Lizzy Ford's Blog, page 37
November 1, 2012
Win an iPad Mini: Help launch Julia Crane & Chloe Adams latest releases!
In celebration of the launch of Julia Crane’s young adult paranormal novel, Lauren, and Chloe Adams’ young adult contemporary novel, No Way Back, these two fantastic authors are running a special giveaway Nov 1-30 to win an iPad Mini!
Purchase Lauren or No Way Back during the month of November and you’ll receive 25 entries! Purchase both and receive 50 entries!*
*See Rafflecopter for more ways to enter! Open international. Void where prohibited. If Rafflecopter is broken, send proof of purchase to: juliacrane@zoho.com or chloeadamsbooks@gmail.com.
Purchase links – Lauren: Amazon, Amazon UK, Barnes and Noble
Purchase links – No Way Back: Amazon, Amazon UK, BN
Lauren
A girl with a second chance. A boy with a terrible secret. When the truth is revealed, Lauren’s world comes crashing down.
For once, seventeen-year old Lauren’s life is going right. She’s attending college attending the college of her dreams, has what appears to be the perfect boyfriend, and is surrounded by her childhood friends.
But her boyfriend, Tristan, grows more possessive by the day, and his temper is getting harder to keep in check. When Lauren realizes Tristan is using her for her power, she has to make a choice: Tristan or her world.
*Lauren is a spin-off from Keegan’s Chronicles
Contact Julia via her Website, Blog, Twitter, Facebook, Pintrest
“No Way Back” (Mia’s Way, #1)
Sometimes bad things happen to beautiful people.
The wealthy daughter of a high-ranking politician, seventeen year old Mia Abbott-Renou has everything: designer clothes, wealth, spring breaks in Monte Carlo. She lives blissfully unaware of her family’s secrets, until the night she is raped by the son of her father’s greatest political ally.
Her father forbids her from going to the police and threatens to throw her out if she does. It’s a critical election year, one that his party might lose, if the public sours on his doting father image when they realize his daughter is an underage lush and party girl. He can’t risk splintering the party in a nasty court battle that’s certain to draw way too much press, even if that means sacrificing his daughter.
Mia’s world is shattered twice, once by the men who hurt her, and once by the betrayal of her family. She does what her father says. But the rapists strike again and beat their next victim near death.
With the help of her best friend and a couple of unlikely allies, Mia must decide: does she risk losing everything to do what’s right? Or does she turn her back on the truth and preserve the family name?
What’s privileged girl to do, when her perfect little world isn’t so perfect anymore?
Contact Chloe via her website, FB page, or Twitter!
Book Feature Lauren By Julia Crane
Hello Lizzyland!
Today we are kicking off the month right with a wonderful book feature by one of Lizzyland’s favorite authors, the wonderful Julia Crane!
A girl with a second chance. A boy with a terrible secret. When the truth is revealed, Lauren’s world comes crashing down.
For once, seventeen-year old Lauren’s life is going right. She’s attending college attending the college of her dreams, has what appears to be the perfect boyfriend, and is surrounded by her childhood friends.
But her boyfriend, Tristan, grows more possessive by the day, and his temper is getting harder to keep in check. When Lauren realizes Tristan is using her for her power, she has to make a choice: Tristan or her world.
*Lauren is a spin-off from Keegan’s Chronicles
Author Bio:
Julia Crane is the author of the Coexist: Keegan’s Chronicles. She has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. Julia has believed in magical creatures since the day her grandmother first told her an Irish tale. Growing up her mother greatly encouraged reading and using your imagination. Although she’s spent most of her life on the US east coast, she currently lives in Dubai with her husband and three children.
You can purchase Lauren on:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
For more information about Julia, go to:
Website
Blog
Twitter
Facebook
Pintrest
October 30, 2012
Book Review: “Strangers in the Land” by Stant Litore – Lizzy has a new favorite author
Lizzy’s review of Strangers in the Land by Stant Litore. Available in ebook format from: Amazon and Amazon UK. Paperback: Amazon, Amazon UK and Barnes and Noble.
