New Release: Alone by Kate L. Mary - Excerpt & Giveaway

Alone

by Kate L. Mary

Genre: YA Post-Apocalyptic/Zombie/Romance
Release Date: March 29th 2016


Summary from Goodreads:

A zombie novel.

For the past two years, Jules has floated through life.

When the virus was released it changed everything about the world. Jules lost her mom and her home, forcing her to live with the father she barely knows. Now, even as society works to rebuild, Jules still feels like she doesn’t quite fit in.

Then she meets Roman.

Even before the zombies, he only had himself to depend on. Brooding and rebellious, Roman isn’t anyone Jules would have pictured herself with before the zombies came. But now she finds herself willing to give up everything to be with him.

The attraction is too strong for either one of them to ignore, but Roman and Jules soon discover that the uncertainty of their new world extends much farther than just the zombies. When disaster strikes, Roman must race against the most terrifying clock imaginable to save Jules, or once again end up alone.

Buy Links:

Amazon

Excerpt:

I’m still grinning when we step outside. The wooden porch sags beneath my feet, feeling a little less than sturdy, but that isn’t what makes my heart almost stop. My smile melts away and my feet stop moving, and within seconds I’m shaking like a leaf.

There are three zombies in the yard. Three of them. I haven’t come this close to one since the first few months of the outbreak, and now there are three.

Roman steps in front of me and shoves the shoebox into my hands as he pulls his knife out, all in one fluid movement. “It’s okay.”

It doesn’t feel okay. It feels the complete opposite of okay.

Roman steps off the porch, and one of the zombies spots him right away. The thing groans and moves toward him, chomping his mouth. Gray skin stretches across his face, and the deep gashes that cut across the decaying flesh ooze with black goo. Thankfully, the other two creatures are facing the other way and haven’t caught wind of us yet.

Roman doesn’t seem afraid in the slightest as he walks toward the dead man. His knife is held firmly in his hand, but he’s steady. Sure of himself as he walks in a big arc around the zombie. He was right. They are slow. But it’s still terrifying, and I’m still shaking, gripping the box of batteries so hard the cardboard bows under the pressure. Just as Roman reaches the back of the first zombie, the other two notice him and head his way. My heart jumps to my throat and I reach out like I’m trying to stop them, but no sound comes out when I move my lips.

I try again, and this time his name comes out like a strangled cry. “Roman!”

He smiles like all of this is nothing, then drives his knife into the back of the first zombie’s skull. The thing drops to the ground, and Roman spins to face the others. He charges the second one, a sad-looking woman whose nightgown is stained and tattered, her gray skin barely clinging to her bones. Roman dodges her arms and loops around her back, then jabs his knife into her skull just like he did with the first one.

Two down, but my heart is still pounding wildly.

The third one is so tall that Roman’s head only goes up to the zombie’s shoulders. Next to him, Roman looks like a child. Even worse than his size is the fact that he seems to be faster than the other two. Less decomposed, even, like he’s just recently died.

Roman circles him, but the zombie spins too. His hands reach out to grab Roman, but Roman ducks out of the way. His face tenses, and his eyes dart over to me. I watch, frozen in terror from my place on the porch as Roman tries to get behind the zombie again. He could stab him in a different location, but with as tall as the decaying man is, it wouldn’t be safe. Only no matter how many times Roman tries to get behind the corpse, it doesn’t work. The thing is too fast and too hungry. Determined.

About the Author

Award-winning author of WHEN WE WERE HUMAN and the Amazon best-selling BROKEN WORLD series, Kate L. Mary writes everything from post-apocalyptic tales of the undead to new adult contemporary romance. A mother of four and an Air Force wife, her days are divided between keeping her household in order and creating new worlds for readers to get lost in.

Author Links:

   

GIVEAWAY:

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Alone

by Kate L. Mary

Giveaway ends April 07, 2016.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

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Keeping It Real by Nicole Loughan, Author of Divine Hotel + Giveaway

Happy Release Day!!

Writing good historical fiction can be a real challenge! Nicole Loughan tells us how she went about writing Divine Hotel.

Keeping It Real

by Nicole Loughan

Diana Gabaldon is doing it, Dan Brown is doing it, now I’m doing it too.

I finally dipped my toes into writing historical fiction and the water is fine. Deriving inspiration from our collective history is exciting. I think it helps people automatically connect to the material, regardless of content, but it doesn’t hurt for the content to be good as well. When authors write about the familiar, even with books like Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter, it creates a picture in our mind whether we want it to or not. We know Abraham Lincoln and with a catchy title like that it gives us just enough information to want to know more.

