UNHINGED Teasy, Flippy Giveaway!

To celebrate finally being done with my frumious (albeit necessary) line edits, I'm sharing some Unhinged teasers and having a giveaway! And yes, it's INTL.

 

Let the futterwacken-ing BEGIN!

 

First, the Unhinged teasers:

Throughout book 2, Alyssa's Wonderland key and a keyhole heart locket are symbolic of a battle she has to face:

 

 

Several more Carrollian elements are brought to light, including:

What exactly is tulgey wood?

What are the looking glass insects, really?

The meaning behind the following two lines of the Jabberwocky poem will be revealed:

 

All mimsy were the borogoves,

And the mome raths outgrabe.

Odds are, it's a bit scarier than you think ... (◕‿◕)

 

Also, this verse from Lewis Carroll's Prologue to Alice poem plays a huge role in the book:

 

A childish story take,

And with a gentle hand,

Lay it where Childhoood's dreams are twined

In Memory's mystic band...

Assorted Unhinged tidbits:

Morpheus has a new hat, and the moths are more than just decorative.

Morpheus and Alyssa have an intense moment in the midst of a raging fire.

Jeb's artwork catches the attention of a mysterious and beautiful art collector, but is his art really the only thing she's interested in?

Alyssa and Jeb bond while taking a magical train ride.

Alyssa's mother returns home from the asylum.  

Alyssa learns the truth about her mother's past, and the secrets her mother has kept could prove to be Alyssa's undoing.

And, last but not least, Alyssa has a new artistic medium for her mosaics. It's even more morbid, and creepier, than the bug art.

 

***** 

Now for the contest portion of the post...

What's up for grabs?


2 lucky winners will receive a signed
COLLECTOR'S EDITION
Splintered/Unhinged flip ARC

Two- 1st prizes: Full SPLINTERED story w/bonus chapter of UNHINGED

 

2nd Prize: Signed copy of THE SHADOW GIRL

3rd Prize THE PECULIARS

 

Three- 4th place prizes:
One signed bookplate 
+ an UNHINGED/SPLINTERED book mark

Use the rafflecopter provided below to enter, and good luck!

Also, if those teasers made you impatient, you don't have to wait to see if you won the flip ARC to read a free sample chap of Unhinged. One is available on NetGalley right now.
Click the picture below for information.

 

Unhinged Sample Chapter

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway WINNERS and a small favor...

Thank you everyone who entered the UNHINGED Trailer Reveal Giveaway!

And the winners are (as chosen by Random.org):

 

SUPER SEEKRIT GRAND PRIZE

(Which I can now reveal as a special limited edition flip ARC, one side SPLINTERED cover and full story, then flip to the other side for UNHINGED cover and one sample chap! NICE, right???)

 

Grand Prize Winner: Ava Lassak

 

FIRST PRIZE

Unhinged personalized poster:

Danielle Duffield

 

SECOND PRIZE

Pocket watch necklace:

Jenelle Riane

 

THIRD PRIZE

Alice in Wonderland print:

Cali Willette

 

FOURTH PRIZE

Personalized Splintered swag pack:

C Daniella Alvarado-Reano

 

Congrats to all the winners! You will be receiving confirmation emails from me today. Also, I MIGHT have an extra one of those flip ARCs, in which case I MIGHT be giving another away soon. But no matter what, I WILL be having more giveaways leading up to Unhinged's release with all kinds of awesome goodies, so keep your eyes peeled!

As for the favor, did you know that the nominations for the 3rd annual YA Crush Tourney begin today? The YA Sisterhood has 4 bloggers helping out with the nominations:

@PageTurnersBlog http://t.co/FLAQqWw2WT
@StaceyONeale http://t.co/KjEerPBJvV
@FictishDelish http://t.co/AOyaCfXgQg
@StuckInBooks http://t.co/LXHjXL4K2d

If any of you would like to vote for Jeb or Morpheus in the DEBUT category, I would sure appreciate it! I'm hoping at least one of them can make it! Also, it would be great exposure for Splintered and Unhinged. :)

Thanks everyone, and have a great week! <3  

November *Unlock the Creativity* Giveaway -- 10 Signed ARCs!!!

