Cesya MaRae Cuono's Blog, page 21

Dust by Devon Ashley Blog Tour: Excerpt + Giveaway!

I’m still swaying back and forth in a heavenly trance, softly murmuring the song in my head.
No…wait. I’m not the one humming. The sound is deeper, masculine. My eyes flutter, curious to learn the source of the sound. To my disappointment, I’m not swaying in the weeping willow anymore. The sunlight that I thought was peeping through the leaves, sprinkling me with a kaleidoscope effect of lights, is just the flame in the lantern flickering through the wavy glass walls of its prison.
I’m about to moan my opinion of the cruel disillusionment, when I realize my body is still swaying back and forth. But it’s not a willow branch wrapping itself around me, its Jack’s arms, securing me protectively against his body. My cheek is flush against his chest, and my body warm and snug as if cocooned. A heavenly sigh escapes my chest, but neither I nor Jack flinch, and he continues to rock us as he sings,
“When tears and darkness fall
And you can no longer hear my call
Ignore the evil one’s tempting plea
And scurry now to the willowy tree
Wait there you must, until the day
When Mother Nature illuminates your way
I’m afraid it’s the only key
To make the evil tendrils flee
Until then, just swing on the willowy tree”
As he sings, I lift my head to watch the notes vibrate the muscles in his throat. He senses me watching, and his smile is infectious.
“You know that song?” I ask. Duh, Rosalie. Maybe whacking myself in the head wasn’t such a good idea after all – but at least I can blame my stupidity on whatever head trauma I caused.
“Yeah. My mother used to sing it to me as a child. It took me a while to remember the words though. You’ve been singing parts of it in your sleep for awhile now, and it was driving me nuts that I couldn’t remember the words. It was always right on the tip of my tongue. They finally came to me yesterday when you were humming it in your sleep again.”
Lying against his firm chest is so perfect, I can’t help but reach my arms around his body and really snuggle in tight. He doesn’t seem to mind. In fact, his head bends to gently rest atop mine. I gasp quietly inside myself, little sparks of energy popping throughout my abdomen and chest. My heart feels like it’s trying to flip, fighting hard to break its tethers so it can join in the celebration.
We’d been so good to minimize contact since my moan sent him fleeing. But I don’t care anymore. If he’s not going to run from me right now, then I’m going to soak up as much physical contact as he’s willing to give.
I’m suddenly aware that my back is tingling with a numbing sensation. I groan, and elongate my neck to bury my eyes into his neck, too afraid to check the condition of my wings. Timidly, I whisper, “Did they hurt my wings again?”
I already know the answer.
His chest expands beyond normal lung capacity. Once it slowly releases the superfluous air, he quietly replies, “You were unconscious, so Finley didn’t stick around this time. Guess if he can’t watch you scream, he can’t get off on it.” His arms tighten, bringing our abdomens more flush. “Anyway, spriggans aren’t book smart. Most can’t even count. I did the count silently in my head and once I thought they did enough not to question, I told them to stop.” His upper hand sways back and forth, his fingers brushing the skin on my arm in soft, random patterns. “I’m sorry, Rosalie. I wish I could’ve stopped them completely.”
“How many?”
He knows exactly what I mean. “Thirty-two.”
I moan, and not in the pleasurable way that removed his hands in the past. If anything, his body is trying its best to cover as much of my body as possible, as if it could protect me or something. “How long was I out?”
“Four days.”
Now it’s my turn to overfill my chest. Four days? “Seriously, how bad is it?” Jack extends the length of our sway. After several passes, I urge, “Jack?” He continues to ignore my request, and when my head fearfully rotates toward my back, he presses my head firmly into his chest.
“I’m getting you out of here, Rosalie. And soon. Finley’s not getting another chance at your wings. Okay?”
I try to nod, but his grip is immobilizing. And like a fool pixie crushing on an unattainable faerie, I allow myself to be smothered to sleep by his protective grip.   GIVEAWAY     a Rafflecopter giveaway

Work In Progress Blog Hop: The Next Best Thing

Rules:

***Answer the ten questions about your current WIP (Work In Progress) on your blog.

***Tag five other writers/bloggers and add their links so we can hop over and meet them.

It’s that simple.

Ten Interview Questions for The Next Big Thing:

What is the working title of your book?
Battle Scars (Elemental #2)

Where did the idea come from for the book?
Believe it or not, I was taking a shower (this was during the first book). I was rinsing the shampoo out of my hair and pictured, what is now, the ending of the first book and the rest just stemmed from there.

