Cover Reveal and Contest: Pretty Dark Sacrifice by Heather L Reid

Month9Books Presents a Cover Reveal and Title Contest for
Book 2 in Heather L. Reid's Pretty Dark Nothing Series.

Help Month9Books choose a title for the next book in the Pretty Dark Nothing series!

Book 2, a follow up to Pretty Dark Nothing, will be released this fall, and we need your help picking a title. Below are two covers, each with a proposed title for Book 2 on it. We can't call it "Book 2" forever, so please take a look and comment HERE to vote on which you like best.

The winning title will be revealed at BEA 2014 and if you commented to vote and will attend BEA, Month9Books will give you a signed copy of the galley (limited to the first 20 commenters attending). Voting opens today and ends on Friday, March 14, 2014. Thanks to artist Christel Michiels for the amazing cover!

So, which do you like best?

Title choice 1:
Perfect Dark Sacrifice

Title choice 2:
Pretty Dark Sacrifice

Series: Pretty Dark Nothing
Author: Heather L. Reid
Publisher: Month9Books
Publication Date: September 2014

It’s been five weeks, two days, and eight hours since the demons forced Quinn to throw herself into the raging river, since Aaron sacrificed himself to save her, since he disappeared without a trace. No body, no sign of him at all. Everyone wants her to move on, but Quinn can’t. She’s convinced Aaron’s trying to contact her, but Azrael, her angel Sentinel, insists these visions are nothing more than the demons preying on her guilt, bent on distracting her from her true destiny as the reincarnation of Eve.

With Aaron’s fate forever entwined with Quinn’s true Sentinel, Kaemon, they both find themselves prisoner of the underworld. For Aaron, death in the river would have been easier than ending up in Lilith’s dungeons.

Heather L. Reid has always had a sense of wanderlust and a belief in the paranormal. She eats mayonnaise on her fries, loves video games, and getting lost in a good story. This native Texan now lives with her Scottish hubby in South Ayrshire, Scotland, where she spends her weekends wandering the moors in search of the ghost of William Wallace and exploring haunted castles.

Her debut young adult Paranormal, PRETTY DARK NOTHING, will be released on April 23, 2013 by Month 9 Books.

Connect with the Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Cover Reveal: Before You by Lisa Cardiff

Coming February 2014...

SYNOPSIS

* Book #1 in the Before You Series * 

Aubrey Keaton has never had a supportive family. Luckily, she has Camden… 

Her childhood friend. Her savior. Her boyfriend.

Even after Camden leaves their hometown to chase his dream to be a musician, Aubrey can’t imagine her life without Camden and his family.

Before starting a job search for her own dream job, Aubrey decides to visit Camden in California for a month. But when she arrives, something unexpected happens…she meets Jax Carmichael, the lead singer in Camden’s band. 

Jax Carmichael doesn’t have time for a relationship…much less love. 

Even if Aubrey is irresistible, she’s a complication he doesn’t want or need. He has spent the last few years building Chasing Ruin, and the band is on the verge of being signed. Pursuing Aubrey could destroy his band, and he’s worked too hard to be successful without his family’s money, or connections, to let that happen. 

Aubrey feels an attraction to Jax like something she’s never experienced before. 

Confused, she tries to resist, but when her relationship with Cam begins to unravel, she realizes that Jax might just be the one thing she needs.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

After spending years practicing law and running a real estate development company with her husband, Lisa decided to pursue her dream of becoming a writer and she must confess that inventing characters is so much more fun than writing contracts and legal briefs. A native of Colorado, she lives with her husband and three children in Denver. When she isn't managing the chaos of raising three children and owning her own business, she can be found reading or writing a book or tinkering in her garden.

CONNECT WITH LISA 

* Twitter * Facebook * Goodreads * Website * Amazon *

GIVEAWAY

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Kiya Trilogy Memes

If you missed the Facebook party yesterday, then you would have missed these beauties that my good friend and CP, Leigh Statham, helped me make. Enjoy!

This one is my favorite!

Release of the Final Book - Kiya: Rise of a New Dynasty by Me!

