Saturday, March 7, 2015

Fierce - A Fantasy Anthology - $100 GC Giveaway

FIERCE

Grab your copy now for just .99 cents!
Fierce fantasy collection

FIERCE: Sixteen Authors Of Fantasy with Mercedes Lackey


Join epic fantasy legend Mercedes Lackey and fifteen additional New York Times, USA Today, and Amazon bestselling authors on the adventure of a lifetime!

Over one million words and sixteen realms of fantasy brought together for your reading pleasure. Discover courageous characters fighting for justice and order. Journey between kingdoms of dragons and lands of anarchy as tales of magic and mayhem unfold.

Grab it today, before it's gone!
 
Find out more information about the bundle on novelbundles.com!

About the Authors and Titles:

Mercedes Lackey - Moving Targets
Stuck watching over four Herald trainees on circuit, Elyn is at her wits' end—and that's before a town asks for help with a ghostly infestation.

Michael G. Manning - The Blacksmith's Son
A journey to discover the secrets of his past reveals a magical heritage and embroils Mordecai in a deadly battle for the future of mankind.

K.F. Breene - Chosen
Prophecy has foretold that when war threatens the world, the Chosen will appear to help the Shadow Warriors reclaim their stolen freedom and lead them out of the Land of Mist.

Morgan Rice - A Quest of Heroes
Thorgin, an outsider and a dreamer, fights to become a warrior in an epic quest that finds him at the center of a maelstrom of royal plots and counterplots that threaten him and everyone he loves.

Michael James Ploof - Whill of Agora
When Whill learns the truth of his lineage, he sets out to face his father's murderer, but what he learns along the way will change his life—and the realm—forever.

Daniel Arenson - Requiem's Song
Weredragons, men call them. Monsters. Cursed ones. People who can turn into beastly reptiles. Together they will forge a nation.

Kate Sparkes – Bound
When a young woman accidentally saves the life of an enemy Sorcerer, she finds herself drawn into a world of magic that’s more beautiful, more seductive, and more dangerous than she ever imagined.

David Adams – The Pariahs
Two sellswords—a half-elf and a half-orc—find their war over before it even begins. But trouble is stirring on the home front, conflict which threatens more than just their lives.

Amy Raby - The Fire Seer
Taya must use her fire visions to investigate a series of murders, but the Coalition of Mages has partnered her with her old nemesis, the man who used to bully her when they were young.

C. Greenwood - Magic of Thieves & Betrayal of Thieves
In a province where magic is forbidden, young Ilan, born with the powerful gift of her ancestors, has only one hope for survival—concealment.

David Dalglish - The Weight of Blood
When half-bloods Harruq and Qurrah Tun pledged their lives to a death prophet, they only sought escape from their squalid beginnings. Instead, they become his greatest disciples, charged with leading his army of undead.

K.J. Colt - Bear Heart
In the savage lands of Ruxdor, young Klawdia must fight the champions of four rival clans to defend her future as the first female chieftain.

Shae Ford – Poison
A bandit girl is taken from her home and thrust into a complex world of lords and ladies, where she learns that she must kill to survive.

Endi Webb - The Maskmaker's Apprentice
Masks of legend. Masks of power. Those who dare to wear them trifle with the old powers and risk ruin and mayhem. But a young apprentice maskmaker cannot contain his curiosity, and accidentally unleashes a deadly terror upon an unsuspecting world.

Michael Wallace - The Dark Citadel
A slave boy and a young queen lead an alliance of spies, servants, and merchants to stave off the encroaching armies of a dark wizard.

Terah Edun - Blades of Magic
As an unstoppable war breaks out, a young girl enlists in the military to unravel the secrets surrounding her father’s execution.
 
Grab it today, before it's gone!


100_Amazon_PaypalBook Blast Giveaway $100 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 3/15/15 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Friday, March 6, 2015

Hunting Season by Nikki Jefford - Teaser + Special Offer




Hunting Season
Aurora Sky Vampire Hunter #4

Nikki Jefford

YA Urban Fantasy
March 3, 2015

Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Kobo | Goodreads

Better to be a hunter, not prey.

Ever since her partner was kidnapped, Aurora Sky has been on a personal mission to get him back. To do that she needs the vampire responsible for destroying her life.

In order to have a snowball’s chance at success, she’ll have to team up with her most loyal friends—including a certain vampire in black with a provoking talent for distraction.

