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Friday, November 24, 2017

Blog Tour: REMADE by Serial Box An Excerpt & Giveaway



Hey everyone! I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the blog tour for REMADE! 

I have an excerpt to share with you today! And make sure to enter the giveaway below!


Haven't heard of REMADE? Check it out!



Title: REMADE 
Author: Matthew Cody, Andrea Phillips, Gwenda Bond, E. C. Myers, and Amy Rose Capetta
Pub. Date: November 15, 2017
Publisher: Serial Box
Formats: eBook & audiobook
Serial fiction startup Serial Box has been featured from coast to coast including stories on NPRWiredBuzzFeed and i09. Serial Box was called “a godsend for a niche market of readers” by The Chicago Tribune.

ReMade is one of Serial Box’s first attempts at YA dystopian fiction, and it’s already making splashes.

In one moment the lives of twenty-three teenagers are forever changed, and it’s not just because they all happen to die. “ReMade” in a world they barely recognize one with robots, space elevators, and unchecked jungle they must work together to survive. They came from different places, backgrounds, and families, and now they might be the last people on earth. Lost meets The Maze Runner in exciting serial adventure. Season 2 finds the ReMades in search of the last of humanity on a perilous journey away from what’s left of the caretakers and Arcadia.

In true Serial Box fashion of trying to cross over many mediums, season 1 of ReMade has also been turned into a podcast available for free on all major podcast platforms (and one week early on TuneIn’s First Play program). The release of the podcast is meant to coincide with season 2. The podcast will release the final episode of season 1 on the same day as episode 1 of season 2 is released on the Serial Box platforms and wherever ebooks are sold.


Team-written by some of today’s most exciting authors, ReMade season 2 is brought to you by Matthew Cody (Super), Andrea Phillips (Revision), Gwenda Bond (Girl on a Wire), E. C. Myers (The Silence of Six), and Amy Rose Capetta (Echo After Echo).
Now on to the excerpt.

Teddy hated those red eyes with a vehemence he had never before felt.

That camera was everything false and wrong about his life, his constant companion. Soon, his only companion.

Inez burst through the door, still wearing her cheerleader uniform. The camera hadn’t provided them with other outfits, but it didn’t really matter. The cheerleader and the football player would have their good-bye.

She looked over her shoulder, visibly nervous. Her hand kept going to that spot at the bottom of her throat.

“Hey, Carmen,” Teddy said, leaning in for a quick kiss. Inez’s lips were soft and dry against his. She pulled back and smiled, something wild in her eyes. Now he was supposed to say, We’ll still see each other. And then she’d say, But it won’t be the same.

Instead, Teddy found himself blurting out, “Do you really have to go?”

She glanced at the door she’d come through, then the door between them and the train.

“Teddy, I’m sorry. It kills me that I have to leave. I know how long it’s taken you to really connect with someone. And I’m so glad it was me. I’m so glad it was us. It doesn’t have to end here.” She stared up at him intensely, some unfathomable meaning behind her dark eyes.

“I mean it,” he said, abandoning the script for good. “Even if it was never real, I’m glad I had you. I’ll never forget you.”

She went up on her tiptoes, throwing her arms around his neck. That’s what Carmen had done. But Inez sounded incredulous as she whispered in his ear. “You’d really give it all up so I could be free, wouldn’t you?”

He pulled her in tight, burying his face in her hair. She didn’t smell like Carmen.

Actually, she smelled weird. Like chemicals or smoke. Teddy followed her lead and whispered, too. He wouldn’t mess this up. “I can always think of you, free. It would have killed me to see you slowly fade away here. Knowing you’re out there somewhere, it’ll be enough.”

“You big idiot,” she said.

The door to the train station opened outward on its own.

Inez grabbed his hand and walked through it, her painful grip the only indication of how nervous she was. She looked back at the waiting room, muttering “come on, come on,” under her breath.

Instead of a door opening on the train, a whole section of the side of the train car slid open. The camera was directly behind them, watching. Waiting.

Inez stepped toward the train.

That’s when Teddy smelled smoke. Way more than what he had smelled in Inez’s hair.

“What the He turned to see black, acrid smoke pouring into the waiting room from the doorway.

