Cover Reveal: Jane Austen Goes To Hollywood by Abby McDonald & Giveaway!

Today I have the cover for JANE AUSTEN GOES TO HOLLYWOOD by Abby McDonald to share with you! Hopefully you haven’t seen it yet, as it snuck out a little early! (You might recognize Abby from her other titles; Sophomore Switch, Boys, Bears, and a Serious Pair of Hiking Boots, The Anti-Prom & Getting Over Garrett Delaney, just to name a few!) For more information about Abby and her books, you can check out her website or follow her on Twitter! Jane Austen Goes to Hollywood will be coming from Candlewick Press on April 13, 2013!

Before we get to the cover, here’s what Jane Austen Goes to Hollywood is all about:

“Abby McDonald channels Jane Austen in this modern take on Sense and Sensibility.

Hallie and Grace Weston couldn’t be more different. Older sister Hallie thinks all the world’s a stage —her stage, to be exact —while even-tempered Grace tries to keep her dramatic sister in check. When their father dies, leaving everything to his snooty new wife, the sisters face a new challenge: uprooted from their home and friends, they’re forced to move into a relative’s guest house–in shiny, status-obsessed Beverly Hills.

Plunged into a strange and glamorous new world, the penniless Weston sisters try to rebuild their lives. Aspiring actress Hallie throws herself headlong into the Hollywood scene—and an intense affair with musician Dakota. Meanwhile, shy Grace manages to find an unlikely ally in the quirky local girl Palmer, but still yearns for the maybe-almost-crush she left behind. But is Hallie blinded by her cinematic visions of true love? And can Grace find the strength to step off the sidelines?

When stardom beckons, and a social-climbing nanny decides to make waves, the sisters will have to decide what really matters — and how to win their heart’s desire in a city where love is just another photo op.”

And you can win an ADVANCE READER COPY of Jane Austen Goes To Hollywood!!

Official Contest information:

• to enter please follow the instructions in the rafflecopter form
• entrants must be 13 years of age or have parental permission
• this giveaway is open to US
• the winner will be announced on this page in the rafflecopter form shortly after the conclusion of the giveaway
• the winner will be notified by email and will have 72 hours to reply or a new winner will be chosen
• as to protect your privacy and prevent spam mail, please DO NOT leave your email address in the comments section
• for official giveaway rules and guidelines please consult the contest policy
• for privacy information please consult the privacy policy

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This is Not a Drill by Beck McDowell

Release Date: October 25, 2012
Author Info: Website | Twitter | Facebook
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Age Group: Young Adult
Shelfability: Acquire
Pages: 214
Format: Advance Reader Copy
Source: Publisher
Interest: Debut
Challenge: 2012 Debut Author Challenge & The Completely Contemp Challenge

Emery and Jake are tutoring a first grade class, when a man comes in demanding his son. Luckily the teacher is able to talk him into going to the office, only to have him burst back into the classroom minutes later and he has a gun. And so This is Not a Drill begins. Well actually it begins with Emery in the hospital and she’s flashing back, but anyway. They come to learn that the man is one of the student’s father that has returned from Iraq and is suffering from PTSD. We experience the roller coaster of emotions with Emery and Jake as they try to keep the students and themselves alive. What makes the story even more interesting is the relationship between Emery and Jake…..

This is Not a Drill is not my typical read. Or maybe I just think it’s not my typical read, I like stories with heavy issues like this one, but they tend to drain me emotionally. I almost want to say I avoid them because of that, but I don’t. I just have to be in a certain mood to read them and then once I do, I feel like a piece of me will be changed forever.

This story is about much more than a gunman taking over a classroom. It’s about family and friends. Living. Acceptance and forgiveness. And not taking any of that for granted. Although it’s just a mere 200 some pages, this story really packs a punch. It was heartbreaking and intense. I loved the alternating perspectives between Jake and Emery. I almost wish that Stutts (the gunman) would have had a chapter or two as well.

Looking forward to what McDowell comes up with next.

In My Mailbox (197)

Miss Fortune Cookie by Lauren Bjorkman
Dear Life, You Suck by Scott Blagden
Insurgent (Collectors Edition) by Veronica Roth
Starstruck by Lauren Conrad
Beauty by Lauren Conrad

Guest Post: Janet Gurtler

Janet Gurtler

Books:

• I’m Not Her
• If I Tell
• Who I Kissed

She Never Thought A Kiss Could Kill. . .

