Thursday, January 31, 2013

Aurora Sky SupaGurl Tour!




Today I'm hosting Nikki Jefford for her Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter blog tour! We're posting an excerpt and a giveaway with some awesome prizes!

First, I'll post the blurb and cover:

If there is one thing eighteen-year-old Aurora Sky wants, it’s to get off the iceberg she calls home. Being kissed before she graduates wouldn’t hurt either.

Then a near-fatal car wreck changes everything. Government agents step in and save Aurora’s life in exchange for her services as a vampire hunter. In Alaska. Basically she’s a glorified chew toy. All thanks to her rare blood type, which sends a vampire into temporary paralysis right before she has to finish the job… by hand.

Now Aurora’s only friends are groupies of the undead and the only boy she can think about may very well be a vampire. And if he’s a vampire, will she be forced to kill him?

For ages 16+


. . . and here's the excerpt:



Fane grinned as I walked past. “Shouldn’t you be in class?”

“Shouldn’t you?”

He pushed off the wall and walked toward me. “We’ve missed you in gym. I enjoyed your little performance the other day.”

I turned my head to follow Fane’s movements as he circled me.

“I’m glad to see that you’re feeling better,” he continued.

“Yep. Never better.”

He stared at the red scarf around my neck. I didn’t take my eyes off him.

“Good,” he said slow and sensual. He stepped in my path as I tried to walk past.

My heartbeat quickened. There had to be something seriously sick about feeling aroused by a person who pissed me off.

My jaw tightened. “Get out of my way, unless you want me to drop you the way I dropped Clayton.”

Fane’s teeth flashed when he grinned. He stepped aside. “Careful, Aurora, I might take you down with me.”

I hurried past him, feeling his smile on my back the entire way. Now I had a whole other reason to avoid gym besides loathing the class.

To think I actually wanted to dance with the scoundrel at winter ball. I’d sooner dance with a viper.





Don't forget to enter the giveaway!

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Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Book Lovers! Follow this Facebook Page!


READERS – DISCOVER NEW AUTHORS

FOR YOUR READING PLEASURE!



Are you searching for new authors to fall in love with?

Are you trying and trying to find that new book to fall in love with?

Well friends, it’s your lucky day … The Blogger Book Fair is your answer!

This is the event where you have the opportunity to discover dozens of new authors.

With bloggers and authors teaming up to offer giveaways or discounts – You can find that Brand New book for a great price – Possibly even FREE!

Bloggers across the net are teaming up with authors to showcase authors’ works –


JUST FOR YOU!


This upcoming Blogger Book Fair runs from February 7th – 10th.

Be sure to check out the website for more information! You don’t want to miss is it!

Readers – This event only happens twice a year …

Go NOW to the Blogger Book Fair web page to get all the info you need. You wouldn’t want to miss out on this opportunity. Great new authors and books are hard to come by – Find yours this February at the BLOGGER BOOK FAIR, February 7th – 10th!

Who knows – You might just find yourself a BRAND NEW favorite author and series!



P.S. Be sure to follow the Blogger Book Fair blog as well. You’ll find it in the right bar of the web page. Don’t miss out on the Blogger Book Fair news. Another way to stay up to date on events and special promos is to like the Facebook Page. Thanks Again!

Monday, January 21, 2013

Cover Reveal! Come The Dark by Rebecca Hamilton

The time has come to reveal the cover for Come, the Dark! You may have seen some placeholder covers for this one floating around the web before today, but finally you get to see the real deal and learn more about the book!

Come, the Dark

to be release Winter of 2013
"Whatever you do, fight." A Rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.
Rose was just a teenage girl carrying her father’s baby. A teenage girl who desperately wanted to escape. Womanhood in Salem, Massachusetts 1692 wasn’t what she had in mind.
As Rose attempts to save her newborn daughter, Anna, from both her father and the dark spirits that haunt her life, she is thrust from Georgia, 1962, into the start of Salem’s infamous witch trials, leaving her daughter hopelessly out of reach. Here, the townsfolk call her Abigail, while a strange man in the woods calls her by the name she gave herself as a child: Cordovae. A name she's never shared with anyone else and no one else could have possibly known about.
All she wants is to find her way back to her daughter . . . but going back isn’t an option. Not until she faces certain death to stabilize the dark spirits that plague Salem before they possess the town. If she doesn’t move them in time, not only will human civilization be destroyed, but she’ll be forever trapped in this strange new place, unable to see her daughter ever again.
Even if she can complete the task in time to return home to save her daughter, there’s still one problem: she’s falling in love with a man who can’t return with her. Achieving her goals will leave her forced to choose between the only man who’s never betrayed her and a daughter she can’t quite remember but will never forget.
A heart-wrenching tale of a mother’s love for her daughter, this romantic paranormal fantasy underlines the depravity of both historical and modern society while capturing the essence of sacrifice and devotion.
 
