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Blog Tour: The Tokyo Cover Girls by Jackie Amsden (Spotlight Post)

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Hey guys! I’m really excited to be on the blog tour for The Tokyo Cover Girls by Jackie Amsden (May 1st 2016 by Jackie Amsden)! Here’s more about the book!

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tokyocovergirlscover-1New York has Jacobs, Paris has Chanel, Milan has Versace and Tokyo has . . . Hello Kitty toilet plungers? With its cute-obsessed catalogue and magazine market, anyone who is anyone knows that modeling in Japan means being at the bottom of the fashion industry. Blake, Jess, and Hailey are doing their best to survive yet another casting where pigtails and toddler-impressions are a must when they stumble upon the opportunity of a lifetime. The prestigious Satsujin company has selected them to compete for a campaign that will transform the winner from commercial nobody to haute couture superstar faster than you can say Vogue Italia.

Amazon | Kobo | iTunes

Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

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jackieAbout the Author:

Jackie Amsden worked as a fashion model in China, Japan, and Taiwan before retiring at the age of eighteen after one too many agent threats, nude photo shoot requests, and self-loathing-induced Pocky binges. If you’d like to learn more about her decent into the darker side of Asia’s candy-coated modeling industry sign up for free installments of her upcoming memoir, Toy Girl, at www.jackieamsden.com.

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Follow the rest of the tour!

September 15th

The Cozy Little Book Nook – Review

RoloPoloBookBlog – Spotlight Post

September 16th

Book Lover Promo – Spotlight Post

Roxy’s Book Reviews – Spotlight Post

September 17th

The Phantom Paragrapher – Review

September 18th

VampyreLady’s Cover Reveals, Blog Tours, New Releases & All Things Bookish – Spotlight Post

Live to Read – Promo Post

September 19th

Alice’s Book Vault – Promo Post

September 20th

The Procrastinator’s Corner – Review

September 21st

Down the Bookhole – Spotlight Post

September 22nd

Bookrantings – Review

September 23rd

YA Book Divas – Review

September 24th

Little Miss Trainwreck – Author Interview

Book Lovers Life – Spotlight Post

September 25th

YaReads – Author Interview

September 26th

Lekeisha the Booknerd – Review

September 27th

The Book Beacon – Guest Post

Pandora’s Books – Promo Post

September 28th

Just One More Chapter – Spotlight Post

Noshelfcontrol – Author Interview

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Spotlight Post: The Littlest Bigfoot by Jennifer Weiner (Giveaway)

Happy Release Week to The Littlest Bigfoot by Jennifer Weiner (September 13, 2016 — Aladdin)!

tlbFrom New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Weiner comes a laugh-out-loud funny and painstakingly real tale of friendship, furry creatures, and finding the place where you belong.

Alice Mayfair, twelve years old, slips through the world unseen and unnoticed. Ignored by her family and shipped off to her eighth boarding school, Alice would like a friend. And when she rescues Millie Maximus from drowning in a lake one day, she finds one.

But Millie is a Bigfoot, part of a clan who dwells deep in the woods. Most Bigfoots believe that people—NoFurs, as they call them—are dangerous, yet Millie is fascinated with the No-Fur world. She is convinced that humans will appreciate all the things about her that her Bigfoot tribe does not: her fearless nature, her lovely singing voice, and her desire to be a star.

Alice swears to protect Millie’s secret. But a league of Bigfoot hunters is on their trail, led by a lonely kid named Jeremy. And in order to survive, Alice and Millie have to put their trust in each other—and have faith in themselves—above all else.

Goodreads | Amazon
Book Depository | Kobo

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And now for the giveaway! To enter to win a hardcover of The Littlest Bigfoot by Jennifer Weiner (US only), fill out the Rafflectoper below!

-Winner has 48 hours to respond. If winner does not respond, a new winner will be selected.

-You must be 13 or older to enter OR have your parents’ permission.

-I am not responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged items.

-I reserve the right to change any rules as I see fit for each individual giveaway

With that being said, I wish you luck! May the odds be ever in your favor!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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jwAbout the Author:
 
A #1 New York Times bestselling author, Jennifer Weiner’s books have spent over five years on the New York Times bestseller list with over 11 million copies in print in 36 countries.

