It is December and I am Grateful (yes with a capital G!)

1. I'm grateful I remembered my blog password. I meant to keep my "News" updated on a monthly basis, but somehow the fall got a away from me. 


2. I'm grateful Surrender is releasing December 6th! This is the final Haunting Emma book. I think part of why it's taken me so long to post is that I didn't know what to say about Surrender. The final book in a series is definitely bittersweet. I'm thrilled to have completed Emma Vaile's journey, but sad to say goodbye to her and Bennett, their friends, and the ghosts--I've loved every one of these characters and it's hard to let go. On the other hand readers are letting me know they love Emma's final tale and nothing makes me happier.


3. I'm grateful that Emma's journey may not be completely over. Nothing is finalized yet, but I think it's okay for me to say Deception is being optioned for television. Who do you think should play her and Bennett?


4. I'm grateful that Hand-Me-Down, my adult novel about a woman who falls in love with a man who's dated her older sisters has also been optioned for television. Again, contracts not signed, but it's happening!


5. Mostly, I'm grateful for people: Agents, editors, readers, book bloggers, and online writing friends. Writing a book would be very lonely without them. And I'm grateful I actually have a real life with other wonderful friends and family, both new and old.


I'm sure there are many things I'm forgetting to be thankful for, but this is a pretty nice start. Tell me, who or what are you grateful for this year?


P.S. To pass on some Emma love, I'm giving away 5 signed copies of Surrender on Goodreads and posting other giveaways on the Haunting Emma page on Facebook. Happy Chanukah and Merry Christmas and Happy whatever else you may celebrate (and you know I'll never get it together to post for New Year's, so Happy New Year too!)

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Surrender

by Lee Nichols

Giveaway ends December 31, 2011.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

SURRENDER

I can't thank the amazing book blogging community enough! Seven of them got together to reveal the cover of Surrender piece by piece. In other words you should be reading:
 

Good Choice Reading  

Mundie Moms 

Read My Mind 

Dark Readers  

An Avid Readers Musings 

Skyla11377   

Once Upon A Twilight

Special thanks to the wonderful Damaris at Good Choice Reading, whose idea it was to slowly reveal the cover and who organized everything! 


And here it is, Surrender! Comes out December 2011!

I love Summer!

What's happening? The UK versions of Deception and Betrayal will be out in September which makes me very excited. 

Surrender, the final Haunting Emma book, comes out in the U.S. in December and as soon as I have a final cover, I'll be unveiling it over at Good Choice Reading.


In the meantime, I'm writing and enjoying the warm weather. Please keep in touch with me via Facebook, The Haunting Emma page, or on Twitter!


Have a great July!


XO Lee

We Heart Indies Day! *Contest*

Yes, it's possible this is a made up day, created by Lisa & Laura Roecker, but since I love independent booksellers and Lisa & Laura I'm playing along. To celebrate, I'm giving away books. Contest rules at the end. But first, why I love independent booksellers.


Sadly, my favorite independent bookstore, Books Etc. in Falmouth, Maine has now closed. What made Books Etc. so special is its booksellers. They were incredibly knowledgeable and well-read without being snobby. They'd recommend a deep literary novel, along with a current favorite romance or mystery. One Saturday, when I'd mentioned I was writing a YA novel, they handed me ARC of The Hunger Games and told me how much they'd all loved it. Yes, Borders and Barnes & Noble can stack piles of books to mark what they think will be a bestseller, but in my experience, it's the independent sellers that hand-sell smaller books until they hit the bestseller list. I really miss Books Etc. and it's incredible staff, who I could say to, "I need something good to read. What've you got?" and they'd hand me something unexpectedly great. 


Now, I'm looking forward to moving back to Santa Barbara, where, sadly, Borders and Barnes & Noble have both recently closed. But there is a thriving independent, Chaucer's Bookstore, with books literally stacked to the ceiling, and I can't wait to get to know its booksellers.


And now for the contest:


I'm giving away two books--there will be two winners, and each winner gets to pick the book they'd like to receive. Check my website for all the choices (adult and YA). http://www.leenicholsbooks.com/


One book will be given away today. All you have to do is @LeeXNichols on Twitter about your favorite independent bookstore and a random winner will be chosen. Contest ends at midnight, May 31st.


The second book will go to the person who leaves the best I <3 Indies comment on this blog. Tell me what you love about your favorite independent bookstore. You've got one week to leave a comment. Contest closes midnight June 7th.


Good luck and thanks for playing!

iClue Winners are announced!

