HUGE SAVINGS ~ 3-DAY eBOOK SALE

BOOKMARKED BARGAINS

is offering a 3-day sale

Find your favorite authors and their fantastic ebooks at great discount prices.

Enter for your chance to win a free Reader's Party Pack! HERE

CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
*Imperfect Love, Rebecca Talley $ .99
*Wild Hearts, Heather Tullis $ .99
*Fallen Angel, Lisa Swinton $1.99
*The Daisy Chain, Heather Moore $ .99
*Sweet Confections, Danyelle Ferguson $1.99
*A Portrait for Toni, Annette Lyon $ .99

ROMANTIC COMEDY
*My Own Mr. Darcy, Karey White $1.99
*Home Matters, Julie N. Ford FREE
*Silver Linings, Kaylee Baldwin $ .99
*Third Times the Charm, Heather Moore $ .99

INSPIRATIONAL ROMANCE (LDS/ CHRISTIAN)
*Discovering Sophie, Cindy Roland Anderson $ .99
*The Making of a Queen (Ariana Book 1), Rachel Ann Nunes $.99
*Prank Wars, Stephanie Fowers $ .99
*Mr. Wrong, Alivia Anderson $.99
*Intercession, Vicki Budge $ .99

HISTORICAL ROMANCE
*Amazon Sunset, Marie Higgins $ .99
*Loyalty’s Web, Joyce DiPastena $ .99
*The Man from Shenandoah, Marsha Ward $ .99
*Intertwine, Nichole Van $ .99
*Illuminations of the Heart, Joyce DiPastena $ .99
*Spinster’s Folly, Marsha Ward $ .99

ROMANTIC SUSPENSE
*Tell me No Lies, Rachel Branton $ .99
*Spy Noon (Spy Another Day prequel), Jordan McCollum $ .99
*A Change of Plans, Donna K. Weaver $ .99
*Fourth of July, Cami Checketts $ .99
*Homecoming Identity, Heather Justesen FREE
*I, Spy (Spy Another Day #1), Jordan McCollum $2.99
*To Sleep No More, Kathleen Marks FREE
*The Colony, Cami Checketts $ .99

NONFICTION
*There, Their, They're: A no-tears guide to grammar from the word nerd, 2nd edition, Annette Lyon    $ .99
*Homeschool Lifestyles from Homeschool Moms, Valerie Steimle $1.99
*The 2012 Book Bloggers' Cookbook, Christy Dorrity FREE
*Of One Heart: Being Single in the LDS World, Valerie Steimle FREE

INSPIRATIONAL FICTION (LDS, CHRISTIAN)
*Nourish and Strength, Maria Hoagland $ .99
*Wall of Faith, J Loyd Morgan $ .99
*Intercession, Vicki Budge $ .99
*Family Size, Maria Hoagland $ .99

YA GENERAL/ YA ROMANCE
*Just Like Elizabeth Taylor, Lu Ann Staheli $ .99
*Worth It (an LDS love story), Alivia Anderson $ .99
*The Princess Sisters, Stacy Lynn Carroll $ .99
*Frogs and Toads, Stacy Lynn Carroll $ .99
*Confessions of 16-year-old Virgin-Lips, Cindy Hogan $ .99
*Samara: A Kilenya Romance, Andrea Pearson FREE
*Tides across the Sea, Lu Ann Staheli $ .99
*Gravediggers, Cindy Hogan $ .99

MIDDLE GRADE
*Heroes of the Highest Order (1-3), Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen $4.99
*The Secret Sisters Club (A Ginnie West Adventure), Monique Bucheger FREE
*The Stone of Valhalla, Mikey Brooks $ .99
*The Key of Kilenya, Andrea Pearson FREE (May 22 - 23) $ .99 (May 24)
*Simply West of Heaven: A Ginnie West Adventure, Monique Bucheger $ .99
*The Dream Keeper, Mikey Brooks $ .99

FANTASY/ SCI FI
*The Waxing Moon, author J Loyd Morgan $ .99
*Blue Dragon (Dragonbound Series book one), Rebecca Shelley $ .99
*Nexus Point, the Fall of the Altairan Empire Book 1, Jaleta Clegg FREE with coupon code AA47G Smashwords 
*Soul Windows, Jaleta Clegg $ .99 with coupon code AE37A

