Savage Magic by Judy Teel "I'll Never Work Again" & Giveaway

BLURB: 

A deadly disease from an unknown origin…

Addison Kittner and ex-FBI agent Cooper Daine arrive at Bone Clan expecting a warm welcome. Instead they’re imprisoned and placed under quarantine, where they discover that the werewolf mountain Clans are being decimated by a deadly plague which can’t be cured.

An old obligation that changes everything…

With only a few days to live, Cooper’s brother, Alpha of Bone Clan, asks Cooper to fulfill his promise, one that’s crucial to their Clan’s survival. But if he does, Cooper risks loosing Addison. Forever.

An ancient creature bred for genocide…

Determined to stop the plague and cure Cooper’s brother, Addison defies Clan law and sneaks away to an ancient ruin which might hold the key. There she discovers an unexpected link to her past and inadvertently calls forth an immortal monster that will destroy the paranormal races protecting humanity if it can’t be stopped.

But as Cooper and Addison battle to stop the annihilation of the Clans and the forces trying to tear their bond apart, something even more powerful and deadly gathers just out of sight…

And prepares to strike.

“I’ll Never Work Again” by Judy Teel

“Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.” —Confucius

Why would anyone want to be a novelist? The hours are long, you often work weekends and evenings, sometimes you can’t sleep because clips of dialogue, solutions to character problems, or ideas for scenes won’t leave you alone. You talk to yourself…a lot. You drift away into other worlds in a nearly out-of-body way, usually at inconvenient times like conversations with your family or when you’re driving. You often forget to cook dinner, in fact it’s not unusual to forget to eat at all.

Why would any sane person want to be, well, functionally borderline kind of nuts?

Because being a novelist is awesome!

For starters, you’re self-employed, so your hours are flexible. Sure, you might work a lot of weekends and evenings, but that’s usually because you had a three-hour lunch with your best friend, or took your kids to the orthodontist, or were at the mall for that amazing sale at Macy’s when everyone else in town was in the office.

When you are working, you live in worlds you’ve created with people who are as interesting as you want to make them. Even better, you get to give these people a hard time before letting everything turn out right in their lives. My kids like to say, I’m the god of my own universe. Heady stuff.

True, creative brains are a bit on the bizarre side, but they’re also super fun. Out of the blue your mind will toss out something amazing like an idea for your next series or the solution to a plot problem that seemed impossible to solve. It’s magical. For the Shifty Magic series, I said, “I want a dystopian urban fantasy series with this kind of heroine.” And then I specified the basics of Addison. (And yes, I said it out loud. Don’t judge.) The next morning, wham! The overview of the entire series and the summary of each book popped into my mind.

Being a published author also means having the opportunity to meet some of the best people on the planet—readers and other authors.  You haven’t lived until you’ve hung out with romance writers at a conference. Let’s just say they aren’t known for holding back on topics that most people would be embarrassed to even whisper in public, let alone laugh uproariously about.

It’s even fun to make mistakes because you can turn your experiences into information that might help other writers. Teaching is definitely one of the highlights of being a successful novelist.

All good stuff, but the best perk of all is when you get an email or discover a review where a reader expresses how much they loved your book and how much it meant to them. Writers would write even if no one ever saw their books, we can’t help ourselves. But our readers bring meaning to that process.

And last, but not least, when you finally hold that book in your hand, it’s an incredibly proud moment. What started as an idea in your head has become something real in the world. Wow.

Without question, writing fiction is the best play time, um, I mean job, I’ve ever had.

EXCERPT:

The scent of blood got stronger, pulling my thoughts back and making my heart pound a little harder against my chest. Slipping a knife from the sheath inside my right boot, I watched the flutter of shadows on the path below where it turned and disappeared behind a thick wall of laurels. Slow breath in…Silent breath out…

Deeper shadows emerged and took shape — a man and a woman, both dressed for living outdoors and blending in. And there was Cooper, complacently allowing them to roughly pull him along between them, his nose and a cut on his cheek seeping blood. Weird. Cooper was built like an early twenty-first century Olympic gymnast and I’d seen him take out opponents in less than ten seconds without a single blow landing on him. How had they managed to subdue him?

I watched them come closer and pass below me. The woman on one side of Cooper was medium height with light skin and dark red hair that she’d pulled back into a short ponytail with a strip of leather. The man on the other side was tall and muscular with tanned skin, his bright red hair in a military cut.

I adjusted the soles of my logger boots against the branch under me to give myself a more solid launch, judged the distance — and jumped.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Judy Teel was born in Virginia and moved to North Carolina just before middle school. She's a fiction author and novelist writing in the dystopian urban fantasy genre. Her stories deliver mystery with some thriller elements, a kick-butt heroine with a large dash of snark in her, a bit more than a touch of romance with a guy that makes readers' hearts beat a little faster, and a wild ride full of action and emotion from start to finish.

Shifty Magic is permanently free on all platforms and Undercover Magic is free as a thank you gift for anyone who signs up on my readers list:  http://judyteel.com/my-free-book/

Website: http://www.judyteel.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JudyTeelBooks

Twitter: @JudyTeelBooks / https://twitter.com/JudyTeelBooks

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5023501.Judy_Teel

Amazon Author’s Page: http://goo.gl/a7oKub

Tumblr: http://judyteel.tumblr.com

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/judyteelbooks/

Links to books

AMAZON:

Shifty Magic (Book 1): http://amzn.com/B00CXQ7EOE

Undercover Magic (Book 2): http://amzn.com/B00H7M48KM

Savage Magic (Book 3): http://www.amazon.com/Savage-Magic-Shifty-Book-ebook/dp/B00Z3NTSFC/

NOOK:

Shifty Magic (Book 1): http://goo.gl/6hU5bQ

Undercover Magic (Book 2): http://goo.gl/0qjldj

Savage Magic (Book 3): http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/savage-magic-judy-teel/1122078118

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION: Judy will be awarding $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn host.

The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here: 

http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2015/06/nbtm-tour-savage-magic-by-judy-teel.html 

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12 Honeymoons by K. L. Brady Creating Characters & Giveaway

BLURB:

Miki Vincent's entire life stalled because she's addicted to the beginnings of things, especially relationships. She relishes in the emotional highs, first hugs, first kisses that new love brings. But sex always ruins it. That's why abstaining during the first three months of a relationship—following the 90-day rule—was supposed to help land her down the aisle with Mr. Right. Miki finds out the hard way, Mr. Wrong can wait that long, especially if his ultimate prize is her inheritance.

One assault charge and depression later, Miki devises the Honeymoon Plan, guaranteeing her a lifetime of firsts and zero heartaches. But following her own rule sends her life into an out of control spiral in which she's sentenced to more than perpetual break-ups. A new pursuit and a string of sexy suitors offer her the opportunity to jumpstart her life and test her new strategy. The only problem? It just might work.

Miki's best friend Pam, a repressed artist, struggles to keep her honeymoon alive but she can no longer ignore the blatant evidence staring her in the face: Her husband is having an affair. A different kind of "honeymoon plan" designed to free her from her troubles, and a chance meeting with a handsome artistic stranger, help reignite her passions. But will they destroy her marriage in the process?

Creating Characters by K. L. Brady:

I love creating new characters and watching the old ones grow. All of my main characters in my romance novels tend to be strong, independent, funny heroines who, at the core of it, have a lesson they need to learn about life and whatever trouble they find themselves in at the moment is the tool life is using to teach them that lesson.

Regardless of the genre, I tend to write character-driven stories that focus on the inner-workings of my characters, their problems, their conflicts, their mistakes, their personal journeys.

I usually start with one main character and, as strange as it may sound; it’s usually a voice I hear in my head talking. When I meet my characters, they are usually in trouble. They are at a life-changing low point in their lives and almost say to me, “Follow me and watch how I get myself out of this one! This is going to be good.”

And they are usually right. I’ve never watched a journey that didn’t lead me to a book.

As we move through the story, I see the secondary characters in her journey, and I pluck out the key ones and name them. Sometimes, I’ll hear the names and sometimes I have to sit down and think about them to find the right ones that fit. In time, they usually reveal their inner character and show me the kind of people they are.

I met Miki, the main character from 12 Honeymoons, four years ago after I finished my third book. I saw her in court, with no attorney at her side,  looking at her bruised up boyfriend, and wondered how in the world did that happen? And how is she going to get herself out of this one? I got six chapters into the story and just stopped. I couldn’t see anymore.

Why?

The reason, I believe, was that in the four years after thinking up those chapters I was supposed to learn something from my own personal journey that I needed to apply to 12 Honeymoons. After waiting that period and experiencing the ups and downs of my life and writing the career, I picked up the story after finishing one of my books in another genre and it just flowed. All of a sudden the roadblocks were gone.

At that time, I realized more than ever that sometimes creating characters meant developing myself since a lot of my stories are loosely based on lessons that I’m learning in my own life.

I think, in this way, I not only create characters that are funny, strong, smart with interesting stories to tell, they are also very relatable, and that helps draw in readers.

EXCERPT:

My Grandma Pearl once told me there are two kinds of men: the ones who will make you count your blessings, and the ones who will make you want to start counting from zero to forget they ever existed.

Mitch Wiggins fell into the latter category. He made me determined to not only start again...but to start better. The end of our disastrous liaison quite literally drove me from love’s hangover straight to Circuit Court... in a brand new S-Class with a dented rear fender. The real shame of this sham was that I had him pegged within days, maybe moments, of meeting him. The red flags went up and flapped like crazy, batted against the winds of Deceiving Bastard, but I convinced myself to ignore the warnings and continue with the charade. And finally, I figured out the real problem.

The Honeymoon.

See, at that time, I still viewed “the honeymoon period” in a relationship as a wonderful pit stop on the yellow brick road to everlasting happiness—and I was wrong. So wrong. The actual truth was concealed behind the blare of my biological clock, which was ticking like an Old & Barren bomb merely seconds from exploding over the remnants of my life.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

K. L. Brady is a D.C. native but spent a number of her formative years in the Ohio Valley. Her writing career started in the pages of diaries when she was 7 or 8 years old. But it wasn’t until her 40th birthday and an Oprah “Live Your Best Life” moment that she finally answered her calling and wrote her first novel–The Bum Magnet. The originally self-published novel was picked up by Simon & Schuster in a two-book deal, and K.L. hasn’t looked back since, penning the follow-up, Got a Right to Be Wrong and self-publishing the first books in two young adult series and a spy thriller series based on her 20+-year career in the U.S. Intelligence Community.

She has a B.A. in Economics, an MBA, and is a member of the Maryland Writer’s Association, Romance Writers of America, Sisters In Crime, and International Thriller Writers. She’s addicted to writing and chocolate—not necessarily in that order—and currently lives in the Washington D.C. area with her son. She is hard at work on several projects, including the next installment of the series.

Website: www.KLBradyAuthor.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/KLBrady

Twitter: www.twitter.com/KarlaB27

Buy Links:

The book will be on sale for $0.99 during the tour.

www.amazon.com/12-Honeymoons-Novel-K-L-Brady-ebook/dp/B00X6TCUPU

http://www.amazon.com/K.L.-Brady/e/B002O15D78/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2?qid=1435439090&sr=1-

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION:

The author will be awarding $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner, and a Kindle Fire HD (International Giveaway) to another randomly drawn winner, both via rafflecopter during the tour, and a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn host.

The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here: 

http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2015/07/nbtm-tour-12-honeymoons-by-kl-brady.html

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Traitor's Curse by Beth Trissel Excerpt & Giveaway

BLURB:

Halifax, North Carolina, 1783.

Captain Stuart Monroe returns home from the Revolutionary War to find Thornton Hall threatened by a peacetime foe: debt. He knows the location of a treasure amassed to pay for the capture of Benedict Arnold that would restore his manor to its former glory. The catch, it's hidden in the graveyard, and coveted by old enemies.

Hettie Fairfax inherited the Sight from her Cherokee ancestors, and her otherworldly visitors warn her, and Stuart, away from the buried treasure. Half-dead from fever, she delivers a message: the treasure is cursed. But will he believe a girl half out of her mind with illness? Even when a very real enemy attempts to poison her? Stuart soon wants to marry Hettie, but she fears her "odd ways" will blemish his reputation. The spirits have their own agenda, however, and the battle against darkness tests everything the couple holds dear, including their love for each other.

EXCERPT:

“Turn back. A man watches you.”

Again, the warning carried from the unseen source.

What man, and how did she know Stuart was observed? He could barely discern anything.

“Who are you? Show yourself.” Uneasiness lent indignation to his demand.

Through the haze, he spotted the figure of a young female dressed all in white. A death shroud?

Pray God, it wasn’t. His gut knotted, and he stood staring at her.

Ethereal, ghostly, she seemed to float toward him, but must have walked.

Must have.

A cold shiver stood the hair on the back of his neck on end. Was she flesh and blood, or spirit? Had she crossed the divide between the two worlds?

He scarcely dared to breathe.

Still, he stood rooted to the trail. And not only from fright. Fascination. Despite fear of being haunted, an aura about her drew him.

He waited, every muscle taut, poised betwixt heaven and earth, the scent of crumbling leaves in his nose. At least, that was real.

Whiteness swirling around her, she neared.

Then he spotted it, an ivory coverlet draped over her head and around her slender shoulders pinched together in front with pale fingers.

No shroud.

The blanket reached to her ankles and trailed behind along the ground. Mist muted the flowers stitched into the cloth. This accounted for him not spotting her sooner. She’d blended in with the vapor.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Married to her high school sweetheart, Beth Trissel lives on a farm in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia surrounded by her children, grandbabies, and assorted animals. An avid gardener, her love of herbs and heirloom plants figures into her work. The rich history of Virginia, the Native Americans, and the people who journeyed here from far beyond her borders are at the heart of her inspiration. She’s especially drawn to colonial America and the drama of the American Revolution. In addition to historical romance, she also writes time travel, paranormal romance, YA fantasy, and nonfiction.

For more on Beth visit her blog, One Writer’s Way, at: https://bethtrissel.wordpress.com

Connect with Beth on Facebook: Author Beth Trissel  https://www.facebook.com/bctrissel?fref=ts

At Twitter: https://twitter.com/BethTrissel

Visit Beth’s Amazon Author Page where all her books reside: Amazon Author Page  http://www.amazon.com/Beth-Trissel/e/B002BLLAJ6/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1435416800&sr=8-1

Barnes and Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/traitors-curse-beth-trissel/1122733638?ean=2940150924161

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Traitors-Curse-Beth-Trissel/dp/150920153X/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

GIVEAWAY:

Beth is awarding a $30 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn commenter.

The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here: 

http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2015/07/book-blast-traitors-curse-by-beth.html

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Divine Vices by Melissa Parkin Interview & Giveaway

Book Blurb: 

The last thing sixteen-year-old Cassie Foster needs is trouble, but that doesn’t stop him from finding her. 

Nine months after the tragic accident that killed her mother and sister, this high school junior just wants a fresh start. Settling down in the quiet town of New Haven, Maine, she’s found peace at last…until the new resident bad boy, Jackson Matthews, comes into the picture. Arrogant, sarcastic, and devastatingly sexy, he’s the very last thing Cassie wants to entertain. Romance was never part of the plan. But when terrifying circumstances drive these two together, she finds herself in over her head and drawn in by his allure. As local girls begin disappearing, Cassie can’t help but wonder if it’s just a coincidence that everything started when this blue-eyed Casanova strolled into town. Will falling into Jackson’s arms mean she’ll be falling victim to a real lady-killer…or worse? 

The answer will open the door to a world she never thought possible.

Interview:

1) Where did you get the idea for the novel?

The initial inspiration for the book really came from a feeling I wanted to invoke within the reader. I love plot twists, and a particular one always resonated with me.  

The first time I saw Wes Craven’s 2005 film Red Eye, I hadn’t heard anything about it before going to the theater. The movie starts with Rachel McAdams’ character meeting a handsome stranger (Cillian Murphy) while boarding a late night flight. Murphy’s character exudes such natural charm that it’s hard not to like him. Just as you let your guard down, you find out that he’s actually there to terrorize McAdams. I’ll never forget that pang in my gut as he started to flip the switch on her. I love that delicate balance of attraction and suspicion, and I wanted that feeling suspended throughout the whole novel between the two main characters of Divine Vices.

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

It was once said that, “love is giving someone the ability to destroy you, and trusting them not to.” We essentially become vulnerable to the other person when we start falling for someone, and this book takes that subject to the extreme!

3) Why did you pick this genre? What do you like about it?

I wouldn’t label the book as any one particular genre really. It’s an equal balance of romance, mystery, paranormal, humor, and contemporary. I chose this approach, because I love what each genre has to offer, and it allows the plot to be unpredictable. I think the readers will really enjoy the twists Divine Vices delivers.

4) Since becoming a writer, what’s the most exciting thing to ever happen to you?

It would definitely be holding the first printed paperback of my novel. Only when your words are printed and bound with your cover art does it feel real. I honestly started jumping up and down in pure fan-girl glory when I got the package in the mail.

5) What book are you currently reading or what was the last book you read?

I can’t believe it’s taken me this long, but I just started reading Sarah J. Maas’ Throne of Glass series. I’d only read the first fifty pages of book one before I ran out and bought the second! It’s that good. I’m also reading Jennifer L. Armentrout’s Forever With You, and it’s not the least bit shocking that I love it. I don’t even have to read the blurb to any of her books. I just buy them. The woman is an ingenious storyteller, and she never lets me down.   

6) At a book signing, do you just sign your name or do you write a note? How do you come up with stuff to say?

I’m an avid reader myself, and there’s nothing better than knowing that one of my favorite authors took the time to address me. Because of that, I always like the personal touch of adding a note. Signing the book to someone specific is my favorite. Anyone can receive a standard signed copy, so it feels special addressing it to an individual reader. I also love incorporating humor in my added message.

7) What is something people would be surprised to know about you?

Growing up, I had a variety of different career paths I wanted to pursue. When I was six, I wanted to be a veterinarian. Perfectly normal, right? Yeah, well, things got a bit…unusual from there. The list of things that followed varied from stuntwoman, professional daredevil, Black Ops member, ninja assassin, FBI agent, and spy. I blame my father for that. We binge-watched every Arnold Schwarzenegger, Harrison Ford, and Bruce Willis movie we could get our hands on.

When I was eight, I was given a class assignment to compose a list of my favorite things. While my classmates wrote about stuff like Titanic, Sammy Sosa, and Leonardo DiCaprio, my twisted mind took a different approach. Needless to say when my teacher saw that I listed 1987’s Predator as “My Favorite Movie,” she looked at me with an expression that said, “I’m looking at a future serial killer!”

Thankfully, she was wrong. That career option never made the cut.

8) How do you react to a bad review?

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, so you can’t take things personally. Some observations are constructive and the others are just personal taste. It’s really just a matter of knowing what to take away from the review. Plus, some Ben & Jerry’s always helps cushion the blow.

9) What are you currently working on?

I’m writing the sequel to Divine Vices, along with another paranormal romance that should be coming out in the late spring.

10) How did you celebrate the sale of your first book?

As soon as my book hit the Amazon Kindle Store, I admittedly stalked my sales page. When I found out someone bought it, I honestly started doing my very own Snoopy Dance…despite the fact that I was in the middle of the grocery store!

Author Bio: Melissa Parkin is a Chicagoland native who feels weird referring to herself in the third person. When she's not binge reading, taking photographs, breaking the first rule of Fight Club, or playing music too loud, she's writing young adult paranormal romances.

Amazon US Purchase Link: http://www.amazon.com/Divine-Vices-1-ebook/dp/B015JCIUFA/

Amazon UK Purchase Link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Divine-Vices-1-ebook/dp/B015JCIUFA/

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26632461-divine-vices

GIVEAWAY:
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