Midwinter’s Eve #Giveaway Hop #YA
This contest has ended. The winner will be announced tomorrow (1/5).
Stay tuned!
Hi everyone!
I’m happy to once again be participating in the Midwinter’s Eve Giveaway Hop hosted by I Am A Reader Not A Writer and Book Hounds. đ
*********
For the Hop this year, a few titles are up for grabs, all in the fantasy genre, all YA. There will be ONE winner, just choose the book you want. đ
First option:
CRUX
by Julie Reece
YA Urban Fantasy
She should have run. Now, sheâll have to fight.
Eighteen year old Birdie may be homeless, but sheâs surviving, that is until a mysterious guy throws money in the air like a crazy game show host and she grabs some with the idea sheâll be able to buy dinner that night.
In that singular moment, unassuming Birdie becomes the girl in everyoneâs viewfinder. Thugs want to kill her. Money-guy wants to recruit her. The very hot, very rich and very out of her league Grey Mathews wants to save her.
Birdie, though, wants nothing to do with any of them until she realizes fate didnât bring them all together.
Her heritage did.
Now, with only twenty-one days left, sheâs got to decide whether to follow in the footsteps of those before her or risk her life for people sheâs only just met.
Next option:
REAPER
by L.S. Murphy
YA urban fantasy
There’s no way sixteen year old Quincy Amarante will become the fifth grim reaper. None. Not over her shiny blue Mustang. Her Jimmy Choos. Or her dead body.
Sheâs supposed to enjoy her sophomore year, not learn about some freaky future Destiny says she has no choice but to fulfill.
It doesnât take long for Quincy to realize the only way out of the game is to play along especially since Death can find her anyway, anywhere, anytime. And does.
Like when sheâs reassuring her friends she wants nothing to do with former best friend Ben Moorland, whoâs returned from god-knows-where, and fails. Miserably.
Instead of maintaining her coveted popularity status, Quincyâs goes down like the Titanic.
Maybe … just maybe … thatâs okay.
It seems, perhaps, becoming a grim reaper isnât just about the dead but more about a much needed shift in Quincyâs prioritiesâfrom who she thinks she wants to be to who she really is.
And last option:
TIED (Fire Born #1)
by Laney McMann
YA Urban Fantasy
Normal people don’t believe their nightmares stalk them. They donât fall in love with boys who donât exist, either.
Seventeen-year-old Layla Labelle, though, is far from normal. Her delusions walk the earth. Her hallucinations hunt her, and her skin heats to a burn every time her anger flares.
Or is that all in her head?
Layla doesn’t know what to believe any more because if none of thatâs true, Max MacLarnon must be an illusion, and her heart must still be broken.
No matter how much she wants to believe Max is real, doing so would mean everything else is, too. How, then, is that possible?
The answers lie in an age-old legend the supernatural arenât prepared to reveal, and with a curse that could tear Layla and Max apart foreverâif it doesnât kill them both first.
In TIED, book one in the Fire Born trilogy, learning the truth will mean fighting an arsenal of demons, and being with Max will put Layla on a path toward her own destruction.
Just how far will Layla go to protect the one she loves?
The answer may never be far enough … away.
*****
In addition, I’m giving away a $10 Amazon gift card to the same winner.
#######
 So, to make this easy, and fast, the book will be in e-book format (Kindle or Nook) and I will have a simply entry. Random.com will choose the winner. No purchase necessary to win. International entries welcome. Just leave me a comment in the form below, tell me which book you want, your email address, and the format (Kindle or Nook). That’s it!
Easy. đ
**the giveaway will run from December 21-31, 2014.
Check out all the other bloggers participating in the Hop here:
Powered by Linky Tools Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…
Good Luck and Happy Holidays!
Share this:
Thursday’s Off The Beaten Track #music
One of my favorites today:
Eluvium
Covered In Writing
Share this:
TORN (Fire Born #2) Playlist Countdown
For the next track on the TORN playlist, here’s:
Jon Hopkins
Breathe This Air
Share this:
Author Spotlight & Book Release ~ INSPIRED by Danielle E. Shipley
I have a special treat on the blog today. I’m sharing Danielle E. Shipley’s just released, INSPIRED
And we have a giveaway plus an interview with the author. đ
Here’s a peek:
Inspired
Release Date:Â March 17, 2014
Target Reader:Â Adult
Keywords:Â Fiction
Description
For a muse like LucianĂel, one storyâs end is anotherâs beginning.
