E.J. Stevens's Blog, page 93

Guest Author Interview: Daniele Lanzarotta + Swag Giveaway

Please welcome today's guest author Daniele Lanzarotta.  Daniele is the author of the Imprinted Souls series including Imprinted Souls and Bloodlust.

EJ:  When did you begin writing?

Daniele:   I started writing about two years ago.  I had always enjoyed writing but never really thought of it as a career.  It all started with fan-fictions... just writing for fun, but soon it became an addiction.  It wasn't long before I wanted to move on to my own stories, with my own characters, and that was when I started working on the Imprinted Souls Series and I just couldn't stop!

EJ:  What brought you to the paranormal genre?

Daniele:  The endless possibilities!  I've always been a fan of the paranormal genre.  Honestly, I can't remember the last time I read something that wasn't in this genre.
I just feel that with the paranormal genre there are no limits to what can happen and that whole 'world' is just so appealing... living forever, not getting older, having supernatural talents, the list goes on and on.

EJ:  If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?
 
Daniele:  If I could be any paranormal, it would be without a doubt... VAMPIRE!  Yeah, their diet is not the best, but other than that, I love everything about vampires. 

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

Daniele:  Bloodlust, the second installment in the Imprinted Souls Series, is very intense and full of twists!  Now the best part about it is that a very unique kind of paranormal is introduced to the series.

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

Daniele:  I love getting to answer this question!  For some reason, I just always had a cast in mind.  I'm honestly not even sure I can explain the 'why,' I guess their physical appearances just fit the character profiles.  I picture Emma Roberts in the role of Lexi, Wentworth Miller would be a great match to portray Tyler (but so would Jensen Ackles), and Michelle Trachtenberg as Adrianne.






















 Bloodlust (Imprinted Souls, book 2) by Daniele Lanzarotta.

There are some things from which you just can't run away. For Lexi, that something was this screwed-up, newfound reality that she encountered; and no matter how much Tyler may try to protect her from his kind, it is just too late.  Lexi is involved in his world far deeper than she can possibly imagine, and as she is haunted by her past and deals with an unexpected betrayal, Lexi is forced to make a choice between her soul mate, the one who she thought was gone forever, or the one who restored her soul, bringing her back to life with the ties of a blood imprint.

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

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






















** Imprinted Souls Bookmark Giveaway **

We are giving away six Imprinted Souls bookmarks (three designs).

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).  US/Canada/UK mailing addresses only.  Giveaway ends November 16th midnight EST.

** Additional Book Tour Giveaway **

All comments on this post made November 1st will also enter you in Daniele's Book Tour Giveaway!
At the end of the tour one lucky winner will receive a signed copy of Imprinted Souls along with 2 signed bookmarks.  US mailing addresses only.  Bonus entries for following Daniele's blog here.

On the Soul of a Vampire Giveaway Winner!

Congratulations to our On the Soul of a Vampire Giveaway winner Kim van Aken of Kim's Bookish Place!  Kim is the lucky winner of a copy of On the Soul of a Vampire by Krisi Keley, and a t-shirt, mug, poster, and bookmarks featuring the beautifully haunting On the Soul of a Vampire artwork.

Thank you to all who entered. 

I would also like to thank the over 400 entrants in each of my Halloween Monster Giveaways!  Over 800 total entries, wow!  Since the two Halloween Monster Giveaways here at From the Shadows involve multiple winners with a huge number of prizes, I will be drawing winners throughout the week and posting the winners next weekend.  All From the Shadows giveaway winners are also notified directly by email.  Thank you for your patience!

**Random.org used for all From the Shadows giveaway drawings**

Book Review: Claire de Lune

 Claire de Lune (Claire de Lune, book 1) by Christine Johnson.

Torn between two destinies.

Claire is having the perfect sixteenth birthday. Her pool party is a big success, and gorgeous Matthew keeps chatting and flirting with her as if she's the only girl there. But that night, she discovers something that takes away all sense of normalcy: she's a werewolf.  As Claire is initiated into the pack of female werewolves, she finds her lupine loyalty at odds with her human heart.  Burdened with a dark secret and pushing the boundaries of forbidden love, she will be forced to make a choice that will change her forever.


Deadly secrets and new love .  Claire de Lune is a suspenseful paranormal read with a fresh new approach to werewolf mythology.  Turning sixteen brings one surprise that changes everything for Claire.  As she begins to feel the wolf inside her stir, she learns that she is a werewolf and that her mother has kept her true identity secret from her.  Discovering that she has been living a lie is difficult, but so is young love.  Claire is falling in love with a boy who loves her in return, but in a cruel twist of fate he happens to be the son of a prominent werewolf hunting scientist who has vowed to eliminate werewolves once and for all.  A paranormal coming of age story filled with mystery, young love, and heart pounding suspense.

I highly recommend Claire de Lune (Claire de Lune, book 1) to readers of paranormal suspense, young adult, fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal romance, and especially to fans of werewolf fiction.

