Thursday, October 31, 2013

Rockstar Book Tours, Guest Post, & Giveaway: Revelations (J.A. Souders)






Title: REVELATIONS
Author: J.A. Souders
Pub. Date: November 5, 2013
Publisher: TOR Teen
Pages: 352





Six weeks after her arrival on the Surface, Evelyn Winters is no closer to unlocking the memories lost in her subconscious than she was when she first came. Isolated in a strange new society, Evie has only Gavin Hunter to remind her of who she once was.
But even with a clean slate, it’s easy to see that Evie doesn’t fit in on the Surface. And as her differences make her feel more and more alone, she can’t help but yearn for that place she doesn’t remember: the isolated city hidden in the depths of the ocean. Elysium. Home.
But she can’t exactly tell Gavin what she’s feeling. Not when he’s the one who helped her escape Elysium in the first place, and has the scars to prove it. Though the doctors say otherwise, Gavin believes that Evie just needs time. And if her memories don’t come back, well, maybe she’s better off not remembering her past.
But the decision may be out of their hands when Evie’s ever-elusive memories begin to collide with reality. People and images from her past appear in the most unlikely places, haunting her, provoking her…and making her seem not only strange but dangerous.
Evie and Gavin can’t wait around for her memories to return. They’ll have to journey across the Outlands of the Surface to find help, and in the end, their search may just lead them back to the place it all started… 



Find it:





J.A. SOUDERS is the author of the Elysium Chronicles and lives in the land of sunshine and palm trees with her husband and two children where she spends her time writing about the monsters under the bed, day dreaming about living in an underwater colony, and failing miserably at playing video games.







Yay! I’m so glad to be here today! Thank you so much for having me! And what a fun topic?! I haven’t been asked this question yet and I’ve been dying to answer it. 

The scene I’m most proud of in REVELATIONS is actually toward the middle of the book. It’s actually a quite pivotal scene and I didn’t know it while writing it. It came about as simply one of those, “Wouldn’t it be cool if…?” type questions. So I wrote it and threw it in there to see if it worked. Not only did it work, but it pretty much shaped the entire novel from that point out. In fact, it’s the scene that helped me figure out how to write myself back out of the corner I’d written myself INTO at the end of RENEGADE.

The fun part about that whole scene was that while I tweaked it a bit here and there for edits and revisions and to make my copy editor happy (*grins*), it never really changed from the original draft. It was just one of those rare times that you get it right the first time.

So what is this awesome scene, you’re asking. :P I kind of just want to leave it as I’ve answered it and see if you can guess what it is, but I’ll go ahead and describe it a bit without spoilers.

It takes place in a city that Evie and Asher comes across on their adventure across the Outlands to get her help in Rushlake City, which is several days’ walk from Gavin’s village. 

Now the city they’ve come across is creepy on it’s own (I’ll let you see that one yourselves), but they happen upon this city in the middle of the night, after being chased and attacked by coyotes. In order to protect themselves from the freezing temperatures and possibly more coyotes they take refuge in what appears to be a home, but inside they stumble upon what appears to be an old military compound hidden inside. 

What happens after this point is the part I’m incredibly proud of. It’s so creepy and terrifying that I got the chills while writing it and had to actually step away from the computer and go outside to warm up in the sunshine after I’d finished it. And even now when I go back and read it, goose bumps pop up all over my skin. 

To me, the worst part of the scene, isn’t just the creepy vibe or the gore, but the full emotional gambit that Evie has in this scene. And how it made me feel. It wasn’t just scary, it was heart wrenching to imagine anyone going through this and feeling what she was feeling. The overwhelming horror at what she’s seeing, the guilt she’s feeling, but has no idea why, the fear of not knowing what’s real and what’s not. 

I can’t go into too much detail obviously, with it losing it’s impact, but I really hope that when you all read this scene, it causes the same rat’s nest of emotions in you as it did to me.



Revelations Giveaway (All US Only!)

