6.26.2012

Guest Post: Dream Villain Cast


Today is the Guest Post of Epicness!  Shauna has put together her dream cast of villains! Enjoy & Don't forget the giveaway at the bottom of the post!
Everyone always wants to know who the author would want to play their characters. Now, to be honest, no one ever hits it right on the head – I mean, we see these “people” in our heads and they’re real to us, no one quite measures up. We always think of the main characters, the good guys usually, but I thought it would be fun to do up a dream cast of my villains.  You can check out my dream cast of the “good guys” in this post: Dream Cast: Who Would I Have Play My Characters? 

In book one, Earth, we really only have one villain: Ian
I needed someone who had striking eyes as he is the twin brother of Shayna’s love interest and his eyes are the one quality Shayna can’t seem to get over. He needed to be tall and masculine with sharp facial features. Alex Pettyfer hit all of those qualities.

In book two, Air, we have two villains, the anti-hero, Jeremy and the crazy Sylph.
Jeremy is a haunted young boy, bullied and neglected his whole life, but you know, with a little love, there is something there. You know Jeremy should be more than he is. When I saw this picture of Cameron Bright I saw Jeremy’s eyes looking out at me. And remembering his creepy role in Birth I think he could pull it off.














As for the sylph, I needed someone ethereally beautiful and yet strong at the same time. This is probably one of the hardest roles for me to cast as no one quite hits the mark for me, I would saw Annasophia Robb, but I picked her for Jodi (though the two characters look A LOT alike) but gun to my head I’d say Emily Tennant. I don’t know much about her acting chops, but she has just the right look.


  In book three, Water, our main villain is a megalomaniac water nymph, a mermaid gone wrong. This one is very hard because it’s a totally fantastical creature. Then I saw the perfect picture. I never thought this actress would work but then I saw a particular picture and it hit me in the gut! Amanda Seyfried just looks like the nymph.
This is the picture that hit me:


Now check her out after I give her the water nymph makeover:
       

I mean, RIGHT?!?
I really expected to see some beautiful brunette as my nymph, but that was just uncanny. But I would say the second runner up would be Alexa Vega:
         
Not bad either, right?


Giveaway Time
There will be 2 winners!
1 winner will get a paperback copy of Earth and
1 winner will get their choice of an e-copy of Earth, Air, or Water
Being a follower is not required but it is very much appreciated!
Terms and Conditions are on the rafflecopter.
Just fill out the rafflecopter below to enter! Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

6.25.2012

Interview with Shauna Granger & Giveaway


Today I had the pleasure of interviewing Shauna Granger, author of the Elemental Series.  I hope y'all enjoy it and don't forget to enter the awesome giveaway at the end of the post.


Describe your book in 140 words are less (twitter speak): 
Three teens with the ability to control the 5 elements of our world, fight to save the lives of 2 boys who've succumbed to the sirens' call.

Where is your favorite place to write? Do you like to write with music or do you need silence? 
I’m pretty simple; my favorite place to work is my office in my home, with my two dogs dozing on the floor next to me. I do write with music, as a matter of fact, the hardest thing for me to do is to write in silence. I actually create playlists for each project I’m working on so that I can get back into the mood of the story no matter what, no matter when. I even go so far as to have the TV on as well so that I can drown out any distracting noise like neighbors, cars or people in the house. So yeah, I like noise, but noise I control.

What's your writing process like? Are you one that likes to outline? 
I never liked outlining before, I always felt like if I outline a story I lose the urgency to tell the story because, in a way, I already have. But recently I’ve found I needed to vaguely outline parts of stories to help me stay on track and not let my story go off the rails. So I guess with time, or maybe with different projects, your process changes.

What do you do when you're not writing? 
Brace yourself, because this is a big surprise, I read. A lot. One of my most exciting things I did last October was to finally start my own book club and every month it’s the one thing we look forward to the most! I know, obvious. I do love to cook and have people over for dinner and share food and drink, talking and laughing into the night.

Favorite color nail polish? 
“I’m not a waitress red.” I wore it often while I was an actual waitress.

What is your dream vacation? 
A trip around the British Isles. I can’t pick just England or Ireland or Scotland so I would love to have the time and money to spend at least a week seeing each one.

What are 3 things you don't leave your house without? 
My phone, my sunglasses and a nail file, yeah, I break ‘em that often. 

Thank you Shauna for stopping by! 

