Wednesday, September 26, 2012

The Star Dwellers Cover Reveal!



The Star Dwellers Synopsis:
After rescuing her father and younger sister, Adele is forced to leave her family and Tristan behind to find her mother in the cruel and dangerous realm of the star dwellers.

Amidst blossoming feelings for Adele, Tristan must cast his feelings aside and let her find her own way amongst the star dwellers, while he accompanies Adele's father to meet with the leaders of the moon dwellers and decide the fate of the Tri-Realms.

Will Adele be able to rescue her mother and make it back to the Moon Realm before the President and the sun dweller soldiers destroy her family?

Can Tristan convince the moon dweller puppets of the error of their ways?

Was Adele's lost kiss with Tristan her one and only chance at love?

In her world there's only one rule: Someone must die


The Star Dwellers Release Date: Sept 30th 2012

Early praise for The Star Dwellers


“Estes´s creative genius continues to shine in this installment. We get quite a few questions answered and more are raised.”
Author Christie Rich

This is easily becoming one of the best dystopian books I've read.”
Lolita  Goodreads

The Star Dwellers surpassed all of my expectations and more. I was just completely amazed and thrown back into this fantastic world and left dying to know what will happen next.
Kayleigh Goodread

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



Here is David Estes, 'Mr. Blue Eyes' Himself!
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

Monday, September 24, 2012

Eden West Blog Tour + Interview!

 

BOOK TWO IN THE EDEN SERIES
BY JANELLE STALDER

SYNOPSIS:
New beginnings, new conflicts, and new adventures arise in the second installment of the Eden Series, Eden-West.

Months after his initial journey to Eden, Aiden is learning to cope with his own transformation. His social status has changed, his friendship with his best friend Ethan is in jeopardy because of it, and worst of all, he has heard absolutely nothing from his new friends in Eden. What has become of the world he fell in love with? Are his friends safe? Is the war over? With no answers, and no hope for contact, Aiden decides to focus on his life in his world.

Just as he makes this decision, he encounters a familiar bright light and thinks he knows exactly what it means. Except the light isn’t at all what he expects and neither is the person behind it. When Aiden returns to Eden, it is to a whole new part of that special world, and a whole new set of adventures.

Weeks after Aiden was returned to his own world, Elisa is sent to Nysa, the revered Southern city, to retrieve the one thing she’d rather avoid – Wolf. Captain Turk instructed her to get in and get out - but that is easier said than done. When she finds her missing friend, she also stumbles upon a great deal of trouble. This trouble goes by one name – Markus, the leader of the Sun People.

Follow all your favourite characters as they ready themselves for battle and fight for a world threatened to be destroyed.


GENRE: Young Adult Fantasy
AGE: 13 and up.
WHERE TO PURCHASE: Amazon, Barnes and Nobel, Smashwords, Kobo

EXCERPT:
“We have bigger problems on our hands now.”
“Such as?” Logan asked.
“Well, she’s one,” Wolf pointed at Elisa.
“Now wait just one minute –” she began.
“No you wait!” Wolf interrupted. “We’ve both asked you now: what are you doing here? I expect an answer, and quickly, so we can send you back.” The antagonism in his voice stunned her. She was momentarily speechless. She had known it would be awkward to see them again, but this was something else.
When they had last seen each other it hadn’t turned out well. Wolf was upset over Felix’s death, blaming himself for not being quick enough to save him. He was also bitter about the fact that he had been unaware of the truth behind Aiden’s origin. He felt betrayed, especially by Elisa.
She remembered the night before he left for the south, when he had shown up at her bedroom door. She’d never forget the hate in his voice as he yelled at her: “Where were you? What were you doing in that tree? Watching the birds?!” He had screamed at her. Elisa had been speechless then as well, taken aback by his onslaught. “It was your job to keep an eye on everyone. You should have done something to save him!” He hadn’t been talking about Felix then. He meant the arrow that hit Aiden. Wolf believed she should have seen it heading toward him, and should have knocked it off its path with one of her own. It was true, she could have done that – she had done it many times in practice. But at the time she had been distracted by everything else that had been going on. The truth was, no one had noticed that arrow heading towards him, nor had they been able to figure out where it had come from.
“How can you blame me for something like that? We were in battle! How was I supposed to be watching all of you and still be doing my part?” Normally she had no problem yelling back at Wolf, but her chest felt too tight. Her voice came out quiet and shaky.
“Don’t act like you weren’t watching him the whole time,” he spat back, making her face burn. “You two were the best of friends, the only ones who knew the truth.”
“Wolf, that’s not fair –”
“I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN!” His face was scarlet with anger, his eyes bulging. Elisa didn’t know what to say. After a moment, Wolf turned and left, leaving her alone. That was the last time she saw him in half a year. He had left the same night with Logan, travelling south to the City of the Sun.
Now, as they stood on the roof, she could see the same anger in his eyes, but he was more controlled.
“My father sent me,” she said, keeping her voice strong. There was no way he’d get the best of her again. “The King has sent numerous messages, asking for the two of you to return, with no reply. I’m here to make sure you receive the message.”
“Great, message received. Now you can go back home.” Wolf got up and walked to the opposite side of the roof, turning his back to both of them. Logan watched him closely.
“I’m not supposed to leave without you,” she said. “We need to leave tonight.” Unexpectedly, Wolf started to laugh.
“No one is going anywhere tonight,” he said, without turning, his voice betraying a sense of fatigue.
“Why not?” asked Logan.
“Because we still have our other problem.”
“Which is what?”
“Markus.” 




