Katie Hamstead's Blog, page 81

Blog Tour: Broken Branch Falls by Tara Tyler

A great big THANKS to Katie Teller for hosting me at her blog today!

People often ask what inspired me to write. Well, it's been a combination of reading and life experiences. I want to share with others to educate, encourage, and entertain. I try to relate my experiences in a fictional format and hope to leave readers feeling pumped at the end.

My first novel, which is sitting in a drawer, would now be considered NA (I always called it chick lit) It's about a group of girls from the 90's figuring out how to make it on their own and all the comedy/drama that goes with it rolled into one amazing night on the town – remember when there were no cell phones? (JACKS & JILLS & JEZEBELS) Inspired by: my crazy life and wild friends… remember when?

The next novel came after kids, and after 9-11. Inspired by several things: I don't like to fly. I wish teleportation was commonplace. I'm not one to try new things (I still pay my bills with checks). But, if everyone else was used to it, I'd do it! So, teleportation taking over air travel sounded great, why not write a story where it's the norm of the future, but here and there travelers mysteriously disappear and there's a huge cover up. Enter our hero, reluctant, noir detective Cooper and hello, POP TRAVEL!

While POP TRAVEL was in query phase, I couldn't sit still. Waiting at my son's football practice, watching little guys do well against the big linebackers, I thought how great that is. A little goblin running circles around a bunch of ogres. BROKEN BRANCH FALLS wrote itself (don't you love when writers say that?). It was a blast and the quest was a nice surprise, not part of the original outline, but the characters needed it!

And here are a couple more, future works…

SIMULATION is the second book in the Cooper Chronicles techno-thriller series. Inspired by: my number one fan and nephew, Christopher Ogburn who asked for more! The story is a spin-off from POP TRAVEL and its android guards. In SIMULATION – illegal clone androids are being used to impersonate officials.

Then, in DISPOSAL, mobsters unite with terrorists to spread a new drug made from garbage recycling biproducts. Inspired by: the growing garbage problem!

BBF has two sequels in the works too. I have many ideas waiting to be transformed into stories with new sparks popping into my head all the time. It's wonderful! I just wish I had more time to write them all.

Thanks again, Katie! Where do you all get story ideas from? What's your favorite inspiration?(And be sure to enter the giveaway below!)
BROKEN BRANCH FALLS (MG Fantasy)
by Tara Tyler
Release Date: June 24, 2014
Publisher: Curiosity Quills

Gabe is an average fifteen-year-old goblin. He’s in the marching band, breezes through calculus, and gets picked on daily by the other kids at school, especially the ogres. He's tired of being a goblin – he’d like to try other things. And he has his eye on the new ogress at school. It’s against all beastly rules, but there’s just something about her.

When a prank goes wrong, Gabe is forced to join the football team as punishment, but finds a way to make it work. Soon the whole school is getting in on the fad of mingling with other species. Too bad the adults decide to step in and ruin things, threatening to destroy the school and split up Broken Branch Falls. And Gabe is their scapegoat. With help from other outcast friends, Gabe sets out on a quest hoping to saving Broken Branch Falls. After all this trouble, it better work.


Add it to your GOODREADS list!

Tara Tyler has had a hand at everything from waitressing to rocket engineering. After living up and down the Eastern US, she now writes and teaches math in Ohio with her three active boys and Coach Husband. Currently, she has two series, The Cooper Chronicles (techno-thriller detective capers) and Beast World (MG fantasy) She's an adventure writer who believes every good story should have action, a moral, and a few laughs!
Twitter ~~~ Facebook ~~~ Blog
Also by Tara Tyler, techno-thriller detective series,The Cooper Chronicles, Book One: POP TRAVEL

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Cover Reveal: How to Date Dead Guys by Ann Noser

Today's cover reveal is very exciting because this one was not only a contestant in last year's Pitcharama at Aussie Owned and Read, but she is a Curiosity Quills sister. I'm excited!

