L.S. Murphy's Blog, page 27

Cover Reveal: Darkness & Light by J.A. Belfield

Darkness & Light

A Holloway Pack Story

by J.A. Belfield

Release Date: July 1, 2011

ebook Re-Release Date: June 1, 2012 (with bonus scene content!)

Jem Stonehouse, a housewife with a neurotic husband bent on keeping her in line, dreams about werewolves in, what she believes, is a bid to escape boredom.

Sean Holloway is a werewolf, living a charade within the human race, whose mind drifts to a bond he shares with a woman he hasn’t met — at least, not in this lifetime.

Apart, the two are safe but live unfulfilled lives.

Together, they’ll become prey to rival packs just as they have been for hundreds of years.

When their worlds collide, and not for the first time, instinct takes over. Dreams become reality. Futures are uncertain. To keep history from repeating itself, Sean must teach Jem about his heritage, convince her of her role, and win her love.

Can Jem accept her destiny before it’s too late, or is her inner wolf buried too deep to save her future with Sean?

Bonus!

The re-release of the Darkness & Light ebook will include three bonus scenes from Sean Holloway’s perspective.

Double Bonus!

For the month of June (June 1 – 30, 2012), Darkness & Light will be on sale for just $.99 USD.

URL: http://www.jtaylorpublishing.com/books/1

Other Books in this series include:

Instinct (#0)

Eternal (#0.5)

Blue Moon (#2)

Tagged: 2012, Authors, Books, Cover Reveal, Fantasy books, Fiction, Fun, Just for Fun, Musings, Novels, Opinion, Opinions, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, Romance, Urban Fantasy, werewolves, Writers, Writing

Unassisted Triple Play

Baseball fans know that the hardest play in the game is the unassisted triple play. The last time this happened in MLB was August 23, 2009 when 2nd baseman Eric Bruntlett of the Philadelphia Phillies caught line drive, touched 2nd, and tagged runner in the bottom of the ninth to end the game.

Well, watch this little league shortstop pull off the amazing feat known as the unassisted triple play:

Tagged: 2012, Amazing Videos, Baseball, Fun, Just for Fun, Little League, Musings, Opinion, Opinions, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Sports, Unassisted Triple Play, Videos

5 Questions with Robin Renee Ray

BIO: Robin Renee Ray is known as a Multi-genre Author. She’s only been writing for five and a half years, but has come to love everything about being a novelist. She began in the paranormal romance genre, then jumped into horror, then right on into suspense thrillers. She has also co-author a children’s book with her oldest grand, A.L. McBee…. 18 novels and numerous short stories later, she is well on her way in the writing world! She resides in Southern New Mexico with her husband, David, and lives very close to her two granddaughters.

Her main dream in the writing world, now, is to be the female version of the late, great, Alfred Hitchcock. She has also added scriptwriting to her list and has a project with a film production company in New Orleans for future consideration that goes along with her soon to be released story: Zombies, Sex and Chocolate Cheesecake with Hellfire Publishing. A mini series in three parts…Book one: Before It Began…Book two…Zombie, Sex and Chocolate Cheesecake and book three…Stopped by a Single Bullet. All three books are going into script form and being turned in as Seasons Projects to the film company.

Next project…Who knows..LOL “Thinking I may try a novella ‘Christian Love Story’ for my mother?”

Now on to the FIVE QUESTIONS

 

1. Where did the spark of inspiration for Renee come from?

Robin: The character’s life came from my mother’s world, down to where she was born in the small town of Burkett Texas. Everything about Burkett and Renee’s life on the farm is true. The cemetery with that oval Tomb of Doc Hills’ wife is there to this day, the one where Martin (Marteen) takes her, the very place he had been staying throughout two months worth of days while he watched Renee during those nights. His love for her grew long before he knocked on the door that first night. Renee is strong like my mom and I gave her the Crocker name, my mother’s maiden name. Her people are buried in the Burkett Cemetery so it looks cool for those who have read the books and know and have been there and seen Renee’s mother’s headstone…My mother’s grandmother…to this day there is no death date and she was born in the 1800′s??? A cool strange note for Bloodbreeder Fans. ; )

2. Bloodbreeders is set during the 1930s. Why did you chose that era?

Robin: Once again, because it’s the time from when my mother and her people lived and ran the family farm. I know the area like the back of my hand and everything else I got in conversations with my mom. I keep the first 5 books in the series in the 30′s and 40′s showing how Renee’s walk in darkness began and how she chose to take action at the treatment of others, Bloodbreeders or normals.

