Spring Fling Giveaway Hop (INT)

hosted by I Am a Reader, Not a Writer and Eve's Fan Garden

Quick and simple cause I had completely forgotten I signed up for this! One winner can choose one of the following:

1) up to $12 in ebooks at Amazon US, UK, FR, ES, IT or DE
OR
2) up to $12 on a book at the Book Depository

Have you tried an Indie lately? Lots of great books are out there at great prices. Try some of these:

Just fill in the rafflecopter. No jumps. No hoops.

And check out my other giveaways in the header text!

 

Crave by Melissa Darnell (ARC)

Crave (The Clann #1)
Melissa Darnell
Pub Date: October 25, 2011

Synopsis: Savannah Colbert has never known why she's so hated by the kids of the Clann. Nor can she deny her instinct to get close to Clann golden boy Tristan Coleman. Especially when she recovers from a strange illness and the attraction becomes nearly irresistible. It's as if he's a magnet, pulling her gaze, her thoughts, even her dreams. Her family has warned her to have nothing to do with him, or any members of the Clann. But when Tristan is suddenly everywhere she goes, Savannah fears she's destined to fail.

For years, Tristan has been forbidden to even speak to Savannah Colbert. Then Savannah disappears from school for a week and comes back…different, and suddenly he can't stay away. Boys seem intoxicated just from looking at her. His own family becomes stricter than ever. And Tristan has to fight his own urge to protect her, to be near her no matter the consequences….

Romeo and Juliet had it easy compared to these two...

Savannah and Tristan are descendents from a line of witches called The Clann. When the two were just twelve years old, they had a pretend wedding; the end result: Savannah's family got kicked out of The Clann and Savannah shunned by all their children. Once high school began, Savannah was all but used to their taunts and misbehavior, but the attraction for Tristan still ran deep. When Savannah gets really sick her freshman year, her single mother finally tells her the truth. Her father was not only a vampire, but an incubus, meaning Savannah can draw energy from both blood or a kiss, which is why The Clann freaked out when she kissed Tristan, their leader's son.

Now Savannah's drowning in rules. Stay away from the members of The Clann, whose blood she'll crave most. Never use magic - don't even think about trying to learn on your own. Oh, and yeah, you can never dance again, or play sports, or trully participate in anything  because vampires excel beyond humans abilities with everything they do and you'll only draw attention to their species. Do any of these things and you'll instigate a war between the species. No pressure there...Oh, and members of The Clann and a few vampire watchers are everywhere spying on you just waiting for you to screw this up...but no pressure!

Miserable, Savannah moves forward with her life the best she can, fighting hard to find some enjoyment. The vampires ruined her chances to join the Charmers, the school's drill team, but they wouldn't stop her from becoming one of their managers so long as she promised not to be a backup dancer. But Savannah's slowly becoming her father and his incubus abilities are seeping through. She accidentally gaze-dazes a few boys and sends them into psycho-stalker mode, drawing the attention of Tristan, who still secretly longs for Savannah too. He secretly uses his magic to set them right and decides enough is enough - he'll do whatever it takes to be with her, even if her kiss will slowly drain his life away.

With the way Crave ended, I have a feeling I'm gonna be a little mad at Covet, cause I see the huge freakin' bump in the road for Tristan and Savannah's relationship. And I was really enjoying their secret rendevous. But now that it's out, everyone will be at the brink of war and the two will be ripped apart. But at least I'll still have their dream connection to swoon over. Sigh...

ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley.

Interview with KC Blake, Author of Witch Hunt

Author KC Blake is celebrating her newest release this month, WITCH HUNT, the second novel in the Witch-Game series. Here's a quick synopsis:

A magical game of Hide n Seek begins.
Find the missing player and win.
The game resets; everyone forgets and starts to play it again.

Starr Hughes hasn’t believed in magic since her mother died. As a reporter for the school paper, she believes in hard facts. Hiding under the headmaster’s desk, planting bugs, and breaking into a fellow student’s home are all on her to-do list. So when she hears the mysterious group known as the It-Squad are about to start playing a secretive game, she wants to know more. She’s especially interested in the group’s gorgeous leader, Dylan Winchester.

