Nicole Zoltack's Blog, page 22

Holiday Magick: 20 Holiday Stories with a twist

 




Holiday
Magick: 20 Holiday Stories with a twist




People don't usually
question holiday traditions or their origins, but maybe they should. Over
centuries, explanations of how and why holidays exist may have been lost or
changed.

Some holiday histories might only be known by a few individuals. Ancient magic
spells could have influenced how we celebrate today. Fairies, zombies, or
demons may have shaped our holidays.




Consider the following...




Why do people give red roses and cards on Valentine's Day?

Is there more to the story of Purim than is traditionally told?

Why do people wear green on St. Patrick's Day?

What happens to spirits that are captured during the Japanese Doll Festival?

Where does Santa get his helpers?

You may think you know the truth, but you can't be too sure.




Upcoming Holidays

Valentine’s
Day

My Dearest Valentine, by Maria Martinez

Paper Hearts, by Jennifer Allis Provost

Purim

The Esther, by Meredith Morgenstern

Japanese
Doll Festival

Doll Trouble, by Kimberley Long-Ewing

Las
Fallas

Finding Fire, by Trisha J. Wooldridge

St.
Patrick’s Day

Marked, by Keshia Swaim

Earth Day

The Keeper of the Trees, by L.M. Graham

Arbor Day

Planet Pattern Baldness, by Daniel A. Cohen

Sprite Start, by Dave Porteous

Memorial
Day

Final Draft, by Kate Kaynak

Dragon
Boat Festival

Autumn Moon, by DK Mok

Equinoxes

Equinox This!, By Candace Sams

Columbus
Day

A Land Without Zombies, by Nicole Zoltack

Halloween

Masking Fear, by Daniel A. Cohen

Demons’ Day Off, by Rich Storrs

All Souls
Day

All Souls Day, by Emma Michaels

Thanksgiving

Second Thanksgiving, by Kendra L. Saunders

Easy as Pie by Keshia Swaim

Christmas

Christmas with the Krampus, by Owen Dean

The Toy Makers, by Jessica Porteous









I'm so excited for my short story to be in this anthology! I can't wait for it to come out. Here's the GoodReads link: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16293236-holiday-magick




And here's another image. They commissioned an artist to make illustrations for each of the stories. Here's for mine:









And there's a FB page for it: https://www.facebook.com/HolidayMagick



One last thing: Holiday Magicks is available for preorder. http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/holiday-magick-rich-storrs/1113805262?ean=9781937053499




and




http://www.amazon.com/Holiday-Magick-20-Stories-Twist/dp/1937053490/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1362012310&sr=1-1&keywords=holiday+magick




Can you tell I'm excited? LOL

A Wicked Bag of Horror Tales - Ellie Garratt's Passing Time

A Wicked Bag of Horror Tales



Thank you for hosting me, Nicole. I'm honoured to be passing time with you and your readers today.




As with all writers, one of the more common questions I am asked is 'Where do you get your ideas from?'




I wish I could answer that question and
then bottle it–I would be able to take a sip every time I needed an idea. The
truth is there is no definite answer for any writer. The arrival of a story,
scene, character, or plot seems to happen by some unknown magical process,
often while you are doing the most unimaginative things–such as hoovering or
waiting in a grocery store line. But sometimes they are actually given to you.




In 2010 I answered a call by Wicked East
Press for their A Wicked Bag of Horror Tales anthology. However, this wasn’t a
straightforward submission call. Eight writers were selected at random out of
those who expressed an interest in the anthology. Then those eight writers, one
of them being myself, were asked to submit a horror story prompt. The twist was
each writer was given one of the other writers’ prompts. I can tell you
I agonised over a prompt to submit, and was so nervous I submitted two. But
that was nothing compared to coming up with a story for the prompt I was
given.




My prompt was The run-down diner on a
lost highway holds the horror within. Sounds easy enough. Well it took me
over a month to come up with an idea, and where it came from was a complete
surprise.



I was looking at road-trips in America–my other half and I were considering a
trip that took in Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon. While viewing a map of that area, I glanced
upon Death Valley. My immediate thought was that’s
where my diner should be! Then I thought, but there has to be something
sinister about this diner. It can’t just be rundown; it needs to be
stuck in a different era such as the 1960s. And just for good measure, I’ll
fill it with Russians. Because why would an American diner in the middle of
nowhere be full of Russians?

