Spring Conferences!!

Spring is getting closer! Which means allergies, pink popcorn blossoms, more sunshine, and fun writing conferences like the Romantic Times Convention in Las Vegas - and I'm GOING THIS YEAR for the first time! Here's my schedule: 

April 12: Tuesday Night at 10:30 I'll be at the YA Slumber Party; games and fun and TONS OF GIVEAWAYS for everyone!!
April 13: Wednesday Evening at 7:30 the RT Viva La Historical Soiree! Godiva Chocolates and Champagne!
April 14: Thursday at 3:00, the YA Panel and Party "You're Never too Old For YA"
April 15: Friday, club RT round tables. Come find me and chat about books, writing, publishing, whatever you want! There will be tons of swag and books and goodies! 
April 15: Friday from 4:00-5:30 GIANT BOOK SIGNING. I'll be there signing copies of FORBIDDEN and BANISHED. With swag and goodies! Come find me! 

I will also be attending the LDSTORYMAKERS Conference at the Utah Valley Convention Center in Provo, UtahMMay 6-7th!  Tons of Fun and Friends and Inspiration! 

And I just *might* be doing a bookstore launch party for BANISHED on Thursday evening, May 4th in Salt Lake City so stay tuned. More details in a few weeks. 

Other Blogs I've been hanging out at lately: 

Come read all about Common Beginner Tics at Literary Rambles: 

The Dark Faeries Blog 50 Shades of Book Boys: I give you fun facts about Kadesh, my mysteriuos boy from the Frankincense Lands. AND a fabulous giveaway of BANISHED and lots of beautiful swag and jeweled bookmarks.  

A beautiful Review of BANISHED at With Love for Books

A heartfelt and gorgeous review of BANISHED by Laura Fabiani at Library of Clean Reads

A THOUSAND THANKS to everyone who has Read and Reviewed and Tweeted and made February such a grand book launch month for BANISHED!!!

Consider yourself showered with cookies! 

xo,
Kimberley

www.kimberleygriffithslittle.com

BANISHED is born! Launch Party Details, too!

Happy book birthday to BANISHED, Book 2 of the FORBIDDEN trilogy!  Please come to the fabulous Book Launch Party in Albuquerque!

I'm thrilled to share the news that BANISHED (Harpercollins), is out in bookstores at last, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and wherever books are sold. If you haven't had a chance to read FORBIDDEN yet, you can grab it on Kindle/Nook or the paperback for only a few bucks. It does end at a big cliffhanger, but now you can read BANISHED immediately. :-)

BOOKLIST gave BANISHED a fabulous review: "Jayden achieves almost superhero status here, moving from adventure to adventure—not even a near-death stoning can stop her. Little's descriptions of the landscape are evocative in both desolation and in beauty. Just as good is her pacing, which gets the blood pumping for both characters and readers. Far more than a bridge book, this will heighten anticipation for a no-doubt exciting conclusion."

Friday, February 26, 2016 at 6:00 p.m. BANISHED Book Launch Party at Bookworks Bookstore !

Bookworks on Rio Grande Blvd in Albuquerque at 6:00 p.m. There will be a tribal dancer, a Presentation about The Ancient Frankincense Trail, food, books, and fun!

 

Can’t attend? You can Order Autographed Copies by calling the store at 505-344-8139 and they’ll ship them to you!

This photograph is from a fan who ensconced a copy of BANISHED on a luxurious bed of scarves. I love it!

Quotes from the book! 

 Isn't this eye ribbon divine? Try it while reading BANISHED! 

A thousand thanks for all the support, my dear friends. I couldn't have a writing career without readers like you.
xo, Kimberley 

WINNERS of the FORBIDDEN Giveaway Announced!

MANY THANKS for entering the giveaway, everyone! I truly LOVED reading your enthusiasm and comments, and I'm so thrilled about this trilogy and hope you get a chance to read it.

