Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Cover Reveal: I'm Not Afraid of Wolves by Erin Hayes

Add it to your Goodreads TBR here!

Christine would do anything to get away from it all.

After escaping an abusive marriage and heading up a group of brand new performers, she’s tired and in need of a vacation. So when her sister Sara wants her to go camping out in the mountains of Georgia with the girls, she packs her bags for some rest and relaxation. Not even meeting a gorgeous park ranger like Colton Donnelly is going to distract her.

Except Sara didn’t tell her the real reason for the trip: she’s running away from a terrible secret. One that puts all of their lives in danger.

Now the vacation that Christine so desperately needed is ruined, but that’s the least of her worries. She has to use her wits and skills to save them all. Because she soon finds out that werewolves are very real. And they’ll stop at nothing to get their claws into her sister.

Coming to Amazon on September 22^nd!

I’m Not Afraid of Wolves is the fourth book in the Cotton Candy Quintet. Add them all to your Goodreads TBR here.

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Get the other books on Amazon here:

How to be a Mermaid

I'd Rather be a Witch

https://www.amazon.com/Believe-Faeries-Cotton-Candy-Quintet-ebook/dp/B01GNNCLYA/

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About the Author

Sci-fi junkie, video game nerd, and wannabe manga artist Erin Hayes writes a lot of things. Sometimes she writes books.

She works as an advertising copywriter by day, and she's a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author by night. She has lived in New Zealand, Hawaii, Texas, Alabama, and now San Francisco with her husband, cat, and a growing collection of geek paraphernalia.

You can reach her at erinhayesbooks@gmail.com and she’ll be happy to chat. Especially if you want to debate Star Wars.

http://erinhayesbooks.com/

https://www.facebook.com/erinhayesbooks/

https://twitter.com/erinhayes5399

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5335865.Erin_Hayes

Monday, August 22, 2016

Guest Blog + Giveaway: Zombie Uprising by William Burke

UFI welcomes Author William Burke. Thanks for Joining us!!

Voodoo Child’s Voodoo Spirits

In writing VOODOO CHILD, BOOK ONE: ZOMBIE UPRISING I did quite a bit or research into the practice of Voodoo. This ancient religion has gotten a bad rap in literature and movies, and I’m probably not helping a bit. Suffice to say it is a faith practiced by millions of kind, decent people who have no desire to curse you by sticking pins in dolls or turn you into a zombie. What really fascinated me about Voodoo was its rich pantheon of spirits. Voodoo belief is based on one god (Bondye) who interacts with mankind through an array of spirits (Loa). Each Loa represents specific facets of nature or life. For VOODOO CHILD I’ve used two spirits—Baron Kriminel and Pomba Gira. Like most ignorant authors I’ve played fast and loose with those characters but I still tried to stay close to their roots.

Bear in mind that there are three types of Voodoo—African, Haitian and Louisianan—each with different practices and spirits. That’s why the information can get a bit hazy.

BARON KRIMINEL– This guy is complicated, so bear with me. The largest family of Voodoo Loa is the Ghede, led by the barons—La Croix, Samedi, Cimitière, Kriminel and Maman Brigitte. The barons are each facets of their leader, Baron Samedi, and hence share his appearance. Classically, he has a skeletal body wrapped in a cape and top hat with an ever-present cigar. All of the barons are wild, raucous and often obscene. I don’t practice Voodoo, but in the same breath didn’t feel it was appropriate to use the beloved Baron Samedi as a bad guy, insulting a few million practicing Voudon in the process. BUT Baron Kriminel is a universally evil spirit, and therefore fair game. In Voodoo lore he’s envisioned as a murderer who was condemned to death. This is a spirit so wicked that evoking him requires setting live black chickens on fire just so he can hear them scream! Please note that very few Voodoo practitioners evoke this maniac. He is one of the few Loa who can admit people into the afterlife and he holds no grudges against the dead … but is not so enamored of the living. There have been many cinematic depictions of the baron's family tree but the most famous is from the James Bond film Live and Let Die, primarily due to Geoffrey Holder’s amazing performance.

NOTE – Baron Kriminel is super-bad but there’s another Voodoo loa that's so evil she makes him look like a boy scout. Her name is Marinette - Lady of the Screech Owl. She is the mistress of the dreaded Bizango cult and holds authority over werewolves. She’ll be prominently featured in an upcoming VOODOO CHILD book. :::Marinette Bois Sèch.jpg

POMBA GIRA – Gira’s persona is more varied and complex than all the barons combined. Like the barons there are several Pomba Giras, each a facet of another. She’s either a spirit of love and fertility or (in the Brazilian variation) the mistress of the devil. It all depends on which belief is your thing. Traditionally, she is more recognized by practitioners of Umbanda, a variation on Voodoo. Universally she personifies sexuality, fertility and strength. Her appearance varies from being an insanely voluptuous, red-skinned, horned devil woman to an equally voluptuous mortal woman wearing next to nothing. Gira is irresistible and promiscuous so it made perfect sense for Baron Kriminel to become obsessed with her. Appropriately, in cards the Queen of Hearts represents Gira.

