Author Interview & Giveaway: The Star Catcher by Stephanie Keyes

The Star Catcher
A Star Child Novel
Stephanie Keyes




Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Inkspell Publishing
Publishing Date: October 20, 2013 



About the Book:

Magick and destiny intertwine as he fights to save his kingdom and the goddess he loves. Her kiss…the feel of her skin…the beat of her heart…For seventeen-year-old Kellen St. James, each memory is marred by a single sentence on a lone strip of paper. Cali has been taken… Armed with an amulet that channels the ultimate power of Faerie, Kellen searches for his love. However, control of the amulet’s energy comes with a price, and Kellen soon learns that Cali’s captor has plans for the stone. With the threat of the Star Catcher’s evil looming above Kellen and his kingdom, he’ll have to free the Heart of Faerie and break the curse the binds the Children of Danu to the darkness. But before that, he has to find his real father, the king. No pressure, right? Kellen and Cali will battle bewitched armies and unknown foes as they fight to stay together. Will Kellen embrace his immortal destiny? Or will his world, and the man he is fated to become, be destroyed by The Star Catcher?

Quotes about Star Catcher:
“Imaginative and fast-paced. Couldn’t put it down!”—EG Foley, New York Times bestselling author of The Gryphon Chronicles

“Magnificent—Keyes imagination is on fire!”—Linn B. Halton, author Never Alone

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads

PRFL would like to extend a very warm welcome to Stephanie Keyes, author of The Star Catcher. Stephanie, to begin, can you tell us where you're from, and where/whom did your love for writing come from?

I am from the Steel City--Pittsburgh, PA! I couldn’t tell you where my love of writing came from. There are no writers anywhere in my family tree. I’m kind of the odd gal out. 

Can you say that your journey to publication was difficult? If so, what were the hardest moments to get through? 

Compared to other writers out there? It was a six-year process before my first book, The Star Child, was published. However, I know other writers, brilliant writers, who spent decades just writing their books and they still aren’t published. So I can’t say it was difficult with that in mind. The hardest moment, of course, is sending your work out to an agent or Publisher. It’s your baby and you love it. Having to let go like that is necessary, but brutal.

How do you overcome I-suck-at-this, that little voice in your head that tells you your writing isn’t good enough? S

o that’s part of my process. I get an idea, I get excited, I write, then I go through the “I SUCK!” dilemma at least five more times. I get over it though, because I know deep down that my story deserves a chance to be read. I’m also really masochistic. If something is difficult/scary I keep pushing ahead because I know it’ll probably make me better. We all have those moments, but what defines us is when we push through them.

What is your dream vacation? 

I would love to go on a tour of Europe: France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria… Okay, I have to stop now, I’m getting too excited about this vacation and I’m not even taking it.

Describe your writing style in five words. 

Literary Magical Action-Packed Romantic Intense

What movies are you currently excited to see?

Maleficent

What are you currently reading? 

Endure by Carrie Jones

If you weren’t a writer, what other careers would you pursue? Graphic Design

If you could create a holiday of your own, what would it be called?

International Have An Awesome Attitude Day!

For people who haven’t read your novel, how would you summarize the plot? 

Since this is book three here’s an overview. Geeky brain-fest of a guy, Kellen St, James, is haunted by a girl, Calienta, whom he thinks isn’t real. When it turns out she’s not only real but tells him he has to save the world from darkness, he has to save the world using only his guts. But his methods piss of a bunch of Celtic faeries, the Children of Danu, and they go after him and a power they think he has. When it turns out Kellen is destined to be the master of that power, he must use it to save Calienta and stop the Star Catcher, from stealing power from all the stars in the sky.

What are two of your pet-peeves? 

Rudeness. Entitlement.

To you, what makes a good story? 

A great adventure and a great romance.

What usually turns you off about a story? 

Whiny peoplewho don’t take action to resolve their own undesirable circumstances.

If you could collaborate with any author, who would you choose? 

Cate Tiernan

What is on your nightstand? 

