Month 9 Books Birthday Bash Guest Post & Giveaway

 

Welcome to Month9Books Birthday Bash! We’re so excited you’re all stopping by!

This is going to be an awesome event with many tour stops featuring our authors! The full schedule is below and make sure to stick around for the EPIC Giveaway taking place!

Here’s a quick note from Georgia McBride, owner of Month9Books!

"Month9Books is turning 2 this year and I could not be happier. We are living proof that if you have a dream to write, create and inspire, you should follow that dream and let nothing keep you from realizing it. Thank you to all the readers, writers, agents, partners and friends who have made this possible. We write for you.
--Georgia McBride, Publisher and Owner of Month9Books"

While all of the posts are from our authors that have books out already we also want to look forward to some of the 2015 titles we can’t wait to share with you
                       Here’s a slide show of some our 2015 books!

We have a ton of sequels coming as well as new books from awesome debut authors and we’re so excited to share them all with you! We have something for everyine from every genre from Sci-Fi to Fantasy to Paranormal and Horror!

Giveaway Details

(1) New Kindle with touchscreen (US only) loaded with all our Month9Books titles. US Only.

(1) Paperback prize pack of 5 Month9Books Titles. US ONLY.
(2) eBook Prize Packs of 5 Month9Books titles. International

Guest Post with author: Jordan Jacobs

I’m a sucker for all things British. And I always have been: memorizing the full list of England’s monarchs as a ten-year-old, saving up money from summer jobs in high school for a plane ticket to London (it went towards college, instead), and--as a high school sophomore--betting that I could retain a Scottish accent for an entire month (I lasted, and not very convincingly, for just one afternoon).

Even today--having attended Oxford for two quarters abroad, graduated with a Master’s from Cambridge, and suffered through the wettest year on record in a drafty, North London flat--my anglophilia remains unbridled.
 

I think the psychology goes something like this:

For Americans (or, at least for me) Britain represents a sort of an alternative universe. We share the same language (arguably), and our histories have a way of overlapping (“our” being a significant stretch for this Californian descendant of Swiss Mennonites, hardscrabble Texans, and Ukrainian and Latvian Jews). Our differences are noticeable, but slight, so that they take on more significance in comparison (while or whilst, underwear or pants, and traffic left or right).

And Britain is old … old in a way that shakes the full cultural family tree. That those kings and queens and knights really lived and died there, and that their battles and plots and power struggles really all occurred, gives a certain legitimacy to a story set in Britain’s past, and a special kind of thrill. I know I’m not alone among my fellow Yanks--it’s a fascination as common as it is bewildering to my friends across the Pond. And that is why I’ve had so much fun writing Samantha Sutton and the Winter of the Warrior Queen. 

 The plot is an adventure story, to be sure, but the context that I’ve placed it in is real. Samantha confronts real Cambridge customs, ducks and hides through real medieval alleyways, and runs for her life across real English fields and downs. Working with her archaeologist uncle, she uncovers real artifacts, from a real site, where a real Warrior Queen may once have ruled.  

Writing this one felt a bit like cheating. It’s just my anglophilia,distilled.

Find out more here:

Jordan Jaobs web site

Goodreads

Amazon

Guest Blogger: Reading For Pleasure: Is it Really Able to get you a Better Job Later in Life? by Lisa Palatino

Reading For Pleasure: Is it Really Able to get you a Better Job Later in Life? by Lisa Palatino

 

 Reading For Pleasure: Is it Really Able to get you a Better Job Later in Life?

Sociological studies looking into teenagers who read for pleasure, have recently come to the conclusion that teens who choose to read in their free time, are much more likely to attain a desirable job later in life. It has been suggested that reading holds a huge array of benefits for teenagers, and though it may not be the sole reason that children go on to University and good careers, it definitely has many influences for gaining a successful job. Therefore, reading as a teenager acts as actually reading for your future. All young children are encouraged to read, from being read bedtime stories to elementary schools inviting children to challenge their reading abilities. At some point however, much interest in reading is lost, so maintaining that interest and realizing reading’s benefits is essential. 