All those signed up for release notification will automatically be entered to win a free copy of the book!

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

The Key Inheritance: Release Day Blitz!

The follow-up novella to The Burning of Isobel Key is now available on Amazon! Buy your copy today and find out what happened to Lou and Brian ten years after The Burning of Isobel Key.
PURCHASE LINKS

The Burning of Isobel Key | The Key Inheritance

Cover Reveal: The Key Inheritance
Ten years after the trip to Scotland that changed her life, Lou is back in the misty, magical country. This time, however, she’s not on vacation: Lou is there to settle some distasteful and depressing family business. When Brian, her old Highland fling, turns up, Lou is forced to wrestle with a past that she thought was dead and buried. As tension between the former lovers mounts, something wicked is stirring in Scotland. Lou must use all her strength to handle the increasingly desperate situation, but will she be strong enough to battle both a vengeful ghost and her heart?

The Key Inheritance is a novella that takes place a decade after the events of The Burning of Isobel Key. This contemporary story crosses into the supernatural as Lou discovers evidence of a long-dead spirit who refuses to rest in peace. Lou may have thought that she was finished with the witch Isobel Key, but her inheritance is more than the young woman can handle alone.

Cover Reveal: The Key Inheritance

Read an excerpt from The Key Inheritance:
INTERLUDE: 1652


Alexander had left his wife in St. Andrews to travel to Edinburgh for a fortnight. The excuse he offered was weak, but Maggie was too young to question him. He whistled as he rode his horse, eager to get back to the thriving metropolis that he visited infrequently.

His mother’s family had kin at court, and as a child, these distant relations had given Alexander an excuse to visit Edinburgh, but that wasn’t why he was bound there now.

Alexander Nairn wanted to get stinking drunk.

He could have gone out carousing in St. Andrews. His school friends were still about, and Maggie wouldn’t have stopped him. But his in-laws were alive, and Alexander felt their ever-watchful eyes whenever he set foot outside of his rooms in the village. It was positively disconcerting, and he was getting jumpy.

So Alexander did the only thing he could think of: he fled the city and headed for Edinburgh, where no one would know about the scandal he had brought down upon the Keys. He arrived as night fell, after two days of traveling, and his horse steered him immediately to a pub. He made a note to give the beast some extra sugar, but his gratitude was lost by his second tankard of ale.

“Why does the woman torment me?” He asked the other men around him, but none answered. Alexander stared into his cup. “She’s bewitched me. The woman is the very devil.”

“There’s no such thing as witchcraft, man. Buck up.” A young man about Alexander’s age thumped his shoulder, and Alexander scowled.

“You don’t know what you’re speaking of.” He flicked his hand as if shooing a fly, but the other man didn’t budge.

“I do know. I’m a man of science, and I tell you, there’s no such thing as witches.”

Alexander teetered to his feet. “Until you have been bewitched, sir, I don’t want to hear your cracked theories.” He staggered toward the door, but he only made it a few steps before the stranger leapt in front of him.

“You dare to call me a crackpot?”

Alexander grinned. “A man who does not believe in magic is either the biggest fool alive, or the biggest liar.” He didn’t see the first punch coming, but once his head stopped ringing, Alexander gave as good as he got.

Finally, by the time the tavern keeper and a few strong lads pitched them both into the street, Alexander was missing a tooth and the young stranger had a black eye. They landed together, face down in the muddy street, and for a moment, they were still.

The stranger started to laugh as he pulled himself to his feet. He held out his hand to his battered companion. “We’d best get you cleaned up. Witchcraft won’t fix that tooth.”

It was then that Alexander’s friendship with Doctor Ferguson began.
Cover Reveal: The Key Inheritance

PURCHASE LINKS

The Burning of Isobel Key | The Key Inheritance

 
About the Author: Jen McConnel

??????????Jen McConnel first began writing poetry as a child. Since then, her words have appeared in a variety of magazines and journals, including Sagewoman, PanGaia, and The Storyteller (where she won the people’s choice 3rd place award for her poem, “Luna”).

She is also an active reviewer for Voices of Youth Advocates (VOYA), and proud member of SCBWI, NCWN, and SCWW.

Connect with Jen


Monday, January 14, 2013

The Forever Girl Anniversary Tour with Character Giveaway and Ebook Giveaway!

Alright! Author of The Forever Girl, Rebecca Hamilton is being very generous this month in honor of The Forever Girl's Anniversary. From today through January 35th she will be giving away these awesome character packs on participating blogs. You can see the schedule for that and pictures of the amazing prizes HERE.