But writing about real history is tricky. For me, I was writing about a history which was not my own, and which was very familiar and dear to the people who lived it. Also, since I did not reach very far back in time many of the people who lived it are still around. I relied on research and old photos to form a picture of what it might have been like to live in Philadelphia in the 1960s and I tried to tread carefully on dearly held memories. One example, in my book I write about an old department store. When I told people I had written about this store, there were definite opinions on what the characters did there and what the store looked like, I had gotten some of the details wrong and made changes to correct it.

In my previous books, The Saints Mystery Series, I wrote complete fiction based in the Bayous of Louisiana. All of the events were completely fabricated, and it was completely clear that the situations were made up. I did still have to be careful about the culture. The books focused on two Cajun families and I wanted to be careful about showing Cajun culture without trampling on people’s heritage.

Overall, I found writing about history and historical fiction exciting and challenging. I spent several weeks researching Philadelphia in the 1960s, no easy feat as much of the historical nuance is not recorded. You need to hear it from the people who were there. For example, that store I talked about in Philadelphia is known by people from Philadelphia as Wannamaker, but if you search the internet it will tell you that store was called Strawbridges. People still call the building Wannamaker’s today even though it’s a Macy’s. That’s the sort of detail you just can’t find in an internet search.

I have so much more respect for writers who make the choice to explore history with fiction, it’s very hard to navigate the waters of the real world with a fictional captain.

You can find Nicole’s latest book Divine Hotel for sale on Amazon for an introductory $2.99 special. Her Saint’s Mystery Series are also available on Amazon starting with To Murder a Saint.

Divine Hotel
Divine Series, Book 1

Nicole Loughan

Genre: Time Travel/ Mystery 

Publisher: Can’t Put it Down Books 

Date of Publication: 03/28/2016

Cover Artist: Genevieve LaVO

Book Description:

Time is running out for Philadelphia’s Divine Hotel…One woman is tasked with saving two children who lived at the once majestic hotel but she soon learns that there is more to their history and the hotel than she ever thought possible. To save them she’s going to have to re-set the clock for everybody at the hotel and the only way to do that is to go all the way back to 1964. Righting the wrongs of the past will be no easy feat, because there are those willing to fight to keep their sins buried in history.

Amazon | Pre-order Paperback

About the Author

You may know Nicole as the syndicated humor columnist, “The Starter Mom,” or from her Best-Selling Saints Mystery Novels. Because of the series’ popularity, Amazon chose it for their Stipend Program to be turned into an audiobook at their expense.

An award-winning journalist and author, she was recognized by Writer's Digest as a top fiction writer in 2015 and won honorable mention in genre fiction from the Writer's Digest annual self-publishing competition for her Saints Mystery Series.

Nicole writes for two daily newspapers in the greater Philadelphia area and as a columnist for Happenings Media. Prior to working as a writer, Nicole was an Agency Social Worker for the Philadelphia Department of Human Services, where she first learned about the subject of her latest novel, Divine Hotel.

Nicole grew up on a rural farm in Southern Michigan, but she was always a city girl at heart. She still has a penchant for straight-from-the-dairy cheese, but otherwise prefers to spend her days in New York and Philadelphia and her adopted hometown in Bucks County. The mother of two, she is a soprano in The Bucks County Woman’s Chorus and an amateur pianist.

www.nicoleloughan.com 

https://www.facebook.com/nicoleloughanauthor/ 

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7084650.Nicole_Loughan

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New Release" Collide by Melissa J. Crispin - Excerpt & Giveaway

Welcome to Melissa J. Crispin, celebrating the release of her new YA novel, Collide. What books would you like to see made into movies? Here's Melissa's list!

Favorite 5 YA Books Potentially Headed for the Big Screen

by Melissa J. Crispin

These books aren’t necessarily my favorite YA books of all time, but I liked each one on the list very much, and all have been optioned for film. I understand that doesn’t guarantee they’ll be made into movies, but I sure hope they do.

Here goes, in no particular order…

1. The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken – I really enjoyed this book. There are a lot of scenes involving kids with crazy super powers that would be a lot of fun to watch.

2. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell – I loved the two main characters in this book. They felt like real teenagers to me. They weren’t perfect, gorgeous physical specimens, and they had real problems that they were trying to deal with. Also, the way first love is depicted in this book is sweet and somewhat tragic at the same time. There are a number of scenes in this book that I can imagine translating to the big screen well, and I’d be curious to see who they would cast for Eleanor and Park.

3. Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor –I absolutely love this book. The world building in this trilogy is awesome. If they make this movie, I can’t wait to see how they do the transitions between worlds and show the portal entrances. I also can’t wait to see what kind of makeup magic they’ll use to bring some of these characters to life.

