The Ruby Curse by Makayla Yokley - Virtual Tour and Giveaway

Today we're visiting with author Makayla Yokley on her tour with Goddess Fish Promotions for the Young Adult Steampunk Fantasy, "The Ruby Curse".

Makayla will be awarding a free digital copy of The Ruby Curse via Smashwords to one commenter at every stop, so comment today AND follow her tour (if you click on the banner above, it'll take you to a list of her tour stops)! The more you read and comment, the better your odds of winning. You could be introduced to a great new author AND win a very cool book!

Makayla answered all my prying questions -- thanks!

Pretend your protagonist is at school and opens her locker – what will we see inside?

Violet’s locker… goodness, I almost don’t WANT to know what she would have in there. If I had to guess, it would probably be stuff she stole from other people. Shiny pieces of jewelry, homework completed by other people with their names crudely scratched out and her own written in its place, lunch money she pickpocketed from the football team… stuff like that. There might also be a few spare hair ribbons tucked away somewhere in the back behind the books she’s never opened and the calculator she is convinced is possessed because it kept giving her the wrong answer. It’s the kind of locker that Ethan would try and clean out every opportunity he could get, only to have it cluttered back up in the span of a ditched class.

What books were your favorite as a youth and why?

A Series of Unfortunate Events, without a doubt. I love the way he follows the terrible lives of these children who, despite their circumstances, never give up. They keep on fighting even when things seem the bleakest and they know they can depend on each other for love and support even when the rest of the world is devoid of it.

Now that’s a clinical, adult view of it. Had you asked me why I liked it when I was a kid reading it in class, I probably would’ve just said “I don’t know, I just do” or something like that! It’s also fair to say I like the witty, unusual language that Lemony Snicket uses in the novels that makes it all that more engaging.

Hunger Games or Twilight? Why?

Hunger Games. DEFINITELY Hunger Games. There is just so much more story to that one and it actually feels like its worthy of as many books as it has. While I found “Mockingjay” a little dull, I still knew it was part of the plot and necessary to wrap up the bigger picture. Twilight… it could’ve (and definitely should’ve) stopped at one book and have been at least halfway respectable. While I applaud Meyer for her business sense and ability to come up with an idea that is easily marketed to tweens, I think Collins has a base story that is more worthy of multiple novels.

What reality show would you love to be on? Why?

It’s a tie between Bridezillas and Survivor, I think. Bridezillas would offer the base security and ability to be nonathletic and nonsocial that is needed to get any kind of far in Survivor without being accused of “riding on coattails”, but I’d also have to learn how to be a raging bitch. I wouldn’t be able to do it without apologizing profusely to anyone I was cruel to, even if it was just a fraction of the cruelty the girls on the show have.

Survivor would be fun just for the basic fact that it’s a show most of my family likes and that I like, and I’d like to see how well I would do. Other than that I’ve got no business being there. I don’t like bugs, snakes, anything like that, and I’m not a good liar at all. I’d never be able to form multiple alliances and keep them all straight in my head. It would eventually turn out like the end of the old “Stepfather” movie (The one that has Terry O’Quinn in it) when he’s starting to prepare for the death of his current family and is establishing himself in a different neighborhood. His wife (who he’s about to kill) confronts him about why he quit his job, and he starts acting all angry, saying “I won’t stand for this! They can’t treat [his new name] like this!” and when his wife called him on it, he got a blank face and asked “Oh yeah, who am I here?” That’d be me trying to keep ANY alliance straight or ANY of my lies. It’s better for everyone involved that I just stay out of Survivor all together, I think.

Favorite TV show from your childhood?

Sailor Moon and it still remains one of my favorites even if it’s a little childish to say. The English version is terribly annoying, but if you watch the Japanese version it’s MUCH better. When it was brought to America a lot of the original Japanese content was censored out to make it more appropriate for children. The reason I still like the show, I think, is because it’s actually really dark if you’re allowed to have all the original content in it. A lot of the scouts die in ways that are actually surprisingly brutal, and easy going Usagi (Serena) is quickly darkened by all the troubles she must fight through as Sailor Moon. That’s one of the reasons I like it, it gives the kind of story that I enjoy. A story of a supernatural war being fought by young people who are unable to have normal lives because they need to be the “good” in a quintessential “Good Vs. Evil” story. It’s one of the biggest influences theme wise in “The Ruby Curse” and “The Violet Chronicles” in general. Youngsters who must do what is right despite how terrifying it is, and how quickly it forces them to grow up if they want to survive.