Series:Under The Blood Moon Date of Publication: July 15th, 2014
Blog Tour: July 14 - 25th, excluding weekends Cover Artist: Alexandria Thompson (http://alexandriadior.deviantart.com/) How to Date Dead Guys on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21856356-how-to-date-dead-guys?from_search=true) Description:

College sophomore Emma Roberts remembers her mother’s sage advice:  “don’t sleep around, don’t burp in public, and don’t tell anyone you see ghosts”.  But when charming Mike Carlson drowns in the campus river under her watch, Emma’s sheltered life shatters. Blamed for Mike’s death and haunted by nightmares, Emma turns to witchcraft and a mysterious Book of Shadows to bring him back.  Under a Blood Moon, she lights candles, draws a pentacle on the campus bridge, and casts a spell.  The invoked river rages up against her, but she escapes its fury.  As she stumbles back to the dorm, a stranger drags himself from the water and follows her home. And he isn't the only one.   Instead of raising Mike, Emma assists the others she stole back from the dead—a pre-med student who jumped off the bridge, a desperate victim determined to solve his own murder, and a frat boy Emma can’t stand…at first.  More comfortable with the dead than the living, Emma delves deeper into the seductive Book of Shadows.  Her powers grow, but witchcraft may not be enough to protect her against the vengeful river and the killers that feed it their victims.Inspired by the controversial Smiley Face Murders, HOW TO DATE DEAD GUYS will ignite the secret powers hidden deep within each of us. How To Date Dead Guys Purchase Links: Amazon US: Forthcoming Amazon UK: Forthcoming Barnes & Noble: Forthcoming Kobo: Forthcoming --


About the Author:

My to-do list dictates that I try to cram 48 hours of living into a day instead of the usual 24.  I’ve chosen a life filled with animals.  I train for marathons with my dog, then go to work as a small animal veterinarian, and finish the day by tripping over my pets as I attempt to convince my two unruly children that YES, it really IS time for bed.  But I can’t wait until the house is quiet to write; I have to steal moments throughout the day.  Ten minutes here, a half hour there, I live within my imagination. Like all busy American mothers, I multi-task.  I work out plot holes during runs.  Instead of meditating, I type madly during yoga stretches.  I find inspiration in everyday things:  a beautiful smile, a heartbreaking song, or a newspaper article on a political theory.  For example, a long drive in the dark listening to an NPR program on the SMILEY FACE MURDERS theory made me ask so many questions that I wrote HOW TO DATE DEAD GUYS to answer them to my satisfaction. I’d love to have more time to write (and run, read, and sleep), but until I find Hermione Granger’s time turner, I will juggle real life with the half-written stories in my head.  Main characters and plot lines intertwine in my cranium, and I need to let my writing weave the tales on paper so I can find out what happens next.

Social Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

(website: http://annandersonnoser.blogspot.co.u... https://www.facebook.com/AnnMNoserTwi... https://twitter.com/AnnMNoser
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...)

Writing Process Blog Hop

Thanks to Stacey Trombley for tagging me for this hop. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to tag anyone else. If you want to continue it, leave me a comment and I'll tag you.So, on with the show.
1) What am I working on?
At this point I'm mainly working on edits for Papina, which I will be self publishing soon. I will also have edits for Deceptive Cadence coming up soon.But writing wise, I am working through my seven book series, FairyTale Galaxy.

2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?I don't really sit in one specific genre. I'm totally a genre hopper. But I do lean to strong female leads in the upper YA/NA range.

3) Why do I write what I do?It's just what comes to me. I'm a purist, so write from the heart. I don't care about trends or what not, I just want to tell a story that uplifts and makes people happy and feel better from reading it.

4) How does my writing process work?I'm a panster, so whatever comes, comes. I usually know the beginning and end, a few scenes I want to incorporate, but that's it.

Blog Tour and Review: Just Sing by Rene Gilley

Just Sing Book One
of the
Seven Oaks Series
by 
René Gilley
“Follow you dreams, follow your heart, love your family and Just Sing."

Release Date: 5th June 2014
Genre: Young Adult/Performing Arts/Music
Published by: The Writers Coffee Shop
Available from: Amazon, Kobo, Barnes and Noble, and TWCS PH

Summary:
Sixteen-year-old Lily O’Brien has one goal in life—to sing. Her dream is to get into a top notch college vocal program, but the summer before her junior year, her high school cuts their awarding-winning vocal ensemble. She might as well kiss her dreams goodbye.When the snobby new neighbors move into their mansion up the hill, Lily is positive summer can’t get any worse, and she’s determined to hate and ignore them—until she meets Aiden. He’s broken and beautiful, and they become reluctant friends. Through her newfound friendship, she finds the strength to step outside the comfort of her plan and follow her dream. But when Lily’s family is about to lose their home, she puts her wishes aside and finds the answer to save their generations-old ranch in the last place she expected.