A picture of my dad, a baby monitor, a lamp, my stereo dock for my phone, and my kindle!

What is your favorite book?

The Book of Dreams, by OR Melling

I would like to do a special giveaway on this day, since it’s my birthday. J I’ll award one signed copy of The Star Catcher to someone the blogger picks.

Wonderful! Thank you so much for joining us today, Stephanie. We really enjoyed the visit. Good luck and great sales with The Star Catcher. 

About the Author:

Stephanie Keyes is the author of the YA Fantasy series, The Star Child, which currently includes The Star Child, After Faerie, The Fallen Stars, and the soon to-be-released finale, The Star Catcher (November 2013), all from by Inkspell Publishing. Mrs. Keyes is hard at work on a new YA Paranormal Romance.

Mrs. Keyes holds an undergraduate degree in Business and Management Information Systems from Robert Morris University and a M.Ed. from Duquesne University. She is a member of the Society For Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), as well as a featured author in the global group of writers, Love a Happy Ending.com.

Author Links:

Website | Facebook| Twitter 

Giveaway:

1-Signed Copy of The Star Catcher

1-Star Child Series Swag Pack

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Month in Review by Paranormal Romance Fans for Life

June's Month In Review

These are PRFL's 4 & 5 Fang reviews posted 
during the month. 
Enjoy!!








Our Five Fang Reviews

In This Life: Mesmerizing. This is a tour de force by Terri Herman-Ponce. At times bewildering, alarming, and thrilling, In This Life never disappoints.

Psychiatrist Lottie Morgan is having some serious memory issues, and the people in her life not only aren’t helping, they may be making the situation worse. Especially her boyfriend, ex-military hunk, David. Pragmatic and an “I’ll believe it when I see it” kind of guy, he shows extraordinary patience with her, but that has its limits. And, in the spirit of adding insult to injury, she may have a stalker. What is going on?

Even as Lottie’s woes and confusion pile up, the reader glides happily along, enjoying the lyric writing, the otherworldly quality of  her ‘memories’, and the evocative recounting of another life and love.  Wonderful. 

Very well done. @TerriPonce

Covet: Holy Cow! Terri Herman-Ponce has done it again. I loved In This Life so much, I ran to my Kindle after writing the review and bough Covet. Not disappointed! The story is equally fast-paced, bewildering, alarming, and thrilling. I’m guessing book three in the Past Life series is on the way, and I can hardly wait.

This time, hunky paramilitary yummy guy, David is the one getting “memories” he can’t understand and doesn’t want to deal with. The love of his life, psychiatrist Lottie Morgan is having a hard time coping with David’s refusal to admit what is going on. And then in walks a whole slew of nasty people ready and wanting to gum up the works.

POV changes from chapter to chapter, and I love being inside David’s head in this book. Terri knows how to write a very convincing Alpha male, and she does one heck of a job on High Bitch women, as well. Love MD!

I highly recommend this book, this series, and probably anything Terri Herman-Ponce writes. Very well done. @TerriPonce

Sidekick: Pure Delight! Socialite-Without-A-Care Bremy St. James doesn’t clutter up her life with anything  more trying than assessing the latest fashion or nightclub trends, until reality smacks her upside the head and she must leave that life behind – which is where we come in. After a month on her own, she’s forced to admit her survival skills suck, and fate is allied against her. Then her life goes from harsh to out-and-out bizarre. By turns funny, sweet, diabolical, and eye-popping, with a fare dose of evil sprinkled over all, the ride Auralee Wallace takes us on reads like a superhero storybook that straddles the line between fantasy and (sort of) reality. Happily, it will have you cheering and laughing all along the way. I can hardly wait for the sequel. There will be one….right?

Very well done.  @AuraleeWallace

Mostly Magic: Donna June Cooper has done it again. More than Magic captured my heart and my imagination when I reviewed a few months ago, and now the second in the Books of the Kindling series, Mostly Magic, meets the very high bar this author sets for herself. O, how I would love to find this very special mountain and spend time with the folks who know it best.

