This book just released last week! Sign-up to win one of the first released copies, autographed by the author!
About the Book:
Alexis thought she led a typically dysfunctional high school existence. Dysfunctional like her parents' marriage; her doll-crazy twelve-year-old sister, Kasey; and even her own anti-social, anti-cheerleader attitude.
When a family fight results in some tearful sisterly bonding, Alexis realizes that her life is creeping from dysfunction into danger. Kasey is acting stranger than ever: her blue eyes go green sometimes; she uses old-fashioned language; and she even loses track of chunks of time, claiming to know nothing about her strange behavior. Their old house is changing, too. Doors open and close by themselves; water boils on the unlit stove; and an unplugged air conditioner turns the house cold enough to see their breath in.
Alexis wants to think that it's all in her head, but soon, what she liked to think of as silly parlor tricks are becoming life-threatening--to her, her family, and to her budding relationship with the class president. Alexis knows she's the only person who can stop Kasey -- but what if that green-eyed girl isn't even Kasey anymore?
Check out the chilling book trailer below!
The Book Trailer:
About the Author:
Katie Alender is a graduate of the Florida State University Film School and lives in Los Angeles, where she works as a producer/writer. When she's not writing novels or producing TV shows, she can usually be found in her sewing room, making things for her friends or her dog (or her friends' dogs). She also enjoys reading, eating delicious high-calorie foods, and hanging out with her husband, Chris, and her very spoiled Cavalier King Charles spaniel, Winston. Bad Girls Don't Die is her first novel. Visit her website at: www.KatieAlender.com
It's Friday! Which means it's finally time to pick our lucky "fledgling" winners of a free autographed copy of HUNTED by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast!
So without further ado...here they are!
1) Bridget Smitsky 2) Kim Broutzos 3) Alexandra Riekeberg 4) Candice Worthy 5) Keri Smith
Congrats!
If you didn't win, but still want to own your copy of the extraordinary fifth book in the bestselling House of Night Series, Pick up a copy of HUNTED here!
5 Signed Copies will be given away on Friday, April 24, 2009
In this week's podcast, P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast answer questions directly from House of Night Fans! You submitted your pressing questions about the House of Night series and we picked the top 10! Listen to our exclusive interview with P.C. and Kristin Cast here!
About the Book:
The much-anticipated fifth book in the phenomenal, New York Times Bestselling House of Night series!
What if the hottest guy in the world was hiding a nameless evil, and all he wanted was you? At the start of this heart-pounding new installment of the bestselling House of Night series, Zoey’s friends have her back again and Stevie Rae and the red fledglings aren’t Neferet’s secrets any longer. But an unexpected danger has emerged. Neferet guards her powerful new consort, Kalona, and no one at the House of Night seems to understand the threat he poses. Kalona looks gorgeous, and he has the House of Night under his spell. A past life holds the key to breaking his rapidly spreading influence, but what if this past life shows Zoey secrets she doesn’t want to hear and truths she can’t face?
About the Author:
P. C. Cast is an award-winning fantasy and paranormal romance author as well as an experienced speaker and teacher. Her novels have been awarded the prestigious Oklahoma Book Award, YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers, Prism, Daphne du Maurier, and Affaire du Coeur, as well as others. She lives and teaches in Oklahoma.
Her daughter, Kristin Cast, has won awards for her poetry and journalism. She also lives in Oklahoma, where she attends the University of Tulsa as a communications major.
Everyone is talking about the fantastical Erec Rex series by Kaza Kingsley...and now five lucky winners are going to be receiving free copies of the first two books!
1) Jenn Kunkle - Book 1 2) Pamela Cropley - Book 1 3) Sarah Bean - Book 1 4) Suzanne Shumaker - Book 2 5) Trisha Bowman - Book 2
Tomorrow is the finally the day you've all been waiting for...PC Cast and Kristin Cast are coming on Free Book Friday Teens to give away free autographed copies of HUNTED!!! Plus, we have an exclusive interview with both PC and Kristin and they're answering YOUR questions! Don't miss it!
Life is not easy for twelve-year-old Erec Rex. His single mother can barely support her six adopted kids. And they've moved into an apartment so tiny that Erec sleeps with the washing machine. Worse, there is a strange force within Erec that is making him do odd things. His urge to obey these thoughts grows -- until it becomes impossible to resist them. Then one morning, Erec's mother is missing. The force inside Erec commands him to find her, leading him on an adventure that will change him forever. When he arrives in Alypium, a hidden world where old knowledge of magic is kept, Erec learns that his mother and the entire kingdom are in peril. And he might be the only one who can save them.
