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Thursday, September 10, 2020

#HorrorForLibraries Giveaway #17: Plain Bad Heroines and The Blade Between

First, a reminder that these giveaways will be running every week, on Thursdays, for the foreseeable future. And here is the best part, if you enter any week, you are eligible for ALL weeks.

The only rule is that you need to be affiliated with a public library in America or Canada. My rationale behind that is that I will be encouraging you to read these books and share them with patrons. While many of them are advanced reader copies that you cannot add to your collections, if you get the chance to read them, my hope is that you will consider ordering a copy for your library and give away the ARC away as a prize or pass it on to a fellow staff member.


Okay now how to enter. If you are interested in being included in any giveaway at any time, you must email me at zombiegrl75 [at] gmail [dot] com with the subject line "#HorrorForLibraries." In the body of the email all you have to say is that you want to be entered and the name of your library.


Each entry will be considered for EVERY giveaway. I will randomly draw a winner on Fridays sometime after 5pm central. But only entries received by 5pm will be considered.


If you win, you are ineligible to win again for 4 weeks; you will have to re-enter after that time to be considered [I have a list of who has won, when, and what title]. However, if you do not win, you carry over into the next week. There is NO NEED to reenter.


Why I am doing this? Well, one of the parts of my job that has gone away for the time being is my visits to libraries, library conferences, and library systems to provide general RA training. On all of those visits, I would  fill my suitcase with giveaway titles and they were mostly horror. It not only gave me a chance to give away books as prizes, but it also allowed me the opportunity to book talk horror even if that wasn't on the agenda.


Now that my services have transferred to 100% virtual, for the time being, I have an overflow of books in my house and less of chance to promote horror to the unsuspecting masses of library workers.


And thus my #HorrorForLibraries giveaway is born. This will be going on indefinitely, so the sooner you enter the better your chances.


Click here to see giveaway #16. Our winner was Michael from Jessamine County [KY] Public Library.


This week I  am very excited to finally be able to giveaway my copies of two of the most hotly anticipated horror novels of the season. The Blade Between by Sam J. Miller and Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth [pictured, the already read ARCs, the actual giveaway copies]. 


Both have an LGBTQ frame which, while essential to the story, just is. This is the best kind of inclusive and diverse storytelling. Main characters are gay or have fluid sexuality, and while that matters in that it makes them who they are, neither is about "coming out." And most importantly, the horror is NOT related to their sexuality in any way. 


I enjoyed both of these books, but I LOVED Plain Bad Heroines. Here are snippets from the drafts I turned into Library Journal for my October Horror Review Column.


The Blade BetweenFilled with intense dread and unease that permeates every page, well drawn, if flawed characters, social commentary, and a satisfying resolution, this is a great example of how, Cosmic Horror, a century old subgenre, can still speak directly to today’s readers. 


Plain Bad Heroines: At its heart, this is a novel that asks its reader to contemplate how all stories are told. Which horrors are real, which are imagined, and which are consciously constructed? With a pointed female focus, an unease constantly seeping in from the perimeter, spilling fear all over the page at key moments, and characters that leap off the page, this volume will be sure to inspire many fans. [Starred Review]

Enter now to win both. And thanks to Lainey from Harper Collins' Library Marketing Team for making sure I got print copies of each, despite the bad pandemic timing, precisely so after I read them for review, I could pass them on to one of you!


Good luck!

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