Spotlight: The Keepers

Hello, hello everyone, and Happy Tuesday! Today's spotlight is for another special book from REUTS Publications: THE KEEPERS, by debut author Anoosha Lalani! I do hope you'll check it out, because I personally think this promises to be spectacular due to what I'd consider an exotic setting. So, without further ado:

The Keepers
Anoosha Lalani

Sixteen-year-old Isra Kalb has grown up starving in the slums of Islamabad. But hunger is only the beginning. When her father is mysteriously murdered and madness corrupts her mother's mind, she's left alone to fend for herself and her sister. Homeless and destitute, the only thing she has to remember her loving family by is a commonplace necklace--an amulet barely worth keeping.

Or so she thinks.

Swept into a web of lies, deceit and turmoil, Isra struggles to find a place for herself and Zaffirah, wondering if the strange creatures and visions she's seeing are indications of the madness that took her mother. But when Snatchers capture Zaffirah, Isra learns her amulet isn't so useless after all. Transported to Zarcane--the beastly garden where Adam and Eve were born--Isra comes face to face with her destiny. She's a Keeper, charged with protecting the borders of Zarcane and keeping the demon hordes lurking in the shadows from taking realms that are not their own. And she's not the only one; there's a second Keeper, a boy whose identity hasn't been revealed.

Now, in order to save her sister and fulfill her family's legacy as Keeper of the Amulet, she has to find the second Keeper and close the borders. Surrounded by betrayal, trapped between warring factions of angels, and desperate to save the only family she has left, Isra must decide:

Who can she trust when nothing is what it seems?

Amazon * Goodreads

Want to watch the amazing trailer made for THE KEEPERS? Check it out, right here.

Meet the Author:

Anoosha Lalani has always had an insatiable desire to escape reality. It was a childhood trait that never seemed to fade out. If Anoosha were to make one wish, it would be to have wings to journey off the face of this planet and into the worlds of her stories.

When she’s not writing, you may find Anoosha attending high school in Singapore. Having moved around so much, she has had the wonderful opportunity to be exposed to a vibrant range of cultures, which often seem to find their way into her stories. Anoosha was born in Pakistan, the setting of her most recent novel, The Keepers.

Website * Twitter

Tweet It:

Who can Isra Kalb trust? Check out THE KEEPERS @anooshalalani @REUTSpub (Click to Tweet)

Spotlight: Holly Hearts Hollywood

Alright, ya'll. Today's another one of those spotlights for a new book coming out. In this case, the book came out exactly a week ago. HOLLY HEARTS HOLLYWOOD is a YA by debut author Kenley Conrad. While I can't promise anything about the book because I haven't yet gotten my hands on a copy, I can promise that you're in for a swoon-worthy ride. Kenley Conrad was an acquaintance of mine back in my Inkpop days, and I can personally guarantee the quality of writing from those old comrades.

Kenley Conrad is all about fun. As such, she's created a quiz to help you figure out: Which HOLLY HEARTS HOLLYWOOD Character Are You Most Like? Take the quiz, share your results; when I took it, I got Holly Hart.

And, as always, don't forget to check out the book!

Holly Hearts Hollywood
Kenley Conrad
Release Date: September 23, 2014
Publisher: Swoon Romance

Seventeen-year-old Holly Hart wants to be a star. She moves to Los Angeles from the small town of Cedar Junction, only to hear she’s too fat and ugly to be a famous singer.

But when Shell Shocked Records looks past Holly’s plus-size and less-than-graceful-personality to offer her a recording contract, Holly cannot believe her good fortune. On closer inspection, however, the record execs want Holly to do all the singing, and a thinner and more beautiful girl, Lacey, would lip-sync and get all the credit. Holly goes for it because after all, she wanted to sing.

Contractually bound to secrecy, Holly is more than happy to sit backstage while Lacey shimmies in the limelight and basks in the fame. Before she knows it, Holly is friends with Serena, the pop-star daughter of a music-mogul, flirting with an intern, and developing a strange half-friendship with Lacey.

When Grayson Frost, the biggest country star in America, and coincidentally, a former school bully begins dating Lacey, Holly hopes that he won’t recognize or torment her.

Through a series of embarrassing and weird events, Holly gets to know Grayson and learns that he is much nicer and more mature than he was four years ago. Holly is horrified when she starts falling for him. When Grayson admits he fell for Lacey's voice, what is a girl to do when she can’t legally tell the truth at the moment when the truth matters the most?

