Friday, February 24, 2017

State of Allegiance RELEASE Day: Plus, Prize Pack and Gift Card Giveaway!



Title: State of Allegiance 
Series: Collapse #9 
Author: Summer Lane 
AVAILABLE NOW!
Buy Links:

Synopsis:

Be brave. Be vigilant. 
But above all, be loyal. 

In the wake of a dangerous but successful mission to Yukon City in Alaska, Cassidy Hart now finds herself back in California, at the naval air station in San Diego. Together, she and Chris now face their most terrifying threat yet: nuclear destruction. 

Surviving in a world gone nuclear is easier said than done. Faced with the prospect of being wiped off the face of the earth by Omega's nuclear arsenal, Cassidy, Chris and their fellow rebel friends stage an incredible, daring journey into the Pacific Rim with the hope that they will be able to seize a weapon that could turn the tide of the war in the militia's favor. 

The clock of the apocalypse is counting down. 
Choices must be made. Relationships will be strained. True love will be put to the ultimate test. 
It's militias versus Omega. Hope versus destruction. 

Where does your allegiance lie? 

Choose carefully. 

The ninth installment in the national and international phenomenon by #1 bestselling author Summer Lane.





Thank you so much for supporting the Collapse Series this far! This is the 9th installment - unbelievable! 

This is also the first part of the finale, which will conclude this summer of 2017 with State of Hope!

To show my appreciation, I'm giving away some prizes for readers. You can enter EVERY DAY for chances to win until the contest ends. 

Here's what I'm giving away: 
Collapse Prize Pack: 
$20 Amazon Gift Card, Collectible Collapse Tote Bag, Magnetic Cassidy Hart Calendar, Collapse Tee-Shirt, Special Edition Pen, Autographed Copy of Bravo: Apocalypse Mission, Bravo Plush and Personal Note from the author.

Runner Ups (2): 
Two runner-ups will receive $10 gift card to either Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter form below! Please read Allegiance, leave reviews and share the news with your friends. Let's make this launch BIGGER THAN EVER BEFORE! 












Monday, February 13, 2017

CLAN: A YA Science-Fiction Thriller (Plus, $20 Gift Card Giveaway!)


Clan
Realm Lovejoy
Publication date: November 12th, 2013
Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult

“Highly enjoyable, thought-provoking sci-fi by an author with considerable talent and promise.”–Kirkus Reviews
____

Clans are Unity.
No variation. No deviation.
On Clades, to be a Clan is to be an exact copy. A perfect society cloning themselves to survive, even as the zombielike Frags threaten to overrun them on an unforgiving planet.
Clan 1672 (privately known as Twain) was never supposed to survive the Incubation Tank. But he did. Illegally. He is different from the other Clans.
A secret that could destroy him.
*Now available on audio!*
EXCERPT:
A glitch. Being a glitch was somewhat bearable, but an intentional glitch was not. Twigg had told Father Krume and Brisbane that Twain had been an accident. Twain wanted to believe that he had been locked up because Twigg had wanted to protect him, not because Twigg had wanted to cage him like some sort of sick scientific experiment. All those years he had spent, hidden—agonized by solitude…
“Son.” His sponsor stood at the door. “Mandy reported to me that you’ve thrown away dinner two nights in a row. Don’t tell me you’ve got nausea again.”
Twain eyed his sponsor’s silhouette. “Father, are there other mutants besides us?”
“Why would you ask that?”
“We were wondering—someone mentioned that there were more.”
Twigg eyed him sharply. “Who told you this? I knew the Contribution Center was dangerous for you…”
“We didn’t catch his number.”
“I have never seen another mutant and neither have you. Are you sure you didn’t get the Clan’s number?”
Something about the tone of Twigg’s voice gave Twain the feeling that he shouldn’t talk about it anymore. “We honestly don’t know. We’re all the same after all.”


About the Author
Realm Lovejoy is an American writer and an artist. She grew up in both Washington State and the Japanese Alps of Nagano, Japan. Currently she lives in Seattle and works as an artist in the video game industry. CLAN is her first book. You can find out more about her and her book at realmlovejoy.com






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Thursday, February 9, 2017

Candid Author Talk: Staying Positive, Strong and Achieving Your Dreams

Staying at the top of your game is hard work. Like an athlete training for the Olympics or the Super Bowl, nothing is handed to you. It requires a lot of pushing, working and overcoming self-doubt. In life, you're going to experience ups and downs. Hard things are going to happen. People are going to kick you when you're down, they're going to walk away when you want them to stay, and they're going to wish they were you when you finally rise above them and achieve your dreams. We live in a harshly judgmental world pockmarked with egotists who use social media as a byway to torture public figures, punish their ex-boyfriends/girlfriends and compare themselves with airbrushed pictures of models, becoming depressed in the process when they don't measure up like they think they should. 

So how are we supposed to keep our chin up and keep moving on when everything seems to suck? 

