Spring Fling Giveaway Hop

Spring Fling Giveaway Hop

May 1st - 7th

Hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer & Eve's Fan Garden

There are lots of blogs participating and each has their own entry rules and geographic limits, so be sure to read the rules for each one.

(If you are on the home page and can't see the Rafflecopter either click on the post title or "read more" at the bottom to go to the individual post's page so you can see the widget!)

Up for grabs is winner's choice of one of the following:

 

Blood Orchids - Paperback
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks - Paperback
Stay Tuned - Paperback
The Family Affair - Review Copy
Zitface - Uncorrected Proof
All Our Worldly Goods - Paperback
Lord of Misrule - Paperback
Shaq Uncut: My Story - Hardcover
The Savior of Turk - Paperback

How to enter:

1. You must use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter this giveaway.
2. You must follow via GFC for the initial entry.  Additional options may be chosen for extra entries. Additional ways to follow me can be found via the purple icons under my header or in the "Connect with Me" Widget on my right sidebar. You may choose one option or all options of the extra options. Each option is worth one entry into the giveaway.
3. For each option you choose to enter with, click on “CLICK FOR INSTRUCTIONS” FIRST, follow the instructions, then click on “I DID THIS” and fill out the required information.
4. The giveaway ends on May 7th at 11:59pm EST.
5. At the conclusion of the giveaway, I will verify all entries.
6. Once the verification process is complete, I will use the Rafflecopter widget to select the winner and contact her/him.
7. The winner will have 48 hours from the notification email to respond with her/his full name, prize choice and mailing address. If I do not receive a response, the prize will be forfeited and another winner will be selected. Please be sure to check your spam filters!
8.  This Contest is for US addresses only!   

Please make sure that you have read my Giveaway and Privacy Policies Here

Release Day Party & Giveaway: Unicorn Keep

(If you are on the home page and can't see the Giveaway either click on the post title or "read more" at the bottom to go to the individual post's page!)

The Book:





Title: Unicorn Keep
Author: Angelia Almos
Genre: YA Fantasy


Jiline of Ainsley is dismayed when her best friend is selected by the mages to become a unicorn keeper at the Keep, an isolated mountain fortress. Especially since Madelen is in love and engaged to the richest boy in the village. Jiline on the other hand has no prospects of marriage or a trade in their small village. So, she comes up with a plan to take Madelen’s place at the Keep and hopefully flunk out of unicorn keeper training before the mages can discover the deception. Unfortunately, the unicorns have their own plans for her.

Mage Herrick, son of the Keep Mage, returns home to the Keep as the trainee keepers arrive. A chance encounter with Jiline, who he believes is Madelen, on the trail sparks a magical connection between the two. Knowing he can’t feel a magical draw to someone who has no magic, he tries to prove Madelen (Jiline) has magic within her. His attention brings unforeseen complications for both of them.

Find the book: Amazon | BN | Smashwords

The Author:

Angelia Almos formed a lifelong passion for horses at the age of five when she talked her parents into riding lessons. Horses often play a prominent role in her young adult fantasy books. She also write horsey nonfiction and space opera. She lives in the Sierra Nevada Mountains with her husband, two daughters, two dogs, two cats, and one pony (she often thinks of bumping that number up to two).

Connect with Angelia: Website | Facebook | Twitter

The Giveaway:

Giveaway is for two copies of Horse Charmer, 

a book previously written by author Angelia Almos.

A Chat with Lynn Messina Author of The Girl's Guide to Dating Zombies

I am happy to Lynn Messina here to chat with me about her book: The Girl's Guide to Dating Zombies

1. Please start by telling us a little bit about yourself.  

I live in New York City with my husband and two sons. I work in magazines as a freelance copy editor, which is a great gig if you want to be a writer cause you get lots of downtime. I love cheese, and my favorite color is blue.

2. When did you know that you wanted to write professionally and how did you take the leap to get into the business?  

Funny. I don’t know if there ever was a moment when I realized I wanted to write professionally. I just knew that I wanted to get a book published, and the desire to get a book published was completely cut off from the concept of financial compensation—as it still seems to be = )

The leap for me came when I decided to turn down a full-time job to go freelance. I worked full time for three years and during the entire time, I didn’t write a single word. So when my company was bought out, I took the layoff package rather than transition to the new company.

