Drip Drop Teardrop Ebook

Hey folks,

I've been busy today, sneaking peeks at Kate's (or should I say Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge) wedding dress which was absolutely stunning, she looked very beautiful, and deciding to push the release of the ebook version of Drip Drop Teardrop, a Novella, forward. The paperback release still remains as May 9th 2011, but I've uploaded the ebooks on kindle and smashwords so the novella should be available to download in a few days. I'll post here as soon as it's up and running and ready to purchase :-)

Sam x

Books in May

With May just around the corner, here are some great YA books to look out for...

Lost Without You
by Amanda Hocking

amazon - May 2011

A young adult suspense novel from the author of the Trylle Trilogy.

When teenager Bryna Lewis disappears from a street dance, Ferris Epstein leads their friends on a desperate search to find her.

As a fan of Hocking I'm looking forward to this one; it sounds a little different from her other works. Plus I love the beautiful cover art, created by Claudia McKinney, the cover artist for my own novel, Slumber.

A Monster Calls

by Patrick Ness, Siobhan Dowd

amazon - Hardback £6.69 May 5th 2011

The monster showed up just after midnight. As they do. But it isn’t the monster Conor's been expecting. He's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the one he's had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming... The monster in his back garden, though, this monster is something different. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor. It wants the truth.

Costa Award winner Patrick Ness spins a tale from the final idea of much-loved Carnegie Medal winner Siobhan Dowd, whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself. Darkly mischievous and painfully funny, A Monster Calls is an extraordinarily moving novel of coming to terms with loss from two of our finest writers for young adults.

Patrick Ness is one of my favourite authors, perhaps even thee one, so I can't wait to get my hands on this one. Sounds brilliant.

Divergent

by Veronica Roth

amazon - paperback £6.19 May 3rd 2011

One choice can transform you. Pass initiation. Do not fail…
Thrilling urban dystopian fiction debut from exciting young author.

In sixteen-year-old Beatrice Prior’s world, society is divided into five factions – Abnegation (the selfless), Candor (the honest), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent) – each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue, in the attempt to form a “perfect society.” At the age of sixteen, teens must choose the faction to which they will devote their lives.
On her Choosing Day, Beatrice renames herself Tris, rejects her family’s group, and chooses another faction. After surviving a brutal initiation, Tris finds romance with a super-hot boy, but also discovers unrest and growing conflict in their seemingly “perfect society.” To survive and save those they love, they must use their strengths to uncover the truths about their identities, their families, and the order of their society itself.

There are elements here that sound a bit like Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy; it will take a lot to be as good as Collins', but I think this sounds cool, and I like the cover - it stands out from the gothicism of YA covers at the moment.

 

Angel Kiss

by Laura Jane Cassidy

amazon - paperback £4.69 May 5th 2011

Jacki King is fifteen and adjusting to her new life in a small village. She's missing Dublin but she's making new friends: artistic Colin, feisty Emily - and Nick, gorgeous yet unavailable. But no sooner is Jacki settled than the torturous headaches and nightmares begin - followed by strange visions, voices and signs...Jacki refuses to believe that something paranormal is happening. But then she discovers the unsolved murder that occurred in the village years before ...

Angel Kiss sounds a little different from other books in this genre, and the cover is different too. Hopefully this will be a refreshing read.

 

Graveminder

by Melissa Marr

amazon - Hardback May 17th 2011

Melissa Mar is known to young adult readers as the author of the popular faery series Wicked Lovely. Her debut leap into adult fiction lands her in the small community of Claysville, a town where the dead walk free unless there their graves are not properly tended. Into this eerie maelstrom, Rebekkah Barrow descends as she returns to a place that she once believed she knew. Kelley Armstrong justly described Graveminder as "a deliciously creepy tale that is as skillfully wrought as it is spellbindingly imagined." A new genre author to watch.


Graveminder isn't YA but it's from the author of bestselling YA series Wicked Lovely, and I love how dark Melissa Marr can be in YA, so looking forward to her being able to stretch those macabre muscles in adult fiction. Really excited about this one.





Sam x

Book Gifts

This morning I woke up to a lovely surprise :-)
I received in the mail a gift from Simon Radcliffe and his book group from Portobello Library, as a thank you for my author visit. Now anyone who knows me, knows they gave me the best gift EVER!

Book Tokens :-D

Also anyone knows me, knows I can't sit on book tokens and vouchers for long at all; I immediately jumped into my car and set off for the nearest book store. Looks what I gots....

Dead Beautiful
By Yvonne Woon

amazon - paperback £4.61

On the morning of her sixteenth birthday, Renée Winters was still an ordinary girl. She spent her summers at the beach, had the perfect best friend, and had just started dating the cutest guy at school. No one she'd ever known had died. But all that changes when she finds her parents dead in the Redwood Forest, in what appears to be a strange double murder.

After the funeral Renée’s wealthy grandfather sends her to Gottfried Academy, a remote and mysterious boarding school in Maine, where she finds herself studying subjects like Philosophy, Latin, and the “Crude Sciences.”

It’s there that she meets Dante Berlin, a handsome and elusive boy to whom she feels inexplicably drawn. As they grow closer, unexplainable things begin to happen, but Renée can’t stop herself from falling in love. It’s only when she discovers a dark tragedy in Gottfried’s past that she begins to wonder if the Academy is everything it seems.Little does she know, Dante is the one hiding a dangerous secret, one that has him fearing for her life.

