HELLFINDER release week contests

 HELLFINDER releases on Aug 29th. If you want a hardcover, you'll need to order directly from the publisher, Regal House Press. I have not even seen the hardcover copies yet, but I ordered one for myself, one for my mom, and one to give away. I'll post a pic when I can.

Speaking of giveways!

HELLFINDER RELEASE WEEK CONTESTS AND GIVEAWAYS

FIND A PHYSICAL COPY OF HELLFINDER (US and INT):
All week, from Monday Aug 28 through Sunday Sept 3, if you find a copy of Hellfinder in the wild at a local bookstore or library, take a picture or video, post it on your social media, caption it "I found #Hellfinder at [name of store or library]", and tag me (@pstokesbooks on IG, Twitter, or FB), you'll win a prize. What kind of prize? It's a secret! :)

RELEASE DAY HELLFINDER-THEMED SCAVENGER HUNT (US only):
From 12PM Pacific to 11:59PM Pacific on Aug 29th. One day only. Come back to my blog on Aug 29th for the Official Hellfinder Release Day Scavenger Hunt (starting at noon because I want to be awake and functional to answer questions that arise). I'll be providing a list of 20 items you have to try and find, as well as giving you directions for how to arrange them in images and share them so you can officially enter the contest. This is not timed. If there is a tie for the highest number of items, I will award multiple prizes.

Grand prize for the Scavenger Hunt will be a signed paperback of Hellfinder and your choice of 2 other signed Paula Stokes books, for a total of 3 books! And if you've already pre-ordered Hellfinder, I'll throw in a 3rd signed Paula Stokes book and a signed bookplate instead of the Hellfinder paperback if you want. Availability depends on my current supply of books, but I definitely have brand new copies of Hidden Pieces, Liars Inc, Vicarious, and Ferocious, as well as some used copies of Girl Against the Universe if you prefer a swoony contemp. Sorry, this one is US only because I can't afford to send books overseas anymore.

THE HUNT IS LIVE. CLICK HERE FOR ALL THE MAYHEM, I MEAN DETAILS :)

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS HELLFINDER?? (US and INT):

Saturday September 2nd, starting at 12PM Pacific. I am (pretend) hiding a fancy hardcover copy of Hellfinder somewhere on the planet. It will be in a very mysterious and (hopefully) hard to guess place.

Starting at noon on 9/2, I will release clues to the location of the book on social media and/or this website. First person to guess the location wins. Guessing the location involves naming the country, city, area/park/building, and specific hiding place. So for example, to win you can't just says "Hallgrimskirkja!" You have to say "Iceland, Reykjavik, Hallgrimskirkja, in the elevator that goes to the roof." 

Don't worry if you have questions, All will be explained. Just know that it's a fun time and you should play, and that I'm going to try to make it harder so people can't use AI or Google to figure out the location in 5 minutes like may have happened in the past, ha :) US winner wins signed hardcover of Hellfinder or $20 gift card. International winner wins $20 gift card.

Do you want to score HELLFINDER pre-order swag but aren't ready to order yet? I will extend the pre-order incentive through the end of release week. Order any time by September 3rd and score a signed bookplate, bookmark, and stickers! US or INT.  See here for more details.

HELLFINDER pre-order incentive

Are you thinking of pre-ordering HELLFINDER? 

Pre-orders help publishers gauge interest for titles and can also generate early buzz for books. Currently my editor is considering a second book from me--this one a girl power contemp with a vibe kind of like if Girl Against the Universe and The Art of Lainey had a baby. If you like the sound of that and you're planning to buy Hellfinder, ordering early is an easy way to show support for future titles by me.

In exchange for your support, I've got some fun swag and bonus contests available only to readers who pre-order.

First, I'll send anyone who orders Hellfinder on or before Sept 2, 2023 a bookmark, 2 stickers, and personalized signed bookplate.

Second, for every 10 pre-orders, I'll give away a 10-page writing critique. Critiques are transferable to a friend or family member, but they can't be sold and the pages to critique must be emailed to me at pstokesbooks@gmail.com by Dec 31st 2023.

Third, for every 25 pre-orders, I'll give away a $25 gift card to Etsy, where the winner could use the credit to buy themselves an authentic gift that was Made in Iceland! (But also it's your prize and you can do whatever you want with it.)

You can order Hellfinder in the usual places, but if you want to support an all-female run small business, pre-order direct from Regal House/Fitzroy.