Trouble is brewing in quiet, pleasant Alypium, and only Erec Rex can make it better. All of the baby dragons have mysteriously disappeared, and King Piter has lost the trust of his people. Worse, the evil Stain brothers will become the new rulers of the Kingdom of the Keepers unless Erec returns to Alypium and challenges them. but if Erec becomes king, the power of the royal scepter could destroy him completely.As Erec performs deadly quests in pursuit of the throne, he discovers that the right path brings many risks and few rewards -- and when he must delve into the Substance that holds our world together, he must summon all of his strength just to survive.
Book Trailer:
1) The Erec Rex series sounds incredibly imaginative. How’d you come up with the idea?
Thank you! As a kid, fantasy was my entertainment of choice. I loved the Wizard of Oz series so much in second grade that I began to believe the characters were real, and was sure I would eventually escape through a cyclone, an earthquake, or some other natural disaster to meet up with my buddies in Oz. So it was no real surprise when the idea for Erec Rex came to me, and it was a combination of my two loves: young adult fantasy and mythology.
The concept for this series struck me so hard that I literally had to write it. I imagined a kid—a normal kid from our world—that had to face and go through things that paralleled the most harrowing adventures in mythology: the Hercules legend. How would he deal with the tough decisions he would face? Would today’s hero have doubts? Would he fail at times, and lose the very things that are the most precious to him?
The Erec Rex series is my own version of this legend, twisted into something new. Just as Hercules had twelve labors that he had to face, Erec must tackle twelve quests if he will ever become king of the magical Alypium—saving it from sure destruction. Oh, and he has a few other problems thrown in, such as finding out that he might be turning into a dragon, and needing to rescue his missing mother, learning who his father is . . .
Forgive me. I am an excited author, getting ahead of myself. Suffice it to say that I am having a lot of fun writing this series. Within the story line I have woven in all kinds of references to mythology. For example, the three rulers of the Kingdoms of the Keepers—Piter, Posey, and Pluto—are reflections of the three ancient Roman gods: Jupiter, Poseidon, and Pluto.
I can’t remember a time in my life where I wasn’t writing something. Not that the little stories I penned in grade school were anything special. But it was always a great love of mine. I must have finished a hundred short stories before I started my first novel. And then I spent years in editing groups, reading books on story arcs . . . pretty much doing everything I could to work on my craft.
I spent almost half a year writing out the plot for the series, little twists and turns, and surprises. After a notebook full of ideas and outlines I finally felt ready to plunge in! That said, parts of the story continue to evolve as I write.
But I hope that readers will ultimately come away with something more important than legends and history. I hope that my stories offer a small escape to readers, a place to dream, and inspiration to pursue their dreams, whatever they may be.
2) Does Erec have any special powers? As the author, how did this power(s) help or hinder your ability to tell Erec’s story?
Erec was born with a special power, although in Book One it seems more like a curse than a gift. Commands overtake him at times, and he must follow their orders, no matter what they are. So far they have made him do good things, but what if they force him to do something terrible? And what is the force behind these commands?
As the books progress, Erec gains other powers in various ways, such as from a scepter and also a dragon’s eye.
These powers / forces are part and parcel of the Erec Rex saga. So they didn’t hinder the story at all—in fact they helped shape it into what it has become!
3) So I’m sure you get the “Harry Potter” comparison a LOT. So let’s just get that out of the way. How is it similar? How is it different?
You know, it’s interesting. I used to get the Harry Potter comparison a lot, when Book One was first out. Luckily it was in a positive way. But I’d get reviews from Kirkus saying, “This outing definitely belongs aboard the Potter wagon, but merits a seat toward the front.” If you look in the media room at http://www.erecrex.com/press.htm you will see a bunch of TV interviews where I’m asked what it’s like to have written the “new Harry Potter,” and how I felt about the “Harry Potter-like buzz.” It was crazy!
I used to say that it was like having a boyfriend compare you to his gorgeous, model ex-girlfriend. It’s a compliment, but after a while you want to say, “Forget about her! I’m completely different!”
Luckily, after Book Two, The Search for Truth, was released, the series seems to have broken away from that comparison and is now being compared to earlier Erec Rex books! Which it really should. Erec Rex has no wizards or school, and although there is magic and adventure it is really it’s own story.
