I’m so excited to let you all know that Entertainment Weekly will be hosting the exclusive reveal of the new EMRACE book trailer today!
To be one of the first to see it, go to Entertainment Weekly’s dedicated online book site:
It will be live online – Monday, 20th September, from 9 a.m. (EST)
I hope you all love it as much as I do, and I’d love to hear your thoughts!!
We spend so much time reading about our heroes and heroines love lives and deciding what we believe is the right outcome for them – but what about us? What about “real life”? Do you believe if you were watching these relationship complications unfold for your best friend that you would given him or her the same advice as you would a favorite character? Or, does reality prevail? And, if it does … is that a shame?
Books carry intricate plots and dramatically emotional events that often boarder and indeed cross into the unbelievable, but at the same time there is a certain simplicity to the relationships that play out on the page in comparison to real life. Perhaps that is because we like it that way, or that it is simply impossible to cater to all of life’s interruptions; work, money, past experiences, family politics, world politics, current news – if we took into account all aspects of life in every novel – books would be tedious affairs!
So, for whatever reason, we escape into fictional worlds and relationships and are invited to adjudicate.
Often I find myself wanting the heroine to go in one direction with a love interest and have been known to scream aloud – OPEN YOUR EYES! I want them to put everything on the line – say the one thing that puts it all out there because in the end, I have faith in the relationship on the page to prevail. I am confident enough that he will step up – be the man – that true love will win against all odds.
But would I scream the same words to my best friend and be confident that the “real world” man would step up and that love would conquer all … … …?
I’m a romantic at heart. I love big gestures and the idea of fighting tooth and nail for the one you love. But I’m not one hundred percent sure I could tell my best friend to risk it all like I can demand it of characters in a book. Perhaps that’s a shame. Perhaps I should have more faith in the “real world”. Perhaps that’s why I read and write so much!
I wonder how many amazing relationship fall by the wayside because we are too careful – too concerned with taking a chance.
Okay … So I already admitted I’m a romantic!
What do you think? Is real life love missing some of the risk taking we read about in our favorite books?
The amazing team at Sourcebooks Fire are currently running a massive giveaway through Goodreads, with 20 COPIES of EMBRACE to GIVEAWAY.
If you are in the US or CA, check it out and register for a chance to win!
Follow this link to register:
http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/2…
Good luck!!
Acronyms. What is acceptable?
You tell me…
If my 64-year-old mother sent me a text and it included LMAO I think I would possible throw up a little.
My mother should not attempt to use acronyms. Lucky for me, she agrees. That’s not to say someone else her age might not be able to pull them off with the sass required, but not her. The only acronyms I can accept from her are: ASAP and RSVP.
I don’t have anything against the high use of acronyms but it just seems like the development is endless and I have to admit – confusing at times. So that leads me to my question(s) – are there acronym guidelines? It is kind of the young thing to do, isn’t it? So do young people own the monopoly on them? Should older people refrain? Should we all refrain (never going to happen)? Should they be contained to the world of FB and Twitter? Should more acronyms become official words and be entered into the Oxford Dictionary – correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe OMG made the cut this year.
And, most importantly, is there a flippin list of these things and will they ever end? I get emails all the time that include acronyms and I sit, I stare, and sometimes I have a light bulb moment and work out what they mean, but often I just have NFI! The one that really stumped me was KIS – to be honest I baulked for a few seconds when I saw that one – so I looked it up. Keep it simple. Somewhat ironic really. I guess I should just be grateful they didn’t write KISS (Keep it simple, stupid) although that was exactly how I felt.
There has to be a sensible place to stop doesn’t there? OR, is this the new English? Are we somehow entering the new age of language whereby not only will we be writing with acronyms but also talking with them? Imagine that! LMAO!
Today, Sourcebooks have revealed the stunning finished cover for EMBRACE and it is … beyond beautiful!
The idea of a cover, for me anyway, is to show a little insight into the heart of a story and to give the reader a glimpse of what’s to come. For me, this cover does that so perfectly – with its wisps of smoke, falling feathers and barely there downcast eyes – whilst also leaving so much to the imagination.
I love, love, love!
The inside jacket reads:
It starts with a whisper.
“It’s time for you to know who you are…”
Strange dreams leave her with very real injuries and there’s a dark tattoo weaving its way up her arms. The guy she thought she could fall in love with just told her he’s only half-human—oh, and same goes for her. And she keeps hearing a distant fluttering of wings.
Violet Eden is having a very bad 17th birthday.
