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The Winter YA Scavenger Hunt is Here!
Welcome to the winter YA Scavenger Hunt! I’m Victoria Strauss, and I write fantasy and historical fiction for adults and teens. The tri-annual Scavenger Hunt was first organized by author Colleen Houck as a way to give readers a chance to gain access to exclusive bonus material from their favorite authors…and a chance to win some awesome prizes! At this Hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each author, you also get a clue for the Hunt. Add up the clues, and you can enter for our prize–one lucky winner will receive one signed book from each author on the Hunt in my team! But play fast: this contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online for 72 hours. There are TWO contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter either one or both. I’m on the RED TEAM, but there is also a blue…
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PASSION BLUE Virtual Book Tour Stop — Black Friday!
It’s Black Friday! I don’t know about you, but I’m staying away from stores and malls today. On the craziest shopping day of the year, I’d rather hang out with friends and look for bargains online. Today’s stop on the Passion Blue Virtual Book Tour: An author spotlight and giveaway at Writers’ Alley. I’m chatting with S.A. Larsen about writing, publishing, and whether or not a debut author needs a platform. You can also win a signed hardcover of Passion Blue. There are more tour stops coming up through the end of November, with more chances to win. For the full Virtual Tour schedule, click here.
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PASSION BLUE Virtual Book Tour Stop for Friday, Nov. 16
Today’s stop on the Passion Blue Virtual Book Tour: I’m chatting about writing YA, and my research for Passion Blue, at Katie’s Book Blog. Katie is also kindly hosting a giveaway for a signed hardcover and swag. There’s still time to enter my own giveaway for an awesome Passion Blue prize pack. Next tour stop: an interview with Natalie Aguirre at Literary Rambles on Monday. For the full tour schedule (more giveaways to come!) click here.
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PASSION BLUE Virtual Book Tour Stop for Thursday, Nov. 15
Today’s stop on the Passion Blue Virtual Book Tour: a fun interview at Get Lost in a Story, in which I answer questions about writing, reading (and responding to) reviews…and tea. Tomorrow’s tour stop: an interview and giveaway at Katie’s Book Blog. There are many more tour stops coming up this month, with more reviews, interviews, and giveaways! For the full tour schedule, click here. And don’t forget to check out my own giveaway to win a fabulous Passion Blue prize pack.
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PASSION BLUE Virtual Book Tour Stop for Wednesday, Nov. 14
Today’s stop on the Passion Blue Virtual Book Tour: Cindy of Books Complete Me is very kindly hosting my guest blog post about writing historical fiction, writing fantasy fiction, and why I think the skillsets involved are so similar. Fantasy writers create worlds that never were, while historical writers re-create worlds that no longer exist–both are acts of imagination, fueled by research. I think that’s why I’ve always felt so comfortable moving back and forth between the two genres. Cindy will be posting a review of Passion Blue next week. Tomorrow’s tour stop: an interview at Get Lost in a Story. (For the full tour schedule, click here.)
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Summer 2012 YA Scavenger Hunt!
Welcome to the summer YA Scavenger Hunt! I’m Victoria Strauss, and I write fantasy and historical fiction for adults and teens. The tri-annual Scavenger Hunt was first organized by author Colleen Houck as a way to give readers a chance to gain access to exclusive bonus material from their favorite authors…and a chance to win some awesome prizes! At this hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each author, you also get a clue for the hunt. Add up the clues, and you can enter for our prize–one lucky winner will receive one signed book from each author on the hunt in my team! But play fast: this contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online until noon PST on Sunday, August 5th. There are TWO contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter either one or both. I’m on the BLUE TEAM. There’s also a…
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Announcing the Summer YA Scavenger Hunt Authors
I’m thrilled to be participating in this summer’s YA Scavenger Hunt. (If you aren’t familiar with the Hunt, you can find out more here.) The Hunt will take place between August 1 and August 6, so be sure to check back for a chance to win some–or all!–of the fabulous books whose covers appear below…including Passion Blue. This summer the Hunt will have two teams (RED and BLUE) of 27 authors each. I’m on the BLUE team. THE BLUE TEAM HEATHER ANASTASIU JENNIFER L. ARMENTROUT GWENDA BOND TERA LYNN CHILDS ANGELA CORBETT GINA DAMICO ED DEHORATIUS LEIGH FALLON MARLEY GIBSON SHAUNA GRANGER CYNTHIA HAND NANCY HOLDER COLLEEN HOUCK TARA HUDSON DENISE JADEN MIRANDA KENNEALLY SUZANNE LAZEAR JODI MEADOWS ALEXANDRA MONIR E.C. MYERS ERICA O’ROURKE AMY PLUM CARRIE RYAN JESSICA SHIRVINGTON J.A. SOUDERS VICTORIA STRAUSS DEBBIE VIGUIE THE RED TEAM JOSEPHINE ANGELINI LEAH BOBET LISA BURSTEIN KRISTI COOK JULIE CROSS TRACY…
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Review of SHIP BREAKER by Paolo Bacigalupi
Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi My rating: 4 of 5 stars A coming-of-age novel that’s a bit slow to start, but ultimately engrossing. What stands out for me aren’t so much the characters–protagonists Nailer and Nita are complex and believable, but many of the supporting characters are sketchily drawn–or the plot, which has a familiar shape–shipwrecked rich girl rescued by gutter rat, flight from bad people wanting to use rich girl as pawn, a big fight, a hairsbreadth rescue–but the meticulously detailed, multi-layered post-climate change world in which the action takes place. Bacigalupi presents a scenario in which our own “Accelerated Age” and the damage it wrought is just a memory, and a new society has grown up in and around its relics and submerged former metropolitan areas. From the hardscrabble coastal region where Nailer and his crew dismantle the rusted hulks of supertankers for salvage, to the drowned city…
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Review of WHEN THE SEA IS RISING RED by Cat Hellisen
When the Sea is Rising Red by Cat Hellisen My rating: 4 of 5 stars A haunting YA fantasy by a debut author. Seventeen-year-old Felicita, a sheltered aristocrat, flees the rigid traditions and stifling conventions of her caste, taking refuge in the slums and falling in with a rag-tag band of outcasts, grifters, and revolutionaries. Struggling to adjust to her new life, she plunges headlong into a dangerous infatuation, and is swept up in events she doesn’t understand. By the time she realizes the true nature of what she’s become part of, it’s too late to escape. This is a pretty familiar plot line. But Hellisen keeps it fresh with a determined and realistically conflicted heroine, interesting characters, and truly stellar world building. Atmospheric descriptions and lyrical prose bring the seaside city of Pelimburg–populated by humans, selkies and vampires (who aren’t like any other vampires you’ve met), animated by strange…