You can also enter to win an ebook of The Forever Girl below, but first I'll show you the cover and the blurb!



"Whatever you do, fight."

Sophia's family has skeletons, but they aren't in their graves.

At twenty-two, practicing Wiccan Sophia Parsons is scratching out a living waiting tables in her Rocky Mountain hometown, a pariah after a string of unsolved murders with only one thing in common: her.

Sophia can imagine lots of ways to improve her life, but she'd settle for just getting rid of the buzzing noise in her head. When the spell she casts goes wrong, the static turns into voices. Her personal demons get company, and the newcomers are dangerous.

One of them is a man named Charles, who Sophia falls for despite her better judgment. He has connections that might help her unveil the mystery surrounding her ancestor's hanging, but she gets more than she bargains for when she finally decides to trust him.

Survival in his world, she learns, means not asking questions and staying out of the immortal council's way. It's a line she crossed long ago. If Sophia wants to survive the council and save the people she loves, she must accept who she is, perform dark magic, and fight to the death for her freedom.

Go to this link to see all available formats.

Now for the ebook giveaway!

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Thursday, January 10, 2013

Off Subject: $.99 book alert (Non-Fiction)

I realize that most of you coming to this blog probably don't care about tourism. Some of you probably don't even care about marketing, but I had to let people know about this book (that I did the cover for!) is only $.99 today only!

The book is called Guerrilla Tourism Marketing: Increase Your Profit by Leveraging Marketing Technology & Relationships by Carol Wain and Jay Conrad Levinson

Now before you say, "I'm not in the tourism business, I don't need this," there may be some tactics in this book that writers can twist to work for them. That's why I bought it. I haven't had the chance to skim through it yet, but I think there might some helpful things in here.

So if you want to take a look, you can find it on Amazon HERE.

Monday, January 7, 2013

Obsidian Blog Tour Opening Post #2!


Two years ago today, I started writing my first novel, Obsidian. So, to celebrate the anniversary of the conception of my novel, Obsidian: Mystic Stones Series #1 is going on a blog tour! The tour will have lots of fun stuff you normally don’t see on a blog tour, so make sure you don’t miss a day! The tour goes Monday-Friday for the next three weeks, ending on January 25th!

 There is one giveaway that you can enter daily, so each time you read a post, be sure to go to the bottom of it and enter the giveaway and be sure to do the daily entries for more chances to win! There are even chances to be mentioned in upcoming books!



Also, starting tomorrow you will be able to collect all 12 of the Monthly Desktop Calendars featuring Obsidian and the characters of Obsidian. You’ll notice there is even a white space for your desktop icons to go so you don’t have to cover up the calendar or the image!

Today I will be on Twitter all day to answer questions, have conversations, run games and maybe even giveaway an ebook or two. Just use the hashtag #ObsidianBT to join the fun! Below I will also be posting an excerpt that I have never posted on the internet before!

On the tour you can expect to see a few videos, a review or two, meet characters and even a few surprises here and there. My first host will be the lovely Rebecca Hamilton, author of the Forever Girl. She wrote an endorsement for the back of my book and she will be introducing you to the main character of Obsidian, Ava Tanner and revealing the January Desktop Calendar! Here is the link to her Blog!



The tour schedule is as follows:

January 7th (today) Paranormal Lounge – Opening Post/ Excerpt/Twitter Party

January 8th Rebecca Hamilton – Meet Ava Tanner!

January 9th S. M. Boyce – Meet Tom Walker!

January 10th Jen McConnel – Tour the Set: Hawaii

January 11th Natasha – Tour the Set: Psytech

January 14th David J. Kirk – Meet Hiu and Alani PLUS Tour Hiu’s Boat!

January 15th A. D. Trosper – Meet Nalani and Moana

January 16th Tom Winship – Introduction to Being a Vampire of the Mystic Stones Series

January 17th CJ Listro – Meet Jesse Sutton

January 18th Rachel McClellan – Review of Obsidian

January 21st Nikki Jefford – Meet Alani Kalei

January 22nd Fel Wetzig – Vampire Hierarchy of the Mystic Stones Series

January 23rd Laurie – Spoiler Alert! Discussing the Paranormals!

January 24th Alyson LaBarge – Questions From Readers

January 25th Mystic Stones Series – Closing Post and Giveaway Winners!



Now, as promised, I will give you an excerpt that has not yet been posted on the internet!

“I suppose I should be glad your eyes looked at the ring on the night stand and not the dagger on the dresser,” he said. He practically spat the word dagger at her.

