Emma Michaels's Blog, page 41

Featured Release: Poison by Bridget Zinn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today is the big release day for

Poison by Bridget Zinn!

Sixteen-year-old Kyra, a highly-skilled potions master, is the only one who knows her kingdom is on the verge of destruction—which means she's the only one who can save it. Faced with no other choice, Kyra decides to do what she does best: poison the kingdom's future ruler, who also happens to be her former best friend.

But, for the first time ever, her poisoned dart…misses.

Now a fugitive instead of a hero, Kyra is caught in a game of hide-and-seek with the king's army and her potioner ex-boyfriend, Hal. At least she's not alone. She's armed with her vital potions, a too-cute pig, and Fred, the charming adventurer she can't stop thinking about. Kyra is determined to get herself a second chance (at murder), but will she be able to find and defeat the princess before Hal and the army find her?

Kyra is not your typical murderer, and she's certainly no damsel-in-distress—she's the lovable and quick-witted hero of this romantic novel that has all the right ingredients to make teen girls swoon.

Shout out to all of you lovely bloggers, readers and authors out there!

Bridget Zinn’s dream was to see this book reach the light of day but in 2011 Bridget lost her life to cancer. Her family and many others are supporting her dream to this day so lets do our part and spread the word!

Her book is finally out and somewhere out there she is watching, let’s spread the news and help her words and her amazing imagination live on!

Think about it, wouldn’t you want someone to do the same for you?

To make your dream live on if you weren’t there to do it yourself?

Here are some ways you can help out this week by spreading the word and remembering Bridget Zinn, the author, librarian and by all accounts a vibrant young woman who passed away at only 33.

http://bridgetzinn.com/help/index.php#about_poison

Book Recommendation: Drawing out the Dragons

I loved this book. Okay, so I was a bit on the fence about if I could get into this book and it was a wonderful surprise. I ended up reading it in one sitting and finding myself wanting more. This novel is not only inspirational and quirky but it has a contagious eagerness towards life. From page one I realized this wasn’t going to be your average novel and that James A. Owen didn’t have the average perspective on life.

So your run of the mill book written to be inspirational normally has the same old, believe in yourself, everything will end up wonderfully and perfectly and we will all skip through fields of blooming daisies. James A. Owen’s perspective is more realistic but filled with a hunger for life and a belief in humanity. He tells it as it is, that doing what you really feel you are meant to isn’t going to be easy and it isn’t supposed to be. There are obstacles and for every author or person you view as successful out there, whether it looks like they got the deal of the century or not there was struggle and hardship and above all, a need to act and a belief in what they were doing that drove them past anything life threw a them.

Probably my favorite parts of this novel were when he spoke about why he writes for middle grade and why he loved speaking to them. I also LOVED when he talked about Superman: Last Son of Krypton by Eliot S! Maggin and how it changed his life (enough that I have plans to order my own copy). To be honest, this book couldn’t have come at a better time for me. I won’t go into details but truly, I am so happy this book arrived when it did.

Reading this book you don’t feel talked down to, you feel like you are sitting next to a friend who knows you and cares about you and is telling you their story so that you know a bit better how to approach your own life. A man who loves comic books, dragons and superman and who believes in anyone and everyone who will listen.

A phenomenal book that has left me a fan of James A. Owen for life.

I won’t forget it anytime soon.

And as an added bonus, check out this amazing desktop background featuring his art!

Cover Love Affair Week 3

I am still enraptured in my cover love affairs. These are a few of my latest obsessions:

What are some of the covers you are in love with?

