Thursday, May 31, 2012

My Favorite Reads Hop


My Favorite Reads Giveaway Hop
 Hey all, we've joined another amazing hop hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer & Rachelle's Writing Spot


I have sooo many favorite reads, I've chosen a few of my favorite series for this giveaway. Here's the list...








I have many, many more. Nora Roberts is one of my favorite authors and she has so many amazing books out now. For our giveaway it's winner's choice you can choose any book from any of the series above or any book from that author. The Book Depository MUST ship to your Country for FREE!! If you are unsure check HERE!!

* MUST be a follower of our blog!
* Must be 13+
* The Book Depository MUST ship to you for FREE!!
* One entry per person/per household
* Fill in the rafflecopter form below


Don't forget to check out all the other awesome blogs and their giveaways...




Monday, May 28, 2012

WINNERS!!

I apologies for posting our winners so late but here they all are...

Rise Of The Fallen winner is..


                                               bn100


Kiss Of The Goblin Prince winners are...


                Joanne & Jennifer L. Bielman


Crossroads winners are...


              
e-book - Astrid Gomez Escabar  Necklace - Lori Thomas


The Immortal Rules winners are...


             ChristyM24 & Rose Pryimak 




CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OUR WINNERS!!!

Winners have been emailed and have 48hrs to respond or new winners will be chosen.

Thank you all for your patience with announcing and also for entering and supporting our blog. We always have at least one giveaway happening so just click the giveaway link at the top of the page to find out what we have going on.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Splash Into Summer Hop (INT)




Brrrr it's so cold here in Sydney, Australia. We're just about to hit Winter over here and what better way to help us warm up than being apart of the Splash Into Summer Hop and having a giveaway!

Thanks to I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and Page Turners Blog for hosting this awesome hop. We're 112 on the list and there are over 200 amazing blogs participating with their own giveaways.

What are we giving away you ask..well, we're giving away winners choice of ANY book of upto $15 value from The Book Depository. Have a book you've been dying for but haven't gotten yet? well, now is your chance to get it. All you have to do is fill in the rafflecopter form below, it's that easy!

The Book Depository


Rules:

*MUST be a follower of our blog.
*The Book Depository MUST be able to ship to your Country for FREE, so please check HERE  BEFORE entering.
*Must be 13yrs & older


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Make sure to check out all the other blogs and their giveaways below...

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Crossroads Blog Tour / Giveaway



Hey! We're the next stop on the tour and have a special excerpt to share with you all from Crossroads but first here's a little info on each book...

Crossroads has a gorgeous NEW cover!

Goodreads Description: Claudia Emerson has a good friend who shares the same first name and last name. That friend unfortunately dies in a tragic accident during homecoming dance. Claudia is distraught at the loss of her friend, but is even more disturbed by her dreams, which seem to take her to another place called Crossroads. Unknown to her, Crossroads is like a second heaven, a place between heaven and earth. It is where the souls of humans in comas or near death experiences may wander. Where, Claudia meets Michael, a nephilim, a half angel, half human, whom she often meets in her dreams. It turns out that this isn’t her first visit to Crossroads, which is an enigma for no human can ever travel there until Claudia.

Now the fallen and demons are after her, suspecting she must be special and it is up to Michael and the other nephilims to protect her. Her dream becomes a nightmare as more secrets are revealed, about who she really is, and the true identities of the people she loves most. Can Michael fight his growing feelings for Claudia and protect her as a guardian angel should?


*******

Between Book 2


Goodreads Description: As the alkins head back to Crossroads, Claudia leads her normal life; but not for long. Having a special soul, Claudia attracts danger, and she soon finds out who Gamma asked to watch over her. The Twelve, known as Divine Elders on Earth, are very much involved when they find out that Aliah, one of the God’s first angels, escaped from the Abyss when the gates were opened by Aden. Needing Claudia’s soul to escape the only place Aliah can reside–a place between Heaven and Earth–he sends his demons in search of all Claudia Emersons on Earth. Taking her soul will enable him to be released from Between and cross over to Crossroads, which would give him immense power. As more secrets are revealed Claudia learns about the venators—nephilim, demon hunters. Now two opposing forces must work together in order to save Claudia and humanity from the most dangerous angel ever created. But along the way, trust becomes a big issue. Will love be enough to keep Claudia and Michael together? Who will make the ultimate sacrifice? Who will betray them all?

May I just say I absolutely LOVE these covers!! :-)
*******


Here's an excerpt from Crossroads, enjoy!