Regal House is also the only place where you can order a Special Edition Hardcover! I would show you a picture but I don't have any hardcovers yet. I know this gorgeous cover is going to look fantastic in HC, though :)

How to claim your swag and enter for the other prizes:

1. Take a picture of or screenshot your pre-order receipt.

2. Email that image to pstokesbooks@gmail.com subject Hellfinder pre-order by Sept 3.

3. In your email, let me know what name you want me to write on the bookplate or if you just want it generically signed.

4. If you are not interested in entering for the 10-page critique because you don't know any writers, let me know that too and if I end up randomly selecting you I'll pick again.

5. Winners will be notified by Sept 9.

6. Giftcards and swag will be mailed out on or before Sept 16.

7. If you win a writing critique, I need your pages by the end of the year and you can expect turn-around on them in a month or less.

International pre-orders and entrants welcome. I'm not sure where (if?) you can get a physical book without paying a ton of shipping now that Book Depository is gone, but hopefully you can find an ebook if you are interested.

Email me if you have any questions.

HELLFINDER Street Team

I'm recruiting for a small street team for my August release, HELLFINDER, available to read now on NetGalley. Teamers who complete all of the required activities will receive a $20 gift card, signed Hellfinder swag, and the opportunity to use me as a reference for college, graduate school, internships, or relevant job applications! 

Here's more info about the book:

Winter Break turns deadly when Rory Quinn and her treasure-hunter grandmother travel to Iceland in search of an enchanted artifact. Their mission is to recover a blood-smeared stone that legend says will lead whoever possesses it to the nearest doorway to Hell. The client' s grandson, Einar, took the stone at the request of his favorite heavy metal band. As part of a publicity stunt, the band plans to open the closest doorway, rumored to exist deep inside one of Iceland' s many volcanoes, in just three days.

 
Along with Einar' s twin brother, Gunnar, Rory and Gram will need to navigate glaciers, ice caves, and volcanic tunnels in search of the missing artifact. But can the three of them recover the stone before the band unleashes anything evil into the Icelandic wilderness? As the team grows closer to Einar, Rory is growing closer to Gunnar, too. But she can tell he' s keeping secrets from her. Big ones, that when revealed, will cause her to question almost everything she' s ever believed.

Here are the street team details:

In order to apply, first read the entire book on NetGalley and leave a short review. Then email me at pstokesbooks@gmail.com, subject street team, if you're interested in participating. 

In your email include the following:

• Your name
• The social media you use to share thoughts about books
• Why you want to be part of the HELLFINDER street team
• One thing you'd enjoy doing to promote the book

In order to apply you must have (or be willing to create) the following:

• NetGalley and Goodreads accounts
• At least one of the following: Bluesky, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, or some other social media app or website where you share info about books
• At least one additional way beyond the above to review the story--could be Amazon, Barnes & Noble, LibraryThing, Reedsy, Bookish, a local library website, a personal blog, etc.
• There is no requirement as far as number of followers you have. If you're looking to get some book promotion experience, this is a great opportunity for people just starting out. International teamers welcome.

Here are the required activities:

August:

• Post on your social media about the book's release on August 29.
• Share the author's (forthcoming) post about the HELLFINDER pre-oreder incentive.

September:

• Post a review of at least 4 sentences on Goodreads.
• Review the book on Amazon, B&N, or some other bookish website.
• Vote for HELLFINDER on 2 Goodreads lists. You can also add the book to other existing lists.
• Add 2 short, non-spoilery quotes from HELLFINDER to Goodreads, or if your favorites have already been added, vote for your 2 favorite quotes.
• Create 4 quote/image graphics using your fave quotes from the story, using backgrounds provided by the author if desired. You can make your own backgrounds if you own the rights to the images or you get them from a free image bank like on Canva. If you're unclear whether an image is copyrighted, for purposes of this team please assume that it is.
• Post 2 quote/image graphics over 2 separate weeks during September. Be sure to tag me (@pstokesbooks) so I can retweet if I happened to be on social media. 

October:

• Post 2 quote/image graphics over 2 separate weeks during October. Be sure to tag me (@pstokesbooks) so I can retweet if I happened to be on social media.
• Post about the author's Halloween giveaway.
• Complete one additional promo activity of your choosing. This could be making and sharing a mood board (again Canva is great for free images), creating fan art, interviewing me on your blog or social, reading a short passage from the book on social media, doing a tie-in post about Icelandic culture/geography, hosting a contest in support of the book, reviewing the book on an additional site, etc. I'm totally flexible here and if you think it counts then it counts. Pick something fun and reach out to me if you're struggling because I may need someone to cohost an online activity or help out with something behind the scenes.
• Fill out the Street Team form (I will send to all teamers) by the end of November with links/images/whatever to show that you completed all of the activities.

