Merrie Destefano's Blog, page 2

Supernatural Underground Halloween Giveaway

On All Hallows Eve, the sky darkens, the wind blows, and everyone dons costumes, a futile attempt to disguise themselves from the supernatural creatures that are allowed to prowl the streets, one night a year. Ghosts, werewolves, vampires, shape shifters, mermaids and Selkies—these are the sort of creatures that make the rest of the world tremble. But here, well, that’s a different story.

Here, we invite the monsters inside. We open the door willingly. Monsters and ghosts and shape shifters get the best seat at our table. We sit, rapt, as they tell us their Halloween Tale of Woe. We lean forward, eager to find out what happens next.

Their stories are like candy to us.

And isn’t that what everyone freely gives away on Halloween—handfuls of delicious candy? That’s what we’re doing, right here, right now. The authors at Supernatural Underground are giving away candy this month.

We’re giving away a Supernatural Underground Halloween Book Prize Pack, filled with 24 books, all written by Supernatural Underground authors. All you have to do is fill out the Rafflecopter at the bottom of the page.

The list of amazing books in this giveaway is below.

PLEASE NOTE: Some of these books are e-books, so the winner should have access to an e-reader.

THE SUPERNATURAL UNDERGROUND HALLOWEEN BOOK PRIZE PACK:

The Body Finder and swag by Kimberly Derting

Nightspell by Leah Cypess

Ascension by Sable Grace

Afterlife + Fathom (e-book) by Merrie Destefano

A Blood Seduction by Pamela Palmer

Wrong Side of Hell + To Hell And Back (both e-books) by Juliana Stone

The Heir of Night, US edition by Helen Lowe

Dream of Asarlai trilogy (Secret Ones, Power Unbound, Rogue Gadda) in e-book by Nicole Murphy

Night Forbidden by Joss Ware

Angel's Ink by Jocelynn Drake

A Devil Named Desire by Terri Garey

Tatsania's Gift (e-book) by Kim Falconer

Darkness Becomes Her by Jaime Rush

Last Vamp Standing by Kristin Miller

Diamond Eyes by AA Bell

Wanted: Undead or Alive by Kerrelyn Sparks

One Grave at a Time + Once Burned by Jeaniene Frost

Diaries of an Urban Panther by Amanda Arista

Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon

Just fill out the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win. Open internationally. Contest begins October 10 and ends October 31. Winner will be announced on November 1.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

25 Books to read when the winds howl and you’re home alone

Halloween is almost here and with it comes a desire to read books filled with spooky, otherworldly elements. I put together a list of my favorites, including some vampires and fairies and shape shifters, as well as other wonderfully creepy creatures. These are all books I’ve read and loved.

My list of recommended Halloween reading (and yes, some of my own books are on this list):

MONSTERS WITH A TWIST:
iDrakula by Bekka Black
iFrankestein by Bekka Black
Mr. Shivers by Robert Jackson Bennett
Dark Harvest by Norman Partridge

SHAPE SHIFTERS:
Feast by Merrie Destefano

THE APOCALYPSE:
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
The Plague Carrier by Merrie Destefano
Tomorrow, When the World Began by John Marsden
Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts
How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

FAIRIES:
Ironskin by Tina Connolly
The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff
Don’t Breathe a Word by Jennifer McMahon
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

SELKIES/MERMAIDS:
Fathom by Merrie Destefano

SERIAL KILLERS:
Ten by Gretchen McNeil
Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

VAMPIRES:
The Strain by Guillermo del Toro
Let Me In by John Ajvide Lindgvist
I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

ZOMBIES:
Enclave by Ann Aguirre
Xombies: Apocalypse Blues by Walter Greatshell
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick

How can I be two places at once?

The FATHOM Blog Tour officially begins today. YAY!!!

I'm two different places at once. (It's magic. Really.)

First, I'm at BookHounds, chatting about how my German shepherds "assist" me with the gardening. Ahem. AND we're giving away a copy of FATHOM.

