L.S. Murphy's Blog, page 19

Reaper Book Trailer

IT’S HERE! No, not the book, but the TRAILER is here. How freaking awesome is this!

While there are still 104 days until Reaper is out in the world, you can watch the book trailer now and every day until then! (I’ve already lost count of how many times I’ve watched it, but I’m a little biased. )

Okay, I’ll stop talking. Here it is:

Isn’t that awesome?

Tagged: 2012, Book Trailers, Books, Fiction, Fun, High School, Just for Fun, Musings, Novels, Paranormal Romance, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, Romance, Teens, Videos, Writers, Writing, YA, YA books, YA Paranormal Romance, YA urban fantasy, Young Adult, Young Adult Books

Waiting on Wednesday: Greta and the Goblin King

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, showcasing books that we are waiting to read hosted by Breaking the Spine.

Magic? Portals? Goblins that don’t have big hairy feet and are kinda hot… Sign me up!

About Greta and the Goblin King:

While trying to save her brother from the witch three years ago, Greta was thrown into the fire herself, falling through a portal to a dangerous world where humans are the enemy, and every ogre, goblin, and ghoul has a dark side that comes out with the full moon. To survive, 17-year-old Greta has hidden her humanity and taken the job of bounty hunter—and she’s good at what she does. So good, she’s caught the attention of Mylena’s young Goblin King, the darkly enticing Isaac, who invades her dreams and undermines her determination to escape. But Greta’s not the only one looking to get out of Mylena. The full moon is mere days away, and an ancient evil being knows she’s the key to opening the portal. If Greta fails, she and the boys she finds stranded in the woods will die. If she succeeds, no world will be safe from what follows her back . . .

Tagged: 2012, Books, Fiction, Just for Fun, Novels, Opinion, Opinions, Paranormal Romance, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, Romance, Teens, Waiting on Wednesday, Writers, Writing, YA, YA books, YA Paranormal Romance, Young Adult, Young Adult Books

Book Review: Wrong Bed, Right Guy by Katee Robert

Synopsis: Seducing Mr. Wrong has never felt so right…

Prim and proper art gallery coordinator Elle Walser is no good at seducing men. Heck, she’s been throwing hints at her boss for months, but he’s completely clueless. Desperate to escape her mother’s matchmaking efforts, she comes up with a plan—buy some lingerie and climb into her boss’s bed. The plan goes brilliantly…until she accidentally seduces a sexy stranger instead.

Bad boy nightclub mogul Gabe Schultz just had the best almost-sex of his life. Too bad the smoking hot blonde thought he was his brother and bolted before he could finish what they started. Though her holier-than-thou attitude puts a serious damper on his mood, Gabe’s never been one to give up on something he wants. And he wants Elle. But does a man who lives on the dark side really have a chance with a proper lady?

The First Line: “Tonight she was seducing Mr. Right.” Um …. Alrighty then. J

The Good: Elle is a good girl who wants to do bad things. Gabe is a bad boy with a heart of gold. What’s not to love?

My favorite thing about this book was the humor. From the beginning, I felt Elle’s embarrassment and Gabe’s confusion. More than once I found myself laughing out loud.  Since this isn’t my usual type of read, I can honestly say that the humor was refreshing.

Elle does everything she can to become a stereotype and to fit people into neat little boxes. Her fear of germs and her OCD was fun and made me skirm along with her.

Overall, the writing was fabulous and I fell for the characters.

The Bad: I actually wanted there to be a bit more, like meeting Ian and confronting Elle’s mother. The book ended a chapter too early even if it is the first in a series. It felt more like it stopped than concluded.

Recommendation: This is definitely NC-17, so if you aren’t into that, don’t bother. If you don’t mind it, it’s definitely worth your time.

Tagged: 2012, book Review, Books, Fiction, Fun, Just for Fun, Musings, Novels, Opinion, Opinions, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, Romance, Writers, Writing

Cover Reveal: Resonance

Resonance

A Holloway Pack Story #2.5

by J.A. Belfield

Release Date: April 2, 2013

Back of the Book

Guilt is a heavy burden for the one carrying it.

Jem Stonehouse is no exception to this rule.

What if she’d acted sooner? What if she’d fully recognised the threat? What if she hadn’t allowed the male pack members to head into the witches’ ambush?

For one, youngest pack member Josh Larsen wouldn’t be trapped in the sleep of the dead.

