An OMG Announcement!

HUGE NEWS FOR AN AMAZING AUTHOR!!!

I am so EXCITED to be a part of such an AMAZING announcement.

Nothing makes me more happy, or more excited than to see an author's dreams come true. 

Especially when it's an author I am a big fan of, like Aimee Salter.

Drumroll Please....

July 29, 2014— New York, NY

Today, Amazon Publishing and Alloy Entertainment, a division of Warner Bros. Television Group, announced a digital-first imprint that will focus on young adult, new adult and commercial fiction.

The new imprint, named Alloy Entertainment, will be part of Amazon Publishing’s Powered by Amazon program. Powered by Amazon enables publishers and authors to leverage Amazon’s global distribution and personalized, targeted marketing reach.

Alloy Entertainment, a division of the Warner Bros. Television Group, develops and produces original novels, television series and feature films.  All titles in the new Alloy imprint will have the advantage of being part of group that aggressively supports and promotes its properties. 

In fact, more than 75 of AE’s books have been on The New York Times bestseller list, including The Vampire Diaries, Pretty Little Liars, Gossip Girl, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, The Luxe, Veronica Mars: The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line, and The 100.

Every Ugly Word will be one of the first of three titles to be released under the newly launched imprint.

Alloy Entertainment will also look for opportunities to develop acquired titles as television series, feature films, and digital entertainment.

Every Ugly Word follows 17 year old Ashley who is relentlessly bullied at her high school and by her own mother, and his helplessly in love with her best friend, Matt, who is bullied by his father.

She seeks help by looking to her future self, “Older Me” who supports her through it all and teaches her to love herself. But is she really seeking “Older Me” or is she looking within herself for the answers?

When Ashley looks in the mirror she can see and talk to her future self. “Older Me” has been her support system through her relentless tormentor’s bullying, her unstable mother at home, and her forlorn love for her longtime best friend. But when Ashley discovers “Older Me’s” betrayal, she is targeted in the worst way and impends her last chance with Matt. She’s done with hearing every ugly word.

Meredith's Review:
A raw, emotional, must-read debut by Aimee Salter. Ashley will warm your heart, break it, and do it all over again. 

It took me a while to write this review. Ashley's story really affected me. She isn't a character you will easily forget or move on from. Her story is heartbreaking, enough that it's almost hard to completely get through. But you have to, you have to keep turning the page just like she has to keep going to school and seeing her tormentors each and everyday. You want to finish the story in hopes that she will beat her bullies, fight her demons, and find happiness. Because she has to, right? There is always a happy ending, right?

Ashley can be an infuriating character at times. She puts up with a lot, and you'll want to scream at her to fight back harder. You'll tell yourself that if you were in her shoes you would do just that. But when I was reading her story, putting myself in her place, I wondered if I would. I mean, being a teenager is hard enough with the raging hormones and being stuck between being an adult and being a kid. Just figuring out how you fit in is hard enough, add in a few of the worst frenemies you could ever imagine would make it all near impossible. 

But don't look at Ashley as weak, she's anything but that. Maybe she doesn't fight back, or stoop to the levels her tormentors do, but there is one thing that she does well...she survives. She doesn't cower in the corner or hide away. She faces her bullies over and over again, even though each time chips just a little bit more of her soul away from her. 

The voice in this is just so authentic and real. Most of the time I felt like I was reading a personal diary. I'm not going to lie, reading this book was hard. My heart broke and I spent many pages brushing the tears from my eyes, but I'm so glad I pushed through. I tend to read stories that take me out of reality, that make me laugh, or make me swoon. This one doesn't do that. But it does remind me that things aren't always perfect, and while escaping is good (and needed), you can't always ignore the real life happening outside. 