Saying Strangers in the Land is a zombie book is like saying that “Pride and Prejudice” is a romance novel instead of one of the most brilliant stories I’ve ever read.
Is Strangers in the Land that good? YES. Full disclosure: I was contacted by the author’s publicist to review this book, and I said sure! If I’d seen this on Amazon, would I have picked it up? Probably not, because I love my trashy romance novels. But, I’ve reviewed a few books for this publicist, and I know they’re always solid reads.
After I started reading this book, I realized the folly of my ways for not just innately KNOWING how good this book is. I wish Amazon could beam that information straight into my brain, because I took so much away from this book. It’ll stay with me for a very, very long time.
What makes this book brilliant? The characters. Their relationships. Stant’s ability to provide depth to both in a way that left me mesmerized and desperate for more. I wasn’t just emotionally invested in them, I was crying when the inevitable happened to those I fell in love with. His writing is flawless. By that, I mean, it doesn’t get in the way of the storytelling. It makes you want to read more, even when your husband gets home from work and is asking where dinner is. McDonalds, sweetie. Sorry.
The premise of Stant’s book is also intriguing. He provides a legitimate historical backdrop then tells a story about what might have really happened. In this case, the tale is set in ancient Israel. The twelve Hebrew tribes escaped Egypt and the desert and have been living in the Promised Land long enough to begin to lose their identity as one people. They’ve interbred with the heathens and also begun to lose some of their more godly ways. Stant provides the historical angle in a note at the beginning, explaining the biblical references and setting as well as the Hebrew customs for handling their dead. And then, the story begins.
The main character is Devora, a female (yes, female!) prophet who interprets visions from God. If you’re thinking, okay, no big deal, keep in mind that women in that day and age were bartered like cows. She’s recognized as God’s voice, and in the civilized south, she’s treated with reverence. She’s in her forties, wise, strong, and courageous but also haunted by dark events from her past. She wields her power as the first judge of Israel without hesitation or mercy. The zombies, however, are in the north, among the Hebrew tribes who have mostly lost their faith and godly ways. The northerners have basically turned into barbarians that barely recognize their own god. Devora has visions of the zombies destroying Israel. She must go to the north to teach the people how to kill zombies and to help reestablish law and order, before it’s too late.
One of the most intriguing relationships is that between her and Barak, a northern chieftain who is 80% certain god exists and 100% certain women are no better than cattle. One of his greatest lines is something to the effect that all of a man’s problems in the world are caused by his god and his woman. Watching him grapple with faith and the tradition of treating women like livestock is one of the best depictions of character development I’ve ever read. He’s confronted with a female prophet, one he can’t respect, but one he can’t turn away. What’s a manly northern chieftain to do, especially when his men see him treating a woman with – gasp! - respect? How does he balance his place as a leader with his duty to a god that sent a woman to tell him what to do? It takes him awhile. He has to see Devora chop off a few zombie heads, before he realizes this is no ordinary woman.
And then there’s Zadok. Dear, sweet, dedicated Zadok. He’s a warrior assigned to protect Devora and is worthy of his own romance novel. His duty makes him do horrible things, like kill in cold blood. How he handles the soul-destroying duty and his unrequited love for Devora (who’s happily married to a wonderful man) made me cry long before the chapter where he had his “run.” Oh, he made my heart hurt!
I also love the evolution of the relationship between Devora and Hurriya, a heathen who collapses at Devora’s feet at the beginning of the story with her zombified newborn in her arms. Devora has the baby zombie killed in front of the new mother, which is a bit traumatizing. Even though she is a heathen, Hurriya is meant to be the next prophet to receive visions from God. She starts out as a vulnerable, suicidal, waif of a thing, probably the first heathen Devora’s ever really taken pity on. Hurriya accompanies Devora and Zadok on their journey north as their guide and slowly morphs into the new prophet, with Devora’s guidance and help. She also helps Devora realize the error of her own ways, in terms of helping her learn to respect the heathens and dealing with her dark past.
Some parts of the book disturbed me, not because they were bad, but because I really can’t imagine being a woman and living in a time and place where women were treated like these women were. It made me admire Devora and Hurriya even more. It also led me to realize that – had Stant chosen a male prophet to headline this book – it wouldn’t have been nearly as powerful.
