Colleen Houck's Blog, page 3
April 2, 2019
Welcome to the 2019 Spring YA Scavenger Hunt!
It’s the 18th YA Scavenger Hunt. Are you ready to YASH?
Hear how the birds, on every blooming spray, With joyous music wake the dawning day.
Alexander Pope
About Me
I’m Colleen Houck, your hostess for this leg of the hunt. For those of you who don’t know me yet, here are five fun facts…
I always have a bowlful of chocolate on my deskI currently have two ducks on my pond.If I could join any band it would be Heart.My indulgent drink is Dark Chocolate Truffle Hot Cocoa.I still sleep with a stuffed animal…and, yes, it’s a tiger.
You are currently hunting on TEAM GOLD.
Looking for my exclusive bonus content? You’ll have to keep searching.
Somewhere on this blog hop, I’ve hidden a sneak peek from my top secret upcoming book! Before you go looking for it, check out the amazing author I’m hosting.
But, first, a few rules.
SCAVENGER HUNT PUZZLE RULES
DIRECTIONS: Below, you’ll notice that I’ve listed my favorite number. Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on TEAM GOLD, and then add them up (don’t worry, you can use a calculator!)
HINT: THE SECRET NUMBER IS HIGHLIGHTED IN GOLD!
RULES: Open internationally, anyone below the age of 18 should have a parent or guardian’s permission to enter. To be eligible for the grand prize, you must submit the completed entry form by SUNDAY, APRIL 7th, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.
On this hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each participating YA author, but you also get a secret number. Add up the numbers, and enter it for a chance to win a major prize–one lucky winner will receive at least one book from each author on my team in the hunt! But play fast. This contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online until noon PST on Sunday, APRIL 7th!
There are FIVE contests going on simultaneously as well as a bonus contest and you can enter one or all! I am a part of the GOLD TEAM but there is also a RED TEAM, BLUE TEAM, PURPLE TEAM, & GREEN TEAM! Check out each team for a chance to win FIVE different sets of signed books!
If you’d like to find out more about the hunt, see links to all the authors participating, and see the full list of prizes up for grabs, go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page.
Now that all the technical stuff is out of the way, I’ll introduce the author I am hosting on this hunt.
This season I am hosting…
Scarlett Kol
Born and raised in Northern Manitoba, Scarlett Kol grew up reading and writing about things that make you want to sleep with the lights on. As an adult, she’s still afraid of the dark. She is the writer of dystopian, paranormal, and fantasy tales for young adults.
Check out her book Falling!
Don’t interfere with humans.
That’s the number one angel rule, but Arianna has broken it—again. As punishment, she’s cast out of Heaven and into a small town in Iowa with one week to discover the meaning of humanity or she’ll lose her wings forever. Arianna expects to meet the challenge and be back in Heaven faster than she fell to Earth, but when she meets the handsome and elusive Griffin Carlisle she realizes risking her heart may be the most human thing of all. Could Griffin be her ticket home or a reason to give up her wings for good? A heavenly twist on the classic tale of The Little Mermaid.
Bonus Material
Music is a huge part of my writing experience. I love making playlists for my novels and although a lot of songs are chosen for a particular vibe, most are picked for very specific reasons that tie to the story. Check out the key tracks on my FALLING playlist below and the full playlist in the Youtube link:
Angels – Joshua Radin
When you start out to write a Little Mermaid retelling you’re kind of defined to writing a seafaring tale, unless, of course, you change it up. When I was trying to decide how I wanted to spin my mermaid story this song came on my Spotify and I knew instantly that FALLING would be about angels. Thanks Joshua!
There’s No Way – Lauv/Julia Michaels
I love, love, LOVE this track, and from the second I heard it knew that it conveyed exactly what I wanted for my main couple. The melody, the lyrics, the longing looks in the video, I wanted to write this kind of chemistry between them. So I did. This is Griffin and Arianna’s song.
Love Someone – Lukas Graham
I’ll be honest, I’m not a huge Lukas Graham fan, but this song is pretty epic. In a story about an angel trying to discover humanity and falling in love for the first time, I couldn’t think of a better song to relay that message. Bonus: it’s super fun to sing at the top of your lungs.
Way Down We Go – Kaleo
Can’t get into too much detail on this one as it would give away some spoilers, but let’s just say it plays during the Homecoming dance. Trust me, it makes sense.
Part of Your World – Ariel
Okay, so I may have watched the Disney version of The Little Mermaid once or twice (or five times) for research. I’ve loved this movie since I was a little girl, and one of my first crushes was on the handsome Prince Eric. Whenever I needed a bit of a reminder of the roots of the story, I could toss this on and be taken right back.
That was awesome, right?!
You can buy her book HERE!
Check out more on her Website, Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook page.
And don’t forget to enter the contest for a chance to win a ton of signed books by me and many more! Just check out all these books on team GOLD.
