Feb is Indie Author Month

Heads up, guys! ALove4Lit is hosting an Indie Author Month. Being a rather big supporter of indie authors myself, for obvious reasons, I am happy to help spread the word.

And it doesn't hurt that they're giving away a Kindle Fire, either ;)

You can find a full list of events, as well as a link to the various different giveaways going on here.

And if it's the Kindle Fire that's really caught your interest, you can find the link to that giveaway here.

Don't forget, if Dissidence reaches 30 reviews on Amazon by March 1st, I'll be giving away a Kindle Fire of my own, too.

Fight or Flight Teaser Trailer

Take a sneak peek at some never before seen teasers from my upcoming novel Fight or Flight due out next month!

What do you think? Sound like something you might enjoy?

You can add it to your TBR shelf on Goodreads here!

Come see the pretties!!!

I have been dying to share this with all of you since I first laid eyes on it. Sarah from Okay Creations did an amazing job. So, without further ado (because I seriously can't wait another minute to get this post up) here is the cover for Fight or Flight!!!!

Some secrets tear us apart. Others bring us together.

Be smart.
Keep your head down.
And look out for number one.

These are the rules Jay has lived by for the past two years. The rules of surviving life on the streets. But when Em comes bursting into his life, in all of her disastrous glory, the rules go right out the window.

Survive.
Flee what’s been left behind.
And never look back.

Emerson’s plan was simple. Though, it was easier said than done. The city streets are dangerous and unforgiving to a new arrival. Especially, a seventeen-year-old girl who’s never known anything but life in the suburbs. Sometimes, however, what’s lurking behind those white picket fences can be more frightening than any dark alley.

Both of them made the same decision when life got overwhelming—to run from their demons. Brought together by fate or circumstance, Em and Jay find the kind of love neither of them ever expected. But, when those demons come back to haunt them and their love is on the line, which instincts will they choose to follow this time . . . Fight or Flight?

 COMING MARCH 2013!!!

Add it to your TBR shelf now on Goodreads here

Happy Valentines Day!!!

I've never been much of a hearts and flowers kind of girl, but there is one thing we all know I love . . . BOOKS! Reading them, writing them, it doesn't matter. I love it all! So, today I thought I'd take my love, throw in a little bit of romance, and share it with all of you!







After all, who doesn't want a little Heart and Soul swoon worthy action?


So here's a lil Lucas lovin' for ya:

Even the floor was coated in a fine layer of fake, powdery snow. It glistened in the reflected light of the thousands of tiny twinkling white lights, hanging from the ceiling and casting a pale glow throughout the entire space. It was like stepping right into the pages of a fairy tale, especially with my own personal Prince Charming by my side, and it took my breath away.

Lucas smiled down at me with that slightly crooked grin of his, making my heart break out into cartwheels an Olympic gymnast would be jealous of. As soon as we entered the room, Lucas swept me into his arms, and sent me into a laughing spin until I once again collided with his solid chest. He was laughing, too. No matter what happened for the rest of my life, this would always be my perfect moment, and I was living it.

And, what Valentines Day would be complete without a little Jason thrown in there, too? 

Jason dropped an arm across my shoulders, and steered me toward the front door where Lucas was wrestling with his key. While we waited, Jason leaned in so close that his breath trickled down my neck, and whispered, “In case you didn’t already know, you look stunning tonight.”

Now, it's my turn to get something from you! So, tell me, who would you rather spend your Valentines Day with? Tall, dark, and sexy or bad boy with a good sense of humor?

Q&A With Yours Truly

There's a party going on!!!

That's right, a par-tay! Lot's of great swag to be given away by the talented Cassie Chavez, and a bunch of great authors to get to know, myself included. Join the fun here.

In the meantime, we are doing a little ask the authors giveaway and there have been lots of great questions posted. I thought I'd share my answers here for all of you to see, as well. Be warned, my mind can be a scary place sometimes.



Kendall: "Did you always plan to end Dissidence the way you did?"

No, I didn’t actually plan to end Dissidence on a cliffhanger. I originally planned it as a standalone novel, but I write like I read. I never know where the story is going to go until it gets there. Makes things flow more naturally that way. And at the end, things just started to happen that I hadn’t anticipated. Let’s just say, Kaleigh surprised even me ;)

Amanda: "What is your favorite part about writing?"

My favorite part of writing is most definitely the first draft. Discovering a new story and following the characters through to it’s conclusion. It’s like reading a book, but you can make the story go wherever you want it to go. Very exciting :)

Amy: "When you are writing your characters into your stories, do you see yourself in them?" 

