Words to take to heart

I picked this up yesterday when I went to buy a new bookshelf. It now hangs close to where I write so that I can see it when I need it the most. If you're in South Africa, I got it at Mr Price Home.

Have a great Sunday.

Guest Post: Juliana Haygert on the setting of Destiny Gift

I love learning about the setting of novels outside of the story itself. Today we get to take a closer look at Juliana Hayer's very awesome Destiny Gift. Check out the bottom for a rafflecopter giveaway and an excerpt.

Take it away, Juliana. 

***

Since the first images of Destiny Gift started forming in my mind, I saw a dark world, plagued by natural disasters mixed with manmade catastrophes. 

NYC and NYU 

Nadine moves to NYC to attend NYU, and we meet her at the end of her second semester there.

By Paulo Barcellos Jr. via Wikimedia Commons

 My gaze focused on the darkness coming through the large window behind her. It was afternoon and the sky was pitch black. Tall buildings in decay surrounded this one. A bat or two flew around. If I stood and looked down, there would be hookers and junkies and muggers filling the streets, and litter tossed through the lanes. If I were on the sidewalk, the reeking mix of garbage, dirt, cheap perfume, and human waste would invade my nose, making me gag.

After the darkness took over, NYU changed too. Before, its campus had been spread through Lower Manhattan. Now, the university was confined to the area around Washington Square Park, the entire site contained within a five-block radius, protected by thick sixteen-foot walls. Cameras and security guards kept watch.

Visions’ settings:

Nadine is plagued by visions since she first arrived in NYC. Each vision has a different and very important setting. Here are some quotes from four different visions:

I pivoted, only to see a palace—but not one of stone like those seen in history books. Instead, a palace made of crystal loomed before me. Shimmering. Shiny. Radiant. A step away from my feet, a crystal path wound up the mountain, leading to the palace’s entrance.

I was in a forest, among many tall and thick trees, in almost absolute darkness. The heavy smell of moss and wet leaves engulfed me.

Apart from the gray skies, the scene was breathtaking. Standing at the edge of a precipice, I had a clear view of the town that lay below, among many hills and mountains. Many European style houses, a few parks and squares, almost no tall buildings created an inviting mosaic. At the center of the town, a large angel fountain marked where eight roads met.

I was in a dark, chilly, tiny room, with stone walls and no windows. My arms ached. I looked up and, illuminated by a thin strip of moonlight, I saw my wrists wrapped by metal chains. My clothes hung in tatters and when I moved, my back scratched painfully against a rough wall.

Cathedral Rock (Sedona, AZ)

This is an important place in the novel. I chose this place because hikers say they can feel a vortex of energy when they reach the top. Whether that’s true or not, I’ll only know once I visit it, someday in the future.

By Tomas Castelazo  via Wikimedia Commons

 I was on top of a steep, red rock, looking at many other red rocks. It reminded me of the Grand Canyon, though I was sure it wasn’t the exact same place.

The parking lot of the Back O’Beyond trail seemed as if it had been abandoned for many years. The grass surrounding the dirt lot was dead and the low wooden fence that delineated the place was cracked, brittle.

The path was marked by small piles of stone, showing us where to go. Despite the darkness from the sky and the death-defying situation, every once in a while I looked back, amazed by the gorgeous view.

There you have it, a few settings from Destiny Gift. Be aware: the mythology side of this story will be major in the sequel and we’ll see a lot more significant settings ;)

***

Thank you so much, Juliana. I can't wait to reread Destiny gift.

DESTINY GIFT

Genre: NA paranormal romance
Word Count: 73,000
Release date: April 1st, 2013

Thirty years in the future, a sinister New York City exists in permanent darkness.

A student at the secured NYU, nineteen-year-old Nadine has visions of Victor Gianni, an imaginary guy she has real feelings for. Afraid of being truly insane, she explains the visions away as simple daydreams, but she can no longer deny them when she bumps into Victor in real life. But this Victor doesn’t know her, and turns her away. After the encounter, Nadine’s visions change to those of eerie fates, gods she’s never heard of, demons with sharp claws they are not too timid to use … and instructions.

