Thursday, January 17, 2013
Random give away
Post in comments your favorite paranormal being for a chance to win a Book and swag. The book is PG Forte Scent of Roses and random swag!
Monday, January 14, 2013
Interview with Stacey Kennedy for The Cat's Meow
Thank
you so much for taking the time to be on the blog and for doing an interview
for us! Let me just say The Cat's Meow was amazing!
With
that being said where did the idea for the book to take place in Charleston
come about?
Thanks
for having me by today. It’s great to be here! So, how did I pick Charleston?
Well,
I knew I wanted to have it set in a city with a lot of history, plus a little
spooky, too. It wasn’t hard research. I typed into Google, “America’s Most
Haunted Cities”, and Charleston, South Carolina is one of them. With any cities
I use, I look at pictures on the web and read about the city. It really is just
a fit type of thing and…Charleston felt
right.
What
were you doing when the idea came to you for this book?
Libby’s
character came to me first and she pretty much took over. I can’t remember what
story I was working on when Libby showed herself, but I do remember I was
working on something. I had to stop and jot down ideas for The Cat’s Meow.
Sometimes a character won’t leave me alone, and that was Libby. She kept
harassing me until I finally wrote her story.
How
many books do you plan for the Witch's Brew series?
Three
books for sure, but probably four. I’m not a planner when it comes to books and
usually if I say something, I always do the exact opposite. So, truthfully, I
won’t know until I’m writing each book if there will need to be another. But I
do imagine there will be a few more to come.
When
writing this series do you like to play music in the background? If so what is
on your playlist?
I
don’t listen to music when I write because I like to sing, which of course, I
am awful at, but that’s why I do it alone. If I have music on, I would never
get any work done and would end up dancing at my desk.
In
the next book will we learn more about Kale?
Yes,
definitely! The Cat’s Meow was mostly about Libby and her past, since Kale was
so mysterious. Book Two will be very Kale focused. Not to say more won’t come
from Libby and her past, but we will get more of Kale’s story.
What
was your favorite part of The Cat's Meow to write?
The
magic! I loved every single moment of it!
When
you are writing or plotting a book do the names of the characters just come to
you or does it take awhile for them to present themselves?
I
cannot write a word without characters names. Like I was saying with the city I
set a book in, the same goes for names. I look through a huge database of names
and wait for one to stand out. It always does. When I saw Libby’s name, it
instantly clicked. And Kale…well, what can I say? I have a habit of picking “K”
names for my heroes.
What
goes through your mind when you are writing a villains scene?
Usually
when I write a villain scene it’s in my heroine’s perspective. Like with The
Cat’s Meow, I went through all the emotions Libby does, mostly shock and anger.
I love writing those types of scenes because they are so thrilling,
action-packed, and typically are the fastest scenes for me to write. It’s fun
to write the bad guys!
Libby
found out a lot about herself in The Cat's Meow, in the next book will we learn
more about what she is meant to do with all that she learned?
In
the next book, it will be more about Libby finding herself in her “new” life. It’s
all going to be new for Libby and she is not used to certain rules she’s going
to have to follow. Libby is a very “set in her ways” type of witch, so change
won’t be easier for her. But each book will bring Libby closer to understanding
her abilities and what she can do with them. It’s all about finding her
purpose!
Do
you have any other projects in store?
I
always have new projects on the go—like I said, characters are annoying and
don’t leave me alone…ever!
The
Frostbite series will be completed with two more books coming out very soon. After that, I have a steamy
BDSM series called, Club Sin that will be releasing in the Summer. I’m trying
to finish up the Pact of Seduction series, too. But I’m so excited that
Werewolves Be Damned will be out soon! It is by far my favorite series ever, so
I cannot wait to have those books released!
Do
we know the name to the next Witch's brew book?
You
don’t, but I do! Yes, I’m evil!
Thank
you again for answering all our questions and I certainly can't wait for the
next book
Big
hugs for letting me stop today!
The
Cat’s Meow
Witch’s
Brew Book One
Urban
Fantasy Romance
Publisher:
Entangled Publishing
ISBN:
9781622668571
Release
date: December 13, 2012
A
good witch always has a kick-ass back-up plan.
Libby is an
Enchantress—a witch gifted by the Goddess to conjure spells. When a magical
presence is detected around a recent string of feline slayings, Libby takes the
case to uncover the reasons behind the odd deaths. Much to her displeasure, the
coven also sends a sexy warlock, Kale, to assist her.
