Blogger Spotlight Tour: Julie from The Book Review

This tour is hosted by Justine from The Closet Library & Jazmen from This Girl Reads A Lot.

 

I'm happy to welcome Julie from The Book Review to my blog!

About the Blog

On The Book Review, Julie writes reviews for all different kinds of books. She also posts cool author spotlights. Be sure to check out her fantastic blog!

Blogger Interview

Why did you begin blogging?

I started blogging so that I could become a full time book reviewer.

What is something you learned while blogging?

Blogging introduced me to a great community people. I learned that people are willing to help each other.

Best part about blogging?

I love sharing the books I've read with others. I also like helping authors gain exposure for their work.

What book do you think everyone should read?

Well, it's sounds like a cliché, but I still think "To Kill a Mockingbird" is the one book everyone should read at least once.

Which genre do you prefer?

I read most genre's at least a little, by my "go to" genre would be mysteries.

Who is your favorite heroine?

Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice

What book would you want to be a movie?

I'm not all that crazy about most movie adaptations of my favorite books. Hollywood gets it wrong so much of the time. But, if they did it right, I think the Eve Dallas novels would be great on the big screen. (Nora Roberts- J.D. Robb)

What is your favorite quote?

Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved reading. One does not love breathing. ( Harper Lee from To Kill a Mockingbird)

If you could live in any book world which world would it be? Why?

That's a hard one. I think maybe a Julia Quinn novel. Regency period historical romance would be fun to experience. I would love to wear one of those gowns and attend a ball. I wouldn't want to stay long though, too many rules and no women's rights.

If you could meet any author (alive or dead) who would it be? Why?

 Dorothy Eden. Dorothy wrote romantic suspense in the late fifties through the seventies. Her books were occasionally marketed as Gothic mystery/romance. But, I think Dorothy has been a great influence on the romantic suspense novels we read now. Her plots were well ahead of their  time. I would love to pick her brain.

Find Julie on...

The Book Review

Twitter

Goodreads

Email

Blog Tour: Dualed by Elsie Chapman

Author Interview

I'm excited to welcome Elsie Chapman, author of Dualed to my blog!

How did you come up with the idea for Dualed?

Hi Erika! It was my son’s question that started it all. He asked me once if I thought it was possible we all had doubles out there and that maybe we simply didn’t know about them.

What was your favorite scene to write?

I really enjoyed the scene when West sees her Alt for the first time. As cheesy as it sounds, it was just this strong image I had in my head that I wanted to get down on paper before I forgot all the little details. I think what’s in the book today is still pretty true to that first draft.

Which character is most like you?

None of them, I don’t think. No one character, anyway. I’m sure bits and pieces of me are in most of the characters, though.

You or your Alt? Only one will survive.

The city of Kersh is a safe haven, but the price of safety is high. Everyone has a genetic Alternate—a twin raised by another family—and citizens must prove their worth by eliminating their Alts before their twentieth birthday. Survival means advanced schooling, a good job, marriage—life.

Fifteen-year-old West Grayer has trained as a fighter, preparing for the day when her assignment arrives and she will have one month to hunt down and kill her Alt. But then a tragic misstep shakes West’s confidence. Stricken with grief and guilt, she’s no longer certain that she’s the best version of herself, the version worthy of a future. If she is to have any chance of winning, she must stop running not only from her Alt, but also from love . . . though both have the power to destroy her.

Elsie Chapman's suspenseful YA debut weaves unexpected romance into a novel full of fast-paced action and thought-provoking philosophy. When the story ends, discussions will begin about this future society where every adult is a murderer and every child knows there is another out there who just might be better.

Click here to read my review of Dualed

Book Tour: Power by Theresa M. Jones

Author Interview & Giveaway

When did you first realize you wanted to write a book?

Well, I'm pretty sure that I wrote my first book in 3^rd grade. I was so proud of myself for filling in an entire 150 page spiral and I still have that “book” too. So, I guess ive always known that I wanted to be a writer. Though I didn’t get serious about it until 2009 when I came up with the idea for Power.

What was your inspiration for writing Power?

