The Official Blog of Samantha Young

Indie Novels that have Rocked my Week

2012-02-22T00:00:00.000Z

While Scorched Skies (Fire Spirits #2) is with the editor I've found myself in a predicament. You see I don't generally like to work on two full-length projects at once so if I can't work on Scorched Skies I putter about restlessly chewing on ideas for other books but not really doing anything about it because I don't want to get lost in another world while I'm technically still in Ari, Jai and Charlie's. So... I decided to get caught up on my reading. My reading pile has gotten out of control recently because I haven't been able to get through it. It's been amazing to be able to pick up book after book these last few days and I decided to start with a few indies. Technically I was in the middle of one and I got to finish it at last and then blasted my way through two more.

Here's three indie novels that I've thoroughly enjoyed over the last few days...

Angelfall (Penryn and the End of Days Book One)

by Susan Ee

Kindle - £0.77

Book Description

It's been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.

Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.

Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.

Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels' stronghold in San Francisco where she'll risk everything to rescue her sister and he'll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.

My Thoughts

I loved this book so much I've actually ordered the paperback edition from the US. This is only £0.77 in the UK in kindle and $0.99 in the US. This is a whole lot of fantabulous novel for this price and genuinely gives traditionally published dystopian/post-apocalyptic novels a run for their money.

Macabre, raw, thrilling and suspenseful, Angelfall by Susan Ee is a truly exceptional and unique read. A dystopian supernatural novel and the first part in a new series, Angelfall starts with a bang and ends with a hook. I was pulled in from the very start with Angelfall by not only the intriguing and action-packed opening sequences, but by Penryn - the narrator and heroine - and her no-nonsense attitude. A compelling mixture of hardass ruthlessness and loyal compassion, Penryn is definitely up there with some of my favourite kickass YA heroines. Together, Raffe and Penryn are a hypnotic team, driving us through a dark, violent and mysterious new landscape with pure depth and brilliant characterization. For all those who like romance with their YA Ee does hint at it with a passionate subtlety that makes me eager for more. I simply cannot wait for book two. There is nothing else like Angelfall on my bookshelf!
Explosive stuff.

One Black Rose (One Black Rose #1)

by Maddy Edwards

Kindle £0.77

Book Description

Sixteen-year-old Autumn goes to stay with her friend Carley in Castleton, Maine, for the summer. All she’s expecting is a normal couple of months hanging out at the beach with friends. Nothing out of the ordinary was supposed to happen.

But as soon as she arrives she meets Holt Roth. Holt is unlike anyone she’s ever met before – and her reaction to him is even more unexpected.

Then she meets his friend, Samuel Cheshire. If her reaction to Holt was strong, her reaction to Samuel is shocking. The only problem is that he seems to hate her for no reason at all.

Not being able to choose between two guys is only the beginning of Autumn’s problems, because both Samuel and Holt are Fairy Princes, and Autumn is caught between her own desires and the Fairy Courts, who might cause her immeasurable pain if she makes the wrong choice.

My Thoughts

Like stepping into a modern, urban fairy tale, One Black Rose, is charming, enchanting and utterly romantic. With vivid depictions of Maine and the two families of the Winter and Summer Courts, I was instantly pulled into Maddy Edwards lush story. Easy, smooth, addictive prose, entertaining and authentic dialogue and a plot that transports the classic fairytale into modern teen fiction, I happily spent the day within the world of One Black Rose. As well as the awesome action-packed and glittering final chapters, my favourite element of the story was the aptly named heroine Autumn. Fiesty, stubborn, brave and fiercely independent it was excellent and refreshing to come across a YA heroine who continues to remain strong despite her supernatural bond to the two male protagonists. Speaking of which… I find myself in the unusual position of being completely on the fence: Holt or Samuel?! I don’t know! They’re both yummy. Mmm.

Great Read! Highly Recommended!
Already downloaded the next installment!

Gravity (The Eclipse Series Book 1 of 2)

By M. Leighton

Kindle £1.96

Book Description

Love is irresistible. Gravity is undeniable.

Holy men have foretold their birth for thousands of years. Supernatural creatures have awaited it for thousands more. Now, in the presence of an eclipse, three souls mature for a single purpose—to fight. They must fight for their lives, for their freedom and for the liberation of everyone possessed of a second nature.

********

Peyton Giles’s world is turned upside down when she learns that everyone in her life and in her school is much more than they appear, she most of all. Peyton is the one person in all of time and history powerful enough to bring peace to the darkness and to the light. Not knowing that her powers could kill her, however, Peyton nearly loses her life only to have her brother’s best friend save it. Drawn to him in ways she can’t explain, Trace is the one person that she literally can’t live without. Her soul is tethered to her world through her connection to him. Without it, she will die.

For the most part, Trace Kramer has always steered clear of his best friend’s sister. Until now. He never would’ve expected that Peyton would hold his life and his future in her hands the way she’s always held his heart. But she does.

Peyton and Trace soon learn that love and fate aren’t easier than duty and destiny, at least not when you’re being hunted. Together, they are more powerful than any other creature on the planet—and more valuable—but apart, neither can survive to fight for freedom, for the only life they’ve ever known and for the lives of everyone they’ve ever met.

Their need for one another is undeniable. Their love for one another is irresistible. But can it endure all that they must suffer?

My Thoughts

Fast-paced, intriguing, romantic and epically supernatural Gravity is the thrilling first part in M. Leighton’s brand new duology. Narrated by the funny, warm and incredibly likeable Peyton, Gravity grips the reader, propelling us forward through a mystery that continues to intrigue until the very last page.
I loved the sun and moon mythology and how creepy and insular the small town became as the truth of its purpose was brought to light. And of course my favourite element of the story was the characters - in particular Peyton and Trace. Leighton created chemistry between the two characters from literally the first page which is an incredibly difficult thing to do - it was fantastic to read! The two of them fairly sizzled throughout the entire novel.

With Peyton on the cusp of an epic battle with some truly wickedly cool powers I cannot wait to read book two!

Brilliant stuff!

Sam x

Everneath by Brodi Ashton

2012-02-21T00:11:00.000Z

Everneath (Everneath #1)

by Brodi Ashton

My Copy - Hardcover edition from the US - amazon.com $12.23

Is now available in the UK in paperback - amazon.co.uk £4.49 & Kindle £5.99

Book Description

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever.

She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen.

As Nikki's time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she's forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's...

My Thoughts
Stunning Read!

*side note - One of my favourite covers ever.

Wow. Breaking it down: over and above I absolutely loved this book. It’s one of my favourite reads of 2012 so far and definitely one of my favourite YA books ever. I picked it up a few hours ago and I literally couldn’t put it down until I finished, the story and the writing was so compelling and addictive. At the same time I found Everneath a really difficult read because my chest ached the entire time; the narration was so heartbreaking and the premise so bittersweet and dark. Brodi Ashton’s mythology is pure genius, I was captivated by her take on the Hades and Persephone myth and the underworld called ‘Everneath’ and the creatures that live there ‘Everlings’. It was just stunning and unique and so refreshingly wonderful to read. Narrator and heroine, Nikki, is exactly that - she’s courageous and pure of heart as is the love of her life, Jack. That sounds cheesy and perhaps a tad overdramatic but I assure they are anything but. In fact the love story was authentic, gripping and utterly heartbreaking. It’s one of the most real for me of all the love stories I’ve read in YA. I was actually choking back the tears a little at the end of this book. Not sure it’s one I could re-read over and over again but I am definitely desperate to read book two.

Beautifully dark and sweetly haunting. A must read!

Sam x

Scorched Skies: Teaser #5

2012-02-19T11:47:00.000Z

I found a teaser between Ari and Charlie with no spoilers! Enjoy...

"A knock at the door startled her and her heart started pounding fast against her ribs. Was that him? Oh God, oh God, oh God.

“Come in!” she called, trembling fingers smoothing down the front of her dress.

To her surprise it was Charlie who walked into the room. He was wearing a plain t-shirt and black pants instead of a ratty slogan shirt and knee-bitten jeans, and with his hair so short he looked older. Stronger. More appealing. Jerk.

“Whoa.” He drew to an abrupt halt, his dark eyes wide as they soaked in the sight of her. When his gaze finally returned to her face Ari was sure she was blushing like crazy. Charlie had never looked at her with such blatant interest before.

“Don’t look at me like that.” She squirmed uncomfortably.

“Then poke my eyes out because I can’t look at you any other way.” His eyes darkened with melancholy. “You look amazing.” "

Sam x

My TBR Pile - Indie Books

2012-02-18T16:07:00.000Z

My bookshelves (physical and digital) are just overflowing with unread novels because I haven't had the time lately to finish even one novel a week when before I was reading three to four a week. I've got some gems awaiting me as well.
I have a lot of awesome-sounding indie books on my shelves. Here are just a few I can't wait to get around to reading...

Gravity by M. Leighton

Goodreads Link

£1.96 kindle edition

Wrecked by Elle Casey

Goodreads Link

£0.77

Sacred Bloodlines by Wendy Owens

Goodreads Link

£1.96

One Black Rose by Maddy Edwards

Goodreads Link

Free on kindle at the moment

I've read a few of M. Leighton's other novels and am a firm fan, so totally excited to read Gravity. I haven't read anything by Elle Casey, Wendy Owens or Maddy Edwards but their books sound great. Can't wait to read them!

Sam x

From Pauper to... Less So. Sharing is Scary but it can help!

2012-02-17T13:24:00.005Z

I’ve already mentioned on the blog that I was unemployed when my books started earning me enough that I could begin writing full time. Anyone who has been unemployed knows how soul crushing the experience is. It batters your self-esteem and it can batter your motivation. Writing was my saving grace.

It’s difficult for anyone to be in that dreaded unemployment status and with unemployment levels at an all-time high no one knows that better than folks right now. For me, being unemployed made me feel all kinds of a failure. Mostly I felt disillusioned and disenchanted.

My parents are extraordinary folks living ordinary lives. My dad is a tanker driver and my mum works in retail. We didn’t have fancy holidays or fancy cars growing up but my parents gave us everything they had and more, including genuine interest in our lives. From the moment I could say the word school my mum and dad drilled it into me that I was going to university. I would be the first on either side of our immediate family to go to university.

I did everything I was supposed to. I worked my ass off in school, got great grades. I jumped into university as soon as I graduated high school and everything about it felt all wrong. Wrong degree, wrong classes, wrong university. So I left and this was the first time I found myself unemployed. It was crushing. After months of struggling to find a job (no one wanted to hire an inexperienced high school graduate who had only ever worked in a bakery and a supermarket) I was smiled upon by one of my best friend’s relatives who gave me a good job in administration with a big Scottish financial company. I was taken on with the understanding that I would be leaving in a year to attend the University of Edinburgh.

I loved my first year in uni. I moved into student housing, met loads of great people (particularly some awesome American and Canadian friends I lived with that year), let my hair down for the first time, and met a friend for life - hey Kate McJ! It was all fun and games until I realized I’d spent all my student loans and still had no job to support living expenses in one of the most extortionate cities in the UK. Second year was… bad. I don’t come from a well-off family who could support my living in the city. They would have loved to have been in a position to do that (and believe me they went without when I phoned home saying I had no money for food that week - my parents are AMAZING) but they weren't. I moved into a flat with my best mate and that was all hunky dory except it was expensive and I still had all my school books to buy. Thankfully I managed to get a job with a cab company that year but by the end of the year I was in hell. I was working 25 hours a week on backshifts, taking abuse from drunken callers every weekend, and hiding how utterly miserable I was. During the week I studied, went to class, wrote essays, and at the weekend I worked nights and slept during the day. I had no life and still not enough money to eat. Beans on toast became the staple diet. Or falafel. Mmm falafel.

For my third year, after having a bit of a breakdown during a trip home, we realized I had to move back home to Stirlingshire and commute to uni. Third year was horrible for a number of reasons that I won’t get into it. But uni-wise it was very difficult to have much of a social life when you don’t live there anymore (and I’d already isolated myself in second year - not from Kate McJ though - Hey Kate McJ!) and I was still working at the cab company too (although on reduced hours). But… being home in a peaceful village did something for me. That story about Greek mythology and werewolves I’d been working on a little here and there for the past few years started to form into an actual book. So when I graduated I decided to finish it. Still working part time at the cab company, trying to find a full time job, I had extra time on my hands and the Lunarmorte trilogy just spilled out of me page by page, day by day. By the time I found a job with the police I had been published by a small press. I organized school visits, talking to students from high schools in my area, and book groups at libraries. It was nerve wracking for someone who’s shy of public speaking but I got used to it and it was really fun. It took my mind off the mountain of debt I’d accumulated as a student and the bad choices I’d made that made me feel like an utter failure. It felt like all that hard work at school for years hadn’t gotten me anywhere. My friend who I’d worked with as an administrator before leaving for Edinburgh Uni was making more money than I was -my thought process of course was ‘if I hadn’t gone to uni I wouldn’t have all that debt and I’d be making good money and be living in a home of my own’.

But then…. I’d probably have never written the Lunarmorte trilogy.

At the end of 2010 I discovered Amanda Hocking and Joe Konrath. I researched everything they’d done to make a success of self-publishing and I thought… ‘I can do that’. Or at least I can try. I bought my rights back to Lunarmorte Book One -retitled it Moon Spell, finished Book #3, edited them all and started self-publishing at the end Feb 2011. By then budget cuts had come into play at the police and I’d been let go. After a temping job ended I was once again without employ.

