TORN by Laney McMann releases today!

It’s time for Layla and Max to be put to the test in Torn!

“Torn grabs you by the throat and holds on till your face is bluer than that forgetful fish in the Pixar movie.” — Alexander Nader

BLURB:

Find Max.

That’s all Layla cares about. Not healing from the Fomore attack. Not finding answers to how she survived a fall that nearly killed her. Nothing will stop her. She will find him. She’ll even pair up with an overbearing Fallen Angel who’s hell bent on making everything harder than it needs to be if she has to.

Protect Layla.

For Max, nothing else matters. Not the bruises covering his body. Not the pain radiating from his broken bones. Not even his hands tied behind his back. He will find a way to save Layla, and the Fomore will pay if they’ve hurt her.

Every. Single. One of them.

In the second installment of The Fire Born trilogy, a new breed of villain looms—one Layla and Max will never suspect, and this killer has nothing to lose. Better yet, with Max and Layla’s deaths, victory is in the grip of the enemy.

Will Max and Layla find each other in time, or is it already too late for them both?

 *************

TIED (Fire Born 1) is on sale until September 15th to celebrate its ONE YEAR book birthday. : ) (Plus, it gives you guys a chance to pick up the book if you haven’t yet, before you read TORN. They kind of need to be read in order.)

 

And finally, the GIVEAWAY!

There are several giveaways happening across the board, three to be exact.

The TORN Book Tour giveaway and the Blast Laney is hosting alongside her publisher, as well as all the other bloggers participating. The Book Blitz Giveaway is being hosted by Itching For Books (click the banner)

HERE’S WHAT’S UP FOR GRABS on Laney’s blog for the Book Tour:

Signed paperback copies of TIED and TORN to ONE winner (U.S. & Canada), E-book copies of TIED and TORN to ONE winner (Int), and signed bookmarks of TIED and TORN to FIVE winners (U.S., Canada, and U.K.)

Rafflecopter

AND here’s what up for grabs for the Book Blast:

Signed paperback copy of TIED and TORN to ONE winner & e-book copy of TIED and TORN to ONE winner (Int).

Rafflecopter

Make sure you enter to win and good luck!!!

 

Secret of the Souls cover reveal!

OMGosh, I can finally reveal this cover!  I’ve been sitting on it for over a month.  Isn’t it swoon-worthy?  Too bad I have to wait until October to read it.

Secret of the Souls

Pool of Souls
by Terri Rochenski
Release Date: October 6, 2014
Target Reader: Adult
Keywords: Fantasy

Back of the Book

Thrust out of their homes by a human High Priest on a vengeful mission, the Natives of Derlund no longer have a place to call their own. One escaped capture, however, and now she, Hyla, is the only one who can save her people.

For, Hyla, though, saving her nation isn’t her ultimate goal—returning to the Pool of Souls is. Becoming its Guardian and preserving their faith is her heart’s desire. The perils of her current journey, though, could leave her unable to fulfill that dream.

To find her way back to the Pool, Hyla must live among dangerous, powerful humans willing to defend the Natives, and must submit herself—her Talents—to them. While her protection is paramount, plots to end Hyla’s life will push her to her physical and emotional limits.

On the edge of sanity, her courage tested, and convictions nearly broken, Hyla’s final test of loyalty to her faith comes with the death of one she could have loved.

URL: http://www.jtaylorpublishing.com/books/34

 Add to your Goodreads

About this author:

Terri started writing stories in the 8th grade, when a little gnome whispered in her brain. Gundi’s Great Adventure never hit the best seller list, but it started a long love affair with storytelling.

Today she enjoys an escape to Middle Earth during the rare ‘me’ moments her two young daughters allow. When not playing toys, picking them back up, or kissing boo-boos, she can be found sprawled on the couch with a book or pencil in hand, and toothpicks propping her eyelids open.

