Devon Ashley's Blog, page 18

Yep, they've all succumbed...finally. Go to the Official Book Page to see all the links. Normally, the school creates the hunters - not the monsters.
Abby Sorrensten likes to play rough. Ripping the horns off the heads of demons, manipulating lightning and setting things on fire with the flick of your wrist can give you a serious rush. So she probably wasn't the best choice for the Order's experimental training program. Thirteen years of isolation, lack of affection and a bruised and broken body from horrendous training sessions creates more than just an exceptional fighter. It creates an evil within - an evil responsible for the several deaths the night she left.
Two hundred years later Abby resurfaces as the very thing the Order trained her to kill: a vampire. A mythical demon has set his sights on the school and only the ordained hunter has the powers to face it. Unbenknownst to the Order, Abby's their precious ordained one and their only chance for survival. As much as she would love to leave them hanging, she's not willing to risk the life of Emily, a fellow friend and hunter also fed up with the organization.
But for Abby, locking herself away in a fortress filled with angry descendents of those she killed causes suspicions and tensions to run high. Abby must learn the demon's weaknesses for battle before the Order learns hers. 

The Lost Prince (The Iron Fey : Call of the Forgotten #1)
Julie Kagawa
Exp. Pub: October 23, 2012 TOMORROW!!!

Don't look at Them. Never let Them know you can see Them. That is Ethan Chase's unbreakable rule. Until the fey he avoids at all costs—including his reputation—begin to disappear, and Ethan is attacked. Now he must change the rules to protect his family. To save a girl he never thought he'd dare to fall for.

Ethan thought he had protected himself from his older sister's world—the land of Faery. His previous time in the Iron Realm left him with nothing but fear and disgust for the world Meghan Chase has made her home, a land of myth and talking cats, of magic and seductive enemies. But when destiny comes for Ethan, there is no escape from a danger long, long forgotten.
Ever since his horrifying trip to the Nevernever as a kid, Ethan Chase has been haunted by the Fey. He tries to pretend he can't see them, but when he slips, they cause endless trouble for him. So it's no wonder he pushes people away. Cue Kenzie - Little Miss Do-Getter that attends the school Ethan just started. She's constantly following and pestering him for an interview for the school paper, and just happens to see Ethan have a heated conversation with an invisible assailant. And when a classmate goes missing and Ethan's trying to save him, Kenzie latches on like a blood-sucking leech and gets dragged along when Ethan escapes to the Nevernever via an emergency route his sister Megan left him. Ethan wants nothing more than to sink into oblivion, but his nagging conscience forces him to help his missing classmate, a half-fey that was being chased down by these new essence-sucking fey. They need glamour to survive and are preying on the outcasts in the mortal world. He's determined to tell his sister, Queen of the Iron Fey, about the new fey and let her deal with the problem and get back home again. Like always for a member of the Chase family, things go awry and Ethan's trip back home is long, tedious and filled with neverending tribulations, and it all begins with Keirran, the other Iron Prince.
Yeah, in case you haven't caught on yet, I don't particularly care for Kenzie. She's so unlikable - spoiled, bratty, and throws herself upon others cause she won't take no for an answer - apparently she's entitled to know the answers to her questions, regardless of whether or not someone is interested in telling her. She stalks Ethan to the point that I could only see her as desperate and annoying. For the life of me, I still can not figure out why Ethan is attracted to this girl, and I'm still not convinced there's a legitimate reason other than her being physically attractive. And I'm sorry, but by the time we learned about her secret, her plight didn't draw any sympathy from me, I disliked her that much. And sadly, she's nothing but a hindrance - she can't take care of herself so the Fey are always getting the upper hand and use her weakness to keep Ethan in line. Seriously Ethan! Cut the chord and save the day already. Little Miss Damsel in Distress does nothing but ruin your day and get you hurt.

I was actually disappointed by several characters in this novel. Ethan was fine, cause his past life has definitely strained his life and relationships, so the brooding, get-the-hell-away-from-me-before-the-fey-lash-out-at-you attitude is completely justified. Keirran seemed a little blah and self-involved, and his only redeeming quality involved his choice of a secret lover. (What can I say? The apple doesn't fall from the tree.) But I loved getting to see Ash and Megan as experienced parents, and ruling has definitely hardened them slightly, but their demands are only meant to protect the stubborn Iron Princes who have no idea of the prophecy that was laid out in The Iron Prophecy. And Puck and Grimalkin were just as fun and confusing as I remembered. The weakness of the new characters won't keep me from continuing the series, but I wish they had as much depth as their predecessors. Still, it's my love for anything written by Julie Kagawa that scores this four dreamcatchers. Read it, love it, and be prepared to put up with the most annoying love interest you've ever had to read about.

  ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley. 

Ember (Death Collectors #1)
Jessica Sorrensen
Pub.: August 29, 2012

What if you knew when someone was going to die?

For seventeen-year-old Ember, life is death. With a simple touch, she knows when someone will die. It’s her curse and the reason she secludes herself from the world. The only person who knows her secret is her best friend Raven.

Then she meets Asher Morgan. He’s gorgeous, mysterious, and is the only person Ember can't sense death from. So when he pushes into her life, she doesn’t mind.

But when unexplained deaths start to haunt her town, Ember starts questioning why she can’t sense Asher's death and what he may be hiding.
Haunted by death with just the slightest touch, it's no wonder poor Ember's become quite the recluse. Haunted with the ability to see one's death by simply touching their skin, Ember's learned to minimize contact through the years, but Lord help her when she finds herself in a crowd and unable to do so. Seeing flashes of her friend's and family's demise still makes her cringe, let alone anyone else that accidentally bumps into her. And it doesn't help that the Grim Reaper that used to be her "imaginary friend" in childhood has made a sudden reappearance in her life the same time two strange boys join the neighborhood. One shows no death at all, the other, flashes a plethora of deaths nonstop.  And because her condition is so weird, Ember's only ever told her best friend Raven about her ability, and figured there was no way to cheat death, so why bother telling people about their fatal day? Until the day she experienced her own death just as forseen, but lived to question herself. Raven also surprisingly survived the night and it's clear she's keeping secrets about what really happened. With two new boys in town suddenly interested in wooing Ember, her best friend's new erradic behavior, her home life falling deeper into despair and a Grim Reaper stalking her and whispering in her ear to end the lives of others, Ember's about ready to lose her mind. And if she doesn't figure the way out of the web of lies entrapping her, it's possible she could lose a lot more than that. Ember was a pretty cool read, and this was the first novel I've read by Jessica Sorrensen. I don't wanna give away too much about what's really going on, but I loved the way the different collectors of death were weaved into the story. Sorta like the new angel - fallen angel - nephilum debacle. I figured out the end pretty early on, and I was really hoping to be thrown for a loop by the roles of the good guy vs. the bad guy being reversed...I'll let you read to find out if they were. <evil grin>
I do wish Ember would've figured it all out a little quicker than she did. She aggressively researched the Angels of Death and Grim Reapers, learning how they were the collectors of good and evil souls. All her life she could touch someone and see their death, but she hardly flinched when one new guy had a thousand deaths and the other had none at all. She brushed it off thinking her sight was all wonky. It just felt 'off' that she didn't even consider the possibility that the newcomer wore the deaths of thousands cause he collected them. Instead of Ember playing the fool in that aspect, I would've liked to have seen her figure it out ahead of time and call them out on it, instead of falling prey to their antics. Regardless, I still really liked Ember and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens in the next installment of the Death Collectors.   Novel provided by author for honest review. 

Ashen Winter
Mike Mullin
Exp. Pub.: October 16, 2012 TODAY!!!

It’s been over six months since the eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano. Alex and Darla have been staying with Alex’s relatives, trying to cope with the new reality of the primitive world so vividly portrayed in Ashfall, the first book in this series. It’s also been six months of waiting for Alex’s parents to return from Iowa. Alex and Darla decide they can wait no longer and must retrace their journey into Iowa to find and bring back Alex’s parents to the tenuous safety of Illinois. But the landscape they cross is even more perilous than before, with life-and-death battles for food and power between the remaining communities. When the unthinkable happens, Alex must find new reserves of strength and determination to survive.
So Ashfall was pretty awesome, with Alex running for his life from the supervolcano that covered his part of the world with ash, so I had pretty high expectations of Ashen Winter. I've had this book forever and kept pushing it off. Not that I wasn't expecting it to be awesome too, but you have to be in the right mind set to read one of Mike Mullin's books, cause the descriptions and horrors within are so spot-on and realistic, it's hard not imagine this could happen in reality any day now, and that's just disburbing...The worst things you can think of that would happen in a desperate world, yep, they happen. People easily kill others for their supplies, women are stolen and sold as sexual slaves, patches of people become cannibals and eat your friends to survive, and of course the local militia, who are supposed to protect you, become corrupt and are easily bribed to look the other way. This is the horrible new world. When a group of bandits threaten the farmsted, one of the shotguns used to attack them belonged to Alex's father. When he learns his parents are most likely back in the same horrible camp he and Darla escaped from the year before, they set off to rescue them, navigating this cruel new world. They happen upon trully unimaginable horrors, which I'm gonna let you discover for yourself, and combine their efforts with a few more teenagers, which are usually more of a hinderance than helpful.  By the end, I trully disliked Alex's mother. She was willing to risk her life and stay in that horrible camp to keep the young girls safe and force Alex to stay too, but the moment she was free and it was Alex's turn to save a girl, she fought him tooth and nail to return to the farmsted and forget about his meaningless teenage romantic interest...trully wanted to smack the witch. Nothing he could say could convince her how important Darla was to him. And the more I read, the more I began to feel like I was in an episode of Jericho, with the towns ready to decimate one another just to get their reserves, which is clearly where book three is headed. If you were able to stomach the first, you'll love the second as well, though your stomach will be just as quesy, if not a little more. But hey, it's a good lesson of survival should something similar ever happen in our lifetime.   ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley for honest review.

This week on the Writer's Block we have the sassy Rebecca A. Rogers. One of my partners in crime, total coffee-aholic, and writing whiz. Seriously...the books are just flying off the laptop.
 
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What was your favorite book as a kid? I was really obsessed with the Little House on the Prairie series. I read a few Anne of Avonlea and Chronicles of Narnia books, and then, of course, the Harry Potter series, but I don’t recall having a favorite. I guess I just loved them all! :)
If you were stranded on a desert island what is the one book you couldn't be stranded without? The Lord of the Rings (in complete trilogy form, which is one book). :D
What is your favorite genre to read and what makes it so awesome? It’s going to be Fantasy for me. I just love hanging out with elves or dwarves, or other creatures that don’t exist. It’s amazing how, if one believes hard enough, they can transport themselves to these other worlds.
If you could meet any dead person, who would you choose? Any particular reason why? J.R.R. Tolkien. Who wouldn’t want to tap into that man’s imagination?
If the Earth suddenly became uninhabitable, would you rather live under the sea or in space? In space, most definitely. If the air/land on Earth is too toxic, why would I want to live under the sea?
If you could live in any time period other than the present, which would you choose and why? I normally respond to this with “Medieval Times,” but I think I’d actually like to live in the Renaissance time period. Everything was a bit brighter and less depressing.
Take us through a typical writing day for you. Do you have anything quirky - like you have to have a certain pen to write with, or the desk laid out in a particular manner, does it need to be raining, do you require a certain food/drink/candy to work by? I absolutely have to have coffee; it’s like putting gas in a car for me. If my tank is empty, you can bet my engine will start, sputter, and go dead. :) Other than coffee, nothing has to be in a particular order on my desk, but I do prefer lighting candles to keep the atmosphere calm.
What do you do when you experience that lovely problem called writer's block? Move past it. If I know what happens ahead of where I’m at, then I’ll just write those scenes and come back to where I stopped. Usually, it works out.
When you were little, what did you think you'd be when you grew up? A princess who lived in a castle. (I still want to buy a castle! lol)
What is the craziest dream you've ever had? I still remember this dream I had as a kid, where I was in the ocean and being chased by sharks. They continually circled around me, and, finally, one bit my leg. Well, in real life, I bit the inside of my cheek (and didn’t know it). So, in the dream, I could taste blood from where the shark “bit” me, and when I woke up, I could definitely taste it, too. Ewww!
If you could live anywhere in the world you'd like, where would that be and why? Scotland or England. My ancestors originated in Scotland, and I’ve always thought both Scotland and England are beautiful countries. But I swear I’m going to own a castle in one of them someday! lol
What food/drink would absolutely devastate you if they stopped production on? Dunkin Donuts coffee.
Do you like to listen to music when you read or write? Tell us a few of your favorites. Sometimes, but the majority of the time, no. Favorites? Safetysuit and Tokyo Hotel. Their lyrics are poetic, in my opinion.
Which is your favorite fairytale? Beauty and the Beast. As a child, Belle reminded me of myself.
Which book are you most looking forward to reading this year? I have so many ARCs to finish reading this year. I’m backed up so much, it’s not even funny. I’m sure the publishers are like, “Gahhh. What’s wrong with this girl?” But next year, I’m skipping ARCs and focusing on the 650+ books I own. :)
Which do you prefer: ebook, hardback or paperback? I like all three, actually. I guess, for convenience, e-books are the way to go. You can continually add to your e-shelves and never have to worry about running out of room. At least, for a while.
This or That
Underworld or Twilight
Original or Remake
Sweet or Salty
Drama or Comedy
Fantasy or Romance
Spring or Autumn
Movie Theatre or Loveseat
Tea or Coffee
Rain or Sunshine

Choose a challenge...if you dare!
Write a sentence using all these words: joker, fireball, backpack, sticker, hula hoop: The last time I pressed a sticker on my backpack, the joker hurled a fireball through my hula hoop.
(Oh, my God. What am I doing?)
Write a sentence using all these words: wolf pack, mirror, pop rocks, cuckoo clock, Edward Cullen, hairspray: Edward Cullen looks at himself in the mirror and uses a cuckoo clock to spritz his hair with hairspray every time the wolf pack eats pop rocks.
(Wow, I need to stop.)
Write a sentence using all these words: lovebirds, Twizzlers, fireworks, Ferris wheel, turtle: Two lovebirds take their pet turtle on a Ferris wheel, while eating Twizzlers and watching fireworks color the blackened sky.
(Okay, this was better. lol)
Go to http://madglibs.com and fill in a mad lib using people, places, etc from one of your books. Copy and paste here to share with us. Don't forget to tell us which book you used!
Okay, I’ll go ahead and use Silver Moon. In keeping with the “Romeo and Juliet” theme, I’ll do the R&J Prologue Mad Lib, using these words: werewolves, Hartford, werewolf, lovers, magic, magical, transform, 6, golden, eyes, linger
Here it is:

Two werewolves, both alike in dignity,
In fair Hartford, where we lay our scene,
From ancient werewolf break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life;
Whole misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their magic bury their parents’ strife.
The fearful passage of their magical love,
And the continuance of their parents’ rage,
Which, but their children’s end, nought could transform,
Is now the 6 hours’ traffic of our stage;
The which if you with golden eyes attend,
What here shall linger, our toil shall strive to mend.

Well, that worked out quite well after all. lol


Rebecca has a ton of books, so check out the full list at her website or GoodReads.

Mystic City
Theo Lawrence
Exp. Pub: October 9, 2012 TODAY!!!

Aria Rose, youngest scion of one of Mystic City's two ruling rival families, finds herself betrothed to Thomas Foster, the son of her parents' sworn enemies. The union of the two will end the generations-long political feud—and unite all those living in the Aeries, the privileged upper reaches of the city, against the banished mystics who dwell below in the Depths. But Aria doesn't remember falling in love with Thomas; in fact, she wakes one day with huge gaps in her memory. And she can't conceive why her parents would have agreed to unite with the Fosters in the first place. Only when Aria meets Hunter, a gorgeous rebel mystic from the Depths, does she start to have glimmers of recollection—and to understand that he holds the key to unlocking her past. The choices she makes can save or doom the city—including herself.
Wowsers. It's been a few months since I read a book this awesome.
Aria wakes up to learn she OD'd on Stic, a drug made from Mystic power that, depending on the provider's essence, can be strong enough to kill you. Along with the memory of actually taking the drug, goes all her memories of a trysted love affair with Thomas, the son of her family's sworn enemy. Her family says she loved him enough to defy all their beliefs, but now the two families are willing to reconciliate, with their marriage bringing a divided city together. There's a third party, the Mystics, on the rise threatening to bump them off their high horses, and they're desperate enough to allow this union to occur, if it'll mean keeping their lavish lifestyles. The Mystics are humans with magical essences that can allow them to do some pretty amazing things, like pass through solid walls, shapeshift, manipulate molecular structures, etc, and the normal humans fear their power. Law requires the Mystics to be drained of their power twice a year, which is then used to fuel their city and create an illegal drug called Stic. But a lot of Mystics remain unregistered and hidden beneath the city, but should they all come together to vote for their candidate, their population could easily outnumber the nonmystical folks. And the two families know this. The Roses and Fosters are your typical mob families, controlling illegal substances and influencing laws, and show no hesitation in putting a bullet in the head of a Mystic for absolutely nothing. They like to play God, but Aria is nothing like them. She tries desperately to remember her past and figure out how Thomas could possibly be the man that wrote the love letters she found tucked away, and soon finds herself navigating the back streets where Mystics dwell. Aria is on the hitlist of a lot of rebel Mystics, and soon finds herself at their mercy, only to be rescued by a dark and gorgeous Mystic named Hunter, who always seems to be in the shadows watching over her. There's an instant attraction she can't explain, with his presence always makes her feel safe and comfortable. It's not until she learns Hunter's true identity that she realizes Thomas isn't the only guy from an opposing family that she could've had a secret, forbidden relationship with. But in a world where her every move is watched and double agents are everywhere, Aria's lost in the mix, trying to decipher who's telling the truth and who's spinning nothing but lies.  Gotta say Mystic City had me wrapped up from beginning to end, and I was forced to lose half a night's sleep cause I just couldn't put it down. Mystic City has it all: forbidden love, lies and deception, family betrayal up the wazoo, and magic and danger around every corner. Lawrence's world is easy to picture and I still keep seeing neon green lights when I close my eyes. If this isn't on your list of must-haves this year, you're seriously missing out. Buy the hardback peeps, cause it deserves a permanent place on the bookshelf.    ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley for honest review.

So I've been wanting to make Ordained, the first novel in the Immortal Archives free for awhile, and unfortunately, I can't do that by myself. In order for it to be free on a permanent basis, Amazon needs to know it's being offered free elsewhere. It's quick and simple. ***If anyone knows how to get Barnes and Noble to make a novel free, please comment below, cause I haven't quite figured that out yet. But you Nook people can download the epub at Smashwords for now.*** 1. Copy the Smashwords link, where I have Ordained set to free: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/144978
2. Head over to Ordained's Amazon page and click on 'tell us about a lower price':


3. Paste the link and enter 0.00 for the price and shipping cost.


Voila! Hopefully it'll be free very soon! Thanks so much guys!

So I've (sorta) been working hard on Falling Away (Falling #2) - the sorta is because I'm a month away from moving between cities, I have a husband and a terrible two, and I've been dealing with all the work of running two blog tours within a month of one another. But don't worry! I still plan to have Falling Away ready for release next Valentine's Day. And I'm having so much fun writing it, I thought I'd share a teaser - something I've never actually done before.  Who here is a Chance/Evan fan? <raises hand - although I kinda love both, and I'm sorta like their mother, so my opinion is moot> Who here is wondering why I referred to him as Chance/Evan? (if you raised your hand on that, you need to catch up and read Falling In Between) :P Go here to see the official home page for the Falling novels (and check out my dream cast).  So who here wants to see why Evan and Robert meet? Well, you're in luck. Keep reading.   ***Note: teaser is from rough draft version and could be altered before the final version. Also, in case you didn't know, Falling Away is New Adult and contains some language and sexual situations.*** Curse this freakin’ snow! My boots sloshed through the dingy white patches and skidded over the thinner areas, slipping on the frozen water beneath. I’d barely missed my bus and decided it wasn’t worth waiting in the cold for the next one. Boy was I wrong. I knew there was a reason I never walked more than four blocks in the wintertime. I’m lucky I hadn’t fallen on my ass yet or seriously pulled a thigh muscle every time my leg slipped out just a little too far. A fine mist of frost coated the air as the constant traffic whipped past, chilling my face, surely giving my cheeks a rosy glow.       So long as my nose wasn’t as red as Rudolph’s.       I stretched the tail of my scarf towards my face and smothered my nose and mouth, the heat of my exhalations warming my wind-nipped skin. But as miserable as the cold numbing me from head to toe was, it was the stuffiness crowding the inside of my head that was really crushing my jovial, post-Christmas mood.       My phone jingled from within my purse, and I groaned as I removed my bulky glove to retrieve it from my bag. The familiar tune told me it was Robert, and surely he was wondering what was taking so long.       “Hello?”       “Hey babe. Where you at? The movie starts in twenty minutes.”       “Yeah, I know. I’m almost home. I missed the bus and had to walk.”       He huffed on the other end. “Jenna, I could’ve come and gotten you.”       “Believe me, I wish you had. I’ll see you in a few.”       We said our goodbyes and I sloshed through two more blocks, finally turning on the avenue that took me to our apartment complex. If only I hadn’t been stubborn and just called Robert to come pick me up. Then I never would have heard his gentle voice saying my name as he slipped up beside me. My body jerked, setting off a domino effect of fearful vibrations throughout my body.       “Evan!” What was he doing here? How did he even know where to look? A million questions scattered my thoughts as my eyes took in the sight of my once dreamtime lover. But this wasn’t the face of the fun and humorous crush I came to love, but solemn, and quite frankly, way too serious to suit. His eyes seemed almost pained, his smile nonexistent. “Evan…” My words were there but barely audible. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?” He looked so much worse than he did in the hospital. It was the kind of look you typically saw on someone that lost their dearest friend, pale and just absolutely drained of life.       He nodded slowly, his hazel eyes piercing mine, fixing me in a daze that refused release. He stepped before me, so close his breath tickled my cheeks. They were fast and heavy, and something told me it wasn’t cause he just rushed over to catch me. No, I had the feeling he’d been lying in wait for me to arrive tonight.        My chest gasped as his hand caressed my cheek, either from the chill of his bare hand or the forbidden action itself – I’m really not sure. We hadn’t been close like this since the night before he awoke from his coma, when the fear of him forgetting me plagued my thoughts. Now, almost two years later, his sudden nearness had me on the verge of a massive anxiety attack.       His thumb gently stroked the delicate skin under my eye. “I remember,” he said softly, and my chest suddenly became too heavy to breathe, my mind spinning madly with incoherent thoughts that might as well have been spoken in a foreign language for all they were worth. “I remember everything. You. Me. Us.”       Mentally, I tried to say no as his face neared, but my body was too stunned to react. I didn’t even kiss him back when his lips first connected with mine, so his hovered, barely gracing the sweetest touch, waiting to lure me in as his hot breath slowly warmed my bottom lip. His lips were cold, like he’d been waiting too long in the chilly air. But they were also familiar, exactly like I remembered from the many nights I spent wrapped up within his loving arms. I caught the scent of musk and citrus and it warmed my insides, just like a shot of amaretto would, and my eyes closed as if suddenly too drunk and heavy to remain open.       But I still hadn’t pulled away, and I couldn’t get my head to figure out why, like I’d been hypnotized into staying put, or a sudden surge of pheromones exuding off his skin were doping me into submission. And my voice…well, the vocal no longer preceded the word chord.       Whatever the reason for my lack of fight, Evan took it as cooperation. My eyes reopened and immediately connected with his, and the longing hunger they screamed. Both hands covered my cheeks now, and he pulled me in the rest of the way, his lips more aggressive this time. They were still light and gentle, but needy, like he’d held it in so long he couldn’t stand it anymore, his moan signaling the release of pent up anguish within.       A whimper escaped my own chest. If the relay was working between my brain and lips, then they refused to accept the command to stop, that this uninvited, unprovoked, horribly offensive…wonderful, beautiful, seductive sensation caused by his luscious lips was wrong.       I gasped as we were pushed violently apart, Robert’s screaming echoing in my stuffy ears, like an unforgiving game of ping pong between two champion competitors. “What the fuck?” But his attention was more on Evan, who he continued to shove backwards. Not wanting to engage – cause we all knew he was guilty as hell right now – Evan’s hands were thrust up in surrender, but Robert shoved until Evan’s back hit flat against the brick wall.
   Uh-oh! So what's gonna happen next? Guess you'll have to wait until Valentine's Day to find out! <evil laugh>
 POLL TIME!!!Who Should Win Jenna's Heart in Falling Away?


 

 This week on the Writer's Block we have the spunky Jaye Frances. Lover of Strong Coffee. Roller skating diva. Crazy Party Girl. Let's take a few minutes to get to know the life of the party. :)  BlogGoodReadsFacebookAmazon Author Page If you were stranded on a desert island what is the one book you couldn't be stranded without?  My daily planner – I wouldn’t last a week without it . .  What is your favorite genre to read and what makes it so awesome? There are actually two genres that I especially enjoy. One is comedy, particularly satirical, edgy, wry—David Sedaris comes to mind. I also enjoy a great story woven around a supernatural element, even more so if the author has included enough realism and authenticity in the characters, location, and background to suggest the story is based in fact, even raising the possibility it could be true. Any pet peeves you'd be willing to share? Folks with overflowing baskets of food clogging up the “Ten Items or Less” lane in the supermarket. Seriously, there’s a reason those lines are so short . . . If you could meet any dead person, who would you choose? Any particular reason why? Most dead people these days seem to be zombies . . . I think I’ll stay inside for a while and wear a metal helmet.
If the Earth suddenly became uninhabited, would you rather live under the sea or in space? Let’s see… in space I’d face meteors, sun flares, and the risk of being captured and tortured by patrolling aliens. Under the sea, I’d have to deal with a pesky coating of salt covering everything, constant maintenance on the protective shell, and having to be on the lookout for a passing great white when I’m out for my afternoon swim. Tough call . . .  What was your most favorite pasttime as a kid? I loved to roller-skate. I still remember my first pair of skates—clunky metal frames with heavy cast iron wheels that required a key to tighten the tongue-grips around the tops of my shoes. But even when shackled with six pounds of metal on each foot, there was nothing better than skating around the block, swinging my arms for balance, and feeling the “skip” of the concrete sidewalk expansion cracks. When I was older, my mother took my sisters and I to the indoor roller rink, where I discovered full-shoe skates, pom-pom laces, smooth wooden floors, and “ladies choice” skating dances. I was hooked!  Take us through a typical writing day for you. Do you have anything quirky - like you have to have a certain pen to write with, or the desk laid out in a particular manner, does it need to be raining, do you require a certain food/drink/candy to work by? Will you have an absolute meltdown if the atmosphere isn't what you like? I’m most productive in quiet surroundings, so if there are motorcycles revving in the street, boomboxes blaring through the walls, or children (of any age) having hissy fits, my focus and creativity go right out the window. Curiously though, there are a couple of noisy distractions that get my juices going—the soft, rumbling thunder of a summer rainstorm and the throaty moans of the couple next door getting it on.  What do you do when you experience that lovely problem called writer's block? I have three strategies to boost me out of a “nothing’s going on here” state of mind:      1. Cleaning the house (surprisingly, scrubbing the shower is a real motivator,     2. Going shopping, but only if it’s during the week and I don’t have to fight the crowds or traffic, and      3. Heading to my closet and pulling out a dozen pair of five inch heels and an armload of sexy dresses, then trying on each combination in an effort to decide what I’m going to wear on Saturday night (my husband likes this method best) When you were little, what did you think you'd be when you grew up? When I was young, I was sure I could find a way to work on board Jacques Cousteau’s Calypso—thanks to the Discovery Channel. Then I wanted to be a tour guide in the south of France. In my teens, I briefly toyed with the idea of being an international call-girl, but then what girl hasn’t? Frankly, I’m still looking for a few good ideas . . .  Do you have a secret obsession you'd be willing to share? Unfortunately, it’s no secret. I’m a shoe whore. No kidding, my husband thinks my collection is obscene, and I actually dress from the shoes up, giving priority to heel height and level of discomfort. Some days, my feet really hate me . . . Did you do anything special to celebrate your first book release? Yes, but after the clip was banned from YouTube and I was threatened with eviction, I made a promise with my family not to discuss it . . . Tell us your favorite quote. “Wherever you go, there you are." I just can’t fault the logic . . .  Which do you prefer? ebook, paperback or hardback? EBook for the convenience and fun factor, paperback for the tactile fix, hardback to keep my desk from wobbling.  This or That
Sweet or Salty: Definitely sweet. I’m talking about the kind of sweet that makes your teeth disintegrate just thinking about it. Drama or Comedy: Comedy every time. If you can make me laugh, I’m your biggest fan. Fantasy or Romance: I have to improvise a little here: Romantic Comedy – just seems to be a more realistic representation of life (thankfully!) Spring or Autumn: Autumn – crisp air, red and golden-hued leaves, cashmere sweaters, crackling fireplaces, pumpkins on the front porch, hot apple cider – damn, it’s time for a road trip to Vermont! Michael Jackson or Whitney Houston: The dance moves of Michael, the voice of Whitney, and the wardrobe of both Walter Mathau or Jack Lemmon: Gotta be Jack Lemmon – smart dresser, logical thought patterns, analytical organizer, well-groomed, great dancer. He’d have to take care of that sinus issue, though. Dirty Dancing or Footloose: Dirty Dancing. In fact, the dirtier the better. Loveseat or Movie Theatre: Loveseat! Nothing sits between me and my man when we’re watching a great movie except a tub of buttered popcorn. Tea or Coffee: Strong coffee, with a splash of cream or Bailey’s, whichever is handy Tree House or Man Cave: I’ve always liked sitting on the highest bough of a tree. That way I could see them coming.  Choose a challenge...if you dare!  Write a sentence using all these words: love birds, twizzlers, fireworks, ferris wheel, turtle. Tugging at the elastic in his new turtle-neck sweater, Bobby sucked on his last two strawberry twizzlers, wondering how the love birds sitting in front of him on the ferris wheel could remain so oblivious to the blazing fireworks lighting the night sky.    GIVEAWAY!!!Jaye is giving away one Kindle version of The Possibilities of Amy. Just fill out the Rafflecopter. And be sure to check out my review here! a Rafflecopter giveaway 

The Possibilities of Amy
Jaye Frances
Pub: March 17, 2012

Amy is the ultimate trophy girl—gorgeous face, killer body, and a vivacious personality. But there’s something else about her, something that makes her even more special. Amy is new. A transfer student from out of state, she’s starting her senior year without knowing a soul. And that means she’s up for grabs, available.

Infatuated from the moment he sees her, David is determined to meet Amy, and if the fates are willing, to spend the rest of his life with her. But his shyness prevents him from approaching her—until his friends devise a contest to determine who will be the first to prove their manhood by seducing her.

This coming-of-age story about high school dating and relationships contains mature language and situations, and is best suited for a Mature/Adult reader.
Dave thinks he's just fallen in love...with the new girl Amy. The moment he sees her, he knows she's the one for her. So when his friend Pete decides to make Amy his new conquest, Dave will be forced to step out of his comfort zone if he wants a shot at making her his.
 Novella provided by author for honest review.