Friday, January 15, 2016

The Lost Heir by Allison Whitmore (with Erin Virginia & Grace Arden) - Excerpt & Giveaway


The Lost Heir

Allison Whitmore (with Erin Virginia & Grace Arden)

Published by: Booktrope Publishing
Publication date: December 8th 2015
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

Isabella Foxworthy was just another girl…until she learned she was an empath, able to read the energy of others. A secret world known as the Violet City lies beneath her family’s hotel in Los Angeles. Through this discovery, Isabella is catapulted into a whirlwind of magic, adventure, and danger. The Violet City holds the key to protecting her stability; her family hotel, her friends, and her very sanity.
With morphlings, empaths, and fair folk also comes a powerful entity that twists her mind into knots, threatening everything she loves. Now, Isabella and her new friends—a guitar-playing jock, his gifted but neurotic brother, and a set of over-indulged twins—have until her 16th birthday to save her world with the help of someone who’s been lost for a very long time…the lost Foxworthy heir. But will they find him in time? And will he be a friend or foe?
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EXCERPT:
The sun was beginning to set and the bright day had begun to dissipate as dusk slowly fell over the Culver Hills village center, if one could really call it a village in the middle of Los Angeles. The air grew dense and musty. All the street lamps were off except one, which flickered in a slow, steady beat. Only a small number of cars cruised the road as the kids walked down Main Street toward where the Foxworthy Hotel was perched at the top of the hill. This dark stillness was not usual for this time of day. Something was off.

“Get off me!” The voice filled Isabella’s ear a block away from the hotel trolley stop. Her gut tore in two with fear. ”Give that back.”

Isabella slowed down to see Cleo marching back toward the same two bullies she’d rescued Pythian from the other day, one of whom had Xander by the shirt collar as the other was rummaging through Xander’s backpack. Cleo’s shoes lay in a clump.

“There are so many goodies in here. Gum drops. Chocolate snatches. Debbie cakes. And my personal favorite—this camcorder. Oh, wait… no. There’s a little digital camera, too. Looks like Christmas came early for us. Isn’t that right, Sloane?”

“Put my brother down, or you’ll be sorry,” Cleo shouted.

As requested, the boy shoved Xander, sending him tumbling into a nearby thorn bush. “Ahhrrk!”

Cleo went straight to his side.

It looked like the kid with Xander’s backpack might consider going for Cleo’s purse, but before that could happen, the other boy, Sloane, said, “Dude, let’s get outta here.” Seth, who was bigger and taller than both of them, and Isabella, whose nostrils flared like a lion, hustled after them.

“I know those guys,” Isabella told Seth.

“Go back and stay with Cleo,” he said.

“Watch me, Superman.”

They looped around the corner as the bullies flew up the service road that led to the back of the hotel. Before they could get too far, four figures in black appeared; from where, Isabella could not tell. Two grabbed the boys. Another took Xander’s backpack. Seth and Isabella both stopped. Cold licked Isabella’s heart. Not an eerie cold, but like a soothing glass of cold lemonade on a scorching day in July.

“What do we do?” Isabella whispered.

“I would tell you to go back, but you’d just make too much noise arguing with me, so I say just shut up.”

“If you tell me to shut up one more time…”

“Not now.”

“Right.”

The two figures holding the boys seemed to melt into the darkness of the trees.

“Where the hell did they go?” Seth asked, protectively pushing Isabella behind him.

She did not fight it. She was starting to become frightened, less of the situation and more of herself. Things had been off more than usual today. For the first time since her parents’ death, she’d felt completely protected, and she wasn’t sure it was all due to the necklace she had been wearing. It was so bizarre.

She was attuned to Cleo and Xander, who were usually never around at the holidays because, like her friend Lana, their parents traveled at that time. She’d felt everything from them: Xander’s exhaustion; Cleo’s boredom and overprotectiveness of her brother. The Logan brothers, however, were different. One minute, she felt Micah’s agitation with Xander, but the next, it would grow cold. And Seth—that boy, she couldn’t get a handle on at all. The only thing she got a sense of was fierce protection, particularly for Micah, but for her as well. She really did not know why.

That was never part of it; she had never felt the direction of a person’s emotions until now. She’d never felt so hot and cold about it. The five of them, connected by a string. It made no sense. Why would she be connected to these random kids?

The two figures in black who had stayed behind whispered to each other. Seth stepped to the side, taking Isabella with him. ”We should go back.”

