8th Blogiversary Giveaway!

Word Spelunking turns 

8 years old today!

Y'all, this blogiversary sneaked up on me like a ninja. Seriously, I didn't even realize today was my blogiversary until I was scrolling through my memories posts on Facebook. But holy cupcakes, I can't believe I've been running this little blog for 8 whole years. So much has changed in 8 years and so many awesome things have happened for me because of Word Spelunking. 

I want to thank everyone who has made the last 8 years so much fun. To every author, publisher, publicist, assistant, PR manager, etc, a giant thank you for continuing to send books and products for review, offer giveaways, invite me to blog tours, and more! And to every reader who has stopped by, entered giveaways, left comments, and interacted with me on social media, I send to you a bunch of hugs!! I look forward to joining all of you for more bookish fun in the coming years.

Now to celebrate...

One winner will get a $10 gift card of their choice!

Rules

-open to anyone who can receive a gift card via email

-will end 10/23/19

-winner will be emailed and must claim prize within 48 hours

-all entry requirements will be checked and any cheaters will be disqualified

Fill out Rafflecopter form to enter please:

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6th Blogiversary Giveaway!

WORD SPELUNKING IS 6 YEARS OLD!!!!

Okay, so I'm actually about a week and half late to my own blogiversary party ::blushes::, as it was on August 22...but ::puts on party hat:: I'm here now and ready to celebrate with a giveaway for y'all!

But first, I just want to say WOWZIE WOW WOW, has it really been six years?! These last six years of blogging and sharing books and authors with you all have been FANTABULOUS. Seriously, y'all continue to be so AWESOME and so FUN to interact with. So, for everyone who reads this little blog, leaves thoughtful comments, interacts with me on social media, and enters giveaways, and to all the wonderful authors I've worked with and continue to work with, I give you a great big HUG, a dozen CUPCAKES, and a sincere THANK YOU!!

AND A GIVEAWAY......

Win a $10 gift card!

One winner will win a $10 gift card to the retailer of his or her choice. As long as  I can email the gift card to you, then you can pick ANY place whatsoever.

-open to everyone

-ends 9/30/17 at 11:59 pm ET

-winner will be emailed and must claim prize within 48 hours

-$10 gift card of choice will sent via email

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5th Blogiversary Giveaway!

Word Spelunking is 5 years old today!!

Ahhh, I can't believe I've been blogging at Word Spelunking for five years! It's been an amazing five years, filled with great books, wonderful authors, and the most awesome blog readers and followers in the world...seriously, y'all rock my socks and bake my cupcakes! I still can't believe that people actually take the time to visit my blog, leave lovely comments, and engage in thoughtful discussion.

I've experienced many fantastic things because of my blog, including my career, and I can't wait to see what the next five years will bring!

And to celebrate five years of bookish fun and to thank ALL OF YOU MAGICAL READERS, I have a little giveaway to celebrate...

Win a $10 Gift Card to 

the retailer of your choice!

The winner can choose any retailer, as long as I can email the gift card to the winner.

-open to everyone, everywhere

-ends 9/18

-the winner will be emailed and must claim prize within 48 hours

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Guest Post & Giveaway from Vinspire Publishing

I'm thrilled to be helping Vinspire Publishing celebrate their Young Adult titles this month by hosting one of their authors for a guest post and giveaway...

Writing Young Adult

by Pamela Woods-Jackson

Young Adult novels have gained popularity over the last few years, and rightly so. A number of classics have emerged in this genre, including the Twilight series, the Hunger Games series, and even Harry Potter, which appealed to teens and adults alike. Many writers are trying their hand at Young Adult, hoping to be the next Stephenie Meyer or Suzanne Collins and land on a best-seller list.

So far I’ve had two of my YA books published, including Genius Summer (Nov. 2014). I write in that genre because I’m a former high school English teacher and I have a pretty good idea of what teens will read. They want a relatable main character (preferably female, but guys read these books, too), and they want the character to be in familiar settings with supporting characters they might actually know, and to see the kids find solutions to their own problems. If the story is sci-fi or dystopian, the science must be accurate and believable. If a writer makes up unrealistic facts or situations for plot purposes, trust me that the teen readers will notice and call the author on it, which of course means they won’t recommend it to their friends. And be careful about the slang. It changes constantly, and using too much of what’s current will inevitably date your story.

