Category Archives: Paranormal
Gearing Up For Summer Reading…
Okay, if this cover doesn’t get you going, I’m not sure what will. This cover is a just a tiny hint as to what to expect on the summer reading list this summer.
Forged by Magic Origins is a collection of short stories, featuring the characters from the Forged series. This is the first out of two prequels to the series. Each story is told from a different character point-of-view. Find out the details about how the Amulet and the Dasht-e Kavir have been created, and how the powers of the Universe opened the gates to other dimensions, letting some terrifying supernatural creatures into the Human World.
If you’ve read the first in the series, Forged by Greed, you won’t want to miss this. If you haven’t yet treated yourself, then now is the perfect time.
To make it super easy, here are a few ways to get to know Angela and her work:
Forged by Greed – Book One in The Forged Series – Amazon UShttp://www.amazon.com/Forged-Greed-ebook/dp/B009CLCDTO/ref=la_B009CY4Z06_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1350419064&sr=1-1%2F%3Ftag%3Dfuzzy0f-20
Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Angela-Orlowski-Peart/e/B009CY4Z06/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
Website: http://www.angelapeart.com/
Newsletter signup http://eepurl.com/o6syT
Facebook Author Page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Angela-Orlowski-Peart/280412012074496?ref=hl
Goodreads Page http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6469948.Angela_Orlowski_Peart
Twitter handle @Angela_Peart
Pinterest Page http://pinterest.com/angelapeart/
Celebrate the Indies!
SOULSTICE – Cover Reveal
Photo session with Wrenee for the cover of Soulstice
I’ve been busy, busy, busy putting the final touches on my latest project, Soulstice, the companion novella to Souled. This novella puts a spotlight on Alyx, who, in Alyx’s own words, is the “dark, totally misunderstood, totally underestimated, misfit” of Sandpoint High School.
I adore Alyx – her strength, courage, and her mysterious background. What makes her qualified to stand up to Seth in his dark hours? What was her path that brought her to be who she is?
Although she will have floor time in the upcoming sequel, I wanted to satisfy the curiosity of many of the readers who’ve asked me, “Who exactly is Alyx?”
I’m fortunate and eternally grateful that my friend, and outstanding author, Fabio Bueno (his novel Wicked Sense is definitely one of my favorite reads), has taken it upon himself to give me a shout out on his blog and share with you the cover of Soulstice.
In continuing the theme of “keeping it local,” the beauty on the cover is Wrenee, a student here in Sandpoint, Idaho. Once again, Sandpoint produces a teen professional enough to step up and handle something as important as the cover of a book. Add to that the makeup expertise of Kimberlee Langford, creative cover design by Crystalyn Abercrombie (my tattoo artist), and photographer, Victoria Melendez.
Curious yet???
Then please head on over to Fabio’s site to check out the cover and to learn a bit more about what the story is all about!
Getting By With A Little Help From My Friends
With so much information out there on the internet, with so many websites to sift through, anyone wishing to get information to a targeted market is up against a lot of competition.
As writers, we look to our friends and family to spread the word and, of course, they always come through. And within our online community, we are fortunate enough to have other writers and readers who open their blogs freely to lend a hand as well.
I want to take this opportunity to thank those bloggers who helped me reveal my new cover of Souled this past week. Please support them by visiting their blogs. They really are awesome peeps!
And a huge thank you to everyone who shared on Facebook and Twitter!
Cover Reveal – Souled Gets a Makeover
Change is good. Change is positive. But it doesn’t make it any easier to let something go…
As much as I adored the original cover of Souled, I felt a change was needed to encompass more of the essence of the novel, which, in addition to ancient sorcery, was a story of love so absolute, so pure, it could transcend ordinary reason.
And because the location of the story took place in North Idaho, I wanted to include the community of Sandpoint in the Souled experience.
I was fortunate that Scott and Elaina, “regular” teens in Sandpoint, agreed to be the models for this cover. Although neither of them are professional models, they handled themselves like pros and gave the photographer, Victoria McCune, 100% effort. And in my opinion, it shows.
