Showing posts with label promo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label promo. Show all posts

06 April, 2016

Blog Tour - Book Promo: Above Protection (Imperfect Heroes #1) by C.J. Pinard





About the Author:

I'm a California girl living in land-locked Colorado. Lover of red wine, wearer of fabulous shoes, and a die-hard Niner fan, I'm also an editor at heart. I've written over a dozen books and short stories that contain both contemporary/new adult and paranormal romance that are a little bit badass, a little heart-wrenching, and sorta funny (to me, anyway). Almost all my books usually contain law enforcement or military undertones, since strong, brave, alpha men and women are my weaknesses. When I'm not writing, I can be found working at a very strange day job, which may or may not have some mild influences on my gripping stories - so strange, in fact, I think I'll write a book about it one day.

I'm also a proud member of the Romance Writers of America (RWA).

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram




Excerpt from Above Protection:

He sighed and set the remote down. Picking up his plate, he stood but I was blocking his way. I moved right and he moved left, leaving me still blocking him. So I moved left, then he moved right, and we were still in the same predicament.

“Wanna dance?” I asked, thinking of all the times this would happen to my parents, and my daddy would ask my mom this.

Duke’s stormy blue eyes stared into mine, and setting his plate down on the end-table, he nodded slightly.

Did he just nod? Why don’t you stay? I’m down on my knees… I heard the singer croon.

Gently slipping a hand around my waist, he pulled me flush against his body and began to sway slightly. He continued to stare at me.

I’m so tired of being lonely, don’t I give you what you need?

In complete shock at the gesture, I tried to relax into his hold but I was just… just… stunned. Was I dancing with Duke Hawthorne?

His arm went around my shoulders and his warm hand gripped my neck.

When she calls you to go, there is one thing you should know…

Slowly, I reached my right arm to his backside and wrapped it around his solid waist. My other hand reached up and rested against his hard pec muscle.

We don’t have to live this way. Baby, why don’t you stay?

His hips began to sway, and as if my body had a mind of its own, I swayed with him. I couldn’t stop staring at him. His eyes bored into mine as if he wanted to say something. My head began to move in closer to his as we made slow circles around the small living room.

I can’t take it any longer, but my will is getting stronger, but I think I know exactly what I need…

As my face got closer, his did, too. When his face was inches from mine, my hand, without my permission, reached up and touched his cheek. The scruff of his beard felt good under my sensitive fingertips.

Then, Duke was kissing me.






Above Protection (Imperfect Heroes #1)
Adult Contemporary Romantic Crime Suspense
Published: 30 March 2016

He's bearded, angry, highly trained, and has a job to do.

She's the damsel in distress who's smarter than she looks, and doesn't want anyone's help. Could it be they both need something neither will admit to? Fate fueled by the laws of attraction may just decide for them.

DUKE
I didn’t ask for this. I was just doing my job, and they have the nerve to put me on a Witness Protection detail? This is crap. I’ll do my assignment, then go back to my job and what I love – kicking ass and taking names. I hadn’t spent 6 years in the Marine Corps to be put on babysitting duty once I’d joined the FBI. The witness they assigned me to, Rayanne, is an annoying, brainless blonde with a sassy mouth and a body that belongs on a website you have to pay to access. Not that I noticed or anything.

RAYANNE
I can look after myself. I don’t need anyone’s help, and the government is being ridiculous for putting me in the Witness Protection Program. I'll testify against my former bosses and then go back to my life as a single girl in the big city. I love my career as a paralegal, and once this Neanderthal they’d assigned to babysit me is out of my life, I'll go back to it. I just wish he wasn’t so easy on the eyes. The beard, hard body, and that voice. Why couldn’t they have sent me someone ugly – and nice? Because Duke is neither of those things.

Goodreads | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | Amazon









Above Protection (Imperfect Heroes #1) Blog Tour Arranged By Southern Belle Promotions.


17 March, 2016

Blog Tour - Book Promo: The Way Back To Me (The Way #1) by Anne Mercier





About the Author:

I was born and raised in Wisconsin and still live here today with my two sons and puppy. (Though one day soon I hope to move to southern California!)

I’m an avid reader who gets inspired by reading the stories from my favorite authors as well as listening to various types of music. I am a huge fan of music, chocolate, fruit, desserts, autumn, M. Shadows, Avenged Sevenfold, and Milo Ventimiglia. Through my books, I am proudly creating new Avenged Sevenfold and Milo Ventimiglia fans one reader at a time.

“The best part of being an author, to me, is being able to take the reader to that one place they long to go when they need to escape reality. Knowing I can do that, for even one reader, makes what I do worthwhile.” ~ Anne Mercier

Hugs and love,
Anne xoxo

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Excerpt from The Way Back To Me:

"She really needs to get up. She's been in that bed for two weeks, Trish," my dad says to my mom. They're right outside my door again. I sigh softly.

"Leave her be, Greg. She's not ready yet."

"She's never going to be ready. No one's ever ready for what she has to face."

Mom sniffles and I know she's crying again. I'm so tired of hearing her cry. There's no reason for her to cry—not because of me. I lived.

I wish I could cry but I can't. I haven’t cried since I woke up in the hospital. I didn't cry from the pain of my fractured and broken bones. I didn't cry at the funeral when I stared down at the lifeless body of my soulmate—the body lying there was unfamiliar—not at all my Danny. I didn't cry while I struggled on crutches with a fractured rib over the uneven lawn, past all the weathered gravestones signifying just how final death really is.

