Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Book Tour {Interview & Giveaway} Parched by Georgia Clark

Parched

by Georgia Clark
YA Romantic Sci-Fi
Hardcover, 312 Pages
March 14th 2014 by Holiday House

Robots, renewable resources, and romance get tangled together in this thrilling futuristic adventure novel about a utopian city struggling to keep its peace.

"Bold futurist adventure with unusual romance, riveting action and ominous ecological red flags." —Kirkus Reviews

Amazon - Barnes and Noble - Indie Bound

Georgia Clark is an Australian writer and performer based in Brooklyn. She is the author of the young adult novels SHE’S WITH THE BAND (Allen & Unwin) and sci-fi/romance PARCHED (Holiday House). Widely published online and in print. Won some awards/grants/residencies. Has a play on at the NY Fringe festival. Pretty keen on cheese plates.

Website - Goodreads - Facebook - Twitter

Georgia is gearing up to teach a short, online writing class about writing sci-fi through a Lit Reactor course. Want to go check it out and join? Go HERE! Begins January 14th.

Interview

What makes you like to write?

I was an avid reader as a kid: I grew up without TV or the internet (my parents were hippies and we lived near the bush in Australia), so I had my nose in a book from a very young age. Vey fond memories of The Dark is Rising series, cementing a lifelong for fantastical adventure. I studied screenwriting and film-making at university, and after graduating, worked as a freelance writer in one capacity or the other. So part of the answer is, I’m good at it, and we naturally gravitate to doing what we have some skill for, right? Also, I’m attracted to challenges, specifically creatively demanding, you’d-have-to-be-crazy kind of challenges. I love being told a story, and I love telling them. And I love being able to work in bed, in my pajamas. Hence, novel writing!

Who designed the book cover?

An illustrator called Allen Garns. I didn’t have anything to do with the cover: the first time I saw it was after it had been finished!

Who is your favorite character in your book and why?

Ooh, hard question. I love them all! I’m very close to Tess, the main character, because we’re in her head, and I can definitely relate to her: she’s like my most badass side. I adore Hunter: I have such a soft spot for nerdy, socially awkward guys... who have secret. The unofficial leader of Kudzu, Ling is very cool; her right hand gal Naz is such a hard-ass too. I can’t choose! Maybe Hunter? For the geek boy factor? Yay for geeks!

When did you start writing?

I wrote short stories in primary school (that’s Australian for middle school) and high school, and made zines (handmade magazines) and wrote bad poetry at uni. I’ve worked as freelance writer ever since I graduated, with some brief-ish periods of travel or unemployment peppered throughout. I guess I’ve always been a writer! My first novel, She’s With The Band, was published when I was 28.

How many books did you write before you were published?

My first book was published, but then I write a middle grade novel that wasn’t published, called Tigerskins Incorporated, about a girl who solves mysteries. I didn’t know the genre well enough: I was arrogant enough to think I could sell a book based on my assumptions. Bad mistake! You must be a hungry reader of your genre if you’re going to have any success.

Any other books in the works? Goals for future projects?

I’m just about to finish my first adult contemporary novel, tentatively titled The Regulars. It’s set in Brooklyn, where I live, and is about beauty: how beauty standards affect us, how much of our identity is affected by our appearance, how to negotiate your feelings about your face. My goal is for it to be funny and truthful and sexy, an impactful, for women, in meaningful way. I love it a lot and am crossing my fingers we land a good deal!

Also, I’m teaching a short, online course this month (January) through a site called Lit Reactor. It’s about creating a compelling sci-fi premise for a short story or novel. If you’ve always wanted to write a sci-fi, or you’re just looking for something to kickstart your imagination, sign up!

All the things! (in order of preference if you don’t want to include them all)

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Become digital pen pals with Georgia

Tour-Wide Giveaway

$20 Amazon Gift Card (INT)

Signed copy of Parched (US only)

Ends January 25th

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Follow the January Tour!

