Giveaway Time!!!!!

Today I'm giving away copies of The Darkness Dwellers AND How to Lead a Life of Crime. The winners of my latest contest (yes, there will be two) will get to choose which book they'll receive.

All you have to do is answer the following question . . .

I'm about to get on a plane. Where am I going?

A book will go to the person with the most accurate answer. Another book will go to the person with the most interesting answer.

As always, send your responses to kikistrike@gmail.com. The contest will end January 30th at 11:59PM EST. The winner will be announced when I return from my trip.

Good luck!!

Don't Forget Harriet!

Harriet is happening this weekend!

More News and Links!

Hey, everyone! I'm going to give away more books (The Darkness Dwellers and How to Lead a Life of Crime) this week. And at some point soon, I'm going to give away an entire three-book set of Kiki Strike (featuring the all new covers).

In the meantime, here's a guest post I wrote for one of my favorite blogs, Mundie Moms: The Five Books That Inspired Me as a Kid

A review from another all-time favorite, Bookshelves of Doom. (Thanks for the amazing review!!)

A super fun interview with Squeaky Books

My list of the Top 10 Kick Butt Characters over at The Young Folks blog.

An interview with The Write Path

I think I've covered most of my blog visits. If I've left anyone out, my apologies! My list is a bit off, but I'll link to you very soon!

And if any of you are interested in reading reviews of The Darkness Dwellers, there are plenty out there (and the vast majority of them are nice). All you have to do is Google. (Though, I gotta tell you. As far as reviews are concerned, getting Bookshelves of Doom's recommendation really made my year. She's been with Kiki from the very beginning. I was really hoping she'd enjoy the third installment.)

And last but not least, don't forget to come see me, Michael Buckley and Rebecca Stead talk about the classic book, Harriet the Spy at Symphony Space on February 3rd. Invitation below!

A Present for You! The ENTIRE Irregular Guide to New York City!

To celebrate the release of Kiki Strike #3, The Darkness Dwellers, I'm making the entire Irregular Guide to New York City available to you for free!

Just click here to download! Happy reading and happy exploring!

The Darkness Dwellers is OUT TODAY!!!!

That's right! It's finally in bookstores! Can you believe it?

I've been doing a little blog tour for the past couple of weeks. But I was so sick with the flu that I forgot to post the links! If you have the chance, you should definitely check out the blogs below. (And not just my guest posts and interviews.) They're some of my favorites, and it's amazing how different they all are!

So without further ado, here are some of the blog tour stops I've made so far . . .

SciFi Chick (Guest Post and Giveaway)

Icey Books (Guest Post)

The Bookish Dame (Interview)

Bookhounds YA (Interview and Review)

And the winner of the first HOW TO LEAD A LIFE OF CRIME giveaway is . . .

MG, who sent in this remarkable response . . .

If you must know, I'm the world's only benevolent linguistic larcenist/collector. I'd tell you my name, but you wouldn't recognize it (or even remember it after reading it), seeing as my own name was one of the first words I cataloged into my Word Bank all those years ago. It's hidden away now, behind locked doors and wild, vicious excerpts of Old English and rooms covered in razor-sharp "x"s and "k"s. Sounds a bit extreme, but I need the protection. You see, I steal letters. I steal words. I steal language.

Like every "criminal," I started out in the little league; pinching the odd adverb here, the neglected noun there. It's surprising to see how many people don't use the words available to them. They just leave them hanging around everywhere, airing out to dry on the front porch, left abandoned in the street. I once found a trash can filled to the brim with young verbs; a full can, do you believe it? Dozens of 'em. I could hardly believe my luck.

In a way, that was my first major word heist, the trash can, but I figured it wasn't really stealing if nobody wanted those poor words. Still think that way, really; the mistreatment and disuse of language has led me into some serious windfalls of the linguistic variety, although there're the odd few who manage to keep their own beautiful language alive and well. Those folks treat their words right, let me tell you, and I try never to steal from them. I don't take words for profit; I respect them. I protect them from harm.

I wouldn't call my business organized crime. It isn't organized in the strictest sense; it's more of a shelter, where people bring abused words to my attention and I or one of my associates drop by to help the word out. We have an extensive library for words looking into their genealogy; we've got easy access to the O.E.D. if one of our words doesn't want to be found. We give 'em a new name and escort them back into society, where they can start afresh, no connotations, no big connections. It's a nifty job I've got, with a good deal of respect, authority, and beautiful things surrounding me day after day.

The only part I'm ashamed to admit is the word hoarding. Now, protecting words, that's not criminal, at least not to me (although a bunch of rough-n-tumble folk out in the tougher parts of society sometimes put up a fuss, demanding I return slang and slurs back to them, and I have more than a few professors miffed with me for pulling some of their most overused words out of their classroom, and...come to think of it, a number of authors seem to be a bit touchy about my doings). But hoarding words, that's borderline criminal. I have to confess that I've taken more than a few letters completely out of languages in my time, on account of me liking 'em so much, and sometimes, a splendid word'll pop up that I just pluck it out of the crowd and slip into my Word Bank. You get people looking a mite confused at times, trying to find a word on the tip of their tongue; that's me. And perhaps I get a bit carried away sometimes when faced with those gorgeous languages. I'd tell you a few of them, but I doubt you'd know them, seeing as they're so far past dead that they're extinct in your eyes. And...well, I do love "x"s and "k"s. I snag 'em every chance I get.

That's about it about me. I am a word thief, and, since my protected name means I cannot sign this letter, I shall sign off quietly. (I'm used to silence, really. After all, my line of work leaves people speechless; I steal the words right of your mouth.)