The camera made a painful metal shriek, moving faster than Teddy had ever seen it go. It disappeared into the smoke.

“Told you I’d burn your house down!” Inez dropped his hand, slamming the door back into the train station shut. “You were right about the gas line to that candle. Almost blew myself up. Worth it.” She dragged one of the metal benches toward the train station door.

Teddy watched, mystified.

“Help me, dammit!”

He grabbed the other side of the bench and they jammed it into place in front of the door.
The land around them was blank and featureless, not a building to be seen on the horizon.

“Which direction should we go?”

The door behind them screeched as the robot tried to smash through.

“No time to run!” Inez pulled him onto the train. The side of the train slid silently shut.


They turned to find a red eye staring at them from a console. Inez screamed.




About Seral Box:
A new kind of publishing company for a new age.
While technology has rapidly evolved, the way publishers and writers bring books to readers really hasn't. Storytelling in TV has become more sophisticated and multilayered, podcasts have risen to mainstream media statusbut ebooks are just books on digital devices, not easier, more fun, or more social than they were before.
Serial Box is here to change all of that: artfully blending together the best of series television and the convenience of ebooks and audiobooks to bring readers a new form of story telling. Releasing fiction serials over the course of 10-16 week seasons, Serial Box is about delivering addictive episodes straight to the user’s digital device to be read or listened to anytime, anywhere.

Taking a few pages from the world of television, Serial Box hires a team of a talented and award-winning writers to collaborate on each serial, pulling the best ideas to develop great characters and craft a narrative that captivates readers over the course of the season. A new ensemble of writers works on each series, so each will vary in genre and length, but they'll always be entertaining page-turners that keep you wondering what will happen in next week's episode.


Giveaway Details:


3 winners will receive season 1 of TREMONTAINE, International.
a Rafflecopter giveaway




Tour Schedule:
Week One:
11/13/2017- Hooked To BooksExcerpt
11/13/2017- Under the Book CoverReview

11/14/2017- Texan Girl ReadsPre Made Post
11/14/2017- BookCrushinReview

11/15/2017- The Cover ContessaExcerpt
11/15/2017- Adventures Thru WonderlandReview

11/16/2017- BookishRealmReviewsPre Made Post
11/16/2017- Book-KeepingReview

11/17/2017- YA and WineExcerpt
11/17/2017- Mom with a Reading ProblemReview

Week Two:
11/20/2017- Books, Boys, and Blogs!Review
11/20/2017- Novel NovicePre Made Post

11/21/2017- BookHounds YAReview
11/21/2017- Pooled InkSpotlight

11/22/2017- Smada's Book SmackSpotlight
11/22/2017- Hauntedbybooks13Review

11/23/2017- Tales of the Ravenous ReaderReview
11/23/2017- Twirling Book PrincessSpotlight

11/24/2017- Two Chicks on BooksExcerpt

Friday, November 17, 2017

Blog Tour- TREMONTAINE Promo Post & A Giveaway!



Hey everyone! I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the blog tour for TREMONTAINE! 

I have a promo post to share with you today! And make sure to enter the giveaway below!


Haven't heard of TREMONTAINE? Check it out!



Title: TREMONTAINE 
Author: Ellen Kushner, Joel Derfner, Karen Lord, Delia Sherman, Racheline Maltese, Paul Witcover, Tessa Gratton, and Liz duffy Adams.
Pub. Date: October 11, 2017
Publisher: Serial Box
Formats: eBook & audiobook
Since launching last year, serial fiction startup Serial Box has been featured from coast to coast including stories on NPRWiredBuzzFeed and i09. Serial Box was called “a godsend for a niche market of readers” by The Chicago Tribune.

As one of the flagship serials from Serial Box with tens of thousands of readers across multiple platforms, Tremontaine has made waves in the serial, LGBTQ, and fan fiction community. 

