BECAUSE I'M A FAN...
Showing posts with label Book Blitz. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Book Blitz. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
Saturday, April 22, 2017
Book Blitz Giveaway: Shearwater by D.S. Murphy
by D.S. Murphy
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance/Mermaids
Release Date: January 26th 2017
Summary:
They found the dead girl on my birthday.
And I’m not entirely sure that her killer isn’t the boy I just tried to kiss.
The longer I spend in Ireland, the deeper my life seems to unravel. Whisperings of a dark secret that caused my mother to flee from her homeland. Run-ins with a pair of undeniably handsome and strangely mysterious guys. A sleep-walking adventure that nearly got me killed. The nearness of the moon and the ocean would be almost romantic, if I wasn’t being hunted for powers I didn’t know I possessed.
Not everything in mythology is just a story.
Not every fairy-tale is harmless.
Magic is very, very real… but so are the monsters from your worst nightmares.
Now I’m being chased by immortals, hunted by wizards, and forced to pick sides in a supernatural war I want no part of.
I might be the only one who can stop it.
But it will mean giving up the one thing my heart can’t bear to lose.
About the Author
I wrote my MA thesis on Harry Potter and am working on my PhD in literature, while secretly writing YA fantasy novels and designing book covers. I blog about self-publishing, book design and book marketing, and am renting a castle for Nanowrimo 2016. I hope you like my writing!
About the Author
I wrote my MA thesis on Harry Potter and am working on my PhD in literature, while secretly writing YA fantasy novels and designing book covers. I blog about self-publishing, book design and book marketing, and am renting a castle for Nanowrimo 2016. I hope you like my writing!
Author Links:
GIVEAWAY:
Saturday, April 8, 2017
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Book Blitz Giveaway: The Cure, YA Dystopian by Tania Hagan
Join me as I get distracted by Tania Hagan and her YA Dystopian story!
Enjoy!
Title: The Cure
Author: Tania Hagan
Published: February 16th, 2016
Publisher: Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly Publishing
Genre: YA Dystopian
Content Warning: Mild violence, romantic scenes, mild foul language
Synopsis: Eighteen-year-old Genesis Weatherby is a clone of a long-dead silent-screen star. In order to eradicate cancer, GOD–the Genetic Operations Division–only allows procreation by way of the code-regeneration system. All of her life, Genny has learned “Original” births are the greatest threat to the cancer-free world. But, what happens when dashing British newcomer, Nat Wilkinson, steps into her perfect life, and overturns everything she ever believed?
Buoyed by their love for each other, as well as by their mutual distrust of GOD, Nat and Genny hatch a dangerous plan to change the system, one child at a time.
About the Author:
Tania Hagan has been a writer most of her adult life. The Cure is her first work of fiction. Tania resides in Chicago with her husband, her daughter, and her three dogs.
Excerpt from The Cure by Tania Hagan:
That night, I was no longer Genny Weatherby. She was dead. At least, she might as well have been dead. For the life of me, I couldn’t remember who I was now supposed to be. I had used her name like it was my own earlier in the day. I had thrown it out there, and I’d owned it. But, at the moment, it escaped me. I knew it didn’t really matter. Whoever she was, she looked just like me. Everyone on that list looked just like me.
I made a halfhearted attempt to pull her name into my head as I crouched behind the stack of alfalfa bales. The storage shed, which was little more than a roof supported by eight tall metal posts, provided little shelter for me.
I knew I was not out in the open, so I couldn't be discovered. Despite the imperfect nature of my hiding place, at least I was hidden.
I tried to relax a bit since I had already been there for half an hour. He’d told me to stay in the car, but I’d felt trapped. Plus, if anyone came looking for us, the first place they would look would be the car. That was my logic.
My ankles were swollen. My stomach ached, and the sweet, fresh-cut grass smell permeating from the alfalfa only accentuated the problem. At any other time in my life, I would have welcomed the scent, but not now.
