I Know Lucy is sharing a release with Break Free by Amber Garza!!! Enter to win a copy of each!

It is very cool to make friends in the author world and it's especially cool to be able to read and promote each other's work.

On Friday, Amber Garza released her latest book, Break Free. I can't WAIT to read it. It's sitting on my Kindle all ready to go. All I need to find now, is the time :)

Because this lady rocks, I thought you might like to get to know her a little better, so here's my little interview with the lovely, Amber Garza.

1. What was the first story you ever wrote (and be honest here - the FIRST one). 

When I was around 10, I wrote a book about a nerdy boy who was being picked on in school. I literally can’t remember anything else that happened in the story or if it even had a plot. That’s all I remember. 

2. What book are you currently reading? 

I’m beta reading Crazy Enough to be True by Megan Squires. I love it 

3. What's your favorite movie set in a high school? 

A Walk to Remember 

4. Who’s your go-to author - so you always buy their books because you trust them and know it’ll be a good read? 

Alice Hoffman. I’m obsessed with her haunting writing style. I’d read anything of hers. 

5. What’s your favorite TV show at the moment? 

Nashville 

6. Which actor did you have a crush on when you were a teen? 

Christian Slater 

7. Who’s your ultimate book boyfriend? 

For awhile it was Jace from Mortal Instruments. I also really love Augustus Waters from Fault in our Stars. 

8. Tell us about a favorite character you’ve written and why you like them so much. 

Kyler from Break Free. He is writer like me so I feel a kindship to him. But mostly I like that he is not your typical book boyfriend. He’s brilliant, protective yet soft spoken. He’s a recluse who would rather spend time with fictional people than real ones. I don’t know. I just really connected to him. 

9. What is your favorite stage of the writing process? 

The rough draft. To me the blank page is the most exciting part because it is full of possibilities. 

10. If you could celebrate your birthday anyway you wanted to, what would you do? 

Go to the beach or a pool and just relax in the sun with my family and a good book. Then I’d want to go out to a really nice dinner and drink an expensive bottle of wine.

*****

Thank you so much, Amber. You have excellent taste in movies and books. I LOVE Walk to Remember and I'm looking forward to meeting Kyler...I love reading books about writers.

Here's a little more about Amber's latest novel, Break Free...

NEW MYSTERIOUS ROMANCE FROM BESTSELLING AUTHOR AMBER GARZA...

Jade Mathews is on the run. Running from an addiction that almost destroyed her, and a man who wants her dead.

Kyler James is a writer, a recluse locked in a prison of his own making.

When Jade and Kyler meet they find solace in one another and start to heal. Until Jade stumbles upon Kyler's latest manuscript and is shocked to find that it is her story. One he couldn't know. Jade fears she's trusted the wrong person once again, and this time it may be her undoing.

Is the past destined to destroy them, or will they finally break free?

If you'd like to win an e-copy of this book, plus an e-copy of I Know Lucy, you can enter the giveaway below. We'll draw two winners this week! Yay :)

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Discussion Time: Do you prefer reading a book blind?

The majority of my reading is now done on my Kindle. I love my Kindle. I love the easy access, the lightness of it, the way it is stuffed full of so many books. I'm never without a book and that is such a cool feeling.

The only thing I don't like about reading off my kindle is that it's not as easy to flip to the cover or read the book description. When I read a paperback, I'll often pause to re-look at the cover or I'll flick to the back to re-read the description. I like knowing where a book is going.

But now... I don't really do that anymore. In fact, I'm actually getting into the habit of reading a book blind - meaning I'll launch into a book without knowing anything about it.

I bought a book the other day, because I liked the cover and it was written by someone in my writing group. I knew it was set around the water, because it's called Head Above Water, but that's all I knew. I've started reading it (am really enjoying it too) and it's kinda cool not knowing anything about the story. It's a total blank page for me. I can't make any of my own predictions, because I have no idea where the story is going. The further I get into the book, I'm sure I'll be able to get a better idea. It's just fun starting out knowing nothing.

So how about you?
Do you like knowing where a book is headed or do you prefer to go in blind?
I used to like to know, but I'm learning to love the mystery of the unknown as well.

So - if you've never tried it before, I dare you to give it a go. A risk free way of doing this is to head to the FREE listings on Amazon. Scroll through and pic a cover that intrigues you. Download the book and start reading. You'll know within the first 5 chapters whether it's a good read or not. If it's not, you've wasted less than an hour of your time...or you might be pleasantly surprised :)

Indie Inked Solstice Sale - Tuesday's Books of the Day!

For the next week, we are going to be doing daily highlights for the Solstice Sale. Remember, we are also running an amazing signed paperback giveaway.

Entry details are on the Rafflecopter form below.

We have an awesome line up for you today.