You’re stranded on a desert island—which character from your book do you want with you? Why?

Ethan. Definitely Ethan. Not only is he good at cooking, but he’d be able to build us a shelter and scavenge the jungle for food (assuming, of course, there IS a jungle. If there isn’t, he’d make an excellent fisherman). If that’s not a good enough reason to choose Ethan, it definitely helps that he’s a fairly attractive man and what woman wouldn’t want to be stuck on a desert island with an attractive man with the ability to find food for her and build her a shelter when she’s too… sheltered to do it herself?

Playlist for your current book.

I love questions like this! I’ve been building my playlist for “The Ruby Curse” for years, and even used it as a journal entry when I was taking an English class last year!

Okay, so here’s the playlist for “The Ruby Curse”!

“Hero” by Skillet
“Monster” by Skillet
“Ribbons” by Sisters of Mercy
“Madam Eldora” by Nox Arcana
“Oakfield” from the Fable II Soundtrack
“See Who I Am” by Within Temptation
“Forsaken” by Within Temptation
“Fight like a Girl” by Emilie Autumn
“Let the Record Show” by Emilie Autumn
“Mercenary” by Panic! At the Disco! “Ballad of Mona Lisa” by Panic! At the Disco! “Build God, then We’ll Talk” by Panic! At the Disco! “A Smaller God” by Darling Violetta
“Lecher Bitch” by the Genitorturers
“Two Hornpipes (Tortuga)” from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest

I think that’s it!

Thanks for stopping by, Makayla!

Heroes come in all shapes and sizes... though they're not usually escaped convicts. Seventeen-year-old Violet Seymour is the only person to ever escape the highest maximum security prison in the steam-and-clockwork powered nation of Arcova. She is also a link in an ancient bloodline of heroes. When mages start going missing, Violet is the only person who can find them.

And an excerpt:

Off to one side of the path was a large curved wagon made out of polished brass and gold colored metal. The wheels on the side were comically large in the back, which made the normal-sized wheels in the front look disproportionally small. A black horse with white spots peppering its back grazed a few feet away, leisurely munching on the grass and soaking up the sun. As we advanced on the wagon, the horse did little more than lift its head in our direction.

Back towards the edge of the forest was a woman picking flowers. Long brown hair twisted into clumps cascaded down her back, moving stiffly against the colorful beads interwoven among the hair. She wore a long brown skirt that breezed around her delicate ankles when she stood up, revealing a pair of dainty black shoes with no heel. She turned around, cradling in her arms a bundle of droopy purple flowers with yellow centers and fat red berries hanging off the stems. A brown bandanna was tied around her waist, a red one around her neck, and another red bandanna held her hair away from her face.

From behind the dreadlocks I saw the woman’s pointed ears. She was an elf as well as a mage. Double-whammy when you consider how much people hated both elves and mages.

Her black lips spread into a toothy grin when she saw us.

Makayla Yokley is a college student who lives in Kansas with her somewhat evil cat named Cujo. She likes to write fiction of all genres. Currently she is majoring in Liberal Arts.

Where to find me:

(Fan page on Facebook) http://www.facebook.com/pages/Makayla-Yokley/231164716982029

(Blog) http://www.theforgotten-kingdom.webs.com/

Buy a copy of “The Ruby Curse” at:

(Paperback and Kindle) http://www.amazon.com/The-Ruby-Curse-Makayla-Yokley/dp/1479117471/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_t_1

(Nook) http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/206917

The Hands of Tarot by SM Blooding - Virtual Tour and Giveaway

This review is done in conjunction with the author's tour with Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a Tarot Doll of their choice to a randomly drawn commenter (US/Canada Only) during the tour More information: http://www.smblooding.com/ht1-order-tarot-doll-autographed-book, so leave your thoughts here and you're entered! If you want more chances to win, visit the rest of her tour stops here.

The Hands of Tarot by SM Blooding
Steampunk YA
318 pages
Rated: 3.5 Stars

She killed his father.

She imprisoned and beat him.

And now she thinks he’s her trophy.

Synn El’Asim will do almost anything to prove her wrong. But he’s only proving her right.

Queen Nix awakened his Mark of power and inducted him into the House of Wands. She knew what she was doing. The son of the two most powerful Families standing against her is the ultimate prize.

What she didn’t take into consideration was that maybe he was too strong for her. Maybe.

The Families aren’t. They’ve been weakened, and it’ll take a lot more than one young man with a powerful Mark to take on the Hands of Tarot.

