Friday, October 24, 2014

Guest Post: Danielle Ellison - On How I Dealt With My Sutbborn MC (And Giveaway!)

Today we'd like to welcome Danielle Ellison author of Follow Me Through Darkness to our blog.

Thank you so much for taking the time to join us today, Danielle!
I love my main character. I can slip into her mind on command, figure out what she’d do in a situation, and I could probably even pretend to be her. That’s how well I know her. It’s a feeling that’s really unexplainable, but after four years together, we get each other. This was not always the case because, you see, Neely is very stubborn.

Even though I know her, she still has the ability to surprise me. (And she uses it!) I wouldn’t say that I know everything about her—just during this blog tour process she completely baffled me in an interview. Neely tells me what I need to know on the basis that I need to know it. This has been our relationship from day one. Because of that, she was the hardest character to develop, and was (sometimes is) the hardest one to write.

When this story started in my head, I knew it was a girl on the run from something. That was it. I spent days writing and listening—because once I’d started I couldn’t stop. By the end of a week, I knew all about the story. I knew why the girl was running, what she was looking for, what she was trying to do, what the stakes were. I knew about Thorne and what he meant to her, about Sara her stand-in mother, about her father, about Xenith. I knew every character’s names, what they meant to the narrator, who they were to her really everything about them. But I didn’t know much about her. Including her name.

Even as I pried back pieces of her life story, of herself versus the people around her, I didn’t know her name. I knew, right then, that I was in trouble with her. I wrote 30k words of that very draft without knowing the narrator’s name. I called her “GIRL”. I tried guessing. I tried filling it in with something else, but nothing was right Then, one day, she told me. Just like that. She was ready. “Neely Ambrose, short for Cornelia.” That was it. Once I knew her name, other pieces of information followed.

I realize all of this sounds crazy—and if you’re not a writer then you probably think I’m nuts!—but this is how it works sometimes. Some characters take on their own life in your head. Some authors have characters talking to them all the time—I’m one of them. Neely was the first one who was so incredibly loud, impossible to ignore, superbly stubborn, and amazing to experience.

Even after I knew her name it took a long time before I was able to crack her. She’s definitely surrounded herself in an iron wall. She doesn’t like to admit that she’s struggling, to express what she’s feeling, or to let people in. Even as the person telling her story I had trouble busting into her deepest emotions. It was a lot of work, a lot of patience, and tons of trying to get her to be the character she is now. I had to peel back layer after layer and slowly weave it all onto the page. She has to be guarded to survive her world and I’m really pleased with how she turned out, with how much she revealed on the pages of the Follow Me Through Darkness. I think that pain, that guardedness, those layers make her relatable. We all have pieces that we want to hide or not admit or accept. Some of us are just better at pretending we don’t. Neely’s one of them.

I’m working on the rest of the trilogy right now, and I’m happy to report that Neely is still stubborn, still surprising me with thing she says or does, and I hope she does that until her story is totally finished. It makes all of this more interesting to me, and hopefully to you.

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About Danielle Ellison

Danielle Ellison spent of her childhood reading instead of learning math. It's probably the reason she can't divide without a calculator and has spent her life seeking the next adventure. It's also probably the reason she's had so many different zip codes and jobs.

When she’s not writing, Danielle is usually drinking coffee, fighting her nomadic urges, watching too much TV, or dreaming of the day when she can be British. Danielle is also the author of SALT and STORM, a series about a snarky witch without magic. She has settled in Northern Virginia, for now, but you can always find her on twitter @DanielleEWrites.

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About Follow Me Through Darkness

The truth won't always set you free.

Less than a year ago, Neely Ambrose’s biggest worry was having the freedom to follow a path that wasn't chosen for her.

Less than a year ago, she believed she could trust the Elders who said they had everyone’s best interest at heart and who said they were keeping them safe from the outside.

Sixty days ago, she discovered what they had planned for everyone she loved—and that all of it centered around her.

Now she’s on the run through a dangerous wasteland full of killing machines, secret organizations, and people who want to sell her back to the Elders for their own safety. The whole world outside the Compound is living proof that everything in Neely’s life was a lie manufactured by the Elders, which may even include the boy she loves.

