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Happy 1st Birthday to Evernight Teen! #Giveaway #BlogHop #BloodHex
EVERNIGHT TEEN turns one this month and I’m helping them celebrate during their 1st Birthday Blog Hop! It’s EVERNIGHT TEEN’s birthday but you get the presents. Enter below for a chance to win a $100 iTunes gift card!
EVERNIGHT TEEN books feature fresh teen fiction that’s raw, gritty and real. Whether paranormal, contemporary, sci-fi or suspense, EVERNIGHT TEEN stories are about real issues and pack a strong emotional punch. You’ll find cutting edge fiction that today’s young adults can relate to and will keep you turning the pages long into the night. Upper Young Adult titles, include…
Blood Hex by Erin Butler
Two girls. Four centuries. One curse. Isabella started it—all because a boy fell in love with her—but it ends with Sarah. Isabella and Thomas meet in secret during the witching hours while the rest of the villagers hide behind locked doors. And even though Isabella’s scared, she wants Thomas more. He’ll protect her from the night, from his father who’ll decide her future, and from the paranoia-fueled hunting parties taking away innocents. Centuries later, seventeen-year old Sarah runs away to an aunt she never knew she had. Her dad? Dead. Her mother? A liar. She wants the memories of a father she never got, but instead, discovers her father’s death wasn’t innocent. Everyone—the Wiccans, the townies, even her quasi-boyfriend—is hiding something. The history-rich town has a secret they will kill to keep, entangling Sarah into a centuries old witch curse.
14+ due to violence and adult situations
Blood Hex by Erin Butler is now 25% off at Evernight Teen until January 31st!
Leave a comment about Blood Hex below for a chance to win an Evernight Teen eBook of your choice. Then follow the Rafflecopter link below to enter the grand prize of a $100 iTunes gift certificate.
Evernight Teen Summer Kick-Off Blog Hop: Spotlight on Slayer for Hire #YALit #giveaway
Welcome to Evernight Teen’s Summer Kick-off Blog Hop!
It’s a great opportunity to get to know Evernight Teen: Gritty Fiction for Today’s Young Adult. Our stories include fresh teen fiction that’s raw, gritty and real.
My spotlight is on Slayer for Hire by P.E. Cunningham
Blurb:
Nineteen-year-old Billie Eshleman loves the TV show Slayer for Hire, and has a major fangirl crush on its hunky star, Dylan Garber. When the show comes to her home town to film a movie version, it’s her greatest dream come true. Unfortunately, she’s not the only fan trying to crash the set. A real vampire has fixated on the fictitious “slayer,” and is determined to make Dylan her mate—like, for the rest of eternity.
With help from Dylan’s co-star, Matt—an actor with vampire-related secrets of his own—it’s up to Billie to keep her idol from joining the ranks of the undead long enough to finish the movie. And, incidentally, keep herself alive in the process.
14+ for adult situations
Excerpt:
The guy with the cross tattoo shook himself all over like a dog. Then he grinned at me with those big prosthetic teeth. His B.O. hit me with a stench like three-week-old hamburger. “You look tasty,” he said. He started toward me.
All of a sudden my sight of those scary teeth was blocked by a shapeless wool poncho. I never heard Dina run up. She just appeared between me and Tattoo Boy. They started to circle like dogs. I backed out of reach, but didn’t run. I’d just seen this skinny guy toss Rolly like a basketball. Dina would need help. What I could do with no weapons, I had no idea. Kick, maybe? Worked on the hockey field.
That’s when I noticed Tattoo Boy’s eyes. When he’d grinned at me, they’d been blue. They were red now. I don’t mean bloodshot. I’m talking solid scarlet, with a black pit of pupil in the centers. He hadn’t had a chance to slip contacts in. My gut did a ten-story plummet. Reality had just run off the rails here.
He bared his pointy teeth at Dina and hissed.
She bared her own pointy teeth and hissed right back at him.
Okay. Totally freaked now.
In a move almost too fast to follow, Dina whipped off her poncho and flung it in Tattoo Boy’s fangy face. Under the poncho she had on a scoop-neck top, jeans, and a bandolier full of wooden stakes. She yanked one free. Once Tattoo Boy untangled himself from the poncho and flung it away, she dove in and rammed her stake into his chest.
He looked at the stake. Then he looked at her. His lips started to move. Before any words could form, lips, face and everything else cracked and crumbled and collapsed on the mall’s worn linoleum with a little puff.
I kept waiting for Rog to yell, “Cut.”
Dina calmly plucked another stake from her bandolier. She looked over at me. Her eyes were solid crimson.
“You might want to run now,” she suggested.
She left me before I could speak or scream, or do anything other than pant. I stared around at everything except that pile of ash on the floor, and realized our part of the mall was almost deserted. I glimpsed Matt, recognizable by his height, up at the other end, herding people toward the exits.
What about Dylan? Surely they’d gotten him to safety when this disaster started, right?
I ran, but not for the nearest exit. I headed for the spot where I’d last seen Dylan. Matt seemed to have his own safety under control, but I couldn’t cut out until I knew for sure Dylan was all right. What kind of fangirl would I be if I did?
But first, I detoured for the sporting goods store. I needed a weapon. I grabbed a hardwood baseball bat from the front-of-the store display. Not my first choice, but it was handy. Then I plunged toward the junkyard of abandoned cameras, dollies and cranes where Dylan had last been filming.
I didn’t see anyone around. Maybe they’d all got out. Then two shapes buzzed past me, so fast I only saw blurs, like the vampires on Slayer for Hire, just without the SFX.
Trust me, I did not like how the evidence was mounting up.
The blurs slowed enough to resolve into two of the fang-faced attackers. They grabbed two people struggling to wedge themselves out through an emergency exit. One was Rog. The captain of this flick had stuck with his sinking ship past the last minute. He had Dylan with him, at least until the leather boys yanked them apart. I hefted my bat and pelted toward them.
“Hey, I know you,” one of the Fango Brothers said to Rog. “You were on Leno. You directed RoboSoldier II. Man, that movie sucked.” He swooped in close. He looked like he was biting Rog’s neck.
The other one had hold of a struggling Dylan. “Relax, pretty boy. We’re part of your fan club. Our president wants to meet you. She sent us to pick you up, seeing as how you won’t answer her letters.”
“I don’t see her letters or emails or anything. We’ve got people who do that.” Dylan abruptly stopped struggling. He’d finally noticed the guy sucking on Rog’s neck. “What the hell?”
His captor shrugged one shoulder. “He skipped breakfast.”
“Are you friggin’ insane?” Dylan exploded. “Slayer’s not real! It’s a goddamn TV show! It isn’t real!”
The guy showed his fangs. Dylan shut up. “It’s real enough, bucko.”
“So’s this,” I quipped, and swung the bat. Go for the legs, that’s what they taught us in field hockey. Okay, no, not the coaches. Sarah McClosky, our team captain. She could trip an opposing player six different ways and make ’em all look like an accident. Her dad was a cop, so she knew what to aim for. Her tricks were also effective against grabby dates who wouldn’t listen to “no.”
I cracked the bat against the guy’s knees with all the strength I could muster. Considering the weight of the trays we have to lift at the dinner rush, that’s a lot more than you’d think.
He let go of Dylan and staggered back. He should have gone down, but he didn’t. I retreated a couple of steps. Dylan whirled toward the exit door and clawed at the unyielding bar, totally ignoring the “Push” sign.
I took another swing at Fango’s legs. I thought I was fast, but he beat me. He caught the bat on the downswing and yanked it out of my hands. He tossed it away. It clattered and rolled across the floor, too far away for me to make a dive for. Fango grinned at me, and licked his lips.
“Come to think of it,” he said, “I could do with a bite myself.”
Slayer for Hire is available here!
What’s up for grabs?
- One lucky hopper will win a KINDLE PAPERWHITE eREADER sponsored by Evernight Teen.
- Every book blogger/reviewer site is giving away one free eBook from Evernight Teen (winner’s choice of any eBook from Evernight Teen’s website).
- Plus, each author offers their own unique prize! So visit each blog hop stop for a host of fabulous prizes to win.
How to enter? Leave a comment answering the question below, along with your email address to be eligible to win a prize. Copied and pasted entries will be disqualified — so make your answer unique in some way, so I know you didn’t just copy someone else’s response. (Sorry I have to do this, but you’d be surprised how many times this actually happens)
Question: What is your favorite Vampire book or movie character of all time?
Don’t forget to continue hopping to the next stop!
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Character Interview: Jake Morris from SHRAPNEL by Stephanie Lawton @EvernightTeen #UpperYA
Welcome back to the blog. Today I have a special treat for you all — an interview with Jake Morris, one of the main characters from Stephanie Lawton’s newest YA release, SHRAPNEL.
Jake is a pretty blunt guy. Just the way I like em, so I’ll forgo the fluff and get right to the questions.
Can you tell us your name and the title of the book you live in?
I’m Jake Morris, and the book was originally called Surrender, but got changed to Shrapnel.
Describe to our readers your role in the book.
I’m seventeen, and I guess I’m the romantic underdog. I prefer the term ladies’ man, but whatever. I’m also empathic, so there’s that.
How did you convince your author to put you in this book? For example, did you visit a dream or make yourself known some other way?
Heh, I showed up in the shower. Granted, there were a couple other characters that also showed up, but we all know she likes me best. And may I just say, MILF.
Is your author easy to work with or controlling?
Who, Steph? She’s awesome. I mean, yeah, she put me through some crappy stuff, but she surrounded me with hot chicks, fed me bacon and gave me some damn hilarious lines in the book. What’s not to love?
Would you tell us about one of your favorite friends from this book?
Hmm, I guess she’s a friend, though I’d really like more, but her name is Dylan, short for Dylanie. She’s a really cool chick. Hot as hell, but really funny, too, and she knows what she wants. Plus, she slaps me on the ass, so I’m her friend for life.
What would you like our readers to know about you?
I’m not a complete freak. I mean, yeah, I have these weird abilities, and they sometimes make me do weird things and have epic freak-outs in front of packed movie theaters, but if you put that aside, I’m still a normal guy. I notice when you give me the side-eye or move to the other side of the hall. It hurts and it blows.
Did you learn anything during your adventure in this book?
Holy shit, did I ever! I learned how to … wait, I can’t give that part away. I also learned that girls … crap. I can’t give that away either. Okay, here’s something I can spill. I learned that looks can be deceiving. Oh, and that I love black lace underwear. *grins*
Can you tell us what you think is the most exciting thing that happened to you in your book?
You wouldn’t believe me if I did. You’ll have to read the book.
Introduce us to your main adversary?
Well, in some ways, I’m my own worst enemy, but overall, the guy’s name is Jackson. He’s a ghost from the Civil War that makes all of our lives hell. He hates me because I’m competition for Dylan, plus I know a lot about Civil War history and I’m a major threat to his plans and secrets.
Is there anything you would like to have done but your author stopped you?
Dude, I was in a house with two hot chicks. What do you think? Granted, I really only wanted one of them, but still. This is the stuff dreams are made of.
Here’s your chance to speak your mind. What do you want to tell everybody?
I’m not crazy. Also, I’m a damn good kisser. I read can your emotions so I know if what I’m doing is working or not and adjust. Pretty wicked, right?
Flash questions:
- Craziest thing you’ve ever done?
Freaked out in front of a packed movie theater filled with everyone I know from school, including the girl I was crushing on. I don’t remember it, but they said I jumped over a couple rows of seats before I fell down the stairs.
- Biggest regret?
I let things go too far at the end of the book. I should have stepped in way earlier and not let Dylan do what she did.
- If you were to get a tattoo, what would it be, where, and why?
Hmm, when I turn eighteen I’d like to start some sleeves. On one arm I’d get representations of all the emotions I get from people, and on the other arm, I’d put representations of all the ways I’m able to help them. You know, like fear on one arm, and a guiding hand on the other. Or love on one arm, and two hearts joined on the other. Pretty mushy, huh?
- Favorite book?
The Complete Poems of Christina Rosetti
- Someone asks you to go skydiving. What’s your answer?
Oh, hell yeah!
- If they were to name a crayon color after you, what would it be?
Emo Orange
- Were you easy or hard to write?
Easy. I’m the guy version of her.
- Absolute worst thing you’ve ever done?
I scared the crap out of my parents. I didn’t mean to, but they didn’t know what was wrong with me or how to fix it. I think they lost a lot of sleep and my mom totally dyes her hair to cover the gray. (She’s going to kill me for telling you that!)
- Detail about yourself that’s not in your book?
I kick ass at Guitar Hero.
There ya have it. Thanks so much Jake. If the ladies weren’t interested in you before, they sure are now.
If you want to get your hands on a copy of SHRAPNEL, here are the BUY Links:
- Amazon (Kindle); Amazon (paperback)
- Barnes and Noble (paperback)
- Evernight Teen
- All Romance ebooks (digital)
- CreateSpace (paperback)
Thought I would share my dark side’s new cover. Mostly because I love it so! 😛
I am beyond excited to share the fantastic cover for the anthology my erotic short, Faith’s Gift will be included in. This is my first publication with Evernight Publishing, and so far, I am absolutely IN LOVE with them as a publisher. The other authors have been wonderfully supportive and the staff at Evernight have been so professional and friendly.
Here is the wonderful cover they have come up with for this years Christmas Anthology.
Title: Vanilla-Free Christmas
Author: Various Authors
Genre: Erotic Romance
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Release Date: December 3, 2012
Blurb: This Christmas, the best gifts are waiting for those who have been naughty…
And the toys under the tree are not for children. Sexy Santas, naughty elves, and dominant shifters are ready to spread some very kinky Christmas cheer. It’s a good thing the ladies in our stories are looking for anything but vanilla.
** Be Warned:…
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The Machenwood Chronicles and Other Tales 