Monday, September 23, 2013

All The Colors of Love by Jessica Freely


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Jessica will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

It sucks being the son of a super villain. At home, Harry spends half of his time getting medical treatments and the other half tied up in his father's underwater lair. It was different when his mother was alive, but she disappeared when Harry was six. He can't seem to stay out of trouble at school, and his new roommate, Antonin, thinks he’s a spaz, but somehow Harry has to find a way to stop his father's evil plans.

Antonin Karganilla wants to become a comic book artist, but other than that, being gay is the most normal thing about him. His uncle is an aquatic plant man, his aunt is a molecular biologist back from the dead, and his mom is an overprotective pain in the butt. Antonin's in boarding school and it's starting to look like he and this Harry kid might have a lot in common... and that means a whole new set of problems.

Excerpt:

By running the whole way, Antonin caught up with Harry on the far side of the school grounds, just before the highway. “Harry!” he shouted. “Wait! It worked! He said yes!”

Harry, still a few yards away, stopped his ground-eating stride and turned, staring at him with a puzzled expression, as if it took some time for the words to fall into coherent meaning. “It worked?” The duffel bag slowly slid from his shoulder.

Antonin leaned over, his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. He straightened again and nodded. “He said you could stay, as long as I kept you out of trouble.”

Harry smiled, and it was like the first sunrise after the long night of the Siberian winter, making what was cold and dark open and bright and full of life. With a sudden, lost feeling, Antonin knew he would do anything to make it happen again.

Without warning, Harry caught him up in a bone-crushing hug.

His face mashed against Harry’s chest, Antonin breathed in the smells of clean cotton and Dial soap.

Harry’s voice rumbled against Antonin’s cheek. “I can’t believe you did it. Thank you.” Just as suddenly Harry released him and stepped back. “How did you do it?” he asked, as if Antonin had made an elephant materialize out of thin air.

Antonin shrugged. “I just told him the fight wasn’t your fault, that you were doing good here, studying hard and, um… making friends.”

A quarter-sized dot of red appeared on each of Harry's cheeks. “Well, thanks.”

“Sure.”

“Uh, I guess we should get back.”

Antonin nodded, and Harry picked up his duffel bag again, and they walked back across the rolling countryside toward the school.


About the Author:
Jessica Freely can't resist a wounded hero. As a reader and a writer, her favorite stories are of soul mates finding redemption in each other's arms. Married to the love of her life in a beautiful relationship based on mutual goofiness, Jessica also warps minds as an instructor in Seton Hill University's Writing Popular Fiction MFA program. Her dog, Ruthie, doesn't seem to care that Jessica's an award-winning and best-selling author in multiple genres. She just wants to play tug of war with Jessica's pages.

Jessica Freely Online:
Website & Blog: http://jessicafreely.com
Amazon Author Page: http://amazon.com/author/jessicafreely
Newsletter: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jessicafreely
Facebook: http://facebook.com/jfreely
Twitter: http://twitter.com/jessicafreely
Buy the book: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4174&cPath=917#

Friday, September 6, 2013

Shade of Red and Blue by Nicholas Lloyd -- Review and Giveaway


This review is in conjunction with a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Nicholas will be awarding a $10 gift card for Wild Child Publishing to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to find the other stops on this tour.

Amaya is a deeply introverted girl who just can’t manage to interact with people well. Life is hard enough moving to a new school during her last year of high school, but things get even worse when the dark and mysterious Tobias takes an interest in her. There’s a rumor that Tobias was the culprit behind a string of disappearances the year before, which brands him as a dangerous outcast in the town. Almost everyone is afraid to go near him, but Amaya is strangely drawn to him.

As dangerous events unfold, Amaya learns that Tobias is a creature called a Voravi: a powerful being that feeds on human flesh to survive. Amaya quickly gets sucked into a dark, new world. Tobias separates Amaya from her family and friends, claiming that it’s the only way to keep her safe. Is Tobias truly trying to protect her, or does he have more malicious intentions?

Meet the Voravi---they are like vampires on steroids. It's a new breed of the paranormal world with its own rules and differences.

