YA Indie Carnival ~ On The Rise ~ Why do you love YA Fantasy?

Of course I have my own ideas as to why this genre is growing like mad. I feel YA Fantasy gives us a mental break from daily life. I feel it crosses over well because there seems to be a gap in the market for clean, or mostly clean romance. I know not all YA is clean, but it does tend to be cleaner than most adult. I think the popular YA movies are part of this too, it seems like people want movies they can take the whole family to, and maybe it's the same way with books? Anyway, that's just my opinion, but I'm curious about what your reasons are for reading YA fantasy/romance. So post a comment and tell me!!! Especially if you're not technically a young adult any longer, like me. :D

Why do you love YA Fantasy so much?
Is it because you're still young at heart?
Or is it because you feel YA tends to be cleaner with just enough romance to satisfy the sappy side of you?
Or is it for a completely different reason all together?
Tell me! Tell me! ;D

Don't forget the Gratitude Giveaway Hop in the post below...Win Danielle's pearl necklace as mentioned in Fateful.

Until next time, my friends! But before you leave, check out my other amazing YA Carnival friends:

1. Laura A. H. Elliott author of Winnemucca & 13 on Halloween, Book 1 in the Teen Halloween Series
2. Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series
3. Heather Self
4. T. R. Graves, Author of The Warrior Series
5. Suzy Turner, author of The Raven Saga
6. Darby Karchut, author of GRIFFIN RISING
7. Lexus Luke
8. PJ Hoover, Author of SOLSTICE, Blogging at ROOTS IN MYTH
9. Cheri Schmidt, author of the Fateful Trilogy
10. Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog
11. K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed
12. Patti Larsen, The Hunted series and The Hayle Coven series
13. Courtney Cole, author of The Bloodstone Saga
14. Amy Maurer Jones, Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy
15. Dani Snell's Refracted Light Reviews
16. Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey
17. M. Leighton, Blood Like Poison Series, Madly, The Reaping
18. Abbi Glines, author of Breathe and The Vincent Boys
19. Kimberly Kinrade, Bits of You & Pieces of Me, Forbidden Mind
20. Madeline Smoot, Missing, Summer Shorts, and The Girls
21. Cidney Swanson, author of Rippler
22. Nicole Williams, author of Eternal Eden, Falling Eden
23. Gwenn Wright, author of Filter

November Giveaway Hop ~ Win Danielle's Necklace

Here is another giveaway hop for you hosted by the delightful I Am A reader, Not A Writer and Tristi Pinkston. This giveaway runs from November 8th to the 11th. Winners will be chosen on the 12th.

The prizes:
~A copy of Danielle's Fairy necklace as mentioned in Forever, book 3 in the Fateful Trilogy. Thank you for entering without seeing the necklace yet!!! I just finished it. This necklace is made from antique brass chain and accents with three aqua crystals hung from the center drop. The pair of matching earrings are shown in the second photo. And the third photo shows the decorative accent in the back. You could actually wear it both ways for two different looks. Take a look...

~Or a beaded bookmark, custom made for you in your favorite colors. There are two shown in the picture below.

Thank you to everyone who entered this giveaway. With more than 100 entries, this was my most popular one so far. I'll choose the winners today and contact them on Monday.

Back to the Books Giveaway Hop

~This giveaway is now closed~

Back to the Books Giveaway Hop is hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer & Buried in Books

This Giveaway Hop will run from September 1st to the 7th. Don't miss out because there are so many chances to win prizes!

What is a giveaway hop?
Simple - Each participating blog hosts a giveaway and then we link up together allowing our followers to hop easily from one giveaway to another. For followers this means lots of chances to win free books.

To win the prizes from Cheri Schmidt, here is what you need to do:

Mandatory entry: Follow my blog and mention it in the comments section of this post. Don't forget to let me know your email address, so I can contact you if you win.

For extra optional chances to win: (You may do one, some, all, or none of these...)
Become my friend or follow me on Goodreads
Like me on Facebook
Pin my book cover on Pinterest and link to either my blog or website. Or just repin this one.

Again, let me know which ones you've done in the comment's section of this post. Winners will be drawn randomly and notified via email. There will be first, second, and third place winners.

Prizes:
~A signed paperback copy of Fateful, or Fractured, or Fair Maiden. Each book comes with a handmade beaded bookmark.
~Get the e-book copy of Fractured, or Fair Maiden gifted to you from Amazon. (Since Fateful is on sale for .99 cents, I'm not including it as an option in this giveaway except for the printed copy.)
~A pretty handmade bookmark like the ones in the pictures below.

Good luck and thanks for stopping by to say hi!
Note: originally I'd said USA only. But I changed my mind. I will open-up the eBook and the bookmark to international readers as well.

What are readers saying about the Fateful Series?

