Contests Archives - Lindsey R. Loucks

Ringing in the New Year (Probably Illegally) and a #Giveaway For #Authors!

January 2, 2016January 1, 2016 by Lindsey Loucks, posted in Contests, Critique, Critiquing, First 500 Words, The Grave Winner, The Trinity Bleeds, What Gifts She Carried

Hello there, 2016! Aren’t you looking all sexy and new! I have to say 2015 was kind of a blah year for me. Other than a few high points, it was pretty sleep-inducing. Sleep is a super special thing, but all year? Come on!

I rang in the new year with book research. I won’t tell you what I was researching because I’ll probably get arrested.

So! New year’s resolutions… the only one I have is to blog more, which is why I’m here today with two pieces of newses, one for each hand!

Number one newses is that the last book of The Grave Winner trilogy releases in seven days!!!

Preorder Here!

Book 1 Is Here!

Book 2 Is Here!

Heidi from Momma Says Read called The Trinity Bleeds, “quite possibly the best YA horror book I’ve read.” – Goodreads.

Wow! Thank you, Heidi!

Number two newses is that I would like to start paying it forward to all you authors out there. The writing community has always been so supportive to me and tons of other authors.

So, every month, I would like to give away a free critique of an author’s first 500 words here on the old blog. The first 500 words can be anything from your Nano project to a research paper to a cereal box that you created for whatever reason…anything! Seriously, folks. I. Read. Everything.

I just have three rules (yeah, yeah, I know):

Your first 500 words have to be PG-13. The rest can be robot dinosaur smut.
If you win, you only have 48 hours to email me your first 500 words. Or else I’ll choose a new winner!
You should be comfortable with receiving a critique. Because we’re writers, peeps!

Why should you want to win this critique from yours truly? Well, I hate to brag, but…

I’m super close to finishing my sixth novel.
I’ve been critiquing other authors’ works for eight years, some of whom are now New York Times bestselling authors.
I worked as an intern for a well-respected publishing company for one year.
I’m represented by the uber-amazing Rossano Trentin of TZLA Literary and Film Agency.

So, yeah. That’s me.

My critiquing style looks like a hamburger: the top and bottom is filled with the good, and in the middle is the juicy part where I offer constructive criticism. And now I want a hamburger.

Interested? Hit the Rafflecopter below (but don’t actually hit it)! Also, happy new year!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ch-Ch-Changes: They’re Not Always a Bad Thing

August 8, 2013August 8, 2013 by Lindsey Loucks, posted in Ch-Ch-Changes, Contests, Giveaway, MFRW, The Grave Winner

Hurray! It’s time for MFRW’s YA blog hop, and I’m so excited to be participating! The theme for this hop is change, something that no one in the history of the planet can avoid. But change isn’t always a bad thing.

Take my main character, Leigh from The Grave Winner, for example (please don’t actually take her, though!) – one of the many changes she endures in this story is that her best friend’s brother suddenly takes an interest in her. She eventually realizes that this interest isn’t all that sudden, but her perception of him has changed now that she knows. She sees him for what he is – a hot jock who would do just about anything for her.

Of course, not all the changes that happen to Leigh are cute. She has just lost her mom, and as you can imagine, this leaves Leigh devastated. Her family now has to cope with the huge hole in their lives, and Leigh feels like she has to fill that hole with something. No, I can’t tell you what that something is. I can tell you, though, that it leads to very, very bad things…

Excerpts of all the YA authors’ books can be found here: YA_Hop_Excerpt_Book

Would you like a free e-book copy of The Grave Winner? Just leave a comment about how well you handle change or what the biggest change in your life has been so far and your email address! I’ll pick one random winner!

Summary:

Leigh Baxton is terrified her mom will come back from the dead — just like the prom queen did.

While the town goes beehive over the news, Leigh bikes to the local cemetery and buries some of her mom’s things in her grave to keep her there. When the hot and mysterious caretaker warns her not to give gifts to the dead, Leigh cranks up her punk music and keeps digging.

She should have listened.

Two dead sorceresses evicted the prom queen from her grave to bury someone who offered certain gifts. Bury them alive, that is, then resurrect them to create a trio of undead powerful enough to free the darkest sorceress ever from her prison inside the earth.

With help from the caretaker and the dead prom queen, Leigh must find out what’s so special about the gifts she gave, and why the sorceresses are stalking her and her little sister. If she doesn’t, she’ll either lose another loved one or have to give the ultimate gift to the dead – herself.