And I seriously don’t know how I would have gotten through those months without writing. My parents kept a roof over my head, I had red letters in the post that made me sick to my stomach, and I was on benefits. I went to interviews that seemed to go well but only ended in disappointment and I couldn’t believe that the girl who used to make my parents so proud with A’s and educational awards was such a complete mess.

I think I fuelled the anger I felt into my writing, churning out dreamworlds that helped me escape it all.

As an avid reader I suppose I found it easier to approach bloggers I’d already been following and ask them if they’d consider reviewing my book or doing a guest post. Without their wonderful help I don’t think my sales would have increased as quickly as they did.

What is the point of this huge window into my world? Because to be honest I’m not really that good at opening up to people - sure it’s easier in writing but this is out for the all the world to see. Why then? Because Joe Konrath said something on his blog recently that really resonated with me. He said he started the trend of sharing his sales numbers and earnings but he’d only done so to show other authors how possible it was to make a living from self-publishing… it wasn’t to brag and it wasn’t to compete with other writers. And that’s exactly why I’ve shared my figures in the past. I literally had nothing before I self-published. Nothing but a pile of strangulating debt. There are so many people in that position and some of them are writers too.

So… what is possible?

I now have eight novels out and one novella. So nine titles. Five are priced $0.99, two at $2.99 and two at $3.99. Before December I was averaging between 12000 - 15000 sales a month. Money - £7000 to £9500 a month. In December I joined amazon’s KDP Select and with the Christmas spenders and the free promotional tool I made 23000 sales (and 16000 free downloads) and over all made roughly £17000. I’ve just gotten my sales report in for January. I sold 25000 copies of my books (75000 free downloads) and made $31000 in the US and £4500 in the UK. That’s roughly earnings of £23000 in January alone.

I can’t get my head around that. And like Konrath says, I’m not telling you to brag, I’m sharing to explain what is possible through amazon self-publishing when you work really hard and comport yourself professionally. As Konrath said there are indie authors out there hitting the NYT list but that’s not what this is about for me. *shakes head vigorously* I can write full time doing something I love! I’ve paid off my debt. I’m holidaying to the Caribbean in July (my first holiday in 6 and a half years and I’ve never been anywhere like the Caribbean before!) And I just bought a brand new car. I had the thing growling like mad at first because I’m so used to driving cheap wee bangers that should have been proclaimed un-roadworthy that I didn’t realize I just needed to tap the accelerator and the thing starts! I also don’t have to sit at junctions forever waiting for a gap big enough for my slow wee thing to pull out into. This car just goes weeeee! I was literally hooting with laughter the first time I did it! *clears throat sheepishly* ( such a sad person lol).Also, I’m saving up for my own home and I’m helping my parents out in ways I never could before.

And one of the best things is… I no longer feel like a failure. And that is really important for me.

To reiterate how much I’m just trying to inspire people who want to make writing their full time career, or at least have writing help pay the bills, I can tell you I’m terrible at talking about this stuff. I can’t speak about it face to face. When people ask me what I do for a living I get all mumbly and self-conscious and when my dad brags to people about how well I’m doing I get so mortified I just want to melt into a puddle in the floor (thanks Dad!). It may be easier in writing but it’s still hard for me to share at this kind of level but if it helps then I’m good with it.

You see a lovely author emailed me this morning asking for inspiration and she inspired me to write this blog. I remember reading Amanda Hocking's figures and Konraths and how much they inspired me to do this. So.... I hope this post inspires and I hope it does help even if in some tiny way.

Sam x

P.S. A massive thank you to all my readers. Love you lots.

FREE ebook: Drip Drop Teardrop, a novella

2012-02-14T10:52:00.000Z

Drip Drop Teardrop, a novella - a Paranormal Romance

Inspired entirely by the song 'Overload' by The Cardigans, Drip Drop is quite different from anything I've ever written before. Lyrical, dream-like, and short coming in at around 25,000 words which is a fairly decent length for a novella.

For two days only Drip Drop is FREE to download from amazon. Here are the links:

amazon UK - HERE
amazon US - HERE

Sam x

Teaser #4 - Scorched Skies

2012-02-13T15:22:00.000Z

I really wanted to give you a Charlie and Ari teaser but I can't seem to find an interaction between them that doesn't give away a major spoiler :-p So... here's another Jai and Ari teaser...

" Picking up a photograph of Derek that she’d placed on the dresser Jai seemed to relax again, as if he’d remembered what he was doing there and what it was he was supposed to say. He put the photo down carefully and turned to her. His vivid eyes held her in place, her heart pounding as she waited for him to say something. Anything. “Trey told me you don’t trust me anymore.”

Trey has a big mouth. Wrapping self-possession around her like armor, Ari sauntered by him to put her hairdryer away. “I trust you to do your job.” "

Sam x

A Girl Can Change her Mind...

2012-02-09T17:56:00.000Z

Ah people stick with me please! Just to confuse you because, well, why not? I've had Claudia at Phatpuppy Art create a piece for Moon Spell. You see I chose the super fab one from Claudia's existing catalogue because the model looked so much like Caia... but Claudia, being her amazingly fabulous self, started playing around with ideas that were far more relevant to the book and genre. Suffice to say she came up with something modern and very cool. So... without further ado... here's the cover art for Moon Spell (The Tale of Lunarmorte #1). For real this time!

*smiles sweetly and hopes you forgive me*

Sam x

The Tale of Lunarmorte - Professional Makeover

2012-02-09T00:49:00.001Z

For those of you who have been following me from the very beginning of my publishing journey you'll have seen a few cover art pieces for the Tale of Lunarmorte (all created by me... I say that with some embarassment) and you know all about my frustration over this particular trilogy when it comes to cover art. I've just never been able to find something that fits. But as my readership has grown I've been in a position to purchase AMAZING cover art for my novels from the wondrous Phatpuppy Art.
I've been getting cover art from Phatpuppy bit by bit, dealing with the books that I felt needed them the most. But finally - insert happy dance - I was able to purchase professional cover art from Phatpuppy for The Tale of Lunarmorte! Yay! It's been a long time coming! And I'm so happy. Truly, finally happy with the book covers. Because they finally LOOK like book covers. These should be live on amazon in the next 48 hours and I'm reformatting the paperbacks with the new covers so I'll let you know when those are available.

It's been a year long wait for professional cover art but patience is key! I <3 my new cover art. Thank you, Claudia (phatpuppyart). You is the Awe in Awesome.

Moon Spell (The Tale of Lunarmorte #1)

UPDATED PIECE

One, I love that the model is wearing Converse :-p And two, this is just so relevant to the story! x

River Cast (The Tale of Lunarmorte #2)

Again this is Caia on this cover. For those of you who have already read River Cast you'll get the relevance of the cover. It's so magical and gorgeous and probably one of my favourite pieces ever from Phatpuppy Art.

Blood Solstice (The Tale of Lunarmorte #3)

This is Jaeden on the cover. I just LOVE this cover art. I just... *sigh*. I love how perfect it is for Blood Solstice as the book is really a battleground and the characters have to face a lot of war and death. Love, love, Love.

Hope you like the new look.

Sam x

Guest Post: FREE EBOOKS from Patti Larsen

2012-02-08T10:00:00.002Z

Who doesn’t love FREE books?

TWO DAYS ONLY: Wednesday, February 8th and Thursday, February 9th! Come and get ‘em!

For those with a love of YA paranormal: Family Magic (The Hayle Coven novels, #1) Sixteen year old Sydlynn Hayle is the daughter of a powerful witch and a demon lord but she just wants to be ordinary. Find it HERE.

And for those who like a thrill in their YA fiction: Run (The Hunted, #1) Reid thinks life has gone back to normal when his sister rescues him from the foster system. All that changes when he is kidnapped and dumped in the wilderness, forced to run from those who want to kill him. Find it HERE.

Don’t have a Kindle? No problem! Download a FREE app for your computer, iPad, smartphone and more!

Family Magic

Raising the Demon

“Haralthazar,” my mother glided closer to the statue, “we summon you this third night of Power, nine days and nine nights from Samhain Eve, to tighten our bond with you and your realm.” She knelt at the foot of the altar, the picture of the submissive handmaiden. Could she be any more ridiculous? Seriously. “My love, come and be welcome.”

The blinding flash that leapt from her to the statue continued to pour out of her in a deep blue rush of light. I turned my head slightly to the side, squinting in the glare, grateful for the edge of the cowl and the shadow it made. The whole room started to thrum, the floor vibrating with condensed magic as Mom used the energy we had given her to make the doorway that would let my father through.

Sixteen-year-old Sydlynn Hayle is the daughter of a powerful witch and a demon lord of the seventh plane. The trouble is, she just wants to be ordinary. Syd struggles to survive the minefield of her new high school while being torn between her attraction to football hero Brad Peters and the darkly mysterious Quaid Moromond. When her coven comes under attack, Syd is forced to face the fact only her power can save her family’s magic.

What readers are saying about Family Magic:

“This book has everything. Great family drama, hot boys, magic, witches, demons and difficult choices. This is one of my new favorite books of 2011 and I CANNOT WAIT to read the rest of the series.”

“With a fantastic, empathetic heroine, plenty of magic, an intriguing mystery and incorporating themes involving the search of self, familial relationships, duty and free will, Family Magic is an enchanting and enjoyable read.”

“I think Syd is one of my all-time favorite characters. She is funny and snarky but has a fierce love for her family. I am ready to follow Syd's journey through this series. I was hooked from the first paragraph. I thoroughly enjoyed Family Magic, and I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys paranormal novels.”

(You can read the full reviews on Amazon.com)

Amazon LINK

Run

Kidnapped

Alone, Reid gasps in one deep breath, another. It hurts his ribs, his lungs. He manages to roll over on his right side and regrets it. His shoulder screams in protest. Still, he is finally able to wriggle his numb hands loose from what holds him and claws at the cloth around his eyes.

Darkness. But not complete. The moon is up. Trees loom over him, the smell of spruce and fresh air so sharp it almost hurts. He jerks at the plastic ties around his ankles while. his vision swims through a veil of pain-laden tears. He manages somehow to force his screaming hands to work the ties loose and he is free.

Sixteen-year-old Reid thinks life is back to normal. His sister Lucy pulls herself together and cuts him free from a year of foster care. She promises to take care of him, that her new boss and her new life are what they both needed to start again. Until Reid is taken in the middle of the night, dumped in a wild stretch of forest far from home with no idea why he is there. Lost and afraid, he learns to run from the hunters who prowl the darkness, their only pleasure chasing down kids like him. And killing them.

What readers are saying about Run:

“The fear, the thrill, the emotion that comes through in the writing is amazing. There is never a dull moment in this story of survival.”

“If you're a fan of YA books that make your heart pound with the unknown and leave you cringing at places (but in a totally cool kinda way) then Run's the book for you.”

“Reid is such a great strong character and when the story ends, we are left begging for what is to come in the next of the series. This story was unique and SUPER fast-paced! It was a great festival of suspense.”

(You can read the full reviews on Amazon.com)

Amazon LINK

Thank you for taking the time to check them out!

Happy reading!

About the Author: Patti Larsen is a middle grade, young adult and adult author with a passion for the paranormal. Her YA thriller series, The Hunted, is available now. The first four books of The Hayle Coven series, Family Magic, Witch Hunt, Demon Child and The Wild are also out now. Her YA paranormal novel, Best Friends Forever, and steampunk series, Blood and Gold, are due early in 2012. She is a full time writer and a part time teacher of her Get Your Book Done program. Patti lives on the East Coast of Canada with her very patient husband and four massive cats.

You can find her:

On her website

On Facebook

Her writing blog

On Twitter

On Amazon.com

On Goodreads

Teaser: Scorched Skies (Fire Spirits #2)

2012-02-05T11:17:00.000Z

“With his black scowl he cleared a space on the floor for them and positioned Ari close to Jenn and Chris. She stared stupidly at him as his hands fell lightly on her waist. There was a whole body worth of space between them. It was like the clock had turned back and she had ‘cooties’ all over again. Ari slapped her hands hard down on his shoulders drawing his startled gaze. They looked like they were in the fifth grade for God’s sake.

An indiscreet chuckle caught her ears and Ari glared at Jenn who smothered a laugh in Chris’ neck. When she looked back at Jai he was frowning down at her.

“What?” he asked.

Feeling annoyed and frustrated and bold all at once, Ari tugged his head down and brought her mouth to his ear. “Dance with me properly or I’m going to kick you in the nuts.”

Relaxing at the sound of Jai’s choked laughter, Ari melted into him as he drew her closer.”

Sam x

Fairy Metal Thunder by J.L. Bryan

2012-02-04T00:55:00.003Z

Fairy Metal Thunder (Songs of Magic #1)
by J.L. Bryan

amazon kindle - £0.72

Book Description

Jason plays guitar in a teenage garage band called the Assorted Zebras, but they have no fans and no gigs, and they're going nowhere. Even worse, Jason has a crush on the lead singer, but she already has a near-perfect boyfriend.

One night, Jason steals enchanted instruments from the fairy world. Suddenly (with a little help from YouTube) every kid in the Midwest is crazy about the Assorted Zebras.

