Kristin Clark's Blog
March 16, 2015
Happy Release Day to christy Sloat!
Slumber (Slumber Duology Book One)
By Christy Sloat
Published: March 16, 2015
Publisher: Anchor Group Publishing
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Fairytale
~~~BLURB~~~
Not all princesses get their happily ever after… They tell me I killed my boyfriend Phillip in cold blood. I stabbed him twenty one times. I’m only seventeen years old, and I am serving life in Spindle Ridge Asylum for the Criminally Insane. I don’t remember killing him, so it’s really hard to believe I’m capable of murder. In fact I don’t remember anything before I came to Spindle Ridge, not even my boyfriend. I can only grasp onto my realistic dreams while the madness of the asylum threatens to pull me under. I dream I’m a beautiful princess and there is an evil faerie named Maleficent who is bent on my destruction. The dreams are the closest thing I have to memories of my life, except they aren’t real. I’m crazy. I’m not a princess. They’re the mad illusions of an irrational teenage girl, right? They’ve assigned me a new doctor, and she says I can trust her, and that she’ll help me see the truth of who I really am. When she arrived she brought a new patient, Sawyer, who is everything Spindle Ridge isn’t: exciting, mysterious and beautiful. He promises he’s here to rescue me. Trusting either of them frightens me. Could it be possible that my dreams are more than just the imaginings of a delusional girl? Could they be truth?
~~~Buy Links~~~
Amazon US- http://amzn.to/1bawaCP
Amazon UK- http://amzn.to/1C9ns1W
Amazon CA- http://amzn.to/1HLuw5m
Smashwords- http://bit.ly/1Cauntm
iTunes-http://apple.co/1DaUGQ3
Don’t miss the Release Party on Facebook @https://www.facebook.com/events/630627493707906/ Check out some of the cool swag you can win from Christy Sloat.
March 2, 2015
Tempest’s Fury by Alicia Michaels
Release Spotlight + Giveaway
Title: Tempest’s Fury (The Lost Kingdom of Fallada Book Four)
Release Date: February 28, 2015
Genre: YA Paranormal/Fantasy
Publisher: Marion Press
Blurb: Gretchen Thomas isn’t exactly princess material. She’s not thin, perky, graceful, or refined. So, when a mysterious man claiming to be from another world appears, telling her that she’s royalty, her first instinct is to laugh in his face. However, his assertion that she’s from this strange parallel realm rings true—especially given the freakish abilities she’s had since childhood.
Yet, with that knowledge comes a set of expectations Gretchen isn’t sure she can live up to. With an entire kingdom relying on her to fight for them against an evil queen, and a long lost family hoping to reunite with her, being a princess doesn’t seem like all it’s cracked up to be. One thing is for sure; when the war between good and evil spills over from one realm into another, disrupting her life and threatening the brother who raised her, Gretchen will not hesitate to unleash the powerful storm brewing inside of her.
*A fairytale reboot of Hansel & Gretel*
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Excerpt:
Brooklyn, New York
Moisture coated the air, steam from the showers lingering on the air along with the chorus of Miley Cyrus’ “We Won’t Stop”. Gretchen Thomas scowled. She hated the song with a passion, almost as much as she hated the girl who sang it.
To add insult to injury, the locker room echoed with the constant chatter of high-pitched voices. They sounded like a flock of birds … a flock of tall, leggy, blonde birds with perfect bodies and daddies who gave them everything they wanted.
The goddesses of high school. The banes of Gretchen’s existence.
They giggled together and danced to the music, not at all shy about their various states of half-nakedness.
Turning her back to them, she peeled off the sweatshirt she’d worn to gym class. Beneath it was her not-so-skinny body and nondescript black sports bra.
She tried to be quick about covering herself. Unfortunately, she wasn’t fast enough.
“Whale, ho!” one of the high-pitched voices said from behind her.
She stiffened, her face growing hot as the insult washed over her. Refusing to turn around, she pulled on her long-sleeved black and white striped tee, before layering it with a shorter-sleeved purple one.
“Want some butter for those rolls, porky?” a second voice asked.
Ariana Smith and Jessica Simmons … she recognized the voices as two of her most dedicated tormentors. Their insults sent giggles through the locker room, and now she could feel the stares … the eyes of the other girls boring into her.
Determined to ignore them, she slid out of her sweats and into her jeans as fast as she could. One of the girls muttered something else, but she couldn’t hear it through the anger causing her heart to pound, filling her ears with the sound.
Gritting her teeth, she shoved everything into her backpack and slung it over her shoulder. Not bothering to put her shoes on, she carried them, making a quick escape.
“Watch out, wide load!” wailed Ariana, giggling and backing out of her path in a dramatic motion.
She glared over her shoulder at both of them, then retreated. She could still hear the laughter as she paused, leaning against the wall outside the locker room and closing her eyes.
Ignore them. They’re just a couple of mean girls who put other people down to make themselves feel better. Be the bigger person. You don’t have to prove anything to anyone. Fitting in is for losers.
Yeah, none of that worked. The more she fought against her anger, the worse her need to lash out became until she felt a familiar heat beginning in her palms. The air around her shifted and moved like a gust of wind, and a bluish-white spark flashed in one hand.
Taking a deep breath, she swallowed past the lump of rage in her throat. She could hear Hayden’s voice in her head, telling her not to act out, not to use her abilities in public. But, her big brother wasn’t here, and her anger won out.
