Lori L. Clark's Blog, page 207

Blog Tour & Giveaway: Fading by EK Blair

Fading by EK Blair: Can a guilty conscience keep wounds from healing?

Fine arts major, Candace Parker, grew up with a mother who thinks image is everything, and her daughter’s perfection will never be good enough. About to graduate college and pursue her dreams of becoming a professional ballerina, Candace decides it’s time to let go and have a little fun. But fun is short-lived when a brutal attack leaves her completely shattered.

The memories that consume and torment Candace are starting to destroy her when she meets Ryan Campbell, a successful bar owner. He feels instantly connected and tries to show her that hope is worth fighting for. But is Ryan harboring his own demons? As walls slowly begin to chip away, the secrets that are held within start to become painful burdens.

At what point do secrets become lies?

(17+) This book contains mature subject matter that is not suitable for those under the age of 17.
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Interview: EK Blair

Fading by EK Blair: Can a guilty conscience keep wounds from healing?

Fine arts major, Candace Parker, grew up with a mother who thinks image is everything, and her daughter’s perfection will never be good enough. About to graduate college and pursue her dreams of becoming a professional ballerina, Candace decides it’s time to let go and have a little fun. But fun is short-lived when a brutal attack leaves her completely shattered.

The memories that consume and torment Candace are starting to destroy her when she meets Ryan Campbell, a successful bar owner. He feels instantly connected and tries to show her that hope is worth fighting for. But is Ryan harboring his own demons? As walls slowly begin to chip away, the secrets that are held within start to become painful burdens.

At what point do secrets become lies?
Welcome EK Blair!

SRNA: I just finished reading FADING and I have to tell you, it blew me away! Thank you in advance for answering our questions today.

EKB: I am so happy that you enjoyed it! Thank you for your kind words.

SRNA: How long, from start to finish did it take you to pen your first draft?

EKB: It took me a little over 2 months to write Fading. The beginning took some time because of the intensity of a few of the scenes. It was hard to get my head in the right place to really feel it.

SRNA: What inspired you to write FADING?

EKB: I have always been drawn to realistic and raw stories. It is always challenging for me to find a book that resonates with me. I have read books that incorporate this particular subject matter, but they have never hit that emotional spot for me. I literally wrote the book that I have always been searching to read.

SRNA: Did you plot the entire book, or did you just fly by the seat of your pants?

EKB: No. I flew by the seat of my pants. I never directed my characters to do anything. I had my ideas, but they never listened to me. I knew certain things had to happen, but sometimes my characters would do something I didn't expects, and I had to go into crisis control mode to get the story to move on. I would often find myself yelling at my computer, after getting carried away with a scene, and would scream, “Candace! What the hell did you just do?!” That girl was always leading me in different directions.
I am a huge fan of Quentin Tarantino’s writing. I have watched many of his interviews, and he always says to never direct your characters. He claims that when you start doing that, your writing becomes a façade, but when you simply follow them, that is when it becomes real.

SRNA: Was it hard for you to get into the character of Candace, or did you find that she never shut up inside your head?

EKB: Candace was easy and hard.
Easy because she is very similar to me. I really understood her heart and her pain. Her voice was always inside my head. I felt like I breathed her.
Hard because of her intensity. She suffered from so much, and she took me to some dark places. I would, at times, have to take a break from writing because I was just too upset. I had to make the story real, and that meant putter her through hell.

SRNA: You seem to know a lot about ballet, did you research it or was it something you already knew?

EKB: I took my first dance class when I was 7 years old. Dance was my life for many years. At one point, that’s what I thought I would do with my life, but life sometimes has different plans for you, and it did in my case.

SRNA: When in the writing process did you decide FADING would be the first book in a trilogy?

EKB: I had toyed around with the idea of writing a short novella from Ryan’s POV. As I got deeper into writing Fading, I realized he had a bigger story to tell. It honestly wasn't until close to the end of writing Fading that I decided to write his story, which does take place along the same timeline as Fading.
There will be a third book, but at this point, it will only be a novella. When I finished Fading and had people read it, they all fell in love with Jase. I never thought about writing his story, but there is a story there, one that you don’t read that often. I have been a little nervous about the subject matter, but if you know me, you know I like honesty and telling raw stories.

