Margo Bond Collins's Blog, page 138
February 27, 2014
Books I Love: Leap into Reading Blog Hop
Someone asked me recently if, when I am working on a new novel, I police what I’m reading more carefully in order to avoid letting my reading influence my writing. My answer to the question was a resounding NO. I think that the very best thing a writer can do is read everything available.
Like most novelists, I am a voracious reader in my field, which means that I read all kinds of urban fantasy and paranormal fiction. But in addition to being an urban fantasy writer, I am a college English professor with a Ph.D. in eighteenth-century British literature. This means that any time anyone wants to talk books, I have more than my share to say!
In early British literature, I love the classics—but especially the stories with heroes and monsters: Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, The Knight’s Tale. I love Shakespeare’s plays, but my favorites to teach are Hamlet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream because each is such a great example of its genre. Hamlet’s tragedy seems virtually unavoidable, and Midsummer’s comedy hits all the high (and low!) points.
In my own sub-specialty of eighteenth-century British literature, I love the early novels written by some of the first women to make a living writing in England, such as Aphra Behn, Eliza Haywood, and Delarivier Manley. Behn’s 1688 novel Oroonoko tells the story of a king who became a slave and found the woman he loved in the process, only to kill her and their unborn child to save them from slavery. In Haywood’s Fantomina (1724), a young noblewoman sets off on a sexual adventure full of disguises and intrigue. And in Manley’s The Wife’s Resentment (1720), a young woman takes revenge against her unfaithful husband with a gruesome murder. These early novels influenced later gothic tales, with virtuous damsels in distress and monstrous villains out to destroy them.
I think these various loves in more traditional literature—monsters, heroes, strong women, and gothic settings—are all parts of what have influenced my love of urban fantasy and horror. I love seeing many of the same tropes and ideas in more recent publications that influenced earlier works, as well.
For a chance to win tons of great books and prizes, be sure to enter my Rafflecopter giveaway below, then scroll down to hop to the other blogs!
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Fairy, Texas Blurb:
Fairy, Texas. A small town like any other.
Laney Harris didn’t want to live there. 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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Buy Fairy, Texas
E-Book:
Amazon (Kindle): http://www.amazon.com/Fairy-Texas-Margo-Bond-Collins-ebook/dp/B00I7BTMJ4/
Paperback:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Fairy-Texas-Margo-Bond-Collins/dp/1495419800/
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fairy-texas-margo-bond-collins/1118584512
Books a Million: http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Fairy-Texas/Margo-Bond-Collins/9781495419805
Book Depository: http://www.bookdepository.com/Fairy-Texas-Margo-Bond-Collins/9781495419805
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Waking Up Dead Blurb
When Dallas resident Callie Taylor died young, she expected to go to Heaven, or maybe Hell. Instead, when she met her fate early thanks to a creep with a knife and a mommy complex, she went to Alabama. Now she’s witnessed another murder, and she’s not about to let this one go. She’s determined to help solve it before an innocent man goes to prison. And to answer the biggest question of all: why the hell did she wake up dead in Alabama?
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Buy Waking Up Dead
Kindle from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Waking-Dead-Margo-Bond-Collins-ebook/dp/B00HKQQRJA/
Paperback from these booksellers:
Amazon:
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/waking-up-dead-margo-bond-collins/1117526839?ean=9781493750467
Books A Million: http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Waking-Up-Dead/Margo-Bond-Collins/9781493750467?id=5868658257083
Book Depository: http://www.bookdepository.com/Waking-Up-Dead-Margo-Bond-Collins/9781493750467
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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.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
Tumblr: http://vampirarchybooks.tumblr.com/
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/mbondcollins/
Manic Readers: http://www.manicreaders.com/MargoBondCollins/
Add Fairy, Texas to your Goodreads bookshelves: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19502285-fairy-texas
Add Waking Up Dead to your Goodreads bookshelves: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18428064-waking-up-dead
Add Legally Undead to your Goodreads bookshelves: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18366353-legally-undead
Book Trailers:
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The Skinwalker’s Apprentice
The Skinwalker’s Apprentice
by Claribel Ortega
Release Date: 02/24/14
Summary from Goodreads:
New York City 1984: It’s Emerald Kipp’s sixteenth birthday, and nothing has changed. She’s still the biggest loser in school, she’s still trying to find a place for herself and yeah, she’s still a witch. Her last year of high school is turning out to be the worst yet, and Emerald thinks it can’t possibly get any worse. Unfortunately for her, she’s dead wrong.
East Hampton, NY 1658: The Pennyfeathers are the black sheep of their small English settlement. As hard as they try to keep the family secrets just that, the magical bunch just can’t seem to fit in. But when a High Priestess witch chooses 16-year-old Margo Pennyfeather as an apprentice, Margo’s luck finally begins to change. What she doesn’t know, is there’s a lot more to her apprenticeship, and to being a witch, than she could ever imagine
Discover the mysterious beginnings of The Empire Witch Series in “The Skinwalker’s Apprentice: An Emerald Kipp Novella.”
