Thursday, October 31, 2013

Tonight's The Night of Halloween...And It's Also My Debut Day!



Happy Halloween!  
And happy FOR YOUR HEART debut day!

So, here’s Amazon’s Trick...Looks like the print edition for FOR YOUR HEART is NOT going up today.  I’m totally devastated about this, let's not talk about all the tears shed in the past twelve hours.

BUT, your consolation Treat is this pretty cover:



And also that the EBOOK is up and ready to go!  Please feel free to pick that up today.  Or, if you'd rather wait for the print book, it should be available in a couple of days.  (Or you can be awesome and buy both!).    I’m super sorry for the delay on the print edition, but I’m working to solve the issue and I’ll have it up for you ASAP!


IF YOU'RE POSTING A REVIEW (which I hope all of you do because I need 40 by the end of the day).  So, even if you just fudge a really nice sounding 20 word review and give me five stars just to be supportive, I won't yell at you...You can always change it when you're done reading, after all.  BUT PLEASE make sure you say that you read an ARC (Advance Reading Copy) – even if you didn’t read yet-- or Amazon might deny your review!


 

OMG Guys!  FOR YOUR HEART is out today!!!!  I'm so excited, I'm so for reals!

BOOM!

Monday, October 28, 2013

Friday, October 25, 2013

Feature Friday: Megan Miranda

Megan Miranda is the author of Fracture and Hysteria. She spends a great deal of time thinking about the "why" and "how" of things, which leads her to get carried away daydreaming about the "what-ifs." Megan has a degree in Biology from MIT and currently lives near Charlotte, North Carolina with her husband and two young children.

Interview:

A.L.:
What piece of advice would you give to a budding author?

Megan:
Read. I’m sure this is a frequent piece of advice, but I think there’s a reason for that. Read A LOT. Read books in your genre, and books out of your genre, and books you never thought you’d ever read. Read books you love and books you want to throw across the room—and then think why you loved it, or why you wanted to throw it across the room, or why you picked it back up and started again. What made you care? What made you want to keep reading?

A.L.:
What's your favorite book and why?

Megan:
Oh, I can’t pick! Also, my answer probably varies depending on my reading mood. But here are a few of my favorites from the last few years: Looking for Alaska (for all the reasons); The Adoration of Jenna Fox (because it made me question what it meant to be human); I Am The Messenger (haunting and quirky and beautiful and I adore it); Gone Girl (pure brilliance, and I am filled with writer-envy).

A.L.:
Where did you get the idea for Hysteria?

Megan: 
I had a character in my head before the big idea for Hysteria, but I didn’t have her story yet—I had to write my way into it first. While I was writing, I got really interested in how memory works, and how the psychological can manifest in physical ways. But I think the big moment happened when I started thinking about the idea of haunting, and all the things that can haunt, and in all the ways they can haunt.

All of these ideas led me down the research-rabbit-hole, where I read about individual cases, such as that of a real-life soldier portrayed in the Band of Brothers miniseries (he went blind in a battle, though nothing was physically wrong with him). His story, and others like it, inspired the “what if” idea that became Hysteria.

A.L.:
Did you hit any snags while writing Hysteria?  What were they and how did you fix them?

Megan:
Oh, sure. Throughout the majority of the book, my main character isn’t sure if she’s suffering from paranoia or if there’s something really after her. I focused a lot on trying to get that line right—to let the reader feel that paranoia, but to also ground them firmly in the story so it wasn’t disorienting. I addressed it in pieces, with many rounds of revision, trying to view each scene from Mallory’s perspective, and then from a reader’s.

A.L.:
Which one of the characters in Hysteria is your favorite and why?

Megan:
Easy question: Mallory’s best friend, Colleen. Actually, I’m pretty sure she’s my favorite character ever. She’s fiercely loyal – and she would do anything for Mallory.

A.L.:
Can you tell us a little bit about your journey as an author?

