Summer Scares Resources

Click here to immediately access the Summer Scares Resource page so that you can add some professionally vetted horror titles into your reading suggestions and fiction collections for all age levels.

Thursday, June 8, 2023

#HorrorForLibraries Giveaway 126: Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno Garcia

This week I have a copy of one of the most anticipated Horror titles of the summer, by a very popular author with wide appeal. Details below, but first, here is how you enter:

  1. You need to be affiliated with an American public library. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Each entry will be considered for EVERY giveaway. Meaning you enter once, and you are entered until you win. I will randomly draw a winner on Fridays sometime after 5pm central. But only entries received by 5pm each week will be considered for that week. I use Random.org and have a member of my family witness the "draw"based off your number in the Google Sheet.
  4. 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.

Click here to see giveaway #125. Our winner was Andy from Gail Borden [IL] Public Library District . Now on to today's giveaway.

This week I have the upcoming book from NYT Bestselling author Silvia Moreno-Garcia, entitled Silver Nitrate. Here is my draft Library Journal review from the June 2023 issue:

Three Words That Describe This Book: superlative world building, occult film, thought provoking. 

Draft Review: Montserrat is the only woman working as an audio editor in the old boys club of Mexico City’s b-film industry in the 1990s. Tristán is a former soap star whose life was turned upside down 10 years ago when he was disfigured in a car crash that killed his girlfriend and co-star. The two childhood best friends are barely getting by when they meet Tristán’s neighbor, one of their favorite cult directors, whose career was ruined when he was unable to complete a film for a Nazi occultist. The elderly director wants their help to finish the scene that holds the final spell that the occultist promised would bring them all great fortune. But once they agree, a dark magic is reawakened, revealing itself in terrifying ways, gaining a power that may be unstoppable. Told from both Montserrat and Tristán’s viewpoints, Moreno-Garcia effortlessly delivers the details of place and the friend’s complicated personal relationship without sacrificing the compelling pace and intriguing plot, one that comtemplates racism, sexism, and the allure of using magic to change your luck, even when you know it is the wrong choice.

Verdict: Moreno-Garcia has written both a love letter to Mexico City’s film industry and an excellent entry into the popular Horror subgenre of occult films. Suggest to fans of The Shoemaker’s Magician by Pelayo, Experimental Film by Files, and The Remaking by Chapman.
Good News, Bad News. Bad News first: the giveaway will be off next week because I will be at StokerCon. Good News: I will be coming home with dozen of ARCs all to give away to one of you.

Enter now and you are entered going forward. 

Good luck!

Thursday, June 1, 2023

#HorrorForLibraries Giveaway 125: The Beast You Are by Paul Tremblay With Star Review Access

This week I have a copy of one of the most anticipated Horror titles of the summer, a book that is getting many STAR reviews [not just from me]. Details below, but first, here is how you enter:

  1. You need to be affiliated with an American public library. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Each entry will be considered for EVERY giveaway. Meaning you enter once, and you are entered until you win. I will randomly draw a winner on Fridays sometime after 5pm central. But only entries received by 5pm each week will be considered for that week. I use Random.org and have a member of my family witness the "draw"based off your number in the Google Sheet.
  4. 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.

Click here to see giveaway #124. Our winner was Keri from Somerville [MA] Public Library. Now on to today's giveaway.

Yesterday on the regular blog, I posted links to my June 2023 Library Journal Horror Review Column. I will have many of those titles to give away in the coming weeks, but today I want to start with one of my STAR reviews, The Beast You Are: Stories by Paul Tremblay. Here is my Goodreads posted review.

Star review in the June 2023 issue of Library Journal

Interview with Tremblay also included in that issue. [Link coming soon]

 Three Words That's Describe This Book: menacing. strong narrative voice, pervasively creepy 

 Draft Review: Tremblay returns with his second Horror collection, this time gathering 15 tales, some from award winning anthologies, others gems previously only available in smaller outlets, all of which will be enjoyed by long time fans and new readers alike. Showcasing his award winning brand of Psychological Horror, which, while never eschewing violence, derives its emotional terror from the characters, as he reveals a terrible truth and then makes readers watch as the characters must confront both the horror itself and their reactions to it. Every story, no matter the specific details, will break the reader's heart but ultimately leave them with hope. The new, titular novella which anchors this volume is a great example. Subtly nestled into his A Head Full of Ghosts universe, Tremblay presents an unsettling, anthropomorphic animal story, told in free verse, a captivating, visceral, and menacing tale that while fantastical is also clearly about humanity right at this moment. Readers will be unable to look away, even as they see themselves in the horror. 