Releasing the emotion on a wave of energy, she grinned as the sound of screams and curses filled the locker room. The staccato pitter-patter of raindrops wasn’t enough to satisfy her, though. Fighting back laughter, she peeked around the corner for a glimpse of her handiwork.
Girls ducked and covered their heads, wailing their distress over the soaked clothes strewn across the locker room floor. Water rained down on them from overhead, drenching them all. Ariana and Jessica stood in their midst, screaming as their ruined hair fell around their heads, and water streamed down their faces, ruining their makeup.
Gretchen grinned, turning away from the locker room. She slid into her Converse sneakers, then reached into her backpack to retrieve her phone. Jamming her earbuds in, she cranked up the volume as Aerosmith crooned “Janie’s Got a Gun”.
Laughter burning in her chest, she made her way to lunch, practically skipping the entire way.
Check out the rest of the Lost Kingdom of Fallada books, a series of YA fairytale reboots!
Book 1: Daughter of the Red Dawn
A FREE Read!
Blurb: On the outside, seventeen year-old Selena McKinley is like any other teenage girl. Yet Selena has always felt as if she doesn’t belong and is counting the days to graduation and her freedom from the small town that makes her feel so out of place, when the arrival of a stranger turns her world upside down. Selena will learn just how different she is and the truth of where she comes from.
A lost princess, they call her, the catalyst for a war involving a world that Selena was taken from as a child. An evil queen obsessed with her own beauty with a plan to enslave the human race.…the notion seems so silly, yet Selena knows in her heart that it is true. Then there is Titus, the shape shifter whose blue eyes and claims of destiny hold her heart captive. Can Selena find the strength to do what she must while following her heart?
*A fairytale reboot of Little Red Riding Hood*
Book 2: Child of the Sacred Earth
Blurb: Get a degree, get a job, save adorable foster siblings from the clutches of the evil foster mom …
These are Jocylene Sanders’ top priorities as she enters her sophomore year of college. The last thing she expects is to find herself the champion of an entire kingdom. However, that is just what happens when the mysterious Faerie, Rothatin Longspear, appears to her, tasking her with saving a parallel world full of creatures from her wildest dreams.
Jocylene journeys with him into the world of Fallada, hoping for answers about her birth parents and background. What she finds is a mystifying past, and an even more uncertain future, as her heart becomes entangled with the stoic, battle-hardened Rothatin, as well as Eli, the untroubled Panther Shifter with no loyalties and no home. With her heart and soul pulled in so many directions, can Jocylene find the strength needed to become the savior one nation so desperately needs?
*A fairytale reboot of Rose Red*
Book 3: Rise of the Tide
Phaedra Jones’ life is perfect. She loves her small coastal town and the beach, graduation is just a year away, and she’s in love with the boy of her dreams. Unfortunately, everything changes when Phaedra’s boat goes down in a storm. Luckily, Phaedra survives, finding herself in a world beyond anything she could ever imagine. Not only does she discover that she is a Mermaid shifter of the underwater kingdom of Zenun, but the kingdom of Fallada—where fairytale creatures live and breathe—is depending on her. Phaedra risks losing everything: her perfect life, her family, even the boy she loves … all for a cause she has no stake in.
Arrian Riverleaf, Elf prince of the Riverleaf Clan, has been shunned by his people for over a century. After his arrogance caused him to be cursed, he became a hideous creature, only a shadow of his former self. When Princess Phaedra arrives in Fallada, he does not intend her to steal his heart. With her lost love to compete with and his own insecurities over his unattractive face, Arrian fights his feelings, knowing she could never look beyond his curse to love him.
As the two fight together to save Phaedra’s people, the realm of Fallada and the world of men will both hang in the balance as the battle between good and evil rages on.
*A fairytale reboot of The Princess and the Frog*
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
iTunes
Smashwords
Prequel: Beyond the Iron Gate (Zara’s Journey)
In the year 1845, before the mystical land of Fallada was separated from the realm of men forever, the two worlds coexisted in harmony. Man could mingle freely in the world of the Elves and Faeries at will and peace reigned.
In the hills of Shropshire, England, just miles from the gate separating the village of Ludlow from the world of mystical creatures, farmer’s daughter Zara Wells longs for answers. It is not only the golden hair that trail feet behind her, or the strange hue of her violet eyes that separates her from the other girls her village. There is something inside of her, something touched by magic that longs to know more about what lies on the other side of the gate.
In Fallada, darkness has begun to spread. As the youngest and most beautiful girls of her village begin to disappear, Zara comes closer to discovering the true circumstances surrounding her birth. Little does she know, that the closer she comes to the answers she so desperately desires, the closer she will come to being ensnared in the dark queen’s web of growing treachery.
*A fairytale reboot of Rapunzel*
Download now:
*GIVEAWAY*
Enter to win these awesome items:
Gray, hand-crocheted infinity scarf
Read More Books silver bracelet
Set of signed postcards, bookmarks, and vanilla-honey lip balm
Giveaway ends March 14th!
US, UK, and Canada residents only.
February 25, 2015
Pre- order Adapted for Film by Stacey Rourke
Adapted for Film
By Stacey Rourke
Releases March 16th
Pre-order on Amazon
Blurb -
Aubrey Evans is living every author’s dream; her sizzling romance novel is being turned into a blockbuster film. She would be celebrating this momentous event, if she wasn’t busy fighting over every tiny production detail with the maddeningly cavalier director, Kole Camden.