Wow! Just love it!!! :-)


Here's where you can find Author Mary Ting




Twitter @maryting



Goodread: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11283685-crossroads

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=crossroads+by+mary+ting

Barnes: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/crossroads-by-mary-ting?store=ALLPRODUCTS&keyword=crossroads+by+mary+ting


Crossroads book trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEIfaQdh_nk

Between book trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01dbTNLcYzA&feature=youtu.be

On with our giveaway..


What's up for grabs you ask. Well, this gorgeous heart necklace (pictured below) and also winners choice of either Crossroads or Between in ebook format.

How awesome's that?!?!




I've been keeping all our giveaways easy, so all you have to do is leave us a comment with your email addy so we can contact you. Giveaway ends 26th May.

Thanks for stopping by and good luck to everyone!

Don't forget to check out all the other stops on this tour...

Here's the Crossroads tour schedule in case you missed anything...
May 7th Insane About Books www.Insaneaboutbooks.blogspot.com


May 8th Me and Reading www.ingasilbergbooks.com


May 9th I Love Teen Books www.iloveteenbooks.blogspot.com


May 10th Some Like it Paranormal http://somelikeitparanormall.blogspot.com/


May 11th Books Complete Me http://www.bookscompleteme.com/


May 12th Jean Book Nerd http://jeanbooknerd.blogspot.com/


May 13th Amethyst Daydreams http://amethystdaydreams.blogspot.com/


May 14th Totally Bookalicious http://totallybookalicious.blogspot.com/


May 15th I am Wolf http://joannhamann.blogspot.com/


May 16th In Between http://inbetweenwritingandreading.blogspot.mx/


May 17th Stuck in Books http://www.stuckinbooks.com/


May 18th Putting Pen to Page http://www.puttingpentopage.com/


May 19th Sassy Book Lovers http://sassybooklovers.blogspot.com/


May 20th Delphina Reads Too Much http://delphinareadstoomuch.blogspot.com/


May 21 Insane About Books www.insaneaboutbooks.blogspot.com
I Love Teen Books www.iloveteenbooks.blogspot.com

Friday, May 18, 2012

Author Interview w/ Shona Husk + Giveaway





Today we have Author Shona Husk on our blog. Her new book Kiss Of The Gobin Prince book 2 in the Shadowland series (book 1 being The Goblin King) was released on May 1st and here's a little more info on her amazing book...


                             Description:

Freed from the curse that made him goblin Dai must find his place in the human realm. After spending centuries bound to the Shadowlands, Dai isn’t going to relinquish his ancient and magical power—control of his life. He doesn’t trust himself to be kind when all he has known is violence.

Since her husband’s death Amanda has raised their daughter alone, but it hasn’t been easy. Dai is the last man Amanda should get involved with, but she’s drawn to him and the soul-deep pain he tries so desperately to hide. When Amanda’s daughter ends up in the hospital, Dai’s supernatural abilities are the only thing that can stop the illness from claiming her life. But can Amanda place the life of her daughter in a magic she doesn’t believe in, and her heart in the hands of a man who shouldn’t exist?



I had the pleasure of interviewing Author Shona Husk, so sit back, relax and enjoy... :-)


What or who inspired you to become a writer?

SH: I wrote as a child but gave it up to study and do the sensible thing, it was when I was on maternity leave with time to spare that I started writing again. At first just for myself, then I was having so much fun I joined RWA and found a crit group, from there it was a few more years to publication. I always read fantasy novels when I was growing up so it seemed natural to construct alternate worlds, including a romance and having a HEA at the end was an added bonus
.

What was the hardest part about writing your book?

SH: Getting the right balance of romance. Dai and Amanda have quiet traumatic pasts so I had to make sure they were healing and moving forward without rushing or going too slow.

What was the most surprising thing you learned while writing your book?

SH: I always learn things while writing a story, sometimes it’s in the research, sometimes it’s about the characters themselves. For instance, I learned that Dai was much more damaged than I’d first thought, but that he didn’t consider himself a victim, and that despite all his study of magic he knew that he didn’t remember everything. When I thought about it I realized that it would be impossible to remember over 1000 years of study. Imagine trying to retain the memories of a life that stretched over nearly two millennia. It’s hard enough to remember things from two decades ago.

Do you ever experience writers block?

SH: No. Some scenes are harder to get right than others, but I try not to get stuck on something that isn’t working. I just write myself a big note and often once I’ve moved on the answer becomes clear.

What is the last book you read?