All Neely wants is the truth, but each new piece of it drives her further from what she thought she knew. With only forty days until everyone she loves falls under the Elders’ mind control, Neely must decipher who to trust, what questions to ask, and how to get one step ahead of the Elders, who will do anything to keep their secrets buried.

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Thursday, October 16, 2014

Teaser Thursday: FOLLOW ME THROUGH DARKNESS by Danielle Ellison


It’s crazy, and that’s what I keep telling myself, but it feels right. Like a missing piece has been put back into place. It’s been three hundred years. Of course there’s life outside. And if the Elders are trying to stop it from coming in, then it’s no wonder they aren’t involved in our lives here. They’re trying to be everywhere. The question I can’t understand is why no one asks about the Old World. Hasn’t anyone else wondered?


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Wednesday, September 10, 2014

WAITING ON WEDNESDAY--The Fine Art of Pretending



17696131
Coming September 30, 2014 by Spencer Hill Contemporary

When I get the chance, I like to participate in Waiting on Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/ that highlights books we're looking forward to. This week, I'm waiting on The Fine Art of Pretending by Rachel Harris! 

Now, I have to be honest - I read an ARC from BEA and KNOW how great this book is! But I am planning on getting it for my nook on release day so I can always have it with me! This is now one of my fave YA books of all time.

Blurb:
According to the guys at Fairfield Academy, there are two types of girls: the kind you hook up with, and the kind you’re friends with. Seventeen-year-old Alyssa Reed is the second type. And she hates it. With just one year left to change her rank, she devises a plan to become the first type by homecoming, and she sets her sights on the perfect date—Justin Carter, Fairfield Academy’s biggest hottie and most notorious player.

With 57 days until the dance, Aly launches Operation Sex Appeal and sheds her tomboy image. The only thing left is for Justin actually to notice her. Enter best friend Brandon Taylor, the school’s second biggest hottie, and now Aly’s pretend boyfriend. With his help, elevating from “funny friend” to “tempting vixen” is only a matter of time.
But when everything goes according to plan, the inevitable “break up” leaves their friendship in shambles, and Aly and Brandon with feelings they can’t explain. And the fake couple discovers pretending can sometimes cost you the one thing you never expected to want.
You can find Rachel and all her links on her page here: http://rachelharriswrites.com/books/fine-art-pretending

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Cover Reveal: ONLY ONE DREAM by Elodie Nowodazkij

Title: ONLY ONE DREAM (One, Two, Three #0.5)
Author: Elodie Nowodazkij
Release Date: October 2014
Cover Designer: Derek Murphy of CreativIndie

Blurb


Sixteen-year-old Natalya Pushkaya has only one dream: becoming the best ballerina ever. Dancing's always been who she is and she's working her hardest to land the main role of the School of Performing Arts end of the year recital.

But...will she make it?

Within a week, Natalya's life will be changed forever.

Prequel novelette of One, Two, Three.


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Preorder ONLY ONE DREAM

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Author Bio

Elodie Nowodazkij was raised in a tiny village in France, where she could always be found a book in hand. At nineteen, she moved to the US, where she learned she'd never lose her French accent. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in Modern Language & Linguistics, and later earned master's degrees in German Cultural Studies and European Studies. Unbeknownst to her professors, she sometimes drafted stories in class. Now she lives in Germany with her husband and their cat (who doesn't seem to realize he's not human), and uses her commuting time to write the stories swirling in her head. She's also a serial smiley user.

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Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Waiting on Wednesday!

When I get the chance, I like to participate in Waiting on Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/ that highlights books we're looking forward to. This week, I'm waiting on Vision by my writer pal and cover artist, Lisa Amowitz! 

18506066 

The light is darker than you think…

High school student Bobby Pendell already has his hands full—he works almost every night to support his disabled-vet father and gifted little brother. Then he meets the beautiful new girl in town, who just happens to be his boss’s daughter. Bobby has rules about that kind of thing. Nothing matters more than keeping his job.