Something to consider: I realize that marketing professionals who work for big publishers are routinely required to promote books they don't like and possibly haven't even read. I personally feel like that would be a difficult and demoralizing job, and that I might feel less love for books if I had to pretend to like them on a regular basis. With that in mind, I am going to request that you not apply for the HELLFINDER street team if you don't enjoy the story. You don't have to love it, but if it's a 1-star or 2-star read for you, you probably don't want to put yourself through fake-promoting it for a $20 gift card. This is just a suggestion and author request--not a requirement. All applications for the street team will be considered.

Applications (emails) due by the end of day on August 13th. Applicants will be notified by August 15th. I will accept up to 5 people for this street team. If I get more than 5 applications, I will give priority to street teamers I have worked with in the past and people who are on my mailing list. Join the list here. Incentives will be mailed out to street team members who complete all of the required activities by the end of November.

Questions? Put them in the comments or email me at pstokesbooks@gmail.com

Official Cover Reveal + Contest + Read HELLFINDER for Free

The awesome and incredible HELLFINDER cover leaked several months ago and I was going to do an official reveal on Halloween, but I got busy at work. Then I was gonna do it on New Years Day, but I got busy with life, and now here we are--less than 6 months from release. And finally I have time to set up a Rafflecopter and a newsletter. Let's goooooo!

The tl;dr is that this post contains the cover, info about the book, a link where you can pre-order a gorgeous finished copy, a link where you can access an e-ARC free via NetGalley, and a Rafflecopter where you can win $20.

So first, here's the stunning cover, created by C.B. Royal:

I love this cover for several reasons. First, I love the overall vibe and animated feel. I think the story could make a great animated feature or graphic novel. Second, the colors. THE COLORS. I love how bright and eye-catching they are, and how they work with the story. I can definitely see how the artist incorporated in pictures of volcanoes and ice caverns I sent her. And I love that title font, even though matching it for self-designed swag is probably going to be impossible. It's malevolent, but not in an over-the-top way.

So what's the book about?

Winter Break turns deadly when Rory Quinn and her treasure-hunter grandmother travel to Iceland in search of an enchanted artifact. Their mission is to recover a blood-smeared stone that legend says will lead whoever possesses it to the nearest doorway to Hell. The client' s grandson, Einar, took the stone at the request of his favorite heavy metal band. As part of a publicity stunt, the band plans to open the closest doorway, rumored to exist deep inside one of Iceland' s many volcanoes, in just three days. 

Along with Einar' s twin brother, Gunnar, Rory and Gram will need to navigate glaciers, ice caves, and volcanic tunnels in search of the missing artifact. But can the three of them recover the stone before the band unleashes anything evil into the Icelandic wilderness? As the team grows closer to Einar, Rory is growing closer to Gunnar, too. But she can tell he' s keeping secrets from her. Big ones, that when revealed, will cause her to question almost everything she' s ever believed.

Hellfinder releases August 29, 2023.

More about HELLFINDER:

1. It's action-packed and fun! I started this book in late 2015 and finished the submission draft in early 2017, and I think it was easier for me back then to write wild and whimsical stories that aren't weighted down by grief I feel about the current state of the world. This book was inspired partly by classic adventure movies like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Romancing the Stone, and National Treasure.

2. There's an awkward and endearing PG romance. I didn't plan for a romance the same way I didn't plan these characters. Rory and Gunnar just showed up in my brain and started bickering and then bantering, and it felt right to see how their feelings developed. There's no Instalove here, but I think doing a road trip that almost kills you several times has a natural bonding effect--they're kind of like soldiers who survive combat together, but with more kissing.

3. It's grounded in reality but has supernatural elements. I'd call this urban fantasy but it takes place in tiny towns and wilderness. Rural fantasy? Is that a thing? :) I always wanted to write a story with otherworldly creatures, but I came up in the YA world right at the time every editor was buried in sexy vampires and werewolves, so my agent was always like "Ahahaha, absolutely not." But eventually it felt like it was time for another round of all-things-paranormal so I wrote it anyway. And if you like books by Kami Garcia, Cassandra Clare and Kiersten White, or shows like Lucifer, Supernatural, and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, then Hellfinder should be for you.

