Margo Bond Collins's Blog, page 125
April 21, 2014
Fairy Tale Fortnight Giveaway Hop
Welcome to the Fairy Tale Fortnight Giveaway Hop, hosted by I Am A Reader, The Book Rat, and A Backwards Story.
I am a huge fan of fairy tales in all their forms (though I tend to prefer Grimm over Disney!). And I’m a sucker for a fairy-tale retellings. For this giveaway, I’m offering a copy of my own YA novel Fairy, Texas and an ARC of new author Meredith Jade’s fairy-tale retelling Never Upon a Time, due out this summer from Bathory Gate Press.
Fairy, Texas takes on the concept of fairies and runs with it (straight to a high school football field; it is set in Texas, after all). Never Upon a Time turns traditional fairy tales on their head, telling the story of two sisters whose story you only think you know. Check out the information about the books below, enter to win, then HOP to the rest of the entries in this blog!
But before you go, tell me: What do you like best about fairy tales?
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Laney Harris didn’t want to live in Fairy, Texas. When her mother remarried and moved them to a town where a date meant hanging out at the Sonic, Laney figured that “boring” would have a whole new meaning. A new stepsister who despised her and a high school where she was the only topic of gossip were bad enough. But when she met the school counselor (and his terminal bad breath), she grew suspicious. Especially since he had wings that only she could see. And then there were Josh and Mason, two gorgeous glimmering-eyed classmates whose interest in her might not be for the reasons she hoped. Not to mention that dead guy she nearly tripped over in gym class.
She was right. Boring took on an entirely new dimension in Fairy, Texas.
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Never Upon A Time
You’ve always hated her. But you might not know the whole story.
Edith may not be brazen and enchanted like her twin sister, Ember, but in a world of dying magic, perhaps her simple desires are enough. After a Selection Banquet gone awry, Edith is left without a suitor or a plan. Befriending a little white fox and occupying herself with a philanthropic project outside castle walls, Edith soon rebuilds morale and musters enough courage to reach out to her estranged twin sister. But Ember’s been harboring an evil secret — and thwarted love and jealousy can turn acts of merit into classic tales of wickedness . . .
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April 20, 2014
Cover Reveal: Hunger, by Felicity Heaton
Hunger (Vampires Realm Romance Series Book 8)
Felicity Heaton
Betrayed by one of her own and turned into a vampire, hunter Eve is consumed by her hunger for vengeance and has spent five years surviving hell, driven to take the life of the man she once loved. But just as she is about to close in on the hunter-turned-vampire, an event is set in motion that threatens to see him slip beyond her grasp forever—the leader of her bloodline has sent an escort to bring her to the family’s mansion. To a nest of the very creatures she once hunted and loathes.
A vampire assassin hardened by centuries of service, Tor is a man of discipline and loyalty, never straying from his mission or the rules set out for him, and has purged all his weaknesses, including his emotions.
But the moment he meets the broken, fiery female he is to escort to Oslo, something dangerous awakens in him, something possessive and powerful, and when he is pulled into a deadly game of cat and mouse with the man who betrayed her, Tor discovers he will do anything to protect the woman slowly claiming his heart and give her the vengeance she desires—even break all the rules.
Can Eve embrace her new vampire nature in order to have her revenge and find a reason to live again in Tor? Can Tor and Eve stop the man who betrayed her and the deaths of thousands of innocents? Or will he succeed in creating a new army of hybrid vampires who will rise up against the purebloods?
Hunger is due for release in ebook and paperback on May 10th 2014 and will be available from all major online book retailers. Read the first chapter of Hunger at: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/hunger-vampire-romance-novel.php
Pre-order your copy today from Apple iBooks / iTunes and Kobo Books:
Apple iTunes USA: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id853198285
Apple iTunes UK: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/id853198285
Apple iTunes Australia: https://itunes.apple.com/au/book/id853198285
Apple iTunes Canada: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/id853198285
Apple iTunes New Zealand: https://itunes.apple.com/nz/book/id853198285
Kobo Books: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/hunger-vampires-realm-romance-series-8
More retail links will soon be available on Felicity Heaton’s website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/hunger-vampire-romance-novel.php
Join Felicity’s mailing list to receive a notification when Hunger is released, plus a sneak preview of the first 6 chapters of the book and chances to win a signed copy: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/newsletter.php
Add the book to your Goodreads shelf at: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20940847-hunger
Books in the Vampires Realm paranormal romance series:
Book 1: Prophecy: Child of Light
Book 2: Prophecy: Caelestis and Aurorea
Book 3: Prophecy: Dark Moon Rising
Book 3.1: Spellbound
Book 3.5: Reunion
Book 4: Seventh Circle
Book 5: Winter’s Kiss
Book 6: Hunter’s Moon
Book 7: Masquerade
Book 8: Hunger – Coming May 2014
About Felicity Heaton:
Felicity Heaton is a USA Today and international best-selling author writing passionate paranormal romance books. In her books she creates detailed worlds, twisting plots, mind-blowing action, intense emotion and heart-stopping romances with leading men that vary from dark deadly vampires to sexy shape-shifters and wicked werewolves, to sinful angels and hot demons!