In the wake of his authorâs sudden death, Luc takes ownership of her surviving creationsâfour fantastical characters with tales yet to be toldâsaving them from unwritten lives crumbling around them and giving them a second chance at a literary future.
Luc finds that chance in the unsuspecting mind of Annabelle Iole Gray, a quirky teen with her head in the clouds, nose in a book, and imagination ripe for a brilliant museâs inspiration.
Or so he hopes.
Neither Luc nor Annabelle, however, realize all theyâve undertaken. Even with a to-write list including accounts of a shape-shifting cat creature, gentle knight-in-training, vigilante skater girl, and a mystery boy smothering in unspoken fear, the most remarkable saga created between author and muse just may turn out to be one stranger than fiction.
Their own.
Let’s talk to Danielle about the book:
LM: How long have you been writing?
DS:Â Pretty much since I realized books didnât just show up in Mommyâs hands for her to read to me â theyâre made, and anyone with a grasp of words can make them! So I started grasping around age 5 or 6, and never let go.
LM:Â Did you always aspire to be an author?
DS:Â An author just for fun? Yes, always. A professional author? Not âtil the realization in my late teens that authorhood is the only career Iâve got a heart for. So since then, Iâve followed the passion with everything Iâve got.
LM:Â Can you tell us what inspired you to write the story? đ
DS: My favorite gang of muses: My characters! Most of the people I make up either donât like me much or just donât care, but a handful of them and I get alongâŠwell, as much as we get along with anybody. XD So I wanted to show what our crazy relationship is like, just with a little bit more of an actual plot. Trust me, no reader wants to wade through an accurate transcript of our nonsensical interactions.
LM:Â Who is your favorite character and why?
DS:Â Aw, thatâs tough! Even assuming weâre narrowing it down to just the âInspiredâ cast, I stand most in awe of Luc, but Wilburâs the sweetest, while itâs so much fun to let my attitude out in Uri. If all the characters were about to fall off a mental cliff or something, though, Iâd probably grab for Yves. I guess I feel the most maternal about him, since he looks like the character most desperately in need of a motherâs hug!
LM:Â Are you working on any new projects you’d like to share with us?
DS:Â April is Camp NaNoWriMo (the non-November version of National Novel Writing Month), and one of my other favorite muses (hi, Mom!) recently sparked some big plans for a book which just may involve some faces made familiar through âInspiredâ. Iâm excited to zoom through the first draft and see what the fictional folk do on the page!
LM:Â Plotter or Pantser?
DS:Â Plotter. Hard core. If I donât have my 20-plus pages of chapter-by-chapter outline, I donât feel half ready.
LM:Â What books are you currently reading, if any?
DS:Â Itâs been a Book Two kind of reading scene, these days. Just finished Maggie Stiefvaterâs âDream Thieves (The Raven Cycle #2)â and Rachel Bachâs âHonorâs Knight (The Paradox Trilogy #2)â; currently a few pages into A.G. Howardâs âUnhingedâ (sequel to âSplinteredâ); and Iâve been working my way through a leisurely re-read of Stephen Lawheadâs âScarlet (King Raven Trilogy #2)â for months, âcause itâs always pleasant to have a Robin Hood retelling chillinâ out in the background.
LM:Â Twitter or Facebook?
DS:Â Lately, Twitter. Technologically speaking, it tends to frustrate me less.
LM:Â Fantasy or Paranormal?
DS: Both! A wizard and a vampire time travel into a bar⊠I will read about that bar. I love a good genre-mash.
LM:Â Any tips you’d like to give aspiring writers hoping to be published one day?
DS:Â Write whatever the heck you want! Donât be too hard on your work, but always push yourself to make it better. Donât worry about what everybody else is writing; you do you. Know that reaching your goals may well take longer than the building of Rome, but hey, every little brick helps to keep the dream alive. And only let life make you bitter if youâre confident you can channel that vitriol into a smashing story.
LM:Â When you’re not writing, you are?
