L.S. Murphy's Blog, page 3
June 29, 2015
Complete Pixelated Playlist PLUS Goodreads Giveaway
Here's the list WITH A BONUS SONG:
1) Boys 'Round Here by Blake Shelton
2) I've Got You Under My Skin by Diana Krall
3) Keep Your Head Up by Andy Grammer
4) Demons by Imagine Dragons
5) The Girl in the Other Room...
June 24, 2015
A Scary Thing Happened at the Gas Station...
There were six pumps, one per lane, and the station was packed. I pulled up to an open pump, knowing my tank was on the other side of the car. I figured I'd risk it, besides it was the only pump open. Anyway, I climb out of the driver's side and hear this woman in a white SUV yelling at the guy in front of her.
Apparently the guy was blocking the pump she wanted. I didn't look to se...
June 22, 2015
Favorite Movies
ANYWAY...
Here's a brief list of a few of my favorite movies.
Classics first:
The story behind Gone with the Wind is as epic as the movie itself. Plus it broke some serious ground. Did you know that the bu...
June 19, 2015
Giveaways! So much to giveaway!
With the release of Pixelated only a few weeks (SQUEE) away, I thought I would show a few of the giveaways going on right now! They end soon.
There's an ARC giveaway of Pixelated going on right now! Here's the details.
AND there's a giveaway of REAPER on Goodreads! Stay tuned to more during release week.
Reaper by L.S. Murphy Giveaway ends June 20, 2015. See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter Giveaway
September 25, 2013
{Blog Tour} Guest Post by Tied author Laney McMann
I’m going to chop this list in two. 5 reasons why I write fantasy/paranormal and 5 reasons why I read it.
Why I read Fantasy and Paranormal:
5. Seeing the world through someone else’s eyes. It’s always interesting to have a different perspective—to try to understand how someone else thinks. Fantasy and paranormal stories allow readers to see into other’s imagination.
4. Making friends (or not). For me, the character’s in great stories can become friends—family, even. I know these character’s. I want to live in their worlds. Who didn’t want to fight alongside Harry Potter against Voldemort, or help Bilbo Baggins climb that mountain? Who didn’t want to scream with Katniss Everdeen? We readers love our character’s.
3. Exploring other worlds. This to me is a double reading/writing reason. How awesome is it to wander around in a world someone created from sheer imagination? Too cool.
2. Getting a glimpse into the workings of other writer’s heads. That one sounds a little weird probably. But it’s fascinating to see how other author’s imaginations work. Especially if I love their books. As a reader and writer, I believe we have a few geniuses in the writing community, and it’s an honor to be among them.
1. Most important reason: transportation. Good stories have the ability to take me off the couch, out of the car, away from my surroundings, and sit me in the middle of someone else’s world—someone else’s problems. Their life. Nothing is better than that. 
Why I write Fantasy and Paranormal:
Flow, speed, movement. Although I sometimes try to slow it down, my writing style seems to have a quickness to it. A rapidity. I like to read stories that move. And for me, young adult fantasy and paranormal stories want that speed. It’s a natural fit.
4. Creative expression, of course. Writing is an outlet. A way of seeing the crazy images and dreams rattling around inside my head on paper and then sharing them.
3. Exploring other worlds. Like number 3 above, except on the writing end. I get to create my own worlds to wander through. Amazing.
The ability to let my ideas and imagination go uncontained. I can’t think of another genre that allows so much creative freedom. (Well, maybe sci-fi.
Maybe.)Because it’s in me. Other writer’s hear this all the time, and I’ve given this answer several times, too. Why do I write fantasy? Why paranormal? Why YA? The answer is always the same: Because it’s in me. It’s what comes out when I sit down at my laptop to write. And I’m really thankful for that.
Thank you, Linda, for hosting me.
Thanks for stopping by! Make sure you check out Tied everyone. It’s sure to rock your boat. 