And so that is how my idea for Dinning in
Hell, the middle story from Passing Time, came to be. It appeared out of
nowhere.




Are you ever asked where your ideas come
from? Have you ever come up with an idea in an unusual or odd way? I’d love to
hear your thoughts.

Book Blurb

Nine dark fiction stories that may just
give you nightmares.




A man lives to regret Passing Time.
A father will do anything to save his son in Expiration Date. An author
finds out her worst nightmare is back in The Devil’s Song. A woman gets
more than the claim fee when she takes out vampire insurance in Luna Black.





In Dining in Hell, the Death Valley
Diner becomes the wrong place to stop.




A serial killer wants to add another file
to his collection in The Vegas Screamer. In Eating Mr. Bone, an
undertaker could meet an unfortunate end. A con man meets his first ghost in Land
of the Free. And will truth finally be set free in The Letter?

Book Links



Amazon.com

Amazon.co.uk

Goodreads
Facebook






About The Author

A life-long addiction to reading science
fiction and horror, meant writing was the logical outlet for Ellie Garratt’s
passions. She is a reader, writer, blogger, Trekkie, and would happily die to
be an extra in The Walking Dead. Her short stories have been published in
anthologies and online. Passing Time is her first eBook collection and
contains nine previously published stories. Her science fiction collection Taking
Time will be published later in the year.

Author Links

Website

Amazon

Facebook

Goodreads

Twitter




Your chance to win 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Want a Kindle?

Kindle Fire HD Giveaway!


The winner will have the option of receiving a 7" Kindle Fire HD (US Only)







Or $199 Amazon.com Gift Card (International)







Or $199 in Paypal Cash (International)







Sponsoring Authors




Cascade Brides by Bonnie Blythe

Twenty-Five Years Ago Today by Stacy Juba

The Return of the Dragon Riders by Kristian Alva

Prison Nation by Jenni Merritt

The Stone Guardian by Theresa McClinton

For What It's Worth by Karey White

Hidden Heart by Camelia Miron Skiba

The Gryphon Series by Stacey Rourke

Shifting Pride by Laura Diamond

Fire Within (Guardian Witch #2) by Ally Shields

The Light of Asteria by Elizabeth Isaacs

Kiss Me, I'm Irish by Bella Street

Legend Unleashed by M. Latimer-Ridley

Innovera Yakov- The Journey of a Thousand Eyes by Kia Garriques

The Gifted by Deborah Andreasen

Reflection by Kim Cresswell

Forbidden Temptation of a Vampire by Jodie B. Cooper

Family Magic by Patti Larsen

Fall of Sky City by S.M. Blooding

Blood Oath by T.L. Clarke

Grace Doll by Jennifer Laurens

A Tale of the Other Kind by Leandi Cameron

Alexander Drake by Elizabeth Parkinson Bellows

Owlet by Emma Michaels

Aura by Rebecca Talley











Giveaway Details

1 winner will receive their choice of a Kindle Fire HD (US Only), $199 Amazon Gift Card or $199 in Paypal Cash (International).

Ends: 3/31/13



Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the authors. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.





a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Feature - Turkish Delights by Liz Crowe

A young American woman comes face to face with
her destiny in Istanbul in the 1960's and an epic dynasty is born.  




When Vivian Kinkaid turns around in her college
classroom and makes eye contact with a man who was once her forbidden childhood
friend, her life is changed forever.









A sweeping saga of family, love, loss and
recovery—The Turkish Delight series begins with a special sort of
magic. Then  Madame Eve works her miracles for the Deniz family, but
even she can’t overcome the harsh realities that force this Turkish/American
family all to deal with tragedy when one of their own is ripped from their
close-knit circle.




 “The Turks” opens with best-selling classic
romance for the ages.  Then ends with a thrilling novella that brings all
the players back together.  Set in Istanbul, Las Vegas, and Southern
California, The Turkish Delights series has it all—heat, heart, intrigue and a
deep, family connection that transcends all barriers.




