Cover Reveal: Wreck Me by Maria Monteiro

I'm so excited to bring you the cover for my friend Maria Monteiro's upcoming release, Wreck Me! Maria writes compelling YA and NA contemporary romance. The photo shoot was done exclusively for her and totally reminds me of The Notebook, so I'm already swooning. Check out the summary below, and be sure to add this one to your Goodreads list!

All Piper Walker wants is to feel normal again, and for the pain of losing the one person she truly loved to go away. But no matter what she does she feels like she keeps hitting a wall of hurt. 

Chase Whitman has finally moved back to town after running away from his troubled home life. He’s trying to fill the emptiness in his heart with all the wrong women, making sure he doesn’t fall in love with any of them. 

Now in her sophomore year of college, Piper is trying all she can to right all the wrongs she has done the past year. Which includes almost getting thrown out of school, distaining herself from her best friend, and moving way too quickly with her boyfriend. 

After a night of heavy drinking Piper wakes up to find Chase in bed with her. She panics and runs off hoping never to see him again. Little does she know Chase will invade her life in every way possible and become the person she needs the most.

Will they be able to fill the void in each other? Or will their past wreck everything?

Add Wreck Me on Goodreads

Maria E Monteiro was born in Chile, but grew up in Sleepy Hollow NY. The Catskills is now the place she calls home, alongside her husband. She has been writing since she was a little girl. Her love for reading and writing led her to obtain a BA in English and a Masters in Literacy. Maria loves to write about the small moments that become huge when falling in love. Hold on Tight is Maria E. Monteiro's debut YA novel. Her love of writing accompanies her love for music. When she is not writing, Maria can be found at a rock concert or dancing around her house.

Find Maria on Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Website

Book Review: Addicted for Now by Krista & Rebecca Ritchie

This was originally a series I decided not to tackle on this blog as it's definitely for adults, and nowhere near my usual young adult genre. So I recently posted my review of Addicted to You, the first book in the series, on another blog I contribute to (The Writer Diaries). You can check it out here. But then I realized that most of my followers are over the age of 18, so I decided it would be okay to review the third book on here with the understanding that THIS BOOK IS FOR MATURE ADULTS ONLY. And if you haven't yet read the first book in this series, you're going to want to wait to read the review of this book until after you've finished it, because there are MILD SPOILERS AHEAD. Okay, now that I've cleared that up, (*takes giant breath*) here we go.


Addicted to You (book #1) is the story of childhood friends Lo and Lily who fake a relationship together in an attempt to hide two very big secrets from their families—he's an alcoholic, and she's a sex addict (aaaaand cue mature part). At the end of that book they decide they're in love, and promise to give their addictions up for each other. I'm not going to lie, their journey is a big ugly mess that at times is extremely painful to witness (except of course when they're having hot, wild sex). There's a book #1.5 (Ricochet) in which Lo goes to rehab while Lily struggles to stay celibate, but I'm here to review the next book in the series in which Lo finally returns home.

First of all, whoa. Immediately after setting down Addicted for Now, I decided I needed a drink. Then I realized that would just be disrespectful to Lo. The first book was pretty intense as we watched the two main characters spiral downward with their addictions, but this one was just CRAZY. Hanging out with these two as they try to fight off their cravings was beyond intense. At times I felt like my stomach was being crammed down my throat.

I continued to feel for Lily as I have from the beginning. Yes, she's spoiled, and selfish, and a total introvert, but she hasn't exactly been treated fairly by her family (a fact that comes to light by the end of the story). And her love for Lo is so sweet, I've continued to cheer for their relationship through all the ugly messes they've endured. I even wanted Lo (also a spoiled brat who can be a total prick to people who are trying to help him) to come out of this with his head held high, and his addition beat. You can't help but love him when at times his sole purpose in staying sober is to make Lily happy.

It's bad enough that they're fighting their personal demons, but suddenly there's an anonymous outsider who contacts them, threatening to spill Lily's secret to her family and the press (both Lily and Lo's parents own multi-million dollar companies). So logically, they take a spring break trip to Mexico with their siblings that turns out to be the ultimate test for two people trying to fight off their dark addictions. And when Lily's fifteen-year-old sister (who kind of has a thing for Lo's way older brother) shows up, all hell begins to break loose. There are so many "oh crap" moments for Lily and Lo that I kept waiting for them to break. Or even break up.