3. Can you tell me a little bit about The Girl's Guide to Dating Zombies  and what inspired it? 

A zombie apocalypse has turned the vast majority of men into zombies. Women are immune. Twenty years into the plague, straight women are dating zombies, and Hattie Cross, a zombie-dating expert, publishes a zombie-dating how-to to help other women figure it out. The book catches the attention of the CEO of the world’s larges zombie pharmaceutical company, and Hattie is invited to do a profile. Comedy and mayhem ensue. It’s zombie chick lit.

The idea was sparked by an appearance on an Internet talk show, which I was on to promote my last book, Little Vampire Women. We started the inevitable debate of vampires verses zombies, and I was emphatically on Team Vampire because zombie have no learning curve so I couldn’t imagine how they could be anything other than mindless, blobby, brain-eating monster things. But as soon as I thought that, I began trying to figure out how to make them more than mindless, blobby, brain-eating monster things. And, well, from there, it was just a matter of coming up with the most outrageous premise possible. 

4. What do you hope that readers take way with them after reading your book?  

That relationships require work, no matter what the species (and that perhaps men are a little less work than zombies).

5. I find it interesting to know what environment authors find most productive… Do you use a pen and paper or laptop? Quiet room at home or bustling café? Basically, what gets your creative juices flowing? 

I write best at the kitchen table on a day when I have nothing else to do but write. Increasi, emaingly, there are all these awful, niggling things that have to be done—calls, appointments, freelance projects, email—and the days when I can write for hours without interruption are rare. Even more rare is an entire uninterrupted week. I cherish those.

6. What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?

Kirkus said of my first book, Fashionistas, which was almost universally hailed as fun and witty, that it has “a few funny lines but the dispirited tone sinks it fast.” I was gutted because it was so baffling. There were many things to criticize about the book—it’s far from perfect—but the tone being dispirited? I haven’t a clue. Almost a decade later, my husband and I still joke about my dispirited tone sinking good time fast when we’re out having fun.

John Matteson, who won the Pulitzer Prize for his biography of Louisa May Alcott, agreed to moderate a discussion about Little Women mashup—which was amazing in itself. I thought he would be horrified by vampires in Litle Women. But he was totally game, and he enjoyed my book. He could actually point to things he liked.  

7. What book is currently on your nightstand? And who are some of your favorite authors? 

Green Grass Grace by Shawn McBride. Favorite writers include: Dawn Powell, Kate Atkins, Jennifer Saunders, Tom Stoppard, Elizabeth Peters.

8. What do you like to do when you're not writing? 

I love watching TV. With two small children, I have very little time for TV, and my DVR is typically backlogged by a month or two. But that’s nice because there’s always something to watch when I get the chance. I also like talking about TV, having lunch with friends, playing with my boys, traveling, hanging out with my husband.

9. Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Stick with it. Fashionistas, which was the first book I sold, was the eleventh book I wrote. 

10. What can we expect from you next? 

In June, Diversion Books is publishing my novel Bleak, which is a modern retelling of Bleak House by Dickens. I’ve replaced the generations-long court case that ruins almost every life it touches with a movie option that never gets made. It’s funny and sweet and I’m really excited for it.

And now for a little bit of fun:)  This or That?  

(Yay. I love a speed round!)

Coffee or Tea?   Tea

Sweet or Salty?   Sweet and salty

Beach or Lake?   Beach

Winter or Summer?  Summer

Cats or Dogs?   Dogs

Zombies or Vampires?  Zombies now. Vampires last year.

Country or City?   City

Shower or Bath?   Show

Morning or Evening?  Evening

M&Ms or Skittles?  M&Ms

Trains or Planes?  Trains

Comedy or Drama?  Comedy

The Book:  

Title:  The Girls' Guide to Dating Zombies
Author:  Lynn Messina

Hattie Cross knows what you're thinking: Zombie sex? Ewwwww. But she also knows that since a virus turned 99.9999 percent of human males into zombies, it's statistically impossible to meet--let alone date--the remaining 0.00001 percent. So she writes "The Girls' Guide to Dating Zombies" to help her fellow single women navigate the zombie-relationship waters.

