Lucid by Natalie Roers - Virtual tour and giveaway

Today we're visiting with author Natalie Roers on her tour with Goddess Fish Promotions for the paranormal YA novel, "Lucid".

Natalie will award one $10 Amazon gift card given to one random commenter at the end of the tour, so comment today AND follow her tour! The more you read and comment, the better your odds of winning. The rest of her tour stops are here.

Being hailed by critics as an intelligent new voice in young adult fiction, Roers' debut novel tells the anything but ordinary, coming of age story of a small town, teen aged, misfit named Travis Hunter.

Disfigured at birth and ostracized at school, Travis dreams of acceptance and secretly yearns for the affection of a beautiful young woman named Corrine. When a mysterious doctor promises to help Travis through something called lucid dreaming, Travis suddenly finds himself ushered into a secret society called "The Lucid", a collection of social outcasts like himself, who have created their own world inside of dreams.

When Travis discovers he is able to bring Corrine into these dreams, he gets more than he ever bargained for and soon finds himself learning the secrets of love and life in a fantastic unconscious world.

An instant classic, Lucid is a timeless story of self-acceptance with a fresh paranormal twist.

Now enjoy an excerpt:

Her eyes widened. What I saw in them made me want to drop to my knees. She knew who I was! I could see it. She recognized me! It was real.

“The bird! You made the bird!” I bellowed. “It was yellow and its eyes were made of stone!”

Corrine shook her head back and forth in disbelief. As I staggered toward her, she tripped backwards and fell into the line of coffee pots behind her.

“What the? Grab him!” I heard John yell.

In all the excitement I had forgotten there were other people in the room.

“The guy’s gone nuts!” Terry screamed.

I felt their arms grab me from behind.

Marissa, who had been watching the scene unfold in stunned silence, now ran to Corri to help her to her feet. “Get him outta here!” she yelled.

John and Terry started to pull me back by the shoulders. I swung around and hit Terry square in the face. The smacking sound that my hand made against Terry’s cheek shocked them enough to let me go for a second.

The enormity of what I had just done didn’t register at all.

I rushed forward, completely out of control. But as I got closer to Corri, her image started moving away from me. Terry and John had lifted me clear off the ground. They were carrying me by my arms, backwards, out the front door.

There was no pain as my body slammed against the cold cement outside. Adrenaline was coursing through my veins. The feeling was in every part of my body: every finger, every toe, was alive and on fire.

"Roers' debut novel heralds the arrival of an intelligent, heartfelt voice in the world of young adult fiction. The rich characters, emotional complexity, and confident prose are matched only by the landscape of dreams that Roers sets them against... a landscape brought vividly to life by the author's seemingly boundless imagination. This is a novel that respects its readers as much as its characters, and that's a beautiful rarity."
~ Mike Flanagan, Filmmaker, Absentia and Oculus

"Natalie Roers' debut novel is both riveting and relevant. More than a paranormal/fantasy/thriller, this is a complex tale that cuts to the very of heart of issues facing young adults today. Well sculptured characters and powerful imagery propel Roers' fascinating narrative."
~ Jason Tinney (Award-winning freelance journalist, musician, actor and the author of the story collection Bluebird.)

"Lucid is an interesting story and a fun read."
~ Amy Carol Reeves, author of Ripper and Renegade

"Natalie Roers' voice is amazingly confident for a first novelist. Her journalist's eye for human detail draws you in, and makes you care about the people who populate the LUCID world. The more I got to know them, both awake and asleep in the world of lucid dreaming, the more time I wanted to spend in their world."
~ Jeff Howard, writer for Film District and Focus Features.

Natalie Roers is a veteran writer, voice artist, and on-air personality. A journalist by trade, Lucid is her first work of fiction. She is busy at work on her second novel and hopes to raise money and social awareness for worthy causes with each book she writes. Natalie plans to donate a portion of every sale of this book to her favorite anti-bullying organizations. She lives with her husband Cory, and son Austin, in Columbia, South Carolina.

Websites
jointhelucid.com
http://natasha-r.com/writer/

FB
https://www.facebook.com/natalie.roers?fref=ts
https://www.facebook.com/jointhelucid?fref=ts

Blog
http://jointhelucid.com/blog/

Goodreads
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16214486-lucid

Death Lies Between Us by Jody A. Kessler - Review tour and giveaway

This review is done in conjunction with the author's tour with Goddess Fish Promotions. Jody will be awarding a $30 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour, so complete the Rafflecopter entry at the end of this post and you're entered! If you want more chances to win, visit the rest of her tour stops here.

Death Lies Between Us by Jody Kessler
New Adult paranormal romance
272 pgs
4 Stars

Saving the life of someone you love should not be the worst thing you have ever done, unless you are an Angel of Death.