With her boy-crazy best friend at her side, Starr is going to discover that not only are witches real, they need her help. Someone is using the game to steal their memories, their powers, and perhaps their lives.

You can check out KC Blake at these sites!

Blog

GoodReads

What was your favorite book as a kid? That depends on how far back you want to go. When I was in elementary school, my favorite book was The Phantom Tollbooth. When I was twelve, it was The Outsiders. In fact, that was my introduction to YA.

Tell us your favorite author. Which book is your total fave from that author? Cassandra Clare. City of Bones is my favorite out of all her books.

Take us through a typical writing day for you. Do you have anything quirky - like you have to have a certain pen to write with, or the desk laid out in a particular manner, does it need to be raining, do you require a certain food/drink/candy to work by? Will you have an absolute meltdown if the atmosphere isn't what you like? I can write anywhere. My first short story was written in a bowling alley when my parents were on a league. On a typical day I usually sit at my desk and blast some music in the background. When I am outlining, I sit in a chair somewhere (sometimes even outside) and write in a notebook. I don’t have a particular pen. I have several that I love, a variety of colors and designs.

What do you do when you experience that lovely problem called writer's block? My favorite way to deal with writer’s block is to take a long walk with my dog. I live out in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by trees. A long walk clears my head. Sometimes I work on something else. Other times I will listen to music or read a good book. Sometimes I have to try all of the above before I can get back to my story.

Do you like to listen to music when you read or write? Tell us a few of your favorites. I love to listen to music when I write. Most of the time I listen to a mix on my MP3. Songs include music from Chris Daughtery, Aerosmith, Motley Crue, and numerous others. I even listen to Glee once in a while. When I get stuck and can’t see a scene clearly, sometimes I will find a certain song that sets the mood and listen to it repeatedly. For instance, when I wrote the ‘red dress scene’ in CRUSHED, I was listening to Lady in Red by Simply Red. When I wrote the dance scene in WITCH HUNT, I listened to Billy Idol’s White Wedding because that’s what the characters were listening to.

Did you do anything special to celebrate your first book release? My first book was published by Harlequin in 2002. I threw a huge party at my house, had games that were related to my book, and I even had the cover of my book put on a cake. It was sugar paper. Yummy.

Which book are you most looking forward to reading this year? City of Angels by Cassandra Clare. I bought it but haven’t gotten to it yet.

What books do you have out now?

I have two series going at once. The Rule Series is about a vampire boy who just wants to go home to his family, return to school, and be normal again. He gets his wish, sort of, and becomes mortal. But being human isn’t as easy as he thought it would be. His girlfriend is a hunter, and the English teacher at the local high school is the head werewolf, the werewolf Jack is destined to kill. As of now, I have two out of three available at Amazon, Smashwords, B&N, etc. VAMPIRES RULE and WEREWOLVES RULE.

The Witch-Game books are about teen witches playing games at school with their powers. In CRUSHED, three sisters blow magical dust into the boys’ faces and command them to do things. Kristen picks the wrong boy and almost dies the same day. Zach has secrets, too. Now she has to figure out if he’s trying to save her or trying to kill her.

There are different characters in each book and a different game to be played. The second book in the series, WITCH HUNT, will be released April 15, 2012.

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa (ARC)

The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden #1)
Julie Kagawa
Exp. Pub: April 24, 2012 TOMORROW!!!

Synopsis: In a future world, Vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity.

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.

Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die… or become one of the monsters.

Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.

Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.

But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for.

The Book of Eli meets Alice in Resident Evil-land. Yep...you read it right.

Wow. Um...WOW! I've read the first two Iron Fey books by Julie Kagawa and plan to read the rest, but The Immortal Rules jumps leaps and bounds over that series. Seriously, this book was even better than the Hunger Games.

