Sunday, October 22, 2017

Audio Excerpt & Promo: Air and Ash by Alex Lidell



Author: Alex Lidell
Narrator: Kaitlin Bellamy
Length: 6 hours and 57 minutes
Publisher: Danger Bearing Press
Released: Sep. 8, 2017
Genre: YA Fantasy
 



 
Master and Commander meets Sarah J Maas in a seafaring adventure of duty, love, magic, and a princess’s quest to protect her kingdom on her own terms.

After a lifetime of training, 17-year-old Princess Nile Greysik, a lieutenant on the prestigious Ashing navy flagship, sails into battle with one vital mission – and fails.

Barred from the sea and facing a political marriage, Nile masquerades as a common sailor on the first ship she can find. With a cowardly captain, incompetent crew, and a cruel, too-handsome first officer intent on making her life a living hell, Nile must hide her identity while trying to turn the sorry frigate battle worthy. Worse, a terrifying and forbidden magic now tingles in Nile’s blood. If anyone catches wind of who Nile is or what she can do, her life is over.

But when disaster threatens the ship, Nile may have no choice but to unleash the truth that will curse her future.

Air and Ash is the thrilling first installment of the TIDES series. Recommended for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Tamora Pierce, and David Weber.

   



 
 
Alex Lidell is the author of Amazon best sellers AIR AND ASH and WAR AND WIND (Danger Bearing Press, 2017) and an Amazon Breakout Novel Awards finalist author of THE CADET OF TILDOR (Penguin, 2013). She is an avid horseback rider, a (bad) hockey player, and an ice-cream addict. Born in Russia, Alex learned English in elementary school, where a thoughtful librarian placed a copy of Tamora Pierce’s ALANNA in Alex’s hands. In addition to becoming the first English book Alex read for fun, ALANNA started Alex’s life long love for YA fantasy books.
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Narrator Bio
 
Kaitlin Bellamy is a freelance performer and acting coach residing in Central Florida, with a theatrical history spanning more than twenty-five years. Since relocating to Orlando in 2012, she has worked at multiple theme parks and various theatrical venues, in a career style she calls “Buffet Performing:” or, the idea of keeping several jobs active at any given time, so she may pick and choose where to work, and life never gets boring. Her specialties include Shakespeare, Voice Acting, and Puppetry. But above all, she is passionate about the performing arts, and all they stand for.
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Q&A with Author Alex Lidell
  • Was a possible audiobook recording something you were conscious of while writing?
    • At the time I was writing AIR AND ASH, no. But now that I am on the third book in the series, having heard Kaitlin narrate AIR AND ASH, I do hear the characters speaking in her voice as I write.
  • How did you select your narrator?
    • I listed to sample reels of many narrators and then invited Kaitlin to audition. I really like the range of emotions and undertones she has within each character’s voice.
  • How closely did you work with your narrator before and during the recording process? Did you give them any pronunciation tips or special insight into the characters?
    • Very closely! I was really shy about sending her an audio file of my voice pronouncing some words, but it worked :) We also have a shared google doc with character descriptions and we spent some time on the phone “auditioning” character voices. It was one of my favorite parts of the process and the reason I SO love working with Kaitlin.
  • How do you manage to avoid burn-out? What do you do to maintain your enthusiasm for writing?
    • Often by listening to audiobooks or watching some TV shows with the right atmosphere, and then analyzing the story/plot. What did I like about it? Why did I keep watching and listening? How can I apply that fun thing that got me excited to my own writing?
  • Are you an audiobook listener? What about the audiobook format appeals to you?
    • I’m a HUGE listener. I fell in love with audiobooks listening to Master and Commander, where the narrator helped me understand some of the technical seamanship. My favorite narrator (aside from Kaitlin of course!) is Jennifer Ikeda
  • What do you say to those who view listening to audiobooks as “cheating” or as inferior to “real reading”?
    • I say Safety First! When I get into a book, I can’t pull away from it - so I end up walking down the street, reading my phone (yeah, i’m one of those horrible people). With audiobooks I can walk and listen!
  • How did you celebrate after finishing this novel?
    • I have a habit of traveling to meet people who I’ve e-met during the writing process. After finishing WAR AND WIND (TIDES book 2), I went to see Rachel E Carter in CA. And in October I’m going to go see Kaitlin to celebrate AIR AND ASH audio.
  • In your opinion, what are the pros and cons of writing a stand-alone novel vs. writing a series?
    • I think YA fantasy fans are often comfortable with a series - I know I am - and expect it. Other genres have different fan bases. From an author perspective, a series lets me tell more complex overall stories, but makes logistics difficult. IE in book one, the distance between A and B might not matter so I say “umm, half a day by horse, sure, why not”. And then in book 3 it becomes vitally important that it take a WEEK to get from A to B,... and I have to somehow deal :)
  • Do you have any tips for authors going through the process of turning their books into audiobooks?
    • Talk to your narrator and make sure you click as professionals. I really lucked out with Kaitlin because of her excitement level and flexibility - but some people prefer to have more “distance”. It was a match with Kaitlin herself, not just her voice, that finally closed the deal for me
  • What’s next for you?
    • WAR AND WIND (Tides 2) comes out in audio in December. SEA AND SAND (Tides 3) comes out in print/ebook in January!


 
Oct. 18th: The Audiobookworm 
  Oct. 19th: Lomeraniel 
  Oct. 22nd: What Is That Book About 


 
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Friday, October 20, 2017

Book Blitz: Temptation and Treachery by Sahara Roberts


Title: Temptation and Treachery
Author: Sahara Roberts
Genre/Age: Romantic Suspense/Adult
Series: Dangerous Desires (Book Three)
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Links: Goodreads
Synopsis: Andres “Rio” Rivera became his ICE profile years ago. Cold and calculating, he never promises anything beyond right now. But when he ends up with a cancelled flight and a shared hotel room with the secretive Celeste Patron, the fire behind Celeste’s buttoned-up exterior melts every barrier. He may only have her for one night, but that’s long enough to make her every fantasy come true.
A fat raindrop slapped his shoulder while two hit the ground ahead of them. In seconds, rain pelted the sidewalk around them. She shrieked, stuffing the container in her bag as she huddled into her coat. With one quick move, he looped an arm around her waist and ducked into the doorway of a closed store, her shoes dragging on reluctant steps.

The deep-set entrance offered enough shelter for them both, if they crowded into a corner. The single, wide step brought her to eye level, and a devilish streak made him want to goad her now that he had a captive audience. “That depends,” he said, studying her startled expression. “Were you actually going to read, or were you planning on doing surveillance?”

“I-I don’t know what you mean.” Her eyes widened until the blue irises floated in a sea of white.

“Really…” He layered in enough doubt to make her chew her bottom lip. So that’s how she was going to play it. Fine. Pushing a woman like her, sweet and a little innocent, could go one of two ways. She would either be shocked and disgusted or intrigued and turned on. He’d be damned if he didn’t find out how she rolled.
Sahara Roberts caught the writing bug early in life. She enjoys writing Romantic Suspense and Contemporary Romance. Her days are filled with international trade issues (the legal kind) and her evenings writing steamy romance. She is currently working on the fourth novel in the Dangerous Desires series and plotting a contemporary romance series.

When she's not at her usual hangout, Savvy Authors, she enjoys socializing on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest and her website, or watching APB, The Blacklist, and The Walking Dead (Following Daryl). Sahara lives in South Texas with her husband and a very spoiled cat. She enjoys cooking, baking, and cake decorating, but she would certainly prefer to have someone else do the dishes.

The book is on sale for only $0.99!

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Excerpt & Tour: The Achlivan Cycle Series by Silver Dagger Tours


Displaced
The Achlivan Cycle Book 1
by Cloud S. Riser
Genre: SciFi, YA Romance

Chevelle Donahue thought going into work would be just like any other boring day at the mall. Sure, there was her annoying co-worker Wicken Sanders, and a promotional visit from teen heartthrob Timber Hudson, to watch and keep her entertained. But who was she kidding? Working retail was lame no matter what happened. A terrorist attack changes everything - an attack from aliens of all things. The patrons are given two options: comply or else. Complying means giving in to a new set of rules and changing her entire life. "Or else" means she has no chance of going home again. She must figure out the truth behind why the aliens are holding everyone hostage. In doing so, she risks her chance at freedom - but by the time she learns what's really happening, she might not want it.

**FREE on Amazon!**


Invited
The Achlivan Cycle Book 2

It's been three months since Chevelle Donahue, Wicken Sanders, and Timber Hudson were taken from Earth by the Achlivans - an alien race kidnapping humans in the name of preserving as much of Earth as possible before it is destroyed.

 Wicken has been sold to another alien race - The Gorgachan - and their way of life is no where near as peaceful as the Utopia the Achlivans have set up. While he tries to figure out a way back home to his beloved Chevelle, he is caught in the middle of a fight that shouldn't involve him. 

 Meanwhile, Chevelle and Timber work together to find a way to bring Wicken back home again, along with how they can save their families back on Earth. Someone on the Achlivan ship is working against them and their happily ever after. Timber and Chevelle must choose between their own desires and doing the right thing - and each must prepare to give the performance of their lives if they're going to survive.

