SO MANY COVERS!

Look at all these pretty things!! Click the cover to add to goodreads. 

In Amerie's world, the eviliest of souls can escape from Hell and take up residence in human bodies. It's Amerie's job to send the 'Damned' back. But when her mentor, and mother, dies on the job, Amerie quits and falls off the map.

Until Marshall turns up offering her information on who killed her mother in exchange for her to begin hunting again. As Amerie focuses on revenge (and on winning Marshall's heart), Marshall focuses on deception, and his secret could be more dangerous to her than all of the Damned in the world combined.

 

A romantic sci-fi thriller about love and second chances.

Camden Pike has been grief-stricken since his girlfriend, Viv, died. Viv was the last good thing in his life: helping him rebuild his identity after a career-ending football injury, picking up the pieces when his home life shattered, and healing his pain long after the pain meds wore off. And now, he’d give anything for one more glimpse of her. But when Cam makes a visit to the site of Viv’s deadly car accident, he sees some kind of apparition. And it isn’t Viv.

The apparition’s name is Nina, and she’s not a ghost. She’s a girl from a parallel world, and in this world, Viv is still alive. Cam can’t believe his wildest dreams have come true. All he can focus on is getting his girlfriend back, no matter the cost. But things are different in this other world: Viv and Cam have both made very different choices, things between them have changed in unexpected ways, and Viv isn’t the same girl he remembers. Nina is keeping some dangerous secrets, too, and the window between the worlds is shrinking every day. As Cam comes to terms with who this Viv has become, and the part Nina played in his parallel story, he’s forced to choose—stay with Viv or let her go—before the window closes between them once and for all

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near-impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one unlikely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life– a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha… and the secrets of her heart.

And their doom comes swiftly.

It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives – an exclusive house party on Henry Island. Best friends Meg and Minnie each have their reasons for being there (which involve T.J., the school's most eligible bachelor) and look forward to three glorious days of boys, booze and fun-filled luxury.

But what they expect is definitely not what they get, and what starts out as fun turns dark and twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine.

Suddenly people are dying, and with a storm raging, the teens are cut off the from the outside world. No electricity, no phones, no internet, and a ferry that isn't scheduled to return for two days. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on each other, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever imagine?

What do you guys think???

Life Update, with Jensen Ackles

Life Update!! And I used Jensen Ackles to help tell this story, because--let's face it--he makes everything better.

Sorry, I've been scarce these last couple weeks.  I have tendonitis in my right wrist--which SUCKS.

And I am hard at work sifting through the slush pile for Spencer Hill.

And doing critiques for CPs.

And just reading anything I can find.

And I'm going to London in 3 weeks---OMG.

So you know, I'm just here......unable to write, to post, to even type with my right hand. But you know what???

Life is pretty good.

Hopefully, I can write a post next week. Tell me what YOU are up to in the comments. (Or, you know, swoon over Jensen. Either way...)

Everyone have a nice week and remember:
 

All these gifs from http://reackles.tumblr.com/

Cover Reveal: Finn Finnegan

 

 

 

Finn (not bleedin' Finnegan) MacCullen is eager to begin his apprenticeship. He soon discovers the ups and downs of hunting monsters in a suburban neighborhood under the demanding tutelage of the Knight, Gideon Lir. Both master and apprentice are descendents of the Tuatha De Danaan, a magical race of warriors from Ireland. Scattered long ago to the four corners of the world, the De Danaan wage a two thousand year old clandestine battle with their ancient enemy, the Amandán, a breed of goblin-like creatures.

Now with the beasts concentrating their attacks on Finn, he and his master must race to locate the lost Spear of the Tuatha De Danaan, the only weapon that can destroy the Amandán, all the while hiding his true identity from his new friends, Rafe and Savannah, twins whose South African roots may hold a key to Finn's survival. Armed with a bronze dagger, some ancient Celtic magic, and a hair-trigger temper, Finn is about to show his enemies the true meaning of "fighting Irish." 

 

 What do you think of the cover??? I like the spot of blue in Finn's eyes and can't wait to read it!!