The book starts out slow--and, to be honest, I didn't really care for either of the main characters at the beginning of the book. Amaya, who is the first person POV character, was whiny and I just wanted to slap her at times. Tobias was the quintessential bad boy she can't stay away from.

The more the book progressed, however, the more the story drew me in and, by the time the book was over, I genuinely cared about both Amaya and Tobias, as well as the other Voravi I met in the book. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but this is the first of a series and there is a struggle between good and evil in this book.

I'm looking forward to the next book in the series to see where Amaya and Tobias, along with the others, go next.

Four stars.

Enjoy an excerpt

"Amaya," Tobias said with a soft expression, "do you remember when I told you that I wouldn't hurt you?"

I nodded.

"What I need to show you will change your life, but I need you to believe me when I say that it's necessary for your safety." He stood beside the door, waiting patiently for me to make a move.

I couldn't see anything inside the next room. It was just a black void.

Despite all reasoning and common sense, I summoned my courage and walked into the darkness.

Tobias followed after me, pulling the door shut behind him with a loud metallic bang.

Darkness enveloped me. My eyes were useless, but I managed to take a few tentative steps forward.

"I'm sure you've been curious about me," Tobias said, his voice slicing through the dark like a dagger. "You must have realized that I'm not like normal people."

"I suppose…" I said, my heart rate steadily rising. I held my arms close to me, as if to protect me from an unseen force.

"Try not to be afraid," Tobias said quietly, practically a whisper.

About the Author:
Hello, my name is Nicholas Lloyd. I was born and raised in the frozen tundra of Minnesota. Throughout my childhood, stories captivating me in books, history, movies, and amusing anecdotes. When I was twelve, I discovered a passion for creating stories. My first story centered around the silly adventures of a young boy named Billy. He ran a detective agency, but rarely closed a case due to his short attention span.

I did well in school, particularly in math and science, but that wasn’t the path I wanted to go. It didn’t take me long to realize that I wanted to become a writer when I grew up. Everyone has a story or series that takes them to an exciting new world and changes their life, like Harry Potter or Animorphs. My dream is to write a book or series that will influence people’s daily lives. Whether we read to escape reality or seek to understand it, people will turn to stories. As a writer and an artist, I want to be the one that people trust to accomplish this task.

So far, I’ve written in the genres of fiction, romance, young adult, horror, comedy, fantasy, and paranormal. I prefer to stay within the fictional realm, but I don’t have a specific genre that I’m dedicated to as of right now. The fictional world has been my passion, since I can explore the “what if” questions that wander through my mind.

Currently, I’m attending Minnesota State University in Mankato, working on a degree in creative writing. From there, I’m hoping to attend graduate school and write some truly inspiring stories.

Visit me at nicholaslloydblog.wordpress.com.
Buy the book at Wild Child Publishing or Amazon.

Monday, September 2, 2013

Gold Manor Ghost House by Merry Brown -- Author Interview and Giveaway


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddes Fish Promotions. Leave a comment for a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card--the other stops on the tour can be seen by clicking the tour banner. Remember, the more you comment, the better your chances of winning.

Merry stopped by to answer a few of our questions. Welcome, Merry! To get us started, what would you write in a letter to your teen self?

Dear Merry,
Stop doubting yourself. Who cares what others think? And guess what, they aren’t even thinking about you because they are consumed with thinking about themselves! Take it easy, relax, don’t be so hard on yourself. Think about who you want to me, not what you think others want you to be. Above all, show grace and mercy to yourself and others.
Love,
40 year old Merry
P.S. Stop it with the sun tanning! You will regret lathering yourself with baby oil and lounging in the sun all summer long.
P.P.S. Start saving your money and vow never to diet.

That last advice is good for all of us... especially the saving money part! What candy do you give out at Halloween?

I’m out with my kids on Halloween, and they get too much candy. When we come home, most of the trick-or-treaters have already passed the house, so the stragglers that come by get recycled candy from the bags my kids just got.

Ah, I see... part of your strategy for saving money... good idea! What superpower would you love to have? Why?

