Badass and the Beast #BlogTour #Giveaway Day 2

For those of you bumming over the long wait until the October release of Death Wish (Lana Harvey book 5) fret not! Lana and the gang make an appearance in the Badass and the Beast anthology—which is now available on Amazon and Kindle. Woot! 

Last year, Kory Shrum and I decided to embark on an epic adventure: co-editing an anthology for charity. We, and many of our fellow authors, have a soft spot for furbabies (or feathered/scaled babies), so theming the short stories around beastly companions was an easy call. Then Kory found the Animal Welfare Institute and checked them out on Charity Watch (A+ rating!) and we were set! The stories we received were fantastic and so very diverse. They also inspired me to redesign the cover several times until it reflected that diversity. 

My contribution to the anthology is a Lana Harvey short story titled “Hair of the Hellhound.” It takes place right after the events of book 4, and it features Saul and Coreen, Lana’s loveable hellhounds. Lana, Gabriel, and the hounds visit the Drunken Dove Brewery in Summerland, where Gabriel’s beer of choice (Ambrosia Ale) is made. I’ll be including the beer glass shown below in the swag giveaway items you can enter to win via the rafflecopter (also below). Be sure to check out all of the badass authors blogging through the tour for more goodies and ways to win! 

xoxo 

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The Badass and the Beast Blog Tour Schedule

May 5^th            Kory M. Shrum
May 6^th            Angela Roquet
May 7^th            Kathrine Pendleton
May 8^th            Monica LaPorta
May 11^th          Mikel Andrews
May 12^th          Shelly M. Burrows
May 13^th          Liz Schulte
May 14^th          Jason T. Graves 
May 15^th          Jasie Gale

 

Attack of the November!

Whoa boy, this month is gonna be interesting. I'm gonna need more coffee. And maybe a bigger boat...

First of all, congratulations to Bryony Curtis for winning my quote scramble game on the Read 'Em & Reap Blog Hop! The game prize was a cameo in my 5th Lana Harvey, Reapers Inc. novel, DEATH WISH. 

The following blog tours are happening right now, and both have a $25 Amazon gift card up for grabs, plus other goodies. There are some fun interviews, guest posts, and reviews that make my heart squee! Check them out, and don't forget to enter the Rafflecopter for a chance to win!

Well, I better get back to work. It also happens to be NaNoWriMo time! 

xoxo

Giveaway & Review: DYING BY THE HOUR by Kory Shrum

If you missed my first post interviewing and gushing about the talented Kory Shrum, you can catch up by reading it HERE. I adored the first book in Kory's Jesse Sullivan series, DYING FOR A LIVING. And I adore the second book, DYING BY THE HOUR, even more!

After 83 deaths, Jesse Sullivan knows how to die. As a Necronite, she is one of the population’s rare 2% who can serve as a death replacement agent, dying so others don’t have to. But using her NRD to save lives is why she’s being hunted.

For Ally Gallagher, death is permanent. If she fails to protect Jesse again, there will be no third attempt. After a quiet year the signs of serious danger have returned. People connected to Jesse are disappearing. Her home is vandalized and threatening messages are turning up in the safest of places.

Then Jesse is taken and Ally has only hours to get her back. But no salvation comes without its price.

My official review: Sexy, Snarky, & Supernaturally Fantastic! This one has it all! Just as awesome as the first! There was a lot more tension and action in this sequel to Dying for a Living. There was also a second POV, from Ally, Jesse's friend/coworker/love interest. I usually don't care for the alternating views when a book is written in first person, but it really made this story that much better. Ally's adventures were critically insightful, and a very interesting contract to Jesse's. This was much darker and more intense than the first book, but I was glad that Shrum still maintained the snark and humor I so enjoy in her work!

To celebrate the release of her much anticipated sequel, Kory is giving away all kinds of awesome goodies!

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You can also chat with Kory and win more goodies after her blog tour concludes, at the Facebook Afterparty on September 16th HERE.

Kory M. Shrum lives in Michigan with her partner and a ferocious guard pug. She has dabbled in everything from fortune telling to martial arts and when not reading or writing, she can be found teaching, traveling, and wearing a gi. She is author of the urban fantasy novels Dying for a Living and Dying by the Hour. She'd love to hear from you on Facebook, Twitter, or her blog: www.korymshrum.com 

Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads 

 

Broken Bargain pre-release tour: Interview with Clare Davidson

It's here! It's here! Right HERE!!! Unless you're on Clare's side of the big pond in the UK, and then it's HERE!!! 

