Thursday, July 31, 2014

The Unsung Heroes

Half Faerie is now available!


As I've been preparing for this release, I've been remembering when the story was born, oh so many years ago. The original premise was to tell how the "real story" of several fairy tale characters' lives in the enchanted world dramatically differed from the tales and stories that swirled around them in the mortal world. However, the plotting and world building became something of a nightmare, so I decided to scale it back and focus on a single fairy tale character. The two finalists were The Myrtle Faerie and Melusine. Melusine won out. There was just something about her dysfunctional family that I loved. Also, as a middle child, when I read:

The fates of the younger daughters are not important to the story, but that of Melusine--the eldest and leader--is...

I immediately imagined Melusine getting all the press in the mortal world while her two younger sisters battled it out as the unsung heroes in the enchanted world.

Plus, what was up with Pressina and that curse?!?!? What kind of mother would do that to her child? What would drive her? Compel her? Justify her actions? Could there be any justification?
Image via pinterest fairypunk.tmblr.com

Those were the questions I set out to answer when I created Melia's world, the world of a young half-faerie, half-mortal who must step up when the world around her threatens to implode...

Breaker by Emma Raveling Cover Reveal

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This is the cover reveal for Breaker by Emma Raveling, the fourth book in the Ondine Quartet, an upper Young Adult Urban Fantasy series. 

Breaker

War. Prophecy. Freedom.

She fought for herself. She fought for friendship and love. Now, Kendra Irisavie fights for the survival of her world.

War rages on, leaving no one untouched. Destruction rips through elemental communities and terror flourishes in its wake. Suspicion soars, order fractures, and loyalties crumble despite Kendra’s desperate attempts to protect everyone she holds dear.

 When an organized Aquidae army launches a series of merciless assaults, Kendra and her friends set out to end the bloodshed once and for all. With the fate of elementals hanging in balance, the Shadow and sondaleur hunt each other down in a brutal match of cunning and will.

 Kendra has trained for this her entire life. But in a ravaged world where trust is scarce and no life is sacred, she soon realizes her battle may be against an invincible enemy and that her darkest days lie ahead.

 Twists and turns shape her harrowing odyssey, leading to a stunning climax that challenges everything she believes in.

 Torn between destiny and autonomy, Kendra must finally decide whether the cost of freedom is too high.

 Heartbreaking decisions, turbulent alliances, and shattering revelations collide in Breaker, the
explosive conclusion to the Ondine Quartet.


Tell us about the covers in this series.

The main novels of the Ondine Quartet (Whirl, Billow,Crest, Breaker) have conceptual covers. Each cover’s imagery captures a particular theme or motif in the book, and the coloring conveys a sense of the story’s mood and emotional arc.

The shorter works/novellas in the series (Ondine,Chevalier, and Warrior Prince) are essentially character portraits and are told through the eyes of different characters in the series. Those covers use models.

The goal for Breaker’s cover was to visually convey high stakes, explosive energy, and a brilliant, sharp intensity.This is the epic finale to the series and everything that has happened in previous books has led to this moment.

Out of all the covers in the series, this one took the most amount of work. My designer and I went back and forth multiple times, going through several drastically different versions before finally arriving at the right
imagery and coloring.


How does it feel to end a series?

It’s bittersweet. A part of me is thrilled to share the end of Kendra’s journey with readers. I’ve had the entire series planned since the very beginning so finally releasing what’s been in my head is a relief.

But the process of writing this final book has been a highly emotional one. There’s a personal attachment to the work itself. I’ve spent countless hours thinking and living with these characters and with this world over the past four years. It’s difficult to bring not only Kendra’s story, but my journey with her story,to an end.

A few easy questions:

Top 3 books?

Only 3?? Argh! There are so many books I love for different reasons and my list of favorites is always changing, depending on what’s going on in my life. Right now, if I had to name three, they’d be:

1. Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy

2. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

3. And of course, the Harry Potter series


Top 5 movies?

1. Aviator

2. Mulholland Drive

3. The Matrix

4. The Breakfast Club

5. Okay, I couldn’t just pick five. So the last one is a tie between The Usual Suspects, Reservoir Dogs, Star Wars (ep. 4-6), and Catch Me If You Can.