She is the author of the novels Good in Bed (2001); In Her Shoes(2002), which was turned into a major motion picture starring Cameron Diaz, Toni Collette and Shirley MacLaine; Little Earthquakes (2004); Goodnight Nobody (2005); the short story collection The Guy Not Taken (2006); Certain Girls (2008); Best Friends Forever (2009); Fly Away Home (2010); Then Came You(2011); The Next Best Thing (2012); All Fall Down (2014) and Who Do You Love (2015). Her debut middle-grade book, THE LITTLEST BIGFOOT, will be published in September of 2016. Her first nonfiction collection, HUNGRY HEART, will appear in October of 2016.

Jennifer Weiner grew up in Connecticut and graduated summa cum laude with a degree in English literature from Princeton University in 1991. She worked as a newspaper reporter in central Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Philadelphia, where she was a feature writer and columnist for The Philadelphia Inquirer. Now a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times Op-Ed and Sunday Review, Weiner’s essays – “Mean Girls in the Retirement Home” and “Another Thing to Hate About Ourselves” – rose to the top of the “most emailed” lists and have been reprinted in newspapers and media outlets across the world.

With over 128,000 fans on Facebook and 131,000 followers on Twitter, Weiner appeared on Time magazine’s list of “140 Best Twitter Feeds.” The magazine hailed her “must-read” live “Bachelor” tweets, noting that “rarely has there been such an ideal pairing of material and writer.” Forbes magazine put her on their list of “25 Working Moms to Follow on Twitter,” writing “tune in for hilarious shards of brilliance.” Entertainment Weekly named her as part of its “brain trust” for social media coverage of the 2016 election. writing “the best-selling novelist comments on the race with the same wit she brings to live-tweeting ‘The Bachelor.”

A 2014 New Yorker profile called Jen an “unlikely feminist enforcer” and celebrated her “lively public discussion about the reception and consumption of fiction written by women.”

In 2015, Slate praised Jen’s “power-tweeting, Bachelor-watching feminist brand” and her mastery of the “haterbrag,” “a bit of social media sleight-of-hand that turns an insult into an asset.”

Jen uses her social media platform to encourage women’s voices, self-esteem, and body positivity. In the summer of 2016, she posted a picture of herself in a bathing suit with the #weartheswimsuit hashtag, encouraging women of all ages and sizes to put on their bathing suits and get in the water. The movement, which was covered in media outlets including PopSugar, Time, Kveller, “The Today Show” and “Good Morning America,” encouraged hundreds of women to shuck their cover-ups, skip the heat rash, get in the water and post shots of themselves in their swimsuits.

Jennifer has appeared on many national television programs, including The Today Show, Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, and CBS Sunday Morning, as well as #RichkidsofBeverlyHills and, as herself, on Younger. She did a series of pop culture videos for People.com, which will resume in of 2017, with the new season of “The Bachelor.” Her frank, funny Facebook Live videos, on topics from the Taylor Swift/Kim Kardashian feud to gold-medal-winning shot-putter Michelle Carter’s lack of endorsement deals, have been viewed tens of thousands of times and have made her page a destination for fans of sharp, witty takes on the world.

Her work has been published in dozens of newspapers and magazines, including Seventeen, Redbook, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Allure, Ladies Home Journal, Time and Good Housekeeping. Jennifer can be found on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram and, in real life, Philadelphia, where she lives with her family.

Website

Release Day Launch: The Peculiar Haunting of Thelma Bee by Erin Petti

Happy Book Birthday to Erin Petti and The Peculiar Haunting of Thelma Bee!

Thelma bee 2 Ghost-story lover and debut author Erin Petti has written a quirky story for fans of The Goonies, Goosebumps, and Coraline.

Eleven-year-old budding scientist Thelma Bee has adventure in her blood. But she gets more than she bargained for when a ghost kidnaps her father. Now her only clues are a strange jewelry box and the word “Return,” whispered to her by the ghost. It’s up to Thelma to get her dad back, and it might be more dangerous than she thought—there’s someone wielding dark magic, and they’re coming after her next.

YOU choose the cover! Vote at thelmabee.com and enter to win a Thelma Bee gift box that includes a signed book, stickers, buttons, a Thelma Bee journal, and more!