DON’T FORGET TO CHECK OUT BOOK ONE IN THE SERIES, EDEN.
BOOK ONE IN THE EDEN SERIES
BY JANELLE STALDER
SYNOPSIS:
Stuck in the cruel world of hormones and high school bullies, Aiden is convinced life has something more to offer. A stranger soon brings him to a world that co-exists alongside our own called Eden. Here he will learn to trust himself and those around him, as all of Eden finds itself on the brink of war. With the handsome rider Wolf, his sidekick Logan, and the beautiful archer Elisa at his side, Aiden will battle to save Eden and learn just what he is capable of.

Being the only girl in the King’s Army, and the Captain’s daughter, Elisa constantly feels the need to prove herself. It doesn’t help that she is betrothed to Wolf, who challenges her at every turn, and who she refuses to marry. With the new stranger, Aiden, now involved, Elisa finds her life even more confusing than ever.

Rose is a prisoner of the war, taken by the army from the North. Her captor, the exiled Prince Callum, intrigues her and terrifies her all at the same time. Now she must choose to either betray her heart, or the memory of her family.
Eden is packed full of romance, adventure, humour, and action.
GENRE: Young Adult Fantasy
AGE: 13 and up.
WHERE TO PURCHASE: Amazon, Barnes and Nobel, Chapters, Kobo, iUniverse


PRAISE FOR EDEN: A NOVEL – BOOK ONE, EDEN SERIES
“The author pulls us into their world, and by the time the book is over, we want to go back. Go back to Eden and relive the experiences again. This is one of those books where when you’re through reading it, you miss the characters.”
– Emerald Barnes, Author “Piercing Through the Darkness”
“Stalder wrote Eden in a way that it became the perfect blend of Medieval, Magical and Modern. Her characters are so rich in texture and description that you can easily visualize them and the settings around them.”
– Tristen Calnan from Totally Booked Solid (totallybookedsolid.blogspot.com)
“This story has multiple storylines that some authors can’t pull off. Not Janelle Stalder. She takes it and runs away and as a reader you just sit back and enjoy the ride.”
– Terri Thomas from My Book Boyfriend (mybookboyfriend.blogspot.com)
“Wow. Eden was definitely nothing like I expected it to be. The more I read the more I fell in love with this book. There are so many books out there where romances develop way too quickly and the reader is left thinking whoa, how did that happen? So it is nice and refreshing to find a book where you can see the starts of relationships but where it is not rushed.”
– Kayleigh-Marie Gore from K-Books (k-booksxo.blogspot.com)
“The world created by Janelle is absolutely mesmerizing and I just could not get enough. I enjoyed all of the characters.”
– Heather from Nightly Reading (nightlyreading.wordpress.com)
Personally, I give both book 1 (Eden)
and book 2 (Eden West) this rating:

 Keep an eye on Dark Obsession Chronicles for a review of both books!

Interview Time!
Grab your britches, because I got some questions for you!

Good thing I’m wearing my good ones!



♦ Not many writers (it seems to me) seem to go with a male POV, especially in YA. I also love the fact that we get 'in the head' of multiple characters both male and female. What made you break that convention? Are you as comfortable writing from a male's perspective as you are a females?