Top 5 places in the world you enjoy visiting?
1.New York City
2.Tokyo
3.Paris
4.Kauai Island (Hawaii)
5.Berlin


Top 5 foods?
1.Fresh basil pesto – I’ll add this on anything
2.Sashimi (Japanese-style raw fish)
3.Dark chocolate
4.Jamón ibérico(Spanish ham)
5.And my terrible guilty pleasure: pizza



Author Bio:
Emma Raveling writes a wide variety of fiction for teens and adults. Hopelessly addicted to coffee and diet coke, she is the author of the Ondine Quartet and Chancer young adult series, and is currently working on the first book in her new Steel Magic series for adults.

 Previous Novels:

whirl_500billowcover_500Crest_500
   

Previous Novellas:

ondine_500chevalier_500WarriorPrince_500
 
This event was organized by:

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Tuesday, July 29, 2014

IFB Book Blitz: Stange and Ever After by Susan Dennard


IFB is hosting the promo tour for the third and final book in Susan Dennard's steampunk, zombie trilogy. Continue below for a sample and a cool giveaway.

17902141Series: Something Strange & Deadly #3
Release date: July 22nd 2014
Publisher: HarperTeen

Synopsis via Goodreads:
In the conclusion to the trilogy that Publishers Weekly called “a roaring—and addictive—gothic world,” Eleanor Fitt must control her growing power, face her feelings for Daniel, and confront the evil necromancer Marcus...all before it’s too late.

He took her brother, he took her mother, and now, Marcus has taken her good friend Jie. With more determination than ever to bring this sinister man to justice, Eleanor heads to the hot desert streets of nineteenth-century Egypt in hopes of ending this nightmare. But in addition to her increasingly tense relationships with Daniel, Joseph, and her demon, Oliver, Eleanor must also deal with her former friend, Allison, who has curiously entangled herself in Eleanor’s mission.

With the rising dead chomping at her every move and Jie’s life hanging in the balance, Eleanor is convinced that her black magic will see her through to the bitter end. But there will be a price. Though she and the Spirit Hunters have weathered every battle thus far, there will be consequences to suffer this time—the effects of which will be irreversible. And when it’s over, only some will be able to live a strange and ever after.

Susan Dennard will leave readers breathless and forever changed in the concluding pages of this riveting ride.

Susan DennardAbout the Author
Susan Dennard is a writer turned marine biologist turned writer again. Strange and Ever After is the conclusion to her trilogy, which includes A Darkness Strange and Lovely and Something Strange and Deadly. Among the traits she shares with her heroine Eleanor are a weakness for Shakespeare quotes, a healthy appetite for baked goods, and an insatiable curiosity. Sadly, Susan does not get to wear a corset or wave a parasol on a daily basis.



The Complete Series
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a-dawn-most-wicked-a-something-strange-and-deadly-novella something-strange-and-deadly a-darkness-strange-and-lovely strange-and-ever-after

Friday, July 25, 2014

What Happens When We Die? Guest Post Exchange with Author Meradeth Houston

A while back, author Meradeth Houston and I exchanged guest posts and it was a lot of fun, so we decided to do it again. Last time we talked spirituality. You can find Meradeth's post here and mine here. We decided to tackle another light subject this time (teehee!): What Happens When We Die?

Since most of us have probably asked ourselves that question at least once or twice, we thought it might be interesting subject... you can visit Meradeth's blog and check out my post here!

What Happens When We Die?
by Meradeth Houston

Isn’t this the mother of all questions? The one that people have pondered, theorized, and agonized over since, well, since humans (or our ancestors) first became self-aware. I know I don’t have the final answer, but it’s something that does cross my thoughts, and I’d venture to say that it does for a lot of people.