6 - Hope To Read & Book N Blog

7 - Kelly P's Blog & Coffee Books & Art

8 - Book-Marks the Spot, The Written Adventure & Mel's Shelves

9 - I Am A Reader & Katy's Krazy Books

11 - Welcome to Book City

12 - My Life Loves and Passion & Literally Jen

13 - Bookish Events

14 - Typical Distractions

15 - Lilac Reviews & Wishful Endings

16 - The Review Notes & Deal Sharing Aunt

Book Release Blast ~ Blood and Shattered Glass by Tyffani Clark Kemp

Blood and Shattered Glass

Book # 1

By- Tyffani Clark Kemp

Genre- Adult Psychological Romantic Thriller

Publication Date- January 5th, 2015

Four months ago, a traumatic accident put Trista in the psych ward. They were supposed to help her deal with the events that transpired, but something happened to her in there. Something changed her and Jeremi Lloyd can’t figure out what it is. As her guardian, it’s Jeremi’s job to make sure Trista is taken care of. During the day, Trista is happy and content with the best fiancé in the world, but at night, horrible nightmares plague her sleep.

But Jeremi has a huge secret, one the doctors say Trista isn’t ready to handle. It’s a secret that could shatter what little bit of happiness and stability Trista has been able to find.

When Jeremi learns that strange things are happening at the psych ward where Trista was being helped, he starts to wonder if her nightmares and her mental instability aren’t really her fault. And he wonders if the secrets he’s keeping are worth it.

As the answers begin to surface in ways neither Trista or Jeremi could have imagined, so does a level of danger that could be the end of them and their friends. Can they figure out the truth before they’re both committed?

About the Author-

Tyffani Clark Kemp might be the quietest person in the room, but that just means she’s probably the biggest freak too. She is a multi-genre author with a gift for the written word and a desire to help all Indies reach their full potential. In 2012, she and her best friend Kimberly Fudge started SideStreet Cookie Publishing for authors who want to remain independent, but don’t have the time or the knowledge to do it all themselves. From the age of eleven she dedicated her life to writing and making sure she was good at her craft. Now, she passes that knowledge on to others. Her friends would describe her as determined and giving. She may be quite, but she always has a story to tell.

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Giveaway & Excerpt At the Edge by Angie Skelhorn

Title: At the Edge

Author: Angie Skelhorn

Series: Stand Alone

Genre: New Adult/Paranormal

Publisher: Eternal Press

Release Date: Oct 1 2014

Edition/Formats Available In: eBook & Print

Blurb/Synopsis

There is support from the unseen to guide our lives on Earth.

Carm, a wholesome farm girl, marries her first love and then abandons everything she knows. After six weeks of marriage, a devastating storm kills her husband, widowing her. In a strange city, torn by her loss—young, scared, and with no resources she lives a life she wasn't ready for. Her emotions fall extremely low. To make it comfortable to live in her own skin, she self-medicates with drugs and alcohol. She is pushed to the edge as her relationships become tremulous.

Haunted by her deceased husband and introduced to a witch, Gretchen, she sees past the darkness. Carm discovers, with the aid of witchcraft, how to accept the past, celebrate the present, and anticipate the future.

Excerpt

“Where are you headed?”

Carm answered without looking at her, “Home.”

“I’m going to the Witches Fair. There will be so many one-of-a kind pagan-made items for all spellcraft and ritual needs. Would you come with me? It is a short walk away.”

With a strong sniff, Carm cleared her nostrils. “I plan to take tonight to relax and chill,” she said stubbornly.

“The Witches Fair may seem trivial now, but the information given to you may be important.”

“I don’t want to be with people tonight.”

“Please, Carm. Come. I would like to share the experience with you. There will be astrologers, angel readings, tarot readers, numerologists, palm readers, past lives, free lectures, and so much more.”

“I don’t want to revisit my past. That part of my life is gone. All I have is here and now.”