To discover if she’s losing her mind, Nadine follows the vague directions—with the real, rude and reluctant Victor—leading to a man who knows it all: Nadine can restore an ancient creed by unveiling the clues on her visions, and bring sunlight and peace to the world again. But that’s only if the demons and the other evil forces behind the darkness don’t stop her first.

Amazon | Barnes&Nobles | Kobo | Smashwords | Apple | Createspace | Goodreads | Pinterest Board

About the Author:

While Juliana Haygert dreams of being Wonder Woman, Buffy, or a blood elf shadow priest, she settles for the less exciting—but equally gratifying—life of a wife, mother, and author. Thousands of miles away from her former home in Brazil, she now resides in Connecticut and spends her days writing about kick-ass heroines and the heroes who drive them crazy.

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | NA Alley

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Excerpt:

I heard a heavy sigh and turned toward it. It was Victor. He was leaving the elevator down the hall and coming toward his grandma’s room. He had seen me and didn’t seem happy about it.

He wore faded jeans, a T-shirt, and a thin jacket. Too casual. I shook my head. The fact that my dream Victor and this real Victor were exactly the same physically, while their clothing styles and posture were the opposite of each other still boggled my mind.

He came to a stop before me. “You again.” There was disdain in his tone. I cringed.

“How are you?” I managed to ask and immediately felt silly. I had planted myself here in this hallway for over an hour waiting for him, and when he finally arrived, I didn’t know what to say. Though I really did want to know how he was. The last time I had seen him in the flesh, he’d been jerking on the floor of the hospital’s garage, in pain. “What was that … ah … before …?” I trailed off, hoping he would understand what I was referring to.

He shrugged, his sea-green eyes still staring at me with suspicion. “I don’t know. By the way, how do you know my name?”

I twirled a lock of my hair around my index finger as I considered my answer. I wanted to answer him. I wanted to be honest, but he would never believe me.

As if my answer would pop out of the walls, I scanned the hallway.

At the end of the corridor, a nurse left a room and entered another.

“The nurse,” I almost shouted, hoping he wouldn’t notice my sudden lie. I avoided his inquisitive eyes. “I heard a nurse calling you earlier that day.”

His deadpan expression hid his thoughts and didn’t let me know if he was buying it or not.

“What did you do to me last night?” he asked, crossing his arms. God, I hated how his voice and his posture were so guarded and mistrustful. I wasn’t used to it.

“What do you mean?”

“When you touched me, the shock and the pain went away. How did you do that?”

“I don’t know.” This time I wasn’t lying. I really didn’t know. He frowned, clearly still suspicious. “Seriously, I have no idea.”

His shoulders stiffened. “What are you doing here? What do you want?”

My eyes widened as I retreated a few steps, trying to avoid his toxic tone.

Yes, he looked like my Victor—the same voice, the same hair, the same face, the same mouth that had offered me smiles that had rendered me breathless many, many times. I wanted to touch him, to embrace him, to tell him everything was going to be okay. Maybe if I touched him, he would remember me and he would want to touch me too.

I came closer to him, looking deeply into those wary green eyes, my fingers itching to stroke his skin, to feel it smoldering under my caress. But I didn’t. He was like my Victor, but he wasn’t my Victor. The Victor from my visions would never speak to me like this. He would never snap at me. No, no. My Victor loved my company, loved to hear me sing, loved to embrace me and inhale my scent.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, my voice croaking under the heavy pressure inside my chest. Then, I walked away.

Link Things

I know it's been a while, but here you go. A couple of links that might help.

3 Reasons to Keep Writing in 2013 - Jody Hedlund

Top 10 Blogs for Writers 2012 – The Winners - Write to Done

Three Acts, Three Risks - Edittorent

Better Plotting: 7 Ways Your Characters Can Screw up Their Decisions - Janice Hardy

QUERY LETTERS 101 - YA Stands

50 Synonyms for “Villain” - Daily Writing Tips

The Writer as Editor: More Tools to Use - Karen Ball

5 Ways to Deal with Word Repetition - Writer's Digest

Pre-Project Prep - YA Stands

A Method Through the Madness: 5 Tips for Writing Scenes - Jody Hedlund

2013 Writing Progress Spreadsheet - Jamie Raintree

Enjoy!

Cover Reveal: Eyre House by Caitlin Greer

Time for another reveal! I think this might be one of my favorite things about new books. Seeing the covers for the first time. And this is a gorgeous one. I've added the Goodreads link below the description. Make sure you add it.

When eighteen-year-old orphan Evan Richardson signed up to work at Eyre House, on the sleepy tourist getaway of Edisto Island, SC, he never expected to find himself dodging ghosts. But Eyre House seems to have more than its fair share of things that go bump in the night, and most of them seem to surround his employer’s daughter.

Back from her freshman year of college, Ginny Eyre is dangerous from word one. She’s a bad girl with ghosts of her own, and trouble seems to follow her everywhere she goes. But living or dead, trouble isn’t just stalking Ginny. When her ex-boyfriend is found murdered in the pool, Evan knows he’s got two choices – figure out what’s going on, or become the next ghost to haunt Ginny Eyre.

Add it on Goodreads.

You can find Cait on twitter and at her blog.

Blog Tour: Pretty Dark Nothing by Heather L. Reid - Guest Post & Giveaway

I'm very excited to have fantastic writer and dear friend Heather L. Reid here today as part of the blog tour for her debut novel Pretty Dark Nothing. I love doing things a bit differently, so instead of a review or Q & A, I asked Heather to tell us a bit about some of the settings of Pretty Dark Nothing. Before Heather takes over the blog, here's the blurb.

PRETTY DARK NOTHING 
by Heather L. Reid
Publication Date: April 23, 2012

It’s been twenty three days since Quinn has slept for more than minutes at a time. Demons have invaded her dreams, stalking her, and whispering of her death. The lack of sleep and crippling fear are ruining her life. Energy drinks and caffeine pills don’t make a dent. When Quinn dozes off in the school hallway, Aaron, an amnesiac with a psychic ability, accidentally enters her nightmare. The demons are determined to keep them apart, and Aaron from discovering the secret locked away in his memory. Together, they could banish the darkness back to the underworld for good. That is, unless the demons kill them first.

Setting in a novel can refer to a specific place, a time in history, or can be a simple description that adds to the atmosphere of a novel. The right setting can add emotional impact and bring a scene to life and even up the tension in a scene. Here are three of my favourite settings from Pretty Dark Nothing.

Dreams: Quinn doesn’t want to sleep because she’s plagued by nightmares, so there are a few dream sequences within the story. Setting a scene in a dream is difficult. Real dreams can sometimes be confusing, and while, as a writer, you want to convey a little bit of the unreality a dream can create, you also don’t want the reader to feel lost. It’s a difficult balance. In the dream scene represented by the picture below, Quinn has fallen asleep only to find herself at the edge of a lake. At first, she’s at peace, happy to be somewhere beautiful and serene, but the dream turns to a nightmare as a dark fog approaches from the middle of the water.

‘Nightfall had stolen all the light in the world, leaving the sky pitch black. No moon. No stars. Strong currents churned around her legs, and goose bumps covered her flesh. She hugged herself, rubbing her bare arms in a futile attempt to keep warm as the bitter wind bit her face and whipped her hair into a million dancing strands. The joy drained out of her, leaving a dark pit of hopelessness.’

Aaron, through a psychic connection with Quinn, ends up entering her dream. He appears to her as a flash of light in the trees.

‘She had to get back to shore, but she couldn’t see which way to go. A flash of light caught her attention; it darted in and out of the trees, a beacon in the dark.’

And he helps her wake up from the nightmare before it consumes her.

‘Pushing his fear away, he threw himself into the water, diving beneath an incoming wave. Panic set in as it swept him back, but he gritted his teeth and reminded himself it wasn’t real. He was experiencing her dream, the immediate reality of her unconscious. He was safe in his room. Breaking the surface, her hand found his, and he pulled her into a tight embrace. As her body molded to his, fire burst through them, burning away everything and severing his connection.’
 

Milky Way

Stargazing: Another scene I love is when Quinn and Aaron share a brief moment of happiness. Aaron opens up to her about his past and she starts to trust him. They break the ice by coming up with names of their own constellations.

'Aaron pointed to another group of stars. A jumble of questions lodged in the back of Aaron’s throat, about her nightmares, their connection, her sudden change toward him. He wanted to ask them all at once, but he’d never seen Quinn so calm before, so relaxed. Her happy mood pulsed against his consciousness, and he began to trust the moment, letting his desire to be with her sweep all uncertainty away. Maybe now wasn’t the time to probe her for answers. She’d had a rough night, if she wanted to forget the drama and talk about stars, why not? Maybe it was time to get to know each other better, like two people on a first date talking about normal stuff.'
“What about the Ice Cream Sundae? It even has a cherry on top.” Quinn indicated a dense ball of stars. 
“Or the frog?” Aaron said. “Catching a fly.” 
“Oh! I totally see it! Can you imagine being born under the frog star sign?”
“Better than the sign of the fly.”
They both burst out laughing.
Quinn paused. “Sometimes I feel so insignificant when I look at the vastness of the universe.”
The ease of their conversation surprised him. All awkwardness disappeared, and it was if they’d know each other their whole lives, spent hours under the stars just like this.
“Yeah, I know how you feel. Billions of stars and galaxies, and humans have barely scratched the surface of what’s out there.” Aaron caressed her arm. “We have more in common with the universe than you know. We’re all part of it, made of it, of stardust.”

The Ruins St. Angels Church: The last setting I want to share is a place that’s special to Aaron.

‘St. Angeles. It felt like it belonged somewhere else and in some other time, like him.’

‘He cut a sharp left up a narrow dirt road. Bits of gravel pinged against the metal body as the tires kicked up bits of debris. The engine roared as he poured on the speed. St. Angeles Chapel stood three hundred feet before him—its stone bell tower standing stark against the bright sky. The tires squealed as he skidded to a stop in front of the old church. Breathless, he removed his helmet and dismounted. He stood beneath the gothic stone entry arch and pushed at the large wooden door, its metal hinges groaning with the weight of heavy oak as it swung open. His footsteps echoed off the nave’s stone floor. Light streamed through the unbroken stained glass window at the back, casting a patchwork of color across the dust-covered pews and the large Light streamed through the unbroken stained glass window at the back, casting a patchwork of color across the dust-covered pews and the large cross suspended from the ceiling. St. Angeles: his thinking place, his sanctuary. His mood lifted as he sat, cross-legged, before the disused altar. He thought about Quinn and their connection. Could she feel it too?’ 

ABOUT HEATHER L. REID:

Heather L. Reid eats mayonnaise on her fries, loves men in kilts, and met her husband playing Star Wars Galaxies online. This native Texan now lives with her Scottish hubby in North Ayrshire, Scotland, where she wanders the moors in search of Heathcliff and William Wallace.    

You can find Heather and her book here:
 

Pretty Dark Nothing: Goodreads - Amazon - Barnes & Noble

Heather L. Reid: Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

Month9Books: Website - Blogger Central - Facebook - Twitter - Pinterest - Goodreads

 
TOUR WIDE GIVEAWAY:

Grand prize includes a signed copy of PRETTY DARK NOTHING, bookmarks, sleep mask, and nail polish! (US Only). Five ebook copies of PRETTY DARK NOTHING will also be given away, open internationally.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

TOUR SCHEDULE: 

April 22 - Falling for YA (Guest Post) 
April 23 - Imaginary Reads (Review)
April 24 - The Eater of Books! (Review & Interview)
April 25 - Book Twirps (Review)
April 26 - Chapter by Chapter (Review & Favorites Q&A)
April 27 - Library of  a Book Witch (Review)
April 28 - Life Debatable (Guest Post)
April 29 - Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf (Interview))
April 30 - YA Book Central (Guest Post)
May 1 - Book Haven Extraordinaire (Guest Post) May 2 - Books of Love (Review)
May 3 - I Am A Reader, Not a Writer (Top Ten)
May 4 - The Book Cellar (Interview)
May 5 -  A Dream Within A Dream (Review)

Cover Reveal: Breaking the Reins by Juliana Haygert

Yay! I'm so happy that I get to share this gorgeous cover with you guys. Not only is Juliana a rock star, but she's one of my CPs as well. Meaning I get to read this before all of you. Good thing you don't have to wait that long. Read the synopsis and don't forget to check out the teaser at the bottom :D

Breaking the Reins by Juliana Haygert
Publication date: August 2013
Genre: NA Contemporary Romance

Horses, mansions, tea parties, and lies are twenty-year-old Hannah Taylor’s life. To others, her family and her relationship with Eric is perfect. But she knows the truth. She lives it.

After a fire takes her grandma’s life and kills her horse, Hannah’s immaculate life spirals out of control. Her father disapproves of her decision to run her grandma’s ranch instead of focusing solely on learning the family business; Animal Control brings her Argus, a mistreated horse that she can’t turn away even though she’s not ready for another horse; and her boyfriend, Eric Bennett, a world famous polo player, becomes possessive and authoritarian. Despite her best efforts to disguise it, Hannah grows wary of him.

Then, Leonardo Fernandes struts onto the polo scene. A cocky rookie with a messy life of his own, he’s drawn to Hannah and isn’t afraid of showing it, even when Eric makes it clear she is his and he’ll do whatever it takes to keep it that way. Hannah suffers for Eric’s jealousy. The abuse only gets worse when Leo steals the title of best polo player in the world from Eric.

But the title isn’t enough for Leo. He wants Hannah too, and she can’t deny her attraction to him either. Somehow, she must find a way to break free from abusive Eric before he breaks every bone in her body.

Add it on Goodreads.

AUTHOR BIO 

While Juliana Haygert dreams of being Wonder Woman, Buffy, or a blood elf shadow priest, she settles for the less exciting—but equally gratifying—life of a wife, mother, and author. Thousands of miles away from her former home in Brazil, she now resides in Connecticut and spends her days writing about kick-ass heroines and the heroes who drive them crazy.

Author links:

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Review: Pretty Dark Nothing by Heather L. Reid

Know what makes me really happy? When an awesome cover lives up to the story it represents. It doesn’t happen often enough, so when the two complement each other so well, reader me is extra impressed.

Heather will be stopping by on the 28^th as part of the blog tour, and we’ll be having some fun with things/images that represent important things in this story

So let’s get to it, without spoiling too much of it. I hope.

Here’s the blurb for Pretty Dark Nothing:

It’s been twenty three days since Quinn has slept for more than minutes at a time. Demons have invaded her dreams, stalking her, and whispering of her death. The lack of sleep and crippling fear are ruining her life. Energy drinks and caffeine pills don’t make a dent. When Quinn dozes off in the school hallway, Aaron, an amnesiac with a psychic ability, accidentally enters her nightmare. The demons are determined to keep them apart, and Aaron from discovering the secret locked away in his memory. Together, they could banish the darkness back to the underworld for good. That is, unless the demons kill them first.

Sounds creepy, right? That’s because it is! It’s creepy and dark and wonderfully twisted. Quinn’s nightmares start bleeding into her real life, and no matter how hard she tries to convince herself that it’s not real, the more real it becomes. Pretty much like ignoring a tooth ache with the hope that it’ll go away. We all know how that works, right? Well, Quinn deals with it in abundance, and Heather did a fantastic job at bring this across.

The moments when Quinn are alone with her demons(make of that whatever you want) are my favorite parts. They are so extremely real to her, and that skyrockets her paranoia and makes for some interesting and torturous situations and choices. I loved and appreciated that she made more a few questionable decisions and that they all basically backfire. Although she deserves the repercussions of those decisions, I did feel sorry for her. But what overshadowed my sympathy was my absolute love for Aaron.

I can’t even. I know Heather won’t mind if I confess that I loved Aaron the most. I couldn’t wait to get to his parts. I might be more drawn to characters like him than I thought. Yeah, he’s got a boatload of issues that almost – but not quite – rival Quinn’s, but he’s a lot more grounded and level headed than what I’ve read lately. He’s still a teen, with the thoughts and feelings that go with it, and I like to think that even without what brings them together and tears them apart, they would have ended up with each other. Good thing there’s a second book, right? That cliffhanger was a killer. You’ll either love it or hate it, but it will leave you wanting more. I wonder what the author considers an acceptable bribe…

When it comes to the writing there are two things that I appreciated. First, I loved the writing style, especially when Quinn was dreaming. It’s so different from when Quinn was awake, which did a fantastic job at creating an obvious divide between the worlds she was in. The other thing I loved was that the story followed Quinn and Aaron separately. Both of them had a story to tell, and this way we got to see both sides, like having your cake and eating it. I want cake now.

I loved Pretty Dark Nothing and can’t wait for the second book to make its way onto my kindle. If you’re in the mood for something creepy, dark, and with a dose of high school drama to make everything that much more interesting, this novel is totally for you.

Thank you so much to Month9Books and NetGalley for the copy. It was a great read.

Goodreads

Twitter

Website

Amazon

Review: Hero of My Heart by Megan Frampton

You read that right. A review. Of a historical romance. Why? Because I love them(I'm also a hopeless romantic and adore a good love story). 

Historical romance has done a lot for me over the years, though I never talk about. I forget sometimes, and then I read a book like this, and I’m reminded. This is the type of story I read to get away from everything. I read it for the sheer pleasure and escape it offers me, and this story did that for me. Maybe I'll blog about what this genre did, and still does, for me one day. Righ now, the least I can do is write a review, right? It's my way of saying thank you to the author and to thank them for giving me such a gift.

I also want my blog to be more active, so you'll see reviews popping up from time to time. So here we go...

***

Hero of My Heart tells the story of Mary and Alasdair, and I like to think that they were destined to save each other. The title might refer to Alasdair, but the hero part definitely applies to Mary as well.

The story kicks off with Mary’s brother trying to sell her, and Alasdair’s need for meaning and purpose - also his sense of decency - pushing him into buying her. This kicks of a whole slew of obstacles the two must face together during their journey to London.

Mary is a strong and courageous leading lady and doesn’t allow the very flawed Alasdair to get away with anything. There’s such a strong theme of salvation here, his and hers, though both for different reasons. It’s the strongest with Alasdair because of a difficult past and his need for drugs to deal with it.  When he meets Mary, he grabs onto her like a lifeline, and she proves to be exactly what he needs while they make their way to London, which takes place during most of the novel. I really appreciated that his addiction played such a prominent role and that the author didn’t shy away from or give it an easy fix, though his recovery might have been a touch unrealistic.

I would have like the journey to London to have been shorter and for there to have been more danger and confrontation in the city itself, but that didn’t take away from the story. Mary’s bother also deserved more than he got and I would have liked to see him getting it closer to the conclusion of the story. But other than that, reader me had no complaints.

This one was completely about the main characters, not the plot, which was pretty straight forward. There’s a John Calvin quote that I loved: The torture of a bad conscience is the hell of a living soul. Although I had no idea who the man was, it had enough of an impact on me that I went to good old Wikipedia to find out more. Just for this quote alone, I’m glad I read this story. And that’s one of the things that makes the time spent reading a book worth it, that I get to learn something from it. Even if just the meaning of one new word.

I thoroughly enjoyed Hero of My Heart and would recommend it to any historical romance lover looking for a quick, fun read. I’ll definitely keep an eye out for Megan’s next historical romance.

A big thank you to Random House Loveswept and NetGalley for the copy.

Twitter: @meganf

Author website

Goodreads

Amazon