Oh, one interesting fact I forgot to mention. This year I moved. I bought about ten acres of beautiful land in West Salem, Oregon and we’ve been counting trees. I think I’ve counted…
…large fir trees on the property. Sadly, we had to take down two of the largest to build the house. We filmed them coming down and discovered one of them was very sick on the inside though it still looked healthy on the outside. I think I’m going to use that in a book someday.
Thank you so much for visiting my website! While you’re here don’t forget to enter the Rafflecopter bonus contest I am running exclusively during the YA Scavenger Hunt.
Five lucky winners who sign up for my newsletter will get a book of their choice. Good luck everyone!
Enter the rafflecopter below for a chance to win,
Are you ready to move on to the next author on the hunt? Up next is B. KRISTIN MCMICHAEL!
March 28, 2019
Announcing the Spring 2019 YASH Teams!
I’m very excited to announce the five amazing teams the YA Scavenger Hunt is bringing to you this spring. This season, I’m on team gold. Check out the book I’m featuring along with all these other awesome reads.
This season I’ll be giving you a sneak peek at the book I’m currently writing. I’m only on chapter five so you’re getting a super early preview. Not even my agent has seen this one. Shhh! It’s majorly hush hush. It’s going to be a good one. The hunt begins Tuesday, April 2nd, so mark your calendars, there’s a lot of hunting to be done.
March 4, 2019
The 2019 St. Patrick’s Gift Pack
Sorry I’m getting this out to you guys so late! Some of you may know that I moved to my brand new house in February and I’m still playing catch up. The rental house has been cleaned out and all of my temporary, and when I say temporary I mean two years of construction/living out of a suitcase things, have finally been put away. I’m just starting to go through all my long term storage and I am now becoming reacquainted with all my beloved dishes and collectibles. There are so many lovely storage places in this house. I plan to take photographs and share them all with you as soon as I get settled and organized! Pinterest will go crazy about some of the cool spots in this home.
Anyway, back to the point at hand. There isn’t much time to do a green and gold themed book gift pack but I thought I’d hurry up and organize one for you collectors out there anyway. I’ll try to do a springtime one soon too, keeping in mind tha the Spring Scavenger Hunt is coming soon as well. Don’t forget when you place your order to tell me the name you want in the book. Recreated and Tiger’s Destiny are both being offered in hardcover English but Tiger’s Dream is obviously still in paperback. Sorry guys. I’m going to be listing it at the same price though for a limited time even though it’s a bear to ship so get this one signed and stamped while you can. Also if you’re in the DC area, or Seattle, I’ll be at on March 16th. Come and see me on the panel called Twists and Turns in YA at 1:30-WSCC 603 and/or at my book signing at 2:45 WSCC Level 6 and then in DC I’ll be at Apollycon from March 21- 23 participating in multiple signings, parties, and all the mayhem.
St. Patrick’s Prize PackWHAT YOU GET:
1 BOOK (EITHER RECREATED, TIGER’S DESTINY, OR TIGER’S DREAM) SIGNED AND STAMPED1 RANDOMLY CHOSEN DECK OF CARDS1 RANDOMLY CHOSEN FACE OR HAIR MASK1 ST. PATRICK’S CARD SIGNED BY COLLEEN2 RANDOMLY SELECTED BOOK BUTTONS2 RANDOMLY SELECTED COLLEEN HOUCK BOOKMARKS 2 RANDOMLY SELECTED COLLEEN HOUCK STICKERS1 E-BOOK OF TIGER’S PROMISE1 E-BOOK OF REIGNITED1 RANDOMLY SELECTED COLLEEN HOUCK SEW ON PATCHCANDY
NOTE:The tigers are not included. Those poor guys were in storage for soooo long. Pretty, aren’t they?
COST: $50 plus shipping and handling.
For those of you who wanted to get a Ren Valentine bookmark, I still have a few more. They are $10 plus shipping and handling. To Order the Ren Valentine Bookmark, click the BUY NOW button below.
To Order the Ren Valentine Bookmark for $10 plus shipping and handling…
To order the Tiger’s Destiny prize pack in the US…
Name inside the book
To order the Tiger’s Dream prize pack in the US…
Name inside the book
To order the Recreated prize pack in the US…
Name inside the book
To order the Tiger’s Destiny prize pack outside the US…
Name inside the book
To order the Tiger’s Dream prize pack outside the US…
Name inside the book
To order the Recreated prize pack outside the US…
Name inside the book
January 9, 2019
The 2019 Valentine’s Gift Pack
Hello Readers,
The 2018 holiday gift pack was such a hit, I decided to do it again for Valentine’s Day. This time I’m offering you the choice of three different books. I’ll try to change it up every season and do different books so you have the opportunity to collect them all. Make sure to tell me the name you want me to make the book out to and it’s totally fine to give yourself a Valentine’s gift. I won’t judge. I’m also offering the same deal to my international fans though I can’t guarantee I can get the books in a different language. I will try though. Otherwise, the edition will be in English. If you want to ask if I have a certain language before buying, just leave a comment on the blog post and ask if I have a copy and I’ll check.
