Lavinia Urban's Blog, page 7

Alexia Purdy has reached 5000

What a way to say thank you to her fans!Alexia Purdy has reached 5000 likes on Facebook and is having a MASSIVE Giveaway to celebrate!!

About Alexia Hey! It's Alexia Purdy, and it feels weird talking about myself in the first person, but  here goes...I currently lives in Las Vegas, Nevada- Sin City! I love to spend every free moment writing, or playing with my four rambunctious kids. Writing has always been my dream, and I've been writing ever since I can remember. I love creating paranormal fantasy, poetry and love to read and devour books daily. I also enjoy watching movies, dancing, singing loudly in the car and Italian food. 
So there you have it in a nutshell. Thank you.
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Here are the authors, bloggers and #1 fans that are participating: So head over and get your giveaway on!!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Free

Everyone likes a freebie, do they not?

Well my first book in my Erin the Fire Goddess series is permanently free to download, did you know that?

Let me tell you a little about my series.


The Beginning
Blurb:
Erin is a 15 year old girl, born with a birthmark covering the left side of her face.
She moves to her parent’s home town of Galladale, where all is not what it seems.
From day one, Erin is bullied by Jessica, for looking at Sean.
Why is she trying to keep Erin away? Will the bullying ever stop? Can Erin control the fire that builds inside her?

Betrayal

Blurb:
Most 15 year old girls usually only worry about what clothes to wear, but not Erin Tait. Erin just has to try not to set fire to anything. Easier said than done when she can’t control it. Louise Clarke is a new girl who seems to have some type of seductive power and she says she can have any man she wants, but the only man she wants right now is Sean. After discovering the diary of her great grandmother, Elizabeth Tait, Erin realises that all is not what it seems. Or rather not everyone is who they seem to be. Who is the invisible man? And what secrets does he hold? Can Erin stay away from him? And can she keep Louise away from Sean?
Torment

Blurb:
Erin ran away from Sean's birthday party after she witnessed Sean and Louise kiss.
Her world has since been torn apart by the pain caused by Sean's Betrayal and the fire is not only burning on the outside but from within, threatening to strip her of her sanity.
Can Erin handle the Torment that Louise and Sean are inflicting on her?
Can she fight the burning from inside?

Jo's Story

Blurb:
Jo Smith is not your normal human being. Half fairy and half witch, Jo grew up living with her aunt and uncle, along with her cousins. Life seemed to be going good for a change, that was until she met Dr Hammersmith and the life that was once normal is turned upside down when she agrees to go and work for him. 

Jo soon discovers that not all humans are the same, some are unique and special. She is given a mission to keep a close eye on Dr Hammersmith and look out for a girl called Erin who can help so many people. 

Follow the story of Jo and find out what she really does for Dr Hammersmith

Changes

Blurb:
Could a simple 'I love you' really break a spell?
Dr Hammersmith is angry and Erin and Sean have to try and escape.
Can Erin deal with the Betrayal and Torment Sean put her through?
Kate thinks she sees Helen and is confused. She thought she'd killed her years ago. 
Now Kate knows she's innocent. Will Charlotte believe her? Will she be able to prove it?
Is Sean really back to normal? Is he truly completely free from the spell that bound him or has he changed?
Jo is convinced she has found someone with a new power but can she convince his mother?
Everything is changing fast. Can Erin and her friends cope?

Where to download:
Amazon UKAmazon USSmashwordsBarnes & Noble
They are also available on the apple store and much, much more.

YA Genre Boundaries

Now as you should know, my Erin the Fire Goddess series is in the YA genre. I chose this because it is written for my children. I want them to be able to learn from my books, and I want my books to help other children who face bullying.Now I am writing a new series and this is where my dilemma comes into play. My book will contain swear words. My EtFG series has contained basic swear words like shit, crap and bitch, but this new book will drop the F bomb and whilst I was having a conversation with my 13 year old daughter, I said I don't think it would be suited to YA genre because of this F bomb. To which Erin told me she has read many YA books that contain swear words and The Fault in Our Stars is supposed to be YA and that drops the F bomb. This got me thinking, what are the boundaries when it comes to YA as they seemed to be getting pushed. I personally believe no sex but even that seems to be getting pushed and has even opened up the whole NA genre.I want to know what are the limits? What words can't you say in YA genre. Not that I plan on using them I am just curious.I look at my work and think 'Would I let my teenager read this?'I definitely do not want my teenager reading about sex. As for swear words it is a difficult one, because even though my daughters do not swear they do hear it a lot. Mainly from me lol. They have become numbed to swear words. Their friends use swear words. So if you read YA, or write in it, I want your opinions please :)