Book Recommendation: Insurgent

Just a few days ago I recommended/reviewed Divergent and started out by saying that I knew basically everyone in the blogosphere had read it.
 Now, while everyone has read Divergent not as many went on with the series. A few of the people I asked said they were worried it wouldn’t live up to the first novel, others simply haven’t gotten around to it and some have such amazingly large to-read piles for review that they aren’t reading as many novels for fun anymore.As someone who basically doesn’t review books for anything but fun I, luckily, did not have that problem. The second I saw this:
 and it came out on e-book I was ready to download it onto my e-reader app. So now, in my opinion Insurgent did not suffer from the curse of second book slumps but I know not everyone will agree with me. The only complaint I have heard was that Tris was less likable which I do agree with but there was a point to it and a reasoning behind it that personally, resonated with me. Not every change a person makes is for the better but every change is a learning experience you can use to become better than you are or let destroy a piece of you.
 The action was just as intense and the plot actually ended up being even more fast paced in terms of more happened in the span of one book. We saw more of the world that Veronica Roth has created and what happens to the people in it. We got to see behind the scenes looks at factions that we didn’t truly understand in the first novel and overall the story was expanded on in an amazing way. I personally loved it. The things I look for most in second novels are plot progression, character progression and that the quality of writing improves. Insurgent delivers all of this and an amazing thrilled ride that keeps you glued to the pages and waiting breathlessly to see what will happen next.
 So for all you lovely people out there who loved Divergent and haven’t gotten around to reading Insurgent yet I suggest you shuffle your to-read list so this is at the top. It’s worth it.+Plus+Guess what is coming out soon? I just found this on Amazon and Goodreads! P.S.- What upcoming releases are you most looking forward to? Have you ever loved a first book and worried the second might not live up to it?

Kristie Cook Cover/Excerpt Reveal

The Space Between (Book One in The Book of Phoenix Series)By Kristie Cook
Release Date: April 5, 2013
Genre: New Adult Paranormal Romance

When Life Falls to Pieces, Answers Lie in the Space Between
After a month-long dance tour through Italy, 20-year-old Leni Drago returns to Georgia to care for her great-uncle, only to find him gone, the home they shared empty and any evidence he ever existed wiped out. All that’s left is a journal she can’t open.

Jeric Winters has been searching for a piece of his past for over a year, only to reach a dead-end in Georgia. When an urgent and magnetic pull draws him out of his hotel room, he comes face-to-face with the beautiful dancer who’s been haunting his dreams day and night.

Jeric’s one to stay away from—a bad-boy, hit-it-and-quit-it type—but Leni can’t escape the fervent feelings between them. As their own existences begin to crumble around them and shadowy forms that are more monsters than men attack, they realize there’s more to the connection between them than physical fascination.

To solve the riddle their lives have become, they must embark on a journey that requires them to face their pasts and release their true souls. And they must do it fast—dark ones from another world are closing in, intent on killing them. Permanently.


Excerpt:


LENI – The overhead lights fell dark for the last time as I opened the dressing room door. The back exit stood open at the end of the hall, allowing in enough light from the streetlamp outside to show my way. I inhaled slowly, cherishing the musty smell of an old theater mixed with the odor of dancers’ sweat and the fragrance of white roses. I silently said my goodbyes as my feet carried me outside.
“Thank you, Uncle Theo,” I whispered as I left the theater for the last time. Only because of him did I even have this opportunity. I couldn’t wait to tell him all about it.
A large, muscular body flew at me, swept me into his arms and twirled me around as though we were still on stage. Laughter bubbled out of my chest.
“You ready to celebrate, cara mia?” Alberto asked as he set me down.
“Celebrate that you’re finally getting rid of me?” I teased. 
He clapped his hand over his heart, and his face fell into an exaggerated expression of pain. “Oh, Leni, you do not know how I will miss you and your mane.”
He swatted playfully at the bottom of my curls. He had no idea how I would miss the way he said my name, drawing out both syllables, “laaaay-kneee,” like only an Italian could do.
“But you won’t miss my heels on your toes or my arm in your face?” I said in mock disbelief.
He took my hand and danced me down the cobbled street toward the plaza at the center of town. “You are a stunning dancer, cara mia. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.” He spun me under his arm, my duffle bag banging me in the butt the whole time. “Of course, you have become much better since becoming my partner. But everyone does.”
He winked at me before dropping me into a dip. My bag slid off my shoulder and a hand darted beneath me to catch it. Alberto swung me up and around so that I came face-to-face with the most unbelievably stunning vision I’d seen my whole time in Italy. Which was saying a lot. His eyes—blue, I thought, though the light from the corner post wasn’t enough to be sure—enraptured me. He held my bag out with a small smile that hinted at dimples.
“Grazie,” I said breathlessly as I wrapped my hand around the strap of my bag. He gave me a nod almost deep enough to be a bow, his shaggy blond hair falling in his face. Then, without a word, he turned and walked away. My mouth fell open. “How rude.”
“Must be American,” Alberto said. I punched him in the arm.
“Who goes out of their way to catch a falling object and then can’t even say ‘you’re welcome’?” I asked absent-mindedly as I stared after the retreating body that rivaled Alberto’s. No, scratch that. It totally beat out Alberto’s even on his best day.
“What an ass,” Alberto muttered.
“Rude, yes, but I don’t know if I’d go that far.”
“No, I mean what an ass that man has.” He let out a low whistle.
I laughed and admired the view as well. “I can agree with that.”
“He’s going to Alonzo’s. Lucky us.”
~ ~ ~
JERIC – I flipped to the picture I’d drawn a couple of weeks ago during my search in Italy. I’d woken from a dream, one I’d been having for years, and as I had previously, I’d felt the need to sketch the girl who had me waking with a painful boner. Now that I’d met her in real life, I couldn’t deny the girl in my sketches was Leni—curly hair, exotic green eyes, full lips and breasts, her skin … as if the absolute best features of both African and European blood had been blended together and given to her. The Leni I’d just met would probably never wear the leather bra, miniskirt, and knee-high boots I’d drawn her in, but damn if she wouldn’t look hot in them. The vision came to me clearly. Too clearly. I had to place the book over my lap to hide the full-blown wood pressing against my jeans.
I needed a distraction. I needed to get her out of my head. I bought several little airline bottles of rum and dumped them in my Coke, but they weren’t enough to blur the image of Leni’s face in my mind. When the smoking hot flight attendant ran her finger over my arm then dropped a napkin with a message on my tray (“Meet me upstairs?”), I couldn’t resist. I snuck up the spiral staircase to the empty upper level and found her in the bathroom wearing nothing but heels and thigh-high stockings, tendrils of bottle-bleached hair barely hiding her fake tits. Flight attendants like this had made me a lifetime member of the mile-high club—they wanted nothing more than something to make the transatlantic flight more interesting. My perfect kind of girl.
Unfortunately, my eyes only saw Leni’s body under my hands.



About The Author:
Kristie Cook is a lifelong writer in various genres, from marketing communications to fantasy fiction. Besides writing, she enjoys reading, cooking, traveling and riding on the back of a motorcycle. She has lived in ten states, but currently calls Southwest Florida home with her husband, three teenage sons, a beagle and a puggle.

Website | Goodreads Page | Twitter | Facebook | Soul Savers Series Website

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Book Recommendation: Divergent

So, yeah, I realize basically the entire world has read Divergent already.

But seriously, if you haven’t…

Do it. Do it NOW!

Divergent is an imaginative dystopian filled with with riveting action and emotions that highlight that no one can truly fit into any box society might try to fit you into. I love the overall concept but I think what really brought it all together was the execution. The writing is hard hitting and emotional and drives each of the points she makes home, sweeping you away on the adventure with the characters you come to love and try to understand.

The characters are not flawless, they are complex and go through their own struggles that make them real enough that you find yourself more attached to them than you normally find yourself in the average YA novel. The action is also so intense and emotional that it is almost like you bond with the characters as they progress as people and change. You aren’t just watching a story unfold, you are watching Beatrice/Tris discover who she really is. 

I love that each of the factions have their own extremes and personally would probably have ended up in Amity or as a divergent.

So there you have it. Go read it. Now.

AND

TEAM AMITY!

What faction are you?

Holiday Magick Anthology and Cover Reveal!