When it was all said and done, I honestly felt like I could sympathize with Lily and Lo's support group—Rose (Lily's neurotic but strong older sister), Connor (Rose's genius level on-again-off-again boyfriend), and Ryke (the sometimes jerky brother Lo didn't know he had until the end of book #1). Not only did they all stay faithfully by Lily and Lo's sides, but they had their own crap to deal with.

There were so many sub-plots to this story, my head almost literally spun. Towards the end it got a bit long, and I could've done without the added story of Rose and her friend Sebastian, as I didn't feel like it added anything of value to Lily and Lo's journey. But otherwise, I loved the complexity of everyone's lives, and the twisted web Lily and Lo kept falling into. At times I seriously forgot I was actually reading a story, and not witnessing first hand as these two tried to hold it together.

While it seems a bit odd to give this kind of story a rating of zombies, I'm doing it anyway. Because it's my blog and I can do whatever I want. And I kind of feel exhausted after reading about Lily and Lo's journey. I give Addicted for Now five wandering zombies, because the story is hot, and gut-wrenching, and tragic, and beautiful, and one hell of a ride that I'm glad I went on.

A big thank you to (twin sisters) Krista Ritchie and Rebecca Ritchie for giving me this ARC—I'm so glad I got the chance to review such an amazing book! Keep an eye out on my blog for a special guest post by them, coming soon as part of their release party!

Krista & Becca Ritchie write New Adult books that make you cringe, gasp, and go ooh-la-la. (If you do that sort of thing.) They are currently working on the spin-offs and final books in the Addicted series. Connect with them on their website, and find the first two books of this series on Amazon. Don't forget to share the love—review their books on Goodreads!

Cover Reveal: Waves of Love by Danielle Sibarium

My friend Danielle Sibarium does an excellent job of writing YA romance, so when she asked if I would help reveal the cover for the third installment in her paranormal trilogy, I jumped at the opportunity. And I was pleasantly surprised to see a guy with muscular arms featured (how can you not appreciate a man with well-built biceps?).

In celebration of her new release, Danielle is giving away three free copies, so be sure to enter below!

Jenna knew Reece would break her heart, when he did Tyler stepped in to pick up the pieces.

As she’s ready to take the next step with Tyler, Jenna finds herself face to face with Reece. Lies and secrets are discovered from the two boys she trusted the most. And now it’s more than just her heart on the line, it’s her life as well. 

Torn between two amazing guys Jenna’s certain of only one thing, this is the most important decision of her life. One almost destroyed her. The other brought her back to life. The time has come to choose. Can Jenna move forward with Tyler or will she be stuck in the past with Reece?

Become a fan of the Waves of Love Heart Waves Facebook page for teasers of this heartwarming story, coming October 31, 2013.

Ways to follow Danielle Sibarium:

Website

Twitter

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Shooting Zombies (It's Not What You Think)

Three words describe the millionth reason why I love my job(s):

Zombie photo shoot.

If you know me at all, you'll understand just how exciting this was. I've had the idea for the second book in my head for nearly a year, and couldn't wait to actually make it happen. Whenever there's anything involving zombies that I can sink my creative hands into, I'm all over it!

As many of you know, the cover for The Day Zombies Ruined My Perfectly Boring Life was done with a friend's fifteen-year-old daughter who used to babysit my kids. Somehow I talked her into taking the tags off her brand new prom dress and stepping into the woods behind my house. We paid to have her hair done, then went crazy and messed it up to make her look like she had been living in the wild a few days. She was a total trooper.

Today I used one of my very first babysitters turned good friend who was a total champ. I feel kind of guilty as each of the zombie models I've used are gorgeous girls, and would've been better used for covers of some romantic love story. But we all know my novels involve paranormal love stories, so that may never happen.