My long red hair was pulled into a tight pony-tail. I loosened the band a bit, and pulled a few of the tighter strands out, in order to alleviate some of the pounding in my head. Along with the hair, I also released some of the familiar cherry-almond scent from my shampoo. I didn't remember how long it had been since I’d last washed my hair, but, apparently, the sweet odor outlasted the cleanliness. Even that pleasant scent turned my stomach.
We hadn't eaten all day. We’d left our last bag of supplies on top of our car when we’d taken off in a hurry the night before. It was my fault. I knew better than to pull out the entire bag just for one meal. But, I had thought we would have plenty of time to repack before we had to flee.
I had the old-fashioned rifle by my side. Of course, I didn't know how to use it. The impromptu training I had gone through a couple of days before had done nothing for my confidence, let alone my skill. But, it made him feel better knowing I had a way to protect myself if we were ever separated like we were now.
I yawned, and I allowed myself to lean back a bit onto the itchy bale behind me. I was so tired. I never knew I could be so tired. I had only been able to steal maybe four hours of sleep since yesterday morning.
The stars in the clear Nevada sky glistened above my head. Somewhere in the distance, a coyote howled into the night.
I propped my growing ankles up on another bale, hoping they would eventually deflate. I was wearing my mom's expensive hiking boots. Even if my own, cheaper shoes had still fit me comfortably, they would not have made it through this journey. As I sunk further into the hay, my back thanked me for the relief, and I edged slowly towards sleep.
A year ago, this would have been the last place I’d thought I would be. I was supposed to be getting ready to start college. I had been accepted to the University of Kansas, and I’d planned to have all of my supplies, including bedding and decorations for my dorm, ready by the end of August. School would be starting in the middle of September. I was going to follow in my sister's footsteps by majoring in Political Science, and entering the pre-law program. There was no chance of that happening now.
Almost everything I had ever learned about the world was a lie. So many things I’d believed were good, now appeared to be nothing short of evil.
They had eradicated cancer, but at what price? I was still reeling from the information we’d recently heard. It had overturned everything I knew.
As part of our curriculum since Kindergarten, we’d learned all about how The Cure had come into being. While we were allowed some degree of laziness in subjects such as Math, and Language, US History was drilled into our brains from the time we could read.
Eliminating cancer topped the list of important accomplishments in World History as well. No event, anywhere, at any time, even came close to the importance of The Cure. Except for a few fluke cancer-cases here and there, no one dreaded the beast in quite the same way our ancestors had.
I thought of my little brother and sister. They were two of the lights of my life, as was my whole family. Now, I wondered if they were safe at all...
Giveaway Details:
There is a tour wide giveaway. Prizes include the following:
- 2 X $10 gift cards
- The Cure tote bag with handmade, beaded stretch bookmark
- GOD coffee mug with DNA keychain
- DNA earrings with silver-toned necklace
Giveaway is International
Ends February 22nd at 11:59 PM ET
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Urania
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Book Blitz Giveaway: Kindling Flames: Granting Wishes,NA Urban Paranormal Romance by Julie Wetzel
Ready for more romantic, paranormal distraction?
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Title: Kindling Flames: Granting Wishes
Series: The Ancient Flame Series Novella
Author: Julie Wetzel
Published: May 26th, 2015
Publisher: Crimson Tree Publishing
Genre: NA Urban Paranormal Romance
Content Warning: Violence, adult language
Recommended Age: 18+
Synopsis: Leprechauns don’t exist. Or that’s what Cathren has always believed, but a chance encounter changes everything. When she saves a handsome stranger from a nasty electrical shock, not only does he claim to be one, but he also insists on granting her wishes. Now she must decide— is he insane, or a magical creature of lore? Unsure which is true, she grabs at the first three wishes she can think of: true love, happiness, and waffles. A tall order for most men, but not for Patrick Brogan. With a little persistence and just a touch of magic, anything is possible.