Other books in this series:

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Beasts of Burden

J. Taylor Publishing is giving away FIVE ARCs of Beasts of Burdin by Alexander Nader!

Check it out!

Demon hunter Ty Burdin hung up his guns, knife, trench coat and fedora a year ago. Bags packed, hands washed of all demon politics, he’s done. Forever.

In fact, to get far far away, he dragged Nora, his rockabilly secretary, from Miami to the Tennessee mountains where he’s lived a life of peace—if peace can be defined as drowning in scotch and taking private eye jobs to keep the lights on. Jobs for real people. Not demons.

No demons.

He’s retired from that. Remember?

Demon hunters aren’t a dime a dozen, though, and when Ty’s brother asks him for a favor—just one—what’s a brother to do? Agreeing to take down one hillbilly demon shouldn’t take that long. In. Decapitate. Out. Favor complete. Back to the office where Nora and his bottle of whiskey are waiting.

Unfortunately for Ty, staying retired doesn’t seem to be in the cards, and an avalanche of bad luck draws him right back to an agency he despises and the career that nearly cost him his sanity.

This time, Ty has no way out and will have to face his own demons just to survive.

BEASTS OF BURDIN is the first installment in an exciting and witty new urban fantasy series, featuring Ty Burdin, a retired demon hunter turned private eye. And J. Taylor Publishing is giving away FIVE ARC copies.

To YOU!

You don’t even have to be a book blogger!

Nope, so long as you are willing to leave an honest review between the dates January 27th – February 10th 2014, you are eligible to enter.

Interested?

Then just fill out the form and keep your fingers crossed.

You have until midnight of January 26th to enter.

The Darkest Day is here!

Today marks the release of DARKEST DAY by Emi Gayle!  I’ll have more on this final chapter in the 19th Year series on January 31, so mark your calendars to come back. In the meantime, swoon over the cover and then, go grab you a copy to keep you warm over the next few days.

Mac Thorne’s time as a Changeling is coming to an end.

It may have taken eighteen years, but Mac did finally manage to do what the Council wanted: she chose a teacher and renounced the in-between.

There’s just one last step. She must say goodbye to her human. Forever.

After being challenged in every way possible, Mac leaves what she thought would be the easiest task for the last possible moment. As midnight on July fourth draws near, though, she hasn’t found a way to give up Winn Thomas.

Nor does she want to.

With time running out, Mac stands at a literal crossroads. Choose Winn, and she’ll be stripped of the only family she’s ever known — vampires, dragons, and her favorite demon. Even her own mother. Accept her position on the Council and rule as an equal to her twelve peers, and she’ll forget Winn ever existed.

Independence and freedom have never before been so limiting.

In this final chapter of the 19th Year Trilogy, it’s time for Mac to decide.

Responsibility? Or Love?

The Darkest Day Blog Tour kicks off TODAY over at My Guilty Obsession. Be sure to drop on by to say hi and for the chance to win some great prizes.

DARKEST DAY is available NOW!

 

Win one of 5 ARCs of DARKEST DAY by Emi Gayle

J. Taylor Publishing are giving away FIVE ARCs of Darkest Day by Emi Gayle!

Check it out!

Mac Thorne’s time as a Changeling is coming to an end.

It may have taken eighteen years, but Mac did finally manage to do what the Council wanted: she chose a teacher and renounced the in-between.

There’s just one last step. She must say goodbye to her human. Forever.

After being challenged in every way possible, Mac leaves what she thought would be the easiest task for the last possible moment. As midnight on July fourth draws near, though, she hasn’t found a way to give up Winn Thomas.

Nor does she want to.

With time running out, Mac stands at a literal crossroads. Choose Winn, and she’ll be stripped of the only family she’s ever known — vampires, dragons, and her favorite demon. Even her own mother. Accept her position on the Council and rule as an equal to her twelve peers, and she’ll forget Winn ever existed.

Independence and freedom have never before been so limiting.

In this final chapter of the 19th Year Trilogy, it’s time for Mac to decide.

