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Cover reveal: Help!

Published January 11, 2015 by christinenorris

So now one cover reveal is done (and it is awesome!), I need to prepare for the next. Yes, the cover for A CURSE OF ASH AND IRON is done!! And it is spectacular, to be honest. I jumped up and down when I saw it. I want to make a BIG deal of the reveal, celebrate it right.

The cover reveal will happen on JANUARY 27th, at Young Adult Books Central, at noon EST.

What I need is people to share it after that — 1pm EST on that day. Bloggers, I need your help. If you’d like to be part of the fun, please fill out this form. It’s a simple Google doc. I will send you the cover and all the information you need no later than the day before the reveal. You’ll just have to copy and paste and publish. Easy. If you do, you’ll be entered into a drawing for a $10 Amazon GC. (there will also be a link to the YABC reveal, because I’m having a giveaway there, too — which you will be eligible to enter as well!)

Thanks!!

Cover Reveal: CHAOS, by Christine O’Neil

Published August 6, 2013 by christinenorris

I’m excited to help out other YA authors, and through Rockstar Book Tours, I am happy to help reveal this cover today! It is AWESOME! WARNING: there is some language in the blurb not suitable for younger (like young, younger) readers.

Today Christine O’Neil and Entangled Teen Ember are revealing the cover for book 1 in The Kardia Chronicles Series, CHAOS. Coming out this August!

On to the reveal!

Chaos-cover-1600px

Blurb:

My name is Maggie Raynard. After sixteen years being just plain me, suddenly I can kill people when I lose my temper. Turns out I’m a semi-god, descended from Aphrodite. Sounds cool in theory, but when I accidentally put my ex-boyfriend in a coma, things go downhill pretty fast.

Now some new guy named Mac Finnegan has made it his mission in life to continually piss me off. I’m stuck learning how to use my new powers while also dealing with regular high school problems, and with this—annoying and super-hot—guy all up in my business, I’m about to flip out.

But it gets worse. I just learned there’s this council for semis that wants me dead. They think I’m bad to the bone and when my ex suddenly dies, it’s like everyone is determined to take me out. Mac might turn out to be my only salvation, but he’s got secrets of his own—that may just kill us both.

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Exclusive Excerpt

I was done with guys.

Not in that fake, I-say-that-but-deep-down-I-really-want-a-boyfriend kind of way, but in, like, the seriously-I’d-rather-eat-maggoty-cheese kind of way. No relationships. Not for me. Not now and maybe not ever. Who I am…what I am, and what I’m capable of? Everyone’s better off this way.

“I have to stop at my locker real quick,” I said, veering to the right and cutting through the crush of kids heading straight like wildebeests to a watering hole. Libby followed and then stood by me as I fiddled with the lock.

“What’s that?” She pointed to a white piece of paper sticking out half an inch from one of the slots in the olive metal door.

I tugged the padlock open and flicked the catch with my thumb. “Dunno.” Maybe Bink had left me another note. Bink was my neighbor, bud, and—most days—my ride home. Last time I’d found a note in my locker, it was when his cell phone died and he needed to bail early. I seriously hoped this wasn’t a repeat performance.

I mentally ran down the list of people I could bug for a ride and came up empty. Libby always had to stay after for some activity or another, and I only really had two other people I could call “friends” and neither lived near me. I wrinkled my nose in anticipation of the dirty-sneakers-meets-day-old-bologna smell of a bus filled with kids who’d had last-period gym and opted not to change clothes. With a sigh, I pulled open the door and the white rectangle floated to the floor.

Libby bent to grab it and read it out loud. “‘Dear Sad and Lonely…'” She trailed off and went quiet for a few seconds until her peachy complexion went hot pink, and then she gasped. “Oh my God. Holy… Oh, Mags, you are so not going to like this.”

I snatched the paper from her, trying to ward off the growing pit in my gut.

 

Dear Sad and Lonely,

Since I can almost guarantee She is about to give you some seriously shite advice like she does every week, let me be the voice of reason. Your boyfriend is just like most high school guys. Cut him some slack and, even better, why not offer to learn how to play some of the games he likes? He’d probably appreciate the effort and might even take you somewhere nice after. If that doesn’t work, sit him down and let him know how you’re feeling so he can tell you what’s going on with him. Could be that constantly calling the things he likes stupid isn’t the best way to get what you want in this situation, yeah? In any case, don’t let the ramblings of some bitter emo chick who’s probably never had a boyfriend ruin your relationship.

Hope it helps,

He

 

The shock was too thick to let the anger in right away, but as stunned as I was, I knew exactly who was behind this. There was only one person in the whole school who would use the word “shite.”

Mac Finnegan.

Opinionated, annoying, hot—did I mention annoying?—Mac Finnegan, who had barely given me the time of day since he’d come to Crestwood High a couple months ago. Mac Finnegan, who thought he was soooo cool with his Irish accent and his mocking smile. Mac Finnegan, who inexplicably made me want to lick him like an ice cream cone and then immediately rinse my mouth out with acid.

