Giveaway of From a Distant Star by Karen McQuestion!

   Karen McQuestion has donated a hard copy of her new fabulous book From A Distant Star for a giveaway!! Huzzah! So today for Canadians and Americans we are doing a giveaway of this amazing prize! Enter the raffelcopter bellow for a chance to win! (Keep in mind you have to do at least one task to get ballets for the draw.)

Synopsis of From A Distant Star: 

   Seventeen-year-old Emma was the only one who hadn’t given up on her boyfriend, Lucas. Everyone else—his family, his friends, his doctors—believed that any moment could be his last. So when Lucas miraculously returns from the brink of death, Emma thinks her prayers have been answered.
    As the surprised town rejoices, Emma begins to question whether Lucas is the same boy she’s always known. When she finds an unidentifiable object on his family’s farm—and government agents come to claim it—she begins to suspect that nothing is what it seems. Emma’s out-of-this-world discovery may be the key to setting things right, but only if she and Lucas can evade the agents who are after what they have. With all her hopes and dreams on the line, Emma sets out to save the boy she loves. And with a little help from a distant star, she might just have a chance at making those dreams come true.

About the Author:

     Karen McQuestion is the bestselling author of books for all ages. Some of her titles include Hello Love, Life on Hold, The Long Way Home, and the Edgewood series. Her publishing story has been covered by the Wall Street Journal, Entertainment Weekly, and the national NPR show, The Story with Dick Gordon. She has also appeared on ABC’s World News Now and America This Morning. McQuestion lives with her husband and kids in Hartland, Wisconsin.
Visit her online:
Her website: www.karenmcquestion.com\
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Karen-McQuestion/107725872640353

(CA and US  only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Getting to Know the Authors: Featuring Karen McQuestion!

Bio:

     Karen McQuestion is the bestselling author of books for all ages. Some of her titles include Hello Love, Life on Hold, The Long Way Home, and the Edgewood series. Her publishing story has been covered by the Wall Street Journal, Entertainment Weekly, and the national NPR show, The Story with Dick Gordon. She has also appeared on ABC’s World News Now and America This Morning. McQuestion lives with her husband and kids in Hartland, Wisconsin.
Her website: www.karenmcquestion.com\
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Karen-McQuestion/107725872640353

She has written:

The Long Way Home, Easily Amused, Hello Love, Edgewood (Edgewood, #1), Favorite, Life on Hold, Wanderlust (Edgewood, #2), Lies I Told My Children, Absolution (Edgewood, #3), Celia And The Fairies, From a Distant Star, Secrets of the Magic Ring, Turning a Corner, Edgewood, Wanderlust (Edgewood #2), A Scattered Life, and Life On Hold.

Now on to the Interview!!

1) How old were you when you started writing, in your opinion?

  I decided I wanted to be a writer in third grade. My teacher had us write short stories and she read mine aloud as a good example. That’s all it took!

2) What do you want a reader to gain from reading your works?

  First and foremost, I write to entertain. I also hope that readers experience the story through the characters. I’m thrilled when people tell me one of my stories made them laugh or cry.

3) What are your three top suggestions on becoming an author, or being a pleasure writer?

  Practice, practice, practice! Read and write a lot, and make sure to read mindfully, noting when a story works, or not, and why.

4) What is your favourite novel, why?

  A Wrinkle in Time would be at the top of a very long list. I have many favorites. 

5) Who is your favourite author, why?

  Again, I have many. Neil Gaiman, Stephen King, Anne Tyler, C.S. Lewis, Madeleine L'Engle, Liane Moriarty, Dennis Lehane, Susan Ee, and the list goes on…

6) Who in your life do you credit your imagination to the most?

  I tend to think an imagination is something you’re born with. I can’t remember anyone encouraging me to be creative, but as a kid I was always daydreaming which is a helpful trait in a writer.

7) To the youth of today, if you could tell them one thing, what would it be?

  Listen to your intuition and never give up! Also, keep in mind sometimes disappointments lead you exactly where you need to be. Life is funny that way.

Blogtour Excerpt from Frostbite by Adrienne Woods!

Title: Frostbite 

Author: Adrienne Woods 

Series:  (The Dragonian Series #3)

Synopsis:

Losing Lucian McKenzie, the Prince of her heart and discovering her true identity has made Elena Watkins' life almost unbearable. However, new trials will test the 17 year-old's strength and push her to limits she didn’t think were possible.

Only a mysterious offer from Blake Leaf, the Rubicon and a dragon predestined for evil, reveals there may be a light at the end of Elena’s dark tunnel.

With the life she thought she knew crashing down around her, Elena will have to face a monumental decision about the fate of Paegeia. She can either make peace with Blake’s demands or try once again to unravel the Queen’s secrets that lie deep within her dragon, Tanya La Frey’s, heart.

The third heart pounding novel in The Dragonian Series by Adrienne Wood

Excerpt:

      I DIDN’T FEEL HUNGRY that night, skipped dinner, and went to bed early. My dragon form really drained my energy.
     When I walked into the cafeteria the next morning everyone stared at me. There were even a couple of Dragonians whispering about trying to claim me. I rolled my eyes at that piece of information. As if I was going to be an easier claim than Blake. If they knew her the way I was starting to, they wouldn’t be thinking that.
     Around ten, Master Longwei’s voice came from the speaker system. “Elena Watkins come to the office, please.”
Professor Pheizer, who’d helped us with developing our abilities while we’re in human form, nodded her head and I packed my books and left.
    She wasn’t so helpful anymore and even limited her advice, but I still saw the question in her eyes of what I was whenever I found her staring at me. She would look away of course, but my dragon eyes were a lot faster than hers. Sometimes that second that our eyes met felt like minutes before she’d drop her gaze. It was hard to explain, I just felt . . . different.
    I found Master Longwei behind his desk and he gestured with his hand to the chair in front. I took a seat. He held both his hands with his fingers rested against one another in front of his mouth. “You need help, Elena.”
    I huffed. “What’s new?”
    His lips curved into a smile and he dropped his hands as he moved his chair underneath his desk. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Blake has agreed to help you find your dragon.”
I froze. What! Blake had actually agreed to help someone else besides himself? Latin jumped into my mind and I shook my head at the words from the last conversation that had taken place between Master Longwei and Blake, right here in his office, after my secret had been revealed. “No, it’s fine. I’ll make peace with her some other way.”
    “Elena. The two of you are from the same species. It won’t be anything like your Latin lessons, I promise.”
    I laughed. “How do you know, did he say so? For all I know it could be his way of getting closer to me and killing me off. Two Rubicons can’t live together in this world. You know that.”
    “He gave me his word that he would not hurt you. He wants to figure this out as much as you do, Elena, and I promise you he doesn’t want to kill you.”
    “Just like the way Paul promised you.” It just slipped out but I didn’t regret it. Lucian died because of that choice.
    Master Longwei’s eyes froze at my words, and he looked away. “I was fooled. It is a mistake I’ll never make again.”
    I took a deep breath. “I probably don’t have a choice, do I?”
   “Not this time.”
   “Fine, where do I meet him?”
    He raised his eyes and looked as if I hadn’t just offended him a couple of seconds ago. “That is up to you two. I’m only the messenger.”
     You mean I have to hunt him down and ask him. “Fine, thanks.” I wasn’t thankful really. I didn’t want to spend time with Blake any more than he wanted to spend time with me. I hated how he made me feel. Sometimes I felt like a toy. He was always there, except the last time, when I was in danger, but afterward he would push me away as if he hadn’t just saved my ass. It was a frustrating little game and one I really didn’t have the time or energy for anymore.
   “Have fun.” He smiled awkwardly. “Not too much though.”
    For some reason I wanted to snicker at his sentence. I’d always wondered if Master Longwei could read minds. As if Blake and I would ever have fun. Nothing had changed and he was still the arrogant bastard he had been a couple of months ago.

Bonus Excerpt:
   DEATH WAS MY constant companion. I’d escaped its icy clutches three times in my short life.
   My first brush with the spirit I now knew as Death was the night I learned who my father truly was. The night I witnessed his transformation into a dragon on Interstate 40.
   The night we were attacked by dragons. I lost my hero that night, and my world was completely turned upside-down when I was whisked away to Paegeia: a world where dragons and magic exist; a world located inside the Bermuda Triangle, hidden from the human realm behind a magical wall.
   Humans have the ability to penetrate the wall, but if they try to exit Paegeia, they are instantly disintegrated.
   I used to call it my one-way ticket to Neverland. Now it has become my home.
   While the wall may be limiting to humans, dragons are free to come and go as they please, and they’ve done so for the past nine hundred years, hiding amongst the human race to protect the weak, help the poor and trade with the rest of the world.
   The second time I almost died was right after I received my foretelling from the Viden. Foretellings are a type of prophecy intended to lead the people of Paegeia to their destinies, but the Viden gives them in a messed up way, in the form of a riddle.
    Mine could mean anything, but I knew now that it would only bring death. What the words in my foretelling meant, I still needed to figure out. The question was, would it be worth it?
    The first time I thought I had figured out my destiny was when I went to retrieve the King of Lion sword. It was formidable, magical and could slay evil in any form. Brian, a Sun-Burst dragon, died saving my life, and the lives of my friends who were dumb enough to follow me into the madness.
The second time I had the opportunity to fulfill the twisted words of the opaque riddle was when I had the opportunity to claim Paul, a Wyvern, to prove once and for all that Wyverns had the capacity to be good like all the other dragons. Once again I was wrong, and my only love, Lucian, paid the ultimate price. He died saving my life, but not before I turned into a dragon myself.
   I was a dragon, I had always been a dragon, and I had never known. It was still a mystery why I hadn’t been able to shift before, and they were still studying why only my anger and fear had brought on the change.
   To be honest, I didn’t care about my foretelling anymore. People I loved died, and I couldn’t stop feeling like all of this was my fault.
   Losing Lucian took a huge toll on me. I didn’t want to live, but for some reason now that I wanted to die the spirit of death didn’t come to claim his prize. Instead I was left with a hollow feeling deep inside my chest, one that would never be filled. I was left with a broken heart: ice cold, as if no amount of heat could ever warm me again. Arianna is right, I am like poison.
   No, not poison.
   The people in my life, the ones I love, didn’t die from my touch, their deaths were written in the choices I made. All of them were on death’s list; waiting for the day they would take their last breath.
   I’d paralyzed their lives, their futures. I was like ice, like frost freezing their hopes and dreams. I was the living embodiment of frostbite.

Getting to Know the Authors: Featuring Temple West!!

Bio

   Temple West, debut author of the YA paranormal romance Velvet, is as nerdy in real life as she is on the Twitter. Armed with a very shiny English degree, she spent four months in Oxford holed up at the Radcliffe Camera amongst the hush of ancient books and the rich musk of academia. Returning to Los Angeles, she acquired a concurrent degree in film, mostly as an excuse to write essays about The Princess Bride and Hook. She can sew (poorly), drive stick (please fasten your seatbelt), and mostly lift her feet off the ground while stuttering into first gear on a very small motorcycle. She currently lives in Seattle and is the proud mother to a one-year-old laptop and a vintage Remington typewriter.