When news of their heated rivalry hits the gossip columns, drastic measures must be taken to save their sinking project. In an elaborate PR hoax, she is publicly linked to Greyson Meyers, the swoon-worthy star of her movie. A whirl-wind love affair is staged for the couple to mirror the steamy chapters of her own books.
Can the introverted author resist the charms of Hollywood’s sexiest leading man?
Or will love find her in the City of Angels?
February 10, 2015
The Bionics by Alicia Michaels
Did you hear the news? Alicia Michaels has repackaged her novellas into two amazing novels. There is even bonus material so old and new fans can enjoy. The Bionics, Book1, releases today! Get your copy on Alicia’s website @ http://www.fantasybyalicia.com
The Bionics ~ The Bionics Novel 1
By Alicia Michaels
Published by Crimson Tree Publishing
February 10, 2015
~Meet Alicia Michaels~
Ever since she first read books like Chronicles of Narnia or Goosebumps, Alicia has been a lover of mind-bending fiction. Wherever imagination takes her, she is more than happy to call that place her home. With several Fantasy and Science Fiction titles under her belt, Alicia strives to write multicultural characters and stories that touch the heart. V-Card, the first book of the Sharing Spaces series, was her first Contemporary Romance.
The mother of three and wife to a soldier, she loves chocolate, coffee, and of course good books. When not writing, you can usually find her with her nose in a book, shopping for shoes and fabulous jewelry, or spending time with her loving family.
February 5, 2015
In the Land of Tea & Ravens by R.K. Ryals
In the Land of Tea and Ravens
by R.K. Ryals
Published November 2014
Genre – Paranormal, Fantasy
Blurb:
Sitting on the porch of a decaying house, an old brown mug sat, the top chipped, a warm breeze brushing against sun-heated ceramic.
“There is nothing more potent than a cup of tea,” Old Ma’am once told her.
Twenty-year-old Lyric Mason lifted the mug, her sad eyes drawn to its flaw. She’d come home to say goodbye to her grandmother and to take over an eerie family legacy that would forever burden her.
She hadn’t counted on twenty-five year-old Grayson Kramer.
*****
“The women in that family will drive you insane,” the town said.
“They’ll steal your heart and destroy your soul,” they promised.
Despite the warnings, troubled Grayson was fascinated by Lyric, by the rumors and accusations that surrounded her. Prison had changed him, guilt had nearly destroyed him.
It was the guilt that would draw them together.
For in Hiccup, Mississippi, a decrepit house sat, the home feared by the locals, a group of ravens perching on the roof. In this house, there was a tea cup full of secrets held by a woman Grayson couldn’t ignore.
Meet The Author
R.K. Ryals is the author of emotional and gripping young adult and new adult paranormal romance, contemporary romance, and fantasy. With a strong passion for charity and literacy, she works as a full time writer encouraging people to “share the love of reading one book at a time.” An avid animal lover and self-proclaimed coffee-holic, R.K. Ryals was born in Jackson, Mississippi and makes her home in the Southern U.S. with her husband, her three daughters, a rescue dog named Oscar the Grouch, A Shitzsu named Tinkerbell, an OCD cat, and a coffee pot she honestly couldn’t live without. Should she ever become the owner of a fire-breathing dragon (tame of course), her life would be complete.
An active advocate for autism, poverty, anti-bullying, and literacy, you can contact her on twitter at @RKRyals, on instagram at @rkryals, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/RKRyals.
~Review~
R.K. Ryals has done it again. She has written a truly breathtaking piece of art. Her soulful, southern charm caresses you and pulls you into her stories. The woman made drinking hot tea an intimate, sensual act between two people. Hot tea!
This story encompasses Southern folklore, mystery and intrigue with loss, heartache and love as only Mrs. Ryals can. Her writing speaks to me. It takes me to small country towns, farms and decaying buildings. It engulfs me in loss, pain and love. She paints the entire picture.
In The Land Of Tea and Ravens is a hauntingly beautiful tale with bits of fairytale, folklore, and romance. It will touch your heart and leave you with a hankering for a cup of tea.
5 Stars~~Lynn Shaw/2 Girls & A Book
PA to Kristin Clark
January 27, 2015
The Legend of Arturo King by L.B. Dunbar
Title: The Legend of Arturo King
Series: Legendary Rock Stars #1
Author: L.B. Dunbar
Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance
Release Date: January 27, 2015
My name is Arturo King, and I’m told I’m a legend in music. My band is called the Nights and we got our start at the underground Round Table in New York City. Raised by a foster father, I didn’t know the extent of my inheritance until I was twenty-one, and it was all more than I bargained for. I wanted to play the guitar and rule the world with song, but I learned I have a mother from old money, a dead father who was once a real estate mogul, and a record company that needed some rebuilding. Mure Linn, my friend and mentor, has been by my side through it all, teaching me to play, strengthening my lyrics, and guiding me in the music industry. There was one area he couldn’t guide me, though, and that was love. Guinevere DeGrance changed everything for me, I suppose, including the reason I’m here learning the legend of my life without remembering any of it.
The legendary rock star series begins…
Amazon Amazon CA Amazon UK Amazon AU B&N Kobo
Excerpt
The Legend of Arturo King by L.B.
