Tuesday, March 29, 2016

YA Scavenger Hunt Spring 2016!! TEAM PINK!

Hello, hunters and huntresses! Welcome to your next stop for TEAM PINK! 






First, a bit about YASH:
This bi-annual event was first organized by author Colleen Houck as a way to give readers a chance to gain access to exclusive bonus material from their favorite authors...and a chance to win some awesome prizes! At this hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each author, you also get a clue for the hunt. Add up the clues, and you can enter for our prize--one lucky winner will receive one signed book from each author on the hunt in my team! But play fast: this contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online for a few hours!

Go to the YA Scavenger Huntpage to find out all about the hunt. There are NINE contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or all! I am a part of the PINK TEAM. You can visit each team for a chance to win a set of signed books!

If you'd like to find out more about the hunt, see links to all the authors participating, and see the full list of prizes up for grabs, go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page.


Somewhere below you will find my favorite number in PINK. Write that down. Click on the link to the next author page, check out their exclusive material, and find their favorite number. Write that number down, too. Repeat until you have all the numbers for the authors on that team. Add the numbers together. Fill out the form on the scavenger hunt site to enter to win the grand prize!

On to the fun!

I'm so excited to be hosting the lovely Chanda Stafford, author of FIRST!




Seventeen-year-old Mira works on a farm in the ruins of Texas, along with all of the other descendants of the defeated rebels. Though she’s given her heart to Tanner, their lives are not their own. 

When Socrates, a powerful First, chooses Mira as his Second, she is thrust into the bewildering world of the rich and influential. Will, a servant assigned to assist her, whispers of rebellion, love, and of a darker fate than she’s ever imagined. 

With time running out, Mira must decide whether to run to the boy she left behind, to the boy who wants her to live, or to the man who wants her dead.



This book sounds amazing, and Chanda has been kind enough to share a deleted scene!!

Without further ado...

In 

3...


2...


1...





Will fidgets in the doorway. Wearing all black, he’s just another shadow, except for the whites of his eyes and teeth as he flashes me a brief, humorless smile.
“You looked pretty stressed out at dinner. How about we take a walk?”
For a few seconds, I think about refusing, it’s just past midnight, after all, but then he takes my hand in his. Electricity flutters within me, like so many moths to a summer’s flame. “Where are we going?”
“Outside.” He cracks a crooked smile. “Don’t worry, you’re safe with me.”
I chew on my bottom lip as he leads me into the crisp night air. All around us, eerie sounds shatter the stillness. Cicadas keep up a raucous rhythm, an owl hoots, and a lonely chorus of coyotes begin their nightly serenade. Then silence. A rabbit squeals, and its shrill scream brings a chill down my spine. Dinner is served, at least for one of the night’s denizens.
After a few minutes, the cicadas return to their song. When we stop at the far end of the courtyard, Will drops my hand and leans against the stone wall. He stares into the night sky, as if contemplating something.
“I’m sorry,” he says.
My eyes search his, but in the darkness I can’t tell what he’s thinking. “For what?”
“I never should have kissed you.”
The corners of my mouth twitch as memories of his fiery embrace consume me, as well as what happened afterward. “Me, too. I never should have hit you.”
He chuckles. “I deserved it. Especially now that you know, well, everything. It wasn’t fair to you.”
Silence descends between us, filling the gaps between the words we can never say. Should I tell him what I’ve been thinking? That I should back out and become the person I want to be, not the one everyone thinks I should become?
“I heard an old saying once,” Will says, his low voice interrupting my internal dialogue. “It was ‘a penny for your thoughts.’ My dad told me that it meant you wanted to know what someone was thinking.”
I take a deep breath, feeling bold. “Do you ever wonder what might have happened if I hadn’t been chosen?”
He shrugs, a minute gesture almost hidden by the darkness. “We’d never have met. You’d be getting married to that farm boy and Socrates would have chosen someone else, but at least you’d live a normal life.”
A tear burns its way to the surface and slides down my cheek at the thought of never having met him. Never having him in my life. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
“If I’m grateful for anything in this disaster, it’s that I met you. I can’t even think about what my life would be like without you. It’s just,” he shakes his head, “I can’t explain it.”
“Me neither,” I murmur. He’s right. Before Socrates picked me, my life was boring and predictable. Will adds color to a world that I’d always seen in black and white.
“Come on.” He grabs my hand and tugs me along the side of the wall.
“Where are we going?” He doesn’t answer, and a sliver of unease snakes through me. “Will?” I try to jerk my hand back, but his grip is like iron, unyielding and unbreakable.
“Just trust me,” he says. “I’ll never do anything to hurt you.”
“You still didn’t answer my question.” My feet scramble for purchase on the sandy ground, but my soft-soled shoes are useless.
“We’re almost there.” He stops at a small door, half-hidden behind a storage shed.
Before I can protest further, he jiggles the knob until it pops open. The wilderness outside beckons, whispering of freedom and other things I shouldn’t allow myself to feel. After scanning the dense trees for threats, Will leads me into the other side.
Once there, he turns to face me, taking my hands in his. “Before we go any further, I just want you to know—“
A piercing whistle interrupts him. His back stiffens and he scowls as a shadowy figure slips out from behind the husk of a dead tree.
The short, squat man with a shaved head smirks.  “Are you two lovebirds finished? You know the old man doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”
Will reluctantly releases me. “Yeah, we’re ready.”
I glance from one man to the other. “What’s going on?”
Excitement floods Will’s face. “We’re getting you out of here.”


