Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Cover Reveal & Giveaway: The Forgotten Ones by Laura Howard!


The Forgotten Ones
Author: Laura Howard
Genre: NA Paranormal Fantasy Romance
Expected release date: May 15, 2013
Age Group: New Adult
Cover Designer: Stephanie Mooney 

Book Description:

Allison O'Malley just graduated from college. Her life's plan is to get a job and take care of her schizophrenic mother. She doesn't have room for friends or even Ethan, who clearly wants more. 


When Allison's long-lost father shows up, he claims he can bring her mother back from the dark place her mind has sent her. He reveals legends of a race of people long forgotten, the Tuatha de Danaan, along with the truth about why he abandoned her mother.



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Saturday, January 12, 2013

Fire Prophet Promo Post

Welcome to my stop on the Fire Prophet Blog Tour hosted by YA Bound.  Click HERE to check out the rest of the blog tour schedule!



Spirit Fighter (Book #1)

by Jerel Law

Published April 3rd 2012
Thomas Nelson Publishers
Paperback, 243 pages

Summary from Goodreads:
"In his exciting debut novel, Jerel Law transports readers to a place where supernatural forces of good and evil collide. Young readers will be entertained and inspired by "Spirit Fighter." I heartily recommend it." -Robert Whitlow, bestselling author of the Tides of Truth series

Percy Jackson, move over! Jonah Stone is here!

What if Nephilim-the children of angels and men-still walked the earth? And their very presence put the entire world in danger? In "Spirit Fighter," Jonah and Eliza Stone learn that their mother is a Nephilim and that they have special powers as quarter-angels. When their mom is kidnapped by fallen angels, they must use those powers to save her. Along the way, they discover that there is a very real and dangerous war going on between good and evil and that God has a big part for them to play in that war.

Parents today are looking for fiction that makes Christianity and the Bible exciting for their kids. This series is the Christian answer to "Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Kane Chronicles, The Secret Series" and other middle-grade series packed with adventure, action, and supernatural fights. "Son of Angels, Jonah Stone" will be the first series in the market to explore this topic from a biblical perspective with content that is appropriate and exciting for middle-grade readers.

"Jerel Law has crafted a fantastic story that will leave every reader wanting more. Stop looking for the next great read in fantasy fiction for young readers-you've found it!" -Robert Liparulo, bestselling author of Dreamhouse Kings and "The 13th Tribe"

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble

Fire Prophet (Book #2)
by Jerel Law
Expected publication: December 11th 2012
Thomas Nelson Publishers
Paperback, 256 pages

Summary from Goodreads:
"Jerel Law transports readers to a place where supernatural forces of good and evil collide. Young readers will be entertained and inspired . . . I heartily recommend it." -Robert Whitlow, bestselling author of the Tides of Truth series

What if you could actually see angels and fallen angels engaging in battle-and you were expected to join the fight?

It's been one year since Jonah Stone and his sister, Eliza, discovered that their mother is a nephilim, the product of a union between a human and a fallen angel, which makes them and their little brother, Jeremiah, "quarterlings," or one-quarter angel. After embarking on an epic journey to rescue their mother and the other nephilim, who were kidnapped by fallen angels, the Stone kids have enjoyed a little peace and quiet.

But when Jonah and Eliza are attacked by fallen angels at school, they learn that quarterlings all over the world are being targeted, and separating them from their parents is the only way to keep them safe. The kids undergo special training to help them discover their own unique angelic gifts, which come in handy when they embark on a mission to find a mysterious prophet who they believe holds the key to Abaddon's defeat in a massive battle between good and evil.

Parents today are looking for fiction that makes Christianity and the Bible exciting for their kids. This series is the first Christian answer to Percy Jackson and the Olympians, the Kane Chronicles, the Secret Series, and other middle grade series packed with adventure, action, and supernatural fights. But the message is solidly scriptural in that God alone is always in control.

"Jerel Law has crafted a fantastic story that will leave every reader wanting more. Stop looking for the next great read in fantasy fiction for young readers-you've found it " -Robert Liparulo, bestselling author of Dreamhouse Kings and "The 13th Tribe"

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble

About the Author
Jerel Law is a gifted communicator and pastor with seventeen years of full-time ministry experience. He holds his undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (go Tarheels!), and a master of divinity degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Jerel began writing fiction as a way to encourage his children’s faith to come alive. He lives in North Carolina with his family. Spirit Fighter is his first novel.

