YA Scavenger Hunt!!

I'm so excited to be part of the winter YA Scavenger Hunt!

For more info, check out the official site here: linky.

Check out the amazing list of the authors and teams!

The hunt will begin this Thursday, November 29th at noon pacific time and will end on Sunday, December 2nd, at noon pacific. There will be multiple prizes given away and it's a great chance to add some books to your holiday wish list! I know I'm already making my own wish list.

The Blue Team

HEATHER ANASTASIU


JENNIFER L. ARMENTROUT


RACHEL CARTER


ANNA COLLOMORE


JULIE CROSS


TRACY DEEBS


LEIGH FALLON


TARA FULLER


MARLEY GIBSON


CYNTHIA HAND


P.J. HOOVER


AMALIE HOWARD


CORRINE JACKSON


STACEY KADE


SUZANNE LAZEAR


S.R. JOHANNES


MAUREEN MCGOWAN


COURTNEY ALLISON MOULTON


LEA NOLAN


AMY PLUM


LISSA PRICE



PETER ADAM SALOMON


JESSICA SHIRVINGTON


JESSICA SPOTSWOOD


RACHEL VINCENT

The Red Team

JOSEPHINE ANGELINI


RAE HACHTON


TERA LYNN CHILDS


KRISTI COOK


GINA DAMICO


KIMBERLY DERTING


ALEX FLINN


MICHELLE GAGNON


DAVID MACINNIS GILL


NANCY HOLDER


COLLEEN HOUCK


TARA HUDSON


ELANA JOHNSON


JESSICA KHOURY


GINA LINKO


MYRA MCENTIRE


ALEXANDRA MONIR


E.C. MYERS


GREGG OLSEN


JOY PREBLE


BETH REVIS


VICTORIA SCHWAB


J.A. SOUDERS


VICTORIA STRAUSS


EDNAH WALTERS

That's the list. The hunt starts Thursday! Leave a comment and tell me which books you are the most excited for.

And again, here's a link to the official #YASH hunt page!

Update!

This weekend, the YA Apocalypse Tour headed all the way to Belleville, Ontario--about 2 hours east of Toronto--with authors Megan Crewe, Cheryl Rainfield, Lesley Livingston and Courtney Summers.

It was a great road trip. Highlights included: watching in awe as Lesley Livingston donned mascara in my passenger seat while we zipped along the 401, ordering food off the Hobbit menu at Denny's and seeing some of the Ontario Blogger crew again!

 

I'm not sure what a turkey and stuffing sandwich has to do with Gandalf or The Hobbit, but not sure I care. It was yummy.

Here's a photo of the end cap of our books in the store. And look. Mine's on top! So, if you live within driving distance of the Chapters in Belleville, head on down to buy a signed copy. DEVIANTS will make a great Christmas gift (for you or someone on your list.)

Today, I'm on two different blogs.

First, the lovely Sarah Fine, whose novel SANCTUM came out 2 weeks before mine, asked me some really interesting questions about the origins of my dystopian world and the relationship between Glory and her disabled brother Drake.

Check it out here:  http://thestrangestsituation.blogspot.ca/2012/11/deviants-by-maureen-mcgowan.html

Also today, I'm a special guest at adult author, Marie Treanor's Fairy Tale Party!

At the Fairy Tale Party, I posed the question: are dystopians the new fairy tales? Marie's blog has some 18+ content... (Not all fairy tale adaptations are rated PG...) But do stop by if you're 18+. I'm giving away two books! A signed hardcover copy of Deviants and a signed trade paperback copy of Cinderella: Ninja Warrior. http://romanticthemeparty.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/welcome-maureen-mcgowan.html

Also... if you're in the US, Amazon.com dropped the price for the hardcover version for DEVIANTS!

Right now, the hardcover is only $8.87 and the e-book is $3.99.  Not sure how long the sales will last, so I suggest you buy multiple copies now--just in case the apocalypse comes and you run out of books. (That's a joke for those of you who don't know me well enough to appreciate my sense of humor. ;-) The sale is no joke, though. :-) )

In other news... Madly finishing up the polish edit for Compliance (The Dust Chronicles #2) which will be coming out May 21, 2013!!! Then I need to finish the third book, ASAP. Ack! No sleep for the wicked. :)

Hitler and Publishing

And in publishing news... Hitler is none too happy about the impending Penguin/Random House merger.

Sub-titled over the fabulous movie, Downfall. See it if you haven't.




And I'm talking about the past 5 days over at Drunk Writer Talk.

Spine-tingling Horror?

I'll take it!

The kindle version is hitting a few amazon.com lists. Yay!

YA Apocalypse Tour!

It feels like ages ago when author, Megan Crewe and I thought, hmmm, we both have apocalypse-related YA books out this year and there's a prediction of an apocalypse in December, 2012. Wouldn't it be cool if we did an event together?

