All the things I've been doing before the Launch of EVERBOUND...

Hey y'all. 

Sorry my blogging has been so sporadic. All I can say is... 

And then every time I sat down to blog, I'd look at my interview pile, and my to-do list for the launch, and then I would sit there paralyzed, and I would do nothing. 

But... tomorrow is the day. EVERBOUND hits shelves. 

Here is what I've been doing instead of blogging:

I've been juggling all my balls...

Digging out of the snow...

Finally getting the courage up to play poker in Vegas... (you can see my name on the waiting list)

Selling tickets to this show...

Laughing at the pajamas my mom bought for my hubs and my brother-in-law...

Sitting in a bird... (trying to hide the fact that I'm wearing white socks)

Wearing a TAB hat...

Making a pilgrimage to the Mother Land...

Escaping the inversion with my sis...

And finally, the activity that took the longest time, straightening Kid C's hair. 

I'm glad I got all this stuff taken care of before my book comes out tomorrow. 

Speaking of launch parties, don't forget the launch for EVERBOUND (and Cynthia Hand's BOUNDLESS) is tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. at The King's English. Come and party! 

bonus: If you get your book signed, you'll get a guitar pick necklace. 

double bonus: there will be food!

So... who's going to party with me tomorrow night???

Two Weeks to EVERBOUND Launch. It's Cool. I'm not Freaking out.

Happy 2013 y'all! 

Wanna hear something crazy?

EVERBOUND comes out two weeks from tomorrow. 

EVERBOUNDcomesouttwoweeksfromtomorrowEVERBOUNDcomesouttwoweeksfromtomorrowEVERBOUNDcomesouttwoweeksfromtomorrowEVERBOUNDcomesouttwoweeksfromtomorrow.

I don't know how it happened. It was always "Oh, sometime next year" and now it's suddenly NEXT YEAR. 

Of course we're going to have a party. And you're invited. Yes, YOU! 

EVERBOUND Launch Party
The King's English Bookshop
January 22nd, 2013
7:00 p.m.

My in-laws will be providing the food again, which means it will be epic. Also, I will be giving away guitar pick necklaces. So, come to the partay!

If you're not near Salt Lake City, I'm touring around the country. Check my appearances page to see if I'll be in a city near you. 

I also have a deadline a week from today. So if you need me, um, be patient. 

How was everyone's New Year? Which books are on your reading list? You don't have to say EVERBOUND... not at all. 

Three Winners of EVERBOUND ARCs, and Santa-Dragon

Hey Y'all!

Thanks for entering last week's contest.

The winners are:

Vi Nguyen

Jana

Kristina Snyder

Email me your mailing addresses at brodiashton at gmail dot com. Congratulations!

And now, as a Christmas present to you all, enjoy my nieces' adventure through downtown Salt Lake City, and marvel at the fact that they weren't arrested.

Pre-Order NEVERFALL, and be entered to win one of several ARCs of EVERBOUND

Okay, folks. We are just over a week away from two exciting things. 

One is Christmas. 

But on the day after Christmas, December 26th (just in time for Christmas) (Kidding) the paperback edition of EVERNEATH releases, and the ebook novella NEVERFALL will be available! 

For those of you who don't know, NEVERFALL is a novella (100 pages) told from Cole's Point of View. It takes place between the end of book one (EVERNEATH) and the beginning of book 2 (EVERBOUND). 

Here's the blurb:

A thrilling new novella from the author of the Everneath series!

Jack is trapped for eternity in the Tunnels while Nikki has managed to evade Cole's grasp . . . for now. But Cole is more desperate than ever to find answers about Nikki, his best chance for taking over the throne of the underworld. How did she survive the Feed? Can Cole find another Forfeit like her who can survive it too?

Cole's quest leads him to the other side of the world, to a mysterious, dangerous society known as the Delphinians, whose price for information might be higher than Cole can pay—a price that could destroy Nikki. But when Cole attempts to steal the answers instead, his mission ends in disaster. Faced with centuries in a Delphinian dungeon, Cole is confronted with questions he's been too scared to ask himself: Is he really obsessed with the throne—or is he obsessed with Nikki? And can she really give him a new beginning as the Everneath's king . . . or will she instead bring about his tragic end?

