Blog Tour: Lisa and Lauren Roecker - The Lies That Bind

Lisa and Lauren Roecker - The Lies That Bind (The Liar Society)

• Pub Date: November 1, 2012
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
• Format: Paperback/Ebook, 320 pages
• Age Range: 12+

Another Sister Gone—You Can't Let Them Get Away With This

Kate has heard of messages from beyond the grave, but she never expected to find one in a fortune cookie. Especially from her best friend, Grace—who's supposed to be dead.

At the elite Pemberly Brown Academy, nothing is as it seems. A popular girl has gone missing, and Kate owes it to Grace's memory to find out what happened. But in a school ruled by secret societies, who can she trust? Definitely not Bradley (despite his hotness) — he's one of them. Still, she may just have to get closer to him if she wants to get some answers.

Top Ten Stupid Mistakes Villains Make

Kate dissects and lists the mindless mistakes that Pemberly Brown’s secret societies make while attempting to sneak around the campus.

Kate Lowry here from THE LIES THAT BIND. Today, I want to share with you my top ten list of stupid mistakes villains make.

10. Leave doors/windows/cars/lockers OPEN. Villains are busy people. Or perhaps they were raised in a barn. Either way, if the door’s open, I’m going in. Don’t mind if I do…

9. Loud talkers. Villains missed the day of preschool when the teachers reviewed inside voices. Plus, voices carry in those tunnels. I don’t even have to put my ear to the hatch!

8. Lose their cool around girls. I’m not proud of it, but sometimes a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do and sometimes that means showing a little skin. I’ve gotten entire secret maps of Pemberly Brown by merely unbuttoning one button.

7. Carry baggage. Student files are fascinating. And often thick. My best friend works in the office. What do you expect?

6. Hang with the wrong crowd. Be careful who you trust, bad guys. Who knows, they might even be worse than you.

5. Perform not-so-secret ceremonies in not-so-private places. The clock tower again? Really? How have you not seen me crouched behind these low shrubs?

4. Have no respect for property, even if it is a dilapidated building of Brown. Lists of names on walls? Check.

3. Twirling moustaches. Whenever I have a doubt over who the real bad guy is, I can usually identify them by their telltale mustache. Thanks Headmaster Sinclair!

2. Forming secret societies. Um, guys, hate to break it to you, but NOTHING stays secret at Pemberly Brown. At least not while I'm around.

1. Messing with my friends. I might not be the most popular girl in school and I'm definitely not the toughest (Bethany, I'm looking at you), but you mess with my friends and I will throw down. Justice is tough to find at Pemberly Brown, but I won't rest until I find it.

Lisa and Laura Roecker are sisters-turned-writing-partners with a love of all things Young Adult. Some call it arrested development, but the sisters claim it keeps them young. Plus, it's cheaper than Botox. Lisa and Laura live in Cleveland, Ohio in separate residences. Their husbands wouldn't agree to a duplex. THE LIAR SOCIETY is their first novel. To learn more, check out www.lisaandlauraroecker.com.

Guest Post: Faith McKay - Prophecy Girl

Faith McKay - Prophecy Girl

• Pub Date: November 14, 2012
• Publisher: Faith McKay
• Format: Ebook
• Age Range: Young Adult

Ever since Samantha Winthrop's mother moved them to Lacuna Valley, supposedly in search of better weather, the list of strange questions she has no answers for has been growing out of control.

Does her little sister, Violet, have the ability to make things happen just by "praying" for them? Are Sam's dreams really predicting the future? Is she destined to marry the boy she just met, and what is the mysterious orb that he's guarding? Why does she get the impression that there are dangerous creatures watching from the woods?

While Sam should be focusing on answering those questions, there is one other that makes them seem almost irrelevant: Is her mother planning on killing her and Violet?

Titling Prophecy Girl

by Faith McKay

I know a lot of people title their novels right away and get a cover set up before they've even half way through their first draft. I am not one of those people.

I had already written, and edited, and was completely done with Prophecy Girl before it got a title.

Titling Prophecy Girl became a full time job for many weeks. My husband and I would talk during our hour long lunch break, and just throw out titles. I made keyword lists. I made pages, and pages of keyword lists. While editing, I would write down my favorite quotes from the novel and try to turn them into a title.

Some of these ideas were alright. Some of them were really weird, and I think show my delirium after weeks of staring at word combinations to try and come up with a title. Some ideas that came up were...

Stylizing Fate
Destiny's Puppets
Season for Destiny
Icy Fate
Winter of Doubt
A Fateful Move
Dreaming Destiny
Hunting for Destiny
Winter for Destiny
Destiny on Ice (Okay this one is particularly embarrassing. I don't know what's wrong with me.)

I know. They're all a little awful, right? I read the thesaurus more than anyone should ever read the thesaurus. I know more words for "destiny" and "snow" than I ever should. I was so stuck! Nothing felt right. It was so important to me that this story had a title that matched its insides.

Then one day, during lunch, my husband just said, "Prophecy Girl". It took me a week to decide if I was happy with it. It was like after I get a haircut and I spend the next couple hours staring in the mirror and wondering, "Is this really good? Or do I just think it's good?"