She Has Written:

Velvet

Synopsis:

  First rule of dealing with hot vampire bodyguards? Don't fall in love.

   After losing both her parents before age seventeen, aspiring designer Caitlin Holte feels like her whole world has been turned upside down, and that was before the terrifying encounter with a supernatural force. Then, she learns that her hot bad-boy neighbor, Adrian—who might have just saved her life—is actually a half-demon vampire.

   Suddenly Caitlin is stuck with a vampire bodyguard who feels that the best way to protect her is to become her pretend boyfriend. Trouble is, Caitlin is starting to fall in love for real, while Adrian can never love a human. Caitlin trusts Adrian to keep her safe from his demon father, but will he be able to protect her heart?

Here are some places you can get a copy of Velvet for yourself:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1250057086...

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/velvet-temple-west...

Indigo: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/velvet...

Now on to the Interview!!

1) How old were you when you started writing, in your opinion?

First grade?  The first story that I still have in a box somewhere is a story I wrote in 3rd grade called "Attack of the Evil Candies." It was all about how the Red Hots were villains and they were in some sort of space ship trying to take over the galaxy.

2) What do you want a reader to gain from reading your works?

First and foremost I want them to simply enjoy the story.  Anything they get beyond that is icing on the cake.

3) What are your three top suggestions on becoming an author, or being a pleasure writer?

Get a lawyer or agent (some sort of representation), do your research (on your story, on your representation, on your potential publisher, and on the publishing process), and remember that if you're not shaping your career, someone else is going to.

4) What is your favourite novel, why?

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch.  It's the funniest, most well-plotted, tightly written, realistic fantasy novel I've ever come across.

5) Who is your favourite author, why?

Cross between Laini Taylor and Scott Lynch.  They're both fantastic at world-building and dialogue, which are two of my favorite elements of any book.

6) What are your favorite pass times besides writing?

Going to a real movie theater and getting a giant Coke and a giant popcorn and watching an awesome film with someone I care about.  I literally do that at least once a week.  Movies at the movie theater are my thing.

7) Who in your life do you credit your imagination to the most?

My parents were pretty instrumental in submerging me in great literature at a young age.  Also, I grew up in these sort of epic places.  When I was a kid I lived in Phoenix, and the desert and mountains and that huge, impossible sky are so beautiful you can't help but be inspired.  Then we moved to Seattle and my house backed up to a greenbelt.  All of us neighborhood kids would spend all summer back there running through the trees, building bridges over scum-covered ponds, finding random vacuum cleaners and bikes rusting away in the bushes.  It was heaven.

8) What are the top five things on your bucket list?

I don't know that I can list specific things.  It's more a feeling of...wanting to be full.  Wanting to live a full life.  I don't think that can really be summarized in a five-point list.  It's more of an every day perspective that I want to have.  I want to be happy.  I want to learn.

9) What is your funniest childhood memory?

Oh man, that's hard.  I had a pretty great childhood, and like, awesome older siblings.  Sometimes we would have burping contests.  Those were pretty great.

10) To the youth of today, if you could tell them one thing, what would it be?

Assuming the youth I am speaking to are aspiring authors, here's a few nuggets of advice:

Get a lawyer or literary agent to represent you before trying to sell your book. At the very least, secure one before you sign anything.  Once you get to the point where someone's interested in your work, things can move very quickly and you can be overwhelmed or pressured into signing something you're not comfortable with, or signing something you don't understand. In other words:

Never, EVER sign a contract without hiring a professional to review it, especially one who has experience with that kind of contract.  Getting your best friend's ex-husband's divorce attorney to review your book contract is probably not going to pan out well for anyone.

Be willing to say no. To a publisher, to a contract, to an agent, to a creepy date or to that second slice of cheesecake.  No is perhaps the most important word in an artist's vocabulary.  Not so that you can be a diva and demand things you don't deserve, but so that you can have appropriate boundaries in place for your career. One of three things will inevitably happen when you become an artist: your career will go nowhere, your career will go where [your agent, your publisher, your mother, your alien overlord from the future] wants it to go, or your career will go where you want it to go.  The reality is, it's entirely up to you.

Know your story -- have a logline, short summary, long summary, genre, title, and heck, maybe even a tagline ready to go. Know how to "pitch" your book in a succinct and accurate way.  In other words, don't waste an agent or publisher's time by not knowing what you're talking about.  This can be daunting, but a book called Save the Cat was tremendously helpful in teaching me how to think about marketing my own work.

Do research.  Investigate the parts of your story you don't know well -- perhaps that's naval history or statistical probabilities in high-stakes poker or ancient Celtic harvest runes.  Educate yourself in details so that your story feels authentic.  But also research your career.  Decide what kind of agent you want, perhaps even which specific human being you want your agent to be.  Research publishers, research book bloggers, research distribution methods and international markets and industry standards for contracts.  I'm not saying get a Masters in the minutiae of publishing, but educate yourself enough that you can hold your own in conversations with people at every stage of the publishing process.  Be active about your education far being the bounds of any classroom.

Treat your career like it's your career, and not a hobby.  This means taking yourself seriously.  This means investing time and energy into learning your craft and going after your goals.  Often, it means spending money. Again, I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to invest in things like lawyers.  You will never regret spending money on legal aid.  That being said, you're probably not made of money, so see Rule #5 and research which lawyer (or agent) you want to invest money in.

Shake it off -- and shake it up.  Keep getting rejected?  Keep writing.  But maybe try writing something different.  Try a new genre, a new POV, a new universe, even. Read more, analyze your favorite stories, dissect what makes popular things popular at certain points in history (why were the Beatles huge? Why was Justin Bieber? Why was Twilight?).  When something doesn't work, try something new.  When someone says no, do more research and try again.

