Stormling Tour

Today I'm proud to be a part of the 'Stormling Tour', hosted by Dark World Books. To view other stops on this tour just click on the banner.

Stormling

(Stormling #1)

In an age when Stormlings have only known peacetime, one man’s desperate action threatens not only the stability of the mystical world of Mordana, but Earth as well.

Teenager Ophelia Drewe discovers a jewel that has been lost from its homeworld, and whilst she thinks she can keep it, demonic forces believe otherwise.

She’s not alone, but who can she trust? The head Stormling, Anadyr, hasn’t been to the Earth in 500 years, but go there he must – if the jewel is not returned, it will destroy both Ophelia’s world and his own…

Amazon

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Author Interview

1. Where did you come up with the inspiration behind the book? 

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I thought it would be interesting to link the two worlds, but also have a reincarnation piece where the two pivotal characters met some time in their past, and a significant event would bring them together again. As for direct inspirations, it has to be any fantasy book I ever read, though Rebecca’s World by Terry Nation and Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien remain as dear to me now as they were when I first read them.

What inspired you to write your first book? 

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I have always kept a hand written diary, despite the modern move to make things go on-line, I suppose it was this daily practise that helped me write other things…which would ultimately arrive at a full length novel.

What books/authors have influenced your writing? 

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Take your pick from JRR Tokien, Terry Nation, Daphne du Maurier, Stephen King, even Jane Austen!

What was your favourite scene to write? 

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As far as Stormling is concerned, it was the early scenes with Anadyr, along with his later ones in the book. He’s such a fascinating character to me and I would love to meet him in real life, even though I cannot do that.

What was the hardest part of writing your book? 

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Because this is Book One, I needed a coherent, satisfying wrap up to the story. Part of me felt on occasion that I should borrow elements from Book Two for this….in the end I went with my original feeling, and believe the ending Book One has, is the right one.

How do you overcome writer's block? 

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I’ve never experienced this, and I hope I never do. I can only sympathise with those who get writer’s block, and hope they overcome it quickly. Perhaps it is the brain’s way of saying ‘take a break from this.’

What are your current projects? 

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I’m working on a novella which has a vampire storyline, and it is titled Murderous Little Darlings. In addition there is the follow up to the paranormal horror Dark Winter, called Dark Winter: Crescent Moon. The draft is done, I am just having a break before doing heavy edits.

What book are you reading now? 

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I’ve usually got more than one book on the go at any one time. Right now it’s Stephen King’s Mr Mercedes, Eloisa James Three Week’s With Lady X, and Anne Rice’s Lasher.

If you could have dinner with any fictional character who would it be and why? 

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Of my own, it’s either Anadyr from Stormling, or Toril from Dark Winter. From other author’s…maybe Mrs Danvers from Rebecca. I would want to know why she is just plain evil. I never get people who seem to have no redeeming qualities at all. I would not want to be like them, just know their reasons, if any – for why they act as they do.

Do you have any advice for other writers? 

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Sounds twee, but the only way books get done, is to do them. You can go on-line, join groups, get moral support, but writing has to be done on your own. It’s probably one of the hardest things in the world to do – to do well, I mean…but I think the advice can be a case of, head down, no phone, no internet, lock the doors, and get your book written.

 About the Author

John Hennessy

John Hennessy is a young adult / new adult novelist whose works to date have been Dark Winter (published 2013), a paranormal horror thriller, and Stormling, an epic swords and magic (and cookies) fantasy. The first short story he ever wrote brought together Fagan, Lizzie Bennet, Sherlock Holmes and Dracula, which despite impressing his long suffering English teacher, thankfully remains unpublished. For recreation he will visit paranormal hotspots, but prefers to write about ghosts rather than meet them. He also believes almost any problem can be overcome so long as there is an inexhaustible supply of tea and biscuits. He has also written the non-fiction title The Essence of Martial Arts (published 2011), and released The Essence of Martial Arts: Special Edition, in 2014.

Blog – Twitter – Facebook – Goodreads

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Something exciting brewing...

As I said last week, a lot of things have been happening lately. One thing that I'm really excited about is my near completion of my latest novel... Okay, so, I've written another novel. That is pretty exciting, but what makes this on-the-edge-of-my-seat, nail-biting, pulling-hair-out exciting is that I didn't do it alone.

GASP!!!

