Nicole Zoltack's Blog, page 28

Cover Reveal - LM Preston's The Pack with g*veaway

The Pack (Book 1) Cover Reveal for New Edition. The Pack-Retribution
(Book 2) available for review via netgalley.com, comes out in
print this September, 2012 and the publisher updated the cover of The
Pack to match.





The Pack

Description:


Shamira is considered an outcast by most, but little do they know
that she is on a mission. Kids on Mars are disappearing, but Shamira
decides to use the criminals most unlikely weapons against them the
very kids of which they have captured. In order to succeed, she is
forced to trust another, something she is afraid to do. However,
Valens, her connection to the underworld of her enemy, proves to be a
useful ally. Time is slipping, and so is her control on the power
that resides within her. But in order to save her brother's life, she
is willing to risk it all.





Praise for THE PACK





- I was most impressed by the author's world building abilities.
Mars felt real right from the beginning. I gave it to one of my sons
to read. lHe did tell me that "the fighting moves were
interesting" and he thought "her sword and weapons were
cool.".~By Kristien Howell






- A treasure for scifi readers ~ Midwest Reviews





- This sci-fi for YA jets along, full of action and humor and pathos
and even a bit of romance. ~Darby Karchut




Excerpt:





She decided then and there that she
would give the Security Force just two days before she would attempt
to find him herself. Kids of various Security Force Elite members and
the Mars Planet Police were sporadically kidnapped over the years,
never to turn up again. Shamira swore she would find them and bring
pain to those that took them. As she sat there daydreaming of what
she would do to those who hurt the missing kids and Officer McCann,
she heard a crack.
Without realizing she was doing it, she’d pressed her fork so hard
onto her plate that the plate snapped in two.





Amazon:
http :// www . amazon . com / The - Pack - LM - Preston / dp /0984198970/ ref = sr _1_3? ie = UTF 8& qid =1343303112& sr =8-3& keywords = The + Pack + by + lm + preston





Barnes & Noble:

http :// www . barnesandnoble . com / w / the - pack - l - m - preston /1020408061? ean =9780984198979





Books A Million:

http :// www . booksamillion . com / p / Pack / Lm - Preston /9780984198979? id =5433057156989




Smashwords:

http :// www . smashwords . com / books / view /140645





Contact


LM Preston

www . lmpreston . com

Blog:
http :// lmpreston . blogspot . com /

Tweet Me:
http :// twitter . com / LM _ Preston

Facebook: http :// tinyurl . com /2 fev 6 qc




Giveaway details: To win a print or ebook copy of the book with the new cover leave a comment. Extra entries for liking LM Preston's facebook page and liking The Pack on Amazon.

Interview with Sara Walsh, Author of The Dark Light and Giveaway

Hi, Nicole! Thanks for inviting me over.




You're more than welcome, Sara! Please, share with us your latest
news.




At the moment, news is all about The Dark Light and the
build-up for release. Lots of interviews and guest posts and talking with
lovely people. I’m having a blast!




That's great! When did you first
consider yourself a writer?




I’m still not sure I do consider myself a writer! I’ve
always written stories, but I still think of myself as more of a reader than a
writer. Maybe that will change. I’m not sure. I’d definitely have a book blog
if I wasn’t writing!




Ah, I'm sure you'll consider yourself a writer soon. :) What inspired you to
write The Dark Light?




I was on a road trip from Kansas City to Wyoming and was
discussing a news events about a young boy who’d suddenly reappeared almost a
decade after mysteriously vanishing. We were out on the plains, and the story
got me thinking about all the ways a person could vanish in such wide open
spaces. What might really be out there? That’s when I came up with the basic
idea behind The Dark Light.




Oh, now that sounds intriguing! Do you have a
specific writing style?




My style changes story to story.  Sometimes a story will pour out and I’m
scrambling to get it down on the page. Other times, a story needs a little more
care to ensure it stays on the right track. I do try to write every day, even
if it’s just a little.




That sounds like me! How did you come up
with the title? I love it!




The title The Dark Light evolved with the story. I was
getting close to a finished draft when I started to think about what I could
call it. There were lots of references in the story to dark and light, so I
brainstormed a few combinations and decided on The Dark Light.




You mentioned your love of reading. What book are you
reading now?




At the time of writing this, I was reading Unraveling by
Elizabeth Norris, one of my fellow debut authors in the Apocalypsies. By the
time you’re reading this, I’ll almost certainly have read several other books!




Are there any new
authors that have grasped your interest?




