Monday, July 23, 2012

Cold Fury Blog Tour



T.M. Goeglein:


Bio:

T.M. Goeglein began his career as a writer of print and television ads for a host of advertising and media companies. As a screenwriter, he created both original scripts and worked as a script doctor for several production companies in Los Angeles. He was an original contributor to the Huffington Post 'Living' section, and continues to write for both the national edition and Huffington Post Chicago. Read T.M. Goeglein's stories on the Huffington Post.
His debut young adult novel, COLD FURY, will be published by Penguin/Putnam in 2012 and is the first in a trilogy; he’s currently working on the second book. He lives in Chicago with his wife, Laura, and two young children.



 
Synopsis:

The clues lead her to an ancient, worn notebook that contains a guide to a Chicago hiding in plain sight— safe houses, secret doors, mysterious phone numbers are all suddenly at Sara Jane’s disposal. But it also contains darker, more troubling secrets concerning the Rispoli family, including the revelation that a rare and powerful hereditary trait passed down from the time of Alexander the Great enabled certain male members of the Rispoli clan to become major figures in the Outfit, Chicago’s storied crime syndicate.
Sara Jane realizes the secret-filled notebook is the reason why her family was taken, and why she’s being pursued by three different factions: her turncoat uncle, Police Detective Dotty Smelt, and the huge, shambling freak in the ski mask. Learning of the gift awakens a realization in Sara Jane that she, too, possesses the powerful phenomenon.

With the help of a weight-challenged sidekick, an angry Italian greyhound, and a legion of guardian angel sewer rats, Sara Jane is chased, attacked, and fights back with cold fury, staying one step ahead of her pursuers and circumnavigating the male-centric Outfit while also keeping a growing romance.
Today we have a question that T.M. Goeglein will answer.

“Do you have a favorite quote that you keep visible in your work environment to help inspire you?

The best quotes are like good jokes; they’re short, easy to remember, and capture human emotion as precisely as heart surgery. Whenever I come across one that appeals to me, I resolve to use it in conversation (That reminds me of what the Babe once said about baseball being like life…) but then the perfect moment arises and I can’t remember a word of it, only that it had to do with hitting a ball, I think, and maybe something about crossing home plate. Now and then I’ve ripped out or transcribed a quote, and pinned or taped it somewhere for a while. But then I begin to look past it, or maybe upon further reflection, it has nothing to do with my present condition.
The quote hasn’t changed; I have.
There is, however, a bit of writing that I look at frequently and which, as time passes, means more and more to me. It’s printed in black crayon, in tall capital letters, and reads:
MICHAEL
O.T DADDY
FROM.
This is one of the first notes written by my son when he was five years old; for clarification, his intention was to write ‘To Daddy, from Michael.’
I will be pleased if he grows up to be a neurosurgeon, or a hot air balloonist, or whatever; I could care less, as long as he’s happy and it’s legal. Also, to be clear, I don’t look at his note as the foreshadowing of a scribe-to-be, but do see in it something that applies to writing as an avocation: how hard he tried to get it right. Besides the sweet sentiment, it’s a perfectly worded reminder that capable writing requires effort and hard work. Hopefully, the result – whether forty thousand words or four – will capture human emotion in a way that makes a reader care about it.
Like a good quote.
Like my son’s note.

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COLD FURY LINKS:
Amazon
Kindle
Barnes & Noble
Book Depository


Friday, July 13, 2012

Author Interview: Nadège Richards + Giveaway

Hi guys, I have an author interview with you today.
Today I have questions for indie-published author Nadège Richards. Nadège is a friend of mine, and I'm really excited to read her book.


Here is a short bio:


Born in New York and raised in Pennsylvania, Nadège has traveled to five other states and two countries, but aspires to travel the world some day. Her name is of French origin, though she's never been to France (she's actually West Indian-American!). Forever a lover of art and all things pertaining to Literature, she hopes to obtain knowledge from her writing career, rather than popularity or fame. She wrote her first novel about aliens and goats in the 8th grade and has had a passion for story-telling ever since. Her friends and family are her biggest inspiration, and the occasional cup of coffee. She enjoys being part of the Indie community and sharing her stories with the world.


When not reading, writing, and blogging obsessively, she's usually found hiking, studying, camping, or at home with her family. She's been a martial artist for two years, a singer for three, and always seeks a common ground in everything. She considers her writing very personal, as she's always been a private person. She enjoys writing about what could or should happen, rather than what did happen--she's a dreamer and a procrastinator.


Her name is pronounced [Nah-dej]




Do or Die...


In a world that has been divided amongst the Hunter race and the Warrior, prisoners who have fallen prey to King Cyrus' decrees are forced into the arena to fight until death. Winner is granted mercy and privilege to see another sunrise. Death unto the weak. In an attempt to get back at everyone who has ever shut her out, seventeen year-old Princess Echo becomes another victim, dragging Ayden, her forbidden love, along in a race to freedom, to find out who she really is, and to put a world that has been swallowed by lies back together again.


When death threatens the forbidden love of an unlikely couple and they are forced to do the unthinkable, to what extent will they go to be together?


1-Introduce yourself. Tell us about the best of things about your childhood,teenage life, and adulthood.


I’m a student, friend, sister, blogger, and a volunteer. I currently live in Pennsylvania with a good majority of my family. I grew up in New York and occasionally go back to visit Manhattan when I can spare a weekend. My parents are from the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago, to be exact, so I’m a Caribbean girl! As a child I never liked to read, but I always loved telling stories. I’ve also had an obsession for reading the dictionary since high school (weird, I know!), but it’s just something that soothes me. My Mother always taught me to deal with my problems single-handedly, as a woman would have to someday, so writing things down became solace for me.
It’s unnatural to say that my love for reading and writing started with Twilight four or five years ago, but it did. Not the book itself, but the YA genre. I always thought books to be boring and quite contrite, so when learning about a whole other spectrum of books, I became infatuated. That’s followed me through the years until now. I never even considered myself a writer until now.
2-You obviously seem to have a passion for writing books. What made you think you want to get published?


Oh, I do! And I honestly think it was all the great comments I began to get on my writing over the years that did it for me. I had joined a website called Figment about a year ago, and after someone said I write like a seasoned author, I knew.
3-You are a self published author, how do you think being indie-published is different than the normal one?

No. Deadline. I’m a huge procrastinator, so deadlines would be horrible for me. Especially being in school and volunteering. Also, I get to say who I want to give my books to and set them at whatever price pleases me. I’m big on free will so the extra bondage that comes with be a seasoned author would kill me. On the bad side, you have to market a lot.


4-What are your biggest influences on your work? 
Great question! My mother, Julia de Burgos (one of my favorite poets), God, and my friends and family.
 
5-Who is the person who designed your cover? It is really well done. Great colors etc...Are you happy with it yourself?


OH! That would be the wonderful Silviya Yordanova hailing all the way from Bulgaria. She’s really sweet and was a blast to work with. I am very pleased with how it came out. The orange hues and everything from the model, her hair, the city in the background, and the necklace in her hands is just perfect. Silviya can be found at: Morteque.deviantart.com.

6-Can readers find your book, Burning Bridges, in bookstores when it gets published? What about online stores? Where can they find it?


Bookstores, yes, but that’s if you live in my area. As for others out-of-state or international, Burning Bridges can be found on Amazon.com, Smashwords.com, Goodreads.com, and Createspace.com. 

7-For the readers who don't know about your book, introduce it briefly.


Burning Bridges is a tale about two forbidden lovers in a post-apocalyptic world built on lies and fears. They're forced to make a hard decision that may just lead to their demise and the end of their race. It’s a mix of social class drama and gladiator arena battles.

8-What are writing challenges? What is the best thing about writing?


Well, my writing challenge is writing so much in a certain amount of time. I am an extremely slow writer, and it isn’t because I procrastinate or because of writer’s block. I just like to be sufficient with my writing and I feel if I type too fast, I won’t be able to portray a scene how it deserves to be portrayed. Best thing about writing is making up the characters (whose personalities always coincide with me in some kind of way) and creating the worlds in which those characters must live. I’m a big fan of dystopian and my imagination tends to get away from me sometimes, so I enjoy it the most.
9-What are some of your pet peeves?


Immature writing and too mature writing. I hate when a character is supposed to be a forty year-old woman and they whine like a four year-old child. I just think if a writer is going to take on that kind of character, they should know what they’re doing. Too mature writing is the worst, which is why I like the YA genre so much. If it gets to the point where I feel like I’m being forced to read through tons of lecturing and no dialogue, I won’t read. And there has to be personality in the writing, something that gives incite on the type of person the author is.
10-Do you have any weird reading habits while reading/writing?


Trick question, right? I have tons! I don’t like stopping between chapters, I fell like it’s all or nothing. I don’t like to be sitting while reading either, it’s so uncomfortable and my back starts to hurt. The list could literally go one for years.
11-What are some things you really love collecting?


Wristbands. I love them and I hate anything that I have to take off if I’m doing the dishes or going in the pool, so they’re convenient.
12-Finally, to end this in terview...is there anything you'd like to say to people who are reading this?


Yes! I have lots, but I’ll sum it up. I just want to thank all the indie-lovers out there, you are the reason us indie authors strive to do our best. This is also my first interview, so of course I want to thank you! And to those who are thinking about reading Burning Bridges and delving into The Bleeding Heart Trilogy, I’ll tell you this: expect the unexpected.

The second book in this series is called Deceiving Destiny, which is going to be published in December 2012.
You can follow Nadege in the following places:



Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NadegeRich
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15143545-burning-bridges
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NadegeRichards
Blog: http://www.authornadegerichards.blogspot.com



GIVEAWAY


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Friday, July 6, 2012

Book Review: Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Title: Incarnate (Newsoul #1)
Author: Jodi Meadows
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

New soul


Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.


No soul


Even Ana's own mother thinks she's a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she'll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?


Heart


Sam believes Ana's new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana's enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else's life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

The cover. The cover. The cover. The cover. The cover. The cover. The cover. The cover. The cover.
It is driving me insane. Seriously. The people who designed this cover are GENIUSES!!!!!!! They should be given some honor award. It is PERFECT! I can't stop staring at it. In fact, I am staring at this cover as I am reviewing this book. Get all positive adjectives in the world and put it here;it would still be an understatement. Everything about it is attractive: the model, the colors, the butterfly, the fonts...EVERYTHING! WOW.
Enough with the cover. I'm here to review the book, not the cover =P

I have to start by saying this book was not how I expected it to be.
Some books, like this one, have an impact on you after you finish it. I will talk about what I mean exactly in details.

Things that stood out in this book:

1-Writing style: This book is written beautifully. BEAUTIFULLY. I love how Jodi Meadows writes. Very unique. Many people have unique writing styles, but how Jodi Meadows writes is just pure. It is very passionate. It's coming out of the heart.

2-World Building: Heart was one of the most imaginative worlds come to life. I have no idea how Meadows came up with it. It's beautiful. It's complex. It's overly creative. Seriously. A world that is a heart, it has a pulse. People come back to life when they die. It's a world where sylphs and dragons are real. The most interesting creatures live. Wow. Just WOW!

There definitely are more things, but I can't really put them into words. Just know this: Jodi has a magical talent.

Things that disappointed me:

1-Story Focus: This book was more about Ana than the world. It was about he she was different, how everyone reacted to her, how she was the "freak" of their world. I wanted there to be more story to it. More twists and turns.

2-Pacing: This book had action, twists, turns, but only in the end. It took time to get used to this book. I felt that nothing much was happening. It felt too slow and I felt that I wasn't enjoying this book as much as I wanted to.

However, this gets me to something I mentioned earlier: Some books, like this one, have an impact on you after you finish it.
Like I said, I felt that I wasn't enjoying this book, but once I was done with it, I kept remembering things from this book. It had an impact on me. I could feel the awesomeness of this book. I could get flashes from the book and kept enjoying the flashes.

I really liked this book, and I will definitely check out Asunder, which comes out next year. Check the cover below.







Thursday, July 5, 2012

Book Review: Fracture by Megan Miranda

Title: Fracture (Fracture #1)
Author: Megan Miranda
Publisher: Bloomsbury UK

Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine despite the scans that showed significant brain damage. Everyone wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she's far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it? Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first she's reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature-or something much more frightening?


Okay, let me start by saying that the blurb of this book is just the most misleading blurb EVER! Seriously. How I expected this book to be was WAY different than what this book actually was. Some people told me it's paranormal. Others said it's contemporary. I personally think that this book could best be classified as thriller. However, that didn't stop me from finishing this book.

Let's start with the opening sentence. "The first time I died, I didn't see God."
How could anyone NOT go crazy over that? I'm serious. That itself did a great job in keeping me hooked. Then, of course, comes the idea of a girl dying and coming back to life. It's all just really fascinating.

Let's move on to the characters in this book:

1-Delaney: Delaney is the girl who died and miraculously comes back to life. I have to say, Delaney was one of the really awesome YA characters. You get to love her. Even though she isn't your Katniss or Tris (she isn't physically strong), you still get to love her. It's her personality you fall in love with, how she views the world.

2-Troy: Troy was absolutely a very complicated and well-written character. He actually managed to give me shivers. Sometimes I thought he isn't human. Although his inhuman-ness came from humanity.(Read the book you'll understand what I mean more)


3-Decker: Decker was an admirable character. I guess Decker is a good friend, a person you can rely on type of guy. He's there for you and gives you hope.

I want to talk about the writing style in this book now:

When I first started reading this book, I noticed lots of medical terms. Well, I thought perhaps Miranda researched these medical conditions. However, Miranda wrote in an extraordinary way. She crafte an amazing writing skill. She managed to give us the information well. I mean, she provided us with medical terms without making us confused. At the same time, she did justice to these medical information. She managed to balance between sending her information in a light way. This made me think: "Is Megan Miranda a doctor?" I immediately Googled her, and found out that she was a biologist.
I just have one thing to say:"WOW Megan Miranda. YOU ARE INSPIRATIONAL!!!"

This book is more than just a story. It makes you think. It haunts you. It whispers to you "this could really be real". It frightens you. It makes you ponder. Ahhh. Words can't do this justice.

I loved this book. All those who haven't read this. Pick it up now. Words can't describe how great thos book is, because this book isn't just a story you read to get entertained. It's more than that. It's much more than that.





Sunday, July 1, 2012

Book Review: Article 5 by Kristen Simmons

Title: Article 5 (Article 5 #1)
Author: Kristen Simmons
Publisher: Tor Teen

New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., have been abandoned.
The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.
There are no more police—instead, there are soldiers. There are no more fines for bad behavior—instead, there are arrests, trials, and maybe worse. People who get arrested usually don't come back.
Seventeen-year-old Ember Miller is old enough to remember that things weren't always this way. Living with her rebellious single mother, it's hard for her to forget that people weren't always arrested for reading the wrong books or staying out after dark. It's hard to forget that life in the United States used to be different.
Ember has perfected the art of keeping a low profile. She knows how to get the things she needs, like food stamps and hand-me-down clothes, and how to pass the random home inspections by the military. Her life is as close to peaceful as circumstances allow.
That is, until her mother is arrested for noncompliance with Article 5 of the Moral Statutes. And one of the arresting officers is none other than Chase Jennings—the only boy Ember has ever loved.

Before I start reviewing, I'd like to thank Tor Teen for providing me with a review copy of Article 5. Really appreciated. Thank you so much.

Cover design: The people who work at the art/cover design department of Tor Teen are geniuses. The covers they come up with are very well-designed and mesmerizing. This cover is very well-designed. It perfectly pictures the world the book is set in. And the colors. Oh the colors. There's a great blend of colors in this cover. The grayish color, the slightly beige, the red. Very very impressive. Great work!

The book:
I really loved this book for various reasons. For those who may not know, Article 5 is post-apocalyptic/dystopian. Now, this genre is very well-spread/known these days. Bookstores are full of them; publishers are publishing a lot of them. However, the question is: Is Article 5 one of the better ones or the worse ones?

The answer is definitely: BETTER ONES!

I found the idea of the Articles to be very interesting. They're sort of rules that the society should follow. Now, our main concern is Article 5. Article 5 states: "Children are considered valid citizens only when conceived by a married man and wife."
However, our main character, Ember, is not a valid citizen. 
Now, I found this idea to be very original and different. I didn't expect a dystopian like this. I found these dystopian elements very interesting. And the action. The action was GREAT!
Another character along with Ember is Chase. Chase was like Ember, interesting.

Ember: Ember wasn't exactly a strong character, but she was a character who went through a lot. She wasn't helpless, and she felt very real. I could understand her struggles. I could sympathize with her...

Chase: Chase. What can I say about him other than wanting to punch him? I seriously hated the guy. As the story went on, I could understand his significance and importance to the story.

Article 5 is Kristen Simmons's debut novel, and it's a very good one. Her writing is vivid with imagination, rich with emotions, and full of suspense. I kept turning the pages. I had to know what was going on. I kept reading and reading and reading. I also had jaw-dropping moments. I REALLY had not expected several things to happen.

Overall, I really enjoyed Article 5. Kristen Simmons is a great writer, and I cannot wait to read Breaking Point, which comes out next year.