Monday, December 12, 2016

Holiday Giveaway from City Owl Press!


Look at this awesome giveaway! All you have to do is sign up for the City Owl Press newsletter to be entered to win an eBook of your choice from the City Owl Press titles! But you have to sign up before the end of December, so what are you waiting for? Click the banner below. 

http://www.cityowlpress.com/
*Winner will be selected randomly from December subscribers and contacted in January.

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

The Soul Keeper Series Book Blitz


Soul Keeper Series Box Set
L.A. Starkey
Publication date: March 10th 2015
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Amazon readers had a hard time putting this series down… you will to. Now you don’t have to wait – the full story is yours for a discounted price.
This boxed set includes all three full-length novels from Starkey’s beloved Soul Keeper Series. That’s over 800 pages of intense twists and emotional turns, heart-breaking romance and soul-shattering deception – all in one series.
In a battle of wills,
of the gods of old.
For each his revenge,
will he forfeit his soul.

On the chessboard of blood,
will their narrative play.
Aged, innocent lives,
revenge claims her way.
Out of hate will come love,
and love will come hate.
For immortal and man,
have entwined their damned fate.
The battle between the Titans and the gods of old did not end with them. The demand for revenge has dripped down into the next generation.
Twins, Marcus and Nicolas, heirs to the throne of the gods and sons of the last remaining Titan, learn that the purpose of their existence is to fulfill a prophecy born of hate and despair. They must battle for Pandora’s daughter’s heart, a girl lost to the human world and unaware of her hidden heritage. For four hundred years Marcus and Nicolas have only been allowed to touch the edge of their soul mate’s dreams, but the time of the prophecy has come.
For Samantha, life has been nothing more than a series of misfortunes and heartbreaks. For years, she has kept her heart locked away, but change is rolling in like a tidal wave. She is now forced to discern the thin line between love and lie, myth and reality, and it would seem that time is running out …
Grab for 99¢ this week only!
EXCERPT:
There was no moving in this moment. Her body afforded her no such luxury, as swirling white mist covered the soft green grass, giving the world an ethereal appearance. Crimson danced against the golden sky as the evening moved in quickly, hoping to make way for its dark lover.
Sam gazed around her, trying to make sense of the familiarity she felt with her setting, but she failed to hold onto the fleeting memory. The soft crunch of grass moving changed everything as realization dawned—she was no longer alone.
Her dark sapphire eyes narrowed, brow creasing as a figure cut through the dense, chalky air. He towered over her by a head or two, and judging by the large expanse of his shoulders, he often left the gym stained in his scent. As his shape continued to gain clarity, from color and size to the defined lines of a life well lived, the swell of anticipation grew within her at the story his facial features might tell.
As he drew close enough for focus, her jaw slackened and her eyes widened with wonder. He was for all intents and purposes a teenager, and yet by his exotic appearance, she guessed him to be a foreigner. Wherever he was from, he was simply beautiful.
He stopped just before her, his gaze locked on hers, and try though she may words escaped her cry for assistance. His piercing jade eyes bore into her, dark orange rays stretching lazily from the iris, his skin seeming to glitter as if kissed by the sun.
“I’ve been waiting for you.”
“For me?” Sam blinked in surprise, taking a hesitant step back.
“Ah, Samantha,” he breathed out, his brow creasing ever so slightly. “Same questions every time, my love. Shall I give you the same answers?”
“W-what a-answers?” She shook her head, attempting to draw in a breath that wasn’t filled with the smell of pure male.
There would be no relaxing in front of him for something was so very familiar and yet alarming to all of her protective senses. Brick by brick, her heart constructed a thick wall that would promise protection. He took a step forward and reached for her hand, but was a bit too late to infiltrate her senses as the wall was up and impenetrable.
She exhaled softly as their skin connected and instinctively let her fingers wrap around his as a sign of friendship. The warmth of his touch sent tingles racing along the corridors of her body and yet still the cold loneliness remained because she demanded it so. No one would ever penetrate her defenses again. Self-preservation had become her lifelong companion simply because life required such company.


