Giveaway - IF I LIE by Cory Jackson (Signed!)

 A powerful debut novel about the gray space between truth and perception.
Quinn’s done the unthinkable: she kissed a guy who is not Carey, her boyfriend. And she got caught. Being branded a cheater would be bad enough, but Quinn is deemed a traitor, and shunned by all of her friends. Because Carey’s not just any guy—he’s serving in Afghanistan and revered by everyone in their small, military town.
Quinn could clear her name, but that would mean revealing secrets that she’s vowed to keep—secrets that aren’t hers to share. And when Carey goes MIA, Quinn must decide how far she’ll go to protect her boyfriend…and her promise.

What Kirkus said about IF I LIE by Cory Jackson:

“Sophie’s blunt, perceptive present-tense narration takes readers effectively into her personal emotional maelstrom. Relationships and their dynamics play themselves out naturally and with satisfying complexity; readers see all too clearly the damage done in the name of love.“
-from Kirkus

I got to go to Cory's launch party last night at Books Inc. in San Francisco and it was so great to see her so excited about her debut novel! There was a candy bar and red velvet cake pops (which were awesome) and a wonderful crowd there to celebrate with her.

IF I LIE is receiving rave reviews even though it only debuted yesterday. I got a copy for me and a signed copy for YOU! This giveaway is international - so spread the word!



Amazon | Indiebound | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million




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Back To School Giveaway!

In honor of back to school (known around here as the most wonderful time of the year-no disrespect to Christmas), I'm holding a giveaway that is only for librarians and teachers. Included in the prize pack are:
 

• Signed hardcover of TRANSCENDENCE
• 35 signed TRANSCENDENCE bookmarks
• Ankh temporary tatoos
• Ankh earrings
• Signed hardcover of DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS
• Signed paperback of DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS
• 35 signed DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS bookmarks
• Shabby Teddy from DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS

If you'd like to add these books to your classroom or school (or public) library, just enter on the Rafflecopter link below. Because the box is fairly large, the giveaway is open to US residents only. 

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DARK PLACES-Free eBook Sampler

My publisher, Bloomsbury/Walker has put together an amazing free eBook sampler for the Kindle and the Nook. Called DARK PLACES, it is a collection of first chapters, author notes and bonus chapters from TRANSCENDENCE, Susan Vaught's FREAKS LIKE US, Megan Miranda's FRACTURE and THE UNQUIET by Jeannine Garsee. I'm honored to be among authors that I admire so much and I'm so happy to be included in this compilation.

I'm SO excited for this sampler. I love bonus material and it was so much fun to create something special for fans of TRANSCENDENCE. In my author note, I answer the question of what inspired the story of reincarnation (and cried just a little while writing it) and the bonus material encompasses the two weeks leading up to the moment that Griffon and Cole meet at the Tower of London. The best part? It's told from Griffon's point of view, so we get a glimpse into what goes on in his mind.

I love it and I hope you will too! Check it out on Amazon for Kindle and on Barnes and Noble for Nook. and let me know what you think.

Tour of The Tower of London

A few weeks ago, I was in London and went back to the Tower to revisit some of the sites that are important to TRANSCENDENCE. If you've read the book,  you know that the book opens with Cole taking a tour of the Tower of London with her sister Kat. There, she has some strange visions that start her on a journey that will change her life. 

This is the view from the Tower Hill tube stop just across the street. Cole has her first vision of the executions on the hill on this spot.

This is a view of the Tower of London from just up the hill. In the 1500s, there would have been a moat all around it where the grass is today. The smell would have been amazing.                                                          

These are some of the living quarters over the main entrance gate. Griffon's dad lives here.

 

Cole comments that it's odd to see all of the historical buildings with the modern glass structures just beyond the walls.  You can see what she means here.

A lot of the warders live on the grounds of the Tower - you can see their homes and the buildings they use for day to day life if you look around. 

  

A view across the main lawn.

A warder giving a tour.

