Monday, September 30, 2013

Tour Kick Off - Gemini Rising by Jessica O'Gorek



YA Paranormal Romance/Sci-Fi
Date Published: 4/13/2013

Angry at the human race and its methodical destruction of her resources, Mother Earth recruits souls who have just left their bodies to serve Her, and turns them against humanity. A powerful, rising force proceeds to carry out Mother Nature’s plan to systematically destroy towns, cities, states… and eventually, the world. Amidst the chaos, a forbidden relationship between a human girl, Violette, and Onyx, a lead Gemini, begins. They will both find themselves in the middle of a revolutionary war that will either save, or destroy our world.






I was born in Chesapeake, Virginia on April 19th, 1979. I was raised within the American Indian religion and was taught great respect for the earth and all its living beings. Powwows, sweat lodges, vision quests, you name it, I’ve done it. I was the weird kid who would confront kids on the playground in elementary school when they squished a bug. I would very sincerely tell them what they were doing was morally wrong and then I would pray for the bug to come back as a butterfly in its next life.


​I grew up admiring my father, Barry Weinstock, as an author. He took me around the country to different places so he could research and write his Wilderness Survival books. One of his greatest works, “The Path of Power,” was written with a great medicine man, Sunbear. When I was twelve I started

hand writing novels. My first one was two thousand pages. My dad always encouraged me and would rave about my writing. He gave me the confidence I needed to keep writing and follow my dream. My daughter, who is twelve, is currently working on her first novel. I hope to continue the legacy.


Website                               
Twitter: @GeminiRising1                                                                       
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October 1 - Rose & Beps - PROMO
October 2 - Living in a Book World - Review/Interview
October 3 - The YA Lit Chick - PROMO
October 4 - Books and Tales - Guest Post/PROMO
October 5 - Mom With a Kindle - Guest Post/PROMO
October 6 - Texas Book Nook - Review
October 7 - Alway's Jo Art - Guest Post/PROMO
October 8 - Dalene's Book Reviews - Interview/PROMO
October 9 - A Life Through Books - Review
October 10 - Deea's Book Blog - Review/Guest Post
October 11 - Just Julie - Interview/PROMO
October 12 - My Reading Addiction - Review
October 13 - These Are But Shadows - Review
October 14 - Jessi Jabbers - PROMO
October 15 - My Little Cosy Corner - Review/Interview
October 16 - Mia Hoddell - Guest Post/PROMO
October 17 - Lov Liv Life Reviews - Guest Post/PROMO
October 18 - Must Read Faster - PROMO
October 19 - Drunkin Space Penguin - Interview/PROMO
October 20 -Read Books and Live Green - Review
October 21 - Once Upon A YA Books - Review
October 22 - Ali's Books - PROMO
October 23 - Lee Ryder Author - Review/Interview
October 24 - As You Wish Reviews - Review/Guest Post
October 25 - RABT Reviews - Review


Saturday, September 28, 2013

Tour Kick Off - Meet and Greet - Begging For Forgiveness by Astrid Cielo



Erotic Paranormal Romance
Date Published: 9/17/2013

When Aspen Clarke saw Skylar Ashmore for the first time, her cougar screamed that this wolf would be hers.  But Aspen can't trust the mating call because she knows all too well that sometimes fate can get it wrong.  After a steamy night with Skylar, Aspen is broken-hearted to find that her worries are founded when she awakens alone and confused.  So, she runs back to Pinewood Creek and her old pride that’d always made her feel welcome, unlike her own parents.  Little does she know that she carries more with her than emotional baggage.  Now faced with motherhood alone she's decided that she doesn't need a mate.

Skylar just wanted to forget his last assignment, so like he had for the past six months after he was forced to execute yet another shifter he stopped at the little restaurant a town over from his apartment to lose himself in good food.  He never expected to lose himself in a female.  He took the beautiful Aspen to bed the moment he caught her scent, his wolf beside itself wanting to claim its mate.  But after it was over he knows he's made a mistake...because he's already mated.  So, he runs and hopes he can beg his mate for forgiveness.

Xavier had never felt a betrayal as deep as when Skylar slid into bed beside him smelling of a female, not even when his old pack had nearly beat him to death.  But soon that feeling of betrayal faded to confusion, then surprise when he realized that whatever female his mate had taken was also his mate.

Now Skylar and Xavier will hunt for their missing mate.  But little do they know, Skylar's last assignment has a loose end that's just waiting for the right moment to strike--and it's set its sights on Aspen.  

Can Aspen accept the man who left her pregnant and doubting mating all over again?  Can Skylar and Xavier convince her to mate with not one, but both of them?  Will Aspen survive to forgive?


