Heads-Up: Strange Chemistry News and Jodi Picoult Sweepstakes!

First piece of news:

You've probably already heard about Strange Chemistry, the YA imprint of Angry Robot, and its new book deals...but if not, here are the details! They've officially signed on the following three authors and titles so far:

Kim Curran and her novel Shift:

"When your average, 16-year old loser, Scott Tyler, meets the beautiful and mysterious Aubrey Jones, he learns he’s not quite so average after all. He’s a ‘Shifter’. And that means he has the power to undo any decision he’s ever made. At first, he thinks the power to shift is pretty cool. But as his world quickly starts to unravel around him he realises that each time he uses his power, it has consequences; terrible unforeseen consequences. Shifting is going to get him killed. In a world where everything can change with a thought, Scott has to decide where he stands."

This premise kind of reminds me of The Power of Un by Nancy Etchemendy. Sounds like it has the potential to be thought-provoking and philosophical with the whole 'butterfly effect' concept.

Sean Cummings and his novel Poltergeeks:

"Julie is an apprentice witch – or so she believes. When a dark power comes stalking out of the past to haunt her and her mother, Julie learns that she is far more than just a witch. With the help of her best friend Marcus and a rather unusual Great Dane, Julie has to race against time to ensure she can defeat the bad guy, save her mother and avoid being grounded – again!"

Witches definitely seem to be coming into style again in YA!

Gwenda Bond and her novel Blackwood:

"On Roanoke Island, the legend of the 114 people who mysteriously vanished from the Lost Colony hundreds of years ago is just an outdoor drama for the tourists, a story people tell. But when the island faces the sudden disappearance of 114 people now, an unlikely pair of 17-year-olds may be the only hope of bringing them back.

Miranda, a misfit girl from the island’s most infamous family, and Phillips, an exiled teen criminal who hears the voices of the dead, must dodge everyone from federal agents to long-dead alchemists as they work to uncover the secrets of the new Lost Colony. The one thing they can’t dodge is each other.

Blackwood is a dark, witty coming of age story that combines America’s oldest mystery with a thoroughly contemporary romance."

The mystery of Roanoke Island has always been one of those cool, unexplained events of history. I'm interested to see how it's tied into a contemporary mystery!

Also, for all of you aspiring-to-be-published writers out there: Strange Chemistry is holding an Open Door period from April 16 - 30. This means that they are accepting unagented submissions between these dates! For all the details check out: http://strangechemistrybooks.com/opendoor/. 

Second piece of news:

Simon & Schuster Canada is holding another Jodi Picoult sweepstakes! This time it's to celebrate the release of her upcoming book, Lone Wolf. There are 5 prizes: 2 are for Greater Toronto Area residents — a chance to meet Jodi Picoult personally before her launch, tickets to the event itself and a collection of all her books! — and the other 3 are for a complete set of her books including a signed copy of Lone Wolf.

If you'd like to enter, go here: http://www.simonandschuster.ca/sweepstakes/lone-wolf-sweeps.

Good luck!

Heads-Up: Essay Contest for Aspiring Writers of YA/MG!

I was contacted recently by Book Wish Foundation, asking if I would spread the word on my blog about a contest they're holding for amateur writers of YA/MG. Since Book Wish Foundation is a charitable organization (all proceeds from their book What You Wish For go to the UN Refugee Agency to support libraries in Darfuri refugee camps, by the way), I thought I'd help out and post about it!

Here's the information, taken from the e-mail I received:

"Win a literary agent or acclaimed author's feedback on your unpublished manuscript for young adult or middle grade readers.  This rare opportunity is being offered to the six winners of an essay contest recently announced by the literacy charity Book Wish Foundation.  See http://bookwish.org/contest for full details.