Allie is an endearing character to watch as she develops through this nightmarish world. She was born in the fringe of a vampire city called New Covington. As an unregistered inhabitant, she doesn't have to give routine blood donations to the vampires, but it also means she has to steal and fend for herself just to keep fed. When she ventures through the tunnels and into the ruins outside the city, she comes across a treasure trove of food in an old bunker basement. Sadly, removing the food doesn't go well, and long story short,  she ends up a vampire. Now on the wrong side of prejudice, even her fellow fringer rifrafs sell her out and she's forced to leave the city. Determined to keep her humanity intact, she travels with a group of humans looking for the safety of a vampire-free city called Eden. Kagawa really takes the time to show Allie's transformation and the hardship of fighting the urge to feed. It was descriptive, raw and lacked a sugar coat; Allie was ready to rip out the throats of children and a guy she was fighting hard not to fall for.

The Immortal Rules is an addictive read. Once Allie becomes a vampire and leaves New Covington, danger lies around every corner, even for a vampire. There's tons of action, a brewing romantic interest between a vamp and a religious boy with a prejudice against vampires, and several story lines come together perfectly in the end and leave you salivating for book two. Buy the hardcopy people, this one gets a permanent spot on the bookshelf for generations to come.

ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley.

Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown (ARC)

Lies Beneath
Anne Greenwood Brown
Exp. Pub. Date: June 12, 2012

Synopsis: Calder White lives in the cold, clear waters of Lake Superior, the only brother in a family of murderous mermaids. To survive, Calder and his sisters prey on humans, killing them to absorb their energy. But this summer the underwater clan targets Jason Hancock out of pure revenge. They blame Hancock for their mother's death and have been waiting a long time for him to return to his family's homestead on the lake. Hancock has a fear of water, so to lure him in, Calder sets out to seduce Hancock's daughter, Lily. Easy enough—especially as Calder has lots of practice using his irresistable good looks and charm on ususpecting girls. Only this time Calder screws everything up: he falls for Lily—just as Lily starts to suspect that there's more to the monsters-in-the-lake legends than she ever imagined. And just as his sisters are losing patience with him.

Unpaid supernatural debt. Bitter, murderous children itching for a mother's revenge. Merman point of view. Gorgeous cover. Sounds like a winner right? Sadly, Lies Beneath doesn't win the desirable 'Homecoming Queen' and will probably only be remembered as 'Also Ran.' First off, I'm not quite sure why there's a mermaid on the cover since our main character is male. Want to stand out? Give us a drool-worthy merman underwater that's totally unique in today's market and will really grab the attention of gals as they walk past the shelves at B&N.

I really wanted to like this one. The premise sounded so intriguing. I will say that I did like to see the way the sister mermaids had zero scruples over taking victims to the bottom of Lake Superior to drown them and we even get to see that through Calder's eyes. Calder himself was not born a merman, but made one by their mother. How? I'll let you read to learn that. So Calder's desire to kill and absorb happy emotions mermaids naturally lacked wasn't as strong as his true sisters. He begins to develop a conscience and often challenges himself to go long periods of time without taking a life. So when the time comes to woo Lily to develop a close relationship with her dad, it's not surprising that he begins to feel guilty about setting him up for murder. Unfortunately, most of this novel was Calder trying to get to know Lily and I found myself pretty bored with the conversations. I couldn't figure out why Lily liked him back. She had doubts from the beginning and sensed something wasn't right with him, her new friends didn't recognize him and questioned him constantly, she thinks he intentionally pushed her off a cliff and took his sweet time trying to save her, he stalks her by taking a job at the same cafe, and she catches him numerous times swimming in the water beside her lakeside home in the middle of the night. Would you fall for a guy like that? Not freakin' likely, so it makes this paranormal romance hard to swallow and I ended up choking on water.

Read it if you want but it's doubtful you'll read it twice.

ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley.

Interview and Giveaway with Cesya MaRae Cuono, Author of the Elemental Reality Series

Today I have the fabulous Cesya (pronounced Sesha) MaRae Cuono. She's a hair-changing obession-ista,  Pininterest addict and a party-till-ya-can't-remember kind of gal. [LOL-Love it!] She's the author of YA Faery Fantasy Elemental Reality and the upcoming Battle Scars. If you're a GoodReads stalker then you've certainly seen her gorgeous covers gracing the must-read piles. If you haven't added them to your shelves yet, just click on those nifty links I just snuck in. :)

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'll get to the giveaway in just a moment. But first let's take a moment to get to know this gal, shall we? And ooh! You can find my review of Elemental Reality here!