Smashwords 

*DragonBound IV: Red Dragon, Rebecca Shelley $ .99

YA FANTASY
*Inevitable, Tamara Heiner $ .99
*Twisted Tales Trilogy, Stephanie Fowers $ .99 for boxed set
*The Roilden Stones of Elf Mountain, Anna del C. Dye $ .99
*Awakening: Book One of the Geis, Christy Dorrity FREE
*Fateful, Cheri Schmidt FREE
*The Silent Warrior Trilogy, Anna del C. Dye $ .99

Reader’s Party Pack:$160 value. Designed for readers. Organize your electronic library full of fantastic adventures in a chic *messenger bag. Are you always on the go? Sneak a peek at the cliffhanger from your latest book while exercising or cooking dinner when you use a handy *ebook stand. Stay up reading in bed with a *fuzzy blanket (choose your own color), a *stackable pillow, a mug of *hot chocolate, *a big bag of M&Ms, and a *reading light. Everything a reader needs to enjoy a good book! Enter to win HERE

Miss Armistead Makes Her Choice w/ Giveaways

A themed tour with Prism Book Tours

We're launching THE ROSE GARDEN TOUR for
Miss Armistead Makes Her Choice
by Heidi Ashworth

Roses in the Miss Delecourt Series

It all begins when the Dowager Duchess of Marcross sends her grandson, Sir Anthony Crenshaw, to accompany her niece, Miss Ginny Delacourt, to their country estate to check on the roses. The Dowager is concerned since her neighbor is keen on stealing cuttings from her spectacular rose garden for Rosehaven, his rose-inspired country home. On the way, they have a carriage accident and are held up by highwaymen but it isn't until they are quarantined at Rosehaven for the pox that Ginny's and Sir Anthony's love begins to bloom.

Thus the series begins...

Tour Schedule:

5/18 - Launch

5/19

Kelly P's Blog

Pieces of Whimsy

Brooke Blogs

My Ereader and Me

Coffee Books & Art

5/20

I Am A Reader

The Wonderings of One Person

All That's Written

5/21

The Written Adventure

Getting Your Read On

Mommynificent

Little Lisa

5/22

My Devotional Thoughts

Katie's Clean Book Collection

Laughing With Lizzie

I Love to Read and Review Books :)

5/23

Bookworm Lisa

Mel's Shelves

My Love for Reading Keeps Growing

5/25 - Grand Finale

Miss Armistead Makes Her Choice

(Miss Delacourt #6)

by Heidi Ashworth
Adult Historical Romance
Ebook, 274 pages
April 24th 2014 by Dunhaven Place Publishing

Mr. Colin Lloyd-Jones and his friend, Sir Anthony Crenshaw, make a pact to avoid the fair sex during the course of an entire season in order to nurse their wounded hearts. As they shake hands on it, they have no idea that one would soon be off on a trip to escort a young lady to the country and the other soon to fall head over heels in love with Miss Elizabeth Armistead. Sadly, Miss Armistead is only interested in those she trusts not to become so besotted with her beauty that they cannot see her true self. Prior to meeting Colin, she had only met one man fitting that description and she has promised to be his bride. However, Mr. Cruikshank is not due to arrive in London for a full month. Can Colin convince Miss Armistead that he loves her for more than her beauty before her betrothed's ship arrives on British shores?

Purchase from Amazon.

More About Miss Armistead Makes Her Choice and the Author, Heidi Ashworth

1. What is your motivation behind this book? Why did you want to write it?

In my novella, The Lord Who Sneered, there is a character who is briefly mentioned who has been terribly wronged. I wanted to give him a happy ending.

2. What do you hope readers take with them when they read your book?

I hope that they develop a lingering affection for the characters and that they get something more from it than pure entertainment. I hope that my stories illustrate what it means to truly love someone rather than to simply be infatuated or "in lust" and that there is a realization that great relationships require work and sacrifice.

3. Do you have a favorite scene?

I guess the scene in the churchyard b/c it is the most romantic.

4. Share something about you that is unique - maybe about how/where you write... or favorite snack foods?

I have a certain playlist on my computer that I listen to when I write. And I must be availed of a quantity of chocolate. Music and chocolate are my muses.