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

The Book Depository | Kobo | Audible

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Erin Petti
 
Erin Petti lives by the ocean in Massachusetts and loves to read about magic, dinosaurs, folklore, and ghosts. She has a Masters in Education and a background in improvisational comedy.

Erin lives with her husband, excellent toddler, and cat (who she suspects likes her better than she’s letting on).

Her debut novel, The Peculiar Haunting of Thelma Bee, publishes from Mighty Media Press September 2016.

Website | Twitter

Blog Tour: How to Hang a Witch by Adriana Mather (Spotlight)

Hey everyone! I’m really, really excited to be on the blog tour for How to Hang a Witch by Adriana Mather (July 26, 2016 – Knopf Books for Young Readers). This book looks amazing and I’m so excited to read it! Now, here’s more about the book and author!

How to Hang a WitchIt’s the Salem Witch Trials meets Mean Girls in a debut novel from one of the descendants of Cotton Mather, where the trials of high school start to feel like a modern day witch hunt for a teen with all the wrong connections to Salem’s past.

Salem, Massachusetts is the site of the infamous witch trials and the new home of Samantha Mather. Recently transplanted from New York City, Sam and her stepmother are not exactly welcomed with open arms. Sam is the descendant of Cotton Mather, one of the men responsible for those trials and almost immediately, she becomes the enemy of a group of girls who call themselves The Descendants. And guess who their ancestors were?

If dealing with that weren’t enough, Sam also comes face to face with a real live (well technically dead) ghost. A handsome, angry ghost who wants Sam to stop touching his stuff. But soon Sam discovers she is at the center of a centuries old curse affecting anyone with ties to the trials. Sam must come to terms with the ghost and find a way to work with The Descendants to stop a deadly cycle that has been going on since the first accused witch was hanged. If any town should have learned its lesson, it’s Salem. But history may be about to repeat itself.

Goodreads | Amazon

Book Depository | IndieBound | Kobo

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AM picAbout the Author:
 
Adriana Mather is the 12th generation of Mathers in America, and as such her family has their fingers in many of its historical pies – the Mayflower, the Salem Witch Trials, the Titanic, the Revolutionary War, and the wearing of curly white wigs. Also, Adriana co-owns a production company, Zombot Pictures, in LA that has made three feature films in three years. Her first acting scene in a film ever was with Danny Glover, and she was terrified she would mess it up. In addition, her favorite food is pizza and she has too many cats.

Twitter | Goodreads Profile | Website

Spotlight Post: Dr. Fell and the Playground of Doom by David Neilsen

Hey everyone! Today, I have a spotlight post for Dr. Fell and the Playground of Doom by David Neilsen (August 9, 2016 – Crown Books for Young Readers) to share with you. This book sounds both creepy and intriguing! Enjoy!

Dr Fell “Such deliciously creepy fun! I fell in love with Dr. Fell! So will urchins and whippersnappers everywhere.” —Chris Grabenstein, author of the New York Times bestsellers Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library and The Island of Dr. Libris

When the mysterious Dr. Fell moves into the abandoned house that had once been the neighborhood kids’ hangout, he immediately builds a playground to win them over. But as the ever-changing play space becomes bigger and more elaborate, the children and their parents fall deeper under the doctor’s spell.

Only Jerry, Nancy, and Gail are immune to the lure of his extravagant wonderland. And they alone notice that when the injuries begin to pile up on the jungle gym, somehow Dr. Fell is able to heal each one with miraculous speed. Now the three children must find a way to uncover the doctor’s secret power without being captivated by his trickery.

Goodreads | Amazon

The Book Depository | Kobo

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DavidAbout the Author:
 
David Neilsen is the author of Dr. Fell and the Playground of Doom, and several other odd, weird, supernatural, and occasionally slightly disturbing books and stories. David is also a professionally trained actor who works as a professional storyteller up and down the Hudson River Valley and in New York City. His one-man performances based on the work of H.P. Lovecraft have sent many screaming into the hills in search of their sanity.