**I have just finished reading Firelight by Sophie Jordan (review coming soon) and found many similarities between these two books.  Readers who enjoyed reading Firelight will likely also enjoy Claire de Lune.**

Source: This book was purchased by me for review.


Claire de Lune on Amazon.
Claire de Lune on Goodreads.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween!   I hope you are all having a wonderful Halloween weekend. 

Last chance to enter my Halloween Monster Giveaway: Part I and Halloween Monster Giveaway: Part II.  Our On the Soul of a Vampire giveaway is also ending October 31st at midnight EST, the Crimson Stained giveaway ends November 1st, and the Awakened: Guardian Legacy giveaway ends November 4th.

Guest Author Interview: Betsy Phillips

Please welcome today's guest author Betsy Phillips!  Betsy is the author of A City of Ghosts: Stories.

EJ:  When did you begin writing?

Betsy:  I don't know, honestly. I think I probably started writing stories shortly after I learned to write sentences. I know I was writing elaborate alternative histories of middle school for my friends while we were in said middle school, so definitely by then, I was writing to entertain other people.

EJ:  What brought you to the paranormal genre?

Betsy:   I had an unusual upbringing--I'm the daughter of a Methodist minister. So, in a way, what brought me to the paranormal genre is that I was born into it. I don't mean that to be flip. I learned a great deal about language and ritual and symbolism that I think serves me well in my writing. But it's also true that my earliest and most prolonged exposure to not just stories, but to a world-view, was one in which paranormal happenings were a matter of course and paranormal stories were told and retold as Truth or ways to get at the truth.

I've wandered pretty far from the way I was raised, but I still think the world is a strange and mysterious place, where things happen we don't always understand. And I still think that stories--fiction--are a great way to tell the truth about the world.

EJ:  If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?
 
Betsy:   I would love to be able to shape-shift into a dog. I wonder all the time about my dog. I mean, one of the great things about owning a dog is spending a lot of time with an animal that wants to spend time with you and is nothing like you. Yes, we can communicate, at some basic level. But there are so many times when I can tell she sniffs something on the air or when she is running through the yard, when I know she is experiencing something I will never know. I just wonder what it would be like to smell or hear like she does, to know the world like she does.

EJ:  Tell us why readers will enjoy your new release.
 
Betsy:   Who doesn't love a good ghost story? Some people have been a little off-put when they hear that A City of Ghosts  is a collection ghost stories set in and around Nashville, because they worry all the stories will have to do with country music. And, it's true that, if you come to Nashville and take one of the ghost tours, you're going to hear a lot about ghosts that have to do with country music.  But the thing is, if you live in Nashville, the music industry is just one more place people work. It's important to the city, but it's not the only thing going on here. So, I figured, well, okay, we have those ghosts, but what kinds of ghosts should we have?

Just asking that question got me thinking a lot about why people tell ghost stories, what the act of telling those stories does for a person, what those stories are trying to convey. I think, in most cases, ghost stories are ways for us to talk about things we can't otherwise talk about. So, I spent a lot of time thinking about the things the city doesn't really talk about, the parts of its past it seems to be actively trying to forget.  And those were the things I built my stories around.

So, I think my book will appeal to history buffs and people who know Nashville, but it is, first and foremost, a collection of ghost stories. And I think anyone who likes to be creeped out is going to like them.

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

Betsy:  This was not an easy question, since A City of Ghosts is a collection of short stories and there's really only one recurring character—the Devil. So, who could play an incredibly charismatic, incredibly sexy, violent rat bastard whose age is hard to pin down? I don't know if he's the greatest actor, but I would kind like to see Brian Austin Green in the role. I think he has the right mix of charm and hardness.
























A City of Ghosts: Stories by Betsy Phillips.

No one knows for sure why Nashville has so many ghosts. Maybe it's because the place has been inhabited for 13,000 years. Maybe it's the lingering memories of the Civil War. Or maybe it's just because this is where the Devil keeps a summer home. Whatever the reason, this is the place where the living and the dead linger too long in each others' company. Babies long since dead still cry in church parking lots only to be comforted by current parishioners. A friendly neighbor continues to cook breakfast years after his body is under ground. And something, not animal, not human, not alive, stalks living prey in the old tunnels underneath the downtown. In tales that range from spine-tingling to heart-breaking, A CITY OF GHOSTS brings to life an alternative, haunted history of Nashville. 

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

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

Book Review: The Haunted

The Haunted (The Hollow, book 2) by Jessica Verday.

After a summer spent reclaiming her sanity and trying to forget the boy she fell in love with, Abbey returns to Sleepy Hollow determined to leave the ghosts of her past behind. She throws herself into schoolwork, perfume-making, and her friendship with Ben, her cute and funny lab partner, who just might be able to help her get over Caspian once and for all.

**Please note that the above is a partial synopsis, since the one provided on Goodreads and inside the book jacket contain huge spoilers for the first book in the series**

There is a darkness hiding in the town of Sleepy Hollow .  What is the evil lurking in the shadows of the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery?  Is it connected to the legend made famous by Washington Irving or is there something else afoot in Sleepy Hollow?  The Haunted is the second book in The Hollow series and is remarkably darker than the first book in the series.  Abbey is teetering on the brink of insanity and doubts what she has seen, but what her mind doubts her heart continues to feel.  Will her love be enough to save her or in the end will her heart damn her soul forever?  A contemplative read touched with the chill of the grave and the longing of the heart. 