So, no, this isn’t just a zombie book. It’s a book about the courageous depths of the human soul in the face of unspeakable evil. It’s about those who have the power to do good while knowing their chances of survival are small. It’s about people who are forced to overcome the obstacles within themselves in order to defeat the dangers that threaten to wipe out an entire country.
Yeah, it’s that good. And don’t worry, sweet Zadok, you can come live with me. 
About Stant
Born a farmer’s son in the Pacific Northwest, Stant Litore took the college road and eventually earned his PhD in English, but remains passionate for things that grow. He spent several years in a dim corner of a library, repairing bruised and battered books, before heading overseas to backpack through Europe. Haunted by the hunger and poverty he witnessed at home and abroad, he began spinning stories about the hungers that devour us and the hopes that preserve us. Today he lives in Colorado with his wife and their two daughters, writing about the restless dead and the restless living. He avoids certain parts of the mountains during the dark of the moon.
Contact Stant via his Twitter, website, Facebook or email (zombiebible@gmail.com)
October 29, 2012
Book Feature By Shea Macleod
Hello Lizzyland!
Today we’d like to welcome back the lovely Shea Macleod here to talk about her book Kissed by Darkness…
Synopsis:
Bounty hunter Morgan Bailey is still recouping from her latest vampire kill when she receives a new assignment: hunt down the sunwalker who stole a priceless amulet from a mysterious millionaire. Sunwalkers – vampires who are immune to sunlight – are notoriously difficult to find, let alone kill, but Morgan’s not worried. She’s never met a vampire she couldn’t dust. But when this particular sunwalker comes looking for her…well, all bets are off.
Because not only is he cunning and charming, he is undeniably gorgeous – and in possession of an ancient secret that, if unleashed, could destroy the human world. Making matters worse, a strange darkness has awakened inside of Morgan, threatening to overwhelm her unless she can uncover the truth about the amulet everyone so desperately wants.
With a kick-ass heroine and captivating supporting cast, Kissed by Darkness launches an addictive new series for fans of urban fantasy.
Author Bio:
Shéa MacLeod is the author of urban fantasy post-apocalyptic scifi paranormal romances with a twist of steampunk. She has dreamed of writing novels since before she could hold a crayon. She totally blames her mother.
After a six year sojourn in London, England, a dearth of good donuts has driven her back to her hometown. She now resides in the leafy green hills outside Portland, Oregon where she indulges in her fondness for strong coffee, Ancient Aliens reruns, lemon curd, and dragons.
Because everything’s better with dragons.
Shéa is the author of the face paced urban fantasy series the Sunwalker Saga (KISSED BY DARKNESS, KISSED BY FIRE, and KISSED BY SMOKE) which is available now from Montlake Romance. She is also the author of the post-apocalyptic series Dragon Wars (DRAGON WARRIOR, DRAGON LORD) and the Cupcake Goddess novelettes.
You can find Shea in all her glory on:
Twitter
Blog
And Pintrest
October 26, 2012
Book Feature Curse of the Ice Dragon by Tara West and a Giveaway!
Today’s Spotlight is on Curse of the Ice Dragon by Tara West.
Synopsis:
From the bestselling paranormal author of The Whispers Series comes a new fantasy saga.
Born with mark of the Mighty Hunter, Markus saves his village from the brink of starvation—for whenever he releases an arrow, his aim is true. But despite his skill and strength, Markus is unable to confront his tyrannical father. Shamed by his cowardice, he distracts himself by needlessly shooting the forest creatures.
When Markus takes no heed of the village prophet’s warning that his actions will attract The Hunter’s Curse—for every animal Markus kills, his loved ones will suffer the same fate—the Sky Goddess unleashes her ice dragon. Now, Markus must flee the dragon without killing it … or his beloved brother will be the next to die.
After the dragon is trapped beneath an avalanche, Markus tries to climb to the top of Ice Mountain and beg The Goddess’s forgiveness.
But Markus nearly loses his life as he crashes into a strange kingdom carved deep within a glacier.
