E.J. Stevens's Blog, page 76

Guest Author: Zoe Marriott

Please welcome today's guest author Zoe Marriott!  Zoe is the author of The Swan Kingdom, Daughters of the Flame, and Shadows on the Moon.

EJ:  When did you begin writing?

Zoe:  Early. The very first time that I realised I could tell stories with a pen and paper, I was hooked. My father managed an office supply company and my mother was a keen artist, so between them I had mounds of paper, pens and art supplies practically from the cradle. I used to try to *draw* stories, but always got frustrated because, as one teacher put it, my ideas outstripped my artistic ability. When I began to read for pleasure something clicked and I realised that I had found a way to express my stories that didn't leave my imagination behind. Because I have a near photographic memory for vocabulary, most of my memories of my young school days involve teachers gaping at me because I had used the word 'effigy' or 'translucent' correctly in a sentence at the age of seven. That was very gratifying, and more than enough motivation to keep me telling stories!

EJ:  What brought you to the paranormal genre?

Zoe:  Well, so far all my novels have been other world or 'high' fantasy, but I do plan to write paranormal fiction in the future, and I enjoy it for the same reason that I love high fantasy - because it allows the imagination to unfold to its fullest extent. When you write fantasy you create an entire world with entirely new rules. The reader relies on you to show them a new version of reality. They don't know that the sky is blue, or if grass is green, or even if the characters have two arms and two legs, until you let them know that. Anything is possible. Paranormal or urban fantasy is especially fun because, with a base-line of normal already in place, the writer is free to concentrate only on the freaky, funny and remarkable details of the imaginary world. I love the work of Diana Wynne Jones, Neil Gaiman, Emma Bull, Kelley Armstrong and Patricia Briggs because they take our world and give it a tiny, tiny twist, and extrapolate from that. It's so much fun!

EJ:  If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?

Zoe:  Hmmm. Good question. If I was myself, living the life I do now? I would chose the ability to heal people of any illness. But if I was a character in a book or a film, I'd want instant, unlimited teleportation. No one can do anything bad to you if they can't catch you.

EJ:  Tell us why readers will enjoy your new release.

Zoe:  I hope for the same reasons I enjoyed writing it. Because it takes the character of Cinderella - sweet, patient, obedient, beautiful Cinderella - and peels back all the layers of illusion and deception to see what actually lies underneath such a facade. No real girl, with a real beating heart, could possibly be as bland and perfect as Cinderella is. No girl could go through all that she goes through, losing her family, everything she has, being abused and mistreated, and come out of it only wanting a pretty dress and a glimpse of the handsome prince. A real girl would be changed forever, maybe even broken, by living through such events. And I hope readers will also enjoy the unusual setting of Tsuki No Hikari no Kuni - the Moonlit Lands - a fairytale version of Japan which, even as the writer, I fell utterly in love with.

EJ:  If your book(s) were being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles? Why?

Zoe:  Um...that's difficult, because I've written several books now and none of them star ongoing characters. I suppose I just have to pick one! My first book, The Swan Kingdom, is probably the easiest. I'd cast either Ben Barnes or Ed Westwick as the hero, Gabriel, and probably Molly Quinn (if she could do an English accent) or Romola Garai (if she would dye her hair red) for the heroine, Alexandra. Dichen Lachman would be perfect for Zella, the antagonist, although, again, she would need to perfect an English accent. Wow, that was tough!























Shadows on the Moon by Zoe Marriott

"On my fourteenth birthday when the sakura was in full bloom, the men came to kill us. We saw them come, Aimi and me. We were excited, because we did not know how to be frightened. We had never seen soldiers before."

Suzume is a shadow-weaver. She can create mantles of darkness and light, walk unseen in the middle of the day, change her face. She can be anyone she wants to be. Except herself.

Suzume died officially the day the Prince's men accused her father of treason. Now even she is no longer sure of her true identity.

Is she the girl of noble birth living under the tyranny of her mother's new husband, Lord Terayama? A lowly drudge scraping a living in the ashes of Terayama's kitchens? Or Yue, the most beautiful courtesan in the Moonlit Lands?

