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Cover Reveal: When Stars Die by Amber Skye Forbes











About the Book

Title: When Stars Die
Author: Amber Skye Forbes
Publisher: ACE Stellar Publishing
Cover Designer: Viola Estrealla of Estrella Cover Art
Release Date: October 2013
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance
Cover Reveal Host: Lady Amber's Tours



Surviving these trials is not easy, especially for Amelia, who is being stalked by shadowy beings only she can see. They're searching for people they can physically touch, because only those they can touch can see them. Amelia soon learns why she is being stalked when she accidentally harms her best friend with fire during the third trial. Fire is a witch's signature. The shadows are after witches.

Now Amelia must decide what to do: should she continue on her path to profession knowing there is no redemption, or should she give up on her dream and turn away from Cathedral Reims in order to stop the shadows who plan to destroy everything she loves?




About the Author




Amber Skye Forbes is a dancing writer who prefers pointe shoes over street shoes, leotards over skirts, and ballet buns over other hairstyles. She loves striped tights and bows and will edit your face with a Sharpie if she doesn't like your attitude. She lives in Augusta, Georgia where she writes dark fiction that will one day put her in a psychiatric ward...again. But she doesn't care because her cat is a super hero who will break her out. 



Whimsy 8.28.13













Welcome to my

Whimsical Writer's Wonderful WIP Wednesday!

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STATUS:

project: TAKING CHANCES
series: Paranormal Investigation, #2
status: 16K!!! About 29% complete
cover reveal: Sept 4, 2013


This week, we got a lot done with plotting. We had a lot of hazy plans for the second half of the book, and now we're talking them out and filling them in. Doesn't add to our word count, but helps us write faster in the long run.


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EXCERPT:





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Facing Your Fears: 4 Steps to Becoming an Author




Some people expressed to me that they were writing their first books and how scared they felt. I totally sympathize.


When I first started writing, I was terrified of the unknown world of publishing. How would I find a publisher? If I self-publish, how do I get a book cover or an ISBN? How do I find readers?


What if no one likes my books? Worse, what if everybody likes my books and I become a bookstar? Yeah, I was as terrified of success as I was of failure. I was totally messed up. I like hiding. I’m shy and prefer anonymity.


But after releasing my first books, success or failure didn’t really matter anymore. What matters is writing and sharing my stories. I love getting reviews, good and bad, though sometimes the bad still make me cry. And I love learning more about writing and improving my style and building new stories to share with you.


Over the years, I've learned that the road to becoming a writer is a series of baby steps. When you were a baby, did you refuse to walk because you were afraid of falling? No, you didn’t care. You’d just pick yourself up and keep going.


And your parents didn’t think you were a failure because you could only string two or three steps together before tumbling to your knees. No, they thought you were absolutely adorable. In fact, everybody thought you were adorable: grandparents, neighbors, the stranger at the grocery store.


Is your first book going to be perfect? Not likely, but that’s the wonderful thing about being a writer: with each new story, you get to try again. Most writers hit their stride with their third book (or so I’ve noticed when reading my favorite authors).



My suggested plan to becoming a confident author:


1. Plan your writing career.


What are the next ten books you want to write? How many books a year do you want to produce? How are you going to market these books?


Aiming to be the next hit wonder is as likely as winning the lottery or as useful as a get-rich-quick scam. Success as a writer often comes after several books are published, and you've found your own audience.



2. Study the art of writing.


We’re not magically gifted with talents. Talents are things we love so much that we work to become good at them, and then when somebody notices the excellence of our work and can’t see the years of struggle that got us there, they call it a talent.



3. Find some beta readers who really know how to write.


We aren’t gods. We weren’t created with infinite powers. We have to sleep and eat to replenish our energy stores. We need God in our lives to keep our souls and spirits from becoming old and creaky. And we need each other. Nobody can write a book in a vacuum.



4. Practice with short stories.


A short story has a single plot line with only one or two subplots. Novels have several plot lines with tons of subplots.


If you want to learn how to juggle (and believe me writing is very much like juggling), you should start with 3 balls and slowly work your way up to 10 balls. In writing, you have to juggle characters, plot, technique, and grammar, and the longer your story, the easier it is to drop one of those balls.



More on planning your Writing Career next week.

Book Blitz: I Remember by Cynthia P O'Neill








Title: I Remember
Author: Cynthia P. O'Neill
Genre: Young Adult
Blitz Host: Lady Amber's Tours




SYNOPSIS


Jordan Carlisle is a young, career driven woman with a passion for life and family.  Her world is suddenly altered by both death and love when she is torn between family loyalty and a chance at happiness with the man who holds her in her dreams.  Will time and technology bring her and the handsome stranger together or will the powerful forces that have plagued her since childhood keep them apart?


