The Desolation series Finale: Destined

Have you heard of Ali Cross’s Desolation series, if not, you are missing out. I was lucky enough to read a copy of her newest book, Destined, last month and I'm happy to say that it was awesome!

In Become, we follow Desi (Lucifer’s daughter) as she leaves the comfortable familiarity of Hell and travels to the real world on a mission for her father. Once there, she finds that even the Devil’s daughter can choose to become something more than what she is.

In Desolate, Desi is haunted by choices she made in the first book and dreams of her loved one being tormented in the same Hell she used to call home. When a strange demon injures her, she starts to see that choices are not as permanent as she thought—and that the power of choice is that you can make a new one every day. In order to save her friends, she must grasp them from the jaws of Hell, even if it means losing herself.

Destined is the thrilling conclusion where Desi’s friends move heaven and earth to save her. She has lived her whole life with two warring powers, darkness and light, inside her—both fighting for her loyalty. In Destined she embraces them both, recognizing that none of us are all bad or good—that our abilities do not rule our destiny, but rather our choices define us. In great battle for Asgard, involving all nine worlds, Desi finds her purpose and makes her final choice.

All three books use myths like Asgard, Loki, Valkyrie, and the Rainbow Bridge. These fantastic elements are part of her everyday life—they are family after all.  

If you enjoy a series with some deep soul searching and a constant struggle between the pull of darkness and light, then this is it.

When I first read Become, I had my daughter wait a year or two because one of the challenges Desi faces is the lure of seduction. She feels the desire and wants it, but still has a choice. I think this series is more suited to 14 years and up rather than the young YA market. My daughter loves it, but understands why I had her wait a couple years.

The author is Ali Cross, excellent writer and blog expert extraordinaire. You can check out her writers dojo here.  Notice her covers are all original work? I think they are pretty cool.

So in celebration of winter, (my most favorite time of the year because there is no farming to do) I’m giving away a kindle copy of the first two books, Become and Desolate. You can read sample pages on Amazon.

Don't forget to put Destined on your to-read list on goodreads. And snag it when it becomes available on December 12th, 2012.

 How to enter:
Just leave a comment with your email (Like: myemail AT wherever DOT com) saying which book you want! (Though I'm sure loads of good Karma will follow you if you share this to FB or Twitter or goodreads, please do, but it's not required) We'll choose a winner on Wednesday, December 12th because that's release day for Destined!

 

 

On Little Wings, Giveaway & Interview With Author Regina Sirois

ON LITTLE WINGS

By,

Regina Sirois

Have you read this book yet? If not, seriously, put it on your to-read list right now on goodreads. We'll wait. Done? Good. Let's continue.

My good friend, Danyelle Ferguson, mentioned that her friend's book was shooting up the charts at Amazon and had landed right on the website's front page. I popped over to see it and downloaded the free sample.

LOVED IT.

She has the coolest way of wording things. Imagine the refreshing honesty of Sarah Plain and Tall, but with modern eloquence meshed with laughter that both touches the soul and lightens the heart.

The characters are rich and endearing, from the best friend that was so ugly as a child that the church matrons prayed for the poor dear, to the Jacks, a trio of elderly salt sailors that would have gotten along perfectly with Statler and Woldorf of the Muppets unless the subject of politics came up, then there'd be blood in the water.

Regina is as sweet as her book and was kind enough to answer a few questions for me.

Share with us a 60 word pitch for your book.

Her mother isn't an only child. Her aunt has thirty seven freckles. And life just stopped making sense for sixteen year old Jennifer. It will take one forbidden journey, an octogenarian movie star, three old pirates and one scarred genius to put it all back together again. If that's even possible.

When did you consider yourself to be a real writer?

I'm still working on it. :)

What writer would you like to emulate and why?

Dodie Smith. Whenever I think I wrote something decent I read her and get schooled!

Where are you from? Does that impact your writing?

I came from heaven, like everyone else. Like everyone else I inherited the desire to create. It impacts every word that I write.

Have you ever wanted to quit? Why didn’t you?

Yes. I quite all the time! I didn't write anything but my blog for over a year. I decided I wasn't a writer after all. One little comment changed my mind and got me here. A teenage test reader told me she missed my book and wanted to read it again. She lit a little fire under me.