The first step was to make my friend look like the undead using Halloween makeup, homespun honey, oatmeal, fake blood, and toilet paper (yep, you read that last ingredient correctly, and yes we used clean toilet paper). I was fortunate enough to have an extremely talented professional makeup artist transform me into a terrifying zombie last year, and picked up a couple of tricks. The best part about doing these photo shoots is that the makeup doesn't have to be perfect since it's a far away shot, and I can later add techniques to give the picture a cartoonish effect. But honestly, I think I did a pretty decent job on her wound for an amateur (seriously, this was way too much fun).

The second step was to wait for just the right outdoor conditions. Since it's mentioned in the second story that there are many fields left unharvested, I wanted to catch the corn right before it was ready to go this fall (which will be way later than usual with all the crazy weather we had this summer). And as a photographer, I knew I had to wait until the sun was just at the right place in the sky so my subject wouldn't get washed out. Turns out 10:00 a.m. this morning was nearly the perfect time. And we had blue skies—another bonus!

The last step was to find the right pose. I didn't want her just standing there as that's basically what I had the model do for my first book. But the trickiest part is for neither of us to laugh, and take the fact seriously that we're two adults standing in the middle of a corn field, one of us dressed like a crazy person and the other dressed like a zombie (hey, I didn't want to get any fake blood on me). My friend was worried she didn't do a serious enough face, so I had her yelling, and it turned out amazing. The final result? You'll just have to wait for the final cover reveal to find out!

Preview of MIND STATIC!

Happy Friday, peeps!

As a special treat to all my amazing readers, I'm posting the first chapter of my newest YA paranormal release, Mind Static! The best part? It's absolutely free!!!! I want to share it with all of you as it's getting great feedback, and I'm told it's my best book to date. I had a blast writing this crazy adventure full of twists and good humor.

The story is told by a witty, rather bold senior girl named Keyanna who's getting ready to celebrate her 18th birthday quietly with her friends Dallas and Nora. But Nora, who's a bit of a more social creature, plans the party of all parties that spirals out of control. And when Keyanna discovers she can make things happen by wishing for them, she soon finds herself in the middle of a really strange whirlwind of events that make her question who she is, and who she can trust. It's a lot of fun, and I'm told you can read the whole thing in just a few sittings.

Click on the link below to start reading now!

Mind Control - Chapter One

Official book trailer:

Links to purchase Mind Static:

Amazon (Kindle and paperback)

Nook

Happy reading!

Book Review: The Hallowed Ones

Katie is on the verge of her Rumspringa, the time in Amish life when teenagers can get a taste of the real world. But the real world comes to her in this dystopian tale with a philosophical bent. Rumors of massive unrest on the “Outside” abound. Something murderous is out there. Amish elders make a rule: No one goes outside, and no outsiders come in. But when Katie finds a gravely injured young man, she can’t leave him to die. She smuggles him into her family’s barn—at what cost to her community? The suspense of this vividly told, truly horrific thriller will keep the pages turning.

This was another book recommended by Literary Agent Bree Ogden. I wasn't sure about it at first, and put it off thinking I would connect with Katie, a girl from an Amish community. But I found it interesting to read about this world I really knew nothing about, and how differently she handled things based on her religious beliefs. The story starts just as Katie is preparing for her Rumspringa—a time when the Amish are allowed to visit the "outside world" before they become baptized into their faith and cannot do anything to disobey their community's laws. She's looking forward to this experience with her friend/sometimes-boyfriend Elijah, until they realize there's something very wrong going on in the outside world.

At times I really wanted to strangle Katie for her naivety, but she ended up redeeming herself later on. She's got the biggest heart of anyone in her community, and feels compelled to do what's right, whether or not the Elders in charge approve. It was so interesting to hear about the Amish way—every detail of their community was told so well it's as if the author had actually lived there. There was just the right mix of horror embedded into the story, and these "vampires" are just my type ("holy crap, run for your lives" rather than "sparkling and sexy"). I was completely blown away by just how much I enjoyed the story, considering I was prepared to be bored by the religious aspects before I even picked it up. But Laura Bickle does a wonderful job of holding your interest, making it another hard one to put it down.

This book earns 5 zombies! I was actually glad I put it off so long as the sequel was released a mere week after I finished. Stay tuned for my review on her second book (spoiler alert: it was just as awesome).

