Showing posts with label NA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NA. Show all posts

Dec 2, 2014

New Adult Contemporary Romance Book Tour & Giveaway: Becoming His (His #1) by Mariah Dietz 12/1/14 – 12/29/14

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Becoming His
(His #1)
by Mariah Dietz 

Genres: New Adult Contemporary Romance, New Adult Literary Fiction

Blurb:
Sometimes life’s unforeseen paths lead us to discovering sides of ourselves we never knew existed.
Ace Bosse has always found solace at home, but when she returns for the summer from college she builds an unexpected relationship with the reckless Max Miller.
Three years ago, Max left for Alaska to find what he thought he’d lost, but now he realizes just how much he left behind.
Max teaches Ace that sometimes a little crazy is exactly what life needs while learning that some chances are worth taking, regardless of the risks.
But how do you know when you’ve met the right person? And will they be prepared to experience one of life’s biggest obstacles?
Falling in love isn’t easy, but holding on to it is where the real challenge lies.
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Excerpt:

“Happy Birthday, Max,” I whisper against his ear.

A smile forms on his lips and his hand squeezes my thigh. “You’re the best birthday present I could’ve imagined,” he says softly, his voice deep from sleep.

I kiss along his neck, absorbing the heat of his skin that radiates his spicy, sweet scent. He gives a soft groan in response, his muscles clenching, notifying me that I have his full attention.

“Want to go do something crazy?” I whisper between kisses.

“With you? Yes.” He shifts, rolling over to face me as his beautiful blue eyes finally open with a gleam of excitement.

“You look like you already have a plan in that head of yours,” Max says, reaching forward with both hands and placing them on my thighs. I nod and give him a seductive smile that makes his eyes grow wider.

“Let’s go!” I whisper, quietly sliding off of the bed and making my way to the door.

“I need to get dressed,” Max says, sitting up and letting the blankets fall from him revealing a pair of dark mesh shorts hanging slightly lower than the band of his boxer briefs.

“No, you don’t.”

Max ignores me and grabs a T-shirt from his closet and reaches toward his dresser. I grab his hand before it closes around his keys and wallet and shake my head, indicating he doesn’t need them either. He looks reluctant but I tug his arm and he quietly follows me downstairs to the front door that I unlock.

“How’d you get in?”

“You really need to fix that latch in the sunroom,” I say with a grin as I lead us over toward the gate that goes into our backyard.

As I reach for the latch Max grips my arm and firmly pulls me to him so we’re chest to chest. His face is soft and he’s looking at me as though I’ve just done something significant and earth-altering.

“Thank you.”

“For what?” I push up on my toes so I can place a kiss on his lips.

“For choosing me.”

My face breaks out in a grin as I kiss him once more. “Always you,” I whisper and kiss him again.

“Come on.” I interlace my fingers with his and open the gate, leading him to the dimly lit backyard. We stop in front of the blanket I had laid out, along with a bottle of whiskey and two glasses, a crème brulee I had picked up at an Italian restaurant on Wednesday, and a small wrapped box.

“Come on, let’s take a drink. It’s necessary for crazy.”

“You did this for me?”

“I wanted to be the first to celebrate with you,” I answer, pouring amber liquid into each glass and handing him one.

“You don’t like whiskey.”

“But you do, and this day is all about you.” I throw back the shot and blink a couple of times to fight the burning sensation that always bites more than licks. I smile as he shakes his head and then takes his own shot.

“What are we doing?” he asks as I take his hand in mine and lead his further into the yard.

“Going swimming.” Max looks at me trying to read my intentions. “Naked.”

“Ace …” Max quietly starts in protest.

I smile and lift the black tank top I’m wearing and toss it in the direction of a patio chair, not waiting to see where it lands before taking a few steps back toward the pool wearing a royal purple lace bra. Max shakes his head again and I can tell he’s debating with himself about objecting as I start shimmying my jeans down my legs, tossing them over in the direction of my top.

“Ace, let’s go back to my room.” I hear the defeat in his voice as he says the words he thinks he should.

I shake my head, still smiling at him as I reach behind my back. My fingers tremble slightly as I finger the clasp of my bra. I’m thoroughly impressed that I’ve made it this far, especially since Max hasn’t moved a muscle since he saw my intentions. I’m not sure if he’s caught up in the moment, or just doesn’t believe that I’ll go through with it. I slowly let my bra slide down my arms and fall to the ground before I hook my thumbs into my matching underwear and push them down my legs.

People always say to enjoy your body when you’re young and it’s toned and in shape, before gravity, kids, and stress work against you. That’s much easier to say when you’re forty looking back, rather than twenty standing stark naked in front of your ridiculously hot boyfriend.

Max stares at me for a few long moments, and then a small smile flashes on his face and he pulls off his T-shirt and tosses it toward my discarded items.

I lower myself into the warm water that feels cool as it laps against parts of me that have always been covered and turn to see Max slide into the pool, completely naked. My smile grows in my first successful planned dose of crazy.

“Your dad is going to kill me!”
Becoming His Full Jacket

Buy Links:

Author pic Main
About the Author:
Mariah Dietz lives in Eastern Washington with her husband and two sons that are the axis of her crazy and wonderful world.
Mariah grew up in a tiny town outside of Portland, Oregon where she spent the majority of her time immersed in the pages of books that she both read and created.
She has a love for all things that include her sons, good coffee, books, travel, and dark chocolate. She also has a deep passion for the stories she writes, and hopes readers enjoy the journeys she takes them on, as much as she loves creating them.

Connect With The Author:

Giveaway:
Enter to win a $25 Amazon gift card and a print copy of the book!
Open worldwide.
This giveaway will run 12/1/14 – 12/29/14.

 

Dec 1, 2014

Intense 2 Boxed Blitz

Title: Intense 2
( A Collection of books from some of today's bestselling authors) 
Release Date: December 1st
**On sale for a limited time only & at a special low price**
Format: Ebook Only and Exclusively at Amazon 
Genre: New Adult Romance
For a complete list of titles in this anthology please see book blurb*

Synopsis:
One book from one bestselling author is exciting, but when you put ten all together what you get is something more.

Something Intense.

Intense 2 is a collection of stories from ten authors who bring their A game every time they sit down with a blank page. Combined together you get a limited edition read jam-packed with passionate encounters, powerful alphas, and romance that will keep you warm at night.