Old cravings aren’t easily quenched, nor past passions. With knowledge comes danger and Aurora is at risk on all sides.


Night of the Living Dante
(Cover by Najla Qamber Designs)
Dante has just been assigned Aurora Sky's mentor. Before they meet, he goes on a mission in the Alaska Interior with his old partner and informant, Janine. Full of thrills, chills, and... Dante!
Bonus story at the back of Hunting Season on all pre-orders and release week sales. Ends: March 9. Don’t miss out on Dante’s mission.


Teaser

Practice Safe Sex
Sleep With a Vampire

Fane smiled when he saw my expression. “Don’t forget, I know all about you and your stash of Trojans.”
I’d nearly forgotten about my pit stop at the Jewel Lake Quickie Mart on my way to Scott Steven’s house. Fane had the unfortunate timing of buying smokes at the same time I was buying protection.
“Your face turned so red when you saw me in line behind you,” Fane said. “Sorta like it’s doing right now.”
He reached his hand forward to touch my cheek. I uncrossed my arms and batted it away.
“That’s because I’d just come in from the cold,” I said.
Fane shook his head. “You were embarrassed.”
“You were an ass.”
“Don’t forget, I offered to drive you home. Should have taken me up on it.”
I sucked in a breath.
Fane moved his chin back and forth as though saying, you know I’m right.
In the end, it would have been better to return home. I could have avoided the worst sex ever. I didn’t have anything to compare it to, but I was convinced it couldn’t get worse than Scott Stevens. Doing him ranked somewhere up there with stabbing a vampire to death.
Schools ought to hire me to preach abstinence.
“Hey guys, don’t do it. It sucks—unless you meet a nice vampire because he probably knows what he’s doing and I bet he does it really well. Plus you won’t get pregnant or any STD’s. Remember, don’t take him to bed, unless he’s undead.”

About the Author

Bookaholic, nature girl, and animal lover.

Nikki Jefford is a third generation Alaskan who found paradise in the not-so-tropical San Juan Islands (WA) where she is, once more, neighbors with Canada in a town without a single traffic light.

She married the love of her life, Sebastien, while working as a teaching assistant in France. They reside with their Westie, Cosmo in Friday Harbor.

Loves fictional bad boys and heroines who kick butt.



Author links:

Thursday, March 5, 2015

New Release: Gentle Chains by Nazarea Andrews

GChains_BLITZ

Today is the release day blitz for GENTLE CHAINS by Nazarea Andrews. We have a few character profiles from the book below and a contest for a beautiful necklace and swag pack!

 Gentle Chains Ebook-2

If you want to read part of GENTLE CHAINS, click the link below to read the first 6 chapters! 

CLICK HERE TO ADD GENTLE CHAINS TO GOODREADS

Read the first 6 chapters of GENTLE CHAINS

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PURCHASE GENTLE CHAINS from Amazon

    GChains_RELEASE

BOOK BLURB:


When slavers steal Juhan and his twin sister Chosi from their home planet of psychics, their only comfort is in the fact that they’re together. When they are separated at auction, Juhan swears to find his sister, no matter the cost.

Juhan is bought by the spoiled daughter of a political scion. Caught in her glittering world of intrigue and politics, Juhan is startled to find Sadi playing a long game to change intergalactic politics and Juhan is merely a pawn in her game. But as his vow and Sadi's lies takes them across galaxies, he begins to wonder if his young owner is more than an arrogant rich girl. And he has to consider the cost of his promise—especially when people they both care for begin to die.

A galaxy away, Chosi is sold into blood sport. With her psychic ability, she earns a precarious position of value within the gladiator school, training the draken—wild creatures of smoke and fire—for the arena. In the midst of that hell, she forges a friendship with the slave Jemes and the draken she cares for. But when her defiance comes with devastating results, Chosi contemplates suicide as an escape from her chains. Yet, she can't forget the brother who promised to find her, and even as she welcomes the risk of death, she clings to that promise.

Spun across space and exotic worlds, Juhan and Chosi try to find each other, and home in a stunning story about the lengths love will take you.  

Meet Juhan'tr et Chentq (aka Juhan) and his twin sister, Chosi'le et Chentq (aka Chosi) from GENTLE CHAINS.

