Monday, April 30, 2012

Fighting Gravity Tour



 Today I’m taking part in the May 1st Release Day Virtual Book Tour for Cherie Reich’s science fiction novel, Fighting Gravity. I’m going to give you wonderful peeps a quick peek at the first installment in her space-tastic series, Defying Gravity. Ready? Great!



Defying Gravity 

Linia is leaving her home planet of Persea to serve as a linguist on a diplomatic mission to a planet called Medusa. Everything goes fine until she realizes that there's really nothing to do on the ship and she might die of boredom before her skills are even needed. Alezandros, on the other hand, has just joined the military of Medusa and is ordered to destroy the ship that Linia is on. Two aliens from two different worlds. An epic love story is bound to unfold. Of course, nothing goes as planned and both Alezandros and Linia somehow end up being taken prisoner together by furry little cannibals who like to eat people for brunch. Major bummer. How will they escape?

This book is a novelette, which means it’s even shorter than a novella and even easier to read. I think this is an incredibly awesome aspect of Cherie’s books. Short novels. To the point. And you can keep finding out what’s going to happen next by picking up the following novel for a great price!

You can snag Defying Gravity on your Kindle for a mere 99 cents right HERE!
  

You can also look over other people’s opinions and reviews on the book on GoodReads: Defying Gravity 

Take a few moments to check out Cherie’s book!

Later, lovelies! J

NA Alley Launch!



What's up, peeps? Guess what today is? You got it. Today is the official launch of a blog called NA Alley!!! It's a place that was created by my NA Sisters Victoria Smith, Carrie Butler, Juliana Haygert, L. G. Kelso, Bailey Kelsey, Jaycee de Lorenzo and myself to promote and talk about all things New Adult. But what, you may ask, is New Adult? It's the genre of fiction that comes after YA, but sits right beneath full-fledged adult. It's an in-between genre that is sorely missing in the book market. 
Our solution? 
Draw some attention to it! 
All of us over at this blog either write NA exclusively or write it as one of our main genres. We're hosting a giveaway to celebrate the launch of NA Alley. Check it out right HERE! The giveaway will have 7 winners and 7 corresponding unique prizes, from books to free critiques. I hope you take a peek and say hi - we'd love to get to know you!

NA Alley

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Oh, My Hero! Blog Hop



The Oh, My Hero! Blog Hop is being hosted by my awesomesauce friends and NA sisters Victoria Smith from Confessions of a Twenty Something Fiction Writer and Jaycee de Lorenzo! The idea is that writers get together and interview the male leads from their novels, WIPs, MSs, and so forth, choosing at least 5 questions to do so. My book is both a Work-In-Progress and a Manuscript. I’ve been working on the story since my Sophomore year of high school. (it’s hard to get it right, isn’t it?)

My yet unnamed novel is adventurous, a bit romantic and lots of fun. At least that’s what my writer’s ego tells me. Patrick is the name of the male lead in my book, and he has the pleasure (although he might argue on this point) of being my heroine’s love interest. My heroine does have a name, but I’m not releasing it just yet.
But soon, my friends.
Soon.
Enjoy this interview with Patrick!


Name: Patrick
Age: About 25 (Nobody really knows for sure…)


Do you believe in love at first sight?

Only when it comes to sports cars. * pauses * There are…exceptions, though. Not that I’m naming names or anything. I’m just saying that there are some people who seem to spark your interest the first time you meet them. But again. I’m not naming names. I’m just saying…

How would you describe your heroine?

Incredibly stubborn. Extremely sarcastic. Possibly endowed with a death wish. My “heroine” is somewhat of an aberration of the entire female sex. I mean, have you met this girl? She’s crazy. Genuinely crazy. * shakes head and laughs * Maybe that’s why I find her so intriguing. There’s literally nothing she wouldn’t do to keep her family safe. I admire that. I really do.

How would you describe yourself in one word?

Just one? Are you serious? * rolls eyes * Fine…‘magnetic. Charming. Brilliant. Gorgeous. Amazing.’ I’m running out of single words. What? Don’t look at me like that. I may have to start a paragraph.

What’s your idea of a perfect date?

Swimming with the sharks. Chicks love that. * frowns * At least that’s what I assumed until I was about 18. Then I reassessed. Apparently women don’t like swimming in metal cages with a bunch of lethal sea creatures hovering nearby. I liked it, though. * looks up * Oh, right. The question. A perfect date? Dinner in a penthouse suite, a walk by the ocean, an opera. You know. Whatever she wants.

Are you a morning or a night person and why?

