E.J. Stevens's Blog, page 44
June 8, 2014
Release Day Launch Party, Book Excerpt + Giveaway: Descent by Kallie Ross
Today we are celebrating the release of DESCENT by Kallie Ross with a book excerpt and a giveaway!
Keep reading for a chance to win Amazon Gift Cards!
Descent by Kallie Ross.
Seventeen year old Ollie Miller is ready to leave all of her hurt feelings behind, but moving on seems impossible while living next door to her ex-best friend, Mateo. When curious earthquakes begin to shake and rip open the foundation of her small town, the ground becomes as unsteady as her feelings for him. When they fall, they fall hard…
Ollie’s disastrous attempt to save Mateo’s brother from falling into a curious chasm results in their descent into a cavernous wonderland. Ollie, Mateo, Jesse, and Alexis search for a way back home, and encounter a mysterious tribe of natives. Gabriel, the next in line to lead his people, is granted permission to guide them to the surface. On their treacherous journey, an overzealous elder threatens all of their lives, because he can’t risk them exposing his people, or the power he wields. The group discovers ancient secrets, unexpected truths, and uncharted feelings. Ollie must find a way out or risk being stuck in the caves forever—or worse, dead.
Release Date: June 9, 2014
Genre: Young Adult
Add to Goodreads.
Book Excerpt
Using the widget below, read the first 5 chapters of Descent by Kallie Ross for FREE!
Descent (Chapters 1-5)
Descent Launch Party Giveaway
The author is giving away a $50 and a $25 Amazon Gift Card!
To enter, please use the easy peasy Rafflecopter form below. This giveaway is open to the US and Canada. This is a tour giveaway, therefore winners will be selected by the author Kallie Ross or the tour coordinator InkSlinger PR.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Good luck!
Keep reading for a chance to win Amazon Gift Cards!
Descent by Kallie Ross.
Seventeen year old Ollie Miller is ready to leave all of her hurt feelings behind, but moving on seems impossible while living next door to her ex-best friend, Mateo. When curious earthquakes begin to shake and rip open the foundation of her small town, the ground becomes as unsteady as her feelings for him. When they fall, they fall hard…
Ollie’s disastrous attempt to save Mateo’s brother from falling into a curious chasm results in their descent into a cavernous wonderland. Ollie, Mateo, Jesse, and Alexis search for a way back home, and encounter a mysterious tribe of natives. Gabriel, the next in line to lead his people, is granted permission to guide them to the surface. On their treacherous journey, an overzealous elder threatens all of their lives, because he can’t risk them exposing his people, or the power he wields. The group discovers ancient secrets, unexpected truths, and uncharted feelings. Ollie must find a way out or risk being stuck in the caves forever—or worse, dead.
Release Date: June 9, 2014
Genre: Young Adult
Add to Goodreads.
Book Excerpt
Using the widget below, read the first 5 chapters of Descent by Kallie Ross for FREE!
Descent (Chapters 1-5)
Descent Launch Party Giveaway
The author is giving away a $50 and a $25 Amazon Gift Card!
To enter, please use the easy peasy Rafflecopter form below. This giveaway is open to the US and Canada. This is a tour giveaway, therefore winners will be selected by the author Kallie Ross or the tour coordinator InkSlinger PR.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Good luck!
June 5, 2014
Q+A with Michele Drier (The Kandesky Vampire Chronicles)
Please welcome today's paranormal guest author Michele Drier! Michele is the author of the Amy Hobbes series (Edited for Death, Labeled for Death) and The Kandesky Vampire Chronicles (SNAP: The World Unfolds, SNAP: New Talent, Plague: A Love Story, DANUBE: A Tale of Murder, SNAP: Love for Blood, SNAP: Happily Ever After, SNAP: White Nights).
Q+A with Michele Drier
EJ: When did you begin writing?
Michele: I’m not even sure. I’ve always loved to read and during my career as a journalist, had bits, scraps, notes and a partial manuscript in my desk drawer. About 35 years ago I entered a partial in the Jackson-Phelan Young California Writer contest. It was a story of growing up surrounded by aging ladies and learning to find one’s self in the world.
I didn’t win anything because that was the year that Anne Rice won for Interview with the Vampire. At the time, I didn’t realize it was karma, a weird seismic alignment, some kind of strange fate. And no, I didn’t start writing paranormal until 2011.
EJ: What brought you to the paranormal genre?
Michele: My daughter and son-in-law. I was happy because I’d just contracted for my first book, a traditional mystery. Like almost every writer, I had a file folder full of rejections from agents and publishers and the contract from the small press was validation that I wasn’t the crazy cat lady down the block!
After jumping up and down and shouting for a few hours, I called my daughter and her husband. He said, “Why don’t you write a vampire novel? Nobody reads mysteries.”
He was wrong about mysteries, but right about vampires. Once I began the stories of the Kandesky vampires, I was hooked.
The Kandeskys are a 500-year-old group of vampires from Hungary who slowly added members as they amassed a fortune in business and trade. They accumulated wealth until today, in the 21st century, they own SNAP, a multinational conglomerate built on celebrity gossip. There are nightly TV shows in North America, South America and all over Europe and a weekly magazine published in twenty languages.
Kandesky Holdings own other businesses as well, but SNAP provides the bulk of their income, now putting them among the richest in the Western world.