Website / Blog / Goodreads / Amazon / Twitter / Facebook

GIVEAWAY
Thomas Nelson is providing 5 print copies of Fire Prophet (US Only). 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Q & A With Author Jerel Law


Q: Everyone seems to have a "how I got published" story. What is yours?

My story, like a lot of others, is about the right door opening up at the right time, combined with a lot of persistence.  I had been writing fiction for ten years before my first book, Spirit Fighter, was published.  Four completed, unpublished manuscripts are sitting on my laptop right now.  None of them sold, but I learned lots of lessons with each.  Writing those books was like going to school for me.  Each one helped me become a better writer.  The fifth one turned out to be the one that sold.

After I’d written the fifth, I did what most authors do (and what I’d done four times before with limited success) – try to find an agent!  Which can be just as hard as landing a publisher.  But I remembered a conversation I had with a local author two years prior – a great guy named Robert Whitlow. I figured reaching out to him couldn’t hurt, so I asked if he would look at my query letter and give me some suggestions.  He agreed, read it, and to my surprise, also asked to see the first chapter of my book.  The next day we spoke on the phone and he told me how much he liked what he’d read (I still remember how excited I was as we spoke) – and then he offered to introduce me to his publisher.  Not long after, we reached out to a wonderful editor named MacKenzie Howard from Thomas Nelson via email, and ten minutes after I contacted her, she requested my manuscript.  Ten months later (yes, it took that long!) I had a two-book contract for the Son of Angels series.  At this point, I still don’t have an agent.  And Robert has become a great friend.


Q: When did you realize you wanted to become a writer?

The truth is, I did not grow up wanting to be an author.  I wasn’t one of those kids who filled journals with words and ideas.  I was too busy playing sports, going to school, and hanging out with my friends.  The real story (although I’m not quite sure how I feel about letting this cat out of the bag) is that around 1999, my wife and I were on vacation at the beach, and she brought a book along that I ended up reading – The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks.  Yeah, I know.  But looking back, I realize I had some frustration in my current job as a pastor, and needed an outlet for some creative expression.  Coming back from our trip (and having read that book), I was inspired with an idea for a novel.  I talked to Susan, my wife, about it, and she encouraged me to get busy and write.  So my first book was a Sparks-ish love story set in North Carolina (where I live), written for her.  And apparently, she was the only one who liked it.  But I realized through that that I really enjoyed writing.




Sunday, January 6, 2013

Writer's New Year's Resolutions

Happy New Year! Time for those writer's resolutions. How did you do last year? I decided not to make any resolutions last year and I kept my resolution! This year I have 3 main goals:

1. Finish revising my novels
2. Write a sequel to my paranormal romance
3. Query agents

January: Revise my contemporary NA romance/adventure novel and send it to the editor who is interested and who suggested I add words and change the ending.

February: Query my YA fantasy novel to agents and keep revising my NA paranormal novel while having it critiqued by my writer's group.

March: Keep querying my YA fantasy and revising my NA Paranormal Romance.

April: Query agents with my YA fantasy novel and finish revising my paranormal romance.

May: Query paranormal romance and YA fantasy and outline sequel to paranormal romance

June: Query Paranormal Romance and write first draft of book 2 to paranormal romance

July: Query Paranormal romance and write second draft of book 2 to paranormal romance

August: Write 3rd draft of book two of paranormal romance

Sept: Start submitting chapters of paranormal romance book 2 to group for critiques

Oct: Revise critiqued chapters of paranormal romance book 2

Nov: Revise critiqued chapters of paranormal romance book 2

Dec: Revise chapters of paranormal romance book 2

These goals may change as I go especially if I get an agent or publish a book, but for now, this is the plan. I'll update and revise it and track my progress each month on my blog. What are your goals for this year? Good luck!

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Paranormalcy Review


My Review:

I just finished reading Paranormalcy by Kiersten White and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's a rare book that can make me turn pages and not want to put it down. Loved the voice. Some teen voices bug be because they're over the top or not quite right, but this was a fun voice that never annoyed me.