If you’re a fan of paranormal romance authors Lara Adrian, J R Ward, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Gena Showalter and Christine Feehan then you will enjoy her books too.
If you love your angels a little dark and wicked, the best-selling Her Angel series is for you. If you like strong, powerful, and dark vampires then try the Vampires Realm series or any of her stand-alone vampire romance books. If you’re looking for vampire romances that are sinful, passionate and erotic then try the best-selling Vampire Erotic Theatre series. Or if you prefer huge detailed worlds filled with hot-blooded alpha males in every species, from elves to demons to dragons to shifters and angels, then take a look at the new Eternal Mates series.
If you want to know more about Felicity, or want to get in touch, you can find her at the following places:
Website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk
Blog: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/blog/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/felicityheaton
Twitter: http://twitter.com/felicityheaton
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/felicityheaton
Happy Release Day! Upon Your Honor, by Marie Lavender
Deception is a dangerous path…
New York City, August, 1891 –
Orphaned after the death of her father, Chloe Waverly stows away on La Voyageur to escape the clutches of her cruel fiancé, Lamonte Beckett. Gabriel Hill, a strange and compelling gentleman, comes upon Chloe and promises to protect her without knowing the true circumstances of why she is running away. During their journey, Gabriel doesn’t bargain on being distracted by her fair beauty or succumbing to her many charms. As their attraction to each other grows, so does the danger and Gabriel suspects things are not as they should be. Both are determined to get to New Orleans, where she can start a new life. But, once they reach their destination, events spin out of their control and Chloe is captured by the fiancé she escaped. Gabriel is left wondering if he can overlook her betrayal. Soon he finds himself in a race against time, to reach her before Beckett can exact revenge.
Buy Upon Your Honor
Spotlight: Love’s Sorrow by Terri Rochenski
Hired as a nanny for her cousin’s children, Anne Tearle finds security and a loving family. The children are a dream, but London society is a world of its own, one where a displaced farm girl has no business being. But, wealthy rake, Gavin MacKay, helps her to see associating with the upper class might not be as horrid as she first assumed.
Like all things worthwhile, love comes at a price, and the cost soon bestows more anguish than joy. Lost, but not undone, Anne must find the courage to begin life anew, or succumb to sorrow’s unrelenting waves of grief.
Buy Links:
Print
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Loves-Sorrow-Means-Mercy-1/dp/1499201303/
CreateSpace: https://www.createspace.com/4768968
Ebook
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Loves-Sorrow-Means-Mercy-Rochenski-ebook/dp/B00JTJ6CHI/
Bookstrand: http://www.bookstrand.com/loves-sorrow
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/430856
April 19, 2014
Sneak Peek Sunday: Legally Undead
Welcome to this week’s Sneak Peek Hop!
Sneak Peek Sunday: Legally Undead, by Margo Bond Collins
Welcome to Sneak Peek Sunday! This week I’m giving a glimpse of Legally Undead, due out in May from World Weaver Press. Check it out, then HOP to visit the rest of the entries in this weekly meme blog hop.
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Legally Undead Blurb
A reluctant vampire hunter, stalking New York City as only a scorned bride can.
Elle Dupree has her life all figured out: first a wedding, then her Ph.D., then swank faculty parties where she’ll serve wine and cheese and introduce people to her husband the lawyer.
But those plans disintegrate when she walks in on a vampire sucking the blood from her fiancé Greg. Horrified, she screams and runs–not away from the vampire, but toward it, brandishing a wooden letter opener.
As she slams the improvised stake into the vampire’s heart, a team of black-clad men bursts into the apartment. Turning around to face them, Elle discovers that Greg’s body is gone—and her perfect life falls apart.
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Excerpt
The ballroom was packed. More people had arrived while we were getting dressed. Women in sequined dresses and men in tuxedos sat around almost all the tables. Some of them were even eating. Couples crowded the dance floor. The band was indeed very good–they were playing a version of “You’d Be So Nice to Come Home to” and the lead singer, a tall woman in a slinky black dress, had a deep, smoky-sounding voice.
