Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Deadly Gamble

Okay guys, I have another awesome cover reveal for you! No worries, soon it will be mine! This book is from a fellow Inkspeller, so I know you'll love it. Enjoy!







When attractive Kristi Andrews is hired as Assistant Marketing Director at the Parthenon hotel/casino in Las Vegas, she’s focused on succeeding at her new job. But from the very first day, strange events occur:  a deadly escalator accident—the strange death of a candle shop owner—a psychic’s warning that the Parthenon is doomed AND IT’S ALL KRISTI’S FAULT.

 

Shocked and  baffled, Kristi must determine if she could be responsible for the mysterious, evil presence that seems to haunt the hotel. She’s aided by a man she’s just met—famous western historical author, Mike Garvey. Attracted to Kristi, Mike goes one hundred fifty years back in time to draw upon his knowledge of old Las Vegas and the Santa Fe Trail. They are the key to a puzzling mystery which Kristi must solve if she wants to save not only the Parthenon but the entire Las Vegas Strip from total disaster.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

 


Shirley Kennedy wrote and published Regency romances for several years for both Ballantine and Signet.  She switched genres to write a wagon train romance. When struck with what she called “a great idea” about a haunted casino in Las Vegas, she was compelled to abandon both  Regency England and the Old West to write Deadly Gamble.

 

Born and raised in Fresno, California, Shirley has lived in such diverse places as Denver; Houston; Torrance, California; Bogota ,Colombia; and Calgary, Alberta, Canada where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Sciences at the University of Calgary.  She worked as a computer programmer/systems analyst for several years before she went back to her first love, writing. 

 

Shirley lives close to her two daughters in Las Vegas Nevada. Brutus and Sparky, her two editorial assistants on the furry side, love to nap in the sunshine next to her computer while she produces her next novel.

 

See Shirley’s web site at www.shirleykennedy.com

 

Her published books include:

 

Heartbreak Trail, Camel Press 

Three Wishes for Miss Winthrop,  Signet

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Lily Drake Book Two!!

Please join me as I welcome my friend, T. Michelle Nelson, and her new book to the world! Congrats to her, and the birthday of the second book in her series. I'm so happy for her! I've read the first book (it's amazing) and can't wait to read this one! 



 

With a doting husband and a new job training a vampire military, Lily Drake was living up to the prophecies of being the best.  Her life was seemingly perfect, until tragedy strikes bringing her a loss she's not sure she can endure.

The hard-working super mom / vampire slayer, Lily Drake, has just learned problems still exist even after you become immortal. 

As everyone knows, even if you find the perfect guy, you don't always get a happily-ever-after.  Lily may have found temporary happiness being a newlywed, but the honeymoon is over.  When she finds her husband going out for late night bites with another woman, Lily has to fight to try and regain what she wants most, love and a happy family.
 
If Lily thought being a single mom was hard, she’ll find being married can be a bloody mess.

 

In her own words: Check this out and get to know T. Michelle...

 

What is the Hardest Part of Writing a Book / Getting it published? 

 

There isn’t a set answer that every author will tell you.  Many might say writer’s block, marketing their book, editing or publicity.  You may laugh at my answer.  To me the most difficult part of the process is writing the dreaded query letter.

If you’re a writer, you know what this is.  If you aren’t, let me tell you.  It’s basically a letter that you polish to a shine and send out to people who get roughly a bazillion of these same types of letters every day.  Not only does yours have to stand out, be absolutely perfectly written and sound interesting, but it also has to sum up your 90,000 word manuscript into a paragraph or two. 

That’s right.  In a nutshell, you have what amounts to about twenty seconds of time that it takes for the agent / publisher who is reading it to grab them and make them ask for more.  If it doesn’t sound all that tough yet, then let me explain further.  I’m a long-winded kind of gal.  I like to really explain things fully.  Cutting 90,000 words down to a few sentences is nothing but torture for me.  I’d rather have bamboo shoved under my toenails.

So, to all you aspiring authors, let me give you a bit of advice.  A writer friend once told me this, and it actually helped out a little bit.  When you go to write the dreaded query letter and you’re trying to sum up your novel, imagine that guy who does all the Hollywood trailers.  You know the one I’m talking about - the guy with the deep voice who starts talking as the commercial fades in.  Imagine what he would say if your book was made into a movie. 