 

Heidi Ashworth, author of the popular Miss Delacourt series, including the award-winning Miss Delacourt Has Her Day, is a busy wife and mother who's grateful for a bit of peace and quiet in which to write. An unapologetic anglophile, she is determined to return to England to see the home of Jane Austen, a landmark she missed during her first trip across the pond, though she knows Lord Byron's house to be a suitable substitute. She's smitten with books, chocolate, and roses, not necessarily in that order, and is never averse to a round of Guitar Hero.

Website - Blog - Goodreads - Facebook

Some EXTRA FUN things to know about Heidi

What is your favorite time of day?

This is where I must explain that it has always been very difficult for me to narrow anything down to one favorite with one or two exceptions. The answer to this question changes with the seasons. In spring, it would have to be late morning. In summer it would be dusk.

What is your favorite color?

This is one of the exceptions: pink. It always has been and always will be.

What is your favorite food?

Chocolate. (It's kind of embarrassing but it's true.)

What is your favorite day of the week?

Sunday. It's a lovely day. I attend church with my family and spend a lot of time at home eschewing work and being together.

What is your favorite flower?
This is also one of those exceptions: roses (though I really love tulips, daffodils, impatiens...sigh, there are so many gorgeous flowers!) But roses are, hands down, my favorite. Yes.

Tour-Wide Giveaway

- US Grand Prize: $50 Amazon gift card and paperback copy of Miss Armistead Makes Her Choice
- 3 ebooks of Miss Armistead Makes Her Choice (US and open INT to these countries: England, Canada, Belguim, Germany, Ireland, Mexico, Poland, Italy, France, Japan, and Australia)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Are you a blogger and want to receive information about new tours? Go HERE.

Are you an author or publisher and would like to have us organize a tour event? Go HERE.

I LOVE my KINDLE

I LOVE my KINDLE!

I always said "I LOVE BOOKS" 

I love to HOLD them!

CUDDLE up with them!

READ them!

Well guess what?

I can hold my kindle~

Cuddle up with my kindle~

Read my kindle~

I ALWAYS have multiple books with me wherever I go so I never have to worry about finishing one book and not having another right there ready to read.

PERFECT when I travel! One Kindle...hundreds of books.

Kindle titles are cheaper than hard copies too!

Check out these details:

*Less than 6 ounces - lighter than a paperback, fits in your pocket
*Hand-tuned fonts for easier reading
*Reads like paper with no glare, even in bright sunlight
*Download books in 60 seconds with built-in Wi-Fi
*Holds over 1,000 books - take your library wherever you go
*Massive book selection. Lowest prices. Over a million titles less than $4.99
*Hundreds of thousands of Kindle-exclusive titles that you won't find anywhere else
*Supports children's books and includes parental controls

THINK about getting a KINDLE for yourself or someone you LOVE :)

AMAZON (starting at only $69)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permalink/mDTA2APIJZU14/ref=ent_fb_link

The Princess and the Prom Queen

Book Details
Author: Jaclyn Weist
Release Date: April 2014
Publisher: Trifecta Books
Genre: Contemporary Fairy Tale

I LOVE FAIRY TALE TWISTS AND THIS IS A FANTASTIC ONE!

We all know the story of Sleeping Beauty...

and the curse that was broken by the kiss of the handsome prince...

Well what if that kiss not only broke the one curse but also put into play another curse...

The curse of switching the medieval princess for a modern-day teenager?

Jenny is a typical teenager with school, friends, and lots of siblings.

Princess Genevieve has lived a protected life under her mother's fears.

Now they are living in each other's world....

And each must go on a quest to find a way to break this new curse...

WITHOUT falling in love with the WRONG boy.

Can teenage girls do that?

You will read of:
*trolls and fairies
*proms and crushes
*friends and enemies
*family and love

And there are even MORE TWISTS to keep you reading until the very end... :)

SO. SO. SO. GOOD!
LOVED IT!

AMAZON * GOODREADS

About the Author

I have a great husband and six beautiful, funny and smart children with ages ranging from four years old to twelve years old. I have always enjoyed both reading and writing. After owning a bookstore for a year and surviving living Down Under for five months, I had the courage to take my hobby of writing and push it in ways I never thought possible.