Goodreads * Amazon * Kobo Books

Meet the Author:

I'm the author of the upcoming YA series Holly Hearts Hollywood, coming September 2014 by Swoon Romance. I'm a twenty-something cat lady who lives in Phoenix, Arizona. When I'm not working my office day job or writing books, you can find me either singing and dancing or binge-watching TV shows on Netflix.

Website * Goodreads * Twitter * Facebook



And now, a giveaway! The winner will receive a $10 Amazon Gift Card (international).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tweet It:

Looking for a new read? Check out the @kenleyconrad debut HOLLY HEARTS HOLLYWOOD from @swoonromance (Click to Tweet)

Blog Tour Organized By:

YA Bound Book Tours 

Blog Tour Spotlight: Crown of Ice

Alright, today I've got another fun spotlight for ya'll, this time for the novel CROWN OF ICE by Vicki L. Weavil. It just released this last Tuesday (September 9, 2014) from Month9Books, and the reason I decided to sign up is because of its awesome premise, and I will be sure to run to the store and pick up a copy the moment life allows me to. Check it out, and check out the rest of the blog tour schedule to follow along and see reviews, interviews, and guest posts by the author!

Crown of Ice
Vicki L. Weavil

Thyra Winther’s seventeen, the Snow Queen, and immortal, but if she can’t reassemble a shattered enchanted mirror by her eighteenth birthday she’s doomed to spend eternity as a wraith.

Armed with magic granted by a ruthless wizard, Thyra schemes to survive with her mind and body intact. Unencumbered by kindness, she kidnaps local boy Kai Thorsen, whose mathematical skills rival her own. Two logical minds, Thyra calculates, are better than one. With time rapidly melting away she needs all the help she can steal.

A cruel lie ensnares Kai in her plan, but three missing mirror shards and Kai’s childhood friend, Gerda, present more formidable obstacles. Thyra’s willing to do anything – venture into uncharted lands, outwit sorcerers, or battle enchanted beasts — to reconstruct the mirror, yet her most dangerous adversary lies within her breast. Touched by the warmth of a wolf pup’s devotion and the fire of a young man’s desire, the thawing of Thyra’s frozen heart could be her ultimate undoing.

CROWN OF ICE is a YA Fantasy that reinvents Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen” from the perspective of a young woman who discovers that the greatest threat to her survival may be her own humanity.

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Kobo * Chapters Indigo! * TBD * iBooks

Meet the Author:

Vicki Lemp Weavil was raised in a farming community in Virginia, where her life was shaped by a wonderful family, the culture of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and an obsession with reading. Since obtaining her undergraduate degree in Theatre from the University of Virginia, she’s gone on to acquire two masters degrees, living in places as diverse as New York City and rural North Carolina. She’s currently the library director for a performing an visual arts university.  Vicki loves good writing in any genre, and has been known to read seven books in as many days. She enjoys travel, gardening, and the arts. Vicki lives in North Carolina with her husband, son, and some very spoiled cats.

Website * Twitter * Facebook * Goodreads * Tumblr

And now, in case you've made it this far, an awesome giveaway! Five (5) lucky winners will receive a digital copy of CROWN OF ICE (international).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tweet It:

Blog Tour Spotlight: CROWN OF ICE by @VickiLWeavil plus GIVEAWAY @chapterxchapter @month9books via @Rae_Slater (Click to Tweet)

Spotlight: A Soul to Take

I know that it was only yesterday that I posted about the Book Blitz for A SOUL TO TAKE, the debut novel from Emily Taylor. Bear with me, though.

Today's spotlight is a tiny bit different in that I knew Emily Taylor quite well during our Inkpop days (for those who don't know, Inkpop was a writing site run by HarperCollins; it was shut down a little over two years, now). While we don't chat as much as we used to, I can honestly vouch that not only is she an extremely sweet girl with a heart of gold when it comes to all us little people, but she's an excellent writer and deserves the world.

That's why, when I first heard she was being published by REUTS last year (and good gosh that still feels like yesterday), I couldn't be happier, and I knew that I wanted to spread the word.

Besides, I opened up an email concerning this blog tour yesterday and found an especially awesome treat for anybody who loves music. Or, if you're like me, you love listening to special music: also known as the music playlist you listen to over and over again because it inspires you to write a certain special something.