When Bobby starts to get blinding migraines that come with scary, violent hallucinations, his livelihood is on the line. Soon, he must face the stunning possibility that the visions of murder are actually real. With his world going dark, Bobby is set on the trail of the serial killer terrorizing his small town. With everyone else convinced he’s the prime suspect, Bobby realizes that he, or the girl he loves, might be killer's next victim.


Expected publication: September 9th 2014 by Spencer Hill Press 
 

Monday, August 18, 2014

COVER REVEAL: CROW’S REST by Angelica R. Jackson

 
Book Blurb:

Avery Flynn arrives for a visit at her Uncle Tam's, eager to rekindle her summertime romance with her crush-next-door, Daniel.

But Daniel’s not the sweet, neurotic guy she remembers—and she wonders if this is her Daniel at all. Or if someone—some thing—has taken his place.

Her quest to find the real Daniel—and get him back—plunges Avery into a world of Fae and changelings, where creatures swap bodies like humans change their socks, and magic lives much closer to home than she ever imagined.

Author Bio:

Angelica R. Jackson, in keeping with her scattered Gemini nature, has published articles on gardening, natural history, web design, travel, hiking, and local history. Other interests include pets, reading, green living, and cooking for food allergies (the latter not necessarily by choice, but she’s come to terms with it). Ongoing projects include short fiction, poetry, novels, art photography, and children’s picture books.

In 2012, she started Pens for Paws Auction, which features critiques and swag from agents and authors to raise money for a no-kill, cage-free cat sanctuary where she volunteers, Fat Kitty City.

She’s also been involved with capturing the restoration efforts for Preston Castle (formerly the Preston School of Industry) in photographs and can sometimes be found haunting its hallways.

Title: Crow’s Rest
Author: Angelica R. Jackson
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press (www.spencerhillpress.com) Please feel free to use any text, images, links, etc. from our website.
Release Date May 2015
Formats: Paper, e-book

If you’d like to request an ARC, please use the reviewer form on our website.

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Waiting on Wednesday!

When I get the chance, I'd like to participate in Waiting on Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/ that highlights books we're looking forward to. This week, I'm waiting on Unspeakable by my writer pal, Michelle Pickett!


“Breathe. No one will break me. I’m strong. Breathe. Just breathe.”
 
On the outside, Willow appears to have it all. She’s beautiful, smart, from an influential family, and she dates the most popular guy in school—Jaden. But she would walk away from it all in a second. Willow is tormented by lies and suffocating guilt, not the hearts and flowers people believe her life is full of. 
 
She carries a dark secret. Plagued by nightmares and pain, the secret dominates her life. If she hadn’t walked away. If she had just…but she didn’t. And now she has to live with her choice. But when someone uncovers her family’s past, they use it against her, crushing her spirit little by little. She tells herself she just has to make it to graduation. Then she can leave Middleton, and her secret, far behind.
 
When Brody transfers to Cassidy High, he turns Willow’s life upside down. He shows her what it feels like to live again, really live. And suddenly, she isn’t satisfied with just surviving until graduation. She wants a normal life—with Brody—and he wants her. But the closer they become, the more it threatens to unravel the secret she’s worked so hard to hide.
 
Willow finds true love with Brody. Will she let his love save her, or walk away from him to keep her secret safe?

Expected publication: February 10th 2015 by Clean Teen Publishing

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

FLAWED by J.L. Spelbring - Release Day Blitz


Title: Flawed (Perfection #2)
Author: JL Spelbring
Release Date: August 12, 2014
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

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Blurb


In a world where Hitler won The War, and perfection is constantly sought, Ellyssa has broken free from her austere life and has found another meaning for her existence.

Family, friendship, and love.

But her happiness is short lived. Ellyssa finds herself on the run, again. Her father's work didn't die with him, but lives on in her siblings, Aalexis and Xaver, and they are determined to complete his unfinished dream.

About the Author


J.L. Spelbring lives in Texas, where she wanders out in the middle of the night to look at the big and bright stars. Besides knocking imaginary bad guys in the head with a keyboard, she enjoys being swept away between the pages of a book, running amuck inside in her own head, pretending she is into running, and hanging out with her kids, who are way too cool for her.