So many. It’s such a privilege to be a part of a debut group
like the Apocalypsies, because you’re exposed to so many fantastic new writers.
I haven’t yet read a novel from one of the group that I haven’t thoroughly
enjoyed. You should check them out. All of them!




What are your current
projects?




I’m always writing, so I do have a couple of projects on the
go. Can’t give away too many details, though. Sorry!




We understand. :) Is there anything you
find particularly challenging in your writing?




It’s all a challenge, but in a really good way. Writing a
novel is a long process and there are lots of times when doubts creep in and
you wonder if a story is worth pursuing. Writing through that and coming out on
the other side with a completed novel is an essential part of being a writer.




Great answer! Who is your favorite
author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?




I’ve loved Stephen King ever since I was a teenager. His
characters are always amazing and his writing appears so effortless, you can’t
help but be carried away by his stories. What strikes me most about his work is
how he’s been able to consistently write fantastic stories over such a long
period of time. Awe inspiring.




He is definitely one of the greats. How long does it take
you to write a book?




It depends. The Dark Light took about five months to
complete a full draft. I then let it sit for a while before working on
revisions, so six or seven months all in. I do have stories that I’ve been
working on for years, but stubbornly refuse to give up on!




And some
"fun" questions: What paranormal
creature would you be and why?




I think I’d like to be a mermaid, because then I could hang
out at the beach and read all day!




Wouldn't that be awesome? What did you want to
be when you were 10 years old?




A Jedi warrior. It’s true.




Now that made me laugh! That's awesome. What makes you laugh?




General lighthearted silliness. I love goofing off with
friends.




Friends are awesome. :) If you could be any
character in fiction, whom would you be?




Luna Lovegood!




Great choice! If you could be a
superhero, what would you want your superpowers to be?




I’d want to be telepathic, because I’m really nosy.




LOL! If you had six months
with no obligations or financial constraints, what would you do with the time?




I’d write, but on the QE2.




Nice. If you were a Star
Wars character, which one would you be?




Chewbacca! Though at 5’2”, I’m more Ewok than Wookie!




At least you're taller than 5 foot. I'm 4'11 3/4.


Thanks for dropping by, Sara! What a fun interview!






The Dark Light Blurb




Mysterious lights have flickered above Crownsville for as
long as Mia can remember. And as far as she's concerned, that's about the only
interesting thing to happen in her small town.



That is, until Sol arrives. Mia's not one to fall for just any guy, but she
can't get Sol--or the brilliant tattoo on his back--out of her mind.


Then Mia's brother goes missing, and Mia's convinced that Sol knows more than
he's sharing. But getting closer to Sol means reevaluating everything Mia once
believed to be true. Because Sol's not who Mia thought he was--and neither is
she.




Bio




Sara Walsh is British, but happily lives in Annapolis,
Maryland. She graduated college with a degree in psychology, but soon decided
that telling stories was much more fun. When not writing, Sara is usually
reading, drowning in tea, or frolicking around town with the world's cutest St.
Bernard. The Dark Light is her first novel.




Links






Website

 

Twitter

 

Facebook

 

Goodreads

 

Amazon

 

Barnes and Noble




Contest




Want to win a signed hardcopy (North America only) or an ebook of The Dark Light? Just leave a comment on this blog. For an extra entry, follow Sara on twitter, add The Dark Light to your Goodreads shelf, or like Sara's facebook page. Good luck!

Cover Reveal - Colonization by Aubrie Dionne with Keychain G*veaway

Finding
a new home has never been so dangerous.





Andromeda has spent all seventeen years of her life aboard a
deep space transport vessel destined for a paradise planet. Her safe cocoon is
about to break open as Paradise 21 looms only one month away, and she must take
the aptitude tests to determine her role on the new world and her computer
assigned lifemate. As a great-granddaughter of the Commander of the ship, she
wants to live up to her family name. But, her forbidden love for her childhood
friend, Sirius, distracts her and she fails the tests. The results place her in
a menial role in the new colony and pair her with Corvus, “the oaf”.




But when Andromeda steps foot on Paradise 21, her
predestined future is the least of her worries. Alien ghosts from a failed
colonization warn her of a deadly threat to her colony. And when Sirius's ship
crashes on the far ridge in an attempt to investigate, she journeys to rescue
him with Corvus.




Andromeda now must convince the authorities of the imminent
danger to protect her new home. What she didn't expect was a battle of her own
feelings for Sirius and Corvus.




Can she save the colony and discover her true love?