Cesya's Hangouts:
Blog
GoodReads
Facebook
Twitter

Tell us your favorite quote. "I won't go down by myself but I'll go down with my friends."

Any pet peeves you'd be willing to share? I hate when things are out of order. I'm constantly rearranging my cd's, dvd's, and books so they're in alphabetical order.

If the Earth suddenly became uninhabital, would you rather live under the sea or in space? The sea! I've always wanted to be a mermaid. Even when I was younger I used to pretend my pool was the ocean. I was totally jealous of Ariel!

If you could live in any time period other than the present, which would you choose and why? The 80s! I want big hair and bright colored clothes!

Take us through a typical writing day for you. Do you have anything quirky - like you have to have a certain pen to write with, or the desk laid out in a particular manner, does it need to be raining, do you require a certain food/drink/candy to work by? Will you have an absolute meltdown if the atmosphere isn't what you like? Since I no longer have a desk, everything is done in my writing space (a.k.a. on my bed). I type everything instead of writing it. The only way I get ANY writing done is if there's background noise. Like my music. The TV doesn't work so well unless it's on in another room. And someone has to be home. If I try to write while the house is empty I'll be on Facebook the entire time. I'd say that's pretty quirky. LOL!

What do you do when you experience that lovely problem called writer's block? I go on Pinterest and look up pins to give me inspiration.

Do you have a secret obsession you'd be willing to share? <wink, wink> I'm obsessed with changing my hair. I get bored if it stays a certain way for too long. But since I have a real job now and I'm no longer a college student who has no cares in the world my hair has to stay <pouts>.

Did you do anything special to celebrate your first book release? It was my birthday but I can't remember what I did. I suck. <hangs head>

Which is your favorite fairytale? The Little Mermaid

Which book are you most looking forward to reading this year? Insurgent!

Which do you prefer: ebook, hardback or paperback? Hardback

Underworld or Twilight: Twilight

Original or Remake: Original unless I've never seen it then Remake

Sweet or Salty: Both

Drama or Comedy: Comedy

Fantasy or Romance: Fantasy with a side of Romance

Spring or Autumn: Spring

Michael Jackson or Whitney Houston: Michael Jackson

Walter Mathau or Jack Lemmon: Ummmm . . . neither

Dirty Dancing or Footloose: Footloose

American Idol or X-Factor or The Voice: The Voice

Movie Theatre or Loveseat: Loveseat

Tea or Coffee: Coffee

Rain or Sunshine: Sunshine

Skiing or Surfing: Surfing

Treehouse or Man Cave: Man Cave

MADLIB CHALLENGE

Cesya has accepted the MadLib Challenge! Whoop! She chose a random madlib and entered people and places from her novel Elemental Reality. Check it out:

Dear Oli,

It has come to my intention that you are the lovliest boy in the coverage. My pelvis starts stretching a faucet every time you speak. I would like to attend if you want to go to the Halloween Fest with me next Wednesday. If you exchange please toy me at the The Greasy Spoon in five days. I rattle you and everything about you.

Breathily,
Callie

And now for the giveaway! Cesya's kindly offering the winner four stickers, a postcard and a signed bookmark! And if you'd like to get a copy of your book (and I totally recommend you do!) Elemental Reality is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, the Book Depository and Audible.

Elemental Reality by Cesya MaRae Cuono

Elemental Reality
Elemental #1
Cesya MaRae Cuono

Synopsis: When Callie Pierce was ten, her mother disappeared without a trace. On the eve of her disappearance twelve years later, the earth seemingly comes alive. The elements speak to Callie, and that's only the beginning. Everything she has ever known was a twisted fabrication to protect her. Now the truth is set free. Callie and her sister are more powerful than any Faerie ever born. Now they have to use their powers to save their mother and family from the evil hands of fate that threaten to tear them apart. Welcome to her elemental reality.

That ending was just wicked. Seriously evil.