YOU CAN VISIT BOOKHOUNDS HERE.

Here's a snippet of my interview at BookHounds:

Question: What is the last thing you Googled?

Great question! I’m working on a blog post about one of the main characters in Fathom, my young adult novel that releases on October 1. This particular character, a seventeen-year-old girl named Riley, is extremely rebellious and has a full-sleeve tattoo. So I was searching for photos of full-sleeve Japanese tattoos to include in my post.

And then, simultaneously, I'm at The Book Pushers, where I've written a guest post titled, When Imaginary People Take Over. *shivers*

YOU CAN VISIT THE BOOK PUSHERS HERE.

Here's a snippet of When Imaginary People Take Over:

Imaginary people shouldn’t influence your life. But if you’re a writer or reader, they definitely do. Case in point: Me. I was working on my second novel, Feast, when this character appeared out of nowhere. She wasn’t in my current novel, she wasn’t in anything I’d ever written before. I tried to ignore her but I just couldn’t, because oh my gosh, did she ever have a voice and a story to tell.


I hope you'll stop by the Tour Stops!

Fathom Blog Tour Dates

I just have to say that I am continually amazed and blessed by all the bloggers and reviewers who have agreed to be part of FATHOM's launch. I am incredibly honored to be surrounded by such an inspiring group of people.

Thank you all for being so wonderful as I prepare to indie publish my first YA novel. YOU ALL ROCK!!


So, here is the Fathom Blog Tour. Some of it consists of bloggers who have already or will review the book. Some of it consists of bloggers who will be posting guest posts or author interviews or other various promotional works of wonder. Some of these blogs will also be hosting giveaways (the giveaways are marked.)

I hope you will stop by and say, Hi!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

EARLY REVIEWS:

Book Chatter Cath

Vampire Book Club

Lady Techies Book Musings

The Writer's Sword

Just Us Girls

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

BLOG TOUR DATES:

SEPT. 27
I Am Alive Blog
Review of Fathom

SEPT. 28
Book Hounds
Author Interview

SEPT. 28
The Book Pushers
Guest Post: When Imaginary People Take Over

SEPT. 30
Becky’s Barmy Book Blog
Fathom Promo

OCT. 1
I Smell Sheep
Fathom Launch Party

OCT. 2
Books N Kisses
Guest Post: Romance is a lot like Chocolate

OCT. 3
Sara's Urban Fantasy Blog
Guest Post: Is it Paranormal or Is it Fantasy?
Also, giveaway of 2 FATHOM e-books:

OCT. 4
My Bookish Ways
Guest Post: Creating a New Monster

OCT. 5
I Am A Reader, Not A Writer
Author Interview & Giveaway of 2 FATHOM e-books

OCT. 6
Saturday Spotlight
For What It’s Worth
Guest Post: Making Tough Decisions

OCT. 8
A Backwards Story
Review of Fathom

OCT. 9
I Smell Sheep
Author Interview

OCT. 11
Book and Things
Guest Post: Walking on the Dark Side
Giveaway of 3 Fathom e-books

Oct.
Black N Gold Girl's Book Spot
Guest Post: The Scarier, The Better

Oct.
Midnyte Reader
Guest Post: The Magic of Halloween

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REVIEWS:

Literary Escapism

Good Choice Reading

The Travels of Sullivan McPig

Book Faery

Glitter in the Sun

Once Upon A Blog

Fiction Addict

My World...in Pages and Words

I Smell Sheep

Little Hyuts

Books are Wonderful Magic

Oh, For The Love of Books

The YA Bookworm

Bitten by Books

Dark Faerie Tales

All Things Books

Wayfaring Writer

The Compulsive Reader

Donna’s Blog Home

All Things Urban Fantasy

Once Upon A Bookcase

Short and Sweet Reviews

I’d So Rather Be Reading

Sweet Southern Home

Meet the characters from FATHOM

FIRST THINGS FIRST:
The winner of last week’s giveaway (4 YA ARCs) is…..
Melissa, from My World…in words and pages.
CONGRATS, MELISSA!! (Yay and round of applause.)