Everyone knows Yue is destined to capture the heart of a prince. Only she knows that she is determined to use his power to destroy Terayama. And nothing will stop her. Not even love.


Thank you Zoe for joining us here today at From the Shadows !

To learn more about Zoe and her books, please visit her website.

Paranormal Guest Author: Shawn Thomas Odyssey

Please welcome today's paranormal guest author Shawn Thomas Odyssey!  Shawn is the author of The Wizard of Dark Street.

EJ:  When did you begin writing?

Shawn:  I had a fantastic English teacher my freshman and sophomore year in high school who I looked up to immensely. I remember he had written a novel, and I just thought that was the coolest thing, so I decided that I would write one, too. I finished writing it (I think I was doing my best imitation of Douglas Adams at the time) over the Christmas break my sophomore year and gave it to him to read. He was very kind to read the entire thing (at least he said he did), and then he told me I should read Tom Robbins because he thought I had a similar thing going on, with a sort of sci-fi bent. I didn't know if that was good or bad. But he was very encouraging! Oh yeah, and he also told me to work on my spelling.

EJ:  What brought you to the paranormal genre?

Shawn:  I'm pretty consistently drawn to elements of magic. I love the idea that there is more to the world than meets the eye…much, much more. I love the transformative powers of magic, its endless possibilities that cause us to step outside of our little box of how we think things work, and see that very often what we take as absolute reality is very often only the illusion of our own perception, our thinking mind. In THE WIZARD OF DARK STREET, the concepts of magic (or supernatural, or intuitive forces) vs. our logical and rational thinking come very prominently into to play for the main character, twelve year old Oona Crate.

EJ:  If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?

Shawn:  I think it would be the power to let go of indecision and internal conflict with the snap of my fingers. To be one hundred percent present and alert, and to choose my mood and state of consciousness—any state, including the ones I don't even know about yet—at will. That's a bit out there, I know, and it might not even be supernatural, but it sounds cool to me. Then again, it would also be pretty nifty to be able to fly! How fantastic would that be?

EJ:  Tell us why readers will enjoy your new release.

Shawn:  It has something in it for just about everyone (bet you never heard that one before). If you like books that have magic in it, and that are set in a fantastical Victorian setting, then there's something for you. If you like classic whodunits and murder mysteries, then there's something for you. If you like oddball characters, and quirky riddles, and off the wall adventures into unknown and unexpected places, there's something for you. If you like a heroine who is searching for something more than the life she has been handed, who must learn to trust herself, despite her past mistakes and deep sense of loss, then there's something for you. If you like talking ravens, then there is something for you. If you like bumbling police inspectors, tattoo faced boys, venomous girls, witches, wizards, and bizarre faerie servants, then there is something for you. And of course, if you like to laugh at the absurdity of an unpredictable world, then there is something for you.

EJ:  If your book(s) were being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles? Why?

Shawn:  Off the top of my head, for the role of Oona, I would have to say Maisie Williams, who is presently playing the role of Arya Stark in the HBO version of A Game of Thrones. She certainly looks the part!
























The Wizard of Dark Street by Shawn Thomas Odyssey

Oona Crate was born to be the Wizard's apprentice, but she has another destiny in mind.

Despite possessing the rare gift of Natural Magic, Oona wants to be a detective. Eager for a case, she is determined to prove that logic can be just as powerful as wizardry. But when someone attacks her uncle--the Wizard of Dark Street--Oona is forced to delve even deeper into the world of magic.

Full of odd characters, evil henchmen, and a street where nothing is normal, The Wizard of Dark Street will have you guessing until the very end.


Thank you Shawn for joining us here today at From the Shadows !

To learn more about Shawn Thomas Odyssey and his books, please visit his website, blog, or the (very cool) official Wizard of Dark Street website (I highly recommend checking out the "video" tab for some extremely entertaining viewing!).

Spirit Guide Series Spooky Summer Giveaway Winner!