With the inexpensive Kindle, Nook, and Paperback of FORBIDDEN out now, consider using the book for your Book Club. Here's a marvelous Book Club Guide I created: http://www.kimberleygriffithslittle.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Forbidden-Book-Club-Guide.pdf

OR request your local library to order FORBIDDEN and BANISHED and then you can read them for FREE! Libraries *will* order books their patrons request and those sales help me to be able to keep writing more books. :-)

And now for our WINNERS!! The Random Generator chose The 11th and 25th Commenters.

CONGRATULATIONS CJReynolds52 and Mary Preston!!! Very excited for you!

Please email me at kglittle@msn.com with your address and let me know if you'd like a hardcover of FORBIDDEN, a paperback, or a Kindle version. 

Enjoy FORBIDDEN's ***Amazing*** book trailer filmed on location in the deserts of ancient Jordan near Petra. 

Happy Monday and Happy Reading!

xo,
Kimberley

LOVELY News and TWO lovely giveaways of FORBIDDEN!

The last time I posted I was leaving for YALLFest in Charleston where I was part of the YASeries Insiders booth and did several library and high school events there and in North Carolina.

During the travel I was on deadline for Book 3 of the FORBIDDEN trilogy and very, very late getting it finished for my editor at Harper. I worked on the planes, my hotels, B&B's and then at my brother-in-law's house in Arizona during the long Thanksgiving weekend, working until midnight every night.

I wrote 50,000 words during that month of travel and 3 time zones, finally finishing the first 100,000 word draft--a draft I'd struggled mightily with all summer during family crises and a crisis of my own called "MENTAL 3rd Book PSYCH-OUT!" :-)

I did a first read-through revision while Christmas shopping, decorating, preparing for company, and then getting super, super sick, but I turned it in! Whew!

. . . and I have wonderful things to share today! 

FIRST! FORBIDDEN is only $1.99 on Kindle! Grab yours before BANISHED launches ONE MONTH FROM TODAY!!! 

 FORBIDDEN also launches TODAY in PAPERBACK for only $9.99! It's lovely and contains the first chapter of BANISHED in the back! So you get a sneak peek! (Giveaway Info at the bottom of this post!)

BOOKLIST gave BANISHED a fabulous review and I'm so excited for readers to enjoy the next installment of Jayden's story as she travels into the frankincense lands where the Goddess Temples of Sariba are even more dangerous and explosive - and Kadesh's life as prince of this mysterious land is not all that it seems. New characters and adventures and heartache as Horeb follows Jayden along the 2,000 mile trek into the deadly desert along the Red Sea to capture her and claim her for his own--with an army of Assyrians, their long-time enemies. Romance and danger abound. I've included a teaser graphic of the first line of the book below.

Here's a lovely widget - only 27 days left!!

I'm giving away a Kindle Copy of FORBIDDEN and a Paperback copy of FORBIDDEN to two lucky winners! 

Just leave a comment here! Easy-peasy. Included in your prize packages will be a beautiful jeweled bookmark, a Forbidden key-chain, and Middle Eastern earrings! 

Happy Reading!

xo,
Kimberley

I'll bee at YALLFest and the Charleston Public Library this weekend!

I'm heading out tomorrow morning before dawn to Charleston for the big and fabulous YALLFfest Book Festival. Go here for the dozens of bestselling and your favorite YA authors and when they're speaking. 

The Young Adult Series Insiders that I helped found two years ago will have a booth at the Giant Book Signing Tent on King Street in Charleston, hosted by the fabulous Blue Bicycle Books. We've got giveaways and swag and chatting about books and YA authors so come visit us on Saturday anytime from 9-5 p.m.

And, I'm doing some super fun panels and parties on Friday and Sunday surrounding Yallfest. Come see us!

Friday, November 13th 1:00pm

Main Library Auditorium

So You Want to Be a YA Author: Pathways to Publication

Have you written a manuscript you think is worthy of publication and not sure what to do next? Do you want to write a YA novel and are not sure how to start? A panel of award-winning and critically-acclaimed Young Adult authors will share the secrets of their success and tips for getting published. After the panel, authors will be available to meet with participants to discuss their individual manuscripts and goals. Panelists include: Hannah Barnaby (Wonder Show); Martina Boone (Compulsion); Lori Goldstein (Becoming Jinn); Kim Liggett (Blood and Salt); Kimberley Griffiths Little (Forbidden), Sandra Waugh (Lark Rising).