GChains_day1_Ele GChains_Choi



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NazareaAndrews


AUTHOR INFORMATION: Nazarea Andrews is an avid reader and tends to write the stories she wants to read. She loves chocolate and coffee almost as much as she loves books, but not quite as much as she loves her kids. She lives in south Georgia with her husband, daughters, and overgrown dog.
AUTHOR LINKS: You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Booktropolous. Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/MtHwj

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Cursed by Fire by Danielle Annett - Guest Post & Giveaway



Cursed by Fire

Danielle Annett

Urban Fantasy/Paranormal
January 28, 2015
Cover by: Mae I Designs

Amazon | B&N | Goodreads


It has been six years since the Awakening and peace in Spokane, Washington is still tenuous at best. The vampires and shifters are all vying for control of the city and the humans seem to be the ones suffering the consequences, or so it seems.

Aria Naveed has spent the last two years of her life fighting to make the many wrongs of the world right, but soon finds out that the humans aren’t as weak as they appear and may be a more terrifying foe than any of the other races combined.


When a stranger rolls into town with trouble on his heels, Aria finds herself trapped in the middle of a battle that could cost her more than she has bargained for as a fight for justice turns into an unexpected fight for her life.

Guest Post by Danielle Annett

Top 10 Fictional Places I'd like to visit

1. Hogwarts.
Honestly, this one is a no brainer, who wouldn't want to go to Hogwarts, am I right?

2. The Polar Express.

3. Dantes Inferno
in the Cassie Palmer series by Karen Chance. If I'm going to Vegas, I may as well visit Hell

4. The Lost Empire of Atlantis.
I think everyone secretly wants to go here

5. Neverland!

6. Stars Hollow.
I'm a really big Gilmore Girls fan and I always wanted to go to Stars Hallow and read a book in the gazebo

7. The Lady Corsair,
an airship in the Iron Seas series by Meljean Brook 

8. The Fool
in Rachel Bach's Paradoxian series (preferably when it is not under attack)

9. Alagaesia
from the Eragon series. 

10. Narnia,
I kinda just want to pet the Lion

About the Author

Danielle Annett is a reader, writer, photographer, and the blogger behind Coffee and Characters. Born in the SF Bay area, she now resides in Spokane, WA, the primary location for her Blood & Magic series.

Addicted to coffee at an early age, she spends her restless nights putting pen to paper as she tries to get all of the stories out of her head before the dogs wake up the rest of the house and vye for her attention.



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Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Silk by Chris Karlsen - Review



Silk

Chris Karlsen

Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
December 14, 2014

Amazon | Goodreads


Silk on the skin—luxurious, luscious..lethal.

London-Fall, 1888

The city is in a panic as Jack the Ripper continues his murderous spree. While the Whitechapel police struggle to find him, Detective Inspector Rudyard Bloodstone and his partner are working feverishly to find their own serial killer. The British Museum's beautiful gardens have become a killing ground for young women strangled as they stroll through.

Their investigation has them brushing up against Viscount Everhard, a powerful member of the House of Lords, and a friend to Queen Victoria. When the circumstantial evidence  points to him as a suspect, Rudyard must deal with the political blowback, and knows if they are going to go after the viscount, they'd better be right and have proof.

As the body count grows and the public clamor for the detectives to do more, inter-department rivalries complicate the already difficult case.


My Review: I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review

I am always on board for an interesting villain, especially if I get to experience the villain's POV. The first chapter was intriguing, told from William's POV about the murder and disposal of his mistress. It was so well-written and was a great intro to this Victorian mystery thriller.

The Victorian era is one of my favorites, especially novels set in England. I loved the scenes written from the killer's perspective-- they were dark and the best part of the story. Whenever the killer appeared in the story he had my rapt attention. That's not to say I didn't like protagonist Rudyard. He was interesting in his own right, and I liked the time and effort he put into his investigations.

Dreary London is described so well, I could almost feel the fog and chill. There is some romance, but it really takes a backseat to the murders and investigation. The pacing was a bit slower than I normally like, but whenever the killer appeared, I was game to keep reading. If you like an intriguing crime mystery, especially if you're a fan of the Victorian era, then I think you'll enjoy Silk.

About the Author

I was born and raised in Chicago. My father was a history professor and my mother was, and is, a voracious reader.

I grew up with a love of history and books.