Laura Bickle has worked in the unholy trinity of politics, criminology, and technology for several years. She and her chief muse live in the Midwest, owned by four mostly-reformed feral cats.

Her work has been published in Midnight Times, Down in the Cellar, MicroHorror, Theaker's Quarterly Fiction, Ballista, Byzarium, New Myths, a Blog-O-Novella office soap opera for True Office Confessions, and Aoife's Kiss. Her most recent project is the Embers series of urban fantasy novels for Juno-Pocket Books.

Book Trailer for Mind Static

Guys! I'm so excited that the book trailer for my newest YA paranormal release has gone live! This is me right now:

I decided to go an entirely different route from the slow and dramatic trailers I've created in the past, and wanted something upbeat, quick, and fun. There's so much work behind making a trailer, starting with just the right music, the perfect pictures, and the careful editing in putting everything together so it will make an intriguing story. With an adventurous story and a main character who's witty, this was actually a blast to put together, and I feel like I just witnessed the party of a lifetime.

Without further delay, I give you the official trailer for "Mind Static"!

The images in this video do not belong to the author

Cover Reveal: Because of You by Maria E. Monteiro

While I may be a bit biased considering I'm the designer, I'm so excited to present to you the cover reveal for Maria Monteiro's new novel, Because of You. Maria, a close friend of mine, is one of the masters of contemporary romance, and promises to deliver an emotional love story that will tug at your heart strings. Expected release date is September 17, 2013.

Title: Because of You

Genre: YA Romance

Release Date: September 17, 2013

Cover Design: At or With Me Publishing

Synopsis:

No one ever forgets their first love.

Six years ago Austin broke Jade’s heart. On that day he went from being her best friend to the person she hated the most.

Now, six years later, Jade’s life has been turned upside down. The family she once knew no longer exists. Her father’s infidelity has made it hard for her to trust anyone.

That is, until she reconnects with the one person she’s despised the most.

Will Austin be able to break through Jade’s wall of anger to get her to trust him again? 

Or will she always see him as the boy who first broke her heart?

Together they will learn what love is really all about.

Links to Because of You

Goodreads

Facebook

Meet the author:
Maria E Monteiro was born in Chile, but grew up in Sleepy Hollow NY. The Catskills is now the place she calls home, alongside her husband. She has been writing since she was a little girl. Her love for reading and writing led her to obtain a BA in English and a Masters in Literacy. Maria loves to write about the small moments that become huge when falling in love. Hold on Tight is Maria E. Monteiro's debut YA novel. Her love of writing accompanies her love for music. When she is not writing, Maria can be found at a rock concert or dancing around her house.

Follow Maria

Blog 

Twitter 

Facebook

Goodreads

Cover Reveal: Kinetic by S.K. Anthony

I'm honored to present to you the stunning cover of the upcoming release by the fabulous S. K. Anthony! I'm one of those who will buy a book based on the cover alone, and I'm already sold on this one. Check out a synopsis of the NA Urban Fantasy novel below, and where to follow S. K..

Title: Kinetic

Genre: NA Urban Fantasy

Release Date: September 2013

Cover Design: Mae I Design & Photography

Synopsis:

Being strong is one thing. Being an unlimited source of power is quite another.

Genetically altered by the Organization, Annie Fox takes down criminals CIA-style with her luminary strength. With nothing to mend but her broken heart, she is relentlessly pursued by her boss Derek Lake. Just when Annie is about to give him a chance, her ex-husband unexpectedly comes out of hiding. 

A wanted man, Nick Logan is a cold-hearted murderer who is considered enemy number one, and orders are clear: kill on contact. He is more powerful than ever and threatens the lives of those she holds most dear. His plan? Get his hands on Annie and use her Kinetic energy to destroy them all. When Annie finds herself with an opportunity to end him, she pauses, horrified by the scars covering the face she once loved. A split second that will cost her everything…

Meet the Author: 

S. K. Anthony is a writer, a reader and a make-stuff-up-er who lives in New York with her husband and toddler twins. She is a wine connoisseur, which just really means she knows she loves it, and a caffeine addict. When she isn’t busy with her family she finds herself being transported into the world of imagination. Well, either that or running away from spiders…she is convinced they are out to get her!