Tremontaine introducers readers to a world where ambition, love affairs, and rivalries dance with deadly results. In this serial, Ellen Kushner and a team of writers return readers to the world of scandal and swordplay introduced in her cult-classic novel Swordspoint. Readers familiar with the series will find a welcome homecoming while new fans will learn what makes Riverside a place they will want to visit again and again. Tremontaine follows Diane, Duchess Tremontaine, whose beauty is matched only by her cunning; Rafe Fenton, a handsome young scholar with more passion than sense; Ixkaab Balam, a tradeswoman from afar with skill for swords and secrets; and Micah, a gentle genius whose discoveries herald revolution. Sparks fly as these four lives intersect in a world where politics is everything, and outcasts are the tastemakers. 


Team-written by some of today’s most exciting authors, Tremontaine season 3 is brought to you by Ellen KushnerJoel DerfnerKaren LordDelia ShermanRacheline MaltesePaul WitcoverTessa Gratton, and Liz duffy Adams.
Now on to the post
How We Wrote It

REAL TALK WITH TREMONTAINE PRODUCER RACHELINE MALTESE.

This piece originally appeared on the Serial Box blog. You can find a link here.

Tremontaine is the critically acclaimed prequel to Ellen Kushner’s beloved Riverside novels, which developed a cult following beginning with Swordspoint in 1987. The Fantasy of Manners” focuses on decadent world building and interpersonal intrigue, and has been noted for its progressive expression of gender and sexuality. Team-written by some of today’s most exciting authors, Tremontaine season 3 is brought to you by Ellen Kushner, Joel Derfner, Karen Lord, Delia Sherman, Racheline Maltese, Paul Witcover, Tessa Gratton, and Liz Duffy Adams. The first episode is available for free at Serial Box and can be found here. (link: http://bit.ly/TremS3RST)



One of the questions I keep hearing about Tremontaine is but how does the writing process work?” to which the short answer is Well, first we were all locked in a room together for three days.”

Serial Box serials start with a writer’s retreat, where the team gets together and figures out who the characters are, what the story is about, and who is going to write what. For Tremontaine, this was complicated by the fact that we were playing in an existing sandbox, and, like any good creator, Ellen wanted to give us free rein while also maintaining control and consistency over a world readers have known for decades.

So we went into the retreat, held in Ellen and Delia’s New York apartment, with Ellen’s draft of the pilot and some verbal sketches of our new characters, including Micah and Kaab (whose name was originally Chalchi). Other possible characters including a swordsman vanished as Rafe took shape and we realized who we could use that readers were already familiar with. Most of this happened on our first day.Tremontaine Series Cover

Which meant we came back into day two needing to figure out what on earth the first season of Tremontaine would be about, while also making sure each of main characters had personal objectives beyond just supporting the narratives of other people.

Overall, the Tremontaine writers are a loud, aggressive group. We shout when we get excited, flap our hands when we get really excited, and aren’t fantastic about letting each other finish our sentences.  And while that can be frustrating for everyone at times, it’s also a positive, because it means we’re all putting the story and our potential vision for it, ahead of pretty much anything else.

Deciding what Tremontaine would truly be about got intense. Sometimes we worried our idea were too complicated, odd, or complex. And every time we hit one of those doubts, we all looked at each other and doubled down. This was a room that loved anti-heroes.

After surviving day two and figured out what Tremontaine was about (and because it’s a mystery, I still can’t tell you), we had to decide what part of the story would happen in each episode.  This involved a lot of notecards on corkboards and borrowing the Friends episode naming convention of The one with.

Who would write what was a process defined by of how many episodes people were contracted for, what we thought would be easier for our guest author Paul Witcover to step in on (as he wasn’t a part of this room), and what people’s particular strengths and interests were.  Some episodes everyone wanted. Some episodes no one wanted. And much later, after all the episodes were written, many of us found our experiences with them were different than we anticipated. Writing, of course, is always like that. There’s fun, serendipity, and really hard work lurking in all sorts of places.

Most of all though, in a process like this there is knitting. Each episode has to not just lead into the next, but each episode has to successfully seed small details needed later in the plot. So while each story is absolutely that of its lead author(s), we all went to each other for help on things. What do Tess’s living arrangements look like? How should fighting styles differ between characters? What is the physical and political geography of Kaab’s homeland? Are household servant roles modeled on the 19th century or the 17th century or something else entirely?