WICKED FATE by Tabatha Vargo

What if you lived in fear of yourself?
For Mage McPherson being afraid of herself is just the norm. Thanks to that fear, being a loner in a small town never bothered the mysterious Mage. Once she received her secret abilities, she figured being alone was the safest way to be. That all changes during her sophomore year at Summerville High when Adam, her equally mysterious secret crush, starts to notice her.
Afraid that she might harm Adam, Mage must learn to either control or deny herself. With Adam by her side she's more powerful than she’s ever been, but is she powerful enough to defeat her worst nightmare? She learns a hard lesson about love and magic when her destiny comes to collect.

Purchase from AMAZON or BARNES AND NOBLE.

DARK SUMMER by Lizzy Ford

A school for Witchlings...

The ultimate choice between Light and Dark...
Where the price of a mistake...is your soul.
Sixteen-year-old Summer doesn’t expect her new boarding school to be any different than the rest: a temporary stay, until her uncontrollable magic gets her thrown out again. In her mind, there’s no point in getting too friendly with anyone. That is, until she notices Decker, the boy who will become the Master of Night and Fire on his eighteenth birthday.
When she learns that this special school has attracted others with magic in their blood, she is hopeful that this time around, things may be different. Besides, she can’t deny her interest in Decker, and when he rescues her one night from the dark forests of the Rocky Mountains, their connection is instant.
Yet a relationship with Decker may prove to be Summer’s downfall, forcing her to choose between Light and Dark, life and death, love – and their souls.
One choice. One soul. One price.

Purchase from AMAZON or BARNES AND NOBLE.

DESCENT by Cameo Renae

In the beginning…the start of it all.
Deceit.
Betrayal.
The Fall.
Take a journey back in time, to a place where Emma’s lineage begins, and where answers lie in unraveling secrets of the past. This is a story of forbidden love, an unbreakable bond, and the start of a dark adventure that will fill your heart with many emotions.

Purchase from AMAZON.

FALLING TO PIECES and DAZZLE by Amber Garza

It was just a little white lie.
I never thought it would spiral out of control.
But I didn’t have a choice. Asher was close to learning the truth about me, and I couldn’t let that happen.
But now everyone hates me. Well, everyone except for Asher. He believes in me even after what I’ve done.
And when I’m with him I feel like I’m falling.
I just hope if I do, he’s there to catch me.

Purchase from AMAZON.

Sixteen-year-old Delaney Scott possesses a special gift. Ever since she was a child she has known about her calling and the duty she’s expected to fulfill.
However, all Delaney wants is to be normal. That’s why she is drawn to Sam. He can offer her the life she’s always desired. Only Sam has secrets of his own.
Secrets that are deadly. Secrets that can change everything.

Purchase from AMAZON.

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Author Highlight - Amber Garza, author of Falling To Pieces

It's so wonderful to have the lovely Amber Garza visit YAlicious. She is here today to highlight two of her books and tell us a little about the importance of a trusty sidekick :)

Thanks so much for being here, Amber.

The Trusty Sidekick I've been thinking a lot about the sidekick character lately. You know who I mean. She or he is the best friend of the main character. She's the friend the main character bounces ideas off of, tells their secrets to, and hangs out with most of the time. In most of the books I read the sidekick character isn't one I connect to much. I kind of think of them as a throw away character with their main function being to help me learn more about the main character. I find that in my own writing I've had some sidekick characters like this. In my first published book PROWL, Haley is Kenzie's sidekick. Honestly the reader doesn't learn much about Haley in PROWL. Mostly she's used to help us get to know Kenzie better. However, in the sequel ENTICE the story centers around Haley, so I do delve more into her character. I'm still not sure she ever outshines Kenzie, but I do hope the reader connects with her on some level. Recently I wrote a sidekick character that made me rethink my idea about sidekicks. In my contemporary romance FALLING TO PIECES, I absolutely fell in love with my main character Ivy's best friend Billie. Billie is fun, quirky, witty, and honestly I wish she were my best friend. Truthfully I found myself liking her better than Ivy at times. Now that the book is out I'm learning that my readers feel the same way. In many of the reviews of the book readers mention Billie and how much they like her. The problem with this is that now all my future sidekicks pale in comparison. I just finished another contemporary romance STAR STRUCK, and it's set to release in June. Star's best friend Lola is nothing like Billie, and I had a hard time connecting with her. But let's face it - I can't make every sidekick character exactly like Billie. She's a unique individual. All of this begs the question, how important is the sidekick character? As a reader do you hope to have a huge connection with the best friend or are you okay with her just kind of being there to help the story along? I personally think the more characters a reader connects with in a story the better. It draws them in, keeps them reading. But I'm curious what others think. Weigh in on the comments below and let me know what you think. Also tell me who some of your favorite sidekick characters are.

Awesome post, Amber. I've had that a few times where I've loved the sidekick character. I think they are really important to a story. They can provide humour, mentorship, add conflict to scenes that need them. To me, they are a vital part of the story structure. I look forward to seeing what other people think :)

You can find out more about Amber Garza's awesome books on Goodreads and Amazon.

If you'd like to connect with Amber online, you can follow the links below:

Blog: ambergarza.wordpress.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Amber-Garza-author/307389409285047 Twitter: @ambermg1