(A review copy was provided, however, all reviews are of my own opinion :)

BEST MIDDLE GRADE FICTION 2013

AWESOME shoes made by Whitney Winner Jennifer A. Nielsen
Click on picture for a 'close-up' view

New! 

Help readers and writers keep up with books eligible for Whitney Awards by following the NEW GoodReads page. 

Spread the word and add books if they qualify but are missing! 

Remember the 3 requirements: 

1) First published in 2014

2) Author is LDS

3) Book is at least 50K words (youth books 20K words)

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/73547.Whitney_Award_Eligible_Books_2014

****************************************************************************

BEST MIDDLE GRADE FICTION 2013

went to Jennifer A. Nielsen for THE RUNAWAY KING

A kingdom teetering on the brink of destruction. A king gone missing. Who will survive? Find out in the highly anticipated sequel to Jennifer A. Nielsen's blockbuster THE FALSE PRINCE!

Just weeks after Jaron has taken the throne, an assassination attempt forces him into a deadly situation. Rumors of a coming war are winding their way between the castle walls, and Jaron feels the pressure quietly mounting within Carthya. Soon, it becomes clear that deserting the kingdom may be his only hope of saving it. But the further Jaron is forced to run from his identity, the more he wonders if it is possible to go too far. Will he ever be able to return home again? Or will he have to sacrifice his own life in order to save his kingdom?

The stunning second installment of The Ascendance Trilogy takes readers on a roller-coaster ride of treason and murder, thrills and peril, as they journey with the Runaway King!

Amazon * GoodReads

About the Author

For as far back as Jennifer can remember, she has shared her brain with imaginary characters. She figures it’s okay if she talks to them as she’s working on her stories, as long as they don’t start talking back.

Jennifer began writing in elementary school. Her first attempt at a full-length story was in 6th grade when she wrote about a girl who becomes trapped in her daydreams and that world becomes real. Not a bad idea, you say? Wrong. It was pretty awful, but Jennifer liked it at the time. She even called a locksmith to do research on how to pick locks. When he found out she was only 11, he ended the call and the story got set aside, unfinished.

But she began other stories, writing in spiral notebooks or plucking out keys on an electric typewriter (yep, she’s that old). Stories of a boy who tries to sell his annoying sister, of a celebrity who gets stuck in a small town (think Disney’s Cars, only with humans), and several other stories that all eventually wound up in a box in the back of her closet. She also drew cartoons and made up poems about the people in them. Jennifer has taken steps to ensure the cartoons never see the light of day again.

Jennifer has always loved reading and for most of her childhood, kept a tall stack of books at the side of her bed. She loved the Hardy Boys and Encyclopedia Brown series’, but her favorite childhood book was The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken. Her favorite book in junior high was The Outsiders. That book’s author, S.E. Hinton, published The Outsiders at the age of 17. Jennifer set a goal to be published sooner.

Jennifer didn’t make her goal, not even close. She got heavily involved in local theater and in school speech and debate competitions. The theater entertained the characters in her head, and the speech and debate filled her desire to never stop talking.

Jennifer completed her first book in her early 20’s. She told a neighbor she planned to be published one day. The neighbor smiled back like Jennifer had a greater chance of landing on the moon one day. That was understandable. The first book was pretty bad.

So was her second. And third. The fourth wasn’t terrible, but by then Jennifer had decided she was writing in the wrong genre. The characters in her head had changed from adult romantic suspense to young adult and children’s fantasy characters. Jennifer had to change her writing too.

Jennifer’s debut book was ELLIOT AND THE GOBLIN WAR (Sourcebooks, Oct 2010). That series became known as The Underworld Chronicles. The next series she released was The Ascendance trilogy, beginning with THE FALSE PRINCE (Scholastic, Apr 2012). Her most recent release is the sixth book of the Infinity Ring series, BEHIND ENEMY LINES (Scholastic, Nov 2013).

****************************************************************************

THE OTHER FINALISTS WERE

Cragbridge Hall: The Inventor's Secret by Chad Morris
I personally read this one and LOVED LOVED LOVED IT!
It SO NEEDS to be a movie :)

Imagine a school in the year 2074 where students don't read history, but watch it happen around them; where running in gym class isn't around a track, but up a virtual mountain; and where learning about animals means becoming one through an avatar. Welcome to Cragbridge Hall, the most advanced and prestigious school in the world.

