Happy Book Birthday to The Way of the Wombat + Blog Tour!

The day has finally arrived: the release of THE WAY OF THE WOMBAT: QUEST FOR GRAY IRONBARK, a middle grade animal fantasy/adventure! You can now buy it in hardcopy or ebook form here on Amazon!

Which Way would you follow?

When Laz, a young wombat, goes from playing a game with his friend Kita in their idyllic tribal village to witnessing the nightmare of a Tasmanian devil attack, he reacts in the only way he can: he fights back. He accidentally kills a devil while trying to save his sister, but his sister is still taken captive. To make matters worse, the tribal elders banish Laz, Kita and Zeeg—the three youths who fought back—for failing to follow the way of the wombat.

Frustrated and adrift, the three friends embark on a quest through red rocky deserts and deep eucalyptus jungles to discover their own way. With a cheerful koala warrior as a guide and a wise platypus as their trainer, they hope to survive long enough to find a legendary weapon that could save their tribe and Laz’s sister from the devils. But danger lurks around every tree…

Find your own way at WhomBatz.com!
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And guess what? There’s the official blog tour starting today! Check out the schedule:

February 9th: CBY Book  Club 10 RANDOM THINGS
February 10th:  A Dream Within A Dream REVIEW
February 11th: Sher A Hart REVIEW
February 12th: Me, My Shelf and I REVIEW
February 13th: Brooke Blogs EXCERPT
February 14th: Cassandra M’s Place SPOTLIGHT
February 15th: Insane About Books REVIEW

Enter to win the grand prize of two WhomBatz foam swords (a black and a blue Thorn) + a copy of the book! Second prize wins a copy of the book, too.

Enjoy!

AdriAnne shares a home base in Alaska with her husband, but has spent two cumulative years living abroad in Africa, Asia, and Europe. While writing occupies most of her time, she commercial fishes every summer in Bristol Bay, because she can’t seem to stop. Her YA sci-fi/fantasy, WORDLESS, launched August 8th, 2014 from Flux Books. You can follow her on Twitter and like her on Facebook.

Shiny New Cover Reveal & Giveaway – THE ONE THING

We at the BookYArd are super excited today to reveal the gorgeous new cover for the 2015 debut THE ONE THING by Marci Lyn Curtis.

Voila!

Beautiful, right? And while we’re at it, take a look at these little beauties, which Marci is giving to some lucky soul! Click here to enter the giveaway.

ABOUT THE BOOK

A soaring tale of life and love, of sacrifice and renewal, and learning to see people as they really are.

Maggie Sanders might be blind, but she won’t invite anyone to her pity party. Ever since losing her sight six months ago, Maggie’s rebellious streak has taken on a life of its own, culminating with an elaborate school prank. Maggie called it genius. The judge called it illegal.

Now Maggie has a probation officer. But she isn’t interested in rehabilitation, not when she’s still mourning the loss of her professional soccer dreams, and furious at her so-called friends, who lost interest in her as soon as she could no longer lead the team to victory.

When Maggie first meets Ben, she thinks she can add crazy to her list of problems. But the precocious ten-year-old isn’t a hallucination. Maggie can actually see him. She immediately befriends the kid, desperate for any chance to see again.

It turns out Ben’s older brother is Mason Milton, the ridiculously hot lead singer of Maggie’s new favorite band. Music is the first thing that has made Maggie feel alive since losing her sight. But when she learns the real reason she can see Ben, Maggie must find the courage to face a once-unimaginable future…before she loses everything she has grown to love.

ABOUT MARCI

Marci Curtis grew up in Northern California, where she went to college and met an amazing guy in a military uniform. Two college-aged kids and one dachshund later, she lives in Maryland, where she laughs too loudly and eats peanut butter off spoons. Her YA contemporary debut, The One Thing, comes out September 8th, 2015 via Disney-Hyperion.
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Cover reveal for The Way of the Wombat

It’s live! Here’s the cover for THE WAY OF THE WOMBAT: QUEST FOR GRAY IRONBARK! Follow the link to the original post over at Me, My Shelf and I to enter the giveaway for a chance to win a copy of the book (when available Feb. 2nd) and a WhomBat Thorn (a really cool foam sword)!

