Friday, June 29, 2012

Moon Dwellers Blog Tour Finale!



Thank you so much, David for popping over to Dark Obsession Chronicles!  I know you've been on your travel adventure, lounging at the beach, and working on your next book - and I'm just tickled pink you could find a few moments for me.   
*Alana takes a moment to look up from her notes, and her jaw drops open.*  
Wow, you really are Mr. Blue Eyes... what were we up to again?  Oh, right, blog tour... blue eyes... I meant interview.  I thought it might be good to warn you, I scattered some of my favorite quotes from The Moon Dwellers in the interview.  Just thought I'd sprinkle some great little nuggets I found during my read of the ARC.

___________________________________________________________
"The stallion in me wants to jump up, say, 'I'm here, and I'd love to meet you!' but thankfully my mind's black hole implodes upon itself, evaporating and returning clarity of thought."

So, I thought I'd get some of the thoughtful questions out of the way first, and then finish off with some fun stuff!
Why were you drawn to write a YA dystopian novel? 
*Alana stares with rapt attention*
*David tries to answer without getting freaked out by Alana’s staring*  Thanks so much for taking the time to interview me, Alana!!  As many of my readers and friends know, I tend to be rather excitable, so please don’t get annoyed with the multitude of !!!s that will surely be included in my responses.  As another disclaimer before we get into it, I’m just a smidge sarcastic (don’t give me that look Alana, it’s a pinch at the most), so please take very little of what I say seriously.  Except for the really good stuff, that is!
Hmm, well that’s a great first question.  My interest in YA dystopian really goes all the way back to 2008, when I first read The Hunger Games.  That was before everyone had read it and I was being a major book pusher (which is pretty normal for me), trying to get all my friends to read it.  My the time I’d written and published my first trilogy (The Evolution Trilogy), the YA dystopian revolution was in full swing and I was pretty much obsessed, reading every dystopian book I could get my hands on.  One day I thought to myself, “Self, you could write a pretty darn good dystopian book,” so I got started right away, which is what I do.
It’s well documented that I have serious OCD, such that when I dive into a project, I am all the way in, to the point of crazy, my-wife-wants-to-strangle-me obsession.  So I finished the book in about thirty days, let’s call it a month just to be conservative. *winks, yep, that was my sarcasm*  I dove into the beta stage with a fervor, and to my utmost delight, my early readers came back with extremely positive feedback, along with some awesome constructive feedback.  I edited, rewrote, revised, edited, added a prologue, changed the tense, and edited some more, and finally the book was ready! 

_________________________________________________________
"No matter how much I try to wish it all away, my past is the zit that you pop, watch bleed, watch heal, only to see poking from your skin again a week later."
I've only read a small number of dystopian books and I did notice some parallels with City of Ember.  Have you read that book, and if so did it provide any inspiration for your work?  If not that book, then what books, or movies proved to be muses for the Moon Dwellers?
I’m actually so glad you mentioned City of Ember, because I had a bit of a freak out moment when I was in the beta stage for The Moon Dwellers.  I was bored, because I wasn’t currently working on any projects and I was just waiting for feedback from my beta readers.  So I was trolling through potential dystopian books to read and I found City of Ember.  When I read what it was about, I freaked out, thinking my idea had already been done.  I purposely haven’t read City of Ember, as I don’t want to be accused of copying, and I truly hope my book stands on its own and doesn’t seem to similar, but I’ll have to leave it up to the readers to decide as I still haven’t read City of Ember. 
So to answer your other question, City of Ember didn’t provide any inspiration for The Moon Dwellers, but I definitely drew inspiration from some of the other dystopian books I’ve read, like Divergent (omg I love that book so much), The Hunger Games (one word: awesome), and The Maze Runner (cooler than Dairy Queen ice cream cakes).  

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Pandora's Key Blog Tour

*Winner of the 2012 IndieReader Discovery Award for Young Adult Fiction.*
Pandora's Key (The Key Trilogy, #1)Pandora's Key by Nancy Richardson Fischer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book did NOT end up like I expected at all. Not one bit- in a good way.