Gah! I love a rebel. Will is my kind of character. To check out FIRST on Amazon, click here. And for more on Chanda and her books, click here to visit her website.

Before I let you go, enter to win my giveaway below! Maybe even enter 22 times (wink wink). You could win a $25 Amazon gift card or a swag pack!




a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sending you all the luck as you continue hunting! Click here to visit your next stop: my publishing sister, Amy McNulty!


Tuesday, March 22, 2016

YASH is coming...

It's almost YASH time again! If you're new to the YA Scavenger Hunt, it's a really fun, really easy way to win a ton of books!

For this round, I'm TEAM PINK!


Visit my blog on the 29th. I'll have another author's exclusive bonus content along with my favorite number. Write down that number! Follow my link to the next author on my team. Check their material and write down their favorite number. After you've visited all twenty blogs, add the numbers together and enter to win here: YA Scavenger Hunt

You have NINE different teams you can visit (so NINE chances to win TWENTY books!)

To see the authors and their teams, click here to go to Colleen Houck's page!

As a little bonus, I'll have my own giveaway, and be sure to check out my exclusive material on one of my teammate's blogs!

Happy spring and happy hunting!


Wednesday, January 20, 2016


Well, winter finally decided to show up...


It's cold. It's windy. Perfect weather to snuggle up with a good book, so I decided it's giveaway time!

I just left Barnes & Noble with my kiddos, and I had a conversation with someone there. If I was given the option of $100 from this person or a review of my book, what would I choose? The answer was easy. I'd choose the book review every time. (Yes, even a less than stellar review.) I figured it's time to show my appreciation for anyone who has taken the time to do so!

The grand prize?? A kindle fire to warm you up!!

Entering is easy.
1. Review the book anywhere (Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Noble, Booksamillion, Walmart, Target).
2. Link the review to me through my social media (twitter, FB, instagram or email me at alyndenrolland@gmail.com).

Each review is a separate entry. You can write just a simple sentence about the book(s) and enter the same review on different sites. Each one is a separate chance to win!

To make it easy, here are a few links to the books:

Of Breakable Things:
Amazon
Goodreads
Barnes & Noble
Booksamillion
Walmart


Of Delicate Pieces:
Amazon
Goodreads
Barnes & Noble
Booksamillion
Target
Walmart

The WINNER will be drawn by a CHS student at READ ACROSS AMERICA on March 2nd! You don't have to be present to win! All you have to do is review!!

Image result for save an author write a review

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Of Delicate Pieces COVER reveal!

NEWS!!!

