S.K. Falls's Blog, page 2
November 30, 2014
Hot for the Holidays Paranormal Romance SALE!
Guys, I’m so excited to present to you…
Dec 1 -5
OVER 50 Romance Titles from Today’s Top Selling Authors on MEGA SALE–Some Are Even FREE!
Super Hot Deals and Steals!
As part of this promotion, I’ve discounted ALL the Fevered Souls books to only $0.99 from Dec. 1-5! 
(Book 1 remains free, as usual.)
These are some amazing reads, so click on the link below to load up your Kindles!
Visit the Hot for the Holidays Deals Page
October 27, 2014
The (Breathtaking, Tremendous, Dazzling) ONE LAST SONG Cover!
It’s finally cover reveal week for ONE LAST SONG! If you don’t know the story of this little book that could, go here to read about it (third question down).
The shortish version is that it was conceived and written in a period of about two months–the idea and characters came, lit by fire, out of nowhere, and demanded to set my computer ablaze. I wrote feverishly (for the most part; at times I was 100% incapacitated with insecurity), all the while wondering how I could ever do such a complex theme/idea/character justice. But the most important part? I had FUN. And when I was done, it was the book I was proudest of up to that point.
Anyway, my amazing editor Leah Hultenschmidt seemed to love it as much as I did. And now it has a brand spankin’ new cover which I feel encompasses the anguish and feeling of the story SO WELL. Here it is, but I hope you’ll also check out the lovely, lovely people who’re hosting it on their blogs (list down below)!
About One Last Song:
I was seven when I swallowed my first needle.
My mom freaked out and rushed me to the emergency room.
She stayed by my side all night.
I never wanted it to end.
When you spend your whole life feeling invisible-when your parents care more about deals and deadlines than they do about you-you find ways of making people take notice. Little things at first. Then bigger. It’s scary how fast it grows. Then one day something happens that makes you want to stop. To get better. To be better. And for the first time, you understand what it’s like to feel whole, happy . . . loved. For the first time, you love someone back.
For me, that someone was Drew.
Sound good? Add it on Goodreads!
Release Date: January 13, 2015
Cover Reveal Blogs:
Monday, October 27th:
Bookish Treasures Book Blog
Leah Rhyne
Rebecca Enzor
Nicole Ciacchella
Rebecca Lacko
Tuesday, October 28th:
Wednesday, October 29th
October 21, 2014
Joining the Girl Scouts Is Like Becoming a Writer
Distracted Daisy.
My five-year-old daughter recently went through a Girl Scouts investiture ceremony, which is really a fancy way of saying she was officially welcomed into the club and got some cool patches to put on her little blue tunic.
It’s funny, but as I watched the kids of various ages–the littlest ones, like my daughter, were Daisies; next up were the Brownies, and then the Juniors–up there lighting the candles and saying the words to the Promise, I thought about how much the Girl Scouts ceremony is like building a writing career.
When you first start, you’re a Daisy. You stand up there looking at your mom in the audience or the pretty flower decorations or fiddling with your pin instead of actually paying attention. You’re filled with the wonder of where you are, the fact that you–you!–have been invited to join this amazing club. You’re just so damn grateful and full of awe it distracts you, which can lead to unfortunate moments (like when my daughter nearly burned her fingers off trying to grab the candle too close to the flame…and my husband, of course, got it on video). And at the end of the day you’re so tired, all you want to do is stuff your face with watermelon cake and take a nap.
But before you know it you’re a Brownie, a little bit more aware of what’s going on and willing to follow the rules because you know it’ll get you where you want to be. See, where you really want to be is with those cool Juniors, with their tinkling friendship bracelets and shining confidence and easy laugh. You’re a hard worker, but you may feel sometimes like you’re just not getting there fast enough. (This, my friends, is definitely where I am now.) Still, being a Brownie is fun because you have that first-time I-don’t-know-what-the-hell-I’m-doing feeling out of the way. You’re trucking along on your own path, learning new things all the time.
And then you’re a Junior (I realize there are higher levels, but my daughter’s troop doesn’t have any Cadettes, Seniors, or Ambassadors yet :)) and it feels like, Wow. I’ve arrived. I’m the oldest here. Amazing. You know all the words and the super cool handshake and help the grown-ups with the littlest ones because YOU KNOW EVERYTHING.