“You planned to share your life with your husband. Then one day, the relationship ended. Losing a loved one is devastating. You need support with your overwhelming loss. You need hope. Maybe a psychic advisor can help you to come to terms with your loss and receive information for a brighter tomorrow.”

“I’ve learned to live without my husband,” she murmured, annoyed.

“A reading may help you focus on a goal that you are not aware of,” she persisted.

“Fine,” Carm agreed.

Gretchen looked delighted. “Shall we go?”

Carm gave her a slight nod.

Gretchen clutched at her collar, walking in the cool breeze. Carm followed and nervously chain-smoked.

“We are here,” Gretchen announced, walking to the huge, glass doors.

In the lobby, Carm’s shoes sank into a lavish, red carpet. She caught a glimpse of her pale face reflected in the mirrored pillars as she walked to the elevators. She looked like hell. The two entered the fourth floor foyer. The floor-to-ceiling windows offered a panoramic view of the dingy city. They walked through an open doorway. The room was illuminated by lights set in the walls. She saw, opposite the doorway, that booths lined the vast room. Some merchants wore the most outlandish colored hair and clothes, all displayed their pentacles with pride and burned smudge sticks. Some offered tarot readings, others beautiful handmade crafts. Artistically-minded people mixed and mingled. A buzz of conversation could be heard from the crowd.

Gretchen’s voice was vibrant with emotion. “Wonderful. Orientation is just beginning. Come, join me.”

Places to find At the Edge

EBook Editions

Amazon Kindle US

Amazon Kindle CA

Amazon Kindle UK

Print Editions

Amazon Print US

Amazon Print CA

Amazon Print UK

Barnes and Noble

Book Trailer

My name is Angie Skelhorn and I live in Canada. My interest include tarot, and other forms of divination, astrology, spirituality, mythology and harness racing. I gear my writing toward Witchcraft and Spiritualism. I've been published in Circle Sanctuary Magazine and online at Witchvox, WitchesandPagans.com and GlobalGoddess.org.

I authored No Reins and Till Death and Beyond - Publisher, Club Lighthouse Publishing. My newest release is Severed Ties - Publisher, Damnation Books- book launch December 1, 2012.

Places to find Angie

Blog

Book Goodies

Cold Coffee Press

Facebook Author Page

Goodreads

Readers Favorites

Witchskel Wordpress

Website

You Tube

Giveaway

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Monday, January 5, 2015

Book Tour ~ Interview with Big Mojo by Jack Getze

Big Mojo
(Austin Carr Mystery)
(Volume 3)

Paperback: 176 pages

Publisher: Down & Out Books (September 17, 2014)

ISBN-13: 978-1937495763

Goodreads

Synopsis

Wall Street’s miasmal garbage washes up on the Jersey Shore when a small time broker falls in love: Is he attracted to the beautiful lady — or her brother’s inside information? Held spellbound by a steamy, auburn-haired woman with a questionable past and a get-rich-quick, insider trading scheme, Austin Carr knocks down a beehive of bad-acting Bonacellis, including the ill-tempered Mr. Vic Bonacelli, who wants his redhead back, and local mob lieutenant Mama Bones Bonacelli, architect of a strange and excruciating death trap for the fast-talking stockbroker she calls smarty pants. To survive, Austin must unravel threads of jealousy, revenge and new affections, discovering the fate of a pseudo ruby called the Big Mojo, and close the lid on a pending United States of America vs. Austin Carr insider trading case. Can Austin and his Jersey Shore mouthpiece possibly out maneuver the savvy U.S. District Attorney from Manhattan? Does anything matter for Austin again if Mama Bones flips that switch?