Disgruntled with his position in the afterlife and conflicted by his feelings toward his new client, Nathaniel Evans forgoes the rules and saves nineteen year old Juliana Crowson from being hopelessly stuck in Forge Creek. This alters Juliana’s destiny and she finds herself in a series of near death accidents.

In the mountains of Colorado, Nathaniel comforts Juliana as she struggles to understand her paranormal abilities while coping with her brother’s drug addiction. When an ill-tempered Native American Shaman teaches her the difference between ghosts and place memories, she decides she wants nothing to do with the supernatural world. Too bad she doesn’t know that Nathaniel is part of it.

Will fate bring these two together, or has Nathaniel made the biggest mistake of his afterlife?

My Review:  There was quite a lot going on in the book with the angel of death, ghosts, drug abuse, potential love interests, Native American beliefs, hater girls and more ... it sometimes made it a bit difficult to keep everything straight.  Still, the concept behind this story was so interesting I couldn't help but keep turning pages.

I did like how the author switched between Nathaniel and Jules' POV so we could see what was in both their heads.  I wasn't a fan of her brother, Jared ... I think I was supposed to like and empathize with him more than I did.  Yes, I realize there was a drug problem, but he was just mostly really a character I just didn't enjoy from the moment we meet him.

I wish Lance had been more viable as a potential love interest.  He was definitely interested, but it's clear from the start that Juliana has less than zero reciprocal interest, and that was too bad.  I really dig a good love triangle!

I really enjoyed watching Juliana realize and grow into her "powers" as she stumbled across ghosts and memories.  These scenes in particular were typically well written and fascinating to read (the mother in the store, concerned about her daughter, was gut-wrenching and nearly brought me to tears -- I hope my mom watches over me when she's gone like that).

I loved Nathaniel ... what a great character. I hope we continue to learn more about him as the series continues.  He feels like a character with a lot of interesting backstory... he absolutely has me intrigued.

 While I wasn't totally in love with the book (and again, I think it might be because of the sheer volume of information here), I did love the premise and the two main characters (plus Juliana's grandmother is fantastic) enough that I'd check out another book in the series.  It was absolutely worth my time.

Now enjoy an excerpt:

“I can help it feel better. Trust me. Just one more second and… there.” I place her foot down on the grass and lean back. “Feel any better?”

She covers her foot and ankle with her hands. “Yes, much. It’s not even cold anymore.”

She looks at me with a clear question on her face. I turn away and watch the water meander downstream. “You should be more careful out here. What if I hadn’t shown up?”

“I could’ve died from hypothermia.”

“You don’t sound disturbed about it,” I point out.

“You did show up though, and I didn’t die.” The next thing she says into her lap, but I hear it clear enough and I am surprised by the words. “It wasn’t totally unexpected.”

“Did you just say you were expecting death?”

“Does that sound crazy? It’s just — I had a feeling something really horrible was going to happen today.”

“Do you get that feeling often?” I ask. Maybe behind those delicate green eyes is someone who is missing a few marbles. I don’t really believe it from the short amount of time I’ve been with her, but it’d make things less complicated right now if she was mental.

“Not often, no. But one time something really bad did happen, so I take it seriously.”

I remembered her black pen scratching, the words “when will it be my time” and her sullen face in her room. Is she psychic or something? She sits still, her eyes focused on her lap. Her fingers are busy shredding blades of grass into miniscule pieces.

“It ended up not being too terrible after all. You came, and now I’m fine.”

Jody A. Kessler enjoys writing paranormal novels and is a member of Pikes Peak Writers. She is a yoga instructor, Reiki Master, and a graduate from the Colorado Institute of Massage Therapy. When she took an extended leave from her massage practice to stay at home with her newborn she returned to her first true passion —writing. She spends most of her time being a mother, writing, and teaching yoga, but also likes going to concerts, hiking, practicing herbal medicine, and reading anything that catches her interest. Jody lives in the mountains of Colorado with her family.

She welcomes visitors to her website www.jodyakessler.com

Buy a copy on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Death-Lies-Between-Us-ebook/dp/B00BLMYLUG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1362021443&sr=8-1&keywords=death+lies+between+us

Or connect with her here:

Facebook 

Goodreads 

Twitter 

Pinterest

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The Hunters and the Queen by Virginia Vayna - Virtual Tour and Giveaway

Today we're visiting with author Virginia Vayna on her tour with Bewitching Book Tours for the paranormal YA novel, "The Hunters and the Queen".

Virginia will award 15 eBook copies of the novel to commenters, so make sure you complete the Rafflecopter entry below.

Virginia answered many of my prying questions -- thanks!

Sum up your book for Twitter: 140 characters or less.