They’re urbane, sexy, work hard and play hard and I’m excited to get up in the morning and join them in their world. It’s a whole lot more fun than doing laundry and mopping floors and feeding the cat!
EJ: If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?
Michele: That’s difficult. All paranormals have assets and drawbacks. I think I’d like to be a vampire because I’d heal faster, never gain weight and be around for a long time to find out what happens! Then again, living for centuries could get tiring.
EJ: Tell us why readers will enjoy your new release.
Michele: My newest release, SNAP: White Nights, introduces a new couple, Jazz and Nik, and helps Maxie make a decision. Maxie is a regular, the Managing Editor of SNAP magazines. She falls for Jean-Louis, the art director who is also second-in-command of the Kandesky family of vampires. He wants to marry her and turn her, but she can’t give up sunshine, the beach and good food.
In SNAP: White Nights, Jean-Louis and Nik, the third-in-command of the family, finally lure the last of their rival family, the Huszars, to death and Maxie finds peace. But the heat’s increasing for Nik and Jazz, the woman who took over Maxie’s job at SNAP when Maxie moved to Europe to be with Jean-Louis.
Will Maxie agree to marry Jean-Louis and be turned to a vampire? Will Jazz give up her Southern California life and sunlight to stay with Nik, a vampire and arms dealer who spends his time in the shadowy black and grey markets of weapons trading?
Fans and reviewers have called SNAP: White Nights, Book Seven of The Kandesky Vampire Chronicles, the best of the series so far.
EJ: If your book(s) were being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles? Why?
Michele: Ian Somerhalder as Jean-Louis
Amy Adams as Maxie
Valorie Curry as Jazz
Paul Wesley as Nik
The Kandeskys are beautiful, mesmerizing creatures, most of whom were turned in their late twenties and early thirties. They’re grown-ups who have seen centuries of history and learned to grow and adapt with the times.
The actors should be mature enough to carry that sense of history, but the women, who are regulars and professionals, need to still have some naiveté when they run into vampires and danger.
SNAP: White Nights (The Kandesky Vampire Chronicles #7) by Michele Drier.
Nik, the third-in-command of the Hungarian Kandesky vampire family, has been handling the family's interests in Czech munition factories for upwards of four hundred years. He's been a contented bachelor, throwing himself into business until Jazz strolls into his life. Jazz is Maxie Gwenoch's successor as the managing editor for SNAP, the international celeb gossip magazine, another Kandesky company. Maxie, Nik, Jazz and Jean-Louis, the Kandesky second-in-command, are headed to Moscow to assess the business potential for a SNAP Russian bureau, until an old enemy shows up. Set against the tensions between Ukraine and Russia, the short Russian nights teach Maxie to cherish her time with Jean-Louis while Jazz faces her own questions about loving a vampire.
Release date: March 17, 2014
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Add to Goodreads.
Thank you Michele for joining us here today at From the Shadows!
To learn more about Michele Drier and her books, please visit her website.
Q+A with Michele Drier
EJ: When did you begin writing?
Michele: I’m not even sure. I’ve always loved to read and during my career as a journalist, had bits, scraps, notes and a partial manuscript in my desk drawer. About 35 years ago I entered a partial in the Jackson-Phelan Young California Writer contest. It was a story of growing up surrounded by aging ladies and learning to find one’s self in the world.
I didn’t win anything because that was the year that Anne Rice won for Interview with the Vampire. At the time, I didn’t realize it was karma, a weird seismic alignment, some kind of strange fate. And no, I didn’t start writing paranormal until 2011.
EJ: What brought you to the paranormal genre?
Michele: My daughter and son-in-law. I was happy because I’d just contracted for my first book, a traditional mystery. Like almost every writer, I had a file folder full of rejections from agents and publishers and the contract from the small press was validation that I wasn’t the crazy cat lady down the block!
After jumping up and down and shouting for a few hours, I called my daughter and her husband. He said, “Why don’t you write a vampire novel? Nobody reads mysteries.”
He was wrong about mysteries, but right about vampires. Once I began the stories of the Kandesky vampires, I was hooked.
The Kandeskys are a 500-year-old group of vampires from Hungary who slowly added members as they amassed a fortune in business and trade. They accumulated wealth until today, in the 21st century, they own SNAP, a multinational conglomerate built on celebrity gossip. There are nightly TV shows in North America, South America and all over Europe and a weekly magazine published in twenty languages.
Kandesky Holdings own other businesses as well, but SNAP provides the bulk of their income, now putting them among the richest in the Western world.
They’re urbane, sexy, work hard and play hard and I’m excited to get up in the morning and join them in their world. It’s a whole lot more fun than doing laundry and mopping floors and feeding the cat!
EJ: If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?
Michele: That’s difficult. All paranormals have assets and drawbacks. I think I’d like to be a vampire because I’d heal faster, never gain weight and be around for a long time to find out what happens! Then again, living for centuries could get tiring.
EJ: Tell us why readers will enjoy your new release.
Michele: My newest release, SNAP: White Nights, introduces a new couple, Jazz and Nik, and helps Maxie make a decision. Maxie is a regular, the Managing Editor of SNAP magazines. She falls for Jean-Louis, the art director who is also second-in-command of the Kandesky family of vampires. He wants to marry her and turn her, but she can’t give up sunshine, the beach and good food.
