J.C. Martin's Blog, page 12
March 18, 2013
Cover Reveal: EYE OF THE SOUL by Terri Rochenski
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Big welcome to Terri Rochenski to the J. Taylor Publishing family! Today is the official cover reveal day for her debut novel, YA paranormal Tied:
Eye of the Soul
Escape.
That should be Hylaâs first thought as her people are chained and imprisoned for no imaginable reason.
Instead, Hyla finds herself traveling through a land void of Natives, with human soldiers pillaging in desperate pursuit of her, and in search of the mystical Pool of Souls â home to the one man who can save her people.
Or so she believes.
Led by her faith in the deity Fadir, Hyla is met along her journey by Jadon â a human male and fierce Kingâs warrior, and his childhood best friend Conlin â one of the few Natives aware of his Fadir-given Talents.
Protected by Jadon, guided by Conlin, and with an unfailing belief in the purpose of her pilgrimage, Hyla carries on.
Like her, though, another searches for the Pool, and should he gain access first, everyone she loves, and everything she knows, could be lost.
Forever.
Intriguing blurb, no?
Eye of the Soul will be released on October 7th, 2013.
About the Author
Terri Rochenski
Terri started writing stories in the 8th grade, when a little gnome whispered in her brain. Gundiâs Great Adventure never hit the best seller list, but it started a long love affair with the fantasy genre.
Today she enjoys an escape to Middle Earth during the rare âmeâ moments her two young daughters allow. When not potty training or kissing boo-boos, she can be found on her back patio in the boondocks of New Hampshire, book or pencil in hand.
Contact: Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
What do YOU think of the cover? Is this something you’d like to add to your to-read list?
Source: J.C. Martin, Fighter Writer
March 15, 2013
Book Shout-Out: DYLAN’S SONG by p.m. terrell
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*Read on to find out how you could win a Celtic Key necklace like the one pictured below*
Dylan’s Song
Dylan Maguire returns to his native Ireland with psychic spy Vicki Boyd. Their mission: to locate and extract a CIA Agent who disappeared in Dublin while on the trail of a known terrorist. But when Dylan receives word that his grandmother is dying, he is plunged into a past he thought heâd left behind forever. His mission and the dark secrets heâd sought to keep hidden begin to merge into an underworld that could cost him his life. He must now confront his past demons and the real reason he left Ireland â while Vicki harbors a secret of her own.
Excerpt
The bogs were no place to be during the witching hour.
Dylan had grown up with stories of the bogs at night. The ground percolated; it lived and it breathed. There had been many a time when he was harvesting peat in broad daylight that heâd heard a whisper at his ear or felt hot breath on his neck, only to find there was no one near. Now as he rode his horse in silence, he felt that presence tenfold; there were eyes watching them. The intermittent tuffs of heather swayed in the growing storm and he found himself watching them with narrowed eyes, waiting for the plants to morph into sinister creatures that claimed this land after the sun went down.
He knew there was a simple reason why animals were required in lieu of an all-terrain vehicle and he was glad Sam had taken this unique land into consideration when planning the mission. He could feel the hooves beneath him sinking into the spongy earth; a wheeled vehicle wouldnât have stood a chance, especially as they ventured from the area farmed for its peat to one far less stable.
A mist began; a slow, fine spray that he knew well. One moment the air was still and dry and the next, as though theyâd passed through a curtain, the air swirled around them, the moist haze further inhibiting their ability to see. It was said many a man lost his internal compass in the Irish mist; it taunted as it grew into monstrous shapes, turning the landscape into something foreign and active.
Dylan’s Song will be available from March 17th.