Yeah, you heard me right! I have been hard at work collaborating with my brother and sister to bring out a fantastic story, and soon you'll be able to read it.

Let me introduce you to Shinigami Eyes. A novel that I've co-written with my brother, Adam, taking all of his Japanese expertise (Yep, we're co-writing half-way around the world with me in Australia and him in Japan), and even being illustrated manga-style by my very talented sister, Kristy. I think I'm taking the phrase 'family business' to the next level... but I'm so excited for this story and I know that the more heads the better to put this little baby together.

And now, just for those wondering what this little precious is about, here is the blurb:

Most children hope to grow out of their imaginary friends, for 17-year-old Rin Waters, she only hopes hers doesn’t kill someone. Especially when her imaginary friend puts a boy in a coma. Now she finds herself shipped half-way around the world (to Japan of all places) to live with grandparents she hasn’t seen for ten years and a cousin she can’t remember.

Rin would rather just forget about that one night that ruined her life, and pretend that her imaginary friend doesn’t exist - if it was only that easy - but she finds that hard when manga-obsessed otaku, Matt won’t stop pestering her about manga that sees the future and the tragic accident she’ll be involved in if she doesn’t listen to him.

When mysterious accidents begin to happen to the students around her, Rin has to wonder what length Matt would go to prove his manga is real, or is there really something that wants to see Rin and her new friends dead?

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Don't believe it's coming: It's even got a page on Goodreads. Go on, I know you want to add it to your to-read list. And stay tuned for lots of things that are going to be happening as we prepare for the release.

Been doing plenty of self-reflection

As I said yesterday, I have been extremely busy, but I have also had a lot of time available to self-reflect and prioritize my objectives and goals. I know I need to allow more time to writing, and less time to procrastination (oh, sweet procrastination thy name is Facebook).

I have discovered that I can become very obsessed with my work... I always set out with a timeframe and schedule in mind, but once I start doing a project that I'm interested and involved in I sort of go from spending 1 hour to 10 hours working on it... and that's not an exaggeration. I have spent the entire day writing because I was so into the scenes, and sort of forgetting to eat along the way.

I know that in order to become more efficient I need to eliminate my crazy obsessed mind, well at least make sure I stick to limits so that I can ensure I get more done in the day.

But I bet I'm not alone with this habit... who else out there can become obsessed with a project that they're doing that they completely forget about everything else around them?

 Well, from here on, I'm going to promise to stick to schedules, and make sure I complete everything I need to before the deadline looms. At least I can try to... until the next time I get sucked in deep into one of my projects.

Life's not just full of fun and games

Yeah, I know... I've sort of been neglecting my responsibilities here a bit. All I can say is that life took over and soon week was passing week and I didn't know where my time was going (really, someone should petition to have more hours added to the day).

Now I'm going to promise to be around here more, but I'm going to take a more casual aspect with the blog. I'm still going to talk about my writing journey, but I'm also going to talk about life in general.

Sometimes life can become too hectic that one can forget to leave a little time to relax. Yeah, that's what I'm struggling with at the moment. Apart from working, I'm also tackling a graphics design course and photography course... and since I'm currently on holidays from uni, I've decided I need to also pick up a web development course (yeah, I just love studying). One thing that doing the photography course has taught me is that you need to love what you're doing... and I do love taking photos... and by loving that, I'm able to also relax by getting out with my camera.

Well, it's great to finally be back behind my keyboard. I can say that there are some interesting developments in the works that I've been working furiously on.

PS... Let me introduce you to my sister's little pup Riku... He'll probably be making a constant appearance on my blog as I strive to keep this blog alive with new and interesting content, both written and visual.

So, what has been happening with you?

Bogged down in Revisions

Wow, I can't believe it's almost the end of April. I know I haven't been around here much (and I promise that is changing), but I have had a lot of things on my plate. This includes completing university courses and working.

I guess that's not the most exciting things that I've got going on at the moment though. I'm currently in the revision stage for my YA horror Shinigami Eyes, and planning to start subbing it to agents very shortly. I'm also writing another YA horror and am absolutely loving writing all of these creepy scenes. I've also been told that I'm good at writing the creepy scenes (which is good since I have absolutely no idea whether I am being scary enough when I write).

So what has everyone else been up to?

The Romeo Club tour

Today I'm proud to be a part of the 'The Romeo Club tour', hosted by YA Bound. You can view the rest of the tour spots by clicking on the banner above. 