Goodreads
Author Bio: 

By day, René Gilley works as a portfolio manager for a Fortune 50 company, but her nights and weekends are spent writing young adult and new adult romance books. Her brain never shuts off—always dreaming up new situations her characters can get into.  Her California home is often the backdrop for her books. Her debut novel, Just Sing of the SEVEN OAKS SERIES, was years in the making. Like her character, René seeing Just Sing being published is a dream come true.She’s a wife, mother to two beautiful daughters, and four dogs. She’s proud to be a triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) survivor and believes in giving back through book profits to charities that support breast cancer. 


Connect with René Gilley on: 
Facebook, Twitter, Website and Goodreads Video Trailer:

            


Praise:
Just Sing evolves mostly around Lily’s struggle with her family, the reality of her dreams, and her first relationship issues with the neighbors’ son Aiden. Honestly Lily is a truly amazing... She is strong-willed and her loyalty and love for her family is admirable. - Between Dreams and Reality Blog
With the popularity of shows like American Idol and The Voice, Gilley's Just Sing promises to bring high engagement to any YA reader who dreams of the stage, lives the stage, or enjoys the stage as a spectator... -Fictionally Yours Blog
Just Sing was a complete and pleasant surprise. There's not many YA novels out there that can capture my heart and soul wholly. And this book is definitely one of them. -Goodreads Review


MY REVIEWI really enjoyed this book. As a singer myself, I wish there was a little more singing throughout, rather than right at the end. I also had issue with the fact she couldn't really read music, especially since she got into a private school where reading comprehension would be part of the application process.But Lily was a great character. With a crazy, messed up family, she struggles to carry the whole burden of keeping things together all on her own. I really felt for her, and really wanted to smack both her parents in the head for her.Knowing how obnoxious high school drama/rivalry can be, I really felt for her with the whole Melanie drama, and wondered what the deal with Tyler was throughout.Aiden is an interesting character. He was so back and forth, and obviously cared about Lily, but he still acted like a total jerk to her. Although, I still wish for more resolution on the Aiden matter, I also know this is a series and so hopefully more will come of it in later books, which I will certainly be waiting for!All up, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Writing is good, it flowed well, and the characters acted fairly believably.
I am ready for book 2 :-)
Guest Post With Author of Just SingRené Gilley


Writing New Adult and connecting with youth, High School, dreams and teenage love- how to get in touch with your inner youth.
Great topic. First, I don’t know if I could write anything else. I feel like I have stories in me and I’m drawn to writing this age level. I believe that your story and characters drive where you land in the genre world. With Just Sing, I had these two wonderful and layered characters, I loved them so much I created a world for them to thrive in. With book one specifically, it is the young adult genre, both of my characters being 16 years young.Second, I’m a mother to two teen daughters--one would be the target age for young adult books and one would be the target age for new adult books--not only do I remember this time in my life, but having two daughters in this age range, I know firsthand what our youth is going through. I also believe that many people forget this time in their life, it’s like the rawness of their youth fades. I never want to forget.Thirdly, nineteen was one of the most memorable and amazing years of my life. It was my second year of college, I lived in San Diego, and I was on top of the world. It was also the year my life was torn apart by an ex-boyfriend who stalked my roommates and me, essentially drastically changing my life. This was such a trying time for me and I remember having to dig deep to pull everything back together and move on. I did and things turned out great for me. Lastly, I believe that so many of our youth are classified as being lazy and are called the ‘entitled generation’. I think this might have a lot to do with technology, and like I said before, adults forgetting what it was like to be young. I know so many kids who are high achievers, push through diversity, and follow their dreams. My goal is to inspire, not lecture. And with Lily, my heroine, and my story, I really hope people can draw inspiration from someone so determined to follow their dreams, but also doing it in a way not to step on others and still maintain her love and closeness to her family.In the end, I believe everyone has challenges and diversity in their lives. It’s how we choose to deal with those challenges that set us apart. That being said, with each story I write, I always have that in the back of my mind, and I also draw on those raw feelings of being young when I sit down to craft my stories. Thank you for your time and support ~ René
Connect With René GilleyFACEBOOK, TWITTER, BLOG