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Book Links
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19250523-the-skinwalker-s-apprentice
Buy Link:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00IJOA4M8
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Excerpt
“We will begin with the most basic of spells,” said The Priestess on Margo’s first day of lessons.
Margo sat in a small, circular room on the second floor of the stone house. It was mostly empty, save for a marble table and the stiff wooden chair where Margo sat nervously. Unlike the rest of the house, the room had but one window, and judging by the view, Margo guessed they must have been inside the onion dome on the roof. The young witch tried not to fidget, as The Priestess circled around her as she spoke.
“There is magic that is practical, that you will need in every day situations, and magic that is impractical.”
“I do not deal in the impractical sort,” said The Priestess sternly, stopping directly in front of Margo, “love potions and beauty enchantments are amongst the kinds of frivolous spells you will not be learning here. Instead, I plan to teach you useful, direct, magic, which you can implement in most any situation. You are to take these lessons seriously, for you will never know when they might be of use to you. The difference between knowing practical spells and not knowing them, is a matter of life and death.”
Margo gulped and nodded anxiously, her eyes following The Priestess as she continued to pace about the room.
“For your first spell,” said The Priestess, taking her wand from her sleeve and nodding at Margo, her signal to do the same, “we shall be attempting a growing spell.”
The Priestess’s face contorted suddenly at the sight of Margo’s wand.
The young witch blushed. Her wand had been handed down to her by her grandmother Mary, and it was not in the best condition. In fact, the once wooden wand had been enchanted to have the look and feel of toad’s skin. Mary thought it would impress The Priestess.
Margo smiled nervously as she tried to hide the slime secreting from her wand and sticking to her fingers.
“That…wand, just won’t do,” said The Priestess delicately. Margo put the wand on the marble table, the gunk stretching as she tried to free her hand from it. She pushed the wand to the corner of the table, and pressed down hard on the cold surface, trying to wipe the glop of her hands. Her face turned red as she struggled to pull free, and finally an exasperated Priestess pointed to Margo’s hand with her own wand, “ Divisio.”
With a slight “pop” Margo was free, but still covered in slime. She shook off what was left of it on the floor with a few sharp flails of her arm, smiling bashfully at her teacher as she did.
The Priestess walked over to the small window facing the front of the house. She opened it, and pointed her wand at a weeping willow that adorned the road leading to her front door. Margo heard a loud CRACK and suddenly, a tree branch was entering the room.
The Priestess placed her wand in her skirt waist, and pointed one long, jagged, fingernail in the direction of the bough. A green light shot from her black nails, cracking the limb, and sending the branch back into the woods from whence it came. The Priestess brought the remaining wood further into the room in her net of brilliant light, spinning it as she did, her eyes steady and focused. As she did this, the branch whittled down bit-by-bit, splinters flying every which way, and darting dangerously close past Margo’s face. The Priestess’s flesh was the color of rusted copper as the viridescent light danced off her skin and Margo could see the wand she was crafting beginning to take shape.
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About the Author
Claribel Ortega is a graduate of the SUNY Purchase journalism program, and got her start writing for the school’s Independent Newspaper. There, she quickly rose the ranks from editing the student’s often times hilarious ads and ramblings on the back page of the paper to staff and feature writer.
After graduation, Claribel worked as a reporter for The Rivertowns Enterprise, a local paper in lower Westchester County, New York. As a reporter, she enjoyed going to board of education meetings and texting the town mayors about the line at Starbucks.
Today, Claribel works for The Combined Book Exhibit, a book marketing company in Westchester NY.
She lives in New York with her really awesome boyfriend, her suspiciously intelligent yorkie Pancho Villa and is surrounded by an impenetrable fort of books she gets from her job.
“The Skinwalker’s Apprentice” is her first book, and cheese is her favorite food.
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Author Links:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7505050.Claribel_Ortega
https://www.facebook.com/ClaribelOrtegaAuthor
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***GIVEAWAY***
A signed paperback copy of The Skinwalker’s Apprentice
Plus, a Forever 21 Prize Pack including:
Posh Stackable Rings
Cameo Bow Necklace
Shopper Tote (design may vary)
Rafflecopter Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/MjM0OGI5ZGJmNWUwNzllYTYzNjAyYzhhZGU0MDc0OjIzMA==/
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Blog Tour Organized by:
YA Bound Book Tours
Link to blog tour schedule: http://yaboundbooktours.blogspot.com/2014/01/blog-tour-sign-up-skinwalkers.html
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February 26, 2014
Spotlight On: Insight by Jamie Magee
Insight – PROMO Bltiz
By Jamie Magee
YA/NA Crossover Paranormal
Date Published: June 2010
BOOK ONE INSIGHT SERIES
Willow Haywood has always been trapped between the worlds of the Light and the Dark. Her waking hours are plagued by her ability to feel the emotions of those around her. No matter how inward she draws, she cannot shut out the feelings of others. Sometimes she will see images – echoes of other people and places – that she can enter to influence the emotions of people she has never met.
