Friday, January 24, 2014

Elevated: cover reveal

About ELEVATED: The last person seventeen-year-old Eleanor Livingston wants to see on the elevator—let alone get stuck with—is her ex-boyfriend Travis, the guy she's been avoiding for five months.

Plagued with the belief that when she speaks the truth, bad things happen, Elly hasn’t told Trav anything. Not why she broke up with him and cut off all contact. Not what happened the day her father returned from his deployment to Afghanistan. And certainly not that she misses him and still thinks about him everyday.

But with nowhere to hide and Travis so close it hurts, Elly’s worried she won’t be able to contain her secrets for long. She’s terrified of finally revealing the truth, because she can’t bear to watch a tragedy befall the boy she still loves.

And now to reveal the cover...



Isn't it perfect? I love it. Here's where you can purchase the book:

Buy Links:
iTunes:


Praise for ELEVATED:
"ELEVATED will take you on an emotionally gripping journey through the highs and lows of first love."
~Carolee Dean, author of Take Me There and Forget Me Not

"Poignant, raw, and intense, ELEVATED is a novel that will grip your heart and linger in your mind long after you turn the last page."
~Stasia Ward Kehoe, author of Audition and The Sound of Letting Go


About Elana Johnson: Elana Johnson’s work, including Possession, Surrender, Abandon, and Regret, published by Simon Pulse (Simon & Schuster), is available now everywhere books are sold. Her popular ebook, From the Query to the Call, is also available for download, as well as a Possession short story, Resist. School teacher by day, Query Ninja by night, you can find her online at her personal blog or Twitter. She also co-founded the Query Tracker blog, and contributes to the League of Extraordinary Writers.




Social Media Links:
League of Extraordinary Writers: http://leaguewriters.blogspot.com/


Enter to win $15 Paypal cash by helping to spread the word about ELEVATED.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Road to Somewhere: cover reveal

New! From Bloomsbury Spark, a sunny heartwarming story of discovery and sisterhood. 

A road trip. A singing competition. And super-hot cowboys. 

What could be better? 

For Charlie, a post-high school road trip isn't just a vacation, it's life changing. While her parents think she's helping a friend move, a chance at fame is the real reason to grab her best friends and drive to L.A. But when her super annoying, uber-responsible, younger sister, Lucy, has to tag along, it isn't quite the summer of fun she imagined. 

Add in a detour to her grandparents' ranch in Texas, and between mucking the stalls, down-home cookin’, and drool worthy ranch hands, this could just turn into the best, and most complicated, summer of their lives. 

Now for the cover....


Isn't is beautiful? Congrats to Kelley and Jenny! Don't forget to join the giveaway and see who else is participating in the bloghop:


Also, as part of the bloghop, I'm sharing a couple of photos of me and my siblings. I'm the oldest of four, and seeing how little they were when I was married is making me feel really old.


For some perspective, my two little brothers are now 6'5" and 6'7", and my sister is 5'10". They are also all gorgeous, don't you think? I'm totally the runt of the family, lol. Good thing they are THE BEST siblings ever!

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

IWSG: Censoring Books

Two of my children are teenagers.
Learn more about the IWSG

I write and read books for teenagers.

For the most part this has been a wonderful thing in my house. Me and my children are members of the same nerdy fandoms and swoon over the same love interests. We talk candidly about fads and teen behavior, even swap book ideas and character inspiration pics. And of course their feedback on my own books is invaluable.

I do not support the banning or censorship of books for children, BUT I believe parents (and only parents) have the right to decide what is appropriate for their own children. I consider myself a conservative person, and while the literature I've allowed my kids to read is vast, I admit there are several titles I've told them they are not to read until they're older or married...or never. ;) Yet as the years pass, guess what? They're reaching 'older', and books they are asking to read that I once held tight, I've been hesitantly handing over.

For example, my oldest (14 1/2) has been begging to read THE FAULT IN OUR STARS (I think mostly because of the upcoming movie). Because of the language and sexual content, I've refused...until a couple of weeks ago. It's one of my favorite books--I've read it several times. But still. I was biting my nails and peeking in on her, assuring her that she could stop at any time if she felt uncomfortable and...she loved it. And we talked about it. And we swooned and laughed and cried about our favorite moments. She was able to read a difficult story about love and disease and hope, and despite my reservations about her ability to 'handle' it, I think the best part was that we could share something together--as parent and child--and that is a beautiful thing.

Do you censor (or plan to censor) what your children read? Am I a terrible parent for letting my daughter read TFIOS? Or for not letting her read it in the first place? Just curious about your thoughts on the subject...

Another benefit to being a parent of teenagers...the music hook-up. Especially my oldest daughter who gives me all the best Indie-Folk writing music I could ever want. Thanks, Lulu. <3