Erin Richards's Blog, page 11

Book Tour: Soul Taker

No soul is safe...in Soul Taker. I'm excited to present this fantastic sounding paranormal novel to you today. Enjoy!
 
Title:  Soul Taker
Author:  Karen Michelle Nutt
Genre:  Contemporary Paranormal
Publisher:  Self
Release Date:  March 11, 2013
Format:  eBook 

Buy Links:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Back Cover Blurb:

No soul is safe…

A vampire from the Grim Sith sept is sucking the souls out of young women from the Boston area, but this sinister crime is far worse than a vampire seeking substance. He’s selling the souls to the highest bidder and it seems business is booming.

A vampire, a werewolf and a Necromancer, are a most unlikely team, but Garran, Harrison and Isabella plan on putting a kink in the dubbed Soul Taker’s plans. It’s personal now. One of their friends has fallen victim to the Soul Taker’s charms, but to stop him from hurting anyone else, their efforts may involve raising the dead.

Excerpt:

The night awakened everything dark and foreboding, allowing them to walk among the humans. Garran MacLaurin would be considered such a creature, though with practice he learned to control his unusual appetite to destroy everything in his wake. 

From the shadows, Garran watched Isabella Lucci lock her car, the beep of the alarm echoing in the hospital's carport. 

She wore a tan long-sleeve shirt with jeans, which looked tailored to fit her trim figure, and designer boots. She turned to go toward the hospital entrance, but something caught her attention. Her feet stilled. Her gaze turned toward him and apprehension crossed her delicate features. She took a hesitant step in his direction, clutching her purse like a lifeline. She scanned the parking lot, searching… For what? He stood still and waited. Finally, she turned and continued inside the hospital. 

He would have to be careful. Isabella hadn't seen him, but he knew without a doubt she sensed him. Rare for a human to sense the preternatural world, but then again, if Harrison was correct in his assumptions, Miss Lucci could raise the dead. Garran waited a respected few minutes so not to run into Miss Lucci. Then he too, entered the hospital.

Author Bio:
Karen Michelle Nutt resides in California with her husband, three fascinating children, and houseful of demanding pets. Jack, her Chorkie, is her writing buddy and sits long hours with her at the computer.

Her Book, Lost in the Mist of Time , was nominated for New Books Review Spotlight Best Fantasy Book of the Year Award 2006. A Twist of Fate was a nominee for Best Time Travel P.E.A.R.L. Award for 2008. Creighton Manor won Honorable Mention P.E.A.R.L. Award 2009.

Her new passion is creating book covers for Western Trail Blazers and Rebecca J. Vickery Publishing. In her spare time, she reviews books for PNR-Paranormal Romance Reviews. 

Whether your reading fancy is paranormal, historical or time travel, all her stories capture the rich array of emotions that accompany the most fabulous human phenomena—falling in love.

Author Links: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads  Participating Blogs
 http://buythebooktours.blogspot.com/2013/04/soul-taker-by-karen-michelle-nutt-book.html#axzz2Qj2Sp7Ii

New Release Spotlight: The After Girls

Title:  The After GirlsAuthor: Leah Konen
Genre: YA Contemporary
Publisher: Merit Press Books / F+W Media Inc.
Release Date: April 18, 2013
Format:  Hardcover and eBook 

Buy Links:
Amazon
B&N

Goodreads Link Enter to win one of 25 copies at Goodreads! Giveaway ends 4/24/13.
Back Cover Blurb:

Ella, Astrid, and Sydney were planning the perfect summer after high school graduation. But when Astrid commits suicide in a lonely cabin, the other girls' worlds are shattered. How could their best friend have done this--to herself and to them? They knew everything about Astrid. Shouldn't they have seen this coming? Couldn't they have saved her?

As Ella hunts for the truth, and Sydney tries to dull the pain, a chilling Facebook message from Astrid leaves them wondering whether their beloved friend is communicating from the afterlife. The girls embark on a journey to uncover Astrid's dark secrets. The answers to those questions—questions they never dreamed of asking—will change their lives forever.