Congratulations Lisa (aka alterlisa and lisalovesbooks) winner of our Spirit Guide Series Spooky Summer Giveaway at From the Shadows!  Lisa will receive a Spirit Guide Series tote bag filled with signed copies of She Smells the Dead[image error] and Spirit Storm[image error], bookmarks, two sets of romance trading cards, signed She Smells the Dead, Spirit Storm, and Legend of Witchtrot Road postcards, and one XL "I Smell Dead People" t-shirt.

Thank you to all who entered!

Didn't win?  Be sure to enter our Wolf Days of Summer Giveaway for a chance to win Spirit Storm[image error] (Spirit Guide #2) by E.J. Stevens, Forever[image error] (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #3) by Maggie Stiefvater, and Wolfsbane[image error] (Nightshade #2) by Andrea Cremer.

Spirit Guide Series Spooky Summer Giveaway

Congratulations Lisa (aka alterlisa and lisalovesbooks) winner of our Spirit Guide Series Spooky Summer Giveaway at From the Shadows!  Lisa will receive a Spirit Guide Series tote bag filled with signed copies of She Smells the Dead[image error] and Spirit Storm[image error], bookmarks, two sets of romance trading cards, signed She Smells the Dead, Spirit Storm, and Legend of Witchtrot Road postcards, and one XL "I Smell Dead People" t-shirt.

Thank you to all who entered!

Didn't win?  Be sure to enter our Wolf Days of Summer Giveaway for a chance to win Spirit Storm[image error] (Spirit Guide #2) by E.J. Stevens, Forever[image error] (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #3) by Maggie Stiefvater, and Wolfsbane[image error] (Nightshade #2) by Andrea Cremer.

Paranormal Guest Author: Jessica Sorensen

Please welcome today's paranormal guest author Jessica Sorensen.  Jessica is the author of The Fallen Star.

EJ:  When did you begin writing?

Jessica:  I began writing short stories when I was old enough to write. In high school I moved on to poetry. It wasn't until a couple of years ago that I decided to try my hand at writing a book, which eventually turned into The Fallen Star.

EJ:  What brought you to the paranormal genre?

Jessica:  When I was young, I had this fascination with the paranormal genre. I would write stories full of ghosts, witches, and faeries. It's a fascination that has stuck with me throughout the years.

EJ:  If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?

Jessica:  I would have to say teleportation because I love to travel, and it would make things so much easier.

EJ:  Tell us why readers will enjoy your new release.

Jessica:  The Fallen Star is a unique story full of unique characters. The main character, Gemma, has only recently been able to experience emotions. When she is thrown into a world of Death Walkers, Foreseers, vampires, and other paranormal characters, she discovers she's not just a normal teenage girl, but something more important, and is left struggling to come to terms with who she is.

This story is action packed and full of suspense, mystery, betrayal and little bit of humor. There are twists and turns that will keep you reading until the end.

EJ:  If your book(s) were being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles? Why?

Jessica:  This is a hard one because I have a picture in my head of what my characters look like, and it's difficult to find people that match that picture. But I think an actress that comes close to how I picture Gemma is Willa Holland. And I think Steven R. McQueen would make a good Alex.























The Fallen Star (Fallen Star, #1) by Jessica Sorensen.

For eighteen year-old Gemma, life has never been normal. Up until recently, she has been incapable of feeling emotion. And when she's around Alex, the gorgeous new guy at school, she can feel electricity that makes her skin buzz. Not to mention the monsters that haunt her nightmares have crossed over into real-life. But with Alex seeming to hate her and secrets popping up everywhere, Gemma's life is turning into a chaotic mess. Things that shouldn't be real suddenly seem to exist. And as her world falls apart, figuring out the secrets of her past becomes a matter of life and death.


Thank you Jessica for joining us here at From the Shadows !

To learn more about Jessica Sorensen and her books, please visit her website.

Wolf Days of Summer Giveaway: Win Spirit Storm + Forever + Wolfsbane!

