Monday, June 30, 2014

Cover Reveal: Shadow of a Life by Tifani Clark


Don't miss the exciting first installment in Tifani Clark's "The Soul Saver" Series, entitled 
Shadow of a Life!

Available August 11, 2014.

Jamie Peters plans to spend the summer before her junior year with her nose stuck in a book—not saving lost souls. Usually the girl that blends into the crowd, Jamie’s world is turned upside down when a mysterious ghost begins to follow her.

But Sophia isn’t just any ghost.

A hundred years earlier, Sophia’s disappearance sparked a national mystery that remained unsolved. Jamie knows the legends surrounding Sophia’s disappearance, but she never dreamed she would find out what really happened . . . or that her family might have had something to do with Sophia’s disappearance.


Determined to set Sophia free, Jamie blows the dust off her family’s past and unearths clues to discover what she must do to save Sophia’s soul. She enlists the help of childhood friend—and secret crush—Peter Ashby as she sets off on a dangerous quest to find a missing map. Spending the night in a graveyard, crawling through a dilapidated barn, and staring down the barrel of a gun aren’t enough to deter Jamie from helping Sophia. But can she find the answers she needs before another ghost gets revenge on her and Sophia?



About the Author

Tifani Clark grew up on a farm in southeastern Idaho (yes, that’s where they grow all the potatoes) as the middle of five children. She had a lot of space to imagine and daydream and often pictured herself as a character in one of the many books she read. She was habitually found pretending to be Scarlet O’Hara. Tifani loves mystery and hates it when one goes unsolved. She is married to the love of her life and is the mother to four fabulous children. When not writing, she enjoys playing the violin and piano and traveling to new places. She especially enjoys visits to national parks and places of historical significance.


Discover more about Tifani and her writing at

Website  *  Facebook  *  Twitter   *  Pinterest * Goodreads




Creative Prose Publishing

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Another Chance to Win!

Enter to win 1 of 2 great prizes. Winner’s choice of a Kindle Fire HDX or $229 Amazon Gift Card or $229 Paypal Cash! The first prize is available via the rafflecopter below. The 2nd is available only to bloggers who post about this giveaway. You can find info on how to enter the 2nd giveaway in the
rafflecopter.

  June Kindle Fire  

Win a Kindle Fire HDX, Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash ($229 value)

The winner will have the option of receiving a 7" Kindle Fire HDX (US Only - $229 Value)

  Or $229 Amazon.com Gift Card (International)
  Or $229 in Paypal Cash (International)

 Sponsors I Am A Reader Feed Your Reader Author Rachael Anderson Author Karey White Chelsea Author Promotions Illusio & Baqer BookReviewsAndGiveaways Author Alecia Stone Lori's Reading Corner Author Inger Iversen Shelf of Imagination Candace's Book Blog Where The Broken Lie by Derek Rempfer Helen Smith (author) Christine's Blog Reviews from a Bookworm More Than a Review Tressa's Wishful Endings Pieces of Whimsy Laurie Treacy, Author The Loopy Librarian Author Dorothy Dreyer Author Deanna Lynn Sletten Author Steven Brown Claudia Burgoa Launching Sisters to WitchCamp Rhiannon Paille Author Amanda Tru Melissa McClone, Author Author Michelle Merrill Author M. Kircher Author A&E Kirk Author Melissa Lemon My Story That I Like Best Reviews by Martha's Bookshelf J.L. Weil Maia Sepp Luthando Coeur Making it Happen Jennifer Laurens Author Extraordinary Reads Grimmtastic Girls series: Snow White Lucks Out (tween)   Sign up to sponsor the next Kindle Giveaway here: http://www.iamareader.com/category/kindle-giveaway-sign-ups   Giveaway Details 1 winner will receive their choice of an all new Kindle Fire 7" HDX (US Only - $229 value), $229 Amazon Gift Card or $229 in Paypal Cash (International). There is a second separate giveaway for bloggers who post this giveaway on their blog. See details in the rafflecopter on how to enter to win the 2nd Kindle Fire HDX 7", $229 Amazon Gift Card or $229 in Paypal Cash. Ends 7/15/14 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the participating authors & bloggers. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Unbearable