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Friday, August 8, 2014

COVER REVEAL: Unspeakable





Unspeakable Blurb:

“Breathe. No one will break me. I’m strong. Breathe. Just breathe.”

On the outside, Willow appears to have it all. She’s beautiful, smart, from an influential family, and she dates the most popular guy in school—Jaden. But she would walk away from it all in a second. Willow is tormented by lies and suffocating guilt, not the hearts and flowers people believe her life is full of. 

She carries a dark secret. Plagued by nightmares and pain, the secret dominates her life. If she hadn’t walked away. If she had just…but she didn’t. And now she has to live with her choice. But when someone uncovers her family’s past, they use it against her, crushing her spirit little by little. She tells herself she just has to make it to graduation. Then she can leave Middleton, and her secret, far behind.

When Brody transfers to Cassidy High, he turns Willow’s life upside down. He shows her what it feels like to live again, really live. And suddenly, she isn’t satisfied with just surviving until graduation. She wants a normal life—with Brody—and he wants her. But the closer they become, the more it threatens to unravel the secret she’s worked so hard to hide.

Willow finds true love with Brody. Will she let his love save her, or walk away from him to keep her secret safe?

About the author:

Michelle is the bestselling author of the young adult novel “PODs.” She was born and raised in Flint, Michigan, but now lives in a sleepy suburb outside Houston with her extremely supportive husband, three school-aged children, a 125 pound “lap dog,” and a very snooty cat.

Red Bull or Monster Khaos are her coffee of choice, and she can’t write without peanut butter M&Ms and a hoodie. A hopeful romantic; she loves a swoon-worthy ending that will give her butterflies for days. She writes across genres in the young adult and new adult age groups. She loves to hear from her readers.

Michelle signed her new young adult contemporary novel— Unspeakable, with Clean Teen Publishing in 2014. 

Keep up-to-date on her current and future projects at her website www.michelle-pickett.com. Find her on her blog www.michelle-pickett.com/blog on Twitter @Michelle_kp or drop her an email michelle@michelle-pickett.com!

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

COVER REVEAL: TANGLED MAGICK by Jennifer Carson

Book Blurb:
It’s been two years since Maewyn Bridgepost discovered her magick and saved the Wedge from another troll invasion. Now the villagers are embarking on an age-old tradition, given up after the first invasion, the Great Expedition. This journey is a chance for the happenies to discover the world outside their village. But the outside world can be a scary place, and the happenies soon find themselves knee deep in troll trouble.

The second book in the Hapenny Magick series!

Author’s short bio:
Jennifer Carson lives in New Hampshire with her husband, four sons and many furred and feathered friends. She grew up on a steady diet of Muppet movies and renaissance faires, and would occasionally be caught reading under the blankets with a flashlight. Besides telling tales, she also creates fantasy creatures and characters and publishes her own sewing patterns. In 2010 her first children’s novel, To Find A Wonder, was produced as an original musical at the New London Barn Playhouse in New London, New Hampshire.

Title: Tangled Magick
Author: Jennifer Carson
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press Middle Grade (www.spencerhillmiddlegrade.com) Please feel free to use any text, images, links, etc. from our website.

ISBN 978-1-63392-000-2 paperback
ISBN 978-1-63392-001-9 Ebook

Release Date April 21, 2015
Formats: Paper, e-book,

If you’d like to request an ARC, please use the reviewer form on our website.

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Release Day Blitz: BREATHE FOR ME by Rhonda Helms

Title: Breathe For Me
Author: Rhonda Helms
Release Date: August 5, 2014
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press


Buy Breathe For Me:
 


Blurb

Isabel's been cursed since the Middle Ages.

Desperate to escape an arranged marriage, she made a hasty bargain with a demon, asking for liberation from an oppressive husband-to-be and the excitement of travel. But the demon's "gift" came at a steep cost. Each time he moves her to a new city, her memory's wiped. No one can touch her bare skin without injury or even death. And she sees the lifespan of every living being (and is, in fact, immortal herself).

All a constant reminder that she's different than other teen girls.