After letting it sit for a while, I decided I loved it. It tells you right away that this is something paranormal, and that it's a young adult story about a girl. It also references a joke in Chapter Nine, which makes me smile because Chapter Nine is a chapter for smiles and cuteness.

I never thought that titling a novel could be this difficult, but honestly, how are you supposed to come up with just a couple words to sum up a story that contains over 90,000 of them? I think I've managed to do just that, so I guess the "how?" would be, "You ask somebody else to do it for you." (good husband!)

I write stories about characters with real world struggles in otherworldly settings.

I wrote a book with characters that struggle with the idea of having a destiny called PROPHECY GIRL. In comparison, I really lucked out that my destiny was to struggle with comma placement and be that awkward lady who points out puns at parties.

But like Walt Whitman said, I am large, I contain multitudes. Other things to know about me… I wear two different colored shoes. I am a survivor of child abuse. I have lived with chronic illness for over a decade. A lot of people don't like me because I laugh too much. It's also the reason a lot of other people do like me, so go figure. I listen to more music than people are probably supposed to. I'm a nomad. The word sounds really cool, so a lot of people say it, but I actually live in an RV with my husband and our pet bunny rabbit, Dorian Gray.

Find Faith:

goodreads | website | facebook | twitter

Giveaway Alert!!

Enter through the Rafflecopter form below to win an ebook copy of PROPHECY GIRL by Faith McKay! Contest ends 12/4/12. It's an ebook so it's an international giveaway. Questions? Email me at imabookshark at yahoo. Thanks and good luck!

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Cover Reveal: Elizabeth Reyes - Hector

Author

 

"I write because I must. It's not a choice or a pastime, it's an unyielding calling and my passion."

~Elizabeth Reyes~

Blog /Amazon /Twitter /Facebook

Mega Giveaway on Elizabeth's Blog..Go check it out!

Cover Reveal: Rhiannon Frater and Kody Boye - The Midnight Spell

Rhiannon Frater and Kody Boye - The Midnight Spell

Designed by PhatPuppy Art

Expected Pub Date: February 2013

Best friends since kindergarten, Adam and Christy have always been the perpetual outsiders in their small town in Texas. The other kids call Adam gay and Christy a witch.

On both counts the bullies are right.

Their junior year in high school seems destined to be the same old same old until Christy decides to cast a love spell for Adam at the midnight hour. The next day an alluring and mysterious boy enrolls at school and sets hearts a flutter, including Adam’s. Meanwhile, Christy’s mad crush on the handsome football player Ian seems to be going nowhere fast and her witch puberty is making her life miserable.

When a great evil arrives in town that threatens everything they hold dear, the best friends realize that finding a boyfriend is the least of their worries. Soon Adam and Christy will have to battle a force of darkness that has killed in their town before, and will again.

Rhiannon Frater is the award-winning author of the As the World Dies trilogy (The First Days, Fighting to Survive, Siege,) and the author of three other books: the vampire novels Pretty When She Dies and The Tale of the Vampire Bride and the young-adult zombie novel The Living Dead Boy and the Zombie Hunters. Inspired to independently produce her work from the urging of her fans, she published The First Days in late 2008 and quickly gathered a cult following. She won the Dead Letter Award back-to-back for both The First Days and Fighting to Survive, the former of which the Harrisburg Book Examiner called ‘one of the best zombie books of the decade.’ Rhiannon is currently represented by Hannah Gordon of the Foundry + Literary Media agency. You may contact her by sending an email to rhiannonfrater@gmail.com.

Find Rhiannon:

website | goodreads | facebook | twitter

Kody Boye was born and raised in Southeastern Idaho. Since his initial publication in the Yellow Mama Webzine in 2007, he has gone on to sell nearly three-dozen stories to various markets. He is the author of the short story collection Amorous Things, the novella The Diary of Dakota Hammell, the zombie novel Sunrise and the dark fantasy novel Blood. His fiction has been described as ‘Surreal, beautiful and harrowing’ (Fantastic Horror,) while he himself has been heralded as a writer beyond his years(Bitten by Books.) He currently lives and writes in the Austin, Texas area.

Find Kody:

website | goodreads | facebook | twitter

Cover Reveal: S.A. Price - Something Darker

Cover/Blurb Reveal & Giveaway: SOMETHING DARKER by S.A. Price!

Expected publication: December 18th 2012

SOMETHING DARKER (book one of the Inferii Dii)


The one thing Syrus Alcot, the God of Death Osiris in the Egyptian Pantheon, wants in all the worlds is the woman he loved and lost returned to him. When he gave up his powers, and freedom for a life of service he was promised her return. That was over one thousand years ago. A member of a team of dark gods charged with keeping humanity safe, he leads a loveless existence in New York City, searching for the one thing that could bring his wife back to him, a lapis scarab that was lost to him ages before.


Gwen Stapleton, a mild mannered librarian, is unaware that she holds the key to not only Syrus’ happiness, but her own. Seemingly stuck in a hopeless relationship with a man she doesn’t love, she has no idea that a chance meeting in Alphabet City will start a landslide to her heart’s content. Because Gwen is the keeper of the scarab, and is everything Syrus has ever wanted… and hes not the only one.