I thought of the idea one night when I was at home after putting my daughter to bed. I thought about how cool it would be if my life had more meaning. I was a young single mom at the time, so you can see a lot of that in Power.

What research did you have to do?

I had to research about the Sierra Nevada Mountains, where the Compound is located in Power. And I did some research into Greek mythology. But that was about it. The rest I already had stored in my fuzzy little brain.

What was the most challenging part of writing Power?

Finding the time to write. I think that is still the hardest part of writing for me. Just finding the time to write my stories down!

What was your favorite scene to write?

Well, I loved writing the romance scene between Allison and David! Writing about how they grew to love and respect each other!

Which character did you enjoy writing about the most?

Allison,the main character. She is largely based on me and my life. And of course her daughter, Samantha.

What are three words you would use to describe the main character in Power?

Impatient. Strong. Passionate.

What author/book influenced your writing the most?

Umm… this is a hard one. There isn’t a specific author that has influenced me, so much as there are multiple authors. I love MANY authors. Jennifer L Armentrout. Jessica Sorensen. Lauren Oliver. JK Rowling. Veronica Roth. (just off the top of my head)

Did you suffer from writer's block? If so how did you overcome it?

No, writers block was never really an issue for me. I had to take so many breaks in my writing due to life circumstances (getting married, having another child, work, school, etc) That I never had time to actually develop any kind of writers block. At least not yet… *Crosses fingers*

Are you working on anything new right now?

I just finished editing the second book in The Descendant Trilogy, Hope. And will be starting a new Fae series soon!

Thousands of years after the battle between the angels, when Lucifer was defeated by Michael in the Heavens, the war is still being fought on Earth by the humans who have their Power, the Angel’s Power.

Allison Stevens is a 21 year old single mother who gets thrown into the middle of this battle when Damien, the Leader of the Rising, decides to hunt her down and kill her because he fears she is the descendant prophesied to save the world.

David, a member of the Order, takes Allison under his wing in order to show her the ropes, and hopefully groom her into being the one they have been waiting for. The only problem is that they start to grow more attached than a teacher/student relationship should allow.

But that isn’t all. Damien wants to open the Seven Seals and bring about the apocalypse and it’s up to Allison to not only save herself and her family, but save the world, all while trying to keep her heart from breaking.

No problem… right?


POWER is the first book in a New Adult (Mature YA) Paranormal Romance Trilogy and is the debut novel for author Theresa M Jones.

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Author Bio:

Theresa M Jones is just a regular small town, Texas girl. When she isn't at work at a local Medical Equipment provider,you can find her at home with her husband and two beautiful (and rambunctious) kiddos.

In her spare time- as if there ever was such a thing as "spare time" - she reads and reviews books on her book blog, and writes paranormal romance novels.

POWER (The Descendent Trilogy #1) is her debut New Adult (Mature YA) Paranormal Romance novel.

 

Find the author on:

Twitter- @MrsTheresaJones 

Goodreads: Author Theresa Jones 

Blog: Keepin Up with the Joneses In the Book World 

Facebook: TheresaMJones

Blog Tour: Stitch by Samantha Durante

 

Stitch by Samantha Durante
Release Date: August 1st 2012
Series / Stand Alone: Book #1 In the Stitch Trilogy Series
Genre: Paranormal Romance and Dystopian Sci-Fi  
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Her heart races, her muscles coil, and every impulse in Alessa's body screams at her to run... but yet she's powerless to move.

Still struggling to find her footing after the sudden death of her parents, the last thing college freshman Alessa has the strength to deal with is the inexplicable visceral pull drawing her to a handsome ghostly presence. In between grappling with exams and sorority soirees - and disturbing recurring dreams of being captive in a futuristic prison hell - Alessa is determined to unravel the mystery of the apparition who leaves her breathless. But the terrifying secret she uncovers will find her groping desperately through her nightmares for answers.

Because what Alessa hasn't figured out yet is that she's not really a student, the object of her obsession is no ghost, and her sneaking suspicions that something sinister is lurking behind the walls of her university's idyllic campus are only just scratching the surface...

