Interview & Giveaway: Jenn Bennett

UFI welcomes Jenn Bennett Author of The Arcadia Bell Series. Thanks for Joining us!!

This or That

Coffee or Tea

Both. Lon drinks jasmine tea in my books, and I'm afraid that blossomed out of my own personal love for it. I've spent a fair amount of time in China and Hong Kong, which is where my devotion to this tea started. I remember the first time I tasted it: when I was getting a haircut and massage at a Taiwanese hair salon in Taipei . . . with a transgendered man who owned a karaoke bar. I could not make this stuff up!

However, I am also a three-cup-a-day coffee addict: best beans I can afford (grind myself), French press.

Angels or Demons

Demons, naturally. Preferably Earthbound ones.

Pizza or Pasta

Pizza. Wood-fired. Sauce made with San Marazano tomatoes. Thin crust.

Left or Right

Left. Far, far left. As far away from the Right as I can get.

Reading or Writing

Both. Daily.

Coke or Pepsi

Does Pepsi still make products? They do? Well, I'll be damned. Coke all the way, baby. I live in Atlanta, where Coke was born. To drink anything else is blasphemy. We even have a World of Coca-Cola Museum that has a tasting room where you can sample crazy Coke flavors from around the world.

Book Signing or Panel Speaking

Signing. Speaking of, I'm doing a book signing at the RWA national conference in Anaheim, California at the end of July. Come and see me if you're in the area. I'll be giving away exclusive trading cards.

Vampires or Werewolves

Wereroaches that live off vamp blood?

YA or Adult

I love YA, but I always miss the graphic sex. Is that wrong?

Facebook or Twitter

Twitter. No competition. FB makes me want to tear my face off with all its weird, illogical changes.

Virtual or Real

Virtual *is* the new real, isn't it?

Up or Down

Is this a dirty sex question? Most definitely down.

__________________________________

Jenn Bennett is an award-winning visual artist-turned-urban fantasy author. Born in Germany, she’s lived and traveled extensively throughout Europe, the U.S., and the Far East. She believes rebellion is an under-appreciated art form, has conjured more demons than you’ve had hot lunches, and likes her fairy tales like she likes her coffee: dark. She currently lives near Atlanta with her film-geek husband and two very bad pugs.

__________________________________

Find Jenn and her books

Website / Twitter

__________________________________

Summoning the Night
Arcadia Bell #2
April 24, 2012

MAGICAL TRICKS. DEMONIC TREATS.

After narrowly escaping her fate as a sacrificial scapegoat, Arcadia Bell is back to normal. Or at least as ordinary as life can be for a renegade magician and owner of a tiki bar that caters to Earthbound demons. She’s gearing up for the busiest day of the year—Halloween—when a vengeful kidnapper paralyzes the community.

The influential head of the local Hellfire Club taps Cady to track down the fiendish bogeyman, and now that she’s dating red-hot Lon Butler, the Club’s wayward son, she can hardly say no. Cady and Lon untangle a gruesome thirty-year trail of clues that points to danger for the club members’ children. But locating the person behind the terror will require some metaphysical help from Cady’s loyal bar patrons as well as her potent new Moonchild powers—and she’d better figure it out before the final victim disappears and her own darkest secret becomes her biggest enemy.

__________________________________

 International

International giveaway, anywhere bookdepository.com ships

a Rafflecopter giveaway

New Releases: 5/20-5/26

Tue May 22

Dark Kiss (Nightwatchers #1) by Michelle Rowan
Dark Magic by James Swain
The Enemy's Kissby Zandria Munson
Fated (The Soul Seekers #1) by Alyson Noel
The Girl in the Clockwork Collar (Steampunk Chronicles, #2)r by Kady Cross
Guardian of the Night by Linda Thomas-Sundstrom
Lethal Rider (Lords of Deliverance #3) by Larissa Ione
The Lost Code (The Atlanteans #1) by Kevin Emerson
Midnight's Master (Dark Warriors #1) by Donna Grant
Nightshifted (Nightshifted #1) by Cassie Alexander
Of Poseidon by Anna Banks
Shadow Bound (Unbound #2) by Rachel Vincent
Taken by Storm (Raised by Wolves #3) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Zombie Island (Shakespeare Undead #2) by Lori Handeland

Happy Reading!!

Interview: Tara Hudson

UFI welcomes Tara Hudson Author of The Hereafter Series. Thanks for Joining us!!

What can you tell my readers about yourself that they might not know from looking on your bio or reading in another interview?

 

I can quote every word in the movie GHOSTBUSTERS.  You may think I’m exaggerating, but I’mnot.  I think just about every syllable in that movie is applicable to everyday life, including (but not limited to): “I’ve been slimed,” “She sleeps above her covers…FOUR FEET above her covers,” and “Shhh…do you smell that?”

 

What are some of your Favorite books or Authors in the Urban Fantasy/ ParanormalGenres?

 

In the world of non-YA, I adore Neil Gaiman and Joe Hill, who both dabble in the paranormal.  As for YA, the list is pretty enormous, but my most recent favorite was FURY, by Elizabeth Miles.  It was so atmospheric that I just couldn’t put it down.

 

How would you pitch Arise to someone who has not heard of it before?

 

A ghostly girl and the living boy she loves must face malicious spirits, Voodoo priestesses, and a legion of demons in the darkest corners of New Orleans’ French Quarter. 

 

Can you tell us a little bit about the world that Arise is set in?

 

Arise has two major settings.  The first is the French Quarter of New Orleans, in the world of living.  But if you’ve ever been to New Orleans, you know that the boundary between the living and the dead is pretty thin.  This is a city known for its history, its Voodoo, and its cemeteries – and my main characters get to discover all of it!  The second major setting is the netherworld, an evil world just beyond ours.  I don’t want to give too much away, but there may or may not be a demonic version of the Mississippi River… J

 

What Other Projects can we look forward to reading from you?

 

Right now, I’m finishing up the third book in the Hereafter Trilogy, which is entitled ELEGY.  I have to admit, I’m kind of sad to say goodbye to Amelia, Joshua, Eli, Ruth, and all the rest of my characters.  But I’m really enjoying my newest project, a YA murder mystery told from the perspective of the three possible killers.

__________________________________

 Born and raised in Oklahoma, Tara Hudson graduated with a degree in law, mostly because she believed all the horror stories about English majors and their careers in the food-service industry. Luckily, she soon remembered how much she loved telling ghost stories, particularly to her girlfriends who liked visiting abandoned cemeteries as much as she did. Tara currently lives in Oklahoma with her husband, son, and a menagerie of ill-behaved pets

__________________________________

Find Tara and her books

Website / Twitter / Facebook

__________________________________

Arise
Hereafter #2
June 5, 2012

 Amelia—still caught between life and death—must fight for every moment of her relationship with the human boy Joshua. They can hardly even kiss without Amelia accidentally dematerializing. Looking for answers, they go to visit some of Joshua’s Seer relatives in New Orleans. But even in a city so famously steeped in the supernatural, Amelia ends up with more questions than answers…and becomes increasingly convinced that she and Joshua can never have a future together.Wandering through the French Quarter, Amelia meets other in-between ghosts, and begins to seriously consider joining them. And then she meets Gabrielle. Somehow, against impossible odds, Gaby has found a way to live a sort of half-life...a half-life for which Amelia would pay any price. Torn between two worlds, Amelia must choose carefully, before the evil spirits of the netherworld choose for her.

__________________________________

__________________________________

Week in Review: 5/13-5/19

Books Ive Bought/received

* Chosen by Sable Grace- eARC- Edelweiss/Publisher

* Dark Parties by Sara Grant- Publisher for teen book scene tour

*Shadow Bound by Rachel Vincent- Netgalley

* Nightshifted by Cassie Alexander- Purchased at Barnes and Noble


Books I read

Full Blooded by Amanda Carlson
Revived by Cat Patrick
Wilde's Fire by Krystal Wade
Chasing Magic by Stacia Kane
Once by Anna Carey
Tainted Night, Tainted Blood by E.S. Moore

Reviews posted


Hunting the Shadows by Alexia Reed
A Patch of Darkness by Yolanda Sfetsos
The Mayfair Moon by J.A. Remerski

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

* New Releases for the week. Was there anything you were looking forward to reading?

* Wednesday Author Yolanda Sfetsos was here promoting her book A Patch of Darkness with a guest post.

* Thursday I put up a giveaway for a copy of The Last Four Things by Paul Hoffman

* Friday Alexia Reed was here with a guest post and giveaway for her book Hunting the Shadows.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

*If you see something on my books Ive read list that you are dying to know about let me know I'm back logged on reviews and can move it up on the list if I know people are wanting one.

* I love comments so if you see something you like (or not) please comment away and let me know.

Review: The Mayfair Moon by J.A. Remerski

The Mayfair Moon
Author:J.A. Remerski
Release Date: February 6, 2012
Publisher: Self-published
Darkwoods Trilogy Book #1
ISBN:  9781468185
Genre: Young Adult
Review Copy Source: Author

After a nightmarish encounter with a werewolf, seventeen-year-old Adria Dawson loses her sister, but gains the love of a mysterious young man and his legendary family.

Strange and tragic things begin to happen in the small town of Hallowell, Maine: residents come down with an unexplainable ‘illness’ and some disappear. In the midst of everything, Isaac Mayfair is adamant about keeping Adria safe, even from her sister whom he has warned her to stay away from.

As unspeakable secrets unfold all around Adria, impossible choices become hers to bear. Ultimately, no matter what path she takes, her life and the lives of those she loves will be in peril. As she learns about the werewolf world she also learns why her place in it will change the destinies of many.

I don't review a lot of Self-Published books and those I do review usually come from blog tours I sign up for but when Jessica contacted me about THE MAYFAIR MOON I was on a bit of a werewolf kick and decided I would give it a try. I was pleasantly surprised and glad I gave it a chance. In the beginning of THE MAYFAIR MOON Adria and her sister Alex are very close and are living with their very needy and abused mom who refuses to leave her alcoholic husband. While out one night they are stuck between two fighting creatures they later learn are werewolf's. Because of the trauma that the event caused DFS shows up and Adria is taken out of the home and sent to live with her Uncle and Aunt. Alex goes with but she is no longer the loving close sister Adria has always known.

I really enjoyed the book. Adria was very easy to follow and like. She is pretty much left to deal with everything that is happening on her own and her strength through everything was incredible. There is a great romance/love story, Adria finds support from a great cast of characters and the action was present throughout the entire book. I fell into the story very easily and once I was there I had no want to dig myself out until it was over. The ending wrapped things up nicely but also left enough questions and open connections so that you will be excited to see what comes next. My only complaint is how the werewolves are portrayed. I like my werewolves all gorgeous and powerful wolf like but Jessica's werewolves make me think of the werewolves from the UNDERWORLD movies. I can easily overlook that though since I enjoyed everything else.

I think there was some pretty heavy hinting going on at the end of THE MAYFAIR MOON on what will come next for Adria and her friends and if I'm correct in my assumption it will be one heck of a second book for the series. Either way I'm looking forward to reading book 2 KINDRED to continue the story.

I gave it 4/5 stars  

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 Press, Amazon, 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 fiction—and 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

Website / Twitter / Facebook

__________________________________

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

Winner: Sara Grant Giveaway

Thank you to everyone who entered!!

Prize: book related necklace

The Winner chosen by Rafflecopter is.....

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congrats!! I have emailed winner who has 48 hours to respond with mailing address or I will pick another.