Amazon

Amazon

And so ends my debut series. Today marks the release of the third book in the Kiya Trilogy; Kiya: Rise of a New Dynasty. I have said from the beginning this is my favorite of the three books. So much happens. It's so emotional, tragic, but beautiful too. Naomi's life never ceases to throw new curve balls at her as she fights to keep her family alive.

I hope you've enjoyed these books as much as I do. And yes, I love these books! Naomi is like my best friend and is the type of woman I want to be.
Thank you to Curiosity Quills for signing Kiya and taking the leap of faith on these books. They've taught me so much through this process and I feel I am a better writer for it. For my editor, Mary, for teaching me about passive voice and how to be a stronger writer, for Jessa, who signed Kiya in the first place, Courtney for helping me with all the non-fun writing stuff like marketing, and keeping everything organized, and Lisa for always being enthusiastic and willing to listen and help.
I feel I've been so blessed through all this. I'm so grateful for being given a gift that makes me so happy and can support my family by using it. The Kiya Trilogy has blessed our lives in a way that I cannot fully express. So thank you, to all of you, for reading, reviewing, being enthusiastic and generally amazing as I have begun my writing career through this humble Hebrew girl.

To say thank you, I'm giving away a signed copy of the entire trilogy (US only). I will put together three packages, one for US, and two for international. Just enter below and follow the blog tour! Also, for more prizes and to chat with me and other authors, stop by the Facebook Party today only.

Add Kiya: Rise of a New Dynasty on Goodreads.

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Now, read Branded, and watch out for the Cadence Anderson Series. Book 1, Deceptive Cadence, comes out this summer (June 16) with Curiosity Quills Press.

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Release Day Blitz: Forget Me Not by Stacey Nash

This is an exciting day! Stacey is one of my CP's and a good friend so I am very excited for her debut novel's release.

Blurb: Since her mother vanished nine years ago, Anamae and her father have shared a quiet life. But when Anamae discovers a brooch identical to her mother's favorite pendant, she unknowingly invites a slew of trouble into their world. When the brooch and the pendant are worn together they're no longer pretty pieces of jewelry -- they're part of a highly developed technology capable of cloaking the human form. Triggering the jewelry's power attracts the attention of a secret society determined to confiscate the device -- and silence everyone who is aware of its existence. Anamae knows too much, and now she's Enemy Number One.

She's forced to leave her father behind when she's taken in by a group determined to keep her safe. Here Anamae searches for answers about this hidden world. With her father kidnapped and her own life on the line, Anamae must decide if saving her dad is worth risking her new friends’ lives. No matter what she does, somebody is going to get hurt.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18130928-forget-me-not?from_search=true

What Others Had to Say:

"I certainly won't be forgetting Nash's debut, FORGET ME NOT! A vividly fast-paced tale with adventure, secrets, and kissing!" -Kimberly P. Chase, Author of THE APOLLO ACADEMY.

"Vivid, fresh, and unforgettable!" - Kimberly P. Chase, Author of THE APOLLO ACADEMY.                                                                

Amazon

About the Author:
Stacey grew up in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales. It is an area nestled between mountains and vineyards. Full of history and culture, it provides wonderful writing inspiration. After dabbling with poetry during her teen years, Stacey stopped writing until after university when she was married with young children. Now she loves nothing more than spending her days with her children and writing when inspiration strikes.

Social Media Links:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads

Excerpt:

The gas meter beeps when he reaches the top of the staircase. Coming upstairs seems kind of strange. I mean, surely gas leaks would have to be a kitchen thing. The beeping sets my teeth on edge, and I just want it to stop. Maybe there’s something wrong, but here in the upstairs hall?

“That doesn’t sound good,” I mutter.

“It means there is indeed…”

He twists, angling himself toward my open bedroom door, and his gaze locks on my dresser. The back of my neck prickles, a sure sign something about this just isn’t right. What the…I step past him and pull the door closed, but he pushes me aside and slams it open. Panic shoots through me, but I’m fast enough to dart around him. Turning my shoulder and reaching for the box.