That's right! Broken Bargain, book 2 in Clare Davidson's Hidden series, is officially available! And here's my official review:

“Broken Bargain” picks up almost a year after the events in book 1, “Reaper’s Rhythm”. Kim is starting a new year at school. Though she is clearly still affected by the death of her sister, her own near death experience, and the startling knowledge that Shamari and Baneem, or angels and demons, are real. She also knows that magic is real, but that’s not something she can tell anyone, ever. Most of her classmates think she’s crazy anyway, after her meltdown when her sister Charley died. The only person who doesn’t think she’s crazy is her best friend, Sophie. And maybe the mysterious new boy, AJ. 

Kim does her best to forget the secrets she cannot share and the trauma of the previous year. She has a full schedule of classes and a cute boy to distract her, but it’s hard not to look over her shoulder for signs of the dangerous world she knows is hidden beneath the surface. When Sophie’s grandmother suddenly falls ill and the details don’t add up, Kim begins to suspect magic. Especially when Matthew, the Shamari who came to her rescue when Charley died, appears to warn her away from investigating for herself. Not that she listens to him. How can she, when her best friend’s family is suffering? 

This was such a great read! I could really feel Kim’s inner turmoil as she worked through some very serious issues she was left with after “Reaper’s Rhythm”. The details and emotion were fantastic! There were some really delightful and unexpected twists. The editing was top notch too, as was the cover design! This novel is 5 stars all the way around. I can’t wait for the next one in the Hidden series!!! 

 

Clare Davidson

Hi Clare! Welcome to my blog, and congratulations on your new novel. It was a great read! 

I’m glad you enjoyed it and thank you for having me over to celebrate Broken Bargain’s official release day. 

This is the second novel in your Hidden series. Would you recommend that readers start with the first, “Reaper’s Rhythm”? Would they be lost if they picked up “Broken Bargain” first, or would they still be able to follow along? 

I would recommend they start with Reaper’s Rhythm, as it’s an introduction to the central characters and the paranormal aspects of the setting. However, I think it’s possible to read and enjoy Broken Bargain if you haven’t read Reaper’s Rhythm, as the plot stands on its own. You just won’t know as much about the world set up. 

Do you have more novels planned for this series? If so, how many? 

There will be four in total. I’m editing book 3 at the moment. 

What made you decide to write YA? 

Advice from an editor! I didn’t start out consciously writing for a teen audience. However when I was getting feedback on Trinity, I was advised to make it shorter so it would appeal more to a teen audience. The reason? The central character, Kiana, was sixteen. I did as I was advised (it’s a better book for it) and from that point on decided I’d write books pitched at teens but with a strong crossover appeal. A lot of my readers are adults. 

Does your daughter read your books? If so, is she a good critic? 

She’s four and three-quarters (that three-quarters is very important!), so she’s only just learning to read. She recognises my books though and proudly proclaims: “that’s my mummy’s book”, whenever she sees one when we’re in public. I’d love to be able to write a short story that she could read, but writing an engaging story using the phonics system is a completely different skill and challenge to writing for teens. Maybe when she’s a little older I’ll write a book she can read.

From the pictures you've posted, it looks like she's the perfect mascot, displaying your author swag. lol So adorable! : ) You do a lot of really great online events. Do you also do live events, like store signings or school readings?

Over the summer, I did a short book tour, which my good friend Louise helped me organise. I sold and signed books in three shopping centers and I also did a book signing at Waterstone’s in Lancaster. Each stop on the tour was very successful, but very nerve-wracking. I’ve also done author workshops at a local high school, which was a lot of fun. I’ll be looking to do more now I’ve settled after our big house move. 

Have you ever met an author you admired in person? 

Does the Internet count? No, probably not! I haven’t met many authors in the flesh, to be honest. I have met Fred Nath and fellow indie author David Rashleigh. I’m going to WorldCon in London in August, so I’m hoping to meet up with more of the authors I’ve made friends with via social media there. 

Thanks for stopping by my blog, and thanks for allowing me the chance to review your new book early! : ) 

You’re welcome. Thank you again for having me and for the fun interview. 

You can find Clare all across the interwebs…. 

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | YouTube | Mailing List

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Broken Bargain pre-release tour: Interview with Kat Ellis

First of all, congratulations to Cynthia, Sally, & Tiffany, who won ebook copies of "Crazy Ex-Ghoulfriend" by entering the tour giveaway yesterday. Thanks for entering & happy reading!