Follow S. K.

Goodreads

Facebook

Twitter

Website

Celebrate the Small Things - June 7th

Happy Friday! Once again I'm going to list off the things I had to celebrate this week per the fabulous VikLit's Celebrate the Small Things blog hop. If you'd like to remind yourself of all the things life has to offer, sign up for the hop below.

Today I'm celebrating a very BIG thing, and that is my son's 11th birthday! Hard to believe that much time has passed already. Before I know it he's going to be taller than me with a deep voice and a gaggle of girls knocking on our door.

Career-wise, I'm celebrating the fact that I'm halfway done with the edits of the re-write on my first novel What I've Done! I have an amazing editor with the best ideas, and together we're making this story even better than before. Stay tuned for an updated release date.

I'm also celebrating the fact that I added nearly 10,000 words to my zombie sequel this week after signing up for JuNoWriMo. I knew it would be the motivation I needed to get past a major case of writer's block as the very first time I signed up for NaNoWriMo, I finished the first draft of What I've Done.

Hopefully by this time next week I'll be celebrating the fact that summer has finally arrived, my friends and family are all healthy, and we're done planting crops for the season. Keep your fingers crossed.

COVER REVEAL: To My Hero by Danielle Sibarium

So I met my good friend/fellow author Danielle Sibarium maybe a year ago on Twitter. I love everything of hers that I've read so far, including the sneak peak I was given of her upcoming release, To My Hero. So when she recently asked if I wanted to participate in the cover reveal for this emotional tear-jerker coming April 21st, I jumped at the chance!

Without any further delay, I give you the stunning cover along with the book's summary!

It would’ve been different if I had courage, even an ounce of it. But I was a coward from the day I met you, Ryan Crowley. I still am. In the end it doesn’t matter. The bottom line is the same. It’s my fault. 

When the unthinkable happens Carly Cavanough is left beaten, betrayed, and devastated. Her best friend doesn’t understand. Her parents won’t listen. Everyone in her life turns against her. She’s alone. Completely alone, except for Ryan Crowley, the boy she’s been crushing on for years. She won’t admit to him what she can’t admit to herself. But he understands without words. He knows more about what she’s going through than she can possibly imagine and he knows what it will take to start the healing. 

With Ryan’s help Carly begins to piece together the fragments of her once perfect life and embarks on a journey of love and healing, just long enough for the rug to be pulled out from under her again. Can she find the strength and will to pull herself together to save Ryan and herself when their lives are on the line?

Ways to visit Danielle Sibarium online

Website

Goodreads

Twitter

Debut of Official Book Trailer for 'Cheating Death'!

I've been waiting so long for this moment, I could just die.

I finally get to share my newest book trailer with all of you! These are a ton of work, but also a ton of fun. This is another reason why I love being an indie author—I get to choose everything from the music to the images (which is as addicting as I would imagine crack to be). Sadly, only a few of the images are my own this time, but I found some excellent photography work that I thought was quite stunning. And the music was composed by a man named Bjorn Lynne. The tune is both haunting and beautiful—I could listen to it all day long (and I literally did).

So kick back, grab a cold beer—or soda—and enjoy!

Finding Inspiration in Mexico

Very early this morning, I returned from an AMAZING week in Cabo with my husband and some friends that was supposed to be all about the beach, tropical drinks, water, relaxation, fun...

(Yes this Lonely Island song was stuck in my head during our entire trip...)

Minus the eight hours on my birthday that were spent hurling over the side of a fishing boat while wishing I was dead, it was definitely all of these things. Surprisingly, however, I got even more out of it - INSPIRATION! A combination of really odd things caused a new story to evolve...creepy little cherubs used as a theme in our hotel lobby...a collection of skeleton statues for sale and scattered around downtown that I completely obsessed over...one of the few TV shows we watched in English involving witchcraft...being in a country where none of us spoke the language...experiencing a different culture that I know very little about...taking a tour where we experienced just a sliver of what it would really be like to live in a place without cell phones, computers or video games...the head of my newly purchased figurine breaking off while dancing in Cabo Wabo (no worries - it was an easy fix as seen in the picture of my in-tact bride on the right, safely back in Minnesota).

