Book spotlight: Scars of the Earth by C.S Moore.

Scars of the Earth 

by C.S Moore

Genre: YA Paranormal

Length: 233 Pages

Blurb:

Amanda is a healer, she is accustomed to falling into nightmares; she has witnessed terrible things ever since she could remember, horror scenes that an innocent child’s mind should never have to process.

Life as a healer had three rules:

Never question the Ancients.

Never stay in a Scar that has a demon.

And never fall in love.

Unfortunately for Amanda, she broke all three.

Excerpt

There are so many, Amanda thought.

Grey-clad figures poured into the room like water from a

sieve. They moved as one unit, step for step like toy soldiers

wound at the same time. Their uniforms bore no gold tassels or

honoring medals. The only thing sparkling was their calf-high,

spit-shined boots. Monochromatic from neck to toe, they blended

into the grey-colored walls and each other. The sharp points of

the heavily starched pleats in their uniforms were the only tell of

where one began and the other ended.

She stood frozen with fear, directly between her friends

and her pursuers. The room was still, neither side making a

move. Amanda looked at the sea of grey-cloaked Healers. She

spotted Frey and his larger-than-life sidekick Carter standing

among them, looking pleased. Hate radiated from him. If anyone

would make the first move, it would be him. They didn’t know

what she had in her hands. They couldn’t know that her escape

was in reach. She looked back at Cole. He nodded his head

toward the jacket. She tried to slip her hand into the pocket

without appearing suspicious.

“Amanda, we understand how hard this must be.” The

only man not in grey spoke quickly. “But this is the best path for

you. If that weren’t true, the Ancients wouldn’t have made it so.”

His soft gentle voice was full of concern for her well-being, and

she knew it wasn’t just for show.

He really thought capturing her would be doing her a

favor. Her hand inched closer to the pocket. She needed to

distract them, so she spoke. “The Ancients are not omnipotent.

They make mistakes just like we do, and this is a mistake. If they

just give me time, I know I can fight off this poison. You don’t

have to do this. See for yourselves,” she said.

Check it here: http://www.astraeapress.com/#!/~/product/id=17092227

Author interview: Neesha Hosein.

Today I have the pleasure to introduce to to an amazing writer: Neesha Hosein.

Here is her interview:    

When did you decide to be a writer?

My stay-at-home mom decided she needed to turn me into a super reader before I started school. It was also a way for her to try and soften my Trinidadian accent, so I could sound “more American.” Didn’t take long, because I was born there and grew up here in Houston, Texas. So she started lessons when I was 2, and by age 5, I was book obsessed! I was on a 2nd grade reading level when I entered kindergarten. From then on, I decided words should be my life. Funny thing, the same momma who taught me how to read eventually discouraged me from trying to make writing my bread-n-butter because I "would starve trying to outweigh the fierce competition." About three decades later, I'm a journalist, writer/editor for NASA, a self-published author, and I run my own writing/editing business and blog. She still gets the credit for my success, though!

What inspired you to write your book?

This book is very personal and dear to me. It took me six years to write it. It started as scribbles in my notebook, born of daydreams and memories that overtook my brain during class in 2006. It is a work of fiction for the most part, but is embellished and very loosely based on myself and some very mysterious and heartbreaking things I've experienced. I do my best to take negative things and magically turn them positive. Who knew my experiences and pain would become a novella years later! It was so well-received, I’m writing a Storm 2.

For those who haven't heard about your book, how would you describe it?

My novella is a suspense/thriller with a sprinkle of paranormal and crime. I tried to write it so that each and every page became a moving scene in the reader’s mind. Knowing what I like to get out of a book helped me shape it into the page-turner the reviewers say it is. It’s about a little girl who gets hit by lightning and is thrust into the paranormal world. She doesn’t realize she has a connection until she’s an adult, married to Mr. Wrong and is pregnant. The child becomes the key that opens this door to things she could never have imagined. These experiences and the visions she begins to have lead her to a shocking truth about the man she calls husband and whose abuse she tolerates until the bitter end.