My review:  With a new take on steampunk and amazingly proficient writing skills, SM Blooding has created a book that both intrigued me and puzzled me.  She's got a clever new plot here with sympathetic characters (well, except for Nix, who is truly evil personified) and a fascinating world populated with different peoples, animals and creatures. That's where both the intrigue and the puzzlement came in.

I'm a pretty savvy reader, and can pick up things quickly. Usually.  This book I struggled with a bit as I was plunged into a remarkably complex world that wasn't well described (perhaps its complexity made that difficult without creating what sounds like a textbook).  The characters were well described, thankfully. The author painstakingly helps us meet each person one at a time as Synn returns to his mother's from a journey.  For this I was truly grateful, as I'll read anything if I'm  invested in the the people and I was right from the start.  And, truthfully, effective world-building can be difficult.  You don't want to bore the reader with tons of details or backstory, but you want them to understand what's going on.  Maybe it's just because I've not read a lot in this genre, but it took a bit for me to catch on.  Regardless, I enjoyed the concepts behind this book enough to plug on through my  problem because I wanted to know what happened to Synn.

Synn is a young man who's disappointed his mother (because he has no mark).  When his best friend arrives and says his family has been attacked, Synn and his father go to rescue the survivors.  Only, the attackers, the Hands, aren't merciful.  Synn's father is killed horribly (as are the survivors of the attack) and Synn himself is captured and tortured because his mark -- an amazingly powerful mark -- manifests during this conflict.

His torture is violent, sexual (what amounts to rape of his mind and his body) and sometimes gruesome (Nix likes to burn people alive).  This makes it a book I can't recommend to younger teens.  Aside from this, though, there's little graphic violence or sex.

I loved the second half of this book.  Loved the people Synn and his friends meet, the places they go and I especially enjoyed watching Synn come into his own as he matures.  He truly becomes a person to admire, though it takes time and plenty of work.  The way this book ends shows how much he's changed and absolutely made me ready to read the next in the series to find out what happens next. Now that I have a firmer grip on the world, I'm positive I'll enjoy the sequel even more than the first.

If you're a fan of unusual steampunk novels, I'd recommend you pick this one up. Just give yourself some time to get into the story. You won't regret it.  I didn't.

Now, read an excerpt:

I woke freezing, my teeth chattering.

I tried to sit up, but my head was pounding so hard, it made me nauseous.

“Lay back,” a soft voice murmured, gentle hands pressing down on my bare shoulders. “Be at ease. You are safe now, Synn Primus.”

I shook my head, falling back onto the soft pillows. My back was on fire where the pillows touched it. “Not—” It was so hard to speak. My tongue felt thick. “Not my name.”

“Yes it is, you goose.” Something was draped over me.

I let out a startled yell and threw it off. Everywhere it touched burned.

It was draped over me again. This time the hands pressed it down on my shoulders, keeping it in place. “You have been Marked by the House of Wands, so you now bear our name. You are a Primus, Synn. Welcome.”

My whole world stopped.

I’d lost my father. He was—

I closed my eyes and fell back.

Dead.

I’d watched so many others die, their children made to watch as those they loved were lost.

And now? I’d lost my life to the Hands?

No. I shook my head and rose. No. “No. This can’t be.”

She pushed me back. “How else do you explain it?” A warm thumb ran over my brow. “You survived the fire, Synn.” She pulled the blanket away, a cool finger running over where I burned. “And how do you explain this? This is your Mark, Synn, the thing you have been waiting for your entire life.”

My father’s strong, rigid face swam before my eyes, so fierce and strong as the fire rose to claim him, writhing with the pain of it. A sob seeped from my chest. “Not like this.”

I was gathered in her arms. She held me close, cupping my head to her chest as she rocked me. She crooned a song I’d never heard. I wasn’t paying attention. I was overwhelmed with what I had lost; my Family, my home, my self.

About the author:

SM Blooding lives in Colorado with her pet rock, Rockie, their new addition, Mr. Bird, who’s a real bird. She likes to hike the beautiful Rocky Mountains, and is learning to play the piano and guitar. Currently, she’s trying to MURDER them both. Friends call her Frankie.

She’s dated vampires, werewolves, sorcerers, weapons smugglers and US Government assassins. Yes. She has stories.

She’s also an investigator with a local paranormal investigation group, Colorado Paranormal Rescue!

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http://www.smblooding.com/

http://www.smblooding.com/the-hands-of-tarot/