Friday, October 23, 2015

Q&A with D.M. Marlowe, author of The Eye of the Ninja

VBT_TourBanner_TheEyeOfTheNinja copy

10_14 PrizePic2This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. D.M. Marlowe will be awarding handcrafted jewelry representing character/theme of her book to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Prize is available for international shipping. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Why do you write juvenile fiction? What draws you to it?

I have teenagers and I read a lot of Young Adult books with them. I enjoy the adventure, the coming of age themes, the characters who have to confront their flaws and find their way in the world. They are themes that really resonate with all ages. In my other author life I am a USA Today Bestselling author of Regency Historical Romance. Now I’m thrilled to write something my kids can read.

What books were your favorite as a youth and why?

I loved books as a kid—what writer didn’t? My list is huge-but I’ll give you the highlights.

The Prydain Chronicles
Dragon Riders of Pern
Little Women
Peter Pan

Any of Marquerite Henry’s horse books
The Little Princess
Ballet Shoes
Pride and Prejudice


What candy do you give out at Halloween?

Only the good stuff! Chocolate bars, Reese’s Peanut Butter cups. Check the ice cream answer below and you’ll sense a theme. :-)

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

If I knew how to sew, the answer would totally be Project Runway, but since I am a glue girl and helpless with a needle, I will pick the Amazing Race. I wouldn’t be crazy about some of the scary things they have to eat, but who wouldn’t want to go ride, fly, drive, swim, and do all the fun and crazy things they do all over the world?

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

I would love to have Mei Barrett with me. She survived on her own for four years, on the run from a creature that hunted her relentlessly. She’s crafty, smart and determined. Plus, she wouldn’t be likely to whine or be annoying. LOL.

Create an ice cream flavor. What’s it called?

There is no need to invent a new one—chocolate ice cream with peanut butter ribbons already exists! :-)

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

I would buy a big, casual, comfortable house on a lake. I’d have lots of bedrooms for guests, a giant kitchen, jet skis, a water trampoline and an outdoor kitchen. I’d have family and friends—but also a quiet, out of the way place for me to write. I’d make it the best of both worlds!

MediaKit_BookCover_EyeOfTheNinjaBlink—and you’ll miss her.

Mei Barrett has been hiding all of her life. Raised in solitude by her beloved father, she’s been trained to fight, to adapt, to defend. She couldn’t prevent his death, however, when it comes at the hands of a mysterious creature straight out of legend. She could only run—and learn how to hide in plain sight.

For four long years Mei has lived alone on the fringes of a society still recovering from the devastation of quakes and disasters along the infamous Ring of Fire. Mei’s concerns are more immediate however. She must hide her eyes and their despised mutation, and she must stay one step ahead of the strange wind demon that continues to hunt her.

Detection was inevitable. But Mei begins to make some discoveries of her own. For it seems that her old enemy is not the only mythical creature on the loose. Nor is she the only one fighting them.

And perhaps her own tragedies are not as far removed from those the world is facing, after all.


Enjoy an excerpt:

Something was off. Not in the same way as before. But I felt . . . something. Eyes watching.

I veered suddenly into the parking lot of a used bookstore.

Something moved in the line of trees at the far edge, right at the spot where I would have walked past. Something large set the high branches to rustling. I moved easily, acting as if I didn’t notice.

The bookstore door was locked. I cursed under my breath before nonchalantly turning to the rack of free books lining the front of the place. Picking a title, I leaned against the door and opened it. I eyed the parking lot from beneath my brim, then tossed the book back and chose another—a thick, oversized edition of Sherlock Holmes tales. Nothing moved out there. Not a branch or a leaf or a rustle of wind.

I wasn’t fooled.

I hefted the book and pretended to be absorbed. Slowly I moved out, head down, nose in the book, ambling west again, but this time taking the alley behind the bookstore’s neighboring houses. The lane was lined with full-grown trees, providing some cover. When I hit their sheltering darkness I tucked the book under my arm and took off at a fast, silent run.

Not for long. Something thumped to the ground, directly in my path. I skidded to a stop, backpedaling rapidly.

Panic and disbelief nearly stopped my heart. My mouth hung open.

This was not the creature of my nightmares and memories. It was something different altogether—and yet still entirely unbelievable.

On two feet, broad and heavily muscled, it stood over twice my height. Its skin was a deep, dark red, its nose large and curved over like a beak. Large, heavily muscled arms flexed as its hands opened and closed. Long, white hair flowed back to meet huge, rustling black wings.