Anyone currently writing or planning to start writing in this genre needs to first get to know their target audience. Talk to teens, visit a middle or high school, read book reviews written by teens, or just hang out someplace where teens gather and then eavesdrop. It will be enlightening, and possibly help you get a handle on your characters.

Pamela Woods-Jackson is a former high school English teacher and author of Confessions of a Teenage Psychic (The Wild Rose Press, 2010), which was a 2011 Epic Ebook Contest finalist and received Honorable Mention in the 2013 Hollywood Book Festival contest. I am also the author of New Adult novel Certainly Sensible (Champagne Books, 2011). Her debut novel with Vinspire Publishing, Genius Summer, received Honorable Mention in the 2013 Pacific Northwest Writers Contest and was a 2013 Finalist in the San Francisco Writers Contest.

Everyone who comments will be entered to win 5 of Vinspire Publishing’s young adult titles (their choice) and a $10 Amazon gift card.

giveaway details

-to enter, just comment below & include a way for Vinspire Publishing to contact you if you win

-the winner will be drawn on Dec. 9th

-this giveaway is sponsored by Vinspire Publishing and NOT run by Word Spelunking

You can see the full list of blogs Vinspire Publishing will be visiting this month to celebrate their YA titles HERE. Everyone who comments at each blog stop will be entered to win a Kindle Paperwhite!

Word Spelunking Turns 4! {giveaway}

***IT'S MY 4TH BLOGIVERSARY***

Wow, I can't believe Word Spelunking is 4 years old today! Y'all, this year's blogiversary totally sneaked up on me...like, I didn't even realize it was already here until I happened to look at my calendar last night and realized how special today was.

So, four years?! When I started Word Spelunking four years ago, with some bookish dreams and a fangirl heart, I had NO idea how much this blog and the community I found would impact my life and mean so much to me. It's been an amazing and often surprising four years, filled with so much bookish awesomeness! I've read hundreds of wonderful books, worked with so many spectacular authors and publishers, started the fun March Middle Grade Madness, and met countless fellow booknerds. All of you (yes, YOU, reading this) make running this blog worth the time and effort. You make my little corner of the book world fun, inspiring, and fantabulous!

a zillion cupcakes to you all

And to celebrate these incredible four years and to say a huge THANK YOU to all of you, let's celebrate with a little giveaway...

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

-one winner will get either a $10 gift card of their choosing or a book of their choosing from TBD

-open internationally as long as TBD ships to you or I can email your choice of gift card to you

-ends 9/20

please read full rules below form

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Unless otherwise stated, the policies and rules for each giveaway are as follows:

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.  Open only to legal residents of the 50 United States and Washington D.C. who are 13 years old or older as of date of entry.

To enter, fill out the appropriate Rafflecopter form associated with each giveaway.

The start and end dates for each giveaway will be clearly stated and followed.

The specified amount of winners shall be selected in a random drawing.

Winners will be notified by email and must claim their prize within 48 hours. If a winner does not respond within 48 hours, then a new winner will be chosen.
Word Spelunking is not responsible for lost, damaged, or stolen prizes in the mail. Once a prize is dropped off at the post office, it is no longer my responsibility and I will not compensate in anyway for prizes not delivered because of the USPS.
If a third-party (author, publisher, etc) is shipping a prize, once I provide the winner(s)' mailing information to them, the prize is no longer my responsibility. I will forward your mailing info to the proper people within 48 hours after getting it from you. If you have not received your prize from an author or publisher within 8 weeks, it is your responsibility to contact them further.
By participating in any giveaway, you agree to adhere to these rules. Any breaking of these rules by entrants will disqualify them from the giveaway and their entries will be deleted.

Avalon by Mindee Arnett Releases Today {GIVEAWAY}

I'm thrilled to help celebrate the release of Mindee Arnett's new YA sci-fi, Avalon! Learn more about this super fun read and enter a giveaway below...