“For Lily Drake, slaying vampires is easy.  Dating them is the hard part.”  You wouldn’t believe how long it took me to come up with that.  As I read over this article, I don’t even understand how this task is so difficult, but trust me, it is.  And if you need help, don’t look at me, I totally suck at that.

 

 Buy her books today! Thanks everyone!!! 


 

 

 

 

Friday, March 22, 2013

SO CAN'T WAIT TO READ THIS ONE!
Trailer Reveal

Follow this link:
http://www.inkspellpublishing.com/1/post/2013/03/the-fallen-stars-trailer-reveal.html

Series: The Star Child #2
Publication date: April 12th 2013
by Inkspell Publishing
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance



Synopsis:
Kellen St. James was just your average seventeen-year-old prodigy, until he eighty-sixed the Lord of Faerie and proposed to the Celtic Goddess, Calienta. But then everything in Kellen’s life gets turned upside-down when he and Cali end up on the run from a seriously irritated group of faeries. The worst part? They have zero idea why they’re being hunted.

Suddenly, Kellen is stuck in the middle of another prophecy that foresees him turning away from Calienta and embracing the dark. He’ll be forced to take sides in a struggle to claim his birthright, while discovering secrets about his father’s past. Meanwhile, his passion for Cali grows stronger, even as the prophecy threatens to tear them apart.

In the end, will Kellen and Cali survive the fates? When the ultimate power is within reach, which side will he choose?

AUTHOR BIO
Stephanie Keyes has been addicted to Fantasy since she discovered T.H. White as a child and started drumming up incredible journeys in her head. Today, she's still doing the same thing, except now she gets to share those ideas with readers!

When she's not writing, Stephanie is also a graphic designer, international speaker, teacher, musician, avid reader, and Mom to two little boys who constantly keep her on her toes. In addition, she's best friend to her incredible husband of eleven years.

Mrs. Keyes holds an undergraduate degree in Business and Management Information Systems from Robert Morris University and a M.Ed. from Duquesne University. She is a member of the Society For Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), as well as a featured author in the global group of writers, Love a Happy Ending.com.

Keyes is the author of the YA Fantasy series, The Star Child, which currently includes The Star Child (September 2012) and The Fallen Stars (April 2013), both released by Inkspell Publishing. She is currently hard at work on the third book in the trilogy, The Star Catcher.

Author links:

Giselle Cormier

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Stephanie Lawton's Cover Reveal


Can't wait to read: 


 

Need

By Stephanie Lawton

Published by Inkspell Publishing


Release date: May 17, 2013

 

Synopsis:

Isaac Laroche is cursed. All he wants to do is hide out and feel sorry for himself. Never mind that he got caught sleeping with his seventeen-year-old piano student, or that he abandoned her when the truth was exposed.

Isaac’s feisty high school sweetheart has different plans. Heather Swann has returned to their hometown of Mobile, Alabama, to regroup after breaking up with her troll of a fiancĂ©. She’s restless and looking for a diversion, but she bites off more than she can chew when she sets her sights on rehabilitating Isaac with her unorthodox sexual, mental, and physical plans.

The two quickly reconnect, but their happiness is threatened by family secrets, old vendettas and the death of a beloved father-figure.

Can Heather handle Isaac’s baggage, or will her own come back to haunt them both?

 

Author bio: 

After collecting a couple English degrees in the Midwest, Stephanie Lawton suddenly awoke in the deepest reaches of the Deep South. Culture shock inspired her to write about Mobile, Alabama, her adopted city, and all the ways Southern culture, history and attitudes seduce the unsuspecting.

A lover of all things gothic, she can often be spotted photographing old cemeteries, historic buildings and, ironically, the beautiful beaches of the Gulf Coast. She also has a tendency to psychoanalyze people, which comes in handy when creating character profiles.

 

Links:


This is a sequel to her first book:  Want
 
 
 

Sunday, February 17, 2013

I Won! Well, not really, but it's all in good fun.