In my book these two loa make a wager, with the fate of all mankind as the prize. So check out Voodoo Child, Book One: Zombie Uprising and see how their deadly game plays out.

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After two years of ghostwriting, William Burke has released his first novel VOODOO CHILD, Book One: Zombie Uprising. It's the first installment of a new horror series chronicling the exploits of Maggie Child and her Voodoo priestess partner Sarafina as they battle to save the island of Fantomas from the wrath of evil Voodoo spirits.

The author was raised on a diet of late night creature features, comic books, Mad magazines and horror stories. As a result every volume will be packed with eccentric characters, dark humor, chills, zombies, ghosts, monsters, military hardware and plenty of stuff blowing up.

Prior to writing Voodoo Child he was the creator and director of the Destination America television series Hauntings and Horrors. He has also written scripts for two Cinemax television series, Forbidden Science and Lingerie, which he also produced. He has also written magazine pieces for Fangoria and the Phantom of the Movies Videoscope among others.

William began his film and television career as a perfectly respectable video engineer at the venerable United Nations. Budget cuts shifted him to becoming a production manager and assistant director on an array of New York based indie films. With that experience under his belt he relocated to Los Angeles where he eventually produced sixteen feature films and two television series for the Playboy Entertainment Group. After years of producing T&A extravaganzas, kickboxing epics and gangster rap videos, he created a self financed television pilot entitled American Mystery Tour. Canada's CTV picked up the series under the title Creepy Canada, which was then re-titled Hauntings and Horrors in the USA. Since then he has successfully produced three series for HBO/Cinemax as well as documentaries and other … stuff.

After hundreds of hours of film and television production he is basking in the freedom of the written word, where small budgets and giant egos are only memories. He lives in Toronto.

If you enjoyed the first adventure please visit www.williamburkeauthor.com where you'll find lots of interesting information about Voodoo and military hardware, along with excerpts from Sarafina's personal diary AND, as a gift to readers, the author will be serializing a prequel novella.

Find William and his books

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

Author interview video: https://youtu.be/SXanlSkmHEI
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Voodoo Child
Zombie Uprising #1
Amazon

The forces of darkness are out to destroy mankind… Too bad they never reckoned on facing Maggie Child!

Army chopper pilot Maggie Child has a reputation for being fearless, professional and, above all, rational. But when she's shot down over Iraq her well-ordered life spirals into a paranormal nightmare. Alone, wounded and surrounded by hostile forces, Maggie is rescued from certain death by a demon straight out of Dante's Inferno. Then, barely alive, she's abducted by a private military corporation conducting insidious medical experiments. Her escape from their covert hellhole lands her on a Caribbean island where an evil voodoo spirit and a psychotic female dictator are conspiring to unleash an apocalyptic zombie plague. Then she uncovers the most terrifying secret of all—her own destiny. It seems a Voodoo oracle has ordained her the only warrior capable of saving humanity from a supernatural Armageddon … whether she wants the job or not!

But saving the world isn't a one-woman job, so she teams up with a trio of unlikely heroes—a conspiracy obsessed marijuana smuggler, a Voodoo priestess with an appetite for reality television, and a burnt out ex-mercenary. Together, they'll take on an army of the walking dead, with the fate of humanity resting in their eccentric hands.

Voodoo Child, Book One: Zombie Uprising is the first novel in a new horror series packed with supernatural thrills, rousing adventure, dark humor, Voodoo lore and plenty of zombie stomping action. But a word of warning; don't shoot these zombies in the head … because that just makes them mad!

It's the legions of hell versus Maggie Child … and hell doesn't have a prayer!

Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/yPfVbgm-1XY

Excerpt-Orphanage Scene:

It was an hour before Rip reached the orphanage's unpaved entry road. He stopped the Rover. "Everybody ready?"

Crimson shoved a full magazine into her AK47. "I only have two more magazines after this."

Maggie checked her ammo. "Same here, so let's make every shot count."

Glen tapped on the roof. "I'm ready as I'll ever be."

Sarafina looked at her friends. "So… Hooah then?"

"Now you're learning," Maggie said, cocking the AK-47.

Rip threw the Rover into gear. "Let's do this!"

Rip drove down the bumpy dirt trail until they saw the orphanage dead ahead. Dozens of zombies were clustered in front, pounding at the doors and windows. He stopped forty yards from the building and pulled a pair of binoculars from the glove box.

"I see barricades on the windows. But it's just piled up furniture so it won't hold for long."