Twins Abby and Derick Cragbridge are excited as new students to use their famed grandfather's inventions that make Cragbridge Hall so incredible. But when their grandfather and parents go missing, the twins must follow a mysterious trail of clues left by their grandfather. They must find out where their family is, learn who they can trust, and discover what secrets are hidden within Cragbridge Hall.

Abby and Derick soon realize they are caught in a race with a fierce adversary to discover their grandfather's greatest secret—a dangerous discovery that could alter both history and reality.

Amazon * GoodReads

RUMP: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff

This funny fractured fairy tale goes behind the scenes of Rumpelstiltskin. "A most magical feat," writes Newbery Honor-winner Kirby Larson, "Liesl Shurtliff spins words into gold."

In a magic kingdom where your name is your destiny, 12-year-old Rump is the butt of everyone's joke. But when he finds an old spinning wheel, his luck seems to change. Rump discovers he has a gift for spinning straw into gold. His best friend, Red Riding Hood, warns him that magic is dangerous, and she’s right. With each thread he spins, he weaves himself deeper into a curse.

To break the spell, Rump must go on a perilous quest, fighting off pixies, trolls, poison apples, and a wickedly foolish queen. The odds are against him, but with courage and friendship—and a cheeky sense of humor—he just might triumph in the end.

Amazon * GoodReads

Sky Jumpers by Peggy Eddleman

Escape one danger. Jump into another. . . .

Twelve-year-old Hope lives in White Rock, a town of inventors struggling to recover from the green bombs of World War III. But Hope is terrible at inventing and would much rather sneak off to cliff dive into the Bomb’s Breath—the deadly band of compressed air that covers the crater left by the bombs—than fail at yet another invention. When bandits discover that White Rock has priceless antibiotics, they invade. With a two-day deadline to finish making this year’s batch and no ingredients to make more, the town is left to choose whether to hand over the medicine and die from the disease that’s run rampant since the bombs, or die fighting the bandits now. Help lies in a neighboring town, but the bandits count everyone fourteen and older each hour. Hope and her friends Aaren and Brock might be the only ones who can escape to make the dangerous trek through the Bomb’s Breath and over the snow-covered mountain. For once, inventing isn’t the answer, but the daring and recklessness that usually get Hope into trouble might just save them all.

Amazon * GoodReads

Wednesdays in the Tower by Jessica Day George

A castle that is constantly rearranging itself, and a young royal family sworn to protect it... Celie, Rolf, and their beloved Castle Glower are back in this exciting sequel.

When her brother Rolf dares her to catch magical Castle Glower creating a new room, Princess Celie takes the challenge! No one knows the Castle better than she does. But as usual, the Castle has ideas of its own.Celie finds the new room first, and inside it is hidden a giant egg. It looks like The Castle wants Celie to care for the egg and whatever creature it hatches! Celie hadn't bargained for a pet, and caring for this one will prove to be especially tricky, once Celie and her siblings realize what else the Castle is hiding....

Amazon * GoodReads

And there you have it ~

THE BEST OF THE BEST FICTION 2013

Guilt Free: Using Remorse to Escape the Adversary's Tool

Book Details
Author: Karen John
Release Date: May 2014
Publisher: Cedar Fort, Inc.
Genre: Self-Help

"Men are that they might have joy...NOT guilt trips!"

*Have you ever felt that you're not good enough?

*Do you feel guilty for things you have done or haven't done?

*Is the negative energy inside of you so buried that it's become hard to identify?

*Do you question why you can't access or get rid of these unwanted feelings?

*Have you wondered what might be behind these feelings and why they linger when they're not wanted?

IF SO...

Welcome to the human race! YOU ARE NORMAL!

GUILT is usually a cycle of BURIED PAIN...

Karen John shows us how "we have the power through Christ to overcome guilt and pain."

We are not loved by they Lord in incremental score keeping ~ 65 percent affection in exchange for 65 percent visiting our neighbors, 30 percent love granted for 30 percent scripture study, 80 percent blessings in answer to 80 percent daily prayer~ we are just loved by the Lord, period."

We need to let go of needing to be perfect and willing accept the fact that we are going to make mistakes...without feeling guilty about it. 

Karen shares many stories and clinical examples of how to change guilt into remorse and then move forward to joy.