It can all be whittled down to this: you are the master of your career.

Getting to Know the Authors: Featuring Kendare Blake!

Bio:

Kendare Blake is the author of several novels and short stories, most of which you can find information about via the links above. Her work is sort of dark, always violent, and features passages describing food from when she writes while hungry. She was born in July (for those of you doing book reports) in Seoul, South Korea, but doesn’t speak a lick of Korean, as she was packed off at a very early age to her adoptive parents in the United States. That might be just an excuse, though, as she is pretty bad at learning foreign languages. She enjoys the work of Milan Kundera, Caitlin R Kiernan, Bret Easton Ellis, Richard Linklater, and the late, great Michael Jackson, I mean, come on, he gave us Thriller.
She lives and writes in Kent, Washington, with her husband, their two cat sons (Tybalt and Tyrion Cattister) and their red Doberman dog son, Obi Dog Kenobi.
- See more at: http://kendareblake.com/about/#sthash.EgchHlpd.dpuf

She has written:

   Anna Dressed in Blood, Girl of Nightmares, Antigoddess, Mortal Gods, Shadowhunters and Downworlders: A Mortal Instruments Reader, Sleepwalk Society, Ungodly, When Gods and Vampires Roamed Miami, Slasher Girls & Monster Boys and Violent Ends.

Now on to the Interview!

1) How old were you when you started writing, in your opinion? 
Let's see. I wrote my first novel when I was in seventh grade, so...when I was twelve. It was horrible, of course, about wild horses, and I wrote it by hand in several spiral notebooks in tiny, tiny writing.

2) What do you want a reader to gain from reading your works? 
Enjoyment. Escape. Occasionally some thoughts about stuff. Plus that gain you get to your humanity just by reading any book. But that happens automatically.

3) What are your three top suggestions on becoming an author, or being a pleasure writer? 
To be an author, remain a pleasure writer. If you don't enjoy it, what's the point? Also, keep on reading. Read lots of varied things and pause occasionally to evaluate them critically. And, write. Write, write, write. Your skill at the craft and your style will evolve as you go.

4) What is your favourite novel, why? 
Can't choose a favorite. I have too many favorites. But I haven't talked about American Psycho so I'll say that one this time. It's just so moralistic, so hilarious, so absurd. It elicits response, that novel, and it stays with you.

5) Who is your favourite author, why?
 Can't choose a favorite. I have too many favorites. But I haven't said Joe Hill for awhile, so I'll go with him. The imagination on him stretches for miles. And he writes such fully fleshed, flawed, human characters, just like his dad, Stephen King does. If you haven't read NOS4A2, then you haven't read a proper Christmas story.

6) What are your favorite pass times besides writing?
 I like to play tennis. I love to read, of course. I enjoy hanging with my animals, and being with friends. We've got a young Doberman dog now, so we hike a lot and go to a lot of dog parks. I watch movies, and TV. And food, of course. I love to eat food! Speaking of, I'm hungry. I think I'll go make bacon and toast.

7) Who in your life do you credit your imagination to the most?
 My mom, I guess? She's the one who got me hooked on this reading thing in the first place, by taking me to the library every week and letting me load up the bag with unicorn books. We didn't have much money when I was little, so the library was a good way to go. It was a real event.

8) What are the top five things on your bucket list? 
To be honest, I've done a lot of stuff, so my bucket list grows short. At this point, it's reduced to stuff that I'm mostly just too lazy to get done. So I guess...learn to play a musical instrument (way too lazy to do this) Master a foreign language (this is way too hard!). Ride a Spanish-breed horse (where do I even find one?) Eat and a ridiculously snooty restaurant, like the French Laundry (but ugh, then I'd have to put on a dress and stuff) and, take one of those sunny, do-nothing beach vacations (never interested me before, but what the heck.) I never put things on my bucket list that I have no control over, like seeing one of my books become a movie, or writing a runaway bestseller. That's just...asking for pain and a full bucket.

9) What is your funniest childhood memory? 
Oh, I have lots. Not all are appropriate. Most aren't, actually. Let's see...an appropriate childhood memory...I guess, buffing and shining my dad's bald head while he was asleep in a chair.

10) To the youth of today, if you could tell them one thing, what would it be?
I would tell them, hey, stuff is going to stress you out. But life is long, man, and it will make sense from the other side. Figure out the kind of person that you want to be, and be that. Hold yourself up to your own expectations. Your own expectations. Not anyone else's.
Of course, I wouldn't actually waste my breath saying this to anyone. Youth tends to figure things out on its own, as it goes.

Thanks very much for having me by the Not So Public Library!

Getting to Know the Authors: Featuring Julie Reece!

Bio in Her Words: 

  Born in Ohio, I lived next to my grandfather’s horse farm until the fourth grade. Summers were about riding, fishing and make-believe, while winter brought sledding and ice-skating on frozen ponds. Most of life was magical, but not all.
  I struggled with multiple learning disabilities, did not excel in school. I spent much of my time looking out windows and daydreaming. In the fourth grade (with the help of one very nice teacher) I fought dyslexia for my right to read, like a prince fights a dragon in order to free the princess locked in a tower, and I won.
  Afterwards, I read like a fiend. I invented stories where I could be the princess... or a gifted heroine from another world who kicked bad guy butt to win the heart of a charismatic hero. Who wouldn't want to be a part of that? Later, I moved to Florida where I continued to fantasize about superpowers and monsters, fabricating stories (my mother called it lying) and sharing them with my friends.
  Then I thought I'd write one down…
  Hooked, I’ve been writing ever since. I write southern gothic, contemporary, urban fantasy, adventure, and young adult romances. I love strong heroines, sweeping tales of mystery and epic adventure… which must include a really hot guy. My writing is proof you can work hard to overcome any obstacle. Don’t give up. I say, if you write, write on!