And, before I start this week's character introduction, I'd like to share another amazing review of FATHOM, this one written by Jo at the Vampire Book Club.

“Fathom had me feeling the entire emotional spectrum, I devoured it in a day. With a mixture of first love, a plot filled with emotional twist and a heart wrenching climax, I can only hope this is just beginning for Kira and Co. Fans of Rachel Vincent’s Soul Screamers series will want to look out for this one!”

Thanks so much for the wonderful review, Jo!

And now, for the FATHOM CHARACTER OF THE WEEK...

Today you'll meet the last of the four main characters in FATHOM. This girl is another one of the mysterious teenagers that comes to Crescent Moon Bay during tourist season—Riley.


Played by Alexis Knapp, with short hair. (Doesn't she look dangerous?)

• Name: RILEY
• Has lived so many places, nowhere feels like home
• Should be a junior, but she is so done with school
• Favorite class: Really? None
• Best friend: Herself
• Hobbies: Practicing survival skills
• Favorite bands: No time for music
• Favorite drink: Coffee
• Social standing: In charge and everyone knows it
• Greatest joy: When people finally decide to do things her way
• Biggest nightmare: Being eaten by a sea monster

And now, the giveway...

I'm giving away something different this time, something to inspire you when you're reading or writing—an iTunes gift certificate for $15.00.


THE RULES:
To be entered for the giveaway, you must:
1. Follow my blog
2. Post in the comment section below (be sure to include your email so I can contact the winner)
3. Share a link and comment about this giveaway, either on Twitter or Facebook or your blog. Be sure to let me know you did all three of these in your comment.

Contest ends midnight on Sunday, September 30, and I'll announce the winner next Monday—which is also the official release day for FATHOM.

Meanwhile, happy reading!

Meet the Characters from FATHOM + a Contest

Before I start this week's character introduction, I'd like to share snippets of FATHOM reviews from GOODREADS:

"Wow! Every book Merrie Destefano writes is even better than the last. I loved the books she wrote before, but Fathom is unquestionably my favorite of her stories. The characters, plot, and world are all well-developed and they sucked me right in. I spent almost an entire day immersed in Fathom, and I didn't want to leave when it ended."—Becca

"Nothing is at it seems. There are surprises and twists everywhere. This book fits right in with Merrie Destefano's past books that tend to swim in their own lane. She has a great imagination and does a wonderful job with imagery and characterization."—Cheryl

And now, for the CHARACTER OF THE WEEK...

Today you'll meet one of the mysterious teenagers that comes to Crescent Moon Bay during tourist season—Caleb.


Played by Liam Hemsworth.

• Name: CALEB
• Lives in Duncarrig
• Not attending high school
• Favorite class: Not really a class, but enjoys studying other cultures and people
• Best friend: Ethan
• Hobbies: Swimming, hunting,
• Favorite bands: Celtic music
• Favorite drink: Water
• Social standing: A quiet leader in his circle of friends
• Greatest joy: Listening to legends
• Biggest nightmare: That he will have to go to war before fulfilling his dreams

Here's a snippet of text from when Kira first sees Caleb:

This guy was gorgeous and then some. Light brown hair streaked with blonde, skin paler than you’d expect for someone as athletic as he obviously was. I couldn’t tell what color his eyes were, but I had a feeling they were green or blue. Like mine.

My heartbeat sped up when he stared at the window display. Then he did something unusual—he lifted his gaze, as if he was trying to see through to the inside of the store. He looked around, first at the racks of postcards, then at the display of starfish and shells, then at the ceramic mugs painted with our store logo, until at last, he spotted me at the counter. Our eyes locked and his lips curved in a swoon-worthy grin.
..............

And now, the giveway...

I'm giving away FOUR ARCs this time!


