ASPEN cover reveal!

I'm beyond excited right now to share with you a fantastic cover of one of my favorite people ever. 

Check it out: Aspen by Rebekah Crane.

Release Date: January 2014

Category: YA contemporary

Publisher: In This Together Media

About the book

One quiet night in Boulder, Colorado, Aspen Yellow-Sunrise Taylor made a mistake.

In the next instant, her life changed forever.

Aspen doesn't want to remember when Katelyn Ryan, a sleek-haired popular soccer player, crossed the yellow line in her car and smashed into Aspen's. But forgetting is pretty hard- because Katelyn may have died - but she didn't leave. Her ghost is following Aspen around, and heading into senior year, it's kind of a problem. Especially when Katelyn's gorgeous former boyfriend Ben appears to be the only person at school with a clue as to how Aspen feels.

Popularity, college, Homecoming Court, hot guys - none of these things ever mattered to Aspen. She's been busy trying to rein in her giant mass of blonde curls, keep her stoner mother Ninny away from Toaster, her mom's awful bongo drumming boyfriend, and prevent her best friends Kim and Cass from killing - or kissing - one another. But with Ben sitting next to her in Physics looking all too gorgeous, Katelyn's spirit dogging her steps, and her obsessive snow-globe collecting therapist begging her to remember all the things she wants to forget, Aspen is thrust into a vivid, challenging world she can't control … and doesn't want to.

A darkly funny, emotionally gripping story of opening up, letting go, and moving on, ASPEN is about the best-worst accident of your life ... and what comes next. 

Giveaway

Rebekah is celebrating in style! She's giving away a ton of goodies! Check 'em out!

10 eARCs of ASPEN!

1 tie-dye shirt from Moe’s Broadway Bagels in Boulder, CO (an actual restaurant in the story!) 

2 Grateful Dead bumper stickers! Groovy!

5 Friendship bracelets because WHY NOT?!

1 hacky sack! Rad!

3 flower stickers you can stick to your laptop or desk or wherever! Peace, man!

Just enter the Rafflecopter below and you’re on your way to getting some awesome swag!  The giveaway closes a week from today. 

Enter to win here!

About Rebekah Crane

Rebekah Crane fell in love with YA literature while studying Secondary English Education at Ohio University, but it wasn't until ten years and two daughters later that she started to write it. Inspired by her past students, growing up in Cleveland with its fabulous musical theater community, and music of all kinds (particularly the Avett Brothers), she created PLAYING NICE. It is her first published novel, but having an unbridled imagination, it's not the only fantasy world she's lived in (just ask her husband). ASPEN, her second YA creation, is set to release in January 2014. She now lives in Colorado, where the altitude only enhances the experience.

Twitter: @RebekahCrane

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/playingnicebook 

Tumblr: http://rebekahcrane.tumblr.co

Cover reveal: The Long Game by J.L. Fynn

Press Kit- J.L. Fynn

Book Name: The Long Game

Book Genre: NA Contemporary

Book release date: October 7, 2013

The Long Game on Goodreads

Oh my gosh! Isn't this cover gorgeous? I absolutely love it!

The Long Game book blurb:

Smooth talking. Ambitious. Loyal. Twenty-year-old Shay Reilly has proven himself to his Irish-American Gypsy clan on small-scale cons, but now the clan leader has a bigger mission for him: playing the long game. 

To rake in the big score he’s after, he needs to con co-ed Spencer into falling in love with him. He knows he should see Spencer as a mere means to an end, but that’s easier said than done when there’s a witty, attractive girl in your arms. 

Now the only thing that can keep them apart is the thing that brought them together: Shay’s plans of revenge against someone who wronged his clan and family years before—Spencer’s father

About J.L. Fynn

J.L. Fynn is the public face of a private identity. She enjoys making up stories about iniquitous heroes, providing Delphic answers to unasked questions, and obfuscating the truth just for laughs. But then, what’s an author but a professional liar? If you send her an email she might let you in on her little secret—assuming she likes your moxie.

