Cover Reveal: OTHERBORN by Anna Silver

My friend and pub-sister, Anna Silver, has given her debut novel, Otherborn, a little facelift.
And now for the big reveal...

TAA DAA!!!  Pretty, huh?

"In a reprocessed world, London and her friends must dream their way to a New hope."

Title: Otherborn (Otherborn Series, #1)

Author: Anna Silver  -  Publisher: Sapphire Star Publishing  -  Release Date: April 4, 2013

Pages: 290  -  Format: Paperback, ebook

Genre: YA  -  Subgenres: dystopian, science fiction, fantasy

Blurbity blurb:

London and her teenage friends live in a reprocessed world.

Confined within Capital City’s concrete walls, London has done the impossible and the illegal. She’s created something New- a song. But her mentor, club owner Pauly, is not impressed. Since the historic Energy Crisis forced everyone behind walls generations ago, the Tycoons have ensured there is truly nothing new allowed under the sun. Pauly warns London to keep her song to herself, if she knows what’s good for her.

What he doesn’t know is that London is keeping an even bigger secret: she dreams. And she’s not alone. London’s band-mates and friends have begun dreaming as well, seeing themselves in “night pictures” as beings from another world. As Otherborn, they must piece together the story of their astral avatars, the Others, in order to save their world from a dreamless, hopeless future.

When Pauly is murdered and an Otherborn goes missing, London realizes someone is hunting them down. Escaping along the Outroads, they brave the deserted Houselands with only their dreams to guide them. Can they find their friend before the assassin finds them? Will being Otherborn save their lives, or destroy them?

Links:

Otherborn on Goodreads    Otherborn book trailer on YouTube    Otherborn excerpt

Otherbor n in paperback     Otherborn in the Kindle store    Otherborn for Nook

1^st 5 chapters of Otherborn on Wattpad

 

Who's that girl?:

Anna Silver is an author and artist living in the greater Houston area with her family, pets, and overactive imagination. Her art has been featured in the Houston gallery Las Manos Magicas. She studied English Writing & Rhetoric at St. Edward’s University. She's freelanced for private clients and small publications like the Hill Country Current. OTHERBORN, her first published novel, has been featured on 2 of Amazon's "Bestsellers" lists. ASTRAL TIDE is her second published novel.

Find Anna here:

On the Web - Blog - Twitter - Facebook - Goodreads - Pinterest - publisher

A little horn-tooting:

"Anna Silver weaves a dark new world full of taut suspense and characters that leap off the page." –Sophie Jordan, NYT bestselling author of the Firelight trilogy

"Travel to a world where dreaming is a radical act that can save the world… Anna Silver’s post-apocalyptic vision is rich with imagery and metaphysical ideas, grounded by vivid, three-dimensional characters. A truly fresh take on dystopian." –Nina Berry, author of the OTHERKIN series

“Silver built the right amount of conflict and tension to draw readers into her dystopian world, and created characters who are leery, yet determined to embrace New.” –Natasha Hanova, author of Edge of Truth

Giveaway & Cover Reveal: A Good Man's Life

Synopsis:

Daniel Nash struggles to reconcile his feelings of betrayal with his desire to understand his life.  His hopes of uncovering the secrets revealed in his father’s journals are quickly dashed, and he works with a private investigator to discover the truth.  Worry about his wife, Sarah, combines with his efforts to cope with his childhood trauma, an unexpected death, and the recent revelations. His obsession with the past threatens to destroy his stable life.  Meanwhile, Sarah and her father, Tristan, continue to combat the lingering discord that developed between them years before but refuse to take their main focus from Daniel.  As he reviews his biological father’s efforts to be a good man, Daniel searches for a way to comprehend shocking disclosures.  He questions his own goodness as he fights not to emotionally withdraw from those around him, especially the two people he knows will always love him, Sarah and Tristan.   

To celebrate Barbara's new cover and forthcoming release, she's holding an awesome giveaway!  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Excerpt:

Although he felt Tristan’s arm go around his shoulders, Daniel kept studying the stars for several minutes.  Finally, he allowed himself to be pulled against Tristan’s chest.  Neither man spoke.  Neither man moved.