The book cover image is one I took from an airplane coming back from Trinidad in 2010. I never new it would become anything but a very cool photo in my collection, but it was perfect for the story!

Can you tell us the easiest and hardest part of being a writer?

The easiest part is definitely the writing itself! It’s enjoyable and stress-relieving, not to mention invigorating. I have total control over what I write, and there’s no rules or limits like there are in every-day life. It takes me away from my harsh reality just when I need it most. I keep a little notebook with me at all times so that no brilliant idea goes to waste. I’ve heard many writers do this. I even keep it at my bedside table in case I dream something cool, I can scribe it before I totally forget it.

The hardest part is knowing that my work may never go anywhere. BUT, I’ll never know unless I try and try again, so the writing lives on! I’ve had enough minimal success that it keeps me motivated. It’s tough to put your hard work out there, not knowing who will endeavor to rip it apart or love it to death. I’ve found that marketing my work to stand out amidst the astronomical number of fellow authors is also a huge challenge.

What do you do when you are not writing?

Hilariously enough, my hobby outside of writing still involves words! It is reading and editing books for fellow authors. Unlike a lot of people who tell me I’m nuts, editing is actually a fun activity to me! I also have a book blog (although I talk about all kinds of silly things there) – www.Novellarella.blogspot.com I love to meet new people, so I welcome new members.

How do you react to a bad review?

I don’t. I have an understanding that there are billions of people in the world and just as many opinions and preferences. Not everyone will like a song, a piece of art, or a BOOK. So I consider myself an artist of words, and I am grateful to anyone who takes the time to give my book a fighting chance.

If you could choose a character of any book to have coffee with, who would it be and why?

I love this question. It’s so perfect to ask a book lover. After a LONG thought process, I choose Harry Potter, because my kids and I want to know what the heck happened to all of them and what work they are doing now post-Voldemort times. Is that incredibly nerdy of me? Well, J.K. Rowling ended the series rather vaguely, probably to leave much to the imagination of the readers, but I have enough thinking to do in my daily life. So, it’s torturous to be left hanging.

Tell us about your current projects.

Gladly! I’m writing Storm 2 as well as a non-fiction book about my experience with autism. I have a 14-year-old son with autism, and our life is a psychological thriller to say the least! Just check my blog archive, and you’ll see what I mean. Sometimes I think God truly intended for me to be a writer, because He sure did give me tons of material in life! I’m also, as I mentioned before, a book editor, so it brings me joy helping other authors beautify their work.  My goal in life is to leave Corporate America behind, become my own business and be around more to help my sons grow into good men, and my youngest to fight the obstacles of autism like a ninja. Every time someone buys my book or follows my blog and/or social media, they are helping me to accomplish this goal, and I’m eternally grateful.

Check her book: 

Synopsis:

Being struck by lightning as a child sets Kira on a path to realization. Her life becomes a riveting series of events, and her guiding light is the supernatural. Her adventurous visions lead her through some spine-tingling discoveries about her husband, the man whose rigorous rules she obediently follows in a life filled with both tribulation and triumph.

Find her: 

Visit my website at:
www.TheSweetTalker.com
'Like' me on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/TheSweetTalker101
Follow my blog:
www.Novellarella.blogspot.com
I'm also on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/#!/Neesha101
Check out my new book, "I of the Storm," on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007BITOEC/ref=rdr_kindle_ext_tmb

Guest Post, Review and Giveaway: Betrayed by Shadows

Betrayed by Shadows 

by Nancy Gideon

Genre: Paranormal Romance.

Blurb: 

Balancing a criminal empire and a preternatural clan war, reluctant front man Giles St. Clair doesn’t need a problem like Brigit MacCreedy . . . How much trouble can the head-strong and manipulative Shifter beauty get into in two weeks? Plenty when her schemes range from kidnapping to fleeing the retribution of her dead lover’s clan. 