This story picks up with sibling #2, Dr. Daniel Woodruff, only months after the close of MtM. We find ourselves in Italy, which is never a bad thing, but terrifying visions are unrelenting, and Daniel must risk his reputation, and perhaps his life, in order to ensure the safety of those around him.

Mel Noblett is an environmental reporter who senses there is more to Daniel’s bizarre behavior than a personality quirk, and together they must find out why he is having these visions, and what, if anything, they can do to alter their outcome.

Once again, the story captivates with lyric beauty, humor, tension, mystery and love – of family, of friendship, of life, and of the environment. And may I say ~ Long Live the Bees! Very well done.  @donnajunecooper

Our Four Fang Reviews

Syphon's Song: Nicely written, this story is a fun adventure through the hierarchy and mystery of the Mage world. The Casteels and the Rallises face off like the Hatfields and McCoys, with magic and spells flying pell-mell, rather than bullets, but it’s quiet, brow-beat yet determined Bronte Casteel that brings them all to heal and makes both families, and the world, pay attention. I enjoyed this read and appreciate the extensive and solid world-building that Anise Rae’s imagination has brought forth. Well done.  @AniseRae

Savannah Sacrifice: Ms. Winters’ breathtaking Nymph series continues in beautiful Savannah. Unfortunately for teenaged heroine Starling, enjoying Savannah’s beauty is not what brought her there. Her mother has been murdered, and spirit voices she can’t get rid of threaten her own life if she doesn’t do their bidding. Jasper, the bodyguard she’s been trying to ditch, is close on her heels, and together they must find their way to an understanding, in order to fulfill their destiny.

Danger threatens at every turn, and the reader is taken on a fast-paced ride through a world chock full of evil shape-shifters (of the feathered variety), nymphs, a seer and a Voodoo priestess, and thankfully, one very understanding cabby. I enjoyed the ride.

Well done.  @DanicaWinters

Guest Blog & Giveaway: Syphon's Song by Anise Rae

Syphon’s Song
Mayflower Mages
Book One
Anise Rae

Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Lyrical Press/Kensington
Date of Publication: March 3, 2014
Number of pages: 359
Cover Artist: Renee Rocco

Amazon  | iTunes | Kobo | BN

Book Description:
Legends say a syphon can drain a mage dry. He’ll brave the danger. Will she?

Someone’s playing pranks. The body of the late Casteel patriarch has been stolen and gifted to the family’s enemy, the powerful Rallises. As far as Bronte Casteel is concerned, they can keep it. She hasn’t spoken to her family in thirteen years, not since they exiled her from society for her lack of mage power. But she’s a syphon mage, able drain another mage’s power. Syphons’ destinies are always the same: death by fiery stake. She hides her secret by living among the Nons--powerless humans and the lowest class in the Republic. When her family orders her to go plead for the body’s return, she comes face to face with the one man who knows her secret.

Colonel Vincent Rallis isn’t letting his syphon get away this time. Not when she’s under suspicion of body-napping and aiding anti-mage terrorists. He’ll prove her innocence whether she wants him to or not, and then convince her they belong together...forever.
Vincent’s help comes with a steep price: Bronte must reveal her power. The inevitable ensuing witch-hunt and trial would be bad enough, but even a tough girl might buckle if her prosecutors are her own parents.

CONTENT WARNING: Hot, steamy nights with the colonel’s magic touch.

PRFL would like to extend a very warm welcome to Anise Rae, author of Syphon's Song, and thank her for sharing some thoughts with us. Enjoy~ 

Hocus Pocus, Bring on the Focus…

There have been a few times in my life when I could have used a good potion. A potion to cure tongue-tiedness, a potion to melt away a dozen pounds of fat, a potion to bestow everlasting youth upon my wrinkling face. Alas, I’ve yet to find an elixir for much of anything, not counting coffee that merely endows a shaky energy upon its victim.

What’s a writer to do when the real thing doesn’t exist? Why, she makes it up and adds it to her imaginary world that everyone else calls a novel.