Dunbar ©
I closed in on the last line of the
refrain and turned to look at Lans, signaling the direction of the crowd and
the shift of the song. I had been clutching the microphone on the top of its
stand, both hands wrapped around it, holding firm. I often told myself to think
of the mic as a woman. Caress it in passion or clutch it in lust. It made no
difference as long as this prop seemed an extension of my instrument, my voice.
I released the mic slowly and shifted my own body slightly to angle to the
right toward Lans. Glancing over the crowd, what I told myself would be one final
time before I pulled my head back into the gig on stage, I saw her.
She was a vision in white.
Literally. Her long flowing dress stood out amongst the crowd of dark T-shirts,
darker jeans, and occasional bare skin. Her skin was bare in places as well. Slender
arms hung at her sides, completely exposed. The pull of the dress bodice was up
around her neck in some fashion that also exposed her shoulders, an area that I
found could be very sensitive on a woman. Her shoulders just might redefine
sensual in my brief opinion as I further took her in. The dress fell to the
floor, but I could sense that those hidden legs were long, and the way the
dress hugged the undisclosed portions of her body, I knew she was slender,
sleek, and sumptuous in all the right places. Her hair looked dark, long and
wavy, but the blue glow of the floor lights hinted at some brighter highlights.
I couldn’t make out the color of
her eyes at first, but then she stepped forward under a light as if she were
coming to me. They were lake blue and I felt them pierce my soul. I saw a
sparkle in them as my own locked with hers. She stood still for a moment,
suddenly frozen in my trance. I watched her lick her lips and I felt that lick
in my pants. I didn’t want to look away as a wave of … something … crawled
through my body, but she did.
She turned to her left, but I
couldn’t see who stood there in the shadows. Her head returned forward and she
seemed to be listening to the guitar, taking in the stage, but refusing to look
again in my direction. I felt like I was willing her to notice me instead of
the blank stare she focused above the bands’ heads. I almost turned to see what
could be so interesting behind me. Almost, but I didn’t dare to look away from
her.
She moved after a slight shift
again from her left. She was obviously parting ways from someone near her and
she slowly made her way through the crowded pit floor. As if the audience knew
someone otherworldly was within their presence, the crowd parted slowly as she
approached each person, making a clean-cut line across the wooden floorboards
without another glance in the direction of the stage. Watching her walk sparked
an extra beat in my heart and a throb in my pants. If she was sensual just
crossing the floor, I dared to imagine what she would be like in my bed.
My vision focused solely on her
subtle movement. Silky, I would have described her. She moved slowly, as if she
were a ribbon sliding, slipping, through dark water. The white dress continued
to glow from the dim blue lights, accentuating her slither through the waves of
people. I was only vaguely aware of the guitar riff coming to an end at my left
and I reached blindly for the microphone. This was a move that took no thought
for me. It was as natural as breathing to hold the warm metal. I felt a slight
catch in my throat as the words were climbing to escape my vocal cords. Lans
hit his last note and I held my breath for the pause before a new cord was hit
and the words burst forth.
It was the last look, of last night
In the last moment,
That took my breath and made me see
You might be lost before you found
me.
You cried my name, as you came,
I took that pain and
Made you see, you might be lost,
But you found me.
My own words took on new meaning as
I trailed her final motion. This tune had a new emphasis and I knew I was
singing to her like a siren calls a sailor. There was just something about her
presence, even if I felt she was suddenly ignoring me. She seemed to pause as I
poured myself into those lyrics. You found me echoed in my head as I pinned her
with my eyes. She moved her long hair over one shoulder, causing me to suck in
a breath at the full exposure of her alabaster back. From behind, she was
completely revealed; only a slip of cloth at her neck must hold the dress over
those supple breasts I massaged with my eyes moments ago, and even without full
light I knew that toned back held dimples at the base above the low sling of
material that clung to her backside and draped down to the floor.
I noticed her breathing was slightly
accelerated as her graceful shoulders lifted like a shrug and it certainly
couldn’t be from overexertion crossing the crowded bar floor. She moved as if
she floated. She had not returned my gaze, which I knew she must feel caressing
across her soft skin. It could only mean one thing to my veteran assessment of
women. She wasn’t interested, and that never happened to me. Women were always
interested in me.
I realized suddenly where she
stood. She had paused before a door to the left of the bar. I knew this door.
It was made to blend seamlessly into the wall, looking like heavy olden bricks,
like the surrounding walls. Only the keypad to the right gave away any
semblance of a passageway. A person needed a special access code to pass
through that door into the hall behind.
I watched her press her fingers
deftly across the silver numbers and push the door gently inward into a
darkened passage beyond without a single glance back over those sexy shoulders
in my direction. I had to know who she was as the door closed, cutting off my
view of her. It was almost instantaneous that I knew I wanted her, but this
whole scene could only mean two things were true: she was somehow connected to
Leo DeGrance, and she didn’t want me. And I believed them both. Almost.
I’d like to say I was always a writer. I’d also like to say that I wrote every day of my life since a child. That I took the teaching advice I give my former students because writing every day improves your writing. I’d like to say I have my ten-thousand hours that makes me a proficient writer. But I can’t say any of those things. I did dream of writing the “Great American Novel” until one day a friend said: Why does it have to be great? Why can’t it just be good and tell a story?
