Friday, August 30, 2013

Cover and Blurb Reveal: The Guardians Crown (The Guardians #5) by Wendy Owens

guardians crown cropped

Today is the cover and blurb reveal for The Guardians Crown (The Guardians #5) by Wendy Owens!

The Guardians Crown is set to release on September 27, 2013.  If you have not yet picked up The 
Guardians Series, start with the first book Sacred Bloodlines.



guardians crown cover

Book Blurb:

Gabe is finally forced to answer the ultimate question, will he give his life to save the world? What about just to save the one he loves the most? The Guardians struggle to find another way--ideas that don't involve Gabe's death--to defeat Baal.

Time is running out. What will Gabe choose? What price will he pay for that choice?


About Wendy Owens

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Wendy Owens is a 34 year old author, born in the small college town, Oxford Ohio. After attending Miami University, Wendy went onto a career in the visual arts. For several years she created and sold her own artwork. In 2011 she gave her true love, writing, a try. Her first novel flowed from her in only two weeks time, as though it had been fighting to get out. That moment was when she knew she had found her calling. Wendy now happily spends her days writing the stories her characters guide her to tell, admitting even she doesn’t always know where that might lead. Her first series, The Guardians, will be concluded with the fifth and final book in 2013.

 When she’s not writing, this dog lover can be found spending time with her tech geek husband, their three amazing kids, and two pups, lovingly nicknamed stinks and chubbs. She also loves to cook and is a film fanatic.

For more info on Wendy's young adult fiction visit http://wendy-owens.com/

If you want to follow her on social media you can visit:

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

My Interview with Aaron Paul Lazar.



Welcome to an interview with Aaron Paul Lazar author of  "Don't let the Wind Catch You".   Also enter on the Rafflecopter to win prizes.
When young Gus LeGarde befriends a cranky old hermit in the woods who speaks to an Indian spirit, he wonders if the man is nuts. But when the ghostly Penni rattles tin cups, draws on dusty mirrors, and flips book pages, pestering him to find evidence to avenge her past, things change.

What Gus doesn’t understand is why his mother hates Tully, until his relentless investigation uncovers a hint of scandal about Tully and Gus’s grandfather, Marlowe Wright.

On horseback, Gus and his friends ride through woods overlooking Conesus Lake to Tully’s abandoned house, reportedly still infected with the Genesee Valley Fever from the 1700s. Unafraid, they enter and find shocking evidence that could rewrite history.

Can Gus convince his mother to forgive Tully? And will the proof he found free Penni’s spirit?

Gus summons courage beyond his years in this poignant and powerful telling of the summer of 1965.

Buy it here                           Amazon            B&N
The Interview as we discuss Plotting:
Q) What kinds of research have you done regarding paranormal happenings? 

A) I hate to admit it, but most everything I include in my books stems either from my own experience or my mad imaginings. Of course, I can’t help but be influenced subliminally by movies and books. So I’m sure the paranormal aspects (like time travel) are influenced by movies such as Frequency or Lightning. If you read my favorite list of movies, you will see themes that are often prevalent in my books, such as unrequited love, an innocent being accused of something he did not do, or other stories with wonderful twists and turns. I love surprises, and frequently introduce them in my series. 

Q)Have you ever had an experience in your life that you consider paranormal?

A) When my father died, I am certain he visited me three days after his death to assure me he was okay. I also feel his presence under certain circumstances and have had “conversations” with him while driving to work and in dreams. I know it sounds nuts, but there are very strong experiences which I truly believe are “real.” I have never, however, experienced time travel or met a ghost, per se. Once my daughter, Melanie, and I were in a concert hall listening to a piece that was one of my father’s favorites to play on the piano. It was Debussy. I felt my father’s presence so strongly…it was really amazing. My daughter later told me she felt his presence—before I mentioned it. She didn’t know it was one of his favorite pieces, so I am quite convinced he stopped by for a visit with us while all three of us listened to the Debussy!

Q) I believe it was P.D. James who said she created her characters, the setting, the murder weapon, and then the victim. What is your personal writing style? 

A) I usually create the setting, the characters, the mystery (victim) and then the weapon, in that order. 

Q) Do you outline a book on paper, make voluminous notes, or do you just have a general direction for the story?