We are giving away new copies of Spirit Storm (Spirit Guide #2) by E.J. Stevens, Forever (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #3) by Maggie Stiefvater, and Wolfsbane (Nightshade #2) by Andrea Cremer to one lucky winner!






















**Wolf Days of Summer Giveaway**

To enter, please leave a comment on this post including your email address (so we may contact you if you win).  You do not have to be a follower to enter (though I always appreciate a follow!).  This giveaway is to US mailing addresses.  Giveaway ends August 22nd (my birthday!) midnight EST. 

Good luck! :)

Paranormal Guest Author: Ronnie Massey + Evening With A Vampire Giveaway

Please welcome today's paranormal guest author Ronnie Massey!  Ronnie is the author of Crimson Dawn (Darklife Saga) and the upcoming release Unbound (The Nephillim Chronicles).

EJ:  When did you begin writing?

Ronnie:  I began writing short stories in high school. I was picked on relentlessly and wasn't one for fighting so I had to come up with a way to refocus peoples attention.

I began writing steamy short stories and giving them to my friends. Once they began passing the stories around, it was only a matter of time before people began coming to me requesting stories. I went from the girl to pick on, to the girl to get hot stories from.

EJ:  What brought you to the paranormal genre?

Ronnie:  I have collected comics since my father gave me my first X-Men comic when I was eight or nine. I made the jump from comics to paranormal themed novels when my mother gave me Hot Touch by Deborah Smith.

When it comes to writing, I write what I read. I like getting lost in worlds where anything is possible. I enjoy creating characters with the powers and abilities to do almost anything they want and then finding ways to make them human and relatable.

The paranormal genre is only limited by the imagination of the writer and I love that.

EJ:  If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?

Ronnie:  That is such a hard question. Part of me wants to say vampire because aside from the immortality, you get enhances senses, strength and the power to manipulate minds.

The comic book lover in me has always wanted the powers of X-Men's Storm. She can fly and control the elements. If I had her abilities every day in summer would be a nice sixty five degrees. My daughters would always have a white Christmas and I would never have to stand out in the heat and water my garden again. I'd just conjure up a quick ten minute shower and be done with it.

EJ:  Tell us why readers will enjoy your new release.

Ronnie:  I think that any new author that decides to enter into the paranormal genre with a vampire novel, is taking a chance on being compared to you know who. For that reason I didn't want to start off with a YA title.

Crimson Dawn rides the line between urban fantasy and paranormal romance. I tried to come up with a novel that has a solid storyline and memorable characters that readers can get invested in.

Based on the feedback that I have been getting from readers, I accomplished what I set out to do. People have fallen in love with Valeria. She's smart mouthed, cocky and stubborn to fault but she's also fiercely loyal and doesn't hesitate to do what's right even if it's the hardest option. Readers get to watch Val grow a lot during the course of the novel.  I've been told that C.D. has just the right amount of passion and action.

EJ:  If your book(s) were being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles? Why?

Ronnie:  For Valeria I would cast Jurnee Smollett. She is a superb dramatic actress and I think she would pull together Val's toughness and vulnerability perfectly. Plus I would love to see Jurnee in an action role for a change.

For Irulan I think Lyndsy Fonseca because she is awesome as Alex on Nikita. Irulan is this powerful Sidhe living in the human realm so she has to keep her abilities under wraps. Alex is the ultimate assassin that tries to live a normal life until she's needed; struggling to keep the two lives separate. Lyndsy is the perfect Irulan.

For Priest I see Alex Pettyfer because he proved he could act the role of a jerk in Beastly and do action in I Am Number Four. Priest is a jerk at times but also a hero.

For Tristan Meriwether I see Bryton James who had a small stint on The Vampire Diaries as the witch Luka. Bryton has already played a paranormal being once so making the jump to a psycho vampire shouldn't be that hard. His experience from Young and the Restless should help him also because soap acting is overly dramatic and Tristan is over;y dramatic and then some.

