Guest Post & Giveaway ~ "Token of Darkness" by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Token of Darkness
By: Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
Publisher - Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Pages - 208
Level - YA
Giveaway - Five Copies

About the Book -

Cooper Blake has everything going for him—until he wakes from a car accident with his football career in ruins and a mysterious, attractive girl by his side. Cooper doesn’t know how Samantha got there or why he can see her; all he knows is that she’s a ghost, and the shadows that surround her seem intent on destroying her.

No one from Cooper’s old life would understand what he can barely grasp himself. . . . But Delilah, the captain of the cheerleading squad, has secrets of her own, like her ability to see beyond the physical world, and her tangled history with Brent, a loner from a neighboring school who can hear strangers’ most intimate thoughts. Delilah and Brent know that Cooper is in more trouble than he realizes, and that Samantha may not be as innocent as she has led Cooper to believe. But the only way to figure out where Samantha came from will put them all in more danger than they ever dreamed possible.
 
If you're now hooked and HAVE to know what happens, I have FIVE copies of this amazing book to give away! Stay Tuned (I'll fill you in at the bottom) after Amelia's Guest Post that she's written for Park-Avenue Princess!  I aslo wanted to make it a point to say that this week Amelia Atwater-Rhodes is over at RANDOM BUZZERS this week! Do stop by if you'd like to ask her any questions!  Without futher ado, Please make Amelia Feel Welcome!
 

Amelia Atwater-Rhodes Guest Post

 

 

I signed my first publishing contract when I was fourteen; I wrote my first complete novel when I was ten. I graduated high school, undergraduate and graduate school, went to Texas for a semester, have frequently worked full time, and maintain both a social- and love-life, all while continuing to write and publish. So it is not surprising that one of the questions I am most frequently asked is, “How do you do it all?”

 

I wrote Token of Darkness in November, 2007. At the time, I was a full-time student at the University of Massachusetts at Boston. I wrote the rough draft in 30 days as part of National Novel Writing Month (nanowrimo.org), which is part of the answer: I need pressure in order to get anything done. 50k in 30 days (the goal of NaNo) is possible for me. I couldn’t do it every month, because I need to maintain the other parts of my life, but I can rise to the challenge of a goal and the friendly competition of NaNo.

 

What I cannot do is ever get anything done when I have too much time. Summer has always been a difficult time for me, because I tend to be under-scheduled once school lets out (and I am not really a fan of heat and humidity unless I am on vacation with a pool or the beach nearby). If I work out a schedule to organize what needs to be done in a logical form that eliminates stress, I will violate the schedule, or add something to it; too much time kills my inspiration, which tends to come up when I am moving quickly, tackling difficult tasks, problem-solving, or moving from point A to point B in the moments between work. I tend to solve plot problems in the car between appointments, not when I actually sit down to focus on them.

 

It is only recently that I have ever created a schedule or established a specific time for writing. In January, I started a job that I hope to turn into a long-term career. My fiancée and I have also been in the process of buying a house and planning our wedding, and I have finally discovered what might be my limit for how much I can do at one time: full time job, plus writing, plus editing, plus graduate class, plus wedding and house-buying plans. Apparently that combination is difficult (go figure), so I decided I needed to make some kind of plan to ensure I did not lose my writing focus while developing other parts of my life. I have set up 5:30 to 6:30 in the morning as a time for writing projects. This schedule has worked for me since the beginning of January- the trick is to make the coffee and start work before I am awake enough to wonder why I am awake at five in the morning- and I hope I can hold onto it as time moves on, especially as summer months arrive.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

Visit Amelia at her website - HERE!
More About Amelia HERE!

Interested In The Rest Of the Tour?

Monday, March 1st  - Tales of the Ravenous Reader

Tuesday, March 2nd -  Park Avenue Princess

Wednesday, March 3rd - The Story Siren

Thursday, March 4th - Cynthia Leitich Smith

Friday, March 5th  - The Book Butterfly

Monday, March 8th -  Books by Their Covers

TOKEN OF DARKNESS GIVEAWAY!

I have a total of FIVE copies to give away!

One copy to FIVE LUCKY Followers!

Rules

These books are not being sent by me

so, the contest is open to ALL of my followers that have a

US address where they can recieve the book if they are chosen

as a winner!

The only other rule is that you must FOLLOW this Site

through GOOGLE FRIEND CONNECT!

Not Sure if You are? The Duchess has written up a

wonderful tutorial for anyone that need help!

You can find that HERE!

You MUST do this step to QUALIFY! The only other thing I ask you do is that you leave your name/nickame in each post you leave. Something that separates you from everyone else

so that it will be clear if you are chosen as the winner. You must also leave

me with your emailing address so that you can be contacted (even if it is in your profile).

*This Contest ends 3/29/10*

Entries

There are Changes so Make Sure You Read!

+5 If you Subscribe by Mail

+5 If you Subscribe via Google Reader

+5 If you TWEET About This Giveaway (Leave Link)

+10 If you Rate Me On Blogged (see link at bottom of blog)

+10 If you add me to your blog roll (and link it back to my blog)

+10 If you Blog about the Contest in your Sidebar (Link back)

+15 If you blog about this Giveaway in it's own post (Link back)

+20 If you Follow @APrkAvePrincess on Twitter (Leave @name)

+20 If you Put My Button On Your Blog and Link Back

(All will be checked BEFORE they count!)

So, spread the word about Park-Avenue Princess!

It's only a *Click* to Follow and We're NOT that far away!!

80 New Followers to be Exact!

For the Huge 1000 Follower Celebration!

And Because I'd like to get to my 1,000th Follower and

Huge Giveaway as Quickly As Possible

I'll now be offering...

+50 for each and every NEW follower you bring me

(They just have to mention it in their post! You will BOTH Get the Points!)

YES EVERY PERSON YOU SEND!

They must remain followers at least until the specific contest you

signed up for is finished!

Although, I'd like you to stay signed up forever!

I have some really AMAZING prizes coming up!

Separate your entries one per post! (either each or just +5 for example)

Or you will only have One Entry Regardless of What You Do!

So...SPREAD the Word! It's ONLY A Click & a Follow!

GOOD LUCK and HAVE FUN!!

KISSES and TOODLES