Now, Jem is convinced it’s her job to bring him back to life no matter what it takes— learning more about her heritage, risking pack exposure, or travelling to places she couldn’t have imagined possible.

Even if the journey endangers her soul.

URL: http://www.jtaylorpublishing.com/books/27

Other Books in this series include:

Instinct (#0)

Eternal (#.5)

Darkness & Light (#1)

Blue Moon (#2) (Coming December 3, 2012)

Tagged: 2012, Books, Cover Reveal, Fiction, Fun, Just for Fun, Musings, Novels, Paranormal Romance, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, Romance, Writers

Blog Tour: 5 Questions with Heather McCollum Plus a GIVEAWAY!

Welcome to the latest stop on the blog tour for Heather McCollum’s sexy novel Captured Heart. Check out this lickable cover.

I’m so excited to share this book with everyone. It’s such a fun, fast read with well-balanced characters and a fantastic setting. (16th Century Scotland! Men in kilts!)

Check out how to win an ebook of Captured Heart after the interview!

About Captured Heart:

Fleeing with only her bow, horse, enormous pet wolf, and the cryptic clues hidden in her mother’s medicine journal, healer Meg Boswell gallops north towards freedom, running from the man who falsely accused her mother of witchcraft. Cursed with magical healing abilities, Meg knows that if she’s captured, she will die like her mother—atop a blazing witch’s pyre.

Winter winds rip across the Highlands, pressing Chief Caden Macbain forward in his desperate plan to save his clan. He’s not above using an innocent woman to bargain for peace if it keeps his clan from starving. But Meg isn’t who Caden thinks she is, and when she kills a man to save the clan, he must choose between duty and her life. For although he captured her to force a peace, Meg’s strength and courage have captured Caden’s heart.

NOW on to the FIVE QUESTIONS

Thanks so much Linda, for having me on your blog today! I’m thrilled to talk about CAPTURED HEART, my newly released 16th [image error]century Scottish romance with paranormal elements!

1. What was the spark of inspiration for Captured Heart?

Scenes from CAPTURED HEART began playing through my mind while my husband (who looks amazingly like Caden Macbain : ) and I visited Scotland a decade ago. The rolling hills accented by jagged peaks, spongy moors of heather, and castle ruins filled me with images of times past. The magic of its history still lingers in the land. I could smell it on the breeze, hear it echoing in the boulders, and taste it in their bannocks. Everything about the country enthralled me. I started writing as soon as I returned home.

2. Which character most resembles you in your story?

The heroine of course : ) Aren’t we always writing ourselves into the role of lead lady? Or course I had to give her some flaws. Oh and she’s prettier, sweeter, more humble, and younger than me. But otherwise, we are twins. Yeah, and I don’t possess magical healing abilities. Hmmm…I think I’m more like one of the serving wenches since I spend any time that I’m not writing in the kitchen cooking for my three kids.

3. How much time did you spend researching Scotland?

I seem to look up something new every day that I’m writing. I tried to soak in the atmosphere while visiting, and most facts are easily found in my research books or on trusted web sites.

In the second book of this trilogy, which I’m writing now, the hero and heroine must maneuver through Henry VIII’s court. So I’m doing even more research to make sure everything is historically accurate. Right now I have a blue print of Hampton Court hanging by my computer to look at while I write. I need to have the corridors and gardens correct. I wouldn’t want my hero to turn left into a stone wall! When you write about real, historical, well-documented people or events, you must have the facts correct to give your story credibility.

4. What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Don’t stop writing.

For authors, writing feeds our souls. This year I was very sick battling ovarian cancer. For about eight months I couldn’t read or write fiction. I had stopped believing in happy endings and so couldn’t read or write them. My husband encouraged me to write because he knew how much happier I was when I did. So I wrote about the war I was waging in my body and how desperate I was to survive to raise my three young kids. I blogged during 15 months of chemo on my caring bridge site. It was wonderful.

Not only did it save my sanity and keep me connected with friends and family, but it also gave me a place to continue to hone my writing skills while I took time away from writing fiction.

Everything you write helps you to write better.

If you’ve finished your book and are submitting it, don’t stop there. Start writing the second book. If you get stuck with your fiction, try writing in a journal or blogging. If you can’t type another word, start writing with a pen on a notebook. Write what you know. Write what you love. But never stop.

By the way, I’ve beaten the cancer beast and now spend a lot of time spreading the word about ovarian cancer and its hard-to-detect symptoms. I’ve listed them in the back of CAPTURED HEART to reach even more women. We have also started a “SHOUT Against the Whisper!” page on Facebook to raise awareness.