He lunges toward me, grabs me from behind, and his arm pins my neck to him with a shoulder crushing grip. He pushes me against the dresser, and the box falls open, its contents spilling across the top. Heart pounding, my throat burns with a scream. I’ve got to get him out of here. He must know about my pendant, the brooch. Dammit. I wriggle to escape his vice-like grip, but it’s no use -- he’s too strong.

My hand darts toward the pendant. I snatch it, but he grabs my wrist. Adrenaline tries to pound my heart right out of its home in my chest. If only I can get the jewelry on, I might be able to make its magic work and hide.

“Tech breech confirmed,” he speaks into his collar in a matter-of-fact tone; then he turns his gaze to me. “Give me the pendant.”

There’s a tiny ripping sound, like velcro torn open. A young guy in a black leather jacket flickers into my bedroom. A sharp gasp leaves me. I can’t escape one attacker, let alone two. Where the heck are these men coming from? I’m not going down without a fight, so I kick at my captor’s shins. The leather jacket guy wrenches the man’s grip from my shoulders and punches him square in the chin, knocking his head to the side. Shaking his head, the gas man stumbles backward.

The jacket guy raises his knee and drives a foot into the other man’s stomach. The straight, hard kick makes a loud thud and forces the dude to double over and curl in on himself. The leather jacket guy crouches and drives his fist straight up into the man’s chin. It knocks him flat on his back like a felled tree.

My chest rises and falls with my quickened breath. My heart thuds like a booming drum. The mysterious rescuer turns toward me, holding my gaze with intense, steady jade eyes. He grabs my assailant by the arm, and they both flicker out of my room.

My mind spins.

Legs, arms, body -- I can’t move, but it doesn’t matter. Moving is the least of my worries. Who were they, and what just happened? The meter seemed to lead him straight to Mom’s pendant. Gas man, my ass.

I clutch my head in an attempt to stop my mind spinning, but my hand slides off my sweaty forehead and falls against my tightened stomach. What if they come back? The guy in the jacket…

What was that? The brooch, the pendant…my disappearing reflection. They wanted it. Damn.

Sweat trickles down my forehead and into my eyes. I wipe it away with a trembling hand. Questions hurtle through my mind, all jumbling together as they race faster and faster in my mind. Seconds, minutes, hours I don’t know, but a single thought emerges through the haze of my mind.

 Will.

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Cover Reveal: 8 Weeks by Bethany Lopez

Publication Date: March 24, 2014

Summary: Is eight weeks enough time to earn back the love of someone you've betrayed...the only one you've ever loved?

Shelly has been in love with Cal since they started dating in eleventh grade. Despite everyone saying that the odds were against them, they got married after graduation and built a life together. Now, six years later, she is faced with the ultimate betrayal. Devastated, her first instinct is to call it quits…

After a drunken binge at his best friends’ bachelor party, Cal betrays the one person who has always been there for him, his wife, Shelly. Terrified and realizing she might divorce him, Cal must come up with a way to prove to her that his love is true…

Cal asks Shelly for eight weeks. Eight weeks to convince her that their marriage is worth the fight. Will Shelly be able to trust him again, or will their marriage end the way many others do when faced with opposition… In divorce?


About Bethany Lopez: Award-Winning Author Bethany Lopez began self-publishing in June 2011. Since then she has published various YA and NA books. She is a lover of romance, family, and friends, and enjoys incorporating those things in what she writes. When she isn't reading or writing, she loves spending time with her husband and children, traveling whenever possible.

Add 8 Weeks to Goodreads

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Blog Tour: Deviations by Crystal C. Johnson

"People don’t just crate diseases to wipe out nations,” I argue. “The bubonic plague, typhoid fever, smallpox, the bird flu—would you like me to continue?” His voice rises as if he’s determined to make me understand, “They’re created in labs, then given to people to see who is strong enough to survive them. They’re trying to limit the amount of people in the world.” I watch him stand and turn for the door. “There’s a lot about your parents that you don’t know and the sooner you realize that, the sooner you can start doing something about it.” About Deviations From the day we’re born, we’re introduced to the marvels of modern medicine. It is amazing how a simple vaccine can prevent polio, hepatitis B, rotavirus—the list is almost endless. But, what if that were no longer the case? What if the government unleashed each virus for the sole purpose of controlling the population? Henly Sawyer finds herself discovering this truth for the first time, and as she does, the world that she thought she knew shatters. She wakes in Aurora, a quarantine miles from home, and is forced into a grueling reality. Henly strives to piece together the truth about her parents and their involvement in the unfolding chaos. With the help of her new friends, Renner and Dex, Henly sets out to understand a world that is now filled with Deviations—an infected group of violent, murderous humans.