What do you Actually Learn From Reading?

There are so many skills that you gain from reading for pleasure that will transfer with any career you decide on. It turns out that most importantly, reading can quite simply make you smarter. Apparently those that read have higher GPA’s, intelligence and wider general knowledge. It can also boost your analytical abilities, due to the fact that reading can help you spot patterns quicker and allowing you to analyze things quicker. 

One of the most obvious benefits of reading is an increased vocabulary and improved spelling and grammar, and reading is even more effective with improving spelling and vocabulary than direct teaching. Books force us to often come across words that we are unfamiliar with, therefore causing us to consistently learn new words. Enhanced reading skills will also cause an improvement in writing skills also. Having a wide vocabulary and good spelling are essential, no matter what job you want to go into. These skills will enable you to sound more knowledgeable, intelligent and articulate; skills that any employer will be looking for.

Reading is to the Mind, what Exercise is to the Body:

Regular reading is just the same as regular exercise, as it stimulates the mind, keeps it active and challenges it. Hence, why we are advised to take just a little time out at least every day to dedicate to reading, due to the number of benefits on the mind that will last a lifetime. Reading often will help the brain stay mentally stimulated, keeping your cognitive abilities at their best and preventing the brain from losing its power. Reading is also an excellent form of relaxation, which for teenagers is imperative. With homework and exams piling up, reading a book will enable you to relax and allow tension to escape, while working your brain at the same time. Your brain will also learn many things, such as focus as it heightens its concentration skills. This will help teenagers to focus their attention, which will inevitably help them to focus more while at school and heightening productivity. When the time comes therefore, they will be able to focus their attention on looking for jobs, writing CV’s and applications and interview techniques. These benefits will obviously be transferred into later working life, so it is obviously worth starting to take some time out with a good book. 

You Don’t Just Have to Read Novels:
It’s not just reading the lofty classics that will enable you to widen your career prospects. Simply reading around the subjects that you’re interested in will still broaden your vocabulary and knowledge. So if you love English, then obviously reading some Bronte, Dickens and Shakespeare would be enjoyable and will help you get the best head start to an academic future in literature. However, for those who want to study and specialize in microbiology or the human anatomy, the classics of literature may be a little limited with what they have to offer. Obviously reading literary masterpieces will still aid vocabulary, spelling and boosting memory abilities, but more subject specific textbooks for topics from science to sport to art, will still heighten intelligence but just on more specific knowledge. As Wall Street Journal’s How to Raise Boys that Read suggest, boys often find literature taught in school boring and uninteresting, so getting them to read some non-fiction could be an excellent way to get them reading and focusing their attention on the direction they want their future to take.
So, alongside sports activities and playing musical instruments, reading for entertainment is a great way to get a well-rounded education by enhancing key skills that will improve your CV and increase your chances in a desirable career. With tough competition for the best jobs, it is best to get prepared now and reading for as little as one hour a day will boost the brain activity and have many positive effects, creating numerous transferable skills for your future.

Guest Blogger: Lisa Walsh on The Best Young Adult Novels to Go Out of Print (and the Author Who Wrote Them)

 

The Best Young Adult Novels to Go Out of Print (and the Author Who Wrote Them) by Lisa Palatino

It seems that everyone these days has got a problem with teen fiction. It’s too dark, it’s too sweary, it’s too violent, cry concerned parents and columnists. But is that really a problem?  Books like The Hunger Games, while being violent science fiction, manages to explore love for family, with a strong female protagonist who maintains the moral high ground. More than movies, books present safe places to explore difficult issues. In a movie, a disturbing scene begins with an alarming and dramatic flare of music, fills the screen with difficult imagery for a moment or two, and is gone. The viewer is left with memories of something, but what? Books allow us to confront our fears and turn them over in our minds. We read at our own pace, and can put the book down whenever we want. We can flip a few pages back and go over something that gave us difficulty. While reading, we are not manipulated to feel something by music, we just have to come to terms with what we read based on our own experience. 

