Write. Read. Live.: March 2014

Thursday, March 27, 2014

CHALLENGING DESTINY Release Party!

Welcome to the Challenging Destiny Release Party!!

I'm so excited you could join us!
Be sure to enter the giveaway at the bottom of this post!

I'd liked to thank the staff at The Wild Rose Press for helping make this day possible. A special thanks goes out to my editor, Eilidh MacKenzie, whose guidance through the editorial process was invaluable. I'd also like to thank my Street Team, Colyer's Clan, and all the authors and bloggers who are celebrating with me today. I'm truly honored to have such wonderful people participating in the event.

Some of the party guest listed below have excerpts and guest posts on their blogs, so be sure to check them out!

Special thanks goes out to:

Veronica Rundell - Excerpt, April 1st

Jen - Excerpt, March 27th

Nicki Elson - Excerpt, March 27th

Marian Cheatham - Excerpt, March 28th

Katie O'Sullivan

CarolOates - Guest Post

ChelseaHunter

Toni Lesatz - Excerpt, March 30th

Stephanie Ward - Excerpt, March 27th

Joana Arteaga - Guest Post, March 27th

Gina Scarcella
Kat Ross
Heather Reid
Dorothy Dreyer

About the book:

CHALLENGING DESTINY
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Kindle Release Date: March 27, 2014
Worldwide Release Date: July 11, 2014

Synopsis:
Logan Ragsdale and his younger sister, Ariana, have been marked, chosen to be unwilling participants in a war between angels and demons.

Logan can sense something's not quite right. Like an unexpected chill on a summer's day, he can feel the unseen closing in. He's had these feelings before and, each time, someone close to him died. He's afraid this time it might just be Ariana.

Logan's fears are soon confirmed when he discovers their new friends aren't human, but rather representatives from Heaven and Hell sent to Earth to ensure he and Ariana accept their roles in an ancient prophecy. Demons want Logan to open the gates of Hell. Ariana has the power to stop them, but if she chooses to side with Heaven to spare the lives of thousands of innocent people, she'll damn her brother for eternity.

Together, they must derail the biblical event if they hope to save themselves and the future of mankind...but what price are they willing to pay to keep the other safe?

Read CHALLENGING DESTINY today!

Amazon | Amazon UK

Fun gifts to celebrate today include:
$10 Amazon Gift Card
Challenging Destiny Swag Package
Challenging Destiny Bookmarks

Challenging Destiny Swag Package

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Cover Reveal: SHADES OFAVALON

My pub sister and fellow Darkly Delicious YA author, Carol Oates, has a double reveal for us today. Shades of Atlantis, book one in the series, has a new look, and it's hot! It goes nicely with the cover for Shades of Avalon, book two. Don't you think?

Shades of Atlantis
synopsis:

Since the death of their parents, Triona Pryor and her brother, Ben, have lived with their aunt and uncle in Camden, Maine. Now in her senior year of high school, Triona loves her family and friends, but she has always felt that she didn't quite fit in...in Camden, or anywhere else.

Enter Caleb Wallace, the devilishly handsome man who has recently moved to Triona's small town.

While their attraction to each other is instantaneous, it also proves to be dangerous...and deadly. When tragedy strikes, Triona flees to London for solace and to start her life anew. It's there she discovers from an unlikely source that her family has been keeping secrets from her - secrets about not only her birthright, but her ultimate destiny as well.

Armed with this knowledge, Triona finds herself thrown into a whole new world and into a battle to save the lives of everyone she loves.

Read SHADES OF ATLANTIS today:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Click here to add SHADES OF ATLANTIS to your TBR list.

Shades of Avalon
synopsis:

Ben Pryor grew up as an average kid in Camden, Maine, unaware of the supernatural storm brewing in his Celtic blood. However, at nineteen, as the last born in the royal line of the beings that once ruled Atlantis, Ben has eagerly embraced his newfound abilities and birthright.

When Caleb, his sister’s mate, goes missing under suspicious circumstances, the prime suspect is the last remaining member of the overthrown corrupt Guardian Council.

With the discovery that an old acquaintance has been keeping secrets and the future Ben was so sure of shifting before his eyes, the situation becomes more complicated, the ransom for Caleb too high.

In the sequel to Shades of Atlantis, Ben will delve deeper than he ever imagined into the magical old ways of the Guardians, the secrets of Excalibur, and the truth behind the legend of King Arthur

Click here to add SHADES OF AVALON to your TBR list.

