I love this idea, but, sadly, I can't take credit for it. The idea came from from Krystal Wade, author of Wilde's Fire. So, the game goes like this: I post some quotes from memorable characters in memorable books, and you see if you can guess who said them!
So how's your knowledge of Harry Potter? The Lord of the Rings? Twilight? Technically, you could get some of these right if you just watched the movie ;-)
Alrighty, so in case you hadn't noticed, the game isn't happening here. It's happening over at Annalisa Crawford's blog, Wake up, eat, write, sleep (<--- just add in 'teach' and that's my day!) Please go and 'play'! There are even little voting widgets for you to click on!
So ... Do ya wanna know how many downloads I got of Guardian during the free promo over the weekend? Well, do ya, do ya?! I'm gonna tell you anyway ;-) The grand total is ...
2377
Highlight the space above with your mouse. I hid the number in a white font, hehe ;-)
Wheeeeeeee! Maybe you've done massively well with your own promos, and you think that number's kinda piddly (it's a real word, promise), but I think it's FANTASTIC! And it's thanks to all you guys who downloaded and tweeted and Facebooked and all that jazz. So here is my big
THANK YOU!
THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU
For anyone who's interested in sales numbers and stats and things (like me!) I'm going to do a more detailed post at the end of this week.
~ ~ ~
RAOK
A few weeks back, Rach Harrie bestowed an awesome Random Act of Kindness (RAOK) upon me. I've been wanting to do my own RAOK (you know, spread the kindness and all that!) but I have been insanely busy recently. So NOW seems like an excellent time to be kind and give stuff away!
I'm going to give away 4 copies of the Creepy Hollow story that was released on Friday (which, according to Amazon - see the pic below - is a Hot New Release!). You don't have to follow me or "Like" a page or leave a comment or jump through a flaming hoop. You just have to ENTER! (And tweet if you want a few additional entries ;-))
I would really, REALLY appreciate it if you could tweet or spread the word in any way! You can copy and tweet the following message, or write your own:
GUARDIAN, the first novelette in the #CreepyHollow series is FREE till the end of this weekend! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007FRJGXI #Kindle #ebook
And a BIG THANK YOU to everyone who's already spread the word for me. GUARDIAN has got onto some Amazon best seller lists and is slowly climbing up them :-) (It's also unhealthily addictive watching the download numbers of my KDP Reports page go up!)
If you feel like Tweeting, Facebooking, or spreading the word in any other way, you have my permission most heartfelt appreciation! You can use the hashtag #CreepyHollow on Twitter (I keep telling myself that if I use it enough times is will eventually become a 'thing'! ;-) Haha)
Examples, for your convenience :-)
The third story in @RachelMorgan13's #CreepyHollow series is now available! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0085Y952W
Violet and Nate's story continues in TRAITOR, the third installment in @RachelMorgan13's #CreepyHollow series. #YAFantasy http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0085Y952W
Who will betray whom in the third #CreepyHollow story? Find out in TRAITOR, by author @RachelMorgan13 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0085Y952W
FREE STUFF!!
(That got your attention, right?!)
To celebrate the release of TRAITOR, the first story in the series, GUARDIAN, is going to be free on Saturday May 26th and Sunday May 27th! (Well, assuming the Amazon KDP Select free promo thingy works ... This will be the first time I'm trying it!)
So if you haven't yet got your copy, make sure to download it this weekend!
~ ~ ~
Look at the pretty covers lined up next to each other ... *contented sigh*
So. Towards the end of last year I read OPEN MINDS and discovered the awesomeness that is Susan Kaye Quinn's mindjack world. And now the sequel is here!! Today is the launch day of CLOSED HEARTS, book two in the Mindjack Trilogy. Super cool! To experience more launch party fun, visit Susan's blog.
Eight months
ago, Kira Moore revealed to the mindreading world that mindjackers like
herself were hidden in their midst. Now she wonders if telling the truth
was the right choice after all. As wild rumors spread, a powerful
anti-jacker politician capitalizes on mindreaders’ fears and strips
jackers of their rights. While some jackers flee to Jackertown—a slum
rife with jackworkers who trade mind control favors for cash—Kira and
her family hide from the readers who fear her and jackers who hate her.
But when a jacker Clan member makes Kira’s boyfriend Raf collapse in her
arms, Kira is forced to save the people she loves by facing the thing
she fears most: FBI agent Kestrel and his experimental torture chamber
for jackers.
Traitor, the third installment in the Creepy Hollow series, is due to be released this coming Friday--if all goes according to plan (which, last time, it didn't!). Until then, here are six sentences to keep you entertained!