The Ice People do more than tend Markus’ wounds and teach him how to scale ice. Jon, his beautiful daughter, Ura, and their loyal dog, Tar, help him learn compassion, forgiveness and strength of heart. Markus knows once his arm heals, he must continue his ascent up Ice Mountain before the dragon awakens. But when The Goddess’s wrath threatens the Ice People, Markus must choose between the life of his brother and the fate of an entire kingdom.
Curse of the Ice Dragon can be purchased on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and ITunes
Author Bio:
A former Texas high school teacher, I enjoyed coaching the writing team and even the hectic deadlines that came with running the school publications. After taking a break to raise my baby girl, I now work from home as a novelist and a part-time graphic designer. In my spare time, I love to read, exercise and spend time with my family and friends.
I would love to hear from my readers!
Blog
Email
Facebook
Twitter
Website
Now, to win this book, Tara will choose TWO comments left as to why YOU love fantasy!
Good Luck!!
October 25, 2012
YA Mythology Hop – Oct 26 – Nov 4!
Wahoo! Another blog hop!! The YA Mythology Hop is sponsored by I Am A Reader, Not a Writer and For Those About To Read!
At this stop, you can win an autographed copy of “Dark Summer” (Book I, Witchling Trilogy) + ebook of “No Way Back” by Chloe Adams + swag! To enter, obey the Rafflecopter!
At this stop, you can enter to the grand prize, that includes all of the following:
autographed copy of “Dark Summer” by Lizzy Ford
ebook “No Way Back” by Chloe Adams
swag bags (includes bookmarks, lip balm, pen, magnet – all kinds of cool stuff!)
Dark Summer (Book I, Witchling Trilogy)
A girl with a broken past and a dark secret. A boy with a twisted future and no second chances. When they meet, it just might cost them their souls.
Sixteen-year-old Summer doesn’t expect the new boarding school to be any different than the rest: a temporary stay where everyone will turn against her after a few weeks. Until she meets the rest of the students at this special school and realizes she’s not the only one with magic in her blood. Accustomed to the concrete jungle of LA, she gets lost one night in the forests of the Rocky Mountains and meets Decker, the boy who will become the Master of Night and Fire on his eighteenth birthday.
Their connection is instant and dangerous, for both will be forced to choose between Light and Dark, life and death, love – and their souls.
One choice. One soul. One price. Available from Amazon, Amazon UK, BN, iTunes.
“No Way Back” (Mia’s Way, #1)
Sometimes bad things happen to beautiful people.
The wealthy daughter of a high-ranking politician, seventeen year old Mia Abbott-Renou has everything: designer clothes, wealth, spring breaks in Monte Carlo. She lives blissfully unaware of her family’s secrets, until the night she is raped by the son of her father’s greatest political ally.
Her father forbids her from going to the police and threatens to throw her out if she does. It’s a critical election year, one that his party might lose, if the public sours on his doting father image when they realize his daughter is an underage lush and party girl. He can’t risk splintering the party in a nasty court battle that’s certain to draw way too much press, even if that means sacrificing his daughter.
Mia’s world is shattered twice, once by the men who hurt her, and once by the betrayal of her family. She does what her father says. But the rapists strike again and beat their next victim near death.
With the help of her best friend and a couple of unlikely allies, Mia must decide: does she risk losing everything to do what’s right? Or does she turn her back on the truth and preserve the family name?
What’s privileged girl to do, when her perfect little world isn’t so perfect anymore?
Available from Amazon on October 27. Visit Chloe’s website for the release announcement.
Book Feature Watchers Web by Patty Jansen
Hello Lizzyland!!!
Today’s book feature is Watchers Web by Patty Jansen.
Synopsis:
She’s not your ordinary country girl, even though she might look like one. She casts webs of power, reading the feelings of living beings and telling them what to do. Nobody knows what causes it, least of all her. Her name is Jessica, but most people call her ‘freak’.