Avalon

(Avalon #1)

by Mindee Arnett

1/21/14

Balzer & Bray

Of the various star systems that make up the Confederation, most lie thousands of light-years from First Earth—and out here, no one is free. The agencies that govern the Confederation are as corrupt as the crime bosses who patrol it, and power is held by anyone with enough greed and ruthlessness to claim it. That power is derived from one thing: metatech, the devices that allow people to travel great distances faster than the speed of light.

Jeth Seagrave and his crew of teenage mercenaries have survived in this world by stealing unsecured metatech, and they're damn good at it. Jeth doesn't care about the politics or the law; all he cares about is earning enough money to buy back his parents' ship, Avalon, from his crime-boss employer and getting himself and his sister, Lizzie, the heck out of Dodge. But when Jeth finds himself in possession of information that both the crime bosses and the government are willing to kill for, he is going to have to ask himself how far he'll go to get the freedom he's wanted for so long.

With pulse-pounding action, a captivating mystery, and even a bit of romance, Avalon is the perfect read for hard-core sci-fi fans and non–sci-fi fans alike.

Amazon / B&N / Books-a-million

 IndieBound / Google Play / Kobo 

iTunes / Goodreads

website * goodreads * twitter * facebook * tumblr

Mindee Arnett is the author of one other book for teens,The Nightmare Affair. She lives on a horse farm in Ohio with her husband, two kids, a couple of dogs, and an inappropriate number of cats. Her dream home, though, is aboard a spaceship.

You have the chance to win:

-2 signed hardcover copies of Avalon

-$50 gift card to the ebook retailer of your choice

US/CAN only

(giveaway not run by Word Spelunking)

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Cover Reveal {Excerpt and Giveaway}-- As You Turn Away by Molli Moran

I am SO excited to help reveal the cover for my friend Molli Moran's upcoming New Adult book, As You Turn Away. Below you can check out the lovely cover, read an excerpt, and enter a giveaway...

As You Turn Away

(The Walker Boys #1)

by Molli Moran

3/1/14

When Quinnlan Reynolds left home at 18, she escaped her small, Georgia town and her suffocating upbringing. She started a new life as a ballerina, and tasted freedom for the first time. But four years later, her first visit home turns tragic. Reeling, Quinn tries to piece her life back together again. But doing so is easier said than done when sexy Jonah Walker saunters back into her life.

Quinn shattered Jonah’s heart once, so getting involved with her isn’t something he’s sure he’s ready to do again. He became someone he didn’t recognize when he left home. He’s spent the last years burying his pain by keeping everyone in his life at arm’s length. Now he needs to get to know his family again, and finally become who he wants to be.

But neither Quinn or Jonah can stay away from each other, especially when old feelings resurface. Something is pulling them back together, and they can’t deny their chemistry for long. One Georgia summer could change both their lives forever, if they can work through their past to have a future together. 

Goodreads

This gorgeous cover was designed by the awesome Marie of Ramblings of a Daydreamer!

*Flashback* | Dance With Me

from As You Turn Away

“Dance with me.” He cupped her waist, which wasn’t exactly where his hand belonged, but they were alone, and he’d do what he pleased. Between school, and working the farm, not to mention Quinn’s family, they barely got any time together. But what time they did spend together meant more to Jonah than he knew how to say.

“Always.” Quinn stumbled on the next step, but recovered. She stared at her feet, watching as he led.

“1-2-3, 1-2-3,” he counted. He could feel the smile tickling his lips as they found a rhythm. Quinn was adorable when she concentrated, and even more so when she wanted to get something right.

“Well, you suck at ballet but you’re pretty good at waltzing. Someday you’ll have to tell me how you learned.” Quinn squeezed his hand. “And you’re not half bad at being a boyfriend.”

Jonah couldn’t hold back the grin any longer. “Boyfriend, huh? Is that what I am? That would make you my…girlfriend.”

“I mean…if you want to be…”

She was flushed, and flustered, and completely adorable. Jonah pulled Quinn into his arms, and kissed her lips. She melted against him, and he smiled against her mouth. The response was as automatic as the sun washing away the moonlight - it was something he simply knew would happen. Anytime he kissed her, happiness overtook him.