But New Orleans seems to accept her as she is. She has friends and a real life in this quirky, hot city. Then Isabel meets Dominic, whose deep soul and strong character draw her to him. Her growing love gives her the courage to confront the demon, insisting the curse be broken. But the demon's price for freedom is much, much higher than she could possibly give.


Excerpt

“You okay?” Dominic asks me.

I look over at him. His brows are bunched together, his irises dark. He reaches a hand toward mine, then stops and pulls it back. I can’t interpret the look in his eyes.

Disappointment at his withdrawal creeps through my veins. “Yeah, I’m fine,” I say. Inside my head, I scoff at my stupidity. How quickly I forget who I am when I’m around him. I force my attention back to my paper. “Let’s just concentrate on our project.” My words have a strong bite to them, one I don’t try to hold back. It’s better this way, anyway.

He sighs, turning away from me.

For the rest of the period, we work in silence. Out of the corner of my eye, I see him writing furiously.

I wish I could say I’m productive, but my mind is blocked. No words will pour from my pen. I feel mute, silenced by my own emotions, by the heat from his body that warms my side. The soft scratching sound of him writing on his paper is absorbing, and I close my eyes and just listen, shutting out the world around me. Opening up my heart for one moment in the only safe way I know.

The bell rings, jarring me out of my fog. I gather my books and stand quickly, edging away from my desk.

Dominic grabs my hand.

The gesture stops me in my tracks. The warmth from his palm seeps through my glove, absorbs into my skin, fuses with my cells and tiny hairs and molecules and veins.

I turn to face him.

He rises from his seat, still gripping me. “Please don’t run from me anymore,” he asks, his voice raw. His eyes are wide, piercing mine with a tiny sliver of hurt and...some other emotion. It seems a little familiar, but I can’t quite figure it out at the moment. I’m too distracted by the sensory overload of him.

“I’m sorry,” I say, pouring earnestness into my voice.

He shakes his head slowly. His eyes swirl with shades of blue, and he peers down at me with no disguise or veil to protect himself. In this moment, I can see everything inside him. I recognize that emotion in his gaze as desire.

Desire—for me.

The air whooshes from my lungs. The stirrings of my own longing match his, slamming to the surface of my skin in a heated fervor. My pulse speeds up.

“No more apologies, Isabel,” he says, then loosens his grip on my imprisoned hand, his thumb sliding down the center of the covered palm.

I shiver at the sensation, exhaling a shaky breath. “I... Okay.” I can barely think, barely move. I am captured, locked in a state of perfect being. Frozen in one perfect moment.

“Read this,” he says, pressing a folded paper into my hand.

And then, he’s gone. I remain in my spot for a moment, holding on to this feeling.

Tucking it safely away in my mind, where I can experience it over and over again for as long as possible. I force myself to take several slow breaths to focus my mind, slip the note into my pocket for when I can read it in privacy. Then I head to my next class, carrying secret thoughts of Dominic with me.


About the Author

Rhonda Helms started writing several years ago. She has a Master's degree in English and a Bachelor's degree in Creative Writing. She also edits for Carina Press (an imprint of Harlequin Publishing) and freelance edits.

When she isn't writing, she likes to do amateur photography, dig her toes into the sand, read for hours at a time, and eat scads of cheese. WAY too much cheese.

Rhonda lives in Northeast Ohio with her family.

Thursday, July 31, 2014

COVER REVEAL: SASQUATCH by Andrea Schicke Hirsch

Book Blurb:
Following his parents' ugly divorce, Jake Oliver chooses to move with his father to a remote corner of Connecticut. Bad enough their new home turns out to be a fenced-in dump in the middle of nowhere, but it seems that the previous owner, his dad’s late Uncle Horace, had been the local crackpot ridiculed by the community for his belief that a Bigfoot roamed the vast woodland preserve that lay beyond the property. Not everything about Jake’s new life is bad, though. His job at the local market is okay, and it doesn’t hurt that his coworker is pretty Nell Davis. But when odd things start to happen, like weird calls in the dead of night, stones thrown by an unseen assailant, and lingering foul odors wafting on the breeze, Jake starts to believe that maybe old Horace wasn’t so crazy after all. With Nell’s help, Jake is determined to make a name for himself by proving to the world that the mythical Sasquatch is alive and well and living in the woods just on the other side of that fence.