SH: I’ve just finished ‘Fitzwilliam Darcy, Rock star’. It’s a Pride and Prejudice retelling but centered around two fictional bands. I always struggled with Jane Austen at school, but her work remains popular and I think most romance writers love her, so I thought reading about rock stars (which I love) would make the story accessible to me. It worked. I really enjoyed the book, but it didn’t inspire me to go back and tackle Austen.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

SH: I like to read, watch TV and cook—especially if it involves chocolate. I also cross-stitch (Heaven and Earth designs has beautiful complex patterns). I play golf very badly; it’s about the walk not the score, right?

Is anything in your book based on real life experiences or purely all imagination?

SH: I think a writer’s life experiences color their work, so there are things that have influenced my writing, but by the time I twist things into a story and blend with some paranormal it’s taken on a life of its own. With many stories it’s really hard to pinpoint the exact inspiration. Dai’s character developed as I wrote book one in the series (The Goblin King), as did Amanda’s. But as a mother I can understand her desire to do anything to save her child.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?




SH: Dr Who’s assistant…then when I realized that wasn’t a real job a vet, then a doctor, then…pretty much anything that sounded interesting. I ended up studying Civil Engineering and came back to writing by chance.

If Hollywood made a movie about your life, whom would you like to see play the lead role as you?

SH: Kate Winslet, not that I can imagine anyone would want to watch my life on screen (it’s really not that exciting—except for the part where I eloped with my high school sweetheart ;) )

What project are you working on now?

SH: I’m doing the edits on ‘Enchanting Absinthe’, the last of my sexy Vampire rock stars for Ellora’s Cave and I’m working on a new paranormal romance trilogy. For my own amusement I’m dabbling with a sci-fi romance, it may not go anywhere but it is a lot of fun to work on.

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

SH: Read lots, in lots of genres and don’t be afraid to experiment in your own writing.

Is there anything you’d like to say to your readers and fans?

SH: Thank you, without readers I would have no one to share my worlds and characters with. Because while writing is fun, getting emails from readers makes it worthwhile.


Light or Dark chocolate?

SH: Dark chocolate.

Tea or Coffee?

SH: Neither. Hot chocolate.

Dogs or Cats?

SH: Cats.
Favourite colour?

SH: Turquoise or red, depending on the day.
George Clooney, Brad Pitt or Aussie hunk Hugh Jackman?

SH: Hugh Jackman.

Favourite Disney movie?

SH: Beauty And The Beast



Thank you so much to Shona for answering my questions and being on our blog today, it's been a pleasure.

About The Author: A civil designer by day and an author by night, Shona Husk lives in Western Australia at the edge of the Indian Ocean. Drawing on history, myth and imagination, she writes about heroes who are armed and dangerous but have a heart of gold—sometimes literally. You can find out more information about Shona and her edgy romances at http://www.shonahusk.com/ or follow her on Twitter, @ShonaHusk.



On with our giveaway.. we have TWO copies of Kiss Of The Goblin Prince. YES! you heard right, TWO copies for TWO lucky winners. To be in the running just leave us a wonderful comment and don't forget your email addy so we can contact you, sorry but this giveaway is for US & CANADA ONLY!!

Winners will be chosen on the 25th May 2012.

Can't wait? Here's where you can buy a copy..

The Book Depository
Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
      

Barnes & Noble



Good Luck to everyone!









Thursday, May 17, 2012

Rise Of The Fallen Blog Tour: Guest Post / Giveaway




Blurb from Rise of the Fallen:

In the streets of Chicago exists an uneasy, centuries-old truce between vampires and their distant cousins, a race of shifters called drecks. Vampire enforcement agency, All the King’s Men (AKM), is charged with maintaining the truce, but when volatile enforcer Micah Black loses his mate and falls into the biological agony that results from the broken bond, he tests the boundaries of the truce by seeking out Apostle, a leader in the dreck community. Micah wants Apostle to kill him, a request Apostle is more than happy to fulfill.

When ex-Army medic Samantha Garrett inadvertently disrupts the plot and saves Micah’s life, a chain reaction sets Micah’s heart on a collision course with Sam’s, but he will have to protect her from Apostle and her obsessive ex-husband, Steve, if they will have a chance at forever. Can Micah hold his emotions together to keep Sam alive?


What led up to the creation of Rise of the Fallen, the characters, and All the King's Men:

I am reminded of the quote in Under the Tuscan Sun, when Frances says, “Any arbitrary turning along the way and I would be elsewhere; I would be different.”