It tilted its head in a distinctly avian gesture and peered down at me. A thin, trilling sound echoed in the alley. “So small you are, to be the cause of so much trouble.”

About the Author:MediaKit_AuthorPhoto_EyeOfTheNinjaD. M. Marlowe lives in North Carolina with her family and two cats. When she is not spoiling them all, she is probably writing. Failing that, she's likely lost in a book or movie, on a long walk, gardening or hanging with her friends.

In her other life, she is a USA Today Bestselling author of Historical Romance.

Website: http://www.dmmarlowe.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/d.m.marlowe
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DMMarlowewrites

Buy the book at Amazon, iBooks, or Smashwords.

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Monday, October 19, 2015

Burned by Natasha Deen


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Natasha will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Two years ago, Josie Smith’s life went up in smoke. Literally. Everyone and everything she ever loved burned in a fire—one set by a crooked cop. To survive, Josie’s been living under the radar as a homeless kid while trying to find a way to knock the cop down a few notches and put her on the other side of the prison bars. But time’s running out. A pimp’s got his eye on Josie, and if she doesn’t get off the streets soon, she’ll be the one brought down. Her salvation and the key to the cop’s undoing seem to lie with a car thief and a rich kid. Trust and teamwork don’t come easily to Josie—in fact, they don’t come at all—but if she can’t find a way to make the team work and find justice for her family, she will get burned all over again.

Enjoy an excerpt:

It would be so easy to kill her.

So easy.

So simple to pass by her on the streets, take her breath with the same ease I’d take her wallet. I’ve been on the streets for two years and I’ve learned how to pick pockets and steal apples, which alleys are safe to sleep in and which ones to stay away from.

And I know how to use a knife.

How easy it would be bump into her. Instead of slipping my fingers into her purse, I’d slide my blade between her ribs, and I would whisper, “This is for Emily and Danny and Emma.”

And she would look at me, startled, shocked.

And I would smile and walk away, leave her bleeding on the streets and the red stain of her life dripping from the smooth edge of my knife.

But I can’t.

I won’t.

Death would be too easy for her. A cop murdered on the streets. She’d get a hero’s burial and people would cry. The department would decorate her and the Police Chief would make speeches about her “sacrifice and loyalty to the people she served.” Newscasters with their helmet hair would use their The World is Ending voices and talk about the need for better policing. People would rally for tougher laws. Cops would roust the homeless.

I live with these people.

They’ve been rousted enough.

I won’t bring pain and torment to their already tortured lives.

Besides, if she died on the street, no one would know the truth of her.

The lies of her.

I will not kill her.

She will not die.

Not by my hand.

But.

I.

Will.

End.

Her.

About the Author:
Natasha Deen is the author of over a dozen books and divides her time between writing, presenting at schools, and speaking at conferences. Her previous novels include the CCBC Best Pick for Kids and Teens and 2015 Sunburst Award nominated Guardian, and the True Grime series. In her spare time she cuddles on the couch with her furry and non-furry family, and thinks the best way to beat writer’s block is with tea and cookies. Visit her at www.natashadeen.com.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/natasha.deen.9
Twitter: www.twitter.com/natasha_deen
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/1314477.Natasha_Deen

Buy the book at Amazon or Orca Book.

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Friday, October 16, 2015

Q&A with L. S. O'Dea, author of the LAKE OF SINS series


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. One randomly drawn commenter via Rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN Gift Card. Please click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Welcome to Books in the Hall and thanks for answering some of our questions. What group did you hang out with in high school?

Our high school was very small (graduating class size of 96 and we were the “big” class), so I hung out with a lot of the groups. I hung out with the “jocks”—even though I wasn’t one. I also hung out with the “burnouts”—sorry to say that I did sample the wares there. I also hung out with the “geeks”—I was almost valedictorian (missed it by one B instead of an A). I think the only group that I didn’t hang out with was the “thespians”—although many of them were in the other groups too.

What are you passionate about these days?

I am passionate about animal rights. I do not believe that animals were put here for us to dominate. Even though I am a Catholic, I do believe that animals have souls just like us. If you have a dog, look into his or her big brown eyes and tell me you don’t agree about the soul thing.

If you had to do your journey to getting published all over again, what would you do differently?

