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    Cold Burn of Magic giveaway …

    48 Comments

    I’m gearing up for the release of Dark Heart of Magic, Black Blade #2, on Oct. 27. Only about a month to go now. Woot!

    Dark Heart of Magic is available for pre-order at the following sites:

    Amazon Kindle / Amazon print / Barnes & Noble / Books-A-Million / iBooks / IndieBound / Google Play / Kobo

    The audiobook will be available through Audible and Amazon. Brittany Pressley is once again the narrator.

    But while we’re waiting on Dark Heart of Magic, let’s go back to Cold Burn of Magic, the first book in my Black Blade series. I haven’t done a contest here on my blog in a while, so let’s fix that. 🙂

    Black Blade #1I’m giving away 5 copies of Cold Burn of Magic. The contest is open to those 14 and older, U.S. only. To enter, use the form at the bottom of this post.

    Here’s the book description for Cold Burn of Magic:

    THERE BE MONSTERS HERE…

    It’s not as great as you’d think, living in a tourist town that’s known as “the most magical place in America.” Same boring high school, just twice as many monsters under the bridges and rival Families killing each other for power.

    I try to keep out of it. I’ve got my mom’s bloodiron sword and my slightly illegal home in the basement of the municipal library. And a couple of Talents I try to keep quiet, including very light fingers and a way with a lock pick.

    But then some nasty characters bring their Family feud into my friend’s pawn shop, and I have to make a call—get involved, or watch a cute guy die because I didn’t. I guess I made the wrong choice, because now I’m stuck putting everything on the line for Devon Sinclair. My mom was murdered because of the Families, and it looks like I’m going to end up just like her…

    So basically, the book features magic, monsters, and mobsters. The heroine is Lila Merriweather, a 17-year-old thief who lives in Cloudburst Falls, West Virginia, a town dubbed “the most magical place in America.” Tourists come from around the world to tour all the magic-themed shops and attractions, as well as see monsters like tree trolls, copper crushers, and more in their natural habitats.

    Lila also does her best to stay off the grid and avoid the Families — or mobs — who control much of the town. But when she saves a member of the Sinclair Family during an attack, Lila finds herself caught in the middle of a brewing war between the Sinclairs and the Draconis, the two most powerful Families in town.
    a Rafflecopter giveaway

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    And the winners are …

    First of all, my publisher was nice enough to send me some extra print ARCs of Midnight Frost, so there are now four winners instead of one. Huzzah! And the randomly selected winners of the ARCs are:

    Amy (amy13dolly)

    Cheryl (techiebyday)

    Annie (annievw)

    Diego Ramos

    Congrats! You have until midnight, EST, Sunday, June 23 to e-mail me your mailing address or I will pick other winners.

    Thanks again to everyone who left a comment. I appreciate all the nice words about my books and all the great book recommendations to check out. Thanks again!

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    Midnight Frost ARC giveaway …

    90 Comments

    Midnight FrostI have one print ARC (advanced reading copy) for Midnight Frost that I’m going to give away here on my blog.

    Midnight Frost is the fifth book in my Mythos Academy young adult urban fantasy series that will be released on July 30.

    Here is the description for the book. Note that this does have some spoilers for Crimson Frost, so if you haven’t read that far in the series yet, you may want to avoid reading the description.

    Here we go again … 

    Just when it seems life at Mythos Academy can’t get any more dangerous, the Reapers of Chaos manage to prove me wrong. It was just a typical night at the Library of Antiquities — until a Reaper tried to poison me. The good news is I’m still alive and kicking. The bad news is the Reaper poisoned someone else instead. 

    As Nike’s Champion, everyone expects me to lead the charge against the Reapers, even though I’m still hurting over what happened with Spartan warrior Logan Quinn. I’ve got to get my hands on the antidote fast — otherwise, an innocent person will die. But the only known cure is hidden in some creepy ruins — and the Reapers are sure to be waiting for me there …

    Midnight Frost is up for pre-order at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, and all the other usual sites. The audio books will be available through Brilliance Audio and Audible.

    GIVEAWAY DETAILS

    To enter the Midnight Frost ARC giveaway, just leave a comment on this post talking about a book that you are looking forward to or one that you’ve already read and enjoyed this summer.

    The giveaway is open to those 14 and older, U.S only. The giveaway will run through midnight, June 19, EST. The winner will be announced here on the blog on Friday, June 21.

    Happy commenting!

