Fellow Amarillo-dwellers, please join me for a book talk next Monday!

Come chat with me about my newest Gothic fairy tale, Stain! There won't be books for sale, but if you happen to own some of my titles, bring them along and I'll sign them for you after the event. <3

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 audiobooks are here!

My author copies of Stain’s audiobooks by Blackstone Publishing have arrived and are gorgeous. There will be a giveaway for some very soon! 

This time, the narrator is quite different from the one we used in all my other titles. It's fitting, considering this book is different from anything I've ever written. We chose a male narrator with a beautiful British accent to really spotlight the old world fairytale atmosphere. 

To listen to a sample and/or for ordering options, follow any of the links provided below.

• Blackstone Audiobooks
• Audible
• Downpour
• Barnes & Noble

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

A Peak Inside Stain's Pages...

In less than 6 weeks, Stain hits bookstores, which means it’s reveal time! My high fantasy/ fairy tale hybrid inspired by The Princess and the Pea has 32 chaps divided into three parts, with titles that highlight each scene’s essence and the Gothic fairy tale atmosphere. Check out the image for a sneak peek! 

Click to view high res image

And don't forget, if you preorder, you're eligible for a print copy of Morpheus's prequel origin story from my Splintered series (pictured below)! Follow this link for details.

Stain's Barnes & Noble Exclusive Edition

More exciting Stain news! Barnes & Noble is offering an exclusive edition with extra pages full of amazing content! A preorder will earn you an incentive package, just as any Stain preorder. 

Follow this link to the B&N website for ordering info.

Stain's first trade review...

So thrilled with this glowing Kirkus review for my upcoming gothic fairy tale!

Don't forget the preorder incentive going on now through 1/14/19:

For details and order options, follow this link.

The White Rabbit is out of the Hat...

At last! The frabjous gift I've been teasing for weeks has been revealed...

As part of my publisher's preorder incentive for Stain, I've written a brand new prequel "origin story" about our favorite moth-man, Morpheus! 

These print copies (with gorgeous original cover art) will ONLY be available via this campaign. It's not for sale anywhere, and it's not available online. So if you want to see how Morpheus became the master of mischief who stole the show in the Splintered Series (or if you've never read Splintered and want to meet him before starting the books--the story's spoiler free!) be sure to preorder Stain and follow the instructions you'll find at the link I provided below.

Also included in this gift pack is a signed bookplate for your copy of Stain, and a beautiful customized gold and purple enamel rose pin. Exclusive only to this campaign, it pays homage to some very unique roses from my gothic fairy tale.

Offer good until 1/14/19 or while supplies last. Allow 8 to 10 weeks for delivery.
Offer limited to residents of the 50 U.S. (and D.C.), aged 13 or older. 

For instructions on how to get your preorder gift pack, follow this link. 

So excited to finally share this short story; I had a blast hanging out with Morpheus and some of the Splintered crew once more in my warped Wonderland, and I hope you'll leap at this opportunity to go there again, too!

Perfect Ebook Deal for Halloween!

Halloween is just around the corner; it's one of my favorite times of year to curl up with a creepy read. 

If you're like me and looking for an eerie and romantic story, or if you're in the mood for snuggling up with a past favorite, my #1 NYT bestselling Phantom of the Opera spinoff, RoseBlood, is on sale now for $1.99. NOTE: This is a very special version, because included is a one chapter sneak peek into my upcoming gothic fairytale Stain!

Follow this link for ordering options, and have a Spooktacular Halloween. 

YA Scavenger Hunt Stain Giveaway Winners!

Thanks to everyone who took part in the YA Scavenger Hunt! For my personal giveaway, rafflecopter has chosen the winners below. I've sent out emails, so please be sure to check your inboxes if you're name is listed.

Congrats to the winners, and there's a Stain blog tour on the horizon where we'll have another giveaway, so stay tuned! Also, in case you missed the announcement, there's a Stain preorder gift that's in the works, and if you enjoyed Splintered or Alice in Wonderland, you'll want to keep your eyes on my social venues for deets!

Welcome to the Fall 2018 YA Scavenger Hunt!

 Welcome to the fall 2018 YA Scavenger Hunt! This bi-annual event was first organized by author Colleen Houck as a way to give readers a chance to gain access to exclusive bonus material from their favorite authors...and a chance to win some awesome prizes! At this hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each author, you also get a number clue for the hunt. Add up the clues, and you can enter for our prize--one lucky winner will receive one signed book from each author on the hunt in my team! But play fast: this contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online for 72 hours! 

HELP: If you're confused at any time, you can always get back on track by going to the YA Scavenger Hunt how to hunt page to read the steps. Or, go to the STUCK page for a bird's eye view of all the author's links. 

There are seven hunts going on simultaneously with over 100 books up for grabs INTL, and you can enter one or all! I'm a part of the PURPLE TEAM--

but there are also BLUE, ORANGE, GREEN, GOLD, PINK, & RED teams, each with different sets of signed books in their prize packs!

If you'd like to find out more about the hunt, see links to all the authors participating, and see the full list of prizes up for grabs, go to the YA Scavenger Hunt prize page.