In SNAP: White Nights, Jean-Louis and Nik, the third-in-command of the family, finally lure the last of their rival family, the Huszars, to death and Maxie finds peace. But the heat’s increasing for Nik and Jazz, the woman who took over Maxie’s job at SNAP when Maxie moved to Europe to be with Jean-Louis.
Will Maxie agree to marry Jean-Louis and be turned to a vampire? Will Jazz give up her Southern California life and sunlight to stay with Nik, a vampire and arms dealer who spends his time in the shadowy black and grey markets of weapons trading?
Fans and reviewers have called SNAP: White Nights, Book Seven of The Kandesky Vampire Chronicles, the best of the series so far.
EJ: If your book(s) were being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles? Why?
Michele: Ian Somerhalder as Jean-Louis
Amy Adams as Maxie
Valorie Curry as Jazz
Paul Wesley as Nik
The Kandeskys are beautiful, mesmerizing creatures, most of whom were turned in their late twenties and early thirties. They’re grown-ups who have seen centuries of history and learned to grow and adapt with the times.
The actors should be mature enough to carry that sense of history, but the women, who are regulars and professionals, need to still have some naiveté when they run into vampires and danger.
SNAP: White Nights (The Kandesky Vampire Chronicles #7) by Michele Drier.
Nik, the third-in-command of the Hungarian Kandesky vampire family, has been handling the family's interests in Czech munition factories for upwards of four hundred years. He's been a contented bachelor, throwing himself into business until Jazz strolls into his life. Jazz is Maxie Gwenoch's successor as the managing editor for SNAP, the international celeb gossip magazine, another Kandesky company. Maxie, Nik, Jazz and Jean-Louis, the Kandesky second-in-command, are headed to Moscow to assess the business potential for a SNAP Russian bureau, until an old enemy shows up. Set against the tensions between Ukraine and Russia, the short Russian nights teach Maxie to cherish her time with Jean-Louis while Jazz faces her own questions about loving a vampire.
Release date: March 17, 2014
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Add to Goodreads.
Thank you Michele for joining us here today at From the Shadows!
To learn more about Michele Drier and her books, please visit her website.
June 3, 2014
Q+A with Yolanda Sfetsos (Torn from the Shadows)
Please welcome today's paranormal guest author Yolanda Sfetsos! Yolanda is the author of the Alyce Kerr series (Faithless, Careless, Boundless, Sinful, Relentless) and the Sierra Fox series (A Patch of Darkness, Split at the Seams, On Pins and Needles, Torn from the Shadows).
Q+A with Yolanda Sfetsos
EJ: When did you begin writing?
Yolanda: I started writing in my early teens because the stories I kept daydreaming about and making up inside my head wanted to get out. So I picked up a pen, grabbed some paper and started writing. I haven’t looked back since. :)
EJ: What brought you to the paranormal genre?
Yolanda: I’ve always had an interest in the paranormal. I’m a huge horror fan from way back. I love the endless possibilities hidden in the shadows, and I’m fascinated by monsters, myths and legends. But most of all, I love writing about them. I enjoy setting them loose in our contemporary world.
All things supernatural enhance the reading and writing experience.
EJ: If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?
Yolanda: Oh, that’s a great question! I’m not sure I’d like to actually be one of them, though it would be cool to turn into an animal and be able to experience the world through their eyes… Nah, I think I would prefer to be friendly with a variety of supernatural creatures. So I could learn about their ways and learn about their origins.
But, I would love to be able to communicate without speaking. I think psychic phenomena is so fascinating.
EJ: Tell us why readers will enjoy your new release.
Yolanda: Well, if you’ve read the first three books in my Sierra Fox series, then you’ll enjoy catching up with Sierra & the Gang, to find out where her story leads six months after the events of ON PINS AND NEEDLES. And if you haven’t, you’ll be interested because even though there are vampires, pookas, demons, and phantasms in this installment…this is my werewolf book. ;)
On a serious note, if you like reading urban fantasy you might be interested because these books feature a spook catcher heroine who can see and interact with the dead, secondary characters that will have you wanting to know more about their story, a bunch of family secrets, and some pretty dark situations. It’s also set in an alternate version of Sydney, Australia.
EJ: If your book(s) were being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles? Why?
Yolanda: Firstly, that would be awesome! So, if my Sierra Fox series was being turned into a movie I would love to see fresh-faced actors cast in the roles of all my characters. But while researching and looking for inspiration for the characters in this world, I thought Sophia Bush was very close to how I imagined Sierra Fox. And Josh Holloway was the inspiration for Jason Papan.
These two actors captured so many of the physical traits that I had in mind.
Torn from the Shadows (Sierra Fox #4) by Yolanda Sfetsos.
All it takes is one goddess-affiliated demon to seal the deal.
Sierra Fox knows better than to believe the demon-obsessed freakshow has given up on her. She s settled into a nice routine of living with her sister, enjoying her relationship with a sexy werewolf, and staying on top of work and always waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Predictably, things start falling apart as she s suddenly swamped with surprise visits and unwanted advances, and someone she despises wants her help.
When a spook-catching training session goes horribly wrong, she encounters a man who s not quite as dead as she d hoped. Mace is now more than human and still determined to get his hands on her. But not if Sierra accepts the strengthening gifts her grandmother bestowed at her birth.
Having the good guys put a price on her head is enough to ruin anyone s day, but Sierra refuses to give up or give in. Even if it means exercising the last option on earth she wants. But claiming the ultimate power may not be enough to save the man she loves before his werewolf past destroys him.