3. What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Robin: Write everything that hits your thoughts, even if you have to stop a key project for a few hours. Write the main idea down so you can get back to it. And never stop writing no matter what you think your story/stories may be…we all get down on ourselves at times…think the flows not going the way we thought it would be, but who cares??? You just keep hitting those keys until you complete that tale and you will be surprised at how truly wonderful it really is!!!

4. What is your solution to writer’s block?

Robin: Start a new project….never let writer’s block run the show..LOL Leave whatever has you blocked and open a blank page. If nothing comes to mind then snag a photo and write a tale about it, whatever comes to mind. It will get you back on track more than you think and if you can bounce into a different genre, even better. ; )

5. Finally, Beatles or Rolling Stones?

Robin: This is gonna show my age, but Beatles..LOL  Come Together and Let It Be are songs that will live forever. ; )

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

5 Questions with M. Molly Backes

M. Molly Backes has taught students of all ages and abilities. As an English teacher in a struggling rural New Mexico school, she designed and taught curricula to a wide spectrum of students, with a close consideration of state and national standards and benchmarks. In honor of National Novel Writing Month, Molly got 150 middle schoolers to write their own novels. As a teacher, she developed classroom writing workshops, pushed for greater emphasis on interdisciplinary writing in core classes, ran trainings for educators in writing workshop implementation, led her school’s Educational Plan for Student Success Goal Team and served as English Department Chair in 2007.

Her YA novel The Princesses of Iowa will be published in Spring 2012 by Candlewick Press. In addition to novels, Molly pens the “Writing Tips” column for The Prairie Wind (the newsletter of the Illinois Chapter of SCBWI), blogs at Bittersweet, has been a guest blogger at Puffery, Brood, and This Wasn’t in the Plan, and is a frequent contributor to StoryStudio’s own blog Cooler by the Lake. Her story “Teacher’s Pet” appears in the anthology Good Dogs Doing Good (LaChance, 2009).

Molly is the Assistant Director at StoryStudio, where she’ll be happy to answer all your questions about life, the universe, and all our classes.

Now on to the FIVE QUESTIONS

1. Congrats on The Princesses of Iowa. How long did it take you from concept to publication?

Thank you! I started working on the first draft in May 2005 — I was supposed to be packing up the house in preparation of a big move, but instead I spent a whole weekend writing the first chapter. So it was seven years from first draft to publication.

2. What was the spark of inspiration for Paige and her journey?

To be honest, I don’t exactly know. I always tell my writing students that the subconscious mind is like a crock pot — you put a bunch of stuff in it, turn on the heat, walk away, and come back to find something cooking and ready. I think the subconscious mind is way smarter than the conscious mind, and it builds bridges between disparate ideas, making connections between moments and images that you’d never link with your conscious mind. So I suppose a lot of random ingredients went into the Princesses of Iowa crockpot — my experiences as a teenager, my time in the classroom surrounded by teenagers, questions about conformity and gender and tolerance and bullying, homesickness for Iowa, etc — and one day the story appeared to me, pretty well formed.

3. What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Don’t even think about the market or marketing until your book is a fully formed, finished, polished draft. Don’t worry about building a platform; worry about making sure your book is the best possible book you can write.

4. What is your solution to writer’s block?

Writing. There’s only one solution, and it’s to write. Start a totally new project, write page after page about how much you hate writing and what a talentless loser you are, whatever. Just write. Writing begets writing.

5. Finally, Beatles or Rolling Stones?

“Wild Horses” is one of my favorite songs ever (particularly the cover by The Sundays), but I walked down the aisle to a Beatles song, so I feel like I owe it to my marriage to say The Beatles.

Tagged: 2012, Authors, Books, Contemporary, Fiction, Fun, High School, Interviews, Just for Fun, Musings, Opinions, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, Teens, Writers, Writing, YA books, YA Contemporary, Young Adult Books

5 Questions with Jennifer Lane

People fascinate the psychologist/author (psycho author) known as Jennifer Lane. Her therapy clients talk to her all day long about their dreams and secrets, and her characters tell her their stories at night. Jen delights in peeling away the layers to scrutinize their psyches and emotions. But please rest assured, dear reader, she isn’t psychoanalyzing you right now. She’s already got too many voices in her head!

Stories of redemption interest Jen the most, especially the healing power of love and empathy. She is the author of the Conduct Series—romantic suspense for adult readers—and is currently at work on the third and final installment: On Best Behavior. Streamline is her first foray into writing for young adults, but she’s found this sort of writing even more fun. A former college swimmer, Jen was able to put a lot of her own experiences into this book.

Whether writing or reading, Jen loves stories that make her laugh and cry. In her spare time she enjoys exercising, attending book club, and hanging out with her sisters and their families in Chicago and Hilton Head.