5. Finally, Beatles or Rolling Stones?

LOL! Great question. I’d have to say that I’m a Beatles girl : ) I used to listen to them along with The Doors, Pink Floyd, and Simon and Garfunkle as a teenager. Yes, they were oldies even back then, but I was part of the Drama crowd and we were all into “the classics.”

***** Giveaway *****

Okay, I like easy giveaways. I’m not going to make you tweet, facebook, blah blah blah. All you need to do to enter is leave a comment below and tell me what century you’d like to read about in an historical romance.

Entries will be taken from now until noon (US Central time) Sunday.

My beautiful daughter Bean (she’s four) will pull a name from a hat and we will post the winner Monday.

Thanks for stopping by and don’t forget to add Captured Heart to your MUST READ LIST!

Tagged: 2012, Authors, Books, eBooks, Fiction, Fun, Giveaways, Interviews, Just for Fun, Novels, Paranormal Romance, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, Romance, Writers, Writing

5 Questions with Nicola Marsh

USA TODAY bestselling author Nicola Marsh writes flirty fiction with flair.

She’s had 32 books published with Harlequin Romance and Presents series, a fun, flirty contemporary mainstream romance BUSTED IN BOLLYWOOD with Entangled Publishing (nominated for Romantic Book of the Year 2012) and sold over 3 million copies worldwide.

Her first category romance for Entangled Publishing’s Indulgence series, NOT THE MARRYING KIND, releases July 2012, with another category contemporary romance FALLING FOR FLYNN releasing with Crimson Romance October 2012.

Her urban fantasy young adult novel SCION OF THE SUN releases November 2013 with Month9Books.

She’s also a Waldenbooks and Bookscan bestseller, has finaled in a number of awards, including the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, HOLT, Booksellers’ Best, Golden Quill, Laurel Wreath, More than Magic and has won several CataRomance Reviewers’ Choice Awards.

A physiotherapist for thirteen years, she now adores writing full time, raising her two little heroes, sharing fine food with family and friends, and her favorite, curling up with a good book!

 Website     Blog     Twitter     Facebook     Goodreads

Now on to the FIVE QUESTIONS

 1. What was the spark of inspiration for Not the Marrying Kind? 

I don’t have time to watch much TV but my hubby is a TV addict, particularly news and current affairs shows. One evening I happened to be walking through the room when I heard an advertisement for an upcoming current affairs show featuring the latest trend: divorce parties. In that second I knew I had an unusual theme for a book! I love taking contemporary ideas and putting a twist on them. So my Divorce Diva, Poppy Collins, was born. A party planner with a difference…organizing divorce parties!

2. What are you working on now?

I’ve just started writing book 33 for Harlequin, featuring a WAG and a publishing CEO. Promises to be huge fun! I’m also in the planning stages for Not the Marrying Kind’s sequel, Ashlee’s story, which has a very sexy premise!

3. If you could travel to any time period, where would you go?

I love the fashion of the 50s and 60s when womanly curves were revered and highlighted, so send me back then!

4. What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Read widely in the genre you’re targeting and write daily. Make it a habit. Develop your voice. The more you write, the faster and easier it becomes. (Well, most of the time…!)

5. Finally, Beatles or Rolling Stones?

Rolling Stones. They had some killer releases. And I like to think I have the ‘moves like Jagger’!

About Not the Marrying Kind

Who said marriage had to be convenient?

LA party planner Poppy Collins has kept her side business—planning divorce parties as the Divorce Diva—under wraps, but keeping her sister’s company afloat is proving tougher by the day. When a new divorce party prospect gives Poppy the opportunity to save the day and boost her bottom line, she can’t pass it up. But this time, she’s about to get way more than she bargained for…

Vegas golden boy Beck Blackwood knows Poppy’s secret, and he’s not afraid to use it to get exactly what he wants—a wife. With his reputation and corporate expansion plans on the line, the only way he can repair the damage is by getting hitched, and fast. And if blackmail is the only way to get Poppy to the altar, then so be it…

But they’re in the city of high stakes, and Poppy has a few aces up her sleeve. Now it’s time to find out if they’re playing to win…or if they’re playing for keeps.