 Verdict: Yet another not to miss release by the popular and critically acclaimed Tremblay, showcasing a discomfort that is reminiscent of Shirley Jackson, but also leading a new generation of authors who proudly work within Horror’s tropes while constantly striving to do something new and thought provoking with the genre such as Stephen Graham Jones, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Grady Hendrix, and Victor LaValle.

I am VERY tough on authors I know are excellent and this collection had to cross a high bar to get this STAR. It opens with one of my favorite Tremblay stories, the story that opened Ellen Datlow's amazing Echoes: The Saga Anthology of Ghost Stories, which I also gave a star too. There are also new to me stories in this collection, such as "Mean Time," which I am still thinking about. But it is the eponymous novella, original to the collection, which blew me away. Just read it. 

This collection has an excellent "Story Notes" section which are great for new fans of Tremblay but equally a treat for those of us who loves the connections between the stories in his universe. 

Remember, enter once and you are entered going forward, and going forward I have more titles from the column plus the ARCs I will be getting at StokerCon in 2 weeks. 

Good luck to all.

Thursday, May 25, 2023

#HorrorForLibraries Giveaway 124: A High Demand 2-fer

This week I have two books for 1 winner. The first, a big, upcoming release from PRH by a well known author. The second, a hotly anticipated title by a cult Horror author from a trusted small press. Details below, but first, here is how you enter:

  1. You need to be affiliated with an American public library. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Each entry will be considered for EVERY giveaway. Meaning you enter once, and you are entered until you win. I will randomly draw a winner on Fridays sometime after 5pm central. But only entries received by 5pm each week will be considered for that week. I use Random.org and have a member of my family witness the "draw"based off your number in the Google Sheet.
  4. 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.

Click here to see giveaway #123. Our winner was Alfredo from Castro Library (CA) Library. Now on to today's giveaway.

I am sending 1 winner 2 books this week. Why? Because they are both EXCELLENT and the first is most likely one that you already have on order, while the other is one you may not know about without my intervention.

First, that blockbuster title. The Puzzle Master, the new novel by New York  Times Bestseller Danielle Trussoni. From Goodreads

Reality and the supernatural collide when an expert puzzle maker is thrust into an ancient mystery—one with explosive consequences for the fate of humanity—in this suspenseful thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Angelology

All the world is a puzzle, and Mike Brink—a celebrated and ingenious puzzle constructor—understands its patterns like no one else. Once a promising Midwestern football star, Brink was transformed by a traumatic brain injury that caused a rare medical condition: acquired savant syndrome. The injury left him with a mental superpower—he can solve puzzles in ways ordinary people can't. But it also left him deeply isolated, unable to fully connect with other people.

Everything changes after Brink meets Jess Price, a woman serving thirty years in prison for murder who hasn't spoken a word since her arrest five years before. When Price draws a perplexing puzzle, her psychiatrist believes it will explain her crime and calls Brink to solve it. What begins as a desire to crack an alluring cipher quickly morphs into an obsession with Price herself. She soon reveals that there is something more urgent, and more dangerous, behind her silence, thrusting Brink into a hunt for the truth.

The quest takes Brink through a series of interlocking enigmas, but the heart of the mystery is the God Puzzle, a cryptic ancient prayer circle created by the thirteenth-century Jewish mystic Abraham Abulafia. As Brink navigates a maze of clues, and his emotional entanglement with Price becomes more intense, he realizes that there are powerful forces at work that he cannot escape.

Ranging from an upstate New York women's prison to nineteenth-century Prague to the secret rooms of the Pierpont Morgan Library, The Puzzle Master is a tantalizing, addictive thriller in which humankind, technology, and the future of the universe itself are at stake.

This is a SF-Thriler-Horror hybrid title that will appeal to all of you Blake Crouch readers. It is not to miss. 

This title alone would make this a great week to win, but wait....there's more!