Monday, March 2, 2015

The Three Thorns by Michael Gibney - Author Interview & Giveaway


Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for The Three Thorns by Michael Gibney, hosted by Chapter by Chapter.
Michael Gibney was kind enough to answer some questions about his novel and writing experience-- thanks!
I plan to buy this novel for my fourteen-year-old son, who loves fantasy and constantly complains that there isn't enough fiction that would interest boys. This looks like one he would definitely enjoy :)

The Three Thorns
The Brotherhood and the Shield #1

Michael Gibney

Children's Fantasy
Tantrum Books/Month9Books, LLC
 February 24, 2015

Goodreads
ChaptersIndigo | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | TBD | Indiebound

Three brothers born to a powerful fallen King were abandoned at birth and cast out into the old world known as “Earth,” as orphans. By order of the false King, three of the new world’s most lethal assassins have been sent to kill the children before they come of age and plot to avenge their Father’s throne. No one knows where the children are, and they have no knowledge of one another. But that all changes when Benjamin, Tommy and Sebastian join together to face adversity, an unspeakable evil and the temptations of magical powers. The Three Thorns is book one in an exciting children’s fantasy series called The Brotherhood and the Shield.


Interview with author Michael Gibney


Tell us about your main characters. Who are Benjamin, Tommy, and Sebastian?

These three main characters that make up The Three Thorns, start out as average abandoned pre-World War English children. Two are brought into lower-working class backgrounds and government upbringings and one is brought into a wealthy family, which doesn’t make much difference as all are treated like garbage by their elders. Each character is different and conflicting personalities as they struggle to grow up under harsh oppression and the lack of love shown to each of them is the ultimate test of endurance of the good that is inside each boy. Benjamin is the most vulnerable and emotional of the three. He is shy, easily intimidated but very ambitious and resourceful. In ways he has the biggest heart of them all and it is in this trusting trait of his that leads him astray in the books to come. His naivety is his ultimate weakness. Tommy Joel is not very likeable. He’s a survivor at heart but abuses his selfish need to look after himself and turns his survival instincts into bullying with physical contact. He is boisterous, selfish and a troublemaker. His reactions to his circumstances show he is a very different nature than Benjamin. Tommy is filled with resentment and anger he may or may not learn to master as the books progress. Then there is Sebastian Cain. Born into wealth of the London theatre owners, the dreaded Cains, Sebastian lives the opposite of an Annie or Oliver Twist. Instead of wealth making his lifestyle happier, it brings him great burden and responsibility thrust upon him at an early age by his wicked guardians. Sebastian is the most independent out of the three boys and the most educated. He doesn’t suffer fools gladly and refuses to be intimidated by Tommy, unlike Benjamin, who tends to cowardly back down to Tommy. Sebastian is very brave and is the smartest of the three. In ways he is also the most posh and snooty, which he carries off with mannerisms that are nothing short of comical.

Benjamin, Tommy and Sebastian discover they are brothers by blood and Princes to another world they must return together to save.  They make up the central structure of the Brotherhood and the Shield series, as they are the Brotherhood.      

This novel is book one in The Brotherhood and the Shield series. How many books do you have planned for this series? When can we expect the next book?

The Brotherhood and the Shield was supposed to be a simple trilogy but the broad scope of its characters and massive scale in plot twists and storylines wouldn’t allow that, so I had to expand it into a seven book series. I am currently on the 5th book in the series. What everyone can expect in book 2, ‘Legion of the Two Knights’ is more of everything that made The Three Thorns so great. Everything is in more detail in book 2. There is more action, more character and plot development and revelations and there are more thrills and rides as well as introductions to a whole cast of new and colorful characters that makes Legion of the Two Knights a solid stepping stone to the series.

What inspired this series?

An accumulation of things inspired this series. My best friend’s loss of his parents, my childhood struggles and books in its genre that never quite managed to bring the realism of loss, tragedy and sacrifice. Lord Of The Rings, Eragon, His Dark Materials, Potter, and the Narnia series all have happy endings and no sense of true danger. I wanted to create a book series that didn’t feel as safe and with a story that was full of risk and consequence. 

What makes The Three Thorns different from other books in the genre?

I'd say its heavy realism makes it unique. The Brotherhood and the Shield storyline is very dark and deals with more tragedy than the comparisons mentioned. It also incorporates science fiction, which I don't think has ever been attempted before in a Children's fantasy series such as this. 