Now on to the FIVE QUESTIONS

1.      Where did the spark of inspiration for Streamline come from?

The actor Wentworth Miller inspired this story. I loved him in the TV show Prison Break, and when I found out he was a former competitive swimmer (like me), my imagination ran wild. Learning about Wentworth’s mixed ethnic heritage also intrigued me, leading me to create the character of Leo Scott.

2.      How long did it take from initial concept to publication?

This one was longer that normal. I started writing the story in July of 2007 and finished six months later at a whopping word count of 213,000 words! I’d become obsessed, writing every day. When I showed the finished manuscript to a friend, he thought it lacked a target audience (this was before we knew much about YA). I thought it was too long and unpolished, so I went on to write an adult romantic suspense series. After Omnific Publishing released the first two books in this series (With Good Behavior and Bad Behavior), I reconsidered Streamline. After a MAJOR edit, the 129,000 word novel launched on 3-27-12.

3.      What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

I’m still new to this publishing thing but I hear this is the best time there’s ever been for authors because there are so many opportunities with self-publishing or small-press publishers. Still, I’ve talked to many people who have a great idea for a novel or who have started a novel, but haven’t finished. The most important advice is just write. Write and write, and you get better as you go.

4.      What is your solution to writer’s block?

If I’m not feeling a scene, or if I’m not properly rested or caffeinated, I don’t write. Writing is still secondary to my career as a psychologist, and I don’t try to push it. I want to keep writing fun. I’ve also found that writer’s block can come when the scene isn’t working, so a block might be an opportunity to try a different angle.

5.      Finally, Beatles or Rolling Stones?

I have to admit I’m not a huge fan of either, but I’ll choose the Beatles simply for their great song “Twist and Shout” sung so eloquently by Ferris Bueller, ha!

Check out Streamline at Amazon or Barnes & Noble

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

Book Review: Tempting the Best Man by J. Lynn

Synopsis: Madison Daniels has worshipped her brother’s best friend since they were kids. Everyone thinks she and Chase Gamble would make the perfect couple, but there are two major flaws in their logic. 1) Chase has sworn off relationships of any kind, and 2) after blurring the line between friends and lovers for one night four years ago, they can’t stop bickering.

Forced together for her brother’s wedding getaway, Chase and Madison decide to call a truce for the happy couple. Except all bets are off when they’re forced to shack up in a tacky 70’s honeymoon suite and survive a multitude of “accidents” as the family tries to prove their “spark” can be used than for more than fighting. That is, if they don’t strangle each other first…

The Cover: Sexy, but not a fan of the font.

The First Line: “The ivory invitation with its elegant calligraphy and lacy embellishments felt more like a humiliation time bomb just waiting to blow up in Madison Daniels’s face than a beautiful wedding announcement.” Great visual and really drew me into the story. I like the balance of the “elegant calligraphy and lacy embellishments” with “humiliation time bomb.” The voice explodes in this sentence.

The Good: The heat level in this book is S-C-O-R-C-H-I-N-G. (That’s about ten knots about hot if you’re keeping track.) Madison and Chase have a great chemistry with very real differences. I love that their story doesn’t start here but has a deep history that adds to the drama and romance.

The Bad: The resolution seems a it rushed. I felt like there was a missing confrontation that would’ve added depth to the story.

Recommendation: Jennifer Armentrout (writing as J. Lynn here) is an author to keep your eye on. Tempting the Best Man is a fun, adult romance worth checking out for a quick summer beach read.

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

5 Questions with J.R. Wagner

J. R. Wagner was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania during a blizzard. The snow made travel by car impossible, so his father called an ambulance when his mother went into labor. The ambulance became stuck at the bottom of their home’s driveway, prompting the dispatch of a fire truck, which towed the ambulance to the hospital where he was born.

Maybe it was this experience that destined J.R. to love adventure. A competitive cyclist, triathlete, mountain biker and adventure racer, he once received a medal for saving a woman’s life during the kayaking section of an adventure race. And the adventure is hard to miss in his debut novel Exiled (Live Oak Book Group, June 5, 2012), the first book in J.R.’s young adult fantasy series The Never Chronicles. He’s got a day job to keep him “grounded”; J.R. helps run his late father’s Downingtown, Pennsylvania floor-covering business.

J.R. first started writing at 10 years old with his sequel to “Return of The Jedi” – the self-proclaimed “Star Wars geek” had lofty aspirations of working with George Lucas on filming the project. In 1990 he began filming his version of “The Lord of The Rings” in his parent’s basement, but the plug was pulled after he nearly burned down the house. Since then the storyteller has also written a full-length science fiction screenplay, a thriller novel and a second screenplay.

After graduating in Kinesiology from Arizona State University, J.R. returned to Downingtown, where his creative fires were re-stoked by his two beautiful daughters.

