Curling Up With A Good Book

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Cover Reveal & Giveaway: The Trap (Andrew Fukuda)

The Hunt was one of my most favorite books of 2012. I love vampires. Yes let me repeat..I LOVE VAMPIRES!! I also love a good survival story. SOOO when I read the synopsis for The Hunt I was immediately drawn to it. From the very first page the book had me. I loved everything about the story and the characters. I could talk about this book all day but this is a cover reveal so I will leave all the attention to the AMAZING cover reveal of the third and final book of this incredible series written by Andrew Fukuda.

Hardcover, 304 pages
Expected publication: November 5th 2013 by St. Martin's Griffin

Author, Andrew Fukuda

In honor of the cover release I am hosting a giveaway for a chance to win a paperback copy of The Hunt and a hardback copy of The Prey!! Good luck!!

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Book Blitz: Never Too Far (Thomas Christopher)

A harrowing story of love and survival. In a future of scarce resources, where the possession of gas and diesel is punishable by death, a teenage boy and a pregnant girl must find a way to save their impoverished family. They risk their lives on a terrifying journey to sell stolen fuel on the black market.

Young Adult Dystopian / Suspense

Title: Never Too Far

Author: Thomas Christopher

Date Published: 5/10/12

Mary surprised Joe by knocking his arms away. She was stronger than she looked. Then she swept her legs off the bed and sprang to her feet. She took two steps and turned to face him as if to prove there was nothing wrong with her. But there was definitely something wrong. She wavered a moment. Her already white face turned ghostly. Her eyelids trembled. She seemed to realize she was becoming faint, and what that meant.

“I’m fine,” she said. “You don’t have to go.”

Joe got ready to catch her in case she fell, but somehow she held herself steady.

“It’s okay,” Joe said. “Just sit down. I will go find some food.”

Joe inched toward her. He was afraid to grab her again because she might try to wrench free once more and really fall. When she coughed, her little shoulders jerked and her round stomach jumped. Her head was drooped low and her hair hung down so he couldn’t see her face at all.

“Come on, lay down,” Joe said.

She didn’t move. Joe stepped toward her, but before he could put his arms around her, she tilted forward and rested the crown of her head against his chest. He slid his arms along the sides of her hard belly and around her waist. Then he shifted her toward the bed again. She moved like a bundle of empty sacks in his arms. He set her gently on the bed before he bent down to lift her feet onto the sheets.

After he sat in the chair, Mary asked him, “What if you don’t come back?”

“That’s not going to happen,” Joe said.

“How do you know?”

“I just know. You have to trust me.”

Promo Blitz February 26th!

1. The Reading Diaries

2. Wintry Words

3. Book Wookie

4. Delirious About Books

5. In This World of Books

6. Reviews A La Tiffany

7. Must Read Faster

8. Curling Up With a Good Book

9. Oh, The Books That You'll Read

10. Weakling No. 14

11. Gimme The Scoop

12. A Bibliophile's Thoughts

13. Andi's YA Books

Thomas Christopher grew up in Iowa. He received his MFA from Western Michigan University. His short stories have appeared in The Louisville Review and The MacGuffin. He was awarded an Irving S. Gilmore Emerging Artist Grant and was a finalist for the Matthew Clark Prize in Fiction. He lives in Wisconsin with his wife and son.

Website

Buy The Book

Amazon

Monday, February 25, 2013

Blog Tour & Giveaway: A Matter of Fate (Heather Lyons)

A Matter of Fate (Fate Series, #1)By Heather Lyons Release Date: 08/30/12

Summary from Goodreads:

Chloe Lilywhite struggles with all the normal problems of a typical seventeen-year-old high school student. Only, Chloe isn't a normal teenage girl. She's a Magical, part of a secret race of beings who influence the universe. More importantly, she's a Creator, which means Fate mapped out her destiny long ago, from her college choice, to where she will live, to even her job. While her friends and relatives relish their future roles, Chloe resents the lack of say in her life, especially when she learns she's to be guarded against a vengeful group of beings bent on wiping out her kind. Their number one target? Chloe, of course.
That's nothing compared to the boy trouble she's gotten herself into. Because a guy she's literally dreamed of and loved her entire life, one she never knew truly existed, shows up in her math class, and with him comes a twin brother she finds herself inexplicably drawn to.
Chloe's once unyielding path now has a lot more choices than she ever thought possible.

Add to Goodreads:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16077863-a-matter-of-fate

***Book Links***

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Goodreads

About the AuthorHeather Lyons has been putting stories to paper since she was a little girl. Her first "published" book was a humorous retelling of The Princess and the Pauper. After detours in archaeology and teaching, she is now writing and living in Southern California with her husband and three sons. She likes cupcakes, baseball, hockey, reading, and collecting far too many handbags.