SRNA: There is a pretty "difficult," some may say "graphic," scene early in the book. Was it hard for you to write?

EKB: Excruciating. But, it needed to be told in this way and not glazed over. This is life, and life is not always pretty. But, yes, I was really scared to write it, and it was a hard scene to get through. There were a lot of tears shed while writing this book, but that scene…that was gut wrenching.

SRNA: When might we expect to see FALLING?

EKB: I hope to have Falling (Ryan’s story) out by Winter of 2013. I plan on releasing Freeing (Jase’s novella) first.

SRNA: I hope to get to know Kimber a little more in the next book. Without giving anything away, is that a possibility?

EKB: Probably not. People have been wanting more of her and felt bad for her, but sometimes we make the only choices we know how to make, and unfortunately, people get hurt along the way. You will get a little bit of her in Jase’s book, but there is no real link between her and Ryan.

Book Review: Fading by EK Blair

Fading by EK Blair: Can a guilty conscience keep wounds from healing?

Fine arts major, Candace Parker, grew up with a mother who thinks image is everything, and her daughter’s perfection will never be good enough. About to graduate college and pursue her dreams of becoming a professional ballerina, Candace decides it’s time to let go and have a little fun. But fun is short-lived when a brutal attack leaves her completely shattered.

The memories that consume and torment Candace are starting to destroy her when she meets Ryan Campbell, a successful bar owner. He feels instantly connected and tries to show her that hope is worth fighting for. But is Ryan harboring his own demons? As walls slowly begin to chip away, the secrets that are held within start to become painful burdens.

At what point do secrets become lies?

My thoughts: It took me a little bit to become fully invested in FADING, but let me tell you... once I did, I was pretty annoyed that I had to put it down to do things like work, sleep, eat, you know that annoying thing called real life kept interrupting.

I was sucked into the book and found myself tearing up several times. Candace has backbone. She would be someone I would like to hang out with. The interaction between her and Ryan was well written. He was infinitely more patient than most guys might have been given a similar situation.

Candace's mom. What can I say? It's sad that a parent could be so cold toward her own child, but it happens all the time.

I loved Jace and Mark. Wish I would have gotten a chance to know Kimber a little better, but maybe next book??

Well done EK Blair. I look forward to books 2 and 3!

Damaged 2: Release Event & Giveaway!

The steamy sequel to the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling New Adult novel DAMAGED by H.M. Ward.

Home isn't supposed to be dangerous, but for Sidney it is. Returning home means that she has to face her past. It's not just the man who hurt Sidney that makes it horrible, but the family that didn't believe her. They were dead to her, but now that her mom is really dying things seem different. It's a chance to set things right.

What Sidney doesn't realize is that she's dragging Peter into a collision course with his past. Peter must deal with the demons haunting him if he wants to move forward with Sidney. He's willing to give up everything for her, even wade deeper into his past life to help her move forward. But, Peter isn't sure if he can get over what happened to him in New York.

Genre: New Adult Romance
Length: Novel, ~325 pgs
Sequel to the Bestselling phenomenon DAMAGED

Title: DAMAGED 2
Author: H.M. WARD
Publisher: Laree Bailey Press
Release date: June 24, 2013
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Age Group: New Adult
Event organized by: AToMR Tours





(1) Kindle Fire Prize Pack: Contains 1 Kindle Fire, a Signed copy of DAMAGED 2, plus all of H.M. Ward’s romance ebooks: DAMAGED 2, New York Times & USA Today Bestsellers: DAMAGED & SCANDALOUS, SCANDALOUS 2, New York Times & USA Today bestselling series: THE ARRANGEMENT VOL 1 -7, SECRETS 1-5, THE SECRET LIFE OF TRYSTAN SCOTT 1-4, and CHRISTMAS KISSES. (Value is $240 USD)

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Interview: Angela Fields

This beautiful cover, BECOMING MORE by Bayli Lane, was designed by Angela Fields. Isn't it a beautiful design?!

