Showing posts with label Contest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Contest. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Blood Assassin Review and Excerpt


Blood Assassin
The Sentinels # 2
By: Alexandra Ivy
Releasing December 30th, 2014
Zebra

Blurb

They are the outcasts of humanity. Blessed with power. Cursed by fate. Driven by passion. The Sentinels have returned…

OUT OF THE SHADOWS

At six-foot-three and two-hundred-fifty pounds, Fane is a natural born guardian. A flawless mix of muscled perfection and steely precision, he has devoted years of his life to protecting a beautiful necromancer. But after she found love in the arms of another, Fane has been a warrior adrift. He swears allegiance only to the Sentinels. And no woman will ever rule his heart again…

INTO THE FIRE 

Not only a powerful psychic, Serra is that rare telepath who can connect to minds through objects. When the daughter of a high-blood businessman is kidnapped, Serra agrees to help. But when she stumbles onto a conspiracy involving secrets sects and ancient relics, her life is in mortal danger—and Fane is her only hope. Is the warrior willing to risk his body, his soul, and his heart, for Serra? Or will one last betrayal destroy them both?

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21535284-blood-assassin?from_search=true

Buy Links:  Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Kobo

Excerpt:
“True.”  Fane tried to dismiss the problem from his mind.  Soon enough he would be in the seclusion of the monastery and the dangers of the world would no longer be his concern.  Right?  “It sounds like you have it covered.  I’ll send you more warriors when they’ve completed their training.”

“Dammit, Fane...”  Wolfe bit off his words as the atmosphere in the gym abruptly changed.

Both men turned to discover what had happened.

Or rather...who...had happened.

“Shit,” Fane breathed, a familiar ache settling in the center of his chest at the sight of the beautiful female who sashayed into the room.

Serra Vetrov had the habit of changing the atmosphere in rooms since she’d left the nursery.

Hell, he’d seen men walk into walls and cars drive off the road when she strolled past.

An elegantly tall woman with long, glossy black hair that contrasted with her pale, ivory skin, she had lush curves that she emphasized with her tight leather pants and matching vest that was cut to reveal a jaw-dropping amount of her generous breasts.

Her features were delicately carved.  Her pale green eyes were thickly lashed, her nose narrow and her lips so sensually full they gave the impression of a sex kitten.  

Although anyone foolish enough to underestimate her, was in for an unpleasant surprise.

Serra was not only a powerful psychic, but she was a rare telepath who could use objects to connect with the mind of the owner.  Over the years, she’d used her talents more than once to find missing children or to track down violent offenders.

On the darker side, she could also use her skills to force humans, and those high-bloods without mental shields, to see illusions and could even implant memories in the more vulnerable minds.

Still, it wasn’t her dangerous powers that made grown men scramble out of her path.  Serra had a tongue that could flay at a hundred yards and she wasn’t afraid to use it.

Wolfe sent Fane a mocking smile.  “It appears I’m not the only one who listens to the grapevine.  Good luck, amigo.” 

Turning, he strolled toward the cluster of Sentinels who were watching Serra cross the gym like a pack of starving hounds.   

Bastards.

###

Serra kept her head held high and a smile pinned to her lips as she marched past the gaping men.  She was female enough to appreciate being noticed by the opposite sex.  Why not?  But today she barely noticed the audible groans as she took a direct path toward her prey.

She felt a tiny surge of amusement as the thought of Fane being anyone’s prey.

The massive warrior was two hundred fifty pounds of pure muscle and raw male power.  He was also one of the rare few who was completely impervious to her ability to poke around in his mind.

Which was a blessing and a curse.

A blessing because it was impossible for a psychic to completely block out an intimate partner, which was a distraction that would make any lover cringe.  There was nothing quite so demeaning as being in the middle of sex and realize your partner was picturing Angelina Jolie.

And a curse because Fane was about as chatty as a rock.  His feelings were locked down so tight Serra feared that someday they would explode.

And not in a good way.

Or maybe it would be good, she silently told herself, gliding to a halt directly in front of his half-naked form.

There weren’t many things worse than watching all emotions being stripped away as you approached the man you’d loved for the past two decades.

Especially when she was a seething mass of emotions.

She wanted to grab his beautiful face in her hands and kiss him until he melted into a puddle of goo.  No.  She wanted to kick him in the nuts for being such a prick.  

Maybe she’d kick him and then kiss it better.

