Angela Kay Austin's Blog, page 14
April 20, 2013
#BookReview - A Perfect Darkness by @JamieRush
Yes, I've discovered a new series! Love it when I don't have to wait for the next book to release :-)
This book made me think of some of my favorite scifi TV shows and movies as I read it.
Amy Shane and Lucas Vanderwyck our heroine and hero in "A Perfect Darkness," are twenty-somethings and the offspring of parents who were part of an American CIA psychic program gone horribly wrong.
Amy Shane is the "typical" twenty-something loner type. She makes her living working on computers hidden away from the world, until Lucas.
Lucas Vanderwyck stumbled on a secret because of his best friend/brother. None of them knew what they were in for, but now that they're in it, they have to fight or die.
What I think I enjoyed most about this book was the way the love grew between Amy and Lucas. She loved him through his art, his friends, and her dreams. Awesome!
Lucas broke his promise to himself. Trying to save her, he involved her in something he only partially understood.
Together with their friends, they begin to put together the puzzle pieces of their pasts.
Jaime did a great job with pulling me in and keeping me interested. The characters were probably a little young for me. (I'm not a super YA fan, and although this was not YA, the characters are young.) But, I will read Eric and Petra's stories!
This book made me think of some of my favorite scifi TV shows and movies as I read it.
Amy Shane and Lucas Vanderwyck our heroine and hero in "A Perfect Darkness," are twenty-somethings and the offspring of parents who were part of an American CIA psychic program gone horribly wrong.
Amy Shane is the "typical" twenty-something loner type. She makes her living working on computers hidden away from the world, until Lucas.
Lucas Vanderwyck stumbled on a secret because of his best friend/brother. None of them knew what they were in for, but now that they're in it, they have to fight or die.
What I think I enjoyed most about this book was the way the love grew between Amy and Lucas. She loved him through his art, his friends, and her dreams. Awesome!
Lucas broke his promise to himself. Trying to save her, he involved her in something he only partially understood.
Together with their friends, they begin to put together the puzzle pieces of their pasts.
Jaime did a great job with pulling me in and keeping me interested. The characters were probably a little young for me. (I'm not a super YA fan, and although this was not YA, the characters are young.) But, I will read Eric and Petra's stories!
April 15, 2013
@authorvwj joins @AngelaKayAustin with a message for all writers
This week on Romancing the Pen, author Victoria Warren Jackson shares a message for authors everywhere!
Blurb:
Desiree and Shanna are sisters. They both lived similar lives, but Desiree becomes infected with HIV. With two children, a caring sister, a supportive mother, and a new boyfriend, Desiree’s world could be perfect. The fear of dying from AIDS stands in the way of Desiree’s happiness. For Shanna, life will never be the same.
Join us this week at Romancing the Pen!
Blurb:Desiree and Shanna are sisters. They both lived similar lives, but Desiree becomes infected with HIV. With two children, a caring sister, a supportive mother, and a new boyfriend, Desiree’s world could be perfect. The fear of dying from AIDS stands in the way of Desiree’s happiness. For Shanna, life will never be the same.
Join us this week at Romancing the Pen!
April 3, 2013
Did you miss my @MFRW_ORG @blogtalkradio interview with @ChantaRand?
It was such a pleasure to interview Chanta Rand! It was interesting to talk with a woman who writes historical and contemporary fiction with excitement and passion.
I kick myself for not asking Chanta what it feels like to be part of a creative husband/wife team. She writes and her husband is a photographer. Obviously, from the beautiful covers he's done for her, a great one. And he has to be an incredibly secure and strong man. If you want to know why, take a look at some of the covers he's done for her: www.ChantaRand.com.
If you missed the interview, listen to it on blogtalkradio.com. Or, click on the link below.
Listen to internet radio with Marketing for Romance Writers on Blog Talk Radio
I kick myself for not asking Chanta what it feels like to be part of a creative husband/wife team. She writes and her husband is a photographer. Obviously, from the beautiful covers he's done for her, a great one. And he has to be an incredibly secure and strong man. If you want to know why, take a look at some of the covers he's done for her: www.ChantaRand.com.
If you missed the interview, listen to it on blogtalkradio.com. Or, click on the link below.
Listen to internet radio with Marketing for Romance Writers on Blog Talk Radio
April 1, 2013
March 30, 2013
This is what happens when I get sick...
I ask myself why...