Some of the characters REALLY pissed me off. It is a good sign that the writing draws me in so much, that I start talking back to the book, "Oh, no- Bestie did NOT just say that!" I was honestly ready to throw my Kindle around I was so ticked off. You don't know why to trust, how deep the rabbit hole goes.

Evangeline was feeling like Alice in Wonderland hurtling down the rabbit hole.

"I do love you," he whispered, feeling unbearably sad. "But there's not enough love in the world to keep me from killing you if you stand in the way of my survival."

Very unique story, I don't think I've read any before that focus on Pandora. Even the few stories I can think of that involve Gods (as in Greek/Roman: Zeus and the like)... usually they focus on the Gods themselves, or the 'demigods'. But it was an interesting take on the story. I'm still trying to decide why the story slightly deviated from the one I grew up with, where Pandora trapped Hope in her box.

What a mind-f*&k! Seriously, like a conspiracy theory nut's wet dream.

If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck... they're part of this thing, too.

I will definitely continue the series.

Very vanilla, YA, young romance- do not read this book expecting serious hanky-panky action.

Raphe said I was beautiful and I believed him. I am such a pathetic cliche.

If you enjoy YA, and PNR/Urban Fantasy with some dark undertones a 'everyone IS out to get me' feel to it- RUN, don't walk and get your own copy!

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Legend of the Ninja Trailer









Representing one of the wisest ninjas in the world, Jarius has connections to the deepest parts of the ninja empire.
--
Legend of a Ninja is an ongoing series that explores the world of the ninja. In a realistic fantasy setting, the focus is not on action or violence. Instead, this is a unique look into the lives, relationships and events that have shaped the shadows.

Legend of a Ninja is on Facebook

 Quick description of the series:
*Equality in gender and orientation, strong lead characters
*Based on relationships and dark secrets
*Realistic fantasy setting
*Young adult, no gratuitous sex or violence
*Ninjas that people can relate to


Check out the author profile on GoodReads:

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Stacking the Shelves #5


Stacking the Shelves is a *new* weekly meme to feature all the books that have made their way into our homes this week! 
Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.
This is the very first weekly meme that I've officially joined!  Woohoo!
Be sure to check out Tynga's Reviews on how to participate and create your own post!

For Review:

 eBooks from the author

Add The Dragonslayer's Sword to your Goodreads shelf here
Add The Iron Maiden to your Goodreads shelf here.
Add  The Stone of Darkness to your Goodreads shelf here.

Free from Amazon:


 *While I got them for free from Amazon, there is no guarantee that they are still free on Amazon.  The special promotion may have ended.
Purchased:
 Books #1-#3 in the Demonslayer Series
Add Demonfire to your Goodreads shelves here.
Add Hellfire to your Goodreads shelves here.
Add Starfire to your Goodreads shelves here.
Be sure to check back later in the week for the finale of 
The Moon Dwellers Blog Tour!

Feel Welcome to leave a link or a comment on a 
'Stacking the Shelves' of your own!

Friday, June 22, 2012

Determinant Cover Reveal

Drum roll please...



Isn't this such an intriguing cover? 
 The colors are beautiful, and her eyes practically glow.   
I wish I could just reach through the picture and touch her hair.
I am SO excited for this!

Synopsis of Determinant

January St. Davis, on her own since the age of sixteen and struggling to stay in college, thinks she’s scored in a major way when she lands a paid summer internship at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.  One evening, after working an especially long shift, a chance encouter with a group of mysterious men alters the course of her life.
Rykerian Yarrister, a Guardian of Vesturon with unearthly powers and impossibly gorgeous looks, finds himself at odds over the human female he recently saved from certain death.  When it seems he is on the verge of winning her over, she is ripped from his hands by a strange and powerful being, threatening to destroy her if his demands are not met.

Do Rykerian and the Guardians have the ability to meet this fierce barbarian’s ultimatums, or will January suffer a horrid demise?


