Saturday 30 April 2016

Blog Tour + Interview + Giveaway - The Keeper of the Mist by Rachel Neumeier





The Keeper of the Mist by Rachel Neumeier

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Release Date: March 8th 2016
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Fiction



Synopsis:

A lush new fantasy about finding the will to lead against all odds, perfect for fans of Shadow and Bone.

Keri has been struggling to run her family bakery since her mother passed away. Now the father she barely knew—the Lord of Nimmira—has died, and ancient magic has decreed that she will take his place as the new Lady. The position has never been so dangerous: the mists that hide Nimmira from its vicious, land-hungry neighbors have failed, and Keri’s people are visible to strangers for the first time since the mists were put in place generations ago. At the same time, three half-brothers will their own eyes on the crown make life within the House just as dangerous as the world outside.

But Keri has three people to guide her: her mysterious Timekeeper, clever Bookkeeper, and steadfast Doorkeeper. Together they must find a way to repair the boundary before her neighbors realize just how vulnerable Nimmira is.

With a spunky main character, lyrical storytelling, and hidden romance, The Keeper of the Mist is an engrossing story that is full of adventure.











Hi – thanks for inviting me to A Book Addict’s Bookshelves!  I have to say, I certainly think I qualify as a book addict, given the size of my TBR pile.

When did you start writing?

I’ve always made up stories in my head . . . doesn’t everyone do that when they’re stuck in boring clases?  But I didn’t actually write much of anything other than assigned papers and so on until I was in graduate school, when I wanted to improve my typing speed and also needed a hobby that wasn’t related to my research.  I skipped straight over short stories and wrote (eventually) a massive fantasy trilogy, which in fact I’m cannibalizing now in my current writing projects.  There’s no trace of that trilogy in The Keeper of the Mist, though!



What makes you want to write?

You know how when you’re reading a really good book, sometimes you fall into the story and the real world seems to disappear? How if the phone rings, you feel an almost physical jerk at the interruption?

When I’m writing a great scene and the story is flowing, it’s like that, but more intense.  That’s a pretty powerful motivator.  It’s not enough to build a novel on, though, because in between the scenes I love writing, there are a good many transitional bits that are just painful to slog through.  So . . . you know how it feels when you finally finish a big project and can kind of tie a bow around it:  There!  Done!  There’s that kind of feeling when I finish a rough draft, too.  And again when I finish the final draft.  And again when I see the book on the shelf.  All that is pretty powerful, too.

But the intrinsic motivation of having the story come to life, though that’s very important, actually pales compared to the great pleasure of having readers love a book I’ve written.  I’ve seen other authors declare that they avoid reading reviews, and that’s great for them, I guess.  I personally would never give up reading reviews…at least the four- and five-star reviews!  I avoid anything below four stars, but nothing motivates me to work on a new project like great reviews for a book that’s already out.




Who is your favourite character in Keeper of the Mist?

I must admit that my favorite is Lucas.  I have a great fondness for rascals. 




How did you get the idea for Keeper of the Mist?

By Reading Chalice by Robin McKinley.  Almost nothing of my original ideas for the story are still discernable in the finished story, but you can see an echo of Chalice in the isolation of Nimmira.



What are your hobbies? 

Reading!  But it’s hard for me to read other writers’ fiction while I’m working on a manuscript – too distracting, too hard to put down so I can get work done on my own work-in-progress – so I don’t read quite as much as I used to.  About 100 books last year.

I have, at the moment, seven Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (and one very tolerant cat).  I show in the breed ring and in rally obedience, and of course I take them hiking or to the park or whatever.  The spaniels do keep me busy.

I garden, so there’s always waaaay too much weeding, if that counts as a hobby.  I need to take cuttings of the viburnums and buddleias and magnolias soon.  I have a wonderful new baby magnola called ‘Woodsman’ that I would particularly like to propogate if it gives me enough new greenwood shoots in May that I think it can spare a couple

And I cook.  I have about 100 cookbooks, including seven or eight Indian cookbooks because I particularly love Indian food.  We don’t have many restaurants near where I live – I live basically in the middle of the woods – so if I want potato samosas or whatever, I make them myself.  And if I sudden decide I really want a hamburger, I will literally make hamburger buns myself rather than bother driving ten miles to town to buy some.


 
What is your favourite film and TV show?

So…back six or seven years ago, when I suddenly needed to write two books in six months, I basically gave up watching TV.  And I never really started again because when it comes right down to it, I’d usually rather read a book than watch a show.  So I can pick a favorite, but not anything current.  Having said that:  Firefly, hands down.  I loved Firefly and I still can’t believe the network canceled it.
And my all-time favorite movies might be The Lord of the Rings trilogy.  Peter Jackson did a great job with those.  I still love the books better, though.
 







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Follow the The Keeper Of The Mist by Rachel Neumeier Blog Tour and don't miss anything! Click on the banner to see the tour schedule.









Rachel Neumeier started writing fiction to relax when she was a graduate student and needed a hobby unrelated to her research. Prior to selling her first fantasy novel, she had published only a few articles in venues such as The American Journal of Botany. However, finding that her interests did not lie in research, Rachel left academia and began to let her hobbies take over her life instead.

She now raises and shows dogs, gardens, cooks, and occasionally finds time to read. She works part-time for a tutoring program, though she tutors far more students in Math and Chemistry than in English Composition.







US only







Friday 29 April 2016

Cover Reveal - Diamonds and Pearls (The Tienimi Club Series, #5) by Aurelia Fray







Title: Diamonds and Pearls.
Series: The Tienimi Club Series
Author: Aurelia Fray
Release Date: 12th May 2016


Synopsis:


Cameron Blake’s misconception cost Daryl Chambers two pair of shoes, a skirt, her accommodations, and her dignity. And that was only the first morning. If he weren’t so impossibly attractive, Daryl would have punched him.

Daryl has decided that Cameron is the most infuriating man she’s ever met and yet her attraction is irritatingly undeniable. He is gorgeous and rich and, unfortunately, her client. She is pretty sure there are only two obstacles keeping her out of his bed: He drives her insane and she doubts he could ever be attracted to someone like her.

Cameron Blake has two rules when it comes to women: No attachments and no trouble. It’s just his way. So why does this crazy little woman, with a fiery attitude and fierce curves, catch his eye? Daryl Chambers is not his type and yet he wants her.

In the game of love and attraction, both players must decide if they will play to win or play for keeps.









Extract:  

***Warning. Contains curse words and sexual references.***


It was my opinion that two weeks was more than enough time to spend in one place or with one person, anything more felt like commitment and I had no need to be tied down to anyone or anything just yet, maybe never.
So, for this short, curvy vixen to grip my attention, and she gripped it vice tight from the second she stumbled through the arrivals gate, there had to be something more to her. The attraction was so far out of my normal remit, it made me uncomfortable and instead of stopping the car and offering her a ride for the final few yards, I hit my horn and forced her onto the side of the road.
The finger gesture I caught in the mirror was worth it. I couldn’t stop the grin that spread across my face or the sneaky plan that grew in my mind. I was going to drive her crazy. I would make her want me as much as my confused cock wanted her.
The plan formed the second I got out of the car and I ran with it. Pissing her off and making her blush in equal measure wouldn’t be too difficult. From the looks of it, she was in the middle of a really shitty day and that only made her easier to play with.
It never crossed my mind that she would be the very person I was sent to accommodate. The man I expected and the woman I desired were one in the same. Where that should have knocked some sense into me and put my plans for this woman on hold—at the very least—it actually just made a perfect kind of sense.
Should I have invited her back to the villa? Probably not.
Would Chris kick my ass If he found out I wanted her? Without a doubt.
Did I care? Nope.
I didn’t give a single fuck.


Links:







About The Author

Author of the Tienimi Club series, Aurelia Fray is the naughty Hyde side of a rather ordinary woman. Whenever her mistress lets her out to play, there are sure to be tales worth telling. She lives and works in London, England, enjoys all things artistic and spends most of her time buried in books or paint.

With a degree in English literature and a love of all things wordy it is no real surprise she adores penning salacious stories. She has won various short story and poetry competitions and suspects that her foray into erotic literature will be a titillating adventure for author and readers alike.




Follow Aurelia:



Month9Books Friday Reveal + Giveaway - Cover Reveal: Scepter of Fire by Vicki L. Weavil




Today Vicki L. Weavil and Month9Books are revealing the cover for SCEPTER OF FIRE, a companion novel in the CROWN OF ICE Series! Which releases October 18, 2016! Check out the gorgeous cover and enter to be one of the first readers to receive an eGalley!!



Here’s a message from the author.

Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Ugly Duckling” and “The Steadfast Tin Soldier,” SCEPTER OF FIRE is a companion book to CROWN OF ICE, my retelling of “The Snow Queen.” It takes place a few years later, in the midst of an invasion by a power-mad foreign emperor, and includes most of the characters from CROWN OF ICE.

However the protagonist in SCEPTER OF FIRE is someone new—17yo Varna Lund, an ugly duckling among swans, who’s certain her destiny lies in taking on the mantle of village healer after the death of her aged mentor. But when a young soldier enlists her aid to care for his injured friend, Varna and her sister, Gerda, are catapulted into the war that has engulfed their country.
Forced to flee enemy troops with her sister and the two soldiers, Varna must also evade her mentor, Sten Rask—revealed to be a
powerful mage seeking the enchanted mirror hidden by a former Snow Queen.

To protect the mirror, and their country, Varna, Gerda, and the soldiers join forces with a sorceress, an enchanted reindeer, a
brilliant scholar, and a young woman traveling with a wolf. But Varna faces a terrible temptation. Promised beauty and power by the devilishly handsome Rask, she must choose—achieve her own desires, or protect a society that has never embraced her.




The Cover:

I love how this cover matches the cover of CROWN OF ICE, and yet is different enough to set the books apart. Both feature striking young women, but whereas CROWN is glazed with icy blue tones, SCEPTER is saturated with reds, golds and other fiery hues. If you look closely, you can even see flames reflected in the girl’s eyes—very appropriate for a book that deals with sorcerers who wield fire. Although the cover model is not an ugly duckling,” she does accurately reflect the protagonist during one portion of the book, which I will not reveal at this point due to “spoilers”! 









Title: SCEPTER OF FIRE
Author: Vicki L. Weavil
Pub. Date: October 18, 2016
Publisher: Month9Books
Format: Paperback & eBook
Find it: Amazon | B&N | TBD | Goodreads



Sharp as pine needles, and twice as bitter, seventeen-year-old Varna Lund’s determined to become a healer. At least patients don’t care about her looks, unlike the young men who spurn her for eighteen-year-old Gerda or even her younger sisters. An ugly duckling among swans, Varna hopes to bury her passionate nature in useful work.

Her healing skills are put to the test when Varna encounters Erik Stahl, a young soldier who’s deserted the battlefield to carry his
injured friend, Anders Nygaard, to safety. Varna, enlisting the
aid of Gerda, cares for Anders in secret.

But a brutal betrayal catapults the four young people into life on the run, where Varna discovers her old mentor is actually a powerful
wizard. Seeking the enchanted mirror hidden by a former
Snow Queen, the wizard hopes to use Gerda as a pawn in his plan to aid the invading emperor.

Other forces ally against the wizard, including an auburn-haired sorceress, an enchanted reindeer, a brilliant scholar, and a
young woman traveling with a wolf. Along with the soldiers
and Gerda, they vow to prevent the mirror from falling into enemy hands. But tempted with promises of beauty and power from her now devilishly handsome mentor, Varna must choose between her own desires and the good of a society that’s never embraced her.


Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s
“The Ugly Duckling” and “The Steadfast Tin Soldier”, SCEPTER OF FIRE is a companion book to
CROWN OF ICE.










Vicki L. Weavil was raised in a farming community in Virginia, where her life was shaped by a wonderful family, the culture of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and an obsession with reading. She holds a B.A. in Theatre from the University of Virginia, a Masters in Library Science from Indiana University, and a Masters in Liberal Studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. After
working as a librarian at the NY Public Library at Lincoln Center, and the Museum of Television & Radio (now the Paley Center for Media) in NYC, she is currently the Director for Library Services at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

Vicki loves good writing in any genre, and has been known to read seven books in as many days. She enjoys travel, gardening, and the arts. Vicki lives in North Carolina with her husband and some very spoiled cats. A member of SCBWI, Vicki is represented by Fran Black at Literary Counsel, NY, NY.



Where you can find Vicki: 


Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Tumblr







1 winner will receive an eBook of CROWN
OF ICE & an eGalley of SCEPTER OF FIRE (when available), International.