March 24, 2013
Marie Laval discusses the perfect hero
Who is my perfect hero? I don't know. I think as I've matured, my hero has grown and developed with me. There once was a time when nothing mattered, but whether he was tall, dark, and handsome :-) Now, I have as much or more of an attraction to a man whose mind is as interesting as his physique.
My own heroes mimic this. They "feed" both their mind and bodies.
Marie discusses with me how important the eyes of her hero are to her. How her ability to daydream about him brings him to life.
Join us this week at Romancing the Pen, and tell us what you think.
THE LION’S EMBRACE by Marie Laval
Blurb
Arrogant, selfish and dangerous, Lucas Saintclair is everything Harriet Montague dislikes in a man. He is also the best guide in the whole of the Barbary States, the only man who can rescue her archaeologist father from the gang of Tuareg fighters that has kidnapped him. As Harriet embarks on a perilous journey across Algeria with Saintclair and Archibald Drake, her father’s most trusted friend, she discovers a bewitching but brutal land where nothing is what it seems. Who are these men intent on stealing her father’s ransom? What was her father hoping to find in Tuareg queen Tin Hinan’s tomb? Is Lucas Saintclair really as callous as he claims—or is he a man haunted by a past he cannot forgive? Dangerous passions engulf Harriet’s heart in the heat of the Sahara. Secrets of lost treasures, rebel fighters, and a sinister criminal brotherhood threaten her life and the life of the man she loves.
Does forever lie in the lion’s embrace?
My own heroes mimic this. They "feed" both their mind and bodies.
Marie discusses with me how important the eyes of her hero are to her. How her ability to daydream about him brings him to life.
Join us this week at Romancing the Pen, and tell us what you think.
THE LION’S EMBRACE by Marie LavalBlurb
Arrogant, selfish and dangerous, Lucas Saintclair is everything Harriet Montague dislikes in a man. He is also the best guide in the whole of the Barbary States, the only man who can rescue her archaeologist father from the gang of Tuareg fighters that has kidnapped him. As Harriet embarks on a perilous journey across Algeria with Saintclair and Archibald Drake, her father’s most trusted friend, she discovers a bewitching but brutal land where nothing is what it seems. Who are these men intent on stealing her father’s ransom? What was her father hoping to find in Tuareg queen Tin Hinan’s tomb? Is Lucas Saintclair really as callous as he claims—or is he a man haunted by a past he cannot forgive? Dangerous passions engulf Harriet’s heart in the heat of the Sahara. Secrets of lost treasures, rebel fighters, and a sinister criminal brotherhood threaten her life and the life of the man she loves.
Does forever lie in the lion’s embrace?
March 20, 2013
#BookReview - Wicked Nights by @genashowalter
I've read books by Gena before, but it's been a while since I picked up anything.
The cover of this book stopped me in the store! Walking through the aisles searching for something by one of my other favorite authors, I literally stopped when I saw the cover.
The way the woman is holding onto the man made my heart melt. And the way he uses both is body and his wings to protect her makes me jealous :-)
I may be the only person in the world who hasn't read Gena's Lords of the Underworld series, so I knew nothing of Zacharel. Immediately, I was interested in this man. Because he seemed so alone. You cared about him and his losses. You cared for the team that he was charged with leading. All of them equally broken and damaged in their own way.
Annabelle Miller, the heroine, again so alone in everything. And to add to it, she's been locked away in an institution and drugged for years for a crime she didn't commit.
When I began the book, I thought, I know where this is going. But, I'll stay on the ride.
Gena surprised me. She'd dropped little clues, but I didn't catch one of them until she did the big reveal at the end!
And when she did, my heart opened up even more for Zacharel.
This book was not what I expected. It had many elements we're all familiar with: alpha male, damsel in distress, angels and demons. But, Gena used them slightly differently than I expected.
When I finished this book, I sat and thought about it. If I were to have been in Zacharel's position, what choice would I have made, if tested in the same way? Honestly, I don't think I would've made the same choice. Guilt would've utterly consumed me.
If you are looking for a good read that has heart, action, and one or two surprises, this one will do it for you.
The cover of this book stopped me in the store! Walking through the aisles searching for something by one of my other favorite authors, I literally stopped when I saw the cover.