Author Bio:
Andrea Schicke Hirsch has been a bookseller, editor and copywriter, teacher and paralegal.  She studied theatre and English at Fordham University and has a Master’s degree in Education from the University of Bridgeport. A Connecticut native, she lives in Wilton with her family. This is her first YA novel.


Title: Sasquatch
Author: Andrea Schicke Hirsch
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press (www.spencerhillpress.com)

Print ISBN: 978-1-939392-47-3
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-939392-54-1

Release Date: March 2015
Formats: Paper, e-book

If you’d like to request an ARC, please use the reviewer form on our website.

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

COVER REVEAL: PARALLEL TRIANGLES by Kimberly Ann Miller

Title: Parallel Triangles
Release date:  April 28th 2015
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Formats: Paper, e-book
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20656543-parallel-triangles

Book Blurb:
How does a cruise change your life?
By sailing through the Bermuda Triangle.
Carly Carmichael has one goal in life--to perform on Broadway. She refuses to have a Plan B because she's never needed one--until now. When Carly's parents send her on a cruise as a graduation present, she takes her best friend and their boyfriends along with her. Once the ship sails into the Bermuda Triangle, Carly finds herself unable to sing or walk, much less perform. And things just go downhill from there. Hoping for help from the ship's doctor, she ends up with more questions than answers about the mystery behind the Bermuda Triangle and why her life is now unrecognizable. If Carly can't get her real life back on track, she may end up spending the next sixty years trapped in a life the Triangle chooses for her. 
Author Bio:
Kimberly Ann Miller received Bachelor's degrees from Georgian Court University and Rutgers University and a Master's degree from The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. She’s an avid reader and particularly enjoys true crime and young adult novels. She grew up in New Jersey and currently lives in Monmouth County with her husband and three cats. When she's not writing, she loves to travel to sunny islands where she snorkels by day and stargazes by night. She always takes her Nook.

Monday, June 23, 2014

COVER REVEAL: Watch Your Back


Release Date: April 2015
 
Description:
When sixteen-year-old Kate hears the boom that ends her parents’ life, she doesn’t even realize it has anything to do with her. Until the police arrive at her front door.
 
Sent to live with her aunt at a ski school in Vermont, Kate tries to adapt to her new life. But then Kate’s aunt is hit by a speeding car and a rogue FBI agent tries to force Kate into his car at gunpoint. She’s saved by Ryan, the risk-taking skier she’s only just met.

On the run, the two must unravel the truth about her parents’ murder in order to stop a terrorist plot and save their own lives.

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

COVER REVEAL: ALMOST MAGIC by Kathleen Bullock

Today, we’d like to introduce you to ALMOST MAGIC by Kathleen Bullock.


Book Blurb:
Ever since she turned twelve, Apple Bramblewood’s life has been plagued by visits from weird creatures. It seems she is a rare Attractor, a Wizard whose sole talent is solving the clamorous demands of very odd beings, usually in the most unorthodox, haphazard, and klutzy ways. Apple doesn’t want to be an Attractor; her most passionate goal is to attend the ordinary middle school with ordinary kids where her perfect older sister, Cornelia, is allowed to go. Her parents have no doubts about Cornelia’s magical prowess, but Apple seems destined to be home-schooled forever.

Author Bio:
In addition to Almost Magic, Kathleen Bullock is the author of Far Corners (Time Travel/ Historic) and The End of Dominion (MG/YA Fantasy). She is the author-illustrator of ten picture books for children (Simon & Schuster and other publishers), a winner of the ABA Before Columbus Award for Illustration, and a first place winner in the 2011 Surrey International Writing Contest. She works as a free-lance author/illustrator for Guardian Angel Books and magazine and for Incentive Publications (now owned by World Book, Inc.) illustrating over one hundred educational books and programs. Kathleen lives with her boisterous, extended family in beautiful Southern Oregon.