Grand Prize- 1 Signed set of Renegade and Revelations, 1 scrabble tile pendant with covers of both books, and a $25 gift card to Amazon or B&N!

Second Place- 1 Signed set of Renegade and Revelations and 1 set of scrabble tile pendants with covers of both books. 

Third Place- 1 set revelations themed swag







Tour Schedule:

Week One:

10/28/2013- Magical Urban Fantasy Reads- Guest Post

10/29/2013- Katie's Book Blog- Interview

10/30/2013- The Book Life- Review

10/31/2013- Curling Up With A Good Book- Guest Post

11/1/2013- That Artsy Reader Girl- Review

Week Two:

11/4/2013- Bookish- Interview

11/5/2013- Two Chicks on Books- Guest Post

11/6/2013- Supernatural Snark- Interview

11/7/2013- Book Haven Extraordinaire- Review

11/8/2013- Jenna Does Books- Review

RockStar Book Tours

Blog Tour, Review, & Giveaway: Controlling The Dead (Annie Walls)


Kindle Edition
Published October 2013
ARC Provided by Author for Honest Review






With the help of her new companions, the path Kansas follows leads to more knowledge of the ever adapting famished.
The team finds help in unlikely places, meeting more survivors, and discovers the possibility of a new beginning.
When the team experiences a devastating loss, Kansas struggles to keep her humanity from fading and distorting like that of the surviving society around her. It begins with knowing who to trust and who to leave behind. First, she must trust herself – she won't make the same mistakes twice.
As the answers to her questions are revealed, Kansas begins to understand the knowledge comes with a heavy price and great responsibility of controlling the dead.

In a trilogy plot thick with twists and turns, this adult dark fantasy is as emotional as it is horrifyingly gripping. 



Annie Walls
Author of dark fantasy and sub-genres of horror. Voracious Reader and Googler. Lover of dark humor. Horror Buff. Zombie Apocalypse Enthusiast. Loyal Cracked follower. Pinterest Addict. Wife of adoring husband. Mother of a seven year old Bruce Wayne. Cook. Maid. Kisser of boo-boos. Ultimate Time Waster. Perfect Procrastinator. Lolly Gagger. Trubie. Cake Decorator. Tea Drinker. Sculpey Sculptor. Girl Gamer. Perfectionist in the art of Facebook stalking. And now, God help me, a blogger. Oh yeah, and a twitter, twatter, tweeter. Well yeah, I'm one crafty bitch.





oh WOW. Where in the world do I start? People see "zombie" and think....ugh blood, guts, and yuck. Well let me just tell you....Zombie stories are some of the most intense and deeply emotional stories out there!!! and Annie Walls is a ROCK STAR author who writes some of the most amazing character stories and plots!!! 

Taking On The Dead was one of my favorite books of last year and I could not wait to get my hands on the sequel. I kept thinking, "How in the world is Annie going to top that? How is she going to make the story any better than it already is??" Well i got my answer!!! WOW! 

Kan "Kansas" is just a phenomenal character. She is a strong, emotional heroine who is caught in a love triangle between two guys who are both equally HOT and full of personality. Mac and Rudy.....

oh, Mac and Rudy....I mean they are both the definition of hotness BUT I will have to admit that I am pulling for Rudy. He is just so amazing and when he and Kan are together I feel as though I can actually feel the connection between them. 

There are so many new characters introduced in this book and each one with their own special meaning! I loved getting to meet the new characters and get to experience the trials and tribulations that they all take together. I will have to say that my favorite "new" character would have to be Dex, the CAT!! I cant help it! I am weak for animals and Dex brings a new story to the Mac and Rudy relationship. 

There are so many intense moments to talk about and so many incredible twists that had me in complete shock. I literally had to put the book down and take a deep breath. I am not going to write any spoilers because this is something that the reader should experience for themselves. There is so much more to this book than killing zombies. It is just a phenomenal book and ANNIE WALLS has done it again! Bravo, girl...YOU ROCK!!!