Valentine’s Prize PackWHAT YOU GET:
1 BOOK (EITHER REUNITED, TIGER’S QUEST, OR THE LANTERN’S EMBER) SIGNED AND STAMPED1 RANDOMLY CHOSEN DECK OF CARDS1 RANDOMLY CHOSEN FACE OR HAIR MASK1 VALENTINE CARD SIGNED BY COLLEEN2 RANDOMLY SELECTED BOOK BUTTONS2 RANDOMLY SELECTED COLLEEN HOUCK BOOKMARKS2 RANDOMLY SELECTED COLLEEN HOUCK STICKERS1 AUDIOBOOK OF TIGER’S PROMISE1 AUDIOBOOK OF REIGNITED1 RANDOMLY SELECTED COLLEEN HOUCK SEW ON PATCH1 COLLECTIBLE REN VALENTINE BOOKMARKCANDY
NOTE:
The tigers are not included. You know, just in case you were hoping.
COST:
$50 plus shipping and handling.
For those of you who are interested in just getting your hands on the collectible Ren Valentine bookmark, I’ve only made 250 of these. Once they’re gone, they’re gone. I will be selling some of these by themselves and I’m saving a few for some upcoming giveaways too. If you want to buy one by itself, they are $10 plus shipping and handling. Here’s a picture of one up close.
Ren Bookmark“I was destined to love you,
and I will belong to you forever.”
Dhiren rajaram
To Order The Lantern’s Ember prize pack in the US…
Name inside the book
To order the Reunited prize pack in the US…
Name inside the book
To order the Tiger’s Quest prize pack in the US…
Name inside the book
To order the Ren Valentine Bookmark in the US…
To Order The Lantern’s Ember prize pack outside the US…
Name inside the book
To order the Reunited prize pack outside the US…
Name inside the book
To order the Tiger’s Quest prize pack outside the US…
Name inside the book
To order the Ren Valentine Bookmark outside the US…
I hope you all have an amazing Valentine’s Day and kicked the year off right. Hope to see some of you soon in D.C. at Apollycon!
January 1, 2019
Colleen Houck Book Club 2019
2019 is shaping up to be an excellent year. I’ll be finally, finally moving into my new home and getting settled which means I should be able to start kicking back into writing mode. My twenty-fifth wedding anniversary will take place in 2019. My parents’ fiftieth wedding anniversary is in February and 2019 is also the year I’ll be celebrating my fiftieth birthday, so there is much for me to look forward to in the upcoming months.
As if all this wasn’t enough, I’m very happy to announce the twelve amazing authors I’ll be featuring in 2019 on my Goodreads book club. If you haven’t joined my book club yet, it’s very easy. All you have to do is follow me on either Facebook, Twitter, or Goodreads and then read along with me. I love reading and still carve out time to do it even though I’m very busy. I just barely completed my Goodreads goal in 2018 of reading 125 books. I had to cheat a teensy bit and include some short stories, but some of the books I read were really long so I figure it all balances out in the end.
If you can’t keep up with my 125 books or even do the 12 of my featured authors, don’t worry. There’s no pressure. You don’t even have to read to participate. All you have to do is love books and join our chat. Each month I set up a chat on Goodreads between myself and my featured author where I ask them everything from how they got started writing to their favorite recipes. You can ask them anything and one lucky person who joins the conversation will win a prize, a double prize, really–books from both of us.
Ah, now that I’ve got your attention, you’re probably wanting to know about my amazing lineup. Well, here you go. I’d make you a swanky 2019 calendar if I was a bit more talented. 
December 21, 2018
My 2018 Book Report
2018 was a fantastic year. I published two of my own books and somehow managed to read more than a hundred others. I’m still working on hitting my goal of one hundred twenty-five and I think I might just make it, but I wanted to get my book report in for those of you still shopping for book gifts.
In 2018 I celebrated the release of Tiger’s Dream in March and The Lantern’s Ember in September.
“Every girl should have a rendezvous with a fictional man.”
www.belcastroagency.com
In no particular order, here is the list of my book boyfriends along with a link where you can purchase the book.
Sonny from Tempestuous by Lesley Livingston
Kale from Toxic by Jus Accardo
Aelyx from Alienated by Melissa Landers
Ash from Iron’s Prophecy by Julie Kagawa
Morpheus from Unhinged by A. G. Howard
Teach from Blacksouls by Nicole Castroman
Saber from Shatter by Aprilynne Pike
Warner from Restore Me by Tahereh Mafi
Jase from Dance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson
Dante from Legendary by Stephanie Garber
“You are today who you’ll be in five years except for the people you meet and the books you read.”
Charlie “Tremendous” Jones
The Queen of Sorrow by Sarah Beth DurstAru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani ChokshiGunslinger Girl by Lydsay ElySky in the Deep by Adrienne YoungEverless by Sara HollandTraitor to the Throne by Alwyn HamiltonReign the Earth by A. C. GaughenUnearthed by Amie Kaufman and Meagan SpoonerUnhinged by A. G. HowardThe Peculiars by Maureen McQuerry
“Books are mirrors. You only see in them what you already have inside of you.”