What genre does your book fall under?
YA Fantasy

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Oh this is an easy one!

Callie Pierce (FMC) would be played by Amber Heard
























Lola Pierce (sister) played by Jordan Hinson
























Scarlett Pierce (Mom) played by Becki Newton

 


Rory Pierce (Dad) played by David Walton
 
  Oli Drayke (MMC) played by Tyler Blackburn 
   Lucy Drayke (Mom) played by Jaime Ray Newman 
  Joey Drayke (Dad) played by Charlie Weber 
   Cayden played by Jeremy Sumpter 
  Ady Meyers (bff #1) played by Julia Voth 
   Emery Jones (bff #2) played by Matt Lanter 
   What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?Now that Callie and Lola have literally exploded into their powers the war between Demons and Elementals is stronger than ever.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
My series is published through Revolution Publishing Inc.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
A little over a month but then redid the entire second half because I didn't like it. The completed manuscript was done in July 2011.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I'm not even sure. I've never read another book about Faeries or Conjurers with the ability to control the elements.

Who or What inspired you to write this book?
Well, I read a lot and I have a few author friends so I guess both reading and friends inspired me.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
Faeries with awesome powers, a hot Aussie Conjurer, a hot Demon, and badass-ness this is for you.

I tag (I only had three authors to tag):
Cyn Balog
Jennifer DeLucy
Melissa Groeling

PAYA!

Hey all! Yeah, I've been pretty terrible at updating my blog and I promise to get better at it but I have some fun news for everyone. August 25th (tomorrow), I'll be attending the 2012 PAYA Festival in West Chester, PA! Click here for directions and more information about the event!

I'll be signing from 2-3 so come and meet me! My first book, Elemental Reality, will be for sale. Also, I'll have some fun Elemental Reality and Battle Scars swag for you guys! Hope to see you there!

Hippies, Beauty, and Books Oh My!: Our Summer Reading 2012 Ginormous INT Giveaway Ext...

Check it out guys!



Hippies, Beauty, and Books Oh My!: Our Summer Reading 2012 Ginormous INT Giveaway Ext...: You've asked and we are answering! Last year we held a massive international giveaway for a TON of books! 10 people were very happy! This ye...

Teaser Tuesday: Battle Scars (5)

I stood at the front door. I didn’t want to go in alone so I flew up to the roof. Sitting down, I pulled my knees to my chest and cried until the sun dipped behind the horizon and the stars twinkled in the sky. I was so worn out. My head pounded from a rapid growing headache, eyes swollen from tears. The back door to my house slammed and Oli walked out into the yard. He ran both hands through his hair and clasped his fingers behind his head. His shoulders raised and lowered as if he was allowing a sigh to escape and bowed his head. I should’ve flown down to him but I didn’t. I was still hurt by his words. I wasn’t sure how long I sat there after Oli walked back inside but I knew I couldn’t sit on the roof all night.

Ordained Blog Tour: Book Review

Ordained (The Immortal Archives #1) by Devon AshleyType: eBook
Published: March 25th 2012 by Self (first published April 15th 2012)
ISBN: 0012190446 (ISBN13: 2940012190444)
Website: http://devonashleywrites.blogspot.com/
Summary:
Normally, the school creates the hunters - not the monsters.
Abby Sorrensten likes to play rough. Ripping the horns off the foreheads of demons, manipulating lightning and setting things on fire with the flick of your wrist can give you a serious rush. So she probably wasn't the best choice for the Order's experimental training program. Thirteen years of isolation, lack of affection and a bruised and broken body from horrendous training sessions creates more than just an exceptional fighter. It creates an evil within - an evil responsible for several deaths the night she left.
Two hundred years later Abby resurfaces as the very thing the Order trained her to kill: a vampire. A mythical demon has set his sights on the school and only the ordained hunter has the powers to face it. Unbeknownst to the Order, Abby's their precious ordained one and their only chance for survival. As much as she would love to leave them hanging, she's not willing to risk the life of Emily, a fellow friend and hunter also fed up with the organization.
But for Abby, locking herself away in a fortress with angry descendents of those she killed causes suspicions and tensions to run high. Abby must learn the demon's weaknesses for battle before the Order learns hers.
Review:
The beginning of Ordained starts out with a bang that has you thirsting for more.
Ordained was a new twist on vampires and not to mention the vampire hunters (haven’t read about them at all). I’m not going to lie when I say I really hated the idea of the hunters living in their academy. To me, it was more like a prison without the bars. The story really started to get interesting when Noel and Abby arrived. That’s when we got to know the characters on a deeper level and find out exactly how Abby and Noel survived for two hundred years. There’s also a twist with Emily that I really wasn’t expecting. I was kind of thrown for a loop there. Okay, not really. But I did think I had it figured out and turns out I was completely wrong.
I think my favorite character was Valerie. She was so misunderstood and left out. She was like the white crayon in the box. It’s placed in a box with all these other colorful crayons yet it’s isolated because it’s usually never used. So Valerie is a white crayon. I wish I could think of something better to compare her to but it’s kind of late as I type this and my funny side is really not in its full effect right now.
Oh and Abby, yeah she does some major ass kicking in this book. When you find out everything that happened to her while she was undergoing her training, you can’t help but root for her to come out on top. And she does.
There’s also crazy-ass demons rearing their ugly heads in Ordained. I blame the Order for all the fallen hunters.
If you enjoyed Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Angel you’ll definitely love this series! 5 STARS

DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT DEVON'S WEBSITE TO SEE WHERE THE GIVEAWAYS WILL BE DURING THE BLOG TOUR. CLICK THE BANNER BELOW TO BE DIRECTED TO THE PAGE AND ENJOY THE REST OF THE TOUR!

Giveaway at Read.Breathe.Relax

Hey guys! Check out this awesome giveaway going on right now over at Read.Breathe.Relax! Some great summer books! Click the picture below to see what you can win.

Teaser Tuesday: Battle Scars (4)

I had their attention but what was I going to do about it? If I asked them to take us to Palon, we’d definitely be outnumbered. No, we needed more people to go with us. The image of Lola appeared in my mind, mocking me. Something inside me snapped and that growing ball of elements burst out of me and into the sky exploding like a purple supernova. A storm of epic proportions brewed above our heads. Hurricane force winds swirled around us. Rain and fire pelted the ground. The earth rolled under our feet. Lightning sparked around us. I created the apocalypse . . . and I didn’t care.

Cover Reveal: The Collector (Dante Walker #1) #DanteFever #DanteisMine #DanteWalker

So I'm happy to announce that I'm one of many doing a cover reveal for Victoria Scott's new book THE COLLECTOR (DANTE WALKLER #1) but before I reveal that wonderful cover, I have some teasers to share with you!

Needless to say, I'm super excited for this book to come out!  I guess I shouldn't hold the cover reveal party up any longer, especially since I posted those wonderful teasers! Well here you have it folks!
SYNOPSISHe makes good girls...bad.
Dante Walker is flippin’ awesome, and he knows it. His good looks, killer charm, and stellar confidence has made him one of hell’s best—a soul collector. His job is simple, weed through humanity and label those round rears with a big red good or bad stamp. Old Saint Nick gets the good guys, and he gets the fun ones. Bag-and-tag.
Sealing souls is nothing personal. Dante’s an equal opportunity collector and doesn’t want it any other way. But he’ll have to adjust, because Boss Man has given him a new assignment:Collect Charlie Cooper’s soul within 10 days.
Dante doesn’t know why Boss Man wants Charlie, nor does he care. This assignment means only one thing to him, and that’s a permanent ticket out of hell. But after Dante meets the quirky, Nerd Alert chick he’s come to collect—he realizes this assignment will test his abilities as a collector, and uncover emotions deeply buried.

Love it! I think Dante Walker is going to be my new book crush! GAH! Add it to your TBR pile here!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Victoria Scott is a YA writer with a die-hard affection for dark and humorous books. Her work is represented by the fabulous Laurie McLean of Larsen-Pomada literary agency. She has a master’s degree in marketing, and is a member of the Writers’ League of Texas and Teen Shiver.Her first YA book, THE COLLECTOR, will be published by Entangled Teen in 2013. And her short story, FOUR HOUSES, is available now through Amazon and Barnes & Noble.She currently lives in Dallas with her husband, Ryan.
WHERE YOU CAN STALK FIND HER
WebsiteTwitterFacebook

Teaser Tuesday: Battle Scars (3)

I was right in Layla’s face. An ugly smirk splayed on it. Axl and Carver tried to step between us but she waved them off. She knew better than to let them interfere because this was our fight not theirs. Layla’s smirk pissed me off. I couldn’t stand the look of it. My fist balled, I reeled my arm back and sent my fist flying into her jaw. Flesh pounded flesh. Something cracked. She whipped her head in my direction and flashed a bloody smile.