Gregory Riley has kept a secret most of his life to avoid discovery.  Now he is on a quest to find the person who can change his life, forever.  He knows her face, her touch and her voice; but nothing more.  He uses clues, from his dreams, to find both her and a timeless love that defies explanation.  In spite of the darkness working to keep them apart, can he get to her first and help her “remember”?


Jordan and Gregory discover a deep connection in the ability to encroach on one another’s dreams of both past and present. Together, they learn that their lives have crossed time and time again, only to end tragically.  Guided by an unearthly visionary and help from those who have gone before, they are given clues and revelations to uncover their place in history.  In order to stay together, they must discover where fate went astray, who is responsible and where they fit in to the ancient prophesy.  Working side-by-side, they seek to unlock the hidden powers and mysteries that will defeat the darkness in this life and allow them to be together, forever.


Will love finally prevail or will the darkness win again?




EXCERPT


I wandered along a path as the sun began to set across the horizon, lighting the sky with deep hues of orange, purple and pinks.  I didn’t know where I was, but the countryside was simply breathtaking.


“Angeline, where are you?”  A familiar male voice called out.


“Come find me, Daniel,” she announced playfully, in the distance.


Finding no one else around, I decided to head their way to ask for directions.


“Where are you hiding, my love?  You know I will find you; and when I do, I will smother you with kisses,” he responded, full of laughter.


Their voices led me to a beautiful meadow filled with spring flowers and the sound of a river in the distance.  They were dressed in Victorian fare, running playfully until Daniel caught the girl who must have been Angeline. They fell to the ground together, laughing, near a tall tree.


As I walked toward them, I watched Daniel lean in to kiss Angeline softly on the lips, her hands circling around his neck and pulling him closer.  I stopped in my tracks feeling like I had invaded a private moment, but I still needed directions in order to return home.


“Excuse me, I don’t mean to intrude but I could really use your help,” I stated softly, so not alarm them.


They continued, without even a glance my way.   How rude.  I cleared my throat loudly and spoke again, but no answer.
I was frustrated.  How could they not hear me?


Suddenly, the landscape began to twist and shift into something dark and evil.  I tried to turn and run but found myself unable to move.  My heart began beating erratically as fear set in.


A tall figure appeared before me with ghostly shadows swirling and moaning around it.  It was dressed in the darkest cloak I’d ever seen, with the hood draped in such a way as to cast shadows across the few visible areas of the face, making it impossible to see who or what it was.


An arm rose revealing long willowy fingers, aged and deformed and pointed at me.  A sadistic female voice bellowed, “I warn you.  Do not seek him out!  The prophecy must not come to pass.  If you defy me, I will make your life a living hell, taking all that you hold dear.”


That’s when the figure’s head tilted up and her glowing red eyes locked onto mine, sending a chill down my spine.  Then the shadows began to swirl around my body, suffocating me.


“STOP!”  The scream came from nowhere, catching me by surprise.


“LEAVE HER ALONE!”  This time I recognized a man’s voice.


One of the shadows grabbed my arm and a piercing, “NOOOO” sounded, from deep within my chest, echoing off all that was around me.
My eyes shot open, as I bolted upright in bed.  I looked around and realized I was in my bedroom.


I reached for the light. Turning it on, I tried to catch my breath.  My only thought was that the dreams were back and they were worse.  I’d seen a witch spirit previously, but not to this extent.


Wrapping my arms around my chest to calm myself, I felt a sharp pain on my right arm.  I looked down to see the reddened hand print, where the dark shadow had grabbed me, slowly fading from existence.  What the heck?



ABOUT THE AUTHOR





Cynthia P. O’Neill grew up in Clewiston, Florida and moved to Central Florida to attend college.  There, she married her friend, love, and soul mate and still resides there with their amazing son, and a feisty, four-legged little boy.


In her books, Cynthia draws on her background in healthcare and business, along with her husband’s engineering knowledge.


Several years after she got married, she started dreaming about the characters in I Remember.  It took eight years before she decided that it needed to be told.  With the encouragement of family and friends, she decided to bring Jordan and Gregory to life in a series of Young Adult, Paranormal Romances with a Historical bent.  I Remember is the first book in the Remembrance series.


Cynthia’s first book is geared towards the Young Adult, Historical and Paranormal Romance fans. She does hope to grow as a writer and write in multiple genres.  Her second series; is a steamy romance called Learning to Trust, part of the Learning Series, coming out in August.