Carlos Zafon
Legendary by Stephanie GarberDance of Thieves by Mary E. PearsonThe Traitor Prince by C. J. RedwineSky in the Deep by Adrienne YoungAsh Princess by Laura SebastianReign the Earth by A. C. GaughenThe Belles by Dhonielle ClaytonAlienated by Melissa LandersMonstrous Beauty by Elizabeth FamaWondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston
“Of all the hardships a person had to face, none was more punishing than the simple act of waiting. “
Khaled Hosseini, A Thousand Splendid Suns
As you can see, 2019 looks very promising. I hope you had a great reading year and look forward to another one. I have some very exciting things in store for you in 2019 including something special coming up for Valentine’s Day. Happy holidays to all of you. Be safe and give someone the gift of reading this year. Signing off for 2018,
Colleen
November 30, 2018
The 2018 Holiday Gift Pack!
Hello Readers
I love and I mean love shopping for the holidays. The only thing I love more than shopping for the holidays is probably decorating for the holidays and then baking comes in a close third. This year I decided to do a little something extra for my readers in the form of a gift. I’d like to make this an annual tradition where I pick something special I have lots of and create a fun gift pack as a special collector’s edition for my fans. This is only available in the US right now since international shipping is so expensive. I hope I can do an international version of this next year! If you want the book personalized, please don’t forget to tell me who you’d like the book made out to in the part below where it says “Name inside book.” Also, if you’d prefer to get an ARC of the book instead of a hardback, I have several of those, so leave me a note when you make your purchase on Paypal. I can’t guarantee you’ll get one as I only have a dozen or so left but I’ll try to get them to as many of you who want them as possible. I know there are some ARC collectors out there.
I’m only doing fifty of these since I still have so much to do this month so if you want one of these exclusive gift packs, you’ll have to order quickly! Love all you guys and hope you have a great holiday season!
Colleen
The 2018 Holiday Gift Pack includes the following:
1-Signed and stamped Hardback of The Lantern’s Ember
1-Randomly selected deck of playing cards
1-Randomly selected face or hair mask
1-Holiday greeting card signed by Colleen
2-Randomly selected book buttons
2-Randomly selected Colleen Houck bookmarks
2-Randomly selected stickers
1-Audiobook download of Tiger’s Promise
1-Audiobook download of Reignited
1-Sew on patch of The Lantern’s Ember
Note: The tiger statue, the gift bag, and the bows are not included.
November 17, 2018
The Tiger’s Dream Audiobook!
Hi Everybody,
I’m so excited to announce that the Tiger’s Dream audiobook is almost here! The official release date is November 28, 2018. To celebrate, I’ve coordinated with Tantor to do a Thanksgiving giveaway. There’s also a CD cover reveal, an interview with the narrator, Neil Shah, and a sneak peek listen in store. Are you ready?
The Narrator
Tiger’s Dream is a particularly important book for me. I wasn’t able to write it for a long time and when I did, it was a passion project. Writing in Kishan’s voice wasn’t something I was totally confident I could do and yet, when I began, I felt like he was sitting right next to me telling his story. The words just flowed out. This should be obvious to anyone who hefts the book.
When it came time to select a narrator, a woman was suggested at first so that the voice would match the other books in the series. It didn’t feel right to me and I asked for a man’s voice. Preferably, I wanted him to be Indian. They recruited the talented Neil Shah and once I heard him voicing a tiger on his website sample, I knew he was the right person for the job.
Then, how cool was it to find out that Neil is an Oregonian like myself? I got to meet him at the Powell’s book signing for The Lantern’s Ember, and he read a bit of Tiger’s Dream for me and my family live. It gave me chills. I can’t wait for you guys to hear this one. It’s like Kishan has come to life.
About Neil
Neil Shah is an Award winning audiobook narrator, voice-over artist, and classically-trained actor, who records from his home studio in Portland, Oregon.
As a narrator, he has recorded numerous fiction and non-fiction audiobooks, including I Am an Executioner: Love Stories by Rajesh Parameswaran (Audie nomination), The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais (Soundcommentary.com Editor’s pick 2013), and Stringer: A Reporter’s Journey In the Congo by Anjan Sundaram (Audiofile Earphones Award). He is often called upon to record books of Indian & Middle Eastern themes and characters. Although, since he was born and raised in the United States, he also records titles with American themes and characters, from coming-of-age stories to apocalyptic thrillers.
As a voice over artist, he has recorded spots for ESPN and Health Alliance for Austin Musician (HAAM) and continues to look for opportunities to bring his talents and skills to commercial, animation, and gaming voiceover projects.
As an actor, he holds a Master of Fine Arts from the acclaimed University of San Diego/Old Globe Actor Training Program. He has performed many classical and contemporary plays spanning Off-Broadway (Second Stage, Jean Cocteau Repertory) and regional stages (Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Burning Coal, Old Globe). TV & Film: he has appeared on Law & Order and in numerous independent films.
The Interview
Colleen: How many books have you narrated?
Neil: A little over a hundred. I think I’m on my 105th or so now.