“I’m a poor substitute for Max,” Tristan offered.  “I wish there was more I could say or do for you.”

“You do fine,” Daniel insisted, as he shifted slightly and listened to the leather on his jacket move in tandem.  “You do better than Max if you want to know the truth.  You may not be a therapist, but you’re more of a father than he ever was.”

“He loved you, Dan.”

“I know.  He was an okay father, but he can’t compare to you, Tris.  It’s not the same.”

“I’m honored.”

“Don’t die on me any time soon, Tris.  Mom and Lillian are gone.  Max is gone.  I don’t want to lose any more parents for at least another five decades or so.”

“I’ll do my best,” he vowed, wrapping a hand around the side of Daniel’s head in a paternal gesture.  

Cover Reveal: Sacrafice HER by Sheena-kay Graham

The day has finally come.

Time to reveal the cover of Sacrifice HER. 

Be amazed.

Cover Design: 

Image of woman with flowing hair (purchased): 

© Transfuchsian | Dreamstime.com

Cover Designer:  

Langao @ http://fiverr.com/langao

Title: Sacrifice HER

Author: Sheena-kay Graham

Goodreads: Sacrifice HER

Release Date: December 2013

Summary: When a city is at stake is the life of one sixteen-year old girl worth risking thousands? Deidra Moore goes on the run after escaping from a group of human sacrifices for Bane: God of War. She doesn't believe he exists and sees uncertainty in the scorching desert as a better alternative. But Faux City isn't finished with her and their leader Lord Brinn is ordered by Bane - through one of his maiden worshipers- to bring her back or face dire consequences. In the desert Deidra meets a wanderer named Kane and as feelings spark can they find a safe place to lead a new life before Lord Brinn and his soldiers catch up with them? Yet the question remains. Does Bane really exist and if he does what will happen if either side succeeds or fails? Told in alternating perspectives of both the runaway servant girl and the blonde strong willed leader.

Sheena-kay Graham was never meant for a traditional job behind a desk. Her childhood career plans included becoming a ballerina, actress or someone who helped people. So naturally she decided to be a writer who writes from her bed. Yes, no desk for this Jamaican book lover. No matter if it’s reading, writing or using the computer....you get the gist. The love of the written word has always been with her leading to stories, novels, poetry and way too much fan fiction. This Christian woman can be found trolling Amazon online, in local book bookstores, watching movies on the big screen or in her bed, or reading/writing/on the laptop...again in her bed.  Mainly writes YA fiction and is ready to unleash her creativity and wow potential readers.

Find Sheena-kay on:

Her blog    Goodreads    Facebook    Twitter

Cover Reveal: SWITCHED by Cassie Mae!

Hello!  Yes, I’m still around, though I’m just a lurker these days as I work on my next book and earn a little cash editing.  But I try to stay on top of the comings and goings of my closest writer friends, and today is the cover reveal for Cassie Mae’s next book, Switched from Random House FLIRT, launching sometime in December.

SWITCHED

by

Cassie Mae

New Adult Romance coming December 2013

Cassie Mae redefines the New Adult genre with a novel that answers the eternal question: What do you do when you’re head-over-heels for your best friend’s guy?

Ever since high school, Kayla has been crazy for gorgeous football player Talon. But before she could muster the courage to tell him, he became a hot item with her beautiful BFF, Reagan. The only person who knows Kayla’s secret is Wesley, Talon’s best bud—and he’s got it bad for Reagan. Now they’re all in college together, hanging out 24/7. For Kayla, seeing the two lovebirds together is absolutely unbearable. So Kayla and Wesley hatch a plot to drive them apart. But time is ticking and they must act now, before Talon gives Reagan the Christmas gift she’s been waiting for.

Sure enough, the once-happy couple is fighting, Reagan suddenly can’t get enough of Wesley’s goofy sense of humor, and Talon seems to be paying more attention to Kayla than a guy who’s “just a friend” ever should. But something just isn’t right. Then Kayla and Wesley accidentally spend a night together, and discover a hitch they never considered: that switching partners may not lead to a perfect ending after all.

