RISE OF A RECTOR

The final novel in Heather McCorkle’s channeler series, Rise of a Rector, has released! To celebrate, and in the spirit of October, Eren from the channeler series is here to tell us about a scary moment in her life. Take it away Eren!

Eren: It was the thick sort of dark that kind of defines the color charcoal, you know, when the night blocks out the stars and swallows the streetlights. Footsteps echoed behind me, but they were in time with mine so it took a while for me to realize they were there. I glanced back. There was movement in the shadows. I picked up my pace but the footsteps kept time with me, echoing through the empty streets of town. By the time my house was in sight I was running. When I turned to close the door behind me and throw the deadbolt, eyes flashed in the darkness..
Check out Heather’s blog for a new tour stop each day until November 2nd. To thank her fans, and future fans, Heather’s historical fantasy novel (a standalone novel that ties into the channeler series) will be free Friday November 2nd and Saturday November 3rd on Amazon. And if Heather gets over 1000 downloads of To Ride A Puca in those two days she’ll give away a $10 Amazon or B&N gift card! So spread the word, get ready to download To Ride A Puca, tell all your friends to download it, and drop by Heather’s blog now to enter to win the gift certificate.

You can find all three novels in the channeler series (The Secret of Spruce Knoll, Channeler’s Choice, and Rise of a Rector) on Amazon and B&N, as well as other retail sites. The channeler novella~and prequel to The Secret of Spruce Knoll~Born of Fire is currently free on Amazon and B&N and you can find a short story about Fane from the series in the FREE anthology, In His eyes. You can add Rise of a Rector to your Goodreads lists at this link.

Happy Birthday, Nathaniel! And Taking Back Forever Fun

Today is Nathaniel Luna's Birthday.
Some of you may be thinking, "Nathaniel who?"

If you read my reincarnation/superpower/soul mate YA novel, Grasping at Eternity, you have no doubt who Nathan is. His birthday is October 18th (don't ask how old he really is), he's a Libra, and he's an air sign. All important. Especially in book 3! (Yup, I know all of my character's birthdays, and astrological signs. I have to. It's important to the story.)

Here's a bit about Libras, and so true for Nathaniel:

Librans too are among the most civilized of the twelve zodiacal characters and are often good looking. (Ya got that right!) They have elegance, charm and good taste, are naturally kind, very gentle, and lovers of beauty, harmony (both in music and social living) and the pleasures that these bring.
They have good critical faculty and are able to stand back and look impartially at matters which call for an impartial judgment to be made on them. But they do not tolerate argument from anyone who challenges their opinions, for once they have reached a conclusion, its truth seems to them self-evident; and among their faults is an impatience of criticism and a greed for approval. But their characters are on the whole balanced, diplomatic and even tempered. (Unless, of course, your soul mate erases all knowledge of you.) 
The Libran's continuing kindness toward his or her partner mollifies any hurt the latter may feel if the two have had a tiff. Nor can the Libran's spouse often complain that he or she is not understood, for the Libran is usually the most empathetic of all the zodiacal types and the most ready to tolerate the beloved's failings. (Oh good. There's still hope for his relationship with Maryah!)
 
In honor of Nathan's birthday, a sweet and awesome friend is posting on of my favorite scenes from Grasping at Eternity. The scene just happens to take place during his birthday celebration weekend. Go check it out if you have  minute.

Also, yesterday I revealed the beautifully bad ass cover for the sequel to Grasping at Eternity. It's called Taking Back Forever, and our birthday boy plays a big role (of course) in this book too. My dear friend and uber talented cover designer/writer/musician/singer/baker/and more, Alexandra Shostak, wrote a special post today discussing the ins and out of how we created the cover for Taking Back Forever. It's fun times, so head on over and tell her I sent you.

GIVEAWAY ALERT!!!

We're giving away two signed copies (signed by me AND Alexandra) of Grasping at Eternity. 

It's your chance to win a copy now before the Kindrily revolution begins and takes over the world. You can say you had an  autographed book 1 when it was still just a baby, and book 2 hadn't even been released yet! (lol. I'm kidding about that take-over-the-world thing. Kind of. They say dream big. I'm just following the rules.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

TAKING BACK FOREVER Cover Reveal

Let's get right to it...

AGGGHHHHH! Isn't it beautifully bad ass?

If you've read Grasping at Eternity, and read the sneak peek at the end of the book, then you kinda have an idea of what Taking Back Forever is about. Or, you may have figured it out based off the cover alone. Either way, I'm so excited to show off the cover for Taking Back Forever.

