NEW RELEASE: Lost Soul by T. G. Ayer

Happy Release Day!

Lost Soul
(DarkWorld #2)
by
T.G. Ayer

With her sister missing and her mother and Anjelo stuck in the Wraith World, Kai must find a way to save them all. But the Wraith poison has brought her to her knees and only Logan's fire can help ease her pain.

Uncertain who to rescue first, Kai's decision is made for her when she discovers her sister Greer is stuck in the Greylands and slowly going insane. Desperate to save her, Kai will go to incredible lengths to obtain a portal key to the land of the dead - and maybe, she’ll go one step too far.

From deathtalkers to demons, trackers to ghosts, Kai must fight against betrayal and evade the clutches of danger to set her sister free. Can she save Greer from a horrific death - and will she ever be able to forgive herself if she can’t?

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AMAZON US / AMAZON UK / SMASHWORDS

Teasers

My ears lifted, pointed, flared out. My eyes burned, the particular sensation of my panther eyes coming forth. Another growl and my jaw lengthened, hardened, my nose now picking up every odor surrounding me, including the sickly odor of the poison flowing thick and strong beneath my skin.
My hands transitioned smoothly into paws, my fingernails curving into deadly-sharp claws. I stretched out, lengthened my back, and let the panther take control.

~~~~~

The lab was cold and silent as Logan breathed deep, drawing the fire through his body and centering the molten energy within his mind. The mouse shivered in his hand, its sickly green eyes staring up at him, its expression sad and seemingly pleading. The little, large-eyed white-furred creature had been shaved to reveal its bare skin, enabling Logan and the lab-techs to assess how well the fire was progressing in killing the poison.

