Signing in Cinci this weekend

Hey everyone!


So, first off, congratulations to Xsarea Powers, who won the giveaway for the signed Talon arc.  Thanks to everyone who entered, and if you didn't win, don't worry.  As we get closer to the release date, there will be many exciting things to come, so stay tuned.


Second, this Saturday (16th) I will be at Joseph Beth booksellers in Cincinnati OH with a bunch of other cool YA authors for our annual Beachy Keen event.  There will be a panel, a Q&A, some awesome giveaways (see below), and of course a signing.  It's a ton of fun, and hilarity always ensues, so we hope to see you there.

I will be bringing some awesome swag to give away, including some new Talon bookplates, and two lucky people will snag a Talon arc or a tiny handmade Ember.  Even more reason to come say hi.

Talon swag.

Full event details are here.  Hope to see you in Cinci.  =)



-Julie

New giveaway: Signed TALON arc

Hey everyone!


So today is August 1st, and what better way to start off a new month than with a giveaway?

This time, you guys got to choose the giveaway prize, and the signed arc of TALON won by a landslide.  I guess everyone is excited for dragons!

Long ago, dragons were hunted to near extinction by the Order of St. George, a legendary society of dragon slayers. Hiding in human form and growing their numbers in secret, the dragons of Talon have become strong and cunning, and they're positioned to take over the world with humans none the wiser.

Ember and Dante Hill are the only sister and brother known to dragonkind. Trained to infiltrate society, Ember wants to live the teen experience and enjoy a summer of freedom before taking her destined place in Talon. But destiny is a matter of perspective, and a rogue dragon will soon challenge everything Ember has been taught. As Ember struggles to accept her future, she and her brother are hunted by the Order of St. George.

Soldier Garret Xavier Sebastian has a mission to seek and destroy all dragons, and Talon's newest recruits in particular. But he cannot kill unless he is certain he has found his prey: and nothing is certain about Ember Hill. Faced with Ember's bravery, confidence and all-too-human desires, Garret begins to question everything that the Order has ingrained in him: and what he might be willing to give up to find the truth about dragons

***

Anyway, you know what to do. Rafflecopter thingie is below.  Giveaway ends August 15th and it is international.




a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway winners and a poll

Hey everyone!


So, we did it!  The final entry count for the giveaway of a Talon arc and custom dragon was 4056!  You guys are awesome, thanks so much for all your tweets, shares, and the like.  This means I got to choose TWO winners to receive a signed Talon arc and a little clay dragon.

And that brings us to the actual winners, so...


Congratulations Yvonne Jefferson and Konstanz Silverbow!  You are the proud owners of a signed Talon arc and a tiny pet dragon.  ;)  I will be emailing you both shortly for dragon colors and mailing addresses and such.  Thanks again for playing.


So, did everyone enjoy that giveaway?  If I do another in the future, what kind of prize would you guys like? Actually, let's make this fun and do a poll!  You guys decide:  for my next giveaway, which of the following prizes should I put up?



-A signed arc of TALON

-Choice of any (1) signed book from the Iron Fey, Blood of Eden, or Call of the Forgotten series.

-A handmade, custom clay dragon.

-A handmade clay chibi character of Ash, Puck, or Allie.

















-A signed bookplate with a doodled chibi character (from any of my books) of your choice.

So which of these five choices would YOU like the most?  Let me know in the comments, and the one with the most votes will be my next giveaway.

-Julie

Vlog post: Why I write YA

Hey guys!


New vlog post!  Why I write YA (Which is really hard to say on camera. Try saying "Why write YA" five times fast; you'll see what I mean, lol).


Please excuse sound quality.  We were fighting the wind all through filming.








-Julie

Dragon Friday: Talon arc and custom dragon giveaway

Happy Dragon Friday!




Today's very special giveaway will be....




*drumroll*



A signed arc of TALON

Long ago, dragons were hunted to near extinction by the Order of St. George, a legendary society of dragon slayers. Hiding in human form and growing their numbers in secret, the dragons of Talon have become strong and cunning, and they're positioned to take over the world with humans none the wiser.