#1 – Do You See Writing as a Career?
While writing is an awesome past time and a great deal of stress relief, I don’t see writing as my full-time career.  I am passionate about being a nurse and couldn’t dream about giving that aspect of my life up.  But for those who do see writing as their career, then I have much respect for them because writing is a long and arduous process that requires your imagination to fire on all cylinders almost all the time.

#2 – What was the Hardest Part of Your Writing Process?
Probably keeping the characters straight.  By the time you start writing and getting to know your characters they take a life of their own.  They become more like people and when they become a person to you it is hard to put them through harsh plot lines.  All the time I’m cringing going “I’m sooooooooo sorry!”

#3 – Did you have any One Person Who Helped You Out with Your Writing Outside of Your Family?
My friend and co-worker, Tammy was a major influence since she reads everything that I write and helps me to run ideas.  She’s an awesome friend and asset!

#4 – What is next for your writing?
Since starting back to school to obtain my BSN for Nursing, I’ve had less time to write than I’ve liked, but my plans are to finish my current WIP, State of Resistance which is part of the Chronicles of JJ series.  It features vampires, changelings, witchlings and darklings in their own brand of war.  Then I plan to delve right back into Salin’s Salvation, my sci-fi erotic romance series.  This one is Aurum & Cekayda and we are going to learn some interesting things about Salin and much more about how the situation between Salin, Earth and Malum will escalate.

#5 – Do you have an addiction to reading as well as writing? If so, what are you currently reading?
I am super addicted to reading.  Currently I divide my time between Understanding Nutrition and Intro to Philosophy!  But, my eReader is calling my name on a daily basis, because there’s a new Evangeline Anderson book out called, Purity and Eve Langlais is releasing left and right! So, I’m sure my withdrawals will kick in and I’ll be lured back to my beloved eReader!

DESCRIBE Your Book in 1 Tweet:
Can Aspen let go of the past and accept Skylar and Xavier?  Will she survive when Skylar's past catches up to him?


This or That?

#1 – iPod or Mp3?  MP3

#2 – Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate

#3 – Mashed Potatoes or French Fries? Mashed potatoes

#4 – Comedy or Drama? Comedy

#5 – Danielle Steel or Nicholas Sparks? Danielle Steel

#6 – Fantasy or Reality? Fantasy

#7 – Call or Text? Text

#8 – Public School or Home School? Public school

#9 – Coffee or Hot Chocolate? Hot chocolate


#10 – eBook or Paperback? eBook




Astrid Cielo


Astrid Cielo is a Mississippi girl who enjoys a variety of things. By night, she is a nurse in her local ER, and by day, she is spilling her imagination out on paper.
Astrid began writing when she was a child her stories featuring a variety of characters (including her imaginary friends). When she was in high school she wrote her first completed story and was published twice in poetry anthologies. Gathering her courage, Astrid self-published her first book, Surrender Serenity, Salin's Salvation, Book 1 and enjoyed every minute of it.
Now she balances her time between being a nurse (which she loves) and writing down the scenes that play out in her mind. She also plays World of Warcraft (which all of her friends think is weird)!





September 29  - Texas Book Nook - Excerpt
September 30  - A Life Through Books - Interview
October 2  - My Reading Addiction - Excerpt
October  5 -    Snarky Mom Reads - Review
October 6  - Faerie Tale Books - Review
October 10  - Valia's Page Turner - Review-
October 12  - Twinsie Talk - Review
October 13  -  Books Are Love - Review
October 14  - Paige Matthews - Excerpt
October 16  - All I Want And More - Interview
October 17  - Pure Jonel - Review
October 18  - Tanya's Book Nook - Review
October 19  - The Indy Book Fairy - Review
October 20  - Books and Tales - Excerpt
October 21  - RABT Reviews - Review Wrap Up




Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Tour Kick Off - Meet and Greet - Regrets Only by M.J. Pullen





Contemporary Romance
Date Published: July 2012

Regrets Only is the second book in the Marriage Pact series, but it can be enjoyed by those who have read The Marriage Pact and first-time readers alike. A fast-paced and charming story, Regrets Only centers on Marci’s picky best friend, Suzanne, whose event-planning skills are almost as legendary as her exploits with men.
At thirty-three, Suzanne Hamilton has it all. A successful party-planning business with an elite client list. A swank condo in a hot Atlanta neighborhood and a close group of friends – especially her longtime best friend Marci. A list of men a mile long who have tried to win her heart and failed. Plus, she’s just landed the event that will take her career and social status to the next level. What could she possibly have to regret?
Then a freak accident changes everything, and Suzanne discovers that her near-perfect life is just a few steps away from total disaster. She is humiliated and at risk of losing it all… except the surprising support of her newest celebrity client. With nothing else to go on, Suzanne follows him into an unexpected job and unfamiliar territory. Soon she will question everything – her career, her past, her friendships, and even her own dating rules. 
But when her catalog of past relationships turns into a list of criminal suspects, she is faced with the horrifying possibility that she may not live to regret any of it…





#1 – Do You See Writing as a Career?
Definitely. Sometimes.  For me, writing is a vocation: more a calling than a career, and I have answered that calling in a variety of ways, my whole life. Sometimes it pays the bills, sometimes it just feeds my soul. Either way, I don’t have any choice. I have to write. 