Cassie Mae is a nerd to the core from Utah, who likes to write about other nerds who find love. She’s the author of the Amazon Bestseller REASONS I FELL FOR THE FUNNY FAT FRIEND, and is the debut author for the Random House FLIRT line with her New Adult novels FRIDAY NIGHT ALIBI and SWITCHED. She also has a three book deal with Swoon Romance Publishing, including her book HOW TO DATE A NERD. 

She spends time with her angel children and perfect husband who fan her and feed her grapes while she clacks away on the keyboard. Then she wakes up from that dream world and manages to get a few words on the computer while the house explodes around her. When she’s not writing, she’s spending time with the youth in her community as a volleyball and basketball coach, or searching the house desperately for chocolate.

Author of Reasons I Fell for the Funny Fat Friend
Friday Night Alibi to be released July 29th by Random House Flirt
How to Date a Nerd to be released September 24th by Swoon Romance Publishing
Switched to be released December 30th by Random House Flirt

Find Cassie on:

Facebook  &  Her blog

____________

Yay, Cassie!  I'm gonna need an entire shelf for all your books!

And since a happy dance is in order, I just had to include this funny GIF Cassie sent over.

______________  

By the way, while I'm on hiatus, if you'd like to take over for a guest post, reveal your cover, or announce the launch of your book, let me know and I'll get you scheduled.  

  

Cover Reveal: COURAGE (Mark of Nexus #2) by Carrie Butler

Courage

(Mark of Nexus #2)

by

Carrie Butler 

Design: Carrie Butler

Photography: Subbotina Anna & Yuri Arcurs

New Adult (NA)
Paranormal Romance (PNR)

Coming October 15, 2013

(E-Book & Paperback)

Making a deal with the bad guys wasn’t the highlight of Rena Collins’ semester, but, hey, it saved her boyfriend. Now, in order to appease the human-altering organization known as ERA, she’ll crawl under their microscope while they study the Mark of Nexus and plot their eye-glazed version of the future—until she realizes that’s not all they’re plotting.

Wallace Blake has always known his girlfriend is unlike most girls. But now that information has surfaced regarding the two bloodlines that balance his supernatural race, he finally understands why. Rena belongs to one of them. She’s been augmenting his power, all along...

Enter: Corynn Catley. Brought into the country under the guise of an internship, she’s intended to become ERA’s secret weapon. Kind of. Her abilities cancel out Wallace’s, rendering him powerless, but that’s exactly what he’s always wanted. Too bad it only works when his girlfriend’s not around.

All the while, Rena fails to notice the crush her geeky best friend, Aiden Ross, is nursing. He’d give anything for her to see him in a new light—even reinvent himself through questionable means—but there’s a reason people are told to be careful what they wish for. Finding the courage to tell her could put everyone’s lives in danger.

Find Carrie on:
WEBSITE  |  BLOG  |   TWITTER  |  FACEBOOK  |  GOODREADS  |  GOOGLE+  | NA ALLEY | PINTEREST

Find Courage (Mark of Nexus #2) on:

BOOK PAGE  |  GOODREADS  |   BOOK TRAILER

Book Bloggers may start requesting e-ARCs via this form. :)

___________________

Today is the VERY LAST DAY to purchase an e-book copy of

for only

Get yours on:

Amazon Kindle  |   B&N Nook  |  Amazon UK Kindle  |  Amazon CA Kindle

Smashwords   |  Kobo 

A Cover Reveal, a New Author Page, a Sale, and Some REALLY Cool News!

Present Perfect

by

Alison G. Bailey

Release Date: August 6, 2013

New Adult Contemporary Romance

Cover by Robin Harper of Wicked by Design

Synopsis:

Amanda Kelly spent her entire life trying to control every aspect of it, while striving for perfection. Her obsession with being perfect, along with her feelings of worthlessness, consumed her. The one thing she thought was perfect in her life was the bond she shared with her best friend, Noah.

Everything was going according to her life plan until she woke up one day and realized she had fallen in love with him. The one thing she couldn’t control was the affect he had on her. Noah had the power to give her one hundred lifetimes of happiness, which also gave him the power to completely devastate her. He was the one thing in her life that was perfect, but she couldn't allow herself to have him.