I highly recommend The Haunted (The Hollow, book 2) to readers of paranormal suspense, young adult, fantasy, urban fantasy, and especially to fans of paranormal romance.  The Hollow series is an excellent read for the Halloween season.

Please click here to read my review of The Hollow (The Hollow, book 1) by Jessica Verday.  For a chance to win a copy of The Haunted from the Book Depository enter my Halloween Monster Giveaway (ends 10/31).

Source: This book was purchased by me for review.


The Haunted on Amazon.
The Haunted on Goodreads.

Ghost in Trouble Giveaway Winner!

Congratulations to Dwayne from Girls Without a Bookshelf the winner of our Ghost in Trouble Giveaway !

Didn't win?  There is still one more hardcover copy of Ghost in Trouble up for grabs in my Halloween Monster Giveaway .

** Random.org used to select winners for all From the Shadows giveaways **

Teaser Tuesdays: Glass Houses

"Run first," Shane said.  "Mourn later."
It was the perfect motto for Morganville.

 p.g 172, Glass Houses by Rachel Caine.

Glass Houses is the first book in The Morganville Vampires series by Rachel Caine. This is a fun young adult, urban fantasy series.  I can't wait to read book two!  Look for my review of Glass Houses later this week.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading . Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
Grab your current readOpen to a random pageShare two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that pageBE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Guest Author Interview: Rae Lori

Please welcome today's guest author Rae Lori!  Rae is the author of Before Dawn Breaks, Cimmerian City, Uthiel's Embrace, A Kiss of Ashen Twilight, and Within the Shadows of Mortals.

EJ:  When did you begin writing?

Rae:  I began writing when I was about 10 years old. It was sort of on a dare to myself. I hadn't thought about writing until I received a particular Disney Adventures magazine in the mail. The Halloween issue asked for scary story submissions and I decided to enter just for fun. I didn't win but the writing bug caught me from then on I haven't turned back since. I dabbled in short stories, plays, screenplays anytime an idea hit me. It was fun learning and I corresponded with many editors over the years who gave me wonderful advice on strengthening my craft.

EJ:  What brought you to the paranormal genre?

Rae:   Growing up, I loved science fiction, fantasy and some horror (psychological). Besides Bela Lugosi's Dracula, Anne Rice really made me see vampires in a whole new light. I also loved David Lynch's ability to add fantasy and paranormal in an undercurrent of normality. Mixed with reading scary stories as a kid, I gravitated toward writing my own paranormal stories with fantasy and SF and it's stuck with me since.

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

Rae:   I'd probably choose Fae. I love fae mythology and the powers they usually have are pretty cool. I choose one with wings who are helpful to humans like the Aziza and hold immense power.

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

Rae:   I think they'll enjoy my Ashen Twilight series if they enjoy paranormal contemporary fantasies mixed with history and romance. It has vampires, fae, shifters and other goodies with a story that sweeps across centuries. I also have some side stories that give a little background on some of the characters and how they relate to one another. They are available on my website here.

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

Rae:  For Jace Archane, I always envisioned Kyle Schmid. His portrayal of Henry Fitzroy inspired much of Jace's character and I always loved the idea of a vampire confident in who he is and what he was. It counteracts all the brooding vampires that were popular for so long.

For Ariya, I always saw Megalyn Echikunwoke or Christie Laing with dark curly hair. They have an ethereal beauty that fits with Ariya's physical appearance, mixed with the elegance and grace fit for a queen.






















Within the Shadows of Mortals (Ashen Twilight, #2) by Rae Lori.

For centuries, a group of Nightwalkers, Lycans and Shifter Elves have lived within the shadows of mortals to ensure their survival…until an old foe emerged again to bring the realm of the Fae into the mortal world.

After Liam Blakedon's death, a string of events unfolds. Ariya is now an Aziza faerie Queen settling with Jace Archane, a Regent in the House of Blood, in the Aziza realm. The houses continue to move west after fighting for their survival against the elemental led by Liam Blakedon, a former guard in the Archane house.

A new beginning is on the horizon until blood is spilled on their lands once again...  


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

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

October Trix-n-Treatz: Alice in Wereland

E.J. is participating in the October Trix-n-Treatz event at vvb32 reads with a new short story piece themed Alice in Wereland .  Take a trip down the wererabbit hole with Alice...you may be surprised who she encounters.

Curiouser and curiouser!

Have you joined in the fabulous October Trix-n-Treatz festivities at vvb32 reads ?  Check out the full schedule of events for information on giveaways and guest features.


While visiting vvb32 reads be sure to take the Get Spooky Challenge and enter for a chance to win a copy of She Smells the Dead!

** images belong to Strangeling.  Click here to enter vvb32 read's Strangeling Print giveaway.**