Which Way would you follow?

When Laz, a young wombat, goes from playing a game with his friend Kita in their idyllic tribal village to witnessing the nightmare of a Tasmanian devil attack, he reacts in the only way he can: he fights back. He accidentally kills a devil while trying to save his sister, but his sister is still taken captive. To make matters worse, the tribal elders banish Laz, Kita and Zeeg—the three youths who fought back—for failing to follow the way of the wombat.

Frustrated and adrift, the three friends embark on a quest through red rocky deserts and deep eucalyptus jungles to discover their own way. With a cheerful koala warrior as a guide and a wise platypus as their trainer, they hope to survive long enough to find a legendary weapon that could save their tribe and Laz’s sister from the devils. But danger lurks around every tree…

Find your own Way at WhomBatz.com!

***

What do you think?! Hope you like it as much as I do. Happy Holidays, everyone!

AdriAnne shares a home base in Alaska with her husband, but has spent two cumulative years living abroad in Africa, Asia, and Europe. While writing occupies most of her time, she commercial fishes every summer in Bristol Bay, because she can’t seem to stop. Her YA sci-fi/fantasy, WORDLESS, launched August 8th, 2014 from Flux Books. You can follow her on Twitter and like her on Facebook.

A foray into middle grade involving wombats (this is actually happening)

Howdy all! Sorry I have been MIA—crises of various sorts and sequel due dates have kept me away (yes, I just turned in a revised version of LIFELESS, the sequel to my YA sci-fi-/fantasy debut, WORDLESS, to my editor!).

But, now I’m back and I have some wild news involving wombats and writing middle grade fantasy adventure.

You heard correctly: wombats!

In case you didn’t know, wombats are adorable, furry, and, at times, ferocious marsupials that live in Australia. Check them out:

Or, for my purposes, sometimes they look like this:

The wombat above is roughly what the star of my new middle grade series, The Way of the Wombat, looks like. The first installment, THE QUEST FOR GRAY IRONBARK, kicks off February 2^nd, 2015! But first, there will be a cover reveal Dec. 22^nd—coming right up, so keep an eye out for it! Not only that, but I’ll be revealing some a few of the amazing illustrations along the way and giving away cool prizes.

Check out the book’s description below:

Which Way would you follow?

When Laz, a young wombat, goes from playing a game with his friend Kita in their idyllic tribal village to witnessing the nightmare of a Tasmanian devil attack, he reacts in the only way he can: he fights back. He accidentally kills a devil while trying to save his sister, but his sister is still taken captive. To make matters worse, the tribal elders banish Laz, Kita and Zeeg—the three youths who fought back—for failing to follow the way of the wombat.

Frustrated and adrift, the three friends embark on a quest through red rocky deserts and deep eucalyptus jungles to discover their own way. With a cheerful koala warrior as a guide and a wise platypus as their trainer, they hope to survive long enough to find a legendary weapon that could save their tribe and Laz’s sister from the devils. But danger lurks around every tree…

Add it to Goodreads here, or pre-order the ebook on Amazon here!

How did this happen, you might ask? It’s a valid question, since I typically write YA.

The truth is, I wouldn’t have done it on my own. WhomBatz, LLC, a foam sword company, approached me to write the backstory for their line of toys, geared toward ages 8-12 and based around their mascot, a wombat. As I’ve said, middle grade isn’t usually my thing, but I’ve always wanted to write a story about anthropomorphic animals, since I essentially grew up ingesting Brian Jacques’s Redwall series (I even wrote a poem around said-series in fifth grade that was published in my elementary school anthology *looks self-important*).  Not only that, but I would get to explore a whole new type of animal—marsupials!—in a less common landscape—the Australian outback.

Also, one of the founders of WhomBatz just so happens to be my husband, and he asked nicely.

Since WhomBatz wanted The Way of the Wombat to be entirely in their control as far as release, distribution, marketing, branding, etc, they’re acting as the publisher. It’s fun—while I get more control, too, I still have an editor, an illustrator, a book designer, a marketing plan, all funded by someone else, so it’s been a pretty new and exciting experience.