As a teenager, I wrote your typical love-angst poetry that did occasionally win me an award and honor me with addressing my senior high school class at our Baccalaureate Mass. I didn’t keep a journal because I was too afraid my mom would find it in the mattress where I kept my copy of Judy Blume’s Forever that I wasn’t allowed to read as a twelve year old.
I can say that books have been my life. I’m a reader. I loved to read the day I discovered “The Three Bears” as a first grader, and ever since then, the written word has been my friend. Books were an escape for me. An adventure to the unknown. A love affair I’d never know. I could be lost for hours in a book.
So why writing now? I had a story to tell. It haunted me from the moment I decided if I just wrote it down it would go away. But it didn’t. Three years after writing the first draft, a sign (yes, I believe in them) told me to fix up that draft and work the process to have it published. That’s what I did. But one story let to another, and another, and another. Then a new idea came into my head and a new storyline was created.
I was accused (that’s the correct word) of having an overactive imagination as a child, as if that was a bad thing. I’ve also been accused of having the personality of a Jack Russell terrier, full of energy, unable to relax, and always one step ahead. What can I say other than I have stories to tell and I think you’ll like them. If you don’t, that’s okay. We all have our book boyfriends. We all have our favorites. Whatever you do, though, take time for yourself and read a book.
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January 20, 2015
Sink or Swim
There comes a point in time when you have to ask yourself, what am I doing?
Am I doing what I am supposed to be doing? Is this the life that was intended for me?
When you are standing at the end of the dock with nothing ahead of you but the open water and you look down. There is no where to go. It is either down, sinking deeper and deeper into the dark abyss or out into the open water moving forward letting the waves take you towards whatever lies ahead, whatever waits for you at the ends of the horizon.
Is it death? Is it life? Is it a happy blissful life that you have dreamed of living? Or is it a life of pain, fear, anger, and solace that you keep living over and over and over again.
We are each our own, trapped inside of a shell, living inside seeing through our eyes to the outside world.
Sure the shell is as shiny and pretty as others eyes see but what happens when the shell cracks? Is it a burst of light that shines through or shall it be a dark ominous somber vapor that seeps through surrounding the shell until it consumes it?
Back at the dock. Look down, look out, and look up. Where is your lifeline? Is there a life raft waiting with a rope to pull you back? How far down will you go before you have gone too far?
Now Jump.
Do you sink or swim?
January 19, 2015
My Journey to Becoming a Published Author
Without my friends and fans I would still just be me. Kristin Clark. Not Author Kristin Clark. Without your continued love and support I would not be who I am today. You make writing more than a dream, you make it a reality. I hate the real world. I think it sucks. Since I was a kid I can remember getting lost in a book or lost in my writing, not once ever considering doing this for a living. A published author to me seemed like such a far-fetched idea that I had never even considered it. Then I went to college. Fresh out of High School, my very first class was English 101. During that class we had a creative writing assignment. It was my favorite class and my favorite assignment while in college. I remember getting a 100% on the paper and the professor speaking to me about my assignment. He told me I had a gift and that I should continue writing. I of course laughed. I will be fortunate enough to be in that small percentage of writers who actually get published. So time goes on and years later I had this Title and plot line poke me in the head. Like I have had happen many times, only this time it wouldn’t go away. So I sat down and began writing. That night I wrote the first 3 chapters of The Chosen. It was my secret and I had no intentions of publishing it. It was for me and me only. No one knew I had written it and no one knew that after the coercing of my best friend I decided to try to get it published. I had even joked around in the lunch room at work and said out of the blue, “I’m going to write a book.” I still laugh at the faces my friends made. Little did they know I had already done it. So one thing led to another, I began submitting to agents and in came the rejection letters. This was still a secret. Only my friend Michelle knew what I was doing. Eventually just when I had decided to give up I got a response. Now in the literary world, you start with a query letter. Then if your lucky, they will ask for a partial, which is the first three chapters. And if they like what they read they will request a full version of your manuscript. To have a partial requested is a big accomplishment, but to have a full requested is huge. Now that doesn’t mean that you are a shoe in but it is definitely a reason to pat yourself on the back. Ok who am I kidding, I jumped up and down and squealed which then brought the cat out of the bag. A few of my closest friends at work, Chris, Roberta, Trish and Sharon were there so I finally told them. I felt like I was taking my clothes off in front of them. This was my secret life, my secret world and now I am sharing it with the rest of humanity. It was a pot of mixed emotions. Mostly fear of being judged and scrutinized. Sorry, the happy ending isn’t here. The Agent loved the story, but she had something kind of similar so she couldn’t market both. She told me I have a gift and she wants me to email her directly with my next work in progress. So if you are reading this, it will be coming to you soon! So after that rejection, I was so close I could taste it rejection, I packed my suitcase and locked it on my writing dream for a while. Then after much research and the nagging of my closest friends I decided to give it a go one more time. If I couldn’t get published that was it for my dream. So I stumble upon some smaller publishing houses and check their websites for submission guidelines. Most require an agent. A few I ran across were closed for submissions and one was opening June 1st and would only be open for submissions through the end of the summer. So yours truly submitted with a shaking hand and a nervous click, my query letter at midnight on June 1st. A week or so later I had a request for my full manuscript and after a few more nervous gut wrenching weeks I received that email that changed my life. Can you believe they asked me to If I would sign with them?! It was a day I will never forget. I sat on my daughters bedroom floor crying tears of joy. To have someone who does not know me from Adam or Eve to take a chance and believe in me and my work was one of the greatest days of my life. I still have a long road ahead of me but I can not wait to get there and look forward to living my dreams with some amazing people I have met along the way. So you see, dreams, no matter how big or small, can come true. If you just believe and follow your heart anything is possible.
xoxo
Kristin
December 22, 2014
Uncharted Territory by Carolyn Ridder Aspenson ~ Cover Reveal
COMING FEBRUARY 2015
From Carolyn Ridder Aspenson comes Uncharted Territory,
An Angela Panther Novel.