A girl develops into another being as the Sky world calls upon her spirit to help balance the destruction caused by the Order of the Hunters. Her past calls her back.

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

How fun! I can give so much money away! It’s always been a dream to be a grandiose philanthropist. So, I would start with a monthly donation of $15,000 to the Grameen Foundation. The Grameen Foundation works to transform the lives of the poor, and the foundation works to transform the development sector. My monthly donation will provide an ongoing gift to women around the world who are working toward economic self-sufficiency. I would donate on a monthly basis for two-years, then, I would still have money left over to spend elsewhere. I would also help any of my relatives or friends in a financial bind, I would pay off my student loans, and I would further donate money to the ASPCA and to the Humane Society to help animals.

I still have money leftover! With the leftover money, I would most likely install a pretty awesome shower in my bathroom. I would also buy a nifty sink too. Perhaps, hardwood floors in my bathroom and bedroom too? I bet I still have money left to spend; I do! I would further donate money to community parks, so the landscapes stay clean, neat and available for the public to enjoy. With any remaining money, I would take a vacation to Canada and relax in nature.

Favorite pizza toppings?

I love, love, love pizza! Really, I do. The cheesy gooeyness, the soft bread, the deliciously salted crust, and the fresh toppings make this one of my favorite things to eat. As a snack, as breakfast, or as any other part of my day, pizza is a delicious, delicious food. Now, I can get down and dirty and just eat plain cheese pizza; if you want to make it with a 5-cheese blend, I won’t argue. I absolutely crave pineapple, pepperoncini, mushrooms, green peppers and olives on my pie. The sweet, salty, crunchiness blends well with the cheesiness and crunchy crust. I don’t even want to talk when I eat a good slice of pizza, I just want to savor my bites in complete bliss.

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

I like marshmallow, caramel, chocolate, pretzels, nuts and toffee in my vanilla ice cream, but I can’t really find this combination. Do you know of any brands that carry this flavor? I’d love to know. So, if I were to create my own ice cream flavor with all of the above ingredients, then, I would name the flavor- Salty Caramel’s Chocolate Playground. What do you think?

Ideal summer vacation

Any place where I can relax in nature with my family and friends.

Playlist for your current book

I listened to a lot of classical music, dub step, and instrumental music while writing this book. Some songs that I enjoyed are as follows:

(Song, artist, album)

O Fortuna, Deggial, Therion
Requiem (The Fifth), Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Beethoven’s Last Night
Icarus, Mythos, Purity
Carmina Burana, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Night Castle
The Vitamin String Quartet, Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Crystallize, Lindsey Sterling

The Hunters and the Queen
The Element Series-Book One
Virginia Vayna

Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

ISBN: 9781301592753
ASIN: B00BX9H36G

Number of pages: 191
Word Count: 88,176

Cover Artist: Andrei Titus

Amazon  Smashwords   BN   Kobo   Sony  

The main character, Jolán Vajnbirg, is developing into another being. She has a calling from the sky world. A battle is on the horizon.

While working on her studies at the Churchill Military Academy in Kinsburgh, England, Jolán Vajnbirg’s final year at the academy develops into a year of competition, aristocratic love, reincarnated spirits, and a calling from the sky world to help save earth from the death and destruction caused by the Order of the Hunters.

Jolán Vajnbirg is an often reserved, yet occasionally outspoken young woman living in Kinsburgh, England. She has a relatively easy life living in her quiet England town. She has a full-ride swimming scholarship to the Churchill Military Academy. She has a strong mind, she has an athletic body, and she has a loving family and caring friends.

As Jolán embarks upon her final year at the Churchill Academy, her life takes an unexpected turn. She has a quaint encounter with Colemund, the Prince of Gallia Belgica, and the two are literally a universal match created centuries ago. As Jolán begins the last year of her studies, she experiences many changes.

The sky world is steadily preparing Jolán for her future fate. Jolán will need her friends, her strength, and her new development to help her battle the Order of the Hunters. The hunters have upset the universal balance of earth, and the hunters have upset the sky world.

Virginia Vayna was born in Dayton, Ohio. During 1999, she moved to Long Beach, California, where she lived on a sailboat for three-years. She currently holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, and she holds a Master of Social Science. Virginia enjoys writing historical fiction, fantasy, paranormal romance, mystery and YA. Her first book, The Hunters and the Queen, is the first book in her Element series.

http://www.virginiavayna.blogspot.com/

https://twitter.com/VirginiaVayna

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17701767-the-hunters-and-the-queen

https://plus.google.com/102096577799323242566/posts

http://virginiavayna.weebly.com/
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The Prize by Lars D. H. Hedbor - Virtual Tour and Giveaway

Today we're visiting with author Lars D. H. Hedbor on his tour with Goddess Fish Promotions for the historical YA novel, "The Prize".

