Thursday, October 10, 2013

Semester Aboard, the first book in the YA urban fantasy series More than Magic series has a brand new cover! If you haven't read Semester Aboard yet, here's a quick summary and a little peek for you!

College student Jen Maddox is a few days into her summer study abroad program and has loved every moment. She just left Mexico and is back on her cruise ship campus, ready to sail to Panama. Everyone tells her that the experience will change her life, but none of them realize just how right they really are.
One night Jen goes out on deck and encounters five other students. She knows Charlie from one of her classes and he's a funny, friendly, regular guy. Picture-perfect Dani and his gorgeous wife Mariana live right down the hall from Jen. And she has seen TS, who's built like a truck, around the ship and recognizes the cute, but quiet Thomas as well.
Then Jen sees something that isn't humanly possible. Jen would have thought that it was all a dream, if not for the fact that Charlie, Dani, Mariana, TS, and Thomas are making every effort to cover it up. Suddenly, the five of them are everything but normal and Jen is determined to figure out what they're hiding.
When she does, her life really does change. Jen expected to spend her summer studying the cultures of Latin America, she never dreamed she'd learn about a magical culture instead.
But Jen's childhood fantasy come true is about to turn into a nightmare; there's something on the ship. Something dangerous. Suddenly, everyone on board is threatened by a creature that Jen never even believed existed. Jen and her new friends might be the only people who can stop it! Now Jen has to learn everything she can about her new world before it kills her. And her friends. And maybe everyone on the entire ship!

The More than Magic series is written by Elizabeth Kirke.

Sneak Peek:   It started raining early in the afternoon and was a bad storm by the time I went to bed.  I woke up in the middle of the night and stumbled over to our bathroom, feeling awful.  A bit of quality time bent over the toilet didn’t help at all and I decided to try for some fresh air.  I pulled a sweater on over my pajamas, hung my ID card strap around my neck, and slipped out of the room.  I made my way down the corridor to the door that led outside.  For the first time since getting on the ship I had to keep one hand on the railing.  The halls were well lit, even though it was the middle of the night, and it was almost disconcerting to step outside into the darkness.  But the moment the cool, damp wind hit my face I felt better.  I hadn’t been seasick since our first night, but sometimes I felt nauseous if I stayed in our room too long.  Being out on the deck always helped.
    I had assumed that I’d be the only one crazy enough to go out in the rain in the middle of the night, but to my surprise I wasn’t.  There were people on the other side of the deck.  It was too dark to see them well, but the lights from the deck above us illuminated them a little.  One of them was Charlie.  He was standing under the overhang where Deck Five extended out above Deck Four.  He was just wearing a t-shirt and jeans and I shivered in sympathy.  A guy I recognized, not surprising since we all lived on a ship, was sitting on the bottom steps of the outdoor stairway that led to Deck Five.  He was probably a football player back home or something.  He had shaggy, dark brown hair and a fairly large nose.  I’d heard a few girls giggling about him, but I didn’t think he was that good looking.  I wasn’t sure what his name was.  Another guy was sitting in a chair, probably pilfered from Deck Five, with his back to me and his feet up on the rails.  Mariana was near him, wearing only a bikini top and a short skirt.  I couldn't believe she wasn't cold.
    "I didn’t scream!" she said.
    "You totally did!  You freaked out!" Dani laughed.
    It had been too dark to notice Dani until he spoke.  My jaw dropped in shock.  Dani was sitting on the railing of the ship.  Messing around on the rails was one of the first things they’d told us not to do when we got on board.  Even sitting on them in the middle of a calm day was suicidal at best.  But to sit there in the middle of a stormy night was nothing short of a death wish.
    "I was not!" Mariana cried.
    "You were all like, 'Oh, Danio, save me Danio!'"
    "Well, I...I-don’t be such a jerk!"
    As Mariana spoke she spun to face Dani and shoved him hard.  Dani’s laugh turned into a yell of surprise and he tumbled backward off of the railing!  I gasped in horror.  Every second now was critical.  If someone went overboard we were supposed to immediately throw them a life preserver and then run and tell a crew member.  But not a single one of them did anything!  The one in the chair uncrossed his legs and recrossed them with a different one on top.  The guy on the stairs threw back his head and laughed!  Charlie quickly stuck his head over the railing and then pulled back and shivered.  It was as if Dani hadn't gone overboard at all.
    "Oh my god!" I gasped.  They must have been in shock.  That was the only reason they weren't rushing to save Dani.  I ran across the deck, at the very least, I could throw the life preserver in and hope he was still alive to use it.
    They all jerked around to look at me.  They acted more surprised to see me than they were about Dani falling overboard.  Mariana gasped and backed against the rail.  Charlie stepped to the edge of the overhang and Football Guy jumped off of the stairs to his feet.  The guy in the chair was on his feet in an instant.  I hardly even saw him move; one second he was sitting and the next he was up.  He stepped in front of the others, almost protectively.
    "That's Jennifer."  Charlie spoke softly like he didn't want me to hear, but the wind carried his words right to me.  "She's in one of my classes."
    The guy in front smiled.  "You're up late."
    They were acting like nothing had happened!  This was insane!
    "What's the matter with you?" I cried.  "We have to do something!"
    "Do something?"  He almost looked genuinely confused.  "About what?"
    "She just..." I gestured to Mariana.  "She just pushed Dani overboard!"
    He had the audacity to laugh.  "It's raining, you know.  And dark.  You're mistaken."
Hungry for more? Find the first four chapters on Elizabeth's blog... And now, what you came for, the new cover!
In addition to the new cover, courtesy of the amazing Strong Image Editing, a bonus chapter, from a different POV as been added to Semester Aboard, along with a glossary! It has also been edited one more time, just for good measure! It's available from Amazon and Smashwords! a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Friday, September 13, 2013