An Ancient evil is waking, and its servants will stop at nothing to see it seize its rightful place as the new pantheon of earth. And in order for Syrus and his team to save the world, Gwen is going to have to accept him, and show that love does make all the difference.

To learn more about authors Stella and Audra Price, visit their Website:

www.stellaandaudra.com

***VIRTUAL RELEASE PARTY NEWS***

On December 18th, SOMETHING DARKER will be available for purchase and to celebrate the release authors S.A. Price are giving away some AMAZING, out of this world prizes! TRUST ME, you DO NOT want to miss out!

What are they giving away?

Are you ready for this?


A registration to Authors After Dark (2013 or 2014 if you are already registered for
2013), a VIP package including VIP early seating and entry badge, and welcome
goodies from the hotel, a gift basket fulla goodies, backlist books, and
Breakfast with Stella and Audra on Tuesday morning.
Awesome right? We thought so.


To learn more about Authors After Dark visit www.authorsafterdark.org


And wait, it gets better!!!


There will be a second and third place winner!


SECOND PRIZE winner will win a Nook Touch.

THIRD PRIZE winner will win tons of signed swag.


There's a little extra, too, but you will have to wait until December 18th to find out! :)


Mark your calendars... DECEMBER 18th!!!


Right now we're kicking off an early celebration with a $20 Amazon/BN Gift Card - Winners choice.

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Cover Reveal hosted by...

 

Book Promo: Kimberly Kinrade - Forbidden Trilogy

For one week only, the award-winning Forbidden Mind will be on sale for 99cents to celebrate the launch of The Forbidden Trilogy Special Omnibus Edition by Kimberly Kinrade.

Paranormal teens with unimaginable powers. A secret organization with deadly intentions. When Sam, a girl who reads minds, meets Drake, a boy who controls minds, they discover their lives aren't what they thought.

Together, they must escape their fate and free their friends, before they lose everyone they love.

The Forbidden Trilogy has received rave reviews from bloggers and fans, and Forbidden Mind has a 4.3 rating out of 106 reviews on Amazon!

"...a thrilling, dark and deeply romantic read that had me sitting on the edge of my seat and eagerly awaiting the next installment." - Refracted Light Young Adult Book Reviews

"The plot is very ALIAS and DARK ANGEL-like with X-MEN as its backdrop (awesome combo!). Forbidden Mind BLEW my mind!" ~Sour Skittles Book Blog

"Well written, unique plot filled with twists and turns, Kimberly pens "Forbidden Mind" with extremely strong characters. A totally fantastic book that is impossible to put down making you want more and more." --My Cozy Book Corner

"Wow! Kimberly Kinrade blew me away with Forbidden Mind! It's depth was so intense...the story line so twisted...I could not put this book down!! It encompasses all the elements to make a great book. Originality, excitement, love and loss. Throw in a little paranormal action and a hint of dystopia and you've got yourself one hella've a ride!! Seriously, please read this book...you will not be disappointed! This is a wonderful start to an epic new YA series." -Nette's Bookshelf Reviews

The Forbidden Trilogy Special Omnibus Edition includes:

*Award-Winning Book #1 - Forbidden Mind

*Book #2 - Forbidden Fire

*Book #3 - Forbidden Life

*In-Depth Q&A with Author Kimberly Kinrade

*Extensive Bonus Content (Available ONLY in this Special Edition)

Get the whole trilogy, plus bonus content and save up to $5 off the trilogy... even if you already own Forbidden Mind you can still enjoy a savings on the last two books! This special edition gives readers the best deal with the best content!

Inside The Forbidden Trilogy

49% of Americans believe their government officials are honest. I don't know these officials, or their supporters, but I know their secrets, and 49% of Americans are wrong.

My employers pay me well to be right, to know things others can't. But I don't know why they brought that boy in, strapped to a stretcher, barely conscious. He asked me for help when I could give none.

I'm a wealthy spy, a talented artist, a martial arts black belt, and a prisoner. They tell me that on my eighteenth birthday, I will be released, free to go to the college of my dreams. It's my eighteenth birthday, and a man in black is at my door. I know he's not here to free me.

I know, because I can read minds.

My name is Sam, and this is my story.

So begins the tale of Sam and Drake--from the time they link minds, forging a bond that leads to an unconventional romance--to their fight for survival against the corrupt, twisted organization known as 'Rent-A-Kid.'  

Get your copy of The Forbidden Trilogy Special Omnibus Edition, Forbidden Mind, Forbidden Fire or Forbidden Life on Amazon.

The first three books are also available on B&N (with The Forbidden Trilogy soon to come.)

To celebrate the launch and enjoy a week of giveaways, chats with the author and more, join the Facebook Party at: The Forbidden Trilogy Launch Party.

From the author:

This series was based on a dream I had of a teenage girl named Sam who could read minds and was rented out by an organization called Rent-A-Kid. I thought it would be a short story, so I penned it quickly before I planned on launching The Reluctant Familiar and The Chronicles of Corinne (Death by Destiny, Myths of Magic and Paths to Power). Boy was I wrong.