Taking on the Dead (The Famished Trilogy, #1)

Blog Tour, Review, & Giveaway: Colony East (Scott Cramer)




Colony East (Toucan Trilogy #2) by Scott Cramer
Genre:Young Adult Science Fiction/ Dystopian
Age: 12 +Published: Oct. 2013

ARC Provided by Author for Honest Review



In a terrifying world where an epidemic has killed off most of the world's adults, fifteen-year-old Abby struggles to keep her brother and sister safe.

When a new, deadly disease spreads among the survivors, Abby must make the dangerous journey to Colony East, an enclave of hidden scientists caring for a small group of children for reasons unknown.
Abby fears that time is running short for the victims, but she's soon to learn that time is running out for everyone outside Colony East.

Find the book:



Scott Cramer has written feature articles for national magazines, covered school committee meetings for a local newspaper, published haiku and poetry, optioned a screenplay, and produced customer reference accounts for a big computer company. His pursuit of a good story has put him behind the stick of an F-18, flying a Navy Blue Angels’ fighter jet, and he has trekked through the Peruvian mountains in search of an ancient Quechua festival featuring a condor. He is the author of Night of the Purple Moon and Colony East. Scott and his wife have two daughters and reside outside Lowell, Massachusetts (birthplace of Jack Kerouac) in an empty nest/zoo/suburban farm/art studio with too many surfboards in the garage.

Find the author: 


Colony East is the sequel to the sci-fi thriller, Night of The Purple Moon. I reviewed Night of the Purple Moon last year and really enjoyed everything about the book. It had great characters, world-building, and plenty of sci-fi. I didn’t particularly like the cover of Night of The Purple Moon but Colony East’s cover is phenomenal! It portrays exactly the type of world the reader is headed into.

This book picks up right where Night of The Purple Moon left off so you are immediately thrown back into the life of these teenagers and their fight to survive. The remaining survivors thought they had discovered the cure to the space germs and could not begin their new life but they were wrong.

I loved the action that Scott Cramer places into the story. It keeps you flipping pages wanting to know what is happening next! He builds the relationships between the characters that make you truly feel for them and fighting for them to make it.
I love survival stories because you truly fall in love with the characters and when something drastic happens it literally hurts you. I love a book that makes you FEEL the story and this story is exactly that.

“Before the night of the purple moon, he might have been a good basketball player, popular, with lots of friends. Through no fault of his own, the epidemic had changed the course of his life.”

Abby, of course, is my favorite, and the fact that she has to grow up so quick in order to take care of everyone else just makes her phenomenal. I love how Cramer describes this transition and writes it into the story effortlessly.

Touk, how can I even say how much I love this little one’s character. Toucan is who keeps this “family” together. Touk is the key to all of their survival.

The ending of the book was again as good as The Night of The Purple Moon and ended in a cliff hanger that makes the reader itching to get their hands on the next installment…I definitely will read the conclusion and recommend it to anyone who enjoys a great young adult sci-fi book. 







Night of the Purple Moon (Toucan Trilogy #1)

Night of the Purple Moon (Toucan, #1)
Abby Leigh is looking forward to watching the moon turn purple, unaware that deadly bacteria from a passing comet will soon kill off older teens and adults. The lightning-fast epidemic sweeps across the planet when the germs attack the hormones produced during puberty.
On a small island off the coast of Maine, Abby must help her brother and baby sister survive in this new world, but all the while she has a ticking time bomb inside of her -- adolescence.Night of the Purple Moon is FREE on Amazon & for Nook.


