A Little Therapy: Free

What do Adelice, Dante, Lynn, Gemi, Abby and Alyssa have in common?

You might say they're under a little bit of stress.

Besides their starring roles in YA novels, these six characters all face seriously difficult situations. One, falls down a rabbit hole where she's met with passionately crazy characters, not all of whom wish the best for our little MC. Another only wishes her plunge into the cyber hole is so benign. Deadly demons, cyber predators and compromised value systems are only some of the terrors these fascinating characters must stand up to and defeat.

And while you may not have to fight for your life on a daily basis, you still feel the pinch, which is why I am offering up Day Nine's prize.

A care package filled with your very own therapy.

• my absolute favorite coffee in the whole world--Group Therapy--made by La Crema Coffee Company,
• a stress ball,
• and some swag.

Aaand, my picture won't download, so you'll have to take my word for it. Therapy in a box actually does exist.

So do great giveaways.

There's only one day left to enter the Whispering Minds 10 Day YA Giveaway. Only one day left to win great novels by great writers and great swag--okay, I'm biased--by me. Only one day until Whispering Minds is unleashed on the world.



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The Newest Giveaway: Splintered by A.G.Howard

Day Eight Prizes

This book is all kinds of amazing. From the beautiful cover to the characters within, A.G. Howard's retelling of Alice in Wonderland is much more enjoyable than the original. (Forgive me English and Lit teachers across the globe. As well as avid AAIW fanatics.)

Here's a recap of my review from nearly a year ago:

I fell into the rabbit hole last week, and it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I didn't love the original Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, though I can't give any specific reasons why. I can't pinpoint them myself.

On the other hand, Ms. Howard's contemporary spin on Alice's adventures left me breathless.

For starters, look at this fantabulous cover. The details are exquisite.

An electric blue moth you will come to love and hate and love again. (FYI, Morpheus is one side of a love triangle that will have your panties in a knot as you waffle between the moth man and the delectable human, Jeb.)

 

The rest of the insects--yeah, that's right, peek closely and you'll see them hiding everywhere. They are very important, my reader friends. Important, intriguing and only a little creepy. Okay, one is a lot creepy, but even she didn't make my spine tingle like the twisted White Rabbit did. 

 

Then there's Alyssa, herself. A stunning beauty filled with mysticism, spunk and charm. She's delicate on the outside--almost pixie like--while courage radiates from within.

 

Lewis Carroll's Wonderland goes dark, dangerous and utterly delightful in Splintered.

 

And it (or other prize packages) just might be yours if you enter into the drawing below.

 

Up for grabs:

1. one copy of Want to Go Private? and a sample of chai tea;
2. the WTGP? technology pack with a USB drive (including a cut chapter from Whispering Minds) and chai tea;
3. one copy of Not a Drop to Drink and a sample of chai tea;
4. the Drop to Drink pack with a travel mug and mega chai sample;
5. one copy of The Collector and a sample of chai tea;
6. one copy of Crewel and a sample of chai tea;
7. the crewel weaver pack with a dream catcher, a copy of The Fall and chai tea;
8. one copy of Splintered, special swag from author A.G.Howard and a sample of chai tea;
9. tune in on Halloween to find out what Splintered inspired gift you can win;
10. tune in on Friday, November 1st, for the ultimate swag pack announcement.

 

So many great stories, so much fun and delicious swag. So easy to enter for a chance to win them all.

 

 

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More Gennifer Albin and More Great Prizes

 

Free Books and Book Birthday Wishes

In honor of Crewel and the masterful way author Gennifer Albin weaves intrigue, love and terror into her novels, I've sewn together some threads from Whispering Minds to introduce you to today's giveaway. But first, let me sing, "Happy Book Birthday!" to Altered, the second book in Miss Albin's Crewel World Trilogy.

 

Yep, today is its release, so you know what I'll be doing for the rest of the afternoon! Hint: if you order Altered today, it can be delivered just in time for you to win and read a copy of Crewel.

 

And now, onto the next prize package in the Whispering Minds 10 Day YA Giveaway.