To celebrate these events, I have a bunch of EVERBOUND ARCs to give away. So here's the deal. If you pre-order NEVERFALL ($2.99, available at Barnes and Noble, iTunes, and many other ebook places), you will be entered to win one of several copies of the EVERBOUND ARC! 

All you have to do is pre-order it, leave me a comment telling me you pre-ordered it, and you're entered! Easy peezy. 

Also, there is no way for me to check the validity of your pre-order, so I am counting on the honor system, and the fact that it would be silly to lie about two dollars and ninety-nine cents. If you're going to lie, lie about like a million dollars. In fact, have your hips leave the comment. (Because as we all know, hips don't lie).*

"Hips don't lie," quoth Shakira. 

So, click here to order NEVERFALL, and then comment away! The more people entered, the more copies I'll give away.  

Contest ends this Sunday. Winners announced on Monday. Just in time for Christmas. 

*Kid B's hips totally lie. His pants are always falling down. 

Bid on an ARC of EVERBOUND and support Newtown

This is probably the only thing I could blog about this morning, after the horrific events of Friday. (I have a first grader. I have decided to permanently attach him directly to me, by stitching his hip to my leg.)

The sweet people at Publishing Hearts are holding an auction of many items (books, critiques, packages from authors, agents and editors). All of the money goes to benefit the Newtown Youth and Family Services. 

One of the items up for bid is an ARC of EVERBOUND. So, if you would like to make a donation to the families of Newtown, and win an ARC of EVERBOUND (or any of the other wonderful prizes up  for bid), go to the Publishing Hearts website and follow their instructions. If you want to specifically bid on EVERBOUND, go here. 

The auction just went live, so as of now, nobody has bid on EVERBOUND. So now's your chance. :) I'll throw the starting bid out there. 

Five bucks. 

#prayfornewtown

Starred Review for EVERBOUND

I wanted to share some good news with you! The first two of the big reviews are in for EVERBOUND. 

One is a starred review from VOYA. Here's an excerpt:

"The Everneath comes to life in lurid descriptions of the circles of hell, weaving literary and mythological references into the mix. Ashton’s vivid images of the hands of the Forfeits reaching out of the earth are chilling. ... Nikki’s dogged determination to rescue Jack clouds her judgment. ... The surprise ending will leave stunned fans pleading for more. This worthy successor to Everneath (Balzer + Bray, 2012/VOYA December 2011) will be in high demand."

And Kirkus calls EVERBOUND "Intense, intriguing and highly addictive."

I am thrilled with these reviews, especially as the publication of EVERBOUND is right around the corner. 38 days! Would you like to add a countdown widget to your blog? You can get the widget on the sidebar of this blog. 

Furthermore... I don't have anything furthermore. It just felt like the appropriate segue into the next paragraph, but I got nothin'.  

Thanks y'all, especially you (yes, you!) for supporting the blog and my books. And remember to stop by Weller Books tonight at 6:30 if you want a signed copy of Everneath. 

Discounts and Good Deeds... aka My Next Appearance

Hey y'all! 

Just a quick announcement.

Do you like books? Do you like supporting education? Do you like children? Do you like all three? 

Are you sick of cute kitten pictures? Do you like pina coladas? How about dancing in the rain? 

Well, if you answered yes to the first three questions, have I got the opportunity for you. I'll be signing books at Weller Book Works tomorrow night from 6:30-9:30 as part of a book fair to support City Academy. I believe if you say "I support City Academy", then 20% of the proceeds will go to the school.  

Place: Weller Book Works (In Trolley Square)
(Also, it's near the new Trader Joe's. You could make an evening out of it.)
Time: 6:30-9:30
Date: Tomorrow (December 13, 2012)
Secret Code Word: "I Support City Academy"

Books. They're awesome. 

20% of the proceeds go to the school. There's your supporting education. 

Wrap the books for your kids. There's your liking children. 

Bam. 

Now, as for the cute kitten pictures, there's nothing I can do about those. But as for the pina coladas and dancing in the rain? Meet me at tonight at midnight. Wear galoshes.