This may have been a case of 'oooh I love the green in this cover, that will look nice in my room' over the actual storyline, but Dead Beautiful was in my wishlist and has been receiving good reviews, so lookin' forward to it.

American Vampire
by Jennifer Armintrout

amazon - paperback £5.83

Welcome to Penance, Ohio - hell on earth! Graf's a vampire, and he loves it. He's free to indulge his every dark, dangerous and debauched whim. Until a road trip takes him somewhere he never expected. Now he's trapped in Penance, a town that no-one has been able to leave for five years. And he's stuck protecting Jessa who's beautiful, tempting...and very, very human! The townsfolk know she's tied to their troubles and don't look kindly on strangers, meaning Graf and Jessa have only each other to rely on. Which is making it harder for Graf to control his desire to devour her...But if he can keep his bloodlust in check, their bond could be the key to uncovering the secrets that lurk within Penance and delivering the town from it's curse.


This one caught my eye in the bookstore; liked the cover art, loved the title. I've read the first novel in Jennifer Armintrout's Blood Ties series and she's scary graphic in her description, so much so that I've been hesitant about reading the rest of the series... but I thought I'd give her another go with this new stand alone novel. It sounds like something out of Supernatural, so I'm liking the idea of it.

Angel
by L.A. Weatherly

amazon - paperback £4.79

Also released with different cover art and under the title ANGEL BURN.

In a world where angels are beyond redemption, Alex thinks he's found one that might deserve mercy. Alex is a ruthless assassin - of angels. Forget everything you've heard about them before. Angels are not benign celestial creatures, but fierce stalkers whose irresistible force allows them to feed off humans, draining them of their vitality until there is barely anything left. As far as Alex is concerned, the only good angel is a dead angel...until he meets Willow. She may look like a normal teenager but Willow is no ordinary girl. Half-angel, half-human, Willow may hold the key to defeating the evil angels. But as the hunter and the hunted embark on an epic and dangerous journey and Willow learns the dark and terrifying secrets of her past, Alex finds himself drawn to Willow...with devastating consequences. Eoin Colfer reinvented the fairy, Stephenie Meyer reinvented the vampire, L.A. Weatherly reinvents the angel! This is a heart-pounding, knuckle-whitening, paranormal romance action-adventure for fans of the "Twilight" series. This is the first in a devastating new trilogy.

Angel was at the top of my wishlist so I was really psyched to find it in the bookstore. I've heard great things about L.A. Weatherly. Moving this to the top of my TBR Pile.


A massive happy sigh of appreciation to Simon and the Portobello Teen Book Group. Thanks guys! I so enjoyed visiting with you and am really grateful for such a considerate gift.



Sam x

Dunfermline Carnegie Book Group

I can't believe it's taken me this long to cross the Forth Rail Bridge!

I crossed it yesterday (such a gorgeous day as well - note: I did not take the above picture) on my way to Dunfermline to visit the lovely ladies at the Dunfermline teen book group.

Settling into a museum room, surrounded by cartouches and mummies (rather fitting considering my next trilogy is based on Egyptian mythology) I sat and spoke to the girls about Lunarmorte, writing, my upcoming novels and the world of self-publishing. I tend to ramble. And I did.

It was such good fun though, and I even got a new author pic out of it. Jayne, who does photography on the side, is one genius librarian. Cheers Jayne!

I HATE getting my picture taken but Jayne somehow managed to make the process painless, and I got an updated author pic out of it. Yay!

As we sat and drank schloer and talked books, I was pretty much in my element. A big shout out to Becca, btw, who I don't think heard half of what was being said as she was too busy reading the copy of River Cast she'd just purchased from me. Can't argue with that. Cheers Becca, hope you enjoy it! :-)

We talked books, indie authors, writing in general and I gave a shout out to all the wonderful book bloggers, encouraging the girls to follow some of you guys if they want to be kept up-to-date on the newest and most exciting releases. I know you keep me right.

As I say I rambled. Books+Me = Rambling.

Thanks to Rona for being so supportive and organising the event :-)

Thanks for having me guys!

Be sure to check out their facebook page

Sam x

Interview and Giveaway

Hop on over to one of my top blogs, Once Upon a Twilight, to check out my author interview and to enter the giveaway their hosting for the chance to win either a signed copy of Moon Spell or Drip Drop Teardrop, a Novella!

ONCE UPON A TWILIGHT

Review and Giveaway

Hey guys,

Head on over to one of my favourite and most supportive bloggers, Mundie Moms, to read their 5 star Review of Blood Solstice, and to enter a giveaway for the chance to win a signed copy of Moon Spell and Drip Drop Teardrop, A Novella.

MUNDIE MOMS 

Sam x

Drip Drop Teardrop Giveaway

Fellow YA writer and awesome blogger Jamie Manning is hosting a giveaway for a signed copy of my upcoming novella, Drip Drop Teardrop. Head on over to his blog to check out my author interview with him and the details of entering the giveaway competition by clicking on the blog link below...

writers write, right?
















Sam x

Great Giveaway this way...