 

The Excerpts:

A dream catcher hung on the wall above his bed. Blue and green feathers trailed from the central web. I stood on the bed and took it down. A spider occupied the center of the ring, its body made of fine black strands twisted together. It was the same material that wrapped around the web and secured the tiny hummingbird feathers.

 

My fingers traced the pattern, memorizing the feel of it beneath my fingers. It matched the dream catcher in my room at Granny's. The same feathers, the same human hair. Even the watchful spider in the center was the same. When I'd asked Granny about the spider as a kid, she'd asked in return, "Who better to catch scary things than a spider?"

 

...I reached in the cubby hole for more papers. My hand closed around something soft, the dream catcher from Jimmy's room. Its match hung from my window, and a third on Trav's bedroom wall. I twined the silken cord of hair around my fingers...I pictured the spider web on the smooth skin of his shoulder and felt that it had something to do with me. Was I the spider, capturing those he loved? Spinning my sticky web over everything and pulling it away from him and into myself?

 

And the Prize:

• A lovely, hand crafted, Native American dream catcher to keep your nightmares at bay,
• a sampling of chai tea to warm you when you wake, and
• a copy of The Fall: Tales from the Apocalypse--because Miss Albin literally leaves her characters plummeting through...well, I don't want to ruin it. Just trust me when I say that in my head, the title of the anthology and the end of Crewel tie together. 

So, don't be shy. Enter below to win ten day's worth of awesome prizes. Really. Because winning a free book by any of the featured authors throughout this giveaway is well worth your time and effort. Your brain will thank you.

As always, thanks for supporting the literary community!



 
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And don't forget that Goodreads is just waiting for you to enter for a chance to win one of ten copies of Whispering Minds. If not for you, then for the teen in your life.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Whispering Minds

by A.T. O'Connor

Giveaway ends November 15, 2013.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Another Great Novel Up For Grabs: Crewel by Gennifer Albin

WHISPERING MINDS GIVEAWAY: Day Six

Life can be cruel. Bullies, boy friends and bad decisions can make a teen's life nearly impossible. If you'd like a break from the preceding three B's, move to the next letter of the alphabet and enter to win your copy of Crewel by Gennifer Albin.

In Crewel, Miss Albin weaves an intriguing tale where sixteen-year-old Adelice Lewys wants nothing more than to fail--because to succeed means to be ripped from her family and placed in the Guild as a gifted Spinster where she has the power to manipulate the very fabric of life.

The thread that connects Adelice and Gemini: they both live in a crewel world where events outside their control weave together lives of hardship and heartache.

I loved this dystopian romance, though I'm certainly not the only one. Reviewers rave about this novel, claiming similarities between it and Hunger Games. Here's what some esteemed peeps are saying, as taken from Crewel's Amazon page:

• The halls of Coventry are dark and twisted places readers will want to visit." —The New York Times Book Review
• "Albin has created a unique world that is as fascinating as it is frightening. Absolutely thrilling!" —Josephine Angelini, bestselling author of Starcrossed
• "The next big YA thing-to-come." —The Atlantic Wire
• "An incredibly interesting mix." —Hypable.com
• "Unusual, brilliant." —MTV’s The FabLife.com
• "If you liked The Hunger Games, try Crewel." —Redbook.com
• "The next big dystopian blockbuster." —Booklist
• "Captivating and intense, the right balance of mystery, romance, and drama." —Publishers Weekly
• "Aspects of Crewel bring comparisons to The Hunger Games." —VOYA

If you'd like your name entered into the Whispering Minds 10 Day YA Giveaway, there's still a few days (and more great prizes) left! If all you're looking for is a chance to win my new novel, Goodreads is the place. Both giveways are listed below.



