You're Invited to THE TAKING Book Launch!!!

I can hardly believe it's 2014 already, let alone April! But it is, and that means THE TAKING is almost here! And for those of you who don't already know, THE TAKING kicks off an all-new series about a 16-year-old girl who disappears one night and is returned five years later, yet she hasn't aged a day.

THE TAKING officially hits bookstores on April 29th, but is available for pre-order NOW! (See below for all the ways to order signed books and get free stuff!)

To celebrate the release, we've planned a launch party at 1:00PM on Saturday, April 26th at the Barnes & Noble in Federal Way, the same place where the café named special drinks after DESIRES OF THE DEAD and THE PLEDGE. We'll have prizes, goodies, and of course, lots and lots of books! And because the launch party is April 26th (three whole days before the actual release date!), you can get your copy of THE TAKING before anyone else! How cool is that?!?! (Answer: So cool.)

And if you're not in the Seattle area, I will be heading out on May 1st to the following cities: Salt Lake City, San Diego, Oklahoma City, Dallas, St. Louis, Kansas City, Chicago, and New Orleans. For a full listing of bookstores, dates, and times, check out my EVENTS PAGE. If you're in the vicinity, I'd love-love-love to see you!!!

If you're just too far away from my tour stops, but you still want signed copies of THE TAKING, you can order personalized copies from the following stores BEFORE I arrive:

The King's English in Salt Lake City
Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego
Barnes & Noble in Federal Way

Or you can get signed-only copies from:

Books of Wonder in New York
Blue Willow Books in Houston

And for those of you who've already ordered your copies, or who prefer ebooks or audiobooks, don't worry, I haven't forgotten about you! Anyone who purchases ANY version of THE TAKING before midnight (Pacific Time) on Saturday May 3rd, will receive signed bookmarks and stickers if you email a copy of your receipt to admin@kimberlyderting.com by May 15th! See, everybody wins!

  

Thank you so much for reading and I hope to see all you very soon!

Kim

And by the way, check out what some of my FAVORITE authors had to say about THE TAKING:

"Kimberly Derting is an amazing writer and a master storyteller. THE TAKING will have you hooked from the very first pages."
   —Richelle Mead, #1 New York Times bestselling author of VAMPIRE ACADEMY

"Equal parts romance and suspense, THE TAKING is a sexy blend of conspiracy theory and sci-fi."
   —Kami Garcia, #1 New York Times bestselling author of UNBREAKABLE and co-author of BEAUTIFUL CREATURES

"THE TAKING is an action-packed, heart-filled ride. I loved it."
   —Melissa Marr, #1 New York Times bestselling author of WICKED LOVELY

"Kimberly Derting does it again! THE TAKING is an exciting, fast-paced thriller with an eerie and intriguing paranormal mystery at the heart of it. You'll want to read it as fast as you can and then DEMAND the next book NOW!"
   —Melissa de la Cruz, New York Times bestselling author of BLUE BLOODS and WITCHES OF EAST END

"With pitch-perfect prose, swoon-worthy romance, and edge-of-your-seat suspense, THE TAKING kept me reading late into the night. This is Derting at her best."
   —Alyson Noël, #1 New York Times bestselling author of THE IMMORTALS

The Hunt Is On...The YA Scavenger Hunt, that is!

It's that time again! And if you've made it this far, I probably don't need to tell you this is the YA Scavenger Hunt! But in case you don't know, we're doing a round-up of what’s coming up in YA  literature that runs from April 3rd through April 6th (Which just so happens to be my birthday. Coincidence? Yeah...probably).

Each author on the hunt is hosting another author’s bonus material (mine is out there on someone else's blog!) AND a link to the next step of the hunt.

At each of these steps, you not only get exclusive content from one of the authors, but you'll also get a clue for the hunt. Add up the clues, and you can enter for our prize--one lucky winner will receive one signed book from each author on the entire team! But play fast--this contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online for 72 hours!

Go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page to find out all about the hunt. There are TWO contests running simultaneously, and you can enter one or both! I'm part of the RED TEAM--but there is also a blue team, which gives you a chance at winning an entirely

different sets of books!

SCAVENGER HUNT PUZZLE

Directions: Below, you'll notice that I've listed my favorite number. Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on the red team, and then add them up (don't worry, you can use a calculator!).

Entry Form: Once you've added up all the numbers, make sure you fill out the form here to officially qualify for the grand prize. Only entries that have the correct number will qualify.

Rules: Open internationally, anyone below the age of 18 should have a parent or guardian's permission to enter. To be eligible for the grand prize, you must submit the completed entry form by Sunday, April 6th (aka. my birthday!) at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.