She has Written:

The Artisans, The Paladins (The Artisans #2), Crux, and Tidal Whispers

Now on to the Interview!!

1) How old were you when you started writing, in your opinion?

  I started out as a reader, and studied art in college. I didn’t know I loved to write until I was an adult and started writing books for my kids to read! : ) 

2) What do you want a reader to gain from reading your works?

 I hope readers are entertained and have some fun with my stories. I hope the books provide a nice escape for a few hours, and if I’m very lucky, I hope the characters wiggle into a reader’ s heart and stay there. 

3) What are your three top suggestions on becoming an author, or being a pleasure writer? 

 Ah, good question! Most important is to actually finish your story, Sounds obvious, but really, too many writers quit before they type ‘The End.’ Second is to write three books before you try for publication. Sure, some writers publish their first book, but it’s not the norm. It usually takes three novels to find your voice and hone your craft. Lastly, don’t ever quit. You might get frustrated at times, I think all artists do. Step away for a season if you need to and do something else, but don’t give up. 

4) What is your favourite novel, why? 

 Jane Eyre. The romance, baby! It’s just so awesome. *swoons* 

5) Who is your favourite author, why?

 I am not coping out, I promise, but I CAN NOT answer this question. Lol! There are too many genius YA writers out there to choose from!!! 

6) What are your favorite pass times besides writing? 

 Spending time with family, animals, riding horses, kayaking, traveling to new places, flowers, eating, eating again, movies, reading, bubble baths. My most favoritist <<(yes, I’m making it a word) thing in the whole world is spending time with my husband. <3

7) Who in your life do you credit your imagination to the most? 

 I don’t mean for this to sound either cheesy or cliché but God. Because it’s simply true. He made me, gave me this weird brain, and I’m so thankful. :) 

8) What are the top five things on your bucket list? 

 Visit England, jump from a plane, swim with sea turtles, live to meet my great grandchildren, die on the same day as my husband. Sorry, is that morbid? I’m calling it romantic. : ) 

9) What is your funniest childhood memory? 

 When we were young, a judge owned the farm next door to our property. Telling no one, my sister and I snuck over to see a new litter of baby piglets. What we didn’t know, is that mother pigs are protective. Mean in fact. And that mother pig chased my sister and me through a cornfield and over a fence. I’ve never been so scared in all of my life! 

10) To the youth of today, if you could tell them one thing, what would it be?

 To believe that being different is a good thing. When we are young, we want to blend in, feel accepted more than anything, and to be exactly like everyone else. And that’s a shame. Because you are young for twenty years and an adult for sixty. It’s the quirky people, the ones who dare to think differently, the ones that are truly unique that lead the most interesting lives as adults. Be individual and own it! 

Links to some of her pages: 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JulieAReece

FB: https://www.facebook.com/author.julieareece

Instagram: https://instagram.com/julie.reece/

Web: http://blog.juliereece.com/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/julieareece/

Nephilius (Walker Saga #5) by Jaymin Eve (Review)

    The fifth installment of the Walker Saga, Nephilius continues the tale of Abby the half walker and her friends, family and her comrades. In this novel, the characters go to the cloud angelic warrior planet of Nephilius to find the next half walker. Struggling with the loss of her mate, betrayal and the Seventine themselves, Abby faces new and old obstacles in her battle to defeat the Seventine and save the universe.
     Once again, I love Jaymin Eve's work. She manages to make each book in the Walker Saga unique enough to recapture the attention of the readers again. Usually in long series the books tend to have lulls and get less interesting farther you get into the series, but that does not seem to be the case with Jaymin's Walker Saga. Each book introduces new content and factors to the story. Nephilius is riveting novel full of plot twists, twists and turns, action, romance, and mystery. The creatures on planet Nephilius are new but perfect additions to the dynamic of the Walker Saga. I totally recommend Nephilius and the whole Walker Saga, it's amazing. I loved Nephilius and give it the rating of FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS!!!

Regali (Walker Saga #4) by Jaymin Eve (Review)

  The fourth installment of the Walker Saga, Regali continues the awesome story of Abby and her friends as they prepare to face off against the evil Seventine. Regali takes readers into a new environment of planet Regali, which is mainly rain forest dominated by animal people. Facing new challenges on and off the planet, Abby and the other half-walkers struggle to overcome and save the worlds.
   The dynamic between the characters in Regali and the Walker Saga is enchanting. Even this far into the series it manages to maintain a strong consistency. The characters are all expertly developed and unique from each other. I love reading about them. As for the story itself, Regali was as good and intense as the other installments of the series. It had it's own plot twists and special moments that keep the reader interested and invested. Also like the rest of the series, there was very good build up for the rest of the series. Not all things are resolved in the novel, and it leaves the reader with a desire to continue reading.
     Reading Regali demonstrated how much variety there is in the Walker Saga. It manages to touch the genres of dystopian, fantasy, mythology, romance, action adventure and science fiction. The series seems to be a jack of all trades. I'm looking forward to continue to read the series. I definitely recommend Regali and the Walker Saga and give Regali the rating of FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS!!!

Spectacle by S.J. Pierce Blogtour!

