Big Book and Slushie Maker Giveaway!

It's still summer, so let's celebrate by reading books and drinking icey cold drinks!

In that spirit, I'm holding a giveaway starting at midnight tonight where two (2) lucky winners will each get:

A signed copy of OTHERKIN and OTHERMOON...

And a fabulous brand new Zoku Slush and Shake Maker!

Both of the Slush Maker's I'm giving away are purple, which is the one second from the left. Pretty!

I'll also throw in a couple of OTHERSPHERE bookmarks to hold your place when reading and to whet your appetite for the third book in the series, which will be out this December.

See the Rafflecopter widget below for how to enter. There are two ways - leave a comment on this blog (just say hi, or whatever you like, as long it isn't mean or yucky, please) or tweet about the giveaway. You can do each of those once per day to earn another entry in the contest and increase your chances.

This starts at midnight TONIGHT (so midnight on August 14) and ends a week later, midnight on August 21

Good luck and happy mid-summer to you all!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tomorrow is World Elephant Day!

After visiting Boon Lotts Elephant Sanctuary (BLES) last Christmas, I kind of fell in love with elephants. I realized how intelligent and social they are, and how many of them suffer in circuses, ill-equipped zoos, as tourist lures, as loggers. Elephants mean money, whether they're giving rides to kids (which is NOT safe for them or the children!) or being killed for their tusks.

So I'll be celebrating World Elephant Day tomorrow by advocating for elephants. It's so easy to make a difference by signing petitions and spreading the word.

If you want to know more, go here. You can sign their petition or learn more or download badges like the ones I have here.

And here's a petition near and dear to my heart - to Free Mali, the elephant suffering alone in the Manila Zoo without friends, in a tiny concrete pen, suffering from bad feet. I'm actually not a huge fan of PETA for many reasons (you do NOT want to get me started on that!), but I do completely support this effort by them and other organizations to move Mali to BLES, where I myself have seen just how happy the elephants there are.

Here, for example, are how the elephants at BLES are handled - with no hooks, spikes, or whips - just gentle guidance from their kind, trained mahouts

They walk and wander where they like on natural surfaces, get regular foot and veterinary care, and eat nothing but the freshest plants and fruits. They also get to choose their friends, and spend all day and night happily in their company.

Here are Lotus, Wassana, and Pang Dow, three ladies who are the best of buddies, on a day they decided to go down to the river and splash in the mud.

There are more like Mali out there, but that's enough lecturing for one blog post.

Maybe one day we can stop the trafficking of ivory, save the elephants in the wild, and treat those in captivity with the respect they deserve.

So here's to that day and early Happy World Elephant Day!

Hurray for RWA, Part 2. Or How I Danced the Night Away

Before I launch into days 2 and 3 of RWA, wanted to let you know that Live to Read is holding a mind-bogglingly huge 150+ book giveaway as we speak. I'm giving away copies of OTHERKIN and OTHERMOON here. But be sure to check out all the giveaways. Nothing better than free books!

 
My first real day at RWA, Thursday (read about it here) was fabulous and exhausting. So I must admit that Friday morning, rather than getting up brightly to attend one of the many informative workshops, I slept in. I'm not a morning person at the best of times, and the travel + lack of sleep before + late night cocktail parties was a recipe for snoozing. My roommate, Elisa Nader, worked quietly on her laptop while I (gently, I swear) snored.

More awake memories after the break.

Photo from the RWA Kensington Party

Photo by Edward Zelster Photography.

In which I look only mildly tired and weird, compared to some of the others, and in which everyone else looks fabulous!

From left to right - the hilarious Lindsey Brookes, me, Janice Lynn, Marni Bates, and Elisa Nader.

Hurray for RWA! Or, How I Had a Blast in Atlanta.

Last year I spent a few hours at the Romance Writers of America convention in Anaheim, attending the Kensington cocktail party so I could meet and dine with my fabulous editor, Alicia Condon, and get to know a few of my fellow writers.

It was wonderful, but I couldn't spend more time than that because I had to arrange my big ol' book launch party that week for my first novel, OTHERKIN.

So this year I went all in, bought a ticket to Atlanta, wangled my way onto a panel, got my critique partner Elisa Nader to join me, and attended the whole dang thing.

And damn, it was FUN! (details and photos after the break.)

Dez Makes It to the Semi-Finals! And... Off to RWA!

THANK YOU, folks for voting for Dez in the Paranormal Cravings Character Battle 2013. Because you all rock so hard, she came in sixth, which means she made it to the semi-finals!

You can go here to vote for her (or anyone else!) in the semis.

Me, I'm getting on a plane to Atlanta today so I can participate in the riotous fun that is RWA - Romance Writers of America's main convention.