The amazing and talented Alexandra Shostak had done an amazingly-spectacularly-magnificent job on the covers for The Kindrily series. Tomorrow (Thursday) she will be writing a special post and sharing the ins and outs of how the Taking Back Forever cover came to be.

But for now, here's a little bit about the story itself...

 Forever is worth the fight.

Maryah erased all memory of her past lives, but she couldn’t erase her soul mate Nathan, or his undying love. Now, Maryah and Nathan have a second chance at a future together, but first Maryah must remember the person she used to be and embrace her supernatural gifts—more than one kindrily member’s life depends on it.

Maryah’s power is Harmony’s best hope of finding her kidnapped soul mate, Gregory. But Harmony isn’t big on asking anyone for help, and she’s tired of waiting, so she’s taking matters into her own hands. Heaven help anyone who stands in her way. 

I'm scheduled to release Taking Back Forever this spring. I'm hoping to send out ARCs and review copies in February or March. In the meantime, please leave a comment below and let us know what you think of the cover.

Haven't read Grasping at Eternity yet?  Do you like soul mates and superpowers? Then go read it!

"Brilliantly written! This epic love story had me turning pages late into the night. Truly one of the best books I've read in a very very long time."
~Sarra Cannon, author of the Peachville High Demon series

GAE on Amazon
GAE on Barnes & Noble

Also, we're giving away signed paperbacks of Grasping at Eternity (signed by me AND Alexandra) so please enter and help spread the word.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

It's coming...

This Wednesday and Thursday we'll be revealing the cover for TAKING BACK FOREVER, the sequel to GRASPING AT ETERNITY. 

Put on your party panties! It's gonna be fun. 

I post this every October 14th.
It has become a tradition.
I wish that it never had to be written...but our life experiences are what make us who we are. The good, bad, happy, and sad moments give us the knowledge and passion to put words onto a page and make those feelings authentic.
Even the authentically tragic ones.

Alas...


This is not for you.

This is not for family, or friends, or writers.
These words are not advice, or wisdom, or to be critiqued in any way.
This is not proper punctuation, or grammar, or sentence structure.
This is expression, emotion, and raw reverie.

This is for an eighteen-year-old man,
driving too fast from a story he knows every side of.
Wishing tonight she’d finally choose love instead of lies.
With eyes like stars and a heart bigger than the moon,
who had no idea his midnight ride would be his last.

This is for a seventeen-year-old girl,
sitting beside a wrecked car on a dark winding road,
whispering I love you and promising it will all be okay.
With no idea she is holding a last chance in her arms,
who sixteen years later, is still waiting to say I’m sorry.

This is for a night that loops repeatedly through my mind.
With his mother’s tears forever falling upon that hospital floor,
while his big brother’s scream eternally echoes down that hallway.
Where sixteen years later, a part of my soul still stands in that emergency room,
begging him not to go.

This is because it is October 14th.
Every year on this day, I yearn to bake a birthday cake, find the perfect gift,
and attach it to 888 balloons,
so it will float up to Heaven,
and show him that I haven’t forgotten.
That I will never forget.

This is for him. And for me. And for them.

This is for anyone who knows this feeling.
Who is haunted by a number, a date, a song,
or a place and time you can’t reach.
Who incorrectly assumed there would always be tomorrow.
For those who talk to the stars, and pray an angel is listening.

This is for everyone who has ever loved, or lost.
Who has experienced the beauty of this world, or the ugliness.
Who understands the meaning of tragedy,
but hopes to be spared from it--again.
For those who brave the path of healing,
even when it seems an impossible journey.

This is for anyone living their story.
To anyone who believes in happily ever after, or fears a nevermore.

We are countless characters, with infinite backstories,
creating never-ending plots in this book called life.
We are the sum of our parts, our people, and our experiences.
Moments hidden away in almost forgotten pages,
fluttering like angel wings as the chapters of our life rapidly flip by.

This is not for you, or for him, or for me.
This is for each and every soul who has ever felt sorry, guilty, lost, afraid, abandoned, insecure, unsure, self-doubting, self-loathing, self-sacrificing, misguided, misunderstood, unknown, unseen, unheard, unkind, loved, hated, hurt, confused, or alone.

We are all in this together.
We all have a him, her, them, me, or us.
We all live with a mistake, a regret, a burden, a broken promise, or a shattered heart.
We are all living this life one page at a time,
and we all have a story to share.
This is for the stars, the moon, and the angels.

This is for all of us.

DEAD HEAT

Just in time for Halloween, a new edgy ghost story...