Warning: Phantasms, pookas, werewolves, and demons, "oh yes! " And a spook-catching heroine who must choose to take what s rightfully hers even if it means walking the shadows with a demon.
Release Date: April 22, 2014
Genre: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
Add to Goodreads.
Thank you Yolanda for joining us here today at From the Shadows!
To learn more about Yolanda Sfetsos and her books, please visit her website.
Q+A with Yolanda Sfetsos
EJ: When did you begin writing?
Yolanda: I started writing in my early teens because the stories I kept daydreaming about and making up inside my head wanted to get out. So I picked up a pen, grabbed some paper and started writing. I haven’t looked back since. :)
EJ: What brought you to the paranormal genre?
Yolanda: I’ve always had an interest in the paranormal. I’m a huge horror fan from way back. I love the endless possibilities hidden in the shadows, and I’m fascinated by monsters, myths and legends. But most of all, I love writing about them. I enjoy setting them loose in our contemporary world.
All things supernatural enhance the reading and writing experience.
EJ: If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?
Yolanda: Oh, that’s a great question! I’m not sure I’d like to actually be one of them, though it would be cool to turn into an animal and be able to experience the world through their eyes… Nah, I think I would prefer to be friendly with a variety of supernatural creatures. So I could learn about their ways and learn about their origins.
But, I would love to be able to communicate without speaking. I think psychic phenomena is so fascinating.
EJ: Tell us why readers will enjoy your new release.
Yolanda: Well, if you’ve read the first three books in my Sierra Fox series, then you’ll enjoy catching up with Sierra & the Gang, to find out where her story leads six months after the events of ON PINS AND NEEDLES. And if you haven’t, you’ll be interested because even though there are vampires, pookas, demons, and phantasms in this installment…this is my werewolf book. ;)
On a serious note, if you like reading urban fantasy you might be interested because these books feature a spook catcher heroine who can see and interact with the dead, secondary characters that will have you wanting to know more about their story, a bunch of family secrets, and some pretty dark situations. It’s also set in an alternate version of Sydney, Australia.
EJ: If your book(s) were being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles? Why?
Yolanda: Firstly, that would be awesome! So, if my Sierra Fox series was being turned into a movie I would love to see fresh-faced actors cast in the roles of all my characters. But while researching and looking for inspiration for the characters in this world, I thought Sophia Bush was very close to how I imagined Sierra Fox. And Josh Holloway was the inspiration for Jason Papan.
These two actors captured so many of the physical traits that I had in mind.
Torn from the Shadows (Sierra Fox #4) by Yolanda Sfetsos.
All it takes is one goddess-affiliated demon to seal the deal.
Sierra Fox knows better than to believe the demon-obsessed freakshow has given up on her. She s settled into a nice routine of living with her sister, enjoying her relationship with a sexy werewolf, and staying on top of work and always waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Predictably, things start falling apart as she s suddenly swamped with surprise visits and unwanted advances, and someone she despises wants her help.
When a spook-catching training session goes horribly wrong, she encounters a man who s not quite as dead as she d hoped. Mace is now more than human and still determined to get his hands on her. But not if Sierra accepts the strengthening gifts her grandmother bestowed at her birth.
Having the good guys put a price on her head is enough to ruin anyone s day, but Sierra refuses to give up or give in. Even if it means exercising the last option on earth she wants. But claiming the ultimate power may not be enough to save the man she loves before his werewolf past destroys him.
Warning: Phantasms, pookas, werewolves, and demons, "oh yes! " And a spook-catching heroine who must choose to take what s rightfully hers even if it means walking the shadows with a demon.
Release Date: April 22, 2014
Genre: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
Add to Goodreads.
Thank you Yolanda for joining us here today at From the Shadows!
To learn more about Yolanda Sfetsos and her books, please visit her website.
June 2, 2014
LUX: Beginnings and LUX Consequences Release Day Launch Party Giveaway
Today we are celebrating the launch of LUX: Beginnings (OBSIDIAN + ONYX) and LUX: Consequences (OPAL + ORIGIN) by Jennifer L. Armentrout. And it wouldn't be a release party without a giveaway, right? We've got you covered!
We are hosting a giveaway for a set of the hardcover bindings of LUX: Beginnings and LUX: Consequences by Jennifer L. Armentrout. Keep reading to enter.
LUX: Beginnings (OBSIDIAN + ONYX) by Jennifer L. Armentrout.
Now available together for the first time, don't miss Obsidian and Onyx, the first two books in Jennifer L. Armentrout's bestselling Lux series. Also includes bonus content exclusive to the print edition! "A thrilling ride from start to finish," says RT Book Reviews.
Starting over sucks.
When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I’d pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring…. until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.
And then he opened his mouth.
Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something…unexpected happens.
The hot alien living next door marks me.
You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon’s touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I’m getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.
If I don’t kill him first, that is.
Add to Goodreads.
LUX: Consequences (OPAL + ORIGIN) by Jennifer L. Armentrout.
Now available together for the first time, don't miss Opal and Origin, the third and fourth books in Jennifer L. Armentrout's bestselling Lux series. Also includes bonus content exclusive to the print edition! "A thrilling ride from start to finish," says RT Book Reviews.
No one is like Daemon Black.
When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well... There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on.
But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.
After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different... And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.
Together we’re stronger...and they know it.
Add to Goodreads.