4. The Selection by Kiera Cass – I can’t resist a good book with an intriguing love triangle, and this story delivers on that front. I think this would be really fun to watch on film. I can imagine the movie set in an impressive castle somewhere and lots of interesting costumes. No doubt I would definitely watch this.

5. A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray – Okay, so this one might be cheating a little bit. I’ll admit it. I think this one was optioned for film quite a while ago and nothing ever came of it. However, if anything ever did, I would definitely watch it. This is another one that I think would have a cool movie set. Between scenes at the old boarding school and scenes in a different realm, it would be interesting to see if any of the places match what I envision in my head.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments what your picks would be!

COLLIDE

Melissa J. Crispin

Release Date: March 18th

Approx. 88K, Evernight Teen

Romance/Love Triangle/Fantasy Elements

Kayla has a plan. She’s moving to the city after graduation and Luke’s coming with her. He’ll eventually become a doctor, she’ll be a ballerina—and they’ll live happily ever after. That is, until dark forces, led by a sister she never knew existed, start hunting her down for a power she never knew she had.

When Kayla starts working with a boy named Alec to learn how to defend herself and to stop the evil from eliminating the worlds, she finds herself falling for him. Hard. Torn between two loves and struggling to do what’s right for Earth and Afterlife, Kayla must decide if she’s fighting to keep her life together, or letting it go to save everyone else’s.

Buy Links:    ARe    Evernight Teen     Amazon

14+ due to sexuality, language, teen pregnancy, and adult situations

Excerpt:

Luke nodded. “Let me get this straight. So, this guy, he can heal your leg, protect you from something that isn’t yet clear to me, and bring you to some otherworldly place, where you’re reunited with your father?”

“Yeah.” There was that word again.

He pulled his hand out of mine and ran his fingers through his hair. “Well, that’s pretty damn hard to compete with.”

“Luke, this isn’t a competition. This is my life. He’s already saved me once.”

“And I’ll do it again,” Alec said.

Luke pointed a finger at Alec. “I don’t care what you can do. I don’t like you. You stole my girl, who’s pregnant with my baby.” Luke stepped around me and got in Alec’s face. “She will always have a part of me in her life.”

Alec slowly shook his head. “Not new news, and for the record, you stole her from me. So, you don’t get to play that card.”

The tension thickened in the air until the hairs stood on the back of my neck.

“She never said a word to you before all this weird shit started to go down.” Luke poked Alec in the chest. “You’re a liar.”

“It’s true,” I whispered.

Luke whirled around. “What?”

“Before us. It was him.”

Luke opened his mouth, as if to say something, but snapped it shut. He finally spoke after a long moment. “You said I was your first boyfriend. Your first kiss. Your first everything with a guy. You lied to me?”

“At the time, I thought that was true. He finds me in my dreams and takes me to Afterlife. That’s how we met. I never even knew he was real. I thought he was a boy in some recurring dream. I never even remembered until I barreled him over in the hallway one day by accident. His touch jarred my memory.”

Luke’s eyes were wild. “Do me a favor. Do not talk about touching him, ever, in my presence.”

“I’m sorry, Luke. That’s why this is so difficult. I’m only now remembering things that happened before us. It’s … confusing.”

“You were with him? Actually with him, before me?”

I swallowed. “We were sort of dating.”

“That’s not what I meant.” A muscle ticked in Luke’s jaw, and realization dawned on me.

“Oh, no. We didn’t.” I cleared my throat. “Not that…”

“I don’t know what you’re so pissed about. You’re the one who got to have a real relationship with her,” Alec said.

“Shut up. Just shut the hell up.” Luke gently brushed me to the side, leaving him and Alec staring each other down. “You’re an asshole.”

“Hate me, if you want. Call me whatever you want. But that girl right there?” He pointed to me. “She needs me. I swore to protect her, and I don’t give a shit about what you think. I’m her best shot at survival. Your baby’s, too. So, next time you get in my face, remember their lives are at stake and that your guns can’t fight off the shit that’s coming.”

“Asshole,” Luke muttered.

“Douche,” Alec said under his breath.

“Stop fighting,” I said from behind Luke’s back.

“You’re a loser. A loser, with no friends and no life, who came in and stole my girlfriend. Even if she chooses you, you’ll have to help her with my baby. Every time you look at our kid, you’ll be reminded of who was there first.”

I took a step outward to try to get between them, but Alec swung before I could, and as his fist connected with Luke’s face, Luke charged him, sending them both tumbling toward the ground.

Fists flew and grunts sounded in the scuffle as they rolled, each trying to get the upper hand.

“Stop!” I yelled.