This is a must read for any romance reading, page turning book addict. Download it now before it’s gone!


This collection includes:

  • Cambria Hebert - Text (novel)
  • Julie Richman - Bad Son Rising (novel)
  • Tijan Meyer - Brady Remington Landed Me In Jail (novel)
  • Ilsa Madden-Mills - Very Wicked Things (novel)
  • Eliza Lund - The Agreement (novel) / Drake Restrained (novella)
  • Liv Morris - Love Handles Club (novella)
  • J.l. Mac - Reach Me (novella)
  • Author Kailin Gow - The Blue Room (novella) / Heat (novella)



Brady Remington Landed Me In Jail

By Tijan Excerpt:

He was different when he was with me. If we'd been at the party, he would've had the hard edgy look to him. He liked his tattoos to be seen, but I saw that he had pulled a blanket to cover the tribal tattoo on his stomach. The one on his shoulder was hiding in the shadows.

"It's not that I don't like her. It's just that…she's one of them."

"One of what?"

"You know. Your girlfriends."

"My what?"

"Your girlfriends." I didn't think that I needed to spell it out. "She's…I don't know. She's cool and confident and…she's not the type of person that I'm friends with."

"You're friends with me." His voice was quiet.

The air shifted again. Here we were…I knew that I needed to tread lightly, very lightly. I met his gaze, swallowed over a knot in my throat, and felt that we were talking about something different.

"You're different. I mean…we're not normal, Brady."

A scowl formed at his mouth. "What are you talking about? We're not normal?"

"You know—you're…one of them and I'm…not."

"That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard." He threw himself off the bed and stalked towards me. "You are just like me. You are no different than me. You are no different from Clarissa."

"Yeah, but…" I was pressed against the doorframe as Brady towered over me. "I'm not one of your girlfriends."

His chest was in front of mine. Another step, just an inch, and we'd be pressed against each other. His gaze was glued to my lips. I kept looking from his eyes to his lips, but then I felt something strange wash over me when he murmured, throatily, "You're more than that."

I sucked in a large breath, I couldn't let it out. I stood there, frozen in place. He skimmed the side of my face with his hand, then tucked my hair back and cupped my cheek. He moved close and slowly, so slowly, rested his forehead against mine. His breath tickled my lips. "You're my best friend, Ray."

My hands had lifted to his arms. I felt his muscles shift underneath my fingers and I clasped harder. I couldn't fall.

"What are you doing?" The words wrangled out of my throat.

Brady didn't answer. He closed his eyes and nuzzled his mouth against my temple. My hands slid from his arms to his shoulders and then behind his neck. One of his hands cupped the back of my neck where he applied pressure and arched my head back. The other hand skimmed the side of my robe. When his fingers spread out, the top of his thumb brushed underneath my breast.

"Brady, I don't…" I couldn't talk anymore, but I knew there was something that I needed to say. I knew it, but…

"Shhh." His lips touched mine. They rested there, but there was no pressure, no demand from him.

Then his lips opened over mine. A surge of need rushed through me and I clasped him tight. Brady pushed me against the doorframe and he urged my leg to wrap around his waist. I couldn't get enough of him. It was like before, but this time it was different. I knew what would happen.

I never thought I'd do this or be like this, but it was Brady.

 

Excerpt - TEXT by Cambria Hebert

**This is copyrighted material by author Cambria Hebert**

As I ran, something darted out from the side. I jerked, the sudden movement startling me. My stride faltered and I turned toward whatever it was, but I didn’t see it.

It plowed into me, knocking me over, my hip taking the brunt of my fall. I grunted in pain and scrambled to get up.

But someone pinned me down.

I shoved at the man, and he glanced down, his eyes meeting mine. There was something cold in his blue-eyed stare. Something empty and flat.

Panic bloomed in my chest, spiking through my body as my heart rate went wild and alarm bells started sounding in my head.

Yes, I read the stories. Yes, I saw it on the news.

Woman is kidnapped. Search for missing woman continues. Woman is found beaten and dead.

But that stuff didn’t happen to me. That stuff happened to other people. Unfortunate women… women that weren’t me.

This isn’t happening to me.

A surge of adrenaline had me bringing up my knee and catching the man in his balls. He made a high-pitched sound and fell to the side. I scrambled up and took off, racing down the path, toward the road that intersected it. If I could make it there, I could flag down a car. I could find someone to help me.

The earbuds had fallen out of my ears and hung around my neck, banging into my skin and reminding me that I had my phone. My phone! As I ran, my hand fumbled, trying to yank it out of the band around my arm. Finally, I managed to grasp it and I held it up in front of me, calling up the keypad and dialing.

9-1—

He tackled me from behind and I fell face forward, the phone tumbling out of my hands, just ahead, just out of reach. I cried out and stretched my hand toward my lifeline, desperate to finish the call.

“You’re going to pay for that, bitch,” the gruff voice said.

I’d never known such fear in all my life. I could barely think straight. Straight-laced dread and panic took over my body, making my limbs feel heavy and numb.

Don’t give in, the voice inside me screamed.

I bucked like a pony and reached forward, my hand closing over my phone. Yes! My joy was extremely short-lived when the man, who was still straddling my back, snatched it out of my hand and tossed it into the nearby creek.

“No,” I cried, watching it swept away beneath the surface.

“No one’s going to help you,” the voice above intoned.



Excerpt for Very Wicked Things

Book #2 of the Briarcrest Academy Series by Ilsa Madden-Mills

I got out of the shower and dressed hurriedly, anxious to get back to Cuba.

The door opened, and like he did it every single day, he stepped inside the steamy bathroom.

“Think I need a shower, too,” he said, his fingers easing off his football practice shirt.

What? Now?

Trying to play it cool and failing miserably, I moved my eyes off his naked chest and checked out his track pants and the obvious bulge he sported.

Oh. Did his lower body match the rest of him? Was it all sinewy muscle and big?

Just, yeah. That thought got stuck in my head and went round and round.

“You staying?” he asked, a grin working his face. Pleased at my open admiration, probably.

“No,” I said, but made no move to go. ‘Cause I had no shame when it came to catching a glimpse of his muscular body.

“Good,” he said, his smile broadening.

He pivoted to turn on the shower, and my eyes betrayed me again, admiring the muscles in his back, checking out how they twitched and rippled when he moved. Football and rowing had been good to him. My fingers itched to know how they’d feel underneath my hands. Which was stupid because we had nothing in common. Not a rich Highland Park boy and a poor girl from Ratcliffe.