Without further adieu or teasing, check out Emily Taylor's playlist inspired by A SOUL TO TAKE (and click on them to find either the official music video, or the best-quality lyric video that I could find):

Sweet Dreams - Marilyn Manson

Bring Me to Life - Evanescence

Black Sheep - Metric

One - Filter

Haunted - Evanescence

Creep - Radiohead

Make Me Wanna Die - The Pretty Reckless

Cage - Dead Letter Circus

One Step - Dead Letter Circus
Come Into My Head - Kimbra

Air - Mr. Fijiwiji

Walking With a Ghost - The National Fanfare of Kadebostany

Forsaken - Disturbed + Korn

In the House / In a Heartbeat - John Murphy

A Dark Knight - Hans Zimmer + James Newton Howard

Numb / Encore - Linkin Park

Born to Die - Lana del Rey

Seven Devils - Florence and the Machine

OR, here's all of those songs in a Grooveshark Playlist for easier access

Now that your head's full of awesome music, I invite you to for the second time in as many days to check out  Emily Taylor's A SOUL TO TAKE, coming from Reuts Publications September 9, 2014:

A Soul to Take

Dying is the least of Elixia’s worries.

The world has changed. Demons are no longer legend, but part of life, integrated into our society . . . or so the Government claims. Things are never that simple, though, and neither side favors the new union. Agent Elixia Albelin knows the dark nature of demons firsthand, and will do everything in her power to protect the innocent from their wrath.

But when a mission from the Agency goes sour, Elixia finds herself in a predicament. Murdered, with her last living family-member kidnapped, her only hope is an offer from the very thing she despises: a demon. It’s no ordinary demon offering the contract, though, and his motive for such a deal is unclear. But if she’s to discover the truth and save her sister, she must commit the greatest taboo for an Agent:

Sell her soul.

Now, Marked and shackled to the terms of the contract, she must try to uncover the mystery of her sister’s abduction before her new “owner” comes to claim what is his. Her past may hold answers, but what happens when her investigation finds something far more sinister? Something not even the demons can condone?

Goodreads * Now Available For Pre-Order

Meet the Author:

Besides writing, Emily Taylor currently studies Music Technology at her state’s Conservatorium and recently helped on Respect Cat Production’s feature film, In a Corner, as a Script Advisor.  After great success on InkPop and Figment, A Soul to Take is her first formally published work. You can see more from Emily on Facebook and Twitter.



Tweet It:

Dying, and demons, and contracts. Check out A SOUL TO TAKE @emtaylorinkie via @Rae_Slater (Click to Tweet)

@emtaylorinkie shares her musical inspiration for A SOUL TO TAKE on this blog tour spotlight via @Rae_Slater (Click to Tweet)

Blog Blitz: A Soul to Take

Today's Blog Blitz celebrates the kickoff blog tour for Emily Taylor's new and debut release, A SOUL TO TAKE, coming from REUTS Publications September 9, 2014. Check it out below!

*

A Soul to Take

Dying is the least of Elixia’s worries.

The world has changed. Demons are no longer legend, but part of life, integrated into our society . . . or so the Government claims. Things are never that simple, though, and neither side favors the new union. Agent Elixia Albelin knows the dark nature of demons firsthand, and will do everything in her power to protect the innocent from their wrath.

But when a mission from the Agency goes sour, Elixia finds herself in a predicament. Murdered, with her last living family-member kidnapped, her only hope is an offer from the very thing she despises: a demon. It’s no ordinary demon offering the contract, though, and his motive for such a deal is unclear. But if she’s to discover the truth and save her sister, she must commit the greatest taboo for an Agent:

Sell her soul.

Now, Marked and shackled to the terms of the contract, she must try to uncover the mystery of her sister’s abduction before her new “owner” comes to claim what is his. Her past may hold answers, but what happens when her investigation finds something far more sinister? Something not even the demons can condone?

Goodreads * Now Available For Pre-Order

Meet the Author:

Besides writing, Emily Taylor currently studies Music Technology at her state’s Conservatorium and recently helped on Respect Cat Production’s feature film, In a Corner, as a Script Advisor.  After great success on InkPop and Figment, A Soul to Take is her first formally published work. You can see more from Emily on Facebook and Twitter.

Tweet It:

A SOUL TO TAKE @emtaylorinkie blog blitz kicks off today with a new book trailer Check it out via @Rae_Slater (Click to Tweet)

Blog Tour: FRED

There was no way I was going to fit the entire title of this novel into the title of this post. Trust me. Today, I'm pleased and honored to have a spot in the Blog Tour for the newest REUTS release: The Utterly Uninteresting & Unadventurous Tales of Fred, The Vampire Accountant.