Welcome Angela! Thank you for taking the time to answer a few questions for us today!

SRNA: I understand you're brand new at all of this. How did you get started designing book covers?

AF: Well, I’m new to book cover design, but not new to graphic design.
My best friend Crystal Serowka was in the process of writing her first novel, In The Air, and asked if I would be willing to design her book cover. It just sort of went from there, and I've been designing teasers for her along with her first cover, and then Bayli’s cover!

SRNA: Do you have any special background or do you just let your creativity do the talking, or both?

AF: I have my bachelor’s degree in graphic design and have been working in the field professionally for almost 5 years, but experimenting with the programs for a good 11 or so years. I started out as a print artist in advertising design for newspapers and I am now an art director at a direct marketing agency.

When it comes to the creation of the cover, I pretty much let the creativity do the talking. Typography and layout design are my passions, so this is a perfect outlet for my creativity! The photo also plays a huge roll in the design process, as does the mood of the book and what the author is looking for, so I try and get as much information from them as possible. The input from the author is super important to me, as I want them to love their cover as much as I do when it’s all said and done!

SRNA: Do you read the book that you're doing the cover for, or do you go by author description, or?

AF: I read them after they come out. But when it comes to designing the cover, all I have to go off is what the author has told me, and the synopsis. As corny as it sounds, I also sort of “feel out” the author to see if I can get a sense of their style and what they’re wanting to see. So, I guess it’s a mixture of all of those things!

SRNA: What special software do you use in the creation of your masterpieces?

AF: I use Adobe InDesign CS 5.5 or CS 6, depending on which computer I’m using. I’ll use Adobe Photoshop (again CS 5.5 or CS 6) if I need to make any photo adjustments. But mostly, InDesign.

SRNA: Do you photograph your own models or do you use stock you've purchased?

AF: I've always thought that photography was a gift and that (good) photographers definitely have an eye for it. I, unfortunately, do not have an eye for photography. I can appreciate a beautiful photo (like Bayli’s cover photo!), but I leave the photography to the pros!

I like my authors to pick their own photos, simply because they know more than I do what’s going to represent their books. If they ask for help, I am more than willing to help them out to find something that would work perfectly for them! All they have to do is ask.

I've heard of other cover designers telling authors that it's not the author's job to find the photo, but I know if I were an author, I would definitely want to be in charge of finding my own cover image! It's the image that's going to be representing your book, so really, it should be up to you!

SRNA: You recently designed the cover for BECOMING MORE by Bayli Lane and it's gorgeous. Are you currently working on other projects we should be watching for?

AF: Thank you! I absolutely LOVE the photo Bayli chose, so it was easy to work with! Plus, Bayli is a sweetheart, so that made it so much easier!
As for right now, I am working with Crystal on teasers for her next book, In Control, and then hopefully soon, the cover for the book, which is expected to be released at the end of October!

Bayli has already talked to me about her next book, so I can’t wait for that either!

SRNA: Finally, for fun, what's your sign? :)

AF: I’m a Cancer and I totally fit the description!



Email | Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | Instagram 

My name is Angie and I am a graphic designer/art director out of Indianapolis, IN. I've moved around most of my younger life when my dad was still in the Air Force, but I've been in Indiana now for almost 10 years! I consider myself a Midwestern girl, but I’d love to move to Austin, TX one day.
I graduated from The Art Institute of Indianapolis in 2010, after being an English major for three years and starting all over again for my Bachelors of Science in Graphic Design. Since then, I've been employed by one of the largest newspaper companies in the United States as a print artist, and recently as an art director at a small direct marketing agency.

I have a passion for design, especially typography and layout design. I could spend all day looking at typography blogs admiring the work of other designers! I also love reading and writing, so it seems almost natural to be a cover designer.