SCAVENGER HUNT PUZZLE

Directions: At the bottom of this post, you'll notice that I've listed my favorite number. Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on the PURPLE TEAM and then add them up (don't worry, you can use a calculator!) for a chance to win the prize pack of books pictured below: 

Entry Form: Once you've added up all the secret numbers of the PURPLE TEAM, make sure to fill out the form here to officially qualify for the grand prize above. Only entries that have the correct answer will be put in the drawing.

Rules: Open internationally, anyone below the age of 18 should have a parent or guardian's permission to enter. To be eligible for the grand prize, you must submit the completed entry form by October 7, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.

SCAVENGER HUNT POST

For my post in the YA Scavenger Hunt, I'm honored to be hosting Madeline Dyer, author of The Untamed Series:

MADELINE DYER lives on a farm in the southwest of England, where she hangs out with her Shetland ponies and writes young adult books—sometimes, at the same time. She holds a BA Honors degree in English from the University of Exeter, and several presses have published her fiction. Madeline has a strong love for anything dystopian, ghostly, or paranormal, and she can frequently be found exploring wild places. At least one notebook is known to follow her wherever she goes.

For the hunt, Madeline is giving away Book 1: Untamed

**2017 SIBA Award Winner for Best Dystopian Novel** 

In a world where addiction is encouraged, one girl must fight to stay clean... 

As one of the last Untamed humans left in the world, Seven's life has always been controlled by tight rules. Stay away from the Enhanced. Don't question your leader. And, most importantly, never switch sides--because once you're Enhanced there's no going back. Even if you have become the perfect human being.

But after a disastrous raid on an Enhanced city, Seven soon finds herself in her enemy's power. Realizing it's only a matter of time before she too develops a taste for the chemical augmenters responsible for the erosion of humanity, Seven knows she must act quickly if she's to escape and save her family from the same fate.

Yet, as one of the most powerful Seers that the Untamed and Enhanced have ever known, Seven quickly discovers that she alone holds the key to the survival of only one race. But things aren't clear-cut anymore, and with Seven now questioning the very beliefs she was raised on, she knows she has an important choice to make. One that has two very different outcomes.

Seven must choose wisely whose side she joins, for the War of Humanity is underway, and Death never takes kindly to traitors.

BUY BOOK HERE

Find out more information on Madeline and her books by following her online venues:

Website 

Twitter: @MadelineDyerUK

FaceBook 

IG 

CONTINUE THE HUNT

To continue your hunt for another number clue to help you win the PURPLE TEAM prize pack, you'll need to visit the next author here! But before you go . . .

CHECK OUT MY PERSONAL GIVEAWAY!

First, while I have your attention, I have an exciting announcement to make:

Now, onto the giveaway. Like the official #YASH giveaways, this one ends on October 7th. And to celebrate the upcoming release of Stain (hitting shelves January 2019), I'm offering the following enchanted fairy tale prizes (INTL):

1- Signed Stain VIP Preview Copy (all 518 pages of story!)

4- Signed Stain 1st Chapter Samplers

1- 8X10" Fairytale Journal

1- Fox "Sylph" print signed by artist Greg Harms

That means  7 different INTL winners! See the rafflecopter below for entry options. Good luck to everyone, and happy hunting!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

An excerpt from Stain + a preview of the beautiful book jacket!

Next Tuesday-Sunday, October 2-7, this year's fall YA Scavenger Hunt goes live!

One of the books up for grabs will be a hardback copy of Stain, my gothic fairytale (hitting shelves January 2019). To celebrate, I wanted to reveal the gorgeous artwork and excerpt on the book jacket: 

Click to enlarge image

Beautiful colors, right? It's only fitting that I’m on the Purple Team.

Here's a peek at the other amazing titles my team is giving away (INTL!):

Also, I’ll have a bonus personal INTL "fairytale" giveaway offering these enchanting prizes:

Click image to enlarge

So, be sure to join us on Tuesday so you don't miss out on all the free books and swag! :)

Peek inside my upcoming fairy tale fantasy...

Here's a glimpse of the prologue + gritty gothic fairy tale interior of Stain, as showcased in the limited-edition sampler. 

Click to enlarge

***BONUS*** 

For anyone living in the Lubbock area who missed Hub City Con 2018 last weekend, head over to B&N (Slide Rd location), buy any of my young adult autographed books, and receive a signed sampler (there are only 10 samplers left, so first come first served!).

🖤👑🦄🏰🌹

Stain galley pages have arrived!

I always find the evolution of a manuscript so fascinating ... all the stages it takes before actually being born as a "real" book. 

I wanted to share a peek at Stain's galley. This is the production phase where the word doc is being formatted to take on the form of a book. 

In answer to the question, "What color will Stain's ink be?" I offer this up-close image of the interior artwork:

My phone's flash gave the image a sepia tone, but my publisher actually chose a black/white/grayscale antiquated interior to represent the fairy tale / medieval theme—a starkly beautiful effect that also honors the book’s unpolished and flawed Gothic princess. I’m hoping fellow lovers of dark fairy tales will adore this book aesthetic as much as I do!

