Series Highlight - The Watched Series by Cindy. M. Hogan

I read this series a few months ago and really enjoyed it. As soon as I finished the last book, I invited Cindy to come to YAlicious and tell us a little about the series, plus give us a run down on what else she's been working on.

Thanks so much for joining us, Cindy.

When I first started Watched, I had no idea it would become a three year project. You see, I had no idea what I was doing, I just knew that this Christy character was screaming in my ear that I needed to write her story. 

I took my time going to writers' conferences and sending my chapters through critique groups. What amazed me was that the dream (I know, totally cliche, I had that spurred me to write, ended up in the second book, Protected, right near the end. Here's a hint...it's the country club scene).

Now that the trilogy is complete, I've completed another Christy novel, Adrenaline Rush. It stars Christy as her new self - the one she becomes at the end of Created, book three in the trilogy. It will be released this October.

I'm about 1/2 way through a second in that series. Right now I'm calling it Brooklyn, New York, but that will most likely change.

I've also written a mystery called Gravediggers. It was super hard for me to write since my other 5 books are all suspense novels, but I love it.

Finally, I'm working on a serial called Confessions of a Sixteen-Year-Old Virgin Lips. It is structured like a TV series. One episode of about 50 pages (as a an eBook) will come out every other week, starting at the end of June. It will have 6 episodes. It's a lot of fun.

Hands down, the greatest challenge in writing is editing. Even though you know it will make your book better, it's such a drag. I always want to move on to other projects when I get into the nitty-gritty editing phase.

Yay! Sounds like you've got a whole bunch of goodies planned for us. How cool :)

Do you want to another cool thing? Cindy is about to release the Watched series as a trilogy set - May 30th!!

Here's a little about the books...

When Christy witnesses the brutal murder of a senator's aide, she becomes the target of the terrorists, the focus of the FBI and two seriously hot guys. The FBI fails to keep her safe and she ends up in witness protection, far away from everything she knows and loves. Her new identity is compromised and she is sent to Belgium where she is confronted with a life-altering choice: she must decide who it is she wants to become: A normal 17-year-old college student or a spy.

You can find the books on:
Goodreads
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Audio - Just released!

You can connect with Cindy online:
Facebook
Blog

Cover Love - May Edition

Yay! Time for one of my favourite posts of the month... COVER LOVE :)

I have some very cool covers lined up for you this month. Hopefully you can add some excellent new books to your reading lists.

The first few covers are designed by Mae I Design. Regina is such an amazing designer. I am so impressed by her work that I've actually invited her to YAlicious for an interview. She will be appearing in June to tell us about her process and highlight some of her favourite covers.

And now - for some of my favourite covers this month...

One by Mari Arden. This cover captured me immediately. The girl's face is stunning and I love her intense expression. The blurb for this book sounds fantastic and I added it to my reading list immediately.

Maverick by Anna Cruise. Who doesn't like books about hot surfers! This book sounds so intriguing. The guy on the cover is gorgeous, but to be honest, my favourite aspect is actually the wicked font and colour of the title.

Broken Wings by Cameo Renae. This cover is so stunning. The colours, the women on the front...the feathers. It all works so beautifully.

Losing Francesca by J. A. Huss. I highlighted this book recently as part of J. A. Huss' cover reveal, but I wanted to highlight it again. There is something so haunting about the girl's eyes. The premise for this book is really cool as well. It's going to be a great read :)

The Edge of Darkness by Melissa Andrea. Isn't this cover stunning? It's the shadows of the birds that do it for me. I love it.

Breathe Me by Alexia Purdy. I can't wait for this book to come out. The cover captured me immediately and then when I read the book description, I got super excited. It's going to be awesome :)

So - have any of these covers captured you?
Which one do you like best?

Which Book Characters Have You Fallen For?

I like to break up my author guest posts and giveaways with the odd discussion post. Sometimes it's hard coming up with a topic, but today was an easy one.

Falling in love with book characters.

Have you ever done it?
Do you think it's important that you do?

Personally, I think you get so much more out of a book if you end up swooning (even just a little) over one of the characters. And what's even more important is that you go all mushy over the love story within the book.

If I go through the list of books I've read this year, the ones that jump out at me first are the ones where I fell in love with the characters and the relationships they were in.

The books that come to mind are:

The Greystone Series by Taylor Longford. The beauty of this series, for me, is that I ended up loving the entire family of gargoyles so it made it easy to devour the books. I have enjoyed each book more than the one before and I can't wait for Taylor's next release! Each love story was so easy to root for and I know the rest of the series will be the same.

The Hunting Lila Series by Sarah Alderson. I TOTALLY fell in love with Alex. It was hard not to fall for him! It was easy to imagine I was Lila and swoon :D I know Sarah has a few more stories planned with these two. It's going to be awesome!

The last book that comes to mind is Impossible by Komal Kant. I was smitten with Luca by the end of the book. He was such a great character and perfect for Ashton. I loved the scenes with the two of them together, they were hot and intense. The passion between those two was fantastic!

Have you read any books lately with great romances in them?
Who have you fallen for lately?

Indie Inked Mother's Day Giveaway

I know! Two giveaways in a row! How exciting is this?

The authors of Indie Inked think mothers (in fact all women) are extremely special and we want to celebrate this fact by giving them a chance to win some pampering and a little time to relax.

We've put together two prize packs stuffed full of goodies. There is hours worth of reading, swag and a gift voucher...so you can treat yourself to something nice.

The giveaway ends on Mother's Day - Sunday, May 12th.

Here are the prize packs...

Prize Pack 1

PLUS... swag from Julia Crane, Tara West, J.A. Huss and Alexia Purdy AND a $50 Voucher for Bath and Body Works or Amazon - your choice.

Prize Pack 2

PLUS... swag from Heidi McLaughlin, Angela Orlowski-Peart, Cambria Hebert and L.P. Dover AND a $50 Voucher for Bath and Body Works or Amazon - your choice.

Thank you so much to every author who has donated their work. Your generosity is amazing.

Good luck to everyone participating. We all hope you have a very special Mother's Day.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

And the winners of the April Giveaway are....

Drum roll please....

Prize Pack 1 - Amanda B.

Prize Pack 2 - Thilde K.

Prize Pack 3 - Angelica J.

Series Prize Pack - Donna H.

Congratulations winners! We hope you enjoy hours of reading.

Many thanks to the amazing authors for your generosity. I have come to know you all throughout this year and feel very privileged. You teach me so much and are such a huge encouragement. Thank you for contributing to this giveaway and sharing your awesomeness with the world.

Thank you to all the contestants for participating. It was such a great giveaway and it was excellent to see so many entries.

Keep an eye out for future giveaways.
We have something special planned for Mother's Day next week.
Yay!

YAlicious April Giveaway!

It's time for another giveaway. We have had so many amazing authors visit YAlicious over the past couple of months and I thought we should celebrate this awesome fact. Many of these lovely people have been generous enough to donate books to this giveaway. Thank you so much authors. You rock!

I, being the lover of multiple winners, have put together four prize packs stuffed full of e-book awesomeness. The giveaway runs until May 2nd. Check out entry details below.

Thanks for stopping by and good luck!

Prize Pack 1

Prize Pack 2

Prize Pack 3

Series Prize Pack

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Chat with Book Reviewer - Juhina from Maji Bookshelf

It's so, so, SO cool to have this awesome lady here today. I met Juhina a couple of years ago when she reviewed the Time Spirit Trilogy for me. She is so completely awesome. I love her reviews and having her visit YAlicious is a real buzz for me.

Welcome, Juhina :)

What were your favourite types of books as a kid? 

I LOVED reading The Baby Sitter’s Club by Ann. M. Martin. I think I have read over 50 of those. Any one I could find I would devour it in a day or two. I only read contemporary, my only exception was Harry Potter.

What is your favourite genre now and why do you like it? 