4) You had sort of an untraditional publishing story with this book, starting out at a smaller press only to get picked up by Simon and Schuster later down the road. Can you tell us about that?
Sure! It was untraditional—but it amazes me how many authors get published via unusual routes. I started very traditionally, with an agent, Jennifer Lyons, at Writers House, a fantastic agency in New York. But Jennifer left Writers House, leaving my manuscript there with nobody to send it out. After months of waiting, editing, and sitting around, I finally decided to take things into my own hands.
Rather than start again with another agent (which sounded very unappealing at that point) I hooked up with an amazing woman, Amy Collins, who had been in the book business for years. I got to help her start a small press that ended up putting Erec Rex out! That was an amazing experience.
I was very lucky, and the books sold well through the chain bookstores. Because of the success of Erec Rex, big publishers took notice! Simon and Schuster offered me an amazing eight-book deal (which is really unusual.) I have been so pleased with them, and am astounded at the success that they are having in pushing the book to new levels.
Untraditional? Yes. But very fun—a fantastic experience.
5) I hear there’s going to be a third and forth book in the series! How many more do you plan to do? Did you have that many books planned out in your head when you sat down to write the first one?
Erec Rex is an 8 book series. The first four books are written. Books One and Two (The Dragon’s Eye, and The Monsters of Otherness) are out now. Book Three, The Search for Truth will come out June 30. And Book Four, The Three Furies will be out next year. I’m going to start working on Book Five soon!
I did plot out the eight books at the beginning, and am always taking notes to fill out the plot and character concepts for the books that are yet to be written.
I would like readers to know that I am available to all of you, to answer questions, or to just say hello, through http://www.erecrex.com on the “Talk to Kaza” page. I look forward to getting to know some of you personally!
In the meantime, remember to always live your dreams.
May imagination and bravery be with you!
Love, Kaza
About the Author:
Kaza Kingsley is a writer, artist, and singer who loves travel and adventure, especially in dangerous and mystical realms. Kaza is also a movie buff and reads constantly when she's not writing books. When she is not off exploring, she can be found in Cincinnati with her loving family...although she may be dreaming of the stars. Visit the official series website at: www.ErecRex.com
This book releases this week! Sign-up to win one of the first released copies, autographed by the author!
About the Book:
Meet Will Carter, but feel free to call him Carter. (Yes, he knows it's a lazy nickname, but he didn't have much say in the matter.)
Here are five things you should know about him:
1. He has a stuttering problem, particularly around boobs and belly buttons.
2. He battles Attention Deficit Disorder every minute of every day...unless he gets distracted.
3. He's a virgin, mostly because he's no good at talking to girls (see number 1).
4. He's about to start high school.
5. He's totally not ready.
Join Carter for his freshman year, where he'll search for sex, love, and acceptance anywhere he can find it. In the process, he'll almost kill a trombone player, face off with his greatest nemesis, suffer a lot of blood loss, narrowly escape death, run from the cops (not once, but twice), get caught up in a messy love triangle, meet his match in the form of a curvy drill teamer, and surprise the hell out of everyone, including himself.
The Book Trailer:
About the Author:
Brent Crawford was born in Kansas, moved to L.A. and N.Y.C. to pursue an acting career. He worked in theatre, film, TV and commercials (check it out on IMDB.com). He’s written numerous plays and scripts, as well as, waited tables, bartended, sold hardware and clothing, worked construction and even dumped airplane toilets (where do you think it goes?). He’s now a pro writer, back in Kansas (yeah!). This is his first YA novel. Visit his hilarious, interactive website at: www.CarterBooks.com
Sometimes a free book goes unclaimed for more than 30 days and we have to draw a new winner. (Remember to add info@freebookfriday.com to your address book so that this doesn't happen to you!)
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All you have to do to enter to win each week is sign up using the entry form on the left sidebar. Winners are chosen at random and posted on the site every Friday morning. Hence the name, "Free Book Friday!"
Free Book Friday was created by Jessica Brody, author of two adult novels and her brand new young adult novel, THE KARMA CLUB, about three girls who decide to take Karma into their own hands by getting revenge on the ex-boyfriends who broke their hearts. To view the award-winning book trailers and read excerpts, visit her website at:
www.JessicaBrody.com
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Katie Alender talks about scary stories and her experiences writing this book. Listen to our exclusive inteview with Katie Alender here!
This book just released last week! Sign-up to win one of the first released copies, autographed by the author!
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