April 30, 2013

Nissa Blog Tour - Review & Giveaway

Hey everyone! Today we have a stop on the Nissa blog tour. There is info on the book and author, a review and a giveaway for you all.

Title: Nissa: a contemporary fairy tale
Author: Bethany Lopez
Release date: April 23, 2013
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Fantasy
Blurb
At 900 years old, Nissa is finally ready to follow her mother's path and become the best Fairy Godmother she can. She’s not thrilled when her first assignment turns out to be a teenage human girl with self-esteem issues, but she knows she has to start somewhere. Her assignment has dealt with bullies since her freshman year and they haven’t let up. If Nissa can’t help her regain her self-confidence her future is bleak.

To complicate matters Nissa experiences all the signs that she's met the being fated for her. This impossibility distracts her from her purpose. After all, fairies and humans aren't meant for each other. How can her heart believe otherwise? Can Nissa successfully complete her first assignment as a Fairy Godmother? Will the fates allow Nissa and Levi to be together? And even if they do, will Levi believe Nissa once she reveals the truth?

My Review
Nissa always knew she wanted to be a Fairy Godmother like her mother used to be. She goes through the training and is finally ready to be on her own. She is disappointing in her first assignment because she thinks it is to easy a task. She has to help Vicky a teenage girl with her self-esteem issues. Her task turns out to be harder than she thinks because she meets a human who she just knows is her mate. Humans and fairy really don't go together and it is up to the Fates to say what will happen to Nissa. She wants to complete her assignment and have the boy she loves. She also has to deal with showing her love the truth about who she is.

Nissa seems like she is the sweetest fairy ever. She cares about everyone and is truly an amazing person urhh fairy. You do get to see a different side of her when she faces down some bullies who go to far. You also get to see how loyal she is and how far she will go for her love. Vicky is the teenager who has been picked on for years. She tries to ignore the taunts but they still hurt her. You can tell she is a good person as she and Nissa become friends. She has a good sense of humor and is a wonderful artist. Levi is Vicky's brother and you can see how attracted to each other he and Nissa are even as they fight it just a little. He is smart, cares about the environment, hot and really enjoys his family and spending time with Nissa.

I read this book in one sitting. It is an excellent book that pulls you in with the goodness of it and is just such a sweet read. In times where YA sometimes crosses into Adult or New Adult genres this book does not. It is what it says it is. It is a clean great story that has a great plot. I love the thought of a fairy godmother helping a teen overcome her problems and the love story. You get to see a girl grow as a person even when she has been bullied. I really can not say enough good hings about this book. It is wonderful and anyone who loves a fairy story or even a love story should read this. 

The cover of this book catches your eye right away and is simply beautiful!
4 out of 5 Bats~Pam


Buy Links:


About the Author:
Bethany Lopez was born in Detroit, Michigan, and grew up in Michigan and San Antonio, Texas. She went to High School at Dearborn High, in Dearborn, Michigan, which is where she has set her Young Adult series. She is married and has a blended family with five children. She is currently serving in the United States Air Force as a Recruiter in Los Angeles, California. She has always loved to read and write and has seen her dream realized by independently publishing her novels through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.

Social Media links:

Giveaway


Be sure to check out the rest of the tour!
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April 29, 2013

Interview with Lisa Beth Darling & Giveaway

Hey everyone! We have an interview with Author Lisa Beth Darling and a giveaway. Be sure to check out her books!!

Interview
Tell me about your book(s). How did you come up with that (story, angle, idea)?
My OF WAR Series centers around Ares God of War, a half-human half-Fey woman named Alena, most of the Greek Pantheon and some of the Celtic Pantheon. I've always loved mythology and, strangely enough, Ares in particular. I started the series with "The Heart of War", it was intended as a stand-alone novel and was purely for my own amusement. I mean, who would ever buy Ares as the hero? Other than me, that is. I started with a simple question; What would happen if Ares fell in love?

Not lust. Not intense like. But True Love. He had a notorious love affair with Aphrodite but most scholars agree Ares never married. He had many lovers and thousands of children but no wife. Perhaps that was because not even the Goddess of Love could capture The Heart of War.