Website | Twitter

Pre-release Blitz: The Flame Never Dies by Rachel Vincent (Excerpt + Giveaway)

 
I am super excited to be a part of this pre-release blitz to help spread the word that THE FLAME NEVER DIES, the second book in Rachel Vincent’s The Stars Never Rise series, is releasing on August 16th!

For those that are already caught up on this series, the wait is (almost) finally over! For those that haven’t yet met Nina Kane or discovered the dark and dangerous world she lives in, there’s still time to catch up – and a really sweet deal (details below) that will make you want to move this series to the top of your reading pile!

Scroll down to learn more about THE FLAME NEVER DIES and THE STARS NEVER RISE, the author, Rachel Vincent, and to enter the giveaway for a chance to win a signed hardback set of these two amazing books!

And for even more peeks at the fab content being shared throughout the blitz – shareable quotation graphics, excerpts and an interview – look for other blogger participants now through August 15th on social media #TheFlameNeverDies.

AND…


THE STARS NEVER RISE goes on sale!

In anticipation of the upcoming release of THE FLAME NEVER DIES, the publisher is dropping the price for the eBook version of the first book in the series – THE STARS NEVER RISE! So if you haven’t yet discovered this series, now is the perfect time!

Just head over to your favorite online e-tailer to look for THE STARS NEVER RISE with its newly lowered price or visit one of these online stores – AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | iTUNES | GOOGLE PLAY | KOBO.

Please note that at the time of this post some stores may not yet have updated their sites to the promotional pricing. If they haven’t, be sure to check back for this awesome not-to-be-missed deal!


About THE FLAME NEVER DIES

Title & Series: THE FLAME NEVER DIES (The Stars Never Rise #2)
Author: Rachel Vincent
Release date: August 16, 2016
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pages: 352
Formats: Hardcover, eBook

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For fans of Cassandra Clare and Richelle Mead comes the unputdownable sequel to The Stars Never Rise, a book Rachel Caine, author of the bestselling Morganville Vampires series, called “haunting, unsettling, and eerily beautiful.”

ONE SPARK WILL RISE. Nina Kane was born to be an exorcist. And since uncovering the horrifying truth—that the war against demons is far from over—seventeen-year-old Nina and her pregnant younger sister, Mellie, have been on the run, incinerating the remains of the demon horde as they go.

In the badlands, Nina, Mellie, and Finn, the fugitive and rogue exorcist who saved her life, find allies in a group of freedom fighters. They also face a new threat: Pandemonia, a city full of demons. But this fresh new hell is the least of Nina’s worries. The well of souls ran dry more than a century ago, drained by the demons secretly living among humans, and without a donor soul, Mellie’s child will die within hours of its birth.
Nina isn’t about to let that happen . . . even if it means she has to make the ultimate sacrifice.


The Excerpt


Here’s a sneak peek from chapter two of THE FLAME NEVER DIES…


“What’s your name, sweetheart?” Ana asked the boy, and I realized there would be no teaching her caution where children were concerned. She had spent five years as a grade-school teacher.

“Tobias.” The boy’s voice was soft and hoarse, as if he’d been crying. His gaze slid from Anabelle to me, and I decided the glazed look in his eyes was from shock.

He reminded me of the kindergartners I’d spent my service hour with every day of my senior year, until the Church had declared me a cancerous wart on mankind’s collective hind end. Tobias could have been any kid in my class, terrified and traumatically orphaned.

We couldn’t leave him alone in the badlands. Yet ours was no life for a kid.

The irony in that thought hit home when my sister waddled past me, one hand on her huge belly. “Melanie,” I called, but she waved off my warning. When I glanced at Finn, he nodded to give me the all clear, the rifle still aimed at the ground. He’d inspected the car from the outside and squatted to peer beneath it, and had found no immediate danger.

Still, Mellie was too pregnant to fight or to flee from sudden danger, so I followed her, ready to pull her out of the path of evil should a demon burst from the bloody car.

“Are you okay, Tobias?” my sister asked, kneeling in front of the child with Anabelle’s help.

For a moment he only stared at her, studying her pale skin and even paler hair. Finally he nodded, his gaze fixated on her stomach, while I tried to calculate the mileage his family must have traveled in that doomed blue car. “You got a baby in there?”