Except you don’t, not really. Your (over)confidence leads to some pretty embarrassing falls. Sometimes you’re afraid to ask for help because you should know everything by now!
But with the help of your friends and others who’ve been there, you realize you don’t have to do it alone. You’re still learning as you search for your place in the world. Hopefully, you’ll never stop searching or learning.
And isn’t that the whole point?
October 7, 2014
Notebook of Ideas
I’ve been thinking a lot about ideas lately. It’s one of the questions I get asked most as an author (and I’d wager it’s the same for most writers): Where do you get your ideas?
I wish there were a secret lock box in my closet, up on a high, dusty shelf in which I could rummage and pull out sparkling ideas. Wouldn’t that be something? It would never come up empty, and every single idea would be a key, immediately unlocking the most stubbornly barred doors of my brain.
But since that’s not possible (or is it? If you know of such a lock box, please email me), I’m always on the lookout for ways to fire up my imagination. Not a lot of people know this, but writing’s a job like any other. And like any other job, it has the tendency to become fairly routine if you let it. I sit at my desk for about 5-6 hours every weekday, typing at my computer. Sometimes my prose falls flat, and I find myself writing less-than-inspired dialog or description. That’s when I usually do some sort of exercise to unlock my brain and get the creative waters flowing again.
Recently I found a really amazing tip that got me so much more excited than I’ve ever been about a writing exercise. It’s no surprise that it came from the masterful Laini Taylor, a writer whose work I’ve admired for quite a while now. Anyway, Laini’s idea was to keep a notebook of ideas.
Now, on the surface, this doesn’t sound very earth-shattering. Plenty of people (me included) already keep notebooks. But what made Laini’s idea particularly brilliant was that she suggested setting aside daydreaming time to fill this notebook full of little bits and pieces of ideas–phrases that get you excited, imagery that sets your mind skittering along the plot bunny trail. Imagine little silverfish darting around, their bodies catching glimmers of sunlight. That’s how it should be; not pages and pages of details, but just a few words to capture the essence of what you’re excited about.
I tried it for about ten minutes and came up with a page and a half of ideas! It was the most amazing feeling, a tidal rush of excitement and creative energy. Needless to say, it gave me a whole field of fantastic imagery to play in for my current book. Check out the picture; you’ll see some of what I scribbled.
I imagine this could work not just for novelists, but also for artists, musicians, and poets of all kinds. I hope you’ll try it and let me know how it works for you!
September 25, 2014
Make Your Art
I got an itch the other day. An itch to transform my writing studio so that when I sat down in the morning after ferrying kids to school and making coffee and filling bowls with dog and cat food and other mundane miscellany, I would immediately be transported to the book world I was currently spending time in.
Well, why not? thought I. Let’s try it and see.
So I went on a Pinterest hunt. I picked out pictures that made me feel like I was flying. Pictures that made me feel like I’d traversed the infinite space-time continuum (or something) to arrive in the exact spot my characters occupied. I printed out said pictures and pinned them to the wall; nothing fancy, easy peasy. But guess what? It worked.
This is what I see when I sit down every morning:
And it absolutely puts me in the mindset I need to be in. Sometimes, when I’m feeling especially procrastinate-y, I’ll twiddle my thumbs and sigh and sit back in my chair and look at my haphazard wall of pictures. And i’ll instantly know what to say next.
The pictures speak to me, in a way. I think it’s especially cool because they were created in the same way I’m creating my words now, by an artist holed up in her own studio somewhere, working in the absolute quiet of an empty house, wondering if anyone could hear her at all.
I want to say to her, I hear you. Make your art. Because it helps me make mine.
September 17, 2014
French Kissed by Chanel Cleeton: Cover Reveal
Today I have the pleasure of presenting the cover for Chanel Cleeton’s contemporary romance, FRENCH KISSED. Isn’t it beautiful? And scroll past the cover to see more information on the book, which is the final installment of Chanel’s International School series!
Release Date: December 1, 2014
New Adult Contemporary Romance
International School Book 3
Cover by: Okay Creations
About FRENCH KISSED:
On the surface Fleur Marceaux has it all—if only the façade matched reality. With one year left at the International School in London, Fleur’s struggling to graduate, her love life is a mess, and she can’t stop thinking about Max, her ex-boyfriend’s best friend. But all of that pales compared to the blackmailer determined to destroy her.