4. ICELAND! If you know me or follow me online at all you know I LOVE Iceland. I would move there tomorrow if they'd let me--honestly, even without a job. I'd figure something out. Iceland feels like another planet to me, a kinder, more compassionate one, albeit with a rockier and less-forgiving topography. If you enjoy the idea of standing beneath majestic waterfalls, hiking on glaciers, dogsledding, swimming in geothermal pools, and/or crawling through ice caves and lava tubes, this book will deliver the sensory goods. Seriously, if you've read this far and don't want to check out the book, then you should skip it, but consider a trip to Iceland someday if it's within your means. It really is a magical life-changing kind of place.

Interested in pre-ordering? 

I will be setting up a pre-order giveaway after I get some stickers and bookplates made, but you can pre-order now and still qualify for that. Just follow me on social or subscribe to my mailing list so you won't miss the announcement. You can find this title in the usual places, but if you want to support an all-female run small business, pre-order direct from Regal House/Fitzroy.

How do I read for free?

HELLFINDER is on NetGalley right now, available to everyone with an account! Writing for a small publisher means there's not always money available for promo like NetGalley, so I paid my own money to get the book listed because I think word-of-mouth is one of the best ways to promote artistic work. I want lots of people to be able to read the novel, especially those without a lot of money to spend on physical copies and folks who live in countries where they might not be able to find HELLFINDER at a bookstore or library. If you're a new reviewer who gets rejected by the bigger publishers, rest assured HELLFINDER is available to everyone. If you have trouble accessing it, email me at pstokesbooks [at] gmail [dot] com and let me know. I'll do my best to get you sorted.

Last but not least, the contest:

I wanna do whatever I can to get the word out about the book and e-galley, so I cooked up a little Rafflecopter with that in mind. Winner gets a $20 gift card to Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Etsy, or another retailer/restaurant of your choice. International folks are welcome, but I may have to limit the gift card selections. If nothing else I will order you a book from The Book Depository or PayPal you $20 USD. Contest ends March 31st.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Announcing HELLFINDER, plus a GIVEAWAY

Hello all. It has been so long since I posted on this site that Blogger has revamped their interface and it took me a few tries to figure out how to write a post :) I hope you are doing well, or as well as can be given the adversity most of us have faced the past year and a half.

This post is to introduce you to my next YA novel, HELLFINDER! It's an action/adventure story that takes place over the span of a few days and is set primarily in the wilds of Iceland. It's a little bit Ally Carter's Embassy Row series, a little bit Shadowhunters, and a whole lot me. I had so much fun reliving all of my trips to Iceland while writing this novel. I hope you enjoy it too. It's scheduled to release in summer of 2023, via Regal House/Fitzroy Books.

It's me, in a volcano!

I'm going to share the working cover copy (which is too long and will be trimmed back or changed) and a mood board. And then, of course, a giveaway! This giveaway is going to be for everyone, but next month I'm going to do another one for newsletter subscribers with a lot of the same entry prompts. So if you want a second chance to win a $20 gift card (or $20 to your PayPal) head over to the Newsletter tab and sign up. I include editing tips, book recs, and an exclusive contest in every letter :)

Okay, here's the working cover copy:

Seventeen-year-old Rory Quinn and her grandmother, Ingrid, spend their free time searching for hidden treasure and missing heirlooms. When Ingrid takes a job in Iceland, things quickly go from dangerous to deadly.

They’re searching for an enchanted stone that will allegedly lead whoever possesses it to the nearest doorway to Hell. The client’s grandson, Einar, took the heirloom at the request of his favorite rock band, Black as Death. As part of a publicity stunt, the band plans to open the closest doorway, rumored to exist deep inside one of Iceland’s many volcanoes, in just three days.

Rory doesn’t believe in Hell and she’s not sure why Gram took this case—they’re treasure hunters, not bounty hunters. But Gram believes she and Rory can find Einar and recover the stone with help from the client’s other grandson, Gunnar, who happens to be Einar’s twin.

An isolated black sand desert, a snowy glacier, and a labyrinth of ice caves and volcanic tunnels stand in their way. And then they’ll have to face down Einar and Black as Death to retrieve the stone, ideally before the band unleashes anything evil into the Icelandic wilderness.

As the team grows closer to Einar, Rory is growing closer to Gunnar, too. But she can tell he’s keeping secrets from her. Big ones, that when revealed, will cause her to question almost everything she’s ever believed.

And here's the first mood board. I forgot how fun these were to make!

Are you intrigued? I joke that even people who don't enjoy the story will love the setting, because how could you not? Visiting Iceland almost feels like being on another planet in some places, and I mean that in the best possible way.

Here's the contest! Remember, if you want a second chance to enter, subscribe to the newsletter and watch your Inbox next month. Happy almost-July! Stay cool, or warm, depending on where you are.

a Rafflecopter giveaway