The fairy instruments drive the crowds wild, but the new gear is brimming with dangerous and destructive magic. The band struggles to gain control of their instruments and avoid the supernatural bounty hunters sent by Queen Mab of Faerie to track them down, all while trying to finally land their first gig.

My Thoughts
Awesome Read!

I was utterly charmed by J.L. Bryan’s Fairy Metal Thunder. Aimed at a younger audience than Bryan’s awesome Paranormals’ series, Fairy Metal Thunder is an enchantingly cool modern fairy tale.

Switching between present day Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin and the vivid and beautifully described land of Faerie, Fairy Metal Thunder tells the story of Jason and his band mates, The Assorted Zebras, and their unexpected rising fame after Jason accidentally enters Faerie and then not quite so accidentally steals magical instruments that make his band irresistible. Throw in plenty of humor, hints of romance and a dragon, and you’ve got a quirky, laugh-out-loud adventure that appeals to all ages.

I absolutely loved the P.O.V of Jason the seventeen year old human protagonist. Suffering from love sickness, no-nonsense parents, an adorably annoying little sister and friends who are funny without really meaning to be, Jason is pulled in many directions. Wanting to impress his friend Erin, the lead singer of their band, and wanting to prove that being in a band isn’t as dumb as his parents think, Jason sets off a dangerous chain of events that he’s not at all ready for. The characterization in Fairy Metal Thunder is just wonderful. Every character is so three dimensional… and particularly funny on the Chippewa Falls side of things.

In saying that, Fairy Metal Thunder wouldn’t be what it is without the switch to Aoide’s and Hoke’s P.O.V’s. The assortment of fairies (and elf tracker… a tracker that’s an elf not someone who tracks elves) and the awesomely imaginative land of Faerie make for a great contrast to the real world, and works equally well when both worlds collide.

This is such a unique story and so full of action and personality it’s impossible not to like.

*Tiny spoiler* One of my favourite parts was the description of how the instruments transformed as they were played, and transformed into exactly what the person playing them needed them to be. So cool!

One for all ages and a definite must read!

Five Massive Massive Stars!

Fairy Blues, book two in the Songs of Magic series is OUT NOW

Sam x

Spread Luv, Not Hate

2012-02-03T06:00:00.001Z

When K.C. Neal posted a sign-up sheet for an anti-bullying day for bloggers to take a moment to talk about bullying I decided almost instantly that I would like to be a part of something like that. I’d like to say it is more from a moral standpoint than experience but unfortunately, as is the case with most people, it comes from having being bullied myself and hoping that our posts will help in some way. Bullying happens all the time and at any age. If you guys watch the hilarious show The Big Bang Theory they even did an episode on bullying and I thought Penny’s storyline was really clever. It wasn’t until she was talking to her friends, who had been bullied, that she realized she had been a bully in school. She didn’t understand that her constant teasing of fellow students in high school could have left such a mark on their lives. A lot of bullies don’t realize that. And unfortunately some do.

I was eleven when I was first seriously bullied. It went on for months until I eventually told my teacher. My teacher then told the headteacher (principal) who sat us down together and admonished my bully who burst into tears and received a hug for her troubles. She promised to be nicer to me and then went on to increase her torment. I was painfully shy as a kid, you have no idea. I had a crippling fear of being centre of attention. I’m still a little shy but I started to lose that unbearable shyness in high school and I think it’s because I finally stood up to my bully. It was the end of school and we were walking towards the gates. She started in on me again, calling me fat, ugly, smelly and dredging up my family’s personal tragedy which was her favourite weapon of choice. And I just snapped. I screamed like a mad woman and took one step - one step! - towards her and she squealed like an idiot and took off. I don’t know if it was the crazy in my eyes or what but she stopped bullying me. To this day I don’t think that girl realized how much her tormenting battered my self-esteem. In high school I was neurotic about my weight. My friends thought I was crazy because I had lost my puppy fat but confused curves for fat. I wasn’t fat. I look back in pictures and can’t believe I used to count calories neurotically every day because I thought I was a whale. And all because I didn’t ever want to go through what that girl put me through before. I’ve heard she’s grown up into a perfectly nice person but I will never forget her for what she did to me years ago and she will forever remain my bully.

It’s weird because her bullying was so callous and cruel that the teasing my friends and I went through in early years of high school seemed like nothing. We were called geeks and freaks and goody two-shoes’ because we were quiet and did well in school. But it never bothered me because my parents had really drilled it into me that making the right choices in school would be good for my future. I didn’t even think of it as bullying but when I look back it was constant. We got it every day. Maybe it’s because by the time we hit third year (14) we were among more like-minded people but high school changed. We got a large of group of friends who liked the same music etc as us and the teasing stopped. But yeah… in the beginning it was bullying. They didn’t think so - even I the high school kid didn’t think so - but it was.

And finally I was actually bullied recently. I was bullied by another author last year when I was first starting out. I was still quite inexperienced and learning to swim the waters of the indie world but I wandered quite unknowingly into a situation where I was manipulated and bullied. I disentangled myself from it as soon as possible but I remain extremely wary of this author and he/she’s unprofessionalism. Thank God that this stressful experience was an extremely rare occurrence because every other author I’ve spoken to thus far has been so supportive and so helpful.

Bullying is unfortunately a part of life and not just in your youth. I’ve found the best way to deal with it is to either to walk away from the bully or if I’m forced to interact with the bully then I hold my ground against them. Everyone says if you stand up to a bully they’ll move on because they prey on the weak and in my experience this has been true. But you don’t have to stand up to the bullies alone. In my early years in high school I realized the bullying didn’t affect me because I had a couple of friends who stood by my side and we bolstered one another. It was the same with the author last year. I reached out to other author communities and used the amazing support and experiences of interacting with them to make me feel stronger and more confident as an author, and thus not let my bad experience affect my work.

Bullying happens to everyone, and in most cases it even happens to bullies. My only advice is to speak up, find good friends to boost your confidence, or… stand up for yourself and scream like a banshee. Bullies seem afraid of ‘the crazy.’ :-p

Click on the banner at the top of the post to journey to K.C.'s blog where you'll find links to other bloggers and their stories.

Sam x

Teaser: Scorched Skies

2012-01-29T16:07:00.001Z

It's that time again. Two weeks have passed since the last teaser so it's definitely time to tease you some more. Here's a scene from Scorched Skies (Fire Spirits #2)...

" “Oh definitely. Charlie, give me a hand to get these guys off the road.”

Ari glowered as Charlie immediately bent to toss an unconscious guy over his shoulder, heading towards the thick woodland to dump him there. “Hey, I can help.”

Striding by her with his own unconscious attacker, Jai pointed at the SUV. “Get in the car. I’m pissed at you for getting out of it in the first place.”

Outrage lit through her. “Hey I’m a big girl, I can make my own decisions.”

“Get in the car, Ari!” Charlie yelled now, his own eyes glittering with anger.

Her mouth fell open, her cheeks blazing with indignation as the two men in her life stared at her, their expressions implacable. She made a ‘pfft’ sound and whirled around, stomping like a child towards the car. “Too much testosterone, infuriating cavemen, need someone else to boss around, stupid jerks…” she kept muttering insults under her breath until Charlie and Jai had cleared the road. Charlie jumped into the passenger seat as Jai pressed a hand to the bonnet of the SUV. The engine immediately started and he walked around, pulling the driver’s door open, bristling with aggression. "

Sam x

Giveaway Winner - Warriors of Ankh

2012-01-27T14:25:00.000Z

Hey folks, I'm pleased to announce the winner of the Warriors of Ankh Giveaway is...

Jasmine McIlquham

Congratulations! I've emailed the winner, who now has 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen :-)

Thanks to everyone who entered. You made me (or rather Eden and Noah) feel very loved!

Sam x

Scorched Skies - The Book Trailer

2012-01-25T21:09:00.007Z

Hey folks,

I've written the book description for Scorched Skies (Fire Spirits #2) AND created the book trailer. Check 'em out...

Scorched Skies (Fire Spirits #2)

The White King has crossed the line, sounded the horn, sent out the wolves.

When blood is shed and life is lost the reality of Ari’s position as both hunter and prey finally sets in. It seems her father will stop at nothing to force her will to his own and distracted by Charlie’s latest mistake and her seemingly misguided attraction to Jai, Ari never thought to fear anyone else but the Jinn King.

Blindsided and attacked, Ari learns a new wolf has joined the hunt. A dark sorcerer believes he knows a way to bleed the power of the Seal and wield it as his own, and he is even less patient than The White King.

The War for the Seal has only just begun… and it’s time for Ari to turn it on its head.

It’s time for Ari to stop acting like the hunted.

It’s time for Ari to become the hunter.

Moon Spell is FREE (for 5 days)

2012-01-24T10:34:00.000Z

I made a booboo with Moon Spell the other day and it completely disappeared off amazon and I had to republish it... so to apologize for my stupidity Moon Spell (the Tale of Lunarmorte #1) is FREE to download from amazon for the next five days.

Here are the links:

amazon.com - HERE

amazon.co.uk - HERE

amazon.de - HERE

amazon.fr - HERE

amazon.es - HERE

amazon.it - HERE

sam x

Teaser: This Weeping Frost

2012-01-22T14:30:00.001Z

This Weeping Frost, the companion novella to Drip Drop Teardrop, is coming along slowly. I'm working on my bigger projects, like Scorched Skies (Fire Spirits #2), so This Weeping Frost gets attention whenever I have a spare moment. That means I have no definite date of release for it unfortunately. I'm also not really sure these novellas can be classified as young adult. They're more for girls in college... so I've decided to not label them YA just as paranormal romance. Anyhoo, I'm halfway through the novella so I thought I'd give you a little teaser...

This Weeping Frost (a Drip Drop Teardrop novella)

Sarah is empty.

Hiding behind a smile, Sarah Lewis is a lonely party girl with a silent home life, absent parents and a well-guarded heart. With a less than extraordinary life, Sarah is shocked when a dark, mysterious stranger begins to haunt her world. And when his haunting footsteps kick up ghosts – memories of a girl who apparently does not exist – Sarah grows steadily more afraid. She may long for a life less ordinary but it is life nonetheless that she longs for… not Death.

But then… Death has never been so compelling before.

Cassius is Ankou.

A tortured soul, Cassius has only one friend - his savior and fellow Ankou, Anonna. Now Anonna is Fallen. Seeking vengeance for her death, Cassius begins to haunt Sarah’s life, hoping to use her to lure in his enemy, the one he blames for Anonna’s Fall. But as he creeps deeper inside Sarah’s world Cassius grows steadily more afraid. He may long for vengeance but not if it means tempting his frosted heart to love.

But then… Love has never been so compelling to Death before...

Teaser...

" “I’ve never seen you here before.” She drew unconsciously closer to him again and Cassius found himself smirking. He could tell she was wary of him… but she was also curious.

It annoyed him that he was just as curious.

Glancing up, Cassius couldn’t ignore the tingling under his skin when his steel eyes met her huge blue ones. They were gloriously rich and dark with long black lashes. Beautiful, sad eyes. He’d waved the strange feeling that had washed over him away when those eyes had first met his. But there it was again.

He shook his head. “I’ve never been here before.”

“So what brings you here tonight?”

You. “Boredom.”

She raised an unimpressed eyebrow at him. “You seem to have a huge case of ennui.”

It was his turn to raise an eyebrow. “Look at you with your big fancy words.”

“Don’t be condescending.”

He wanted to laugh again. He shook his head, gripping his glass tight. He wasn’t here to talk, to get to know her. He was here to use her. As bait. “You’re right. I have a rather large case of ennui. New York is dull. The people are dull.” Run away to the land of the living lonely little girl before Death decides to give you some company.

Sarah snorted. “Ever thought maybe you’re the one that’s dull?”

Again Cassius was taken aback by her forthright attitude. Any time he had chosen to walk among the living, pretending he was human, the ladies had fawned over him.

Just as they had done when he was human.

His was a handsome face… timeless.

Hateful.

“Perhaps you are right,” he murmured in response.

“I’ve never heard an Italian accent like yours before. Which region from Italy do you come from?”

Another surprise. She was observant. “A very old one.”

“Evasion. Charming.”

“I’m not forcing you to sit here with me,” he snapped, glaring at her.

Her eyes widened, her lips parting in shock. Then her face closed as she scowled back at him, her body already moving to slip from the stool.

“Stop.” Cassius reached out a hand, stopping inches from touching her. An inexplicable panic had taken over him. “I apologize,” he almost choked on the words. He turned and waved at the bartender. “Another drink for the lady.”

“You don’t have to…” Sarah trailed off, looking bewildered and unsure.

Cassius eyed her, his mind racing, piecing together a new plan." "

Sam x

Warriors of Ankh Giveaway!

2012-01-19T18:03:00.001Z

~~To Enter:~~

*You must be 16 years or older
*Giveaway is international
*One Winner will win a signed copy of Blood Will Tell, Blood Past and Shades of Blood as shown in the vlog above.
*One Entry per person
*There is no requirement to follow the blog or any of my other social pages.
*Giveaway will end Midnight (GM) Thursday 26th of January 2012. Winner will be announced Friday 27th January 2012.

GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

Sam x

Let the Teasing Commence...