By night, Willow experiences her only escape from this terrible insight – entering into the world of dreams. Most of these dreams are shared in blissful silence with a stunning blue-eyed boy. But every new moon she lives through something much darker: a horrific nightmare shared by another mysterious boy who is always shrouded by shadows.
One night, this shadowy figure invades her dreams outside of his appointed time. In this new nightmare, Willow is marked; a mark which follows her into the waking world and sets her on a momentous path through light and darkness, through fragmented myth and half-truths, through past lives and disturbing family secrets, all in the face of the ever-dominant Zodiac. What she finds will endanger the lives of those closest to her and will force her to make a decision that will change her world forever.
EXCERPT
I felt a blanket of peaceful love with a sense of urgency. The night air in front of me began to move; it looked like a wave gently swaying with a current. A thin light began to emerge then Landen stepped through the wave. I felt the air leave my lungs and adrenaline rush through every part of my body as my heart violently hammered in my chest.
“Landen…” I breathed.
In the darkness, I could see his haunting blue eyes widen, we were both soaked in the emotion of disbelief, along with the fear that this wasn’t real.
In that beat of my heart he’d reached my side. His hands were trembling ever so slightly as they cradled my face, and his thumbs graze the flesh of my cheekbones. He was staring at me like I was a forbidden fruit, like I was every sin in the book, desire washed over that lasting look as he leaned in and let his lips frame mine. When we melded the flesh of our lips together, his hands fell from my face and slowly waved down my body, embracing my flesh, I was doing the same to him. He was warm, he was on fire, I could hear his breaths, hear the sweet sound of our kiss, the way our clothes were moving under our touch. He was real. He was in my arms, and he was driving me wild. That first kiss was nothing compared to this, that was a dream, it was fleeting, it was something that could end at any second, this—this touch, this emotion, this pulsing of my soul was eternal.
He pressed our bodies together and held me with more strength than he had ever displayed. We both sought air more than once, but the other moved closer as soon as that gasp was taken. His warm tongue was uninhabited yet sensual as it danced with mine. I was devouring every sensation he was giving me and wanting more, so much more.
I was trembling with passion, I think he misunderstood that, he slowed our kiss, as one arm went around me and the other cradled my face. His thumb reached to my lips just as his kiss ended, he tenderly caressed the moist, swollen flesh he found there.
“I found you,” he said with the lips of an angel. His voice was deep and entrancing, those three simple words sounded like poetry as he spoke them.
His eyes danced over my image, “I love you.” he said as he leaned in and kissed me once more, this was a sweet kiss, only lips, only warm sensual lips.
Jamie Magee
I’m an obsessive daydreamer. Lover of loud alternative music. Addicted to Red Bull. I love to laugh until it hurts. Fall is my favorite season. Black is my favorite ‘shade.’ Strong believer in the saying: there is a reason for everything, therefore I search for ‘marked moments’ every moment of everyday…and I find them. Life is beautiful!
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Forever Changed, by Belinda Boring
Title: Forever Changed
Author: Belinda Boring
Series: The Mystic Wolves (#4)
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Blushing Heart Press
Release Date: Oct 2013
Edition/Formats Available In: eBook & Print
Blurb/Synopsis:
Waking up after an amazing night with her new husband and mate, nothing could’ve prepared Darcy for the epic bombshell Devlin dropped—explaining her heritage and revealing truths that completely blow her mind. When all she wants is to settle into marital bliss and pack life, Darcy’s world is once again thrown into turmoil, forced to face a challenge that may very well destroy everything she’s fought so hard to preserve.
Not one to sit back and watch the one he loves more than life itself in danger, Mason immediately formulates a plan of action—taking a small group of trusted friends across the United States in the hot pursuit of answers. Time is running out, though. With every attempt to control Darcy’s wild magic thwarted, and the dark presence of evil dogging their every move, Mason and Darcy will be left with no other choice but to make a stand—fight or risk losing everything they cherish most.
Decisions will be made. Love will be pushed to breaking point. Mason and Darcy face their greatest challenge, one that will leave them … FOREVER CHANGED.
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Book Links
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Barnes and Noble
iTunes
Smashwords
Book Trailer
Goodreads
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About the Author
A homesick Aussie living amongst the cactus and mountains of Arizona, Belinda Boring is a self-proclaimed addict of romance and all things swoon worthy. It wasn’t long before she began writing, pouring her imagination and creativity into the stories she dreams. Whether urban fantasy, paranormal romance or romance in general, Belinda strives to share great plots with heart and characters that you can’t help but connect with. Of course, she wouldn’t be Belinda without adding heroes she hopes will curl your toes. Surrounded by a supportive cast of family, friends, and the man she gives her heart and soul to, Belinda is living the good life. Happy reading!
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Author Links
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Excerpt
“There’s no need to challenge. If Devlin needs time, let’s give it to him.”