During the weeks and months of Tremontaine we read each other’s drafts, offered feedback, reminded people of items we needed set up for our own episodes, and consulted experts on a wide range of topics including math and cards. We also enlisted outside readers in places, including regarding Micah’s experience of the world. Many of us had written ASD characters (or characters our world would perceive as ASD) before Tremontaine, but we wanted fresh eyes, especially because of Micah’s affection for numbers.

But before any of that could happen we had to, on the last day of the retreat, name the series. I’ll share some of those discarded names after this season concludes, as at least one of them is a spoiler, but the discussion went on for hours. And hours. By then, half of us were lying on Ellen and Delia’s floor eating bagels and moaning in pain. Would the retreat ever end? Would our serial ever have a name?

Eventually, Ellen asked, If it’s about the duchess, why can’t we just call it Tremontaine?”


We decided the duchess would be very pleased with that turn of events indeed.




About Seral Box:
A new kind of publishing company for a new age.
While technology has rapidly evolved, the way publishers and writers bring books to readers really hasn't. Storytelling in TV has become more sophisticated and multilayered, podcasts have risen to mainstream media statusbut ebooks are just books on digital devices, not easier, more fun, or more social than they were before.
Serial Box is here to change all of that: artfully blending together the best of series television and the convenience of ebooks and audiobooks to bring readers a new form of story telling. Releasing fiction serials over the course of 10-16 week seasons, Serial Box is about delivering addictive episodes straight to the user’s digital device to be read or listened to anytime, anywhere.

Taking a few pages from the world of television, Serial Box hires a team of a talented and award-winning writers to collaborate on each serial, pulling the best ideas to develop great characters and craft a narrative that captivates readers over the course of the season. A new ensemble of writers works on each series, so each will vary in genre and length, but they'll always be entertaining page-turners that keep you wondering what will happen in next week's episode.


Giveaway Details:


3 winners will receive season 1 of TREMONTAINE, International.
a Rafflecopter giveaway




Tour Schedule:
Week One:
11/6/2017- A Dream Within A DreamExcerpt
11/6/2017- Jamieson WolfeReview

11/7/2017- Books,Dreams,LifePre Made Post
11/7/2017- BookishRealmReviewsSpotlight

11/8/2017- Novel NoviceExcerpt
11/8/2017- BookHounds YAReview

11/9/2017- Owl Always Be ReadingReview
11/9/2017- BookCrushinReview

11/10/2017- Read Lovely BooksExcerpt

Week Two:
11/13/2017- Owl Always Be ReadingReview
11/13/2017- YA and WinePre Made Post

11/14/2017- Hauntedbybooks13Review
11/14/2017- Texan Girl ReadsReview

11/15/2017- Hooked To Books- Spotlight

11/16/2017- A Gingerly ReviewReview

11/17/2017- Owl Always Be ReadingReview
11/17/2017- Two Chicks on BooksPre made post

Thursday, November 16, 2017

Blog Tour- INTO THE BLACK by Ava Jae an Interview & Giveaway!



Hey everyone! I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the blog tour for INTO THE BLACK by Ava Jae! 

I have an interview with Ava to share with you today! And make sure to enter the giveaway below!


Haven't heard of INTO THE BLACK? Check it out!



Title: INTO THE BLACK (Beyond The Red #2)
Author: Ava Jae
Pub. Date: November 14, 2017
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Pages: 360
Formats: Hardcover, eBook
Find it: AmazonB&NTBDGoodreads
The world ruler is dead, technology foundational to their society destroyed, and Safara is on the brink of collapse. Half-human, half-alien Eros is the rightful heir to the world throne, but before he can return to the capital, he's abducted by a rebel group of humans who call themselves The Remnant--and won't release him until he swears to help them overthrow the very government he's inheriting. With Eros missing, ex-queen Kora is determined to stave off mad grabs for the throne. But as royalty from across the territories flock to the capital, and a new charismatic candidate takes the spotlight, Kora sets off into the desert with a skilled prince-turned-bounty hunter to find Eros before it's too late for both the future king and his kingdom.
Now on to the interview!


Hi Ava! First I want to say welcome back to Two Chicks on Books I’m happy you stopped by for a visit! INTO THE BLACK is going to be absolutely fantastic and I can’t wait to read it!