I stopped in for a cocktail party only last year, since it was nearby in Anaheim, and it was full of amazing writers all having a FABULOUS time. You really haven't partied until you party with romance writers.

I'll report in more detail after the convention. Meanwhile, if you're going I'm going to be on a panel tomorrow, and at the Kensington book signing on Saturday. Here's the info:

50 SHADES OF YA - Panel
Me, Jennifer Estep, Marni Bates, Erica O'Rourke and Alicia Condon (our amazing editor) all discussing the heat and how far it should go in books for teens.
July 18, 8:30am (! Get me some coffee, stat!) to 9:30am
Atlanta Marriott, Room M301, M302

KENSINGTON BOOK SIGNING
Saturday, July 20 - 9am - 10:30am
Atlanta Marriott

Say hi if you're going! If not, have a great rest of your week!

Vote for Dez in the Character Battle Quarter Finals!

Thanks to you guys, Dez made it to the quarter-finals of the epic Character Battle going on over at the Paranormal Cravings blog.

She ranked 8th! So now the top 16 are battling it out. She's up against some very popular, very tough characters, so I need your help to get her into the Semi-Finals, where the top 8 of the Quarter battle will fight each other.

So, between now and July 16, go here and click "Go to the Quarter Finals," find Desdemona Grey and VOTE. (For her, naturally. And for any other characters you love.) Large tiger hugs and smooches shall be yours!

Only one vote per IP address allowed.

Only July 17, the Semi-Finals begin. If she makes it that far (fingers crossed) I may need to call upon you again, my friends.

Till then - stay stealthy and stripey!

Cover Reveal: OTHERSPHERE!

You may have seen it yesterday on The Reading Cafe, but just in case you haven't - here's the cover for my third book, the big finale in the OTHERKIN series, OTHERSPHERE.

Woo hoo!

It's Dez in all her glory, on her way to a new world...

What will she find there? And will she ever return?

Love her outfit and the magical feel of the world around her! And can I just say how happy I am that she's dressed properly for magical world exploration? No foofy dresses when you're crossing the veil into Othersphere, my friends! No long capes or high heels or tiaras, thank you very much. Dez looks ready to explore.

I'm sure her jacket is just "offscreen" to her right, along with her backpack...

I'd like to thank the good folks at Kensington for all the fabulous work they've done on the covers for this series. I'm so delighted at their choice of model, the colors, the mood, the font...

Hurray! Less than six months till the book is out!

Paranormal Character Battle 2013!

The fabulous website Paranormal Cravings is having a character battle all July long.
If you love paranormal novels, hie thee to their site! (Clickenzee on the banner below to get there too!)

Did I nominate my own character? You mean my character who can shift into an enormous tiger with unearthly strength, speed, and senses?

My character who can destroy technology with a thought? What do you think?

There are some kick-ass characters nominated - archangels and demons, vampires and even other shifters. Will Dez win the ultimate battle? Well, she's still young, so I'm not holding my breath. She hasn't stepped into the arena yet. We'll see what happens when she does... I'll try to let you know when she shows up!

Happy Birthday to us all

Yesterday was my birthday, and today is my father's birthday. I was born just four hours before his birthday, so we often celebrate at the same time. Now we're separated by thousands of miles, but still we are in birthday sync.Cancerians, Moon Children, a bit loony and moody but loyal and true.

And since it's officially halfway through the year 2013, I wish us all a happy half-year day, a general "phew,  we made it this far" party for all of us everywhere. It isn't the day you're born that matters so much after you've made it out safely, it's the people you come across every day thereafter, and the little things you do, the small actions out there in the world that change it for everyone.

Happy Birthday, World. Remember how magnificent you are, and remember to try and keep steering us all toward further beauty and happiness at every opportunity.

The Lost Books of Youth

The internet is an amazing place that yields up all kinds of information and allows you to track down things you weren't sure even existed.

But it can't bring back a book that's out of print. Well, not without some huge campaign where signatures are acquired or some such, anyway, and even then you can't figure a publisher would bring back a book first published in 1937.

That book is THE LOST QUEEN OF EGYPT by Lucile Morrison.

one of my favorite books when I was a kid. The book was old even then, and perhaps already out of print. But Cooke Library at Punahou School had a copy and I read it at least half a dozen times back then.

With the advent of places like Amazon, I was able to find most of the slightly more obscure books I loved as a kid like THE LITTLE BROOMSTICK by Mary Stewart, and MARA, DAUGHTER OF THE NILE by Eloise Jarvis McGraw. I even found NO FLYING IN THE HOUSE, by Betty Brock, a book that had me trying to kiss my elbow for weeks because I wanted to be able to fly too. (Read the book if you have no idea what I'm talking about - it's for middle graders and possibly younger, but it's a blast.)

But even with places like Amazon and Abe Books, and Google and Ebay, the cheapest I could find for a copy of THE LOST QUEEN OF EGYPT was a used copy for $84.40.