“He lied to you,” Mason blasted. “All this time he knew there was a threat and he said nothing. He knew why your connection to me was so sporadic and instead of easing your confusion, he continued with this masquerade.” Mason glared over my shoulder at Devlin. “Do you even understand what that did to her? Do you? She doubted herself. She doubted her wolf. She thought she was inferior, and all this time you knew why!” Stepping around me, Mason shoved his friend. “You knew! How could you watch her falling apart with uncertainty and say nothing?”
Daniel quickly moved, just in case Devlin retaliated. As much as my heart was breaking over being kept in the dark, watching the pain between the two of them killed me. What happened next would define their future relationship and, as a result, mine.
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February 25, 2014
Review: Chasing the Star Garden by Melanie Karsak
Anyone who has attended either of my book-release parties in the last six months already knows what I think of Melanie Karsak’s steampunk novel Chasing the Star Garden.
It ROCKS.
Here’s my original review from Goodreads:
Chasing the Star Garden is steampunk-y fun! I love Lily’s character–she’s damaged in some interesting and believable ways–and her relationships with the people around her are well developed. Also: what’s not to love about Byron as a love-interest?! This book is great!
I wrote that back in the fall. I had the distinct pleasure of reading Chasing the Star Garden while in London for a conference; what better place to read steampunk, after all? But I was a tiny bit concerned that the setting might have influenced my love for this book, so I re-read the novel for this blog tour.
I have decided that it might be even better the second time around.
Lily is a delightfully complex character. Byron is hot, hot, hot. The airship crew of the Stargazer is fun (I have a small book-crush on Angus). Sal is lovely (I have a big book-crush on him). And the pace of the story as Lily and her crew race across the skies of Europe is pitch-perfect. This has quickly become my very favorite steampunk series around. I can’t wait for the rest of the books!
Five sunset-sky-colored stars for Chasing the Star Garden.
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Be sure to enter to win an ebook copy of Chasing the Star Garden or a $10 gift card in the Rafflecopter giveaway
Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/YTQ1NWM3Zjk2MGMzZTg0ZThhYTIzYWJlNDcwMWUxOjI0/
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An opium-addicted beauty.
An infamous poet living in self-imposed exile.
An ancient treasure about to fall into the wrong hands.
Melanie Karsak’s Chasing the Star Garden takes readers on a thrilling adventure from the gritty opium dens of gaslamp London to the gem-colored waters of the ancient world. Lily Stargazer, a loveable but reckless airship racer with a famous lover and shattered past, reluctantly plunges into a centuries-old mystery in a steampunk romantic adventure best described as Dan Brown meets Mary Shelley.
It all begins on one of the worst days of Lily’s life. She just lost the London leg of the 1823 Airship Grand Prix. To top it off, a harlequin fleeing from constables shoved a kaleidoscope down her pants, told her to fly to Venice, then threw himself from her airship tower. What’s a girl to do? For Lily, the answer is easy: drink absinthe and smoke opium.
Lily’s lover, Lord Byron, encourages her to make the trip to Venice. Lily soon finds herself at the heart of an ancient mystery which has her running from her past and chasing true love and the stars along the way.
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About the Author
Melanie Karsak grew up in rural northwestern Pennsylvania where there wasn’t much to do but read books and go for hikes. Apparently, rambling around in the woods with a head full of fantasy worlds and characters will inspire you to become an author. Be warned. Melanie wrote her first novel, a gripping piece about a 1920s stage actress, when she was 12. A steampunk connoisseur, white elephant collector, and caffeine junkie, the author now lives in Florida with her husband and two children. She is an Instructor of English at Eastern Florida State College.
Follow Melanie:
Blog: http://melaniekarsak.blogspot.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MelanieKarsak
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorMelanieKarsak
Email: karsakmelanie@gmail.com
*This novel is intended for mature readers.
February 24, 2014
Spotlight On: Undertow by K.R. Conway
Undertow – PROMO Blitz
By K.R. Conway
Upper YA / NA Urban Paranormal Romance
Date Published: 10/13/2013
Seventeen-year-old Eila Walker’s new home has defied the brutal Atlantic for over 160 years. Abandoned since her 4th great grandmother Elizabeth vanished, the town legend declares that she drowned . . . or was struck by lightning.
Unbeknownst to the town and Eila, however, is that someone does know what really happened to Elizabeth, and he has returned, determined to protect the last surviving Walker from a history of violence.
But what starts out as a quest for redemption, evolves into something more and soon young guardian, Raef, is forced to reveal the truth to Eila. As hidden secrets about their warring families come to light, Eila begins to realize that she may be their best shot at survival, even if it means following in her grandmother’s fearless footsteps to save her killer bodyguard.
EXCERPT
We walked for a couple of minutes, and the pounding music faded to mere background tunes, gently complementing the fires that glowed softer with distance. We found a spot by the dunes near a large home that faced the water. The stretch of beach was probably private, considering the row of huge houses that sat among the tall grass, but I figured the owners would not care as long as we left Fergie and her musical crew farther down the beach.
