Ten Things You May Not Know About Ellie Garratt + A giveaway!

I am *so* excited to be a stop on Ellie Garratt's blog tour for her newest release- a collection of nine frighteningly dark tales - which is my favorite kind of story. Welcome, Ellie!

Thank you for hosting me, Jadie. I’m thrilled to be spending the seventh day of my Passing Time Blog Tour with you.

When I first started blogging back in early 2010, and had no real idea of what I wanted to write or even why, one of my favourite activities was taking part in ten things lists. To take part you were usually tagged by another blogger and asked to reveal ten things about you others may not know. Nowadays I tend to avoid tags because of the amount of time they involve, but I thought today I would re-visit one of my favourite ways of passing time.

Ten Things You May Not Know About Me:

1. I've had four surnames in my life but not been married once.

2. I shared my birth surname with one of the most famous writers in the world. We also like writing in the same genre.

3. The first story I ever wrote was about an intergalactic hooverman who cleared space debris. Needless to say, it sucked.

4. I love post-it notes. If I see some I’ve not used before, I have to buy them.
5. I have a crush on Professor Brian Cox, who I think is a modern day Carl Sagan.

6. When I was a child all I ever wanted was a Millennium Falcon and some storm troopers. Unfortunately, I got Barbie.

7. I still use Word 2003. I’ve never been able to get on with any later editions.

8. I’ve never read Harry Potter.

9. I wrote my first novel on a Brother word processor over 15 years ago. Each chapter took up a whole floppy disc.

10. I wish I had known I wanted to be a writer 20 years ago.

So, can you guess which famous author I once shared a surname with? Are you shocked by any of my admissions? Do you share any with me?

Book Blurb:

Nine dark fiction stories that may just give you nightmares.
A man lives to regret Passing Time. A father will do anything to save his son in Expiration Date. An author finds out her worst nightmare is back in The Devil’s Song. A woman gets more than the claim fee when she takes out vampire insurance in Luna Black. In Dining in Hell, the Death Valley Diner becomes the wrong place to stop. A serial killer wants to add another file to his collection in The Vegas Screamer. In Eating Mr. Bone, an undertaker could meet an unfortunate end. A con man meets his first ghost in Land of the Free. And will truth finally be set free in The Letter?

Book Links

Amazon

Amazon.co.uk
Goodreads
Facebook

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

About The Author

A life-long addiction to reading science fiction and horror, meant writing was the logical outlet for Ellie Garratt’s passions. She is a reader, writer, blogger, Trekkie, and would happily die to be an extra in The Walking Dead. Her short stories have been published in anthologies and online. Passing Time is her first eBook collection and contains nine previously published stories. Her science fiction collection Taking Time will be published later in the year.

Author Links

Website
Amazon
Facebook
Goodreads
Twitter

Ellie, thank you again for spending time with us today! I share #10 with you. I wish I'd followed my heart and majored in creative writing and/or English in college. The upside: I love where I am in my life, so I can't regret any decisions I've made along the way. Good luck with Passing Time. I can't wait to read it!

 

Giveaway, review, and a stop on the blog tour for "Deadly Kisses" by Kerri Cuevas

First thing's first - the Deadly Kisses' official summary:

Aiden Grant is seventeen, has a killer kiss, and a boss who used to be President, back in the old days. You see, Aiden is a grim reaper and his kiss welcomes the newly dead. But Aiden’s pleasant grim reaper lifestyle is in jeopardy. And it’s not only because Honest Abe keeps throwing out history lessons with reaping assignments, just to confuse him. It’s because Aiden’s next assignment is to reap the soul of Bee, the only girl he has ever loved.

When Aiden’s kiss of death fails, intertwining their souls, Bee is still very much alive and they are both in trouble. The ancients want Bee, who has special powers of her own, and they’ll do anything to get her.
 

Some rules are meant to be broken—even if that means Aiden must bargain with his own soul to save Bee. Who knew the afterlife could get so complicated?

My thoughts, beginning with a summary of my own: Aiden Grant is your typical teenage guy: loves music, not a big fan of taking orders, and has a crush he has no plans of discussing. There’s just one problem: Aiden’s dead. Not glittery, vampire undead, but dead-dead, a decaying reaper of souls, black cloak, scythe, and gondola to boot. The life he left and the eternity he’s fated with collide as his boss, none other than past-president Abraham Lincoln, tests Aiden by ordering him to take the soul of Bee, his aforementioned secret crush. But things don’t go as planned. Not only can she see him, but she also fights back, leaving their souls, and their lives, in a twist. They only have seven days to figure out how – and who – will survive.