100 Proof Stud (The Darcy Walker Series) by A.J Lape

Title: 100 Proof StudAuthor: AJ Lape       Genre: YA Mystery, Thriller, Humor, Mystery SeriesHosted by: Lady Amber's Tours
Blurb: Sometimes life smacks you right in the kisser with a whole lot of ohhhh craaaaap.Just ask Darcy Walker.100 Proof Stud picks up four months after No Brainer's cliffhanger ending, and Darcy discovers the aftermath pales in comparison to the crisis her heart is in. All of a sudden it's raining men, and this teenage heroine’s personal life turns her inside out. Before she can sort out her feelings, she chases a spray-painting vandal and stumbles upon a case of identity theft right in her own backyard. Darcy jumps into the fray headfirst to prove she can hang with the big boys. But it’s not just to hang…nope, she’s chasing reward money.Tapping her band of misfit brothers for help, she turns Valley upside down trying to unearth the criminals. Problem is, the cloak and dagger goes high-octane, and she raises the bar on “crazy" in the process.Bullets ring out…dead bodies appear…and Darcy rubs shoulders with the ultimate sociopath. In the midst of murder and mayhem, will she finally follow her heart or build a fortress of lies around it? Will she even get the chance?
100 PROOF STUD US buy links: 

100 Proof Stud Amazon US
100 Proof Stud Amazon UK
Grade A Stupid & No Brainer Amazon USGrade A Stupid & No Brainer Amazon UK


A. J. Lape's Darcy Walker Series broke into the Top 50 books in Teens Literature & Fiction within 36 hours of its release. It has spent numerous weeks in the Top 100 in Mystery Series and Teens, Mysteries & Thrillers Categories as well as being one of the Top Rated in its genre. A self-proclaimed neurotic and troublemaker at heart, a perfect day for A. J. consists of writing, watching her kids play sports, drinking Coke, then lounging in her pajamas by 8PM.She lives in Cincinnati with her husband, two feministic daughters, an ADD dog, a spoiled hamster, and an unapologetic and unrepentant addiction to Coca-Cola, with a lifelong love affair with bacon.  She studied English, Journalism, and Political Science at Morehead State University and left the business world when her daughters were born.  Her love for suspense and a good story was born from watching Mystery Science Theater with her sister during childhood.  That and any B movie with comedic undertones they could get their hands on.When she’s not riding that razor-thin line between creativity and insanity, she  likes to read, watch too much cable TV, or cheer like a banshee at her daughters' sporting events. She’s a huge hometown sports fan and loves to watch the Cincinnati Bengals and Cincinnati Reds whenever she can.A. J. loves to connect with fans!  If you would like to receive emails of upcoming releases, please sign up for her distribution list by visiting her homepage at http://www.ajlape.com and clicking the “contact” tab.Find A. J. Lape Online:Website: http://www.ajlape.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/ajlape Twitter: http://twitter.com/darcywalker13Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAJLapeAmazon Author Page: http://amazon.com/author/ajlapeEmail: aj(a)ajlape.com
A. J. Lape is the Amazon bestselling author of the Darcy Walker Series. She lives in Cincinnati with her husband, two daughters, an ADD dog, a spoiled hamster, and an unapologetic and unrepentant addiction to Coca-Cola--and a lifelong love affair with bacon. If the FBI ever checks her computer, she'll be wearing prison orange due to the various "wiki" articles she looks up. She swears the dead body, mob, and drug related stuff is only career research.Find out more about A. J. at http://www.ajlape.com Thirteen things you didn't know about AJ LapeAKA - Ada Miracle Lape
1. I can dislocate my left shoulder on command.2. My favorite movie is It's a Wonderful Life...cry like a baby when George Bailey starts yelling, "I want to live again...I want to live again."3. I hate clowns and chicken wings ... not necessarily in that order.4. I'm a notorious sleepwalker. It happens when I'm troubled. As far as I can tell, I always have my clothes on.5. I had an academic scholarship. I know that's shocking, but looking at homework today, I'm pretty sure I'm tapped out at fifth grade.6. I like to shoot 9mm guns...look out Target World, every once in a while you have to walk your inner hillbilly.7. I started running high school track when I was in the sixth grade. Don't ask me to run now. After two kids, I pee my pants when I walk across the floor.8. I'm like Rain Man when it comes to fractions.9. I used to write and record songs. I won Honorable Mentions in the John Lennon Song Writing Contest and Music City Song Festival. Verrrry short career.10. I've cliff-dived off a 40-foot cliff into a lake...wouldn't recommend it ..that sucker can burn.11. I'm the only human I know that got turned down twice when trying to adopt handicapped dogs. What the heck...those dogs would've loved me.12. I would've been a police officer or journalist if life didn't land me where I am.13. I occasionally have the foul mouth of a truck driver ... sorry, Mom and Dad. I try to change it. So far, the message hasn't made it to the execution part of my brain. a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thank you for stopping by my blog. *Waves enthusiastically.*
I have been waiting, for want seems like, an eternity for this book and O.M.G it was definitely worth the wait. My only problem is..... I have no idea how A.J Lape is going to top this book.I love A.J Lape. As an author myself I look at A.J Lape and think wow. If my readers react the same way I feel when I read this series then I know I am on to a winner.Darcy rocks. No question about it she is my favourite. Dylan, who is Darcy's rock, is fantastic but there are times I want to slap him. He can be so bossy and when he tells on Darcy to her dad, grrrrr. I know what he is doing is right but at the same time I am living in Darcy's shoes whilst I read and thinking 'Oh no he didn't.'I can see this series lasting forever. It could go onto the College years too.I also think that there should be a companion guide for Darcyspeak. Sometimes I am reading, on the kindle, and I forget what certain phrases mean, but if I had the companion with me I wouldn't have to go to the back of the book to find out what each phrase means.Anyway let me first tell you a bit about the book then show you my review.