Excerpt of Determinant

I was lost in the events of the day and the amount of work I had and I was still nursing my wounded ego as I headed out of the lab.  As I made my way down the corridor, I noticed six men advancing toward me.  
It wasn’t their actions I noticed so much or even the way they walked.  And though it was an oddity for them to even be here at all, it was their attire that captured my attention.  They were dressed identically, in an extreme fashion, much like members of a gang or secret society.  Large and muscular, they wore black vests and their bare arms were almost completely tattooed with tribal symbols of a sort.  Metal bands criss-crossed their chests and their legs were tightly encased in leather.  Knee high boots and black gloves finished off their ensembles.  
As I neared them I felt my flesh tingle and the hairs on the back of my neck come to attention.  Gooseflesh erupted and alarms started clanging in my head.  I sucked in my breath and as I did, my eyes connected with the apparent leader.  I say this because he was in the front of the formation as they plodded along.
Time stood still as our eyes connected.  His were an uncanny shade, lavender with hints of indigo and specks of silver.  It was a hue I was unfamiliar with but they were intriguing and fascinating.  The alarms were still ringing in my ears and the air felt electrically charged around us.  
“Halt!”
I turned into stone.  I couldn’t move a muscle.  He cocked his head as his eyes bore into mine.  
“Breathe!”
I distinctly heard his command in my mind and I was helpless to disobey him.  I felt myself take a deep cleansing breath.  I questioned him with my eyes.  He flicked his head toward his men and they stepped back several feet.
“Who are you? Why are you here?”
I was confused by the demanding questions swirling in my brain but felt compelled to answer him.  I had never used mind reading to communicate, but I was sure he would hear my answer.
“I’m January St. Davis.  I’m here working on an internship for college credit.”
“You are human?” he asked with incredulity.
I wasn’t sure what he meant by that.  Why would he want to know if I was human?  What a ridiculous question!


Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Second Time Around Blog Tour



 
 
Author Bio

H. A. Caine lives in her hometown of Brooklyn, New York. She has hopes of becoming a great writer and one day opening her own bakery. She even has the name and layout already decided. Among other writing projects she's working on her very own first series, Boys in Love. The first book, Letting Go, will be available later this year. 


Twitter: @H_ACaine


 This is an adult m/m romance novella (Rated R)
 
Blurb

Jamie lives with his straight modeling best friend of three years, John. He’s finally achieved his life long dream of opening up his own bakery and John throws him a party. There he meets Matthew, co-owner of the Home Improvement shop across the street from his new bakery. They hit it off. 
Only there’s one problem. Matthew is possibly straight and theres a 90% chance that he thinks Jamie is a woman!

Excerpt

"Who was that guy I saw you talking to? He looks a bit familiar." John's voice was casual but the quick glances out of the corner of his eyes were anything but.
Resisting the urge to laugh, Jamie looked back out the passenger side window.
"Matthew. Him and his brother run the Home Improvement store across the street. Didn't you invite him?"
"Oh, yeah. He seemed nice, but I could've sworn his name was Clark." John sounded confused.
"Maybe you mixed up their names?" Jamie provided helpfully.
"More than likely. We only talked for about a minute." Jamie caught the quick glance John tossed him and so he wasn't surprised by his next words. "Sooo... does he know you're a guy?"
Even expecting it, Jamie couldn't have stopped himself that time, even though he tried. He burst out laughing, slapping his palm repeatedly against his naked thigh.
He knew John was serious and, in all fairness, the question really was a legit one. Still, he couldn't help it.
"Stop laughing." John muttered, trying not to chuckle himself as Jamie continued to laugh, a tear squeezing out the corner of his eye.
Trying to breath deeply and get himself under control, Jamie giggled. "Sorry, sorry." he apologised when he could open his mouth without laughing.
John shook his head, the corner of his mouth tilting up in a small smile.
"So does he?"
He bit his lip. The more he thought about it, the more he was certain Matthew had no idea he was a guy.
Which meant the man was straight. And he'd only flirted with Jamie because he'd thought he was a girl.
Crap!
He heard a sigh beside him. "He doesn't know, does he?"
Jamie shook his head in the negative. "I don't think so."
"Crap."
Slumping down in his seat and crossing his arms over his chest, Jamie let his head thump against the window pane, deciding that was exactly what he felt like.