Is there a title for book 3 yet? How about a cover?

Book 3 doesn’t have a cover yet (though that process will be starting sooooon) but it does have a title: THE RISING GOLD. It also *cough, mumble* has a Goodreads page if you wanna, you know, do that thing 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30965937-the-rising-gold

Were any of the characters in the book inspired by people from your real life?

Uhnope! Everyone in the trilogy have been purely fictional people without any real-life counterparts.

Who was your favorite character to write? What about your least favorite?

Deimos, who is a new character, was easily my favorite to write. From his very first line of dialogue I knew he was going to be an absolutely delightand I was right. J I’m not sure I really had a least favorite to writeeven the jerks were interesting to work with because they were jerks. Kora has remained the most challenging to write, though, from first book to last.

What is your favorite passage/scene in INTO THE BLACK?

I’m going to be vague about this because spoilers but there’s this one scene where Eros has to do this test, and before he does the actual testing portion he has to take some substances, which, er, put him in a good mood. He makes some really hilarious observations and his inner thoughts were super fun to write throughout that sceneplus the seriousness of the test hes taking mixed with the ridiculousness of his state of mind was just a total blast to put together.

What kind of research did you have to do for the story?

Off the top of my head, I remember doing research on PTSD, brain injuries and partial blindness.

Who is your ultimate book boyfriend?

Nikolai from the Shadow & Bone trilogy has remained a favorite of mine for years. (And yes, I am very excited he’s getting his own book!)

What inspired you to write YA?

I sort of started writing YA before I knew what YA waswhich I had no excuse for because YA was totally a thing at the time. But once I realized YA was actually what I was writing, I began reading more and more of itand the more I read the more I knew that was what I wanted to write.

Lightning Round Questions

What are you reading right now? Or what do you have on your TBR that you’re dying to read?

I’m in the middle of A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab, which I’ve been reading for months nowbut between grad school and everything else Ive had verrrry little time for pleasure reading. So Im reading and enjoying that, and I have a mountainous TBR waiting for me, including The Ship Beyond Time, They Both Die at the End, There’s Someone Inside Your House, One Dark Throne, Forest of a Thousand Lanterns, Heart of Iron and seriously so much more.

What Hogwarts House would the Sorting Hat place you in?

Ravenclaw!

Twitter or Facebook?

Twitter, obviously. ;)

Favorite Superhero?

Gambit from X-Men. Also Deadpool from X-Men.

Favorite TV show?

Sense8. Also Vikings. Also Stranger Things.

Sweet or Salty?

Both!

Any Phobias?

Spiders and bees are 100% terrifying 100% of the time.

Song you can’t get enough of right now?

The fully Spanish version of “Despacito.”

Winter Movie you’re most looking forward to?

STAR WARRRRRRRRRRRRS oh god why isn’t it December yet?

Thanks so much Ava for answering my questions! I can’t wait for everyone to read INTO THE BLACK!

Thanks so much for having me! J



About Ava:
Ava Jae is a writer, an Assistant Editor at Entangled Publishing, and is represented by Louise Fury of The Bent Agency. Her YA Sci-Fi debut, BEYOND THE RED, is releasing March 2016 from Sky Pony Press. When she’s not writing about kissing, superpowers, explosions, and aliens, you can find her with her nose buried in a book, nerding out over the latest X-Men news, or hanging out on her blogTwitterFacebooktumblr, GoodreadsInstagram, or YouTube channel.








Giveaway Details:


3 winners will receive a finished copy of INTO THE BLACK, US Only.
a Rafflecopter giveaway




Tour Schedule:
Week One:
11/6/2017- YA Books CentralInterview
11/7/2017- Here's to Happy EndingsReview
11/8/2017- Wandering Bark BooksGuest Post
11/9/2017- Dreamy AddictionsReview
11/10/2017- The Cover ContessaInterview

Week Two:
11/13/2017- Literary MeanderingsReview
11/14/2017- Emily Reads EverythingReview
11/15/2017- Seeing Double In NeverlandReview
11/16/2017- Two Chicks on BooksInterview
11/17/2017- Book-KeepingReview

Grab book 1 now!


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