Here they are:
THE COMET'S CURSE by Dom Testa
THE INFECTS by Sean Beaudoin
ZOM-B by Darren Shan
GETAWAY by List Brackmann

THE RULES:
To be entered for the giveaway, you must:
1. Follow my blog
2. Post in the comment section below (be sure to include your email so I can contact the winner)
3. Share a link and comment about this giveaway, either on Twitter or Facebook or your blog. Be sure to let me know you did all three of these in your comment.

Contest ends midnight on Sunday, September 23, and I'll announce the winner next Monday.

Meanwhile, happy reading!

Winner of THE BLESSED ARC announced

Thank you to everyone who participated in the giveaway of the THE BLESSED ARC by Tonya Hurley!

The winner was selected by Random.org and is:
[drumroll here]

BOOK CHATTER CATH

Big CONGRATS!!!!

I've already contacted her via email.

Thanks again to everyone and stay tuned--there will be another ARC contest starting on in a few minutes, when I reveal another character from FATHOM.

Meet the characters from FATHOM

Every Monday for the next 3 weeks, I'll be introducing you to one of the characters from FATHOM. Plus, I'll have a giveaway.

This is the second week of Meet the Characters from Fathom. Today you'll meet Kira's best friend, Sean.


Played by Steven R. McQueen

• Name: SEAN O’BRIEN
• Lives next door to Kira in Crescent Moon Bay
• Age: 16
• Sophomore at Crescent Moon High School
• Favorite class: Science
• Best friend: Kira Callahan
• Hobbies: Football, track, swimming, baseball
• Favorite bands: The Foo Fighters,Yellowcard and Flyleaf
• Favorite drink: Sport drinks
• Social standing: Hangs out with the jocks, knows everyone, popular in his crowd
• Greatest joy: When Kira smiles
• Biggest nightmare: That Kira will get a boyfriend and no longer want to be best friends

Here's a snippet of text from Kira's POV:

A warm breeze teased the curtains beside my bed, stirred my hair.

Then I held my breath and opened the door to my room. With one hand I smoothed my dress as I walked around the corner, through the hallway and into the living room.

There he was. Standing by the front door.

Wearing tight jeans and a black shirt, his long hair messed up like he’d just taken a shower and forgotten to brush it. His eyes looked darker than usual. His mouth opened just a bit when I walked into the room.

“Wow,” Sean said, so soft that I don’t think he wanted me to hear.

I think my heart skipped a beat.

It might have been a perfect moment, if Dad and Gram hadn’t been there.

And now, the giveway...

I'm giving away an ARC of BLESSED by Tonya Hurley.


Here's the synopsis from Goodreads:

From the author of the New York Times bestselling ghostgirl series, the start to a captivating and haunting teen trilogy about three girls who become entangled with an enigmatic boy—a boy who believes he is a saint. What if martyrs and saints lived among us? And what if you were told you were one of them?

Meet Agnes, Cecilia, and Lucy. Three lost girls, each searching for something. But what they find is beyond belief.

Sounds cool, no?

THE RULES:
To be entered for the giveaway, you must:
1. Follow my blog
2. Post in the comment section below (be sure to include your email so I can contact the winner)
3. Share a link and comment about this giveaway, either on Twitter or Facebook or your blog. Be sure to let me know you did all three of these in your comment.

Contest ends midnight on Friday, September 14, and I'll announce the winner on Saturday.

Meanwhile, happy reading!

Winner of SCARLET ARC announced

Thank you to everyone who participated in the giveaway of the SCARLET ARC by Marissa Meyer!

The winner wqs selected by Random.org and is:
[drumroll here]

ANOTHER NOVEL READ

Big CONGRATS!!!!

I'll contact her via email. However, if I don't hear back from her within three days, the ARC will be given to another winner.

Thanks again to everyone and stay tuned--there will be another ARC contest starting on Monday, when I reveal another character from FATHOM.

Free download: WAITING FOR MIDNIGHT

For the next three days—today, tomorrow and Sunday—my ebook anthology, WAITING FOR MIDNIGHT, is available for FREE DOWNLOADS. (Eeeeek!) I hope you get a chance to read it and, if so, that you enjoy it!