She tries to make her writing very personal and close to her heart. Regular life is the inspiration for her books, but her imagination takes them to new heights, opening up possibilities that would normally not exist.

Whimsy 8.21.2013













Welcome to my

Whimsical Writer's Wonderful WIP Wednesday!

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STATUS:

project: TAKING CHANCES
series: Paranormal Investigation, #2
status: 14K!!! About 25% complete
cover reveal: Sept 4, 2013


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EXCERPT:


Silver glyphs and runes cover the polished cypress staff. At the top, there’s a three-headed dragon. One set of eyes peeks at me, and when it catches my gaze, it snaps its eyes closed again. You don’t see me.


“Caves?” I ask the man with the wizard staff. “All the caves you’ll find up here are likely to belong to the Kodiaks, and they don’t like visitors much. Except maybe as a snack.”


You don’t see me.


“We are hoping to study the local … fauna,” he says


You don’t see me.


That’s it! If it’s going to be obnoxious about it. Open your eyes and sing a silly ditty, I order it.


All three sets of eyes pop open, and the middle dragon head sings, “In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the dragon sleeps tonight …”


The other two heads join in, singing, “wimoweh, wimoweh, wimoweh …”


~ Taking Chances by Rita & TJ Webb

Cover Reveal: Insights by Lauren Klever


And here it is, the one we've all been waiting for: the 3rd book in the Secret Watchers series!!!!


Isn't it pretty?





Title: Insights (The Secret Watchers, Book Three)
Author: Lauren Klever
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy Action and Adventure
Release Date: August 26, 2013
Cover Reveal Host: Lady Amber's Tours



SYNOPSIS


Owen Ryer thought he was normal. He thought his life was boring. A walk into a pawnshop in eighth grade showed him that his life was a lie. Two years later Owen has accepted how far from normal he really is. He has a special gift, granting him the ability to see dark energy in the objects around him. Now he’s part of a secret society where people like himself help others and fight the dark watchers who want them for their powers.

Owen has discovered that a Secret Watcher does not have to live his life alone. He knows that he can expand his powers by working with other watchers but what will the price be? Darkness is growing and evil thinks it has found its new prince in Owen. They will stop at nothing to get to him even if it means kidnapping, mind-control or murder.

Owen must do more than fight; he must use his wits and every ability he has at his disposal to hold the growing darkness at bay. Who knew high school could be more challenging than football, homework and relationships? The dark side knows… and they’re watching.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR






Lauren Klever is the author of the young adult series, The Secret Watchers. She graduated from both Oregon State and Portland State University with degrees in education. Lauren found writing to be just another way to reach her students. She’s passionate about sharing her love of reading and writing with them.

The Pacific Northwest, with its vivid and varied panoramas is where Lauren makes her home. When she’s not writing, she can be found working with students, reading, gardening or hiking around Mt. Hood, the Columbia River Gorge and the Oregon Coast. Watch out for the lady with the camera, it may be Lauren scouting out the perfect shot for her next cover.




FIND HER BOOKS ON THE INTERNET


Whispers: Amazon | B&N | YouTube

Visions: Amazon | B&N | YouTube

Insights: YouTube




Defying Fate Release Blitz!



Title:  Defying Fate (Book Two Fate Series)
Author: Lola James   
Genre: New Adult Paranormal Romance
Blitz Host: Lady Amber's Tours


Book Description:

Love… Death… Fate!

Megan opened her heart and defied her fate for love. Alex wanted nothing more than to be with Megan, no matter the cost. After a vision meticulously unravels her existence it leaves Megan wondering is their love worth death?

To escape her demise, Megan enlists the help of Emilian, her vampire protector. However, the world around her slips away as his presence melts her, a gaze ignites her, and when he touches her every sensual fantasy plays in her mind. The problem is she has a job to do and she can’t afford to lose focus but he’s the only one that can keep the looming threats away.


What’s a girl to do? Death is not an option but it may be the only one she has… Continue the fated journey in Defying Fate.


GET YOUR COPY NOW:  Amazon | B&N

Author Bio:




Lola is a fool for a love story, a sucker for a cupcake, and let’s not talk about what she’d do for a Klondike bar. She enjoys long walks on the beach and movies that involve chainsaws. By day she's the HR Lady and by nightfall she puts on a cape to become a romance writer.


Excerpt:


I marched back into the living room and toward the box before striking the match and tossing it in. I watched the red sequins melt as the fire picked up and began to roar.

I had just ended that dress’s life and in doing so ended the manipulative events that followed, right there on the living room floor. 

