YA Scavenger Hunt!

The YA Scavenger Hunt is over!  But my giveaway will be active until midnight, Pacific Time, Sunday, April 6th.

Hello, I am Katherine Longshore, hostess of this leg of the hunt!  I love travel, history and chocolate (though not necessarily always in that order) and am the author of three novels of friendship, love and betrayal set in the court of Henry VIII (GILT, TARNISH, and BRAZEN) and the "Downtonesque" MANOR OF SECRETS.  There will be a super-secret, exclusive deleted scene from BRAZEN on another blog stop, so keep searching!

You are currently hunting on Team Gold!

SCAVENGER HUNT RULES

During this hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each author, you also get a clue at each stop. Add up the clues, and you can enter for our prize--one lucky winner will receive one 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!

Directions: Somewhere in this post, I have listed my favorite number (HINT, it is highlighted in GOLD.). Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on the gold team, and then add them up (don't worry, you can use a calculator!). 

Entry Form: Once you've added up all the numbers, make sure you fill out the form here to officially qualify for the grand prize. Only entries that have the correct number will qualify.

Go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page to find out all about the hunt. There are EIGHT contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or all! I am a part of the GOLD TEAM--but every team offers chances to win entirely different sets of books!

Rules: Open internationally, anyone below the age of 18 should have a parent or guardian's permission to enter. To be eligible for the grand prize, you must submit the completed entry form by Sunday, April 5th, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.

But be sure to read all the way to the bottom of the post--I'm hosting an additional giveaway and I'd love it if you enter!

P. J. HOOVER!

Today, I am hosting the fabulous P.J. Hoover for the Scavenger Hunt!

After a fifteen year bout as an electrical engineer, P. J. Hoover started writing books for kids and teens. When not writing, P. J. spends time with her husband and two kids and enjoys practicing kung fu, solving Rubik's cubes, and watching Star Trek. Her middle grade novel, Tut: The Story of My Immortal Life (Starscape/Macmillan, September 2014), tells the story of a young immortal King Tut, who's been stuck in middle school for over 3,000 years and must defeat an ancient enemy with the help of a dorky kid from school, a mysterious Egyptian princess, and a one-eyed cat. Her first novel for teens, Solstice (Tor Teen/Macmillan, June 2013), takes place in a global warming future and explores the parallel world of mythology beside our own. 

Find out more by checking out P.J's website and find out how to buy SOLSTICE here! 

Piper's world is dying. Each day brings hotter temperatures and heat bubbles that threaten to destroy the earth. Amid this global heating crisis, Piper lives under the oppressive rule of her mother, who suffocates her even more than the weather does. Everything changes on her eighteenth birthday, when her mother is called away on a mysterious errand and Piper seizes her first opportunity for freedom.


Piper discovers a universe she never knew existed—a sphere of gods and monsters—and realizes that her world is not the only one in crisis. While gods battle for control of the Underworld, Piper’s life spirals out of control as she struggles to find the answer to the secret that has been kept from her since birth.





Tricia is sharing with us the exclusive opening chapter of a sequel to SOLSTICE, and I, for one, am hooked...

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Tricia's exclusive YASH content is no longer available, but I hope you'll still look her up, and check out SOLSTICE!

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CONTINUE THE HUNT

Continue the hunt and enter the contest for a chance to win a ton of signed books by me, P.J. Hoover, and more!  Add up all the favorite numbers of the authors on the gold team and you'll have the secret code to enter for the grand prize!

To keep going on your quest for the hunt, you need to check out the next author, Alexandra Monir!

And as you go through the hunt, be sure to Tweet #YASH

ADDITIONAL GIVEAWAY!

As you go through the Hunt, you will learn more about my book, BRAZEN (and read a deleted scene from the original manuscript), on Amy McNulty's blog, but I wanted to give all the hunters an exclusive opportunity to win a full set of all FOUR of my books--GILT, TARNISH, BRAZEN and MANOR OF SECRETS. The stories feature love and death, manipulation and romance, loyalty, loss, and most importantly, learning to be yourself.  As an added bonus, the Tudor books are the matching paperbacks printed only in the UK.

Entering is easy--all you have to do is one (or all!) of the things listed in the Rafflecopter below.  But while you're here, the easiest of all is to comment!

I'm always on the lookout for a fabulous new read, so tell me:

What is your favorite YA or coming-of-age novel?  And if you've got the time, tell me why!