How had he discovered my secret? Only Bink and Libby knew I was the girl behind “That’s What She Said,” and I would have bet everything I owned that neither of them would have ratted me out.

Didn’t matter, though. One way or another, he knew. Even worse, he’d chosen to taunt me with it. Bitter emo chick who’s probably never had a boyfriend, indeed. I had a boyfriend once and it hadn’t ended well for either of us. I was in no rush to repeat the experience. Besides, what did this Irish asshat care?

Anger tightened my chest. I could feel the power rising in me, clawing to get out, roaring to be heard. The hair on my arms stood on end as I tried to breathe through it, to let the fury dissipate and flow out of my pores in harmless pings of energy, but it was no use. I pressed a hand to my locker and opened up the tiniest of escape valves, the spout of the teakettle, whistling off a stream of steam. The cheap metal instantly heated against my skin, the door buckling and warping on the spot just beneath my fingertips.

“Uh, Mags—” Libby whispered urgently, but a male voice cut her off.

“How’s it going there, Libby? Maggie.”

I turned around, still trying to catch my breath, and there he was, strolling by, a grin splitting his sinfully beautiful face.

Mac Finnegan, who had decided that being the new kid wasn’t bad enough, so he had to actively go out of his way to make enemies. Mac Finnegan, who wanted to turn my world upside down rather than minding his own business. Mac Finnegan, who didn’t know the meaning of live and let live.

Mac Finnegan, who clearly had no idea who he was fucking with.

 

 

About Christine: entangledheadshot

Christine O’Neil was born and raised in Connecticut, where she spent most of her childhood outdoors catching salamanders, frogs and colds. When she wasn’t terrorizing Mother Nature, she was curled up under the covers with her nose in a book. As an adult, she’s stopped stalking amphibians, but still loves books. When she isn’t reading, she likes to spend her time people-watching. In fact, she’s probably watching you RIGHT NOW O_O She’s also pretty obsessed with writing YA books, but if she had to pick another profession she would be a ninja…or a Professor of the Dark Arts.

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Giveaway!

1 eBook of CHAOS International

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Pitcharama and the Art of (manuscript) Submission

Published July 1, 2013 by christinenorris

     Pitcharama was pretty fun. I enjoyed stalking my entry for 24 hours, following the Twitter hashtag, and rooting for my fellow Team Katie entrants. See, each member of the Aussie Owned and Read blog chose three each from the original entries to ‘sponsor’, I guess, in the contest. The editors came and I got three requests! One from Turquoise Morning Press, one from Escape Publishing (an Aussie imprint of Harlequin, if you can believe it), and one from Curiosity Quills. All small to smaller presses, all with something different to offer. Not that they will. Offer, that is.

These were just requests. And all three asked for something different — one wanted the whole manuscript, one wanted three chapters, one wanted five. Which is how submitting usually goes, everyone has different guidelines and you NEED  to, MUST, follow them. It doesn’t look good if you can’t follow basic directions. Either you look unprofessional, or you look like a jerk who thinks rules don’t apply to them.

So here we are, just waiting now. I also have the other publisher who has the manuscript and is still considering. They asked for more time, actually, because they were ‘intrigued’. It may end up being nothing, but intrigued is good. I like intrigued. Meanwhile, I chew my acrylic nails down to nubs and tell myself how I should be working on the new manuscripts and not checking my email every two minutes.

Ah, the glamorous, glorious life of a writer. You know you want it.

Goodreads Giveaway Finished!

Published July 7, 2012 by christinenorris

Thanks to everyone who entered, and congrats to the two winners! I will be putting your packages together this weekend and getting them in the mail early next week.

For everyone else who put The Sword of Danu on their to-read list, I hope you do.  And watch my blog and FB pages for more giveaways!

A “What you want to know” interview and giveaway!

Published June 29, 2012 by christinenorris

So, I’m thinking you all (all five of you that read this) want to know more about me and my books.  And I want to TELL you, I sure do. But I don’t want to just blather on about stuff you don’t care about.

Just for fun, here’s what we’re going to do. You have a burning question about me or my new book, THE SWORD OF DANU? Post it in the comments on THIS post. I will take those questions and answer them in a video blog!

Oh, and everyone who sends in a question will be entered in a grab-bag giveaway. What the heck is that? Well, I have a bunch of stuff hanging around the house — books, promo items, homemade jewelry– that I will put into a packages. I will randomly select three question-submitters and sent them a prize! It will be a total surprise what you get! Fun, right?

I’m taking questions starting now and ending on Tuesday, July 3.  I will do the video interview a week from now (barring any major complications in my life.)

*I respectfully reserve the right to not answer any question if I don’t feel it’s appropriate. Just tellin’ you now. Make ’em good ones. Oh, and please make sure I can get a hold of you — leave an email or make sure there is some way to identify you once the contest is over.

Feel free to pass this along on FB and Twitter!