Blog Tour & Signing Event: Proxy by Alex London (with Excerpt & Giveaway!)

Today we are so thrilled to be a part of Proxy Blog Tour hosted by the ladies over at Pinoy Book Tours. Check out this excerpt for the first few paragraphs of Proxy and continue along with the tour to read the entire first chapter! For Philippine residents, you can also enter the giveaway for a SIGNED copy below.

Even a perfect machine wasn't built to go this fast.

Knox knew it, but still he pressed harder on the accelerator. Ripples of heat blurred the air around the car, and the girl in the passenger seat squealed.

Terror? Delight? Did it matter?

He took a turn too sharply, felt the stabilizer engine straining. His windshield lit up with warnings: lane markers flashing red, speed indicators blinking. Sweat beaded on his upper lip, but the car held the road.

“R U glitched?” popped up in his datastream in translucent green letters. He could see through them to the pavement, but they were impossible to ignore.

He glanced at the girl, giggling to cover her nerves.

They curved up the speedway, slicing like heat lightning over the slums of the Lower City, past the blast-barriers and security fences, rising higher and higher. There were parts of the Mountain City you just didn't go if you were lux, parts you didn’t even see. The city below them blurred. The city beside them gleamed. Knox accelerated.

“srsly?!” blinked double-sized in front of Knox, each letter wiggling and changing colors. The font was chunky; the y swished like a cat’s tail. Very retro. Probably custom made for her by some trendy for-hire coder. Her hands waved in the air in front of the windshield, swiping out another text.“ :) ” she added.

Suddenly, her smiley face vanished.

Head over to The Lifelong Bookworm to continue on with the chapter and follow the tour here!

Proxy

by Alex London

Publisher: Philomel

Release Date: June 18th 2013

Knox was born into one of the City’s wealthiest families. A Patron, he has everything a boy could possibly want—the latest tech, the coolest clothes, and a Proxy to take all his punishments. When Knox breaks a vase, Syd is beaten. When Knox plays a practical joke, Syd is forced to haul rocks. And when Knox crashes a car, killing one of his friends, Syd is branded and sentenced to death.

Syd is a Proxy. His life is not his own.

Then again, neither is Knox’s. Knox and Syd have more in common than either would guess. So when Knox and Syd realize that the only way to beat the system is to save each other, they flee. Yet Knox’s father is no ordinary Patron, and Syd is no ordinary Proxy. The ensuing cross-country chase will uncover a secret society of rebels, test both boys’ resolve, and shine a blinding light onto a world of those who owe and those who pay. Some debts, it turns out, cannot be repaid.

  

About the Author 

Alex London writes books for adults (One Day The Soldiers Came: Voices of Children in War), children (Dog Tags series; An Accidental Adventure series) and teens (Proxy). At one time a journalist reporting from conflict zones and refugee camps, he is now a full time novelist living in Brooklyn, NY, where he can be found wandering the streets talking to his dog, who is the real brains of the operation.

Follow him on these sites
   

Prize: A SIGNED copy of Proxy by Alex London
Open to Philippine residents only
a Rafflecopter giveaway

We're sure a lot of YA dystopian readers here in the Philippines are excited for this upcoming event. But just in case some of you have been missing out on NBS' awesome announcements of bookish events, Alex London is coming to visit his fans in Manila on August 30! Catch him next weekend and get your books signed at National Book Store, SM Aura at 2 p.m. For more information about this signing event, here are some Frequently Asked Questions from National Book Store's official Facebook page.

When and where is the book signing? 
August 30, 2:00 p.m., at National Book Store, SM Aura 

When will the registration be? 
Registration opens at 10:00 a.m. on August 30 at National Book Store, SM Aura. Each guest will be asked to fill out the registration form upon arrival. First come, first served. 

Is there a registration fee? 
No. There is no registration fee. 

How many books can I have signed? Is there a limit as to how many people can have their books signed? 
You may have any number of books signed as long as they were purchased from National Book Store, Bestsellers or Powerbooks, and we do not have any preset limit as to the number of people. 

However, although we will take every effort to get as many books signed as possible, depending on the number of attendees, we reserve the right to limit the number of copies per person or limit the number of people in line. First come, first served. 