About the Author:
Originally from Ohio, Julie always dreamed of a job in science. Either shooting for the stars or delving into the mysteries of volcanoes. But, life never leads where you expect. In 2007, she moved to Mississippi to be with her significant other.
Now a mother of a hyperactive red headed boy, what time she’s not chasing down dirty socks and unsticking toys from the ceiling is spent crafting worlds readers can get lost it. Julie is a self-proclaimed bibliophile and lover of big words. She likes hiking, frogs, interesting earrings, and a plethora of other fun things.
Now a mother of a hyperactive red headed boy, what time she’s not chasing down dirty socks and unsticking toys from the ceiling is spent crafting worlds readers can get lost it. Julie is a self-proclaimed bibliophile and lover of big words. She likes hiking, frogs, interesting earrings, and a plethora of other fun things.
Julie Wetzel is the author of her debut novel Kindling Flames. Kindling Flames was released through Crimson Tree Publishing in 2014.
Excerpt from Kindling Flames: Granting Wishes
“What’s your name?” the man asked. His voice
was pleasant and warm with a bit of an accent that Cathren could spend hours
listening to under other circumstances.
“Cathren,”
she informed him as she pulled on the smile she used for difficult customers.
“Cathren.”
The man repeated her name with a bit of a roll in the ‘r’. “Such a fitting
name.” His eyes twinkled with merriment before getting serious. “Well, Cathren,
my name is Patrick, and I don’t know how you’ve done it, but you caught me. Now
what do you want?” Patrick leaned his elbow on the counter. The corner of his
mouth turned up in amusement.
“What?”
Cathren asked, confused.
Patrick
pushed the sleeve of his sweater up and showed her his forearm. A bloody
fingerprint stained his skin. “What do you want?” he asked again, holding the
toned arm out for her to see.
“I
am so sorry.” Cathren gasped as she pulled out some paper towels from under the
counter. Squirting some hand sanitizer on them, she wiped her blood off his
arm. The blood had perfectly covered a small tattoo of a shamrock. It was an
odd place to put the clover—seeing as he had no other tattoos—and she couldn’t
have hit it more exactly if she tried.
“It’s
fine, lass.” The man pushed her worrying hands away and glanced at the tattoo
on his arm. “Looks like you get three.” He looked back up at her. “Now, what do
you want?”
Cathren
just shook her head, not understanding him. “What do you mean?”
Patrick
let out a resigned breath. “Traditionally, when you catch a leprechaun, they
have to barter for their release.” A wry smirk slipped across his face. “And
since I couldn’t stop the magic from settling, it looks like I’m going to be
held to that tradition. It’s just turned into your lucky day. You get three wishes.
Now, what do you want?”
Crimson Tree Publishing Links:
(an adult division of Clean Teen)
Giveaway Details:
There is a tour wide giveaway. Prizes include the following:
- A bookmark swag pack and winner’s choice of any Clean Teen Publishing eBook.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Urania
Friday, April 10, 2015
Book Blitz Giveaway: Blood of Shadows by Mariana Thorn
Today's distraction comes from an amazing fantasy story!
Enjoy!
Title: Blood of Shadows
Author: Mariana Thorn
Published: February 13th, 2015
Publisher: Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly Publishing
Genre: Fantasy
Content Warning: Mild Violence
Synopsis:
War is coming to the Three Kingdoms, Malna, Zockii and Tirllyn.
Attacks along the borders are growing more frequent. Innocent people are dying. Princess Malayna and the rest of the elite fighters known as the Shadows are tasked with investigating and relocating the people, and rumors of a traitor among the Shadows has Layna stretched to her limits.
When she is paired with Kester, a partner she never wanted, she finds herself learning to trust and survive in more ways than she even knew existed.