And most importantly, he was a player, not to be trusted.

He hooked his thumbs into his pants, paused a moment—maybe waiting to see if I’d run from the room?—but when I didn’t budge, he slid them and his underwear off. My mouth opened. Fuck me. Cuba Hudson, the most popular guy at Briarcrest was standing right in front of me, naked and beautiful. And like the cocky bastard he was, he posed for me, his big-ass muscles making me vibrate all over. Need for him slammed into me.

Did I say he was hot?

Well, I was wrong.

He was off-the-charts, no-holds-barred, freaking going make-me-lose-my-mind-right-there delicious. The ultimate man-candy, the kind I knew to stay away from, yet here I was, ogling him.

“Still leaving?” he asked huskily.

“Any minute,” I said in a weak voice, backing up to the wall and propping myself up. “Just chillin’. Shower wore me out. I might need to hold this wall up for a sec.”

“I want you to stay,” he said, eyes at half-mast, glowing with heat.

“Why?” I said, aching to touch him. But that was crazy. I was a virgin, and I didn’t know jack about touching a guy’s you-know-what.

“Look at me, Dovey.”

I tore my eyes from his manhood, blushing.

His eyes burned. “There’s a sense of urgency in my head. Like our time is limited.”

I nodded. Yeah, same here.

“And, I’ll be honest, I don’t want to rush you, but I’m dying to sink into you. I want to set you on fire with need for me.” He ghosted his hands over the steel rod between his legs. Once, twice, and—holy hell, he didn’t stop.

My chest rose faster and faster. This was insane.

He lowered his voice. “Kiss me again, Dovey.”

Oh, shit. “That’s a terrible idea, Cuba. Cause you’re naked, and I’m turned on because you’re naked. And you’re touching yourself. And you’re naked.” I sucked in a sharp breath. “Not a good combo. Odds are we’ll end up in that shower together or back in your bed doing the double-backed monster.”

“Then join me in the shower. I’ll be good. For you.” He arched his back, his hands still doing that back and forth that was driving me insane.

Liar, liar, pants on fire, I thought. No way he would he be good.

Because he was the heartbreaker of Briarcrest. And one wicked boy.
Author Bio:

Ilsa Madden-Mills writes about strong heroines and sexy alpha males that sometimes you just want to slap. She spends her days with two small kids, a neurotic cat, and her Viking husband. She collects magnets and rarely cooks except to bake her own pretzels. When she’s not typing away at a story, you can find her drinking too much Diet Coke, jamming out to Pink, or checking on her carefully maintained chocolate stash. She loves to hear from fans and fellow authors.
Ilsa’s website: http://ilsamaddenmills.com
Add Very Wicked Things to your Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18709986-very-wicked-things
Haven’t read the first book Very Bad Things? It’s on sale!!

GIVEAWAY
Blitz-wide giveaway (INTL)

40$ Amazon gift card
Ends Dec 16th:

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Life Lived Twice by Sherrie Wouters book blitz


Life Lived Twice 
by Sherrie Wouters
Publication date: June 6th 2014
Genres: Fantasy, New Adult, Romance

Synopsis:
Some promises are made to last forever…
What if you fell in love with a stranger…but that stranger had come from your past, a past you never knew existed until the moment your eyes met?
When Tess Winters locks eyes with a stranger at an airport bookstore, it ignites a feeling of passion somewhere deep inside her that she can’t explain.
Although the encounter is innocent and brief, the intensity of it lingers, leaving her overwhelmed by a yearning for the mystery man now consuming her every thought.
Struggling to break the powerful hold he has over her heart, Tess starts to experience strange but familiar dreams…dreams from the turn of the twentieth century of the charming Mr Addison Taylor.
As her dreams start to materialize into reality, and past and present begin to blur, Tess is forced to put the pieces of a forgotten time together, and soon discovers that love isn’t the only thing that can find you after an eternity.
Captivating, mysterious, and romantic, Life Lived Twice will leave you wondering whether love is so powerful it could last more than a lifetime.

Purchase:
 B&N
Excerpt
By the time I’d examined his tanned calves, the masculinity of his skin was lingering in the air between us. He smelt sensational, and I found myself uncontrollably breathing in as I rose.

Now curious to see more, I kept going. But as I began to move, an odd sensation of warmth radiating from him came over me; it was almost like an invisible hand caressing my skin. My heart fluttered at the idea of it, and suddenly blood was rushing to all the wrong places as I felt an unexpected thrill of anticipation.

After tracing his body all the way up to his chest, my wandering eyes didn’t seem to want to stop, and they were soon up to his neck and following the stubble along his jaw, right up to his light brown hair.

And then he spoke. The sound of his voice jolted me from my daydream and pulled my gaze to his.

“Addison!” I gasped as our eyes collided.

From the moment the name left my lips, my eyes widened ... stared ... and became lost in his. As a rush of airy weightlessness floated me from the floor, suddenly everything felt more enhanced, more real, like something inside me had suddenly woken up.

It was an intoxicating feeling and the longer I stood entranced, the further his beautiful blue eyes reached into mine. Somehow they were knocking on the door to my heart, stirring something so powerful it made me want to cry and laugh at the same time and, for a brief second, there was something in his eyes that made me feel complete.

Suddenly his brows squeezed then softened. “Ah ... um ... sorry about the electric shock.” He smiled. “But who’s Addison?”

My throat tightened as warmth flushed my cheeks. Who the hell was Addison?

Embarrassment pulled my eyes from his. “Oh,” I said, choking on my words, “Um ... ah ... no ... I don’t know anyone called Addison ... I mean, um ... ”

“Oh!” He smiled cheekily as he leaned towards me and whispered. “You sounded so convinced I was him ... I thought for a second I could be. I mean, if you wanted me to be.”

My face shot back to his, words jamming in my throat as I stared. Who was this guy, this stranger? In just a few seconds he’d turned my soul inside out, and now he was charming me with his words as well.

As his lips rose into a smile, I couldn’t help but smile back. But panic quickly returned to my constricted throat as that name re-entered my head.

Suddenly aware of the warmth still creeping across my face, I managed to pull my eyes from his again and divert my gaze. Addison, Addison, who the hell was Addison? I couldn’t budge the name from my thoughts.