Author Links: WebsiteFacebookBlogTwitterGoodreadsAmazon Author Page 

Book Spotlight & Interview: Gemini Rising

Today I'm happy to host debut novelist Jessica O'Gorek with an interview and introduction of her debut novel, Gemini Rising, which was released this week.
 
Hi Jessica! Please provide some basics before we get started:

Where do you currently live? Virginia, USAWhat’s your day job? Hotel salesWhat’s your secret passion? 80s rock.Your newest book release?  Gemini Rising, Ethereal Fury.  Now that you’ve spilled the beans that you’re an 80s rocker, let’s move on to the hard questions!
 
Was there one book that inspired you to write? What book was it and who is the author? What made it stick with you? Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. The series stuck with me because I absolutely love Edward and because of Bella’s transition from girl to vampire. I watched the first movie then read the series and just couldn’t get enough of it. The funny thing is, Meyer really isn’t a stunning writer, not compared to James Patterson or King, but she still sucked me into the story and had me reeling with Edward’s innocent sweetness. He was a killer but also a gentle soul. This concept fascinates me and has translated into Onyx, my main character.
 
I’ve heard a lot of people say the same thing about Twilight. Even if you don’t like Ms. Meyer’s writing, you have to give her a lot of credit for her storytelling. What inspired you to write Gemini Rising?  I wanted to take the YA genre and add some spice to it by inserting a deeper concept they can hopefully relate to. Instead of just a love triangle and some supernatural creatures, we have an earth element; one that I hope will instill in them the importance of protecting our planet.
 What’s the first creative writing you did outside school or a class? When I was 12, I hand wrote a 2000-page romance novel. But my passion was dark and disturbing poetry. I love the way adults would read and then look at me like I was a poor tortured soul. Writers are unique individuals whether as children or adults. Even if they thought you were a poor tortured soul, they probably were in awe of you! I’m going to shake things up now. If you didn’t live where you live now, where would you live? Why? Brazil. I love green, it’s my favorite color and I’ve always wanted to live in a tree house in the Amazon. A tree house in the Amazon would be a fun place to live…er…maybe vacation. But then if you had no electricity, you wouldn’t be able to watch the next Twilight phenomenon! If your book were made into a TV show or movie, who would you want to play the main character(s)? I would take Robert Pattinson’s face and paste it with The Rock’s body to make Onyx. He would have to be computerized anyway since he is made of smoke. Kristen Stewart would be Violette, and Slate would be the guy in Warm Bodies. (don’t know his name off the top of my head) I’ve always pictured Darius as Sylvester Stalone and the bishop as Donald Sutherland. Did you publish the first book you wrote? If not, how many books did you write before publishing your first? Yes! This is the first novel I have ever completed and I was lucky enough to land a publisher.  What was your favorite book as a kid? What’s your favorite book now? Charlie Brown’s Christmas. Twilight. What’s the best piece of advice given to you? The serenity prayer- “God, Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”  That is a great piece of advice for any person and any age. Give us a hint about your current writing project.  I am on book four on the Gemini Rising series. Thank you, Jessica, for visting with me today.
I wish you good luck with you new book and series! Title:  Gemini Rising, Ethereal Fury
Author:  Jessica O’GorekSeries: Gemini RisingGenre:  FantasyPublisher:   Cogent PublishingRelease Date:  April 13, 2013 Format:  Paperback (eBook to follow)  Blurb:   Mother Earth, wounded by the human race and its disregard for her resources, will recruit human souls to serve Her and turn against humanity. A rising force festers; Gemini, a clan of paranormal beings will systematically possess and destroy towns, cities, and states. Amidst the chaos, a forbidden relationship between Onyx, a lead Gemini, and Violette, a human, begins. They will both find themselves in the middle of a revolutionary war that will either save, or destroy our world. Buy Link:  Amazon  Everyone Has Spare Humans... Excerpt Chapter 5    “Give me my brother! I know you have him!” The shy little girl was now screaming at him, her fists pumping the air, but he paid her no mind. It was always easier to leave out the details. Tork always said there was nothing worse than a room full of hysterical captives. Bad enough to be human, but add in the adrenaline and the fear of the unknown, they became that much more insufferable. He ignored their pleas and timid curses, pulling the door shut with a thud, cutting off their curious stares. Someone yelled out they were hungry and he hesitated a little, trying to remember what hunger was. Ah yes, the need for food. The youngest of his clan, Sapphire, usually fed them three meals a day: canned food, all stolen from the local country store. He had no need for food and didn’t keep any around.  Author Bio:
I was born in Chesapeake, Virginia on April 19th, 1979. I was raised within the American Indian religion and was taught great respect for the earth and all its living beings. Powwows, sweat lodges, vision quests, you name it, I’ve done it. I was the weird kid who would confront kids on the playground in elementary school when they squished a bug. I would very sincerely tell them what they were doing was morally wrong and then I would pray for the bug to come back as a butterfly in its next life.  ​​I grew up admiring my father, Barry Weinstock, as an author. When I was twelve I started hand writing novels. My first one was two thousand pages. My daughter, who is thirteen, is currently working on her first novel. I hope to continue the legacy.   Author Links: WebsiteBlogFacebookTwitter  