The way the woman is holding onto the man made my heart melt. And the way he uses both is body and his wings to protect her makes me jealous :-)
I may be the only person in the world who hasn't read Gena's Lords of the Underworld series, so I knew nothing of Zacharel. Immediately, I was interested in this man. Because he seemed so alone. You cared about him and his losses. You cared for the team that he was charged with leading. All of them equally broken and damaged in their own way.
Annabelle Miller, the heroine, again so alone in everything. And to add to it, she's been locked away in an institution and drugged for years for a crime she didn't commit.
When I began the book, I thought, I know where this is going. But, I'll stay on the ride.
Gena surprised me. She'd dropped little clues, but I didn't catch one of them until she did the big reveal at the end!
And when she did, my heart opened up even more for Zacharel.
This book was not what I expected. It had many elements we're all familiar with: alpha male, damsel in distress, angels and demons. But, Gena used them slightly differently than I expected.
When I finished this book, I sat and thought about it. If I were to have been in Zacharel's position, what choice would I have made, if tested in the same way? Honestly, I don't think I would've made the same choice. Guilt would've utterly consumed me.
If you are looking for a good read that has heart, action, and one or two surprises, this one will do it for you.
March 19, 2013
My appearance on So Dream Something with @KenLaSalle
Ken LaSalle invited me to be a guest on his podcast, So Dream Something. When he first told me that we'd be speaking for ninety minutes, I didn't think I wanted to do it. What on earth do I have to talk about for ninety minutes.
Fast forward to today, and well, I think I could've kept talking! It was such fun. I hope that you guys will tune in and listen. If you are an iTunes junkie like me, then you can download it and listen, or you can click below.
So Dream Something
Also, you can check out Ken's website, and listen to some of his other guests.
Ken's also been my guest on Romancing the Pen. Take a look at some of what he had to share with me about his own writing career.
Fast forward to today, and well, I think I could've kept talking! It was such fun. I hope that you guys will tune in and listen. If you are an iTunes junkie like me, then you can download it and listen, or you can click below.
So Dream Something
Also, you can check out Ken's website, and listen to some of his other guests.
Ken's also been my guest on Romancing the Pen. Take a look at some of what he had to share with me about his own writing career.
March 13, 2013
Book signing @ The Booksellers at Laurelwood
I hope that you all will come meet me and my friends at The Booksellers at Laurelwood located in Memphis, TN. I will be joined by three local authors: Laura T. Johnson, Roger Bethel, and Scarlett. We'll read from our latest works and have a giveaway!
If you have read any of my books, bring it with you, and I'll autograph it!
We'll sign and speak from 2:00 P.M. CST - 3:00 P.M. CST.
For more information on The Booksellers at Laurelwood, click here.
If you have read any of my books, bring it with you, and I'll autograph it!
We'll sign and speak from 2:00 P.M. CST - 3:00 P.M. CST.
For more information on The Booksellers at Laurelwood, click here.
March 12, 2013
Series TV -- love it or hate it?
I always say that I don't watch much television. I should modify that to say, I don't watch much series TV. I love movies, and lately I've become addicted to Netflix, and watch movies on everything, including my smart phone.But, gremlins have crept into my brain, and snatched it. I'm hooked on: "The Walking Dead," "The Following," and reruns of "The Big Bang Theory."
Can somebody anybody tell me why? What's happened to me?
"The Walking Dead"! Zombies, really. Rotting, slow walking, munching on my flesh zombies! I watch this show, and I hate to be interrupted while I'm watching it. I don't like to take phone calls during any of my shows, unless you're watching it, too. :-)
I can't even say that I know the characters' names, but the little boy in "The Walking Dead" breaks my heart every time I watch it. I hate that he's facing such struggles. Then, I think, people face crazy hard struggles every day. And to be slapped with children dealing with it, it makes me want to wrap them all up in some magical something that will protect them. When you make it zombies, the battle seems easier. You hide, fight, and kill. But, in life it's not so easy.
"The Following" is a little different. I'm torn. I both love and hate the show. I feel a little like I'm watching a night-time soap opera because of the way the show ends every week. But, I love the battle with the Joe. Who doesn't love Kevin Bacon? It's great to see him again, but I am going to need to see him have win soon, or I might have to stop watching.
"The Big Bang Theory" why did I catch onto this show so late?! It's great. I love Sheldon's innocence. The whole cast of characters keeps me laughing, and they take my mind off my own worries. It's is truly escapism into light-hearted, unoffensive humor. Love it!My dvr is going to make me so so happy in the future! And my Netflix account :-)
What are you guys watching?