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Come Join the YA Scavenger Hunt!

I'm so excited to be participating in this year's YA Scavenger Hunt! This bi-annual event 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 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 will be EIGHT contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or all! I will be joining the GOLD TEAM--but there are seven others, and you can participate in all of them for a chance to win books!

The Hunt will begin at 12 NOON Pacific time on Thursday, April 2nd and ends at noon on April 5th.  I'll be posting exclusive content from BRAZEN on another author's site and giving away special additional prizes right here, so stay tuned!

One Day Giveaway!

Mary Howard has always lived in the shadow of her powerful family. But when she's married off to Henry Fitzroy, King Henry VIII's illegitimate son, she rockets into the Tudor court's inner circle. Mary and "Fitz" join a tight clique of rebels who test the boundaries of court's strict rules with their games, dares, and flirtations. The more Mary gets to know Fitz, the harder she falls for him, but is forbidden from seeing him alone. The rules of court were made to be pushed...but pushing them too far means certain death. Is true love worth dying for?

Want to know more about BRAZEN?  I'm giving everyone who comments on this blog special access to what goes on inside Mary's head and between the covers of the book!

Today, for one day only, if you leave a comment--any number between 3 and 512--I will reply with one sentence from that page of the book!

One comment per person (so choose your number wisely!), and every comment gets TEN entries.  Tweets, Twitter follows and Facebook likes all get one point each.  This giveaway is open internationally, but be aware that the giveaway is scheduled for EST and there may be times during the day that I'll be sleeping or otherwise occupied so there may be a delay in my reply!


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Get Ready for the One Day Giveaway!

This coming Thursday, I'm hosting a one day giveaway right here on the blog!  All day long (until midnight EST), you can leave a number between 3 and 512 in the comments section of Thursday's blog post, and I will reply with a single sentence from that page!

A few facts about BRAZEN:

It's 512 pages long, but some pages are just locations and/or dates.  Choose wisely!

It's about friendship.

It's about love.

It's about following the rules--and defying them.

All the characters in it actually lived, and many of the major events actually happened.

There will be kisses and rejections, arguments, laughter, marriage, divorce, beheadings, betrayals and reconciliations.

It was the hardest book I've ever written.  You'll find out why.

I can't wait to share it with you!

Find out more on my website.

Mary Howard has always lived in the shadow of her powerful family. But when she's married off to Henry Fitzroy, King Henry VIII's illegitimate son, she rockets into the Tudor court's inner circle. Mary and "Fitz" join a tight clique of rebels who test the boundaries of court's strict rules with their games, dares, and flirtations. The more Mary gets to know Fitz, the harder she falls for him, but is forbidden from seeing him alone. The rules of court were made to be pushed...but pushing them too far means certain death. Is true love worth dying for?

News and Events and Giveaways, Oh, My!

This coming Friday, I'm delighted to be visiting Book Passage in Corte Madera to meet with their teen reading group, Must Be 14, to discuss MANOR OF SECRETS.  The event will begin at 6 pm, and I've heard rumors there will be tea and scones!

On Thursday, April 10, I will be doing a special one-day giveaway of an ARC of BRAZEN, just for fun.  All day (until midnight EST), you can leave a page number in the comments of the blog, and I will reply with just one sentence from that page.  Every comment will count toward the drawing!  Looking forward to seeing you there!

And right now, Penguin is offering FIVE galleys of BRAZEN to entrants on Goodreads.  The giveaway ends April 1.

Finally, the most fun I've had so far this year was also the rainiest weekend California has seen in a long time.  I was invited by the Canyon Hills branch of the Anaheim Public Library to give a book talk and was utterly blown away by the welcome I received.  I got to have dinner with some lovely ladies from the Friends of the Orange County Libraries, a personal tour of Founder's Park in Anaheim, and an enthusiastic, inquisitive crowd at the book talk.  I can't thank all of them enough.

Founder's Park Carriage House

The library hosted an Edwardian
hat contest in honor of
MANOR OF SECRETS.

Many, many thanks to Margaret Cargo for extending the invitation, to Cynthia Hicks, the head librarian at Canyon Hills, the Friends of the Library, and all of the people who ventured out on that cold, wet day!

Happy New Year Giveaway!

