BLOGFEST 2012: Check out what's up for grabs

Welcome to Blogfest 2012 hosted by A Journey of Books.  

For my stop I'm giving away an autograph copy of my debut novel, 

EMBRACE, the Embrace hemp bracelet, and bookmark. 

There are six ways to enters.

                                                           Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
The next five hops on the tour are:

Curling Up By The Fire
Jill of The O.W.L.
Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book
Lucidity
Letters Inside Out

Happy blog hop!

The Next Big Thing Blog Challenge

Today's post is in response to Jennifer Lane tagging me for the blog challenge THE NEXT BIG THING. I thought it would be fun to participate and tag five more writers. 

The rules are simple:

Answer 10 questions about my current WIP (Work-In-Progress)
Tag five writers and link their blogs so we can all hop over and read their answers.

The questions:

1. What is the working title of your book?
2. Where did the idea come from for the book?
3. What genre does your book fall under?
4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
9. Who or What inspired you to write this book?
10. What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

My latest work in progress is almost done, so I'll answer nine of these questions now with the hopes of having the answer to the one I skipped in the next few weeks. Jennifer is answering one question a week, with the hope her WIP will be finished at the end of ten weeks. I think this is a wonderful idea and would follow her lead if I wasn't almost done with mine. Anyhoo, here are my answers:

• Hold Tight (an EMBRACE book)
• I had always had an idea of what would happen next in Madison's life, but it wasn't until the positive feed back and readers asking for a second book that I decided to write a sequel.
• My book is a young adult paranormal thriller/romance.
• My dream cast is easy, since I already did this for Embrace. Here are the four friends: Emma Watson as  Madison Riley, Selena Gomez as Kaylee Bishop, Kevin Lutz as Isaac Addington, and Ben Jelen's as Josh Corey. 

• I'm leaving the one sentence synopsis on my to do list. 
• I'll let you know when I do  :)
• I was working on more than one book at the time, so I'm going to guess the first draft took six months.
• Readers who enjoy Sweet Evil, Fallen, City of Bones or Shiver are likely to enjoy Hold Tight.  
• Readers inspired me to continue Madison's story.
• In book two, Madison and her friends discover they aren’t the only supernatural beings in Gloucester, Massachusetts, and these new creatures are more dangerous than ever. Let’s hope Madison will be able to hold on tight to those closest to her, because this time she risks losing more than just her friends.

I'm tagging the following five writers for The Next Best Thing Blog Challenge. Tell us about your WIP...

Katie Sparks

Marilyn Manseau

Angela Brown

Feather Stone

Hannah Downing

Feature & Excerpt: Streamline by Jennifer Lane

I'm excite to be able to share with you this steamy, fun excerpt from Jennifer Lane's newest novel, Streamline. Jennifer is not only an amazing author, but she's one of my pub sisters and I'm thrilled to be able to tell you about her young adult novel...

STREAMLINE
by Jennifer Lane

Synopsis:
Seems like Leo Scott has it all: looks, brains, and athletic talent. He's captain of his high school swim team with a bright future in college and beyond. But Leo has secrets. His mother's crippling car accident has devastated his family and left Leo to deal with his father's abuse, battered and alone. 

Leo's girlfriend Audrey Rose is poised for her own share of success. As one of Florida's top high school swimmers, Audrey dreams of college swimming stardom. But there's an obstacle to her glorious rise to the top. Her number-one supporter-her father-is in prison for murder. 

Part murder mystery, part tale of young love in a military family, this gripping story takes readers on a journey from Pensacola to Annapolis. Leo and Audrey must band together to rise above the adversity they encounter and find their true selves in the process. When everything's on the line . . . streamline.



Exceprt:

Darkness shrouded the pool, and Leo led Audrey to the diving well. They kicked off their sandals and stood with their toes curled over the edge. Leo felt strangely self-conscious. A light ocean breeze wafted
across the surface, leaving small ripples in its wake. It was dead quiet.

“I’ve never gone skinny dipping before,” Leo admitted.

“You haven’t? It is the best feeling in the world.” Audrey grasped the bottom of his tank top and lifted it over his head. “It’s a feeling of total weightlessness and freedom.”

“Like going commando?” he asked.

“Um, yeah, I wouldn’t know about that.” Audrey traced her fingers over his chest. “I think I’ll like skinny dipping with you a little better than with Elaine.”

Leo cocked one brow. “Maybe we could call Elaine and invite her? A little three-way action?”

Audrey swiftly shoved him, plunging him into the pool with a resounding splash. She stood on the deck laughing as his head emerged from the depths. “You need to cool off, pervert.”