I didn't cry when I lost it at the people—strangers—who didn't know my friends and my love by more than a passing hello stood there crying and carrying on. They didn't know their favorite color, their favorite food. They didn't know Danny chewed spearmint gum. They didn’t know Simon kept us laughing. They didn't know Cassidy was our support system. They didn't know Phil wasn't really as shallow as he led everyone to believe.

They. Just. Didn't. Know.

They didn't have a right to cry for people they didn't know—people who weren't good enough for them while they were alive.

And me? I just couldn't cry. I didn't even cry when my parents took me home and I stared at the corkboard filled with photos of me with my friends, me and the love of my life holding one another and laughing—a life that no longer exists. I stared at it for the hour I waited for the cemetery workers to cover the graves of those I love most. Then I went to them with my tequila.

My eyes are locked on that corkboard now and I can only stare mutely.

I'm numb.

I don't want to feel. I don't want to face a future alone, so I stay in bed and sleep. Sleep is the only friend I have left.

Sleep embraces me and holds me tight, blocking out the pain and grief that would otherwise fill my shattered heart. Sleep enfolds me in a cocoon of nothingness, and nothingness is what I crave.



The Way Back To Me
New Adult Contemporary Suspense
Published: 22 February 2016

She used to be perky, fun, and full of life—everything I hated about girls and their bullshit exterior. People called her bubbly; I called her “fake-as-hell.”

The edgy, dark, lonely girl in front of me was not the Olivia Brennan I knew from high school—far from it, actually. I knew the story—the whole town knew the story, we witnessed it all. It happened in the blink of an eye and the girl we knew was gone.

But I refuse to watch it anymore—I can’t stand it. I’m going to fix it—fix her. It’s time I showed Olivia her way back…

Back to the girl she used to be.

Goodreads | Amazon





The Way Back To Me (The Way #1) Blog Tour Arranged By Southern Belle Book Promotions.


31 August, 2015

Blog Tour Promo: The Iron Princess (Sons of the North #2) by Sandra Lake






About the Author:

Sandra Lake was born somewhere in the wilds of Sweden. Surrounded by shirtless, blond men, she learned to sail, swing a sword and skin a bear when she was only three--wait no, that was Davy Crockett...

The real Sandra was raised in rural Canada. (Close enough to Sweden) She married her childhood sweetheart (who is blond and on occasion shirtless). They are currently living happily-ever-after along with their kids and unruly husky in eastern Canada.

Her debut historical romance, THE WARLORD’S WIFE was published by Berkley Romance in March of 2015. THE IRON PRINCESS, Book 2 in the 'Sons of the North Series' was release July 2015. THE ENEMY’S DAUGHTER, Book 3 is set for release later this year.

Website | Facebook | Twitter








The Iron Princess (Sons of the North #2)
Adult Historical Romance
Published: 16 June 2015 by InterMix

A Sons of the North Romance novel from Sandra Lake, author of The Warlord’s Wife, who takes readers to 12th-century Scandinavia where two hearts clash in furious passion…

The daughter of a Northern warlord, Katia is known as the Iron Princess for her mettle in battle. Headstrong and defiant, she instigates sword duels on a whim with little regard for her own safety. Katia would rather die on her feet as a warrior than live as a token wife and child bearer for a husband who keeps her castled as if she were a prisoner.

Lothair is the illegitimate son of the Duke of Saxony, who was granted the title of baron, a castle and lands. Raised in an atmosphere of mistrust and deceit, he rejects the concept of husbandry and wants a life of purpose and sacrifice in the pursuit of security for the Baltic Sea.

And when fate brings the Iron Princess and reluctant baron together, Katia and Lothair discover they are kindred spirits with fiery temperaments—and insatiable desires—to match…

Goodreads | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | Kobo | Amazon


Check out the rest of the Sons of the North Series on Goodreads HERE.




The Iron Princess (Sons of the North #2) Blog Tour Arranged By Southern Belle Promotions.


02 October, 2014

Blog Tour - Book Promo: Temper For You (For You #3) by Genna Rulon



Click HERE to visit the tour page.



About the Author:

Genna Rulon is an up and coming contemporary romance author. During her 15 years in the corporate world, Genna, inspired by her love of reading, fantasized about penning her own stories. Encouraged by her favorite authors, many of whom are indie writers and self-published, she committed to pursuing her aspirations of writing her own novels.

Genna was raised in Long Island, New York, where she still resides, surrounded by the most amazing family and friends. Married to a wonderful man, who patiently tolerates her ramblings about whichever book she is currently working on, even feigning interest relatively convincingly! Genna is blessed with two little boys who do their best to thwart mommy's writing time with their hilarious antics and charming extrapolations.

Genna would love to hear from you, and will personally respond to all messages! You can contact her as follows: genna@gennarulon.com

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest








Temper For You (For You #3)
Adult Contemporary Romance
Published: 24 September 2014




"Life is messy. Love is messier.” –Catch and Release

Meg Adeio has led a life of isolation—not by choice, by necessity—until one act of heroism forces her out of seclusion. Despite a past shrouded in mystery, Meg is “adopted” by an eclectic group of friends that become the family she never had. Life was good for the first time in…ever.

Or it was until Westly Black reappeared on her doorstep. She knew he was the last man any woman should give her time to—only good for one thing—yet a temptation no woman could deny. Wes might make her life messy, but Meg’s eyes were wide open and she had it under control. At least she thought she did.

When past and present collide, loyalties are tested, forcing Meg to sacrifice her future to protect those she loves.