The Diplomat's Daughter

Turkish Delights

Blue Cruise

Tulip Princess

Flower Passage










Individual Blurbs for the books:




The Diplomat’s Daughter:




When Vivian Kincaid's
eyes meet those of a hunky local at the Turkish university her father forces
her to attend, it only takes her a split second to recognize her childhood
friend. Levent Deniz was the servant boy who taught her to run the streets of
Istanbul years before, giving outlet to her wild streak even as a child.




Now face-to-face once
again as adults, the only thing standing between them and happiness is her
father. The newly appointed Consul General for the United States has other
plans for his only daughter. Ones that do not include a former servant, now
successful entrepreneur and businessman. He will do everything in his power to
keep them apart.




The Diplomat's Daughter
is set in 1960s Istanbul and tells the story of pre-destiny, passion and the rebellious
power of true love.




Turkish Delights (1NightStand)




The fifteen year age
difference between Elle Kensington, expatriate American executive and Emre
Demir, son of Istanbul's most successful businessmen, has not kept them from
becoming fast friends as they toured Istanbul together. But the time has come
for him to return to the U.S. to finish his master's degree, and she has just
been named CEO of the pharmaceutical company that brought her to Turkey in the
first place. Elle adores her adopted country, and is alarmed to find herself
falling in love with the young man who's been her impromptu guide for the last
few months.




She knows they can never
be. She will return home to California within a month, leaving behind all she
loves about the ancient city. In a rare fit of spontaneity, Elle has contracted
with Madame Eve's 1Night Stand dating service, hoping to find a way to forget
the dark, handsome young man who has captured her heart. Little does she know
what awaits her in the ancient recesses of the Ottoman palace turned luxury
hotel under the hands of her one-night stand masseur.




Blue Cruise (1NightStand,
m/m)




Caleb and Tarkan were
an odd couple—men from two different cultures—so in love, they were determined
to overcome any obstacles. But fate had different plans for Tarkan. Shattered
and unable to function a full two years after tragedy strikes, Caleb faces the
hollow shell that is his life.




Adem Broussard is happy
enough, as owner and chef of his restaurant on the Turkish southern coast. But
a tall, American Adonis he saw once, years ago on a Turkish Blue Cruise haunts
his most erotic dreams, and he hopes contracting Madame Eve's 1NightStand
service for an unconventional date will help him forget.




When Caleb caves in to
his friend Elle's insistence that he return to Turkey and exorcise some of the
demons that haunt him, he reluctantly climbs on board a private yacht for a
special 1Night Stand Blue Cruise. There he comes face to face with the man who
remembers him well…and helps him heal.




Tulip Princess
(1NightStand, BDSM)




Lale Deniz was always
prone to wildness. But when her family is ripped apart at the seams, she
becomes more reckless than ever. Desperate to stop her self-destructive slide,
her parents step in and send her to America to live with her brother, Emre.
Just the chance, she thinks, to escape the tragedy suffusing her Istanbul home.




Andreas Michos, Greek
former NFL star, the recently divorced athletic director at UNLV, floats
through life seeking fulfillment. He has reason to doubt his own abilities as a
natural Dom and has given up finding his perfect mate. Until he agrees to a
1Night Stand.




Set against a backdrop of
ancient cultural clashes and Mediterranean family dynamics, Lale and Andreas
meet in Las Vegas at the Castillo resort for their date. But it seems Madame
Eve and destiny will both fail this time, unless Lale and Andreas are willing
to relinquish enough control to discover what happiness can be found inside the
soul of the other. Will stubbornness keep them from connecting, or can they let
go long enough to heal?




Flower Passage (final
novella, m/m/m)




What would you do if
the lover, brother, son, and friend you thought you'd lost forever was returned
to you?




Brutally battered,
emotionally and physically for the past two years, Tarkan Deniz has escaped his
captors. When the Deniz family discovers the shocking truth they rally and do
everything in their power to bring him back safely. But all have been affected
by the tragedy of his loss and must come to terms with the new reality, each in
their own way.




When Happily Ever After
seems like a nightmare...one man can bring healing to all, but will he ever be
the same man again?




Flower Passage is a story
of love lost and regained, even if it takes a slightly different form than
before.