Her life begins to unravel. Events take over and force her to let go of her dreams and desires. She needs to realize that a person cannot control the events in their life, only their reaction to them...but will it be too late for her to save her relationship with her best friend? Present Perfect is a story of how past events have present consequences and how perfect your present could be if you stopped fighting and just allowed it to happen.

Alison's dream cast!

Find Present Perfect on:

Goodreads  Pinterest  Spotify  Blog

Alison G. Bailey, Author

Bio:

Alison was born and raised in Charleston, SC. As a child she used her imagination to write additional scenes to TV shows and movies that she watched. She attended Winthrop University and graduating with a BA in Theater. While at Winthrop she began writing one act plays which she later produced. Throughout the years she continued writing and producing several one act plays, but then life got in the way and she hung up her pen for a while. On the advice of a friend, she started writing again. In January 2013, Alison sat down at her computer and began writing her first novel, Present Perfect.

Alison lives in Charleston, South Carolina with her husband, Jef, and their two furry children (dogs).  She’s addicted to Diet Pepsi and anything with sugar.

Alison's philosophy: Don't let your obstacles define you, let them refine you. At times life can get pretty overwhelming, but with a great support system and a lot of humor you can get through it. If you have humor in your life your spirit stays strong and you can tackle anything.

Find Alison on:

Facebook  Goodreads  Twitter  Blog

Promotion by:

Stacy Bailey Darnell

Literary Mania Reviews

Like LMR on Facebook

____________

Starting NOW, I'm running a week-long special promotion.  The ebook version of my debut romantic thriller, The Mistaken, will be on sale for 99 cents on Amazon and Barnes & Noble!
That's 75% off!

PLUS...during my sale (if I can figure out how to use Rafflecopter),
I will hold a GIVEAWAY for a $10 gift card for Amazon or Barnes & Noble (winners choice).

I'd love if you'd consider helping me spread the word.

So grab my badge, compliments of the talented Carrie Butler,
and post it to Facebook, Twitter, or your blog.   

AND CHECK THIS OUT...

After much arm-wrangling and cajoling by many of my author friends,

I finally agreed to start my own author page on Facebook. 

And so now, I humbly beg, if you're on Facebook,

could you do a gal a favor and please, please, please go here and

Thank you!!!!

OH AND ONE LAST THING...

I went online to the King County Library System's website and found this...

Yes, that's my book, The Mistaken, on order,
sans cover art since they haven't received it yet.

But still, I cannot tell you how excited I am by this, because the KCLS doesn't ordinarily stock titles that have not been reviewed by Kirkus, the NY Times, or the Library Journal, yet there it is, on order and soon to be stocked on the shelves of Washington's most popular library system.  

And oh, by the way, in a few months time, it actually WILL be reviewed by the LJ!  

How cool is THAT?!

a Cover RE-Reveal and a SALE!

Dropping in for a quick post, a RE-reveal of my very dear friend, Julie Richman’s debut,

Searching for Moore

Julie decided to give the dashing Schooner Moore a makeover, of sorts.  Isn’t he purty?!!  Yes, those bare-chested cover boys get me every time. 

But Julie’s not done yet.  Along with a little primping, Julie’s slashed her price down to

99 cents

for a few days only!
So you can get your Schooner on for less than a buck! 

Find Searching for Moore on:

Amazon Kindle   B&N Nook   Goodreads

Here’s the low down: 

Attended by reality TV star wannabes and Southern California social climbers, Schooner Moore knows the party his wife is throwing for his forty-third birthday has little to do with him and everything to do with her social standing in Orange County. The evening turns out to hold more surprises than just his wife's Botoxed friends groping at his privates, when a conversation with his old college roommate, Beau, reveals the biggest surprise of the night.

Beau has had contact on Facebook with Mia Silver. Just hearing her name sends Schooner into a tailspin, as he is now just a Friend Request away from the one who got away when she disappeared without a goodbye, leaving him wondering why she left.

A serial failure at romance, Manhattan boutique ad agency owner, Mia, gets a blindside of her own when a Facebook Friend Request from first love, Schooner, appears in her email. Going with her gut reaction, Mia hits accept, propelling her past to catch up with her in a New York minute, as a forceful Schooner is determined to understand what tore them apart and to explore the possibility of a second chance at love.