What makes your book(s) different from others in the same genre?
The OF WAR Series is a little different in that Ares God of War is the hero but he's still Ares and not a watered own version of him. The whole series is set in Modern Day but keeps all of the flavor of the past. Rather than being faced with a Mortal Enemy/antagonist the Gods are faced with each other. They're a very dysfunctional family. They end up dealing with a lot of the same trials and tribulations most of us face but on a grander scale.

What's a typical working day like for you? When and where do you write? Do you set a daily writing goal?
My actual working day starts at 8am when I walk through the doors of my office at my paying gig and then ends at 2pm when I walk out again. I get home by 2:15 and try to buckle down to write for the next two hours. I don't always make it. Life gets in the way; dinner, the laundry, someone needs something, you know how it goes. I have an idea of where I'd like to end the writing day but never push myself to get there because often times the story has other ideas and it's always best to explore them when that happens.

What’s the best thing about being an author?
Creating my own worlds. 

What do you do when you're not writing?
In the nice weather I try to garden. I love to take pictures. This summer my husband should have his motorcycle back on the road so I'm looking forward to long rides and hot dogs hunts in the very near future.

What are you working on now?
"Kingdoms of War" this is the last story in the OF WAR Series and is due out some time next year. I'm very interested to find out how it all ends.

If you were writing a book about your life, what would the title be?
Dancing on the Edge

Which one of your characters is most like you?
I suppose its Alena the woman who capture's Ares' heart. I'm an aging woman (46) with a lot of life experience and wisdom behind her as well as gray in her hair. I also like to live a life of balance and peace but if someone crosses me, they better watch out. I can be wicked and fierce just like her.

What paranormal creature would you be if you could?
In the end, I know I would pass up such an offer and remain a mortal woman. But, just for fun, let's go for broke; I want to be a Goddess. 

What is the first book you remember reading?
There are two; "Johnny Appleseed" and a story about two teddy bears that went to the circus, but I can't remember the name of the story. I can see the cover plain as day; it has two bears one in a red/white striped shirt the other in a blue/white striped shirt, they're holding hands and each has a balloon. Isn't it funny how the mind works sometimes?

Where can our readers follow at? website, fb, blog etc.

Buy Links:
Amazon/Kindle

Nook

iBooks

Giveaway
Lisa is giving away 2 sets of the first two books in the series. Just comment below thanking Lisa and some way for us to contact you in case you are one of the two lucky winners! 

We would like to thank Lisa for doing an itnerview and giveaway with us!
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Siege Book Blitz

Hey everyone! We are taking part in the Siege Book Blitz today! We have a guest post, info on the book and a giveaway for you all!

Siege by Rhiannon Frater 
Series: As the World Dies, #3
Publication date: April 30th 2013
by Tor Books 
Genre: Adult Horror
Synopsis:
Siege is the conclusion to Rhiannon Frater’s As the World Dies trilogy, which should appeal to fans of The Walking Dead. Both The First Days and Fighting to Survive won the Dead Letter Award from Mail Order Zombie. The First Days was named one of the Best Zombie Books of the Decade by the Harrisburg Book Examiner. 

The zombie illness has shattered civilization. The survivors who have found tenuous safety in Texas defend their fort against the walking dead and living bandits. 

Katie has made peace with the death of her wife and is pregnant and married to Travis, who has been elected Mayor. Jenni, her stepson, Jason; and Juan—Travis’s righthand man—are a happy family, though Jenni suffers from PTSD. Both women are deadly zombie killers. In Siege, the people of Ashley Oaks are stunned to discover that the vice president of the United States is alive and commanding the remnants of the US military. What’s left of the US government has plans for this group of determined survivors

Purchase:

Guest Post
Let Me Frighten You
By
Rhiannon Frater
I am inspired and intrigued by what frightens me. Writing about what I fear compels me to step outside my comfort zone and forces me to confront issues and themes that are not always easy to discuss. Creating an imaginary world where terrible things happen to fictional characters is an easier (and safer) way to deal with issues we must all face at some time in our lives such as loss of loved ones, overcoming adversity, and evolving in the face of hardship. But it also allows me as a writer to also delve into much more frightening and rare occurrences such as war, natural disasters, and apocalyptic scenarios. 