While having
the muscle around proves to be useful, fighting the attraction between them is
worse than a hex, especially considering Kale is keeping secrets. But soon,
Libby has bigger problems than the elusive warlock when her spells turn up
clues that point to something far more sinister than slaughtered cats.
Now Libby has
landed herself in the midst of an uprising. She trusts no one and isn’t
safe—not from the warlocks stirring up trouble. Not from the worrisome
rebellion she can’t escape. And certainly not from Kale, who is weaving a very
dangerous spell over her heart.
BUY LINKS:
Entangled
Publishing - http://www.entangledpublishing.com/the-cats-meow/
Books on
Board - http://www.booksonboard.com/index.php?BODY=viewbook&BOOK=1438196&TITLE=The+Cats+Meow&AUTHOR=Stacey+Kennedy
EXCERPT LINK: http://www.staceykennedy.com/the-cats-meow/
BIO:
Stacey
Kennedy’s novels are lighthearted fantasy with heart-squeezing, thigh-clenching
romance, and even give a good chuckle every now and again. But within the
stories you’ll also find fast-paced action, life-threatening moments, and a big
bad villain who needs to be destroyed. She lives in Southwestern Ontario with
her husband and two children. If she’s not plugging away at a new story—which
is rare because her muse is annoying—you’ll find her camping, curling up with
the latest flick, or obsessing over Sons
of Anarchy, Games of Thrones, Supernatural and Dexter.
Stacey
welcomes comments from readers. You can find her at:
Website - http://www.staceykennedy.com/
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/AuthorStaceyKennedy
Facebook Fan
Page - www.facebook.com/StaceyKennedyFanPage
Twitter - https://twitter.com/#!/Stacey_Kennedy
Amazon
Author Page - http://www.amazon.com/Stacey-Kennedy/e/B004G9KR9A/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Undeadly by Michele Vail
Synopsis:The day I turned 16, my boyfriend-to-be died. I brought him back to life. Then things got a little weird...
Molly Bartolucci wants to blend in, date hottie Rick and keep her zombie-raising abilities on the down-low. Then the god Anubis chooses her to become a reaper—and she accidentally undoes the work of another reaper, Rath. Within days, she's shipped off to the Nekyia Academy, an elite boarding school that trains the best necromancers in the world. And her personal reaping tutor? Rath.
Life at Nekyia has its plusses. Molly has her own personal ghoul, for one. Rick follows her there out of the blue, for another...except, there's something a little off about him. When students at the academy start to die and Rath disappears, Molly starts to wonder if anything is as it seems. Only one thing is certain—-Molly's got an undeadly knack for finding trouble....
I honestly haven't read a YA book in a very long time and I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Molly is a necromancer that can make zombies and on her 16th birthday had a dream of Anibus that takes her on the journey of a lifetime. She is finding out who and what she is an meeting some very interesting people along the way.
This book has some great action, true teen-like issues and I loved the zombie story line. I have wanted to read a zombie book because honestly, I wanted to see what all they hype was. I think the way that Michele Vail told this zombie story was excellent. I can not wait until 2013 for the second installment of this book.
I give this book a 5 Hoot rating
I received this book from Netgalley for the sole purpose of a honest review
Monday, November 5, 2012
In the Red blog tour
In the Red threw me a lot
of curve balls and gave me a lot of surprises. It was supposed to be a short
story and it turned into a novel. It was supposed to end where the halfway
point is now. Most surprisingly, in the second half of the book, random side characters
started entering into the picture and making themselves at home. Some of these
were necessary, but one had been just a vague mention in the original story and
suddenly showed up and made herself right at home.
In the original
version, it’s mentioned once that Jeremiah has a sister who has studied fashion
design. That’s where he gets his first pair of red boots from, and what makes
the new pair he’s offered so tempting. That was it. She was a throwaway
mention, a plot device, nothing more. And then, when Jeremiah was at the height
of his fame as J.K. Asmodeus, a conversation came up that made me wonder who he
and his guitarist Baal were talking about. My characters often grow on their
own (Man, I hope it’s just my subconscious because otherwise, I don’t know…).
I’ll get great subplots and tangents just by letting them have a long leash.
This conversation, however, made my ears perk up and made me wonder. Could they
be talking about…naaaaaah. Nah. That was too outlandish. I kept the scene in,
though, because I liked it, but I pushed the thought of including that twist
away.