Ryn leans forward, the same way he did when telling Aria to mind her own business. “Whatever game you’re playing, you’re going to lose,” he whispers. “And I’ll be right there to say ‘I told you so’ when it happens.”
“Great. Well, at least I have something to look forward to.” I cross my arms. “Now why don’t you go parade your lack of dignity somewhere else?”
Today I'm interviewing Lindsay Paige about the release of Whatever It Takes, the third book in the Bold As Love series.
1.
Let’s start with an easy one: are you a plotter or a pantser?
Plotter
2.
What's a completely random fact about you that most people don't know?
I have a touch of carpal tunnel in my hands.
3.
What was your favorite book as a child?
I
didn't read much as a child. I didn't get into reading until about
seventh grade. My favorite book back then was The Guardian by Nicholas
Sparks.
4.
What do you find is the hardest thing about writing?
The
hardest thing about writing for me is to make sure I convey what the
characters are feeling good enough for the reader to feel them too.
5.
Who are your writing inspirations?
Jessica Park, Nicholas Sparks, Jamie Magee, and Elizabeth Waldie to name a few.
6.
Out of all the characters you’ve ever created, tell us about the one you’d most
like to meet in real life.
I'd love to meet Jake! He's my ideal guy.
7.
Is there anything you’ve learned about your Bold
As Love series SINCE you began publishing it?
I've
found messages in my books that I didn't intentionally put there. I had
one goal when I began and that was to make something that was real and these little messages about life were incorporated along the way.
8.
If Whatever It Takes had a theme
song, what would it be?
Whatever It Takes by Lifehouse. It was the song that played constantly in my head while writing, from beginning to end.
9.
If for some reason you couldn’t be a writer, what would you be?
I have no clue. There's nothing I love as much as I love writing.
First Movie - Fantasia
Possibly a strange choice for a young child (but then, maybe not?!). Having a musician for a grandfather, I was brought up with a love and appreciation of classical music. Add to that my love of fantastical creatures and stories, and it probably makes complete sense that I fell in love with this movie and watched it so many times the tape stretched!
First Music - The Spice Girls
As embarrassing as it is to admit, the first band/group I remember loving is the Spice Girls. Um ... yeah. Let's leave it at that!
First Book - The Famous Five: Five on a Treasure Island
The Famous Five books are the first full length books I remember reading (and loving) when I first learnt how to read :-) Doesn't every child dream about going on great adventures where the children are always the heroes? Well, I did!
If you haven't used either of these epublishing platforms, you may be interested to know a little bit more about them, especially if you're a writer planning to publish your own work sometime in the future. Well, luckily for you, I'm guest posting today about both Amazon KDP and Smashwords over at Rach Harrie's blog. Just one more click and you can be there!
Julia has a secret: she killed the guy she loved. It was an accident—sort of.
Julia is a Sary, the soul of a child who died before taking her
first breath. Without this 'breath of life' she and others like her must
help those on the verge of suicide. It's a job Julia used to enjoy,
until the accident that claimed her boyfriend’s life—an accident she
knows was her fault. If living with the guilt weren't enough, she's now
assigned to help a girl dealing with the loss of her mother, something
Julia's not exactly the best role model for. If she can't figure out a
way to help her, Julia's going to lose her position in the Sary,
something she swore to her boyfriend would never happen.
Intriguing, right?! Well today we have the author of this book, Meradeth Houston, here to answer some questions. (And she's also sharing an excerpt of Colors Like Memories! See the bottom of this post.)
1. What is your favourite time of day to write?
If I had my druthers, I’d write in the mornings (well, starting at around 8 or 9—nothing too early!). Life gets complicated though, so I’ve become pretty adept at fitting writing time in whenever I can manage it!
2. Do you have any weird little writing rituals?
Define weird? :-) Sometimes I think writing in and of itself is kind of strange! But I generally sit down, put on music, and re-read what I wrote the day before. Not too strange, I guess, but it works for me!
Rachel: Sadly, I can't write while listening to music.
3. What's a completely random fact about you that most people don't know?
I can wiggle my ears, nose, scalp, and eyelids (not just blinking, I can move them horizontally). Definitely not something I do too often in public, haha!
Rachel: That is pretty random!
4. Do you remember when you first decided you were going to one day be a published author?
Hmmm, I’m sitting here trying to think about when I first thought that I’d want other people to read what I’d written. It was probably in fifth grade when one of my teacher’s commented that he really liked my poetry and asked me to make a little hand-made book with it. That probably sparked the idea. Of course, there were a lot of bumps along the way, and it wasn’t until much, much later that I decided to act on the idea.
