CONTEST TIME!!!

I feel like I'm not giving you guys much love with contests of late. So, here I am, doing a small giveaway with thanks with HarperCollins.

5 lucky winners will win the paperback edition of Cathy Kelly's The Honey Queen!

And for those of you who haven't heard of The Honey Queen, here is a quick synopsis taken from the press release and GoodReads:

To discover the sweetest things in life, you sometimes have to lose your way…

It’s easy to fall in love with the beautiful town of Redstone – the locals wave and chat to each other, the shops and cafes are full of cheerful hustle and bustle. And amidst all this activity, two women believe they are getting on just fine.

Francesca’s boundless energy help her to take everything in her stride, including a husband who has lost his job and the unwelcome arrival of the menopause, which has kicked in – full throttle.

Peggy, on the other hand, has always been a restless spirit. But now, focused and approaching thirty, she has opened her own knitting shop on the town’s high street. It’s a dream come true, but she still feels adrift.

When Australian-raised Lillie finally makes it back home to Ireland, she is drawn right into the heart of Redstone’s busy, close-knit community. But what she thought would be an ending is actually just a beginning – all is not quite as it seems in the picturesque town.

Soon, Lillie’s hard-earned wisdom will be called into play as she helps new friends navigate unchartered territory…

Has this wet your appetite? If it has and you want a chance to win 1 of the 5 copies I'm giving away, all you have to do is fill in the form below!

The competition ends on Friday 20th September at 7pm and winners will be selected by Random.org. This is a UK-only contest (sorry you International guys, but I have plans for you in the next few months) I will email the winners for their address so HarperCollins can send your winning copy!

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

The "Daughter Of Smoke And Bone" Competition

I have a competition for you!

Do you want to get your hands on a hardback copy of THE DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE by Laini Taylor? If you do, then you might be in a chance to win!

If you live in the UK (sorry, International readers! I am planning something soon! Hopefully, I will have the funds by then...), and you fill in the form below, you can win a copy of THE DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE, thanks to the lovely Hodder Books!

If you haven't read anything about this book, here is my review. If not, just Google it and ALL WILL BECOME CLEAR!

You have till Friday 7th October (7pm) to enter. GOOD LUCK (and remember: "Once upon a time, an angel and demon fell in love. It didn't end well...")

EDIT! The competition has closed! The winner was Rosie! CONGRATULATIONS!!! Your signed copy of DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE is in the post and it's on its way to you as I type!

Colin Mulhern Guest Blog & Competition!

As part of the CLASH book blog tour (featuring the lovely peeps of My Favourite Books, Euro Crime, Asamum Booktopia & The Overflowing Library), Colin Mulhern has written this Guest Blog about he discovered YA fiction, and why the general standard of Young Adult book is so much better than adult ficiton. Take it away, Colin...!

It isn’t easy writing for young adults, not in an age when you have to compete against XBOX games, MP3s, a thousand attractions at the local mall, and every other flashing, beeping thing crying out for some teen attention. But then again, maybe that’s not a bad thing. Want to know why?

I found Young Adult fiction by chance. At the time, I was writing crime fiction and trying to break into a very swamped adult market. To keep up with trends, I was reading a lot of adult thrillers, and I think most of them were either frustrating, boring, or annoyed me so much I’d simply chuck the thing at the wall and reach for another. I was starting to consider the possibility that I don’t actually like crime fiction. Odd that.

Anyway, around that time there was a programme on the BBC about the top 100 books. The one that caught my attention was Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials. In the programme, they showed the trilogy as one big monster of a hardback. It looked awesome, so I went out to buy it but all that was available were the paperbacks. I decided the hardback would be available online, but in the meantime I could try something else by the same author. I picked up The Butterfly Tattoo, didn’t think much of the cover but what the hell, I’d give it a go.

It blew me away. It was short, tight and packed with emotion: a powerful, modern tragedy. I went straight to a writers’ forum to shout about it and ask for recommendations. They steered me towards Malorie Blackman, David Almond and Kevin Brooks. I was hooked, and very quickly realised why so many adults read Young Adult fiction. In short: Every Word Counts.

Here’s an experiment, pick up any children’s book from years ago and give it a quick read. I discovered this when I tried to re-read Peter Pan. There is no doubt about the merit of the story, but the language doesn’t half drag. That’s probably because it was written at a time when words didn’t have to compete with instant messaging and multiplayer death-match battles. Next, go for something modern, say Anthony McGowan or Suzanne Collins – you’re no longer told a story, you’re dragged into each and every scene. The style of writing for modern teens is fast and direct. All the fat is trimmed during editing. Every word counts!

On the bad side, it makes it tough for writers to break through because the standard is so high. But for the readers, it means there isn’t the torturous, slow moving bore-fests that choke the adult market. No more books thrown at the wall, and no more wasted paper left unread.

So let’s hear it for Young Adult fiction. Better for interior design, better for the environment.

Colin M*

Thank you Colin for this Guest Blog. Now, if you still want to win a copy of his debut novel, CLASH, you can! Enter below!



The closing date will be Easter Monday and I will be email the winnner later that evening for the needed information. GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

MY HOODIE'S HERE!!!

You know last week I won a hoodie via Twitter (click on http://thepewterwolf.blogspot.com/2009/11/i-won-hoodie-via-twitter.html if you haven't!)?

Well, IT TURNED UP!!! So, here it is on me!



I look very Volturi, don't I?

And here's a link to a youTube Video I made... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-M4hE6BZdiU

Again, thank you to Twilightees (http://twitter.com/twilightees)!

I Won a Hoodie Via Twitter?!

That's right! You didn't read that wrong. I, somehow, won a hoodie via Twitter! After a few friends (@really_rachel being one of them - follow her, please!) RT a message, I repeated the message (That RT in short hand) and then followed the twitter feed and, shockingly, I won!

I told which hoodie - I'm going to be hanging round on street corner, being down with the youth (and never typing that again!) - I would like and I should get them in a week or so...

So, expect a picture on her, Blogger and on Twitpic/Twitter! So, here's the links to keep you happy at the moment till the hoodie comes - I hope it fits me right... FINGER CROSS!!!

http://twitter.com/twilightees