Lars will award one $25 Amazon gift card given to one random commenter at the end of the tour, so comment today AND follow his tour! The more you read and comment, the better your odds of winning. The rest of his tour stops are here.

Lars answered many of my prying questions -- thanks!

Sum up your book for Twitter: 140 characters or less.

Growing up during the American Revolution in Vermont, Caleb's actions will shape the direction of his life - and the fate of a nation.

What did you want to be when you grew up? Why?

I hoped to enter the space program, but that dream died with the Challenger crew. Growing up with a mother who was a journalist, in a house with more books in it than the school library, I always pretty well knew that I'd be a writer, myself.

Favorite class in high school. Why?

Although I loved languages and mathematics, and never got better than middling grades in it, I'd have to say that my chemistry and biology classes were my favorites. Learning how the building blocks of the universe come together to form everything from rocks to grass to human beings, and how marvelous the inner workings of all of these are, gave me a sense of the incredible complexity that is there to find by examining any everyday object in our lives.

What would you write in a letter to your teen self?

I think I'd tell that young man that things are both harder and easier than he expects, and that the road ahead is enriched with countless moments of joy, each worth pausing to cherish and appreciate. More than anything else, I'd advise him to never take for granted the people he loves, for change is constant, and life is short.

What books were your favorite as a youth and why?

Like so many before me and after me, I devoured the classic Hardy Boys mysteries, and when I exhausted those, the Nancy Drew series was a natural supplement. It wasn't too long after that that I discovered H. G. Wells' classic science fiction, and then began reading Robert Heinlein.

What book is on your nightstand currently?

I tend to read a number of books simultaneously, so it's a stack of books. At the moment, I'm in the middle of Lost Moon, written by the commander of the Apollo 13 crew, Ghost Stories, by Jim Butcher, which I'm trying to read before my wife gives me too many spoilers, and The Arts & Crafts in New England, 1704-1775, which is an old compilation of newspaper articles concerning artisans of the Colonial period. On my Nook, I'm re-reading Patrick O'Brien's Master and Commander, for the pure joy of reading some of the finest historical fiction ever set to paper.

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

Wow, tough choice. I think I'd love to spend an evening with Robert Heinlein's recurring character Lazarus Long, a man who has lived for four thousand years, explored the galaxy, and come to know himself better than perhaps anyone else in history.

I'd also really enjoy meeting Patrick O'Brien's famous partnership of Captain Jack Aubrey and Doctor Stephen Maturin, whose exploits during the Napoleonic Wars in the service of the British Navy touched on most of the seagoing events of that era.

Finally, Carl Sagan's character Ellie Arroway, from his novel Contact, whose single-minded devotion to the pursuit of science helped her to discover the lasting value of her own humanity in understanding the makeup of the universe.

Which of your own characters would you most like to meet IRL? Why?

Of all the characters I've written, Captain Mallett in The Prize is the most fascinating to me. I intended that he have no more than a passing mention, but as soon as he made an appearance in the story, this forceful and entertaining personality strode to the center of the stage and insisted on being heard.

His past as a French pirate in the mid-eighteenth century Caribbean is hinted at in the historical record, but his crusty nature and his irreverent approach to life, along with his overwhelming competence at the things he needed to do, all make him tremendously compelling.

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

 I'm travelling, and bringing my kids to see the country - and the world. I could easily spent years driving across this amazing country of ours, and really getting a sense of its unique strengths, as well as its incredible natural beauty and riches.

After that, exploring our roots in Sweden, Germany and England, and seeing some of the great places of the world, and really delving into the history that's shaped our present day would probably help me to exhaust the remainder of this boon. It's a great, fun daydream to consider!

Thank you so much for hosting me in my blog tour - it's been a pleasure answering your questions. I do hope that your visitors will give my novel a read, and let me know what they think of it. I'll also be glad to answer any questions that they may pose in comments here.

Thanks again!

Caleb's father is serving with Ethan Allen's Green Mountain Boys as the long-anticipated open war against the British rages up and down the length of Lake Champlain. Between his duties on the family farm and constant worry about his father's safety, the young man's attentions are already fully occupied when a fateful encounter with an unlikely neighbor changes everything. Pulled into new intrigues and new friendships, Caleb finds himself on a path that changes his life - and which will affect the outcome of the whole war.

Enjoy an excerpt:

Mallett did not bother to saddle his horse, but merely put the bit in the stallion's mouth, and pulled himself up on its back. He called out to Caleb, "Here, you ride behind me. Louis is a strong horse, certainly a good deal stronger than his namesake on the throne in Versailles." Both Mallett and the horse snorted, and Mallett added, "The horse is smarter, too."

