Welcome to In My Mailbox! You can find official information like how to participate, why it was started and other goodies about IMM on the IMM page!

I’ve been battling a fever and body aches for the past several days so there is no video for me this week. Believe me, you don’t want to see me! It’s scary.

But, I still received some fabulous books this week that you should definitely know about!

A Night Like This by Julia Quinn (May 29th 2012 by HarperCollins Publishers)

A historical romance by Julia Quinn! A love story with an Earl? Yes, please! More info at Goodreads | Amazon

Rescue Me by Rachel Gibson (May 29th 2012 by HarperCollins Publishers)

A contemporary romance. I’ve been reading more of these lately. Although paranormal and historical romance are my favorite, contemp is growing on me! This looks to be book three. Does anyone know if you need to read these in order? More info at Goodreads | Amazon

Fang Girl by Helen Keeble (September 11th 2012 by HarperTeen)

This is about 15 year-old Jane. Who as your probably guessed is a vampire. It’s a 2012 debut and it’s described to “combines the humor of Vladimir Tod with Ally Carter’s spot-on teen voice.” Sounds like fun! More info at Goodreads | Amazon

Sweet Shadows by Tera Lynn Childs (September 4th 2012 by Katherine Tegen Books)

This is book two in the Medusa Girls series about sisters who are descendants of Medusa! Greek mythology, yes! More into at Goodreads | Amazon

The Dead Girls Detective Agency by Suzy Cox (September 8th 2012 by HarperTeen)

Yes, they are dead girls that solve mysteries! Just think about all the possibilities that has! Sounds like fun! More info at Goodreads | Amazon

The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson (September 18th 2012 by Greenwillow Books)

Book two in the Fire of Thorns series! A high fantasy series, that I need to read ASAP! More info at Goodreads | Amazon

Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone by Kat Rosenfield (July 5th 2012 by Dutton Juvenile)

Becca discovers the body of a dead girl on the side of the road. Isn’t that enough to intrigue you! “An arresting un-coming-of-age story, from a breathtaking talent.” More info at Goodreads | Amazon

If you want more information about Katie or Pushing the Limits check out Katie’s Website, Twitter, or Facebook!

“I won’t tell anyone, Echo. I promise.” Noah tucked a curl behind my ear. It had been so long since someone touched me like he did. Why did it have to be Noah Hutchins? His dark brown eyes shifted to my covered arms. “You didn’t do that-did you? It was done to you?” No one ever asked that question. They stared. They whispered. They laughed. But they never asked.

“An edgy romance that pulls you in and never lets go. I was hooked!”-Gena Showalter, New York Times bestselling author of the Intertwined series

So wrong for each other…and yet so right.

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with “freaky” scars on her arms. Even Echo can’t remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal. But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo’s world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible. Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she’ll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

Official Contest information:

• to enter please follow the instructions in the rafflecopter form
• entrants must be 13 years of age or have parental permission
• this giveaway is open to US residents only
• the winner will be announced on this page in the rafflecopter form shortly after the conclusion of the giveaway
• the winner will be notified by email and will have 72 hours to reply or a new winner will be chosen
• as to protect your privacy and prevent spam mail, please DO NOT leave your email address in the comments section
• for official giveaway rules and guidelines please consult the contest policy
• for privacy information please consult the privacy policy

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Books:

• Possession
• Surrender

Website | Twitter | Facebook

Forbidden love, intoxicating power, and the terror of control…

Raine has always been a good girl. She lives by the rules in Freedom. After all, they are her father’s rules: He’s the Director. It’s because of him that Raine is willing to use her talent—a power so dangerous, no one else is allowed to know about it. Not even her roommate, Vi.

All of that changes when Raine falls for Gunner. Raine’s got every reason in the world to stay away from Gunn, but she just can’t. Especially when she discovers his connection to Vi’s boyfriend, Zenn. Raine has never known anyone as heavily brainwashed as Vi. Raine’s father expects her to spy on Vi and report back to him. But Raine is beginning to wonder what Vi knows that her father is so anxious to keep hidden, and what might happen if she helps Vi remember it. She’s even starting to suspect Vi’s secrets might involve Freedom’s newest prisoner, the rebel Jag Barque….

Top Ten Reasons to Read SURRENDER

A guest post by Elana Johnson

10. There’s some pretty sweet hoverboard flying.
9. Raine Hightower is the Director’s daughter, and she’ll let you in on all the secrets of
Freedom, the capital of the Association of Directors.
8. Gunner Jameson narrates – a male POV!
7. There’s another reason to hate spiders.
6. Zenn Bower reveals his favorite food.
5. With two narrators, there’s a wider lens on the setting/society.
4. The Insiders show what they’re doing to undermine the government.
3. Violet Schoenfeld may or may not get her memories back…
2. You’ll be able to find out a bit about what happened to Jag Barque…
1. There’s kissing!

<center><a href=”http://elanajohnson.blogspot.com/p/ya-book-blogger-surrender-tour.html”><img border=”0″ src=”http://i674.photobucket.com/albums/vv108/ElanaMJohnson/bookbloggertour.jpg” width=”150”” height=”150″ /></a></center>

Contest Copy for the SURRENDER ARC Giveaway, Week of May 14

So this week, as part of the pre-release tour of awesome, you have the chance to win an ARC of SURRENDER before it releases on June 5. And not just one chance. SEVEN CHANCES.

