Monday, March 25, 2013

Guest Post by NA Author Stacey Brown (The Allure of New Adult)


Stacey Marie Brown is a a pretty cool lady. She's a new adult author with a great novel, Darkness of Light, out on Amazon and Barnes & Noble today (find the synopsis for the book at the bottom of this post). Stacey is one of those authors that really, truly loves New Adult fiction - she's not just hopping onto a bandwagon or a growing trend. She's passionate about it, and today she's going to talk about the allure of New Adult fiction, and why it's resonates with so many people. 

Take it away, Stacey!

The Allure of New Adult Fiction
By Stacey Marie Brown

It’s the classic coming of age story, girl meets boy, girl and boy fall in love. But, this version has sex, swearing, violence, drugs, and alcohol. Yes, I am talking about New Adult Fiction, or simply NA. It has always been around but was never named, nor did it have the following it has now, especially in the fantasy genre. 
The Harry Potter books showed, on an international scale, “kid’s books” weren’t just for kids anymore. Adults of all ages were also enjoying these so-called children/ young adult books, even if they did not have kids. Harry Potter became acceptable for adults to openly read, but you still wouldn’t be caught in public reading any other YA book. Then, along came Twilight and Hunger Games. With the movie releases, the amount of adults, with or without kids in tow, attending, buying merchandise, and starting group forums online exposed a previously ignored category. Things began to change. Adults were admitting how much they loved this older YA genre.
Stacey!
 Do we need to thank books like Twilight for the fact we now have so much attention on the New Adult fiction? As much as some people would like to heartily disagree, there is no denying these movies, and the hunky males in them, have brought the spotlight onto the older fan.
 Adults, who previously had been switching book covers or secretly stealing their teenage daughter’s books when she was at school, could now put away the flashlight and come out from under the blanket. Twilight and The Hunger Games movies let the more mature fan come out of the literary closet and read teen books out in the open. And, boy did they. Thousands, if not millions, of copies of these books were sold in every language around the world.
 But, let’s be honest, 'tween books left most older fans a little unsatisfied. When you are into your thirties, it gets a little harder to relate to a fourteen-year-old mind. A girl getting kissed or holding hands with a boy just doesn’t do it for us like it might have once. These books are sweet and the heroine is usually a good girl who doesn't have pre-marital sex or swear—ever. There is nothing wrong with this, but it feels somewhat unrealistic for the adult reader and many older teens, especially in the world we live in now.
 Fans started to take it upon themselves to continue with the story or write alternative scenarios for the characters, creating a cult-like following with fan fiction. They took the characters they love and created alternative stories from the original, upping it from PG to PG-13 or even R rated material. E. L. James' success with 50 shades of Grey started simply by writing explicit fan fiction for Twilight, which probably ended up with a larger following than Twilight itself.
 Until recently there had only been a select few established authors who dominated this formerly unclassified genre. Unknown authors struggled to find an agent or publisher, hearing their novel was too mature for teens but too young for the more mature reader. They didn’t know how to market it. Frustrated, authors started to forgo the standard agent/publisher avenue, understanding there was an audience out there who desired these stories, and are now publishing the books on their own. NA books are mostly being released by independent authors. It is still tough to be independent, but some have found huge followings and have made a fruitful career in writing NA.
 Why do I think there is such a following and love for this genre? Because it is the best of both worlds. Most adult readers, including myself, still enjoy the excitement of the “firsts.” Like the first real love—that time in your life when you were becoming an adult and things were thrilling and new. It has angst, but also has more action than a hand up the sweater. I know a lot of people in their 30s and 40s who were reading YA books and loving some aspects of them, but finding the stories a little too young for them. Now with NA, readers and writers finally have books they can relate to—ones that have a little more spice, a lot less innocence, and are more relatable.
 As an author who prefers this genre, I'm so glad my book, Darkness Of Light, has a home. I can’t believe it actually took this long, but now that NA is here it will only continue to grow. NA is definitly here to stay.

For more information about Stacey and her book, Darkness Of Light, check out her website at:  Stacey Marie Brown.com 
Author Links

Darkness of Light Synopsis 
(I this this cover is so pretty!!)

Freak. Witch. Crazy. Schizo.
Ember Brycin has been called them all. She’s always known she’s different. No one has ever called her normal, even under the best ofcircumstances. Bizarre and inexplicable things continually happen toher. Having two different colored eyes, strange hair, and an unusual tattoo only contributes to the gossip about her.

When the latest school explosion lands her in a facility for troubleteens, she meets Eli Dragen, who’s hot as hell and darkly mysterious.Their connection is full of passion, danger, and secrets. Secrets thatwill not only change her life, but what and who she is—leading herdown a path she never imagined possible.Between Light and Dark, Ember finds a world where truth and knowledgeare power and no one can be trusted. 

But her survival depends onfinding out the truth about herself. In her pursuit, she is forcedbetween love and destiny and good and evil, even when the differencesbetween them aren’t always clear. At worst, she will incite a war that could destroy both worlds. 

At best, she will not only lose her heartbut her life and everyone she loves. Once the truth is out, however,there will be no going back. And she’ll definitely wish she could.


Friday, March 22, 2013

Mortality Release Tour Guest Post & Giveaway!!! (Zombies, People)


Guest Post by Kellie Sheridan, the author of:
After surviving a deadly plague outbreak, sixteen-year-old Savannah thought she had lived through the very worst of human history. There was no way to know that the miracle vaccine would put everyone at risk for a fate worse than un-death. 

Now, two very different kinds of infected walk the Earth, intent on nothing but feeding and destroying what little remains of civilization. When the inoculated are bitten, infection means watching on in silent horror as self-control disappears and the idea of feasting on loved ones becomes increasingly hard to ignore. Starving and forced to live inside of the abandoned high school, all Savannah wants is the chance to fight back. When a strange boy arrives with a plan to set everything right, she gets her chance. Meeting Cole changes everything. Mere survival will never be enough.


