Tuesday, 9 April 2013

No Brainer Cover Reveal

Coming this May is the release of the second book in 'The Darcy Walker Series' by A.J Lape.
Well I am here to wet your appetite with an unveiling of the cover :)
First lets take a look at the first book in the series ' Grade A Stupid'

Blurb - Grade A Stupid


Fifteen years ago, Darcy Walker's parents thought it was a good idea to give her a unique name: Darcy, meaning "dark walker." Whether that was a stroke of genius or stroke of stupid, they definitely nailed the irony. She lacks direction, her grades stink despite a high IQ, she's boringly average--although flirting admirers claim otherwise--and God help her, she's infatuated with a bad-boy.

A bad-boy that her hottie best friend, Dylan, wishes would get acquainted with his fist.

And, oh yeah, there's that tattoo that was a royally stupid idea.

With her life spiraling out of control, everything changes when she skips class and finds a dead body...in fact, it gets worse. It jump starts Darcy's inner-verb, and her brain hardwired for action gets caught up in a situation she can’t let go.

Set in the fictional Cincinnati town of Valley, Ohio, Darcy falls into a world of threats, violence, and gangland exploits chasing down every clue to finger the murderer. When a fellow misfit is fingered for the crime, Darcy goes from zero-to-sixty trying to clear his name--constructing aliases, breaking the law, everything that makes perfect sense to her but reeks of Grade A Stupid to everyone else.

Trouble is...will she live to see 16?





Blurb - No Brainer


Two weeks before junior year, Darcy hops a plane to Orlando for a little R&R with her best friend Dylan and his family. Fresh off the heels of solving three murders in Valley, you'd think she'd sit back and enjoy the vacation capital of the world…maybe if you're a noun. Darcy Walker, however, is nothing but verb. 
Before her feet hit the Orlando soil, she's meddling in the disappearance of a five-year-old boy who vanished six months earlier. 
With authorities still no closer to solving the case, Darcy is shanghaied by her impulsivity and runs headlong into that proverbial burning building, convinced she can bring him home. 
She travels down a road that not only follows this missing child but branches off into the corrupt and sinister world of mob activity when she tampers in a case on which Dylan's detective grandfather is working.
After a near disastrous midnight meeting in a warehouse and a date with a mechanical bull, Darcy realizes she might've bitten off more than she can chew. Add the boiling flirtationship with her best friend and the appearance of his romantic rival, and she is in over her head. 
Will she survive a life of flirting with death too easily? Or will her flirtationship with Dylan become the actual death of her instead?
For a girl with a habit of finding dead bodies, No Brainer gives Darcy Walker more of the same…surprising twists and turns…and running for her life.



So awesome...... don't you think? :)

Thursday, 4 April 2013

Eternal Island cover reveal

Pack your bags! We're going on a trip. The second installment of the Eternal series is about to be released! Like Witches? Love Vampires? What about a mysterious and magical island that can only be seen with a magic password? You can go there. I can take you. C'mon! *waves arm* I'll help you pack!
About the Authors:

 



Kristie Haigwood (a.k.a. K.S. Haigwood) is currently writing her 8th novel. She lives in Arkansas, US. She is the mother of 2 awesome kids and 2 great dogs. She is happily married to her soulmate who thinks reading is a solid waste of time. Opposites attract. Kristie’s works include 'Save My Soul', 'Forbidden Touch', 'Eternal Island' and 'Hell's Gift' (available on Amazon in ebook and print). 'Eternal Immortality', 'Eternal Inception', 'The Last Assignment' and 'Good Side of Sin' are all releasing soon.



