Books are more than a words

Showing posts with label GUEST POST. Show all posts
Showing posts with label GUEST POST. Show all posts

Feb 2, 2016

STARFLIGHT Launch Blitz & Giveaway



Hey there, booklovers!

I’m author Melissa Landers, and I’m thrilled to announce the release of STARFLIGHT, the first in a brand new sci-fi series from Disney-Hyperion. I originally pitched this story to my editor as “Overboard” (one of my favorite romantic comedies) meets “Firefly” (an amazing show that was tragically cancelled after one season). STARFLIGHT follows the misadventures of Solara Brooks, a penniless felon who indentures herself to her high school nemesis, Doran Spaulding, in exchange for passage to a new world. But when Doran’s memory is temporarily erased, Solara convinces him their roles are reversed—that she’s the master and he’s the servant—and leads him onto a renegade spaceship, where intergalactic shenanigans ensue. STARFLIGHT is very different in tone from the Alienated trilogy, but the story is still filled with all the things I love: humor, heart, and adventure.


The Book
 
 Synopsis.
Life in the outer realm is a lawless, dirty, hard existence, and Solara Brooks is hungry for it. Just out of the orphanage, she needs a fresh start in a place where nobody cares about the engine grease beneath her fingernails or the felony tattoos across her knuckles. She's so desperate to reach the realm that she's willing to indenture herself to Doran Spaulding, the rich and popular quarterback who made her life miserable all through high school, in exchange for passage aboard the spaceliner Zenith.
When a twist of fate lands them instead on the Banshee, a vessel of dubious repute, Doran learns he's been framed on Earth for conspiracy. As he pursues a set of mysterious coordinates rumored to hold the key to clearing his name, he and Solara must get past their enmity to work together and evade those out for their arrest. Life on the Banshee may be tumultuous, but as Solara and Doran are forced to question everything they once believed about their world—and each other—the ship becomes home, and the eccentric crew family. But what Solara and Doran discover on the mysterious Planet X has the power to not only alter their lives, but the existence of everyone in the universe...


What do reviewers have to say?

“Get ready for blast-off! Action-packed and utterly addictive, nobody writes like Melissa Landers. A smart, satisfying romance set in a vividly detailed world, Starflight was just plain fun!” –New York Times bestselling author Amie Kaufman

“Teens will be bracing themselves during the swashbuckling action scenes. A great choice for fans of raw sci-fi action, reminiscent of the lawlessness presented in the television series Firefly.” –School Library Journal

“A lively tale of romance, space pirates, conspiracy, and made (as opposed to genetic) families.” –Booklist


If you like your sci-fi adventure served with a side of romance, I hope you’ll pick up a copy of STARFLIGHT today. It’s now available in stores and online.

Book Depository (free international shipping).


The Giveaway.


To celebrate my book birthday, I’m offering one lucky winner a STARFLIGHT swag pack, complete with custom nail wraps, bookmarks, and a mini poster! The giveaway is open internationally. Due to sweepstakes laws, entrants must be 18 years or older to participate.

Best of luck, and happy reading!




About The Author: 

 

Melissa Landers is a former teacher who left the classroom to pursue other worlds. A proud sci-fi geek, she isn’t afraid to wear her Princess Leia costume in public—just ask her husband and three kids. She lives outside Cincinnati in the small town of Loveland, “Sweetheart of Ohio.” For more information or just to say hello, visit www.melissa-landers.com.

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Mar 19, 2015

The Awakening & The Rockoning by Emma Jones *Guest Post*



Are you looking for a NA book featuring vampires? Then, The Awakening by Emma Jones is what you're looking for!
Emma is also doing a price promo, from March 26th to March 30th. The Awakening is FREE and The Reckoning is £0.99/$0.99
Don't miss this chance!


The Awakening by Emma Jones




Do you believe in vampires? Ghosts? The supernatural world?
Meet Lauren who instantly clicks with Gavin at a friend’s BBQ. Everything goes well until Lauren starts to experience strange things and hears a weird voice. It seems like a warning but from what? Lauren eventually makes the startling discovery that Gavin is a vampire and it has profound consequences for herself. The arrival of Daniel makes things even more confusing for Lauren as she is warned he is bad news from a ghostly source. Laurens life is turned upside down as things she thought were myths and legends become real and she struggles to cope with everything she has discovered.
Will Lauren and Gavin’s relationship survive and what about the mysterious Daniel?



