Friday, March 18, 2016

Inspiration for The Looking Glass Series by Jessica Arnold + Giveaway


Welcome to Jessica Arnold, author of The Lingering Grace, with a guest post about how fairy tales and magic influenced her series.

When I was a kid, I was obsessed with fairytales. One of my favorite books was Spindle’s End by Robin McKinley. I wanted to live in that world. In that story, magic is just like any other natural force: it can be learned, it can be manipulated, it can get out of hand. Sometimes it can simply be neutral. When I was writing The Lingering Grace and The Looking Glass, this was the type of magic that inspired me the most.

Unlike the fairytale kingdom of Spindle’s End, the world of The Lingering Grace is set firmly in modern times. Alice is a normal sixteen-year-old who goes to public school and has typical teenage problems. She doesn’t encounter magic until, in The Looking Glass, she has to break a century-old curse. In The Lingering Grace, she takes the magic one step further and begins to create spells of her own.

As in Spindle’s End, the magic Alice deals with is very much a natural force—not necessarily good or bad. And like any other force, rules apply. Magic comes at a price. All the spells that Alice works draw power from some other source. And sometimes that source isn’t what she expects it to be.

Writing these spells was one of my favorite parts of working on the book, partly because it brought me right back to my fairy-tale phase—partly because I never actually grew out of my fairy-tale phase. Even though the world is modern, I hope that The Lingering Grace gives readers the feeling of magical possibilities that the world of fairy tales always created for me.



The Lingering Grace
The Looking Glass #2

Jessica Arnold

YA Fantasy/Fairy Tale
Month9Books
March 15, 2016

Google Play | Chapters |Amazon | B&N | Kobo | TBD | iBooks


All magic comes with a price.

The new school year brings with it a welcome return to normalcy after Alice’s narrow escape from a cursed hotel while on summer vacation. But when a young girl drowns in a freak accident that seems eerily similar to her own near-death experience, Alice suspects there might be something going on that not even the police can uncover.

The girl’s older sister, Eva attends Alice’s school, and Alice immediately befriends her. But things change when when Alice learns that Eva is determined to use magic to bring her sister back. She must decide whether to help Eva work the highly dangerous magic or stop her at all costs. After all, no one knows better than Alice the true price of magic.



The Looking Glass


Find the diary, break the curse, step through The Looking Glass!

Fifteen-year-old Alice Montgomery wakes up in the lobby of the B&B where she has been vacationing with her family to a startling discovery: no one can see or hear her. The cheap desk lights have been replaced with gas lamps and the linoleum floor with hardwood and rich Oriental carpeting. Someone has replaced the artwork with eerie paintings of Elizabeth Blackwell, the insane actress and rumored witch who killed herself at the hotel in the 1880s. Alice watches from behind the looking glass where she is haunted by Elizabeth Blackwell. Trapped in the 19th-century version of the hotel, Alice must figure out a way to break Elizabeth’s curse—with the help of Elizabeth's old diary and Tony, the son of a ghost hunter who is investigating the haunted B&B—before she becomes the inn's next victim.

About the Author

Jessica Arnold lives (in an apartment) and works (in a cubicle) in Boston, Massachusetts. She has a master‘s degree in publishing and writing from Emerson College. 










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Thursday, March 17, 2016

Edge - A Paranormal Boxed Set Featuring Kissed by Kimberly Loth + Giveaway

Edge cover
   

Limited Edition Paranormal Boxed Set

20 New York Times, USA Today, and International Bestselling Authors.
20 of today’s most magical, sought-after titles.
Yours for only $0.99.

Twenty Edgy Young Adult & New Adult Paranormal Tales

Twenty of today's favorite young adult and new adult authors have come together to bring you a collection packed with full-length, spellbinding reads sure to keep you keep you on the edge of your seat and up way past your bedtime! But reader beware: These novels take everything to the edge--and not just the edge of your seat. With authors who aren't afraid to push the boundaries, you get stories that take everything to limit, creating whimsical reads that teens can actually relate to and that adults can enjoy, too.

Pre-Order it today to save over fifty dollars from the cost of purchasing each book individually!

Edge 99 cents



Edge Covers
What's Inside?
New York Times Bestselling Author
Riley J Ford, INTO YOU - What if you could know exactly what your friends are thinking? High school student Winter Reynolds can, but there's a catch... She can only read people's thoughts when she's kissing them.

USA Today Bestselling Authors
Rebecca Hamilton, THE FOREVER GIRL - When a spell Sophia casts goes wrong, her personal demons get company, and the newcomers are dangerous.

JC Andrijeski, THE CULLING - Jet grew up free, hiding out on Earth after it was conquered by an alien species, but now she might learn about her alien overlords the hard way.