Also helping to put a professional touch to the make-up part of the session, I was thrilled to have Kimberlee Langford, make-up specialist, on board.
The tattoo design from the original cover, designed by Crystalyn Abercrombie, was definitely kept as part of this cover as that is a constant symbol in the story (as well as tattooed firmly onto my own body). Steve McCune pulled together all of the pieces to create the final cover.
It’s been incredible working with the people in the community on something such as this project, because after all, it’s their town, their turf, and their support of the novel is very important.
I’ve had a lot of fun so far and I hope you enjoy this cover as much as I do.
Slenderman Sighting in North Idaho?
This weekend past was a busy and incredibly productive one. Not only did I have the chance to hang out with my cousin and her husband, but they helped me do a total and complete makeover of the cover to my Young Adult Paranormal novel, Souled, which will be revealed on Friday. It’s totally unique in the fact that I was able to use local teens for the photo shoot. They stepped up and did such an incredible job! I can’t wait to show you all! So stay tuned for Friday’s post when I give you the low down on the new cover.
This post is going to deviate a little from my norm as I fulfill a promise I made to my #slenderman Twitter peeps for pictures.
This weekend, I took my cousin and her husband to a house I own in North Idaho (which I no longer live in) to show them around. It’s the home I referred to in a previous post. The home sits on a beautiful and heavily-wooded 5 acres with lots of places to roam and hide. There are places that are really magical alongside of some creepy pockets of slash created by previous loggers. We walked around the property and got some really interesting pictures. With all of the interest in Slenderman, and my son’s insistence that I don’t even think about it (which of course I did after that), I’m wondering. Did I draw him to me? And where the heck does he really live?
You’ll have to click on the pictures to see what I’m talking about…
My cousin’s husband and I checking out the neglected garden. Look closely on the right of the photo…
I was showing them the faery glen but – fortunately I was looking the other way – we had a close encounter of another kind…
So what do you think? More than one Slenderman? Fact? Fiction? Our overactive imagination? You tell me. Should we start a new hashtag of #slenderheads?
Come back Friday to check out the new cover for Souled. It’s got a whole new feel to it. I think you’ll agree.
CRAZY S**T MY BOYS OBSESS ABOUT – THE SLENDERMAN
Truth – for the most part we use our internal radar to weed out falsehoods from fact. We could have hard-core facts (pro or con) shoved in our face about something, but whether a particular subject resonates with us or not determines if it becomes a belief. If a belief somehow serves us, we’ll fight to hold onto it.
Two years ago my oldest called me over to his computer, totally freaking out.
The second of the original Slender Man images, by Victor Surge – alastairstephens.com – Do you see him under the trees?
J: “Mom! Look at this! The Slenderman!”
Me: What is that?
J: The Slenderman! Oh, my God, Mom. You have to see this picture of him! He’s real!
Me: Seriously?
J: Yeah! If you look at him, you’ll die!
Me: So they guy who took this picture is now dead?
J: Probably! But not everyone can see him so those are the ones who are safe.
*eye roll*
For those of you who don’t know about the Slenderman, here is an explanation from ufosearchonline.com:
“Slender Man (or Slenderman, depending on how you spell it’s name) is described as wearing a black suit strikingly similar to the visage of the notorious Men In Black, and as the name suggests, appears very thin and able to stretch his limbs and torso to inhuman lengths in order to induce fear and ensnare his prey. Once his arms are outstretched, Slender Man’s victims are put into something of a hypnotized state, where they are utterly helpless to stop themselves from walking into them. Slender Man is also able to create tendrils from his fingers and back that he uses to walk. Whether Slender Man absorbs, kills, or merely takes his victims to an undisclosed location or dimension is also unknown as there are never any body’s or evidence left behind in his wake to deduce a definite conclusion. Slender Man is most often seen as a tall, extremely thin man with long, strange arms, and a face that no two people see the same way (if they see any face at all). Where he comes from is as much a mystery as what he wants.”
*Big sigh* How could it be that my son had so readily accepted, albeit with a fit of tears, that the Easter Bunny wasn’t real when I broke the news to him? (Yeah, yeah, yeah. In my defense I thought he already knew and was just going along to make me happy.) My son had eventually figured out that I was Santa Claus and took that with relative grace when I confirmed his suspicions. The bottom line – he trusted me enough to accept my truth.