It was so fun to be a part of this contest and we had an amazing turnout. Thank you to everyone who hosted our mini-mysteries and played the game!


The winner of the 6 autographed books is....

Melissa Wheelock!

Congratulations Melissa! You'll be getting an email shortly and each author will send you an autographed copy of their book. Thanks for your help spreading the word.



And the winner of the iPod Touch donated by The Reading Room, loaded with six AMAZING mysteries is...

Jasmine Miller!


Yay! Jasmine, you'll also be contacted by email for your info. Have to admit I envy you this awesome prize.


Thanks again for everyone who was involved. We couldn't have done it without you!




Next up: Lisa & Laura Roecker have declared May 31st We <3 Indies day. We'll be blogging about our love for Indies and giving away books. I'll be giving away two copies of my books—and you get to choose which ones. If you win you can even wait for Surrender to come out. So check back Tuesday for more fun!

My full iClue Contest

My iClue week is coming to an end. Here are both my full mysteries with three clues each. At the end is the link to the iClue site to enter your answers. Thanks for playing! And thanks again to Paperback Dolls, Good Choice Reading and The Reading Room for hosting me this week.

A little about my mysteries:

I love pop culture and love to include pop culture references in my books. But ... sometimes it can date a book or possibly end up tragically. For example, if today I wrote something specifically about Charlie Sheen, in two years it could read funny or not so funny, or just plain odd. So instead I'd mention an actor who got fired from a popular sitcom because he had some issues with drugs and prostitutes. That's vague enough that in two years it could be relevant to a completely different scandalous actor.

I also love music, but to me musical taste is so personal. I might love the song Raise Your Glass by Pink, but you might hate it and by extension think my character is lame for liking it. Still, music is such a huge part of teen lives that I can't leave it out. And that's what these mysteries are about. 

Mystery #1

This is an excerpt from BETRAYAL, the second Haunting Emma book. She’s heading to the Knell for the first time with Bennett. Along the way she sees the ghost of a dead celebrity. Your job is to figure out what celebrity she sees.

From BETRAYAL:

Bennett led me down the cobble-stoned street, past narrow brownstones with ornate wrought-iron fences and ancient trees growing between the sidewalks. 

“So, is this whole block ghostkeepers?” I said.

“Yeah, mostly people involved with the Knell.”

As dusk crept over the rooftops, I watched a boy who looked like Nicholas climb a streetlamp, light a long match, and fiddle with the glass. The lamp lit instantly—but from electricity, not his flame. 

“I don't get it,” I said. “They’re not like the ghosts in Echo Point.” Or even the ones I remembered from my childhood, before my parents had my ability suppressed. “It's like they don't know they're dead.”

“Maybe it’s the street,” he said. “Or the Knell, or how many ghostkeepers live here. No one's really sure why, but they almost forget they're ghosts.”

We passed a small private park where a few old guys played chess at tables under the street lamps. A younger ghost moved a rook, eccentrically dressed and familiar.

I stopped and stared. “Is that...?”

“The actor?” A movie star who’d recently died of an overdose. “Yeah.”

“Have you asked if it was suicide or an accident?”

He looked at me. “No.”

“Oh, right.” He couldn't communicate with them and I felt like a jerk for bringing it up.

So do you know the answer? Who is the actor? If you do, go here and enter to win the iPod Touch. If you need a little help, here are three clues to help you figure it out.

1.     Australia

2.     The Taming of the Shrew

3.     Chocolate toffee candy bar

Mystery #2

This is a first-time-ever-seen excerpt from SURRENDER the third and final Haunting Emma book that will be published in December. In it Emma is listening to a song Bennett has downloaded to her iPhone. Read the passage and see if you can figure out who the artist is and what song she's singing.

From SURRENDER:

I didn’t go to school the next day. Simon never would’ve let me get away with that, but the Sterns either didn’t care or were stuck in the mire of their own depression. How would I know? I never even left my room.

Natalie and Lukas both knocked. I’d learned my lesson, though, and shoved my chair under the handle, so Natalie couldn’t barge in. I heard her trying to talk Lukas into smashing in, but he refused. Either he didn’t want to get in trouble with the Sterns, or he understood I just wanted to be alone. It was more of a guy reaction to a problem. I’d noticed girls often liked to cry and relive every moment of distress with a friend. I wasn’t that kind of girl.

Instead I listened to Bennett’s songs over and over. I kept my laptop in bed in with me, so I could look up the lyrics online and memorize them. One of the songs was about how life had no music ‘before you.’ That’s how I felt, like all the music and color had gone out of the world. Sometimes a song could really hit you, even if it was from an artist who usually sang about her lady parts.