My favorite aspect was main character Aiden Grant: he has depth without being morose, and even though he’s no longer living, he pays tribute to his memories in a way that feels natural and not overdone. Deadly Kisses has the feel of a Cassandra Clare read, but set to an upbeat tempo – with a guitar solo somewhere in the mix. Cuevas weaves a tale as grounded as it is fantastic, with an ending that entices the reader to stand side by side with Aiden and his allies – both living and dead alike.

GIVEAWAY! There's also a giveaway for a copy of Deadly Kisses and some killer swag! Enter using Rafflecopter here:

a Rafflecopter giveaway About the author: Kerri Cuevas was born and raised in Rhode Island. She moved to New Hampshire with her husband, three kids, cats and a rabbit named Hercules in 2005. When she's not writing, she's chasing chickens on her small farm or searching for the ultimate mac-a-cheese recipe.

Kerri went to college for Early Childhood Education but now writes books for young adults full-time. Her storytelling stems from watching too many horror flicks as a teen, but she no longer needs to sleep with the lights on.

 

Learn more about author Kerri Cuevas and buy her book using these links:

 

Website: http://www.kerricuevasbooks.com/index.html

 

Blog: http://www.kerricuevas.blogspot.com/

 

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17156824-deadly-kisses

 

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Kisses-Kerri-Cuevas/dp/1937178323

 

Publisher: http://www.widopublishing.com  

 

Summer's 600 follower celebration + giveaway!

My fantabulous editor, Summer, has reached 600 followers on her spicy, savvy blog, and she's giving away a copy of my book to celebrate! Here are the deets:

Summer Ross at My Inner Fairy is having a 600 follower giveaway from March 11-15^th.

Prizes include an e-arc of Moonlit and signed book swag -OR- or a signed print copy when the novel releases (winner’s choice). The winner will also receive a 15 dollar gift card from Amazon.

There will only be one winner- chosen by Random.org on Saturday March 16^th at 9am posted on Summer’s blog.

All you have to do to enter is post a comment on Summer’s blog and be a follower of my blog (yes we can – and will – check.)

Feel free to spread the word!!

Seeing is believing.

I went to the Outer Banks last weekend, the primary setting for the sequel to Moonlit. I'd written about two thirds of the first draft, but I was having a hard time crafting a really big moment in Tanzy's journey. I couldn't picture it the way I needed to. I needed to see it for myself.

The wind. Oh my gosh, the wind. It howled off the Atlantic every minute of the first two days we were there. It sang in the morning. Screamed in the afternoon, and would not go quietly into that good night once the sun went down. Then, on Sunday, we walked out to the car, and the air was quiet. Still. The silence had its own note, the sensation of relief something I can't even describe. But I will definitely learn how to, and I know right where it belongs in the second leg of Tanzy's odyssey.

We visited the wild horse sanctuary, an ATV community that speckles the northernmost region of the outer banks. Houses peek out from rolls of sand and twisted groves of scrub oak trees. Wild ponies roam at will, seeking shelter from that banshee wind under carports and grazing on the brittle shoots of winter grass that grow in patches. The three hour trip was incredible, and our guide a living encyclopedia on the area. If you ever come here and are interested in seeing the wild ponies, I highly recommend the Wild Horse Adventures company. Make sure to ask for Dave.

The next day, we meditated on the banks of the Lost Colony, listening to the whispers in the shallow water that broke around what was left of an old dock. The weathered wood was not from the historic Lost Colony, but something newer man had made, and nature disputed. That's what struck me most about this narrow stretch of sand: nature is still queen here. And everybody knows it.

Something else stuck with me too: the history is alive and well on this island. Not through facts and research as much as tales and myths, handed down and acted out to preserve the soul of what once was. Details are lost, fates uncertain. But that's not important here.

I finished the first draft in the passenger side seat of my car as a friend drove us home. This trip not only shaped the ending, but helped me see what was important about this sequel: what the soul of this adventure needed to be. Pieces are shifting, an arc that wasn't formerly present coming readily to the surface. A timeline of events is now becoming more than the sum of its parts. I can't wait to show it to you.