The Port Fare Series~Three Stand-Alone Novels


You met and fell in love with Maggie and Seth as they struggled to survive a couple of ruthless drug dealers and Maggie's incorrigible mom in UNLOVABLE

**
Next came Cole and Lilah as they found love despite her deception while working with Booker (much to his dismay) to protect everyone from being murdered in 
UNBELIEVABLE



 Now discover Booker and Tess's story!
     Booker Gatto is done. Done with women, his old life, all of it. Only the love of his friends in Port Fare keeps him going as he leaves the MET in exchange for the quiet life his new law practice will provide. 
     Tess Selleck, once as ambitious and determined as she is smart and beautiful, had to leave everything and everyone she loves in San Diego to escape the man who destroyed her dreams and now wants her dead. 
     Together Booker and Tess find love when they least expect it, until their pasts drive them apart. Is there a happily ever after for these damaged lovers? Or is the thought of loving and trusting again simply Unbearable?

UNBEARABLE is the exciting conclusion to the Port Fare Series. Join Booker as he struggles to find his happily ever after.


My review:
I became a fan of Sherry's when I read Unlovable. Shortly after, we became good friends and are now not only friends, but also business partners. Together we own Creative Prose Publishing.

I've been a fan of all of Sherry's writing. She knows how to tug the heartstrings, that's for sure. Every one of her books has affected me emotionally. I didn't think she could get me any more than she did with Not So Easy . . . but then came this book.

Unbearable is unlike any of her other books in that the main character (Tess) comes from a severely abusive relationship, and is in fact hiding from her ex-husband who'd like to see her dead. Sherry doesn't hold back in showing us just how harsh Tess had it, and my heart breaks for this poor woman. If there were ever anyone who deserves the incomparable Booker (who we met in Unlovable, and then saw again in Unbelievable) it's Tess. 

From present day, where Tess works as Booker's secretary, to flashbacks of her time with her evil ex Garen, I found myself cringing for this poor girl, and wanting to protect her as much as Booker does. I loved watching as she slowly grew a backbone and started to become once again the girl she'd been before Garen got a hold of her. Just when you think everything is going to be okay for her, Sherry throws a wrench in and sends the reader over the emotional abyss again. I promise this is one book you won't want to miss.

You don't need to have read the first two books to read this one, though I highly recommend them as well.

Sherry's Web Page: WordpaintingsUnlimited.com


Available as an eBook at (Click Icon):
                     
Also available in Paperback on Amazon!


Find Sherry Here (Click on Icon):
                      










Check out the playlist too!

Sunday, June 8, 2014

The Dystopian Tour Finale

To post this Grand Finale and add your Social Media to the Rafflecopter, 
email us at PrismBookTours(at)gmail.com with "Dystopian Grand Finale" in the subject line.

A Prism Tour with Prism Book Tours

It's the Grand Finale for
THE DYSTOPIAN TOUR!
What will the future bring? We've featuring several possibilities. Did you miss any of them? Check them out now!!

May 28: What Tomorrow May Bring #1

Tomorrow becomes today.
What will it bring?


Our potential for good is matched by that of destruction. At any moment, change can fall on the world, people fight and die, and our comfortable lives can be lost to corrupt leaders. These are circumstances we can’t imagine, but places like this exist in the world today.

What if tomorrow brings that grave reality to us, and we wake to find our lives in flux, poverty and confusion? Perhaps humanity’s insatiable appetites drive us to the brink of survival where sanity is redefined and life, as we know it, changes forever.
Tomorrow, our lives could be very dark.

Dystopian tales take us to these lightless places where suffering is a daily chore. But they also show us that in the deepest part of the night, pitched against a backdrop of despair, a beam of hope will shine brighter than ever before. And in our darkest moments, it can show us the way back.


Goodreads - Amazon

Follow 11 authors into 11 dystopian tomorrows, where the dark portions of our humanity have taken hold of today, where the fabric of society is torn and greed consumes us all. Follow us down a dark path.