Temper For You is a gripping story of regret, deception, and redemption – filled with raw emotion, sarcastic wit, intrigue, and love’s propensity to forgive.

Goodreads | Amazon





Temper For You Tour Arranged by Literati Author Services.


26 June, 2014

Excerpt Promo Blast: Casey's Warriors by Ann Mayburn (@AnnMayburn)





About the Author:

Ann is Queen of the Castle to her wonderful husband and three sons in the mountains of West Virginia. In her past lives she's been an Import Broker, a Communications Specialist, a US Navy Civilian Contractor, a Bartender/Waitress, and an actor at the Michigan Renaissance Festival. She also spent a summer touring with the Grateful Dead-though she will deny to her children that it ever happened. ​​

From a young age she's been fascinated by myths and fairytales, and the romance that often was the center of the story. As Ann grew older and her hormones kicked in, she discovered trashy romance novels. Great at first, but she soon grew tired of the endless stories with a big wonderful emotional buildup to really short and crappy sex. Never a big fan of purple prose, throbbing spears of fleshy pleasure and wet honey pots make her giggle, she sought out books that gave the sex scenes in the story just as much detail and plot as everything else-without using cringe worthy euphemisms. This led her to the wonderful world of Erotic Romance, and she's never looked back. ​​

Now Ann spends her days trying to tune out cartoons playing in the background to get into her 'sexy space' and has learned to type one handed while soothing a cranky baby. ​​


Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest
​​

​​

Excerpt from Casey's Warriors
(The following is intended for readers 18 years and older):


When her gaze strayed down his face to his exposed chest her arousal deepened, making him desperate to seduce her. Throttling back his lust was difficult, but he had to take things slowly with his little Earth woman. Mary, Matriarch of the Scout who had spoken before the council, had lectured the Warriors going to Earth on how to seduce human women. She’d urged them to take things as slow as they could, not to rush it for fear of scaring away their bride. If they proclaimed their undying love for a woman the moment they met her, an Earth female would consider them mentally deficient, no matter how true it was.

“You have the softest skin,” he said in a voice barely above a growl.

She blinked up at him and her scent cooled a touch. “Um, thanks.”

With that, she stepped away from him, and he tried to figure out why complimenting her would repulse rather than attract. Did the women of this planet not enjoy hearing how they affected a man? Did they not want their mate to appreciate them? He needed to get her mind back on her attraction to him.

Gently clasping her hand he pulled it down his cheek, over his neck, and to his chest, letting it rest over the heart that now belonged to her. “See, my skin is much tougher than yours.”

She stared at where her small hand rested above his heart and he looked down as well, enjoying the contrast of her creamy skin against his own dark bronze tone. “Do you get spray tanned?”

The immediate flush that went from her neck to her hairline made him grin. “What is that?”

“I’m not sure what the word would be in your language. It’s like a thing people do to make their skin darker.” She glanced up into his eyes then back to her palm on his chest again. “Usually you only find your hair and eye color on really pale people.”

His little bride was far too observant. “This is the way I was born, Casey. No artificial enhancements.”

Well that wasn’t entirely true. He had plenty of enhancements that heightened his sight, his hearing, his strength, and his endurance. All things a Warrior needed to survive. There were also small crystal chips embedded in his brain that allowed him to boost his psychic powers and connect with his men over long distances. Right now he was in contact with his friend Cormac who waited near Casey’s house in case he was needed.

She bit her pretty pink lower lip when he began to gently caress her hand. “Wow, you sure lucked out in the genetic lottery.”

It took him a moment to process her words and he smiled. “You find me attractive?”

Her response came out in a whisper. “Very.”

Both his pride and his cock hardened further at her response, the ultra-sensitive nerves of the pleasure ridges swelling along his shaft. “I find you very attractive as well.”

Once again she seemed to find his compliment offensive and tried to pull her hand away from his chest. “Don’t bullshit me.”

Utterly baffled he stared down at her. “Why would I make a bull shit on you?”

She gaped up at him, then giggled. “Sorry, it’s a slang saying in America. It means don’t lie to me.”

He dropped to his knees, their height difference putting her only slightly taller than him. He wanted to look her in the eyes, begging her to see his sincerity even if she couldn’t feel it. The darkness of her gaze grew and at this level the perfume of her nectar was even stronger, making him tremble slightly with the roaring need to bury his face between her thighs and tongue her to her release. The generous pillows of her breasts called to him and he marveled that someone so small had such abundance. Even though his conscious mind knew she wasn’t in heat, his body demanded he take her, now, that he satisfy her every need.

“Casey, I will never lie to you.” He inwardly flinched at the thought that he was lying to her right now about who he was, but he pressed on. “You are beautiful. Where I come from men would fight to the death for the honor of your smile.”

She let out a slow breath, the scent of a healthy, fertile female filling him like the first rain over the desert of Valdoon. “Where the hell are you from?”

“Someplace far away.”

“No shit. Wherever it is, I know about a million women that would like to go there for vacation.”

The irony of her statement wasn’t lost on him, and he smiled, enjoying the way her gaze kept straying to his mouth. Moving slowly, he placed his hands on her hips, resisting the urge to squeeze. Mary had said Earth women were self-conscious of their natural softness, that having body fat was considered unattractive and how they wouldn’t understand a Kadothian male’s intense pleasure at grasping them where they are the most feminine. Like Casey’s beautiful rounded belly and generous thighs. Just the thought of her lying on his chest, nestling his cock against her giving flesh, had him fighting with everything he had not to rush her.

She tilted her head to the side and examined him. “You have the strangest eyes.”