For now, though, there's something I want to share with you first. Moonlit, the debut installment of this series, will be released on April 16th. We've bumped up the release date so that Tanzy can hit the ground running at the Interscholastic Equestrian Association's National Championships in New York that weekend. But I want some of you to see it even earlier... I am looking for readers who might be interested in getting their hands on an ARC of Moonlit for review purposes. If you're interested, feel free to comment here, or email me at: jadiejoneswrites (at) gmail (dot) com.

Thunderous Blog Tour - My Turn!!

When author J.M. Schroder put out the call for participants in the Thunderous Blog Tour, I jumped at the chance to learn a little more about her book, Thunderstorm. The dangerously dark cover and even darker premise intrigued me right away. This is going to the top of my to-be-read list!

Check out the awesome cover and learn a little bit about the first book in the Daughters of Eden series.

Summary: What you thought about the BIBLE ....is about to CHANGE. What if you found out you were the granddaughter of the first woman, no not Eve, but Lilith? After 150 years Dika Edens, the oldest of 4 girls each destined to live forever, finds out that very thing and that she must break the curse that was put in place when Eve sinned.  But first she must find her Aunt and Grandmother.

Genre: Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance
Recommended Age Group: 18 years and above
Length: 295 Pages
Publisher: Schroder & Associates
Average Rating: 5 of 5 Stars

 

 

 

Learn more about Thunderstorm (Schroder & Associates, 2012)

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Thunderstorm-Daughters-of-Eden-ebook/dp/B00APRACCE/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1356754765&sr=1-3&keywords=J.+M.+Schroder

 

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/thunderstorm-j-m-schroder/1113982004?ean=2940016093888

All Romance Books: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-thunderstorm-1026879-139.html

 

Novelnook: https://www.novelnook.com/genre-menu/fantasy-books/Thunderstorm.htm

 

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

 

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16295790-thunderstorm

 

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/254642

 

 

Learn more about the author: J.M. Schroder

 

Jennie Schroder lives with her husband and three amazing and energetic children in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. She studies Court Reporting at Sumner College in Portland, Oregon. Her love of writing took off in her junior high school years in Mrs. Eckert’s Creative Writing Class. Now she is sharing the stories in her head with everyone because there are way too many to keep to herself. If not writing, seeking out readers, interacting and thanking her amazing supporters, or daydreaming about her next story or being a very exhausted mother to 2 young boys and a teenage daughter, Jennie loves most to be playing with her family – indoors and out and reading.



Cover, summary, and release date reveal for my debut novel!

When the managing editor emailed me the cover (and surprise title) of my book, she asked me if I was sitting down. I thought maybe she liked to add a little flare of theatrics for first time authors. So I grinned at her enthusiasm, and opened the attachment right where I stood. I was coaching at a big horse show, but I couldn't help myself. I'd been waiting months to see what my cover would look like, and the idea of waiting a few more hours seemed impossible.

I was standing when I opened it. I don't know how it happened, but while I took in the spectacular, thrilling image of my cover, I somehow backed a good fifteen feet to the nearest set of bleachers and plopped down on it, horse show vanishing into thin air. My cover. MY cover. Beautiful and spectacular and like nothing I could've imagined. And the title "Moonlit" - perfect and intriguing. I've been cherishing them since Saturday, basking in the glow of the homestretch. And now, I'm ready to send them into the world. You're the reason I did this anyhow :)

First, the release date.... April 23rd, 2013. (Suddenly April feels very, very close.)
Title, once again, because I love it... Moonlit

And, the cover. It might be the most gorgeous cover I've ever seen on a book. I know I'm partial, but the cover artists at WiDo publishing did a fantastic job. What do you think?

Gorgeous, right?? So what's this cover all about, anyway? Here's the summary:

 

Eighteen-year-old Tanzy Hightower knows horses, has grown up with them on Wildwood Farm. She also knows not to venture beyond the trees that line the pasture. Things happen out there that can’t be explained. Or undone. Worse, no one but she and the horses can see what lurks in the shadows of the woods.

When a moonlit ride turns into a terrifying chase, Tanzy is left to question everything, from the freak accident that killed her father to the very blood in her veins. Broken and confused, she turns to Lucas, a scarred, beautiful stranger, and Vanessa, a charming new friend who has everything Tanzy doesn’t.

But why do they seem to know more about her than she knows herself?

I am so excited to share this story with all of you. Thank you so much for being a part of this journey. I'm honored to have an amazing network of writers who want to support this book of mine, and are participating in a cover reveal blog tour. I will provide a full schedule of tour dates as soon as they are finalized. The tour will run through the month of February. A follow-up tour with interviews and giveaways will begin April 1st.