This has been a real challenge for me in my life, and it's taken many years, many hardships and boatloads of tears to finally realize how to survive the harsh reality that not everybody in your life is going to be nice to you, and not everybody is going to understand your goals and dreams! This article is designed to be a pep-talk, a self-help guide and an encouragement to anyone who might be struggling to rise above the negativity of bad influences. 

Here's how I deal with it. 

Realize that negative people are toxic and have no place in your life. I have learned a lot about people and relationships over the course of my life. I'm a fairly quiet gal. I keep to myself, I have a sarcastic sense of humor, I enjoy reading books, watching Wheel of Fortune, cooking new things and going on fun road trips with my husband (can somebody say Sierra Nevadas or Disneyland?). In other words, I'm not exactly a social butterfly. Sure, I hang out with friends, go to parties and Bible study and all that - but I'm pretty reserved, and part of why I'm reserved is because I like to stay focused. I like keeping my eye on the prize - I like working, building my career, setting new goals, and subsequently achieving them! I have found that anybody who is chronically negative or dramatic will suck the energy and peace out of your heart. They'll stomp on you and deflate your creative energy like popping a hole in a balloon. Let me say this right now: People like that are not good for you. People who bring you down, chew you out, or bully you aren't worth your time. They are essentially taking your beautiful sparkle, your incredible talent and your creativity and drowning it. Politely and kindly send them packing. Nobody needs that. 

Grow up. Friends or colleagues who can't seem to mature beyond the realm of Middle School when it comes to dependability and reason are the kinds of people who really need to either grow up or find their way out of my house! I'm a working woman, and I've got things to do! I don't have time for pointless drama. This isn't meant to sound insensitive, either. There is a time and place for drama, sometimes, but you have to draw the line. I am including this here because I feel that so many young men and women in their 20s allow "drama" to suck up way too much of their time. If you want to be productive, surround yourself with people who build you up, not tear you down. The harsh reality is that real "grown-ups" don't allow themselves to play games with people, and they don't take crap from anyone. They're hardworking, common-sense and direct. My point is this: if you're a grown up, hang out with grown-ups. If you're not a grown-up, remember to try to act with maturity and grace. It will greatly enrich your life. 

You get rejected. You get hurt. Now what? Everybody's been hurt at some point! EVERYBODY. You can't avoid heartbreak, rejection or broken dreams. I've experienced my fair share in life, and guess what? I'll experience many more before my life here is over. Let's face it: living means that there is going to be ups and downs. One of my biggest struggles growing up (and to a degree, presently!), is avoiding the shock and hurt of being rejected or stomped on by someone I trusted deeply. OUCH. This kind of hurt can really depress you and threaten to pull you away from achieving your goals, whether you want to write books, become a doctor or travel to faraway places. The best method? Absorb the hurt for a moment - feel it. Experience it. Cry if you have to. And then, fasten your seat belt, steel your shoulders and dust your boots off. Move on, babe. Use every rejection and hurt as a teachable moment - it's experience, and you'll be smarter next time. Plus, if you're like me...you'll use the emotional experiences to further enrich your writing! (You know what they say: Don't annoy a writer, they'll get their revenge in print!) 

I'm making no progress! I want to give up. Um, excuse me? Never! I think it's the Marines who supposedly don't know how to spell the word "defeat," or so it's been said. I love that mentality. When you go after something, realize that you're doing it with the mentality of a zero failure possibility. Look, there's a difference between taking a rest (You're sick! You have to attend a funeral! You need a vacation!) and flat-out GIVING UP. I'm sorry, but successful people don't give up. Ever. There are no excuses. Do what you have to do to get it done. Be a boss. Conquer your fears. Ignore anybody and everybody who doubts you, undervalues you or underestimates you. Your best revenge will be to kindly and lovingly be a smashing, knock-out, dazzling success story. 

What if I fail? Try again! A lot of people are afraid to try, simply because they're afraid to fail. I have this problem when it comes to bonding with people - I'm sometimes afraid of getting close to someone, because inevitably, something bad is going to happen. I just know it! This is not true, by the way, but it's a fear that I have - along with a lot of people, I think. How do you overcome this? You go for it anyway. And if you fail, you pick yourself up and keep going. Remember what I said about learning experiences? This would be one. 

Don't try to control everything. Let's be really honest for a moment: we as humans are always trying to control everything about our lives. I think this is especially true for women, because we tend to be more emotionally in tune with the world, and we want everybody and everything to be cohesive and happy. Unfortunately, this is not reality. We can't control everything, and the more we accept this, the happier we'll be. We can control our own outlook, behavior, work ethic, personal conduct and more - but we can't control anyone else's. We are responsible for our own attitudes and behavior. If somebody else has a crummy tude', that's their fault. If you try to help them and they refuse to be helped, take a step back. If they're smart, they'll figure it out themselves, eventually. If they're not that smart, say adios and stay focused on the objective: your objective. 