BUY LINKS: ebundle:  http://www.amazon.com/BUNDLE-Turkish-Delights-Series-ebook/dp/B00BFYG15S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361481238&sr=8-1&keywords=liz+crowe+bundle




print anthology: 

http://www.amazon.com/Turkish-Delights-Liz-Crowe/dp/1613334478/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1361481267&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=liz+crowe+turkish+delights






ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Microbrewery owner, best-selling author, beer blogger and
journalist, mom of three teenagers, and soccer fan, Liz lives in the great
middle west, in a Major College Town. 
Years of experience in sales and fund raising, plus an eight-year stint
as an ex-pat trailing spouse plus making her way in a world of men (i.e. the
beer industry) has prepped her for life as erotic romance author.  When she isn't sweating inventory and sales
figures for the brewery, she can be found writing, editing or sweating promotional
efforts for her latest publications.  Her
ground breaking romance sub genre: “Romance for Real Life” has gained thousands
of fans and followers, interested less in the “HEA” and more in the “WHA”
(“What Happens After?”)




Her beer blog a2beerwench.com is nationally recognized for
its insider yet outsider views on the craft beer industry. Her books are set in
the not-so-common worlds of breweries, on the soccer pitch and in high powered
real estate offices.  Don’t ask her for
anything “like” a Budweiser or risk painful injury.




www.lizcrowe.com

www.brewingpasssion.com

www.a2beerwench.com

www.facebook.com/lizcroweauthor

www.twitter.com/beerwencha2

www.facebook.com/romanceforreallife

www.facebook.com/jackgordonrealtor     

The Sweets Blogfest - My One and Only Sweet

To celebrate the release of their sweet love stories, Kelly Hashway and Beth Fred are hosting The Sweets Blogfest today. Be sure to stop by their blogs for a chance to win ebooks of Love All and The Other Marlowe Girl.





Goodreads



Goodreads



So I'm going to talk about a sweet that's dear to my heart - my hubby. We met the first day of classes freshman year of college. I complained to him about being a chemistry major and not being too fond of science (I wanted to work in a forensic lab, or even be a CSI). We became friends and over Christmas break, he  asked me out on AIM. During Easter break, he said "I love you" for the first time - on the phone.



But he more than made up for that when he proposed. We had been dating for two years and four months to the day. Since we were poor college kids, we don't go out on dates often so we tried to go out for our monthly anniversary at least. Todd told me to dress up because we were going to eat at a nice restaurant for dinner. It was a beautiful April day but the weather people had said there might be rain so Todd pulled over at a park to get an umbrella out of the trunk so we wouldn't get our nice clothes wet if it did rain before we got there. Imagine my surprise when he comes around to my window with a cape and a Phantom from POTO mask on!



Now, this was shortly after the movie had come out and we both loved it - saw it on Valentine's Day. Todd took me out of the car and sang two songs from the movie, before getting down on one knee and telling me how much he loves me and how I make him a better person and how he wants to spend the rest of his life with me. Then he pulled out the ring box. Of course I said yes! (and yes, I was crying a little!)



*sigh* That's my sweetheart!







Goodreads



And if you want to check out another sweet romance, be sure to look at my Woman of Honor. It's now available for print! Woman of Honor tells the story of Aislinn, a girl who dreams of becoming a knight and finds love as she struggles to achieve her goal.

Justine Dell Author of All-American Girl Talks Romance

Today, we have the lovely Justine Dell talking about romance. Enjoy!





One of my favorite things about romance novels: the build.




You’ve got two people who have some sort of attraction (or maybe
they even hate each other!) and you have the plot that drives the story forward.
Romance IS the building of the relationship between the hero and heroine.
That’s where the fun is!



Two people just don’t see each other, fall in the sheets together, and then
live happily ever after. Well, sometimes they do see each other and immediately
fall in the sheets together, but that’s a topic for a different time.




How do you build a relationship? First, let’s learn about build:




build

   [bild]  Show IPA verb, built or ( Archaic )build·ed; build·ing; noun

verb (used with object)

1.

to construct (especially something complex) by assemblingand joining parts or materials: to build a house.

2.

to establish, increase, or strengthen (often followed by up ):to build a business; to build up one's hopes.

3.

to mold, form, or create: to build boys into men.

4.

to base; found: a relationship built on trust.




Ah…so it’s an author’s job to increase the attraction, strengthen
the relationship, establish more than just that initial umph, if you will.