There’s a social hierarchy at the International School, and Max Tucker is outside the velvet ropes. After watching Fleur break his friend’s heart, Max knows to stay away from trouble—despite the crush he’s had on her since freshman year. But when they’re partnered on a project, Max learns there’s more to Fleur than meets the eye, and she just might be worth the wild ride.
The more time they spend together, the further Max falls. And when a kiss awakens a passion Fleur never imagined, she’s unable to resist Max, who she thought was wrong for her, but might be the only thing that’s right.
But will he stand by her when her secrets are revealed?
Don’t miss the final book in the International School series. This New Adult romance is recommended for readers 17 and up.
Add on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
Want to see where it all began?
I SEE LONDON (International School Book 1)
Amazon http://amzn.to/MpM27V
B&N http://bit.ly/1ibPGgh
iBooks http://bit.ly/1ewcogY
Kobo http://bit.ly/1xDFbu1
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
LONDON FALLING (International School Book 2)
Amazon http://amzn.to/1n6rvo2
B&N http://bit.ly/VxbiOd
iBooks http://bit.ly/1ziLXaq
Kobo http://bit.ly/1jXByHr
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
AUTHOR BIO:
Originally a Florida girl, CHANEL CLEETON moved to London where she received a bachelor’s degree from Richmond, The American International University in London and a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Chanel fell in love with London and planned to stay there forever, until fate intervened on a Caribbean cruise, and an American fighter pilot with smooth dance moves swept her off her feet. Now, a happily ever after later, Chanel is living her next adventure in South Korea.
Law school made Chanel realize she’d rather spend her days writing sexy stories than in a courtroom, and she hasn’t looked back since. An avid reader and hopeless romantic, she’s happiest curled up with a book. She has a weakness for handbags, her three pups, and her fighter pilot husband. Chanel writes New Adult contemporary romances and thrillers.
She is the author of I SEE LONDON and LONDON FALLING, published by Harlequin HQN, the upcoming FRENCH KISSED, and FLIRTING WITH SCANDAL, the first book in a new three-book NA series to be released by Penguin/Berkley in 2015.
AUTHOR LINKS:
Website www.chanelcleeton.com
Twitter www.twitter.com/chanelcleeton
Facebook www.facebook.com/authorchanelcleeton
Goodreads www.goodreads.com/chanelcleeton
Pinterest www.pinterest.com/chanelcleeton
September 12, 2014
Fevered Souls: Completion of the Series and New Covers!
I’m so happy (and insanely sad) because Fevered Souls is done! Dax and Cara have had their stories wrapped up, with a few surprises along the way… If you’re part of the newsletter, you had a chance to win an ARC of book 4. But if you’re not, don’t worry! The fourth book is on Amazon right now. Buy it here!
In the meantime, enjoy these new covers for the entire series! They were done by the amazing Yoly at Cormar Covers. What do you think?
September 2, 2014
JO by Leah Rhyne: Sneak Peek!
Add on Goodreads
You guys! My friend Leah Rhyne has her sci-fi horror book out for sale now. She’s been gracious enough to come by and share some super-creepy excerpts around the blogosphere, and I get to be one of the stops! How exciting is this?? Read on for some sci-fi chills…
“It’s okay, Luce. It’s just the girls.” I looked around me, and even in the darkness I could see their unsteady shapes, rising from their tables. My eyes were adjusting rapidly to the lack of light, and I found if I squinted, I could see pretty well. “Girls, it’s okay. Lucy, it’s okay. Everyone, we’re going to be okay.” I remembered how scared I’d been when I’d awoken. “I’m here. I’m Jo. I’m just like you, and I can help you.”
From around me came the rustling and banging of stiff, uncoordinated bodies sitting up and sliding off tables. There were crashes as some rolled and fell to the floor. Just like I had. And still I stood, motionless, speaking, watching. “I’m here to help. You’re going to be fine.” I spoke with a confidence I didn’t know I possessed.