Melanie laughed, and I marveled at the fact that she could find joy where the rest of us saw only tragedy and hardship. “Yes. And I like your name, Tobias.” She laid one hand on her stomach. “Maybe I’ll borrow it if this little one’s a boy.”

Assuming it lived.

Melanie was a tireless optimist, not blind to the dangers of the world, exactly, but not quite concerned enough about them. She refused to think about the overwhelming odds against her child’s survival, and neither she nor Ana had even glanced at the carnage inside that blue car.

And I hadn’t heard her mention Adam, the ill-fated father of her child, in weeks.

Reese pulled the SUV to a stop beside our truck, right in the middle of the road, and the other half of our group poured out of the vehicle. “What the hell?” Footsteps crunched in the dirt behind me, and then Reese and Grayson stopped at my side. She carried a plastic jug and he had a hose wrapped around his massive left arm.

“Looks like the parents are dead in the front seat,” I whispered. “Not sure what happened yet, but Finn hasn’t found any immediate threat.”

“Poor thing!” Grayson cried.

Devi rolled her eyes and scuffed her boot in the dirt on the side of the road. “What the hell are we supposed to do with him?”

“We can’t leave him here.” Maddock threaded his arm through hers, frowning as he watched the little boy. “It’s a miracle he’s still alive. He must not have been here long.”

“We’re not even going to think about taking him with us until we know what killed his parents.” Devi circled the car toward the driver’s side and used one hand to shield the sun from her face while she bent to peer through the window. When she stood a second later, she looked sick. “Nothin’ but blood.”

While the rest of us took a closer look at the car, Grayson, Ana, and Mellie lured Tobias toward the cargo truck with promises of water and chocolate from a box of sweets that had been intended for the general store in New Temperance.

As Devi and Finn had said, the front windows were too caked with blood to show anything at all, and through the rear windshield we could see little more than the outlines of two bodies sitting in the front seats. The trunk door stood open a couple of inches, and when I lifted it, I saw that the narrow center seat had been folded down, creating a small path into the trunk from the backseat of the car. A path just wide enough for a six-year-old.

My stomach twisted at the thought of what Tobias must have witnessed. How could any kid see that much carnage without being psychologically destroyed?

When the child was out of sight behind the cargo truck, Maddock opened the driver’s door while Finn aimed his rifle at the interior just in case. Nothing jumped out at us, but after one glance inside I gasped and stepped back. Finn’s jaw tightened, and even Devi covered her mouth in horror.

The man and woman, still buckled into the front seats of the car, were drenched in blood fresh enough to glisten in the afternoon sunlight. The dashboard, windows, windshield, and floorboard had all been heavily splattered with what could only have been an arterial spray.

Yet even through all the gore, two things were clear.

First, the man and woman in the blue car were not Tobias’s biological parents—their skin was as pale as mine, even accounting for the pallor of recent death. And second, based on the blood and bits of flesh caking their right hands, the couple’s wounds appeared to be self-inflicted.

The man and woman had simply pulled onto the side of the road, then ripped out their own throats.


About Rachel Vincent

Rachel Vincent is a former English teacher and an eager champion of the Oxford comma. She shares her home in Oklahoma with two cats, two teenagers, and her husband, who’s been her # 1 fan from the start. Rachel is older than she looks and younger than she feels, and she remains convinced that writing about the things that scare her is the cheapest form of therapy—but social media is a close second.


About THE STARS NEVER RISE

Title & Series: THE STARS NEVER RISE (The Stars Never Rise #1)
Author: Rachel Vincent
Release date: June 9, 2015
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pages: 368
Formats: Hardcover, paperback, eBook***

***See above for details on the promotional pricing of the eBook

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Sixteen-year-old Nina Kane should be worrying about her immortal soul, but she’s too busy trying to actually survive. Her town’s population has been decimated by soul-consuming demons, and souls are in short supply. Watching over her younger sister, Mellie, and scraping together food and money are all that matters. The two of them are a family. They gave up on their deadbeat mom a long time ago.

When Nina discovers that Mellie is keeping a secret that threatens their very existence, she’ll do anything to protect her. Because in New Temperance, sins are prosecuted as crimes by the brutal Church and its army of black-robed exorcists. And Mellie’s sin has put her in serious trouble.