So how many of you out there are looking forward to 2014?  For me, this past year has gone by in a blur, so it comes as a surprise that we are at the end of it.  And that there is only a month until MANOR OF SECRETS is out in the world. (for information about the launch party, see here.)

To celebrate, I'm giving away not only a signed ARC of MANOR OF SECRETS, but also two books by the amazing authors who read it early and provided blushingly enthusiastic blurbs.  I'm a keen enthusiast of the 1920's, so of course I had gobbled up both Jillian Larkin's VIXEN and Teri Brown's BORN OF ILLUSION when they were published.  I'm delighted to be able to share them with you, too.

From Goodreads:  If you love The Great Gatsby, you'll want to read the Flappers series.
Jazz . . . Booze . . . Boys . . . It’s a dangerous combination.

From Goodreads: From Teri Brown comes a world bursting with magic, with romance, and the temptations of Jazz Age New York—and the story of a girl about to become the mistress of her own destiny.

Most writers I know are nervous about their books going out into the world.  I worry, especially, when I know my book is being read by someone I respect and admire.  Which is why the following blurbs brought tears to my eyes when I read them:

"There's no secret about it: I loved this book! From its glittering start to its breathtaking finish, Charlotte and Janie are intriguing, wonderful protagonists. Downton Abbey, watch out! Adventure awaits!"
   —Jillian Larkin, author of The Flappers series

"Manor of Secrets is a delicious Edwardian novel loaded with exquisite historical detail. Longshore's characters are nuanced, well drawn and enjoyable through and through. A must read!"
   —Teri Brown, author of Born of Illusion

They definitely make me look forward to the new year!

But of course, I'm not just looking forward to my own books coming out next year, I'm looking forward to many, many more, including A MAD, WICKED FOLLY by Sharon Biggs Waller, INTO THE STILL BLUE by Veronica Rossi, THE SOUND OF LETTING GO by Stasia Ward Kehoe, LADY THIEF by A.C. Gaughen...And those are just in the next few weeks!

So leave a comment below, telling me what books you are most looking forward to in 2014, and enter to win! (open to U.S. and Canada only--sorry International folks! Hopefully the next one!)

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Cheers, Britannia! TARNISH and GILT Giveaway!

Today is a very, very special day for me, my friends, because today GILT makes its debut in the UK (and Commonwealth!!).  As you know, I am born and raised a California girl, but fell in love with England and embraced it as my adopted home many years ago.  I lived there for five years, go back as often as I can for research and cultural immersion and spend most of my days with characters from English history as my companions.

So it's a dream come true for my book to be on the shelves of British bookstores.  And thanks to Simon&Schuster UK, it has a gorgeous cover, as well.  I just love that Kitty gets a chance to shine.

I'm celebrating today with all of you, and wanted to share my joy by giving away copies of the UK publication.  One I will send internationally, the other to someone in the US or Canada along with fabulous British treats (Jammie Dodgers, McVities Digestives and Rowntree Fruit Gums--though I couldn't find any Hula Hoops or Walkers Crisps and refrained from including Mushy Peas or Marmite--you either love it or you hate it).

Also, because TARNISH will be published almost simultaneously in the UK and the US, I will be giving away an ARC internationally.

So please, help me celebrate!  Tell me why you love British history.  Help me tell the world how excited I am.  And let me thank you--for reading, for being history geeks and/or Anglophiles, for loving books.


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Books! Books! And More Books!

As you all know, I'm a proud member of the Class of 2k12.  We are a group of debut authors of young adult and middle grade books who came together as a marketing collective and through the course of the year became friends, confidantes, and - I hope - a lifelong support network.  These authors are great people.  And now you all get the chance to find out what great authors they are, too.  There is something for everyone here - middle grade verse, deep dark YA mayhem, faeries, astral projection, history, legend, elephants, war... Need I go on?

The Class is hosting a huge end-of-the-year giveaway on the class blog, and I'm doing my bit by spreading the news and giving you the chance to win here, too!  The giveaway closes on the 12th of December!  I regret to say, it's open to US and Canada only - our coffers can't spread to sending 21 books abroad.

Check out the Rafflecopter to find out which books will be coming your way if you win, and then enter!  You want these books....


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Bonus!  I'm also posting over at the Corsets, Cutlasses and Candlesticks blog today - hop over and find out what a Tudor feast was like - and be thankful you don't have to cook (or eat) one yourself!