Now, I’m not a really religious person. I was in the past but my beliefs have grown with me over the years. And while I’m a scientist, I am not someone to discount a belief in something bigger than ourselves, something that may or may not govern daily life, but does provide some kind of order for what defines us as individuals and as souls. I have utterly no idea what happens when we die, but I do think that our actions while we’re here have some bearing on it. Our ability to live a life that seeks out the good, the uplifting, and offers help to those around us—because we genuinely want to and not for reward in this life or the next—in some way allows us to pass from this life with some peace. What it all means in the end, well, I have no idea, but that’s what I find myself thinking.

Now, as an anthropologist, I love hearing about other people’s beliefs and understanding of the universe. It’s interesting and I especially enjoy reading the origin stories from different cultures to see what they think about where we’re from and where we’re going. It’s from these things that I drew a lot of the background for my Sary series.

In a nutshell, the Sary are the souls of those who die before taking their first breath (the “breath of life” that is prevalent in many different cultures). Because they don’t really “live” they are thrown into a bit of limbo. I imagined this as light and dark, which they are allowed to chose from after leaving this world. It is their choice to come back and take on the role of the Sary, trying to help those who are contemplating suicide, or go on to eternity without a body or the benefits thereof. It’s a bit of a mishmash of a lot of different religions, really, and I tried to leave it more open ended so the reader was free to make their own interpretations. I’m not terribly fond of “preachy” books, so I definitely wanted to avoid that ☺.

The other life and death situation the Sary face is those that they’re trying to keep from committing suicide, which in their world leads to darkness after death (some of the characters refer to is as ‘hell’ which is basically a way to describe it, rather than fire and brimstone). While I personally don’t view suicide as anything other than a sad outcome of sever depression, my world is built again on some of the thinking found in societies around the world, Christianity being one of them. (Though there are plenty who don’t view suicide as ‘wrong’—Japan and India being two places where it is/was not viewed as dishonorable or anything else particularly negative.)

Anyhow, I wish I had the answer to the question of what happens after this life ☺. Don’t we all? But it’s interesting to imagine it, as well as read some about how it is viewed by other cultures!

Genre: Young Adult Pararnormal
ABOUT Surrend the Sky:

Gabby lives by two unbreakable rules: don’t expose her kind, the Sary, and don’t fall in love—too bad some rules are made to be broken.


When Gabby’s most difficult charge accidentally shoots her in front of a class full of students, the event exposes her carefully hidden identity. She shifts from looking like a normal teen to her secret Sary form, revealing her wings and the existence of her kind—immortals who try to keep people from committing suicide. Her incident attracts the attention of the next leader of the Sary, Jassen, who offers her an impossible bargain: she can keep her wings if she makes amends with those who know the truth. Things get more complicated when a rebel Sary, intent on exposing them to the world, starts interfering with Gabby’s work. And there’s no denying her attraction to Jassen, who is torn between his duties and his heart. With threats at every turn and her immortality on the line, Gabby has to find a way to save the Sary or surrender the sky forever.

Surrender the Sky is a stand alone title that follows:
with cameos from several of the characters in the first books!

At Amazon

Find Meradeth Houston online at:

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Half Faerie is Coming on July 31st!

Genre: Fairy Tale Fantasy
Release Date: July 31, 2014

ABOUT Half Faerie:

Melia is an eighteen-year-old half-faerie, half-mortal who longs to fly like the full-blood faeries. She also yearns for a life that’s truly her own, which might prove more difficult than sprouting wings. Her faerie mother practices black magic and her mortal father plots to bring war to the enchanted world. No matter how she tries to distance herself from them, Melia can’t seem to escape their long shadow. After the half-faerie is accused of acting as her father’s spy, her best friend advises a trip to the Illustrator, a mysterious woman who paints intricate body art. The woman marks Melia’s forehead with a plain blotch. She claims it will call a green-eyed stranger from distant lands to the half-faerie’s side. Spooked rather than comforted, Melia dismisses the woman’s words. Rather, she travels to the mortal world to confront her father.

The fallout from her visit destroys what's left of their already fractured family. Melia’s mother is unforgiving. The punishment she metes out will leave her middle daughter torn between guilt and ecstasy, challenge the bonds between three sisters, and complicate Melia's relationship with the green-eyed stranger. The half-faerie is sucked deeper into the vortex of her family’s dark history when the youngest sister pursues their parents' damning legacy. Melia and the green-eyed stranger must stop her—or risk the rise of Faerie’s darkest queen.

