Fire and Ice Hop

This is the month for romance! For defying the cold nights and curling up with a good novel on your lap, and to revel in the power of love.

Okay, that might have sounded slightly tacky, but it is true: romance is not only hot, it's also vital and when its official holiday comes up, then it's time to give it some thought. And to celebrate with a gift! What am I going to give you, I wonder....

I know! A copy of a book of your choice in the Soul Screamers series! And yes, that includes the omnibus volumes or a preorder of With All My Soul. As long as Book Depository ships to your country, you can win. To enter, just leave me a comment with the answer to this question:

What makes romance perfect for you?

My answer is, of course, related to the series I picked (And from this point on, there are spoilers up to book 5, so if you're not there, feel free to not read on!)

Eve Hallows Book Blast (Plus Giveaway)

EVE HALLOWS AND THE BOOK OF SHRIEKS (BOOK 1)

For fourteen-year-old Eve Hallows, life can be summed up in one word—horrible.  She has the most horrible friends.  She lives in a horrible old castle.  Even her family is a bunch of horrible monsters.



However, in the monster-inhabited world of Gravesville—a world where messages are sent through Ouija boards, jack-o’-lanterns get facials to suit their moods, and the worst thing Eve has to deal with are those annoying zombie tourists who overrun her favorite graveyard during the Halloween season—horrible means wonderful.  And everything for Eve is perfectly horrible.



But her life is about to go head over heels when a mysterious group known as The Source starts terrorizing Gravesville.  Now she must move to the human world—where everything is opposite ... and for Eve, that's absolutely adorable!

Praise for Eve Hallows and the Book of Shrieks:

"Move over, Neil Gaiman’s CORALINE and THE GRAVEYARD BOOK … make room, Lemony Snicket’s A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS … you’ve got company and competition for shelf space!" -- THE HORROR FICTION REVIEW

Cover reveal: There, by Denise Grover Swank

 

Presenting... 

There, by Denise Grover Swank

An Anthology featuring the best for the best cause

A few weeks ago, Hurricane Sandy was all over the news. Now, we don't talk about it so much, but the disaster is still there--the people is still out of homes, the rebuilding is still in progress... There's still a need for help, and there will be for a long time to come. 

Author R.T. Kaelin was conscious of this and sent out a call from his blog. You can visit this original post here, but the gist of it? To Prepare an anthology of donated short stories, sell it via e-book, and send full proceedings to the American Red Cross for relief effots. The genre and style of this anthology is varied, so that most everyone will get to enjoy it: fantasy (traditional or urban), sci-fi, mystery, pulp, romance, action… The only constant is the theme: Triumph over Tragedy, which incidentally will also be the title of the collection. 

I'm glad to say that the response to this call was almost immediate. And I'm proud to know that so many wonderful authors I enjoy are also rockstars willing and able to help with this. Some names that might ring a bell? Robert Silverberg, Michael J. Sullivan, Mark Lawrence, Bradley P. Beaulieu, Phillip Athans, Stephen D. Sullivan, Jean Rabe, Maxwell Alexander Drake... And on it goes to reach the 40 contributors to this project. 

 If you want the full list, please click the link below and follow through to the Indiegogo page where they're accepting pre-orders of the collection. Do consider ordering a copy for yourself or for a friend and, if you can't afford to get this awesome book, share this post (or the IndieGoGo page) with other readers who can. 

Triumph Over Tragedy - An Anthology  

Guest Post:Violence, thuggery and slapstick in YA fiction by John Barlow

Today's a very special day: author John Barlow, who's an old friend of this blog and already shared with us a great post about writing thrillers, is releasing a new novel. This time, he tries his hand with a YA dystopian adventure called Islanders that promises to be something else. To celebrate, John's joining us once more here at Stories of my Life to share another fun guest post to tide us over until my review of Islanders is up (expect it soon!). Also, there's a giveaway for you!

Ben Brewer has lived all his life on the Island. But things are getting unbearable. There’s hardly any food and there’s nothing to do. Plus, the adults are so scared they won’t let anyone leave.

Thirteen years ago, the Mainland was torn apart by war and contaminated by biological weapons. Ben’s parents were leaders of the Resistance. They moved all their friends and comrades to the safety of the Island. But then his dad went back to fight, never to return.

Ben was born a few months later. He has never met his dad.

When a message arrives, saying that his dad is still alive, Ben decides to go to the Mainland. He needs to know the truth about the War. If his dad is still alive, why did he never come back?