As I stood fidgeting, I could feel him staring, waiting for me to say something, anything. After taking a breath, I shifted my gaze and we locked eyes again as I spoke. “Um,” I said, swallowing hard, “I must be mistaken ... sorry.”



AUTHOR BIO:
Sherrie Wouters is the author of the romantic fantasy, Life Lived Twice.

A qualified Homeoeopath and Kinesiologist, Sherrie lives in country Victoria, Australia with her husband, and two daughters. She is currently working on the sequel to Life Lived Twice.
Author Links:

    GIVEAWAY 
    Individual giveaways: 
    One (1) ebook copy of Life Lived Twice.  
    Open internationally. 
    End December 18th, 2014.
    a Rafflecopter giveaway

    Walled by Anne Tibbets book blitz


    Walled 
    by Anne Tibbets
    (The Line #2)
    Published by: Carina Press (HQN)
    Publication date: December 1st 2014
    Genres: Dystopia, New Adult

    Synopsis:
    Freedom means making brutal choices.

    Rebel lovers Naya and Ric have survived one year in hiding, raising Naya’s twins from infants to toddlers in the shadow of the brutal Auberge dictatorship. They’re alive, and they’re together, but the city is crumbling around them and the haunting memory of Naya’s dark days on The Line have never fully left them. Living in isolation won’t be an option forever.

    When a mysterious revolutionary seeks their help to infiltrate Auberge’s electronic heart and shut it down, it’s an opportunity—it’s risky, yes, but if it works they’ll get out of the city and taste freedom for the first time. Naya needs this. They need this.

    Beyond the broken walls of Auberge, Naya and Ric find the paradise they’ve always longed for. But with anarchy reigning and Naya’s children lost amidst the chaos, they’ll need to forfeit their post-apocalyptic Eden…or commit an unspeakable act.

    Book two of two.

    Purchase:
     B&N


    Excerpt #1:

    “No!” Sonya shouted, clenching her jaw as her eyes bugged wide. “Not enough! It’s our fault we got those girls killed. Her fault!” She pointed at me again, and I felt my insides burst into flames and scatter like ash. “So don’t stand there and tell me how feeling compassion is the way to go. Compassion only gets people killed faster. It’s using your fucking brain, and thinking, planning, strategizing, that’s going to end this war. It’s following your goddamned mission and not getting distracted! And guess what? People are still going to die. So go ahead, stay behind because it feels right. Choose the fate of hundreds of thousands of people based on your fucking feelings.”

    Excerpt #2:

    He peeled open my shirt, pulled up my bra and kissed and licked my body, my nipples, my ribs, navel—everywhere his hands roamed, so did his mouth.

    To my surprise, I moaned with pleasure. His touch was having a strange effect on me. I could hardly think straight. He was soft, gentle, hot and wet. He was painting me with his hands and it enveloped me whole.

    I’m not ready for this! But oh, my God! It feels so good.


    Excerpt #3:

    “You don’t have to do this,” Ric whispered.

    I swallowed the terror in my throat and licked my lips with my dry tongue.

    The elevator stopped, and I heard the sound of a tiny bell as the doors slid open.

    “We can find another way,” he said.

    I stepped through the open doors and drew my pistol.

    Playlists


    Carrier:





    CARRIER
    The Line Series #1 
    New Adult Speculative Fiction
    2ND PLACE WINNER OF SCBWI WRITERS DAY, APRIL 2011

    The Line is a government institution where unwanted girls are sold into slavery. When Naya is retired off The Line, she is given a choice. Find someone to replace her, or they will take her unborn babies. Not much of a choice for a former sex slave. Hundreds of years in the future, the world does not offer many opportunities for a young woman with no skills, no friends, and no memory of her birth family. Naya finds a girl willing to take her place on The Line, but realizes she isn’t willing to turn her over. Plan B. Only after meeting a young man, Ric Bennett, and his team of resistance fighters, does Naya understand what she needs to do. Now, Naya will risk everything to break The Line.



    AUTHOR BIO: 
    Anne Tibbets is an SCBWI award-winning and Smashwords.com Best Selling author. After writing for Children’s television, Anne found her way to young/new adult fiction by following what she loves: books, strong female characters, twisted family dynamics, magic, sword fights, quick moving plots, and ferocious and cuddly animals.

    Along with CARRIER, Anne is also the author of the young adult fantasy novella, THE BEAST CALL and the young adult contemporary, SHUT UP.

    Anne divides her time between writing, her family, and three furry creatures that she secretly believes are plotting her assassination.

    Author Links:
    Blitz Guest Blog:
    Yes, New Adult is a Thing, Can We Move on Now?
    Every time an editor or agent tweets that New Adult is just a marketing gimmick or a fad, somewhere in the universe, an author dies.

    Okay, so maybe he or she doesn’t die – maybe they’re just clutching their chest, or banging their head on their desk, or bashing their laptops with a baseball bat.

    The truth is, nobody knows for sure if New Adult has staying power. So far, there have been great successes in self-publishing New Adult, particularly in Contemporary Romance, and traditional pubs are catching up quickly. Even after Publisher Weekly reported that New Adult was an actual thing [http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/63285-new-adult-matures.html], there are still those who are unwilling to accept it.

    Part of me wonders if these naysayers were also the ones who predicted ebooks would destroy publishing as we know it. Or, maybe they’re just slow adapters, the kinds of people who resent their iPhone upgrades (I’m guilty of this myself), or maybe they understand that the publishing industry can be fickle, and just like in Project Runway, one day you’re in – the next, you’re out!

    Whatever their reason for refusing to believe that New Adult is real, if they keep up with the disapproval, they sure aren’t helping! All they’re doing is hurting a lot of feelings from a lot of hard working authors and being negative, and in my limited life experience, being a pessimist makes you a good at creating Dystopia, but isn’t very useful otherwise.
    ***
    Expanding New Adult Beyond Contemporary

    I have very odd taste when it comes to reading. I don’t like just one thing. I go on binges. I’ll read three fantasies, followed by several science fiction titles, followed by a couple historicals, then off to a contemporary romance, then a horror or a thriller – I’m all over the place, in almost all categories (YA, NA, adult) and I believe most readers are like me. Readers don’t read just one thing. We cast a wide net.


    So when I hear opinions that New Adult is a contemporary romance category only – my argument to that is, “So far.”