5. Are there any songs you’d like to mention that inspired/influenced/are connected in any way to Colors Like Memories or its characters? Colors Like Memories was originally sparked by Shadow of the Day by Linkin Park. Gah, I love that song! It may be old, but it’s awesome. Anyhow, that one was played hundreds of times while writing. Also, Coldplay's Cemeteries of London should also get a shout-out for helping me set the tone I wanted in my mind. There are so many others, but those have the most plays on iTunes.
6. What was your favourite book as a child? Wrinkle In Time, by far and away. I read a LOT as a kid, and had many books I loved, but that one is still one I revisit regularly to enjoy and re-read. Meg is, well, she’s wonderful.
7. If you were stuck in an elevator and had the choice of any writer, living or dead, to be stuck with, who would it be and why?
I guess the question I have is: do I want this writer to help me get out? Because then I think someone like Michael Crichton who was so insanely creative would be great (also, so we could have some words about his book Next, which I won’t get into here…). But, just to chill with? JK Rowling would be fun, as would Mark Twain. I think either of them would be incredibly entertaining.
Rachel: Good choices!
8. Out of all the characters you’ve ever created, tell us about the one you’d most like to meet in real life.
I have one character who I love dearly, who only has a cameo in Colors Like Memories (he has his own story that I’ll be writing soon). Not to get into too many spoilers, but I’d very much like to spend some time with Jassen, the heir to the leadership of the Sary.
9. Have you ever based an entire character on a real person you know, and would you tell that person?
I can also feel my mother perking up at this question! She’s always worried she’ll end up in my stories :-) But, I’ve only done this once, with the current novel I’m working on, and that’s because I had a flat-mate who was just, well, nuts. And he fit perfectly into this role I was creating and I couldn’t resist. Should I ever run into him on the street, I might be tempted to tell him thanks for being so entertaining.
10. Lastly (and most importantly): cake or ice cream?
Wait, not both? Hehe! If I had to chose, I’d go with cake. I like ice cream a lot, but cake is good even when it’s cold out :-)
~ ~ ~
I greeted his tombstone the way I always did—with a swift kick. The release of frustration was more than worth the sharp pain in my toes. The polished marble tilted to the left because of all my visits; a crooked tooth in the rows of pearly white graves.
I folded my legs under me, shuddering as the chill of the damp grass seeped through my clothes. “I keep hoping one of these days you’ll be here waiting for me.” The words were tradition. Some small part of me still clung to the hope I’d come over the hill to find him leaning over his grave, wearing a sly smile. He died so very long ago, but I couldn’t stop wishing.
Leaning forward, I rested my forehead against my knees and closed my eyes, longing for a few minutes of rest. A few minutes to pretend it was someone else buried beneath me. I tried to explain this to him, but tonight I didn’t have the will to pretend it was more than starlight that listened.
It took a long time to notice, building imperceptibly until I finally looked over my shoulder. Someone was there, watching me. It hadn’t been a sound that alerted me so much as the feel of their gaze, heavy in the darkness. After so many nights spent here, I could tell the difference.
For just a second, I thought I saw Frederick’s tall form step from the shadows. My heart stopped, and I started to scramble to my feet before the breeze scattered my wishful thinking. Scanning the rest of the cemetery, it was clear no one else was around. The sprinklers were hissing their rhythmic beat in the next section over, and it was better to leave before they started watering the grass over his grave. It had to be just my imagination—no one was watching me. It was for the better. If anyone saw me here, there would be problems I couldn’t face.
~ ~ ~
Eeeeeek, don't you just love that opening line?! That whole opening paragraph, in fact! I can't wait to find out more about this story! And if you want to know more about Meradeth and where you can stalk interact with her and her books online, visit these links:
As part of her blog tour for The Backworlds, author M. Pax is here today to talk about science-y stuff! Since I did a degree in Genetics and Biochemistry (as well as a course in Plant Breeding) I thought it would be really interesting to hear from this author about bioengineering.
~ ~ ~
Humans have manipulated plants and animals
around them since the dawn of our evolution. Grains, corn, livestock, and dogs
are all prime examples of how people influenced the evolution of other species
through cross pollination and selective breeding.
Now we can do it faster with more precision
through bioengineering. Simply put, bioengineering is manipulating DNA to make
a better organism, a more sophisticated version of breeding livestock, dogs, or
crops. A more precise method of creating hybrid species to serve our needs
better. Why? To make us healthier, to make our food healthier, and to feed more
of us on less and on easily sustainable resources.