Caleb smiled and took Mallett's proffered hand to clamber up behind the older man. Scowling now at the still-pealing bell, Mallett growled, "Hold tight, lad, we're going to ride hard." Since he did not want to slide over the horse's rump and find himself suddenly sitting on the road, Caleb heeded Mallett's advice, clamping his hands around the rider's wiry sides.

With a nod, Mallett snapped the reins, and kicked the horse into a smooth, speedy pace over the ground. By the time they pulled up before the blockhouse, where a crowd had gathered, the bell had stopped pealing, but MacGregor stood at the top of the steps, reading loudly from a broadside.

Captain Mallett and Caleb dismounted, and Mallett tied up his horse before they joined the crowd, coming into earshot of the general store proprietor.

"…when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security."

As he drew breath, the man beside Caleb whispered excitedly, "'Tis a declaration of independence for the colonies from the Crown, passed by the Congress this week past!" Caleb's eyebrows went up, and even Mallett seemed surprised, pursing his lips thoughtfully and nodding to himself.

Lars D. H. Hedbor is an amateur historian, homebrewer, astronomer, fiddler, linguist and baker. His fascination with the central question of how the populace of the American Colonies made the transition from being subjects of the Crown to being citizens of the Republic drives him to tell the stories of those people. Hedbor resides in the Pacific Northwest with his wife and five daughters, and is hard at work on the next novel in the Tales From a Revolution series.

Web: http://LarsDHHedbor.com
Twitter: @LarsDHHedbor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Lars.D.H.Hedbor


"Wonderful! Lars Hedbor has magnificently captured the zeitgeist of Colonial Vermont! He seamlessly blends his tale with the events of the American Revolution in the Champlain Valley!" - Daniel O'Neil, Executive Director, Ethan Allen Homestead Museum

Chinese Heritage Tale Tour by Camille Picott - Review tour and giveaway

This review is done in conjunction with the author's tour with Goddess Fish Promotions. Camille will be awarding an autographed Raggedy Chan bookmark to every commenter; a Chinese Heritage Tale illustration signed by the author and illustrator to two randomly drawn commenters during the tour, and a grand prize of a Limited Edition Raggedy Chan Doll to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour via a Rafflecopter drawing at the end of this post. If you want more chances to win, visit the rest of her tour stops here.

I opted to read and review "Raggedy Chan".

Raggedy Chan by Camille Picott
Middle Grade Fairy Tale
44 pages
4 stars

Emma Chan-McDougal receives a special gift from her Auntie Gracie: a rag doll named Raggedy Chan. But Raggedy Chan is no ordinary doll. She is a beautiful Chinese princess who lives in a jasper palace on the enchanted isle of Kunlun. The peace of her island home is threatened when Drought Fury steals Winged Dragon, bringer of rain. Without Winged Dragon, Kunlun will wither and die.

To save her stricken homeland, Raggedy Chan sets forth alone. Her quest leads her to America, where she meets people who distrust her because she’s different. Can Raggedy Chan adapt to the strange ways of this new land and rescue her beloved dragon?

In this modern fairy tale, Chinese-American author Camille Picott draws on her heritage to weave a story of magic, adventure, and sacrifice.

My Review: This short chapter book grew out of the stories the author heard growing up from her family members--and offers quite a bit of depth so both children and their parents can enjoy the book. The legend of the princess is told with a richness of language and description--while the present day story that serves as the framework for it is told in simpler, more basic language.

Emma is half-Chinese, half-American, but clearly identifies mostly with her American heritage...that is until her mother's Auntie Gracie comes to stay with Emma while her mom goes back to work. She's on a one-woman mission to introduce Emma to the Chinese part of her heritage by teaching her to eat with chopsticks, play mahjong, create wontons and at the same time she shares with her a fable about the difficulties people have in coming to a new land.

I believe this book would be a good one for parents and children to read together--and can lead to some good discussions about how to treat people that are different. Though marketed as a middle grade book, I think it would be more enjoyed by 6-8 year olds--again, with their parents.

Now enjoy an excerpt:

“What do you have in there?” Emma eyed the large canvas bag hanging from Auntie Gracie’s shoulder.

Auntie Gracie smiled. “I show you. Come sit on couch.”

Emma scrambled up, pulling the red-haired rag doll into her lap. Auntie Gracie sat beside her, picking up the doll.

“This your favorite toy?”

“It’s from Grandma McDougal,” Emma said. “She had a raggedy doll just like this one when she was a little girl.”

Auntie Gracie pursed her lips and placed the doll on the coffee table. She reached into the canvas bag and pulled out a new rag doll. The yarn pigtails hung long and black. She wore a bright red dress and a white smock. Her black eyes, stitched of thread, had a distinct almond shape.