Night. I function best under the cover of darkness. It makes it harder for people to realize that I do, in fact, exist. Besides, nighttime is when all the fun happens, right? The movies, the theater, the restaurants on the tops of skyscrapers. In the city, everybody’s just getting up when the rest of the country is going to sleep. I’m definitely a nocturnal creature.

What is the first thing you notice about a woman that you find attractive?

Courage. Seriously! Courage, honesty. Wit. There’s a lot of things, but I like a brave girl. Somebody unafraid to take risks. My hero. * winks *

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

So...I'm Published!


I'm a published author, now! All right. Technically I've been published thousands of times as a freelance writer, but putting a book out into the universe takes publishing to a whole new level. For me, anyway. I wrote Snappy Social Networking: How to Dominate the Blogosphere & Everything in Between because I learned a bunch of valuable advice when I was a beginner blogger, tweeter and Facebooker (somehow I doubt if that's a real word). 


So what is my book about? It's short, it's snappy (so clever, I know) and it's helpful. Remember all those things you wished somebody would tell you when you were setting up a blog or Twitter account and so forth? Yup. I went and spilled the beans. I hope you guys will check it out...it's astronomically priced at - wait for it - 0.99 cents!!! *gasp* I'm really excited to finally put a book out there, and there are many more to come. I know that a lot of you were wondering if my book was fiction or non-fiction. Fear not! I have plenty of fiction in the works! But until then, enjoy Snappy Social Networking!


You can check it out HERE at Amazon!
It's also coming to Barnes and Noble HERE!


Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Pure

Alex is back and better than ever in Pure. She's training with Aiden to fight daimons (Aiden is aka as the very, very swoonworthy Instructor who she is forbidden to fall in love with. Why? He's a pure-blood and she's a half blood) and her destiny is just a hop, skip and a jump away. Seriously. She's going to be the next Apollyon, which is a god-killer. Pretty cool, right? What's even cooler is that the other Apollyon, and also her other half, Seth, might just be the next/other/alternate love of her life. Or is he? Somebody is trying to kill Alex before she becomes the Apollyon, there's an entire slew of Daimon attacks going on and Aiden is kind of giving her the cold shoulder. So not cool for a dude who was very into her just last summer. 
Let's hope Alex can fight her way through all these problems. (Knowing her, I'm going to assume she'll do just fine.)

You would seriously think that there is absolutely no way that Jennifer L. Armentrout could keep her books so continually heart-pounding and entertaining, but guess what? This book is just as entertaining and witty as Half Blood. I adore Alex's sense of humor. I was laughing out loud and my brother was giving me all kinds of weird looks. It was awesome. Everything is fast-paced and Alex is one of those heroines that kicks butt on a regular basis. You know. Some people take their vitamins daily. Alex beats people up daily. There is nothing cooler than that. Profanity and a little too much canoodling (yes, that is a word. Believe it.) were 2 things I didn't like about the book but I have nothing else to comment on! Team Alex.... :)

Friday, April 20, 2012

200 Follower Giveaway!


What is UP, my fellow readers/writers and book lovers? May is almost upon us, and you know what that means? That’s RIGHT! There are 5 amazing new books that will soon be released (or have been released) into the YA world. And because I love you all so much, I’m hosting a 200 Follower Giveaway to show my appreciation for all my readers (and future readers, hehe). The winner of this giveaway will get to choose one of the brand new releases to take home, cradle, read, cherish, wear out, lend, read again, and again, and again…you get the idea. Check this out: 


 City of Lost Souls, by Cassandra Clare
(My personal favorite fantasy YA series of the moment)


Insurgent, by Veronica Roth 
(My go-to alternative to the Hunger Games. Pure epicness.) 


Bitterblue, by Kristin Cashore 
(Bitterblue was my favorite character in Graceling. This is just TOO cool!) 


Switched, by Amanda Hocking 
(I'm actually going to read this soon. I'm psyched!)


Until I Die, by Amy Plum 
(The Sequel to Die for Me. Hopefully there's plenty of our French beau inside...)

Have you made your choice? Which one of these books would YOU like to take home? I could personally take home every single one of them and read them in a week without difficulty. But hey. Maybe I’m just weird. To enter to win one of these pretty babies, just sign up on the Rafflecopter form below.

I wish you good luck. J

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Legend

Day is the Republic's most wanted criminal - but he cannot be captured. June, on the other hand, is the Republic's most prestigious, brilliant military cadet. She is a prodigy. Cold, deadly and efficient. But when her brother is killed and Day is the prime suspect for the crime, she vows to hunt him down and seek her revenge. Everything is pretty cut and dried...or is it? The Republic may not be all that it seems, and Day may not be the criminal that June believes him to be. In fact, her entire life might be nothing but a web of lies. 

