Friday, May 18, 2012

Guest Post & Giveaway: Alexia Reed

UFI welcomes Alexia Reed Author of Hunting the Shadows. Thanks for Joining us!!


What it Means to be Strong

   There are many breeds of heroines—those created strong and kick-ass from page one and then the others who grow as the story progresses. While I do enjoy a heroine who is kick-ass and can handle herself from the first moment we catch a glimpse of her, I love the ones who are grow to be strong.
   I don’t mean the kind who won’t fight for what she believes in or feels sorry for herself when things get rough for the entire book. I mean someone who isn’t highly trained in fighting or completely secure in standing up for herself but learns to be. Someone who isn’t fine with taking the life of another, even when threatened.
   Characters who grow into themselves, who learn who they are. These are the stories that I love the most.
   With Amy, I went back and forth in the various versions I’d written. In the earlier ones, she was a lot more worldly. She lived a normal life then was dragged into the chaos of the Centre. She knew who she was in those old versions. This didn’t resonate with me. She was fine, but there wasn’t anything that made me connect. So I rewrote her to have been part of the Centre the whole time and at the same time, an outsider.
   I knew Amy wouldn’t have the training the others had. It’s just not realistic. A telepathic-empath with no natural mental shields is never going to be able to walk outside and keep her sanity. I wanted her to be an outcast, to learn as the story progressed with the reader.
   I wanted Amy to keep growing, not just in Hunting the Shadows, but every future book. It could be easy to have her know everything, but I didn’t feel that would be effective.  Being a telepath, she could have easily gone into the head of J.C. and simply ‘known’ everything. I wanted to give her barriers and a reason to grow.
   And when things get rocky, she doesn’t give up. Even when no one will believe her about the killer and she’s sedated, she keeps trying to get through to someone, anyone, psychically. She doesn’t stop fighting, despite her situation.

Do you look for a certain kind of heroine when you read? Who do you feel you connect more to…or want to?
***

Blurb: Amy has spent her life in isolation. Locked away in the Centre, a secret government facility where children with extraordinary abilities are raised as highly skilled fighters, she longs for a normal life. A life where being around people doesn't overload her sensitive telepathic mind. A life where she can't see through the eyes of a murderer as he hunts down his next victim...

J.C. Nikolaiev was a top researcher, but when his conscience got the better of him, he tried to destroy his work and free his subjects—and was imprisoned as a traitor. To save himself and prevent more people from dying, J.C. must catch the serial killer stalking the halls of the facility. But his only leads come from a woman whose thoughts have invaded his mind...

Finally out of the psych ward, Amy joins forces with J.C. to find the killer before he closes in on them. Can their growing attraction withstand the truths they uncover?

You can purchase Hunting the Shadows through the Carina PressAmazon, or Barnes and Noble.
__________________________________


While in reality Alexia Reed resides in Ontario, she likes to say that she lives in her own little world. A lover of all things scientific and the paranormal, Alexia uses her books as a way to straddle the realms of fact and fictionand always with a healthy dose of romance thrown in.

When not writing and reading, Alexia paints, and  is the caretaker to two neurotic cats.


__________________________________
Find Alexia and her books
__________________________________
Hunting the Shadows
Shadow Ops Project #1
May 7 2012
 Amy has spent her life in isolation. Locked away in the Centre, a secret government facility where children with extraordinary abilities are raised as highly skilled fighters, she longs for a normal life. A life where being around people doesn't overload her sensitive telepathic mind. A life where she can't see through the eyes of a murderer as he hunts down his next victim...

J.C. Nikolaiev was a top researcher, but when his conscience got the better of him, he tried to destroy his work and free his subjects—and was imprisoned as a traitor. To save himself and prevent more people from dying, J.C. must catch the serial killer stalking the halls of the facility. But his only leads come from a woman whose thoughts have invaded his mind...

Finally out of the psych ward, Amy joins forces with J.C. to find the killer before he closes in on them. Can their growing attraction withstand the truths they uncover?
__________________________________
International 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

11 comments:

  1. Thanks for a great post and giveaway! I've got great book lust for this title :) been reading such awesome reviews for it... it's definitely at the top of my wishlist :)

    I look for the same things about my heroine(s). A realish person that I can relate to. It's hard to feel for someone who can kick butt, is naturally beautiful and all the guys want and has basically no flaws. Then when they have troubles, it's like blah... but someone who has to learn as she goes and doesn't know everything, that's the kind of heroine I usually connect the best w/.

    Thanks again and have a great weekend!

    efender1(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Erin,

      I completely agree. I think for me it's also because I'm sooo not kick ass. I grew up with barely a backbone so I can't really relate to all those headstrong heroines. *shrug*

      Delete
  2. i can't wait to read your book
    audie(at)wickerness(dot)com
















    9

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for the giveaway. Please enter me in contest. Tore923@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. I LOVE how the author says she prefers a heroine who grows to be strong, than one who just starts off strong. My question.... If you could have a power that would help lots of people, but have the risk of the government locking you up for it, would you have a power and what would it be?

    magluvsya03@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If I had a power that could help others...but risk my getting locked up, I would definitely want it. If it will help people, then that's what matters the most. I think technokinesis would be kind of cool and would def put me at risk with the government. Being able to manipulate any piece of technology...oh yeah, that could cause tons of problems.

      Which reminds me, I do have a character like this in the series. ;)

      Delete
  5. Variety is the spice of life. A constant diet of kick-ass heroines can get stale but it takes only one weak-kneed heroine to get tired of that type. A heroine who builds through the story gives lots of room for character development and is easier to identify with.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Very nice post. The book sounds good.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi
    I have to say I like both, heroines that have trained to fight evil and heroines made during a crisis.
    Your books sounds very interesting!

    ReplyDelete
  8. sounds great and I love mutant books/tv shows anything like this. I am adding to my wish list.
    Will this be a series?
    scrtsbpal at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  9. I think Amy sounds like an incredibly strong person. I enjoy books that show made and discovered strengths in the characters. Thank you for sharing with us today and for the lovely giveaway opportunity :)

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by =)