Book Contests & Giveaways for the Holiday Season!

There are lots of great book contests and giveaways around, so I'm listing a few. Maybe you'll win a few for Christmas or Festivus or Smugglivus! (My general philosophy is "more holidays are better," especially when they involve colored lights, presents, champagne, and cookies.) I'm splitting up the contest lists into Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance and Young Adult categories, although many Young Adults cross-over into UR/PNR

Sparkling Reviews is giving away a $1,000 Visa Giftcard, and that's a prize that definitely crosses genres and categories!
.

PARANORMAL ROMANCE/URBAN FANTASY

Spaz at Wicked Little Pixie posts a long Q&A with Adrian Phoenix's characters and has a great contest for signed sets of Maker's Song books and also the Hoodoo series.

Abigail at All Things Urban Fantasy has an entertaining guest blog by Terry Spear and a contest for Dreaming of the Wolf or any other of Terry's books.

I have to smile when I think about going to Barnes and Noble to autograph some of my wolf books and three male store clerks were excited, until they learned the werewolf stories weren’t horror, but…horror—happily-ever-after romance!

Or to smile at the volunteer who asked if my werewolf books were shelved under fiction or nonfiction.

YOUNG ADULT BOOKS

Wendy at A Cupcake and a Latte has a giveaway for a signed copy of the soon-to-be-released Switched by Amanda Hocking. Amanda became a sensation as a bestselling self-pubbed author and she's now gone over to a traditional publisher.

When Wendy Everly was six-years-old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. It isn't until eleven years later that Wendy discovers her mother might have been right.

With the help of Finn Holmes, Wendy finds herself in a world she never knew existed - a world both beautiful and frightening, and Wendy's not sure she wants to be a part of it.

Susan at Wastepaper Prose is giving away ARCs of Sarah Tregay's Love and Leftovers and Christina Meredith's Kiss Crush Collide.

The crew at Page Turners is having an amazing end-of-the-year contest with lots of prizes, including:

• Cassandra Clare Pack 1: Audiobook City of Fallen Angels, Clockwork Prince ARC & Swag
• Cassandra Clare Pack 2: City of Fallen Angels & Swag
• Daughter of Smoke and Bone
• Enclave by Ann Aguirre
• Forbidden

Jessica Torres at Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile hosts Michelle Madow and has a contest for her reincarnation YA Remembrance.  You can also read Jessica's review of Remembrance:

Madow weaves a lovely romance that transcends the ages. Pulling influences from Austen, she brings Drew and Lizzie together in a heartbreaking manner. Star crossed lovers anyone? Readers who enjoy well written teenage dialogue will like their story.

Kristi at The Story Siren is giving away an ARC of Jennifer R. Hubbard's Try Not to Breathe.

Learning to live is more than just choosing not to die, as sixteen-year-old Ryan discovers in the year following his suicide attempt. Despite his mother’s anxious hovering and the rumors at school, he’s trying to forget the darkness from which he has escaped. But it doesn’t help that he’s still hiding guilty secrets, or that he longs for a girl who may not return his feelings. Then he befriends Nicki, who is using psychics to seek contact with her dead father...

GRATUITOUS VIDEOS OF THE DAY

You're lucky because today I turned on the radio and Florence and the Machine's "Shake It Off" was playing.





I love this song, but fast cuts can be overdone. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.



Now this is how you do it right.