Well, thanks to Megan and her awesome organizing, the YA Apocalypse Tour is a reality!

Six Ontario authors of apocalyptic and dystopian YA fiction will be touring around Southern Ontario, chatting with readers, signing books, and offering great prizes to those who attend! Check it out:


The dates and details, if you have trouble reading the poster:

Tuesday Nov 6, 7pm – Indigo Yorkdale, Yorkdale Mall (Toronto) – Leah Bobet, Megan Crewe,
Lesley Livingston, Maureen McGowan, Cheryl Rainfield. RSVP on Facebook!

Saturday Nov 10, 2pm – Chapters Belleville, Quinte Mall – Megan Crewe, Lesley Livingston, Maureen McGowan, Cheryl Rainfield, Courtney Summers. RSVP on Facebook!

Saturday Nov 17, 2pm – Chapters Brampton, 52 Quarry Edge Drive – Leah Bobet, Megan Crewe, Lesley Livingston, Maureen McGowan, Cheryl Rainfield. RSVP on Facebook!

Saturday Nov 24, 2pm – Chapters Barrie, 76 Barrie View Drive – Leah Bobet, Megan Crewe, Lesley Livingston, Maureen McGowan, Cheryl Rainfield. RSVP on Facebook!

You’ll notice I mentioned prizes? All of the authors will be offering prizes at each location. I'll be offering some Deviants related swag and a signed copy of either Cinderella: Ninja Warrior, Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer, or The Mammoth Book of Time Travel Romance. Your choice.

If you’d like to help spread the word, you’re welcome to borrow that e-poster and any text from this post.

Hope to see you there!

Where is Maureen?

Happy Halloween!!

I received these flowers yesterday from my fabulous author-relations team at Amazon Children's Publishing. Isn't that sweet!

Here are a few places where you can find me on the web this week--and discover lots of revealing secrets interesting facts about me and about DEVIANTS.

Get Lost in a Story -- interviewed by Donnell Ann Bell

Diana Peterfreund's Blog -- She asked really interesting questions! (not surprisingly, if you know Diana or have read her fabulous books)

Honestly YA -- Interviewed by Jennifer McAndrews -- more really interesting questions... and a discussion about eating rat meat...

The Reading Cafe -- A fun interview and a great review!

Inkygirl -- Great interview wherein I offer lots of tips about writing and publishing

And there are giveaway options at most of the places! And below!

BIG TIP!

If you're not a gambler, and don't want to risk the giveaways, DEVIANTS is only $3.99 for the kindle right now, if you live in the US! (A bit more in Canada and elsewhere--click on the link to find out how much is is, where you are.) And the hardcover is on sale most places too!


I'm also thrilled that DEVIANTS is listing in the top 50 on Amazon under "spine tingling horror' which is kind of awesome, especially on Halloween!

On Friday, I'm super excited to be blogging at Omnivoracious! Where today, they're discussing great YA Halloween reads and Friday, I'll be talking about why adults do (and should if they don't) read teen fiction.

Tomorrow, I'm on the panel "Romancing the Beast" at the World Fantasy Convention. Fellow panelists include #1 NYT Bestselling author, Patricia Briggs! I think I'll just sit and listen to her. :)

And on Saturday, I'll be a VIP Guest at the Ontario Blog Squad's Annual Meet Up! Very excited to meet everyone there!

(And somehow, at the same time, I need to do line edits for COMPLIANCE, The Dust Chronicles #2, before Sunday night... Sleep? I hear it's overrated.)


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Deviants

by Maureen McGowan

Giveaway ends November 09, 2012.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

DEVIANTS RELEASE DAY!

It's here, it's here, it's here!

Yes, today is the official release day for DEVIANTS. And the first day people can actually post reviews at amazon.com.

Here are some places where you can find me on the interwebz today:

An interview/discussion about DEVIANTS, worldbuilding and dystopias with the fabulous and talented Diana Peterfreund here.

Interview about writing and publishing with lots of tips with the equally fabulous and talented Debbie Ridpath Ohi, aka @inkyelbows here.

An interview with, um, me here. Yes I interviewed myself. What a nerd!

And my giveaway continues! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

In case you'd like a handy set of links... Here are some places where you can buy the book!

Amazon US  Amazon Canada    Kindle   

IndieBound      B&N     Chapters Indigo

 

ONE MORE SLEEP!

Okay, technically two more sleeps, since I'm drafting this post at nearly 4:00 am on October 29th, and I haven't gone to bed yet.

But DEVIANTS comes out on October 30th!!! So soon.

I had a fantastic launch party on Saturday and will post some photos soon.

But for now, I wanted to let you know that I was interviewed at The Reading Cafe yesterday, where they also gave me a great review! Yippee!