Her practical how-to impresses the CEO of the largest drug company in the world, and before she knows it, Hattie, a reporter for a downmarket tabloid that specializes in conspiracy theories, is sitting down with the woman who single-handedly invented the zombie-behavioral-modification market. Granted access to the inner sanctum of zombaceuticals, she meets an actual, living, breathing M-A-N.

Now Hattie, the consummate professional, is acting like a single girl at the end of the twentieth century: self-conscious, klutzy and unable to form a coherent sentence without babbling. Worst of all, the human male appears to have impaired her ability to think clearly. Because all of a sudden she's convinced a conspiracy is afoot at the drug company and it seems to go all the way to the top!

About the Author: 

Lynn Messina grew up on Long Island and studied English at Washington University in St. Louis. She has worked at the Museum of Television & Radio (now the Paley Center for Media), TV Guide, In Style, Rolling Stone, Fitness, ForbesLife, Self, Bloomberg Markets and a host of wonderful magazines that have long since disappeared. She mourns the death of print journalism in New York City, where she lives with her husband and sons. She is author of six novels, including the best-selling Fashionistas, which has been translated into 15 languages.

Find the book here: Goodreads | Amazon | BN

Connect with Lynn: Website | Blog | Twitter

Visit the other stops on the tour:  

http://cblspromotions.blogspot.com/2012/04/vbt-girls-guide-to-dating-zombies-by.html