I felt a hand on my arm. A girl stood beside me, unsteady and unsure. She was one of the blondes, and even in the pallor of her partial death, even in the darkness, she was beautiful. Her skin was supple, where mine was taut and gray. She reached with her other hand and held my arm in both of hers.
“Lucy,” I whispered. “Luce, come over here.”
“I can’t,” she whispered loudly. “I think I’m stuck. I can’t see you. Where are you?” She’d moved further down the wall, toward a corner, clearly not feeling the kinship that I felt with the girls. There were five of them between us.
I covered the hands on my arm with my own, and squeezed. “I know you’re scared,” I said to the girl attached to the hands. “But I’m here. It’s okay.”
Around us, the girls stumbled as they walked. They seemed to be targeting Lucy and me, which made sense. They were scared. They needed comfort. Then one let out a moan, and I smiled, remembering my own experiences in re-learning speech.
“It’s okay,” I said to her. “Go ahead and moan if you need to. You’ll figure out how to make words again in a minute. Keep practicing.”
Around me, other girls took up the moaning. The sounds were guttural, primitive, and I wondered: Did I sound that bad?
“Jo?” Lucy’s voice cut through the moans, though it was meek, shaking. She was terrified.
“Calm down, Lucy. We’re going to help these girls, aren’t we?” I squeezed the hands on my arm again, patting them as comfortingly as I could.
The hands on my arm began to squeeze. The blonde girl attached to them began to moan, quietly at first, and then louder, her voice blending with those already filling the room. She squeezed harder.
With horror, but without pain, I felt the fingers penetrate the flesh on my arm, reaching through until they hit bone. I felt the brittle bone break.
“Stop,” I said. “Don’t do that!” I tried to pry her hands from my arm. I couldn’t. The girl moaned again.
It sounded different, though, than I remembered my own voice sounding when I first tried to speak. These moans were more animal, less human. Feral. Vicious.
And suddenly, I was terrified.
Now tell me that didn’t give you goose bumps! Don’t forget to check it out on Goodreads!
Website: http://www.leahrhyne.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/leah_beth
Email: leah.rhyne@gmail.com
August 19, 2014
Cover Reveal: UP ALL NIGHT boxed set!
Grab this limited-time bundle of ten hot New Adult books, each #1 in their series. Click on the picture above to add it on Goodreads! It comes out September 15, 2014!
UP ALL NIGHT will keep you up ‘til dawn with romantic stories featuring whip-smart college guys, bad boy rock stars, heroic marines, a sexy teacher, and a smokin’ hot snowboarder.
Together, these books have earned more than 1,600 five-star ratings and usually sell for over $30. Each book is a standalone, first in its series, and the set includes two NYT and USA Today bestselling authors.
You Make Me, Blurred Lines #1
New York Times bestselling author Erin McCarthy
Caitlyn’s perfect world with fiancé Ethan is shattered when her first love Heath returns to Maine after a mysterious four-year absence. Heath wants her back, but Ethan doesn’t want to let her go. And when one love allows her to breathe, but the other feels as essential to her life as air, how does she choose between them?
One and Only, Canton #1
Viv Daniels
Tess lives her life according to the secrets she’s sworn to keep: the father who won’t acknowledge her, the sister who doesn’t know she exists, and the mother who’s content playing mistress to a prominent businessman. But when she transfers to her dream college and reunites with her first love, she begins to break the rules.
Tattoo Thief, Tattoo Thief #1
Heidi Joy Tretheway
Beryl doesn’t know why Gavin Slater trashed his apartment, abandoned his dog and fled the country. But as his house sitter, she must pick up the pieces for the white-hot rock star to find out why he’s running–and what can bring him back.
One Broke Girl, Edgewood Falls #1
Rhonda Helms
When Anna’s mother disappears with the family fortune, Anna and her father must return to their small Ohio hometown–a temporary situation, she vows. But finding work, caring for her depressed father and locating her mom are harder than Anna anticipated. Not to mention a sexy male kindergarten teacher who makes Anna question everything she thought she wanted…
Random, Going the Distance #1
Lark O’Neal
Jess Donovan wants a better life than the one she was born to, but how do you figure how what you want when life has never been anything but a series of hurdles? When mysterious, sexy snowboarder Tyler Smith shows up in her life, Jess doesn’t know if he’s an opportunity for love–or her downfall.
