Madhuri Pavamani's Blog, page 40

Shonda Brock’s ETERNAL TRACES Cover Reveal and Giveaway

My very first interview when I was just getting my writing out the door and THE GIRL into people’s hands was with Shonda Brock, author of the paranormal romance Eternal Traces, for her eponymous blog, Shonda Brock. I had never done an interview before and Shonda was nice enough to show me the ropes, put my stuff out there for the world to see and gently introduce me to this Indie Author ballgame.

For her warmth and kindness, I am forever grateful, so when the opportunity arose to return the favor, I happily agreed and here we are today.

Shonda is releasing a new edition of Eternal Traces this Friday the 13th, with a hot new cover and a couple of giveaways to boot.

What is Eternal Traces, you say.

Well, here you go. Let me give you the scoop:

Talented cardiologist Meryt Brownstone doesn’t have the luxury of getting involved with people. When she’s not in the lab pursuing her experimental work with synthetic blood, she’s involved with a man: first name Uncle, last name Sam. As an ex-military officer who still works as an undercover mercenary for the U.S. government, this means personal drama is something Meryt can do without, and living under the radar is de rigueur.

But the solitude of her carefully orchestrated life is broken when Dr. Rene Daniels mysteriously appears. Drawn to her blood research, he joins her in the laboratory. Meryt finds herself attracted against her better judgment and is mesmerized by his smart-aleck charm and his piercing blue eyes.

Meryt’s plan to avoid personal drama flies out the window as she battles her feelings and her better judgment. Love may be within her reach, but she is perplexed by Rene’s odd behavior. Meryt isn’t the only one with secrets and hidden agendas.

When she is called to duty on a secret mission in Sudan, the adventure begins. Old secrets as well as lost ones come to light. Soon Meryt is catapulted down a mysterious path—a bloody path she may have traveled before.

As Meryt is caught in a race against time and unknown enemies, her world is turned upside down when she uncovers parallels between her life and that of ancient Nubian Queen Nitocris, who fought for her homeland and for a man she loved.

If Meryt can’t figure out her true mission and its relationship to ancient Egypt quickly, she will be doomed to relive the same bloody ending.

Intrigued? Yes, I know you are. But it gets better. Check out her new cover:

Very hot and sexy, just like Shonda and her writing. So make sure to check Amazon this Friday, grab your copy of this sensual paranormal tale, and get lost for a bit in Meryt’s mysterious world of intrigue and romance.

And while you’re at it, enter Shonda’s giveaway to win a copy of Eternal Traces and a $20 Starbucks gift card. You can just click right here for your chance to win.

HOLLA!

For more information about Shonda, you can check out her blog Shonda Brock or just keep reading (see? I make everything so freaking easy for you).

I am a southern by blood and a northern in my heart.

I graduated from Bethune-Cookman College with a degree in Business Administration. Upon graduation, I immediately went into the United States Army.

After my time spent with Uncle Sam, I started a new career in medical sales. From there, I found a man who introduced me to red wine and what can I say, other than I had to marry him for that. We have four beautiful children and two large drooling dogs.

I find freedom from the chaos in writing. In writing, I can step into another world. No Passports are required, no meetings to schedule and definitely no expiration dates on the label. I can step into a world of  ‘What If’s.

With the help of a lovely lady named Christa Wojciechowski at Webbella.com. I run a website and I try to release at least one fresh new blog a month.  When I’m not creating blogs, I’m finishing the final touches to the next installment of Eternal Traces.

What more can I say? And what more can I ask?

Please Stay Inspired…

 

Meet My Main Character Blog Tour

I was reading Stella Tarakson’s blog today about how she’s participating in the “Meet My Main Character Blog Tour”, how another author tagged her to join the tour, what an amazing opportunity it was to discuss her own character and learn more about others, so on and so forth.

Needless to say, the concept got me all excited and before I knew what I was doing, I reached out to Stella and TOTALLY invited myself to join the tour. I didn’t wait to get tagged or anything. I just messaged Stella and was like “can I partake in all the fun”?

Blunt as shit. There is no shame in my game.

Poor Stella. She’s never crashed into my enthusiasm before today.

But she’s gracious and sweet and writes about a cool kid named Mike with spikey hair who needs hats that don’t smoosh said spikey hair and told me to come on over and join the tour.

So here I am, with Stella’s blessing, inviting myself to join the Meet My Main Character blog tour. It’s organized around seven questions, allowing us to discuss in a bit more detail our main character and why we love them. Stella already talked about Mike from her book Mike the Spike, so now it’s my turn.

 

1 What is the name of your main character? Is he or she fictional or a historic person?

My main character in The Sanctum Trilogy is a half-angel, half-demon hybrid named Dev. She was created by her parents, two incredibly powerful wizards, in hopes to engender a better day for Magicals and humans alike. She is also very obviously fictional, although to me she’s incredibly real and near and dear to my heart.

