Meet the Characters of Stain...

Stain's characters have been called kaleidoscopic, unique, spiritually deep, and elaborately drawn by reviewers. If you've yet to read my fairytale / fantasy hybrid, here's an insider's look at the seven most important players in my gritty and Gothic retelling inspired by The Princess and the Pea, with quotes from the book to pique your interest:

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Stain's Pinterest Board Reveal + INTL Giveaway!

***GIVEAWAY ENDED*** 

I'm on tour this week for #Stain's launch so will announce the winners after January 21st. Thanks to all who took part!

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Only a week to go until Stain finally hits the shelves on January 15th, so it's time for an international giveaway to celebrate!

First, for some insight into the story itself, here's a trade review from School Library Journal:

Although that gives you some small idea, a picture is worth a thousand words -- so today I'm revealing the secret pinterest board filled with characters, creatures, moods, songs, and settings that helped inspire my gothic fairytale. 

Click here to visit the board where you can find all the images along with Stain's official playlist.

Want to sample the story? You can read the entire first chapter here.

And remember, for readers in the U.S., there's an awesome preorder incentive going right now that will guarantee you an enamel rose pin, a signed bookplate, and the Morpheus prequel story, Alice the Absent. 

You can find the details for that swag pack here.

Now, let's get to the international goodies that everyone has a shot at winning!

Prizes are as listed:

#1- Signed Stain hardback

#2 - Signed Alice the Absent short story

#3 - Silvered maple leaf ornament representing Prince Vesper's frozen kingdom of Nerezeth

#4 - Moths and music 8x11 print (frame not included) representing Lyra, her moth friends, and her birdsong voice

#5 - Sun, moon, and stars brooch representing both the day and night kingdoms

#6 - Hand-painted fox postcard, representing Elusion, the shape-shifting sylph

#7 - Secret gift packet (filled with a handful of fairytale freebies)

That's a chance for seven people to win a prize. So go forth and enter, and may the rafflecopter odds be ever in your favor!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Announcing my new YA novel!

I've been working on my next YA book -- very eerie and Gothic, sort of a spin-off like Splintered, but not Wonderland related -- and have been itching to tell everyone about it (waiting for the green light from my publisher).

Today they're letting me announce it!

Here's the official blurb from GoodReads (click here to add to your GR shelf):

Click image to enlarge

Yay! The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux is one of my favorite stories of all time. I'm close to the halfway mark in my spin-off, and am having more fun in this lush, dark world than should be legal. ;D

So that you can share in the fun with me, I wanted to show you a peek. Since I'm a very visual writer, I like to look at my characters as their stories unfold, so I pin images to inspire me.

Even animals, if they play big enough roles, get posted on the board. Although with the Splintered Series, I didn’t have that luxury, since the creatures were born solely of my imagination, and I'm no artist. ;)

With that said, check out my pinterest board for the cast of RoseBlood, complete with a scowling Cornish Rex cat and a red swan.


Soon, I'll do another post and share more insights into the premise and introduce you to some of the characters. So keep checking back!

The Sixth Day of Splintered Blog Tour: Wonderland fashion

If you're here for the sixth stop of the Splintered blog tour, it is now posted at its original listing: ReadingTeen (apologies for the confusion!).  Hop over for a glimpse at Wonderland parties and fashion, and enter the raffle copter for a chance to win one of 12 Splintered hardbacks, courtesy of Abrams!

And so you won't feel like your trip here today was a waste of time, here are two FREE interactive Splintered activities for you, if you like that sort of thing:

• Check out the pinterest Splintered Book board to get ideas for your own Wonderland/Splintered themed party.

• Hop over to the Splintered casting poll to learn more about the characters and choose which actors are perfect for the roles.

Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy the tour!