This marks the final stop of Making Connections 
Second Time Around 
Blog Tour!  
Thanks for stopping by, 
and be sure to keep and eye out for more tours coming soon!

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Stacking the Shelves #4


Stacking the Shelves is a *new* weekly meme to feature all the books that have made their way into our homes this week! 
Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.
This is the very first weekly meme that I've officially joined!  Woohoo!
Be sure to check out Tynga's Reviews on how to participate and create your own post!

For Review:

 ARC


 Isn't this a gorgeous cover?  ARC eBook from the author

Add it to your Goodreads shelf here.

Free from Amazon:


 *While I got them for free from Amazon, there is no guarantee that they are still free on Amazon.  The special promotion may have ended.
Purchased:
 #1 in the Heaven Help Me Series
Add it to your Goodreads shelves here.
 
 Books #1 & 2 of Mageri Series, eBooks


Add Sterling and Twist to your Goodreads shelves

 Hardback for only $1 at DollarTree!
Add it to your Goodreads shelf here.

Hardback for only $1 at DollarTree! 
Add it to your Goodreads shelf here.
I actually haven't read any of this series... but how could I pass up a $1 hardcover.  I could give it as a gift if it comes down to it!

Be sure to check back later in the week for a blog tour, 
and a cover reveal!

Feel Welcome to leave a link or a comment on a 
'Stacking the Shelves' of your own!

Friday, June 15, 2012

The Moon Dwellers Cover Reveal


Early praise for The Moon Dwellers

“Once again, David Estes has put an original twist to a popular theme. Moon Dwellers is a dystopian novel filled with action, great characters and romance.”
Author Christie Rich
 

“You can't pigeonhole this YA fiction into one specific genre. It has all the elements of action & adventure, comedy, tragedy, romance, and suspense all rolled into one magnificent story by author David Estes."
Laurie Love Goodreads
 

“This was a fabulous work of art appropriate for all ages. I am eagerly awaiting the next installment of this sweet and fantastical world from the amazingly creative David Estes."
Nicole Marie Goodreads
 

“An emotional rollercoaster that had me crying and gave me goose pumps more times than I’m willing to accept"
Karla Book Addict Goodreads


Early praise for the author

“David Estes you are a genius! This book kept me on the edge of my seat. I felt such intense emotion to the main characters and their cause.”
Tina Donelly Goodreads
 

“Another fantastic book by David Estes that had me gripped straight away"
Adele Goodreads


About the author

David Estes was born in El Paso, Texas but moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania when he was very young. He grew up in Pittsburgh and then went to Penn State for college. Eventually moved to Sydney, Australia where he met his wife. A reader all his life, he began writing novels for the children's and YA markets in 2010. He´s a writer with OCD, a love of dancing and singing (but only when no one is looking or listening), a mad-skilled ping-pong player, and prefers writing at the swimming pool to writing at a table.
 

Author of the Evolution Trilogy
http://davidestesbooks.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/David-Estes/130864990343920
https://twitter.com/#!/davidestesbooks



Sunday, June 10, 2012

Stacking the Shevles #3


Stacking the Shelves is a *new* weekly meme to feature all the books that have made their way into our homes this week! 
Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

For Review:

eBook from author, J. Meyers
Buy your own copy on Amazon!

ARC


 GoodReads Review can be found here.
ARC eBook from author, John Corwin, book available sometime in July!


eBook from Author, Jason Warne, and Making Connections YA Edition on Goodreads

Buy Fix by Force from Amazon
eBook from the author, S.L.J. Shortt.
Buy it from Amazon

Friday, June 8, 2012

Dark Light of Mine Cover Reveal



Elyssa graces the cover of book 2 in 
The Overworld Chronicles.
I am just pleased as punch at how beautiful this cover is.