#2 – What was the Hardest Part of Your Writing Process?
The hardest part for me is, and probably always will be, time management. Writing takes focus, discipline and dedication, especially when you get stuck at a tough spot in the story or you’re doing the not-so-glamorous parts like revising. It means you have to choose to give up other things in your life that might provide more immediate gratification, in order to do the work. Also, you have to be able to steer yourself away from the internet once in a while – taking your brain from passively receiving information to creating something new. It’s a different kind of energy, definitely a challenge. 

#3 – Did you have any One Person Who Helped You Out with Your Writing Outside of Your Family?
Yes. I had several friends and family members who served as moral support and beta readers. Among them, however, my good friend Ryan stands apart. We were English majors together at UGA and studied at Oxford University in England one summer as well. We have the kind of long-standing friendship and mutual respect that allows for total honesty. Ryan happens to be a guy, and a lawyer – very analytical! – not exactly the target audience for a contemporary romance. I actually think that makes him a better critique partner in some ways. He sees things from a different perspective and helps bring texture to my writing. I owe him a lot. Of course I get lots of great feedback from my girlfriends, too! 

#4 – What is next for your writing?
Right now, I am finishing up the third novel in The Marriage Pact series, for release in November 2013. After that, I have several projects in the hopper: including a mystery/adventure series for women and a nine-part YA paranormal series (ambitious much?). There are some other romantic comedies taking shape in my head, too, and a non-fiction project I’ll be working on with a friend of mine. Add blogging and raising kids to that list and I think I have my work cut out for me!

#5 – Do you have an addiction to reading as well as writing? If so, what are you currently reading?
Definitely. I’m very ADHD in my reading habits and I always have several books open, plus an audio book I listen to in the car or while exercising. I read across genres, anything good. Right now I am reading The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood, Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult, Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner, and listening to A Clash of Kings (Book #2 in the Fire and Ice Series) by George R.R. Martin. For writing instruction, I’m also reading 179 Ways to Save a Novel, and of course I re-read my own books to continue revising and to make sure each one is consistent with the last.

DESCRIBE Your Book in 1 Tweet:

A country club girl with a list of failed romances meets a country star with his own checkered past, and sparks fly. REGRETS ONLY by @MJPullen

This or That?

#1 - iPd or Mp3? 
Both. I’m a music addict so I have to have something on every platform.

#2 – Chocolate or Vanilla?
Chocolate. Preferably soft-serve in an old-school cake cone if you have it.

#3 – Mashed Potatoes or French Fries?
Fries. With mustard.

#4 – Comedy or Drama?
Both. In my view, it’s hard to separate them. Comedy is hollow without drama, and drama without an element of laughter is too intense: like staring directly at the sun. Even the most decadent sweets need salt to bring out their true flavors.

#5 – Danielle Steel or Nicholas Sparks?
Can I say Jodi Picoult, Jennifer Weiner or Helen Fielding instead? I guess my writing is more like Nicholas Sparks than Danielle Steel.

#6 – Fantasy or Reality?
There’s a difference? Oops.

#7 – Call or Text?
I prefer calls, but I have to admit I probably text more often.

#8 – Public School or Home School?
For our family, public school. I admire the patience and dedication it takes to home school; I just don’t have it. My kids would revolt. 

#9 – Coffee or Hot Chocolate?
So. Much. COFFEE. 

#10 – eBook or Paperback?

Paperback in the bathtub, eBook almost everywhere else.




When she’s not chasing two little boys or trying to wipe something sticky off the floor, M.J. (Manda) Pullen is the bestselling author of two contemporary women’s fiction novels: The Marriage Pact (2011) and Regrets Only (2012). She is working on several new projects as well, including more women’s fiction and a YA paranormal adventure series.

M.J. grew up in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia. Writing has always been a big part of her life, both professionally and personally. She studied English Literature and Business at the University of Georgia in Athens, and later Professional Counseling at Georgia State University in Atlanta. She practiced psychotherapy for five years before taking a sabbatical to spend more time writing and raising her brood. Since high school, she has also been an executive assistant, cashier, telemarketer, professional fundraiser, marketing guru, magazine writer, grant-writer, waitress, box-packer, HR person, and casual drifter.