To make matters worse she was on a lust-driven adrenalin high.

Just standing next to his half-naked body coated in sweat made her heart pump and her mouth dry.

God.  She was so fucking pathetic.

Accepting that her companion wasn’t going to break the awkward silence, she tilted her chin up another notch.

Any higher and she was going to be staring at the ceiling.

“Fane,” she purred softly.

His dark gaze remained focused on her face, resisting any temptation to glance at her skimpy vest.  Of course, if it hadn’t been for the rare times she’d caught him casting covert glances at her body, she might suspect he hadn’t yet realized she was a woman.

“Serra.”

On the way to the gym she’d practiced what she was going to say.  She was going to be cool.  Composed.  And in complete control.

Instead the fear lodged in the pit of her belly made her strike out like a petulant child.

“You’re leaving?”

He gave a slow dip of his head.  “I’m returning to Tibet.”

The fear began to spread through her body, her hands clenching at her sides.  “Did you ever intend to tell me?”

“Yes.” 

“When?” she snapped.  “On your way out the door?”

“Does it matter?”

Oh yeah.  He was definitely getting kicked in the nuts.

“Yes, it damned well matters.”

He remained stoic.  Unmoved by her anger.  “What do you want from me?”

She lowered her voice.  It wasn’t that she gave a shit that they had an audience.  Living in Valhalla meant that privacy was a rare commodity.  But she had some pride, dammit.  She didn’t want them to hear her beg.

“You know what I want.”

Something flared through the dark eyes.  Something that sliced through her heart like a dagger.

“It’s impossible,” he rasped.  “I’ll always care for you, Serra, but not in the way you need.”

She should walk away.

It’s what any woman with an ounce of sense would do.

But when had she claimed any sense when it came to this man?

Instead she stepped forward, bringing them nose to nose.  Well, they would be nose to nose if he didn’t have six inches on her.

“Liar.”

He frowned, the heat from his body brushing over her bare skin like a caress.  Serra shuddered.  Oh god.  She’d wanted him for so long.

It was like a sickness.

“A Sentinel doesn’t lie.”

She snorted at the ridiculous claim.  “Maybe not, but you can twist the truth until it screams.  And the truth is that you’ve always used your duty to Callie as a shield between us.”

His fists landed on his hips, his eyes narrowing at her accusation.  “My duty was more than a shield.”

Okay.  He had a point.

His bond with Callie had been very real. 

But that didn’t mean he hadn’t hidden behind his obligation as a guardian.

“Fine.”  She held his gaze.  “And now that duty is done.”

He was shaking his head before she finished speaking.  “My duty to Callie is done, but my duty to the Sentinels remains.”

She clenched teeth.  It was true most Sentinels never married.  But it wasn’t against any rules.

Niko had just returned to Valhalla with a wife who promised to be a valuable healer, and Callie had recently married Duncan who’d recently become a Sentinel.

It might demand compromise and sacrifice on both sides, but it could be done.

So why was Fane so unwilling to even give it a try?

“I assume that’s going to be your new excuse?” she forced between gritted teeth.

Without warning his expression softened and his fingers lightly brushed down her bare arm.

“Serra, I don’t need an excuse,” he said, the hint of regret in his eyes more alarming than his previous remoteness.  She was used to him pretending to be indifferent to her.  Now it felt like...goodbye.  Shit.  “I’ve never made promises I can’t keep,” he continued, his tone soft.  “In fact, I’ve been very clear that you should find a man who can give you the happiness you deserve.”

For one weak, tragic moment she allowed herself to savor the brief touch of his fingers.   Then her pride came galloping to her rescue and she was jerking away with a brittle smile.

She would endure anything but his pity.

Hell no.

“Very generous of you.”

He grimaced at her sarcastic tone.  “I know you don’t believe me, but all I’ve ever wanted was your happiness.”

“And you assume I’ll find it in the arms of another man?”  She went straight for the jugular.

The hesitation was so fleeting she might have imagined it.  “Yes.”

She leaned forward, infuriated by her inability to read his mind.  Dammit.   Just when she needed her talents the most she was flying blind.

Was this how humans felt?

This maddening helplessness?

It sucked.

“It won’t bother you at all to know that I belong to another?”

“I will be...”  He took a beat to find the right word.  “Content.”



