Just Giving it Away

Because I am overjoyed to finally have Holler's Grove available in a swanky looking paperback and because Lipstick & Bolsheviks is FINALLY out, I am in the mood to give away some books.
Now through January 14th, you may enter to win a signed copy of Holler's Grove and/or Lipstick & Bolsheviks.
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/75232-holler-s-grove
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/75231-lipstick-bolsheviks

I am giving away three copies of each book. The giveaway is open to residents of the the US, UK, Canada, and Australia.

You only think you know him

 A lot of you have formed opinions on the matter of William III v. Peter.

I would be careful with that if I were you. Young Peter von Strassenberg is revealing himself...

Arabella: A Prequel to Things to Come

She stared hard at the dark expanse of water, trying to see how she came to be here. Alone.

Everything was muddled. There had been a large piece of their ship floating nearby and a good thing too, for she could not swim.

The ship, she realized, seeing beyond the dark waves to the memory of black sails that had billowed against a clear blue sky. The captain’s fury and the wailing women. Terrible booming and cracking sounds and then fire and smoke. And then she was alone and drifting.

Arabella pressed her hand into the sand, turning slowly to her back. Her salt and sand-crusted skin felt like curing leather pulled taut across her bones. She would die of thirst as she watched the ocean, waiting for the moonlight to catch on the mast of ship, waiting for the navy to miraculously appear and take her home.

What she saw was not a ship but a curious shape rising out of the water not too far from shore. Was it some great fish? A dolphin perhaps? No. Silhouetted against the moonlight, she saw the shape of a man—head, broad shoulders and the gleam of eyes. Eyes that locked on hers. “Are you from the Swan?” she called in a tremulous voice. He did not respond. “Are you a member of the crew?” Arabella tried again.

He only stared, bobbing back and forth along with the tide.©2013GwennWright

Katherine's Journal now Available!

Katherine's Journal: The von Strassenberg Saga 2.5 (a novella) is now live on Amazon and Barnes & Noble! The paperback will be available sometime in April 2013. 

Buy it on Amazon .99

Buy it on Barnes & Noble .99

Swanky New Look

Whilst my wonderful editors are going over Katherine's Journal with their fine-toothed combs, I have been working on updating Filter. It's always seemed unfortunate to me that the digital version wasn't as lovely as the paperback. It is my hope that I have rectified that situation. The new version is live on Amazon but I'm still struggling to make it work on the Nook. Here's a preview:

If you update your copy let me know what you think. I'm hoping the Nook/NookHD version will soon bend to my will and be live sometime later today. Maybe.

Last One! #TeaserTuesday

Katherine's Journal: The von Strassenberg Saga 2.5 will be out this Thursday! So here's your last snippet before the big day!

William's brain was fuzzy, intoxicated with the vision of Katherine. As original as Rocky was, her grandmother five times removed had her beat hands down. 

He allowed the image to float into his mind again; the image of Katherine he had formed while reading her words. It was the portrait on the mantelpiece infused with the glow of life. He could easily envision her, tiny and fragile and all the while formidable and clever. With a bit of embarrassment he realized he would like to fall asleep and dream of her again, maybe twirl her around on a ballroom floor or linger beneath the moonlight on a balcony. “I have a crush on a dead girl,” he whispered to the dank air.

What was it about Katherine? For that matter, he wondered, what was it about Rocky? She was different from any girl he had ever known. Of course, any girl from her side of town was likely to be unlike any girl he had ever known. ©2013GwennWright 

You can also enter to win a signed paperback copy (won't be out till April) here http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15788699-katherine-s-journal

The von Strassenberg Saga ~ Another Review

From GoodReads http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11234679-filter

"Amazing! This is the best book I have read in a long time. It is one of those books that I want so badly for my friends to read, just so I can discuss the plots, twists and potential theories with someone! It is so compelling and had my heart racing the whole time! There were times that I would stop to catch my breath after an incredible plot twist! This is a remarkably brilliant debut novel that is so uniquely written that it becomes nearly impossible to put it down. I am generally one of those people that can predict the twists and turns of a plot, yet this story kept me guessing until the last few pages. What was so remarkable about the book, was that it followed two characters from different centuries simultaneously. Initially, I was hesitant to read a book intertwining two plots at once, because it could potentially become confusing. The author flawlessly mixes these two components of the book and it becomes so suspenseful and unlike anything I have ever read before. The writing felt so true to the time period and I felt so attached to the characters of both stories. In a time when readers like myself are becoming bored with the same supernatural characters fashioned in a new way, this book was such a refreshing breath of fresh air. It is actually hard for me to review this book because I don't want to give anything away! All I can say is that it is brilliantly dark, and one of the most fascinating romances I have ever read! The description in the book is so vivid that I actually felt like I was watching a movie as I was reading it. I can't wait for the next in the series! Highly recommended!"

Available for Kindle and Nook http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Filter/Wright/e/2940012975652

Also available in paperback. It's $13.99 at Amazon, that nifty little box below will take you there, but it's $10 at Barnes & Noble online. The cool thing with B&N is you can have them ship it to your nearest store, I think it saves you shipping costs...maybe. http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/filter-gwenn-wright/1031095925 

The von Strassenberg Saga ~ Reader Review

Ok. This review honestly made me cry. I was on the verge of giving up, chucking it all and being done with writing and going to fill out an application to work as a cashier at Wal-Mart (again, I did my Wal-Mart time). And then, the next morning I look on GoodReads and there is this phenomenal review from someone I have never spoken to (physically or virtually) and I just started crying. Weeping, weeping is a better word for it.
Here is that review:
Wow, wow. I loved this book and I need the second book IMMEDIATELY. I'm always on the lookout for great indie reads, and I just can't believe I haven't found this book before now! How have I not heard of Gwenn Wright before I stumbled across Filter a few days ago? She is an incredibly gifted storyteller. 