May 29: Terra by Gretchen Powell: 

Creating the Cover of Terra: A Behind-the-Scenes Look


No matter what anybody says, it’s pretty much a fact that people do judge books by their covers. And can you blame them? After all, book covers are an art in and of themselves these days – the beautiful images, illustration, and typography that are blasted across the internet pique our interest and drive our readers’ minds. The cover is a reader’s first impression of what your book will be like. It only takes a second for that instant connection to be made: Bad cover, bad book. Great cover, great book. 

Now, that doesn’t always hold true, of course, since I myself have read plenty of incredible books with terrible covers, and vice versa. But it doesn’t change the fact that—especially as a self-published author—covers matter. And I knew from the get-go that I wanted the cover for TERRA to stand out, but still feel appropriate for the genre and would “fit in” with its traditionally-published book brethren. So here’s an exclusive scoop on what went into creating my debut novel’s cover.

 
Goodreads - Amazon - Barnes and Noble - Kobo - Apple Store

Terra follows protagonist Terra Rhodon through a dystopian future where the planet’s natural resources have been depleted and the rich and powerful have fled to cities in the sky.


May 30: Stitch & Shudder by Samantha Durante

**What Everyone Had To Say About This Series**

“Seems like your normal, seemingly average university cross paranormal romance story... until the dystopian sci-fi comes in. Everything from there changes… I am gobsmacked.”
Behind the Pages

“Quite incredible… grips the reader and won’t let go. Officially entered a good book hangover.”
Parajunkee

  

Her heart races, her muscles coil, and every impulse in Alessa's body screams at her to run... but yet she's powerless to move.


June 1: Contributor & Infiltrator by Nicole Ciacchella

Unexpected Favorites

One of the things that consistently surprises me when I write is how fond I grow of some characters, especially when they start out as little more than a nebulous concept. Contributor is no exception. When I was peopling the world, I thought a lot about Dara, her parents, her boyfriend, Jonathan, and her mentor, Letizia. I certainly gave consideration to the other characters as well, but this was the core group I focused on, and so imagine my surprise when I developed a major attachment to a couple of the characters I thought would just be minor players.

The first is Javier Gutierrez, one of Dara’s rivals for the position of Assistant to the Head of Engineering...

 
Picture
Goodreads - Amazon

When the Great Famine threatened the existence of mankind, the Creators saved humanity. Humanity has been their loyal subject ever since.


June 2: What Tomorrow May Bring #2

THE DYSTOPTOMISTS: PART 1

WHAT TOMORROW MAY BRING, the YA Dystopian boxed set, is a collection of dark yet hopeful stories from eleven different authors. Each wrote a short essay on dystopian fiction calledMy Thoughts On Tomorrow, to introduce their novels. Here are excerpts from six of those essays, the full versions can be found at The Hunt For Tomorrow.

Meet The Dystoptomists: Shining Light on a Dark Future...

Goodreads - Amazon

Follow 11 authors into 11 dystopian tomorrows, where the dark portions of our humanity have taken hold of today, where the fabric of society is torn and greed consumes us all. Follow us down a dark path.


June 3: Among the Joyful by Erin Eastham

Q&A: Among the Joyful

Q: What was your inspiration for Among the Joyful?
A: I happened to see an article about smile surgery, which is a real thing. Some young women in South Korea have a procedure done so that their default facial expression is a smile, no matter what they’re feeling. It made me think about the pressure we all feel at times to act like things are fine when they’re not, to present a happy appearance to the world no matter what’s going on inside. That was what prompted the idea for the world of Among the Joyful, where negative emotion has to be hidden if you want to be a functioning member of society.

Q: What makes Among the Joyful different from all the other YA dystopias out there?
A: I wanted to create a dystopian society that could just as easily be described as utopian. The original founders weren’t setting out to oppress people—they wanted to make life better, and in many ways they succeeded. They created a culture where service to others is valued, where citizens contribute to the public good and take care not to have a negative impact on their community. Of course, there’s a price, and that’s where it gets interesting.


Everyone knows that it’s a citizen’s duty to smile; negative emotion is a social contagion, an aggressive act against society. For Alaire Larkin, staying positive has never been a problem.


June 4: The Annihilation of Foreverland & Foreverland is Dead by Tony Bertauski

AUTHOR's INTERVIEW

Have you written in any other genres besides ya dystopian? What drew you to you this genre?

I’ve been fascinated by consciousness, identity and what this all means since I was young. I would read my grandfather’s science fiction books with elements of artificial intelligence and wonder what happened when they died? I suppose that’s why all of my writing deals with the big mysteries of life in one way or another. In a way, I write for my own exploration, in a sort of thought experiment approach, pulling apart our identities, exploring what makes us who we are. If I lost my memories, would I still be me? If I had my body parts replaced with synthetic replications, at what point would I not be me? Do I even need a body? What am I?

A few years ago, I figured I’d write a romance novel. Since all of my books have a romantic element, I thought it would be fun. Halfway through the novel, I found myself thinking more and more about the next project—a dystopian idea. So 40,000 words in, I scrapped the romance novel and got back to what I love.

 

Goodreads - Amazon - Barnes and Noble - Google Play - Kobo - iTunes

When kids awake on an island, they’re told there was an accident. Before they can go home, they will visit Foreverland, an alternate reality that will heal their minds.


June 5: The Breeders & The Believers by Katie French

Take 10 - Author Interview

What do you want to be when you grow up?
I’ve always wanted to be a back-up singer for some awesome artist. You’d get all the joy of meeting fun people and performing, but do not have to lose your freedom or worry about tabloids and paparazzi.

Who would play you in a film of your life?
Brad Pitt. It would be a really weird, concept movie.

Have you ever read or seen yourself as a character in a book or a movie?
All the time. Right now I’m pretty sure I’m Jessica Day from TV show The New Girl. But without the cute bangs. Man, I should really get some bangs.

 
Picture
Goodreads - Amazon - Barnes and Noble

Sixteen-year-old Riley Meemick is one of the world's last free girls. When Riley was born, her mother escaped the Breeders, the group of doctors using cruel experiments to bolster the dwindling human race.


June 6: What Tomorrow May Bring #3 

Meet The Dystoptomists: Shining Light on a Dark Future.

WHAT TOMORROW MAY BRING, the YA Dystopian boxed set, is a collection of dark yet hopeful stories from eleven different authors. Each wrote a short essay on dystopian fiction called My Thoughts On Tomorrow, to introduce their novels.

Part 1 featured excerpts from six of those authors.

Here, with Part 2, are excerpts from the remaining five. The full versions can be found at The Hunt For Tomorrow.

Join the mailing list for news on our upcoming dystopian scavenger hunt...

Goodreads - Amazon

Follow 11 authors into 11 dystopian tomorrows, where the dark portions of our humanity have taken hold of today, where the fabric of society is torn and greed consumes us all. Follow us down a dark path.


Tour-Wide Giveaway
Ends June 15th.

US Only Giveaway
Print copy of Terra + bookmarks
Print copies of Stitch & Shudder + bookmarks
Print copy of Among the Joyful

Internationally Open Giveaway
Amazon GC $15 (Megan) + $10 (Erin) + $10 (Samantha)
11 ecopies of What Tomorrow May Bring
Ebook of Terra
Ebooks of Stitch & Shudder
10 e-book copies of the complete Contributor trilogy, including book 3 (Kindle only)
Ebook of Among the Joyful
Ebooks of The Annihilation of Foreverland & Foreverland is Dead
Ebook of A Taste of Tomorrow Boxed Set
5 ebooks of The Breeders & The Believers

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Prism Book Tours

Friday, June 6, 2014

Saints and Soldiers: The Void in theaters August 15th


Germany, May 1945, the twilight of WWII.  On a final mission deep in the Harz mountains a U.S. tank crew discovers a platoon of Germans, including three infamous Panzer tanks, preparing to ambush allied supply trucks.

Before the war, private Jesse Owens, was a product of segregation and racial discrimination. Forced by law to ride in the back of the bus and disenfranchised from the political process. Now, Owens fights the greatest tyrant in history, knowing the tyranny of racism will be waiting for him back home if he can survive the war.  

With a deadly game of cat and mouse quickly unfolding, Owens and his predominantly white tank crew find themselves out-gunned and out-manned by the German Panzer tanks.  Several in Owens’ crew are reluctant to put their faith in a black tank driver despite their dire circumstances. As the German tanks bear down on his unit, Owens has to fight for freedom on two fronts. With tension and fear beginning to manifest Owens knows they must put aside their differences to stop the enemy from their deadly plan.  Knowing that a victory over the Nazis means a victory for racial justice, Owens and his men find a way to work together to save hundreds of lives in a desperate battle against the greatest odds they have ever faced.

"As we approach the 70th anniversary of D-Day, we pause to honor those who demonstrated unselfishness and commitment to freedom. The tradition of unselfishness continues today. God Bless those then and now who serve our country." ~ Adam Abel, Producer

"During the original SAINTS AND SOLDIERS film festival run around the world we were honored to meet many WWII Veterans in person. It has been 10 years now. Many of those Veterans have passed. For those WWII vets remaining and all men and women of the armed forces since we salute you. The SAINTS AND SOLDIERS movies are intend to honor you."
~ Ryan Little, Director

"Our reason for making SAINTS AND SOLDIERS: THE VOID was to explore the story of those African American soldiers who fought for freedoms abroad they didn't entirely enjoy at home. We learned from their stories freedom is and was worth the fight...regardless of race."
~ Adam Abel, Producer



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Thursday, June 5, 2014

Free Book!

The Fairy Godmother Chronicles Release Party

June 5th and 6th

Book 1, The Godmother Spell, is FREE! 




Despite her mother's objections, all Lyndee's ever wanted was to become a fairy godmother. But once she's bonded to two goddaughters, she realizes that godmotherhood is much more than granting wishes. Not only does she have to protect the girls from an evil fairy bent on destroying Lyndee's career before it begins, she has to deal with an overzealous overseer named Gavin. Not that she minds Gavin so much - he's gorgeous; he just happens to make things worse when he tries to help.

Books 2, Twisted Happy Ever Afters, and 3, Complicated Kisses, are also available.

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Win a Kindle

Enter to win 1 of 2 great prizes. Winner’s choice of a Kindle Fire HDX or $229 Amazon Gift Card or $229 Paypal Cash! The first prize is available via the rafflecopter below. The 2nd is available only to bloggers who post about this giveaway. You can find info on how to enter the 2nd giveaway in the rafflecopter.

  June Kindle Fire  

Win a Kindle Fire HDX, Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash ($229 value)

The winner will have the option of receiving a 7" Kindle Fire HDX (US Only - $229 Value)



Or $229 Amazon.com Gift Card (International)



  Or $229 in Paypal Cash (International)



  June Sponsors I Am A Reader Feed Your Reader Bella Street's Weird Romance Bonnie Blythe's Pure Romance Lori's Reading Corner Author M.A. George CBY Book Club Fairiechick's Fantasy Book Reader Christian Bookmobile Author Kimber Leigh Wheaton Kindle and Me Author Inger Iversen A. Wrighton, Author Author Kim Cresswell-Trapped Inside My Head The YA Buzz Jenna Does Books Addicted Readers The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something year Old Girl BookHounds YA Every Free Chance Book Reviews Author Wendi Sotis Taylor Dean Books Heather Gray (Author) Author Cindy C Bennett More Than a Review The Reporter and The Girl Author Anna Kyss Owl Always Be Reading Laurie Here Romance Under Fire Author Jennifer Laurens BookReviewsAndGiveaways Paranormal book Club (PBC) The Late Bloomers Book Blog Reviews from a Bookworm Jennifer Faye, Author Free Bookster Making it Happen Extaordinaryreads MyLadyWeb: Women's History & Women Authors Author Claudia Burgoa Crystal Donahue, Author SMIBookClub Where The Broken Lie by Derek Rempfer Author Rosanne Rivers YA Author - Ellisa Barr Lynda Raymond Brenda Maxfield Fic Central Author Barbara Silkstone Aubrey Wynne: Historical Romance Author Georgina Young-Ellis   Sign up to sponsor the next Kindle Giveaway here: http://www.iamareader.com/category/kindle-giveaway-sign-ups   Giveaway Details 1 winner will receive their choice of an all new Kindle Fire 7" HDX (US Only - $229 value), $229 Amazon Gift Card or $229 in Paypal Cash (International). There is a second separate giveaway for bloggers who post this giveaway on their blog. See details in the rafflecopter on how to enter to win the 2nd Kindle Fire HDX 7", $229 Amazon Gift Card or $229 in Paypal Cash. Ends 7/1/14 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the participating authors & bloggers. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
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Sunday, June 1, 2014

Dystopian Blog Tour



I signed up to be part of The Dystopian Tour from Prism Books. I don't know anything about the books on the tour, but I'm always happy to help out a fellow author in getting word out about their books. So for today, I'm highlighting a pair of books by Nicole Ciacchella, who is graciously co-hosting two giveaways that can be found at the bottom of the page.

When the Great Famine threatened the existence of mankind, the Creators saved humanity. Humanity has been their loyal subject ever since.

This history has been ingrained in seventeen-year-old Dara Morrow since her first day of Creator-sponsored school. Grateful for the life-giving necessities her Creator provides, Dara is thrilled to be one of three students chosen for an elite, year-long apprenticeship program. Now is her chance to prove herself a devoted Contributor.

But Dara’s competition is ruthless and will stop at nothing to win the competition. Worse yet, her exacting master has little patience for her.

Then Dara’s mother is seriously injured, and Dara realizes the price of being a Contributor: once you’ve outlived your usefulness, you’re discarded. Can Dara learn to manipulate the system to save not only herself, but everyone she loves?

Available at Amazon
Contributor Excerpt: 

“I’ll try to be as gentle as possible, but this is going to hurt,” Dara warned Letizia as she shone the light on her bag, digging through its contents. She found a sterile wipe, some gauze, and some tape. It would have to do until Letizia could receive professional medical care.

As gingerly as she could, Dara cleaned the wound. Letizia sucked in a breath, and Dara bit her lip. If she’d had both hands free, she probably could have been a lot gentler about it. But that would have forced her to put the light in her mouth, which would have rendered her unable to conceal its beam.

When she finished cleaning, Dara swiped her forearm over her eyes. Letizia still had a lot of blood crusted in her hair, but now was not the time to worry about it. Awkwardly, Dara covered the wound with gauze and taped it down as securely as she could. She looked around for a second, trying to figure out what to do with the bloody wipe and the gauze wrapper.

What the hell, Dara? This isn’t the dome. You’re not going to find a conveniently located trash chute. Just drop the garbage on the ground.

Letting out a shaky breath, Dara flicked the light off. She groped through the bag until she felt the contours of a water bottle, and she uncapped it and handed it to Letizia, before searching for the second.

“Small sips,” Dara cautioned. “I don’t know how long it’ll need to last.”

“Not sure...I can. Stomach...” Letizia moaned softly.

“You have to take at least a few sips. Becoming dehydrated will make things worse. Here, I’ll help you.” Dara set her bottle aside and took Letizia’s. She managed to coax Letizia to take two small sips before her master gagged, spilling the contents of her stomach over the dry, crusted earth.

Now Dara was very worried. She suspected Letizia had a concussion in addition to her head wound. The adrenaline from their flight away from the transport began to wear off, and Dara could feel panic setting in.

“Do you have any idea how stupid it is to use a light out here?” a low voice growled.

Surviving her apprenticeship was just the first step. Now that Dara has joined the Free Thinkers, her life is about to become much more dangerous.