Did you notice it's the same girl from my review?  
Happy Dance!

What the beta readers are saying 
about 
Dark Light of Mine!

"Takes off like a shot and never lets up. Dark Light of Mine left me weak in the knees and begging for book three." --Alana, DARK OBSESSION CHRONICLES

...And that absolutely were the first words out of my mouth: "Where is book three?"
 

"Dark Light of Mine grabs you from start to finish. Corwin's vision of the Overworld is filled with vibrant characters and vivid details." --Chelle, VICARIOUS REVIEWS

"Has all the witty charm of Sweet Blood of Mine but with even more action and mystery packed in…Dark Light of Mine is a fantastic sequel." –BeckyLooHoo, GOODREADS

"Dark Light of Mine takes the panty-dropping power of Sweet Blood of Mine and pushes it into panty-melting territory."

"Vampires, werewolves, felycans, and incubi are just the tip of the paranormal iceberg…Dark Light of Mine brings them all together to create a thrilling and humorous journey!" --Bookworm, LIGHT MY PANTIES AFIRE REVIEWS

"Corwin pens another laugh-out-loud page-turner for lovers of YA and Adult paranormal alike. No one wrote Urban Fantasy or Paranormal Romance like this when I was a kid!" --t'irla, BOOKSLAYER


"Dark Light of Mine made my inner goddess squirm in her seat and shout, 'Oh my!'" 

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Crimson Midnight Blog Tour

 

My review for Crimson Midnight can be found on 
(along with some images of what I think the characters look like,) be sure to check it out!

♦There are so many characters, all well 'fleshed out' in Crimson Midnight, was it difficult keeping all the characters straight? Did you have any visual aids or similar?♦

Cassidy: We spent a lot of time writing biographies for each character and browsed through magazines and catalogues to find people who resembled our image of each character. We wanted to make sure that we had the same visual in our head.

Amos: The biography is really important for getting in to the heads of everyone and great for getting a grasp of how they’d react to situations, how their feelings work etc.



♦Do you have a favorite character that you both enjoyed writing?♦

Amos: I enjoyed writing everyone, but I have to say that I enjoyed writing Raven the most.

Cassidy: I enjoyed writing Raven, Rose, Thistle, Roman…erm…I guess I enjoyed writing them all! I have to say though that I found Rose easiest to write.

Amos: Our fabulous, happy ensemble cast ♥ Love ‘em!


♦Do y'all have any pictures that could be shared about how y'all envision some of the characters look?♦

Amos: We haven’t got any pictures but we can tell you who we modelled them on. 
Henry Cavill as Raven


Alex Reid as Harold

Buffy-era Sarah Michelle Gellar (with British accent) as Rose


And any suggestions for Roman and Thistle for the forthcoming movie are welcome.


♦Is there anything specific that brought y'all together for writing this book, and anything specific that inspired you both?♦

*Amos stretches out on his sun-lounger while Cassidy cobbles together a concise response.


Cassidy: *Glares at Amos* Ahem, well, I would say that it was pure luck that brought us together. We were introduced to each other by Amos’s boyfriend who is also a friend of mine. We discovered that we both shared a passion for books and were both writing a novel at the time. Once we finished our respective novels we decided to write something together. Crimson Midnight was our second project as a team, the first one has been shelved for now. I think aside from books themselves we find inspiration in each other.

Amos: *Still on sun-lounger but raises his shades*  I agree. I think the main thing was a passion to write. And writing together is so much fun. It’s so easy to get depressed or down about yourself and your work. But when you work as a team, there is no room for that. There is always someone to pick you up who understands exactly what you’re going through, and who cares about your work just as much as you do. Plus, there is always someone to indulge in sugary snacks (brain food) with when things go tits-up.

Cassidy: His answer is only better because he had more time to formulate it!


♦Do you have a specific number of books planned for this series?♦


Cassidy: No.