Or FRED, for short. 

Some people are born boring. Some live boring. Some even die boring. Fred managed to do all three, and when he woke up as a vampire, he did so as a boring one. Timid, socially awkward, and plagued by self-esteem issues, Fred has never been the adventurous sort.

One fateful night – different from the night he died, which was more inconvenient than fateful – Fred reconnects with an old friend at his high school reunion. This rekindled relationship sets off a chain of events thrusting him right into the chaos that is the parahuman world, a world with chipper zombies, truck driver wereponies, maniacal necromancers, ancient dragons, and now one undead accountant trying his best to “survive.” Because even after it’s over, life can still be a downright bloody mess.

REUTS Publications - GoodReads – Amazon


Come on, guys. Every other vampire tale out there cannot measure up to this. In their own words, the REUTS team said, "We love vampires. We love snarkiness. "Fred" (shortened title) has a lot of both." If this is true, then this is a novel after my own heart, and I hope I'm not the only one dancing a nervous jig until I get  a copy! 

Meet the Author:

Drew Hayes is an aspiring author from Texas who has written several books and found the gumption to publish a few (so far). He graduated from Texas Tech with a B.A. in English, because evidently he’s not familiar with what the term “employable” means. Drew has been called one of the most profound, prolific, and talented authors of his generation, but a table full of drunks will say almost anything when offered a round of free shots. Drew feels kind of like a D-bag writing about himself in the third person like this. He does appreciate that you’re still reading, though.

Drew would like to sit down and have a beer with you. Or a cocktail. He’s not here to judge your preferences. Drew is terrible at being serious, and has no real idea what a snippet biography is meant to convey anyway. Drew thinks you are awesome just the way you are. That part, he meant. Drew is off to go high-five random people, because who doesn’t love a good high-five? No one, that’s who.

Website - Twitter

Book Blitz: Time of Ruin

Alright, guys; today's special post is to introduce to ya'll a new book by Shauna Granger that just released yesterday! Check it out:

Time of Ruin

(Ash and Ruin #2)

Release Date: 07/22/14

The world has ended, and hope is the most dangerous thing left.

Battered and bruised after barely escaping San Francisco with their lives, Kat, Dylan, and Blue press north – desperate to reach the possibility of a new home.

But strange, monstrous ravens are tracking the remaining survivors, food is becoming scarce, gasoline is running short, and people are becoming suicidal, making survival almost impossible.

And the Pestas are growing bolder. Somehow, their numbers are growing.

The further north they go, the harder it becomes to ignore the signs that they’ve made a fatal mistake. Kat must face the impossible truth that there is no escape, there is no safe haven, and their worst nightmares don’t come close to their new reality. (source:goodreads)

Amazon * Barnes and Noble * Kobo

Haven't checked out the first book in the Ash and Ruin series? Take a look, right here: World of Ash.

Meet the Author:

Like so many other writers, Shauna grew up as an avid reader, but it was in high school that she realized she wanted to be a writer. Five years ago, Shauna started work on her Elemental Series. She released the first installment, Earth, on May 1, 2011 and has since released four sequels, with the series coming to an end with Spirit. She is currently hard at work on a new Urban Fantasy series, staring a spunky witch with a smush-faced cat named Artemis.

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Goodreads

Read an Excerpt:

Sitting on the bumper again, my jagged nails scratch at the plastic as I fight the urge to tell Dylan to hurry. Blue looks up at me and whines. I shake my head at him and pet him with the toe of my boot. His eyes are dark blue in the evening light. Blue drops his head and looks at Dylan, his ears perked up into two triangles. I follow his gaze. Dylan’s still standing, holding his instruments of destruction, and staring at the raging fire.

Blue pushes to his feet and barks one sharp, loud yelp. My hand drifts over to the rifle by my leg as I let my eyes slide from Dylan’s back to search for the source of Blue’s panic.

“Dylan.” I mean to call to him, but my voice comes out in a strangled whisper.

I swallow as I stand and pull the rifle with me. Across the street, the shadows between the houses are taking shape. They’re no longer the snapping, twisting formless shadows from the fire, but something more, something substantial. Dylan lifts the can of fluid and squirts more onto the fire, making it spike and lick the air.