DS:Â Twitchy over the fact that Iâm not writing. Working on production prep for my self-pubbed projects. Wasting time online. Squealing over BBCâs âSherlockâ with my cross-country BFF. Weeping my charactersâ tears as they weather some out-of-book storm. Talking out the blues with my mom. Seriously wishing I were writing.
LM:Â Tea or Coffee?
DS: Tea! A friend got me hooked on a site that lets you create customs blends. Iâve got two character-inspired teas Iâm drinking by the pot already, and there shall be more.
LM:Â Summer or Winter?
DS: Summer. I despise the cold and early darkness of winter. It kills my soul. âŠthough itâs hoodies and tea season, so thereâs that.
LM: I despise the cold too! Early bird or Night Owl?
DS: Night owl. I mean, Iâd love to start my day early, but not if it means I have to consistently be in bed before midnight. Besides, my muse enjoys poking me between 1 and 2am.
LM:Â Favorite time to write?
DS: I like to get started first thing, otherwise distractions will push the start time back âtil Iâve lost the morning. (I guess my brain really does see 1am as the magical genesis hour, because by the time we cross into the afternoon, my day feels half over â never mind that there are way more waking hours ahead of me than behind.) On the other hand, once Iâve started, I donât want to stop, so the pm hours become my favorite, too. So I guess the short answer would have been âwhen Iâm awakeâ. X)
Thanks so much, Danielle. đ
Danielle is also having a GIVEAWAY!
ENTER HERE!
Danielle E. Shipleyâs first novelettes told the everyday misadventures of wacky kids like herself. …Or so she thought. Unbeknownst to them all, half of her characters were actually closeted elves, dwarves, fairies, or some combination thereof. When it all came to light, Danielle did the sensible thing: Packed up and moved to Fantasy Land, where daily rent is the low, low price of her heart, soul, blood, sweat, tears, firstborn child, sanity, and words; lots of them. Sheâs also been known to spend short bursts of time in the real-life Chicago area with the parents who homeschooled her and the two little sisters who keep her humble. When sheâs not living the highs and lows of writing young adult novels, sheâs probably blogging about it.
Twitter: @DESHIPLEY
Share this:
Release Day Blast ~ UNNATURAL by J.A. Belfield
UNNATURAL RELEASES TODAY!
Unnatural. One word to sum up werewolf Kyle Larsenâhis mood swings, abnormal body, and choice of female.
The first two, he blames on the vampire venom.
The third, though? No, feline shifter Brook Nicholls was all his doingâa female of whom the pack will never approve.
As part of the Coalition, an organisation with even stricter rules than the pack and a rigidly warped sense of responsibility, Brook comes with a whole lot of opposition of her own.
No wonder the two of them keep their relationship secret for as long as they can.
Now, distanced from his family by his own indiscretions, Kyleâs left to fight battles heâs unsure how to winâsome of them even against his own pack.
Is one woman really so important that heâs willing to defy his Alpha for her?
If his heart has any say in the matter, the answer will be yes.
To celebrate Unnatural‘s release, CAGED, Holloway Pack 3 is on SALE!
The UNNATURAL Blog Tour begins tomorrow, and throughout the duration of the tour, CAGED will be available for just 99c.
AND there’s a GIVEAWAY!
Up for grabs is:
Enter in Rafflectopter!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Good luck!
To grab your own copy of UNNATURAL, click on any of the purchase links below.
~~~~~
Best known for her Holloway Pack Stories, J. A. Belfield lives in Solihull, England, with her husband, two children, two cats and a dog. She writes paranormal romance, with a second love for urban fantasy.
Website | Blog | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon | Booklikes
Share this:
On Writing
A series of random thoughts.
Writing is akin to hearing a thousand voices screaming at you all at once and you trying to decipher which ones you should listen to, and which ones you should ignore. Life’s a bit like that too.
Share this:
ARC Giveaway ~ UNNATURAL by J.A. Belfield
J. Taylor Publishing are giving away FIVE ARCs of Unnatural by J.A. Belfield!
Check it out!
Unnatural. One word to sum up werewolf Kyle Larsenâhis mood swings, abnormal body, and choice of female.
The first two, he blames on the vampire venom.