There's a very nice review of WAITING FOR MIDNIGHT, written by Marcy Weydemuller and posted on the Savvy Authors site HERE.

Here's a snippet of what Marcy says:

"Merrie Destefano is the author of the urban fantasy Afterlife: The Resurrection Chronicles and Feast: Harvest of Dreams. She brings a unique perspective to her writing that impacts plot, character, theme and setting in her multi-layered story world. However not only does she accomplish this in her novels, but also, in this collection put together for her fans, we see that she adeptly applies her style—her voice to shorter pieces as well.

For example in the short story In the Garden, Destefano weaves three distinct narratives through her POV character Francine; which include a memoir, a murder and an unobtrusive sub-text development of ethical choices. Although Francine holds the storyline, many other voices share the details and theme creating a chorus of layers that linger long past the end.

Her stories and flash fiction range across tone with humor, curiosity, danger, macabre, surprise and grief. Her settings include the house down the street, the otherworldly, and time-less. A flash fiction piece Sentimental Ending will inspire you to create a variety of endings that may or may not be reality."


And here's a free short story from WAITING FOR MIDNIGHT:


DOG BOY

During the day, he slept amidst rubble and grass, hidden from view, partially because his skin was now the color of dirt. During the evenings, he would creep out, sometimes on all fours—until he knew it was safe. Then he would scamper about beneath the stars and a crescent moon, his limbs lean and his clothes ragged. We all did our best to ignore him. We called him the Perro Muchacho. Dog Boy. He ran with the wild dogs and that name seemed to fit him.

I watched him with a cautious eye, fearful of the magic that I knew trailed after him. It coiled like a snake in the shadows, dangerous, forbidden. He stole from my trash and I would chase him away. I’d toss small stones in his direction, careful not to come too close, although I know for certain that I struck him once. For after that he kept a distance from me.

His hair stuck out in thick tufts, never combed or washed. His shirt had lost its color and its sleeves were gone, and I often wondered if he shivered while he tried to sleep. One night, when he and his pack of stray dogs were off prowling through alleys and along the riverbed, I crept out to his hiding place. I found a few toys lying about—a ragged, lopsided rabbit, most of the stuffing gone; a small truck, the paint almost completely worn off. There, I left an old blanket. And a Bible. I doubted that he could read, but I knew that if he could walk on two legs, then he had a soul.

And there was no doubt in my mind that he needed saving.

I ran my fingers over my rosary as I hobbled back to my house, the stucco white as bone. A prayer whispered over my lips as I hailed one saint after another, searching for one that could save a creature like him. I tried and found none, so in the end, I merely repeated the same words over and over, as each bead slipped through my fingers.

Help him, please, help him, please.

Before the moon swallows the sky.

She was growing above me, even as I hunched over broken cobblestones. She was eating stars and growing more bloated with each and every bite. In a few days, she would be full.

I didn’t want to see what would happen then to Dog Boy. I didn’t want him to come to my house and scratch claws across the lattice on my windows. Didn’t want to hear the cries that would no longer sound human.

For some reason, when the moon has swallowed the sky, on that same day, the sun grows weak. He hides, as if terrified, behind mountain peaks and clouds. His face refuses to reflect in the river water. He turns into an old, weak man. His steps across the heavens falter, as if he could plummet from the sky and burn up the sea, turn the world into a land of mist and shadow.

That was how he looked today.

Meanwhile, I saw the boy, awake, playing in the long grass, his hair blowing in the wind, his cheeks ruddy, the dust stirring around him in a thick cloud. He ran from one edge of the wilderness to the other, no longer afraid to be seen. All around him, his furry companions loped, mouths open wide in toothy grins, paws jumping up and down. They whined and yipped, tails wagging.

They knew his secret.