With lives at stake, Malayna must find a way to catch the traitor, protect her people and guard her heart, because someone she loves may not live to see tomorrow…
With lives at stake, Malayna must find a way to catch the traitor, protect her people and guard her heart, because someone she loves may not live to see tomorrow…
Amazon | GoodReads
Excerpt for Blood of Shadows by Mariana Thorn:
The morning had passed into early midday when Onyx's ear flickered and his stride faltered. It wasn't long before I heard what he was hearing. Hoof beats, coming fast and hard behind us. The first horse sounded like one of the light fast messenger horses. There were at least two other horses giving chase.
I signaled Onyx to move into the forest and pulled out my bow. I had an arrow notched by the time the messenger passed me. Hot on his heels were three brigand. I let the arrow fly and was surprised that it actually hit the lead rider in the throat. He fell in front of one of the other horses which didn't have time to miss him. The horse went down tripping over the body. The rider went flying, he would be easy to catch.
Now I just had to chase down the third rider. I pushed Onyx into a gallop, pulling my sword out at the same time. He glanced back and saw me, almost falling off his horse on his own. I would have laughed, but I was about to either take his life or capture him. Both options would not bode well for him. He pulled a sword. I could not risk getting injured or having my horse injured. He would have to die.
I rode up next to him, knocked his sword up leaving his side open. I thrust my sword up under his arm aiming for his heart. When I pulled it out blood spouted from the wound. He fell from the horse dead. I cringed a little when his foot got stuck in the stirrup. The horse took off dragging the body with him. That could be dealt with later. There was a cavalier outpost not far from here. They could clean up that mess.
About the Author:
If you look in the local coffee shop or bookstore you might just find Mariana Thorn. She can usually be found with headphones in and deep into the worlds she has created. There is this thing about her pens, if you touch them you might receive a smack to the hand and the well-known glare of destruction. Besides writing, Mariana enjoys reading, photography, and playing with her dog. She lives in Western Washington, but loves to travel to Florida to sit on the beach to write. She is the author of Fantasy and Mystery stories. She currently has two titles in her Fur, Fangs, and Fairies series. There are three short stories available in her Skylar Wolfe Mysteries. There are many more books and series to come.
Giveaway Details:
There is a tour wide giveaway. Prizes include the following:
- An ebook set of the Skylar Wolfe Series (3 short ebooks)
- An ebook of Seizing Darkness
- 3 sets of bookmarks
Giveaway is International.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Urania
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Book Blitz : The Extraction List,Sci-Fi, Dystopian story by Renee N. Meland
Come get disrtacted with a Dystopian, Sci-Fi story today!
Title: The Extraction List
Series: The Extraction List Series, Book 1
Author: Renee N. Meland
Publisher: Limitless PublishingRelease Date: April 7th, 2015
Genre: Sci-Fi Dystopian
Content Warning: Minor violence and adult language
Recommended Age: 13+
Synopsis:
When fifteen-year-old Riley Crane finds out her best friend Olivia is being abused at home, she knows just who to turn to: her mother Claire, writer and spokesperson for President Gray’s Parental Morality Law. Under this law, Task Force Officers remove children from their homes if their parents do not meet certain guidelines, taking them to government-run boarding schools. Once they arrive, supervisors rehabilitate them, turning them into productive members of society. Or at least that was how it was supposed to work…
Now, after a government official threatens to make Riley the law’s latest victim, Riley and Claire must rely on Cain Foley, a gifted killer with a tongue as sharp as the knives he carries, to get them out of America alive. Though he slices through men’s necks as if they are warm butter, Riley can’t seem to keep her cheeks from flushing every time he speaks. But when they stumble upon a deserted boarding school, Riley sees that escaping the country is only part of their problem. Together, Riley and Cain figure out that a killer can save a life, and a mother can damn a nation.
About the Author:
Renee N. Meland lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two dogs. She is currently working on the third book in The Extraction List Series (the second is available now). Her favorite obsessions are Rome, learning new recipes, and exploring the world around her. She is an avid reader of speculative fiction, and believes that telling stories is the best job in the world.