Author Bio:
L.A. Starkey is the author of the Soul Keeper Series, a supernatural young adult series, and The Liarus Detective Series, a supernatural middle grade series.
She is a fulltime writer, and loves spending time with her family and reading a good book. With more ideas than one person should be allowed, she is blessed to have a muse that doesn't seem to take a vacation and more energy that one might consider healthy.
She writes under the following pen name:
Kate Thomas - NA/Adult Paranormal (http://amzn.to/1SKV9ey)



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Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Cover Reveal - Raphael's Fling by Alix Nichols



Raphael’s Fling
Alix Nichols
Publication date: November 17th 2016
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
My name is Mia Stoll and I dream about publishing a monograph on medieval Paris. Problem is, I’m better qualified for writing a handbook on how to go from a budding scholar to a pregnant runaway in three easy steps.
– – –
My sister Eva carries a torch for the wrong man. Here’s the gist of my sermons to her: “Drooling over your hunky astronaut boss is a loser’s trek to Calamity with three stops along the way: Heartbreak, Job Loss, and Spinsterhood.”

The thing is, I’m in a terrible—you could even say impossible—position to lecture Eva.
I’m attracted to my own boss.
Raphael d’Arcy is funny, smart, and uber-rich. He’s also smoking hot. That alone should have scared me away, were I not such a dolt, my academic achievements notwithstanding.
But there’s more.
Raphael is France’s most notorious playboy who doesn’t do relationships. He does one-night stands. If sufficiently intrigued, he might do a fling. Which is the most I could ever hope to have with him—a short-lived fling.
So what, right? It’s not the end of the world.
But consider this: Getting my heart broken by Raphael d’Arcy is the least of my worries. Some very serious merde has been piling up in my life lately.
And it’s about to hit the fan.
Raphael’s Fling is a standalone sexy romance in the Darcy Brothers series. No cliffhangers. Guaranteed: a swoony bad-boy hero, laugh-out-loud moments and a happily-ever-after



Author Bio:
Alix Nichols is a caffeine addict and a longtime fan of Mr. Darcy, especially in his Colin Firth incarnation. She is a bestselling author of romantic comedies set in Paris.

At the age of six, she released her first rom com. It featured highly creative spelling on a dozen pages stitched together and bound in velvet paper.
Decades later, she still loves the romance genre. Her spelling has improved (somewhat), and her books have made Amazon Top 100 lists, climbing as high as #1. She lives in France with her family and their almost-human dog.

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Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Happy Book Birthday to Shattered by Sharon M. Johnston!

shatteredbookblitz2016return  



SHATTERED: An Open Heart Novel Book 2  
Healing a battered heart will risk her last link to humanity

Mishca needs to save her sisters, but only Ryder can save her. The truth about Mishca’s past shattered her heart. She deals with the pain by focusing on a new mission: saving her newfound family from their creator. With her sisters scheduled for termination, Mishca and her friends set out on a journey up the North Queensland Coast to save them before someone else dies. Ryder understands the need driving Mischa. It’s in her DNA. But he’s not giving up on the chance they can still be together. She’s the only one to have seen him levitate. The only one to watch the sparks dance across his skin. The only one he trusts enough to know what is in his heart. And now, he might be the only one who can stop Mishca from losing her humanity. Driven apart by secrets, will they come together in time? 

shattered-digital-3d

 Buy SHATTERED on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Fishpond, Indie Bound, Booktopia or via the various outlets found on the City Owl Press website. Don't forget to add it on Goodreads! Haven't read DIVIDED yet? Find it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Fishpond, Indie Bound, Walmart, Booktopia, Boomerang Books, or via the various outlets found on the City Owl Press Website.

And you can add it on Goodreads!

To celebrate the impending release of SHATTERED, you could win a $20 gift voucher. Check out all the ways to enter in the Rafflecopter Link a Rafflecopter giveaway  


DSCF0416  
About the author:
 YA & NA author, Sharon M. Johnston, hails from sunny Queensland, Australia. When she's not writing, Sharon works in PR, spends time with her family, and plays far too much Pokemon Go. You can find her on Twitter, Facebook, and on her website.

Sunday, September 25, 2016

Divided by Sharon M. Johston - Price Drop and Giveaway

divedpricedrop

In preparation for the release of SHATTERED: An Open Heart Novel Book 2, you can grab DIVIDED: An Open Heart Novel Book 1 for only 99c!

 A new heart should mean new life, instead it’s a living nightmare. Mishca Richardson’s life is at an all-time high after her heart transplant. With new boyfriend, Ryder, she has the perfect summer romance. Even the nightmares plaguing her sleep since her operation can’t dull her new dream world. Yet, life starts to unravel when Mishca develops superhuman abilities. She does her best to hide them so as not to end up a science experiment in a lab, but she can’t ignore the strange instant attraction she experiences when she meets her university professor, Colin Read. Torn between love and obsession, Mishca must unite her divided heart and decide between the two men. But when the truth about her weird powers comes to light, she’ll have a lot more to worry about than romance.  

