And The Dodgy Spy With The Awesome Prize Is...

If yuo can raed this cdoe it maens yuore an ecxlelent spy…

Either that or its fine, and I’ve just lost my glasses.

Anyway while you’re all milling around looking inconspicuous, it’s time to announce the dodgy spy with the awesome prize. And the winner, in no particular order (except backwards for extra secrecy), is…

F .ardnassaK

Congratulations! I’ll get in touch with you to arrange your prize!

Dodgy Spies With An Awesome Prize: A 25 Page, Author Critique!

Today I'm hosting the final stop in Kelley York's HOLLOWED blog tour, and to say I'm ridiculously excited would be like saying— well, something equally accurate. Why? Because myself, Kelley and the fabulous Nyrae Dawn (author of five books, with more on the way and an interview coming up on this blog), are giving away a massive prize! And the best part is, it's interactive...

See, as you'll all know from the blog tour, Hollowed is not just an awesome New Adult novel. It's also a mystery, and so for this prize you'll need to do some sleuthing. First, get yourself a Sherlock Holmes hat and pipe (or if, like many writers, you're afraid of the outside world, simply imagine yourself in one).

OK so it's technically not a Sherlock Hat,
and the old man I stole it from didn't have a pipe,
but when your mystery-solving pose looks this good...

Next, check out the video interview I did with Kelley and answer the four super mysterious questions in the rafflecopter widget below (you'll earn five entries for each one you answer). To be extra sneaky and secretive we made sure the video can only be viewed here, so you better put on sunglasses before you watch it so no-one sees you.

Once you've got your answers, it's time to duck behind a newspaper and do some stalking. Follow us on twitter for one entry per twerson (yes, it's a word) and on our blogs for ten entries per blog.

And what do you get?


A 25 page critique from Kelley.
A signed ARC of Hushed. (It's her last one. Ever. I'd say that pretty much makes it an antiquity).
A signed Hushed bookmark. (Not that you'll need it, since you won't be able to stop reading).
An e-copy of Hollowed from Kelley.
An e-copy of Measuring Up from Nyrae.
And since I wanted to join in the spirit of giving, I'll throw in a good deed for you too. I'm no professional writer but I've been studying the publishing/writing industry for 3 years now to perfect my own work so I'd be happy to offer a beta read for you, or you could do a guest post on my blog to gain some potentially new viewers, or if you've got work coming out I can chip in to your publicity efforts. Whatever you like, I'd love to work something out. :)

The contest ends at the very mysterious and in no way suggested by rafflecopter time of 12:01 am, September 7. Happy sleuthing, and thank you so much to Kelley and Nyrae for giving me this opportunity, and to everyone for participating! (I mean, no-one. You were never here, right?)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Better than Bingo at a Knitting Club Tea-party: A Review

G'day all, and happy weekend. Like most twenty-three-year-olds I'm spending my Friday night drinking tea, swaddling myself in my pinkest of old-lady dressing gowns and writing a book review, and I thought you might like to join me. Under the spotlight this week is Kelley York's newly released New Adult novel, HOLLOWED. And since I'm looking rather old and wise at the moment, I'll try and sound that way too.

Firstly, the novel is written in that damn-fangled new style called New Adult. I don't know what kids today think of such a thing, but I thoroughly enjoyed diving into a genre which features a new type of main character (i.e. a normal, independent teen with bills and jobs and vampire-fighting kittens). I also loved the fact that although this is a vampire story, there wasn't a trace of stereotypical vampirism. It was refreshing to see that characterization was more important, and that what the book lacked in fangs, it made up for in personalities and back-stories. I'd like to have seen some extra dimensions in a couple of members of the supporting cast but they were still thoroughly likeable in their simple way, and the entire novel was already rich and detailed enough as it was.

The plot in particular worked very well, especially from a writer's point of view. It was great to see the addition of layers and the continual increase in conflict and tension, as well as real examples of how to leave clues and build enough suspense to pull off a satisfying ending. I did guess one of the subplots, but there were so many twists throughout the storyline that I could never have been fully certain I was right. And what made me even happier than bingo night at a knitting club tea-party, is that I’ve rarely read books which ended with such a thorough sense of closure.

The world-building was also solid without bogging the reader down with too much description, and I really enjoyed the variety of settings - particularly the fascinating Old Town, which I'd love to visit. On top of that the editing was tight, thorough, and never once left me feeling like I was being told instead of shown or getting buried in an information dump. Kelley has great voice in her writing, whether that's through setting a scene or painting a character into life, and the entire novel reads like one of a real veteran in her craft. I've had my eye on another of Kelley's books for a long time now, so I was thrilled to receive my very own Hollowed ARC for review. And with my own personal score of eight out of ten, it turned out better than a pair of slippers and an early night.

Next week I'll be hosting Kelley, right here, for the final day of her Hollowed blog tour. I've got a mystery contest lined up, including a top secret video where we talk self-publishing, writing and book promotions, and more about New Adult. So hang on to your dentures, folks, because there'll be books and critiques and goodies galore to give away.

Update: Dodgy Spies With An Awesome Prize is now running, so sneak on over and check it out!

Insert-Dramatic-Music-And-Epic-Drumroll-For... The Official, HOLLOWED, Cover Reveal!

Ahem... Ta da!

I present to you the cover for Kelley York's upcoming New Adult novel, HOLLOWED. Great, isn't it? And what's all the more impressive is that Kelley designed the cover herself. It's enough to make any wannabe author go green-eyed with envy. (Ba-dum Ch! See what I did there folks? I'm here all week).

Anyway, putting hilarious, bordering-on-dad-jokes aside, I can't wait to read this. Feast your eyes on the blurb below and you'll see why. 

***

Blurb:

All 18-year-old Briar Greyson wanted was to figure out this whole living-away-from-your-parents thing. Apartment, steady job, cool roommate? Check. Noah, her adorable (albeit elusive) boyfriend? Check. Everything in the life of Briar was pretty good.

Then she and her roommate are attacked on their way home one night. Briar wasn't supposed to survive.

Instead, according to the two guys who saved her, she's turning into the things that attacked her: a vampire. Totally crazy and Not Okay. Now Noah's secrets are coming to light, and he wants Briar dead. Then there are the vampires who attacked Briar to lure out her sister.

Her sister...who died years ago. 

(Didn't she?)

The city's body count is rising, and Briar wants to help put a stop to it. But first, she has to figure out who the real enemy is: the vampires, the boy she loves, or the sister she thought she'd lost.

***

Well, what do you think? I get the sense that there's something really unique hidden away in this story and I'm twitching to find it. If you're as keen on some pre-release stalking as I am, you can check out Kelley's website (featuring her own  cover reveal) and her Goodreads page, or follow her on twitter @elixing. Keep an eye out here too because I've got an interview lined up as part of the book tour, and with any luck there just might be a large giveaway involved. ;)

HOLLOWED will be officially released on the 15th August. Counting down the days!