Book Review: Period 8

As an author of a young adult novel from a male point-of-view, I was excited to read Period 8, and even more excited when I won a copy of an ARC from a Goodreads giveaway hosted by the publisher!Title: Period.8 Author: Chris CrutcherGenre: YA ContemporaryPublisher: Greenwillow BooksRelease Date: March 26, 2013Format: Hardcover and eBook  Buy Links: AmazonB&N  Back Cover Blurb:
Period 8. An hour a day. You can hang out. You can eat your lunch. You can talk. Or listen. Or neither. Or both. Nothing is off-limits. The only rule is that you keep it real; that you tell the truth.

Heller High senior Paul Baum—aka Paulie Bomb—tells the truth. Not the "Wow, that's an ugly sweater" variety of truth, but the other kind. The truth that matters. It might be hard. It often hurts. But Paulie doesn't know how not to tell it. When he tells his girlfriend Hannah the life-altering, messed-up, awful truth, his life falls apart. The truth can get complicated, fast.

But somein in Period 8 is lying. And Paulie, Hannah, and just about everyone else who stops by the safe haven of the P-8 room daily are deceived. And when a classmate goes missing and the mystery of her disappearance seeps beyond P-8 and into every hour of the day, all hell breaks loose.

Review:

I love seeing more teen boy-focused books on the shelves. Having said that, I liked Period 8. But I really wanted to love it. I thought the idea of an “eighth period” with an intact cohort group of kids from all backgrounds was fantastic. Add a supposed bully to the mix to this free period and the idea sold me. As others have said in their reviews, the book is not necessarily just a book about bullying (which is suggested on the back cover of the book), because it is so much more. I’m not going to go into specifics and spoil it, because I was pleasantly surprised how this story progressed without knowing the details. Although slow to start, the story held unexpected mystery, suspense and had a thrilling conclusion. Chris created a wonderful world of characters, especially Paulie and the retiring Period 8 teacher "Logs," but the story was so short that you really didn't get to know them all that well. His dialogue is witty and true, and I loved the banter among the characters, but in some places it was a little over-written, other's left me wanting to know more. And that's the gist of my lackluster review. I wanted so much more from this story because I really love the premise and characters. The scenes jumped around and were abrupt when I wanted to dig deeper. It was satisfying with respect to the main theme, however, the ending leaves the door open (maybe there's a sequel?). It's definitely a good quick read, if that's what you're looking for. All in all, Period 8 is a solid offering in the teen boy selection that will appeal to girls, boys, and adults. This was my first time reading Chris Crutcher and I'm intrigued enough to want to read more.