Giveaway Time
There will be 2 winners!
1 winner will get a paperback copy of Earth and
1 winner will get their choice of an e-copy of Earth, Air, or Water
Being a follower is not required but it is very much appreciated!
Terms and Conditions are on the rafflecopter.
Just fill out the rafflecopter below to enter! Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

6.24.2012

Indie Revolution: Shauna Granger


This week is Shauna Granger week at Indie Revolution!!! As always there is awesomeness in store for you and a great giveaway!  Today is an introduction to her Elemental Series and Shauna gave me an excerpt of the latest book in the series, Water, to share with you! 




Sometimes fairy tales have claws.


Shayna's first surfing session of the summer is interrupted by the screams of a mother who has lost her little boy in the water. Without regard to her own safety, Shayna swims out, rescues the boy, but must escape the clutches of something far worse than she could have ever imagined – mermaids.

Compelled to answer the sirens' call, the boys of Shayna's town are drawn to the sea, but when they return are afflicted by an unknown illness, a sickness which is draining them of their life force. Unable to tell anyone about the mermaids, Shayna and her friends are forced to solve the mystery before it's too late, and in doing so, Shayna will finally have to face the full force of her powers. Whether she’s ready or not, she will have to face her true nature.
Excerpt 

I jogged down the sidewalk until it curved away from the beach, leading out to a trail that followed the riverbed for day hikers. I walked over to the rocks that separated the sidewalk from the sand of the beach and did a balancing act as I walked over them, looking for where I thought I had tossed my shorts. The chill of being half wet and half dry had finally worn off as the morning sun beat down on me, drying me completely. After five minutes of looking, I caught sight of my shorts and veered towards them. I hadn’t tossed them as high as I had thought and had to get close to the wet sand to reach them.
As I reached for them, my fingers closing around the waistband, I stumbled, catching my balance on a rock, scraping my palm. I hissed at the sting and stood up, holding my shorts in my uninjured hand. While examining the scrape, movement out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. I turned, looking out over the sea and to the horizon, and there, just twenty yards or so out to sea, I saw the dark outline of a head and shoulders. It waited there for a few
moments and I knew it was looking at me. In a flash, it was under the water and gone, but not before I saw the flick of tailfin break the surface of the water.
***

Here are the other books in the series...
Earth (book 1)
Air (book 2)


Giveaway Time
There will be 2 winners!
1 winner will get a paperback copy of Earth and
1 winner will get their choice of an e-copy of Earth, Air, or Water
Being a follower is not required but it is very much appreciated!
Terms and Conditions are on the rafflecopter.
Just fill out the rafflecopter below to enter! Good Luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

6.22.2012

#CleanUpTBRPile Hottie

The first book I finished for the read-a-thon was Awry by Chelsea Fine so for the Hottie challenge I picked Tristan! 

"Tristan appeared in his bedroom doorway, looking as sexy as ever.  Bare chest, jeans hung low on his waist, loose hair.  Stretching around his hip and ribcage was the dark tattoo that reminded Scarlet of a love shared long ago." location 6655 Awry

So what do y'all think? Isn't he the hotness? If you haven't read the Archers of Avalon series you really need to and I just found out today from Chelsea's blog that it has been option for film!!!

6.21.2012

Clean-Up TBR Pile Read-A-Thon

I'm super-duper excited to be participating in the Clean-Up TBR Pile Read-A-Thon! It starts at midnight tonight EST and end at midnight June 23rd!  You can participate in as little or as much of it you want!  Go check out the details at Stuck in Books and you will find the awesome challenge prizes there as well! 

Okay so in the 48 hrs I'm going to try and finish these books from my TBR pile!




Reviews you can expect to see me write after the read-a-thon
The One by Heather Self
Forever Changed by Tiffany King
Nocturnal by Chelsea Cameron

Whisper Character Interview


Today Chelsea Cameron and the main character from her new novel Whisper, Anna, are taking over the blog!  Check out this awesome character interview and don't forget to comment to earn more entries for the super awesome giveaway! Also if you missed it, check out yesterday's post of an interview with Chelsea Cameron! 




Chelsea: Today we're talking with Annabelle, from my book, Whisper. So, Anna, why don't we start off having you tell us a little about yourself?

Anna: Um. I'm pretty boring, actually. 

Chelsea: Except for the fact that you can talk to the dead.

Anna: Most of them don't like the D word, but yeah. I guess... I don't know. I like babysitting and zombies and baking. Pretty dull.

Chelsea: What's it like being able to communicate with ghosts?

Anna: I actually call them spirits. They're not all white and weird like in the movies. Actually, they're voices in my head. I don't see them. Well, I didn't.

Chelsea: Until you saw Tracy.