Filter follows two storylines, that of Rocky Evans, a 17 yr. old girl from present day, and Katherine, a 16 yr. old girl from 1877. Rocky is an orphan from Nashville who lives under the guardianship of a friend of her mother. She's from the "wrong side of the tracks" and grew up trying to make ends meet, dodging rent collectors, and avoiding her alcoholic guardian's increasing and disturbing interest in her. When a young lawyer shows up saying that his firm's been looking for her, Rocky is presented with an opportunity to escape her less than ideal situation and discover the family she's never known. 

Katherine Demure, lives with her wealthy family in 1877 St. Louis, MO. Although plagued by weakness and illness she is a strong, opinionated girl who longs for exciting, novel-like adventures. One evening at a dinner party that her parents' host, she accidentally meets the equally infuriating and captivating Viktor von Strassenberg and begins a journey that will rival even the darkest of gothic romances. 

Wright's formatting of this book is part of what makes this book so “un-put-downable.” (Yes, you can quote me....lol.) She switches the story's POV chapter to chapter (first person for Rocky and third person for Katherine) and masterfully keeps the mystery moving through both storylines, revealing just enough to make sense of both stories, and often leaving you with mini cliffhangers until that heroine's next chapter. I've read some books recently where the shift between narrators is just a confusing mess; however, this is never a problem in Filter and the shift between narrators/timelines is one of this story's greatest strengths. Another aspect of the shifting POVs that I absolutely LOVED was that each POV was written to the period of the narrator. I absolutely hate when period pieces sound too modern day, but Wright has expertly tailored each girl's POV to their respective times. 

I don't want to give anything away in this story, but Filter is a dark gothic romance and to me evokes a little Bronte, and some other authors that I won't mention for fear of revealing too much..... Most paranormal YA books are pretty predictable; it can be pretty easy to guess what the supernatural schtick is....but I have to say that up until 2/3 of the novel I was kept guessing, wondering what in the world was going on. And I love that! I love being given the opportunity to not know...to develop a couple wild theories on my own. Wright really has created something original and lovely with Filter. 

I would recommend this for older teens due to some heavy thematic elements.


Available for Nook. You can get it for your Kindle now. Or order it in paperback. It's cheapest at .http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/filter-gwenn-wright. Come hang out with me on Facebook at. https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Von-Strassenberg-Saga/150889648309305

So Overwhelmed, Let's Give Away Another!

I am so overwhelmed with the response to the giveaway (see sidebar --->) for Filter: Book One of The von Strassenberg Saga, that I have decided to give away 6 copies instead of 5 if we get to 1,000 entries. This will also include an Advanced Readers' Copy of BlueStocking Girl: Book 2 of The von Strassenberg Saga to all six of the winners. So, if you haven't already, enter to win! The clock is ticking. This giveaway ends in less than 36 hours! For sample chapters see earlier blog posts! 

A Clue into Book 2

I love the raw, dark feel of this song and the power behind the words. It ultimately led me to use BlueStocking Girl as the title for Book 2 of The von Strassenberg Saga. I had been searching for a title to wrap the historical heroine into one word, Natalie Merchant helped me find it.

Book Giveaway! The von Strassenberg Saga

Enter to Win at Goodreads! 

~3~

My life is hard. No one would rob me of that. The clothes I am wearing came out of a knotted up black plastic trash bag from a resale shop downtown. And not the downtown where shiny cars wink at you in the sunlight. If a car winks at you in this area it’s being driven by a person you would be best to avoid.

My side of downtown is crumbling and skirted by chain link fences.

Kevin’s out of work again. Staying sober for eight hours out of the day was too much for him.

It always is.

So I work here, at Dobson’s Market, fifteen hours a week during the school year. That’s my Friday, Saturday, Sunday job.

Since Dobson doesn’t want to get in trouble for overworking a minor we worked it out with his younger brother that I would work the rest of the week at the family restaurant. Fifteen hours here. Fifteen hours there. No benefits anywhere and crap pay everywhere.

But for now, it’s holding us. We’ve been in the same place for three months now. I’ve opened my own bank account, that Kevin knows nothing about, and I’m paying the bills as they roll in.

And we’re finally making it.

Eventually, though, he’ll come out of his stupor and realize things are getting comfortable and he’ll want to know where the money is.

But maybe by then I’ll be gone.

(c) 2010 by Gwenn Wright

Available for Kindle and in Paperback

Book Giveaway!

Just for kicks and giggles, I have listed a giveaway on goodreads.com! Five copies of Filter: Book One of the von Strassenberg Saga will be given away for free! Enter to win! The giveaway ends June 4th, so get hoppin'!


BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Young Adult, Contemporary, Historical Romance,


In this darkly romantic family saga, Rocky Evans searches for a way out of her stepfather's self-inflicted poverty. Just weeks before graduation, with a plan to go anywhere the alcoholic slug of a man wouldn't find her, a car pulls up alongside her on the dark streets of Nashville. The young attorney in his flashy car speaks cryptically of the family she never realized she might have. 

In a fast paced, heart wrenching first installment of The von Strassenberg Saga, Rocky Evans begins on her journey to unearth the roots of her family tree. What she will learn is there is a reason some roots are best left deeply buried