The Reckoning (The sequel to The Awakening)



 
 
As Lauren wakes after her 21st party she's not sure if she's hungover or dreaming but then she remembers.
The necklace.
The flashback.
The bond.
Daniel.
The consequences are great & details unknown. After a visit to the vampire council things settle down until vivid worrying dreams start to disrupt Lauren's sleep & life.
The national news is filled with big cat killings but Lauren knows the truth & is being dragged into dark souls & black magic. Someone dangerous is getting into her head & her involvement with the council tests her relationships.
How will Lauren cope? Is there a happy ending? Will blood be shed?




Guest Post


I was inspired to write The Awakening (Book 1) and The Reckoning (Book 2) by my love of the vampire genre. I have always loved vampire films (long before Twilight was born) and below I have listed my favourites –
The Lost Boys 1987- This was my first proper vampire film and I’ve watched it loads of times. The character of Michael was my favourite and the actor Jason Patric became my first film crush. I can’t believe it was this long ago although the hair styles are 100% 80’s.
Interview with a Vampire 1994 – I love everything about this film and I’m sure most vampire fans will have watched it millions of times. I love the end scene and think the acting throughout is brilliant. The last quote “I assume I need no introduction. Oh Louis Louis still whining. Have you heard enough? I’ve had to listen to that for centuries.” is one of my favourites. Christian Slater was my crush from this film and although I’m not a huge Tom Cruise fan I think he played an amazing part & stood out for me.
Blade 1998 – Love this think it maybe my absolute favourite. Stephen Dorff is absolutely gorgeous and I still love him now & Wesley Snipes is amazing.
Blade 2 2002- This film has amazing acting from Luke Goss who is barely recognisable as Jared Nomak.
Blade 3 2004 – Brilliant end to the trilogy and more humorous than the previous two courtesy of Ryan Reynolds who has some brilliant one liners and obviously has an amazing chest!
Twilight 2008 – I can’t believe the first film came out so long ago. I was always team Jacob and loved the films although always found Bella’s character annoying. I watched all five of the films at the cinema the last being released in November 2012 and has the best fight scene ever! It was a brilliant end which I didn’t see coming. Loved it.
There are loads more Underworld, Day breakers, Fright Night, Dracula this list goes on and on. What are your favourites? Have you seen the ones I’ve listed above?




Author Bio


Hi I’m Emma. I have always loved reading & about 8 years ago began writing as a hobby whilst on maternity leave. My hobby became my passion & The Awakening was born.  I love the vampire genre so naturally my book is inspired by this theme.  Self publishing has been a massive learning curve and my blog gives more information if you are interested into the ups and downs I’ve encountered. Apart from writing & reading my other interests are my two children (obviously) wasting hours browsing First Choice & Trip Advisor (I think I have a slight obsession) and spending time with my friends and family with a glass of wine or two.
If you would like to contact Emma Jones check out the following links 



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Apr 26, 2014

Blog Tour & Giveaway: Expiration Day by William Campbell Powell



Hello there!
Welcome to my stop in the blog tour for Expiration Day by William Campbell Powell.
I'm so thrilled to be part of this tour because the cover and synopsis of this book sounds amazing!

Today I'll share with you 5 Random Things about William Campbell Powell, but there are more amazing things happening in the others stop. To know more about the tour make sure to visit the schedule at Book Nerd Tours.

Check it out!

THE BOOK.

 

Synopsis.
What happens when you turn eighteen and there are no more tomorrows?
It is the year 2049, and humanity is on the brink of extinction….

Tania Deeley has always been told that she’s a rarity: a human child in a world where most children are sophisticated androids manufactured by Oxted Corporation. When a decline in global fertility ensued, it was the creation of these near-perfect human copies called teknoids that helped to prevent the utter collapse of society.

Though she has always been aware of the existence of teknoids, it is not until her first day at The Lady Maud High School for Girls that Tania realizes that her best friend, Siân, may be one. Returning home from the summer holiday, she is shocked by how much Siân has changed. Is it possible that these changes were engineered by Oxted? And if Siân could be a teknoid, how many others in Tania’s life are not real?

Driven by the need to understand what sets teknoids apart from their human counterparts, Tania begins to seek answers. But time is running out. For everyone knows that on their eighteenth “birthdays,” teknoids must be returned to Oxted—never to be heard from again.
 Amazon/ B&N/ TBD


5 Random things about me, by William Campbell Powell.
  1. 1. my laptop once saved my life.
  2. 2. my first single was ‘Happy Jack’ by The Who, in 1966.  My first digital music download was in 2007 - Dire Straits ‘Down To The Waterline’
  3. 3. I would need 80 metres of shelving to hold all the books in my house.  As I don’t have 80 metres of shelving, far too many of my books live in boxes.
  4. 4. When I was at college, I built my first bass guitar from a design in Practical Electronics.
  5. 5. I once met Eric Clapton after a gig.  I told him he’d inspired me to play (bass) guitar, and I really liked his song “Blues Power”, except I got the title wrong.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR.