The actual story for my newest idea didn't really all come together until the plane ride home when my mind was supposed to be at rest. (Isn't that what vacations are supposed to be all about? Isn't the point of getting away to leave your stress and worries behind?) I guess a writer can never mentally leave their work behind.

So what's the name of this new book? What exactly will it be about? Will there be more zombies to come from my twisted mind? Not only is it too soon to share, but there are other books that are in the works that I need to finish before I will get a chance to even start on it. Regardless, there are a barrage of thoughts already erupting in my delusional mind and the gears are most definitely grinding.

Regardless, I'm pretty sure that from now on I can use the valid excuse that I have to go on vacation each year, if only for inspiration.

Insta-love and Special Snowflakes

In reading a couple of different reviews of my books, the terms "insta-love" and "special snowflake" were each brought up as being potential eye-roll material. While I totally appreciate the opinions of others, I just want to take a minute to elaborate on these two ideas. Please don't get me wrong, I'm not being snarky, I am only defending the reasoning behind my work.

Insta-love: when someone who just meets you thinks that you are their soul mate and they want to spend the rest of their lives with you and have kids with you. (urbandictionary.com)

Love at first sight is certainly not a new concept and there are real life couples who have experienced this kind of connection. After first meeting my husband, I called my friends in our dorm together to tell them that there was something really different about him. I was drawn to him in a way that I couldn't explain. When first meeting someone that you eventually go on to date, there's quite often some kind of draw to them in the beginning. While it may not necessarily mean that you think they're your soul mate, you still may get that feeling of butterflies in your stomach and stars in your eyes. A lot of that is just basic attraction. I agree that it would get old if every single story involved love at first sight - I even made a point of having childhood friends fall for each other in my zombie book. Regardless, I'm not a fan of the term "insta-love" and think it generally mocks the whole concept of love at first sight. I have a feeling it was invented by someone who hasn't experienced it before.

Special snowflake: a person who thinks they are unique, different and therefore more special than everyone else. (urbandictionary.com)

Whenever a story is told, there has to be something special about the main character that makes you want to read on. You need to hear everything from a girl who discovers she has magical powers rather than from her best friend who sits by and watches it all happen. Can you imagine if Jess from Twilight had told the story rather than Bella? I guess I fail to understand why hearing the story from someone who is unique would be a bad thing. If I'm going to invest my time in reading hundreds of pages, I want it to be about something interesting, not some story that I've heard a hundred times before.

Okay, I've said my peace. What's your opinion on these terms?

Book Cover Release: Cheating Death

As promised, here's the cover for my fourth novel, Cheating Death, as well as a hot-off-the-press description!

Lysandra Brooks remembers everything about the day she almost drowned alongside her grandma, especially the set of mysterious eyes she saw at the bottom of the lake. Ever since then, she's been seeing strange things when she is near water - things that aren't really there. Because of it, Lysandra has the tendency to avoid anything that isn't on dry land. On her last day of high school, however, the biggest party of the year is set to take place at a fellow senior's lakeside mansion. Despite her fears, Lysandra decides to prove to her friends and herself that she can handle it.

But after a horrific night of drinking and drama that leaves Lysandra feeling lonely and confused, she nearly drowns for a second time, only to be saved by the new guy in town. From that moment on, Lysandra's world is turned upside down with the discovery of mind blowing secrets, including a revelation that something sinister is after her soul.

While I take great pride in doing all the design work for my covers - including the photography, this time I broke down and purchased a stock image. I really wanted something hauntingly beautiful and underwater as my main character nearly drowns twice in this story. The minute I found this picture I knew it was absolutely perfect.

Now that THAT'S out of the way, this is totally how I feel right now.

Cheating Death is (very tentatively) set to release some time in March. I really hope that I'm able to freak you out with this story, if only just a little. I know I've been losing a lot of sleep at night writing it, waiting for things to come bother me at night. As one of my cousins suggested, I may end up writing about rainbows and puppy dogs for a while.