Website / Twitter / Goodreads / Facebook / Tumblr

Promo Post

Mini playlist:

I freely admit I’m obsessed with music. I listen to it all day long, have multiple iPods, and am always buying and downloading new songs, not to mention going to concerts. I LOVE discovering new artists! So it comes as no surprise that when I write, I’m pretty fanatical about my playlists. I’ll listen to some songs over and over until I hear them in my sleep, just to get a scene/character right. And I’ll often listen to the playlists I build even when I’m not writing, just so I can keep a feel for what I need to get back to.

While A Matter of Fate has a pretty lengthy playlist (it’s kind of embarrassing, but there are over 100 songs on my AMOF playlist!), I wanted to share several songs (in the order that they were used) that were really crucial to building the story and/or characters within. I don’t always take the words to each song at face value—they don’t have to match the scenes/characters perfectly, but the mood of the song is crucial.

· If There’s A Rocket Tie Me To It by Snow Patrol

· Georgia Girl by Collective Soul

· This is the Sea by The Waterboys

· Dragonfly by M. Craft

· Freeze and Explode by Cassettes Won’t Listen

· Chemicals Collide by Cloud Cult

· Scream by Chris Cornell

· Keep Yourself Warm by Frightened Rabbit

· Start A War by The National

· I Am Strong by Polly Scattergood

· Transatlanticism by Death Cab for Cutie

· Hey Ya by Obidiah Parker

Enter below to win one of (10) e-book copies of A Matter of Fate, open Internationally!

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***Blog Tour Schedule***

February 25th:

Little Library Muse - http://littlelibrarymuse.blogspot.com - Promo Post

Curling Up With A Good Book - http://curling-up-with-a-good-book.blogspot.com/ - Promo Post

Reading To The Stars And Back - http//:www.readingtothestarsandback.wordpress.com - Review

February 26th:

A Bookish Escape - http://www.abookishescape.com – Review

I Heart YA Books - http://iheartyabooks.blogspot.com/ - Review

Kissed by Ink - http://kissedbyink.com - Promo Post

Books and Swoons - http://booksandswoons.blogspot.com/ - Promo Post

February 27th:

Incandescent Enchantments - http://incandescentenchantments.blogspot.com - Review

Sweet Southern Home - www.sweetsouthernhome.net - Promo Post

Paperback Princess - http://princess-paperback.blogspot.com.au - Review

Tar Heel Bibliobabe - www.tarheelbibliobabe.blogspot.com - Review

February 28th:

Leisure Reads - http://www.leisurereads.com - Promo Post

The Library for Delinquents - http://library4delinquents.com - Review

Have Book Will Read - http://havebookwillread.com – Review

Snuggling on the Sofa - http://snugglingonthesofa.wordpress.com - Review

March 1st:

Kaidans Seduction - http://kaidansseduction.blogspot.com/ - Review

Heather's Book Chatter - http://authorheather.com - Review

Pink Fluffy Hearts: Diary of a Coffee Addict - http://pinkfluffyhearts.blogspot.com/ - Promo Post

March 2nd:

Ever and Ever Sight - http://everandeversight.blogspot.com/ - Review

Moosubi Reviews! - http://www.moosubi.blogspot.com/ - Review

Unputdownable Books - http://unputdownablebookies.blogspot.com/ - Promo Post

Blog of a Bookaholic - www.blogofabookaholic.blogspot.com – Review

Whirlwindbooks - http://whirlwindbooks.blogspot.co.uk/ - Promo Post

Blog Tour & Excerpt: Second Rate Chances (Holly Stephens)

Sam wakes up in the hospital expecting to find his girlfriend by his bedside. Instead, he finds a bleached-blond diva, claiming to be his fiancée, hovering over him. When he learns that he's just woken up from a coma and has lost the last three years of his life, any semblance of stability he thought he had falls down around him. All he wants – all he needs – is Lil.
After countless visits with her shrink and too many sleepless nights waiting for the one man she loves to walk back through the door, Lil wants nothing more than to separate herself from the life she used to have. But the moment Sam smiles at her, Lil knows it's going to take more than self-restraint to stay away.
Second-Rate Chances is about a young man fighting to regain his memory, and the one thing in his life that felt real. A modern-day Samson and Delilah, it's a look at what it means to love and be loved, and to fight though it seems hopeless.