The third, though? No, feline shifter Brook Nicholls was all his doingâa female of whom the pack will never approve.As part of the Coalition, an organisation with even stricter rules than the pack and a rigidly warped sense of responsibility, Brook comes with a whole lot of opposition of her own.
No wonder the two of them keep their relationship secret for as long as they can.
Now, distanced from his family by his own indiscretions, Kyleâs left to fight battles heâs unsure how to winâsome of them even against his own pack.
Is one woman really so important that heâs willing to defy his Alpha for her?
If his heart has any say in the matter, the answer will be yes.
A great addition to the Holloway Pack, UNNATURAL will please both veterans of the series and new readers alike. It also just might be the paranormal romance you’ve all been waiting for.
And J. Taylor Publishing is giving away FIVE ARC copies.
To YOU!
You donât even have to be a book blogger!
Nope, so long as you are willing to leave an honest review* between the dates March 19th and April 6th 2014, you are eligible to enter.
Interested?
Then just fill out the form and keep your fingers crossed.
You have until midnight of March 18th to enter.
*A review should consist of your honest thoughts regarding a book, usually a few paragraphs long and around 150 – 500 (sometimes more) words in length.
About J.A. Belfield:
One day, a character and scene popped into J. A. Belfield’s head, and she started controlling the little people inside her imagination as though she were the puppet master and they her toys. Questions arose: What would happen if …? How would they react if …? Who would they meet if …? Before she knew it, a singular scene had become an entire movie. The characters she controlled began to hold conversations. Their actions reflected the personalities she bestowed upon them. Within no time, they had a life, a lover, a foe, family … they had Become.
One day, she wrote down her thoughts. She’s yet to stop.
J. A. Belfield lives in Solihull, England, with her husband, two children, three cats, and a dog. She writes paranormal romance with a second love for urban fantasy.
Share this:
COVER REVEAL ~ TORN (Fire Born #2) by Laney McMann
It’s here!
***
The cover & blurb for TORN,
book #2 in The Fire Born Novels series,
is live!
Check it out:
Fire Born
by Laney McMann
Release Date:Â September 8, 2014
Target Reader:Â Young Adult
Keywords: Fiction, Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy
Back of the Book
Find Max.
Thatâs all Layla cares about. Not healing from the Fomore attack. Not finding answers to how she survived a fall that nearly killed her. Nothing will stop her. She will find him. Sheâll even pair up with an overbearing Fallen Angel whoâs hell bent on making everything harder than it needs to be if she has to.
Protect Layla.
For Max, nothing else matters. Not the bruises covering his body. Not the pain radiating from his broken bones. Not even his hands tied behind his back. He will find a way to save Layla, and the Fomore will pay if theyâve hurt her.
Every. Single. One of them.
In the second installment of The Fire Born trilogy, a new breed of villain loomsâone Layla and Max will never suspect, and this killer has nothing to lose. Better yet, with Max and Laylaâs deaths, victory is in the grip of the enemy.
Will Max and Layla find each other in time, or is it already too late for them both?
For more info:Â J Taylor Publishing
Share this:
TORN (Fire Born #2) Cover Reveal Countdown
The cover reveal for the second book in the Fire Born Novels trilogy,
TORN
is in 10 Days!
(Fire Born #2)
Share this:
Thursday’s Off The Beaten Track
Okay … sorry about yesterday’s mishap on the post. Continuing on, here’s Active Child from their 2011 album, You Are All I See.
Ivy.
Share this:
ARC Giveaway ~ INSPIRED by Danielle E. Shipley
J. Taylor Publishing are giving away FIVE ARCs of Inspired by Danielle E. Shipley!
Check it out!
For a muse like LucianĂel, one storyâs end is anotherâs beginning.
In the wake of his authorâs sudden death, Luc takes ownership of her surviving creationsâfour fantastical characters with tales yet to be toldâsaving them from unwritten lives crumbling around them and giving them a second chance at a literary future.
Luc finds that chance in the unsuspecting mind of Annabelle Iole Gray, a quirky teen with her head in the clouds, nose in a book, and imagination ripe for a brilliant museâs inspiration.
Or so he hopes.
Neither Luc nor Annabelle, however, realize all theyâve undertaken. Even with a to-write list including accounts of a shape-shifting cat creature, gentle knight-in-training, vigilante skater girl, and a mystery boy smothering in unspoken fear, the most remarkable saga created between author and muse just may turn out to be one stranger than fiction.