I’m really proud of this book and WhomBatz’s incredibly awesome line of toys, and I hope you all will enjoy them too!

So, like I said, keep an eye out for The Way of the Wombat: The Quest for Gray Ironbark, coming February 2^nd, 2015, and its cover reveal on December 22^nd—there will be all sorts of fun prizes, including free books, gift cards, sneak peeks at the art, and foam swords! And check out WhomBatz here!

Xx,

AdriAnne

AdriAnne shares a home base in Alaska with her husband, but has spent two cumulative years living abroad in Africa, Asia, and Europe. While writing occupies most of her time, she commercial fishes every summer in Bristol Bay, because she can’t seem to stop. Her YA sci-fi/fantasy, WORDLESS, launched August 8th, 2014 from Flux Books. You can follow her on Twitter and like her on Facebook.

8 Frightful Books to get your SCARE ON!

As the bewitching night approaches, it’s the perfect time to heat a mug of cider and curl up under a fuzzy cover with something truly horrifying–a book!

Here are some suggestions from BookYArd authors of reads that get them spooked–plus a few spooky books from the YArd itself!

GHOST STORY by Peter Straub

For four aging men in the terror-stricken town of Milburn, New York, an act inadvertently carried out in their youth has come back to haunt them. Now they are about to learn what happens to those who believe they can bury the past — and get away with murder.

— recommended by Rin Chupeco, author of THE GIRL FROM THE WELL

Here’s why Rin loves Straub’s GHOST STORY: “Creepy girls, grotesque deaths, and insanity are my preferred trifecta!”

And here’s why you’ll want to check out THE GIRL FROM THE WELL:

A dead girl walks the streets.

She hunts murderers. Child killers, much like the man who threw her body down a well three hundred years ago.

And when a strange boy bearing stranger tattoos moves into the neighborhood so, she discovers, does something else. And soon both will be drawn into the world of eerie doll rituals and dark Shinto exorcisms that will take them from American suburbia to the remote valleys and shrines of Aomori, Japan.

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“BOOGEYMAN” — a shortstory in the NIGHTSHIFT collection by Stephen King

You can hear it here:

— recommended by Trisha Leaver, coauthor of CREED

What Trisha says about THE BOOGEYMAN: “The word terrifying doesn’t do this story justice. The hint of insanity and fathers rather disturbing choice make this one of the few horror stories that continues to plague my mind twenty years after I read it!”

CREED by Trisha Leaver and Lindsay Currie

Three went in. Three came out. None even a shadow of who they once were.

When their car breaks down, Dee, her boyfriend Luke, and his brother Mike walk through a winter storm to take refuge in a nearby town called Purity Springs. When they arrive, the emergency sirens are blaring and the small farming town seems abandoned. With no other shelter, they spend the night in an empty house….

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MARY – THE SUMMONING by Hillary Monahan

There is a right way and a wrong way to summon her.

Jess had done the research. Success requires precision: a dark room, a mirror, a candle, salt, and four teenage girls. Each of them–Jess, Shauna, Kitty, and Anna–must link hands, follow the rules . . . and never let go.

— recommended by Sarah Bromely, author of A MURDER OF MAGPIES

What Sarah says about MARY: “I’ve read Hillary Monahan’s book several times. Still hate mirrors at night.” –

A MURDER OF MAGPIES by Sarah Bromley

Winter in Black Orchard, Wisconsin, is long and dark, and sixteen-year-old Vayda Silver prays the snow will keep the truth and secrecy of the last two years buried. Hiding from the past with her father and twin brother, Vayda knows the rules: never return to the town of her mother’s murder, and never work a Mind Game where someone might see.

 

 

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IN COLD BLOOD by Truman Capote

On November 15, 1959, in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas, four members of the Clutter family were savagely murdered by blasts from a shotgun held a few inches from their faces. There was no apparent motive for the crime, and there were almost no clues.

— recommended by Mary Crockett, coauthor of DREAM BOY

Why Mary thinks you should read Capote’s novel: “The real horror here is that In Cold Blood is a true story. The senselessness of murder, the randomness of it–the savage caprice–makes this book bone-chilling.”