Guest Post: Sarah Pekkanen author of These Girls

Book Trailers

~~~Sarah Pekkanen

Book trailers are becoming common these days as writers seek out new, innovative ways to spread the word about their novels. Personally, I love watching them - and all three of my novels have featured trailers on YouTube.

But as my publication date for THESE GIRLS approached, I almost decided against filming another trailer for a variety of reasons – mostly because I wanted to try something different to gauge its effectiveness in attracting new readers.

Right after making that decision, I stopped by a cocktail party thrown by my hometown’s magazine and began chatting with the young videographer who creates content for the magazine’s website.  Then something strange happened; a fully-formed idea for a book trailer lit up my mind.

 “Do you remember at the end of the movie ‘When Harry Met Sally,’ when all the married couples talked about how they met?” I asked the videographer.

 “Sure,” she said.

 “My new book centers around three women who end up sharing an apartment in New York City, and become best friends,” I said. “Wouldn’t it be cool to find real-life best friends and interview them about how they met? And model a book trailer after those ‘When Harry Met Sally’ outtakes?”

 “Yes!” she said. “And I can help.”

 A few weeks later, I’d located more than a dozen sets of best friends – pairs of women as old as 93, and girls as young as 10 – who shared incredible bonds. I drove around town in my minivan with Emma the videographer riding shotgun, and we knocked on the doors of these women, who welcomed us into their homes and opened up their hearts. Some friends wiped away tears as they talked about the tough times they’d helped each another through (divorce, death of a parent, bankruptcy); others pairs of pals couldn’t stop laughing. They interrupted one another to fill in missing details, finished each other’s stories, and filled up their wine glasses and toasted to all of the adventures they’d shared. More than once, I had to pause before asking my next question because I was wiping away tears of my own.

 The experience was incredible, and left me with a new appreciation for the power of women’s friendships. But something even more powerful happened less than a week after our trailer was complete. One of the woman we interviewed wrote to me to say her best friend had suddenly died, following routine surgery. She was desperate to get a copy of their video footage, in which they laughed and shared memories and talked about what their friendship meant to them.  

I'm delivering four copies of their footage to their grieving best friend today, (one copy for her, and three for the family of her best friend). I'm so glad she will have this record of their friendship during her time of mourning - and then I'm going to come home and call my best friends, to tell them what they mean to me. 

The Book:

Cate, Renee, and Abby have come to New York for very different reasons, and in a bustling city of millions, they are linked together through circumstance and chance.

Cate has just been named the features editor of Gloss, a high-end lifestyle magazine. It’s a professional coup, but her new job comes with more complications than Cate ever anticipated.

Cate’s roommate Renee will do anything to nab the plum job of beauty editor at Gloss. But snide comments about Renee’s weight send her into an emotional tailspin. Soon she is taking black market diet pills—despite the racing heartbeat and trembling hands that signal she's heading for real danger.

Then there’s Abby, whom they take in as a third roommate. Once a joyful graduate student working as a nanny part time, she abruptly fled a seemingly happy life in the D.C. suburbs. No one knows what shattered Abby—or why she left everything she once loved behind.

Pekkanen’s most compelling, true-to-life novel yet tells the story of three very different women as they navigate the complications of careers and love—and find the lifeline they need in each other.

The Author: 

Connect with Sarah: Website | Facebook | Twitter

Cat Thursday - Priceless

Welcome to the weekly meme that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite LOL cat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s) and then link up at the host's site: The True Book Addict. It's all for the love of cats! Enjoy!

How much is that Cupie in the window?

My angel making himself at home in the bay window when we stayed with friends many years ago....

Book Review: Beyond the Misty Shore by Vicki Hinze

Title:   Beyond The Misty Shore
Author:  Vicki Hinze
Reading level:  Adult
Genre:  Paranormal/Romance        
Size: 266 pages          
Release Date:  October 14th 2011
Publisher: Bell Bridge Books          
Stand Alone/Series: Seascape #1
Source: NetGalley

First Line:  "T.J. MacGregor tried to leave Seascape Inn, but every time he crossed the property's boundary line, he blacked out."

Summary (from GoodReads):

Marketing executive Maggie Wright and artist T.J. MacGregor are linked by a mysterious car accident that killed Maggie's cousin, Carolyn, T.J.'s fiancée. When Maggie arrives on the Maine coast determined to get answers from T.J., she discovers a tortured man who is bound to the Seascape Inn by supernatural forces. Despite the tragedy that stands between them, Maggie and T.J. begin to fall in love, seeking answers and a healing spirit they may never achieve.

My Thoughts:

This was one of those books that has a great mix of genres ...some romance, a paranormal element and a mystery....so much promise. Sadly it just wasn't able to completely deliver for me on that promise. Although on the whole the book was enjoyable, the Seascape Inn and surrounding town delightful, the romance sweet and the paranormal elements mysterious...I just was left feeling unsatisfied.


The pace of the book seemed very slow.  Not a whole lot happens and when it does happen it seems drawn out and repetitive.  There were many points were I contemplated putting it down, but the mystery did keep me interested enough to hang on and I was rooting Maggie and TJ as a couple.


Speaking of Maggie and TJ: I really liked both of the main characters as well as the secondary character of the innkeeper...by the middle of the book I sort of wanted to strangle them all.  The romantic conflict seemed just way to drawn out for my taste...beyond the point where it was believable.  And the innkeeper's insistence upon not meddling bordered on injury in my opinion. Thank goodness they seemed to come to their senses by the end and realize that they were meant to be together.


The paranormal aspect also completely puzzled me.  I could not for the life of me wrap my mind around the entity's intent.  It seemed to go from goodnatured and helpful one chapter to malicious in the next. And how did were the entity and the effect of the house related?  I'm still not 100% sure.


I'm sure this book would appeal to those who like sweet romances with a punch of paranormal and don't mind a slow pace.

Was it worth my Time? 