Callie and Lola Pierce were born Alkuaine faeries, a rarity in the fae world, which meant their lives were in constant danger from the demons that try to wipe them out and tip the faerie-demon war in their favor. Why? Because the Alkuaine faeries can conjure and manipulate all five elements: earth, wind, fire, water and electricity, which make them hard to destroy. In order to protect their children, their parents fled the faerie world and got lost in the human world. They got a decent decade in before their mother did a disappearing act. It wasn't until they learned what they were another ten years laters did they also learn their mother was taken by a demon. Now grown up and coming into their powers, the truth comes out and the girls are determined to save their mother.

Of course Callie won't have to go through it alone, as her soul mate in the faerie world was drawn to her the moment her powers surfaced. Oli was absolutely delicious. Their interest in one another moves a little fast, as two known soul mates probably would, but it's still clean throughout the novel. That said, their connection sizzled...and their scenes are freakin' HOT!!!  Poor Lola though doesn't feel any kind of pull and is left wondering what, and if, there's a soul mate out there for her.

I'm not one to spoil how the battle turns out, all I can say is the ending is absolutely wicked and has got me dancing impatiently on tiptoes until Battlescars comes out. Elemental Reality was fun, refreshing and the storyline unique, with characters that make you smile.

Novel provided by publisher for honest review.

Blog Tour Sign-Ups for ORDAINED (The Immortal Archives, #1)

So I’ve decided to take Ordained (The Immortal Archives, #1) on tour. Yeah, I know, it’s been out for a year now. But Ordained was the very first book I published and I had absolutely no idea of how to go about really promoting it. The {Teen} Book Scene did a great job setting up a small tour, but it really only involved about 5 or 6 bloggers. So now I want to go bigger. But since Ordained is already published, I’m going to throw a few guidelines out there. If you think you’re interested, please consider the following before signing up:

1. Ordained is an Urban Fantasy novel with characters mostly between the ages of 20-25 but is appropriate for young adults. The series follows four main characters, each with their own point of view, so if you don’t like to read a bunch of POVs or you find it hard to keep with that many, this may not be for you. If you’re okay with that, read on. J
2. Ordained is light in the romance department. Sorry, but my couple has been married for awhile. J However, if you stick with the series, there's plenty of romance in Catacombs, which will be out in 2013!
3. I’m only going to offer eBooks for this tour. Normally I would offer paperbacks but I’ve been out of work for a year and a half and I simply can’t afford it right now. All tour bloggers will be gifted a copy through Amazon, Barnes and Noble or an epub through Smashwords. If you don’t have access to these sites or the ability to read these three files (kindle, nook, epub), sorry, but I’m won’t be able to pick you up for this tour.
4. I’m only going to be doing reviews for this tour. [Exception to this guideline: If you’ve already read Ordained in the past and would like to be part of the tour, I would be willing to do an interview or a post of your choice]
5. Reviewers must have a blog, hence the 'blog tour' concept. Come large, come small - I promise I won't discriminate against the number of followers you have. I will, however, take a peek at your blog to see what you typically blog about. J
6. I'm not sure yet how many bloggers I'm going to take for this tour but I will contact you if you're picked up. Bloggers will be notified and gifted their eBook by mid-May.
7. Exact tour dates haven't been determined but I expect it will have dates in June and July.
Synopsis

Normally, the school creates the hunters - not the monsters.

Abby Sorrensten likes to play rough. Ripping the horns off the foreheads of demons, manipulating lightning and setting things on fire with the flick of your wrist can give you a serious rush. So she probably wasn’t the best choice for the Order’s experimental training program. Thirteen years of isolation, lack of affection and a bruised and broken body from horrendous training sessions creates more than just an exceptional fighter. It creates an evil within - an evil responsible for several deaths the night she left.

Two hundred years later Abby resurfaces as the very thing the Order trained her to kill: a vampire. A mythical demon has set his sights on the school and only the ordained hunter has the powers to face it. Unbeknownst to the Order, Abby’s their precious ordained one and their only chance for survival. As much as she would love to leave them hanging, she’s not willing to risk the life of Emily, a fellow friend and hunter also fed up with the organization.

But for Abby, locking herself away in a fortress with angry descendents of those she killed causes suspicions and tensions to run high. Abby must learn the demon’s weaknesses for battle before the Order learns hers.