Author Info
ALEXANDRA IVY graduated from Truman University with a degree in theatre before deciding she preferred to bring her characters to life on paper rather than stage. She currently lives in Missouri with her extraordinarily patient husband and teenage sons. To stay updated on Alexandra’s Guardian series or to chat with other readers, please visit her website at www.alexandraivy.com.


Author Links:  Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads


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Review -
4.5 Bloody Stars
Readers may never view Monks in the same light after reading this series.

The tension and heat between Fane and Serra has been building up since the very introduction of this series'. A love that has been denied out of asense of duty by only one of the parties, the just may have have reached her breaking point and on the verge of putting any and all advances to an end and move on. As many of us know and have learned the hard way, the greatest joke in the Universe is when you attempt to decide what your own fate shall be. A point brutally driven home when another sect of Sentinel's come out of the shadow's, Assassins. Trained by the Monks to feel no emotions and to use their abilities in the most lethal of ways. And one has Serra within his scope range.

Serra Vetrov is one of the few high bloods fortunate enough to have not only one set of parents to love her, but two. Her birth parents brought her to the sanctuary of Valhalla knowing that would be the safest place for her, yet still remaining in her life and letting her know at every available opportunity how much they love her. An incredibly strong and talented psychic, and just as beautiful as she is lethal, Serra has never had to go wanting for much. When she comes across a Guardian whose mind she cannot penetrate and just so happens to be the Guardian of her adoptive sister, Callie, its both lust and challenge at first sight that quickly manifests into love.  And now that the bond between Fane and Callie is broken, nothing should stand in the way of them being together. Nothing but Fane himself, and Tibet.

Fane refuses to give in to the attraction he feels for Serra. Knowing that as  a Guardian his duty should come above all else, at least that's the excuse he continues to give himself. He knows that being a Guardian places him in constant danger and doesn't want Serra to ever be placed in the middle of it. Never really thinking about the fact of her being a high blood automatically places her in danger no matter who she's with. A point that is driven home when she's kidnapped. And nothing in Heaven or Hel will stand in his way to find her. Only when he does it won't be a simple matter of snatching her away and bringing her back home. 

Serra is being held by an Assassin, one who will not let her go until she completes the task he needs her to do. One that will tug at her own heartstrings, and she may have done willingly had he only asked. But now her life is hanging in the balance and there is nothing Fane or anyone else can do to save her. Though there isn't much Fane will not do in attempt to at least try. 

Full of magic, suspense, violence and more than a few heated love scenes, Blood Assassin is a must read for non-squeamish PNR fans. A powerful psychic that can and will use her brain as a weapon, a deadly assassin out to save the love he loves at all costs, a high blood in stasis that could cause an all out war if her powers are unleashed, and the world's most powerful Guardian out to save the woman he loves, and an Epilogue that will leave readers wide eyed and gasping makes for a powerful action packed novel that will have readers longing for more.

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Virtual Book Tour and Guest Post: Devils in the Dark

Devils in the Dark
(The Devil in Miss Drake's Class, 1)
Marcus Damanda

16+ / horror/paranormal/27K


To most of the Facebook 15, bullying Audrey Bales was just a game—until two deep cuts with a Swiss army knife changed everything forever. Audrey didn’t want attention anymore. After five weeks at Fairview High School, Audrey wanted to die.

The doctors did the only thing they could with her: they put her away.

But in Fairview, Virginia, the nightmare is only beginning. The chat session had not gone unobserved. The Facebook 15 have drawn the attention of an ancient evil that lives only to punish those who would prey upon the weak.

They are the ghosts of 1,000 dead children—1,000 suicides—and their master…

Their master likes Audrey Bales.




Buy Links:     Evernight Teen    Amazon



Excerpt:

Underneath the blackened veil of her powered-off monitor, the comments kept coming, kept taunting her.

The observer had stopped watching. He leaned back in his chair, head upturned to the ceiling, eyes closed, still eating. The overripe apple had a worm in it, and he sucked it down.

He projected his sight outward, miles and miles from his little home. He didn’t know where he was anymore.

Somebody’s house. An empty room. A closet.

Here he first saw the girl, the one they were tormenting. Her Facebook icon had shown only a skull and crossbones. In real life, she might have been pretty, if she had not worked so hard to hide it.

Familiar too. Something in her eyes and her lips.

She was close, very close, to a bad decision.

She was imagining the ghost of her brother and talking to it, opening boxes that contained his possessions. She listened to him speak words the observer could not hear. Oh, he wished he could. From this distance all he could hear was the pain inside of her, the loneliness, screams within whispers. An oncoming storm.

