Going Once, Going Twice…SOULED!!!

So, hey!  Amazing that a week has gone by since I released Souled.  Seems like just yesterday I clicked on the publish button.  The days are flying by for me.  I really wanted to take a few weeks off, but already the opening chapter for the sequel is pounding against my door, demanding to be let in.  I’ll see how long I can hold off.

What I would like to do, though, is give you another peek at a section of Souled.  The first passage was revealed when I got tagged in the Lucky 7 game.  So here’s another part of the story:

“Hey.” I pulled Dani against me again and rested my forehead against hers. “Thanks for going with me tonight.”

“I don’t know why you thought I wouldn’t.” Dani leaned back and searched my face. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, definitely.” This night was going to be great. “I love you,” I said.

“Me, too.”

I cupped her face, pulling her close enough to brush my lips against hers, closing my eyes to shut out everything that could possibly distract me from this moment. The dark behind my eyes became darker before it flared, and stopped me mid-kiss. Something didn’t feel right.

“What’s wrong?” Dani frowned.

“Your mom’s coming.” Perfect timing, because I couldn’t explain what was wrong, just that something felt off, as if something bad was about to happen.

Janice appeared in the doorway. “Sorry I took so long. I had to replace the batteries. This darn thing uses them up so quickly. Okay. Get closer,” she said, sweeping her hand through the air, motioning us to get closer.

I draped my arm around Dani and pressed my cheek against her hair, smiling at the lens.

In the split second after the flash went off, I blinked and in that split second of darkness, I saw it.

What the HELL?! Maksim?!

I focused on Dani, squeezing her shoulder and pulling her closer still. I wasn’t feeling so good anymore. “Thanks, Mrs. Parsons,” I managed to say. “I think we’d better go, Dani. Justin is probably waiting for us.” But there was nowhere I could run to hide from what I had seen. And it was more than seeing; it was suddenly knowing the truth. Knowing I had been duped.

I took a deep breath, causing a tremor in my chest.

The voice had a face. Freakin’ A. He had a face.

And that face told me that Maksim was no angel.

~ ~ ~

Slightly curious about what that was all about?  You can download Souled on your Kindle via Amazon, or pick up the print version, which is available through Createspace or Amazon.

As for the winner of the giveaway, I had my youngest draw a name out of the hat, and the winner is Debra Kristi!  Debra, you need to let me know if you’d like the eBook or print version.

As for the rest of you awesome peeps, I appreciate all of you stopping by and leaving me a comment and supporting the book’s release.  I’d like to show my gratitude by offering you an e-version of Souled.    Thank you so much!!

Time To Soul-e-brate!

Soul attachment, as common as a cold, and just as easy to be rid of… sometimes.  Would you know if another entity had hijacked your body?  If you did, what would you do?

Lose yourself in the story of Maksim and Seth, old versus young, good versus badass.  Available on Amazon in ebook format now, with the print version  available within a few weeks.

What 17-year-old boy wouldn’t be tempted by the promise of power and control – no matter what form that promise came in?

Seth knew exactly what he would do with power and control. He’d be well on his way to a wrestling scholarship, his dad could stop working so hard to make ends meet, and he’d forever have the heart of his girlfriend, Sandpoint High’s most beautiful girl.

For Seth, the temptation was much too strong to resist. And why should he? The way he saw it, he had everything to gain.

But when he unknowingly invites another soul to share his body, Seth discovers that not all power is good – especially when it was never his to wield. And when the soul reveals its true intentions, will Seth have the strength to fight it or would death be less painful?

And just for kicks… Check out location pictures and the story behind the making of the cover.

In honor of Souled’s release, I’m giving away a copy, either ebook format or print.  Just leave a comment and I’ll put your name in hat and draw the winner’s name next Tuesday!

Until then… be careful what you buy online!

 

Three Minutes Inside A Book Blogger’s Head

I’d gone through an apple, two yogurts, and a handful of pretzels (I think better when I snack) and still I can’t remember exactly how I stumbled upon Bookish Temptations.  It could have been from any number of avenues.  You know how it is, we’re hanging around Twitter, watching the tweets, something catches our eye, we follow it, which leads us down another vein then to another.  But I do remember the blog post that originally caught my attention, and that was Sexy Sentence Saturday.  I started following Bookish Temptations and looked forward to the day of the week when Bookish posted Book Blogger Confessions, which gave great insight into the workings of this particular book blogger’s mind.

This led me to some reverse thinking.  As authors, we’re constantly looking for avenues through which we can pitch our novels and ways to get noticed.  The book bloggers and reviewers are tremendously helpful in that regard.  We all look to them to help us get the word out.  They rock at what they do:  Reading, reviewing, blogging their thoughts, interviewing us to get inside our head.

But… Have you ever wondered what goes on inside theirs?

This week I decided to turn the tables.  Tamie, from Bookish Temptations, has graciously allowed me to put her in the hot seat and to answer a few of my own questions.  So grab your favorite beverage and enjoy.

Thanks for being here, Tamie.  To start off, what inspired you to start blogging in the first place?