Catch up on the series with
Available on Amazon & B&N ~ Book1/Book2
Meet The Author
Carolyn Ridder Aspenson is the Amazon and Barnes &
Noble best selling author of Unfinished Business; An Angela Panther Novel, Unbreakable Bonds; An Angela Panther Novel, the contemporary romance novella The Inn At Laurel Creek and Santa’s Gift, a Cumming Christmas Novella.
An avid fitness buff, Carolyn writes a monthly health and fitness column for Northside Woman Magazine as well as regular weekly news articles for various Atlanta area media outlets including the Forsyth Herald, the Milton Herald, the Revue and News, and the Johns Creek Herald. Her works have also been published in Countyline Magazine and various Internet publications.
A native of Indiana, for over eighteen years Carolyn called the northwest Chicago suburbs home. She now resides in the Atlanta area with her husband, three kids, two dogs and cat.
Connect with Carolyn:
WEB: carolynridderaspenson.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/carolynridderaspensonauthor
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Email:carolynridderaspenson@gmail.com
November 4, 2014
The Kasadya Hellhound Series by Karen Swart
Book Info -
Title: Kasadya Hellhound Awakened
Series: Kasadya #1
Author: Karen Swart
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Paranormal
Audience: YA/NA – 14 years and up
Formats: Paperback and E-book
Publisher: Karen Swart
Cover by: Melody Simmons
Edited by: MAI-Editing-Services , There for you Editing Services & Blue Butterfly Editing
ISBN: 978-1311699121
Date Published: 21 August 2012
Pages: 342 pages
In a constant battle between good and evil, evil is dominating the battlefield and leading mankind to its destruction. With our Creator’s intervention, a creature destined to conquer and destroy is created. He gives mankind hellhounds to fight back and reclaim freedom.
Join seventeen year old Kasadya Levourne as she fights against evil to protect us. With each step, she faces destruction, and yet she has the talent to give it back tenfold. Stubborn and hard-headed she makes her mark in the Fallen world and starts a battle none can escape. Not even her trainer, the very attractive Chax de Luca, was prepared for her presence.
Will evil prevail? Or will Kas and her Fallen friends succeed in protecting us against it? Hold on to your seats, this is going to be one hell of a ride.
Special Note:
The Kasadya Series is read back to back, book 1- 3 ends with a cliffhanger.
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Prologue
There was a time when heaven was filled with peace and serenity. God, Jesus Christ, and all the Angels lived in harmony; no evil and no sin existed. Until one fateful day…
With all gathered to hear their Sire speak, God rose and addressed his Angels. Before all, he proclaimed His Son, Jesus Christ, was equal to Him. That Christ’s words should be obeyed as if they were His own. Christ would command the heavens, with the same authority as Him. All the Angels bowed down before Christ and accepted their Sire’s proclamation, all except for one…
An Archangel was furious with this proclamation. He was his Sire’s right hand, the deliverer of justice, the commander of many legions. He had served his Sire for centuries, and never failed him. It should be to him that God bestow power, not a Son whom had never even seen battle.
With his heart filled with hatred and jealousy, he gathered all the angels in secret. He told them that their days of sweet liberty were at an end. That God has now placed Christ as their ruler and that they should now obey his wishes. Many angels were angered at such a false statement, but many also agreed with the Archangel. He had led them for many years; why should they now question his leadership?
The faithful Angels fled to God and told Him what was happening, and together they prepared for war. With the sun rising on a new day, God and his Angels stood ready for battle against the Archangel and his followers. The battle only lasted a day, the Archangel and his followers defeated before the sun set for the night.
Seeing the angels on their knees before Him, He gave them one final chance… “Repent and declare your loyalty, and I will forgive you, my children.” He told his beautiful angels, tears falling with each word. This was His family. This was His love. How could they betray Him? Some of the Angels cried their penance, begging Him to forgive them for their deceit. They claimed that the Archangel deceived them, and they followed him into battle, as they have done for centuries.
God took pity on them, but still believed that their deceit must not go unpunished. He had spoken many times about the importance of punishment, that lessons learned must be earned… “I herewith grant you mercy, but as punishment you will be sentenced to an earthly realm. I will take your beauty as payment for my children lost today. In the place of your beauty, I will give you purpose. In mercy, and because I love you still, I give you life in this realm. Let this be known, that I was merciful this day,” God finished.
He placed them in an earthly realm, and called it Exsilium. In this realm they would carry their deceit, and earn their place with him. He took their beauty and replaced them with elements of his earth. Half would be of animal and element, and would resemble punishment. The other, in a humanoid form, and would resemble mercy. He called them his Fallen.