                                                                                

Beauchamp Tower, where all of the prisoner's graffiti is located. Later in the book, Cole has a memory of sitting in the window that you see on the second floor overlooking the execution spot on the Green.

 

This is all prisoner's graffiti that is carved right into the walls.  This last one is the one I used as inspiration for the one that Cole finds on the wall that seems to be important to her.

The view from the window in Beauchamp Tower. You can see the glass memorial on the left hand side by the grass. The actual execution scaffolding would have been built on the right of the photo on the other side of the path.

The glass memorial to the executed.

The entrance to the Crown Jewels.

The Armouries Cafe where Griffon takes Cole to have some tea after she faints.

Axe and executioner's block that were used at the Tower.

 I think visiting sites where a book takes place really makes it come to life. If you ever visit London, make sure to stop by the Tower of London and run your hand over the ancient stone walls. You never know what might happen!

ADAPTATION by Malinda Lo - Giveaway!

Because I know important people (and okay, I begged a little bit) I got an advanced copy of Malinda Lo's amazing science fiction story ADAPTATION. I raced through the entire thing on a flight from San Francisco to London a few weeks ago and it was as great as I expected it to be. 

Description:


Reese can't remember anything from the time between the accident and the day she woke up almost a month later. She only knows one thing: She's different now.

Across North America, flocks of birds hurl themselves into airplanes, causing at least a dozen to crash. Thousands of people die. Fearing terrorism, the United States government grounds all flights, and millions of travelers are stranded.

Reese and her debate team partner and longtime crush David are in Arizona when it happens. Everyone knows the world will never be the same. On their drive home to San Francisco, along a stretch of empty highway at night in the middle of Nevada, a bird flies into their headlights. The car flips over. When they wake up in a military hospital, the doctor won't tell them what happened, where they are--or how they've been miraculously healed.

Things become even stranger when Reese returns home. San Francisco feels like a different place with police enforcing curfew, hazmat teams collecting dead birds, and a strange presence that seems to be following her. When Reese unexpectedly collides with the beautiful Amber Gray, her search for the truth is forced in an entirely new direction--and threatens to expose a vast global conspiracy that the government has worked for decades to keep secret.

And you don't have to just take my word for it - check out this great blurb from Holly Black: 

"A clever, fast-paced romantic adventure chock-full of unexpected surprises."

So now you want to read it, right? And you don't want to have to wait for the release date on September 18th? Well, I have a solution for you!

I'm going to give away my previously read (but in very good shape) ARC of ADAPTATION. Did I mention that it went to London, Nigeria and Rome? So not only is it good reading, but it's well traveled too. And because I've looked all over the house and can't find any hoops for you to jump through, I'm going to make it easy for you  - all you have to do is comment below. That's it! Just leave a comment before midnight on July 17th and I'll draw a winner. (I'm seeing Malinda on Friday, so I'll even get her to sign it.) 

Unfortunately, I'm going to have to limit this to readers in the US and Canada. I recently sent several packages to Singapore and Malaysia and I'm flat broke now. But if you live around here and want your very own advance reader copy - just comment below.

A Taste of Transcendence

My publisher Bloomsbury/Walker did a great trailer for TRANSCENDENCE that gives just a hint at what's inside the pages:

Transcendence Review Roundup (#1)

I've been so thrilled at the great early reviews coming out for Transcendence already! Here are links to just a few of them, and I'll update them as we go:

WinterHaven Books blog
Beneath Shining Stars I Read
All Things Urban Fantasy
Letters Inside Out
BookSplot
Into the Hall of Books
OWL for YA
KenzieAudacious

I love that these bloggers take time out to read the books and then write such wonderfully thoughtful reviews - feel free to comment on their posts.

Transcendence comes out next Tuesday - hard to believe it's already here. I posted on Twitter that I'll send this ankh necklace (ankhs figure prominently in the book) to the first person who takes a picture of it on a bookstore shelves and posts it on Twitter (or my Facebook Page).


You can @ me on Twitter at @cjomololu .