    I truly believe that yes, New Adult is a thing, and it’s real, but it’s also evolving. I love the fact that publishers and indie authors are evolving with New Adult, too. There are so many titles out there now that go beyond the “Damaged Girl Meets Boy” story, which I love for reasons all it’s own, but because readers are naturally inclined to want variety, there are also “Girl From Wrong Side of Tracks Falls for Wrong Guy” (aka. WILD ONES by Kristine Wyllys), “Girl on Trial for Murder in Cyber-Prison” (aka. THE WICKED WE HAVE DONE by Sarah Harian), and “Girl Sees Dead People, Literally,” (aka. DARK PARADISE by Angie Sandro), and if I may be so bold as to include “Girl Battles Mega-Corporation in Dystopian Society,” (aka. CARRIER by Anne Tibbets) – all these being New Adult titles that go beyond the confines of contemporary romance.

    So, I guess what I’m proposing is if you’re getting a little burnt out on New Adult, well GUESS WHAT? Options.

    Because just like how New Adult is evolving, so are its readers.

    ***
    I Love “Good” Bad Reviews 

    Crazy, right?

    Who is their right mind would love bad reviews?


    Honestly, I love the “good” bad reviews – the what? I mean the ones that have actual issue with the book itself and not the ones that just hate the author, or hate the main character’s life choices, or hate the concept as a whole, and you wonder why they read the book to begin with? I’m talking the “good” bad reviews that find plot holes, don’t buy the character arcs, or have issue with world-building, structure, and style. An actual critique, even if the reviewer hates my work?

    Love those!

    Now, this is not an invitation.

    I’m not asking for you to go on GoodReads and rip apart my writing line by line. That would probably devastate me, let’s me honest. But, done well, a “good” bad review challenges and creates a fire within me.

    It burns. It hurts. It even leaves scars. But the fire also teaches me something and I can’t not appreciate a good learning experience, even if it leaves a mark.

    So critique away. Go for it! I welcome it.

    Just do me one favor: make it a “good” one.

    Favorite Reads

    1) The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

    2) Persuasion by Jane Austen

    3) Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

    4) Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell

    5) North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

    6) The Dark Elf Series by R.A. Salvatore

    7) The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

    8) The Distant Hours by Kate Morton

    9) Go Ask Alice by Anonymous

    10) Medea by Euripides

    11) The Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

    12) Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

    13) The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

    14) Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafron

    15) The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley


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    One (1) ebook copy of Carrier (book 1).  

    Open internationally. 

    End December 18th, 2014.


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    Versions by Megan Mitcham book blitz


    Versions 
    by Megan Mitcham
    (Blacklist #1)
    Publication date: December 1st 2014
    Genres: New Adult, Romance, Suspense
    Synopsis:
    The truth doesn’t have versions. Or does it?

    Rin Lee covered her childhood in dirt and danced on its grave. Only she pranced a little too hard and spent her young-adult life tiptoeing the straight and narrow. Things finally paid off in the form of a job with the Department of Defense, a home of her own, and a boyfriend muscled enough he put Zach Efron to shame. Until one text reveals a hideous truth that splinters her world.

    Suddenly she can’t trust Nate or their surrogate family of friends. Can she possibly trust Luck—the man who mirrors her soul, scares her beyond the neat confines she’s erected around herself, and makes her scrutinize the versions she’s always been too angry to see?

    Luck turned to the streets out of necessity, while Rin slapped on blinders and ignored those willing to help her. A stupid move for a sultry young woman. But the skills she learned in the rough and tumble underbelly of DC will serve his latest assignment well. Because people like them have the instinct to survive.

    Purchase:
     Excerpt

    At the most swank eatery until le Diplomate a few blocks up, they passed an outcropping of glass framed in thick rustic metal and then turned right. Through the concrete entrance the hostess’s practiced hands ushered them across the stone floor to their waiting friends.

    “Rin!” Jen squealed, hopping from her smooth wooden chair. “Get out. I freaking love your hair. And that dress. Oh my God, are those Choo’s?” The exuberant brunette fanned herself with Barcelona’s extensive drink menu.

    The crowd around them didn’t skip a beat, caught in the din of their own merriment. This place did that and Rin was ready for some indulgence of her own.

    “Perfect timing.” Zack’s green eyes shifted behind her, toward the kitchen.

    Jen’s breath caught and she leaned to the side, peering around the outfit she’d just gushed over. “Forget your Choo’s and get a load of our waiter. Please be our waiter. Please be our waiter.”

    “They’re called servers,” Gregory chimed with his charismatically crooked grin. He stood, leaned forward, and planted a big one square on Rin’s lips. She released Nate and wrapped Gregory in a fierce hug. “And these days they tend to sue when ogled too forcibly. So, no groping.” He winked and set her back next to Nate.

    “Lawyers,” Rin mirrored her best friend’s lopsided grin. “Always spoil the fun.”

    She and Nate laughed for the first time since the text, but none of their friends noticed. They all stared in unabashed awe at the person coming to take their order.

    “I’m ready to pick a team and erect my flag in the dirt. This guy seals the deal. Gay all the way. Sorry, ladies, but this nugget of manliness has finally made a decision.” Gregory smoothed his hand over the cream cable-knit sweater that hid his leanly muscled physique.

    “Erect your flag or your dick? In the ground or our server?” Jen asked. “I have zero qualms about calling him a server because I’d let him service me any day.”

    “I prefer the latter.” Gregory sat wide-eyed.

    “Something’s wrong with you two,” Zach announced.

    “But I don’t see you looking away,” Nate noted. “And I hope y’all know what you want to drink. Jen and Greg, your prayers are answered in three, two…”

    Rin couldn’t get over her friends’ reaction to this guy enough to turn and look for herself. She needed this camaraderie to ease the sting of loneliness, even though Nate’s beefy hand wrapped securely around her upper arm. The realization of the superficiality of their relationship—crazy text or not—raised the curtain and left her standing on stage in nothing but her sparkling personality.

    “Evening, gentlemen. Ladies.” The silken honey of the unfamiliar voice coated her nakedness in a soothing balm. The waiter cleared his throat. The low rumble vibrated very near her ear. “What can I get you, miss?”

    She canted her head in his direction. Surprise smacked her square in the face. Smoldering bedroom eyes gazed into hers. The crystal blue orbs pierced through a strong brow and straight into her soul. Rin stepped back, stumbling over Nate’s feet. A thud sounded her landing against her boyfriend’s hard chest.