Apryl Baker, THE PROMISE - Armed with kick-ass shoes, can CJ save the town from a maniacal coven leader, still get Mr. Melt In Your Mouth Gorgeous, and somehow survive the darkness?

Angela Fristoe, WAKEN - If Janie hopes to survive the people of Everod, she'll need to confront who and what she really is.

April Aasheim, THE GOOD GIRL'S GUIDE TO BECOMING A DEMON - What's a nice girl to do when she develops horns...and a hunger?

Angel Lawson, WRAITH - Classmates think Jane Watt's is a freak, but she knows her best friend, Evan is real and needs her, even if he's dead.

Katie Salidas, PRETTY LITTLE WEREWOLF - This little werewolf is looking for her fur-ever home.

International Bestselling Authors
Sarah Dalton, MARY HADES - Mary has a special relationship with the spirit world -- a connection that brings her face to face with her worst nightmares...

Debbie Herbert, CHANGELING - A wannabe witch who sucks at spells must find her inner magic to nab a pixie serial killer.

Shalini Boland, HIDDEN - When Maddy inherits a mansion, she also inherits something sinister in the basement. Falling in love has never been so dangerous.

Eva Chase, CAUGHT IN THE GLOW - Assigned to protect a hot indie rocker from demons, the secret he's keeping puts Avery's heart and his soul on the line.

Rachel McClellan, FRACTURED LIGHT - Discovering the strength of her power may cost Llona her life.

Kimberly Loth, KISSED - Three Boys. Two Kisses. One Devastating Choice.

Shannon Eckrich, OTHER SIDE OF FOREVER - Forever is only a portal away.

H.D. Gordon, SHOOTING STARS - A tale of star-crossed lovers and magic.

Stacy Claflin, SAVED BY A VAMPIRE - A new vampire must face something more ancient, powerful, and deadly than she ever imagined...

Marissa Farrar, TWISTED DREAMS - Upon starting college, half-vampire Elizabeth hadn't expected to happen upon a travelling carnival, or sexy, dare-devil biker.

Cindy Thomas, BECKON ME - Her heart...and her soul are on the line.

Award Winning Author
Laxmi Hariharan, THE MANY LIVES OF RUBY IYER - To become herself, Ruby must turn her back on everything she ever knew.

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Kissed-Final

The bestselling Edge young adult box set introduces Kissed, a novel by Kimberly Loth. This is just one of 20 page-turning, full length novels for only $.99!


Trapped in a dark cult, sixteen-year-old Naomi Aren has lived a quiet, albeit unhappy, life nestled deep in the hills of the Ozarks. With uncut hair, denim skirts, and only roses for friends, Naomi seldom questions why her life is different from other kids at school. Until the day her abusive father, who is also the cult’s leader, announces her wedding. Naomi must marry Dwayne Yerdin, a bully who reeks of sweat and manure and is the only one person who scares her worse than her father.

Then she meets Kai, the mysterious boy who brings her exotic new roses and stolen midnight kisses. Kisses that bring her a supernatural strength she never knew she had. As the big day approaches, Naomi unearths more secrets of about her father’s cult. She learns she has power of her own and while Kai may have awakened that power, Naomi must find a way to use it to escape Dwayne and her father—without destroying herself.

This young adult paranormal romance novel will appeal to readers, teens, and all readers who enjoy romance, mysteries, and fantasy.

Author bio

Kimberly Loth can't decide where she wants to settle down. She's lived in Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, Utah, California, Oregon, and South Carolina. She finally decided to make the leap and leave the U.S. behind for a few years. Currently, she lives in Shenzhen, China with her husband and two kids.

She is a high school math teacher by day (please don't hold that against her) and YA author by night. She loves romantic movies, chocolate, roses, and crazy adventures. She has published six novels.



Giveaway

$25 Blog Tour giveaway Blog Tour Giveaway $25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 3/31/16 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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Wednesday, March 16, 2016

New Release: The Witchling Apprentice by B. Kristin McMichael - Excerpt & Giveaway



The Witchling Apprentice
B. Kristin McMichael

Genre: YA Paranormal
Release Date: March 15th 2016
Lexia Press, LLC

Summary from Goodreads:

Witches, potions, and magical spells—that all made sense, but men turning into animal-like monsters in the middle of the night? That had to be fiction, right? Wrong. Cassandra Booth thought her world of witches would be complete when she joined her coven. Fate didn’t plan to let that be the case for her. Joining the coven brings new knowledge, like mates and men as animals, all things Cassie would rather not know. As her plans unravel she must find a way to join the coven without committing her life to a guy she once was friends with and now hates.





EXCERPT:

Tick … Tick … Tick …

Cassandra Booth tried to ignore the clock as it clicked away from above the desk beside her. It was nerve-wracking enough knowing that if you wanted to take the test to be an apprentice witch you had to do it in front of at least fifty people. However, the clock reminding her it was just about to start was driving her nuts.