Album: Sanctuary
Written by: Charlotte Abel
Performed by: Ryan Heenan


Written for River's Recruit, Book One of The Sanctuary Series by Charlotte Abel available at Amazon or BN.com

Also download the Prequel, Down the Rabbit Hole by Charlotte Abel for free at Amazon or BN.com



It'll be available on Itunes in a few weeks...




Sanctuary: Jonathan's Song

Broken and buried in an avalanche of pain.
I'm forever stained. 
Grief and guilt are crushing me.
Shelter me.
Please, shelter me. 

Eyes shine bright with a violet light
But the white wolf calls you tonight.
Heart to heart and skin to skin
Make me believe I'm whole again.

Cut away my scars with blades of steel.
Cure the unseen wounds that never heal.
Bind them up and stay with me.
Let the white wolf run free.

You're my sanctuary. You're my safe haven.
You're the only reason that I'm still breathing.
Don't leave me alone tonight.
Shelter me. Please, shelter me tonight.

My dreams drag me back to a hostile land
Where hero's blood soaks the desert sand.
Afraid and alone with no way home.
Shelter me. Please, shelter me.
Please, shelter me.

You're my sanctuary. You're my safe haven.
You're the only reason that I'm still breathing.
Don't leave me alone tonight.
Shelter me. Please, shelter me tonight.



Charlotte Abel Bio:
Charlotte Abel was born and raised in Oklahoma where she met her soulmate, Pete. She chased him to Boulder, Colorado and finally convinced him they were meant to be together forever. They've raised three kids, two ferrets, three dogs and countless hamsters -- and are still happily married.
She's in love with "real" life and paranormal romance. When she's not reading or writing, Charlotte enjoys hiking, bicycling and primitive archery (although she's never shot at anything other than a target!)
The final book of The Channie Series, "Finding Valor," is now available!
Look for "River's Remorse," the second book of "The Sanctuary Series" in 2014


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Tuesday, September 10, 2013


Time Spell by T.A. Foster
Please help us congratulate T.A. Foster for the release of her new Paranormal Romance/Mystery novel Time Spell

Meet Ivy, a young woman from a small Southern city with an eye for a good mystery, a hot and sexy love she can’t forget and the man of her dreams, just out of reach. Follow Ivy as she struggles to live a “normal life” in the midst of her budding writing career, a whirlwind of love interests, and the magical gifts that she must keep a secret at all costs. Will Ivy be able to make the ultimate sacrifice to protect the people she loves the most? 

Time Spell blends suspense, romance, history, and the supernatural together for a riveting novel, impossible to put down.