Samantha is new at school and just recently joined the swim team. She’s been flirting with one of her teammates, Zee, who invites her to a party and just as quickly dumps her for another girl. Hurt, but pretending not to care, she turns to his best friend, Alex, and gives him a kiss. And he dies—right in her arms. Alex was allergic to peanuts, and Samantha had eaten a peanut butter sandwich right before the party. She didn’t know. Overnight, Samantha turns into the school pariah and a media sensation explodes. Consumed with guilt, abandoned by her friends, and in jeopardy of losing her swimming scholarship, she will have to find the inner-strength to forgive herself for the tragedy.

I haven’t made a secret of the fact that this book was inspired by my son, Max, a cool dude who happens to have a severe peanut allergy. This book takes my worst fears and puts them it into action. I used to joke with Max that before he kisses a girl, he has to ask her what she had for lunch. Or dinner. He doesn’t find it funny anymore.

We did have a talk when I decided to write this book. I told him that though it was fiction, it was partly to raise awareness of the dangers that kids with allergies face. And I told him of course, that it was something I never ever wanted to him to deal with. So no kissing girls. Ever. Ha ha. Not really the last part. He didn’t find that funny either.

Long before the character of Sam came to life for me, I remember hearing a story in the news, similar to the storyline in WHO I KISSED, about a child dying from a ‘peanut butter kiss’. It stuck with me as a parent of a peanut allergy kid. How horrifying it would be for everyone. Including the child who accidentally caused a death. I also remember hearing a story about a kid at a birthday party who died when the knife used to cut the cake (peanut free cake) was tainted with peanut butter. I don’t know if that story was true, but when you have a child with allergies those types of things make an impression.

As a parent of a kid with severe food allergies, you get used to people who don’t understand the severity of the allergy. People who complain about not being able to take a peanut butter sandwich to a peanut free school when it is “all their child will eat.” On one level, I totally get that. Confession. I LOVE peanut butter. But on the other hand, something innocent has the potential to cause my child harm, or even cause death and I don’t want to let that happen. I’ve had to shake off my loathing to make people uncomfortable. I have to speak up. I understand that most people don’t mean harm when they send a peanut butter sandwich to school or open a bag of peanuts beside me in the airport. But I have to ask them to put away peanuts or nuts when my son is around. Or to ask their kids to wash their hands after eating something with nuts before playing with my son.

My strongest argument for why other people should care is — how would YOU feel if your child (or you) caused the death of my son. I know I would feel pretty darn awful (to put it mildly), but what would it do to your child and/or you? How could a child possibly deal with something like that? How could a parent possibly deal with their role in something like that? And the thing is, it’s possible.

It’s about taking ownership of that possibility, but also dealing with the consequences of a very honest mistake. WHO I KISSED looks at how an innocent girl, who unwillingly and unknowingly is involved in the death of a boy who dies. A boy who is allergic to peanuts. It’s about thinking how that would affect you? How would you cope? What would you do?

Ultimately, like most of the books I write, I think there’s also hope in this book. And some lighter moments too. I created two characters, Aunt Allie and Fredrick to help Samantha deal and also to help the reader deal with the emotional intensity of the book. Plus there’s hot boys. I like them too.

Cover Reveal: Severed Heads, Broken Hearts by Robyn Schneider

Last week you might remember when I (along with some other fabulous bloggers) announced the Cover Reveal Contest for Severed Heads, Broken Hearts. If you don’t remember, don’t fret, I can’t remember much of anything these days. Anyhow! In that post I announced that I was judging fan made covers for Severed Heads, Broken Hearts! There are some very talented YA readers out there! WOW! I had a very hard time picking out a cover I liked the best….. but here is the one that I picked:

It was designed by ohheyjamiee. There were several designed by ohheyjamiee that were beautiful. Something about the tagline and the image on this one really caught my attention. I don’t even know if the tagline is from the book, but I love it. Great job ohheyjamiee!

Be sure to check out what the other blogger judges picked too!

Pam- http://bookalicio.us | @BookaliciousPam
Liz- http://www.elizziebooks.com/ | @elizziebeth
April- http://www.goodbooksandgoodwine.com/ | @booksandwine
Shanyn- http://chickloveslit.com/ | @shanynlee
Rachel- http://www.fiktshun.com/fiktshun/ | @fiktshun

And here is the REAL cover for Severed Heads, Broken Hearts by Robyn Schneider!!