“She for you.” Auntie Gracie plopped the new doll into Emma’s lap. “Her name Raggedy Chan.”

“Raggedy Chan?” Emma burst into giggles, hugging the doll to her chest. “Wasn’t that Mommy’s last name before she married Daddy?”

Auntie Gracie nodded. “You like her?”

“I love her.”

“I tell you about Raggedy Chan. She from China, like me. You like to hear how she come to America?”

“Oh, yes, please.” Emma snuggled up next to Auntie Gracie, pulling a throw blanket over her legs. “I love stories.” She cuddled Raggedy Chan. Her other raggedy doll lay facedown and forgotten on the coffee table.

Auntie Gracie arranged part of the blanket over her own legs. “One time, far away, there mountain kingdom called Kunlun . . .”

Camille Picott is a fifth-generation Chinese American. She writes science fiction and fantasy books with Asian characters and/or Asian settings. Camille grew up reading speculative fiction stories largely devoid of Asian characters and culture. This, coupled with a passion for her heritage, is the reason she strives to bring some aspect of Eastern myth, legend, culture, and ethnicity to all of her writings.

Website: www.camillepicott.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/camille.picott

Twitter: https://twitter.com/camillepicott or @camillepicott

You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/camillepicott

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/camillepicott


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Cover Reveal: Resisting Fate by Heather Van Fleet

Title: Resisting Fate

Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Romance

Release Day: June 14^th 2013

Publisher: Sunshine Press

Seventeen-year-old Emmy O’Connell is the epitome of a hot mess.

Her boyfriend’s been shipped out of town to some boarding school four states away. Her step douche is constantly drunk and badgering her. And then there’s her good-ole-mom… The lady is nothing more than a miserable shell of a woman. She’s turned off all of her feelings and her ability to be a good mother as well, leaving poor Emmy and her four year old brother Jamie to suffer. Life couldn’t get much worse, right?

 Enter the elusive, cocky, and oh-so-broody Jack Hartman…

The jerk cousin of her boyfriend becomes Emmy’s worst nightmare…times ten. He’s cruel. He’s insensitive. But he also has this strange little ability over her – he makes her weak in the knees with the single touch of his hand. But no matter how miserable or amazing Jack makes her feel, Emmy can’t seem to deny him, especially when he takes on the role of her protector –her pseudo-knight in a black leather coat. A knight who also just so happens to ride in on his black Harley, instead of a white horse…

And to make a bad situation worse…

Werewolves and teens shouldn’t mix! But what can Emmy do when she finds herself thrown head first into the center of it all? Can she handle the supernatural mess her life rapidly becomes or will she fight against the inevitable fate her heart desires?

Website   Goodreads   Facebook

About the author:

Heather Van Fleet currently reside in northern Illinois, with her three little ladies, and fabulous hubby, and high school sweetheart, Chris. She’s a stay at home mom by day, and an avid and completely obsessive writer and reader by night.

She’s always had a soft spot in her heart for books, and has been creating her own little stories since the age of seven. But she never really had the confidence or the time to actually sit down and really do something about it until her youngest daughter Isabella was born just two years ago. Bella, as well as her older sisters Kelsey and Emma, are and always will be her greatest inspirations.

Paranormal Properties by Tracy Lane - virtual tour and giveaway

Please welcome author Tracy Lane on her tour with Bewitching Book Tours today for her Paranormal YA, Paranormal Properties.

She's offering a tour wide giveaway (US only) of:

4 signed print books and sets of 2 trading cards
6 sets of two trading cards

See the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post to enter.

Thanks for stopping by and answering some of my questions!

Why YA (or Middle Grade) fiction? What draws you to it?

I started out reading Middle Grade and YA books. I just never graduated myself out of them. I love the worlds that were created and the people that lived in them. I would sit and daydream that I was a part of that world and writing the stories makes me a part of it.

What would you write in a letter to your teen self?

Dear Self,

You are doing what you are meant to do. Keep reading and daydreaming, one day you will create the worlds you love to read and others will be loving the worlds you create in your stories. Do not doubt yourself, I am you. Would I steer you wrong?

Coal or candy in your Christmas stocking? Why?

Both. I can be both good and bad at the same time so why not get both at the same time? I hope the candy is wrapped.

What book is on your nightstand currently?

The Life of Pi. I watched the movie and was intrigued! Now I have to read the book. I usually do it the other way but I wasn’t even aware there was a book until after I saw the movie.

Hunger Games or Twilight? Why?

I loved them both but I would have to say Hunger Games. I see myself more as Katniss. I am a protector of my family. I would be the one to step up to save someone I love.

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

Storage Wars. I absolutely love that show! I would have fun hanging with them, especially Barry, he sure is a character!

Favorite TV show from your childhood?