J.L. Fynn on Goodreads

J.L. Fynn on Twitter

J.L. Fynn on Facebook

J.L. Fynn on the web

Join in on the buzz!
The Long Game is looking for readers and bloggers for the upcoming book blog tour October 7th – October 20th!

Sign up to join in on the buzz surrounding The Long Game!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/15yEwhz8iRXRDsvAitDHjZ-9J8Xer62moYpQQgOOPJ3o/viewform

Cover Reveal: Ultraviolet Catastrophe by Jamie Grey

I am beyond excited to be able to share you with the cover of upcoming and awesome YA sci-fi novel Ultraviolet Catastrophe by Jamie Grey!

About Ultraviolet Catastrophe:

Quantum Electrodynamics. String Theory. Schrödinger's cat. For sixteen-year-old Lexie Kepler, they’re just confusing terms in her science textbooks, until she finds out that her parents have been drugging her to suppress her outrageous IQ. Now Branston Academy, a school run by the world’s most powerful scientists, has tracked her down and is dying for her to attend - as a research subject. 

She takes refuge at Quantum Technologies, a secret scientific community where her father works as a top-notch scientist, and begins her new life as girl genius at Quantum High. But the assignments at her new school make the Manhattan Project look like preschool - and Lexie barely survived freshman algebra. 

Her first big assignment – creating an Einstein-Rosen bridge – is also her first chance to prove she can hold her own with the rest of QT's prodigies. But while working with the infuriatingly hot Asher Rosen, QT’s teen wonder, Lexie uncovers a mistake in their master equation. Instead of a wormhole, the machine they’re building would produce deadly ultraviolet rays that could destroy the world. Now Lexie and Asher have to use their combined brainpower to uncover the truth behind the device. Before everyone at Quantum Technologies is caught in the ultraviolet catastrophe.

Add Ultraviolet Catastrophe to Goodreads

Follow author Jamie Grey on Twitter

Like her on Facebook

Musical Monday: Rachel O'Laughlin

Welcome to another installment of Musical Monday! Every Monday I will feature a book and the music that inspired it! This is an awesome opportunity to showcase your book and also inspire other writers looking for new music. In case you missed it, last week's post can be found here.

This week I was lucky enough to feature the incredible author Rachel O'Laughlin!

Coldness of Marek

by Rachel O'Laughlin

Publish Date: August 6, 2013

Book blurb: Serengard has been under Orion rule for centuries — centuries of insufferable adherence to laws and traditions that its people no longer believe in. Raised by her scholarly grandfather in the fiery southern city of Neroi, Trzl is dedicated to turning the monarchy into a free society where knowledge is king and no one has to be subject to the whims of an Orion.

As the rebellion escalates, her choices have an eerie impact on the revolution at large, elevating her to a position of influence she has only dreamed of attaining. But there are downsides to her new power that entangle her in a dangerous web of emotions, appearances and alliances. Even as she plays to the attractions of Hodran, a rich nobleman who wants to aid her cause, she is drawn to Mikel, a loyalist farmer who hates the rebellion but just might be winning her heart.

By the time Trzl realizes she is in too deep, she has an infant son and a dark mess of betrayal and lies. She runs to the furthest corner of the kingdom in hopes that she will be left alone with her child, but she has created too many demons. A figure she once trusted will take her captive in the chilling Cliffs of Marek, throw her back into the political upheaval she helped create, and leave her at the mercy of a man she never wanted for an enemy.

LINKS

Coldness of Marek on Goodreads

Pre-order Coldess of Marek direct from Author

Rachel O'Laughlin's website

Rachel O'Laughlin on Twitter

Rachel O'Laughlin on Facebook

Writing Playlist

Find this playlist also at Grooveshark

 

Why Rachel Chose These Songs for her Playlist

Dreams by The Cranberries
This song is perfect for the opening -- the excitement, the anticipation, the tension of organizing a rebellion to take over Serengard. Trzl meets Mikel while she is in the midst of plotting treachery against the Orion monarchy... whom he just happens to be loyal to. So the feelings she has for him are scary. Especially because the rich and powerful rebel, Hodran, is in the picture, and he's the obvious choice for her.