1. I haven't had this baby yet. (My fingers are swollen. Please excuse typos.) Send positive vibes. And chocolate.

2. It's less than a month until release day for OF DELICATE PIECES!!

3. And today the cover is featured over at YA Book Central!! Imagine me like this (except with big, fat fingers:)


Check out the fabulous cover by clicking here! And enter to win some free swag!!

4. Of Delicate Pieces is available for pre order on Amazon, B&N, and Booksamillion!

5. Stay tuned during the next few days to learn about release day contests and prizes!


Love, hugs, and pumpkins (including the one in my belly)

A :)


Monday, June 15, 2015

SUMMER GIVEAWAY #badassreads

I'm just going to leave this here...
(totally jacked it from Bethany Crandell's place www.bethanycrandell.com  Don't judge)



20 authors.
25 books.

#badassreads

 Live chat/kick off party with AG Howard and Bethany Crandell
"The Craze About Critique Partners"
Saturday, June 20 
4pm EDT
The giveaway goes live at the close of the chat and one
giveaway answer will be given during the call.
UP YOUR ODDS OF WINNING BY TUNING IN!



7 HUGE PRIZE PACKS INCLUDING:
IT’S A MAD, MAD WORLD 
SPLINTERED, UNHINGED and *ENSNARED (*AUDIO BOOK)
 AG Howard 
PLUS an UNTAMED postcard w/three paragraph sneak peek!!!



AGAINST THE ODDS 
LANDRY PARKBethany Hagen
DEFY, Sara B. Larson
GATES OF THREAD AND STONE, Lori M. Lee
NIL, Lynne Matson 
 

THE USUAL SUSPECTS
PRISONER OF NIGHT AND FOGAnne Blankman
 MURDER COMPLEX, Lindsay Cummings 
LIARS, INC., Paula Stokes (hard copy) 
 

SAND BETWEEN MY TOES
NO PLACE TO FALLJaye Robin Brown
SUMMER ON THE SHORT BUS, Bethany Crandell 
PLAYING NICE, Rebekah Crane 
THE SUMMER AFTER YOU + ME, Jennifer Salvato Doktorski
 

GRITTY BOYS OF SUMMER 
TAP OUT, DARE ME, PRESS PLAY 
Eric Devine
 

SPELLS, SPIRITS and SWOONS, OH MY!
INTO A MILLION PIECESAngela V. Cook
ASPEN, Rebekah Crane
THE ONE THING, Marci Lynn Curtis (hard copy) 
DAUGHTER OF CHAOSJen McConnel   
OF BREAKABLE THINGSA. Lynden Rolland 


MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU
EXTRACTION, Stephanie Diaz (hard copy)
BURN OUT, Kristi Helvig
ANOMALYTonya Kuper

                                        

ALL BOOKS WILL BE SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR!
(paperback unless otherwise stated)
Giveaway is US ONLY

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO?

SPREAD THE WORD USING THIS HASHTAG: #BADASSREADS
 then join the LIVE CHAT on SATURDAY, JUNE 20 (4pm EDT) 
where one of the giveaway questions will be answered. 
Rafflecopter and first author post go live at the end of the call!

GOOD LUCK and HAPPY READING!


TBR what?


So, my summer TBR list is growing faster than my pregnant belly, but having to put up my feet should give me an excuse to read (and to send my husband to chase after my boys)



What's a TBR you might ask?

I took the question to a group at dinner (after they'd had multiple drinks and me, being sober, could remember every one. Score.)

My favorites:
TBR: Totally Badass Ringworm (what???)
TBR: To Be Rapped (Haha! If I was talented enough, I would totally rap about this)
TBR: Telepathically Brained Raptors (I think they'd just left a showing of Jurassic World)
TBR: Terribly Bred Rabbits (I don't even know)
TBR: Trending By Region (Probably the most intelligent guess. No offense, other guys)

No, TBR in the book world means To Be Read.




There are several GMMG titles (my pub) on my TBR, but I won't overwhelm you with all of them.