From a 1980's Southern California college campus and a devastating first love to present day New York City, Searching for Moore explores how technology has eradicated the divide between our past and our present, and asks whether you would give up everything to reconnect with The One in a single keystroke?

And a little sumpm sumpm about my girl, Julie: 

Author Julie A. Richman is a native New Yorker living deep in the heart of Texas. A creative writing major in college, reading and writing fiction has always been a passion. Julie began her corporate career in publishing in NYC and writing played a major role throughout her career as she created and wrote marketing, advertising, direct mail and fundraising materials for Fortune 500 corporations, advertising agencies and non-profit organizations. She is an award winning nature photographer plagued with insatiable wanderlust. Julie and her husband have one son and a white German Shepherd named Juneau.

Find Julie on:

Goodreads   Website   Facebook   Twitter

A to Z Challenge: O is for Overwhelmed - Plus a Cover Reveal!

Welcome to the 2013 A to Z Challenge!

This year, I’m focusing on two themes:  Emotions and grammar,

depending on which letter we’re on each day.

I’ll be sharing mostly what I’ve learned about writing emotion into a novel, but I’ll also be throwing in a few key grammar lessons, pet peeves I’ve picked up while working as an editor.

Today’s an emotion day!   

__________

O is for Overwhelmed:  to be excessively or completely overcome or overpowered in mind, feeling, body, or spirit.

This is a widely used emotion in fiction.  After all, if a character is overwhelmed by his circumstances, he’s bound to experience tension and conflict, the key ingredients in every work of fiction.  But people react to this emotion in various ways. 

Some show no outward signs and keep their resulting emotions hidden, and that’s the key, really.  Being overwhelmed is not so much the emotion itself, but rather that which incites what overtakes us, like fear and anxiety or love and tranquility.

While there are many actions to show how a character physically experiences being overwhelmed, many feel cliché and overused like shaking all over or the character's arms curling his body.  I think, since the impact of this emotion is so internal and visceral, a more effective way to show it is to really get into the character’s head as they pace around, mumbling and contemplating the repercussions or circumstances that have overwhelmed them.

In my own novel, The Mistaken, the main character deliberates the serious ramifications of his violent actions.  (Edited for length.)

I paced the floor around me, unable—perhaps unwilling—to process the reality of what I had just done...the severity of the mistake I had made, and the dire consequences that now faced me, my brother, and the wounded woman cowering in fear and humiliation in the corner. The reality was that through the hazy cloud of alcohol and pills, I believed delivering a degrading punishment would somehow empower me, fulfill my need for revenge, and expunge the hate, grief, and rage that filled me. I thought my mind might be rewarded with a sense of balance, my soul a thread of justice, and my heart a measure of peace.

But I despised myself for the act...I could not have sunk any lower had I taken a human life with my bare hands...I was an abomination, a monster...

Whoever said vengeance is sweet was wrong. It’s the thought of vengeance—filtered through memories that haunt and torment—that is sweet. Not the act itself. The act is vile and bitter, and I felt physically ill as it filled me, as I realized...the pain, fear, and humiliation I had caused.

So while there is a vast array of ways to tangibly express being overwhelmed—scrubbing a hand down the face, staring and pacing, collapsing to the floor and squeezing the eyes tight, or pressing shaky fingers to the mouth—and these should be used to show a character’s physical response, consider the impact to his psyche, how he internalizes his emotion, because that is essentially where he’s experiencing the brunt of his overwhelming circumstances.

How do you react when you are overwhelmed?

__________

COVER REVEAL!

"First Born"

by Tricia Zoeller

Releases May 10, 2013

Cover art by

Claudia at Phatpuppy &

Ashley at Bookish Brunette Designs

Mini Blurb:

"With the police and a killer hot on her trail, can shapeshifter Lily Moore solve the mystery of being First Born or will family secrets prove deadly?" 

Find Tricia Zoeller here:

Webpage    Facebook   Twitter   Goodreads

Click here to add First Born on your Goodreads TBR