What started as a short story, ended as an entire trilogy. Not only that, but come 2013 I have two more potential trilogies to write based on the Forbidden world.

This series explores the value of a human life and how we often see each other as tools to be used. There are ethical questions raised as Sam and Drake struggle to understand their powers and each other. It's also a love story, albeit unconventional. What is it about someone that causes us to follow in love with them? Do we have to be physically present with someone to know it's love? Sam and Drake explore the boundaries of love, loss, pain and morality in this series.

These are fast-paced books that are part paranormal/sci-fi, part thriller and part romance. I look forward to hearing what you think about each book as you work your way through the series.

I'm especially excited to offer this omnibus edition that gives you all three books in one at a great discount, plus gives you extra surprise content. Thank you so much for taking an interested in the Forbidden world that has commanded my time and attention for so long. May you root for Sam, Drake, Luke, Lucy and their friends as much as I did while writing them.

QUESTION:

If you could have any para-power, what would you choose?

About the author:

Kimberly Kinrade was born with ink in her veins and magic in her heart. She writes fantasy and paranormal stories for children, YA and adults and still believes in magic worlds.

She lives with her three little girls who think they're ninja princesses with super powers, her two dogs who think they're humans, her two cats who think they're gods (and they probably are), and her husband, also known as the sexy Russian Prince, who is the love of her life and writing partner.

Find Kimberly Kinrade

Website     Twitter     Facebook     IPI Twitter     IPI Facebook   IPI Website Three Lost Kids Website   Daring Books Design & Marketing Website

Cover Reveal: Shawn Kirsten Maravel - Know Thy Neighbor

Shawn Kirsten Maravel - Know Thy Neighbor

Expected Pub Date: January 2013

Evangeline has already lost everything once. She’s no stranger to reassembling the shambles of her life and trying to make peace with the outcome of the greatest tragedy that she’s ever had to face. But when a life of selling antiques in the Lower East Side proves to be less than enough to maintain her meager lifestyle, she turns to the pages of her thriller novels for distraction.

When a mysterious new tenant moves into the apartment above hers, she indulges her desire for danger and adventure by trying to figure out exactly who the stranger in 6C is. In time, the intrigue about a neighbor she has yet to actually see, isn’t enough to keep her distracted from the threat of having to close down her shop and start from scratch for the second time. Just as she tries to refocus her attention to breathing life back into her business, she meets the handsome stranger for the first time and she loses sight of everything else.

Soon her life takes on the exciting appeal of her novels and she can’t seem to get enough. But as she draws closer to the mystery tenant, she discovers that the danger is real and her life is left in the hands of a dangerous killer.

Top Ten Inspirations While Writing a Novel

by Shawn Kirsten Maravel

1. Cute Boys- I always have a visual reference for my characters and quite often cute celebs actually end up sparking some inspiration all their own. My current celeb crush right now is Dez Duron from this season of The Voice. He's just fabulous in every way...wonder what I could write about a guy like him...

2. Music- This one is almost a given...nearly any author you'll talk to uses music as an aid in their writing process. I often create "sound tracks" or "playlists" for my novels. One of the songs on my Know Thy Neighbor playlist is Wonderland by Natalia Kills.

3. Personal Interests- "Write about what you know" this would be my very brief advice for aspiring authors. I connect most with my audience when I incorporate something that I know at least a little about. In Know Thy Neighbor, for example, Evangeline shares my interest for antiques.

4. Day Dreaming- Sure, I could sit down and say to myself, "I want to write a book...what should it be about?" then I'd sit down and jot down a few ideas, plots, and themes and come up with the next best seller. But in all honesty, that just isn't how my writing mind works. Novels come to me when I least expect it. Very often I'm going on a walk or thinking about non-book related stuff. for Know Thy Neighbor I was inspired while walking up the stairwell back to my apartment after taking my dog Nahla out to use the bathroom. You just never know when genius will strike next!

5. Life Dialogue- First let me just say, my life should be a sitcom...some of the crap my husband and I say to one another, at least to my ears, is just pure comedy. Very often I incorporate conversations we've had into my writing, including part of his marriage proposal (though I won't tell you which novel I used it in, you'll have to read them all to find out!).

Here's a quick excerpt from my novel The Wanderer taken word-for-word from a conversation my husband and I had at The Macaroni Grill only a few hours after he'd had eye surgery. He ended up putting his foot in his mouth due to the pain opening his eyes caused him...I just HAD to text the convo. to myself and incorporate it in my writing.

“You okay?” Max asked, watching as Landon struggled to meet her eyes.
“I’m trying not to look at you,” he replied.
“I’m sorry, what?”
“I mean I’m trying not to hurt my eyes.”
Max crossed her arms over her chest and raised a wicked brow.
Landon shielded the sun with his hand and finally made eye contact with her. “That came out wrong,” he said apologetically.
“It sure did,” she said with a chuckle.”

6. Cover Photos- When it comes to selecting the right cover, I always want to make sure it connects to the novel, even if it may not be obvious to the reader per se. In my Volition series, for example, the first edition covers are scenic and I incorporated each scene into the novels. The second edition covers have objects incorporated in the novel. On the cover of Severance, for example, is a bracelet that Joel wears in the book.