A) I have never outlined except after I wrote a book to help create the synopsis. I am a detailed planner in “real” life, but for my stories, I just have a vague idea about themes and twists, and such. Then I let my fingers fly and the characters lead me through the story, frequently changing my original plans.

Q) Like most writers, I imagine there sometimes comes a point when you decide that a particular story just isn't coming together right. How do you deal with those situations?

A) I’m currently working on revamping an older book I wrote in the LeGarde Mystery series, called Virtuoso. Although I think the plot is fine, the writing is a little stale and in my “older” style before I hit my current skill level. So I’m rewriting the whole thing. It’s going slowly and I’m not enjoying it. But I keep plugging away at it and it will eventually be done.

Q) Do you have a drawer full of half-written MS or topic ideas or notes for characters you'd like to write about some day?

A) I have one file called “ideas for books” that has one-liners about potential plots and plot twists – that’s it. Everything else has come full fruition into a novel. I usually start a book right away when the ideas hit me – and I can’t stop until the novel is completed.

Q) Is it easy for you to keep the plot of one series from impinging on your planning for another?

A) It’s not too hard – my characters are close to my heart and pretty real to me. So they stay unique and distinctly differentiated in my head. 


Aaron Paul Lazar writes to soothe his soul. The author of three award-winning mystery series and more, Lazar enjoys the Genesee Valley countryside in upstate New York, where his characters embrace life, play with their dogs and grandkids, grow sumptuous gardens, and chase bad guys. Visit his website at lazarbooks.com and watch for his upcoming release from Twilight Times Books, SANCTUARY (2013).
ONLINE LINKS:
Website     http://www.lazarbooks.com
Blog            http://www.aaronlazar.blogspot.com
Facebook Name:  AaronPaulLazar
•      Twitter Name   :  @aplazar

Monday, August 26, 2013

Release Day Blitz: A Broken Fate by Cat Mann

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Title: A Broken Fate (A Beautiful Fate Series #2)

Author: Cat Mann

Genre: New Adult Paranormal Romance

Book Description:

Coping with the traumatic experiences Ava endured with the Kakos is more challenging than she ever imagined it to be. She finds herself struggling to remember the details of her time kept away with Damien Kakos and when the memories assault her mind, she is plagued with crippling fear. There is something in the back of Ava’s thoughts screaming at her, telling her that the fight with the devil’s brood has not yet ended.

Newly married, Ava and Ari deal with issues involving trust, honesty and faith in one another and as they plot their course for a new life together, they discover that their individual wants and needs don’t exactly match. Ari’s promises to Ava begin to break. Some of the Alexander’s family secrets are revealed and Ava realizes that she needs to keep her friends close, and her enemies even closer. A

Broken Fate, the second novel in The Beautiful Fate Series, dives further into Ava and Ari’s nail-bitter of a story and adds even more suspense, mystery, romance and thrills. This series is impossible for any reader to resist.  

Teaser
I stood there alone for what felt like ages. I hate what I had done to my marriage. I hate who I’d become. I had isolated myself from everyone I know, from everyone who has come to love me and accept me. Misha was right. I was ungrateful, spoiled and selfish. I was going to die, this I knew. No. 7 would come for me and I would accept him. I would accept my death. My family would be the ones who would suffer, they would be the ones who would end up hurt and would cry for me. Just like they had every other time I faced death, every other time I turned away from them, lied to them and betrayed their trust.
Quote
Ari- “You are beautiful, Ava, even in defeat.”
Ava-- “I was a big, fat liar.”

About The Author
Catmann



Cat Mann has lived her entire life in central Illinois, but her interests and passions span the planet. She loves skiing, French music and working with the written language.

A self-proclaimed hermit, she is happiest at home reading, writing and scouring the far corners of the internet for new musical artists -- artists she skillfully weaves into her tales of the offspring of ancient Greece. She is happily married to her amazing and awe-inspiring best friend, Derek Mann, and together they have created two beautiful daughters.

A Beautiful Fate is Cat’s first novel in The Beautiful Fate Series. The second installment of The Beautiful Fate Series, A Broken Fate, will be available summer 2013. Visit Cat on Facebook and keep up with Cat on her blog.