BROKEN BARGAIN, the amazing Clare Davidson's new book, will be available tomorrow! Woot! And this lucky lady got to read it early. Perks of the author gig. : ) I'll have the full review up tomorrow, along with an interview featuring Clare herself! There are two days left in the tour giveaway, and some awesome goods up for grabs! Today's featured author is Kat Ellis, whose debut novel BLACKFIN SKY will be released by Firefly Press (UK) & Running Press Kids (US) in May. Enter the giveaway after Kat's interview for a chance to win some awesome swag!

KAT ELLIS

Congratulations on your debut novel BLACKFIN SKY being released this May. It looks like an exciting read! Can you tell us a little about it? 

Thanks, Angela! BLACKFIN SKY is about a girl called Skylar who falls from Blackfin Pier on her sixteenth birthday and drowns. The whole town goes into mourning – until Sky shows up three months later like nothing happened. 

Unravelling the mystery of those missing months takes Sky to the burned-out circus in the woods, where whispers of murder and kidnapping begin to reveal the town’s secrets. But Sky’s not the only one digging up the past – the old mime from the circus knows what happened to her, and he has more than one reason for keeping quiet about it. 

Mysterious, no?? ;) 

Very mysterious! Can’t wait to check it out! You’re fairly new to the publishing scene. Can you tell us a little about yourself? 

I’ve lived in North Wales my whole life (except for a few years when I hopped over the border to England) and work sort of in IT. I say sort of because I’m a bit like Jen from The IT Crowd, who thinks The Internet lives inside a black shoebox - because who really needs to know what it is, as long as it works? 

Apart from writing and fudging my way through HTML code, I’m also a keen photographer, and I love adventuring through ruined castles and abbeys and cemeteries (of which North Wales has A LOT) to take photos. I post them online on Tumblr, and use the images as inspiration when I’m writing. 

That sounds like a really great way to stimulate your imagination! What’s next for you? Are you considering other genres, or sticking to YA? 

I’m a YA girl at heart, although I like to dabble a bit with genres within the YA category. The first MS I wrote was science fiction, then I worked on fantasy for a while, and now I’m writing a contemporary thriller. 

I try to challenge myself to change things up every time I work on a new project – writing from different points of view, switching from first-person narrative (my home ground) to third-person, setting the story somewhere really unique – stuff like that. I want every story I write to be different and exciting, and the way I make that happen is to make sure I’m excited about what I’m writing. 

Who are some of your favorite YA authors and books? 

I try to read a wide range of genres, and there are a lot of authors I could mention here…so I will! 

One of my all-time favourites is Lisa McMann, who wrote the Wake trilogy and now has a new series about psychic visions. Yangsze Choo’s The Ghost Bride is a beautiful historical fantasy set in colonial Malaya, and I can’t recommend it highly enough! 

Michael Grant is another longstanding favourite, in particular his Gone series about kids trapped in an invisible dome who start to develop strange abilities. And there’s A. G. Howard’s Splintered series, based on Alice in Wonderland with a fantastically dark contemporary twist. 

In the contemporary genre I have to mention Erin Fletcher, whose debut Where You’ll Find Me came out this month, and it’s absolutely gorgeous. Also Laura Jarratt and Lucy Christopher, whose novels are way up there on my favourites list. I think I need to stop now, or this list will grow tentacles and take over the world! 

When I’m not wearing my writer hat, I’m a graphic designer, so I’m always curious…. your cover design is beautiful! Who was the artist? And how much input did you have in the creation? 

I am so jealous of anyone with artistic skills like yourself – I’m challenged by drawing stick figures! 

The cover that’s ‘out there’ at the moment is the UK cover for BLACKFIN SKY, and the artwork is by the amazing Shane Rebenschied (blot.com is his website – he had loads of fantastic examples in his gallery). I actually asked Firefly, my UK publisher, to approach Shane – not thinking I’d get him in a million years, so I was thrilled when I found out it was happening. I love his vision and how he has translated my story into such a gorgeous cover. 

I will also have a US cover for BLACKFIN SKY, and the drafts I’ve seen of that one are so different, but really fantastic too – I’m so lucky that I love them both! The US one should be revealed sooooon. 

That’s so awesome! I can’t wait to see your US cover too. Thanks for visiting my blog, Kat! Good luck with your future projects, and I can’t wait to read BLACKFIN SKY! 

Thank you so much for hosting me on your blog, Angela! This interview was great fun :D 

Find Kat Ellis all across the interwebs… 

Twitter | Goodreads | Blog | Tumblr | Amazon UK | Amazon US

 

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Bad Author, No Cookie

I don't know what time it is where you are, but it's dangerously close to lunch here.... and I'm still in my pajamas. I'm also dangerously close to my deadline for PSYCHOPOMP, book 4 in my Lana Harvey series. I've been a little swamped with graphic design work lately, plus a plethora of other fun distractions. That was only half sarcasm. Really. Some of those distractions have been super fun. Except for the missing sleep part, which I missed quite a bit. Especially when I decided to read all three of Kelly Armstrong's Darkest Powers novels in two nights. Nothing like realizing it's 6am, when you started reading at 10pm.