I definitely see parts of myself in each of my main characters. Funny since Kaleigh and Mel and now Emerson are so entirely different, but it’s true. Kaleigh, from Dissidence, definitely got my sarcastic sense of cynical humor. 

Lauren: "Did any music inspire you while writing?"

I didn’t actually listen to anything while writing Dissidence, but my newest novel, Fight or Flight, has a whole playlist I’ve setup on youtube and had playing on repeat.

Natalie: "What was your inspiration to become a writer?"

I’ve always enjoyed writing as a hobby, but never dreamed of doing it as a career. My son actually inspired me to do that. After reading Harry Potter together, he asked me if there were any books that had a main character with his name. I looked and couldn’t find one, so I wrote him one. His story turned into 2 full length fantasy novels that I haven’t published yet, but hope to someday.

Sarah: "What made you decide to start writing?"

See above ;)

Rachael: "If your book became a movie, who would be your dream actors?"

I actually have a whole Dissidence Dream Cast posted on my blog with pics and all… check it out here

Samantha: "What is the one question in an interview you would like to be asked?"

There are a lot of great questions on this list already, but my favorite thing to be asked about are my characters. It makes me feel like people actually care about them as much as I do :)

Cassie: "Who was your muse if you had one?"

My muse for Dissidence was my daughter. Her name is Kaleigh just like my main character and I dedicated the book to her. She’s only 4 right now, but Kaleigh (from Dissidence) is a lot like I picture her to be in about 12 years. A strong, independent, loyal, sometimes sassy young lady.

Justine: "Do you follow a writing routine?"

I don’t have so much as a writing ‘routine’ as a lifestyle. Haha. I don’t follow any kind of outlines. I just write and see where the story takes me. And I definitely don’t have scheduled writing time, unless you count every spare moment. I LOVE writing. I would keep on doing it even if no one ever read a word of it. I have three kids, three pets, a hubby, and a house to take care of, but every free second I get between all of that is spent tapping away at a keyboard, or on my phone if I’m at the grocery store or the school. I really am OBSESSED. :)

Penelope: "What advice do you have for the next generation of writers to come, the teens of today?

The best advice I can give to become a stronger writer, is to read. Read A LOT. (I swear that's not a self serving answer.) It expends your mind and your vocabulary, introduces you to new ways to describe things, and gets the ideas flowing.

Stephanie: "Have you ever had trouble writing fora character you don't like?"

That’s a great question. I actually have. And it wasn’t even one of my villains. I actually really enjoy writing the ‘bad guys’ so what does that say about me? But sometimes a character has to start out weak so that by the end she can be strong. And, by the end, I very much enjoyed writing her.

Amanda: "What is your favorite genre that you like to write/read?" / "If you could help out the young/ new authors, would you and what advice would you give?"

My favorite genre to read and write is YA. Specifics alternate with what mood I’m in. I like everything from contemporary romances to urban fantasy. Which explains why my writing is a bit schizophrenic when it comes to genres, as well. :) But I think my all-time favorite would have to be dystopian. 

I would love to help new or young authors. As I said earlier, I absolutely love writing. I think everyone should do it. It doesn’t have to be novels. Even just keeping a journal can be therapeutic, but making up your own stories is pretty freaking awesome. As far as advice, I’ll repeat my earlier statement. Read. Read often. Read everything. And write. Just keep writing. Everything you write will be better than your last so just keep at it no matter what. Work hard enough, want it bad enough and anyone can do it.

Okay, that's it. That's all I've got for now, but I will be sure to update this list as more questions are asked. And if there's anything else you would like to know, feel free to ask away in the comments section and I'll be happy to answer. In the meantime, come join the party! See ya there! :)

Flesh Eating Zombies and Swoon Worthy Neighbors. What More Could You Ask For?

My novella, 'Our Own Worst Enemies', originally published as part of the Screams in the Night anthology, is now available individually. And for ONLY 99 CENTS!!!

Zombies suck. Seriously. For the past year they’ve been making Callie’s life a living hell, and things are only getting worse. With the undead population on the rise and supplies becoming scarce something needs to give.

When rumors of an enclave that’s safe and well stocked reach Callie and her neighbor Josh, they decide to brave the dangerous streets in search of some long lost peace.

Will it turn out to be everything they’ve ever dreamed of, or will it be, as Callie fears, too good to be true?

It's got zombies and romance, but not zombie-romance because zombies suck face, but not in a good way.


Grab your copy today at:

    

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.