Daughter of Light is a spinoff of the 14th century French fairy tale, Melusine. A high fantasy with fairy tale elements, it's great for readers who enjoy fairy tales retold. The variety of female characters, layered story, and intriguing cosmology make it a great read for young adult and older readers.

Monday, July 14, 2014

A Red Cape, Grandma, Wolves, and Woodcutters

I'm reading Scarlette by Davonna Juroe. A fascinating retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, it's very paced. (When I say paced, I mean the narrative doesn't move at rocket speed! However, paced doesn't mean S.L.O.W. either. For me, the narrative of a paced book is even. Although I can devour books that are action-packed (move fast), as a general rule, I don't like books that inch along. (Little, Big by John Crowley being an exception!) In-between, paced books tend to have a nice rhythm and speak to the author's confidence in their story.) Okay, got that!?!

Image via Pinterest/shimey ruiz

Scarlette is in a heap of trouble and it doesn't let up. There are so many questions about what in the heck is going on and who is—or who is not—to be trusted. Set in 18th century France, the novel's plot and world building  draws on the "infamous and horrific Beast of the Gevaudan attacks of the 1760s." Told in Scarlette's point of view, everything advances through her eyes, and we, the reader, are as uncertain about the events that unfold as she is. The strict narrative style lends itself to a sparseness of detail that I appreciate and precludes any info-dumping.

A red cape, Grandma, wolves, and woodcutters are all present. So is an interesting nod to Charles Perrault, the teller of the dark version that inspired this particular retelling according to the Author's Note at the beginning of the book. One of the main characters has a dog named Perrault. Clever. Okay, it got a smile out of me.

To be honest, the story is a little crazy! It's windy, twisty path encourages guessing. How will all this end? I haven't figured that out, but I'm totally enjoying this read!

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

IFB Blitz: The Haunt of Thirteen Curves by Jeanne Arnold

Genre: YA Paranormal
Release date: July 7th 2014

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
"In the armory, things can be convincing and impossible. Just like Elias."

Seventeen-year-old Marcella Jackoby’s bleak reality is altered when she encounters the apparition of a grieving bride wandering the deadly thirteen curves outside of Pennywright. Intent on capturing Marcella, the bride seeks to populate a mythical castle disguised as an abandoned armory, where young guests tirelessly battle an alliance of recluses in order to live with the promise of eternal youth and love.

Unaware of Elias Hawk’s efforts to safeguard her from untimely death, and in spite of the fact that he and the kids residing at the armory are not what they appear to be, Marcella falls for this enigmatic young man. As she uncovers Elias’s century-old secret, Marcella’s home life crumbles and an encounter with a roughneck adversary threatens her budding relationship and the existence of the armory’s residents, unintentionally leading Marcella to ignite war between the worlds, endangering the couple’s future in a shocking twist of fate.

~ EXCERPT~

A tall boy breezes in. A set of louvered doors flaps back and forth like angry butterfly wings.

“We’re not looking to expand,” he addresses the dinner party in a curt tone, wielding a knife and a loaf of steaming bread. The plates and cutlery on the table jump when he drops the bread and then slices it with precision. Nobody acknowledges the knife lifting dramatically in the air. Only Marcella holds her breath. A tall boy breezes in. A set of louvered doors flaps back and forth like angry butterfly wings.

“We’re not looking to expand,” he addresses the dinner party in a curt tone, wielding a knife and a loaf of steaming bread. The plates and cutlery on the table jump when he drops the bread and then slices it with precision. Nobody acknowledges the knife lifting dramatically in the air. Only Marcella holds her breath.

The hairs on her neck straighten as if she’s been zapped by an electric current. The air has transformed around her. An unsettling energy passes through her and collectively awakens every nerve, muscle and cell in her body. Who’s this boy no one else notices? “Aren’t you hungry?” Nissa turns to Marcella and gives her a labored expression. She taps Marcella’s plate with her glass of milk.