Anna: Yeah, she was a first. I thought I was going insane when I saw her in the kitchen. I mean, we weren't close at school at all. She was in a different crowd. Then she asked me if I would help her family and friends move on from her death, and I had to help her. I thought she was going to ask me to find out who killed her, seeing as how it was a hit-and-run that hasn't been solved. I think she knows more than she's telling me, but there's no way for me to find out.

Chelsea: Speaking of spirits, why don't you tell us a little about Jack?

Anna: Other than the fact that he's haunting me? * pauses * Stop that!

Chelsea: What do you mean?

Anna: Oh, sorry. I was talking to him. It gets kind of confusing for me sometimes having so many people talking to me. 

Chelsea: No problem. So, Jack. Why don't you tell us about the first time you met.

Anna: I was minding my own business and doing my math homework. I had an answer wrong and he wouldn't shut up about it. He's been following me around ever since. I would have thought he'd get bored, but I guess not. * pauses * That's not true, and you know it.

Chelsea: I'm going to guess the last part was for Jack.

Anna: Yeah. Sorry. Again.

Chelsea: No big deal. What's your favorite thing to do on a Friday night?

Anna: I told you, I'm lame. Usually I hang out with my friends, Felicity and Nora and watch movies or go out for pizza. Nora's moms have this amazing basement with a sweet entertainment center and surround sound and a leather couch. Nora's an only child, so she doesn't have a nine-year-old sister poking her head in and trying to join you all the time like I do. Actually, I do spend a lot of time with my sister, Amy. We bake a lot. Sometimes we make brownies or cakes with whatever we have in the house. That's a lot of fun, and they turn out delicious most of the time. If I'm not doing that, I'm probably babysitting. 

Chelsea:Why don't we finish off with three more questions? I'll ask them and you say the first thing that comes to your mind, okay?

Anna: Sounds good.

Chelsea: How would you describe yourself, in one word?

Anna: Boring. * pauses * Seriously, I'm going to start ignoring you.

Chelsea: How would other people describe you?

Anna: Crazy. * laughs * Especially my mom. She thinks I'm nuts.

Chelsea: And finally, how would Jack describe you?

Anna: * pauses * I'm not saying that. * pause * Because it's not true. Um, I'm going to go with tenacious. 

Chelsea: Sounds like a good way to be.

Anna: I swear, if I could smack you, I totally would right now.


Synopsis:

People think I'm crazy. Maybe I am, since I've been able to talk to spirits for as long as I can remember. They are the forgotten, the souls who have unfinished business and can't cross over. I help them, or at least I try to. There's this one in particular, Jack, I call him, who's been following me around a lot. Usually they tell me what they need to do and move on. Not him. 


It isn't until he brings another spirit, Tracy, the victim of an unsolved hit-and-run accident, that I know for sure he's something more than just your average spirit. Then I start seeing him. And feeling his touch. And falling for him. 

In our quest to get justice for Tracy and help her move on, Jack and I become something more than just a dead boy and a living girl. I'm just waiting to see what happens next...
 GIVEAWAY
There will be 2 INT winners and 2 US/CAN.2 INT winners will get an eBook copy of Nocturnal and Whisper2 US/CAN winners will get Whisper bookmarks
fill out the rafflecopter below to enter
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6.20.2012

Indie Revolution: Chelsea Cameron


It's Chelsea Cameron week at Indie Revolution! We have for you interviews, reviews, and of course an awesome giveaway! But before we get into all the awesomeness that is Chelsea Cameron, I thought I would let you all know who she is first, so today we are starting off with the my interview with her.   Don't forget to enter the giveaway! It starts today! 

You are stranded on an island for some reason, but you are able to have 3 books with you.  What are they (no e-readers)?

I hope I'm not alone and there's some hunky guy stranded with me ;) If not, I'd want to have Gone With The Wind (because it's so long and steamy and delicious), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (it's my fave of the series) and probably a book about how to survive on an island.

If you could take an all expense paid vacation anywhere, where would it be?

Wow, that's really hard. I haven't traveled much, so there are a million places I want to go. I'd probably pick England. I'm a HUGE Jane Austen fan, so I'd probably go to one of the places from her books. Or I'd go to Scotland and stand outside J.K. Rowling's house and try not to get arrested :)
    If you ever get the chance, go to Bath and go on the Jane Austen tour.  I went there a few years ago and it was awesome getting to see the places that Jane Austen wrote some of her books! 

Now you work for Hallmark and you can make any kind of card you want.  What is the season? What does it look like? What does it say?