Summer, Mermaids, and 13 Questions With @OkatieO

May 20, 2013May 19, 2013 by Lindsey Loucks, posted in Contests, Crescent Moon Press, Katie O'Sullivan, Son of a Mermaid, Summer

It’s almost summer time!!! What better way to celebrate the final week of school (at least for me) than with a fun interview with author Katie O’Sullivan? There is no better way, so let’s go!

Me: The zombie apocalypse is here. You’re going to fight them off with the first thing you see on your left. What is it?

Katie: Umm, that would be the Girl Scout patches my daughter earned for selling cookies. (She helpfully stuck them on my desk so I could sew them for her.) I’m not sure how that would help with zombies though… guess I’m a goner.

Me: HA! Well, maybe the zombies will be so impressed with your daughter’s accomplishments that they’ll leave you alone! Did you learn anything today? If so, what?

Katie: That I need to be better prepared for the zombie apocalypse!

Me: LOL! How do you like your vampires: not at all, sparkly, wearing a cape, or drinking blood from bottles?

Katie: Blood from bottles, definitely. (Erik is pretty yummy in the books and on HBO both!)

Me: *sighs* Oh, Erik. Can I please be your Sookie Stackhouse? Where did the idea for Son of a Mermaid come from?

Katie: My middle child and I were walking the dogs on the beach one day and we found a strange beach stone with a hole cut through the center. We started making up a story about the mermaid who lost it and what she was doing so close to shore… and it sort of took off from there.

Me: That is so cool! What’s something about yourself that really annoys you?

Katie: My packrat tendencies. I’d like to blame it all on my husband, but I think I’m guilty too. I wish I could just let go of stuff!

Me: I can relate. Sometimes I think I’m nearing an episode of Hoarders with my packrat habits. Other than your release day, what is something you’re really looking forward to?

Katie: The City of Bones movie theater release. But I have to wait all summer!!

Me: I read the book, but I felt kind of “meh” about it. Anyway, what’s the name of the book you’re reading?

Katie: The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green.

Me: I need to read that one! So many books…so many books… What scares you?

Katie: Cows & Cows & Cows. And spiders.

Me: THAT WAS THE WEIRDEST THING I’VE EVER SEEN! Ditto on the spiders. Pop or soda or soda pop or Coke?

Katie: Soda. But I don’t drink it anyway.

Me: That’s a healthy way to be. Why do you write?

Katie: It’s fun to create different worlds and characters and see the stories in my head come to life!

Me: What’s the last song you listened to on purpose?

Katie: Iris, by the Goo Goo Dolls. And my son’s Black Keys CD.

Me: What is your favorite salty treat?

Katie: Cape Cod brand potato chips.

Me: What makes you laugh?

Katie: My kids. And stupid jokes, like those involving grammar humor. Or elephant jokes.

Awesome. Here’s a bit more about Katie and her book Son of a Mermaid:

SON OF A MERMAID, by Katie O’Sullivan

Published May 2013 by Crescent Moon Press

YA fantasy romance

Book Blurb:

Shea MacNamara’s life just got complicated.

After a freak tornado devastates his Oklahoma farm, the fifteen-year-old orphan moves to Cape Cod to live with a grandmother he’s never met. Struggling to make sense of his new surroundings, he meets a girl along the shore who changes his life forever.

Kae belongs to an undersea world hidden from drylanders. The daughter of royal servants, she knows the planned marriage of her Princess to the foreign King should put an end to the war between the clans. Two things stand in the way of lasting peace: an ambitious Regent and rumors of a half-human child who will save the oceans.

Sparks fly when she meets Shea, but could the cute drylander really be the Son of a Mermaid?

About the Author:

Katie O’Sullivan lives with her family and big dogs next to the ocean on Cape Cod, drinking way too much coffee and inventing new excuses not to dust. She writes YA and romantic suspense novels, and works as an editor making other people’s words sparkle. For the last four years, she’s been the Editor of CapeWomenOnline.com magazine and writes a column entitled “The Write Way.”

She hopes her debut YA novel, SON OF A MERMAID, will make a big splash this summer, engaging young readers with a Cape Cod tale of a boy who discovers both his roots and his destiny far below the waters of Nantucket Sound.

Find Katie online:

Follow her Blog – http://katieosullivan.blogspot.com

Like her on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/AuthorKatieOSullivan

Find her on Twitter – https://twitter.com/OkatieO

Check out her website at http://www.katie-osullivan.com

Add Son of a Mermaid on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17184560-son-of-a-mermaid

Doesn’t that book cover just make you want to jump right in? Aww, summer!

Katie is also giving away some prizes to celebrate her release, including this gorgeous necklace!