It made him angry on her behalf.

He returned his gaze to the real world of his apartment. The five of them were still chatting, their cruel banter punctuated by internet abbreviations and emoticons, calling for Audrey-Bear to say something, say something….

More joined the chat.

He shook his head.

You deserve to die, he thought. All of you.
****
Audrey returned to her bedroom and closed the door. This time, she broke a house rule and locked it. She put the blanket back in place and thumbed the monitor back on.

It was nearly one in the morning, yet the number of people on Cody’s page had tripled. Stranger still was the activity coming through on her end.

She gazed in bewilderment.

Benny Talbot has sent you a friend request.

Heather Roberts has sent you a friend request.

Ally Watson has sent you a friend request.

Gabriel Daniels has sent you a friend request.

Eleven requests, all kids from school. Most of them had sent her personal messages too. Some were fake-friendly, some openly mocking. Most pretended to rally in her support, as if they had somehow stumbled upon this Internet lynching by accident, all at the same time, and were offended by it. A virtual party had gathered in Cody’s little corner of cyberspace, and Audrey was the game they were playing.

Had Maggie called or texted them all out of bed?

“Creative,” she said. “You’re really good at this.”

She wasn’t crying anymore. In fact, she was perfectly calm. With the ghost of her brother standing by her side, she set his old Swiss Army knife—he’d gotten it for Scouts, before he had quit—next to the keyboard.

Click Accept, her brother said. For all of them. Now, before they give up and start to log off.

She accepted them all, and the result was chat room bedlam. The comments came faster than she could read. Evidently this was the very height of hilarity.

And, naturally, as soon as she had accepted them all, one-by-one, they unfriended her, and posted.

Just kidding!

Sry! Changed my mind!

What an idiot!

Inspired, she clicked the Like button over every comment. Then, ignoring the perplexed responses to that maneuver, she got to work.

She retrieved the gym shirt from under her bed. Most days this particular item of attire would have remained a crumpled ball in her P.E. locker after school, but she’d had to wear it all day, and so it had come home with her.

“Turn your head, Alex,” she said, as if he were really there.

And as if he were really there, he answered. Not looking, not looking.

Once she had the shirt on and smoothed it out, she sat back at her desk, got out her cell phone, tied her hair in a tail, and took a picture of herself.
****
When the first picture appeared on Cody’s page, the observer knew exactly what was coming. He’d seen it before. The details differed each time, but the common threads were easily picked out: theatrics, spite, spectacle—and from the other end, disbelief. Then there would be panic, frantic attempts to undo the damage, and afterward, there would be remorse.

From most of them.

The picture was off-center. The girl was smiling, posing. The mascara tracks on her face looked like war paint.

Val: OMG, she’s postin selfies!

Cody: Give us a twerk, emo.

How they didn’t see what was coming, the observer could not fathom. But that was part of the pattern too. Bullies, as a rule, didn’t get it until it was too late—for the victim, or less frequently, for themselves.

The observer was truly torn. On the one hand, if she went through with it, she’d set him free. He had made contact with her, though she didn’t know it, and he was the oldest within the host. After many, many years, it was his turn, and he would finally learn what lay beyond this purgatory. But on the other hand, he felt bad for her. He really did.

“Let’s go,” he said to the screen. The suspense was killing him. “What’s next, Audrey?”

A second picture came up even as the first was being liked and shared by nearly everyone on the page. This one silenced most of them.

Audrey was holding an unfolded pocket knife against her cheek with one hand while the other took the picture, still smiling, tilting her head.

At first, the only comment came from Maggie: Drama. Whatever.

Audrey responded: Stick around. This is for your benefit.

Everything slowed down, then. Time rolled out like an empty rug, the Facebook page inert and dead. Minutes passed with nothing.

Then, Val: Audrey?

Still, nothing.

Val again: Audrey, don’t be dumb. Come on.

Five minutes became ten.

Maggie: She went to bed. She wants us to worry all night. As if we would.

After fifteen minutes of relative inactivity, the final picture appeared.

*****

Author Bio:

Marcus Damanda lives in Woodbridge, Virginia with his cat, Shazam. At various times throughout his life, he played bass guitar for the garage heavy metal band.