I've always felt that the reader is the true critic, so that will be up to them to decide. However, I will say I never wrote The Three Thorns to be ‘as good as’ or to be better than anything. I wrote The Three Thorns to be its own thing. I wanted the story to be as individual as possible. That is my goal in my storytelling. I want to offer something that hasn't been offered to the public before; something new that pushes the boundary, if possible. Hence, my inclusion of self-made mythology and creatures within The Three Thorns and its successors.

Do you have a favorite character? Were any harder to write than the others?

A lot of the books deal with one particular character that I believe most readers will relate to. His initial character in The Three Thorns is that of a loveable heroic underdog but his character changes later in the story. Although I identify mostly with the character of Benjamin Brannon it is actually the main villain’s cold-hearted steel handed henchman, Jodo Kahln who is my favorite because he was such fun to write. I honestly found none of my characters hard to write as I find it natural to write from different perspectives and take into account different personalities of the characters. Background characters, like the policemen in the story for example I find hardest to write because there is no connection, backstory or depth to them. These background characters are rather two dimensional that I find hardest to write but realize that character fillers that set the mood and tone to a chapter like these are a necessary evil. 

If you could travel anywhere in the world, cost being no object, where would you go?

Japan. I feel I relate most to the Japanese way of life and its beautiful culture. I also take great inspiration from its art and its anime industry. I believe the Japanese will embrace and love the Brotherhood and the Shield series.

If you could visit any fictional place, where would you go?

The Shire, Hobbiton from Lord Of The Rings (also known as, Wellington, New Zealand).

If you could have dinner with any historical figures, who would you entertain? What would you serve?

Shakespeare. I would serve a roast feast and red wine to keep him talking.

When did you begin writing?

I began writing scrap book short stories as a teen but properly, I began writing screenplays in my early 20s and my first novel, The Three Thorns I began writing when I was 24 as well as the sequels ever since. 

Outlines—yes or no?

Sure.

What is the best advice you’ve received about writing? The worst?

Best advice was from my Grandfather. He told me to keep everything simple and short. Don’t over-complicate anything. The worst advice I was told was to give up, that I wasn’t a writer from a reviewer who was clearly bitter and jealous of my work I showed him. But, he was a banker and businessman trying to turn author and take a slice of an industry and pie he hasn’t paid his dues in. Granted, he isn’t an artist and hadn’t made the sacrifices I have made to get as far as I am, so I didn’t take anything he said seriously. It’s not like he was a literary expert or had served any time in the publishing business. He was a simple banker and a wannabe author with a large chip on his shoulder. To be told to give up by anyone is the worst advice I believe anyone can get. 

Do you have any advice for new writers just entering these shark infested waters?

Yes. Don’t let anything or anyone make you doubt or trample your hopes. If people fail you, your work won’t and it’s the readers who decide your fate, no one else. I would urge them to grow thick skin, because knocks, set backs and rejections are inevitable and unavoidable. Keeping a good and positive attitude will see you through to the right group of professionals who will work with you and believe in your work and its potential.

Is there anything else you’d like your readers to know about you or your novel?

No. I believe in this day in age technology has robbed us of any mystery. We now know what Stephen King has for breakfast just by going onto his twitter feed or we demand what the next book in a series we love is all about. I’m old school in the sense that keeping the fine balance of exposure and mystery only creates a bigger want and buzz about a book/author. 

- Written by Michael Gibney. © The Three Thorns. 2015

About the Author

Michael Gibney began working in restaurants at the age of sixteen and assumed his first sous chef position at twenty-two. He ascended to executive sous chef at Tavern on the Green, where he managed an eighty-person staff. He has worked in the kitchens of Morgans Hotel Group, 10 Downing in Manhattan, and Governor in Brooklyn’s DUMBO, among many others. Over the course of his career, he has had the opportunity to work alongside cooks and chefs from many of the nation’s best restaurants, including Alinea, Per Se, Eleven Madison Park, Daniel, Jean Georges, Le Bernardin, Bouley, Ducasse, Corton, wd~50, and Momofuku.

In addition to his experience in the food service industry, Gibney also holds a BFA in painting from Pratt Institute and an MFA in nonfiction writing from Columbia University. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Connect with the Author:  Twitter Facebook | Goodreads


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