| Barnes & Noble | Amazon | GoodReads | Author's Blog |

What readers have said about the book:

"The novel Deviations by Crystal C. Johnson is an unpredictable journey that brings you through very relatable experiences. Through the excitement and comedy found throughout, it is impossible to put down. Through the characters Crystal has been able to relate to her readers with the realistic feelings and actions that they portray. Throughout the entire novel there are countless ingenious surprises that you never see coming. Deviations is the amazing combination of the novels Divergent by Veronica Roth, Maze Runner by James Dashner, Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and Matched by Allie Condie."

--Carmen, 15

"I love the story line, the characters, the love story and the twist. I stayed up reading and couldn't put it down."

--Steffeni, 26

I fell in love with the characters and was fighting for their survival right along with them!

About The Author:

Crystal Johnson is an avid pinner, impatient reader, determined writer, and currently trying to survive motherhood. She has a strange addiction to Root Beer and Spanish Soaps. Born in a small town in Northern Nevada, she grew to love and appreciate the written word. She could spend her entire day locked in a closet with a flashlight if that meant she could read a book from start to finish. But lets get serious...

Crystal graduated from BYU-I with a BA Degree in Political Science and a minor in English. Along the way she acquired a pretty amazing husband who has helped me create and realize so many dreams. Who knows how many times he's reminded her that she needs to sleep to continue living. Crystal also has a baby boy who fits perfectly with his name - Cash. Right now she resides in Canada and besides the rainy months she loves it.

Cover Reveal: Kiya: Rise of a New Dynasty (Kiya Trilogy #3) by Me!

So here we are, at the final book in the trilogy's cover reveal. I will say this is my favorite of the three covers and really goes well with the story. So, with no further ado....

Yay!!! And here's the details for you:

Tut has grown into his position as Pharaoh, but he is a wild young man. Naomi fears for him, not only because of his recklessness, but because he has put his trust in Ay–the man determined to destroy Naomi—despite her and Horemheb advising against it.

Meanwhile, death and slavery hang over Naomi and her family. With fear of the booming Hebrew numbers causing talk of enslaving them, conscription is reinstated and Naomi fears for the lives of her other children. Especially since Ay's children are now adults, and just as dangerous as their father. They threaten to take Itani, conspire against Tut, and push for power.

But Tut is in trouble. While Ay's daughter draws Horemheb's attention, and Naomi deals with the struggles of her family, everyone's distraction could spell death for the young Pharaoh.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20498841-kiya

A special thanks to my reveal helpers:
A.K Morgen
Eliza Tilton
Darci Cole
Monique LeBlanc
Mara Valderran
Jaycee DeLorenzo
Elsie Elmore
Anabel Gonzalez
Jessa Russo
K.A Last
Cassandra Page
Lillian MacKenzie
Sharon Bayliss

Cover Reveal and Guest Post: Shattered Secrets by Krystal Wade

Today I am not only doing my normal Tuesday guest post, but a cover reveal, too! So check out Krystal's fabulous cover for her soon to be released novel, Shattered Secrets, and read on to check out her truly eye opening perspective on publishing and success.

After being kidnapped, hogtied, and stuffed in the trunk of a car, seventeen-year-old Abigail Nichols' boy problems seem unimportant. 
She couldn't be more wrong.

The boy who saves her holds her heart. 

But Derick Crawford also holds secrets. 

Magical beings who guide human emotions are fighting an invisible war dating back to the dawn of time, and Abigail's one of them. The more she learns of her heritage, the less she wants to know. Armed with a very old, very massive book to teach them about their history, Abigail and Derick run away to a place where they think they can be safe and happy, only to have their troubles secretly hitch a ride.

Her history book is in a sharing mood, and it tells her to keep a secret of her own.