GIVEAWAY!! How to Lead a Life of Crime!!

Before we begin, a quick word. I'm not a big believer in telling young people what they can or can't read. When I was growing up, my parents never declared any books "off-limits." (They didn't even stop me from reading The Amityville Horror when I was seven. No wonder I'm a little weird.)

But I do not enjoy receiving angry emails from parents. And I think it's possible that there are parents out there who would not want their young teens reading How to Lead a Life of Crime. Parts of the book are quite violent, and there's certainly no shortage of crude language.

So this contest (and all other How to Lead a Life of Crime giveaways) is open to readers 16+. Of course, if you're under 16 but your parents are the super-cool sort who are willing to email an author so you can get a free naughty book, I'll be happy to send one your way.

Whew. Glad that's over. Now LET'S GET TO THE CONTEST!

A signed hardcover copy of How to Lead a Life of Crime will go to the reader who offers the best (usually defined as the most amusing) response to the following question . . .

If you had to lead a life of crime, what sort of criminal would you choose to be?

Send your response to kikistrike@gmail.com by 11:59PM (EST), Thursday, January 17th!

You're Invited!

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO!

And Here Are Some of the Other Entries!

(Send me a note if you'd like your map included!)

And the Winner Is . . .

Okay, this was a super cool contest. The entries are all so good that I'm taking your names, putting them into a bowl and choosing a winner at random.

Back to you in a second . . .

Here's the winner! Congrats, Julia. (Send me your address!) If any other contestants would like me to post their entries, just let me know! They were all great!

Win a Hardcover DARKNESS DWELLERS!

Thats right. I have hardcover books! And they look pretty darn amazing. So what do you say we have a little contest? Here's how it's going to work . . .

The other day, I came across the illustration above while browsing The Museum of Ridiculously Interesting Things. Created at some point in the early 19th century, it's a map of a "Woman's Heart." Click the picture for a closer look and see if you agree--A Woman's Heart looks like an incredibly boring place to me.

So if you'd like the first signed hardcover copy of The Darkness Dwellers, (seriously--the very first), here's all you have to do:

Sketch a map of an IRREGULAR'S HEART. Then scan it or photograph it and send it to kikistrike@gmail.com before 6PM EST tomorrow (Sunday, January 13th).

This isn't a drawing contest, so don't worry if you're not the world's best artist. As usual, I'm looking for cleverness and humor more than anything else. Good luck!

Lots of News!!

So the giveaway went really well! (And in case you're wondering, yes, it's over for now!) There are far fewer books cluttering my shelves--and dozens of you will receive packages over the next few days.

Don't worry if it takes a little while for your books to get to you! I've had to make multiple trips to the post office, and I still have one more load to take.

Now for some news . . .

I'm pleased to report that The Darkness Dwellers and How to Lead a Life of Crime have been receiving fantastic reviews! (BTW, if you've gotten a copy of either book from me, feel free to post a review on Goodreads or Amazon if you have the time!) And next week, I'm kicking off a blog tour for The Darkness Dwellers. Links to all interviews and guest posts will be here!

And I just received hardcover copies of How to Lead a Life of Crime. (Picture above.) They look absolutely AMAZING. I think the two covers (the book's dust jacket is reversible) are my new favorites. I'll be giving away copies soon, so stay tuned. (I may do the giveaway via Twitter, tho. We'll see.)

Last, but not least, if you live in New York, you'll want to be at Symphony Space on February 3rd! They're hosting a celebration of one of the greatest girl detectives of all time--Harriet the Spy! I'll be there, along with the fabulous and hilarious Michael Buckley (author of The Sisters Grimm and N.E.R.D.S.) and the wonderful Rebecca Stead (Liar and Spy). It's going to be an amazing day! More info here.

GIANT NEW YEAR BLOWOUT GIVEAWAY!!!

It's 2013, and I'm cleaning house! Here's what I'm giving away . . .


THE ETERNAL ONES SERIES. (You must be 14 or older to request one.)

2 paper back copies of the Eternal Ones in English

2 paper back copies of All You Desire in English

2 Eternal Ones audio books in English.

2 hard cover copies of Eternos in Spanish

2 hard cover copies of Deseros in Spanish

2 hard cover copies of The Eternal Ones in German

2 hard cover copies of All You Desire in German

1 paper back copy of The Eternal Ones in Chinese




KIKI STRIKE

2 paper back copies of Inside the Shadow City in French

2 paper back copies of The Empress's Tomb in French

2 paper back copies of Inside the Shadow City in Chinese

2 paper back copies of The Empress's Tomb in Chinese

2 paper back copies of Inside the Shadow City in French

2 paper back copies of The Empress's Tomb in French

2 hard cover copies of Inside the Shadow City in German

2 hard cover copies of The Empress's Tomb in German

2 paper back copies of Inside the Shadow City in Spanish

2 paper back copies of Inside the Shadow City in Indonesian

2 paper back copies of Inside the Shadow City in Dutch



That's it for now, though I do have Kiki Strike in a number of other languages. (If you're looking for a copy in a language not listed, just send me a note.)

**VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION** To get a book, simply send me a note at kikistrike@gmail.com. I'll need your address--so please ask your parents for permission if you're under 18. I will be accepting requests through NOON EST ON THURSDAY, JANUARY 3. Any requests that come in after that will probably be ignored.

I'm afraid I can only ship to the US. However, if you'd like to pay postage, I'll consider shipping to other countries.

If you are a cultural institution (school, library, etc.) that would like additional copies, send me a note and I'll see what I can do.

Please only request books you intend to use! Thanks, Kirsten.