My life feels like a series of turning points that kept leading me back to writing, the most recent of which was when I lost my job at the end of July, 2010, and couldn't for the life of me find a new one. In fact, in the six months after losing my job, it seemed my life fell apart every time I had an opportunity to work. I became deathly ill with flu three days after starting a temp assignment, my mom became gravely ill and passed away after I started another, I was in my first-ever car wreck (nearly totaled my car) a few weeks into another assignment. Life seemed to be telling me, "You aren't supposed to work, anymore."

I replied, "Okay, so what do I do? We have bills to pay."

It took me a while and a lot of crying sessions curled in the fetal position on my bed, but this past January, I finally figured out what Fate had been trying to tell me. On a Friday, I received a phone call for a "group interview" to be conducted the following Tuesday. Uh-huh. I'd been to some of those. I knew how it would end. Still, the desperate side of me urged me to go. But my heart and gut rejected the idea so strongly, I began crying uncontrollably at the thought, and I felt physically ill.

Monday morning, I was at Whole Foods. The interview was for the following day, and I had tears in my eyes at the idea of going. So, there I was, with my groceries in hand, crying, and walking toward the exit. As I reached the doors, I said right out loud, "Okay, God, I need a sign. Am I supposed to go to that interview, or am I supposed to stay home and write? I need a sign, God, and it needs to be a big one. One that I couldn't miss even if I was blind."

I had been studying to be a published author for years, working with instructors who were published who helped me hone my skills. I had read countless books and written countless assignments for my classes. Writing books was what I wanted to do, and I wanted to do it right. The original plan had been to pay off all the debt, "retire," and write books. Well, here I was without a job. Maybe now was the time to make a run at the dream. I had already started writing Rise of the Fallen and posting chapters on a Facebook fan page, and the feedback was outstanding, so I wondered, could I turn ROTF into my first published piece?

So, I went home from Whole Foods and within the hour, I received my first sign: Silver Publishing emailed me to let me know they had accepted a novella I submitted back in November. Of all days, I got the notification that day, when I needed a sign. But it didn't stop there: A while later, someone contacted me and wanted to host and promote me and my writing on their website. The signs began flying in, one after another. By the end of the day, I had received six major signs and countless smaller ones that writing was what Fate intended for me to do. The realization was so overwhelming, there was no doubt I had received divine intervention (and what makes this story so unique is that I'm not a religious person. Spiritual, yes. Religious, no). Decision made. I wasn't going to the interview. I was going to be an author.

The very next day, the 12-hour (sometimes much longer) work days began. This was my job now, and I haven't stopped since. I finished Rise of the Fallen, which I had been working on for a year, in a week. Then I started on Heart of the Warrior, as well as the development of the rest of the stories in the All the King's Men series.

Of all my characters, I'm closest to Micah. He and I shared a lot of pain together during 2011. Writing him was cathartic during a very dark time in my life, being that I started working on his story when I was undergoing terrible depression and pain – a period I refer to as my Phoenix Phase. I was burning into ashes so I could rise up again, reborn, to start a new life, which I have now. I believe we all have to be raked through the coals in life to truly find who we're meant to be, and the year-and-a-half after losing my job was definitely a coal-raking time.

As I began writing Micah's story, though, which was originally supposed to be a one-and-done, it became clear there were a lot of other characters around him who wanted their stories told, too.
These other characters began speaking to me, wanting me to tell their stories and solve their problems the way I was helping Micah solve his.

I sat back and looked at all these characters, realizing I had a series on my hands. A really juicy series, with a bunch of unique, damaged, tragic vampires who needed my help if they were going to be set free from their pain.

And that's how All the King's Men was born. I have another series planned, as well as numerous stand-alone projects, but I want AKM to be my breakout series. I want to write books for the rest of my life, improving my skills with each story I tell. I would love to start and share this journey with you.

I hope you've enjoyed hearing about Rise of the Fallen and how the story and series were born. Come say hello on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/AuthorDonyaLynne ) or Twitter (https://twitter.com/#!/DonyaLynne ).

For a closer look or to buy Rise of the Fallen:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Rise-Fallen-All-Kings-ebook/dp/B007OALZAI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1336999963&sr=8-2

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rise-of-the-fallen-donya-lynne/1109719170

All Romance ebooks: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-riseofthefallen-769765-139.html

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/144817

Book two of the series, Heart of the Warrior, comes out on May 25.





Happy reading!


Thank you so much to Donya Lynne for being on our blog today.

We have an e-copy of Rise Of The Fallen up for grabs, leave a comment with your email addy and we'll anounce a lucky winner on the 22th May. :)

Good Luck to everyone!

(Review to come soon)
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