Amazon:

B&N:

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Monday, September 9, 2013

**THIS IS AN ADULT ROMANCE & CONTAINS MATURE SUBJECT MATTER/SITUATIONS AND IS NOT INTENDED FOR YOUNG READERS**
storytellers.ebook.final
Synopsis:
Four storytellers
One ancient demon
No way out…
Four women who call themselves The Storytellers have gathered one hot August evening to tell tales, as they have for years. But on this night, they unknowingly evoke the powers of an ancient Mayan idol that breathes real life into their stories. The Mayan idol isn’t the only ancient being awakened. A power-hungry demon is determined to see the women fail and become enslaved to him forever.
Now the women’s lives depend on surviving each other’s stories, defeating the demon and solving a centuries-old mystery.
If they survive until The End untold wealth is theirs. But some stories have a life of their own...
Release date: 9/9/13
Posted by Unknown On 1:00 AM No comments READ FULL POST

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

We are excited to present the cover of Olympia Heights: The Cult of Kronos by Amy Leigh Strickland. This YA Urban Fantasy is the latest installment of teenage adventure at Olympia Heights High.


Enter to win this awesome swag pack from Amy


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Tuesday, August 27, 2013


 Eliza Tilton is the author of the YA Fantasy, Broken Forest, published by Curiosity Quills Press. You can find her blogging about video games and writing on her blog and doing bi-weekly posts on author media over at YAStands.

She graduated from Dowling College with a BS in Visual Communications. When she’s not arguing with excel at her day job, or playing Dragon Age 2, again, she’s writing. Her stories hold a bit of the fantastical and there’s always a romance. She resides on Long Island with her husband, two kids and one very snugly pit bull.


  
Broken Forest sounds so very enchanting. I would pick this book up by its cover or title alone and buy it without blinking. I had the pleasure of interviewing Eliza Tilton, Author of Broken Forest, and here's what we had to say . . .


  1. Eliza, can you tell us what first inspired you to write?
"I’ve always written. I still have my first short story I wrote in third grade—a fanfiction of The Chronicles of Narnia."

  1. What are some of your favourite books?
"I am a HUGE R.A Salvatore fan. Can I count all his books as one? In the YA realm, picking a few is tougher, BUT if I have to…The Iron King, Graceling, Finnikin of The Rock, The Sky Is Everywhere, Legend of the Emerald Rose, Between Shades of Grey
And I think everyone should read Room."


  1. Can you sum up Broken Forest in one line?
"A 17yr old boy goes on a desperate quest to find his kidnapped sister who’s been taken to a land thought only to exist in fables."

  1. How did you come up with the awesome title?
"Ugh. Titles are soooo hard. The original title was WINDS OF CHANGE, but then I put in winds on Amazon and a ton of titles popped up. When I began thinking of another title, I came across a list of chapter titles I had written but never used. Broken Forest was one of the end chapter titles. When I read it, I knew that was the name of the book. It fit perfectly."

  1. What was your inspiration for the story?
"It was a birthday gift to my husband. I was going to college, broke, and decided to write him a fantasy with him as the main character. The story was thirteen chapters and I never finished it, lol. After a few years, I got serious about writing, ripped the story apart, and re-wrote everything. The only aspect that stayed the same was the MC’s name—Avikar."

  1. Are any of the characters and events inspired by real life?
"Not unless you count playing tabletop D&D. The last character I played was an archer."

  1. I sense some word-building took place here. Was that a difficult process?
"Yes and no. You would think being a gamer and a D&D player, I’d understand the concept of World Building, but when I first started writing it was much harder than I expected. You have to think about history, culture, climate, creatures…I have a big binder with all that stuff written in it, including a very terrible hand drawn map. I took a few cultural aspects of biblical times, mixed it with a bunch of created elements and a smidgen of 16th century life."

  1. If Broken Forest was made into a movie, who would you want to play the hero and heroine?
"Dream movie cast: Avikar (Logan Lerman), Jeslyn (Imogen Poots) and Lucino (Ed Skrein—the hot guy who plays Daario Naharis in GOT)."

