GIVEAWAY: Dear Justice League by Michael Northrop!

As many of you know, this blog is about to take a sharp turn into all things Austen starting tomorrow (!!). But though, yes, I consider her my own personal superhero, today we're focusing on some traditional superheroes — and giving you a chance to get your hands on a copy of DC's latest, Dear Justice League!

Dear Justice League by Michael Northrop, illustrated by  Gustavo Duarte 
Comic / Middle Grade, 176 pages
Expected publication: August 6th 2019 by DC Zoom

The greatest heroes in the DC Comics universe, the Justice League, answer mail from their biggest fans--kids!--courtesy of Michael Northrop, New York Times bestselling author of TombQuest, and artist Gustavo Duarte.

Does Superman ever make mistakes? What was Wonder Woman's eleventh birthday like? Does Aquaman smell like fish? In this new middle-grade graphic novel, iconic heroes are asked questions both big and small, and when they are not busy saving the world, the Justice League even finds time to respond. Their honest and humorous answers will surprise and delight readers of any age, as it turns out that being a superhero is not too different from being a kid.

Full of feats, follies, and colorful illustrations, Dear Justice League gives readers the inside scoop into everyday heroics, no matter who wears the cape!

****GIVEAWAY****
The awesome folks at DC Zoom have offered up two (2) copies of Dear Justice League by Michael Northrop to two lucky winners!
This giveaway is US only
Fill out the Rafflecopter below. Full terms located within Rafflecopter.
Please do not leave sensitive info (addresses, full emails, etc) in the comments section! These comments will be deleted, and their entries invalidated.
Ends August 7th at 11:59pm EST.
Good luck! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Query Letter Edit GIVEAWAY + Interview with Amy Tipton of Feral Girl Books!

 Today I'm sitting down for a chat with Amy Tipton of Feral Girl Books to talk about feminism, writing (and living!) fearlessly, and dat freelancer life.
For you aspiring writers, there is also a giveaway at the bottom of this post, so make sure to click through!
Now let's get into it.

Hi, Amy! Let's crack in. Tell us a bit about yourself, if you're not utterly bored of doing so! Which books throughout your life have led you to where you are now?

I know my mom always read to me (even in the womb she read The Little Prince—which 1. is my favorite book [with To Kill A Mockingbird] and 2. is a strange thing to read to your unborn child; it probably started my weird reading habits). Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny were big hits. I also remember The Secret of Nimh (book, not movie—though I loved the movie) as well as A Wrinkle in Time and From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, and I devoured any Nancy Drew story and every Sweet Valley book in sight. I loved the Fear Street books, too, and yes, I was a Judy Blume fan and a Beverly Cleary fan!

Later on, I got into Sylvia Plath which led me into the Beats which is why I went to Naropa. I ended up graduating from Naropa University with a B.A. in Writing and Literature and received my MFA from New College of California in Writing. (I remember one of my New College teachers suggesting I work with literary agents after graduation and I had no idea what a literary agent was!—needless to say, I figured it out …)

I have been working in the publishing industry for 13 (almost 14!) years and started freelance editing in 2018.


You recently left agenting to start a freelance editing business where you focus specifically on "representing female and female-identifying voices" -- what have been some of the challenges of that, and what have been some of the joys?

Oh man, it was more difficult [than I thought] telling people—especially some family members—that I was focusing solely on female (including female-identifying and genderqueer) writers. Even a couple authors worried I was limiting myself, that offering this service to women [womyn and womxn] was starting out in a corner and that would hurt me and business. Which I hear, I know they were speaking out of love and care about my success.

However, females are half of the world’s population, working just as much as men (even though they don’t get paid as much—which is why I keep my rates lower/to accommodate this pay gap)—they deserve these services. It’s much harder for women to breakout in this industry.

I don't want anyone to feel excluded--which is really why Feral Girl Books exists.

Backlist Love (15)

I seriously loved these books, guys.

Is there a theme you'd like to see for Backlist Love? Let me know in the comments!

THE BOOKS:

Kingdom of Ash & Briars by Hannah West [review]

Bristal, an orphaned kitchen maid, lands in a gritty fairy tale gone wrong when she discovers she is an elicromancer with a knack for shape-shifting. An ancient breed of immortal magic beings, elicromancers have been winnowed down to merely two - now three - after centuries of bloody conflict in the realm. Their gifts are fraught with responsibility, and sixteen-year-old Bristal is torn between two paths. Should she vow to seek the good of the world, to protect and serve mortals? Or should she follow the strength of her power, even if it leads to unknown terrors? She draws on her ability to disguise herself as a man to infiltrate a prince's band of soldiers, and masquerades as a fairy godmother to shield a cursed princess, but time is running out. As an army of dark creatures grows closer, Bristal faces a supernatural war. To save the kingdoms, Bristal must find the courage to show her true form.

Building on homages to Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Jane Austen’s Emma and the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan, Hannah West makes a spectacular debut.