Top Ten Bad Boys (& 2 Giveaways) with Devyn Dawson

I am so happy to have Devyn Dawson here with us today:)  

There is also an awesome international giveaway for one eBook copy of The Light Tamer & a  U.S. giveaway for a pack of two Light Tamer cards and Caleb and Jessie stone coasters.

(If you are on the home page and can't see the Giveaway either click on the post title or "read more" at the bottom to go to the individual post's page!)

 Devyn's Top Ten Favorite Bad Boys

Arien - The Legacy of Kilkenny (Vampire)
LeStat - The Interview with the Vampire (my bird is named after him)
Dimetri - The Vampire Academy (when he was bad)
He Who Shall Not Be Named - Voldemort - you know the books!
Patch - Hush Hush
Eric - Charleine Harris Southern Vampire Mysteries
Ash - The Iron Fae series by Julie Kagawa
Damon - Vampire Diaries (are you noticing a trend here?)
Magnus Bane - The Mortal Instruments
Decebel - Prince of Wolves

The Book:

The Light Tamer

Devyn Dawson

Release Date: April 24th, 2012

Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Self-Pub

Jessie moved from New York to North Carolina one week after school let out for summer break. Her newly single mother and Jessie move in with grandma Gayle. Being a teen in a retirement area, is one more thing to add to her 'this sucks' list. It's bad enough to have to move, but even worse her alcoholic father left them as he went on a quest to be an artist in Greece.

Things begin to look up when she is reintroduced to Caleb, the dorky boy that saved her life one summer at the beach. Caleb is no longer scrawny and nerdy, he is now tall, dark and handsome. Caleb is a Light Tamer.

Jessie and Amber become fast friends. Amber is a no frills girl, her snarky comments and sassy attitude will raise a few eyebrows and have you laughing out loud. Amber is rough around the edges, a light tamer with only two years left to find the one she is bound to. Her father's surfing accident left her dad paralyzed and her brother dead.

This paranormal romance will keep you on the edge of your seat with humor, romance, and determination. Fall head over heels for Caleb and Jessie.

Find The Light Tamer: Goodreads | Amazon | Smashwords

Connect with Devyn:  Website | Twitter | Facebook

The Giveaways:

There will be two giveaways here on Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf!  The first is an awesome international giveaway for one eBook copy of The Light Tamer & the second is a  U.S. giveaway for a pack of two Light Tamer cards and Caleb and Jessie stone coasters- pictured below.

International Giveaway!

Teaser Tuesdays: The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Summary from Goodreads:

Don’t Sweat.  Don’t Laugh.  Don’t draw attention to yourself.  And most of all, whatever you do, do not fall in love with one of them. 

Gene is different from everyone else around him.  He can’t run with lightning speed, sunlight doesn’t hurt him and he doesn’t have an unquenchable lust for blood.  Gene is a human, and he knows the rules.  Keep the truth a secret.  It’s the only way to stay alive in a world of night—a world where humans are considered a delicacy and hunted for their blood.

When he’s chosen for a once in a lifetime opportunity to hunt the last remaining humans, Gene’s carefully constructed life begins to crumble around him.  He’s thrust into the path of a girl who makes him feel things he never thought possible—and into a ruthless pack of hunters whose suspicions about his true nature are growing. Now that Gene has finally found something worth fighting for, his need to survive is stronger than ever—but is it worth the cost of his humanity?

Teaser:

"There used to be more of us. I'm certain of this. Not enough to fill a sports stadium or even a movie theater, but certainly more than what's left today.  Truth is, I don't think there's any of us left. Except me."


 What's your teaser today?

Guest Post: Beth Balmanno, author of Set in Stone

I am pleased to welcome Beth Balmanno, author of Set in Stone to talk to us today about Celtic Lore:)

When I was in fifth grade, I knew everything there was to know about Greek mythology.  I mean, everything.  See, I was one of those kids who were ushered off to G.A.T.E. classes once a week (trust me, I wasn't that smart) to have enrichment classes.  And one of those classes was all about Greek mythology.  By the end of that ten-week class, I could recite every Greek god and goddess there was.  I knew all the stories by heart.  I wanted to be Aprhodite...and dressed up as her at the end-of-the-quarter class party.

Fast forward a whole bunch of years.  I still love Greek myths and devoured the Percy Jackson series and all of the Ursu Andrews books.  And, when I started writing Set In Stone, I knew very early on that there would be magic in it.  Maybe even mythology.

The logical choice would have been to choose Greek mythology, right?  Like, have my main character find a magic olive tree or something.  Which, of course, would absolutely relate in some way to Greek mythology. Easy peasy.

But that's not how writing works.  At least, not for me.  When Valerie, my main character, finds a strange and mystical stone that turns her world upside-down, a very bossy supporting character decides it is Celtic in origin.  Valerie begins a quest to find out what the stone is...and why these two beautiful, mysterious boys who appear in her life want it.

Awesome. Celtic mythology. Something I knew nothing about.

So, how did I research?  Did I check out books from the library?  Did I travel to Ireland to do research on location (I wish!)?  Did I track down my long-lost Irish relatives so I could pepper them with questions?

No.

I did what every self-respecting author does. I googled it. (Or yahooed it. Or binged it. Pick your poison.) I found a ton of information about Celtic mythology.  And, from those pages and pages of web sites, I started piecing together what the stone could be.  And who the boys were who wanted it.

I couldn't use everything I found.  I also very quickly realized I could never memorize all of the Celtic gods and goddesses, either (there are tons of them! And they go by different names!).  But I did eventually find the answers I was looking for.  And I could pass on that info to Valerie as she does her searching.

There is one scene in the book – a very pivotal scene where Valerie finds out who Noel is – where she is sitting in front of her computer and she clicks on a page and an image pops up.  An image that very nearly stops her heart.

That happened to me.  While I was researching.  Like Valerie, I stared at the picture that appeared on the screen and immediately had to get up and walk away.  Like, set down the laptop and close my eyes and try to catch my breath.

Want to know more?  Go read the book.  You might learn a little about Celtic mythology along the way.  And hopefully, there won't be too many heart-stopping moments like Valerie and I had as we researched.

Oh.  And please don't quiz me on Greek mythology.  My head is now full of Celtic lore. :)