I'd probably make a birthday card with a funny picture on the front and something stupid on the inside. I spend forever looking for cards for people. I'm also not a hearts and flowers kind of card person. I go with funny over frilly. I'm also a huge fan of sarcasm. And pictures of funny animals get me every time.

What is the best comeback you have ever given?

I always think of the comebacks AFTER the situation has already happened. Also, I usually don't have the guts to say them anyway. That's why I write characters that aren't afraid to say what they think.

Most embarrassing moment?

I was a cheerleader in junior high and high school, and at our big competition, they announce each member individually and you wave to the crowd. I decided I'd be cute and do a little move, but I tripped on the mat in front of hundreds of people. I wanted to die right there.

Favorite place to write?

On the couch in my living room. I have to write sitting or lying down. I can't sit in a chair because I have the tendency to hunch my back, and I've had issues with that.

Favorite Color?

Sapphire blue. It's also my birthstone.

Favorite Season?

Summer! I live in Maine, and the winters here are horrible. I HATE the snow. Give me 75 degree days and sun.

Favorite Food?

Red Velvet Cheesecake. It's my kryptonite.

Favorite Nail Polish?

I love Sephora polish. It stays on forever, and they have great colors. I usually go with something dark, like blue or plum or silver.

Thanks Chelsea for answering my off the wall questions and for stopping by on the blog today! 
Author Bio: Chelsea M. Cameron is a YA writer from Maine. Lover of things random and ridiculous, Jane Austen/Charlotte and Emily Bronte Fangirl, red velvet cake enthusiast, obsessive tea drinker, vegetarian, former cheerleader and world's worst video gamer. When not writing, she enjoys watching infomercials, singing in the car and tweeting. She has a degree in journalism from the University of Maine, Orono that she promptly abandoned to write about the people in her own head. More often than not, these people turn out to be just as weird as she is.
Time for the GIVEAWAY
There will be 2 INT winners and 2 US/CAN.
2 INT winners will get an eBook copy of Nocturnal and Whisper
2 US/CAN winners will get Whisper bookmarks
fill out the rafflecopter below to enter


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6.19.2012

Review & Giveaway: Enchantment


Amazon | Goodreads
Sixteen year old Channie Kerns leads an idyllic life of seclusion and magic deep in the Ozark Mountains ... until her family is forced to flee for their lives.

They leave everything and everyone behind to start over in Louisville, Colorado. Magic is forbidden while they are in hiding, but Channie can't resist the temptation to enchant a group of local boys. When her overbearing parents catch her flirting with these "sex-crazed, non-magical delinquents," they slap a chastity spell on her to protect her virtue.

The spell is triggered by lust, so just navigating the halls at her new school is an ordeal. She can't even touch a boy she's attracted to without blasting him with a jolt of magical energy that feels like a taser.

When Channie falls in love with Josh Abrim, a BMX racer with dangerous secrets of his own, she rebels against her parents and turns to dark and forbidden magic to break the chastity spell ... with disastrous results.
My Review- Rating: 5 Stars

I don't know where to start because I'm still in that "OMG I loved this book" state of being. This review may contain a lot of gushing and fan-girliness...that is your warning. Okay so I started this book and finished this book in a day...I barely put it down except maybe to eat some food every now and then...I even read it in the car which might not be problematic for most people but it is for me...I get very motion sick and even though I knew I was going to feel like barfing, I still read the book (luckily no chunks were blown during the reading of this book) 

Why did I love this book so much? Well I guess because it had a kick-ass chick, a SWOON worthy guy, and an epic plot! 

The kick-butt chick's name is Channie and she is awesome! She has parents from hell that she has to deal with and their idiotic plan is the catalyst of the disaster! Her parents move her away from her hometown and then, if leaving all her friends and extended family wasn't enough, the put a spell on her that makes her zap any guy that comes close to her! Then she meets the hotness...his name is Josh. 

Josh and Channie are a super couple! They have to go through a lot of obstacles considering Channie's dad forbids her to see him and they can't exactly touch because of the curse. Their relationship grows stronger and sweeter because of it! 

Even though Josh' hotness alone would have probably kept me reading the book, it was the awesome plot that had me completely hooked! I guess you will have to read the book to find out what I mean but the writing was just fantastic! I really felt like I was on the journey with Channie and Josh and that mages and Empties and everything Charlotte Abel created was real!

I recommend to EVERYONE! This is just one of those books that you can't believe everyone doesn't know about! 

PS. I'm trying to come up with a power-name! Any Suggestions? I will keep pondering until I write my review of Taken (which I also read in a day). 


last day of Giveaway
okay so we have a SUPER AWESOME giveaway for you this week!
there will be TWO, yes, 2 Winners 
and each winner will get a choice of either a paperback copy of Enchantment OR a kindle copy of Enchantment and Taken.

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Review: The Summer I Learned to Dive



Amazon | Goodreads
Since the time she was a little girl, eighteen-year-old Finley “Finn” Hemmings has always lived her life according to a plan, focused and driven with no time for the average young adult’s carefree experiences. On the night of her high school graduation, things take a dramatic turn when she discovers that her mother has been keeping a secret from her—a secret that causes Finn to do something she had never done before—veer off her plan. In the middle of the night, Finn packs her bags and travels by bus to Graceville, SC seeking the truth. In Graceville, Finn has experiences that change her life forever; a summer of love, forgiveness and revelations. She learns to take chances, to take the plunge and to dive right in to what life has to offer.
My Review- Rating: 4 Stars
The Summer I Learned to Dive is one of those great summer reads. The kind you want to have when your sitting by the pool, soaking up the sun, and in need of a cute romance. 

Finn was the type of girl that had one goal in mind, and she didn't let anything deviate her from the plan. She graduated as the valedictorian and got into the college of her dreams, but it wasn't until after she graduated that she realized how much she gave up for the plan. That's when you get to see Finn finallydive into life by making the first spontaneous decision of her life! 

Then she finds Jesse...*sigh.... Jesse and Finn are super cute! When they first met, they didn't exactly hit it off. Most of their comments toward each other were full of sarcasm. I just got to say I love when relationships start out like that! As they became more transparent towards each other their love grew! Once I finished the book I instantly missed Finn and Jesse but I'm excited to hear that there is a book 2!!! 

The character growth in this book is about "firsts"...first kiss, first dance, and first time diving in!... and how Finn is able to find herself through all her new discoveries. 

This was an amazing debut from Shannon McCrimmon and I recommend for anyone who enjoys YA contemporaries!
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6.18.2012

Interview: Shannon McCrimmon



Today we have for you a special Author Interview! Shannon graciously answered all my interesting questions and I hope you all enjoy! Don't forget to comment for extra entries in the giveaway!

In three words, describe The Summer I Learned to Dive.
In three words... gosh, that is so hard to do. 
Here goes...
Girl discovers self.

Did anything surprise you while you wrote your debut?
Yes! I actually added the part about Finn learning to dive after a majority of the story had been written. I heard The Swimming Song by the band Vetiver and was instantly inspired. I remember driving in my car on my long trek to work thinking, “This is Finn. This is her song.” And then the rest fell into place. I knew Jesse had to teach her to dive and I really liked the idea of that being a metaphor for Finn's life. It just fell into place and fit perfectly in the book. It was a pleasant surprise.

My friend Annie Koelle is an artist. I was at one of her shows and it was like she had read my mind. Her paintings were visual representations of what I had imagined for certain things in The Summer I Learned to Dive. One painting in particular stuck out. It was a stunning landscape scene. When I saw it, I remember thinking, “This is the view from Charlie and Lilly's house!” So I went back and revised some of chapter 3 when Finn is describing their house. Her art was true visual inspiration for me.

What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Never give up! Stick with it and finish that story. Even if you're tempted to stop, keep on writing it. I was tempted several times to completely give up and my support group persuaded me to keep on trucking. Thankfully, I did.

What was your inspiration for The Summer I Learned to Dive?
My niece started as the basic inspiration. Like Finn, she is super smart and so mature for her age. Young women I've encountered throughout my life offered inspiration, as well. I came up with the basic story idea while I was on a very long walk during the early part of summer. I wanted to write about a perfectionist who has always lived her life according to a plan and suddenly discovers a secret that causes her to do something completely rash. I liked the idea of showing how even though we may have a plan in life, sometimes life has other plans for us. 

What can we expect to see from you next? Any works in progress?
Yes. I'm currently working on the sequel to The Summer I Learned to Dive. I have the entire story mapped out in my head. My husband knows what will happen to Finn and Jesse, but he's been sworn to secrecy and won't take bribes! 
     I'm so excited to hear that their story is continuing! I can't wait to read it!!! Are you sure hubby         won't take bribes?

What do you like to do when you're not writing?
Spend time with my husband; take long walks; hike on the beautiful trails in South Carolina and North Carolina; go camping; read; watch movies; visit art exhibits; listen to music; and take scenic drives in the mountains.

If you were stranded on an island and could only have 1 book, what would it be?
Can I be stuck on a mountain somewhere instead? I really hate the texture of sand. If I'm stuck  and have no way of getting off the island, then I'd want Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. It's a timeless love story that I've read a million times but it never seems to get old.
    Sure! Let's make it a mountain because I HATE sand too! ugh it's so gross!  I'm liking your taste in books :) Pride and Prejudice is definitely my all time favorite!

What is your favorite food?
I have a favorite meal. Fuddruckers chicken sandwich (yes, I know they are known for hamburgers, but their chicken sandwich is the best ever) and a Dairy Queen strawberry ice cream sundae. 

Thank you Shannon for stopping by and answering all my questions, no matter how crazy or weird they might have been :) Folks don't forget to enter the giveaway using the rafflecopter below!

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6.16.2012

Indie Revolution & Giveaway: Shannon McCrimmon


I'm really excited about the next few days! Shannon McCrimmon has some awesome things to share with you this week including a SUPER awesome giveaway that you can find at the end of this post!  I am also currently reading her debut The Summer I Learned to Dive and I am loving it!    For today I have the blurb and excerpt of her debut to share with you.
Amazon | Goodreads
Since the time she was a little girl, eighteen-year-old Finley “Finn” Hemmings has always lived her life according to a plan, focused and driven with no time for the average young adult’s carefree experiences. On the night of her high school graduation, things take a dramatic turn when she discovers that her mother has been keeping a secret from her—a secret that causes Finn to do something she had never done before—veer off her plan. In the middle of the night, Finn packs her bags and travels by bus to Graceville, SC seeking the truth. In Graceville, Finn has experiences that change her life forever; a summer of love, forgiveness and revelations. She learns to take chances, to take the plunge and to dive right in to what life has to offer.
Excerpt from Chapter 2 
The cab smelled like onions and stale cigarettes. It was putrid, over powering. I tried breathing out of my mouth to take the strain off my nose, but the smell was too strong. It permeated the air. The driver looked at me suspiciously from the moment he picked me up. I could tell he questioned the motives of a teenage girl hailing a cab at midnight on an isolated street. I'm certain he thought I was a runaway. Why wouldn't he? It did look suspicious: I was carrying a suitcase hailing a cab in the middle of the night headed to a bus station.
We drove the entire way to the bus station in silence. He kept looking at me through the rear view mirror. His glances made me shudder, making me doubt the decision I had made. I tried to smile at him, but it didn't stop him from looking at me distrustfully.
The outside of the bus station felt dark and isolated. I instantly felt fear and regret for being there. I was scared and felt alone, questioning if I had just made the biggest mistake of my life. I thought about asking him to take me back home but stopped myself. I needed to do this, to meet the grandparents that had been stolen from me. He stopped the car and looked at me through his rear view mirror again, this time indicating with his dark eyes that we were there.
"Fourteen dollars," he said.
I handed him the cash and started to open the door. "I have a daughter," he said still looking at me through the rear view mirror. I questioned him with my eyes, wondering what he meant by that statement.
"I would not want her to run away," he said turning his head back toward me.
I shook my head instantly. "I'm not running away. I'm going to meet my grandparents," I said.
Now for the GIVEAWAY
We are giving away 1 print copy of the book and 1 kindle copy of the book, so there will be 2 winners total!  Use the rafflecopter below to enter.  It's not a requirement to be a follower of the giveaway to enter but it is much appreciated :)

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6.12.2012

Indie Author Giveaway Hop


Indie Author Giveaway Hop
Hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer & The Krazy Book Lady
June 13th to 19th

I am SO excited to be participating in this giveaway hop because, as most of you already know, I love Indie authors! For this hop, I have a special giveaway for you!
You could win...
Win a signed copy of Wishing for Someday Soon by Tiffany King!

just fill out the Rafflecopter below to enter!
because of shipping costs this giveaway is US only...sorry INT followers
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Check out the other Giveaway in the Hop!

6.09.2012

Enchanted Outtakes


For today we have an awesome deleted scene from Enchanted! Don't forget to enter the giveaway at the bottom of the post!