7. Things I Wish I Didn't Suck At- In literature you can live out your shortcomings. Your characters can be knowledgeable about stuff you can't quite grasp yourself, skilled in things you just can't seem to get the hang of. For those little character details or even big details, it's always interesting to incorporate stuff you're NOT an expert in. Running for example. I am terrible at it...I'm a pretty good sprinter but long distance always kicks my butt. Evangeline runs a bit in Know Thy Neighbor as does Max in The Wanderer. Good for them...I can't do it to save my life.

8. Life Experience- You may be seeing a trend here...I draw a lot from my own life. The novel that fits this bill most is The Wanderer. I incorporated a lot of myself into this particular novel because of the military connection. Being an Army wife myself, I wanted to write a novel about this very important part of my life, the military community. Not many people are familiar with it. I'm only twenty-four-years-old, so writing a memoir would just be silly, but I wanted to tell a story about a soldier. I wanted to give a little insight into my world. I plan on doing more military related novels somewhere down the line once I've had more experience. I think it's a really fascinating lifestyle in comparison to "the civilian world" and it can be terribly romantic as well if you're a sap like myself.

9. People Who Inspire Me- I love writing stories about brave and strong characters. Heroes of the real world. Paranormal heroes and bad-ass bad-guy slayers are awesome, but I've always tended to be most inspired by the everyday heroes. You'll find these in both my Rider series novels as well as in Know Thy Neighbor.

10. Friend and Family's Suggestions and Input- I have had A LOT of help from family and friends when it comes to writing my novels. In each and every one of my books I have incorporated suggestions from both. My husband even wrote the first draft of a combat scene in The Wanderer as well as helped me with the action scenes in Know Thy Neighbor.

I was never that kid that enjoyed reading. In fact, I hated it. I wanted to like reading but it just didn't come that easily to me so I avoided it for a long time, though I always enjoyed story telling. Once I finally got into reading, much later in life compared to most writers (around eighteen), I really started to explore my interest in writing my own stories. It took a while to polish my ability to do so, given the fact that I was still only getting used to the art of reading and writing novels, but in time it all finally clicked.

When my husband deployed to Iraq in 2008 I started writing my first published novel, Volition. From that moment on I knew that I'd found my calling. Not only do I hope to share my stories with the world but I hope to inspire others who struggled to pick up reading to never give up.

Apart from being an author, I'm an Army wife and soon-to-be mother. I'm a lover of most music, a big movie fanatic, and a lover of all things outdoors.

Find Shawn:
goodreads | facebook | blog | twitter

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone has a safe holiday. Enjoy time with your families today and remember all of the things for which you are thankful. Happy holidays!

Blog Tour: Leanna Renee Hieber - The Twisted Tragedy of Miss Natalie Stewart

Leanna Renee Hieber - The Twisted Tragedy of Miss Natalie Stewart

Magic Most Foul #2

• Pub Date: November 1, 2012
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
• Format: Paperback/Ebook, 336 pages
• Age Range: Young Adult

I'm coming for you.

The whispers haunt her dreams and fill her waking hours with dread. Something odd is happening. Something...unnatural.

Possession of the living. Resurrection of the dead. And Natalie Stewart is caught right in the middle. Jonathon, the one person she thought she could trust, has become a double agent for the dark side. But he plays the part so well, Natalie has to wonder just how much he's really acting.

She can't even see what it is she's fighting. But the cost of losing her heart, her sanity...her soul.

Author, actress and playwright, Leanna grew up in rural Ohio, graduated with a BFA in Theatre, a focus in the Victorian Era and a scholarship to study in London. She adapted 19th Century literature for the stage and her one-act plays have been produced around the country. She is a 4 time Prism Award winner for excellence in Futuristic, Fantasy, or Paranormal Romance. Her debut novel, The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker, first in the "Strangely Beautiful" saga of Gothic Victorian Fantasy novels (Barnes & Noble Bestseller) won two 2010 Prism Awards (Best Fantasy, Best First Book) and is currently in development as a musical theatre production. DARKER STILL: A Novel of Magic Most Foul, begins a Gothic paranormal saga set in 1880 New York City, named an INDIE NEXT title; a recommended buy by the American Book Association, a Scholastic book fairs "Highly Recommended" title and is a finalist in the 2012 Daphne du Maurier awards for excellence in Mystery/Romantic Suspense. The sequel, THE TWISTED TRAGEDY OF MISS NATALIE STEWART, has recently released and she is currently working on her new Gaslamp Fantasy saga for Tor/Macmillan, THE ETERNA FILES, coming 2014. A character from THE ETERNA FILES is featured in her short story included in QUEEN VICTORIA'S BOOK OF SPELLS (Tor, 3/13).

Leanna is a proud member of member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Romance Writers of America, and the International Thriller Writers. She is a proud co-founder of Lady Jane's Salon Reading Series in New York City. A member of Actors Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA, Leanna works often in television and film. She is playing the role of Deputy Kellion in Auror's Tale web-series. When not writing or on set, she loves a good Goth club, adventuring about her adopted hometown of New York City, where she resides with her real-life hero and their beloved rescued lab rabbit.