With her family’s lives on the line, Brigit is willing to do whatever it takes to save them. The only thing standing in her way is an immovable stone wall of a man she can’t bully or beguile . . . a human, no less, who has promised to protect her from the secrets and dangers she conceals. 

Risking her own safety gets complicated when an honorable and annoyingly desirable man puts himself between her and her powerful enemies in a battle he can’t win in this Taming of the Shrew meets Shifter Goodfellas on the Bayou tale of consequences, redemption and finding love in all the wrong places.

Guest Post:

Stuff Just Got Real by Nancy Gideon

One of the most fun and challenging things for a paranormal author is to bring a fictitious world and all its characters from imagination to reality in the mind of the reader. You’re asking that reader to suspend belief, to take a leap of faith into your creative realm with the promise that you’ll catch them, that from page one to page end they’ll be in New Orleans surrounded by dangerous Shape-shifters, that unless they go to Snopes to fact check, that those shadowy beings could . . . and do exist.

One of the things I learned from my favorite authors Dean Koontz and Stephen King is to first ground the fantastical in everyday reality. By giving the readers something to relate to - a seemingly normal setting where they feel comfortable, basic human emotions such as vulnerability, love, the struggle for survival, flawed and sympathetic characters they can identify with . . . then you can screw with that reality without losing them! If you can make a reader believe that French Quarter alley exists, that your heroine is in peril and afraid for her life, that reader is invested, is put right in the center of the action, and they will accept the fact that those in pursuit are preternatural creatures. The things that are real tether the reader to those things that are pure imagination.

To make it real, words need to transform from flat text on a page to become sensual and textured. They need to provoke a reader’s response, to make them experience the scene you create. When I bring my readers to a backwater bayou, I want them to feel the wet heat on their skin, to hear the drone of insects, to smell the heaviness of decay, to taste the salty air, so when I ask them to see lupine shapes moving through the tangled brush on the shore, I’ve got them so deeply embedded in the moment, they’re onboard.  When my heroine gets separated from her protector in the Quarter and is taking a shortcut through an alley, the reader can hear the noise and music from just around the corner, can envision the cobbled street, the shadowed walls, can feel her panic when she realizes she’s not alone. And because she’s a Shifter with heightened senses, the reader experiences her intuitive warning of danger to come with a prickle of anticipation. The real blending with the surreal.

Let me take you on that journey into my secretive and suspenseful “By Moonlight” world with BETRAYED BY SHADOWS, the 7th book in my dark paranormal series, where shape-shifters walk among humans and danger is just a heartbeat away. You will believe . . .

  About the author:

An author of over fifty novels since 1987, Nancy Gideon thrives on variety. Under her own name and several pseudonyms, she’s written award-winning series suspense, historical and paranormal bestsellers, earned a “Career Achievement for Historical Adventure”, and has had two original horror screenplays optioned for film. A Michigan native, she works full time as a legal administrative assistant and feeds a NetFlix addiction.

Author Links: 

Website

Blog

Facebook 

Twitter 

Goodreads 

Buy Links: 

Amazon 

Barnes & Noble

GIVEAWAY:

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Don't forget to check: YA PARANORMAL GIVEAWAY HOP HERE.

Interview - Guest Post: Silver Hollow by Jennifer Silverwood.

SILVER HOLLOW

by Jennifer Silverwood

Genre: YA Fantasy.

Released: November 9th 2012, by Silverwood Sketches.


Blurb:


Amie Wentworth writes paranormal romances, not because she is looking for a degree in ectoplasm, but because she’s got bills to pay. Ever since her parents’ car crash, she has been led a reclusive life and trusted books more than people. Not even a letter from her long-lost uncle, begging her to visit, gives Amie incentive for anything other than ire – until she is stabbed in an alley and brought back to life by a mysterious stranger. 

After crossing the Atlantic to her father’s homeland, Amie is dragged into the very sort of tale she is used to selling. Silver Hollow is a place of ancient traditions and supernatural dangers, where everything is the opposite of what it seems and few escape sane. 