Book Details:

Spectacle by S.J. Pierce 

Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25365630-spectacle?ac=1

Synopsis:

***This is currently a web series!!! I’m releasing a chapter at a time on my website at www.sjpiercebooks.blogspot.com. You can read there or go to Scribd, download their app, and read there.***
Hunger Games meets Avatar meets Gladiator in this spellbinding new Young Adult Science-Fiction web series by bestselling author Susan James Pierce.
Fear can make you a target…
Two hundred years after the Great Disaster, the day earthquakes ravaged Earth’s landscapes, humanity has finally regrouped and is working toward a better future. But in New America – one of three small, remaining landmasses – the threat of overpopulation makes a better future seem bleaker by the year.
Mira (Mirabella) Foster and her parents are citizens of New America, and with the threat of starvation and disease looming on the horizon, a new discovery threatens to push everyone to the brink of chaos: blue markings develop on people’s skin. Markings that are distinctive of a humanoid alien race named Changers that secretly sought refuge on Earth years ago. Markings that allow them to camouflage their skin, but also make them feared, and eventually, targets of violence.
Mira’s dad is one of them.
Anger can make you a spectacle…
Banished to a treacherous, uninhabited island, a newly orphaned Mira and her kind struggle to survive and settle into a new way of life. Her main priority becomes seeing to Jackson’s care, her friend with Muscular Dystrophy, and tending to her garden as a way of distracting herself from the pain of losing everything she loved. But just as she’s adapting to this new life, their Elders approach her with a plan to insert themselves back into New America to uncover a conspiracy. A conspiracy, they believe, that includes the presidency and landed them on the island, costing many Changers their lives, including her parents’.
In a world where staying on the island means a possible untimely death, as does risking her life to uncover a horrible secret that might one day set them all free, which one will she choose? And if she chooses to help, can she tame her anger over their mistreatment long enough to make sure their plan goes off without a hitch? Because, after all, the last thing her kind needs is to make spectacles of themselves, and as she knows all too well, both anger and fear have a perilous knack for destruction.

Excerpt:

Following the scent of cheese toast and eggs, I stop short when I see my mom standing in the kitchen doorway, her hands fidgeting with the frayed hem of her apron, a tight smile on her face. I don’t like the way she looks at me – worried and afraid and about to cry all at the same time. “Mirabella, dear,” she says, almost whimpers. “Daddy and I need to talk to you.”

Heat crawls over my skin, flushing my cheeks and leaving gooseflesh on my arms. Dread squeezes my lungs. “Okay,” I manage, but it takes me a minute to remember how to walk. Mom doesn’t move out of my way.

I notice the radio isn’t on again. Dad usually listens to it for his morning news.

She kneels to look me at me on my level, and I know now something really bad must have happened… or is happening. Yet again, the rings around the moon were right.

“Everything’s okay,” she lies, reading my worried expression, “But I want to warn you about your father before you see him.”

My eyebrows draw together. Warn me?

I hear dad shifting in his chair, and he grunts nervously. My chest clenches tighter. All I want is to see him. To know what’s going on. I can’t fathom what she would have to warn me about.

“His skin is… different than before.”

“Different?”

“Yes, baby,” she soothes. “And whatever you do, please don’t scream. You know how thin these walls are.”

I muster a nod.

“Okay,” she says, clasping my hand and straightening, “It’s time.”

She leads me into the kitchen, my heart racing, eyes snapping right to my father. He’s sitting with his face behind his hands, his elbows resting against the tabletop. The skin on his arms and hands look the same to me – smooth and the color of coffee with milk. Still normal. I breathe a sigh of relief.

“Is she looking?” he asks through his hands.

I answer for her. “Yes, daddy.”

He lets out a long slow breath – a brooding sigh.

“Show her, Grant,” mom pleads.

Moments pass. He sighs again and slowly moves his hands away. Behind them, blue marks, starting at the corners of his eyes, branch out in a rough, jagged pattern - like webs of blood vessels, but more defined - over his cheekbones and stopping along his jawline. Smaller patches curl around his temples. It almost looks like a butterfly, almost beautiful, like these odd markings are meant to be there. Like someone had painted them for fun. I would assume this is all a joke had my mom not been acting so weird.

I look up to her questioningly. Why would this have made me scream?

Her hand meets her chest, and I can tell she’s relieved I didn’t freak out, but not all the concern is gone from her eyes. At least she’s smiling normally now.

“So you aren’t afraid?” she asks.

“Why would I be?”

Her lips press tight. She throws a nervous glance at my father.

“Because these are permanent,” he says. “And they’ll get worse.”

Pre-Order Charity Proceeds:

                Brayden is a smart and witty twelve-year-old boy, who loves video games and sports of all kinds, especially football, but the only thing holding him back is that he has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. He was diagnosed on April 1^st, 2010 with the disease, which will one day (possibly sooner than later) put him in wheelchair fulltime. His mind is sharp as a tack, but his little body is giving out daily; the more tired he gets, the more frequent the falls. Luckily he hasn’t broken any bones (yet). He will one day need a tracheotomy to be able to breathe and speak, and his lungs and heart are muscles that will give out just as easy as his arms and legs. Most boys with this disease will not live into their 20’s, and the disease claims lives daily. To help Brayden in his journey with DMD, S.J. has pledged to donate all of her pre-order proceeds to Brayden’s family. 

Purchase:

All proceeds from pre-orders are going to a local kid named Brayden who has Muscular Dystrophy.

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Spectacle-S-J-Pierce-ebook/dp/B00YLUZO3S/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
B&N - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/spectacle-sj-pierce/1122059507?ean=2940151949255&isbn=2940151949255
Kobo - https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/spectacle-6
Apple - https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/spectacle/id1001695474?mt=11

Author Bio:

Susan James Pierce has a degree in Marketing Management, works for a Fortune 500 company in Atlanta, Georgia, and devotes her precious, spare time to writing Fantasy, Paranormal and Sci-fi novels.
Please visit www.sjpiercebooks.blogspot.com and sign up for her mailing list or subscribe to her blog if you'd like to hear when new books come out! Coming soon:
Iris (Novella: The Captivated Series) Available now!!!
Fight for Me (Book Two: The Captivated Series)

Links:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6562942.S_J_Pierce

http://sjpiercebooks.blogspot.ca/

https://www.facebook.com/SJPiercebooks?ref=bookmarks

Giveaway!