Find Leanna:

goodreads | twitter | website

Blog Tour: Tabatha Vargo - Wicked Fate

Tabatha Vargo - Wicked Fate

• Pub Date: November 30, 2012
• Format: Paperback, 311 pages
• Age Range: Young Adult

What if you lived in fear of yourself?

For Mage McPherson being afraid of herself is just the norm. Thanks to that fear, being a loner in a small town never bothered the mysterious Mage. Once she received her secret abilities, she figured being alone was the safest way to be. That all changes during her sophomore year at Summerville High when Adam, her equally mysterious secret crush, starts to notice her.

Afraid that she might harm Adam, Mage must learn to either control or deny herself. With Adam by her side she's more powerful than she’s ever been, but is she powerful enough to defeat her worst nightmare? She learns a hard lesson about love and magic when her destiny comes to collect.

Excerpt from Wicked Fate

by Tabatha Vargo

The next day at school, everyone’s talking about the unique weather and how the weather man can’t explain the strange phenomenon. Weather professionals from all over the United States have come to Summerville to be a part of what’s now called “The North Pole of the South.”

They can’t figure out how it’s happening. How in Summerville there’s snow, ice, and fifteen-degree weather. Yet in Charleston, twenty minutes down the road, there’s breeze, sunshine, and seventy-degree weather.

I’m staring into my locker trying to figure out how to make it stop. I hate that I can’t change the weather, that I can’t make this cold lonesome feeling go away. I throw books in and pull books out, and then I feel someone behind me. I know who it is without even looking. His warmth spreads through me and for a minute I feel like nothing’s changed. The feeling quickly disappears when he turns and walks away. I turn around in time to see Adam walk around the corner without looking back.

Gym flies by in a daze; Bernie asks me several times if I’m okay.

“I’m okay. I think I’m getting sick or something,” I shrug.

The quick peek I get of him in the hallway is the only time I see Adam today. He didn’t come to lunch and he doesn’t show up to history either. Even though technically I see him in school most days, I still miss him so much. Somehow, the empty desk next to me makes it worse.

I agree to let Bernie give me a ride home from school. We walk through the parking lot towards her car, stopping every now and again for her to talk to someone. She’s become quite the Social Sally in the last couple of weeks. I think it has something to do with the relationship between her and Kale.

When we get to Bernie’s car, which is parked closest to the trees, I wait as she digs through her book bag searching for her car keys. I can feel Adam’s gaze penetrating my skin. I look over to where his truck is usually parked and he’s there. He’s leaning against the driver’s side, his arms crossed over his chest as he stares back at me. He looks pissed off and mad at the world. Good! Join the crowd, punk!

That’s when I hear it, a loud popping and cracking noise. I turn my head quickly to the noise and I notice that a huge pine tree that’s draped over Bernie’s car is frozen solid. Long sharp icicles hang from it, waiting to drop at any second. One of the large branches looks like it’s about to break off and that branch is covered in the largest and sharpest of the icicles—it’s right above Bernie’s head.

An icicle breaks off and darts straight towards Bernie’s car crashing into it before I can stop it. I jump back and Bernie screams as she falls onto her back. Before she has a chance to move another sharp icicle heads straight towards her followed by the entire tree branch—it’s the size of a small tree.

I react quickly without a thought for the people surrounding me. I lift my hand to the falling objects; I feel a small sting when the now invisible fire leaves my fingertips. I don’t even feel the fire anymore, not since I started using my magic every day.

The falling objects stop abruptly and sit, floating in mid air for a second or so. I quickly fling my arm towards the woods; the huge tree branch along with four sharp icicles fly into the woods.

I drop my hand quickly praying that no one saw what I’d done. I’m on the outer edge of a packed parking lot full of people who already think I’m odd. The last thing I need right now is for those exact same people to see me do what I just did.

Tabatha has been writing since she could pick up a pencil. Her first publication was a little poem in her elementary school paper, from that point on she was hooked. When she was a teenager, she traded in her girly magazines for personalized writing notebooks.

At nineteen, she met her own personal prince charming and writing took a back burner for a while. She is now married to that prince and the mother of a beautiful six-year-old princess/rock star. Once her daughter was born, writing came back into her life, and she finished her very first novel in May of 2009.

She is pursuing a Bachelors in English and hopes to one day teach while continuing to write.

As a stay-at-home mom and full-time student, Tabatha enjoys the freedom of spending a good bit of her days doing what she loves the most…writing.

Find Tabatha:

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Book Promo: M.R. Merrick - Exiled & Shift

Power Will Flourish

Lives Will be Lost

Nothing, Will be Forgotten

Chase Williams is a demon hunter in the Circle, or at least he was supposed to be. On his fifteenth birthday, Chase stepped up to the altar to claim his elemental power, but it never came. Elemental magic is passed down to a hunter through the bloodline, but on Chase's birthday, the bloodline stopped. 