“Megan, are you burning—” Emilian’s eyes widened as he rounded the corner from the hallway. In a blur, he was out the doorway and back from some other part of the house with a fire extinguisher in hand.




Playing Hooky Blog Tour + Giveaway




During my blog tour week, PLAYING HOOKY will be FREE!!! So please, download a copy and give it a read. If you write an HONEST review, you can enter my mega giveaway below.

I've ordered lots of swag:  bookmarks, wristbands, magnetic buttons, and book-cover charms!!! I'm ready to give some mega prizes! 


To those who have supported me by writing reviews, I have a special giveaway to say THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! This giveaway includes 5 swag packages full of wonderful goodies plus other individual prizes like free eBooks, bookmarks, wristbands, and a $10 gift certificate to Amazon or B&N.


BUT I love everybody, and if you don't want to give me a review, there's opportunities for you too! I have another giveaway full of bookmarks, eBooks, and wristbands.


Enter the giveaways below, but you can also get MORE PRIZES on my Facebook event page!






Rules:

  • Participants must post an HONEST review on Amazon
  • International participants are eligible for eBook and gift card prizes only
  • U.S. participants are eligible for all prizes
  • All winning entries will be validated
  • Giveaway runs from Aug 11th to Sep 3rd

a Rafflecopter giveaway





Rules:
  • International participants are eligible only for eBook prizes only
  • U.S. participants are eligible for all prizes
  • All winning entries will be validated
  • Giveaway runs from Aug 11th to Sep 3rd

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Whimsy 8.7.13












Welcome to my

Whimsical Writer's Wonderful WIP Wednesday!

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STATUS:

project: BREAKING ANGELINA
series: Paranormal Investigation, #1.5
status: 32K!!! About 64% complete
cover reveal: Sept 4, 2013


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EXCERPT:

The smell of sex hangs in the air like an accusation.

The bed is a mess, her blood smeared on the sheets. Shit, she was a virgin. How could I have not realized that? I should’ve noticed there was no smell of another male on her.

Condoms in the trash can. One broke and I pray she’s not pregnant. She was fertile; I could smell it… I rake my hands through my hair.

What have I done?

But if I could do it all over again, I would.

I sit on the side of my bed, watching her sleep, her golden hair fanning out across the dark pillow, the sheet only partly covering her. I had loved how those silky tresses and fallen over my face as she lay on top of me, as she rained kisses down over my face, chest…

I want to reach out and touch her again. Pull her to me. Kiss her. Take her. Mine.

Every inch of her body has burned itself into my soul. I snort with self derision—wolves mate for life. That would be why this was such a bad idea.

But she’s not mine. I can’t really have her.

If the Usurper got a hold of her like he did to Sammi…

No, I will move heaven and hell to make sure that doesn’t happen. Not again, not ever again, will he hurt something of mine.


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Recovering from Total Social Burnout!




Last week turned the whole household upside down:


1. We started off the week off-kilter because of (1) food allergies (we broke all our strict food rules) and (2) we spent the whole weekend running around. The kids had a sleepover with their best friend, and TJ and I had our first date in years.

2. Two kids got poison ivy from running in the woods with their friend.

3. I got hives that won't go away. We don't know what's causing them, and the heavy duty medication that the doc gave me doesn't work.

4. 6 doctor / dentist visits in one week.

5. My parents, and then later my brother, came to visit.

6. My mom spent the whole week with us as she taught the kids how to sew.

7. Our dining room table was covered in sewing machines and we had to picnic in the living room every day.


My parents are great and wonderful people. My mom is really caring and teaches sewing to a girls' club, and my dad is a great preacher (yeah, I'm a PK, with all the typical rebellious stereotype to go with it).


Back Row: Grampy and Grammy
Front Row:  my kidlets, Spider Girl #2, #3, and #1 (holding our cat Custard)



The kids had a great time learning to sew, despite being all itchy. It warmed my heart to watch them get to know their grandmother. My parents live 3 states and 8+ hours away, and they visit maybe once every 3 years or so.


But for me and TJ, the constant social interaction was . . . exhausting. Our usual routine was completely out of wack, and we ran out of small tack on Day One. Our nice quiet moments in the evening with books and snuggling or writing while swapping ideas back and forth was all screwed up.


We survived the week, and I even managed to write 4,000 words last week. They left happy and contented, and we now have our kitchen table back.


However, we are exhausted, cranky, and low on energy. Total SOCIAL BURNOUT! It's a week to recharge our souls. This means music, reading, lots of quiet time, and snuggling. Some time soaking up the wonderful summer weather.


What do you do to relax after stressful social visits?