DREAM BOY by Mary Crockett & Madelyn Rosenberg

Perfect and REAL. The boy of her dreams. And when he brushes past her, he whispers her name.

Annabelle Manning spends her nights with a blue-eyed boy who consumes her dreams – then vanishes each morning as she wakes. He’s everything she’s every wanted, but even she never expected to find him in her chemistry class the next day.

Now she’s got a gorgeous guy who’s totally into her, whispering the most ridiculously romantic things in her ear. Her life is a dream come true – until her dreams stop and the nightmares begin.

 

Writing Horror Chills and Thrills

I’m a sucker for all things scary. Except for zombies. Those freak me out a bit too much. As one of the YA Scream Queens, I’m privvy to a variety of YA horror novels and I find it fascinating that out stories are so different and yet all have the same intention: to unnerve our readers in some way.

Horror is so subjective, and that makes it–like comedy–a very hard genre to write. What terrifies one reader gets a “Meh” reaction from another. When my agent has had my work on submission, I had one editor say they just didn’t find the story that frightening and another editor said she had to sleep with the lights on and still had nightmares.

Because of the subjectivity of scariness, I approach writing horror in this way: write what scares you. If you the author are legitimately unnerved and ready to jump out of your skin when writing a horror scene, that energy will translate into the story. I remember writing one scene in a project that had me so disturbed that I had to turn on more lights and walk away from the computer to check the windows several times when writing it–and every single one of my crit partners and my agent pointed to that scene as being scarier than all get out. I wrote something that frightened me, the author. Even though it was my creation, it scared me, and my unease bled into the page.

And when you go back to revise those scene, don’t wince. Don’t soften the scare. Timing is everything, and tone is important, too. But if you are unsettled, your readers will be, and that is the ultimate goal of any horror novel.

CONTEST: Who Killed the YA Scream Queens?

Win this DREAM BOY T-shirt!

Here’s your chance to go full-court with that “I read books” style! You can win an awesome DREAM BOY tee like the ones coauthors Madelyn Rosenberg and Mary Crockett are wearing here.

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How? Enter this giveway (US only) by clicking on the link here: a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Launch Day to Christina Farley’s SILVERN

The BookYArd Writers are so excited to celebrate the release of another one our books–and this one a sequel! Today is the launch of SILVERN by Christina Farley!

Here’s the description for SILVERN (spoiler warning for GILDED, Book 1!):

Jae Hwa Lee has destroyed Haemosu, the dangerous demi-god that held her ancestors captive, and now she’s ready to forget about immortals and move on with her life. Then the god of darkness, Kud, sends an assassin to kill her. Jae escapes with the knowledge that Kud is seeking the lost White Tiger Orb, and joins the Guardians of Shinshi to seek out the orb before Kud can find it.

But Kud is stronger and more devious than Haemosu ever was. Jae is soon painfully reminded that by making an enemy of Kud, she has placed her closest friends in danger, and must decide how much she can bear to sacrifice to defeat one of the most powerful immortals in all of Korea.

Can’t wait to read it? You can find SILVERN at Indiebound, B&N, & Amazon.

Are you excited about this book yet? The BookYArd Writers definitely are.

Here’s what we have to say about this awesome fantasy sequel:

Books with diverse Asian mythology is what the world needs more of, and Silvern is exactly that! More kickass Korean heroines, more fierce battles, and more supernatural forces to overcome – Christina Farley’s sequel is gonna rock!

– Rin Chupeco, THE GIRL FROM THE WELL

 

Christina Farley packs a punch by upping the stakes and igniting readers’ imaginations with rich setting and mythology in SILVERN! No sophomore slump here!

– Sarah Bromley, A MURDER OF MAGPIES

 

 

Immortals, assassins, and sacrifice! If like me, you loved GILDED, you’ll want to eat this exciting new sequel whole!

– Mary Crockett, DREAM BOY

 

 

I didn’t want GILDED to end, and now I get my wish with a sequel. I can’t wait to dive into more of this rich, diverse fantasy world, packed with action, mythology, and romance!