 

 

Interview with Jessica Spotswood

I have the immense pleasure of interviewing the debut author Jessica Spotswood. Jessica's book, BORN WICKED, came out on Tuesday. It's a fantastic story about Cate Cahill and her sisters. The girls have a secret: they're witches. And it's the worst thing they can be for their kind are not tolerated. But what happens when their secret is revealed?

Note: it's WAY better than that. Just read the interview.

If you could be any item on a Mexican restaurant menu, what would you be and why? 

Salmon tacos with fresh salsa & cilantro! They’re my favorite. 

Tell us about your book in 6 words or less.  

Witches & sisters & kissing! 

Who are your two favorite characters in BW? What can you tell us about them in 5 words or less? 

Cate: stubborn, protective, loving sister 

Finn: clever, brave, handsome bookseller

Did you have to research about anything in BW? What are some things you learned and how did they shape the novel? (if you can tell without spoiling) 

One of Editor Amazing’s notes in my edit letter was to “ruffle my corsets” – to add more physical description of the settings and costumes. I did a lot of research into Victorian clothing and home décor, and also autumn gardens. I think the reading I did (and pictures I looked at) helped tremendously in making it a more lush, descriptive book. 

What's one thing you want readers to know about BW if that's all they ever get to know? 

It was really important to me to create a protagonist who is independent but also flawed, who means well but doesn’t always choose the right thing, whose mistakes have consequences – and who is loved anyway. I hope I’ve accomplished that with Cate. 

What's the most surprising thing about the publishing process so far? The scariest? The most exciting?  

The most surprising: how quickly everything happened after my book deal! It will be less than a year between BW going out on sub and seeing it on shelves. 

The scariest: writing book two, my first sequel, under a four-month deadline. Second books are tricky, challenging beasts. But I hope it will be amazing! 

The most exciting: hearing from readers who love Cate and Finn and Maura and Tess. It makes me so, so happy! 

Thank you Jessica!!

BORN WICKED came out on Tuesday and is available everywhere. Watch this book trailer and I think it will convince you. I devoured this book. The world, the characters, the magic are all wonderfully delicious. And Finn? He's super awesome. I think everyone will find something to like about it.

Jessica will part of the Breathless Reads Tour. Check out this page for all the stops. You can also download samplers from all books here.  OR you can read the first two chapters of BW here.

• Buy the book:   IndieBound | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million
• Add to your Goodreads shelf! 
• Connect with Jessica on twitter or on her blog.

What a Difference a Day Makes!

On Thursday, I wrote this post where I kinda complained about the in-between. Mostly, I was frustrated with this new WIP I have, HOTBOYALICIOUS (not real title.) I had two really exciting opening chapters, some characters that I was really looking forward to writing, and this amazingly-developed mythos. The only thing I didn't have? The next chapter.

And I've been stuck here since Christmas! I talked to writer friends about it. Took on a few different approaches to find out the next chapter. Took some time away. Tried to work on different project. Nothing worked. Then I figured out that I didn't really have a plot---which prompted the post on Thursday.

It's depressing when you realize you have all the elements to tell a story, except what's the most important piece. It sucks. And my best friend Patricia and I spent all of our daily hour phone call complaining about being stuck. (Because she was in the same place I was.)

What a difference a day makes!

I don't know what happened. I was sitting in my office, doing work on Friday (which is the busiest day all week!) and I had this idea. So I wrote it down. And then another, and I wrote that down. Something clicked and I had some more of this plot. Patricia and I spent two hours on the phone talking through mine--and hers, which fantastically took a positive turn while she battled a migrane Thursday night.

HOTBOYALICIOUS now has a plot.

Which is funny, because it was there all along but  I was missing that one minor piece that would thread the whole story together. It's been a very exciting weekend--full of plotting, which I have never done for a whole novel before ever until now, and writing.

This story is different for me. My last book took so much time to perfect--and I love it--but Hotboyalicious is a whole new level for me. It's so much fun. I often have to stop myself from gigglefits in between writing scenes. My CP and my friend who are both reading, love my characters, too. That's a great feeling.

What a difference a day makes.

Seriously. If you're writing and you're stuck anywhere near where I was....just give it time. I promise you'll figure it out. Sometimes the story just needs to reveal something to you that you're missing. Be patient (which is so so so so so hard.) But in the end, so worth it.