Exiled without the Circle's protection, Chase has spent two years trying to survive a world riddled with half-demons and magic. When he has a run in with a frightened and seemingly innocent demon, he learns the Circle's agenda has changed: the Circle plans to unlock a portal and unleash pure-blood demons into the world. 

Vowing to stop them, and knowing he can't do it alone, Chase forms a reluctant alliance with Rayna - a sexy witch with an attitude and a secret. In their attempt to stop them however, Chase and Rayna find themselves in the middle of the Circle's plan, leaving one of them to decide what their friendship is worth, and the other's life depending on it.

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Excerpt from EXILED

I’d had several jobs in the past year. This one I’d managed to keep for a few months. Most of my employers frowned on me coming to work with cuts and bruises all the time. It made for “poor presentation,” they’d say. I was thankful it hadn’t interfered with this job, yet.

I finished up my shift and had started my walk home from the burger joint when I felt it. A hunter doesn’t mistake the feeling that demons are around. It moves down your spine and chills your bones. Feeling it proved I was indeed a hunter, even without an element.

The August air was warm for the late hour, and a thick layer of sweat made my white shirt cling to me. I stopped and unzipped my duffle bag, locating the silver dagger inside. Silver was great no matter what you were fighting; it could do serious damage to anything of the Underworld.

The tingle shot down my spine again. If I focused, I could feel each hair on my neck rise. I saw a blur of movement across the street and watched it disappear into a shadowy alley. I moved across the street in a low crouch, resting my weight on the balls of my feet. I slowed my breathing and pulled the dagger from my bag before I slipped around the corner.

My senses were alive and strained to see movement, or hear the sound of feet shuffling against loose rocks. As a hunter, I could see well in the dark, though the only light came from a single flickering street lamp.

I was almost to the end of the alley when it hit. I couldn’t tell what “it” was, but it struck my back and launched me forward. My feet tumbled over my head and my back smashed hard into the concrete wall at the end of the alley. Hands grabbed me and lifted me to my feet, dragging me a few steps before throwing me back the other way. I flew through the air, hit the ground and rolled out into the street.

I used my momentum and came up on one knee to recover. My back burned where pavement had grated the skin off, but I pushed the pain aside as the figure stalked towards me.

“Your death will bring me great glory, hunter. Killing the son of Riley Williams will make me a legend among the Underworld,” the low voice gloated.

“That’s really great, good luck with that,” I said.

He smiled and the fangs that slid down from his gums were long and sharp. His pale skin started to thin as the vampire changed into his demon form.

Milky skin faded into transparent flesh, revealing the moving muscles beneath. Veins ran black through the vampire’s face and limbs, pushing against the thinning clear skin. Strange muscles in his hands pushed bony talons out over his finger nails, and the whites of his eyes disappeared, filling with an inky blackness. The dark orbs stared at me as his fanged mouth curled into a smile, and in a blur he sprang forward, talons swinging.

I ducked as they sliced through the air over my head. I brought the knife up into his stomach and twisted the blade before I pulled it out. Blood spilled onto the ground, but I knew the wound wasn’t enough to kill him. Cut off his head or pierce his black heart – those were my options. I could light him on fire, but I was fresh out of matches.

I brought my foot up and kicked the vampire back to give myself some room. I steadied myself, waiting for him to charge, but his body jerked and the point of a silver blade appeared in his chest before he could move.

The vamp’s body went limp and collapsed, then exploded in a flash of orange light. It burned away into a cloud of ash and littered the pavement, revealing the girl – of all things – who had beaten me to the kill.

Raven hair spilled over her pale shoulders with hints of red highlighting the occasional strand. A tight leather top revealed a sliver of toned stomach and a tease of cleavage. Black pants hugged her hips and long slender legs and met knee-high boots. Her skin glistened in the light, but the most noticeable of her features were her eyes.

Bright green orbs sparkled with an odd glow: demon’s eyes. They had the slit pupils of a cat that I’d never seen on anything other than a house pet or a shifter in animal form. I slipped back into fight mode. I’d never watched one demon kill another, but I suppose for the fame of killing me, why not?

I lunged and threw a punch at her face, but she dodged it with ease.

“You almost messed up my kill,” she snarled, and I had barely enough time to dodge her powerful kick.

“Your kill? You stole it from me!” I swung my fist and hit her stomach. She bent over, winded, before she stepped back and caught her breath, regaining her stance and composure.

“Stole it? Please, I’d been tracking him for blocks.” She spun and caught my chin with the heel of her boot, snapping my head to the side. I rubbed my jaw where she’d hit me and smiled.

“Well then, I guess it’s a good thing I was here to slow him down. Who knows if you would have been able to catch him?”

She moved in for another kick but I was ready. I grabbed her foot and pushed her back. She fell to the ground but quickly came to her feet. “I would have gotten him just fine on my own. Hunting is an art. It would’ve gone on as long as I deemed necessary.”

“Call it hunting if you want, but a filthy demon killing her own kind is still just that: a filthy demon.” I could tell I’d offended her even before she hit me.

My eyes watered when her fist smashed into my nose and her foot connected with my stomach in quick succession. I jerked back to avoid the knee that flew towards my face and pushed it to the side, but she was already moving towards me. Her hands hit my chest hard and I soared through the air for a long moment before I hit the ground. I felt a sharp pain shoot up through my spine and I could hear her laughter as I struggled to my feet.