Title: Almost Magic
Author: Kathleen Bullock
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press Midgrade (www.spencerhillmiddlegrade.com)
ISBN 978-1-939392-11-4 Paperback
ISBN 978-1-939392-12-1 Ebook

Release Date: May 2015
Formats: Paper, e-book

If you’d like to request an ARC, please use the reviewer form on our website.

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

COVER REVEAL: LITTLE MISS EVIL by Bryce Leung and Kristy Shen

Book Blurb:
When you live in a volcano, ride to school in a helicopter, and regularly see your dad on the news with the caption “EVIL GENIUS” underneath his picture, it takes a lot to rattle you.
Until you get a message that says: We have your father. Deliver the NOVA in 24 hours or we will kill him.
What’s a NOVA, you ask? It’s a nuclear bomb capable of turning the city into a radioactive mushroom cloud, and ever since Fiona’s dad built it, it’s caused nothing but grief. But telling him to stop building weapons is like telling Michelangelo to stop painting.
And that’s why thirteen-year-old Fiona has a flamethrower strapped to her arm. After all, who’d mess with a girl who can throw fireballs?

Author’s short Bio:
Bryce and Kristy are a tag-team writing duo with way too many voices in their heads. As engineers living in Toronto, they can’t be safely contained by mere cubicle walls, and therefore must spend every other waking moment writing to keep the crazy from leaking out at the office. When not writing or working, they spend their time parachuting into volcanoes and riding polar bears while tossing dynamite at rabid kangaroos. Yup, that’s right. Sometimes they can’t even believe how awesome their lives are.


Title: Little Miss Evil
Author: Bryce Leung and Kristy Shen
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press Midgrade (www.spencerhillmiddlegrade.com)
ISBN 978-1-939392-09-1 Paperback
ISBN 978-1-939392-10-7 Ebook
Release Date March 2015
Formats: Paper, e-book

If you’d like to request an ARC, please use the reviewer form on our website.

Monday, May 26, 2014

BOOK EXPO AMERICA 2014!


BOOK EXPO AMERICA IS THIS WEEK!!!

BEA is the biggest book show of the year. There is no way to describe the awesomeness that is Book Expo America other than to experience it for yourself! Located in NYC at the Javits Center, BEA is the ultimate destination for bookish people everywhere!

BEA is filled with authors, agents, editors, publishers, bloggers, readers, and of course, book lovers! I'll be posting pictures of the event when it's over, but for now, here is the link to check out the who/what/where/when/why of BEA!


Happy reading, and I hope to see you there!

Monday, April 28, 2014

Book Review: Tawna Fenske's Frisky Business


I have to admit, what got me interested in this book was the cover, particularly the adorable pup peering over the bench. While it was clear this was a romance - and here I must say, I don't particularly gravitate to the romance genre - this book promised to have something more I could sink my canines into (pun intended). 

Here's a brief blurb from the back of the book:

No more rich men for Marley Cartman. Absolutely not. Thanks to her dad, ex-fiance, and the overbearing donors she schmoozes for a living, she's had more than her fill. From now on, she wants blue-collar men with dirt under their fingernails. But when Marley makes a break to handle donor relations for a wildlife sanctuary, she finds herself drawn to the annoyingly charming - and disturbingly wealthy - chairman of the board.

Judging by his hipster T-shirts, motley assortment of canine companions, and penchant for shaking up stuffy board meetings, you'd never guess that William Barclay the Fifth is a brilliantly successful businessman. Will has good reason to be leery of scheming women, and as he and Marley butt heads over the wisdom of bringing grumpy badgers to charity events, he can't help but wonder if his new donor relations coordinator is hiding something other than a perfect figure beneath that designer suit.

And just as I'd hoped, Tawna Fenske delivered. Just a page in and she had me laughing with her wit. Marley is a fun, intelligent and sexy protagonist. Her one fatal flaw is that she often opens mouth and inserts foot, saying whatever comes to mind and inadvertently revealing her own insecurities. But this is the exact trait that makes her extremely likable as a character. When Marley meets Will, the handsome hipster/self-made millionaire, the attraction is undeniable. However, if Marley wants to keep her new job as well as her promise to herself of staying away from rich guys with big issues, she needs to deny her attraction to Will. This creates some great tension.