Buying a bathing suit proved to be somewhat of an ordeal.
“Come on Channie, at least try it on and let me see how it looks.” Josh gave her his sad puppy look. “All the girls around here wear bikinis.”
“I’m not from around here.” Channie pushed the offending garment away then crossed her arms over her chest. “And I’m not gonna parade around in front of everyone in skimpy underwear!” 
“I keep telling you, this isn’t underwear.” Josh tried to hand her a hanger with three tiny triangles of red cloth. “It’s swimwear.”
“And I keep telling you, I ain’t no whore.”
A sales lady that looked to be about Nanna’s age cleared her throat. She glanced around then whispered, “Sports Authority, on the other side of the mall, has a nice selection of modest swimwear.” 
Josh rolled his eyes and snorted. 
The wrinkles around the woman’s mouth deepened. She glanced at Josh with narrowed eyes. But her expression softened when she leaned towards Channie. A wave of homesickness washed over her when she inhaled. The old lady even smelled like Nana -- lilacs and talcum powder. She wrapped her fingers around Channie’s wrist. “Don’t let anyone pressure you into wearing anything you don’t want to wear … or doing anything you don’t want to do.”
The sales lady was right about Sports Authority. They had several racks of one-piece swimsuits to choose from. They still revealed a lot more than Channie was comfortable with, and a hell of a lot more than Momma or Daddy would have allowed. But after looking at what the other stores had to offer, Channie decided the clingy one-piece racing suits were a good compromise.
She “modeled” three different swimsuits for Josh. He chose the bright red one. Channie liked the blue one better, but she figured the least she could do was let Josh pick out the color since she wasn’t letting him pick out the style.
When Josh paid for her swimsuit, Channie nearly fainted. It never occurred to her to look for a price tag. 
Channie tugged on Josh’s sleeve. “It’s too expensive.” 
He blew air through his lips like a bored horse. “Don’t worry about it. I have plastic.”
“You have a job?”
Josh’s face reddened. “Actually, my dad pays the bill. He wants me to focus on school and racing. That’s my job.”
“Won’t he get mad when he sees how much you spent?”
“The only time he’s even mentioned the bill was when I bought a new bike without asking first. As long as I keep it under a thousand a month, he doesn’t care.”
Channie’s jaw dropped. A thousand dollars a month would support at least three families back home. This was just egg money to Josh. No wonder he could afford to pay Elijah to keep his mouth shut. Damn.
Josh signed the slip of paper and handed Channie the bag with her new swimsuit. “You wanna go get some dessert before we leave?”
The boy gets a thousand dollars a month to spend however he wants. Hell yes, I want dessert.

Giveaway
okay so we have a SUPER AWESOME giveaway for you this week!
there will be TWO, yes, 2 Winners 
and each winner will get a choice of either a paperback copy of Enchantment OR a kindle copy of Enchantment and Taken.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

6.08.2012

Indie Revolution Giveaway: Charlotte Abel

It's Charlotte Abel week!  She is the awesome author of the Channie series, and we have lots of cool stuff for you in the next few days.

Amazon | Goodreads
Sixteen year old Channie Kerns leads an idyllic life of seclusion and magic deep in the Ozark Mountains ... until her family is forced to flee for their lives.

They leave everything and everyone behind to start over in Louisville, Colorado. Magic is forbidden while they are in hiding, but Channie can't resist the temptation to enchant a group of local boys. When her overbearing parents catch her flirting with these "sex-crazed, non-magical delinquents," they slap a chastity spell on her to protect her virtue.

The spell is triggered by lust, so just navigating the halls at her new school is an ordeal. She can't even touch a boy she's attracted to without blasting him with a jolt of magical energy that feels like a taser.

When Channie falls in love with Josh Abrim, a BMX racer with dangerous secrets of his own, she rebels against her parents and turns to dark and forbidden magic to break the chastity spell ... with disastrous results.
Here is an excerpt for you!