So do you know the answer? Who is the artist and what is the song? If you do, go here and enter to win the iPod Touch. Here are three clues if you’re having trouble.

1.     Milkshake

2.     Solo or group singing without instrumental sound

3.     Flesh Tone

iClue site. 

Good luck and thanks for playing! 

XOLee

iClue!

I’m excited to say it’s my turn for iClue! I’ve got two mysteries going, both involve excerpts from Haunting Emma novels. Good Choice Reading is hosting mystery number 1 and Paperback Dolls is hosting mystery number 2. You are allowed to answer twice, once for each mystery. That gives you two more chances to win the iPod Touch.


Go here for mystery 1.
Go here for mystery 2.


In case you have no idea what iClue is or how any of this works:

Six young adult authors got together and decided to have an epic contest in which we’d give away tons of books and ultimately an iPod Touch.


If you want to win the iPod, you need to solve the mysteries that each author is presenting and enter your answers here.


Beth Revis, New York Times bestselling author of the amazing Across the Universe gave us the first mystery. Go read it and enter to win the iTouch here.


Then the fantastic Kimberly Derting, author of the fabulous Body Finder series gave us her mystery. Go read it and enter to win the iTouch here.


Now it’s my turn, then there will be three more mysteries and three more chances to win the iTouch from Adele Griffin, Lisa & Laura Roecker, and Mandy Hubbard.


So, that’s it. Super-cool mini-mysteries from some of your favorite YA authors and a chance to win an iTouch.


But wait … that’s not all. You can also win six books, one from each author by helping us spread the word about iClue. To do that go here.


Many of the spectacular, wonderfully supportive book bloggers who are hosting our mysteries are giving away books as well. And we are sponsored by the wonderful new book site The Reading Room, who will have the 3rd clue for both my mysteries.


I hope you enjoy my mini-mysteries and get to win something!


XO Lee

Winner of the Final $25 iTunes card!

And the winner is ... Patty! Chosen by random.org. She just happened to the be the last person to ask a question.


Patty email me your address to LeeXNichols at gmail and my publisher will send you the gift card. Link on my website if you need it. www.leenicholsbooks.com


As for the rest of you, are you playing iClue? New York Times bestselling author Beth Revis started her mystery yesterday. I loved Beth's book Across the Universe. Her mystery is an original story about an "offscreen" character from the book. To read it and enter the contest for books and an iTouch click here: http://www.bethrevis.blogspot.com/


For more info about iClue check out the post below this.

iClue

Do You
iClue?

• 6 Authors
• 6 Mysteries
• 6 Chances to Win an iTouch

Six authors were talking one day and realized that even though their books
ran the gamut from sci fi to romance, contemporary to ghostly, they all had
one thing in common: a really good mystery. These authors--Lisa & Laura Roecker, Mandy Hubbard, Adele Griffin, Kimberly Derting, Lee Nichols & Beth Revis decided they wanted
to give their readers a little more mystery...and if they solved that mystery, there
needs to be a great prize, no?

The authors are working with The
Reading Room (a book review site) and a slew of amazing book bloggers to
bring you an exciting new contest that will be running over the next 6 weeks. For
each mystery you solve, you get another entry into the contest. The grand prize is an
iTouch loaded with 6 AMAZING eBooks from the participating authors.

Here's how it works:

• Starting on April 4th a new author will be featured on the iClue Site each
  week.
• The author will post their mystery on the site on Monday.
• On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday we will post links to The Reading Room
  and two book bloggers who will be posting a special clue to help you solve the
  mystery.
• Once you've solved the mystery you send us the correct solution using a form on
  the website.
• If you enter the correct solution you get one entry into the contest.
• Solve all 6 mysteries you get 6 entries to win the iTouch.

iClue launches next week (April 4th) with my mystery, featuring some of the
characters from ACROSS THE UNIVERSE. Solve the mystery, get the password, and
you'll get an entry to win an iPod Touch! So make sure you check back next week for
this!

Meanwhile...we want to make sure to get the word out on this exciting month-
long event! And that's where you come in...you, and six autographed books...

Help us spread the word, and you'll be entered for a prize to win six autographed
books, one from each of us! There are lots of ways to enter!

You can tweet! 


You can blog!
(If you past the html code under the banner into your blog, it will automatically
show up, all linked directly to the contest. If you put it into the post, be sure you're
on the "edit html" tab of Blogger.)