Link to excerpt: http://www.entangledpublishing.com/not-the-marrying-kind/

Tagged: 2012, Authors, Books, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Fun, Interviews, Just for Fun, Musings, Novels, Opinion, Opinions, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, Romance, Writers, Writing

Waiting on Wednesday: Shades of Earth

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, showcasing books that we are waiting to read hosted by Breaking the Spine.

I simply cannot wait for this epic conclusion to the Across the Universe trilogy.

About Shades of Earth:

Amy and Elder have finally left the oppressive walls of the spaceship Godspeed behind. They’re ready to start life afresh–to build a home–on Centauri-Earth, the planet that Amy has traveled 25 trillion miles across the universe to experience. But this new Earth isn’t the paradise that Amy had been hoping for.

Amy and Elder must race to uncover who–or what–else is out there if they are to have any hope of saving their struggling colony and building a future together. But as each new discovery brings more danger, Amy and Elder will have to look inward to the very fabric of what makes them human on this, their most harrowing journey yet.

Because if the colony collapses?

Then everything they have sacrificed–friends, family, life on Earth–will have been meaningless

Tagged: 2012, Books, Fiction, Fun, Just for Fun, Musings, Novels, Opinion, Opinions, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, Romance, Science Fiction, SciFi, Teens, Waiting on Wednesday, Writers, Writing, YA, YA books, Young Adult, Young Adult Books

Book Review: The Earth, My Butt, and Other Round Things by Carolyn Mackler

Synopsis: Fifteen-year-old Virginia Shreves has a larger-than-average body and a plus-size inferiority complex, especially when she compares herself to her slim, brilliant, picture-perfect family. But that’s before a shocking phone call — and a horrifying allegation — about her rugby-star brother changes everything. With irreverent humor and surprising gravity, Carolyn Mackler creates an endearingly blunt heroine who speaks to every teen who struggles with family expectations, and proves that the most impressive achievement is to be true to yourself.

The First Line: “Froggy Welsh the Fourth is trying to get up my shirt.” If the name Froggy doesn’t interest you, I’m not sure what else would. I’m immediately curious who this girl is that would allow a boy named Froggy to feel her up.

The Good: Virginia Shreves is smart, funny, and overweight. Unfortunately, she focuses on the last thing. And so does her family. Her mother is an adolescent psychologist who was once overweight. Her father constantly comments on women’s figures. Her sister and brother are both thin, and in Virginia’s mind, perfect. How can a fifteen-year-old compete with that?

Virginia’s honesty and observations are true to life. She’s relatable to teens who struggle with their own identity. While Virginia’s obsession with her weight is what seems to be the priority, it’s more about how she fits in with her family and how she lets that define who she is.

The Bad: I wish there would’ve been a conclusion to the Brie storyline.

Recommendation: This is a book I think every girl should read and every Mom of a teenage girl should read as well. I wish I had read it earlier.

Tagged: 2012, book Review, Books, Fiction, High School, Musings, Novels, Opinion, Opinions, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, Teens, Writers, Writing, YA, YA books, YA Contemporary, Young Adult, Young Adult Books

5 Questions with Kaitlin Bevis

Kaitlin Bevis spent her childhood curled up with a book, and a pen. If the ending didn’t agree with her, she rewrote it. She’s always wanted to be a writer, and spent high school and college learning everything she could so that one day she could achieve that goal. She graduated college with my BFA in English with a concentration in Creative Writing, and is pursuing her masters at the University of Georgia.

Her young adult novel Persephone is now available. She also writes for Athens Parent Magazine, and truuconfessions.com.

 Now on to the FIVE QUESTIONS

 1. What was the spark of inspiration for Persephone?

Watching the Clash of the Titans trailer. Something about the music, and yelling, and the damn the gods quote just got me thinking about the gods, and who was more damned than Persephone? Then I wondered if there was more to that story, and one thought led to another.

2. How much research did you do on the mythology behind your novel?

I did a ridiculous amount of research. I have read every epic, every book on mythology, and every random offshoot of a book about the Persephone myth, down to “Chasing Pomegranates” a book about a mother and daughter visiting Greece. I got a ton of information out of the book “Life’s Daughter, Death’s Bride,” which I would so use as a title if it wasn’t taken, and of course the internet.

Every single character and background noise has significance within the context of the myth.  Melissa, her best friend, is named for the priestesses of Demeter. The owl hooting in one of the middle chapters when Persephone is eating pomegranate seeds is an allusion to the original myth, in which the god who tricked her was turned into an owl. The Boreas/Oreithyia story was a real myth, as was Orpheus and Eurydice, and Pirithous, as well as the curse of eternal hunger. It just goes on and on.