Raef shook out the blanket and I helped smooth it wide, then sat down and slowly zipped off my boots so I could stick my toes in the cold sand. Raef sat down next to me and looked up at the stars.
He was right.
Away from the blaze of the fires, the stars were all the more brilliant. The massive moon continued to climb higher, causing the luminous pathway on the water to slowly stretch toward the horizon. I just smiled at the good fortune that granted me a chance to live here.
I glanced over at Raef and caught him looking at me. “Yes?” I asked, an odd combination of unease and desire flashing through my veins.
“I was just wondering what you were thinking about.”
“I was thinking how amazing this view is, and how unbelievable it is that I get to enjoy it because I live here,” I said, my nerves slowly calming. “It’s just incredible. I’m waiting to wake from this dream.”
I looked back at the stars and then leaned back onto the blanket so I could enjoy the broad view of space, “Perhaps I’m not really here. Maybe I’m in a coma somewhere and this is just my brain misfiring. I think that is more plausible, especially the way my luck normally runs.”
He leaned down next to me, propping himself on one elbow as he looked at me. “You are not in a coma.”
“Oh yeah? How do you know? Maybe you’re in a coma too. Maybe we had some tragic accident and now we’re both carrots in a hospital bed somewhere.”
He reached over to my arm and pinched me. I let out a yelp. “What the heck?”
“See? Not vegetables,” he said with a smile, then looked a bit more serious. “This is real. This is your life now.”
I looked at him, debating how to phrase what I was about to say, fearing his answer as well. “And your life? Is this your life as well, or is this temporary?”
He rolled over on his back to study the sky with me, “I think this is my life now as well. Kian and I are not planning on leaving anytime soon.”
I nearly sighed audibly in relief, but managed to control myself. We lay there, staring at the stars and watching the moonrise. Finally he spoke up, “You know, as a true native, you should know your constellations.”
I didn’t follow. “Why is that?”
“Well, Cape Cod is an ocean-going community. Your own grandparents were a big part of that as well. And, as such, knowing how to navigate by the heavens is part of being a native.”
“And I take it, as a brilliant boat-dweller, you know such things?”
“Heck yeah. Care to learn?”
“Go for it, but be forewarned – I am a slow study.”
“Then I guess it is a good thing we don’t have school tomorrow,” he laughed.
For the next hour, Raef explained the stars and the pictures they made in the sky. He told me about the stories of the gods they represented, and how to find your way based on the characters that rose in the universe nightly. I was pleased when I was able to find Sirius with his help.
“I am a true Cape Codder,” I said proudly, thanks to my limited, but accurate constellation identification. He was silent for a moment as he lay next to me and I turned to him.
He looked at me, eye to eye for a moment, then slowly sat up. “A true Cape Codder needs a badge of belonging,” he said as he looked back at me lying on the faded blanket. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a little velvet bag.
Intrigued, I sat up next to him and pulled my chilled feet under me. He reached out and took my hand, unfurling my fingers as he placed the soft bag in my palm.
“What’s this?” I asked, my heart pounding.
“A gift that says you belong to this area,” said Raef, watching me.
I swallowed and slowly untied the black string, tipping the bag upside down into my other hand. A beautiful silver bangle bracelet with a glistening ball in the center slid out into my hand. The ball had a thousand little facets cut into it, making it pulse with moonlight.
“It’s . . . beautiful,” I said, breathless and stunned.
He picked it up and untwisted the ball, causing the bracelet to spring open slightly. He took my other arm and slid the bracelet onto my wrist, then tightened the ball down again to link the hoop together. He turned it slightly so the ball faced the moon, twinkling.
“This is made here. Most locals have one and it’s distinctive to Cape Cod. I wanted you to have one, so that whenever you felt like you didn’t belong, you could look at it and remember that someone says differently.”
I sat there, turning my wrist slightly, watching it shine like the moonlit path on the water. I looked up at Raef, who was watching me with a serious look on his face that I found unsettling and impossible to read.
“Thank you,” I said, trying to understand what this gift from him meant. Was it just a gift of friendship, or something more?
I was about to ask where I stood with him, when the jovial voice of Jesse broke our silence.
“Well HELLO. What are you two doing way out here. In the dark. ALL ALONE,” asked Jesse, a huge smile on his face, directed at me. I may just murder him if he embarrassed me. All I could think of was the way he had watched me check out Raef our first day of school.
Raef got to his feet. He reached down and took my hand, pulling me to mine. “Ana has the music a bit too deafening for my taste,” said Raef with a brief smile.
“Plus we wanted to see the stars better,” I blurted out. Jesse gave me a look that screamed he didn’t believe I had been stargazing. As if to prove I wasn’t lying, I pointed skyward without looking up. “Cepheus. Right above us.”
“Sure,” said Jesse, the smile still on his face. He turned to Raef, “Since you’re out here, can you help me grab a few cases of beer from my house?”