In the meantime, I have a writing retreat next weekend and I'm going to spend it writing Hotboyalicious. And hopefully, containing my giggles so other people don't stare at me.

An Undetermined Alice's Story of Paths and Writing and Nutella

Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?"
"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat.
"I don’t much care where--" said Alice.
"Then it doesn’t matter which way you go," said the Cat.
"--so long as I get SOMEWHERE," Alice added as an explanation.
"Oh, you’re sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you only walk long enough."

-Alice in Wonderland

I'm one of those people who practically live this quote. I'm not one who often knows where I want to go, let alone how to get there or what to expect next or even what I want to get out of where I'm going. I move from city to city as the wind blows, yet I love things to be scheduled and certain. I hate not knowing what to expect, yet I love surprises and dislike the sameness of life.

I'm a complete contradiction.

And that's fine. After twenty-four years, I'm used to it. I run when I should rest. I rest when I should run. I dream and think and wonder and then get frustrated for dreaming and thinking and wondering. I think that's why it's so easy for me to live this quote. I'm an undecided Alice who doesn't know up from down.

The only thing in my life (once I figured it out) that I didn't want to run from, that I wasn't uncertain about, that I knew the correct way to go, be it right or left or sideways, was (and is) writing.

I'm someone who loves a lot of things passionately. AIDS work, South Africa, Doctor Who, Supernatural (all tv, really), books, my friends, Nutella. (That stuff is CRACK!) But there's nothing I love more than writing--even on the days when I'm exhausted and frustrated and tired of trying so damn hard. Even when, like now, I'm faced with the in-between of starting something new (and being mostly unable to do so), of trying to move on from finishing something else, and of thinking about the future without thinking to much about the future. It's a tough place to be, but I still love writing.

Right now, I'm knee deep in  two things. First, I'm writing a query. Which is awesome, in that I-wanna-vomit-now way. I've written queries before. I've helped write many, many queries and enjoyed it. But it's so hard writing your own query. And it's so hard balancing the anxiety of "what could happen if" and "where I am now" and "here's this new idea, let's write it, but oh, wait my brain is just TIRED."

Second, I'm writing a new WIP. Well, honestly, I'm not. Honestly, I'm staring at this amazing cast of characters, this mythos that I kinda love and this one teensy plot thread that makes me very excited...but I'm writing nothing. I can't figure out the missing piece and I can't decide how to tell the ones I know because without the missing one, the other pieces aren't complete. It's a whole cycle of give and take, I guess. So, instead of writing, I just brainstorm and brainstorm and brainstorm and try to figure out why I can't write it.

That's more exhausting than actually writing.

I know it's part of the in-between--and I'm not complaining. I've always been in this place. My whole life. This in-between. (Seriously, this is not a lie. I am that person who's always on the brink of something that could be fantastic who gets knocked off before anything happens. All. My. Life. I'm used to it.) But some days, I WANT to not be here anymore. Some days, I'd like to cross over. I'd like to know which way I need to go and where I even want to go.

The hard part about that? The only place I want to go is a place that ends and begins with writing. And, aside from actually writing the story, I have no control over whether or not I will get there.

And I'm okay with that.

I am an undetermined Alice. Because as much I say it's okay, a huge part of me wants to delete that sentence! Sometimes it's not okay. Sometimes it sucks A LOT. But ultimately I get to do what I love to do. I get to dream and imagine and hope. That's kinda awesome.

Do I want to be on the big path so I can reach my dreams some day? Yes. But for now, I can't control the big path. But there are a few things I can do right now. What are they, you ask? Well....

Kitteh likes Nutella too! :)

First, I will dominate this effing query letter and make it rue the day it tried to cross me. Muahahahha!

Then, I will try to write this story with the characters I love and the plot line. Maybe it will figure itself out as I go. And if not, then I can put it on hold and work on something else. Ideas have a pretty great shelf life.

I will work on edits for my internship. I will go to the gym. I will enjoy the discussions at this weekend's Grimm Brothers Fairy Tale Conference. I will watch The Vampire Diaries. And I will eat some Nutella.

And I'm REALLY, REALLY okay with all of that.