When I sat down to write the AS THE WORLD DIES zombie trilogy, I wanted to address the zombie apocalypse in a realistic manner. Though the scenario of the dead wandering the earth and eating the living is highly unrealistic, I wanted the characters of the story to be everyday people who somehow manage to live past the first terrifying days of the plague. I didn’t want any Rambos or Ripleys in the mix. I wanted people who would resemble me and the reader.

Within each character in AS THE WORLD DIES there is familiarity. The characters are people we know or maybe even aspect of ourselves. They all have different strengths and weaknesses, personality flaws, and issues to overcome. Because I wanted my characters to be everyday folks, their reactions to their terrible circumstances are grounded in reality. 

For example, Jenni is a battered housewife/trophy wife at the beginning of the first book in the trilogy, THE FIRST DAYS. After the devastating death of her children, Jenni is rescued by Katie. At first she is in shock, but slowly evolves throughout the series into a much stronger (yet not always stable) person. To make Jenni realistic, I drew on the coping mechanisms victims in abusive situations develop. The mind is amazing in its capacity to adapt to dire circumstances in order to ensure survival. Jenni’s ability to basically cut off her emotions and compartmentalize allows her to survive better than people who have yet to develop these coping skills. Also, Jenni is extremely used to living in a life-threatening situation on a daily basis, so the zombocalypse is not much different in some respects. Though sometimes readers get mad at Jenni for her immaturity (she was married at 17 and isolated from the world by her husband) and her bizarre actions, she remains one of the most popular, if not the most popular, character in the series.

Oftentimes readers of the series tell me how the characters in the book feel like friends. They worry about them, fear for them, and sometimes mourn them. I have also been told how readers feel so attached to the world and the characters they feel like they are in the action. I contribute this to the fact that they characters feel like people we know in our everyday lives, it is easy to slip into the dangerous world of AS THE WORLD DIES with them. 

Though I love superheroes and magical/supernatural characters, in the end they are far removed from me with their abilities. I know I can’t do the things they can do. But I can easily imagine myself on a rescue run with Jenni and Katie, clutching a gun, sweating with anxiety, and feeling sick to my stomach with fear. Somehow this translates to the reader as well. I’ve heard so many stories of people having to put the book aside so their wildly beating heart could calm down. Honestly, I’ve stopped typing for the same reason.

There is a certain magic that sometimes happens in books that is hard for the author to explain to the reader, but after a lot of thought I do believe the reason why my books can be so terrifying is because the characters are not so far removed from you and me.

So when a zombie is moving relentlessly toward a character in SIEGE, the fast beating of your heart and the tremor of fear flitting through your mind is probably because you could be character facing uncertain outcome.

Now the question is…do you survive?

Be sure to check out the other two books in this series.



AUTHOR BIO
Rhiannon Frater is the award-winning author of the As the World Dies trilogy (The First Days, Fighting to Survive, Siege,) and the author of three other books: the vampire novels Pretty When She Dies and The Tale of the Vampire Bride and the young-adult zombie novel The Living Dead Boy and the Zombie Hunters. Inspired to independently produce her work from the urging of her fans, she published The First Days in late 2008 and quickly gathered a cult following. She won the Dead Letter Award back-to-back for both The First Days and Fighting to Survive, the former of which the Harrisburg Book Examiner called ‘one of the best zombie books of the decade.’ Rhiannon is currently represented by Hannah Gordon of the Foundry + Literary Media agency. You may contact her by sending an email to rhiannonfrater@gmail.com.
Author Links:


Giveaway
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Sweet Peril Arc Review


Sweet Peril (The Sweet Trilogy #2)
by Wendy Higgins 
Blurb
Anna Whitt, the daughter of a guardian angel and a demon, promised herself she’d never do the work of her father—polluting souls. She’d been naive to make such a vow. She’d been naive about a lot of things. 