The main plot of Ordained revolves around Abby but you'll find all four main characters have their own issues to deal with. If the synopsis appeals to you and you're okay with the guidelines, then please sign up below!

Kind Regards,
Devon

4/20 ***Sign-Ups Now Closed*** Sorry, but I already have more entries than I can use! But thanks for stopping by. :)

Cover Reveal for DUST (YA Fae Fantasy), ORDAINED and METAMORPHOSIS (YA Urban Fantasy)

4 - The number of times my delicate wings have been broken and clamped behind my back.

68 - The number inked upon my skin marking me the sixty-eighth pixie to be stolen.

87 - The number of days I’ve been trapped within this cave, a slave to my new enemy.

88 - The first day the faeries will regret stealing me.

Healthy. Cheery. Vivacious. All traits Rosalie has before becoming enslaved by the faeries to make an endless supply of pixie dust. Now this hardened pixie is anything but. When this rebellious teenager attempts an escape, she’s isolated in cramped quarters until she learns her place. Just as she begins to let go of all that hope, she finds an unlikely friend in Jack, the faerie assigned to guard her. Interspecies dating is forbidden in the fae world, so their growing attraction is unacceptable. And even if Jack can find a way to free her, the prison is the only place they can truly be together.

Coming 2013! Find it on GoodReads.

The second cover reveal today is for Ordained. It's been out for a year and I get a lot of remarks that the title and the cross on the cover make people think the novel is filled with religious tones, and it's not. So I decided to go ahead and freshen it up a bit.

Yep, the new version has a little award on it. That's because Ordained recently won the fantasy division over at Reader Views, where readers determine the winners. Since I won, I got a nifty new TRAILER made by Blazing Trailers. You can check it out here.

Normally, the school creates the hunters - not the monsters.

Abby Sorrensten likes to play rough. Ripping the horns off the heads of demons, manipulating lightning and setting things on fire with the flick of your wrist can give you a serious rush. So she probably wasn't the best choice for the Order's experimental training program. Thirteen years of isolation, lack of affection and a bruised and broken body from horrendous training sessions creates more than just an exceptional fighter. It creates an evil within - an evil responsible for the several deaths the night she left.

Two hundred years later Abby resurfaces as the very thing the Order trained her to kill: a vampire. A mythical demon has set his sights on the school and only the ordained hunter has the powers to face it. Unbenknownst to the Order, Abby's their precious ordained one and their only chance for survival. As much as she would love to leave them hanging, she's not willing to risk the life of Emily, a fellow friend and hunter also fed up with the organization.

But for Abby, locking herself away in a fortress filled with angry descendents of those she killed causes suspicions and tensions to run high. Abby must learn the demon's weaknesses for battle before the Order learns hers.

Paperbacks available on Amazon US, UK, DE and FR, and my E-Store.

eBooks available on Kindle US, UK, DE, FR, IT and ES, Nook and Smashwords.

***The paperback is already available but it may take a few days for Amazon to swap the pics.

And since I updated Ordained, I thought I may as well go ahead and update Metamorphosis. :) Which means I'll also have to come up with something new for Catacombs when I release it!

Change is not always a good thing...

Some survived the battle – but not without a price. As one heart starts up again, another dies down. The pure vampires learn their immortality isn't as strong as they'd thought – the status of their hearts determines their vulnerability. And when the truth gets out, a betrayal by one of their own will cost more lives.

***The new cover isn't live on the sites yet but should be by weekend's end.***

Paperbacks available on Amazon US and my E-store.

eBooks available on Kindle US, UK, DE, FR, IT and ES, Nook and Smashwords.

Interview and Giveaway with Melissa Lemon, Author of Cinder and Ella

This week on the Writer's Block I have Melissa Lemon, author of Cinder and Ella, a retelling of Cinderella with a supernatural twist. She's hydrophobic, addicted to chocolate (me too!) and peanut butter and her craziest dream involved a group of nuns (hmm...I'm sensing the beginning of a great joke here).

Melissa Lemon and her cat Matilda (such a cute name!)

Blog

Website

Facebook

GoodReads

What was your favorite book as a kid? I remember liking The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary and The Education of Little Tree by Forrest Carter.