Here is her ingredient list for joy:

~2 cups faith

~1 broken heart

~1 contrite spirit

~1 cup adversity

~Garnish with something you're passionate about as well as serving others

~1 cup of being still, taking a needed break, and knowing who you are

~1 cup of living in the moment with those we love

~1 1/2 cups of acceptance of change and being grateful for it

LOTS to PONDER in this book!

A TRULY HELPFUL APPROACH TO OVERCOMING FEELINGS OF GUILT!

AMAZON * GOODREADS

About the Author

Karen W. John earned a Masters Degree in Social Work at Walla Walla College and is currently a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has years of counseling experience including, but not limited to, individuals, marriage and family, and all forms of addiction. She has taught Social Work classes part-time at BYU-I and speaks often at the university and at ward and stake functions. She currently resides in the Rexburg, Idaho area.

(A review copy was provided, however, all reviews are of my own opinion :)

BEST GENERAL YOUTH FICTION 2013

Mindy holt (Whitney President 2013) and Wendy Knight

FAQ

**We are currently accepting nominations for 2014. Go HERE

Q. Who can nominate a book for the Whitney Awards?

A. Anyone can nominate a book, as long as:

• The nominator is at least twelve years old.
• The nominator of a book is not the author of the book, the publisher of the book, a publisher’s employee, or anyone else with a monetary interest in the book.

Q. Can I nominate a non-fiction book for the Whitney Awards?

A. No. The Whitney Awards are given for novel-length fiction only. (“Novel length” is defined as at least 50,000 words. For the Best Youth Fiction category, a book must be at least 20,000 words.)

Q. Does a novel have to be published by an LDS publisher in order to be eligible?

A. No. The author must be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but the novel does not have to be published in the LDS market.

Q. Are self-published or e-published books eligible for the Whitneys?

A. Yes.

Q. Can I nominate the same novel multiple times?

A. No. You can nominate a novel only once.

Q. Can I nominate more than one novel?

A. Yes. You can nominate as many novels as you feel are deserving of the awards.

Q. When is the deadline for nominating a novel?

A. Books must be nominated by midnight, December 31st of the awards year.

Q. How will the winners be chosen?

A. Any novel which receives five or more nominations will be placed considered an Official Nominee. Those Official Nominees will be evaluated by a panel of genre judges. Those judges will rate each novel. When a judge finds a book they consider exceptional, they will notify the Whitney Committee, who will review it for the two overall awards (Best Novel of the Year and Best Novel by a New Author). The five books in each category that receive the hightest ratings will be Whitney Finalists, and placed on the final ballot.

Final Ballots will be sent to all members of the Awards Academy. The Awards Academy consists of:

• All eligible LDS authors
• Eligible LDS publishing companies. For a company to be eligible, it must have published at least three LDS novels by at least two different authors during the awards year.
• Other professionals in the industry, as decided by the Whitney Awards Committee.

Q. When will the Whitney Awards be announced?

A. The Awards Banquet will be on the last evening of the LDStorymakers Annual Writers Conference, held in the spring.

****************************************************************************

BEST GENERAL YOUTH FICTION

went to Julie Berry for ALL THE TRUTH THAT'S IN ME

Four years ago, Judith and her best friend disappeared from their small town of Roswell Station. Two years ago, only Judith returned, permanently mutilated, reviled and ignored by those who were once her friends and family.

Unable to speak, Judith lives like a ghost in her own home, silently pouring out her thoughts to the boy who’s owned her heart as long as she can remember—even if he doesn’t know it—her childhood friend, Lucas.

But when Roswell Station is attacked, long-buried secrets come to light, and Judith is forced to choose: continue to live in silence, or recover her voice, even if it means changing her world, and the lives around her, forever.

This startlingly original novel will shock and disturb you; it will fill you with Judith’s passion and longing; and its mysteries will keep you feverishly turning the pages until the very last.