Candace's Book Blog & CBB Book Promotions

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Blog Tour, Interview, & Giveaway: Soul Possessed (Katlyn Duncan)





Title: SOUL POSSESSED
Author: Katlyn Duncan
Release Date: October 28, 2013
Publisher: Carina UK
Series: Book 2, The Life After Trilogy



Life after Life
Now Maggie has been given the chance of her after-life to become a Guard, nothing will stand in her way. Not even the undeniable attraction she feels for her trainer and past love—Jackson. But when the battle between Shadowed and Guard begins again which side will she choose?
When her boss, Felix, partners Jackson and Maggie up with Ally and Cooper to investigate terrifying Shadowed activity, she doesn’t think it could get any worse. Jackson and Cooper barely tolerate each other and this time, Maggie isn’t just proving her loyalty to the Guard during one mission...she has a side mission too. One so secret and so dangerous she can’t tell a soul...







Katlyn Duncan was born and raised in a small town in western Massachusetts. Her overactive imagination involved invisible friends, wanting to be a Disney Princess and making up her own stories. Her bibliophile mom always encouraged her love of reading and that stayed with her since. Even though she works full time in the medical field Katlyn has always made time for books, whether she is reading or writing them.

Katlyn now lives in southern Connecticut with her husband and adorable Wheaten Terrier and she is thrilled to finally share her stories with the world.






What gave you the inspiration to write this book? 
This was one of those strange things that just popped into my head one day. I pondered the idea of a “reaper” having to live in a human body and I developed it from there.

Who is your favorite character in the book? 
I don’t have a favorite because they are all my babies but I do love Cooper, he was one of my first characters and he hasn’t changed much in the process. He has been my steady companion from the beginning. 


Which came first, the title or the novel?
 Definitely the novel. It’s had many titles along the way but I love the theme that Carina UK chose with the titles. 


Thinking way back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you’ve learned as a writer from then to now? I’ve learned how to manage my time, which is always important for deadlines. 

What do you like most about the cover of the book?
 The colors are gorgeous on the Soul Taken cover and I love Maggie’s figure on the Soul Possessed cover. 

What’s up next for you? 
I am currently working on Book 3 of the series which is very exciting and also quite bittersweet. 

Is there anything that you would like to add? 
I am so grateful for the opportunity to share my stories with the world and I appreciate each and every fan of my books. 




SOUL TAKEN (The Life After #1) 

After-life just got a lot more complicatedMaggie is a Soul Collector. It’s her job to transport souls from the Living Realm to the After – but during a mission to find a stolen soul, she ends up stuck in a teen mean girl’s body. 
Trapped, Maggie’s soul is catapulted into Ally’s life – and the human world she hasn’t experienced for one hundred years. But, as a descendant of the most powerful beings in the After, Maggie must rescue Ally before the girl’s soul dies… 
To survive, Maggie must uncover devastating secrets – because with one soul taken by a terrifying enemy, Maggie’s could be next!






Week One


Oct. 21stThe Happy Booker – Review SOUL TAKEN + Interview

Oct. 22ndRealm of the Sapphired Dragon – Review SOUL TAKEN & SOUL POSSESSED
Oct. 23rdDark Novella – Review SOUL TAKEN & SOUL POSSESSED
Oct. 24thIrisjeXx – Review SOUL TAKEN & SOUL POSSESSED
Oct. 24thBooker Like a Hooker – Review SOUL TAKEN & SOUL POSSESSED
Oct. 25thMagical Urban Fantasy Reads – Guest Post

Week Two

Oct. 28thTwo Chicks On Books – Playlist Guest Post
Oct. 29thTween 2 Teen Book Reviews – Review SOUL TAKEN & SOUL POSSESSED
Oct. 30thCurling Up With A Good Book – Interview
Oct. 31stAddicted Readers – Guest Post
Nov. 1stParanormal Book Club – Interview

Week Three

Nov. 4thChasm of Books – Guest Post
Nov. 5thLost in Ever After – Review SOUL TAKEN
Nov. 6thLeft to Write – Review SOUL TAKEN & SOUL POSSESSED + Interview
Nov. 7thBook2Buzz – Interview
Nov. 7thEndless Reading – Review SOUL TAKEN & SOUL POSSESSED
Nov. 8thMoonlight Gleam’s Bookshelf – Review SOUL TAKEN & SOUL POSSESSED + Guest Post