Danger Slater is a name we'll known to Bizarro fans and his latest entitled House of Rot, is with frequent contributor to the #HorrorForLibraries giveaway, Tenebrous Press and it is Fungus Horror! From Goodreads:
The pink mold growing on the walls isn’t the worst thing about Elenya and Myles’ brand new fixer upper. There’s also the inexplicable footsteps in the night; the sealed-over windows and doors; the neighbor that hears their screams but can’t be bothered to help. Soon, there’s no leaving at all. No hope of cleaning. And that encroaching mold? It’s practically become a second skin. Welcome to the House of Rot . You’re never getting out.

This one is great. I  hope everyone figures out a way to order it for their libraries, but one of you is going to get a free ARC as well. 

Enter today. And remember, enter once and you are entered going forward. And if you have won before, as long as you wait a month, you can enter again. There are currently over 80 people in the running.  

And next week, I have the upcoming Paul Tremblay collection, so get your name in the running now.

Good luck!

Thursday, May 18, 2023

#HorrorForLibraries Giveaway 123: A Finished Copy of Jackal, Jackal

This week I have a finished copy of a collection that I have a glowing review to in Booklist, courtesy of an award winning small press. Details below, but first, here is how you enter:

  1. You need to be affiliated with an American public library. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Each entry will be considered for EVERY giveaway. Meaning you enter once, and you are entered until you win. I will randomly draw a winner on Fridays sometime after 5pm central. But only entries received by 5pm each week will be considered for that week. I use Random.org and have a member of my family witness the "draw"based off your number in the Google Sheet.
  4. 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.

Click here to see giveaway #122. Our winner was Debbie from Helen Plum [IL] Library. Now on to today's giveaway.

On the May 1, issue of Booklist, I had this review:

Jackal, Jackal: Tales of the Dark Fantastic
by Tobi Ogundiran July 2023. 317p. 
Undertow, paper, $18.99 (9781988964430). 
First published May 1, 2023 (Booklist). 

With award nominations piling up for stories scattered across the speculative fiction publishing landscape, Ogundrian thankfully has gathered 18 of his compelling tales of dark magic in one place. Clearly framed by the author’s Nigerian roots, but with a conscious nod to dark speculative tales from all over the world, the stories in this volume will captivate readers with their haunting atmosphere, confident voice, and immersive settings. The two original stories in this collection are a great example. “Jackal. Jackal,” expertly combines the animal masks as a form of haunting trope with a cautionary tale of what happens when you try to erase the past, injecting it all with new terror in just a few short pages, while “Midnight in Moscow,” riffs off of the well-known Slavic character of Baba Yaga to showcase the enduring power of folklore across cultures. A great introduction to an up-and-coming author, this book will appeal to readers of dark speculative fiction by marginalized voices who actively engage with the white western canon such as Stephen Graham Jones, Marlon James, and Cassandra Khaw.

Three Words That Describe This Book: Haunting, Immersive, Compelling

I have a lot more to say about the HUGE appeal of this excellent collection over on the general blog, including readlaikes for specific stories and more authors who you should check out.

This is a finished copy which Undertow sent to me after the book published. I gave my ARC away to a local library and am offering this book in hopes that you add it to your library immediately. But back to Undertow Publications, they have been awarded the 2022 Bram Stoker Award for Speciality Press. Click here for that announcement. Also they have a book up for a Bram Stoker Award as well, Breakable Things, which I gave a STAR review in the October 2022 issue of Library Journal.

This is a press and a book you want to keep on your radar for dark fiction collection development. As I said in that longer post when the review went live:

It is a great collection from a trusted small press. Totally worth an add, especially because he has that epic fantasy series coming. Get this on the shelf before Ogundiran's popularity explodes.

Enter now and you are entered going forward. Next week, I have a 2-fer: a cult Horror fav paired with an upcoming book by a mainstream author who is also the NYT Books Horror columnist. And then we are into June and the giveaway EXPLODES into the biggest titles of Summer and Fall coming at you all Summer long. In other words, get in on the giveaway sooner rather than later.

Good Luck!

Thursday, May 11, 2023

#HorrorForLibraries Giveaway 122: A Signed Copy of The Complex by Brian Keene

This week I have a signed copy of a book that I proclaim in my book as a "start with" title for one of the genres top authors. Details below, but first, here is how you enter:

  1. You need to be affiliated with an American public library. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Each entry will be considered for EVERY giveaway. Meaning you enter once, and you are entered until you win. I will randomly draw a winner on Fridays sometime after 5pm central. But only entries received by 5pm each week will be considered for that week. I use Random.org and have a member of my family witness the "draw"based off your number in the Google Sheet.
  4. 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.