About the Author
p.m. terrell
p.m.terrell is the award-winning, internationally acclaimed author of more than 16 books. Vicki’s Key, one of the first books in the Black Swamp Mysteries series, was one of five finalists in the 2012 International Book Awards (Mystery/Suspense) and 2012 USA Best Book Awards (Mystery/Suspense.) River Passage, an historical work based on her ancestor’s migration to Fort Nashborough in 1779-1780, won the 2010 Best Fiction & Drama Award. The Nashville (TN) Metropolitan Government Archives determined it to be so historically accurate that they entered the original manuscript into their Archives for future researchers and historians.
Prior to becoming a full-time author in 2002, terrell founded and operated two computer companies in the Washington, DC area. Her clients included the United States Secret Service, CIA, Department of Defense and federal and local law enforcement. Her specialty is in the areas of computer crime and computer intelligence. Her experience in these areas have greatly influenced her books’ plots.
She is the co-founder of The Book ‘Em Foundation, whose slogan is “Buy a Book and Stop a Crook” and whose mission is to raise awareness of the link between high crime rates and high illiteracy rates. She founded Book ‘Em North Carolina Writers Conference and Book Fair, an annual event to raise money to increase literacy and reduce crime.
Contact: Website | Blog | Twitter
Giveaway!
p.m. is giving away Celtic Key Necklace — identical to the one Dylan gives to Vicki in Dylan’s Song – to one lucky commenter during the tour.
To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment below.
Why not check out the other tour stops? The more you comment,the better your chance of winning.
Good luck! 
Source: J.C. Martin, Fighter Writer
March 13, 2013
Book Shout-Out: RUSSIAN DOLLS by Cristelle Comby
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*Read on to find out how you could win an autographed print copy of Russian Dolls*
Russian Dolls
Alexandra Neve is a student at University College London whose world suddenly falls apart. When her best friend jumps from the universityâs rooftop, she canât stop herself from asking, âWhy?â The police rule her friendâs death a suicide and for them the case is closed â so whom can she turn to for help?
Sometimes the person you need the most is the one you least expect to find, and in this case itâs none other than Ashford Egan, a blind middle-aged history professor, whoâs more willing than most to listen to what she has to say.
Neve and Egan are as different as they come. Sheâs restless, careless at times, and fearless when the need arises, while heâs almost the complete opposite: a deep thinker with an analytical mind, a highly rational and collected individual.
As they enter the violent world of the Russian mafia, they must overcome their differences and learn to work together. Itâs their only chance if they want to survive.
Excerpt
Life, death. Two concepts, two words.
You donât think about them unless youâre forced to. You take the first for granted and try to forget the second.
You get on with your life, worry about meaningless things and you simply stop thinking about death, even though you see it every day on the telly, in the papers you read.
So long as itâs happening to others, you continue to go on with this comforting lie that says itâs never going to happen to you. The Reaper wonât come anywhere near you â until the day he does.
It could be a car crash, it could be a stroke. Or it could be your best friend jumping from the rooftop of the university you both attend. And suddenly you remember that death is very real and thereâs no way of knowing who is going to be called next. Youâre forced to face the frailty of life and accept your own mortality.
My best friend recently passed away and I almost died twice myself in the past couple of weeks. My name is Alexandra Neve. Iâm a student who used to live in a reassuring bubble. It burst, and now I finally see the world for what it truly is.
About the Author
Cristelle Comby
Cristelle Comby was born and raised in the French-speaking area of Switzerland, somewhere between Geneva and Lausanne, where she still resides.
Thanks to her insatiable thirst for American and British action films and television dramas, her English is fluent.
She attributes to her origins her ever-peaceful nature and her undying love for chocolate. She has a passion for art, which also includes an interest in drawing and acting.
Russian Dolls is her first new-adult novel, and sheâs hard at work on the next titles in the series.
Contact: Website/Blog |Â Twitter | Goodreads
Giveaway!
Cristelle is giving away a signed print copy of Russian Dolls to one lucky commenter during the tour.
To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment below.
Why not check out the other tour stops? The more you comment,the better your chance of winning.
Good luck!
Source: J.C. Martin, Fighter Writer
March 7, 2013
Cover Reveal: FRAILTIES OF THE BOND by Angela Brown
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Blogger buddy Angela Brown is revealing the cover of her latest YA novel all this week.
Cover design by Heather McCorkle of CP Design (http://cpbookdesign.blogspot.com/)
Frailties of the Bond
It only takes one bite to change a lifeâ¦
After a hiking trip gone wrong, sixteen-year-old Luca should have been dead. Since then, heâs drifted from one school day to the next, annoyed by the looks of suspicion. When a vampire attack claimed his mother and forced his first shift into animal form, Luca set out for Texas, vengeance bound, only to discover so much more when Aimee crossed his path.
Flesh-born of vampire parents sixteen years ago, Aimee shouldnât exist. Magic, though, made dreams come true for an undead couple desperate for a child all their own. But this magic came with a price, a cost Aimee discovered after one forbidden bite.
Frailties of the Bond is the first book of Angela’s series about the NEO â Network of Extraordinaires and Otherworldlies: those who answer the call from NEO play their part in maintaining balance in our ever-changing times. With power-hungry malcontents, jealous gods, and even those with misguided good intentions, the fate of our world has oft been held in the hands of unsung heroes such as those that are members of NEO.
But before NEO, these heroes and heroines had lives, loves, issues and interests that didnât involve saving mankind.
About the Author
Angela Brown
Born and raised in Little Rock, AR, Angela now calls Central Texas home.
Reading and writing have been lifelong passions. It was around the time she gave birth to her forever-love, nicknamed Chipmunk, that she really took writing seriously. After all, how could she teach her child to follow her dreams if she hadn’t tried herself?
As a YA fantasy/sci-fi reader and author, she favors the magical, mysterious, the darker side of life … even harbors a secret fright for things that go bump in the night.
Contact: Blog | Twitter | Goodreads
Xpresso Book Tours is handling the release blitz set for March 20h through March 31st. If you are interested in participating (and Angela says “YAY! and THANK YOU!” if you are), click here to sign up.
Finally, Angela would like to know:
How much does the book cover matter in choosing a book? Do you prefer symbolic covers, i.e., everything on the cover means something or directly relates to something in the book? Or just something that grabs your attention, no matter how it relates to the content within?
Â
Source: J.C. Martin, Fighter Writer
March 5, 2013
Chin Wagging at the Slaughterhouse
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Drop by The Slaughter House, blog of crime writer Richard Godwin, as he questions me about my views on the e-book revolution, the pathology of serial killers, and more!
Source: J.C. Martin, Fighter Writer
March 4, 2013
Book Shout-Out: MEMORIES OF MURDER by Lara Nance & G1veaway!
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*Read on to find out how you could win a $50 Amazon gift card or a signed cover flat*
Memories of Murder
When Maeve McKenna renounces her witch powers and accepts a low-key nurse practitioner position at a Virginia retirement community, the last thing she expects is a suicide her first day on the job.
As the town’s sexy sheriff, Paul Sutton, starts looking into the tragic death of his father’s friend, Maeve can’t help but get involved–with both the case and him. Their informal investigation unveils an old journal that connects the ruins of a nearby asylum and long-forgotten cemetery with the shiny new retirement community’s memory unit–and Maeve’s Alzheimer’s patients.
Maeve senses a sinister presence in the old asylum, calling to the patients, but in order to stop it from killing again, she must first conquer some demons of her own and reclaim the magic she’s denied herself.
Purchase Link: Amazon (And for a limited time only, Memories of Murder will be on sale for just $0.99, from today till March 8th!)
About the Author
Lara Nance grew up and lived in many cities throughout the South. She loves to write in a variety of genres within the scope of womenâs fiction. But the basis of all her stories is a tale that will entertain and intrigue.
If you want to escape and lose yourself in a novel, youâve come to the right place. Choose your genre and settle in to be entertained. From thrilling mysteries and steampunk tales, to paranormal romance and adventure, Laraâs willing to explore a variety of compelling stories full of danger and suspense, with a touch of romance.