But if angels seek vengeance and humans are the warriors, you could do a lot worse than betting on Violet Eden…
Not only have my publishers revealed the cover today – they have also released a ‘cover-video’ showing a unique behind the scenes look at how the cover was selected and produced. It was amazing for me to watch as I wasn’t able to be there for the photo shoot etc. Click HERE to watch!
It’s well worth stopping by the website as you can also subscribe to be sent updates along the way. 
More than ever, I cannot wait for Embrace’s release on March 1, 2012. The idea of seeing this book on the shelf makes me seriously giddy! I hope you all love it as much as I do and I would love for you to leave your comments!
Also …
GRAND PRIZE WINNER: SANDRA LIN
MY PERSONAL GIVEAWAY WINNER: ASHLEY VICKERS
ASHLEY, PLEASE EMAIL: TEENFIRE@SOURCEBOOKS.COM TO CLAIM YOUR PRIZE!
To everyone else who took part in the YA Scavenger Hunt, I hope you all had as much fun as we did!
Jess xx
GRAND PRIZE: SANDRA LIN
MY PERSONAL GIVEAWAY: ASHLEY VICKERS
ASHLEY, PLEASE EMAIL: TEENFIRE@SOURCEBOOKS.COM TO CLAIM YOUR PRIZE!
To everyone else who took part in the YA Scavenger Hunt, I hope you all had as much fun as we did!
Jess xx
Anyone in the mood for a little hunting?
Well, here is your chance to have an exclusive look at bonus material including deleted scenes, cover reveals, book trailers and more, and to sign up for personal author giveaways as well as the ultimate GRAND PRIZE. Welcome to the YA Winter Scavenger Hunt!
This fabulous sneak peek into what’s coming up in YA literature starts at noon today, December 1, and will finish at noon, December 4, pacific time.
You will find a keyword marked in RED at each site and with each keyword you collect – you’ll be one step closer to the GRAND PRIZE which will include signed editions of books, signed bookmarks & posters, jewelry, and many more exclusive gifts with at least one gift from EVERY AUTHOR!
Directions: Search for the 37 keywords—one on each Scavenger Hunt website—that are highlighted in RED. When you are finished, go here to the google puzzle form, where you will find a list of scrambled keywords. Put your keywords in the same order as the scrambled ones—from #1 – #37—and paste that list into the entry form.
Rules: To be eligible for the grand prize, you must submit the completed puzzle form before noon on Dec 4th Pacific Time. All the keywords must be included and you must include your full name and address. Entries sent in without name and address will not be considered! The contest is international.
I am utterly honored to be hosting the extremely talented: Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie. Take a look at their biographies below and tell me you are not dying to read what these two extraordinary minds have most recently created in their new joint series: The Wolf Springs Chronicles.
A little bit about Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie:
Multiple Bram Stoker Award winner Nancy Holder is the New York Times bestselling coauthor of the Wicked and the Crusade series, written with Debbie Viguie. She has written a lot of “”tie-in”" material for TV shows and moviessuch as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Smallville, Hellboy, and others. She recently received a Scribe Award for her novel, Saving Grace: Tough Love, based on the show, Saving Grace. She’s sold approximately 200 short stories, essays, and articles, appearing in many Year’s Best’s. She lives in San Diego with her daughter Belle, their two Corgis, and their three cats.
Click here to go to Nancy’s website.
Debbie Viguie is the New York Times bestselling author of the Wicked, Crusade, and Wolf Springs Chronicles series. Much of Debbie’s writing has a dark edge to it, including her retold fairy tales, her latest being Violet Eyes, a retelling of The Princess and the Pea. In addition to her epic dark fantasy work Debbie also writes thrillers including The Psalm 23 Mysteries, the Witch Hunt series, and the Kiss trilogy.
When Debbie isn’t busy writing she enjoys spending time with her husband, Scott, visiting theme parks. They live in Florida with their cat, Shrödinger.
Click here to go to Debbie’s website.
Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie, the New York Times bestselling authors of the Wicked
series, have created an entirely new trilogy with the passion of Twilight and the grandeur of Fallen. The Wolf Springs Chronicles introduces readers to a town of secrets and the new girl who’s about to start believing in werewolves. The first book in the series is titled Unleashed.
Katelyn McBride’s life changed in an instant when her mother died. Uprooted from her California home, Katelyn was shipped to the middle of nowhere, Arkansas, to her only living relative, her grandfather. And now she has to start over in Wolf Springs, a tiny village in the Ozark Mountains.