Prize - $25 Amazon gift card 

(Open internationally) 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Beast (The Hunter Legends #1) by Lindsay Mead (Review)

  An epic Steam Punk recreation of the classic Beauty and the Beast, The Beast takes readers on an awesome adventure with danger, action, kick butt-ery and romance. Placing the reader in a French Steam Punk world, they are introduced to Belle LeClair and her band of Hunters. What do they hunt? Hell hounds. Being awesome fighters, they fight to protect their village of Glace from the enormous wolf-beasts. That is, until suddenly everything in Belle's life changes; when Belle's father goes missing.
  I love both Steam Punk and Beauty and the Beast, so the combination of the two was pretty awesome in my eyes. The tale follows closer to the Disney version then the original luckily, so the story is kept fairly light overall. The three most prominent and memorable characters of the story were Belle, the Prince and Gaston. Gaston stuck with me because he was not fully unraveled as a character in the novel, leaving room for him to develop in future novels , which is very good. Belle stuck with me because (besides the fact that she was the main character) of her awesome fighting capabilities. Being the head of the Hunters she has some major fighting abilities, and cool gadgets. That is very different from the original versions of Belle. Its an improvement in my opinion. The Beast/the Prince stuck with me because of his romantic chivalry. I found it super adorable and endearing.
   Overall, The Beast is choke full of epic battle scenes and magical moments. It managed to maintain the original feel of Beauty and the Beast and yet hold its own as a unique world and story. I definitely recommend it, especially to fans of Beauty and the Beast. I give The Beast, FOUR AND A HALF STARS OUT OF FIVE!

*Advanced Readers Copy Review*

Velvet (Velvet Trilogy) by Temple West (Review)

   Romantic and heart wrenching, Velvet is a vampire young adult romance that takes the readers on an adventure of love loss and demons. When a teenage girls parents pass away, she is sent to live with her uncle and aunt in a town in the middle of nowhere. In this town, Caitlin Holte's whole world is drastically turned upside down by a dangerous demon and a handsome vampire, who has become her self-elected bodyguard.
   I found Velvet had a very Twilight-esk feel to it. If you like Twilight, you will like Velvet. Caitlin is a smart and emotionally complex character, and she is very well balanced with her romantic other half, Adrian. Adrian is a romantic sweet heart that seems to be determined to protect Caitlin. His chivalry is endearing and great to read about. As a couple, Adrian and Caitlin mesh together perfectly.
     Velvet has a good mix of dialogue and action. It had some good scenes that were simply adorable. I am excited to find out what happens to the mythical couple in future novels. I recommend Velvet to vampire romance fans. I give Velvet the rating of FOUR OUT OF FIVE STARS!

*Advanced Readers Copy Review*

The Leveller (The Leveller #1) by Julia Durango (Review)

    An exciting science fiction adventure, The Leveller takes a reader on a ride through the computerized virtual reality game world; the MEEP, alongside the protagonist Nixy Bauer. Hired by the creator of the MEEP to bring back his son from the game, Nixy soon realizes that their is more to it then what meets the eye. The Leveller is a riveting an exciting read with a lot of creative ideas and fluent narration. There are elements of action, danger, humor and romance. I personally found the romance quite adorable and well written.
    The characters were very well developed and extremely addicting to read about. I loved Nixy with her extreme loyalty and strength. The way she dealt with the MEEP was almost inspirational. Everything she did was with confidence and a certain degree of kick butt-ery. On top of that, there was a moment of inner dialogue in the novel that really garnered my respect. It was a moment when Nixy had thoughts about how she does not change her appearance in the MEEP. She does this because she knew that if she did, the moment she left she would hate what she really looks like in the real world. That train of thought was extremely insightful and showed the characters true depth. Ultimately, I really enjoyed The Leveller and give it the rating of FOUR AND A HALF STARS OUT OF FIVE!

*Advanced Readers Copy Review*

Impulse (Submerged Sun #2) by Vanessa Garden (Review)

  Impulse is the second novel in the Submerged Sun series. Continuing the story Miranda Sun, as she turns eighteen years old she returns to the underwater city of Marin and her true love; King Marko. In this dramatic romance story, Miranda is confronted with new mysteries and challenges that are cropping up in Marin. Impulse is a riveting story that transitions very well from Submerged Sun. In the Atlantis-like city, danger and suspense is rising.
   The story is very creative and passionate. It has a very consistent and strong narrative and is very good at playing with the readers emotions. I did have a bit of trouble with the conclusion of Impulse. Mainly because it was a huge cliff hanger and the third book is not yet published. I can't wait for the third novel to come out and continue the series. Impulse draws in the readers and takes them on an emotional ride along side the characters. If I'm honest, I admit, I cried a bit reading this book. Ultimately I really liked Impulse and give it the honest rating of FOUR OUT OF FIVE STARS!

Book Blitz of Fabled by Vanessa K. Eccles!

Fabled by Vanessa K. Eccles 

Publication date: May 5th 2015

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

Synopsis:

Rowena thinks the Grimm’s infamous podcasts are simply another teen fad until she finds herself trapped in a land of nightmarish storybook characters. She tries desperately to flee Mezzanine and return home, but Dresdem, Mezzanine’s wicked monarch, plans to use Rowena’s access to her world to bring dark magic and absolute rule into Georgia and beyond.

