Happy Release Day...T. Michelle Nelson and LIFE & DEATH OF LILY DRAKE!

Just wanting to say Happy Release Day to my pal T. Michelle Nelson--her debut novel, LIFE & DEATH OF LILY DRAKE, debuts today!

Here's a bit about her book:

LIFE & DEATH OF LILY DRAKE
by T. Michelle Nelson
pub date: TODAY!

product description from goodreads.com

For Lily Drake, slaying vampires is easy...Dating them is the hard part.

Lily Drake is your everyday hard-working single mom…until a gorgeous vampire shows up on her front door who she mistakenly assumes is her blind date for the evening. As one crazy scenario after another unfolds, Lily finds herself falling in love with two vampires, slaying the evil ones, and being prophesied as the savior of the entire undead race.
Deciding between pizza and Chinese take-out will no longer be one of the hard decisions facing Lily Drake once she is emerged into vampire society. Humanity or immortality? That doesn't hold a candle against this question - which of the two handsome vampire cousins?

The Life and Death of Lily Drake is not your typical vampire love story. It’s a tale about the humorous mistakes a woman makes simply trying to survive not only life, but the dating scene. How will Lily manage working full-time, taking care of her young son and fighting the undead at every turn?
Lily will have to figure it out, but who better to save the world than a mom?

And a bit about the author herself:


When T. Michelle Nelson was a little girl she told people she was going to be a skeleton when she grew up. Most people assumed she confused the question with "What do you want to be for Halloween?" She doesn't remember, but thinks it's debatable either way. With her love of all things monster and horror, it's possible she actually did want to grow up to be a skeleton. Years later, little has changed. T. Michelle still loves her monsters, but now she writes about them. 

Originally from Western Kentucky, T. Michelle is a graduate of Murray State University. She now resides in picturesque Mount Vernon, Ohio, which is also the setting of her novel, The Life and Death of Lily Drake. When she isn't vicariously living through her characters, T. Michelle Nelson is a not-so-mild-mannered mother, semi-decent baker and lousy volleyball player.

My copy arrived last week (it's so pretty!) and I can't wait to dive into what I'm sure is gonna be a great story! If you'd like to pick up your own copy, you can do that here, here, and here. 

And be sure to visit T. Michelle on Twitter, Facebook, her blog or her website, and wish her a Happy Book Birthday!!

Next Big Thing...I've been tagged!

Okay, so normally I don't do these types of posts (mainly because I never seem to have something to say, lol), but when my pal Stephanie Parent tagged me, I knew I had to give in and hop on. And I must admit, it's kinda fun once it's done! lol

So, it's really simple: I answer a few questions, then pass the bullet torch on to a few other friends who might wanna play along. Easy, right? 

Here we go...

What is your working title of your book?

     The title of the book I'm currently working on is GENERATION Z. It's the first book in my new Generations trilogy coming from Pendrell Publishing Spring 2014.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

     Ooh, a toughie right out the gate. I got the idea from this book after having a conversation with a local friend in my hometown. We were talking about a very young girl (I'm talking early teens. Yeah) who learned she was pregnant--and was actually happy about it! It was really hard for me to imagine being happy about this at such a young age, and that spawned the idea of a young girl being the world's last hope for mankind to continue.

What genre does your book fall under?

     I would have to say it falls under the dystopian umbrella.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

     Unfortunately, I haven't even had time to think this one out! lol Honestly, this series is so early in the development that I haven't thought about it. I know what the characters look like in my head, but I've yet to scope out the endless plethora of celebrity images to find real-life comparisons. But I will one day, I promise!

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

     Sixteen-year-old Hanna Greer is The Final Child, the last human born, and the fate of mankind depends on her chance at reproducing. Or something like that. Ugh, I hate those one-liners.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

     GENERATION Z will be published by Pendrell Publishing. It's currently slated for a Spring 2014 release. 

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? May we see an intro?

     Um, let's just say the first draft is still in the "drafting" stage, lol. And sorry, I'm not able to let you see any of it yet. My publisher would stone me.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

     Ooh, another toughie. Um, it has a little bit of Megan McCafferty's BUMPED mixed with a bit of Tiffany Truitt's CHOSEN ONES. Plus my own flair, naturally. :)

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

     Inspiration comes from an endless list of places. Other authors, books, TV shows...I'm inspired daily by countless things.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

     Hmm...it's the first in a trilogy, and by far it's my most challenging project yet--and the one I'm most proud of. (I may only have one book published thus far, but I've written many, lol)

Okay so here are the unlucky folks I've hand-picked to receive this esteemed honor. ;-P

Mandie Baxter

Jessica Leake

Lani Woodland

DJ DeSmyter

Dan Haring

(just click their names for links to their sites)

Now I know some of these guys will probably ignore this (and most likely try and kill me in my sleep) but that's okay--I like a challenge! 

Rules of The Next Big Thing:

*Use this format for your post
*Answer the ten questions about your current WIP (work in progress)
*Tag five other writers/bloggers and add their links so we can hop over and meet them.
Ten Interview Questions for the Next Big Thing:
What is your working title of your book?
Where did the idea come from for the book?
What genre does your book fall under?
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? May we see an intro?
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
Include the link of who tagged you and this explanation for the people you have tagged. Be sure to line up your five people in advance.

