Waiting on Wednesday...BLIND SPOT by Laura Ellen!

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 creepy cover. The synopsis hooked me, and I cannot WAIT to read it. Please be sure to add to your TBRs...

BLIND SPOT 
by Laura Ellen
pub date 10/23/2012

product description from goodreads.com

There’s none so blind as they that won’t see.

Seventeen-year-old Tricia Farni’s body floated to the surface of Alaska’s Birch River six months after the night she disappeared. The night Roz Hart had a fight with her. The night Roz can’t remember. Roz, who struggles with macular degeneration, is used to assembling fragments to make sense of the world around her. But this time it’s her memory that needs piecing together—to clear her name . . . to find a murderer.

This unflinchingly emotional novel is written in the powerful first-person voice of a legally blind teen who just wants to be like everyone else.


Love the idea of a first person story told through the eyes of a blind person. Can't wait for next week when this one comes out!

TOXIC ebook giveaway winner!!

Thanks to everyone who entered my TOXIC ebook giveaway--you guys rock!

I won't waste time...the winner of the ebook copy of TOXIC by Jus Accardo is...

eclairre!!!

Congrats, eclairre!!! Email me your email address and I'll forward it on to Jus--and thanks for entering!!
(ps -- you have 48 hours to contact me or I'll have to choose another winner--so hurry! lol)

Review...LIFE & DEATH OF LILY DRAKE by T. Michelle Nelson!

LIFE & DEATH OF LILY DRAKE
by T. Michelle Nelson
pub date 10/5/2012

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?

My Review:

LIFE & DEATH OF LILY DRAKE was such a fun, entertaining read that held up to its promise of a vampire tale unlike any other. It starts off with a typical, everyday mom, Lily Drake, who's agreed to a blind date. A late suitor and unexpected visitor leads to Lily going out on said date with super-hot vampire Mathias, who ultimately leads her into a world filled with vampires and royal (or cursed, depending on your thoughts, lol) bloodlines.

Lily is such a great character, strong and independent and ready for anything. She is super focused on raising her son Keaton, and is ready to do whatever it takes to keep him safe--which causes her some major issues throughout this novel. I'm not gonna elaborate because I don't want to give away the story, but suffice it to say that Lily finds herself in some hot water a few times through the course of the book!

LIFE & DEATH OF LILY DRAKE is a great story filled with humor and mystery and tension that is sure to please any lover of both vampires and heated romances.

My Rating:

I'm happy to give LIFE & DEATH OF LILY DRAKE 5 Stars and urge you all to pick up a copy today! 

Interview & a giveaway w/author Elana Johnson!

So just for funsies (and because she truly rocks), I reached out to the fab Elana Johnson for a mini-interview and she graciously obliged--which translates to DOUBLE WIN for all of you! Why, you may ask? 

Because not only do you get to read the interview, but you also get a chance to win a copy of her newest book, SURRENDER!! (or the first in the series, Possession, if you've yet to read that one.)

Without further ado, here's the interview!

Thanks so much, Elana, for answering my questions--you're the best! I'll just jump right in, 'kay?

ABANDON, the final book in the Possession series, will be out next June. Is that a bittersweet feeling in the pit of your stomach, or are you super excited for this story to finally be told in full? 

Bittersweet? Heck, no! I’m the kind of person that likes change every few years, and I can’t wait to lay this series to bed. Otherwise, I’d be bored to tears when I sat down to write. 

Now that your Possession series is all wrapped up in a nice little bow ;-) what can we expect in the future from your talented mind? 

Um… more science fiction? Yeah, I have one of those. It’s time travel, and it bends my mind. I’m also writing a little contemporary, and a novel in verse (also contemporary), and I want to publish a fantasy series too. Nothing is safe from me! 

Before you hit mega NYT/Harry Potter/Hunger Games success (hey, nothing wrong with positive thinking), you were (and still are) a teacher. Do you think being a teacher has helped you in your writing? And on that note, do you think that only people with degrees in the writing/education field will be successful at becoming a published author? 