Like any small town, Wolf Springs has secrets. But the secrets hidden here are more sinister thank Katelyn could ever imagine. Broken families, ageless grudges, forced alliances, and love that blooms in the darkest night–welcome to Wolf Springs.
For more on The Wolf Spring Chronicles check out: http://www.wolfspringschronicles.com/
To purchase a copy go to:
For a chance to win an arc of EMBRACE, due for release in March, 2012, go to the Embrace The Series facebook page by simply clicking here!
and all you have to do is:
1. “like it”
2. Leave a comment on the Facebook page about the Winter Scavenger Hunt.
It’s that simple, and you’ll be in the running to receive an exclusive signed arc of Embrace (pictured here) and limited edition bookmarks from my personal collection!
Ready to go to the next website on the Scavenger Hunt?
Thanks to the incredible Colleen Houck, the YA Scavenger Hunt, 2011, is drawing near!
For everyone that likes the idea of getting their hands on exclusive material from an amazing list of YA authors … THE WINTER SCAVENGER HUNT starts December 1, and will run until noon on December 4. Please note this is Pacific Time.
DO NOT MISS OUT!!!
You will be able to start the hunt from any participating author website, like mine: www.jessicashirvington.com
There you will find the puzzle that will need to be worked out by finding keywords on each author site and the instructions on how to enter for the GRAND PRIZE.
Along the way, you can expect to find exclusive deleted scenes, cover reveals, book trailers and individual giveaways plus more, more, more!
Just to wet your appetite, here is the list of participating YA authors (I believe a few more may be added before the hunt begins!) and the books they will be featuring. I’m sure you will agree it is a remarkable collection!
Rashelle Workman - EXILED
P.J. Hoover - SOLSTICE
Gregg Olsen - ENVY (Empty Coffin)
Laura A.H. Elliott - WINNEMUCCA
Stacey Wallace Benefiel - ZELLIE WELLS TRILOGY
Lani Woodland - INDELIBLE
Beth Revis - A MILLION SUNS
Karen Amanda Hooper - TANGLED TIDES
Lisa Bergren - RIVER OF TIME SERIES
Ali Cross - BECOME
Elana Johnson - POSSESSION
Abbi Glines - EXISTENCE
Myra McEntire - HOURGLASS, TIMEPIECE
Amy Plum - DIE FOR ME
Inara Scott - THE MARKED
Lisa Nowak - RUNNING WIDE OPEN
Gina Damico - CROAK
Amber Argyle - WITCH SONG
C.K. Bryant - BOUND
Cynthia Hand - HALLOWED
Brodi Ashton - EVERNEATH
Erica O’Rourke - TORN, and, TANGLED
Kimberly Derting - THE PLEDGE
Leah Bobet - ABOVE
Jocelyn Davies - A BEAUTIFUL DARK
Angela Corbett - ETERNAL STARLING
Jessica Shirvington - EMBRACE
Gretchen McNeil - POSSESS
Josephine Angelini - STARCROSSED and DREAMLESS
Tera Lynn Childs - SWEET VENOM
Bree Despain - THE SAVAGE GRACE
Leigh Fallon - THE CARRIER TRILOGY
Claudia Gray - FATEFUL
Marley Gibson - THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS
Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie - UNLEASHED
Alexandra Monir - TIMELESS
Jeri-Smith Ready - SHINE, and, SHADE
Tara Hudson - HEREAFTER SERIES
Colleen Houck - TIGER’S CURSE SERIES
For my part, I’ll be posting an exclusive deleted scene from EMBRACE and, along with my lovely publishers at Sourcebooks, will offer a chance to win a signed copy of the very beautiful US arc (pictured below) and bookmarks, as well as contributing a signed first edition of Embrace and poster to the amazing GRAND PRIZE.
Wow! Wow! Wow!
The German covers have gone from strength to strength! The thought of trying to capture the look of Phoenix or Lincoln on one of the covers would normally be a frightening idea to me – I have very clear images of the men in Violet’s life! But the team at Random House, Germany, has absolutely nailed it!
I am so excited to share the very beautiful new cover of EMBLAZE, or rather, GEBANNT (translation: Spellbound).
For those in Germany – Gebannt will be released in 13th August, 2012.
Would love to hear your thoughts! xx
I don’t know if I’m alone on this, if I’m the one and only person out there that is dork enough to have done this but – I’m in the mood for confession – I tried to tap my book to turn the page today.