2. When and where is the story set?

The books in The Sanctum Trilogy take place in the present-day, in places all over the world, as well as in different realms of reality.

The Sanctum is made up of ten Academies located in cities around the world, such as London, New York, Los Angeles, Mumbai, and Buenos Aires, each headed by descendants of the ten founding families. Warriors for The Sanctum, tasked with missions concerning Magicals, often travel all over the world via portal to complete their tasks.

3. What should we know about her?

Dev is half-angel, half-demon and all badass. She is more powerful than any Magical, smarter than any Sanctum, faster than a vampire, stronger than a werewolf, more cunning than a faery and above all, immortal. Her parents, Maya and Philip, were murdered by Sanctum Warriors and Dev has every intention of killing each and every Sanctum who crosses her path until she finds their killers.

Little does she know her fate is intertwined with one of these same Sanctum Warriors she intends to kill.

It’s also worth noting that for all Dev’s strength and capability and general badassery, she really just seeks a calm, safe place, a soothing stillness, a moment to laugh without having to look over her shoulder, a chance to love without fear.

4. What is the main conflict? What messes up her life?

This is interesting because Dev herself is the conflict. According to The Sanctum’s Book of Prophecy, whenever a rare hybrid demon is created, it must be hunted down and killed right away because one such demon is destined to destroy The Sanctum.

The discovery of Dev’s existence sets in motion the act that changes her life: the murder of her family by warriors for The Sanctum. From that point on, her fate is tied to and complicated by The Sanctum in ways she could have never imagined.

5. What is her personal goal?

When we first meet Dev, all she desires is to hunt down her family’s killers and ensure their deaths at her hand. Along the way, she meets Wyatt, a warrior for The Sanctum, and although her goal never changes, her underlying reasons for effecting it are tested, tried and eventually reshaped.

6.  Is there a working title for this novel, and can we read more about it?

There is and it’s called Book One: THE GIRL and it’s perfectly suited to all fans of fantasy or paranormal fiction. It’s been described as “outstanding, original, complex, deep and intoxicating”, a “well written, unique…fast-paced read” that begins as one girl’s simple quest for revenge and evolves into a complicated tale of trust, friendship, honor and love.

The story surges forward with Book Two: THE BOY, “another masterpiece in The Sanctum trilogy”, certain to “keep you up all night reading.” Can you cross the plains of death, collect every piece of your soul and make it back to the land of the living? And if you complete the journey, will your loved ones welcome your return?

7. When can we expect the books to be published?

The Girl was published last November and The Boy was published just last month. They are both available in paperback and on Kindle at Amazon.

And now it’s my turn to pass on the favour!

To begin, I have to include one of the first people to review THE GIRL and interview me, someone who has now become my friend, and who writes some kick ass books, Miss Kayti Nika Raet, she of the blog KNR Writes.

Kevin Singer is a local Jersey City writer who I had the pleasure of meeting at a book club I attended for THE GIRL. He’s an excellent writer, has published several books and can be often found blogging at Read By Kevin.

Lilo Abernathy is the author of The Light Who Shines and just generally awesome and warm and supportive. Check her blog at Lilo Illuminates.

Joy Simpson is blogging her journey to becoming a published author at It’s Joy’s World. You should check her out – she’s a trip.

Christa Wojciechowski has a beautiful way with words, which is on full display at her lovely blog, My Sweet Delirium.

You guys are up next…HOLLA!

Divine Inspiration

mblaylock4:

I’ve loved this statue since Christa first posted it on her blog. It’s so very sexy. Everything about the woman depicted is sensual. He’s a bit scary, but I always find him to be somewhat of an afterthought as my eyes are always drawn to her.

The story of the statue is that desires should not be repressed, but rather woven into our lives as a means of transcending them.

What do you think? Repress or embrace our desires?

Originally posted on My Sweet Delirium:

What do you think is the story behind this piece?

I was delighted to find this provocative statue lurking in the trees in the Malecon, Guayaquil, Ecuador. I think it’s a sign from The Muses that it’s time to work on The Sculptor of New Hope. I can’t wait to get home and write the last book of the series!

 

P.S. Ecuador was amazing. I could write three articles about the cuisine alone! Stay tuned for a foodie post.

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My Worst Trait Seems to be Quite Prevalent As of Late

My name is Madhuri Blaylock and I am a procrastinator.