Tick … Tick … Tick …

Cassie tried to go over each step of the potion she was making in her head. She needed to concentrate and ignore the noises around her as the room began to fill up with high schoolers.

Tick … Tick …

The sound was lost in the now-growing sound of students talking. Unfortunately, that wasn’t any better. She glanced up at the room in front of her. Mistake. It was almost half-full of people. No one was looking directly at her, but that didn’t make it any easier. Cassie was anxious enough sitting in the lecture area alone, on display, but now there were students who would be watching and talking about her.

Cassie kept her eyes locked on the table and all her supplies. Taking inventory was easy. Doing the actual potion and saying the spell correctly was supposed to be the hard part. No one in her high school, let alone grade, was even attempting to make the protection spell that had been assigned to her and which would move her from witchling up to the level of junior apprentice. Most people were shocked when she’d asked. It had been many years since a high school student had apprenticed, but that wasn’t going to stop Cassie. She was ready to get out of her boring classes. She was ready to join everyone in obtaining the great knowledge that came with being a full-time member of the coven. Cassie was ready to belong.


About the Author

Originally from Wisconsin, B. Kristin currently resides in Ohio with her husband, three small children, and three cats. When not doing the mom thing of chasing kids, baking cookies, and playing outside, she is using her PhD in biology as a scientist. In her free time she is currently hard at work on multiple novels. Every day is a new writing adventure. She is a fan of all YA/NA fantasy and science fiction.




Author Links:

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Tuesday, March 15, 2016

New Release: Ashes in the Sky by Jennifer M. Eaton


AshesInTheSkyRDB
 
Happy Release Day to
Ashes in the Sky (Fire in the Woods #2) by Jennifer M. Eaton!!
Join us in celebrating this release from Month9Books!
Enter the giveaway found at the end of the post.

Happy Book Birthday, Jennifer!
 
AshesInTheSkyCover
 
After inadvertently saving the world, eighteen-year-old Jessica Martinez is ready to put adventure behind her and settle back into the familiar routine of high school.
Though when she’s offered an opportunity to photograph the inside of an alien space ship, Jess jumps at the chance. After all, she’d be crazy to turn something like that down, right?
Spending time with David on the ship has definite advantages and the two seem to pick up right where they left off. But when Jess discovers a plot to sabotage David’s efforts to establish a new home for his people on another planet, neither David’s advanced tech nor Jess’s smarts will be able to save them.
ASHES IN THE SKY is an action-packed, romantic Sci Fi adventure that will leave readers screaming for more.
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Ashes in the Sky (Fire in the Woods #2) by Jennifer M. Eaton Publication Date: March 15, 2016 Publisher: Month9Books

 
OTHER BOOK(S) IN THE SERIES:
 
Fire-in-the-Woods-Cover
 
When a plane crashes in the woods near Jess’s home, the boy of her dreams falls out of the sky—literally. But David’s not here to find a girlfriend. He’s from another planet, and if Jess can’t help him get back to his ship, he’ll be stuck on Earth with nothing to look forward to but the pointy end of a dissection scalpel.
But her father runs their house like an army barracks, and with an alien on the loose, Major Dad isn’t too keen on the idea of Jess going anywhere. Ever. So how the heck is she supposed to help the sweetest, strangest, and cutest guy she’s ever met?
Hiding him in her room probably isn’t the best idea. Especially since her Dad is in charge of the squadron searching for David. That doesn’t mean she won’t do it. It just means she can’t get caught.
Helping David get home while protecting her heart—that’s gonna be the hard part. After all, she can’t really fall for a guy who’s not exactly from here.
As they race through the woods with Major Dad and most of the U.S. military one breath behind them, Jess and David grow closer than either of them anticipated. But all is not what it seems. David has a genocide-sized secret, and one betrayal later, they are both in handcuffs as alien warships are positioning themselves around the globe. Time is ticking down to Armageddon, and Jess must think fast if she’s to save the boy she cares about without sacrificing Earth—and everyone on it.
add to goodreads

 
About-the-Author2
Jennifer M. Eaton
Jennifer M. Eaton hails from the eastern shore of the North American Continent on planet Earth. Yes, regrettably, she is human, but please don’t hold that against her. While not traipsing through the galaxy looking for specimens for her space moth collection, she lives with her wonderfully supportive husband and three energetic offspring. (And a poodle who runs the spaceport when she’s not around.)
During infrequent excursions to her home planet of Earth, Jennifer enjoys long hikes in the woods, bicycling, swimming, snorkeling, and snuggling up by the fire with a great book; but great adventures are always a short shuttle ride away.
Who knows where we’ll end up next?
 
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Complete the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win!
 
