Getting to Know: Maren Dillie, Author of The Faith and Fate of David Ghent + A Giveaway

In the Lucen city dwell the descendants of Righteous and Fallen angels. Kept hidden form the rest of Earth and governed directly by Heaven, each descendant is given a chance to prove themself loyal to Heaven, and obtain salvation. For most, the task is encouraging and fair, but for David, it's devastating. 

David Ghent has waited twenty-one years to  fulfill a prophecy foretelling the destruction of Lucifer’s power on Earth and Heaven, saving himself and the entire world from Hell’s power. His training is complete, the city prepared. As the battle commences, the city’s most beloved daughter, Layla, suddenly appears at the Hellgate.

David is then faced with an impossible choice: fulfill the prophecy, or save her life. The consequences David faces after choosing Layla force him to question his entire life, and his loyalty to Heaven. As the aftermath of failure unfolds, David discovers that the real battle against Lucifer has just begun.

Buy the book at: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords

About the Author 

Maren grew up in Rochester, NY, which is why much of her work is set in the East. She moved to Provo, UT to attend Brigham Young University in 2004. Meanwhile, she received a license in cosmetology in 2006, and graduated with a B.S. in Home and Family Living-Clothing and Textiles in 2009. After graduation, Maren worked as a cosmetologist/barber, while her husband finished his own degree in Special Education. After he graduated, they settled in Spanish Fork, UT, where they plan on staying for a long time.

Now Maren is a stay-at-home mom, part-time piano teacher, cosmetologist, and writer. Amidst the buisiness of being a housewife, she loves reading, writing and playing music, vacationing, going on dates with her hubby and friends, throwing dinner parties, and sewing. She enjoys collecting books, and hopes someday to have a library big enough to fit all of them. Currently, her two pretty-enough-to-be-displayed-bookshelves are overflowing, and she's got books stashed all around her house. Open a random drawer, you'll probably find one.

Maren's previous work includes a short comedy, "A Tale of Two Cemeteries," and a middle-grade reader, The Treehouse. The Faith and Fate of David Ghent is her first published novel. Find out more about  Maren at www.marendille.com, or on Facebook, Goodreads, and Amazon. 




Excerpt from The Faith and Fate of David Ghent:

David helped Layla wrap Galen in the bed sheets, readying him for the rapid journey to Zeezra’s cave. Her fingers moved steadily and methodically over the guard’s limp body, but when David looked at her face, it was pulled tight.

“I’m sorry, Layla,” he said. “Will you be in much trouble for this?”

“Under normal circumstances, probably. Fortunately, the Heavens have bigger worries than my travels.”

“You agreed to this with hardly any persuasion. Why?”

“Because you asked me to, David,” she said, She flushed and resumed working on Galen. David stared at her, trying to make sense of her last words. He reached out and put his hand over hers. She stilled, but wouldn’t look at him.

“Layla,” he started, uncertain how to continue. He shook his head. His mind felt feverish again, his hand warming over Layla’s.

“Must we do this now?” Layla asked quietly.

“I’m not sure what we’re doing anymore, Layla. Something’s different, something happened.”

“No, nothing happened.” She removed her hand from his. David caught it, forcing her to look at him.

“Something happened,” he said firmly.

Layla winced and squirmed in his grasp. David hopped over Galen and backed Layla into the wall.

“I don’t know how,” he said. “But something changed between us.”

“David, please,” Layla said, her eyes closing. She sucked in a breath as David took her by the chin. “Please, I don’t—”

“It can’t just be me who senses it. I don’t feel any revulsion when I see you. I can hardly remember that I’m supposed to. We’ve never even so much as kissed, yet I’ve never been so intimate with another in my entire life. When I woke and you were gone, I was terrified by your absence.”

“Let me go, please.”

“I won’t release you until you explain this.”

“I don’t know what’s happening.” She cringed as though in pain. “What is there for me to say? How could anything pass between us when you feel the way you do about me? You hate me, you have forever. You despise everything I am, what I did to you. How I care about you.”

“Hate you?” David breathed heavily. This didn’t feel like hate. He hadn’t felt that for a while. He never wanted to be parted from her again. He wanted to do many things that had no founding in hate.

“You’ve never made it a secret,” Layla said. “I was always yours, even to be hated.”

“I don’t hate you,” David said.

“But you must!”

