Ashley Lynn Willis's Blog, page 3

Flaming Dove

In April of this year, I was blessed with a Kindle for my birthday. Before I obtained this miraculous little device, I read anywhere from three to eight books a year. All you book lover's eyes are probably bugging out of your heads right now. That puny number was just sad, but now, I read at least a book a week, sometimes up to three if I find a good series. And of course, since I'd decided to go Indie, a number of those were self-published. I considered reading Indies as researching the quality available through the non-traditional route. What I found floored me. There were so many great novels for anywhere from $3.99 to only .99 cents.

Before I continue, I want to say, this is not a review site. But since I'm self-published, and I've read so many great self-published books, I thought it only fair to share my favorites. Therefore, a couple of times a month, I will highlight my favorite Indie books. Enjoy! 
Flaming Dove
Amazon Book DescriptionOutcast from Hell. Banished from Heaven. Lost on Earth.
The battle of Armageddon was finally fought... and ended with no clear victor. Upon the mountain, the armies of Hell and Heaven beat each other into a bloody, uneasy standstill, leaving the Earth in ruins. Armageddon should have ended with Heaven winning, ushering in an era of peace. That's what the prophecies said. Instead, the two armies--one of angels, one of demons--hunker down in the scorched planet, lick their wounds, and gear up for a prolonged war with no end in sight.

In this chaos of warring armies and ruined landscapes, Laila doesn't want to take sides. Her mother was an angel, her father a demon; she is outcast from both camps. And yet both armies need her, for with her mixed blood, Laila can become the ultimate spy... or ultimate soldier. As the armies of Heaven and Hell pursue her, Laila's only war is within her heart--a struggle between her demonic and heavenly blood.Show More Show Less ***
This is not the type of book that I normally read. I'm more a romance girl, but this novel received five stars from Red Adept Review, and I was looking for something new so off I went to buy it. Daniel Arenson has a very unusual writing style. Maybe it's because I'm so loyal to reading paranormal with lots of romance that I hadn't happened upon a book like this, but I don't think so. I think Mr. Arenson has an interesting talent for choosing words that make his stories immediate, all-consuming, and page turners. I even learned a thing or two about writing action scenes through his choice of words and sentence structures.  
The story follows Laila on her journey to claim hell as her own. There were a lot of references to warfare, but not in a way that left my eyes glassing over. More in a riveting OMG, what's going to happen next sort of way. I've heard his book Blood of Requiem is even better, and one day I'll find time to read it. If you're interested in reading a fast-paced fantasy book with a unique voice, this is a great choice.  Buy it on Amazon or B&N

Current Giveaways for The Calling

Happy Tuesday! I just wanted to let you know where I can be found this week and give updates on giveaways going on right now. If you didn't win a copy of The Calling on Liz's blog, Fictional Candy, you can still snag a copy at The Jeep Diva's blog. Vanessa will be holding a giveaway to win one eBook until November 5th.  All you have to do is leave a comment on her blog with your email address.  Also, I'm doing a goodread's giveaway of three signed paperback copies. You can enter by clicking the link above this post.  And finally, on November 4th you can find me at Queen Tutt's World of Escapism. Ronda will be holding a giveaway for one eBook.

Thanks! I hope everyone is having a great week.

Urban Fantasy vs. Paranormal Romance… Does it matter as long as the vamps and shifters are yummy?

This is going to sound strange because my first published book is a paranormal/contemporary romance, but since the day I picked up The Vampire Lestat, my first love has been urban fantasy. I gobbled up Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles, then moved on to The Lives of the Mayfair Witches. I gorged on the Sookie Stackhouse series and Anita Blake series, and while I love the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, and yes, even Twilight, I cannot get enough of urban fantasy. In fact, before penning The Calling, I wrote  Killing Abel and Saving Jessica, the first books in an urban fantasy series.

Why do I love urban fantasy so much when paranormal romance ties up the ending in a tidy little bow? Romance novels leave a warm fuzzy in your gut, and like the Grinch, your heart grows ten times larger. Or is that twenty? I can't remember. Anyway, Paranormal Romances are heartwarming. 
As I analyze my love for urban fantasy, I realize that tidy little bow is why I placed paranormal romances a little under my preferred genre.  Maybe I like not knowing if there will be a "happily ever after." I like not knowing the future of the heroine or feeling as if the storyline is tied to an age-old formula that worked for everyone else, except not so much for me. Maybe the unknown simply gives me more of a thrill than the known. Am I the only one? Based on sales, I'd say not, but sometimes I feel like I'm a little crazy to love urban fantasy so much. Now I have to ask the all-important question; what's your preference? If you're feeling ambitious, you can even tell us why. 

Urban Fantasy vs. Paranormal Romance… Does it matter as long as the vamps and shifters are hot?

This is going to sound strange since my first published book is a paranormal/contemporary romance, but since the day I picked up The Vampire Lestat, my first love has been Urban Fantasy. I have gobbled up Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles, then moved on to The Lives of the Mayfair Witches. I have gorged on the Sookie Stackhouse Series and Anita Blake Series, and while I love The Black Dagger Brotherhood Series, and yes, even Twilight, I cannot get enough of Urban Fantasy.

In fact, the first two books that I wrote, Killing Abel and Saving Jessica, were the first books in an Urban Fantasy series. So I had to ask myself, why do I love the genre so much when paranormal romance ties up the ending in a tidy little bow? It leaves a warm fuzzy in your gut and like the Grinch; your heart grows ten times bigger, or is that twenty?  I can't remember.  Anyway, Paranormal Romances are heartwarming.  As I analyzed my love for Urban Fantasy, I decided that maybe that was why I placed paranormal romances a little under my preferred genre.  Maybe I liked not knowing if there would be a Happily Ever After.  Maybe the unknown gave me more of a thrill than the known.  And maybe I liked not knowing the future of the heroine or feeling as if it were tied to an age old formula that worked for everyone else, except not so much for me.  Am I the only one?  Based on sales, I'd say not, but sometimes I feel like I'm a little crazy to love Urban Fantasy so much.  Now I have to ask the all-important question, what's your preference?  And if you're feeling ambitious, you can even tell us why.

Psst… The calling is on sale for 99-cents through Oct. 31st

I'm excited to announce that my debut novel, The Calling, is on sale at Amazon, B&N and Smashwords. Yippee! The official release date is October 19th, but as a pre-release sale, you can purchase the book for 99-cents until October 31st. 
Amazon
Smashwords
B&N

Giveaway of The Calling by Ashley Lynn Willis

I'm having an eBook giveaway over at Rage, Sex, and Teddy Bears for anyone interested. It's open until Sunday October 9th, and there will be three winners so your chances are good.  J

I've also just completed a fifty book giveaway for goodreads Read to Review  program in the Paranormal Romance & Urban Fantasy Fanatics Group. If you are a PR or UF author who wants to give your book away in exchange for honest reviews, this is a great group. If you're a reader looking for a free read, it's great for you, too.  

I hope everyone is having a wonderful week!

Lazy Authors Can Have Great Covers, Too.

Amanda Stevens is one of my new favorite authors. I read The Restorer (The Graveyard Queen) in under a day and a half. I could not put it down. If you enjoy paranormal mysteries and southern settings— think Spanish moss, dilapidated cemeteries, and sultry nights—then run to the nearest Barnes & Nobles and buy it or grab your eBook and download it. I promise you won't be disappointed. Anyway, here is the cover of her novel. [image error]
It's a beautiful cover, and Amanda did a blog post Book Covers 101 about it. What struck me was all the thought she put into the cover even though she admits herself that she had little say in the final product. She even went so far as to provide a detailed mood board to her publisher. Go take a look at it on her blog. It's impressive. I was astounded by the amount of energy she put into compiling pictures, imagery words, and branding examples. After all that work, how could she not have a beautiful cover? The reason I'm writing this post is because I was intrigued by how different her process was to mine. Just for fun, I've outlined my process below.Cover artist: So what's your book about?Me: A Coast Guard Rescue swimmer and a woman who survived cancer.Cover artist: Okay, what did you have in mind for a cover?Me: Um… well… um… it's a romance.Cover artist: That's a good start. Me: Oh! I'd like for the cover to scream romance! That way, anyone who looks at the book knows instantly what they're getting.Cover artist: I can do that. Me: Oh! Oh! And there should be water on the cover because my hero can command the seas!Cover artist: …silence… clears throat… more silence… clears throat again… how about a man and woman embracing and the man is melting into water.Me: Sold!
Do I think Amanda Stevens cover would have turned out as beautiful without the mood board? Yes. But God Bless her for knowing what she wanted; I certainly didn't. Luckily, my cover still turned out stunning because I have a talented cover artist who reads minds. If you ever read my book, you'll know exactly how well the melting man fits into the context of the story. Bless my cover artist for being brilliant while letting me be lazy.

Ashley's Books

Ashley Lynn Willis is an author of Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy.  Her novels have no vampires, werewolves, fairies or angels, but she hopes they will enthrall you all the same.  She likes her men alpha and her heroines plucky.  The tone of her books range from somber to humorous.  If you're interested in a different take on paranormal, she hopes you'll give her books a try.      

Coming October 19th 2011

Mandy Hardy lost more than a breast to cancer; she lost her fiancé when he dumped her a week before her mastectomy. Her ego bruised and her self-esteem battered, Mandy's sure she'll never fall in love again.  Justin Seward is a headstrong Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer with a heart of gold and the supernatural ability to command the seas. He had to hide his feelings while Mandy was engaged to his best friend. Now that she's free, he's vowed to make her his.Together, they may hold the key to each other's salvation. But when Justin's past catches up with him, and Mandy's ex-fiancé wants vengeance, they realize they might not live long enough for happily ever after.The Calling is a 360 page contemporary romance with a paranormal twist. . Click here to read the first chapter.