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Cover Reveal: Pride: The Temptations Series by Rosie Somers

Today I'm excited to share the cover of Rosie Somer's debut Novel. Pride is a young adult urban fantasy that will release this summer from Anaiah Press. About Pride:Seventeen-year-old Gabriella Pierce is used to taking care of herself, but she’s about to become responsible for a whole lot more. When she gets a visit from three men claiming to be defenders of fantastical rings imbued with the powers of THE CARDINAL SINS, her life is changed irrevocably.   Gabby is the steward of PRIDE   To make matters worse, she’s falling hard for fellow steward, Grant Barnett, and he hates her guts. Now Gabby has to learn to protect Pride without letting her feelings for Grant get in the way.
Release Date:9 September 2014 Anaiah Press: http://www.anaiahpress.com 
About the AuthorRosie Somers is a YA author who lives in Florida, soaking up the year round sunshine. She can often be found in her favourite spot on her favourite beach, nose-deep in a good book.
Website || Twitter|| Facebook 

Featuring... Books I Have Featured for Blog Tours, Cover Reveals and Guest Posts

So I guess this is a "All the Rest" kind of blog post. It's funny, because some are no longer available :-( and some have different covers. Enjoy!
 SWM                                     TT                                  OH: TCOK

PtIII                                  PtIV 
 ALT                                                CIY                            TDL

 M                                 TW

 NH                                  FF                                         AMOF                              RHI
 TS                                   LAD                                   DTB
 VOS
           WOMR                          ISL                               TSIFY                      MC
 H                                        PP                                 POD  U                                   GS
 OBT                               THAB

 A                                   DAO                                        E
 SB                                 SS
    LTF                                 TNH                                      TBAIK

    F

Featuring... Books I Have Features for Blog Tours, Cover Reveals and Guest Posts

So I guess this is a "All the Rest" kind of blog post. It's funny, because some are no longer available :-( and some have different covers. Enjoy!
 SWM                                     TT                                  OH: TCOK

PtIII                                  PtIV 
 ALT                                                CIY                            TDL

 M                                 TW

 NH                                  FF                                         AMOF                              RHI
 TS                                   LAD                                   DTB
 VOS
           WOMR                          ISL                               TSIFY                      MC
 H                                        PP                                 POD  U                                   GS
 OBT                               THAB

 A                                   DAO                                        E
 SB                                 SS
    LTF                                 TNH                                      TBAIK

    F

Featuring... Books by My Friends

So, some of the book covers I have don't fall into a category other than books by my friends. So here they are; non CQ, SMP, or Aussie books. I have all of these on my kindle, except Divide because... well... I haven't got around to buying it yet.
I have read this one, and there should be a review on my blog somewhere.
Amazon Amazon
Amazon Amazon

Release Day Blitz: Perfectly Messy by Lizzy Charles with Giveaway

[image error]Welcome to the Release Day Blitz forPerfectly Messy (Effortless With You #2) by Lizzy Charlespresented by Swoon Romance!Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post![image error]

Popularity isn’t everything it’s cracked up to be. Justin Marshall knows this better than most. For the captain of the basketball team, small business owner, and son of Minnesota’s next governor, life can get pretty overwhelming. But Justin can handle anything as long as he has Lucy, the girl who fell for the man he’s trying to be.But for Justin and Lucy, finding time together proves challenging. Stolen kisses and whispered promises just aren’t enough. That is, until scandalous photos of the couple are leaked to a press intent on creating a juicy scandal during Justin’s dad’s gubernatorial campaign. And when Lucy becomes fair play for the tabloids and gossip pages, Justin does the only thing he can to protect her: he breaks her heart.For Lucy, junior year is everything she hoped it would be: new friends, second chances, and a boyfriend she can’t stop kissing. That is, until the boy she’s pretty sure she loves chooses the life his family wants for him, over her.Now it’s up to Lucy to teach him what it really means to have everything. Because for Justin, being who everyone needs him to be just might cost him the one person he can’t live without.