Colleen: How did you get into narrating audiobooks?
Neil: I’m a classically trained actor and performed a lot of theater in NY and regionally. I was asked to audition for an audiobook and slowly started getting more and more. I lived in LA for a bit and worked with a lot of great folks when I was there. Finally, my wife and decided to move to Oregon (her home state) and I built a home booth. That’s when things really took off. Actually, on the drive from LA to Portland during the move, I was offered my first book from Tantor.
Colleen: What is your dream role to play as an actor?
Neil: Good question. There are so many. One of the reasons I love audiobooks – I get to play tons of characters. I’ll go back to my first love of Shakespeare – I’d love to play Hotspur in Henry IV, Part 1. Also, playing King Lear would be amazing…I have a few years to go before that one! One of my dream roles was Othello, which I got to play once.
Colleen: How do you decide on the specific voice and tone to do for each character?
Neil: Great question! I cast the characters in my mind. I’m very open-minded with the process and allow characters to come to mind when I am prepping the book before getting in the booth. Really, just like we all do when reading a story. Sometimes a character looks like an actor or celebrity (but with a different voice) or it could be someone I know, like a family member, or some interesting looking person I noticed at the grocery store, or my mailman or something like that. It’s really fun to see just whose going to pop into my mind! Once I have a picture of the character, I find the voice. Oftentimes the voice just naturally comes along. After I feel confident about the voice, I work on the tone to make sure they are as distinct and unique as possible from the other voices in the story.
Colleen: Do you and Kishan have anything in common?
Neil: Yes, we’re both tigers! Kidding of course! I wish. Aside from us being both of Indian descent, I would say we both really feel things. I found myself really being able to identify with him when he was lovesick or when his temper was tested. LOL! His passion made this story come alive for me and hopefully for listeners.
Colleen: What qualities make a great narrator? Do you have any tips for aspiring voice actors?
Neil: Many of the qualities that make a good actor for stage or screen. Three things I make sure to practice are making sure the story is always the most important thing, letting my imagination be free, and work ethic. I know actors who are super talented, but they are not willing to put in the work. Just like anything, it takes discipline and work to bring a story to life. For narration, it’s a different kind of work. My imagination is always working from the moment I start prepping through the last word I record, but it’s preparing for the endurance it takes to tell the story from beginning to end that is important too. It’s different recording than most realize. It’s not as simple as just reading the book out loud. There is a different nature to it. It takes a lot of sustained and intense concentration while also trying to be relaxed so your imagination can flourish. As a day goes on, it becomes more of a challenge as your mind and voice starts getting tired. Also, throughout it all, it’s important to make the story the most important thing. It’s not about a narrator’s performance. It’s about the story. We should be forgotten about — the listener should be sucked into the story. If a narrator keeps all of these things in mind, the story will be served and fun to tell.
Colleen: Is there a scene in Tiger’s Dream that was your favorite to narrate?
Neil: There were so many, but I really enjoyed the scenes when Kishan and Anamika were bickering or teasing one another. It was reminiscent of a romantic comedy. So much was going on underneath the surface that they either resisted or didn’t even realize. Can’t you both see you’re wild about each other!!?
Colleen: Which character in Tiger’s Dream was the hardest to voice?
Neil: Kishan, because he was also the narrator. It took a lot of energy to voice him because I wanted the voice to sound powerful, and even growly at times, but also with many other nuances that showed his human side. Some days, I would get to the end of the day, and my voice would be so ragged, I had to stop before I wanted to. Also, it took a little more concentration to make sure I was consistent. I don’t have an Indian accent in real life, but I had to make sure it didn’t slip away.
Colleen: This was a long book! What did a typical day of recording look like?
Neil: It was. I think it was the longest book I have recorded! A typical day would be getting in the booth in the morning, after my voice woke up, and work for a bit. Then I’d take a break to eat and get back in the booth for a bit more. After a few hours, lunch. Then back at it until early evening. By that time, my voice and brain would be tired. Then I would do it all over again the next day. After a few days of that, I’d take a break and take care of other things in my life. Sometimes, I’ll just get in the booth in the evening to do a chapter or two. Recording a book, even shorter ones, is like going on a long hike. Don’t worry about how far you’ve got to go or how far you’ve gone. Just one step at a time and enjoy the journey.
Colleen: What other projects do you have coming up?
Neil: I am currently working on a book called Palace Walk by Naguib Mahfouz. Mahfouz was one of the preeminent writers of Egyptian literature so this one was translated from Arabic. It’s the first book of a trilogy and it’s about an Egyptian family living in post WWI British-occupied Egypt. After that, I am working on a non-fiction about the river Ganges, the world’s third-largest river, and about the many cultures, places, and eras in history the river has flowed through. Then, I’ll be doing a novel that takes place in modern day war-torn Syria. In between it all, every few weeks, I’m asked to record magazine articles for AUDM.com, a publisher of long-form journalism…this is all before the end of the year! So, definitely keeping busy. One of the things I love about being a narrator is I get to tell so many different kinds of stories! Fiction, non-fiction, science-fiction, history…even children’s books. One month I’m in a world of a goddess and her tiger traveling through time, and the next I’m telling a story about an Egyptian family living in the 1920’s. There’s always a new kind of story to spark my imagination. I feel very fortunate and grateful:)
The Cover Reveal & Sneak Peek
I love those answers! Now, are you ready to listen? This is from one of my favorite scenes in the book. Kishan travels through time in an effort to save Kelsey, the girl he still loves, from a horrible death, but he gets an unexpected surprise. On a snowy mountain in Oregon Kishan waits for her to appear only to realize she’s been sitting beside him all along.