People have often told me that I live in a fantasy world. Little did they know, I was building an empire of stories in my head to one day share.
I'm a mother first, a wife second, and a writer third. I'm so thankful to have been given this chance to get my stories out of my head and onto paper.
When I'm not writing, I sell plumbing (no I'm not kidding) and read romances that leave my heart a flutter. I know a ridiculous amount of pop culture information and can quote certain movies word for word. Music drives me to write and to also sing off key.

Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

Curling Up With A Good Book-Teaser #1

Sam smiled as Cosmo walked around the car to open the door for him. As his hand reached for the handle, Sam turned on his heel, preparing to show off his fancy footwork on the slick pavement. Instead, his footing caught on the edge of the curb. Sam reached for Cosmo’s outstretched hand, but he wasn't fast enough. His foot caught the curb at an awkward angle, causing him to lose his balance.

Sam's whole body twisted like a contortionist's. His waist dipped back and his feet flew out from underneath him before Cosmo could help him from his fall. As Sam's head came closer to the curb of the sidewalk, he expected his life to start flashing before his eyes. Instead he had

one final, fleeting thought as his head made contact with the concrete and his vision turned the same murky color of the shiny car he was now staring at through hooded eyes.

It ended too soon. And funny enough, Sam wasn’t thinking about his life.

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Blog Tour & Giveaway: The Travelers Series (Claudia Lefeve)

Haven't read the Travelers Series yet? Now's your chance to get started!
The first three books (Volume 1) in the Travelers Series are now available! Find out what happens when seventeen-year-old Etta Fleming finds out she's not only from an alternate reality, but is destined to become the future leader of a band of paranormal misfits in order to protect a future reality from destruction.

The fourth book in the series, PARAMETER, will be available late-Spring 2013!

Parallel
Destiny has a way of catching up.
Saddled with powers she doesn't understand, Etta Fleming's world is turned upside-down the day she meets Cooper Everett, the man who transports her to an alternate reality. A reality she was meant to be a part of.
One minute, she's an orphan living at Dominion House for Girls, an institution for delinquent foster kids, then finds herself attending the exclusive Dominion Hall Academy.
Plucked from the only world she's ever known, Etta now has to deal with an aunt she never knew, a boyfriend she doesn't know, and a best friend who can't know.

Goodreads * Amazon * B&N

ParadoxEverything is predestined.
Etta is slowly readjusting to life in her new reality, while still recovering from the shock over the news regarding her relationship with Cooper.
While learning more about her role as leader of the Council, she soon discovers that her future is linked to the five extraordinary individuals she must recruit in order to ensure her destiny.
Nothing is as it seems, as rivals become allies and friends become the enemy.

goodreads, amazon, B&N

ParadigmTake hold of your destiny.
Etta Fleming doesn’t know she was meant to return to her true reality four years ago. After years of being the “orphan girl” in the alternate world she grew up in, she’s finally carved a niche for herself with a great job, a steady boyfriend, and a best friend by her side.
Undeterred by the shift in the timeline, it is up to Cooper Everett and his friends to convince Etta that she is still destined to become their leader, fighting against their post-apocalyptic future.
Will meeting the ghosts of her past convince Etta that she’s part of a grander destiny? Or will her past, present, and future worlds collide?

goodreads, amazon, B&N

About Claudia LefeveClaudia Lefeve was born and raised in the Gulf Coast border town of Brownsville, Texas; a curious place where folks see curanderas in lieu of shrinks, tortillas are served at every meal, and even gringos speak Spanish. PARALLEL, the first book in The Travelers series, is her debut YA speculative novel. She currently resides in Northern Virginia with her husband and two pugs.

Contact:

website, blog, twitter

Memorable quotes:

PARALLEL

"...every time a choice is made, we end up playing out a different scene – like a choose your own adventure book."

"You know what your problem is?"
"I didn't take time to eat my Wheaties?"

PARADOX

"How does one deal with the harsh reality that the man you want to be with is already taken – by your future self."

"Don't ever settle for what you think is going to happen. Take life as it comes and don't prepare too much for what might be. Live for the moment."

PARADIGM

"Lunch. My favorite period of the day at Alexandria High. It’s almost like an all-human version of the San Diego Zoo: the nerds, the jocks, even the goths, all roaming around in their natural habitat in the cinderblock cage that was also known as the school cafeteria."

“Because life isn’t a John Hughes movie. And even if it were, we’d be cast as one of the social misfits in The Breakfast Club...”