It would be easy to be charmed by this setting, by all the elegance that surrounded me.
Of course, all the vampires that surrounded me weren’t quite so charming. They were terrifying.
And in a room full of people, I discovered that it was easy to tell which ones were vampires and which ones weren’t. Some of the humans were easy to spot–the ones who were eating food were easy to pick out as humans, of course, and many of them had bandages or fresh wounds on various parts of their bodies. The parts where the veins ran close to the surface: the neck, the crook of the elbow, the wrist.
There were other humans there, too, though, humans who weren’t eating and who didn’t have any visible blood-donation marks. But they were clearly human, just as some of the other people moving around the room were clearly vampires.
The vampires tended toward pallor, of course. And occasionally one flashed a fang here or there, particularly when they laughed–an effect I found chilling. They were mostly extraordinarily beautiful, but then, so were the humans. Deirdre seemed to like surrounding herself with beauty.
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Add Legally Undead to your Goodreads Bookshelf: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18366353-legally-undead
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About the Author
Margo Bond Collins is the author of a number of novels, including Waking Up Dead, Fairy, Texas, and Legally Undead (forthcoming in 2014). She lives in Texas with her husband, their daughter, and several spoiled pets. She teaches college-level English courses online, though writing fiction is her first love. She enjoys reading urban fantasy and paranormal fiction of any genre and spends most of her free time daydreaming about vampires, ghosts, zombies, werewolves, and other monsters.
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Connect with Margo
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/margobondcollins
Email: MargoBondCollins@gmail.com
Website: http://www.MargoBondCollins.net
Blog: http://www.MargoBondCollins.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MargoBondCollin @MargoBondCollin
Google+: https://plus.google.com/116484555448104519902
Goodreads Author Page: http://www.goodreads.com/vampirarchy
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/MargoBondCollins
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/mbondcollins/
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Spotlight On: The Wilde One, by Savannah Young
THE WILDE ONE is the second novel in the spicy contemporary romance series about four sexy brothers, their small-town bar and their local country band. Each novel in the OLD TOWN COUNTRY ROMANCE series can be read as a STAND ALONE NOVEL or as part of the SERIES.
FOUR WILDE BROTHERS…ONE WILDE COUNTRY BAND
Tucker Wilde joined the United States Army right out of high school and was injured in Iraq. But more than just his leg was shattered in the Middle East. The war also crushed his spirit and damaged his soul. When a strange couple arrives at his family’s bar, Haymakers, Tucker can see signs of mental and emotional abuse and is immediately drawn to the lovely but fragile girl seated at his bar.
Gracie Parker has been a victim of abuse her entire life. When her boyfriend, Dex, beats her in the parking lot of Haymakers and abandons her, it’s almost too much for the nineteen-year-old to bear. That is until Tucker appears like a warrior knight from the darkness to save her.
Tucker and Gracie are two broken people who are immediately drawn together. But their relationship and even their very lives are threatened by Dex who will stop at nothing to get Gracie back.
If you like your trucks loud, your beer cold and your men hot…you’ll love THE WILDE ONE.
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Excerpt
One
Tucker
“You look different,” Savage says, then downs the last of his pint of ale.
“Different how?” I prod even though I have an idea what he’s going to say. I look more normal. Like I fit into society rather than looking like an outcast.
Savage shrugs. He’s never been a person of many words. We’re like two peas in a pod that way. Even though he rarely says very much, with just one sideways glance Savage can have the biggest and meanest guys on the planet shaking in their cowboy boots.
People say that about me too.
“Do you want another?” I ask, even though I can guess his response. Savage always orders two pints and drinks them at the far corner of the bar. There are worse ways of coping with the past than drinking a few beers every night before he goes home to an empty apartment. I should know. I’m a master of poor coping skills.
“Hit me,” Savage says.
I pour him another pint and take away the empty.
“You look good.”
I’m surprised by the compliment. I’d never use the word good to describe anything about me. But I do look better than I have since I got back from Iraq.
“Drink your beer,” I tell him because I’m not in the mood to explain what’s been going on in my life.
Savage was in Iraq about the same time I was and he’s the closest thing I’ve got to a friend. I’m not one for relationships. Life is too short and relationships are too painful. When you get close to someone, you usually just end up getting hurt.
But like me, Savage isn’t the type of guy who gets too close to people. The most obvious reason is the way he looks: he’s big and scary. Also just like me.