Some thoughts on DIVIDED
"...authors like Sharon M. Johnston keep the genre (NA) from getting stale by taking a creative bent and exploring overlapping elements."- LIBRARY JOURNAL
"This story by Sharon M Johnston will tug at your heart strings and leave you raw, and yet wanting desperately to read more!" - READERS' FAVOURITE
mischabannerready

To celebrate the impending release of SHATTERED, not only is DIVDED down to 99c, but there's also a giveaway! You could win a $20 gift voucher. Check out all the ways to enter in the Rafflecopter Link a Rafflecopter giveaway  


DSCF0416About the author YA & NA author, Sharon M. Johnston, hails from sunny Queensland, Australia. When she's not writing, Sharon works in PR, spends time with her family, and plays far too much Pokemon Go. You can find her on Twitter, Facebook, and on her website.

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Cover Reveal - Hunter by Skylar Heart


Hunter
Skylar Heart
Publication date: September 22nd 2016
Genres: New Adult, Romance




















 
LIZZY
I should have known he was trouble when I watched him drive his motorbike onto campus, leaving a trail of people whispering as he made his way into the Art Building.
Word around here is, he doesn’t date. So why do his eyes keep roving over me? Why does he want to talk to me?
Rumor has it, Hunter’s good at two things: making art, and getting into fights. I love art, but I can’t stand violence. I’ve been on the receiving end of it too many times.
My life is simple, it needs to be if I want to graduate and keep my eating disorder at bay… I sleep, I eat, I go to class and I definitely Do. Not. Date.
So why do I want him to hold me in his strong arms and cradle me to his broad chest?

HUNTER
She’s like a spooked little mouse. Not my type at all. Until she looked up at me and I was caught in her azure eyes.
But I won’t let her get close. In the last four years, I’ve lost everyone I’ve ever loved. I will never trust anyone ever again. The second I do, I’ll find myself alone again. So, what’s the use?
So I create big metal installations, I go to class when I feel like it, I drink and get into fights at the bar.
I have to stay away from Lizzy, because my darkness will only make hers worse. I know I have to, but that isn’t what my heart wants. When I see the pain in her eyes, I can’t resist her. I want to help her, touch her…
Own her.


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Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Guest Post - Brenda Corey Dunne with SKIN Blog Tour

Today, I'm so happy to have an old friend and an amazing writer on, answering some questions for us on her stopover for Skin Blog Tour.

First, all about this new release.



With a name like Ocean, you’d think moving to Prince Edward Island would be simple. But since seventeen year old Ocean crossed that huge bridge to the land of red sand, her life has been far from normal—it’s been downright dangerous. Trouble seems to follow her everywhere, and she’s got the bruises to prove it. 

And then there’s her mysterious neighbour, Sam...who seems to know more about her history than she does herself. When Ocean finally steps into the salty waves with Sam, she realizes that her life has been based on a lie, and that she is missing something...something she never knew existed. 


Her skin.





And now, Brenda graciously agreed to answer some questions for our readers. Brenda, take it away!

Interview with Brenda Corey Dunne

1. Tell us more about the book and its characters (whatever you feel is good for this question). It sounds very mysterious :)

I wrote SKIN a few years ago during NaNoWriMo, after an idea popped into my head of having selkies on the beaches of beautiful Prince Edward Island. Everyone knows PEI as the place where Anne of Green Gables smashed her slate over poor Gilbert Blythe’s head, but the thought of having a couple of magical creatures hanging out on the red sand beaches near Cavendish was just different enough to stand out in my mind. I wrote for a month straight and boom! SKIN was born. 

The main character of the book, Ocean, formed initially with a military lifestyle bent—she is moving from a place she knows and loves to a place she knows very little about. She is not happy about starting a new high school, has to deal with making new friends in a town that’s not used to outsiders, and has all kinds of other life changes going on that she doesn’t understand. 

But then she meets Sam, her dark, more worldly, curly-haired neighbor, and things improve. Well, they get more interesting, anyway. 

2. Where did the idea for Skin came from? 

Like I mentioned above, it started with a visit to PEI—my favorite area is the Thunder Cove area—and a stretch of the imagination. It grew from there. I have no idea where the selkie part of it popped up from…I guess I just really like seals, and selkies aren’t an over-explored magical creature. No sunshine restrictions either. I did a little online research and the idea just continued to grow until November and NaNoWriMo.