Amazon Author Page | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads | Blog
Excerpt from The Extraction List by Renee N. Meland:
Blackness covered the bar from top to bottom: black walls, black furniture. The only color came from the faces of the sweaty, shiny patrons who looked like they had seen better days. They didn’t seem to mind being surrounded by darkness. Most of them just stared at their beer mugs anyway, so I guessed the décor didn’t make much difference. The paint on the walls dangled off in flakes like fingernail polish, and I fought off the urge to go pick at it.
I kept my eyes straight ahead as we made our way toward the bartender. His head had a big gap in the middle where hair should be, and the hair that remained on the sides overlapped the top of his ears. His shirt had once been white, but streaks of yellow lined the armpits and stretched downward, much like his skin: overused and under-cared-for.
Bo set his bag on an empty barstool and waited for the bartender to turn around. His back was to us, but I could see that he was drying a glass over and over again. Mom waved at him. “Excuse me, where can we find a man named Cain?”
I was facing away from the bar’s customers, but I could swear I felt them staring at us after Mom spoke, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. The bartender set his glass down hard. He turned his greasy face toward us. And laughed.
“Haha, lady…you’re in waaay over your head. If Cain wants to find you, he’ll find you. Lookin’ like he already did.” His eyes moved toward the barstool where the bag of money had been. The stool sat empty.
“Oh my God! Where’d it go? Bo!” Mom’s head swirled around. Bo glared at the bartender.
“Don’t look at me, man, I didn’t take it. SHE did.” He pointed toward a doorway at the back of the bar. The beautiful, dark haired woman from the picture stood there, letting the bag dangle gracefully from her long fingers. She smiled.
“Misplace something?” She let the bag fall from her grasp, and Bo jetted over to grab it. When he was bending over to get it, Jordyn shoved it away with her foot and made him chase it a couple times before she gave in. The bartender found himself laughing at us once again. “Follow me.”
The doorway Jordyn had been standing in front of lead to a staircase. We formed a line behind her and followed her down into the darkness. Though there were no lights, Jordyn hit every step. I tried hard not to stumble but managed to snag my toe more than once.
Jordyn lectured us: “Did you see how easy that was? The three of you are going to have to be more careful if you’re gonna make this trip. I can give you clothes, shoes, and a route, but I can’t give you plain old common sense. Even Cain can’t give that to you.”
I almost tumbled headfirst down the stairs, but Jordyn caught me and stood me back up.
“I’ve never seen anything like it…just coming into a bar with a bag of money dressed like THIS?” She picked at Bo’s suit with two fingers, like he was infested with some contagious disease. Her eyes then turned to Mom. Jordyn looked her up and down, from her stilettos to the bobby pins that held her hair back. “Were you TRYING to stick out like a skinny kid at fat camp? If I hadn’t been there, those guys woulda stolen your money and had you thinkin’ they did you a favor. Then we’d all be screwed.”
When we reached the bottom of the stairs, I glanced backward. The staircase stood almost vertical, and it reminded me of an old fairy tale where a bear cub disobeyed the rules and wandered deeper and deeper into a cave. I remembered it didn’t turn out too well for the bear.
The room only had one light, and it hovered above a gray metal desk at the far end of the room. Though the desk was free of any office supplies that would help someone put it to some use, I saw a man sitting at it with his back toward us. He slouched in his chair.
Five cots lined the room, and each had only one thin blanket. The blankets barely covered the tops of the cots, and the fabric was stained brown with age. A black backpack sat at the edge of each of our beds. The cement floor clinked with each footstep, and I doubted we would be able to stay warm that night. The heat outside couldn’t seem to find its way in, and there was a chill in the basement that went straight to my bones.
Or maybe it was him.
“Cain, they’re here.”
The man turned in his chair.
I recognized him from the photo Bo showed us, but the photo had not done him any justice. His eyes were the blue of blue M&Ms. I didn’t think they made people with eyes that blue. The way he moved his hands was like they floated through the air, in one endless, graceful motion. His hair was the brown like the brown of Mom’s favorite dresser, the one where all the pictures of Aidan rested. I stifled a smile.