M.J. loves creating true-to-life characters who are flawed, relatable, and most importantly redeemable. She tries to explore all aspects of relationships, from romantic entanglements to battles between mortal enemies, and everything in between. She reads and writes across many genres, and learns something from everything she does. No matter what she’s writing, M.J. believes that love is the greatest adventure there is, and that hopeless romantics are never really hopeless.

After years traveling and living in places like Portland, Oregon, and Austin, Texas, M.J. has now returned to her home city of Atlanta (actually Roswell, for hard-core Roosevelt fans and connoisseurs of suburban culture), where she lives with her husband and two young sons. She loves to hear from readers and other writers – so drop her a line!



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September 25 -A Life Through Books - Review/Guest Post
September 26 - Ramblings of a Book Lunatic - Review/Guest Post
September 27 - My Reading Addiction - Review
September 28 - Dalene's Book Reviews - Interview
September 30 - Livia Ellis - Review/Interview
October 1 - Pure Jonel - Review
October 2 - Lets Get Booked - Review
October 3 - Busy Mom Book Reviews- Review
October 4 - Books Are Love - Review
October 5 - The World As I See It - Review
October 6 - Texas Book Nook - Review
October 7 -  RABT Reviews - Review


Monday, September 23, 2013

Tour Kick Off - After the Fall by Ariadne Wayne





New Adult Romance
Date Published: 7/26/13



The first time Natalie and Alex met, Natalie fell hard. Literally. The pair embark on a 3 month fling and after the fall Alex leaves the country. Natalie struggles to get on with her life and as it turns out, Alex can’t forget her either
Torn between what he feels for Natalie and loyalty to his father, Alex makes a choice that will change his life forever. But his overwhelming need to regain his father’s respect could ruin everything.





#1 – Do You See Writing as a Career?
Definitely. It’s my part time job at the moment but long term it would be great to be able to write full time.

#2 – What was the Hardest Part of Your Writing Process?
Finding the time. I work full time and have two children so I have to squeeze writing into a life with not a lot of spare time. It’s meant a lot of late nights with the laptop in bed.

#3 – Did you have any One Person Who Helped You Out with Your Writing Outside of Your Family?
My best friend who is so supportive of everything I have done. She’s the first to get hold of new books to read and makes me write corny messages inside the paperbacks I’ve given her in case one day she can use it against me.

#4 – What is next for your writing?
I am working on a romance book that’s put me through the wringer. I’m such an emotional person that I’ve cried my eyes out while writing it and hope it has that to other people. I apologise in advance if it does! Then I’ve got a sequel to finish for an earlier book and organizing paperbacks of my other books.

#5 – Do you have an addiction to reading as well as writing? If so, what are you currently reading?
I love books and my to be read list is huge especially since I bought an e-reader. It goes everywhere with me. I’ve just started reading Stripped by HM Ward, I love her books!


DESCRIBE Your Book in 1 Tweet:
Steamy with a big dose of family drama.

This or That?

#1 - iPd or Mp3?
Mp3

#2 – Chocolate or Vanilla?
Always Chocolate

#3 – Mashed Potatoes or French Fries?
French Fries

#4 – Comedy or Drama?
Comedy.

#5 – Danielle Steel or Nicholas Sparks?
Danielle Steel

#6 – Fantasy or Reality?
Fantasy

#7 – Call or Text?
Text

#8 – Public School or Home School?
Public School

#9 – Coffee or Hot Chocolate?
Coffee

#10 – eBook or Paperback?
Don’t make me choose!





Ariadne Wayne
Ariadne Wayne wanted to be a journalist when she grew up. Real life got in the way as did her love of computers and after twenty years she decided to return to writing and is loving it. After a lifetime of making up stories in her head, she’s now recording them to share with others. Her quirky sense of humour often leads all kinds of places and sometimes into trouble. She balances writing with working full time and bringing up two children and a husband so struggles for air at times but loves every minute of it!


September 24 - Mythical Books - Interview
September 25 - Books And Other Spells - Interview
September 26 - Mia Hoddell - Guest Post
September 27 - Laurie's Thoughts and Reviews - Excerpt
September 28 - Alway's Jo Art - Guest Post
September 29 - Please, Another Book - Excerpt
September 30 - Shawna's Survey - Guest Post
October 1 - A Life Through Books - Review
October 2 -Zili in the Sky - Review
October 3 -  The World As I See It - Review
October 4 -  RABT Reviews - Review Wrap Up