~~~~~

As the glass hit the ground, water burst from it like a geyser, spraying droplets all over the kitchen. And all over me.
Good job, Odel. Now who's going to clean up this mess?
Lying where I fell, my face rested close to my poison-wreathed arm. I stared at it as it throbbed and pulsed, as if the poison had taken on a life of its own and was just waiting for the next moment to advance farther into my flesh.
Who knew a tiny piece of Wraith-sword could be this deadly?

~~~~~

Meet the Author

I have been a writer from the time I was old enough to recognise that reading was a doorway into my imagination. Poetry was my first foray into the art of the written word. Books were my best friends, my escape, my haven. I am essentially a recluse but this part of my personality is impossible to practise given I have two teenage daughters, who are actually my friends, my tea-makers, my confidantes… I am blessed with a husband who has left me for golf. It’s a fair trade as I have left him for writing. We are both passionate supporters of each other's loves – it works wonderfully…

My heart is currently broken in two. One half resides in South Africa where my old roots still remain, and my heart still longs for the endless beaches and the smell of moist soil after a summer downpour. My love for Ma Afrika will never fade. The other half of me has been transplanted to the Land of the Long White Cloud. The land of the Taniwha, beautiful Maraes, and volcanoes. The land of green, pure beauty that truly inspires. And because I am so torn between these two lands – I shall forever remain cross-eyed.

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~~~~~
 

The January Awesomeness Award

This year I wanted to initiate a monthly award. Writing, blogging, editing, designing, promoting - it's all hard work and takes talent. So this monthly award is just a way for me to highlight excellence among the myriad of people I see online everyday.

So - I would like to dedicate January's Award to two very talented people.

Firstly - Kate Strawbridge of Dwell, Design and Press who put together the stunning cover for True Colors. Not only that she has also put together some amazing promo graphics that will start appearing in the three weeks leading up to the book's release. Kate worked tirelessly on this project, taking suggestions from both myself and the publisher (Margery from Evatopia Press). Working with her was a total pleasure and I look forward to future projects :D

The second person I want to highlight is Heidi McLaughlin. She will be visiting YAlicious later this year, but for today, I wanted to give her this award, because her books have held me captive this week. The Beaumont Series drew me into a rock and roll world tempered by the down to earth love of small town women. The romance is sweet, yet sizzling and the characters are easy to fall in love with.


Well done ladies for being the first winners of the YAlicious Awesomeness Award. You definitely deserve it.

If you know anyone who deserves to be nominated for excellence in this industry, please comment below. This is your chance to give a shout out to the people who have earned a little praise.

Author Guest Post + Giveaway: Suzy Turner

Suzy Turner is such a fantastic author to know. She's energetic, enthusiastic and loves writing as much as I do...and like me, the idea of seeing her books played out on screen is a total thrill.

When she told me last year that she was embarking on an indie film project, I nearly fell off my chair. Yes, the wonderful Suzy Turner is seeing her books made into a short film. It is so freaking exciting and I feel so privileged to be able to watch her journey.

She has very kindly given us some of her precious time to tell us about the project...

A couple of years ago I had the privilege of working on a British movie that was being shot in the Algarve (where I've lived since I was ten). There I met some amazing friends - both experienced and inexperienced in the world of film making. At the time, a few of us said, 'we should make a trailer for your books'. I nodded and agreed - it would be amazing, I thought.

Then life got in the way and we didn't talk about it again until last year when Pedro, a musician and keen amateur film maker, got in touch and suggested we make a short movie instead. Naturally, I jumped at the possibility and we met up and began to discuss things further. 

Gradually our plans developed and soon we had more friends on board, keen to get involved with such a unique project here in southern Portugal. It would be a short movie based on my YA urban fantasy books, The Morgan Sisters. As more and more people came forward offering their time and skills for free, Pedro and I began to realise the enormity of what we were doing, but it didn't matter, we were in it for the long haul!

So we began shooting back in November, on freezing cold dark nights (I stupidly wrote the majority of the script at night in a cemetery!) shivering, drinking lots of hot tea and coffee to keep us warm. But regardless of the conditions, everyone was amazing. We took a long break over Christmas as I was away in England for over three weeks, but we began shooting again last weekend. Unfortunately dire weather conditions have hampered our efforts to film outdoors but we had such a laugh shooting in front of the green screen! I'm keeping quiet about what we were filming though, as that will be a surprise.

We've only filmed about a third of the scenes so far, and we can only shoot on weekends because most of our cast are school-going teenagers so it's going to take a few more months to complete, but it's enormous fun for everyone involved. We're hoping to have a teaser ready in a few weeks, which is very exciting. I can't wait!

More info on www.suzyturner.com

I am so excited about that teaser!

If you'd like to win a copy of the Morgan Sisters books (The Ghost of Josiah Grimshaw, The Temporal Stone and Daisy Madigan's Paradise) you can enter the Weekly Winner Giveaway below. And don't forget to check out Suzy Turner's website to see updates on the film.

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And the Weekly Winner for the Simone Elkeles Giveaway is....

Louise Fae Dent!!

Congratulations, Louisa! I've just sent you an email so we can arrange for you to get your gift :)

I'm so excited about the coming week. I have Suzy Turner visiting to tell us about her short film project. Eeeeppp!!! This post includes a giveaway too. Fun :D

On Thursday I will be giving out the first YAlicious Awesomeness Award. It is being awarded to two amazing people in the writing world and I can't wait for you to find out who they are.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and I'll catch you again real soon!

Top 5 - Series That Sucked You In

Every now and again you stumble across a series that totally sucks you in. You get to know the characters so well they become like family. You think about them when you're not reading and when you get to the end, you're just that little bit sad because you want to remain in their world.

You know the ones I mean?

So - which series have done that for you?

Here are my Top 5

The Chesapeake Bay Series by Nora Roberts

The Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer

The Perfect Chemistry Series by Simone Elkeles

The Greystone Series by Taylor Longford

The O'Malley Series by Dee Henderson

What are the Top 5 series that sucked you in?

Author Highlight & Giveaway: Simone Elkeles

One of my favorite YA authors of all time, the lady who got me totally hooked on YA reading was Simone Elkeles. I started with Perfect Chemistry and quickly fell in love. I have read all her books now. She has a flair to her writing that I just adore. Her characters are easy to fall in love with, her conflicts are real, there's always heightened tension and drama, spiced up with a little humor. They are everything I look for in a book.

I wanted to take a few minutes today to highlight her different series and because it's Monday, I'll be giving away a couple of Simone Elkeles e-books.

The first two books I read and loved were:

Perfect Chemistry

Rules of Attraction

This is an excellent series. I read these books so fast and ended up re-reading them only a month or so after I was done. I just could not get the characters out of my head.

*****

A very light series that was really funny and I definitely enjoyed was the Ruined Series:

Filled with lots of humor and sexy tension between the two main characters, I really got lost in these stories as well.

*****

And then the Paradise 2-book series is well worth a read:

Again, great sexual tension between two characters that were wounded and real. I loved their back stories and the way life had affected them both made their romance so much more powerful.

*****

Her latest book, Wild Cards, was awesome. I really, really loved it and I will be giving away an e-copy of it for the Weekly Winner giveaway this week. I'm also going to throw in an e-copy of Perfect Chemistry :)

So that's a very small tribute to an author who has inspired and entertained me throughout the last few years. 

Thanks for writing such great novels, Simone Elkeles. You are a legend :)

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And the Weekly Winners of the Patti Larsen Giveaway Are...

Angel Lawson,

Alexandru Rusu

and

Book Chatter Cath!!

Congratulations to the three winners!! Patti Larsen will be getting in touch with you directly to organize the receiving of your gifts.

Next week we have another good line up with a showcase and giveaway for one of my favorite YA authors - Simone Elkeles!!

We also have the first Top 5 for the year.

I hope you're all having a brilliant weekend and I look forward to seeing you again on Monday :)

xx

NEW RELEASE: Keeping Breathing by Alexia Purdy

Title: Keep Breathing
Author: Alexia Purdy
Genre: Contemporary Romance/ Adult
Publisher: Lyrical Lit. Press
Release Date: January 15 2014

Blurb/Synopsis:
Seth Kingston is back in town with years of regrets. Regrets for the way he left things with Penny, the hurt he caused her, and the future they could have had together. He had his reasons and now all he wants is to make amends and have a second chance at love.
But Penny wants no part of what he’s offering. She’s accepted that life is hard, love is an illusion, and you can’t trust men. Especially men named Seth Kingston. And yet… he’s so tender with her. He’s patient, and caring.
Is it possible that he’s changed? Can they really try again?
The past has a tendency to embed its vicious talons deep into a heart, never to let go again. Penny has enough tragedy to last lifetimes and isn’t willing to let anyone scale her walls.
Can real love survive anything, even an unforgiving past?

Amazon Purchase Link - only 99c for the next three days!!

Alexia currently lives in Las Vegas, Nevada–Sin City! She loves to spend every free moment writing or playing with her four rambunctious kids. Writing has always been her dream and she has been writing ever since she can remember. She loves writing paranormal fantasy and poetry and devours books daily. Alexia also enjoys watching movies, dancing, singing loudly in the car and Italian food.

Places to find Alexia

Amazon Author Page

Barnes and Noble Author Page

Blog

Ever Shade (A Dark Faerie Tale) Facebook Fan page  

Facbook  Author Page

Lyrical Lit Publishing Facebook Page

Reign of Blood Facebook Fan Page

Goodreads Author Page

LinkedIn

Smashwords Author Page

Twitter

Places to find Keep Breathing 

Goodreads
Amazon

COVER LOVE - True Colors Cover Reveal

And here it is...the moment we've all been waiting for :)

The True Colors cover reveal!!

It is with great pleasure that I reveal this stunning cover by Kate Strawbridge of Dwell Design and Press. Her tireless work on this project was amazing and the cover is simply stunning. Thank you for your talent and patience, lovely lady. You have done a fantastic job.

TRUE COLORS BLURB:
Caitlyn Davis always cruised through life, not being the type to ruffle feathers or involve herself in high school drama…until a chance encounter with a strange, homeless man changes everything.

Suddenly, Caitlyn has the ability to see behind people’s masks. She discovers that her life isn’t as simple as she imagined and her high school is filled with secrets…some very sinister ones.

Unable to ignore her new gift, Caitlyn embarks on a mission to learn why one of her friends now appears terrified, but masks her fear behind a bright, smiling veneer. Will Caitlyn’s new ability lead her into hot water? Or is her new found vision a blessing that will expose her friends’ true colors?

Her quest will lead Caitlyn to lose friends, stand up for those in need, and even find love.

At Palisades High School every face tells a story…

Add True Colors to your reading list on Goodreads.

And please don't forget to join in the True Colors release celebration at the 

Masquerade Ball (A Facebook Event) 

February 16th. 

This is going to be huge - with visiting authors unveiling their own secrets as well as competitions and giveaways. A Best Mask Competition has already begun.
But the best part?
Every party-goer will be entitled to purchase a copy of True Colors for only 99c!! 

I look forward to seeing you there :)

Author Highlight - PATTI LARSEN

It is my total pleasure to have Patti Larsen visit YAlicious today. When I was first starting out in the indie publishing world, I read a post by her that totally inspired me and I've been watching her progress ever since.

Author of a myriad of books, Patti Larsen is Purely Paranormal and an author who has done all us indie's proud.

Today she is visiting with two Top 5's and thanks to her amazing generosity has also provided the Weekly Winner prize pack for not just one, but THREE people.

Thank you so much for joining us on YAlicious today, Patti. It's awesome to have you :)

About Patti Larsen:

You’re not looking for my polished bio, huh? You sure you want more? The real dirty, down deep, nitty gritty? Fair enough. Here goes: I’m a card-carrying nerd. It’s taken years to admit it. I’m also a hermit in a writing basement who prefers solitude to people (cats always welcome). I’m a writing fiend who hears the voices of teenagers and blushes at the S-E-X parts. I don’t sleep very well. Ever. My mind is too busy. I am a feline loving married woman who could easily end up a crazy cat lady if my husband would let me. I am a paradigm shifter, a believer in self and my own personal power. I see everything in black and white until the gray is explained to me. I am a fiercely loyal friend, a confidant and a Tarot card reader and intuitive. I am a proud geek fangirl, a total dweeb and can’t dance to save my soul. I am terrified of heights and challenge that fear every chance I get. Oh, and I’m the Creator. The Queen of my own Destiny. I love that.

You can find me all over the Internet

www.pattilarsen.com

Five of My Favorite Characters

This was actually very hard and I had to force myself to choose only characters who had their own series.

1. Sydlynn Hayle, hands down. Though she resists her power at first, who wouldn’t want to be a teen witch with tons of power and two hot guys vying for you?

2. Reid from the Hunted series. No matter the circumstances, he never quits, never gives up and looks out for those who need him.

3. Trio (Clone Three), partly because she’s so determined despite how broken she is. Memory lost, she perseveres, even learns to love in a post-apocalyptic world dying around her. Tragic but heroic.

4. Auburdeen Hayle, great-great-great grandmother of Sydlynn Hayle. She’s funny, brave and adventurous. I love how she throws herself into danger without thinking about the consequences.