Haunted by demon whisperers, Anna does whatever she can to survive, even if it means embracing her dark side and earning an unwanted reputation as her school’s party girl. Her life has never looked more bleak. And all the while there’s Kaidan Rowe, son of the Duke of Lust, plaguing her heart and mind.

When an unexpected lost message from the angels surfaces, Anna finds herself traveling the globe with Kopano, son of Wrath, in an attempt to gain support of fellow Nephilim and give them hope for the first time. It soon becomes clear that whatever freedoms Anna and the rest of the Neph are hoping to win will not be gained without a fight. Until then, Anna and Kaidan must put aside the issues between them, overcome the steamiest of temptations yet, and face the ultimate question: is loving someone worth risking their life?

My Review
Anna is now known as the party girl at her school. She does this so she can lay low on the radar of the other Demons. It goes against everything she believes in and wants for her life. She is also missing Kaidan and all he wants is to stay away from her. She gets another message from above and knows she has to gather all the other Nephilim she can for what the battle that is coming. She has to be careful hunting the other Nephlim down so that the demons don't get track of what she is doing. Kopano is going with her to help her on her missions and Anna learns more about him than she knew. One person Anna has to talk to about this is Kaidan and while he is trying not to talk to her he is about to not only talk to her but to figure how just how much she means to him. The nephlims are trying to win their freedom with help from Anna but there is danger all around and they have to stay low till the right time or be killed.

Anna struggles in this book to keep everything in her life going smooth. She has to put up an act to fool everyone. You get to see the dark side of her and the good side in this book. I really like her as she fights for everything she believes in and is in danger many times but that doesn't stop her. She is in love with Kaidan but he keeps pushing her away and she has to fight to get him to realize what he could have. Kaidan here we have one of my favorite book crushes. I think if he was real I would so be a major stalker lol. He is the bad boy that you just know is good underneath even if he doesn't want anyone to know. I could gush for hours about him. Anna and Kaidan are so perfect for each other. However I will say a new boy stepped upped to be another book crush in this book. Kopano really got to me in this book. I loved seeing more about him and he really is a fantastic character that I think more people will fall in love with. There is many new characters that step out in this book that you get to meet. They are all so fascinating you can not help but want more of all of them.

This book is a wonderful sequel to Sweet Evil. It really starts to build things up for the final book and you can just tell it is going to be just as great as the first two. I am going to make this review short so I don't give any spoilers to the first book or this one or at least try not to. When I started reading this book I could tell from the first chapter I wouldn't put it down until I finished it. It kept me right in the story. Getting to meet the new characters, watching Anna and Kaidan struggle and both fighting what they really want was a joy and a pain to read. A joy because it is so amazing and a pain because you just want them together. This book has so much action in it. It does not ever have a dull moment in the whole book. There is quite a few new things learned in this book that I did not see coming and I will say a few heartaches. If you have read the first book you will love this one as well. If you haven't read the first one do so then grab this one as well! It is going to be a long wait to see how it all ends.

I love the cover goes perfect with the first and fits the books wonderfully. I would like to thank the publisher for giving me a copy for an honest review.
5 out of 5 Bats~Pam

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April 26, 2013

Found Book Blitz - Excerpt & Giveaway

Hey everyone! Today we have a stop on the Found book blitz. We have info on the book, an excerpt and a giveaway for you all.



From Stacey Wallace Benefiel, the author of the Zellie Wells trilogy, comes a new NA trilogy set in the Society world.

Penny Black hasn’t had it easy. Just about everything you’d expect to happen to a harassed foster-kid turned junkie has happened to Penny. Add in the mysterious power to rewind time, conducting events around her, and it’s a wonder she held up on the streets for so many years. Now, at seventeen, the New Society has found her. Finally, Penny is where she belongs. But that doesn’t stop the visions, or the need to protect the victims shown to her.

Wyatt Adams is excited and intrigued when his sister Melody assigns him to be Penny’s Lookout. Being the youngest, and hopelessly ordinary in the family that created the New Society, has left Wyatt feeling like he has a lot to prove -- and Penny is a big deal. She’s got abilities that surpass any he’s seen before…and pretty much every quality he looks for in a girlfriend, but no one needs to know about that, especially Penny.

