Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Cover Reveal: A Tale of Two Centuries by Rachel Harris

Today is a special treat. I have, on my blog for the very first time, the beautiful, and talented Rachel Harris. I missed the cover for her debut novel, My Sweet Sixteenth Century which is the first book in the series. I love the cover of that one and this one is just as awesome.

But first, a little about the awesome Ms. Harris.

Rachel Harris

As a teen, Rachel Harris threw raging parties that shook her parents’ walls and created embarrassing fodder for future YA novels. As an adult, she reads and writes obsessively, rehashes said embarrassing fodder, and dreams up characters who become her own grown up version of imaginary friends.

When she's not typing furiously or flipping pages in an enthralling romance, you can find her homeschooling her two beautiful princesses, hanging out with her amazing husband, or taking a hot bubble bath…next to a pile of chocolate. A Tale of Two Centuries is her second novel.

And now for the cover...


Did I mention I really liked this one?


Oh yes, I did.


Guess you want to see it, don't you.


Ok, here it is.
Alessandra D’Angeli is in need of an adventure. Tired of her sixteenth-century life in Italy and homesick for her time-traveling cousin, Cat, who visited her for a magical week and dazzled her with tales of the future, Alessandra is lost. Until the stars hear her plea.

One mystical spell later, Alessandra appears on Cat’s Beverly Hills doorstep five hundred years in the future. Surrounded by confusing gadgets, scary transportation, and scandalous clothing, Less is hesitant to live the life of a twenty-first century teen…until she meets the infuriating—and infuriatingly handsome—surfer Austin Michaels. Austin challenges everything she believes in…and introduces her to a world filled with possibility.

With the clock ticking, Less knows she must live every moment of her modern life while she still can. But how will she return to the drab life of her past when the future is what holds everything she’s come to love?

And here's an excerpt!
Glaring sunlight permeates the thin veil of my eyelids. Even though it is noonday, the light is exceptionally bright, at least in comparison to the shelter of the tent. I shield my brow with a curved hand and force my protesting eyes open…then at the sight before me, promptly shut them again.

Sounds become crisper in the darkness. Rumbles, shrieks, wails, and hums. Unfamiliar chirps and impossible beeps. Piecing together my tattered, wilting courage, I take another peek and find nothing is as it should be.

Where my palazzo usually sits is an enormous structure with golden doors and red columns, a metallic roof, and a massive mounted dragon. A pair of terrifying, sculpted beasts guards the entrance. The ground is no longer one of cracked stone or even the damp earth of my garden, but assorted gray blocks etched with handprints, slipper prints, and a series of strange markings.

I stare at the mysterious shapes on the stone before me and gasp as they all at once become clear: Harry Potter, 7-9-07. Rupert Grint. Daniel Radcliffe. Emma Watson.

While a few of the letters are different than I am used to, it is as if my mind is faster than I, readily making sense of it all. Stooping to see the words closer, I place my hands in the indentations below the word Emma and marvel at the fit.

I twist my neck around, hands still pressed into the cool hollows, wanting to share the astonishing news with Reyna. But she and the tent are gone. In their place, an overwhelming crowd in varying degrees of scandalous dress swarms the square, each costume more shocking than the last.

Exposed ankles, exposed legs, exposed stomachs

I avert my eyes heavenward, twin flames of heat burning up my throat and into my hairline. Clutching the note, I press my hands against my knees and prepare to stand. The rough texture beneath my palms causes me to freeze.

A horrible, unimaginable truth tries to be acknowledged, and I reluctantly run my hands along my thighs, hoping, praying my fingers will brush against the soft, cool silk of my surcoat. But when they follow the curve of my lap and meet in the middle, mortification demands a glance down.

Gentleman’s trousers!

a Rafflecopter giveaway



'Till Next Time.

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Cover Reveal: Game, Set, Match by Jennifer Iacopelli

If you've followed me for a while, you know I love cover reveals. It isn't because they are easier than coming up with my own stuff, but I just love to help out other authors. Also, I like seeing things before everyone else and lording it over them.

Cause that's how I roll.

Ok, Seriously.

Today we are joined by the fabulous Jennifer Iacopelli and her gorgeous cover for her novel Game, Set, Match which is the first book in her Outerbanks Tennis Academy series.

Not only do we have the awesome cover...we also have a giveaway (rafflecopter at the end of the post).

So, here's a little bit about Ms. Iacopelli

Jennifer Iacopelli was born in New York and has no plans to leave...ever. Growing up, she read everything she could get her hands on, but her favorite authors were Laura Ingalls Wilder, L.M. Montgomery and Frances Hodgson Burnett all of whom wrote about kick-ass girls before it was cool for girls to be kick-ass. She got a Bachelor's degree in Adolescence Education and English Literature quickly followed up by a Master's in Library Science, which lets her frolic all day with her books and computers, leaving plenty of time in the evenings to write and yell at the Yankees, Giants and her favorite tennis players through the TV.


And now for the cover. You'll like it. I know it's not the usual fare of Paranormal romances that I seem to do a lot of covers for, but it's still a good cover and the story sounds interesting.

And yes, I do plan on reading it.


And here's the cover.
Game. Set. Match. on Goodreads

Nestled along the coastline of North Carolina, the Outer Banks Tennis Academy is the best elite tennis training facility in the world. Head Coach, Dominic Kingston has assembled some of the finest talent in the sport. From the game's biggest stars to athletes scraping and clawing to achieve their dreams, OBX is full of ego, drama and romance. Only the strong survive in this pressure cooker of competition, on and off the court.

Penny Harrison, the biggest rising star in tennis, is determined to win the French Open and beat her rival, the world’s number one player, Zina Lutrova. There’s just one problem, the only person who’s ever been able to shake her laser-like focus is her new training partner. Alex Russell, tennis’s resident bad boy, is at OBX recovering from a knee injury suffered after he crashed his motorcycle (with an Aussie supermodel on the back). He's hoping to regain his former place at the top of men’s tennis and Penny’s heart, while he’s at it.

Tennis is all Jasmine Randazzo has ever known. Her parents have seven Grand Slam championships between them and she’s desperate to live up to their legacy. Her best friend is Teddy Harrison, Penny’s twin brother, and that’s all they’ve ever been, friends. Then one stupid, alcohol-laced kiss makes everything super awkward just as she as she starts prepping for the biggest junior tournament of the year, the Outer Banks Classic.

The Classic is what draws Indiana Gaffney out of the hole she crawled into after her mom’s death. Even though she’s new to OBX, a win at the Classic is definitely possible. She has a big serve and killer forehand, but the rest of her game isn’t quite up to scratch and it doesn’t help that Jasmine Randazzo and her little minions are stuck-up bitches or that Jack Harrison, Penny’s agent and oldest brother, is too hot for words, not to mention way too old for her.

Who will rise? Who will fall?

Told from rotating points of view, GAME. SET. MATCH., is a 'new adult' novel about three girls with one goal: to be the best tennis player in the world.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


'Till Next Time!

Monday, March 4, 2013

March #writemotivation Post Number 1

So, it's the first Monday of March.

Yeah. Monday.

*stabs*

Ok, enough angsty stuff. On to the less angsty stuff.

Yeah, I'm talking #writemotivation. I slacked on this a couple months ago, but I'm back with more tacky things to toss at my friends as they fight through the mess of words in their heads in an attempt to make them into a coherent story.

Or is that just how I view it?

Since this is my first post of the month, I'll list my goals. This months goals are significantly different than previous months. The difference being, I finished my first draft. So, the number of words I'm writing is not as important as my progress with revisions.

Yup. The dreaded revisions.

Leading scientists believe this is the leading cause of head explosions.


Or maybe that's just something that happens in cheesy scifi/horror movies.

But enough of that.

Goals:
  1. Do revisions on HJ
  2. Submit HJ to #PitchMadness (end of March)
  3. Cheer on my #writemotivation tweeps
  4. Blog at least once a week.
Yup. That's right. HJ will be submitted to #PitchMaddness. What's PitchMadness?

Glad you asked.

This is PitchMadness. It's the brain-child of the epically awesome Brenda Drake. Click on the link for info. If you want to join, do it, but make sure your ready for submission because if an agent likes your stuff you'll need to have it ready to go.

'Till Next Time

Friday, March 1, 2013

Cover Reveal: Violet Dawn by Lynn Rush

Today we are joined by the lovely Lynn Rush to show off the cover to her newest novel, Violet Dawn, the second book in her Violet Night Trilogy. The cover is awesome. Hope you enjoy it!

Lynn Rush 
New Adult Paranormal Romance Author

Driven to write, Lynn Rush often sees her characters by closing her eyes watching their story unfold in her mind. Lynn Rush is a pen name that is a combination of two sources – Lynn, the first name of her mother-in-law, who passed away and Rush – since the author is a former inline speed skater and mountain biker. All of Rush’s books are dedicated to Lynn, her namesake, and a portion of the proceeds benefits cancer research and awareness.

Links:
Catch the Rush™: www.LynnRush.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/LynnRushWrites
Twitter: www.twitter.com/LynnRush
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/lynnrushwrites/
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/f55fL

So here's the cover...








Violet Dawn (Violet Night Trilogy, #2)—Release Date April 1st, 2013 from Crescent Moon Press
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17160459-violet-dawn

In the darkest place, the Light shines brightest.
Emma’s love saved Jake from life as a vampire. But their happily ever after is threatened by a savage Vamp seeking retribution for destroying the Avenos Trinity of Evil.

A mysterious stranger enters the mix, coinciding with the first Vamp attack in months. Emma’s new friendship, and the suspicion and deceit surrounding it, further drives a wedge between her and Jake.

To complicate things, Emma is bitten by a Vamp with abilities no one has ever seen before, and that bite has left its mark.

A mark that might tear Jake and Emma apart forever…

What people are already saying about Violet Dawn:
"Fast-paced, action-packed, Violet Dawn is basically everything you'd want from a vampire hunter novel and then some. Emma has kick-ass written all over her." ~Kate Evangelista, author of Taste
"Rush knocked this sequel out of the park." ~Carrie Butler, author of Strength