Ella Medler is an author and playwright who lives in Cornwall, UK. She likes to experiment with different genres and is passionate about the human nature. Her works include the satire Martin Little, Resurrected, and the action thriller Blood is Heavier, both part of a series. Blood is Power is due for release in May 2013, and Martin Little Takes Epic Action, in summer 2013.
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www.amazon.com/author/kshaigwood
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ETERNAL ISLAND

ABOUT THE ISLAND A place where vampires rule, witches play, danger lurks and dreams really do come true. Eternal Island is a paranormal suspense novel, deeply rooted into myth. Vampires and magic form a unique backdrop to a love story with long reaching consequences. Human girl Ariana Lochalan finds herself transported from the relative calm of her ‘Nowhere, Arkansas’ life into a diametrically opposite existence when she discovers she is a powerful witch and meant to wed High Vampire of Eternal Island, Abe Cambridge. Despite first-sight magnetism, the two protagonists are being pushed apart, obstacles tripping them at every step, outside forces interfering and threatening their peace, and ultimately their lives. A world rich in magic and intrigue, Eternal Island is the first instalment of a saga which has love at its core and delves through the mire that is human nature in a turmoil of feeling and emotion. Would courage, resilience and love be enough to bring together two soul mates? How much would you sacrifice to save the one who owns your heart?

COVER REVEAL OF ETERNAL IMMORTALITY

Kristie and Ella's Gift to you!

In celebration of Eternal Immortality's cover release, Kristie and Ella are making Eternal Island FREE April 4th-5th! Grab it up and tell your friends, so they can too!
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www.amazon.com/author/kshaigwood
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WHERE TO FIND THE AUTHORS
KRISTIE
www.amazon.com/author/kshaigwood  
www.facebook.com/kshaigwood 
http://kshaigwood.blogspot.com 
http://twitter.com/Kshaigwood
Ella
http://www.amazon.com/Ella-Medler/e/B007FVQTFW/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1350850974&sr=1-2-ent 
www.facebook.com/ella.medler 
http://ellamedler.wordpress.com/ 
http://twitter.com/EllaMedler

Monday, 1 April 2013

Author spotlight with Sophie Davis


Yeay it is Easter Monday :)

Today I get to do an author spotlight on Sophie Davis. So there will be no interview questions today :)


Sophie moved to Washington, D.C. after graduating from Penn State University to pursue a career in the Sciences.  After deciding to actually write down one of the stories she makes up in her head, Sophie began the long journey towards her first full-length novel, Talented.  There are three sequels to Talented; Caged and Hunted are available now and Created will be available Summer of 2013.  There is also a novella, Captivated, about Erik and Talia that was just released.  Her second series begins with See You in My Nightmares, coming Spring 2013.  When Sophie isn't hunched over her computer, she can be found shopping in Georgetown, running in Rock Creek Park, or at the local dive bars in her Columbia Heights Neighborhood.


Book Description:


When Talia Lyons was just a child, her parents were murdered before her eyes. Offered a choice between accepting their fate and exacting revenge, Talia trains to become one of the country’s deadliest assassins in order to kill the man responsible for their deaths: Ian Crane. Luckily, Talia was born with a gift- the ability to read and influence the minds of others. At sixteen, Talia is poised to graduate from the McDonough School for the Talented, where she learned to control her abilities. Now there is only one obstacle standing between her and the retribution she craves... Talia herself.

Her greatest asset may also be her undoing; while a formidable weapon in the field, Talia’s talents prevent her from both shutting off the mental connection she shares with her questionable boyfriend and blocking out the thoughts of a beguiling fellow recruit. But Talia can’t afford to have the feelings and distractions of a normal teenage girl, when her life is far from normal.

She must regain the single-minded determination that has brought her this far, or it may cost Talia her life when she finally faces Crane. And even after being molded in to a weapon of war, she’ll still have to find the strength it takes to pull the trigger.

If James Bond and Sookie Stackhouse had a love child with a yearning for vengeance, her story would be TALENTED: an adventure about powerful teenagers who aren’t afraid to embrace their fears and fight for what they believe in.

How cool does this book sound? I love the cover!