With him go Bad n’ Worse, the toughest two kids on the island; Silver, the smartest girl; plus her brother Coby, Ben’s best friend. When they get to the Mainland they find a world gone mad, a chaos of weird genetic mutations, and a life of slavery for those who didn’t escape.

Ben discovers that one man yields total power: Jack Sullivan, his dad’s oldest and bitterest enemy. If Ben is ever going to uncover the truth about the War and find his dad, he’ll have to risk everything and put himself at the mercy of Sullivan. And that’s just the start of it...

Violence, thuggery and slapstick in YA fiction

My YA novel, ISLANDERS, is out today. The story is about a 13 year-old boy, Ben Brewer, who has lived all his life on an island. He was born during a devastating war back on the Mainland, a war which tore the country apart and saw the release of deadly biological weapons. Ben’s parents were leaders of the Underground, fighting for freedom. As the war got worse, they moved all their friends and comrades to the safety of the Island, where Ben was born. But then his dad went back to fight, never to return, presumed dead. Ben has never met his dad.

Cover Reveal: Destiny, by P.T. Michelle

Destiny (Brightest Kind of Darkness, Book 3)
By P.T. Michelle
Expected Release Date: March 31, 2013

Summary from Goodreads:

When destiny is on the line, will love be enough to light the way?

In order to save Ethan, Nara gets pulled deeper into his dark world, where everything she thought she knew about Ethan and herself turns on its head.

Ethan and Nara turn up the heat with bone-melting seduction and heart-rending moments, but surprising revelations, lies, treachery, betrayal, and unimaginable evil will challenge their relationship and their future together.

As the stakes rise, encompassing more than just her relationship with Ethan, will Nara make the ultimate sacrifice?

***

Other books in the Brightest Kind of Darkness Series: (titles link to Goodreads)

Brightest Kind of Darkness, Book 1 (currently FREE)
Lucid (Brightest Kind of Darkness, Book 2)

About the Author

P.T. Michelle is author of the young adult series BRIGHTEST KIND OF DARKNESS. She keeps a spiral notepad with her at all times, even on her nightstand. When P.T. isn’t writing, she can usually be found reading or taking pictures of landscapes, sunsets and anything beautiful or odd in nature.

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest | Newsletter

***

Want to help spread the word about DESTINY's upcoming release? Click the link below to get the countdown widget script to put on your website or on your blog's side bar. :)

http://www.widgetbox.com/i/60cdbefb-af9e-42fa-b8d8-80345e3a5519

Release day: Touching Evil, by Amber Garr

With one touch, Leila can see it all.

Leila Marx is trying to put her life back together after her fiancé is murdered. When Detective Garrick Pearson enlists her help with a difficult case, she is thankful for the distraction and the opportunity to use her talents as a touch clairvoyant. Leila and Garrick quickly delve into the mystery behind a series of missing teenage girls and mummified corpses while discovering their own growing attraction to each other. 

Conner Hoffman is an intriguing lawyer and striking half-demon who enters Leila’s life unexpectedly.  Although her visions are terrifying, she is fascinated by his charm and his legacy. When it becomes evident that the murders are linked to a paranormal event, Conner introduces Leila to a world unbeknownst to ordinary society. She suddenly finds herself immersed in supernatural politics, sorcery, and danger as she becomes the killer’s next target. 

Staying alive will mean relying on friends, accepting the unbelievable, and trusting in her heart again.

Visit Amber's website to read an excerpt, watch the trailer, and meet the characters.

In celebration of the release, Amber is holding a giveaway!

Open to everyone. Yeah!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the author:

Amber Garr spends her days conducting scientific experiments and wondering if her next door neighbor is secretly a vampire. Born in Pennsylvania, she lives in Florida with her husband and their furry kids. Her childhood imaginary friend was a witch, Halloween is sacred, and she is certain that she has a supernatural sense of smell. Amber is a Royal Palm Literary Award Winner, the author of The Syrenka Series trilogy and The Leila Marx Novels, and when not obsessing over the unknown, can be found dancing, reading, or enjoying a good movie.

Contact Amber:
Website | Blog |  Facebook | Goodreads

Email: amber@ambergarr.com 

Get your copy:

Kindle | Paperback | Smashwords

VBT: Brightest Kind of Darkness Series, by P.T. Michelle

What series am I exactly talking about, you say? Well, you should know by now: other than being a huge indie hit, I've been raving about Brightest Kind of Darkness and its sequel, Lucid, for quite a while. In case you missed it, you can check out my reviews of both instalments here for Book 1 and here for Book 2.

