How Alloy Entertainment and I became buds.

I don't know if you really want to sit and read the entiiiirre story that is my friendship tale between myself and Alloy but I've been holding all this in for a WHILE now. Besides that, this is my blog, not yours, which puts you at my mercy. But then, the human attention span is only 7 seconds, which I've already exceeded depending on how fast or slow you read. So. I will try to compromise and tell you the high points--in all their embarrassing glory.

It's like this:
Back in March, I got an email from a publisher that was interested in purchasing the rights to Imitation (and the series). They said a ton of nice things about my ability to string words together and the story I'd created and my brain as a whole. I was obviously mucho flattered, like any author would be. But I also had never heard of them which, in my mind, made them small potatoes. Not that I wasn't the same size potato doing this on my own, but from a business standpoint, small potatoes is not enough to make me sign on a dotted line. Or a dashed line. Or any sort of signature line that you can really picture here.

SO I sort of told them no.

Yeah. I'm an idiot.

Luckily, they're persistent.

Whew. Can you imagine being the girl who told the freaking CW "No?" I would never live that one down. Anyway, on email round 2, I finally got my shit together and Googled them. And yeah. Now we ALLLLL know (Including Heather) that Alloy = CW = WfreakingB. Like, Les Morgenstein signed my contract. Holy shizz.

Once I figured out the WHO--and sufficiently happy danced--I went back to the metaphorical table and got to know everyone and said "hell yeah, let's do this" a lot of times in a row. Whatever THIS is. (seriously, for the business-savvy indies reading this, I put much more thought into it than I'm letting on here. It was a killer deal and I couldn't say no, trust. but this way is more fun to read about. Calm down, yo.)

My 2 fabulous editors got me on the phone long enough to repeat all the nice things to me, only with voices instead of typed words, and I fell hard. They're telling me I'm brilliant and a story-weaving goddess. I mean, you'd fall too. No question.

So, the deal was outlined. Terms were named. Stuff happened. Paperwork got signed. The rest, as they say, is history. I'm vaguing it up right now because honestly, the terms aren't important here. Not to you, the reader. What's important is this:

The story is essentially the same.
(I define the word "Essentially" like this: the characters, plot, and ending are the same. Most of the middle is tweaked to be awesome and different and re-readable, trust me. Linc is more Linc. Daniel is more ... Daniel. Ven has more muchness--to put it like the Mad Hatter. Go read it. Again, even.)
Oh, the cover is tweaked too, which makes it more hellaciously awesome. Check it:

Yay! Click to go see it on Amazon!

Don't worry. I fought for this cover to remain--because you guys would have my head if I didn't. I pretty much told them they were putting their own lives at stake if they changed the cover. So, you're welcome.

And Deviation. here's the deets about that: It's not "essentially" changing. It's COMPLETELY changing. That's on me. I had some problems (if we're being honest) with the first version and I kind of told my editors (because I'm just this side of insane when it's due yesterday) that I am throwing the whole thing out and starting over. Some other things needed to happen inside this story that just didn't, so this deal, for Deviation and it's readers, is the best thing that could've happened since sliced clones. (ew, right!)

Aaaaannnd there's a new and UH-mazing cover for that one as well!!!!

So awesome, I want to lick it.

Or something else equally creepy. It's brilliant.
And available for PRE-ORDER. GO now, sillies! I'll wait!

Anywho.
I couldn't tell you all any of this because of the 3rd party that's sort of silently involved in all this. (again, not important for the readers because it doesn't change the story, etc but I owe you an explanation.) This whole thing with Alloy is a partnership that is called "Powered by Amazon." Which means they have both hands and at least 3 feet in the pot as well. Decisions weren't really singular here. They were made as a group and as such, the group was informed of the decision to KEEP QUIET on EVERYTHING about this until D-Day. Or P-Day (publishing day?? get it??) or whatever.