Rockstar Book Tours

Book Blast & Giveaway: Arbitrate (Megan Thomason)



arbitrate























arbitrate:

Remember The Second Chance Institute (SCI). Earth’s benevolent non-profit by day, Thera’s totalitarian regime by night. They’ve stepped up their game on Earth and on Thera—infiltrating political parties, preying on the downtrodden, and planning offensive maneuvers. The SCI’s abuse of their charter leads to Arbiter oversight and bitter consequences.
Remember Kira Donovan. Broken, burdened, and evading those who wish her harm, Kira enlists the Arbiters’ help when forced to return to the clutches of the SCI and her angry, estranged love.
Remember Blake Sundry. Exiled, determined, and packing an agenda, Blake seeks assistance on Earth and Thera to use his newfound knowledge to bring down the SCI.
Remember Ethan Darcton. Overworked, emotional, and holding a grudge, Ethan hunts down his stolen property, but finds himself in awkward territory, stuck between the Arbiters and the SCI.
Full of action, competing agendas, romantic entanglements, humor, twists and turns, arbitrate is Megan Thomason’s third installment in the award-winningdaynight series after daynight and clean slate complex (a daynight story).
 
Praise for arbitrate: "There are a lot of books I finish and feel happy, this one I finished and my head is swirling, in a totally awesome way! Not only does it have a great story with characters that you like (and some you just hate as they are the enemy) but the book also gets you thinking, thinking about the implication of effects of different actions and courses in life. This story has action, fighting, plots and plans, romance, love triangles, family, betrayal - has it all." --Emily Barton, Emmy Mom One Day at a Time blog, 5 stars "You have hit this one out of the park." --ARC Reviewer "For the record, I LOVED Kira's choice!! And the whole thing just blew me away! Very, very well done!! Now when can I get my hands on generate?! Can't wait " --ARC Reviewer "Read my ARC of Arbitrate and consider my mind blown! I started it the minute it was sent and couldn't put it down." --ARC Reviewer
add to goodreads
  daynight new 
  daynight Meet The Second Chance Institute (SCI): Earth's benevolent non-profit by day, Thera's totalitarian regime by night. Their motto: Because Everyone Deserves a Second Chance at Life(TM). Reality: the SCI subjects Second Chancers to strict controls and politically motivated science experiments like Cleaving--forced lifetime union between two people who have sex. Punishment for disobeying SCI edicts? Immediate Exile or death. Meet Kira Donovan. Fiercely loyal, overly optimistic, and ensnared by the promise of a full-ride college scholarship, Kira signs the SCI Recruit contract to escape memories of a tragedy that left her boyfriend and friends dead. Meet Blake Sundry. Bitter about being raised in Exile and his mother's death, Blake's been trained to infiltrate and destroy the SCI. Current barrier to success? His Recruit partner--Miss Goody Two Shoes Kira Donovan. Meet Ethan Darcton. Born with a defective heart and resulting inferiority complex, Ethan's forced to do his SCI elite family's bidding. Cleave-worthy Kira Donovan catches his eye, but the presiding powers give defect-free Blake Sundry first dibs. Full of competing agendas, romantic entanglements, humor, twists and turns, daynight is an award-winning, bestselling novel and first in thedaynight series.  
arbitrate freebie
Download a FREE copy of daynight
October 29th, 30th & 31st
  Praise for daynight: 2012 Book of the Year Award Finalist-Young Adult Fiction, ForeWord Reviews "Sure to win over YA readers looking for a dangerous, dystopian adventure story" —Kirkus Reviews "Gripping young adult dystopian novel; compelling conflicts; high stakes; powerful narrative; surprises keep coming; strong writing; page-turner; engaging characters; Readers will be hungry for the sequels.”—BlueInk Review (starred review) "Thomason's description of Thera's totalitarianism will make fans of Brave New World shiver... SCI, her fantasy corporation, has disturbing parallels to actual companies and regimes that claim to do good while harming people... The author deftly appeals to both romance-loving teens as well as those intrigued by young adults fighting the establishment.”—ForeWord Clarion Review, 4 stars    

