We’ve created a fun personality quiz for you to determine which character from our books you may be most like. Although, you might find that you want to play this personality quiz more than once!
Tell us in the comments section which character popped up for you!
Click here to take the QUIZ.
Hey all! It’s been an exciting week for me with the release of my debut YA sci-fi/fantasy, WORDLESS! With all of this excitement comes a lot of giveaways, so I’ll give you the lowdown!
First off, my blog tour with Me, My Shelf and I went swimmingly! Even better, there’s still time to enter the giveaway. Grand prize is a signed copy of WORDLESS + swag, plus a $25 Barnes and Noble gift card. TWO runner ups will receive signed copies of WORDLESS + swag. So go check it out and enter!
![[AdriGiveaway%255B4%255D.png]](https://i0.wp.com/lh3.ggpht.com/-2jd2Lw5MSy0/U9kv57wiCJI/AAAAAAAAeCI/R_mI-OKaXz0/s1600/AdriGiveaway%25255B4%25255D.png)
There’s less time for this one, but on my own blog, you can enter the WORDLESS Guess-the-Character Giveaway (before midnight, tonight). Corinne Duyvis drew amazing portraits for the five main characters of WORDLESS, and a blog post featuring each “mystery character” also has a Rafflecopter to guess who they are. Check them out, and click on the portraits if you have a guess! You could win one of FIVE cool WORDLESS-themed prizes (that include a journal, a Sigg water bottle, chocolate, etc….) plus a poster of all the characters!
Also, the wonderful MG Buehrlen interviewed me for her YA Authors as YAs series over at her blog. Not only can you learn all sorts of geeky factoids about me as a teen, but you can enter her giveaway for a signed copy of WORDLESS + swag!
And last but not least… the cover reveal for LIFELESS, the sequel to WORDLESS, over at Icey Books! Check it out below, but be sure to head to Icey Books to enter to enter the giveaway for yet another signed copy of WORDLESS + swag!
What do you think? Well, that about wraps it up, folks. Good luck!
-Adri out
 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, debuted August 8th, 2014 from Flux Books. You can follow her on Twitter and like her on Facebook. |
We at the Bookyard are so excited for WORDLESS by AdriAnne Strickland, which releases today!
Here is the blurb of the book:
“The Gods made their Words into flesh, giving privileged individuals the powers of creation …”
In Eden City, a member of the illiterate wordless class would never dream of meeting the all-powerful Words … much less of running away with one. So when a gorgeous girl literally falls into his lap during a routine trash run, seventeen-year-old Tavin Barnes isn’t sure if it’s the luckiest or worst day of his life. That girl is Khaya, the Word of Life, who can heal a wound or command an ivy bush to devour a city block with ease. And yet she needs Tavin’s help.
By aiding Khaya’s escape from the seemingly idyllic confines of Eden City, Tavin unwittingly throws himself into the heart of a conflict that is threatening to tear the world apart. Eden City’s elite will stop at nothing to protect the shocking secret Khaya hides, and they enlist the other Words, each with their own frightening powers, to bring her back.
Sounds like an amazing book, right? You can find WORDLESS at Indiebound, B&N, & Amazon.
Here’s what we have to say about WORDLESS:
“As a reader and a lover of words, I love the idea of playing round with the concept of words having power, especially because in this case it really does! Add in an underdog, a powerful girl with a kickass ability, and a fast-paced conflict that will keep readers on the edges of their seats, what more can you want for a stunning fantasy debut from Adrianne? ”
– Rin Chupeco, The Girl from the Well
“Words do have power! It takes a fierce imagination to tell a story about how that power translates into the physical self. Such a unique idea! I can’t wait to read this!”
— Mary Crockett, DREAM BOY
“I can’t wait for this high-concept, fast-paced novel! I love the idea of the privileged class being marked by their power over words — it gives me chills, it’s so apt and I hope NOT-prescient…”
-Kate Hattemer, author of THE VIGILANTE POETS OF SELWYN ACADEMY
“When the words are made flesh, they become unputdownable! AdriAnne Strickland’s WORDLESS offers up an inventive premise that will appeal to YA fantasy and dystopia while still bringing a fresh, new voice to the category. ”
– Sarah Bromley, A MURDER OF MAGPIES
“The power of words is one of my all-time favorite things, so I’m super-psyched for this take on it!”