Purchase of B&N

Friday, August 23, 2013

Cover and Blurb Reveal: Stealing Promises by Brina Courtney

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Title: Stealing Promises

Author: Brina Courtney

Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance

Release Date: September 26, 2013

Book Blurb:

What if love was like gasoline? Light a match and become engulfed in it's flame.

Chase Harper is a little bit of a bad boy, but he's good for Hannah and she knows it. Their childhood crush quickly ignites into attraction and takes over their entire lives. But when disaster strikes, what can Hannah do to keep her world from falling into the darkness? Her life could fall apart at any moment, just one match and everything goes up in the blaze.

Don't get too close to the flame, or you're bound to get burned.    

About Brina Courtney

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 Brina Courtney is a young adult author obsessed with chocolate, crime shows, and fantasy movies. She's spent the last few years as an elementary teacher and a high school cheering coach. She lives in a small town in Pennsylvania with her husband and two very loud, small dogs.  

Links  

Blog 



Tuesday, August 20, 2013

New Cover Reveal for Retribution by Amy Thompson

RETRIBUTION

Title: Retribution

Author: Amy Thompson

Blurb:
Regan Edison has just moved from California, to enter her first year at Georgia Liberty College, the place where jacked up Chevy trucks and hunting are a way of life. Regan hopes to start a new life for herself and she thinks that Georgia is just the place to do it. That is until she meets an unexpected stranger.

Colter Hayes is a member of the Collectors, a group of wrongfully punished lost souls.  Colter and the rest of his team, Finn, Kaiden and Devon, work for the Requiem Council who pass judgment on those souls that are neither tagged for Heaven nor Hell. The Council has charged the Collectors with finding the lost in exchange for a chance at redemption.

When an ex-councilmember known to pass Retribution on lost souls sets his sights on Regan, the Requiem Council dispatches the Collectors to Georgia to work as protectors for Regan. The Collectors must fight to save Regan from a fate they know all too well, but can they work to earn back their chance at redemption or are their fates sealed forever?

Who is meant for Heaven?

Who is meant for Hell?

And who is just lost?

About The Author

Amy Thompson graduated from Randolph-Macon College with her B.S. in Biology. She currently works as a high school mentor and is earning her M.S. in Higher Education from Drexel University. Amy is a first time, self-published author of Retribution, a new adult paranormal romance novel that is the first in the Lost Souls series. She lives in Southern Virginia with her family and two lazy cats. Amy Thompson is currently working on the next book in the Lost Souls series and continues to be an avid reader of all things books.

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Thursday, August 15, 2013

A guest Post by "Aberration " author Lisa Regan

Welcome a guest post by Lisa Regan, author of Aberration.

FBI analyst Kassidy Bishop is assigned to the “For You” Killer’s Task Force after a series of sadistic murders bearing the same signature arise in different parts of the country, but when the investigation leads directly back to her, she is forced to delve into her own past. To find the killer, Kassidy must confront the painful memories of her twin sister's mysterious death or risk losing everything to a ruthless madman—including her own life.

Buy it at      Amazon      B&N
Guest Post:  THE INSPIRATION FOR ABERRATION

When I was in college completing my undergrad degree, I lived for a time in this very small apartment that I not-very-affectionately called “the shoebox.”  It was small, which meant that there were not many places to lose things.  But there was this period of time during my residence there that my personal items began to disappear—never to be found again.  First it was my lucky blue hair scrunchy.  Then it was two books I was reading for one of my English classes.  I remember those the clearest because I had left them on the couch, left the apartment, and when I came back they were gone.  I looked everywhere for them, tore my entire apartment to shreds (which didn’t take long).  Then I had a moment of maybe-I’m-nuts-and-they-weren’t-really-here, and I retraced my steps for the two or three days before that.  They weren’t at any of the places I had been.  This was a problem because I needed them for a class.  I ended up having to buy new copies, and I never did find those books.  There were several other items that went missing.  Nothing very big, just small things you might easily misplace.

Obviously, since I’m a crime writer, my first thought was that someone was sneaking in and taking these items.  I was never able to catch anyone or find any evidence of this and eventually things stopped disappearing, but it got my mind working.  I kept thinking, “What if you had this really benign stalker who never did anything to harm you but was always creeping around, keeping an eye on you?”  Thus, the premise for Aberration was born.  