Syphon’s Song has a potionness…a mage whose true power enables her to create elixirs that affect a mage’s physical body as well as his/her energetic aspects. Her name is Althea and she appears in the story only for the blink of an eye, long enough to serve a potion to one crazy character who downs it. Presto chango…clarity! Pretty close to what I could have used last week when my ‘to do’ list lengthened past the realm of possible. Not only were there not enough hours in the day to accomplish it all, there wasn’t enough mental fuel in my tank to energize me through those long hours of needed focus.

I needed a focus potion.

Caffeine wasn’t the entire answer. I needed to go past what coffee could offer. (Think colossal final exams that test you over everything you’ve learned in your life. This was the type of challenge my brain faced. It’s called massive editing on a tight deadline.)

I needed a potion that would keep my brain sharp and my focus honed. Though I didn’t have a bubbling brew of magic handy, I found my version of it…ping pong. I took short breaks and played with my ten-year-old. He pretended we were in the French Open and commentated the play during our matches. I was Djokovic. He was Nadal. (If you, like me, don’t know tennis, those are two of the top men in the world. The French Open was on TV while we were playing. Nadal beat Djokovic to win.)

My magic potion for renewing my focus was a droplet of physical activity with a heavy dose of laughter, consumed within fifteen minutes in the company of one of my favorite people in the world. The power of love and laughter…just the thing a romance writer needs to renew her soul…just the thing we all need. Should you ever find yourself in need of some magic in your own life, I wish you a potion of ping-pong power.

Happy reading! And may you always syphon the good vibes of life.

~Anise Rae

Here’s a question for you all: If you were a potionness, what kind of magic elixir would you whip up for yourself?

Interesting question, and I look forward to the answers! Thank you so much for joining us today, Anise. We really enjoyed the visit. Good luck and great sales with Syphon's Song. 

**Be sure to check out our 4Fang review of Syphon's Song, right here, tomorrow, on PRFL's Month in Review!!


About the Author:

Anise Rae grew up among the cornfields and soybeans of Ohio, dreaming of being a ballerina, an astronaut, and a romance writer. Thanks to her soul deep love of chocolate and a lack of natural grace, her ballerina dreams floated away as high as the moon, equidistant with the astronaut aspiration. She stuck with writing.
Now transplanted to the south, Anise lives in the suburbs of Atlanta with her kids and a dog gifted with the power of finding dirty socks.

Syphon’s Song, a 2012 Maggie Award of Excellence finalist, is the first book in the Mayflower Mages series. Author photo by www.surianiphoto.com 

Author Contacts:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest

Tour Giveaway:

2 e-copies of Syphon's Song 

$50 Amazon gift card

a Rafflecopter giveaway ’’

Author Interview & Giveaway: Allegiance by Susannah Sandlin

Allegiance
Penton Vampire Legacy
Book 4
Susannah Sandlin

Genre: Paranormal Romantic Thriller
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Number of pages: 344




Book Description:
From award-winning author Susannah Sandlin comes the fourth book in the smart and steamy Penton Legacy series.

British vampire psychiatrist and former mercenary Cage Reynolds returns to Penton, Alabama, looking for a permanent home. The town has been ravaged by the ongoing vampire war and the shortage of untainted human blood, and now the vampires and humans that make up the Omega Force are trying to rebuild. Cage hopes to help the cause, put down roots in Penton, and resolve his relationship with Melissa Calvert. The last thing he expects is an attraction to Robin Ashton, a trash-talking eagle shape-shifter and new Omega recruit.

Meanwhile, as a dangerous saboteur wreaks havoc in Penton, the ruthless Vampire Tribunal leader Matthias Ludlam has been freed on the eve of his scheduled execution. But by whom? And to what end? As war and chaos rage on, love is the last thing Cage is looking for, but will his attraction to Robin distract him from the danger living among them?

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

PRFL would like to extend a very warm welcome to Susannah Sandlin, author of Allegiance. Susannah, to begin, tell us where you're from and what inspired you to become a writer? 

