Yikers! If that ain't an attention-grabbing book blurb, then I don't know what is. Then, to top off the blurb, take a look at that cover. Isn't it just gorgeous? There is a beautiful darkness to this cover which fits this story perfectly, and believe me, the story is just as fantastic as the cover leads you to believe.
Court of Nightfall is Book One in a new series by the fabulous writing husband/wife duo Karpov Kinrade. Ever since I read the The Hunger Games series years ago, I have been fascinated with stories with strong female main characters, and this just so happens to be that kind of book. For the most part, SCI-FI dystopian novels tend to be dominated by male leads, so find a story that embraces female strength AND gives us that dystopian feel we crave is a treasure. . To begin, the story is told in first person from Scarlett Night's point of view. Ever since she was young, she has dreamed of becoming a pilot, much like her father, but being born colorblind makes this dream of hers nearly an impossibility. Still, she is determined not to let that stop her. But in what is supposed to be a day of celebration--passing the flight test--turns into tragedy and her world is turned upside down. Everything she believed or knew to be true, becomes shattered and rearranged, and it is during this time that Scarlett goes from seeing the world in shades of grey to seeing it as it is meant to be. Only, something more than her reality and vision has changed--SHE has changed. As pieces of who she is falls becomes clear, she also realizes just how dangerous a secret she keeps. No one can know. This secret is big. This secret can change everything. This secret is dangerous. This secret is freakin' amazing! Without spilling spoilers all over the place (which I hate about reviews), let's just imagine, if you will, a future where people with paranormal abilities are ridiculed for being different. Killed even. Envision Angels. Imagine vampire-like creatures. Imagine a world with advanced technology. Imagine an entity that controls everything and rules over everyone. Imagine not knowing which side is good and which side evil. Imagine not knowing who your friends are and who are not. Imagine meeting a grandfather you never knew existed for the very first time. This is what Scarlett faces all while trying to figure her place amid it all. The world building is incredible and it always amazes me when someone can create a world so completely different than the one I know and live in. My brain just doesn't work that way, and it impresses me every time. Scarlett is a strong character who will empathize with from page one, and the secondary characters are incredibly well-written. I can picture distinct characters and each has their own voice--not always an easy task. There is a lot more to this story than book one can possibly cover, and I am intrigued to see where it will go, but even though this is book one in a series, don't let that turn you away. Book one can stand on it's own, though you will finish reading it wanting to know more. I can' see how you wouldn't. If you at all enjoyed The Hunger Games, then I highly suggest giving this book a read. There are a lot of similarities between Scarlett and Katniss, and THAT is a good thing.
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One of the Facebook fiction writers groups that I'm a member of, posed the question, "Those of you who check frequently for new reviews wherever they may be posted, what is the reward in it? What's in it for you? If it causes anxiety or grief, or if it makes you soar with delight, feel giddy even, is the time invested fretting or delighting over reviews truly worth time spent away from more writing?"
That really got me thinking. Really. Thinking. Because at the time this question was posted (I'm going to be painfully honest here) I was probably checking Amazon for reviews on my new release at the rate of several dozen times per day. Yes, per day. And thirty times (at least) sounds about right. Sick. Wrong. Obsessive. Yeah, all of those.
The end of the world?
That’s the stuff of Hollywood blockbusters and deep philosophical exercises in school. No need to sweat it. So when sixteen-year-old Tess’s doomsday-dad builds a bomb shelter in their suburban backyard, everyone thinks he’s gone crazy…. …Until fire rains down from the sky, sinking whole cities into colossal craters and setting much of the world ablaze. Tess’s dad gives her a few short minutes to gather her emergency bag and her freaked-out kitten, then leads her outside and into the underground shelter. Terrified, the last thing she expects is for him to leave her there all alone, but he has no choice—he must find her missing brother. Before leaving, he makes Tess promise to keep the hatch door shut, not to open it for anyone but him, and to stay put until he returns. But he forgot to tell her one thing: What is she supposed to do if he never comes back?
Now for the PRIZES... You can enter to win one of the following:
Of course, I'm looking for reviews, but if your plate is full and you don't have the time to read, but you're willing to give me a little space on your blog to show off the cover, the blurb, buy links, and possibly an excerpt, that would be awesome. I'LL TAKE IT! For everyone who helps host me on their blogs or puts up a review, I'll put your name into a drawing for a $25 Amazon Gift Card. I'm also putting together a Rafflecopter giveaway with prizes like this (will be ready to go on December 1st): Huge 72 Hour Emergency Kit So if you can help a gal out, please take a look at the sign-up widget thingy below and leave your information. Once I start receiving dates and blog information, I'll create a list here with links. If you sign up for an ARC for review, I will get that to you right away in your preferred format. You can also sign up for my THUNDERCLAP campaign HERE. (Space for list...you could see your name and blog here. Wouldn't that be cool?) Dec 1st Rachel Kolodziej (Facebook &Twitter Promo) Dec 1st Lynn Willis (Review on Amazon & Goodreads) Dec 1st Julia Perucca (Review on Amazon & Goodreads) Dec 1st Tracy Haidle (Review on Amazon & Goodreads) Dec 1st Heather Cox (Cover & Buy Links on Blog) Dec 1st Brooke Busse (Promo Spot & Giveaway on Blog) Dec 1st Ellen Balls (Review on Amazon & Goodreads) Dec 1st Mike Bolter (Promo Spot & Giveaway on Blog) Dec 1st Megan Nunes (Review on Amazon & Goodreads) Dec 1st Becky Stephens (Read & Review on Blog) Dec 1st Kristin (Read & Review on Amazon, Goodreads & YOUTUBE) Dec 1st Eden Kingsley (Read & Review on Amazon & Goodreads) Dec 1st Courtney Winkler (Read & Review on Blog) Dec 1st Kysha Plante (Cover & Buy Links on Blog) Dec 1st Christine Verstraete (Promo Spot & Giveaway on Blog) Dec 1st Tamara Morris (Read and Review on Blog) Dec 1st Lora Douglas (Read and Review on Blog) Dec 1st Lois Carroll (Facebook & Twitter Promo) Dec 1st Terri King (Read & Review on Amazon and Goodreads) Dec 1st Ashley Simpson (Read & Review on Blog) Dec 2st Larissa Banitt (Promo & Giveaway on Blog) Dec 2nd L.N. Holmes (Promo Spot & Giveaway on Blog) Dec 3rd E.D. Martin (Promo & Giveaway on Blog) Dec 3rd Adeline Borja (Facebook & Twitter Promo) Dec 4th Sara Santana (Promo Spot & Giveaway on Blog) Dec 5th Katie Doyle (Read & Review on Blog) Dec 7th Sydney Gen (Read & Review on Blog) Dec 7th Helen McKeon (Review on Amazon & Goodreads) **ALL PROMO MATERIAL (PICS, COVER, RAFFLECOPTER WIDGET, ETC...) WILL BE EMAILED IN TWO WEEKS. I'M STILL IN THE PROCESS OF PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER. REVIEW COPIES ARE BEING SENT OUT MUCH SOONER THOUGH. Thanks so much for your help! I so appreciate it!
