Blog Tour: Unleashed by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie + GIVEAWAY!!

Wolf Springs Chronicles: Unleashed by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie 5 of 5 stars.

Katelyn McBride's life changed in an instant when her mother died. Uprooted from her California home, Katelyn was shipped to the middle of nowhere, Arkansas, to her only living relative, her grandfather. And now she has to start over in Wolf Springs, a tiny village in the Ozark Mountains.

Like any small town, Wolf Springs has secrets. But the secrets hidden here are more sinister than Katelyn could ever imagine. It's a town with a history that reaches back centuries, spans continents, and conceals terrifying truths.

And Katelyn McBride is about to change everything.

Broken families, ageless grudges, forced alliances, and love that blooms in the darkest night--welcome to Wolf Springs. (Book Blurb)

Katelyn wants to fly. Her dreams of becoming a performing in the Cirque Du Soleil are crushed when her ballerina mother is killed in a housefire, and Katelyn is sent to live with the grandfather  who has kept his distance from her since the tragic shooting death of her father. 

Miserable with no way to train for the life she wants to create and grieving still for both of her parents, Katelyn must find a way to kep herself going in this frightening new world that she cannot seem to make herself understand. Someone in this small Victorianesque village is hiding something; something deadly.

Heart-wrenching loss, terrible lies, and firey passion. Unleashed is a romance and a thriller. A perfect combination of horror, suspense, and humor. The writing is that wonderful down-to-earth style I've come to associate with Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie, and the plot is wonderfully paced and surprising. 

I adored the main character, Katelyn, because of her personality and the way she thinks. She was as well-rounded a character as you could hope to find. I couldn't help but think that she's not exactly the type of girl whose going to stand up for herself in every situation even if she is a fighter. That does fit the story pretty nicely, though. 

On the other hand, Katelyn's friend Cordelia is temperamental and not afraid of anything--excluding her family. At the same time I couldn't completely like Cordelia. It's not that she's not a well thought out character, but that she just isn't a likeable character. Though she is sympathetic.

And as far as our heroes go in this story... I'm rooting for grandpa! haha While I like Trick, I feel like he's hiding something, and Justin kind of gives me the creeps...

Overall, Unleashed is a remarkable edge of your seat first installment to a series that I have a feeling will be wonderful. But I must warn you-- the ending is so abrupt it will leave your reeling for days after you finish it.

Giveaway!


Enter your name and email in the comments (Don't forget a shout-out to Nancy and Debbie!) below to be entered for a chance to win a copy of Unleashed


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The Screaming Season by Nancy Holder

The Screaming Season by Nancy Holder 5 of 5 stars
 A POSSESSIONS NOVEL

IF A GIRL SCREAMS IN THE WOODS 
AND NO ONE IS AROUND TO HEAR HER,
DOES SHE MAKE A SOUND?

Lindsay wakes to find herself strapped down in the Marlwood Academy infirmary. She had a breakdown and might have tried to kill her nemesis Mandy or Mandy's boyfriend, Troy--or both. The details are hazy, but one thing is certain: she is possessed by a spirit and cannot trust.

Her disbelieving friends refuse to see the ghosts that haunt them, and Lindsay soon realizes that nowhere on campus is safe. Then, she finds a surprising ally in a former rival. Together, they must figure out who can be trusted--and who wants them dead. (Book blurb)

Think you have the mysteries of Marlwood figured out? Think again. As new characters come into play and old ones are thrown into a new light, you will question everything you thought you knew about the creepy boarding school, its bloody past, and the terrors that haunt poor Lindsay. Nothing is as it seems in this ever-twisting horror series.

Let's go ahead and clear the air. I am not a fan of scary movies. Ghosts have always given me the creeps, and I had no expectations of liking The Evil Within when I first read it a little over a year ago. Still and yet, Nancy Holder managed to blow me out of the water completely. I loved the second novel in the possessions series, despite the fact that it made the hair on my arms stand up and I was tempted to scream a time or two while reading it.

The Screaming Season was exactly the same... only better. The characters I thought I knew, I didn't. Everything I thought I had figured out was wrong. It was so surprising and full of suspense, I didn't put it down til I'd read it cover-to-cover.

I'm not going to get into all of the details about what I liked about who, because with a story like this it is much too easy to have spoilers. But I will say that while the plot was amazing and wonderful I didn't like the end. I felt like Lindsay ended up with the wrong guy completely, and I really wanted there to be another book. But I guess I'll just have to pout because I don't think that's going to happen.