Be sure to add Cheating death to your Goodreads list here!

Cover Reveal Coming Soon!

I'm so excited about my new book cover, I can't wait any longer!

I know I keep saying it's coming soon, but this time I really mean it. This coming Monday, February 4th is my best friend's birthday, so I randomly picked that date to reveal the cover of Cheating Death (formerly Falling Away), my fourth novel that will hopefully scare the pants off of you. So mark your calendars!

Feeling Inspired

I've probably mentioned a few thousands times just how much music inspires me. I swear sometimes  there's even a soundtrack for my life (especially when I have music playing 24/7). Music can change your mood on a dime - it can make you feel sexy, happy, sad, scared, excited and even violent (that last one is maybe just me when the radio only gets country). When I think of vacations, I make a playlist. When I'm preparing for a special photo shoot, I make a playlist. There's a handful of songs for every occasion. I often think another great career choice for me would've been a musical director for movies.

While finishing up a total re-write of my fourth novel Cheating Death, I stumbled across two gems that really got my writing gears going.

Seven Devils by Florence + the Machine

A huge shout out to my Twitter friend Katrina for officially introducing me to this one. I'm pretty sure I've heard it before, but when I mentioned that I was looking for spooky music, she suggested this one. It totally nailed the sexy/spooky/haunting feel I was aiming for and I often play it on repeat while writing.

Gratuitous Sex and Violins by Christopher Lennertz (Supernatural soundtrack)

Honestly, I wish I could get my hands on this one for my book trailer. It's beautifully haunting with just a tint of sadness. I guess part of my love for the Supernatural series I only recently got into has to do with the excellent music selections.





So thanks to these two songs and a few others, I see the end in sight for book #4. Hopefully by the end of February I'll have a song picked out for the book trailer that's just as haunting and beautiful as these two. Oh, and keep your eyes peeled for my new book cover, coming even sooner!

Celebrate the Small Things Hop

One of my new blogging friends, the fabulous Vikki of VikLit (I totally love that I have more friends overseas now), came up with this blog hop idea to celebrate small accomplishments and share them with others! Since I just posted an update the fourth novel I'm working on and how well all of that is falling together, I will post about a different accomplishment - a real presence in social networking!

As of today, I have nearly 1,800 followers on Twitter. On Facebook I've almost hit 600 likes, on Goodreads I have almost 600 friends, 600 followers on Tumblr and 300 followers on Pinterest. YIKES! (Don't think I missed the fact that I just posted 600 three times in a row - my freaky mind is going to town on that one, wondering what it could possibly mean!) That's a lot of people. And a lot of work.

As most indie authors know, getting our name out there to promote our books can feel like a full time job in itself. Sometimes it hardly leaves any time for actual writing. I remember when I first started out on Twitter and wondered how on earth all these people gained thousands of followers. I remember being thrilled when I hit 100. Yes it has made me a bit of a social flake (I can't ever go very long without checking notifications on these sites) and yes I hardly get a fraction of the sleep I once used to get, but I really feel like I'm starting to get noticed and my book sales are steadily increasing.

So this Friday, I celebrate all my hard work and lost hours to the Internet. What small thing do YOU have to celebrate?

Writer Wednesday: London Cole

So this week I felt compelled to introduce all of you to one of my favorite Twitter friends. He's witty, charming and a big fan of rum. Plus he's really good at telling paranormal stories that involve ghosts, sexual tension and a dystopian world unlike any other. His book Whisper Walker just underwent a major redo, getting a new title (Splinter), cover (see below) and some scene rewrites.

In honor of London's new release, he's giving away one digital copy (ePub or Mobi) of Splinter! Enter on Rafflecopter giveaway below. Winner will be announced on January 30th.

Tell us about your new release, Splinter.

Ahh, straight to the point. I like that. Ok, that’s not entirely true, I don’t mind a little beating around the bush on occasion. Splinter is a New Adult Post-Apocalyptic novel with elements of romance and paranormal set around eighty years after WWIII. It's a story told from two points of view of two best friends, Kelsie and Drake, as they stumble onto a paranormal mystery and threat that will impact their entire existence.

What's your favorite scene in this book?