Raef looked at me, as if seeking permission, and Jesse’s smile got even more irritatingly huge. “Go ahead. I’ll just hang out here and wait for you,” I said, sliding Jesse a look of death.
“You sure?” asked Raef.
“Yeah,” I said, nodding toward the house. Raef’s fingertips gently touched mine, but so surreptitiously that Jesse didn’t see. The sensation, so simple, gave me a rush of heat.
K.R. Conway
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Spotlight: Ungifted, by Kelly Oram
Title: Ungifted
Author: Kelly Oram
Genre: YA paranormal/fantasy
Series: Supernaturals #2 (companion)
Expected Publication: March 2014
Even though her father is running for President of the United States, Grace St. Claire is as normal a girl as they come. She’s clumsy, shy, and an outcast among her peers. She even manages to nearly die in a freak accident in front of the entire school. But when Grace survives a vampire attack she quickly learns that she is anything but ordinary.
There’s something about human Grace that has all the supernaturals around her going crazy. Her best friend’s brother suddenly wants to date her. Her worst enemy has sworn to protect her even against her wishes. Someone with very powerful magic wants her dead, and the vampire that attacked her has developed an obsession with making her his eternal mate.
In order to survive—and not as Count Dracula’s undead bride—Grace dives head first into the terrifying world of the supernatural. She teams up with a charming but mysterious warlock who strolled into town causing trouble and spouting stories of a Prophesy and Chosen One that looks exactly like Grace. Together they must figure out why Grace is different, who wants her dead, how she’s connected to the Chosen One, and who they can really trust.
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TOUR SCHEDULE
February 25th
Nocturnal Predators Reviews (www.nocturnalpredatorsreviews.blogspot.com) – Review
Musings of Immortals (http://readers2212.blogspot.in/) – Teaser
Coffee & Books & Art (http://sarityahalomi.blogspot.com/) – Review
February 26th
Literary Winner (http://literarywinner.com) – Excerpt
She Dreams in Fiction (http://www.shedreamsinfiction.com) – Review
February 27th
Up All Night Book Blog (http://upallnightbookblog.com) – Review
Avid Reader Musings (http://www.avidreadermusings.com) – Top Ten
February 28th
Once Upon a YA Book (http://onceuponayabook.blogspot.com) – Review
Mythical Books (http://mythicalbooks.blogspot.ro/) – Guest Post
March 3rd
Works of Fictionhttp://bkwrm29.wordpress.com) – Review
Star Shadow Blog (http://www.starshadowblog.com) – Guest Post
March 4th
Paulette’s Papers (http://paulettespapers.com/) – Review
A Life Bound By Books (http://alifeboundbybooks.blogspot.com/) – Review
March 5th
Dalene’s Book Reviews (http://dalenesbookreviews.blogspot.com/) – Review
Fade Into Fantasy (http://fadeintofantasy.com) – Excerpt
March 6th
Reading Bliss (http://ashleysreadingbliss.blogspot.com) – Review
Skye Malone’s Blog (http://www.skyemalone.com) – Excerpt
March 7th
Book Bliss (http://lbookbliss.com) – Review
Deal Sharing Aunt (www.dealsharingaunt.blogspot.com) – Teaser
March 10th
Lovely Reads (http://serenityslovelyreads.blogspot.com/) – Review
Addicted Readers (http://addictreaders.blogspot.com/) – Top Ten
Books are Love (http://hello-booklover.tumblr.com.) – Review
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ABOUT KELLY
Kelly Oram wrote her first novel at age fifteen–a fan fiction about her favorite music group, The Backstreet Boys, for which family and friends still tease her. She’s obsessed with reading, talks way too much, and loves to eat frosting by the spoonful. She lives outside of Phoenix, Arizona with her husband and four children.
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Giveaway
February 23, 2014
Writing Process Blog Hop
Hi, everyone! Today I’m participating in Elsie Elmore’s blog hop! See my responses to the Writing Process Blog Hop questions below, then read on to find out a little more about last week’s author, next week’s author, and the blog hop host.
My Writing Process
What are you working on?
Right now, I’m in the process of editing a contemporary romance novella that will come out with Entangled Publishing. I’m also working on sequels to Waking Up Dead, Legally Undead, and Fairy, Texas.
How does your work differ from others in its genre?
Most of my novels are paranormal mysteries, and they tend to focus pretty heavily on the “mystery” aspect of that genre. But I think that the main thing that sets them apart are the narrators—I tend to write strong women who are dropped into unusual situations and then forced to deal with issues they might prefer to ignore.
Why do you write what you do?
I read tons of urban fantasy and love just about any kind of fiction with a paranormal element; there was never any doubt that what I wrote would have a supernatural slant. But I didn’t know that Waking Up Dead was going to be a mystery until I had written the first few chapters—I tend to start with a character and then see what happens. The same was true of both Legally Undead and Fairy, Texas—the characters’ voices showed up in my head, so I wrote about them!