    “Whoa, there,” the waiter said, maintaining an invisible grip on Rin that made it impossible to look away.

    Blond hair only a shade darker than her own sat in disarray across his forehead, but was shorn close around his ears. The hint of a beard hugged the strongest jaw she’d ever seen. Lips the perfect shape and fullness for hours and hours of kissing would have softened the blow his appearance delivered, if he’d only smile.

    “You startled me,” she said by way of explanation for her odd behavior.

    “Wasn’t my intention.” He said the words, but his head ticked to the side and his eyes flared in a way that opposed them.

    “What’s your name, gorgeous?” Jen asked.

    “Call me Luck,” the waiter said, holding Rin’s befuddled gaze.

    Nate steadied her and shifted to place himself between her and the…her and Luck, but a massive party of suits poured in to their left. They crowded the walkway with banter and briefcases. The man screwing with her head—more than her shrink ever had—could have stepped to the side of the table toward Zach. Instead, he stepped forward, crowding her with his sharply muscled chest tucked neatly into a waiter’s white button down. Chiseled forearms and lightly sun-kissed skin shown at his rolled sleeves.

    Whether someone shoved him or he took a dive she wasn’t sure, but his sinewy chest suddenly plastered her front. One arm wrapped around her waist, catching her in a subtle dip. His other shot out to the chair back to steady them. She swore she heard Gregory moan. Luck’s muscles in action did something sinful to her psyche.

    “Jackass, I’m not into threesomes,” Nate blustered just behind her head. She’d see him, if she’d tear her gaze off Luck. But she couldn’t.

    Luck lifted his heavy blue gaze from her for the first time and squared it on Nate. “Me neither.”

    AUTHOR BIO: 
    Megan was born and raised among the live oaks and shrimp boats of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, where her enormous family still calls home. She attended college at the University of Southern Mississippi where she received a bachelor's degree in curriculum, instruction, and special education. For several years Megan worked as a teacher in Mississippi. She married and moved to South Carolina and worked for an international non-profit organization as an instructor and co-director.

    In 2009 Megan fell in love with books. Until then, books had been a source for research or the topic of tests. But one day she read Mercy by Julie Garwood. And Oh Mercy, she was hooked!

    Megan lives in Southern Arkansas where she pens sizzling suspense novels. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest & Goodreads!

    Author Links:

    GIVEAWAY 

    Individual giveaways: 

    One (1) ebook copy of Versions.  

    Open internationally. 

    End  December 18th, 2014.
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    Hysteriata by D.A. Botta book blitz


    Hysteriata 
    by D.A. Botta  
    (Elyzian Chronicles #1)  
    Publication date: March 21st 2014
    Genres: Fantasy, New Adult

    Synopsis:
    Emily Hobbs is off to Salem State College when a chance encounter with a fortuneteller changes everything. Emily is transported to the realm of Elyzia and learns that she is, in fact, one of the most powerful witches in existence.
    Madame Lavache, the strict headmistress of Cedalion Covenstead, has her sights set on Emily. In her desperate cling to power, Lavache attempts to protect her tyranny by invoking sinister forces, including bloodthirsty pirates and The Devil himself, to rid Elyzia of the rebellious witch.
    Along with her companions – an old hermit, a small coven of witches, and their totems – Emily sets out on a collision course with destiny.
    Just as the tarot foretold.
    A powerful witch
    A simple tarot read
    And all hell breaks loose


    Purchase:
    Excerpt #1

    Hysteriata

    Emily slunk closer to the glowing well and peered into its depths. The water bubbled and swelled in the hardened clay of underground. The candlelight illuminated the ceiling, casting shine and shadows dispersing throughout the dark. Hues of blue and sediment captivated Emily.

    The colors shifted. Now Paige danced drunkenly about a snapping fire. Her body enveloped by the orange glow of bonfire. Paronskaft shrunk back against the wall.

    “That scene …” he blurted, “is not for now.” He bit his lips closed and trembled.

    Paige stood amongst the others, Gretchen and Melanie and Chloe, all of them. She waited for her turn to leap over the celebratory fire. First Gretchen leapt, then Chloe, Brenna and even Melanie, hurled themselves above the towering flame. There was laughter and music as the boys, too, leapt in their boots, soaring over the tops of the fire and crashing down on the other side. The ceremony burned into the autumn eve.

    Paige leapt into the air wildly, drunk on wine, and the flames sucked her down into their belly. She seared and shrieked as her clothes burned away. The others watched horrified as the scorched silhouette flailed within the orange bonfire belly. Her hair turned quickly to dust and her skin blistered and charred. The shadow figure collapsed into miserable ashes and died wretchedly.

    The image diluted into the watery pool and Emily fell to her knees and sobbed.

    “It’s a trick!” Emily shouted, her voice echoing up through the chambers. “It’s a damned trick, you old fool!”

    Paronskaft was taken aback, shocked at the insinuation. His feeble body shuttered against the affront. He wrapped his golden cloak tightly to his skeletal frame.

    “I make no tricks, Miss Emily,” he quivered. “I make no tricks on you! Time is an essence.”

    “I can stop this?! I can save Paige, you mean? How much time do I have?!”

    “You have no time.”

    Emily tore out of the cave and rode east, bounding along on Mongrel, weaving through clusters of trees and stones. The late night air splashed the last of the raindrops against her face while Mongrel galloped steadily toward the grounds. A few yards from the edge of the hillside, Mongrel shrunk into his miniature size, quickly and suddenly, which threw Emily off over his shoulders and into crumply dry grasses and brush.

    “You could warn me, you know,” she admonished while she quickly laced up her boots. She retrieved a Scynderstem from Paronskaft’s box. “Meet me at the covenstead, okay?”

    Mongrel yapped and pranced off.

    “Go ahead and go!”

    Emily secured her satchel over her shoulder crosswise and dug the balls of her feet into the ground. She leapt off, arcing and descending spans of nearly one hundred yards. The smoke from the bonfire crept up into the air over the eastern wall of Cedalion. I’m coming, Paige! she wailed in her mind. Emily soared and sailed toward the ceremony. Stop! Don’t leap!! she cried out inside. A lyre was playing, singing into the crisp air and laughter and dancing could be seen from the peaks.

    Dread filled her bones.