To keep them both alive, Nina will need to trust Finn, a fugitive with deep green eyes who has already saved her life once and who might just be an exorcist. But what kind of exorcist wears a hoodie?

Wanted by the Church and hunted by dark forces, Nina knows she can’t survive on her own. She needs Finn and his group of rogue friends just as much as they need her.


The Giveaway


Courtesy of the author, there is a blitz-wide giveaway for…

  • ONE (1) winner will receive a SIGNED hardback set of THE STARS NEVER RISE + THE FLAME NEVER DIES

Giveaway is US only. Must be 13 or older to enter. Giveaway ends on August 14th at 11:59 PM Pacific.

Enter in the Rafflecopter below…

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Spotlight Post: Royal Marriage Market #MyRoyalWedding Giveaway!

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Today we are sharing a giveaway for Heather Lyons based on her standalone novel ROYAL MARRIAGE MARKET. You can enter to win a signed copy of the book, tea, and a mug by using the hashtag #MyRoyalMarriage and filling out the rafflecopter below.
 
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Heather Lyons is having a fantastic giveaway! Use the hashtag #MyRoyalMarriage and tell us which Royal you’d marry. You can share a photo, their name, or whatever you’d like for your Royal pick. Be creative! The winner will receive a signed copy of ROYAL MARRIAGE MARKET, some tea, and a mug. Once you have shared your pick, be sure to fill out the rafflecopter below to officially enter.
 
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a Rafflecopter giveaway

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ROYAL MARRIAGE MARKET is available now for purchase!

Every decade, the world’s monarchs and their heirs secretly convene to discuss global politics and social issues—and arrange marriages between kingdoms.

Elsa may be the Hereditary Princess of Vattenguldia, but she finds the entire situation archaic and unsavory. While she wants what’s best for her country, she isn’t about to jump into an unwanted relationship—let alone a marriage—with a virtual stranger. Of course, her feelings matter little to her parents, whose wheeling and dealings over trade pacts and alliances achieved at her expense begin the moment they set foot in California for the Summit. So when a blindingly handsome royal runs into her, she doesn’t hesitate to tell him there’s no way she’s marrying him.

Christian is all too happy to agree: no marriage. As the Hereditary Grand Duke of Aiboland, his main goal is to get through the summit without a bride being foisted on him. Which is why he suggests they help each other field potential intendeds. As Christian slowly gets to know Elsa, though, he realizes they have a lot more in common than just their feelings about the Royal Marriage Market. Only he can’t fall for her, because royal or not, they’re not meant for each other.

Elsa and Christian will have to evaluate matters of the heart verses those of state and crown, and decide whether or not tradition trumps love.

Amazon US | Amazon UK | iBooks | Kobo

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About the Author:

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Heather Lyons is known for writing epic, heartfelt love stories often with a fantastical twist. From Young Adult to New Adult to Adult novels—one commonality in all her books is the touching, and sometimes heart-wrenching, romance. In addition to writing, she’s also been an archaeologist and a teacher. She and her husband and children live in sunny Southern California and are currently working their way through every cupcakery she can find.
 
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Pinterest | Amazon | Newsletter

 
 

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Release Day Blitz: Click Here to Start by Denis Markell

Happy Book Birthday to Denis Markell, author of Click Here to Start, out today from Delacorte BFYR!

CHTSANWhat if playing video games was prepping you to solve an incredible real-world puzzle and locate a priceless treasure?

Twelve-year-old Ted Gerson has spent most of his summer playing video games. So when his great- uncle dies and bequeaths him all the so-called treasure in his overstuffed junk shop of an apartment, Ted explores it like it’s another level to beat. And to his shock, he finds that eccentric Great-Uncle Ted actually has set the place up like a real-life escape-the-room game!

Using his specially honed skills, Ted sets off to win the greatest game he’s ever played, with help from his friends Caleb and Isabel. Together they discover that Uncle Ted’s “treasure” might be exactly that—real gold and jewels found by a Japanese American unit that served in World War II. With each puzzle Ted and his friends solve, they get closer to unraveling the mystery—but someone dangerous is hot on their heels, and he’s not about to let them get away with the fortune.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

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DenisAbout the Author:
 
 
Denis Markell has written everything from off-Broadway Musicals to Situation Comedies and even funny birthday cards for family members. This is his second book for children. It was inspired by singing “Hush, Little Baby” to his son every night. For years. His fondest hope is that this will stop before his son goes to college.
 