Tell us your favorite quote. “The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it.” Charles R. Swindoll

What is your favorite genre to read and what makes it so awesome? Actually, I like a wide variety of books.  I almost never read the same genre twice in a row. 

Tell us your favorite author. Which book is your total fave from that author? My favorite authors are Jane Austen and Charles Dickens.  My favorite books of theirs are Pride and Prejudice and A Tale of Two Cities.

Any pet peeves you'd be willing to share? Of course!  I hate it when people leave fly swatters on surfaces that are used for preparing food or eating.  I have issues with things like bug guts and germs.

If the Earth suddenly became uninhabitable, would you rather live under the sea or in space?   Um, definitely space, because I’m hydrophobic as well.  I actually have panic attacks when I see large bodies of water.

What was your most favorite past time as a kid? Playing softball.  If there wasn’t anybody around to play with, I’d put on my mitt and throw a ball up against the foundation of the house so it came rolling back to me; or I’d throw the ball high up in the air so it was almost out of reach behind me and I’d have to jump backward to get it.  We didn’t live close to anybody else, so I had to keep myself entertained a lot. 

If you could live in any time period other than the present, which would you choose and why? I’d love to be on Prince Edward Island with Anne Shirley.  I love the idea of living in simpler times.

Take us through a typical writing day for you. Do you have anything quirky - like you have to have a certain pen to write with, or the desk laid out in a particular manner, does it need to be raining, do you require a certain food/drink/candy to work by? Will you have an absolute meltdown if the atmosphere isn't what you like? I’m pretty easy going with no set schedule.  I just have to be ALONE, and it has to be QUIET.

What do you do when you experience that lovely problem called writer's block? One of three things:  I write through it, work on something else for a while or take a break from writing completely even for a day or two.  All of these have worked for me at one time or another, but taking a break seems to ALWAYS work.  I think that’s why we get writer’s block sometimes, because our brains need a break.  When I come back to look at something after leaving it alone for a while, I am usually able to see the problem, fix it and move on.

What is the craziest dream you've ever had? You don’t want to know, but I’ll tell you that it involved nuns, water, and adobe houses.

If you could live anywhere in the world you'd like, where would that be and why? I’d love to live in several places in Europe, including the UK, Italy, and Germany.  There is just something hopelessly romantic about those places in my eyes.  I’ve always loved the German language and customs, so that would be my first pick.   

Do you have a secret obsession you'd be willing to share? <wink, wink> Chocolate, but it’s really not a secret, especially if you see my hips.

What food/drink would absolutely devastate you if they stopped production on? Peanut butter and chocolate.

If you could step into the shoes of any fictional character for one day, who would it be and why? Did I mention I really like Anne Shirley?  I think I’d rather be Marilla or Diana so I could spend time with Anne.

Which do you prefer: ebook, hardback or paperback? I think all three have their uses.  I love hardbacks for my favorite, favorite books.  I like to get paperbacks when I’m getting books from the library or purchasing a book that maybe isn’t as much of a favorite.  E-books are great for traveling.  I think they’ll all continue to have important places in the literary world.

This or That

Underworld or Twilight

Original or Remake: Depends

Sweet or Salty

Drama or Comedy: Both

Fantasy or Romance: Both

Spring or Autumn

Michael Jackson or Whitney Houston

Walter Mathau or Jack Lemmon: Hello, we're probably related

Dirty Dancing or Footloose

American Idol or X-Factor or The Voice

Movie Theatre or Loveseat: because I can’t seem to get over the fear of contracting lice.

Tea or Coffee: I'm a water girl. Boring, I know.

Rain or Sunshine

Skiing or Surfing

Treehouse or Man Cave

Choose a challenge...if you dare!

Write a sentence using all these words: joker, fireball, backpack, sticker, hula hoop: With the joker suffering from mild distraction thanks to a fireball that came out of nowhere, I yanked the hula hoop into place, resting it on my large hips while I strapped the activation sticker around it—the backpack still tight on my back—and WHOOSH, up I went, higher and higher above the sidewalk.   Hey! That's actually pretty darn good! :)

You can pick up Cinder and Ella lots of places but here's the Amazon and Barnes and Noble links. And if you'd like, check out my 5 STAR review too, which (*coughs*) happened to make the back of the cover!