Mother’s Day, wrote for The Dale City Messenger, and published editorials in The Potomac News and The Freelance Star. Currently, while not plotting his next foray into fictitious suburban mayhem, he spoils his nieces and nephews and teaches middle school English. 


Find Marcus Damanda here:


Guest Post by Marcus Demanda
The Idea Behind The Novel & The Perfect Dream Cast

DEVILS IN THE DARK, and the trilogy it launches, was written shortly after an agent rejected my work, saying, “You’re a talented writer. I might sell you, but I won’t sell your vampires.”

It’s the first non-vampire book I’ve written in ten years, and my goal in its composition was simple: tell a story no one has ever heard before. I knew it would be a horror story, and I knew the target audience would be older teenagers—but at the outset, that’s all I had.

Real-life issues with family, along with similar issues I have to deal with as a teacher, led me to the idea of cyberbullying being at the story’s core. What if a kid was driven nearly to suicide? And what if that kid had unknowingly attracted the attention of a thousand ghosts that really had, as children, taken their own lives?

Oh, yeah, I thought. Let’s go with that.
If I could cast THE DEVIL IN MISS DRAKE’S CLASS, the whole trilogy, as a movie, I'd love to see Maisie Williams in the role of our bullied hero, Audrey Bales, and Thomas Brody-Sangster in the role of Jack Maddox, master of the thousand ghosts. I know those are both GAME OF THRONES choices, but honestly, that's who I see. Williams has the full range of pathos and spunk in her acting repertoire, and Brody-Sangster conjures mystery and dread like he simply sweats it out on a hot day.

In a few years, I imagine Shailene Woodley would be old enough to play the relatively young teacher, Miss Drake. She’s the most popular teacher in the school, even though there are secrets and dark shadows in her past, and I can totally see Woodley pulling off both of those character aspects in her performance.

Give me the old, creepy rock star Meatloaf to play the equally creepy Mr. Downing. Meanwhile, Amandla Stenberg would be absolutely terrific as Monica Adams.

In my fantasy world, I'd take Linda Blair back to her 13th birthday and ask her to play Gale Hastings. Such possibilities, both with her sweetness and her ... other side.

A guy can only dream, you know?


***Giveaway:  1 ecopy of Devils in the Dark to a lucky commenter on any of the participating blogs.  

Saturday, November 15, 2014

Books, Coffee and Crafts, a Facebook Event


They're letting me out of the dungeon again! My reign will be held tomorrow, Sunday, November 16, from 2pm - 3pm EST. And, yes, there WILL be prizes. So help me bring some darkness to this event! <3 









Monday, November 10, 2014

Virtual Book Tour and Excerpt: In The Dark

In the Dark 
The Cities Below # 1 
By: Jen Colly 
Releasing November 3, 2014
Lyrical Press / Kensington  


Blurb


Demons have returned, a vengeful enemy waiting to strike. Soren and Faith must find a way to survive the evil and darkness. Faith's spur of the moment vacation, meant to free her and boost her spirits, has left her lost on the streets of Paris. And apparently, Paris is populated with something more than just humans. Vampires, suave, seductive and oh so sexy, and one such warrior vampire has set his sights on her.

When Soren hears Faith’s terrified screams, he rushes in and saves her life without considering the consequences. Two problems: one, she’s a human and clearly aware of his vampire qualities, and two, the men who attacked her were not men at all, but demons. Their target, his beloved underground city of Balinese. He can never let Faith go home again, but can she learn to love his people...love him?




Buy Links:   Amazon | Barnes | iBooks | Kobo

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Virtual Book Tour & Guest Post: An Absence of Light

An Absence of Light
Meradeth Houston
Paranormal/Suspense/Romance
Evernight Teen/80,000 words

Blurb: 

Leah’s always seen the shadow creatures. She thought she was immune to their evil—until now.

 She’s walked into a massacre, stolen a BMW, and is running from the law for a crime she didn’t commit. Nineteen-year-old Leah’s life just went from mildly abnormal to totally crazy at lightning speed. But no one will believe that the shadow creatures are framing her for the murder, because she’s the only one that can see them. At least that’s what she thought.

 When Leah stumbles across a group who share her ability, she discovers they have something she doesn’t: a way to fight back.  

 When the group offers to teach her how to kill the shadow creatures, Leah jumps at the chance. But something is brewing with the creatures. They’re tracking down the hunters like there’s no tomorrow. Leah suspects that maybe there won’t be, and it’s up to her to make sure tomorrow comes. Because she’ll do anything to stop the shadows, including risking her life—and the life of the one she loves—to keep the world from being lost to darkness forever.

