Tag: book giveaway

Giveaway: The Starboard Sea

4 Comments

It’s time for another giveaway! This one is to celebrate the beginning of a new year. (Or, 18 days into a new year, but details.) I was sent a brand new copy of The Starboard Sea by Amber Dermont, and since I’ve already read it, I’d love to give it away.

A powerful first novel about life and death, friendship and love, as one young man must navigate the depths of his emotions.

Jason Prosper grew up in the elite world of Manhattan penthouses, Maine summer estates, old-boy prep schools, and exclusive sailing clubs. A smart, athletic teenager, Jason maintains a healthy, humorous disdain for the trappings of affluence, preferring to spend afternoons sailing with Cal, his best friend and boarding-school roommate. When Cal commits suicide during their junior year at Kensington Prep, Jason is devastated by the loss and transfers to Bellingham Academy. There, he meets Aidan, a fellow student with her own troubled past. They embark on a tender, awkward, deeply emotional relationship.

When a major hurricane hits the New England coast, the destruction it causes brings with it another upheaval in Jason’s life, forcing him to make sense of a terrible secret that has been buried by the boys he considers his friends.

Set against the backdrop of the 1987 stock market collapse, The Starboard Sea is an examination of the abuses of class privilege, the mutability of sexual desire, the thrill and risk of competitive sailing, and the adult cost of teenage recklessness. It is a powerful and provocative novel about a young man finding his moral center, trying to forgive himself, and accepting the gift of love.

It was a notable book of The New York Times Book Review, and most importantly, I quite enjoyed it. So read it and let me know what you think.

TO ENTER: Comment below by Thursday, January 24th, letting me know where you were in 1987 (I’m totally okay if the answer is “wasn’t born yet!”) I was in NY, accepting the fact that I was officially an older sister. This relationship was not perfect at first, as my mom had to give birth to a boy instead of a girl, but eventually I learned to accept and – shhh – like my little brother. (Who is, WOW, now 25. Weird.)

Book 2 and Giveaway 2

8 Comments

If you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen that yesterday I finished writing Book 2. To say I’m excited is an understatement.

Here’s a visualization of what happened after I finished typing the last line:

There were also tears and high fives and whatnot.

I’m really excited because, unlike TNWSY, I did not write this manuscript in a month. It took a bit longer, and I was really worried that it would be a million times harder, scarier. I finished one book, what if I wouldn’t be able to finish another?

But the thing is, I needed to write it. It was never a choice. I needed, wanted, loved to do it.

So, yes, it’s done. It’s a first draft, so it’s clearly a mess. I changed an ethnicity of a character halfway through. Two minor characters have the same name. One part actually says “WRITE ABOVE CHAPTER BETTER BECAUSE, COME ON, THAT WASN’T GOOD.” There are also hundreds of grammatical errors, probably, and many cliche moments. So, a lot of editing will be needed. But writing, getting out, the first draft is always the hardest part for me. The hardest part is now done!

TO CELEBRATE…I’m hosting another giveaway! As you may recall, I like buying books from my library to give away on this blog. This way I’m supporting my library while celebrating my readers.

This time I’m giving away The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney! Daisy is a beautiful writer, and all around lovely person. I’m thrilled to be giving away her debut book. (The sequel, The Rivals, came out earlier this year, so if interested, pick it up!)

A bit about the book:

Themis Academy is a quiet boarding school with an exceptional student body that the administration trusts to always behave the honorable way–the Themis Way. So when Alex is date raped during her junior year, she has two options: stay silent and hope someone helps her, or enlist the Mockingbirds–a secret society of students dedicated to righting the wrongs of their fellow peers.

In this honest, page-turning account of a teen girl’s struggle to stand up for herself, debut author Daisy Whitney reminds readers that if you love something or someone–especially yourself–you fight for it.

It really is as great as it sounds. Here’s the copy up for grabs:

It’s the original hardback cover. With the exception of a few bent pages, it’s practically as good as new.

TO ENTER! As you know, I like to refer to my manuscripts my their initials. Book 2 finally has a title and it’s abbreviation is: TSWB. To win, guess what the title is! The best, craziest, funniest, favorite answer (as judged by my husband, not me) will win. The deadline is Friday, May 18th at midnight.

Okay? Okay. Good luck!