The American writer Patrick Ness thinks it would be “irresponsible” for such fiction to ignore the darker side of life. When interviewed on the subject he said “I always think if you tell the truth about what's difficult, that their lives can be dark and hard, then when you then tell the truth about what's good, love and hope and friendship, then they listen to you and take it more seriously because you haven't lied about what's difficult." Darkness in young adult fiction is not even a new thing. To Kill a Mocking Bird discusses rape, Catcher In The Rye revolves around mental illness, Lord of the Flies features terrible acts done to children by children. Some of the best young adult fiction from the last thirty, forty, fifty years, is incredibly dark. Perhaps this is why it resonates. Some of this great fiction is out of print now, which is a shame, but with many options for finding books online, you don’t have to be limited by whats on the shelves at your local Barnes & Noble.

John Christopher (the pen name of Sam Youd) might be the darkest writer of young adult fiction that nobody has heard of. In the sixties, seventies, eighties, and nineties, he explored dark futures and troubled teens. Here are a few of his best.

The Tripods Trilogy, 1967-68 

If you’re lucky, this might still be on the shelves of your local bookstore, but it’s more likely that you’ll have to look online. The Tripods Trilogy explores a future where life seems to have returned to a pre-industrial ruralism. Humanity is in the sway of tripods, massive metal machines which came to earth many years before and now stalk the landscape. Adults are “capped” with metal wire skullcaps which deaden their feelings and make them easily traceable. Will, the main character of the novels, leaves his village on the eve of his capping, and makes for the French Alps where there are reports of a growing rebellion. The morality of John Christopher’s characters is very complex, and most of the people in his books are morally compromised in some way. Will must steal to survive, commit acts of violence against friends, and earn people’s trust with the intent of betraying them. He must cut tracking devices from his body with a knife, and make heart-rending decisions.

Nothing is simple in John Christopher’s novels. In one chapter of the Tripods Trilogy, Will is  captured and forced to work by an old man who lives alone in the middle of a river. We, as readers, root for Will but it is difficult not to feel for the old man when Will steals his boat, condemning him to drown in the river or starve on his island. 

The Sword of the Spirits Trilogy, 1970-72

John Christopher specialized in flawed protagonists, and Luke, the main character of The Sword of the Spirits books is the best example of this. Luke is the son of a prince in another dystopian future. This time the world has been ravaged by volcanoes and earthquakes which humanity has blamed on the advance of technology. Everyone lives in a medieval feudal system where towns fight towns and worship the Spirits - dancing lights with prophetic abilities, which appear in darkened spaces. It turns out that technology is not dead but is only underground. Scientists, who control the Spirits, which are merely projections, have a plan to unite the torn-up world by leading one prince to victory over all the others. They choose Luke, and they choose badly. Luke is selfish and arrogant, testing the loyalty of his friends, and fearing betrayal at every turn. His unhappy decisions lead the books to a sorry end. Along the way friends are killed, fathers beheaded, pregnant mothers are electrocuted in baths, while Luke and the scientists pursue their goals. Few modern writers of young adult fiction have the courage to present us with such an unlikable main character.

Empty World, 1977

Neil, the main character of Empty World suffers post-traumatic stress following the car accident that killed his parents and siblings. He lives a detached and unsocial life but doesn’t have time to recover before a new illness begins to prematurely age, and then kill, everyone around him. In the empty world that remains Neil meets survivors who all seem to have been mentally unbalanced by the disaster. In London he meets Clive, who is immediately friendly, but who robs him during the night and abandons him. Clive must pick his way around suicide victims before finding two girls, one of whom falls in love with him while the other tries to kill him. The books is remarkably anticlimatic but revolves around the decision of whether or not to unlock a door: to forgive someone and let them live, or condemn them to die. 

An Old Tradition

If nothing else, the marvelous and troubling books of John Christopher show that dark teenage fiction is nothing new. Many of John Christopher’s characters object to censorship and the controlling of thoughts, and isn’t this what happens when we limit what young people read? Parents might say it is a matter of “taste” but this is a small word when what is really on the table is the freedom to explore. You could do worse than to explore the difficult and engaging novels of John Christopher.