Buy Links:     Evernight Teen    Amazon


Excerpt:

A creeping tingle of coldness wound around my ankles. Something lived in there––the same things that took away my family and had stalked me for most of my life.

I didn’t have a name for them. In my head, I called them the Shadows: inky, black creatures that avoided the light, like I avoided the dark. They did things. Things that made monsters like Hitler look warm and fuzzy—or at least, less homicidal.

How they did it confounded me, but they had the ability to influence the darkness in people, to make them do terrible things. The Shadows got something from it, as if they fed from humanity’s malevolence. I’d tried to learn more about them since I realized no one else could see them, but they didn’t exist in any book, Web page, or library.

The only thing I could conclude was that they were otherworldly evil, pure and simple.
It didn’t help that lately the Shadows had been more focused on me. I’d seen more in the last few months than I had in my whole life, and they had been acting stranger than normal. They were up to something.

Plotting how to kill me, and everyone I love. I’d been so stupid not to figure that out.

As if hearing my thoughts, the Shadow sensed my presence. It crept forward to the mouth of the alleyway, a darker blotch of oily blackness that moved of its own volition. A fine tendril rose from its black mass, reminding me of a periscope on a submarine, searching.

“Crap.” I glanced around for the best way to escape. No way I could outrun the thing.

The Shadow moved into the open. Skirting the light, coming ever closer. Picking up speed. I had to get away. Now.

My heart began beating double-time and my feet froze to the ground.

A part of me wanted to step on it, like a giant slug, but it wouldn’t do anything. They couldn’t be killed that way.

I would give anything to know if I could get rid of them, to wipe them from the face of the earth. But they didn’t die. Didn’t disappear. Didn’t leave me alone.

There was nowhere to hide. They’d kill me. Just like they did my family.

Glancing at the car in front of me, my panicked laugh caught me by surprise.

Another entry for my rap sheet.

Careful to keep in the light, I hurried around to the driver’s side. Scooping up the keys, I threw myself behind the wheel. My fingers trembled as I shoved the key into the ignition.

The Shadow lurked near my door. I spared it one glance before the engine caught with a merciful roar and I slammed my foot on the gas.

The tires squealed and a trail of smoke hid the Shadow. The snaking chill, as I always felt from them, gave way and I knew I had left it behind.

There would be more, though. There were always more.


Author Bio:

I've never been a big fan of talking about myself, but if you really want to know, here are some random tidbits about me:

~I'm a California girl. This generally means I talk too fast and use "like" a lot.

~I have my doctorate in molecular anthropology. Translation: I sequence dead people's DNA and spend a whole lot of time in a lab, which I love.

~I've been writing since I was 11 years old. It's my hobby, my passion, and I'm so happy to get to share my work!

~My other passion is teaching. There's nothing more fun than getting a classroom of college kids fired up about anthropology!

~If I could have a super-power, it would totally be flying. Which is a little strange, because I'm terrified of heights.
WEBSITE, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and of course her blog!

Guest Post for An Absence of Light

Writing Scary

Thanks so much for hosting me today! So, today, I thought I’d talk a little about writing a scary book, because An Absence of Light is a little scary. Not you’ll-have-to-sleep-with-the-lights-on scary, but still, a bit frightening at points :-).

Truth be told, I never thought I’d write anything scary. I’m a total scaredy-cat when it comes to books that have things that go bump in the night. I once started writing this half funny, half creepy ghost story about La Llorona haunting a Target store (haha, yeah, I know, silly, right?), and I got so scared I had to stop writing it. My husband forced me to go see Paranormal Activity with him, and I didn’t sleep for a week. Seriously. (He did feel bad about that…but not enough to try and get me to go see the next film. Sigh.)

Anyhow, An Absence of Light is on the scarier end of the spectrum, which is kind of a little new for me. It’s definitely leaning toward the thriller side of things, with a splash of sci-fi, but still, creepy killer aliens? They’re in there. And they’re not nice. Which I completely had a blast writing about. Sometimes letting lose with a seriously freaky creature that subscribes to a very different moral code can be really freeing. I love getting to stretch my writing muscles, and creating the world and aliens in Absence allowed for that. 