Savage and I lift weights together, and in a fight it would be a close match. Not that either of us would ever start a fight but we would definitely end one if we had to.
It’s a weeknight and the bar is almost deserted except for a few of the regulars. That’s why I’m surprised when I see a couple I don’t recognize walk in and look around. The guy’s wearing all leather and carrying two helmets, so he’s obviously a biker. He looks about my height, six feet two inches and he’s big. The girl looks tiny standing next to him. She’s the definition of the word waif. She looks like a strong wind could pick her up and blow her away. Not a good thing in Old Town where it’s windy most of the time.
The most interesting thing about her, though, is her coloring. I’ve never seen someone so fair in my life. I’m the only blond in my family but I’m not even close to this girl. Her long hair is so light it’s practically white. And her skin is the color of milk. She looks like a princess who just stepped out of a fairytale, as corny as that sounds.
I can’t help but notice that she doesn’t look like she wants to be here. Or maybe she doesn’t want to be with the guy. It’s hard to tell. But she doesn’t look happy. If anything, she looks scared.
As the couple steps closer to the bar, I can see the girl is shaking. I’m not sure whether she’s shaking because she’s scared, or because it’s January and it’s freezing outside and she’s wearing a tiny spring jacket that barely fits. It almost looks like a jacket for a kid it’s so small on her. Not that she’s much bigger than a kid herself.
What kind of a jerk wears a thick leather jacket while he lets his girl freeze? I’m really not liking this guy at all. And when I see him grab her by the elbow, so roughly she almost comes off the floor, I can feel every hair on my body stand at attention.
Is it possible to hate a guy I don’t even know?
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Buy link: http://www.amazon.com/Wilde-One-Town-Country-Romance-ebook/dp/B00JKTX9ZA/
Blog: http://oldtowncountryromance.tumblr.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SavannahYoungAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/karenmbryson
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7814077.Savannah_Young
April 18, 2014
Why do we love vampires? A Guest Post by Suz DeMello
Why do we love vamps?
In a word: they’re hot
Like great chocolate, vampires are smooth, seductive and dangerous. They’re invariably wealthy because they prey upon whoever they please and can steal for a living if they choose. Anne Rice’s Lestat is the classic example.
And many female fans enjoy the fantasy of losing control to a sexy, dominant male. On top of that, our culture worships the young and the beautiful.
In my writing, I emphasize not only the vampires’ sensuality, but also their unnatural strength and speed. In Rakes in Tartan, my hero, Tor Kilburn, doesn’t box or fence to stay in shape, but he “flies”—or appears to. Here’s his version of taking a relaxing jog at night:
Tor stood on the roof of the manse he shared with Andrew. Though the home was centrally located near Piccadilly, the misty streets ’round about were deserted at this extremely late hour. The quarter-moon’s light struggled through the low-hanging fog and gleamed on damp cobbles and pavements. Few lamps broke the darkness. Silence reigned. Not even the turd wallopers were abroad, though the olfactory evidence of their foul cargo floated above the lanes.
He stretched, enjoying the freedom he felt, having stripped off the confining jacket and snug knee-breeches required for entry into Almack’s. Cloak flapping over plain trousers, he leaped to the next building, then to the next and the next. He landed squarely on a girder supporting the glass roof of the Burlington Arcade, knees half-bent.
He sprinted along the girder, then jumped again, arms spread wide. The breeze caught his black cape and helped him across Piccadilly, enabling him to land soundlessly on the roof of Fortnum and Mason.
He enjoyed his hobby as much or even more than he had in Oxford. ‘Twas a lively town but lacked the number and variety of buildings London boasted. Though he had become intimately acquainted with the several colleges comprising Oxford, the sameness of the Gothic architecture had lost his interest. London was large, diverse and highly entertaining…
Oh, and yeah: he’s hot.
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About the Author
Best-selling, award-winning author Suz deMello, a.k.a Sue Swift, has written seventeen romance novels in several subgenres, including erotica, comedy, historical, paranormal, mystery and suspense, plus a number of short stories and non-fiction articles on writing. A freelance editor, she’s worked for Total-E-Bound, Liquid Silver Books and Ai Press, where she is currently Managing Editor. She also takes private clients.
Her books have been favorably reviewed in Publishers Weekly, Kirkus and Booklist, won a contest or two, attained the finals of the RITA and hit several bestseller lists.
A former trial attorney, her passion is world travel. She’s left the US over a dozen times, including lengthy stints working overseas. She’s now writing a vampire tale and planning her next trip.
