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Release Event | Eruption by Christina Mobley @chrissy3680

Book Title: Eruption

Series: The Vangretta Curse #3
Author: Christina Mobley
Release Date: June 29, 2014
Genre: YA Fantasy
Presented by:As You Wish Tours

To celebrate today's release of Eruption (book 3), Elementris (book1) is FREE on Amazon Kindle!!

Click here to get your copy now.

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When you love someone more than yourself, protecting them is all that matters; it is all there is...

Snow one minute and blazing temperatures the next, horrific storms everywhere, and Ava has no idea what’s causing it. Desperate for answers, she turns to the past. An ancient diary reveals the truth about Element Island and the true origins of those born of the Element. Everything she thought she knew is wrong. Destiny is coming for her unborn child.

Ava’s fairytale has quickly turned into a nightmare. No one can be trusted. Friendships will be tested, and lives will be lost. As nature and destiny collide, a child that will change everything is born. The eruption will mark the beginning and the end, and the battle has just begun.

 

EXCERPT

“You have never truly touched the earth if you have not heard her cry.”

The woman locked eyes with Ava. “I want you to listen carefully, in a way you have never imagined before. Imagine the earth could speak to you. Imagine every sound it made was words for your ears only. Imagine Earth could show you all she has seen and the pain and life inside her.”

Ava nodded.

“I want you to let it in. Without fear, without worry of what you will see, let her speak to you. Listen to the earths cry.”

Ava still wasn’t so sure about the earth crying, but she definitely felt tears of her own and wasn’t sure if it was the intensity of the woman’s words or her hormones. “Okay.”

The woman grabbed Ava’s hands and pushed them deep into the fresh earth. Ava felt small roots climb between her fingers and wrap around her hands. .

She tilted her head, listened to the soft scratching of leaves, and breathed in the earthy smell coming from the rich soil beneath her hands. She closed her eyes and really felt…something. She felt a horrible wrench in her stomach. Before she could begin to worry that something was wrong with the baby, the images came. It wasn’t her baby that was in pain it was Mother Earth’s baby. The world. Everything painful inside it. She saw a group of children rail thin and sick. It was so hot and so horrible. She watched a little boy barely more than skin and bone take his last breath. She heard his mother’s miserable cry. Then she saw trees burning and forest animals fleeing. She saw war, violence, and destruction. The images came faster. Glimpses of death and destruction. Then even faster. She could barely make anything out now. The images flew by; life and death in fast-forward. She felt it though, all of it. She felt the pain of the world all at once. Hunger, fear, pain, loss. She saw the changes. First snow and ice, then new life. A small flower worked its way through a pile of snow. Green grass followed it and then a small puddle grew to a mighty river. The river changed its course over and over again, changing everything along its path as it went.

“Ava! Ava!” Alec’s voice rang in her mind.

She tried to open her eyes, but couldn’t. She was trapped. She used all she had to force her lashes open, but couldn’t see a thing.

“Ava?” Alec said again.

“It’s okay. She’s alright,” the old woman said.

“Her eyes, why do they look like that?” Alec asked, “What’s happening?”

“It’s the elements response to her.”

Ava tried to speak but couldn’t. She felt the wind tickle her face. She felt the ground shake beneath her, and heard the leaves shaking on their branches.

“She’s touched it. She has truly touched her element.”

“Ava, can you hear me?” Alec said.

“Yeah, I...” Ava struggled hearing tree branches shaking and feeling the world spinning all around her.

“Let’s get you back.” Alec lifted her.

“I’m okay. She was right. I saw it all.” Ava’s vision came back then. Her eyes watered. The old woman stood in front of her. A misted vision. “Thank you,” Ava said.

“No, thank you.” Ms. Frank responded.

Ava felt the spinning slow and saw the trees reaching for her. She lifted her finger to touch the leaves of one as Alec turned. She squinted as her head rolled back and the dark sky cleared before her eyes.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Christina Mobley is a married, mother of four, who spends her days caring for her children. She grew up in Florida, living on the banks of the St.Mary's river, and as a child always had a fascination for storms and the power they wield. The Vangeretta Curse series was inspired by that fascination.