<center><a href=http://bit.ly/<br /> icluecontest"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-<br /> <br /> GUBvIyf5Pos/TY6d9EBi9iI/AAAAAAAABvY/hUGsNCZya9U/s1600/icluebanner-<br /> rsd.jpg"/></a></center>

You can spread the word however you like! And for every way you spread
the word, we're going to enter you in a contest for a grand prize pack of all six of our
books, signed! And don't forget to come back to the actual event for your chance to
solve fun mysteries and win an iPod Touch!! (And yes--before you ask, the contest IS
open internationally--both prizes!)

BETRAYAL iTunes Contest #4 (Your final chance to win $25 iTunes card)!

Okay, this is for the final $25 iTunes gift card. Your last chance to win. All you have to do is ask me a question about any of my books or writing or well ... really anything, as long as it's clean. Ask the question in comments here, or @ me on Twitter with the hashtag #question, or on the Haunting Emma Facebook page. That's all you have to do and you're entered.


I'll let this contest go until the end of the month, because I've got a new, even bigger and cooler contest starting April 1st. So contest ends March 31st at midnight! U.S. only.

And the Winner is ...

Lisa won last week's $25 iTunes contest!

Thanks everyone who entered! I loved seeing all your comments. I think 100% of you liked the UK covers just a little bit better.

I have to go on record as saying I love them all and Bloomsbury is super cool in both the US and UK.

The 3rd Betrayal iTunes Contest

Kristina Shields won last week's Twitter contest!

This week we've got another $25 iTunes gift card to give away. We've done Facebook and Twitter, so how about a blog contest? And because I've been dealing with some kind of zombie killer virus running through our house, I'm exhausted, and can't come up with a clever contest idea.

So, how about this? Leave a comment about the UK covers which will be published by Bloomsbury in September in the UK. I think they're gorgeous and I love that they used the same photos of Emma and Bennett, but made them different. What do you think? Do you like them more or less than the US versions? Or just the same?

Leave a comment and you're entered to win a $25 iTunes gift card. Contest ends Monday, March 21st, at midnight.

Betrayal iTunes Contest #2

Jenny Johnston Steward won the first $25 iTunes gift card! Jenny please email me for further details. LeeXNichols @ gmail.com

But there are three more to win. Last week was Facebook, this week is Twitter. Same contest. Just post @LeeXNichols Your favorite love song. Just so we're clear, this should be your actual favorite love song. If you post "Your favorite love song" I will not enter you. Unless that's actually the name of a song, but I don't think it is. You must be a follower to enter.

And if you entered last week, you're welcome to enter again this time on Twitter. If you had a hard time picking one, you can post a new one this time. I'm collecting all the songs and will post them at the end.


Contest ends midnight on March 14th. Winner gets $25 iTunes gift card. Good luck!

BETRAYAL is officially out!

To celebrate, let's have a contest. This month, I'll be giving away one $25 iTunes gift certificate each week. Why an iTunes gift certificate? Maybe this excerpt from Betrayal will explain.

I ran my finger around the edge of the black box and didn’t feel any sense of ghostly resonance, so I opened the lid and found a nest of red tissue paper inside. Buried beneath the layers was an iPhone

That iz not jewelry, Celeste said, clearly unimpressed.

I grinned as I grabbed the phone and turned it on. Weird. Who’d send me a phone? I swiped to unlock it and found a little ‘1’ next to the mail application, which I touched with my finger.

A message had been sent to EmmaVaile at an account I didn’t recognize. It was from BennettStern at the same network.

Four words: ‘I’m grateful for you.’

I felt my face light up with joy. It’s from Bennett.

Iz still not jewelry, Celeste said, but she looked pleased for me. Then she faded away, leaving me alone with my gift, which I liked a thousand times better than any bracelet.

I tried to email him back, but the account no longer existed. I flipped through the other applications and found the phone loaded with aps and ring tones. Then I clicked the music. He’d loaded a hundred songs, all them about love. Some I recognized, some I didn’t.

I plugged in the white buds and settled into one of the playlists. As the beats began to throb, I was grateful too. Grateful, he hadn’t forgotten me. 

So, to enter the first contest, all you have to do is like The Haunting Emma page on Facebook and post your favorite love song on the wall. If you've already become a member of the page, just post on the wall. Can't wait to see what songs you like, and a randomizer will pick the winner of the $25 iTunes gift card next Tuesday, March 8th. 

The Liar Society

Today is dedicated to Lisa and Laura Roecker whose first YA novel, The Liar Society, will be published tomorrow!