AND FINALLY I get to talk about it!!! Yayyy! and party and celebrate and converse and revel and throw confetti and dance in the metaphorical streets in my virtual underwear (or whatever happens with the wine cork popped)...

In short, I am fracking over the moon about this whole thing!
And not only that, I've been so lucky to be able to share this experience with two other incredible authors. Tracy Banghart and Aimee Salter also have books available today under the new Alloy/Powered by Amazon label. If you enjoyed Imitation, you will love both of these. You definitely want to check them out.

Every Ugly Word by Aimee Salter

Click here to check it out on Amazon!
Aimee's blog has some powerful words formulated into an inspiring message. Check it out.

Rebel Wing by Tracy Banghart

Check it out on Amazon!
and check out Tracy's blog for a chance to win something.

And last but never least, a love letter to all of my dedicated readers: THANK YOU guys for sticking with me and being patient while I basically went "radio silent" these last few months. I hated not being able to share the details of my current wip with you. But now, all the things! Let's talk about all the things! To answer any more questions, I'm taking part in a Twitter party on Thurs, August 7 from 8-10p eastern.

#YAauthorparty will be for YOU GUYS, the fans, to ask anything you want about the books, the publishing deal, or the process we went through to re-release these amazing stories to you all. See you there!! And thanks for hanging in! Mwah!

(P.S. if you want to tweet a question early or at all, be sure to use the hashtag #YAauthorparty so I can find you and tell you what you want to know!)

And if you want to read the official press release via the New York Times because you're into that sort of newsy thing, the link for that is here.

And--if you want to stay updated on future stuff like Deviation's re-release or anything else, make sure to sign up for my Love Birds newsletter so you can get all the info as it comes in. (see top right corner of the blog.)

xoxo

Fun Friday: giveaways and cover love!

Lots of fun stuff to share with you for the weekend!
First, I made it to Guam. YAY!! Catching up on work and jet lag today and then going to ride motorcycles this weekend. Pictures of killer views will follow. And as for books, SO MUCH exciting stuff is coming between now and the end of the month! New covers (3) and new releases (2) and so many fun parties and announcements (too many to count!) Stay tuned. Trust me, this will be so awesome!

Okay, so, giveaway time. First up, the Society of YA Storytellers--of which I am a member--is doing a SUPER exciting giveaway for this week's Fun Friday!

One winner is going to get a completely NEW and never before seen short story featuring a character from one of the books of the participating authors listed below, winner's choice!!!!

Must be at least 18 years of age to enter. Entry and drawing will be conducted via Rafflecopter. Entry deadline is 11:59 a.m. EDT on August 30, 2014. Winner will be notified via email and winner annoucement will be made on Society’s social media outlets. If response on author choice is not received from winner within 14 days of notification, prize will be forfeited. Winner will receive a flash fiction story of approximately 1,000 words from his/her author of choice from those participating in the Story Event. Winner does not receive copyright or other rights to the story provided as the prize. Prize shall not be considered work for hire. Prize may not be re-sold by winner and can only be shared, in digital or physical form, with author’s express written permission. Society reserves the right to deny any entry for any reason. Void where prohibited.

AND then-- there's this:

All you have to do to enter is FOLLOW us on Twitter!

Go now!

A new winner will be chosen monthly!

Details for both of these are on the Society's website.

And last but not least, for Friday Fun-ness, it's cover reveal time!!!

Whisper is being re-released as an NA Paranormal (cover reveal next week! EEP!) and is going to be featured in a boxed set called FATED coming in August! SO many amazing authors in one book! 

Check out our sexy cover!

Share this post & grab an extra point towards a $10 Gift Card
*** COVER REVEAL ***
"Sometimes love has other plans."
Sign-up for a Fated Bonus Bundle, Entry in $50 Gift Card Giveaway and Live Phone Chat with the Fated 5 Authors: Rachael Wade, Stacey Marie Brown, Alyssa Rose Ivy, Heather Hildenbrand and Nikki Jefford
Releases: August 21st
Cover: Najla Qamber Designs
(Follow link to Rafflecopter & click "Share the Fated Cover" to grab your point.)