Moving to Ireland Helped Fuel My Writing Career

A couple of years ago now, after I finished my first college program, I was stuck. I was working fulltime at a pet store, which was fun but all of my creativity and drive was slowly ebbing away. I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life, and needed to find some inspiration. So, with very little warning, I decided to take a gap-year, albeit after college instead of before. People do it all the time, right? Take time out from “real life” to figure out what’s next. I had some money saved up, and so I moved to Ireland.
It ended up being exactly what I needed.
For eight months, I lived on the West Coast of the Emerald Isle in a city called Galway. In theory, I was there on a work visa, but I spent a lot more time reading and travelling than I did serving coffee. I fell in love with Irish locations and Irish people. That country (and Galway specifically) woke me up!  Another bonus, it’s a lot cheaper to visit other European destinations while living in Ireland than it is from here in Canada.
I’m sure one day I’ll end up writing a book that involves Irish locations and characters, because everything about that country just oozes personality. Or maybe because I want an excuse to go back and visit. I miss travelling so much, but I think breaking into publishing is going to be adventure enough for me for awhile.
So, did I get home, pick up a pen and start writing my first novel? Unfortunately, no. I was writing, but it was still just for me. What I did do was get a job at a bookstore, which led to my starting up a book blog, which led to a whole bunch of other forays into the publishing world. Now, I’m publishing my first novel, running a book blog, reviewing for an online magazine and working with three different publishing houses. Things might have gone very differently if I’d decided to stay put and stick it out in a job I wasn’t happy with. I’m not saying everyone needs to pack their bags and move to a different continent in order to find their dream job. But sometimes, if you’re ever feeling stuck, mixing it up can go a long way towards helping you figure out what’s really important.


Writing Belle's Review: 

This book is a good old fashioned zombie adventure novel with a kick of romance. The synopsis is posted above, so let me sum it up for you: zombies take over the world. Girl is trying to survive in said world. Girl meets boy. People get killed. Things are epically messed up, as evidenced by the fact that zombies are roaming around everywhere. 

I absolutely LOVED the fact that this book had so much action! It's YA, so the romance is a lot less steamy than what you're going to see in Upper YA or New Adult books - which I liked very much. I like reading about the everyday teenage crush - especially if it's set in a post-apocalyptic environment. I also really loved the fact that we follow the stories of two characters during different timelines: Savannah and Zarah. I think Zarah was my favorite lead - I just felt for her situation more deeply than I did for Savannah's, probably because I got to get in her head before and after the zombie apocalypse hit. Her losses and emotions seemed more profound because I knew a little more about her upfront. I felt like Alex was kind of a jerk (okay...a big jerk!), but I can see where he's coming from. I mean, you try surviving the zombie apocalypse without getting stressed out over it. In all, I found this to be a very satisfying read and I think it reaches a broad age group, despite the fact that it's YA. Now excuse me while I go lock my windows and doors...you never know when zombies might take over. 


Kellie is generously offering up an e-copy of her zombie-inspired novella, END DAYZ for one lucky winner! Enter on the form below - and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

His Allure, Her Passion Release Day


His Allure, Her Passion
Genre: NA contemporary romance
Word Count: 30,000
Publisher: 
Decadent Publishing
Release date: March/20/2013
In his father’s eyes, Dylan Deveraux is just a playboy spending the family fortune on prostitutes, alcohol, and fast cars. And it isn’t even with the cars his father produces. Because of that, his father forbids his presence at the ball that will mark the launch of the US plant of his company, strategically scheduled on Valentine’s Day.
Hayley Allen is a failing model with the worse luck in the world. She always ends up in the hands of cruel designers and photographers. At least, that’s what she tells herself. Better than admit having a weak nervous system that always reacted during her gigs. Desperate, she would do anything to help her career.
Dylan shows up at her door, wasted as usual. Friends for a long time, Hayley is the only one able to put up with Dylan’s bullsh**, and he appreciates that, but not the way her heart wants.
Even though he doesn’t believe in Valentine’s Day, Dylan has an idea for his father’s ball. When he suggests a deal to Hayley, a deal that could finally put her in the spotlight of success and help him impress his father, she doesn’t hesitate. Even if it means hurting her heart a little more.

About the Author:
While Juliana Haygert dreams of being Wonder Woman, Buffy, or a blood elf shadow priest, she settles for the less exciting—but equally gratifying—life of a wife, mother, and author. Thousands of miles away from her former home in Brazil, she now resides in Connecticut and spends her days writing about kick-ass heroines and the heroes who drive them crazy.
Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest | NA Alley


My Fair and Honest Review in exchange for an ARC of this fab romance novel!


Playboy millionaire bad boy. 
Struggling up and coming model with anxiety issues. 
What happens when they start becoming more than friends? This book, that's what! 
Juliana Haygert's New Adult novella is barely over a hundred pages long, which makes a perfect read for late night or while you're waiting for a couple of hours in a doctor's office (that's actually when I read this book, lol). It moves very quickly and I honestly was never bored with the story - which is one of the reasons I really enjoy reading novellas. You get right down to the meat of the story really quickly. 

I really felt for Hayley (other than the fact that she's a supermodel and I'm not, we could totally identify...yup) in the beginning, even though I felt like she was being a little difficult when it came to denying her feelings about Dylan. On the flip side, Dylan WAS a huge jerk. A womanizing, partying, spoiled rich boy. I never was really able to sympathize for him, because partying is a huge turnoff for me...but he did come to his senses in the end, and that's the kind of character growth I love to see! 
Overall, this is a satisfying NA romantic novella!