“I don’t want to kill you, Tom,” Ava said, backing away towards the bathroom.

“I don’t want to kill you either, Ava.”

“No, you just want to change me, which is pretty much the same thing.”

“I only wanted to protect you.”

“Well, I can protect myself. Your protection is not what I would consider convenient. Becoming a vampire is not in my five year plan.”

“And becoming a fugitive is?” Tom raised his voice a little. Ava backed up another step. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. Go ahead and put your ring on if it will make you feel better. I’m only here to talk; I wouldn’t try to change you on the boat. I didn’t bring any blood with me and I’m sure you wouldn’t want your friends as a snack. Oh, and you guys should tie your feather pennant a little tighter next time,” he said.

Ava went for her ring. She thought it would push him away from her, but it didn’t. He still stood only a few feet away. She looked at him. He looked very calm.

“Why isn’t this ring pushing you away?”

“I have to mean you harm or you have to be afraid of me. I mean you no harm and you are a little afraid of me. I can feel its force, but you must trust me a little because it’s not pushing me through the window or anything.”

“What did you come to talk about? I’m not coming with you. You can’t change my mind.”

“I came to tell you that Hiu has been branded a slayer and as his accomplice you are in danger. The other two are in danger as well. I can protect you if you just let me change you, Ava.”

“We’re fine, we have rings and daggers. We’ll be fine.”

“You don’t understand, they will send the drudges after you. Those rings only protect you from vampires, not humans,” Tom said, raising his voice again.

“We can handle humans. I can’t just leave them, Tom. They are my friends. They are my family,” Ava corrected herself, “And I’m staying with them. I will not abandon them and if you succeed in changing me someday I will not drink one drop of human blood. I refuse to cause my kind harm.”

“If I change you, and you do not drink blood you will die. You will have to drink human blood at first in order to stay alive.”

“Then I guess I’ll die if you change me. That’s all there is to it,” Ava said stubbornly.

“You will drink blood. After a while you will get so weak that you won’t be able to think straight, you will drink blood thinking its water. I’ve seen it happen.”

“No, I won’t do it. I’m very strong willed and I’ll make sure of it. I’ll drive an obsidian blade through my own heart before I would drink human blood.”

“I’m not going to argue with you right now, Ava. I just wanted to tell you that they have yours and Hiu’s picture and they’ve already sent it out to all Psytech employees. I don’t know if the loners are aware of you yet, but they will be soon enough. Even the rogues might want to kill you just to get on the Emperor’s good side.”

“I have no idea what you are talking about,” Ava said. “This is all gibberish to me.”

“All you need to know is that all vampires and their drudges are going to be after you. You must especially avoid all Psytech buildings,” Tom warned.

“Vampires can’t hurt us, not with these,” Ava said, gesturing to her ring.

“The human drudges can, and they will. This is just the sort of thing that could get them accepted into the guardianship.”

“What is that?”

“Drudges are humans that have had the guts to seek out vampires in determination to become one. The vampires see them as very brave and put them through a training period. If they pass the training period they become our guardians.”

“Oh, so, killing one of us would be like an initiation test.”

“Yes, I guess you could put it that way,” Tom replied, shrugging.

“Well, I’m still not worried. We can take care of ourselves.”

“Ava, I just want you to be safe. Please, come with me,” his eyes were pleading and he was leaning towards her. Her ring kept him from closing the short distance between them. Ava felt herself ache for his touch, but she pushed past the feeling. She broke her gaze on him and looked away.

“Why don’t you come with us? Leave the other vampires. Be with me.” Ava could feel her ring let up on Tom a little. He felt it too because he came even closer.

“I wish I could, but that would make things even more dangerous for you and I would be hunted as well. We can’t be together as long as you are human, Ava,” Tom’s voice was quiet. Ava’s heart sunk. Their forbidden love was too much for her emotions. She let down her guard completely and so did the ring. She now trusted him. She trusted him more than she probably should, but she didn’t care, she wanted to touch him. She wanted to be in his arms.

Tom opened his arms and she hugged him. She started to cry and he held her tighter. Then she looked up at him. She could tell that he was sad too. He was hurting. Ava wanted to take away his pain. She kissed his lips. First she kissed them tentatively, making sure that he wanted her kisses. Then, after she decided that he did, she kissed him more passionately. He kissed her back and his hands moved down her body. They went down to her lower back.

“This is our only night,” Ava said between kisses. Then, she looked at his eyes. They were staring right back. They wanted her. She wanted him. He pushed her down on the bed, gently but playfully aggressive at the same time. Ava’s ring put out a short burst of force field, but it ended and Tom kissed her again with a little chuckle. Ava pulled off Tom’s shirt with a little help from him. Then her robe opened with a little more help from him. She hadn’t put anything on underneath and Tom’s excitement grew. His kisses were more and more urgent and one of his hands ran down her ribcage.