Responsibility? Or Love?

DARKEST DAY is the third installment in the 19^th Year Trilogy, featuring Changeling Mac Thorne and her hot-geeky boyfriend Winn Thomas. And J. Taylor Publishing is giving away FIVE ARC copies.

To YOU!

You don’t even have to be a book blogger!

Nope, so long as you are willing to leave an honest review between the dates December 23^rd 2013 – January 6^th 2014, you are eligible to enter.

Interested?

Then just fill out the form and keep your fingers crossed.

Enter Here!

~~~~~

Other books in the series:

About Emi Gayle:

Emi Gayle just wants to be young again. She lives vicariously through her youthful characters, while simultaneously acting as chief-Mom to her teenaged son and searching for a way to keep her two daughters from ever reaching the dreaded teen years.

Ironically, those years were some of Emi’s favorite times. She met the man of her dreams at 14, was engaged to him at 19, married him at 20 and she’s still in love with him to this day. She’ll never forget what it was like to fall in love at such a young age — emotions she wants everyone to feel.

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I felt like a fish in a fishbowl

Hello everyone!  How are you all doing?  I have to tell you, I’m floating on Cloud 9 after that fantastic Facebook Virtual Launch Party of ONE MORE DAY last night!  Wow.  Thank you so much, all of you, who came out to join us last night.  Such fun and laughter and great food.  And there were some pretty good giveaways last night, too.  (For those of you who haven’t e-mailed me yet with your addresses to send your bookmarks, please do so as soon as you can so I can get them in the mail – kford2007(at)gmail(dot)com.

To keep the party rolling, I have the lovely and talented, Anna Simpson with me here today to talk about a moment in time she would like to freeze forever.  Anna, my blog is yours.

***

Thanks for having me here today, Jenny. And inviting me to shout out about my great accomplishments is more than I deserve.  In a book, I can freeze time, and loop it back. That’s on the page, but even when I do something I’m very proud of like Time Piece, I still have to use my inside voice.

Please don’t think badly of me. I’m an introvert and have been most of my life. So, Anna Simpson is more of a watcher than a doer. The writer in me is much more active, but she only imagines doing amazing things.

Let me share some moments from the quiet side.

Like the time a saw a duck land in a large, and I mean very large, muddy puddle. I barely believed my own eyes. I glanced over as I walked to my car. The puddle of water took up one corner of the gravely parking lot. Out of nowhere a mallard flapping his wings the way they do when landing set himself down making a vee in the still grey water. He glided to a stop as if he did this all the time. Once at the edge he waddled off into the bushes.

I know it wasn’t my imagination, but I felt as if I was dreaming.

Or the time I felt watched as I sat reading in the living room and looked out the picture window into a tree shading our front yard. There was our cat, all kinds of brown, lounging like a leopard on a branch his bright yellow eyes staring at me. I felt like a fish in fishbowl and burst out laughing. I quickly got my son, he was so young then, and the three of us watched each other for a time.

I felt his eyes on me. It was a physical thing.

I have thousands of moments I could relive. The first time I held my son or holding a puppy or wading on a beach on a hot summer’s day. All moments I’ve enjoyed and been grateful to have. All moments I can use when I write.

I had no idea how important the seconds in a day were.

What about you? Are there moments you’d love to slow down or relive? Please, I invite you to share. I’d love to read about them.

***

I don’t know about anyone else, but I have tons of moments that I wish I could freeze, moments I’d wished I’d savored a bit more.  We are all truly blessed with this life and I really appreciate you sharing some of your poignant moments with us, Anna.

And a little bit more about Anna:

Anna Simpson, mother of Bossman, enjoys living the good life near the US-Canadian border, in beautiful British Columbia. You will have better luck Googling Emaginette than her given name. Anna chose a web persona that would standout; so far it’s one of a kind.

Would you like to connect with Anna?  Seek her out at any of her web spots below.  I know she’d love to hear from you!

Blog      Twitter        Facebook     Goodreads

Anna, thank you for coming by today.  I can’t wait to read your next story!!  🙂

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If Only I Had One More Day…

ONE MORE DAY author, Kimberly Kay, joins us today to answer a question I’ve asked of all the anthology authors:

If there was a moment you could freeze in time forever, what would that moment be?

Kimberly’s answer will put time in perspective and break your heart.

Kimberly, my blog is all yours.

***

If I had to take one moment in my life to freeze and display to all the world, which would I select? That’s a tough question, particularly because my answer is on the tragic, rather than joyful, end of the scale. I would select the moment I learned one of the people I most admired had commuted suicide.

It was the day after I found out that my submission to this anthology was accepted. Looking at the text on my phone, I sat down on a desk as the waves of shock washed over me. I thought, “What was I doing last night, when he died? I learned that I’d made it into “One More Day”. One more day. If only I had one more day. If only HE had one more day.” The moment where I dropped to my knees on the floor and shattered?

THAT’S the moment I would display to everyone so that, hopefully, someone out there who was considering suicide would realize that they should not go through with it. They have a purpose. They have a place in this world that will never be filled should they leave. And most importantly, they are loved. Maybe by someone they aren’t even aware of. I don’t think this friend realized how much he meant to me and the rest of our fencing club, or to his friends and family. Long have I wished that he had indicated he needed help instead of quietly slipping away. I wish we could have–not just one–but many more days to spend with him. Most importantly, I wish he’d realized that more than anything, he could have saved himself by loving himself, trusting himself, and believing in himself. Instead, we who are left behind must spread that message to others, and help them realize they are valued. That’s why my piece in the anthology is dedicated to this friend, Tyler. Because, though, I can no longer show him he is loved, I can at least promise he will never be forgotten.

***

Kimberly, my heart breaks for you.  I am so sorry to hear about Tyler.  I pray for his family’s and your healing.  May your words touch someone else so another family and friends do not have to endure such overwhelming loss.

In honor of Tyler, I hope you decide to read a copy of Kimberly’s story, Sleepless Beauty.  I’ve included links below, or you can enter to win a copy through the Rafflecopter Giveaway.  Whatever you decide to do, please make sure you visit all of Kimberly’s location on the web and say hi and wish her well.

When Kimberly was younger, she was incredibly timid. She didn’t talk much because she was afraid of what others would think of her. Instead, she expressed herself through drawing. Eventually, art alone wasn’t enough. There were some things she couldn’t express with pencils, so she began talking, and when she did, she realized she had something to say. Now no one can get her to shut up! Worse, she’s discovered she can put those words into writing to share what she has to say with even more people.

Kimberly writes short stories and novels—usually fantasy fairytale retellings. Scattered within her works are things she loves: horses, fencing, archery, and so much more. With her friends, she writes fun fan-fiction that expands her creativity, (and shows what a nerd she is).

Through writing, she has found confidence and freedom.

Website        Twitter     Goodreads

 

AMAZON – PAPERBACK     AMAZON – KINDLE     BARNES & NOBLE 

KOBO

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A Girl and Her Mom Share a Dark Rose Moment

Happy December 4 everyone!  Has everyone had their coffee or tea?  1st, 2nd or 3rd breakfast?  By the way, does anyone know what day it is other than Hump Day?  Why, it’s day 3 of the ONE MORE DAY blog tour, and today I have on my blog, Marissa Halvorson (she’ll be back in a few days for another post, so make sure you tune back in).

Marissa is one of the authors in ONE MORE DAY.  Her short story is titled, Dark Rose, and is really, really good.  I also believe Marissa is the youngest author featured in ONE MORE DAY, a sweet young lady still in her teens.

As with all the authors in the anthology, I asked Marissa one particular question:

If you could freeze one moment of your life and put it on display for all to see, what would that moment be?

Her response will warm your heart.  Take it away, Marissa.

***

That’s a pretty difficult question, because it calls for me to think about my whole life and choose only ONE moment. If we are talking the most personally important moment of my life, it would be the moment, at about 10:30 at night, when I got the email from J. Taylor Publishing offering me a contract for Dark Rose. It’s definitely the happiest moment, in recent years anyway, that I can remember.

I’m still eighteen and going to school, so I still live at home. My parents had already gone to bed and I was up reading or writing (I can’t actually remember what I was doing, but that seems about right) and my phone lit up with an email. I had been anxiously awaiting the response, so as soon as my phone lit up, I … well, in all honesty, I probably lunged for it.

I have never been so happy in my life (as far as I can remember). When you’ve been working towards something for the last eight years of your life with so many people telling you that it’s going to be a long shot, and that it’s going to be very difficult to get anyone to even take a second look at you, an acceptance even into an anthology is a huge victory.

Anyway, I’ve gotten off track. If I had to display any moment, it would honestly be the look on my mom’s face and the excitement in her voice when I woke her to tell her I’d received an acceptance. It really was one of the most exciting nights of my life.

***

Oh my gosh, how beautiful is that?  What a beautiful moment.  My mom passed away before she got to see my first work published so this really touched my heart.  How lucky for mother and daughter to share such a special time.

Here’s a little bit more about Marissa:

 Marissa’s dream of writing came about when she was ten, after reading a particularly inspiring story of dragons and elves. She instantly fell in love with the fantasy genre, and characters soon began to manifest to satisfy her adoration. It started with a forty page handwritten novel, which she dubbed “Dragon Girl” and continued on to more challenging (and better written) works.

Now, Marissa can often be found to be studying literature in English class, curled up at home with one book or another, or with her eyes glued to the computer screen as her newest set of characters manifest.

You can also catch up with Marissa at the follow web spots.  Make sure you stop in and say hello.

Website   Facebook     Twitter

Interested in trying your luck at winning a copy of ONE MORE DAY?  Click Rafflecopter Giveaway to enter, and good luck!

Can’t wait a month to see if you win?  Head on over to one of the links below and grab a copy.  Maybe two or three.  It’ll make a great gift for the holiday.  🙂

AMAZON – PAPERBACK     AMAZON – KINDLE     BARNES & NOBLE 

KOBO

Thank you all so much for your support.  Please come back tomorrow to see what moment in time Kimberly Kay, author of Sleepless Beauty, would like to freeze forever.

 

 

 

 

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One Publisher; One Author’s Life Changed Forever

Today is Day 2 of the One More Day Anthology blog tour and the 7 authors are as busy as mall Santas, making their rounds in cyberspace, introducing themselves, making connections and spreading cheer.  Today, I have the lovely Erika Beebe, author of Stage Fright, with me to answer one question:

If you could freeze one moment of your life and put it on display for all to see, what would that moment be?

Erika, the stage is all yours.

***

The one happy moment I wish I could re-share with the world?  The moment where I did so many happy dances and celebrated until my cheeks were flushed and bright red?  The moment J. Taylor contacted me about my story Stage Fright, in One More Day. I’d had so many closed doors for so many years and that one moment changed me. It gave me confidence, faith, and a true belief in turning the impossible into possible. I’ll always be grateful for that email.

***

That’s lovely, Erika, and what great words of encouragement to other authors out there.  Goes to show, all it takes is one leap of faith for a door to open.  And for your reading pleasure, here is a little excerpt from Stage Fright:

***

They warned me about the stage.

It stretched out, long, black and ice-hard with a curve around the edge, and Mean Girl, one of the cast members, stood at the perfect angle, a little behind me off to the left, but where I couldn’t escape her sneer. “Do you remember the last time you danced on the lake, right before the blizzard in the spring?” my best friend Jess had asked the night before, in a long overdue FaceTime chat—the closest we’d come to seeing each other in months. “Feel the ice, and dance.”

I sucked in a huge breath of air and pictured that day in my hometown, instead of the stage; the sky overhead had darkened, the rolling clouds pushed by a wind so strong, it whipped my long dark hair around my face. I remembered braiding my hair quickly and pulling my green stocking hat down over my ears and forehead. After grabbing my skates, I’d slung them over my shoulder and walked to the edge of the frozen lake. I can do this.

***

Want to read more?  Click one of the links below to grab your copy in e-book or paperback, or, if you’re really daring, enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway for your chance to win a copy of ONE MORE DAY.

Don’t forget to stop by Erika’s homes on the web and say hello. She’d love to talk to you and share her journey to publication.

Website    Twitter     Facebook     Goodreads

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ONE MORE DAY Kickoff

December is a very busy month.  There’s food to be bought, baking to be done, lights to put up and…a book to promote?

Yep, in the middle of all the fixings and trimmings, the strands of tangled Christmas lights, ensuring the dragon is well-fed, seven YA authors (myself included) are preparing for a whirlwind internet tour of the new anthology by J. Taylor Publishing, ONE MORE DAY.  There will be virtual parties, giveaways, games, virtual cakes and good eats throughout the month of December, and everyone is invited to travel with us and join in the celebrations.

Not sure what ONE MORE DAY is about?  From the back cover…

 What if today never ends?

What if everything about life—everything anyone hoped to be, to do, to experience—never happens?

Whether sitting in a chair, driving down the road, in surgery, jumping off a cliff or flying … that’s where you’d be … forever.

Unless …

In One More Day, Erika Beebe, Marissa Halvorson, Kimberly Kay, J. Keller Ford, Danielle E. Shipley and Anna Simpson join L.S. Murphy to give us their twists, surprising us with answers to two big questions, all from the perspective of characters under the age of eighteen.

How do we restart time?

How do we make everything go back to normal?

The answers, in whatever the world—human, alien, medieval, fantasy or fairytale—could,maybe, happen today.

Right now.

What would you do if this happened … to you?

***

Sounds great, doesn’t it?  The book releases December 2, 2013, and to kick off the blog tour, I asked each of the authors a simple question:  If there was one moment in time you could freeze for eternity, a moment you’d love for everyone to see, what would that moment be?  From December 1 – 7th, you will find each of the authors’ answers right here, so I hope you drop by to experience those moments.  Sprinkled throughout the month, you will also find various guest posts and/or interviews by some of the authors so you’ll have more than one opportunity to get up close and personal with them.

In the middle of all the ONE MORE DAY posts here, I will also bring you a few interviews and blog posts for other authors who have their own books they’re proud of and want to show off.  After all, the spirit of the holidays and Christmas is not about tooting our own horns.  It’s about helping others and giving them boosts, applause and accolades whenever we can.

J. Taylor Publishing has a list of many of the blog stops and the dates which you can find here.  There is a virtual Facebook party on December 6, 2013, beginning at 7 PM CST.  There will be giveaways, fun contests, and a lot of fun to be had, so sign up and I hope to see you there.   I am also in the process of setting up a Goodreads giveaway, so stay tuned for more details.

Whatever you do, please make sure you visit each one of the ONE MORE DAY authors’ websites, take a look around and leave a message or several messages throughout the month.  Don’t forget to like their Facebook and Twitter pages.  We would all love to hear from you because without you, our words, our stories would be homeless.  We bow to our readers’ stupendousness.  You guys completely rock my world.  On behalf of Linda, Erika, Anna, Marissa, Danielle, Kimberly and myself, thank you for your support, and have a wonderful holiday season.  Hope to see you around the internet and don’t forget to bring your friends!  The more the merrier!

Author Websites:

L.S. Murphy

Marissa Halvorson

Kimberly Kay

Erika Beebe

Danielle Shipley

Anna Simpson

J. Keller Ford

 

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