The Archangel, and those whom did not repent, were not that lucky. God looked into the eyes of His once faithful angels and only saw destruction, hatred, jealousy, and heartache. He knew that His beloved ones had died this day, and that others needed to be protected. But how could you destroy one you loved? He placed the Archangel, and his followers, in another earthly realm, but where Exsilium was above the earth, this one was in the center. With one wave of His hand, their beautiful forms were replaced with forms as ugly as their hatred and deceit. Using His word and blood, He sealed this realm from any other.
As He looked into the many eyes of hatred, He spoke his final word… “This realm will be called Hell, and you will be called demons. You, my once faithful Archangel, you will be called the Devil. Your angel name will be erased from the past, present, and future. You will be forgotten,” He proclaimed and left them to their demise.
Many years have passed since that day. God created mankind and cherished his new children. The male and female were his new hope; in them he would find peace again. But the Devil had grown strong through the years, and somehow managed to enter God’s garden. Here, he found the female God created, using her to strike back. He whispered words of deceit in her ears, and watched as God’s new children stepped into sin. With her first bite, a crack appeared in the seal around Hell, and demons escaped to earth.
From that day onward, the Devil and his demons created chaos amongst God’s new children, leading one after the other into sin. God looked upon this and decided to fight for his loved ones. He went to Exsilium and spoke to the Fallen… “You, my children, have proven your loyalty in the years that have passed, and so I came to offer you another chance at Heaven. If you slay the Devil and his demons to protect mankind, I will give you a place in my Heaven once again. With your last breath on this earth, you will join me and your brethren in Heaven,” He finished. The Fallen agreed and God gave them the power to move in and out of Exsilium to battle the demons. The war between Good and Evil began.
But as mankind spread over the earth, sin became their followers. And with each sin, the demons grew stronger and created more demons to torture mankind. The Fallen were now fighting against millions; they needed assistance to ensure victory. God had watched the battle from Heaven and saw that they were failing because of their numbers. He also saw that the demons grew stronger than the Fallen. He intervened and created a new creature. This creature would have features encompassing the best of both worlds. One half was as strong and loyal as the Fallen, while the other was as hard and enduring as a demon. This was His ultimate weapon. This would be His greatest creation. To ensure that these creatures could not be swayed, He placed Heaven’s soul into them. He called them His hellhounds.
The hellhounds delivered justice swiftly, as strong and just as the Fallen. Yet hard and durable like the demons, they conquered the earthly realm and the demons retreated. Not one hellhound could be swayed. All stayed true to their calling. God, knowing that the Devil and many more demons had retreated, gave His hellhounds life, and offered them a place among the Fallen.
Until this day they still watch over mankind, protecting them from evil. Will we be worth it?
Book Info -
Title: Kasadya Hellhound Twisted
Series: Kasadya #2
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Audience: YA/NA – 14 years and up
Formats: E-book
Publisher: Karen Swart
Edited by: There for you Editing Services & Blue Butterfly Editing
Cover by: Melody Simmons
ISBN: 978-1301357192
Pages: 251 Pages
Date Published: 15 February 2013
Kasadya: Hellhound Twisted (Book #2 of the Kasadya Series)
She fought against all odds and became the warrior she was meant to be … or so she thought. In a world where the rules have changed, can she embrace her destiny and become the hellhound she was meant to be?
Kasadya is back in Exsilium and finds her world a little different. Her half-breed fallen friends join her, and they are ordered to complete their apprentice training in order to obtain the right to be guardians. She must learn that her own fate cannot be denied and that others are set to follow. But most of all, she must learn that to trust is the greatest battle of all.
The tables are turned and Kasadya is put to the test. Will she be able to prevent her own death, or that of a friend? Or will her actions call forth the destruction of Earth and Exsilium?
For a Phoenix to rise, it must first die. —Chax De Luca
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Book Info -
Title: Kasadya Hellhound Born
Series: Kasadya #3
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Audience: YA/NA – 14 years and up
Formats: E-book
Publisher: Karen Swart
Cover by: Melody Simmons
Edited by: MAI-Editing-Services & Blue Butterfly Editing
ISBN: 9781301863594
Pages: 235 pages
Date Published: 15 August 2013
Kasadya: Hellhound Born (Book #3 of the Kasadya Series)
In a world filled with evil, the Fallen prepare for the ultimate battle against the demon world!
Kasadya is ordered to unleash her crazed born transformation to complete her divinity. But there is a chance that her born will be uncontrollable, and she will be destroyed. There is just one person that can save her; her charm, her destined mate. Left without a choice, she must surrender, and place her life in his hands.
In a race against time, the Fallen must stand together and fight the evil threatening to invade earth. If her divinity was in reach, victory would be theirs. That is until she starts having visions of the final battle, and her true destiny is revealed. She just found her love and place in the Fallen world; will she be able, and willing, to sacrifice it all?
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“Kasadya, don’t do this to me,” Chax spoke, using Corra.
I stopped completely and looked at him. Reaching for my necklace, I held it.
“I am so sorry, Chax. This is the only way; we can’t win any other way. I know; I have seen the end too many times,” I replied.
His face fell even more and he looked around, searching for a way out.
“I want to thank you… for being there for me. For searching for me when I went missing. For enduring all of my crap. I am sorry I messed up so many times. But not this time; this I promise. But most of all, thank you for loving me.” Even my mental voice broke down on the last part.