The opening installment in a twist-laden trilogy, Stitch spans the genres of paranormal romance and dystopian sci-fi to explore the challenges of a society in transition, where morality, vision, and pragmatism collide leaving the average citizen to suffer the results.

Read a Chapter Sample of Stitch by Samantha Durante   
 

About the Author

Samantha Durante lives in Westchester County, New York with her husband, Sudeep, and her cat, Gio. Formerly an engineer at Microsoft, Samantha left the world of software in 2010 to pursue her entrepreneurial dreams and a lifelong love of writing. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology, Samantha is currently working full time for her company Medley Media Associates as a freelance business writer and communications consultant. Stitch is her first novel.  

Top 5 Things I Love About Being an (Indie) Author by Samantha Durante: 

I recently published my first novel, Stitch, and though I’m still new at this whole “author” thing, it’s really been a dream come true!  To celebrate, here are the top five things I LOVE about being an author (so far!), in no particular order:

1. Total empowerment.

There were a lot of reasons I decided to go the indie route when publishing Stitch, but by far the main one is that I’m a bit of a control freak and I really liked the idea of having final say over every little detail of my book.  I worked with an artist to design the cover, devoted painstaking hours to formatting the e-book versions, and made the final decision about every word, every punctuation mark, and every plot twist.  While this is a little scary (after all, I know there are people out there who can do all of these things far better than me!), it also means that the success of my book lies solely on my shoulders…  And therefore, as long as I’m willing to put in the work (which I am!), I know my book will do well!

2. My book IS me.

Following with #1, since I didn’t have to get sign-off from a publisher, I could write about whatever I wanted, even a genre-bending thriller that combined paranormal romance and dystopian sci-fi in one (yes, one!) book.  I pulled in ghost lore, super-geeky spacetime physics, post-apocalyptic scenarios, a biological pandemic, and of course, a kick-ass female protagonist and sexy-but-sensitive male lead.  And yes, the fact that my book does not fit squarely into one genre makes it kind of difficult to market (which is why the traditional publishing industry would be wary of it), but it is full of the things I love.  And since – as an independent author – I have the exclusive right to decide what gets published under my name, the fact that I was excited about my book and believed in it was all that mattered.

3. Quick delivery to readers.

The other big factor that drove me to go indie was the ability to get my book to market QUICKLY.  It can take months – even years – for a first time author (going the traditional route) to find an agent and a publisher and go through the editing and revision and publication process.  Even though part of me wanted the validation of having credible industry professionals sign-off on my work before it went to the public, a bigger part of me just REALLY wanted to share my book with readers NOW (and the thought of waiting that long to get my book out was like a knife to the gut!).  By publishing the book myself, I was able to get it to readers only weeks after it was done, instead of months/years (and now that readers are clamoring for part two of the trilogy, I’m really glad that I’ll be able to get it to them as soon as I can!).

4. Bloggers, bloggers, bloggers.

WOW.  I have never met a more supportive and encouraging community of people than the world of book bloggers.  Since I am doing all my marketing myself (notice a theme here? :-), I’ve been in personal contact with literally hundreds of bloggers since my book and blog tour launched a few months ago, and each and every one of them has absolutely blown me away.  There’s just been an incredible outpouring of assistance and enthusiasm from the blogging community, and I feel SO grateful to have made contact with all of these amazing people.  Thank you SO MUCH to all of the bloggers who have helped me promote Stitch!  You guys are amazing!!

5. Reader commentary!

Last but CERTAINLY not least are the readers themselves!  It has been just INCREDIBLE to share Stitch with so many people and to hear their feedback and see them getting excited about the story the same way I am.  Stitch is definitely a different sort of book, and I have to say, even though I knew I loved the story, I didn’t know if most readers would feel the same.  So when 4- and 5-star reviews started popping up all over the internet, you can only imagine how gratifying that felt!  I’ve read every review that’s been posted online and it always makes my day to hear that someone enjoyed the book.  I’m SO indebted to every reader who’s taken the time to read and talk about Stitch!  Nothing is more motivating than passionate fans who are itching for the next installment – I can’t WAIT to get started on the next one for you guys!