Click here to see giveaway #121. Our winner was Christopher from Buncombe County [NC] Library. Now on to today's giveaway.

In Chapter 2 of my book, I give an overview of the genre right now. In it, I name Brian Keene as one of my "Old Guard." I write about his work as a protector of the genre and a mentor to many of its best new voices. But then I get to his writing as I say:

However, while his importance as a mentor is unparalleled, he is also a fantastic writer. The undisputed king of mainstream pulp horror, Keene is a master at describing the dismemberment of bodies. He writes blue-collar horror featuring the people he encounters in his own life, from all political spectrums, and as a result. all of his characters are fully realized, heroes and villains. He also does not shy away from writing from the point of view of women or marginalized voices. Readers new to Keene can try The Rising, but the autobiographical and more recent, The Complex is the best place to begin.

The Complex is the best book to showcase how Brian Keene writes today. It perfectly captures why readers love him.

Last week, Brian came Bucket O'Blood in Chicago for an event and I was there. I bought a copy of The Complex with the intent to have him  sign it and give it away to one of you. 

So this week, a signed, finished copy of The Complex is going to one of you to add to your library collections. But to all of you, I want to remind you to add Brian Keene titles to your circulating collections. Since he mostly publishes with small presses, you have to order from a book store. Here is the Bookshop.org link to Keene's catalog to make it easier for you.

Make sure you have The Rising (credited as part of a trifecta that marked the beginning the 21st Century zombie craze- info in the link), Earthworm Gods (one of the first cli-fi horror novels of this era and an OG Summer Scares title), Ghoul (an emotional coming-of-age horror story), and of course, The Complex (being given away today), at a bare minimum. I promise you, they will be very popular.

Enter now and you are entered going forward. And forward includes books by Isabel Cañas, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Clay McLeod Chapman, Paul Tremblay, lots of Nightfire authors, and more. 

Good luck!

Photographic proof that Brian signed
the book just for my winner.


Thursday, May 4, 2023

#HorrorForLibaries Giveaway 121: Whalefall by Daniel Kraus

This week I have a title that I can already tell you is one of the best Horror books of the year. I gave it a STAR in Booklist's May 1, 2023 issue. Details below, but first, here is how you enter:

  1. You need to be affiliated with an American public library. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Each entry will be considered for EVERY giveaway. Meaning you enter once, and you are entered until you win. I will randomly draw a winner on Fridays sometime after 5pm central. But only entries received by 5pm each week will be considered for that week. I use Random.org and have a member of my family witness the "draw"based off your number in the Google Sheet.
  4. 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.

Click here to see giveaway #119. Our winner was Meghan from Sargent Memorial [MA] Library. Now on to today's giveaway.

Back to today's giveaway then. Whalefall by this year's Summer Scares Spokesperson, Daniel Kraus, is everything you expect it to be and also, so much more. It is an adventure thriller done to perfection. But it is also an emotional story about family relationships and grappling with death; it is a tale filled with  while wonder, awe, an deep sadness; it is disgusting and exciting and beautiful. I wrote about it in more on the main blog a few days ago here, but below is the draft review for the sake of this post:

STAR
Whalefall 
by Daniel Kraus 
Aug. 2023. 336p. MTV, $27.99 (9781665918169); e-book (9781665918183). First published May 1, 2023 (Booklist). 

Prolific, bestseller Kraus presents a moving character study disguised as a riveting, cinematic, survival thriller. Jay is a high school senior dealing not only with the loss of his local hero and diving legend father, Mitt, but also his unresolved anger with their complicated relationship. In an attempt to bring some peace to his mother and sisters, Jay attempts a dangerous solo dive that is cut short when he is swallowed by a whale. Told from Jay’s point of view in short, alternating chapters set in the present, denoted by how much air is left in his tank, and the past, mostly between 2015 and 2021, readers fall into the story immediately. The pacing is relentless, the awe, astounding, and the tension, palpably constricting, even as Kraus takes time to add the necessary details both scientific and visceral. However, it is Jay’s constant growth throughout the story where this novel shines, allowing its beauty to emerge, and leave its mark on all who encounter it. An easy sell to fans of Ocean Horror like Pressure by Keene or harrowing survival stories like 127 Hours by Ralston, but also those who love the wonder, disgust, and heartfelt emotions found in Eric LaRocca’s work. 