~Thanks to Lisa for stopping by and sharing her thoughts with us!

Reluctant Readers Road to Recovery Guide & Giveaway

Do you fear approaching your Reluctant Reader?  Have they been spotted this summer participating in questionable behavior with their books like building forts and extreme paper dolls?  Identified by their atypical behaviors, the Reluctant Readers Road to Recovery Guide is here to help you create successful encounters with hesitant young readers everywhere.  Panic no more and take control of rainy day havoc, poolside chaos and playground mayhem with a great book for your unique reader.

Reluctant Readers Road to Recovery Guide & Giveaway

The Make-Believer has more imagination frequent flier miles than a Pan Am stewardess!  The best cure for this case of Reluctant Reading is Elliot and the Last Underworld War by Jennifer Nielsen (Author of The False Prince).  The Make-Believer will be thrilled to join the sarcastically hilarious Elliot in the Underworld.  As the King of the Brownies, Elliot has battled Goblins, tricked Pixies, and trapped a Demon. But now, the Demon has escaped and he's ready for revenge.  So, the Pixies, Shapeshifters, Elves, Goblins, and Brownies must join forces to battle the Demon head on before he has the chance to destroy Earth.

The Daredevil thinks trick-or-treating should apply to everyday life, especially the tricks!  Cure their hunger for trouble with Horrid Henry and the Zombie Vampire by Francesca Simon.  Not even your daredevil will believe what Henry is up to next in these four new wonderful and wacky tales.  The international bestselling Horrid Henry series provides readers with a prankster whose relentless antics create a laugh-out-loud read.  WARNING: Do not allow daredevils to consume milk while reading or milk may spray from the nose!

 The BFF has matching bracelets with all her friends and wins Miss Congeniality every year.  This is a case of Reluctant Reading that can only be cured with Hailey Twitch and the Wedding Glitch by Lauren Barnholdt.  Hailey Twitch and her spirited sprite Maybelle, return in the fourth installment to the fab, fab, fabulous series.  The BFF will be delighted to read as Hailey gets ready to be a flower girl in her cousin’s wedding!  Maybelle’s mischief and fairy magic is back and might land the duo in trouble!

 Bruce Lee 2.0 can quote Enter the Dragon from start to finish and has broken table lamps with leg kicks. The only cure for such readers (and your house) is to follow the UK’s youngest secret agent in Jason Steed: Revenge by Mark A. Cooper. Set in a fast-paced 1970s Britain with non-stop excitement and martial arts fight scenes, Revenge is perfect for kids who aspire to be the next martial arts master and are looking for adventure stories and heroes who aren’t afraid to take action.  In the thrilling follow-up to Fledgling Jason is sent on a new undercover mission and must infiltrate a shadowy criminal organization –but his luck is running out.

Follow this guide and win a chance of snagging these great summer reads in a giveaway pack! Enter giveaway below!


                                           

 Elliot and the Last Underworld War by Jennifer Nielsen

                                                  