No, I haven't bought it. I'm not overflowing with money for those sorts of purchases, but still! It haunts me. I vividly remember the charming drawings inside of the young Ankhsenpaaten and Tutankhaten, the joy of family life as depicted in ancient Amarna, and the sadness as the young Queen moves toward her inevitable fall when her husband, King Tut, dies. And of course, the delightful, melancholy ending, which adds a marvelous twist to what could be a tragic tale.

I guess what I'm saying is - if your library has this book, read it! And savor the books you love that you're reading now. Not everything is accessible all the time, even in this day and age. And you may end up with nothing more than a beautiful memory when it comes to your favorite books.

In Which I Have a Truly Wonderful Vacation

These pretty much say it all.

The Rains of Nuuanu

I stopped by the house of one of my oldest friends last night to pick him up for dinner. (We've known each other since first grade.) His amazing 10 year old daughters saw it was raining as we left and loaned me this adorable umbrella.

Seriously smart, kind, delightful young women. I had such a fun with them.

The View from Vacation

Sitting in my father's office in Kaneohe, Hawaii. Looking out the window.

Author Fair - then Vacation!

I had a great time at the El Segundo Author Fair this Sunday. Here I am at my table right after setting up.

I sold and signed a few books, got to chat with kids and adults, gave away temporary tiger tattoos, and found time to get to know a few more fellow authors.

At the table in front of me was fellow YA author Sherri L. Smith, who was not only smart and super nice, but was featuring two of her five books - FLYGIRL and ORLEANS both of which looked MOST intriguing! FLYGIRL really tweaked my interest - it's about an African American girl with skin light enough to pass for white who joins the Women's Air Force Service Pilots during World War II because she loves to fly. (African American's were not allowed to serve with whites at the time - all the armed forces were segregated, sadly.) I've heard about these amazing women, who took over all the domestic flying for the Air Force while the men were off flying fighter planes. (Women weren't allowed to be fighter pilots back then.) I love a good story about women doing what others thing they can't do, about pushing the boundaries of people's expectations. So I'm going to have to pick up FLYGIRL for sure.

I also saw and chatted with my Apocalypsie buddies Jennifer Bosworth and Gretchen McNeil, who were on a panel with Sherri and the lovely Carrie Arcos and Jessica Brody, talking YA.

After seeing how the other authors had cool easel holders and placards about their books, I realize I need to step up my game and invest in some of that stuff.  But the librarians and council members of the El Segundo Library were unfailingly welcoming and helpful. If you're in the area, definitely check out the library there.

That was my last blast of author work before heading off to vacation. Well, I'll be writing the whole time, and THAT's author work, of course. Off to my homeland of Hawaii to see my dad and hang out with a bunch of my high school buddies, who will be in town. FUN! And yes, I'll bodysurf at Bellows because that's still my favorite thing to do in the whole wide worlds.

In fact, the cab is picking me up in about three hours and I'm still not completely packed! So I'm off to grab a snack and get ready. I probably won't be able to blog from there, but I'll be posting occasionally on my Facebook page and throwing out the occasional tweet.

Happy early June to one and all!

Author Fair and Book Signing This Sunday!

I'll be at the fabulous El Segundo Author Fair this Sunday, June 2, signing books and giving away bookmarks and temporary tiger tattoos from 1:30 - 2:30.

Barnes and Noble will have books on hand for people to buy if they wish, but I'm happy to sign books already purchased - or anything else you like. I'm easy like that.

Here's the flyer (front and back) telling you about all the fabulous authors and panels and such. I haven't been before, but apparently they get a lot of people.

So many great authors attending!

(Just click on an image to make it bigger if you wish.)

In Which School Library Journal Reviews Othermoon

...and likes it! It's delicious; it's refreshing; it's thirst quenching!

                                (Photo by Syahrul Ramadan)

Oh wait, that's what this tiger is thinking.

Here's some of what the School Library Journal actually thought:

“Fans of the first book will be clamoring for this title and will be eager to get their paws on the final book in the trilogy. Plus, tiger fans will enjoy going ‘beyond the story’ at the end of the novel and learning some facts and proverbs about the great cat.”

There's no link online to it, since it's published in their magazine, but you get the idea.

I'm especially glad that they're pointing out the tiger facts/quotes/info I included at the end, because I'm pretty zealous about preserving the tigers and other big cats in the wild. Any and all education that gets out about that makes me very happy.

Speaking of which, if you sign up at TigerTime here, you'll get info on how you can help save tigers, without weird spam emails or any of that nonsense.

I'm Giving Away Three Copies of Othermoon!

Here's your chance to win one of three copies of Othernoon! I'm running a contest on Goodreads (click on the widget below to enter) open to all in the US and Canada.