Ember and Dante Hill are the only sister and brother known to dragonkind. Trained to infiltrate society, Ember wants to live the teen experience and enjoy a summer of freedom before taking her destined place in Talon. But destiny is a matter of perspective, and a rogue dragon will soon challenge everything Ember has been taught. As Ember struggles to accept her future, she and her brother are hunted by the Order of St. George.

Soldier Garret Xavier Sebastian has a mission to seek and destroy all dragons, and Talon's newest recruits in particular. But he cannot kill unless he is certain he has found his prey: and nothing is certain about Ember Hill. Faced with Ember's bravery, confidence and all-too-human desires, Garret begins to question everything that the Order has ingrained in him: and what he might be willing to give up to find the truth about dragons.





And....



A custom clay dragon figurine!



Which means that, if you win, YOU get to decide what you want your dragon to look like.  You get to pick two colors and whether it is sitting or lying down.  You might want a black and green dragon:

Or a red and black dragon.

Or a blue and white dragon.

The choice will be up to the winner.  And don't forget the signed TALON arc, as well.  Giveaway will run until the 25th, and it is international.


So enter the Rafflecopter thingie below, and spread the dragon love!


(Giveaway is for one normal, two color custom dragon in the poses described. No crazy standing on head dragons or dragons with rainbow bellies. ;) After giveaway ends, I will contact the winner via email to determine what colors and poses they want for their dragon.)


ETA: WOW, 3000 entries!  You guys are awesome.  So, I'm adding a second prize.  IF we can get up to 4000 entries, I will add a SECOND Talon arc and a SECOND custom dragon figurine!  So keep spreading the dragon love, and good luck!



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Dragon Friday: Happy 4th of July

Hey everyone!



Happy Fourth of July!  And remember, only dragons are fireproof, so please be careful when playing with things that can explode.

-Julie

Monday Musings: ALA in pictures, Part 1

Hey everyone!


So I'm back from ALA and Vegas and man, what a trip!  I had an awesome time, and took a LOT of pictures.  So many, that I'll have to recap the journey one day at time or the post length will be ridiculous. Also, the the recap will be mostly pictures, hope you guys don't mind.

So, here we go.  Day 1.



 Arriving in Las Vegas



Literally the first thing I saw after stepping off the plane.  Slot machines.  Yup, I am definitely in Vegas.

The gorgeous lobby of the Venetian hotel.

Trying to find my room.  You have to traverse the casino floor to get anywhere in the hotel, including the elevators to the guest rooms.  I took ten steps away from the front desk and immediately got lost.

Finally I found my room.  Quite possibly the biggest hotel room I've stayed in.  I think my sister's apartment in LA is smaller than this.

After I checked in, I went on a quest to find the gondolas, which I heard were in the Venetian somewhere. There was much excitement when I finally tracked them down (on the SECOND floor of the hotel, think about that for a moment.) and I immediately sent out an Instagram post announcing that I HAVE FOUND THE GONDOLAS.

And yes, the ferrymen do sing.

Then I had dinner at Canonita, a restaurant right next to the canal.  This was my view from my table. Watching the gondolas drift by, listening to the ferrymen's haunting voices while sitting in one of the biggest hotels in Vegas: here was the moment where it all felt very surreal.

After dinner, I spent a good hour just exploring the hotel, inside and out.  In case you were wondering, its gorgeous everywhere.

A stretch of ceiling near the entrance.

Lady with a gryphon.

Random volcano erupting across the street.  Turns out, it was part of a show at Treasure island, another giant hotel, otherwise my level of alarm would've been slightly higher.  

I could have explored further.  Even after an hour, there were still parts of the hotel I'd never been to.  But it was late, and even at 10:00 pm it was still 95 degrees outside.  I went back to my room, cranked the AC down to about 65, and fell asleep to the faint sound of drums from Treasure Island.


And that's part 1.  Tomorrow will be part 2:  ALA, stingrays, and Wookies.


-Julie