You know, I didn’t really think much of it when I started to write as Aiden. I guess I must be pretty comfortable with both, because I didn’t find it very difficult. I always like to say I think more like a man lol so maybe that’s why?! I didn’t purposely set out to break the convention. Having both male and female is fun for me, especially when I switch during one specific scene. Wolf’s view on what is happening is always a bit different than Elisa’s, and I think it helps to keep things interesting. I’m just glad people think I can pull it off!

♦ Why did you choose YA to write rather than adult? And why did you choose Aiden to begin the Eden series as a 15 year old? Are you planning several books spanning until he reaches adulthood? And do you already have a 'set' number of books planned for Eden?


Since the main character is fifteen I felt like it was more fitting to have it be a YA novel. Didn’t seem right making it adult with such a young main character. I’ve thought about doing adult books though, so maybe I’ll come out with one. Fifteen is right on that cusp of becoming a young adult and starting to gain responsibility and maturity. I wanted him at an age where finding his confidence and courage took a lot of growth in himself, and I think it’s harder for someone who is still quite young when you think about it. It’s much harder for a fifteen year old to take the fate of an entire world on his shoulder than it would an adult, and I wanted that struggle. He is sixteen in the next books, but you won’t really see him grow older than that. There are four books in total. I have another series in mind, and you might see some familiar faces cross over, but this particular storyline will end in book four.


♦ I don't want you to necessarily give spoilers... oh, who am I kidding, yes I'm looking for spoilers... you give hints of romantic interest on Aiden's part toward other females, but it seems the odds are stacked against him 'getting the girl'. Why is that? Similarly, in Eden West (so far at least), the same thing seems to be going on. Aiden seems like such a nice, loyal teenager, and I can't help but wish he could ultimately be happy.


I think his struggle with the opposite sex is just another thing boys his age deal with. That’s why I didn’t want him to necessarily fall in love with Elisa, because that’s just not normal for a boy his age. Fifteen year old boys are full of raging hormones, so I think it’s pretty much expected for them to fall for every pretty girl that comes their way. His confidence is still building, and I think that is why he has a harder time actually getting the girls. Speaking for most girls, I think we tend to gravitate to guys who have that confidence and self-assurance. We don’t necessarily want them cocky, because that can be annoying, but you like them to have a bit of swagger. Aiden certainly doesn’t have that yet, poor guy lol You will see him finally get “a girl” though, and I really like them together. There is a definite pull between them, and hopefully the readers will enjoy the growth of their relationship.

♦ Now, I'm still reading book 2, Eden West right now, but without giving too much away, were you nervous about how you ended the first book?


Not really. The first book was really me setting everything up; the characters, the world, the conflict, etc. Once I had set the stage, sort-to-speak, I was free to really delve into the story. Book two was a bit easier because I didn’t have to re-establish all that. The readers are already familiar with what is happening and who is involved, so I just picked it up and went right into things. The ending of book one just established that Aiden isn’t this untouchable person in Eden. He has weaknesses like everyone else, but he’s also very different. You’ll find out why he’s so different, and why he was picked in the fourth book.

♦ I'm not sure if you can answer this, but WTF is up with Aiden's twitchy friend at home? Book one, he was just a side character with some 'pop' to make him stand out, but book 2 he's downright odd.


Lol are we talking about Ethan? He’s just that quirky best friend. The Robin to Aiden’s Batman. They’re not the “cool guys” in school, so he’s a bit strange. Both need to find out who they really are, and grow into men, and you’ll get to see that from them both as the series continues. Ethan isn’t gone from the story just yet, so you’ll have to wait and see how he evolves.

♦ Why did you give readers the opportunity to get inside Callum's head? Was it a statement about how almost any character can have redeeming qualities, or is there something up your sleeve for Eden?


I just don’t like stories that are black and white. It’s easy to make a bad guy and have everyone hate him. It’s harder to have a bad guy that is actually not so bad, and therefore the readers start to identify with him as well. Suddenly the reader is connecting with both sides of the war, causing them to become more emotionally involved in who wins and how things will eventually turn out. I wanted that with my books, so I’m glad that people love Callum. I don’t think he is a bad guy innately, I think he was let down and the wrong sort of people were there to pick him back up.