That’s a hard one. That’s like asking a Star Wars fanatic to pick their favorite Han Solo action figure. I’d have to say (even though it’s a few scenes) that the second chapter is my favorite. It’s the introduction to Kelsie and some of her dirty little secrets.

Were any aspects of the story brought on by either personal experience or inspiration?

Whoa. The answer to this question is quite extensive. I’ll try to keep it brief. I grew up on a large island in Washington State. Every inch of that island was fodder for how my imagination works. There are many haunted locations on the island, including two seriously creepy and awesome old concrete forts left over from the World Wars, as well as some heavy woods where some completely inexplicable things have happened to me over the years. The very first scene is quite similar to something that happened to me while I was playing night games with some friends in high school at one of the forts. I fell into a pit at the bottom of an ammunitions lift without a flashlight and scene one was more or less born. There are many more scenes inspired by actual locations on Whidbey Island, but I don’t want to spoil the book.

What are some of your personal favorite books?

The whole Harry Potter series. The Iron Druid Chronicles, The King Killer Chronicles, Poison Study, The Emperor’s Edge series, dude, I could keep going. I love reading.

What music do you listen to while writing?

I normally opt for silence or a really loud room full of people, such as a pub. But sometimes I listen to A Day to Remember or Four Year Strong when I’m writing action scenes. Yellowcard is a good all around one for me, too.

What's the most satisfying thing about writing?

Having a reader come up to you and shake your hand, saying how much they loved your book, how much they could relate to one of your characters. It’s surreal.

Hardest thing?

Editing and revisions. Revisions always make my head get turned inside out! If I could write the first two drafts and then let someone else do all the intensive revisions, I would totally do that.

What are you working on next?

I’m working feverishly hard on another NA book that’s paranormal. I also have the outline for the coolest Santa Claus book ever.

What’s your favorite scary movie?

Cabin in the Woods was pretty awesome. Other than that, I’m not really into scary movies. I have been to the house that’s in The Ring though, which was totally cool.

If you could shake the hand of anyone you wanted, who would that be?

That’s tough. Maybe J.K. Rowling. She has done so much to help bring the younger generations into reading and I have the utmost respect for her.

Ways to follow London: Twitter, Goodreads, Facebook, his website

Where to find his books: Amazon, Barnes and Noble

London Cole is the author of Paranormal Young-Adult novels and novellas. He resides in the large and highly over-heated state of Texas, though he's not originally from there. He was born in the Pacific Northwest, growing up on an Island very near Canada. That means that he slips up and occasionally uses words like “ehh” and pronounces “about” like “abooot”. He's also told that he unknowingly slips into a light accent on occasion and says “dude” in an odd fashion.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal: Facade by Nyrae Dawn

Recently, I discovered the talented Nyrae Dawn, an author who really knows how to tell a great romance story. I'm way psyched to be able to reveal her newest book cover to you, Facade! The release is set for March 2013.

**This is a New Adult book and intended for mature audiences.**

Blurb:

No one knows who twenty-one year-old Adrian Westfall is behind his façade. After what he’s done, he deserves to live alone with his pain, even if he’d do anything to forget. Anything for a moment of quiet without his past haunting him.

 

Eighteen year-old Delaney Cross wants nothing more than to absolve her family from her father’s sins. To keep her suicidal mom off that ledge, and help her brother Maddox get the light back in his eyes. She thinks their road to freedom is through Adrian.

 

Adrian and Delaney are bound together by tragedy… Only Adrian doesn’t know it.

 

As their lives intertwine, they find a solace in each other they never knew existed. Laney knows she needs to tell him—to come out from behind her smoke screen, but to say the words could mean losing him.

 

Two people. Two disguises. True love.

 

Will it be enough to save them when all secrets are bared?

Goodreads link: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16150320-facade

Nyrae's website: http://www.nyraedawn.blogspot.com

Nyrae resides in sunny Southern California with her husband (who still makes her swoon) and her two awesome kids. When she’s not with her family, you can be pretty sure you’ll find her with a book in her hand or her laptop and an open document in front of her. Nyrae is represented by Jane Dystel of Dystel and Goderich Literary Management.