Can I bring old books or other editions of the books? 
Yes, as long as the books were purchased from National Book Store, Bestsellers and Powerbooks. 

Do I need to buy on-site? 
No. You can buy books before or during the event. 

Can I have other items signed? 
No. Only books will be allowed to be signed by the authors. 

Can we have our photo taken with the author? 
Yes, you can have your photo with the author when she signs your book. However, we strictly allow one photo per person only. 

How much are the books? 
Proxy (Trade Paperback – P419) 
Proxy (Hardcover – P729) 
Guardian (Hardcover – P755) 

RSVP HERE

Blog Tour: Somewhere Only We Know by Cheyanne Young + Giveaway

Hi everyone! Today we'll be featuring Cheyanne Young's YA romance book Somewhere Only We Know (wait is that a song?hmm...) Below is the excerpt and a giveaway for a chance to win a signed copy of the book! How awesome is that right? And what makes this day more awesome? I finally got my copy of Opposition *happy dance* WOHOO! Will post a pic on my IG account later :) Thanks for stopping by guys!

Swag Pack by Gretchen McNeil  ||  Playlist&Giveaway: A Little Something Different

Somewhere Only We Know

Author: Cheyanne Young

Publisher: 336 Love

Date of Publication: June 15, 2014

Genre: YA romance

Sadie Bradford’s life is one anxiety attack after another. All she wants is to escape life's realities for the summer and hang out with her best friend Aaron. But her grandmother has other plans: Sadie will get a job. Sadie will do volunteer work. Sadie will make new friends - friends without brain injuries that make them forget everything...friends that aren’t Aaron.

While Sadie struggles to survive her anxiety with all these new changes, she finds an escape when she dreams herself into the beautiful world of Isola Fiona. It’s a place that cures memory loss and anxiety. It’s a place where she and Aaron can fall in love. 

But after dragging Aaron along with her to her dream world, things take a turn. Every time they return home, Sadie’s anxiety is a little better but Aaron’s memory is still gone. And Isola Fiona may not be much of a dream after all. As Sadie realizes that Isola Fiona is as real as her anxiety, she rushes to change the course of fate and make things right, but she may be too late...

My brain tingles with the static of an oncoming anxiety attack. Where the hell is he?

“Sadie, Sadie, Bo-badie!” It’s Aaron’s dad, waving at me with a spatula in one hand. And, wow, he’s had a few beers.

“Hi John,” I say, breaking away from Grandma who’s already hugging and sharing pointless chit chat with Aaron’s aunt Shelly. “Where’s Aaron?”

He flourishes his hand in one direction and then the other. “I don’t know darling. He’s somewhere.”

The cousins in the pool laugh at this, and I realize all three of them are staring at me. And laughing. And probably just waiting for me to turn around so they can say things about my scraggly hair or my bony elbows or how I’m totally blushing now because I’m standing all alone desperate for Aaron. I could strangle Grandma for making me come.

Since everyone is gathered around the pool, I take refuge in an old plastic chair by an overgrown palm tree next to the house. It’s far enough away that I can’t hear anyone’s specific conversations, just the rumble of their laughter as it fills the night air. I play solitaire on my cell phone to look busy and count the minutes since I’ve been here. Three.

Where is he?

The chair next to me creaks, catching me off guard and sending a shiver of panic through my chest as I look up expecting to see Aaron. But it isn’t him, it’s his aunt. I swallow the lump in my throat and stare out at the pool.

“Looking for Aaron?” she asks. I nod. A warm breeze blows the scent of her hairspray in my direction. By the looks of her silver and blonde hair beehive on top of her head, she probably used an entire can.

 “He’s in the house,” she says. I can feel her eyes watching me as I pretend to care about watching the sun setting in the distance, its golden rays bouncing off the tree branches and pool water. “When he saw you coming he said he had to change clothes.”

“Oh, okay,” I say, probably sounding as relieved as I felt. He should be here any second.

“Seems odd that a boy who is just friends with a girl would run off and make himself look nice when she comes over.” She’s still staring at me and I’m still totally feigning interest in the sunset. “You know his condition. Don’t you?”

“Yes, I know he has a small memory problem.”

“Small?” She snorts. “Aaron’s brain was severely damaged from high fever when he was two years old. He suffers from a lot more than a small memory problem. His mind doesn’t understand certain things.”

“Okay,” I say. I check my phone for the time. It’s been two more minutes. Come on, Aaron. Jeans and a shirt. Doesn’t take that long.

“I hope you aren’t filling his head with things.” Her voice couldn’t possibly get any more condescending as she reaches out and touches my arm. “Or taking advantage of him and his disorder.”

I can’t help but look at her now. “What do you mean?” My gentle smile masks my annoyance. It’s the kind of smile that says I’m as innocent as Mother Teresa.

“He doesn’t understand about sex.” Her eyes wiggle as she says the dreaded S-word. “That’s what I mean.”

Oh god. My stomach hurts and it’s not just from the chemical smell of hair products. I don’t want to talk about this. I don’t want to talk about anything. But I really don’t want to talk about this.

“You are his only friend, so it would be easy for you to take advantage of him and I just hope that you aren’t doing that.”

“No,” I say, my voice barely a whisper as I recite the line I’ve said so many times over the years. “We are just friends.”

“I know you’re friends. I also know you’re influencing him in many ways and I don’t think that’s a very smart thing to do.”

“Okay?” My fingernails dig into my palms. I briefly wonder if she’d just disappear if I quit responding and making eye contact.

“John said you and Aaron talked about him taking vocational classes for his senior year. He doesn’t need to bother with that because he can apply for disability when he’s eighteen.”

“I had nothing to do with that,” I say. “Aaron signed up for welding class all by himself. He doesn’t want to go on disability. He wants to work.”

“Well he won’t be working. No one will hire him.” Her hand pats my arm again. Her lips stay locked in a tight smile even when I flinch at her touch. “Tell me, darling, that you won’t fill his head with ideas like that. I need to hear you say it.”

“We don’t talk about stuff like that,” I lie.

“And you don’t talk about sex either? You don’t let him think you’re his girlfriend?”

“God, no. No, just, no.” Can’t the woman tell by the deep red in my cheeks that I don’t talk to him about stuff like that? What is wrong with her? And where the hell is Aaron?

She nods, her lips pursed together disapprovingly. I want to drown in the pool. What a bitch. There’s another pill in my pocket, left over from the last time I wore these shorts. If only I had something to drink, I could take it. My heart thumps in my chest, pounding hard inside my rib cage just begging me to grab a drink from the cooler and swallow it down, but it hasn’t been more than fifteen minutes since I took the last one. They are meant to be taken once, maybe twice a day.

But I want it, so bad.

Purchase link

    

Trailer

About the Author 

Cheyanne is a native Texan with a fear of cold weather and a coffee addiction that probably needs an intervention. She loves books, sarcasm, nail polish and paid holidays. She lives near the beach with her family, one spoiled rotten puppy and a cat who is most likely plotting to take over the world.

She also writes under the pen name Amy Sparling.

Follow her on these sites

  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Playlist & Giveaway: A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall

How is everyone's day?! We hope you're beating the Monday blues and the week has been starting off well for all of you. Anyway, we're back after a few days break (I, Dea, survived the most stressful first week back to school, Mary Ann is doing well with her thesis, and Riz has been doing a great job at school. Thank you for asking) by welcoming another August debut author! All three of us are HUGE contemporary readers and music lovers, so we're excited to have Sandy Hall, author of A Little Something Different, to share the songs which influence ALSD the most. 

            

Bleecker & 6th is the ultimate Gabe & Lea song. It’s about a man and a woman who live in the same neighborhood and bump into each other here and there. And then in the end they find themselves sitting on the same bench one afternoon and that’s the start of their relationship. There’s a part that says “and this story does not have a twist.” I always liked that because Gabe and Lea don’t have a twist. They just happen.

If all the POV characters sat together in the same room, and tried to select a song to best represent them as a collective, it would be Brave. Because every time they see Gabe and Lea attempting to interact they think “You could be amazing if you would just talk to each other. BE BRAVE!” (Victor and Hillary might disagree but the rest of the group would ignore them.) I always imagine this song playing over the opening montage of this story if it were made into a movie. Lea coming down the street from one direction, and Gabe moseying from another direction, bumping into each other at the entrance to Starbucks. It just really fits in thematically.

I have an image in my head of Gabe hearing this song right around the time he thinks that Lea is dating some other guy. And he listens to the lyrics and they just really speak to him in that moment. He feels sort of embarrassed about just how much they remind him of his situation, because he’s Gabe and everything embarrasses him, but he also finds a lot of comfort there. And he tries to convince himself to move on. Of course, that doesn’t work.

After the fight at the party, Lea would have gone back to her dorm and listened to this song over and over again until Maribel forced her to go out and get food somewhere besides the dining hall. Maribel would think that Lea was cheered up, but when they get back to their room Lea would put the song on repeat again until Maribel yelled at her to put on some headphones.

This song represents where Gabe and Lea are at the end of the story. There’s just reckless abandon within the lyrics of this song and that’s how happy Gabe and Lea are by the time things work out for them. They’re jumping all over the place and racing to the moon and just really happy. It’s the best day of their lives.

A Little Something Different
by Sandy Hall

Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: Swoon Reads

Release Date: August 26th 2014

Blurb:

The creative writing teacher, the delivery guy, the local Starbucks baristas, his best friend, her roommate, and the squirrel in the park all have one thing in common—they believe that Gabe and Lea should get together. Lea and Gabe are in the same creative writing class. They get the same pop culture references, order the same Chinese food, and hang out in the same places. Unfortunately, Lea is reserved, Gabe has issues, and despite their initial mutual crush, it looks like they are never going to work things out.  But somehow even when nothing is going on, somethingis happening between them, and everyone can see it. Their creative writing teacher pushes them together. The baristas at Starbucks watch their relationship like a TV show. Their bus driver tells his wife about them. The waitress at the diner automatically seats them together. Even the squirrel who lives on the college green believes in their relationship. 

Surely Gabe and Lea will figure out that they are meant to be together....

You can purchase A Little Something Different at the following Retailers:

    

  

  

About the Author 

Sandy Hall is a teen librarian from New Jersey where she was born and raised. She has a BA in Communication and a Master of Library and Information Science from Rutgers University. When she isn't writing, or teen librarian-ing, she enjoys reading, slot machines, marathoning TV shows, and long scrolls through Tumblr.　A LITTLE SOMETHING DIFFERENT is her first novel.

Follow her on these sites

  

Have you listened to any of the songs featured in A Little Something Different's playlist? Are any of you excited to read ALSD? Tell us what you think of the book and playlist, and don't forget to enter the fabulous giveaway sponsored by Sandy herself below!

One winner will win a SIGNED ARC of A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall
Open to US/Can
Must be at least 13 years old to enter
Ends 9/1

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal: Between Now and Goodbye by Hannah Harvey

Hi, everyone! Today we will reveal the cover for Hannah Harvey's newest book, Between Now and Goodbye. So check out the cover reveal below and make sure to leave a comment letting us know what you think!

Between Now and Goodbye

Author: Hannah Harvey

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary

Release Date: September 22nd 2014

Three friends. One eventful summer.

Libby finally has the settled life she's always wanted, and never before had. She has a happy family, two best friends Julie and Charles, and loves her home.

This summer will be the best of her life. A summer spent learning in a culinary camp in New York, but when something happens at home and she's forced to return, how will her summer turn out?

Charles had big dreams for his future, college, medical school, and spending as much time as possible with his girlfriend Julie. This summer will change all of that. His mom's sick, his dad's gone and he's left trying to hold his family together. On top of that, Julie's pulling away from him. Will he be able to fix things before they fall apart?

Julie is bored. She's bored of her private school. Bored of always doing the same thing. Bored of having plans cancelled by her boyfriend who's always busy. She's bored and she wants a change. When she attempts to liven things up with some of her school friends, she ends up making a mistake. How will that mistake end up shaping her summer?

Follow Libby, Charles and Julie as they fight their way through an emotional summer, as they learn that sometimes theirs no escaping goodbyes, but that they aren't always bad things.

   

Hannah is a young adult fiction author from the UK. She lives at home with her parents, brother and sister, and spends a lot of her time reading and writing.

She also runs two blogs, one focussed on all things bookish, and the other dedicated to other things she loves.

Follow her on these sites