After reading that, you should be in  a hurry to meet P.T. Michelle... Okay, I can help you. Here, some info!

ABOUT P.T. MICHELLE

P.T. Michelle is author of the young adult series BRIGHTEST KIND OF DARKNESS. When P.T. isn’t writing, she can usually be found reading or taking pictures of landscapes, sunsets and anything beautiful or odd in nature.

LINKS:

 Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest | Newsletter

And now, the most super-important things: the excerpt I know you're just dying to read... and the GIVEAWAY afterwards! Ready? Here we go!

What do YOU look for in a review?

Reading Romances has organized a hop where we get to answer a question... and I thought it was a really interesting one, so thanks for the initiative!

So, here's my answer:

Fanfriday

Fandom: Final Fantasy XII

Genre: RGP Game

Status: Released

 

Title: On your Wings

Author: Pot kettle black

Must have read original: Should be familiar with the game’s storyline

Status: Ongoing

Rating: T

Genre: Romance/Drama

Larsa was never afraid to play the long game. Penelo was never afraid to follow her heart. Sometimes it beat to rhythms he couldn't quite catch, but he never lost it completely. LxP, some VxP

Read it!

This is one of my favorite games, and when I went back into it last week to pick my FanFriday... I kind of fell back into the whole fandom, which means that there’s more to come.

This time, we’re talking about Penelo, the orphan sky pirate who always thought she was in love with her childhood friend Vaan... And Larsa, the boy emperor who knew what he wanted and wasn’t afraid to wait. Except, it does take her a lot to realize that a kind who’s ruling the greatest empire in the world can’t stay a child forever, is turning into a very attractive young man.

Check this story out, it’s really well written and the characterizations are super cool. Plus, it’s not rushed: you’ll get to see her transition from in love with Vaan towards... lands uncharted.

Would you like to share your own fanfiction pick? Do so and join the linky below! 

FanFriday

Fandom: Final Fantasy XII

Author: Square Enix

Genre: RPG

Status: It’s a game, so obviously it’s complete :)

 The game takes place in the fictional land of Ivalice, where the empires of Archadia and Rozarria are waging an endless war. Dalmasca, a small kingdom, is caught between the warring nations. When Dalmasca is annexed by Archadia, its princess, Ashe, creates a resistance movement. During the struggle, she meets Vaan, a young adventurer who dreams of commanding an airship. They are quickly joined by a band of allies; together, they rally against the tyranny of the Archadian Empire.

Title: Acclimatization

Author: XxFearTheFluffxX

Must have read original: No, but knowing the characters helps

Status: Complete

Rating: T

Genre: Friendship/Romance

Balthier employs a rather unorthodox method to cure Penelo of her airsickness. Penelo, in turn, suspects ulterior motives - after all, what self-respecting pirate does something purely out of the goodness of his heart?

Read it!

This story takes place in the early part of the game. The characters are all reunited and heading off into adventure... in Balthier’s airship. Penelo is a very capable woman, but the contents of her stomach refuse to stay where they should when the Strhal takes off, and Vaan is being a pain with his constant questions about flight and pirating.

So, what does Balthier do? What any leading man worth is salt would: escape the inquisition and save the damsel in distress. But is escape his only motivation?

Personally, I love Balthier. His voice acting is amazing, too, so I’m a goner for stories featuring him. He offers a great contrast to Penelo, too: the aristocratic dandy turned pirate and the down-to-earth, caring and humble orphan. I think that the scene in this fic could very well play out between those two, and it’d be so sweet!

Six chapters, under 7000 words—a quick, satisfying read all around. Just one warning: there’s mention of vomiting, which isn’t the most romantic thing ever, but it works. 

Would you like to share your own fanfiction picks? Then join me and link up! :)

get the InLinkz code

Fanfriday

Fandom: The Iron Fey

Author: Julie Kagawa

Genre: YA paranormal romance (fairy tale)

Status: Complete

Title: In Dreams

Author: Queen of Air and Darkness

Must have read original: Yes, book 4 (Iron Knight) included

Status: Complete (one-shot)

Rating: T

Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Romance

Meghan's POV of Ash's and her shared dream in Iron Knight. Warning: pretty sad.

Read it!

So I was hunting the perfect fiction for this little summer feature of mine and I found this jewel. Basically, this is a scene out of Iron Knight—the dream scene, remember? When Ash finds Meghan? Well, this is her point of view. It's not official, but it could very well be... Heartwrenching! It made the ending of Iron Knight all the more triumphant.

Short (just 2000 words this time!), sweet with a tinge of sadness. Enjoy!