Having been on the fencing team in college and now living on a sailboat convinces her that she was a pirate in another life, or possibly kin to Errol Flynn⦠However, due to the unfortunate demise of the romantic pirates of the past, she lives out her fantasies, thrills and adventures in her stories.
Currently docked in Norfolk, Virginia (until the wind changes), Lara enjoys living on her sailboat and spends time reading, of course writing, indulging a variety of artistic endeavors, cooking and sailing with her husband, Joe and their Yorkie, Rio.
Contact: Website | Twitter | Facebook
Giveaway!
Lara is giving away a $50 Amazon gift card to one lucky commenter during the tour. She’s also giving away a signed cover flat at each tour stop.
To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment below.
Why not check out the other tour stops? The more you comment,the better your chance of winning.
Good luck!
Source: J.C. Martin, Fighter Writer
March 2, 2013
Have You Read 22 NAKED BODIES INSIDE? An Interview
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22 Naked Bodies Inside
No, it’s not the title of a book hopping on the 50 Shades of Gray bandwagon. What it is, is a collection of 22 short stories by 22 authors who bare their naked soul in their work. Published by pixelhose.com and edited by Robert Dourandish, one of the stories is my flash fiction piece, Just One Cut, which earned its own mention in Sahm King‘s review of the anthology on his blog, The Arkside of Thought.
Anyway, Bob from pixelhose interviewed me as part of promotions for the anthology. I enjoyed answering the probing questions he posed, and you can read my responses here. Remember, pixelhose runs an annual writing contest, and you can read all qualified entries on its website. click here for the fiction category, and here for non-fiction.
Source: J.C. Martin, Fighter Writer
March 1, 2013
KNOWING Blog Tour: Interview with Author Laurel Dewey
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Today we speak with crime author Laurel Dewey about her latest suspense novel, Knowing.
***Read on to find out how you could win one of three copies of Laurel’s first Jane Perry novel, Protector. (US only)***
About the Author
Laurel Dewey
Laurel Dewey was born and raised in Los Angeles. She is the author of two nonfiction books on plant medicine, a Silver Spur nominated Western novella, hundreds of articles, and three other novels in her Jane Perry suspense series, Protector, Redemption, and Revelations along with the Jane Perry novelettes An Unfinished Death and Promissory Payback and the story collection Unrevealed. She is also the author of the novel Bettyâs Little Basement Garden.
Contact: Website | Twitter | Facebook
—
Go on, hook us: tell us about Knowing in one sentence.
Knowing forces the reader to question everything they think they know about their world ⦠including what they can see as well as what lies beyond the veil of their âreality.â
How much do you have in common with your character, Jane Perry?
Weâre both very stubborn people. And just like Jane, when I need to research a subject, I dive into it with passion and donât let go of it until Iâve wrung it dry. We both like sautéed shrimp and we both tend to eat it out of the pan it was cooked in when weâre by ourselves. And just like Jane found Hank, I found my perfect fit with my husband. [And yes, my husband is somewhat similar to Hankâ¦.]
How much of Knowing is fiction, and how much is inspired by real-life events?
This question is coming up a lot lately. The entire book is fiction but I spent over one year researching and studying some very disturbing subject matter, including trauma based mind control, military experiments, ancient esoteric belief systems and other facets of âthe unseenâ world that operate around us.
Sum up your current work-in-progress in no more than 10 words.
Allowing my imagination to take a vacation, until inspiration hits.
Any books youâre looking forward to in 2013?
Iâm not sure whatâs coming out this year, but I have a stack of books next to my bed that I havenât had a chance to dig into because Iâve been too busy writing books. They range in subject matter from the mind/body connections to how to build better organic soil. It doesnât get more eclectic than that!