That’s how the idea started out—this idea of a stalker.  Of course a benign stalker doesn’t make for very good entertainment so I had to add some conflict, which eventually came into the story as a serial killer.  I don’t want to give away too much because it will spoil the surprises in the book, but let’s just say that in this book there is a stalker who starts out with good intentions but ends up as a serial killer.  

When I first got the idea for Aberration, FBI profilers were all the rage.  John Douglas, one of the founders of the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit had released his book, Mind Hunter which detailed his early career in profiling and how the unit came into being as well as the kinds of techniques they used in their work.  It was very fascinating and a great thing to add to my story, and thus my main character became a Behavioral Analyst or a profiler.

I was so engrossed in all of Douglas’ books as well as books by Robert K. Ressler and Katherine Ramsland.  I even seriously considered going back to school to become a criminologist, but life had other plans for me. 


So basically the missing items led to my question of what if you had a benign stalker?  To add conflict, I brought in the serial killer element and to go with that, I made the main character a profiler.

Lisa Regan is a suspense novelist.  She has a Bachelor’s Degree in English and Master of Education Degree from Bloomsburg University.  She is a member of Sisters In Crime and Pennwriters. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband and daughter.  Her first novel, Finding Claire Fletcher was recently nominated for the eFestival of Words Best of the Independent eBook Awards in three categories:  Best Novel, Best Thriller and Best Heroine for Claire Fletcher.
ONLINE LINKS:
Website    http://www.lisaregan.com/
Blog    http://www.lisalregan.blogspot.com/
Facebook    https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lisa-Regan/189735444395923
Twitter    https://twitter.com/Lisalregan


Goodreads    http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6443334.Lisa_Regan

Amazon Author Page      http://www.amazon.com/Lisa-Regan/e/B009YY091I/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1



A guest Post by Aaron Paul Lazar author of "Don't Let the Wind Catch You"



Welcome to a guest post by  "Don't let the Wind Catch You" author Aaron Paul Lazar!  Also enter on the Rafflecopter to win prizes and join the facebook Event today.
When young Gus LeGarde befriends a cranky old hermit in the woods who speaks to an Indian spirit, he wonders if the man is nuts. But when the ghostly Penni rattles tin cups, draws on dusty mirrors, and flips book pages, pestering him to find evidence to avenge her past, things change.

What Gus doesn’t understand is why his mother hates Tully, until his relentless investigation uncovers a hint of scandal about Tully and Gus’s grandfather, Marlowe Wright.

On horseback, Gus and his friends ride through woods overlooking Conesus Lake to Tully’s abandoned house, reportedly still infected with the Genesee Valley Fever from the 1700s. Unafraid, they enter and find shocking evidence that could rewrite history.

Can Gus convince his mother to forgive Tully? And will the proof he found free Penni’s spirit?

Gus summons courage beyond his years in this poignant and powerful telling of the summer of 1965.

Buy it here                           Amazon            B&N
Guest Post: Are all Writers Egoists?
Writers are terribly self-centered.

Now, don’t get offended. I’m not really talking about all of you. I’m pretty much talking about me.

Strangely enough, I don’t think anyone in my non-writer life would label me an egoist. Or an egotist, for that matter. I had to look up the difference, but there isn’t much of a distinction, as far as I could tell.* Anyway, I can’t picture someone calling me either one of those. At least not to my face.

With my family, colleagues at my day job, and with neighbors and friends, I try to be a good listener. I try to be generous. I take time to be there for them, to encourage them when they’re down, to support them when they’re mourning. I care about family and friends and frequently make sacrifices for them.

I sound pretty great, don’t I?

Ahem. Read on.

In my writerly world, I am horrified to admit that I have recently come to learn I’m a HUGE egoist.

Look at the first few paragraphs in this piece. How many times did I use the word “I?” TWELVE! It’s always all about what I think, or what I noticed, or what I wrote. Isn’t it? (Of course, I guess it might be hard to write about what you think or notice. LOL.)

I started to ponder this recently when I had a confrontation with a friend, and she pointed out to me how much I write about **me**. After a bit of soul searching, I realized she was right.

But it got me to thinking.

I try to be a good guy. I really do. This is in spite of all the stupid things I do, like dribbling my red herbal tea on the new carpet at work yesterday (I spent an hour cleaning it) and consistently forgetting to attach files to emails. If it can be screwed up, I’ll do it.