Author Carol:
Carol Oates came into the world on Christmas morning, in an elevator. Raised just across the street from the childhood home of Bram Stoker, author of Dracula, it was only a matter of time before Carol’s love of all things supernatural would emerge.

She began experimenting with fiction at school and keeps the notebook containing her first unpublished novel in her desk drawer. Over three decades later, all her stories still begin life scrawled on paper.
When not writing, Carol can be found exploring history with her son. Luckily, he shares her love of old buildings, castles, and tombs.

Connect with Carol

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Monday, March 24, 2014

Cover Reveal for MY TETHERED SOUL by Dorothy Dreyer

Today I have the pleasure of sharing the cover of MY TETHERED SOUL book 2 in the Reaper's Rite series by Dorothy Dreyer. Plus, MY SISTER'S REAPER, book one, has a new look. These covers became public last Friday, but since I already had something scheduled on my blog I decided to share them today.

MY TETHERED SOUL, Reaper's Rite, Book 2

Synopsis:
It’s been months since Zadie faced her sister’s Reaper, months during which she’s been under her mentor’s magical protection. But now that she’s turning seventeen, that protection is about to run out.

When dark forces lure Zadie to wander at night, she’s manipulated into committing unspeakable acts. With her friends and family at risk, Zadie must try to use her powers to break free from the Reaper’s grasp, or surrender to the Reaper’s Rite, which can only lead to death.

My Tethered Soul on Goodreads

MY SISTER'S REAPER also has a new look.

Synopsis:
Sixteen-year-old Zadie’s first mistake was telling the boy she liked she could bring her dead sister back to life. Her second mistake was actually doing it.

When Zadie accidentally messes with the Reaper’s Rite that should have claimed her sister Mara, things go horribly wrong. Mara isn’t the same anymore—Zadie isn’t even sure she’s completely human, and to top it off, a Reaper is determined to collect Mara’s soul no matter what. Now Zadie must figure out how to defeat her sister’s Reaper, or let Mara die … this time for good.

Read My Sister's Reaper today:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Author Bio
Dorothy Dreyer has always believed in magic. Born in Angeles City, Philippines, to a Filipino mother and American Father, Dorothy grew up a military brat, living in Massachusetts, South Dakota, Guam, New Jersey, and New York. She now lives in Frankfurt, Germany, with her husband, two teens, and two Siberian huskies. Dorothy not only writes books with some element of magic in them, but has a fondness for reading those kinds of books as well. She also enjoys movies, chocolate, take-out, and spending time with family and friends. She’s known to make a pretty sweet cupcake when she has the time. She also tends to sing sometimes, so keep her away from your Karaoke bars.

Connect with Dorothy

Website | Twitter | Facebook

Friday, March 21, 2014

Happy Book Birthday to SPEAK OF THE DEVIL by Shawna Romkey

Happy birthday to Shawna Romkey and her book Speak of the Devil! It's turning one this month!

Blurb:

What happens when falling in love and falling from grace collide?

After dying in a car accident with her two best friends, Lily miraculously awakens to grief and guilt. She escapes to her dad’s to come to terms with the event and meets some people at her new school who seem all too eager to help her heal. Sliding deeper into sorrow and trying to fight her feelings for two of them, she finds out who…what they really are and that they are falling too.

Can she find the strength to move on from the past, reconcile her feelings for Luc, find a way to stop a divine war with fallen angels, and still pass the eleventh grade?

Trailer

To celebrate, Shawns is having a rafflecopter! The grand prize is a 6″Kindle with wi-fi, plus some ebooks! Second prize is an AWESOME swag pack.

All you have to do is enter the rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Not only that, but Speak of the Devil is on sale for $2.99 until March 23!

You can read an excerpt from Speak of the Devil at http://www.shawnaromkey.com.

Bio

Shawna grew up around farms in the heart of Missouri but went to the University of Kansas, was raised in the US but now lives on the ocean in Nova Scotia with her husband, two sons, two rescue dogs and one overgrown puppy from hell. She’s a non-conformist who follows her heart.

She has her BA in creative writing from the University of Kansas where one of her plays was chosen by her creative writing professor to be produced locally, and two of her short stories were published in a university creative arts handbook. She earned her MA in English from Central Missouri State University where she wrote a novel as her thesis.

