BADASS AUTHOR, ERIC DEVINE

Eric Devine is the author of multiple works of Young Adult fiction, most recently, Press Play. His work has been listed by YALSA and Booklist for reluctant readers and for Best in Sports. He is also a veteran high school English teacher and is married to his high school sweetheart. He and his wife have two wonderful daughters and two not-so-wonderful Labradors. 

Now, let's get to know this badass.

What is your favorite word?

Ubiquitous 

What is your least favorite word?

Mandatory

What sound or noise do you love?

The first few raindrops before a downpour. I love the anticipation you can hear after they fall. 

What sound or noise do you hate?  

The crackling of motorcycles.

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? 
Construction, because it’s the antithesis of my skill set.

What profession would you not like to do?

Anything in an office with meetings and pulse-checking boredom attached.

What is your favorite color Popsicle?

Sky Blue. Reminds me of Little League baseball.

Sprinklers or Slip N Slide? 
Slip n Slide, but only if it’s enormous, and down a hill, and I’m covered in baby oil. Right, I did that once. Good times.  

Favorite John Hughes Movie?

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. That ending. So good. 

Last song you listened to?

Taylor Swift’s “Style”. Don’t judge; it’s hypnotic while driving.

What book do you wish you would have written because it’s just that good?

So many, but either, I’ll Give You the Sun or Grasshopper Jungle

In one sentence or less, what does every aspiring author need to know? 
This is a marathon, not a sprint.

Told ya. Straight-up BADASS!

Okay, so let's check out the books Eric's giving away in the GRITTY BOYS OF SUMMER prize pack: 

Click here for a full list of prize packs

TAP OUT: Seventeen-year-old Tony Antioch lives in Pleasant Meadows, a trailer park where questions aren't asked since everyone already knows the answers from their own experience. He dreams of rescuing his mother from her constant stream of abusive boyfriends but in reality can barely duck the punches that are aimed at himself.
When Tony is coerced into joining his friend Rob's Mixed Martial Arts class, he is surprised to find that he has a talent that he actually wants to develop. But with a meth-dealing biker gang that is hungry for recruits and a vicious cycle of poverty and violence that precedes him, Tony is going to need a lot more than blood and guts to find a way out.

DARE ME: When Ben Candido and his friends, Ricky and John, decide to post a YouTube video of themselves surfing on top of a car, they finally feel like the somebodies they are meant to be instead of the social nobodies that they are. Overnight, the video becomes the talk of the school, and the boys are sure that their self-appointed senior year of dares will live in infamy. Every dare brings an increased risk of bodily harm, but Ben cannot deny the thrill and sense of swagger that come with it. The stakes become even more complex when a mysterious donor bankrolls their dares in exchange for a cut in the online revenue the videos generate. But at what point do the risk and the reward come at too high of a price? What does it take to stay true to one’s self in the face of relentless pressure?

PRESS PLAY: Pound by sweaty pound, Greg Dunsmore’s plan is working. Greg is steadily losing weight while gaining the material he needs to make the documentary that will get him into film school and away from the constant jeers of “Dun the Tun.”

But when Greg captures footage of brutal and bloody hazing by his town’s championship-winning lacrosse team, he knows he has evidence that could damage as much as it could save. And if the harm is to himself and his future, is revealing the truth worth the cost?

You can stalk Eric on his website, Twitter and Facebook, and make sure to add his books to your Goodreads list.

Now, ENTER THE GIVEAWAY! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Many thanks to James Lipton for letting me steal sharing his awesome interview questions*  

BADASS AUTHOR, JENNIFER SALVATO DOKTORSKI

Jennifer Salvato Doktorski is the author of two other YA novels, How My Summer Went Up in Flames and Famous Last Words (A Bank Street College Best Children’s Book for 2014). She lives with her family in New Jersey and spends her summers “down the shore,” where she dreams of taking surfing lessons and observes sea life while keeping her toes in the sand.

Now, let's get to know this badass a little better. 

What is your favorite word? 
Schnickelbottoms.

My kid made it up in the hopes that’ll be the next big catchphrase.
 

What is your least favorite word?

Meh. 
 

