2014 News and Giveaways - My YA Debut Year has begun!!!

It's a New Year! I love the sound of 2014 - even if it freaks me out to think it's already 2014! I remember the big anticipation to be alive for the Big Millenium 2000! And here we are, already 14 years beyond that. Weird! (Plus my birthday this year will be February 14, 2014 and I just like the sound of it - despite my age.)

I also can't believe that 2014 is my Young Adult Debut year! After writing for, um, 2-3 decades, and writing the first draft of FORBIDDEN in 2003 - after years of research, it's finally happening.

FORBIDDEN was originally called "Secret Rites of the Goddess" and has been through many configurations, drafts, and rewrites - what else is new? But the heart of the story remains the same: The ancient art of belly dance, goddess temples, tribal warfare, betrothals, murder, blackmail, family, faith, survival, and true love.

Isn't she stunning!

I'm not going to make this a long post this week since I'll be talking about the story of FORBIDDEN, my research, including a research trip a year ago in February to Jordan and Israel, over this coming year. And I'll post PICTURES!!!

Suffice it to say for now that FORBIDDEN is a story very dear to my heart, a story I continued to believe in despite all the rewriting and more rewriting, and rejections and selling two different times to two different publishers to finally land at Harpercollins in a superb deal with a marvelous editor. The second time it sold was for 10 times the original deal! Mind-boggling.

Here is the official announcement from more than two years ago! Whew, I've had to wait a long time for this book. (It was delayed from publishing in 2013 to 2014 due to personal and publisher circumstances.)

Children's: Young Adult
Kimberley Griffiths Little's GODDESS, pitched as "the YA Red Tent", to Harper Children's, in a significant deal, in a pre-empt, in a three-book deal, for publication in beginning in 2013, by Adams Literary (US).

Don't be fooled by the mention of Harper Children's, this is an upper Young Adult epic historical novel with some difficult, heart-wrenching scenes and will be published under Harpercollins, not HarperTeen, to capture the adult cross-over market as well. *big smile*

Here's the unofficial synopsis:

"FORBIDDEN is a sweepingly epic and sensuous novel, a story of peer pressure and cults set against the ancient art of belly dance, in which 16-year-old Jayden’s faith and character is tested to their limits, even death, as she watches her family and the world around her fall apart.

Betrothed to the tribal leader's son, Jayden is blackmailed over the murder of their beloved leader when he is found poisoned, all while hiding her forbidden love of Kadesh, a stranger from the secret frankincense lands.

The Goddess temples of Ashtoreth may be Jayden’s only escape, even though the allure of the sexual rites tempt the women of the desert to turn their back on everything they hold sacred.

Jayden must undertake a deadly journey to save the ones she loves—and find a true love for herself."

To celebrate this momentous year every single month of 2014 I'll be giving away Middle Eastern earrings, luscious belly dance scarves, and a YA novel of *your* choice!  Like the items in this picture! 

Yes, every single month during 2014 I'll give away a pair of gorgeous earrings, a beautiful scarf to make you feel like the luscious woman/girl you are, and a hardcover YA novel of your choice. Awesome, huh? I'm excited!

And if you don't want to miss any news as it happens for any of my books with Scholastic, Spellbound Books, or Harpercollins, please go here to sign up for my brand new newsletter launching in February! Sign-Up for Kimberley's Newsletter

Click here to *Add* FORBIDDEN to your Want-To-Read List on GOODREADS!

I promised this would be short . . . eek! Just leave a comment to enter the Giveaway! Easy-peasy. Extra entries for Newsletter Sign-ups and Goodreads Adds. Of course. Deadline to enter two weeks from today: February 3rd. Winner announced February 4th.

Warmly,
Kimberley

P.S. Coming in the next post: News on my next Middle-Grade novel this summer and other publishing Very Cool Things.