*The Penny Black trilogy is a companion to the Zellie Wells trilogy and not a continuation of the series. (PBT is set 18 years in the future with a new cast of characters.) 


*Due to language and sexuality, FOUND is recommended for older teens (Most of the 
characters are out of high school and preparing for college.)

Also available at:

Haven't read the Zellie Wells trilogy yet? Pick up all three novels together for $6.99 at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Smashwords, and iTunes. Or get the first novel, Glimpse, for FREE at all e-book retailers.


In celebration of Stacey Wallace Benefiel’s third Indieversary, FOUND (Penny Black #1) is only 99cents from April 20-27!

Excerpt
The caseworker hoists my red hemp-fiber backpack out from underneath her desk and drops it at my feet. I stretch forward to pick it up and nearly wince at the pain that shoots up my side, but I hold back. I can’t go to the doctor. A doctor might have more time or obligation to care about me. A doctor might ask the right question, the one that makes me break down and blab about my dreams.
I get a hold on the worn straps of my pack and stand, slinging it on. Before I turn to walk out the door and go meet my supposed uncle, I reach back and feel for my knife in one of the side compartments. It’s there.
A man with dark hair who’s wearing a fitted black t-shirt and moss green trousers gets up from one of the chairs in the waiting area. He comes at me, his hand extended, his brown eyes trained on mine.
I should think he’s creepy. But I don’t. His palm hits my palm and then we’re shaking hands.
“The resemblance to her mother is remarkable,” he says to the caseworker, who nods back at him with stars in her eyes. “Well…” He hooks his left index finger under my chin and turns my face from side to side. “Her mother didn’t have all of these piercings or model her hairstyle after Emo Brite, but it’s there. In the eyes.”
This statement isn’t true. At all. I look more like my olive skinned, brown-eyed dad than my fair skinned, blue-eyed mother. The caseworker would’ve known that if she’d bothered to check my file and seen the two crime scene photos that have followed me no matter how hard I’ve tried to get away from them. Still, I don’t care. “Ready to go, Uncle…?”
“Christopher.” He places his hand on the back of my left arm and guides me toward the parking lot. “Thanks for all of your help,” he says over his shoulder to the caseworker.
“Anytime,” she practically purrs.
Uncy Christopher’s fingers tighten around my arm as we exit the juvie center. He’s not hurting me, but he’s definitely got a good grip. Panic flares in my chest. I twist away from him and swing my backpack off, going for my knife.
“Hold on,” he says in a soothing voice. “You can trust me, Penny, I promise. I’m like you.”
Like me how? I leave the knife in the side pocket. “You’re a seventeen-year-old girl?” I give him an exaggerated once over. “That sure is one hell of a believable ‘middle-aged-man-aging-gracefully’ get-up you’ve got going on there.”
“My car’s over here.” He takes my arm again and walks me to a silver two-door Toyota with Arkansas plates. Arkansas being the state I was living in prior to Virginia. The dreams plagued me something awful there.
“You’ve been looking for me,” I say. He lets go of me as the passenger side door slides open.
“Not just me, Penny. The New Society has been searching for you since you disappeared off our radar seven years ago.”
I toss my pack into the back seat and get into the car. I…don’t know why. I’m just not threatened by him or suspicious of him and that doesn’t ever happen. I’m a damn bueno judge of character. Eerily bueno. “I don’t have the first clue what you’re talking about, man. I think you’re going to have to spell it out for me. The New Society? Does that mean there’s an Old Society?” I joke.
My door slides shut and Christopher goes around the front of the car, climbing into the driver’s seat. He pushes the ignition button. “Actually, there is an old Society, but most of its members have made their home in Europe for the past eighteen years. We’re not affiliated with the other branches any longer.” 
“Naturally.”
Christopher programs in our destination (the Sheraton by Dulles International) and puts the car in autodrive mode, presumably so he can focus less on driving and more on telling me WHAT THE FUCK IS UP. I’m not getting any bizarro vibes from him, but this whole scene, this whole New, Old, whatever-the-hell, Society deal is out there.
The car backs up, exits the parking lot, and enters the flow of traffic gracefully. We’re on our way. “I know you have a lot of questions. Perhaps a visual aid?” Christopher takes his Ret-Tech off of his head and hands it to me. “I assume you don’t have one of these?”
I give him a “duh” look and then strap the Ret-tech on. This is only the third time I’ve ever used one, and it takes me a second to remember how it all works.
“Be careful with your blinking, the New Society won’t spring for the latest model until the end of next month, so the commands are a little touchy.”
I close my left eye in order to steady the gaze of my right. “What am I looking for exactly?”
“Blink on the video icon.”
A clip appears on the microscreen, the text at the bottom reading Camera 58, Hwy. 66 with a scrolling digital timestamp next to it. 3:21, 3:22, 3:23.
Cars whizz by, semi-trucks, bio-buses, all headed into Washington DC. The traffic is light. Well, as light as traffic in a metro area can be. The highway is ten lanes wide and a clunky station wagon swerves from lane six into lane seven. This is familiar to me. I fist my right hand and push it against my stomach to keep from throwing up.
“My dream,” I whisper to Christopher.
“Keep watching,” he says, taking my left hand. His touch is comforting. “You did more than dream this, Penny.”