“I have to admit I expected more from you, Chase, being the infamous son of Riley Williams and all.”

I gripped my dagger until my knuckles turned white and spoke through gritted teeth. “I’ll try not to disappoint.”

My fist hit her jawbone and made a loud crack. I came back with my other hand and wrapped it around her throat. I stepped into the movement and threw her forward in a burst of hunter’s strength. She slammed into the ground but recovered faster than I anticipated. Before I could brace myself she was on top of me.

I pulled her body down and we rolled over each other against the cold concrete until I was on top. I kept a handful of her hair wound tight in my fist and pushed my blade against her throat. “More what you expected?”

“Not really.” She smirked.

I felt the point of a knife pushing against my stomach. Before I could react, a commanding male voice came from behind us.

“Enough!” it boomed.

I didn’t take the knife or my eyes off the demon beneath me.

“But we were just starting to have fun,” she complained. The smile on her face was anything but threatening. If this was her idea of fun, I didn’t want to know what she considered boring.

“Rayna, enough,” the man repeated.

She sighed, sticking out her bottom lip in a pout before the knife left my skin. “Truce?” she said with an innocent face.

“Not a chance,” I replied, pushing the knife harder against her throat.

I was pulled away from Rayna and pressed against a wall, thick hands around my throat. I raised my blade but my opponent blocked and twisted my arm at an awkward angle. The man ripped the blade from my hand and I squirmed.

“Calm down, Chase. We are not here to hurt you,” the voice said. A complete shadow hung around the figure, moving as he moved.

“So she attacked me for fun?” I snapped.

“If we wanted you dead, you would be,” he said, releasing his grip, and I fell to the sidewalk. He stepped back slowly and the shadow peeled itself from his body. As it faded, it revealed a large man whose magic I’d never sensed before.

“If you don’t want to kill me, what do you want?” I asked.

The man reached forward, a large dark arm holding out my dagger. I wrapped my hand around it in confusion. The contrast of our skin was drastic; my pale flesh glowed against his midnight color and the size of his hand alone made me feel small.

“What Rayna told you was true. We were tracking the vampire, not you. Although I’m happy to finally meet you, I’d imagined this moment under different circumstances,” he said.

“There are ways to meet people besides attacking them.”

“I agree. You must forgive us; Rayna is quick to lash out when insulted.” My eyes met his and I couldn’t read his expression. I knew I hadn’t been polite, but I wasn’t about to apologize to a demon. “You know, your father would not have hesitated to kill her, no matter his position.”

“Congratulations, you’ve discovered I’m not my father. What the hell would you know about him anyways?”

He turned his head to the side and as the light hit his neck it revealed a tattoo. It was the one every hunter received after their ceremony. The one I never got.

The tattoo made me realize why he could bend the shadows; he was an air elemental and a powerful one at that. I had heard stories of hunters being able to work with shadows, but I’d never seen it done firsthand.

I looked him over, not sure what to think of a hunter working with a demon. He was taller than me by an inch, around six-foot three. His head was smooth shaven, though there was a small patch of hair under his lower lip. His skin seemed like a smooth dark chocolate. His body was large and square, broad shoulders making him a massive column of strength and power. He filled out a sharp black suit jacket and wore black loafers, leaving the only color on him a flash of bright blue dress shirt.

“You’re a hunter.”

“Once upon a time, yes I was.”

He broke eye contact and cleared his throat, extending his massive hand towards me. “Look at my manners. Let me introduce myself. I am Marcus Starkraven.”

My eyebrows shot up; I knew that name! “You’re supposed to be dead.”

“Is that what you heard?”

“You used to hunt with my father.”

He nodded slightly, but otherwise ignored the comment. “You already met Rayna,” he said, taking his unshaken hand back.

I looked at Rayna and got caught in the depths of her green, slit eyes.

“What are you doing with a demon?” I said, spitting out the last word like a curse.

“How’s your nose?” Rayna asked.

I touched it and looked at the blood on my fingers. “Lucky shot.”

She chuckled and stepped towards me. “Care to go again?” Marcus put an arm in front of her.

“Not what we’re doing right now,” he said.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“She is my student. And my friend.”

I couldn’t respond. I didn’t believe it. A hunter being friends with a demon was unfathomable.

“I would have thought, being out in the real world, you’d have come to understand, Chase. Some Underworlders don’t fit the Circle’s black and white image of good and evil,” he said.

“The only Underworlders I’ve come across have tried to kill me.”

“Your name is feared by many in the Underworld. Your father has created quite the reputation for himself, so they fear you as well,” Marcus said.

I smirked. “As they should.”

He shook his head. “That wasn’t a compliment. 

M.R. Merrick is a Canadian writer and author of The Protector Series, a Young Adult mash-up between Urban and Epic Fantasy. Having never traveled, he adventures to far off lands through his imagination and in between cups of coffee. As a music lover and proud breakfast enthusiast, he’s usually found at the computer between a pair of headphones and in front of a large bowl of cereal.

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