Online Launch Party!

Today GILT will be in bookstores.  And on Saturday, the Avid Reader in Davis will be hosting a party for the launch.  But I wanted to be able to celebrate with all the wonderful bloggers and writers and readers I've met online since I started this crazy journey.  So starting today, I'm having a GILT launch party right here on the blog!

Come in, grab a drink and a virtual cupcake and tell me all about your favorite kings and queens of English history!  Visit the YA Muses blog all week to read what my closest writing friends have to say about GILT.  Follow the Tudor Tuesdays blog tour to read about Henry's queens.  Head over to Goodreads for a chance to win one of 15 copies.  And get ready for door prizes.

I have three to give away internationally!

Each prize will include one of three fabulous ARCs of upcoming novels donated by Penguin:

NO SAFETY IN NUMBERS, by Dayna Lorentz
AMELIA ANNE IS DEAD AND GONE by Kat Rosenfield
RIFT, by Andrea Cremer

First prize is a signed copy of GILT, all wrapped up in a limited edition GILT canvas tote (plus an ARC!):

Second prize is a signed copy of GILT, plus an ARC!

Third prize is a GILT swag pack, including a specially-selected Sephora lipstick that I carefully matched to the color on the cover. (PS - It looks great on!) Plus an ARC!

All you have to do is enter below:
Winners will be announced next week!

We Have Winners!

First of all, I want to thank every single one of you for the overwhelming amount of enthusiasm for GILT.  And for all your lovely comments about the website design (I have passed them onto the designer, who was delighted!)

Secondly, and without further ado, these are the winners of the website giveaway:

The winner of the Class of 2k12 swag pack is Dominique from the Book Vault!

The winner of the ARC of REMARKABLE by Lizzie K. Foley (which truly is remarkable -- I loved it!)  is Claire Louise at Claire Reads!

The winner of the ARC of GRAVE MERCY by Robin LaFevers (again, I'm having a hard time giving this one up, but I plan to buy a copy of my own next month) is Vivien!

And the winner of the ARC of GILT is Rebecca at ReadingWishes!

Congratulations, winners!  Please e-mail me with your address at katherine(at)katherinelongshore(dot)com and I will get these in the mail to you as soon as possible!

I Have a Website! (and, as promised, a party!)

My website has a long and checkered history.  I started trying to build one myself more than a year ago and failed miserably.  Give me words any day.  Suggest I jumble some images and fonts together and make them pretty?  Not happening.

But in November, I was lucky enough to be guided to Maddee James and Xuni and she worked with my every thought and need to put together a beautiful, moody, suitably historical but not "historic" design with just the right amount of romance thrown in.  I am forever indebted to her.

So now I want to celebrate!  I recently had a birthday, so I'm still making my way through the world's biggest chocolate cake.  And I'd like to share some of my good fortune with you.

So I'm giving away prizes to four lucky winners!

I have a collection of gorgeous swag from the Class of 2k12 - bookmarks, stickers, buttons, postcards, you name it.

I have an ARC of the middle grade novel REMARKABLE by Lizzie Foley, which debuts next month.  It's absolutely delightful and I hate to give it up. From Goodreads: Not everything in the town of Remarkable is remarkable, even though the terribly interesting and even more terribly talented people won’t admit this to just anyone.


I also have an ARC of the brilliant historical YA novel GRAVE MERCY by Robin LaFevers.  Atmospheric, historically lush and romantic, but with a kick-butt, no-nonsense herione.  From Goodreads: Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny.


And I have one lonely little ARC of GILT that has been waiting for this moment to find a good home.

This giveaway is open internationally, and there are a number of ways to enter.

• Comment below, telling me what you think of the website.
• Follow the blog.
• Follow me on Twitter.
• Go and see my Facebook page -- I would love it if you "Like" it, but officially can't put that in my entry rules.
• Tweet about the website!  For instance: Go and see @KALongshore's new website! She's giving away an ARC of GILT: www.katherinelongshore.com (hint: check the blog).
• And comment on any post on the blog before the deadline!

You can enter as many times as you like.  Contest closes at 11:59 pm EST on Tuesday, March 20th.  I'll name the winners in the blog the next day.

Winner of the BORN WICKED Giveaway!

First, I want to thank you all for participating in the Race.  The Apocalypsies are a pretty amazing group, and it's been so much fun supporting each other and cheering each other on.  And even more fun to see the number of people who are right there with us -- wanting to read all of these amazing books.