AUTHOR BIO
Stacey Wallace Benefiel is the author of the Zellie Wells trilogy, FOUND, the Day of Sacrifice Omnibus, The Toilet Business - a collection of humorous essays, and multiple short stories. Look for her upcoming New Adult Contemporary Romance, CROSSING, Spring 2013. She sometimes goes by S.W. Benefiel or Reina Stowe, but knows she's not foolin' anybody. Stacey lives in an orange house in Beaverton, OR with her two kids and their old, smelly dog. When she's not writing, thinking about writing, or driving her kids somewhere, Stacey is at CrossFit lifting heavy things and cursing the inventor of burpees.

Author Links:

Giveaway
Giveaway is for one (1) signed Zellie Wells trilogy e-card (Zellie Wells is companion to the Penny Black series and this card allows a download for the complete Zellie Wells trilogy). Be sure to comment below with some way to contact you in case you win. Open til May 7th.
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April 25, 2013

Awakened Book Blitz- Excerpt & Giveaway

Hey everyone! Today we are taking part in the book blitz for Awakened! There is info on the book, an excerpt and a giveaway for you all.

Awakened by Kriston Johnson 
Series: The Legends Of Elyndia, #1
Publication date: April 25th 2013 
Genre: YA Fantasy
Synopsis:
Can fighting for the right side be the wrong thing to do?

Draven, the tyrant ruler of Elyndia for the last one thousand years, searches for the one who can fulfill his prophecy.

The Paladins, an elite band of warriors sworn to protect their way of life at all cost, search for the one with the ability to bring their world crumbling down.

An innocent girl, tormented by demons only she can see, lives on the brink of insanity and longs for a life of peace.

When seventeen-year-old Jade Rosenberg reads from an antique book, she has no idea she just read an incantation awaking her inherited power. But when opposing—and equally terrifying—groups invade her home, she learns she is descended from an enchanted realm and a member of a powerful race thought to have been hunted to extinction. 

Ripped from her world, Jade is forced to seek refuge from those who want her dead. She is given one of two options and the time has come for her to make a choice: assassinate their sworn enemy…

Or sacrifice her soul.

Purchase:

Excerpt

Prologue

Blood-encrusted iron shackles tethered Gabriel to the stone dais, digging into his bare skin, grinding to the bone. Fighting starvation and sleep deprivation, he hunched over, swaying back and forth, hovering between nightmare and reality. Sweat gleamed off his shirtless body as the jailer stirred the white-hot coals in the small fire pit next to him. He accepted what he’d done the same way he accepted his punishment—without regret. It was judgment day and one man served as judge and jury.

The torch flames flickered against the stone walls like a serpent's tongue. Councilman Haywood shuffled across the medieval courtroom floor clutching a rolled piece of parchment in his meaty hand. Once the councilman read Gabriel's sentence out loud, his fate would be sealed. 