William Campbell Powell was born in 1958 in Sheffield, but grew up in and around Birmingham. He was educated at King Edward’s School, Birmingham, and gained a scholarship to Clare College, Cambridge to study Natural Sciences. Leaving Clare College in 1980 with a BA in Computer Science, he entered the computer industry, which is where he has been ever since.
William has been writing since 2002, experimenting with various genres, but he is most at home with Science Fiction, Historical Fiction and fiction for Young Adults.
Find him: Website/ Goodreads/ Facebook.



THE GIVEAWAY.

 
3 Winners will receive a Copy of Expiration Day +Tor Teen Bag by William Campbell Powell.
Must be 13+ to Enter
INT Giveaway
*Book Nerd Tours is not responsible for Lost or Damaged Books in your Mail Box*


 
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Aug 19, 2013

Witchling by Ari Harper *Blog Tour, Guest post & Giveaway!*


Hi everyone!
Welcome to my stop in the Witchling blog tour, hosted by Itching for books.
Today I have an awesome guest post to share with you!
Check it out!


The guest post.

How Witchling came to be
My first love when it comes to writing is Young Adult. I cannot lie, I love getting lost in the mystical magical side of things. Losing myself in imaginary worlds (they are really real, are they?) filled with witches, gods and monsters is such a great way to escape reality.
Nera came to me as just a small voice nagging at a corner of my brain. She stayed that way for months until realizing I wasn't listening, she got louder and demanded, yes demanded, to be heard.
Funny thing was, I didn't know how to write.
I can hear you now, how hard can it be? Just pick up a pen and get into it, right?
Well for me it wasn't that easy. I remembered back to my school days and the class I loved  most. English. When my teacher wrote a sentence on the blackboard and said, "Class, here is your assignment. Write a story starting with this."
Loved, loved, loved it. But I didn't think it was what I should be doing if I was going to be a serious writer. Come on now, shouldn't I plot and draw up plans that covered my lounge room with maps of everything I should do? Shouldn't I?
If I was a plotter that would be the way to go. But here's the kicker, I'm not and never will be. I can't sit and plan, I lose the story.
So I did nothing. Nera was furious and let me know with early morning forays into my sleep deprived brain. At Christmas I bemoaned to my daughter-in-law and son-in-law my plight. They are both literary people in their own way.
"Just write the thing," they both said in unison.
"But, I don't know how."
"Open your laptop and write what comes out."
So I did and discovered the most wonderful story coming from within.
Holy Goddess, I'm a pantser. Something I never knew existed.
That was the most rewarding Christmas conversation I have ever had and I thank them from the bottom of my heart for their wise words.
So, that is how Witchling came to be. Rather cool I think.



ABOUT THE BOOK.


 
Series: Curse of Kin #1
Released: November 29th 2012
Publisher: Lycaon/Breathless Press
Purchase: Amazon
Goodreads

Nera is a normal teenage girl living in Ireland-or so she thought. Her world is forever changed when she discovers that she is descended from a long line of witches. To her horror she finds she is the one that is supposed to stop the curse that has taken the life of every girl before her. As if that isn't enough, she must learn to use magic and her trainer is a man named Bones. He is the son of Mari, Queen of the Witches, and a god. It is Bones that has been entrusted to teach her the skills she needs to stay alive, which wouldn't be so bad if he didn't have an uncanny knack for pushing her buttons. Can Nera learn what she needs while staying immune to the charms of the man that gets under her skin at every opportunity?

 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR.

Ari Harper never wanted to grow up.
To offset the limitations of aging ungracefully, she created her own set of unique worlds where she can be and do whatever she wants.


Gods, witches and demons surround Ari while she spins her magic, doing mainly what they tell her to do. Given a chance, she prefers to work amongst chaos, which is good because she is constantly surrounded by children, all clamoring for attention. Some of them end up in her stories, some of them even get to die grisly deaths or be cast away to another realm.

Visit her at: www.ariharper.com



Hint: Who attacked Nera in the school grounds? 

 
THE GIVEAWAY!
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Jan 7, 2013

Blog Tour: Doomed by Tracy Deebs (Giveaway)


Hey y'all! Welcome to my stop in the Doomed blog tour. Thanks to Shane @ Itching for books, for the chance to be part of the blog tour for this amazing book..

For my stop, I have the honor of introduce you the incredible author Tracy Deebs!!



