My Goals for 2013!

Happy New Year! How fast did 2012 go?!

2012 was such an amazing year for me. I reconnected with old friends, married my boyfriend of six years, and self-published my first book! What I didn't really do was accomplish many of the goals I'd set myself for 2012...whoops. For a recap on my goals, check out this post.

In 2013, I want to maintain all the things I started last year. I want to be more confident and stand up for myself. I want to learn to forgive, but not forget. I want to be determined. I want to be consistent and disciplined when it comes to writing.

These were my goals for 2012 and whether I reached them or not:

Writing

• Have a polished manuscript of Runaway Mortal (May/June) Didn't achieve
• Begin first draft of Broken Angel RM#2 (Feb/March) Didn't achieve
• Send out queries for Runaway Mortal (June/July) Didn't achieve
• Outline Cursed Demon RM#3 (August) Achieved
• Finish first draft of Last Summer (Sep/Oct) Didn't achieve
• Begin first draft of Siren Song (Nov/Dec) Didn't achieve

Reading, Authors & Blogging

• Read 100 books this year Didn't achieve - I think I read something like 60 - 70 books. I stopped keeping count
• Support more self-published authors Achieved
• Re-design blog - new title, banner Achieved
• Post book reviews twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On Sunday do a writing related post. Didn't achieve
• Host more giveaways Achieved

Life in General

• Travel to a place I haven't been before Didn't achieve
• Do something regularly that I haven't done before - yoga, martial arts, indoor rock climbing Achieved - I started boxing towards the end of the year and then stopped, but I plan on starting it again in the new year
• Catch up with old friends Achieved
• Do the Harbour Bridge climb Didn't achieve - it's going to be one of my goals for 2013

As you can see, I love making goals. As for accomplishing them, not so good at that! Nevertheless, I've written up my goals for 2013 below. I hope I can get most of them done this year. :)

Writing

• Publish three books this year
• Publish FALLING FOR HADIE in February
• Publish RUNAWAY MORTAL in April (finally!)
• Have a clear writing plan for the rest of the year
• Query an agent by the end of the year for CURSERS

Reading, Authors & Blogging

• Read 100 books this year
• Support self-published authors
• Blog at least once every week
• Host more giveaways

Life in General

• Travel overseas
• Try something new
• Do the Harbour Bridge Climb
• Take a yoga class

Those are my goals. What are your goals for 2013?

Cover Reveal: Falling for Hadie

The cover of Falling for Hadie was made nearly two weeks ago, but I have yet to do an "official" cover reveal post for it.

Since most of you have probably already seen the cover, I'm going to talk about the process my cover designer, Eden, and I went through to get to the final product. I think designing the cover is probably my favourite part of the entire process. It really feels like your book is "real" when you get that cover with your name on it.

Falling for Hadie was a little trickier to figure out. In terms of an overall "theme" for the With Me series, I had none. It's an "indirect sequel" to Impossible, so I wasn't sure if I should have a recurring theme for each book in the series or just do something completely different for each one.

I looked through a LOT of stock photos until I found this image:

It was like a scene was taken right out of the book, like a stolen moment, so I decided it would be perfect for the cover. Then Eden broke the bad news. This image was going to cost $500 to use!! Well, we definitely couldn't use it now, so Eden started looking for alternatives. None of them appealed to me, so I showed Eden this image that I thought was pretty cute.

We both agreed that the arm/sleeve on the guy looked "weird" and decided to find something else. Then I found this image. I thought it was so cute and romantic, so I sent it to Eden.

Eden started making the cover and sent this mock-up back to me:

Right away I said I wasn't feeling it. It seemed too romantic and cute to me. And too pink. Way too much pink. Eden agreed that she wasn't feeling it either, so I suggested a few tweaks. This is what we ended up with:

After all that I STILL wasn't feeling it, so Eden said she'd have a think about it and get back to me. This is the part where I have to give Eden all the credit. She went off and worked her magic and came back with this ALL ON HER OWN! (You know the photo where we thought the guy's arm looked weird? Well, same couple, but just holding hands!)

When I first saw it, my heart stopped. It was perfect. It was what I'd wanted, but hadn't been able to translate to Eden. I loved how she took the basic idea of Impossible's cover and put a spin on it for Falling for Hadie. The hand holding was perfect because Lincoln and Hadie have a sweet relationship. There isn't a lot of hot and cold stuff going on with them like there was with Ashton and Luca from Impossible.

But then I realised that the cover was similar to Tammara Webber's Between the Lines series. Eden hadn't actually seen the covers for the series, so after she'd checked them out we both stewed on it for a while.

Meanwhile, Eden was working her magic again and came back with these two beauties:

I was completely sold! I loved the gradient background and decided that it was perfect, that it tied in with the cover of Impossible, and that we would continue with a similar-ish theme for the remaining books (the characters faces not being visible and their positioning would convey what the story was about).

After all of Eden's hard work, this is what I settled on for the final cover of Falling for Hadie:

Running away from his old life in New York City, Lincoln Bracks ends up in the small town of Statlen, Iowa. He isn’t interested in making friends or getting to know anyone. He just wants to keep his head down and disappear amongst the crowd.

Nursing a broken heart and the realization that the boy she’s loved her entire life isn’t Prince Charming, Hadie Swinton is set against ever falling in love. But when new boy, Lincoln arrives in town, she may have to eat her words.

Hadie fears being hurt and Lincoln fears hurting her, so when they begin spending more time together and form a connection, they try to fight it at all costs. When they finally start to give into their feelings, Lincoln’s secret stands in the way of them ever being together.

Falling in love was the last thing Lincoln wanted to do, so how will he convince himself to fall out of it?

If you need a graphic designer for your next book cover, any banners, or something graphical, I highly recommend Eden Crane Design. Check out her website and take a look at some of the beautiful designs she has created. She is great to work with! :)

Whispers of a secret project

So, secret project? Yes, you heard right! I have an entire writing schedule planned out, but sometimes I am hit with certain ideas that I have to, have to, HAVE TO work on. So, when Runaway Mortal is released in April, I will start working on this secret project.

What is this secret project about? 
All I can say is that it will be a New Adult Contemporary Romance novel about a girl named Jessica or Genevieve or Gwendolyn who meets a guy at a bar and things don't exactly go as expected. It will be a fun read, I promise!

Does this "secret project" have a title?
It's working title is I Just Met You. That could change or it could stay the same.

Why are you being so vague about it?
Because I won't start working on it until next year and that's still a long way away. Maybe I'll start writing and realise that something's not working. I promise I will talk more about it in the new year.

If anyone has any comments, suggestions, questions or answers, send me an email!

<3

An interview, a giveaway & upcoming releases

Hey everyone! I have a couple of links for you, some information about my blog tour and my upcoming releases.

Let me start off with the links. The first link will direct you to an interview that I did over at the wonderful, awesome Samantha Durante's blog. If you haven't heard of Samantha, she is also a debut author and wrote the novel, Stitch. Ya know, the one with the gorgeously intriguing cover? Here is a link to that interview.

This next link is about a giveaway over at Fire Star Books. Ashley is celebrating her one year blogoversary and will be holding a massive giveaway to celebrate. Congratulations on your milestone, Ashley! You have two weeks to enter to win an e-copy of Impossible, so don't miss out! Check that one out here.

My blog tour starts tomorrow! I am incredibly excited for this! Arianne from Romantic Maidens Book Tours has been helping me organise this since early October, and I'm so thankful for everything she has done to put this together. The blog tour runs from November 26th - December 16th, so don't forget to visit, comment, and enter in the tour-wide giveaway! I will be linking to each post every day on my Facebook and Twitter, and will post a weekly round-up of the tour every week right here on my blog.

As you know, I have two releases in early 2013: Runaway Mortal, and Falling for Hadie. I have decided to literally switch the release dates around. What does that mean? Well, it means that Falling for Hadie has a release date of February, 2013, and Runaway Mortal has a release date of April, 2013. I am so sorry for those of you who were looking forward to Runaway Mortal, but the readers who wanted Falling for Hadie released earlier won me over.

I have some news about my super secret writing project, so check back in a few days to find out more!

Talk soon! <3

I'm thankful for...

Even though we don't celebrate Thanksgiving in Australia, I still wanted to do a Thanksgiving related post because I am so thankful to everyone for everything that they have done, and continue to do, for me.

I am so thankful to my critique partners, Erica and Michelle for all the help and advice they have given me for my debut novel. They continue to support me and my book, and all the future projects I have coming up. I am so lucky to know them and have them in my lives.

I am thankful for my husband and my parents for always being there for me. When you have a family like them, who love and support you unconditionally, it's hard not to succeed in life because they make even a failure seem like a success. I am also thankful for my furry babies (and the scaly one too) for keeping me company in what is a pretty solitary job.

Most of all, I am thankful to my readers who have made me laugh, made me cry, sent me the loveliest messages ever, and told me that they enjoyed my book. Because of you guys, my little book is currently sitting at #157 on the Amazon Kindle Best Seller List. Whatever happens from here, whether IMPOSSIBLE moves up in rankings or goes down, I am so thankful that your support has brought me this far. I will never be able to thank you enough. <3

Finally, I am thankful for this Captain America bobblehead my best friend got me when he went to a games convention and I couldn't go because, as usual, I was sick. So, I am thankful to have amazing, weird, crazy friends like that in my life who buy me Captain America bobbleheads.

Let's face it, we all need a little more Chris Evans in our lives.

Cover Reveal: Runaway Mortal

I am so excited to share the cover of my next release, Runaway Mortal!!! It was designed by the lovely, amazing, awesome Eden at Eden Crane Design. She is seriously the best and she did a wonderful job with the cover.

I was amazed by how perfect the model on the cover was and kept gushing about it. And you know what Eden told me? Her mum had picked out the model...Eden's mum is Julia Crane! Yes, THE Julia Crane! I had the biggest fan girl moment ever!

Anyway, I'm totally freaking out over the cover! I hope you like it!

Seventeen-year-old Katerina Lyrille is one of several mortals given the privilege to attend Esteré Academy alongside powerful angels and demons. Big stress on the “privileged”, because most of the supernatural beings look down in disgust at mortals like Katerina and want nothing to do with them.

When the Headmistress of the school—a powerful angel—is found dead, Katerina is accused of her murder. Desperate to prove her innocence, Katerina runs away to seek the help of a seer who can tell her the true killer’s name, but the information comes at a price. Katerina must find an all-powerful, mythical Triad object for the seer, and in order to do so she must return to the very place she ran away from: Esteré Academy.

Now, back at school, Katerina not only has to keep her promise to the seer and find the mysterious object, she also has to deal with the arrogant, yet sexy, supernatural agent hired to guard her until her trial for the Headmistress’s murder.

The closer Katerina gets to finding the answers, the more danger she puts herself in because someone is out to stop her at all costs.

Even if it means her death.

Isn't it beautiful?

I really can't thank Eden enough for the fantastic job she did. I am so, so, so happy with the cover!

The blurb might change before the release, so I will update it if/when I make changes to it.

Also, if you'd like to add Runaway Mortal on Goodreads, you can do so here.

Have a great day!

Let's talk Ashton and "mean girls"

The first person to ever raise concerns about Ashton was my husband after reading a few chapters of my first draft.

"I like Luca, but I don't like Ashton," he said, "She's pretty mean."
"Good," I responded. "That's how I want her to be."

While writing Impossible, Ashton did a few things that made me wonder if I wanted her to do them at all. But I kept the scenes because they showed what kind of a person she'd become. I made Ashton that way because I know from first hand experience how mean some girls can be.

As a teenager I have experienced mean girls and even as an adult I have experienced mean girls. In my head, I made a collage of mean girl behavior and I gave them all to Ashton. Some girls do know what they're doing, but recently I've had to deal with a mean girl who I am quite certain doesn't think she is a mean girl at all.

This puzzled me. How could someone not know that what they're doing is considered "bullying" or "mean"?

With Ashton, I tried to piece it all together. I wanted to take a look into WHY someone is like that and what causes them to be such a horrible person. Someone might not consider their behavior as bullying because they feel justified in what they are saying or they have gotten away with it for so long that they think their behavior is normal.

A lot of it does come from insecurities and the need to put someone down to make yourself feel better. I think once you fall into this habit it's a hard one to break, but Ashton does break out of it because Luca believes in her. And that's what the story is about. How Ashton overcomes her demons.

The great thing is that Ashton is a character with flaws; she isn't perfect. What I love is that readers can make up their own minds about her. Some readers will hate her or be annoyed with her and not be able to forgive her actions, and other readers will be like, "She's a teenager and she made a mistake, and she changed in the end."

Either way, her behavior and actions can be discussed and debated, which is a wonderful thing. And I totally heart my readers for it! You guys are amazing! <3

My expectations for Impossible

When I decided to publish Impossible, it was sometime in August. I'd written over 20,000 words in two weeks and I decided that I wanted to publish it in October because October sounded like a good month.

My reasons for wanting to publish Impossible were simple. I thought it was a good story and I wanted other people to read it and enjoy it. I didn't have any other expectations. I wasn't concerned about sales or rankings. I just wanted readers to be taken on a journey, enjoy it and have fun. That's the only thing I've ever wanted as a reader: to be taken on a journey and enjoy it, whether the story has ups or downs.

When I first published Impossible, it debuted around #24,000 on the Amazon Kindle Bestseller List and shot up to #14,000 in a few days. What can I say? I have great friends! It quickly went down in rank and kept hovering between #19,000 and #40,000 for the rest of the week. I was pretty happy with that. I was making a couple of sales every day and it was great knowing that people were buying my book. In Week one I sold 40 copies of Impossible.

Week two began and nothing remarkable happened until November 2nd. I distinctly remember my book being ranked #19,000 in the morning. Around 1 pm, my mum asked me to check the ranking, so I did. My book was ranked #9,467. At first, I thought my eyes were deceiving me, so I refreshed the page.

"What's wrong?" my mum asked from beside me.

"Um." I think I stopped breathing at this point. "My book broke into the Top 10,000 on Amazon, but I think it's a mistake."

*My mum looks over my shoulder* "How can it be a mistake? Check again."

So I refreshed the page again and the number stayed the same. I really felt like I'd accomplished something at that stage and rang up my husband at work and gushed. Then I gushed to one of my friends and we both smiled and thought it was cool. All day my book stayed around the #9,000 mark.

Around 9 pm it had reached #7,835. I actually gasped. There was no way this could be real. How could MY book be ranked that high?

A week later, Impossible is floating around the #1400 mark.

This post isn't to brag; it's just a post of disbelief, as if putting it up will make it seem more real. I know I haven't broken any records or achieved anything amazing, but I want to make my self-publishing journey as transparent as possible. I won't talk about money, but I will mention sales. Currently, I sell between 40-60 books a day. In the last 8 days I have sold 300 books. I don't expect this to last. I don't expect anything, actually. I went into this with no expectations at all, so anything and everything is an achievement for me.

What I will say is that I was happy the day I published Impossible. That's what I've always wanted. To have a published book and to publish a book that readers could enjoy. All this rankings stuff is you guys; the readers. Thank you for spreading the word. Thank you for reading. Thank you for enjoying Impossible.

I couldn't thank you enough if I tried.

What comes next

So, now that Impossible is out, I bet you're wondering what comes next. Actually, being the control freak that I am, I have my writing schedule planned out until 2014. Yep! Two years in advance! Crazy, right?

A lot of people have been asking me about the sequel to Impossible and I am more than happy to reveal a few details about Falling for Hadie. First, Falling for Hadie is NOT a direct sequel to Impossible. Yes, it will be set in the same world and you will get glimpses of characters that you met in Impossible, but Falling for Hadie can be read as a stand-alone even if you haven't read Impossible.

As much as I love Ashton and Luca, the second book will not be about them. Falling for Hadie revolves around two new characters, Hadie Swinton (who we met in Impossible) and Lincoln Bracks (who I promise you will love just as much as Luca). Now, I didn't say you wouldn't see Luca and Ashton at all, just that the book isn't about them.

Next question: when will the second book be out? I'm currently writing it for NaNo and hope to have it done by the end of November. However, it won't be out until March/April 2013. I know! I'm sorry you have to wait so long, but there's something just as nice coming up soon.

Which brings me to my second release, Runaway Mortal. Runaway Mortal has been in the works for a VERY long time. Since late February 2011!

Runaway Mortal is a Young Adult Paranormal novel and is the first in a trilogy. The first book will be released in January/February 2013. I promise I will have a more specific release date when I get closer to a finished product. And a summary. There will be a summary too.

I hope that clears up some of your questions. Feel free to send me an email, or a message on Facebook or Twitter if you have any questions. :)

P.S. Thank you so much to everyone who bought a copy of Impossible, added it on Goodreads or told a friend!! And many thanks to the bloggers who have emailed me, messaged me and supported me! I am overwhelmed by the interest in it!

The past week in links!

Oh, gosh, wow. The last week has been chaotic to say the least. I didn't even realise that I hadn't posted anything since my last rushed, frantic post. Now, that I am a bit calmer, let me tell you what this week has been like for me.

I received such a wonderful response from friends. Everyone has been super supportive and encouraging and wonderful! I was so overwhelmed for an entire day that all I wanted to do was get into bed and crawl into the fetal position. But I didn't, because I had a lot of work to do. Which is the other thing. I have been flat out, insanely busy this month. I need a break! But I don't do breaks because NaNoWriMo starts tomorrow!

Omgoshiness! I am so freaking excited for NaNo! It's my first time participating, so I can't wait! Yay! My NaNo goal is to complete my novel, Falling for Hadie, at 60,000 words. Um, yeah. I'm kinda crazy. That's why I need your support! Make me accountable for my goals!

Oh, and I got some of my first reviews of Impossible! And they were great! I'm bracing myself for the bad too, because I know they will come. It's all part of the job. Still, the people that read it and said that they couldn't put it down, made my entire year (well, the two months that's left of it, anyway)!!!!

Now, let me direct you to a few links regarding my book, Impossible.

Romantic Maidens Book Tours are scheduling a book tour for me and Impossible. If you're interested, sign up here to participate!

You can add Impossible on Goodreads, here!

You can also purchase Impossible in the following places:

Amazon (Kindle version and paperback, although the paperback version seems to have disappeared for the time being)
Createspace (Paperback)
Smashwords (converts the book into several formats for e-devices)


Have a wonderful week!

Cover Reveal: Impossible

It's finally here! The cover for Impossible is ready! So I'm not going to delay it any further. I can't really type properly due to excitement, so please welcome the cover of Impossible!!

Isn't Stephanie Mooney a genius? I love, love, love it! Here's a look at the paperback version.

Now, I'm just going to go off and stare at it with googly eyes. I'll post something more coherent once I've recovered!

Impossible - Teaser #5 from Ashton's POV

Hello everyone!

I have a few announcements to make before I post this teaser. Let's begin with the title change of With Me. I loved, loved the name of the book, but once you see the book cover you will understand why I decided to change it. The book is now called Impossible, which was my original name for it. The series will still be called the With Me series because all the books in the series are about people being with each other (or in some cases, not being with each other). I have vague, vague plans to name the final book in the series With Me. That would be a few years from now though because there's a lot more to come from the With Me series.

Speaking of the cover, Oh My Gosh! I am in love with the cover! My cover designer, Stephanie Mooney is psychic, because I gave her a vague cover concept and she delivered in every way possible! She gave me two options, both of which I loved, but ultimately I had to make a choice. I hope y'all like my final cover! I promise I will share it with you just as soon as I receive the final copy!

Which brings me to the release date. I was hoping to get Impossible published over the weekend, but I can't do that without a cover. I would like to say that it will be published by next weekend but it all comes down to whether or not my cover is ready. Let's keep our fingers crossed!

Finally, giveaway! Hope Conquers is for a great cause and I want to give you a copy of Destiny Binds (which is an amazing book!) so please enter to support Tammy Blackwell's cause.

Finally, here is the teaser for this week. Enjoy!

“Ashton,” he said, a smirk on his lips. “If you keep looking at me like that then I’m gonna have to do something about it.”

My face flushed red hot, and I quickly handed him the glass. He watched me closely as I poured the lemonade into it, my hand shaking the entire time. Luca was having such a profound effect on me that I couldn’t even manage something as simple as pouring.

He quickly downed the glass and I refilled it, trying to get my shakes under control. At one point, Luca covered my hand with his to control the shaking, and I thought I was going to pass out from his proximity to me.

When he’d had a third glass, he handed it back to me and pulled his shirt from where he’d tucked it into the back of his jeans. His green eyes glinted as he wiped the sweat from his chest, his eyes never leaving mine. Not once did I look away—I don’t think I was capable of moving—and he seemed to be enjoying the attention I was giving him.

He stuck the shirt in the back of his jeans, a smile playing around his mouth.

“You haven’t said a word.” He leaned in closer until his lips were inches away from mine. “That’s not like you at all. Normally, you’d be calling me a freak by now. Are you sick?”

“Um…” Come on! I had to get a hold on myself. This was getting ridiculous. “I’m…just surprised, that’s all. What happened to the crazy hair and the ugly clothes?”

Luca shrugged. “It was time for a change. Why? Is it bothering you?” There was a playful hint to his voice, and I could tell he was teasing me. He was probably loving my reaction.

“No, why would it bother me?” I snapped.

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe you like what you see.”

“I do not!” I argued, but judging from his broadening grin, I could tell I didn’t sound too convincing.

 My critique partners both have crushes on Luca so that can only be a good thing!

Have a great weeks everyone! Happy reading!

You write books? When are you going to get a REAL job?

Last time I checked, writing was a full-time job. It's pretty real to me, so why do people ask this question? Is it to offend or because they're uninformed? Maybe they don't like books? Maybe they don't read and cannot begin to understand the importance of literature?

Whatever the reason, I am sure that more than one of you has experienced this type of prejudice. And it's not nice. Really, really not. The amount of time and effort that I've put into writing is ridiculous and I haven't even been paid for it yet! I've worked hard day and night to create something that I hope people will read and love with the prospect of never earning enough money from it to get by.

Why?

Because I love what I do. I have the best job in the world and I wouldn't have it any other way. There is no other job I could have in the entire world that would bring me this much joy. A little stress too, but what job isn't stressful? I have come to know amazing people through what I do. I've had the chance to read fantastic books before they've been published. I've critiqued the work of people who have made me stop and think, "Wow. This is one of the best parts of my job."

I wouldn't trade any of that for the world. The last two years of my life have been the most fulfilling. I've grown so much as a person and I've become a better writer. I have learnt so much from the rest of the publishing world. I am going to continue to grow. I am going to keep doing what I do because it makes me happy. I am going to keep doing it because I love it.

Maybe one day those same people will take back what they've said to me because they really were uninformed. Or maybe they won't. Either way, it doesn't bother me. I take the adversity with a smile and channel it into working one hundred times harder. So, thank you to the people who don't think writing is a REAL job. You're only giving me more fuel for my fire.

And maybe one day when you have an emergency and you need me to take you somewhere on my private jet...Okay, that part's definitely part of my imagination!

Writers, do not stop doing what you do. The world needs more dreamers and artists. We need more amazing books for the rest of us to lose ourselves in.

Giveaway for a Great Cause!

It's been a long time since I've had a giveaway so I thought I would make my giveaway comeback by taking part in a great cause. Until the end of October, 100% of Kindle edition sales made from Tammy Blackwell's novel, Destiny Binds, will go towards the Ronald McDonald House. Tammy puts it much better in her post, so I ask you to go and check it out here.

Now, this is where I come in. I really want to support this wonderful cause as I have lost a family member to cancer. What I will be doing is giving away FIVE Kindle editions of Destiny Binds to five lucky winners. Please support this great cause with us!

I also reviewed Destiny Binds earlier this year. Check out the review to see my thoughts on it.

Now, all you have to do is enter in the Rafflecopter below and spread the word about the giveaway. The giveaway is open internationally and will close October 28.

Good luck everyone!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Impossible - Teaser #4

This will probably be my final teaser for With Me because I would like to have it published by next weekend if everything goes well. It's so hard to pick teasers that aren't going to give away important parts of the story!

If you are a blogger and you would like to help me out by promoting my book on your blog, please send me an email at komalk.lewis(at)gmail(dot)com. I'd be happy to do any type of feature! And many thanks to the bloggers who have reached out to me already. You guys are fabulous!

Sometime within the next month I will be doing posts about the publishing process and what to expect from me next. I'll also be having a giveaway to celebrate the release of my book, so check back for that.

By the way, are there any NaNoers in the house? Link me to your profiles so we can NaNo together!

“Luca, don’t you look nice?” Kance cooed. Her expression was icy even though she was smiling at me. If snakes could smile that’s what it’d look like. That smile was cold and full of malice.

Oliver bristled beside her and shot me a look of pure hatred. I guess he was still holding something against me for standing up to him in front of his Neanderthal friends. Pretty boy needed to get over it already.

I set my mouth in a firm line, choosing to ignore Kance. She wasn’t worth my time and I wasn’t going to waste my breath making small talk with her. I just wanted to get the hell away from these people.

“Did you know Luca’s in a band?” Kendall asked, turning to Kance.

Kance shot me a look of pure revulsion. “Really? Is that why you’re talking to him in public? I thought I made it clear that we don’t associate with people like them.”

The way she referred to me made it sound like I was a dung beetle who attended high school.

Have a great week guys!

Review: The Owens Legacy: Revelations

The Owens Legacy: Revelations by Michelle Flick
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal
Published: February, 2012

When telepathic twins, Piper and Ryder Owens are dumped at Evermore Academy, they thought that the only thing they’d have to worry about was Piper staying out of trouble long enough for them to graduate. They will not, for any reason, be separated. But someone at Evermore knows about their secret and wants to separate them permanently.

But then Piper’s Achilles Heel shows up: a good looking guy. Victor Mira is everything Piper is supposed to avoid, yet she feels drawn to him in a way she never imagined. But Victor is hiding a dangerous secret too, and what he knows could be the one thing that could divide the sisters. Forever.

Michelle Flick's debut novel is a fresh take on the vampire lore that we have come to know. At a time, when the market is flooded with numerous vampire novels, I was glad to find that The Owens Legacy: Revelations has its own mythology.

What I really loved about this novel was the two main characters, Piper and Ryder. You can't deny how much the two of them grow on you, and I found myself 100% invested in what was happening to them.

And that ending! Oh my gosh! I'm still recovering from it! The twists that Michelle had skillfully woven into the story had me reeling. I can't wait to find out what comes next in this brilliant new series.

View all my reviews

Impossible - Teaser #3

Hey everyone! *waves*

Before I post this week's teaser, I wanted to share some exciting news with y'all. This week is the Launch Week over at A Dash of YA! If you haven't already done so, head on over there to enter in some super cool giveaways!

A Dash of YA is a blog for lovers of YA run by lovers of YA. You can expect plenty of fangirliness, book reviews, author interviews, giveaways, writing tips and much more! So, come and join Michelle, Erica, Molli and me on our brand new venture! :)

I also have some news about WITH ME to share. The fabulous Stephanie Mooney is designing the cover for it as we speak and I should be doing the cover reveal later on this week. Expect lots of exclamation marks and virtual squealing when that day comes.

My awesome, amazing critique partners Erica and Michelle have also finished editing WITH ME. In a matter of days! How freaking brilliant are they?! And you know the best part? They LOVED it! That makes me so happy! >insert squealing. Lots and lots of squealing<

At the moment, this is the part of WITH ME I'm revising so I thought I'd share it with you. Enjoy!

Ash placed a hand on her hip in an attempt to look stern. In reality, she just looked too darn cute. I wanted to pick her up and hold her against me. “Why are you ignoring me?”

I loved it when she was direct. It was so hot. “Because you piss me off constantly.”

“You are so immature.” Ash rolled her eyes and pushed past me to get inside.

“Hey!” I shut the door and hurried after her as she strode into the kitchen. Her hair flowed behind her like gold silk. “This is trespassing, you know?”

Ashton stopped and leaned against the counter, regarding me with amusement. “Then arrest me.” Her lips formed a teasing smile.

Have a wonderful, fabulous week!

Cover Reveal: The Faerie Guardian

Title: The Faerie Guardian
Author: Rachel Morgan
Release Date: 5 Nov 2012
Add to Goodreads

Protecting humans from dangerous magical creatures is all in a day’s work for a faerie training to be a guardian. Seventeen-year-old Violet Fairdale knows this better than anyone—she’s about to become the best guardian the Guild has seen in years. That is, until a cute human boy who can somehow see through her faerie glamour follows her into the fae realm. Now she’s broken Guild Law, a crime that could lead to her expulsion.

The last thing Vi wants to do is spend any more time with the boy who got her into this mess, but the Guild requires that she return Nate to his home and make him forget everything he’s discovered of the fae realm. Easy, right? Not when you factor in evil faeries, long-lost family members, and inconvenient feelings of the romantic kind. Vi is about to find herself tangled up in a dangerous plot—and it’ll take all her training to get out of it alive.

[This novel was originally published in four separate parts: Guardian, Labyrinth, Traitor and Masquerade. It includes bonus scenes at the end.]

Giveaway Time!

The bonus scenes at the end of the book are NOT written from the main character's point of view. If you'd like to win a $10 Amazon gift card, all you have to do is guess whose point of view these scenes are written from! Head on over to the cover reveal post at Rachel Morgan Writes and fill in the Rafflecopter form. There's a list of characters there that you can choose from. Good luck!

Book Release: He Came for Mine

He Came For Mine

Book Two in ‘The Protector Series’

By C.M. Brown

Available as and eBook at:

Smashwords

and

Amazon

Price: $2.99

Add He Came For Mine to your TBR list on Goodreads

For the next two weeks Carolyn is holding a Rafflecopter Draw on her Blog, to celebrate the following three reasons:

The release of Book Two in the Protector Series titled:

He Came For Mine

 One full year of Blogging!

&

 Twelve months since the launch of Book One in The Protector Series!

~~~~

Prizes will include:

One $20 AUD (Australian Dollars) Amazon Gift Card

One free eBook of Book Two in The Protector Series, He Came For Mine!
One free book cover illustration by Rebekah Romani

TO ENTER CLICK HERE!

Also, during the two week launch
Book One, in The Protector Series

He Came For Me

will be free as an eBook
to download
from
Smashwords

JUST USE THIS CODE: 
RF83E

Synopsis:

This book continues the story of Jazz and Sebastian's fated love affair.  Sebastian abandoned Jazz at the end of book one and returns to his home world of Aidensdein, which was burned to the ground when Jazz escaped from his nemesis Brennan.  He is kept busy rebuilding the city and restoring order to his people.

Unfortunately, Jazz is left alone to transform into a part-vampire and deliver their child on her own.  Seb, of course does not know that she is even pregnant when he leaves her.  As Jazz tries to survive the changes to her own body and raise a young vampire, she finds herself being drawn into a relationship with someone who looks very much like Seb.  Can she trust this stranger, or should she be wary?

SHORT BLURB:

Fending for herself for almost two years, Jazz worries she will never see Sebastian again.

A new man enters her life,

But does he hold a secret?

Will Jazz trust him?

 ~~~~

Sebastian discovers an ancient ritual which must be performed on the Chosen One's son before his first birthday.

He returns to Earth to find Jazz in the arms of another man.

A man he knows very well.

A man he doesn't trust!

About Carolyn Brown

I live on the beautiful Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia and love the beach lifestyle.  I try to share some of the wonders of this area with my readers, in the content of my books.

I am happily married and have two children, one in university the other in his second last year of High School.

Many years spent supporting high school students with Learning Difficulties has inspired me to take on the challenge of writing, which I am finding I am enjoying immensely.  I spend my free time reading and writing and try to relax on the beautiful beaches I live near, walking my dog and swimming, at every possible opportunity.

I love and am drawn to the dark and mysterious things that go bump in the night and love writing in the paranormal romance genre for New Adults as I enjoy enticing my audience with small hints of sexual fantasy.

Connect with Carolyn Online:

Smashwords

 My Blog

My Author Page

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