To make matters worse, the man who saved her life keeps turning up and her would-be-murderer is still at large.

But when she comes face to face with the ugly truth, will she too be sucked into her father’s madness? Or will she discover that madness is just another name for honesty?



INTERVIEW:

1. When did you know you were a writer?

 It's impossible for me to pinpoint the exact moment when I knew I was a writer. Through childhood and young adulthood there were tiny glimpses when it came through. I remember watching Little Women and wanting to be Jo March. After reading Laura Ingalls Wilder's novels I wanted to be just like her one day. But it was after devouring almost all of L. M Montgomery's novels as a young teen when I decided to get serious about being a writer. 

2. Describe your book briefly for those who haven't heard about it.

Silver Hollow is about a twenty-something authoress who has had her dreams come true. Except now she's stuck writing the same kind of story and craves new adventures. Amie lives a pretty simple, uneventful life, until she's stabbed outside her home in the back of an alley and brought back to life. Her estranged uncle sends her an invitation to come to his estate in England and after her close call with the grim reaper, Amie decides to take him up on it. 

After this it's one whirlwind of mystery, adventure, antiques and magic and romance. 

3. How did you come up with the idea for S.H?

I wrote the first few chapters for my twin besties, to play around with our possible future selves. They loved it so much that they begged me to write more and once I did, it took on a life of its own. 

4. Can we find you in your books? 

Well in case you couldn't tell, Amie is pretty much me. While she's maybe a skewed interpretation of my character, certainly exaggerated in some cases, she has every ounce of my sarcastic, pop-reference humor. Poor thing. 

5. Which of your character was the best to write? why?

Best is a loose term but I can certainly answer which was my favorite. It would have to be Emrys Bane. Gray area characters are a personal fav of mine and Emrys has this color in spades. He's always conniving, and always doubting his own actions. He's the kind of guy who's been there and done everything you can imagine and is bored with life. So when Amie comes along he gets shaken up. Unfortunately for her, that's not always a good thing.

6. If you could meet any character of any book, who would it be and why?

Hmm...I'd have to say Luthe from Robin McKinley's Hero & the Crown and The Blue Sword fame. He was my favorite character in both books, and I would love to live in his awesome valley with all those mysterious magical people. 

7. Would you like your books turned into a movie?

Of course I would! It would depend on if they could keep it true to the original work, though. I'd allow some license I suppose, but the worst thing is when they take a book and turn it into something unrecognizable, like what they did to Blood and Chocolate.

8. Do you have a dream cast in mind for Silver Hollow?

Before now I hadn't really thought about it terribly much. But I'd love to see Michael Fassbender or Ian Somerhalder play Emrys. Either one would nail that part. 

Dearg, I'd pick someone like Evan Peters or Jay Ryan. 

Somebody like Emma Stone would need to play Amie to keep up her blend of snarky humor and wonderment.

For Uncle Henry, maybe Bendict Cumberbatch or Tom Hiddleston.

9. Describe yourself in 5 words.

Chocoholic. Introvert. Christian. Dreamer. Artist.

10. Future projects?

At the moment my editors and I are working on getting the next Heaven's Edge novella, Ohre, and the paranormal romance, Stay, ready for publication. I don't ever believe in slowing down...too much...so I try to have a project ready on the back burner. After this I'm working on finishing Vynasha, a dark fantasy retelling of Beauty and the Beast. After that, well, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Hopefully you'll still be reading my books by the time we get past that point!

There you are ma'am. Thanks so much for your patience and courtesy :)

Can't wait to get going on these other projects with you. 

GUEST POST:

WHY FANTASY

I’ll never forget watching “The Wizard of Oz,” for the first time as a little girl. The moment when Dorothy opens her front door and steps into a fantastical world filled with bold and beautiful color, rocked my world to say the least. Fantasy is like that, opening your eyes to things invisible to the average, human eye. It’s people’s ways of exploring the deepest and unexplored regions of their imaginations. Much like Bastian in “The Neverending Story,” what you learn is that your imagination is endless as Fantasia (Fantastica in the book ;). 