As soon as everyone else was asleep, Channie crawled out from under her quilt and opened her window. A blast of cold air made her eyes water. She tried to cast a warmth spell on herself, but her new power-name was still dormant. What kind of parents destroyed a perfectly good power-name like Enchantment and replaced it with Chastity?
Channie removed the window screen and shoved it in her closet then crawled onto the roof.
The sound of male voices drew her attention to the park next door. She couldn’t understand what they were saying, but they sounded friendly enough. Hmm… Her new power-name, her curse, was designed with one purpose in mind, so to activate it — she needed a dirty-minded boy.
Channie tossed her blanket back in her room then scampered down the fake, but convenient, rocks on the front of the house. She followed the crushed gravel path that led from her front yard into Heritage Park.
The three-quarter moon peeked out from behind a cloud and revealed two masculine silhouettes. The boys were inside the pavilion, sitting on top of a picnic table. One of them was smoking a cigarette. When Channie stepped out of the shadows, he elbowed the other boy. He stopped talking and stared at her. 
She froze, unsure of how to proceed without Enchantment’s natural charm.
A prickly sensation, like cockleburs, ran under Channie’s skin. She didn’t need magic to read the boy’s energy fields — curiosity mixed with a fair amount of lust, nothing unusual about that.
Channie had assumed that her new power-name would repel boys, or make them repulsive to her. Instead, Chastity’s magic was attracted to their lustful energy and grew stronger as it fed off their carnal desires. Momma and Daddy must have messed up the spell when they changed her name. 
Channie coughed and fanned the air, frowning at Cigarette Boy. He tossed the nasty thing onto the ground and snuffed it out with the toe of his canvas shoe. 
The skinny, non-smoking boy leaned forward and smiled at her. “I haven’t seen you around here before. Are you new?”
Channie licked her dry lips and nodded. What was wrong with her? She wasn’t shy. Or was she? She didn’t know who she was without Enchantment’s magic.
Cigarette Boy ran his gaze up and down her body. The level of lust in the air doubled and flowed into Chastity’s power-well, awakening its power. He smirked at her and said, “What’s the matter, can’t you talk?”
Channie started to take a step back, but didn’t want him to think she was easily intimidated. She straightened her spine and held her ground. “I can talk just fine. When I have something to say.”
Cigarette Boy elbowed his friend in the ribs. “Dude, did you hear that accent?” He hugged his chest, copying Channie, and pitched his voice up high to mock her. “Aw kin tawk juz fiiiine whin ah have sumthin’ to say.”
“Jeeze, Eric.” The skinny boy shoved Eric’s shoulder. “You’re such an ass.” 
He looked at Channie and smiled. “I apologize for this idiot. He has no social skills whatsoever. That’s why we only let him out at night.”
“It’s okay. I can handle it. But thanks.” Channie pulled a small amount of Chastity’s power to the surface and tried to send the obnoxious Eric away using persuasive magic instead of an actual spell. Nothing happened. 
She narrowed her eyes and pushed a little more magic at him. Instead of flowing out of her power-well in a gentle stream the way Enchantment’s energy would have, it shot out of her with a sudden burst of power. 
Folks rarely noticed when Channie used pursuasive magic on them, and even when they did, they didn’t usually care. Enchantment’s energy was positive and soothing. Chastity’s was not. 
Eric yelped and hopped off the metal table. He looked at his friend and said, “Did you feel that?”
“Feel what?”
“Something shocked me. There must be a short in the wiring.”
“What wiring? The table’s not wired.”
“Well, something sure as hell zapped me.”
Channie stepped into the shadows to hide her grin. This was fun. She zapped him again.
Eric twitched and swore. “Come on! You had to feel it that time.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. What the hell have you been smoking?”
Eric suggested his friend do some inappropriate things to himself then trotted down the path towards the parking lot. Channie waited for him to drive away then took a small step towards the skinny boy on the picnic table. He watched her but didn’t say a word. She read his energy field again and was surprised to find anxiety. 
She could try to encourage him by flirting, but that could take all night. Come-hither spells were illegal, but this boy was an Empty and didn’t know that. Besides, who was he going to tell? 
Channie held her breath and used a small amount of Chastity’s power to cast what she hoped was a weak spell.
The boy hopped off the picnic table and closed the distance between them in two strides. He was tall — much taller than she’d thought. He was also stronger than he looked. He grabbed Channie with one hand, digging his fingers into her side then slid his other hand to the middle of her back. He pulled her close and crushed his mouth against hers — taking her completely by surprise. 
Her first instinct was to curse him and run away, but she wanted to know what Chastity’s magic would do on its own. So, she kissed him back. He tasted like spearmint and honey. Magic pulsed out of her without warning. 
The boy jerked his head up and shoved her away from his body. He pushed his hair off his forehead with both hands and gaped at her. “What the hell?”
 Tears pricked the back of Channie’s eyelids. This was not how she’d imagined her first kiss. She knew it was selfish to focus on her own disappointment when the poor boy was so obviously confused and frightened — but how could she reassure him with Chastity’s magic buzzing like a swarm of hornets?
Channie blinked in an effort to hide her tears, but they leaked out of the corner of her eyes and slid down her cheeks.
The boy opened his mouth as if to speak, but then slammed it shut and shook his head. He held his elbows close to his body, lifted his hands, palms up and shrugged his shoulders as he backed away from her. He leaned over, grabbed a bicycle off the ground then raced away, disappearing into the shadows. 

Giveaway
okay so we have a SUPER AWESOME giveaway for you this week!
there will be TWO, yes, 2 Winners 
and each winner will get a choice of either a paperback copy of Enchantment OR a kindle copy of Enchantment and Taken.

a Rafflecopter giveaway