How does your writing process work?
I have an office that I use for all my work: academic writing, fiction writing, editing, and online teaching. My desk is against a window so I can see outside. I’m surrounded by books and papers. I write directly on my laptop, but when I get stuck, I sometimes switch to handwriting; this seems to shift my brain onto a different track and helps me get over writer’s block. I write something every day, whether it’s academic writing, fiction, or my blog.
But the single biggest thing that I do to write? It’s narrating. I have an internal monologue—and sometimes dialogue—going on all the time. I think in words; when I have a mental picture, I practice translating it into words in my mind. I tell myself stories and I work out plot lines and I figure out arguments to make about literature. I think about the words to use to explain writing to my classes and I practice describing my surroundings. I think in my characters’ voices and in my own voice. When I get blocked, I go for a walk and let my characters take over for a while until I have another scene.
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Check out the next writer in the hop, Melanie Karsak, starting on 3/2.
http://melaniekarsak.blogspot.com/
Melanie Karsak grew up in rural northwestern Pennsylvania where there wasn’t much to do but read books and go for hikes. She wrote her first novel, a gripping piece about a 1920s stage actress, when she was 12. Today, Melanie, a steampunk connoisseur, white elephant collector, and caffeine junkie, lives in Florida with her husband and two children. She is an Instructor of English at Eastern Florida State College.
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Melanie-Karsak/e/B009DKGKQG/
Blog: http://melaniekarsak.blogspot.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MelanieKarsak
Email: melanie@clockpunkpress.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorMelanieKarsak
Authorgraph: http://www.authorgraph.com/authors/MelanieKarsak
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/melaniekarsak/
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6539577.Melanie_Karsak
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And don’t forget to check out the previous blog hop entry, here on Jamie Ayres’ blog: http://jamieayres.com/2014/02/18/18-truths-blog-tour-wrap-up-my-writing-process-and-shattered-secrets/
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Finally, here’s a bit about Elsie:
Outside the city limits on a small patch of land in North Carolina, Elsie lives with her husband, two kids, and two dogs. She’s a science nerd with creative tendencies. And the stories she writes come to her from life’s experiences after her mind has warped them almost beyond recognition. Her first YA PNr, The Undead, is due out this year from Curiosity Quills.
http://elsieelmore.com/2014/02/10/sharing-the-writing-process/comment-page-1/
Spotlight On: Earthwalker by Kellie Wallace
Earthwalker – PROMO Blitz
By Kellie Wallace
Urban Fantasy
Date Published: 1/29/2014
Noah is an angel whose job relies on collecting human souls who aren’t ready to leave their vessels. To his brothers Michael and Gabriel, he is just another rookie, earning his arch angel wings. When Noah catches an earth bound demon in his form stealing a soul, he is sent back to Heaven to plead his case. But no one believes him. He is banished from heaven for a crime he didn’t commit, given one year on earth to find the demon responsible for his framing. If he fails to do so, he will be dragged to hell for eternity.
On his first day on earth he meets publishing assistant Fern Holliday who helps him get back on his feet. She is reluctant in getting close to him, but agrees to help Noah find the demon. By following the signs Michael sends him, Noah and Fern travel the world in search of the demon. They grow closer every day until Fern is struck down by a mystery illness. Noah is at loss at what to do as her condition worsens. Before the year is up and he returns to heaven empty handed the demon appears agreeing to be taken back, only if Noah takes Fern’s soul to Lucifer. Will he follow the strict rules of heaven or succumb to his heart? Meanwhile Lucifer’s army is growing stronger.
EXCERPT
Noah entered the hospital foyer and shivered, his wet woollen coat dripping water onto the laminate floor. Around him people moaned, writhing in pain or comforted loved ones. He always hated coming to hospitals, the trip often leaving a bitter taste in his mouth.
A young nurse engrossed in her paperwork passed him unaware of his stained clothes, wet from the rain. He must have stunk, having spent most of the night shivering in an alleyway, gaining the courage to come inside the building. He gazed at the nurses behind the reception desk taking calls and admitting new patients. They wouldn’t notice if he snuck down the hall to Room 205.
He inadvertently lifted a hand to caress his left shoulder, branded with a handprint of an archangel. It stung tonight meaning his next soul was nearby. He remembered the night he’d gotten the brand, lying on his bathroom tiles dying of a heroin overdose in 1965. He didn’t see who’d grabbed him from near death but he did remember their grip on his shoulder, their fingers boiling his skin like plastic. His soul, ripped from his body, pulled through the ceiling and into the stars. He woke up days later, hovering over a dead body. He didn’t recognise them, or how they died but somehow he knew what to do. He rested his hand upon their shoulder and was temporarily impaired by a bright light. It was gone as quickly as it came, leaving behind a feeling of euphoria. Whatever he had done felt right. A baby’s cry snapped Noah back to reality, back to the dripping coat and the chill in his bones. The smell of the hospital nauseated him. He tapped his notepad against his chest and remembered the job he had to do. He wandered down the hall passing the dead or dying in their hospital beds. They were not his tonight.