I could write a book about the research of that book. But I worked hard to keep it background. There are neat things to catch if you’re familiar with the mythology, but you don’t have to get them to understand the plot, and the purpose of the book isn’t to educate my readers to the intricacies of the Persephone myth. It was a tough balance, but I think I managed it.

3. What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Join a writers group, and listen to their feedback. It is the absolute best thing you can do as a writer. I see so many writers come through our writers group with the expectation that we’re going to lavish praise on their awesome idea. That’s not what the group is for. The group is there to catch any mistakes that would keep your book from being published, and that would cause your readers to write a negative review. These writers leave the group pouting about how “we just didn’t get it.” That’s not an unusual reaction, it’s knee jerk. It took me a long time to get out of that phase, but the most important thing you can understand as a writer is that it’s VERY unlikely that your group “just doesn’t get it” if they don’t get it, neither will your readers. The problem isn’t them. It’s you.

4. If you could go back in time, where would you go?

At this point, Ancient Greece to do more research. Aphrodite comes into play in book two, and research wise…. There’s a huge difference between Aprhodite and Persephone. Persephone featured prominently is in three to four myths. The abduction, Pirithous, Orpheus, and Adonis (in some versions, hence three to four). Aphrodite is in just about every single myth out there.  There’s so much more to learn!

5. Finally, Star Wars or Star Trek?

Gosh that depends on the movie. I LOVED the new Star Trek movie. It had fantastic plot and character development, and really integrated the existing cannon of the story well with a premise that allowed them to deviate from it at will. My goal when writing Persephone was to give the myth the exact same treatment. That movie became my model for retellings with a twist.

But as far as every other movie is concerned, I’ve got to go with Star Wars. I even liked the new trilogy.

About Persephone 

There are worse things than death, worse people too.

The “talk” was bad enough, but how many teens get told that they’re a goddess? When her mom tells her, Persephone is sure her mother has lost her mind. It isn’t until Boreas, the god of winter, tries to abduct her that she realizes her mother was telling the truth. Hades rescues her, and in order to safely bring Persephone to the Underworld he marks her as his bride. But Boreas will stop at nothing to get Persephone. Despite her growing feelings for Hades, Persephone wants to return to the living realm. Persephone must find a way to defeat Boreas and reclaim her life.

 

Tagged: 2012, Authors, Books, Fiction, Fun, Interviews, Just for Fun, Memories, Musings, Novels, Opinion, Opinions, Paranormal Romance, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, Romance, Teens, Writers, Writing, YA, YA books, YA Paranormal Romance, Young Adult, Young Adult Books

Book Review: The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead

Synopsis: Tough, brainy alchemist Sydney Sage and doe-eyed Moroi princess Jill Dragomir are in hiding at a human boarding school in the sunny, glamorous world of Palm Springs, California. The students–children of the wealthy and powerful–carry on with their lives in blissful ignorance, while Sydney, Jill, Eddie, and Adrian must do everything in their power to keep their secret safe. But with forbidden romances, unexpected spirit bonds, and the threat of Strigoi moving ever closer, hiding the truth is harder than anyone thought.

Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, Richelle Mead’s breathtaking Bloodlines series explores all the friendship, romance, battles, and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive. In this second book, the drama is hotter, the romances are steamier, and the stakes are even higher.

The First Line: “Most people would find being lead into an underground bunker on a stormy night scary. Not me.” For anyone who has not read Bloodlines, this is a great introduction to the main character, Sydney Sage. Right from the beginning, you know she’s tough.

The Good: I love Mead’s plotting. There’s more going on than you realize half the time. Her pacing is amazing too.

Sydney is such a great character. I love seeing the world through her eyes. Especially as a fan of the Vampire Academy books. Dimitri, Rose, Lissa, and even Sonya are different. It’s a nice twist and shows great character voice.

One thing that stands out about The Golden Lily is that I didn’t feel like I needed to read Bloodlines to understand what was going on. The Golden Lily can stand alone.

The Bad: Like Bloodlines, I knew where this was going so there wasn’t much to surprise me.

Recommendation: Give it a shot.

Tagged: 2012, book Review, Books, Fiction, Fun, Just for Fun, Musings, Novels, Opinion, Opinions, Paranormal Romance, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, Romance, Teens, Writers, Writing, YA, YA books, YA Paranormal Romance, Young Adult, Young Adult Books