Tantor decided to go with a different cover for the audiobook. I really like seeing new interpretations of my characters. What do you think? As for me, I’d love to have Anamika’s hair.
The Contest
Tantor is going to give five lucky winners a copy of the digital audiobook before it’s release! If you want a chance to win yourself a copy early, all you have to do is enter this rafflecopter. Good luck! This holiday I’m thankful to all my readers and listeners who make it possible for me to continue writing books. Have a great holiday season. I hope you are all safe and get to spend time with the people you love.
If you can’t wait and are ready to preorder your copy today, you can get the audiobook as an MP3-CD, an Audio CD, or you can wait until November 29th to order the digital version.
October 2, 2018
YASH Fall 2018!
Hello! I am Colleen Houck, your hostess for this leg of the hunt.
About Me
My favorite artist is James C. Christensen.
I love See’s lollypops.
My favorite Marvel hero is THOR.
The classic movie I watch repeatedly is Gone With the Wind.
And the 80’s hair band I’d still go see is Bon Jovi!
You are currently hunting on TEAM GOLD.
Looking for my exclusive bonus content? You’ll have to keep searching.
Somewhere on this blog hop, I’ve hidden a sneak peek from my top secret upcoming book! Before you go looking for it, check out the amazing author I’m hosting.
But, first, a few rules.
SCAVENGER HUNT PUZZLE RULES
DIRECTIONS: Below, you’ll notice that I’ve listed my favorite number. Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on TEAM GOLD, and then add them up (don’t worry, you can use a calculator!)
HINT: THE SECRET NUMBER IS HIGHLIGHTED IN GOLD !
ENTRY FORM: Once you’ve added up all the numbers, make sure you fill out the form here to officially qualify for the grand prize. Only entries that have the correct number will qualify.
RULES: Open internationally, anyone below the age of 18 should have a parent or guardian’s permission to enter. To be eligible for the grand prize, you must submit the completed entry form by SUNDAY, OCTOBER 7th, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.
On this hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each participating YA author, but you also get a secret number. Add up the numbers, and enter it for a chance to win a major prize–one lucky winner will receive at least one book from each author on my team in the hunt! But play fast. This contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online until noon PST on Sunday, October 7th!
There are SEVEN contests going on simultaneously as well as a bonus contest and you can enter one or all! I am a part of the GOLD TEAM but there is also a RED TEAM, BLUE TEAM, PURPLE TEAM, GREEN TEAM, ORANGE TEAM & PINK TEAM! Check out each team for a chance to win SEVEN different sets of signed books!
If you’d like to find out more about the hunt, see links to all the authors participating, and see the full list of prizes up for grabs, go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page.
Now that all the technical stuff is out of the way, I’ll introduce the author I am hosting on this hunt.
I am super excited to be hosting…
SHAILA PATEL
About SHAILA:
Shaila Patel, a member of RWA and SCBWI, is a pharmacist by training, a medical office manager by day, and a writer by night. Her debut #ownvoices paranormal romance, SOULMATED, won the 2015 Chanticleer Book Reviews’ Paranormal Awards for Young Adult, the 2017 Author’s Circle Award YA Book of the Year, the RWA’s PRISM award for Best YA and Best First Book, and runner up in YARWA’s ATHENA award for YA Paranormal.
The book she is showcasing is…
ABOUT THE BOOK
Empath Liam Whelan is determined to protect Laxshmi “Lucky” Kapadia, the girl he loves, at all costs–even if it means breaking her heart to keep her alive. Heartbroken and plagued by doubts, Lucky meets the ruthless Minister Gagliardi who gives her a mind-blowing explanation for her predicament. Acting as her apparent savior, he provides her with an escape from her hell: run away with him or return to her drab existence and watch Liam move on with her heart in his hands.
BONUS MATERIAL ALERT!
Hi everyone! I’m so glad to be a part of YASH again, and I hope you all have a blast during the hunt! In case you don’t know about my Joining of Souls Series, it’s an award-winning, interracial, paranormal romance featuring an Indian-American heroine (like me!) and an Irish hero. The first two books in the series are out, and I’m currently finishing up the third–which is what my exclusive content is about. The link below will take you to a never-before-seen look at Chapter 1 of Losing Lucky. Enjoy!
Here’s the link to Chapter One of Book Three in the series! To read it, just click below.
That was awesome, right?!
You can buy her book HERE!