Hey guys,

One of the fantabulous blogs I follow (girlswithoutabookshelf) are doing an awesome giveaway in celebration of the Royal Wedding. If you want a chance at winning 5 brilliant YA Romances just click on the link below...

http://withoutabookshelf.blogspot.com/2011/04/giveaway-royal-wedding-treat.html


up for grabs...

Tris & Izzie (Mette Ivie Harrison)

Chain Reaction (Simone Elkeles)

Love Story (Jennifer Echols)

 Epic Fail (Claire La Zebnick)

The Vampire Stalker (Allison Van Diepen)

Lola and the Boy Next Door (Stephanie Perkins)

Illuminated (Erica Orloff)

Winter's Shadow (M.J. Hearle)

Jessica Rules the Dark Side (Beth Fantaskey)

Ripple (Mandy Hubbard)

 

 

I'm definitely entering. Thanks Dwayne and Hanna! Awesome giveaway!

 

 

 

 

Sam x 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hush Money

Weekly Book Recommendation time.
As an indie author it's great to be able to help promote other indie authors... this week my book recommendation comes from indie author Susan Bischoff. I downloaded Susan's debut novel Hush Money because of the good reviews it was receiving and also because it's so gosh darn cheap at £0.69...

Hush Money (Talent Chronicles #1)
by Susan Bischoff
amazon - kindle £0.69

Blurb
Be normal, invisible. Don’t get close to anyone. Kids with psychic abilities tend to mysteriously disappear when they get noticed. Joss has spent years trying to hide. Now she has an unasked-for best friend, who is the victim of an extortion plot by the school bully, who used to like Joss, who is best friends with her long-time crush, who is actually talking to her. Life just got more complicated.(taken from goodreads).

My Review
*****Awesome Read

I read a review somewhere that Hush Money was Roswell meets Smallville. I think that’s such an apt description; and as a massive Roswell fan I got really excited about reading this book.

It TOTALLY lived up to my expectations. Susan Bischoff is an excellent YA writer, and I’m pretty surprised this novel hasn’t been picked up by a traditional publisher. The characters are so well developed, their voices realistic and likeable, and the development of the relationships between them is nicely-paced.

Hush Money is told from Joss and Dylan’s perspectives. Unbeknownst to one another they have a crush on each other - Bischoff pulls this off with great panache. There’s nothing cheesy or cliché about their attraction to each other, and I loved how they actually grew to like each other over the course of the novel rather than having this instant connection I call the ‘soul mate phenomenon’ that’s so popular in this genre. I don’t mind the phenomenon, I just like a break from it sometimes, and Hush Money gave me that.
I particularly love Joss. She’s my kind of heroine. She’s a bit of a cool loner, with too much responsibility weighing on her shoulders. I loved that she wasn’t perfect, that she didn’t always make the heroic decisions, and that it took her a while to come out of her shell in that respect. It made her authentic - like a confused, scared teen would be. Also, for someone who's kind of introverted and has a massive crush, she reacted perfectly to Dylan whenever he spoke to her. It was great reading.

The plot itself is really different. Marco’s character is truly nasty, and all through the book I waited for him to get his comeuppance. I can’t wait to read the next novel to see what happens there.

There’s plenty of action in Hush Money; it’s a fast-paced plot - quick reading - with a modern prose that sucks you in until you’re addicted.
If you’re looking for something refreshing from your YA Paranormal books then Hush Money is definitely the one to pick up. Bargain download. It’s now on my favourites shelf!

Five Massive Stars!

I'm really looking forward to Bischoff's second novel in the Talent Chronicles series, Heroes Til' Curfew. I'm lovin' the cover art for it...

You can check out more about Susan Bischoff's novels at her blog http://susan-bischoff.com/



Sam x

A Night at the Ballet

I'm a huge fan of the arts, for many reasons, and one of them is because of the surprising ways you can be inspired. I love the Scottish Ballet for this reason, and always try to go along to their productions when I can. They are my favourite company; they're able to embrace the traditional and put on show-stopping performances of the classics, and they also like to push the boundaries of ballet, usually through the fantastic choreography of Ashley Page. My favourite programme by the Scottish Ballet was a four piece extravaganza - the Greek ballet, Agon, Shakespeare's Othello, a homage to artists of the Baroque period (Michaelangelo, Vermeer, Rembrandt), and my absolute favourite piece by Ashley Page, a homage to film director David Lynch (frickin' awesome, so clever).

Tonight I was in the audience of Alice, choreographed by Ashley Page. After tumbling through a camera lens, Alice finds herself in a strange dreamlike place. Drifting through episodes of Lewis Caroll's treasured stories, she meets a series of fantastical characters, who each impatiently try to teach her something, and guided by Caroll himself, she has to rely on her wits to find her way out.
It was really clever, abstract, funny and moving. My particular favourites were, well the White Rabbit in general - an incredible ballerina, and the costume was very cool. Also I loved the take on the caterpillar - an angry flamenco dancer who tries to teach Alice the spirit of latin dancing! My only little disappointment was the Cheshire Cat - it wasn't the dancer herself, just the direction; she was very feline and somewhat mischievous. But when I think of the Cheshire Cat I think a male dancer, arrogant, sarcastic and sinister. Hmm. Other than that though, props to the Scottish Ballet for putting on another wonderful interpretative programme. Afterwards all I wanted to do was come home and watch Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland but it's pretty late so it'll have to wait.
It is amazing what can inspire you though. I love different interpretations of classics like Alice in Wonderland and the Grimm fairy tales (massive Angela Carter fan in the house).
From the Greek tragedies and comedies, down the line to Shakespeare, Marlow, John Milton, The Grimm Brothers, H.G. Wells, Lewis Caroll, Tolkien, C.S. Lewis... there are so many wonderful contemporary novels written utilising basic plot threads from these genius authors. It is so hard to be truly, truly, truly original these days - possibly even impossible - but it's the being inspired and having a fresh interpretation on something that can make storytelling special.
I had a two hour escape into special tonight.
Notebook out... try and create some of my own kind of special :-p ... fingers crossed.



Sam x

Kindle Germany

Hey folks,

Just a quick post to announce that The Tale of Lunarmorte trilogy is now available to download from German Amazon...


AMAZON.DE


Yay!




Sam x

Mass Teaser Tuesday

In honour of Teaser Tuesday I felt like doing a mass teaser today. So below you will find not only teasers for The Tale of Lunarmorte Trilogy but also teasers for my upcoming releases Drip Drop Teardrop, a Novella and Slumber...

Moon Spell: Part One in the Tale of Lunarmorte

This teaser is from one of my favourite passages... makes me want to stretch...
pg 26-27

"Quickly, she removed all of her clothes, the night air cooling her anxious flesh.

And then, she let the change happen.

She felt the pain of her skin transforming; she could feel every piece of fur pushing through, and ironically, the pain was like that of someone pulling a strand of hair from your scalp - that unexpected wince … but thousands of winces all over your body. She relished the burning pain of her muscles stretching and straining as they reshaped. The almost satisfying cracking of her bones as they said goodbye to the girl and hello to the wolf. The way the rushing blood in her ears drowned out her surroundings as her heart grew larger in order to pump the extra that her other self needed. She watched her nose grow in front of her eyes into a long snout, felt the sharp watery pain of her eyes elongating, her vision defined and clear-perfect. Caia came down onto all four legs, enjoying how soft the ground felt against her hard, leather paws. Then she laughed, a hoarse animal sound, at the tickling sensation that was left over when the change was complete."

River Cast: Part Two in the Tale of Lunarmorte

Here's a rather ambiguous teaser from the second sequel...

pg 59

"Well, well, well, Marcus thought, watching as the lykan climbed into the truck with her mate. This was turning out better than he had thought. Marcus had tailed the tall female wolf from the city; following the scent he had found at his dead girlfriend’s body before the sun destroyed any evidence of Cora’s existence.

   He had thought to capture the lykan, torture her - perhaps even show her how a man of his species showed a female a good time.

   But this was better.

   Much better.

   The lykan took his female...

   Well, before Marcus killed her, he’d just have to kill her mate and make her watch while he did it."

Blood Solstice: Part Three in the Tale of Lunarmorte

This teaser is the beginning of a chapter in Blood Solstice that took me forever to write, but one that I probably enjoyed writing the most...

pg 9

"His heart thudded rapidly behind its thick-boned prison, the pulse in his neck throbbing with anxiety. He almost smiled at that. If he weren’t a vampyre his parents, Phaedrus and Xanthippe, would consider him an impossibly delicious meal with that vein pulsing them into temptation. Instead they looked up at him in bewilderment, their mouths and chin smeared thick with the blood and skin of the unconscious man in their arms. They sat crowded together on one of the pillowed kline’s in the andron where his father held Symposia in their home. The man’s feet dragged to the floor, the light chiton he wore coming undone from the obvious struggle he had undergone at the hands of Kirios’ parents. Blood stained the fabric and ran in rivulets from his masticated neck to puddle on the mosaic floor. Kirios watched as it spread into the expensive tiling, wondering how on earth they would explain the stain."

Drip Drop Teardrop, A Novella

I already put a shorter version of this teaser up a week or so ago, but I don't want to give too much away of the novella...

pg 85

“You get everything you need?”

She squealed like an idiot and whirled around to see him smirking at her. “JeSUS!” She glared at him and brushed past him, ignoring the sparks that shot down her arm where their bodies met.

Thumping down on to the sofa, she grabbed at the food tray and began digging in, glaring at him the whole time as he took the seat opposite her. She swallowed when he refused to look away. “You know this is all just a little too Virginia Andrews for my liking.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Meaning?”

“The clothes, the accessories, the shampoo!” Avery shook her head in disbelief. “It’s creepy, Brennus.”

Slumber

I am so excited about the upcoming release of Slumber, and it's not just because I'm in love with the cover. With Slumber I got to create an entire world and let my imagination run free. This teaser is taken from the prologue...

“It’s okay,” I whispered and made to reach for him, but his shirt slipped through my hands as he was whipped out of sight. I must have yelled - I don’t know - but I stumbled blindly after, him, back into a day that had suddenly turned grey; a day that had once blazed in a beautiful fire of heat and life. Now it was gone. And as my gaze found my brother, I realised even the last sparks of the embers had been snuffed out, leaving only the fire’s funeral shroud of smoke.

My brother’s small body lay at the feet of the cave, the dagger edged in blood from his neck slipping back into its place on the soldier’s belt.

The serpent stepped over my brother’s body and knelt before me.

“Say goodbye to your family, Rogan. A new one awaits you.”

The Tale of Lunarmorte trilogy is available to purchase (see buy my novels page). Drip Drop Teardrop, a Novella will be released May 9th 2011, and Slumber is due for release late June 2011.

Sam x

Jenny Pox

Weekly book recommendation time...
This week I picked up a fantastic novel by indie author J.L.Bryan. I haven't read a novel like this in a while (since Stephen King in fact), as it has more horror overtones, but it is a fantastic read, and pretty darn cheap too.

Jenny Pox (Jenny Pox #1)
By J.L.Bryan
amazon - kindle £0.69


Blurb

Jenny has a secret. Her touch spreads a supernatural plague.

She devotes her life to avoiding contact with people, until her senior year of high school, when she meets the one boy she can touch, and she falls in love.

But there's a problem--he's under the spell of his devious girlfriend Ashleigh, who secretly wields the most dangerous power of all.

Now Jenny must learn to use the deadly "Jenny pox" she's fought her entire life to hide, or be destroyed by Ashleigh's ruthless plans.

My Review
*****Awesome Read

Jenny has never been able to touch anyone without killing them.
Ashleigh is Jenny’s mortal enemy.
Seth may be the one person Jenny can turn to. He also happens to be Ashleigh’s boyfriend.

Jenny Pox is something different in YA paranormal. I think it may be more on the horror side of paranormal, with Stephen King influences (especially Carrie) and some gruesome detailing.

This definitely has to be one of the most well-written indie novels I’ve read. The beginning of the novel, with the scene when Jenny is little, pulled me in right away and I loved Jenny’s character almost immediately.
There’s something so charmingly ordinary about Jenny despite her affliction. Her pain and loneliness is incredibly heartfelt and well-written – J.L.Bryan slips in moments that break your heart, such as her reluctant befriending of a stray dog.
The said dog leads Jenny into discovering Seth.
Again, Seth’s characterisation is brilliant. The moments when he and Jenny hang out genuinely made me laugh, especially the scene with them at the haunted church on Halloween, it was hilarious. Seth and Jenny fit together perfectly; their romance is honest and authentic, and I loved every time they were on the page together.
Despite being irritated as all hell by Ashleigh (which is exactly how you’re supposed to feel) I loved J. L. Bryan’s inclusion of her voice in Jenny Pox. She’s such an epic and dastardly character; I couldn’t help but be in awe of her wickedness – she’s the villain of the century!

Jenny Pox moves along at an easy pace, with smooth prose and description so vivid and rancid, my stomach turned more than once, which I guess was the point. The novel is a crescendo of events, leading up to an explosive, ‘what the hell is going on?!’ climax. In a move of pure genius, Bryan then eases the reader down from the ‘OMGness’ of the last few scenes, and introduces the beginning of the answers to the strange powers in Jenny Pox; a montage of beautifully described memories that made me go ‘ooh that’s good’.

Jenny Pox may be supernatural, but the story I think essentially is all about the human good stuff – greed, power, love, hate, loneliness, purpose…

Awesome start to a series. Definitely on my favourites shelf.

Five Huge Stars.


Note: There is violence, sex and scenes of a disturbing nature in Jenny Pox so I’d recommend this for older readers.



*At only £0.69 this is a steal! If you have a kindle I recommend you add it to your library  :-)


Sam x

Sneak Peeks

I was out walking and decided to take a snap shot of the inn from Blood Solstice. If you haven't yet read Blood Solstice, don't worry, no spoilers. Suffice to say there is a creepy condemned inn in the novel, and that creepy condemned inn just happens to be right around the corner from my house in the village I live.

Here's the creepy condemned inn just to give you a visual...

I had been hoping for a gloomy day to take the shot but the last few days here have been surprisingly nice, so I chose to grayscale it instead. See oooh... spooky...

****

Drip Drop Teardrop, a Novella is only a few weeks from release now (can't wait). I've already mentioned that Drip Drop Teardrop is entirely inspired by the song 'Overload' by the Cardigans - if you missed that post click HERE. It's a character piece, completely different from the dramatic action of The Tale of Lunarmorte Trilogy, and I loved being able to just concentrate on lyricism and romanticism and gothicism - all the 'ism's'! Anyhoo, in celebration of it's upcoming release, check out this tiny sneak peek...

Drip Drop Teardrop, a Novella

"Avery had always imagined that if she found herself facing death she would be dignified. Stoic. Like Aunt Caroline. Chin up, eyes blazing with strength and resignation. That’s not the way it was. Avery was so scared her legs buckled and her chin trembled. Knowing you were going to die was terrifying. The helplessness was unbearable. She wasn’t ready. There was no peace. They lied. There was no peace."

"Thumping down on to the sofa, she grabbed at the food tray and began digging in, glaring at him the whole time as he took the seat opposite her. She swallowed when he refused to look away. “You know this is all just a little too Virginia Andrews for my liking.” 

He raised an eyebrow. “Meaning?”

“The clothes, the accessories, the shampoo!” Avery shook her head in disbelief. “It’s creepy, Brennus.” "

Sam x

Giveaways...

Hey folks,

If you're interested in winning a free signed copy of my books then check out the links below...

I've got giveaways on the site goodreads.com. To enter you need to be a member of goodreads, but if you're a bit of a bookworm it's a great place to join if you haven't already done so. There have been a ton of great books I've picked up that I might never have found if it weren't for goodreads. So head on over...

To win a signed copy of River Cast click HERE.

To win a signed copy of Blood Solstice click HERE.

To win a signed copy of Drip Drop Teardrop click HERE (there will be 3 winners for this one).

Keep your eyes peeled because I will be announcing a few other giveaways at the end of the month.


Sam x

P.S. I'd also like to give a big shout out THANKS to Rachel @Fiktshun, who so generously hosted (and provided the copies herself!) a quick giveaway last night for Moon Spell on Kindle. I hope the winners enjoy the book!

Another Happy Dance

Last month I did a post about how great I thought the casting choice for the character of Katniss in The Hunger Games adapation was - Jennifer Lawrence. If you didn't see the post just click HERE.

Well it just got better!

They've now announced whose playing Peeta and Gale.

Gale - is Liam Hemsworth

Now I've never seen this Australian actor in action before, so who knows! But if the next choice is anything to go by we're heading for movie magic...

Peeta is being played by Josh Hutcherson...

...The kid from Bridge to Terabithia who made me cry like a wuss for half an hour (I literally missed the end of the film. And I may have cried the second and third time I watched it too. I don't know why I keep watching it!). Anyway, I'm a fan and I think this is a perfect choice for Peeta.

Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss and Josh as Peeta.

This is fast becoming my most eagerly anticipated movie... nearly on Potter levels of anticipation :-o.
Don't let us down Gary Ross (Dir.) and Co!
No pressure or anything...


Sam x

Happy Dance

So far the reviews coming in for the Tale of Lunarmorte have been really positive and I am so chuffed.
Today I was reviewed by Rachel @ FIKTSHUN, whose blog I follow. This review literally made me do a happy dance.

It's great when someone not only gets the world you've created but loves it and wants to read the next books. And for me that's the scary thing. Because of course I want reviewers to give all my books great reviews but when someone reads my book and really, truly enjoys it, it becomes important to me that they read and love the next one and the next one - there is nothing worse than starting a trilogy or series that is awesome to begin with and then dribbles into the rubbish pile with the next couple of books. I would hate to do that to any of my readers who enjoyed Moon Spell. So fingers crossed, huh :-p

Anyway, I just had to share my happy dance. Rachel @ FIKTSHUN is an awesome reviewer and a great blogger.

You can check out her review HERE, and when you're there be sure to check out the rest of her blog, it's a great one to follow.

Sam x

It sucks to wait...

Book Bloggers have a post called Waiting on Wednesday where they each post which future book release they're most looking forward to. Last Wednesday I would have said Cassandra Clare's City of Fallen Angels, hands down (incidentally, I had to put it aside because as I began reading it, it had been so long since I'd read the first three I couldn't remember what the hell had happened and was really confused, so will need to start over), this Wednesday there are many books that come to mind (including my own upcoming novel Slumber - teehee) but I've narrowed it down... and I'm still stuck for choice...

Clockwork Prince (Infernal Devices #2)
by Cassandra Clare
Coming September 2011

Blurb

The Infernal Devices is a series of prequels to The Mortal Instruments series, set in 19’th century London. The story concerns 16-year-old orphan Tessa Gray, whose quiet life is thrown into turmoil when her older brother Nathaniel suddenly vanishes, leaving her alone. Her search for him leads her into Victorian-era London’s dangerous supernatural underworld, where warlocks throw masked balls for half-demon Downworlders. When Tessa discovers that she herself is a Downworlder, she must come to trust her natural enemies, the demon-killing Shadowhunters, if she ever wants to learn to control her powers and find her brother. Torn between the beautiful Will, a Shadowhunter who isn’t what he seems, and the devoted Jem, whose own deadly secret is slowly destroying him, Tessa must draw on all her strength to save her brother and keep herself alive in this deadly new world.

Clockwork Prince is the sequel to Clockwork Angel, a fantastically amazing stupendous book with one of the most beautiful covers ever - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Infernal-Devices-Clockwork-Angel/dp/140632132X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1302714914&sr=8-1

Bloodlines (Bloodlines #1)
by Richelle Mead
Coming August 2011

Blurb

When alchemist Sydney is ordered into hiding to protect the life of Moroi princess Jill Dragomir, the last place she expects to be sent is a human private school in Palm Springs, California. But at their new school, the drama is only just beginning.
Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, Bloodlines explores all the friendship, romance, battles and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive—this time in a part-vampire, part-human setting where the stakes are even higher and everyone’s out for blood.

Bloodlines is the first novel in the spin-off series from Richelle Mead's bestselling Vampire Academy series which just happens to be in my top five BEST SERIES EVER :-p

Honalee (Witches of Honalee #1)
by Amanda Hocking
Coming 2012 (hopefully sooner!)

Blurb

In the small midwestern town of Honalee, Hazel Panning and her best friend Molly Novak are determined to get through her sophomore year in one piece, despite the vicious cheerleaders and Hazel's ridiculous crush on Landon Hooper.

Life gets more complicated when Hazel realizes that she has a penchant for sorcery, like her aunt. Her plans to stay under the radar take a detour when she and Molly stand up for themselves, and Hazel gets the courage to act on her feelings for Landon.

Hazel discovers that the sleepy town of Honalee isn't so sleepy, and magic doesn't make high school easier.


Honalee is the first novel in indie (now traditional as well!) author Amanda Hocking's upcoming series, Witches of Honalee. I've enjoyed all of Amanda Hocking's novels. With her great characters and smooth prose, Amanda gives us indie authors a good name! I look forward to all her future works.

If you haven't read any of these authors previous works, you should give them a shot. They're all awesome. Indeed they are.



Sam x

The Scoop on Review Copies

Hey folks,

Just a quick post with some info. I've had a few emails coming in from good folks wanting a review copy of the Tale of Lunarmorte books, which is awesome - but just to post to save me having to repeat it (because I'm just that lazy :-p), I can't send review copies out to everyone who asks, although I'd love to! Of course I would, I'd be crazy if  I didn't. It just isn't financally possible at the moment.

I DO, however, send ebook review copies of the books out to legitimate book bloggers (UK & US only - because the books are only sold in these countries [I know people from the UK & US go on blogs hosted by other countries but it just becomes confusing for people who live in the host country and find they can't purchase a book reviewed by their countrymen - wow, I don't think I even understood that]), so if you're a book blogger whose interested in an ebook copy send me an email request at sam_young_scotland@yahoo.co.uk.

Sam x

Cover Reveal: Slumber

OK, so I know I just released Blood Solstice and I am uber excited about that and please go out and buy it (amazon US $2.99, amazon UK £2.14) :-p... but I have to post the cover art for my upcoming novel Slumber. I just received it from the artist today and I can't stop staring at it, I'm so in love with it.
The cover art is by Claudia McKinney @ http://phatpuppyart.com/ and the model is Julia Duffy @

http://jdomrose.com/. Phatpuppyart work is out of this world! You have to check it out.

 

So without further ado here it is...

 

 

 

What do you think????

You can check out more about the novel by clicking on the page for Slumber in the tabs above.

 

 

Sam x

Valiant

It's my weekly book recommendation time. This week I've chosen the second book in the bestselling trilogy, The Modern Faerie Tales, by Holly Black. All of the books are awesome but this one was my special favourite and can be read as a stand alone novel...

Valiant (The Modern Faerie Tales #2)
by Holly Black
paperback - amazon £4.44

Blurb

When seventeen-year-old Valerie runs away to New York City, she's trying to escape a life that has utterly betrayed her. Sporting a new identity, she takes up with a gang of squatters who live in the city's labyrinthine subway system.

But there's something eerily beguiling about Val's new friends. And when one talks Val into tracking down the lair of a mysterious creature with whom they are all involved, Val finds herself torn between her newfound affection for an honorable monster and her fear of what her new friends are becoming. (taken from goodreads.)







My Review
*****Awesome Read

When Val walks in on an unimaginable betrayal she heads off for New York City, G.I Jane’s her head, and hooks up with teens that live in an abandoned subway station; kids who have dealings with faerie and spend a lot of their time getting high on faerie medicine. When Val finds herself tumbling down their rabbit hole she lands in the middle of faerie espionage.

I LOVE this book. Valiant has that extra ‘something’ that Tithe didn’t, and I think it all comes down to Val, who is just a brilliant character.

Holly Black’s overall characterisation is excellent. Her teens are really damaged and she does an excellent job of describing their descent, never shying from the shocking downward spiral from teen delinquency to dangerous addicts. Through Val, a girl who (although she has her own problems) is a lot more together than Dave, Lollie and Luis, Black allows the reader to grasp the kind of power the faerie medicine, Never, has over them – because if it makes Val feel better about her life, then surely it’s understandable that it would make these three teen subway rats feel untouchable and untouched. From the height of their bliss Black brings them crashing down, her beautifully crafted prose seeping reality into the teens tenuous hold on the fae world, how the addiction narrows their perspective, and like real drug addicts takes them on dangerous roads through careless acts.

Like Tithe, Valiant is abstract and gritty, the fine nuances and gothic allusion to Alice in Wonderland and Billy Goats Gruff just pure genius for me. Moreover, I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed the Beauty and the Beast concept - Val’s attraction to Ravus. Even more clever, Black made Ravus attractive to me, the reader, despite his façade.

The plot itself is absolutely wonderful. We step outside of Kaye and Roiben’s story from Tithe and we follow Val’s journey from reality, to servitude to a troll, to valiant saviour of troll, to defender of the fae… where she journeys into Roiben’s world and shows him that sometimes mortals are braver than an entire seelie/unseelie court put together.

It’s hard not to love Val’s character. Despite her faults, despite how messed up she gets sometimes, she doesn’t judge a book by its cover. And once you have her loyalty, she’ll punch a stuck up high school girl in the face and even take on a faerie spy with only a glass sword and some savvy.

Love Love Love. Holly Black is my new Angela Carter.

Five Massive Massive Stars!


Sam x

Blood Solstice in Paperback

Hey folks,

OK, Blood Solstice is now out in paperback in the US, available to purchase from amazon for $8.99.
If you click on the Buy My Novels page, there are links to where the book is available to download.

Yay!

Sam x

Happy Mailbox!

I woke up this morning to a very happy mailbox surprise...