But has she put her trust in the wrong place?

And will the world survive if she has?

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Dreams vs. Reality

Have you ever asked yourself what you’d spend lottery money on? Where you’d live? What you’d eat? What vacations you’d take? I know I have. I’m fairly positive most of us dream big. Whether we play the lottery or not.

As an author, I think I sometimes dream bigger than most. Not only do I imagine winning the lottery, but I imagine my book becoming a best-seller and hovering at #1 on the NYT list for, oh, I don’t know, two years?!  It could happen. No, really, it could!

I’ve thought long and hard about what I’d do with my life. Will I keep working? Will I move? Build a summer and winter home (Longboat Key, Florida and Burlington, Vermont)? Will I stay at home with my kids until they’re off at school and then dash into my massive library to write the rest of the day?

No, yes, and YES!

It’s okay to dream. Really. It is. What’s not okay is thinking that reality will match up to your every expectation. See, I’ve found myself really bummed out by my successes. Rather than sitting on the beach right now, I’m either sitting at a desk at work, driving fifty miles to get home, or at the grocery store . . . you get the point. I’m not living a life of luxury—well, at least to the standards of my DREAMS.

But because reality didn’t match up to my dreams, to my expectations, I forgot to celebrate my successes. You see, I began writing in 2011. January 2011, or something like that. It’s now February 2014, and I have three (almost five) published books.

Wow.

Say it with me now, “WOW!”

Not only do I have three (almost five) published books, but one of those books climbed the Amazon charts and stayed there a few days. One of those books sits in the hands of close to forty-thousand readers.

40,000!!

But because I envisioned mega-mansions and crazed fans and people calling my name in public, and I didn’t get that, I thought of myself as a failure.

Can you believe that? The very first book I ever wrote was published, and people actually liked it. Some of them loved it. Yet I thought I was a failure. There was one point where I was ashamed to admit I didn’t have an agent. Then I got an agent and was ashamed to say a big house hadn’t picked me up.

I’m actually a pretty down-to-earth, realistic person. So for this to knock me in the gut the way it did, it just goes to show that I let my authorly-imagination run a little too wild. It means I never balanced reality against my dreams. I never sat back and wondered how many books those NYT #1 authors actually wrote before they gained popularity. How many of those authors’ first books are sitting somewhere on a shelf (virtual or not so virtual) collecting dust?

This year I vowed to make a change. I vowed to pause and smell the roses, to stop and celebrate my successes. I also vowed to stop measuring myself against other authors, against whether I have an agent or a six-figure deal. This year I vowed to go where I’m celebrated and remember to applaud every teeny, weeny, itsy, bitsy bit of success.

I hope you do too.

Krystal Wade is happily married to the love of her life (don’t gag) and raising three beautiful children in the gorgeous state of Virginia. They live just outside Washington, D.C., and every day she wakes up to find herself stuck in traffic trying to get there.

The horrid commute gives Krystal plenty of time to zone out and think about her characters in full, brilliant details (she’s a safe driver; don’t worry). Stories give her a way to forget about the sometimes smelly strangers sitting next to her on the fifty mile trek into town (she picks up hitchhikers every day. True story. Check out www.slug-lines.com if you don’t believe us).

Krystal has been a part of organized hitchhiking for nearly fifteen years, but that’s just one small aspect of her oh-so-large life. When she’s not working, commuting, or chasing after her three children (four if you count the man), you can usually find Krystal outside talking to her chickens like they’re the cutest things in the world (they are), or training her amazing dogs how to herd said chickens (which they love), or curled up on the sofa with a good book (why can’t that be 100% of the time?).

Twitter: @krystalwade

Facebook  website

Blog Tour: My Inspiration for Samir from I SEE LONDON By Chanel Cleeton

My Inspiration for Samir from I SEE LONDON

By Chanel Cleeton

When I started writing I SEE LONDON I knew I wanted a hero who came from a completely different background than my heroine, Maggie. I’m a sucker for taking opposites and throwing them together, forcing my characters to step outside of their comfort zones. With that idea in mind I began writing Samir.