So now you put the characters together in the story, develop their
relationship, build their foundation (and many more levels above them!). 
It's an author’s job to construct this. Give the characters more than just that
sexual attraction. Give them a common goal. Make them work together. Make them
hate each other but still have to work together. JUST GET THEM TOGETHER. 




Maybe they’re star-crossed lovers thrown together in the middle of
a family feud about a Fabergè egg. The man and woman meet at an auction
for said egg. Both want it. They bid like crazy against each other, shooting
each other stern looks and snarls. (All while thinking the other is
cute…maybe). Then yank the egg from both of them with another ridiculously high
bidder!




Now the man and woman come together with a common goal = get the
egg back. Each still wants it for their family, but in the meantime they have
to work together. During this working together, they get to know each other,
get to know the problems between their families, develop a deeper attraction
and respect. Learn. Grow. Okay, they end up in bed sometime and then get right
back to their plans. All while the story is unfolding, the characters are
talking, learning more about their lives, each other—I mean really getting to know each other. No
matter what story they are in, no matter the plot, there has to be the build if
their relationship. 




There’s a gazillion other ways to build a relationship and I’ve
really only skimmed the surface here. The main point being: you have to take
that initial attraction (or hate for that matter) and build it into a
relationship. That relationship has to grow, change, develop into respect,
longing, kindredship, and finally love. And all along the way the characters
will face obstacles putting them closer (and farther away) from their goals. At
the very end, everything comes together. The egg will end up in the right hands
and boy and girl will end up together. Happily Ever After.




Are than any good stories you can think of that have a great
building of a relationship between a man and a woman? Most teens would say
Twilight here. ..but I still say that the first ten minutes of the Disney movie
UP has a better romance. *snicker*




BLURB:




At the age of thirty, with two failed marriages
and a tanking writing career, Samantha Moore deals with the world with the only
tool she had left: anger. And she’s tired of it. When her grandmother's
near-death sends her rushing back home to Vermont, she hopes for the chance to
overcome the rage ruling her life.



Once she’s home, Lance Cummings becomes a
constant source of indigestion. Lance is a single father who learned first-hand
the devastating effects of a damaging relationship. He sees through Samantha’s
nasty temper—straight to her cry for help. He wants to help her, but he also
wants to know why Samantha ran from him—and their future—twelve years before.



Taking care of her Grams, dealing with an
alcoholic brother, and getting Lance to remove his annoyingly attractive nose
from her business is draining on Samantha. And she’s only got three weeks to
finish her stagnated novel or her publisher will drop her. No pressure. To top
it off, pretending to hate the man she actually loves makes each day in Vermont harder than the
last. Especially when Lance turns up the heat.




BIO:




Justine lives in the Midwest,
happily catering to her family, which consists of a horse-obsessed teenage
daughter, four dogs, and a husband who is too good to be true. She's never
moved from her hometown, but hopes to grow old in a much warmer climate.



During the day she works a normal job with
college students who try their best to keep her young. They've done a good job
thus far. At night, said teenage daughter and her horse require mounds of love
and attention. The weekends belong solely to her and her writing. That's when
she morphs into a sticky bug, unable to leave the confines of her computer
chair.



She started writing four years ago after seeing
a movie that set off a chain reaction she couldn't have stopped if she'd
wanted. It's not a hobby for her; it's an obsession. One she loves and one she
loves to share. Her debut book, Recaptured
Dreams and her newest release, All-American
Girl, are available now on Amazon, Barnes &
Noble, and wherever book are sold.




Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/All-American-Girl-ebook/dp/B00BKQD53M/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1361980668&sr=8-2&keywords=all+american+girl+justine+dell




Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/all-american-girl-justine-dell/1114690798?ean=9781623420109




Omnific: http://omnificpublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=44&products_id=101




Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJonFiuMNRo




My Blog: www.justine-dell@blogspot.com




Twitter: https://twitter.com/JustineDell




Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Dell.Justine




GIVEAWAY:




Because Justine is so awesome she's giving
away an ecopy of All-AmericanGirl and an AAG
postcard and Vermont Maple Candy. To enter, just leave a comment (with your email address) telling us why you like or don't like to read romances.




And if that's not a big enough prize, had over to Justine's blog to enter yet another giveaway!

Cover Reveal for Frailties of the Bond by Angela Brown

Take it away, Angela Brown!



Revealing a new project is such a milestone in an author's pathway to publication. Many thanks to Heather McCorkle for the book cover design. Introducing the cover for...






FRAILTIES OF THE BOND (Add to Goodreads)



Description-

NEO – Network of Extraordinaires and Otherworldlies:




Those who answer the call from NEO play their part in
maintaining balance in our ever-changing times. With power-hungry malcontents,
jealous gods, and even those with misguided good intentions, the fate of our
world has oft been held in the hands of unsung heroes such as those that are
members of NEO.




But before NEO, these heroes and heroines had lives, loves,
issues and interests that didn’t involve saving mankind.




In Frailties of the
Bond, it only takes one bite to change a life…




After a hiking trip gone wrong, sixteen-year-old Luca should
have been dead. Since then, he’s drifted from one school day to the next,
annoyed by the looks of suspicion. When a vampire attack claimed his mother and
forced his first shift into animal form, Luca set out for Texas, vengeance
bound, only to discover so much more when Aimee crossed his path.




Flesh-born of vampire parents sixteen years ago, Aimee
shouldn’t exist. Magic, though, made dreams come true for an undead couple
desperate for a child all their own. But this magic came with a price, a cost
Aimee discovered after one forbidden bite.




And now...to the cover:


Cover design by Heather McCorkle of CP Design


Xpresso Book Tours is handling the release blitz set for March 20h through March 31st. If you are interested in participating (YAY! and THANK YOU! if you are), click here to sign up.






About Angela: Born and raised in Little Rock, AR, Angela now calls Central Texas home.

Reading and writing have been lifelong passions. It was around the time she gave birth to her forever-love, nicknamed Chipmunk, that she really took writing seriously. After all, how could she teach her child to follow her dreams if she hadn't tried herself?

As a YA fantasy/sci-fi reader and author, she favors the magical, mysterious, the darker side of life...even harbors a secret fright for things that go bump in the night.

NEVERLOVE is a special project spawned from a blog-challenge-turned-blog-opera, the Abby and Basil affair. It is the first in the Shadow Jumpers series.




FRAILTIES OF THE BOND is the first in a series of novellas and short stories introducing heroes and heroines of the secret organization, NEO – Network of Extraordinaires and Otherwordlies.




Now, as tempting as it is to ask for a sound off of total love for this book cover, I'm curious about a few other things? How much does the book cover matter in choosing a book? Do you prefer symbolic covers, i.e., everything on the cover means something or directly relates to something in the book? Or just something that grabs your attention, no matter how it relates to the content within?

Cover Reveal - Violet Dawn by Lynn Rush

Violet Dawn (Violet Night Trilogy, #2)—Release Date April 1st, 2013 from Crescent Moon Press




Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17160459-violet-dawn




In the darkest place, the Light shines brightest .




Emma’s love saved Jake from life as a vampire. But their happily ever after is threatened by a savage Vamp seeking retribution for destroying the Avenos Trinity of Evil.




A mysterious stranger enters the mix, coinciding with the first Vamp attack in months. Emma’s new friendship, and the suspicion and deceit surrounding it, further drives a wedge between her and Jake.




To complicate things, Emma is bitten by a Vamp with abilities no one has ever seen before, and that bite has left its mark.

A mark that might tear Jake and Emma apart forever…




What people are already saying about Violet Dawn:




"Fast-paced, action-packed, Violet Dawn is basically everything you'd want from a vampire hunter novel and then some. Emma has kick-ass written all over her." ~Kate Evangelista, author of Taste