I really enjoyed this book. It was fast-paced. Every page and sentence moved the story forward. The contrasting personalities of Day and June were great - and yet they were the same in so many ways, which I think was very clever on the author's part. I've heard that this book is a modern dystopian spin on Les Miserables. That's true, but it's a lot more exciting than Les Mis (no offense to Victor Hugo. I still love him.). The only teeny qualm I had was that June was flawless. And by flawless I mean she never lost a fight, never had to struggle with her abilities or take a beating and then rise back up. She was a little too perfect...and that was a little unbelievable. But hey, I'm not a stingy critic. I like girls that can take care of themselves and give boys a run for their money. Who doesn't? (don't answer that, boys) So basically I'm saying that Legend is a great book that everybody should read. Like right now. Seriously. Read it. Marie Lu is one extremely talented lady.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Under the Never Sky


Aria has lived in a Pod her entire life, in a protected virtual world where nothing bad can ever happen to her. Seriously. Fingernails aren't even allowed to grow too long. Split ends? Say it isn't so! Fever? Blasphemy. It's a perfect world...or is it? When Aria gets kicked out of her Pod, and into the real world, or what is called the "Death Shop" (and let's face it, that is a very accurate term), she teams up with a "Savage" outsider Perry to find her missing mother and to survive the dangerous forests and deserts of the outside world. 

My feelings were mixed about this book. And no, it's not just because I can be a slightly emotionally complicated person. It's because I didn't warm up to the story until a little more than halfway through the novel. There were two reasons. One, it took me a long time to get into the swing of the futuristic lingo. What does "Aether," 'Sciri" 'Scent,' 'Pod,' 'Dweller,' 'Smartkey,' and so forth mean? I dislike it when you have to re-read pages over and over again to try and figure out what the author is conveying. Make it simple, please. Assume your audience isn't a technological genius and move on from there. Second, the main characters were very dark and non-relatable until they started showing their personality. Little glimmers of humor or humanity, so to speak, was when I really started to enjoy the story. When Roar - a funny supporting character - jumped in, the conversation kicked off and things got more interesting. So what am I really saying here? I liked this book. Definitely. But it wasn't my cup of tea until the halfway point.

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Angelfire

Ellie has nightmares. Not just slightly scary, run-from-spiders nightmares, but flashbacks. Memories of dying over and over again and fighting heinous creatures known as Reapers. As it turns out, she has been reincarnated over the centuries and she is, in fact, a warrior. Seriously, the girl knows how to handle a sword. Or two. But it's not that simple. She doesn't remember everything from her previous lives: not her super hot guardian, Will, or that there is an Apocalypse coming and a big creature called the Enshi is probably going to eat her soul for brunch. Yup. The fate of the world is in Ellie's hands...and just last week she was worried about passing her lit test. How things change.

I loved, loved, loved this book! Sometimes I get so disappointed reading book after book that doesn't live up to its reputation, but this novel...whoa. I ADORE heroines who are tough, witty and can take care of themselves. Ellie is a confident girl who can kick major butt before breakfast while dealing with all of the things a normal teenage girl has to deal with. Like saving the universe from an Apocalypse. Totally normal stuff. Her guardian, Will, is completely swoon-worthy and entirely lovable with his old-fashioned sense of honor and loyalty. It's awesomeness incarnate. In addition, Ellie's sense of humor is brilliant. The story moves quickly and I wasn't bored for a moment. I didn't skim or skip at all. Every chapter counted and I enjoyed it all. Courtney Allison Moulton has taken fantasy, humanized it, and created a spunky heroine with a thrilling story. Long story short: all that hype you've heard about Angelfire? It's true. All of it. Read the book - you'll be happy you did! 

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Hunger Games Giveaway! Who Won?

May the odds be ever in your favor! Yup. The Hunger Games Giveaway has come to an end and it is therefore time for me to pick a winner. Or rather, for Rafflecopter to pick a winner. The computer does a much better job than I do. So the winner of the $10 Gift Card for Amazon to use on Hunger Games stuff is..... entry #560: Dianna B! Congratulations, and thanks a million to everybody who entered!! 


(The Rafflecopter Announcement is below) 


Friday, April 13, 2012

Sidekick Tournament


Good afternoon, peeps! It's Friday, so it looks like I'm posting another tournament guest post. This time our sidekick advocate is Summer Day. She's advocating Laurie, from Little Women as her favorite supporting character, so I'll let her take it away and you can all decide if Laurie is worthy of your admiration! 