Also mentioned: REALM OF RUINS


LIPS TOUCH: THREE TIMES by Laini Taylor  [review  |  best of]

Three tales of supernatural love, each pivoting on a kiss that is no mere kiss, but an action with profound consequences for the kissers' souls:
Goblin Fruit
In Victorian times, goblin men had only to offer young girls sumptuous fruits to tempt them to sell their souls. But what does it take to tempt today's savvy girls?
Spicy Little Curses
A demon and the ambassador to Hell tussle over the soul of a beautiful English girl in India. Matters become complicated when she falls in love and decides to test her curse.
Hatchling
Six days before Esme's fourteenth birthday, her left eye turns from brown to blue. She little suspects what the change heralds, but her small safe life begins to unravel at once. What does the beautiful, fanged man want with her, and how is her fate connected to a mysterious race of demons?

BRING ME THEIR HEARTS by Sara Wolf [review  |  teaser]

Zera is a Heartless – the immortal, unageing soldier of a witch. Bound to the witch Nightsinger ever since she saved her from the bandits who murdered her family, Zera longs for freedom from the woods they hide in. With her heart in a jar under Nightsinger’s control, she serves the witch unquestioningly.

Until Nightsinger asks Zera for a Prince’s heart in exchange for her own, with one addendum; if she’s discovered infiltrating the court, Nightsinger will destroy her heart rather than see her tortured by the witch-hating nobles.

Crown Prince Lucien d’Malvane hates the royal court as much as it loves him – every tutor too afraid to correct him and every girl jockeying for a place at his darkly handsome side. No one can challenge him – until the arrival of Lady Zera. She’s inelegant, smart-mouthed, carefree, and out for his blood. The Prince’s honor has him quickly aiming for her throat.

So begins a game of cat and mouse between a girl with nothing to lose and a boy who has it all.

5 Excellent Examples of World Building

Sometimes, world-building in books can be pretty non-descript, meant to get the characters from point A to point B with no real fuss or distraction. They're forgettable. But some worlds stick with you for years, and are so well-executed, you feel like you got to know a read place.
Here are 5 examples of worlds that have stuck with me.
I'd love to hear some of yours in the comments!

Side note; I'm really not sure why this is just now being cross-posted to the blog, because it went live on youtube 2 weeks ago. Sorry about that, guys! But you should really subscribe to my channel if you don't want to miss things, because I am notorious for this...

4 YA Books That Made Me Me

This video was inspired by a twitter thread from Anne Theriault,which dovetails nicely with something I've been meaning to talk about for awhile, so: please enjoy this peek at MY soul, and let me see a bit of yours in the comments!
Inspiration for this post: https://twitter.com/anne_theriault/status/1143578066100391937

AUSTEN IN AUGUST 2019 INVITATION!

It's the moooooost wonDERful tiiiime of the yeeeeear...

It. Is. Almost. August!
That means that yes, Austen in August is coming, and yes, I most definitely should have had this post up by now. (Story of my life.)
Consider this your official invitation to the 10TH ANNUAL AUSTEN EVENT ON THIS BLOG!!

Most of you know the drill by now, but for those who don't or need a refresher:
What the Eff is AIA?
The Deets:

1. Started in the summer of 2010 in a different month and with a different name (but still alliterative, because I'm me), Austen in August is a celebration of all things Jane Austen, featuring reviews, discussions, vlogs, giveaways, interviews and more! WE'RE A DECADE-STRONG, YOU GUYS! [See years one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, and nine!] You can stop by any time during the month of August and get lost in Austen. It's all very austentatious. . . alright, I'll stop now.
2. I liked the pacing of last year's event, so once again, I will be posting at least once per weekday, with maybe, maybe a weekend post here or there. But as always, I also want to see what YOU have to say! I welcome guest posts and outside participation — though I want to change it up a touch this year. More on that below. But if you think you want to be involved, please EMAIL ME with the subject line Austen in August, AIA, or some variant of Austen / August.
3. Are you an Austenite author who wants to be involved? EMAIL ME! I'd love to have you involved! I also want to do a very special grand prize pack this year, so if you'd like to be featured in that ---> email me!
4. I'm undecided on whether to host a group read this year, so if you'd like to see one, let me know in the comments!

Below you'll find a form you can fill out if you're interested in participating this year, but BEFORE YOU DO, I'd like to let you know of some changes.
In the past, I've kept AIA strictly to my blog, so that everything is in one central location for people to consume. And while I know that works for some readers, it also limits other readers from stumbling across posts — they really have to know it's going on, or be sent through a direct link. And I want to spread the love of Austen to as many people as I can, which is why this year, I'm opening AIA up to other blogs!

I will still be hosting guest posts regularly here on The Book Rat, but I welcome and encourage guest "presenters" to post AIA content in an official capacity on their own blogs (or bookstagram, booktube, and face-literal-book accounts). This way, ideally, more people will have a chance of stumbling across AIA as a whole, and then diving into the various posts, as well as hopefully sending my lovely participants some well-deserved traffic. So in the form below, you will find two options: one to be a guest poster here, and one to post on your own channel as an official participant. Please consider which works best for you — there is no pressure for either option! If you're more comfortable guest posting on my blog, or Austen content doesn't really sync up with your channel/blog's brand, no worries! I will keep plenty of slots available for guests!

If interested and able to commit to completing a post, please fill out the form below!
If you are an author, or have questions, please email me directly.

Every year, you guys blow me away with your insight and passion. I look forward to seeing what everyone comes up with!