I’ve published two novels and one novella so far and if you’ve read anything about them, you’d know that all three have fantasy tied into their cores. Qeya, my sci-fi novella and the series are technically science fiction. But this popular genre is riddled with things only seen in the dreams of humans. Not to say it wouldn’t be cool to visit some other star’s worlds and meet some aliens for myself. Silver Hollow is a light modern fantasy with all the usual staples, castles, fairies, magic, unicorns and dragons, “oh my!” And most recently, Stay, while not clearly defined, centers around a girl who was cursed by the ruler of the seas. The earliest stories in human tradition, myths and legend, sound like fantasy to us now. But once upon a time, people believed them without question.

Today, in this modern, fast-paced, and bleak society we live in, people crave escape. While many go to other genres, there’s a reason fantasy or the paranormal is so popular right now. Turn on your T.V or go to the movies and you’re nearly bombarded with all the fantasy bandwagon. (Not that I’m complaining!) 

In Silver Hollow, the main character, Amie, is a paranormal fantasy writer who got sucked into writing the same type of book over and over again. She makes fun of her own novels until her life turns into one of them. And isn’t that what we’re all secretly trying to do, every time we pick up another story to get sucked into? We want to escape into another person’s adventures, live outside our hum-drum lives if only for a few hours…or six. 

I suppose this and all the other little tidbits mentioned above are the reasons that all of my books have elements of fantasy in them. I crave the escape as much as the rest of you and there are times I wish I could jump onto Falcor’s back like Bastian and visit Fantasia for real, or open my front door to the land of Oz. Every book I read or write is like that for me, taking off the rose-colored glasses we see life through and stepping on the other side of “the Veil,” as Amie is finally able to do in Silver Hollow. 

Feel free to share all the reasons you love fantasy as much as I do, below. And maybe, just maybe, if we’re lucky, we too will come across our own luck dragon one day.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

I am an artist, musician, author and believer in bigger dreams.

I have been to Dracula's castle and lived to tell the tale.

I work with children, though by the end of the day it feels more like they worked me lol

I know how to properly use a rifle, survive a world of diapers, snotty noses and physical maiming from same children on a daily basis.

I'm a Christian and a Texan, you can guess the rest ;)

I've never quite fallen out of the habit of dreaming bigger than is healthy and can't seem to stop.

Find her at: http://jennifersilverwood.com/

YA Paranormal Giveaway Hop!

Young Adult Paranormal Giveaway Hop

February 21st - 27th

Co - hosted by YA Between the Lines

Featuring Young Adult Books with Paranormal elements.

You know how much I love hops and this one in particular because there are so many books I love.

You have the opportunity of winning Kindle copies of one of these "Packs".

Yes! You can choose among all those books!

It is open internationally!

I read all of the,, and loved them! You can check my reviews of some clicking on the name. The rest, can be found on Goodreads or here in a few days!

" Pack 1"

The complete EXISTENCE trilogy by Abbi Glines.

Existence (#1), Predestined (#2), Leif (#2.5) and Ceaseless (#3)

"Pack 2"

Heven & Hell Series by Cambria Hebert.

Before (#0.5), Masquerade (#1) Between (#1.5)

Charade (#2) and Tirade (#3)

"Pack 3"

Christine Fonseca's Requiem Series

 Dies Irae (#0.5), Lacrimosa (#1),

Libera Me (#2)

(sorry guys, Mea Culpa #1.5, is not available at Amazon at the moment!)

"Pack 4"

This pack is a mix between 2 series that only have 2 books each until now.

The Witch Games by K.C. Blake and 

The Immortal Essence by Rashelle Workman.


Crushed (Witch Game #1) - Witch Hunt (Witch Game #2)
Exiled (Immortal Essence #1) - Beguiled (Immortal Essence #2)

GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE!