And guess what? It is also free for a limited time. (Not free on Amazon UK though)




Saturday, 30 March 2013

Interview with Hunter S Jones


Hi everyone. Well it is the day before Easter and I am joined by the lovely Hunter S. Jones








Interview questions


Hi Hunter, thank you for accepting to be interviewed. As my blog says ‘ Complete randomness from a crazy author’ so expect the unexpected J

How long have you wanted to be a writer?

Too long.

Have you come up against any hurdles along the way?

This question could take years to answer completely.

What would you say is the most difficult thing about being a writer is?

Writing. The process of creating is excruciating for some of us.

What or who inspires you to write?

You never know where inspiration will come from…maybe something you see, something a person is wearing, the way the sun reflects from a window…our inspiration finds us. Don’t you think?

I completely agree J
Do you have any other writing projects on the go, apart from your current series?
Yes, I have a music blog at Expats Post. So that is always being  prepared for release.  There’s a couple of projects in the planning stages, but I can’t say anything about them yet.
Oooo you will have to keep me posted on those new projects J
If you could be any of your characters who would it be and why?
Either Victoria Bryant from Magic in Memphis, or Mrs. Jones for my vignette named Britain.
What genre would you say your books are in?
I call it explicit horror/occult, although Magic in Memphis is a romance, and Britain is erotic romance.
Do you have any favourite authors?
Yes.

As a Brit we have one burning question going around our country…………… Do you scrunch or fold? ;) (toilet paper)

Sorry but I’m Southern, we just don’t talk about things openly the way the Brits do. We’re very reserved.
hehe

LOL as a Brit we get labelled the reserved ones lol.
What do you like to do besides writing?

Love this question! I love to shop, grab a bit of sushi and have a few drinks with friends. And travel. Travel is a passion for me.

What is your favourite cheese?

Gouda cheese.

Sweet or savoury?

Savoury

Would you rather be attacked by one horse sized duck or 20 duck sized horses?

20 duck sized horses.

If you had one wish that I could wave a magic wand and grant you, what would it be and why?

To go to Palma de Mallorca or Barbados with the man of my dreams. Or, go to Barcelona by myself.

Cool I use to live in Palma as a little girl. My grandparents ran a resort out there J
Thank you so much for answering my questions J







Well thank you everyone for stopping by and checking out my latest blog. Don't forget to follow me and don't forget to check out my birthday giveaway 



Thursday, 28 March 2013

Interview with Cindy Sprigg


Today I am joined by the lovely Cindy Sprigg.
So let's get down to business and get stuck into the interview

Interview questions


Hi Cindy, thank you for accepting to be interviewed. As my blog says ‘ Complete randomness from a crazy author’ so expect the unexpected J

How long have you wanted to be a writer?

I never consciously wanted  to be a writer, but when I started, I found  that it was a way to exorcize the people who had been stomping around  my head forever, and shut them up. Unfortunately, the door swings two ways, and  for every one leaving, another shows up.

Yes I know that feeling exactly. To me I feel like I have opened the door and misplaced the key and all sorts of characters show up in my head and I want to scream and tell them to take a ticket and form an orderly queue  :p
Have you come up against any hurdles along the way?

Sure, everyone does; primarily, I left school in Grade 10 to get married, which didn’t last too long. I realize now that I did so just to get out of the house. To put it mildly I did not have a supportive family, so at 17 I was functionally illiterate. Over the next  20 years I found a permanent  relationship, expanded my education, married and  had a son. My son bet me that I could not write a story, and my first efforts were directed to winning that bet. Once opened, that door could not be closed.   Currently my ongoing bugbear is the query letter.

Your life sounds like a story in itself. But I know where you are coming from. I class myself as an orphan ;)
What would you say is the most difficult thing about being a writer is?

It’s a balancing act between finding time to write, and staying sane if I don’t.  The ideas still keep coming, and if I don’t have time to write, I have to keep notes.

That is why we should have a PA sitting inside our head taking notes lol.
What or who inspires you to write?

Originally my son,  more recently,  the people stomping around and yelling in my head.