You have till May 21 at midnight to enter! I'll sign the book over to the winners and include some bookmarks because you guys are awesome.

Hmm. Link below seems to be broken. GO HERE to enter.

 
 

    Goodreads Book Giveaway
 

   

       
   

   

     

          Othermoon
     

     

          by Nina Berry
     

     

         
            Giveaway ends May 21, 2013.
         

         
            See the giveaway details
            at Goodreads.
         

     

   

   

      Enter to win

(Sorry, international folks, but funds are low, so I can't swing the huge mailing costs for an international contest right now. But when things change a bit, that too will change!)

In Which My Title-Announcing Thunder is Stolen by Internet 'Bots

I just turned in the third book in the Otherkin series to my editor, exhausted, wild eyed, thrilled, ready to sleep, clean my house and finally have a glass of wine and see my friends. Because I haven't done those things very often in recent memory.

You see, the last few weeks I've had my nose to that writing grindstone, finishing up a draft that was good enough for my editor to see. It wasn't easy, wrapping up three books full of adventure, romance, and paranormal world building. But it really was fun.

Now that I've had a few nights of sleep and have caught up with the latest episodes of Mad Men and The Good Wife (still have to catch up Justified, The Americans, and The Borgias, and well, I never stopped watching Game of Thrones and The Daily Show) I figured I'd announce the title of the book.

So this morning I clickety-clicked into my email and saw there was someone who wanted to be my friend on Goodreads. I clicked yes, then went to check my author page on that site, just to see what my to-reads were up to. And lo and behold! Goodreads had book 3 up already - with the correct title!

Crap. So much for my "big" announcement. Had it been announced in Publishers Weekly or something and I missed it? I high tailed it over to Amazon and voila! They also have the book up, available for pre-order (cough cough), and the release date down as December 31, 2013.

Well, that's news to me!

(I can't vouch for that being the correct release date, by the way. It could be correct, or not! Will let you know when I know...)

Fricking internet bots. Somehow they ferreted out the title. Not that title was this huge mystery. My friend's very smart daughter figured it out and emailed me, asking if she was right. Well, she was! Because after book 1's title being OTHERKIN, and book 2's OTHERMOON, the title of book 3 just had to be:

*insert pointless cymbal crash here* 

OTHERSPHERE

Yep, Othersphere, the world that lies closest to our own, where the otherkin draw their shadow selves from. Where Caleb's powers as a Caller of Shadows dwells. A beautiful, magical, dangerous place. And yes, you get to step through the veil and see what it's like...

You can see what parts of it look like on my Otherkin Pinterest page.
 
Here it is on Goodreads, and Amazon. I couldn't find it on the Barnes and Noble site or anywhere else... yet. But it will be there, and in bookstores soon!

I hope to have the cover in a month or so to tantalize you with further. Till then - read on!

Big Announcement: My New Book Series - "Pagan Jones" with Harlequin Teen!

I'm so thrilled to make this BIG ANNOUNCEMENT that there isn't a font big enough or exciting enough to convey my feelings. As I typed away at book 3 in the Otherkin series, big things were afoot in my writing life, and at last I can share the news! 

Voila, the deal announcement today in Publisher's Marketplace:

Children's: Young Adult
Nina Berry's THE NOTORIOUS PAGAN JONES, the first in a new series set in Berlin in 1961, in which a disgraced Hollywood starlet is pulled into a complex world of politics and intrigue as the Cold War heats up, to Annie Stone at Harlequin Teen, at auction, in a two-book deal, by Tamar Rydzinski at the Laura Dail Literary Agency (World English).

HUZZAH!

I'll be telling you a lot more about my new protagonist, Pagan Jones, (isn't that coolest name? If I do say so myself...) in the weeks to come. 

Nobody trusts her; nobody believes in her... and that's her biggest advantage. She's so fun to write! I think you'll have a blast following her adventures. 

I've been doing a lot of research (which I love, crazy me) on the early 1960's and Berlin and Hollywood at that time. I've been pinning up inspirational images on Pinterest on the Sixties and Berlin and the wall. (Click those links to see the images) It was the Kennedy era, a time of fascinating contrasts and international tensions, where the Cold War bumped up against Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's, and Chubby Checker asked us to "Twist Again" not long after the head of Soviet Russia told the US ambassadors: "We will bury you."

Most importantly, Dior created the suit-dress. Check it out. And yes, Pagan gets to wear one:

Okay, so maybe the Berlin Wall going up is a wee bit more important than a dress, but isn't it fabulous? And fabulous suits my mood right now.

I'm thrilled to be working with the amazing folks at Harlequin Teen. Big thanks to editor Annie Stone and my amazing agent, Tamar Rydzinski, for their help in making this happen.

More on the notorious Pagan Jones and her life full of jeopardy and glamor soon!