Head Over Heels by Switchfoot

This is what Mikel feels for Trzl at first. She's different than any girl he knows. She's ambitious and conniving, maybe even a little sinister to his tame sensibilities. He's hooked, but he has to convince her to love him back. And he's pretty bad at it.

Two Points for Honesty by Guster

This is where things start going sideways. They're both selfishly trying to change the other to fit their own lives, and it's not going to work. At the same time, the rebellion is growing in the city and things are starting to turn bloody and ugly.

The Diary of Jane

Mikel has never been in love, but life has always been black and white to him, and he doesn't know how to deal with Trzl's inverted world. The city is about to explode and she is afraid he'll be killed in the uprising. He's stubborn and he won't defect to her side.

Stand by Jewel

Mikel wants Trzl to admit there are evils to her cause, but she sees the people he is loyal to as far worse. They're at an impasse. If she could shout something at him right now, it would be the words to this song.

The Hardest Part by Coldplay

The rebels finally envelop the city in a riot and start a war. People die, everything stings, hurts, and is overall crappy.

This is How You Remind Me by Nickelback

Apologize by Timbaland

These two songs convey the mood at the midpoint of the novel when Lord Marek takes Trzl captive in the Cliffs. Ten years have passed. The two of them are opposing forces who have both been washed up on the shores of a conflict that didn't go as planned. And neither one is willing to forgive the past. At all.

Paper Tiger by Rosi Golan

This is how Trzl views Marek right now. A little flippantly. She's not really afraid of him, but she's not sure what's going on, either. She does her best to play him and maintain the upper hand.

Never Let Me Go by Florence & The Machine

This is what Trzl's life has been for the past six years. The only person she loves is her son, Malcom, and now his life is being threatened. She's let fear and denial push her to this point where she doesn't really feel anything. Now she's tossed into something that should scare the hell out of her, but it's slowly freeing her.

Another Round by Enter the Haggis

One song to give a moment of screen time to Colstadt. He's a sweetheart, utterly unafraid of danger, and everyone loves him.

Begin You by Kate York

This is it for her. She's in deep. I can't tell you about this scene because SPOILERS.

Fall Away by The Fray

(I freaking love The Fray. You have no idea how hard it was to only include one of their songs.) This song says something that each character in the novel needs. They're all running from something or someone. Marek has kind of made himself the keeper of their troubles... Something Trzl finally realizes and lets him do for her, too.

God's Gonna Cut You Down by Johnny Cash

The lyrics don't line up exactly, but this is Gernan's theme song, and is also the overall mood when Marek finally challenges the jerk that hurt Trzl. It's retribution time.

Everybody by Keith Urban

This is undeniably the theme song of Trzl and Marek's relationship. It's bittersweet...and open-ended.

About Rachel O'Laughlin

Obsessed with all things history, Rachel O'Laughlin grew up writing adventure stories and only recently fell in love with fantasy as a genre. She lives in New England with her husband and children, grows roses and tweets often. She adores lattes, The Fray, long drives in the country, and any dark story with a good twist.

Author Website: http://rachelolaughlin.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/rachelolaughlin

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/r.k.olaughlin

Interview with Julie Hutchings, author of Running Home

I have a few guilty pleasures in life, and Julie Hutchings is one of them. If you don't know her, that needs to change. She is a fantastic lady, radio show host, and author extraordinaire. So naturally I was tickled when Julie agreed to come on my site for an interview! 

Julie is the author of upcoming release Running Home, which simply put is a novel about vampires but it's SO much more than that! You can read more about Running Home here . Let's jump to it!