Also, I'm having a big giveaway!!!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

And there will be more chances to win this week, so come back to visit every day!

 

Deviants inspired Halloween Costumes

Today, I'm guest blogging at addicted2heroines.com as part of the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop.

Want to dress up as a Shredder for Halloween?

How about a Comp?

Even if you haven't read Deviants yet, you can get a preview on how some of the characters might look.

http://www.addicted2heroines.com/2012/10/spooktacular-giveaway-hop-guest-post.html

And, they're giving away lots of great prizes as part of the hop, including a signed copy of Deviants.

Stop on by!

Chapter One of Deviants

Look! You can read the first Chapter of Deviants!


Let me know what you think. :)

And if you enjoy the excerpt, I will be forever grateful if you consider ordering the book and/or telling your friends about it.

*excited*

• Kindle
• Hardcover from Amazon.com
• Hardcover from Amazon.ca
• Hardcover from IndieBound

Giveaway!

The release date for DEVIANTS is fast approaching! I can't believe it. It will be out three weeks yesterday!

To celebrate the release, I'm doing a Goodreads giveaway.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Deviants

by Maureen McGowan

Giveaway ends November 09, 2012.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

For those of you who might live in Southern Ontario... I'm participating in a pre-Halloween Bash at the Chapters on Stone Road in Guelph this Saturday.  435 Stone W, Guelph, ON N1G 2X6

Here is a hilarious promo video that the store did for the event.

I've also planned a launch party to be held on Saturday, October 27th. And have fabulous plans to do a group YA Apocalypse Tour with other authors, including Megan Crewe, Lesley Livingston, Leah Bobet and Cheryl Rainfield starting October 30th.

More on those events in a later post!

End of Watch

The first film I saw at the Toronto International Film Fesitval this year was End of Watch, which actually opens today.

For me, this was a really good film if a difficult one. It becomes clear, not that far in, that there's no chance this movie is going to end well... and I kept thinking, D'uh, you dummy, of course it's not going to end well, it's called END of Watch.

The performances were really strong and ultimately it's a story about two men in a working relationship who really care about each other and about their jobs. A bromance.

Sadly, it's also about how sometimes it doesn't pay to do the right thing. It was kind of depressing to see this demonstrated so clearly--why some police officers would choose to look the other way at times. Almost like the worse the criminals the more the police have to lose by pursuing them.

But it's also about the real (friendship) love between two men and a glance into the lives of police officers in one of the most dangerous parts of LA.

I was at the second screening for this film, so the actors weren't there :( but the director was :) and he did a brief Q&A.

Interesting things learned:

- that the part of LA these police work in is as dangerous as was depicted in the film. Police officers there see more action in a typical day than most others do in their entire careers
- an AK 47 is a highly inaccurate gun. I can't remember the exact stats the director gave on their accuracy, but basically it made sense of all the scenes I've seen in movies where the hero is being fired upon by multiple  automatic weapons, yet manages not to get hit...
- Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña did not get along well (according to the director). This made me more impressed with their acting performances.

If you're in the mood for a tension filled not so happy film, check this one out.

TIFF People's Choice Winner

And the winner is:

Silver Linings Playbook

Alas, I did not see this one--it was already sold out when my number came up to book tickets :-( --but I definitely will see it when it comes out.

 At each screening during the festival this year, they reminded us of past People's Choice winning films that premiered at TIFF and went on to greatness. There have been many such films, but the 3 they reminded us of were: American Beauty, Slumdog Millionaire and The King's Speech.

The rags-to-riches story that was most dramatic was that for Slumdog Millionaire -- for a few reasons. First, it was destined to be a straight to DVD release before it screened at TIFF and it went on to gross a huge amount globally and second... I was in its premiere screening at TIFF in 2008.  Because it was a premiere and no one knew anything about it, (other than the director was Danny Boyle), the reaction and atmosphere at the premiere were electric.

I remember only hesitantly putting Slumdog on my list of picks that year. I wanted to see it because I've been a huge fan of Danny Boyle ever since I saw Shallow Grave... but on the down side the photo they put in the program made the film look bleak and I thought it would be a kids suffering in the slums of Mumbai kind of movie -- and I try not to do too many of those kinds of films at TIFF. (Many films at the festival are on the dark side... and it can get overwhelming if you don't balance it with a few lighter ones.)

But I'm so glad I picked Slumdog that year. I was blown away. Here's my rambling blog post about Slumdog Millionaire during the 2008 TIFF.

Can't wait to start posting more about the films I saw this year. :-)

Cover Reveal for Conjure

Check out the gorgeous cover for Lea Nolan's book, CONJURE.