This was fun, thanks Stephanie!

Waiting on Wednesday...Mystic City by Theo Lawrence!

The lovely Jill (a fellow Alabamian!) over at Breaking the Spine created the Waiting on Wednesday meme for us bloggers to showcase books we're waiting on. 

I came across this week's selection on Goodreads the other day and was instantly grabbed by the awesome cover. The synopsis hooked me, and I cannot WAIT to read it. Please be sure to add to your TBRs...

MYSTIC CITY
by Theo Lawrence
pub date 10/9/2012

product description from goodreads.com

Aria Rose, youngest scion of one of Mystic City's two ruling rival families, finds herself betrothed to Thomas Foster, the son of her parents' sworn enemies. The union of the two will end the generations-long political feud—and unite all those living in the Aeries, the privileged upper reaches of the city, against the banished mystics who dwell below in the Depths. But Aria doesn't remember falling in love with Thomas; in fact, she wakes one day with huge gaps in her memory. And she can't conceive why her parents would have agreed to unite with the Fosters in the first place. Only when Aria meets Hunter, a gorgeous rebel mystic from the Depths, does she start to have glimmers of recollection—and to understand that he holds the key to unlocking her past. The choices she makes can save or doom the city—including herself.


Doesn't that sound great? The cover is amazing, and the plot is oddly reminiscent of Romeo & Juliet, which only makes me wanna read it more! And the best part? It comes out next week!

Monday Must Reads!--on Tuesday! HUNTED by DJ DeSmyter!

Not familiar with this little feature? It's simple, really. Monday Must Reads! is a feature I created to showcase books that I think you, well, Must Read (ha!).

Okay, so technically this isn't Monday, but I still wanted to give a little love to a great book, so bear with me!

This week's selection is a great paranormal read by a great friend and author. If's fun and romantic and has all the things a paranormal should have. If you haven't already, trust me when I say that you simply Must Read...

HUNTED 

by DJ DeSmyter

pub date August 2011

product description from goodreads.com

Seventeen-year-old Lily Atwater has always kept to herself, living a lonely life with her workaholic dad. Not the most thrilling life, but it’s quiet and ordinary, two things she’s come to expect from living in Victor Hills, Michigan.

When kind and mysterious Alex takes refuge in her home, she is suddenly thrown into his world of werewolves, a world he wants to keep her safe from. But while the two of them grow closer, a relentless hunter continues his search, stalking the woods with hopes of catching the wolf that got away…

Alex and Lily are such great characters--enjoy!

Halloween Booktacular!!

Hey guys, the Halloween Character Booktacular begins today, hosted by A Book Lover's Review and Good Choice Reading--and yours truly will be a part of it! I wrote a fun little cemetery scene featuring the main characters from BLOOD BORN that I hope you guys enjoy, and be sure to check out all the other authors (there's 30 of us!) participating:

Week One

Amy Kathleen Ryan and Lani Woodland - A Book Lovers Review/GCR
Amalie Howard & Crissa Chappell - A Book Lovers Review/GCR
Lauren Oliver - Once Upon A Twilight
Cyn Balog - The Book Reaper
Wendy Higgins - Books With Bite

Week Two

Trisha Wolfe and Sherry Gammon - A Book Lovers Review/GCR
Lucy Swing and Joy Preble - A Book Lovers Review/GCR
Beth Fantaskey - Once Upon A Twilight
Cylin Bus - The Book Reaper
Gretchen McNeil - Books With Bite

Week Three

Jamie Manning and Jennifer L. Armentrout - A Book Lovers Review/GCR
Victoria Scott and Carolee Dean - A Book Lovers Review/GCR
Holly Cupala - Once Upon A Twilight
Angela Corbett - The Book Reaper
Miranda Kenneally - Books With Bite

Week Four

Katie McGarry and Jaime Reed - A Book Lovers Review/GCR
Nina Berry and Lisa Burnstein - A Book Lovers Review/GCR
Elizabeth Richards - Once Upon A Twilight
Jennifer Bosworth - The Book Reaper
Jus Accardo – Books With Bite

Week Five
Christine Johnson and Katherine Grace Bond - A Book Lovers Review/GCR
Marisa Calin and Tara Hudson - Good Choice Reading
Brigid Kemmerer - Once Upon A Twilight

And don't miss this part!

(from Good Choice Reading)

“We have asked a couple of our favorite bloggers to help with this event: Books With Bite, The Book Reaper, & Once Upon A Twilight. They, along with Trini and I, will be posting up Halloween scenes with some of our favorite characters written by the author, plus host giveaways throughout this event. We also have a GRAND PRIZE which includes a Kindle plus a $25 amazon Gift Card. The Kindle giveaways kicks off October 1st, and ends October 31st. Winner will be announced on November 1st.”

For all the information you need, plus to enter the BIG GIVEAWAY for a chance to win a Kindle (wha-what?!! Awesome!), be sure to visit this page or this one.