I have an obsession with music and also anything British. I’m a dreamer and a believer. I’m a lover and an eternal optimist. If you want to know more, find me on facebook or any of the other ways listed and I would love to chat with you! I’m working on getting an artist page up on facebook, so it’s just my personal page for now, but don’t let that stop you!

Amazon Top 10 New Adult Books: June 23, 2013

Amazon Top 10 New Adult Books


1. Conquer Your Love by J.C. Reed: "Brooke Stewart, a Realtor in New York, finds forgetting is hard, but forgiving is harder. When the man she trusted, betrayed her, the only way to forget is to move on. Brooke is determined to start a new life, until she meets him again: the green-eyed, sexy as sin, six foot two sex god. The man who played dirty. The man who played her. Sexy, handsome, and arrogant Jett Mayfield knows he has made mistakes."


2. Before Now (Sometimes Never) by Cheryl McIntyre: "Park Reed is a bastard in every sense of the word. He hasn't always been this way. But after his heart was broken by the only girl he ever loved, being heartless gets him through the day and allows him to fill his nights with the nameless girls he has no intentions of seeing again. He now lives his life following the ever-growing list of "life lessons." Lucy Braden is everything Park is not. She’s sweet, caring, and an all-around nice person. She tries to follow Lucy's Rules to Live By every day."


3. Off The Record by Sawyer Bennett: "Ever Montgomery suffered the ultimate betrayal by the one man who she should have been able to count on for anything. It has left her hurt, jaded and incapable of forming relationships, but it also means that she can spot a liar a mile away. These traits are earning her a reputation as a reporter with a keen nose for a good story and a complete understanding of the extreme power of the written word."


4. Damaged 2 by H.M. Ward: "Home isn't supposed to be dangerous, but for Sidney it is. Returning home means that she has to face her past. It's not just the man who hurt Sidney that makes it horrible, but the family that didn't believe her. They were dead to her, but now that her mom is really dying things seem different. It's a chance to set things right. What Sidney doesn't realize is that she's dragging Peter into a collision course with his past."


5. Damaged by H.M. Ward: "Life sucks. And, as soon as Sidney picks up the pieces something always knocks her back onto her butt. It's never pretty, but this time is different. This time pretty isn't even the right word. Peter is the personification of perfection. It's like he fell off his angel perch in purgatory, because let's face it--any guy that hot has got to be naughty. He was probably sent here to ruin her life."


6. Reason To Breathe (The Breathing Series, #1) by Rebecca Donovan: "In the affluent town of Weslyn, Connecticut, where most people worry about what to be seen in and who to be seen with, Emma Thomas would rather not be seen at all. She’s more concerned with feigning perfection—pulling down her sleeves to conceal the bruises, not wanting anyone to know how far from perfect her life truly is. Without expecting it, she finds love. It challenges her to recognize her own worth―at the risk of revealing the terrible secret she’s desperate to hide."


7. Sometimes Never by Cheryl McIntyre: "Hope didn’t have the best role model when it came to relationships. She’s content with her current no-strings-attached extracurricular activity with the lead singer of her band. She’s never believed in love and commitment. Mason starts his eighth school in five years anticipating nothing more than the usual—boring classes, fighting more than making friends, and girls happily willing to succumb to his easy smile. He’s never put much stock into love at first sight—until he sees her."


8. My Side by Tara Brown: "Erin Benson felt like she'd won the lottery when she arrived all the way from North Dakota with the keys to her first home in hand. Crisp white walls: Check. Breathtaking view of downtown Boston: Check. Minutes from Northeastern School of Law: Check. But home is not always where the heart is. Sometimes it’s where you find Mr. Random shacked up and sprawled out on what was supposed to be your new bed."


9. Forever Black (Forever Trilogy #1) by Sandi Lynn: "When Ellery moved to New York with her boyfriend, she thought they'd live happily ever after in their small New York apartment. She never thought he'd pack his bags and leave because he "needed space." With her newfound single status and fear of being alone, Ellery buries herself in her artwork and paintings until one night she helps a mysterious intoxicated stranger get home safely."


10. The Impact of You by Kendall Ryan: "Needing an escape from her past, Avery chooses a college where no one knows her. Keeping a low profile was the plan, falling for the intense frat boy, Jase wasn’t. Yet she can’t deny how alive she feels when he’s near. Even as common sense implores her to stay away, her body begs her to get closer. Jase, numb from his own family drama, has grown bored with weekends fueled by nameless girls and countless bottles when he meets Avery. Helping her cope with her past is better than dealing with the bullshit his own life’s served up."

Author Interview & Giveaway! Katy Evans

She Reads New Adult welcomes Katy Evans, bestselling author of Real to the blog today. 

SRNA: Thank you so much for taking the time to answer a few questions for your fans!

KE: Thanks so much for having me over!!

SRNA: REAL is a smokin' hot read right from the very beginning. Was it fun to write? Because it seems like it must have been.

KE: REAL was a blast to write. A blast!! Brooke and Remy’s chemistry is just off the charts and they kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time I was writing. They hardly left me leave my computer.

SRNA: How long from beginning to end did it take for you to finish the first draft?

KE: About twenty days. Usually it takes me so much longer, but they both were very clear in what they wanted, and the book just took off from the moment I began!

SRNA: Do you fly by the seat of your pants when you write, or do you methodically plot things out?

KE: I always have an overall idea of what I imagine the story is about, but usually I love being surprised too, so I love sitting down and just letting it all unravel as I write.

SRNA: I see that you've got five books in the "Raw and Ripped" series planned. How far are you with the writing of all these books?

KE: MINE, the sequel to REAL, is in the process, and it will be followed by REMY, which is already in the process, and then RAW and RIPPED which I will begin later this year.

SRNA: When might we expect MINE (book two) to be released?

KE: Hopefully October 2013. I can’t WAIT to share it with you!!!

SRNA: What else have you written?

KE: I've taken courses and contests, done some freelance writing, but REAL is the book of my heart and I can’t wait to continue with its series.

SRNA: What made you decide to self-publish?

KE: The freedom! Of having your own writing times, telling your own stories without having to limit yourself to any strict requirements.

SRNA: Who designed the cover for REAL?

KE: Sarah Hansen, from OKAY CREATIONS. She is AMAZING!!

SRNA: Finally, just for fun, what's your sign?

KE: I’m a Pisces with an Aries moon and a Capricorn ascendant. So yeah! Fun times, haha :)

Katy and I would have much to talk about. We're both Pisces. :) I have Venus in Aries with a Leo moon. Saturn and Jupiter in Capricorn. But I digress.

Website - Twitter - FacebookREAL

Giveaway: Courtesy of She Reads New Adult, 1 e-copy of REAL by Katy Evans!


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Book Review: Beside Your Heart

Beside Your Heart by Mary Whitney: Late one night Nicki Johnson plays with emotional fire and Googles her high school love, only to find his name splashed across the British gossip columns. Back in his native England, Adam Kincaid is successful and dating a woman from an aristocratic family like his own. With a career in politics, Nicki’s no slouch, but she knows Adam is living a world away from her life. Yet there was a time he was no farther than the next locker. Nicki will never forget their year together in high school—the year of her sister’s death, the year her mother checked out. Adam helped Nicki through suffocating grief, and she led him through a coming of age. Was it just high school, or was it something more?

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My thoughts: I received this ARC as part of the Beside your Heart blog tour.
Okay, I have just literally finished this book so thought I'd write the review straightaway while it's fresh in my head, please note there will be no spoilers.
This is an extremely emotional book, and you can truly feel Nicki's pain at her loss and although I enjoyed this book I wouldn't say I was addicted to it I could quite easily drop it and pick it back up again. The relationship between Nicki and Adam was extremely believable and quite often took me back to my teenage years and my first love and relationship, I could say more but I really do not want to spoil it for you, you really should read this book for yourself.
Mary has done a fantastic job with this book and I hope that there will be a book 2 and if there is I will definitely be reading it :) I gave this book a 4 heart rating, it wasn't quite a 5 for me simply because I didn't have that feeling where u can't put the book down because your addicted to it but
having said that, I still really enjoyed this book. Well done Mary and I hope you have great success with Beside Your Heart :)




Beside Your Heart

Beside Your Heart: Giveaway!