First off, thanks so much for hosting a stop on my blog tour!  I really appreciate it :)

7 Things You Might Not Know About Doomed… by Tracy Deebs

    1. It’s a Pandora’s Box story

Pandora has always been a favorite of mine in Greek mythology and I’ve always thought she kind of got a bad rap.  She was created by Zeus and programmed with insatiable curiosity for the express purpose of  punishing the Titan Prometheus for stealing fire from the gods.  He’s smart enough to refuse the gift that Zeus offers him, but his brother, Epimetheus isn’t.  He marries Pandora and leaves her in possession of a box that they all know she shouldn’t open.  But she’s been created for just this purpose, so of course she opens the box and then she gets blamed for  unleashing evil when really she was only doing what she was created to do.

So when I told my agent I wanted to write a Pandora book, she and I did some brainstorming and about an hour into the conversation, she asks me “What if Pandora opened an attachment instead of a box?”  The concept fascinated me from the moment she came up with it and I spent the next few weeks buried in ideas and trying to figure out how they fit.  Eventually, I managed to piece everything —the MMO, the scavenger hunt, the email from her father, the blog, the countdown to nuclear annihilation—together the way I wanted it.  But it all started with that  one comment from my agent. 

    1. Theo and Eli are Titans (straight out of Greek Mythology)

In the real Pandora myth, Prometheus (Theo in Doomed) and Epimetheus (Eli in Doomed) were charged with creating all the creatures on earth.  Epimetheus, the impetuous one, created things like the platypus and the sloth and the hippopotamus while Prometheus labored and labored over only one creature.  The gods gave them a certain number of gifts to give out to these creatures that they created and by the time that Prometheus was done with his creation—humanity—Eli had used all the gifts on the other animals.  So Prometheus stole fire from the gods as his gift for humanity and the gods’ answer was to create Pandora to punish him, as I mentioned above.  In Doomed, Theo steals symbolic fire from the gods in the form of the game matrix, Pandora opens a link instead of a box, and … there’s a lot more of the myth in the book but I don’t want to ruin all the twists and turns ;)

    1. The research for Doomed was the hardest and most extensive I’ve ever done.

I spent months talking to dozens of software, hardware, electrical, telecom, power and control systems engineers (including my husband and his friends, whom I hounded nearly to death with questions about how things work and what was possible and what wasn’t).  I also spent a lot of time researching the Stuxnet worm (the worm unleashed by the US  and Israeli governments on the Iranian nuclear program).  I talked to numerous experts on the worm to find out how it worked and what they believe the future of cyber warfare will be now that this worm exists. I researched nuclear power plants in America as well as what precisely caused the meltdown at Fukishima and what would happen if a leak like that happened at an American nuclear plant (and even if it was possible, considering the design was flawed at Fukishima).  Plus, I talked to numerous sociology and psychology professors about the dynamics of Armageddon type incidents, did a lot of research on how massive epidemics would shift societal mores and watched a bunch of documentaries of what happens when societies collapse in on themselves.  Oh, and I also talked to three law enforcement officers and played a bunch of MMOs J


    1. There’s a sort of love triangle in Doomed
The love triangle between Pandora, Epimetheus and Prometheus is one of the first love triangles ever written about and while I take liberties with it in Doomed, I didn’t feel comfortable writing it out—not when I wanted to stick as close to the myth as a modern techno story could.  But at the same time, I’ve definitely got a favorite, as do most of the readers, it seems.
    1. The monsters Pandora, Theo and Eli fight in the game are all children of Gaia (Mother Earth).  I chose to do this because of the environmental aspects of the book and I wanted the added layer of the earth fighting against its own destruction.

    1. The title, Doomed, is a shout-out to the first major MMO, Doom.

    1. A lot of people think this is a stand-alone book, but I’m actually hard at work on its sequel.  Its working title is Splintered, but I don’t think that title will last.

 

Beat the game. Save the world.

Pandora’s just your average teen, glued to her cell phone and laptop, surfing Facebook and e-mailing with her friends, until the day her long-lost father sends her a link to a mysterious site featuring twelve photos of her as a child. Unable to contain her curiosity, Pandora enters the site, where she is prompted to play her favorite virtual-reality game, Zero Day. This unleashes a global computer virus that plunges the whole world into panic: suddenly, there is no Internet. No cell phones. No utilities, traffic lights, hospitals, law enforcement. Pandora teams up with handsome stepbrothers Eli and Theo to enter the virtual world of Zero Day. Simultaneously, she continues to follow the photographs from her childhood in an attempt to beat the game and track down her father, her one key to saving the world as we know it. Part The Matrix, part retelling of the Pandora myth, Doomed has something for gaming fans, dystopian fans, and romance fans alike.