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Goodreads Book Giveaway

Whispering Minds

by A.T. O'Connor

Giveaway ends November 15, 2013.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

YA Giveaway: The Collector by Victoria Scott

THE COLLECTOR

Whispering Minds YA Giveaway Day Five

 

So here's the scoop. I am in love with Dante Walker, the main character of Victoria Scott's novel, The Collector. Yep, I emotionally cheated on my husband with thoughts of bad boy, Dante. To be fair, I'm not even sure Miss Scott describes Dante's appearance, so it's not that he's a hot body who elicits this school girl crush on him. Well, not exactly. He is a demon, after all, so he must be pretty hot on some level.

 

No, my fangirl affair stems more from his personality which pops off the page and into your heart. Dante is a selfish, overly-confident dead boy, hell-bent on collecting the soul of an innocent and unsuspecting misfit. He's brash and used-car-salesman slick. He's everything I hate in real people, and yet I can't help myself.

 

Dante has collected my undying affections. Victoria Scott has collected my loyalty as a reader.

 

Dante collects souls, while Gemi, the main character of Whispering Minds, is also a collector--as shown in the excerpt below. 

 

    We were collectors.

    I collected books—stories of hope. Mom collected treasures, ugly things she found beauty in and hoped to rehabilitate. My dad bought hobbies—sports equipment for sports he never played. His yearly binges filled the spaces where Mom’s treasures didn’t reach. Together they had collected a lifetime of things and found no pleasure in any of it.

    Apparently, we also collected secrets.

 

 

If you enter the Whispering Minds YA Giveaway any time during the course of my contest, you, too, may collect a crush on one or more of my favorite authors, or other great prizes.

 

To recap what's up for grabs. In addition to some authorly swag and a sampling of Granny's Homemade Chai Tea, entering the contest makes you eligible for the following prizes:

• a copy of Want to Go Private? by Sarah Darer Littman. This novel is a must-read for every human being with a heart.
• a technology pack inspired by the cyber connection between Want to Go Private? and Whispering Minds. this includes a USB drive with a cut chapter of my novel--a missing night of Gemi's life, if you will.
• a copy of Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis, who takes survival of the fittest to a whole new level in her debut novel.
• a thirst quenching Drop to Drink Package that includes a truly awesome travel mug and a batch of chai to fill it with.
• a copy of The Collector by Victoria Scott. Yeah, I think I collected my thoughts on that up above.

Enter at will and don't forget to stop back next Monday for the reveal of Prize Number Six.

 

 

 

 



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Thirsty? Whispering Minds YA Giveaway: A Drop to Drink Pack

A DROP TO DRINK PACK

 

 

In honor of author Mindy McGinnis' dry world in Not a Drop to Drink, I have put together a thirst-quenching pack for day four of my giveaway.

 

A quotable Tervis Travel Mug and some of Granny's Homemade Vanilla Chai tea for your early morning commute.

 

I LOVE Tervis mugs. I've had one for years and was thrilled to find they are 100% customizable. Yours will come with a favorite quote from Whispering Minds' MC, Gemini Baker. The quote itself is as affirming as the scrumptious tea within.

 

If you're thirsty, check out the ways you can win these--or other prizes--below!

 

 



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Whispering Minds YA Giveaway: Not a Drop to Drink

NOT A DROP TO DRINK

Day Three of Whispering Minds 10 Day Giveaway

 

 

A week or so ago, I reviewed Mindy McGinnis' debut novel, Not a Drop to Drink, so I won't rehash the whole thing. I will tell you, however, that one of the things I loved most about this novel was the entire concept: survival of the fittest in a barren and desolate world.

 

This idea of gritting out an existence in less than stellar circumstances is what ties Not a Drop to Drink with Whispering Minds. In WM, Gemi faces down the stark landscape of her childhood. She, too, is a survivor of her circumstances. As are we all.

 

It doesn't take a water shortage or a dirty family secret to shape us into who we are. It simply takes determination and belief in something bigger, better and brighter.

 

And so I give you your own survival manuscript: Not a Drop to Drink.

 

Yep. It's yours. Free--along with some Whispering Minds swag. All you have to do is enter the drawing below and hope Rafflecopter pulls your name out of the hat on November 1.

 

Easy peasy, lemon squeazy--unlike Lynn's journey in Not a Drop to Drink. 

 

 

 

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