Rules:

• Open internationally.
• There will be 1 winner that can choose any of the 4 packs. 
• All of them are Kindle copies.
• The winner will be notified via e-mail.
• If he/she doesn't answer in the following 48hs, another winner will be chosen.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Barbie Girl: Review, Trailer and Giveaways.

Barbie Girl by Heidi Acosta (Baby Doll #1)

Publication date: November 1st 2012

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Synopsis:

The only thing that 17 year old Barbie Starr wants to do is graduate high school so she and her little brother, Everett, can get out of Alabama. She doesn’t care about the rumors that are spread around about her like wild fire. Rumors are nothing new to her. Sure, maybe she could change her reputation, but why bother. She is leaving Alabama as soon as she can. That is, if she can pass algebra and graduate.

The only thing Dylan Knight would like to do is go through high school unnoticed; he has had enough of the drama that is high school. He took the whole of last summer to bulk-up: finally he is not being called names or being shoved into lockers. He wants to remain on the outside of the circle of constant rumors that surround the so-called popular kids who get all the attention. He would not, however, mind if his long time crush Katie took notice of him.

But it is Barbie who notices Dylan and she offers him a deal he can’t pass up: if he helps her pass algebra, she’ll help him get the girl of his dreams. Dylan agrees, but, as it turns out, nothing is simple when it comes to Barbie. Somehow, she can’t help but draw attention to herself — and to him. Soon Dylan finds himself tossed into the whirlwind of rumors that seem to follow Barbie everywhere. Can he save his reputation and still get the girl of his dreams? Or will Barbiebe the one to break through his carefully-built facade?

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16127403-barbie-girl

Purchase:

Amazon 

Barnes & Noble

Smashwords 

Book Trailer:

                          

MY THOUGHTS:

I want to thank the Author and Xpresso Book Tours, for giving me the opportunity to read this book in Exchange for an honest review.

What can I say? I ABSOLUTELY FREAKING LOVED IT!

This is one of those books you keep thinking about even after a long time has passed since you finished it. At least, that happened to me.

The story is very well built and handled. The background of the characters is perfectly created and that allows you to connect deeply with them.

Barbie is just incredible. Behind the façade of the druggie s*** from school, you get to know an amazing person. I couldn’t help loving her, I felt for her and even wanted to step into the book to go help her in her darkest moments!

Dylan is also great. Sometimes acts like a jerk and he doesn’t listen but he is a teenager, it’s expected behaviour. Several slaps were deserved but that made the story entertaining.

Third is a super awesome supporting character as well as his mom! Dylan’s sister is so funny, I loved that little girl.

As you can see, every single character is well developed. Not only the protagonists.

Reading this book was a pleasure. The writing flows easily and is fast paced.

I’m not sure about the end… what will happen next?

Is the sequel about these two?

I hope it is!

Heidi Acosta, you totally nailed it! XD

5 super stars!!!

AUTHOR BIO

Heidi Acosta was born on Long Island, New York. Moving around a lot when she was younger, she has lived in New York, Arizona, New York (again), Washington, Georgia, and Florida, in that order. Each place offered her something special, but she will always consider New York her home.

Heidi started writing as soon as she could spell. When she was three, Heidi’s mother gave her a copy of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House in the Big Woods; thus beginning her lifelong love affair with literature.

Writing soon also became a form of therapy for Heidi, when she realized that no matter what was happening in her life, she could find emotional escape while writing. Some of her earliest stories featured her as a princess who explored new worlds with her horse Buttercup. If it sounds romantic, it wasn’t, there was no prince charming in those fairy lands (boys where yucky).

Heidi now resides in Florida with her husband, very active daughter, one hyper Chihuahua, two sweet cats, and one very fat moody cat.

Author Links:

  Website

  Goodreads

   Twitter

   Facebook

Giveaways:

Giveaway1

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway 2 (grand prize)

The giveaway is for a swag pack of goodies that relate to the book.

a Rafflecopter giveaway