I had the pleasure of being nominated for the Liebster Award by the Melissa Keir. Melissa's books, are amazing and she's a great friend! 
 
So how does the Liebster Award work? Here are the rules:

Thank the person who nominated you. (Thank you Melissa! I'm so excited!) Post eleven random facts about yourself. Answer the eleven questions asked by the person who nominated you. Think of a new set of eleven questions and nominate eleven others to answer them.


Here are just the facts...(THESE ARE FROM MY FRIEND, MELISSA! (My comments in red)

1. I actually graduated high school at 16 years old then started community college. (Wow, you must've been very smart!)

2. I caused quite the scandal by marrying one of my students' sexy fathers. (Saaweeet!)


3. I almost lost my driving license when I was 17 because of too many speeding tickets-- hence the nickname- Mario. (LOL)

4. My dad taught me to ice fish and shoot. But that was because he didn't have a son. (Sounds fun, but Brrrr!)


5. I used to work in a Nursing Home and can change the bed sheets while a patient is still in bed or insert a catheter. (That's talent :) )


6. I wanted to be a medical examiner like Quincy Jones when I was younger. (Me too!)

7. I have two tattoos and six piercings in my ears. (Very cool)


8. I swear like a sailor when I'm upset and embarrassed. (&%$#$##$**)


9. I was married in the same Vegas chapel as Jon Bon Jovi. (My friend Crystal will be SOOO jealous of this one!)


10. I can twist my arm so it looks like my elbow is bending the other way.  (Ewww!)


11. In anatomy class, I put the cow eyeball on the antenna of my professor's car as a joke. (Rebel...I like it!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now for my Random 11 Facts:
1.  I once got stung by an entire nest of bees and had to soak in a tub of baking soda for a day.
 
2.  In the 4th grade, I won the class spelling bee. When the competition moved on to the school level, I misspelled LAWYER in the first round. 
 
3.  Ironically, I wanted to be a lawyer when I was a kid. 
 
4.  I have two brothers, one older and one younger. I often suffer from middle child syndrome.
 
5.  My daughter was born two months early and only weighed 3 lbs, 6 oz. at birth.
 
6.  When I was younger, I used to love to cross-stitch.
 
7.  I love pickles, but I have been caught drinking the juice after the jar is empty.
 
8.  I'm a reality TV junkie.
 
9.  At school, I'm known as the Twilight teacher because I have Edward and Jacob lifesize cutouts in my classroom.
 
10. At the age of nine, I thought Laura Ingalls Wilder was the coolest person on the planet and often braided my hair in pigtails.
 
11. Aside from earrings, I usually don't wear any jewelry.
                                                                 ~~~~~****~~~~~
 
Eleven Questions from Melissa:
1.What is the grossest thing you've ever eaten? I'm a VERY picky eater, so this will be tame...I'd have to say peas. I'm just not a fan of those little mushy balls that squish in your mouth.

2. If you knew you were dying in 30 days, what is one thing from your bucket list that you'd do? I would get a tattoo. I've always wanted one, but I've never been brave enough.

3. If you could go back in time, what would you tell your high school self about love? I'd definitely tell myself to find a nice guy who has plans for the future. A nice geeky computer tech perhaps?

4. What is your favorite cartoon? Cartoons aren't my thing. If I had to pick one, I'd say the Disney movie Monsters, Inc. was good.

5. What music, artist, or song is your guilty pleasure?  If You Leave, by OMD from the movie Pretty In Pink. Every time I hear it, I'm transmitted back in time and feel like a teenager again.

6. What is your perfect birthday present?  Spending time with my daughter is perfect any day.

7. What is your dream car?  I don't really have a preference to a specific type of car, but I'd like one of those cars that you can turn on with a click of a button so it warms up/cools down before you get in.

8. What is or was your nickname? Chilly Willy.  Thanks Crystal

9. How did you get the nickname? My friend Crystal named me that. Still don't know why.

10.Which reality TV show would you like to be on for a month?  Oh my gosh, there are so many...definitely would love to be a Kardashian for a month. If that's not possible, then I'd have to say Big Brother.