She’s taught English at the university and secondary levels for close to twenty years and can’t quite fathom how all of her students have grown up, yet she’s managed to stay the same. She’s a huge geek and fan of Xena, Buffy and all kick ass women, and loves to write stories that have strong female characters.

The second book in the series, The Devil Made Me Do It, will release in September.

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Meet Kira Rose from CHALLENGING DESTINY

"Why the heck, if angels and demons were walking around Earth, weren’t the angels on my side?"

Stop by Darkly Delicious YA to discover the darker side of Kira Rose, a very important character in my upper teen paranormal romance/thriller, CHALLENGING DESTINY. Click here to read the post.

Challenging Destiny releases earlier on Kindle March 27th.

Worldwide release on July 11th.

R.S.V.P. to the release party by clicking here.

Friday, March 14, 2014

Faery Swap by Susan Kaye Quinn, Plus an Amazing Giveaway!

March 3rd - March 21st

A little about Faery Swap... Kindle, Nook, Print

Warrior faery princes can be very stubborn. Especially when they possess your body. Fourteen-year-old Finn just wants to keep his little sister out of Child Protective Services--an epic challenge with their parentally-missing-in-action dad moving them to England, near the famous Stonehenge rocks. Warrior faery Prince Zaneyr just wants to escape his father's reckless plan to repair the Rift--a catastrophe that ripped the faery realm from Earth 4,000 years ago and set it adrift in an alternate, timeless dimension. When Zaneyr tricks Finn into swapping places, Finn becomes a bodiless soul stuck in the Otherworld, and Zaneyr uses Finn's body to fight off his father's seekers on Earth. Between them, they have two souls and only one body... and both worlds to save before the dimensional window between them slams shut.

NOTE TO TEACHERS: Check out the Virtual Author visit video and Common-Core-Aligned Teacher's Guide for Faery Swap here.

2 minute book trailer

Excerpt

[Author's Note: Faery Swap is told in alternating points of view, between Finn, the human boy, and Zaneyr, the faery prince who tricks him into swapping places.]

Finn's Excerpt:

He looked up at the blanket of haze hiding the sun. The sky had been blue when he had dropped off Erin. How long had he been out? He wrestled his arm around to look at his watch

8:44

The second hand was dead still, frozen between the five and the six. Whatever McFreaky did to knock him out broke his watch, too. The watch his mom gave him. She had strapped it on his wrist that day he was late for the bus and told him that being on time was important. Part of growing up. She drove him to school. The wreck happened on the way home.

It was the last thing she ever gave him. And McFreaky broke it. Finn clenched his fist and slammed it into the grass.

Then the grass punched him back.

The hit to his shoulder was so hard, it flipped him onto his back. A tinkling of glass sounded all around him.

“What the…?” Finn scrambled to sit up. The grass couldn’t have punched him. That didn’t make any sense. Something under the grass then. He jumped up to his feet and stared at the ground, frozen, waiting for it to move again.

Nothing happened.

Finn stomped his foot on the grass where he’d been lying a moment before, just to be sure. The grass kicked back, knocking him off his feet and landing him with a thump on his backside. The tinkling glass sound rushed up, like a thousand tiny voices laughing.

“Ahhh!” Finn jerked up off the ground. A narrow dirt path was just a dozen feet away, so he ran toward it. Tiny insects rose up wherever he stepped, making the tinkling sound, then falling back down. He teetered on the safety of the path, which seemed clear of the insects. The path was just wide enough for a sheep to pass. A very small sheep.

What was this crazy place?

Zaneyr's Excerpt:

Zaneyr peered at the young sister of Finn. He vowed to respect that kin bond, as a brother would. It was the least he could do, having banished her brother to the eternal changelessness of the Otherworld. And perhaps the House of Finn would serve as good a hiding place as any.

She awaited his answer with an impatience too large for such a small thing.

“No, lass, you cannot stay home with me.” He gestured to the loud guardian of the stone structure. “You need to stay here. But I will be back at the appointed time for you.”

Erin’s shoulders sagged with defeat.

“But I think I will return home now.” Zaneyr looked around at the many dwellings that crowded the path. “Which one would that be?”

Erin fixed that glare upon him again. “I memorized our address, already! When are you going to stop quizzing me?”