It kept coming up. And
coming up again. I stopped working on the first half and moved to the second
half of the book. Suddenly she was right there, in the chair beside her brother,
tending to him through a nightmare. She also refused to leave. It was obvious
that he needed a foil for that part of the book, he needed someone to balance
out his attitude and help him stumble along. It took me a few tries and a few
names before I finally realized that Daniella Kensington was here to stay.
She’s an interesting
character and one I like a lot. I don’t know if we’re really all that similar,
but I admire her empathy and her fighting spirit. I like that she has a sense
of humor and that she’s protective of her brother. She knows he’s screwed up,
she flat out tells him he’s screwed up, but she’s there anyway. She refuses to
give up on him, and she refuses to tear into him.
Her appearance helped
me realize that I could write Jeremiah Kensington. Daniela brought out my own
protective nature, and gave me a way to vent my own frustrations with her
brother. Through her eyes I could see that he was just as much a lost, scared,
needy guy as he was a selfish, childish, and cruel rock superstar. He wanted to
be appreciated. He wanted to be liked. Deep down, he knew what he was and
didn’t like himself, either. Through Daniella’s eyes I found my ability to pull
for Jeremiah and tug him along, to try to get the best results for not just
him, but the story, as well.
After a while, though,
her knowing empathy brought up a few questions of my own. How did she know so
much about what he had been through? Why did she not think he was crazy when he
claimed to see strange things? How could she stand to have horrible accusations
slung at her by her own brother?
The revelation was as
shocking to me as I hope it is to those who read the books. Even I raised my
eyebrows and wondered if I wasn’t trying to push the plot along, myself. Yet
there was Daniella in her chair, suddenly relating her own experiences and past
and blowing my mind. Her character was solid for me, and what I was writing in
that conversation between her and her brother where she explains herself…there
was no other option. Of course it was the right answer to fill things in. Of
course it made sense. Of course it was the truth. Of course she would believe
him and not flinch from the crazy things that were pouring out of his mouth. Of
course she would feel sorry for him and be there when the rest of his family
would turn their backs. She would know better than anyone what he was going
through.
Why is that? I would
love to fill in the blanks, but I don’t want to ruin things, so you’ll have to
read the book yourself to get the answers. Keep in mind, though, that it was as
much a surprise to me, and it brought the entire first half of the book back
into focus. I could suddenly finish certain scenes and tie everything together.
I could make everything make sense from beginning to end. Little asides
throughout the book really began to make sense to me, even though I hadn’t gone
into the plot with this subplot in mind, it was the only thing that could fill
in the plot holes. I love happy accidents like that (it you can call it an
accident), and this was pure serendipity.
It was also fun to see
how Jeremiah responded to when Daniella is shown at her most fragile throughout
the story. That was the point where I knew that he had started to evolve, and
become far more interesting than a rock n’ roll evolution of an old fairy tale.
They both ended up surprising me, they both grew on me, and it took a long time
for me to realize that sure, you can plot and outline all you want…but
sometimes the story really does know what it’s doing.
Excerpt
They’re mine. I’m really holding them, Jeremiah realized. I’m holding history that isn’t supposed to exist. When The One took the stage, any competition turned tail and ran. It was said that the one time the singer revealed what he looked like the crowds were moved to tears by his beauty and sophistication, and tore each other apart because they couldn’t get to him. Some said it was a conspiracy that complete copies of his songs didn’t exist because the music was too potent to release to the public. There were people who still worshipped the mystery, the music, the outfits, and the boots.
And now those people would come to him.
“Go on. Try them on,” Jack encouraged. Jeremiah nodded and carefully put the platforms on the floor. Shaking with nerves, the youth sat and guided his feet into the cherry red sheaths. Electricity crackled along his instep and through his toes. He tugged the vinyl up over his calf and gasped. Jeremiah was overtaken by a sudden burn, a sudden ant-crawling of power that worked its way through his skin and into his very soul.
“What the—” he choked. The plastic spasmed, tightened around his foot, and then relaxed. The left boot stretched itself a little higher up his calf and extended its sole and heel a little more to adapt to his needs. Jeremiah thought he had imagined it, but the right boot immediately followed suit. The matching sets of the laces squirmed and rippled, settling into a slightly different pattern than when they were taken out of their box. A quick look around proved
that while everyone in the room was looking, Jack was the only other person that actually saw. “Did they just…?” Jeremiah couldn’t bring himself to say something so bizarre. He barely managed to hold back a cry when a thousand tiny needle teeth nibbled his skin from toes to knees. A tingling sensation spread under his skin and Jeremiah was filled with a rush of violent confidence that almost made him swoon.