About the author:

Melissa J. Crispin lives in Connecticut with her husband, two kids, and an adorable Siberian Husky. She spends her days in the corporate world, and pursues her passion for writing in the late nights and early mornings.

From micro-fiction to novels, Melissa loves to write stories in varying lengths. But, no matter the story, it's almost always about the romance.

Website: http://melissajcrispin.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MelissaJCrispin  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melissajcrispinauthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissajcrispin/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/MelissaJCrispin

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Cover Reveal! Prince of Fire by Megan Linski

BookGrabbr - For Readers and Authors + Giveaway

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For Readers:

BookGrabbr is a social media-marketing tool that allows authors to share both full books and previews of their books with readers. Readers, you can have access to these books by signing in through Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn and using their ability to share as a form of currency. The “Share” is the payment! Share the book, and it will allow you to read it. Just click the “Grabb this book” button next to the book and our system will prompt you to share in exchange for reading!

BookGrabbr contains books of many genres, so visit today, "grabb" a book that catches your eye and start reading!


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BookGrabbr created a way to generate some more buzz by harnessing the power of each individual author’s social media platform.  Once you create your profile on BookGrabbr it allows potential readers to read a preview of your book or the full copy and then directs them to your site of choice to purchase your book in the format that you desire. And since BookGrabbr doesn’t make any money on book sales, you can send them to a retailer, or to your own personal page or wherever you choose! BookGrabbr's purpose is to help you sell more books, gain momentum and generate exposure.


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New Release: Wilder Revelation by G.K. DeRosa - Top 10 & Giveaway + Sale Alert!

Happy Wednesday, everyone! I don't know about you, but one of my favorite guilty pleasures is binge-watching great TV shows. Today author G.K. DeRosa joins us with her Top 10 favorite shows to binge watch!

Top 10 Favorite Shows to Binge-Watch

by G.K. DeRosa

The Vampire Diaries (all time favorite!)

Buffy The Vampire Slayer

True Blood

The Walking Dead

The Originals

Once Upon A Time

Bones

The Blacklist

Homeland

Game of Thrones

There are some great shows on this list. Seen most but I am getting ready to binge-watch The Walking Dead. My favorite binge-watch show: Criminal Minds. I've noticed it gives my urban fantasies a dark side.

Wilder Revelation

The Guardian Series #3

G.K. DeRosa

YA Urban Fantasy

February 21, 2016

Goodreads | Amazon

Fulfilling her destiny and becoming the Guardian has meant a world of sacrifices for Celeste Wilder, but her most difficult challenge is yet to come. The supernatural forces at play are far more powerful than she ever expected, and she will have to trust her instincts if she hopes to survive. Lilliana Constantin is back from the dead. Alek is free and somehow stronger than ever. A pack of rogue werewolves are wreaking havoc in her small town. And on top of all of this, Celeste faces what is at best an uncertain future with the love of her life.

While battling the forces of evil and saving the human world alongside Stellan and the handsome Constantin brothers has become second nature, Celeste had no idea what accepting her duty as the Guardian would actually cost her. When she faces an unspeakable tragedy, she is pushed to her breaking point. After fighting her most formidable enemies, Celeste is about to discover that sometimes the greatest evil is the one that comes from within.

Great news!  There’s a Kindle Countdown Deal on Wilder and Wilder Destiny, the first two books in the series from
March 21-28, 2016!  Get your copies now!

Wilder (The Guardian Series #1):

Amazon

Wilder Destiny (The Guardian Series #2):

Amazon

About the Author

G.K. De Rosa has been an avid reader from a very young age. In fact, before she could even read, she tried fooling everyone into thinking that she could. At the precocious age of two, while living in Italy, she had memorized an entire children’s book in Italian and expertly turned the pages at the exact right moments of the story. As she grew up, she always enjoyed literature, no doubt having been instilled with a love of story telling from her early years in Catholic school where she was greatly influenced by exemplary teachers who taught her the value of English and Literature. Though she did not pursue writing in college and instead went for the more traditional route of International Business inspired by her love for travel and all things foreign, after a move to New York City, she found her creative writing side calling once again. She began writing a restaurant review blog, City Lights and Tasty Bites, detailing her other passion – food! The hectic hustle and bustle of the city, combined with long commuting times gave her the opportunity to spend more time reading and rekindled a lost love. After reading countless books in many diverse genres over the two years in New York City, and returning to her home state of Florida, she felt compelled to write something for herself. She had always felt particularly drawn to Young Adult novels and having been an eternal romantic at heart, a fantasy romance was a natural choice. She currently lives in South Florida with her real life Prince Charming and their fur baby, Nico the German Shepherd.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

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