Author
Bio:




Aubrie Dionne writes science fiction fantasy with romantic
elements. Her writings have appeared in Mindflights, Niteblade, Silver Blade,
Emerald Tales, Hazard Cat, Moon Drenched Fables, A Fly in Amber, and Aurora
Wolf. Her books are published by Inkspell Publishing, Entangled Publishing,
Lyrical Press, and Gypsy Shadow Publishing. She’s also a professional flutist
in New England.




Please visit her website: www.authoraubrie.com

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2964057.Aubrie_Dionne

Twitter: @authoraubrie

Blog: http://authoraubrie.blogspot.com









Giveaway!
– Open for US and UK only.

We have a very cool keyring as a giveaway. J



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Guest Blog with Donna Fletcher - Deadline Insanity - Plus G*veaway of Untamed Fire

Deadline
insanity... is there a cure?




Writers worry endlessly about meeting
deadlines and what writer hasn’t written the very last line with barely time to
spare. So is there a cure for deadline insanity or is it just part of being a
writer? Before we see if we can find a cure let’s examine the other parts of
being a writer.




Characters can drive you nuts. They never
do what you want them to. They go off on their own tangents until you wonder if
the story is even yours anymore.




Storyline lets you know basically what
your book is going to be about. I guess you could also call it the theme. You
know exactly what it is and where you’re going with it. Yeah, right. Curve
balls coming your way here, watch out.




Plot is getting your storyline from point
A to B to C and tying it all up at the end. Suddenly, OMG, your character takes a wrong turn or so you think and you can’t get to point B.
Once that’s figured out you can glide to point C—but wait—you forgot an
essential part that ties the book all together. More rewrites.




Marketing is something you have to do but
really don’t want to do or have time to do. There are guest blogs, interviews,
appearances, your website to maintain, and a whole bunch more. Talk about
insanity!




Social Networking is part of marketing
but a whole section on its own. Facebook, Twitter. Pinterest. Etc. Oh, and
whatever new social networking site pops up tomorrow. My head’s spinning just
thinking about it.




After seeing all that the conclusion
seems obvious... you’re insane if you want to be a writer. The one problem is
that if writing is in your blood you don’t have a choice. There’s no magic in
successfully meeting deadlines. If you’re compulsive about finishing things on
time you’ll meet your deadline no matter what (which describes me). If you’re
usually or always late in finishing things up than you’ll probably have
difficulty meeting a deadline. And then there’s always life itself throwing you
a curve ball and tossing your deadline right out the window.




Deadline insanity or deadline hell is
part of being a writer and all writers have to deal with it no matter what.
However there is a terrific benefit to deadlines. It is that overwhelming
sensation of pure relief and joy you get when you finally finish your
book—whether on time or late—that no one can take away from you. And that in
itself is a reward or perhaps a cure for deadline insanity.








Donna Fletcher is a USA Today
bestselling author of adventurous historical romances. She is also a past
President of New Jersey Romance Writers and Novelists, Inc.

Website

Facebook 

Twitter




Links to Buy 

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Smahswords









Gaby Alvardo borrows
the powerful ranchero’s horse to rush and help her injured brother.









Raphael Cabrillo
doesn’t see it that way to him... she stole his horse. And so she is to be
punished for her crime. She will serve a term of six months as companion to his
ailing mother.




Raphael intends to tame
the spirited woman who refuses to wear shoes, dances under the moonlight, takes
his ill mother on picnics and stirs his passion like no other woman.




But when an attempt is
made on Gaby’s life there isn’t anything he won’t do to protect her.

Will Raphael tame the
willful woman or love the untamed fire that burns within her?





Review to be posted shortly




a Rafflecopter giveaway

Question of the Week - Invisibility

Credit for picture

  If you could be invisible, where would you go and what would you do?

Covers Reveal for Defying Gravity, Fighting Gravity, and Pull of Gravity by Cherie Reich

Three alien couples in three space fantasy novelettes fall in love in
the Gravity trilogy. After a couple
months, Cherie Reich decided that her novelettes needed a new cover. She spoke
with her cover artist, Aubrie Dionne, and the new covers for Defying Gravity, Fighting Gravity, and Pull of
Gravity are now ready to be revealed.




Homesick
upon the SS Perseid, Linia, a young linguist, thinks she signed up for a
mission of peace, but her crew members have another plan: attack the planet
Medusa.




Bored
with his dying planet, Alezandros, a space cruiser pilot, joins the Medusan
Army in his quest for adventure.




When
the SS Perseid clashes with the Medusans’ space cruisers, Alezandros and
Linia’s lives intertwine. Sucked through a wormhole, they crash upon a post-apocalyptic
Earth and are captured by cannibals. In adjacent cells, Alezandros and Linia
cast their differences aside for a common bond: escape. But when romantic
feelings emerge between them, they might do the unthinkable because for a
Medusan and a Persean to fall in love, it would defy gravity.