But he was too late. The men had spotted them and were heading their way. Neither Seth nor Isabella dared to move. In an instant, the tallest of the figures, a young man of about twenty, stood before them. His skin was a beautiful caramel color, his eyes a startling green, and his hair—Isabella saw, as he pushed the hood off his head, he had a nest of shiny curls. He wore a goatee, and his eyes drooped with intellect.

“Declan Timothy. This is Max.” He thumbed at the guy behind him. “Just wanted to give this back to the kid.”

He pushed the backpack into Isabella’s arms. Her vocal cords decided to twist into a knot, so she was unable to say thank you.

“And to tell you to be careful. Tonight is going to change things for you.”

That did it. No more evil cats holding her tongue hostage. “What the heck does that mean?”

“You’ll see. If you need us, ask Theophilus where to find us.”

“Wait a minute,” Seth said, pinning Declan with a heated gaze. “Who are you guys?”

“The Midnight Brotherhood. Be careful, Isabella. And you—make sure she listens.”

“Sure,” Seth replied.

Then they, too, faded into the night.

Seth and Isabella looked at each other, not saying a word. For some reason, words did not seem appropriate at that moment.

When they returned to their friends, Seth spoke quietly as Isabella returned Xander’s backpack to him. “Let’s go home.”

The trolley was nowhere in sight, which was more evidence to Isabella that something was not right. From the bottom of the hill, the hotel was as dim and desolate as it had appeared from the center of the village. With heavy legs, they began up the hill. They climbed the front steps and walked into the lobby. Candlelight dotted the room. Elyse was the first person to approach them; her waitress apron was undone, her hair out of place.

“Thank God you’re all right.”

“What’s going on?” Isabella asked.

“I…” Elyse burst into tears.

“Elyse, tell us now! What happened?”

Elyse wiped her face. “I don’t really know. Everything blacked out for a while. It went cold, and I got really tired. It almost felt like I fell asleep for a while, but then when I woke up, I was standing in the same place I had been before. Right inside the Lily Field ballroom. And then—”


Author Bio:
Allison Whitmore was born in Los Angeles and loves to tell good coming-of-age stories with a hint of romance. You will find her characters going on an adventure or two as well. Outside of writing, Whitmore enjoys classic films, hiking and spending time with family and friends. She loves it when fans reach out to her. You can reach her at allisonwhitmoreauthor@gmail.com, follow her on Twitter: @alli_whitmore or join her on Instagram @allisonwhitmoreauthor.


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Thursday, January 14, 2016

The Divide by E.J. Mellow - Interview & Giveaway


Welcome to E.J. Mellow, author of The Divide! Today we have an interview with E.J. and Dev- the leading man from The Divide.

KIMBER LEIGH: Thanks so much for joining me today EJ and Dev! I’m so excited to have the author and her leading dreamboat character sitting down with me today.

(EJ eyes Dev from the side as he smirks in his chair)

EJ: You probably could have left out dreamboat.

DEV: But it was the best part of that sentence.

EJ: I know better than to engage further in this. Sorry to interrupt, Kimber. You can keep going.

(Kimber smiles)

KIMBER: No problem at all. I was wondering if you could each share three interesting things about each other.

EJ: Oh boy. Are they meant to be complimentary?

DEV: Ha—Ha. You’re a comedian today, EJ, I’ll go first, since I know you’ll need the extra time to sift through all my amazing facts.

(Dev pats EJ on the knee)

DEV: Okay, number one, she’s a horrible speller—

EJ: Hey!

DEV: Number two, she likes it super warm in her office when she’s writing.

EJ: I like to be cozy.

DEV: Cozy—In all of Terra, it’s a sauna in there! I mean, I can feel it through the pages.

EJ: Well, maybe that’s why I can write you so steamy.

(Dev snorts out a laugh)

DEV: We all know I don’t need help in the steam department.

EJ: Oh Lord.

DEV: And number three would have to be that the song, If I Could Turn Back Time by Cher, gets stuck in her head way more than what’s probably healthy. She sings it at least twice a day and has annoyingly passed the habit to me. The only good thing is that it now drives Aveline crazy.  

(EJ starts humming, If I Could Turn Back Time)

DEV: Don’t start!

(Kimber laughs)

KIMBER: Well, those are definitely facts you learn after hanging out with someone as much as you two do. EJ, what are three interesting things about Dev?

EJ: The first is that he never listens to my story outline. Sometimes I don’t even know why I bother with them when he’s involved.