~~~~Beth

The Book: 

Fifteen year-old Valerie is used to losing things–she lost her dad to his job ages ago and her best friend moved with no warning...and hasn't been heard from since. During a weekend camping trip with her emotionally distant parents, she stumbles upon a hidden, mysterious stone and she finds herself desperate to keep it, to possess it. Two strange and beautiful boys have other plans, however. They follow her home–Leo, warm and seductive, who covets the stone and will stop at nothing to get it; and Noel, dark-haired and wise, who pledges to protect her and keep her safe.

As she delves deeper into the magic of the stone and the Celtic lore that surrounds it, Valerie realizes that she's losing. Again. But this loss might involve more than a magical stone – this time, she just might lose her heart.

Connect with Beth: Website | Twitter | Facebook

Find Set in Stone: Goodreads | Amazon

In My Mailbox - 4-22-12

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme created by The Story Siren to share whatever books and bookish goodies that you've bought, borrowed, won, or been gifted and have thus entered your home the previous week. You can show off books that you are excited about and it's also a great opportunity to showcase books that you may not actually have the time to read or review.

 Hardcover of The Song Remains the Same - Allison Winn Scotch

One of only two survivors of a plane crash, Nell Slattery wakes in the hospital with no memory of the horrific experience-or who she is, or was. Now she must piece together both body and mind, with the help of family and friends, who have their own agendas. She filters through photos, art, music, and stories, hoping something will jog her memory, and soon, in tiny bits and pieces, Nell starts remembering. . . .

It isn't long before she learns to question the stories presented by her mother, her sister and business partner, and her husband. In the end, she will discover that forgiving betrayals small and large will be the only true path to healing herself-and to finding happiness.

ARC of The Hunt - Andrew Fukuda

Don’t Sweat.  Don’t Laugh.  Don’t draw attention to yourself.  And most of all, whatever you do, do not fall in love with one of them.

Gene is different from everyone else around him.  He can’t run with lightning speed, sunlight doesn’t hurt him and he doesn’t have an unquenchable lust for blood.  Gene is a human, and he knows the rules.  Keep the truth a secret.  It’s the only way to stay alive in a world of night—a world where humans are considered a delicacy and hunted for their blood.

When he’s chosen for a once in a lifetime opportunity to hunt the last remaining humans, Gene’s carefully constructed life begins to crumble around him.  He’s thrust into the path of a girl who makes him feel things he never thought possible—and into a ruthless pack of hunters whose suspicions about his true nature are growing. Now that Gene has finally found something worth fighting for, his need to survive is stronger than ever—but is it worth the cost of his humanity?

E-copy of Becoming a Butterfly - Mia Castle

16 years old Lacey was never the center of attention, unless she was tripping, stammering, or being deposited into a pool by the local popular kids. All she wanted was to fit in, until one night when everything changed.
Jade and Tasha, her two best friends, helped her create an online personality that was everything she wanted to be - and it was only the beginning. In doing so she attracted the attention of Henry, her lifelong crush and next door neighbor. Unfortunately it was Farrah her online personality and not herself he was interested in.
She also attracted Chase the brooding, quiet, anti-social new kid of Brownsburg High School, who easily figured out her secret and blackmailed her. They forged a friendship that was both unique and complicated.
Lacey must decide if revealing herself to Henry and her entire school as the cool, charming, and funny Farrah is worth possibly losing him forever, and she finds herself needing to make an even harder decision than she ever thought possible. When did the lines between truth and lies get so blurred?