Yeah, I'm not quite sure how I got past the gates of horror to become a part of the Coffin Hop, but here I am. Yay, me!
Actually, this is my second year participating and I love it, despite the fact that I'm not really a horror writer. No, not really. I mean, I do write about zombies and I can get downright disgusting in certain scenes, but I wouldn't call it horror-horror. Yeah, my book is #1 in Western Horror category (not a lot of western horror books out there so it's not as impressive as it sounds), but The Zombie West Series is more romance and teen angst than anything. But here I am. Yippee! I slipped through the cracks and I'm glad I did *there's no reneging on the coffin hop invite, right?*
So what to do this year? I've been thinking about it, trying to come up with something worthwhile, and decided to try my hand at a short piece of horror writing. It's October. Why not? (This is not edited and this is me completely winging it--have mercy on me).
Okay, maybe it's not necessarily horror-horror, but if it gets you thinking, then I'm okay with that too. Check out the Rafflecoppter giveaway too! A Bit Of Advice: Authors, If You Receive a Negative Review, Do NOT Become a Stalking Vigilante.10/22/2014 Aye carumba! How is it, after all this time and years of bad examples, we are STILL talking about the ridiculous behaviors of some authors after they receive a negative review? Will authors never learn? What will it take folks? What will it take?
Apparently, it's going to take a lot because stalking reviewers online, tracking them to their homes, calling them at their work place, or driving to another country to bash them over the head with a wine bottle isn't enough. The most frightening thing isn't the fact that authors are making idiots of themselves it's that they feel justified in doing so. Seriously. They are breaking laws and "bragging" about it online. It's wrong and it's criminal. As authors, we have been told time and time again DO NOT RESPOND TO NEGATIVE REVIEWS. DON'T DO IT. IT WILL RUIN YOUR CAREER and yet, some authors go for it anyway. "I have to respond. I just have to!" or "Who does that reviewer think they are? They've got it ALL wrong!" Is it hard to bite your tongue when someone is attacking you and your work? Is it hard not to take it personal? I've been in the process of creating some new banners with my graphic artist, Mallory Rock, for both on my site and for my publisher's product page. She asked me what my "tagline" should say.
Tagline? What the heck is an author tagline? That was my initial response, but I didn't want to admit that to her. I told her to give me some time to think about it and that I'd let her know. She gave me the weekend to come up with something. Not a lot of time, but enough... so I thought. "Okay, this will easy. Plenty of time." I opened up my internet browser and did some "Googling" on the topic of Author Taglines. A whole slew of articles filled my window, surprising me. Geez. Apparently lots of people know about author taglines. I've been living under a rock. (Maybe that should be my tagline--Angela Scott, the author who lives under a rock). Still, I wasn't daunted by the process and clicked on one article after another, ready to be enlightened by the tagline process and to make sure I knew what to do. But the more articles I read, the more I realized creating a tagline wasn't easy at all. NOT AT ALL. Does an author even need a tagline? I don't know. I've been writing for several years now and have never had one before, so I'd have to say no. It's not necessary. BUT, now that I've been given a option to have one, why the heck not? This is my daughter two years ago. She wanted to be a zombie and I smiled, jumping on board to make her zombie dreams come true. We even made her a zombie doll to carry around, and during her school Halloween parade, she maintained her zombie shuffle and made this mother proud.
Now, she wants to do it again. I say sweet! This time, though, we're going ZOMBIE CHEERLEADER. She's a flyer (the one they chuck up in the air that induces heart attacks in mother's) and loves it. She's supposed to dress up for a cheerleading practice too, so this will work great. Here's a few of our ideas so far: *SPOILER WARNINGS. DON'T READ IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED*
I am a huge fan of The Walking Dead. I've watched every season, and I can't tell you how thrilled I was with this season's premier. If episode one is any indication of what is in store this season, then we better buckle up because it's going to be an amazing ride. In saying that, this is not a show for the squeamish by any means. The gross factor was bumped up and heightened. Several times I caught myself grimacing and making "eewww" type noises. The opening scene is a killer - literally! |
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