I’m not sure my teaching has helped anything but push me closer to the edge of insanity. I’m a technology specialist, and nothing about that allows me to get training in writing (although I do get to go to writing conferences for re-licensure points! Bonus!).

I absolutely believe that anyone – no matter their education or background – can become a successfully published author. I believe writing is a craft that people can learn. Sure, some people have natural talent, just like someone is more inclined to paint or play the clarinet. But I can learn to do those things. Just like anyone can learn to write. Is it easy to learn? No. But those who want to, will. 

On that teaching note, you hold down a full-time job, run your own blog, co-author another blog (League of Extraordinary Writers) and put out some amazing books. Um, do you ever plan on sharing your Top-Secret Bacon-infused Mega-Metabolism Power Juice with the rest of us, or are you stockpiling it for an episode of Hoarders? 

I love Hoarders! And Survivor. And Lost. And Chopped. And…

LOL! I watch a lot of TV. Here’s the thing. I don’t write all the time. Just like I don’t teach all the time, or blog all the time. I have slots for all of those things, and when the slots are full, I’m done. There are seriously days where all I do is teach, make dinner, and spend an evening with my family watching, well, Hoarders. *gasp* 

But it’s true. When it’s time to write, I write. When it’s time to blog, I blog. When it’s time to sleep, I sleep. Oh, sleep. I like to sleep… 
But really, the truth is I’m good at time management, and I’m good at multi-tasking, and I have self-discipline to do what needs to be done. Except exercising. I’m not disciplined at that! 

And the question I like to ask all interviewees: If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only have ONE book to read (for, like, ever) which book would you choose and why? 

THE ADORATION OF JENNA FOX, because I lovez it. The language of it is beautiful and sparse and it’s what made me fall in love with the usage of words.

Weren't those great answers! I just love Elana! Be sure to check her out on her blog, Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads!

Okay, and as promised, a giveaway!!

Simply follow the Rafflecopter instructions below to enter to win either a copy of SURRENDER (book 2 in the Possession series) or POSSESSION (if you've yet to begin this series). 

Oh, and the best part? I'll be ordering this from Book Depository and shipping directly to you, so it's INTERNATIONAL!! (see international peeps, told you I wouldn't forget you!)

P.S. Contest ends next Thursday, so the winner will be announced Friday, October 19th!

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TOXIC Blog Tour!...Interview with Jus Accardo & a giveaway!

I'm so excited to be part of the TOXIC Blog Tour--and even more so to have the author, Jus Accardo, stopping by for an interview! Be sure to visit the rafflecopter at the end for a chance to win an e-copy of TOXIC!

Here's a bit about the book:

TOXIC (Denazen #2)
by Jus Accardo
pub date 10/16/2012

product description from goodreads.com

When a Six saved Kale's life the night of Sumrun, she warned there would be consequences. A trade-off. Something taken for the life they gained. But Dez never imagined she'd lose the one thing she'd give anything to keep... And as if it's not enough Dez finds her immunity to Kale fading, the Six brought in to help Kale learn to control his killer touch starts drooling on him the moment they meet. Worse than that? Jade can touch Kale. But bimbo Barbie is the least of Dez's problems.

After Dez and Kale got away at Sumrun, her father lost not only his most powerful weapon but an important piece of the Supremacy project. Forced by Denazen to remedy the situation, he poisons Dez and offers her a choice--surrender to Denazen for the cure...or die. Determined to find a solution that doesn't involve being bagged and tagged--or losing someone she loves--Dez keeps the poison a secret. But when a rash of Denazen attacks hit a little too close to home, Dez is convinced there's a traitor among them. Jade.

Sacrifices, broken promises, and secrets. Dez will have to lay it all on the line if there's any hope of proving Jade's guilt before they all end up Residents of Denazen. Or worse, dead...