2012-01-15T15:06:00.001Z

The first few months of the year always fly in so before we know it March will be upon us and Scorched Skies will be out. So... I think it's time to start teasing :-p
I'll begin with the very first few opening lines of the novel...

Scorched Skies (Fire Spirits #2)

"Rusted earth trembled beneath Ari’s feet, cracks in the thirsty ground glowing ember in the pervading darkness. The air burned against her cheeks as though she were stuck within a circle of invisible fire, her lungs oxygen deprived, her tongue thick and teeth dry. She blinked, disorientated, wondering where she was and how she had gotten there."

Sam x

Cover Art: Warriors of Ankh

2012-01-12T02:25:00.001Z

I've just uploaded new cover art for my Warriors of Ankh Trilogy on amazon kindle so hopefully that will take effect in the next few hours. The paperback editions are unavailable at the moment as I reformat the new covers. They should be available in 10-14 days.

Here's the thing... I've always wanted to commission my cover artist, the wondrous PHATPUPPY ART to create new covers for the Warriors of Ankh trilogy and lately WOA has increased a little more in popularity so... to celebrate I splashed out and raided Phatpuppy's creative closet. The concept is new and much softer, more artistic, but I think the harder-edged straight-forward concepts from last year were putting potential readers off so I like these. They say YA to me and that's what they should say to my readers. Hope you guys like them too.

BLOOD WILL TELL (WOA #1)

BLOOD PAST (WOA #2)

SHADES OF BLOOD (WOA #3)

Sam x

On the Island by Tracey Garvis-Graves

2012-01-11T14:41:00.000Z

On the Island by Tracey Garvis-Graves

amazon kindle - £1.90

Book Description

When thirty-year-old English teacher Anna Emerson is offered a job tutoring T.J. Callahan at his family's summer rental in the Maldives, she accepts without hesitation; a working vacation on a tropical island trumps the library any day.

T.J. Callahan has no desire to leave town, not that anyone asked him. He's almost seventeen and if having cancer wasn't bad enough, now he has to spend his first summer in remission with his family - and a stack of overdue assignments - instead of his friends.

Anna and T.J. are en route to join T.J.'s family in the Maldives when the pilot of their seaplane suffers a fatal heart attack and crash-lands in the Indian Ocean. Adrift in shark-infested waters, their life jackets keep them afloat until they make it to the shore of an uninhabited island. Now Anna and T.J. just want to survive and they must work together to obtain water, food, fire, and shelter. Their basic needs might be met but as the days turn to weeks, and then months, the castaways encounter plenty of other obstacles, including violent tropical storms, the many dangers lurking in the sea, and the possibility that T.J.'s cancer could return. As T.J. celebrates yet another birthday on the island, Anna begins to wonder if the biggest challenge of all might be living with a boy who is gradually becoming a man.

My Thoughts
*****Awesome Read

I literally felt adrift when I reached the last pages of this amazing novel. I didn't know what to do with myself or if I was really capable of saying goodbye to T.J. and Anna just yet. That's how affecting this story is and how effective the wonderful characterisation is.

On the Island ramped up my heartbeat from the get go. The descriptions of the crash and all the hardships Anna and T.J. have to deal with during their time on the island are so raw and realistic I was frantically pressing the page turn button on my kindle, needing to know what happened to the courageous pair next.
Character-wise you couldn’t find two more likeable narrators. Anna is kind, cool, non-judgmental and brave and yet her vulnerabilities are the best thing about her because I find her more relatable than I’ve found many heroines lately. As for T.J. Wow. He certainly grows up on the island and he turns into the very best of men. *sigh* phenomenal characters. Loved them.
This is a poignant, heart-wrenching, thrilling, emotional ride of a book and I was utterly hooked. One of the best contemporary reads I’ve ever read. Well-written, touching, well-researched and authentic. It's the real deal. You seriously don’t want to miss out on this one.

Cannot wait to read more from Tracey.

Five massive massive stars!

Sam x

Winners of the Kindle Giveaway!

2012-01-10T13:09:00.003Z

Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway to celebrate my milestone. There was A LOT of you so I've put the names through random.org to select the winners. Check out the announcement at the end of my vlog. I got lots of books these last few weeks and you know I like to share :-)

Hard copies

.The complete tales and poems of Edgar Allen Poe
.Hushed by Kelley York
.Catching Jordan by Miranda Keneally
.Dark Prince by Christine Feehan
.Dark Gold by Christine Feehan
.Dark Desire by Christine Feehan.
.Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
.The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins
.Destiny Binds (Timber Wolves #1) by Tammy Blackwell
.Ripple by Mandy Hubbard

Kindle books

.Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison
.The Better Part of Darkness by Kelly Gay
.Succubus Blues by Richelle Mead
.A Brush of Darkness by Allison Pang
.Soulless by Gail Carriger
.Whirl by Emma Raveling
.Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison
.The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks
.The Black Prism by Brent Weeks
.Temeraire by Naomi Novik
.White Tiger by Kylie Chan
.A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
.Magic to the Bone by Devon Monk
.Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn
.The Season by Sarah MacLean
.Stealing Phoenix by Joss Stirling
.On the Island by Tracey Garvis-Graves
.The Magician's Guild by Trudi Canavan
.Spider's Bite by Jennifer Estep

OK... Now... for the winners of my milestone kindle giveaway!

First Prize Winner of the Kindle and $10/£10 amazon voucher:

Sylvia Groen

Second Prize Winner of the $30/£30 amazon voucher:

Sophie Green

Runner up prize winners of the $15/£15 amazon voucher each:

Chandra Haun

Jennette Gooden

Winners selected by random.org

Congratulations to all the winners! I've emailed the winners and they now have 48hours to respond before new winners are selected. Thank you, folks!

Cheers

Sam x

My Milestone Kindle Giveaway!

2012-01-04T13:31:00.004Z

When I first started self-publishing back in February 2011 in my head I was thinking how fantastic it would be to reach a personal milestone of 100,000 sales in a few years time. Imagine my amazement and absolute joy to have reached 100K in sales (this excludes free downloads for Smokeless Fire) within my first year of publishing. I have to share 'the happy' with all the wonderful readers who have bought my novels in the last eleven months.

In thanks I'm offering up one lucky winner the all-new wi-fi, 6" E Ink Display Kindle along with the charger and a $10/£10 amazon voucher. The first runner up will win a $30/£30 amazon voucher and the two second runner ups will win $15/£15 amazon voucher.

PLUS: Slumber (The Fade:Part One) will be FREE to download on kindle from midnight (Pacific) tonight for five days on amazon!

Anyhoo...

Giveaway Details:

*One Entry per person
*You must be 14 years or older
*Giveaway is UK & US ONLY
*Entrants should be blog followers (this blog) and have liked my Facebook page - it is a thank you to my readers after all! :-)
*Giveaway ends Midnight (GM) Monday 9th January 2012.
*Winners will be selected via random.org and winners will be announced Tuesday 10th January. Winners will have 48 hours to respond before new winners are chosen.

~~To Enter, fill out the form below:~~

GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED. WINNERS TO BE ANNOUNCED TUESDAY 1OTH JANUARY (I'm heading off to bed now because it's midnight in the UK, but will announce the winners in about twelve hours). Good Luck!

Sam x

Surviving An Apocalypse: Why the Amish will outlast us all...

2012-01-03T16:44:00.003Z

When I was at university I lived on the extremely busy Cowgate in Edinburgh where all the bars and nightclubs are situated below the student housing and along the street, only two minutes from your door, is the even busier Grassmarket area with more bars. Because of that I got into a habit of wearing earplugs to bed. Apparently it's a habit you can't break even when you move back into a fairly quiet large village. So at who knows what time this morning I failed to hear the huge tree in my backgarden as it was pulled up from its roots in the 100 miles winds that were blasting through Central Scotland. It fell down metres from my bedroom window, and all the heating and electricity was knocked out by the wind too. But was I aware? Nope.

So... I woke up to a huge tree in the backgarden and no electricity and heating... had none all day. When the last storms tore through Scotland just before Christmas people were without electricity for three days in other areas so I was beginning to feel a little bit antsy. A huge part of my job is online so having no internet connection made me more restless than I liked. There was no television to check how bad the damage was elsewhere, no phone signal to phone the council or insurance about the tree... All I can say is thank god for books!

A pity I didn't have this one on my shelf...

It occurred to me when the electricity came back on that I will probably die within the first week of a bloody apocalypse from either ignorance or sheer boredom. I need to learn survival skills.

Anyhoo, I'm back. So... updates. I have taken all of my novels off Smashwords earlier than I said I would because just the thought of them on there bothered me beyond belief (piracy issues for those not in the know) so they came down. That means they are down from all the other retailers (B&N etc) with the exception of Kobo who has still to take them off their site. And of course my books are always available on amazon. I've been looking into website design and a built-in ebook store so hopefully I'll have something up and running by Spring.

In other news... *she winces apologetically* ... I'm putting the release date of Scorched Skies back to March 16th. I know, I'm terrible! Unfortunately, the series -which at present looks to be six books - has a lot of plot and world-building that subtly develops over the six books so I had to know exactly what happens in each book before I could attempt to write Scorched Skies. That means research and plotting is taking a little bit longer than expected. I just want book 2 to live up to everyone's expectations because Smokeless Fire, despite being a full-length novel, is really only an introduction to a much bigger, diverse and intricate world. There so much that Ari still doesn't know, so much to be revealed!
So if Scorched Skies is March 16th (*winces even more apologetically*) Sneak Thievery is pushed back to May 11th. Now these are just rough release dates. If I feel Scorched Skies is coming along quicker than expected then I'll release it before then and so on with Sneak Thievery. For now, however, the release dates sit as March 16th and May 11th.

OK... now I best get a move on...

Sam x

Time Mends by Tammy Blackwell

2012-01-01T23:22:00.000Z

I was surprised at Christmas with a very lovely present from awesome indie author Tammy Blackwell. Knowing what a fan I am of her first novel, Destiny Binds (Timber Wolves #1), Tammy sent me an advanced readers copy of Timber Wolves #2, Time Mends. And can I just say... wow. If you haven't read my review of Destiny Binds you can read it HERE. As a surprise for her readers Tammy announced that Time Mends is now available to download... I highly recommend you do!

Time Mends (Timber Wolves #2)
by Tammy Blackwell

Kindle - amazon UK £0.77
Kindle - amazon US $0.99

Book Description

After a tragic accident leaves her battered, heartbroken, and alone, Scout Donovan would rather hide in dreams than face reality. But things are changing quickly in Scout's life. Soon she's pulled back into the world of Shifters and Seers, with her best friend's fate depending on Scout's ability to protect her. Can Scout pull it together in time to save Talley, or is the past too much to overcome?

My Thoughts
Awesome Read!

The second installment in Tammy Blackwell’s Timber Wolves trilogy is one word: stunning. I didn’t think it possible to love Time Mends even more than Destiny Binds, but add action, political intrigue and mounds of suspense to the witty dialogue and loveable characters and you’ve got a sure fire winner on your hands.

Time Mends sweeps the reader up into the story just after the shocking events at the end of book one (I’m giving no Alex spoilers away… you’ll have to read the book to find out what happens there :-p). I think my favourite thing about book two is Scout’s character development. She works through her heartbreak and all the unbelievable discoveries she encounters about herself and the shifter world and matures and changes without losing that innate, sarky, quirky Scout that made her so likeable in book one. Now she’s even stronger, more vulnerable but determined not to be, more determined to be determined, and as loyal as ever. The relationships between the magical foursome that is Scout, Charlie, Talley and Jase strengthens in Time Mends and by the end of book two my emotions had been so pressed and pretzeled by them my mouth was left hanging open with another NOOOOOOOO! Where is book three?!! I need it NOW!

The characterization may have been my favourite thing about the Timber Wolves trilogy but the plot and worldbuilding have shot into equal position with Time Mends. It’s action-packed, fast-paced, entertaining, addictive and completely intriguing. I was kept guessing throughout the entire book by the many twists and turns and I still have loads of questions. Love it! In fact I loved everything about this book.

Awesome! A rare treat that book two should be even better than the first!

A definite, must read,

Cannot wait for book 3!

Five Massive Massive Stars!

Sam x

Favourite Reads of 2011!

2011-12-27T01:19:00.000Z

It's been an amazing year for books. I've read some of my favourite books ever this year which made narrowing it down very difficult. But after much oohing and ahhing and huffing and hawing, I finally came up with a list (and still want to add to them!) but these are the books that come to mind first after a wonderful year in young adult and adult literature. Not all of these books came out in 2011, some of them I only discovered this year...

Favourite Debuts

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Wildefire by Karsten Knight

Favourite Dystopians

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Eden by Keary Taylor

Favourite Science Fiction

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Hush Money by Susan Bischoff

Favourite Paranormal Fantasy

Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Valiant by Holly Black

Favourite Fantasy

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder

Favourite Contemporary

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James (adult contemporary)

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire (adult contemporary)

Favourite Adult Urban Fantasy Series

Chicagoland Vampires by Chloe Neill

Downside Ghosts by Stacia Kane

Riley Jenson Guardian by Keri Arthur

Dark Swan by Richelle Mead

Mercy Thompson by Patricia Briggs

Favourite Indies

Eden by Keary Taylor

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

Destiny Binds by Tammy Blackwell

Hush Money by Susan Bischoff

Jenny Pox by J.L. Bryan

Favourite Book Covers

The Space Between by Brenna Yovanoff

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Dearly Departed by Lia Habel

Glimmerglass by Jenna Black

Smokeless Fire by... me (created by the wondrous phatpuppyart)

FAVOURITE READ OF 2011

Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor is my standout favourite read of 2011. I loved this book so much I didn't even agonize over this choice. One of my favourite reads of all time, I absolutely, truly adore every inch of this beautiful, stunning, epic tale.

What's your favourite read of 2011?

Sam x

Happy Boxing Day...

2011-12-26T13:16:00.001Z

... to all you folks in the UK and Canada! Unlike most I'm avoiding the Boxing Day sales and will venture out to them in the next few days when I'm less likely to be mauled by an over-perfumed boxing day sales shark reaching for the last 'whatever' it will be that I too am inevitably reaching for.

*shudders*

No thank you.

So yes, I'm at home and I'm working today. I've had two weeks off and they've been great if not a little frustrating sometimes. I had a very Merry Christmas though. Mum and I swapped very similar shaped boxes yesterday only to reveal that we had each bought one another the same gift. Best Gift Ever! Harry Potter adult edition paperback boxset.
Great minds think alike ;-)
So that was funny. As was the too big, slightly deformed dressing gown I bought my dad that was surely made by someone who knows a giant with one arm twice as long as the other.
It was a lovely day though and made even lovelier this morning to discover a lot of you spent your Christmas pennies on my books! Best sales EVER yesterday and today is looking just as good, you gorgeous people you! In particular, Smokeless Fire is doing a happy dance... it's enjoying the highest rank I've ever achieved on amazon... so thank you! A very Merry Christmas to me :-p

OK... so I'm off to work (this will include dashing back and forth to the huge tin of Cadbury's Roses I have under the tree... hoping that the distance will keep me from them... It won't). Here's to Santa taking a much needed break; to writing; to putting on twenty pounds in the next week, and to all the people in our lives who'll love us anyway!!!

Happy Holidays all!

Sam x

Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder

2011-12-23T18:29:00.002Z

Touch of Power (Avry of Kazan #1)
by Maria V. Snyder

amazon - paperback £6.07

Book Description

Laying hands upon the injured and dying, Avry of Kazan assumes their wounds and diseases into herself. But rather than being honored for her skills, she is hunted. Healers like Avry are accused of spreading the plague that has decimated the Territories, leaving the survivors in a state of chaos.

Stressed and tired from hiding, Avry is abducted by a band of rogues who, shockingly, value her gift above the golden bounty offered for her capture. Their leader, an enigmatic captor-protector with powers of his own, is unequivocal in his demands: Avry must heal a plague-stricken prince—leader of a campaign against her people. As they traverse the daunting Nine Mountains, beset by mercenaries and magical dangers, Avry must decide who is worth healing and what is worth dying for. Because the price of peace may well be her life....

My Thoughts
Fantastic Read!

Maria V. Snyder is back with a vengeance! Touch of Power is an action-packed, thrilling, imaginative and romantic adventure to rival Poison Study.

Heroine, Avry, is a healer and the last of her kind. Blamed for creating a plague that destroyed their world, Avry has been in hiding for the last 3 years. Unable to resist healing children, Avry is eventually caught, only to be freed by a man bent on using her to save a Prince he believes can save them all.

Literally from the first page I was sucked in by the adventure and Avry’s strong and compassionate narration. The action never lets up in Touch of Power, there’s constant suspense and intrigue. Similar to Snyder’s Poison Study trilogy, Touch of Power has that brilliant camaraderie between the characters, especially between Avry and a few of the men who have ‘captured’ her to take her to the Prince. Plenty of humor, sadness, frustration and charm are provided by the well-rounded group of characters, all accented by an imaginative plot that swept me off my feet. I think Touch of Power may be Snyder’s longest novel, yet I wolfed it down in less than two days, I was so struck by the worldbuilding, plot and compelling characters ('good' and 'bad').

Cannot wait to read more of this epic fantasy romance! Awesome stuff.

Five Massive Massive Stars!

Sam x

Special Christmas Offer!

2011-12-21T20:33:00.001Z

For a limited time only!

Smokeless Fire will be available to download for FREE on Kindle for 3 days - from Midnight tonight (Pacific time) to just before Midnight on Christmas Eve. If you haven't checked out book one in my new Fire Spirits series just yet then now is the perfect time to do so!

Download from amazon.com HERE.

amazon.co.uk HERE

amazon.de HERE

amazon.fr HERE

amazon.es HERE

amazon.it HERE

Merry Christmas!

Sam x

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

2011-12-18T21:10:00.000Z

Shatter Me (Shatter Me #1) by Tahereh Mafi

amazon - Hardback £9.84

Book Description

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war-- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

In this electrifying debut, Tahereh Mafi presents a world as riveting as The Hunger Games and a superhero story as thrilling as The X-Men. Full of pulse-pounding romance, intoxicating villainy, and high-stakes choices, Shatter Me is a fresh and original dystopian novel—with a paranormal twist—that will leave readers anxiously awaiting its sequel.

My Thoughts
Awesome Read!

I’ll get the one semi-negative thing I have to say out of the way. The cover. Although very pretty, it’s too pretty. Shatter Me is not a pretty story. It’s hard. It’s unapologetic. And it’s exceptional. I think a cover more in keeping with other current dystopians such as The Hunger Games and Divergent would have been more fitting. However… tis neither here nor there and does not take away from the fact that Shatter Me is a wonderful, must read.

The beauty of Shatter Me is all in the writing. Tahereh Mafi has magically combined a lyrical and unique style of writing with the fluidity of fast-paced prose. Her use of strikethroughs for the heroine and narrator, Juliette’s, subconscious thoughts is pure genius. It allowed me to get to know her better and like her and admire the strength she doesn’t even know she possesses. As for Mafi’s turn of phrase… wowzer… her writing is stunning - poetry wrapped up in a dystopian superhero novel. There is nothing clichéd about Shatter Me. It’s a mash up of differing ideas that somehow piece together into something beautiful and new.

Juliette’s character development over the course of the novel is powerful stuff. The prose changes slightly as it eases from the quick, short unbroken sentences of someone who has spent the past year living entirely in her own head to more fleshed out, ‘normal’ sentences as she begins to acclimate to being around people again.

Love interest, Adam, is delicious - a little suspect at first, but strong, loving and loyal. The way his character unravels Juliette’s is utterly mesmerizing… the scenes with them together are written in pure word candy. Exquisitely yummy.

Other minor characters are all excellent, every single one well-developed and three dimensional, but it is the strange, twisted, calm, irrational, cruel, gentle, deranged, affectionate and monstrous paradox that is Warner that I found most compelling of all. I love a book with a million shades of grey and Shatter Me is definitely a vast spectrum of the whitest grey to the darkest.

The plot itself was incredibly fast-paced, suspenseful, disturbing, raw and action-packed. A dystopian science-fiction adventure that is just about to take off!

Cannot wait for more of this world and its spellbinding writing.

Five Massive Massive Stars!

Favourite quotes from Shatter Me:

“I always wonder about raindrops.

I always wonder about how they’re always falling down, tripping over their own feet, breaking their legs and forgetting their parachutes as they tumble right out of the sky toward an uncertain end. It’s like someone is emptying their pockets over the earth and doesn’t seem to care where the contents fall, doesn’t seem to care that the raindrops burst when they hit the ground, that they shatter when they fall to the floor, that people curse the days the drops dare to tap on their doors.

I am a raindrop.

~~My parents emptied their pockets of me and left me to evaporate on a concrete slab.”~~

“Juliette-“ His body presses closer and I realize I’m paying attention to nothing but the dandelions blowing wishes in my lungs.”

“Killing time isn’t as difficult as it sounds.

I can shoot a hundred numbers through the chest and watch them bleed decimal points in the palm of my hand. I can rip the numbers off a clock and watch the hour hand tick tick tick its final tock just before I fall asleep. I can suffocate seconds just by holding my breath. I’ve been murdering minutes for hours and no one seems to mind.”

“His lips are spelling secrets and my ears are spilling ink, staining my skin with his stories.”

Smashwords 'BN' 'Apple' etc update

2011-12-17T11:52:00.001Z

Hi folks,

Just a forewarning... I'm going to unpublish my novels from the smashwords catalogue on Monday 9th Jan '12. This means my books will no longer be available on ebook stores such as Barnes & Noble etc that smashwords distribute to. There are a number of reasons why I'm no longer publishing through smashwords, the biggest being the piracy issues. I'm considering having my own ebook store where readers can download epubs of my novels for their nook but until then my books will only be available through kindle. I know it's a pain in the behind but until Barnes & Noble change their policy and allow non-US residents to publish through pubIt! I won't have my ebooks available in epub (unless you're a reviewer).
I'm giving the heads up over the weekend and would really appreciate you guys spreading the word so that readers who have downloaded books 1 and 2 in a series can download book 3 while it's still available in epub - I'm thinking of those folks who have been reading Warriors of Ankh in particular because book 3 has just come out.... so if you have a Nook and you've been waiting on Shades of Blood to hit BN you can download it now for Nook in epub from Smashwords instead - http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/111333

The situation isn't ideal, I know, and I'm hoping to have a system all in place by the end of April. In the meantime the books are of course available for kindle (and remember, you don't need a kindle device to download and read kindle books... you can download onto your computer).

So... they'll be unpublished from Monday 9th Jan.

Cheers guys

Sam x

My Upcoming Releases 2012

2011-12-14T14:52:00.001Z

I don't have definitive dates for most of my upcoming releases of 2012 but I have a time scale in which I want to publish so I thought I'd let you know what to expect from me next year. Depending on many factors, some of these deadlines may change, but I'll let you know these things as I go along. However, you know I like to try and stick as close to my deadlines as possible so I am certainly going to give these my all.

March 16th 2012 - Scorched Skies (Fire Spirits #2)

Spring 2012 - This Weeping Frost (a Drip Drop Teardrop Companion novella)

May 11th 2012 - Sneak Thievery (The Fade: Part Two)

July 2012 - Borrowed Ember (Fire Spirits #3)

October 2012 - ~~Untitled (Lunarmorte Repercussions #1) OR Untitled Book One in Adult Urban Fantasy series~~
Untitled Book One in Adult Urban Fantasy series (updated Feb 2012)

December 2012 - Untitled (Fire Spirits #4)

Sorry about the vagueness of October's release. I'm playing around with ideas for an adult urban fantasy series and since I'm really excited about branching out into adult fiction I may have to put one of my YA series on the backburner. Since there was no cliffhanger at the end of The Tale of Lunarmorte (only the expectation of more, and I promise there will be more) it would be the YA series that steps back for a bit. Fire Spirits will be continuing on in 2013 and I wouldn't feel right halting it mid-series. So yeah... we'll see how the adult series pans out though and I'll keep you posted. But the above schedule (other than October) is pretty much what I'm aiming for.

Busy year ahead for me :-)

Sam x

Ari on a T-shirt

2011-12-12T15:07:00.001Z

More books...

Hard Copies

The Vampire Stalker by Allison Van Diepen

Eden by Keary Taylor

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

Legend by Marie Lu

Skinwalker by Faith Hunter

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

Kindle Books

Sterling by Dannika Dark

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Pyxis by K.C. Neal

Riley Jenson Guardian Series kindle books 1-9 by Keri Arthur

Sookie Stackhouse Series kindle books 1-11 by Charlaine Harris

Night Huntress Series kindle books 1-6 by Jeaniene Frost

Vampire Shift by Tim O'Rourke

Prince of Wolves by Quinn Loftis

Illuminated by Erica Orloff

Sam x

P.S. Shades of Blood (Warriors of Ankh #3) is now available to purchase in paperback from amazon.com

The Fade

2011-12-08T19:14:00.001Z

While I've been cooped up inside, safe from the storm ripping through Scotland, I've been pondering the dilemma that is The Chronicles of the Fade.
When I first started writing about this world I jotted down notes for a possible two to three more books. After I published Slumber, however, I couldn't seem to get those ideas to work without ruining what has become a special book to me. Perhaps it's because Slumber is a fantasy novel set in a world created completely from my own imagination that makes it different for me from my other books, but I'm afraid to do anything that will detract from the first story. I've finally come up with plans for a second book that I'm happy with but... those plans mean there will only be two books. I know some of you have asked for it to be extended to a trilogy or even a quadrilogy as originally planned and I'm so sorry to not be doing that for you... but I feel adding to the story in order to lengthen the series would be detrimental to the quality of the storytelling itself.

So... the other problem... it can no longer be called Chronicles of the Fade... well it could be... but it would just make me laugh :-p

The series has been renamed The Fade. Slumber (The Fade: Part One) and Sneak Thievery (The Fade: Part Two). Now I never say never... if somewhere down the line I do feel another book would work in the series then I will write it for all you Fade fans. For now, however, the plans are to finish Sneak Thievery with an ending that will satisfy as a conclusion to that world.

Cheers,

Sam x

Shades of Blood (WOA #3) - OUT NOW!

2011-12-05T21:57:00.002Z

Warning... if you haven't read the first two books in the series there is a spoiler in the trailer below...

Hey folks,

Good news! Shades of Blood, the final installment in the Warriors of Ankh trilogy is now available to download in ebook! Yay! The paperback edition will be available on amazon.com by the original release date of Dec 12th. Moreover, the Warriors of Ankh Omnibus edition is also now available to download in ebook! Here are the links...

amazon.com - kindle $3.99

amazon.co.uk - kindle £2.94

amazon.de - kindle EUR 3,43

Smashwords - multiple ebook formats including Epub for Nook etc $3.99

amazon.com - kindle $6.49

amazon.co.uk - kindle £4.78

Smashwords - multiple ebook formats including epub for Nook $6.49

It's very strange to say goodbye to these characters, I've had so much fun writing them. I hope you all enjoy the last adventure... or if you're new to the Ankh, I hope you enjoy the ride :-)

Sam x

Warriors of Ankh Omnibus Edition

2011-12-04T18:09:00.001Z

When Shades of Blood (Warriors of Ankh #3) releases I will also be releasing an Omnibus Edition of the trilogy :-) The Omnibus will be available in ebook only.

When the heroine and the villain are one in the same…

Eden is a Soul Eater. While that hasn’t meant much to her in the past, she’s pretty sure any minute now she’s going to go all "Carrie" on her eleventh grade class.

Noah is an Ankh. As an immortal Warrior, his purpose in life is to hunt down and kill Soul Eaters.

Together they are about to embark on a journey that will change their lives forever...

... A journey in search of Eden’s redemption.

But with enemies and tests of morality and strength around every corner, it will be a journey that pushes them both to their very limits.

Can the promise of honor, purpose and love be enough to temper the monster within?

Find out in this special omnibus edition of the Warriors of Ankh trilogy.

Includes:

Book One - Blood Will Tell

Book Two - Blood Past

Book Three - Shades of Blood

Plus bonus material: The first six chapters of Smokeless Fire, Book One in Samantha Young’s brand new YA paranormal romance series, Fire Spirits.

The Warriors of Ankh Omnibus Edition is recommended for ages 16 and up.

Sam x

Love is Darkness by Caroline Hanson

2011-12-03T18:52:00.000Z

Love is Darkness (Valerie Dearborn #1)
by Caroline Hanson

amazon - kindle £0.72

Book Description (taken from goodreads)

Valerie Dearborn wants a cotton candy life, but it’s more like a puffer fish: pointy, unusual, and—if not prepared exactly right—deadly.

In London for graduate school, Val knows she's finally free. Her father and ex-almost-boyfriend are back in California and she's out of the Vampire hunting biz for good. Or is she?

She draws the attention of Lucas, a 1600 year old Vampire, and King to his kind. He’s also wicked hot. As golden as Lucifer, and just as tempting, he makes Valerie an offer she can't refuse— help him find out if the Others (Empaths, Fey and Werewolves) still exist or he'll stop protecting those she loves.

Lucas tells her that Empaths were a Vampire’s biggest weakness before going extinct hundreds of years ago. While the Fey or a Werewolf might kill a Vampire, an Empath could enslave them, seducing or harming with emotions at will. The one detail he leaves out? Valerie is an Empath.

And after 1600 years of an emotionless existence, Lucas wants Valerie like a recovering alcoholic wants a wine cooler.

Can she keep those she loves alive, stop Lucas from munching on her, survive a fanged revolution and still find a way to have that boring, normal life she’s always wanted? Probably not, but boy is she gonna try!

My Thoughts

I’m on an adult urban fantasy kick at the moment and Caroline Hanson’s Love is Darkness was a delicious meal in my feeding frenzy. Hanson’s modern, smooth and polished prose drew me in from the first page. I was immediately engaged by Val and Jack, the tension and chemistry between them was absolutely electric! Val is an incredibly likeable heroine. There’s a lot about her that’s relatable - certain insecurities, loneliness, a drive for something ‘more’. She just wants an ordinary life away from paranormal danger (I loved how her reactions to the paranormal were so authentic) and the conflicted pull she has between wanting this and a certain hot hunter was expressed extremely well. I have to love Val for her backbone and resolve.

With a great sense of humour and an intense loyalty towards the people in her life (a loyalty that is used against her), Val is a great character. She plays off of Lucas just as well as she does Jack which was frustratingly brilliant I must say. Lucas was just as compelling as Jack. Sometimes I find one male hero shines less than the other but I’m on the fence with this one. OK, maybe I’m leaning more towards Jack but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy every second Lucas was on the page. The ending was like ahhhh no ‘I need more!’ I’m so glad book 2 is out in ten days. Seriously, seriously impressed with this book, not just as an indie (an amazingly professional, polished and well-structured indie), but as an adult pnr book in general. It holds its own among some of my favourite writers such as Charlaine Harris, Chloe Neill and Keri Arthur. It’s full of humour, action and sizzling chemistry. Fans of adult urban fantasy will love it!

Five Massive Massive Stars!

Sam x

Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

2011-12-02T15:02:00.000Z

Obsidian (Lux #1)
by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Paperback release date Dec 6th 2011

amazon - Kindle £4.49

Book Description

Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I’d pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring…. until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something…unexpected happens.

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon’s touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I’m getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.

If I don’t kill him first, that is. (taken from goodreads)

My Thoughts

I preordered Obsidian in paperback but when I discovered it was released onto Kindle early I had to download it and devour it immediately. I loved Jennifer Armentrout’s debut Half-Blood and, as a fan of Roswell, couldn’t wait to get into what had been coined a Roswell-esque YA Sci-fi romance. Well, other than a girl from a small town falling in with a group of aliens who live under the guise of humans, the story (other than basic genre plot devices) is one all its own.

I have to say… I think I loved Obsidian even more than Half-Blood. Seriously, just couldn’t put the book down. The heroine, Katy, is a brilliant heroine. She’s bookish (love that she’s a book blogger), she’s kind of quiet but she has this innate strength and fiery temper (especially when it comes to Daemon). The prose is modern and smooth, really easy to get sucked into. The plot is fast-paced, engaging, and just incredibly entertaining. BUT the best part of Obsidian is the interaction between Daemon and Katy. Daemon is a first class dick half of the time… and I mean first class! Grr, he really pissed me off sometimes… then he’d go being all sweet and protective and you just wanted to slap him upside the head for being so irritatingly yummy. I totally understood Katy’s dilemma and yet really appreciate how her character never gave into him and how she stood up for herself (the spaghetti scene in the cafeteria was awesome!). The chemistry between these two is off the charts AMAZING. The bonus scenes at the end of the novel told from Daemon’s POV were fantastic and really gave the reader insight into him – it made the reader understand why he was such a douchebag sometimes.

Anyhoo…if you like yourself a hot YA romance with healthy helpings of suspense, humour and action… then you should definitely pick up Obsidian.

Now on my favourites shelf.

Five Massive Massive Stars!

Sam x

Christmas & Thank you's!

2011-12-01T12:51:00.000Z

What is this poor dog looking at? Clearly, whatever it is it's traumatising... add that to having been forced into a Santa suit and this little miter is having one bad day.

Happy First Day in December!

I’m a Christmas person. I love the Christmas lights and some of the music (Wizard and Slade!), I love the smells, I love Edinburgh at Christmas with the lights in the trees, the ice rink in the gardens, the smells from the German market, the ferris wheel on Princes Street. Edinburgh at Christmas time is magical. And I love the present giving. I love searching for silly little things that make sense only to me and the person I’m giving it to, and wrapping them all up in shiny paper (I am a magpie!). This year Christmas is even more exciting because for the first year, EVER, in my life I don’t need to worry about how I’m going to pay my bills and pay for Christmas presents, dreading the month of January when I have to find a way to scrape by. It’s an amazing feeling this year to have been able to not only buy Christmas pressies for the ones I love, but to spoil them rotten! I can’t wait to see their faces on Christmas morning. I’m such a child!! But seriously, this year has been one of the most wonderful years ever. I’ve worked my ass off more than I ever have, but I’ve enjoyed doing it, and I’ve met some lovely people who have helped make my dream of being a full time writer come true. Because of those people, because of my writing, I have been able to pay off the thousands of pounds of debt I accumulated as a student. It’s not all paid but it’s getting there and the relief is unfrickingbelievable! I started off this year unemployed, having to live off my parents… and I’m ending it doing my dream job and spoiling my parents at Christmas as a way to say thank you for all their support. Seriously… if it weren’t for my mum and dad I wouldn’t have been able to get my books off the ground. They clothed and fed me and kept a roof over my head, giving me all the support I needed so I could write more books and get them out there. Yay for my mum and dad! They’re awesome!

I also want to thank all the book bloggers and readers who have been so supportive and so lovely and encouraging this year. Rachel, Ana, Katie B, Alex, Karen, Sandra, Jena, Avery, Mindy, Jaime, Megan, Caitlin, Yara, Anne, Lucy, Jamie M, Kelsey, Leilani, Emma, Laura (FB), Chantal (FB), Emma (FB), Dwayne, Katie (FB), Courtney (FB), Cait, Alisa, Kathy, Christin, Jenny, Lisa, Dawn (FB), Beth (FB), Jennifer A, Proserpine, and Sarah. I’m so sorry if I’ve left any bloggers off of there, I LOVE you all!!!

A big thanks also to Bella B, Maria D, Mariela, Betsy, Janet W, Jocelyn, Melissa, Maghon, Lisa P, Sarrie, Chantel, Monique, Ashley B, Jaimie, Sally,Sara H, Brittany, Tammy, Michelle, Leslie, Bailey, Sharon, Sara A, Morgan, Stephanie, Barbara, Mauna, April, Aimee, Jaime A, Jessika, Tara, Rachael, Jenn, Danielle, Shawanda, Jennifer D, Angelina, Crystal and so many more amazing readers who have contacted me through FB and Twitter etc. You guys rock! Again I’m sorry if I missed anyone out, my brain is mush (it’s full of Christmas music!) but I love and appreciate every single person who takes the time to pick up my books.

A huge thank you and love to my beautiful bestie (anyone watch The Big Bang Theory? *snigger*) Kate McJ, for not only being my bestie, but for being a fantabulous proofreader/editor to me this year as well.

A huge thank you to Claudia McKinney at Phatpuppyart for being an all-round lovely person and the supremely talented artist who created the stunning cover art for Slumber, Smokeless Fire, Scorched Skies and Sneak Thievery.

I also want to throw a thanks over to the amazing indie writers whose novels gave me an escape from my own ‘character and world-building overload’ when I needed it – M.Leighton, Jamie McGuire, Amanda Hocking, J L Bryan, Tammy Blackwell, Keary Taylor, Susan Bischoff, Heather Killough-Walden and Shelly Crane. Again, I’m sorry if I’ve missed anyone!! Love you guys, ‘YOU IS AWESOME’.

I wanted to do all the end of year thanking now because I love Christmas but I hate New Years. Hate it. Ugh. Lol. Anyway, I hate New Years, but I’m looking forward to 2012 because I have so many projects on the go. I’m looking forward to publishing more in the Fire Spirits series, the sequel to Slumber, the companion novella to Drip Drop Teardrop, and the first in the Lunarmorte Repercussions series. I also at some point want to start writing an Adult Urban Fantasy series I’ve been thinking about BUT I don’t think I’ll manage to cram that in this year. *Shrugs and winks* we’ll see.

Now I’m off to the dentist (way to kill the Christmas joy).

Sam x

Teaser Tuesday: Shades of Blood

2011-11-29T00:00:00.000Z

Shades of Blood (Warriors of Ankh #3)
Release Date: December 12th 2011

Teaser...

" “For the love of gods!” Noah snapped as she slid inside. She tried to slam the door shut but his arm shot through the gap before it closed and he shoved it back open with little effort. He glared at her, his eyes a dark amethyst. “What are you, five?!”

“Get out.” She crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes boring into him with flat disdain. Her hope that he would get the message deflated as he brushed past her, kicking the door shut with his heel.

“No,” he growled back at her. She felt the hair rise on her nape and a shudder of warning ripple down her spine. Eden carefully turned to look up at him. Noah was mad.

Noah never got mad. "

Sam x

Cover Reveal: Sneak Thievery

2011-11-27T23:08:00.002Z

My brain is going a mile a minute at the moment. I'm trying to organise what the publishing schedule will be for all the projects I'm juggling. Anyhoo, I've decided to stop tormenting fans of the Slumber (Chronicles of the Fade #1) and will be releasing Sneak Thievery, the second book, on April 27th 2012. This will be the next book to be published after Scorched Skies (Fire Spirits #2) and then after Sneak Thievery I will publish book three in the Fire Spirits series (I have no definite date for that yet though). I've got many more projects - I want to start releasing the Lunarmorte Repercussions in 2012 (probably mid-late 2012 by the looks of things now) and continue on with the Fire Spirits series as well, so busy, busy!

But anyway! Back to Sneak Thievery. Sneak Thievery is the second book in the Chronicles of the Fade. It is written from not only Rogan's first person POV but also L's first POV. This is an even bigger adventure than the last fairy tale of the Fade! So without further ado... the book cover and book description...