DEV: Because you secretly love when I walk outside the lines.

(EJ glances at him sideways)

EJ: The second is probably that he has a sweet tooth. I always pictured him more of a salty man over a savory, but he loves his candy.

DEV: Holding back so many comments to that one. 

(EJ rolls her eyes)

EJ: And the third is that he can surprisingly whistle really well. But like…really well. I made him listen to Bohemian Rhapsody once and he whistled the whole thing back perfectly.

DEV: It’s all about lip placement

(He winks at Kimber).

EJ: I can’t bring you anywhere.  

KIMBER: Well, I love it all. Those facts were so fun to hear. Thank you E.J. and Dev for doing this.

EJ: Thank you so much for having us!

DEV: Are those pastries over there?

(EJ smacks Dev’s shoulder)

DEV: Ow, what was—? Oh, yes thank you.

(Kimber holds back a laugh)

KIMBER: You’re welcome. And for all those who stopped by for the interview, thanks for joining us! 


The Divide
Dreamland #2

E.J. Mellow

New Adult Fantasy
October 15, 2015

Amazon | B&N | Goodreads

Molly finally uncovers the truth about the strange dreams that plagued her sanity for weeks. Now destined to accept a clandestine role, Molly must find the strength and courage buried deep to push forward and succeed.
With the help of Dev, the roguish blue-eyed man of her dreams—whose dark past resurfaces to haunt him—Molly prepares to test the limits of her newly awakened powers and set right a world on the edge of being consumed by nightmares.

But when an unknown shadow stalks her every step and a shocking revelation about her ancestry comes to light, Molly may find herself forced to make a decision that could leave her alone in the dark and standing on the wrong side of a divide.

Don’t miss The Divide—the heart-thumping second installment in The Dreamland Series.


About the Author

I'm the author behind the NA Contemporary Fantasy trilogy The Dreamland Series. When I'm not busy moonlighting in the realm of make-believe, I can be found doodling, buried in a book (usually this one), or playing video games.

You can find me on: 





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Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Floor 21 by Jason Luthor



Welcome to Jason Luthor, author of Floor 21, to tell us a bit more about the story.

              FLOOR 21 happened by accident. I had previously written two books, neither of them great. I had an agent in L.A. who told me I was great at building worlds but my characters didn’t pop or stand out. So, November 2014, it’s NaNoWriMo, I’m watching Walking Dead, and this interesting moment happens. There’s this young teen girl trying to escape a hospital by lowering herself down an elevator shaft. I’m watching this, then I have an idea:

            What if the horror was on ground level, but nobody had been back to the ground in centuries?

            That’s what inspired the book. I opened up a Word document, started typing in a first person narrative from the perspective of a teenage girl, and put out about five pages of it to a writing group. Response? People go nuts about it. So I think with it. I think after years of writing, feedback from my agent, and just tons of practice, I finally nailed the balance between world building and character.

            The book itself follows a headstrong girl named Jackie, whose life is lead from a position of privilege inside of an isolated apartment tower. The occupants live on the top 21 levels, and going any lower is forbidden. Nobody has seen ground, or knows why they got trapped up here, but they know there’s a living sickness known as the Creep that reacts to negative human emotions and will attack or kill people further down the tower. Teams, known as Scavengers, are sent out every three months to scavenge the lower floors for food. Not all of them make it back.

           
Jackie has two questions: Who is running things from the top floor (where nobody is allowed to go), and what’s beneath the 21st floor? The book tries to combine a kind of slice-of-life story that portrays Jackie as a pretty imperfectly perfect teenager who has trouble relating to people, bouts of mild anxiety and depression, but also this bravery to explore where nobody else will.

            The greatest response I’ve had to the book has been how much people like Jackie and the characters. That would never have happened a few years ago, when I was still struggling to portray these people as interesting, engaging individuals. So, I’m glad that people are not only fascinated by the world of the tower, but also by Jackie.



Floor 21

Jason Luther

YA Urban Sci-Fi
June 2, 2015


Buy Links:


As humanity lives out the remainder of its existence at the top of an isolated apartment tower, young Jackie dares to question Tower Authority and their ban on traveling into the tower's depths. Intelligent and unyielding, Jackie ventures into the shadows of the floors below. But will her strong will and refusal to be quiet—in a society whose greatest pride is hiding the past—bring understanding of how humanity became trapped in the tower she has always called home, or will it simply be her undoing?