Leo’s eyes never left hers as he nonchalantly sculled closer to the wall. Quick as lightning, he launched himself out of the pool. She shrieked and sprinted toward the fence, but he soon overtook her. He threw her over his shoulder as she squealed and squirmed.
He headed straight back to the pool and leaped off the deck, crashing their bodies into the water together.

Audrey came up giggling. He kept himself afloat with an eggbeater kick, and she did the same. As she slicked her hair back from her face, her smile faded into a longing gaze. He watched her tongue sweep across her lower lip.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

I love this excerpt! It's a great teaser for what's to come!

About the author:
People fascinate the psychologist/author (psycho author) known as Jennifer Lane. Her therapy clients talk to her all day long about their dreams and secrets, and her characters tell her their stories at night. Jen delights in peeling away the layers to scrutinize their psyches and emotions. But please rest assured, dear reader, she isn’t psychoanalyzing you right now. She’s already got too many voices in her head!

Stories of redemption interest Jen the most, especially the healing power of love and empathy. She is the author of The Conduct Series—-romantic suspense for adult readers—-and is currently at work on the third and final installment: On Best Behavior. Streamline is her first foray into writing for young adults, but she’s found this sort of writing even more fun. A former college swimmer, Jen was able to put a lot of her own experiences into this book. 

Whether writing or reading, Jen loves stories that make her laugh and cry. In her spare time she enjoys exercising, attending book club, and hanging out with her sisters and their families in Chicago and Hilton Head.

Learn more about Jennifer Lane

Website | Facbook | Twitter | Pinterest | Blog

Cover Reveal: Fireblood by Trisha Wolfe

I'm excited to be able to participate in the cover reveal of Trisha Wolfe's newest novel, Fireblood. Isn't the cover amazing!  

Fireblood: Fireblood #1

By Trisha Wolfe

Release Date: 2013

From Spencer Hill Press

Book Description from Goodreads:

To save a kingdom, Zara must choose between a prince who could be the answer and a rising rebellion that threatens to take control.

When Zara Dane is chosen to marry Prince Sebastian Hart, son of the man who ordered her father’s capture, Zara knows she must fight to save everything she loves from ruin.

Being betrothed to the prince means a life trapped behind the towering stone walls of the Camelot-forged realm. Under the watchful eye of the prince's first knight, Sir Devlan Capra, changing her future becomes difficult.

When an unlikely rebel reveals the truth about the deadly secrets that fuel King Hart’s twisted world, Zara’s path to rescue her father becomes clouded by deception. The Rebels clear her path by forcing Zara’s hand with an ultimatum: sway Prince Sebastian to join the Rebels, convincing him of his father’s evil nature, or they will take him out.

But Zara is uncertain about a future under the Rebels’ command and where the prince’s heart truly lies. She must decide who to trust, what to believe, and what she’s truly fighting for before the king destroys all of Karm, including her heart.

About the Author:

Trisha Wolfe is the author of the YA Steampunk/Paranormal Romance DESTINY'S FIRE (Omnific Publishing) and the upcoming YA Sci-Fi Utopian FIREBLOOD from Spencer Hill Press, November 2013. Her published short stories have appeared in YA literary journals, Fantasy magazines, and anthologies. She's written four books in the past two years, and is currently working on a new YA Sci-Fi project.

She the creator of YA Bound, a promotional blog for the Young Adult genre.  Also a proud  member of YALITCHAT.ORG, SCWW, and The Apocalypsies.

And she is also a business owner, partnered with her partner, her husband. When she's not busy doing all of the above, she's a wife and the mother of a gorgeous teen boy who's the sounding board for her male characters.

Check out her website TrishaWolfe.com for more on her books and short stories. Follow Trisha on Twitter @TrishWolfe

Coming October 6th: OUT OF THE DARKNESS Suicide Prevention Giveaway & Fundraiser!

 

Hi everyone!

Romance Author, Jessica Dell, and YA author, Sarah Fine, are joining forces to bring you a wonderful opportunity to win cool stuff AND help a wonderful charity.  LOTS of bloggers and authors have donated the cool stuff! To find out more and to see what’s up for grabs, click here.

Do you want get some AWESOME books? Cool swag?

AND help raise money for Suicide Prevention?

Then you'll want to hop over to Jessica Dell’s blog! Where 

BLOGGERS, WRITERS, & AUTHORS are...

UNITING FOR A CAUSE

Party starts at 12:00 Noon (Sharp! EST) October 6th, 2012

For more information click here.