I wouldn’t waste my time trying to find an agent. When I went to school, that was the only way to get published. I wasted a lot of time changing my story per some agent’s request never to hear back from her. Once I did some research and realized that even if my book was picked up by an agent and publisher I’d still have to do the marketing, I decided that was enough for me.

Ebook or print? And why?

I like to have my books available in both formats although the ebooks sell more. However, there is still something more “real” about the accomplishment of finishing a book when you hold it in your hands. As far as what I like to read – I’m old fashioned. I like print.

What is your favorite scene in this book?

In Escape, my favorite scene is when Gaar tells Trinity that she is “more than a Producer.” This is the first time that she truly realizes that she is good enough. She’s spent her entire life hiding and being ashamed about her differences. In this scene, she starts to realize that being different does not equate to less.

In Secrets, my favorite scenes are the ones with Hugh and Tim. I love the way that they bicker and argue. You only do that with someone who you really love, like family or very close friends. I think it tells a lot about their relationship. Plus, I find it funny.

In a world where class distinction means the difference between imprisonment and freedom and even life and death, being chosen to stay in the encampment and breed is the only way to guarantee survival for a teenage Producer.

Every year after harvest, the finest examples of teenage Producers are assigned mates; the rest are loaded onto carts and hauled away, never to be seen or heard from again. Trinity, a sixteen-year-old Producer, knows that she has no chance of being chosen to stay. She isn’t even full-blooded Producer. Her father is a House Servant and she’s spent her entire life hiding her differences, especially her claws and fangs.

She has one week to sneak into the forest and discover what happens to those who are taken. Her plan is simple, but she doesn’t count on being hunted and captured by predators long believed to be extinct. Can she elude her captors to uncover the fate of her kind and return to camp before her escape is discovered?


Trinity's plans have gone horribly wrong and she is now fleeing for her life, but at what cost to her friends and family. Can she save any of them without sacrificing herself?

Hugh Truent, an Almighty, learns of Trinity’s escape and that she is the offspring of two different classes which is supposed to be impossible. If it’s true, it would be the discovery of a lifetime, but he needs scientific proof. In his quest for answers, he soon realizes that there are those who will kill to keep this find a secret.

Trinity’s struggle to survive in a society based on absolute segregation of the different classes along with Hugh’s dogged determination to find the truth at any cost, sets into motion a collision between the groups that shatters the foundation of their world.


Read an excerpt from ESCAPE

She ran blindly away from the sound of the Guards, her backpack slamming against her spine with each stride. If they catch my scent, they will find me. She skidded to a stop. The forest had ended. A rock wall loomed in front of her, stretching to both sides as far as she could see. Little crevices and divots peppered the wall, but it was too steep to climb. She had to make a choice. The wrong one would cost her freedom, maybe her life.

The trees rustled behind her. Too late. They found me. This had all been for nothing. Now, the best she could hope for was to be taken with the others. Her chest tightened. She had to make sure that her mom and Remy weren’t punished because she escaped. She raised her hands to her shoulders and slowly turned. Her breath caught in her throat. A Tracker, the deadliest of predators, stood on its back two legs, towering above her, front legs hanging down like arms. Brindle fur covered its body and its eyes glowed yellow in the shadowed forest. Its tongue lolled out the side of its mouth, exposing a row of sharp teeth on the other side. Someone should tell it that they no longer exist in the wild.

About the Author: L. S. O'Dea grew up the youngest of seven. She always wanted to do what her older siblings were doing, especially reading stories.

Ill at a young age, she immersed herself in books. Her life changed when she read a short story written by her older brother and realized that normal (somewhat anyway, since her brother was a bit weird in her opinion) people created these amazing stories. From that day forward, she wanted to write.

However, as with all good stories, obstacles rose in her path (mostly self-created obstacles) and it took her many years to put finger to keyboard and type her first book.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/11771298.L_S_O_Dea
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-of-Sins-Escape/1525911114338421
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lsodea
Website: http://www.lsodea.com
Blog: http://www.lsodea.com/4/feed
Amazon Author Central: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00RNMCAQU

The first book of the series is on sale for $0.99 until the end of the tour.

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Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Virtual Book Tour: Forget Me Not by Stacey Nash


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Stacey will be awarding an eCopy of Forget Me Not to 3 randomly drawn winners via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Anamae is drawn into a world which shatters everything she knew to be true. The first in the trilogy of the brilliant YA Collective series. followed by REMEMBER ME and NEVER FORGOTTEN.