Cover art by Phatpuppyart

Cover Model http://angiestock.deviantart.com/

Sneak Thievery (Chronicles of the Fade #2)

L is surprised by how much she enjoys the transformation from mountain girl to a lady of Silvera. With a strong sense of self, she’s adamant that learning proper conduct, and how to speak and dress well, will provide her with a brighter future. She refuses, however, to give up her practical or straightforward nature. Or her crossbow.

When L meets Fane, a soldier in the Royal Guard, all she sees is a smart-mouthed, straight talking young man who seems to understand her. L thinks nothing of befriending him.

But Fane is not who he appears to be. Fane is a spy. And when war ships arrive on the coast of Silvera carrying Fane’s ruler, a mage more powerful than any of them could ever imagine, Phaedra is plunged into darkness as an old legend proves true.

Reeling from the betrayal, L shrugs off the new her and pulls on the old.

It seems once more… she and Rogan have a princess to save.

Out April 27th 2012

Sam x

Cover Reveal: Book Two in the Fire Spirits Series

2011-11-25T19:42:00.004Z

Hey guys!

Well, my next release is, as I'm sure most of you guessed, book two in the Fire Spirits series. Book Two is titled 'Scorched Skies' and will be released February 21st 2012. I'm going to be adding a countdown widget to my sidebar so look out for that, and I'm also going to be updating the Fire Spirits blog asap. I'm in love with the series and having an absolute ball writing it. It's looking to be the biggest of my series' so far but I won't give a definite number on how many books just yet because sometimes chapter summaries can be longer or shorter than you think they'll be when you set out to write them. So yup... I'm rambling... anyhoo... the lovely and talented and awesomesauce Claudia at Phatpuppy Art (Digital artist extraordinaire!) has designed the 'Scorched Skies' book cover for me (if you remember she's also the genius behind the 'Smokeless Fire' cover art).
I am absolutely in love with this cover art!!!!!!!

So without further ado... what do you think??

FEAR THE HEAT…

The White King has crossed the line, sounded the horn, sent out the wolves.

The War for the Seal has only just begun… and it’s time for Ari to turn it on its head.

It’s time for Ari to stop acting like the hunted.

It’s time for Ari to become the hunter.

Coming March 16th 2012

Sam x

Yummy Hardbacks & Ebooks

2011-11-24T13:15:00.000Z

Bought lots of nice books lately... check 'em out...

HARDBACKS

Ashfall by Mike Mullin

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor

The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

The Space Between by Brenna Yovanoff

KINDLE BOOKS

Sacred Bloodlines by Wendy Owens

XVI by Julia Karr

Firespell by Chloe Neill

Tamar by Mal Peet

Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts

Bound by Kira Saito

Suspense by Jason Letts

Solstice by P.J. Hoover

The Deepest Cut by J.A. Templeton

Love is Darkness by Caroline Hanson

Sam x

Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane

2011-11-23T00:03:00.000Z

Today's book recommendation is an adult dystopian/ paranormal novel I've had sitting on my bookshelf for a while now. Could kick myself for not picking it up sooner. It's awesome...

Unholy Ghosts (Downside Ghosts #1)
by Stacia Kane

amazon - paperback £6.39

Description (taken from goodreads)

THE DEPARTED HAVE ARRIVED.

The world is not the way it was. The dead have risen, and the living are under attack. The powerful Church of Real Truth, in charge since the government fell, has sworn to reimburse citizens being harassed by the deceased.

Consequently, there are many false claims of hauntings from those hoping to profit. Enter Chess Putnam, a fully-tattooed witch, freewheeling Debunker, and ghost hunter. She’s got a real talent for nailing human liars and banishing the wicked dead. But she’s keeping a dark secret from the Church: a little drug problem that’s landed her in hot and dangerous water.

Chess owes a lot of money to a murderous drug lord named Bump. And Bump wants immediate payback. All Chess has to do is dispatch a very nasty species of undead from an old airport. But the job involves black magic, human sacrifice, a nefarious demonic creature, and crossing swords with enough wicked energy to wipe out a city of souls. Toss in lust for a rival gang leader and a dangerous attraction to Bump’s ruthless enforcer, and Chess begins to wonder if the rush is really worth it.

My Thoughts

Stacia Kane’s Unholy Ghosts was truly a step in a different direction from other adult urban fantasy books, and that’s something that’s very hard to do in that genre – or at least difficult to find. From the drug-abusing protagonist, to the scarred and terrifying hero, Terrible, Unholy Ghosts has its own attitude and one I’m completely taken with. I loved the worldbuilding and the premise – this is dystopian meets paranormal. Love it. Everything about the novel is raw and unapologetic, from the street language, to the vile things the heroine, Chess, stumbles upon, to the peeled back chemistry between Chess and Terrible. Chess’ history is not a pretty one and neither is her present, but her colorful attitude, the easy, smooth prose, the vivid characters and the suspenseful plot make this a charged and exciting read. Happy to add it to my favourites pile and am moving swiftly on to book 2!

Five massive massive stars!

Sam x

Teaser Tuesday: Shades of Blood

2011-11-22T00:00:00.002Z

Shades of Blood (Warriors of Ankh #3)
Out December 12th 2011

Teaser...

OK, enough was enough. “Are you going to be a little bitch for the rest of our lives or do you think you actually might forgive me at some point?” she snapped. She had apologized a million times for what happened to Mhairi. Tobe knew how much she’d cared about the old woman. Why was she punishing her for this?!

Tobe drew to a stop, her features tight with anger. She swiped at her sweaty forehead. “Excuse me?” she asked, her accent seeming more pronounced with her anger. “ ae’ you talkin’ tae me?”

Yeah… way more pronounced.

“No, Mr. DeNiro, I’m talking to my friend Tobe,” Eden cracked.

Tobe grimaced at her lame Taxi Driver joke. “We’re not friends.”

“Yeah we are.”

“Naw, we’re not.”

“Yeah, we are. Or we will be once you forgive me.” She pleaded with her eyes. “I don’t like making myself vulnerable to people, Tobe. Surely my sitting here begging you like a virgin quarterback on prom night means something to you.”

“Now that was just disturbing.”

Sam x

Giveaway Winners!

2011-11-20T13:21:00.000Z

Hey folks,

It's time to announce the winners of my 40k sales celebratory giveaway I posted in September. I know I promised a vlog where I would pull winners out of a hat (quite literally) but 90 of you wonderful folks entered so I would have been there forever cutting up names into little squares, so I did it the modern way and went with random.org. So without further ado...

The Winner, who will be receiving a signed copy of Smokeless Fire, Slumber and Drip Drop Teardrop is...

DAWN STOTTS!

Congrats Dawn!

The two runners up who will receive a paperback copy of Smokeless Fire sent directly to them via amazon are...

FELICIA HOLSCHER

and

CHANTEL LAW

Congrats guys!

I've emailed the winners and they have 48 hours to respond before I pick new winners.

As for the question I asked you guys (If you could wish for a book crush to be brought to life, who would you wish for?) I got some really interesting answers. My favourite answer was Fred Weasley from the Harry Potter novels. Aww that was genius.

Anyhoo I'm just listing those who received 3 votes or more. I don't know if you guys were sucking up to me or what but... I like it :-p

Lucien Lider (Tale of Lunarmorte by... Moi) - 15 votes

Noah Valois (Warriors of Ankh by... Moi) - 6 votes

Wolfe Stovia (Chronicles of the Fade by... Moi) - 6 votes

Jace Wayland (The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare) - 5 votes

Dimitri Belikov (Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead) - 5 votes

Prince Ash (The Iron Fey by Julie Kagawa) - 5 votes

Ryder Alexander (Tale of Lunarmorte by... Moi) - 5 votes

Jericho Z Barrons (Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning) - 4 votes

Etienne St. Clair (Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins) - 3 votes

Ren Can'trememberhissurname (Nightshade by Andrea Cremer) - 3 votes

Well guys I love all your choices and have book crushes on all of them. One of you lovely folks asked me on the giveaway form who my ultimate book crush is. Well... it is indeed the rather hot, scary, wonderful, deliciousness that is Jericho Z Barrons (a.k.a Barrons) from Karen Marie Moning's fantabulous awesomerocks with socks on top Fever Series. Yum.

Thanks to everyone for entering the giveaway and sharing your book crushes. There were a few crushes on there I was happy to see even if they were only mentioned once or twice. Oh and Jai from Fire Spirits got two votes which made me very happy :-)

Cheers!

Sam x

The Chicagoland Vampires by Chloe Neill

2011-11-19T21:53:00.001Z

The Chicagoland Vampires

Sure, the life of a graduate student wasn’t exactly glamorous, but it was Merit’s. She was doing fine until a rogue vampire attacked her. But he only got a sip before he was scared away by another bloodsucker—and this one decided the best way to save her life was to make her the walking undead.

Turns out her savior was the master vampire of Cadogan House. Now she’s traded sweating over her thesis for learning to fit in at a Hyde Park mansion full of vamps loyal to Ethan "Lord o’ the Manor" Sullivan. Of course, as a tall, green-eyed, four-hundred- year-old vampire, he has centuries’ worth of charm, but unfortunately he expects her gratitude—and servitude. But an inconvenient sunlight allergy and Ethan’s attitude are the least of her concerns. Someone’s still out to get her. Her initiation into Chicago’s nightlife may be the first skirmish in a war—and there will be blood.

This week I'm recommending not one book but an entire series - The Chicagoland Vampires series by Chloe Neill. I'm a huge fan of adult urban fantasy and thought I'd take some time to try out Chloe Neill's very popular series. Well, I started it at the beginning of the week and am now on book 5 Drink Deep. I'm already chomping at the bit for book 6 which releases august 2012 and I haven't even finished. If you're a fan of Charlaine Harris, Patricia Briggs, Rachel Vincent, Karen Marie Moning, Rachel Caine, Richelle Mead and all their adult urban fantasy series' then you'll LOVE Chloe Neill. The heroine, Merit, is a phenomenal character. She's HI-LARIOUS, sarky, goofy-funny, powerful, loyal, brave, strong, totally kick-ass, intelligent and independent. She's awesome! In fact, even though I'm big fan of all the above mentioned authors' heroines, I have to say Merit is a close second to my favourite heroine, Mac, from Karen Marie Moning's Fever series. I've enjoyed spending the week in Merit's world of the supernatural, where there has been plenty of action, suspense, political intrigue, plot twists, tragedy, fantastic humour and a tense, sizzling romantic subplot. I don't want it to end! Seriously guys, if you haven't already, I highly recommend you check this series out.

Five Mega awesome Stars!

Sam x

Fantasy Cast Pick Overhaul - Warriors of Ankh

2011-11-19T15:46:00.000Z

The cast overhaul has nothing to do with the previous selection for my fantasy cast picks for Eden and Noah from the Warriors of Ankh series being sucky. It's just that I found someone who is exactly as I imagined Noah and then when I thought about it I realized that Eden wasn't quite right either. So... here's my new picks...

Chris Zylka as Noah Valois. He has Noah's blonde good looks with that slightly surfer-ishness that I always imagined Noah to have (even though Noah can't surf for sh..shhhh). Chris is currently playing Jake Armstrong in the tv series The Secret Circle. He's hot!

Zoey Deutch as Eden Winslow (MacDouglas).
I haven't actually seen her acting chops but there's something about this picture of Zoey that reminds me of Eden. I changed her eye colour but other than that she seems to have Eden's attitude (from the pic anyhoo). Zoey is currently in the tv series Ringer.

So yeah, I like these choices better than my original ones. I tried to find an actress for Tobe but oh holy hell it's difficult to find a Scottish actress of the right age. I even tried looking for a British actress but none of them had the right edge. Tobe is really snarky. The actress playing her would have to be able to pull of the snark. The only person I have in mind right now is US actress Kristen Stewart but even then she just doesn't feel right... so I'll keep thinking about it.

Sam x

Scottish quoteoftheday - "Never trust a man who when left alone with a tea cosy... doesn't try it on." - Billy Connolly

Sister Samurai

2011-11-17T15:38:00.000Z

I was out Christmas shopping today and I ended up also buying myself a little present. I saw this canvas and immediately pictured it in my new home (I'm moving into a new place next year but haven't found said place yet... however, am already designing it all in my head). It sooo reminds me of Eden and her katana. Love it.

Quote of the Day - "If my doctor told me I only had six minutes to live, I wouldn't brood. I'd type a little faster." Isaac Asimov

Sam x

Teaser Tuesday - Shades of Blood

2011-11-15T16:31:00.000Z

TEASER TUESDAY

Shades of Blood (Warriors of Ankh #3)
Release Date December 12th 2011

"Horror shot through her, absolute and clear, pushing her back up the roof. Slates slid under her feet determined to take her down with them, but the sight of a blue smoke-like property drawing out of *BLEEP* and into the soul eater drove her on. She sprung forward like a cat, gripping the sides of the window to hold her upper body up as she swung her legs inwards, broken glass slicing through her jeans. She didn’t even feel it. But she did feel the vibration of her feet hitting the soul eater hard enough to knock him flying, and hard enough to rattle her teeth."

Sam x

Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

2011-11-12T18:27:00.000Z

Daugher of Smoke & Bone (Daughter of Smoke & Bone #1)
By Laini Taylor

amazon.com - Hardback $11.20

Book Description (taken from goodreads)

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages--not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.

When one of the strangers--beautiful, haunted Akiva--fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself.

My Review
**********Off the Charts Mindblowingly Awesome

There are some stories that are truly special; the kind of stories that bury their way inside, claw at the chest and tug at the gut. They make you forget the world around you and for a while you disappear into another place, another time, another life.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone is a very special novel.

Karou drew me in from the first glitter of her thoughts. She’s an incredibly enigmatic, funny, young, wise, vulnerable, strong, beautiful paradox of a heroine and I utterly love her. Karou’s world is unlike anywhere I’ve ever been before, from the gothic, creative and atmospheric streets of Prague to the warm, bizarre and frighteningly wonderful shop of horrors where her family of Chimaera stay. Each character, from the human Zuzanna and Kaz, to the brisk, compelling Brimstone, and the darkly stunning Akiva, is exquisitely drawn. Taylor’s realm of the fantastical is brought to life through the well-rounded characterization, and indeed her untouchable imagination. I could lavish praise upon praise on Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and write screeds and screeds about her gorgeous prose, EPIC and truly unique tale of war, the lush and heartbreaking romance that could give fiction’s greatest love stories a run for their money, and about how every time I sat down to crack open the pages I knew my breath would be kidnapped a time or two and knew a feeling of complete contentedness awaited me.

But I won’t.

Instead I highly recommend you find out for yourself just how extraordinary Laini Taylor’s world is.

I’m in love with Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Really and truly in love.

One of my favourite reads EVER, never mind of 2011.

Ten Explosive Stars!

Sam x

Shades of Blood (WOA #3) - The Book Trailer

2011-11-10T19:12:00.002Z

Here it is folks. I've been hard at work putting together a book trailer for Shades of Blood, the final installment in the Warriors of Ankh trilogy. I went for simple on this one, hoping simple is effective in this case. Fingers crossed you like it...

Sam x

Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park

2011-11-09T13:46:00.000Z

Another book recommendation for you lovely people...

Flat-Out Love
by Jessica Park

amazon - Kindle £2.84

Book Description (Taken from Goodreads)

Flat-Out Love is a warm and witty novel of family love and dysfunction, deep heartache and raw vulnerability, with a bit of mystery and one whopping, knock-you-to-your-knees romance.

Something is seriously off in the Watkins home. And Julie Seagle, college freshman, small-town Ohio transplant, and the newest resident of this Boston house, is determined to get to the bottom of it.

When Julie's off-campus housing falls through, her mother's old college roommate, Erin Watkins, invites her to move in. The parents, Erin and Roger, are welcoming, but emotionally distant and academically driven to eccentric extremes. The middle child, Matt, is an MIT tech geek with a sweet side ... and the social skills of a spool of USB cable. The youngest, Celeste, is a frighteningly bright but freakishly fastidious 13-year-old who hauls around a life-sized cardboard cutout of her oldest brother almost everywhere she goes.

And there's that oldest brother, Finn: funny, gorgeous, smart, sensitive, almost emotionally available. Geographically? Definitely unavailable. That's because Finn is traveling the world and surfacing only for random Facebook chats, e-mails, and status updates. Before long, through late-night exchanges of disembodied text, he begins to stir something tender and silly and maybe even a little bit sexy in Julie's suddenly lonesome soul.

To Julie, the emotionally scrambled members of the Watkins family add up to something that ... well ... doesn't quite add up. Not until she forces a buried secret to the surface, eliciting a dramatic confrontation that threatens to tear the fragile Watkins family apart, does she get her answer.

My Review
*****Brilliant Read

Flat-Out love is more than a love story between two people. Although there is romance, Jessica Park’s contemporary YA novel for me was more about the love of a family, and the lengths people will go to, to help the ones they love.

If you do work out the twist from the beginning of Flat-Out Love, I promise you it won’t detract from your enjoyment of the story. If you don’t work it out, then you’re in for a clever and heart-squeezing ride. The heroine Julie is a likeable college Freshman who descends on Boston (I always wanted to go to Boston, now I’m frickin’ antsy after Park’s wonderful descriptions) and a super intelligent family to turn their lives upside down. The best thing about Julie is her genuine likeability – she has a huge heart and an absolutely insane sense of humour that I loved. The Watkins family is really special too. Matt the MIT geek is funny and likeable and so sweetly protective of his little sister Celeste. As for Celeste and her cardboard copy of her big brother Finn she takes with her everywhere… oh holy hell she made me laugh. She’s cute, completely socially awkward and blunt in a way you can’t help but love.

My favourite thing about the entire book was probably the dialoguing. Suffice to say the banter is excellent. The IMs between Finn and Julie had me laughing out loud, they were so off the wall and my exact sense of humour (and actually reminiscent of the kinds of stuff me and my friends gibber nonsensically about in emails).

The writing itself is easy, modern prose that sweeps you through the book (I read it in one sitting) and catches you in the gut and in those laughter lines around the eye with its beautiful simplicity and poignant perception of a family in need.

Wonderful read. I highly recommend.

Five Massive Massive Stars!

Sam x

Cover Love: Significance by Shelly Crane

2011-11-08T12:47:00.000Z

Shelly Crane is an awesomerocks fellow indie author and her Significance series is a wonderful amazon bestseller. If you haven't checked her books out you should do so... go on... yes... now :-p

Anyhoo, I was on a virtual stroll through amazon when I came across the new cover for Signifcance. The old cover was pretty in its simplicity but the new cover is just COOL. It's really eyecatching and well... lush :-)

Significance (Significance #1)
by Shelly Crane

Maggie is a seventeen year old girl who's had a bad year. Her mom left, her dad is depressed, she's graduating, barely, and her boyfriend of almost three years dumped her for a college football schalorship. Lately she thinks life is all about hanging on by a thread and is gripping tight with everything she has. Then she meets Caleb. She saves his life and instantly knows there's something about him that's intriguing but she is supposed to be on her way to a date with his cousin. But things change when they touch, sparks ignite. Literally. They imprint with each other and she sees their future life together flash before her eyes. She learns that not only is she his soul mate, and can feel his heartbeat in her chest, but there is a whole other world of people with gifts and abilities that she never knew existed. She herself is experiencing supernatural changes unlike anything she's ever felt before and she needs the touch of his skin to survive. Now, not only has her dad come out of his depression to be a father again, and a pain as well, but Caleb's enemies know he's imprinted and are after Maggie to stop them both from gaining their abilities and take her from him. Can Caleb save her or will they be forced to live without each other after just finding one another?

Sam x

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

2011-11-07T21:14:00.000Z

My book recommendation this week has been around for a while but for those of you who haven't checked it out (are there any of you left??) here's my review...

Perfect Chemistry (Perfect Chemistry #1)
by Simone Elkeles

amazon - paperback £4.12

Description (taken from Goodreads)

When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year, she has no clue that her carefully created “perfect” life is about to unravel before her eyes. She’s forced to be lab partners with Alex Fuentes, a gang member from the other side of town, and he is about to threaten everything she's worked so hard for—her flawless reputation, her relationship with her boyfriend, and the secret that her home life is anything but perfect. Alex is a bad boy and he knows it. So when he makes a bet with his friends to lure Brittany into his life, he thinks nothing of it. But soon Alex realizes Brittany is a real person with real problems, and suddenly the bet he made in arrogance turns into something much more. In a passionate story about looking beneath the surface, Simone Elkeles breaks through the stereotypes and barriers that threaten to keep Brittany and Alex apart.

My Review
*****Awesome Read

I read Perfect Chemistry a while back and decided to re-read it after buying the second and third companion novels. I think I may have loved it even more the second time around.

Simone Elkeles writes real YA. Like Jennifer Echols, Jenny Downham and Tabitha Suzuma, Elkeles dives into the teen psyche and delivers a novel where teens talk, act, and think like real teens. And just to make her books gosh darn perfect she even gives them real problems too! There’s always a fear when reading a blurb like Perfect Chemistry that you’re going to lead your imagination into a bad racial divide novel that cheesifies very real and difficult issues. I am so happy to say that this is not the case.

Take the heroine, Brittany – she’s pretty, she’s blonde, she’s rich, she’s popular, she’s captain of the Pom Squad and she dates the hottest guy in school. But behind that glossy façade she has oh so carefully created, is a teenager that’s a carer (cleaning, changing, feeding and all) for her twenty year old sister, Shelley, who has Cerebral Palsy. On top of that she has a neurotic, OCD mother who suffered from a nervous breakdown a year ago, and a father who treats their home more like a hotel than anything else. Real teen with real issues – tick!

Take our hero, Alex – he’s yummy, he’s dangerous, he carries a Glock, rides a motorcycle and is a member of criminal gang, the Latino Bloods. But behind that terrifying persona he has oh so carefully crafted, is a teenager who loves his family, who would do anything to protect his family (after all he has been ‘man of the house’ since his father was shot dead in front of him at age six)… even joining a gang he hates… Alex is also intelligent, longs for respectability, is loyal and scared. The gang issues brought up are not glorified or brushed over or devoid of any tragedy. In fact the gang subplot provides a great dose of suspense to the overall story. Real teen with real issues – tick!

There is some curse words in Perfect Chemistry but I really feel the book would have been pretty silly if the gang members walked around minding their p’s and q’s all the time. I loved how the teenagers thought and acted like actual teenagers, even if that means the novel is more appropriate for older teen readers. I just don’t think the story would have worked nearly so well, or felt as authentic, if Elkeles had cleaned up the language etc. That’s not to say the language is overly graphic – in fact the author does a wonderful job of finding the perfect balance.

Outside of the hero and heroine’s individual problems, Perfect Chemistry is of course a love story. And boy is it a good one. The chemistry is sizzling, the romance well-developed and well-written, and the dialogue between Brittany and Alex absolutely fantastic.

Loved, Loved, Loved.

Five Massive, Massive Stars!

Sam x

Cover Art: Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

2011-11-06T16:17:00.002Z

I'm a cover w****. It's true. If I see cover art I absolutely love it almost guarantees that I'll buy the book. I can't help it. I love beautiful books. And it seems traditional publishers are in competition with one another to come up with the most spectacular book cover art because over the last two years some of the designs have been awesome, and upcoming designs such as these...

Everneath by Brodi Ashton (2012 release) & The Selection by Kiera Cass (2012 release)

...suggest we have a lot more to look forward to from the publishing companies design houses. One of the cool things about trad publishing is the difference in cover art between countries. The truth is cover art that I love... you may hate. And vice versa, so trad publishers offer up different version per country (sometimes different versions within one country i.e. Divergent by Veronica Roth). This is great, because where one cover might not catch your eye, the other might.

Here are some covers that have caught my eye this year. Which do you like best? The US cover or the UK cover?

US COVER UK COVER

Divergent by Veronica Roth. Although the US cover is the one currently on offer in the UK, the pink paperback will be hitting UK stores soon in February 2012. I own the current version and to be honest with you I actually like both covers. The US cover uses a similar design to the US Hunger Games covers, cleverly targeting those fans, but the UK cover has something more human about it - although I think they were right in keeping Tris in the shadows so we can imagine her for ourselves rather than having a cover model make up our minds for us.

US COVER UK COVER

Last Breath (Morganville Vampires #11) by Rachel Caine. I own all the Morganville Vampire books and have to say I'm a huge fan of the UK designs. You can't tell in the pic above but the typography is always in this eyecatching metallic and the cover models are all really different and gothic. Love them! Not so much a fan of the US covers. They wouldn't grab my eye in the bookstore.

US COVER UK COVER

Abandon by Meg Cabot. I must have seen Abandon on a million blogs running up to its release and every time I glanced over it with very little interest. But I was in a bookstore a while back and that beautiful and very cool UK cover completely caught my eye. I picked it up, took the time to read the blurb, and decided I had to have it. Haven't read it yet, but it's on my reading pile - a place it never would have been if not for that UK cover.

US COVER UK COVER

My Soul to Take (Soul Screamers #1) by Rachel Vincent. I have all of the Soul Screamers books and have yet to start the series, although I'm seriously looking forward to picking it up. Again I think both covers are really pretty and so different from one another, but I happened to have book five shipped over from the US because it's not out here in the UK and having them sit side by side shoved me more in one direction - I feel the US covers are more appealing and just... well... lush. Thinking about replacing my collection with the US ones some time in the future. Told you... cover w****

US COVER UK COVER

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. As soon as I heard about this book I knew I had to have it, but when I hopped on over to amazon to purchase it I was so disappointed by the UK cover when the US cover is kick-ass! So yup... I had the beautiful US cover shipped over to me instead. It's on the top of my reading pile. Can't wait to read it!

US COVER UK COVER

Dearly Departed by Lia Habel. This book about zombies appealed to me when I first heard about it, and I fell in love with the US cover. Again, however, when I went to purchase it on amazon the UK cover was... a surprise to say the least. To be honest, the more I look at it, the more it grows on me, there's something kind of deliberately silly about it that appeals to me. BUT I just love that US cover. I had it shipped over and it's sitting on top of my reading pile.

For me cover art is really important and that's why I try to come up with something aesthetically pleasing, eyecatching and different for my own novels. For the most part my cover art is something I put together myself using non-copyright images and Photoshop. But two of my covers - Slumber and Smokeless Fire - are designed by Claudia McKinney of the fantabulous Phatpuppy Art.

I wonder if cover art is as important to you guys as it is to moi (I'm a magpie I swear! I love all things shiny and pretty!)

Sam x