The Nightmare Affair Focus on You Giveaway

Okay people. This very well may be your last chance to win a physical ARC of The Nightmare Affair, assuming you care about that sort of thing, of course :) I'm giving away TWO of them. The contest starts now and ends January 23 at midnight, open internationally.

I don't know about you, but I'm a little unenthusiastic about holding another random generator type giveaway. To hell with luck. It's so...so...random and generally unfair. So instead the winners of this contest will be determined by a panel of human judges. That's right. Actual people. Me and two of my awesome critique partners Lori M. Lee and Cat York.

Now for the details.

STEP ONE: Interpret the term "Magickind" using a visual medium.

In case you didn't already know, all the magical creatures in The Nightmare Affair are referred to as magickind; so nightmares, sirens, demons, fairies, werewolves, unicorns, you name it. Anything magical. This interpretation can be a drawing, a photograph, a sculpture, video, comic strip, anything that involves a visual medium. Be creative. Be entertaining. Show us something beautiful, amazing, scary, funny. I really want it to be a spotlight on YOU. Your creativity and personality. Show me what you got. This piece of art does not have to be new, either. If you drew an awesome picture in the 3rd grade that fits the theme, use it. Seriously, as long as the visual belongs to you, you're good. No copy rights violations, please.

STEP 2: Post the art somewhere on the net.

Put is anywhere: your blog, Tmblr, Facebook, etc. 

STEP 3: Mention The Nightmare Affair in the post.

Post a picture of the cover if you want. Or maybe a link to Goodreads--it's up to you.

STEP 4: Leave a comment on my blog(s) that includes the link to your entry.

That's it. Remember, there are TWO arcs available. And if there are a lot of entries, I'll throw in a 3rd arc (my very last one). There will also be swag packs up for grabs as well. 

Good luck!

***Originally posted at www.mindeearnett.com. You can comment here or there*** 

Nightmare Affair Twitter Giveaway!

I've randomly decided to give away one of my ARCs of The Nightmare Affair on Twitter. To enter, just tweet that you want to win using the hash tag #NightmareAffair. My handle is optional (@mindeearnett). Winner will be picked tomorrow evening, open internationally.

Good Luck!

teamTEENauthor DARE DAY and Contest

So not only am I participating in a dare for this month's teamTEENauthor blog, but I've also got a link to a really awesome, really big contest you're going to want to know about. It's also a scavenger hunt. Find out all about it here. 

Now for the dare. This month, the Perfect 10 teen panel came up with 3 options for the authors to choose from for the October 2012 Dare Day:

1. Cover your face with peanut butter and take a picture

2. Write your most embarrassing moment from your teen years, Shakespearean style

3. Post pictures and other links all about your celebrity teen heartthrob crush from middle school/high school. Your own Justin Beiber so to speak.

My choice this month is number 3. And the answer is Tom Hansen from 21 Jump Street as portrayed by the ethereal wonderfulness of Johnny Depp.

And here is video proof of why this was a perfectly valid crush to have: link. Not only did I have a crush on this character, but I had a crush on the entire show. The idea of young undercover cops infiltrating local high schools? Yowza. I think I would like to write a couple of books with that premise even now. So yeah, I still might be carrying this crush a little, all the way from middle school.

(And before you ask, no I haven't seen the movie. This show was craptastically awesome, and I would prefer to keep it that way in my memory)

And check out these dares from the other teamTEENauthors:

• Adam Leonard
• Pip Harry
• Hilary Weisman Graham
• Janci Patterson
• Jessica Corra
• Kimberly Sabatini
• Laura Ellen
• Suzanne Lazear
• Trish Doller
• E.C. Myers
• Elizabeth Amisu
• Erika O'Rourke

 ***Originally posted at www.mindeearnett.com. You can comment here or there***

Cover Interview and Upcoming ARC and Swag Giveaway

Hi all!

Today I'm over at the awesome Gypsy Book Reviews discussing my cover for The Nightmare Affair. It's got some sneak peeks into the book along with some other fun stuff. Plus, Ashelynn is super nice and smart and you should follow her blog anyways because it rocks. Go check it out here. 

Also, be sure to show up next week as I'm going to be holding a giveaway for Renegade by J.A. Souders. This book is amazing. I tore through it, completely engaged by the creepy, intense, and weirdly beautiful story. The ARC winner will also receive a swag package for The Nightmare Affair - a bookmark and one of the extra-awesome Arkwell Academy Student Guides. I've got photographs off the guide over on my Facebook author page. It includes custom artwork based on the book and an in depth look at the world it takes place in. There will also be two runners up who will receive the swag package as well. Entering will be easy and painless, I promise.

See you then!

***Originally posted at www.mindeearnett.com. You can comment here or there***

Query Contest Winner!

Firstly, I want to say thank you to everyone who entered the query and 10-page critique contest. I really wish I had the time to give each and every one of you personal feedback. At a minimum, I promise to hold regular contests for critiques from here on out.

And now for the winner, courtesy of the magic that is random.org:

Katherine Amabel!

Huge congrats! *throws confetti*

I’ll be emailing Katherine shortly with instructions, and I wish the rest of you best of luck with your writing!

***originally posted at www.mindeearnett.com. You can comment here or there.***

Epic Follower Blog Contest

Okay guys, this is my first attempt at a twitter-sized pitch. Here goes nothing!

Title: Dusty Everhart and the Nightmare
Genre: YA contemporary  fantasy
Word Count: 77,500

16-yr-old Dusty is a Nightmare who must identify a murderer at her magical high school by following clues in her crush’s dreams.


*****Update*******

I'm guessing we're allowed to edit as we get feedback? I'm hoping so. Here's a second option, although I'm not sure I like it better. Gosh, this is so hard/fun/challenging:

16-yr-old Dusty is a Nightmare who derives her power from other’s dreams. Now she must find a killer through clues in her crush’s dreams.

And because it's Furry Friday, here's a cute kitty pic to get us through the weekend:

Epic Follower Blogfest/Contest - Full Manuscript Request Prize

Hi All,

There's a pretty cool contest going on over at Shelley Watter's blog. You can find the details here:

http://shelleywatters.blogspot.com/2011/03/epic-follower-blogfestcontest.html

Entry into the contest involves the usual stuff (follow the blog, twitter about the contest, etc), but you also must write and post a twitter-length pitch for your WIP (140 characters). Now, I know that's a huge challenge to condense your book length story into a 1-2 sentence summary, but that's exactly what makes entering this contest totally worth it. Even if you don't win, it's a great exercise for getting ready for the querying process.