5. Fresco Conte’s journey always breaks my heart, from a football hero to a drug addict dying on the street, his strength and determination still surprise me.

*****

You can find all of my top five characters in Purely Paranormal, a collection of first books in five series:

http://bit.ly/purelyparanormal

Five things I Love about my Job

1. Working from home, so on icy cold days I can stay inside and be toasty warm (can you tell it’s winter in my part of the world?)

2. Being a creator, exploring worlds and lives I would never have the chance to experience.

3. Meeting amazing readers and other fabulous writers (thanks for having me, Melissa!) and especially finding out authors you admire like your work, too :)

4. Being in control of my own destiny, being my own boss. It’s amazing.

5. Making a living doing what I always wanted. What’s not to love?

I couldn't agree more. I feel lucky every day to be writing :)

Thank you so much for sharing a piece of yourself with us and thank you for your generosity, Patti.

If you'd like to win an e-copy of Purely Paranormal, plus one of Patti's pendant key chains, please enter the giveaway below. Winner will be announced on Sunday.

If you'd like to connect with Patti online, you can find her on:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/pattilarsenauthor

Twitter: www.twitter.com/PattiLarsen

Website: www.bit.ly/pattilarsen

And you can sign up for new release updates: www.bit.ly/pattilarsenemail

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And the 1st Weekly Winner of 2014 is....

BOOK CHATTER CATH!!

Yay - I know this lovely lady and she's a peach.

Congratulations, Cath. I will look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the giveaway. The next one starts tomorrow, with the prizeS (squee!!) being supplied by our fantastic guest author - Patti Larsen!!

And later this week we have the True Colors Cover Reveal which I'm also uber excited about.

I hope everyone is having a brilliant weekend. I look forward to seeing you all next week :D

xx

The True Colors Masquerade Ball & Best Mask Competition

My next novel is coming out on February 16th. To celebrate, we are holding a Masquerade Ball. This is a Facebook event with so many fun things planned - you won't want to miss it :)

YOU CAN JOIN HERE

I would love to have you join the event. I am updating the event weekly with excerpts from the novel, plus the cover will be revealed there on January 16th. I am also running the odd flash giveaway leading up to the big day.

There are a few awesome things happening at this ball, such as...

- All party-goers will be entitled to buy a copy of True Colors for only 99c!
- This event will also involve many other authors who will be sharing secrets on their own Facebook pages throughout the event.
- There will also be a Guess The Author Competition, plus we are running two Best Mask Competitions...one for the authors...

AND ONE FOR YOU!!

Here's how it works....

Send your pictures to 

hello@melissapearlauthor.com

Evatopia Press (who is publishing True Colors) and I are very excited about this upcoming event. This is going to be an awesome party and I can't wait to see you there!!

If you are an author and would like to be involved in this event, please sign up HERE.

What Do You Want To Achieve In 2014?

I've always been a goal setter. I like to have something to aim for and I love that sense of achievement when I can cross something off my list. I also love the sense of directions goals give me.

So - in regards to YAlicious this year...here are some of my goals:

- Although this blog is called YAlicious, I have started to include some New Adult novels as well. I have read some fantastic NA novels lately and I want to be able to include them on this blog, so my goal is to include a wider variety of books and authors this year. I will still continue to talk movies occasionally as well - I just can't help myself ;)

- I want to continue inviting amazing authors to visit. It's been so cool featuring all these great books and highlighting new writers for you to discover. This will continue to be the main focus of this blog.
If you have any authors you absolutely love, let me know, I'd love to have them visit YAlicious.

- I want to continue with some of the special features - Cover Love, Discussion Time, Book Reviewer Interviews. I'm also going to introduce two new features this year - Top 5 & The Monthly Awesomeness Award.
If you are a book reviewer and would like to tell us a little about yourself in the interview feature, please let me know. I'd love to have you.

- Another initiative I want to start this year is Weekly Winner. Most Mondays I will be featuring an author and one or two of their books. These features will always be accompanied with a giveaway and each Sunday, a Weekly Winner will be chosen.

- And because this is my blog, I will still continue to highlight what's going on in my writing world ;)

Have you set any goals for yourself this year?
If so, I wish you the best of luck in achieving them.

And because it's Monday, let's start our first giveaway of the year.

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