But there's more to this story than the bittersweet tension of attraction that can't be acted on. Will's been hurt from a recent divorce and he doesn't know if he can really trust Marley, who seems so adept at switching personas in order to get donors to write big checks for the wildlife sanctuary. And Marley has her own secret. A couple of secrets really, which makes for a satisfying read.

A little bit about Tawna:



Tawna Fenske traveled a career path that took her from newspaper reporter to English teacher in Venezuela to marketing geek to PR manager for her city's tourism bureau. An avid globetrotter and social media fiend, Tawna is the author of the popular blog, Don't Pet Me, I'm Writing, and a member of Romance Writers of America. She lives with her fiancé in Bend, Oregon, where she'll invent any excuse to hike, bike, snowshoe, float the river, or sip wine on her back deck. 

She's published several romantic comedies with Sourcebooks, including Making Waves and Believe it or Not, as well as the interactive fiction caper, Getting Dumped, with Coliloquy and Marine for Hire with Entangled Brazen. Her latest Sourcebooks release, Frisky Business, was praised by Kirkus Reviews as "
an appealing blend of lighthearted fun and emotional tenderness."

Tawna's quirky brand of comedy and romance has earned kudos from RT Book Reviews, which nominated her debut novel for Contemporary Romance of the Year, and from the Chicago Tribune, which noted, "Fenske's wildly inventive plot & wonderfully quirky characters provide the perfect literary antidote to any romance reader's summer reading doldrums."

You can find Tawna at:




Monday, April 21, 2014

Self-awareness and character building

Do you get the feeling that you know your characters a bit too well? Know her past with accuracy. Understand her feelings intuitively. Vouch for her actions 100%?

Are you sure your character is not you?
When I started working on my current WIP a few years ago a lot of my MC was me. She was timid, shy, lost, passive-aggressive and had mommy issues. My critique group gave me pointers about character development and ideas on how to build character consistency. I took notes. A very wise writer told me how it was difficult for me to see the character inconsistencies since so much of me was wrapped in my MC. Dutifully, I wrote that sentence down, too.

You see, I had no idea that a big part of me was my MC! It took me several months to realize that. And when I did, it struck me as doubly strange that someone I knew as well as myself came out so inconsistent on the page.

We all write a bit of ourselves in each of our characters. Memories, personal ticks, family occasions are all fair game. But I had done something more. I had drawn a caricature of myself and conveniently called it my main character. What I needed to do was take myself out of my MC with precision and build a character that was more truthful to my story, not necessarily one that came to me more easily.


Of course, before doing this I had to research the phenomena. What good writer wouldn’t! When I read up on it, author interviews touched on this topic. Most authors either embrace the concept that the central character is semi-autobiographical version of themselves or completely disassociate themselves from their MCs. It was a recurring theme, which made me feel less alone dealing with the issue while at the same time forced me to confront the amount of work needed to be done to build a character who was true to my story.

So, 1), I journal-ed more from my character’s point of view. I gave her scenarios to see how she would react. I’d get up in the morning and make notes about the weather from her POV; I’d spend a few minutes at the end of the day summing it up from POV.

On other days, I’d write my own journal to build my own self-awareness. To see what my reactions were like. To understand my own POV. To look at my writing style to see how it was different from my MC’s.

2) Then, I asked myself what was the problem my MC was trying to solve. What was the reason for her journey? While this was easy to answer, I had to look hard and deep inside myself to see if this was something I was struggling with as well. Whether my MC and I were looking to solve the same thing or had different issues just being aware of the similarities/differences was enough to build a more truthful character.  

A lot of my character inconsistencies came about because I needed to be more aware of myself and understand myself better. When this happened, I got better insight into my MC and what her journey was.
Self-awareness is key when writing a story and building a character. We tend to focus so much on the MC, our plot and our story that we tend to forget about the person who is actually creating the world. A bit of self-awareness goes a long way.


What do you think? How have you created your characters? How much of you is in your characters?