Chax started to scream and pound at the invisible wall, while others joined him. I looked at Nanini, shocked that she couldn’t get out.
“Take care of Max for me,” I sent to her.
Tears formed and ran down her cheeks, but she nodded.
“Kas, let us help you!” Lotan yelled. My friends, my family were still trying to save me. Tears ran down my own face now.
“I love all of you. Thank you for always being there for me.” Finally my mental voice began to a sob.
I turned away, afraid that the sight of them would stop me.
“Kasadya! Don’t do this to me. I beg you!” Chax yelled at me.
Demons were closing in around me, but my heart was so broken I just let the tears and heartache spill out of me.
“I am so sorry, Chax. Forgive me.” With that, I stormed forward.
I used my g-force punches to clear the masses out of my way. When that stopped working, I started shifting. Demons grabbed at me and some got in a slice or two. But I wasn’t stopping.
I saw Ballen trying to flee from me. He thought I was heading for him. Good. I needed him on the other side when I blew it up. Using my wings for momentum, I sent a massive g-force punch into the horde that remained between me and my target. They flew backwards, clearing the way for me to advance. I swiped at a few too close and took their heads. Blood sprayed all over me. Searching for the hole to make sure I was heading in the right direction, I saw the shoulders and arms of something freaking big, already beginning to breach.
I need to move faster!
I lifted up with my wings. They were tired, but I had no other option. Now I had the flying demons to contend with. We fought and sliced and I sent a few down to earth without a head. At last, I was advancing on the hole. Pain shot through my left wing and I tumbled to the ground, hitting hard. At the last moment I made sure that the front of my body hit the ground and not the back. Demons jumped me all at once. Ballen was yelling at them to stop me. I used everything I had left and flung out with my wings and arms. They went flying and just in front of me was the hole with the devil stuck in it. Ballen was standing at the entrance watching me, his face a mask of shock.
With a deep breath, I reached for the pouch and took hold of the balls. Now armed and ready, I just had a few feet to go. I stormed through the demons, not caring if they sliced me open. I wasn’t stopping for a fight anymore. I held the balls to my chest, sealing them from any other impact. Then, finally, I was at the entrance of the hole. With the last of my strength, I leaped into the air and went flying straight for it.
There were many things that go through your mind that moment before you die. I remembered my first step into Exsilium. Meeting Lada and Nanini. Meeting Chax and hating my first day. I remembered our fun at the beach, the Hellhouse and the grub spot. Seeing Lada and Lotan kissing for the first time. Meeting Max and Ryan, and then all of the rest. My heart no longer troubled by Kali or Seth or all the others who had betrayed me. I remembered finding Chax and the Fallen again. Seeing my parents again. So many memories bombarded me at that last moment. I remembered my day and night with Chax, and how it felt to be loved.
“I love you,” I sent a final message to him.
He was still screaming my name, begging for me to stop.
I remembered why I was doing this. For them I gave my heart, my life. Ballen’s shocked face was in front of me, right in my path. Just when I reached him, I dropped the balls and slammed into him.
Book Info -
Title: Kasadya Hellhound Defined
Series: Kasadya, #4
Author: Karen Swart
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Audience: YA/NA – 14 years and up
Formats: E-book
Publisher: Karen Swart
Cover by: Melody Simmons
Edited by: Blue Butterfly Editing
ASIN: B00J698M1A
ISBN: 978-1311495075
Pages: 135 pages
Date Published: 21 March. 2014
Kasadya: Hellhound Defined (Book #4 of the Kasadya Series)
For centuries his only reason for existence was to destroy evil. But when he finally found his mate, that all changed for the deadly Chax De Luca. When the hellhound Kasadya captured his heart, he surrended it to her, thinking he’d finally found what he’d been looking for. Little did he know that his mate would sacrifice herself to save them all.
His fury is legend. His wrath, merciless. His love for his mate, undeniable. He’s going to hell to retrieve his heart, and if that means that he must destroy hell itself, then so be it.
Kasadya awakes to a world in peril, her mate forever changed, and a war filled with evil creatures intending to enter Earth’s realm and destroy all that she holds dear. Can she complete her divinity in time to save her loved ones and mankind? Will she have to choose? Or will all be lost in the final battle?
The final battle is here, and with it, secrets are revealed and worlds are changed forever.
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World So Cold – Three Days Grace
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Stronger (What doesn’t kill you) – Kelly Clarkson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn676-fLq7I
Sparks Fly – Taylor Swift
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The Animal I have become – Three Days Grace
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The One That Got Away – Katy Perry
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Torn – Natalie Imbrugia
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I Won’t Give Up – Jason Mraz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1-4u9W-bns
Hot and Cold – Katy Perry
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTHNpusq654&feature=kp
Supermassive Black Hole – Muse
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LgcDpTH47g
Firework - Katy Perry
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGJuMBdaqIw
I will not bow – Breaking Benjamin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qrRzNidzIc
Realize – Colbie Caillat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlZxZ2n2zpw
3 x E-Copies of The Kasadya Hellhound Series
1 x $10 Amazon GC
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I am a complete book addict, and really proud of it. My entire world is made of books. From reading to writing to blogging to helping other authors. A day without my world of books would be impossible. I am a mother of three, two boys and a little princess. Happily married for 8 years with my high school sweetheart. I live in South Africa, just on the rims of the Kalahari Desert in a small town with one shop and friendly faces.
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