Since her mother vanished nine years ago, Anamae and her father have shared a quiet life. But when Anamae discovers a brooch identical to her mother's favorite pendant, she unknowingly invites a slew of trouble into their world.

The jewels she finds are not just jewellery, they're a highly developed technology capable of cloaking the human form. Triggering the jewellery's power attracts the attention of a secret society determined to confiscate the device - and silence everyone who is aware of its existence. Anamae knows too much, and now she's Enemy Number One. She's forced to leave her father behind when she's taken in by a group determined to keep her safe. Here, Anamae searches for answers about this hidden world.

With her father kidnapped and her own life on the line, Anamae must decide if saving her dad is worth risking her new friends' lives. No matter what she does, somebody is going to get hurt.

Enjoy an excerpt:

Al gestures to the brooch still clutched in my hand. “Show her.” I hold it out for her to see.

She snatches it from my hand and cradles it close to her chest, then looks up at me with over-round eyes. “Where did you get this?”

“We got it from Al this afternoon.” I frown. “What’s going on?”

Bertie whirls around and wags her finger at Al. “What the hell are you doing, selling one of those?”

“It was lying on the dusty floor, you stupid old bird.” he says. “Of course I thought it was of no consequence.”

“You’ll have them all after us now, you crazy fool.” She hits Al with the damp tea towel she was clutching.

Al dances out of its reach, bouncing from foot to foot, but his eyes sparkle. “It’s been ten years since we’ve seen a cover-up.”

I pat the pendant under my shirt. Good, it’s safe and sound. I should tell them about it, but I’m not sure. Bertie already has the brooch … maybe. Will gives me a small smile. It wavers. I’m not sure I want to keep it, but I don’t want to bring trouble to Al, either.

I hold out my hand to Bertie. “Please, can I have it back?”

She places the brooch in my hand. I take a deep breath; time to trust Al. “When I used it, the …”

“Cover-up.”

“Yeah, that. A man appeared at my door within minutes. He seemed to know it was there. I think he would have killed me to take it.”

Bertie sucks in a sharp breath.

“A scout from The Collective,” Al says.

A scout? The Collective? What the heck is he talking about? Sweat prickles the back of my neck, and I glance at Will who stares at Al with a blank expression, his skin ashen.

Bertie dashes to the small balcony window and inches a corner of the drapes back, peering into the street. “We can’t stay here, Al.”

“I know, dear, we’ll take them to Beau.” Al grabs her trembling arm with a steady hand and places his other palm-down on her shoulder.

“They’ll track her, know where she is.” Bertie drops the drape, shuffles over, grabs my arm, and pushes me toward the door. “Come on, Al.”

I glance at Will. His eyes are wide and fearful.

With a series of prods, Bertie ushers me down the stairs and out of the shop. We rush straight to their old pickup with a silent urgency that makes the hairs on the nape of my neck rise. What’s this all about? What’s happening, and where do they think they’re taking us?

We come to a stop in front of the rusty dual-cab pickup. Will digs in his heels, grabs my hand, and tugs me back. “We’re not going anywhere.”

Bertie pulls open the back door. “You have to, for your own safety. The scout is just the beginning. You’re in great danger.”

“Danger?” My voice sounds hollow to my own ears.

Al jogs round to the far side of the truck and pulls open the driver’s side door, which cuts the air with a squeal like it’s never been oiled. “There’s a safe house for situations like this. They’ll explain it better than us.”

His words rush out so jumbled I have to concentrate to understand him. I spin from Al to face Will. His mouth is set, and his head shakes. No. But Will doesn’t know Al like I do.

“Get in the truck,” Bertie yells.

Al’s gaze is on me, and although his words are urgent, his face is kind and gentle. He’s the same Crazy Al I’ve always known. “Anamae, you need to trust us. I’ve been friends with your father for years. You’ve known me since you were little. We’re trying to help. I’d never let anything happen to you. We’re like family.”

He’s right. All those trips into the store when I was only just old enough to see over the counter, Al was always so kind, so gentle. At every visit he’d give me something small out of his collection to take home and treasure. Then there were the poker nights. Kids really shouldn’t have been there, but Al, well he always made an exception for me. I’d sit on the couch and watch television. If he says we’re in danger, and he knows where we can get help, then I have to trust him.

About the Author: Writing for the young and new adult market, Stacey's books all hold a lot of adventure, a good dose of danger, a smattering of romance, and plenty of KISSING! Hailing from the Hunter Valley in New South Wales, she loves nothing more than immersing herself in the beauty and culture of the local area.

