The Cowboy and the Vampire Series Cover Revamp!

Hi ya'll,

As promised, I have a special treat today. Two of the biggest benefits of being a writer and blogger are the opportunities to do cover reveals and read ARCs of soon to be released books. In preparation for the third installment of their fantastic vampire series, Kathleen McFall and Clark Hays have given me the wonderful privilege to share with you the TWO new covers for the previous books. But first a little background. Go here and here to see the orginal covers for book one and two.

The phrase “you can’t judge a book by its cover” is a lie. It’s a damn lie. People do it all the time. Art is truth.

To mark the upcoming May 2014 release of the third book in The Cowboy and the Vampire Collection, the series was treated to a gothic western makeover, with artwork commissioned exclusively for the series.

“We wanted to give readers something special and the new covers get right to the heart of the series,” said co-author Hays. “Go on and judge the books by these covers! They bring together the paranormal and the western elements perfectly, setting a dark tone with just a hint of the humor.”

“Each time you look at the images, you see something a bit different, even more of the opposites-attract romantic theme pops, and the overtones of simmering passion,” said co-author McFall.

Get caught up on the love between Tucker and Lizzie now before the release of book three.

About the authors:
Between the two of them, Clark Hays and Kathleen McFall have worked in writing jobs ranging from
cowboy-poet to energy journalist to restaurant reviewer to university press officer. After they met, their writing career took center stage when they wrote the first book in The Cowboy and the Vampire
Collection as a test for marriage. They passed. Clark and Kathleen now live in Portland, Ore.

And now for the covers!!!

So what do you think? Please feel free to leave a comment below. And to make sure you are up to date on Liz and Tucker's story click here and here to buy the books.

March Mania

Hello!

I meant to post this blog last Sunday, but I've spent the last week either taking care of a sick child or being sick or both. But you didn't stop by to hear me bitch about my maternal woes now, did you? Besides the sickie bugs invading my home, March as rocked and will continue to rock.

First of all, last Saturday my local RWA chapter, Rose City Romance Writers, put on a rocking mini-conference full of goodie baskets to be won, awesome workshops, amazing food, and fantastic people to network with. I'm telling you the conferences and workshops RCRW host are worth the RWA membership in gold.

Here's a quick summery of the classes I attended:

C Morgan Kennedy presented a world-building class and showed us how Pinterest can be useful for this. I've been resisting Pinterest like a social media plague, but now am rethinking its value in creating a visual reference to the world I'm writing in.

Kristina McMorris gave an great lecture on how to weave historical facts and research details into your story without boring your reader. If you've read any of her books you know she's quite talented in writing riveting historical novels.

Jessica Morrell talked to us about writing anti-heros. She gave wonderful examples from popular TV shows like Breaking Bad and True Detectives.

Melissa McClone finished off the day on how to take your writing to the next level. We got to do some in class exercises and I learned all about it-itis among other things. Just this class alone was worth the registration fee.

And this was only half of the conference. There were two lectures going at the same time. To bad I couldn't be in two places at once! Best part though, I won the craft basket that I dumped all of my raffle tickets in.

Photo from RCRW Facebook Page.

This conference is exactly what I needed to get my writing mojo going for this coming weekend. Because for the first time in two years, I'll be going on a writer's retreat to work on finishing up revisions for one of my completed novels. Figured since I still have major mama-brain going on, I'd work on polishing something finished. Three days, no baby, no housework, no day job, just writing, and hanging out with good friends. *Insert wild squealing here*

AND to end this March Mania Month check back on the 30th for a special cover reveal from my good friends Clark Hayes & Kathleen McCall. Hint: there's vampires involved.

Have a wonderful week and I'll see ya in two!

Ciao,
Melania

Book Review: Half-blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I just recently tweeted about staying up until 2 am reading Half-blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout. That's a huge thing these days especially since I became a new mom earlier this year. Reading into the night is not something I can afford in my already sleep-deprived state. So if a book has captured me so much I'm willing to sacrifice a perfect night when my daughter decided to sleep the whole time, is well, a pretty damn good book.

I purchased this novel about almost two years ago after I read Obsidian (The Lux Series) and bought everything out there at the time written by her. Half-blood is part of the Covenant series.  I first read Daimon, the prequel to Half-blood. But when I started on Half-blood, I simply couldn't get into it.

Fast forward major career change at day job, pregnancy, and childbirth to a couple of days ago when I was browsing through my Kindle and decided to read something I'd already purchased rather than buying. I gave Half-blood another try. I was doing pretty good getting through about a chapter a day while I pumped at day job. (Trust me, reading is the only way to get through pumping, my least favorite thing about motherhood.)

So last night after daughter went to sleep I decided I'd read a little until I got sleepy. At this point I was about 40% through the book. My eyelids were starting to get heavy. Yawning became more frequent and then I got to about 46% (the end of chapter 10). BAM! Wide awake.

Oh. My. Gods. I had to finish the book and it was all I could do NOT to log into the Kindle store to buy the rest of the series when I reached the end at 2 am. Curse you, Jennifer!

The book is like Vampire Academy meets Greek mythology spun together in a delicious web of romance, snarky banter, kick ass action, and brilliant imagination. Jennifer has a way of luring you into her world of demigods and trapping you there until you read the last line of the book, but then only to realize you've become an addict and need your next hit. Soon. So many twists, so many fantastic characters that burrow under your skin, making themselves a comfortable little nest. No wonder she became a NY Times bestselling author publishing mostly through indie press. And it's a really good thing she writes a lot and has multiple books coming out each year.

Thank goodness I have a whole week off starting Christmas. You know what I'll be doing. I admit it, I'm a J.L Armentrout junkie and now it's my mission to get as many converts. Here's the link to purchase Half-Blood. You're welcome and Merry Christmas.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005OCPT00/ref=kinw_myk_ro_title

 See you all in 2014.

Cheers,
Melania

3rd Sunday Sweet: Life After Theft by Aprilynne Pike

Last fall, I experienced one of the greatest honors imaginable- having the privilage of being the first to reveal Aprilynne Pike's Life after Theft cover, share not one but two teasers (click on the links to view teasers), and ARC giveaway. This is a book that I've been dying to read since read about it on her blog years ago. As a thank you for hosting the cover reveal and giveaway, I got my very own ARC copy (which is like the coolest thing ever to read something that's not even out yet). After the madness of the holidays, I finally had the chance to sit down and read the book.

Here's the discription on Amazon:

Moving to a new high school sucks. Especially a rich-kid private school. With uniforms. But nothing is worse than finding out the first girl you meet is dead. And a klepto.

No one can see or hear Kimberlee except Jeff, so--in hopes of bringing an end to the snarkiest haunting in history--he agrees to help her complete her "unfinished business." But when the enmity between Kimberlee and Jeff's new crush, Sera, manages to continue posthumously, Jeff wonders if he's made the right choice.

Clash meets sass in this uproarious modern-day retelling of Baroness Orczy's The Scarlet Pimpernel, by #1 New York Times best-selling author Aprilynne Pike.

 So what did I think of the book?

Like the last sentence from Amazon said: Clash meets sass. The number one thing that really sticks out is the voice. It's in first person and male protagonist- 100% totally different than the voice in the Wings series (which I absolutely ADORE). It's edgy, witty, fresh, entertaining, and very appropriate to the characters. No wonder this is the book that got her on the publishing agent's radar.

The second thing I like about the story is that it's very realistic. She doesn't shy away from common issues that face teens today like drugs, alcohol, sex, or personal identity. Though they are addressed in a positive manner. The biggest challenge is learning about who you are and the story highlights this beautifully both in Jeff (life) and Kimberlee (death). The dialogue is true and not squeaky "clean" but not full of vulgarity as some YA novels are. Though I love a good story, sometimes when authors try to be too PG the dialogue comes out contrived and unbelievable. In this case it was perfectly balanced. With that being said, there is nothing wrong with being "clean."

The pacing and plot flowed naturally. Haunted by a klepto ghost, finding new love, and trying to fit into a new school are enough to create page-turning conflicts, juicy twists, comical situations, and a happy ending. So yeah, I basically LOVED it!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you so much, Aprilynne and Harper Collins for giving me the chance read this brilliant, funny, romantic adventure months before it comes out.

Click on the above Amazon link to pre-order today. You won't be disappointed. :)

2nd Sunday Savor: Getting back to writing

I found this fabulous little video on the Official The Host Facebook page. Stephenie Meyer's is one of my favorite authors and a huge inspiration for me. Take a look.

I like the part where she talks about how hard it is for her to get back to the world she's creating when she is pulled out and that it takes about two weeks before she can start writing again. This is something I battle with as a writer and I'm sure I'm not the only one. Loved hearing a successful published author like her struggles with this as well.

Speaking of writing, I've got a kissing and fight scene waiting for me. Catch you all next week. Until then here's another jewel of advice from Stephenie Meyer:

3rd Sunday Sweet: Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs.

Last summer at RWA, I had the privilege of meeting the fantastic Tera Lynn Childs as well as attend a YA workshop taught by her and Sophie Jordan. A while ago, Sweet Venom was free on Kindle and I downloaded it. The book sat in my archive for a couple of weeks before I started reading. Once I did I couldn't put it down.

It's written in intense first person kind of like Hunger Games and I was in the story from page one. The writing is fabulous. Sweet Venom is the tale of triple sisters, separated at birth, who happen to be descendants of Medusa, and their destiny is to keep the monsters popping up all over San Fransisco in check.

Grace, the eco-geeky sister, is my favorite. I love that she is sweet but tough when she needs to be. Gretchen is the badass sister that has been doing the fighting the longest and has known her destiny before the other two. Greer is the preppy snobby girl you want to hate, but at the same time can't help but love because underneath all the layers of the high class society she's grown up in she has a heart of gold. I loved how each sister's POV tells a new facet of the story. I felt the sadness, joy, and sacrifice these girls experienced as they embraced their destiny.

This fresh take on Greek mythology is full of adventure, excellent character development, and sprinkled with sweet little bits of romance. Reminded me alot of the Percy Jackson series but less middle grade. When I finished the book I bought the sequel Sweet Shadows. Didn't start it till last week and it's just as good as the first. I'm trying to pace myself because I HATE waiting for the next book... My strategy is not working very well...

You can get your own copy here. Totally worth it.

1st Sunday Snippet: Life After Theft Teaser #2 + ARC winner

WOW!!!! You guys rock. Thank you everyone who entered the Life After Theft ARC giveaway. You all have made this such a fun contest. According to Random.org the winner is:

Emily Jane! Please check your email today. :)

Thanks again and a ginormous thank you to Aprilynne Pike and HaperCollins for making this possible. Okay and here is the next promised teaser:

“Stop! Stop!” Kimberlee melted through the wall with her hands over her eyes. “Put the razor down. Do you really shave?” she asked, peeking through her fingers.

I pointed to the razor with my best ‘duh’ look.

“No, I mean do you have to shave? You get stubble and everything?”

“Yeah.”

“Lemme see.” She leaned close and studied the fringe of hair on my chin and around my mouth. “That’s sexy, you can’t get rid of that.”

“But the dress code says no facial hair.”

“Oh, please. They won’t bust you for stubble.”

“Why would I want stubble?”

“Girls love stubble. If you can grow it, it shows you’re more virile.”

I rolled my eyes. “Do you even know what that word means?”

“Capable of performing sexually as a male,” she said proudly. “I looked it up.”

I looked at my chin in the mirror and my thoughts flashed to Serafina. That wrestler guy yesterday probably had a little stubble too. “Virile. You know, I’m feeling virile.”

“Whatever—do your hair.”

I took a comb and parted my hair then brushed it back with my fingers.

“You’re kidding me.”

“What? It’s the messy look.”

“I know the messy look, Jeff, and that is not it. Do you have any gel?”

Last straw. “Listen, I am not changing my hair. If you want me to help you, you take me the way I am or no deal.”

Kimberlee folded her arms across her chest. “Whatever,” she said. “But if no girl will touch you, don’t say I didn’t try.”

It took fifteen minutes of coaching before Kimberlee was satisfied. I wasn’t convinced. I had pokey spears on one side with a flattened patch on the other and bits of crunchy bangs were hanging down over one eye. “I look like an idiot.”

“No, you look hot!”

“I don’t know Kim, maybe—”

“Kimberlee.”

“Kimberlee. Maybe this really isn’t the look for me.”

“Trust me. You’ve never looked better.”

Trust Kimberlee? Every instinct rebelled against that thought, but what choice did I really have? Kimberlee was born and raised in Santa Monica and based on what I’d skimmed from her Internet presence—yes, I did more Googling—she apparently was the queen of Whitestone for almost three years before the riptide cut her reign short. I had nothing.

Besides, I’d spent so long on my hair I only had ten minutes to get to school. No time to start over.

Life After Theft Cover Reveal

First I want to give Aprilynne a HUGE THANK YOU for giving fangs, felines, fins, & fun fiction this awesome opportunity. And here it is, folks. Let me give you a moment to savor the beauty of this fabulous cover... Click to image to enlarge.

Breathtaking...gorgeous...

Okay so as promised I'm hosting an ARC giveaway for Life After Theft. Here are the rules:
CONTEST CLOSED.
1. Post a comment below with an email address where I can get a hold of you should you win.

2. This giveaway is open everyone. (International Folks too) :)

3. Giveaway ends Midnight Nov 3 PST. I will randomly draw a winner then and will announce the name on Sunday Nov 4.

4. Check back on Nov 4 to see if you're the lucky winner and read another exclusive teaser from Life After Theft.

5. If you have won and I have not heard from you by Wednesday Nov 7 by 3pm, I will draw another winner.

6. Once I have you're mailing information, I will pass it to Aprilynne and she'll get you the ARC.

Best of luck to you! Thanks again Aprilynne.

Added: In the meantime be sure to check out the teaser posted on Sunday if you haven't already. :)

3rd Sunday Sweet: Well sort of...

Okay, somehow I managed to get my blog schedule ahead by a week. Everything is sort of cockeyed. Sadly, I didn't notice this until now and I apologize for the confusion. There is a perfectly good reason behind this, though, but one I can't share right now because I have something so much bigger to announce.

You all know how I adore Aprilynne Pike and her awesomeness. See here, here, here, & here. A few months ago when she announced Life After Theft, a book she started working on back in 2006, was going to be published next year, I got really excited. Here is an author who has already published a best-selling series, but is finally going to see her "baby" out there on the shelves. If that's not inspiration, I don't know what is. I remember reading about her writing LAT and thinking "Gosh, I really hope she publishes this because it sounds like a fun story." Well, folks the wait is almost over.

Though the book doesn't officially come out til April 2013, Aprilynne has graciously allowed me to share a teaser from Life After Theft with you all exclusively on fangs, felines, fins, & fun fiction. But wait, there is more....

She's also allowed me to do a cover reveal AND wait for it...


wait for it...


wait for it...


You ready for this?


An ARC giveaway. Yes, you read correctly. AN ARC GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!

Have I mentioned how awesome Aprilynne is??? The cover will be revealed Tuesday October 23 and the ARC giveaway contest rules. Check back in a couple of days and be sure to bring your friends too.

Okay enough blabbing. Here is what you've all been waiting for and without further ado, let me present a snippet from the long awaiting Life After Theft:

When we reached what looked like the face of a mini-cliff she took two running steps and jumped, and basically floated into the cave.

I was stuck ten feet below. “You suck,” I shouted.

“Wimp. There are handholds all the way up. That’s how I did it when I was alive.”

I found a ledge for my foot and stepped up to reach for one with my arms. In a few seconds I had four limbs on little ledges and was sure I looked like a bug clinging to the wall for dear life—all of three feet above a sandy beach. I looked up to Kimberlee for help. She was staring out at the sea. A gust of wind made her skirt flutter suddenly, giving me an eyeful. I froze, lost my balance, and slid down the rock. Or, more accurately, fell sprawling into the sand.

“Perv,” Kimberlee said with a sinister laugh that made me remember that wind couldn’t touch her clothes. Only Kimberlee had any effect on Kimberlee’s clothes.

“Don’t do that again,” I said darkly. At least not while I’m clinging to the side of a cliff. Without looking at Kimberlee I started to climb again, more carefully this time. It took me about three tries and at least ten minutes, but I made it. I peered back down at the beach. The climb looked a lot shorter from up top. “Okay,” I said as I scrambled to my feet. “Where’s the stuff?”

She tilted her head to the back of the cave. I turned and blinked, letting my eyes adjust to the darkness. When they finally did, my jaw dropped.

There must have been a hundred boxes stacked in the back of the cave, which was way deeper than I’d expected. “A few things? A few things! Are you insane?” My voice echoed through the cave, repeating my words back to me.

“Jeff . . .” Her voice was uncharacteristically quiet.

“This is ridiculous. You lied to me.”

“I did not.”

“No one in their right mind would ever classify this as ‘a few things.’ You lied to get me up here and hoped you could just flutter your eyes and it would be all better. Well, it’s not.” I backed away from the massive pile of boxes. “I’m not doing this.”

“Jeff . . .”

“I should call the cops,” I said as I backed away. No way could I return all this stuff on my own, not in any reasonable amount of time. “I’ll bet they could—”

“No!” Kimberlee shouted, running after me. “They’d just confiscate it all. Then I’d be stuck here forever! Jeff, please.”

“No. I’m leaving,” I said, as much to myself as to Kimberlee, “and I am not coming back.” I looked over the edge and tried to find the handholds I had used climbing up. It’s only ten feet. Just jump! I let myself down as far as I could while holding on to the ledge, then tried to fall slowly. My feet hit the sand a moment before my ass did. My tailbone stung, but at least I was out of the klepto cave. I looked over at my car and forced myself to walk calmly instead of running—which would probably make me fall and look like an idiot.

Again.

Kimberlee was right beside me. “They’re organized,” she pleaded. “It’ll be easy. A bag for each person. The boxes are sorted by category. A couple of trips and we’ll be done.”

By category? “A couple of trips? A couple of trips? Maybe if I had a semi. That,” I said pointing up at the cave, “is a lot of stuff, Kimberlee. You have a problem.”

“Had.”

“What?”

She shrugged. “Can’t do it anymore, can I?” She laughed shakily for a few seconds before falling silent.

 

3rd Sunday Sweets: Innocent Darkness by Susan Lazear

I met the lovely Suzanne Lazear at RWA last summer and instantly preordered Innocent Darkness for my Kindle. When it arrived, I dove right in.

As the title implies, this YA is pretty dark. Since it's steampunk the story takes place during the Victorian era when many freaky things happened, most people don't talk about.

Noli, the heroine, is sent to a reform school in San Fransisco after being caught flying a car illegally (illegal because she's a girl and she doesn't have a license.) There's some pretty scary things that happen there, like water-boarding and other "treatments" that are considered barbaric this day and age.

However she escapes the hellish prison into the faerie world through a portal where she is trapped by Kevighn, the high faerie queen's huntsman. There's a little love triangle that's formed between Kevighn and Steven, her neighbor from back home in LA. Noli is thrown into all sorts of challenging situations and adventures.

So what did I think?

For being my first steampunk, it wasn't too bad. I think this book is a great intro to the genre for people who have never read before and would like to try it out. The faerie element is much stronger than the steampunk. The old lore is beautifully woven throughout. Reminded me a lot of the Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr, but with a steampunk spin. Yes, the story is dark, but there is a sweet innocent undertone which lightens the book a bit.

The romantic elements are very strong and though the book is PG, there is a scene that is a bit steamy and not the in punk kind of way.

Though I found some of the twists predictable, I enjoyed fun ride. The imagery was stunning and I felt like I took a trip through the Otherworld. Looking forward to reading book two. Hello, I need to know what happens to Noli, Steven, & Kevighn!!! 

You can purchase your own copy here.

3rd Sunday Sweet: The Dark Divine

I'm going to keep this post short because I actually have a ton of writing to do today. However, I did want to share with you my review of Bree Despain's The Dark Divine.

I first heard of Bree during one of Farland's Author Advisory call's where Robin Weeks interviewed "the Six." Click here to listen to that interview.
I started following her and Brodi Ashton on Twitter. In March of this year Bree tweeted that her first two books: The Dark Divine and The Lost Saint were on sale for .99 on Kindle. Me, being the bargain fiend that I am, jumped right on it. I was a little skeptical whether I would like the story or not because it's about a pastor's daughter and family. Yawn. I thought, but hey .99 isn't a great loss and I have a pretty open mind even though religion in fiction tends to irritate me (for reasons I won't go into, this is a blog about writing and fiction, not about personal religious preferences). But take a look at that cover. SEXY! Wouldn't you want to read that? Or at least want to buy that color of nail polish?
So I started reading the first book, Dark Divine, and the more read the more I was drawn into the story. Not only were the characters compelling multidimensional people I wanted to know more about, but I also was intrigued by the mythos Bree created. Her fresh take on the classic werewolf was a nice change. The plot was evenly paced and kept me wanting to read more.
Grace Divine's journey is beautifully portrayed as is Daniel's, the boy next door. The story is wonderfully written and to my surprise I really enjoyed it and I look forward to reading the rest of the series. (FIRST, I need to finish my book, 'cause RWA is in less than two weeks. SQUEAL). From a writer's perspective, I think this book is a perfect example of a well crafted YA novel with the right amount of romance, suspense, and adventure sprinkled throughout.
Check it out for yourself by clicking here. And if you are not following Bree on Twitter, you should do that too. :)
Thanks again for stopping by. *closes internet, puts headphones on, cranks Enigma, and types away*

April Awesomeness: Inara Scott & The Marked.

CONTEST CLOSED.

Today is extremely special to me, because I am featuring my very first blog guest and she happens to be someone who has been and continues to be very instrumental in my writing career.

I met Inara Scott in 2010 at a book fair when I first spotted her YA novel The Candidates (which became The Talents, same book different title and cover) across the room and I knew I needed to read it. We ended up chatting and she suggested that I join RWA and the local chapter Rose City Romance Writers, which I did- the best decision EVER!

She's encouraged and supported me throughout my ups and downs in the pursuit of becoming a published author. Because of her kindness and generosity, I've come this far and haven't given up yet.

This spring I had the pleasure if reading The Marked, which is the squeal to The Talents, before it even came out and boy did she deliver on the second book as well. Loved! Here is a link to my review on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/review/R2K0MYVGM9ICOU

So it is with great pleasure to welcome you, Inara. Thank you so much for coming and visiting with the fangs, felines, and fins.


Inara: Thanks for having me on your blog!

MT: So we'll start with a few questions. What inspired you to write The Delcroix Academy series?

Inara: I had always been an avid fantasy/sci-fi reader as a kid, and it occurred to me that all of the books in that genre seemed to pit a perfect good guy against a perfect bad guy. I wanted to explore a situation in which the good and the bad weren't black and white. The story was also inspired by the time when I wrote the book (2005-2006), when the United States was in a war with Iraq, and there was a lot of talk about preemptive strikes and government surveillance.

Originally, the book was titled "Taking Sides," because that's what I wanted my heroine to be forced to do--pick sides in a very complex and grey world of superpowers (with negative consequences) and cute boys (neither of whom were perfect). 

MT: Picking sides in a grey world is challenging no matter the age and you really did bring that out in both books, especially in The Marked. I first read The Candidates before it became The Talents, is there a difference between the two and why the name change?

Inara: No, the books are identical (except, of course, The Talents is paperback and The Candidates is hardcover). My publisher wanted to make the change to communicate a little more about what the book was about--they felt "The Candidates" didn't tell readers that this was a book with a paranormal aspect.    

MT: I personally LOVED  The Candidates cover. It's what drew me to the book and made me want to read it, but I have to agree the new covers do match the story better. So did you listen to music when writing The Marked? If yes, what songs/artists fueled the creative juices?

Inara: Actually, I'm sorry to say that I really can't listen to music when I write. I guess I'm just too distractable! If I listen to music with words, I end up singing along, and then I don't get anything done. :-) I do occasionally listen to Indian or French pop tunes when I'm writing, because then I have no idea what they are singing. But even that's a challenge for me.

MT: *laughs* That's funny, cause I'm completely the opposite. I HAVE to have good tunes to power through a scene especially if there's major action. Speaking of which, if you could have any super power or "talent" which would you choose?

Inara: I would really like to be able to breathe under water. My name means "mermaid" in Latvian, and I'm a huge swimmer. As a kid, I really thought maybe someday I'd be able to hang out with the fishes. I still kinda hope that's true... 

MT: Oh my, I'm going to have to steal your name for my mermaid series. Let it be known I have claimed it first. Last but not least, when is book 3 coming out? *nervously taps foot*

Inara: Gah! I don't know! I have made a pledge to myself and my readers that I will write book 3, but it's been a really crazy year and I haven't done it yet. But I will. Promise. :-) 

You heard her folks. She promised to write it and we're going to hold her to it. Thanks again, Inara, for stopping by. 

ALRIGHT!!!! Now comes the fun part. Yup, I have a set of The Talents and The Marked  to give away. Here are the rules:

1. Follow this blog. You will need to follow the blog in order to do the next step. 
2. Leave a comment below with an email address or where I can find you on the internet such as Twitter, Facebook, etc.
3. Share: tweet, facebook, blog, email, knock on your neighbors door, and you could even tell your dog or cat. What four-legged friend doesn't like an action-packed YA thriller?

I'm keeping it plain and simple.  CONTEST ENDS SUNDAY APRIL 22 AT NOON & IS FOR USA/CANADA RESIDENTS ONLY. I will announce the winner soon thereafter. Now go forth and spread the word.

Good Luck!

4th Sunday Surprise: March Madness

And I'm not talking about:

No I'm referring to the craziness of the month of March. Though hectic I enjoyed every minute, expect for the cold and sore throat two weeks ago--NOT cool.

The month kicked off with Kristina McMorris book signing event at Barnes and Noble. Which was super awesome! I love this girl and her books.

Shortly thereafter my favorite author came to Powell's and of course I had to go see her, because she is one of the coolest people I've ever had the privilege of meeting. Anytime I've emailed Kim Harrison (aka Dawn Cook) a question about writing or whatever, she's always been so gracious and replied. Not only is she a fabulous person, she writes a killer series. If you haven't checked out The Hollows Series, you are so missing out.

Then came lots of studying and juicing. (Have to feed the brain!)

I passed the final with an A! To celebrate I went to the midnight showing of the movie I've been anticipating for since November, when I picked up the first book.

11:15 sleepy, but so excited to watch this wonderful adaptation to the best YA novel I've read since Twilight. Have you guys seen it yet? What did you think?

Even though I've had a full month, it's not over yet. Next weekend I'm going to the Spring Intensive which a writer conference here in Vancouver, Washington. I'm sure I'll have lots of industry info to share with you all next week.

Cheers,

Melania

3 Sunday Sweets: Paradise 21

What can I say about this fantastic novel? The plot blew my mind to the far reaches of the universe. The setting took my breath away. The characters stole my heart. And the love story warmed my soul like delicious cup of hot coco on a rainy cold night. Aubrie Dionne has crafted the perfect Sci-fi novel. You won’t find any corny cheesy moments. It is so visually enticing you’ll forget you’re on planet Earth. 

The moment I picked up the novel, my inner sci-fi fiend swelled with inexplicable happiness. Though categorized as a romance, the book is written so well that even hardcore sci-fi-loving men would thoroughly enjoy the adventure.

Paradise 21 contains all the elements that make an excellent space adventure. There’s a desert planet with reptilian alien creatures and sand worms. (Dude, you can’t have a dessert planet without sand worms! Just sayin.)  There’s space pirates and alien ships. You’ve got a totalitarian human society on a ship traveling towards a new planet to populate after Earth has been completely destroyed by humans.  Then there’s a girl desperate to seek freedom from this controlled environment and a man searching for a way off the desert rock. When she crashes on his planet things explode.

And I’m going to stop there, because I think you need to go out and buy it TODAY. Even if you’re not a sci-fi nerd like me, I still think you’ll enjoy the story. So what are you waiting for? Click here to order your own copy.