That’s right! There are SEVEN (7!) ARCs available to win this week. Here’s what you can do to win one.

1. Comment on each of the pre-release blog posts this week. (1 entry for each comment)
2. Purchase the POSSESSION paperback (10 entries – no purchase necessary to enter)
3. Purchase REGRET (5 entries – no purchase necessary to enter)
4. Put the SURRENDER blog tour badge on your blog (3 entries)

Please fill out the Rafflecopter entry widget with what you’ve done. This contest ends at midnight on Friday, May 18, is open in the US and Canada, and winners will be notified over the weekend. Good luck!

Click here for full details and schedule.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Release Date:

Wow! I liked the first novel in this series, Possession. There were things that I really enjoyed and things I didn’t so much. BUT! I loved Surrender! Oh goodness was this book good! I’m not sure if I would call Surrender a sequel or a companion. We are in the same world and Surrender starts soon after Possession ends, but instead of Vi and Jag, we get Raine and Gunner. I guess it’s more of a sequel than a companion when I look at it like that! Either way, you will want to read Possession before you pick up Surrender.

I felt like I knew the world so much better this time. Perhaps that is why I enjoyed this book so much more than the first.

For those of you that loved Vi and Jag, don’t worry they are still very much a part of this story, but the show belongs to Raine and Gunn. And you will love them too. I know that for me, I enjoyed reading about them more so than Vi and Jag. I loved Raine and her strength, her resilience. She knows that the odds are heavy stacked against her, yet she still tried to change that. How could you not respect that! You get an inside look into Raine as the chapters alternate between her point of view and Gunner’s point of view.

All of the characters are very well developed. Even Raine’s father, who I loved to hate. You always know a writer does a wonderful job writing a character when you hate them so much!

This one is so addicting. You keep reading because you want to know what’s going on. And then, just when you think you know what’s going on, something happens that makes you realize you have no idea what was going on! There is a never a dull moment!

And that ending. Elana Johnson sure knows how to kill you with an ending! Ah! I need more!

One word for you: WOW!

Below you will see the case cover, which will be featured under the jacket on the actual hardcover.

And don’t forget to stop by Novel Novice and Mundie Moms to see the cover & the full outer jacket!

THE PROGRAM by Suzanne Young—SimonPulse (Simon & Schuster) April 2^nd, 2013

SLOANE KNOWS BETTER THAN TO CRY IN FRONT OF ANYONE. With suicide now an international epidemic, one outburst could land her in The Program, the only proven course of treatment. Sloane’s parents have already lost one child; Sloane knows they’ll do anything to keep her alive. She also knows that everyone who’s been through The Program returns as a blank slate. Because their depression is gone—but so are their memories.

Under constant surveillance at home and at school, Sloane puts on a brave face and keeps her feelings buried as deep as she can. The only person Sloane can be herself with is James. He’s promised to keep them both safe and out of treatment, and Sloane knows their love is strong enough to withstand anything. But despite the promises they made to each other, it’s getting harder to hide the truth. They are both growing weaker. Depression is setting in.

AND THE PROGRAM IS COMING FOR THEM.

“Heartbreaking and chilling, THE PROGRAM will leave you breathless.” – Kimberly Derting, author of THE BODY FINDER series

“Suspenseful and touching, THE PROGRAM feels frighteningly real.” -Jay Asher, author of THIRTEEN REASONS WHY.

“An alternate reality that’s as gritty and disturbing as any dystopian world, THE PROGRAM is timely and tragic, with a romance that will take your breath away.” -Bethany Griffin, author of MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH

“Anyone searching for a fast-paced read with equal parts romance and action should get with THE PROGRAM.” -Cat Patrick, author of FORGOTTEN

Suzanne Young currently lives in Tempe, Arizona, where she teaches high school English. When not writing obsessively, Suzanne can be found searching her own tragic memories for inspiration. She is the author of several books for teens, including THE PROGRAM, A NEED SO BEAUTIFUL, and A WANT SO WICKED. Learn more at www.suzanne-young.blogspot.com

Books:

• Starters

Website | Twitter | Facebook

Callie lost her parents when the Spore Wars wiped out everyone between the ages of twenty and sixty. She and her little brother, Tyler, go on the run, living as squatters with their friend Michael and fighting off renegades who would kill them for a cookie. Callie’s only hope is Prime Destinations, a disturbing place in Beverly Hills run by a mysterious figure known as the Old Man.

He hires teens to rent their bodies to Enders—seniors who want to be young again. Callie, desperate for the money that will keep her, Tyler, and Michael alive, agrees to be a donor. But the neurochip they place in Callie’s head malfunctions and she wakes up in the life of her renter, living in her mansion, driving her cars, and going out with a senator’s grandson. It feels almost like a fairy tale, until Callie discovers that her renter intends to do more than party—and that Prime Destinations’ plans are more evil than Callie could ever have imagined. . . .

Describe Starters in three words.