    Drew coasted over the seething flames. Then Melanie gracelessly rocketed over the fire. Next Ethan perfectly arced over. Wait! Don’t go! The scent of wine and embers wafted into Emily’s nose as she drew near. Nooo, my love! No!! The heat of the high flame pushed against her body. Paige crested the blaze and was pulled down just as Paronskaft’s pool had shown. Emily pressed her thumb into the Scynderstem and it broke as she leapt again, fearless at the fire, and cast the spell.

    Paige wriggled and writhed in the hot orange glows, blackened already near the fire’s blue bottom. Emily wrapped her arms around Paige’s waist and dug her toes into the powdery ash to quickly leap again.

    The pair landed near the twisty elm sprinkled with twinkling fireflies. Emily held Paige in her arms, resting what was left of her friend in her lap. Emily looked at her friend who heaved shallow breaths into the air. Paige’s body, smoldering still and black, released streams of smoke up passed the branches and into the air. Their eyes met and Emily let loose her woeful tears.

    “I am here,” breathed Emily. “I am here with you.”

    “I … love you,” Paige mouthed as she departed.

    “I love you Paige!” Emily wailed. “Don’t go! Don’t leave me!”

    Paige’s eyes shut forever.

    An astonished crowd gathered a few yards away, shaken witnesses to the sadness and grief. After a long moment, Emily slipped out from under Paige and tenderly set her body into the grass. Her face contorted and her entire body trembled with loss. She trudged over to where Paige and the others had sat. She snatched up Paige’s lantern of fireflies. She grew angry in her hurt. She raged in her mind and ached in her heart.

    Observing from a ways off, the Madame and the Ladies and the Lyre Man observed the tragedy in solemn seclusion.

    “That girl,” Madame Lavache whispered to herself, “is going to raise havoc.”

    The glass jar shattered into glimmering slivers and the fireflies were released to the sinewy elm.


    Excerpt #2
    Hysteriata

    HALLOWMASS

    The inner courtyard was decked in lovely ribbons: shimmering gold and black sewn through the arms of the scarce maples and elms. On the center tabernacle sat a large iron cauldron. The flames beneath crackled and spit in yellow and orange. The smoke ascended lazily toward the sky. The calm brooks carefully cradled red tea-lights that floated on lily pads. Their flickers reflected into the gray water, adoringly casting disparate pulses of light and shadow on the mingling persons in attendance.

    Lady Nadia dispensed wine into glasses, setting them out full to their brims on a large crescent table of dark mahogany. Lady Kiyomi chatted with Lady Madeline by the cauldron. Lady Lillian greeted and ushered the incoming guests. Madame Lavache and Phaeton stood by the rear entrance, observing the celebration’s start.

    The girls in their gowns, the boys in their suits – all of them masked strangers – danced and drank, laughing and watching through peepholes. The night spun in frenzied happy frivolity. The music of the lyre echoed throughout the courtyard over more drinking and dancing in decadent disguise. Yet, more drinking, more dancing, more laughing – all blending together in the merry masquerade.

    A young man approached Emily. He wore an ice-blue suit with long coattails. A metallic blue tie clung to his neck and draped down his breastbone over a crisp white shirt. His mask was white with metallic blue etchings on its forehead.

    “Care to dance?” he asked, extending his hand toward her.

    “Ethan?” Emily replied.

    He raised his mask from his handsome face and smiled.

    “Pretty useless, huh?” he said, batting his mask with his fingertips.

    “I guess so,” Emily responded while removing her mask and setting it gently into the grass. “I’d rather not … dance, I mean.”

    “Come on,” he begged playfully. “Just one dance.”

    Emily looked to Brenna and then back to Ethan. She defied her tom-boyishness, and allowed Ethan to help her up from her comfortable seat beside Brenna.

    “I’ll be right back,” Emily called over her shoulder.

    “Have fun!” called Brenna.

    The music was soft. Ethan wrapped his arms around Emily’s waist and she rested her forearms on his broad shoulders. They rocked gently together surrounded by the music of the melodious lyre.

    Ethan stared into her eyes.

    Emily’s eyes shied away.

    “You’re beautiful,” Ethan admired.

    “It’s the dress, Ethan,” she quipped.

    “I don’t think so.”

    Emily looked at him and smiled.

    “That’s kind of you to say.”

    “Sure thing.”

    “You remind me so much of my brothers.”

    Ethan frowned at his apparent inadequacy.

    “It’s a compliment. I love them a lot.”

    “I understand. Thanks, I mean. I … appreciate that. I do.”

    “Did you just convince yourself of that?” Emily teased.

    “I did, in fact!” he played back.

    Emily laughed at his wine-induced honesty.

    “How many brothers do you have?”

    “Three.”

    “And which of them do I remind you of most?”

    “Toby … my oldest brother. But really, you’re kind of a mix of all three.”

    Ethan got quiet.

    “You okay?” Emily asked.

    “I’m fine. Just thinking …”

    “Thinking what?”

    “Well … I wonder what the convenstead’s stance on incest is.”

    Emily scrunched her nose at him.

    She slapped his chest gently.

    “That’s awful.”

    “I know,” Ethan laughed.

    The music stopped, and the two parted.

    Lady Madeline made her way over to Emily and sat in the grass beside her. She reached for Emily’s hand and held it tenderly.

    “I have something for you,” Madeline confessed.

    “What is it?” Emily asked, scrunching her nose.

    She placed it in her hand and folded her fingers around it. Emily felt the thin wooden cylinder against her palm. She opened her hand and noticed the branch of sallow, the one she had cut from the tree in The Woodlawns, resting there. It had been shaped and smoothed and lacquered with a dark fragrant oil. Two straight and parallel lines were etched into its base.

    “My wand!” Emily squealed.

    “I hope you don’t mind that I finished it for you while you were … away.”

    Emily kissed her cheek.

    “I love it. It’s perfect.”

    “As are you, Miss Emily.”

    “Thank you so much, Lady Madeline.”

    “You are quite welcome, my dear.”

    Later that evening, each coven encircled bubbling cauldrons and dreamily relaxed together. Emily peered through the furling gray smoke as it rose off the gurgling water in the cauldron, her brain swirling with too many glasses of white wine. The face was faint but familiar. The red wavy hair, the radiant blue eyes, the beautiful alabaster skin flecked with freckles. Her eyes widened with amazement, and she unconsciously reached toward the smoke.

