Monday, February 28, 2011

Wrap up of First Blogoversary!!

  
So, this post is to say thank you to all the Authors/Publishers etc that have taken the time out of their busy day to help me out.  I'm also giving a big thanks to everyone else who has commented on each of the posts

If you have missed any posts just click the links below to have a look, and be sure to let the authors know that you have enjoyed reading their posts!!


Well that's it for me, and back to normal tomorrow with the schedule.  I'll hopefully have quite a few reviews up my sleeves now so keep a look out!!


Character Post: Claudia Grant from Whisper of a Witch


Hi everyone! Suza (the writer a.k.a. my creator) couldn’t take time away from meeting her deadline to guest blog, so the other girls all voted and sent me in her stead. My name is Claudia, and I’m one of the witches from the Savannah coven. I’m a history professor in my real life, but that career choice was mostly due to my special talent. I can lay hands on an object and see its past. Pretty cool most times, depending on where it’s been! When I was “summoned” to Savannah by a mystical force of unknown origin, I found out why I had this gift. (Ta-da!) Because I’m a witch.


None of the other women knew what they were either, except for Anna, who lives in a castle/mansion/really big house on an island off the coast. We affectionately call her the “head witch in charge.” She’s always known who she was and that we would all come together to go up against a group of baddies called the Amara. They have a plan to raise a particularly ruthless demon who will destroy life as we know it.

The coven’s job is simple. Don’t. Let. That. Happen.

Each of us have our own unique power, and Anna’s doing her best to teach us everything we need to know to become a group of radically, butt-kicking witches. Does she ever have her job cut out for her!

Paige is an ex-soldier with no trouble taking an opponent down, but she also has a bit of an attitude. Shauni talks to animals but doesn’t want to actually hurt anyone. Bad karma or something. Then there’s Lucia, a Spanish sex siren, Hayden who sees ghosts, and Viv the physicist. The three of them are pretty level-headed, but you know what they say about still waters.

Kylie is still really young, straight from the college campus. She keeps us all laughing most of the time. And last but not least is Willyn. She’s a devout Christian and now knows she’s a witch, too. Enough said.

As for me, I shoot an awesome fire ball and after the demon, my biggest concern is keeping my manicure intact. What’s wrong with that? A girl has to be ready for anything around here. Crazy, dangerous, magical stuff can occur at any time. And often does.

I hope you come to meet us all in Suza’s first book, Whisper of a Witch. Poor Shauni. She had to go first. The second book is coming out at the end of February, 2011. This month! It’s pretty exciting stuff. I would tell you whose turn it is, but if I did, I’d have to hex you.

Well, I have to go. It’s almost time for our next lesson. Please feel free to come visit us any time. Savannah is a gorgeous place, and we’d love to have company. (As long as it’s not the Amara) See you soon!—Claudia Grant (Professor of History and Fashionista Extraordinaire)

Sunday, February 27, 2011

In My Mailbox (50)

In My Mailbox is a weekly post created by The Story Siren.

For Review

(Thank you Micha from Omnific Publishing)


(Thank you Erin from Penguin Australia)

As you all know my blogoversary has come to an end.  I will post up all of my links on one blog post tomorrow so you can go back and check them out and comment etc.

For those of you waiting on reviews I have quite a few to write this week and hopefully I will get to yours soon.  I will try to post two on Tuesday and Friday, and depending on if I have anything for Spellbound Noticeboard I may even post reviews instead.

Reviews to expect over the next few weeks:
Twelfth Grade Kills by Heather Brewer
Somewhere Over the Sun by Adi Alsaid
Forsaken by Shadow by Kait Nolan
The Dead Girls Dance by Rachel Caine (#2)
Midnight Alley by Rachel Caine (3)
The Byron Journals by Daniel Ducrou
Carnal Sin by Allison Brennan
Unholy Magic by Stacia Kane (#2)
City of Ghosts by Stacia Kane (#3)

For those of you that are still waiting on reviews from last year,  I'm doing my best to get through them.  E-books have always taken me longer to review and while I'm doing my best to get through these paperbacks tend to be read faster.  Sorry about that.

So enough of the rambling.

What did you get in you mailbox this week?


 

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Pleasures Untold by Lisa Sanchez

Author: Lisa Sanchez
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher:  Omnific Publishing
Publication Date: February 2011
ISBN: 9781936305599
Stand alone or series: Series (Hanaford Park)
Pages: 190
Book Received from: Omnific Publishing
First Lines: "Oh, for the love of... someone just shoot me now, please."  I groaned, eyeballing the line of over-processed, identically dressed sorority girls waiting to get into Fire and Ice along with us.

Synopsis:
Hell hath no fury like a witch done wrong. Pissed off and packing an arsenal of witchy mojo, Martha is on the warpath. Determined to avenge the murder of her mother and grandmother, her mission is simple: kill every vampire, demon and underworld bastard she comes across, because one of those hell beasts might be the monster that stole her childhood from her. But when a sexy Latin vamp literally falls from the sky, saving her from becoming an undead Happy Meal, she has no choice but to reassess everything she thinks she knows.

Xan is an anomaly --a vampire born, not turned. A powerful warlock who walks in daylight, Xan spends his days, and nights, watching over Martha, protecting her from Lucian, the blood-sucking monstrosity whose sole mission in death is to drain her dry. Undeniable attraction and the promise of pleasures untold draw the two lovers into a frustrating dance of one step forward, two steps back. When Lucian throws down a deadly ultimatum, Martha is forced to choose between relying on her own mystical woo woo to save the lives of her stolen friends or succumbing to the lure of dark, voodoo magic. Xan and Martha must work together to save those closest to her and put an end to Lucian's reign of terror before it's too late.

My Thoughts:
I've been waiting eagerly to get my hands on Pleasures Untold and when Micha from Omnific asked me if I'd like to review a copy I was over the moon. 

If you've read Eve of Samhain, you will have already met Martha.  She was the quiet girl that rarely makes an appearance at the apartment in the first book.  This time we get a bigger picture of what she is like. 

Martha was a great main character.  I liked how Lisa portrayed her as a kick ass hero but also had her insecurities too, like worring about losing her friends and Xan.  With a past like hers it definitely rings true for me.  You never completely lose those insecurites no matter how kick-ass you become :)

But it doesn't stop there.  Taylor and Jessica were fantastic characters and proved to be good friends to Martha.  I loved how Taylor was an aussie chick, although maybe one saying in there had me thinking about whether we used bunyip in our slang.  I know I don't lol.

The story is gripping and full of action and magic.  In Eve of Samhain it doesn't show much of what Martha does but this one opens up the field to include vampires and all sorts of hideous things.

As always Lisa has done a fantastic job on Pleasures Untold and I really enjoy reading her style of writing, smooth and straight to the point.

For those of you that enjoyed Eve of Samhain, Pleasures Untold is a great paranormal read and one I think most people would enjoy!

Fave Line: "For someone who looks like a bush pig, I wouldn't be so quick to insult other people.  Now rack off." - Taylor

Friday, February 25, 2011

A brief note from Antonio de la Cruz, of Crusade


Buenos dias.  I feel compelled to point out that becoming a vampire is not a blessing.  It is a curse.  That is why we are called Los Malditos, the Cursed Ones.  The girl I love, Jenn Leitner, is not attracted to me because I’m a vampire; she loves me in spite of it.  But that is a love I cannot share, as I have dedicated myself to the Catholic priesthood.  I believe that my devotion to the Church has kept me from turning back toward evil, like all of my other brothers under the fang.  I fight beside Jenn and I love her more than anything else on earth, but I can never hope to be what she needs.  Of course, she feels differently.  But she’s only 18.  While I, of course, am far older than that….

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Sasha Soren's Top 3

Spellbound by Books
One-year blogoversary
Feb. 14 (Valentine's Day)
Author Top Three!
Sasha Soren, author of Random Magic
Online, social media or tech links


Here are three interesting and useful links, that could be helpful for
an author, publicist,
blogger in the book blog community, or just for techy people in
general, who like
to explore what's new and what's news.

Usually incorporated into tours (http://tinyurl.com/46le8wr), by
including the Twitter info for every blogger on the tour.
It's just such a quick and easy way to have a quick discussion, or
share information or
send out news or discover interesting events or news features and so on.

You're welcome to come chill out at the Random Magic
channel, it's right over here:
@RandomMagicTour  feel free to grab a
comfy couch and browse around for RM events and news, or just other
cool book-related things (http://tinyurl.com/2cbq5bm).

There are two Random Magic trailers up at YouTube, and here they are:


Random Magic trailer - long (http://tinyurl.com/yl26xwa)



Random Magic trailer - short
Being able to share a cute video about a book with nearly anyone in
the world, at any time, is a great thing.
YouTube is also a nice place to browse, because there's always sure to
be something cool going on.

* Blogger
A platform a lot of bloggers use (another popular one is WordPress).
Blogger created the tech and let people run wild and be creative.
If there was no blogger, a lot of book blogs would disappear.
So, for that reason, a useful site.


About Random Magic by Sasha Soren: When absent-minded Professor
Random misplaces the main character from Alice in Wonderland, young
Henry Witherspoon must book-jump to fetch Alice before chaos theory
kicks in and the world vanishes.

Along the way he meets Winnie Flapjack, a wit-cracking doodle witch
with nothing to her name but a magic feather and a plan. Such as it
is. Henry and Winnie brave the Dark Queen, whatwolves, pirates,
Strüths, and fluttersmoths, Priscilla and Charybdis, obnoxiously
cheerful vampires, Baron Samedi, a nine-dimensional cat, and one
perpetually inebriated Muse to rescue Alice and save the world by tea
time.

Browse Random Magic here
Visit @RandomMagicTour here

If you're interested in the topic of social media, or would like a
more behind-the-scenes look at online book tours,
feel free to check out some related features, here.

Happy reading!

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

GIVEAWAYS: Glass Houses by Rachel Caine


Thanks to the lovely Erin from Penguin Australia I have not one, but THREE copies of the first Morganville Vampires book in the series: Glass Houses to giveaway!  How awesome is that?!!

 Rules:
- You must comment to be in the running to win a copy ;)
- This is for Australian residents only
- If your name has been selected as a winner you have 48 hours to contact me otherwise I must pick another winner.
- You must answer the question. (Sorry guys, had to do this.  You know how much I love your answers )
- Entries must be in by 6th March 2011

The question is:  If you could pick one vampire that has stuck with you long after you have finished the book who was it? Please include which book they are from, and feel free to tell me why although not necessary

Enjoy!


Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Guest Post by Curtis Jobling author of Wereworld!


See, when I hear about “blogoversaries” I suddenly feel tremendously old. Just as I’m getting a handle on the plethora of babblings that is Tweetspeak, along comes another online notion that makes me feel my age. Regardless, I’m persevering with this seeing as the lovely Melissa asked me so kindly to participate.
As I’ve got total creative freedom on what I blather about in this post, now seems like the perfect opportunity to write an expose on the seedy, sinister goings-on behind the scenes in children’s television. OK, maybe not. I’ll save that for Melissa’s next blogoversary then.

A fine thing for me to discuss would be making headway into the creative industries, especially as a writer. Although I’ve had success as the designer and creator of various famous television characters, that all counted for nought when I pitched my manuscript for “Wereworld: Rise of the Wolf” to publishers. Even my success as a picture book author and illustrator held no sway over editors. As lovely as it was for me to have a background in publishing, this was a completely new adventure for me, writing a novel.

The first novel is a labour of love. One might hear mention of “advances” that cover your expenses during the time it takes you to write it, but that’s very rarely for a debut novel. One can expect monies after the first novel is picked up. To begin with, you’re writing for nothing. The first novel is a vanity project, it’s an author getting his or her story out there. Is there an audience for it? Who knows, one certainly hopes so. But it’s written for oneself first and foremost, and this involves a lot of sacrifices.

I can only speak from my own experiences. “Wereworld: Rise of the Wolf” was written late each night, after my deadlines had been crunched on my various other projects and the kids had been put to bed. The coffee was on, the bourbons were munched, BBC Radio 2 accompanying me into the wee small hours as I tippety-tapped away on my laptop. It was a tiring process, but an enjoyable one. That first time novelist always harbours the hope that an audience will be waiting once the manuscript is finished, a bunch of people who will accept the story with open arms. For me, I was enjoying the story, discovering that characters found their own voice as I wrote and the tale began to take unexpected twists and turns. With the momentum up, I looked forward to writing every evening, even during the day when time allowed, keen to find out where my characters were heading.

Nothing ever leaps, fully formed, onto the page. One has to be prepared for changes along the way as you polish and improve the script. Same point can be made throughout most creative industries.
As a case in point, look at the below image of “Bob The Builder”, the first design for Bob I submitted (my infamous past includes being the designer of said show). I thought I’d nailed it with this – to be fair, its still a design I’m very fond of, but I had to make concessions to my original submission. There were quite a few changes to make:

- The feet were too small and he wouldn’t be able to stand up on the set as a puppet.
- The hands were too small and he wouldn’t be able to hold his tools.
- The nose was too sharp.
- The moustache was too creepy (apparently preschool kids are scared of facial hair – whodathunkit?
- And finally, I thought it’d be hilarious if, when taking off his helmet, he was bald but for his sideburns. The studio disagreed. I gave him hair…

So there you go – the finished Bob who appears on screen isn’t a million miles away from my first submission, but he had to change to make it work. The same goes with manuscripts 99% of the time.

The first draft of “Wereworld” was turned down by the first publishers I showed it to, as they told me that although they loved the first act, the second and third felt too similar to other stories. So I rewrote it, taking on board their comments (which I agreed with) and binned 70,000 words. When I resubmitted the new story it was passed over once again, but I didn’t mind, because I knew the manuscript was that bit stronger after I’d made the huge changes from the first draft. It was the fifth draft before Puffin finally picked up the manuscript, with much to-ing and fro-ing in between; the finished story all the stronger for it.

Melissa mentioned I could put a few of my favourite links here, but to be honest if you’re an aspiring writer I’d like to send you in the direction of Stephen King’s marvellous “On Writing”, a great book to read before one thinks of committing a word to the page. At a push I’ll give you two other shameful self-promoting links – http://badablingthing.blogspot.com/ and http://www.curtisjobling.com/ , my blog and website respectively.

But if you’re after stuff and nonsense from someone who works in television, animation and publishing, and has just embarked on a new career as a novelist, then look no further than on Twitter where you can catch up with my ramblings daily.

My closing comment is that it’s never been easier for folk to reach out to their favourite creatives, be they animators, directors, novelists or designers. The internet didn’t exist back in the day for me – I had to make do with sending letters to folk introducing myself. Letters, that’s right! Never heard of them? Ask your Ma! I only wish I’d had the internet at my fingertips twenty years ago when I was starting out. If you want to get ahead in creative industries, start knocking on doors, real or virtual. It’s never been easier.

Bada Bling!

Curtis.

Monday, February 21, 2011

GIVEAWAYS: Whisper of a Witch & Conviction of a Witch


We have 1 print copy and 2 e-book copies of Whisper of a Witch and 1 print copy and 2 e-book copies of Conviction of a Witch (The second book in the series) to giveaway thanks to the awesome Suza Kates!!

Synopsis
Shauni Miller has no idea why her life is changing, but she must answer when an unknown force summons her to a mystical island. She also harbors a secret, one that has the potential to alter her life forever.
Dr. Michael Black helps Shauni in her time of need, but sees more in the raven-haired temptress than she ever meant to reveal. He knows she’s hiding something, but then, so is he.

Only the fates know what role they will play in a centuries-old prophecy. Or if one of them has to die.

While I don't have details of Conviction of a Witch, I can only assume it will be as great as the first one in the Savannah Coven series.

All you have to do is answer ONE question. 
Which is your favourite witch/wizard of all time?  You can also add why but not necessary.
Contest closes 6th March

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Sticky Beak: Author Special


Authors Special
Sticky Beak is all about sharing. Sometimes we can't all get around to every single blog and website available so that's where Sticky Beak comes in. By word of mouth (well you get what I mean) we are more likely to get to those blogs that we wouldn't have normally seen without someone pointing them out to us.
The links could be to your own post, a favourite blog post you would love to share, an authors blog/website, book/writing contests, reviews you really enjoyed, tour info or anything you would love to share with others. Just use the comments below to add your link!

This week we have a few Authors who have contributed their favourite links.  So, here they are!

 
Marianne de Pierres' Links
For the spy in me: http://www.globalsecurity.org/security/index.html
For the Geek in Me: http://io9.com/
For the writer in me: http://ripping-ozzie-reads.com/




H.P. Mallory's Links
Well, I love the website for my online book club and visit it all the time. Anyone can join too! We have great conversations about books and try to read the same ones to discuss them:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001249643765#!/home.php?sk=group_138258762902170&ap=1
I love the Disney website because I think it's very creative and fun for kids to look at:
http://disney.go.com/index
And I love this The Bookish Snob's blog because it's very informative and funny:
http://thebookishsnob.blogspot.com/

Nancy Holder's Links
Underwords, my assistant Erin’s fabulous website: http://emunderwood.com/
Whedonesque http://whedonesque.com/
SlayerLit http://slayerlit.us/

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Once Upon A Time Project Update!

Hello all!
I'm sure many of you have been waiting eagerly for an update on the book 'Without Title'.  As of this moment it has been sent to the printers and I'm waiting for a proof copy to double check that everything is a-ok before I do a bulk order!

So for those of you have have either won a giveaway or were a runner up could you please send me your mailing addresses out so when the time comes I'm able to ship these off ASAP!  Soraya could you also send me your mailing address as well pls.


For those of you in Giveaway 3 that made it into the book but weren't a winner or runner up, I'll be sending a private invite to you so you are able to grab a copy for yourselves as well.

I'm hoping to have all copies sent out by the end of March, depending on how long it takes to print them up.  So stay tuned.

For those of you involved in the Once Upon a Time Project.  If you would like your friends and family to get a copy just let me know and I will send an invite out to them.  Unless there is a majority vote in the comments, I won't be making the book public unless you all decide that is what you want.  Let me know :)

You can email me at melissa@spellboundbybooks.com

Friday, February 18, 2011

Spellbound Bookshelves: Authors Special




Authors Special

Welcome to my new feature Spellbound Bookshelves! Each week I'll be posting up pictures of Readers Bookshelves. As this is just starting out, I'll need to ask you help in spreading the word and hopefully sending in pictures of your bookshelves. I'll also be including awesome bookshelves to store your books in for a bit of variety.

For the blogoversary I've asked some authors if they'd like to include some of their pictures and here they are!

Marianne de Pierres author of many titles including Sharp Shooter, and Burn Bright a Young Adult book coming out on March 1st.  This is her bookshelf!

This is Felicity Heaton's collection of books!  She's the author of many paranormal romance books including Her Dark Angel, Winter's Kiss and Love Immortal.



Kate Kaynak is the author of the Ganzfield series!
This was my grandmother's study when I was a kid, and it was always my idea of the perfect room: floor-to-ceiling books. This shows the "tidy" part of the room; my TBR pile is about three feet high and four deep on the table. And yes, I have read every book in this picture and that is a very comfy reading chair.

Nancy Holder's Bookshelf
Little bit for my bookshelf picture:  Yikers, are my shelves a MESS!  The heads are in honor of my Possessions series, in which such heads play a big role.  They creep out my daughter and she wants me to move them.  To WHERE, I would like to know!

 
Thanks to all of the authors who have taken time out of their busy day to share their bookshelves to you all.

Enjoy

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Matched by Ally Condie and Giveaway


Title: Matched
Author: Ally Condie
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy
Publisher:  Penguin Uk (Imprint: Razor Bill)
Publication Date: 7th December 2010
ISBN: 9780141333052
Stand alone or series: Series
Pages: 304 Pages
Book Received from: Penguin Australia
First Lines: Now that I've found the way to fly, which direction should I go into the night?

Synopsis:
ON HER SEVENTEENTH BIRTHDAY,
CASSIA MEETS HER MATCH.  SOCIETY DICTATES
HE IS HER PERFECT PARTNER FOR LIFE.

EXCEPT HE'S NOT.

In Cassia's society, Officials decide who people love.
How many children they have.
Where they work.
When they die.

But, as Cassia finds herself falling in love with another boy, she is determined to make some choices of her own.
And that's when her whole world begins to unravel . . .


My Thoughts:
I've seen this book pop up on many book blogs sites and I couldn't wait to get my hands on this.  Thanks to Erin from Penguin I was sent a copy for review.  The cover is absolutely awesome!

So, imagine this.  A life where you let someone else decide the technicalities. For instance, cooking your dinner for you, waiting to turn seventeen to be matched up to that special someone for life, a life of equality.  Sounds good doesn't it?  Let's put things into perspective.  A life where your work is chosen for you, how many kids you are allowed to have, when you die!  Doesn't sound so great does it?

Cassia has just turned seventeen and has just been matched to the one person she knows so well.  But when she goes to view his profile, another face pops up.  Just for an instant, but that's all it takes to plant that seed of doubt.

I really enjoyed reading this one.  I couldn't imagine a life where all my choices are made for me, but Ally does a fantastic job of creating a believable world where such a life exists.  The writing flowed well too and I was amazed at how quick I devoured this one.

This is definitely a fantastic start to the series, and I look forward to reading Crossed which will be out in November this year.  Another interesting bit of info: Disney and Offspring have optioned the film rights. 

Fave Line:  "Once you want something, everything changes. Now I want everything. More and more and more."

Now for the fun stuff.

Giveaway Time:
OPEN INTERNATIONAL
All you need to do is answere this question.

If you lived the life Cassia had (where your decisions were made for you) and you got to pick one area of your life you had some influence over, which would it be? (Love, Career, kids etc.)

That's it!
Just post your answers in the comment section.
Deadline: 6th March 2011


Wednesday, February 16, 2011

GIVEAWAY: Minder by Kate Kaynak



Sixteen-year-old Maddie Dunn is special, but she needs to figure out how to use her new abilities before somebody else gets hurt. Ganzfield is a secret training facility full of people like her, but it's not exactly a nurturing place.
Every social interaction carries the threat of mind-control.
A stray thought can burn a building to the ground.
And people's nightmares don't always stay in their own heads. But it's still better than New Jersey. Especially once she meets the man of her dreams...


 


Kate Kaynak, author of the Ganzfield series (Read my review of Minder here) has been kind enough to donate 2 copies of Minder to giveaway! One print copy of Minder (For U.S) and an enhanced PDF copy of Minder (International)

To be entered in the giveaway  just comment below.  All you need to include is, your name/alias, whether in U.S or International and an answer to this question below:
  
If you're trapped in an elevator, which character with superpowers (from books, movies, comics, etc) would you like to come looking for you?


You have until midnight (AEST) 6th March 2011 to post your entries in :)

I look forward to reading these answers

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Writing Romance by Felicity Heaton


Writing romance – possibly the best job in the world?

I’m Felicity Heaton, and I can’t think of any job in this world that is better than the one I have. What out there is more fun than spending your time creating worlds in which your imagination can run riot, crafting characters who become real in the minds of readers, and sharing experiences through a story with those readers? I can’t think of anything I want to do more than what I do now—writing romance novels.

I love the whole process, from the initial concept through to planning the story, plotting out all those twists and turns I like to weave into my books, to creating the characters and bringing them to life, giving them histories and the facets of personality that will make them shine on the page, and then editing the story until it shines too. There isn’t anything about writing romance that I don’t enjoy. Yes, I even love the effort it takes to promote my stories because it gives me a chance to connect with readers and speak to them about my books, and discover what they liked about them, and sometimes what they didn’t like. It’s all a huge learning process and I’m constantly evolving as a writer, growing with each book I pen or read.

I’ve been writing romance since 2005, when I was first e-published. I enjoyed being e-published but at the time I was doing most of the work, including creating my own covers, and when I started talking to an author friend about a change in the route I was taking, we quickly both decided to become indie authors. I’ve been indie since 2006, and while I have occasionally submitted stories to publishers and agents, I’ve been happy with my life as an indie. It gives me the freedom to write the stories that matter to me, at the lengths they deserve to be, rather than having to write for market. I have so many stories that I want to tell, and being indie means that I can get them out there sooner, connecting with more readers quicker than I could have if I had been traditionally published.

But that’s enough about my history, what I really wanted to talk about today was my love of writing. It’s a passion and an obsession, a force that drives me and never relents. I’m always working on something, whether it’s a first draft, plotting a new story, or editing, or even marketing. I’m constantly on the go, and constantly generating new ideas for characters or stories. I love writing romance because of the connections in the stories, the beauty of the first blossom of a relationship when it all begins and the big bang happens in our hearts, or the moment when lovers are reunited, overcoming their past to build a future together. Love is beautiful, and it’s something that humans crave to feel and experience, even when it’s through books. We can’t seem to put them down. My shelves are stacked with romances, from classic novels to modern paranormal romances and science fiction and fantasy. I write romance because I love to read romance. I like the warm feeling it gives me, and the smile it brings to my face, and how lost I can become in a good romance story. It’s that which I want to give my readers. I want to give to them what I have received from so many other authors—an escape into a world packed with romance and action that brings me a big smile of satisfaction and happiness at the end of it.

I write paranormal romances and science fiction romances, two genres that I have adored since I was a young child. I have book reports written as a six year old where I’m only ever satisfied if the characters in the story were scary—vampires, witches, werewolves or Frankenstein’s monster—if they weren’t paranormal, I declared the book was boring. I have tried my hand at contemporary, historical, and romantic suspense, but it makes sense to me that I write what I love to read, and that means there has to be a supernatural or futuristic element to the story.

Because I’m an indie author, my stories can vary in length, from a 10,000 word short story to a 160,000 word novel. That’s around the equivalent of a 550 page mass-market paperback. I tend to mix and match between writing stand alone stories and series, but love to write series most of all as that’s where I can really flex my world-building muscles and can have more fun with characters. I have two series of science fiction romance short stories and novellas, an ongoing paranormal angel romance series, a duo of sexy black panther shape-shifter novels, and an ongoing vampire romance series too, amongst others.

I don’t write the goody-two-shoes vampires and werewolves, those that won’t touch a drop of blood unless it’s animal or synthetic. I write dark paranormal romances where the characters aren’t ashamed or afraid to act as nature intended, but they are balanced, and feel as much as humans do. It’s a fine line to tread, but I think it adds excitement to the story, and a sense of realism, or as close to one as you can get in a paranormal story. If you’re looking for dangerous heroes or even anti-heroes, then I write them in spades, each as dark as the next, and each with a hint or a hefty dose of bad-boy appeal. I write realistic heroines who have their moments of fear, but can kick ass when required and aren’t afraid to go out there and get what they want, which is usually the hero.

This year, I’ll be releasing eleven stories in total, three of them free reads, and they’ll all be paranormal romances. There’ll be dark angels, sexy vampires, drop-dead gorgeous werewolves, and even a hellcat. So, if you’re looking for a new paranormal romance or science fiction romance author to sink your teeth into, why not check out my website? I love to interact with readers too, so you can always get in touch with me on Twitter and Facebook, or through my blog or website. My website has excerpts of all of my stories, so you can get a feel for the stories and my writing before purchasing.

Thanks for having me here today and if any readers have any comments or questions, please feel free to voice them and I’ll answer them as soon as possible.

If you want to know more about me and my stories, or want to get in touch, you can find me at the following places:







Love Immortal

Felicity Heaton

When you're searching for your purpose, the last thing you expect to discover is that you're the latest reincarnation of a goddess on a three thousand year old mission to defeat the original werewolf, Lycaon, before he can gain revenge on Zeus and Olympus.

Rescued from the claws of werewolves by Julian, a handsome and mysterious immortal, Lauren is pulled into a dark and frightening new world full of monsters out to kill her and an organisation of people with phenomenal abilities who want to protect her—Ghost. But the most frightening thing of all is that soon Lauren will need to drink Julian's blood in order to reawaken and regain her immortal powers.

Or she will die.

Julian isn't about to let that happen. He's never met anyone like Lauren and he's determined not to lose her. She's the perfect copy of Illia but is nothing like her or any of the incarnations. She is light to their darkness, and she breathes life back into him, but can he trust her with his heart and bring himself to believe that the feelings she shows him are real after everything he has been through?

Can Lauren succeed in defeating Lycaon when all of her predecessors have failed? Will she be able to crack the armour around Julian's heart and seize her happily forever after with him?
Available in e-book for $3.99 from:





Available in paperback for $12.99 from:



Monday, February 14, 2011

Happy Valentines Day and First Blogoversary


I can't believe it.  Spellbound By Books is 1 year old today.  That year has literally flown by and I'm amazed and thankful for the friends I've made which include fellow bloggers, readers, authors and publishers.

I started Spellbound By Books mainly to keep track of the books I've read and my thoughts on these but my blog expanded to more than that.  I now post book trailers, author interviews, giveaways and more on here.  I never would have thought that my blog would have expanded as far as it has and I'm amazed at the amount of people who enjoy reading my blog.  Its quite exciting to think that I could help other readers find awesome books to read!

Okay enough rambling.  Thank you to some really great Authors we will have some guest posts, giveaways and a sneak peek at their bookshelves so stay tuned.


Also before I forget,

Sunday, February 13, 2011

In My Mailbox (49)

In My Mailbox is a weekly post created by The Story Siren

Bought:



Given:
A huge thank you to Chasity over at Lovlivlife Reviews for sending this awesome book jacket to me!

That was my awesome week.  What did you get this week in your IMM?


Saturday, February 12, 2011

Sticky Beak (44)

Sticky Beak is all about sharing. Sometimes we can't all get around to every single blog and website available so that's where Sticky Beak comes in. By word of mouth (well you get what I mean) we are more likely to get to those blogs that we wouldn't have normally seen without someone pointing them out to us.

The links could be to your own post, a favourite blog post you would love to share, an authors blog/website, book/writing contests, reviews you really enjoyed, tour info or anything you would love to share with others. Just use the comments below to add your link!
Here's Mine:

New Bloggers to Check Out:
Write On!: A Blog for Teen Writers and Readers! 
Redefining Chaos: Take the time to check this out.  Interview with La Femme Readers here

For Writers:
Australia Council: Digital and New Media Writing Grants - Literature
Search Warp: Writing a Children's book -11 Things You Need To Know

Cool Stuff To Check Out:
LovLivLife Reviews: February 2011 Releases
1000 Awesome Things: Check this out.  I found this interesting, and you might to :)

For Book Bloggers and Others interested:
Authors Helping Authors: Authors Beware of unprofessional Reviewers. This post link has definitely been flying around the web alot.  As a book blogger, I believe that readers and followers deserve an honest review stating what they like and what didn't work for them.  That doesn't mean that you should trash a book or put a reader off picking up a book because a blogger doesn't like it.  It just means that the book wasn't for them.  I also don't believe it is in an Authors best interest to target certain book blogs and call them unprofessional. Word of Mouth travels far, especially on the internet, and posts like these can damage an Authors reputation.  How readers perceive an Author, plays just as big a part in buying a book, as the book itself.  This is just my opinion. Please feel free to check this out and comment back on this post about what you think!
A Writer Goes on a Journey: Author fired from continuing her own creation. 
Stacia Kane: Expert Advice.  Worth checking out ;)

Friday, February 11, 2011

Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble by H.P. Mallory

Title: Fire Burn & Cauldron Bubble
Author: H.P. Mallory
Genre: Paranormal Romance/ Urban Fantasy 
Publication Date: July 2010
Stand alone or series: Series
Pages: 296 pages
Book Received from: Author
First Lines: It's not everyday you see a ghost.

Synopsis:
A self-deprecating witch with the unique ability to reanimate the dead. A dangerously handsome warlock torn between being her boss and her would-be lover. A six hundred year old English vampire with his own agenda; one that includes an appetite for witches. The Underworld in a state of chaos. Let the games begin.

Life isn’t bad for psychic Jolie Wilkins. True, she doesn’t have a love life to speak of, but she has a cute house in the suburbs of Los Angeles, a cat and a quirky best friend.
Enter Rand Balfour, a sinfully attractive warlock who insists she’s a witch and who just might turn her life upside down. Rand hires her to help him solve a mystery regarding the death of his client who also happens to be a ghost. Jolie not only uncovers the cause of the ghost’s demise but, in the process, she brings him back to life!
Word of Jolie’s incredible ability to bring back the dead spreads like wildfire, putting her at the top of the Underworld’s most wanted list. Consequently, she finds herself at the center of a custody battle between a villainous witch, a dangerous but oh-so-sexy vampire, and her warlock boss, Rand.

My Thoughts:
It has taken me a little while to get to this book and I am kicking myself for taking so long. 

Jolie works with her best friend Christa running a psychic business.  Things are pretty normal until Jolie sees her first ghost.  From there she meets the oh-so-handsome Rand who comes in for a reading.  Though Jolie doesn't see much, Rand keeps coming back the exact same time each week until he reveals his ulterior motive.  He's a male witch.  Obviously Jolie scoffs at the idea until he proves otherwise, and it's there she takes on the job to help him.

I really enjoyed reading from Jolie's point of view.  She's smart, modest and frankly a little stubborn.  Her best friend Christa, is quite the opposite.  Christa is care free, flirtatious and stunning in Jolie's eye'; Everything she's not.  Rand is a hunk of ultimate proportions (my opinion) and definitely strengthens the story with his personality.  These characters in combination make for an interesting read. 

Things get quite complicated between Jolie and Rand, with their work relationship putting a dampener on any action that could possibly happen.  I like how H.P Mallory lets the tension between them grow, and it's good to see the way things pan out with them both.  No more comment on that one :)

While this was a quick read, it was also quite entertaining.  I look forward to reading Toil and Trouble, the second book in this series!

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Spellbound Noticeboard (6)

Welcome to Spellbound Noticeboard. Here is where Authors, Bloggers and others can send in anything that you'd like promoted. Competitions, book releases, blog events etc. This is your spot! So feel free to send me a line if you have anything book related (Including books made into movies) and I'll be sure to post these up! I'll also be including features etc that I come across to help spread the word for other Authors and bloggers! Just email me at melissa@spellboundbybooks.com 

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Rachel Caine, Author of the awesome Morganville Vampires series is coming to Australia!  I'm not sure of the schedule dates and tour stops but they will be posted as soon as I can find out!!

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That's all I have for this week.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday (49)

Waiting on Wednesday was brought to you by Jill over at Breaking The Spine. It's a weekly post for you to share what upcoming books you can't wait for!


I'm so excited about the newest book from Richelle Mead called Bloodlines which is a Vampire Academy spin off!  This won't be released until 23rd of August 2011.

Bloodlines



No Synopsis yet.
But here are the characters that will be in Bloodlines that were out of Vampire Academy series
Sydney (our narrator), Jill, Eddie, and one of the love interests from VA.

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