♦Do you use multimedia (pictures, music, or other) to assist you with writing? Especially when writing from various character's POV?


No not really. Sometimes I’ll listen to music while I write, but I don’t think that affects my writing in any way. For Eden-West I listened to a lot of Tides of Man and Coldplay for some reason. Don’t really know why, but it does help me from having my thoughts start to wander lol

♦ Do you have any books unrelated to this series that you have written or are planning on writing?


Yes and yes. I have a couple of books that are already written. I don’t know if I’ll publish them, but I have a few people beta reading one series that I could possibly release just as a freebie. If you know of any betas *cough* you *cough* I’m looking for some! ;) I also have quite a few ideas floating around in my head for new stories, but I haven’t started any. One is begging to be put on paper, but I don’t really want to start anything new until I’ve finished the Eden series. I haven’t started the fourth book yet, so once that’s written I can move on to new things.



*OK... enough with the hard and heavy questions.
Now I'm going to really put you on your toes....*



Uh oh…


Saturday, September 22, 2012

Stacking the Shelves #11


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.

Be sure to check out Tynga's Reviews on how to participate and create your own post!

Sorry about my sabbatical from Stacking the Shelves posts, there is much to catch up on!

Won:

 Won eBook from Paranormal Cravings

Add Sweet to your Goodreads shelf. 



 Won eBook from FUONLYKNEW blog

Add A Human Element to your Goodreads shelf. 


 Thank Y'all So Much!

For Review Directly from the Authors:


For Review from Making Connections 
and The Nexus:




  For Review from J. Taylor Publishing:


For Review from Entangled Publishing, LLC:


Purchased from Amazon:

 

  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.  
And as you can see... I went a little crazy these last few weeks.


Friday, September 21, 2012

Opal Cover Reveal (aka Daemon Swoon)



No one is like Daemon Black.

When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well... There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on.
 

But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.  

After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different... And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable of. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever. 

Together we’re stronger... and they know it.


Follow this link to an ~~~ EPIC CONTEST ~~~ Announcement. You will want to bookmark this page!


 
USA TODAY Bestselling author, Jennifer L. Armentrout, lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell, Loki. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She also writes adult romance under the name J. Lynn.
 
Find Jennifer on:
 Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Website | Blog

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Within the Shadows Making Connections Blog Tour



Within the Shadows by Julieanne Lynch (J.A. Lynch) 

Within the Shadows
By J.A. Lynch
Published July 18th 2012
Vamptasy
ASIN: B008MZJB3W


Synopsis:


Living on the razors edge, Giselle Burgman's life is torn apart by her cheating boyfriend. Little does she realise that he is the least of her worries when her long term friend Alex introduces her to his family and a new, darker world. A world of lies, deceit and corruption. Thrown from one problem straight into another, the razors edge gets thinner and sharper, testing Giselle's sanity and vitality. Not even she can hide when living within the shadows.