I couldn't help but think about real kids out there, right now, that are suffering at the hands of others. I want to shake those that find pleasure in someone else's pain. To tell them that you don't have to accept and love everyone, but you don't have to hurt and humiliate those that aren't like you either. I like to pretend it isn't this bad, that kids aren't this mean. But all I have to do is look at the headlines; read about the children that are dying in pain and despair. Read about hateful comments posted behind the anonymous wall of the internet, laughing at someone's torment or death. It is real, and it is happening.

I can't say I I've ever been through anything like this. I'm so thankful I was never singled out so publicly and relentlessly. That doesn't mean I don't know what it's like to be someone's target. But I'm sure most of us have been through that at some point in life. And I like to think no one at my high school was this horrible. But that would probably be a lie. The truth is I most likely chose not to see it, like certain characters in Ashley's story. I'm guessing a lot of us are like that. It's just easier to hide in your own social circle and not see things happening around you. 

This is one of those books I wish you'd see on a high school reading list. This is a book that makes you think. I'm not so blind to believe everyone would be enlightened, but I'm not so jaded that I don't believe it couldn't help someone either. I wish reading lists included more contemporaries that talked about subjects relevant to what kids are going through. Don't get me wrong, I love the classics and I think it's important for kids to read them, but what's wrong with including books they could relate to more? 

So I'll get off my soapbox now. Sorry for that. I highly recommend this book. Whether you're in school or those years are behind you, Ashley's story is one you aren't likely to forget. It's raw, it will break your heart, but it will also remind you that there is hope. Hope that things will get better, hope that people can change, and hope that the bully won't win. I wish I could tell every teenager going through something like this that it will get better. That high school is such a short time in your life. But I still remember what's it's like, and I know those words only provide a tiny sliver of comfort. But I do hope that anyone that's bullied won't give up, won't let the bully win. Because that's what they want and why would you want to give them that? Besides, if you can push through a situation like Ashley's, you will be left with unimaginable strength. Strength that I, for one, envy and admire.

About the Author

Aimee L. Salter writes novels for teens and the occasional adult who, like herself, is still in touch with their inner-high schooler. She never stopped appreciating those moments in the dark when you say what you're really thinking. And she'll always ask you about the things you wish she wouldn't ask you about.

·      Visit Aimee’s Website 

·      Like Aimee on Facebook

·      Follow Aimee on Twitter  

CONGRATS AIMEE!

Let's all join in a happiest of happy dances for Aimee and Every Ugly Word!

About Alloy Entertainment

Alloy Entertainment, a division of the Warner Bros. Television Group, develops and produces original novels, television series and feature films. More than 75 of AE’s books have been on The New York Times bestseller list, including The Vampire Diaries, Pretty Little Liars, Gossip Girl, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, The Luxe, Veronica Mars: The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line, and The 100. AE has successfully adapted several of its properties into hit television shows for broadcast across multiple networks, including The CW, ABC, ABC Family and Nickelodeon. Current Alloy Entertainment television series include Pretty Little Liars, The Vampire Diaries, The Originals and The 100. AE feature films include Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 1 & 2, Sex Drive and The Clique, with several additional projects currently in development including Sisterhood Everlasting, The Merciless and The Brokenhearted.

About Amazon.com

Amazon opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995. The company is guided by three principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, and long-term thinking.  Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire phone, Fire tablets, and Fire TV are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon.

Advance Praise for Every Ugly Word

"Original. Authentic. Heart-breaking....Officially one of my favorites!"

-- Cora Carmack, New York Times Bestselling author of Losing It.

"A gripping story about a teen facing her demons with twists you won't see coming, Every Ugly Word is a chilling and heartbreaking debut with raw emotion searing every page. I couldn't put it down."­

 -- Katie Sise, author of The Boyfriend App. 

"Every Ugly Word is a punch to the gut from chapter one. The tension and mystery build through every page to an inevitable showdown that left me breathless. With a splintered protagonist you can't help but root for, you'll battle through the worst of humanity's ugliness to emerge at the end dirty and broken and full of hope."

 -- Mary Elizabeth Summer, author of Trust Me, I'm Lying.