What sound or noise do you love?   

Kids laughing.
 

What sound or noise do you hate?    

A leaf blower on a Saturday morning.
 

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?  

Marine biologist/mammalogist.
Presidential speechwriter. Dog groomer.  
 

What profession would you not like to do?

Astronaut.
 

What is your favorite color Popsicle?

Green.
 

Sprinklers or Slip N Slide?

Sprinkler. 

Favorite John Hughes Movie?

Sixteen Candles.

 

Last song you listened to?

Believe, Mumford & Sons.

 

What book do you wish you would have written because it’s just that good?
The Sky is Everywhere, by Jandy Nelson.

 

In one sentence or less, what does every aspiring author need to know?

Believe in yourself, write what’s in your heart, and never give up.

See...she's a badass!

Now, some details on the book that's up for grabs in the SAND IN MY TOES prize pack.

Click here for a full list of prize packs

For Lucy, the Jersey Shore isn't just the perfect summer escape, it's home. As a local girl, she knows not to get attached to the tourists. They breeze in during Memorial Day weekend, crowding her costal town and stealing moonlit kisses, only to pack up their beach umbrellas and empty promises on Labor Day. Still, she can't help but crush on charming Connor Malloy. His family spends every summer next door, and she longs for their friendship to turn into something deeper.

Then Superstorm Sandy sweeps up the coast, bringing Lucy and Connor together for a few intense hours. Except nothing is the same in the wake of the storm, and Lucy is left to pick up the pieces of her broken heart and her broken home. Time may heal all wounds, but with Memorial Day approaching and Connor returning, Lucy's summer is sure to be filled with fireworks.

Do yourself a favor and stalk this girl via her website, twitter or Facebook. And be sure to add her books to your Goodreads list.

Now, ENTER THE CONTEST! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
*Many thanks to James Lipton for letting me steal sharing his awesome interview questions*

BADASS AUTHOR, LINDSAY CUMMINGS

Lindsay Cummings is the 23-year-old author of THE MURDER COMPLEX duology and BALANCE KEEPERS trilogy at HarperCollins. She lives in Celina, TX, with her Grumpy Husband Josh, a German Shepherd, a German Shephusky, a real Wolf Cub, a draft horse named Dan the Man, a hedgehog named Hedwig, a cat named Crookshanks, and 5 silly, egg-laying chickens. She's still trying to convice her husband to let her get a teacup pig and name it Pigwidgeon. She is convinced her Hogwarts letter was just lost in the mail.

Here's a look at THE MURDER COMPLEX, 

which is included in the THE USUAL SUSPECTS prize pack

Click here for a full list of prize packs

Meadow Woodson, a fifteen-year-old girl who has been trained by her father to fight, to kill, and to survive in any situation, lives with her family on a houseboat in Florida. The state is controlled by The Murder Complex, an organization that tracks the population with precision. The plot starts to thicken when Meadow meets Zephyr James, who is—although he doesn't know it—one of the MC's programmed assassins. Is their meeting a coincidence? Destiny? Or part of a terrifying strategy? And will Zephyr keep Meadow from discovering the haunting truth about her family?


Lindsay loves to stay connected with her readers, so be sure to check out her website, and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and be sure to add her books to your Goodreads list.

And now...ENTER THE GIVEAWAY!

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Many thanks to James Lipton for letting me steal sharing his awesome interview questions*     

BADASS AUTHOR, STEPHANIE DIAZ

Twenty-two-year-old Stephanie Diaz wrote her first novel, Extraction, while studying film at San Diego State University. She has since written the next two books in the series: Rebellion, released in February, and Evolution, which hits shelves September 8, 2015. When she isn't lost in books, she can be found singing, marveling at the night sky, or fan-girling over TV shows.

Now, time to get acquainted with this badass.

What is your favorite word?
Iridescent

What is your least favorite word?
Prick

What sound or noise do you love?
Rain
  
What sound or noise do you hate?
Construction work noise
  
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
Acting 
  
What profession would you not like to do?
Law

What is your favorite color Popsicle?
Red

Sprinklers or Slip N Slide? 
Slip N Slide

Favorite John Hughes Movie? 
The Breakfast Club.