Becoming a Butterfly is a story about coming of age and finding yourself when you never knew you were lost.

ARC of Good-Bye For Now - Laurie Frankel 

Sam Elliot works for an internet dating company, but he still can't get a date. So he creates an algorithm that will match you with your soul mate. Sam meets the love of his life, a coworker named Meredith, but he also gets fired when the company starts losing all their customers to Mr. and Ms. Right.

When Meredith's grandmother, Livvie, dies suddenly, Sam uses his ample free time to create a computer program that will allow Meredith to have one last conversation with her grandmother. Mining from all her correspondence—email, Facebook, Skype, texts—Sam constructs a computer simulation of Livvie who can respond to email or video chat just as if she were still alive. It's not supernatural, it's computer science.

Meredith loves it, and the couple begins to wonder if this is something that could help more people through their grief. And thus, the company RePose is born. The business takes off, but for every person who just wants to say good-bye, there is someone who can't let go. 

In the meantime, Sam and Meredith's affection for one another deepens into the kind of love that once tasted, you can't live without. But what if one of them suddenly had to? This entertaining novel, delivers a charming and bittersweet romance as well as a lump in the throat exploration of the nature of love, loss, and life (both real and computer simulated). Maybe nothing was meant to last forever, but then again, sometimes love takes on a life of its own.

E-copy of The Plight and Plot of Princess Penny - Michael Mullin

An original fairy tale about a princess who hires the witch from The Frog Prince to get revenge on a Mean Girl at school. What could go wrong?

Guest Post & Giveaway: ReVamped by Ada Adams

(If you are on the home page and can't see the Giveaway either click on the post title or "read more" at the bottom to go to the individual post's page!)

Many readers have had some very nice things to say about ReVamped’s cover, so I thought that I would share its story and highlight the photographer/digital artist who was responsible for its creation.

Her name is Olga Barkhatova, and we first met on a fun photoshoot for a hair salon, where she proceeded to turn me into a mermaid with a really cool updo!

Here are some unique images that she has created:

You can view more of Olga’s work at www.olgabarkhatova.ca

I’ve greatly admired Olga’s skill as both a photographer and a digital artist, so when it came time to create a cover for ReVamped, I approached her about a collaboration.

I had always wanted the cover to be true to the story—that was one of the most important things for me. I wished to find the perfect balance between an eye-catching cover and the content of book. I adore pretty covers, but since Dawn is such a strong, independent character who kicks a lot of butt, I didn’t want the cover to be “too girly”.

My first step in designing the cover was to do some research. What book covers stood out? What colors worked well? What content drew in the viewer’s eye, and then kept their attention? In today’s electronic age, many people are finding out about books by seeing tiny thumbnails of the cover pages on their computer screens. Therefore, it’s important for a cover to not only look great in print form on someone’s shelf, but to also be able to catch the viewer’s attention in its digital form.

Choosing the color of the cover was simple. Dawn’s unique amethyst eye-color is very important to the story. Therefore, it was essential show it off.  Without a doubt, the cover had to be in hues of amethyst/purple/violet. Plus, it’s a bold color that stands out and also happens to be one of my favorites, so it was an easy decision! I also incorporated some white and black into the mix, thus keeping the color scheme elegant, yet powerful.

The content was a little harder to come by. I had noticed a popular trend in recent 2011/2012 covers—it’s all about beautiful, long gowns and high-fashion poses. While I adore each and every one of these covers, I also had to take into consideration ReVamped and Dawn. Putting Dawn into a high-fashion gown just didn’t fit with her personality or the plot. This is a girl who keeps her combat boots on under a sundress and groans at the thought of having to attend the Scarlett House ball! I didn’t want to create too much of a divergence between Dawn’s character and the cover. Still, I knew that I wanted to cover to be eye-catching—with or without the gown!

I went through a few prototypes, most notably focusing on Dawn’s eyes and the gazebo (since it plays such an important part in the story). There was a point in time when I considered displaying it all! Dawn’s face, the gazebo, and perhaps even the boys (Ethan and Sebastian). Thankfully, I had a moment of clarity (or perhaps sanity?) and scrapped that idea. More is not always better. You can’t overcrowd a book cover, because then the viewer’s focus will be scattered all over the place. Simplicity is often the key. We pulled the gazebo and the guys, and were left with Dawn’s face.