Check out more on her Website, Twitter, or Facebook page.
And don’t forget to enter the contest for a chance to win a ton of signed books by me and many more! Just check out all these books on team GOLD,
To enter, you need to write down my favorite number
and find all the other numbers on TEAM GOLD. Add them up, and you’ll have the secret code to enter for the grand prize!
Thank you so much for visiting my website! While you’re here don’t forget to enter the Rafflecopter bonus contest I am running exclusively during the YA Scavenger Hunt.
Two lucky winners will receive a copy of The Lantern’s Ember (just in time for Halloween) and a bonus book! Good luck everyone!
Enter the rafflecopter below for a chance to win,
To continue the hunt, check out the next author on the Gold Team A. M. ROSE!
October 1, 2018
The Lantern’s Ember Tour Report
It was a whirlwind tour month for me. I was kept very busy through October with travel and got to see many of my readers as I promoted The Lantern’s Ember. For those of you who missed seeing me, here’s a recap of what happened.
I started off at Salt Lake Comic Con, doing four panels and two book signings. My book signings were amazing and I was kept busy the entire hour on each signing day despite the fact that the wonderful sponsoring bookstore ran out of The Lantern’s Ember before my second book signing.
Somehow, I managed to get through the line both days most likely because I didn’t write my customary sentence that goes in each book. I now have a cheat sheet for those, by the way. There are simply too many books out now for me to remember them all. As you can see from my standard sentences below, I’ve shortened them quite a bit from when I started. I took all my book stamps with me to Utah and included the embossers in Oregon but those embossers are far too heavy to take on tour these days. I do have complete sets of embossers for the entire tiger series and the Egypt series but they only go to local events now. Going forward I’m determined to go with stamps. Here’s what they look like.
The embossers are identical. The only difference is that there isn’t any ink. It just embosses the pattern instead, using muscle, which I typically need to sign books with anyway. As you can see, there is a symbol that goes with each book. If you’d like to know what I write in each book (and this is only when I have time to do so on tour) here you go.
TIGER’S CURSE-Bhagyashalin! May you be endowed with luck!
TIGER’S QUEST-Find your North Star!
TIGER’S VOYAGE-Blossom like the lotus! (Didn’t really think that one through. I DO occasionally have men come through to get books signed and then I feel dumb writing this so I usually go with the always lame, “Enjoy!”
TIGER’S DESTINY-Discover your destiny!
TIGER’S DREAM-May all your dreams come true!
TIGER’S PROMISE-It all begins with a promise!
REAWAKENED-Let the sun shine in!
RECREATED-Reach for the stars!
REUNITED-Shoot for the moon!
REIGNITED-Ignite your imagination!
THE LANTERN’S EMBER-Stir the embers!
This cheat sheet might also help those of you who do have these sentences, but can’t read my writing. =)
Salt Lake Comic Con is always awesome. I took all three of my sisters, a niece, a nephew, and my mom. We took pictures with Brent Spiner (Data from Star Trek), who looks a lot like my brother Mel, by the way…
David Tennant (AKA Doctor Who), LOOOOVEEEE him! Allons-y!
And Tom Welling from Smallville. My mom and one of my sisters flew home to Portland early and saw him waiting for his bags. He was on the same plane. Turns out his girlfriend lives in southern Oregon.
My nephew was photographed for the local newspaper because he made a sweet costume. He was totally sweating to death but sacrifices must be made for Cosplay. He’s the silver one-eyed rabbit thing. He says it’s from something called Five Nights at Freddy’s. Never heard of it. He’s the second from the left.
It was awesome just walking around and seeing all the costumes, including those worn by my readers. I dressed down at the con just because my days were pretty full and unlike my nephew, I didn’t want to be engulfed in sweat, but you’ll see my costume for The Lantern’s Ember at my other events.
I so want to wear these Hocus Pocus costumes with my sisters someday. These ladies were perfect! The redhead even had the buck teeth and the boooooook!
We kept trying to show my mom this guy but she was never looking when he passed by. She’s a huge fan of Sean Connery. If you don’t know this costume you need to watch Indiana Jones.
This whole family dressing up as the Toy Story characters was so cool! We shared a lunch table.
Here are some of my readers waiting in line to get their books signed.
After the con was over, I kept only one sister with me though I would have kept them all since they are all extremely helpful, and put the rest of them on a plane back to their families. Shara, the blonde sister, did all my hair and makeup at my two bookstore events and even coached my makeup via Skype for my local stuff, which is an amazing feat, but she also helped stamp all the books, took pictures, organized me and the lines, checked us in to our hotels, got us food, and everything else. I couldn’t ask for a better assistant on tour.
If I can, I like to do giveaways at my book signings. It’s hard to do if I’m on an extended tour since I can’t pack too much. In this case, I was able to ship some fun things to the bookstore ahead of time. I like finding decks of playing cards that go with the theme. I found lots of steampunk, zombie, skull, and monster playing cards. Then the bags usually include fun things that match either the color or theme of the book. For The Lantern’s Ember, it was orange and purple and Halloween, so lots of candy, orange and purple nail polish, some makeup, I always throw in either a copy of Tiger’s Promise or Reignited or an audiobook. Then whatever else I find as I shop. In the back, you’ll see some Reawakened purses I had made out of library editions.