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The Romeo Club

by Rebekah L Purdy

Release Date: 03/25/14

YA CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE 

Summary from Goodreads:

THE ROMEO CLUB is Hitch meets The Secret of My Success.

What happens when you agree to help your brother “de-nerdify” so he can catch the attention of the popular Chloe Anders, and to everyone's surprise, he actually lands her?

And what if his equally geeky friends come running with girl wish lists of their own, offering money for your services?

Well, if you’re sixteen-year-old, Delyla Denson, then you start The Romeo Club. A secret club where she’ll teach these guys how talk, act, and be cool around girls. It’s a win-win situation.

She’ll get enough money for the awesome prom dress she’s had her eye on, and the guys, well, they’ll get dates and maybe learn how to do something other than beat the next level on their video games.

There are only two problems with this plan. One, her quarterback/track star boyfriend is getting jealous of how much time she’s spending away from him and decides to try and figure out what’s going on. And two, Delyla is kind of falling for her brother’s BFF, Trey who she’s been hanging out with a lot more. And who thanks to her help, has caught the attention of the beautiful, perfect, and popular, Portia Rickard. With Portia and Trey heating up, Delyla realizes that maybe the person she’s meant to be with has been in front of her all this time.

But falling for Trey means she’ll have to take drastic measures including sabotage, with a capital S.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18866253-the-romeo-club

Buy Links:

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00INB4FMM/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00INB4FMM&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-20

Amazon UK - http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00INB4FMM/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00INB4FMM&linkCode=as2&tag=bookitreas-21

My Review

Delya has the looks, popularity and know-how to give her nerdy brother, Drake a makeover to win the girl of his dreams. When the makeover works better than intended, Drake's friends are all eager to get Delya's help too. That's when Delya decides to form the Romeo club - and earn a extra cash for the perfect prom dress as well - a club that will help teach boys how to dress and how to talk to girls. Things become a little bit complicated when Delya realises she's interested in Drake's best friend - and someone she's known practically for all her life - Trey. How can Delya keep giving him advice to win the girl of his dreams? Or will she do anything - even sabotage - to get what she wants?

Rebekah Purdy has created a light and entertaining read with The Romeo Club with bits of romance and tragedy tossed in with the humour, and this author sure knows how to work in the humour without making it see forced. Delya's and Trey's chemistry was pure electricity at times and I just wanted to keep turning the page to find out what was going to happen next.

I would certainly recommend this to anyone who is looking for a light romantic comedy to read, or anyone who loves watching the Big Bang Theory (I could definitely see some of that thrown in the pages). 

 About the Author

Rebekah Purdy

Rebekah Purdy grew up in Michigan, where she spent many late nights armed with a good book and a flashlight. When not hiding at her computer and getting lost in her stories, she enjoys reading, singing, soccer, swimming, football, camping, playing video games and hanging out with her kids. She loves the unexplainable like Bigfoot, the Dogman, and the Loch Ness Monster (lots of good story material)! She admits to still having all the books she bought throughout her childhood and teen years, and she may or may not have an obsession with anything chocolate…

Author Links:

http://rebekahlpurdy.wordpress.com/

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4615084.Rebekah_L_Purdy

https://twitter.com/RebekahLPurdy

https://www.facebook.com/rebekahlpurdyauthor

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I am Forever Tour

Today I'm proud to be a part of the 'I am Forever', hosted by Dark World Books. You can view the rest of the tour spots by clicking on the banner above. 

I Am Forever
(What Kills Me #2)

Axelia fought an army of vampires and survived. Once fated as the destroyer of the vampire race, she is now welcomed into the immortal empire and revered as a god.

But instead of relishing her victory, she faces a dangerous new world and an empire at war. Axelia is thrust into the position of supreme vampire and caught in the crossfire of battle. To make matters worse, her role alienates Lucas, the one vampire that she trusts.

Her power spawns evil enemies. And they know how to get to her — by hurting those whom she loves most.

Amazon US – Amazon UK – Kobo – Smashwords

Add I Am Forever to your Goodreads list!

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About What Kills Me (Book #1)

So when 17-year-old Axelia falls into a sacred well filled with blood and emerges a vampire, the immortal empire believes she is this legendary destroyer. Hunted by soldiers and mercenaries, Axelia and her reluctant ally, the vampire bladesmith Lucas, must battle to survive.An ancient prophecy warns of a girl destined to cause the extinction of the vampire race.