“What do you mean?”

“They…kind of change color. I mean, I know that eye color can change depending on the lighting and the clothes you wear, but yours…” She reached out and touched his face again, filling him with elation, “they go from aquamarine to an almost navy blue.”

He turned his head slightly and brushed his lips over the tender skin of her forearm. Her response was an immediate and maddening rush of desire. For the briefest of moments the psychic shields around her softened and he read the desire, confusion, doubt, and hope spinning through her. Wanting to heighten her arousal, he removed one hand from her hip and grasped her arm, moving her hand so he could gently nibble on her inner wrist. While she was unaware of the significance of the act he rejoiced that his bride offered such a vulnerable part of her body to him so freely.

“What are you doing?” she asked in a whisper-soft voice.

“Tasting you.”

“Why?”

“Because you are delicious.”

“Oh.”

After a few moments of caressing her skin with his tongue and teeth she made a soft moaning noise. Worried he’d hurt her, he looked up and found her watching him with half-closed eyes, giving him a look so damned arousing that he had to choke back a growl. Human males didn’t growl and they certainly didn’t howl their joy at claiming their bride.

Unable to fight off his primal urges any longer, he looked up at her. “Kiss me, Casey.”

The dart of her tongue wetting her lips had his erection pressing against his pants. She began to lean down slowly and he bit the inside of his lip, allowing his blood to flow and fill his mouth. Only a drop or two was needed to start the hormonal chain reaction, but he wanted to do everything he could to connect Casey to him because his soul already belonged to her. Bonding ceremony or not, this young Earth female was his Matriarch.

She hesitated right before their lips met, close enough that they inhaled and exhaled each other’s air.

Desperate at the thought she might reject him, he did the unthinkable for a Warrior. He begged her. “Please, Casey, please kiss me.”

A moment later their lips met and elation filled him.

Soft, giving, gentle, her lips explored his as he kissed her back, not seeking entrance yet, determined to give her the kind of kiss that she deserved. Their noses rubbed together as she changed the angle of her mouth, the sweet scent of her desire enveloping him and making his whole body tense with need. He wanted to devour her, to taste every part of her flesh, to make her climax until she fell into an exhausted sleep, but those were later stages in the courting ritual. Right now he lost himself in the glory of her maddeningly hesitant touch.

With a soft moan she parted her lips for him and he took advantage of her surrender with a growl he couldn’t stop. She tensed but before she could pull away he stroked his tongue against hers, sharing his blood with her, marking her as belonging to him. Soon her scent would change, merging with his so every male knew she had been claimed as his bride, his beautiful Casey Westfall, soon to be Matriarch of House Westfall and his alyah, his beloved and the future bride of his blood brother, the Lord of Life willing.

The sensation of her fingers stroking through his hair as they kissed sent pleasure spinning through his nervous system until he had her clasped against him as tightly as he could, her large and tempting breasts pressing into him and driving his desire higher until it was an inferno of need. She tasted so damn good, like the essence of joy, and he finally understood why Kadothian males considered finding their bondmate life’s ultimate pleasure. He’d listened to their tales, had been taught what would happen, but nothing had prepared him for this. Soon she was tugging on his hair and kissing him harder, rubbing her body against his in a silent plea for him to ease her need as her nectar spilled from her sweet body.

He wanted to take her, over and over again, but if he did he would lose his chance to bring her back with him, to have a full bonding witnessed by his people. Once she fully transformed he could plunge his shaft into her willing body, but until then he would have to be satisfied with this one stolen moment.

Tongues stroking together, they kissed for what seemed like a lifetime, tasting each other and burning hotter until Lorn was desperate to mate her.

Tearing his mouth from hers, he leapt to his feet and tried to put some distance between them, afraid he would soon be unable to control the primal need to make her his in all ways.

Her shocked gasp alerted him to the fact that he’d moved faster than an Earthling could even as he struggled to keep from hauling her decadent body against his.

“Forgive me, Casey.” He quickly sent a message to Cormac on a mental link to come get him, now. “If I keep kissing you, tasting your need, smelling your sweet pussy all wet and waiting for my mouth I will not be able to control myself. I will tear your clothes from your body like an animal and lick every drop of nectar from your body until you scream my name.”

​​

Casey's Warriors (Bondmates #1)
Paranormal Erotic Suspense
Published: 24 June 2014 by Fated Desires Publishing, LLC


Adar has searched more than a lifetime to find his bondmate—the one woman he was born to love and the only woman who can save him from the approaching madness that threatens all unbonded males of his race. When a wormhole opens from his galaxy to Earth and the women who could hold their future, Lorn will do all in his power to not only find his mate, but show her a Universe she never knew existed.

Casey Westfall’s normal life changed forever when she finds the sexy leather clad man on her doorstep. One innocent kiss leads to an adventure that will span worlds and Casey will have to choose between the man who is the other half of her soul and never seeing her family or her world again. To complicate matters Kadothians live in polyamerous family units and Lorn will have to convince his Earth bride to accept not only his love, but the love of his best friend and brothers in arms or risk the chance of losing them to either the madness or the Hive—the race of sociopathic women bent on destroying and enslaving everything in their path, but Casey can’t see loving more than one man as being anything other than a sin. Lorn will have to teach his bride that she was created for both of them just as they were created only for her.

In a Universe where all is possible, the battle to protect not only his people, but his heart rests on the soul of a human woman who must face the unknown and take a leap of faith that could save or destroy them all.