“This is an unfortunate event.” The councilman’s baritone voice echoed off the walls. “Not since the fall of the Ancients have we been betrayed in such a manner, and not by one brother, but two.” He turned and addressed Gabriel, who straightened his posture and glowered at the councilman.

“Your carelessness has put not only your own people at risk. The fate of the world is now in jeopardy.” The portly man paced back and forth before the inquisitive crowd. “But because of your family's reputation, I have decided to give you a chance to redeem yourself.”

A thick wood-planked door swung open and banged against the cavern wall. A tall and husky man with salt and pepper hair stormed into the room, his sword bouncing off his leg.

“Why is Gabriel not properly represented?” he demanded.

“Jesper Turner, you have no authority within these walls.” The councilman sneered, taking pleasure in reminding Jesper of that fact.

Jesper paused for a second. “You’re right, but the elf queen does.” He showed no sign of wanting to debate with the pig-headed man. He turned and strode back toward the door.

The councilman cursed under his breath. “I was about to offer him a deal.” Jesper waited, staring over his shoulder with narrowed eyes. “We are offering him the chance to fulfill his original duty. To track down and eliminate the Elemental girl known as Jade.”

“What do you mean eliminate?” Jesper asked.

“To kill her.”

“Absolutely not. I will not do it.” The muscles in Gabriel’s chest tensed. These were the first words he had spoken since his unjustified arrest eight days before.

Jesper motioned for Gabriel to remain silent. “Why does the Council wish to kill an innocent girl?” 

“Because we have never been more at risk. If Draven finds her first…” The councilman shook his head. “Besides, how would she be any different from the other hundred creatures he has brutally slain this past year? He has proven himself to be Elyndia’s most talented assassin. It’s a shame to let that talent go to waste.”

“Because they were demon beasts, and he did nothing but send them back to the void. We are talking about a young girl.” 

“A young girl who holds the fate of our world in her hands. And let me remind you of something. You both made a sacred vow to protect this land at all costs. Want to or not, you have to admit this girl is a threat. And let us not forget why we are here. Gabriel’s carelessness allowed the escape of the one and only person who knew how to find her.”

Gabriel held his head high in defiance. “Given the opportunity, I would do it again.” 

Jesper approached Gabriel. They leaned in close to each other and spoke in hushed tones. The councilman took in a deep breath through his nose, scrutinizing them. “Gabriel accepts these terms. He will track down and find this Elemental girl and eliminate her as a threat.”

The councilman nodded his head in agreement and stowed the parchment with Gabriel’s sentence in the side pocket of his silk robe. “I have something for you, Gabriel…something to act as a reminder.” The councilman motioned to the husky guards standing nearby. Two of them grabbed Jesper, one on each arm, holding him as he wrestled against them. The look on his face was a combination of anger and fear for his young friend. Two other guards forced Gabriel to his knees and laid his muscular arm across a short, dingy wooden table. The jailer passed the councilman a partially charred leather glove. He pulled it onto his hand and retrieved the poker out of the fire. Except it wasn’t a poker, it was a brand. Councilman Haywood let the searing hot metal hover over Gabriel’s bare flesh. The screams in Gabriel's head were deafening, though no sound escaped his lips.

AUTHOR BIO
Kriston Johnson lives in Southwest Washington with her husband, teenage son, and miniature Australian Shepherd. Her home rests at the fringe of an old growth forest that she insists is the home of Jason Voorhees. Her husband thinks that’s a ridiculous assumption, because everyone knows it’s really Bigfoot. Every summer Kriston participates in the annual pilgrimage to Faerieworlds, a real life faerie realm here on Earth, and has an unhealthy obsession with Star Wars, The Vampire Diaries, and Iron Man. Awakened is her first novel. You can visit her online at www.kristonjohnson.blogspot.com.

Author Links:

Giveaway
Giveaway is for one (1) ebook copy of Awakened. Simply comment below with some way to contact you. Open until May5th.
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April 24, 2013

'Til Death Do Us Part (Lily Drake #2) Tour

Hey Everyone!! Today we have a stop on the 'Til Death Do Us Part tour. I have an interview with the author T. Michelle Nelson and info on the book for you all.
'Til Death Do Us Part (Lily Drake #2)
Blurb
With a doting husband and a new job training a vampire military, Lily Drake was living up to the prophecies of being the best. Her life was seemingly perfect, until tragedy strikes bringing her a loss she's not sure she can endure.