I’ve lived all over the U.S., from Chicago to Houston to San Diego, but have spent most of my adult life in New Orleans. I was born in rural Alabama and find myself once again living in semi-rural Alabama. I was always a reader, and my love of writing spun out of my love of reading. I think that’s true of most writers.

Can you say that your journey to publication was difficult? If so, what were the hardest moments to get through?

I didn’t have a normal journey to publication, really. I trained and spent my career in journalism, specifically editing magazines for universities. I only turned to fiction writing in 2009 as a kind of delayed reaction to being in Hurricane Katrina, which caused a lot of us to assess our priorities. I was ridiculously blessed to have found an agent with my first book, and she then was able to sell the series to Tor/Macmillan. I always feel guilty when I hear writers talk about beating their heads against the door of publishing for years before breaking through, because my journey seemed so simple and straightforward. On the other hand, I work really hard. LOL. I always say there are a lot of authors who outsell me, but I doubt you could find anyone who outworks me.

How do you overcome i-suck-at-this, that little voice in your head that tells you your writing isn’t good enough?

Ack. I hate that little voice. He’s really, really loud sometimes. The answer, for me, is just to keep plowing through. He usually pipes up somewhere around the 40 percent mark of a new manuscript and yells at me all the way through to about the 80 percent mark. I know he’s going to be there, so I just ignore him and keep writing. I set a daily word goal and try my best to reach it, even if I think what I’m writing sucks. Usually, when I read back over it later, it’s not nearly as bad as I thought. And anything can be fixed.

What is your dream vacation?

Somewhere quiet, either in the mountains or near the water, with no people except whoever I’m vacationing with. I want an escape. No crowds, no traffic, no phones, no email…well, okay, maybe email.

Describe your writing style in five words.

Devilishly twisted, humorous, violent, unexpected.

What movies are you currently excited to see?

See earlier note about work. The last movie I saw was “Lincoln,” only because a friend dragged me to it. I honestly don’t even know what’s out right now. I downloaded the first season of “Game of Thrones” but haven’t watched it.

What are you currently reading? I just finished a book about life in 1215 England, which was research for the second book in my Collectors series, Deadly, Calm, and Cold. I’ve been doing a slow read of Stephen King’s Dark Tower series for the past three years (!) for tor.com, and am almost finished with the seventh and final book. I just started a contemporary romance by Jill Shalvis—I can’t read in the genre in which I’m writing or it messes with me.

If you weren’t a writer, what other careers would you pursue?

I’ve worked for a long time as a magazine editor, and still do. But that’s sort of writing as well. So if I couldn’t work in publishing at all, I’d want to pursue commercial art. That was my first love.

If you could create a holiday of your own, what would it be called?

National Day of Sleep, because I’m so sleep-deprived it’s scary. Too many deadlines! I probably shouldn’t be on the road.

For people who haven’t read your novel, how would you summarize the plot?

Allegiance takes place in a near-future Alabama, after a human virus has swept the globe and killed a lot of people. A vaccine was developed that, as an unknown side effect, made the blood of vaccinated humans poisonous to vampires. So the vampire world is starving and on the verge of civil war between those who want to continue to live as predators and those who want to find a peaceful solution by working with humans. In Allegiance, the “good vampires” of Penton, Alabama, are trying to rebuild, but their enemies are setting up an elaborate sabotage that has horrible consequences. At the heart of the book is British vampire Cage Reynolds and his journey to find love with a damaged, fierce shape-shifter named Robin.

What are two of your pet peeves?

Only two? LOL. Passive-aggressive people, and bullies. I have no tolerance for either one.

To you, what makes a good story?

A good story is a perfect marriage of deep emotional characters and nail-biting action or suspense. The characters are key, though, because…(next question)

What usually turns you off about a story?

If I don’t like or care about the characters. I have to get emotionally invested in them to care about their story. If a book is a DNF for me, it’s usually because by the time I hit my 100-page test, the author hasn’t been able to make me care.

