about how Tara Altebrando's first two novels are now e-books with new (amazing) covers, and how proceeds from these e-books through the end of the year are going to Hurricane Sandy relief. Well, I'll buy a copy of either book (What Happens Here or The Pursuit of Happiness) for one winner this week. Yes, that does mean you have to have an e-reader (or a plan to get one).
To enter to win, just leave a comment telling me which new TV show of the fall is your favorite. (Mine is NASHVILLE--swoonsville all around and baby June loves the country music!) Oh, also tell me which book you'd choose (read about them here).
Good luck! I'll choose a winner next week, or thereabouts.
Win-It Wednesday: Dear Teen Me
Based on the amazing website, this anthology of over 70 letters features authors writing to their teen selves, edited by E. Kristin Anderson and Miranda Keanneally. (Some of those authors include yours truly, Robin Benway, Carrie Jones, Sara Zarr... the list is good!)
Want to preview the types of stories you're getting? Check out the Dear Teen Me website for letters that aren't in the book (new ones still coming all the time). I like to think of Dear Teen Me as the more articulate and insightful version of a site I work on, Before You Were Hot.
In any case, this week you have a chance to win a copy of this brand spanking new book (it's out at this month!). Just comment below and tell me what your "Dear Teen Me" letter would be about. You can be as brief or as lengthy as you like. Each comment is an entry, and you can leave more than one if you have multiple things to tell your teen self.
I'll pick a winner at random next week. Happy Wednesday!
Win-It Wednesday: The Dogs of Winter by Bobbie Pyron
This one's for an ARC of the middle grade novel The Dogs of Winter, which is out this month and already has a starred review from Kirkus. An excerpt: "[Pyron] presents Ivan’s story as a first-person narrative in beautifully composed writing enhanced by Ivan’s visual acuity and depth of emotion."
Ooh... good luck!
Win-It Wednesday: The Other Normals
I know I've been bad about Win-it Wednesdays, but I do have great books to offer, so here's a new one! This week, I'm giving away a copy of Ned Vizzini's brand new hardcover The Other Normals, out later this month. You know him from previous amazingness like It's Kind of a Funny Story, and his latest book sounds awesome. Read Readingjunky's review.
To enter, jump through one or both of the hoops I've set up below! I'll pick a random winner next week. Happy Wednesday!
Win-It Wednesday: Secret Letters
I love the legend of Sherlock Holmes (I was born in London near his, perhaps fictional, offices. Truly!). Leah Scheier's novel, Secret Letters, brings the detective's world to life as she tries to solve a mystery in Victorian London. I have to say, I'm a sucker for this setting, and--superficially--I love the cover. Ah, London!
There are a few ways to enter to win, below, so get to it.
Happy Wednesday!
Cover Stories + Win-It Wednesday: Populazzi + 4 Books
Elise Allen, who co-wrote Hilary Duff's books (did you know that?) is here for her GCC tour, and she's telling tales about her cover, naturally.
"I got very lucky. I loved my cover the first time I saw it.
"While I loved it at first sight, the more I looked at it, the more I had issues. My biggest issue was the model’s lips. In the first draft of the cover, her lips were ginormous. She looked like she had a fish allergy, and had just sucked on a carp. I mentioned that to Harcourt, and they agreed, so the lips were shrunk to normal human size.
"Flush with that tweaking success, I gave the cover to my husband, a trained artist who does graphic design for a living. I asked him to give notes as if it were one of his work projects, and he came up with twenty very specific changes: tweaks in font, in placement of the image… he even comped up a version of what the cover should be, and said he could send the file to Harcourt if that would help. I was elated, and passed all the information to my publisher… who was very kind as they patted me on the head and said (and I’m paraphrasing), 'Sweetie, we did the lip thing. That’s all you get. Settle down now, okay?'
"The cover was shot with a model, and they actually made the Populazzi necklace for the shoot. I’ve been trying to get my hands on it ever since, but alas, to no avail!"
Thanks, Elise! I actually know how you can DIY a necklace like that. Cool, huh?
Now here comes the Win-It Part: To thank everyone for their support with the paperback launch, Elise is doing a giveaway on her blog where commenters can win a pack of five books -- Populazzi plus books from the four authors who blurbed it. Go enter!
PS-Check out the trailer for Populazzi below:
Win-It Wednesday: Every Day by David Levithan
I am reading this book, which is one of the reasons why the rest of my life is getting chaotic. I cannot put it down! Every day, "A" jumps into another person's life, another person's body... and has to live in their world. But when he meets Rhiannon, he falls hard, and he has to see her again. And again. But each time as a new person.
It sounds kooky, but it's so well done and compelling! Yes, totally Quantum Leap-ish, but with more heart.
Also, I've been humming Buddy Holly and Fleetwood Mac songs all week. And I thought Unbreak My Heart gave me an earworm!
Enter with a comment, bonus for a tweet. Happy Wednesday!