 

For the November "Unlock the Secrets to Splintered" event, my amazing and generous publisher is giving away TEN signed Splintered ARCs!!!  (limited toUS and CANADA residents)

I'm as surprised and giddy as anyone, and couldn't wait to announce it here! To be in the running, you must have a pinterest account. If you qualify, hop over here for da RULES.

Also, for those of you who don't have a pinterest account and don't want one, never fear! There are other chances coming up in December for anyone to win. The upcoming prizes include some very UNIQUE Splintered related merchandise:

Fairy captured in a jar ... miniature bird cage ... set of flocked flamingos ... glass heart ... vintage chess pieces ... Wonderland recipe journal ... and the list goes on.

These prizes will be up for grabs during the official Amulet Splintered Virtual Tour ***Christmas in Wonderland: The Twelve Days of Splintered*** coordinated by Gabrielle Carolina at The Modge Podge Bookshelf. Other prizes will be offered during a special Red Carpet New Year's Eve event hosted by two of my dearest blogger pals, Jessica Nelson at Booking It and Bethany Crandell at Rookie Riter.

More info is forthcoming, so keep your eyeballs on the blog!

Until then, have a wonderful November. (◕‿◕)

WINNERS!!!

The winners of the Unlock the Secrets to Splintered giveaway are now posted over at my Contests and Giveaways page. Thank you everyone who participated!

And stay tuned; if you didn't win this time, there are lots more chances to come!

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Something like a dream...

Last Thursday, it finally hit me. It's really happening. The dream that I fought so hard and so long for is at last within my grasp. Literally. ♥˘⌣˘♥

Because my Splintered ARCs (advanced reader copies) came in the mail. And for the rest of that evening, I was *FLOATING*. Still am.

In fact, I can't seem to climb down off of this cloud ... might have something to do with how beautiful they are. See?

One thing that really struck me was what a unique marketing tool ARCs are. They're not just some unedited paperback version of the hardback. They have all kinds of juicy info on the inside and the outside to entice buyers for the book.

So, since I can't hand out an ARC to everyone to show you, I'll share a few of the details via pictures. First, the back cover:



Hopefully, the text is big enough that you can see the different sections.

• First there's the blurb by a respected and already published author, to let buyers/readers know that fans of said author might like this newbie author's work, as well.
• Then comes the book synopsis with a hook that will hopefully make buyers and readers equally excited to invest time and/or money into the story.
• After that comes the marketing information. In other words, what the publisher is doing to get exposure for the author and the book, and in turn, helping to make the buyer's job to sell books easier.
• Book specifications follow, such as numbers of pages, price, ISBN, age recs, etc...
• The Publisher's insignia and address, and the distributor information for anyone interested in ordering.

So basically, the outside is like a really elaborate business card. :)

The inside offers a preview of the finished layout. Chapter fonts, text fonts, designs, pictures, etc... are all on display. No holds barred, this is the time to display everything the book has to offer aesthetically, like a peacock spreading out those tail feathers to get the attention of his mate. And let me tell you, Splintered has some very pretty tail feathers (thanks to Amulet's design team for their artistic talent and foresight!). 





ARC picture collage by Gabrielle Carolina







So, there's a quick peek at the ins and outs of ARCs. Congrats to those of you who've already won a Splintered ARC in one of my contests. To those of you who haven't, I'll be having one more contest for one, so be watching!

Hope everyone has a great week! As for me? I'm going back to hugging my book. See you soon! :)

It's ALIVE!

Oh frabjous day, my new website is alive and kicking!

If you were wondering why I've been so quiet in the blogasphere and on twitter lately, it's because I was designing banners and adding text (we won't even mention my intake of caffeine). Heh

But it was worth the drowsy-hazed days and neglected teddy bear (he' still not speaking to me), because I now have a finished creation: simple, functional, and morbidly pretty. All the things I love in a monster, er, website.