“Yeah.” He kissed her forehead, lips lingering. “I want to be.”

Eeep! I already have all the swoony, sweet feels from this excerpt!

 Author Site | Twitter | Facebook page | Book Blog |Email

Molli is a Southern writer who doesn't consider her day complete if she hasn't written. She loves coffee and talking fast, things she attributes to being raised by Gilmore Girls. She's a romantic at heart, and brings that to her books. When not reading or blogging, she can be found obsessing over Doctor Who, cuddling her various pets, or spending time with friends, family, or her girlfriend. 

Win a $10 Amazon or Barnes & Noble Gift Card from author Molli Moran!

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The Other Me Release Day Blitz {Excerpts and Giveaway}

Today, The Other Me Release Day Blitz is popping by with excerpts from this YA LGBT contemp and a giveaway...

The Other Me

by Suzanne van Rooyen

12/19/13

Harmony Ink Press

216 pages

YA LGBT Contemporary

Fifteen-year-old Treasa Prescott thinks she’s an alien. She doesn’t fit in with the preppy South African private school crowd and feels claustrophobic in her own skin. Treasa is worried she might spend life as a social pariah when she meets Gabriel du Preez. Gabriel plays the piano better than Beethoven, has a black belt in karate, and would look good wearing a garbage bag. Treasa thinks he’s perfect. It might even be love, as long as Gabriel doesn’t find out she’s a freak. 

As Treasa spends time with Gabriel, she realizes she might not love him as much as she wants to be him, and that the reason she feels uncomfortable in her skin might have less to do with extra-terrestrial origins and more to do with being born in the wrong body.

But Gabriel is not the perfect boy Treasa imagines. He harbors dark secrets and self-destructive tendencies. Still, Treasa might be able to accept Gabriel’s baggage if he can accept who she longs to be.

Find the book: Goodreads / Dreamspinner / Amazon

1. Treasa

We sit at a table in the back. I head for the corner seat and so does

Gabriel. Propriety wins, and he pulls the chair out for me. He orders a latte

and asks me if I want to share a muffin. I’d share anything with him right

now.

“So, tell me something.” He gouges his fork through the colossal

blueberry cake.

“Like what?” I take a sip of cappuccino.

“Something about you. I know you sing in the choir and that you like

aliens.” He smiles, revealing a sliver of inner lip stained blueberry purple.

 “You read about composers, and I guess you’re Catholic, being at St.

Bridget’s.”

“Um....” I take a moment to collect my thoughts, to quash the

impulse to tell him I think I’m an alien, to resist the urge to ask him if mybeing a Catholic schoolgirl is the only reason I’m here. Although the idea

of fulfilling some sordid fantasy of his doesn’t sound too bad. Bobby

socks and pigtails? For Gabriel, I’d do that.

“I used to play piano,” I say.

“How far did you get?”

“Twinkle Twinkle.”

He laughs, and the tension keeping his shoulders bunched seems to

drain, letting him slide lower in his chair.

“You going to study music next year?” I stab a blueberry with my

fork, hoping they won’t become permanent fixtures in the wires on my

teeth. Gabriel doesn’t say anything, his expression clouded by ineffable

emotion. “Sorry, did I say the wrong thing?”

“No, it’s just....” He slurps up latte and licks froth from his upper lip

dusted with the shadow of stubble. Damn, he’s gorgeous. “I’d love to

study music, but....”

“But?”

“My father doesn’t approve.”

“But you’re like the next Ashkenazy!”

“I’d rather be the next Horowitz.” He fiddles with his serviette,

shredding the logo printed on the corner.

“So, what are you going to do, then?”

“Engineering, probably.” He doesn’t look happy about it, and I don’t

know him well enough to press the issue.

“I’m thinking of doing a BA.”

“Bugger all?” He grins.

I snort my coffee and cough up a blueberry. So sexy. Don’t think

I’ve ever laughed this much with anyone, let alone a guy.

“Is that what they call it?”

“So I hear.” He takes another bite of muffin before pushing the plate

and last few pieces across the table to me.

“I’d love to do astronomy, it’s fascinating, but I suck at actual

science. I’m good at history and languages, though.” Don’t want to sound

like a complete idiot in front of Mr. Academic Colors here.

