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Cover Reveal: TAKING CHANCES and BREAKING ANGELINA



You can't even imagine how special this is to me, to share with you the covers for books 1.5 & 2.0 in the Paranormal Investigation series.


For me, this is an epic moment, a turning point in my writing career. The moment when TJ and I become authors together. When my writing dreams finally move in the direction I want them to--building on a story and characters I've come to love. When the world of possibilities opens up like a magical mirror taking me to a whole new world.


So without any further ado . . .




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For ages 17+ due to violence, language, and some sexuality.

Powerless to silence the voices in her head, Angelina obeys their every command, even if it means ruining her college career, swindling money from her friends, or kidnapping and killing a siren so she can brew a love potion to ensnare the man she's crushed on since childhood.

The Hunter, a man-wolf-hawk chimera, drowns the memories of his murdered family in liquor. A tracker for hire, an honorable man who has misplaced his honor, a twisted soul with no heart left to care.

…until Angelina hires the Hunter to help her track down a siren and wakes him from his drunken stupor. What will it take to set them both free?









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Someone — or something — vandalized Jason's new shop. Smashed windows, a broken cash register, damaged merchandise are strewn across the floor, but the culprit left the money.

The evidence: bloody bear prints larger than any bear Jason's seen, black ooze that can eat the flesh from bones, and a missing employee.

Bears don't wander into busy shopping districts, turn off security alarms, and break into stores. When more people go missing, Jason and Emma realize the cops aren't up to handling the situation.

Something’s going wrong in the paranormal world. Can Jason and Emma fix things before someone else gets hurt?

Ashes & Ice Indiegogo Campaign Event









About the Book:







Buy Links:  




She is desperate to remember.
He is aching to forget.
Together, they are not broken.
But together, one may not survive.

​Jade wakes up with no memory of her past and blood on her hands.

Plagued by wicked thoughts, she searches for answers. Instead, she finds a boy who doesn't offer her answers, but hope. But sometimes, when nightmares turn into reality and death follows you everywhere, hope is not enough.

LUST. LOVE. LOSS. Sometimes, all that is left are Ashes and Ice



Excerpt











About the Author







Rochelle grew up dreaming up stories. When she entered high school, she tucked away her creative side and jumped head-first into academics, work, and service projects. She graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Political Science and Communication when she was twenty years old. After years away from her writing, Rochelle picked up a pen and started fleshing out a character sketch that she outlined when she was twelve. That sketch was the start of the Ashes and Ice story. Rochelle lives in the DC metro area with her husband and daughter. By day she works as a behavioral therapist. By night, she is a dreamer and is busy tapping out new stories on her keyboard.

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.