One fateful day, her ‘web’ connects with a stranger, and stray power causes the plane in which she’s travelling to crash in an alien world. An accident? The more she discovers about the world in which she has landed, the more she doubts it. She is a survivor from an ancient race that once traveled the stars. Her ancestors were powerful and dangerous, and it seems at least two people want her: the man who invades her mind, and the man who’s desperate to help her get back home. But Jessica grew up an Earth girl, and isn’t having any of this. She’ll pander to no one, thank you very much, even if her stubbornness enrages the tyrant race who hold the world in their grip.
Amazon
Amazon UK
Author Bio:
Patty Jansen lives in Sydney, Australia, where she spends most of her time writing Science Fiction and Fantasy. Her story This Peaceful State of War placed first in the second quarter of the Writers of the Future contest and was published in their 27th anthology. She has also sold fiction to genre magazines such as Analog Science Fiction and Fact, Redstone SF and Aurealis.
Her novels (available at ebook venues) include Watcher’s Web (soft SF), The Far Horizon (middle grade SF), Charlotte’s Army (military SF) and Fire & Ice, Dust & Rain and Blood & Tears (Icefire Trilogy) (dark fantasy). Her novel Ambassador will be published by Ticonderoga Publication in 2013.
Patty is a member of SFWA, and the cooperative that makes up Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine, and she has also written non-fiction.
Patty is on Twitter (@pattyjansen), Facebook, LinkedIn, Goodreads, LibraryThing, Google+, Blog and her website.
October 23, 2012
Book Feature Darklandia By T.S. Welti
Hello Lizzyland!
Today we bring you a YA Dystopian novel titled Darlandia!
Synopsis:
Manhattan, 2147
Seventeen-year-old Sera Fisk gleefully celebrates the death of her 114-year-old great-grandmother, the last Atraxian alive who still remembers what New York was like before Felicity.
There is only one principle of Felicity: Suffering is optional. Those who disagree or forget this principle, as Sera’s father did, are detained and “purified”. Through the use of the Darklandia virtual reality and mandatory water rations, the Department of Felicity has transformed metropolises all over the country into happy, obedient communities.
Inspired by her great-grandmother’s last words, Sera stops drinking the water rations and is soon recruited by Nyx into a rebel organization in the midst of planning a full-scale attack on Darklandia. When Nyx attempts to override the Darklandia system, he stumbles upon shocking information about Sera and her family. After years of living in a haze of virtual reality and drugs, Sera finds herself running from a powerful surge of raw emotions and a government agency intent on keeping reality a secret.
You can purchase this book via: Amazon
and Amazon UK
Author Bio:
I was born and raised in Southern California and have lived in three countries, three states, and a zillion different cities. I write mostly science fiction, fantasy, and romance for readers ages thirteen and up. In my spare time I love traveling; misquoting movies and TV shows; consuming mounds of books and chocolate; obsessing over music and lyrics; and pretending to be a celebrity chef.
I began telling stories when I was five and began writing them down when I was six. I was painfully shy as a child. Writing and reading provided an escape from the scary world. In fact, I was so introverted, I once wrote a story about a girl who got rejected by her imaginary friend and the story was based on true events. I know, how sad. Thankfully, as I got older I grew out of the shyness, for the most part, but I never let go of my books or my pencil.
Book Feature In The After
Hello everyone!!!
Today’s book feature is titled, ” In The After” by author Ashley Macklern-Paternostro!
Synopsis:
There is a reason fairy tales end when they do … because happily ever after is just the beginning of real life.
Once upon a time in the quaint, forgotten coastal town of Joyce, Washington Emmy Burns existed in the middle of an inconsequential life that resembled a small-town fairy tale; days filled with caring for her daughter Avery, running her small but thriving pottery store, married to the only man she had ever loved. But all of that changed when the fog rolled out one beautiful morning, leaving emptiness where Emmy had stood only the day before. She had seemingly and without a sound vanished into the thick misty air of the Pacific Northwest, taking with her a lifetime of secrets.
In the aftermath Stephen Burns is content telling the police his wife must have simply chosen to walk away from him and their daughter. But Sidney Ruth, Emmy’s closest friend, knows the truth. Sidney is the one person who had watched as the vines grew around the dark forest that was the Burn’s marriage.
Years of abuse has to lead to this moment. As the days unfurl so do the secrets Emmy kept walled away, leaving the people of Joyce wondering: What really happened to Emmy Burns in her happily ever after?