Goodreads | Buy Links




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23 May, 2013

Promo Thursday: New Adult A Growing "Genre"

If you are at all interested in books and the publishing industry, you'll know what the genre, New Adult, refers to. It's a growing category of novels and novellas that feature college-age and early twenties protagonists, exploring their newly found independence, growing sexual identity and grown-up responsibilities. It seems that many authors (especially small press and self-published) are finding their niche in New Adult.

Where do you start if you want to explore New Adult? What if you're looking for a Memorial Day weekend read? You're in luck, readers. Here are 2 promotions going on right now. Snap up these inexpensive reads while they're on sale!



Blurb:
Ever since the one time Andie Weber threw caution to the wind - and paid the price for it - she’s learned that it’s safer and smarter to live life playing by the rules. Now she’s got a great apartment, a steady job, and a wonderful boyfriend in Colin; he’s sweet, stable, and essentially perfect – except maybe for the fact that his best friend is Chase.

Chase McGuire lives his carefree, unstructured life strictly for himself. Dripping sarcasm and oozing wit, he refuses to censor his feelings or opinions for anyone, making no apologies for either and wearing his abrasiveness like a badge of honor. No one has ever gotten under Andie’s skin the way Chase does – and vice versa.

So when Andie and Chase find themselves forced to take a two-day road trip together, they are already dreading an inevitable all-out war. But as the trip progresses, and the undeniable friction that has always defined their relationship slowly begins to wear away their preconceived notions of each other, Andie and Chase discover they both have a lot to learn about life, courage, happiness, and the age-old battle between logic and love.


Goodreads
Priscilla Glenn on Facebook


.99 Thursday and Friday, May 23rd-24th ONLY at Amazon


Blog tour in progress now: Hosted by AToMR Tours, May 20th-25th.



Blurb:
Rook Walsh is TRAGIC

Because life so far – just sucks. Some girls get parents. Rook got the foster care system. Some girls get Prince Charming. Rook got an abusive frog. Some girls get lucky...

Rook got a second chance.

And she took it. Because when fate throws you a bone – you grab it with both hands and run.

Antoine Chaput knows the minute he spies Rook in his photography studio that she’s got The Look. The dark and desperate look he must have to land the exclusive TRAGIC media contract.

Rook is paired up with top model, Ronin, and he’s everything her abusive ex-boyfriend wasn’t. Patient, gentle, happy, attentive, and sexy! He knows exactly what to do to make Rook blush for Antoine’s camera.

Rook’s luck changes in an instant and suddenly she’s the darling of the modeling world. It’s a dream job to go with a dream guy and all she has to do is look pretty and follow directions. But there’s always a price to pay – and Rook is about to get the bill.


Goodreads
J.A. Huss on Facebook


Just 2.99 at Amazon | Barnes and Noble


Book Blast Contest: Hosted by New Adult Addiction

a Rafflecopter giveaway







18 January, 2013

Promo Blitz: Obscura Burning by Suzanne van Rooyen



Read My Mind is participating in a book blitz for the YA sci-fi novel, OBSCURA BURNING by Suzanne van Rooyen. Thanks to the author and Xpresso Book Tours, I have a bunch of content to promote the book, and there's even a giveaway!


About The Author:
Suzanne is a freelance writer and author from South Africa. She currently lives in Finland and finds the cold, dark forests nothing if not inspiring.

Suzanne is the author of the cyberpunk novel Dragon’s Teeth (Divertir), the YA science fiction novel Obscura Burning (Etopia) and has had several short stories published by Golden Visions Magazine, Space and Time and Niteblade. Niteblade nominated her short story Where dreams are grown for the Pushcart Prize. Her non-fiction articles on travel, music and other topics can be found scattered throughout the Internet.

Although she has a Master’s degree in music, Suzanne prefers conjuring strange worlds and creating quirky characters. When not writing you can find her teaching dance to ninth graders or playing in the snow with her shiba inu.

Suzanne is represented by Jordy Albert of the Booker Albert Agency.

Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Facebook



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Setting a Story Somewhere You’ve Never Been

Of the 13 countries I’ve visited on 3 continents, I have never been to the US. Why my story insisted on being set in New Mexico remains a mystery, but that’s what my characters were telling me so that’s where I set the story despite having never set foot on American soil.

Setting is vital to any story. Setting becomes a character unto itself and should be made as real as possible. This is not easy when you’ve never been to said location. In the interest of verisimilitude, I did extensive research. This involved reading everything I could about New Mexico, specifically the Four Corners where my fictional town is located. I also watched documentaries about the State and its oddities. I even trawled through Youtube to find posts by New Mexican teenagers so I could listen to their accents and slang. (Apparently, thanks to an honest reviewer, I still got it wrong).

Thanks to the online writing community Scribophile, I was able to compile some anecdotes about life in NM as well - what a sunset looked like, which way storms blew in, what storms smelled like, what small town residents did to celebrate the 4th of July, what people typically ate, what the vegetation looked like etc. There was tons of research that went into this book and I still managed to get things wrong. Yup, I mangled the Spanish expletives and used Britishisms where I shouldn’t have.

From this experience, I’ve learned some extremely valuable lessons. 1) Better to write about a place you’ve actually been. 2) Know your stuff inside out - there is no such thing as too much research. 3) Own your mistakes even if you (embarrassingly) refer to the wrong city as the capital.

There’s nothing wrong with setting your story somewhere you’ve never been but brace yourself for backlash from readers when they find your mistakes, which they will because authors cannot get every nuance of a culture they’ve never experienced right without seeing, hearing, tasting and feeling the place for themselves. That said, I don’t think I did too badly writing this book as I did from my spot in the forests of central Finland.