Don't speak before you think. If I could only tell you how many people I have encountered who lack a filter! For the love of all that's good and decent, THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK. As adults, everyone should know better than to send a text message or make a phone call in the heat of emotion. It's a good way to say things you'll regret. A sign of maturity is to be able to restrain yourself from outbursts, to give some logical thought to a situation before you flip out. Sound harsh? Guess what, this is the method of champions! Be SMART. If someone sends me a message that's unkind, I sometimes will wait a day or two before responding - if I respond at all. Why? Because you never want to respond in anger. Ever. 

Remember to be kind, and to be the bigger person. Sometimes, life is messy. M-E-S-S-Y. It's no fun when it's rough, but hey: welcome to the human race, sweets. Being kind and professional even when somebody is spitting in your face is often the best option. Remain above reproach, as they say. You being in control and polite is the best way to defend yourself, anyway. Let me tell you, I have had some people say some awful things to me, whether it's in the form of online bullying (welcome to being an author, guys) or from someone who is close to you. The best way to respond is to remain silent. And sometimes, if you need to defend yourself, do so with calm and logic. After that, you've done all you can do. 

I wanted to share this article with you today to encourage you to keep your chin up. It's easy to feel defeated when things aren't perfect. I've had my fair share of disappointments and failures in life. I'm human. You're human. We've all had hard times. My main point is that you use the hard times to lift yourself up, to make yourself stronger. That, my friend, is what will make you a success in life. Be kind, be firm, be powerful, be focused, be smart and be awesome. Now, go out there and get it done! 











Monday, February 6, 2017

WIN $1,000 & 22 Free Books! (Blog-Wide Dystopian Giveaway Party!)

Welcome to the PNR, Urban Fantasy & Dystopian Party!


This giveaway is brought to you by 22 fabulous Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, and Dystopian authors!In this giveaway, EVERYONE who enters will win TWENTY-TWO FREE – EXCLUSIVE – ebooks by the sponsoring authors (to be delivered at the conclusion of the giveaway), and one GRAND PRIZE winner will also receive a $1000 Amazon Gift Card! The Winner will be announced on April 1st at our Facebook Event. 
The winner will also receive an email directly.

There will ALSO be other prizes and giveaways happening at that event between now and our Grand Prize announcement! So make sure you mark yourself as attending so you don’t miss those great opportunities to win more prizes and snag more freebies!
Here's a sneak peek from one of the sponsors:

Discern 
An award-winning and bestselling urban fantasy novel by Andrea Pearson!




Excerpt: 

Nicole put her things down, not wanting anything to be in her hands when she picked up the disgusting book. She reached for it, but hesitated. Already, she could sense warmth coming from the leather cover, and she wasn’t even touching it. Its magical pulses were different from the other items—they seemed to drip off the book like sweat.
Nicole hesitated, but wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t as if something bad would happen, right? She took a deep breath and placed her hands on the book. It shivered under her touch and she cringed, pulling back. The sensation of warm leather made her flesh crawl, and she rubbed her hands and arms on her jeans, trying to get the feeling to go away.
Come on, Nicole. Don’t wimp out.
Without letting herself think about it, she picked up the book and lifted the cover.
A wind rushed over her, blowing her hair back, roaring in her ears. She caught a brief whiff of tobacco smoke before the surge of air reversed and sucked the breath out of her lungs, making her gasp.
The floor under her quaked. The book vibrated. The leather on the cover moved, muscles beneath it flexing. Nicole tried to drop the book, but couldn’t. She was unable to control her hands or fingers. They clenched so tightly, they ached. A shadow covered the pages of the book, preventing her from reading.
What was going on? She gasped again, trying to breathe against the strong wind. She felt someone touch her shoulder, but she couldn’t move. Her fingers still clung to the book. The shadow on the pages shifted, roiled, and turned toward her, the brief outline of a face visible. It watched her for several moments.
Nicole . . .
The voice was soft, deep. A strange yearning inside her made her want to read the book, to understand. To join the owner of the voice, though she didn’t know where or what he was.
The wind slowed to a gentle and familiar caress across her cheek. Familiar?
Then suddenly, it all stopped. The book fell from her hands and slammed itself shut. She backed away, her arms, legs—everything—shaking.
“What happened?” Professor Coolidge asked next to her, making her jump.
“I—I don’t know.” Nicole tried to smooth her hair, but her hands shook too much. She tucked them under her arms. “It said my name . . . and there was a shadow. In-inside it.”
Coolidge lifted the leather book. His mouth popped open in surprise. “You’ve activated a force within it—something alive.” He looked at her, fear and worry on his face. “How did you do that?”
Nicole shook her head. “I don’t know,” she repeated.
Professor Coolidge put the book back on the table. “I’m not sure what to say, other than the book is much more powerful than it used to be.” He peered at her, scrutinizing her. “And I’d love to know why it called to you, why you woke it up, when so many others have not.”
 


This party is brought to you in partnership with:
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