***LUX Release Day Giveaway***
Enter to win a set of the hardcover bindings of LUX: Beginnings and LUX: Consequences by Jennifer L. Armentrout.
To enter, use the easy peasy Rafflecopter form below. This giveaway is open to US/Canada only. This is a tour giveaway and the winner will be selected by the author Jennifer L. Armentrout, Entangled Publishing, or InkSlinger PR, not From the Shadows.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Good luck!
We are hosting a giveaway for a set of the hardcover bindings of LUX: Beginnings and LUX: Consequences by Jennifer L. Armentrout. Keep reading to enter.
LUX: Beginnings (OBSIDIAN + ONYX) by Jennifer L. Armentrout.
Now available together for the first time, don't miss Obsidian and Onyx, the first two books in Jennifer L. Armentrout's bestselling Lux series. Also includes bonus content exclusive to the print edition! "A thrilling ride from start to finish," says RT Book Reviews.
Starting over sucks.
When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I’d pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring…. until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.
And then he opened his mouth.
Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something…unexpected happens.
The hot alien living next door marks me.
You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon’s touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I’m getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.
If I don’t kill him first, that is.
Add to Goodreads.
LUX: Consequences (OPAL + ORIGIN) by Jennifer L. Armentrout.
Now available together for the first time, don't miss Opal and Origin, the third and fourth books in Jennifer L. Armentrout's bestselling Lux series. Also includes bonus content exclusive to the print edition! "A thrilling ride from start to finish," says RT Book Reviews.
No one is like Daemon Black.
When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well... There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on.
But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.
After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different... And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.
Together we’re stronger...and they know it.
Add to Goodreads.
***LUX Release Day Giveaway***
Enter to win a set of the hardcover bindings of LUX: Beginnings and LUX: Consequences by Jennifer L. Armentrout.
To enter, use the easy peasy Rafflecopter form below. This giveaway is open to US/Canada only. This is a tour giveaway and the winner will be selected by the author Jennifer L. Armentrout, Entangled Publishing, or InkSlinger PR, not From the Shadows.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Good luck!
May 30, 2014
Taking Angels Book Giveaway Winner
Congratulations to Kimberly the winner of our
Taking Angels Book Giveaway
here at From the Shadows! Kimberly will receive a Taking Angels ebook by C.S. Yelle.
Thank you to all who entered!
**Giveaway winner selected using Random.org**
Thank you to all who entered!
**Giveaway winner selected using Random.org**
Burning Bright Cover Reveal Giveaway Winner
Congratulations to Carl S. the winner of the
Burning Bright Cover Reveal Giveaway
! Carl will receive a $25 Amazon electronic gift card.
Thank you to all who entered!
**Giveaway winner selected randomly using Rafflecopter**
Thank you to all who entered!
**Giveaway winner selected randomly using Rafflecopter**
Ghost Light Audiobook Giveaway Winners
Congratulations to Brenna F., Pernille P., Victoria Z., bn100, Susan T., and Denise Z. the winners of our
Ghost Light Audiobook Giveaway
here at From the Shadows! Our six winners will each receive a digital audiobook download of Ghost Light, the second full-length novel in the Ivy Granger urban fantasy series by E.J. Stevens.
Thank you to all who entered!
**Giveaway winners selected randomly using Rafflecopter**
Thank you to all who entered!
**Giveaway winners selected randomly using Rafflecopter**
May 27, 2014
Q+A with Shiloh Walker
Please welcome today's paranormal guest author Shiloh Walker! Shiloh is the author of The FBI Psychics series, The Hunters series, the Rafferty series, The Ash Trilogy, the Grimm's Circle series, the Veil series, the Wrecked series, the Connected series, the Fated Trilogy, the Mythe series, the Secrets and Shadows series, the Firewalkers series, and the Colbana Files series as J.C. Daniels.
Check out this fab Q+A with Shiloh Walker (aka J.C. Daniels)! (click to tweet)
Q+A with Shiloh Walker
EJ: When did you begin writing?
Shiloh: I'm a lifelong storyteller. I can recall writing my first story in third grade...not much more after that until middle school, but after that, I picked up the pen and never stopped.
EJ: What brought you to the paranormal genre?
Shiloh: The same thing that pulls me to the other subgenres I write... a story. I write pretty much whatever comes to mind and if the story has a paranormal bent, that's where I'm going. If it's an romantic suspense, that's where I'm going. If it's a contemporary, then I follow that story.
EJ: If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?
Shiloh: I think most abilities would come with more responsibility than I'd want-I play with that sort of thing when I write, so I don't really want any. But if I had to take something, I'd like the simple and magical ability of cleaning my house with the snap of my fingers--that ability and nothing more because I don't think anything harmful can come from something so simple...but so very useful.
EJ: Tell us why readers will enjoy your new release.
Shiloh: Well, I've got a couple...my newest is a romantic suspense, the first in my new Secrets and Shadows series. If a person likes that suspense on the dark and moody side, then BURN FOR ME and BREAK FOR ME just might be right up their alley. If paranormal is more what a reader is looking for, then I'd say something similar about THE INNOCENT, one of my FBI PSYCHIC stories, but there's a paranormal element thrown in...psychics, naturally.
EJ: If your book(s) were being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles? Why?