An opportunity presented itself and it sounded both interesting and fun. I’ve been a bookaholic as long as I can remember, and I liked the idea of having a forum to share my passion with others.

Do you remember what your very first blog was about?

I reviewed the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning. I was so nervous the day it published I thought I might throw up or pass out…Seriously.

That’s a huge series to review the first time out, Tamie.  I loved that series.  I’d like to see that review of yours!  Perhaps you can send me a link?  Okay, sorry for the diversion… So, now you have a “team.”  Who are they and what are their special areas of interest?

Debb is the first person I asked to join Bookish. I’d left the blog I started with to begin my own, and after about a month I realized that Bookish needed something. I knew that Debb was an expert where FanFic is concerned, and that a lot of peeps read a lot of it.  So I asked her and happily she said yes.  She then added Annie and together they became a super team on Fridays.

Next I asked Morgan to do a guest post, and I loved it so much I asked him to join us permanently.  He agreed to a once a month deal.  He’s an author and gives great tips during his Wordslinger posts.  He has a fabulous sense of humor too, which is what drew me to his writing in the 1st place.

Gina and Elena came next and at about the same time.  I knew both of them were avid readers, and I was looking for 2 very specific things…more reviews on BT, and quite frankly…I needed a break from posting every day. They’re both excellent reviewers and sounding boards.

Our newest team member is Katiebird.  Debb needed to take some time off, and Katiebird has guest hosted FanFic Friday in the past, so I was thrilled when she said yes.  We’ve also discovered that we’re very alike in a lot of ways…kindred spirits if you will.

Having a team is a great approach!  It definitely keeps the posts diverse.  Do you get a lot of review requests?  If so, which camp makes up the greatest percentage – indies or trads?

It seems to come in waves… a few a week and them BAM! A whole bunch at once. Right now there’s a fairly long waiting list, so I’m really limiting the yeses.  Most of it is indie at the moment.

This next question will help me as well as other authors, I’m sure.  Is there a “protocol” on your site that requesting authors should follow but sometimes don’t?

Yes… anytime an author or publisher/publicist requests a review from a book blog they need to be prepared to furnish a copy of the book. Most know this and offer to do so, but every once in a while a request comes in without mention of a book being provided. In my reply I always let them know what formats we accept and I remind them of our ratings policy. If the book doesn’t rate a 3 or above it won’t be reviewed.

Of all of the books you read, what genres do you prefer?

My personal favorites are Romance, Erotica, Paranormal, and Historical. I also enjoy Mystery/Suspense…just not as much as I used to.

There’s always something going on at Bookish Temptations. Do you find it difficult to find a balance between your extensive blogging and your personal life?

Hmmm… While I do spend a huge amount of time every day doing something in conjunction with the blog I really enjoy it, and let’s face it… I’m not being forced to do it… it’s a choice. I went on a 10 day vacation to Canada in April and I kept in touch every day, but I didn’t spend hours on it, and it didn’t interfere with the fabulous time I had. So for now at least I’m ok with the balance…or lack thereof.

Your blogging is so diverse.  What is your favorite topic to blog about?

O…that’s a tough one. I really love trying to find unique ways to spotlight my favorite authors and their book(s) for example: when I asked several authors to contribute a character Valentine during V-day week, or when I did the Gabriel’s Inferno tour.  I’m doing a fun one again this Wednesday with Gabriel’s Rapture which will be published before this is, and the Sexy Sentence Saturday.  Also, I love writing the Observations posts…they’re usually based on something personal, but I try to bring in something literary based as well.  My favorite meme is the Book Blogger Confessions every other week.  Yeah…that was way more than one

On the topic of author availability, how important is that to a blogger?

I think to have a really great book blog you need to have some good relationships with the authors you feature.  So far I’ve been incredibly lucky in that respect.  (Crosses fingers and toes having said that).

What is your take on the move from trad published to indie published and the overall quality of novels that are put out?

Since most of what I read comes from indie authors/publishers I would say it’s terrific.  Just because an author doesn’t have a “powerhouse’ publishing company behind them doesn’t mean they aren’t amazingly gifted writers.  I’ve seen some peeps complain about horrible editing and lots of errors in indie books, but I just haven’t found that to be true for the most part.  Are there some?  Of course, but I’ve seen books put out by the “big boys” that had them as well.  I have seen that more with self-published authors, but most of the time it isn’t so bad that I just want to throw the book away.  Yes, it can be distracting, but maybe I have a higher tolerance for it than others do.

Do you have a reading preference between trad and indie?

For me… I’m really liking all the indie books I’ve read in the past year. I like trying to bring attention to authors that others might overlook, and in all honesty they’ve been some of the best written and have become personal favorites…so I’m quite happy to be an indie girl.

~ ~ ~

I’m thrilled to hear you say that, Tamie, but then again, I’m a bit biased on the indie movement.

Thanks again, Tamie for stopping by and putting on a different hat for awhile. It’s good to know what goes on inside a book blogger’s mind.

Bookish Temptations is one of the many great book bloggers out there and they have so much to say, and then some!  So swing by Tamie’s blog or hook up with her and her crew on Twitter.  You’ll be glad you did.