[most of the time, this is my motto.  were I to tattoo this on my body, I don't think anyone would bat an eyelash]

I have probably always been a procrastinator but the trait became quite noticeable in college when one could almost always find me in the suite of my kitchen in 600 with my roommate, Sarah, our friend Jana, and sometimes joining our trio, Liz and Eunice, chain smoking Marlboro reds (because we were cool like that), drinking pots of black coffee (because we’re Barnard women and we love everything black) and doing the New York Times crossword puzzle instead of sitting in class, listening to our professors’ lectures, taking notes and preparing for exams. I consistently waited until the last minute to get my shit together.

I did the same thing in law school, which can get kind of interesting when you’re drafting a one hundred and fifty page note for your school’s Journal of Law and Policy, have waited until the last minute to complete it, only to have your computer crash and lose your work.

Procrastination is ugly, people.

And I seem to be in the midst of a horrible case of it right now as I am finding anything else to do but write Book III: The Prophecy.

Which is not because I don’t know how to start it or how it ends, I know both. I’ve already started it and I knew how it would end before this whole thing even began. I even know a lot of the middle, although if I’m being really honest, most of the middle will write itself as it happens, but the ideas are there, the story lines are already plotted.

So what gives?

I’m thinking it’s probably a case of being a little sad about saying goodbye to Wyatt, Dev and the crew, so putting off the inevitable as long as I possibly can.

Instead, since May 15th when I released The Boy and should have started working on The Prophecy, I have been blogging about random shit, reading other people’s books, engaging in Twitter conversations with friends and sometimes even my favorite authors (Laini freaking Taylor, bitches!)  or hot-as-shit actors (HOLLA, Michael Kelly aka Doug Stamper aka Badass) , starting blog tours, and generally wasting time online (which probably isn’t really wasting time since I’m always promoting The Girl and The Boy, but still. Come on, Madhuri. Get writing already).

I could go on, but you get my drift. I am in full-on avoid mode.

But today I must admit, I’m starting to get that itch. That feeling in the pit of my stomach. That little something, calling me back to my manuscript and chapter three, which is just sitting there, all blank and lonely, longing for me to draft just a few paragraphs, a few sentences even.

Oh shit.

I just remembered what happens in chapter three and how much I so do NOT want to go there.

Hmmmm.

Maybe I’ll go check out Borough Press’s #bookaday campaign after all…

Book Review: The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

I bought John Green’s The Fault In Our Stars back in 2012, but at the time was caught up in all things George RR Martin and the world of Game of Thrones, so TFIOS remained untouched on my bookshelf.

Until this morning.

I don’t know what made me grab it and finally start reading it – I have a feeling it had a little to do with Shailene, who plays Hazel in the movie version of TFIOS, and how charming I find her – but whatever the reason, I opened it this morning, entered the world of Augustus and Hazel’s epic, so very tragic love, and finished it this evening.

And that was all because of Hazel. I love her. Like really love. Like I needed to know her story and how it ended right then and there. So I read and I cried (but early in the book, not at the end) and I read some more and got my fill of Hazel.

And she rocks. Hard.

Not in an aggressive, in-your-face kind of way, but in a very wise, unsuspecting, confident manner. She sneaks up on you and steals your heart before you knew it was even hers to take.

There is a moment in the book when Augustus’ father tells her that he “thanks god for her everyday” and that’s pretty much how I feel about her – she’s fabulous and I’m so pleased to have made her acquaintance.

Check my review on Goodreads – I’m not kidding, I really love Hazel:

Read this book for no other reason than Hazel. Her voice is so witty and smart, poignant and true. Everyone loves Augustus, and what’s not to love, but my unwavering affection lies with Hazel. She drew me into this book and kept me turning the pages, even when I felt the strength of the storyline faltered. Her voice will stay in my head long after I have closed the cover and replaced it on my shelves and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

 

So if you’re a fan of YA (which, according to Slate, if you’re an adult and read YA, you’ve got some fucking issues) (to which I give Slate my lovely middle finger), then pick up this little gem and lose yourself for an afternoon.

It’s totally worth it.

Thursday Thoughts

FNL

Friday Night Lights.

For the uninitiated, you will never understand. For the rest of us, there’s really nothing more to say but this:

*     *     *     *     *

It’s that time of year when the basketball season is winding down and the finals are on so there’s only a game every seven days (so annoying), baseball season is still too fresh to hold my interest and television really offers nothing worthwhile besides GoT and Veep.

Basically, there’s nothing to watch.

Which is good and bad. Good because I can focus solely on writing Book III but bad because there’s nothing to even have playing in the background while I’m writing and instead, I’m forced to listen to Henry repeatedly channel-surf or listen to the talking heads on CNN. Neither option is particularly appealing.

Add to this year’s malaise the fact that I just watched Taylor Kitsch kick ass, blonde locks and all, in HBO’s The Normal Heart (have you seen it? You must because it’s fabulous in all of its brutal heartbreak and gut-wrenching outrage) and you have one girl reveling in her annual fit of longing for some Friday Night Lights.