No, not my ipad, my book.
Yep, there I was, not paying attention and I just oh-so-casually tapped my index finger on my page and then … waited. I can’t tell you exactly how long it was before my brain kicked into gear – I mean, we’re talking seconds not minutes here, people – but still, there was a definite pause before I blinked, let my eyes dart from side to side self consciously to make I had no witnesses, then quickly turned the page.
In my defense, I’ve been reading a lot on my ipad recently, but still I felt like a total idiot! And this got me thinking … can I be trusted in public?
Can you imagine if you walked past someone reading a paperback and there they were trying to tap the thing as if it were a touchscreen – the crazy alarms would definitely start ringing, right?
Okay, time to ask the hard question … Am I the only one who has ever tapped instead of turned? Please tell me I am not!
On the official launch day of the new EMBRACE THE SERIES website in the US www.embracetheseries.com I thought I’d post a blog on the ‘Beginnings of EMBRACE’. Drop by the site when you get a chance and sign up to receive exclusive updates from the US!
If someone had told me six months before I started writing EMBRACE that I’d soon write a manuscript that would be published internationally and would lead to an ongoing series … I would have, most likely, laughed.
It isn’t that I wouldn’t have loved the idea – but I was raising two very young girls and had recently moved back to Sydney after living a very busy, corporate life, in London.
Moving back to Australia presented me with the first time, since finishing school, where I wasn’t expected to work extremely long weeks and be responsible for not just myself, but a team of staff.
I thought I would revel in it. I’d been so desperate to get home with my family. I dreaded the idea of ever having to return to work. But then, I guess there is work and there is work.
Matt (my husband) and I bought an old home and started to slowly do it up. We also had our second daughter, Winter (Winnie), and I braced myself for the inevitable trials that come with a newborn – but really, she was a dream-baby.
And so, not used to having free time … in my downtime I found myself reading, reading, reading. I also found myself breaking down the plots, the characters, and looking for the pros and cons in each story.
Until one day, I walked into the kitchen, sat up at the breakfast bar and opened my laptop. I’d always loved writing, but I’d never considered it as a potential career. I think in many ways that was the best way to begin because I didn’t put unrealistic expectations on myself. Every word I wrote was because I absolutely wanted to shape and tell this story. That was the day I discovered Violet. And little did I know, that day was the beginning of an amazing journey, which has shaped my dreams, ambition, and my future. Now, I simply cannot imagine doing anything else. I’d go as far as saying that I discovered a big part of myself that day, too.
I wrote the introduction to Violet’s character and developed a feel for her world. Once I thought I had a good grasp on her character I started to explore those around her – and then, the research began. I quickly discovered the world of angels and the scope of knowledge is both rich and very broad. I realized quickly the importance of being selective and committed to what I chose to draw on.
One of the threads of my research (because there are way too many to discuss in one blog) that really stuck with me was the concept of corporeal vs. non-corporeal.
It’s widely agreed that if angels do, in fact, exist – they would certainly be non-corporeal (have no physical form). This enables angels to be in more than one place at one time. To not be confined by physical limitations, to have a broader and greater knowledge and to move with the speed of a thought.
So … if angels chose to ‘fall’ or ‘exile’ to earth and within that choice also came the assumption of a human form – then what exactly would happen to them?
CAN YOU IMAGINE IT? Having existed for millennia, unconfined, uninhabited, completely free to go where you want, when you want, completely spirit-like – to suddenly be thrust inside a human body, which effectively acts as a prison of flesh.
It’s a mind-boggling concept and one that really excited me for Violet’s story as it gave me so much to work with.
In EMBRACE, Violet comes up against exiled angels, but they are not at all what one would expect because, as I chose to maintain the concept of angels being non-corporeal – then exiles are forced to deal with a lot of adjusting and not just in adapting to physical forms but also to a bodies natural responses to emotions. They would never before have felt a physical manifestation of anger or desire, of delight, or sorrow. You can imagine what an overload these intense emotions could cause, not to mention the frustration and fear that would come from being restricted in a human cage that relied on food to power up and oxygen every few seconds.
Needless to say, it opened up the option of making exiles angels, whilst incredibly powerful, also – incredibly insane.
And that … made for some very interesting characters.
So, this is where it all began. Me with a laptop and an idea about a girl named Violet who finds herself caught up in an ancient battle between somewhat insane exiled angels on earth and the angel-human warriors that defend humanity.
It seemed like a good place to start.
The guys came next …