But when Rowena’s dear friend Madeline falls into Dresdem’s grasp, her battle with him becomes war, and all hopes of home are temporarily thwarted. With the help of an invisible hero, a beast, and an owl, she sets out to free Madeline from a deadening sleep. But Rowena must become her own hero when she finds herself bound by the kingdom’s darkest family. She must make the ultimate choice – align herself with her enemies or live on the run forever.

Excerpt:

   The dirt shifted beside me, and the end of the tunnel opened. The crevice felt like it plucked me up in a whirlwind. In seconds, I landed on the ground face first on the surface of whatever lay beyond the tunnel. It smelled like nature after a storm. When I opened my eyes, I stared down at my mud-covered hands. The darkness that I once thought would be my tomb was now gone, and two low hanging moons lit the forest where I found myself. Even though I had no idea where I was, the fact that I was out of the hole sent a surge of relief that filled my entire being. I stood up, dusted off all the mud I could, and looked back. Strangely, there was nothing but trees. As I moved closer to the spot where I’d most certainly came from, all I saw was a mirror that reflected the woods. An illusion. I touched its smooth surface, tried to find the end of it but couldn’t. Another dead-end.
Before I could figure out what to do, I heard a voice and spun around to confront it.
“What are you doing here?” I heard a man’s voice growl, but I couldn’t see anyone. I looked around. He sounded like he was only a few feet from me.
“Where are you?”
“First, tell me why you’re here?”
“I don’t know why I’m here. I’m lost, I think. I was at a party, and while walking in the woods behind the house, I fell into a hole. Now here I am. I have no idea what happened. Where am I?”
Silence.
Right square in front of me, he appeared out of thin air. I blinked my eyes in disbelief. He seemed to be about my age and wore his hat cocked to one side with suspenders atop a blue button-up and brown trousers. It reminded me of Dashielle’s costume. I guess he could read the amazement on my face, so he answered the question that my mind was trying to form.
“Invisibility. That’s all.”

Ten Fabled Facts:

1.) Trapped in a world of dark magic, Rowena must learn how to become her own hero. Easier said than done.

2.) In Mezzanine, neither time nor death exist.

3.) Many storybook characters appear, but they’re not as friendly as we remember.

4.) Kidnapping and slavery doesn’t sound like a fairy tale, or does it?

5.) Adelaide Kane would be my pick to play Rowena in a movie.

6.) The Brothers Grimm make an appearance.

7.) Someone becomes possessed, and someone gets married.

8.) Sometimes aligning with your enemies is the only solution.

9.) Betrayal of a sister is the worst of all wounds.

10.) Home isn’t how she left it.

Book & Author Details:

   Vanessa K. Eccles graduated Troy University with a degree in English. She currently serves as executive editor of Belle Rêve Literary Journal and is founder of the book blog YA-NASisterhood. When she’s not writing or devouring books, she enjoys the lake life with her Prince Charming and their four dogs.

Author Links:

http://www.vanessakeccles.com/

https://www.facebook.com/VanessaKEcclesAuthor

https://twitter.com/VanessaKEccles

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5754391.Vanessa_K_Eccles

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25268387-fabled?ac=1

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Fabled-Vanessa-K-Eccles/dp/098613452X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1433431389&sr=1-1&keywords=fabled+Vanessa+K.+Eccles

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fabled-vanessa-k-eccles/1121747987?ean=9780986134500

Blogtour Excerpt from Royal Partnerships by Gracen Miller!

Excerpt:
  “Collecting and torturing a soul is dangerous business, my sister,” Zen said.
“So was becoming Queen of Hell. What’s problematic about going with the flow?”
More of the same unblinking stare from him. “If you go rogue, Madison…”
Madison slammed against the window-wall behind her. Despite the pane’s solidness, she felt it shimmy when it received the brunt of her weight. Recognizing Zen’s new demonstration of power, she elevated her eyebrows at him. With a smirk, she rubbed her back against the glass. She palmed her dragon blade as she flung a ninja star. He leaned to the side, dodging the star with ease. Of course she missed.
“You can’t kill me.”
Only his creator could take him down.
Madison palmed her other dagger and eased away from the window. “Is this you coming for me, Zen?”
His one-shoulder shrug sufficed as an answer. The pounding on the door, followed by Nix and Micah’s yelling further answered her question. Zen had magically locked them out. That’d been why she saw his power flare for a brief second during their conversation.
She went for him. He blocked each jab and slash. Every kick and punch. She eyed him as they circled one another.
He toys with us, her demon remarked.
Of course he does, that was Zen’s way when they sparred.
“Have I not taught you anything?” He smacked her across the cheek in a whip-like move she hadn’t seen coming. It wasn’t hard enough to hurt, but the blow stung all the same. “You tire yourself knowing I’m the superior fighter. It’s like you sacrifice yourself to me. Too easy.”
They went at it again. She tripped over a rug, stumbled backward, and came up dead-footed with her spine against the windowpanes. He moved into her space. Eye-to-eye they stared at one another, her panting the only racket in the room.
“So this is how it all ends?” she asked as he elevated a hand and braced it against the glass next to her head.
“Maybe...”
The door practically throbbed from all the kicking, pounding, and magic thrown at it. “You’re scaring my men.”
“They should be terrified.”
Madison settled her hand on his arm. “I trust you.”
She chugged his magic harder than she ever had anyone’s, and screamed as pain slashed through her head. Zen’s eyes widened, silver bright, and he jerked away as his magic held strong, barring her husbands from the room.
Zen stumbled, his footing off, and he swayed a moment before going to a knee. Wincing as the pain receded, Madison circled him and secured her blade in its leather holster.
She threaded her fingers in his hair and pulled his head back. His shallow breathing surprised her, “Concede defeat?”