    “Let us bid Merry Meet to our beloved departed,” Phaeton concluded his speech.

    “Blessed be,” chorused The Ladies.

    A puff of silvery smoke disrupted the vision, slowly morphing the spectral image. Paige’s hair turned brown. The freckles disappeared into more a more pristine and golden complexion. Her eyes transformed from a blue sky to a midsummer field. Her lips grew just a little more generous. Brenna looked back adoringly through the wafts of smoke from the opposite side of the bubbling cauldron. She sent Emily her soft and exquisite smile.

    How bittersweet is this magic, Emily thought.
     
    AUTHOR BIO:
    D A Botta has written four New Adult Fantasy novels, The Elyzian Chronicles, and has also published a collection of poems There in Them Blues.  D A is currently working on a New Adult Mystery series, Seriously Confidant, projected for debut in the fall of 2015.  D A is a Fantasy Representative for NA Alley and frequents #NALitChat on Twitter.  When not writing, D A plays guitar and dabbles in graphic design.  D A lives with his family in Massachusetts.

    Author links:

    Author Interview

    Q: What is unique about your fantasy series?

    A: First, the plots of the novels follow a tarot reading set out early in the stories. This gave the novels a structure and theme I could really work with. Each chapter involves the decoding of a tarot card in the spread. Secondly, I incorporated elements from witchcraft, tarot, astrology, mythology, and runes into each story. This gave Elyzia its richness. It made for interesting characters, suspenseful plot threads, and themes that I could string throughout. It’s really a comprehensive blend of fantasy.

    Q: Are there spells in your stories?
    A: There just may be. I strongly advise not attempting them at home. Only experienced witches should meddle in magick and spellcasting. I did alter some recipes slightly … for no good reason.

    Q: What does New Adult offer your stories?
    A: New Adult is a real shift from young adulthood to adulthood. It’s that brief space in time where things are really exciting and a person has to figure out who they are. For some people, it’s a traumatic experience. It can be tremendously invigorating too. I think, for stories, it makes for extra dramatic (any perhaps traumatic) events – psychological, emotional, spiritual or physical. I try to capture a lot of these perspectives throughout the series.

    Q: What is the main theme of The Elyzian Chronicles?
    A: There are a lot of themes interwoven throughout the chronicles, but if I can sum it up it’s: to truly know yourself is to have all the power in the world. I think that can be dissected in many ways, but essentially its understanding and embracing your own unique identity despite a world that tries to change you. Understanding your fears, knowing your limits (or the cause of your limits) is a liberating thing. I think people learn who they are forced by people or circumstance to honestly look at themselves. I believe it’s a powerful thing, and ultimately a positive one.

    Q: What is your writing process like?

    A: Painful and slow. I have a natural impatience. Writing for me is grueling. I did a ton of research for the chronicles, not just for world-building but also for the magick and mythology. I wanted to keep true to the various elements (witchcraft, tarot, mythology) I was using, to a degree. I wanted to be respectful of those things and still push the envelope a little.
     
    I think once you understand something, you figure out where you can play with it a little to make it distinctive. I write at night, often late into the night. It makes for foggy mornings, and with a 3 year old daughter that’s pretty trying. I write linearly, mostly. I did skip forward when I got stuck, and revisited places once I fleshed out some of the heftier parts. But, I’m not one for rules. I wrote poetically where I wanted to. I wrote flowery where I wanted to. 
    I think the modern convention of chopping hundreds of words has some merit, but in fantasy I think you need to build entire worlds and civilizations. That is done with words, so it is a real challenge to strike that balance.

    Q: Who would play your main characters in a movie?
    A: I’ve gone over this a million times in my head over the past few years. I think a majority of authors want to see their books become movies. It’s a natural progression. If an author says differently, they could possibly be lying. Emily is such a complicated character. I’d have to say Kate Mara would be a top choice. I’d love to see upstart talent in any role. I always pictured Uma Thurman as Madame Lavache. I’d have loved to see Robin Williams play Paronskaft, the quirky old hermit.

    Q: Why did you choose to write a female protagonist?

    A: Witchcraft, and paganism in general, is strongly influenced by feminine power. It was a simple choice, really. One of the great things to come from Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code was a reintroduction of the concept of the sacred feminine into our lexicon. I think Brown really helped to educate a generation about the suppression and obfuscation of feminine spirit and the historical importance of goddess worship. For me, it was about honoring the struggles of a strong female, against other strong women and men. The gender stereotypes are broken down and juxtaposed in the chronicles. We see this with Emily’s sexuality, and with the contrast with, say, the pirate captains Brodish and Dresden. In Sinfluence, I depict even starker contrasts with the character Braun (a satyr).
     
    Q: What readers would enjoy Hysteriata and the rest of The Elyzian Chronicles?

    A: Definitely folks who read Rowling, but also readers who really enjoy some hefty NA. My characters endure some pretty intense situations. There are struggles between love and hate, power and weakness, fate and freedom, life and death, action, suspense, drama, satire, romance – all wrapped up in this magickal world. The series has believable characters with complex relationships. There is a lot for everyone really.

    Q: What is your all-time favorite book and why?
    A: It’s going to sound a little strange, but my absolute favorite book is The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. It was one of the first books I read where I was like, “Wow! This is how you can play with words! This is art!” It shows in some of the words I created and my book titles. I believe that type of creative license makes treetrunk and springwater single words. Sometimes, as a writer, you just ignore parts of spellcheck when you know it works. My all-time favorite New Adult read, so far, is Butterman Time Travel Inc by PK Hrezo. It’s some awesome sci-fi. Very solid contemporary and super fun.

    Q: What’s your advice to other writers?

    A: I don’t typically offer writing advice. It’s just a very personal and private craft. But I will say this: I think one of the biggest mistakes writers make is they select a time for writing, and everyday they sit down at whatever-o’clock and open their laptop to begin typing. It’s the wrong approach – and apologies to any NaNoWriMo-ers out there. I don’t believe in it. I think we put an enormous amount of pressure on ourselves, myself too, to produce. Perhaps the best nights I spent “writing” were those I actually didn’t write a single word. I just daydreamed of that place or those characters. Sure I beat myself up over it, but looking back over four years of writing a series, I find that those were my most successful nights. Just thinking. Just owning that space. Just being in that story for awhile. The words will come when they come. 
     
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    Signed copies of all books in the Elyzian Chronicles series

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