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My entire catalog is 50% off. (Well, except for the books that are already free, since 50% of free is … free).
Tag Archives: YA books
Happy 10th Birthday, Geek Girl!
We interrupt your regularly scheduled weekly writing check-in to bring you a special birthday post.
“Sweet, funny, and heart-warming, The Geek Girl’s Guide to Cheerleading truly makes you want to cheer!”
~ Author Elizabeth Scott
“This novel is contemporary, laugh-outloud funny, and positive.”
~ Florence H. Munat, VOYA
On May 19, 2009, The Geek Girl’s Guide to Cheerleading launched herself into the world. Two months early, no less.
Our original publication date was July. But. Barnes and Noble had a geek book promotion planned, and they wanted to include Geek Girl. Simon and Schuster said yes and subsequently bumped up the release date. (Because back then, when B&N offered you a promo, you always said yes.)
From our launch party
Once upon a time, Geek Girl was also a cake (courtesy of my co-workers)
On the shelf at Barnes and Noble
I fully expected to be celebrating Geek Girl’s tenth with Darcy, and it’s hard reconciling that she isn’t here to celebrate. Darcy knew how to throw a party, in real life and online.
I’m missing her, not just today, but every day. I hit a writing snag this week and wanted nothing more than to talk it through with her. I was this close to shelving the current series. And then this morning, after I opened up this post to finish writing it, inspiration struck.
Almost like I did talk the whole thing through with Darcy.
Once again, I’m going to encourage everyone to read some of her work:
THE GEEK GIRL’S GUIDE TO CHEERLEADING
- 2012 Popular Paperback pick in the Get Your Geek On category
- First Place: 2010 Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence
- Available on: Kindle Nook Kobo Apple GooglePlay Print
DATING ON THE DORK SIDE
- 1st Place: 2016 International Digital Awards, Young Adult Novel
- Available on: All e-retailers Print
LESS THAN THREE
- Darcy’s solo YA novel
- Read for free on Wattpad
ON LEARNING TO SWIM AGAIN, IN AUTUMN: A SHORT STORY
- A contest-winning short story
- Available for 99 cents on Kindle or read for free with a Kindle Unlimited subscription.
Filed under Geek Girl's Guide, Weekly Writing Check In, YA
Free Fiction Friday: Dating on the Dork Side (one day left!)
One day left to grab Dating on the Dork Side for free over on Amazon.
All’s fair in love, war, and hacking …
Stung by an epic betrayal, Camy Cavanaugh relies on the sure things: her best friend, her job as peer tutor, and her safe spot on the sidelines of life. But when she hacks into a secret, trash-talking website, it ignites a war between the sexes that won’t end until the whole school is turned upside down–and Camy’s world is turned inside out.
Now the hottest girls in school refuse to date the A-List boys. But with the Homecoming dance looming, everyone from the queen bee to the girl “most likely to” pushes Camy to hook them up with guys from the nerd herd.
And then there’s quarterback, A-lister–and former crush–Gavin Madison. He hasn’t spoken to Camy in three years … but he’s talking now, begging her to pair the guys on the football team with girls from the Honor Roll.
It’s a contest of wills and everything is on the line–even Camy’s heart. Will she retreat to the sidelines, or will she find the courage to get back in the game?
This contemporary young adult novel won the 2016 International Digital Awards, in the Young Adult Novel category. Read on for a tech-savvy twist to Lysistrata.
If you haven’t grabbed your Kindle copy yet, now’s the time to do so. Just click through to Amazon US or Amazon Everywhere.
Filed under Free Fiction Friday, YA
Free Fiction Monday: Dating on the Dork Side (five days only)
Surprise! It’s Free Fiction Friday Monday! Between today and Friday, January 11th, Dating on the Dork Side will be absolutely free over on Amazon.
Stung by an epic betrayal, Camy Cavanaugh relies on the sure things: her best friend, her job as peer tutor, and her safe spot on the sidelines of life. But when she hacks into a secret, trash-talking website, it ignites a war between the sexes that won’t end until the whole school is turned upside down–and Camy’s world is turned inside out.
Now the hottest girls in school refuse to date the A-List boys. But with the Homecoming dance looming, everyone from the queen bee to the girl “most likely to” pushes Camy to hook them up with guys from the nerd herd.
And then there’s quarterback, A-lister–and former crush–Gavin Madison. He hasn’t spoken to Camy in three years … but he’s talking now, begging her to pair the guys on the football team with girls from the Honor Roll.
It’s a contest of wills and everything is on the line–even Camy’s heart. Will she retreat to the sidelines, or will she find the courage to get back in the game?
This contemporary young adult novel won the 2016 International Digital Awards, in the Young Adult Novel category. Read on for a tech-savvy twist to Lysistrata.
If you haven’t grabbed your Kindle copy yet, now’s the time to do so. Just click through to Amazon US or Amazon Everywhere.
Filed under Free Fiction Friday, YA
(Almost) Free Fiction Friday: The Fine Art of Holding Your Breath
And the military-themed streak continues! This week, you can download my young adult novel, The Fine Art of Holding Your Breath, for just 99 cents.