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Here's a taste of OBSCURA BURNING!


Closing my eyes, I imagine New Mexico burning, can almost smell it, the pungent pine, fireball mesquite, and smouldering cacti. I should be worried about the damage the UV’s doing to my scars, but after tonight, none of that will matter.

Just when you think it can’t possibly get any hotter or the mercury will explode, the temperature rises just a few more degrees. Today, Coyote’s Luck lies in a simmering mirage, hotter than any hell imaginable.

The crush of mesquite huddling between the tombstones offers little respite from the sun. Sticking to the dappled shade, I thread my way toward Danny’s grave. I’m not alone.

She looks like a ghost with the white sundress fanning around her legs, her long black hair teased by the warm breeze. For a moment, I think it’s one of the ch’iindi made flesh, until she turns at the sound of my step.

Gabriela, her face a teary-eyed frown. She folds her arms and returns her gaze to the grave. When did she get so thin? She was always so voluptuous, a shorter, less saggy version of her mother. Now she looks more like a sixteen-year-old kid, barely there in layers of cotton.

stand in silence, both just staring at the grave. The rosaries dangle over the stone, tied in knots around the stems of already dead flowers. There’s a white and blue beaded one, the one that was attached to Danny’s bed, the one he’d kiss at night before going to sleep.

“I miss him so much,” Gabriela says eventually.

“So do I.”

“I blame you, you know.” She casts me a sidelong glance.

“Maybe you should.”

She nods and sniffs and fingers one of the blooms turned brown by the heat.

“Dead, all of it.” She tears the petals from the stalk. “Little Maria, now Daniel.” She turns her dark eyes on me, searching for something I wish I could give her.

“This is killing my parents. Daniel was their only son. They’ll never have more children. Once, I had a brother. Now I’m alone. Sister to dead siblings.”

That’s the most Gabriela’s ever said, to me at least. I’m stunned into uncomfortable silence. There’s nothing I can say that’ll make it right. But tonight, maybe there’ll be something I can do.

“I wish I could make it right.” My words sound so pathetic.
She harrumphs and digs her sandaled toe into the dirt. “Nothing can make Daniel dying right.”

“I’m sorry.” There is nothing else I can say without trying to explain the whole confusing story and Gabriela’s not the type to believe in rifts in reality.

“Tell Daniel you’re sorry. He’s the one who died because of you.” She takes a deliberate step away from me, crosses herself, offering prayers in Spanish to the ether.

“I loved him, you know.” Maybe I am to blame, but she makes it sound like I don’t give a crap that he’s dead.

“Obviously not enough.”



Blurb:
The world's going to end in fire…and it's all Kyle's fault.

Kyle Wolfe's world is about to crash and burn. Just weeks away from graduation, a fire kills Kyle's two best friends and leaves him permanently scarred. A fire that Kyle accidentally set the night he cheated on his boyfriend Danny with their female friend, Shira. That same day, a strange new planet, Obscura, appears in the sky. And suddenly Kyle's friends aren't all that dead anymore.

Each time Kyle goes to sleep, he awakens to two different realities. In one, his boyfriend Danny is still alive, but Shira is dead. In the other, it's Shira who's alive... and now they're friends with benefits. Shifting between realities is slowly killing him, and he's not the only one dying. The world is dying with him. He's pretty sure Obscura has something to do with it, but with his parents' marriage imploding and realities shifting each time he closes his eyes, Kyle has problems enough without being the one in charge of saving the world...

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Don't forget about the giveaway! Just enter via the rafflecopter below, and Good Luck!

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13 December, 2012

12 Days Of Magic Holiday Blitz: Spellbound series by Nikki Jefford


Is December almost halfway over already? The days are moving closer and closer to Christmas. Looking for a bookish gift for that paranormal YA lover(s) in your life? Thanks to Xpresso Book Tours and author Nikki Jefford, the answer may be right in front of you!

Read My Mind is taking part in a special 12 Days of Magic Holiday Blitz, highlighting the three books in the SPELLBOUND series, ENTANGLED, DUPLICITY and ENCHANTMENT. With a little bit of magic, and a little bit of adventure, these books are perfect to buy all at once.

Don't forget to enter the rafflecopter at the bottom of this post. One winner during the tour will be chosen to win a signed ENTANGLED print copy and 12 lucky entrants will win their choice of an e-book copy of any one of the books in the series!


About The Author:
Nikki Jefford is a third generation Alaskan who loves fictional bad boys and heroines who kick butt. She writes edgy teen fiction, including the Spellbound Trilogy and Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter.

Nikki married Sébastien, the love of her life, while working as a teaching assistant in France. They now reside in the not-so-tropical San Juan Islands, 70 miles northeast of Forks, Washington.

Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads


ENTANGLED (Spellbound Book #1):
Two months after dying, seventeen-year-old witch Graylee Perez wakes up in her twin sister Charlene’s body.

Until Gray finds a way back inside her own body, she’s stuck being Charlene every twenty-hour hours. Her sister has left precise instructions on how Gray should dress and behave. Looking like a prep isn’t half as bad as hanging out with Charlene’s snotty friends and gropey boyfriend.

The “normals” of McKinley High might be quick to write her behavior off as post-traumatic stress, but warlock Raj McKenna is the only person who suspects Gray has returned from the dead.

Now Gray has to solve the mystery of her death and resurrection and disentangle herself from Charlene’s body before she disappears for good.