"Rush knocked this sequel out of the park." ~Carrie Butler, author of Strength

~~~

Bio:

Driven to write, Lynn Rush often sees her characters by closing her eyes watching their story unfold in her mind. Lynn Rush is a pen name that is a combination of two sources – Lynn, the first name of her mother-in-law, who passed away and Rush – since the author is a former inline speed skater and mountain biker. All of Rush’s books are dedicated to Lynn, her namesake, and a portion of the proceeds benefits cancer research and awareness.




Links:

Catch the Rush™: www.LynnRush.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/LynnRushWrites

Twitter: www.twitter.com/LynnRush

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/lynnrushwrites/

Newsletter:  http://eepurl.com/f55fL

New Interview and Question re: Contest Prizes

Rebecca Besser has interviewed me on her blog today - I would love for you to stop by and leave a comment!



Also, I'm still working on my contest to gain more honest reviews. I'm curious - what incentives would you like to possible win?

Book Blast - The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back by Sariah Wilson

The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back by Sariah Wilson 



Everyone knows how all those fairy tales go. The princess gets beautiful, nabs her prince, falls instantly in love, lives happily ever after and leaves her evil stepsisters in the dust.



But what happens when you’re the ugly stepsister and your obnoxiously perfect—read pretty, smart, and, worst of all, sickeningly nice—stepsister is dating the charming, tall, devastatingly handsome guy you’ve had a thing for since you were nine years old?



Quirky, artistic and snarky Mattie Lowe does not lead a charmed life. Her mother is constantly belittling her on Skype. Mercedes, the school mean girl, has made it her personal mission to torment Mattie. But worst of all? Her stepsister Ella is the most beautiful, popular girl in school and is dating Mattie’s secret longtime crush, Jake Kingston.



Tired of being left out and done with waiting for her own stupid fairy godmother to show up, Mattie decides to change her life. She’ll start by running for senior class president against wildly popular Jake.



Ella can keep her Prince Annoying. Mattie’s going to rule the school.



And no one, not even a cute and suddenly flirty Jake, is going to stop her.





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Praise



“My top pick of 2012 YA… This book is just. plain. fun.”


~Jordan McCollum, author of Saints & Spies and I, Spy




“Sariah Wilson's new book, The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back, is hilarious…What follows is a story of fun and romance with some good non-preachy life lessons thrown in.  The voice in the main character, Mattie, makes the whole thing.  I thought it was definitely a book I'd recommend to anyone with teenagers or who just want to read a good teen romance.”


~Julie Coulter Bellon, author of All Fall Down and All’s Fair





“Sariah [Wilson] has written one of the funniest stories I've read in such a long, long time. I literally couldn't put it down. Yes, my poor Kindle's battery died and I was attached to a short power cord, contorted in a very uncomfortable position while I read to the end…. Sariah Wilson captured the back-biting, insecure, hormone-driven, clique-riddled high school atmosphere so perfectly you'd think she never grew up. I dare you not to laugh as you read this witty and oh, so, romantic story.”


~Debra Erfert of Windows into Writing





“Sariah Wilson writes like the best of/most popular YA teen fiction/teen romance authors - Sarah Dessen, Jennifer Echols, Susanne Collins, Cassandra Clare.  She sucks you in and never lets you go.  I finished the ~194 novel in one night because I just couldn't go to sleep without knowing the ending!  I hope that Sariah comes out with more novels, I know I'll be re-reading this one all the time!  She's extremely talented and needs to be talked about.  I highly recommend The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back! to anyone (over the age of 12) who wants a YA novel that's a real modern-day fairy tale.”


~Hilary at Novel d’Tales





“This was such an entertaining story! I shouldn't have started reading it so late in the evening, because I didn't want to put it down to go to sleep…This is a book I can see myself reading several times. It's a fast, clean read with great characters, and I highly recommend it.”


~Andrea of Literary Time Out





The book is wonderful.  It’s quirky and fun.  The story makes you laugh and you fall in love with the characters right from the beginning…This is a well-written book.  It is one that will make you smile and sigh as you remember your first love.  And it has a moral…be yourself, believe in yourself and maybe, just maybe, your fairytale will come true.  Pick up this book.”

~Ana of The Book Hookup







Author Sariah Wilson



Sariah Wilson has never jumped out of an airplane, never climbed Mt. Everest, and is not a former CIA operative. She has, however, been madly, passionately in love with her soulmate and is a fervent believer in happily ever afters—which is why she writes romance. The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back is her fourth happily ever after novel. She grew up in southern California, graduated from Brigham Young University (go Cougars!) with a semi-useless degree in history, and is the oldest of nine (yes, nine) children. She currently lives with the aforementioned soulmate and their four children in Utah, along with three tiger barb fish, a cat named Tiger, and a recently departed hamster that is buried in the backyard (and has nothing at all to do with tigers).




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Book Blast Giveaway

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 3/5/13



Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.



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