Review
You know when you start reading an amazing book and you are trying your hardest not to rush it because you want to savour every single bit and you know when you finish you will sit then and wonder what you are going to do until the next book comes out? Yeah that is exactly what this book did to me. I found myself reading my torch light. This book is the best book in this series by far. I honestly have no idea how the author is going to top it. I love Darcy. There is a little bit of Darcy in every single one of us - some more so than others. In this third installment we watch Darcy go through her own rollercoaster ride of emotions. The previous two books have always left me with questions about Darcy's mother and a few other things. i don't want to give anything away but this book reveals where/what happened to Darcy's mother. It also has characters revealing a few things of their own - leaving poor Darcy's head in a spin. Each book you feel for Darcy. You cheer when she gives Brynn and Ivy what for. You laugh when she does her normal Darcyisms. Then there are the sad times where you want to comfort her and then there are the times you want to jump into the story and give the young girl a bit of advice. This is definitely a must read. I could be here all day praising this book and telling you what a talented author A.J Lape is but I think it is something you need to discover on your own.

Highlights
Whilst reading the book I made some highlights and thought I would share:
'His eyes boiled like melted butter that had an affair with toffee,'
'"Maybe you should cut back on this wankering thing if it's so upsetting to people," I joked. He and Dylan sat there, mouths agape.'
'My boobs were flatter than the plains of Nebraska.'
'Skipping over to Farrah, I kissed her on the cheek and smack Dylan on the rear, who now stood silently behind me. "No premarital sex tonight, Big Man," I winked up at him. "Erase those naughty thoughts from your mind."'
'Politely decline, kid. I swear, you gave him the plague through the phone."'
'I'm not sure what Grumpy looked like, but he made me feel like a creepy voyeur. Predicatably, he ruined the love and togetherness moment by grunting, "Clementine, no matter what happens here tonight, I want you to know I'm disease free." Yup. That's what he said.'
There are two more highlights I made and, well, I cannot share them with you because, hell, they will give toooooo much away ;).

Sanctum Cover Reveal

Title: Sanctum (The After Light Saga #2)Author: Cameo RenaeGenre: YA Post-Apocalyptic/DystopianPublisher: CHBBCover Design: Regina Wamba at Mae I Design PhotographyHosted by: Lady Amber's ToursBlurb:The Arvy threat worsens each day. They continue to destroy the hive’s vital fuel resources, leaving us with one option— evacuate to the largest government bunker, located in South Dakota. The injured hive members are moved as first priority, but a disastrous event occurs on the way to our drop-off zone. We find ourselves in a ghost town, surrounded by spiteful, revenge filled Arvies. Chaos ensues and our death toll rises. Just when we think the end has come, unsuspected help arrives. We are rescued and brought to an underground bunker. They call it Sanctum. With no way of reaching outside help, we must depend on each other to reach our pick-up zone, thirty miles away. If we don’t make it in time, we will be left for dead. Time is ticking. My name is Abigail Park. I am a survivor. My family is what keeps my heart beating, and my world a happy place to be. I love reading great books that whisk me away from reality, even if for a little while. :) Writing is my passion. I love creating new worlds and new characters, and taking wondrous adventures with them. In My Dreams & Hidden Wings were both recently published through Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly Publishing. Descent (A Hidden Wings novella) will be released May 15, 2013, and Broken Wings (Book 2 in the Hidden Wings Series) will be released June 1, 2013. One day I will find my magic wardrobe, and ride away on my magical unicorn... ♥ Until then... I'll keep writing! ;) Follow Cameo on:Facebook * Blog * Website * Twitter