You could win a manuscript critique from:

Laura Langlie, literary agent for Meg Cabot
Nancy Gallt, literary agent for Jeanne DuPrau
Brenda Bowen, literary agent and editor of Karen Hesse's Newbery Medal winner Out of the Dust
Ann M. Martin, winner of the Newbery Honor for A Corner of the Universe
Francisco X. Stork, winner of the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award for The Last Summer of the Death Warriors
Cynthia Voigt, winner of the Newbery Medal for Dicey's Song and the Newbery Honor for A Solitary Blue

All that separates you from this prize is a 500-word essay about a short story in Book Wish Foundation's new anthology, What You Wish For.  Essays are due Feb. 1, 2012 and winners will be announced around Mar. 1, 2012.  If you win, you will have six months to submit the first 50 pages of your manuscript for critique (which means you can enter the contest even if you haven't finished, or started, your manuscript).  You can even enter multiple times, with essays about more than one of the contest stories, for a chance to win up to six critiques.

If you dream of being a published author, this is an opportunity you should not miss.  To enter, follow the instructions at http://bookwish.org/contest."

Good luck!

Heads-Up: Inkpop Writing Contest for The Siren's Cry

This week at inkpop.com there is a writing contest to win (along with other HarperTeen books) The Siren's Cry by Jennifer Anne Kogler! This is book 2 in the Otherworldlies series.

The challenge? "Dreams can be a powerful tool to help propel a narrative. Now it's your turn. Write a short story or poem featuring a dream that drives the action of your story."

You can find all of the details about how to enter HERE. Apparently the winners will be picked by Jennifer Anne Kogler herself! The deadline is August 18th. Good luck!

Heads-Up: Inkpop Writing Contest for A Need So Beautiful

This week at inkpop.com there is a writing contest to win (along with other HarperTeen books) A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young! I've been hearing a lot of good things about this one in the blogosphere.

The challenge? "Write a short story, poem or person essay about love that overcomes all obstacles."

You can find all of the details about how to enter HERE. Apparently the winners will be picked by Suzanne Young herself! The deadline is July 14th. Good luck!

Head's-Up: Inkpop Writing Contest & Live Chat

For all of you Melissa Marr fans out there, this week at inkpop.com there is a writing contest to win (along with other HarperTeen books) Darkest Mercy, the fifth and final book in her Wicked Lovely series.

The challenge? "Write a short story or poem that displays good conflict resolution. While the end results might always be fair to all those involved, your writing should seek to bring peace to the troubles at hand."

You can find all of the details about how to enter HERE. The deadline is May 26th.

And inkpop is also hosting a live chat this Wednesday with Josephine Angelini, author of the upcoming Starcrossed. She'll be discussing both her novel (a modern reimagining of Greek mythology) and her journey to being published. The chat is taking place at 5 pm EST on the inkpop forums thread if you'd like to stop on by!

A Cornucopia of Dystopia Winners, Part 2!

For the Enclave giveaway, random.org selected #70 as the winner, which was...

Elizabeth Sogard!

For the Divergent ARC giveaway, random.org selected #4 as the winner, which was...

Honey from Sniff Books, Not Drugs!

I've sent both winners e-mails, and Elizabeth has already responded. Honey, you have 72 hours to get back to me before I select another winner.

Edited to add: And both winners have now confirmed with me!

Congrats to both of you!!

A Cornucopia of Dystopia Winners!

Time to announce a couple of winners for my A Cornucopia of Dystopia giveaways...

For the ARC prize pack of Bumped, Possession and Wither, random.org selected #9 as the winner, which was...

Aislynn at Knit, Purl, Stitch...Read and Cook!

For the Awaken ARC giveaway, random.org selected #8 as the winner, which was...

Candice J!

I've sent both winners e-mails, and Aislynn has already responded. Candice, you have 72 hours to get back to me before I select another winner.

Edited to add: And both winners have now confirmed!

Congrats to you both!!

And remember, there is still an Enclave giveaway going on (open internationally) and a Divergent ARC giveaway (open to Canada only) if you haven't already entered them!