I noticed a long tattoo on his forearm, stretching the length of it in a deep brown, nearly matching his hair. I never wanted a tattoo myself, but I was always curious about what people loved enough to paint on their bodies with ink and needles. His tattoo was a long rectangle, stopping a couple inches below the top of his wrist to stretch out into two sections that wrapped around to the other side of his forearm. The long rectangle started again after the two offshoots jetted off, and the whole shape was covered in complicated patterns. I stared at it for a long time, squinting so that I could make out every detail. After he moved his arm slightly, I could see the other side of the tattoo. I realized the shape was a cross.
“Money?” Cain didn’t move from his slouching position. His fingers rested intertwined in front of his chest. Jordyn snatched the bag away from Bo and set it on the desk. It landed with a thud. Finally, Cain shot out of his chair and ripped the bag open while keeping his eyes on Bo. “Not nearly enough for your lot.” Cain pushed the bag over the side of the desk and let the money spill onto the floor in a storm of green snowflakes.
Bo’s voice quivered. “What do you mean? This is your asking price. So this is what I brought.”
Bo’s voice wasn’t supposed to quiver.
Cain smiled widely, in that way that people do when they think the person they’re speaking to is a complete idiot. “Look, we’ve got one government rat, that would be you, and a woman who’s the face of all this mess. With more risk comes more reward.” He smiled and gestured around the room. “That is supposed to be the American dream you people work for after all, right?” He stepped in a wad of green money and gently rubbed it into the floor with his foot. After he was done, he sat back at his desk, looking rather pleased with himself.
Mom stepped toward him. “Please, we swear we’ll get you your money. It’s not my daughter’s fault. We’re all she’s got!” Mom tried to stand strong and still, but I could see her hands were shaking.
I marched past her.
When I reached Cain’s desk, I hopped right on top of it and sat down. He may have been good-looking (really…really good-looking), but I wasn’t thrilled about the way he was talking to us. “You’re kind of a jerk, aren’t you? My mom’s been through enough tonight. If you aren’t gonna help us, just say so.”
He looked at me square in the eyes.
I stared right back.
He grinned. “I’d have to agree. Not much fear in you, huh, Riley?”
I shook my head. Right then another piece of information about him crept out of my memory, another clue that would help me rediscover him. Crossing my legs in a sitting yoga pose, I asked, “Did you really kill a man in a room with nothing but an orange, a glass of water, and a toothpick?”
Cain’s eyes met mine. He laughed. His laugh sounded like a children’s choir singing, short little notes one right after the other.
He leaned toward me like he was going to tell me a secret. I could smell fresh mint as his breath brushed my face. “Ah, you must have seen that TV report about me.” Of course. I had seen a documentary on him a few months earlier. And if I remembered correctly, the reporter didn’t exactly praise him with flying colors. “Mostly garbage, some truth.” He paused, running his hand gently across his desk. “I like you, so I’ll tell you…it was a grapefruit…and three men.” He winked. Looking around my shoulder, he declared, “Alright, I’ll do it.”
Mom thanked Cain for his understanding, but as the words fell from her lips, she gestured for me to back away from him and stand beside her. I could see Jordyn roll her eyes from across the room. She must not have gotten the message about leaving my mom alone. “Why don’t you want to help us? What did we do to you?”
“It’s nothing personal, just worried about how we are going to get THESE two across the border,” she pointed to Bo and Mom, “without getting ourselves killed in the process.” After looking them over once more, she sighed. “I have my work cut out for me. I hope nobody here has an aversion to dressing down.”
Cain smiled. “That’s why you’re the best, Jordyn. Get them dressed and ready…we’re leaving at first light. I need them ready to run out the door the minute I say so. Oh and you…” He pointed at Bo, then at the money on the floor. “Pick that up.”
Urania
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