GoodReads
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DUPLICITY (Spellbound Book #2):
If Graylee Perez thought sharing a body with her twin sister was bad, dealing with a duplicate of herself is two times worse. Gray the second doesn’t seem to get that Lee’s boyfriend, Raj McKenna, is off limits. Then there’s the problem of Adrian Montez. He expects one of the Grays to be his.

Nearly a year later, the council is onto them for past misdeeds; Lee, along with the rest of the coven, has lost control of her powers; and Gray is being stalked by what looks like the Grim Reaper.

If they work together, they may stand a chance of setting things right and making it out alive.

GoodReads
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ENCHANTMENT (Spellbound Book #3):
In the third and final installment of the Spellbound series, Graylee Perez (the duplicate), goes to Spain for a summer of escape. There she meets new friends and comes face to face with her old adversary, Adrian Montez.

When Gray tries to setup a spell that will banish Adrian from her life, she inadvertently falls under a love spell instead.

Charlene returns, having hijacked a new body, for one final battle between the twins.
Coming April 2013

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Check out the SPELLBOUND series playlist!


ENTANGLED (S1)

Magic Dance by David Bowie from Labyrinth

This song has haunted my brain throughout the series. Plus David Bowie reminds me of warlock Adrian Montez minus the 80’s hair and tight pants…well, let’s keep the tight pants.

Lightning by The Wanted

Raj McKenna steals the show in Entangled. He is the ultimate bad boy with a good heart, and fiercely loyal to Gray. I stumbled upon this YouTube video and have watched it at least a dozen times all while thinking of Raj. Yeah, baby!



DUPLICITY (S2)


Within You and As The World Falls Down by David Bowie from Labyrinth
Adrian’s obsession with Gray reminds me of the Goblin King’s fixation on Sarah. At the end of book one Adrian risks his own life to ensure she doesn’t disappear. In book two his feelings intensify, but are harshly rejected. Sorry, Adrian, you have no power over Gray.

Bad Romance by Lady Gaga
The confusion spell Gray puts over Adrian requires her to speak gibberish the entire time. She starts singing “Rah, rah, ah, ah, ah; Roma, roma, ma; Gaga, ooh, la, la,” then accidently busts into the Bad Romance lyrics.


ENCHANTMENT (S3)

Barcelona by Giulia y Los Tellarini from the Vicky Christina Barcelona soundtrack

Love is in the air. Gray heads to Barcelona for the summer, meets the sexy Spaniard Carlo, wards off the attentions of the polite British Will, runs into Adrian and unwittingly falls head over heels for her arch nemesis. It’s all good fun!

Les Triplettes de Belleville from the French animation movie soundtrack

Charlene nabs herself a new body in Paris, shows up in Spain, much to Gray’s annoyance, and requests her help dealing with a stalker. I like to call this one The “Twins” of Belleville.



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11 December, 2012

Sourcebooks Spotlight: The Twisted Tragedy of Miss Natalie Stewart and Giveaway

Blurb:
For Natalie Stewart, a normal life has never seemed so far away. Her only solace, Lord Jonathan Denbury, is wanted for murder. To clear his name, Denbury must return to England and assume the role of his demon doppelganger. 

But Natalie begins to doubt his true motives, especially as a new gentleman begins whispering in her ear. Natalie and Denbury may be able to visit each other in their dreams, but they can't escape the darkening shadows. 

spontaneous explosions, friends turned enemies and dangerous secrets revealed, there's still a demon who has Natalie's scent, and someone is trying to resurrect the ultimate evil.


THE TWISTED TRAGEDY OF MISS NATALIE STEWART continued the tale of Natalie and her love, Jonathan Denbury. Having been rescued from the painting that he was trapped in, the two embark on a journey (figuratively and literally, at points) to find and uncover the villain they can't seem to shed.

Natalie has regained her voice, which makes her part in discovering more about the demon that walked about as Jonathan slightly easier, as now she can talk to her confidantes and help Jonathan don the personality of his demon doppelganger. In DARKER STILL, Natalie is shown to be an intelligent young woman, with a freedom that is seldom contained, and a sharp mind. The reader gets to experience more of this in THE TWISTED TRAGEDY OF MISS NATALIE STEWART.


Hieber knows how to spin a great tale, where the setting is just as important as the story, and she captured my interest with the unusual tale of Denbury and Natalie. Starting out as a tribute to the Dorian Grey idea, Hieber has continued the series by molding a legend and mystery with great success.

Book Rating:
13/15
4 Stars
A-

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Thanks to my contact at Sourcebooks for sending me a copy of THE TWISTED TRAGEDY OF MISS NATALIE STEWART. Since I read this fantastic book via NetGalley, I'm passing along the brand new print version to one lucky Read My Mind reader! Just enter via rafflecopter and Good Luck!

Rules:
Must be 13+ to enter
One entry per person/login/email
INTERNATIONAL in celebration of the holidays!
Ends 12.30, 11:59pm

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This book was provided by Sourcebooks and NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review only
This review was excerpted from the original, posted here at Read My Mind

10 December, 2012

Book Blast Promo: The Alchemists Series by Kailin Gow with GC Giveaway



Read My Mind has a special book blast today; the first 2 books from Kailin Gow's THE ALCHEMISTS ACADEMY series are being spotlighted!

Thanks to the author and Kathy from Book Blasts and Blog Tours there's also a cool gift card giveaway via rafflecopter. Check out the full Tour Schedule and enjoy!


About The Author:
Kailin Gow is the award-winning, international bestselling author of over 80 distinct books.