Marcella finds it strange that these kids aren’t devouring hamburgers or pizza or soda. She whispers, “No. I think I’m going to be sick.”

The tall boy with the knife is now walking around the table in slow motion, his hands behind his back, a plaid shirt tied around his waist. His brows are furrowed, and Marcella is aware that he’s subtly checking her out.

The skin behind her ears prickles. She’s reluctant to move at all. The boy makes her uneasy. The force strengthens as he closes the space between them.

“Ignore him,” Vernie says and bumps Marcella’s shoulder. “That high horse does this every time we eat. Have a bite. Then he’ll go away.”

Marcella notices the boy scrutinizing the dishes on the table. Her nerves ratchet. If someone could read her thoughts, they’d laugh. She can’t help feeling the boy is irritated with her. Like his comment was intended for her.

Still, she’s not sure she wants him to go away so soon.

When he gets to the side of the table where Vernie, Marcella and Nissa are sitting, he stops at Vernie’s back where her chestnut-colored braid is twisted into a fancy bun.

Marcella glances at the floor and sees his slippers. She gulps as the realization hits her.

“Be nice,” Vernie hisses at the boy. She gasps when he slaps his knife down on the table in front of her full plate.

“I’ll clue you in. That’s Mammoth Red Rock cabbage with Gala apple slices. Snapped the neck right off that turkey myself. Dig in already,” he says with a hint of brag and a hint of irritation that she hasn’t eaten much because her tongue has been running. The boy’s voice is deep, yet youthful.

Marcella blushes when he speaks. The blood filling her cheeks is painful. Her stomach is so mixed up she can’t eat to save her own life. With hopes he won’t address her empty plate, the damage she caused in his room, she tries to appear invisible. But she can never be invisible. She’s more obvious surrounded by her peers than the sun shining in a cloudless sky.

The boy continues on his loop around the feast. He’s not the older man Marcella took him for. He’s Elias Hawk—a boy who’s merely the ripe old age of nineteen.

The hairs on her neck straighten as if she’s been zapped by an electric current. The air has transformed around her. An unsettling energy passes through her and collectively awakens every nerve, muscle and cell in her body. Who’s this boy no one else notices? “Aren’t you hungry?” Nissa turns to Marcella and gives her a labored expression. She taps Marcella’s plate with her glass of milk. Marcella finds it strange that these kids aren’t devouring hamburgers or pizza or soda. She whispers, “No. I think I’m going to be sick.”

The tall boy with the knife is now walking around the table in slow motion, his hands behind his back, a plaid shirt tied around his waist. His brows are furrowed, and Marcella is aware that he’s subtly checking her out. The skin behind her ears prickles. She’s reluctant to move at all. The boy makes her uneasy. The force strengthens as he closes the space between them.

“Ignore him,” Vernie says and bumps Marcella’s shoulder. “That high horse does this every time we eat. Have a bite. Then he’ll go away.” Marcella notices the boy scrutinizing the dishes on the table. Her nerves ratchet. If someone could read her thoughts, they’d laugh. She can’t help feeling the boy is irritated with her. Like his comment was intended for her.

Still, she’s not sure she wants him to go away so soon.

When he gets to the side of the table where Vernie, Marcella and Nissa are sitting, he stops at Vernie’s back where her chestnut-colored braid is twisted into a fancy bun.

Marcella glances at the floor and sees his slippers. She gulps as the realization hits her.

“Be nice,” Vernie hisses at the boy. She gasps when he slaps his knife down on the table in front of her full plate.

“I’ll clue you in. That’s Mammoth Red Rock cabbage with Gala apple slices. Snapped the neck right off that turkey myself. Dig in already,” he says with a hint of brag and a hint of irritation that she hasn’t eaten much because her tongue has been running. The boy’s voice is deep, yet youthful.

Marcella blushes when he speaks. The blood filling her cheeks is painful. Her stomach is so mixed up she can’t eat to save her own life. With hopes he won’t address her empty plate, the damage she caused in his room, she tries to appear invisible. But she can never be invisible. She’s more obvious surrounded by her peers than the sun shining in a cloudless sky.