Learn more about Samantha on her website

Find Samantha Durante All Across The Web:

Facebook Page For Stitch • Facebook Author Profile •  Stitch on Goodreads • Samantha on Goodreads • Twitter • Librarything • Shelfari

Excerpt

Nikhil and Alessa were pressed together ever closer by the crowd, their bodies moving as one in time with the music.  Alessa could feel the hair sticking to the back of her neck as her skin started to glisten, but she didn’t care.  She threw her arms up and tossed her head with the beat, reveling in the moment.

Nikhil gently placed his hands around Alessa’s hips, seemingly mesmerized.  The crowd swelled and they were pressed together once more, his arms wrapped around her waist, her hands on his taut swimmer’s chest and shoulders.  He leaned over, nudging his face so close to hers that she could feel the heat rising off his skin.  Alessa parted her lips and looked up at Nikhil, preparing to surrender to her body’s impulses.

But instead of the dark brown eyes she expected, she saw only blue.  Unfathomable, sparkling blue, glittering with facets of ocean and sky, boring deep into her soul and clutching at her heart.  Once again, a single word rose in the back of her throat – Isaac – and she knew this night was over.

Giveaway!

Enter the giveaway HERE!

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Blog Tour Review: Walking in the Shadows by Cassandra Giovonni

Walking in the Shadows by Cassandra Giovanni
Published: October 19, 2012
Publisher: Self Published
Pages: 358
My Rating:  3.5 of 5 stars

Synopsis: Seconds seem like a lifetime when the life you lived is slowly drained out of you by those who care not what you felt, hoped, or dreamed. When the darkness comes it is all-consuming; there is no light and there is no pain. It is the never-ending loss of hope that now consumes me as I die in his arms.

This is Abigail Martin’s nightmare. After her parents become the first victims of a serial killer obsessed with the vampire saga, "Crimson Reign," Abigail does the only thing that she thinks will save her from her parent’s fate–she becomes some one else. As Vera MacIntrye, she falls in love with the very handsome Tad Knightley, and then walks into her first day at her new school to see him standing at the front of the classroom. He’s every teenage girls fantasy, but as he writes “Mr. Knightley: AP British Literature” across the white board Vera realizes the one person who filled the gaping hole in her heart will soon rip it wide open again.

Vera struggles to adjust to being a ‘normal’ teenager with very adult responsibilities like paying the rent, buying groceries and making sure that lights stay on, while being drawn time and time again back to her off-limits teacher. What’s worse is he is drawn to her too, and their worlds refuse to stay apart when Tad finds Vera screaming in terror in the parking lot after the winter formal. The murderer has struck again and is getting closer to the next target–Vera. Tad will do whatever he can to save her, even if it means losing his dream job, but will it be enough when the murderer is closer than anyone ever thought?

My Review: I don't think I've ever read about book about a student teacher relationship so as far as that goes I don't have much experience reading about them. I actually really enjoyed reading about Vera and Tad's relationship even though I thought it was a little too much for me at times. I guess that was because you didn't get to see them fall in love, you just saw them already in love.

So going into this book I had expected more mystery. I'm not exactly sure why because this isn't exactly a mystery book its like a romance book with murders. But that's not a bad thing because I actually really enjoyed Vera's relationship with Tad. I also loved Jaz. That girl was my favorite character. She was just an awesome friend to Vera when she needed someone.

The entire murder part of the book was actually very creepy. The murders were based off of the book Crimson Reign which is kind of like the Twilight of that world. I find it extremely creepy how someone would murder someone by draining their blood like a vampire if they weren't a vampire. Then that got me thinking well what if someone started basing murders off of the Twilight books? Now that would be scary. Imagine a sparkly vampire death...

I totally knew who the murderer was. It was very obvious and the murderer was a true psycho. It makes me shiver just thinking about how/why she murdered people. It was sick, but in a sort of sick way I like reading about that.

So overall I enjoyed reading Walking in the Shadows but it was predictable and  I wish there was more of a mystery.

Cassandra's Website

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