About TIED:
Normal people don’t believe their nightmares stalk them. They don’t fall in love with boys who don’t exist, either.
Seventeen-year-old Layla Labelle, though, is far from normal. Her delusions walk the earth. Her hallucinations hunt her, and her skin heats to a burn every time her anger flares.
Or is that all in her head?
Layla doesn’t know what to believe any more because if none of that’s true, Max MacLarnon must be an illusion, and her heart must still be broken.
No matter how much she wants to believe Max is real, doing so would mean everything else is, too. How, then, is that possible?
The answers lie in an age-old legend the supernatural aren’t prepared to reveal, and with a curse that could tear Layla and Max apart forever—if it doesn’t kill them both first.
In TIED, book one in the Fire Born trilogy, learning the truth will mean fighting an arsenal of demons, and being with Max will put Layla on a path toward her own destruction.
Just how far will Layla go to protect the one she loves?
The answer may never be far enough … away.
About Laney:
With a passion for the supernatural and all things magical, Laney developed a voracious appetite for reading fantasy at a young age. A vivid imagination helped set the stage for creating her own worlds and placed her onto the writing path.
By the time she reached her teens, she’d accumulated notebooks full of poems, which led to short stories and finally novels. Young adult dark fantasy, paranormal romance, and mythology are among her favorite genres.
A former classical dancer and chef, she grew up in sultry Florida where she still resides with her family.
LINKS:
You can find my occasional ramblings on Twitter.
Book updates on my author page at goodreads.
My Facebook Profile for inspiration and randomness.
Updates on The Fire Born Novels at my Facebook Author Page
My interests on Pinterest.
And I’m now on Tumblr ,too.
You can also contact me by email at: laneymcmannyaauthor(at)gmail(dot)com
GIVEAWAY INFORMATION!!!
One signed paperback copy of TIED, 2 E-book copies of TIED, and 2 signed TIED bookmarks
Giveaway Rafflecopter:
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/YmFhMGJjZGZkZmJkZTZmZTQxNTg1MDA2MzUwOTBiOjE=/
Tagged: 2013, Authors, Books, Fiction, Fun, Interviews, Just for Fun, Musings, Novels, Opinion, Opinions, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, Teens, Writers, Writing, YA, YA books, Young Adult, Young Adult Books
September 16, 2013
Cover Reveal: Unnatural by J.A. Belfield
GUYS! Seriously, I fell in love with this cover the second I saw it.
Besides the fact that it’s a Holloway Pack novel,
Besides the fact that I adore J.A. Belfield,
I LOVE THIS COVER!
I would totally pick this up in the bookstore based on the cover alone.
Check it out.
About Unnatural:
Unnatural. One word to sum up werewolf Kyle Larsen—his mood swings, abnormal body, and choice of female.
The first two, he blames on the vampire venom.
The third, though? No, feline shifter Brook Nicholls was all his doing—a female of whom the pack will never approve.
As part of the Coalition, an organisation with even stricter rules than the pack and a rigidly warped sense of responsibility, Brook comes with a whole lot of opposition of her own.
No wonder the two of them keep their relationship secret for as long as they can.
Now, distanced from his family by his own indiscretions, Kyle’s left to fight battles he’s unsure how to win—some of them even against his own pack.
Is one woman really so important that he’s willing to defy his Alpha for her?
If his heart has any say in the matter, the answer will be yes.
Release Date: April 7, 2014
Tagged: 2013, Books, Cover Reveal, Fiction, Fun, Just for Fun, Novels, Paranormal Romance, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, Romance 
September 12, 2013
Rockin’ Thursdays: Cruise
Am I the only person who wants the truck in this video?
Every time I hear this, I want to head back to my hometown and cruise the country roads.
Tagged: 2013, Music, Rockin' Thursdays, Videos
September 8, 2013
Deadlines, Deadlines, Whoosh…
I’m on a deadline. It’s a personal deadline, but a deadline nonetheless.
Yep, I am totally freaking out that I will miss it, which will screw up my plans for the rest of the year.
Okay, I should calm down about it, right? I mean, it’s not like it’s a REQUIREMENT.
BUT I LIKE TO STAY ON TARGET!!!!!
My deadline is to finish this current WIP (FULL COUNT) by the end of September. I’m sitting just over 45k. Things seem to be getting in the way lately, and it’s driving me batty. If I can write every day, I’ll still make my deadline.
HOWEVER …
I think I’ve underestimated my word count for this first draft.
So why needlessly put myself on deadlines? If I don’t, I’ll jump from project to project without finishing any of them.
I’ve got Writer’s ADD.
Right now, I’m sitting on a novel (NO REGRETS) I finished around the 18th of August. I really want to start rewriting it, but I need to sit on it for at least a month if not longer. Distance makes the heart grow fonder. It also helps me figure out what’s wrong with it. In the meantime, I’ve been working on FULL COUNT, which I actually started last year. Like I said, it’s at 45k and I think I’m only halfway done.
Then there’s this other awesome idea I’ve been toying with, along with another one I’ve been outlining. It’s a never ending circle sometimes.
Why must I complete FULL COUNT by the end of September? Because the month of October will be devoted to rewriting and revising and editing NO REGRETS. I have a very structured revision process and have to stick to it. If I don’t, well … let’s just say it won’t be pretty. Come November 1st, NO REGRETS will be hitting the emails of three different readers.
November, currently, is scheduled for revisions for FULL COUNT. December is for tweaking NO REGRETS before sending to the agent.
So, if you don’t see me online a lot lately, that’s why. I really want to get FULL COUNT finished by the end of this month. If I can swing it, I’ll have the revisions done by the end of November to send to a few readers in December.
See, I have a plan.
By the way, January is the month I pass out.
Tagged: 2013, Authors, Fiction, Fun, Just for Fun, Musings, Novels, Opinion, Opinions, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Romance, Teens, Writers, Writing, YA, Young Adult 
September 5, 2013
Rockin’ Thursdays: When You Say Nothing at All
Alison Krauss has one of the most beautiful voices I’ve ever heard.
Bonus track: Paper Airplanes
Tagged: 2013, Fun, Just for Fun, Music, Musings, Opinion, Opinions, ramblings, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, Rockin' Thursdays
September 2, 2013
Cover Reveal: Rushing into Love by Ashelyn Drake
Rushing Into Love (Campus Crush #3)
Release Date: 09/10/13
Summary from Goodreads:
As a college junior, Mindy Stanton has no interest in dating a freshman.
That is until Ben Whitmore shows up and serenades his way into her heart at the dorm social she’s running. And after hearing him sing, even Mindy can’t deny that he has a deep, sexy voice that makes her melt.
E ven though Mindy makes it clear that she doesn’t date younger guys, Ben pursues her anyway. After all, he doesn’t seem like the typical college freshman, who is only interested in hooking up, partying until he can’t remember his name, or joining a frat. He’s a gentleman, a romantic, and definitely knows all the right things to say to sweep a girl off her feet.
So Mindy drops her guard. She allows herself to fall for him. Before she knows it, Ben is all she can think about. To her, he’s perfect.
But it doesn’t take Mindy long to discover that even the most perfect guys…
Companion books in this series:
About the Author
New Adult and Young Adult romance author represented by Lauren Hammond of ADA Management Group. Look for her upcoming N.A. title, Romancing the R.A. (S.B. Addison Books, 2013).
Where to find Ashelyn Drake:
http://ashelyndrake.wordpress.com/
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7075461.Ashelyn_Drake
https://twitter.com/AshelynDrake
https://www.facebook.com/AshelynDrake
Cover Reveal Organized by:
Tagged: 2013, Books, Cover Reveal, Musings, New Adult, Novels, Opinion, Opinions, Random, Random Thoughts, Reading, Romance, Writers, Writing
