The "Hook Me Up, B!" Giveaway

WELCOME to my 100th blog post! Woot woot! :-)

So yeah, I am definitely calling this one of THE BEST weeks I've had this year. Seriously, it's been fantastic.  And to celebrate (after being poked and prodded) I am finally doing my first ever *International* blog giveaway! YAY!

So instead of rambling on (as I tend to do) I'm gonna try and keep this part nice and short in order to get to the good stuff.  With that being said, in celebration of the reveal of my debuting novel's TITLE & RELEASE DATE (see Lots of (FANTASTIC-CRAZY-EXCITING) Randomness post), I will also be doing a drawing to giveaway a....HOLIDAY BOOK BASKET!!!  Yeppers! And yours truly will be putting it together.  So be warned, I am not the most crafty of people so don't be expecting Martha Stewart like quality, because you may very well end up with a cardboard box full of (GREAT) goodies and a scrappy bow slapped on top of it. LOL! Just kidding...maybe.

So when will this giveaway be? You ask. *ahem* Drum roll please!!!! *brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr*

DECEMBER 14TH, 2011!

That's the date folks! Mark your calendars, set your blackberry's, iPhones, tablets, iPads and whatever other gadgets you have lying around. Dec. 14th!!! Write that down.  

And now for the moment we've all be waiting for, the part where I reveal the goodies I will be giving away.  Well, contestants, take a look behind door number #1!

The winner of this giveaway will receive the following...

A SIGNED copy of EXILED by M.R. Merrick (book one of his trilogy). 

 

For more information on M. R. Merrick, and book two of his trilogy, SHIFT please visit his BLOG.

*****

SIGNED copies of the complete Daughters of Saraqael Trilogy by Raine Thomas. (Becoming, Central, and Foretold)

 For more information on Raine Thomas and her work please visit her WEBSITE.

*****

A SIGNED copy of SOPHIE & CARTER by Chelsea Fine & a SIGNED copy of her BRAND NEW book ANEW, book one of THE ARCHERS OF AVALON series!

For more information on Chelsea Fine and her books please visit her BLOG.

 *****

The entire THE HUNGER GAMES trilogy by Suzanne Collins.

For more information on Suzanne Collins please visit her WEBSITE.

*****

A copy of LEGEND by Marie Lu.

For more information on Marie Lu please visit her WEBSITE.

Whew! There you have it. A basket seriously full of FANTASTIC holiday reads that would be great for your own personal library or as holiday gifts.

My Giveaway Rules: 

For your chance to win this FABULOUS "Holiday Book Basket"  you must complete 2 of the 4 items listed below. FYI #4 is a MUST!!! 

1. Following my BLOG! :-)

2. (1 of these 2) "Like" my Blaire Kensley Facebook Page or follow me on twitter (@BlaireKensley).

3. Send a "Friend Request" to my Facebook. (I find this to be a bit more personable.) 

4. ALL ENTRIES MUST leave a comment below (ON THIS POST) stating, "Hook Me Up, B!"  and include your name in order to officially be entered. (No magic words. No name. No entry.)

And that's it!

And NO! I'm not gonna get all crazy and double check behind every single person who enters (which may be no one, LOL!), but will instead trust that you guys will be honest and leave it at that. After all this is all for fun, and the fact that you came on to read my post in the first is a pretty BIG deal for me.

GOOD LUCK to you all!

*FYI - due to the fact that I know some of the most AWESOME authors ever, I will be doing extra drawings for any extra goodies I receive between now and December 14th. So keep checking back for an ADDENDUM!* 

Happy Writing & Happy Reading!

AUTHOR ALERT: Raine Thomas

Today's Author Alert features not only a great author but someone I consider to be a dear friend of mine.  And for whom there are not enough words (well, that I know of) to adequately describe exactly how much she has come to inspire and mean in my life.  Especially to me as a writer.  Raine Thomas began her epic journey into the world of writing in the fourth grade after winning Honorable Mention in a writing competition.  Residing in Orlando, Florida this writer/wedding planner is seemingly on a very fast track to literary success.

With such passion for writing and her obvious love of sharing and mentoring to other aspiring writers, Raine Thomas is what I like to call the literary world's version of the double-whammy.  She's not only a brilliant author with the title Best Seller shining back bright and clear from her future, she's also one of the most sweet and down to earth gals you'll probably ever get to know.

Plus, she's pretty gorgeous! *wink*

Raine's original series of YA fantasy/romance novels about the Estilorians currently holds a solid 5-star rating on Amazon.  And after buying and reading, BECOMING, book one of her series, I found myself from page one to finish completely hooked and engaged by the characters and plot of this story.  And this opinion held true with every book in her series.

The Daughters of Saraqael Trilogy is now available for e-readers at: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple iBookstore, Diesel eBook, Smashwords, Kobo and Sony Reader.

***And soon to be coming out in PRINT!***  

I seriously LOVE these book covers! So. Gorgeous!

Daughters of Saraqael Trilogy

What are they?

"They aren’t gods and goddesses. They aren’t angels. They’re the beings upon which human myths and biblical stories are all based.

They are Estilorians.