Special Pre-Order Gift!

 

Win a SIGNED ARC & Goodies!

It's that time! Get a chance to read Vigilante Nights before it hits the shelves! I have advanced readers copies (ARCs) to give away! Enter at Goodreads (click the link in the sidebar Goodreads box to the left). I'm offering 3 autographed ARCs plus swag goodies, which includes a custom Vigilante Nights keychain. I chose a keychain because my main character, Lucas, is a big Camaro fan, having rebuilt a 1968 Camaro on his own. The giveaway is open "worldwide." I'd love it if you add Vigilante Nights to your Goodreads TBR pile too. Good luck to all entrants!
“This book grabs you from page one and doesn't ever let go!” -- Georgia McBride, author of Praefatio Filled with romance, loss, and the threat of violence against new love, Vigilante Nights is reminiscent of the S.E. Hinton classic novel The Outsiders, Alice Hoffman’s Property of, as well as Jenny Downham’s critically acclaimed new novel, You Against Me. A "good boy" will do anything for vengeance when a
gang rite kills his twin sister.
Lucas is headed for college on a football scholarship when he unwittingly drives into the middle of a gang initiation and ends up in a coma. When he awakens, he finds his life literally smashed to pieces: his twin sister dead, his college hopes destroyed—even the vintage Camaro he prized is trashed. Lucas begins to think the accident fried his brain when he hears Silver everywhere. Fill with grief and guilt, he forms a vigilante club of “good” kids to avenge his sister—despite the fact that his new love, Tara, has helped fill the void in his life. But even Tara can’t close the wound of Lucas’s hurt. Hiding his double life from his parents, Lucas not only ends up a target, he discovers the high cost of payback. Will he learn that there’s more to life than vengeance before he loses the only hopes he has left?  

Book Tour: State of Emergency

I'm a big fan of YA dystopian, and State of Emergency by Summer Lane looks like a fantastic addition to the genre. Add romance to the mix and it's a bonus! Give it a looksie, and I hope you find a new book to add to your TBR pile!

Genre:  YA Dystopian RomancePublisher:  Self
Release Date: January 18, 2013
Format:  eBook & paperback

Book Trailer

Buy Links:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble

Back Cover Blurb:
What would you do if the world as you know it ended in an instant? How far would you go to survive?

Cassidy Hart is your typical High School graduate: a little shy, a little sarcastic, and a little naive. But when an electromagnetic pulse takes down the United States, she's forced to kick into full survival mode when she gets separated from her father. Yeah. Things suck. But with the help of a handsome soldier named Chris, she just might find her dad without getting into serious trouble. Emphasis on might. Oh. And there's the matter of avoiding getting killed in a world that's quickly turned into an active war zone. It's going to change Cassidy's life. It's going to be a major pain in the butt.

Excerpt (Prologue):
I don’t know how it happened. Nobody does. There are only theories, empty rhetoric and doomsday prophecies. None of them are right, but none of them are completely wrong, either. They all have a grain of truth. All I know is where I was and what I was doing when it happened.

The day had started out like every other day of my life. I hit the snooze button on my alarm about five times before dragging myself out of bed. I combed back my unruly red hair, threw on some clothes, and went into the kitchen. As usual, my dad hadn’t gone to the grocery store, so breakfast consisted of burnt toast and a teaspoon of olive oil.

Because fatty acids are supposed to be healthy for you.

And because there’s nothing else to eat in my house except a can of string beans from 1999.

Being nineteen, graduated from high school and unemployed, I didn’t have much to do besides surf the internet looking for interesting stories and reading my stack of books from the library. Lately I had applied for a multitude of different jobs, including a flight attendant, car washer and hotel manager. Needless to say, none of those positions panned out.

I’m more of the independent type, getting paid by my dad to help him out with his job as a private detective. He’s been letting me poke around in his cases since I was a freshman in high school. I’m good at it, too. Criminal justice, that is. I even wanted a degree in it, but since I’m flat busted broke and stuck in a two-bedroom home with an empty refrigerator, my options are kind of slim.