Well. Regina, I'm sure glad you changed your mind! For the rest of this interview (including my favorite answers, like her thoughts on how her book became such a smash hit on Amazon) be sure to check out www.onfictionwriting.com on January 4th-10th when her interview will be featured on the website.

TIME FOR PRIZES!

Would you like to read On Little Wings for free? Yes? Awesome.

We're giving away 2 free ebooks!

To enter, follow this blog and leave a comment with your email
(youremail AT wherever DOT com).

Tada! You're entered.

Just fot fun, tell me who your favorite author is.

Winners will be announced February 16th

Don't want to wait? Snag it here now.

Now show Regina some love! You can find her blog here
(Her blog is mostly about life, not books)

Her website has her more professional side and you can enter her contest to win free, inscribed paperback. She's also on Facebook and Twitter. 

My eBook Aha Moment

I'm a bit of a book freak. I love the way they smell, the way they look on my shelves, the way they feel in my hands. I take them everywhere; doctors, dentists, kid's school--anywhere I think I might have a spare minute to wait.

The idea of ebooks never interested me at all. You can't touch them, stack them, hold them, love them, look at them on your shelf, read them in the tub....  You see? what is the point?

Just to try, I downloaded a book last year onto my iphone and read it, but I couldn't get into it and I eventually gave up reading. I decided the screen was too small and it just wasn't as good as a regular physical book.

Well, this week, on a whim, I downloaded On Little Wings, by Regina Sirois. And....*drum roll*... I loved the book, and didn't care one whit that I had an ecopy.

I know it's stupid for me not to realize it at the time, but apparently it wasn't the ebook format I hated last year, but the book itself. (No, I won't tell you which it was.)

I like the instant gratification offered by ebooks. No waiting, no shipping, just BAM! There's your copy. I also liked the price. 2.99? Sweet deal for such an excellent book.

I still prefer hard copies, but I'm branching out. You can see from my goodreads bookshelf picture that I read  mostly YA, but a little of everything else as well.  

So tell me, what are some really good ebooks you have read lately? I'm in the market. (Who knew?)

Over 25 Free Books, Ebooks, and SWAG in This Giveaway!

Hey guys,
First off, if you haven't already, be sure to check out the cool SWAG I'm giving away on my blog to celebrate Transcendent.

Robot Playground, the publisher of Transcendent, is hosting this huge giveaway of all these awesome books from amazing writers like...

Lani Woodland
Melanie Marks
Elana Johnson
Karen Hoover
Heather Justesen
CK Bryant
Tristi Pinkston
Cindy Hogan
Laura Bingham
Cheri Chesley
RaShelle Workman
Ali Cross
Cathy Witbeck
Tori Scott
Elizabeth Mueller
KC Blake
Rita Webb
& Wendy Swore (That dashing, amazing, brilliant writer)

I mean really, can you get any cooler than that? With twenty five different prizes, your chances are really good.
Here's the link.

 It runs through January 15th
Have fun!

If you could choose any prize for a giveaway, what would it be?

Transcendent Interview with Heather McCubbin

Free Books, Prizes, and Goodies! Enter the Awesome TRANSCENDENT Giveaway Here!

Today we're visiting with Heather McCubbin, one of the new authors of Transcendent, Tales of the Paranormal.

     1)     Tell us a little about your story in Transcendent, Tales of the Paranormal:

My story begins in what is rumored to be a haunted house; haunted by the ghost of Ms. Ravenscroft who died 60 years earlier. Dawn, the main character, really doesn't want to be there so she is standing on the outside of this haunted party, people watching and supporting her best friend's ghost hunting habit.  Up until this party, Dawn is a firm believer that there aren't ghosts, as she has never seen one and neither has her ghost-loving best friend. Dawn's belief is shattered after she begins hearing voices that aren't in the room and comes face to face with a ghost from her past. A ghost who has answers to questions that enable Dawn to move on in her life.

 2) What gave you the idea for the story?

For some reason, I have had an obsession with twins ever since I was younger. I wanted a twin sister when I was little and when I began writing stories as a preteen each story had a character that was a twin, triplet or more! So, right away I knew there had to be a twin. Also, when this opportunity was presented to me before Robot Publishing picked it up, I was told to have a scene where the character was drinking punch (the original name was Paranormal Punch). So, working around those two ideas, the story just wrote itself.  The name "Ravenscroft" is one of my ancestors' names, and it sounds a bit Edgar Allen Poe-ish. That's how I chose that name for the ghost who is supposed to haunt the house…

      3) What would you tell yourself if you could send a letter back in time?

I would tell myself to NOT throw away all those stories I hand wrote, on the back of my father's scrap paper from work. When I left for college, I purged my filing cabinet knowing I didn't have room for them in my dorm and I didn't want my parents to read any of them. I have memories of two young adult stories that I wrote and I think I was about 7^th or 8^th grade when I wrote them…

      4) What was the best moment you’ve ever had as a writer? The worst?

      The worst was when the very first rejection letter came for one of my YA Romance books that I wrote around 2005. When you finish an 80,000-word manuscript and love it, edit it and then send it out you think you are the bomb. That because you love it, so will an agent.

  Wrong.

After getting rejections, I took another look at it and finally got two friends to read it and give me suggestions.  I read books on editing, attended workshops on writing and had a published author (Edith Hemingway) listen to my first paragraph. After encouragement from her and the writing group, I continued to work on it. Now, it was a polished as I could make it. This leads into a best moment (not counting this short story being published!) when I sent out that story refurbished, polished and edited the best that I could and I received some interest! Four agents wanted more, so I gave it to them. Of those three, two wanted the whole thing. Of those two, I got great feedback (one in an email and one in a handwritten letter) as to why it wouldn't work and what I could fix it, plus the strengths of the story. One even said he'd look at it after I fixed what he suggested.  However, life happens, I got a new job and the book got put on the back burner. I am hoping that in the next few months, I can upload it to Amazon if there aren't any takes on publishing it!

5) Have you ever written a short story like this before?
No, never. Besides the usual essays and papers you have to write in high school and college, I never wrote a short story. I am too wordy and find that I get attached to the characters and want to tell more about them. This was a challenge for me and the story took about two weeks to write. The editors were amazing and helped me trim it down. I had so much fun writing this short story, I know that I could do it again!

6) Why do you write?

  I write because what I want to read, sometimes, isn't out there. I can only read so much about vampires, werewolves and the mortals who love them. I can only read, "boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl" romances. so many times in a row. So, to change things up, I write so the hundreds of story lines floating around in my head will become a reality on paper and will finally have an ending or closure. I find that when I go back and read the stories that I have written, I can't put them down (if I can, then that's a bad sign and I delete it or put it in a "To Be Worked On" Folder) it gives me a sense of accomplishment. Finally, I write because it's relaxing and gives you another world to live in for just a little while so all your worries float away. Just for a bit. Until a child comes in needing something!

7) Where are you from and does it impact your writing?

 I am from Middletown, MD which is a small rural town about an hour west of Washington DC. I have lived here since I began Kindergarten so this is all I know. "Shadows of Promise" doesn't really reference a specific place, but the haunted house looks like a house that is here in town. My other stories that I have written all take place in a small town, with a larger city easily accessible. Every house that I mention in any of my stories exists within Middletown.  You know how Forks, WA began offering tours of areas that the "Twilight" books referenced? I could probably take my readers on a walking tour of "Shadows of Promise" (or my other unpublished stories) and show them where Dawn attended school, what her house looks like, what the haunted house looks like or where the popular hang out is for teens. So, yes, where I live has a huge impact on the setting of my writing.

 Be sure to find Heather on  goodreads, facebook, or her blog.

Can you relate to Heather's perspective on writing?

Free Books, Prizes, and Goodies! The Transcendent Blog Tour Starts Now!

Welcome to the Transcendent Blog Tour!

Are you in the mood for some sweet paranormal prizes?

Yes? 

Excellent. You've come to the right place!  In fact, we'll be giving away three,

yes count 'em,

three prize bags full of awesomeness.

(more on that in a moment) 

Transcendent, Tales of the Paranormal, is a collection of short stories from some of the newest names in YA fiction.     ...and Evan Joseph.

 You can read its blurb and great reviews on goodreads, or in my last post. The ebook is out now, and the hardback will be out in about a week.

(Okay, back to the fun part... Let's give away some prizes!)

Goodie Bag #1:

A hardback copy of POSSESSION by Elana Johnson,

an ecopy of TRANSCENDENT,

an ecopy of SEASON OF SACRIFICE by Tristi Pinkston

and your choice of Sour Patch Kids,

Popcorn, 

  or (in honor of one of Elana's Favorite foods) Bacon Popcorn!

*Update, Elana says this popcorn is not as good as regular bacon, but it mails better.*

Goodie Bag #2

A hard copy of TRANSCENDENT,

an ecopy of BECOME by Ali Cross,

an ecopy of BOUND by C.K. Bryant,

And your choice Twizzlers,

or a Symphony bar (C.K.'s favorite treats!)

Goodie Bag #3

A hard copy of TRANSCENDENT,

an ecopy of THE SAPPHIRE FLUTE: Book 1 of the Wolfchild Saga, by Karen Hoover,

an ecopy of its sequel, THE ARMOR OF LIGHT

and your choice of Russel Stoffers Chocolates (Karen's Favorites),

or Junior Mints.

(Shipping only to the continental US. International winners receive ecopys only)

CONTEST IS CLOSED!
Thanks to everyone who entered! See the winners here!

BONUS ENTRIES:

Tweet, Blog, OR Post on facebook about TRANSCENDENT
AND link back to this post
OR add Transcendent to your Goodreads "To Read" list

OR review TRANSCENDENT (on goodreads, amazon, or another online scource)

Or Join the Book Discussion on goodreads,

Or Like the Transcendent facebook page

OR Subscribe to this blog via feedburner (on the left of this page)

= one bonus entry of each kind per day
= 7 possible bonus entries per day.
Leave a comment telling me what you did with the link so I can verify.
Be sure to keep a running tally of your points.

Want More Chances to Win?
Go on the Blog Tour! 

Check out these awesome bloggers--each with a different giveaway! The number in front of their name is the date in December when their Transcendent giveaways begin.

Awesome New Paranormal YA Anthology!

I'm thrilled to announce the release of Transcendent, a new YA paranormal anthology which includes two of my short stories, Strike and Spectre. Check out these excellent reviews:      

"Transcendent is deliciously creepy with hauntingly unforgettable stories that will keep readers glued to the page--even after the lights go out." --Elana Johnson, author of Possession

"Holy cow, I loved this book!!! I'm not usually a short story person, but this was full of creepy tales, love stories, ghosts, and things that go bump in the dark. A fascinating, well written paranormal collection I'd recommend to any and all!" --Karen E. Hoover, author of The Wolfchild Saga

"Mystical, romantic, and downright otherworldly, these stories will open your imagination to the possibilities of all that lays unseen with our mortal eyes." --Tristi Pinkston, author of the Secret Sisters Mysteries

"Transcendent offers everything you get from a full-length novel but in bite-sized pieces--perfect for those times when you only have a few minutes to read!" --Ali Cross, author of Become

~ Back Cover ~

Discover the secrets of a siren, fly with a hawk girl over the mountains of Montana, and flee supernatural party-crashers as the décor comes to life in this magical journey through paranormal stories.

Along the way, watch for ghosts in a haunted house, or ride through the moonlight with a stranger. Save a comatose boy who has lost his soul, and don’t forget to bring your garlic and wolfsbane—you never know when the shadows will snag you.

Transcendent includes eight stories of magic, love, death, and choice by some of the newest names in young adult fiction. Also included, are stories from Lani Woodland, Melonie Piper, (the co-author of Strike) Rita J. Webb, Melanie Marks, Heather McCubbin, and Evan Joseph.

You can purchase an e-copy of Transcendent on Amazon now for just 99 cents. This clean, fun read, would be great for any teen or YA reader who'd like a little dip into the paranormal!  

The hard copy will be available soon. I'll update you as soon as that becomes available!

Isn't that awesome news? While I'm at it, here's one more fun bit of news to share!

 Aspiring Writers Short Story             Winning Entries:     Another of my stories as just come out in this anthology of twelve winning stories, each only 750 words long. My story, Voodoo Hog, not only won the horror competition, but is the overall winner of the collection. All proceedes from this book go to St. Lukes Children's hospital, the charity of my choice. I loved writing this story because I only had 750 words to tell a whole story, so every word had to count.  This collection is available on Lebrery. for $4.00--all of which goes to St. Lukes.