About This Author

Former Los Angeles Times reporter Jack Getze is Fiction Editor for Anthony nominated Spinetingler Magazine, one of the internet’s oldest websites for noir, crime, and horror short stories. Through the Los Angeles Times/Washington Post News Syndicate, his news and feature stories were published in over five-hundred newspapers and periodicals worldwide. His two screwball mysteries, BIG NUMBERS and BIG MONEY, are being reissued by DOWN & OUT BOOKS, with the new BIG MOJO to follow. His short stories have appeared in A Twist of Noir and Beat to a Pulp. Getze is an Active Member of Mystery Writers of America’s New York Chapter.

Author Links

Blog Goodreads

Interview

How long have you been writing?

JG -- I wrote my first short stories for the high school literary magazine when I was 15, earned my first byline in the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner at 19. That was half a century ago.

What makes you like to write?

JG -- I enjoy laughing and making other people laugh, so I've always enjoyed telling stories that cracked people up. Turns out I'm my own best audience. If the scene, characters and dialogue make me chuckle or laugh, chances are good my fans will also enjoy the work. I should also add that writing about my life and the people I meet never felt like a choice: From the first day I went to work at the high school newspaper, I knew I was a born observer and commentator. It's my nature to look for things and watch others. I gave up my newspaper career sixteen years later because I found actual facts too confining. Ha.

Who is your favorite author and why?

JG -- This one is easy: Elmore Leonard. His dialogue is so much fun to read, the characters are so interesting and he always delivers a big finish. He hasn't gotten the acclaim he should, I believe because his stories are "small," or about average people, but I've read everything he's ever written -- maybe thirty novels? -- and while I enjoyed some more than others, not one was a bad story or poorly written. Elmore Leonard is a master of the fiction craft. There is no author intrusion, no place where you wonder who's talking, no "literary" (fancy) description. "If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it," Elmore always said. I'm sad he died and there will be no more of his tales.

What are your favorite things to do besides writing?

JG -- I read 10 to 12 novels a year, play fantasy baseball and watch a few dramas on TV. Justified, Ray Donovan and Homeland come immediately to mind. I also enjoy gardening, nature walks and rooting for my sports-minded granddaughters. I try to limit my time on Facebook, but I'm good for at least an hour a day of wisecracks. Be prepared if you friend me.

https://www.facebook.com/jack.Getze

What is your favorite scene to write?

JG -- The climax. My stories always boil down to a confrontation between Austin Carr and his antagonist in unusual and dangerous situations. In Big Numbers and Big Money, the first two books in the series, I even opened the novel with part of the climax -- that is, with Austin about to be killed by a giant tuna, and then by an unnamed woman with a shotgun. These prologues meant most of the novels were flashbacks. How did Austin get in this predicament? Will he get out alive? In the new book, Big Mojo, I dumped the prologue: I don 't give the reader a peek at that big scene up front. I've saved everything for the finish. Diabolical, huh?

Who designed the book cover?

JG -- J. T. Lindroos is a professional artist who designs most of the covers for Down and Out Books. He's best known as co-founder and senior editor at Point Blank, where he published the first novels of Allan Guthrie and Duane Swierczynski.

Who is your favorite character in your book and why?

JG -- Angelina "Mama Bones" Bonacelli is my favorite now. She strolled into book two, Big Money, because of a story I heard, something that happened to one of my wife's aunts, and a minor joke about cheating at the church bingo game turned into a driving force in Austin Carr's life and the series. In book four, the one I'm currently finishing up, Mama Bones changes Austin's life forever, and he changes hers, too. They must both step up their game in Big Shoes.

When did you start writing?

Before those short stories at 15, I stole jokes from TV or joke books and wrote them down in my own funny magazine. I was a fan of Mad Magazine and tried my own version at 9. I hand printed a few copies and tried to sell them to my friends for five cents. I think my Mom bought one.

How many books did you write before you were published?