Release day celebration and author interview with Aviva Orr

First and foremost, I want to extend a *huge* congratulations, good luck, and SQUEE!! to my fellow WiDo Publishing author, Aviva Orr, on today's release of her novel, "The Mist on Bronte Moor." (Side note, Aviva might be one of the coolest names I have ever heard. But I digress...)

The concept of Aviva's book is also sublimely original. Here's the blurb (provided by www.widopublishing.com:) When fifteen-year-old Heather Jane Bell is diagnosed with alopecia and her hair starts falling out in clumps, she wants nothing more than to escape her home in London and disappear off the face of the earth. Heather gets her wish when her concerned parents send her to stay with a great-aunt in West Yorkshire. But shortly after she arrives, Heather becomes lost on the moors and is swept through the mist back to the year 1833. There she encounters fifteen-year-old Emily Bronte and is given refuge in the Bronte Parsonage. Unaware of her host family’s genius and future fame, Heather struggles to cope with alopecia amongst strangers in a world foreign to her. While Heather finds comfort and strength in her growing friendship with Emily and in the embrace of the close-knit Bronte family, her emotions are stretched to the limit when she falls for Emily’s brilliant but troubled brother, Branwell. Will Heather find her way back to the comforts and conveniences of the twenty-first century? Or will destiny keep her in the harsh world of nineteenth-century Haworth?

The cover: (LOVE. I see something new every time I look at it.)

I had to know how Aviva came up with this enchanting idea, so it was the first question I asked her when she agreed to an interview.

How did you come up with the idea for The Mist on Brontë Moor?
I visited the Brontë Parsonage Museum several years ago and came up with the idea shortly afterwards. It’s not hard to imagine the Brontës at home in the parsonage when visiting Haworth, as I’m sure many tourists have done. After my visit, I started reading biographies about the Brontës, and the more I read, the more interested I became in their lives. The idea grew from there.

What made you decide to give Heather alopecia?

My niece suffers from alopecia. Her hair started falling out at age fifteen—the same age as Heather. I had never heard of alopecia before my niece developed it, but I quickly became aware of how much distress it can cause a person, especially a teenager.

Heather’s alopecia also gave me the opportunity to relay some important messages. I have a teenage daughter, and I am constantly surprised at how heavily teens are influenced by their peers, ranging from what they wear to how they feel about themselves. Heather is extra vulnerable because of her condition. At the beginning of the novel, Heather is tormented by her peers and focuses heavily on her alopecia. When she goes back in time, she is gradually able to relax because the Brontë family is non-judgmental. Branwell is somewhat curious about her hair, but he finds her beautiful regardless. Basically, I’m illustrating that if you accept others as they are without fixating on their differences, they will, in turn, be more accepting of themselves.

Did your characters have any surprises in store for you as the writer?

The Mist on Brontë Moor started as a mid-grade book, so all the characters were initially much younger. I loved watching them mature into young adults. It really helped with the character development because I got to know them so well. Branwell was a mischievous kid and he played some nasty tricks on his sisters and Heather, so I was pleased by how his charm and sensitivity shone through as a young man, despite all his troubled moments. As for Heather, she handled her problems much better as a teen. She turned out to be quite strong, and I am delighted with that. 

I love your cover. Are there any little plot secrets in the design?

The cover sets the tone for the novel. I wanted the graveyard and a lot of mist with the parsonage in the background.  The subplot also comes into play, so the cover reflects much of what the novel has to offer.

When you think of your book, is there one line that stands out to you?

The last line in the book is my favorite; it is derived from a line in one of Emily’s poems, which is quoted at the beginning of the last chapter. Of course, I can’t quote the line here or it will give away too much! 

How will you celebrate on the day of your release?

There will be an international giveaway on Goodreads, starting January 8, to celebrate the release of the book’s print edition. The winner will receive a signed paperback copy of The Mist on Brontë Moor. 

What's next for you?

I’m working on another young-adult novel. This one is contemporary with a literary theme as well. 

Thank you so much for your time, Aviva. And I hope you have an incredible release day. I have to admit that I've been stalking this book of yours online. A couple of days ago, a review for The Mist on Bronte Moor hit Goodreads, and prompted me to click over to Wido Publishing's website and pre-order a print copy of the book immediately. Click here to see the review that made me jump to action.

I am eagerly awaiting my pre-ordered copy of The Mist on Bronte Moor, and will read and review it as soon as possible!