I envisioned bioengineering important for
humanity leaving Earth one day and settling other planets. Most worlds would
have factors making them different from the one we were bred to survive on. So,
I figured we’d have to give ourselves modifications to insure that we thrive
out there.
The characters in The Backworlds have all been bioengineered to cope with various environments.
They’re still human. I figure no matter how many changes are made to us
physically, they can’t bioengineer out essentially who we are — our noble and
base traits would remain intact and would continue to play out on worlds far
from our origins.
The
BackworldsAfter
the war with Earth, bioengineered humans scatter across the Backworlds.
Competition is fierce and pickings are scant. Scant enough that Craze’s father
decides to hoard his fortune by destroying his son. Cut off from family and
friends, with little money, and even less knowledge of the worlds beyond his
own, Craze heads into an uncertain future. Boarding the transport to Elstwhere,
he vows to make his father regret this day.
Free on Smashwords & Feedbooks. Will be
free on Amazon in a few weeks.
Sign up for M. Pax’s newsletter to be notified the
moment The Backworlds goes FREE on Amazon, and when it becomes available from
other retailers.
About
the author:
M. Pax’s inspiration comes from the wilds
of Oregon, especially the high desert where she shares her home with two cats
and a husband unit. Creative sparks also come from Pine Mountain Observatory
where she spend her summers working as a star guide. She writes mostly science
fiction and fantasy, but confesses to an obsession with Jane Austen. She blogs
at her website, www.mpaxauthor.com and
at Wistful Nebuae. You’ll find
links there to connect on Twitter, Goodread, FB and other sites.
I thought I had it all figured out. I thought for sure he was waiting till he'd finished writing up his PhD and submitted it before asking me. I was convinced he hadn't even spoken to my parents yet!
So when we went off to Karkloof Falls for a picnic yesterday Idid not suspect a thing. I didn't see the champagne he snuck into the picnic basket. I didn't see the ring box he snuck out of the cubby hole and into his pocket when we got there. And when he got all serious and told me he'd brought me there for a reason, and then got up and pulled the box out of his pocket, my brain was like Aaaaaaaaaah! And then my mouth squeaked something super intelligent like, "Are you serious?! Right now?! Really?!" before I remembered to say the very important "Yes, of course!"
In a future world, Vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity. Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten. Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die… or become one of the monsters. Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad. Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike. But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for.
I was wary of reading another vampire book, but there were so many
positive reviews of THE IMMORTAL RULES, and I've enjoyed Julie Kagawa's
other writing, so I decided to give it a go. I wasn't disappointed!
Here
is a character who just refuses to give up on life--or afterlife, for
that matter. Her heart and inner strength are something to admire. She's
been told she has no choice but to embrace the monster she has become,
that caring for humans is pointless. They are nothing but prey to her
now, and whether she wants to or not, she will always have to give in to
the Hunger.
But Allie refuses to believe that. She winds up
traveling with a group of humans, people she grows to like and care for,
people she calls friends. She keeps her secret, fighting like hell
against the monster within her, believing she can retain some part of
her humanity. But the Hunger is always there, growing more powerful
every day, and her friends are starting to look like food...
As
for the ending, THE IMMORTAL RULES has the kind of cliffhanger I like.
Not the type that draws you to the edge of the cliff and suddenly drops
away, leaving you dangling in the middle of some major revelation, achingly
desperate to know what happens next. No, it was the kind where you feel
that most of the story has been wrapped up nicely for now, even though
you know there's more coming and you're keen to find out what it is.
You're not in the wrong place. This is still my blog! It's just ... had a little makeover.
I've been thinking about the "author brand" as opposed to the "book/series brand", and realized that those two things don't have to (and maybe shouldn't) be the same. Up until a few hours ago, my blog very definitely said I was an author of young adult paranormal/fantasy fiction. Which is the truth. But I don't plan to always write in that genre. In fact, there's a very non-paranormal idea that's been hanging out in my head for nearly a year now that I'm very much looking forward to writing.
I don't want people to associate me with only one genre and then be somewhat freaked out one day when I publish something completely different. So ... I'm trying to go for a more "neutral" feel with this blog. Something that doesn't immediately scream Very Specific Genre. Do you think I've succeeded at all? :-)
7.
Is there anything you’ve learned about your Bold
As Love series SINCE you began publishing it?
First Movie - Fantasia
First Music - The Spice Girls
First Book - The Famous Five: Five on a Treasure Island
First Person - The Physics Tutor
1. What is your favourite time of day to write?
.jpg)