–Find her books at http://www.suzdemello.com
–For editing services, email her at suzswift@yahoo.com
–Befriend her on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sueswift, and visit her group page at https://www.facebook.com/redhotauthorscafe
–She tweets her reading picks @ReadThis4fun and @Suzdemello
–Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/suzdemello/
–Goodreads: http://bit.ly/SuzATGoodreads
–Her current blog is http://www.fearlessfastpacedfiction.com
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Spotlight On: Sticks N Stones and the Garden of Phea
Title: Sticks n’ Stones and the Garden of Phea | Author: Angela Burkhead | Publication Date: February 6, 2014 | Publisher: Maple Hill Publishing | Pages: 152 | Recommended Ages: 9+
Summary: Rather than spending one more day amongst the humiliating remarks to the amusement of her fellow peers, Emily Fickeltin runs away. Or, rather, walks away. Emily is misunderstood and disliked but what seems to be every other child her age and on top of it all, she is overweight. Perfectly pleasantly plump, her mother calls her, but Emily feels far from perfect. Her attempt to escape her pain leads her to discover a hidden place with new hope for friends and acceptance. Stumbling into Phea’s garden, an eccentric woman skilled in the arts of gardening and imagination, Emily finds she is not alone in her troubles. Phea and her friend rabbit have a past of their own they wish to run from and together the three battle their innermost demons as their world crumbles around them. Will they ever discover peace and acceptance? These lost and disheartened souls must find who they are before they are all lost forever.
Purchase
Amazon
About the Author: Angela Burkhead
Angela Burkhead is a full time writer and a full time mom. Of the two jobs, she cannot decide which is more difficult and time consuming, but both bring the joys of fulfillment and accomplishment. She and her son currently reside in Richmond, Ky, just north of Kentucky’s arts and crafts capital, Berea, Ky, where she was born and raised. Her newest book, Sticks n’ Stones and the Garden of Phea, an upper middle grade/young adult fantasy novel, was published February of 2014.
Goodreads | Author Blog | Twitter
Facebook | Tumblr
* $25 Book Blast Giveaway *
Prize: One winner will receive a $25 Amazon Gift Card or PayPal cash (winner’s choice)
Contest ends: May 13, 11:59 pm, 2014
Open: Internationally
How to enter: Please enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.
Terms and Conditions: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. A winner will be randomly drawn through the Rafflecopter widget and will be contacted by email within 48 hours after the giveaway ends. The winner will then have 72 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within 72 hours, a new draw will take place for a new winner. Odds of winning will vary depending on the number of eligible entries received. This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. This giveaway is sponsored by the author, David Chuka and is hosted and managed by Renee from Mother Daughter Book Reviews. If you have any additional questions – feel free to send and email to Renee(at)MotherDaughterBookReviews(dot)com.
April 17, 2014
Spotlight On: Falling by Design, by Valia Lind
Title: Falling by Design
Author: Valia Lind
Genre: YA contemporary
Published: March 12, 2014
Brooklynn Summers has a plan for her life: graduate from high school, get into a top fashion school, prove to her family that she’s not a failure. She wishes someone in her life understood her need to create because her parents sure don’t support her dreams, her sister hates her, and the deadlines are soon approaching.
Enter Grayson Banks.
There are a few things in life Brooklynn can’t stand: mismatched patterns, cheap polyester, and Grayson. No boy has ever publicly humiliated Brooklynn like Grayson has. When he suddenly moved away in eighth grade, Brooklynn happily wished him good riddance. But on the first day of senior year, Grayson comes back, with his piercing blue eyes and a smile that melts icebergs, he is not exactly the boy Brooklynn remembers. She quickly realizes that Grayson’s intentions have completely shifted, but she’s not sure if she can put their past behind her.
Grayson understands Brooklynn’s creative ambitions and he devises a plan to showcase her work to the world. When the two agree to work together, suddenly, there is more than just fabric paint that’s having a chemical reaction to its environment. Brooklynn cannot help but feel pulled into Grayson’s arms, but memories and misunderstandings surface, putting in danger whatever small comradeship these two childhood enemies have constructed.
Can Brooklynn overcome her own insecurities, finally making her dreams come true? Even a dream she didn’t know she had.
This is a story about a girl with big dreams and a boy who helps her achieve them.
Purchase:
Amazon | B&N | CreateSpace
Apple | Smashwords
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Tour
Schedule
April 2nd
TotalBook Geek | Top 5
YABook Madness | Review
April 3rd
MyFavorite Things (