But in the case of Slenderman… no dice. Nothing I said would convince him. The fact that this mythical creature existed obviously resonated with him. I can’t possibly begin to understand that one, but until we moved out of our house on five forested acres, he refused to go outside after dark, swearing to me that one night he saw the Slenderman peek around the corner at him while he waited for the dog to come back inside. And now that we’ve moved into town? My son is always out after dark. Apparently the Slenderman doesn’t like to hang around the lake or Starbuck’s after dark. But in the heavily treed areas…
Look… over my shoulder… Um. Yeah.
There’s only so much we can do to protect our children from beliefs that freeze them up or make their imaginations go wild. At this point, this is one of those things I have to file in the “Let It Go” folder. He’ll figure it out… I hope.
If you really like stories that make you wonder… what if, check out Souled, a novel about what happens when a high school wrestler invites another soul to inhabit his body. You can purchase it for $2.99 on Amazon. Just click and download. Easy.
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.
Sex Sells, But Should Young Adults Buy Into It?
It’s everywhere we look – In magazines, television, movies, books, bedrooms, back seats of cars…you the idea. There’s no escaping it. I don’t care how “good” we claim to be, we’ll look. We’re curious about the body, what it looks like (more importantly, what other bodies look like). Let’s admit it and move on – naked bodies or scantily clad bodies – are a complete turn on. We shamelessly flock to online sites en masse and hoot our approval. For the males, they have the Hooter Girls, the Jaegermeister models, and a long list of others scantily clad women toting tools, beer bottles, and motorcycles.
Us women love, love, love it! We create it! Look at what CJ West is doing for the cause! (By the way, comment on his challenge post and you could win a $500 Amazon gift certificate – but the biggest prize is to get CJ shirtless!)om 1953…
What about brain candy? Look at the success of Fifty Shades of Grey. Sex, sex, and more sex. And the public is eating it up! Then there’s Gabriel’s Inferno and the eagerly anticipated The Winemaker’s Dinner (available July 31, 2012). It’s all about the seduction that makes us squirm (in the very pleasurable sense of the word).
Which brings me to my original topic. How young is too young for readers to be exposed to sex in literature? Where should we draw the line? Should we draw the line?
I’m not advocating it one way or another, because that is a purely personal opinion for authors and the parents of young readers to deal with. What I have observed, though, is the fact that these young adults are getting younger and are already well-schooled about the ins and outs (yes, pun intended) of sex, the very same stuff some of us try to keep out of their hands.
Let’s face it. The act of sex is primal. Used for procreation or not, there is, at various levels, arousal. None of us are immune to it.
In my day job as a medical transcriptionist, I’ve lost count of how many reports I’ve typed regarding 14-year-olds who go to the emergency room due to complications from their pregnancy. As much as I’m against babies having babies, the reality is that they know all about sex and keeping it out of books probably isn’t going to stop them from doing the wild thing. In fact, they’ll see it, read it, and do it if they want.
A friend of mine understands that mentality, and even though her son is only 14 years old, he has a girlfriend, so she keeps a stack of Trojans within his reach. Just in case.
When I was in seventh grade, there was a couple who spent every lunch, every recess playing throat hockey and copping feels. Sheesh. If they did that in public, one could only guess what they did in private.
I’ve been told by a few teens that they’ve read my novel, Again, which has a few choice sex scenes ranging from sweetly intimate to raw. (My guess is that they actually skimmed the book for the “best parts” and ignored the rest.) And they seemed rather proud of themselves for having read it. I totally cringe at the thought, but then I remind myself of the time when I was 12 or 13 and the stuff I got my hands on. *shrugs* Whaddya gonna do?
I’m not going to tell you if I wrote any sex into my next Young Adult novel, Souled, or not, because that would be a total spoiler, but suffice it to say, I kept it as real as possible. I would love to hear your thoughts. Is there a line you draw as a reader or writer? What are your beliefs?