Late one night Nicki Johnson plays with emotional fire and Googles her high school love, only to find his name splashed across the British gossip columns. Back in his native England, Adam Kincaid is successful and dating a woman from an aristocratic family like his own. With a career in politics, Nicki’s no slouch, but she knows Adam is living a world away from her life. Yet there was a time he was no farther than the next locker. Nicki will never forget their year together in high school—the year of her sister’s death, the year her mother checked out. Adam helped Nicki through suffocating grief, and she led him through a coming of age. Was it just high school, or was it something more?



Title: Beside Your Heart
Author: Mary Whitney
Genre: New Adult Romance
Publish Date: June 17, 2013
Event organized by: Literati Literature Lovers









Mary Whitney's Author Bio

Even before she graduated from law school, Mary knew she wasn't cut out to be a real lawyer. Drawn to politics, she's spent her career as an organizer, lobbyist, and nonprofit executive. Nothing piques her interest more than a good political scandal or romance, and when she stumbled upon writing, she put the two together. A born Midwesterner, naturalized Texan, and transient resident of Washington, D.C., Mary now lives in Northern California with her two daughters and real lawyer husband.
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Mary has offered her novella FREE this week, A Very Important Guest, in celebration for her release!

http://www.amazon.com/A-Very-Important-Guest-ebook/dp/B009H68DRK

Giveaway: 3 signed books and a 75.00 Amazon Gift card.

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Giveaway: 1 ecopy of Beside Your Heart!

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Book Review: Live For You (Boys of the South Book 1)

Live For You (Boys of the South ~ Book 1) by Marquita Valentine: ***Mature New Adult/Adult novel - suited for ages 17+***

On the surface, twenty-two year old Cole Morgan is exactly what any girl would be proud to take home to meet her parents: He's charming, intensely handsome and goal-oriented...Only he has some secrets of his own, which include provoking bar fights and a former drug-addict of a mother slowly wasting away in a medical facility.

At barely twenty, Violet Lynn is Country Music's hottest star, until one night of partying gets out of control. Violet ends up in jail and on TMZ. Suddenly, she's the girl least likely to be invited anywhere. Sick of the drama and keeping secrets, she runs away from the prying eyes of the paparazzi to her grandmother's home in Forrestville, North Carolina.

A chance meeting knocks Cole off his feet, but he doesn't recognize Violet for who she is. In fact no one does and Violet plans to keep it that way.

Circumstances, however annoying,keep throwing Violet and Cole together. Unable to stop themselves they give into the inevitable.

But when Nashville is ready to forgive and forget, Violet is forced to choose between Cole and claiming her spot as the new and improved Princess of Country Music.

Will Violet and Cole have the courage to live for their dreams...Or their hearts?
File Size: 469 KB
Print Length: 292 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0615824927
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Language: English
ASIN: B00CVCGYJQ
Text-to-Speech: Enabled
X-Ray: Enabled
Lending: Not Enabled

My thoughts: I enjoyed this book immensely and the characters were a lot of fun. Cole is just hot as can be. Violet (Rae) is extremely likable. This is the first book in a series and I know the next book will continue with Violet and Cole's story. But this book is a standalone with no awful cliffhangers. It just ends quietly and leaves you wanting to follow Cole and Violet on wherever the road takes them next. I can see future books in this series written about some of the other side characters in the book. Like Cole's brother, Parker. Violet's new friend Lacey. There's going to have to be something more about Cole's little sister and his mother, too. And I absolutely adored Nana. There are lots of possibilities in this series and I look forward to reading more Boys of the South books!