If you could collaborate with any author, who would you choose, and why?

I hope to collaborate sometime soon with author Lexi George, who writes the awesome Demon Hunting in Dixie series. We get along really well, have similar writing styles, and I think we could do something amazingly fun!

What is on your night stand?

A book on mixed-media art, my Kindle Fire, and a Dick Blick art-supply catalog. Yeah, weird, I know. I’m an art supply addict. I need help.

What is your favorite book?

I’m not sure I could say one. In urban fantasy, it’s the Harry Dresden series. In paranormal romance, the Black Dagger Brotherhood. In the real world, it’s the memoir writings of Rick Bragg (someone else I’d sure love to collaborate with).

Thanks for having me here today!

Thank you so much for joining us today, Susannah. We really enjoyed the visit. Good luck and great sales with Allegiance.

About the Author:

Susannah Sandlin writes paranormal romance and romantic thrillers from Auburn, Alabama, on top of a career in educational publishing that has thus far spanned five states and six universities—including both Alabama and Auburn, which makes her bilingual. She grew up in Winfield, Alabama, but was also a longtime resident of New Orleans, so she has a highly refined sense of the absurd and an ingrained love of SEC football, cheap Mardi Gras trinkets, and fried gator on a stick.

She’s the author of the award-winning Penton Legacy paranormal romance series, a spinoff novel, Storm Force, a standalone novelette, Chenoire, and a new romantic thriller series, The Collectors, beginning with Lovely, Dark, and Deep. Writing as Suzanne Johnson, she also is the author of the Sentinels of New Orleans urban fantasy series. Her Penton novel, Omega, was nominated for a 2013 Reviewer’s Choice Award in Paranormal Romance from RT Book Reviews magazine. Absolution was the winner of the 2013 Holt Medallion in Paranormal Romance.

Author Links:
Website | Twitter | Facebook 

Tour giveaway 

1 $50 Amazon gift card

2 $10 Amazon gift cards

2 Author swag packs (books, swag)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Guest Blog: Wolf's Bane by Ash Krafton

Wolf’s Bane
Demimonde
Book 3
Ash Krafton

Genre: urban fantasy

Book Description:
Since becoming oracle to the demivampire two years ago, advice columnist Sophie has battled werewolves and survived a vampire attack (or two). However, not only was she powerless to save her lover Marek when he slipped to the brink of evolution, she also witnessed his transformation into a falcon, the symbol of Horus United.

Sophie’s quest to save Marek is further complicated when rock star Dierk Adeluf – who also happens to be the king of the Werekind – invites her backstage after a concert. Just when it seems she will find respite from heartache, Sophie is bitten by a werewolf and Dierk decides she is destined to be his queen.

Sophie is caught between the demivamps she loves and the Were who commands her to love him. Throw in his jealous wanna-be girlfriend—a true bitch if ever there was one—and an ambush by witches, and there you have the big mess that Sophie calls her life. And, hello? Her soul mate is still a bird.

She’s supposed to be the girl with all the answers, but Sophie needs more than a little advice–she needs divine intervention.

Amazon

PRFL would like to extend a very warm welcome to Ash Krafton, author of Wolf's Bane. We hope you enjoy her guest blog~

Accidental Swinger: How a Vamp Chick Fell For the Wolfman

I’ve always had a thing for vampires.

Long ago, I knew the allure of these creatures of the night. When I was a kid, it was Dracula. Vampires were for horror stories, but there was still that lure of power and endless possibilities. When Anne Rice gave us Louis and Lestat, I was done for. She did what no one had done for me before: gave me an emotional connection to the characters.

Vampires were becoming more than alluring. They were seductive. Some were downright sexy.

I’ve always been intrigued by new twists in vampire lore—even that weird stuff HBO’s True Blood put out last season. (Truthfully, I would have put up with A LOT of weird stuff for the sake of Eric Northman. Can I get an amen?)

I suppose my hunger for new vamps is what led me to write the Demimonde series. I can get all the vamp action I want, as twisty as I want it—which I happily did when I created my demivampires with mythologic Egyptian origins.

