Originally posted by kayberrisford at My little blog tour continues...and win my book (again ;))

My young adult science fiction novel, Libyrinth, is now out in trade paperback and available in bookstores everywhere. If you are local to the Detroit area, I'd like to recommend The Book Beat in Oak Park (http://thebookbeat.com). The owner, Colleen, has been a wonderful champion of this book and they are a delightful independent book store well worth a visit. Here are a couple of links to some online sources as well, should you be interested:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Libyrinth-Pearl-North/dp/0765326876
IndyBound: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780765326874

In other news, the second Libyrinth book, entitled The Boy from Ilysies, comes out from Tor this November, and I've just turned in the manuscript for the third volume in the trilogy, to be entitled The Book of the Night. Yes, it's been quite busy around here. :)

For more information, please visit my Pearl North website (http://pearlnorth.com) or my new Pearl North page on Facebook (http://bit.ly/aanRkv).

Still up north but taking a break from kayaking today to share the good news about my new release, HERO.

HERO features David and Seth and is a reprint of the first three m/m stories I ever published: HERO, STAY, and SCARS. They've been out of print for about a year but now they're available in a single, newly-edited volume from Loose Id.

To celebrate, I'm running a newsletter-exclusive contest with two $15 gift certificates as prizes. For more details, see below.

Here's the buy link and blurb for HERO.

http://www.loose-id.com/Hero.aspx

David is lonely, bored, and a virgin. He lives through books, but fears life is passing him by. Then one night he's attacked by a gang and rescued by a real-life hero. Sexy, mysterious Seth seems to have stepped right off the pages of an adventure novel. Yet he has no place to call home. When David invites him in, a thank you dinner escalates into passion, and Seth makes all David's pent-up fantasies come true.

Seth wants nothing more than to spend the rest of his life loving and protecting David, but his brutal past makes that impossible. Just being around Seth puts David at risk and Seth will stop at nothing to keep him safe, even if it means breaking his heart.

David is determined to keep Seth off the streets and in his bed, but all is not as it seems. Seth has terrible scars he won't talk about, and sometimes, he wakes up in the night screaming. When David discovers Seth is linked to a murder, he's determined to learn the truth, but he may find out more than he wants to know. How far is David willing to go, to rescue his hero?

FIND YOUR HERO CONTEST:
I'm always fascinated with the ways in which other people envision my characters, and I love the cover that artist April Martinez created for HERO. Of course, no photo ever matches a person's imagination 100 percent. Many of you have been loyal readers for some time now and probably have your own ideas of what David and Seth look like.

That's why I decided to run a contest on my newsletter. Entrants email me at jessicafreely at gmail dot com with photos or links to photos that best represent how they imagine David and Seth. I'll post them to the photos section of the group, and members will vote on their favorites. We'll have a winner for David and a winner for Seth, and entries are limited to one photo per character per contestant. Winners will receive a $15 gift certificate to All Romance eBooks.

If you'd like to play but aren't yet a newsletter member, joining is easy, safe, and free. Follow this link for all the details.

Amaranth is a vasai, born with both male and female characteristics and forbidden from sexual relations with any but the ruling class. Ash is a chel, a member of the underclass. Their unlawful passion ignites a rebellion and transforms their world.

Last year I posted Amaranth & Ash free in serial form on my blog. Now, it's been accepted by ebook publisher Loose Id. Amaranth & Ash will be released on June 1 with a gorgeous cover by artist P.L. Nunn!

To celebrate, I've posted a free short story about Amaranth's early days in the files section of my Yahoo! newsletter group:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jessicafreely/files/

The story covers a little bit of history between young Amaranth and Grail when they were trainees at the Temple. Amaranth is always getting in trouble with his instructors for asking the wrong questions. This time, he's gone too far, and Grail has to make a choice.

Here's the link:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jessicafreely/join

Enjoy!

Author: annesible
Chapter 18/19
Status: Complete
Rating: R
Warnings: Existential angst, regular angst, and true love
Link: http://www.friskbiskit.com/all-the-colors-of-love-chapter-18.html
Summary: Antonin’s warm, quirky, criminal family are a revelation to Harry, who grew up on an isolated island with his abusive, wealthy father. For Antonin, accustomed to disbelief and scorn from his classmates, Harry’s unquestioning acceptance of his loved ones is a refreshing change. The two teenagers become friends and soon fall in love, but Harry’s father has plans to manipulate their relationship to his own ends, and he doesn't care who gets hurt so long as he gets what he needs.
This week: The penultimate episode! This week, our heroes deal with the aftermath of Richard's evildoing. And both Cid and Antonin make startling discoveries.

Author: annesible
Chapter 17/19
Status: Complete
Rating: R
Warnings: Violence
Link: http://www.friskbiskit.com/all-the-colors-of-love-chapter-17.html
Summary: Antonin’s warm, quirky, criminal family are a revelation to Harry, who grew up on an isolated island with his abusive, wealthy father. For Antonin, accustomed to disbelief and scorn from his classmates, Harry’s unquestioning acceptance of his loved ones is a refreshing change. The two teenagers become friends and soon fall in love, but Harry’s father has plans to manipulate their relationship to his own ends, and he doesn't care who gets hurt so long as he gets what he needs.
This week: Harry is starting to see his father in a new light, but that won't stop Richard from taking drastic measures. Antonin stumbles upon an important ally, and Cid faces the consequences of Richard's brainwashing. When the bullets start to fly, who will be left alive?

Monday Feb. 22 is the last day to vote for Love Romances Cafe's Best of 2009 Awards.  It's a great group of contestants, and I'm proud that my novel, Instinct, is a nominee in the Shapeshifter category.

Here's a link to more information about Instinct (including a steamy excerpt), the LRC Best of Awards, and the other contestants:

http://bit.ly/doydvR

Don't forget to vote!

My YA persona has been interviewed by shveta_thakrar on her blog.  Here's the link.

The ballot for Best Book of the Week on the Whipped Cream review site, that is. 

Woo hoo!  It's an honor to be nominated. :D

Here's how it works: Each week the lovely WC folks post the books that got 4.5 and 5 cherry reviews and you vote for your favorite book, based on the review. The winner gets a button to proudly display on their website and their book is featured at the top of the contest page all the following week. Pretty swell, huh?

The contest runs until Sunday (tomorrow). Please go take a look at the contestants and cast your vote today!

http://www.longandshortreviews.com/WC/recentrev.htm