CONJURE: Be careful what you search for…

Emma Guthrie expects this summer to be like any other in the South Carolina Lowcountry--hot and steamy with plenty of beach time alongside her best friend and secret crush, Cooper Beaumont, and Emma’s ever-present twin brother, Jack. But then a mysterious eighteenth-century message in a bottle surfaces, revealing a hidden pirate bounty. Lured by the adventure, the trio discovers the treasure and unwittingly unleashes an ancient Gullah curse that attacks Jack with the wicked flesh-eating Creep and promises to steal Cooper’s soul on his approaching sixteenth birthday.

When a strange girl appears, bent on revenge; demon dogs become a threat; and Jack turns into a walking skeleton; Emma has no choice but to learn hoodoo magic to undo the hex, all before summer—and her friends--are lost forever.


There's a giveaway! Check out the details here: a Rafflecopter giveaway

For more about Lea and CONJURE:

CONJURE on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13425130-conjure
Lea's website: http://www.leanolan.com/
Lea on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Lea_Nolan 

Goodreads Giveaway!!

Hey kids (of any and all ages). Here's your chance to read my book before it even comes out!!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Deviants

by Maureen McGowan

Giveaway ends August 27, 2012.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

I'm super excited about this book and thrilled people are actually going to be able to read it. For real. Soon. :)

New Author Photos!

So, one of the things I did while I was in LA was get photos taken by the fabulous Marti Corn.

Which do you think I should use on my website? Serious Maureen. Smiling Maureen or Laughing Maureen?

Hmmmm...

RWA 2012 Photos!

Last week I was at the RWA National conference. RWA is the Romance Writers of America. I've been a member of this group since 2003 and love it, even though the last romance manuscript I wrote was in, um 2004.

They're changing their rules and it's possible that I won't be able to be a member much longer--pout--but I learned so much from the organization and it's members, and the conference is always a fabulous time.

This year I even got to meet some folks from my publisher, which was awesome.

But the best part of the conference is that I got to spend some time with great friends.

Here are a few photographic highlights.

The fabulous Stephanie Doyle with her RITA finalist flag flying. :)

And another of Steph after I caught her attention. This was during the set up for the HUGE literacy signing.

Steph and fellow GLIAS blogger Heather Snow

Steph and I at the vodka workshop. Yes, there was a vodka workshop. I learned that I shouldn't drink so many sweet vodka drinks in a row. ;)

Later that same night... with YA author Linda Gerber and Harlequin author Liz Talley. At The House of Blues, Downtown Disney.

With the fabulous Molly O'Keefe. We were "getting ready" for the RITA ceremony. We found every tiny (and awesome) Mexican restaurant within a mile of our hotel. Fish tacos! Margaritas!

YA Author Wendy Delsol, and romance authors Megan Frampton and Carolyn Jewel at our table for the RITA ceremony. (We were the girls in the back row.)

Can't Hurry Love

Get Lost in a Story: Can't Hurry Love: WELCOME BACK MOLLY O'KEEFE Molly O'Keefe is a RITA-Award winning author with 20 Harlequin novels in publication. She's won the ...

DEVIANTS Cover Art

The snip tease is over! I can finally reveal the cover for DEVIANTS, Book One in The Dust Chronicles.

Kelley Armstrong, #1 NYT Bestselling author of the Darkest Powers Series, says:

"A deliciously dark, harrowing world, brightened by dazzling characters and sparkling prose."

I say:

"I'm so thrilled this book is coming out in October! Can't wait! And, um, it's up for pre-order. Just saying."

Add caption

To make sure you get your copy first (and to make me very happy) you can pre-order it at:

• Amazon.com:    DEVIANTS (The Dust Chronicles)

• Amazon.ca:    DEVIANTS (The Dust Chronicles)

• Barnes&Noble:   DEVIANTS (The Dust Chronicles)

(It's not up at Chapters/Indigo or IndieBound yet. I'll post links when it is.)

And here are some links where you can find/follow/like me (because I know you can't get enough of me)....


MaureenMcGowanBooks

Follow @MaureenMcGowan


Goodreads profile

Big week!

First, I'm interviewing friend and multi-talented author Diana Peterfreund tomorrow at Get Lost In a Story. My copy of For Darkness Shows the Stars arrived in the mail on Friday and I can't wait to dig in!!!  I'll post some of the interview here, too. :)










Second, my critique partner and best buddy, Molly O'Keefe's first single title contemporary romance will be released on Tuesday! Can't Buy Me Love is a fabulous book. Funny, sexy, heartbreaking and, yes, serious. Molly's ability to create characters who seem real (versus romance land perfect) never ceases to amaze me.






Also on Tuesday, another critique partner, Joanne Levy's first middle grade novel releases!  Small Medium at Large is also  fabulous and funny. I read a previous version of this book and can't wait to read the final product!











And then finally... I'm finally, on Thursday, going to release the cover for DEVIANTS!!!

Here's a tiny sneak peek.

Stay tuned. :)