“Dylan,” I try again, my voice a little louder. The rifle is in my hands now. The stock is pressed into my shoulder as I aim at the shadows peeling away from the deeper black.

Still Dylan doesn’t hear me, or is ignoring me.

Blue barks repeatedly, backing up until he hits the car. I find my voice and scream his name loud enough that it hurts my throat. Finally he looks at me, his face cast in shadows with the light behind him. I can’t make out his features, but I can make out the horde of Pestas behind him.

“Run!” I aim the gun as I walk backward around the car.

Instead of listening to me, he looks back to see what has terrified me so. They shuffle forward, lines of them spilling out into the cul-de-sac. Dylan takes two steps backward, nearly tripping over his feet and making me scream again. I rip the rear door open for Blue to get in the car. Slamming the door behind Blue, I lift the rifle and fire a shot, aiming well away from Dylan. The Pestas cringe in unison, as though they are all puppets controlled by the same set of strings.

“Run, dammit!” I scream.

*

And now, are ya'll ready for a giveaway?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tweet It:

A post about TIME OF RUIN by @dyingechoes, an excerpt, and a GIVEAWAY via @Rae_Slater (Click to Tweet)

Check out TIME OF RUIN by @dyingechoes + GIVEAWAY via @Rae_Slater (Click to Tweet)

Rae

Book Blitz Organized by:

YA Bound Book Tours

Blog Tour: Meet Chase Finn (Chasing Freedom, Nicola S. Dorrington)

Special day today, because guess what? The Blog Tour for Chasing Freedom, by Nicols S. Dorrington, is officially being kicked off, today!

*releases confetti*

And I am officially handing the reins to Nicola and the main character of her novel, Chase Finn. I'm fairly certain that Miss Dorrington doesn't bite, but be wary; I can't caution the same thing for Mr. Finn.

*

So I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce the world to Chase Finn, the main character from my new novel Chasing Freedom. I think people might like him!

He first came into my head over 9 years ago. I didn’t know much about him back then, other than that he was a hulking 17-year-old werewolf, who was a little bit cocky, fun-loving, charming and good-looking…

You think I'm good-looking?

You know you’re good-looking, now go and sit down and be quiet. Where was I? He took shape quite slowly. He was tall, muscular, from a good family, played rugby…

Hey, I don't just play rugby, I was Captain of my school team.

Shush. All right, very good at rugby. I knew he had to have had a good childhood, a good life. I wanted to turn the typical trope on its head a little. This wasn’t a guy who was a loner, or who didn’t fit in and whose life is turned around in a good way by finding out he’s a supernatural. This was a guy who had the perfect life, only to have it be destroyed by becoming a werewolf.

Too right it was destroyed. I lost everything, my friends, my home my family.

But you got a new one. But the most important thing I wanted was for Chase to be more than just a werewolf. I didn’t want that to be the all defining characteristic of him. He is so much more than that.

Are you going to tell them about Victoria?

No. That would be a spoiler. They’ll have to read the book to find out about her.

What about Maladict? Anna? Kat? Are you going to tell them about them? They're pretty important.

Spoilers. If I give too much away they won’t read the book. 

So what are you going to tell them?

Only this:

Chase Finn is being hunted, and if he ever stops running he’s going to end up dead.

It doesn’t matter that he’s only seventeen. It doesn’t matter that just a few weeks ago he was a normal teenager. All that matters is that he is a threat, and the Agents tracking him will stop at nothing to see him neutralised.

With the line between friends and enemies blurring, Chase discovers he is just a pawn in the middle of a war that’s lasted for centuries, but he isn’t going to let himself be used any longer.

Soon both sides of the war are going to learn that the most important thing about Chase Finn isn’t that he’s a werewolf, it’s that he’ll sacrifice everything, even his own freedom, for the people he loves.

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Nicola S. Dorrington

Nicola S. Dorrington is a 30 year-old writer from England, currently living in the Cayman Islands,
where she procrastinates by staring at the ocean. CHASING FREEDOM is her second novel, set in a wet and mythical version of the country she left behind. Her first novel THE LAST KNIGHT was published 2013. She fully expects to one day be a crazy old cat lady - only with dogs.

You can find out more about Nicola on her blog, on Facebook and on Twitter at @NSDorrington. You can add CHASING FREEDOM to Goodreads.

  

 Buy the Book:

Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KZZXDAY

Nook:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/chasing-freedom-nicola-s-dorrington/1119720901?

Other Formats:  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/446951