Obsidian buy links:

Amazon Kindle

Smashwords



Kayla Curry links:

Website

Blog

Twitter

Facebook


Don’t forget to visit Rebecca Hamilton ‘s blog tomorrow to meet Ava Tanner!



Before you go, enter the giveaway!



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Sunday, January 6, 2013

Obsidian Blog Tour Opening Post!


This is opening post #1 for the Obsidian Blog Tour. Below you'll find the schedule for the tour. Be sure to return tomorrow for an excerpt that has never been posted online before. For now, here is the tour schedule:

First Here is the Giveaway. Once you enter scroll down to the schedule to see what fun stuff is going on!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


January 7th Paranormal Lounge – Opening Post/ Excerpt/Twitter Party

January 8th Rebecca Hamilton – Meet Ava Tanner!

January 9th S. M. Boyce – Meet Tom Walker!

January 10th Jen McConnel – Tour the Set: Hawaii

January 11th Natasha – Psytech Orientation Video

January 14th David J. Kirk – Meet Hiu Kalei!

January 15th A. D. Trosper – Meet Nalani and Moana

January 16th Tom Winship – Introduction to Being a Vampire of the Mystic Stones Series

January 17th CJ Listro – Meet Jesse Sutton

January 18th Rachel McClellan – Review of Obsidian and short interview.

January 21st Nikki Jefford – Meet Alani Kalei!

January 22nd Fel Wetzig – Vampire Hierarchy of the Mystic Stones Series

January 23rd Laurie – Spoiler Alert! Discussing the Paranormals!

January 24th Alyson LaBarge – Obsidian in Numbers--An infographic!

January 25th Mystic Stones Series – Closing Post

Friday, January 4, 2013

Short Story Release! Falling Leaves: The Book of Life

Well, the second part to my Falling Leaves short story collection is out on Amazon Kindle!

Here is the cover, blurb and buy link for both stories so far!

 
Story #1: Falling Leaves
Fantasy with magic/paranormal elements

Blurb: A woman finds a special leaf that leads her to a magical and mysterious place. Will she believe what she sees when she finally gets there? Will she decide to stay?

Amazon Kindle



Story #2: Falling Leaves: The Book of Life
Fantasy with magic/paranormal elements

Blurb: When Thia decides to stay on the island that is home to the oldest and most important tree on earth, she also chooses Olivier for her companion. The pair face a difficult situation when the tree contracts an illness and puts all the plant life on earth in danger. Will they save the tree from the brink of death and save the world by doing so?
Amazon Kindle
Story #3 Coming Soon!

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Cover Reveal! Falling Leaves: The Book of Life by Kayla Curry

Okay, I decided that since I'm doing cover reveals this week, I might as well reveal the cover for my upcoming short story, Falling Leaves: The Book of Life.

This is the second short story in a three story series. The first is called Falling Leaves and is available on Amazon right now.

Here is the cover:

 

Here is the blurb:

When Thia decides to stay on the island that is home to the oldest and most important tree on earth, she also chooses Olivier for her companion. The pair face a difficult situation when the tree contracts an illness and puts all the plant life on earth in danger. Will they save the tree from the brink of death and save the world by doing so?

To be released very soon!



And, just in case you haven't picked up Falling Leaves yet, here is the cover and blurb for it:


 
 
A woman finds a special leaf that leads her to a magical and mysterious place. Will she believe what she sees when she finally gets there? Will she decide to stay?

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Cover Reveal! The Reading Lessons by Carole Lanham

Today we're reveling the cover of Carole Lanham's The Reading Lessons! Take a look and sign up to receive notification of release!



Mississippi 1920: Nine year old servant, Hadley Crump, finds himself drawn into a secret world when he is invited to join wealthy Lucinda Browning’s dirty book club. No one suspects that the bi-racial son of the cook is anything more to Lucinda than a charitable obligation, but behind closed doors, O! she doth teach the torches to burn bright. What begins as a breathless investigation into the more juicy parts of literature quickly becomes a consuming and life-long habit for two people who would not otherwise be left alone together. As lynchings erupt across the South and the serving staff is slowly cut to make way for new mechanical household conveniences, Hadley begins to understand how dangerous and precarious his situation is.

The Reading Lessons follows the lives of two people born into a world that is unforgiving as a Hangman’s knot. Divided by skin color and joined by books, Hadley and Lucinda are forced to come together in the only place that will allow it, a land of printed words and dark secrets.