ARC Contest Winner and Thoughts on Community

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend--and survived the extreme heat if you're a fellow Texan like me. Man, it's getting to be brutal out there!

Today is the day we announce the WINNER of the ARC Contest for Elana Johnson's POSSESSION, which ended on Sunday. I want to thank everyone for dropping in, retweeting, posting, and following this past week. It was so much fun to meet new blog world friends. I always follow back, so it was a pleasure to discover so many new blogs :-)

Thanks to RANDOM.ORG, we have ourselves a winner . . . (Drum roll please) . . . 

Congrats LindsayCWrites over at Lindsay Writes . . . !!

Lindsay, I'll have the book in the mail this afternoon, so be on the look out!

An interesting tidbit is that I happened to have met Lindsay once before at a writer's conference we both attended a few months ago. We only talked briefly at the cocktail party, but when I matched the name to the number RANDOM.ORG spit out it sounded familiar, and then I spotted the fellow Texan address.

Lindsay, according to her bio and my fuzzy recollection (I was in a haze of starry-eyed agent excitement at the time) is a 19-year-old-writer who is very active in the writing community. She is out there networking, making connections and contacts, and attending conferences. That impresses me so much. She knows what she wants and she is out there making it happen.

That leads me to the second portion of today's post, my thoughts on Community.

No, not the show, although I love that, too! (When is Jeff gonna realize how awesome Annie is??)

I mean, the Writing Community.

Querytracker, Twitter, Facebook, other blogs, forums, conferences, organizations . . . thanks to technology, the opportunity to make a connection with other writers out there is almost effortless. Writers love to support one another. It is through groups like these that I have met all of my critique partners, almost all of whom I've never actually seen face-to-face.

I met my fellow @KappaDeltaWrite chicas on Twitter (and all these ladies rock so hard, I'm BLESSED to have them in my corner). My YA Sisters and Brothers in the YA Sisterhood meet over at Facebook, but I first met the Wonder Twins who started it all on Twitter, and we often chat there, too(#YASB). And, thanks to Kristen Lamb's new #MyWana hashtag on Twitter, I'm meeting even more.

Querytracker introduced me to many wonderfully talented friends--in particular, the lovely Anita Howard. And locally I belong to a writers group for Houston YA/MG Writers that not only has given me many 'in real life' friendships, but mentors as well.

Why am I rambling here?

The point is that we all need community. Writing can be so lonely--staring at a screen and a box all day, getting carpal tunnel and a stiff neck. We create imaginary friends every day and most of us talk to them. We need social interaction with others, and who better to understand our madness then a fellow writer? Who better to lift us up when we are discouraged and our minds are mush, or cheer us on when we meet our goals and/or get agent requests?

I guess what I'm trying to say . . . not very succinctly . . . is that all of YOU in the writing community at large have blessed me. I hope I've been able to be a blessing to others as well.

If you're reading this and are hesitant about jumping in with any of the places I mentioned, contact me. I'd love to talk with you about this crazy roller coaster and point you in some great directions. Don't be afraid to reach out. The rewards are priceless :-)

 

Question 4 U: What are your favorite Community Building resources?

 

Let us know about your experiences in the comments! If you'd like to guest post about a particularly great networking or community building experience, contact me at RachelHarris1 at Gmail dot com.

Happy Monday Everyone!

Birthday Spotlight and Giveaway! POSSESSION by Elana Johnson

Today is my birthday, and what better way to celebrate than to share a gift? Except, in this case, I'm giving YOU the present. . . you know, cause I'm sweet like that :-)

I'm spending this week catching up on my huge TBR list and plan on sharing several Spotlight Reviews, but what better way to kick things off than with Elana Johnson's POSSESSION--hitting shelves in June--and throwing in a copy of the ARC to boot?

Be sure to check out the details of the Giveaway Contest below the Review! 

In the YA writer’s world, the fact that Elana Johnson rocks is well-established. She’s funny, smart, down to earth, and the girl can freaking write.

I’ve been a longtime fan of her blog, her witty interviews and reviews for Bookanistas, and of course, her involvement with WriteOnCon, so when I opened the door and saw a package from Simon & Schuester with an ARC of POSSESSION in it, I pretty much geeked out right then and there. As soon as my happy dance concluded, I cracked the cover.

First, the jacket copy:

Vi knows the Rule: Girls don't walk with boys, and they never even think about kissing them. But no one makes Vi want to break the Rules more than Zenn...and since the Thinkers have chosen him as Vi's future match, how much trouble can one kiss cause? The Thinkers may have brainwashed the rest of the population, but Vi is determined to think for herself.

But the Thinkers are unusually persuasive, and they're set on convincing Vi to become one of them...starting by brainwashing Zenn. Vi can't leave Zenn in the Thinkers' hands, but she's wary of joining the rebellion, especially since that means teaming up with Jag. Jag is egotistical, charismatic, and dangerous--everything Zenn's not. Vi can't quite trust Jag and can't quite resist him, but she also can't give up on Zenn.

This is a game of control or be controlled. And Vi has no choice but to play.

The dystopian world Elana has created is so unlike the normal things I read. I’ve heard it compared to Scott Westerfield’s The Uglies series, Ally Condie’s Matched, Lauren Oliver’s Delirium, and even Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games—but I’ve yet to personally read any of these.

(Ducks from the thrown tomatoes)

Honestly, it’s just that I suffer from severe sympathy pains, and fear lying curled in the fetal position the entire time. BUT, if early reviews are right and POSSESSION is anything like those, I may just have to give them a chance after all.

My favorite thing about POSSESSION is the voice. The protag, Vi, is sarcastic and smart and grabbed me on page one. She’s strong and feisty, refuses to back down from a challenge, and has authentic flaws. Capturing the perfect voice for the perfect setting can be a challenge, but Elana has definitely done that here. And as for the setting, it blows my mind. The world she created is complex, original, and real. The technology and class structure is intricate and believable, the rules forced on the citizens reminiscent of Brave New World.

For fellow fans of hot romance and triangles, Elana’s got you covered. Jag is the quintessential Baddie, confident and sexy. Zenn is the Goodie, the boy Vi’s matched with and has loved forever. By the end, it’s still not clear who she should be with or even who is really good or bad. But there is plenty of tension, attraction, and sparks galore!

The plot is fast-paced, particularly the second half, and the cliffhanger ending is unexpected and satisfying. There are tons of twists and turns, and it leaves you questioning how you would react in a similar world or situation.

I‘ve heard rumors that this is the first in a trilogy, and I hope that’s the case. It better be. But until then, make sure you pick up your copy of POSSESSION when it hits shelves June 7th.

AND to help spread the POSSESSION love, one lucky follower will win a copy of the ARC! To enter you must be a follower of the blog (I have to see your beautiful face in the Google Friend connect box). Contest ends next Sunday, May 8th. Good Luck!