Shiloh: Oh, geez...lol. Again which one? I don't tend to think along the lines of movie stars as far as my books go, so that's a tough one. Since I have so many, and that's not an easy question, I'm going with the one book that comes to mind...it's my contemporary romance, WRECKED and I'd picked Jennifer Lawrence for Abby, and Tom Hiddleston for Zach. Granted, Hiddleston doesn't have tatts, but hey...there's always airbrushing right? And why? Well, he wants to dip into the rom-com type of thing. WRECKED has some light, funny moments and he's definitely pretty enough to be Zach, and I doubt there's a role he can't make shine. The same for Jennifer Lawrence in Abby's role. She's beautiful, and Abby isn't a size 2, 4, 6... Jennifer Lawrence all but laughs at the people who comment on her weight/size. I love her confidence in her body image and how real she is. I bet she'd make a wonderful Abby.
Here are Shiloh's two newest releases:
The Innocent (The FBI Psychics #4.5) by Shiloh Walker.
For a woman he can’t touch, he’ll turn Hell inside out.
There’s only one reason Jay Roberts would set foot in a middle-of-nowhere town like Hell, Georgia. She’s got a bone to pick with her sort-of boyfriend. They only met online, but things got hot and heavy before their cyber link went silent.
She’s here to get in his face for an explanation. But no touching. Her psychic abilities make physical contact…complicated. Yet something about this relationship made her think things would be different. She’s not in Hell twenty minutes before bad vibes have her skin crawling.
Corruption has stained the very fabric of Linc Dawson’s town, and now it’s stolen something very dear to him. The last thing he has time for is nursing Jay’s broken heart.
But Jay isn’t going anywhere. Not only because she’s not giving up on him, because she’s got access to the kind of backup nobody wants on their bad side. And Linc discovers the woman who’s afraid to touch him could actually be his best chance. At salvation, at hope, at life. Maybe even love…
Warning: This book contains a not-so-naive virgin, a pissed-off former cop, lots of frustration, if you know what I mean, and more trouble than either of them know what to do with.
Release Date: March 11, 2014
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Paranormal Suspense
Add to Goodreads.
Broken Blade (Colbana Files #3) by J.C. Daniels.
Kit Colbana: assassin, thief, investigator extraordinaire. Now broken. She always expected her past to catch up with her but never like this. Haunted by nightmares and stripped of her identity, she’s retreated to Wolf Haven, the no-man’s land where she found refuge years before. But while she might want to hide away from the rest of the world, the rest of the world isn’t taking the hint.
Dragged kicking and screaming back into life, Kit is thrust head-first into an investigation surrounding the theft of an ancient relic...one that she wants nothing to do with. Her instincts tell her it’s a bad idea to just leave the relic lying about, but finding it might be just as bad.
Forced to face her nightmares, she uncovers hidden strength and comes face to face with one of the world’s original monsters.
If she survives the job, she won’t be the same...and neither will those closest to her.
Release Date: January 6, 2014
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Add to Goodreads.
Thank you Shiloh for joining us here today at From the Shadows!
To learn more about Shiloh Walker and her books, please visit her website.
Have you read any books by Shiloh Walker?
Check out this fab Q+A with Shiloh Walker (aka J.C. Daniels)! (click to tweet)
Q+A with Shiloh Walker
EJ: When did you begin writing?
Shiloh: I'm a lifelong storyteller. I can recall writing my first story in third grade...not much more after that until middle school, but after that, I picked up the pen and never stopped.
EJ: What brought you to the paranormal genre?
Shiloh: The same thing that pulls me to the other subgenres I write... a story. I write pretty much whatever comes to mind and if the story has a paranormal bent, that's where I'm going. If it's an romantic suspense, that's where I'm going. If it's a contemporary, then I follow that story.
EJ: If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?
Shiloh: I think most abilities would come with more responsibility than I'd want-I play with that sort of thing when I write, so I don't really want any. But if I had to take something, I'd like the simple and magical ability of cleaning my house with the snap of my fingers--that ability and nothing more because I don't think anything harmful can come from something so simple...but so very useful.
EJ: Tell us why readers will enjoy your new release.
Shiloh: Well, I've got a couple...my newest is a romantic suspense, the first in my new Secrets and Shadows series. If a person likes that suspense on the dark and moody side, then BURN FOR ME and BREAK FOR ME just might be right up their alley. If paranormal is more what a reader is looking for, then I'd say something similar about THE INNOCENT, one of my FBI PSYCHIC stories, but there's a paranormal element thrown in...psychics, naturally.
EJ: If your book(s) were being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles? Why?
Shiloh: Oh, geez...lol. Again which one? I don't tend to think along the lines of movie stars as far as my books go, so that's a tough one. Since I have so many, and that's not an easy question, I'm going with the one book that comes to mind...it's my contemporary romance, WRECKED and I'd picked Jennifer Lawrence for Abby, and Tom Hiddleston for Zach. Granted, Hiddleston doesn't have tatts, but hey...there's always airbrushing right? And why? Well, he wants to dip into the rom-com type of thing. WRECKED has some light, funny moments and he's definitely pretty enough to be Zach, and I doubt there's a role he can't make shine. The same for Jennifer Lawrence in Abby's role. She's beautiful, and Abby isn't a size 2, 4, 6... Jennifer Lawrence all but laughs at the people who comment on her weight/size. I love her confidence in her body image and how real she is. I bet she'd make a wonderful Abby.
Here are Shiloh's two newest releases:
The Innocent (The FBI Psychics #4.5) by Shiloh Walker.
