Friday, March 29, 2013

The 20 Questions Spectacular!!! Sophie Davis VS Madison Daniel



Today I have a very special post. It is:
 The 20 Questions Spectacular!!!

~ Sophie Davis VS Madison Daniel ~

So....
LET'S GET READY TO RUUUUUUMMMMMMBLEEEEEE!!!! 



1. Well hello there, Madison.  We’ll start off this game of 20 Questions with an easy one: How much of you is in Max, your protagonist in the Ember series?

MD: Probably about 50% me, 50% rockstar superhero. Ember and the character of Max were the first things I created in literary form (back in 2008), and at the time, I was told to “write what you know...” Well, that’s what I did. And all I really KNOW is 80’s movies, comic books, music and the awkwardness of teenage angst. Ha.

SD: I can totally picture you as Nicolas Cage in that 80’s cinematic masterpiece, Valley Girl ;)  Hahaha, I hope our readers look up the cover!  (kidding, kidding)

2. How about you, Sophie? How much of yourself goes into the stories you create?


SD:  Talia, the main character in Talented has some similarities, both physical and in personality.  But I have other characters that have a lot more of me in them, and some with a lot of my closest friends.


3. I know that Max has trouble choosing between the two female characters in Ember; how much of a ladies man were you in high school?


MD: Hmmm...tough question. There were two versions of me back in school, the easy-going, soft-spoken, frontman to my local rock band AND then there was the shy, awkward, hopeless romantic, that just wanted to connect with that “one” special person. Let me put it this way, I looked like the kind of boy your father would hate for you to bring home, but was actually the exact kind of young man your parents always told you to look for. Basically, a ‘good boy’ in a ‘bad boys’ body.

SD: Haha, so a wolf in sheep’s clothing?  Nice.  Sounds like my kind of guy now, though back in those days I would have gone for the straight-up wolf.


4.  All right, describe your teenage experience in 10 words or less...GO. :)


SD:  Fun, embarrassing, bad decision making, some of my favorite years!


5. Tell us about your first girlfriend.


MD: Enlightening, artistic, challenging and smelled like strawberries. That’s all you’re getting...hehehe.

SD: Strawberries… now why does that sounds familiar?  Ohhh, right, that’s Samantha from Ember’s scent…you heard it here first ladies- we found Madison’s kryptonite!


6. Tell us about your LAST relationship. BOOM.


SD:  It’s a tragic tale of love, Madison.  We first met in college, where we bonded over dirty dishes and pickles – we worked at a sandwich place.  I fell in love with his long hair and angry attitude, not sure what he saw in me, but I did wait tables in some very short shorts.  While it was obvious we both pined for the other, we never professed our love.  I left our small college town for D.C., while he headed south to warmer weather – Miami to be exact.  He married a Brazilian supermodel.  I got a Master’s degree.  He divorced the Brazilian supermodel.  I got a law degree.  And then if finally seemed like the right time to get together.  Unfortunately, our mutual attraction only existed in theory.  In reality, we had nothing in common.  So after a year of flying back and forth between DC and Miami, we parted ways.  Since then, only one boy sleeps in my bed, my Benji look-alike, Humphrey.



7. Who were you most nervous to have read your first book?


MD: He hasn’t read it yet. So, I can’t answer that question just yet. BUT it’s always nerve-racking to show your words to your family.


8. What was the most surprising reaction you received after showing your work to the ones closest to you, good or bad?


SD:  My uncle called my mother to tell her how funny the first book was.  He said I must have a terrific sense of humor.  The only problem is, the book wasn’t supposed to be funny…


9. Do you have a writing outfit?  Do you get dressed every day when you’re working on a novel, or are you the ratty bathrobe, holey boxers type?

           
MD: I’m definitely a jeans and T-shirts kind of guy. Casual, yet proper. Nothing feels as good as a nicely worn, old pair of jeans.


10. Your perfect location to work, write, and play...the beach? Or the park?


SD:  The beach.  I recently went to a destination wedding in St. Croix and I spent the majority of my time sitting on the beach with my HUGE laptop, writing.  It was the best week of my life.


11. What was it like writing from the perspective of a teenage girl?


MD: I love it. I’ve only done it a little bit, in the Ember series. BUT I’m actually working on an all new series from the perspective of a teenage girl. Honestly, I think boys and girls are fundamentally made up of all the same ingredients. Fear, love, acceptance and the joy of discovering something new. We just process those ideas a little differently, that’s all.


12. What’s your favorite character emotion to write about in your stories?


SD:  Hmmmm.  Hard one.  Oddly I’m going to say anger.  I think about every time the parking attendants ticket my car at 7:01 (it has to be moved at 7:00am for street cleaning), just as I am running outside in my pajamas to move it, and I put all of that frustration at the parking people into my characters.


13. How have you found the transition from writing songs to writing out whole novels?  Did any of your books start as songs, but then you realized that the story needed to be told in depth?


MD: They’re quite different. There is a similarity in the layout and structure building though. My song writing is usually based around the song title or the groove or hook of the song AND I’ve found that my stories come to me the same way. Either a title sets me in the direction of the story I am writing or the main plot twist or hook decides the path I choose. Great question!


14. Any favorite bands? Songs? Music inspiration?


SD:  Definitely the Foo Fighters; I even traveled across the pond last fall just to see them play at the Reading Festival!  They played a three-hour set and I was in heaven.  I’ve also been known to rap Biggie Smalls in some of my finer moments.  In general, though, I listen to a lot of different music for inspiration when I write.  I have playlists for books, scenes, characters, you name it.


15. What are the worst song lyrics you’ve ever written?


MD: Ha. Probably something to do with “big butts.” Just kidding. :)

SD: Those other brothers can’t deny…


16. Any literary crushes? Favorite authors or books?


SD:  I don’t think I have any literary crushes right now- that special place in my heart reserved for character crushes is all Agent Derrick Morgan from Criminal Minds.  Favorite authors, hmm, there are a lot.  Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and Mary Higgins Clark are my old standbys.  I read just about any new book they put out, regardless of whether it sounds good.


17. What is your biggest quirk?


MD: I’m a bit of a gadget whore. I’m always chasing after the newest electronics. I think it has something to do with all the pretty lights! I’m also addicted to eyedrops. The stronger the better. Not too weird, I hope.

SD: Me too!  My best friend and I always crack up about the ridiculous number of chargers we have to pack every time we take a trip.  It’s a far cry from when we backpacked around Europe, carrying around paperbacks and –gasp!- sans cell phones.  As for the eyedrops… yeeeah, totally normal…



18. What’s the nicest thing you’ve ever done for a complete stranger?


SD:  Wow, really making me dig deep for this one.  I guess the nicest thing I’ve ever done for a complete stranger is pay for difference when she didn’t have enough money for the bill at Target.


19. If you had a helicopter, what would you name it?


MD: Easy! “THE REAPER!” Why? Because when someone says they’re scared to fly in my chopper I can jump up and scream... “DON’T FEAR THE REAPER!” That would rock! No? Okay then, how about “Hank.” Yah, I like Hank. Come fly the friendly skies with me and Hank. Word.


SD: Best. Answer. Ever.  Definitely stick with the first one- more cowbell, anyone?


20. If I offered to fly you anywhere in my helicopter, where would you like to go the most?



SD:  Can you take a helicopter from here to Switzerland?  My favorite place in the world is Interlaken, Switzerland.  You can run off the top of an Alp with a parachute and spend 10 minutes just floating down.  You can also be pushed off of one in a big rubber ball- it’s called Zorbing- but I drew the line at that.


Sophie, I just wanted to take a second to thank you for sharing your thoughts with me and our readers. This interview was a blast! You’ve been fantastic to get to know. I see great and epic things ahead for you. I’m sure your fans think the same. Let’s do this again! Write on! Rock on!


~ M


Thanks Madison!  And thank you for taking the time to answer my questions; we’ll definitely have to do it again.  I wish you continued success with your books and music!


I’d also like to give a shout out to Derinda Love over at YATR- she made it possible to get this out to our readers on all of these amazing blogs, and she donated the gorgeous charms bracelets with our book covers (made by Cassie Chavez over at Cassie’s Crafty Creations!)

Now let’s give away some prizes!


Sophie <3


a Rafflecopter giveaway "a Rafflecopter giveaway


That was awesome!!! 
Thanks for the fun Q & A Madison and Sophie!!!   

XOXO,

Monday, March 25, 2013

COVER REVEAL - Tragic by JA Huss


TRAGIC
J. A. Huss
Release Day:  May 20, 2013
New Adult Contemporary Romance
New Adult Addiction

ROOK WALSH IS TRAGIC... Because life so far – just sucks. Some girls get parents. Rook got the foster care system. Some girls get Prince Charming. Rook got an abusive frog. Some girls get lucky… Rook got a second chance. And she took it. Because when fate throws you a bone – you grab it with both hands and run. Antoine Chaput knows the minute he spies Rook in his photography studio that she’s got The Look. The dark and desperate look he must have to land the exclusive TRAGIC media contract. Rook is paired up with top model, Ronin, and he’s everything her abusive ex-boyfriend wasn’t. Patient, gentle, happy, attentive, and sexy AS HELL! He knows exactly what to do to make Rook blush for Antoine’s camera. Rook’s luck changes in an instant and suddenly she’s the darling of the modeling world. It’s a dream job to go with a dream guy and all she has to do is look pretty and follow directions. But there’s always a price to pay – and Rook is about to get the bill.





 New Adult Addiction



ABOUT THE AUTHOR
J. A. Huss likes to write new adult books that make you think and keep you guessing. Her favorite genre to read is space opera, but since practically no one reads those books, she writes new adult science fiction, paranormal romance, contemporary romance, urban fantasy, and books about Junco (who refuses to be saddled with a label).
She has an undergraduate degree in horses, (yes, really–thank you, Colorado State University) and a master’s degree in forensic toxicology from the University of Florida. She used to have a job driving around Colorado doing pretty much nothing but shooting the breeze with farmers, but now she just writes, runs the New Adult Addiction and Clean Teen Reads Book Blogs, and runs an online science classroom for homeschoolers.

Friday, March 22, 2013

The Starblood Trilogy by Carmilla Voiez - Blog Tour & Giveaway



It is my pleasure to present the beautiful Carmilla Voiez and her outstanding novels,
THE STARBLOOD TRILOGY!!!





Starblood Blurb:

In a seedy Goth club, a beautiful woman dances, waiting to be set free. Along an unlit street, another woman stumbles, fleeing her pursuer. In a darkened room, a man speaks to demons. Lust, obsession, terror and humiliation storm into the lives of Star and Satori, proving the age-old maxim – be careful what you wish for. Starblood, the debut novel by Carmilla Voiez, is a tale of magic and horror. Blinded by love, Satori, a young magician, attempts a spell that goes horribly wrong, resulting in the demon Lilith returning to Earth. Satori knows he must send Lilith back. The dark goddess brimming with power makes it her mission to wreak havoc on Satori's life by ensnaring Star, the woman he loves, and her friends in a web of chaos and deceit. ‘Carmilla Voiez makes Clive Barker look like Stephanie Meyer.’ Jef Withonef, Houston Press.

And now...an EXCERPT from Starblood!!!

 Everyone is wearing black. No-one speaks. You are the centre of attention, sister. Music surrounds Freya, voices wailing, trying hard to communicate their pain. Freya does not sing. She watches. She thinks. I know you’re there, although your shell is hard and dark and shiny. But I also know you’re not. You’re still at home, painting your eyes and backcombing your hair. You’re still in the park. I can hear your screams every time I pass the gates. Most of all you’re inside me. Your rage fills me. Your spit runs from my eyes. Your hatred tastes bitter in my mouth.
All but one of the heads bow, a room of whispers. The shell descends. The machinery groans, unwilling to accept one so young. Freya shakes. A desire to run to the altar and throw herself into the flames with the coffin pumps adrenaline around her body. I cannot take this burden, the only daughter. I cannot be protected, feared for, held forever—a double image on a single face.
Her brother’s fingers reach across her lap and grasp her hand. He holds her still. Then her head does bow and tears fall from her face. Not her sister’s spit this time but a spring of regret. I will miss you.
Ivan’s hand still holds hers as they walk outside. The sunshine hides its face. The sky’s funeral garb may be faded from years of grief but it serves its purpose and its own cold tears fall on mourners’ heads. The mother and father cry too. Lorraine, the mother, cries loudest. She cannot accept it, what they did to her baby, her daughter, her life. That beautiful face squashed beneath boots. Her ribs crushed and her vagina torn. Why? Freya loosens the grip on her fist and runs to her mother. Arms open to hold her and her mother washes her hair with tears.
‘I love you,’ Lorraine whispers.
Is she telling me or you? Maybe both of us.





Psychonaut Blurb–

Satori is caught between two worlds. There is something he needs in one, but the other keeps drawing him back. However, he is in love and he isn’t going to let a little thing like death get in his way. To reach his goal, he must face unimaginable horrors, not least of which is his true self. Star’s tortured and broken body awaits Satori, but does she really need him to save her? His rival, a rage-filled young woman, grows more powerful and becomes as twisted as the ribbons in her hair while the demon, Lilith, draws each of them inexorably towards her. Who will survive the coming battle? Full of sex and magic, “Psychonaut” is an exploration into the human psyche and the second book in Voiez’s “Starblood” trilogy. "Carmilla Voiez is more of a singer than a writer. She tells her compelling story in a hypnotic, distinctive voice that brings her eerie world vividly to life." Graham Masterton “Psychonaut is a book of mad impulses, inner vision, sadism, escape and belief. You feel uncomfortable reading it, like Alex strapped to the chair in Clockwork Orange being taught to feel sick at atrocity. Rather than leave us crippled by response, though, Psychonaut bears you through the hurt towards the only paradise we can be assured of...a love past fault.” Jef Withonef, Houston Press.

Here is another HOT tale by Carmilla!!!

A Christmas Carole

An F/F erotic holiday tale by Carmilla Voiez. When a woman visits Santa and his elves, she gets more than she bargained for when one of Santa's helpers requests a special kind of holiday cheer.
 


 About the Author
 



Carmilla Voiez is a British horror writer who resides in Scotland. She is currently writing the final book in the Starblood Trilogy from her family home in Banff, where she lives with her husband, daughters and numerous cats, Carmilla sold her Gothic Clothing business last year and has been writing and releasing top selling books and short stories since then.
A Goth for over 20 years, her books are inspired by the Gothic subculture, magic and dark desires, exploring sexual obsession and violence in often hard-hitting ways.
The first book, Starblood, which has been nominated for the Commonwealth Book Prize, is set partly in the beautiful Cairngorm mountains and partly in the city where she grew up, in South West England, she finds inspiration in local beauty, stately homes, the Moray Firth and woodlands around the Scottish town where she has lived the past 10 years.
Carmilla Voiez has been nominated for Horror Author of the Year. Her literary interest also extends to the Aberdeen Write Club she co-founded in 2011 a forum where local writers gather to discuss ideas and writing techniques.

"Carmilla Voiez is more of a singer than a writer. She tells her compelling story in a hypnotic, distinctive voice that brings her eerie world vividly to life." Graham Masterton.
“Psychonaut is a book of mad impulses, inner vision, sadism, escape and belief. You feel uncomfortable reading it, like Alex strapped to the chair in Clockwork Orange being taught to feel sick at atrocity. Rather than leave us crippled by response, though, Psychonaut bears you through the hurt towards the only paradise we can be assured of...a love past fault.” Jef Withonef, Houston Press.

Vamptasy publishing have published two of Carmilla’s novels “Starblood” and “Psychonaut” and one of her erotic short stories has been published by Hot Ink. This year she is editing a horror anthology, releasing an online horror magazine and another of her erotic short stories is set to be published in an anthology.

Links to Carmilla:




 Carmilla is offering an awesome Giveaway!!!


Good Luck to everyone and be sure and check out Carmilla Voiez's AMAZING stories!!!

XOXO,