[image error] Perfectly Messy by Lizzy Charles
Publisher: Swoon Romance
Publication Date: May 27, 2014Available for Purchase:Amazon | Kobo | Chapters Indigo[image error]

[image error][image error]When Lizzy Charles isn’t scrambling to raise her two spunky toddlers or caring for premature and sick babies as a neonatal intensive care nurse, she’s in a quiet corner writing or snuggled up with a novel and a few squares of dark chocolate. Black tea keeps her constant and she loves guacamole. She married her high school sweet heart, a heart-melting musician, so it’s no surprise she’s fallen in love with writing contemporary YA romance novels.

Author Links: Website</ b> | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads [image error] [image error] Effortless With You (Effortless With You #1)
by Lizzy Charles[image error]Complete the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win!a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour: How To Seduce a Band Geek by Cassie May

Big THANK YOU to Katie for hosting me for my HOW TO SEDUCE A BAND GEEK tour! 
I do this for a lot of my books, but I haven't for this one! Sooo... How to Seduce a Band Geek told in pictures :) 
There's this girl


And she is totally face over feet for this boy


He's got such GORGEOUS, wavy blond hair and blue eyes.

He drives a baby blue moped


and most importantly... is part of the marching band.


He seems to like her, but he's nice and seems to like EVERYBODY.



So she wants to find a way to stand out.


Lucky her, she's partnered with Band Boy's sister for a school project.


But when she starts snooping where her nose doesn't belong, she wonders if that's really the most effective way to seduce the school's band geek.


And you can catch the whole story in this book here :) 
Amazon/Barnes and Noble/Kobo

Or if you want to read the series in order (even though you don't HAVE to) you can see the first book here :)
Amazon/Barnes and Noble/Kobo

About the Author

Cassie Mae is a nerd to the core from Utah, who likes to write about other nerds who find love. She’s the author of the Amazon Bestsellers REASONS I FELL FOR THE FUNNY FAT FRIEND and HOW TO DATE A NERD, and is the debut author for the Random House FLIRT line with her New Adult novels FRIDAY NIGHT ALIBI and SWITCHED. She spends time with her angel children and perfect husband who fan her and feed her grapes while she clacks away on the keyboard. Then she wakes up from that dream world and manages to get a few words on the computer while the house explodes around her. When she’s not writing, she’s spending time with the youth in her community as a volleyball and basketball coach, or searching the house desperately for chocolate.

Author Links:        



Blog Tour organized by:
So I do have Band Geek up for review, but I'm a little behind. But! I did finish book #1; How to Date a Nerd. Here are the details and my little review!

From Goodreads:
Zoe has a great pair of legs, perky boobs, and wears exactly what she needs to show it all off. She works hard for the easy sleazy ‘you only wish you were me’ reputation, burying who she really is—an all-out nerd.

The only time Zoe gets to be herself is when she hides under her comforter to read X-Men comics, sending jealousy stabs at everyone who attends Comic-Con. Keeping up her popular rep is too important, and she’s so damn insecure to care about the consequences. But when Zoe’s sister takes her car for a ‘crash and burn into a tree’ joyride, her parents get her a replacement. A manual. Something she doesn’t know how to operate, but her next door neighbor Zak sure as heck does.

Zak’s a geek to the core, shunned by everyone in school for playing Dungeons and Dragons at lunch and wearing “Use the Force” t-shirts. And Zoe’s got it bad for the boy. Only Zak doesn’t want Popular Zoe. He wants Geek Zoe.

She has to shove her insecurities and the fear of dropping a few rungs on the social ladder aside to prove to Zak who she really is and who she wants to be… if she can figure it out herself.

My thoughts:
What can I say other than what a fun read! It's so honest and real. Zoe is so torn between her true self and being socially accepted, and I can totally see that in everyday teens.
Which is why Zak is so perfect for her. Every girl needs a Zak, someone who can encourage a girl to let her true self shine.
My only qualm would be that it gets a little repetitive at times with her internal battle. There were paragraphs I just skipped because I felt like I'd already read them several times.
But! I would highly recommend this book. So fun, and leaves you with a good feeling afterward.