The boy continues on his loop around the feast. He’s not the older man Marcella took him for. He’s Elias Hawk—a boy who’s merely the ripe old age of nineteen.

~ ABOUT THE AUTHOR ~

Jeanne Arnold is an author of young adult romance. At a young age she found her creative outlet in art, and for years her fictional characters came to life in drawings and paintings, until they demanded a voice. Now they grace the pages of her stories. Jeanne shares her time with her fictional teenage counterparts and her human family in Central New York. STUBBORN is available in ebook, print and audiobook at all major online retailers. Look for THE HAUNT OF THIRTEEN CURVES in July 2014 and JUST AS STUBBORN, the second installment in the STUBBORN series, in January 2015.


Monday, July 7, 2014

The Girl Who Watched For Elves is Free thru July 11th!

About The Girl Who Watched for Elves:

There are hidden treasures in every life.

Divorce is a traumatic occurrence in a child's life. Add in an evil stepmother and a passive, turn-his-head-the-other-way father and you've got a waking nightmare. That's the childhood a young woman relives as she spends an afternoon with a tarot reader. Caught in a web of past memories, she remembers how she turned to fairy tales for hope, "The Elves and The Shoemaker" in particular.

She half-believed elves would come to her aid too...

In her deepest heart, "The Girl Who Watched for Elves" yearns to love and trust herself. Her poignant journey--and determined search for a Happily Ever After in the real world--is a story of awakening to life's magic.

~ Excerpt ~

“You were betrayed,” he said. “Sacrificed.” He pointed to the next card, a cartoon heart pierced with three swords. Behind the central image, dark clouds roiled and visible tears, identical to those drawn on The Moon, fell from a thunderous sky.

The young woman appreciated how the tears on both cards were the same. They gave the cards, and the story of her life the tarot reading was telling her, a continuity she often longed for.

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Storms of Lazarus by Karen Kincy: Cover Reveal + Giveaway

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Today we're bringing you the cover reveal for Storms of Lazarus by Karen Kincy.  This is the second book in the Shadows of Asphodel series.  This is a new adult dieselpunk romance and releases in July.  Check out this stunning cover and then enter the giveaway!
Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000038_00066]
Storms of Lazarus (Shadows of Asphodel #2)
Sometimes escape is impossible. Sometimes love isn't enough.
1913. Christmas Eve. Ardis hardly expects a quiet holiday with Wendel, between fleeing Constantinople and hiding from an ancient society of assassins. And they owe a debt to a certain archmage.

In Königsberg, Prussia, they work with Konstantin on the next evolution of Project Lazarus. Wendel once called Königsberg home, the city now besieged by the Russians and their clockwork engines of war. This may be Wendel’s last chance to save his family and find redemption, but he's tormented by nightmares and tempted by laudanum. Ardis fears her love isn’t enough to save Wendel. Her hands are full piloting the automatons, and she's terrified to tell him a secret of her own. Will they—and their love—survive the storms of war?

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Shadows of Asphodel Cover
Shadows of Asphodel (Shadows of Asphodel #1)
She never asked for the undying loyalty of a necromancer.
1913. Austria-Hungary. Ardis knows better than to save a man on the battlefield. Even if he manages to be a charming bastard while bleeding out in the snow. She hasn’t survived this long as a mercenary without some common sense.
When she rescues Wendel, it isn’t because he's devilishly handsome, but because he's a necromancer. His touch can revive the dead, and Ardis worries he will return from the grave to hunt her down. Besides, a necromancer can be useful in this world on the brink of war.
A gentleman of questionable morals, Wendel drops to one knee and pledges his undying loyalty to Ardis. She resists falling for him, no matter how hot the tension smolders between them. Especially when she discovers Wendel's scars run much deeper than his skin, and it might be too late to truly save him from himself.

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Karen - author photo2 (1)
About the Author: 
Karen Kincy (Kirkland, Washington) can be found lurking in her writing cave, though sunshine will lure her outside. When not writing, she stays busy gardening, tinkering with aquariums, or running just one more mile. Karen has a BA in Linguistics and Literature from The Evergreen State College.
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