– AdriAnne Strickland, WORDLESS

 

I have been waiting for this book since the day I finished GILDED. The depth of the characters, the world-building, the lyrical play of Korean mythology…SILVERN was everything I thought it would be and more. Hat’s off to Christina Farley for taking the fantasy genre to an entirely new level!

– Trisha Leaver, SECRETS WE KEEP and CREED

Here’s some more about Christina:

Christina was born and raised in upstate New York. As a child, she loved to explore, which later inspired her to jump on a plane and travel the world. She taught at international schools in Asia for ten years, eight of which were in the mysterious and beautiful city of Seoul, Korea that became the setting of GILDED. Currently she lives in Clermont, FL with her husband and two sons—that is until the travel itch whisks her off to a new unknown. She is represented by the black-belt of an agent, Jeff Ourvan of the Jennifer Lyons Literary Agency, LLC. GILDED is her first novel.

Find out more about Christina on her website!

 

Happy Release Day to FALLS THE SHADOW

The BookYArd Writers are thrilled to share with you another release of one our books. Today is the release of FALLS THE SHADOW by Stefanie Gaither!

Here’s the summary:
Cate’s sister may be a clone, but that doesn’t make her a killer. Does it? Murder, morality, and a slow-burning romance fill the pages of this futuristic thriller.

When Cate Benson was a kid, her sister, Violet, died. Two hours after the funeral, Cate’s family picked up Violet’s replacement like nothing had happened. Because Cate’s parents are among those who decided to give their children a sort of immortality by cloning them at birth—which means this new Violet has the same face. The same perfect smile. She even has all of the same memories as the girl she replaced.

She also might have murdered the most popular girl in school.

At least, that’s what the paparazzi and the anti-cloning protestors want everyone to think: that clones are violent, unpredictable monsters. Cate is used to hearing all that. She’s used to defending her sister, too. But Violet has vanished, and when Cate sets out to find her, she ends up in the line of fire instead. Because Cate is getting dangerously close to secrets that will rock the foundation of everything she thought was true.

Dying to get your hands on this incredible read? You can find FALLS THE SHADOW at Indiebound, B&N, & Amazon.

Are you excited about this book yet? The BookYArd Writers definitely are.

Here’s what we have to say about this creepy thriller:

Clones on the run? If that doesn’t grab your attention or your imagination, then little else will! Falls the Shadow has written a book with all the makings of an intriguing fast-paced thriller, and it’s going to be awesome!
– Rin Chupeco, The Girl from the Well

OH MY GOD I LOVE THE SOUND OF THIS BOOK. I am intrigued by the complex possibilities of cloning and this sounds like just the thing to get my (uncloned) heart racing and my (uncloned) brain thinking.
– -Skylar Dorset, THE GIRL WHO NEVER WAS

I was lucky enough to read the ARC of FALLS THE SHADOW, and all I can say is “WOW!” This book kept me riveted from page one. I found the relationship between Cate and the clone of her sister Violet absolutely fascinating. A fantastic read–and one that sticks with you long after you put it down!
– Mary Crockett, DREAM BOY

Replacement clones, high school murder, and earthshaking surprises? This book sounds so cool, and filled with fascinating ethical dilemmas and social commentary on top of all the tension and excitement. I can’t wait to read it!

– AdriAnne Strickland, WORDLESS

This book sounds AMAZING! The complex relationship between the sisters, the ethical implications of cloning, and the prejudice against a girl who’s only crime was being “scientifically created”…WOW. I can’t wait to get my hands on this one!

– Trisha Leaver, SECRETS WE KEEP and CREED

The moment I started reading this book, I was hooked. Not only is the plot thick with juicy intrigue, but the concept of cloning and the consequences of it added another layer to this thought provoking story. This is a thrill ride readers won’t want to miss!

-Christina Farley, GILDED and SILVERN

Here’s the gossip on Stefanie:
After owning and co-managing a coffee shop for several years while simultaneously earning her BA in English, Stefanie Gaither left the small-business world behind to focus on her author career instead. Now, in addition to penning YA novels, she also works part-time as a copywriter for an advertising agency. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and an incredibly spoiled Shih Tzu.

Find out more about Stefanie on her website!

It’s Pet Owners’ Independence Day!

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The Writer’s Lair

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