If your books are a series, how many books do you plan to have in your series?

There are a few stories that I know will continue in other volumes, but since I do not consciously plan the plots or characters in my stories, I really have no idea until I am finished one. “Composed in Blood” for instance, was written at white heat, and took all my time for weeks on end: I had no idea where it was going, or how the characters would develop until I was writing. I know there will be a sequel, but I only have a faint notion of what it will be.

Do you have any other writing projects on the go, apart from your current series?

Many.  I always have several stories in process, some of which may be short stories, others may develop into novellas or novels. I have also planned some children’s books, but right now I cannot develop the artwork for the illustrations, due to my recent stroke.  The first book of the series, “The Dandelion Child” is complete.

I am sorry to hear you had a stroke. How about you asking someone else to do your artwork for it?
If you could be any of your characters who would it be and why?

Given that most of my characters are either Monsters or Meat, the options  do tend to lack appeal. I can say that the character of Susan  in “Has Anyone seen Susan”  is largely based on my persona.

What genre would you say your books are in?

Primarily, so far, Horror and  Dark Fantasy, though I am working on a literary love story, set in medieval times, plus of course the kid’s books mentioned before.

Do you have any favourite authors?

Mervyn Peake,  HP Lovecraft,  Ray Bradbury,  and  amongst the modern  masters,  Peter Straub,  Clive Barker,  Stephen King,  Neil Gaiman and James Herbert.

As a Brit we have one burning question going around our country…………… Do you scrunch or fold? ;) (toilet paper)

What makes you think I use mere toilet tissue.

LOL
What do you like to do besides writing?

Browse  thrift and antique stores.

What is your favourite cheese?

Havarti

Sweet or savoury?

Savoury  (I’m Diabetic)

Oh I would hate to be a diabetic. Women in my family become diabetic as they get older. But if someone is diabetic from childhood I suppose they wouldn’t miss chocolate.
Would you rather be attacked by one horse sized duck or 20 duck sized horses?

The Horse sized Duck.  Ducks are edible, and I could eat off  that for a while.

If you had one wish that I could wave a magic wand and grant you, what would it be and why?

To become popular  as a writer; then I could spend more time writing and less time promoting.


I hear ya. One of the reason why I chose to do these type of blogs to help fellow authors out in promotion. I personally suck at it lol.
Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions.
To find out more about Cindy and all the work she has done then check out the following webpages.







Tuesday, 26 March 2013

Interview with RaeBeth McGee-Buda


Today I am joined by the lovely Raebeth McGee-Buda



Author Bio

RaeBeth McGee-Buda was born in southwestern Pennsylvania in 1987, the second daughter of Rachel Yost and Arthur Curtis McGee. RaeBeth grew up loving to read and write poetry, as well as short stories. Her childhood dream was to become a teacher. Rae Beth’s dream of writing was created in her eleventh grade literature class where writing became her passion. 

RaeBeth married in August 2012 to her husband, Gregory Stephen Buda Jr. and resides in a small Pennsylvania town of Fairchance. RaeBeth is a full time mother of one and is expecting her second child.

She graduated from American Intercontinental University with her associates in business administration. She enjoys spending her time writing and feels that connecting with readers is her main goal.

RaeBeth published Silenced under her maiden name but plans to continue writing under her married name with any other works.

Interview questions


Hi Raebeth thank you for accepting to be interviewed. As my blog says Complete randomness from a crazy author so expect the unexpected J

How long have you wanted to be a writer?

I’ve always been a writer. It’s just recently that I’ve considered myself as an author. I’ve written short stories and poems. As an adult, I’ve exchanged the short stories and poems for novels.

Have you come up against any hurdles along the way?

Of course. When I first began expanding on Silenced (which started as a short story) I was a new mom. So in between learning to be a mom I was writing. I’ve moved several times while writing Silenced so this made it harder to finish. But I finally accomplished it and I’m thrilled.