But hurry! It’s only going to be 99 cents for a few more days.
Secrets—like war—have their own casualties.
MacKenna’s mother died when MacKenna was a baby, a casualty of the first Gulf War. Now seventeen, MacKenna has spent her life navigating the minefield of her dad’s moods, certain of one thing: she is destined to follow in her mother’s combat boots. But when she pursues an ROTC scholarship, she finds herself at war before even enlisting.
Her father forbids her from joining the military, inexplicable considering he’d raised her to be a “warrior princess.” MacKenna turns to her grandmother—who arms her with an ammo crate containing her mother’s personal effects from the war. Hidden in the crate’s false bottom is a journal, one her mom stashed there hours before her death.
While MacKenna untangles the secrets of her parents’ tragic love story, her own life unravels. Dad’s behavior becomes erratic, her best friend grows distant and even hostile, and a boy from her past returns—with a life-threatening secret of his own.
If ever a girl needed her mother, it’s now.
The pen might be mightier than the sword, but are a mother’s words strong enough to slice through years of hidden pain? Can those words reach through the battlefields of the past to change MacKenna’s future?
Filed under Books, Free Fiction Friday, YA
Free Fiction Friday: Just a Matter of Time
Just a Matter of Time was first published in Sucker Literary Magazine, Vol. III, April 2014.
Sadie Lin: High school junior Sadie is desperate–to maintain her GPA, to score high on the SATs, for her dad to return from Afghanistan. Time seems to crawl and slip through her fingers all at once. She thinks it’s all in her head.
It’s not.
Gordon Bakersfield: Gordon–Sadie’s ninth-grade epic crush–has plenty of time and knows where to get more. He knows someone has been stealing Sadie’s time. And while he’s not sure how to make it stop, he’s hoping to try. But can Sadie trust him?
Only time will tell.
Today’s offering is too long for the blog. Click the link or the book cover to download it from your favorite retailer.
Filed under Free Fiction Friday, Reading, YA
Weekly writing check-in: 99 cent Geek Girl
So, I made a discovery this week that the e-book version of The Geek Girl’s Guide to Cheerleading is at 99 cents in all the US stores. That was a surprise. I think it started around Wednesday, based on the rank shift over on Amazon.
As I said on Friday, now’s the time to grab a copy if you don’t already have one.
Kindle Nook Apple Kobo Google Play
Edited to add: looks like the price is going up on various retailers (Kobo, Google). Well, it was fun while it lasted.
In revision news, I’ve added ~8,000 words to the second draft. This is moving a little slower than I’d like. Or rather, I think I should be moving faster through the manuscript, but on reflection, I suspect this pace is just right. I’ve rearranged events and moved scenes around, and I simply can’t drop a scene into the manuscript as is. There’s emotional context to consider, story threads to weave in or tug out.
So, while part of me wants to zoom through this revision, another part of me is pleased with my progress so far.
Filed under Geek Girl's Guide, Weekly Writing Check In, Writing, YA
(Almost) Free Fiction Friday: The Geek Girl’s Guide to Cheerleading
So, I was working on something else when I discovered that The Geek Girl’s Guide to Cheerleading is currently at 99 cents at all major e-retailers.
Why or when, exactly, this happened, I don’t know. I also don’t know how long it will remain at 99 cents. In fact, I fear it may no longer be at 99 cents by the time this post goes live.
So if you ever wanted a copy, now’s the time to grab one. Buy early. Buy often.
Kindle Nook Apple Kobo Google Play
A YALSA 2012 Popular Paperback pick in the Get Your Geek On category!
When self-proclaimed geek girl Bethany Reynolds becomes the newest member of the varsity cheerleading squad, she realizes that there’s one thing worse than blending into the lockers: getting noticed. Who knew cheerleading was so hard? Well, at least there’s a manual, The Prairie Stone High Varsity Cheerleading Guide. Too bad it doesn’t cover any of the really tough questions. Like:
- How do you maintain some semblance of dignity while wearing an insanely short skirt?
- What do you do when the head cheerleader spills her beer on you at your first in-crowd party?
- And how do you protect your best friend from the biggest player in the senior class?
Bethany is going to need all her geek brainpower just to survive the season!
Filed under Books, Free Fiction Friday, Geek Girl's Guide, Reading, Reading & Writing
Free Fiction Friday: The Summer Reading List
Keep the binge-reading going with the Summer Reading List.
Included in this giveaway is The Fine Art of Keeping Quiet, which now has a reading group guide. You can download the guide in PDF format here.
Happy reading!
Filed under Free Fiction Friday, Reading, YA
It’s a matchbook kind of day (buy a paperback, get the Kindle version free)
Looking for something new to read along with getting your holiday shopping done? Well, here you go. Fifty paperbacks, in all genres, plus the free Kindle version for yourself. Shop early, shop often.
Filed under Books, Promo, Publishing, Reading, Reading & Writing, YA
Writing Wrongs 