Sunday, August 14, 2011

Review: Wolfsbane (Nightshade Novel 2) by Nadège Richards

Okay, So I may just be a tad late but bare with me. I was in NY for vacation all summer and I was late to getting to a bookstore because there weren't many around where I stayed. But I finally got my hands on a copy of Wolfsbane and felt the need to share my opinions. If you haven't read it yet, I hope I inspire you to do so.

Synopsis:

This thrilling sequel to the much-talked-about Nightshade begins just where it ended-Calla Tor wakes up in the lair of the Searchers, her sworn enemy, and she's certain her days are numbered. But then the Searchers make her an offer-one that gives her the chance to destroy her former masters and save the pack-and the man-she left behind. Is Ren worth the price of her freedom? And will Shay stand by her side no matter what? Now in control of her own destiny, Calla must decide which battles are worth fighting and how many trials true love can endure and still survive.




My Review:

Where to start?! First off, Cremer created this perfect series most girls can relate to. It has the normal cliché love triangle, but what girl doesn’t have or wish they had that problem! I was in love with this fascinating new installment to the series since page one. It picks up where Nightshade left us hanging and from there you’re completely lost in its trance.  Wolfsbane had more of the action we were looking for in Nightshade. Of course there were some steamy scenes, but danger seemed to be everywhere so there wasn’t much of it. Calla unites with the Searchers, who she once believed were the enemies, knowing she can’t return to Vail because the Keepers will surely kill her.  She learns the many secret and lies the Keepers have hidden from her, even the truth about Renier’s mother’s death. Andrea executed this perfectly. She weaved the two novels together like magic, and I honestly can say I didn’t see any of it coming. Calla makes new friends with the Keepers and all in the same chapter, looses some. Jumping through portals, desperately trying to get her pack back together, I think was the most exciting part of the book. The world of the Searchers was totally different and opened your eyes to something new. It really got your mind reeling. Calla’s fight was different this time. Instead of focusing on saving Shay, it was saving her pack and destroying the Keepers. But, of course, that is easier said then done. Her brother undergoes a major loss, half her pack no longer trusts her, Ren feels the only way he can make her stay is by hurting her, and the Nightshades lose an elder Alpha. Though through this – the complications, the perplexities, the lies, the blood, the bones – Calla hangs on and fights till there is nothing left to fight for.

 On a negative note, I didn’t appreciate the way Calla constantly continued to switch back and forth between love interests. I’m fully aware that is what a love triangle will do to a gal, but I just don’t think it should’ve been that hard to decide. I felt like Andrea was trying to help us understand Calla’s struggle, but all in the same time, she was giving me the impression that the reader wouldn’t “get” her pain if she didn’t put us through it as well. Calla couldn’t exactly be with Shay in the way she wanted to without thinking about Ren every second. If she was still unclear about who her heart belonged to, she should have settled that from the get-go. But that is my only opinion. Everything else – STUNNING! Andrea Cremer is a genius, and with that, I convince you to go to your local bookstore and pick up a copy if you haven’t already. You won’t be displeased, I swear it! ♥

4.5/ 5

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Winner of Romancing Your Dark Side Tour with A Jacob Sweeny

Once again I am going to say thank you to both AJ and BK for joining us yesterday and sharing their thoughts on developing characters. I really enjoyed reading what both of you guys had to say! Okay so here is the winner of the Pulse Of Heroes Mini Calendar:

Lissette Martinez

Congrats girl! Please make sure you respond to my email within 24 hours or you will forfeit the prize to someone else! 

Winner of Giveaway #6

I would like to say congrats to all five of the winners! And here they are:

Savanna Ucinski - You get your choice between Spartan Heart 1 or Spartan Heart 2
Nat Cleary - Bookmark
Alice Priday - Bookmark
Terri M - Bookmark
Lisa Sperry - Bookmark
Clarissa P - Bookmark

Thanks to Everyone for participating in these events and Hopefully to another 6 more months of fun!






Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Guest Post and Giveaway with A Jacob Sweeny

First I would love to say Welcome to the amazing AJ and Thank you for doing this with us! She is here to talk about the developing of her characters in Pulse Of Heroes.









A few thoughts about developing and writing the characters of Pulse of Heroes - A. Jacob Sweeny

While writing the characters for Pulse of Heroes I had to keep a couple of things in mind, and they were to make the characters believable and at the same time, make them extraordinary.

Michelle is the main character and she is a teenage girl who is experiencing love for the first time. But not only is she experiencing love, she steps into a world where normal adult experiences are like child's-play by her love interest and all his friends.

As I wrote her I constantly had to remind myself not to give her adult ideas and views. I had to go back to the time when I was a teenager and to the world that I saw through those eyes. I also spent a lot of time with teenage girls to get back that sense of what they are like.

Not every teenage girl I met was the same. Like adults, they have their own experiences and backgrounds that make each and every one of them unique. What they do all have in common is the lack of experience. So, a lot of their knowledge is based on logic, common sense, or plain learning, rather then personal experience. I tried to instill that sense of knowledge in Michelle, where she was smart but through learning, or logic. However through Elliot, who has surpassed all human experiences, she also learns that life doesn't always make sense, and neither is it logical at all times.

The title of the book itself lends the reader an eye into the story before they even read it. The word Hero is one that promises characters with extra human, extra-ordinary aspects. But even with so-called heroes, it is very important to give each character a reason to exist other than just furthering the plot along. In a long saga such as Pulse of Heroes, I was able to do that. I didn't want to hurry and tell the main story, I wanted to open up another reality to the reader and invite them in to meet these people as if they were real.

Besides the story arc of each character, it's important to remember that every person reacts differently to whatever is the stimulant, based on his or her background and experiences. The hero's reaction therefore has to be more intense at times, while almost completely subdued at others. They have had lifetimes of lessons to figure out to themselves what is important and what isn't.

Thanks AJ for sharing this with us! I loved hearing all about how you developed your characters :D

Now for the fun part :P She has kindly donated a AWESOME Pulse of Heroes Mini Calendar to one lucky winner! Just comment below with any questions that you have for AJ and your email address. I will chose one lucky winner late tomorrow night.

P.S. Dont forget to join her Facebook page to keep up with all things Pulse of Heroes and more:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pulse-Of-Heroes/108874512509753

Creating Believable Characters by BK Walker

Whether we write YA or Romance, one thing that is most important as a writer is having your readers connect with your characters. Everyone reads to be able to escape from the mundane. Life is hard, and we all have some sort of fantasy that we wish could happen in our lives. We wish to meet a sweet angel, handsome vampire, sensual werewolf, let's face it, most of us would just love to be swept off our feet. How do we do that? We read...

So what is it in a character that we love most? Placing ourselves in the book, pretending we're the ones that are being romanced, rooting for the underdog hoping they come out on top, having our own thoughts as to how a story might go.

Character development isn't all that difficult, as long as the character is meant for the storyline. It is up to us as the writer, to portray each character so they are easily imaginable to the reader's mind. How do we do that? We put ourselves not only in the shoes of the character, but of the reader as well. What would we like to be reading? What would we do in the same situation as the character? What if???? These are all questions that we ask ourselves each time we write a character's story. In order to create a believable character, we become the character.

When writing young adult characters, we have to remember that it is for the younger audience, and this is when it becomes fun. We get to be a teen again, or young adult. We get to do things over, so to speak, the things we wish we could change. You know that old saying, if I knew back then what I know now? Well, we get to actually change the past for the better.

Stories hold some piece of our past or present, something we've probably experienced at least once. So when writing a character scene, we live through the character. Becoming the character, creating drive, tension, passion, all the things we readers love to indulge in. Most characters people can relate to in some form, whether it be wishing they could be with that hero or heroine, having experienced the situation themselves, or just simply remembering a time when dreams weren't so far out of reach, and maybe can be within reach again.
 
Also a big thank you to BK for joining us and sharing your thoughts as well :D

Monday, August 8, 2011

Winners and Giveaway #6

The winners for Giveaway #5 (chosen by Random.org) are........Jennelle Lewis (Signed Copy of Book), Alice Priday (Signed Copy of Book), Melisa Clark (Postcard), and Tiffani Hill (Postcard). Congrats Ladies! I will be posting these out to you as soon as I get paid in a week and a half. You have 24 hours to reply to my email with your mailing address. 


 Next up for grabs is 5 signed bookmarks and a Grand Prize of either SH1 or SH2 e-book. This giveaway will last 72 hours instead of 24. So on August 10th at Midnight Central Time this will end. 














Here is what you have to do to win:


Add Kristine on Twitter: www.twitter.com/SpartanHrtBooks




Leave a comment with all your names for the above things listed

Your email address (to contact you if you win)

Name you would like announced

















P.S. YOU MUST BE A FOLLOWER TO ENTER!!!!!!!


Sunday, August 7, 2011

Winners and Giveaway #5!!!!! (CLOSED)

The winners are........Lisa (print copy), Sarah Negrete (print copy), Ifrah Kamil (ecopy), Lisa Harwood (ecopy), and Debra (ecopy). You all have 24 hours to respond to my email with either your mailing address (for print copies) or your email address (for ecopies).

First I would like to say Congrats to all five winners! Second its too bad that we didnt have more people enter :/ Hoping to get more active soon! If we can get 100 followers by Tuesday Night at midnight (3 days) then I will even add my own prize pack to these giveaways. But ONLY if we get to the 100 mark.



Next up we have two SIGNED copies of Immortal Obsession by Denise Rago! One of these will stay in the US and one will go international. We also have 2 postcards and the same rules apply (one in the US and one INT). 

Here is what you have to do to win:

Thank Denise for donating such AWESOME prizes!
Post the name you would like announced if you win
Post if you are in the US or International
Your email address (to contact you if you win)





P.S. YOU MUST BE A FOLLOWER TO ENTER!!!!!!!

Friday, August 5, 2011

Winners and Giveaway #4!!! (CLOSED)

Hey everyone! I got the winners for you (chosen by the Random Goddess :D)!!! Those two are......Mommy0306 (Winner of a choice in the two ebooks) and Theresa (Winner of the Drool Rag). I will be emailing both of you ladies and you will have 24 hours to respond to those emails. Oh and CONGRATS girls!!!


Ok now down to business! Today we have 5 copies of this book up for grabs. Two of them will go to US followers and will be print copies. Three of them will go to our International Followers and will be e-copies. 


Here is what you have to do to be in the running:

Post the name you would like called if you win
Your email address
A Thank You to Margaret for donating!
And if you are international or US

If you fail to include any of these things you will be taken out of the drawing


P.S. YOU MUST BE A FOLLOWER TO ENTER!!!!

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Winner and Giveaway #3! (CLOSED)

The winner (chosen by Random.org) for a printed copy of Significance is.........Katrina Whittaker!!! Congrats girl. You have 24 hours to get back to me with your mailing address. Now back to business :P




The next thing up for grabs is either a ECopy of Trinity or Brethren Beginnings by Deena Remiel (INT) AND a Official Brethren Drool Rag (US ONLY)!!! There will be TWO....yes I said TWO winners for this one! Will end in 24 hours at Midnight and winners will be chosen using Random.org!










Here is what you have to do for your chance to win one of these items:

 Leave a heartfelt thanks to the lovely Ms. Deena and also make sure that you include your email address so that I may contact you if you win.

P.S. YOU MUST BE A FOLLOWER TO ENTER!!!!!!!

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Interview with Jamie Magee

 First I would like to say Welcome to the amazing Jamie Magee and thank you for doing an interview with us! It was such a pleasure working with you!!! Jamie is the author of the amazing books Insight and Embody. I hope that you guys all enjoy the interview!!!


1)          Which character do you most closely relate with??
I love them all so much, but I feel like I can understand Willow the most clearly – I happen to be a Scorpio and we are known for looking calm on the outside and being out of control on the inside. I understand how she can take all that is coming at her and just focus on where she wants to go.
2)          Where were you or when did the idea for INSIGHT first hit you??
I was wrapping Christmas presents! Anytime I do a task that does not evolve any real thought I let my imagination take control and I drift away. I remember stopping as I was cutting the paper and looking up as a scene in Embody came to life…I flashed over that thought throughout the next few days trying to understand who they were and what was wrong. On New Year ’s Eve I made an insane resolution to write a novel (I’d never committed to writing anything before in my life!) I just had to figure out who and what was invading every spare thought I had.
3)          How many books are you planning to write in this series??
This is a very debatable question. I used to think that there would be ten – one for each planet, but as any writer will tell you I have no control over this. This year I had an idea for another novel. I thought it would be a stand alone or a new series, but as it came to life I realized it would merge with the Insight series around book Five – I also figured out instead of creating a simple love triangle I have managed to stumble upon a love ‘web’ I see characters crossing into other books, so….I just don’t know where this will end. I plan to enjoy each conflict it brings my way!

4)          Which one of your characters would you consider doing a spin off series with?
DRAKE J This character has an addictive side of him that I have no doubt will move into another story.*wink*
5)          What inspired you to become an author?
If you have not had one of these moments in your life as of yet I assure you that you will. It’s a moment that’s unexplainable; one that’s so powerful that you know it’s coming from a source that cannot be perceived with the human eye. Before my New Year’s resolution I’d never had a single thought about becoming an author ( to this day I have to look twice when I see ‘author’ near my name simply because it’s so unbelievable) but when I said the words ‘I’m going to write a novel’ I felt the passion and commitment come to life in me. I have no idea how I survived so many years of my life without writing because today it is the air I breathe.
6)          What do you need when you write?? I.E. Certain music… certain foods…
I need headphones and a Red Bull!!
7)          What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Write! When you feel that story don’t let anything (including yourself) stop you from writing it down. Always stay true to yourself and go with what feels right and you can never go wrong.
 
8)          Who are some of your favorite authors/ What are your favorite books to read?
It’s just too hard to pick one or even a few authors. I will read any genera - most of the books on my shelf have come from friend recommendations. Over the past two years I’ve managed to stick with a lot of nonfiction – reading about the zodiac, energy, auroras, the string theory, dreams ….every topic that I can find that would related to my series.
             9)      A random fact about yourself?
I’m short lol
            10)  Can you give us any hints as to what happens in EMBODY??
Insight is the intro to our main couple Landen and Willow. Embody takes the reader deeper into the life of our antagonist, Drake, and his world Esterious. The conflict in this book forces Willow to take a different point of view of the world around her.
           11)  Are there any personal aspects of your life that are included in the books?? Like someone’s house or car?? Or the way someone looks or talks??
The one that is clear is the town of Franklin. I was raised there and I can only hope that I brought out the beauty I was blessed with as a child. Other elements in the book seemed to be hashed out of everyone I know in my life. In any one character I can see traits and features of several people I know. You never realize how much you notice about the world around you until you began to create a world of your own!

Winner and Next Giveaway! (CLOSED)

I would first like to say Congrats to Natalie Cleary for winning Awaken Me by Emily Gossett! You have 24 hours to respond to my email!


Next up is a Print Copy of Significance by Shelley Crane!

All you have to do is comment below with:

GFC Follower name
Email address
And a thank you to Shelley for donating the awesome book to us!

Giveaway will end in 24 hours at Midnight! It is International and GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!!!



P.S. YOU MUST BE A FOLLOWER TO ENTER!!!!!!

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

6 Month Anniversary Giveaways!!!! (CLOSED)

I would first like to say that we finally reached the 6 Month Anniversary for the blog!!! YAY!!! :D I would also like to say that we will be celebrating this with a few AWESOME giveaways!!! I hope you guys are ready because I know that I am :D

The first giveaway that we will be having to start out this event is a printed copy of Awaken Me by Emily Gossett! I know that there are some people out there that are as excited about this book as I am so I am extremely happy that she donated this to us!

All you have to do for this one is comment below with your GFC Follower name and your email address so that I can contact the winner. For an extra entry go on over to her fan page and tell her thank you! Oh and by the way....This giveaway is INTERNATIONAL!!!

I will choose the winners tomorrow at Midnight. You have 23 hours to get your entries in! Good luck! And pray to the Random.org Goddess that you win :P

P.S. YOU MUST BE A FOLLOWER TO ENTER!!!!!!!!!!

In My Mailbox (#5)






















Okay guys here is my IMM for the last 2 weeks. I know that I forgot last week but I remembered this week :D I hope that you guys like what I got and I cant wait to hear what you think!

Bought:
Rampant by Diana Peterfreud
Naked City: Anthology
Mistwood By Leah Cypess
The Eternal Ones By Kirsten Miller
Afterlight By Elle Jasper
Nightshade By Michelle Rowen

Won:
Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles
Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles

Given:
Dark Eden By Patrick Carmen
The Girl Who Wad On Fire
Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling (From Alice)
Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets by J.K. Rowling (From Alice)

For Review:
Immortal Obsession By Denise K Rago
Monarch By Michelle Davidson Argyle