Why I love Lisa and Laura
Mostly because they write one of the best author blogs out there. It's the only one I read every day. They offer the perfect blend of professional and personal, and are always funny, lovable and real. Not to mention fantastic writers. And they do a particularly fantastic and selfless job of celebrating YA books and writers. My only problem is that they only post once a day, I would seriously go back for more if they updated continuously. But I guess that's what twitter is for.


Why you should buy their book
Here was my official take:
"Who doesn't think their high school is conspiring against them? Toss in an unsolved murder, unstoppable heroine, ancient puzzles and a hot guy and you've got one killer novel."


My unofficial take:
I simply loved it! Kate is a fantastic, clever and cool character that's easy to relate to, Liam is the ultimate love interest, funny, smart and sexy. The mystery is unique and impossible to figure out and I loved the private school setting Lisa and Laura created. It felt like a fresh take on prep school and the details were unusual and sometimes a bit creepy. Don't miss this one. A contemporary YA novel that has the wild, mysterious ride of a paranormal.


And if you don't trust me, because admittedly I'm biased, I adore these authors. Here's what Kirkus said: "The authors create lively and memorable characters and keep the action moving in their lengthy whodunit; Kate’s interest in Latin adds an educational element. Clearly, the Roeckers had fun writing their story. Young mystery lovers may enjoy it just as much."






Tomorrow

When you're done reading Lisa and Laura's blog and buying their book, stop in here for details about the first Betrayal contest and your chance to win a $25 iTunes gift certificate!

Behold!

I have lots of news, but most important is ... 

• I've got a book trailer! This is my first book video and I'm so excited to be sharing it. I cannot thank Hypertext Media enough. They did a spectacular job of conveying the whole Haunting Emma ambiance. Hope you love it as much as I do. And follow Hypertext on twitter for more great book info.


• Deception is now available in paperback from Scholastic. It's on the cover of their February Tab newsletter. If you haven't read it yet, they're offering it at the amazing price of $6. And, of course, it's still available from Bloomsbury in hardcover and soft, everywhere books are sold.

• Bloomsbury has also gifted me with extra copies of Deception, which I'm passing onto you. I'm giving away five copies on Goodreads. Contest ends March 1st. 


• Betrayal comes out March 1st! I'm thrilled to be sharing the second installment of Haunting Emma.

And to celebrate its release we're giving away four, yes count them, 4 iTunes gift certificates for $25 each. I'll be running one contest a week all through the month of March. If you don't follow me on Twitter or Facebook, now is the time, so you can be in on these contests. Or like Bloomsbury Teens on Facebook.


Bet sure to let me know what you think about the book trailer!


XO Lee

Betrayal Review

So excited! My editor just sent me the first review of Betrayal. Such a relief to get a nice review. Only three more weeks until it's officially out.


BETRAYAL
“This fast-paced sequel reintroduces teen Emma Vaile, who is the most powerful ghostkeeper to be born in centuries, much to the amazement of her counterparts in the Knell, a secret society that keeps order in the ghost world. Unlike other ghostkeepers, Emma can conjure, communicate with and compel ghosts, which provides hope that she will be able to defeat Neos, a menacing wraith master who is drawn to Emma and will stop at nothing to increase his evil powers. Unfortunately, Emma’s supernatural powers also present major responsibilities and downsides, including preventing her from getting too close to Bennett, her long-time crush and fellow ghostkeeper. Picking up where series opener Deception (2010) left off, Emma continues to hone her skills in preparation for confronting Neos and joins forces with three other ghostkeepers. However, Emma quickly learns that someone has infiltrated her inner circle of friends and finds herself faced with deadly betrayal. This balances against Emma's very ordinary life as a high-school student. A solid balance of fantasy and mystery together with a well-developed subplot of forbidden love prevent this text from becoming hokey and will keep readers riveted.” - Kirkus

And the Winner is ...

Readitandeat aka Dawn has won the copy of Betrayal. Dawn has a very fetching egg as an avatar, a twitter ID I can relate to, and was randomly chosen as the winner. Please email me your address, Dawn, LeeXNichols at gmail or DM me on twitter.

Thanks to everyone who participated!

Lee

!!! BETRAYAL CONTEST !!!

BETRAYAL doesn't come out until March 1st, but one lucky person will get to read it early. I'm giving away a signed hardcover of the second HAUNTING EMMA book.


How to enter: This is a Twitter only contest. All you have to do is this and you are officially entered:


Hi @LeeXNichols. #BETRAYAL


Contest ends at 5:00 p.m. Friday, February 4th! Good tweeting!