Contests

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    ARC giveaway for Deadly Sting …

    155 Comments

    Deadly StingMy editor was nice enough to send me three print ARCs (advanced reading copies) of Deadly Sting, the eighth book in my Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series that will be out on March 26.

    I haven’t done a giveaway here on the blog in a while, so I thought that I would offer up the three ARCs for giveaway. To enter, just leave a comment on this post talking about a book that you are looking forward to in 2013.

    The giveaway will run through midnight, EST, Wednesday, February 20, and is open to U.S. residents only. The winners will be randomly selected and announced here on the blog on Friday, Feb. 22. You must be 18 years or older to enter.

    Also, if you do win an ARC, I hope that you will consider reading and reviewing the book for your blog, Goodreads account, etc.

    Here is the description for Deadly Sting. As always, if you don’t want to be spoiled, you may want to avoid reading the description.

    Red is definitely my color. Good thing, because in my line of work, I end up wearing it a lot.

    Most people shy away from blood, but for an assassin like me — Gin Blanco, aka the Spider — it’s just part of the job. Still, it would be nice to get a night off, especially when I’m attending the biggest gala event of the summer at Briartop, Ashland’s fanciest art museum. But it’s just not meant to be. For this exhibition of my late nemesis’ priceless possessions is not only the place to be seen, but the place to be robbed and taken hostage at gunpoint as well. No sooner did I get my champagne than a bunch of the unluckiest thieves ever burst into the museum and started looting the place.

    Unlucky why? Because I brought along a couple of knives in addition to my killer dress. Add these to my Ice and Stone magic, and nothing makes me happier than showing the bad guys why red really is my color.

    Hope everyone enjoys the book when it comes out.

  • · · ·

    Guest blog: Morgan Rhodes on Falling Kingdoms …

    25 Comments
    Morgan RhodesToday, I’m pleased to welcome epic fantasy young adult author Morgan Rhodes to my blog. She’s the author of Falling Kingdoms (and a whole bunch of other books as Michelle Rowen). Take it away, Morgan:
     
    FALLING KINGDOMS, YA, AND MORE
     
    Question: Hi, Morgan. Thanks for taking the time to guest blog. Please tell us about your new book, Falling Kingdoms.
     
    Morgan: Thanks for inviting me, Jennifer! 🙂 Falling Kingdoms is the first book in a YA high fantasy series from Penguin/Razorbill. It’s about four very different teen characters from neighboring kingdoms, both royals and commoners, who find their lives irrevocably intertwined in a time of war and magic.
     
    Question: What inspired you to write Falling Kingdoms? Is this your first time writing epic fantasy YA?

    Morgan: It is my first time writing epic fantasy — YA or otherwise! For some time, I’ve been wanting to tackle a story with a big world and multiple characters to really challenge myself as a writer. I definitely love fantasy, but I’ve written paranormal in the past so this was another fun challenge since the genres are definitely different. I’ve always loved both fantasy and gritty action movies and TV series, so my inspirations included A Game of Thrones, The Princess Bride, Lord of the Rings, Braveheart, and Spartacus … to name only a few!

    Falling KingdomsQuestion: Will Falling Kingdoms be the start of a series? If so, how many books are planned? And what obstacles do you see the characters facing in future books?

    Morgan: It is the first book in a series. Four books are officially under contract and the second book, Rebel Spring, will be out December 2013, which picks up the story three weeks after the end of Falling Kingdoms.
     
    As far as obstacles … my characters face a lot of them! In this series there is war to deal with — both the literal kind and that of the heart. In book two, I introduce a couple new characters who shake things up in good ways and bad. And the characters readers have already met have a lot to juggle … and I can promise more twists that will hopefully have readers gasping in surprise.
     
    Question: What do you like about writing in the YA genre?

    Morgan: There’s something about writing teen characters that really appeals to me. Teens are falling in love for the first time in these books, they’re being betrayed for the first time, they’re finding out who they really are and what they believe in down deep. Their personalities are being forged by good experiences and bad, which will make them into the adults (villains or heroes) they’re soon to become.

    Question: You also write under the name Michelle Rowen. Please tell us about your various projects.

    Wicked KissMorgan: I do … and Michelle Rowen is quite prolific this year. I have several releases, including Wicked Kiss (out Feb 26 from Harlequin Teen), which is the sequel to Dark Kiss.
     
    I also tap into my funny side with my second Immortality Bites Mystery, Bled & Breakfast, out in June from Obsidian.
     
    Question: What are some of your favorite YA books?
     
    Answer: Some of my faves include both Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series. Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games trilogy. Lauren Oliver’s Delirium (but I haven’t read book two yet!!). And I can’t wait for June, which is when my friend Eve Silver has her YA debut with Rush, an amazingly exciting book I was lucky enough to read super early.
     
    Question: What’s next for you?
     