And a bit about the author:

     JUS ACCARDO spent her childhood reading and learning to cook. Determined to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps as a chef, she applied and was accepted to the Culinary Institute of America. At the last minute, she realized her path lay with fiction, not food, and passed on the spot to pursue writing. Jus is the author of YA paranormal romance and urban fantasy fiction. A native New Yorker, she lives in the middle of nowhere with her husband, three dogs, and sometimes guard bear, Oswald. Her first book, Touch was released in November 2011 from Entangled Publishing. She is currently working on the next book in the Denazen series.

Find Jus on her website, Twitter, Goodreads & Facebook!

Here's my interview with Jus!

Hi Jus! Thanks for taking time to answer a few questions for my followers today! Though I could spend this time discussing Kale (which I'm sure said followers would appreciate very much), I'll get right to it!

1. Currently the Denazen Series has given us TOUCH, UNTOUCHED (Denazen 1.5) and TOXIC, with FACELESS (Denazen 2.5) and TREMBLE hot on their heels. Will these five works complete the Denazen story of Kale and Dez, or will there be more?

Hmm. I’ve been asked this a lot lately. While I can’t say anything officially, I can tell you Tremble, book three, does not complete Dez and Kale’s story as it stands. I should have more news soon :D


Ooh, exciting!!

2. One of the many things about your writing that impresses me is your ability to flesh out ALL of your characters--from the hero and heroine to those that grace but a few pages. Is character development your main focus when writing, or is this a natural evolution that comes as the story progresses?

It’s pretty natural, I think. Some I’ve got a crystal clear picture in my head from the moment I start—everything from quirky habits to favorite foods—while others take a little more time to develop. They kind of grow up on the page in front of me.

3. The Denazen world is a wide one, with many facets that weave in and out of each other to create a believable--and frighteningly possible--reality. Was there an immense planning period for this, or did the world you built come as the words hit the page?

It came as I went. The more I write, the more secrets I find out! Everyone in the world is connected in some way or another—even if they don’t realize it at first. It’s been so much fun exploring that. I’ve got a collection of little known facts—some might be obvious, while others are kind of shocking—that I can’t wait to share with people!

And we can't wait to hear them!

4. Okay, I had every intention of breezing right through these questions without asking about our favorite former resident of Denazen, but I'm getting some pretty nasty looks from my dogs right now (hey, this is my interview, I can blame it on whomever I choose), so I'll give in: Though I'm sure you've been asked countless times about Kale, what's one thing you could tell us about him that you've kept to yourself all this time? (oh, say, boxers or briefs? does he snore when he sleeps? boxers or briefs? ahem.)

LOL! I think Kale is definitely a boxer guy—but he’s not telling… Hmm so let’s see…a secret… Kale hasn’t told anyone, but he wants to get his driver’s license. Not to drive—he hates cars—but so that he has an ID. Denazen referred to him by only a number for his entire life. He likes the idea of carrying around that little card that states his name. 
Aww!

5. And lastly, I like to ask all interviewees the same question--but you're in luck, because I've selected a new one, and you're gonna be the first to see it! Okay, you've been invited to meet your absolute favorite author: Who would that be, what one question would you ask him or her, and what would your answer to that question be?

Hmm This is a tough one because it’s SO hard to pick an absolute favorite! I guess if I had to pick, I’d ask Rob Thurman (whose character Cal Leandros is one of my all-time favorite fictional men) which one of her characters she’d kill off if one had to go—and how. If someone asked me, I’d have to say (ready for it?) Jade. Hah! And how? I’m sure everyone would agree that it would need to be something epic. Maybe something with explosions. Or mutated, fanged, apes…

Thanks so much, Jus, for stopping by, and thanks for giving us such a fun and intense story with your Denazen series!
Thank you! And thanks for letting me hang today :D 


Be sure to visit all the stops along the TOXIC Blog Tour here!

Wanna win an e-copy of the second novel in the Denazen series, TOXIC? Then enter the rafflecopter below! (and it's international, folks!)
(winner announced Tuesday, October 16th!)

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