Samir is one of the most complex characters I’ve ever written. He’s struggling with a lot of the same coming of age ideas that we see in New Adult, but his cultural background provides a different spin on his transition to adulthood. I loved exploring what coming of age would mean for him.

Samir is caught between two cultures—his mother is French, his father is Lebanese. On one hand he was born in Beirut and very much identifies with his Lebanese heritage; on the other hand he’s spent quite a bit of time in Paris and his French background is very much a part of who he is. He’s often caught between languages—his mind a combination of French and Arabic. Both cultures are very much a part of him and yet at times he struggles to define who he is. As a Cuban-American I definitely related to his sense of identity and the feeling that he is, at times, straddling two different worlds.

Samir’s cultural expectations play a large role in his coming of age development. His family has a very clear path laid out for him—one that clearly doesn’t involve a girl like Maggie. The differences in their backgrounds is one of the things that brings them closer together and forces them outside of their comfort zones, but at the same time it’s also the wedge that could drive them apart.

For Samir university is a chance to let loose, one final hurrah before he returns back to Lebanon and steps into the family fold and all of the expectations that come with it. For Samir graduation means more than just getting a job, it means a marriage his parents will approve of, a career that they’ve planned for him, and the need to assume his position as the future head of his family. It’s a completely different set of expectations than what we’ve come to associate with coming of age and it will bring a whole host of challenges for him and Maggie.

BOOK SUMMARY: 

Maggie Carpenter is ready for a change— and to leave her ordinary life in South Carolina behind. But when she accepts a scholarship to the International School in London, a university attended by the privileged offspring of diplomats and world leaders, Maggie might get more than she bargained for.

When Maggie meets Hugh, a twentysomething British guy, she finds herself living the life she always wanted. Suddenly she’s riding around the city in a Ferrari, wearing borrowed designer clothes and going to the hottest clubs. The only problem? Another guy, the one she can’t seem to keep her hands off of.

Half French, half Lebanese, and ridiculously wealthy, Samir Khouri has made it clear he doesn’t do relationships. He’s the opposite of everything Maggie thought she wanted…and he’s everything she can’t resist. Torn between her dream guy and the boy haunting her dreams, Maggie has to fight for her own happy ending. In a city like London, you never know where you stand, and everything can change in the blink of an eye.

This is a New Adult romance recommended for readers 17 and up.

AUTHOR BIO: 
Originally a Florida girl, at seventeen Chanel moved to London to attend an international university.  In the four years that followed, she received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees, learned how to dance, travelled through Europe, and made lifelong friendships.  Chanel fell in love with London and planned to stay there forever.  But fate intervened on a Caribbean cruise, when an American fighter pilot with smooth dance moves, swept her off her feet.
Now, a happily ever after later, Chanel is living her next adventure in South Korea.  An avid reader and hopeless romantic, she is happiest curled up with a book.  She has a weakness for handbags, puppy cuddles, and her fighter pilot husband.  Chanel writes New Adult contemporary romances and Young Adult thrillers.  Her New Adult debut, I SEE LONDON, will be released by Harlequin (HQN) on February 3, 2014, followed by a sequel, LONDON FALLING, later in the year.

AUTHOR LINKS: 
Website:   www.chanelcleeton.com
Facebook:   www.facebook.com/authorchanelcleeton
Twitter:   www.twitter.com/chanelcleeton
Goodreads:   www.goodreads.com/chanelcleeton

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From Australia With Love - Lauren McKellar: Set it in Australia

When it comes to story setting, I feel like I'm pretty luck to be an Aussie writer. Having a distinctive setting, and sense of place in your story, can really make or break it--and I think being an Aussie writer helps me to do that.

We have a lot of unique but relatable locales in our wide brown land. The first of these is the beach. Whether you're talking a small town on the beach, a California-style surfing break, or a more seedy beach district vibe, Australia has seaside that can compare, meaning if you're in the States, you won't be struggling to envision the location being described.

Secondly, we have some totally unique locations that foreign readers may not have been to, but which they could visit, or Google if they really wanted to. Think the Great Barrier Reef, the Sydney Opera House, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Twelve Apostles, Uluru ... All places that evoke a feel of Australia without the writer really even having to do anything. Well, except describe it.