3. Tell us about your writing process and routine.

Currently? Non existent. L But generally I start with a setting. We travel a lot, and some places just seem to scream storylines at me. 

I really need quiet and focus when I write, so I tend to write during the day when my teens are at school. I am fortunate enough to be able to work part-time at my day job, so I have a few days a week that are intended for writing. I write best in the morning, but sometimes write in the later evening as well. I listen to quiet instrumental music (think spa without the waves) because music with words distracts me when I write. And I have a great big wooly sweater that I love to wear…it’s my ‘writing sweater’, and is about 5 sizes too big, but it keeps me toasty. J

4. What advice would you give aspiring authors?

Write for you. Write what you want to write, what you want to read, what you know. The publishing world is very fickle—and there doesn’t seem to be any formula to figure out what will work. So pick something you enjoy writing about, and just write. Write every day if you can. NaNo is awesome, because it forces you to just power through everything…and edit later. 

Take a class. Being with like-minded people, and examining your work from a different perspective really helps. I’m in serious need of a class right now, but life is getting in the way! Soon.

5. Who are your favorite writers that you would recommend?

I like to read entertaining books, and a lot of what I read is popular YA fiction (Gayle Foreman, Kristin Cashore, Sarah Dessen, Maggie Stiefvater). 

One of my favorite authors to just read and enjoy is Tammara Webber. She’s a self-pubbed turned traditional published writer who is successful because she writes good stories with believable relationships. Her Between the Lines series is one of my favorites. I’d recommend her to anyone who likes YA/NA relationship stories.


Thank you for stopping by, Brenda! 

Brenda Corey Dunne grew up in rural New Brunswick, Canada. She originally trained as a physiotherapist and worked several years as an officer in the Royal Canadian Air Force before meeting her Air Force pilot husband and taking her release. She has two other published novels, DEPENDENT (2014) and TREASURE IN THE FLAME (2012).
Brenda is represented by Frances Black of Literary Counsel. She currently resides on the Pacific Coast of Canada, but home is wherever the RCAF sends her hubby, and she’ll be moving to the Washington, DC area in the summer of 2016. When not writing, working or taxiing her three children she can be found either in the garden or on the beach with a book in one hand and a very, very large coffee in the other.



Friday, May 13, 2016

Friday Art & History - Urban Sketching

Urban Sketch by Shari Blaukopf
I'm starting on an interesting art journey and I'm inviting you along. What is it, you wonder? It is an art practice called Urban Sketching.

Definition: Wikipedia defines Urban Sketchers as "a global community of artists that practice drawing on location in cities, towns and villages they live in or travel to. It was a movement started on Flickr by a journalist Gabriel Campanario. Urban Sketchers is now a nonprofit organization and its manifesto has been translated into multiple languages.

It's mottos is: "We show the world, one drawing at a time!"

There are also now a number of vritual urban sketching events and groups, where the sketchers "travel" and sketch places through photos and Google Images.

Why did I get interested?
I have always been a watercolor artist, and have recently come back to it. However, over the past couple of years, I also started painting and drawing using other art mediums, such as oils, pastels and watercolor pencils. My goal for the next months is to improve my drawing skills. I'm also fascinated with graphite and pen drawing. Urban sketchers usually use a mix of all of these medium, especially pens, pencils, watercolor pencils, ink and watercolors. I also love history and architecture, something which, again, figures heavily in urban sketching.

Taken from Urban Sketchers blog

What do you sketch? 
Everything you see. Architecture, people, animals, what you see out of your window, by your job or on your travels anywhere.

Books on Urban Sketching: 


 The Urban Sketchers: Techniques for Seeing and Drawing on Location



 The Art of Urban Sketching: Drawing On Location Around the World


 Urban Sketching: The Complete Guide to Techniques



The Urban Sketching Handbook: Architecture and Cityscapes: Tips and Techniques for Drawing on Location


Urban Sketchking kit by Gabi Campanario

Resources:







Alena Kudriashova – Sketch travel Journal




 I'll be posting my sketches as I progress and learn. I would love to see yours, as well.












Monday, May 2, 2016

I'm back!



I apologize for being absent from my blog for so long. It's been a few crazy months of hard work, wonderful book releases from City Owl Press, getting ready for, and then attending, the RT Booklovers Convention in Las Vegas, paining, and much more. But I promise that I'm now back and there will be posts at least 2-3 times a week from now on!

So see you very soon.
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