About the Author

Jason Luthor has spent a long life writing for sports outlets, media companies and universities. His earliest writing years came during his coverage of the San Antonio Spurs as an affiliate with the Spurs Report and its media partner, WOAI Radio. He would later enjoy a moderate relationship with Blizzard Entertainment, writing lore and stories for potential use in future games. At the academic level he has spent several years pursuing a PhD in American History at the University of Houston, with a special emphasis on Native American history.

His inspirations include some of the obvious; The Lord of the Rings and Chronciles of Narnia are some of the most cited fantasy series in history. However, his favorite reads include the Earthsea Cycle, the Chronicles of Prydain, as well as science fiction hits such as Starship Troopers and Do Androids dream of Electric Sheep?

Author Links:



Monday, January 11, 2016

Soldiers of the Craft by K.E. Moody - Author Interview & Giveaway



Welcome to K.E. Moody, author of Soldiers of the Craft

Interview with K.E. Moody


At what point in your life did you realize that you wanted to be a writer?  I’ve always enjoyed writing, but I started writing seriously when I found out I was pregnant.  I wanted to document everything about my experience and it ended up growing into a big beast after a while.  My style had always mostly been satirical and funny.  I found I was pretty good at telling short stories, so I wanted to try for a longer one and one that wasn’t a comedy.

Who is your favorite character in Soldiers of the Craft? And why?  I love Farrell…he’s an a**hole and yet I know, as a reader, there’s something mysterious and possibly wonderful about him that hasn’t yet been discovered or revealed.

In Soldiers of the Craft, the main character Deandra is a witch. If you could cast any spell, what would it be/do?  I would want to fly, for sure.

Where did you get the idea to write Soldiers of the CraftI was sleeping and had a dream that I was with a group of friends running a way from something that was chasing us in a cemetery at night. We couldn’t get out until I grabbed the iron bars and they disintegrated…I woke up and thought, “Wouldn’t that be awesome?!”

If Soldiers of the Craft gets made into a movie, who would you like to see play Deandra and Donovan?  When I originally pictured Donovan, it was Paul Walker.  Deandra was Jennifer Connely.

Where are we most likely to find you writing? You’ll most likely find me in a local coffee shop with my ear buds in, sipping on a salted caramel mocha.

What’s the most discouraging thing that happened while trying to write/publish, and how did you get over it?  The most discouraging thing that happened while going through the writing/publishing process was realizing how LONG I’d made my book and how much fat I needed to trim.  I personally edited it at least 20 times before handing it over to my editor to clean up from there.

Any advice for aspiring writers?  Don’t force it.  If it is a story you want to read…write it.

What’s your favorite book?  The Harry Potter series

Who’s your favorite author?  J.K. Rowling and Stephen King

Do you listen to music while writing, or do you need silence?  Have to have music playing and I love “Blood Stream” on Pandora.  It’s my favorite station when writing.

What do you like to do when not writing? I enjoy getting out and hanging with my daughter, my boyfriend, my friends and family.

What’s your favorite dinner…..and dessert? Love Sauerbraten with spatzle for dinner and salted caramel gelato for dessert.

If you had to pick one movie or tv show to watch for the rest of your life, what would it be?  Hands down…Harry Potter series.

If you could spend a day with any one person from the past, who would it be?  My grandma Virginia. 




Soldiers of the Craft
K.E. Moody
Published by: Booktrope Publishing
Publication date: December 15th 2015
Genres: Adult, Urban Fantasy
On her 25th birthday, strange and unexplainable things are happening to simple coffee shop owner, Deandra Sullivan…or rather, she’s making the strange and unexplainable happen around her. Deandra is scared, confused, and feeling completely alone until she meets mysterious Donovan Walters, who carries a secret that is the same as hers…they are Witches.
While Donovan takes Deandra under his wing (and into his bed) to teach her about who and what she is, they discover an unavoidable tether between them. Along the way, something is tugging at Deandra’s instincts that danger is coming, and she and Donovan are tasked to find, recruit, and protect other Witches like herself.
Follow Deandra as she finds herself, and her powers, in this sexy Urban Fantasy novel by new author, K. E. Moody.





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Author Bio:
Kathryn Moody has been writing for years, but Soldiers of the Craft is her first published piece. While her typical blog entries have centered mostly around satirical stories, she decided to try her hand at fiction as a personal means to creatively let loose. Kathryn (or “Kathy”) and her daughter, Farrah, live in Central Washington and travel back to the west side of the Cascades often to visit family and friends.



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