Ten, although four were Big Numbers retold with different protagonists. Back in the mid-1980s, my first version of Austin Carr was deemed unlikeable by just about everyone, so I tried various protagonists in the same story many times over the years until I finally hit with a small press in 2006. (Big Numbers has a great twist I love.) One Austin Carr substitute was a woman named Roberta something. I called her Bobbi and she slept with a baseball bat under her bed. A New York editor told me Bobbi -- and maybe me -- was a misanthrope. Ha. I could have whacked that guy with a bat, I'll tell you. The big thing about rejection, it only takes one yes to make all the NOs go away. Listen to your critics and consider what they've said. That's how an artist gets better at communicating to the reader or viewer or listener. But never give up. If they come from the heart, your stories are worth telling.

Any other books in the works? Goals for future projects?

I will keep writing Austin Carr stories until I die, but I also have a completed thriller called BLACK KACHINA placed with an agent. All different characters and not written for laughs like Austin's books. The agent's had no luck yet selling it, though, so I might need to bring that one back to the drawing board soon. Funny story: I wanted to call the thriller COLONEL MAGGIE AND THE BLACK KACHINA, just because of the story's fantastic nature, but the agent said no, it's too young a title. So when one New York editor rejected it because Black Kachina was "far-fetched" and the characters "cartoonish," I had to laugh. If you consider the title I prefer for even ten seconds, you'll guess far-fetched and cartoonish is pretty much what I was shooting for. It's a compelling tale, one with an ancient lake, Indian spirits and my own California family history involved. I bet it'll see the light of day one of these days.

Friday, January 2, 2015

M9B Friday Reveal Blitz: 2014 M9B Books you may have Missed with Giveaway

Hello everyone! Welcome to Month9Books 2014 Books you may have Missed Blitz!

Check out all M9B 2014 titles below and enter for a chance to win 1 of 3 prize packs of eBooks! International

Click on the cover for book information.

Tantrum Titles

(3) winners will receive eBook prize packs of 5 Month9Books of your choice! International

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Thursday, January 1, 2015

Blog Tour {Giveaway} Low Midnight by Carrie Vaughn

Title: Low Midnight

Author: Carrie Vaughn

Series: Kitty Norville Series (#13)

Genre: Paranormal/Urban Fantasy

Publisher: Tor – Forge (Imprint of Macmillan)

Release Date: Dec 30 2014

Edition/Formats It Will Be Available In: eBook & Print (Mass Market)

Blurb/Synopsis

Cormac, the Kitty Norville series' most popular supporting character, stars in his first solo adventure.

Carrie Vaughn's Low Midnight spins out of the series on the wave of popularity surrounding Kitty’s most popular supporting character, Cormac Bennett, a two-minded assassin of the paranormal who specializes in killing lycanthropes. In his first solo adventure, Cormac, struggling with a foreign consciousness trapped inside him, investigates a century-old crime in a Colorado mining town which could be the key to translating a mysterious coded diary…a tome with secrets that could shatter Kitty’s world and all who inhabit it. With a framing sequence that features Kitty Norville herself, Low Midnight not only pushes the Kitty saga forward, but also illuminates Cormac’s past and lays the groundwork for Kitty's future.

Book Links

Amazon Kindle

Amazon Print

Amazon Audio/CD

Barnes and Noble Nook

Barnes and Noble Print

Barnes and Noble Audio/CD

Tattered Cover Book Store

Tor Books

Goodreads

Author Information

In addition to being the New York Times bestselling author of the Kitty Norville books, CARRIE VAUGHN is also the author of the standalone novels After the Golden Age, Dreams of the Golden Age, and Discord’s Apple, and the young adult books Voice of Dragons and Steel. Visit her online at http://www.carrievaughn.com/

Author Links

Amazon Author Page

Blog

Facebook Page ~ Kitty Norville

Goodreads

Website Carrie Vaughn’s Virtual Playground

Author’s Other Works

Kitty Norville Series

Kitty and the Midnight Hour #1

Kitty Goes to Washington #2

Kitty Takes a Holiday #3

Kitty and the Silver Bullet #4