YA Statement: Written by an author with many YA fans, featuring a 17 year old protagonist and mixing high-action, high stakes adventure with an honest look at a complicated parent-child relationship, WHALEFALL will attract a wide range of teen readers.

Again, click here for a lot more from me on this book including more readalikes, appeal commentary, and my 3 words.

Thank you to MTV Books for the ARC. Remember, enter once and you are entered going forward. And you should enter if you want this book because I will have another giveaway after StokerCon since we will also have copies to giveaway there as well. 

Get on this title now and make sure you have a few copies preordered to have on hand 8/8. It is going to be popular. 

Thursday, April 27, 2023

Horror for Libraries Giveaway 120: The Salt Grows Heavy and Agony's Lodestone

This week I have 2 titles for 1 winner. One is a hotly anticipated novella that I gave a STAR in LJ and the other a new voice, from an emerging small press, that is getting a lot of praise. Details below, but first, here is how you enter:

  1. You need to be affiliated with an American public library. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Each entry will be considered for EVERY giveaway. Meaning you enter once, and you are entered until you win. I will randomly draw a winner on Fridays sometime after 5pm central. But only entries received by 5pm each week will be considered for that week. I use Random.org and have a member of my family witness the "draw"based off your number in the Google Sheet.
  4. 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.

Click here to see giveaway #119. Our 2 winners were Juliana from New Lennox [IL] Public Library and Brenda from Westlake Porter [OH] Public Library Now to this week's giveaway.

First a book I already told you about in the April 2023 issue of Library Journal, where I gave it a STAR. The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw. This book is definitely Horror, but I need to tell you, it also has one of the most beautiful endings to a book I have ever read, in any genre. I am still thinking about it.

Here is the link and text of my review.

Three Words That Describe This Book: Visceral, Reclaiming a Myth, Lush 

Draft Review: What if the Little Mermaid laid eggs and her hatched children’s hunger laid waste to her prince’s land? Khaw’s latest novella tackles this question head on with a brutally visceral but seductive opening sequence. The mermaid, done being held captive and rendered mute by her husband, meets up with the only survivor, a plague doctor, to move on. They quickly come upon a band of children gleefully hunting one of their own at the direction of their keepers, “The Saints,” three adult cult leaders who rebuild the near-death child with parts taken from themselves. Told in three sections, each satisfyingly complete as its own story, ending with a cliffhanger, this compelling tale features strong world building, innovative uses of body horror tropes, lush language, and a captivatingly direct narration, as it takes protagonists and readers on a journey to contemplate what it means to be “saved.”

Verdict: With this brilliantly constructed tale that consciously takes on a well known story and violently breaks it open to reveal a heartfelt core, Khaw cements their status as a must read author. For fans of sinister, thought provoking, horrific retellings of western classics by marginalized voices like those written by Helen Oyoyemi and Ahmed Saadawi.

I will also have an interview with Khaw in the July 2023 issue of Library Journal which features my cover story-- the Horror Genre review.

Thanks to Nightfire for the ARC to give away. The book comes out next month.

I also like to pair hotly anticipated titles with ones you may not be aware of and since Khaw's book is a novella (and slim), I am going to add another title to the package. This one is from up and coming publisher Tenebrous Press. I have been impressed with their range of titles, and I think libraries should consider adding them. I will also be meeting the owners at StokerCon, (even the one who lives in Romania is coming), and I hope to have some more formal partnerships in the future. But in the meantime, here is the post they did for me last October, to introduce themselves to libraries.

The specific ARC I am giving away is Agony's Lodestone by Laura Keating. It came out on April 14th and is getting a lot of praise from readers. Here is the publisher's summary:

A grave could be visited. Ashes could be scattered. But simply vanishing? That ripped a hole in the world the size of a life, and through that hole sighed a terrible wind repeating a single note: 

Gone. 

For years, Aggie had forgotten the real Joanne, the way her sister had laughed, fought, been. But now that the videotape made her real again—no matter how many times the recording changed, no matter how terrifying the flickering images—it was all Aggie wanted. To trade the Gone for the One. She owed Joanne that much. To say she was sorry. That it had been her fault.

It had been all their faults.

One winner will get both advance copies.  

Remember, if you enter once you are entered going forward. 

Good luck!