As for the supporting characters (now that my mind is on the subject I couldn't stop casting), here is a quick run through:

Peter Facinelli as werewolf Marcus Daniels, Val's Commanding Officer.
Wentworth Miller as Val's father Hadrian Trumaine.
Zoe Saldana as Val's mother Anya.
Jesse Smollett as Val's twin Valerian.
Columbus Short as older brother Tamerlane.
Mechad Brooks as the eldest Trumaine sibling Constantine.
Logan Lerman as David.
Oded Fehr as the djin Descantes.
Kellan Lutz as Fazion, Irulan's cousin and king of the Tuatha De Danann























Crimson Dawn (Darklife Saga, #1) by Ronnie Massey.

When vampire Valeria Trumaine comes home one morning to find her father waiting for her, she knows she's about to get trouble in spades. But she never imagined it would come in the form of her ex-fiancé. Now she must confront old demons and face new possibilities as she struggles to bring the rouge vampire to justice.

After she left him, Valeria avoided Tristan like the plague, but now that he's gone rogue, she's going to have to utilize every thing she's learned as a sentinel to find him.

Finding Tristan proves to be more dangerous than anyone realized. He's changed in ways that go against nature, and has become more powerful than anyone ever imagined. Refusing to let her face the abomination that Tristan has become alone, Val's best friend and powerful Sidhe princess, Irulan joins the hunt. Valeria will find that Irulan's motives for keeping her safe aren't what she thinks. And soon she's faced with an undeniable attraction that makes her question everything she knew about herself.

Can she accomplish her task and prevent more innocent lives from being destroyed? Can she do it and not loose herself to his madness? In the middle of all the madness, can she embrace the unexpected love that fate has thrown her way?


Thank you Ronnie for joining us here today at From the Shadows !

To learn more about Ronnie Massey and her books, please visit her website.






















**Evening With A Vampire Giveaway**

We are giving away an Evening With A Vampire prize pack to one lucky winner!  Prize pack includes a signed copy of Crimson Dawn by Ronnie Massey plus a vampire movie and matching poster.

To enter, please leave a comment on this post including your email (so we may contact you if you win).  You do not have to be a follower to enter (though I always appreciate a follow!).  This giveaway is to US mailing addresses only.  Giveaway ends August 6th midnight EST.

BlogFest 2011 Giveaway Winner!

Congratulations fredamans winner of our BlogFest 2011 International Giveaway at From the Shadows!  Freda will received a paperback copy of She Smells the Dead from The Book Depository.

Thank you to all who entered!

Did you all have a fun BlogFest?  Do you have a favorite style of giveaway?  I saw some new and interesting giveaway forms (rafflecopter) and many different means of entry.  What were people's thoughts?  I hope you all had a fabulous BlogFest and win many prizes!

Paranormal Guest Author: Victoria Roder

Please welcome today's paranormal guest author Victoria Roder!  Victoria is the author of Bolt Action and The Dream House: Visions and Nightmares.

EJ:  When did you begin writing?

Victoria:  I've always been creative and as long as I can remember my mom has told me I should write books.  In 2006, I wrote an article for FarmLife magazine on my rescue dog Rocky.  He is a beautiful black and tan Husky that was hit by a car and left for dead.  His back leg and tail had to be amputated, but the day after his surgery he walked out of the veterinarian's office and into our hearts.    When I saw my article about Rocky's harrowing experience in print I was hooked.  I set an original writing goal to have something published to honor each of my beloved family pets for all eternity.  If you stop by my website you can see a picture of Tucker, Rocky, and Molly my furry children.

EJ:  What brought you to the paranormal genre?

Victoria:  I have had a recurring dream about a house that my birth family lived in for a brief period of time when I was a child.  Even with the passage of time, in the dreams I remained a young girl.  I could see myself standing on a desolate street void of sound, lights, or cars.  Next, instead of watching myself I starred through my own eyes at the ominous house.  Each time I woke up I knew that I had experienced the dream before.  The dream began to trouble me, so I discussed it with my sister Tammy.  She suggested I write it down, in the hope that it wouldn't bother me anymore.  I began recording the details of the dream and then instead of it not bothering me, it consumed me.  I researched dream interpretation and it intrigued me.  My recurring dream became the premise for my paranormal romance novel The Dream House Visions And Nightmares.  It is a murder mystery wrapped in a paranormal ghost story.  Apparitions and vivid dreams reveal clues of mystery, murder, and age-old revenge.