The other thing is that there isn’t a ton of suspense in Absence that we see in, say, Signs (another movie that scared the snot out of me—didn’t help that I lived on my family’s farm surrounded by corn fields when I saw it). Hitchcock is another master of the suspenseful scary. In a lot of ways, it’s that build up, the not knowing, that’s the frightening part. Or, at least it is for me. In Absence, we always know who the bad guys are, and we know what they look like, but it’s the build up to what they’re doing that’s the freaky part. (Or, I hope it is!) The not knowing comes in the form of whether or not Leah and her crew can stop the aliens, and if they’re all going to survive. Hopefully it’s the kind of suspense that will keep you reading, though maybe with the lights on ;). 

So, I’m curious: what is it that makes something scary for you? And what’s the freakiest movie you’ve ever seen?

Me? What I fear the most is for something to happen to one of my children that I cannot fix. You never know true fear, nor other emotions that you will feel so strongly you would think you had the heightened senses of a vampire, until you become a parent.

Freakiest movie?! Come now, love, that there is a fully loaded question. Also depends on what type of "freaky" you're referring too. One must be careful when phrasing those sorts of questions to me. Muahahahahaha! SMOOCHES!


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Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Spotlight and Character Interview: Fairy, Texas





Fairy, Texas (Fairy, Texas #1)
Release Date: 02/06/14

Summary from Goodreads:
Laney Harris thinks there might be monsters in Fairy, Texas.

She's right.

When her mother remarried and moved them to a town where a date meant hanging out at the Sonic, Laney figured that "boring" would have a whole new meaning. A new stepsister who despised her and a high school where she was the only topic of gossip were bad enough. But when she met the school counselor (and his terminal bad breath), she grew suspicious. Especially since he had wings that only she could see. And then there were Josh and Mason, two gorgeous glimmering-eyed classmates whose interest in her might not be for the reasons she hoped. Not to mention that dead guy she nearly tripped over in gym class. 

Boring takes on an entirely new dimension in Fairy, Texas.

If she's going to survive in this small town, she'll have to learn to wing it.


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Excerpt:

     I was partnered with Mason Collier, the infamous football-playing, cute, but possibly black-magicky friend-of-Bartlef I’d heard about at lunch. I looked around and saw a guy waving at me from across the room. He was looking at me kind of like he was hungry and maybe I was breakfast. It worried me.
     Still, at least I hadn’t been paired up with Kayla. It could have been much worse.
     “Okay,” Carlson said. “Go ahead and meet with your partner and plan your strategy.”
     Mason and I stood up at the same time and walked toward each other. I was so busy making sure I didn’t trip over any desks that I didn’t see Kayla headed toward me until she was right in front of me. And then she leaned in close to my face and hissed at me. “Don’t get too cozy. He’s way out of your league.”
     I rolled my eyes and moved around her without responding. Three days. Three days I’d been in Fairy, and already I had an enemy. And I lived in her house. My life kept getting better and better.
Mason and I met in the middle of the room. Kayla and her friends huddled nearby, watching us.
     “Hey,” Mason said.
     “Hey.” Nice, neutral word, hey. Can mean almost anything. Or nothing.
     “So,” he said, “where do you want to start?”
     He was asking me? Where I wanted to start was away from here, where there weren’t any dead boys to trip over.

      So much for that option.


Character Interview: Lainey

1. Laney, quick. Describe yourself in seven words or less!
High school student, new girl, freaked out!

2. Tell us something about your current hometown.
I got dragged off to Fairy, Texas when my mother got remarried—to her high school sweetheart, of all people. It’s a tiny little town in the middle of nowhere. I can’t believe Mom grew up here.  I live on a ranch. My stepfather hangs dead coyotes on the fence, I now know how to recognize buzzard vomit, and the only place to hang out is the local Sonic. It’s making me crazy!

3. What's the strangest thing that has ever happened to you?
I saw mostly invisible bat wings on the creepy school counselor. Then I tripped over a dead guy in gym class. Did I mention how much I hate it here?

4. What's your favourite food?
Spaghetti and meatballs. But my new stepsister Kayla said she hates it, so Mom hasn’t cooked any lately. I don’t believe Kayla, by the way. I think she lied just because she heard me say I liked it.

5. Can you tell us a little about what to expect in Fairy, Texas?
The book starts off with pretty much my worst day ever—tripping over that dead guy is just the beginning! And those bat wings on the creepy counselor? They’re real!