That’s brilliant. I know exactly where you are coming from. I wrote one short story just after I had my youngest. Then my eldest was asking me for another story and I was moving home J
What would you say is the most difficult thing about being a writer is?

I would say right now would be finding the time to write. I have my six year old daughter and I’m pregnant with my second. I’m a stay at home mom and therefore the household chores are my duty as well.

Snap! I try and write when everyone is in bed, that way I can give my writing my full attention, but still I get side tracked lol.
What or who inspires you to write?

Life inspires me to write and so does my daughter. I gleam with happiness when I see her sitting on the couch with one of my books pretending to read it. She has so much support for me.. That it’s actually inspiring to write more.

Children are amazing. My series is named after my eldest and she has a sister in it who is named after my youngest J
If  your books are a series, how many books do you plan to have in your series?

At this time there’s only two books. First is Silenced and I’m working on the second. I’ve titled the second Silenced: The Overtaking.

Do you have any other writing projects on the go, apart from your current series?

Yes I do. It’s a paranormal book.

If you could be any of your characters who would it be and why?

I would be the main character out of my paranormal book I’m writing. Although I can’t say why because I don’t want to give anything away about this book just yet.

What genre would you say your books are in?

Silenced & Silenced: The Overtaking are in young adult, suspense, and general fiction.
“Unknown” (I am unsure exactly if I’m going to stick with the current title) is in the paranormal genre.

Do you have any favourite authors?

Yes I have a lot of favorite authors. To name a few…. Edgar Allen Poe and Stephen King.

As a Brit we have one burning question going around our country…………… Do you scrunch or fold? ;) (toilet paper)

Totally threw me off with this one… LOL…. Fold..

LOL I do like to be random ;)
What do you like to do besides writing?

I enjoy reading, spending time with family, or dancing all crazy to loud music with my daughter. Therefore… I work on making memories too.

You sound like me lol.
What is your favourite cheese?

I really don’t like cheese.

Sweet or savoury?

Sweet

Would you rather be attacked by one horse sized duck or 20 duck sized horses?

I would say one horse sized duck. I’m not coordinated enough to watch all 20 duck sized horse. Therefore that one is a guaranteed loss.

If you had one wish that I could wave a magic wand and grant you, what would it be and why?

I would want depression, self harm, and cancer to be non-existent.


Thank you Raebeth for taking the time to answer my questions. I love your name J







Blurb: 

Amber Brown spent her entire existence believing Dave was her father. When her mother reveals this is untrue, she goes through an emotional spiral with depression. It's hard for her to believe her mother had lied to her all this time.
A move to a new home and town causes Amber to be consumed by her "darkness" and reverts to cutting to free herself from her pain.
When Casey, her new friend enters her life, she introduces Amber to parties, drugs, and Amber's new boyfriend Landon. The secret of cutting begins to take affect on Amber as she tries to hide it from her friends and family. In the midst of everything, Amber has the desire to find out who her biological father is.
Follow Amber through her trials of depression and cutting, along with the discovery of love.
A move to a new home and town causes Amber to be consumed by her "darkness" and reverts to cutting to free herself from her pain.
When Casey, her new friend enters her life, she introduces Amber to parties, drugs, and Amber's new boyfriend Landon. The secret of cutting begins to take affect on Amber as she tries to hide it from her friends and family. In the midst of everything, Amber has the desire to find out who her biological father is.
Follow Amber through her trials of depression and cutting, along with the discovery of love.



Author Facebook Page
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Sunday, 24 March 2013

Interview with Jessica Jaster

I recently got to interview Jessica Jaster. Read a little bit more about her before we get stuck into the interview




Author Bio


Jessica Jaster lives in Iowa with her husband and her (currently) one year old and two year old, as well as their cat, Pandora.

Jessica graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in Anthropology.  Yes, she realizes that there is a big difference between Anthropology and writing young adult novels.  She actually tried for an English major (well actually, it was Criminal Justice, then English, then Anthropology), but the classes she had to take just did not fly with her.  Although, since Anthropology is pretty much just the study of humans and human culture, it could tie in with her novels in some way.