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Monday, March 14, 2016

Miss Misery Series by Tracey Martin - Excerpt & Giveaway


Wicked Misery Miss Misery #1

Tracey Martin
Published by: Samhain Publishing
Publication date: October 7th 2014
Genres: Adult, Urban Fantasy

It s all quasi-legal fun until somebody gets framed for murder.
Jessica Moore thrives on misery. Literally. Thanks to a goblin’s curse, she gets a magical high from humanity’s suffering. A shameful talent like that could bury a girl in guilt, so to atone, she uses her dark power to hunt murderers, rapists and other scumbags until one of them frames her for his crimes.
In desperation, Jessica seeks refuge with the one person she trusts to not turn her in, a satyr named Lucen. Like every member of his race, Lucen uses his lusty magic to control Boston’s human population, and Jessica isn’t immune to his power. But the murder victims belonged to a rival race, and when they discover Lucen is harboring Jessica, dodging the cops becomes the least of her problems.
With only five days to find the real killer, Jessica faces a danger far more serious than the brewing magical war. The danger of succumbing to Lucen’s molten seduction.
Warning: Contains a heroine with a lust for misery, creepy murders, and creepier goblins, satyrs so hot you’d sell your soul for one, and scaly sewer rats masquerading as dragons. Who said magic was all sparkles and tiaras?
The complete series:
WickedMisery300 DirtyLittleMisery300 MiseryLovesCompany300
DarkestMisery300 MiseryHappens300

EXCERPT BOOK 1:

Lucen hung up, and I jogged the rest of the way down the block to the bar. He was already outside by the time I got there, looking freshly showered in jeans but no shirt or shoes. His blond waves dripped water on broad shoulders. I winced. He’d better put on a shirt soon or I was going to have a hard time concentrating. Yeah, being framed for murder sounded like it should easily take precedence over a chiseled chest and a six-pack, but only to someone who never spent time around satyrs. I couldn’t take my eyes off him.

Lucen stood on the stoop next to the bar, holding the front door open. “Come on in.”

“I didn’t know you lived above The Lair.”

“There’s lots you don’t know about me because you’re always running away.”

I squeezed past him, getting a good whiff of his cinnamon-tinged skin and undoubtedly a good dose of his lusty magic. My hands twitched, eager to attach themselves to that broad swath of chest and trace every contour of muscle, to follow that thin line of blond hairs on his stomach to where it disappeared into his waistband and beyond. I dug my nails into my palms. The pain helped, but not as much as usual. “I hate to be rude since you’re doing me a huge favor, but could you put on a shirt?”

“If you insist, or you could take off yours and call it even.”

“I’m being framed for murder. I’ve got more important things to worry about than whether I’m wearing my pretty bra.”

Abruptly, some of my lust subsided, pulled back almost as though a blanket had been tugged off my skin. Lucen gaped at me, his eyes filled with shock.

Could he do that? Keep a handle on his power if he wanted to? Granted, not all my desire had disappeared, but the worst of it had. Damn it, if I didn’t need his goodwill right now—whatever little goodwill a satyr might have, that was—I’d want to kill him for never bothering to do this before.

“Have a seat. I’ll be right back.” He disappeared to the right, and feet pounded up some unseen stairs.

I wandered deeper into his apartment, not expecting to find it so light and airy. The kitchen was immediately to my left. Through a doorway I could see steps, and beyond that a small, tastefully decorated living room. Muted sunlight seeped into the joint kitchen and dining area through linen drapes. I pulled them aside and discovered sliding doors leading onto a small deck that overlooked a parking lot. All in all, not a bad spot. But then, rents in Shadowtown were cheaper than almost anywhere else in the Boston area. For all I knew, Lucen owned this entire building.

He was right in that regard. I’d never bothered to learn much about him. Prolonged conversations had always felt like an invitation for trouble.

With that thought in mind, I plunked myself down at the kitchen table, wondering whether this had been a bad idea of Biblical proportions. Until now, I’d never exactly sought out Lucen’s company. Since the beginning of our relationship, it had always been the other way around. After all, most of the major religions taught that preds were on this planet to tempt humanity to ruin, and I usually saw no point in throwing myself at temptation.



Author Bio:
Tracey Martin grew up outside of Philadelphia, the lucky recipient of a drama-free childhood, which is why she spent so much time reading about other people’s lives. It was while she was working on her doctorate in psychology that she had an epiphany–imaginary people are way more fun than real ones. And so she began writing. Never able to choose just one of anything, she currently writes both urban fantasy for adults and contemporary stories for teens.
She likes her coffee simple, her music epic, and her movies to contain explosions. A city girl at heart, she doesn’t understand how she and her husband ended up living in New Hampshire, but writing keeps her off the mean, small town streets. You can find her online at tracey-martin.com.

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