Anyway, after I looked for a few jobs online, I closed my laptop and started cleaning the house. My dad and I lived in a small house in the outer suburbs of Los Angeles. Culver City, to be exact. It’s about ten minutes away from Hollywood. The land of spray-on tans and yoga classes.

It’s a nice place to live as long as you don’t drive about five miles in the opposite direction. In that case you’ll end up in the middle of a ghetto. A visit to the grocery store might end up becoming a drive-by shooting.

Unsurprisingly, I’m an introvert.

So that day, that regular, average day, turned out to be a day that not only changed my life – but everybody else’s.

It was the day technology turned on us.

It was the beginning of a major pain in the butt. 

About the Author Summer Lane is the author of the YA/NA Dystopian Romance, State of Emergency. She is a freelance writer, publicist and lover of all things feline. Summer is also the author of Snappy Social Networking: How to Dominate the Blogosphere & Everything in Between.

In her spare time, Summer is the creator of the online magazine/blog, Writing Belle, in addition to being a frequent contributor at NA Alley, a website dedicated to all things New Adult. 

Summer began writing when she was 13 years old, due to the fact that the long afternoons after school were somewhat boring, and writing stories seemed to make the time pass a little quicker. Since then she has written many books about jungle cats, secret agents, princesses and spaceships. She is also a non-fiction writer, but her debut novel, State of Emergency, is her favorite book yet. You can find Summer hopping around on the Internet by following her on Twitter @SummerEllenLane or swinging by Writing Belle.  Author Links WebsiteBlogTwitterFacebookGoodreads  Book Tour Participating Blogs  

Next Steps for Vigilante Nights

In case you miss the little "present" I got in the mail last weekend, here's another picture!

I received 10 ARCs (advanced readers copies) of Vigilante Nights in trade paperback format. It's super exciting to see VN in print and hold it in my hands, even if it's not the final printed version! For those who don't know, "advance readers copy" commonly known as an ARC is exactly what they say they are. The are bound copies printed (before the final release copy and official release date) to send out to advance readers. Advance readers are booksellers, reviewers, librarians, bloggers, etc. F+W Media/Merit Press will send them out, but I can do what I want with these copies, hopefully garner some early reviews from them. And give a few away! (Keep reading for giveaway information.)

These copies are also uncorrected, that is, they don't include the corrections I made in my final galley review in February, because they went to print before last changes could be made. This is totally normal. Even the back cover blurb (book description) is the older catalog version and will also be changed on the final version. The new back cover blurb version is on my website and on all the sale sites, like Amazon, etc. Also, I updated my author photo and this copy has the old photo. I even had to ask my editor if that will change since they wanted me to update my photo (which I heartily agreed with once I redid the photo!). LOL! The photo issue is a story for another day. It was my mistake and not my publisher's!

Eventually, I will get a PDF copy of the final version. Right now, it's going through a couple more reads at Merit Press before it goes to final print in hardcover format (and eBook).

Without further ado, here's my giveaway information:

First Readers Giveaway of Vigilante Nights at Goodreads! Starts April 1 and will be open worldwide. I'm giving away 3 ARCs. Plus, each winner will receive a swag pack, which includes a VN key chain. Goodreads Link
Also, if you pre-order Vigilante Nights, I will be giving away an exclusive swag pack (this is a gift, not a giveaway). Details will be coming within a couple weeks.

Having said that, I just found out that Vigilante Nights is up for pre-order at Walmart! If you prefer to buy from Walmart vs. Amazon or the usual retailer suspects, you're in luck!  Walmart Pre-Order Link

Winners and a Sale!

Congratulations to the winners of my Lucky in Love Blog Hop giveaways!

1) Shelly H. won the 4-Leaf Clover necklace.
2) Beckey W. won an ebook copy of Wicked Paradise.