SCAVENGER HUNT POST

Today, I am hosting Jessica Shirvington. Jessica Shirvington is the author of the bestselling EMBRACE SERIES, with the final book EMPOWER coming out in the US in May 2014. 

Also in 2014, her first stand alone novel - ONE PAST MIDNIGHT - is set for release June 22 in the US and UK (this book is also known as Between the Lives in Australia & NZ). A full time author and mother, Jessica lives in Sydney, Australia with her family.

About ONE PAST MIDNIGHT: For as long as she can remember, Sabine has lived two lives. Every 24 hours she Shifts to her ′other′ life - a life where she is exactly the same, but absolutely everything else is different: different family, different friends, different social expectations. In one life she has a sister, in the other she does not. In one life she′s a straight-A student with the perfect boyfriend, in the other she′s considered a reckless delinquent. Nothing about her situation has ever changed, until the day when she discovers a glitch: the arm she breaks in one life is perfectly fine in the other.

With this new knowledge, Sabine begins a series of increasingly risky experiments which bring her dangerously close to the life she′s always wanted... But just what - and who - is she really risking?

Find out more information by checking out her author website or find more about ONE PAST MIDNIGHT here!

EXCLUSIVE CONTENT

For Jessica's exclusive content she's sent us a sneak peek at the preface for ONE PAST MIDNIGHT to enjoy:

 

-->

I am a liar.

Not compulsive.

Simply required.

I am two people. Neither better than the other, no superpowers, no mystical destinies, no two-places-at-one-time mechanism – but two people. Different in ways fundamental, even though at the most basic level I look the same. My physical attributes, my memory, and my name follow me. For the past eighteen years, everything else, everything, about me is different. Twenty-four hours as the first version of me. And in the blink of an eye, twenty-four hours as the second. Every day, without fail, it goes on.

I’ve never told anyone. By the time I was old enough to figure out everyone didn’t have two lives – by the time that little shock settled in – I didn’t know where to begin. How to begin. And society, both of them, didn’t want to know.

When I was a child, I didn’t realize I was different from everyone else. But I’m pretty sure I’ve always been this way – this two-lives way – which means I was probably born twice, was a baby twice. No surprise I’m glad I can’t remember that. Being torn from one set of arms and thrust into another every twenty-four hours? Well, it doesn’t matter how much they love you … Can anyone say issues?

Practice makes perfect though, and I like to think of myself as a pro. I’ve ironed out the kinks; identified the major pitfalls and how to avoid them. I manage. I know who I need to be in each of my lives, and I try not to confuse my brain with the “infinity questions” anymore.

I’ve learned to accept that in one life I love strawberries, while in the other my tastes buds cringe at the flavor. I know that in one life I can speak fluent French, but even though the memory of the language comes with me, in my other life I must not. Then there are the easier things to remember, like Maddie, my gorgeous little sister in one life, and my not-so-great big brothers in my other.

Above all else – though I try not to think about it – I know which life I prefer. And every night when I Cinderella myself from one life to the next, a very small, but definite, piece of me dies. The hardest part is that nothing about my situation has ever changed – the only thing I can be certain of is that my body clock is different from everyone else’s. There is no loophole.

Until now, that is.

Don't forget to enter the contest for a chance to win a ton of signed books by me, Jessica Shirvington, and more! To enter, you need to know that my favorite number is 4! Add up all the favorite numbers of the authors on the red team and you'll have all the secret code to enter for the grand prize! 

CONTINUE THE HUNT

To keep going on your quest for the hunt, you need to check out Jessica Brody, the next author whose site you need to visit!

And because I love giveaways, I've decided to do an additional (completely separate!) giveaway, so you have even more chances to win!

Just fill out the Rafflecopter below, and bam!, you're entered to win a signed ARC of my April release, THE TAKING, along with a bundle of sweet TAKING swag!!!

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

THE (less than) ONE MONTH COUNTDOWN!!!

April's just two days away, and you know what that means, don't you? It means there's less than a month to go until THE TAKING's April 29th release. So I thought I'd share some of the upcoming places I'll be so you can start marking your calendars in case you're in (or even remotely near) any of the cities I'll be. Seriously, events are my favorite things--I love getting the chance to meet you guys!!

But first, check out some of the nice things reviewers have been saying about the book:

Publishers Weekly called THE TAKING an "...engrossing paranormal romance." And says "...the book hurtles toward a high-stakes finish, and a cliffhanger sets up the next installment of this trilogy."

And Kirkus says THE TAKING is a "...a promising start that intrigues as well as it entertains."