J.R. also endearingly considers his wife Lisa his muse. It was during their trip to Maine he began writing Exiled.

     Now on the the FIVE QUESTIONS

1. Where did the spark of inspiration come from for Exiled?

I had a vision of the opening chapter and decided to write about it.  Once I finished the chapter, I put the story aside for several months until it started poking the back of my brain telling me it wanted me to write more.  Finally, I obliged and couldn’t stop until the story was told.

2. How many books are planned for The Never Chronicles?

I honestly have no idea. There are two written so far so I imagine there will be at least three.  The story takes me where it wants to go -I am powerless to stop it.  It could decide it’s finished one day and that would be it.

3. What is your solution to writer’s block?

I’m one of those people that people who get writer’s block love to hate. For some reason, it just doesn’t happen to me.

4. What are you reading right now?

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, The Knife of Never Letting Go(Chaos Walking, #1), and 11/22/63 -I can’t read just one at a time.

5. Finally, Beatles or Rolling Stones?

The Beatles!

Exiled will be released on June 5th. 

Website: TheNeverChronicles.com                

Author blog: whatisthenever.blogspot.com

Tagged: 2012, Author, author interview, Authors, Books, Fiction, Fun, Interview, Just for Fun, Random, Random Thoughts, writer interview, Writers, Writing, YA books, Young Adult Books

Cover Reveal: Reaper

Holy snickerdoodles! It’s really happening. I’m so excited to share this! I think I’m hyperventilating.

REAPER HAS A COVER! SQUEE!!!!!!

AND HERE IT IS AT LAST!!!

Back of the Book:

There’s no way sixteen year old Quincy Amarante will become the fifth grim reaper. None. Not over her shiny blue Mustang. Her Jimmy Choos. Or her dead body.

She’s supposed to enjoy her sophomore year, not learn about some freaky future Destiny says she has no choice but to fulfill.

It doesn’t take long for Quincy to realize the only way out of the game is to play along especially since Death can find her anyway, anywhere, anytime. And does.

Like when she’s reassuring her friends she wants nothing to do with former best friend Ben Moorland, who’s returned from god-knows-where, and fails. Miserably.

Instead of maintaining her coveted popularity status, Quincy’s goes down like the Titanic.

Maybe … just maybe … that’s okay.

It seems, perhaps, becoming a grim reaper isn’t just about the dead but more about a much needed shift in Quincy’s priorities—from who she thinks she wants to be to who she really is.

Publisher: http://www.jtaylorpublishing.com/books/19

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13504857-reaper

Tagged: 2012, Authors, Books, Cover Reveal, friends, Fun, High School, Just for Fun, Memories, Musings, News, Novels, Photography, Photos, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, St. Louis, Teens, Writers, Writing, YA books, Young Adult Books

#DaemonInvasion is coming, guys! Are YOU on a team? [Updated Post]

#DaemonInvasion is coming, guys! Are YOU on a team? [Updated Post].

 

Join us for #DaemonINVASION for some fun & freebies. Plus DAEMON!

Tagged: 2012, Authors, Books, Fun, Just for Fun, Musings, Onyx, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Writers, Writing, YA books, Young Adult Books

Book Review: Black Heart by Holly Black

Synopsis: Cassel Sharpe knows he’s been used as an assassin, but he’s trying to put all that behind him. He’s trying to be good, even though he grew up in a family of con artists and cheating comes as easily as breathing to him. He’s trying to do the right thing, even though the girl he loves is inextricably connected with crime. And he’s trying to convince himself that working for the Feds is smart, even though he’s been raised to believe the government is the enemy.

But with a mother on the lam, the girl he loves about to take her place in the Mob, and new secrets coming to light, the line between what’s right and what’s wrong becomes increasingly blurred. When the Feds ask Cassel to do the one thing he said he would never do again, he needs to sort out what’s a con and what’s truth. In a dangerous game and with his life on the line, Cassel may have to make his biggest gamble yet—this time on love.

The Cover: Meh. I almost missed this on the shelves since they changed to cover design.

The First Line: “My brother Barron sits next to me, sucking the last dregs of milk tea slush noisily through a wide yellow straw.” I love Cassel’s voice. You get an immediate picture of a brother annoyed by his sibling. Since this is the third book in the series, readers will already have a good idea of their relationship. This sentence just punctuates it more.

The Good: Cassel Sharpe is a quick witted young man with a razor tongue and more skills than he has sense. I adore him. There are no easy choices for Cassel and he struggles with being good against being a curse worker. His internal struggles are well written and anyone can relate to his self-doubt.

The Bad: That the series is over. Seriously, Holly Black is brilliant.

Recommendation: Read them all.

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