Absolution Blog Hop

Hey Everyone, Welcome to the Absolution Blog Hop!
This is to celebrate the upcoming release of book 3 in the Cursed Trilogy, Absolution by Georgina Hannan!
Snippet: 
“Do you have any famous people in your family?” Daisy asked, trying to draw more from this closed woman. Julie laughed, but it wasn’t a laugh of humour. It was a laugh of pity. “Why, of course, my dear. I am from a good family with a perfect background, so of course, we have famous ancestors.” Daisy once again didn’t know how to react. She was sure the woman was belittling her, but she didn’t have the experience to handle it. How dare she assume I’m not from a good family? “Oh well how peachy for you. I’m glad I’ve never had to deal with the pressure. I have been fortunate enough to live my life the way I want to.” Daisy tried to sound sophisticated that statement, and the corners of Julie’s mouth curled up ever so slightly. “There is nothing wrong with a little pressure, child,” she replied, reverting to calling Daisy a child. “Would you care to enlighten me about this famous person?” Daisy said, continuing to use the same language as Julie. She wanted to prove she was just as important as she was. How is that true? I'm in her house interviewing her; of course I'm not as important as her! Julie began wittering on about a duke in her family who had freed their county of poor people. The more she spoke, the more Daisy wanted to punch her in the face, scream at her, and tell her how unfair her family was and how much destruction they caused. Daisy replied only when she had to and with small noncommittal comments. It was clear to Daisy that Julie thought a lot of her family, however she had no idea the ramifications her family had on so many lives. There was only so much she could listen to before she knew she had to end the conversation and leave before she said something she might have regretted. “That’s fantastic. Anyway I must be going, lots to write up here. May I visit again for a tour and maybe see your family tree?” Julie just nodded and waved at the maid that was waiting by the door. "Show her out," she said and returned to her writing. Once Daisy was back at the hotel, she collapsed on the bed with a sigh. "Why did you ever want to be a part of that horrid family?" Daisy said to Mary, who was watching from the corner. She didn’t react.
***
Tyler sat on his bed alone, desperately trying to call Daisy. It was ringing, but she wasn’t answering. Please talk to me Daisy, I'm sorry x Love you, T xxx That’s it. I’ve blown it. I’ve lost her. I'm alone again, he thought as he threw his phone down onto the bed in frustration. Just then, there was a knock on the front door. He opened the door and didn’t have time to think or react. Misty pushed him against the wall in the most passionate kiss she could muster. Once his brain had grasped the situation, he pushed her away. “What the hell?” he said as he struggled to pull himself together. He’d be stupid not to admit to himself how beautiful she looked. She was tall and slender, and her red hair was in ringlets around her shoulders. She looked flawless. “I’m fed up of playing games. I know you want me,” she replied as her lips pulled up in a seductive smile. Tyler shook his head. He did want her—she was undeniably sexy—but he was in love with Daisy. “Misty I’ve been leading you on. I know that now. I was craving the attention.” She smiled and closed the gap between them, placing her hands on his chest. His back was against the wall. He had nowhere to go. He was struggling to keep his composure. 
Blurb: 
Daisy was pushed to the limits and finally agreed to end the curse surrounding her family. However, her agreement forces her to face some of the hardest choices of her life, and she stands to lose more than just her sanity. Can she handle the choices? Can she end the curse without ruining someone's life---or her own? 

Cover:
 
Absolution by Georgina Hannan Release Date: MONDAY 16TH JUNE 2014 Cursed Trilogy is available on Paperback & eBook at many stores including;
AmazonSmashwordsWaterstonesBarnes & NobleNook
Cursed Trilogy by Georgina Hannan Please check out Georgina and her work using the links below:
FacebookTwitterAmazonBlog

Erin the Fire Goddess:The Beginning

Please spread the word that the first book in my series is free to download.

Amazon UK
Amazon US
Smashwords
Barnes & Noble
Lulu

It is also available through the Apple store and much more.