The hard-working super mom / vampire slayer, Lily Drake, has just learned problems still exist even after you become immortal. 

As everyone knows, even if you find your soul mate, you don't always get a happily-ever-after. Lily may have found temporary happiness being a newlywed, but the honeymoon is over. When she finds her husband going out for late night bites with another woman, Lily has to fight to try and regain what she wants most, love and a happy family.

If Lily thought being a single mom was hard, she’ll find being married can be a bloody mess.

Interview
Can you give us a background on this series?
Lily Drake is a paranormal romance in which the main character is a little older, in her mid-thirties, has a son, a job, a mortgage and responsibilities. It was written with the idea in mind that there are women out there who want to read about a character that isn’t nineteen years old and perky all the time. 

Which of your characters is most like you?
Definitely Lily. Although none of the events that happened to Lily (at least not the far-fetched vampire-related ones) have happened in my life, each decision she makes are choices I would make in the same situation.

Do you reread your first book to keep it fresh for writing the second one? I probably should, but no. I do have it on my iPad, and if I can’t seem to remember certain things, for example, how old Burchard is, I search it and double check!

What is the hardest part of writing for you? 
 I don’t really think the actual writing process is difficult. I do it because I love it. It’s the other parts of publishing that seem to be most difficult. The worst part is definitely the query letter. You write this tome of a book, totally throw yourself into it and want to get it published, but to do so you have to condense everything you’ve done into a paragraph or two and send that to publishers or agents. I suck at condensing. I’m a long-winded gal! 

Is there anything you wish you had done different?
I think of tons of things that I wish I had added after the fact, little scenes that I think would have been funny or interesting, but overall, I like the direction the series in going, so in general, nothing major.

Which one of your characters would you want by your side in a battle? Without a doubt, Burchard. He’s loyal, he’s tough and he’s experienced.

What is your favorite paranormal being? 
Vampires, of course!

What is your first book you remember reading?
I remember in my elementary school library, I was probably in fourth or fifth grade, I checked out an unabridged volume of Edgar Allan Poe and I couldn’t put it down. Masque of the Red Death was my favorite story for years and years. I bet I’ve read it two dozen times.

What is your favorite part of writing?
So much. I love completing a manuscript, talking to fantastic bloggers like you, and meeting all the wonderful people who come to book signings, but I have to admit… Holding my book in my hand for the first time is a surreal experience that is completely unforgettable.

Anything you wish to say to your readers? 
Thank you doesn’t even cover it. I am blessed to have such an outpouring of support and I absolutely love getting emails and messages online from readers. I can’t say how much I appreciate the fact that out of all the books out there, people have taken the time to read mine. I am honored beyond belief every time someone says they read it.

Be sure to check out the first book as well.
The Life and Death of Lily Drake (Lily Drake #1)
Blurb
For Lily Drake, slaying vampires is easy...Dating them is the hard part.

Lily Drake is your everyday hard-working single mom…until a gorgeous vampire shows up on her front door who she mistakenly assumes is her blind date for the evening. As one crazy scenario after another unfolds, Lily finds herself falling in love with two vampires, slaying the evil ones, and being prophesied as the savior of the entire undead race. 
Deciding between pizza and Chinese take-out will no longer be one of the hard decisions facing Lily Drake once she is emerged into vampire society. Humanity or immortality? That doesn't hold a candle against this question - which of the two handsome vampire cousins?

The Life and Death of Lily Drake is not your typical vampire love story. It’s a tale about the humorous mistakes a woman makes simply trying to survive not only life, but the dating scene. How will Lily manage working full-time, taking care of her young son and fighting the undead at every turn?
Lily will have to figure it out, but who better to save the world than a mom?

Links

Giveaway
T. Michelle Nelson is also having a running a photo contest for a great swag pack on her website till April 30th.

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