City of Fallen Angels (The Mortal Instruments #4)
by Cassandra Clare

paperback - amazon £4.99

If you haven't read the first three in Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series then find a bookstore now :-)
They're true adventure stories with elements of Harry Potteresque brilliance. While you're at it be sure to pick up Clockwork Angel (Infernal Devices #1) the first in the prequel series to The Mortal Instruments.


I feel like I've been waiting forEVER for this book and am now putting aside all others for it... :-p
















Sam x

Blood Solstice on Kindle

Blood Solstice is now available to purchase on amazon Kindle for $2.99/ amazon Kindle for £2.14.Will let you know when the paperback on amazon is available :-)

Sam x

Smashwords - Blood Solstice

Hey folks,


Just a quick post to let you know Blood Solstice is now available to download on smashwords for $2.99.
I will update to let you know when it's available from amazon :-)
Shouldn't be long now, though.



Sam x

Good News

Hey folks,

I'm upping the release date of Blood Solstice: Part Three in the Tale of Lunarmorte. It was supposed to release on April 15th but the release date is now changed to April 10th - the novel may even be available before then depending on amazon and smashwords. I'll let you know as soon as it's available for purchase.

What to expect from Blood Solstice

We finally find out who the hell Reuben really is!
We finally discover the truth behind the origins of the war.
The four perspectives used in River Cast (Caia, Lucien, Jaeden and Ryder) continues in Blood Solstice.
Plenty of action - it's nearly non-stop, that's a promise.
Crossed-wires.
Betrayal close to home.
Tragedy.
Badly timed humour :-p
Lots and lots of answers...
... and maybe a few more questions :-p

Coming April 10th 2011






Sam x

The Knife of Never Letting Go

Hey folks,

It's weekly book recommendation time and this week my recommendation is my favourite of 2011 so far and possibly one of my favourites ever...

The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking #1)
Patrick Ness
Paperback - £4.74

Book Description

Prentisstown isn't like other towns. Everyone can hear everyone else's thoughts in an overwhelming, never-ending stream of Noise. Just a month away from the birthday that will make him a man, Todd and his dog, Manchee - whose thoughts Todd can hear, too, whether he wants to or not - stumble upon an area of complete silence. They find that in a town where privacy is impossible, something terrible has been hidden - a secret so awful that Todd and Manchee must run for their lives.
But how do you escape when your pursuers can hear your every thought?

My Review
********** Genius

Todd Hewitt is only a month from his thirteenth birthday; his first day of his thirteenth year, signalling the day he becomes a man of Prentisstown.
In Prentisstown Todd is the youngest. Years before the spackle unleashed germ warfare against the human population, killing all the women, and causing the Noise – every man, creature and thing’s thoughts to become audible.
But when Todd comes across a patch of silence one day, his entire life changes in a minute. Soon Todd is on the run and discovering that everything he ever knew is a lie.

Wow. Where do I begin?
Perhaps at the beginning? I picked up The Knife of Never Letting Go because the title captured me completely. I wasn’t expecting the captivation to take such a full and complete hold on me as I discovered the wonders of Patrick Ness’ writing.
The prose is almost impossible to describe. As Ness pulled me into Todd’s narration I felt myself propelled forward through the story by sentences running into one another, emulating Todd’s fervent energy, fear and adrenaline. At other, quieter more poignant times, the prose broke down into short sentences, each beautifully written turn of phrase like an echoing pang in the chest.
For the most part, stories draw me in, make me laugh, cry, hate, love… but more often than not only ever in a superficial way.
However, The Knife of Never Letting Go truly moved me. I fell in love with the characters like they were my best friends; I was astounded by the science fiction of Ness’ universe as if I were discovering it along with Todd and Viola; the novel enveloped me so completely, I triumphed at Todd’s moments of triumph and my heart ached when Todd’s was broken.

This is a novel about choosing to be the kind of person you’re going to be, the pride, principle and honour that comes with that choice. And how sometimes we choose to become something we swore we wouldn’t if it means taking care of the people we love.

This a coming of age story like no other. And if you want action, adrenaline-rushed scenes, charming and funny narrative, characters so real you would swear you knew them, and writing so beautiful it almost hurts, then you MUST read The Knife of Never Letting Go.

10 STARS! It knocks right out of the 5 star rating stratosphere.


Sam x

P.S. Happy Mother's Day, mum :-)

Motispired

I'm motivated and inspired this week by...

                                       
Patrick Ness - genius writer (look out for my review of The Knife of Never Letting Go on Sunday for my weekly book recommendation).

Amanda Hocking - best selling indie author who just signed a contract for her new book series - she received a 7 figure sum after a bidding war between some of the biggest publishers in the US.

Jennifer Lopez - Her new single On the Floor gives me a burst of energy every time I listen to it. I literally just dance with my butt as I sit writing as it plays in the background - trust me it's possible.

Dunfermline Carnegie Book Group - This month I look forward to meeting the girls of the book group who have enjoyed reading Lunarmorte... it's egging on my excitement for the release of the final novel Blood Solstice.

The cover of Wither (Chemical Garden #1) - it's so gorgeous.

The Big C - Love Laura Linney. Everything she does is inspiring.

Book Bloggers - because they're awesome and take time out of their busy, busy lives to read my books!

And Jensen Ackles - because... he's just soooooo pretttttyyy. Yum.













Sam x