“Good. They fit,” Jack said. Only his tiny, mysteriously cruel little smile hinted that he was aware of the boots’ strange behavior.
The longer Jeremiah looked at himself the more he realized that he could do no wrong. My life just changed. With these on my feet, my past is gone. I’m going to be better than I ever thought possible.
All around him the yes-men and hangers-on gaped.
“You look so good!” the store footman practically swooned. His vinyl and lace frock coat danced under the fluttering movements of his hands. His sharp, pale face flushed with excitement underneath the stylized Victorian wig.
“I’m gonna cry you look so good!” the blonde assistant squealed, gripping Jack’s knee as if she’d keel over if she didn’t have it there to support her. “It’s like I’m witnessing history!”
The faces that surround him were positively thunderstruck and at his mercy. The camera kept right on clicking. Jeremiah got to his feet and struck a few more ambitious poses, dropping into a low crouch before kicking a leg up in an insane bastardization of a round kick. It didn’t matter that he’d grown up looking like every other average guy in Middle America. It didn’t matter that he’d been more accustomed to cotton T-shirts and washed-out blue jeans than the clothes Jack had him wearing. The overall look wasn’t complete, but the boots pulled everything together. The added height evened out his lanky proportions. In some unlikely way the platforms made his stubble-sporting, angular face look downright exotic. His eyes blazed liquid brown heat and his dishwater hair almost glowed under the dressing room lights.
Jeremiah sashayed around the tiny space and leapt onto the low podium at the room’s center, full of a burning drive to do something. He wanted to sing. He wanted to rock. He wanted to dance, and he’d never had that sort of urge before in his life. Every school dance he’d ever gone to had involved him either playing in the band or drinking contraband beverages with his friends outside the building. “Guess I’m a natural!” he laughed. He knew he was lying, Jack knew he was lying, but there was no reason for anyone else to know the truth. Why bother with the truth when the image in the mirror was so much better?
He had expected his balance to be shaky in the tall platforms, but it was like the boots were built for him. He hadn't thought to check the size. Maybe The One wasn't the original owner; maybe they conformed to whoever wore them. Jeremiah’s face glowed when he looked at his mirror image. His reflection looked as giddy and ecstatic as he felt. Why do I care what they are? If they work, they work! His eyes dropped to the new footwear. He was just able to see the tiny, warped image of his face in the shiny toes. Everything’s going to be amazing from now on.
As he admired his distorted image via his feet, all of his hang-ups and personality drained out of him. Who needs a personality with boots like these?
Jack Scratch watched his protégé glided round the room, that same tiny, dangerous smile just barely curling his full mouth. "Just think. What you have on represents everything that you want to be," he coached. His words drilled through the rocker's ears and hardwired themselves into the deepest parts of Jeremiah’s heart and soul. "They’re everything you want on your side. These boots are temptation and chaos, just like you. I've got it," he declared. "I've got your name."
"Give it to me," a raspy voice in front of the mirror breathed.
"Forget Jeremiah Kensington: folk singer, blue jean rocker, country boy, small town loser,” Jack breathed, his giant hands fervently patting down his front until he found which jacket pocket his cigarettes were hidden in. It was amazing that he didn’t gouge himself in the chest given the sharpened tip of the massive silver ring that enveloped his right forefinger. The manager leaned back against the sofa and lit up, never once taking his eyes off his new golden boy and meal ticket. “From now on you are J.K. Asmodeus, rock star and corrupter of the masses." A thin plume of smoke stretched up to frame his intense expression.
J.K. looked from Jack to the man in the mirror, saw how the red glitter of the boots was echoed in his eyes. "Yes."
The two ignored the gasps and commentary around them as everyone texted photos and alerted the necessary paparazzi. The pair shared a slow smile as Jack inhaled another draw of nicotine. “It’s time to sign,” he murmured. The smoke crept in front of his face and turned his pleased expression into something that bordered on animalistic. He removed the top sheet of the stack he’d been examining and held it out to the younger man.
I should wait and consult a lawyer. I should take my time. These things need to be done with care, a distant echo of a Midwestern conscience chided. J.K. ignored it, grinned back at his manager, and reached for the fountain pen the manager handed him. His expression was almost as malevolent as Jack’s, though there were still traces of wholesomeness that had yet to drain away. “Let’s do it.”
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