To Purchase: iTunes  Kobo  Nook  Smashwords 
Amazon US 
Amazon UK 
Amazon DE 
Amazon FR 
Amazon IT 
Amazon ES




Forced
into executing Aresia’s people, Phoebus escapes the Aresian Guard by flying his
spaceship through a wormhole.




The
only single woman of marrying age, Marissa flees town instead of becoming a
third wife.




When
Phoebus’s spacecraft crashes upon an asteroid-ravaged Earth, he is captured by
a rogue Earthling youth and thrown into a cellar. Marissa stumbles upon the
spacecraft, but it explodes before she can find any sign of the alien. When she
awakens, she discovers the alien’s whereabouts and vows to help him. But
Phoebus’s Aresians have landed and are searching for him. Phoebus and Marissa
must battle against their despair and their peoples in a quest for their
freedom. And through it all, an Earthling and an Aresian will find it easier to
fight gravity than their love for each other.




To purchase: Apple  Kobo  Nook  Amazon  Amazon UK 
Amazon DE 
Amazon FR 
Amazon IT 
Amazon ES 
Smashwords









A
no-nonsense Earthling corporal, Nike accepts a mission to destroy the
winged-people of Cupidis to give her race a chance at a new life.




A
spoiled Cupidian prince, Edonys gets whatever he wants until his dying father
tells him he must choose a mate and take his rightful place as king.




When
Nike’s space cruiser lands upon Cupidis, she’s taken to the royal palace where
she crosses paths with Prince Edonys. His arrogance leads her to believe her
mission of domination will be easy. Edonys refuses his father’s last request to
fall in love, but Nike isn’t anyone. She’s bold and different than any Cupidian
female. When he shows her his planet’s delights, Nike and Edonys realize they
must discover another way to save their loved ones because it will be easier
for an Earthling and a Cupidian to ignore the pull of gravity than the pull of
love.




Forthcoming end of July/early August!




Cherie is also giving away the complete trilogy to one
lucky winner. All you have to do to enter is to leave a comment. It would be great if you could also follow Cherie's blog and on twitter too, but that's not required. Good luck! And congrats, Cherie!

Guest Post from A. L. Jackson and G*veaway of Take This Regret - How to Avoid the Slush Pile

Hi everyone. I’m A. L. Jackson, author of Pulled and Take
This Regret, and I’m excited to share with you all today my tips on avoiding
the slush pile. As an author and the co-owner of a small publishing house, I
know submitting a manuscript can be one of the most nerve-racking steps we ever
take as authors. We sit in front of our computers biting our nails, refreshing
our email hour after hour, waiting to hear something back.




All the while, our submissions are sitting on someone’s desk
waiting to be reviewed.




So how do you keep your manuscript from hitting the slush
pile once someone does look it?




First, be sure you follow the publisher or agent’s
submission guidelines to a tee. If you miss something or ignore instructions,
your manuscript will most likely be rejected before the editor or agent even
reads the first line.  Be sure that you
don’t come across as someone who doesn’t know how to follow instructions or
someone who just doesn’t care about them. Both are red flags.




Second and most important in my opinion is ensuring your
book immediately hooks the reader. The writing should be strong and raise
questions that make the reader want to continue on to get those answers. Don’t
start with backstory on your main character or over-describe the setting. Get
right into the conflict and then weave those other details in later. Be sure the
first few pages are both clear and interesting. 
The reader should be intrigued, but not confused, and most definitely
should not be bored.




Be sure the portion you’re submitting has been carefully
proofed and is formatted correctly (again check for submission guidelines to
find out if a specific format is requested). Taking these small steps show
you’re serious about your submission and are committed to your writing. If an
editor is spending more time noticing typos or wonky formatting, it will distract
from your writing. 




Take the time to ensure your submission stands out from the
masses. These three points above can mean the difference between opening an
email with a rejection letter or one asking to see your full manuscript. 




Wishing you all luck with your writing endeavors!




 There are some mistakes we make that we will regret for the rest of our lives.  For Christian, it was the day he betrayed Elizabeth. 



Christian Davison has a plan for his life.  He is determined to become an attorney and to one daytake his place as partner in his father’s law firm.  Nothing will stand in his way, not even Elizabeth Ayers and their unborn child.



After Christian cuts her from his life, Elizabeth spends the next five years struggling to provide for her daughter and willing to sacrifice anything to give her child a safe, comfortable life.  