I also always knew that I didn’t want to display “all of Dawn”. When I read, I prefer to form my own images and thoughts about the characters’ appearances. Of course, the author dictates  most of that with the character descriptions, but when you’re served an image of a character on a platter, then as a reader you can sometimes find yourself unable to stray away from that image. Therefore, I selected to show the readers a little peek of Dawn, but not so much that you cannot form “your own Dawn” in your mind.

I told Olga what my vision for the title was, and she provided me with some script samples to choose from. We had a few really girly ones, but we ended up settling on the one you see now, because it was unique, while at the same time it hinted at the action and adventure that occurs in the book. I also decided to switch around the “RE” so that it was facing backwards. It’s a little homage to the misfits, who are kind of “backwards vampires”!

I’m currently in the development stages of the sequel’s cover, and things are getting interesting. Plotting covers for a series is not a simple task. They all have to connect and be completely in-sync, while at the same time they must be different enough so that readers can immediately recognize which book the cover belongs to. Originally, I knew exactly what I wanted for ReAwakened’s cover, but after laying out the story and adjusting the plot slightly, I’ve decided to go in a different direction. I guess you’ll have to wait until the cover reveal to find out what that is! :)

Fun Fact:

#1. Did you know that the necklace Dawn is wearing on the cover is made out of forks? Prongs of an actual fork are keeping the stone in place! When I first saw it, it reminded me of an ancient piece of jewelry, which worked very well with the plot. Even though Dawn is only nineteen-years-old, her past, as we find out, spans over a very long period of time. Therefore, the necklace is a very fitting way to tie Dawn to the historical aspect of her life. The stone of the necklace was actually emerald in color. We decided to change it to suit the cover and Dawn’s eyes, but isn’t that interesting? Out of all possible colors, it happened to match Aurora’s eyes perfectly!

I hope you enjoyed getting a little behind-the-scenes peek into ReVamped’s cover! Feel free to stop by Olga’s website and let her know what a fantastic job she has done!

Happy reading,
Ada Adams

The Book:

Nineteen-year-old vampire Dawn has led a sheltered life within the confines of her father’s presidential headquarters. Upon being sent on a mission to revamp four goofy misfits into guardians of a peaceful little town of Angel Creek, Dawn believes that all her dreams have finally come true. What starts off as a simple task, turns into something unexpected, changing Dawn’s life forever and leading the action-loving, thrill-seeking vampire teen on a path of mystery, danger and intrigue.

When a human girl is kidnapped by a group of rogue vamps, Dawn discovers that there is more going on in Angel Creek than meets the eye. And it all connects to Ethan, the cute newcomer who seems too perfect to be true, Sebastian, the mysterious vampire with a turbulent past, and even Dawn herself. Dawn must not only succeed in revamping the troubled recruits, but must also prevent the vampire race from being overtaken by a malevolent villain who has a strange and obsessive fascination with her. As threat escalates, romance blooms, and ghosts from her past begin to surface, Dawn is sure of only one thing: her life will never be the same.

Find ReVamped: Goodreads | Amazon

The Author:

"Many people sing in the shower. I, on the other hand, write scenes in my head and act them out."

At age five, Ada read her first chapter book - Pippi Longstocking. Ever since that moment, she developed an intense passion for the stories and characters found within the pages of literature.

In her career as an actress and a writer, Ada currently spends most of her days immersed in imaginary worlds. Much like the characters she enjoys playing and writing about, Ada is a martial artist with a Black Belt in Shotokan Karate. She is also a big proponent of lifelong learning, and has attained Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (it aids in creating characters with unique quirks!) as well as a Master's of Science in Education.

Ada strives to bring a fresh voice and perspective to fiction. She has been writing creatively for many years. "ReVamped" is her debut novel.

She lives in Toronto, Canada, and enjoys adventurous nature hikes with her adorable puppies Cara and Oreo.

Connect with Ada:  Website | Facebook | Twitter

The Giveaway:

Up for grabs is a KINDLE copy of ReVamped!