Amos: Yes.

Cassidy: Huh?


Amos: Sorry did I forget to discuss that with you?


Cassidy: *Smiles sweetly* Don’t be silly, it just slipped my mind for a moment. We discuss everything don’t we? Why don’t you tell the nice readers how many books we have planned?


Amos: *Yawns widely flashing perfect white teeth* Why don’t you?

Cassidy: We could do this all day but it’s not getting us anywhere…

Amos: Seriously, we’ve got 4 in our head. But there possibly could be a 5th, depending on how the story goes.

♦Do you have any other writing projects planned together beyond this series?♦

Amos: Yes. We have several notepads filled with ideas. Will defo keep us going until we’re old and grey.


Cassidy: We have something really exciting planned for after the Crimson Series is completed. I keep having flashes of inspiration about it and have made lots of notes.


*Amos grins and is then distracted by a hot surfer dude strutting by*


Cassidy: Um… Amos, how did that surfer dude get in to your back garden?

Amos: He has exclusive access ☺

♦Was there anything is this book that you really wanted to see happen, or a specific character to end up with another, but during the writing process was unable to deliver? (I understand sometimes story and characters dictate what happens, even if it's almost against the writer's wishes.)♦

Amos: Originally, Roman was supposed to have a different storyline. There was going to be this big thing about his heritage, from Russia, and his journey to becoming an Alpha and taking over the Russian pack. His biological mum was even in the original version of Crimson 1. But we weren’t happy with that so…we went in a different direction with that silver blade  There were so many other little things to do with Roman and Rose that we decided to change as the story progressed.

Cassidy: The way it has turned out, and the direction it is going in now feels completely right. We always listen to our instincts and go with the gut, and if it doesn’t feel right then it probably isn’t. And yes the story has now taken on a life of its own.


♦Who are some of your favorites authors (other than yourselves) or any specific books that are among your favorites?♦

Amos: Some of our ultimate favourites are:

It by Stephen King
Storm Born by Richelle Mead
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning
Dime Store Magic by Kelley Armstrong
The Mummy by Anne Rice
The Books of Abarat by Clive Barker
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

One of my personal favourite books of all time is Just Kids by Patti Smith. Man, that book made me cry like a baby at the end. Oh and I love Misery by Stephen King!

Cassidy: I read about five books a week and I have so many favourites I couldn’t pick just one.


♦Was there a playlist or music of some sort that y'all listened to while writing?♦

Cassidy: I can’t write while listening to music. I usually write to the background noise of my husband playing some shoot ‘em up game on the X Box.

Amos: Where do I begin? I listen to a lot of Madonna, Tori Amos, Toni Braxton, Mariah Carey, Kylie Minogue and Prince while I write. And it depends on what I’m writing that day who or what I listen to. For example, a sexy scene will have a sexy track to get me in the mood. An action scene will call for something harder.

♦If y'all could have dinner with any 6 people (living or dead) who would you pick (I figure 3 a piece.)♦

Cassidy: If I could have a dinner party I’d have one at Flo’s with all the gang from Crimson Land ♥

Amos: I’d have Jensen Ackles, Marilyn Monroe and Madonna. But I’d replace dinner with cocktails and the dining room with a club ♥

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Stacking the Shelves #2


Stacking the Shelves is a *new* weekly meme to feature all the books that have made their way into our homes this week! 
Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.
This is the very first weekly meme that I've officially joined!  Woohoo!

For Review:


 ARC
 Isn't this a gorgeous cover?  eBook from the author
eBooks from the publisher
This cover addles my brain.  In a good way.  
eBook from the publisher.
Both free eBooks from their respective authors.
.
Free from Amazon:

 
 *While I got them for free from Amazon, there is no guarantee that they are still free on Amazon.  The special promotion may have ended.
Purchased:
 Books #1-3 of That Old Black Magic Series, eBooks

 Paperback


Feel Welcome to leave a link or a comment on a 
'Stacking the Shelves' of your own!