For a woman he can’t touch, he’ll turn Hell inside out.
There’s only one reason Jay Roberts would set foot in a middle-of-nowhere town like Hell, Georgia. She’s got a bone to pick with her sort-of boyfriend. They only met online, but things got hot and heavy before their cyber link went silent.
She’s here to get in his face for an explanation. But no touching. Her psychic abilities make physical contact…complicated. Yet something about this relationship made her think things would be different. She’s not in Hell twenty minutes before bad vibes have her skin crawling.
Corruption has stained the very fabric of Linc Dawson’s town, and now it’s stolen something very dear to him. The last thing he has time for is nursing Jay’s broken heart.
But Jay isn’t going anywhere. Not only because she’s not giving up on him, because she’s got access to the kind of backup nobody wants on their bad side. And Linc discovers the woman who’s afraid to touch him could actually be his best chance. At salvation, at hope, at life. Maybe even love…
Warning: This book contains a not-so-naive virgin, a pissed-off former cop, lots of frustration, if you know what I mean, and more trouble than either of them know what to do with.
Release Date: March 11, 2014
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Paranormal Suspense
Add to Goodreads.
Broken Blade (Colbana Files #3) by J.C. Daniels.
Kit Colbana: assassin, thief, investigator extraordinaire. Now broken. She always expected her past to catch up with her but never like this. Haunted by nightmares and stripped of her identity, she’s retreated to Wolf Haven, the no-man’s land where she found refuge years before. But while she might want to hide away from the rest of the world, the rest of the world isn’t taking the hint.
Dragged kicking and screaming back into life, Kit is thrust head-first into an investigation surrounding the theft of an ancient relic...one that she wants nothing to do with. Her instincts tell her it’s a bad idea to just leave the relic lying about, but finding it might be just as bad.
Forced to face her nightmares, she uncovers hidden strength and comes face to face with one of the world’s original monsters.
If she survives the job, she won’t be the same...and neither will those closest to her.
Release Date: January 6, 2014
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Add to Goodreads.
Thank you Shiloh for joining us here today at From the Shadows!
To learn more about Shiloh Walker and her books, please visit her website.
Have you read any books by Shiloh Walker?
May 25, 2014
Book Excerpt + Giveaway: Mary Hades by Sarah Dalton
Today we have a giveaway and book excerpt for you from MARY HADES by Sarah Dalton.
Keep reading for a chance to win signed books, ebooks, and swag!
Book Excerpt
The wheel lurches forward with a groan.
“There, it’s—” My blood runs cold. The Ferris wheel jerks forward, no longer running smoothly like it did on the way up, but worse than that, worse than the possible failure of the ride, I see a dark shadow, and then I see it.
“No,” I mutter without meaning to.
“What’s wrong?” Seth says.
I shake my head. This can’t be happening now, not on the first date that has made me feel normal.
It crawls up the ride.
Bony fingers cling to the metal framework.
An x-ray of bones shine through its skin. I lean forward and grip the safety bar with my fingers, gripping so hard that the whites of my knuckles protrude through my skin, like the bones of the Thing climbing up to me.
“What do you want?” I whisper.
“What did you say?” Seth asks.
“Nothing,” I reply.
“Are you all right? You look a little pale? It’s the ride, isn’t it? Don’t worry, it gets a bit stiff sometimes, when it’s been inactive for a few minutes. Did I frighten you with what I said? Honestly, it’s fine. Damo knows how to—”
Screeeeeech.
The ride stops so abruptly that I’m thrust forward against the safety bar. My head snaps forward, painfully. One of the bears slips from my grasp and hurtles down towards the black ground below.
“Shit.” Seth grabs hold of my shoulders and pulls me back against the seat. “That’s never happened before. Are you all right?”
The Thing is gone. It has passed on the warning, showing me its hideous face. Now I have to wait for whatever horrible event is about to happen.
Are we going to die?
The Ferris wheel bench rocks back and forth, suspended halfway down the 80 foot full height of the wheel, as boasted on the sign by the ticket booth. Seth holds me tight, his anxious face turned down towards the control booth below.
“Damo?” he shouts. “Damo, what’s happening down there, pal?”
There’s the scrape of a door opening and a small voice calls up. “Summats up, mate. The controls have gone funny. I keep trying to get you down, but then it… it’s like it has a life of its bloody own.”
Seth rubs his chin. The wheel lurches forward again, this time making me cry out and grip onto Seth’s arm tighter.
“I’ve got you,” he murmurs. “It’s gonna be all right.”
I shake my head. No it isn’t. When the Things show up, it’s because someone is going to get hurt. It’s not usually me, it’s someone else. Death follows me.
“This is my fault,” I whisper.
“What?” he says.
“Bad things happen… you… you should get away from me.”
Our seat rocks forward, forcing us both up against the safety bar. “This isn’t your fault—”
The bench drops an inch to the left, but my heart drops to my knees. We slide together, hitting the edge. In a moment of utter panic I realise that the chain has come loose at the top. There’s a good chance it will break altogether and we’ll fall…
Mary Hades (Mary Hades #1) by Sarah Dalton.
Not many seventeen year old girls have a best friend who’s a ghost, but then Mary Hades isn’t your average teenager.