Thank you all for stopping by and commenting. Congrats again to the winners!

Wicked Paradise is on sale! If you've been waiting to get a copy of Wicked Paradise and still like reading in print, the print version is on sale at Amazon. I don't know how long the sale will last, so get your copy now!

Also, if you want an autographed bookplate to stick inside your book, let me know and I'll send you one (US residents only).
Amazon Link to Wicked Paradise

What's Your Charm? Lucky in Love Blog Hop

**See Giveaway information below** Good luck charms have been around forever. Many people who carry them truly believe they bring good luck. Their luck is usually a result of positive energy or faith. There are several types of lucky charms, and I’m not talking about the cereal! Horseshoes are the most used universal symbol of good luck. Place a horseshoe previously worn by a horse in an upright position in the top right corner of your front door frame and it invites good luck to enter your house. Don’t place it upside down or you’ll invite bad luck! Then we have talismans (yantras), lockets, lucky charm bracelets, Rudraksh nuts, the swastik, Oms, acorns and keys.   Good luck lockets have special effects because they’re worn in close physical contact with the wearer. Lucky charm bracelets have the same effect. One of the favorite types of good luck charms are four leaf clovers. Or in Irish terms, a Shamrock, which is my personal favorite (being that I’m part Irish!). So what about love and romance, you ask? The acorn is one of the few good luck charms that’s supposed to bring the wearer love and wealth. A trio of keys is said to attract the opposite sex. Two keys represent health and wealth and an Aphrodite's heart represents charm. Anything can be a good luck charm. You just need to believe. Even rabbit foot charms have been known to bring luck to the bearer (maybe not the rabbit!).  Question:  What’s your lucky charm and did it ever bring you love? Pre-Order Vigilante Nights now at Amazon  or your favorite bookseller. I’ll have a special swag gift for people who pre-order it. Details coming soon!  Upcoming Release:  Vigilante NightsGenre:  YA Contemporary (w/magic realism)Release Date:  July 18, 2013Publisher:  Merit Press (F+W Media)Format:  Hardcover, eBookMore Details  "This book grabs you from page one and doesn't ever let up!" (Georgia McBride, author of Praefatio) A "good boy" will do anything for vengeance when a gang rite kills his twin sister. Will Lucas win, or follow his sister Silver into the darkness? Lucas is headed for college on a football scholarship when he drives into the middle of a gang rite and ends up in a coma. When he wakes, he finds his life literally smashed to pieces:  his sister dead, his college hopes destroyed—even the vintage Camaro he prized is trashed. Lucas begins to think the accident fried his brains when he hears Silver everywhere. Bent on revenge, he forms a vigilante club of “good” kids to avenge her—despite the fact that his new love, Tara, has helped fill the void in his life. But even Tara can’t close the wound of Lucas’s hurt. Hiding his double life from his parents, Lucas not only ends up a target, he discovers the high cost of payback. Filled with romance, loss, and the threat of violence against new love, Vigilante Nights is reminiscent of the S.E. Hinton classic novel The Outsiders, Alice Hoffman’s Property of, as well as Jenny Downham’s critically acclaimed novel, You Against Me. Giveaways! We have TWO grand prizes for the Lucky in Love Blog Hop. You can go to EACH blog and comment with your email address and be entered to win. Yes, you can enter over 200 times! Check out those Grand Prizes! 1st Grand Prize: A $100 Amazon or B&N Gift Card 2nd Grand Prize: A Swag Pack that contains paperbacks, eBooks, 50+ bookmarks, cover flats, magnets, pens, coffee cozies, and more! (US winner only)  Plus, answer my question at the end of my blog post in your comments for an entry to win a Swarovski Crystal 4-Leaf Clover pendant (US only) or an eBook copy of my fantasy romance Wicked Paradise (Kindle, Nook or PDF format; open internationally).  Don’t forget to leave your email address!  Blog Hop Participants Be sure to visit them all for more chances to win the grand prizes and other giveaways!