And I’m not even a football junkie.

Which is truly the beauty of the Friday Night Lights.

For all of its “Clear eyes, Full hearts, Can’t lose” pep talks and touchdowns, FNL was always about more than football. It was Coach and Tami’s very real marriage, Tyra’s evolution, Riggins’ quiet sacrifices, Saracen’s escape, Smash’s smile, Jesse’s determination, Vince’s desire to be better, and I could go on and on because the show, over the years, was chock full of wonderful characters. Folks who stayed with you long after the television was turned off, stories that resonated well past bedtime.

It’s the reason why I’ve binge-watched the series at least four times, if not more. Everything about it is perfect (except for that strange detour they took in season II, you know the one I’m talking about, with Landry and Tyra and the murder) (Lyla kind of grates my nerves, too), the characters, the dialogue, the way Peter Berg shot the series.

It’s television at its finest and I miss it. Just saying.

Texas Forever.

I Pledge Allegiance

The other day on my walk home, Poison came on my playlist. You know the song: duh-duh-duh-duh, duh duh-duh, duh duh…girl, I must warn you. Bel Biv Devoe. General early 90s awesomeness.

I had a dream and Poison was in it and I convinced myself that the lyrics “big butt and smile” are, in fact, “big button smile” which is ludicrous, I know, but in my dream, I googled the lyrics and the result was “big button smile”. And my dream was so real that I started to question my original knowledge of the song.

So of course, I did what anyone would do when they want a quick answer to something- I posed it to my Facebook family, who got a good laugh and repeatedly corrected me while laughing at me.

Seriously, a “big button smile”? you ask.

But honestly, I’ve done worse. My favorite phrase fuck up: Richard Stands.

Who is Richard Stands? you ask. Let me tell you what I know about him. He was somebody pretty fucking for real and awesome because for years, I stood up every morning after my teacher took roll, placed my little, brown hand over my heart, looked at the United States flag and with youthful sincerity, pledged my allegiance to Mr. Richard Stands.

Every day for years.

I was so confident in myself and my inability to be wrong about something so basic as The Pledge that when I once happened to glance at the words of The Pledge printed on the top of my pencil box (remember those, old folks?) and noticed there was no mention of one Richard Stands, I assumed that to be a mistake of my pencil box makers, not myself.

I pledged to Richard Stands until 10th grade.

Oh yeah. That’s how big an asshole I was. Until 10th fucking grade I said that shit.

Needless to say, when I finally read the words, I was seriously disappointed that Mr. Stands was nowhere to be found and means nothing to the well-being of the republic.

Anyway, this all leads back to the other day’s contemplation of “big button smile” and you now see why it makes perfect sense for me to come up with that phrase and then convince myself it’s correct. That’s how I get down.

HOLLA, all you big button smile bitches.

City of Please-Make-Me-Forget-That-Horrible-Movie, Part II

I finished “reading” City of Heavenly Fire last night.

And by reading, I mean searching the book for every mention of “Zachariah”, for he is the only character that really matters to me anymore, reading those passages and skipping everything else.

As a lover of books and the written word, this behavior is sinful, blasphemous, profane and when that day comes for me to stand before the literary gods, they will probably hold this exercise in skimming against me.

And that’s when the lawyer in me will rise up and defend myself, reminding the literary gods of the similar blasphemous acts of Hollywood and Ms. Clare, when they came together in an unholy union to produce that piece of shit film that has forever burned my eyeballs and seared itself into my visual memory banks, The Mortal Instruments.

And the gods will sit back and say, “Ah, yes. That movie was a piece of shit.” and they will let me go on my merry way, for my crime of skimming The City of Heavenly Fire pales in comparison to the crime committed when putting together The Mortal Instruments.

So yeah, that’s what happened last night around one in the morning. I searched for Jem, found him, and kept it moving until I reached the end. And no, I cannot review the book for my blog, but I got enough out of it to know what happened, how the series was put to rest.

And at least now I’m free from thinking about the boy from Twilight and the girl with the enviable eye brows.

Dropping the Mike, Emoji Style

The other night I was chatting with some girlfriends online and a conversation that began about waxing quickly spiraled into an emoji fest.

It’s probably my fault.

An emoji for me creates almost a Pavlov’s Dog type of reaction – I simply cannot reply to an emoji with words. Uh-uh. Not happening. Once one emoji enters the conversation, the gauntlet has been dropped and it’s all out emoji war. Words mean nothing. All that matters is the emoji.

So the other night, Jess and Bekah were going hard, tossing out some great ones, Jess sending me every emoji available for use on Facebook, which I must admit, practically absorbed all of my attention. I was about to let it go at that and admit that they were the emoji queens and I was a mere plebian in their midst.

And then I hit them with this shit.

Can we just say drop the mike?

HOLLA.