Scarred physically and mentally from a fire, her parents decide a holiday to an idyllic village in North Yorkshire will help her recover. Nestled in the middle of five moors, Mary expects to have a boring week stuck in a caravan with her parents. Little does she know, evil lurks in the campsite…
Seth Lockwood—a local fairground worker with a dark secret—might be the key to uncovering the murky history that has blighted Nettleby. But Mary is drawn to him in a way that has her questioning her judgement.
Helped by her dead best friend and a quirky gay Goth couple, Mary must stop the unusual deaths occurring in Nettleby. But can she prevent her heart from being broken?
The first in a series of dark YA novels, Mary Hades follows on from the bestselling Kindle Single My Daylight Monsters. A spine-tingling tale with romance, readers will be shocked and entertained in equal measure.
Release Date: June 2014
Genre: Horror, Young Adult
Add to Goodreads.
Mary Hades Book Blitz Giveaway
The author is giving away an Ultimate Swag Bag, Signed Paperback, and 3 Ebooks!
To enter, use the easy peasy Rafflecopter form below. This giveaway is INTERNATIONAL.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
What did you think of the book excerpt?
Keep reading for a chance to win signed books, ebooks, and swag!
Book Excerpt
The wheel lurches forward with a groan.
“There, it’s—” My blood runs cold. The Ferris wheel jerks forward, no longer running smoothly like it did on the way up, but worse than that, worse than the possible failure of the ride, I see a dark shadow, and then I see it.
“No,” I mutter without meaning to.
“What’s wrong?” Seth says.
I shake my head. This can’t be happening now, not on the first date that has made me feel normal.
It crawls up the ride.
Bony fingers cling to the metal framework.
An x-ray of bones shine through its skin. I lean forward and grip the safety bar with my fingers, gripping so hard that the whites of my knuckles protrude through my skin, like the bones of the Thing climbing up to me.
“What do you want?” I whisper.
“What did you say?” Seth asks.
“Nothing,” I reply.
“Are you all right? You look a little pale? It’s the ride, isn’t it? Don’t worry, it gets a bit stiff sometimes, when it’s been inactive for a few minutes. Did I frighten you with what I said? Honestly, it’s fine. Damo knows how to—”
Screeeeeech.
The ride stops so abruptly that I’m thrust forward against the safety bar. My head snaps forward, painfully. One of the bears slips from my grasp and hurtles down towards the black ground below.
“Shit.” Seth grabs hold of my shoulders and pulls me back against the seat. “That’s never happened before. Are you all right?”
The Thing is gone. It has passed on the warning, showing me its hideous face. Now I have to wait for whatever horrible event is about to happen.
Are we going to die?
The Ferris wheel bench rocks back and forth, suspended halfway down the 80 foot full height of the wheel, as boasted on the sign by the ticket booth. Seth holds me tight, his anxious face turned down towards the control booth below.
“Damo?” he shouts. “Damo, what’s happening down there, pal?”
There’s the scrape of a door opening and a small voice calls up. “Summats up, mate. The controls have gone funny. I keep trying to get you down, but then it… it’s like it has a life of its bloody own.”
Seth rubs his chin. The wheel lurches forward again, this time making me cry out and grip onto Seth’s arm tighter.
“I’ve got you,” he murmurs. “It’s gonna be all right.”
I shake my head. No it isn’t. When the Things show up, it’s because someone is going to get hurt. It’s not usually me, it’s someone else. Death follows me.
“This is my fault,” I whisper.
“What?” he says.
“Bad things happen… you… you should get away from me.”
Our seat rocks forward, forcing us both up against the safety bar. “This isn’t your fault—”
The bench drops an inch to the left, but my heart drops to my knees. We slide together, hitting the edge. In a moment of utter panic I realise that the chain has come loose at the top. There’s a good chance it will break altogether and we’ll fall…
Mary Hades (Mary Hades #1) by Sarah Dalton.
Not many seventeen year old girls have a best friend who’s a ghost, but then Mary Hades isn’t your average teenager.
Scarred physically and mentally from a fire, her parents decide a holiday to an idyllic village in North Yorkshire will help her recover. Nestled in the middle of five moors, Mary expects to have a boring week stuck in a caravan with her parents. Little does she know, evil lurks in the campsite…
Seth Lockwood—a local fairground worker with a dark secret—might be the key to uncovering the murky history that has blighted Nettleby. But Mary is drawn to him in a way that has her questioning her judgement.
Helped by her dead best friend and a quirky gay Goth couple, Mary must stop the unusual deaths occurring in Nettleby. But can she prevent her heart from being broken?
The first in a series of dark YA novels, Mary Hades follows on from the bestselling Kindle Single My Daylight Monsters. A spine-tingling tale with romance, readers will be shocked and entertained in equal measure.
Release Date: June 2014
Genre: Horror, Young Adult
Add to Goodreads.
Mary Hades Book Blitz Giveaway
The author is giving away an Ultimate Swag Bag, Signed Paperback, and 3 Ebooks!
To enter, use the easy peasy Rafflecopter form below. This giveaway is INTERNATIONAL.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
What did you think of the book excerpt?
May 24, 2014
Tragic Silence Giveaway Winner
Congratulations Linda G. the winner of our
Tragic Silence Giveaway
here at From the Shadows! Linda will receive an ebook copy of Tragic Silence by E.C. Hibbs.
Thank you to all who entered!
**Giveaway winner selected using Random.org**
Thank you to all who entered!
**Giveaway winner selected using Random.org**