And now for the giveaway! Melissa is graciously offering a hardback of Cinder and Ella for you guys! Just fill in the rafflecopter below.

Official Trailer for Ordained (The Immortal Archives #1)

As some of you already know, my urban fantasy novel Ordained (The Immortal Archives #1) won first place in the Fantasy division for Reader Views 2011 . My prize was a free trailer made by Blazing Trailers. After watching I'm incredibly impressed cause as experienced as I am in the world of computers, book covers and HTML code, I find this whole trailer business daunting. So I'm so glad Kim over at Blazing Trailers was able to come up with this for me! Thanks Kim! And thanks to the readers that participated in the Reader Views competition and chose Ordained for Best Fantasy.

Interview and Giveaway with Jessie Harrell, Author of Destined

So today I have with me Jessie Harrell, the author of the beloved Destined I've seen all over everyone's GoodReads shelves. I always ask my interviewees to offer up a different kind of pic and Jessie certainly delivered! Love the unicorn! What she said: "Here's a picture of me and my youngest daughter, Samantha, at the Fern Bank Museum in Atlanta. I've always LOVED unicorns. And if you want to get really candid, here's me about to shove cupcake in my mouth after serving them up at my oldest daughter's birthday party. As you can see, I obvious believe my sunglasses are a superior form of hair clip."

...yum...now I want a cupcake. BRB!

Okay, sugar crave satisfied. On with the interview!

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What was your favorite book as a kid? This ties back into the unicorns. I loved this series called Morgan Mine (also included were Morgan & Me and Morgan & Ewe). They were about a unicorn named Morgan and they were illustrated with the most beautiful pictures and written so lyrically for children's books. Probably no surprise that my oldest daughter is named Morgan.

Any pet peeves you'd be willing to share? I can't stand people who drive at or below the speed limit until there is an actual police officer in the immediate vicinity. I have places to go, people!

If the Earth suddenly became uninhabital, would you rather live under the sea or in space? No question about it, under the sea! "Darling it's better, down where it's wetter, take it from me!" Sorry, Little Mermaid flashback. Space travel is another one of my pet peeves (don't get me started) and my time as a certified diver wasn't nearly long enough.

What was your most favorite pasttime as a kid? Duh - reading!

Do you have a secret obsession you'd be willing to share? <wink, wink> Checking e-mail. Although it's probably not-so-secret and thankfully not that shameful, but I've gotten adult onset ADD as a result of technology and I have to know if I have email ALL. THE. TIME.

Do you like to listen to music when you read or write? Tell us a few of your favorites. I love listening to Joshua Radin - he's so mellow and his music just inspires me. I got to meet him after a concert a few years back and, as he was scribbling his name on my CD like every other person in line, I told him he was my favorite person to listen to while I was writing. I'm sure he TOTALLY remembers me now.

Underworld or Twilight: TWILIGHT!!

Sweet or Salty: SWEET! (I seem locked in caps lock tonight, but some of these choices I feel very passionate about. LOL.)

Fantasy or Romance: ROMANCE

Spring or Autumn: Autumn in Asheville

Walter Mathau or Jack Lemmon: I'm not old enough to admit I know who these men are ;) [LOL-You're my age girlie (which is young, of course) so I'm gonna bet you've seen Grumpy Old Me by now!]

American Idol or X-Factor or The Voice: American Idol (esp. the first episodes where the show all the people who suck - like I would if I were foolish enough to audition)

Tea or Coffee: COFFEE

Rain or Sunshine: I like both, actually. Rain for reading and napping; sunshine for playing

Treehouse or Man Cave: Dude, treehouse, all the way. Can I have one like the Swiss Family Robinson in the Magic Kingdom?

Alright, so if you haven't already put Destined on your to-read lists, you should do it now. :) Seriously, I'll even link it for you. And in case you're not convinced yet, just check out the synopsis and my review of Destined. Now on to the giveaway. Jessie is graciously offering one winner an ebook of Destined and a signed bookmark! Just fill in the rafflecopter below.

Get paperbacks of Destined at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, the Book Depository. Grab the ebooks at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Smashwords.