Guess what is coming up? I am going to be featured in my first ever anthology and with a publisher I absolutely love, Spencer Hill Press.Check out this cover: It will be featuring: Want to know more? Coming March 11th 2013
Holiday Magick: 20 Holiday Stories with a twist People don't usually question holiday traditions or their origins, but maybe they should. Over centuries, explanations of how and why holidays exist may have been lost or changed. Some holiday histories might only be known by a few individuals. Ancient magic spells could have influenced how we celebrate today. Fairies, zombies, or demons may have shaped our holidays. Consider the following... Why do people give red roses and cards on Valentine's Day? Is there more to the story of Purim than is traditionally told? Why do people wear green on St. Patrick's Day? What happens to spirits that are captured during the Japanese Doll Festival? Where does Santa get his helpers? You may think you know the truth, but you can't be too sure.  Here are all of the amazing authors featured and their holidays! Valentine’s Day My Dearest Valentine, by Maria Martinez Paper Hearts, by Jennifer Allis Provost Purim The Esther, by Meredith Morgenstern Japanese Doll Festival Doll Trouble, by Kimberley Long-Ewing Las Fallas Finding Fire, by Trisha J. Wooldridge St. Patrick’s Day Marked, by Keshia Swaim Earth Day The Keeper of the Trees, by L.M. Graham Arbor Day Planet Pattern Baldness, by Daniel A. Cohen Sprite Start, by Dave Porteous Memorial Day Final Draft, by Kate Kaynak Dragon Boat Festival Autumn Moon, by DK Mok Equinoxes Equinox This!, By Candace Sams Columbus Day A Land Without Zombies, by Nicole Zoltack Halloween Masking Fear, by Daniel A. Cohen Demons’ Day Off, by Rich Storrs All Souls Day All Souls Day, by Emma Michaels Thanksgiving Second Thanksgiving, by Kendra L. Saunders Easy as Pie by Keshia Swaim Christmas Christmas with the Krampus, by Owen Dean The Toy Makers, by Jessica Porteous  I can hardly wait!


P.S.-
You can pre-order your copy now!
Barnes & Noble-
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/holiday-magick-rich-storrs/1113805262?ean=9781937053499
or
Amazon-
http://www.amazon.com/Holiday-Magick-20-Stories-Twist/dp/1937053490/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1362012310&sr=1-1&keywords=holiday+magick
 

Another Cover Love Affair

Those of you who were around my blog last week saw my first cover love affair post. As a cover artist I am asked fairly often about covers; why I do what I do, how I got into this and all that jazz. Here are a few more covers I am currently having cover love affairs with and have made their way onto my list of favorites!

What are some covers you are currently having a cover love affair with?

Wither Recommendation

I have been wondering about Wither for a while now. I am a fan of DeStefano thanks to her Youtube and other social networking but was hesitant because of the content. Now let me warn ahead of time, I know from e-mails that a number of you are adults looking to see if content is safe for your teen. If you are, I would highly suggest you read this before giving it to any teen.

Now if you don’t mind the hard subjects, the complex relationships a person needs to be mature enough to understand (many teens are but it would lead me to suggest 15+ just for in case because even I was thrown for a loop at times) or the semi-adult content, this novel is written so beautifully and with such a strange and complex mix of emotions that you find yourself eagerly clinging to the pages. I am a fast reader but normally it takes be about 6 hours to read a novel this long and that is if I enjoy the writing style. I kid you not, I read it in three hours I was so hooked.

There is a grit to DeStefano’s writing style, a haunting radiance that leaves you mesmerized. I won’t lie, normally this kind of content would have had me putting down the book only a few chapters in but somehow her writing had me ensnared and I couldn’t bring myself not to finish such a powerful novel about the broken world we could one day live in with such unbearable flaws but also hidden beauty in everything. This book has left me very curious about the future Chemical Garden novels and any other series DeStefano may write.

Overall, extraordinarily well written, very poetic and gritty content that digs it’s nails into you and doesn’t let go.

And for those of you who are already fans of Wither I found this awesome floor plan online. Kind of wonderful to get to see the layout so clearly!