Firelight by Kristin Callihan

London, 1881
Once the flames are ignited . . .
Miranda Ellis is a woman tormented. Plagued since birth by a strange and powerful gift, she has spent her entire life struggling to control her exceptional abilities. Yet one innocent but irreversible mistake has left her family's fortune decimated and forced her to wed London's most nefarious nobleman.

They will burn for eternity . . .
Lord Benjamin Archer is no ordinary man. Doomed to hide his disfigured face behind masks, Archer knows it's selfish to take Miranda as his bride. Yet he can't help being drawn to the flame-haired beauty whose touch sparks a passion he hasn't felt in a lifetime. When Archer is accused of a series of gruesome murders, he gives in to the beastly nature he has fought so hard to hide from the world. But the curse that haunts him cannot be denied. Now, to save his soul, Miranda will enter a world of dark magic and darker intrigue. For only she can see the man hiding behind the mask.

I really enjoyed this book, I really liked Miranda. The relationship between Miranda and Archer was fun. It was interesting to see how it developed into love so quickly. The mystery behind Archer was irritatingly fun to try and figure out. I never would have guessed the truth. I'm not going to give too much away, I want you guys to read it and enjoy it as much as I did.
The only real complaint I have is that it took like more then half of the book to really get into the meat of what Archer is and why he's the way he is. After that, I felt like the story really picked up steam. I look forward to reading Ember, the prequel to Firelight, and any subsequent sequels there are. Kristin Callihan has a great talent, and I'm so happy she shared it with the world.

For more information about this book and the author, check out her website http://kristencallihan.com/

Wendy S. Hales guest post

We're joined today by the talented Wendy S. Hales. She 's going to give us a sneak peak into her head, and an excerpt from her new book Immortal Becoming.


The expendable goons who get killed for an antagonist … what are they thinking?
The bad guy usually gets a POV (point of view) in the story. At least enough to know he’s psycho or someone twisted. You know he/she/they want something or someone for some reason that is totally logical to them... even if the reader is scratching their head thinking, that's nuts buddy, can't wait til my peeps (aka hero/heroine/protagonist) kick your sorry ass!
As an author perhaps doing the muse snuggle with the antagonist is enough. Yet I always find myself questioning why the bad guys goons are going along with his megalomaniac schemes? I have to connect with the idiots who inevitably sacrifice themselves in defense of the antagonists even if their intent doesn't translate to paper. Money? A cause? Brainwashing? Slavery? Threats? I'm never comfortable with the bad guy’s goons heading blindly to the cliff edge and jumping just CUZ! ...Hey Luther run into that sword – WHY? … because you’re a minor character and I am the shit. Just do it! Come on. How realistic is that? Now add this: Bad guy felt a flush of sadistic satisfaction at the flash of fear in Luther’s eyes when the barrel of the shotgun turned on him. A slow smile spread across bad guy’s face, his finger itched to pull the trigger.
I've read many fabulous books with a single antagonist working alone and that might be the easy solution … but there's something about the mob/mafia style antagonist that calls to me. The guy who sits back strategically plotting while his Guido henchmen go out to do the dirty work. The corporate giant that throws his co-conspirator/accountant under the bus when his embezzlement is uncovered. The junkie with a big score idea his other tweeker pals are too wasted to realize is stupid/dangerous.
In Immortal Becoming many of the enemy soldiers were bred in their communities. They don’t know any different. They’ve been raised in a cult-type environment. Part of the reason the heroine Jess makes the sacrifice she does is to reduce the loss of life on both sides of the battle and give those that can be rehabilitated a chance at clemency.
I pose the question to you … why do your goons follow your antagonist?


Such an awesome topic, don't you guys think?? Now, here's an excerpt from the book.

Jess jogged out to the parking lot, not surprised to see him leaning against her Jeep.
He was taller than she had realized at about six foot three, with long, lean, well-defined
muscles beneath his jeans and T-shirt. In the waning sunlight, his hair appeared darker,
with auburn highlights. What captured her attention was the deep forest-green of his eyes,
the color darkening the closer she came. A kaleidoscope of brown specks clustered in the
center.
She studied him. He gave her a cocky grin. She was pretty sure he was reading every
thought in her head, and yes, she thought he was even sexier up close, the bastard. It
didn’t change the fact that he knew her name, what she drove, probably her weight and
favorite color, all without her telling him, and she still didn’t even know his name.
“You can stop shielding me or whatever you are doing now,” she grumbled, knowing
she should feel grateful for his help. Instead she felt uncomfortable with him having so
much knowledge about her. She hated that he was aware of her weakness when it came to
psychic overload.
“I haven’t been shielding you for awhile now.” He shrugged, following her around to
the driver’s side of her car, holding out his had for her keys. She blinked up at him.
“You are not driving my Jeep! Where do you think you are going with me anyway?”
She tossed her bag into the back seat “What do you mean you aren’t shielding me? I
would be in agony if you weren’t.” Turning to face him, she shot one question after
another at him. A dam of curiosity burst through her. Pointing her finger at his chest, she
interrogated him. “What did you do to make it better? Can you teach me how? Why did
you call Jerika your protégé?” Hands on her hips, she had backed him several steps away
from the door of the Jeep. “What is a protégé? Why are you watching her? How come the
officers let you be there at all?” She hoped that last bit didn’t sound quite so jealous and
petty to him as it did to her. Jerika was none of her business.
“Whoa, damn female. The deal was I shield your psyche, and you answer a few
questions. What the hell?” Holding up both hands defensively, he was laughing at her
again, a deep, sexy sound. Her first reaction was to purr and rub up against him like a cat.

She felt the blush rising up her neck to redden her face.
“Sorry. Sorry, I know … I just, wow. Today was such a great day. I don’t hurt, at all.
I can’t remember not being in some sort of psychic pain. At least … not since my mom. I
guess I’m just excited.” She chewed her bottom lip, thinking. Was excited too forward a
term? ”Could you at least tell me your name?”
“If I can drive?” He was grinning at her again.
She was so sick of being his private little joke, his arrogant attitude instantly spiraled
her to pissed-off. Grateful to feel something empowering rather than the awkwardness he
seemed to bring out of her, she pounced. “You seriously expect me to hand over my keys
and get into the car with you? Without even knowing your name? Really?”
His grin only widened. “You, Beauty, can definitely take care of yourself. Don’t
even pretend to be afraid of me. I’ve watched you kick ass all day.” There was admiration
underlying the amusement in his gaze.
“Not being afraid of you does not mean being stupid. If you don’t want to tell me
your name, then we can stand right here … safely and in front of a police academy.
While you ask me whatever it is you seem to think you want to know.” Still irritated
at him, she retraced the few steps back to the side of the Jeep. “Of course, if you really
aren’t shielding me, then maybe the deal is off anyway.” Spinning her keys to make loud
snapping sounds into her palm, she pretended to consider whether she should leave.
“I really was beginning to like being called Bleacher Boy.” He sighed. “My name
is Shanley Einar. You and I both know that we are not going to be able to speak freely
here.” He held his hand out for her keys again. “You already knew my name the same
way I knew yours. Call me Shane.”
She realized she did. When he said his name, she realized she already knew it. She
had known it from the minute he spoke to her. The keys slipped from her hand into
his, and she pivoting to walk back around the Jeep, taking a seat on the passenger side.
Shane stood at the driver’s open door, holding her hard-won keys. He stared at her a few
moments, then climbed into the driver’s seat, adjusting it to fit his long legs.
“Where to?” he asked, starting the motor.

Ok, wow, how awesome does Immortal Becoming look?? I know I'm super excited to read it!

Website – www.wendyshales.com
Email – wendys.hales@yahoo.com
Purchase Links-
Amazon/kindle-http://www.amazon.com/Immortal-Becoming-Enlightened-Species-ebook/dp/B0074U5FT0/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1330036082&sr=1-1
Barnes & Noble/NOOK-http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/immortal-becoming-wendy-s-hales/1108569220?ean=2940014115629&itm=1&usri=immortal+becoming
Smashwords-http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/128981

Beth Aldrich guest post

We're joined today by author Beth Aldrich. She's going to talk about the power of social media




Congratulations, you've garnered a book deal with a major publisher and you've written the book; but that's just half the work. The most challenging work is about to begin. Most writers do just that, they write; but with today's competitive book market, good writing is only half the battle. Nowadays, writers are encouraged to be active in social media and other forms of marketing so they can ramp up their book's presence-to stand out on the bookshelves and increase sales. 

When I began my book journey two years ago, little did I know that I'd be embarking on the ride of my life. With 12-hour work days, writing the book and "getting the word out" about my book in any way I could. Knowing that I would be responsible for my own "tour" expenses, I decided to build my presence in social media as a way to reach my target audience of busy moms, so that the sponsorship money I raised would be best spent traveling to book tour events. Knowing that many moms like to connect online through social media, I began making connections and generating useful and trustworthy content to build my following. Nothing good comes easy and it's been a daily challenge to garner followers (legitimately) who appreciate and value my content. Through my networking and connections I decided to partner with, SocialMoms.com, a popular moms online social media community filled with articles, content and great mom networking. With the power of social media, we created a book launch virtual party and contest with over 100 moms bloggers who participated. I acquired book tour sponsors who donated prizes for our contest so that all participants would have incentive to be a part of the fun and excitement. I love to get involved with contests and communities and I wanted to create that for the moms who took the time to be a part of this special project; within weeks of my book's launch, there were thoughtful blog posts about my book, spanning the internet, from real moms-the demographic I was hoping to tap. Word spread like wildfire and on my book's launch day, and the throughout the month that followed, my book was a best seller in two categories on Amazon. The mom bloggers agreed to Tweet, FB and share their blog posts and in exchange, we offered sponsored goodie boxes of book-inspired products (all garnered from months of product partnering sponsorship deals), exposure on our blog and cross promotion through social media. We had a multi-prize drawing the night before the book launched, and announced winners via a private newsletter designated just for the participating bloggers. All-in-all, it was a successful book launch, thanks primarily, to the hard work and support of the mom bloggers in our book tour contest, social media and my tenacity to get the word out. 

When people ask me, "How did you know what to do to promote your book?" I always tell them that I networked with other authors, researched what other author have done in the past and trusted my judgement. I know that I love prizes, so I spent weeks and weeks, acquiring products that I knew I'd love to receive as a participation gift goodie box. I also understand the power of communication, so I interacted with the registered participants regularly, sharing all of the steps of my book tour publication, along the way. I often connected with the moms on Twitter, through Twitter parties (where we had, yes, more prizes), and on Facebook. I made sure I was following everyone that was following me on social media and I always tried to re-tweet their tweets, etc. With consideration and on-going communication, relationships were built with new mom friends throughout the process. The folks at SocialMoms.com were so supportive, offering advice and ideas, making the launch everything that I hoped it would be. Some of the mom bloggers even agreed to help me host in-person parties in their cities, making my ground tour a huge success. We used the power of social media to get the word out about our on-location book events, which helped raise attendance and bring more awareness to my book's brand. 

Real Moms Love to Eat: How to Conduct a Love Affair with Food, Lose Weight and Feel Fabulous (Penguin Books, NAL, January, 2012), had a fantastic launch and I can certainly say that the power of social media helped contribute to it's kick off success. 

To find out more about Beth and her book, visit, RealMomsLovetoEat.com; her book is available where ever books are sold, or online at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.

Sorry I've been so quiet the last week, but I've been writing a ton. I think I may have finished Mark of the Witch last night. I gave it to my favorite beta tester this morning, so we'll see what she says. Overall, I'm pretty happy with how the story went. It's a weight off my shoulders to be done with the writing, when you're in it, it feels like it will never end. Once I get the feedback from my beta, I'll fix what needs fixing, and then pass it around to a few other beta's. I want as many eyes on it as I can get before I send it off to the editor. I'm really hoping that everything goes smoothly from here on out. I know that I'm going to have a bunch of things to fix, I just hope it isn't terrible.

Author interview with Emlyn Chand

We are joined today by the talented Emlyn Chand. She has a new book coming out called Farsighted. She was kind enough to answer some questions for us.


What made you decide to make your main character blind?

Everything started with a single image—my face in these tacky oversized sunglasses reflecting out at me from the car’s side mirror. I was daydreaming while my husband drove us across Michigan for my sister’s wedding. Something about my image really struck me in an almost horrific way. I felt the glasses made me look blind but found it so weird that there was still a clear image within them; it seemed so contradictory. At the time, my book club was reading The Odyssey, which features the blind Theban prophet, Tieresias. I started thinking about what it would be like to have non-visual visions of the future and began forming a modern Tieresias in my mind. Lo and behold, Alex Kosmitoras was born. I didn’t want him to be alone in his psychic subculture, so I found other characters with other powers to keep him company. Thank God for my poor fashion sense. 

Your main character has prophetic visions, do you believe in them yourself?

You know that’s a really good question, and I just don’t know how to answer. I often joke that I “have psychic powers, but only in India.” I think a part of me does believe that these elements exist, these capabilities are possible. Who doesn’t want to believe in magic?


Do you have a writing routine? Or do you just write what you can when you can?

Sadly, I don’t get to write every day. Novel Publicity takes up a lot of my time and effort. I spend about 12 hours per day working on it, which leaves little energy for anything else. What I do when I’m in the writing mode and have enough accomplished with the day job to take some time off is this: I go to Panera and stay there for about 8 hours with the pure intention of writing. I keep the WiFi off and eat and drink whatever is needed to fuel my prose. I call this holding myself “writing hostage,” and it really works for me!


Who/what is your favorite author/genre to read?

I LOVE YA—I read it, write it, love it! It all comes down to the enjoyment factor. I like the vulnerability and changeability of the characters. I love the ease of language and the connection that is created by writing in first person point-of-view. Nothing quite compares. As for my favorite author—well, I have so many favorites—but I consider JK Rowling to be “literary God.” She just masters every aspect of the craft, and she nurtured me during my first trek into YA; now I write it for myself. Thank you, JK!


How did you get started as an author?

I was born with a fountain pen grasped firmly in my left hand, at least that’s what my Twitter bio says. But seriously, I do believe writers are born into the craft—we haven’t got much choice, but it’s a great calling to have. As a child, I always had a story to tell. I also loved illustrating my own books and comics. I first became a writer writer when I began doing a book review column for the local paper. That taught me the importance of deadlines and letting the words flow out even when I had no idea what direction they’d take me in.

Do you have any advice for budding authors?

Of course, I do! My advice is this: Have fun with your writing. Don’t put pressure on yourself or your story and don’t try to fit either into some type of mold. Not every work HAS to be published, but every work will teach you something, and it will make you a better writer. Find the joy in writing, and you won’t go wrong.

Thanks so much for giving us a peak into your mind Emlyn! Here is a little teaser for the book

Alex Kosmitoras's life has never been easy. The only other student who will talk to him is the school bully, his parents are dead broke and insanely overprotective, and to complicate matters even more, he's blind. Just when he thinks he'll never have a shot at a normal life, an enticing new girl comes to their small Midwest town all the way from India. Simmi is smart, nice, and actually wants to be friends with Alex. Plus she smells like an Almond Joy bar. Sophomore year might not be so bad after all.

Unfortunately, Alex is in store for another new arrival--an unexpected and often embarrassing ability to "see" the future. Try as he may, Alex is unable to ignore his visions, especially when they suggest Simmi is in mortal danger. With the help of the mysterious psychic next door and friends who come bearing gifts of their own, Alex embarks on a journey to change his future and save the woman of his dreams.

Website:
www.emlynchand.com

Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown

The lore of mermaids and mermen is real. Just wait until you meet Calder White in this addictive debut novel that is destined to make a splash!

Calder White lives in the cold, clear waters of Lake Superior, the only brother in a family of murderous mermaids. To survive, Calder and his sisters must prey on humans and absorb their positive energy. Usually they select their victims at random, but this time around the underwater clan chooses its target for a reason: revenge. They want to kill Jason Hancock, the man they blame for their mother's death.

It's going to take the whole White family to lure the aquaphobic Hancock onto the water. Calder's job is to gain Hancock's trust by getting close to his family. Relying on his irresistible good looks and charm, Calder sets out to seduce Hancock's daughter Lily. Easy enough, but Calder screws everything up by falling in love—just as Lily starts to suspect that there's more to the monsters-in-the-lake legends than she ever imagined, and just as the mermaids threaten to take matters into their own hands, forcing Calder to choose between family and the girl he loves. One thing's for sure, whatever Calder decides, the outcome won't be pretty.

I got an ARC from NetGalley of this book last week. Let me just say I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was such a different story, not your normal YA book. Calder was almost instantly likable, he had the surly attitude I like. It was refreshing to read a book with a male lead character, most books center on the female perspective.
I love Lily, she has such an "I don't care what you think" attitude, she is her own person entirely.

The relationship between Calder and his three sisters is dysfunction at its best. Maris, the matriarch of the family is bossy and horrible, but I didn't feel that her character was one dimensional in that respect. Pavati is what you think of when you think of mermaids, she's truly a siren. Finally, Talullah, she's the shyer one of the group, and she's the sister that Calder has the strongest connection to.

Calder is torn between obligation to his family, and his ever growing feelings for Lily Hancock, the daughter of the man he's vowed to lure to a watery grave. You feel everything right along with him, his indecision and his resolve. Such an amazing book! I couldn't wait to go to bed every night, just so I could stay up late and read.

I'm so dangerously close to reaching my goal of 50k for Mark of the Witch! It's literally like 700 words, I'm thinking the book is going to end up at like 52k or something. The climactic scene needs some more work since I changed some things in the middle. I'm so ready to be done with the writing phase. I want to move on to the editing and beta reader phase. Who knows, I may even be able to release it sooner then I thought. (Watch, I just jinxed myself bu saying that) I spoke with a friend of mine who has a printing company, and I may be getting some swag made a lot sooner then I had originally thought. That would mean doing some fun little giveaways:)