I really need to flesh out a more in depth review of Armstrong's series in another blog post, but for today, I'd just like to squee about Clare Davidson's Broken Bargain Pre-Release Tour! It starts today! You can find a link to the main page and giveaway on Clare's page at the top of the right side bar of my blog. Or HERE. There are lots of goodies to win, including three e-books of my latest release CRAZY EX-GHOULFRIEND. Today, Clare is interviewing Monica la Porta. Monica is also on my TRB list this week, so I'll be reviewing the first novel in her Ginecean Chronicles in an upcoming blog too. Woot!

My vow to blog more this year is drudging along. I'm a day late today, but to be fair, yesterday was a holiday. Happy birthday, Mr. King. I'll be posting more than usual for the next couple weeks, as I have lots of good books to review, and some fun stuff to share (including my dear husband's viral debut.)

Signing off for now... my browser has crashed four times since I started this post, and my toddler keeps snatching books out of my office and taking off with them. Plus, it's time to get out of these jammies. 

xoxo

Crazy Ex-Ghoulfriend Blog Tour & Giveaway

Life is currently chaos, and I seem to be running on fumes these days. I have a ton of follow up work to do for the Prombie Apocalypse, and I'll be posting some event coverage in the next day or two. Right now, I'd like to kick off the blog tour & giveaway for Crazy Ex-Ghoulfriend! I've been hearing a lot of really nice feedback. There were even a few teens at the Prombie Apocalypse who tracked me down to let me know how much they enjoyed my new novel. ♥ You all are the greatest!

For the blog tour, I'll be giving away a signed paperback of Crazy Ex-Ghoulfriend and a $20 Amazon card, along with a few swag goodies, like Ghoul hand sanitizer and bookmarks. I'm also giving away an ebook of Crazy Ex-Goulfriend to 3 runner ups. Be sure to check out the other blogs on the tour! There are some fun interviews and guest posts, plus additional ways to gain giveaway entries for tweets and blog comments. For my blog comments, tell me what famous person you'd like to see raised as a zombie! : )

10/21 - Roquet's Reapings 

10/22 - Romance Junkies 

10/22 - Toot’s Book Review 

 10/23 - Fang Freakin' Tastic Review 

10/23 - Must Read Faster 

10/23 - Stacey Clifford 

10/24 - Fundinmental 

 10/25 - EclipseReviews 

10/26 - For the Love of Bookends 

 10/27 - Coffee Talk Writers 

10/27 - Literal Addiction

10/29 - Living an Eternal Fairytale 

10/30 - Book Pages and Dripping Ink 

10/30 - Mythical Books 

 10/31 - Kimber Leigh Writes 

10/31 - Mad Hatter Reads

10/31 - Notebook of Books 

10/31 - Tome Tender 

11/1 - FUONLYKNEW 

11/2 -3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too! 

 11/3 - Books Books and More Books 

11/4 - Salacious Reads 

11/5 - Book Lovin Mamas 

11/7 - Book Monster Reviews 

11/8 - URBAN FANTASY LAND 

11/9 - I SmellSheep 

11/9 - A TiffyFit's Reading Corner 

11/9 - Close Encounters with the Night Kind

 11/9 - Dalene's Book Reviews 

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Janie Parker is in love with the boy next door, but he's dating Miss Popular. That is, until she wraps her car around a tree and bites the dust. Just when things settle down and Janie thinks that she might have a shot at going to prom with the boy next door, Miss Popular comes back from the grave, and she's one crazy ex-ghoulfriend.

 
Kindle | Nook |  Smashwords |  Paperback 

OTBP Blog Tour & Giveaway | Winners Announcement!

The Off the Beaten Path Blog Tour & Giveaway has concluded, and the winners are....

Grand Prize winner of bound book & $10 Amazon card:

Felicia T. 

Triple winners of 2 $5 Amazon cards &“Off the Beaten Path” ebook:

Tanya J.

Amy H.

Double winner of $5 Amazon card & “Off the Beaten Path” ebook:

Teresa E.

Winners of “Off the Beaten Path” ebook:

Tiffany M.

Seth C.

Kristy E.

Tiffany K.

Winners of $5 Amazon card:

Clare T.

Jackie B.

Rose W.

Congratulations to you all! Thanks for entering, and we hope you enjoy our collection of paranormal short stories. : )