  arbitrate Excerpt: “I’m angry at all of them. Every SCI leader. In fact Joshua gave me a list of those who are Earth-side. It makes for a great to-do list.” They all deserve to pay. I’m done talking. It’s time for some action. One thousand one. One thousand two. One thousand three. That’s all it takes to even out my breathing and steady my hand. I shift the crosshairs on my target ever so slightly—from his heart to his hand—and pull the trigger. My father would be proud that all his training paid off. Oh, who am I kidding? He’d find something to criticize about my work here. Sad that even though he’s gone I can hear him saying, “If you’d hit a little to the left you’d have taken out a higher concentration of nerves.”

megan
  Author Megan Thomason Bestselling, award-winning author Megan Thomason lives in paradise aka San Diego, CA with her husband and five children. A former software manager, Megan vastly prefers writing twisted tales to business, product, and marketing plans. When she isn't typing away on her laptop, she's reading books on her phone--over 600 in the last year--or attending to the needs of her family. Megan's fluent in sarcasm, could potentially benefit from a 12-step program for road rage, struggles with a Hot Tamales addiction, loves world travel & fast cars and hates paperwork & being an insomniac.  









 
   BookBlast Giveaway $100 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 11/18/13 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. 

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Blog Tour, Review, & Giveaway: Daughter of Isis (Kelsey Ketch)





Daughter of Isis (Descendants of Isis, #1)
by Kelsey Ketch
Release Date: 10/26/13
Cover Designed by: Steven Novak

“Her mouth parted slightly, waiting for Seth to breathe life into her own body, just like in the story. She wanted him to awaken her senses.”
Their worlds collide in California’s high desert.
The last thing Natara “Natti” Stone wants to do is to start anew at Setemple High School. She wished she had never left London. Yet the brutal murder of her maternal grandmother has made her life very complicated. The only clue related to her murder is an ancient, encrypted necklace Natti discovered after her grandmother’s death. And if trying to adjust to American life is not enough, Natti is being stalked by a mysterious, charming high school senior, Seth O’Keefe, who is annoyingly persistent in his attempts at seduction.
Seth O’Keefe is secretly a member of the Sons of Set, an order that worships the Egyptian god of chaos. Seth’s blessing from Set, his “charm,” never failed, except with one person: Natti Stone. Her ability to elude him infatuates and infuriates him, and he becomes obsessed with the chase. But the closer he gets to her, the more his emotions take a dangerous turn, and he risks breaking one of the most valued covenants of his order. The punishment for which is a fate worse than death.
The adventure this unlikely couple becomes engulfed in could cost them their lives and their souls.

*Note: Content for Upper YA*






During her high school years, Kelsey Ketch could always be found tucked away in a little corner of the hall or classroom, writing her fantasy worlds and creating illustrations and maps. Today is no different, except now she’s writing in the break room at her office building or at the tables of the Barnes and Noble Café in Cary, North Carolina. She is also an avid reader, a part-time book blogger at Ketch’s Book Nook, and lives with her two orange tabbies and awesome and humorous flat-mate.Daughter of Isis is her debut novel.For more information, please visit her site at kelseyketch.com.






WOW!...what a debut novel for Kelsey Ketch. This book had me hooked from the very beginning! 

Natara "Natti" Stone is the main female character in this novel. The mystery surrounding Natti's life is riveting!! I could not turn the pages fast enough to find the answers! Natti has to move from London to the United States with her father after her Grandmother was murdered. 

On the first day at her new school Natti meets Seth, the "charmer"! Seth has any girl he wants falling at his feet but not Natti. Seth is not going to give up until he has Natti. Natti finds herself falling for Seth even though she knows something is not right. 

What happens between the two?! Believe me you will want to read this book to find out! What a wild and crazy story!!! I CAN NOT wait until the next book!










YA Bound Book Tours