In My Mailbox

I got several things in my mailbox this week that I'm excited about and several things for upcoming giveaways on the blog.

This is the A Wrinkle in Time 50th Anniversary celebration kit that I received from Macmillan Children's Books.  I expected to receive ONE kit, instead I received THREE.  That is going to be a massive giveaway!  The anniversary is scheduled for February 11.  In each kit there is: a t-shirt, 5 buttons, 25 bookmarks, a tote bag, a poster (not pictured) and instructional papers. Now all we need are some books...

Article 5 by Kristen Simmons
Fallen in Love by Lauren Kate
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I have bought multiple copies of The Hunger Games and I must say that the best cover goes to the flaming mockingjay.  These are for an upcoming giveaway...stay tuned.

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton (paperback)
Wings of the Wicked by Courtney Allison Moulton

The paperback copy of Angelfire and one copy of Wings of the Wicked are for an upcoming giveaway.

 I also picked up some bookmarks to give away with the books above.  If you have read the Angelfire series, you know who the characters are.  The bookmark on the far left shows what the other bookmarks have on the back.  There is one of each character with each book.

Wings of the Wicked book signing and Giveaway

I went to Lansing with my sister Jamie and my niece Ilana, to our favorite Indie bookstore, Schuler Books.  They always have fun book signings.  I have a few that I hope to go there this spring including Leah Clifford and some others that I won't mention yet.  I always love going to book signings in Michigan because I get to see all my favorite Michigan authors (I'll include Leah Clifford in this although she is not technically a Michigan author.  It's an honorary title.) like Leah Clifford, Courtney Allison Moulton, DJ DeSmyter and Aimée Carter.   It's really neat to see them at almost every signing that we go to.

The reason for this signing, however, was the release of the 2^nd book in the Angelfire series, Wings of the Wicked.  At this signing, Courtney Allison Moulton, read some of her new book, took questions and then signed books.  It was a really casual event.

Reading some of Wings of the Wicked

The signing.  Courtney had cool bookmarks that I have seen on her blog.  I was excited about these.  She also had the blades from the cover shoots.  They were awesome.  Not very sharp though, although I guess that is a good thing.

This was the most exciting of the day.  I got to play with the blades and be the Preliator...for a few minutes. 

The first prize is one autographed copy of Wings of the Wicked.  Along with the book, I am giving you three bookmarks.  These are the character bookmarks.  The one to the far left is the back of the other three.  You will get a complete set with your autographed book.

I am also giving away one autographed copy of the new paperback copy of Angelfire.  This copy has some extras in it.  You will also get a set of three character bookmarks.

●Names will be drawn by random.org that is within rafflecopter.  Winners will be notified by e-mail and will have 48 hours to respond or you forfeit your prize.

●Contest is international

●Must be at least 13 years old to enter

●I reserve the right to cancel the contest at any time without notice.

●I am not responsible to prizes lost or damaged in the postal system.  I try to package things so this doesn’t happen, but the postal system isn’t infallible.

Michigan Authors Giveaway

Since it is October, my favorite month of the year, I thought I would pay homage to my fellow Michiganders with a giveaway.  The following are three authors that are from Michigan and I have seen them frequently at book signings throughout the state.  I am giving away one autographed book from each author and 12 bookmarks that I have collected from these authors.  This contest is open internationally.

Hunted by DJ DeSmyter

Seventeen-year-old Lily Atwater has always kept to herself, living a lonely life with her workaholic dad. Not the most thrilling life, but it’s quiet and ordinary, two things she’s come to expect from living in Victor Hills, Michigan.
 
When kind and mysterious Alex takes refuge in her home, she is suddenly thrown into his world of werewolves, a world he wants to keep her safe from. But while the two of them grow closer, a relentless hunter continues his search, stalking the woods with hopes of catching the wolf that got away…

The Goddess Test by Aimée Carter

It's always been just Kate and her mom—and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall.

Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld—and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

Kate is sure he's crazy—until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess.

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

First there are nightmares.

Every night Ellie is haunted by terrifying dreams of monstrous creatures that are hunting her, killing her.

Then come the memories.

When Ellie meets Will, she feels on the verge of remembering something just beyond her grasp. His attention is intense and romantic, and Ellie feels like her soul has known him for centuries. On her seventeenth birthday, on a dark street at midnight, Will awakens Ellie's power, and she knows that she can fight the creatures that stalk her in the grim darkness. Only Will holds the key to Ellie's memories, whole lifetimes of them, and when she looks at him, she can no longer pretend anything was just a dream.

Now she must hunt.

Ellie has power that no one can match, and her role is to hunt and kill the reapers that prey on human souls. But in order to survive the dangerous and ancient battle of the angels and the Fallen, she must also hunt for the secrets of her past lives and truths that may be too frightening to remember.

Maggie Stiefvater book signing

Ilana waiting for the signing

My niece Ilana and I went to a book signing at Borders in Novi, Michigan yesterday.  It was a three-hour drive, but so worth it.  Maggie spoke first and was hilarious!  I loved it!

Maggie's Car

Love the license plate!!!

Maggie's Books:

Alternate Covers:

UPCOMING:

Released October 18, 2011

Other Authors:

There were some other authors there as well to get their books signed.  A few of them are from Michigan and I've seen them at other signings.

DJ DeSmyter

Tessa Gratton

Courtney Allison Moulton, Aimée Carter, Leah Clifford

Their Books

Released August 08, 2011

Alternate cover for The Goddess Test

Angelfire

That’s the point of believing in something. There’s so much doubt and tribulation during your journey that you’ve got to hang on to something, or else you’ll fall.

Courtney Allison Moulton

The main character, Ellie, thinks that she is a normal teenager. Then she sees the "mysterious boy" (Will) that she feels like she has known forever. In this book, Ellie learns who she really is and how to deal with the powers that she possess. It is not an easy process. She rejects what Will tells her until memories start returning to her. Together, they then must fight the epic battle between good and evil while Ellie tries to maintain some sense of normalcy and discern what type of relationship she has with Will.

Life is going to test you in ways it never has before. Don't let your future change the good person that you are or make forget who you are.

It is captivating and Courtney Allison Moulton really draws you in with the the way she tells the story. It has the right amount of drama, action, humor and romance. I laughed so many times while reading. It is a book that will keep you intrigued while keeping things realistic and believable.

Goodreads synopsis:

This debut, the first novel in a trilogy, is achingly romantic, terrifying, and filled with blistering action.

When seventeen-year-old Ellie starts seeing reapers - monstrous creatures who devour humans and send their souls to Hell - she finds herself on the front lines of a supernatural war between archangels and the Fallen and faced with the possible destruction of her soul.

A mysterious boy named Will reveals she is the reincarnation of an ancient warrior, the only one capable of wielding swords of angelfire to fight the reapers, and he is an immortal sworn to protect her in battle. Now that Ellie's powers have been awakened, a powerful reaper called Bastian has come forward to challenge her. He has employed a fierce assassin to eliminate her - an assassin who has already killed her once.

While balancing her dwindling social life and reaper-hunting duties, she and Will discover Bastian is searching for a dormant creature believed to be a true soul reaper. Bastian plans to use this weapon to ignite the End of Days and to destroy Ellie's soul, ending her rebirth cycle forever. Now, she must face an army of Bastian's most frightening reapers, prevent the soul reaper from consuming her soul, and uncover the secrets of her past lives - including truths that may be too frightening to remember.

I scowled and stabbed begrudginly at the stack before scooping up a bite with my fork, but it toppled over and plopped into my lap. I groaned and banged my head on the counter.
Mom frowned, 'You have to be smarter than the pancakes, Ellie.'