School Library Journal calls it "compulsively readable..." and says "...the exciting plot zips along, leaving readers impatiently waiting for the next installment."

RT Book Reviews says "The mystery, romance and action add up to create a roller coaster of a read."

This one isn't a review, but I couldn't resist: Studio System News named THE TAKING one of its top picks for page-to-screen out of all the titles at this year's Bologna Book Fair! So. Cool.

And I already told y'all about the amazing blurbs from all the fancy authors THE TAKING got. 

THE TAKING Tour starts with a huge launch party at the Federal Way Barnes & Noble on Saturday, April 26th (yes, three days before the book is officially released so you can get your copy early!), and then I'll be heading out to Salt Lake City, San Diego, Dallas, Oklahoma City, St. Louis, Kansas City, Chicago, and New Orleans! For all the details (like dates, times, and store locations), check out my EVENTS PAGE here.

Seriously, you should come see me and we'll be all:

Two Months To THE TAKING (A Superhuge Giveaway!)

With the release of the GRIM anthology (including my short story LIGHT IT UP) only days away, we’re also only two short months away from THE TAKING hitting bookshelves! I wish I could articulate how excited this makes me! THE TAKING is the book I’ve been wanting to write my entire life. It pretty much has everything I hold near and dear to me, including sci-fi conspiracies, supernatural abilities, government thugs…and kissing!

And did I mention it’s only TWO MONTHS AWAY?!?!?!

So. Effing. Excited!!!

And because I’m “effing” excited, I’m offering not one, but TWO GIVEAWAYS (one for US residents only, and one for everyone)! I've got ARCs, swag, and some of my favorite books from some of my favorite authors! Yep, there’s a little something for everyone ;)

Both giveaways end on March 1st though, so enter before it’s too late (cue dramatic music)!

This first giveaway is open to both US and international residents:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And this is the one for US residents only:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

(Psst, US residents, feel free to enter BOTH giveaways!)

And be sure to check my Events page in the next few weeks--I'll be announcing my upcoming tour stops and I’d love to see you on the road!!! 

GRIM: The (Gorgeous) Book Trailer!!!

As promised yesterday, here it is, the amazing, stunning, and somewhat eerie book trailer for GRIM:

GRIM - Look What's New

The countdown is on! With just over a week until the Feb 25th release of the GRIM anthology, a collection of some of the creepiest, most inventive fairy tale retellings all cram packed into one place, we've got some cool things to tell you about.

First, you can get a free sneak peek of two of the stories! Both The Key by Rachel Hawkins and The Brothers Piggett by Julie Kagawa are available now on Amazon for Kindle!

Second, there's a blog tour starting today where you can win your very own copy of the full collection, see the book trailer (which I will also be sharing tomorrow!), and keep up with all the authors. My story, Light It Up, will be hosted by Mundie Moms on Monday, Feb. 24th.

And in case you were wondering about the rest of the stories and authors in the anthology, check out this superstar line-up:

1. The Key by Rachel Hawkins
2. Figment by Jeri-Smith Ready
3. The Twelfth Girl by Malinda Lo
4. The Raven Princess by Jon Skovron
5. Thinner Than Water by Saundra Mitchell
6. Before The Rose Bloomed: A Retelling of the Snow Queen by Ellen Hopkins
7. Beast / Beast by Tessa Gratton
8. The Brothers Piggett by Julia Kagawa
9. UnTethered by Sonia Gensler
10. Better by Shaun David Hutchinson
11. Light It Up by Kimberly Derting   
12. Sharper Than A Serpent’s Tongue by Christine Johnson
13. A Real Boy by Claudia Gray
14. Skin Trade by Myra McEntire
15. Beauty and the Chad by Sarah Rees Brennan
16. The Pink: A Grimm Story by Amanda Hocking
17. Sell it Out by Jackson Pearce

Be sure to check back tomorrow for a look at the gorgeous book trailer!

Happy Birthday To THE OFFERING...and where to get your signed copies!!!

I've been waiting for this day for three (very long) years, and now it's here! I can finally share the ending of THE PLEDGE trilogy with all of you! 

And if you've been wondering where you can get a signed copy of THE OFFERING, well, you can stop guessing because The Sequel Books in Enumclaw, WA is now taking orders for signed and/or personalized copies and sending them straight to your doorstep. All you have to do is call them up! 

And if you'd rather get it right away, you can stop by your local bookstore, or download it directly to your Kindle, Nook, Kobo, or any other e-reader you use! (I seriously read on my phone!) 

I can't thank you guys enough for following this journey, and for all your support.  I only hope you love the way this story wraps up for Charlie and her friends as much as I do!