Official Publisher Page – Simon & Schuster

Twitter | Goodreads

Spotlight Post: This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp (Contest Announcement)

This is where it ends contest 
Hey everyone! I’ve got a really fun contest announcement for you today! This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp was haunting, chilling, riveting and realistic. Like I said in my review, this book absolutely gutted me and it’s one that I’m STILL thinking about months later. Which is why I’m really excited to help announce this awesome contest!

This contest starts TODAY, so start submitting those “moments” – Details below!

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Running from June 15-August 7, we are encouraging everyone to create as many “moments” as possible, sharing their progress along the way. Details of the challenge can be found here

As a special bonus for those interested in participating, by signing up here you will be entered to win an ‘Every Moment Counts’ prize packs that includes chalkboard + chalk and custom This Is Where It Ends lanyards.

(Contest announcement provided by Sourcebooks)

Spotlight Post: Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen by Jazz Jennings

Hey everyone! Today, I’m excited to share with you a spotlight post featuring Jazz Jennings, a teen trans rights advocate and author of BEING JAZZ: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen (June 7, 2016). Jazz has also been named the latest author ambassador for the newly relaunched Read Proud Listen Proud.

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Read Proud Listen Proud was introduced in June 2015 as an online resource for kids and teens, as well as their parents, teachers and librarians, to find LGBTQ literature that encourages understanding and acceptance, celebrating everyone for who they are through the power of storytelling. The site now features fresh content, including an interview with Jennings filmed while she was in the recording studio narrating BEING JAZZ and additional title recommendations.

Being Jazz“Jazz Jennings is one of the youngest champions of transgender equality.” —O, The Oprah Magazine

“A role model for teens everywhere.” —Seventeen.com on Jazz Jennings

Teen activist and trailblazer Jazz Jennings—named one of “The 25 Most Influential Teens” of the year by Time—shares her very public transgender journey, as she inspires people to accept the differences in others while they embrace their own truths.

Jazz Jennings is one of the youngest and most prominent voices in the national discussion about gender identity. At the age of five, Jazz transitioned to life as a girl, with the support of her parents. A year later, her parents allowed her to share her incredible journey in her first Barbara Walters interview, aired at a time when the public was much less knowledgeable or accepting of the transgender community. This groundbreaking interview was followed over the years by other high-profile interviews, a documentary, the launch of her YouTube channel, a picture book, and her own reality TV series—I Am Jazz—making her one of the most recognizable activists for transgender teens, children, and adults.

In her remarkable memoir, Jazz reflects on these very public experiences and how they have helped shape the mainstream attitude toward the transgender community. But it hasn’t all been easy. Jazz has faced many challenges, bullying, discrimination, and rejection, yet she perseveres as she educates others about her life as a transgender teen. Through it all, her family has been beside her on this journey, standing together against those who don’t understand the true meaning of tolerance and unconditional love. Now Jazz must learn to navigate the physical, social, and emotional upheavals of adolescence—particularly high school—complicated by the unique challenges of being a transgender teen. Making the journey from girl to woman is never easy—especially when you began your life in a boy’s body.

Goodreads | Amazon

Book Depository | Kobo | IndieBound

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JazzAbout Jazz Jennings
 
Jazz Jennings is a trans girl, YouTube celebrity, spokesmodel, activist, and co-author of the picture book I Am Jazz. She has a docu-series about her life also called I Am Jazz on TLC, which started airing in July 2015. She was named to Time’s “Most Influential Teens” list two years in a row, was one of Huffington Post’s “14 Most Fearless Teens,” and was the youngest person ever featured on Out’s “Out100,” as well as on Advocate’s “40 Under 40” list. In 2014, she was named a Human Rights Campaign Youth Ambassador and received LogoTV’s Youth Trailblazer Award. Jazz also hosts a series of videos about her life on YouTube and is one of the faces of Clean & Clear. You can follow her on Facebook, on Instagram, and on Twitter, or subscribe to her YouTube channel.