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    Guest blog: Jess Haines on Urban Fantasy and Strong Heroines …

    14 Comments

    Jess HainesToday, I’m pleased to welcome Jess Haines to my blog. Jess is the author of the H&W Investigations urban fantasy series, which includes the upcoming book, Forsaken by the Others, out on July 2. Take it away, Jess:

    URBAN FANTASY AND STRONG HEROINES

    Hello there!  Jess Haines here.  I’m the author of the H&W Investigations series — urban fantasy novels about Shiarra Waynest, a human private investigator in an alternate, present-day New York. Somehow she keeps getting pulled into supernatural troubles way above her pay grade …

    One of the things I enjoy about writing Shiarra is having her grow into her big girl panties. So many urban fantasy novels start out with a powerful woman with magical powers who grows more powerful over the course of the book or series. Shia is something of a rare breed — not only is she human, she starts out both phobic and, frankly, racist against Others (supernatural creatures like vampires, werewolves, etc).

    Over time, she’s become stronger, wiser, and more tolerant of those not like her. It’s one of the things I admired about stories like Laurell Hamilton’s Anita Blake series and Kim Harrison’s Hollows series. As the series went on, the heroines came to understand that sometimes issues that started out seeming so black-and-white really weren’t so clear-cut after all.

    Physical and magical ability has nothing to do with a heroine’s strength of character or what they are capable of as a person. When it comes to making the hard choices — the life or death choices, the decisions about whether to start or end friendships, knowing who they can really trust — that is where the real strength in that character lies.

    Forsaken by the OthersThat is one of the aspects of Shiarra I have really enjoyed exploring. Finding and pushing her limits to build on that inner core of strength. Making her look beyond her assumptions. In some cases, having to reevaluate some of my own.

    That is one of the joys of being a writer. Discovering what makes your character tick can sometimes open up new avenues of exploration for yourself and your own nature. Finding their backbone to have them stand up for the issues they believe in is one of the greatest joys of building a character over the course of time.

    Shiarra is one of those characters who is supposed to rub the wrong way on some levels from the start. Even though I don’t delve too deeply into social issues in my novels, I do like to think that I have given her a compelling case of character growth over the course of the series. She starts out afraid and distrustful of all vampires and werewolves. Over the course of the books, she learns that, like people, some are worthy of her trust and respect — and some aren’t.

    As a reader, this is one of the things I love best about urban fantasy heroes. Harry Dresden and the fae, the Sisters of the Otherworld and their take on humans, Rachel Morgan and demons, Anna and her view of Charles and the rest of the werewolves — they’ve all grown in different ways over time. Seeing why and how is a fascinating journey, and I hope you’ll feel the same way about how Shiarra’s feelings change about Others and how she grows as a person over the course of the series.

    WHERE TO FIND JESS ONLINE

    Thanks so much for being here today, Jess.

    For the next stop on the blog tour, be sure to visit the official FORSAKEN BY THE OTHERS blog tour calendar. You can also visit Jess on the web at the following sites:

    Website: www.JessHaines.com

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JessHainesAuthor  

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/Jess_Haines  

    Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/jesshaines  

    FBTO Blog Tour Button

    FORSAKEN BY THE OTHERS BOOK DESCRIPTION

    The Others – vampires, werewolves, things that go chomp in the night – don’t just live in nightmares anymore. They’ve joined with the mortal world. And for private investigator Shiarra Waynest, that means mayhem …

    Have a one night stand with a vampire, and you can end up paying for it for eternity. P.I. Shiarra Waynest, an expert on the Others, knows that better than most. Yet here she is, waking up beside charismatic vamp Alec Royce with an aching head … and neck. Luckily, Shia has the perfect excuse for getting out of town – namely, a couple of irate East Coast werewolf packs who’d like to turn her into a chew toy.

    On Royce’s suggestion, Shia temporarily relocates to Los Angeles. But something is rotten – literally – in the state of California, where local vampires are being attacked by zombies. Who could be powerful enough to control them – and reckless enough to target the immortal? Following the trail will lead Shia to a terrifying truth, and to an ancient enemy with a personal grudge …

    BUY LINKS FOR THE BOOK

    Amazon / Amazon UK / Amazon Canada
    Barnes & Noble
    Book Depository
    Books-A-Million
    Powells
    Indiebound

    GIVEAWAY TIME

    To enter the giveaways that are part of the blog tour, use the Rafflecopter form below. Jess will be announcing the winners at a later date.

    a Rafflecopter giveaway

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    And the winners are …

    1 Comment

    The three winners of the Carniepunk ARCs are:

    Bethany

    Tiffany D.

    Twiser

    Congrats! You guys have until midnight, EST, Sunday, May 26 to e-mail me or I will pick other winners.

    Thanks again to my editor for letting me host the giveaway and to everyone who left a comment. I’m glad that folks are looking forward to the anthology. It’s been a cool project to be a part of, and I’m looking forward to reading all of the other authors’ stories. Happy reading, everyone!