When he approached Room 205, he fished in his pocket and withdrew his leather-bound notepad. Embossed in gold was the name of his next soul. Damien Jacobs. According to Noah’s Intel from Heaven, the man had terminal cancer, dead for at least an hour. But his soul was still affixed to the hospital, not ready to leave Earth.
Noah pressed a hand against the door and searched the halls. A nurse ducked into a room nearby, a patient hung by the cafeteria. No one paid him any attention, so he turned invisible, sucking energy from the objects around him. Reaping souls took stamina and energy, draining him quickly. He had a short window of time before he materialised again.
Noah stepped into the room and paused to listen to the sound of weeping. Damien lay dead in his bed, tubes still attached to his lifeless body. After all these years as an angel, he could never forget the colour of the human skin once a soul left the body. The fragile area around Damien’s eyes appeared transparent and elastic. His family sat around him, hunched over, each gripping onto a piece of his blanket, desperate to capture his soul before it left his body. Noah saw movement in the corner of his eye. Damien stood beside him in a white hospital robe, his face blank and deadpan. “Am I dead?”
Noah froze, knowing his answer could change Damien’s fragile frame of mind. When a soul is fresh from the body, there was no telling whether they would be agitated or bitter about their death. It all came down to the first interaction. An angel must treat them as though they were still alive, human.
He took a steady step towards Damien, his hand out stretched. “I am afraid it is true. But you must come with me now,” he said gently.
Kellie Wallace
Born in Sydney, Australia Kellie Wallace developed a love for the written word early in life, recalling her earliest memory when she was three years old. Her father used to read to her when she was a child, establishing a deep love and respect for books. Kellie wrote a bit in high school, most memorably her first fantasy book called Giblin the Conquer, an X Files fan fiction and a military fiction. She didn’t write another word until 2007.After finishing high school, Kellie moved to the sunny Northern Beaches from the Central Coast and carved a successful career in the media/advertising industry writing for numerous Sydney based publications.
An aspiring novelist, Kellie fulfilled a dream in 2008 having her first book All She Ever Wanted published by Zeus Publications at the age of 22 years old.
In 2013, Kellie released her next catalogue of books Darkness before Dawn, Skylark. In her spare time she loves to write, game and draw. Her first crime fiction novel To lean of falling men will be out in 2014, along with EarthWalker and dystopian Edge of Tomorrow.
Authors Links
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr
Buy Link
Amazon
Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway
This Blitz is brought to to you by Reading Addiction Book Tours
Sneak Peek Sunday Blog Hop
Welcome to the Sneak Peek Sunday Blog Hop, where you can take a look at new and forthcoming works from romance novelists.
Check out my excerpt from my YA Paranormal Mystery/Romance, Fairy, Texas below, then HOP for some other great excerpts!
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Excerpt
I was partnered with Mason Collier, the infamous football-playing, cute, but possibly black-magicky friend-of-Bartlef I’d heard about at lunch. I looked around and saw a guy waving at me from across the room. He was looking at me kind of like he was hungry and maybe I was breakfast. It worried me.
Still, at least I hadn’t been paired up with Kayla. It could have been much worse.
“Okay,” Carlson said. “Go ahead and meet with your partner and plan your strategy.”
Mason and I stood up at the same time and walked toward each other. I was so busy making sure I didn’t trip over any desks that I didn’t see Kayla headed toward me until she was right in front of me. And then she leaned in close to my face and hissed at me. “Don’t get too cozy. He’s way out of your league.”
I rolled my eyes and moved around her without responding. Three days. Three days I’d been in Fairy, and already I had an enemy. And I lived in her house. My life kept getting better and better.
Mason and I met in the middle of the room. Kayla and her friends huddled nearby, watching us.
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For more romance novel excerpts, check out Sneak Peek Sunday: http://sneak-peek-sunday.blogspot.com/
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Blurb
Fairy, Texas. A small town like any other.
Laney Harris didn’t want to live there. 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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Buy Fairy, Texas
E-Book:
Amazon (Kindle): http://www.amazon.com/Fairy-Texas-Margo-Bond-Collins-ebook/dp/B00I7BTMJ4/
Paperback:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Fairy-Texas-Margo-Bond-Collins/dp/1495419800/
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fairy-texas-margo-bond-collins/1118584512
Books a Million: http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Fairy-Texas/Margo-Bond-Collins/9781495419805
Book Depository: http://www.bookdepository.com/Fairy-Texas-Margo-Bond-Collins/9781495419805
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Connect with Margo
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/margobondcollins
Email: MargoBondCollins@gmail.com
Website: 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
Tumblr: http://vampirarchybooks.tumblr.com/
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/mbondcollins/
Manic Readers: http://www.manicreaders.com/MargoBondCollins/
Be sure to add Fairy, Texas to your Goodreads bookshelves: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19502285-fairy-texas
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