  1. Do you have a favourite writing site or tip to share with other writers?
"Write the bones and add the meat later."

  1. If you weren't a writer, what would you like to be?
"A singer. I’m horrible at singing, but I love doing it"

 Hopeless he'll never be more than the boy who didn't save his brother, 17-year-old Avikar accepts his life as the family stable boy, trying to forget the past. But when his sister, Jeslyn, is kidnapped, the thought of losing another sibling catapults him on a desperate quest. With his best friend by his side, and using the tracking skills he learned from his father, he discovers Jeslyn has been taken, kidnapped by one Lucino, the young lord of Daath, a mystical place thought only to exist in fables.  

And Lucino has plans for Jeslyn. 

His shape-shifting brethren feed off the auras of humans, and Jeslyn's golden hue is exactly what Lucino needs to increase his power. The longer it takes Avikar to reach her, the more entranced she becomes with Lucino's world, and the harder it will be for Avikar to set her free. 

He failed his family once. He won't fail again.

 Excerpt from Broken Forest:
Rudy stood in front of me with Reaper. “You ready to clean that up?”

Reaper stuck a sword into the fire, and I watched the metal glow.

“It’s not that bad,” I said.

Rudy huffed and lifted away the makeshift bandage I had put on. He rinsed the cut with water. I winced. “Here, bite on this.” He shoved a leather belt at me.

You’d think after a vicious battle, I could handle a simple cauterizing. Sweat dripped down my neck and my heart pounded so fast it made me dizzy.

Reaper walked over, holding that poker of death in his hand, and I swear he was smiling. Having him close the wound made me even more panicky.

“Hey, Derrick!”

Derrick looked over, and I waved at him. He saw Reaper, and his eyes widened.

“Hold my right arm,” I said. “I don’t want to accidentally punch Reaper when he burns it.”

Derrick smirked. “Sure.”

I took a deep breath; put the belt in my mouth.

HOLY-BEARDED-MOTHER!

Eliza's Links: 
Author links: Twitter / Tumblr / Website  / Pinterest / Facebook
Buy links: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / KOBO  Goodreads
Posted by Lisa Collicutt On 7:07 PM 2 comments READ FULL POST

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Check out the new covers for all the books in the Grimoire Saga by S.M. Boyce!

Synopsis:

Kara Magari is about to discover a beautiful world full of terrifying things: Ourea.

Kara, a college student still reeling from her mother's recent death, has no idea the hidden world of Ourea even exists until a freak storm traps her in a sunken library. With nothing to do, she opens an ancient book of magic called the Grimoire and unwittingly becomes its master, which means Kara now wields the cursed book's untamed power. Discovered by Ourea's royalty, she becomes an unwilling pawn in a generations-old conflict - a war intensified by her arrival. In this world of chilling creatures and betrayal, Kara shouldn't trust anyone... but she's being hunted and can't survive on her own. She drops her guard when Braeden, a native soldier with a dark secret, vows to keep her safe. And though she doesn't know it, her growing attraction to him may just be her undoing.

For twelve years, Braeden Drakonin has lived a lie. The Grimoire is his one chance at redemption, and it lands in his lap when Kara Magari comes into his life. Though he begins to care for this human girl, there is something he wants more. He wants the Grimoire.

Welcome to Ourea, where only the cunning survive.

Excerpt:

Kara Magari squinted back up the path she’d just climbed. The gazebo’s roof peeked through the trees, evidence of where she’d been only ten minutes before. Not bad. With her finger in the air, she traced the way she’d taken, starting at the lichgate and going down over each step in her head. Her finger hovered and came to a stop, though, when she examined the base of the hill.

Built into the rock was a marble door, shrouded with overhanging roots and dangling moss that clung to its frame like bangs. She rubbed her eyes, but the closed entryway was still there when she opened them again.

She brushed her hand along the door’s smooth stone. It was simple, with only a round stone knob and a small emblem carved into the rock at eye level. The symbol looked something like a four-leaf clover made out of crescent moons.

Kara’s fingers itched on the handle, but she hesitated.

The ground trembled with a sudden force that knocked her against the cliff. The breeze stopped, dissolving with a hiss into the hot summer sky. She scanned the valley. Several somethings cracked in the ground under her feet.

Thunder rumbled overhead. A dark cloud churned in the sky, and her heart fell into her stomach; there hadn’t even been a single fluffy cloud up there ten minutes ago.

A blinding bolt of moss-colored lightning flashed, striking the ground nearby. The hairs on her arms stood on end. Heat coursed through her calves, and she caught her breath. Her ears rang.