EJ:  If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?

Victoria:  Honestly, I don't want to read minds or have super strength, or even fight demons.  All I want, is to be able to snap my fingers and have things like the dishes done, the house clean, and the yard mowed.  These are the duties I have a hard time getting done when I have an article to write, a puzzle to create, or a character begging me to tell their story.

EJ:  Tell us why readers will enjoy your new release.

Victoria:  The Dream House Visions and Nightmares is a page turning, spine-tingling mystery.  You will care about the main character, Hope Graham because she could be you.  Fran Lee of the Salt Lake City Examiner had this to say...With chilling intensity and a fine hand, Ms. Roder weaves a tale that captures the reader's imagination and keeps them spellbound until the final page.  In the words of Paranormal Romance Guild Review...kept me quite literally on the edge of my seat.  I'm glad I read this book during the day because I would probably have had problems falling asleep if I had read it at night.

EJ:  If your book(s) were being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles? Why?

Victoria:  Hope Graham would be played by Ashley Judd because she can be vulnerable but finds strength within herself when she needs it.  The supporting male would be played by Dwayne Johnson "The Rock"  just because I think he's cute and sweet.























The Dream House: Visions and Nightmares by Victoria Roder.

Recurring dreams of a house Hope Graham's family rented when she was a child, taunt her nights with nightmares of a woman in a bloody nightgown pleading for help. Dream sequences of children metamorphosing into rats, blood spewing out of windows, and walking across decaying bones, foretell of sins of the past and forewarn of danger in the present. In an attempt to end the agony of her sleep depriving dreams, Hope travels to her hometown...only to discover that the truth can be more frightening than a nightmare.


Thank you Victoria for joining us here today at From the Shadows !

To learn more about Victoria Roder and her books, please visit her website.

BlogFest 2011 Giveaway

Happy BlogFest 2011!  Here at From the Shadows we are giving away a paperback copy of She Smells the Dead by E.J. Stevens to one lucky winner.  This giveaway is international (to everywhere the Book Depository ships).






















She Smells the Dead (Spirit Guide, #1) by E.J. Stevens

It's the beginning of senior year and Yuki's psychic awareness of ghostly spirits is threatening to ruin her life. Her ability to sense spirits of the dead isn't glamorous like the ghost hunting on television.

SHE SMELLS THE DEAD.

The smell impressions are becoming stronger. Yuki is being visited in her dreams, and she suspects that her friend Calvin is involved in something strange. To make matters worse her crush on Garrett is going unrequited, Yuki's friend Emma is on a rampage against bee oppression, and annoying Calvin Miller mysteriously disappears.

Will Yuki be able to focus her powers in time to save the lost soul who is haunting her? Meanwhile, who will save Yuki from following the spirits into the light?

She Smells the Dead is the first book in the YA paranormal Spirit Guide series.  She Smells the Dead has received over one hundred 4 and 5-star reviews from book bloggers and is on Amazon's list of 100 Top Rated Books with Ghosts. To learn more about this series, please visit the Spirit Guide series official website here.

*****

To enter, please leave a comment on this post including your email (so we may contact you if you win).  You do not have to be a follower to enter, but followers will receive a bonus entry (see below).  This giveaway is INTERNATIONAL (to everywhere the Book Depository ships).  Giveaway ends July 17th midnight EST.

Bonus entry:
+1 Blog Followers (old + new)

Visit A Journey of Books for a list of participating BlogFest 2011 blogs and a chance to win more fab prizes!

From the Shadows was participant #60.  Here are the next five BlogFest stops...
61 From the TBR Pile
62 Girls Just Reading
63 Good choice reading
64 Hannah Downing
65 Happy Mom Of 5