When I wrote Bleeding Hearts, my focus was on the race of demivamps. Actual vampires were soulless and bad. There was no confusion as to whose side I was on.

There were werewolves, too. Werewolves were lawless and yucky. Again, I’m Team DV. I never really got into werewolves—most of the films I’d seen had hairy, grotesque, misshapen drooling mutts. Not sexy. Not seductive. Just—I don’t know, squishy. Even Buffy’s pal Oz was a kid hunched over in bad makeup. Tiny bit lame.

The only werewolf that did anything to keep me interested was Michael Sheen’s character in Underworld. All credit goes to his awesome self for giving lycans a fighting chance in my whole vamp vs. were grudge war.

As I continued the series, Sheen’s lycan character reminded me that werewolves were creatures, too—they had their quirks, their powers, and just as many possibilities as vampires. If I could twist vampires to give me the exact character I wanted, why couldn’t I mess with the laws of were-nature and make the kind of wolves I wanted?

Thus, Toby came along, the Big Bad Wolfboy that becomes Sophie’s next stray. Blood Rush give a little insight to Were nature from a decidedly Toby perspective. While my characters slowly warmed up to the fuzzy guy, I personally wasn’t having any of it. I was straight for the vamp side. Vampire hetero. Were phobic. Whatever you want to call it. I was a die-hard vamp chick. And, as a Were, Toby did squeamish Were things. Hey, that’s the way the ball bounces.

And then…

The third book began to brew. If you haven’t guessed by now, there’s a lot of Were action in this one.

Even as I wrote and edited the first two books, I planned on having a central Were conflict. Every book needs conflict, a struggle, a choice—so a Were character seemed like perfect fodder. It wasn’t until I really got submerged in writing that I realized that the conflict wasn’t coming out black-and-white, good versus evil, the way I’d pictured it.

And it wasn’t until I was near completion that I realized the conflict was so much more complex than that. If we knew definitely what was right and what was wrong, we’d have no trouble making our choices. The conflict became complex because the author was experiencing conflicts of her own.

My feelings towards Weres had changed. How it pains me to write this.

Wolf’s Bane lacked matted fur and werewolf glue. The Were were beautiful creatures who followed their nature, and they were led by a man who wanted them to strive toward civility, not beastial baseness. Sophie was forced to re-evaluate Werekind and to face her prejudice and her fears.

In writing it, I was forced to face my own, as well.

It certainly helps that Dierk is the man he is—the rockstar, the leader, the gentleman suitor. Whatever Sophie came to feel for him during the course of the story, it’s a pretty fair thing to say it’s because I felt the same thing.

Never figured I’d turn out to be a swinger. I’m definitely a one-guy, one-species kind of gal. But if I were a character in the Books of the Demimonde, maybe…just maybe. <3

Thank you so much for joining us today, Ash. We really enjoyed the visit. Good luck and great sales with Wolf's Bane. 


About the Author:

Ash Krafton writes from the heart…of the Pennsylvania coal region, that is. She is the author of the Books of the Demimonde (Pink Narcissus Press).
BLEEDING HEARTS (Demimonde #1) is a six-time RWA finalist and was voted "Reviewer Top Pick" by Gravetells.com. Ash continues the story of Sophie and her Demivampires in her latest release BLOOD RUSH (Demimonde #2). She's hard at work (when she isn't watching Doctor Who) writing the third book, WOLF'S BANE.
Ash Krafton's poetry and short fiction has appeared in several journals, including Niteblade, Bete Noire, Abandoned Towers, and Silver Blade. She's a member of Pennwriters, RWA, and Maryland Writers Association. She lurks near her blog and contributes to the QueryTracker blog.
Ash lives with her family and their German Shepherd dog deep in the Pennsylvania wilds, awaiting the day the TARDIS appears in the driveway (the dog most likely keeps the Doctor away. What a beast.)
Until then, she writes.