INSPIRED is an innovative glimpse at the true muse of a writer, a tale told with style and wit. And J. Taylor Publishing is giving away FIVE ARC copies.
To YOU!
You donât even have to be a book blogger!
Nope, so long as you are willing to leave an honest review between the dates March 3rd and March 17th 2014, you are eligible to enter.
Interested?
Then just fill out the form and keep your fingers crossed.
You have until midnight of March 2nd to enter.
About Danielle E. Shipley:
Danielle E. Shipley, author, Inspired
Danielle E. Shipleyâs first novelettes told the everyday misadventures of wacky kids like herself. …Or so she thought. Unbeknownst to them all, half of her characters were actually closeted elves, dwarves, fairies, or some combination thereof. When it all came to light, Danielle did the sensible thing: Packed up and moved to Fantasy Land, where daily rent is the low, low price of her heart, soul, blood, sweat, tears, firstborn child, sanity, and words; lots of them. Sheâs also been known to spend short bursts of time in the real-life Chicago area with the parents who homeschooled her and the two little sisters who keep her humble. When sheâs not living the highs and lows of writing young adult novels, sheâs probably blogging about it.
Share this:
Second Book in The Fire Born Novels by Laney McMann to release September 2014
Laney McMannâs debut novel, TIED, a Fire Born novel, will release its sequel, TORN, in September 2014.
The second installment in the Fire Born Novels continues Layla and Max’s story, widening the supernatural world and introducing a new set of characters into the fray. TORN ties together the loose strands started in TIED, and is a key element toward completing the circle of the trilogy.
Unlike book one in the series, TORN revolves not only around Layla LaBelle’s journey, but we get a view inside Max’s head, as the story is written in both perspectives.
TORN releases September 2014 in e-book and print by J. Taylor Publishing
With a passion for the supernatural and all things magical, Laney McMann developed a voracious appetite for reading fantasy at a young age. By the time she reached her teens, Laney had accumulated notebooks full of poems which led to short stories and finally novels, specifically in the young adult dark fantasy, paranormal romance, and mythology genres.
Â
Stay tuned next month, as I have New News regarding the series. đ
Share this:
Best Of: Author Excerpt Series
There are so many incredible writers, so much talent, and too many books to ever try to read them all. I thought, in light of that fact, it would be nice to share some of the best of the best. Quick little hints of what lies inside the pages of some of the books from my favorite authors.
Neil Gaiman:
âHave you ever been in love? Horrible isn’t it? It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens up your heart and it means that someone can get inside you and mess you up. You build up all these defenses, you build up a whole suit of armor, so that nothing can hurt you, then one stupid person, no different from any other stupid person, wanders into your stupid life…You give them a piece of you. They didn’t ask for it. They did something dumb one day, like kiss you or smile at you, and then your life isn’t your own anymore. Love takes hostages. It gets inside you. It eats you out and leaves you crying in the darkness, so simple a phrase like ‘maybe we should be just friends’ turns into a glass splinter working its way into your heart. It hurts. Not just in the imagination. Not just in the mind. It’s a soul-hurt, a real gets-inside-you-and-rips-you-apart pain. I hate love.â
â Neil Gaiman, The Sandman, Vol. 9: The Kindly Ones
Share this:
November Book #Giveaways of TIED
THESE GIVEAWAYS HAVE ENDED.
I have TWO Giveaways going on this month.
First one is happening over on Goodreads from today through the 29th (yeah, soon) for TWO Signed paperbacks of TIED.
Here’s the link to enter:Â Goodreads
(Goodreads runs this giveaway)
*********
Second up, Reading Teen is hosting me on their blog and as thanks I’m having a giveaway over there. ONE signed paperback. Easy entry:
What’s your ideal boyfriend? Bad boy? Good guy with an edge? Best friend turned boyfriend? Leave a comment on Reading Teen on my TIED Spotlight post to win, and check out everyone else’s dream guy. đ
Here’s the link to enter:Â Reading Teen
(the winner of this giveaway will be chosen randomly)
Good Luck and Happy November!