6. Can you tell us something about yourself we don't learn from the book?
My first kiss was with Joey Blaine in the fourth grade behind the jungle gym on the playground. His lips tasted like the cherry lollipop he’d just finished.

7. What is your author Margo Bond Collins like?
She’s kind of quiet until you get to know her—she likes to sit back and watch for a while before jumping into any kind of social situation. But then it’s hard to shut her up! She grew up not far from Fairy, Texas, and after living all over the country, has come back to North Central Texas, where she lives with her husband, daughter, and a bunch of pets.

8. Name five items in your purse or pockets right now.
I’ve got a 35mm camera, my cell phone, some sparkly lip gloss, a $5 bill, and my Fairy High student ID.

9. What were your first impressions of Josh and Mason?
They are both insanely hot. Mason’s a flirt, too. He’s got this amazing smile that lights up the room, and he makes me laugh. Josh is quieter, more serious. His eyes are a beautiful, indefinable color, sort of a blue-green-silver. Neither of them would have given me a second look in my old school in Atlanta. I guess being the new girl does have some benefits.

10. If you had one chance to change anything about your life, what would it be?

I just wish I could have figured everything out before someone got hurt . . .


Fairy, Texas Playlists
All of the songs in these playlists represent some element of the characters, setting, or plot of Fairy, Texas—and they’re also the songs I listened to when I was writing the book!  I wanted songs that highlighted both the creepy world in which Laney Harris finds herself and the rural Texas setting of this YA paranormal romance/mystery.

And since I can never pick just one, I have two playlists for Fairy, Texas!





Top 5 YA Books of 2014 by Margo Bond Collins(so far)
I never get enough time to read, but I've been trying to focus on it more this year, and I’ve read a whole pile of excellent YA books! Here are just a few of my favorites from the first six months of 2014, in no particular order:

This book was recommended by another book blogger as the best YA book she had read in 2013, and as soon as I started reading, I figured out why. Hayoz’s prose is flawless and her characters engrossing—even when I wanted to kick Sylvie, the astral-projecting protagonist, I believed in her completely.  I was so deeply involved in this book that I completely forgot to cook dinner one night; I looked up and it was almost midnight!

Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen are from different worlds, but when their starship crashes and they are stranded together on an apparently abandoned planet, they must learn to work together if they are going to survive—and if they are going to discover the source of the whispers and visions that haunt them in this strange place. I’m rarely taken completely by surprise when reading, but These Broken Stars did just that—it’s a haunting story, and I’m anxious for the next entry in the series.

The end of this book left me gasping and wanting more—what starts out as a fairly traditional paranormal romance quickly turns into an amazing mystery/romance/thriller. Cora Sandoval, whose life-threatening illness leaves her with the ability to see auras, heads out to find her long-lost mother and discovers a whole world of power and magic. I can’t wait for the sequel!

 In this novel, Romeo and Hamlet take a trip through the underworld in order to find Romeo’s love, Juliet. This novel delighted me, in part because I’m a college professor in my other life and have taught both Shakespeare and a whole slew of traditional heroic tales. Trout draws on and transforms literary tradition in entertaining ways in this book.

 I actually read this book for the first time at the very end of 2013, but I re-read it almost instantly in January because I love it so very much. I adored Black’s short story of the same name and was initially a little disappointed to discover that the novel was not, in fact, a continuation of the same story but rather a new story set in the same world. But that disappointment quickly disappeared as Black’s novel drew me in. Black has called this novel her “love letter” to vampire novels, and the vampires here are horrifying—being the single (potential) exception to that rule makes the love-interest vampire equally terrifying and attractive, adding up to the kind of vicarious adrenaline rush that draws me to vampire tales in the first place.  

Honorable Mention: 
This is the sequel to Ee’s amazing Angelfall, a post-apocalyptic story of humans struggling to survive in the days after an attack by an angelic host. This second novel is in some ways even darker than the first, but it does a good job of continuing the story and setting the reader up for the next novel.

About the Author
Margo Bond Collins is the author of a number of novels, including Sanguinary, Taming the Country Star, Waking Up Dead, Fairy, Texas, and Legally Undead. She lives in Texas with her husband, their daughter, and several spoiled pets. She teaches college-level English courses online, though writing fiction is her first love. She enjoys reading romance, urban fantasy, and paranormal fiction of any genre, and spends most of her free time daydreaming about heroes, monsters, cowboys, and villains, and the strong women who love them.




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