Tuesday, October 25, 2011

So You Wanna Win a Book?

There are oodles of opportunities for you to win a copy of Between right now, so I thought I'd be a sweetie ('cuz I'm nice that way) and collect them all in one place for your clicking and entering pleasure.

You're welcome! *grin*

Enter to win a print copy from Paper Cut Reviews (part of the Feast of Screams) through November 1.

A print copy is up for grabs at vvb32's blog. Contest ends November 13.

Unabridged Bookshelf is giving away five ebooks of Between (ends October 31).

Reading Angel has an interview with me and an ebook giveaway (through November 4).

Mindy from Magical Urban Fantasy Reads is giving away two paperback copies internationally! Ends 11/11.

Good luck!

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Happy Birthday to Me!

Yep, it's my birthday today! Woohoo! Let's celebrate!

*tosses confetti*

*hands out kazoos*

*pins the tail on Adam Levine*

*takes a sip of champagne*

*cranks the tunes*

I told my hubby that I love my birthday because it's the one day a year when it's all about ME. He said, "The ONE day???"

LOL- He knows me too well.

I asked my son this morning how old he thought I was. He said "29" and I didn't correct him. So, from the mouth of babes, I am officially 29 today.

Hey, no snickering, you in the back!

:)


Saturday, October 15, 2011

Piracy Sucks!


In less than 24 hours, my book has popped up on FIVE sites for illegal download. Worse, two of the sites plagiarized my dear friend Jaime's review along with the posting. Jaime is spitting mad and so am I.

Between is practically free as it is! The ebook only costs 99 cents. Who doesn't have that? I've had bloggers email me and request a free review copy, which I willingly give. So if a person doesn't have a buck and is desperate for the book, there are ways to get a copy without stealing.

And I'm not the only one. Jennifer Armentrout, the author of the upcoming Half Blood, was recently plagued by illegal postings of her book as well.

So what can we do about it?

We've emailed the sites to ask that the pirated copies be removed, but Jennifer called them gremlins that multiply at night, and I have to agree with her. My Twitter friend Trina M. Lee told me that her books have been pirated for years and that even if a site agreed to take the posting down, it would pop up again a few weeks later.

Jaime is fighting back. And so am I.


Okay, so maybe I can't stop the books from being posted illegally. People who wish to do evil will find a way. So we choose to counter that with good.

Jaime is hosting a contest on her blog where she's going to buy and give away a copy of Between. Go and show your support! HappyTwilighter made a Piracy Sucks twibbon to add to your Twitter avatar. HeyItsFishy is making a Piracy Sucks banner. What The Cat Read has already posted about this. Larissa's Bookish Life is the awesome talent behind the icon above. Add it to your blog! Unabridged Bookshelf is giving away 5 copies of Between and another 5 of Angeline Kace's Descended by Blood (which has also been plagued by illegal postings).

Figure out how you can be part of the movement to speak out against piracy.

For me, I will give a free ecopy of Between to EVERY SINGLE PERSON who blogs about this and comments back here with the link.

This isn't about me and my book. It's obviously not about money, since the book is dang near free already.

This is about stealing that which should be a gift. When an author pours her heart onto the page in order to make you laugh, cry, and fall in love, it is a gift. From her to you. It's a special time capsule of hours spent when you were swept up in another world and just for a little while, were able to set aside the trials of this world. Don't steal the gift. It won't mean as much to you in the end, I promise.

Go and spread the message that Piracy Sucks and come back here to let me know you have. Be sure to leave your email so I can send you the free copy.

Because above all else, I want to share the gift of Between with you. From my heart to yours.


Friday, October 14, 2011

Pen Fatale Tour Pics!

I met a fabulous lady on Twitter today and she mentioned that a group of YA authors were doing a signing at Barnes & Noble in my area. So skip forward a handful of hours and not only did I get to meet the authors (and get signed books), but I got to meet my new Twitter friend, too. What a great night!

The Pen Fatale Tour made its very last stop in Seattle and I was fortunate enough to attend. Alyson Noel, Jessica Brody, Mary Pearson and Gabrielle Zevin (L-R) were out promoting their new books. While Alyson was definitely the most well-known of the group (and most of the questions were addressed to her), all four ladies were personable and engaged the audience beautifully.

One girl up front asked Mary Pearson how she got the idea to put thoughts in a black box (the premise of her novel, The Fox Inheritance). Mary responded that she'd done some research and that scientists currently believe that in about 25 years, they'll be able to scan our brains and download the information to a computer so we can have conversations with ourselves. Jessica Brody piped up and asked if her computer brain would be able to tell her where she left her car keys, since she has difficulties with that. :)

Alyson shared that she finds writing inspiration from events in her life, that she's been through some tough times: lost 3 people in her family within a short period and almost lost her husband to leukemia. Mary spoke of her daughter's cancer and how that played a role in the stories she came up with to work through the emotions. Gabrielle lightened the mood by recounting a story about a vicious chihuahua trying to attack her and her pug outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art as the inspiration for her novel, All These Things I've Done.

I had the chance to ask Jessica about the Ah-Mazing book trailers she's done for The Karma Club and My Life Undecided, which are more like movie trailers than book trailers. She said that she has friends in the film industry who've helped her out and that they take months to do, but that they are a labor of love. When I talked with her one-on-one during the signing, I told her I'd love to have her do a book trailer for Between.

*dreams of casting a hot guy in a kilt as Aiden*

*swoons*

All in all, it was a fabulous night. An inquisitive and attentive crowd, and some lovely women encouraging young readers (and writers). What's not to love?

Safe travels home from your tour, ladies!

And super big thanks to my new Twitter friend, @seibslikefeebs!


Sunday, October 9, 2011

Seattle Sounders Fan-tastic

I went to my first Seattle Sounders game last night and had an absolute blast! That's not me in the picture, but I felt like it. The energy in the crowd was out of this world: jumping, chanting, cheering, singing... it never stopped.

The Sounders didn't win the game, but it scarcely mattered since it was really all about the fans. I snapped a little video with my phone, which doesn't do the crowd justice, but might give you a taste of the intensity.

Sheer. Awesomesauce!


The Fan Gallery Has Begun!

I wanted to put together an homage to the awesome people who've read Between, so be sure to check out the Fan Gallery page of the blog. If you've got a copy of Between, snap a picture of you with the book and email it to me at cynditefft -at- gmail -dot- com. I'd love to add your photo to the page! :)