For five years, Christian has regretted the day he walked away from his family and will do anything to win them back just as Elizabeth will do anything to protect her daughter from the certain heartache she believes Christian will bring upon them.



When Christian wrestles his way into their lives, Elizabeth is faced with asking herself if it is possible to forgive someone when they’ve committed the unforgiveable and if it is possible to find a love after it has been buried in years of hate.  Or are there some wounds that go so deep they can never heal?



They say everyone deserves a second chance.




Excerpt:





Two hours later, Christian sat at his desk studying for
his politics midterm, all the while listening intently for the sound of
footsteps outside his door he felt certain he would hear. He trained his
attention on the heavy textbook in front of him, trying to ignore the growing
anxiety he felt each time he picked up his cell phone to check if he’d missed
any messages.




None came.




It was well after midnight when he crawled into bed,
convinced she just needed some time to realize he was right. He had to be right.
He wouldn’t allow himself to think otherwise, so every time that wave of guilt
came, he pushed it aside.




He envisioned her awake, just as he was, tossing
uncomfortably in her small bed that rested in the far corner of her studio
apartment and slowly coming to terms with what she needed to do.




But when he dragged his unrested body from his bed the
next morning, his phone was still devoid of messages.




He had been cruel—he knew it. He could only hope he
hadn’t pushed her too far, but that she would somehow understand he was just
trying to protect their future.




Christian ate a bowl of cold cereal and then forced
himself into the steam of his shower, desperate to find anything to chase away
his fatigue. He found his head in a cloud, both from lack of sleep and from the
scenarios running through his mind, ones including a life without Elizabeth.




What if she never came back?




Could he really give her up?




As he rubbed the soapy washcloth over his body, he tried
to picture an existence without her. A life void of the perfect pitch of her
voice, the way it rang out when she laughed. A life in which he didn’t touch
the softness of her skin or have the right to pull her body against his. A life
without a child crying out from the next room as he tried unsuccessfully to
study for the bar.




Groaning, he shook his head and forced it all away,
telling himself it would not come to that.




He was certain when he saw her in class today, she would
take her normal seat beside him in the lecture hall, lean in, and whisper in
his ear that he was right.




But when her seat remained vacant, his unease grew,
gnawing at his stomach. The moment the professor dismissed class, Christian
raced from the room and to the café where Elizabeth and he studied every
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. He frantically scanned the room, finding several
mildly familiar faces but not the one he wanted to see.




By the time he reached her apartment complex, he was
panting, both from exertion from the mile he had run and the constriction fear
had placed on his heart. He pounded on the door, giving her no time to answer
before he yelled, “Elizabeth!”
There was no sound from the other side, no rustling of curtains or faint
shuffling of feet. Even then, he wasn’t satisfied. Fumbling with his keys, he
found his spare and pushed it into the lock.




The door opened to the quietness, the small studio
comfortably cluttered as always. The only thing that seemed amiss was the
blankets from her normally neat bed were strewn on the floor. Christian crossed
the space to the only separate room. The door to the bathroom rested ajar, that
room as empty as the first.




Christian pressed his back against the wall and took a
deep breath. He wasn’t prepared for this. He’d never thought it would go this
far.




Reluctantly, he forced himself out of the apartment,
shutting and locking the door behind him before he left, hating the voice
inside his head that kept telling him this was for the best.



Review to be posted shortly



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Question of the Week - Halloween Costumes

Credit for picture

I know Halloween isn't for forever but what was your favorite Halloween costume and why?

Pictures of Me Holding Woman of Honor!

I promised pictures so here they are!



So awesome to hold my book!



Not that ebooks aren't books, they are, but to be able to flip the pages...



And see my name on the cover...



And hubby is finally going to read it! (It's about time, dontcha think? It was only published back in 2009!)




Btw, you can't really tell but the shirt I'm wearing says My Heart belongs to books. It sure does!




Want a copy of your own? Email me at Nicole.Zoltack AT gmail.com The distributor is still working on getting the books available on Amazon and other places so currently you can only purchase through me.




Or you can try to win a copy over at one of my CP's blogs. Mary's having a 100 follower contest and the prize is a signed copy of Woman of Honor!

Want to W*n a Print Copy of Woman of Honor?

I'm stoked about receiving my author copies of Woman of Honor in the mail this past Friday! (Don't worry, I'll post pics tomorrow!) Want to win a copy? Head on over to one of my CP's blogs. Mary's hosting a 100 follower contest and the prize is a signed print copy of Woman of Honor!