    Answer: I’m pretty excited to be included in Penguin Teen’s 2013 Breathless Reads Book Tour, which starts on Feb. 10. I’m on the “East Coast leg” of it, and will be visiting seven cities to promote Falling Kingdoms. Anyone interested in learning more can visit https://www.facebook.com/breathlessreads for more details about the other authors, locations, and dates!
     
    FALLING KINGDOMS GIVEAWAY
     
    Morgan is offering a print copy (unsigned) of Falling Kingdoms. The giveaway is open to those 13 and older, U.S. only, and will run through midnight, EST, Jan. 23. The winner will be announced here on my blog on Friday, Jan. 25.
     
    To enter, just leave a comment on this blog talking about a YA book that you are looking forward to.
     
    MORE ABOUT MORGAN
     
    Morgan Rhodes lives in Ontario, Canada. As a child, she always wanted to be a princess — the kind that knows how to wield a sharp sword to help save both kingdoms and princes from fire-breathing dragons and dark wizards. Instead, she became a writer, which is just as good and much less dangerous. Along with writing, Morgan enjoys photography, travel, and reality TV, and is an extremely picky yet voracious reader of all kinds of books. Under another pen name, she’s a nationally bestselling author of many paranormal novels. Falling Kingdoms is her first high fantasy.
     
    You can find Morgan online at Twitter, Facebook, and her website. Thanks so much for being here today, Morgan.
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    Guest blog: Michelle Diener on the Anatomy of Attraction …

    19 Comments

    Today, I’m pleased to welcome historical fiction author Michelle Diener to my blog. Michelle is one of my author friends, and her books include In a Treacherous Court and The Emperor’s Conspiracy. Take it away, Michelle:

    THE ANATOMY OF ATTRACTION

    Michelle DienerI use the word Anatomy very specifically here. 🙂

    I write historical fiction with a strong romantic element, and in my upcoming release, The Emperor’s Conspiracy, out on Nov. 27, my two main characters are attracted to each other. My heroine is immediately attracted to the hero, while he is a little too angry and distracted to really see her well enough to be attracted to her. But all it takes is another meeting and you can tell he’s really interested, too.

    They don’t fall in love. Not yet. They are physically attracted to each other. They do fall in love with each other by the end of the book, or are on the verge of love, but it’s the chemistry between them, the sparks that fly, that compel them to spend more time with each other.

    And I think we’ve all had moments when we’ve seen someone who has made our hormones sit up and go “Well howdy-do!” (said in that spider from Madagascar’s voice 🙂 ). If we are single and so inclined, we may do something about it. If not, then we are happy to simply take a good look and move on.

    Both my characters are at a point in their lives where a really strong attraction like the one they have for each other serves as a partial catalyst for change. It shakes them up, makes them uncomfortable, and forces them to take risks they might otherwise not have done. Desire is a strong emotion and a good motivator.

    Everyone has felt that quick pull of attraction, and occasionally decided to see where it would lead us.

    Can you think of a favourite scene from a book/movie where the hero and heroine have just met and really like what they see?

    I’ll go first. One of my favorites is from Smoke in Mirrors by Jayne Ann Krentz, where the heroine, Leonora Hutton, meets Thomas Walker in the apartment of Leonara’s recently deceased friend, and Thomas’s ex-lover, Meredith. Another favorite is from JAK’s White Lies. I think JAK does first meetings really well!

    GIVEAWAY TIME

    The Emperor's ConspiracyMichelle has generously offered to give away a copy of The Emperor’s Conspiracy to one randomly-drawn commenter with a U.S. address.

    To enter, just leave a comment on this blog and answer Michelle’s question: Can you think of a favourite scene from a book/movie where the hero and heroine have just met and really like what they see?

    The giveaway is open to those 18 and older, U.S. only, and will be open through midnight, EST, Wednesday, Nov. 28. The winner will be announced here on my blog on Friday, Nov. 30.

    Also, Michelle lives outside the U.S., so she will respond to comments when she can.

    ABOUT THE EMPEROR’S CONSPIRACY

    Set in early nineteenth-century England, this vivid and romantic historical novel goes from the most elegant ballrooms of London to the city’s most tawdry slums, as a spirited young woman helps unravel a plot by Napoleon to bleed England of all its gold.

    Through good fortune, Charlotte Raven escaped the poverty of the London slums and is now an educated, wealthy Society lady. But she lives between two worlds, unable to completely turn her back on her old life—specifically Luke, her childhood protector and now a ruthless London crime lord.

    When Lord Edward Durnham is asked to investigate the alarming movement of gold out of England, his search leads him to London, and his recent acquaintance with Charlotte affords him access to a dark world he barely knew existed. As they delve deeper into the underbelly of London, danger lurks at every turn, and Charlotte must navigate between her two worlds to save England.

    And soon she faces a defining choice: to continue in the familiar limbo she’s lived in for years, or to take a painful and risky leap toward a happiness she never thought possible.

    You can find out more about Michelle’s books on her website, Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.  Thanks so much for being here today, Michelle.