Holiday Bonuses!

What's rectangular, flat, and super-easy to gift wrap?

I guess this could describe the iPad Mini, but I meant BOOKS.

If you're planning on giving books this holiday season, we hope you'll consider ours :)

And if you do, the following Apocalypsies have special offers to sweeten the deal -- including signed bookplates, limited edition swag, and other festive bonus fun. Click the links below for more details.

Happy Holidays and Happy Reading!

A.C. Gaughen's SCARLET  -- > Signed Bookplates

Lynne Kelly's CHAINED --> Order signed copies or request signed bookplates

E.M. Kokie's PERSONAL EFFECTS --> Order Signed Copies of the book 

Diana Renn's TOKYO HEIST --> Signed Swag For the Holidays 

Kimberly Sabatini's TOUCHING THE SURFACE --> Help Save Inner Holiday Elves 

Tiffany Schmidt's SEND ME A SIGN --> Send Me a SIGNATURE

L.B. Schulman's LEAGUE OF STRAYS --> Signed Bookplates & Contest!

Jessica Spotswood's BORN WICKED --> Signed Bookplates

Sarvenaz Tash's THE MAPMAKER & THE GHOST --> Signed Bookplates

Bridget Zinn

The Apocalypsies lost one of our own yesterday. When Bridget Zinn joined the group, she knew she may not be able to participate as much as she'd like, since she was dividing her time between "being a cancer-fighter and a writer." Certainly she wanted to spend more time as a writer, and we all wish she could have too.

2009 was an eventful year for Bridget--she signed with agent Michael Stearns, was diagnosed with cancer, got married, and sold her first novel, POISON. She fought the "stupid cancer thing" with bravery and humor, but left the world way too soon yesterday at age 33.

It was just in February she wrote this funny and inspiring post about her book sale, "What I'm Not Going to Blog About."

Member E.M. Kokie, one person fortunate enough to have known Bridget as a friend, wrote a lovely tribute to her, as did her agent Michael Stearns on the Upstart Crow blog.

We're thankful for the time Bridget was here and for her words we'll get to read, and mourn with the writing community that she wasn't with us longer. Most of all, our thoughts are with Bridget's family and friends after such a great loss. We will miss her and the stories she didn't have time to tell.

E.M. Kokie: PERSONAL EFFECTS

BIO: E.M. Kokie writes contemporary young adult novels and is represented by Chris Richman of Upstart Crow Literary. In high school she was a band geek, played field hockey, and was active in Model Youth in Government, Mock Trial and a slew of clubs. She was rarely invited to the cool parties, which left her plenty of time to read, and to create her own stories, even if she didn’t share them with anyone or think that she could actually be a writer. Now she shares her stories—specifically, novels for teens that explore identity and self-determination, about characters on the cusp of life-changing moments. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with her partner. She will debate nearly any subject, and likes to have the last word. She can be found online at http://www.emkokie.com/, on Twitter, on Facebook, and hanging around the Absolute Write Forums.

DEBUT: PERSONAL EFFECTS (Candlewick Press, September 2012)

Seventeen-year-old Matt Foster thought that if he could only get his hands on his brother’s stuff from Iraq, he'd be able to make sense of T.J.’s death. He wasn’t expecting T.J.’s personal effects to raise even more questions about his brother’s life.

Now, even if it means pushing his dad over the edge . . .

even if it means losing his best friend . . .

even if it means getting expelled from school . . .

Matt will do whatever it takes to find out the truth about his brother’s past.


FIVE LESSONS FOR THE APOCALYPSE (Or, “everything I know about surviving an apocalypse I learned from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”):

1. “What's this? Sitting around watching the telly while there's evil still afoot. Not very industrious of you. I say we go out there and kick a little demon ass!” (Spike, “Doomed”, Episode 2:11);


2. “I have to believe in a better world.” (Giles, “The Wish”, Episode 3:9);


3. “…give my love to my friends. You have to take care of them now. You have to take care of each other… the hardest thing in this world… is to live in it. Be brave. Live…” (Buffy, “The Gift,” Episode 5:22);


4. “When it's something that really matters, they fight. I mean, they're lame morons for fighting, but they do! They never... they never quit. So I guess I'll keep fighting too.” (Anya, “End of Days”, Episode 7:21); and


5. Oz: “Guys. Take a moment to deal with all this. We survived.” Buffy: “It was a hell of a battle.” Oz: “Not the battle. High school.” (“Graduation Day, Part 2, Episode 3:22).