“Can’t put down.” (I polled fans for this)

Was Starters the original title? If you had to retitle Starters, what would it be?

I had always called it THE BODY BANK. But my agent felt it was too adult and also that it suggested dead bodies, which I didn’t want to do. So we were brainstorming titles when my foreign agent said they were making mockups to take to a big European book fair. They needed titles for both the first and second book in this two-book series. So I had to come up quickly with not just one but two titles. I sort of blurted out STARTERS and ENDERS.

My agent assured me these were just place holders. Well, the foreign buyers loved the concept and the titles, so the titles stuck. Now, I can’t imagine anything else and would never go back.

What in your opinion makes Starters unique?

Readers tell me they like the concept. I think it’s the combination of being able to rent a body in a world where only the young and old have survived, along with the surprise twists.

Tell us about your writing process (I read that you sat on the idea of Starters for a while.)

Yes. I had the world in place and in the back of my mind. I wanted to tell the story of a girl who survives against all odds and I put the two together. It was important to me that she be relatable, but able to summon up the courage to do defeat someone as formidable and creepy as The Old Man. I also knew that a love story would be the underpinning of it, because she needed that in her life after desperately trying to hold what was left of her family after losing her parents. She includes Michael in her tribe, but then is swept off her feet by another guy. I didn’t make it easy on poor Callie, I never do with my characters. This gives you some insight into my process.

What has been the best fan reaction to your book?

I’ve been thrilled to find an amazing crossover of boys, male adults, even Enders, as well as teen girls, young adult women and up. But this letter really touched me and I got permission to reprint:

I am a 14 year old girl who usually does not enjoy reading. I went to the local bookstore to try and find a book that I would like and picked out your book “STARTERS.”

I have no words to describe how much i loved your book. i bought the book on a Friday and finished it in two days. I was not able to put down the book, and cannot stop thinking about it. I’ve already recommended it to all my friends and they are all going to read the amazing book. I cannot stop thinking about it day after day and don’t know how i will wait until December to buy your book. I know i am going to have sleepless nights thinking about it and coming up with conclusions about what i think is going to happen. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for having such a creative mind. Hope very much that i will hear from you soon!

your number one fan,
Aliza W.

You are having a dinner party with your closest friends and colleagues. What do you serve and what does your tablescape look like?

I love doing theme dinners when I have the time (not now). My favorite one was when I wrote a dinner game/play. Everyone got their instructions ahead which included the character they were to play – a journalist, a collector, a singer, a scientist etc. so they came dressed and acting in character the whole time. It helped that several of them were actors, but some of the best players were not. They were coming for an “auction” of a long-lost book of magic.

The table was decorated with weird artifacts and we had Indian food delivered. When they gathered for the auction after dinner, they played their parts perfectly and when the lights went out, the book was stolen. One character got the magic and the ability to turn the others into zombies. Someone else had the ability to turn them back. It involved special lights, something out of a spray can. It was hilarious.

Official Contest information:

• to enter please follow the guidelines in the rafflecopter form
• entrants must be 13 years of age or have parental permission
• this giveaway is open to Everyone
• the winner will be announced on this page in the rafflecopter form shortly after the conclusion of the giveaway
• the winner will be notified by email and will have 72 hours to reply or a new winner will be chosen
• as to protect your privacy and prevent spam mail, please DO NOT leave your email address in the comments section
• for official giveaway rules and guidelines please consult the contest policy
• for privacy information please consult the privacy policy

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Release Date:

I love books about mythological beings and mermaids, er mermen, are one of my favorites! Something I’d yet to encounter with this type of story was one told from a boys perspective, and with The Vicious Deep we get that perspective!

The story starts off with a whirlwind! Almost literally! Tristan is lifeguarding and get’s caught up in a massive storm while trying to rescue a drowning swimmer. Three days later with no recollection of what happened, Tristan washes up on the beach. And something just isn’t right.

One thing leads to another and we discover that Tristan is no ordinary human. He’s a merman. And not just any merman. He’s a part of the royal family and the Sea King wants a word with him!

I loved Cordova’s take on the mermaid lore. It was brilliant how she contrasted the somewhat darker world below the sea with the whimsical and entertaining Coney Island. I don’t know why I feel in love with the setting like I did, but it just worked so well!

Tristan is a boys, boy. He is too hot for his good, he is charismatic and athletic. He can be the biggest a-hole one second and then have you feeling sorry for him the next! But you want to root for him. You want to see him become Sea King and at the same time you want him to be with Layla. Speaking of Layla. I wanted so much more of her! And this relationship with Tristan! What is going on with those two! It is driving me crazy!

This book is fun. Don’t let the darker tone of the title sway you. You will be laughing out loud at points! There are a few serious and dangerous moments, don’t get me wrong it’s not all fun and games. But it’s mostly just a fun ride! You get the front row seat on an epic adventure with Tristan and his friends. You’ll get off and want to get right back on!

I was so not ready for this book to end. WHY DID IT HAVE TO END!?! There is so much more that can happen! And I can’t wait to see what does!

If you are looking for a read that is fast paced, fun and just a little bit different. You need The Vicious Deep!