Maggie grabbed the binoculars and took a look. "The problem is we can't fire into that horde without stray bullets going inside."

Glen leaned into the driver's window. "And I'm betting the building ain't up to fire codes, so if we use my flamethrower…"

"We'll risk burning the whole place down. Rip, how many kids are in there?"

"By my recollection about thirty."

Maggie continued scanning the layout. "The school bus is parked about fifty yards to our left, that's the only way we’re moving all those kids. But we still have to draw that swarm away from the building, or at least thin the herd."

"Let me out," Sarafina said, climbing over the front seat. "I will sing the Voodoo purification ritual. It is what I used to draw the first zombie away from you."

Maggie pulled her back onto the seat. "Good idea but save your voice, I've got a better plan."

Maggie hopped out of the Rover, shouldering her rifle. "Give me the boom box—" Rip handed it to her "—I'm going to try to draw the bulk of them away, and then grab the bus. You guys round up the kids."

Glen jumped down off the roof. "Wait a second! I'm trained infantry, and you're just a pilot, so this is my kind of show."

"Except if one of them one bites you you're screwed, and so are all those kids." She held up her bitten arm. "But I can take a few bites and still keep moving."

Glen knew she was right but didn't want to admit it. Maggie leaned in and kissed him. "Don't worry, Glen, I'm not going to die on you again."

Maggie turned, running directly at the building, and then cut sharply to her left. I need a decent field of fire, she thought, one that won't hit the building. She found a good angle and stopped halfway between the building and the school bus. I hope to hell Rip put fresh batteries in this, she thought. Maggie hit play and the opening strains of Inna Godda Davida, rumbled through the air. "Hey assholes, come and get some!" Maggie shouted, holding the boom box over her head; she felt like John Cusack in that movie.

The zombies shifted their attention to Maggie and within seconds at least half were scrambling her way. The less decayed zombies moved at a fast trot while the older cadavers shambled behind, forming a second wave.

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Sunday, August 21, 2016

Week in Review: 8/14-8/20

Books Received for Review

Dragons Against Them by Kyra Jacobs
Hound and Key by Rhiannon Held

Books I've Read

Ash by Shannon Mayer
Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova
Dragons Against Them by Kyra Jacobs

Reviews Posted

The Sight by Chloe Neill

Shadow Born by Rebecca Hamilton and Jasmine Walt

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

* Monday- Promo + Giveaway for Alpha Call by B.A. Tortuga

* Wednesday- Guest Blog for Lucy Trilogy by L.M. Pruitt

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* Did you know you can follow UFI on these other sites?

You can also add me (as in Stacy) to your friends on these sites if you're on them.

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

Friday, August 19, 2016

Review: Shadow Born by Rebecca Hamilton + Jasmine Walt

Shadow Born

Author: Jasmine Walt, Rebecca Hamilton

Release Date: August 16, 2016

Publisher: Blue Bolt Publishing

Shadows of Salem Book #1

ASIN: B01FT4OAUW

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Review Copy Source: Author

Chicago Police Detective Brooke Chandler is keeping a secret… and if she’s not careful, it could get her killed.

Brooke is no stranger to the supernatural. In Chicago, vampires are just as prevalent as drug lords, and infinitely more bloodthirsty. So when her partner and fiancé dies in a mysterious fire while chasing down a lead in Salem, she suspects something dark and otherworldly is at play.

Blessed with the ability to see into the past by touching inanimate objects, Brooke transfers to the Salem PD, hoping her talent will help her get to the bottom of things. Between dodging assassination attempts and being stonewalled at every turn, the going is tough. Add in a mysterious fae club owner with secrets of his own and a personal grudge against her, and it becomes nearly impossible.

If Brooke wants to play in the supernatural sandbox, she’s going to have to roll up her sleeves and get dirty. But how many people will have to die for Brooke to discover the truth about her fiance? And is she even ready to know?

Both Rebecca Hamilton and Jasmine Walt are new authors to me. I can't remember how the came to be on my radar, but I saw the cover for SHADOW BORN at some point, knew I had to read it after reading the blurb and added it to my wishlist. Once I started reading it became clear that storyline was easy to follow, there were interesting characters and I very easily stayed glued to the pages.

I had no trouble liking Brooke. From the first chapter you start to get a good idea of who she is and what she is willing to do to get answers and justice. As for her being a part of the supernatural world in her own right, there is a ton of mystery. A few things are revealed throughout the book, but there is so much more to learn. Maddock took a little bit to grow on me. He is a bit of a mystery, but by the end of SHADOW BORN I really wanted more to be between him and Brooke. They butt heads a lot, but they definitely have a spark and I have some hopes for them in future books.

So if you jumped ahead to my rating you might be wondering why I gave SHADOW BORN a 3.5. Well, the murdered fiance part of the storyline was a HUGE part of the story and while there are a lot of answers, the closure part of the story was lacking to me. I can't really say much about it without giving away spoilers, but I needed a little more out of the final revelations at the end.

Will I read book two? Heck yes, I immediately stalked the author page to get more information for it. SHADOW MARKED is expected to release on October 28th and I can't wait to jump back into the Shadows of Salem world.

I gave it 3.5/5 stars

* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Thursday, August 18, 2016

Review: The Sight by Chloe Neill

The Sight

Author: Chloe Neill

Release Date: August 16, 2016

Publisher: NAL Trade

Devil's Isle Book #2

ISBN: 0451473353

ISBN13: 9780451473356

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Review Copy Source: Publisher

The paranormal war that engulfed New Orleans seven years ago is over. But the battle for the city is just beginning . . .

Claire Connolly is a Sensitive, infected with magic when the Veil that divides humanity from the world beyond fell. Magic can easily consume and destroy a Sensitive, and if Claire’s secret is discovered she’ll be locked into the walled district of Devil’s Isle along with every other Paranormal left in the city.

Bounty hunter Liam Quinn discovered Claire’s secret, but refused to turn her in. Together they saved New Orleans from the resurgence of magic that nearly destroyed it. But now a dangerous cult is on the rise, and it will take both Claire and Liam—and magical allies within Devil’s Isle’s towering walls—to defeat the occult threat before magic corrupts them both...

Don't try to jump into THE SIGHT before reading book one, THE VEIL. You will be lost and you won't know the characters or the storyline enough to understand decisions and events in THE SIGHT.

While we got a lot of action in THE VEIL, THE SIGHT leans more towards the government and politics of the Devil's Isle series. This made THE SIGHT feel a little slow on the start. It took me a little bit to get back into the story, but by the halfway point, I was in it and happy to be in the story.

Claire's family is gone, but her friends are always by her side and they play a big part in her story. In fact, the secondary characters feel just as important to the story and it's growth as Claire and Liam.

The slow start to Claire and Liam's relationship is just so frustrating. It will seem like something is happening and then BAM, false alarm. They both REALLY care about the other but completely overthink things. There are valid concerns, but sometimes you just got to jump right in and enjoy yourself a little. Then there is the ending of THE SIGHT that sets things even farther back—which is all I will say about that. I have no clue what will happen to these two, but I have a lot of hope for them.

The ending of THE SIGHT leaves us with a LOT of questions about what will happen next. A lot of things are up in the air with the world and the characters. If you're looking for a new urban fantasy series to start this one should be on your list and it's a great time to start reading it.

I gave it 4/5 stars

* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Guest Blog: Lucy Trilogy by L.M. Pruitt

UFI welcomes Author L.M. Pruitt. Thanks for Joining us!!

Ghosts

Do you ever start a task with the assumption you’re doing one thing and it turns out you’re doing something else entirely? Like you start out doing laundry and then thirty minutes later you realize you’re in the middle of cleaning the bathroom and you have no idea how it happened?

That’s sort of what’s happened to me with the Lucy trilogy.

I started these books with the idea of bringing back a character who exited the stage far too soon. Well, that and getting a chance to write about the ten plagues, because, let’s face, they’re kinda cool. Rivers of blood, flies, lightning, death… it’s all very dramatic. And very, very appropriate for a series about angels and demons.

So I set off with this goal in mind. And somewhere along the way, things changed.

At some point, the story became not about the plagues or about a long dead character who was, let’s face it, kinda bitchy. It became about ghosts—knowing them, fighting them, and, hopefully, conquering them. Honestly, those ghosts, the ones we keep inside, the ones which are part and parcel of who we are—those are much harder to exorcise than any which might be floating around, waiting to frighten some hapless soul.

Somehow, I wound up writing a ghost story.

And honestly? I’m okay with that.

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L.M. Pruitt has been reading and writing for as long as she can remember. A native of Florida with a love of New Orleans, she has the uncanny ability to find humor in most things and would probably kill a plastic plant. She knows this because she's killed bamboo. Twice. She is the author of the Winged series, the Plaisir Coupable series, Jude Magdalyn series, the Moon Rising series, and Taken: A Frankie Post Novel.

Find L.M. Pruitt and her books

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

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Burden
Lucy Trilogy #1
Winged #11

All my life, I've had plans.

Dying the day before beginning the final year of my surgical residency wasn't one of them.

Finding myself drafted in the eternal war between good and evil wasn't one of them, either.

And dealing with friends, enemies, and lovers I don't remember?

Definitely not in my plans.

Cursed
Lucy Trilogy #2
Winged #12

The problem with plans?

Even the best ones can go awry. And when they do... all hell breaks loose.

If I've learned only one thing in the last few months, it's the past never dies.

Four plagues down. Six more to come.

We need more than a plan.

We need a miracle.