-Skylar Dorset, THE GIRL WHO NEVER WAS
“What an amazing premise! Words are a powerful tool and this story takes that idea and weaves it into something imaginative and creative. As a lover of all things fantasy and dystopian, I’m so excited about this book hitting the shelves.”
-Christina Farley, GILDED
A Little About AdriAnne:
AdriAnne Strickland was a bibliophile who wanted to be an author before she knew what either of those words meant. She 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 debut YA sci-fi/fantasy, WORDLESS, is coming 2014 from Flux Books.
Stalk her here!
Twitter: twitter.com/AdriAnneMS
Website: http://www.adriannestrickland.com/
I’m so glad to have you all here with me (well, long-distance—I’m even long-distance too, since I’m still fishing) to celebrate my 30th birthday (okay, and it’s actually this Sunday, the 13th, but who posts on Sundays?).
AHEM. Anyway. Turning 30 is such a milestone—I mean, this is only my third completed decade—such a “big” number, that it makes me think about what I’ve been doing with myself, and a few of the other numbers that have added up to a fledgling writing career. My dream career. So, while sometimes it feels like it has taken me a really long time to get to this point, at least I’m doing exactly what I want to be doing.
Now for the breakdown (non-emotional, I hope)…
30: years old
6: years writing seriously
3: manuscripts abandoned well on their way
6: fiction manuscripts completed (3 young adult novels, 2 adult novels, and 1 middle grade)
1: nonfiction manuscript completed
3: completed manuscripts trunked (2 adult novels and 1 young adult)
2: manuscripts sold
1: publisher
2: completed manuscripts with high hopes
2: novels in the works
1: debut book launching August 8th, 2014
As for how those numbers will change, it’s anyone’s guess. I have interesting projects in the works this next year: a sequel to WORDLESS called LIFELESS, which will come out a year after WORDLESS does—and WORDLESS comes out in only a month! I also have a middle grade project that I’ll soon announce… and prepare to be surprised (can one actually prepare to be surprised?), since it’s not a typical publishing deal. (Hint: I’m working with a company. A toy company.) Anyway, all of this is very exciting, and I’m just so thrilled to have you all along for the ride with me.
This is where I say something cheesy like:
Incalculable: My joy to be doing what I love, surrounded by people I love.
And so I did. Just, uh, ignore that if it triggers your gag reflex.
AHEM. ANYWAY… Cheers to 2014, to 30, and to the other awesome numbers yet to arrive!
| 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 debut YA sci-fi/fantasy, WORDLESS, is coming August 8th, 2014 from Flux Books. You can follow her on Twitter and like her on Facebook. |
How could we let April pass without sending up a whoop-whoop to the great Poetic Muses in the Sky? So here, on that last day of National Poetry Month, we are celebrating all things poetic by writing synopses of our debut books in haiku form.
Enjoy, ye mortals and goddesses of inspiration alike!
~
Spirits have no place
hunting these child murderers
– but she is hungry.
A tattooed boy has
poison underneath his skin
and she is the cure
How do you fight an
evil revenant, you ask?
Dead girls make good blades.
— Rin Chupeco
~
Turning seventeen
Means learning she’s a faerie.
Complicated? Yes.
Know what’s kind of hard?
Having a faerie-boyfriend
Who’s now imprisoned.
Poor Selkie’s got a
Mother who’d prefer she’s the
Girl who never was.
– Skylar Dorset
~
SALT
A powerless witch
Fighting some demons and then
Like magic, she wins!
FOLLOW ME THROUGH DARKNESS
A girl on the run
Through a dead world only forty days
To arrive or everyone dies.
The truth is a lie
There is death on both sides but
Only one is life.
– Danielle Ellison
~
Near-future city
Where Words are used for power
One must flee or die
– AdriAnne Strickland
~
Dream boy becomes real.
But when your dreams come to life
so can your nightmares.
– Mary Crockett
Today I’m giving away one of my few signed ARCs of WORDLESS, my debut book, so pardon me while I wax arm-chair-philosophical. (Or you can just scroll down and enter the giveaway.)
Since I’m writing books about the (super-) power of words—people with the ability to speak and have their words literally manifest in real life—and since I’m, you know, a writer, it’s always fun to think about words and why they fascinate me.