Humans and Estilorians once shared the earth. Over time, humans realized they could never have the powers and abilities of the long-lived Estilorians, and began warring against them as well as each other. To save humanity from themselves, the nine Estilorian elders joined together to create their own plane of existence, removing all Estilorians from the human plane and becoming beings of legend.

In so doing, they doomed themselves to an emotionless existence. No happiness or joy. No optimism or hope.

And no love.

Millennia later, their possible salvation comes in the form of three teenage, half-human girls…the daughters of one of their own. 

The Daughters of Saraqael."

And check out the amazing book trailer for BECOMING, book one of the series!

And due to the fact that (in my opinion) Raine is a textbook workaholic, she is of course currently hard at work on her next series.  Go Raine!  With her latest series actually being the sequel to the Daughter of Saraqael Trilogy, titled the Firstborn Trilogy.  Oh yes, folks! There is still more to come of the Estilorians.  And having completed the initial draft of book one, she is already onto her first round of edits with this book.  I tell ya, she's one seriously determined storytelling machine on a mission.

For a sneak peek at book one of the coming Firstborn Trilogy check out this teaser!

For more information about Raine you can visit her website! And for updates and other stalking purposes you can also find her on twitter (@Raine_Thomas) and Facebook!

Happy Writing & Happy Reading!

BIG NEWS FEATURE FRIDAY

Hurrah! It’s Friday!

Yes, folks I survived yet another week of this abominable three-digit heat, as well as five solid days on the J-O-B.  But I'm pretty sure you didn't stop by to read more of me whining about the weather (again), or hear about my sweat induced wet-n-wild adventure during my hour long commute in 107 degree weather...am I right? You’re here to find out WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON IN THE WORLD?! Or at least what's going on in the little bit of space that I occupy on this planet and to hear news about some books and writers I'm currently really excited for and about.  So without further ado, I present...BIG NEWS FEATURE FRIDAY!!! 

Yes, peeps this is a post dedicated to showing nothing but love to my fellow writers and to offer some of the good news YOU all have that I can share with others. Now...Ready. Set. GO!!!

BIG NEWS:

To kick off this weeks #BNFF I am thrilled and honored to present the lovely and iridescent Gretchen McNeil!!! Gretchen's YA debut novel POSSESS is soon to be released on August 23^rd! YAY! That's only four more days people! Squeeeeeee! I honestly can't tell you how truly excited I am about this book.  Naturally, as a writer of the dark and supernatural myself, Gretchen’s story just simply calls to me, and so I am incredibly anxious to get my hands on a copy to finally dig in.  So if you haven’t already, go and PRE-ORDER your copy now!  I HAVE!

This next author's book is receiving rave reviews as her book continues to climb the rankings of B&N and Amazon.  Terri Giuliano Long is the author of IN LEAH’S WAKE, which was awarded the 2011 Book Pick award and is being described by readers as “Stunning”, “Gripping” and a “Beautiful, thought provoking story”.  If you want to learn more about Terri and her work you can visit her blog by clicking here.   IN LEAH’S WAKE is now available on both Amazon and B&N.

I was lucky enough to stumble across the fabulous Fletcher Bell in the amazing world of twitter.  (Love #FF!) Fletcher is not only an author, he’s also a media researcher and PhD candidate, which is code for he can blow your mind without you even knowing it. I mean seriously, what more do you want? His novel THREE IN A ROW is now available on Amazon and Smashwords. PICK UP YOUR COPY TODAY! 

Now I simply couldn’t resist giving a MAJOR shout out to this gorgeous rising star writer who has inspired me in ways she'll probably never know.  The beautiful and talented Tara Hudson is an attorney by trade but a brilliant up and coming author that I am anxious to see the world embrace in the very near future.  Tara's debuting novel HEREAFTER is a gripping and deliciously evocative story that explores the realm of afterlife and the possibility of finding love after death.  An engrossing read that I literally finished in one sitting, this first book of her trilogy definitely earned a 5-star rating in my book. A MUST READ!!!  Go pick up your copy of HEREAFTER available on Amazon and B&N.

MY FAVORITE BOOK TRAILER(S) of the WEEK:

Go to Gretchen McNeil for her debuting novel POSSESS! (Holy beegeezees!) And also to Raine Thomas for her debuting trilogy The Daughters of Saraqael. Check it out! 

Possess

 

The Daughters of Saraqael

Happy Writing & Happy Reading!

Happy Monday...

Though I hate to say it, *sigh* I will admit I'm beginning to frizz a bit around the edges.  And the possibility of some serious R&R in the near future may not be such a bad idea.  To say that it’s been a busy month would probably be a slight understatement.  Not only has this entire month seemed to have flown by, but the entire SUMMER just sort of appeared and then vanished. Not to mention this never-ending heat wave we've been suffering through.

But honestly, where did the time go?  Apparently not into a closet where I could take it out and use it at my own personal leisure.

So this past week has been quite eventful on the writer front.  I've made some serious progress in getting my manuscript wrapped up, with only the minimum of hiccups.  I started and posted my very first BIG NEWS FEATURE FRIDAYS post, which featured writers Kiersten White, Tawna Fenske, Josephine Angelini, Michael R. Hicks, Natalie Whipple, J.C. Fiske, Chelsea Fine and Raine Thomas.  And due to all the positive responses I am definitely planning to make this a very regular theme post available each week to all of you.  Again, I really appreciated all the great positive feedback on this.