She has always had an over-active imagination and has been making stories up in her head for herself for as long as she can remember and finally decided to start writing them down (when she is not busy chasing the two little ones around anyway) and sharing them with anyone interested. Most ideas she has so far for her novels are for young adults - some fantasy, some science fiction and some normal contemporary story-lines.


Interview 


Hi Jessica, thank you for accepting to be interviewed. As my blog says ‘ Complete randomness from a crazy author’ so expect the unexpected J

How long have you wanted to be a writer?

Hm. Pretty much forever. Haha. However, for a long time I didn’t really think of my writing as anything but a hobby, mostly because I didn’t think I was good enough to make a career out of it anyway. And then it also had to compete with my art. It wasn’t until I had my daughter a couple of years ago that I began to sit down and really write. And soon I started to think, “Hm, maybe I’m not really all that bad.”

Have you come up against any hurdles along the way?

Most definitely. The biggest problem I have is finding the time for all the promoting, marketing and even the writing itself. When you have a one and two year old running around, life becomes interesting.


Promoting is so hard. That’s why us authors have to stick together J
What would you say is the most difficult thing about being a writer is?

I would say that the most difficult thing about being a writer is getting the vision of the story in my head down on paper. Sometimes it is difficult to get down in words what exactly you are thinking. That and getting it down on paper before I forget it.

Yeah a lot of the time the picture in your head is so much better than when you write it down.
What or who inspires you to write?

My family inspires me to believe in myself and in my writing. As to what usually inspires my ideas for my writing – it can be anything really. I get ideas from television shows, movies, other books, poems, songs, a story I read in the news – seriously, anything can make an idea pop into my head.

If  your books are a series, how many books do you plan to have in your series?

I am planning on having four books for the series, but we will see. I think that if there is any continuation of the story, it will be as a completely different series.

That sounds cool. I get asked the same question but I never know. I think my series will end when my characters tell me.
Do you have any other writing projects on the go, apart from your current series?

Oh gosh, yes. I’ve got about four other books I’m working on. It helps to have something else to work on when I am having complete writer’s block for the book I am currently focusing on. That way, I am at least writing something.

If you could be any of your characters who would it be and why?

For the book I am actually done with? Hm, I would love to say Weston because she is pretty awesome and then I would have Cormac to myself. Hehe. But, Weston’s life has also been pretty cruddy and I wouldn’t really want to go through all that.  So, I guess I would want to be Brianna. Even though her life hasn’t been easy either, she has at least had friends and family there to help her through it. Plus, she gets to live on a ranch, which I have always wanted to do.

What genre would you say your books are in?

Young adult, but I have ideas for some that blur the line a bit.

Do you have any favourite authors?

Yes, several. Richelle Mead, Ayn Rand,  Quinn Loftis and Chuck Palahniuk just to name a very few.

As a Brit we have one burning question going around our country…………… Do you scrunch or fold? ;) (toilet paper)

Bwahaha. Um, hm, I’m pretty sure I am a folder, but that isn’t something I’ve really paid that much attention to before either.

LOL me either until the TV advert came on the television ;)
What do you like to do besides writing?
Spend time with my family, draw, design jewelry, archery, rock climbing, read (lol).

What is your favourite cheese?

Colby Jack. Yeah, I know, nothing fancy for me.

Sweet or savoury?

We’re talking about food, right?  Yeah, because what else would we be talking about. Hm. Sweet.

Lol Someone else asked the same question. I think a lot of people have dirty minds lol.
Would you rather be attacked by one horse sized duck or 20 duck sized horses?

20 duck sized horses.

If you had one wish that I could wave a magic wand and grant you, what would it be and why?

I would wish for my books to become best sellers, but I guess every author would like that.



Thank you so much Jessica for agreeing to be interviewed :)