“I don’t!” His frustration softened. He didn’t hate Layla, he couldn’t. He loved her. Whether it was real or not, he didn’t think it mattered.

“Please don’t say that,” Layla begged, her eyes welling up with tears.

“It’s the truth. I can’t lie to you.”

“Please, David.” His face loomed closer, his bronze skin radiant in the candlelight. “Please hate me, please.”

David kissed her softly. 

Galen groaned, and David pulled away from her.

She bit her lip to quell her trembling mouth. David’s lips burned as he stared at her.

“David,” she managed to say. “Don’t ever do that again.”

I don't know about you guys, but I am now dying to get my hands on a copy of this. I don't know how you couldn't be after an excerpt like that. I think I'm in love already! Conveniently, Maren is offering you the chance to win a copy of The Faith and Fate of David Ghent right here, so enter away!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Even in Darkness Cover Reveal

So many exciting things happening on the blog lately! Today I get to bring you the cover reveal for Cyndi Tefft's new book Even in Darkness. Isn't it absolutely gorgeous? I love it!

Even in Darkness is the third book in Cyndi's Between series. It doesn't officially release until April 1st, but I had the honor of getting an early look and let me tell you, you DO NOT want to miss this one. The first two books were fantastic, but this one takes it somewhere entirely new. Epic amounts of adventure and romance, and so many questions that I didn't even know who I was rooting for half the time and I couldn't stop turning the pages until the very end. 

Haven't read the first two books yet? What are you waiting for?

You can grab book #1 Between here.

And book #2 Hell Transporter here.

Go! Read them. Now! Then you'll be ready on April first to dive right in to Even in Darkness! Enjoy :)

Getting to Know: Mari Mancusi, Author of Tomorrow Land + a GIveaway

Like post-apocalyptic literature like Dissidence? Then you've got to check out 

Tomorrow Land by Mari Mancusi! 

Can true love survive the end of the world?

Imagine finding your first love, only to be ripped apart by the apocalypse. Peyton Anderson will never forget the day she was forced to make a choice--between her family--and Chris Parker, the boy she'd given her heart. And now, four years later, as she steps from the fallout shelter and into a dead and broken world, he's the only thing on her mind.

All Chris "Chase" Parker wanted was to take Peyton away and keep her safe from harm. But he waited for hours in the rain on judgment day and she never showed--breaking his heart without ever telling him why.  

Now the two of them have been thrown together once again, reluctant chaperones of a group of orphan children in a post-apocalyptic world where the dead still walk...and feed. As they begin their pilgrimage to the last human outpost on Earth, can they find a way to let go of old hurts and find the love they lost--all the while attempting to save what's left of the human race?

Tomorrow Land has been receiving some excellent reviews: 

"An apocalyptic coming of age futuristic romance that does the horror film genre proud."

PNR Reviews

"There is action, there is love and there are zombies. What more can you ask for?"

Book Binge

"Marianne Mancusi has returned with an edgy all-new tale, filled with fast-paced action and a heroine strong enough to mold her own destiny."

--SF Scope

"A high-stakes, high-octane tour through a devastating and deftly imagined future. This is Mancusi at the top of her game."

Diana Peterfreund, author of For Darkness Shows the Stars 

I even have an excerpt to share with all you lucky people! I know, I know... You're welcome. Enjoy ;)

As Peyton stepped out from the underground bunker, she was immediately struck with wonder at the outside world. After four years inside, she’d forgotten how vast it was, how beautiful. The sky was painted a vibrant blue, sprinkled with puffy cotton-like clouds. Wildflowers tumbled across sagging porches and poked defiantly through cracked pavement. Her favorite oak tree was still standing, strong and majestic in the center of their front yard, its branches stretching high into the sky, as if to worship the heavens.

The scent of honeysuckle tickled her nose and Peyton sucked in a large breath, delighting in the fresh, clean, and warm air that seemed so much sweeter than the stale re-circulated stuff she’d been stuck breathing for the last four years.

It was strange. For some reason, down in the shelter, she’d always envisioned the outside world to have become a gray wasteland, strangled by stormy clouds that mirrored the loss of humanity below. She’d expected a graveyard, a desolate landscape, a world with acrid winds and a sepia palette. But, it turned out, nature hadn’t mourned man’s destruction after all. If anything, it appeared to be celebrating its newfound freedom from gardeners and landscaping, a once-tamed suburbia transforming into a feral forest full of emerald life.

She stuck out her arms, feeling the warmth of the sun on her skin for the first time in four years. She wanted to skip down the street, dance, cartwheel. Run for ten miles without stopping. Enjoy a world without boundaries after years in a cage.

After doing a little shimmy of joy on the front porch, she stopped herself, looking around, self-conscious, even though she knew there was no one to see her. The thought sobered her a bit. This beautiful world would most likely be empty. Or practically so. And now she didn’t even have her mother by her side. A new emotion gripped her heart: sadness, the beauty of the world fading as reality sank in. Though she’d mourned her previous life for four years on the inside, it was different to suddenly experience its loss firsthand. Back in the shelter this reality had seemed unreal, distant. Like something from a film. Actually stepping out into the world and seeing the empty, debris-filled streets, the houses crumbling from years of neglect, made the whole situation a lot more real and a lot harder to swallow.

It was the silence that felt the eeriest. Not that her middle-class suburb had ever been a bustling metropolis, but there had been sounds all the same: the droning of lawnmowers pushed by dads on their days off, the screams and laughter of kids playing wild games of tag, cars streaming down the nearby interstate, beeping away their road rage. Planes flying overhead. Normal, everyday, take-them-for-granted sounds. All were now swept clear by an overwhelming, almost suffocating silence. There wasn’t even birdsong.

A realization she had half-suppressed for too long rose up and choked Peyton. Everyone and everything she knew and loved was gone. Her friends, her teachers—everyone had succumbed. Only her father was left. Out there. Waiting for her. Waiting for her assistance in rebuilding the world he’d known would fail.

She focused on her dilemma. How was she going to get to where he was? His destination had been far, hundreds of miles away, and she truly doubted she could get the rusted old car in their driveway to start. Not that she had any idea how to drive; after the Highway Congestion Act of ‘24, you had to be eighteen to take driver’s education in South Carolina, and she’d been way too young when they’d gone into the bunker. Besides, with no working gas stations and the streets filled with debris, it was probably better not to depend on cars. Maybe she could find a bike or something.

First things first, though. She should find supplies. And while it was tempting to just hit a few of the nearby houses to see what they had in their pantries, it was also too morbid an errand for her to face. She didn’t want to see the remnants of her former neighbors tucked into their beds or lying sprawled on the floor, thank you very much. She’d try to find a store instead.

Steeling herself, she stepped from her porch and set off. Something in the middle of the pavement a short distance away made her pause. A small figure, more than half decayed, lay in the street, its skeletal hands clutching something shredded and pink. It was… a teddy bear. Peyton fell to her knees, bent over, and threw up, suddenly glad her mother wasn’t here to see this. Wondering if perhaps she was the smart one after all.

“God, Peyton, get a grip,” she muttered to herself a moment later, wiping her mouth, embarrassed by her weakness. She’d known it was going to be like this, after all. That she’d have to be strong and push all the horrors to the back of her mind. She didn’t have time to mourn humanity. She couldn’t be distracted by the past. What was done was done, and it didn’t do any good to cry about it. After all, as her dad would say, a Razor Girl didn’t cry. When they were sad, they spit.

Peyton did exactly that. She felt a little bit better, wiped her mouth again, this time with her sleeve. But just as she was about to rise to her feet, her ears caught a sound in the distance. A voice, cutting through the dead air. She froze in her tracks, straining to listen. Was she hearing things? Was it only the wind? Some old holo broadcast set on repeat?

But no. It came again. Real and human and not that far away either.

“Guy! Where’d you go?” the voice cried. “Hey!”

People? Real-life people? Had her father been wrong? Had humanity survived, or at least more than expected? She felt a surge of hope rush through her, then forced herself to temper it. She’d been locked inside for four years. She had no idea what the outside world had become. These people could be savages, rapists, murderers, thieves. Doing whatever it took to survive in their harsh new reality, even if it wasn’t in the best interests of all mankind. Or to her in particular.

Yes, they could be trouble. But then again, they could be able to help her. And Peyton had to admit, at this point she needed all the help she could get. And if they turned out to be no good, well, it wasn’t as if she was incapable of defending herself, thanks to her dad.

Having made her decision, Peyton staggered to her feet and set off down the street as fast as her legs would carry her. Praying for the best, but preparing for the worst. '

Tomorrow Land is now available on: Amazon - Barnes and Noble

Mari was kind enough to join us today to share a little more about herself and her book. And so, let me introduce Mari Mancusi, author of Tomorrow Land! 

Two time Emmy award winner Mari Mancusi used to wish she could be a vampire back in high school. But she ended up in another bloodsucking profession--journalism--instead. Today she works as a freelance TV producer and author of books for teens, including the award winning Blood Coven Vampire series published by Penguin Books. When not writing about creatures of the night, Mari enjoys traveling, cooking, goth clubbing, watching cheesy horror movie and her favorite guilty pleasure--videogames. A graduate of Boston University , she lives in Austin , Texas with her husband Jacob, daughter Avalon and dog Mesquite. 

To learn more, visit Mari on her: Website - Blog - Facebook - Twitter

What inspired you to write Tomorrow Land?  

I love fish out of water stories. I think the best way to explore a new world is by taking a character who doesn’t belong there—and throw her in head first. My heroine, Peyton, has been living in a nuclear fallout shelter for the last four years and has no idea what to expect when the time-lock doors finally open. Her father has prepared her physically to meet the challenges of a zombie-infested world. But waking up to a world filled with monsters and trying to come to terms with that mentally--well, that would be a challenge for any of us. Also, I wanted to play with a Casablanca’esque trope—of two young lovers meeting again after a bitter separation. Chase waited for Peyton in the rain and she never showed—breaking his heart without ever telling him why. Now, four years later, she’s back. And he’s harboring a lot of resentment. 

How did you come up with the title? 

The book’s characters are on a pilgrimage through a zombie infested wilderness to the supposedly last safe place on Earth—Disney World. So Tomorrow Land is a play on the name of the futuristic section of Disney—called Tomorrowland. Also, since the book jumps timelines in each chapter – from just before the apocalypse to four years after, you’re kind of seeing yesterday and tomorrow in the same book. So it just kind of worked.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

I think the message is the importance of family in times of trouble. And that family may not be a biological family—but perhaps a group of strangers, bonding together and helping one another. Whether you’re just trying to get through a bad day – or the end of the world! – it’s those personal connections you make that make it not only possible, but worthwhile. 

Were there any particular characters in your book that you had a hard time connecting with and writing?  

The hero in the story, Chase, is addicted to pain killers in the beginning of the book and it was a challenge to make sure he remained sympathetic, even when he made stupid decisions based on his addiction. But I felt it was important to explore this idea because I think it’s probably pretty realistic. Imagine losing everyone you love—society disintegrating before your eyes filling up with actual monsters. That’s a lot to take in and I bet there would be plenty of people who would take desperate measures to dull the pain and fear.

Do you see yourself in any of your characters? 

I think all of my characters have a little bit of “me” in them, though probably the most autobiographical work is my “Love at 11” novel, which is a contemporary story about a TV news producer who wants so hard to make a difference, but is always stuck with the fluff/sensational news stories. I was a TV news producer for years and a lot of that book came out of personal experience.

I believe you have several other works published, as well. Would you mind telling us a little about them?

I recently finished an eight book vampire series called The Blood Coven Vampires for Penguin. The series is more like Buffy than Twilight—with a lot of tongue-in-cheek humor and satire, though there’s a fair share of romance and angst as well. And my newest series, Scorched, is coming out starting in September from Sourcebooks. I consider that my “Terminator with dragons” series. We’re doing a cover reveal soon and I can’t wait for people to see it! The artist has outdone himself.

Which of your works is your favorite? Why?  

That’s like picking a favorite child! :) I love them all in different ways. I do have a special place in my heart for my Blood Coven Vampire series since I stayed with them for eight books. It was bittersweet to finally end it and move on. 

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor/inspiration?

Sherrilyn Kenyon, who writes the Dark Hunter series, amongst other books. She took me under her wing when I was a newbie author and has always been so sweet and supportive. She’s also such an inspiration as an author—the way she treats her fans with such love and respect—sometimes staying at bookstores hours after closing just so no one goes home disappointed. If I were ever as big a success as her, I’d want to be like that, too. Because at the end of the day, it’s the readers who matter above everything else.

What book are you reading now?

I’m on Book #5 of Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin, A Dance with Dragons. I love the HBO series and decided to read through the books, which are even better. Book 5 is the latest in the series and I’m hoping it doesn’t take him too long to finish the next book.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Dark Expectations Blog Tour and Guest Post by Janiera Eldridge

Today I am happy to be a part of the Dark Expectations Blog Tour! Here' a little more about the exciting sequel to Soul Sisters:

With Ani taking her place as queen, there are some enemies lurking she could never imagine! There's a secret compound in California that wants to know the secrets to making a vampire or werewolf.

When they kidnap Ani during a trip back to California they might actually get what they want. Her sister Dana, her lover Diego and other vampires do everything they can to get her back. If they don't succeed,they face being controlled completely by the human race forever!









And, now it is my pleasure to introduce you to the talented author and lovely lady herself, Janiera Eldridge

Janiera Eldridge loves feeding her book addiction and putting all her crazy stories on paper. When she is not immersed in the world of fiction, she is working as an entertainment freelance writer.
Janiera also enjoys connecting with other authors and supporting their work on her book blog Books&Beauty.





And, she has been kind enough to let us get to know her better by sharing with us about how writing helped to keep her sane. Thank you so much, Janiera!

Reading was my first love way before writing. Reading was always there for me after a bad day at school, even when I didn’t feel like talking (to my mother who was always my best friend). I always read a few grades above the reading level and reading was so natural for me. My favorite thing about reading was that I could escape into an entirely new world without having to worry about money or how to get there. Reading was just always an exciting new world in a little, beautiful case! I read mostly fantasy than other genres; contemporaries didn’t appeal to me as it was too much like real life.

My hot passion for writing didn’t come about until 2010 when I was rushed to the hospital because of horrible chest pains. I was only 20 years-old and thought I was having a heart attack! In the days leading up to that moment I was feeling so tired and sick but never expected anything like this. Turns out I had a bad case of Mononucleosis that was made worse by working through it.  Having Mono was a dark time for me. I was usually confined to my bed because I was too sick to get out of it or do anything else. I tell everyone I have no idea where the plot for Soul Sisters came from. One day I just dragged my laptop into bed and started writing about twin sisters in a unique situation: one was vampire and one was a human. I couldn’t write it fast enough like it was flowing through my blood.

After a few months when the Mono should have gone away my symptoms were getting worse. After many months, blood tests and so forth, I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia (or Fibro as I call it) is when the nerves in your brain are over active causing you terrible pain and fatigue. It also led me to develop Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). I couldn’t go very far or do a lot and writing became like a dear friend to me. It was always there when I needed it. It never betrayed me (I had complete control over it) and it didn’t do anything I didn’t want it to.

Only now can I admit I was flirting with depression and writing along with books was the only thing that kept me from going over the edge. My characters and their exciting lives gave me comfort and hope. The world I created for them was solid and any surprises were designed by me. Writing is as natural to me as breathing now and during one of my darkest moments….I guess you can say it kept me sane.

RECALLED Cover Reveal

Title: Recalled

Series: Death Escorts

Author: Cambria Hebert

Genre: Young Adult Romance with paranormal, thriller and mystery elements

Release Date: February 15, 2013

Format: Will be available in Print and Ebook

Publisher: Cambria Hebert

Love or Death? A simple question really. The choice seems obvious. But. What if you never knew love, what if your life was spent just trying to survive? What if you knew your fate before you were fully grown?

And then you died.

And you were given another chance. A better chance.

This new life depended upon one thing: your job. And so you agreed. You thought it would be simple. You thought it would be cut and dry.

It never is.

And now you are left holding the fate of someone else in the palm of your hand and you have to make the ultimate choice.

Love or Death?

Here's a little more about the Death Escort Series:

Death Escorts is a new series from the author of the Heven and Hell series. This series is unique because each book acts as a stand alone, meaning that you don't have to read all the books in order to understand each of them. They are all based off of the same idea (that idea being the characters are all Death Escorts) and will have some of the same characters in each book. The series is for young adults and beyond and encompasses the elements of romance, thriller, paranormal and fantasy. You will not see vampires, shifters, witches, fae or any type of those kinds of characters in this series.

Now, to introduce you to the wonderful author, Cambria Hebert! 

Cambria Hebert is the author of the young adult paranormal Heven and Hell series and the upcoming Death Escorts series. She loves a caramel latte, hates math and is afraid of chickens (yes, chickens). She went to college for a bachelor’s degree, couldn’t pick a major and ended up with a degree in cosmetology. So rest assured her characters will always have good hair. She currently lives in Pennsylvania where she is plotting her next book. You can find out more about Cambria and her work by visiting http://www.cambriahebert.com