In the After can be found on Amazon Kindle and Amazon Print.
Author Bio:
Ashley Mackler-Paternostro lives in Naperville, Illinois with her husband Mark and their three wild dogs. Ashley considers herself a bit of magpie, picking up inspiration for her novels from the world around her. When she isn’t being held captive in home office by words, Ashley fancies herself a flea-market enthusiast with a weakness for repurposing vintage furniture.
In The After is Ashley’s sophomore effort, her first novel, The Milestone Tapes, was published in the spring of 2012.
More information can be found on Ashley by visiting her website, Facebook and Twitter @ashmp.
But that’s NOT all!!!
She’s also having a giveaway!
In celebration of the release of In The After, readers have a chance to win some swag straight from the novel. Prize includes a one of a kind stepping stone made from pottery scraps, a donation made in your honor to the domestic violence charity of your choosing, a signed print copy of In The After, a digital copy of In The After for your Kindle and a thirty minute phone call with Ashley to discuss her novel, the themes in the book, the characters, or the opportunity to have her answer any questions you may have.
Open to US and CA residents only, sorry.
Link to the Rafflecopter giveaway:
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/MmFlMjNmZWJiNGVlYTBmMTJhZDUwY2JhNTdkYWUxOjA=/
October 22, 2012
Spooktacular Giveaway Hop: Oct 24-Nov 1!
Another blog hop! Yay! This is the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop that runs from Oct 23-Nov 1, sponsored by I Am A Reader Not A Writer. There are over 400 blogs participating in this hop – so join in and win some loot! My rafflecopter will open early – on October 23!
Hoppers: Welcome to paranormal romance and young adult author Lizzy Ford’s website! I’ve joined forces with up-and-coming New Adult author, Chloe Adams, whose debut book “No Way Back” will launch this weekend.
At this stop, you can enter to win 1 of 3 grand prizes that include all of the following:
autographed copy of “Dark Summer” by Lizzy Ford
ebook “No Way Back” by Chloe Adams
swag bags (includes bookmarks, lip balm, pen, magnet – all kinds of cool stuff!)
Dark Summer (Book I, Witchling Trilogy)
A girl with a broken past and a dark secret. A boy with a twisted future and no second chances. When they meet, it just might cost them their souls.
Sixteen-year-old Summer doesn’t expect the new boarding school to be any different than the rest: a temporary stay where everyone will turn against her after a few weeks. Until she meets the rest of the students at this special school and realizes she’s not the only one with magic in her blood. Accustomed to the concrete jungle of LA, she gets lost one night in the forests of the Rocky Mountains and meets Decker, the boy who will become the Master of Night and Fire on his eighteenth birthday.
Their connection is instant and dangerous, for both will be forced to choose between Light and Dark, life and death, love – and their souls.
One choice. One soul. One price. Available from Amazon, Amazon UK, BN, iTunes.
“No Way Back” (Mia’s Way, #1)
Sometimes bad things happen to beautiful people.
The wealthy daughter of a high-ranking politician, seventeen year old Mia Abbott-Renou has everything: designer clothes, wealth, spring breaks in Monte Carlo. She lives blissfully unaware of her family’s secrets, until the night she is raped by the son of her father’s greatest political ally.
Her father forbids her from going to the police and threatens to throw her out if she does. It’s a critical election year, one that his party might lose, if the public sours on his doting father image when they realize his daughter is an underage lush and party girl. He can’t risk splintering the party in a nasty court battle that’s certain to draw way too much press, even if that means sacrificing his daughter.
Mia’s world is shattered twice, once by the men who hurt her, and once by the betrayal of her family. She does what her father says. But the rapists strike again and beat their next victim near death.
With the help of her best friend and a couple of unlikely allies, Mia must decide: does she risk losing everything to do what’s right? Or does she turn her back on the truth and preserve the family name?
What’s privileged girl to do, when her perfect little world isn’t so perfect anymore?
Available from Amazon on October 27. Visit Chloe’s website for the release announcement.
Rafflecopter:
Links to the other blogs