Frustrated by her seemingly pointless efforts to prove her worth to the Free Thinkers, she wonders if she made the right choice. Yet she can’t go back to her old life, can’t forgive Magnum for what it did to her mother. Then she discovers a crucial piece of intelligence: Andersen has been hard at work on a clandestine project that’s caught the attention of the Creators.

At last Dara is made a Free Thinker operative, trained and taught the truth about the Great Famine and its aftermath, but she must conceal her knowledge at all cost. Andersen must believe she’s no more than the sacrificial lamb he thinks she is.

But as the Creators’ interest in the project deepens, Dara is placed under surveillance and cut off from her Free Thinker lifeline. When she makes one last, desperate attempt at exposing his secret project, the repercussions are enormous.

Available at Amazon

PictureBorn and raised in Michigan, Nicole lives there still with her husband and two wonderful children. When she's not writing, Nicole enjoys reading, gaming, traveling, and cooking.

Blog    Facebook     Twitter    Goodreads


Unexpected Favorites
by Nicole Ciacchella

One of the things that consistently surprises me when I write is how fond I grow of some characters, especially when they start out as little more than a nebulous concept. Contributor is no exception. When I was peopling the world, I thought a lot about Dara, her parents, her boyfriend, Jonathan, and her mentor, Letizia. I certainly gave consideration to the other characters as well, but this was the core group I focused on, and so imagine my surprise when I developed a major attachment to a couple of the characters I thought would just be minor players.

The first is Javier Gutierrez, one of Dara’s rivals for the position of Assistant to the Head of Engineering. I pictured Dara’s competition as ruthless, and Javier isn’t afraid to do whatever it takes to come out on top, but I hadn’t thought he’d be particularly likable. Yet as I wrote Javier I became increasingly fond of him. I loved his blasé attitude and how it concealed depths. I liked how he had a knack for cracking wise because, well, I have a certain weakness for characters with a bit of an attitude. Over time I became convinced that his motivation, unlike Ryan LeTour’s, wasn’t to destroy Dara but to ensure his own survival. Javier, like Dara, is a victim of his circumstances. If Javier were in a different situation, his actions would have been different. This led him to develop unanticipated shades, and in book two, Infiltrator, it becomes clear what motivates Javier. It wasn’t planned, but I began to see how he and Dara were parallel characters in many ways, and how their common struggle helped unite them. I was thrilled when I started drafting book three because I knew Javier had more of a role to play, and I was excited to be able to devote more page time to him.

Of course, he’s not the only character who surprised me. Raj Tiwari did as well, and I’m not afraid to confess that, yes, I do happen to fall for my own literary creations. I have a massive crush on Raj. He has an excellent sense of humor as well as being sweet, considerate, brave, and in book three he also gets to develop all kinds of new facets, which made writing about him both harrowing and a real pleasure. He plays an important supporting role in the first two books, becoming one of the few people on whom Dara feels she can depend, but he really comes into his own in book three. I don’t want to give away too much about his story, but I will offer up this hint: one of my favorite types of literary characters are those who feel they must atone for something. Redemption stories are very compelling to me, and Raj has his personal demons to battle, which made me feel very protective of him. Sorry, Javier. I adore you, but Raj has a special piece of my heart.

So there, dear readers, I have made a confession to you: I do have my favorites. All of my characters mean something to me, but there are those that I find so irresistible I just can’t help myself.

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May 27: Launch – Prism Book Tours
May 28: What Tomorrow May Bring #1 - Simplistic Reviews 
May 29: Terra - Christy’s Cozy Corners 
May 30: Stitch & Shudder - Nocturnal Predators Reviews
June 1Contributor & Infiltrator - Author Cindy C Bennett 
June 2What Tomorrow May Bring #2 - I Am A Reader
June 3Among the Joyful - My Devotional Thoughts
June 4The Annihilation of Foreverland & Foreverland is Dead - Mythical Books
June 5The Breeders & The Believers - Beck Valley Books
June 6What Tomorrow May Bring #3 - Bookworm Lisa
June 8: Grand Finale