How will she convince the empire that she is just an innocent teenager-turned bloodsucker and not a creature of destruction? And if she cannot, can a vampire who is afraid of bugs summon the courage to fight a nation of immortals?

Amazon US – Amazon UK – Barnes & Noble – Kobo – iTunes

Guest Post

How to avoid the curse of the bad sequel

No one sets out to do a bad sequel. But there are a lot of them. Especially movie sequels (The Hangover 3, Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights).

So here’s how I tried to make I Am Forever a worthy sequel to my best-selling debut novel What Kills Me.

Make sure the story evolves. Readers love franchises because they want to spend more time with your characters and see what happens next. In What Kills Me, Axelia aka Zee dies and unwittingly becomes the most feared vampire in the world. She’s hunted across continents. At the end of the novel, a stunning revelation changes everything.

I Am Forever picks up from where we left off. It answers several key questions: How does Zee further evolve as the most powerful vamp in history? How does the vampire Monarchy handle her? What happens to her human family?

Don’t just redo the first. So many sequels are a rehash of the first story. What Kills Me was simply an introduction to a new world. The formula for Zee was simple: run, fight, survive. I Am Forever is so much more complicated. Zee stops running and her emotions and the weight of everything that has happened catch up to her. She faces new dangers, new powers and new rules.

Create new conflict. Conflict drives every story. A sequel needs new threats and more difficult struggles. Your characters may have overcome challenges in the first installment but as in life, there are always new surprises in store.

Stay true to the characters... The chemistry between Zee and Lucas is a fan favorite. I was careful to honor their connection in I Am Forever. But Lucas and the Monarchy don’t mix. So the more entangled that Zee becomes with the Monarchy, the more she alienates the love of her undead life.

...but flesh them out more. Zee’s been through a lot. I threw her down a well filled with blood and then sent vampires and soldiers with pointy objects after her. (And I’m not sorry!) In I Am Forever, she’s just as out of her element as she was in the first book. The Monarchy is a messed up place. And they’re at war with rebels. This place will test Zee like never before.

There's no cure for the pox, the deadly disease that's decimated most the population. Kat, one of the lucky survivors, trying to get to her last living relative, has decided the best way to stay alive is to stay alone. But that is until she meets Dylan who has no one else to live for. Convincing Kat that it's safer to stay in numbers, they start off on a journey through the barren wasteland to a new life. That's only if they can survive the disease, bands of armed and deadly children, and piles of burning pox-infested bodies.

Shauna Granger has written a different post-apocalyptic story and I was surprised at how the story turned out. Kat is also a different heroine in this type of story. She wasn't born and raised for this life. Far from it. As it does say Kat would 'rather drink lattes and read magazines' than be in a fight for survival. This is what I really liked about the story. She is just an average teenager who has really had to learn and adapt to her new environment in order to survive, which is especially hard since she doesn't have anyone to help her out but her own mistakes (which she can learn from) and instincts (which she develops).

Granger's writing is beautifully descriptive and she was able to describe all the settings and actions wonderfully, which kept me engrossed in the story. The only part of the story that I found a bit lagging were the beginning chapters where Kat is alone. I just wanted her to do something, but alas nothing much happened. And then two things occurred. Kat met Blue and Dylan, and the story really picked up the pace and held my attention all the way to the end, giving plenty of twists and turns with an ending that has me beginning for the next story.

I definitely look forward to the next story from Gardener, and I would recommend World of Ash to anyone who loves post-apocalyptic stories.

About the Author

Wynne Channing

Wynne Channing is a national newspaper reporter and award-winning young adult novelist. Wynne loves telling stories and as a journalist, she has interviewed everyone from Daniel Radcliffe and Hugh Jackman to the president of the Maldives and Duchess Sarah Ferguson. The closest she has come to interviewing a vampire is sitting down with True Blood‘s Alexander Skarsgard (he didn’t bite). She briefly considered calling her debut novel “Well” so then everyone would say: “Well written by Wynne Channing.”

Website – Blog – Twitter – Facebook – Goodreads

Google+ – Pinterest – Youtube – Amazon Author Page

***Author Links***

http://shaunasspot.blogspot.com/

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4828875.Shauna_Granger

https://twitter.com/dyingechoes

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorShaunaGranger