You got questions? Ask away!

My friend DJ DeSmyter posted on his blog today asking for questions to be answered in a "live" vlog while we are at BEA next week. And since I'll be joining him in that vlog (my first one!), I thought I would "steal" his idea (thanks, DJ!) and post it here, in case any of my lovely followers might have questions about the publishing world or writing or whatever else they'd like answered! 


The vlog will be Wednesday June 6th from 4-5pm at the Pendrell Publishing Booth 2054, and you'll have the opportunity to tweet us questions via @pendrellpublish. And we will do our best to answer those questions for ya!  


But if you have a question in mind now, leave it here, and I'll add them to our list!

TGIF at GReads!

The awesomeness that is Ginger (or G, as I like to call her!) over at GReads! has created a great meme that is tons of fun. Each Friday, she poses a question for anyone to answer. Go check her out and join in the fun!

This Friday's Question:

Show Me Your Cover:

What are some of the

worst book covers,

but hold some of the
best stories inside?

 I must admit that this is a very tough question for me, because I know the difficulty first-hand of coming up with a compelling book cover. And the last thing I want to do is put down someone's hard work! :)

But I will do my best to answer this question as best I can, painful though it may be! lol

The first cover I really dislike is Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. This is pretty much what each book in the series looks like--pretty plain and boring, huh? (I feel horrible saying that! lol). But the story inside? Oh-so-sweet! Truly, one of my favorite paranormal series. Why, you ask? Two words: Dimitri Belikov. ;-P

Next up, another book that I LOVED, but a cover that I, well, didn't. THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH by Carrie Ryan has such beautiful imagery and prose filling its pages, it's actually sad that the cover is so bleh. Definitely one you shouldn't judge by looking at it!

(note: this one has more than one cover; I'm referring to the image on the left)

And finally, a book that truly wowed me--except for the cover. ASHES by Ilsa J Bick is a remarkable book that I seriously could not put down, but that original cover was disastrous, truly. I mean, it did absolutely nothing for the amazing story lurking in its pages! Thankfully, someone in-the-know agreed, and they have since created an entirely new cover (for ASHES and its sequels, yay!). But this one? Bleh!

What about you guys? Any books you LOVE with covers you don't? 

It's ADR3NALIN3 time again!

Hey guys, check out my post today on ADR3NALIN3!

Monday Must Reads...WHAT I DIDN'T SAY by Keary Taylor!

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!).


This week's selection is a good one. It's by an author that has massive talent (read: EDEN!) and who is one of the nicest people I've "met" on this journey of words. Her latest release is a new one for her, a contemporary written from a guy's POV...and it's a winner! Trust me when I say that you simply Must Read...

WHAT I DIDN'T SAY
by Keary Taylor
pub date 5/11/2012


product description from goodreads.com


Getting drunk homecoming night your senior year is never a good idea, but Jake Hayes never expected it all to end with a car crash and a t-post embedded in his throat.

His biggest regret about it all? What he never said to Samantha Shay. He's been in love with her for years and never had the guts to tell her. Now it's too late. Because after that night, Jake will never be able to talk again.

When Jake returns to his small island home, population 5,000, he'll have to learn how to deal with being mute. He also finds that his family isn't limited to his six brothers and sisters, that sometimes an entire island is watching out for you. And when he gets the chance to spend more time with Samantha, she'll help him learn that not being able to talk isn’t the worst thing that could ever happen to you. Maybe, if she'll let him, Jake will finally tell her what he didn't say before, even if he can't actually say it.

This book is full of humor and pain and sadness and redemption...and all those other emotions that every person experiences, all played out perfectly between two characters that I know you're gonna love--so grab a copy now! :-)

Review: WHAT I DIDN'T SAY by Keary Taylor

WHAT I DIDN'T SAY
by Keary Taylor
pub date 5/11/2012


product description from goodreads.com


Getting drunk homecoming night your senior year is never a good idea, but Jake Hayes never expected it all to end with a car crash and a t-post embedded in his throat.

His biggest regret about it all? What he never said to Samantha Shay. He's been in love with her for years and never had the guts to tell her. Now it's too late. Because after that night, Jake will never be able to talk again.

When Jake returns to his small island home, population 5,000, he'll have to learn how to deal with being mute. He also finds that his family isn't limited to his six brothers and sisters, that sometimes an entire island is watching out for you. And when he gets the chance to spend more time with Samantha, she'll help him learn that not being able to talk isn’t the worst thing that could ever happen to you. Maybe, if she'll let him, Jake will finally tell her what he didn't say before, even if he can't actually say it. 

My Review:

If you've never heard of Keary Taylor, you're truly missing out. Keary has the ability to draw you into her novels from the first page and keep you glued to her words until the very end. And WHAT I DIDN'T SAY is no exception--a haunting tale of loss and love that wouldn't let me go until the last word (I read it in only a few hours!)

WIDS tells the story of Jake, a high school senior looking forward to leaving his island home and joining the Air Force. Jake first appears as a typical high school teen, his life filled with sports and hanging with friends. But we quickly learn that he is far from normal. He hides (not very well, lol) an unrequited love for fellow classmate Samantha, whom he has pined over since the first day he laid eyes on her. In fact, it is Sam who sets this beautiful story into motion when Jake--drunk on his love for her as well as too many beers-- and his friends are in a horrible accident because he is desperate to tell her how he feels.

From that moment, Jake's life is forever changed. No longer able to speak, Jake cannot help but dwell on the things he didn't say to Sam before the accident--mainly that he loves her. The rest of the novel is filled with poignant insight into Jake's thoughts and beautiful notes shared between the two. 

Sam isn't without her own issues, however, harboring a secret that nearly destroys both she and Jake. But in the end, the love they have for each other proves strong enough to withstand even the toughest of trials.

My Rating:

I happily give WHAT I DIDN'T SAY 4 Stars, and urge all of you to pick up this book today and meet Jake and Sam, two characters that will leave an imprint on your heart and soul.

BLOOD BORN ebook on sale now!!

That's right, the ebook version of BLOOD BORN is on sale this week!!


From now thru Sunday, May 20th, you can get both the Kindle and Nook versions of BLOOD BORN for only $5.99!! That's, like, half the price (score)!


So head over to Amazon or B&N and download a copy today--and if you do, I hope you enjoy it! :)

HUNTED is FREE!!!

Yep, you read that title correctly, my friends. Starting tomorrow through Sunday, the Kindle version of my pal DJ DeSmyter's debut YA paranormal novel HUNTED is FREE!!!

I seriously urge you all to download it (you can do that here. you have nothing to lose, duh. lol) and enjoy the wonderful story DJ crafted. And as a bit of a reminder for you, here's my review of HUNTED, followed by an interview I did with DJ back when the book was released--enjoy, and go get HUNTED!!

My Review:

I must say that DeSmyter's HUNTED is a breath of fresh air that I really enjoyed. I know that most people don't like the head-over-heels love when the main characters are teenagers, but I for one do!

Alex and Lily are well-written characters that truly love one another, putting that love above trivial things and thinking of each other first--something that we could all take lead from. Alex is by far my favorite character, with his swoon-worthiness in full force and a heart that completely belongs to Lily and only Lily. If that isn't a great characteristic for a leading man to have, what is?

And Lily holds her own in the great character department, strong-willed yet endearing. Her love for Alex carries the weight of this heart-touching romance that unfolds beneath the furry down of werewolves.

I happily give HUNTED 5 stars, and encourage you all to pick up a copy today and enjoy a great addition to the YA paranormal genre!

And the interview:

Welcome to my blog, DJ! So nice to have you here. First off, congrats on becoming a published author! I'm a ways behind you on that road and I'm on cloud nine right now, so I can imagine how great it must be! Tell me, how has being a published author changed your life?

Thanks for the warm welcome! :) My life hasn’t really changed much, except now I can go into a bookstore and be like, “Hey, you, you should read my book.” I now also think I should be exempt from the required composition courses I have to take in college, but I don’t think the school would agree with me on this.

I agree. I think you should write a strongly-worded letter to the board! :) I have been lucky enough to read HUNTED, and I must say I loved it. I'm a bit of a paranormal junkie, so it was right up my alley! But I must ask...were you concerned about writing for a genre that many claim is "on its last leg" (meaning YA paranormal)?

I’m so happy to hear that you loved it! A few other bloggers have told me the same thing and it just blows my mind!

I never set out to write YA paranormal-love stories because they are/were popular. It’s always been a genre I’ve loved, so when I began novel-writing, I couldn’t imagine myself writing anything else. But yeah, I was concerned and in some ways still am. I mean, no one wants their book to get lost in the shuffle. The good thing is there will always be readers who will continue reading these types of stories—and I’m one of them. So, I guess I’ll always have one reader/fan, haha.

I agree--there WILL always be readers who continue to read paranormal (lucky for us)! Your blog (which I love, btw) is filled with YA book reviews. Do you think your love of books/reviewing books helped get you to where you are now?

My love of reading has helped in countless ways. The best advice I can give to aspiring writers is to read and read and read. And re-read books, too. Re-read them and look at the way the author organized their words, how they revealed character traits and maintained the drama and suspense. My love of reading has introduced me to so many amazing authors and I’m always learning from them, even though they don’t know it, haha.

My blog has definitely helped me get to where I am now, as well. I have learned so much about the publishing industry through the community and I’ve made so many friends. I made my blog with the intention of getting my name out there and I do think it has helped because I’ve established a base for myself. I don’t think I’d have as many people interested in reading Hunted as I do now if I were just getting to know my way around the blogosphere, you know?

Oh I agree 100%. I'm relatively new to the blogosphere (a little over a year) so I know exactly what you mean! So tell us, what's next for DJ as far as writing? Any books in the works you can share with us here?

I’m currently working on a new idea that is not related to Hunted and it’s one I’m really excited about. It started off a bit rocky, but I think I’m finally finding my footing with it. I don’t talk about my projects while they’re in the works, though, so that’s all you’re getting! :)

And finally, the go-to question I ask all interviewees... If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only have one book to read, which would it be and why?

Oh, dear, this is a hard question to answer. If I could only have one book to read it would be—and I’m going to get a lot of flack for this—Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight. As many know, this is the book that inspired me to start writing stories, so I owe a lot to this book and to Ms. Meyer.

I have to admit, that may be the one I would choose, too (or To Kill A Mockingbird)...so don't let the flack get you down!

Waiting on Wednesday...ALICE IN ZOMBIELAND by Gena Showalter!

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 just came across this week's pick over the weekend, and I couldn't be more excited about a book. The idea alone is so cool, but the synopsis pushes it right over the edge into awesomeness. Please, if you haven 't already, add to your TBR lists...

ALICE IN ZOMBIELAND
by Gena Showalter
pub date 9/25/2012


product description from goodreads.com


She won’t rest until she’s sent every walking corpse back to its grave. Forever.

Had anyone told Alice Bell that her entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next, she would have laughed. From blissful to tragic, innocent to ruined? Please. But that’s all it took. One heartbeat. A blink, a breath, a second, and everything she knew and loved was gone.

Her father was right. The monsters are real….

To avenge her family, Ali must learn to fight the undead. To survive, she must learn to trust the baddest of the bad boys, Cole Holland. But Cole has secrets of his own, and if Ali isn’t careful, those secrets might just prove to be more dangerous than the zombies….


I wish I could go back and do a thousand things differently.
I'd tell my sister no.
I'd never beg my mother to talk to my dad.
I'd zip my lips and swallow those hateful words.
Or, barring all of that, I'd hug my sister, my mom and my dad one last time.
I'd tell them I love them.
I wish... Yeah, I wish.

Doesn't that sound awesome?! And that little snippet of prose at the end? Love! Can't wait for September!

Check me out on ADR3NALIN3!!

Today marks my very first post on the awesome blog ADR3NALIN3! Please come over and say hi, and check out the other amazing authors who have put together a pretty cool site!

Book 2 Title Reveal!

Since BEA is a mere month away (SO excited I can't hardly wait!), I thought I would be nice and reveal the title for book 2 in The Blood Prophecy Trilogy! Remember, the cover for book 2 will be revealed at BEA (and on Once Upon A Twilight later that day, for those not attending the convention), so be sure to be on the lookout for that!


So without further ado, the title for...

is

There you have it, folks. Book 2 in The Blood Prophecy Trilogy is BLOOD AWAKENING! I'm so happy to be able to finally tell everyone (because lots of people have been asking, lol). And I hope that when the cover is revealed next month, you all enjoy it as much as I do!

Come see me at the Blood & Chocolate Party!

I know there aren't many of you who are local to me, but if you happen to be in the Pace, FL area tonight from 7-10pm, come see me at the Blood & Chocolate Party hosted by Meg Williamson and Nell Jadwisiak!


It's a chocolate fondue party, where Meg and Nell have graciously invited me to read excerpts from BLOOD BORN (which is out, btw, and which you can order here and here!) as their guests dip awesome treats (cheesecake! strawberries!) in chocolate fondue (mmmmm.....)


So, check out the Blood & Chocolate Party Facebook page HERE for all the details (like, um, directions to the event, lol) and come enjoy some great food and fun!