So, I’m an egoist and a klutz.

That’s not all. No. Not only am I all of the above, I’m mean.

REALLY mean.

I am merciless to my characters. I put them through the wringer time and time again, without care for their suffering. I torment them. I make them endure horrible losses. I hurt ANIMALS, for God’s sake. Okay, so I rescue them in the end, but what kind of a jerk does that to poor, defenseless animals?

Sigh.

I suppose we writers can always pretend to sit back and be the philosophical documenter, the great observer, the quintessential Hemmingway-esque witness of life. But however life presents itself - brutal or tender, seedy or majestic - all fiction comes from our inside our own minds. It’s all about how we see it. How we imagine. How we think our characters would feel.

Isn’t it?

So, how do we compensate for being such egoists?

It’s not as bad as it sounds. It certainly isn’t hopeless, and I’m pretty sure we can redeem ourselves.

Maybe we can find redemption by setting good examples through our characters' actions while they're in the midst of dashing here or there during the page turning suspense.  One thing I never intended to do with my three mystery series was to teach lessons about nurturing a family, tending to a disabled wife, dealing with trauma or loss, or being a good father or grandfather. Those things just found their way into my books, because my characters do that stuff in their everyday lives. To my surprise, my readers have come back and thanked me for doing just that. It humbles me to think that by including some amusing family scenes in the middle of the mayhem, I might have actually done some good. One fellow actually told me I made him a better dad. And another wrote to say I got him through his chemo. Like I said, it’s all pretty darned humbling.

Can examples like these make up for my weaknesses and faults? For that great big ego? For my incessant ranting about me???

Man. I sure hope so.

***

–Egoist, noun
1. self-centered or selfish person ( opposed to altruist).
2. an arrogantly conceited person; egotist.

Egotist, noun

1. a conceited, boastful person.
2. a selfish person; egoist

Aaron Paul Lazar writes to soothe his soul. The author of three award-winning mystery series and more, Lazar enjoys the Genesee Valley countryside in upstate New York, where his characters embrace life, play with their dogs and grandkids, grow sumptuous gardens, and chase bad guys. Visit his website at lazarbooks.com and watch for his upcoming release from Twilight Times Books, SANCTUARY (2013).
ONLINE LINKS:
Website     http://www.lazarbooks.com
Blog            http://www.aaronlazar.blogspot.com
Facebook Name:  AaronPaulLazar
•      Twitter Name   :  @aplazar

Monday, August 05, 2013

Cover Reveal: A Broken Fate by Cat Mann

brokenfinal2
Title: A Broken Fate (A Beautiful Fate Series #2)
Author: Cat Mann
Genre: New Adult Paranormal Romance
Book Description:


Coping with the traumatic experiences Ava endured with the Kakos is more challenging than she ever imagined it to be. She finds herself struggling to remember the details of her time kept away with Damien Kakos and when the memories assault her mind, she is plagued with crippling fear. There is something in the back of Ava’s thoughts screaming at her, telling her that the fight with the devil’s brood has not yet ended.

Newly married, Ava and Ari deal with issues involving trust, honesty and faith in one another and as they plot their course for a new life together, they discover that their individual wants and needs don’t exactly match. Ari’s promises to Ava begin to break. Some of the Alexander’s family secrets are revealed and Ava realizes that she needs to keep her friends close, and her enemies even closer. A Broken Fate, the second novel in The Beautiful Fate Series, dives further into Ava and Ari’s nail-bitter of a story and adds even more suspense, mystery, romance and thrills. This series is impossible for any reader to resist.  

About The Author
Catmann





Cat Mann has lived her entire life in central Illinois, but her interests and passions span the planet. She loves skiing, French music and working with the written language.

A self-proclaimed hermit, she is happiest at home reading, writing and scouring the far corners of the internet for new musical artists -- artists she skillfully weaves into her tales of the offspring of ancient Greece. She is happily married to her amazing and awe-inspiring best friend, Derek Mann, and together they have created two beautiful daughters.

A Beautiful Fate is Cat’s first novel in The Beautiful Fate Series. The second installment of The Beautiful Fate Series, A Broken Fate, will be available summer 2013. Visit Cat on Facebook and keep up with Cat on her blog.