QUICK-FIRE QUESTIONS
Favourite book? Tie between To Kill A Mockingbird and an obscure one, When You Can Walk On Water, Take the Boat.
Favourite author? There is NO way I could pick one. Iâm a Gemini, and we Gemini people could never pick a favorite anything. Thereâs far too much to choose from.
Personal catchphrase? âIt is what it is.â
Weirdest thing youâve ever eaten? Thatâs easy. A ground up, FRESH cow thyroid. And no, it wasnât a dare.
—
Thank you, Laurel.
Now here’s more information about her latest book:
Knowing
Knowing
After the life-altering ending in the third Jane Perry thriller, Revelations, Jane Perry takes time off from the job to find the missing part of herself she never knew existed. But her journey is quickly hijacked when a wanted criminal, Harlan Kipple, steals her car. Kipple â accused of the heinous murder of a prostitute in a seedy motel â is on the run and desperate to stay that way. Janeâs personal plans take a back seat as she tracks down her stolen ride and discovers through an unusual source that Kipple may be innocent and is being framed by a nefarious group. When she trails Kipple and confronts him, every belief she ever had about this world and the next is put to the test.
Kipple, who by his own admission is not the âbrightest bulb in the box,â received a heart transplant seventeen months ago. His life changed from the moment he woke up in the recovery room. In fact, heâs not so sure where he ends and his heart takes over. As strange as that sounds to her, Jane cannot deny what she witnesses after spending just two days with Kipple. It becomes clear that nothing is what it appears as Jane is drawn into a deep rabbit hole with dark webs and darker crevices that force her to operate on the other side of the law. With the police hot on Kippleâs tail and a devious faction intent on finding him first, Jane is caught in the middle and realizes that solving this crime could have fatal consequences.
With themes as diverse as immortality, regeneration, resurrection, transformation and death, author Laurel Dewey tackles this latest Jane Perry novel with originality and plenty of suspense. âFinding yourselfâ takes on a whole new meaning in Knowing.
Purchase Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | Indie Bound
Giveaway! (US only)
Laurel is giving away copies of her first Jane Perry novel, Protector, to three lucky readers. All you have to do to be in the running is to fill in the Rafflecopter below — good luck!
Source: J.C. Martin, Fighter Writer
February 28, 2013
There’s No Such Thing As Perfect by Stacy Gail
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***Read on to find out how you could win an Amazon gift card***
There’s No Such Thing As Perfect
by Stacy Gail
Before I begin, Iâd like to thank J.C. Martin for allowing me to hop on her blog and chat about the heroine from my latest release, Savage Angel, Book 2 in The Earth Angels series from Carina Press!
Confession: Iâm not perfect. For instance, Iâm not a morning person. I have a tendency to step out of my shoes and leave them where anyone can stumble over them. Iâve driven my morning commute with my coffee on the roof of my car. And yes, there was that one time I was talking to my mom on my cell phone, then panicked and told her I COULDNâT FIND MY CELL PHONE. *facepalm* The last thing I am is perfect.
The thing is, I like my flaws. They make me human. So when I put together Sara Savitch, the heroine of SAVAGE ANGEL, I figured there should be flaws. But hereâs the thing â Sara is descended from the Seraphim (angels that were created for the sole purpose of guarding the throne of God â sort of like bad-ass celestial Secret Service). When you have Seraphim DNA mingling with your human side, you have characteristics that make you wired to be the ideal soldier, with super-human combat abilities and a tactical brain thatâs better than a computer. All manner of weaponry feels right at home in your hands and not even the most obscure martial arts would be unknown to you. Oh, and you have wings of fire. Hello, epitome of AWESOME.
The problem is all that sounds really ⦠perfect. And perfect, at least for me, is as foreign as ancient Sanskrit.