I especially loved the "badboy" faerie Reth for some reason even though he seemed evil. (I don't think he is.) This is a must read for any YA paranormal romance fans out there. Plenty of action and twisty turns, and though and Evie, the MC is not only tough enough to capture vampires, but girly enough to love shopping, and dressing up, and watching TV dramas. A great combo. Scary and funny all in one.

Book Description:


Evie’s always thought of herself as a normal teenager, even though she works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, she’s falling for a shape-shifter, and she’s the only one who can see through glamours.
But now Evie’s dreams are filled with haunting voices and cryptic messages—and she’s realizing that she may be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.
So much for normal.

Author Bio: http://kierstenwrites.blogspot.com/

Kiersten White is the NYT bestselling author of the Paranormalcy trilogy. She has one tall husband and two small children and lives near the ocean, where her life is perfectly normal. Visit her at www.kierstenwhite.com.

Monday, December 3, 2012

Hover Cover Reveal

So sorry I've been missing in action from my blog lately. I have a lot of exciting things in the works that I'll share in upcoming posts. for now here's the cover reveal for Melissa West's book Hover  (The Taking #2) 


For a chance to win a copy of this book follow the link below.




Melissa's bio:

Melissa lives in a tiny suburb of Atlanta, GA with her husband and daughter. She pretends to like yoga, actually likes shoes, and could not live without coffee. Her writing heroes include greats like Jane Austen and Madeleine L'Engle.

She holds a B.A. in Communication Studies and an M.S. in Graphic Communication, both from Clemson University. Yeah, her blood runs orange.







Watch Melissa’s blog, http://m-b-west.blogspot.com/, for details on how to participate in an exclusive excerpt and official blurb closer to Hover's release date on Aug. 6, 2013. Make sure to let your readers know, too!
Pre-order Buy links:
Amazon- http://www.amazon.com/Hover-The-Taking-Melissa-West/dp/1620610930/
BN.com- No link yet
Chapters- http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Hover-Melissa-West/9781620610930-item.html

Melissa’s links:
Website- http://www.melissawestauthor.com/
Blog- http://m-b-west.blogspot.com/
Twitter- https://twitter.com/MB_West
Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/MelissaWestAuthor
Goodreads- http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5287439.Melissa_West





Friday, October 26, 2012

Monster Hunter by Matt Archer



Matt Archer: Monster Hunter (Matt Archer #1)
Release Date: 08/18/12
Paperback/e-book
299 pages

Summary from Goodreads:
Fourteen-year-old Matt Archer spends his days studying Algebra, hanging out with his best friend and crushing on the Goddess of Greenhill High, Ella Mitchell. To be honest, he thinks his life is pretty lame until he discovers something terrifying on a weekend camping trip at the local state park. 

Monsters are real. And living in his backyard. 

But that's not the half of it. After Matt is forced to kill a strange creature to save his uncle, he finds out that the weird knife he took from his uncle's bag has a secret, one that will change Matt's life. The knife was designed with one purpose: to hunt monsters. And it's chosen Matt as its wielder. 

Now Matt's part of a world he didn't know existed, working with a covert military unit dedicated to eliminating walking nightmares. Faced with a prophecy about a looming dark war, Matt soon realizes his upcoming Algebra test is the least of his worries. 

His new double life leaves Matt wondering which is tougher: hunting monsters or asking Ella Mitchell for a date?

Goodreads:
Amazon:
Barnes & Noble:

About the Author
View Kendra C. Heighley.jpg in slide showKendra C. Highley lives in north Texas with her husband and two children. She also serves as staff to two self-important and high-powered cats. This, according to the cats, is her most important job. She believes chocolate is a basic human right, running a 10k is harder than it sounds, and that everyone should learn to drive a stick-shift. She loves monsters, vacations, baking and listening to bad electronica.
Twitter:

Giveaway Details:
Grand prize is a Nook Simple Touch and a $25 B&N card plus a paperback copy of Matt Archer: Monster Hunter. (US only)
 (3) 1st place winners get a $10 Amazon Card plus a paperback copy of Matt Archer: Monster Hunter. (Open Internationally)

a Rafflecopter giveaway


**Excerpt***
Post Attack Scene with Uncle Mike:
 I woke up Saturday morning with a nasty taste in my mouth—hot chocolate and puke. I rolled over, sliding and squeaking on Mike’s black leather couch, and had to peel my left arm away from the cushions. The grain of the leather was imprinted on my skin. On top of that, Mike only had two extra blankets, one of them looking like it’d never been used, and since we’d deserted our sleeping bags at the camp grounds, I’d ended up freezing my butt off most of the night. These are the dangers of sleeping over at a bachelor’s house.
“He needs a girlfriend,” I grumbled.
Mike responded by snoring like a T-Rex upstairs. It was only nine and we’d talked until four. Old guys needed more sleep, so I let him be, heading off to brush my fuzzy teeth. That was a grosser process than normal, so I threw my toothbrush away afterward, hoping it wouldn’t crawl out of the trashcan on its own.
Puke-fest overnight or not, it was breakfast time, and my stomach growled right on cue. I went to the kitchen, searched every cabinet and only came up with a bottle opener, two cans of chili, and cocktail onions.
“You need a girlfriend, Mike,” I said, a little louder this time.
He came down the stairs, the wooden steps creaking under his weight, still wearing flannel pj bottoms and an old t-shirt with some cartoon called Ren and Stimpy on it.
“I’ll keep that in mind. What’cha looking for?”
“Cereal or something else normal for breakfast,” I said.
Mike dug the skim milk out of the fridge and sniffed it. He didn’t make a face, so it must’ve still been good. After pouring two glasses of milk, he dumped in some grey powder and stirred it up.
“Bottoms up,” he said, thrusting the glass at me.
“Chocolate milk? How old is that stuff? It looks like dust.” Sludge floated around in my glass. “You know, Mom’ll kill you with a fork if you poison me.”
Mike’s face got serious. “It’s a protein shake. We’ve got to put a little muscle on you. No more cereal, Matt. You need to eat like a man.”
A cold bead of sweat ran down my back. “You meant it…last night. I’m really going to basic, and I’m really gonna have to kill monsters.”
Mike nodded. “Drink up. Then we’ll talk about a fitness regimen.”
“Uncle Mike, this is just stupid. Brent’s the jock,” I said. “I can run fast; that’s about it.”
Mike put his shake down on the counter and looked me square in the eyes. “Everything happens for a reason. The knife chose you on purpose, which means you can do this. You have to.”
His expression was pride mixed with worry, but mostly pride.
I chugged the whole nasty shake in one go.

Monday, October 15, 2012

Elemental Promo Post




Here is the link to the blog tour schedule:


Clink on this link to enter a Rafflecopter giveaway

Grand Prize:
There is a signed copy of each paperback, Earth, Air and Water and a matching bookmark for each. There is a mini Jack-o-lantern (that I carved) and an awesome, sparkly candle (electric) and some fun Halloween treats that include candy, stickers and copy of one of my favorite Halloween movies, Monster House. (US only)

3 other winners will also receive a ebook from the series, winner’s choice from Earth, Air or Water.  (Open Internationally)

Release Date: 05/01/11
Paperback/e-book

Summary from Goodreads:
Shayna and her two best friends have the abilities to manipulate and control the four elements, earth, air, water and fire. While learning to hone their growing powers, they discover a new and malicious presence in their sleepy beach town. Someone is performing blood magic and threatens to expose their small magical community. So far only small animals have been slaughtered, but then the nightmares start. 

Shayna suffers nightmares of being chased and sacrificed only to wake up bloodied and bruised. She thinks her magical blood is the ultimate target for the final blood rite. When an innocent girl, Tracy, is kidnapped Shayna knows it's only a ploy to draw her out; she can't let someone die because of her.

Earth links: (PS, the kindle version of Earth is free for a limited time only!)

Release Date: 10/31/11
Paperback/e-book

Summary from Goodreads:
It was a rough start to the school year for Shayna and her friends, Jodi and Steven, but thankfully summer break is near. Trying to sort out her feelings for the new guy in town, Shayna agrees to let Jensen join her on a group date with her friends. While out they end up at a local coffee house where their classmate, social outcast Jeremy McCormick, is humiliated by his baseball star brother. When Jeremy runs away from the jeering crowd, Shayna and Jodi hear the unmistakable sound of a thousand wings chasing after him, but no one else seems to hear them. These are not like any air elementals that Shayna or Jodi have ever encountered before and they fear Jeremy has gotten himself tangled up in something too dangerous for him to handle. But when Shayna tries to help Jeremy control his magical abilities she realizes it might be the biggest mistake of her life.