“So BA history, then?”

“Anthropology, maybe.”

“You want to study people?” He seems surprised.

“It might help me understand why we’re all so messed up.”

2. Gabriel

Five years ago today, my mom died, and it seems I’m the only one in the family who remembers. Even after all this time, I feel her absence, the ache physical, kind of how I imagine an amputee must feel after losing a leg. You think the missing bit is still a part of you, and it comes as a shock every time you realize it’s gone. Only I lost an internal part of me no one can see is even missing. Only I feel the loss, feel that huge gaping wound that might suck me right down into the abyss, if I let it. Mom probably wouldn’t want me chucking myself out of the car or getting stoned with Dirk or shagging a girl like Karla. She’d like a girl like Treasa, though. Mom was a singer too.

“You know, she’s been dead for years, and I still half expect her to

waltz into my bedroom in the mornings with a cup of condensed milk

coffee.” I watch the family with the dog and the Frisbee, watch the mother

pick the little kid up when he bails into the grass.

“Man, that was the best coffee ever,” Dirk says.

Last time I had condensed milk coffee was the morning before Mom

died. If only I’d known it was the last cup she’d ever make me, I would’ve

savored it and not left half behind, too busy playing piano to pay proper

attention.

Damn Klippies, now I’m getting all dronkverdriet. I backhand

unwanted moisture from my eyes, and the snatch of a melody spins loose

from my imagination. It’s simple yet beautiful, music in a minor. If only I

had my notebook with me. I’ll probably forget the tune by the time I get

home, even though I try to catch it, humming the notes under my breath in

the hopes of remembering. This’ll be the first theme of my sonata. Finally,

I have something to work with. Maybe this is how all those great

composers did it; maybe I should do this more often: get wasted, get

morbid, rip the scabs off old wounds, and let myself bleed all over the

staves.

3. Treasa

“You haven't been on a first date yet, and you’re worried about

kissing him?” Jordan sits on my bed, watching me fight with my hair.

“How do you know if you’re a good kisser?”

“People tell you.”

“I’ve only ever kissed one guy.” I twist and pin a strand into place.

“Really?” She looks at me in mirror. “Trent in grade eight?”

“Yup.”

“That’s depressing.”

“Tell me about it.” I examine my makeup. It’s not much, but at least

the foundation quiets the riot of freckles across my face, and the mascara

accentuates my otherwise pale eyes.

“You need to practice.” Jordan swings her legs over the edge of the

bed.

“On who?”

“Me, of course.”

“You want me to kiss you?” I do a final twist at the back and jam in

half a dozen pins.

“Not particularly, but I’m willing to do this for the good cause of

improving your kissing skills.”

“Are you serious?”

She rolls her eyes and spins me around on the wheelie chair. “Stand

up.” Jordan places a hand on my waist and another on my neck. “Lean in

slowly and just let your lips touch.”  She does, and her lips are sticky with

gloss. “Then you pull back a little and gaze into each other’s eyes.” We

do, and a startling warmth spreads up from my belly as she places my

hands on her waist. “Then you go in for the real deal.”

She kisses me, her lips slightly parted, and then her tongue slips

between my teeth and she tastes of toothpaste and strawberry lip gloss. I

pull her closer and kiss her back. Her fingers tighten on my neck, and

we’re getting really into it. Too into it. I’m not sure who freaks out first.

We both pull away and don’t say anything for a few awkward moments.

“You’ll be fine,” Jordan says as she twirls a strand of dark hair

around her finger. “You’re not a bad kisser. Definitely room for

improvement, but certainly not bad.”  Her face is uncharacteristically flushed, and her hands are shaking as she reapplies lip gloss.

 website * twitter * facebook * pinterest

Suzanne is an author and peanut-butter addict from South Africa. She currently lives in Finland and finds the cold, dark forests nothing if not inspiring. Although she has a Master’s degree in music, Suzanne prefers conjuring strange worlds and creating quirky characters. When not writing you can find her teaching dance and music to middle-schoolers or playing in the snow with her shiba inu. She is rep'd by Jordy Albert of the Booker Albert Agency.

(open internationally)

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