If you're a fan of horror or just love a really good and slightly terrifying novel this time of year (hey, Halloween is just around the corner!) you should most definitely pick up a copy of The Screaming Season. Just make sure you've read the rest of the Possessions novels first. Otherwise you won't get the whole affect.

To order The Screaming Season from Amazon.com, please click here.

Book Tour: Damned by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie

Damned by Nancy Holder and Debbi Viguie 5 of 5 stars.
Second book in the Crusade Trilogy.

There is a fine line between love and sacrifice. . .

Antonio would do anything for his beloved fighting partner, Jenn. He protects her, even suppresses his vampire craving to be with her. Together, they defend humanity against the Cursed Ones. But tensions threaten to fracture their hunting team, and his loyalty--his love--is called into question.

Jenn, the newly appointed Hunter, aches for revenge against the Cursed One who converted her sister. And with an even more sinister power on the rise, she must overcome her personal vendettas to lead her team into battle.

Antonio and Jenn need each other to survive, but evil lurks at every turn. With humanity's fate hanging in the balance, they must face down the darkness. . . or die trying. (Book blurb)

Jenn has the weight of the world on her shoulders. Between being named the leader in a team of "Hunters" trying to save the world by ridding it of the vampires that threaten to suck it dry, the desperate need to see her newly converted sister turned into a "good" vampire like Antonio, and, worst of all, the doubt about Antonio's humanity that grows stronger and stronger as she battles the blood lust and destruction of his kind.

New characters join the fray, adding even more diversity to the already colorful Salamanca team. Love is tested and allegiances questioned. Will the Salamanca hunters survive this war? Or will the few underground hunters be destroyed and all of humanity fall prey to the unquenchable thirst of the CO's?

I adored Crusade, and I am tempted to say that I liked Damned even more. It is definitely a close call. Action, suspense, romance, and betrayal; everything one could want in an epic paranormal series. There is hardly ever a dull moment, but as with the last book, I found myself wanting to see more of certain things and certain people and a bit less of some of the rest.

The new characters Noah and Taamir were an awesome surprise. The almost instant bond between Noah and Jenn was so sweet, and I couldn't help myself but hope that Jenn would end up with him and not Antonio. Sorry. I'm a bit biased when it comes to vampires.

The bigger glimpses into Holgar's past and his life in the werewolf pack were very entertaining. He became one of my favorite characters in this book. His sweet demeanor and unwavering loyalty are positively endearing.

I think the thing that really sets the Crusade trilogy apart from other books of its kind is the staggering amount of diversity between the characters in the books. Catholics, Jews, Witches, Muslims, etc. all thrown together and fighting under the same flag, bound by their heartache and need to save their world from an enemy that threatens to destroy it. I can't help but wonder how much research went into this series to create such a believable and amazing story.

Overall, its definitely worth reading for anyone who loves supernatural creatures or just a good, action-packed story. I am dying to get my hands on the next book in the trilogy myself.

To order Damned from Amazon.com, please click here.

Check out the rest of the Damned book tour here!

((My apologies to Nancy, Debbie, and all of the awesome people who put together the Damned book tour and allowed A Sea of Pages to be featured in it. I was not able to have my post up on time due to emergencies at home, but NOT due to a lack of enthusiasm toward the series.))

TBR Pile!

I've recently gone through my books and made an ACTUAL to-be-read pile. It is currently up to my hip and does not include my AP English lit books, classics I'm reading per my New Year's revolution, OR the entire first three books of the Inheritance Cycle that I plan to re-read before the September release of Book IV.

(Sorry it's not straight. Blogger won't cooperate with iPhoto.)

That said, I finally think I've have it chiseled down to a managable size. I also ordered a copy of Dark Goddess by Sarwat Chadda as well as the first 6 books of the Mitford series. I'm reading The Screaming Season by Nancy Holder now and let me say, I could barely tear myself away from it long enough to type up this post. It is incredible!

The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Two Towers by JRR Tolkien
Book II in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

"One Ring to rule them all,
One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all,
And in the darkness bind them."

The Fellowship was scattered. Some were bracing hopelessly for war against the ancient evil of Sauron. Some were contending with the treachery of the wizard Saruman. Only Frodo and Sam were left to take the accursed Ring of Power to be destroyed in Mordor–the dark Kingdom where Sauron was supreme. Their guide was Gollum, deceitful and lust-filled, slave to the corruption of the Ring.

Thus continues the magnificent, bestselling tale of adventure begun in The Fellowship of the Ring, which reaches its soul-stirring climax in The Return of the King. (Goodreads)


With the death of Boromir and the courageous escape of Frodo and his trusty gardener Samwise, the Fellowship of the Ring was scattered but not quite broken. Despite feeling as though their lost companions must surely be dead--or worse--each man in the company continues to do his part in taking down the evil of Sauron. 



Pippin and Merry are captured and taken away from their friends who pursue on foot for a while to no avail. But there's is perhaps the most magic of adventures out of all of their companions.


Legolas, Gimli, and Aragorn are left to ally with the King of Rohan in hopes of defeating the digusting orcs converging on Middle Earth. And one old companion who was lost will return again, triumphant and powerful, ready to release his wrath on Saruman, Sauron, and all other evil in the land. Hope, however, is dwindling-- held together by only the hearts of men. Whether any of them will make it out of this war alive is yet to be seen...


I'm not sure I can say that I enjoyed The Two Towers any more than The Fellowship of the Ring but it definitely pulled me much farther into the world and the story and held a greater grip on my mind. Tolkien's lulling and lyrical prose wound around me like an enchanted piece of elven rope and still hasn't let go. 



We meet some new characters in this second installment who quite nearly stole the show, in my opinion. Faramir was a big surprise to me. I never really liked him in the movies, he seemed more like his greedy, misled brother. In the book, though he was gallant and kind. A bit frightening for Frodo and Sam, but a great and worthy ally in their quest.


I fell in love with the people of Rohan as well. They're so rough and wary, but also so good hearted. They were almost more interesting to me than the elves and Galadriel had been in the first book. I loved Eomer, King Theoden, and of course, Eowyn.


The bit of unrequited love between Eowyn and Aragorn was shown for the first time in this book, and my heart went out to her. She's had such a cold and stuffy life, it's easy to see why she would be looking for someone gallant to cling to, but it is also obvious that Aragorn won't be having any of that.

The only character in the book (or the trilogy, rather) that I don't enjoy is Gollum. He's funny at times, but for the most part he just creeps me out. I can't decide whether to be proud of Frodo for his mercy and kindness or angry at him for his naivete in letting the little Stinker stay with him.

Now, I'm just dying to read the last book in the beloved trilogy, and I'm afraid that I'll cry when I finish it. There is no doubt in my mind that I will carry all of these character with me for the rest of my life. Their impression on the reader is so great it is hard to imagine them not being with you, and harder still to accept the fact the they (and likely no one like them) exists in our world any more. The thought is enough to bring tears to my eyes, so instead of weeping I'm and doing what Tolkien taught us: hoping. Hoping to find that bright light, courageous goodness, and honor in those around me.



Click here to read my review of The Fellowship of the Ring.

Blog Tour: One-Question Interview with Teresa Frohock

 Hi, everyone! Today I have a very cool one question interview with Teresa Frohock to share with you! Make sure you leave her a comment to say hi!



Raised in a small town, Teresa Frohock learned to escape to other worlds through the fiction collection of her local library. She eventually moved away from Reidsville and lived in Virginia and South 

Carolina before returning to North Carolina, where she currently resides with her husband and daughter.

Teresa has long been accused of telling stories, which is a southern colloquialism for lying. Miserere: An Autumn Tale is her debut novel.

Teresa can be found most often at her blog and web site (www.teresafrohock.com). Every now and then, she heads over to Tumblr and sends out Dark Thoughts http://teresafrohock.tumblr.com, links to movies and reviews that catch her eye. You can also follow Teresa on Twitter (http://twitter.com/TeresaFrohock ) and join her author page on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Teresa-Frohock/134892453223242).

When writing MISERERE: AN AUTMN TALE did the story/characters surprise you in any way? Meaning, did they veer from the path you had originally intended for them?


Oh, absolutely, Arya. I think it happens to all of us at one time or another, don’t you? No matter how meticulously we plan our novels, we have those characters that get away from us.

For me it was Lindsay.

Lindsay is twelve years old in MISERERE, and she passes through the Crimson Veil from Earth into Woerld with her brother Peter. Lindsay is Lucian’s foundling, and it’s his job to teach Lindsay how to control her talents and become a Katharos.

I had originally written Lindsay as a brat and wanted a lot of twenty-first century references through her character. She was supposed to change from a little horror to a good kid through her interaction with Lucian. I also wanted her to be the catalyst that brought Lucian out of his self-absorption.

However, as the story progressed and shifted and changed (as stories tend to do as writers find their voices), Lindsay’s character changed. I really struggled with how to portray her. It was quickly apparent to me that Lindsay as brat wasn’t working. All the scenes I wrote with her fell flat and the twenty-first century references jerked the reader out of Woerld.