This literary arts teacher reviewed both books on her blog and put them on her summer reading list for her students: "They were both phenomenal books, and the best part is there is a 3rd in the series. Woohoo! I can’t wait!"
"All I can say is I love this book! It pulled me in quickly, and I instantly fell in love with Ethan. He is one of the most likeable characters to be introduced in a long time. Dare I compare his likeability to Edward Cullen? I loved Cheri Schmidt's writing style. I finished this book in a day because I couldn't put it down, and I can't wait to start the next one." ~Christine


"I read this book front to back in one day.....I was useless to the world in all other ways but I HAD TO FINISH IT. Its a different spin on the vampire and with just enough detail to give the great visual image but with a quickly evolving plot. Not to slow....Not to fast....so you can enjoy the ride! LOVE LOVE LOVE" ~ Glo

"I usually don't take the time to write reviews (and I wouldn't consider this one a review) BUT I absolutely LOVED this book and Fractured. I couldn't put my book (kindle) down. I kept wanting to read more and more. I loved the romance in the book. I fell in love with Ethan! I loved how much of a TRUE gentleman he was!!!"
~ Anonymous

Indie eBooks Interview

Author Interview and excerpt on indieebooks.blogspot.com




Up next: Join me for many chances to win stuff at the Back to the Books Giveaway Hop and don't miss the huge sale on ebooks at Indie Book Blowout.

Up and Coming...

Great reviews for Fractured are coming in. I’m so glad and so grateful that my readers are enjoying the sequel to Fateful. Thanks for the great post Courtney! If you’re looking for something clean to read, then I recommend her fun review blog.

Today is the last day to enter the Summer Treasure Hunt to win a signed copy of Fateful. Check my previous post to see how to enter. And don’t forget there are more chances to win different prizes for the rest of this month. Also check my previous post to see how to win a signed copy of Fateful with a matching beaded bookmark, or a glass pearl replica of Danielle’s necklace and earrings. This other contest ends the 18th...Don’t miss out!

Book updates:
~Fair Maiden is on sale for 1.99. So if you’ve been trying to decided if you should get it or not, now’s a good time.

~Fateful has sold more than 3000 copies and is ranked high in Amazon's bestseller lists:
#19 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Children's Fiction > Literature > Love & Romance
#19 in Books > Teens > Literature & Fiction > Love & Romance
#38 in Books > Teens > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy

~Fractured is following close behind Fateful and has made it into the bestseller lists as well:
#38 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Children's Fiction > Literature > Love & Romance
#43 in Books > Teens > Literature & Fiction > Love & Romance
#78 in Books > Teens > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy

Right now I’m working on:

~Forever—the conclusion to the Fateful series
~The Trapping club—the sequel to Fair Maiden
~Sophia’s Cookbook for Mortals—A fun recipe book featuring recipes Sophia likes to mess up her apron with.
~Two novellas to supplement the Fateful series. Max’s story and Beon and Sophia’s story...
~The Fairy Ring Enchantment—A story about fair rings and why you shouldn’t step inside them.

Thank you for sharing your good reviews with me!!!

Many of you tell me you love my book, and I really appreciate that!

Thank you to those of you who participated in the interview/giveaway! The winners are Courtney and Nicole. Congratulations!!

Next I'm hosting the Summer Treasure Hunt tomorrow, June 8th! I'm giving away a singed copy of Fateful. It's easy to enter, here's what you do:

1~ Find the answer to my treasure hunt question.

QUESTION: Who is the prince of darkness? (HINT: Click on “April” under Blog Archive in the left hand sidebar and read the April 12, 2011 post)

2~ Email the answer with your name and mailing address to jdipastena@yahoo.com. Put Summer Treasure Hunt, June 8th in the subject line. (Don't enter in the comments of this post for this contest.)

3~ Deadline is midnight tomorrow ~OPEN TO USA ENTRIES ONLY~ Sorry about that, shipping just costs too much right now : (

4~ The winner will be contacted tomorrow, and I'll update this blog post then with the name.

Don't forget to enter for the other prizes as well! There are going to be a total of 30 prizes given way, so don't miss out!

~Plus, with the success of my last two contests I’m holding another to thank my loyal readers. Follow my blog for one entry, then post a comment for another.

The prizes are as follows:
~A signed paperback of Fateful with a matching handmade beaded bookmark.

~A glass pearl replica of Danielle’s necklace and matching earrings. (This is a quality handmade set that will be sold on Etsy soon.)

~A gifted Kindle or Nook e-book of Fractured.

~I’ll also be giving away a few handmade beaded bookmarks.

I haven't decided how many of each I'll give away, so enter and find out... The deadline for this contest is June 18th.

Good luck and thanks for taking a chance on me and reading Fateful!

Bookmarks are a mix of cream glass pearls and crystals strung on silk cord. The necklace is made up of white glass pearls strung on durable memory wire with an antique bronze leaf bead cap and extender chain. The earrings are made of matching white glass pearls, and antique bronze leaf bead caps on a lever-back earring. Click on each image to see it larger.