Author Contacts:
The Demimonde blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Tour Giveaway:

1 Demimonde gift pack contains a print book, tote bag, note pad, pens, swag, and a gift card.  

Winner can choose between any one of the three print books in the series.

Open to International Shipping

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blast: Darkness Bound by JT Gessinger

Darkness Bound
Night Prowler Series, #5
JT Gessinger

About the Book:
Tough, smart, and seriously ambitious, reporter Jacqueline “Jack” Dolan despises the secretive clan of shape-
shifters known as the Ikati—and has become determined to destroy them. After she writes an editorial arguing for their extermination and turns public opinion against them, the Ikati vow to fight back. They plot to send one of their own to seduce the reporter, then blackmail her into writing a retraction.
Women practically fall at the feet of hulking, handsome Hawk Luna, and Hawk relishes the idea of conquering and destroying the fiery redhead who’s caused so much trouble for his kind. The last thing he expects is to develop real feelings for her, but their liaison awakens a hunger in him that he cannot deny. He kidnaps Jack and brings her to his Amazon jungle colony, but the two lovers are soon embroiled in deadly colony politics and threatened by a looming global species war.
As the danger around them grows closer, Jack and Hawk’s forbidden passion may build a bridge between two ancient enemies—or cost them both their lives.

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About the Author:

J.T. Geissinger is an award-winning author of paranormal and contemporary romance featuring dark and twisted plots, kick-ass heroines, and alpha heroes whose hearts are even bigger than their muscles. Her debut fantasy romance Shadow’s Edge was a #1 bestseller on Amazon US and UK and won the Prism award for Best First Book.
Her follow-up novel, Edge of Oblivion, was a RITA Award finalist for Paranormal Romance from the Romance Writers of America, and she has been nominated for numerous awards for her work.
She resides in Los Angeles with her husband.

Author Links:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Newsletter

TOUR GIVEAWAY DETAILS:
GRAND PRIZE: $25.00 Amazon gift card
RUNNERS UP: 2 runners up, signed paperback copy of Darkness Bound, US only
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Book Spotlight & Giveaway: Boneseeker by Brynn Chapman

Boneseeker
Brynn Chapman

Genre: YA Historical Romance/ Mystery
Publisher: Month 9
Number of pages: approximately 300


Book Description:

Arabella Holmes was born different and raised different. After it became apparent she wouldn't fit the role of a proper 1900's lady, her father, Sherlock, called in some lingering favors, and landed her a position at the Mutter Museum. The museum was Arabella's dream; she was to become a purveyor of abnormal science. What her father called a BoneSeeker.

Henry Watson arrives at the Mutter Museum with a double assignment--to become a finder of abnormal antiquities and to watch over and keep Arabella Holmes. An easy task, if he could only get her to speak to him instead of throwing knives in his general direction.

But this is no time for child's play. The two teens are assigned to a most secret exploration, when the hand of a Nephilim is unearthed in upstate New York. Soon, Arabella and Henry are caught in a fight for their lives as scientific debate swirls around them. Are the bones from a Neanderthal ... or are they living proof of fallen angels, who supposedly mated with humans according to ancient scrolls?

Sent to recover the skeleton, they discover they are the second team to have been deployed and the entire first team is dead. And now they must trust their instincts and rely on one another in order to survive and uncover the truth.

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About the Author:

Born and raised in western Pennsylvania, Brynn Chapman is the daughter of two teachers. Her writing reflects her passions: science, history and love—not necessarily in that order. In real life, the geek gene runs strong in her family, as does the Asperger’s syndrome.

Her writing reflects her experience as a pediatric therapist and her interactions with society’s downtrodden. In fiction, she’s a strong believer in underdogs and happily-ever-afters. She also writes non-fiction and lectures on the subjects of autism and sensory integration and is a medical contributor to online journal The Age of Autism.

Author Links:  
Website | Twitter | Goodreads 

Tour giveaway: 

$10 Amazon Gift Card

1 print copy of Boneseeker open to US Shipping

a Rafflecopter giveaway