Scooby Doo. I lived for their adventures and mysteries. Shaggy and Scooby were my favorites and still are. When I visit Universal Studios I always look for the Van so I can see Scooby and Shaggy. My book is like a Scooby Doo story.

Ideal summer vacation.

That would have to be spending a whole summer in Hawaii. There are so many stories there and cultural differences I know I could leave being very inspired for new stories. Not to mention it is a beautiful place and wonderful people!

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

That would have to be Frank Barrone. He is handsome! And since I love music he can sing to me. And him being a ghost does not matter to me, I can do anything silly I want and he won’t be able to tell anyone. The perfect companion while deserted on an island.

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

An island with as many supplies as I can buy! Island with houses and piers are going pretty cheap. I can spend $750,000 on the island and the rest on boats and supplies. I’d buy a few survival books and make a go at living there. It would be the perfect place to write my books.

Paranormal Properties Paranormal Properties Book OneTracy Lane
Genre:  YA Paranormal
Publisher:  Pants on Fire Press
ISBN:  978-0982727171ASIN:  B00BMHF6X6
Number of pages:   192Word Count:   33,000
Book Trailer:   http://youtu.be/NwIoLYHHznU
Amazon Print   Kindle   

Book Description:
Jake Weir, while on the set of his parents ghost hunting TV show, agrees to help a ghost investigate a 61 year-old murder.

Jake Weir is not like the other kids in Dusk, North Carolina. Then again, Dusk, North Carolina is not like other cities. Known as one of the most haunted cities in America, behind Salem, Massachusetts and New Orleans, Louisiana, Dusk is ground zero for Jake's ghost hunting parents.

The Weir family has arrived in Dusk eager to scope out some of the town's 127 reported "paranormal properties," which just happens to be the name of their own ghost hunting show: Paranormal Properties. What Jake doesn't know, and what his parents could never imagine, is that Jake can see ghosts! And hear them. And talk back to them! This talent comes in handy when he runs into Dusk's oldest, most famous ghost: one Frank Barrone, a one-time lounge singer made famous by his booze-soaked ballad, "Barroom Eyes."

Frank was gunned down by a local mobster in 1951 and has been searching for his killer ever since. When he learns that Jake can see and hear him, Frank makes young Jake a deal: if Jake will help Frank find his killer, Frank will help his parents find a ghost to film for their upcoming Halloween Special on Public Access Channel #319. Jake enlists the only friend he's made in Dusk, an overweight tomboy nicknamed "Tank," to help him track down Frank's killer. As clues emerge and old leads heat up, Frank and Jake learn they make quite a team. But will Jake find Frank's killer? And will Frank find a real haunted house in time for Halloween?

 “Paranormal Properties is a great, family-friendly Young Adult novel about a boy who can talk to ghosts. Equal parts Scooby-Doo, CSI and the Hardy Boys, you will enjoy getting to know Jake, Frank and Tank as much as I did. Now, if only ‘Paranormal Properties’ was a real show I could watch on TV every week…” ~ Rusty Fischer, author of Zombies Don’t Cry

Enjoy an Excerpt:

“Silas…”

The voice was eerie, barely above a whisper. Jake paused, his sneaker poised above a grave as he stood in the middle of Dusk Cemetery.

It was nearly midnight and he’d grabbed the wrong flashlight before sneaking out of his bedroom window. It had run out of juice halfway through the graveyard, and he’d been blindly stumbling around ever since.

The moon was full, but it was frequently obscured by heavy cloud cover and he had to wait until another patch moved through to see very well.

He wasn’t scared, so much. Jake had a special relationship with graveyards, and this was far from his first time at the rodeo. Still, it was the first time a headstone had ever talked to him.

The voice grew louder. 

“Silas…”

It was a female voice, sounding dark in a way a ghost might: dark and deep and frosty.

He risked another step, letting the moonlight guide his path. It was a big cemetery, and well-maintained as cemeteries go. There were headstones everywhere, some leaning, some taller than Jake.

“Silas…”

Jake turned to the left to follow the sound. It was coming from a massive tombstone two feet taller than he was, and three feet wider. He pointed the flashlight at it, but the beacon was dim, even after he banged it three times on the palm of his hand.

Then, suddenly, it lit, falling upon the dead soul’s name: “Rose Colder.”

It was there on the grave stone, but the flashlight flickered out just before he could read the dates. 

“Silas…” came the eerie voice again, so close he could hear the ghost’s lips smacking.

But, wait. Did ghosts really have lips to smack?

Jake parted his own lips and spoke for the first time since walking into the graveyard. “R-R-Rose?”

He hadn’t meant to stutter, but he couldn’t help it. He heard a rasp, or a cough, and then the crunch of dry leaves behind the headstone. 