Wait. Was that lightning green?

 The cliff trembled as a boom shattered the air. It began to rain. The heavy drops pelted her skin and clung to her hair as another rumble coursed along the far edge of the valley. She needed shelter, and the last place she would go in a lightning storm was up a hill.

She turned back and twisted the door’s handle, sighing with relief as it opened—unlocked. Still, as wet as it was outside and as much as she wanted a safe place to wait out the rain, she lingered on the threshold to examine the room.

Mud covered everything from the floor to the ceiling. Since there weren’t any supports to hold the roof, she couldn’t figure out how the ten-by-ten dirt shelter hadn’t caved in yet. The air within was heavy, moist with the rot of dead leaves, and her only guiding light streamed in from behind her. Roots dangled from the ceiling like stalactites reaching for the floor. The wind picked up, howling as it pelted rain against her back.

Kara tested the ground with her sneaker. The dirt floor supported her weight, so she tip-toed into the room and left the door open. Rain fell in lingering drops on the threshold before it disappeared into the growing pools of mud. She stuck her hands in her pockets and watched the raging storm outside.

A flash of dark brown blurred past her.

She jumped. A tan flicker snaked along the roof, and clumps of soil fell in sheets. She glared at the ceiling, holding her breath as the settling dust rained onto her shoes.

It had almost looked like a root moving, but that—that was crazy.

Another streak of motion raced down the opposite wall. It passed through a shaft of light, and Kara saw its pointed, wooden tip. Tiny veins sprouted from it like hairs, digging into the dirt so that it could travel.

It was a root moving.

A second spiny vine shot up from the floor and wrapped itself around her leg. It pulled. She tripped, falling into the first root as it snaked along the far wall. Dirt poured over her head, blinding her. The scent of decaying bark made her cough. The root tugged again, and she was yanked onto her hands and knees. It dragged her towards the center of the room. She reached for the knife strapped to her free ankle, the one Mom had—no! She couldn’t think of Mom. Not now.

A third root wrapped around her waist, and another grabbed her hand as she reached for the blade. The roots flipped her onto her back. With a bang, the door snapped shut. Her stomach churned. The floor disappeared. She fell, and the roots let go.

Where to buy:
Amazon
Kobo
Barnes and Noble
Smashwords



 Synopsis:

Kara Magari ignited a war when she stumbled into Ourea and found the Grimoire: a powerful artifact filled with secrets. To protect the one person she has left, she strikes a deal that goes against everything she believes in. But things don’t go as planned.

Braeden Drakonin can no longer run from who—and what—he is. He has to face the facts. He’s a prince. He’s a murderer. He’s a wanted man. And after a betrayal that leaves him heartbroken, he’s out for blood.

To survive, both Kara and Braeden must become the evil each has grown to hate.

Where to buy:
Amazon
Kobo
Barnes and Noble
Smashwords


Coming Fall 2013!

Synopsis:

Kara isn’t normal, and she finally understands why. She’s forced to face a past she didn’t know she had, and she uncovers an ugly truth along the way.

Braeden has been slowly rebuilding his life after the betrayal that tore it apart. He may just get the chance to redeem himself…but it will come at a terrible price.

 
 
Coming Fall 2014!

Synopsis:

The final chapter in the war for Ourea comes to a head as the truth about Kara, Braeden, and the first Vagabond is each finally revealed. Old tensions ignite, new rivals are born, and the final hope for the creatures of this hidden world rest in the Grimoire. But when Kara learns what the ultimate price of peace is, she doesn’t know if she’s strong enough to do what must be done.
 
About the Author:

 
International Amazon Bestseller. Fantasy Author. Twitter addict. Book Blogger. Geek. Sarcastic. Gooey. Odd. Author of the action-packed Grimoire Saga.

S.M. Boyce is a novelist who loves ghosts, magic, and spooky things. She prefers loose-leaf tea, reads far too many books, and is always cold. She’s married to her soul mate and couldn’t be happier. Her B.A. in Creative Writing qualifies her to serve you french fries.

Boyce likes to update her blog a few times each week so that you have something to wake you up in the morning.

Follow her online:
Website
Facebook
Pinterest
Goodreads













Posted by Unknown On 12:00 AM No comments READ FULL POST
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