Last song you listened to? 
Welcome to New York by Taylor Swift.

What book do you wish you would have written because it’s just that good? 
The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh.

In one sentence or less, what does every aspiring-author need to know?
Writing books won’t get easier, so always choose a project you adore.

Only 22 and already a BADASS!

Now, here's a peek at EXTRACTION that's included in the MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU prize pack:

Click here for a full list of prize packs

Clementine has spent her whole life preparing for her sixteenth birthday, when she’ll be tested for Extraction in the hopes of being sent from the planet Kiel’s toxic Surface to the much safer Core, where people live without fear or starvation. When she proves promising enough to be “Extracted,” she must leave without Logan, the boy she loves. Torn apart from her only sense of family, Clem promises to come back and save him from brutal Surface life. 

What she finds initially in the Core is a utopia compared to the Surface—it’s free of hard labor, gun-wielding officials, and the moon's lethal acid. But life is anything but safe, and Clementine learns that the planet's leaders are planning to exterminate Surface dwellers, which means Logan, too.

Trapped by the steel walls of the underground and the lies that keep her safe, Clementine must find a way to escape and rescue Logan and the rest of the planet. But the planet leaders don't want her running—they want her subdued.

With intense action scenes and a cast of unforgettable characters, Extraction is a page-turning, gripping read, sure to entertain lovers of Hunger Games and Ender's Game, and leave them breathless for more.

Do yourself a favor and stalk Stephanie on her website, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or Tumblr, and be sure to add her books to your Goodreads list.

Now, ENTER THE CONTEST!

a Rafflecopter giveaway  

*Many thanks to James Lipton for letting me steal sharing his awesome interview questions* 

BADASS AUTHOR, JEN McCONNEL

A Michigander by birth, Jen McConnel now makes her home in the beautiful state of North Carolina. She writes NA, including the recently released Adventures Abroad series (Bloomsbury Spark), the award winning YA novel Beautiful Curse, and various other works. When she isn’t writing, she can be found on her yoga mat or wandering off on another adventure. Once upon a time, she was a middle school teacher, a librarian, and a bookseller, but those are stories for another time.


Now, let's get to know this badass a little better.

What is your favorite word?
Loquacious. 

What is your least favorite word?
Should.

What sound or noise do you love?
Wind chimes.
  
What sound or noise do you hate?
Styrofoam rubbing together.
  
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
I used to want to be an Egyptologist (thanks, Indiana Jones!)
  
What profession would you not like to do?
Driving (racing, trucks, taxis, etc). I like to drive, but I’d hate to do it for a living!

What is your favorite color Popsicle?
Green!

Sprinklers or Slip N Slide?
Sprinklers!

Favorite John Hughes Movie?
Breakfast Club all the way.

Last song you listened to?
Something off the Taylor Swift 1989 album…I ❤ it!

What book do you wish you would have written because it’s just that good?
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor, or American Gods by Neil Gaiman.

In one sentence or less, what does every aspiring-author need to know?
Drop the aspiring and write.

STRAIGHT UP, BADASS!!

Now, check out DAUGHTER OF CHAOS which is included in the SPIRITS, SPELLS and SWOONS, OH MY! prize pack:

Click here to see a full list of prize packs

ABOUT THE RED MAGIC SERIES:

There comes a time in every witch's life when she must choose her path. Darlena's friends have already chosen, so why is it so hard for her to make up her mind? Now, Darlena is out of time. Under pressure from Hecate, the queen of all witches, Darlena makes a rash decision to choose Red magic, a path no witch in her right mind would dare take. As a Red witch, she will be responsible for chaos and mayhem, drawing her deep into darkness. Will the power of Red magic prove too much for Darlena, or will she learn to control it before it's too late?

Beware the witch who wields Red magic…and remember that the gods of chaos cannot be trusted.

Jen loves connecting with her readers, so stalk her on Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, her blog or website, and be sure to add her books to your Goodreads list. 

Now, ENTER THE GIVEAWAY!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway  

*Many thanks to James Lipton for letting me steal sharing his awesome interview questions*