 

Tracy Deebs collects books, English degrees and lipsticks and has been known to forget where—and sometimes who—she is when immersed in a great novel. At six she wrote her first short story—something with a rainbow and a prince—and at seven she forayed into the wonderful world of girls lit with her first Judy Blume novel. From the first page of that first book, she knew she’d found her life-long love. Now a writing instructor at her local community college, Tracy writes YA novels that run the gamut from dark mermaids and witches to kissing clubs and techno-Armageddon stories… and she still has a soft spot for Judy Blume.
Find her: Website/ Twitter/ Goodreads


Now, for the giveaway, you have the chance to win 1 finished copy of Doomed. To 2 Winners. 
This giveaway is open to US entries only.
  

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Jun 15, 2012

Cover reveal & Guest post with author Ashley Robertson

Hallo amazing people!!!!!!!
This morning since I opened my eyes I thought today will be an amazing day! And there's no other way to start amazing days... but talking about book!

So, I have FOR YOU my dear reader the cover reveal of the awesome book UNGUARDED by awesome author Ashley Robertson.... but before the grenade... a little about the book.

About the book.
Guardian angel Selene was so close to becoming an archangel—the supreme of all beings—until she fell in love with Cole, a forbidden dark one. Once she discovers her vampire lover has been kidnapped and the only way to save him is by abandoning her number one priority—Caitlyn, her human charge—there really is only one answer in Selene’s mind, even though leaving Caitlyn unguarded will most likely cause Selene to fall from grace.

But her choice to save Cole doesn’t come without a price…and now Selene is racing against time to not only save her dark lover, but find a way to keep Caitlyn alive as well.

With the help of a new vampire ally, Luke, Selene will push her diminishing angel abilities to the point where her very existence lies in the balance. Now threatened with the chance of becoming a fallen angel or even dying, Selene can only pray she’ll have enough time—and good grace—to save the ones she loves.

Sounds incredible, right?
This book will be released on July (e-book or paperback)
And if you want (you have to..) add it to Goodreads. Just go HERE

Now... the cover...


Now let me introduce Mrs. Robertson.

 
12 Things You May Not Have Known About Me
by Ashley Robertson

12. I have a small case of OCD, where I constantly can’t remember if I unplugged my hair styler (flatiron, curling iron, or hair dryer) and yes, for some crazy reason they must be unplugged, not just turned off.

11. My sister is my hair stylist and I think she does an amazing job. Whenever we fight, my first worry is if she’ll cancel my hair appointment. Love you, Allison. :-)

10. I grew up on a 92-acre farm/orange grove, and we had horses, cows, a pig named Arnold, and bees that we got our honey from.

9. A few years after getting my real-estate license, I dropped out of college and became a top-producing realtor in the southwest Orlando area.

8. The first vampire movie I can remember watching was Bram Stroker’s Dracula, followed shortly by Anne Rice’s Interview with a Vampire, though I have not read either book.

7. I’m a huge red “wino” and my favorites seem to be medium- to full-bodied cabernets, merlots, and Meritages. I prefer to drink my wine chilled—not at room temperature—and when dining out, I’m guilty of adding ice to cool it down.

6. I’m a native central Floridian—born in Lake County and currently residing in Orange County—mere minutes from the famed theme parks (Disney, Universal, and SeaWorld).

5. In May 2012, I leased a horse named Cheyenne at Dream Catchers Ranch and Rescue, and I’ve been riding her once a week and loving every minute of it. I strongly believe that we all need hobbies to help us balance our busy lives.

4. In 2008 I published my very first book, Life Through Poetry, which is a compilation of some of my favorite poems and songs that I wrote throughout my life. The next book I published was my debut urban fantasy novel, Crimson Groves, in November 2011.

3. I’m a proud stepmother to an amazing six-year-old little boy, Cayman. And I have three furry children—Tyler (chocolate lab), Isis (white lab), and Phoebe (Himalayan cat).

2. I’m a huge romantic at heart and I’m madly in love with my husband (and best friend) Baron. Though we’ve been together for five years, we just celebrated our second wedding anniversary in one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been—Cabo San Lucas.

1. I’m very committed to eating healthy and exercising daily. I have a home gym where I mix weight training with high-intensity interval training (HIIT), and when doing basic cardio I use my elliptical machine (this is actually where I squeeze in some reading since my Kindle nestles perfectly on its tiny shelf). Every Saturday is my “Cheat Day” where I get to eat and drink anything and everything I want. I LOVE SATURDAYS. :-)


See? A beautiful, kind, and lovely person.
So, you must visit her at  Ashley Robertson Books
And read, read, read, and read her books!


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