Q. What inspired the book Running Home?

The big one? Having a baby. Being pregnant and having my son made me more afraid than anything I have ever been afraid of. Not that I couldn’t do it, but that I would lose him, or my husband, that one day he would be gone. I have a horrible fear of death, for good reason, and it became enormous when I got pregnant. That’s where the idea of Ellie being followed by death came from. And then on maternity leave, I read Twilight, and wanted that kind of sense of wonder in an ordinary world that it gives you for grown ups.

Q. What was the hardest part about writing your book? The ending? The middle? Or did all of it seem to flow?

It flowed really easily for me, actually, but the hardest part was in editing, getting that first chapter right. The super horrible kill yourself hard part was going back and digging deeper to make sure that Ellie was as complex as she should be. I really struggled with ‘well, what if there’s nothing else to give her? What if this is all she is/this is all I am and it isn’t good enough?’ Ugh.

Q. How long did it take you to write?

About 4 and a half damn years. And it was all in longhand, so then I had to type the whole thing up.

Q. Do you ever dream about the characters in your book?

Nope. Those suckers know when to punch the clock.

Q. What are you reading right now?

Live and Let Drood by Simon R. Green which kicks the ass off of my ass.

Q. What is your writing habit? Wine and snacks? Music and pictures of Robert Downey Junior?

I’m not a wine girl. When I write with Kristen Strassel, there’s beer involved now. A lot. When we used to write together when she lived on the beach, though it was always coffee and hot chocolate. But just about all of my writing happens at home, and I like to get up nice and early, like 5, have a shower, a shitload of coffee, listen to music and bust it up.

Q.  What is your next release going to be? Do you know yet?

I do not! I only have a one book deal for Running Home, though it is most definitely a trilogy.

Take note, booky suitors. ;)

Q. What is your next release going to be? Do you know yet?

I do not! I only have a one book deal for Running Home, though it is most definitely a trilogy.

Q. If you could give on piece of advice to writers out there, what would it be?

Write what the hell you want. Don’t worry about the genre, about the market, about publishing. Write it because you have to write it. That’s what makes a good book.

Q. Where will Running Home be available for purchase?

The scheduled release date is July 22^nd, though it looks like it may be a bit later on the press’s end. The paperback will be out early fall.

Q. Who is your favorite author?

Also by Julie Hutchings

Simon R. Green. I adore the Nightside series, and the Droods, as well as Shadow’s Fall. He’s amazing to me, such an imagination.

Lightning round:

Coke or Pepsi? I don’t ever drink soda. My karate teacher made me quit when I was 15.

M&Ms or Skittles? M&M’s

Coconut or Pineapple? Coconut

Beer or Wine? Beer, always

Hot or Cold? Hot drinks, cold weather

Being attacked by ninjas or being attacked by pirates? Pirates don’t stand a chance. Ninjas.

80’s hair or 80’s spandex jumpsuit? Spandex jumpsuit. David Lee Roth style.

Don't forget to check out Julie's new release- coming soon!

About the Author

Julie’s debut novel, Running Home, an Urban Fantasy  giving you vampires with a Japanese mythology twist will be published by Books of the Dead Press July 22nd, 2013. In the meantime, the Muscle and Wildcard of the Undead Duo is working on the sequel, Running Away, and a new and fun freakshow called The Harpy. Fear not, the Egyptian sex god, The Animal, patiently awaits a second draft. Julie revels in all things Buffy, has a sick need for exotic reptiles, and drinks more coffee than Juan Valdez and his donkey combined, if that donkey is allowed to drink coffee.  Julie’s a black belt with an almost inappropriate love for martial arts. And pizza. And Rob Zombie. Julie lives in Plymouth, MA, constantly awaiting thunderstorms with her wildly supportive husband and two magnificent boys.

How to connect with Julie:

undeadduo@hotmail.com
deadlyeverafter.com
facebook.com/deadlyeverafterblog
Twitter: @hutchingsjulie
http://www.booksofthedeadpress.com

Lovely & Lethal Blog Tour: Elegantly Wasted by C. Elizabeth Vescio

I'm lucky enough to know Cara Elizabeth and I'm even luckier to have read her new adult novel Elegantly Wasted. I'm saving my review for the end of the tour (but it contains squeels and shouts of joy for how well this novel is written and how funny these characters are). But for now, I want to share with you an exclusive excerpt hand picked by Cara herself. Enjoy!