Sunday, November 15th 2:30 pm

Main Library Teen Lounge

Girl Power:  Strong Women in YA Literature

Cure your post-YALLFest blues with this panel of YA authors discussing their latest projects featuring young women who develop and wield their personal and supernatural powers. Panelists include:  Hannah Barnaby (Wonder Show); Martina Boone (Compulsion); Lori Goldstein (Becoming Jinn); Kim Liggett (Blood and Salt); Kimberley Griffiths Little (Forbidden), and Sandra Waugh (Lark Rising)

Sunday, November 15th 3:30 pm

Main Library Teen Lounge

YA Series Insiders Book Party

What better way to wrap up a thrilling weekend of YA literature than with book dating, games, snacks, books and prizes, and a chance to meet and mingle with authors from YA books across a spectrum of genres. We’ll be serving up laughs and asking you to join in the conversations with and between the authors!
 
It's a thrill to be a part of the Young Adult writing world and to meet readers from all over the country.

A thousand thanks for reading and reviewing Forbidden as well as pre-ordering Book 2, Banished, which releases February 2nd!!!

xo,
Kimberley

www.kimberleygriffithslittle.com

 

 

BOOKLIST's Top 10 Young Adult Romance novels of 2015!

 SO. Very. Thrilled! To have Forbidden chosen for this Top 10 list of YA Romances of the year blows me away. I am in awe with the other authors I get to keep company.

Thank you to Booklist and Ilene Cooper, the Editor!

(A few months ago Booklist named Forbidden  as one of their Top 10 Historical novels of the year, too. Wowza. Top-10-Historical-Fiction-for-Youth-2015)

 

 

FEATURE. First published September 15, 2015 (Booklist).

These top 10 romances, each reviewed in Booklist from September 15, 2014, to September 1, 2015, feature all kinds of lovers in all sorts of places and time periods, including one featuring Love himself! (It turns out Love is a guy. Who knew?)

Another Day. By David Levithan. 2015. Knopf, $17.99 (9780385756204). Gr. 9–12

This companion to Every Day (2012) looks at the wonderful, loving day spent between Rihanna and A, who, unbeknownst to her, is inhabiting the body of her boyfriend. A thoughtful, insightful novel of ideas and identities.

Forbidden. By Kimberly Griffiths Little. 2014. Harper, $17.99 (9780062194968). Gr. 9–12.

In ancient Mesopotamia, Jayden is betrothed to the cruel Horeb. When her world falls apart and a stranger appears, she tries to fight a relationship that is strictly forbidden. A breathless romance in a unique time and setting. 

Gabi, a Girl in Pieces. By Isabel Quintero. 2014. Cinco Puentos, $17.95 (9781935955948). Gr. 9–12.

Presented as the diary of 17-year-old Mexican American Gabi, this joyous, funny, and thoughtful book deals with Gabi’s travails, including a new boyfriend and a first sexual encounter.

The Game of Love and Death. By Martha Brockenbrough. 2015. Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine, $17.99 (9780545668314). Gr. 9–12.

Love and Death have rolled the dice with lovers’ futures through the millennia. Now they have a young mixed-race couple in their sights, and Love hopes, for once, he will win. A thoughtful exploration of courage, love, and the price we pay to live. 

Heart of Betrayal. By Mary E. Pearson. 2015. Holt, $18.99 (9780805099249). Gr. 9–12.

This compelling sequel to Kiss of Deception (2014) continues the love triangle of Lia, the runaway bride; Rafe, the prince she was to marry; and Kaden, a deadly assassin. Rich in romance, adventure, and complications.

Kissing in America. By Margo Raab. 2015. Harper, $17.99 (9780062322371). Gr. 9–12.