Head's-Up: Inkpop Writing Contest for Something Deadly This Way Comes

This week at inkpop.com there is a writing contest to win (along with other HarperTeen books) Something Deadly This Way Comes by Kim Harrison! This is the third in her Madison Avery series (if you'd like to read my review of the first two books go here).

The challenge? "Write a poem, short story or personal essay about betrayal. What if a person you thought you could trust betrayed you to the core? What did they do? How does it feel and what are consequences?"

You can find all of the details about how to enter HERE. The deadline is April 14th. Have fun and good luck!

A Cornucopia of Dystopia: Cover Redesign Contests!

Want to try your hand at recreating a cover? Want to win a book? You've got two opportunities through A Cornucopia of Dystopia!

Andrea at Loud Words and Sounds is hosting a cover redesign contest for Awaken, ending April 11. (Extended from the earlier deadline of April 4.) Winner will receive an ARC of Awaken!

Amber at Down the Rabbit Hole is hosting a cover redesign contest for XVI, ending April 7. There are two XVI books as prizes for this one, and one of them will be SIGNED!

So get creative and get your entries in!

Head's-Up: Contests at Inkpop!

For all of you creative writers out there, a couple of Inkpop.com contests are going on right now that you might want to check out!

1.) The weekly writing contest this week, inspired by Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting.


The challenge? "Write a story, poem or essay that uses a heightened sense (touch, sight, sound or smell) to influence a protagonist relationship? Maybe your heroine can not find anyone to date because men smell noxious to her, or maybe you have a poem about a feeling a pain so great, your body aches. Let your sense drive your writing in the Dark Days Supernatural Writing Challenge #4: Desires of the Dead."



The winners receive Desires of the Dead as well as their choice of 3 other HarperTeen books. You can find all of the details about how to enter HERE. The deadline is Mar. 17th.

2.) Shakespeare fans (and anyone who wants a shot at getting published), listen up! Inkpop is also holding Your Midsummer Night's Dream Writing Contest at the moment.

From their website:

"Reimagine a scene or act of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream from the perspective of the lovers, tricksters, or the faerie royalty—Hermia, Helena, Lysander, Demetrius, Titania, or Puck—and enter for your chance to be published.

Twenty of the highest ranked entries in the Your Midsummer Night’s Dream will be reviewed by a HarperCollins editor. Five of the top twenty entries will be selected by a HarperCollins editor as a top projects and will be considered for publication in A Midsummer Night’s Dream published by HarperTeen in September 2011."

This one sounds like a lot of fun! You can find all of the details and requirements HERE. The deadline for submissions is April 19th.

Good luck!

Head's-Up: Inkpop Writing Contest for Delirium

This week at inkpop.com there is a writing contest to win (along with other HarperTeen books) Delirium by Lauren Oliver!

The challenge? "Write a story, poem or essay that depicts a scene of love. Whether it's a disease, a challenge or something that must be overcome or come to terms with, write a creative project that puts love at the center of your challenge!"

You can find all of the details about how to enter HERE. The deadline is Feb. 17th.

This book has been one of the most hotly anticipated YA books of 2011 (it's certainly been on my wishlist), so if you'd like a chance at winning it get your entries in! Plus, what could be more appropriate than a little creative writing about love on Valentine's Day? :)

Head's-Up: Inkpop Writing Challenge for A Touch Mortal

I know there are a lot of bloggers anticipating Leah Clifford's A Touch Mortal and a lot of bloggers who enjoy creative writing, so some of you might be interested in a writing contest going on at inkpop.com this week.

The challenge? "Write a story, poem or essay that take a paranormal creature or character and puts them in a more mortal setting. Now werewolves don't roam the woods, but rather shop on the streets of Paris. Or Angels are finding themselves stuck in art museums rather than heaven. Write a poem, short story or essay that takes something or someone out of their natural element."

You can find all of the details about how to enter HERE. Prizes include A Touch Mortal and the winner's choice of other HarperTeen books! The deadline is Feb. 10th. Good luck! :)