Even before I gave Sara the abilities of heightened senses, blurring speed and fire manipulation, I built her personality. Or rather, she just showed up in my head, standing at parade-rest and ready for action. What she didnât know how to do was relax. When I tried picturing her in a social setting â something that didnât directly involve hand-to-hand combat â she fought me. She stumbled. She stuttered. Breathing underwater would be easier than polite small talk. And intimate relationships? Pffft, forget about it. That meant allowing someone close without throwing them in an O Goshi-style judo throw.
And that was where I found Saraâs true self. As she strives to track down a serial killer that may or may not be demon-related, the social situations she keeps finding herself in shows just how imperfect she is. But thereâs so much room for her to grow, to learn how to trust, and to rely on someone else, and thatâs what makes Sara so lovable. With the help of Gideon Mandeville, the one man who makes her stutter most of all, she has an excellent chance at conquering both her inner demons of social awkwardness and the other demons that come along with hunting a killer.
One of my favorite âawkward-Saraâ moments:
He slid a plate of piping hot, golden brown French toast before her along with a bottle of syrup. âIâll bet youâre still running a fever.â
âI canât feel it.â
âI can see it.â Without warning, he reached across the table and laid his hand against her cheek. âSee? Still burning up.â
âItâsâ¦â Her brain executed a textbook fade-away, until all was quiet inside her head and the universe pinpointed on the warm glide of his palm against her cheek. âUm. Iâm still warm from the, um ⦠the, umâ¦â What the hell was it called? âShower.â
Ha! Smooth, Sara. Real smooth. [image error]
Confess your imperfections! What recent thing have you done that lands you in the âimperfectâ column?
About the Author
A competitive figure skater from the age of eight, Stacy Gail began writing stories in between events to pass the time. By the age of fourteen, she told her parents she was either going to be a figure skating coach who was also a published romance writer, or a romance writer who was also a skating pro. Now with a day job of playing on the ice with her students, and writing everything from steampunk to cyberpunk, contemporary to paranormal at night, both dreams have come true.
Contact: Blog | Twitter | Goodreads
Savage Angel (Book 2 in The Earth Angels)
Savage Angel
Feel nothing. Sara Savitch’s personal mantra has been hard to live by ever since her torrid one-night stand with army doctor Gideon Mandeville. Descended from the Seraphim, angels known as heaven’s soldiers, Sara may be an expert fighter, but she’s an amateur when it comes to relationships.
Physically unharmed, but still battle-scarred, Gideon has returned to Dallas in the hopes of regaining his faith in humanity â and in himself. Instead he’s walked into a nightmare. His father is on a serial killer’s hit list, and has hired a personal bodyguard â the very woman who has haunted Gideon’s dreams for a year.
As Sara works to build an impenetrable fortress around her client, she yearns to tear down the one around Gideon’s heart. With his bitter rejection of warriors, will he ever be able to accept her true nature? Sara must find a way to trust Gideon with her secret as the killer closes inâ¦
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble |Â eBooks.com
Giveaway!
Stacy is giving away not one, but two Amazon gift cards (one valued at $25, the other at $10 to two lucky commenters).
All you have to do to enter is leave a comment below. Maybe you could talk about:
Confess your imperfections! What recent thing have you done that lands you in the âimperfectâ column?
Why not visit the other tour stops? The more comments you leave, the better your chances of winning. Good luck!
Source: J.C. Martin, Fighter Writer
February 25, 2013
Cover Reveal: TIED by Laney McMann
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Big welcome to Laney McMann to the J. Taylor Publishing family! Today is the official cover reveal day for her debut novel, YA paranormal Tied:
Tied
Normal people don’t believe their nightmares stalk them. They donât fall in love with boys who donât 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 thatâs 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 arenât prepared to reveal, and with a curse that could tear Layla and Max apart forever â if it doesnât 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.
Intriguing blurb, no?
Tied will be released on September 9th, 2013.
About the Author
Laney McMann
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.
Contact: Website |Â Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
What do YOU think of the cover? Is this something you’d like to add to your to-read list?
Source: J.C. Martin, Fighter Writer
