Cover Reveal: Arms of Anu by Christina Mercer

Back in April of last year, I introduced you to my former critique partner, Christina Mercer, and her debut book Arrow of the Mist.

Well, I'm happy to say the sequel to sequel to the award-winning MG/YA fantasy ARROW OF THE MIST is coming out March 17, and I get to share the cover with you! Here it is, plus a little teaser blurb:

Blood of body, blood of soul, 
Entwined for life, then unfolds;
If blood still runs when magic binds,
Soul is never too far to find.

In ARMS OF ANU, Lia and Kelven battle through a land of tyrants, war and magic.

Can Lia escape the foes who ensnare her?

Will Kelven’s love withstand the darkness taking root inside Lia?

Is freedom too high a crown to reach, or will they forever remain in the hollows?

RELEASE DATE SET FOR MARCH 17, 2014 (St. Patrick’s Day!)

Isn't that cover a great complement to the first book?

Thanks for the opportunity to spread some cover love, Christina!

Christina Mercer, is an award-winning author of fiction for children and young adults. She enjoys life in the foothills of Northern California with her husband and sons, a pack of large dogs, and about 100,000 honeybees. For more about her and her writing, visit:

WebSite | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads

 

September 2013 Mystery Agent Contest!

CONTEST CLOSED! CHECK BACK NEXT MONTH FOR ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY


It's PITCHING TIME! Are you ready to enter? Pitch your completed novel to our Mystery Agent. September's Mystery Agent has requested the following genres:

Adult

Young Adult

Middle Grade

 

• Fantasy (all types, incl folk & fairy tale re-tellings and magical realism)
• Adventure
• Historical Fiction
• Science Fiction
• Romance (YA only)
• Horror

(Dark comedy, original voices, and unique worlds a plus!)

This is a three-sentence pitch contest, with a maximum of 75 words. Winner gets a full manuscript request from the Mystery Agent. 

This contest is open to veterans and newbies alike - so long as you have a complete and query-ready manuscript on your hands within the genres of interest, our guest agent would love to hear from you.

Contest goes live 9 AM central time and remains open until all entry spots are filled. The first 50 entries we receive will go on to our MA. Remember, this is a three-sentence pitch. Cheating with grammar doesn't count.

The official contest rules:

1) Entries must be three-line pitches. Up to 75 words are allowed, but remember, it's only three sentences.

2) Entries must be for completed manuscripts. No unfinished drafts, please!

3) Entries must be left in the comments section of today's post (please don't email us your entries!). We'll close the contest once we've reached our limit.

4) You can only enter once today (only one project). If you participated or won previous MA contests, you can enter this one as well!

5) Please include NAME, CONTACT INFO (it's okay to use (at)  and (dot) to disguise it from bots, like operationawesome6 (at) gmail (dot) com), GENRE, and TITLE, followed by your three-line pitch.

6) The contest will close when we receive 50 entries.

7) The winner will receive a FULL manuscript request!

8) If the rules aren't followed, your entry will be disqualified.

Please format your comment like this:

Name: 

Email or twitter: 

Genre: 

Title: 

Pitch: 

GOOD LUCK!!

Guest Post and Giveaway: Laura Pauling on her MG fantasy/adventure

My MG book, Deadwood, officially launched yesterday (obligatory plug: buy it for paperback or Kindle). But after talking about Deadwood on Operation Awesome for the past year, I thought the best way to celebrate would be to invite my Pugalicious Press sister, Laura Pauling, to talk about her new MG adventure, How to Survive Ancient Spells and Crazy Kings. And guess what? She's giving away a prize pack that includes both her book, other Pugalicious titles, including Deadwood, and Gangsterland, a great new MG title from Ansha Kotyk! So read on. -- Kell Andrews

Laura Pauling on her journey through the jungles of self-publishing, trade publishing, and her new MG adventure

Thanks to the gals at Operation Awesome for letting me take over their blog! I'm here to talk about my journey.

Everyone will agree that a lot has changed the past couple years. Two years ago, I was knee deep researching agents, sending out queries, and forging ahead the best I could. Like everyone else, I heard the rumors spreading along the Internet grapevine. I read the blog posts. I saw the potential. I did a lot of research. A spark lit inside of me. I could be in charge of my own career. I didn’t have to wait until I wrote the kind of story that agents were looking for at that particular moment. I realized that if I continued on the traditional route, it would take at the minimum three years. A year to find an agent and revise and then at least a couple years before it would hit the shelf. If the book sold. And that’s a big if these days.

Last spring I self published my YA, A Spy Like Me and just this past month I released the sequel, Heart of an Assassin. Is self-publishing hard work? Yes. (Any publishing is hard work.) Is it totally worth it? Yes. Is it for everyone? Probably not. Each writer has to evaluate his or her goals. Even though I’d ventured into self-publishing waters with my young adult, I had this middle grade sitting on my hard drive. A story that I loved. I wasn’t quite ready to self publish it, and I knew the editors of Pugalicous Press, a new small press dedicated to quality young adult and middle grade.

How to Survive Ancient Spells and Crazy Kings released last week. Pugalicious did a fantastic job, and I’m extremely happy with the results. This book would make a fantastic gift for boys or girls who enjoy adventure stories with lots of excitement!

You can purchase it on Amazon or Barnes and Noble. You can read the first chapter here. Thankfully, my journey is just beginning and I’m excited to see where it leads. Click here for the list of blog tour stops! Enter to win these prize packages!

Prize Package One (signed paperbacks)

Prize Package Two (signed paperbacks)

Prize Package Three

 

Refresh the page if you can't see the Rafflecopter form! a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Reading Is An Adventure

When you are young you can't go many places without your parents. Sure, there is the moment you climb on some shoes, unlock the door and toddle off down the drive with an apple in your hand,* but most adventures are out of reach. 

Except in books.

This is where our first adventures begin. We play hide and seek with Spot.

We can travel Around The World In Eighty Days.

Live in the jungle with Tarzan.

 Or visit Moomin Valley.

As we grow up, our books grow with us. We travel, learn about the world. What we read can become a way to learn or escape.

A book can take you on an adventure anywhere you want to go. You just need to open the cover to begin.

Where will you go today when you read?

*Yes that was me. My mum tells me I was found at the end of the road by our neighbour, brought home and a deadbolt was put on the door. It did not stop my adventures, but that's another story :)