Exclusive Excerpt of Elegantly Wasted

I turned my head slightly towards the clacking of heels on the stone floor of the cold church.

Addison Fairholm knelt quickly at the edge of the pew and instead of the usual father-son-holy-spirit motion, she raised her middle finger towards the coffin and brushed herself quickly into a sitting position beside me.

"Nice of you to show up," Kat's eyes were hidden under big Gucci sunglasses. She liked to pretend she was more important than she was and that meant wearing sunglasses inside. That or the bright light pulsing through the miles of stained glass was way too much for her massive hangover. Then again, I was pretty sure she was still drunk.

"I was trying to pick out the right outfit for this grand finale," Addi whispered harshly.

Sign Up!

Sign up to help reveal the cover for Uncontrollably Wasted (book #2) on July 9th!

Click here to join!  And thanks!

About Elegantly Wasted

On the eve of her high school graduation, proper socialite Francesca “Frankie” Fairholm rebelled against her elitist and controlling family to pursue the dark lifestyle of a contract killer for the enigmatic Osiris Corporation. Years later, with her training complete, she believes she’s doomed to the life of a sociopathic lone gun until a botched hit brings two unlikely allies, her cousins Addison and Katharine. Using Katharine’s etiquette school, Elegance, Inc., as a front, the trio weave through Frankie’s dark underworld, carrying out contracts, drinking too much wine, and trying not to get each other killed. Trouble follows the team home when the death of the cruel Fairholm matriarch reveals more than they ever wanted to know about their family. As the funeral preparations play out, the trio begin to realize there is much more to their employer than meets the eye and their family connections run deeper than they ever imagined.

Add it to Goodreads!

Buy it today!

About C. Elizabeth Vescio

Jack of all trades and stereotypical black sheep, Cara has been writing somewhat dark and morbid since that teen angst hit somewhere in the early 90′s- probably because her dad was a mortician. After pursuing a degree in English, she changed gears to photography and design in 2006… although she kept penning stories for fun while reading the works of Edgar Allen Poe, Oscar Wilde and Hemingway (whom she adores even though he was a huge douche canoe). In 2009, her life shifted considerably and she found herself writing Elegantly Wasted- helping her sort out a bunch of stupid feelings and other lame stuff. She enjoys cynical debates, cupcakes, making her mother-in-law sew her aprons that she never wears, zombies, the Fifth Element and Tomb Raider. She gathers her life inspirations from Neil Gaiman, Julia Child and Paul Simon. When she isn’t out photographing her next project, she’s studying color, concept and design or writing stuff down in hopes it makes sense one day… or she’s on Pinterest. Cara lives in Las Vegas with her husband, John and their three genetically altered dogs all of which have personal vendettas for the guy who cleans the pool.  

 Cara on Goodreads

 Cara on Twitter 

Cara contributes to: Pen and Muse

What's next for the tour?

Check out the listing here!

Darker Days Cover Reveal!

I absolutely love Jus Accardo. I've read all of her books, which is why I'm so excited to help reveal the cover of her new book, Darker Days! Feast your eyes!

Darker Days (Darker Agency, #1)  

by Jus Accardo
 

Synopsis

Jessie Darker goes to high school during the day, but at night she helps with the family investigation business. Cheating husbands and stolen inheritances? They’re your girls—but their specialty is a bit darker. Zombie in your garage? Pesky Poltergeist living in your pool? They’ll have the problem solved in a magical minute. For a nominal fee, of course...

When gorgeous new client, Lukas Scott, saunters into the office requesting their help to find a stolen box, it sounds like a simple case—until the truth comes out. The box is full of Sin.

Seven deadly ones, in fact.