 **On Sale for the tour!!**


Sheltered
The Achlivan Cycle Book 3

The exciting conclusion to the Achlivan Cycle!

 Timber Hudson must come to terms with the loss of his family and friends while at the same time being tasked with his greatest challenge: saving humanity from becoming mindless drones. It'd be a lot easier if Rumor would keep her nose in her own business and in prison where it belongs.

 Meanwhile, Chevelle and Wicken must choose sides. One offers them the chance to rebuild Earth from the ground up, and the other will return them to Sanctuary to be with their family and friends. Neither choice is as black and white as it seems.

 And all must face great dangers.

Goodreads * Amazon
Displaced:

I DON’T KNOW what I was thinking when I chose to escape through the hallway instead of face my enemy. Was I afraid for my life? You bet, but it was more than that. I guess I would have rather been shot down trying to be free than taken hostage. In the end, my actions didn’t seem to make much of a difference in my fate.

The first thing I had to do was push Chevelle out of my mind. Was I disappointed she decided to not come with me? Yes. Did I understand why? Definitely. She was scared. We all were. I had to respect her decision to stay behind and face whatever was ahead of her. Maybe she ended up making the better choice, maybe she didn’t. If I thought too much about her while I was trying to get away, I know I would have caved and gone back to her. I love her. Leaving her behind was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. Somehow, I thought if I could get free, that would be the best way to help her.

The halls behind the stores at the mall would make a great setting for a horror movie. The ceiling wasn’t tiled over like the rest of the mall, so if you looked up, you saw all of the insulation and pipe work. Fascinating stuff, let me tell you. The halls themselves had some of the rust from the pipes overflowing onto them, so they have bizarre red tentacles splaying over the sheetrock. That’s not the scariest part, though. No, that award goes to the trash chute. It’s about the size of an elevator and would be a fantastic place to dump bodies. I certainly was always extra aware of where I placed myself anytime I went to throw any garbage away for the store.

My plan was to see if I could get to a stairwell. I figured that since the power was off that meant the cargo elevator would be out of order. Stairs were always the best bet. From there I could get down to the garbage incinerator which was close to a massive truck loading center. Easy, right? Wrong.

The back halls were a lot like a maze. It’s hard to tell just where you’re going with the lights on. With the lights off, it’s even worse. My cell phone put off a good amount of glow for me to work with, but it didn’t hit the higher points of the halls where the signs were. This of course meant I had to work off of memory. I’d been back there enough times to have a good idea of what I was doing, but the adrenaline of the situation was more or less blocking my better judgment and memory. If anyone had asked me my name, I probably wouldn’t have been able to answer, I was that freaked out.

My hands were shaking; my entire body was shaking, and sweating. So badly in fact, that my cell phone fell out of my hands and broke apart. The thing was always a piece of junk anyway.

I got down onto my knees and frantically started to search for the pieces, the darkness enveloping me, suffocating me, and making my isolation complete. If the battery had only popped out of the device, I could fix it and get moving again. My fingers had just wrapped around the casing of the phone when I heard solid footsteps coming my way from in front of me. Then I saw the glowing blue light and the ghostly thin face of its carrier.

Get up and run, or stay and forfeit. Neither option sounded all too great. I’m not a quitter, but I’m also not a coward. If I thought I stood a chance in a fight against the guy, I would have plowed through him, stolen his light, and bailed. The thing is, I’ve never been a fighter. Sure, I come across as tough, but I like to use my brain over my brawn any day. Why? Because it’ll keep me alive longer.

Plus, the guy was pointing a gun at me.

As much as I want to say I’m a noble hero, willing to die for my cause, and all that poetic stuff, I’m not. People who aren’t afraid of death really have a lot of guts, let me tell you. They also believe strongly for whatever they’re dying for. It wasn’t my time. There was a lot I still needed to do, and one of those things was protect Chevelle.

I placed my hands up, staring into the eyes of the man in front of me. There was a softness in his gaze, and that made me a little less afraid. But then I noticed how tall he was. Like, he had to be at least eight-foot-five, and skinny. Lean muscle covered his body, but I’m pretty sure I was wider than he was all the same. It wasn’t normal, natural or...human.

He flicked his fingers upward and I stood. Then he circled around me like some kind of bird of prey, nodding every so often. Cuffs appeared in his hands like magic. Yeah, those were for me.
Cloud S. Riser is a Minnesota native. She has lived in Minnesota her whole life. She will probably remain there for her whole life too. The mother of The Squid, Skyscraper, and two cats, her life is definitely never dull. An adventure she braves with her husband. In order to stay sane, she creates massive amounts of fiction which she has decided to share with the rest of the world for the simple reason of: she is a storyteller.


Follow the tour HERE for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!
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Thursday, October 19, 2017

Review & Blitz: The Manny by Piper Rayne


Title: The Manny
Author: Piper Rayne
Genre/Age: Contemporary Romance/Adult
Series: Dirty Truths (Book One)
Publisher: Self-published
Format: ebook via Enticing Journey
Rating: ✺✺✺✺.5
Links: Goodreads
Synopsis: Secrets and lies are a killer way to start any partnership—especially a horizontal one.

Now, I’m a glass half full kinda of guy, so, after the ‘you’re fired’ speech was directed at me, I figure now’s the time to be the screenwriter I came to sunny California to be. Unfortunately, there are about as many people trying to sell a script in L.A. as there are vegans in the pacific northwest. 

But lucky for me, a few weeks ago my agent found an investor for my script. Hooray, all my problems are solved! NOT. 

Because the investor will only agree to fund my film if I use one specific actress. And that one specific actress? Well of course, it just has to be the same actress I screwed over only months before. But she doesn’t need to know about that one tiny detail, does she? All that matters is getting her to agree to do the film and I’ll do whatever it takes. We can leave the past, in the past, right?

I thought my charm would win her over. Never would I have been prepared for the terms she laid out on the table. 

She needed a nanny.
I needed a lead actress.
Somehow I became The Manny.

Piper Rayne, or Piper and Rayne, whichever you prefer because we’re not one author, we’re two. Yep, you get two established authors for the price of one. You might be wondering if you know us? Maybe you’ll read our books and figure it out. Maybe you won’t. Does it really matter?

We aren’t trying to stamp ourselves with a top-secret label. We wanted to write without apology. We wanted to not be pigeon holed into a specific outline. We wanted to give readers a story without them assuming how the story will flow. Everyone has their favorite authors, right? And when you pick up their books, you expect something from them. Whether it’s an alpha male, heavy angst, a happily ever after, there’s something you are absolutely certain the book will contain. Heck, we’re readers, too, we get it.

What can we tell you about ourselves? We both have kindle’s full of one-clickable books. We're both married to husbands who drive us to drink. We're both chauffeurs to our kids. Most of all, we love hot heroes and quirky heroines that make us laugh, and we hope you do, too.

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**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book.**

Dirty secrets, dirty diapers, and dirty...cookies?
Image result for yum gif

 When Vance finds an investor to turn his script into a movie, he's surprised to learn that there is a firm stipulation: he must cast the lead role to a specific actress. But he's worried she won't agree once she learns he was responsible for taking another role away from her. The only silver lining is that she doesn't know it was him...for now.

 Layla is stuck in a bind when her nanny quits. Another one. And now the childcare agency says that they have no one else to send. What is a working mother to do? Whatever it takes. So when a man comes around with a script and a determination to make her the lead actress, she does some bartering of her own. If he wants her to act in his movie, then he has to be her manny.

 Changing diapers and chasing after preschoolers isn't exactly what Vance had in mind when he met the gorgeous actress. He'd rather be chasing her. Around the bed. While naked. Yet, as he starts to get to know the rascal son and sweet baby girl, he realizes it isn't just the woman he's falling for. It's the whole domestic package. But can their new bond survive once she learns the truth about him?

 When I first started reading this book, I was wondering how Vance would end up playing the manny role. I was skeptical for a bit, hoping it wouldn't feel forced. Then when our man meets the son, I immediately understood where it was going. The boy was missing an adult male role model and Vance fit the role. It was rather adorable really and their interactions made me smile several times.

 Layla was a surprisingly steady character with a lot on her shoulders. Somehow, she managed to win me over from the first scene. Her dedication to her children was heartwarming and something I wasn't expecting out of an actress in Hollywood. I empathized with her situation and wanted her and Vance to work from the start.

 As with every book I've read by these authors, there wasn't a minute of the story where I was bored or considered putting it down. Even in the moments of downtime, the writing kept me glued to the digital pages. I did find Layla's reaction to the secret to be pretty predictable though. I wish more authors would stray away from the argument-leads-to-pathetic-and-miserable-separation theme as it gets overused. But the ending was somewhat unique with Vance's surprise confession.

 The romance was certainly of the spicy sort, exactly what I expect when I read one of these books. I've read very few authors who do bedroom scenes as well as this pair do. They're always hot and intense and fabulous. No complaints from me this time either. Vance and Layla were actually on the more reserved side compared to some couples in other series by these authors. And they were still pretty hot.  


In closing... 
I am looking forward to seeing who snags Leo's heart. I'm on the fence about whether I like Jagger or not. He reminds me of Dane and I hope it won't be deja vu when I get to his story. My fingers are crossed. 4.5 suns!


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