Special thanks to Itkupilli, a Finnish artist and designer who offers free blog banners and backgrounds. You can find the "Free Backgrounds and Other Stuff" button on my blog's sidebar if you'd like to check out the artwork for yourself. One of those lovely free banners provided the perfect foundation for my website/blog's theme.

Also, thanks to my wonderful husband, the real mad scientist behind this project, who brought life to my index page, a Gothic Victorian storefront with blinking candlelight. If you'd like a peek at that, hop over here: www.aghoward.com.

Now, the only thing that makes me happier than this sense of accomplishment is knowing I get to celebrate with you!

And celebrate, we shall. Wonderland style, of course.

Welcome to the...

(Yes, that's me in the red wig. Not the best look, I'll admit,
but I'm thinking I could give Ronald McDonald a run for his money.)

Oh, and best news of all? This contest is INTERNATIONAL, yo!


Now, let's check out what's up for grabs.

• 1st Place Prize: A hot off the press signed Splintered ARC

• 2nd Place Prize: Signed 18X24" Splintered Poster

• 3rd Place Prize: Signed title page from an original Splintered galley

• 4th Place Prize:  Assorted Splintered / Alice swag, all signed

• 5th Place Prize: Choice between ONE of these fab YA books:

• 
  6th Place Prize: Set of 5 Alice in Wonderland Mini Book Charms  

• Two super Awesome BONUS Prizes: A query critique by the fabulous Jenny Bent and also one by the fantastic Molly Ker Hawn from The Bent Agency (Please note: Ms. Ker Hawn only takes YA or MG queries, and due to time constraints, her critique will get back to the winner sometime in early September). 

A couple of notes about the prizes: There's something very special about the galley title page, a secret about the book's formatting that has been kept under wraps. Also, about the BONUS prizes, since there are two crits, that means two lucky writers will get the inside track into what an agent likes to see in their inbox.

Now, how do you get a hold of these wonderful prizes? Use my new website linkies at the top of my sidebar. Go to the "Contests and Giveaways" page, and find out how to get your name in the drawing.

See you over there, my little madlings!

Want to read Splintered before anyone else?

Well, at least before most anyone elses. (◕‿-)

The lovely and generous Krazy Book Lady is sponsoring a Splintered ARC blog hop over at her place. It's as easy as signing up. Just follow the link above for info and rules. One caveat: Bloggers must live in the US due to the high shipping costs and the long turn around time.

For a teaser, here's an excerpt of Splintered at the moment Alyssa discovers the magical looking glass, the answer to her future and her sanity:

“Want it with all your heart.” The command swims in my head, so quiet it’s an echo from my past. “Then step inside.”

Trembling, I step forward and let both of my hands sink into the liquid glass up to my elbows. On the other side, a cool breeze meets my arms. Someone strokes me, from my elbow down to the wrist . . . fingertips so soft and knowing, they light a firestorm inside my veins.

It’s a touch I already know, yet so different now. No longer innocent and calming.

When I look into the portal, my gloved hands appear in the landscape beyond, casting shadows on the grass next to the guy’s winged silhouette.

Before I can see him clearly, he’s gone.

I hesitate and think of Jeb. It’s almost as if I hear his voice calling out for me from somewhere far away. I wish he was here, right now, stepping in with me.

But I can’t look back. As deranged as it seems, that guy in the mirror is the answer to everything in my past. This is my one chance to find Wonderland, to cleanse the Liddell bloodline of this curse, and to save Alison. If I can do this, I can finally be normal.

Maybe normal enough to tell Jeb the way I really feel about things.
 
Taking a breath, I plunge.

Here's a black and white rendition of the winged silhouette who's luring Alyssa within, sketched by my very talented pal, Riley, from In the Jungle.

There's also a third player mentioned in the excerpt: Alyssa's best friend/secret crush, Jebediah Holt. If I were casting him for a movie, my first choice would be Ethan Peck.

If you'd like to learn more about my three main characters, sign up for the ARC tour!

Thanks for stopping by. Time for me to get back to my internet hiatus and work on my website. :) See you soon!