“It is the sickness,” Zaneyr said with a smile. “It is stealing my memory like a thief.”

“Dude, you are sick.” She suddenly shot her hand toward his face. Reflexively, Zaneyr leaned away, but she managed to land a tiny, warm hand on his cheek. He froze. What sort of magick was she working by touch? Then he remembered she was only a child, and a human one at that. It had been so long since he had felt the warmth of any touch.

The tension flew away.

“You’re not running a fever.” Her face was a picture of seriousness. “But I should go home with you.”

“Erin!” the woman called again, closer now. “You all right, love? I’m closing the gates.”

“You are summoned. You must go.” Zaneyr glanced again at the dwellings, stacked like cubes on top of one another. He pointed to one. “Is that our home? I don’t believe you truly recall.”

Erin’s shoulders drooped again. “It’s 842 on Earls Court.” She speared his chest with a small finger.

Don’t forget to come back and get me.”

“I could hardly refuse an order so imperiously given.”

Blog Tour Giveaway

$25 Amazon Gift Card

Signed Paperback of Faery Swap

Two Faery Wands

ENTER TO WIN

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Susan Kaye Quinn is the author of the bestselling Mindjack Trilogy, which is young adult science fiction. Faery Swap is her foray into middle grade, which is her first writing love. Her business card says "Author and Rocket Scientist" and she always has more speculative fiction fun in the works. You can subscribe to her newsletter (hint: new subscribers get a free short story!) or stop by her blog to see what she's up to.

Faery Swap

Kindle | Nook | Print

Fourteen-year-old Finn is tricked into swapping places with a warrior faery prince and has to find his way back home before the dimensional window between their worlds slams shut.

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

The date’s been set! Now all we need is the party!

Spread the news! Challenging Destiny will

be available on Kindle March 27th!

My wonderful publisher, The Wild Rose Press, let me know this past weekend that my upper teen paranormal romance/thriller, Challenging Destiny, is being release early exclusively on Kindle. I’ve been bouncing between excitement and panic since I received that email. The Kindle release date is March 27^th. That’s less than three weeks from now!

Yep, I had to double check the date a few times--you know, in case I counted wrong.

I’m putting together a release party and I’d love to have you as a guest. R.S.V.P by filling out the form below.

Thanks for your support!

About the book:

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Too Busy for Insecurities

The first Wednesday of the month is here, which means it's time for IWSG. If you're not familiar with this meme, it was started by Alex Cavanaugh. It's a group of writers who share their insecurities, encouraging words, and support with each other and our followers. If you'd like to join us, great! Click here for more information.

I haven't had much time to be insecure. I'm sure when things slow down my insecurities will surface. For now, I'm going to just enjoy how things have been moving along at a nice pace.

Last month was a busy month. So much so that it took me a week to realize the first Wednesday had passed and I didn't write a post for IWSG. I promised myself I wouldn't miss it this month.

Since I'm going with the flow, I figured I'd chat about what's been going on. As of last month, I'm officially rep'd by Jordy Albert of the Booker Albert Literary Agency. Jordy had some great suggestions for my newest young adult novel, so between edits on Challenging Destiny I revised that novel. I'm really happy with how the changes strengthen the plot.

Speaking of Challenging Destiny, I received my cover art. If you didn't see my post a couple of weeks ago, there it is to the right. My publisher, The Wild Rose Press, and cover artist, Debbie Taylor, did an amazing job.

I also received my galley, which is now back with my publisher. I should have a release date soon.

This new release had me rethinking the name of my Street Team. Now that I think about it, building my Street Team would be an insecurity. I do have members, and I'm honored they are a part of my team, but sometimes I worry that my team will always be small. We still have fun, though.

I also helped to put together a HUGE Kindle Giveaway. It just started, so be sure to follow the link below and enter!

Darkly Delicious YA and Book Nerd Tours has teamed up to host a Pot of Gold Giveaway. One lucky leprechaun will win a KINDLE FIRE HD load with great YA and NA books, and that's only one of the prizes. Be sure to click here and enter!

I ended my month by attending a writer's retreat. This was my first time at a retreat like this and it was amazing. I'm really glad I went.

Before I go, if you missed my post on Friday, February 21st, I spotlighted our fearless leader, Alex Cavanaugh. I know you are all familiar with his books, but it's worth stopping by just to watch his book trailers.

That's it for me. Do you have a street team? How was your month?