Butterman (Time) Travel, Inc., Butterman Travel, Inc. #1
PK Hrezo
A futuristic romance along the winding path of time. It’s the year 2069 and even though eighteen-year-old Bianca Butterman is heir to the family time travel biz, she never expected to be earning her official time-craft license with golden boy pop superstar, Tristan Helms, in tote. Her life is about to get a lot more complicated … and exciting.
Come Back To Texas, Twelve Beats in a Bar #1
KK Hendin
Hayley and Nate had the perfect love story before life crashed through it. Now, three years, one deployment, and a few YouTube videos later, everything’s about to change.
The Opposite of Nothing, Copeland College #1
Shari Slade
When socially-awkward campus DJ Callie Evans falls for her bad boy BFF, she doesn’t tell him. Instead, she creates a fake online profile and “catfishes” him. The closer they get, online and off, the more she realizes she has to confess. And risk losing him forever.
The Long Game, American Gypsy #1
J.L. Fynn
When gypsy con artist Shay Reilly meets co-ed Spencer, sparks fly. Problem: Shay’s plans of revenge against Spencer’s father stands between them and their budding romance.
Undeclared, Woodlands #1
USA Today bestselling author Jen Frederick
Grace Sullivan exchanged letters with a deployed Marine most of her teen years. She fell in love with him but was devastated to learn her feelings weren’t reciprocated. Two years later when he shows up at her posh Midwest college claiming they belong together, she is wary and worried … and falling in love again?
August 6, 2014
UPSIDE DOWN by Lia Riley: A Blog Tour!
Today we have Lia Riley here, talking about her new release, UPSIDE DOWN. You get to read an excerpt, participate in a Rafflecopter giveaway, and Lia’s going to tell us about her top five sexiest Aragorn moments. I mean, come on. Does it get better?
Top Five Sexiest Aragorn Moments
1. Nothing, NOTHING, beats the moment when Aragorn opens the door at Helm’s Deep during the second movie. Cue all the exploding ovaries.
2. So much love for the scene where Aragorn stands before the Black Gates and rallies the troops. During less-than-stellar writing days, I often find myself quoting him…A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. Yep, Aragorn gives me courage
3. When Aragorn kneels before the hobbits at the end. I love when strong, powerful, alpha men show emotional vulnerability—very sexy indeed.
4. The first time the hobbits meet Aragorn, in the pub, The Prancing Pony, and he’s the epitome of a gruff, mysterious ranger. Unf.
5. Any, ANY, time he is with Arewyn. He loves his elvish woman like whoa, and I can’t handle the way he looks at her. Their chemistry is A+.
She’s hilarious and so very accurate, isn’t she? And check out this gorgeous cover, you guys!
And now for that excerpt I promised!
“Is it true you have no regrets, not even one?” Hopefully he has no idea how dead serious I am in his response.
“There’s no point.” His fingers tighten infinitesimally on the wheel. “The past is the past. That’s it.”
“Like whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger?”
“No, that’s a dumb-ass cliché. I mean there’s no meaning to life, despite what people pretend. Once I figured that out, everything got easier.”
“Has anyone ever said you are intense?”
“Since the day I was born.” He checks the rearview mirror. “So I got to ask you something. Maybe I’m presuming but—”
“If that’s your lead-in, then you’re probably correct.”
“You don’t fool me.”
He’s right. No matter how hard I try to hide and pretend away my crazy, Bran sees too much.
“But you try to fool everyone, don’t you?” He turns and catches me staring. “With the act. You, all breezy, cute as hell, always smiling like we’re at some big-deal party. You know what I think—”
“No, actually.” Wait, I’m cute? He thinks I’m cute?
“Not sure what your issue is, but—”
“I’m fine,” I mutter tightly. Reality wanders back, as unwelcome as a drunk uncle at a family picnic. Let’s face it, no one wants to be around a girl with issues. “Really, I’m all good.” Right, I sound like a five-year-old watching worms die in puddles.
Doesn’t that sound amazing? Makes you wonder what Natalia’s hiding from Bran… Now, if you’re ready for the Rafflecopter giveaway, go ahead and click here. Thanks for checking it out! And congrats to Lia on her book birthday!
