Links, In Case You Missed It Edition 3-18-13

Recent happenings in my online sphere:

My review for STUNG by Bethany Wiggins is up on Afterglow Book Reviews this morning!

Amazon bestseller lists: AMAROK wins three spots!

March Mystery Agent reveal!

Pens for Paws: Operation Awesome's item went for $170! Thanks to all who bid at this charity auction benefiting Fat Kitty City in California.

PITY ISN'T AN OPTION by Jessica Brooks has a new cover and the cover designer, Icey Books, is holding a giveaway for 9 more days! Go enter!

Books I'm reading right now:

SPELLBINDING by Maya Gold: I'm enjoying the delicious magic in this one.
THE LIVES OF TAO by Wesley Chu: well-paced and deep at the same time, not to mention very funny. I'm a quarter of the way through this one, reading slowly because I'm reading it with my husband who works all day. If I were reading it alone, I'd be done already, no doubt, because it's so intriguing and action-packed! But I'm being patient because I LOVE sharing a story with my hubz. We courted over the Harry Potter books. (Goodreads Giveaway going on now!!)
GONE WITH THE WIND by Margaret Mitchell: I'd really like to be done with this one already, but I'm only at 45%. It's for book club this Friday. Anybody think I can make it in time? (Hint: it's got over 1000 pages.)

My writing update:

Pens for Paws, Poison, and the Robin Hobb Blurb

OPERATION AWESOME's Multi-Pack of Awesome is up for bidding at charity auction Pens for Paws today (until tomorrow)! So if you'd like to win a 20-page critique from Yours Truly, along with a handful of critiques from other OA members and signed books/swag, too, get over and bid now! (Other items for bidding include agent critiques!)

Here's a screen shot of the Operation Awesome prize:

So much goodness, it didn't all fit in one screen cap! Go check out the rest: http://pensforpaws.blogspot.com/2013/03/awesome-multi-prize-package-from.html

POISON:

"Bridget Zinn's first YA novel, Poison ...released by Hyperion on March 12, 2013. Unfortunately, Bridget died from cancer in May 2011 at the age of 33. Being published was Bridget's dream. Now, nearly four years to the day from her diagnosis, her novel is at last reaching readers. On her behalf, her friends and family want to celebrate her accomplishment and help get her book into the hands of readers."

Tragic story. But here's something that isn't tragic:

Bridget Zinn's book is beautiful!

And these reviews are beautiful, too:

Kirkus Reviews

"Don't let the title or cover fool you! No grimdark teen fantasy or angst-y heroines here; just a frothy confection of a fairy tale featuring poisoners, princesses, perfumers and pigs, none of whom are exactly what they appear (except maybe the pigs)…. Good silly fun—a refreshing antidote to a genre overflowing with grit and gloom."
—Kirkus Reviews

Publishers Weekly

"The late Zinn's debut novel unfolds as a romping, fairy-tale quest with more than one twist up its sleeve. The story is vivid, headlong, and occasionally tongue in cheek, and the narrative's dark moments never get too scary because everything else is so much fun." Ages 12–18. Agent: Michael Stearns, Upstart Crow Literary.—Publishers Weekly

I don't know about you, but it sounds right up my alley. I can't wait to read it, and while I do I'll think of the author Bridget Zinn who didn't get to see these glowing reviews, or probably even the beautiful cover art. And I'll feel a little sad. But what better way to honor her than to share in her dream and enjoy the book she wanted to share with the world?

WONDER LIGHT: UNICORNS OF THE MIST has been blurbed! By International Bestselling Author Robin Hobb!

Check it out at author R.R. Russell's blog

And here's the short blurb on the new cover:

Exhilarating! -Robin Hobb
Add it on goodreads
Pre-order it on amazon

Amazon Daily Deal: AMAROK!!! (and Operation Awesome charity auction item)

Housekeeping: yesterday was a huge day for YA fiction fans (who to a person adore Veronica Mars), so we have to forgive each other for completely missing out on most everything else going on yesterday. I forgive you. Do you forgive me? Okay, good. So here are the links to yesterday's blog posts:

First I shared cover love for Angie Smibert's upcoming release, THE MEME PLAGUE (August 2013), book 3 in the MEMENTO NORA series. It is fabulous, by the way. If you haven't read it, go get Memento Nora and join the revolution.

Then my husband (yes, he is awesome) posted news of the Veronica Mars Movie kickstarter page and so I went all fangirl and blogged about it.

K, flashback over.

Today, special treat from Amazon: Amarok is in the Kindle Daily Deals zone! Woot, woot! Go Angela! (That's the incredible, sweet, and talented author of Amarok.)

Here's the cover, buy link, and blurb:

On Goodreads

AMAZON DAILY DEAL: AMAROK by Angela J. Townsend $1.99 today only

Emma's life has been hell since she moved from sunny California to a remote Alaskan town. Abandoned by her father and living with the guilt of causing her mother's death, she makes a desperate dash for freedom from her abusive stepfather. But when her car skids off the icy road, her planned escape leads to further captivity in a world beyond her imagining. Dragged across the tundra by an evil mountain man and his enormous black wolf, she learns that love can be found in the most unexpected places. Amarok, as she's nicknamed the wolf, is a young man from the gold-rush era enslaved by an ancient shaman. Emma's gentle touch and kind heart win his love and devotion. When a vicious madman--trapped in bear form by the same Shaman--attacks the travelers and injures Amarok, Emma must find the strength to face her fears and free the wolf she's come to love. But that means she must face down the evil shaman, a Siberian mammoth hunter from the ice age, and he has no intention of giving up his power to her.

If you'd like to get a feel for how this wolf shapeshifting story is unique, this trailer will take you there:


As someone who's read a lot of Angela's work, I can tell you her prose is delicious, her settings vivid like sweeping masterpieces. You will feel rooted in her world for the duration of the story. You will not be able to put it down between chapters because of her expert use of suspense. And your heart will break for the ordeals of her beloved characters. If you've never read Angela Townsend's work before, I urge you to take advantage of this deal and try her out. You may discover a new favorite author. :)

Currently reading:
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (for book club)
The Lives of Tao by Wesley Chu (with my husband)

What are you reading?

UPDATE: Doh! Totally slipped my mind, but OPERATION AWESOME's Multi-Pack of Awesome is up for auction at charity auction Pens for Paws today (until tomorrow)! So if you'd like to win a 20-page critique from Yours Truly, along with a handful of critiques from other OA members and signed books/swag, too, get over and bid now! (Other items for bidding include agent critiques!)

Here's a screen shot of the Operation Awesome prize:

So much goodness, it didn't all fit in one screen cap! Go check out the rest: http://pensforpaws.blogspot.com/2013/03/awesome-multi-prize-package-from.html