“Silas?” was the reply, and then the rustling of cheap plastic against flesh. The clouds broke, the moon shone down, and a giant, yellow monster reared from behind the headstone, smiling.

Smiling?

“Gotcha!” said the beast, in a boastful, girlish voice. It was a girl, a giant girl, a living girl in a big, yellow raincoat.

“W— who are you?” Jake stammered, trying to hold his ground. He had to look up a good four inches to see her face.

Her eyes glittered beneath her short, greasy hair. She was heavy, but with her big smile and that cheerful way about her, she looked more nice than scary.

“I’m Tank,” she said proudly, inching closer to him with big black and white sneakers crunching over dry, dead leaves. “Who are you?”

“Jake Weir,” he said, relieved he didn’t stammer that time. “And who…who’s Silas?”

“Don’t you know?” she asked, sitting down on one of the large marble slabs that surrounded Rose Colder’s grave. She patted the one next to him, and he sat, too.

He didn’t know why, but even in a graveyard, even after pranking him in her big, yellow raincoat that made her look like a linebacker for an NFL team, this “Tank” girl didn’t scare him.

Much.

“No,” he replied.

Tank frowned. “Rose Colder,” she explained, “snuck out at midnight to meet her boyfriend, Silas Miner, in this very cemetery over a hundred years ago. But Silas’s Dad didn’t approve of his son dating a commoner, so he kept Silas from seeing her and sent a couple of local thugs to teach Rose a lesson. When the thugs showed up, Rose fought back…and lost. They buried her here, and legend has it that every night, at midnight, she rises from her grave to take revenge on the men who ended her life.”

“So…so that’s why you were calling me Silas?” 

Tank nodded, and then slugged him on the shoulder. “What are you doing here, anyway?” Jake shrugged. He didn’t really want to tell her.

She pulled a flashlight from her raincoat pocket and flicked it on, right in his eyes. “Hey!” He held up a hand to shield his face.

“Wait, hold up.” Tank pointed the beam up. “What’s that on your hat?”

Jake blushed. He’d grabbed the hat at the last minute, not thinking about it. He had so many of them, and they all looked alike: black ball cap, neon green writing that spelled “Paranormal Properties.”

“You…you work for that TV show? The ghost hunting one?”

“You know about it?” Jake was surprised. They’d just gotten into town, and his parents hadn’t even filmed an episode here yet. That’s what he was doing out in the graveyard at midnight, trying to find something extra special for a new episode.

Of course, they’d kill him if they found out, but he figured it would be worth it if they finally got more than a handful of people to watch.

“Know about it?” Tank shouted. “I watch it every week! You know, the live feed on the web page. We don’t have any local channels that play it.”

Jake beamed in appreciation. “Cool,” he said.

“So,” Tank urged, nudging his knee with her own. He noticed she was wearing plaid pants under her yellow rain coat. “Do you work for it or what?”

“My Mom is the host. My Dad is the cameraman.”

Tank gasped and shoved Jake with each word. “No. Way! Get. Out. Of. Town!” 

She stopped shoving him and stood up instead, yanking him by the sleeve of his T-shirt. Dragging him from the cemetery, she said, “I love your Mom. You have to tell me all about her.”

“Where are we going?” he asked, finally regaining use of his feet and catching up to her. 

She saw him at her side, looked down and let him go. “There’s a diner around the corner, open all night. I’m buying you a hot fudge sundae and you’re going to tell me all about what it’s like to have famous parents.”

“Famous?” he chuckled as he followed her past the cemetery gate. His Mongoose bike was sitting there, dry and rusty, just where he’d left it.

“Sure thing.” She reached behind some bushes and lifted out a green ten speed with just one hand. 

They mounted their bikes and, now that he was looking for it, Jake saw the neon sign for the Dusk Diner just around the corner. Yet, something was still bugging him. “Hey,” he said, “what were you doing in the graveyard at midnight?”

Tank shrugged. “Couldn’t sleep.”

“So you went to a cemetery?”

She  shrugged again, pedaling off. While struggling to catch up, Jake heard her say, “Hey, I met you, didn’t I?”

About the Author:

I was fascinated with the paranormal when I was very young. I always felt like someone was around me even when I was alone. It caused me to be inspired to write a paranormal book where a teenager can see and hear ghosts and actually makes friends with one.

I use to love to write short stories in school and always wanted to be a writer. But raising children and working jobs I just could not find the time to indulge my passion. Then my children grew up and I ended up having two teenagers at home who did not need as much attention from me. I started toying with the idea of writing once again. So setting aside 5 to 10 minutes per day to write at least one page I could end up with a book a year. Now Paranormal Properties is published and I have a list of 8 more books to write. I don't think I"ll be slowing down anytime soon.

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