My favorite genre…it is between Dystopian/Post Apocalyptic and Contemporary. I love the whole survival aspect and the thrill of the dystopian and post apocalyptic novels. As for contemporaries, there always comes a time when I just NEED to read a contemporary. I love contemporaries for their everyday issues and what people deal with everyday. 

What kinds of book covers draw you in? 

I love book covers that make me stop in the middle of the bookstore and pick up the book; Book covers that relate to the actual book. I do not enjoy book covers of the typical girl in dresses as well as boy/girl typical covers. Covers such as The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wonder, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin, as well as beach/summer covers!

Is there a fatal flaw a writer can make that will stop you from reading a book?

For me, a fatal flaw would be insta-love. It is the biggest turn off for me. I believe another flaw would be when the author loses focus of the main plot. A ton of authors create many sub plots that they never really wrap up and that annoys me so much.

How do you like to feel when you finish a book?

If it is an amazing book, I also fall victim to the book hangover. I tend to think about the book 24/7 and even end up dreaming about it. I tend to pick it up the day after and reread some of my favorite scenes. I basically obsess over the book. Oh yea, you would see me raving about the book on twitter and recommending it to everyone who would listen to me!

What do you like most about reviewing books for authors?

I have to say, being able to read a book I’ve been waiting on months before it comes out is a huge advantage. I also love giving exposure to books that totally deserve the whole world knowing about it and reading it through my blog! 

Is it sometimes hard to write a fair, honest review? What's the most challenging aspect?

I don’t find it hard writing fair and honest reviews.. My reviews are just that.. what I thought about the book. It isn’t the final verdict for the book and I always encourage people to still check a book that I rated low out. I believe the most challenging aspect is if you become a buddy with the author. I am always afraid that I end up not liking a book of an author I become good friends with on twitter. It creates a potential awkward moment and I just feel uncomfortable and a bit guilty that the author might read my review. I know I have to be fair but it doesn’t mean I look forward to putting myself in that position!

Are there any trends in the publishing world that you do or do not like?

I have to say that I do not enjoy all the kissing covers that are popping up left and right. Especially the new NA covers that look like Harlequin Romantic covers. I do love the emergence of the NA novels! I have read some amazing NA books and I need moreeee!

Do you find it easy to picture characters and settings in your head? How descriptive do you like an author to be?

I always need the authors to describe the physique as well as the typical features such as hair, eye color, etc, but I always appreciate it when authors also describe what the characters wear so I know exactly what their style is. Unfortunately sometimes a character’s specific feature doesn’t appeal to me (I do not like it when the male love interest has long hair!) so if an author mentions the wispy strand of hair or whatever every chapter or so, I try to block it out of my mind. I know that is so weird and I have nothing against guys with long hair, they’re just not my type :P

JUHINA'S RECOMMENDATIONS

A traditionally published author you love: Jennifer Echols, Sophie Kinsella, Tahereh Mafi, Cate Tiernan and Jenny Han. (I only picked authors I loved more than one book from them!)

And indie author you love: Melissa Pearl (you of course!), Jolene Perry (I love her contemporaries!), and C.J. Duggan (The Boys of Summer!!)

One of your favourite YA books: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins, Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock, Divergent by Veronica Roth, The Host by Stephanie Meyer, Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi and The Boys of Summer by C.J. Duggan, and Slammed by Colleen Hoover.

One of your favourite Adult books: Can You Keep a Secret? By Sophie Kinsella and Shout Down the Moon by Lisa Tucker.

A book you've read more than once and the reason why: The Host by Stephenie Meyer (I’ve read the book at least 8 times!), Shout Down the Moon by Lisa Tucker, Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins, Can You Keep a Secret? By Sophie Kinsella, and Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock and The Summer I Turned Pretty trilogy! I loved each one of these books to bits and if I feel like I’ve forgotten them then I go right back and reread them. Every single time I read these books, my love for them increases!

Thanks for all the amazing suggestions. I'm going to be adding some books to my TBR!! I love Sophie Kinsella too.

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

Blog

Goodreads

Twitter

Facebook