Think; people create other worlds when writing Sci-Fi. Here in Australia, with our evil creatures that can kill you, from Redback spiders through to Box Jellyfish through to oversized stingrays, and our giant Devil's Marbles, baby-eating dingoes and man-eating crocodiles, we pretty much are the setting for a good spec fic story. Little to no world-building required.

Finally, I think stories in Australia work well because, let's face it, the borders are getting weaker between countries worldwide. With the advent of the Internet, we now know more about people in foreign places, more so than ever before. Whereas ten years ago, some people might have asked you if the Sound of Music was set here, now they're focused on much more intelligent questions, such as if the guy who created Wikileaks really did come from the land down under, and if Miranda Kerr has a single sister.

Yes, I love writing about Aussie locations; and I hope you enjoy reading about them, too.

Lauren K. McKellar’s first self-published novel, The Problem With Crazy, is released this week. It is a NA Contemporary.

About The Problem With Crazy

The problem with crazy is that crazy, by itself, has no context. It can be good crazy, bad crazy … or crazy crazy—like it was when my ex-boyfriend sung about me on the radio.

Eighteen-year-old Kate couldn’t be more excited about finishing high school and spending the summer on tour with her boyfriend’s band. Her dad showing up drunk at graduation, however, is not exactly kicking things off on the right foot—and that’s before she finds out about his mystery illness, certain to end in death.

A mystery illness she could inherit.

Kate has to convince everyone that her father is sick, not crazy. But who will be harder to convince? Her friends? Or herself?

The Problem With Crazy is a story about love and life; about overcoming obstacles, choosing to trust, and learning how to make the choices that will change your life forever.

Author Links

Goodreads  Amazon author page  Facebook  Twitter  Website

Guest Post: Randy Attwood and Heart Chants

My hubby is half Navajo so this is interesting! Thank you, Randy. ~ Katie

 Early on, I became enthraled with John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee series, from The Deep Blue Good-bye through The Lonely Silver Rain. I liked the books, not for the mysteries they contained, but because I wanted to spend more time with Travis. That's the kind of character I tried to create in Phillip McGuire and his mystery/suspense series. But Phil is no repeat of Travis. He's his own person with his own broken background, a burnt-out, foreign correspondent who leaves journalism to return to KU to own and run a bar. Intrigues come his way. Love comes his way.

First in the series Tortured Truths tells Phil's background and gets him settled into Lawrence, Kansas. The second, Heart Chants, finds Phil involved in protecting a Navajo student from Haskell, the American Indian, college in town where two other Navajo female students are missing.

I'm a pantser, not an outliner and when I realized I wanted the novel to begin with two missing Haskell student I researched the college and learned that the most represented nation was Navajo, or the Dinè as the call themselves, the People. So I started researching the Navajo and, wow, what I encountered. They have an amazing creation story. Not just one Great Flood, but four. I traveled to the Southwest. I spent a lot of time learning before I created a half-Navajo, half-white character who believes he is a witch and can reopen the Gates to the Holy People to gain new gifts that will help the Dinè deal with the White Man.

Reviews coming in show the research was well worth the years it took me to do and the years it took me to write Heart Chants.

The amount of research and knowledge of the Navajo poured into this story is incredible. Randy Attwood spared no expense, so to speak, as he lavishly and with great respect brings forth the mystical Navajo legends and thought. Attwood brilliantly entwines mystery and suspense with a twist of Native American history, which is truly the humble beginnings of American history unknown to most. Lisa, Amazon reviewer

We are involved in the richness of the Navajo. Randy honors the voices of his characters and their culture in a way few can match. The result is a mini education of the Navajo people from disparate viewpoints. Sean Bennick, Seattle author

Heart Chants is an intricately woven tale around the life, tradition, and wonders of the Diné people. It leaves you wanting to unravel more stories behind the people, place and creation of it all. I think for many (Navajo), it will be their first time reading the creation story. Bernina Gray, Navajo artist

Randy Attwood has done a gutsy thing. He has gone up against the legacy of Tony Hillerman in the second novel of his Philip McGuire crime series. Even better he wins the bet, not because his crime novel is better than any of Hillerman’s, although it might be and probably is, but because he has the good sense to play off Hillerman in a totally novel way. Steve Glassman, Florida author