                             Horrid Henry and the Zombie Vampire by Francesca Simon

      Hailey Twitch and the Wedding Glitch by Lauren Barnholdt

Jason Steed: Revenge by Mark A. Cooper

Guest Author Blog Post & Giveaway: Frank Nappi author of

                    
                                                   Let Freedom Ring

                                    There are some things in our great country that are timeless: the Grand
Canyon and Red Rocks of Sedona; Mount Rushmore and the white sands of Siesta Key Beach; the Golden Gate Bridge at night, and the rows of Cherry that stand before the Washington Monument; there are the waterfalls of Yosemite and the hot springs of Yellowstone; and of course, who could forget the Empire State Building and Lady Liberty in New York City? There are so many wonderful things about The United States of America, all of which remain that way because of a belief that is also timeless -- patriotism and our desire to love and defend the constitution, something that enables us to continue to enjoy this spectacular land of ours.         
      Some people would question whether or not patriotism still has a place in our country today.  The answer is simple.  If you love this country, and all it has to offer, then you understand the importance of patriotism and  accepting the responsibility for maintaining the freedoms we all enjoy. These responsibilities include reading about issues that affect our nation, exercising our right to vote, and defending our borders in times of war.  If all of us contribute to the preservation of our freedom, then we will remain strong and resilient and always be able to overcome obstacles like 9/11 and the recent recession.   
     It also remains our right and certainly our duty to espouse the importance of reading in order to ensure that we as a society continue to develop in  ways that facilitate intellectual growth and knowledge of the inner working of our great country’s leadership.  We all have heard and understand the adage “those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it.” It was in this spirit that I wrote my first novel, Echoes From the Infantry, published in 2005 by St. Martin’s Press and re-released this June in e-format by Amazon.   Echoes came to be after I, befriended two very special  World War II veterans in my community. As I heard their reminiscences I became absorbed in their stories of simple heroism--and of trying to recapture what they'd left behind when they returned home. They are the stories of men who never asked for recognition or adulation, only a place in the free and prosperous society they'd built with their own blood, sweat and tears--men who could never entirely leave behind the horrors of the battlefield, or explain them to their own children. Shortly after, I synthesized those reminiscences and crafted them into a heartwarming and at times harrowing novel: Echoes from the Infantry. It is the fictionalized tale of one Long Island
veteran, the misery of combat, and the powerful emotional bond that connected him to his fiancée back home and that allowed him to survive the war with his soul battered but intact.  It is about a father and a son, and their ultimately redeeming struggle to understand the worlds that shaped each one--one a world at war, the other a world shaped by its veterans.
 As we celebrate our nation’s independence this July 4^th, we need to be mindful of our rich history, of our veterans and service men and women presently overseas, and of the role that reading plays in allowing us to honor them.
                                                                         ENTER THE GIVEAWAY HERE!

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Guest blog post & Giveaway: Frank Nappi author of The Legend of Mickey Tussler & Sophomore Campaign (the sequel to The Legend of Mickey Tussler)

Written by author Frank Nappi:

Best Buddies/Challenger Baseball Inspirational on so Many Levels

One of the most rewarding endeavors I have ever pursued, one that has enhanced the quality of my life as well as the lives of my wife and children, is the volunteer work I have been fortunate enough to perform the last few years with groups such as Best Buddies and Challenger Baseball. Working so closely with autistic children and teens and getting to know their families has been more fulfilling than I ever could have imagined. There is something so genuinely warm and endearing about these special folks; I have found that my time spent in their company has enlightened and inspired me. The simplicity of heart and genuine affection that these amazing individuals have demonstrated toward me and my family, despite living in a society that by in large does not extend enough compassion and understanding, is truly remarkable. Breathtaking actually. So many “regular” people could learn so much from these special needs individuals; their affect and demeanor is most worthy of celebration and emulation.


Best Buddies and Challenger Baseball events embody everything that is right about the world – or perhaps everything that should be right. On any given occasion, one can observe this communion of souls, a special arena which spotlights people helping people – for no other reason except just that. The inimitable smiles and laughter of those who are “disadvantaged” is priceless, rivaled only by the glow of satisfaction on the faces of those who are there volunteering. It is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. It is this beauty and inspiration that lead to my creation of my Mickey Tussler series. My character Mickey is the embodiment of all the magic I have witnessed over many years and has become a wonderful vehicle for me to further connect with families of special needs children and teens.


These events are a regular part of my life and the lives of my wife Julia and boys, Nick and Anthony. We have been involved with Challenger Baseball for several years and all of us look forward to every Sunday when we can give of ourselves, knowing (selfishly perhaps) that we are receiving so much more in return. We have all become part of Best Buddies as well, and have forged many special friendships there too. Our lives are enriched immeasurably because of it.


If anyone is looking to become involved in a worthy cause, one that will alter your life forever, working with special needs individuals is perhaps the perfect place to start.
                                       Giveaway of Frank Nappi's books
                                                   HERE!