Book Giveaway: THE WALLS AROUND US By Nova Ren Suma!

So. I'm a certified Nova Ren Suma fangirl. This is fact. 

This week, I finished reading her latest gem, THE WALLS AROUND US. In case you haven't heard of this brilliance of a book, here's the summary:

  

“Ori’s dead because of what happened out behind the theater, in the tunnel made out of trees. She’s dead because she got sent to that place upstate, locked up with those monsters. And she got sent there because of me.”

On the outside, there’s Violet, an eighteen-year-old dancer days away from the life of her dreams when something threatens to expose the shocking truth of her achievement.

On the inside, within the walls of the Aurora Hills juvenile detention center, there’s Amber, locked up for so long she can’t imagine freedom.

Tying their two worlds together is Orianna, who holds the key to unlocking all the girls’ darkest mysteries . . .

What really happened on the night Orianna stepped between Violet and her tormentors? What really happened on two strange nights at Aurora Hills? Will Amber and Violet and Orianna ever get the justice they deserve—in this life or in another one?

In prose that sings from line to line, Nova Ren Suma tells a supernatural tale of guilt and of innocence, and of what happens when one is mistaken for the other.

Folks, this book is my new everything. IT IS MADE OF YES. I only wish I could've read it when I was thirteen years old, angry and aimless, wondering what to do with what I felt about myself and the world. This is the kind of story that would've pushed me to stay strong, to believe. 

I think it can bring a little magic into other people's lives, which is why I'm hosting this book giveaway. It's open internationally (wherever Book Depository ships to), and all you have to do is: 1) follow this blog, and 2) comment on this post. That's it.  

The giveaway will end next Saturday, April 18th, when I'll announce the (randomly chosen) winner!

Book Giveaway WINNER!!

Guess what, y'all? It's announcement time! With the help of Random.org, I can finally choose a winner for my DEADWOOD book giveaway. Without further ado, let's get to it.

*drumroll*

The winner of DEADWOOD by Kell Andrews is:

LORI ALEXANDER

Congrats, Lori!! Please email me your home address at amparoortiz (dot) author (at) gmail (dot) com so I can send your copy of DEADWOOD!

This giveaway showed me how much I missed doing giveaways, so hopefully there will be more where this one came from. :)

Happy Tuesday!

Book Giveaway: DEADWOOD By Kell Andrews!!

So. There's a book coming out today. Well, there's more than one book coming out today, BUT I'm focusing on one of them. Because it's awesome and you should read it.

Which book, you ask?

There’s something evil in Deadwood Park.

Martin Cruz hates his rotten new town. Then he gets a message from a tree telling him it’s cursed — and so is he. It’s not just any tree. It’s the Spirit Tree, the ancient beech the high school football team carves to commemorate the home opener. And every year they lose.

But the curse is no game, and it gets worse. Businesses fail. Trees topple like dominos. Sinkholes open up in the streets, swallowing cars and buildings. Even people begin to fade, drained of life.

Martin teams up with know-it-all soccer star Hannah Vaughan. Together they must heal the tree, or be stuck in Deadwood Park at the mercy of the psycho who cursed it.

And since I think you should read it, I'm giving away a copy on le blog!!! All you have to do is comment to enter the giveaway. That's it. If you want to blog/Tweet/Facebook/Tumbl/whatever about the giveaway, that's great! It won't get you any points, but it will get you my infinite gratitude. :D The deadline is next Tuesday, July 1st. So go forth and comment! 

Best of luck to all who enter!

YA Highway + Free Books/Critiques = Epic Giveaway Of Epicness

So. YA Highway. I love those ladies. You should, too.

One reason why: they're celebrating FOUR YEARS of awesomeness with an insane giveaway! 

ARCs? You bet. 

Books? Of course. 

Query/chapter critiques by both authors and agents? Oh, yeah. 

So hop on over to YA Highway and go enter!!

Happy Thursday :)

Guest Post: YA Author Miranda Kenneally And GIVEAWAY!!

Yep. I have another amazing guest post (and first ever giveaway!) for you today, folks. I'm thrilled to welcome YA author Miranda Kenneally to the blog! Since Miranda's debut novel, Catching Jordan, features a girl who plays football, I figured I'd ask her about her favorite YA sports movie. (Bonus points: she chose a movie I LOVE).

Take it away, Miranda!

Varsity Blues: The Ultimate YA Sports Film

Varsity Blues came out when I was 16. The movie is R-rated so I had to buy a ticket to “She’s All That” and sneak into Varsity Blues. Also, I went with a guy who turned out to be a major asshole, but that’s beside the point because the movie was INCREDIBLE.

The plot of the movie is thus: Mox has a great family and a super cute girlfriend, but he wants out of his football-obsessed town. He wants to go to Brown University. Mox is very smart and wants to focus on school, but everyone expects him to play for the football team because that’s what athletic guys are supposed to do in Texas. Mox finds out that the coach has been forcing the star quarterback, Lance, to get cortisone shots in his injured knee so he can keep playing. Then Lance gets sacked hard and the coach denies he knew anything about Lance’s injury.

Mox has to step up and take over as quarterback for the rest of the season because Lance’s knee is ruined. Mox is disgusted with the coach and his overbearing ways, and throughout the season, Mox lets the coach bully him and threaten his dreams of going to Brown. Finally, Mox steps up and confronts the coach, which inspires the rest of the team to confront their bully of a coach too.

Why is this movie great YA? It starts with a serious problem. Mox sees that his best friend Lance is injured, but the coach tells Mox it’s none of his business. When Lance gets hurt, it inspires Mox to confront the issue.

YA is all about hope and Mox has big dreams he wants to fulfill. Other secondary characters have similar dreams about wanting to move beyond football, and Mox inspires them too.

Ultimately, Varsity Blues isn’t about football. It’s about standing up for what’s right. It’s about confronting bullies. It’s about going after dreams. That is Reel YA. 

(*snickers*)

Miranda Kenneally is the author of CATCHING JORDAN, a contemporary YA novel about football and femininity, coming in December 2011. Other books include PLAYING PARKER (fall 2012) and BAD, BAD THING (spring 2013). Miranda is the co-creator of Dear Teen Me. The Dear Teen Me Anthology will be published in late 2012. She enjoys reading and writing young adult literature, and loves Star Trek, music, sports, Mexican food, Twitter, coffee, and her husband. Follow her on Twitter or Facebook. Miranda is represented by Sara Megibow at Nelson Literary Agency.

A huge thanks to Miranda for stopping by! And to celebrate the release of Catching Jordan, I'm throwing a preorder giveaway! There are two rules to enter the giveaway: 1) be a follower; 2) comment on this post. That's it! Contest ends on November 2nd,  and I'll be choosing one winner through random.org.

Here's Catching Jordan's official blurb:

What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though-she leads them as the captain and quarterback of her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys, and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university. But now there's a new guy in town who threatens her starting position... suddenly she's hoping he'll see her as more than just a teammate.

Best of luck to all who enter!! :)