Share this:
Thursday’s Off The Beaten Track ~ Broken Bells
This week on Thursday’s Off The Beaten Track,
Broken Bells newest release, Holding On For Life.
It took me a few times listening to this song to decide if I even liked it, but, yeah, I think I do.
The song, the whole album really, is a throw back to the 1970’s as stated by the album’s title,
After the Disco.
And there’s a distinct Bee Gee’s vibe, (think of Saturday Night Fever).  About three quarters into the song, a 60’s sound reminiscent to The Beatle’s, St. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album comes through. Needless to say, After the Disco, has an interesting sound.
Enjoy.
Share this:
#Teaser Tuesday TIED (Fire Born #1)
Blood sped through my veins as I gripped the edge of the counter, gazing into the face I knew so well. A shadow of confusion crossed his expression as he stared back at me before the corner of his mouth drew up in a slight grin, and my face flushed with a burning heat. Goosebumps shivered down my arms, the air seeming to quiver with a faint breeze.
“Layla, are you okay?” Someone shook me by the shoulder. “Layla?” Devon’s voice rang from far away.
I tried to speak, but words wouldn’t form. I remembered his face, the waterfall, the forest. The warmth of his hand in mine. Droplets of water cascading down his golden skin. His eyes reflecting the sunlight like crystals. The rush of wind as he ran beside me. His laughter. The sound of his voice when he called my name.
“Max …”
Share this:
My Music Monday ~ Polica
This morning, one my favoritesâ
Polica, Wandering Star is on My Music Monday.
Enjoy.
Share this:
The Best Of: Author Excerpt Series
The best of: Author excerpt series.
*******
There are so many incredible writers, so much talent, and too many books to ever try to read them all. I thought, in light of that fact, it would be nice to share some of the best of the best. Quick little hints of what lies inside the pages of some of the books from my favorite authors.
First up, the amazing, Neil Gaiman.
âI think I fell in love with her, a little bit. Isn’t that dumb? But it was like I knew her. Like she was my oldest, dearest friend. The kind of person you can tell anything to, no matter how bad, and they’ll still love you, because they know you. I wanted to go with her. I wanted her to notice me. And then she stopped walking. Under the moon, she stopped. And looked at us. She looked at me. Maybe she was trying to tell me something; I don’t know. She probably didn’t even know I was there. But I’ll always love her. All my life.â
~ Neil Gaiman, The Sandman, Vol. 8: World’s End
Neil Gaiman (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Share this:
Between The Story Pages ~ Beasts of Burdin
Continuing on with Between The Story Pages, another book I’m currently reading is
Beasts of Burdin, an adult urban fantasy novel
by Alexander Nader
Release Date:Â February 10, 2014
Target Reader:Â Adult
Keywords:Â Urban Fantasy
Description
Demon hunter Ty Burdin hung up his guns, knife, trench coat and fedora a year ago. Bags packed, hands washed of all demon politics, heâs done. Forever.
In fact, to get far far away, he dragged Nora, his rockabilly secretary, from Miami to the Tennessee mountains where heâs lived a life of peaceâif peace can be defined as drowning in scotch and taking private eye jobs to keep the lights on. Jobs for real people. Not demons.
No demons.
Heâs retired from that. Remember?
Demon hunters arenât a dime a dozen, though, and when Tyâs brother asks him for a favorâjust oneâwhatâs a brother to do? Agreeing to take down one hillbilly demon shouldnât take that long. In. Decapitate. Out. Favor complete. Back to the office where Nora and his bottle of whiskey are waiting.
Unfortunately for Ty, staying retired doesnât seem to be in the cards, and an avalanche of bad luck draws him right back to an agency he despises and the career that nearly cost him his sanity.
This time, Ty has no way out and will have to face his own demons just to survive.
*********
If you’re into ADULT urban fantasy, demons, sarcasm, and some humor, check this one out when it releases in February.
Share this:
Thursday’s Off The Beaten Track ~ Sleigh Bells
Along with my usual My Music Monday posts (yes, they have resumed), I have started another continuing music post. A *new* music one. Where each week or so I’ll post some newlyâor fairly newly released, off the beaten path, track.
*****
I’m a Sleigh Bells fan. Loving this new track.
Released in September here’s
Bitter Rivals
</a