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Danny Meilinger | danielameilinger@kismetbt.com | Twitter: @Danny_Bookworm

Heather Bannon | heatherbannon@kismetbt.com | Twitter: @onepushyfox

General Inquires | kismetbt@kismetbt.com | Twitter: @kismetbt

Blog Tour: Marcy Rachel's Colorful Indie Blog Tour

Marcy Rachel’s Colorful Indie Blog Tour

Tour Dates: February 1st- February 28^th

For: Marcy Rachel Designs

The Graphic Designer

HOW IT STARTED

In 2011, for NaNoWriMo, Marcy Rachel didn't finish what she was writing. Instead, she decided to make MOCK covers for other authors that were writing to inspire them to finish. After that, people loved what she was doing and they told her that she should sell her covers. Marcy took up on their word and now has her page Marcy Rachel Designs. ♥ Every November is a reminder of why she started doing this -- indie authors. Marcy keeps her prices very low by keeping Indies in mind. Not only does she make book covers, but also design other things.

ABOUT MARCY

Marcy takes pride in her work and will work with you until you are satisfied with the art. It's always been said "Don't judge a book by its cover" and, although this is very true, a nice book cover can catch the eye of more readers. Marcy will always use her skills to her highest to provide you with the best cover she can possibly give you so you can be satisfied. Along with being a freelance designer, working for anyone who needs a great cover, Marcy Rachel is also the official graphics designer of AltWit Press.

About Marcy, From Marcy-

“Since my teenage years, I always liked to look at paintings and sculptures. I loved visiting museums. When I went to college, I enrolled as Chemistry major due to lack of knowledge about degrees and programs offered. I failed Chemistry and moved to Business Administration, where I finished my degree as an Administrative Assistant. While in college, I found out that I could’ve pursue a degree in arts but it was already too late. When I was doing my internship, I discovered a TV show that I loved. I met other fans and learned about fan fiction and graphic design. This was my first encounter with graphic design and video editing and I loved it. I started doing it and taught myself some Photoshop and Movie Maker and I’ve been doing it ever since. Supporting the amazing indie community, whether it be a book cover design, a banner, a logo or even a bookmark is my constant ambition. They are the reason that I now I have my “indie business”, Marcy Rachel Designs.

So this is me, Marcy Rachel, providing just a little insight into how I was inspired and why I design.”

HOW SHE DOES IT

Marcy Rachel Designs obtains most of her resources from stock photo web sites. She first looks on websites that have been researched and that have images that are completely free. Unfortunately, most of these websites do not offer good quality pictures worthy of being in a book cover or any design. This is when she turns to paid images, though royalty free, trying always to find a website where the cost of the graphics is low compared to others. The cost of these images depends on which, and how many images she ultimately uses in the creation of your cover and/or design. The cost of the images is paid by the client and it's not included in the labor of creating the cover. You will always have the option of choosing a less expensive (or more expensive) image. Marcy must have your approval on all the images before finalizing the cover.

PRICING

E-Book covers start at $50! For a full list of services and prices, please visit her website!

REVISIONS

Most cover designers only allow a few revisions. Marcy Rachel Designs has been allowing unlimited revisions, but this takes a lot of time and it's not fair to other people she am working with simultaneously; it slows down her turn-around time for everyone. SO, now she is offering 10 free revisions. Additional revisions will incur in a $5.00 fee per revision.

She will be sending you drafts of the cover as you guys go along and make changes; feel free to suggest any changes you think might make the design better and she will try them!!

WHAT IS NEEDED FROM THE CLIENT

Most authors send a synopsis of their book and/or the first two chapters so that Marcy can get an idea of the concept to portray. Sometimes an author will send her the whole book and allow her to scan it for exciting scenes to get her imagination going. That’s totally up to you! Some pitch in some ideas they already have so she can work with those as well.

*A note about content: Marcy does not read pornographic material in preparation for designing a cover. (Romance novels are ok, even if it has sex scenes, but not actual pornography.) She can use images that depict artistic nudity, but none that portray hate or cruelty towards animals or people.

WHEN THE DESIGN IS CREATED

Marcy Rachel works as quickly as possible, often working nights and weekends to complete a commission. If you have a deadline coming up and need a cover as soon as possible, let Marcy help you out!

WHAT WILL THE CLIENT GET

Marcy Rachel Designs will supply you with two cover files for the web; one for Amazon Kindle's with the new size requirement (2500px on the long side) and a smaller size to use as thumbnail. If you need a custom size, please let her know before work begins. She will include this file size on your package at NO cost. When the design is final, Marcy Rachel Designs owns the rights of the final design and will use it to promote her work. If you want full ownership of the rights, it will require an additional fee.

QUESTIONS?? COMMENTS??

If you have any questions or comments for Marcy, don’t hesitate to contact her at any of the links below or e-mail her at contact@marcyracheldesigns.com

CONNECT WITH MARCY RACHEL DESIGNS

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MarcyRachelDesigns

Twitter: @MarcyRDesigns

Website: http://www.marcyracheldesigns.com

Examples