11. What preparations have you taken for a zombie apocalypse or end of days scenario? Well, to be honest, I've no idea about this apocalypse coming, but my sister-in-law Jenny is a pro when it comes to zombie information. I'd just hang with her because she knows all the rules when it comes to the undead.



My nominees are: (LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT TO BE ADDED)
1. Maria Mills-Benat
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you've learned some new facts about me. I'd love to know your answers to my questions or comments about my own responses.

Sunday, February 10, 2013

T. Michelle Nelson Cover Reveal

Check out this exciting COVER REVEAL for T. Michelle Nelson...

The first book, The Life and Death of Lily Drake was one of the best books I read last year. T. Michelle has a way of making the characters come alive off of the pages of her books and you feel as if you're right there with them fighting battles and finding love. I cannot wait for the second one! 

Life and Death of Lily Drake– Have you read the first book yet? You wouldn’t want to miss Lily Drake kicking some serious vampire butt.
Check out more about this series here! – Life and Death of Lily Drake
 
 
 
 
HERE IT IS:
 


 
 
Book Blurb:
With a doting husband and a new job training a vampire military, Lily Drake was living up to the prophecies of being the best. Her life was seemingly perfect, until tragedy strikes bringing her a loss she's not sure she can endure.
The hard-working super mom / vampire slayer, Lily Drake, has just learned problems still exist even after you become immortal.

As everyone knows, even if you find your soul mate, you don't always get a happily-ever-after. Lily may have found temporary happiness being a newlywed, but the honeymoon is over. When she finds her husband going out for late night bites with another woman, Lily has to fight to try and regain what she wants most, love and a happy family.

If Lily thought being a single mom was hard, she’ll find being married can be a bloody mess.
 
 

About the author:

T. Michelle Nelson is a native of Benton, Kentucky and a graduate of Murray State University holding a degree in Education. Currently she resides in picturesque Mount Vernon, Ohio, which
is also the setting of her Lily Drake series. The first book in the series, Life and Death of Lily Drake, is available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Kobo, and your other favorite online book stores in paperback as well as e-reader formats. The second book, 'Til Death Do Us Part, is being released by Inkspell Publishing in April of 2013 and currently, T. is working hard to finish her third book.

When she isn’t writing, you can usually find her singing out of key while playing Rock Band with her husband and son, watching B-Horror movies or wrestling with her two ill-behaved fur babies, Buddy Perro and Bunchie.

Giveaway:
 
 
 

Rafflecopter (For bloggers):

<a id="rc-62e21816" class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/62e21816/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
 
 
Rafflecopter (For wordpress or others):

 
Giveaway is open for US, UK, and Canada.

We are giving away some paperbacks, ebooks AND Valentine swag! All pictures including the cover is attached!



Sunday, February 3, 2013

Next Step

Today is known worldwide as Super Bowl Sunday, but it's also the day I filed my copyright for Cycle 13: Hunted. Which is more exciting???  Hard to judge, but if you're a Ravens fan, my guess is you're pretty excited right now.

Since the power's out at the Mercedes-Benz superdome, let me entertain you with a bit from my book.

 
     “My name changes with each life. My mom told me it’s necessary for birth certificates and things like that. It might raise a red flag at the Social Security Office when an eight hundred year old girl applied for her driver’s license.” Jules’ mouth rose just slightly at the corners, which made me feel calmer. I was glad she was relaxing a little now.

     “My parents have all died and been reborn again, just like me. That’s the one thing I like most about what I am. I know that when death naturally comes to those I love, that it’s not the end. Even though I may never see them again, or if I did, I wouldn’t remember them anyway, at least I draw comfort in the fact that their lives were not over for good.”

     “That is a nice thought,” Jules agreed. “Can I look through your book?”

     “Sure.” I handed her my album and watched as she flipped from page to page. She read each page and looked intently at each picture. I watched her reactions while gazing at the pictures myself; I never tired of looking at them. Each one was so unique. When she turned to the page that held my fifth life, I noticed something familiar on my mother, at the time. She was wearing a bracelet, probably which held her gemstone, but I recognized this bracelet from much more recently. Where had I seen this?



You know you want to read more...

:)  Enjoy the rest of the Super Bowl---if the lights come back on.