1. Lifer by Beck Nicholas
The Bourne Identity meets Under the Never Sky in this intergalactic tale of love and deception from debut novelist Beck Nicholas.
(I'm already hooked)

Asher is a Lifer, a slave aboard the spaceship Pelican. A member of the lowest rung of society, she must serve the ship’s Officials and Astronauts as punishment for her grandparents' crimes back on Earth. The one thing that made life bearable was her illicit relationship with Samuai, a Fishie boy, but he died alongside her brother in a freak training accident. 

Still grieving for the loss of her loved ones, Asher is summoned to the upper levels to wait on Lady, the head Official’s wife and Samuai’s mother. It is the perfect opportunity to gather intel for the Lifer’s brewing rebellion. There’s just one problem—the last girl who went to the upper levels never came back.

On the other side of the universe, an alien attack has left Earth in shambles and a group called The Company has taken control. Blank wakes up in a pond completely naked and with no memory, not even his real name. So when a hot girl named Megs invites him to a black-market gaming warehouse where winning means information, he doesn’t think twice about playing. 

But sometimes the past is better left buried. As Asher and Blank’s worlds collide, the truth comes out—everyone has been lied to...
 
(Holyyyyyyyyyy. This premise. Seems like there's going to be a lot going on between the pages... but those are the types of stories I love, so this was an obvi pick.)

2. A Whispered Darkness by Vanessa Barger


When Claire Mallory's father leaves, her mom moves them to a new town and into a dilapidated Victorian house. The old house creaks and whistles, and smells . . . well, like it's been abandoned for years. (I have a thing for haunted houses.) But as the nights grow longer and the shadows take on substance, Claire wonders if the strange sounds and occurrences might be more than the house showing its age. (Yessss) Just as things start to pick up in Claire's love life, her mother becomes possessed. (Great timing, Mom) In an attempt to save her mother and their new home, Claire enlists the help of two boys, each of whom is interested in Claire for very different reasons. (This, I like) As she chooses one boy over the other, something dangerous is unleashed, (is this because of the boy???) and the spirits make their move. They aren’t content to moan and scream inside Claire’s house, or even control her mom. They want a taste of freedom, and they'll use Claire to get it. But is Claire strong enough to fight off the evil spirits, or will they claim her and her mom before it's all over?
Clearly, I enjoy ghosts (although that word is taboo in the OBT series, so spirits), and this one seems to have an Amityville/Insidious feel to it. Sold.

3. Nobody's Goddess by Amy McNulty (She has a great first name, right? And I had the pleasure of meeting Amy in NYC last month.)


In a village of masked men, (I'm already buying the book) magic compels each man to love only one woman and to follow the commands of his “goddess” without question. (Where can I get this magic? *eyes husband's laundry pile) A woman may reject the only man who will love her if she pleases, but she will be alone forever. And a man must stay masked until his goddess returns his love—and if she can’t or won’t, he remains masked forever.

Seventeen-year-old Noll isn't in the mood to celebrate. Her childhood friends have paired off and her closest companion, Jurij, found his goddess in Noll’s own sister. Desperate to find a way to break this ancient spell, Noll instead discovers why no man has ever chosen her. (Okay, I need to know why)

Thus begins a dangerous game between the choice of woman versus the magic of man. And the stakes are no less than freedom and happiness, life and death—and neither is willing to lose. Those are pretty high stakes.
Alright, the whole magic versus free will thing is awesome. The concept of the masks had me at hello, but I have so many questions so this one is def on the list.


Boom. There, it is. My

list.

Leave your TBRs in the comments below, so I can add more books to my list and stress out about reading them all before I pop! 

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

YA Scavenger Hunt Starts TOMORROW!!

It's time again for the YA Scavenger Hunt and several chances to win (an entire team full of) books!!

It begins TOMORROW!

How to play?? 

Pick a team (cough. Team Red). Pick any author on that team (ahem). Go to their blog. They will have fun content from another team author like deleted scenes or bonus material. There will also be a number. Write that down. At the bottom of the blog post there will be a link to the next blog. Visit each blog in the group and write down the numbers for each team member, add them up, and then go here: Entry Page.

You can only have one entry per team, BUT you can play all teams (all colors) for more chances to win books! 

I am





Happy Hunting!!! See you tomorrow!!!