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Tuesday, October 29, 2013

The Unseen Book Blitz: Guest Post and Giveaway with J.L. Bryan

Hi, everyone!



I am pleased to participate in the Book Blitz hosted by Xpresso Book Tours for J.L. Bryan's The Unseen.


About J.L.:


J.L. Bryan studied English literature at the University of Georgia and at Oxford, with a focus on the English Renaissance and the Romantic period. He also studied screenwriting at UCLA. He enjoys remixing elements of paranormal, supernatural, fantasy, horror and science fiction into new kinds of stories.

He is the author of The Paranormals series (starting with Jenny Pox), The Songs of Magic series, Nomad, and other books. He lives in Atlanta with his wife Christina, his son John, and some dogs and cats.


CONNECT ONLINE WITH J.L.: 


Welcome to Darlene's Book Nook, J.L.!

J.L. has written a guest post, so I will now turn the floor over to him.




How to Summon Demons: Demon Summoning Do's and Don'ts
by J.L. Bryan


So you’ve cast a circle and you’re ready to bring an infernal spirit into your home for a visit. Or are you? Summoning demons takes care and consideration—it’s nothing to jam in between doing the dishes and catching the new episode of Walking Dead.

These simple tips will help you put together an exciting evocation, without all the messy embarrassment of getting your soul ripped from your flesh and devoured.

Do offer a blood sacrifice. Your guest has traveled across endless darkness from the lower pits of Hell and will be expecting a snack. Chicken or lizard blood will do nicely for a lesser spirit. For an archdemon, you’ll want to sacrifice a human being instead—anything less is considered rude. Virgins are still preferred, but no longer expected by more modern demons. Finally, an activity you can do with that annoying neighbor you’ve always wanted to eliminate from the earth!

Don't call up the wrong kind of demon. Incubi and succubi will arrive with certain expectations, because these unholy hornballs only have one thing on their evil minds at all times. If you’re not ready for a swingers’ sabbat, avoid them. If you do summon them, you’re going to need a little more protection that the typical enchanted circle provides—the beasties get around. Also avoid gluttony demons, because these corpulent creatures not only look like disgusting mountains of flab with enormous mouths, they’ll also destroy your snack bar and leave an unpleasant flatulent odor that takes weeks to remove from your carpet.

Do be polite. Powerful demons resent being summoned by mere mortals, but minding your manners can go a long way towards creating a more pleasant evening. When you say, “I bind thee and summon thee, foul Mephistopheles!” and the enraged horned demon appears in a flash of fire and brimstone, don’t forget to add, “Thank you!”

Don't expect them to bring wine or a hot dish. Again, they’ve come a long way and can’t be expected to carry host gifts up from the abyss. Also, demon food tends to be rotten and vermin-infested, so how badly did you really want that casserole, anyway?

Do
remember to take pictures! Remember, the only reason to do anything extraordinary in life is so you can brag to your friends on Facebook. A picture of you and Beelzebub with his host of flesh-eating flies will totally shut up that one friend who’s always bragging about the time she met Colin Farrell on an airplane.

Don't forget to banish! If you don’t send that demon right back to Hell when you’re done, it may move onto your couch and stay there for months. Demons don’t pay rent, they don’t do chores, and they never, ever give up control of the remote. They will, however, watch home shopping channels twenty-four hours a day and max out your credit card to ordering useless knickknacks. They won’t take subtle hints to go home, either, no matter how many you drop—you have to order them out. Exercise your right to excorsize!

Following this list is sure to make your demonic encounter a more successful one! When you summon horrific spirits from the fiery underworld into your living room, you don’t want it to ruin the rest of your weekend.

Thanks so much for joining us today, J.L.!



About the Book:


TITLE: The Unseen 
AUTHOR: J.L. Bryan
PUBLICATION DATE: October 31, 2013
FORMAT: E-book
GENRE: Horror

Cassidy is a young tattoo artist living in the Little Five Points neighborhood of Atlanta. She’s always suffered terrible nightmares, and sometimes the hideous creatures seem to follow her out of her dreams and into her waking life, though she’s the only one who can see them. Drugs and alcohol can blot them out, but never entirely chase them away.

When a demonic cult begins to take control of the people in her life, including her younger brother, Cassidy discovers that the unseen world of monsters is very real. She can no longer avoid it. To protect those she loves, she must accept her own hidden supernatural talents and face the forces of evil before the sinister cult achieves its twisted goals and casts the world into darkness.



One lucky winner will win this prize package:

 - Spell Book Pendant

- Ouija Board Handbag

- Signed copy of The Unseen

To enter the giveaway, please fill out the Rafflecopter entry form below. 

This giveaway is open to Canada and US mailing addresses only until November 4, 2013. 

Monday, October 28, 2013

Winner of Dark Migration by Sandra R. Campbell

Hi, everyone!


The lucky winner of Dark Migration by Sandra R. Campbell is:
Congratulations to you! I have sent you an email, and you have 48 hours to claim your prize.

If any prize is not claimed within 48 hours, a new winner will be drawn.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by to enter!

There is still time to enter these giveaways (just click on the badges below):


Worldwide - ends October 30th

Friday, October 25, 2013

Urban Harvest Book Blitz: Author Interview and Giveaway with Andrea Stanet

Hi, everyone!



I am pleased to participate in the Book Blitz hosted by Xpresso Book Tours for Urban Harvest: Tales of the Paranormal in New York City, an anthology.


The Authors:

 
Interview with Andrea Stanet, one of the authors featured in Urban Harvest: Tales of the Paranormal in New York City.

 
Welcome to Darlene's Book Nook, Andrea. What do you like about writing in the paranormal genre?

The paranormal genre and I have had a long and tumultuous love affair filled with many sleepless nights for almost my entire life. To this day, I can’t get enough of vamps, were-creatures, and of course, ghosts. One thing I love about the genre is that you can do so much with myths and creatures. I enjoy turning tropes on their heads in wacky ways and I like to toy with the humorous side of the genre. For instance, a few years ago, on a whim, I thought a YA quartet of short stories that is a mash-up of vamps, werewolves, zombies, and aliens all living in a suburban community would be hilarious. It’s pretty silly, but I had fun writing it.


What prompted you to write this story?

“Under the Mattress” came from a very different place than most of my other short stories and novels, so I’m not completely sure what prompted me to sit down at the keyboard. Even at the time, I didn’t know where it stemmed from; it just popped into my head and bled out. I disliked it when I first wrote it because it felt so dark. The first draft left me sad and disturbed. I felt much better about the story once I revised and solidified Nathan’s arc, thematic issues, and the ending.

At the time I had been thinking quite a bit about a family member, let’s call him “P,” who is an Iraq War veteran. This was almost exactly a year ago, and his birthday was coming up. Shortly after I finished the first draft, I learned that P had been experiencing an emotionally traumatic period and had been suicidal. Fortunately, he had the presence of mind to seek help. Since then I’ve felt that on some level his pain drew this story out without my knowledge. While the main character isn’t a veteran, like so many veterans’ families, his loved ones’ experiences still profoundly affect him.


What other things have you written/are you writing?

I recently wrote a short thriller that will appear in the anthology, Stalkers, set for release in October. Currently, I am revising a middle-grade piece to submit for a tween and YA paranormal anthology called Wild Cards. The proceeds will go to the National Children’s Cancer Society.

I have several fantasy novels in the revision stage. I decided to completely rewrite the perspective on the fae middle-grade I was submitting. Once my last anthology submission is done, I will also start revising a dimensional-travel modern fairy-tale. Some of my other novels feature zombie dragons, twisted fairy-tale characters in a house of horrors, and twins who get transported to a sword & sorcery world.

 
Do you plot ahead of time, or let the plot emerge as you write?

I almost never plot ahead of time. I’ve tried with disastrous results. As I’m writing, I may project a few steps ahead so that I have a general direction, but I don’t really know where the story will end beyond a vague idea. For example, in “Under the Mattress,” I didn’t know what was under the mattress until at least midway through the story. It’s always fun when I get to the climax of a story and can’t decide how it ends. Luckily, the characters usually take over by then and don’t give me too much say in their outcomes.


When and how did you first become interested in writing?

The first story I remember writing, “Who Killed Crystal?” wriggled out of my brain when I was about nine. A young girl recounts a burglary and her attempts to escape the intruder. Too bad for Crystal, she ends up telling the story as a ghost. I recall that there was a lot of upheaval going on for me at the time, and I think writing fiction helped me cope with scary nine-year-old issues. My father and older brother had introduced me to monster movies and ghost stories at a young age, so it’s no surprise I followed the horror/paranormal/fantasy path from the very beginning. Since then, I’ve always had stories in me, even those that never make it to paper. When I go too long without writing, the ideas build up and assault me in my dreams, giving me terrible nightmares until I get back to work. So now I make sure to write all the time.


What’s your writing schedule? Do you have a favorite place to write?

I don’t exactly follow a schedule although I do prefer to write early in the morning. My brain just doesn’t work after sundown. Whatever the opposite of a vampire is, that would be me.

When we first moved to what I consider “the country” (being the city kid that I am), I had grand visions of sitting out on the patio all summer with a cup of tea drawing inspiration from the woods around us. Then I learned that the trees block most of our morning sun, and it gets buggy as the day warms up. There’s not much inspiration in a drowned gnat polluting your tea, trust me.

Now when I work, you’ll find me hunched over my laptop in the corner of our dining area, often with a space heater blowing on my feet. I have two desks, but my work space is the dining table. Go figure. My second favorite spot in the winter is in front of our pellet stove. I like to borrow one of my kids’ lap desks, wrap myself up in a blanket and sit with my back to the fire. A warm, bug-free environment and fresh brain cells are the necessary components for my creative process.


What’s next?

Next I would like to see one of my novels published. I haven’t yet decided if I want to try self-publishing. There seem to be an increasing number of benefits to it, but it’s also a scary prospect. For now, it’s just revising, and then I’ll see what opportunities arise and where fate takes me.

 
Anything else you’d like to add?

My website is a work in progress at: http://AndreaStanet.com. I am in the process of slowly rebuilding my autism blog at: http://myautisminsights.com, and you can also find me on Twitter at:https://twitter.com/AutismInsights. Thanks for reading!


Thanks for joining us today, Andrea! It was fun getting to know you better.


The following is a short excerpt from Andrea’s story in Urban Harvest.


Under the Mattress

A fresh bouquet of assorted flowers added the only splash of color to the otherwise dismal family plot. Nate’s eyes roamed over the simple engraving on the stone, stopping at the date. Three years ago. The end of good times.

As he kneeled to straighten the flowers, water seeped through his jeans.

The rain stopped. His hands stilled. Then they clenched into fists. Nate ground his teeth together so hard they hurt. “I’m so done with this shit, Dad. I’m supposed to be the kid, not the parent! She’s useless!” Sitting back on his heels, he ran a hand through his curly black hair. “Ever since she came back—”

“I know, Nate.”

The voice came from behind him.

Nate gasped. He whipped around, fell over, his butt squelching into the wet grass, his spine smacking against his father’s headstone. Nate visited the grave often because he always felt his father’s presence, somehow. But he had never expected to see his Dad again—not in this world, anyway.

His father stood in the at-ease stance, his chin held high, across the grassy aisle that separated his section from the next. He wore his dress blues, the ones he had been buried in. Nate could see rows of headstones behind the transparent figure. It was impossible, yet there he was.

“Dad?” He reached for his father, then let his hand flop back to his lap. That’s it—I’ve finally cracked.





About the Book:

PUBLICATION DATE: September 22, 2013
FORMAT: Kindle, 125 pages
GENRE: New Adult, Urban Fantasy
ASIN: B00FCLSMOS




New York City–it’s home to 8 million people trying to make their way through the day–a crop of humanity seething with hopes and fears, dreams and nightmares. Autumn comes, and nine authors harvest nine tales from this unique setting and people. From stories of everyday life in an otherworldly light to nightmarish tales of human darkness, Urban Harvest has something for everyone.

Urban Harvest contains tales of the paranormal from Alex Shvartsman, Laurie Treacy, Donna Ansari, Tara Hill, Laura Wenham, Andrea Stanet, Don Corcoran, Saif Ansari, and Sean Sakamoto.

In keeping with the spirit of harvest, all proceeds from this anthology will go to support City Harvest, an organization that feeds NYC’s hungry.
Buy Link: 
Amazon 




One lucky winner will win a paperback copy of Urban Harvest: Tales of the Paranormal in New York City!

a Rafflecopter giveaway



This giveaway is open worldwide until October 30, 2013. 

Monday, October 21, 2013

Winner of The Guilty by Vincent Zandri

Hi, everyone!


The lucky winner of The Guilty by Vincent Zandri is:
Congratulations to you! I have sent you an email, and you have 48 hours to claim your prize.

If any prize is not claimed within 48 hours, a new winner will be drawn.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by to enter!

There is still time to enter these giveaways (just click on the badges below):



Worldwide - ends October 25th

Friday, October 18, 2013

Dark Migration Blog Tour: Guest Post and Giveaway with Sandra R. Campbell

Hi, everyone!


I am pleased to participate in the Blog Tour hosted by Xpresso Book Tours for Sandra R. Campbell's Dark Migration.


About Sandra:


Sandra R. Campbell lives along the tranquil waters of the Chesapeake Bay with her new husband and weight challenged cat. She can trace her passion for the macabre back to reading Edgar Allen Poe as a child, with her pet crow, Big Fellow, by her side. She has since submerged herself in a wide range of dark literature. An avid thrill seeker, Sandra is always looking for her next big adrenaline rush, and when spelunking, climbing, diving and monster hunting fails to deliver, she turns to the creation of through-the-rabbit-hole worlds and sends her characters on their own adventures. Her first NA paranormal thriller, Butterfly Harvest, was published in September 2010. Sandra also writes children’s stories, is an active member of the Maryland Writers’ Association and the head of a MWA critique group.

CONNECT ONLINE WITH SANDRA: 


Welcome to Darlene's Book Nook, Sandra!

Sandra has written a guest post, so I will now turn the floor over to her.



10 Things You Didn't Know About Sandra R. Campbell
By Sandra R. Campbell

  1. I drive fast, like I’m racing on the Autobahn.
  2. When I’m happy I sing, badly.
  3. Spiders freak me out. If I was writing ‘10 Things That Freak Me Out’, spiders would be number 1, 2 and 3. And yet I wear a lot of Spyder apparel.
  4. In the third grade, I was bitten by a bat and had to go through a series of painful rabies shots. However, I have no problem going spelunking with bats hanging right over my head. Yeah, but there better not a spider in that cave.
  5. I dream in color and can remember most of my dreams in full detail. I also suffer from night terrors and have been known to sleepwalk.
  6. I can’t drink anything hot. No coffee, tea, coco.
  7. One day I want to live on a houseboat. I love the water!
  8. Halloween is my favorite holiday.
  9. I can talk to frogs. While volunteering at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Refuge, I learned the mating calls for native Maryland frogs in order to perform surveys for the USGS.
  10. Friends nicknamed me Britannica, because I have a knack for remembering obscure, useless information.
Thanks so much for joining us today, Sandra!




One lucky winner will win a signed paperback copy of Dark Migration.

TITLE: Dark Migration
AUTHOR: Sandra R. Campbell 
PUBLICATION DATE: August 26, 2013
FORMAT: E-book, 253 pages
GENRE: Dark Fantasy, Horror, New Adult
ASIN: B00ET6929G

Seanna Raines is on a journey of self-discovery. Only her search does not include college applications or finding a cool summer job. After killing Samuel Bolvayne, the ‘man’ she fears and loves, Seanna is not looking for who she is, but rather what she will become.

Samuel spent countless lifetimes trying to forge a companion like himself, but his previous attempts were considered failures. Until Seanna. She is his first true success… and his ultimate undoing. Now, without Samuel to guide her, Seanna is lost. To survive, she needs to find out what her transformation means: super strength, the ability to smell human emotions, and an ever-increasing need to devour human souls. Seanna travels to Samuel’s earthly homeland, along the coast of South Africa, in search of answers. Here, she encounters several of his failed experiments, who claim to know the truth. These abominations lead her into a sinister world of chaos and destruction, where the birthplace of evil is revealed.

Seanna clings to the last piece of her humanity while struggling to accept her feelings for Samuel and what she has done to him. Just as Seanna embraces her fate, she is forced to choose between life as an immortal with the one she loves or sacrifice it all to save a world that does not deserve saving.
Buy Links:
Amazon / Barnes & Noble




To enter the giveaway, please fill out the Rafflecopter entry form below. 

This giveaway is open to worldwide until October 25, 2013.

Tour Participants:


October 14th
-fuonlyknew >> Excerpt
-Sweet Southern Home >> Review
-Fae Books >> Excerpt

 
October 15th
-Contagious Reads >> Review
-Laurie’s Thoughts and Reviews >> Interview

 
October 16th
-Literary Meanderings >> Guest Post

 
October 17th
-A Diary Of A Book Addict >> Review + Excerpt (Teasers)
-We Love KInk >> Review

 
October 18th
-Lizzy’s Dark Fiction >> Review
-Not Everyone’s Mama >> Review
-Darlene’s Book Nook >> Top 10 List

 

 
October 21st
-Mythical Books >> Review + Playlist
-The Secret Life of a Bookworm >> Review

 
October 22nd
-Mom With A Kindle >> Excerpt
-My Seryniti >> Review
-Bookmarks, Spoilers and Happily Ever After >> Review

 
October 23rd
-Jessica Loves Books >> Review + Excerpt (Teasers)
-A Dream Within A Dream >> Review

 
October 24th
-A_TiffyFit’s Reading Corner >> Review
-Coffee and Characters >> Interview

 
October 25th
-Lost in Ever After >> Review + Top 5 List
-Who’s Reviews >> Excerpt

Friday, October 4, 2013

Because of Lucy Book Blitz: Author Interview and Giveaway with Lisa Swallow

Hi, everyone!



I am pleased to participate in the Book Blitz hosted by Xpresso Book Tours for Lisa Swallow's Because of Lucy.


About Lisa:
Lisa is originally from the UK but now lives in Perth, Western Australia. She splits her time between writing, raising a family and running a business. She even leaves the house occasionally.

Lisa writes romance and is currently working on a series of new adult paranormal romance novels, the first book, Soul Ties, was published in July 2013. She also writes new adult contemporary - Because of Lucy was released August 2013.

CONNECT ONLINE WITH LISA: 


Welcome to Darlene's Book Nook, Lisa!
Where did you grow up?

I was born in the UK and I grew up in Europe, travelling around with my military family. Most of the time I lived in the UK and Germany.


Where do you live now?

Perth, Western Australia.


If you could live anywhere, where would you choose?

Perth!


How long have you been writing?

Since I was 8 years old when I had a poem published in the local newspaper. Last year, I decided it was time I tried to find a publisher!


Where did you get the inspiration for ‘Because of Lucy’?

I love the new adult genre - being able to write about the time of self-discovery that comes from moving away from family influences and into adulthood. I wanted to show the struggle that people often have at this age when trying to forge an identity outside of the one that they may have unwillingly been molded into.

I love hidden secrets in books, but only ones which keep the reader guessing. When I was half way through the first draft, I tested the story on a friend. If she’d guessed who Lucy was before she was revealed, I would have scrapped the book!


Do you have any pets?

A Weimaraner named Tilly who is not the brightest of dogs. She does a great impression of a Weeping Angel (geek reference!). We also have a cat called Twinkle but, as all cat owners know, we’re her pets.


Something about you not many people know?


Until I moved to Australia, I had never lived in one house longer than two years or one city longer than three. Eight years later, I don’t want to move again!


Who would you cast as actors if a movie was made of your book?


I always find this question tricky because every reader has their own pictures in their heads of who the characters look like. When I started writing Because of Lucy I was watching Supernatural a lot and Evan looked a little like a younger Jared Padalecki in my mind. But not as tall! Ness is more difficult - maybe I don’t pay enough attention to female actresses lol.


 

If you were a cartoon character who would you be and why?

Lisa Simpson. Because I was a little like her when I was younger (and we share a first name and initials!)

 

Early bird or night owl?

Night owl.


What is your next project?

I’m currently finishing the third book in my paranormal romance series, Soul Ties. I have also started writing a second book featuring Ness and Evan. Because of Lucy was going to be a standalone as it has no cliffhanger and a happy ending, but readers have asked to follow more of Ness and Evan’s story. And I’m happy to do that because...more time with Evan!



Thanks for joining us today, Lisa! It was fun getting to know you better.


About the Book:

TITLE: Because of Lucy 
AUTHOR: Lisa Swallow
PUBLISHER: Limitless Publishing LLC
PUBLICATION DATE: August 28, 2013
FORMAT: Kindle, 220 pages
GENRE: NA Contemporary
ASIN: B00EUSMJHK




*Recommended 17+ due to strong language and sexual content*

Ness’s parents are shocked when she turns down her place at Leeds University and takes on a full-time job in a call center. Determined to begin her adult life the way she wants, Ness moves to Leeds to live with her best friend Abby.

One night she meets Evan, who is everything she hates about guys. He may be hot but he’s also drunken, arrogant, and on top of that, he apparently has sex with girls and forgets about it. But Evan isn’t what he seems and Ness soon discovers they have more in common than she thought.

Evan is struggling to escape from his past too, and when Lucy appears she threatens his new relationship with Ness. Unsure if she can deal with the effect Lucy has on Evan, Ness makes a decision about her future which pulls them apart.

When their new lives don’t go as planned, Ness and Evan are both faced with difficult choices. All because of Lucy…
Buy Link: 
Amazon 

This giveaway is open worldwide until October 6, 2013. 

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