I bought some orange extensions for my hair to go with the Halloween theme. It looked really cute from the back but I think I look better with my hair down for pictures. During the Reunited tour, I wore super long hair extensions straight down my back with purple highlights to match the cover and almost passed out during the Q & A. Between the hair and the dress I was super hot! Note to self: Drink water before a signing!
A few Salt Lake Comic Con’s ago, I found this lady at a booth called Kyla’s Keepsakes selling comic book bustles and ended up buying three of them. She made me a custom light up bustle and hat to go with my Halloween book. The hat has netting, feathers, pumpkins, and a black cat. I also wore firefly earrings I bought on Etsy. I love the pumpkin colored shirt mostly because the sleeves are awesome. It was too clingy for my taste though, especially when topped with a corset so I added a Halloween scarf when I got back to Oregon. The skirt is a pirate type with buckles, then I wore my steampunk ankle boots. I’ll show you a better picture of the bustle below.
So the bustle actually has three layers. It’s black on the bottom layer, then the white with pumpkins and bats that matches the hat, then the top is a black and orange pumpkin lace topped with chains with various charms like cauldrons and broomsticks. Beneath that lace layer are two strings of hidden Halloween lights and a battery pack so the whole bustle lights up. It got tricky that first night since it became detached somehow during my flight and I didn’t check everything. After the first night, it worked much better.
Also, I figured out after that first night that the bustle goes on before the corset, otherwise the ties start slipping down and peeking out underneath. I was a bit of a hot mess, costume-wise, in Orem. It was a great crowd though with lots of questions and many longtime friends in attendance.
In addition to my sister, her eldest daughter, my niece, Becca, who I named Kelsey’s foster sister after, was able to take a break from her freshman year at Brigham Young University. She came to help me at the signing and spend some time with her mom. She gave up two full-ride scholarships at Arizona Universities to attend BYU where she’s majoring in Computer Engineering. She’s a bit like Kelsey actually. She loves baking, and when we asked her what we could get her before we left the city, she said she needed oven mitts and toothpicks to test her cakes. Smart and a baker? I’d be shocked if she didn’t have a line of guys signing up with her for tutoring this semester.
Back in Oregon, I had two more events, one at Powell’s and one at The Book Bin in Salem. Both were fantastic! At Powell’s my mom, hubby, and sister dressed up along with me. The hubby wore a steampunk hat and a headless horseman T-shirt but didn’t dress as dapper as my vampire, Dev. He thought the sunglasses were making him mysterious.
A fun surprise waited for me at Powell’s. I got to meet Neil Shah, the actor who is narrating the audiobook of Tiger’s Dream! He read the opening scene in Kishan’s voice for me, the one where Kishan is hunting the deer as a tiger.
Even though he was feeling under the weather and couldn’t stay long that night, I can tell you, you’re all going to want a copy of the audiobook just so you can hear Kishan’s voice. Neil’s amazing and what’s even better is that he lives in Portland and promised to come to another signing someday and do a reading for you guys! If you want to hear a short sample, check out another tiger book he narrated on his website.
We had a great Q & A session where I answered questions about everything from, “What’s going on with the movie?” The answer is, “Not too much right now, though it’s still very much possible,” to “What are you writing now?” The answer to that one is, “Nothing at the moment. I just turned in a sci-fi book to my agent. He’s currently shopping it around.” I didn’t give a lot of hints about that one except to say that the heroine is named Astra and the hero is Jax, short for Jaxson. That it starts off on a spaceship and ends up on a planet populated by giant trees. And that if I really, really wanted to, I could use that book to connect all the books I’ve ever written…If I really wanted to. =)
A few of my favorite moments on the tour were when a mom and her adult daughters were visiting with me and the mom told me her favorite book was Tiger’s Promise because, without Yesubai’s gift, nothing else could have happened. Her insights into Tiger’s Dream and Tiger’s Promise were amazing. I could have talked with her about the story for hours.
Another fan told me about her journey to the Tiger’s Dream party in Salem where her car broke down and she had to take a taxi, but the driver only took her as far as Eugene. So she took another taxi and had to do the same thing going home. I was surprised that she sacrificed so much to come but she said she’d do it again and had a great time.
I saw a few of my old self-published versions of Tiger’s Curse and Quest on the tour which means someone’s been carrying those books around for the better part of ten years or so now. There were a lot of first editions and entire sets brought to the table. I’m so grateful for all the support and love I feel when connecting with my readers.
Thank you so much to everyone who came out to see me and to all of you who weren’t able to come to the launch parties but celebrated in your own way and picked up a copy of The Lantern’s Ember. I hope you love this Halloween story as much as I do and that it puts you in a Halloween mood! If that doesn’t do the trick, then may I suggest watching Hocus Pocus!
Happy Halloween Everybody!
Colleen