A man who longs for a son and a boy who can't escape his father's violence. 

Even death can't break their bond.


 

Alex is a machine whisperer. He can tell what's wrong with a broken-down car with a touch. 

But his gift can't save him from the brutality of his meth-addict father. For two years, Alex experienced kindness through Cole, his mentor. Now Cole's dead, and the violence in Alex's life is escalating. When Cole reappears as a ghost, Alex clings to the tenuous link.  Then he learns Cole might've sacrificed his chance to cross over.  Jade, the first girl to look beyond Alex's past, assures him Cole can reach the Other Side-if Alex escapes from his dad. But a previous terrifying attempt has convinced Alex it's impossible. 

Unless he can find the courage to try, his friend may be earthbound forever.

~~~~~~~~

"Dead Heat blew me away. It's a gritty ghost story interwoven with all-too-real subject matter that will make you cry for Alex, ache for Cole, and thank God for Jade. I was invested in these characters' lives and you will be too."
~ Stacey Wallace Benefiel, author of the Zellie Wells trilogy 

Buy it on Amazon  
Buy it on Barnes and Noble 
  Buy it on Smashwords

In addition to being a YA author, Lisa is a retired amateur stock car racer, an accomplished cat whisperer, and a professional smartass. She writes coming-of-age books about kids in hard luck situations who learn to appreciate their own value after finding mentors who love them for who they are.

Blog: http://lisanowak.wordpress.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Lisa_Nowak  
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LisaNowakAuthor  
Newsletter: http://bit.ly/LisaNowakNewsletter

Requiem for a Review by Katie French

Today, I have a special guest post by the awesome Katie French. Lately there's been a lot of talk about reviews and sock puppets. If you've been following the drama then you know what sock puppet means, if not, read on...

            Reviews have caused quite a stink in the writing community lately. In the span of a few weeks there were two scandals. The first involved Todd Rutherford of the former GettingBookReviews.com and his paid reviews system. The article in the New York Times  went on to claim that one third of all reviews on Amazon were fake, bought and paid for, leaving everyone to wonder if any customer review should be trusted ever again.

            The backlash to this caused many customers to believe only the lowest reviews, surmising that because it is a bad review it has to be correct. However, the next scandal put that theory to test when E.J. Elroy was exposed for using “sock puppets” or pseudonyms on Amazon and other reviews sites to bash his opponents and praise his own work. Elroy, a bestselling British author, admitted the act and apologized, but the backlash to this dishonesty has just dumped more doubt on Amazon reviews across the board. How many authors used this tactic and just haven’t been caught? How can we believe any review we read ever again?

Katie French

Amazon is reacting, clamping down on its policies-- advertising when someone uses their real name, letting us know that they have a confirmed purchase of a book. However, those will not stop someone determined to trick the system. So, what can a book buying fanatic like myself do? How can we deal with the rampant lies slathered across our Amazon review pages? How will we ever know if a book is good enough to purchase?  My personal opinion is we do absolutely nothing.

            I’ve spend a lot of time perusing Amazon books in the genre in which I write. Almost all of them carry a rating of around 4 to 4.5 star rating. All of them. So the star ratings don’t sway me. The number of reviews may peek my interest, letting me know that many have purchased this book instead of few, but usually that means little as well. I may read a few of the top reviews (even though I have no idea if they were written by the author’s mother or an honest reviewer) or I may not. What I mainly consider is if I like the cover and the blurb, if the story calls to me in some deep down, gut wrenching way, if the characters seem to pop off the page and if the setting is spellbinding. If those things are there, then I’ll buy it, reviews be damned.

            There will always be rule breakers. There will always be those who try to cheat the system. I don’t think Amazon can create a filter that will stop the pin heads of the world. But in the end, giving yourself good reviews can’t make you write. That takes grit, determination and thousands of hours at the keyboard. No sock puppet will get you there.

Katie French is the author of the debut book The Breeders, a YA dystopian adventure available now on Amazon. She is also the co-creator and contributor with Underground Book Reviews, a site that seeks to promote quality unpaid book reviews to self-published and independent writers. Her passions are her family and her work with at-risk teens. You can find her at www.KatieFrenchBooks.com or on facebook.



GIVEAWAY ALERT! We're also giving away an ebook of Katie's YA debut, THE BREEDERS. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment and include your email address. For 5 extra entries tweet this ready-made tweet:

Read Katie French's thoughts on the recent book review drama and enter to #win her #ya debut, THE BREEDERS. http://karenamandahooper.blogspot.com/2012/10/v-behaviorurldefaultvmlo.html