Want! To enter the contest, just enter your info into the Rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Oh, wait! I almost forgot that I’m over at Katie’s blog today for an interview! You should totally go check it out. 🙂

Happy Book Birthday to #Taste by @KateEvangelista

April 30, 2013April 29, 2013 by Lindsey Loucks, posted in Book Birthday, Contests, Crescent Moon Press, Giveaway, Kate Evangelista, Liliana Sanches, Taste

My Crescent Moon Press sister, Kate Evangelista, is celebrating a book birthday for her YA novel Taste. One year ago today, it was released into the world!

To celebrate her book birthday, she’s throwing a major party with a giveaway! The giveaway is for readers to take a picture of the most interesting place where they read Taste, whether paperback or ereader. The most interesting pictures win. Winners will be announced on May 11.

First prize is an Amazon Gift Card for $30, $20 for second, and $10 for third. For more information, visit her blog!

Here’s more about Taste:

At Barinkoff Academy, there’s only one rule: no students on campus after curfew. Phoenix McKay soon finds out why when she is left behind at sunset. A group calling themselves night students threaten to taste her flesh until she is saved by a mysterious, alluring boy. With his pale skin, dark eyes, and mesmerizing voice, Demitri is both irresistible and impenetrable. He warns her to stay away from his dangerous world of flesh eaters. Unfortunately, the gorgeous and playful Luka has other plans.

When Phoenix is caught between her physical and her emotional attraction, she becomes the keeper of a deadly secret that will rock the foundations of an ancient civilization living beneath Barinkoff Academy. Phoenix doesn’t realize until it is too late that the closer she gets to both Demitri and Luka the more she is plunging them all into a centuries old feud.

Author Bio:

When Kate Evangelista was told she had a knack for writing stories, she did the next best thing: entered medical school. After realizing she wasn’t going to be the next Doogie Howser, M.D., Kate wandered into the Literature department of her university and never looked back. Today, she is in possession of a piece of paper that says to the world she owns a Literature degree. To make matters worse, she took Master’s courses in creative writing. In the end, she realized to be a writer, none of what she had mattered. What really mattered? Writing. Plain and simple, honest to God, sitting in front of her computer, writing. Today, she has four completed Young Adult novels.

Author Website: www.kateevangelista.com

Twitter: @KateEvangelista

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kate-Evangelista/165693410143202

Find Taste on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13484226-taste

Crescent Moon Press page for Taste: http://crescentmoonpress.com/books/Taste.html

Purchase Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Taste-ebook/dp/B007Z1AC78

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/taste-kate-evangelista/1110599907?ean=9781937254551

Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Taste/book-Q8M5pIKoJkKLo_FgBJ_BOQ/page1.html?s=vUVZkfrXZUeDOQXRE7MhuA&r=4

The Book Depository: http://www.bookdepository.com/Taste-Kate-Evangelista/9781937254551

Oh, and here’s a juicy bit of information: The same amazing cover artist designed Kate’s Taste and my The Grave Winner! Liliana Sanches rocks!

18 Things With @jamiemayres

February 18, 2013February 17, 2013 by Lindsey Loucks, posted in 18 Things, Contests, Giveaway, Jamie Ayres

I recently had the privilege of interviewing YA author Jamie Ayres. Because her recent release is called 18 Things, I thought it would be fun to ask her 18 questions. I cracked myself up with some of the questions I thought up, but Jamie’s answers are even more hilarious!

Read on and be on the lookout for an e-book giveaway!

1. What’s your favorite planet? I’m originally from Dagobah, so that’s still my favorite.

2. What do fish think about? Please don’t eat me, please don’t eat me, please don’t eat me!!!

3. What’s your favorite drink? COFFEE!!! Right now I’m hooked on Coconut Mocha Donut Shop with Bailey’s Cheesecake Creamer (hubs got me the Keurig Machine for Christmas, so I’ve nominated him for “Husband of the Year”)

4. Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, or ICK! CHOCOLATE?! WHAT? Okay, if anyone says ICK, they need to get their head examined! Um, yesss to all kinds of chocolate for sure!!!

5. Did you learn anything today? If so, what? As a teacher, I’m always learning something new! My third graders are very good at relaying random bits of information to me throughout the day. Examples from JUST today: “Mrs. Ayres, did you know there’s about 35,000 different kinds of fish in the ocean?” and “Mrs. Ayres, did you know that the main job of a flower is to make more flowers? Isn’t that funny?” and “Mrs. Ayres, did you know that the Megladon is the biggest prehistoric shark that EVER lived?”

6. Would you consider yourself a settler or a pioneer? Pioneer—but I will say my spirit of adventure doesn’t come naturally. I have to constantly push myself out of my way!

7. What’s the last song you listened to on purpose? Listening to Imagine Dragons song, Radioactive, right now on YouTube.

8. What’s the scariest thing you’ve ever done? Publish my first baby book, 18 Things

9. Here’s a free plane ticket! Where would you like to go? Uganda to take my 12yo daughter there to meet our sponsored child. They’ve been pen pals since we ‘adopted’ her 5 years ago and they want to meet sooo very much!

10. What’s something about yourself that really annoys you? Nothing, I’m perfect;-) HA! I could be a bit more patient *husband coughs next to me on the couch* Okay, okay . . . A LOT more patience would be awesome!

11. Are you an introvert or extrovert? Probably painfully obvious to everyone in a room with me that I’m an extrovert!

12. You just walked in the door after a long day. What do you do first? Kiss my husband and change into my pj’s, which aren’t sexy *blue cotton shorts and an old shirt that says “Night Owl”*

13. Would you rather be able to read everyone’s mind all the time or always know their future? Read their minds so I can help push them toward the future they desire!

14. Why do you write? I’m afraid the white van will come for me . . . the voices in my head just won’t shut the hell up unless I do.

15. What’s the title of your book? 18 Things

16. What is your book about? A young girl struggles to live again after a lightning strike kills the best friend she was secretly in love with. Her therapist suggests she write a life list of eighteen things to complete the year of her eighteenth birthday, sending her and her friends, including the new hottie in town, on an unexpected journey they’ll never forget. As she crosses each item off her list, she must risk her own heart, but if she fails, she risks losing herself and her true soul-mate forever.

17. Where can we buy your book?

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

18. Where else can we find you on the web?

If those answers don’t make you want to be BFFs with Jamie, then you’re just silly.

Because Jamie is made of awesome, she’s giving away an e-copy (Kindle or Nook) of 18 Things. All you have to do is leave a comment, and she’ll pick a winner using Random.org. Good luck!

What’s Love Got To Do With It? Everything!

February 17, 2013February 16, 2013 by Lindsey Loucks, posted in Characters, Contests, Crescent Moon Press, Firefly, Foo Fighters, Giveaway, Librarians, Life, Lynn Rush, Music, Reading, Writing

Love’s got everything to do with everything in my life. I love books so much I became a librarian so I can build forts out of them on my desk and pop out from behind them whenever anyone comes into the library. (If that doesn’t wake the students up, nothing will).

Chocolate and the Foo Fighters and Firefly all put a smile on my face because I love them/it so much.

So, yeah, love is huge in my life. But why do I feel the need to write about it in most of my stories? I’ll answer that question with another story. Don’t worry – it’s short.

Lightning struck my heart when I first got to know my BF eighteen years ago. No, not literally, but it sure felt like it. Every time I thought about him, which was all the time, my cheeks heated, a smile would dance across my lips, and I’d lose my appetite. Oh, yeah. I was falling for him. Big time.

Fast forward to now. The lightning that struck me has fueled a raging fire, and me and the BF are still ridiculously in love. We leave love notes for each other. We call each other cute nicknames. We walk each other to the door before work for one last kiss goodbye. It’s almost sickening how cute it is, isn’t it?

But that’s why I write about love. I want to capture that feeling for my characters because that feeling will stay with them forever, even if that particular love doesn’t last. Plus, as a reader, I enjoy reading about characters who find first love or long-lost love or love in the strangest place. I feel what they feel all over again.

Now, because I love all of you, here’s a gigantic contest! The winner gets a $250 e-giftcard to Amazon or Barnes & Noble, your choice. The contest is international and ends February 19th, so hurry! Enter the Rafflecopter below to win and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you want to hop around to other Crescent Moon Press authors’ sites to see what they think love’s got to do with it, you can start here.

The Forever Girl Character Tour

January 23, 2013January 23, 2013 by Lindsey Loucks, posted in Characters, Contests, Giveaway, Rebecca Hamilton, The Forever Girl

Welcome to The Forever Girl Character Tour! I’m helping to celebrate The Forever Girl’s one year anniversary—that means it’s been one year since The Forever Girl was released! Copies are still available at the same low price of $2.99 for ebook and $10.95 for print. But fear not, this tour is not without some really cool prizes for you to win, whether you already own a copy of The Forever Girl or never plan to read it. Each stop on the tour will feature one of the main characters from the book, and you can easily enter to win some of their favorite things! For a full list of stops on this tour, visit the author’s blog at www.beccahamiltonbooks.com.

MEET IVORY

Ivory is one of Sophia’s best friends, but as much as she loves Sophia, she often puts her own desires first, even if that means putting Sophia in danger. Can their friendship survive Ivory’s selfishness? How will Ivory’s heartbreak and lost loved one affect the special bond she has with her best friend? Will Ivory’s feelings about Charles stand between him and Sophia’s future together?

Here’s the top five fast “fun facts” about Ivory.

1) Favorite Color: Black.

2) Favorite Drink: None of your business.

3) What she’s afraid of: Losing Sophia.

4) Likes: Sophia. Club Flesh.

5) Dislikes: Men. Anyone who tries to tell her what to do.

Today’s character giveaway features some of Ivory’s favorite things: NARS Red Lip Gloss, SMASHBOX Eye Shadow Kit, and Red Magnetic Effect Nail Polish.

If you want to snag Ivory’s favorite items for yourself (or as a gift for a friend or loved one!) simply enter the Rafflecopter giveaway below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for stopping by! If you want to connect with Rebecca, she can be found on Twitter, Facebook, and her Blog as well.

Learn more about Rebecca’s books and where to purchase them HERE.

BLURB

“Whatever you do, fight.”
Sophia’s family has skeletons, but they aren’t in their graves.
At twenty-two, practicing Wiccan Sophia Parsons is scratching out a living waiting tables in her Rocky Mountain hometown, a pariah after a string of unsolved murders with only one thing in common: her.

Sophia can imagine lots of ways to improve her life, but she’d settle for just getting rid of the buzzing noise in her head. When the spell she casts goes wrong, the static turns into voices. Her personal demons get company, and the newcomers are dangerous.
One of them is a man named Charles, who Sophia falls for despite her better judgment. He has connections that might help her unveil the mystery surrounding her ancestor’s hanging, but she gets more than she bargains for when she finally decides to trust him.
Survival in his world, she learns, means not asking questions and staying out of the immortal council’s way. It’s a line she crossed long ago. If Sophia wants to survive the council and save the people she loves, she must accept who she is, perform dark magic, and fight to the death for her freedom.
The Forever Girl is a full-length Paranormal Fantasy novel that will appeal to lovers of paranormal romance, urban fantasy, witches, vampire fiction, ghost stories, paranormal mystery, and paranormal horror.

First Page Critique Contest

February 18, 2012 by Lindsey Loucks, posted in Contests, The Grave Winner

Jamie Ayres is hosting a first page critique contest to celebrate Heather Birch’s debut novel Halflings. Participants are to post their first 250 words on their blogs, then hop around to everyone else’s to read their entries. Jamie will randomly draw five names to receive a critique from Heather. Does that make sense? After a 17 hour work day, that’s the best I can do. Anyway, here’s my first page from my YA dark fantasy titled The Grave Winner:

Dad, Darby, and I stood rooted in place long after Mom’s funeral. The weight in my chest threatened to suffocate me if I looked at the lid of her gleaming casket any longer. Instead, I focused on the black birds cutting across the sky in a sharp V formation. They pressed on until the clouds took them from me.

A different flutter in the corner of my eye pulled me back to earth. The movement took a few seconds to penetrate my numb brain. It was a girl. She crept in and out of the crumbling headstones, her body thick with mud and grime. Torn scraps of what looked like a prom dress hung from her scrawny frame. Her mouth sagged open like she was about to scream.

A shudder raced across my shoulder blades. I shook my head, afraid I might be dreaming. Darby stood next to me, and I reached out to touch her. She was real. Her ache was real. I felt it in the quiver of her bony body. But beyond her and the heaviness pinching my lungs, I couldn’t be sure of anything.

Inky black footprints tracked behind the dangling hem of the girl’s dress like a trail of burnt breadcrumbs. She stopped beside a tree and leaned her back against it. More darkness pooled at her feet and crept up the trunk behind her.

Sweat trickled down the back of my dress. What was this girl doing? And what was all the black stuff dripping underneath her?

YA Highway Winter Giveaway

December 12, 2011 by Lindsey Loucks, posted in Contests

Ooo, there are lots of great goodies up for grabs at YA Highway’s Third Annual Winter Giveaway. Check it out here!

Animal Scene Contest Finalist

September 26, 2011 by Lindsey Loucks, posted in Contests

The lovely and talented Mysti Parker hosted an animal scene contest a while back, and I’m a finalist! Go here to read the entries and vote for your favorite. Don’t forget to leave a comment for the chance to win one of five books!