Name: Summer Day 
Authored: Pride and Princesses. You can purchase her book here! 
Favorite Sidekick: LAURIE from LITTLE WOMEN by Louisa May Alcott

For those of you who aren't familiar with Laurie...
Okay readers, for all intents and purposes Laurie is actually a major character in Little Women, disguised in parts of the novel as a sidekick! The narrative is largely driven by the March sisters. It is through their eyes that Laurie (a gorgeous, intelligent, rich, handsome, loving and kind next door neighbour) enters the picture. Laurie struggles with his grandfather’s ‘plans’ for his future just as Jo struggles with society’s expectations of a traditional ‘little woman!’ Both  Jo and Laurie are outspoken and kind and many readers (including this one) always felt they were ‘made for each other.’ (Just like Damon and Elena in The Vampire Diaries…well, not quite, but you know what I mean…)


Why Readers Should Love and Appreciate Laurie
He has many of the good qualities of a great boyfriend & amazing husband. Plus, he’s kind of heroic – saving Amy, allowing the sisters to make him part of their ‘secret society’ – at least in the film (!)  After confessing his love to Jo (and being rejected by her) he goes off to Europe, meets Amy (Jo’s youngest sister) and makes a commitment to her! Even if he didn’t end up with his first love, Jo, instead of sulking forever, he eventually becomes the brother the other March sisters always wanted.  

Why I Love Laurie and Why You Should Too!
Okay, at this point I have to say Christian Bale in Gillian Armstrong’s film version (with Winona Ryder as Jo and Kirsten Dunst as young Amy) is, to me, the definitive Laurie. It is hard to separate the written word character with Bale’s charming portrayal. The reason I love this character is that he portrays many of the characteristics that make a good boyfriend or husband. He has warmth, humour, loyalty, protectiveness (remember when he saves Amy after she goes skating at the frozen lake?) but most of all kindness. Laurie also grows in maturity throughout the novel and even though he marries Amy, thus becoming part of the March family, he always remains Jo’s ‘dear friend’. That said, this reader is sure in another universe, Jo and Laurie were made for each other…I guess the planets needed to align!
Little known fact
Little Women was originally published in two parts. In between the publication of Part One and Part Two the author (Alcott) received letters from readers requesting that Jo marry Laurie. Alcott responded by having Laurie and Jo marry… just not each other!
Laurie was played by Christian Bale in the 1994 movie adaptation of 'Little Women.' Joe was portrayed by Winona Ryder.



Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Pure Tour!!



Bonjour, fellow Half-Bloods and Pures! (Don’t worry. No prejudice here!) Today is the next to last day before this fabulous Pure tour ends. And thankfully, our half-blooded and pure peeps, Alex, Aiden and Seth, (aka the dazzling protagonists of the Covenant Series) dropped by to give their impromptu opinions on some of the songs that popped into my head when I was reading Half-Blood. And right now I'm reading Pure. Hence the playlist. Oh, and I’m Team Aiden, by the way. (Sorry you had to hear that, Seth. You’ll just have to deal, as I’m sure Alex will tell you. Quite pointedly, too.) 
Okay, here we go!


                                           Under My Bed, Meiko 

Aiden: I'm digging the guitar riff, but ah, the lyrics...
Alex: Wow. This reminds me of something. *Stares at Aiden*
Seth: Le sigh. 

                          Set Fire to the Rain, Adele 


Aiden: These song choices are really uncomfortable.
Alex: *Snort* I'm going to set fire to your rain, baby. 
Seth: I think you both should hear the message loud and clear. 
Alex: Anyway, the song really is beautiful. I can relate. Seriously. Especially "there's a side to you I never knew. All the things you say, they were never true."
Seth: Awkward.
Alex: Funny, Seth, just who am I talking about.
Aiden: Yep.


                     I Want You to Want Me, Cheap Trick 

Alex : Oh, now this song is like Seth's Anthem. 
Seth: "Didn't I. Didn't I. Didn't I see you cryin'!"
Alex: Shut your face.


Ha. Isn’t Alex awesome? No wonder Aiden has a thing for her. Okay, so for the duration of the tour, there are some awesome giveaways going on. To enter, leave a comment telling me who your favorite Covenant character is. Then, include a link to this post when you go to enter the contests held by these two fab blogs: ‘A Cupcake and a Latte:’ http://www.mochalattereads.blogspot.com/2012/03/pure-blog-tour-starts-now-two-fabulous.html  and at Stuck in Books right here: http://www.stuckinbooks.com/2012/03/pure-by-jennifer-l-armentrout-blog-tour.html

So what are you waiting for? Get up, grab a copy of Pure, and start reading!