Air links:

Release Date: 06/19/12
Paperback/e-book
Summary from Goodreads:
Book Three in The Elemental Series

Shayna's first surfing session of the summer is interrupted by the screams of a mother who has lost her little boy in the water. Without regard to her own safety, Shayna swims out, rescues the boy, but must escape the clutches of something far worse than she could have ever imagined – mermaids.

Compelled to answer the sirens' call, the boys of Shayna's town are drawn to the sea, but when they return are afflicted by an unknown illness, a sickness which is draining them of their life force. Unable to tell anyone about the mermaids, Shayna and her friends are forced to solve the mystery before it's too late, and in doing so, Shayna will finally have to face the full force of her powers. Whether she’s ready or not, she will have to face her true nature.

Water links:
Fire, book #4 in the Elemental series is coming soon!

About the Author
I don't do well talking about myself. So as basics go, I have recently self-published the first two books in my Elemental Series, Earth and Air, Young Adult Urban Fantasy novels. Look for the third installment, Water, coming in 2012!

I have been working on the Elemental Series for the last four years and plan for it to be a 5 book series. It was a hard decision to self-publish but it's been an exciting and terrifying ride. 

You can find me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Shauna-...

And to my readers (or fans of my covers), I have beautiful bookmarks that I would love to share with you. If you'd like one, drop me a note with your contact info and I'd be happy to send you one!

Goodreads:
Blog:
Twitter:
Facebook:


Dream cast for Air (Elemental #2).
Shayna: Emily Browning
First: Shayna, my main character and narrator. I have always like Emily Browning ever since I first saw her as Violet in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events and I loved her in Suckerpuncheven though a lot of people had negative things to say about that last. Emily has the almost the exact facial structure that I see when I think of Shayna and let's face it, her hair here is perfect. Shayna means to do the right thing and tries to be confident but she worries a lot and Emily could totally pull off that juxtaposition.

Jodi: AnnaSophia Robb (though with shorter hair)
Next up: Jodi, Shayna's oldest friend and first partner in magic. Jodi is hard-headed and has a little bit of a snide streak in her. She wants to be your best friend, she wants to be a good person but her self-esteem issues get in her way. Jodi will always trip Jodi up. Until Jodi can accept her own flaws and the idea that someone can have more than one important person in their life, she'll always have trouble. AnnaSophia Robb just screams Jodi to me. Her face is perfect, her stature is perfect and I think she would do well with this roll.

Steven: Tyler Posey
Third is my favorite character: Steven. Steven is the best friend we always wanted in high school. Steven will tell you how it is without shame because there is no reason to lie. Steven has a kind heart and a young soul but he has so many issues he's dealing with. He's half Mexican and half Caucasian, homosexual and a teenager. The poor thing. But whatever his problems, he puts his friends first, sometimes too much, if you ask me. I just want to wrap him up in a Snuggie and drink hot chocolate with him. I'll admit, I don't know Tyler Posey that well. Yes, I saw him in Maid in Manhattan forever ago (stop judging me, yes I watched it!) but just look at him! He's adorable! And his heritage is spot on for Steven! Of course Tyler is Steven!

Jensen: Alex Pettyfer
No, I never saw I Am Number Four because of my personal dislike for James Frey, and I still refuse to see it, but when I saw Alex Pettyfer's face, I saw Jensen. One of the first things Shayna notices about Jensen is his cheekbones and how can you not notice Alex's? Sharp and beautiful. Also, I really think his eyes hit the mark. The only thing wrong is the hair, but that is fixable. But this dude has the height, the eyes, the cheekbones and I think he could pull of both Jensen and Ian's crazy quite well.

Finally, Jeremy: Cameron Bright
Do you remember this creepy kid from Godsend? Because I do. I know a lot of people will recognize him as Alec from Eclipse but I can’t not think of Godsend when I see Cameron. I think his features are just striking enough to show Jeremy’s potential, but if we lengthened his hair a bit and dyed it black, he would be the spitting image of Jeremy. Jeremy has the potential to be a cool, normal kid if life hadn’t beaten him down all his seventeen years. His intensity and anger are all most people get to see of him, but Shayna sees his true potential and I think Cameron has the ability to play the dual roles of Jeremy’s personality. And seriously? Just look at those eyes!