Open for Auditions

So I decided to take tentative steps into the whole audio world. Nervous? You bet.So I thought I would make a blog to get the word out that I am looking for auditions.Now because I am British and my books are set in Britain I would like the narrator to narrate with a British accent. This does not mean you have to be British. It just means that if you are not British but are good with accents then you can still give it a try.There is not harm in trying right? It is just little old me sitting behind my computer screen listening to all auditions. Well this is how I have it in my head - I haven't received one audition yet (boohoo.)All you need to do is click the audition link, download the script from the book and then follow the simple steps to audition.So what are you waiting for? I want to thank every single person, in advance, who gives it a try. Thank you so much.
Click here to audition

Helloooooo

Just thought I would pop in and say hi *waves hand enthusiastically*I haven't been feeling too great lately. I have had a virus for the last two weeks and apparently this virus can last up to 3 to 4 weeks :(Anyways I came online and something compelled me to update Pinterest. I don't get the website but I know people go on it and if anyone wants to explain the reason for it instead of putting up pretty pictures then please let me know. I just put pictures up of my latest books and swag for people, beyond that I am lost.Then I decided to add a link on my blog for Pinterest, then I got carried away moving things about and adding a contact form - at the bottom. I also added the last two books in my EtFG series, and for the life of me I can not figure out why all the images are appearing at different sizes. Help anyone?Then once I was done I took a wander over to Google plus, another site I rarely visit but it gets regular posts from me through other websites, which is kinda cool :D I also saw I have had nearly 65k visits, which made me go wow. I know there will be people with so much more. I still find it humbling that people pop by to visit my blog etc. All you guys are great and I thank you for your support.Oh as well as a virus I have quit smoking too. It is still early days so everything is still touch and go. So there are times when I am screaming, but because of this virus I have been sleeping sporadically and my throat has been agony so I think of that as a small push into not smoking either. I have smoked for a very long time.Another thing about being ill, I talk and talk and talk about...... errr random stuff. Ah see now that suits the title of my blog perfectly :pI am struggling to even read let alone write so I am behind.I hope everyone is keeping well and soon I will be back to writing. Sorry for the delay and thank you for stopping by <3

Bullying

Bullying is wrong on so many levels and having been a victim of bullying it churns my stomach to see others being bullied.As a lot of you are aware my daughter Erin was being bullied when we moved to the place we live now. It was horrible to have a feeling of such helplessness. I was back and forth to the school, I was contacting the other children's parents and I was also having meetings with the teacher but the bullying continued.  After a few years an incident happened where a couple of students targeted Erin in front of a teaching assistant and this teaching assistant was obviously not happy so went straight to the teacher. This teacher was instrumental in stopping the bullying, but Erin was a shell of her former self. She went from being a popular girl at her old school to this insecure young girl with no confidence, who wouldn't say boo to anyone. This is the reason I wrote Erin the Fire Goddess. I wanted Erin to believe in herself and stand up to bullies.It wasn't until last year, in her final year of primary school, that Erin's teacher commented that Erin was lacking in confidence etc. So I explained what had happened to make Erin feel this way. Of course this teacher was unaware. But she took it upon herself to help Erin's confidence grow














It is now 2014 and my beautiful daughter is not only a clever and confident girl but she does not take any stick from bullies.
Now why have a decided to make this blog now? Besides my hatred of bullies? Well today I logged into Erin's Facebook, which I do regularly to play games - yeah yeah I should be writing :p  Anyway there is this young girl and for a while now I have been seeing her statuses about people picking on her etc. Before now I just read them and did nothing, probably like so many other people out there. But today when I logged into to Erin's Facebook I saw the girl had put a status during her lunch break at school saying how she has tried to change the person that she is in a hope that these people would stop but nothing is helping. This broke my heart and I could not sit there and ignore it. So I private messaged the young girl and I explained who I am and how I think she should just ignore these people and just believe and be true to herself. Obviously by the reaction I got from her I had put a smile on the young girls face. To me that was all I needed. If this small message helped this girl somehow then I feel as though I have done something worthwhile. Bullying is so common and it makes my blood boil. Some people do not even realise that they are bullying, and sometimes I feel that that can be worse.What I am asking of people is this...... if you see anyone being bullied do NOT sit back and try and ignore it because you do become as bad as that person. Do something about it. Even if it is to tell the victim that you are there for them.If it is you that is being bullied then please please please talk to someone. I beg you. You do NOT deserve to go through this. You are an amazing individual <----- see that word there, yes individual. No two people are the same. We are all unique and different in our own ways and we should embrace that and be happy with who we are. Other people don't like it? Tough. That is their problem not yours. Sometimes people can't handle other peoples awesomeness.