And also some even more exciting news is that I was recently asked to write a post for the World Away Book Blog (hosted by Carlyle Labuschagne) and am pleased to announce that it is now up and available to read on her site. I’d love to hear from you and get your feedback. 

And now I'm off to find a cold dark cave in which to hide away in...until Winter.

Happy Writing & Happy Reading!

BIG NEWS FEATURE FRIDAYS

So I woke up this morning and I felt as if all the energy and life force of the world had been poured into me during my sleep.  Yeah, talk about pumped up! Have you ever had one of those mornings? Or days? Or even weeks?   It’s one of the most incredible feelings ever and I HAD to share and express a little of the joy that's bubbling inside me with all of you.  So that being said, I wanted to dedicate this post to sharing the fantastic news and blessings of some of my favorite peeps/writer buds!  And have decided to try and do a weekly BIG NEWS FEATURE FRIDAYS (#BNFF) post each Friday, dedicated to sharing all of YOUR good news.  So just know, I WON'T apologize for the length of these blogs because I am in a groove and am totally loving the fact that I'm part of such a great community of inspiring and brilliant people.

And so I hope you enjoy this FANTASTIC song while I’ll happily share some of the wonderful news of some pretty AWESOME people!

BIG NEWS:

If you haven’t already then you should 1) check out Tawna Fenske's blog (HILARIOUS stuff) and 2) go out and pick up her debut novel Making Waves! Now available on Amazon and Barnes & noble.  Come on...IT HAS PIRATES PEOPLE! Enough said.  But honestly, I found this book to be delightfully fun & a laugh out loud read from start to finish. Not to mention that I completely adore Tawna in all her wild and wacky glory.  Can you say 5 STARS!!! And also, its TAWNA’s birthday today so go shoot her a tweet at @tawnafenske!

HUGE News for Kiersten White! Her debut novel PARANORMALCY is gonna be made into a MOVIE! Hello! Can it really get any better than that?! Well maybe it could, there was also the awesome new release of the second book of her PARANORMALCY Trilogy, SUPERNATURALLY! Go pick them up NOW & congratulations Kiersten! You can check out more on Kiersten at her blog & see what other shenanigans she's up to.

*This is really exciting!* I’m so proud and happy to announce that my dear and wonderful friend Raine Thomas has released her ENTIRE series, yes I said ENTIRE series, The Daughter of Saraquel Trilogy.  Fantastic read, go get it!  Become entranced by the Estilorians & the daughters of Saraquel that is now available on Amazon & Barnes & Noble! Don't you just love these covers...I DO! Cover work was done by the fabulous Nimbi Design.

Book # 1 – Becoming

Book #2 – Central

Book# 3 – Foretold

A few weeks back I had also posted an AUTHOR ALERT blog on the beautiful and wonderful debuting author Chelsea Fine  (yes, in all her flowing goldilocks glory) and haven't regretted it one bit ever since.  Her debut novel Sophie & Carter is a delightful story of being young and finding love in a not-so-perfect world. If you haven't already, go pick it up! It available on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

I wanted to also take this opportunity to send a HUGE congratulations to the brilliant writer, Michael R. Hicks, who is someone I have in many ways come to think of as a mentor. And who has very recently reached a huge milestone of officially reaching his goal of being a full-time author! Congratulations on such a major milestone, Mike! Mike has been creating worlds of fantasy for over a decade and his series IN HER NAME has received rave reviews across the board on Amazon.  Go check out Michael R. Hicks website as he shares his work and also his passion for helping others achieve their dreams as well http://authormichaelhicks.com/

If you’re looking for a great Greek Mythology story to become completely addicted to than I suggest you check out Josephine Angelini site and her debut novel Starcrossed.  I picked it up & literally couldn’t put it down.  It is definitely a 5 Star WIN in my book!

I want to also send an especially happy and long awaited CONGRATULATIONS to Natalie Whipple on signing her very first book deal with HarperTeen for her debut novel TRANSPARENT. Woohoo! Her journey has been one of many ups and downs but she never gave up and had now finally prevailed. You can read more about Natalie’s inspiring story on her blog http://www.betweenfactandfiction.blogspot.com/.

And finally this guy was someone I was lucky enough to stumble across on twitter and have not regretted following him for one second.  His name is J.C. Fiske, he is a YA fantasy novelist, a comic book geek (so cute), whose debut novel RENEGADE: RISING is now available on Amazon.  Definitely go check out his site and get to know this new young up and coming writer.

Wow! So there you have it...my first #BNFF!!! There was so much good news to spread, and I hope its contagious. If you have any exciting book news, or a site or an upcoming release date you want blasted out, just hit me up on twitter @BlaireKensley or email me at Blaire.Kensley@gmail.com.  I'd love to feature you in one of my BIG NEWS FEATURE FRIDAYS!  I hope everyone has a great day and I will catch you all on the flip side.

Happy Writing & Happy Reading!