Amazon * GoodReads

About the Author

After my fourth son was born, I decided that since my family dreams were now well underway, it was time to pursue writing novels. I went back to school and earned an M.F.A. in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College of the Fine Arts, where I learned from many talented and committed writers for young people. The Amaranth Enchantment was the second novel I wrote in school, and the first one to sell to a publisher. Since then I’ve written Secondhand Charm, All the Truth That’s In Me, and the Splurch Academy for Disruptive Boys series with my older sister, Sally Faye Gardner, as the illustrator. All the Truth That’s In Me, my first YA novel, is my most recent release. It’s a 2013 Horn Book Fanfare title, a School Library Journal Best of 2013 book, and a Kirkus Best Teen Read for 2013. It has been named a Junior Library Guild Selection and has been nominated for a Carnegie Medal and a YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults award, and will be published in 12 countries internationally. My next novel, a middle grade titled The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place, will be published in September 2014 in the US by Roaring Brook, in Germany by Theinemann Verlag GmbH, in France by Les Grandes Personnes, and in Brazil by Editora Rocco.

Now I’m home full-time, keeping the cats company by day while I write, and chasing the boys around in the afternoons and evenings. If you want to know if I’m working on another book now, the answer is always, “Yes.”

****************************************************************************

THE OTHER FINALISTS WERE

Chasing June by Shannen Crane Camp
June Laurie has it all—a budding career on the hit crime drama Forensic Faculty, a supportive and perfect boyfriend in her best friend Joseph Cleveland, and hopes of transferring her acting skills to the stage at college. But in a series of plot twists as dramatic as any Hollywood storyline, June's dreams dim with a heavy dose of grown-up reality. Once she starts school at BYU, June's days become filled with classes and the new challenge of dealing with jealous theatre majors who seem determined to give her the cold shoulder. Her happy plans for a future with "the one" take a turn, too, when Joseph dumps her to focus on preparing for his two-year LDS mission. Casting directors and the siren call of stardom beckon her back to California, while an old co-star appears on the scene to confuse things even more. Caught up in the drama of life—the type that has more intrigue, subplots, and unexpected romance than a murder mystery game—June starts to wonder if maybe her life's script might end with a grand finale she never saw coming.

Amazon * GoodReads

Dead Girls Don't Lie by Jennifer Shaw Wolf

Rachel died at two a.m . . . Three hours after Skyler kissed me for the first time. Forty-five minutes after she sent me her last text.

Jaycee and Rachel were best friends. But that was before. . .before that terrible night at the old house. Before Rachel shut Jaycee out. Before Jaycee chose Skyler over Rachel. Then Rachel is found dead. The police blame a growing gang problem in their small town, but Jaycee is sure it has to do with that night at the old house. Rachel’s text is the first clue—starting Jaycee on a search that leads to a shocking secret. Rachel’s death was no random crime, and Jaycee must figure out who to trust before she can expose the truth.

In the follow-up to her powerful debut, Jennifer Shaw Wolf keeps readers on their toes in another dark, romantic story of murder and secrets.

Amazon * GoodReads

Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt

When Mallory’s boyfriend, Jeremy, cheats on her with an online girlfriend, Mallory decides the best way to de-Jeremy her life is to de-modernize things too. Inspired by a list of goals her grandmother made in1962, Mallory swears off technology and returns to a simpler time (when boyfriends couldn’t cheat with computer avatars). The List:
1. Run for pep club secretary
2. Host a fancy dinner party/soiree
3. Sew a dress for Homecoming
4. Find a steady
5. Do something dangerous
But simple proves to be crazy-complicated, and the details of the past begin to change Mallory’s present. Add in a too-busy grandmother, a sassy sister, and the cute pep-club president–who just happens to be her ex’s cousin–and soon Mallory begins to wonder if going vintage is going too far.

Amazon * GoodReads

The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

Money can't buy a good first impression.

Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers learned early that the rich are not to be trusted. And after years of studying them from behind the cash register of her mom's porcelain-doll shop, she has seen nothing to prove otherwise. Enter Xander Spence—he's tall, handsome, and oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and the fact that he seems to be one of the first people who actually gets her, she's smart enough to know his interest won't last. Because if there's one thing she's learned from her mother's warnings, it's that the rich have a short attention span. But just when Xander's loyalty and attentiveness are about to convince Caymen that being rich isn't a character flaw, she finds out that money is a much bigger part of their relationship than she'd ever realized. With so many obstacles standing in their way, can she close the distance between them?

Amazon * GoodReads

Check back tomorrow to see who won

BEST MIDDLE GRADE FICTION 2013