Like all of Attwood's stories, this one is absolutely amazing. I kept having goose bumps from reading it. Highly recommended for those who enjoy a good story, especially if you are interested in Native American stories and culture. Katy Sozaeva, top 1000 Amazon reviewer

Master storyteller Randy Attwood scores again. This time, he’s traced an unexpected, jarring intersection of cultures and bruised mental states that leads the reader into the deepest shadows. Beliefs can sustain a people when all else fails. Sometimes, belief must be tempered with understanding. When that is lacking, evil seeps in. Heart Chants illustrates how even evil done for reasons of restoring harmony is simply, evil. His evocative descriptions of Southwestern vistas and his detail rich research into the Navajo culture, pay back in an absorbing reading experience. Richard Sutton, Direct reservation trader since 1985 in authentic Navajo art and fine crafts.

Amazon

Author Bio

Randy Attwood grew up on the grounds of a Kansas insane asylum where his father was a dentist and the State provided housing. He attended The University of Kansas during the troubled 1960s, getting a degree in art history. After stints writing and teaching in Italy and Japan, he had a 16-year career in newspapers as reporter, editor, and column writer, winning major awards in all categories. He turned to health care public relations and served as director of University Relations at The University of Kansas Medical Center. Attwood finished his career as media relations officer of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City. Now retired, he lives in Kansas City and pursues publishing his works of fiction and creating new ones. His Goodreads stats: 21 works with 107 star ratings averaging 4.36 and 56 text reviews. 488 users have placed at least one item on their to-read lists.

Guest Post: Dream Jobs, Rachel Sharpe

Dream Jobs

Everyone has a dream job. A job that would make a person perennially happy. A job that is both fun and rewarding. While everyone has a dream job, that dream does not always come true. Life happens and sometimes that dream job is replace by a more practical, realistic one. While everyone wants to take a chance on their dream, few ever do.

For both me and the main character in my debut novel, Jordan James, our dreams have come true. I have been writing since graduating college and while I had to take on a traditional "9-to-5er," I never gave up on my dream. After two years of actively searching, I was fortunate enough to stumble across Soul Mate Publishing and am happy to report that my debut novel, Cold Ambition, will be released from Soul Mate this summer. While I watch my dream come to fruition, readers will soon do the same with Jordan as she, through diligence and perseverance, becomes a private eye tackling one of Boston's oldest and most sensational unsolved murders.  

While dream jobs are not always practical, you should never give up on your dream. Dreams are what make life worth living. And you never know. Life has a way of taking unexpected twists and turns. It has a way of surprising you. And, as the great dreamer Walt Disney once said, "All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." I wish you well and that this year, all your dreams come true.

COLD AMBITION BLURB

"It was my life-long dream to become a private eye. Little did I know that with my very first case, that dream would become a life-threatening nightmare..."

When Jordan James decided to embark on a career as a private investigator, she never could have imagined that a chance encounter would lead to her staring down the barrel of a gun on the roof’s edge of a high-rise building.  As she begins to investigate her first case, the puzzling murder of a prominent businessman that has left Boston’s finest mystified for more than two decades, she finds herself suddenly immersed in a treacherous underworld brimming with betrayal, raw greed, and political subterfuge of international proportions.  In the midst of this, she discovers she is falling for her mysterious client despite the hints of his dark past.  Can this feisty Southern girl with a penchant for trouble solve this baffling case or is she doomed to become another tragic chapter in an international conspiracy?

COMING SUMMER 2014 FROM SOUL MATE PUBLISHING!!!

AUTHOR BIO

Rachel Sharpe is the author of Cold Ambition, the first novel in the Jordan James, PI series. Although born and raised in the South, "Yankee" relatives first led Rachel to historic New England, which she has come to consider her second home and is the setting for the series. 

After obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in English, Rachel began dedicating her free time to her childhood passion, writing, and in the fall of 2013, she signed with Soul Mate Publishing. An active member of Sisters In Crime, Rachel currently resides with her husband in the Greater New Orleans area.

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