Secondly, I want to announce the winner of the BORN WICKED giveaway.  It's hard giving up this ARC, because I love this book, but I know I'll buy a copy anyway!

Chosen from all comments and new followers by random.org: Natalie! (Natalie152 at gmail).  I will be e-mailing you shortly for your address and will get the book in the mail as soon as possible.

Thanks again for coming, everyone!

YAmazing Race with MGnificent Prizes! Leg 3

Hello and welcome to Leg 3 of the YAmazing Race!  This is an online week-long scavenger hunt hosted by the Apocalypsies featuring over 50 debut authors! By running the race, you can learn more about the hottest new books debuting in 2012 - AND earn a chance to win one of several prize packs made up of signed ARCs and finished copies, gift certificates, bookmarks, jewelry, swag, and more!  If you're new to the race, start here, and follow the directions.  I'll see you when you return!  If you're already on the race, congratulations!  This is the last stop on Leg 3 -- your next stop will be the quiz to enter to win prizes!

But first, a little information about my book, which will be in stores May 15.

GILT

In the Tudor age, ambition, power and charismatic allure are essential, and Catherine Howard has plenty of all three.  Not to mention her loyal best friend, Kitty Tylney, to help cover her tracks.  Kitty, the bandoned youngest daughter of minor aristocracy, owes everything to Cat - where she is, what she is, even who she is.  Friend, flirt, and self-proclaimed Queen of Misrule, Cat reigns supreme in a loyal court of girls under the none-to-watchful eye of the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk.


When Cat worms her way into the heart of Henry VIII and becomes Queen of England, Kitty is thrown into the intoxicating Tudor Court.  It's a world of glittering jewels and elegant costumes, of gossip and deception.  As the queen's right-hand-woman, Kitty goes from the girl nobody noticed to being caught between two men - the object of her affection and the object of her desire.


But the atmosphere of the court turns from dazzling to deadly, and Kitty is forced to learn the difference between trust and loyalty, love and lust, secrets and treason.  And to accept the consequences when some lessons are learned too late.


Now, are you ready for that quiz?

But wait!  Before you go, did you all read about BORN WICKED by Jessica Spotswood?  Sounds fabulous, right? (It is, believe me, it is!)  I'm hosting a bonus contest and an ARC of Jess's book is the prize!  Every comment below and every new follower will be entered.  This contest is open internationally and I'll post the winner (chosen by random number generator) on Monday, January 23rd.  Just remember to come back to see who wins.

Ready for that quiz now?  Just click here.

Note to my regular followers:  In order to keep the YAmazing race running smoothly, this will be my only post for the week.  Back to the regular schedule on the 25th!

A Cure for the Monday Blues

How many of you out there get the Monday blues?  Back to work, back to school, back to whatever…Even if you love your job or your classes, getting back to the same old thing can be a bit tiresome.

Since I started writing full-time, I look forward to most Mondays.  I say most because that statement needs a qualifier.  I look forward to having a few moments alone.  I look forward to getting back to the life that happens in my head and in the pages.  Mostly.  There are weeks – when I’m in the throes of writer’s block, or when I have a week ahead that is full of volunteer opportunities that seemed fun when I volunteered…

This week, I definitely have something to look forward to.  My revision letter for Book 2.  I’m a little nervous (amend that – I’m a lot nervous) but also thrilled to find out what my editor thinks.  And as much as it terrifies me, I’m looking forward to digging back in – in part because I was in the throes of writer’s block with Book 3.

There are other things to look forward to today:

You can still enter the GILT giveaway over at the YAMuses blog!

And tonight, at 9 p.m. EST, I will be hosting my first ever Twitter chat – the Apocalypsies will be talking about world-building and we’ll be giving away prizes donated by Veronica Rossi (author of UNDER THE NEVER SKY) and Megan Miranda (author of FRACTURE).  Come by Twitter and check out the hashtag #2012debuts.  You won’t regret it!

How’s that for a cure to the Monday blues?

Gift-Giving and Giveaway

I'm blogging over at the YA Muses today, even though it's Monday, because we are kicking off a week of discussing gifts for writers and I have a special wish on my list.

Drop by yamuses.blogspot.com to find out what it is, and a chance to win an Advance Reading Copy of GILT!