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How does she do it... coming up with good writing ideas...

Michelle Chiappetta has some tips on where to get some great ideas for writing your next novel. Go to www.chippermuse.wordpress.com for some more information on Michelle and her books.

How Does She Do It? Coming Up with Good Writing Ideas.

By M.A. Chiappetta

If you’ve ever wondered how in the world writers come up with their ideas, or how they manage to sit still long enough to write a novel, this post’s for you. What a writer goes through to complete something that’s good enough to be proud of when someone else reads it… Well, let’s just say that Criss Angel, David Copperfield, and any other magicians you’d care to name have nothing on us writers.

We do magic. And when you look behind the curtain at how we do it, it’s weird and wild, and a whole lot of work. It’s kind of amazing we get anything done at all, to be honest.

Let me explain why that is.

Most writers will tell you that ideas come from everywhere. And that’s essentially true. Ideas can come from suggestions that people make, books you read, movies, news stories, Internet memes, people-watching at the local coffee shop… Ideas are literally a dime a dozen.

But to make an idea work? That’s hard.

I often come up with ideas by thinking of some observations I have about life and how I might put them into a story. Perfect example: a new novel I’m in the early stages of planning. I’m originally from the East Coast, but I moved to the Bible belt several years ago. This particular area has a church on almost every corner, more churches than fast food restaurants, many of them very conservative. But there is also a good-sized population of LBGT people, hipsters, artists…

It’s a strange, unexpected combination. I like it, frankly.

Add to that the fact that a lot of these churches seem very competitive, and that they decry the American culture while erecting enormous, blindingly bright neon marquees to announce their special events… Well, it feels a bit like Vegas for Pentecostals.

For a while now, I’ve been mulling over how much this area of the country differs from the East Coast, where you see little religious glitter. I’ve wondered what exactly would happen if magic did break out here in the Bible belt. What would people do if elves arrived en masse, or if aliens landed next to City Hall? You know, the usual sort of thing that happens in science fiction and fantasy stories, which is what I write.

But these thoughts and general musings don’t add up to a solid concept for a novel. I needed more than the question—I needed the answer.

The next piece of the puzzle came to me as I pondered the fact that the north part of this city is in large part run-down, poor, and minority-occupied, while the south section is pretty, wealthy, and mostly white. That made me wonder what would happen if a person who grew up or fit the stereotype of the north part of town suddenly had power enough to cause problems for the wealthy on the south side.

Aha! Conflict. That’s what a story needs. And I like writing about situations that involve outsiders. But that still doesn’t a novel make. You can have a concept and a conflict, but you also need a character. And I didn’t quite have that yet.

The third piece of the puzzle showed up when I was doing research for an unrelated writing project. I was looking up monsters and came across a listing for the dhampir, which is a half-vampire, half-human creature. A half-breed.

Perfect.

My character could be a magical half-breed of some kind, forced to contend with both halves of her nature in a place where to be anything different than the norm makes you stand out like a sore thumb. Her powers could be considered demonic in origin, which brings in its own set of conflicts within a setting where people are conservative, traditional, and religious.

Now, all I needed was one more piece to complete the puzzle: What starts all the action?

And of course, the answer is a murder. I don’t know exactly how that came to me, except that murders complicate life. Why not have my character show up accidentally at the scene of a murder, where problems immediately ensue? Perhaps she ends up obligated to solve it if she wants to save herself, or someone she cares about. And there’s the hook that will make readers keep reading, I hope, through the first chapter.

So—concept, character, conflict, and hook. That’s how you start writing a novel. (It’s not how you finish, of course. But that’s another blog post!)

My thanks to Judy for inviting me to guest post on her blog today!

If you’d like to check out my writing, visit my blog at www.chippermuse.wordpress.com or check out my latest short stories in the fantasy anthology, Dark and Dangerous Things 2, available on Amazon.

Author Bio:

M.A. Chiappetta is a fantasy writer, copywriter, educator, and blogger with past publications in Blue Shift, Science Fiction, Fantasy Writer’s Chat, and Mensa Bulletin. Her most recent short stories are found in the anthology, Dark and Dangerous Things II, available on Amazon. She shares thoughts on writing at Purple Ink Writers and muses on creativity, SFF, laughter, God, and geekdom at The Chipper Muse. You can also find her on Twitter as @chippermuse.

My Writing Process - Many secrets may be revealed.

I've been invited to write about my writing process by M.A. Chiappetta, who has a blog at http://chippermuse.wordpress.com. So, don't forget to stop by her blog, and see what others have to say about how and why they write. Many secrets may be revealed.

The Writing Process

The writing process is different for everyone. Some writers are plotters and some are pantsers, some write full-time, some only part-time, some write solo while others are involved in writer’s groups, and the list goes on. Basically, what it comes down to is that all writers have a system that works for them, and even though it may take a while to figure out what that might be, once a writer finds their niche, there is no stopping the creative flow.

Why do I write?

I write because I must. There is no other way to put it. There is a need inside of me that takes over my subconscious if I ever put it off for too long. I dream storylines and not only when I am asleep. That’s right. If you notice that I appear to be dozing off during a conversation, I am really writing a novel in my head. Don’t think I don’t get in trouble for it. Sometimes church sermons can be dangerous. Someone will look into my eyes, usually my husband, and see my characters running around in there. No kidding.

Writing Rituals

I can’t say that I really have any peculiar formalities. Basically, I check my social media for updates on what is happening in the world of literature. Next I check all of my email accounts. Since I am an editor as well, I have an Alpha Editing email, an author email, and then there is my college email. Yes, I am back in school, trying to finish my master’s. This can be quite a challenge sometimes when it comes to getting things down on paper. I am most productive either early in the morning or late at night. Since I have four boys, a husband, and five dogs, my afternoons are often quite full. After I have checked in with the outside world, I plug in my flash drive and get to work.

A Lone Ranger

Although some writers do participate in writer’s groups for input and assistance, I prefer to go solo. I love to write, and that is why I write; I simply prefer the scribbling’s of my heart to writing for the market. I do brainstorm often with my husband, but that is as far as I go with help on ideas. Surprisingly enough, he has some astonishing ideas. Where do you think I got the Mexican Mafia from? (wink).

My Writing Process

I know many people who take great pains in writing a detailed outline before they get started. Some writers tell me it takes them many years before they finish and some finish their outlines in just a few months. I am a pantser. For those of you who may not be familiar with the term, a pantser is a writer who doesn’t plan. In fact, I am one of the most unorganized writers I know. I usually dream a storyline or one will come to me during my momentary lapses in attention. I have a special file where I keep all my new ideas, just so I don’t forget them. I then sit at my Mac, put my fingers on the keyboard, and start to type. Sometimes my characters’ choices even surprise me. I start out with a basic idea and just keep going. Sometimes I can write up to 10,000 words in one sitting. I generally average 3 to 4,000 words at a time, but if I have a really hot idea, I will hit 6 or 7,000 words at a time. I can even type while my kids are talking to me. Yes, it is an acquired skill.

What is next?

Sometimes I think I have a few too many irons in the fire. Okay, way more than just a few. I am almost finished with book two of my Linked series. Linked is my vampire series and book two is called First Blood. It is quite steamy, just a warning there. My vampire books are hot, hot, hot…

I am also working on book six of The Easter’s Lilly Series, and that book is called The Last Fall. This book features Junior’s cousin and best friend Octavio Montiago. Don’t worry, folks! Lilly is still there making trouble for the brothers and Junior and Tess are still up close and personal.

Although there is a book two for Ivy Vines, Visions in my future, my next project is going to be a dystopian, young adult novel. Thus far, the novel is in my new ideas file, but as soon as the other two books are complete, I will begin my new journey.

So, plotter or pantser, full or part-time, solo or group oriented, the journey is before you. Just remember that sometimes the back-up plan becomes the plan, so don’t put off what you can write today until tomorrow.

chippermuse.wordpress.com 

‘Hidden Away’ by Maya Banks should not be hidden away

 

Maya Banks and her Kelly/KGI series is hot, steamy, and impossible to put down. All the brothers get their day in the sun, and this book illuminates Garrett Kelly. Garrett is assigned to watch the beautiful and emotionally wounded Sarah Daniels on a beach, while getting a much needed rest. He is still recovering from a bullet he took to the shoulder and feels that this easy babysitting mission is a perfect opportunity for him to capture his enemy and at the same time, get a little rest and relaxation.

Photo from barnesandnoble.com

This book is a slow start, which is terribly unusual for anything Banks writes. Once the book gets moving, it is a page-turner that keeps you on your toes. It doesn’t really heat up until the end, and I would have liked to see a little more steam a little sooner. However, Banks never disappoints and I have already downloaded a few more books from this series in my Kindle. I have already read, 'No Place to Run,' and 'Whispers in the Dark,' and will be moving forward with the rest of the series. I give this novel 4 out of 5 stars only because it took me a little while to get into the action, but I do highly recommend this book for any romantic suspense lover.

Promotional Event | *FREE* Sliding Beneath the Surface by @Doug__Dillon #TheStAugustineTrilogy

Hello St. Augustine Fans! Let’s not forget the YA Paranormal Fans!

For FIVE days, the Kindle version for Sliding Beneath the Surface [The St. Augustine Trilogy: Book I] will be available FOR FREE on Amazon.com—a special promotion. Today and the next 4 days, May 14th - 18th be sure to get your FREE Kindle Edition Today!

 Get Your Copy on Amazon Today!

 Sliding Beneath the Surface

The St. Augustine Trilogy: Book I
Author: Doug Dillon

Genre: YA Paranormal

Print Length: 166 Pages
Release Date: August 24, 2011
Presented by: As You Wish Tours

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In America’s oldest and most haunted city, St. Augustine, Florida, Teenager Jeff Golden is in trouble. Horrible dreams won’t let him sleep, and he is up to his eyeballs in terrifying, paranormal experiences.

Finally, Jeff turns to his girlfriend Carla, and Lobo, the mysterious Native American shaman, for help. But what he discovers is a lot more than he bargained for.

A ghostly presence linked to a local historic cemetery is not only threatening Jeff’s sanity but his life as well. And before he knows what’s happening, Jeff finds both himself and Carla pulled into one of the nastiest and bloody events in Florida history. It is a place from which they may never escape.

About the Author
Doug Dillon has been writing for adults and young people since 1984, especially in the paranormal realm. An award winning educator, he spent many years as a classroom teacher, school administrator, and coordinator of programs for high-risk students. Prentice Hall, Harcourt, Mitchell Lane Publishers, Boys' Life magazine, Learning Magazine and The Orlando Sentinel have all published his work.

Goodreads Giveaway | Seeress (Paperback) Enter to Win! @EdnahWalters #Giveaway

Book Title: Seeress
Author: Ednah Walters
Series: A Runes Novel #3
Release Date: April 28th 2014
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Firetrail Publishing
Presented by: As You Wish Tours

Goodreads Giveaway

Giveaway Dates: May 12 - Jun 12, 2014
2 copies available

Countries Available: US

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I love Torin St. James...
I need his strength…
But someone from his past wants me dead.

Raine Cooper is certain of two things: her love for Torin St. James and her destiny to be a powerful seeress. But when she starts having premonitions, they are unclear and disturbing. Worse, they involve Torin. With her mother gone, her father dying, and her best friend in Hel, she is not sure who to talk to.

But when the visions become more personal and she foresees her future with Torin threatened by someone from his past, Raine becomes desperate for answers. Just her luck two new students arrive at her school and they seem to have answers. When with them, her powers are enhanced and her visions become clear. There is only one problem: Torin forbids Raine to see the two girls.

Can their love survive without trust?

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