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Stain poster giveaway!

***Sweepstakes Alert***

Ten beautiful Stain posters up for grabs! 

If you’d like a chance for one, my publisher is hosting the giveaway. Just follow this link to enter.

 👑🦄🏰

Stain Cover Reveal Giveaway - WINNERS!

Thanks to everyone who took part in the giveaway and helped me get the word out about Stain's beautiful cover art! There were winners both from the UK and the US. :) They're listed below:

Congrats to the winners! I've sent out emails, so check your inboxes if you find your name. If you don't receive an email, please reach out to me via my contact info here.

Anyone who didn't win, don't despair! January 2019 is a ways off yet, which gives me lots of opportunities for more reveals and giveaways to pass the time. :)

Also, if you're interested in buying this beautiful Stain artwork 8x11 poster/print for yourself, Nathalia Suellen is offering them on her Society 6 page:

Thanks again for stopping by, and I'll be back soon with more updates!

STAIN cover reveal giveaway!

***GIVEAWAY ENDED***

Welcome to the Stain cover reveal! If you haven't yet seen the beautiful cover by Nathalia Suellen, here's a sneak peek. 

To see the whole image in all its magical fairytale glory, follow this link. 

And here's the updated book description:

A gothic fairytale inspired by The Princess and the Pea. 

After Lyra—a princess incapable of speech or sound—is cast out of her kingdom of daylight by her wicked aunt, a witch saves her life, steals her memories, and raises her in an enchanted forest . . . disguised as a boy known only as Stain. Meanwhile, in Lyra's rival kingdom, the prince of thorns and night is dying, and the only way for him to break his curse is to wed the princess of daylight, for she is his true equal. As Lyra finds her way back to her identity, an impostor princess prepares to steal her betrothed prince and her crown. To win back her kingdom, save the prince, and make peace with the land of the night, Lyra must be loud enough to be heard without a voice, and strong enough to pass a series of tests—ultimately proving she’s everything a traditional princess is not.

Now onto the international giveaway for a chance at these pretty prizes!

Each prize has something to do with the story. As for the arc, those will be available later this year, so this is your first chance to win one! I'm also offering a signed Splintered collector's set. What does that have to do with the story? Much like Splintered, this book is filled with magic, mystical characters, fantastical creatures (some creepy, some cute and funny, and some beautiful), and intricate world building. So if you liked all those things in my Alice in Wonderland tales, you'll like it in Stain. What about the other prizes? Here's a hint as to what they represent:

The sun and moon bookmark signify our prince and princess and their destiny to reunite a world that's been split in two by a curse. The moon has been torn from the sky and banished to a wintry night kingdom deep beneath the earth, leaving the sun and kinder seasons to the day kingdom above ground:

You can find the rafflecopter for the prizes at the end of this post. If you want to know more about Stain and the symbolism behind the cover art, read on!

By looking at the cover, you can see Lyra (aka Stain) isn't a typical princess. She's in fact an anti-princess. She's tinged blue with moonlight, causing her aunt to dub her a "stain upon the family name" in their kingdom of perpetual sun. The night prince, on the other hand, is copper-complected in a realm of moonlit people. Each is foretold to balance the other, and together, they're to unite their broken world.

 What's up with the princess's crazy-long eyelashes? Here's an excerpt from the book, when the wicked aunt first sees her niece, the crown heir:

"It is startling.” Griselda observed the babe around her brother’s sturdy shoulder; the tiny princess wriggled within her ivory-lace blanket, a faint, bluish-tinged creature that resembled a curdled shadow on a saucer of cream. “Her lashes . . . they’re bone-white. And longer and more numerous than a centipede’s legs. There’s no denying she’s been touched by moonlight. She’ll have no shield from the sun.  It must be the illness from the queen’s blood. A contagion from the cursed land of eternal gloom and ice.”

On the cover, my princess wears a crown of barbed wire, representative of the thorns and nails that contribute to her scars. Scars are something she shares with the prince. Here's an excerpt from the book highlighting their flaws:

“I wonder how many that is now?” Vesper patted the raised welt. “Perhaps enough I can double as a patchwork quilt.” The edges of his mouth twitched in a teasing smirk. “Let’s play a trick on the castle’s seamstresses . . . hang me on the wall naked beside their finest creations. See how long it takes them to notice.”

Stain stifled a surprised laugh at his attempt at levity. Her own scars stared back at her, providing an intimate awareness of how desecrated he must feel. Though some of her wounds had been made through experiences and adventures she chose, there were others inflicted upon her, robbing her of any choice. 

As for the colors of the cover, gold and purple both play pivotal roles in the story. 

And of course there are the spiderwebs and moths surrounding the princess. Nighttime creepers are her attendants in this tale, as are shadows. 

Stain is due to launch January 2019! I'll have more reveals and giveaways along the way, but until then, be sure to enter the rafflecopter below, and thanks for partaking in the cover reveal festivities!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Out of the writing cave and into the light!

If you haven't yet added this on GoodReads, here's the link. There's also a book description and some sneak peaks over there.

Stay tuned! I'll have giveaways and reveals over the following months to shorten the wait for 2019. :)