Mundie Moms

Monday, May 8, 2017

"Begin End Begin" - A #LoveOz YA Anthology Release Party


Published by: Harper Collins AU
Released on: April 24, 2017
Purchase from: Amazon Dymocks AU Readings AU
Add it to: Goodreads

The YA event of the year.
Bestsellers. Award-winners. Superstars. 
This anthology has them all.
With brilliantly entertaining short stories from beloved young adult authors Amie Kaufman, Melissa Keil, Will Kostakis, Ellie Marney, Jaclyn Moriarty, Michael Pryor, Alice Pung, Gabrielle Tozer, Lili Wilkinson and Danielle Binks, this all-new collection will show the world exactly how much there is to love about Aussie YA.
Last Thursday 4th May I was lucky enought to attend the launch party for the amazing new Australian YA Anthology "Begin End Begin" at Readings Bookshop in Carlton Melbourne, Australia.    It is 1.5hrs from my home but my Miss14 & I just had to make the road trip. It was a lovely evening with great company and the most amazing Australian themed cake.

There I got to speak to many authors including the always delightful Ellie Marney and Amie Kaufman. I have known these ladies for a few years now but I can't help but fan girl a little when I get to see them again. Amie was also very obliging to sign my copy of Illuminae.

I am so excited to read this book. Many of you will notice some of the authors included and may not have realised they are in fact Australian. Amie Kaufman in particular mentioned how many readers don't realise she is an Aussie. There is also a big misconception that all Australia books is about small town life. Ellie Marney commented that this is something she gets told a lot. But you will be happy to know that the stories in this anthology are set in space, big cities and not just in Australia. There are stories about time travel and witches. In her interview on the night, Melissa Keil said that she hopes readers take away the increadible depth of story that Aussie YA Authors can tell.

"Begin End Begin"  is the brain child of #LoveOzYA. Find out more about the #LoveOzYA movement here

Amie Kaufman, Lili Wilkinson, Ellie Marney, Melissa Keil, Michael Pryor & Danielle Binks

Yummy Aussie themed cake

Signed by all the authors present. This one is a present for my sister Alison

AIR & ASH by Alex Lidell / Book Blitz: Excerpt & Giveaway #AirAndAsh

We're thrilled to be apart of the celebration for the recent release of AIR AND ASH by Alex Lidell! If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful book by Author Alex Lidell, be sure to check out all the details below.
Today's blitz also includes a giveaway for a finished copy of AIR AND ASH & a copy of A COURT OF WINGS AND RUIN by Sarah J. Maas. This giveaway is open internationally, courtesy of Alex and Rockstar Book Tours. So if you’d like a chance to win, enter in the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.


ABOUT THE BOOK


By: Alex Lidell
Published by: Danger Bearing Press
Released on: May 2, 2017
Pre-Order it from: AmazonB&N
Add it to Goodreads

Master and Commander meets Tamora Pierce in a seafaring adventure of duty, love, magic, and a princess’s quest to protect her kingdom on her own terms. 
After a lifetime of training, seventeen-year-old Princess Nile Greysik, a lieutenant on the prestigious Ashing navy flagship, sails into battle with one vital mission—and fails.
Barred from the sea and facing a political marriage, Nile masquerades as a common sailor on the first ship she can find. With a cowardly captain, incompetent crew, and a cruel, too-handsome first officer intent on making her life a living hell, Nile must hide her identity while trying to turn the sorry frigate battle worthy. Worse, a terrifying and forbidden magic now tingles in Nile’s blood. If anyone catches wind of who Nile is or what she can do, her life is over.
But when disaster threatens the ship, Nile may have no choice but to unleash the truth that will curse her future.
AIR AND ASH is the thrilling first installment of the TIDES series. Recommended for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Tamora Pierce, and Naomi Novik.

READ AN EXCERPT  


My breaths come quick, my side vision a blur of sand. The horses rear, showing their bellies and hooves. When Red turns to the beasts, I crash into him. The impact ricochets through me. I drop my rock.
Red staggers but remains standing.
I wrap my arms around Red and draw the other pistol from his waistline even as he throws me to the ground. I land in a heap and breathless, but my hands still clutch the gun.
Inconveniently, the bloody weapon is as much a danger to me as to the men. It bucks in my hand, yielding to the natural pulse of Clay’s uncontrolled magic. Rising to one knee, I move the barrel between Bald and Red. “Stop,” I command. “All of you.”
Three sets of eyes grip me. None give a sign of recognition. I little blame them—having spent most of my life aboard an Ashing ship, the only people who’d reliably recognize me are those I’ve served with. This Felielle trio is unlikely to recognize even Thad outside the throne room, or think twice if they heard my name absent salutation.
My palms are moist, but I know better than to let the fear slip into my voice. “I believe the man has understood your message,” I say.
Clay’s dog chooses that moment to run up beside me and bare its teeth. Its low growl leadens the air between us.
One heartbeat stretches after another, punctuated by the break of waves and the horses’ snorts. My breaths come quick and shallow. I’m unlikely to miss at this range, but the pistol is good for one shot only.
Bald squints. “What’s your stake in this?”
“A broken law and a bound man.” I shake my head. The constant foreign presence in Ashing is a necessary burden for now, but I hope to see it end after the war. “One pistol has fired already, gentlemen. I expect the Ashing patrols are en route to investigate.”
Red scowls at me, likely calculating whether he might knock me to the ground before I squeeze off the trigger or the horses scamper. He probably can.
I scowl back, hoping the thugs’ employer paid them too little to risk their hides so greatly. “I would wager you will pay with your horses and backs if the patrols come upon us now.”
Bald snorts and makes a decision. “Is the lady correct, Domenic? Has the message penetrated?” He lands a vicious knee in the man’s abdomen.
Domenic’s jaw tightens, and he has to draw a breath before he can speak. “I have a debt.” His voice is steadier than I had expected. “I will pay it.”
“Why, that is all we wished to hear in the first place.” Bald pats Domenic’s shoulder and turns away, then twists back and punches Domenic’s jaw as an afterthought. “A pinch of a memory aid.” He chuckles at his joke and, accepting the reins from Red, swings into the saddle. The horses neigh and pick up a gallop, eager to be away, and I raise my free arm to shield my eyes from the flying sand.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Alex Lidell is an avid horseback rider, paramedic and ice cream addict. Born in Russia, Alex learned English in elementary school, where a thoughtful librarian placed a copy of Tamora Pierce’s ALANNA in Alex’s hands. In addition to becoming the first English book Alex read for fun, ALANNA started Alex’s lifelong love for YA fantasy books. Alex’s debut novel, THE CADET OF TILDOR, was an Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards finalist. Her second book AIR AND ASH releases in May 2017.

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ENTER TO WIN 


1 winner will receive a finished copy of AIR AND ASH & a hardcover of A COURT OF WINGS AND RUIN by Sarah J. Maas, INTERNATIONAL.


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