So I shifted gears and made her a good kid. Then she was boring. I kept trying to kill her, but my daughter reminded me that Lindsay had an important job later on. Hours of brainstorming went into this one character. In the end, I didn’t kill either Lindsay or my daughter.

I just kept writing and hoped that Lindsay would eventually show up and join the party. It wasn’t until one of my critique partners mentioned that I had Lindsay too trusting of Lucian during one scene. My partner said that as a child of an alcoholic, Lindsay would be highly sensitive to sudden mood shifts, and she would be wary of Lucian at that particular point.

I had to read her email twice, then I went back to the manuscript and, sure enough, I had planted the idea that Lindsay was the child of an alcoholic in her very first scene. It was a real ah-ha moment for me and I was able to go back and work more detail through the beginning. Weronika really helped me with Lindsay too, and I believe it was that last push by Weronika that made Lindsay’s character believable.

When I finally quit trying to ram Lindsay into being the kid I wanted her to be and just let her be herself, I was able to get into sync with her character, but it was work. I had to let go of some preconceived ideas of how she fit into the plot and I had to expand her role. [Here’s a scoop for you: While Lindsay has minor roles in both MISERERE and DOLOROSA, she will be the protagonist in BELLUM DEI.]

I think she’s a solid character now and can carry her own story, but it was not an easy road to bring her to that point. The trick I employed was to cut and paste every scene from Lindsay’s point of view into a separate document. Then I could read her actions and reactions to others around her more clearly. I went back to the main manuscript and filled in the blanks until I was satisfied with her growth.

That was how I did it.

What about you? Have you ever had a character get away from you and turn into someone completely different?

The next interview in the blog tour will be at Michele Corriel’s blog http://mcorriel.livejournal.com/ where I’ll be talking about the relevance of the magical world of MISERERE to contemporary society.

I hope you’ll join me there.



Miserere: An Autumn Tale (Night Shade Books www.nightshadebooks.com / July 1, 2011)

Exiled exorcist Lucian Negru deserted his lover in Hell in exchange for saving his sister Catarina's soul, but Catarina doesn't want salvation. She wants Lucian to help her fulfill her dark covenant with the Fallen Angels by using his power to open the Hell Gates. Catarina intends to lead the Fallen’s hordes out of Hell and into the parallel dimension of Woerld, Heaven’s frontline of defense between Earth and Hell.

When Lucian refuses to help his sister, she imprisons and cripples him, but Lucian learns that Rachael, the lover he betrayed and abandoned in Hell, is dying from a demonic possession. Determined to rescue Rachael from the demon he unleashed on her soul, Lucian flees his sister, but Catarina's wrath isn’t so easy to escape. In the end, she will force him once more to choose between losing Rachael or opening the Hell Gates so the Fallen's hordes may overrun Earth, their last obstacle before reaching Heaven's Gates.

Read the first four chapters of Miserere FREE here.

LINKS TO PREVIOUS INTERVIEWS:
All Things Books
Layers of Thought
The Written Connection

Publishers...

I don't think I noticed how shallow publishers were until just recently. HarperTEEN, a long-time favorite of mine, has dropped the last book in one of my favorite series because of recent budget cuts. This just after they paid a TON for big tickets like Josephine Angelini's Starcrossed (the so-called Percy Jackson for girls). It seems they don't want to spend any time on books unless they are certain they will sell...

I might not be so vehement about the whole ordeal if it weren't for the fact that I have never seen where HarperTEEN did much to promote the Warrior Princess books that they have now dropped like a hot potato.

The Warrior Princess books, and indeed all of the books by Allan Frewin Jones, are amazingly written. He  has a knack for words and voices that often reminds me of our beloved J.R.R. Tolkien. This is especially true in the Warrior Princess books.

That said, I do understand the kind of stress the publishing market is under right now. My own theory is that all the trouble stems from the uprising of eReaders. Which is one of the many reasons why I avoid eBooks like the plague. It's sad that people can be reading more and the bookstores and publishing houses still be struggling to keep their doors open.

I would really like to get more people involved in the fan community surrounding Mr. Jones's books, and if you are a fan, I ask you to please contact HarperTEEN and express your disappointment in losing the tail-end of a wonderful trilogy.

I've included links below to help you better understand what's going on and what YOU can do about it!

Announcement and explanation on Mr. Jones's blog

More info and a chance to WIN many of Mr. Jones's books

Fan Community