Megan: 
Sure! I started writing seriously when my youngest had just turned one (and was finally sleeping through the night). I wrote at night, every night, treating it like my job in the hopes that it would one day become my job. I queried and signed with my agent in the fall of 2009, and then spent 6 months rewriting that book from scratch (twice) before we sent it on submission to publishers. That was my debut, FRACTURE. I’ve been pretty much writing full-time ever since.

A.L.:
What are you working on now?  Sequel?  Something new?

Megan:
VENGEANCE, the sequel to FRACTURE comes out in February. I’m currently working on my 2015 book (currently called AFTERLIFE), which is a contemporary sci-fi where, much like DNA fingerprinting, the science of soul-fingerprinting also exists.

A.L.:
Do set out to write thrillers or do they just happen?

Megan: 
I’ve always loved thrillers. I didn’t set out to write a thriller for my first book – but I wasn’t quite sure what type of book it was (see question 6, about all that rewriting…) My agent asked if it was a thriller, and I was like, OF COURSE! A THRILLER! Which helped me give shape and focus to it during revision. But now, yes, it’s safe to say that I set out to write them.

A.L.:
What's your favorite place to visit in Charlotte, NC and why?

Megan: 
I live a little north of Charlotte, and my favorite place to visit is Lake Norman. I love the lake. My kids love the lake. It’s where we spend most of our summer weekends.

A.L.:
What do you do to get inspiration on those days where the words just don't want to come out of your fingers?

Megan: 
 Ugh. Those days. When the words won’t come, and I need some real inspiration, I read (see answer #1)

Thanks so much for having me!

The Giveaway:

Hysteria:  Mallory killed her boyfriend, Brian. She can't remember the details of that night but everyone knows it was self-defense, so she isn't charged. But Mallory still feels Brian's presence in her life. Is it all in her head? Or is it something more? In desperate need of a fresh start, Mallory is sent to Monroe, a fancy prep school where no one knows her . . . or anything about her past.But the feeling follows her, as do her secrets. Then, one of her new classmates turns up dead. As suspicion falls on Mallory, she must find a way to remember the details of both deadly nights so she can prove her innocence-to herself and others.

In another riveting tale of life and death, Megan Miranda's masterful storytelling brings readers along for a ride to the edge of sanity and back again.



Read Goodreads reviews.
Buy on Amazon.
Buy on Barnes and Noble.

How to Enter:
Enter the giveaway using Rafflecopter. Hit the arrow buttons, follow the prompts, and hit the enter buttons when you're done. (You may have to log in using Facebook to do this). There will be one winner (selected by Rafflecopter). I will contact the winner via email. This contest is open to US/Canadian entrants.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, October 21, 2013

Monday Muse: Mora Mora -- Royals


Oh My God. This is like the best cover that ever happened. Like, ever. EVER. *total enjoyment*

Friday, October 18, 2013

Feature Friday: Colleen Houck

Colleen Houck is a lifelong reader whose literary interests include action, adventure, paranormal, science fiction, and romance. When she's not busy writing, she likes to spend time chatting on the phone with one of her six siblings, watching plays, and shopping online. Colleen has lived in Arizona, Idaho, Utah, California, and North Carolina and is now permanently settled in Salem, Oregon with her husband and a huge assortment of plush tigers.

Interview:

A.L.:
What piece of advice would you give to a budding author?

Colleen:
My number one piece of advice is to read. I strongly believe that good readers make great writers. There is so much to learn by reading a variety of books.

A.L.:
What's your favorite book and why?

Colleen:
My favorite book changes all the time but I am a big fan of the classics like 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Island of the Blue Dolphins. I've always loved adventure stories, books that take me to far away places.

A.L.:
Where did you get the idea for The Tiger's curse Saga?

Colleen:
The basic idea I had was to write a Beauty and the Beast kind of story. I ended up choosing a tiger as my beast and that led me to India.

A.L.:
 Did you hit any snags while writing The Tiger's Curse Saga?  What were they and how did you fix them?

Colleen:
The biggest snag was the prologue in book one. Tiger's Curse was my first novel and I wasn't really sure I was doing it right. I rewrote the prologue dozens of times and agonized over the first five chapters. I had to learn to let it go and move on. After that, I got into a groove.

A.L.:
Which one of the characters in The Tiger's Curse saga is your favorite and why?

Colleen:
Mr. Kadam is actually my favorite. I love my tigers but there is something regal and special about Mr. Kadam. He dedicated his life to taking care of the princes under his charge and I really admire that kind of unwavering commitment.

A.L.:
Can you tell us a little bit about your journey as an author?

Colleen:
I self published originally. I was about a week away from self pubbing my third book, Tiger's Voyage, when I landed an agent. Everything was put on hold while he took those three books and sent them out on submission. I had been laid off of work a few months before that and was getting a little desperate when he called to say he'd landed me a deal. I haven't looked back since.

A.L.:
What are you working on now?  Sequel?  Something new?

Colleen:
Something new. I have recently switched publishers and I just turned in a new first book in a series featuring the mythologies of Egypt. I'm very excited about it and think my fans will eat it up.

A.L.:
 What's your favorite part of living in Oregon?  Why?

Colleen:
The trees. There are miles and miles of forest in every direction. Throw in Christmas tree farms, apples the size of your head, and waterfalls. What's not to love?

A.L.:
What's your favorite show on food network and why?

Colleen:
I really like Restaurant Impossible. I love the idea of revamping the decor, the menu, and figuring out what needs to change to make something work. There's a part of me that loves that level of problem solving.

A.L.:
If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

Colleen:
India. I really want to visit all the places I've written about.

The Giveaway:
Colleen is giving away two signed copies of TIGER'S CURSE with bookmarks.

Tiger's Curse:  Passion. Fate. Loyalty.

Would you risk it all to change your destiny?

The last thing Kelsey Hayes thought she’d be doing this summer was trying to break a 300-year-old Indian curse. With a mysterious white tiger named Ren. Halfway around the world. But that’s exactly what happened. Face-to-face with dark forces, spellbinding magic, and mystical worlds where nothing is what it seems, Kelsey risks everything to piece together an ancient prophecy that could break the curse forever.

Tiger’s Curse is the exciting first volume in an epic fantasy-romance that will leave you breathless and yearning for more.






Read Goodreads Reviews.
Buy on Amazon.
Buy on Barnes and Noble.

How to Enter:
Enter the giveaway using Rafflecopter. Hit the arrow buttons, follow the prompts, and hit the enter buttons when you're done. (You may have to log in using Facebook to do this). There will be one winner (selected by Rafflecopter). I will contact the winner via email. This contest is open to international entrants.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, October 14, 2013

Friday, October 11, 2013

Feature Friday...Wait, what? LOL

Is it cheesy to feature myself?  I think so, but today's Feature Friday fell through.  So, instead of doing nothing or just doing a book feature with no giveaway, I figured I'd at least try and give you something exciting.  And nothing is more exciting to me now than my own book!  (Plus the opportunity to have even more books!)  There are THREE giveaways going on right now, so look for all of them!

For Your Heart:  Experience THE BALLAD OF TAM LIN like you’ve never read it before…

It has been seven years since Jeanette Sauderheim followed her best friend into Carver Hall Park...and came out alone. Jeanette has never gotten over his mysterious disappearance nor has she gone back into the park. While that traumatic night still haunts her, Jeanette distracts herself by balancing her time between trying to pass Spanish, hanging out with her friends, and reading the latest manga.

But, when a promise to a friend drives her back into the park, she's forced to re-live the memories of that night. Lost and confused, Jeanette crosses paths with Tamrin, whose violent reaction to her provides yet another reason to avoid the park.

Tamrin, a knight of the Summer Court, has been sent to Earth to guard a garden of roses that hold special meaning to the queen of the Summer faeries. When his distraction at meeting Jeanette leads to her picking one of the Summer Queen’s roses, Tamrin vows to right his failure to do his duty.

However, the equivalent of one of the queen’s roses is a human heart and Tamrin’s reluctance to readily exact the sum from Jeanette sets in motion a spiral of love, betrayal, and magic that could mean damnation for them both.

*This is an Upper YA paranormal romance novel with NA and contemporary fantasy appeal.


Giveaway 1 (International):
I'm doing a count-down to debut giveaway of FOR YOUR HEART.  You can enter to win up until the day it debuts (October 31, 2013 -- HALLOWEEN).

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 
Giveaway 2 (US only):
I'm doing a big "follow my promotional tour" giveaway of a gift card, FHY swag, and a mystery YA book pack.  You can enter to win starting today and continue entering until the end of the tour (December 12, 2013).  All the tour links are HERE.  I've been working really hard answering interviews and writing up interesting new guest blog posts, so check in every day and it increases your chance of winning!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 
Giveaway 3 (US and Canada only):
I'm giving away five copies of FOR YOUR HEART through Goodreads.  Ends October 31, 2013!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

For Your Heart by A.L. Davroe

For Your Heart

by A.L. Davroe

Giveaway ends October 31, 2013.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
Enter to win
 Good Luck Everyone!

Friday, October 4, 2013

Count Down FOR YOUR HEART Giveaway

What's better than candy on Halloween?   A new book.
FOR YOUR HEART debuts October 31 (Halloween).

That's a pretty sweet treat if you ask me.  And if you want this treat, don't miss all the excellent opportunities to win a copy!  I'm hosting this count down to debut giveaway, giving away books on Goodreads, and hosting a promotional tour giveaway, so keep your eyes peeled!

For Your Heart:  Experience THE BALLAD OF TAM LIN like you’ve never read it before…

It has been seven years since Jeanette Sauderheim followed her best friend into Carver Hall Park...and came out alone. Jeanette has never gotten over his mysterious disappearance nor has she gone back into the park. While that traumatic night still haunts her, Jeanette distracts herself by balancing her time between trying to pass Spanish, hanging out with her friends, and reading the latest manga.

But, when a promise to a friend drives her back into the park, she's forced to re-live the memories of that night. Lost and confused, Jeanette crosses paths with Tamrin, whose violent reaction to her provides yet another reason to avoid the park.

Tamrin, a knight of the Summer Court, has been sent to Earth to guard a garden of roses that hold special meaning to the queen of the Summer faeries. When his distraction at meeting Jeanette leads to her picking one of the Summer Queen’s roses, Tamrin vows to right his failure to do his duty.

However, the equivalent of one of the queen’s roses is a human heart and Tamrin’s reluctance to readily exact the sum from Jeanette sets in motion a spiral of love, betrayal, and magic that could mean damnation for them both.

*This is an Upper YA paranormal romance novel with NA and contemporary fantasy appeal.


Read Goodreads Reviews.
Enter the Goodreads Book Giveaway.
**Buy links will activate October 31, 2013.

How to Enter:
Enter the giveaway using Rafflecopter. Hit the arrow buttons, follow the prompts, and hit the enter buttons when you're done. (You may have to log in using Facebook to do this). There will be one winner (selected by Rafflecopter). I will contact the winner via email. This contest is open to International Entrants.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Feature Friday: Sonia Gensler

Sonia Gensler is the author of The Revenant (Knopf ‘11) and The Dark Between (Knopf '13). She grew up in a small Tennessee town and spent her early adulthood collecting impractical degrees from various Midwestern universities. A former high school English teacher, Sonia now writes full time in Oklahoma and spends her summers in England.

Interview:
A.L.:
What piece of advice would you give to a budding author?

Sonia:
It seems so simple, but my best advice is to read widely and voraciously. Once you decide on the genre for your story, read all the best novels in that same genre because you need to understand the market in order to find your place within it. Once you've read until your eyes are nearly bleeding (ha!), ask yourself if there's a story you'd love to read that you haven't yet found on a shelf. That's the story you need to write.

A.L.:
What's your favorite book and why?

Sonia:
If I had to pick just one, I'd say Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, simply because it has so profoundly influenced my fascination with the 19th century, with governesses and other early female educators, and with anything remotely Gothic.

A.L.:
Where did you get the idea for The Dark Between?

Sonia:
I can pinpoint the inspiration to Deborah Blum's Ghost Hunters: William James and the Search for Scientific Proof of Life After Death, the true story of a group of 19th century scholars who attempted to study paranormal phenomena in an unbiased, scientific manner. From the first chapter I was hooked on the turbulence they experienced during their quest for truth, and I knew their lives would have made great fodder for a film or cable series. As you might imagine, however, my writer brain was more interested in what life might have been like for their teenaged children, especially if one of these teens was hiding a paranormal ability of her own. So I took a few liberties with the timeline, created my own teen protagonists, and voila! THE DARK BETWEEN was born.

A.L.:
Did you hit any snags while writing The Dark Between?  What were they and how did you fix them?

Sonia:
I hit a snag with a certain plotline, initially because I envisioned an edgy twist that wasn't really organic to the overall story arc. I tried a different approach, and that bombed out even worse. When I finally thought of a viable alternative, I made an 8 page, single-spaced outline of the changes and sent that to my editor. I didn't want to waste any more time! She had a few questions and suggestions, but ultimately that option worked out quite well.

A.L.:
Which one of the characters in The Dark Between is your favorite and why?

Sonia:
I love Kate's fiesty independence and Asher's mix of arrogance and vulnerability, but Elsie is closest to my heart. Her desperate need for a boy's love reminds me of myself as a teen. I wish she would focus more on her creative passions. 

A.L.:
Can you tell us a little bit about your journey as an author?

Sonia:
I've wanted to be an author since I was little, but I lost my courage in early adulthood. I thought a decent critical essay was about the best I could manage. Teaching changed that. I encountered passionate writers in my classroom -- kids so brave that they taught me to conquer my fear and work harder for my dream. I finished my first novel while I was teaching. That book was a great learning experience, but it wasn't publishable. So I decided to take a couple of years off from teaching to write the book that would sell. My second book got me an agent, but we couldn't get a deal for it. It was my third book -- the one I wrote with passion and desperation -- that sold to Knopf. The Revenant came out in June 2011, about 5 years after I left teaching.

A.L.:
What are you working on now?  Sequel?  Something new?

Sonia:
I'm working on a contemporary story featuring younger characters. It's a tale of friendship, creativity, and betrayal. (And there just might be some spookiness thrown in for good measure.) I also would love to write more about Kate, Asher, and Elsie -- they certainly have more adventures ahead of them -- but it remains to be seen whether or not this will happen.

A.L.:
What draws you to the dark, ghostly, and gothic?

Sonia:
It started back in college when I took a Gothic literature course. I fell in love with the themes and iconography of Gothic—crumbling castles, dark forests, brooding heroes (& villains) with dark secrets, maidens in distress, etc. Ghosts came later . . . probably when I saw The Others and realized their amazing story potential. To me, ghosts are all about loss and longing. I love the idea of an emotion or intention so strong that it survives bodily death, lingering as a residue and perhaps even interacting with the living.

A.L.:
What is your favorite story from your high school-soap operas with friends days?

Sonia:
I think it might be when my friends and I were sharing a particularly boisterous round of stories in the library--laughing until we were about to pee our pants--and our mean old math teacher came in to check on our "independent work." We immediately hushed up and tried to look busy and studious. When the teacher asked my friend D a serious question (she was in a "no nonsense" mood and we were quaking in our seats), D opened her mouth to answer but exploded with laughter instead. She laughed right in Mrs. B's face! It was so shocking that the teacher stalked out without really chastising us. I'll never forget that. It was as if the joy of our stories had triumphed over her grumpy nature.

A.L.:
What's your favorite place to visit in England?

Sonia:
I can't pick one place! I love my summer home base of Oxford. I adore Cambridge, the setting of The Dark Between. But Wales, London, the Cotswolds, and the Peak District also rank high on my list of favorite places.

The Giveaway:
Sonia is giving away a signed finished copy of THE DARK BETWEEN + swag (bookmarks, postcards, Dark Between tote bag, etc.)

The Dark Between:  A supernatural romance about the powers that lie in the shadows of the mind, perfect for fans of Sarah Rees Brennan, Alyxandra Harvey, and Libba Bray.

At the turn of the twentieth century, Spiritualism and séances are all the rage—even in the scholarly town of Cambridge, England. While mediums dupe the grief-stricken, a group of local fringe scientists seeks to bridge the gap to the spirit world by investigating the dark corners of the human mind.

Each running from a shadowed past, Kate, Asher, and Elsie take refuge within the walls of Summerfield College. But their peace is soon shattered by the discovery of a dead body nearby. Is this the work of a flesh-and-blood villain, or is something otherworldly at play? This unlikely trio must illuminate what the scientists have not, and open a window to secrets taken to the grave—or risk joining the spirit world themselves.



Read Goodreads reviews.
Buy on Amazon.
Buy on Barnes and Noble. 

How to Enter:
Enter the giveaway using Rafflecopter. Hit the arrow buttons, follow the prompts, and hit the enter buttons when you're done. (You may have to log in using Facebook to do this). There will be one winner (selected by Rafflecopter). I will contact the winner via email. This contest is open to US entrants only. 


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Whats' Up Wednesday: Margo Bond Collins



Hi, everyone! First I want to thank A.L. Davroe for hosting today’s stop on my pre-release teaser tour. I’m discussing my new paranormal mystery Waking Up Dead. It’s forthcoming from Solstice Publishing and available via Amazon on October 8, and I’m pretty excited!



Be sure to add Waking Up Dead to your Goodreads bookshelves: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18428064-waking-up-dead
When Dallas resident Callie Taylor died young, she expected to go to Heaven, or maybe Hell. Instead, she met her fate early thanks to a creep with a knife and a mommy complex. Now she's witnessed another murder, and she's not about to let this one go. She's determined to help solve it before an innocent man goes to prison. And to answer the biggest question of all: why the hell did she wake up in Alabama?

_____________________________________________

Excerpt

Someone called the manager, and pretty soon there was a small crowd around her. She woke up blearily, looking around at all of the faces surrounding her.
“What happened?” the manager asked her as he helped her to her feet.
“There was this woman,” she began, shaking her head. Then she saw me, leaning in over all the other people around her--easy enough to do if you can float up three or four feet off the ground.
“That one,” she said frantically, pointing at me. The people between us stared around at one another.
“Which one?” asked the manager. “What did she do?”
The woman pointed at me again. “That one. The white woman. In the black jacket.”
Again, everyone looked around expectantly.
Finally, the manager placed his hand on her back and leaned in close to her. “Honey, there’s no white woman in a black jacket here. Are you sure you’re okay?”
The woman looked from him to me and back again. “You don’t see her standing there.”
He shook his head. “No. I don’t. Is there anyone you want me to call for you?”
She stepped away from him. “No. No, thanks. I’ll be fine.” She pulled her purse out of her basket and moved away, never taking her eyes off me or turning her back on me.
She hit the parking lot at a run. I moved right beside her, talking the whole time.
“Look,” I said. “I’m not going to hurt you. I didn’t mean to scare you. I just need help.”
The woman was muttering under her breath, and after a minute, I realized that she was praying.
This was awful.
_____________________________________________


About the Author


Margo Bond Collins lives in Texas with her husband, their daughter, several spoiled cats, and a ridiculous turtle. She teaches college-level English courses online, though writing fiction is her first love. She enjoys reading urban fantasy and paranormal fiction of any genre and spends most of her free time daydreaming about vampires, ghosts, zombies, werewolves, and other monsters. Waking Up Dead is her first published novel. Her second novel, Legally Undead, is an urban fantasy, forthcoming in 2014 from World Weaver Press.

_____________________________________________

Connect with Margo

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MargoBondCollin  @MargoBondCollin
Goodreads Author Page: http://www.goodreads.com/vampirarchy

_____________________________________________



Book Trailer


_____________________________________________



Giveaway

Enter to Win