Let’s go about this in the negative way:
I know I don’t want to read minds. It would be fun (maybe?) at first, but after a while, no one’s going to want to be around me and I’ll end up hating them anyway. Mind reading seems a sure path to the crazy house.
I don’t want to live forever. That sounds like more of a curse than a blessing.
I don’t want super-strength. What am I going to do with it? Fight crime? I’ve got a family, and if I’ve learned anything from superhero movies, loved ones of the superhero are always in peril and/or are killed, leaving the hero ultimately alone.
I don’t want x-ray vision, don’t care about flying, don’t want gills or lasers coming out of my eyes.
I don’t want to know the future. That kind of knowledge sounds crippling.
What does that leave? Quite a lot, I suppose, such as super speed, shape shifting, or being able to teleport.
I guess I’ll go with mad-grammar skills!

What book is on your nightstand currently?

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare has been staring me down all summer. I’ve read the Moral Instruments books (waiting for the last one) and the other two in the Infernal Devices series … but I can’t seem to open Clockwork Princess and begin. I know I’ll enjoy it; book two ended with a horrible love triangle, and I’m betting this book will be high on the drama meter. Don’t get me wrong – YA is my genre and I love the drama, but I bet as soon as I start Clockwork Princess I’ll read all night and be a zombie the next two days, ignoring my house and kids until the tension is resolved. Investing in characters is hard work and not for the faint at heart!

Speaking of YA books--Hunger Games or Twilight? Why?

I don’t think this is a fair question! My two favorite genres are YA paranormal romance – Twilight – and dystopian lit – Hunger Games.
I know it’s fashionable to hate on Twilight, Bella in particular, but I can’t bring myself to do it. If you buy into the paranormal world Meyer created, then the story works and isn’t all that creepy.
And Hunger Games, well, it’s a great story with an awesome female lead.

What four literary characters would you most like to have over for dinner?

Socrates, Edward Cullen, Jane Eyre, and Buffy.
Since Socrates gets used as the mouth piece of Plato in the middle dialogues, I suppose he counts. So, definitely Socrates. Edward Cullen, because I want to see for myself if he really is devastatingly gorgeous and I’d like to meet a nice vampire. Jane Eyre, who’d be a great match for Socrates’ wit and I’d love to see her virtue in action. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (I know she’s primarily from TV land, but she’s in comic books too) because she’s an ordinary girl with extraordinary talents and mission – though aren’t we all supposed to fight evil with the abilities we have?

You’ve just won a million dollars and you’re not allowed to save any of it. What do you spend it on?

Pay off my bills, take a world vacation for the summer with my family, and give to my favorite charities (Heifer International, The Smile Train, my church). If I had enough left over, I’d give money for an endowed chair in philosophy at the University of Tennessee at Martin.

About the Author:
Born and raised in Bakersfield, California, Merry Brown now lives in the northwest corner of Tennessee with her husband, three boys, and Daisy the cat. She teaches philosophy at the University of Tennessee, Martin, where she counts it a great privilege and joy to introduce students to perennial questions about the nature of the universe, meaning, morality, and the human condition. Merry Brown's love of philosophy and young adult paranormal and dystopian literature inspired her to write THE KNOWERS, the first book in the Exiled Trilogy. GOLD MANOR GOLD HOUSE is her latest YA paranormal romance book.

Find Merry at http://www.merrybrown.com, Twitter: @merryebrown, or Facebook: Merry Brown.

Anna thought life was going to be awesome. She was right…and wrong.

Won her dream job acting in a hit TV series. Check.

Working with her best friend. Check.

The set’s haunted and she’s in the middle of a supernatural war. Uh, check?

Anna Rose Ellington is sixteen and living in Hollywood, hoping to be a star. Anna just landed a major role on Ghost House, TeenTV’s new fall drama. A show promising to be so hot, Meg Sweet (the reigning teenage diva), signed on for the lead, and Adam Lewis (international rock sensation) is a principal player.

Her dreams are falling into place until she gets on set and begins questioning her sanity. It’s true she has an unusual dream life, where once in a while her dreams literally come true. But it’s been a while. On top of her dreams not staying put in her brain, including the guy she’d been dreaming of for years, the house they’re filming in, Gold Manor, might actually be haunted. But that’s the least of her worries.

Buy the book at Amazon