Excerpt

Alarming as it might have been, I was quite excited. Sounds pretty crazy, but I think I got caught up in the moment, and being made a fuss of was definitely something I could get used to.
But, as always, reality has a nasty way of hitting you hard in the face.
I walked behind Atarah and Angelika as they led me through corridors that looked like something out of a gothic fairy tale. The walls were a strange shade of pomegranate, its boldness illuminated by softly lit candles. The wooden floors were temporarily covered with a bluish red runner that ran the whole length of the hall. Amaranthine drapes hung over the grand bay windows. The air had a distinct aroma, and although I could not quite place the smell I was sure it was incense. Its strong, fragrant smoke brushed the back of my nostrils, resulting in a few disapproving sneezes.
I sniffled, “Excuse me!” as we entered the hall through a large set of oak doors.
It was a very dramatic entrance. Standing below me were hundreds of unknown faces. A few stood out, but they were strangers all the same. They wore a mixture of black and purple clothes.
The women were dressed in floor-length gowns, their hair pulled back tight and their hands covered by long lace gloves. The men’s attire consisted of black herringbone frockcoats with matching black trousers. All wore purple shirts with black cravats.
I looked around, trying to find Alex, and there he stood with Leonid, in front of an altar.
It was the most spectacular scene I had ever seen. Lighted candles and floral arrangements of violets, orchids, red roses, lilies and irises filled the entire room. The scent was overwhelming.
Silence fell, and all eyes were on me. My stomach churned and panic set in. I wanted to run through the doors and as far from there as I could, but behind me were two large men, standing in front of the doors. They were not going to move for me.
I stood alone and watched the smile spread across Alex’s face as he ushered me to him.
I must have floated down the stairs, as I cannot remember walking down. The crowd moved as I walked down an aisle strewn with rose petals.
Alex looked amazing. I had never seen him look so handsome. He wore identical clothes to the rest of the men, except that his cravat matched the grey marl in the sash I wore around my waist. His smile illuminated the whole room
and in normal circumstances would have melted my heart, but there was something sinister in his eyes. A deep redness flickered in the light of the candles.
I was so out of my depth.
Taking my hand, he led me to a stone slab in front of the altar. Shaking, my voice quivered as I whispered to him.
“What’s going on?”
“It’s your consecration. Remember, you will be blessed tonight. Just follow my lead.”
He was so calm, and it seemed that he expected me to mirror his demure behaviour. I was anything but calm. Sweat began to seep in the palms of my hands. So many eyes were upon me.
Breathe Giselle, just breathe!
Alex, directed me to lie down on the stone slab. I obliged, and rested my body on the coldness of the rock beneath me. Incense filled the space around me; no air just smoky fumes. There were four men, one standing at each corner of the slab and each holding a staff. Their eyes filled with the crimson tide that was visible in both Alex and Leonid. Alex stood back and disappeared behind his father. I was alone with the strange men, each mumbling to himself.
From the altar came the voice of someone I knew.
Atarah.


About the Author:

Fiery Librian Julieanne Lynch is an author of urban fantasy books for both adults and teens. Julieanne lives in Northern Ireland, where she works on her Shadows Trilogy and other series full-time. Before becoming a writer, she considered a few different career paths, a rock star being one of them. She studied English Literature and Creative Writing at The Open University, and considered journalism as a career path. However, she decided writing was the way for her and believes all of her education and reading prepared her for it.

An avid reader, Julieanne has always had an encompassing fascination with folklore. When not writing, she enjoys crime series such as Criminal Minds, CSI, NCIS and Cold Case, and loves anything with Vampires, listening to metal, meeting new people, drinking lots of green tea, and sharing her dreams with her children. She is a self-professed goth wanna-be, and is happy when left to write into the early hours of the morning.
Julieanne's YA series, The Shadows Trilogy, is published by Vamptasy Publishing and thus far contains In the Shadows. It follows the war between vampires and shadow creatures. Giselle Bergman, an 18-year old human girl, falls victim to a scheme by one of her closest childhood friends, and embarks on a journey that sees her become the centre of a battle between good and evil.

Friday, September 14, 2012

Fireblood Cover Reveal!



Fireblood
To save a kingdom, Zara must choose between a prince who could be the answer and a rising rebellion that threatens to take control.

When Zara Dane is chosen to marry Prince Sebastian Hart, son of the man who ordered her father's capture, Zara knows she must fight to save everything she loves from ruin.

Being betrothed to the prince means a life trapped behind the towering stone walls of the Camelot-forged realm. Under the watchful eye of the prince's first knight, Sir Devlan Capra, changing her future becomes difficult.

When an unlikely rebel reveals the truth about the deadly secrets that fuel King Hart's twisted world, Zara's path to rescue her father becomes clouded by deception. The Rebels clear her path by forcing Zara's hand with an ultimatum: sway Prince Sebastian to join the Rebels, convincing him of his father's evil nature, or they will take him out.

But Zara is uncertain about a future under the Rebels' command and where the prince's heart truly lies. She must decide who to trust, what to believe, and what she's truly fighting for before the king destroys all of Karm, including her heart
.
 
 
Title: Fireblood
Author: Trisha Wolfe
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
ISBN: 978-1-937053-59-8  
Release Date: October 8, 2013
Formats: Paper, e-book


From an early age, Trisha Wolfe dreamed up fantasy worlds and characters and was accused of talking to herself. Today, she lives in South Carolina with her family and writes full time, using her fantasy worlds as an excuse to continue talking to herself.

She’s the founder of YA Bound, a promotional site for the Young Adult genre. For more information on Trisha Wolfe and her works, please visit: www.TrishaWolfe.com

Blog: http://trishawolfe.blogspot.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/trishawolfeya
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/TrishWolfe