Here’s a smart teen’s romance. It takes just one kiss for Eva to fall for Will, but then he moves to California. What to do? How about a rollicking cross-country road trip? Poetry, humor, and authentic characters abound.

Mortal Heart. By Robin LeFevers. 2014. Harcourt, $17.99 (9780547628400). Gr. 9–12.

The sweeping conclusion to the His Fair Assassins series pairs Annith, the acolyte from the convent of St. Morain—also known as Death—with a romantic partner from the Underworld.

My True Love Gave to Me. Ed. by Stephanie Perkins. 2014. St. Martin’s/Griffin, $18.99 (9781250059307). Gr. 9–12.

Holiday canoodling stories by 12 top YA authors, including Rainbow Rowell, Gayle Forman, and Matt de la Peña? It’s a Christmas miracle!

Simon vs. Homo Sapiens. By Becky Albertalli. 2015.

 HarperCollins/Balzer+Bray, $17.99 (9780062348678). Gr. 8–11.

Simon would like to know the identity of Blue, the guy with whom he’s been exchanging flirty e-mails, but things get complicated when a classmate considers blackmailing him. A sensitive and incisive novel.

Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel. By Sara Farizan. 2014. Algonquin, $16.95 (9781616202842). Gr. 8–11.

Leila is not sure how her conservative Iranian American family will feel if she discloses that she likes girls. Farizan fashions an empowering romance featuring a lovable, awkward protagonist trying to claim a multifaceted identity.

I highly recommend checking out these titles and enjoying some gorgeous writing, dramatic storylines, and passionate romances.  

xo,
Kimberley

Calling all Goodreads peeps!

The first ARC of BANISHED has arrived! And I'm giving one away to a lucky reader!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Banished

by Kimberley Griffiths Little

Giveaway ends October 05, 2015.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Isn't it gorgeous! I'm lucky, lucky, lucky that Harpercollins paid for cover shoot with a real model and a real photographer and then the art dept created such stunning covers with beautiful, oriental trim and backgrounds. Here's book 1 and 2 together! (And Book 3 is just as fabulous - golly, I can't wait to share that next year!)

Don't forget to enter the giveaway and spread the word if you'd like! A thousand thank you's! 

xo,
Kimberley 

www.kimberleygriffithslittle.com

Gorgeous Steampunk Young Adult Novel!

LUMIERE is the first book in a beautiful and dramatic steampunk trilogy. Jackie is a wonderful writer and critique partner and has worked unbelievably hard over many years on these books. She deserves every good thing and I'm so excited for her! 

First off, the cover is simply stunning. I could stare at it all day. The story is mesmerizing, the world is a unique fantasy, and the characters were interesting and emotionally involving. I loved Eyelet and her family as well as all the danger and intrigue over the machine. I eagerly await the second book in the trilogy!

Super cool graphics are below, plus a fabulous giveaway package and rafflecopter. LUMIERE just launched this morning and the book took off into the stratosphere on Amazon. Go check it all out at the links below! 

In the comments, let me know what you think of the cover and the synopsis, etc. I am coveting those steampunk necklaces!

Title: Lumière

Author: Jacqueline Garlick 

Pub. Date: August 11, 2015
Publisher: Skyscape
Pages: 458

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Find it: Amazon, B&N, Book Depository, Goodreads

Even in a land of eternal twilight, secrets can’t stay in the dark forever.

Seventeen-year-old Eyelet Elsworth has only one hope left: finding her late father’s most prized invention, the Illuminator. It’s been missing since the day of the mysterious flash—a day that saw the sun wiped out forever over England.

But living in darkness is nothing new to Eyelet. She’s hidden her secret affliction all of her life—a life that would be in danger if superstitious townspeople ever guessed the truth. And after her mother is accused and executed for a crime that she didn’t commit, the now-orphaned Eyelet has no choice but to track down the machine that was created with the sole purpose of being her cure.

Alone and on the run, she finally discovers the Illuminator—only to see a young man hauling it off. Determined to follow the thief and recover the machine, she ventures into the deepest, darkest, most dangerous part of her twisted world.