Add it to Goodreads.

Go get entered for all the goodies and check back here next week for more announcements and fun stuff! Happy Friday, Love Birds!

Seven 11 Blog Hop: Dirty Blood Teaser

TGIF people! 
This week, we are kicking off a monthly event called the Seven 11 Blog hop. Each month on the 11th, I will post a teaser of SEVEN lines from one of my books -- some published, some not -- for you guys to get a sneak peek at. This month, I gave you 7 lines from Dirty Blood. For those that haven't read it or want to re-read the series before book 5 comes out, here's a reminder of the George-Wes tension.

George shot a glance at Wes again and then stepped over and planted a very deliberate kiss on my cheek. “I’ll see you, Tay,” he said and headed to his car. I watched him go, wondering whose benefit the kiss had been for: mine or Wes’s.

I waited until George had driven off before whirling at Wes. “What was that?” I hissed.

His eyes were sparkling. “What was what?”

“You were baiting him.”

He shrugged. “I don’t like him very much.”

This month, we are offering a giveaway of The Man Test by Amanda Aksel (Sex & the City meets Hitch!). Enter to win and click through to read seven great lines from seven other authors!

Bethany Lopez
Nikki Jefford
Justine Winter
Alicia Sheehy
SM Boyce
Shawn McGuire
Amanda Aksel And be sure to wish Amanda a very Happy Birthday and Thanks for putting this event together!

Giveaway code: a Rafflecopter giveaway

Fireworks: an excerpt from the NEW Whisper!

It's Fun Friday with the YA Society of Storytellers! And this week, for the 4th of July celebration, our topic is FIREWORKS! Which means, we are posting explosive excerpts from one of our books. 

You can read other fiery excerpts from YA storytellers, Laura Elliot here and Christy Sloat here.

I chose a WIP to share, a scene from Whisper, which I am busy getting ready for its re-release as a New Adult coming in August!!

It's getting a new cover and new, exclusive content and I CAN'T WAIT to share it with you!!

Here's a sneak peek, FIREWORKS-style, of what's coming ...

“I can’t move forward without you.”

The words were out before I could stop them.

I hadn’t meant to sound so desperate, but it was too late to take it back. Tears threatened. I blinked, trying to stop them before they started. Despite my best attempt, a burning tear traced its way down my cheek.

Dylan took a step toward me. His fingers brushed my hand and curled around to squeeze my palm. I twisted my fingers so they interlocked with his and squeezed back.

The corner of his mouth curved up in a half-smile. He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. His hand lingered there, near my cheek, so light he barely touched me.

If there was ever a moment so sweet, so brimming with life that I knew I’d never forget it, this was it. Our breath hung on the air. There was a collective pause that seemed to include not only the house but the entire universe. As if every existing thing hung in the balance under the weight of our joined gaze. Even the tear I’d shed was frozen to my face, unmoving while it waited.

Finally, as if in slow motion, Dylan leaned in and very gently brushed his lips over mine. Tentative at first, and then firmer. Confident. A question being asked and answered all at once.

In answer to the relief, the sweetness, the joy that reverberated into my bones, another tear escaped and slid down my cheek. Dylan reached up and caught it with his thumb and wiped it away, all without breaking the connection of our lips. His thumb trailed down my cheek, his fingers brushing across my shoulders and arms before circling my waist and pulling me in.

Our mouths moved together in a tandem dance that left me breathless and aching.

All I could think about was this moment, his kiss. And how I’d never imagined it would be possible to feel this alive for anything again.

It was a sweet mixing of grief and joy, and it felt amazing and exhilarating and exactly right. A small noise escaped my throat, landing somewhere in his mouth.

Dylan shuddered against me. Then his lips stilled and his arms fell away. He wrenched himself back and stared at me, mouth frozen halfway open.

“What’s wrong?”

****

More coming in August!