I think it boils down to this: words are powerful. From a simple sentence, a whole world of ideas can be born. And they can be used for good or evil: inspiration, lies, love, hate.
I’ll be frank with you—I started out on the evil sides of things, back when I was five years old. I was a habitual liar. It was a revelation that I could open my mouth, say something, and have people believe it was true when it was anything but. As a generally powerless kid (like most) who was told when to go to bed, take a bath or eat my vegetables, I suddenly discovered I had immense influence. Did I eat all of the candy in the cupboard? No. Was I sick and needing to stay home from school? Yes. Did I draw a treasure map on the couch in permanent marker? No sir-ee. Did I live on a farm populated with a ridiculous menagerie of animals? Why, yes I did.
I felt like a god. Of course, some people didn’t believe me, but they just exchanged knowing looks with a nearby adult. When you’re a kid, people let you get away with this stuff.
Except for my grandma, who, after she asked if I was trying to thieve a stuffed-animal from her house and I said no, called me out on it, made me take it out from under my shirt and put it back where I’d gotten it. Yes, yes, I tried to steal from my grandma. Evil five-year-old, remember? Still, I’ve never been so ashamed.
And good for her for humiliating the heck out of me and sending my little power trip crashing to the ground. Because lying might be somewhat funny when you’re five and can only inflict minor damage on gullible friends and siblings. Adults are mostly impervious and accept such childish behavior with an, “Oh, is that so, dear?” (…Unless you’ve been drawing on the couch in permanent marker. Then your mother gets PISSED.) But what happens when you’re in school later, and you tell someone they’re ugly? Stupid? Worthless? What happens when you’re an adult and you tell someone that you love them…and you don’t? What happens when you claim “she wanted it”? What happens when you tell an entire country that a certain race of people is lesser than yours?
Very bad things, that’s what happens. Evil, if you will. But words are like SCIENCE (cue darkly dramatic music). There’s not always a mad scientist cackling in the background over chemical weapons and atomic bombs. Cures for diseases are discovered, computers invented, washing machines gifted to the people of earth. (Seriously, have you ever had to wash all of your clothes by hand? It royally sucks and takes half of the day.)
Words are like that. So much potential. We can create worlds… or destroy someone else’s, all with words. And that kind of power is still fascinating to me. These days, I like creating worlds in the form of novels, which is essentially a glorified but a mostly harmless form of lying for other people’s entertainment—the difference is that I now call it fiction from the get-go. (Thanks Grandma, for not putting up with my sh*t.)
And so it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that my first published book is about living Words: god-like people saying, “Flame,” and making things burn; people saying, “Die,” and watching someone topple over; people saying, “Live,” and letting them stand up again. And even less surprising is that there’s a kid without words at the heart of it all, feeling powerless and wondering how much better life would be if he only he had such power.
How, indeed? Because, while words are powerful, it’s all about how they’re used.
Now you can enter the giveaway!
-Adri out
a Rafflecopter giveaway
“The Gods made their Words into flesh, giving privileged individuals the powers of creation…”
In Eden City, a member of the illiterate wordless class would never dream of meeting the all-powerful Words … much less of running away with one. So when a gorgeous girl literally falls into his lap during a routine trash run, seventeen-year-old Tavin Barnes isn’t sure if it’s the luckiest or worst day of his life. That girl is Khaya, the Word of Life, who can heal a wound or command an ivy bush to devour a city block with ease. And yet she needs Tavin’s help.
By aiding Khaya’s escape from the seemingly idyllic confines of Eden City, Tavin unwittingly throws himself into the heart of a conflict that is threatening to tear the world apart. Eden City’s elite will stop at nothing to protect the shocking secret Khaya hides, and they enlist the other Words, each with their own frightening powers, to bring her back.
| 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 debut YA sci-fi/fantasy, WORDLESS, is coming August 8th, 2014 from Flux Books. You can follow her on Twitter and like her on Facebook. |
Since there are 14 of us hanging out here at the BookYArd, and my book, WORDLESS, debuts this new year of 2014 (like the majority of our books), I thought I’d use the number 14 in my introductory post. So without further ado, here are 14 semi-random facts about me and my book!
In summation, much like this list my life is semi-random and more than a little crazy. Nice to meet you!
Come say hi to me on Twitter @adriannems or on my website!
The BookYArd Writers 