Revised edition: This edition of Lumière includes editorial revisions.

Pre-Order Noir Now

Available August 18th

Find it: Amazon, B&N, Book Depository, Goodreads

About Jacqueline

I write YA, New Adult, and Women’s Fiction. I love strong heroines, despise whiny sidekicks, and adore a good story about a triumphant underdog. I love to read, write, paint (walls and paper) and plan cool writing events for cool writers (check out niagarawritersretreatandconference (dot) com.) I have a love/hate relationship with chocolate, grammar, and technology. I prefer creating things to cleaning things, and baking to cooking and believe laughter is a one-stop-shop solution to all that ails you. I also firmly believe ELO’s Mr. Blue Sky can improve even the worst day. And if that doesn’t work, there’s always Ellen Degeneres. You will always find a purple wall (or two) in my house (perhaps even a door) and a hidden passageway that leads to a mystery room. (Okay, so you won’t find a hidden passageway but a girl can dream, can’t she?) Oh, and tea. There will always be tea. I love specialty teas…and collecting special teacups from which to drink them. (See collection below.)

In my former life, I was a teacher (both grade school and college – long story, don’t ask) and more recently, I’ve been a graduate of Ellen Hopkin’s Nevada Mentor Program and a student of James Scott Bell, Christopher Vogler and Don Maass. An excerpt from Lumière earned me the 2012 Don Maass Break Out Novel Intensive Scholarship.

Known for my edgy, rule-breaking, Tim Burton-esque style of writing, I’m often affectionately referred to as the Quentin Tarantino of YA among friends in writing circles.

Facebook * Twitter * Website 
Giveaway 
*US and Canada Only

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Enjoy!

xo,
~Kimberley

BANISHED COVER REVEAL!!!

Hi gang, It's Here, It's Here!!!

I've been SO excited to share the cover of BANISHED, Book 2 of the FORBIDDEN (Only $5.99 on Kindle now!) trilogy for awhile and Harpercollins finally said, "It's Time - Show the World!" :-)

The official Harpercollins Catalog for Winter of 2016 will be online in a couple of weeks and the Official Cover Reveals happen just before those catalogs go online. 

BANISHED is gorgeous, stunning, and Harper did a photo shoot with the same model as FORBIDDEN. (And she's going to be on Book 3, too!)

SEVEN lovely Young Adult bloggers are sharing the cover with me today and each blog has EXCLUSIVE content from me as well as EXCLUSIVE Teaser Graphics with lines from the *actual* book!!

Alyssa @ The Eater of Books!
Amber & Stacey @ Page Turners
Jaime & Erin @ Fic Fare
Jaime @ Two Chicks on Books
Kathy @ I Am A Reader
Katie @ Mundie Moms
Martina @ Adventures in YA Publishing

Be sure you go to each one to see the beautiful graphics and read some short, fun content about writing and kissing and my research for the trilogy. 

TEASER Cover Piece #1!

TEASER Cover Piece #2!

TEASER Cover Piece #3!

And . . . 








 Here it is . . .










 



TADA!!!

So tell me what you think, I'm dying to know!!Thanks for reading and sharing this very looooong journey with me! (I think I've been talking about the writing and research of this trilogy for 6-7 years on this blog.) :-)

XO,
Kimberley


Almost forgot the GIVEAWAY!! 

Giveaways (US Only):
One grand prize winner:

1. Signed ARC of FORBIDDEN & BANISHED when available
2. $25.00 Amazon Gift Card
3. Middle Eastern Earrings
4. Paper Blanks Magnetic Notebook
5. A set of beautiful FORBIDDEN & BANISHED Bookmark Club Cards

7 Winners will receive:

1. $10.00 Amazon Gift Card
2. Middle Eastern earrings
3. Paper Blanks Notebook
4. A set of beautiful FORBIDDEN & BANISHED Book Club Cards

EVERYBODY WHO Orders or Pre-orders copies of the book(s) receives a set of gorgeous BOOK CLUB CARDS and an autographed book plate!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


www.kimberleygriffithslittle.com