They’ve got five days to recapture the Sins before they're recalled by the box, taking seven hijacked human bodies with them. Easy peasy—except for one thing...

There’s a spell that will allow the Sins to remain free, causing chaos forever. When the key ingredient threatens the life of someone she knows, Jessie must make the ultimate choice between love and family—or lose everything.

 Excerpt

“So not your biggest fan at the moment,” I said, closing the office door behind me. The runofffrom my jeans had soaked my sneakers pretty good. With each step, I gave a slight squishing noise accompanied by an annoying squeak against the old tile floor.

From across the room, Mom stared. “What happened to you?”

            “It attacked me.” Tossing my bag on the couch, I sank into her chair and made sure to grind my butt into the cushion. Got it nice and wet. I was all about sharing the love—and right now, the love was soggy.

            She laughed, waving a folder in my direction. “Surely you’re overreacting. It was one little zombie. They don’t attack people.”

            “I’m serious, Ma. It tried to drown me. And the client assaulted me with ugly footwear. As far as punishments go, I’d say we’re probably square. I’ve learned my lesson.”

            “You’re serious?” Amused expression now replaced by concern, she crossed the room and leaned over her desk to get a better look at me.

            “As a coronary.” Once I was sure the chair had sponged up all it could, I stood and huffed past her. Pulling at my favorite T-shirt—the word Fate inside a blood red heart, is a four letter word on the back—I said, “Child welfare would not be happy to hear you tried to feed your only child to a walking corpse…”

“But why would it attack? Did you provoke it?” Folding her arms, she frowned. “Insult it, perhaps?”

            I winked at her. “Provoke it? Sure. I went and wiggled my ass in front of it yelling lunch just to see what’d happen.” I’d called it Stinky, but that didn’t count as an insult. Something couldn’t be considered an insult if it was true, right?

            Right eyebrow twitching, she fought against a smile. “But you’re okay, right? No bites, broken bones, head injuries, possessions…?”

I smiled and did a little twirl. “All in one piece and still me.”

Mom had a checklist she went through at the end of each job. I was known for taking almost as much damage as I inflicted.

“Oh, and you’re probably going to get a call from the client. I sorta smashed her fence in the process.”

            Mom groaned. “I told you to be more careful.”

            “It’s not like I tried to break anything.”

            “Something tells me you didn’t try hard enough not to break anything, either.”

            “In my defense, it wasn’t a simple trap and slap…”

            “We can’t afford this.” She reached down and pulled a white envelope out from under a stack of papers. “This is the bill for that Mercedes you smashed.”

            “Oh! So not my fault. How was I supposed to know that Spring Heel was gonna land on the car? If it makes you feel any better, I think he was aiming for my head…”

            “If you keep this up, we won’t even be able to afford the rent.”

            She was right, of course, and it made me feel horrible. “I’m sorry. I guess I’m a wrecking ball wrapped in blue jeans. Take my cut of this job and put it toward the repairs. Keep my paycheck for the next month, too.” A good start, but it didn’t feel like enough. Sure, it would cover the damages—I hoped—but I felt guilty about upsetting her. The bills that were piling up kept her awake at night. This was only going to make things worse. We got a fair amount of business, but the overhead in our line of work was sky high.

As much as I hated the idea, I knew what would cheer her up. “I’ll even throw in pet possessions for the next month.”

Find Darker Days

Goodreads

About Jus Accardo

JUS ACCARDO spent her childhood reading and learning to cook. Determined to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps as a chef, she applied and was accepted to the Culinary Institute of America. At the last minute, she realized her path lay with fiction, not food, and passed on the spot to pursue writing. Jus is the bestselling author the popular Denazen series from Entangled publishing and is currently working on the first book in a new adult series due out summer 2013. A native New Yorker, she lives in the middle of nowhere with her husband, three dogs, and sometimes guard bear, Oswald.

Find Jus Accardo

Website: http://www.jusaccardo.com

Blog: http://www.jusaccardo.com/category/blog/

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/JusAccardo

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJusAccardo