Beautiful Creatures Giveaway!

It’s that time again, folks! I’m giving away a copy of Beautiful Creatures by Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia. For contestants living out of the country, enter to win an Amazon gift card for the amount of the book. Just in case you haven’t heard about the awesomeness that is Beautiful Creatures, here’s the synopsis from Barnes and Noble:

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

To enter, you just have to leave a comment and be following my blog. I’ll announce the winner on Saturday, December 26. Stay tuned for the next giveaway, a copy of Bree Despain’s The Dark Divine (today is the release day, btw). Good luck!

Official Kiss Day Blog!

Since I'm revising this right now, just wanted to post a quick Charlotte and Wyatt scene from Submerge. You can find more smooching awesomeness by checking out Sherrinda's blog.



"You're lying," he murmured, rubbing his thumb across my lips. He gazed down at the faint smudge of gloss that marred his fingertip and grinned. I stiffened when his palms stroked my cheeks. Shivered as his fingers found my temples and threaded through my hair.

I took a tremulous, pointless breath—a stupid decision because the scent of his cologne flowed up my nostrils—and I squeezed my eyes shut. "What?" I wasn’t too sure the voice speaking to him was mine. It was breathless, pleading.

Wyatt's mouth was warm and soft and hard all at the same time. He pinned me against the wall by my desk, and my hands grasped the wooden edge, knocking a stack of books to the floor. His hands, the same ones I‘d dreamt about, rubbed the skin beneath my tank top.

I should have been disgusted when he inhaled the fabric. Should have pushed him away.
But as he leaned forward and breathed me in, I forgot to breathe.

I finally opened my mouth to protest. To tell him I didn't want him. That I didn't need this. He crushed his mouth against mine again, and his fingers crept behind me, digging into my lower back.

"You squint when you lie, Charlotte."

I despised him for assuming he knew so much about me.

And the Winner Is . . .

Using Research Randomizer , I've selected a winner for the copy of Hush, Hush . Congratulations to J.S. Wood; please email me at stephanie(dot)jenkins(at)gmail(dot)com with your mailing address.

If you didn't win, there'll be another chance for you to snag books this month, including a copy of Hush, Hush in the grand package of 4 books. Thanks to all who entered and look for the Beautiful Creatures contest in the next two days!

Happy Agent Appreciation Day!

Thanks to the mega-talented Kody Keplinger, author of The Duff, today is the first Agent Appreciation Day. I’m newly agented, but I just so happen to have a super agent that I’m incredibly thankful for. I’m represented by Hannah Gordon at Foundry Literary + Media (you can read my official blog post below about signing with her).

Three reasons why my agent rocks:

1. Hannah believes in my book and in me. She totally gets my characters and my vision for my book(s) which is so important to me.

2. She responds super fast. If I email her, she replies the same day, typically within a few hours. I never have to worry about whether or not she’s received my messages because she always sends a confirmation email. Awesome, right?

3. Hannah is enthusiastic and that makes me excited about the upcoming submission process.

Gracias to Hannah and Happy Agent Appreciation Day!

Contest Closed!

The winner of the contest, a copy of Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick, will be announced on Friday morning. Look for my blog entry announcing the next contest, a copy of Beautiful Creatures, this weekend!

Thanks for all the entries, guys!

3-D Movies Rock My Socks

This weekend I saw a movie in 3-D. Sure, I’ve gone to the theater too many times to count, but this was seriously my first (and hopefully not my last) 3-D film experience. My husband and I took the kids to see A Christmas Carol, and to be honest, I was just as giddy as the kidlettes about the movie. I’ll even admit to jumping at the scary parts when the kids didn’t. Every time I gasped, Emily tilted her head to the side and gave me a funny look. Aside from the creepy scenes and having to hold Emily’s 3-D glasses up the entire time because her head was too small, I thought the movie was fantastic. I was a big fan of the book as a kid and it was exciting to see a film adaptation.

The Princess and the Frog will be in theaters this weekend, so we have plans to take the kids Friday night. And there’s still the matter of New Moon. My husband thinks that I’ve forgotten about asking him to go with me. Right.

I've been tagged by Kristin Miller (she posts yummy recipes on her blog that make me gain weight each time I visit) for a list of things that I'm thankful and the wonderful Karen has recommended me for the Honest Scrap Award so stay tuned for new blog posts!

Book Giveaways (Slightly Better Than a Hula Hoop)

For the month of December, I plan to read at least four new books. All books are urban fantasies by debut authors. After I read each novel, I’ll host a giveaway of that particular book or give an Amazon gift card for its value if you are out of country. At the end of the month, I will also hold a grand prize contest for the complete set that I read. So, um yeah, that’s a lot of books. My first contest is for a copy of Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick (it rocked, by the way). Here's the description from Simon and Schuster:

Romance was not part of Nora Grey's plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how hard her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch comes along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Patch draws Nora to him against her better judgment.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is and seems to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For she is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those who have fallen -- and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost Nora her life.

Post a comment below to enter. If you blog about the contest, you’ll get an additional entry. Tweet about it? Another chance to win. Simply post a link to your blog and/or Twitter with your entry. The contest for Hush, Hush ends on Wednesday, December 9, 2009 at noon. Stay tuned for the next book giveaway as I’m currently reading Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.

Good luck!
Stephanie