He paused, when the wind grew calm, as the sun slid behind the church bell tower, and he looked at me. A smile creased his dirty face and he cocked his head. I realized then that he had made a sling and was carrying the Bible like a talisman. A strap of old cloth hung across one shoulder, then widened to form a pouch that draped in the crescent of his narrow back. When he moved, I could see the glint of gold-edged pages and the gnarled black crust of leather binding.

I wondered if he ever opened it. If he even looked at the pictures. You can tell a lot from the illustrations. The baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist, the exodus of Moses from Egypt, the ark of Noah with all the animals. Although, without the words or someone to tell him the stories--

He was just another beast.

Still I could see the spark of intelligence in his eyes. And despite his wild nature, there was no evil streak. Not like Jose, who beat his wife twice a week. Not like Manuel, who took his wages in tequila and let his children grow weak from hunger.

I knew all the secrets of this little village, was forced to listen to them every Sunday morning. Then grant forgiveness. My fingers ran over my rosary again, words familiar and sweet pursing my lips. I watched the boy then as he turned and dashed off into the nearby forest, knowing it was just as well.

If he disappeared, then none of us would see him when he turned.

And none of us, me especially, would be responsible.

• • • • •

A wind like fire blew through the hills, scorched the edge of our village the moment the moon revealed herself. Silver light spilled down narrow streets, turned everything and everyone white hot and still. All doors swung shut and curtains were drawn across open windows, a rabid hush of Hail Marys and Our Fathers murmured while chairs rocked and shoulders bowed.

I cracked my back door open, slipped outside without a sound, my bare feet padding over a dirt trail that led toward the wildwood and the river. Somewhere along the way, my rosary slipped from my fingers and tangled on the ground, but I did not stop. Every bone in my body ached as I moved, my muscles weary of this journey. I felt a tremor in my leg as I descended the river bank, as I moved closer to the rippling water. All I wanted was to immerse myself in the cool reflection of that damned, swollen moon. My robes fell away and I was waist deep in the sluggish current, fingers trailing behind me. Spasms wrenched my arms, twisted them back and forth and for a moment, I wondered if maybe this time I would fall headlong into the water and drown.

Part of me wished it to be true.

Death can be a good companion, if you are ready for him, when he comes.

My left foot slipped and I tumbled to my knees, up to my chin in blue-back water. That was when I heard him behind me. I turned my head and saw Dog Boy on the river bank, his head cocked as though he were afraid for me.

“Padre,” he said, his voice timid.

I waved a hand at him, wishing he would scoot away, deeper into the shadows where he belonged. He had changed, as I suspected he would, but it was amazing that he could still speak.

His arms and legs and back were covered in thick matted fur and his spine arched wide. Soon he would be down on all fours and his nose would grow long, his teeth jagged. But right now he was somewhere in between boy and wolf.

He took a step toward me, concern in his eyes. Behind him, his pack growled and howled. They knew me better than he did.

My own limbs snapped and cracked, my transition nothing like it was when I was younger. Every bit of it as if my bones were being ground into powder. Only the touch of the water on my flesh and the silver light of the moon seemed to offer any release from the pain. I stumbled back toward the shore, temporarily able to balance myself on two legs, although by the time I reached shallow water, I had fallen down on all four. Paws where hands had once been, a long snout instead of a nose.

A low growl sounded in my throat as Dog Boy approached.

He recognized me now, of course he did. My scent was like his own. He was the seed of my sin and part of me hoped that he had learned the secrets from the book I had given him. Right now I couldn’t remember what they were, only that they were very important.

Then I vaulted into a stiff run, paws grasping muddy river bank, pulling myself up toward the shelter of wooded shadow. Dog Boy recognized the look in my eyes just then, a moment too late perhaps. He turned and bounded away from me.

I stopped to howl at my mistress, the moon, at the same time, giving my son a head start.

Then I gave him chase that would last all night or longer if necessary, not stopping until one of us was dead. Part of me hoping that this would be my last hunt and that this child would be strong enough to finally end my curse.

.............

YOU CAN DOWNLOAD WAITING FOR MIDNIGHT HERE.