Author of the Collective Series; Forget Me Not, Remember Me, Never Forgotten. And the Oxley College Saga; Shh! and Wait!

https://twitter.com/staceynash
https://www.facebook.com/StaceyLeeNash
http://www.stacey-nash.com/
http://www.staceynash.com/blog/

Amazon.

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Monday, October 5, 2015

Heartbound by P.I. Alltraine


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. P.I. Alltraine will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Petyr has never found it necessary to consider the humans as anything more than distant, inferior beings–until now. They are the cause of the fatal disease that has plagued his realm, taking the lives of too many of his kind. As a future leader of a realm in peril, Petyr must find a way to resist and cure the affliction. He must enter the unfamiliar realm, appear to be an ordinary eighteen-year-old human, observe and learn.

However, things don’t exactly go according to plan. Instead of embarking single-mindedly on his sober mission, Petyr meets an 18-year-old girl who does things to his emotions that he can’t quite fathom or control. Petyr is falling in love, and he almost forgets the gravity his choices have on his entire world. Despite the risk it poses to his life and hers, he wants to know her, and he wants her to know him–and his world.


Enjoy an excerpt:

I defied my fate the moment I leapt out of my apartment’s third-story window. I landed on the pavement without a sound. In the same instant, my feet blended into the measured pace in which humans carried themselves.

Gazing up at the sky, I tried to find something to remind me of my home, of my duty. The future leader of a realm in peril cannot be overcome by irrational desires, I thought.

Thick smoke obscured the heavens so much even the brightest stars were dull and barely visible. A reminder I was trapped in this city, in this realm. Too far away from everything I knew, too restrained, too human.

Through the chaos in my mind, I captured the image of the girl with brown and dark-auburn tones in her hair, the shine that bounced from her loose curls, the depth in her hazel eyes, and even the awkward half-smile when she caught me looking at her. But the memory wasn’t enough. I needed to see her again.

I kept walking until I reached the riverbank in the heart of London. The water rippled with a disheveled mesh of gold and red, reflecting a large architectural structure. My gaze lingered on the clock tower adjacent to the building, gauging its height. A temptation to feel even a fraction of my true nature became a need in every fiber in my body. No longer able to rationalize, my muscles coiled, and I let go. Wind enveloped me with its familiar warmth as I sprang across the River Thames. I aimed to land on the lower portion of the tower, to indulge in the pleasure of my ascent. Though too fast for human eyes, each maneuver, each somersault, each back flip was slow enough for me to savor every moment of my liberation.

On a part of the roof concealed from the passersby below, I was closer to the heavens than I’d been since arriving in the city. Still, I didn’t belong here. Hundreds of lights sparkled below me, each representing a life I didn’t comprehend. Allowing myself to break free from my human façade had made me a liability to the others. For a few moments of freedom, I let myself forget the importance of my purpose here—the lives that depended on it.

Somehow, having the girl’s image in my mind brought calmness within me. One that felt permanent. One that extinguished the sense of entrapment, despite the thick layer of smoke that was still very visible to me. I held on to the calmness as I regained the confidence to face the others.

The first three chapters of Heartbound can be read online at: http://www.amazon.com/Heartbound-P-I-Alltraine-ebook/dp/B0125TOMNO.

About the Author:
P.I. Alltraine is an award winning poet and author. She has won several international poetry competitions, and her poems have been published in separate anthologies.

She teaches English Language and Literature in London. She earned her degree in BA English from Queen Mary University of London, a Post Graduate Certificate in Education and Master’s in Teaching at the UCL Institute of Education, University of London.

Before moving to London, she lived in the Philippines where she was ensconced in the rich culture encrusted with dark myths and enchanted tales. She draws inspiration from these in her writing. Although she has lived in different places and experienced different cultures, she always enjoyed the constancy of writing in her life. Her favourite authors include John Milton, Virginia Woolf and James Joyce.

Website: http://www.pialltraine.com
Blog: http://pialltraine.wordpress.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p.i.alltraine
Twitter: https://twitter.com/pialltraine
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/pialltraine
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/pialltraine/
Amazon Author Page: http://amazon.com/author/pialltraine

Buy the book at Amazon.

book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5mii9Q1TZM&index=2&list=PLzGNZUy-U7wx4tUquvzG-EDU1DeiPyT8P
‘unmoving’ spoken word poem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2q4JxaN1fw

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