WRITERS HELPING WRITERS AMAZING RACE & THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US & THE HERO'S GUIDE TO STORMING THE CASTLE GIVEAWAY

Hi Everyone! There's not going to be an Ask The Expert interview today. But I've got some good things to share with you.

First, sorry I wasn't around blogs, Twitter, or Facebook much last week. It's been crazy busy at work (more on that next week). And I organized the senior night program for Anna Li's high school swim team, which went really well. Plus there was a second swim meet last nigh. So yes, it was insanely busy.

Second, Stina Lindenblatt, one of our followers and a friend many of you know, just revealed the cover for her debut NA book, TELL ME WHEN. It's gorgeous! Stina lost her blog on blogger recently and is building up her new blog so you might not know about her big news. So go HERE to check out her awesome cover and congratulate her.

And here's the winner of NOT A DROP TO DRINK--Cherie Reich!

Congrats! E-mail me your address so I can send you your book. Please e-mail me by the end of Wednesday or I'll have to pick another winner.

Next, I'm helping celebrate Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi celebrate the release of their two new books. And to celebrate, they've got a plan for writers to help each other.

Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi at Writers Helping Writers (formerly The Bookshelf Muse) have added two more books to their Descriptive Thesaurus Collection: The Positive Trait Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Attributes and The Negative Trait Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Flaws. To celebrate, they are hosting a race, and not just any old race, either. It's the...

 

Writing is hard, isn't it? Create the perfect hook. Make your first page compelling. Craft an amazing 25 word pitch. Knock out a query that will blow an agent's mind. On and on it goes. And sometimes, well, you just wish someone would help.

WISH NO MORE!

From October 21st until October 27th, Writers Helping Writers is posting an OPEN CALL for writers. You can fill out a form, requesting help with critiques, book visibility, social media sharing, blog diagnostics, advice and more.


An army of Amazing Racers are standing by (ME INCLUDED!) waiting to help with your submissions. How many people can we help in a week? Let's find out! Did I mention there are Celebrity Racers too--amazing authors and editors who know their way around a first page. Maybe one of them will pick your submission to help with!


Each day this week, there's an AMAZING giveaway, too. So stop in at Angela & Becca’s new Writers Helping Writers website and find out how to take advantage of this unique, pay-it-forward event for writers. I'll see you there! 


Photo Credit: Tharrin

Next, I have an ARC of THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US and a print copy of THE HERO'S GUIDE TO STORMING THE CASTLE for a giveaway. I haven't read them, but have heard fantastic things about them.

Here's a blurb of THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US from Goodreads:

Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers studies the rich like her own personal science experiment, and after years of observation she’s pretty sure they’re only good for one thing—spending money on useless stuff, like the porcelain dolls in her mother’s shop.

So when Xander Spence walks into the store to pick up a doll for his grandmother, it only takes one glance for Caymen to figure out he’s oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and that he’s one of the first people who actually gets her, she’s smart enough to know his interest won’t last. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned from her mother’s warnings, it’s that the rich have a short attention span. But Xander keeps coming around, despite her best efforts to scare him off. And much to her dismay, she's beginning to enjoy his company.

She knows her mom can’t find out—she wouldn’t approve. She’d much rather Caymen hang out with the local rocker who hasn’t been raised by money. But just when Xander’s attention and loyalty are about to convince Caymen that being rich isn’t a character flaw, she finds out that money is a much bigger part of their relationship than she’d ever realized. And that Xander’s not the only one she should’ve been worried about.

And here's a blurb of THE HERO'S GUIDE TO STORMING THE CASTLE from Goodreads:

 Prince Liam. Prince Frederic. Prince Duncan. Prince Gustav. You remember them, don't you? They're

the Princes Charming who finally got some credit after they stepped out of the shadows of their princesses - Cinderella, Rapunzel, Snow White, and Briar Rose - to defeat an evil witch bent on destroying all their kingdoms.

But alas, such fame and recognition only last so long. And when the princes discover that an object of great power might fall into any number of wrong hands, they are going to have to once again band together to stop it from happening - even if no one will ever know it was they who did it.

Christopher Healy, author of the acclaimed The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, takes us back to the hilariously fractured fairy-tale world he created for another tale of medieval mischief. Magical gemstones, bladejaw eels, a mysterious Gray Phantom, and two maniacal warlords bent on world domination - it's all in a day's work for the League of Princes.

Thanks to Harper Collins and Walden Pond Press for providing these for a giveaway. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (just click the follow button if you’re not a follower) and leave a comment telling me which book you'd like (no guarantees) through November 2nd. I’ll announce the winner on November 4th. If your e-mail is not on your Google Profile, please leave it in the comments.

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry. This giveaway is for U.S./Canada only.

Here's what's coming up:

Tomorrow I have a Tip Tuesday by J. Curtis Mace and a giveaway of KEEPING THE PEACE, his paranormal story.

On Wednesday, I’m interviewing my awesome critique partner Lori Sawicki, who recently self-published her MG contemporary story, THE POWER OF TWO. It’s a fantastic contemporary story about bullying and friendship. I loved the vivid, complex characters Lori created in Jamie and Pru. And she's got tips on marketing when you're not on Facebook or Twitter and don't blog.

Next Monday, I’ll be giving away my signed ARC of EXILE, book two in the MG fantasy series by Shannon Messenger and a signed copy of her YA fantasy, LET THE SKY FALL, and sharing about getting to meet Shannon. It was SO awesome!

Next Wednesday Kit Grindstaff will be doing a guest post and there will be a giveaway of her MG spooky fantasy, THE FLAME IN THE MIST. Kit’s interview was super popular so I’m excited to give you another chance to win this.

The following Monday I’ll be interviewing Meagan Spooner and Amie Kaufman and giving away an ARC of THESE BROKEN STARS. It’s a fantastic sci-fi story which really got me in touch with how similar sci-fi world building can be to fantasy, my favorite genre.

And don't forget our Tuesday Tips and Casey's Thursday agent spotlights.

Hope to see you tomorrow!