Kailin Gow is also the President of a media company, a media personality, and has been writing full-time since she was first published. Holding a Masters in communications management and leadership positions in Fortune 500 corporations, she puts her leadership abilities, her experience, and desire to help others into her fiction books. As a result, she has written the forthcoming, Finding the Heroine in You book which is also a national tour.

She is a mother and spends whatever spare time she has volunteering at the Red Cross, Battered Women's Shelters, and other organizations.

Currently her Frost Series is in development for a major international MMO Game, and she has over 14,000 and growing Frost-ers on her Facebook fan page.

Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Book Club | Goodreads



The Alchemists Academy Book 1: Stones to Ashes

What do you learn here...at the Academy? Wirt asks. Magic? The responsibility to use your powers responsibly? Uh...something like that, his roommate Spencer said. More like how to rule worlds.

Wirt, is used to being shuffled from foster home to foster home, adopting a devil-may-care attitude toward the world along the way. Now he s in a school he can t escape, learning to develop his latent magical abilities, for what use, he doesn't know...

To save his world or to destroy it...

NookBook | Kindle



Check out this excerpt from STONES TO ASHES!

***

Wirt screwed his eyes shut, wishing fervently that he was somewhere, anywhere else. Right now, being back with Joan and Peter was looking an awful lot more appetizing. First, though, he had to find some way to get out of here...

Wirt doubled up as his stomach suddenly cramped. For a moment, he though he had been hit, but that hypothesis went by the wayside as the feeling spread to every muscle in his body at once. As far as Wirt knew, and thanks to some of his earlier misadventures he did know, not even three people could manage to hit you everywhere simultaneously. Wirt forced his eyes open, and then quickly shut them again, because the golden radiance surrounding him was simply too bright to look though. Around him, the gasps of the three bullies were clearly audible.

“He’s glowing, Rich. Why is he glowing?”

“How should I know? Look, just grab him.”

“You grab him. He could be radioactive or something, the way he’s glowing.”

“Oh, so it’s all right for me to grab radiation boy, is it?”

The sounds of a scuffle came to Wirt, but they were quickly replaced by silence. He didn’t really care, because by now the unpleasant sensation running through his body had reached unbearable levels, feeling as though every scrap of him were being pulled in a different direction.

As suddenly as it had come, the sensation passed. Wirt had to concentrate just to breathe, and he stood like that for long seconds. He didn’t dare open his eyes, at least until it occurred to him that the three older boys might still be there waiting to hit him. That made his eyes snap open so quickly that for a second he couldn’t make sense of anything around him. When he did, Wirt took a step back, and that itself was surprising enough, given that there should have been a chain link fence in the way. Instead, he was standing in the middle of a field, with no sign of any fences anywhere in sight.

***


The Alchemists Academy Book 2: Elemental Explosions

A new student has entered The Alchemists Academy, and he brings with him an explosive power that threatens the Academy and the legend of Merlin.

Wirt thought he was the only bad boy at the Academy, but he was wrong. Not only is Roland Black worse than Wirt, but a new teacher had replaced one of their beloved teachers, and she has more planned for Wirt and his friends than just lesson plans.

Alana, his crush has grown prettier, and now he is rivals for her attention with not only his best friend Spencer, but newcomer Roland, as well. On top of that, it is their second year, and the year where all the students must pass a test to move on to the Elite Class at the Academy.

The Elite Class is the only class in the third year at the Academy, and the students who fail will be sent home, others will face something even deadlier.

NookBook | Kindle


And here's a taste of ELEMENTAL EXPLOSIONS:

***

The moment didn’t last long, and Wirt opened his gift in a shower of wrapping paper. His parents looked on, those same smiles present on their faces. He looked down into the box, only to see that it was empty. Or not quite empty. Inside was a square of paper, on which careful handwriting stood out clearly. Wirt picked it up and read the words “Merry Christmas, beloved son. You cannot see, taste, or smell your gift, but you will know it when you feel it.”

“What?” Wirt asked. “I don’t understand. Is this some sort of riddle?”

His dream mother and father didn’t say anything. They just smiled and stared at the box in a way that suggested that Wirt was missing something. Not knowing what else to do, Wirt reached down into it, searching it by feel in case there was something at the bottom that he might not have noticed.

There was. Wirt yelped as something closed around his wrist, and tried to yank his arm back. It didn’t move, and as Wirt looked down, he saw dark fingers clasped on his arm. They weren’t just dark-skinned; they were absolutely black, as though carved from onyx or jet. They were as implacable as stone too, refusing to relinquish their grip as Wirt tried to jerk away.

“Help me,” he said to his parents, but they just shook their heads sadly, staring in that way parents had that told you that whatever was happening was for your own good.

The arm pulled at Wirt, and it pulled with far more strength than Wirt had ever experienced. He tried his best to brace himself against it, but slowly, inexorably, the hand drew him towards the box. That swirled with darkness now, and Wirt got the feeling that it was suddenly far deeper than it had been a moment ago.

He found out as the hand dragged him in, though how he fit into the box, Wirt wasn’t sure. He only knew that he fell. Only after a second or two, he wasn’t falling. He was walking along a tunnel instead. The walls were of natural earth, while huge tree roots showed up at intervals like roof beams and standing stones lined the walls, marks on them seeming to tell a story that Wirt could not understand.

***


Book Blast Giveaway: $50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

*You need not enter your twitter name for each entry. Simply enter it for the first person you follow and leave the others blank.

Open to anyone who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent's permission. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
Ends 12/31/12


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