The Indie Inked Solstice Sale!

Summer Solstice. It isn't just the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. In Celtic lore, it is also the day of the epic battle between the Oak King and the Holly King. Brothers—twins—who symbolically battle each year to gain control of the seasons. The Oak King, fair and golden, rules until Midsummer, the day of Summer Solstice. The darksome Holly King reigns until Winter Solstice, when the Oak King—and daylight—regains his power.

Celebrate the solstice with us! Enter to win two fabulous prize packs: The Oak King prize, a collection of luminous covers and enchanting stories, and The Holly King prize, a bounty of haunting covers and enthralling tales. Each paperback will be signed by the author.

Entry details are on the Rafflecopter form below.

Throughout the week, we will be highlighting these amazing books, so keep an eye out for blog posts and further details.

If you'd like to grab a copy of these books, here are the purchase links. One purchase equals 10 POINTS in the Rafflecopter draw.

Set in Stone by Beth Balmanno
Freak of Nature by Julia Crane
Forever Fae by LP Dover
Falling to Pieces and Dazzle by Amber Garza
Impossible by Komal Kant
Their Promise byBrina Courtney
Tragic by JA Huss
Recalled by Cambria Hebert
Selling Scarlett by Ella James
Wicked Fate by Tabatha Vargo
Forged by Greed and Forged by Magic:Origins by Angela Orlowski-Peart
Descent by Cameo Renae
Ever Shade, Ever Fire and Ever Winter by Alexia Purdy
Unknown by Melissa Pearl
Flutter by Melissa Andrea
Dark Summer by Lizzy Ford

a Rafflecopter giveaway

NEW RELEASE - Unknown by Melissa Pearl

Darkness is covering the land. As the city of Mezrah grows with power and greed, the rest of the world can only stand by and wait for their inevitable destruction. The only hope against this growing power is an ancient prophecy that people have stopped believing in.

Then a star begins to fall.

Princess Kyla of Taramon stopped believing in the power of light the day her father died. Trapped in a city she does not care for, under the watchful glare of her mother, the queen, she struggles to accept her fate.

Then a star begins to fall.

Jethro has loved Kyla for as long as he can remember. Learning that she was to marry his cousin drove a wedge between him and the feisty princess. Watching her from a distance is a torture he is unable to free himself from.

Then a star begins to fall, sparking an ember of hope and sending two seekers on a treacherous journey into the unknown.

You can pick up a copy on AMAZON or SMASHWORDS.

If you'd like a chance to win a paperback copy, you can check out the new release giveaway here.

xxxxx

It feels so good to have the first book in this trilogy out there for you to enjoy...and the best part - book 2 and 3 are not far away!! 

As you know with any project, there are so many people involved. I have listed you all in the back of the book, but I wanted to make special mention to:

My critique readers - thank you for your awesome feedback. Your suggestions and honest opinions were gold.

My editor - Laurie - thank you so much for your hard work. You brought my writing to life.

My proof-reader - Brynna - you are a legend. I can't believe how many things you picked up even after all my read throughs :D

My graphic designer - Brenda - you are the best. I love you so much, chick. Thanks for being awesome. 

My street team - thanks for your support, your encouragement and your awesome reviews.

Indie Inked - you guys are one of the highlights of my year. Love hearts and cyber hugs to you all.

xxxxx

COVER LOVE - featuring Mae I Design

A few authors I know have used this talented lady for their covers and every time they do a reveal I am blown away by how beautiful the covers are.

So I thought I'd get in touch with Regina Wamba and see if she'd like to visit YAlicious and tell us a little about her awesome work.

Welcome to YAlicious, Regina. It is so incredibly cool to have you here :)

1. When did you discover your passion for photography and graphic design? 

Oddly enough. I've always been an artist. Started taking pictures in high school, did friends, seniors, and weddings through college, and then in 2009 I re-discovered my love for reading and kind of fell into cover design which is now a whole new creative venture. :D

2. What is your favourite part of the process? 

Designing. I love taking a flat image and adding in the effects, and making a story come to life. :D

3. What types of questions do you ask authors when you are designing a cover for them? 

What kind of story is it? Anything special I need to know about? Do you need a wrap or just e-cover? Do you have a vision?

4. Do you have a weakness for certain types of images, fonts or colours on your covers?

I have a weakness for color. I love color. I am a very NEON kind of person. haha. BUT I only use colors on a cover that will convey a certain message to the right audience. :D

5. Could you share one or two of your favourite covers - the ones you are most proud of and tell us why you love them so much.

Well, The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden is a favorite for a whole list of reasons.

1. The photography is my own. 

2. My brother is featured (Kayden).

3. I got a one sentence line from Jessica about the book. "there is a kissing scene in the rain" is what I got. :D

4. The passion on the cover is realistic and classy. I love that you FEEL that PULL of love, and desperation from the cover. :D

5. I love that it is got a small grunge appeal to it. This helps convey that it has a very realistic story line. Talks about some very deep things.

6. It will be available in like 12 different countries, and on the shelves in August. Which I am extremely proud of. :D

It's hard to  pick a second, as this one happens to be the closest to my heart. :D

6. Who are some graphic designers you look up to?

Well, not necessary a graphic designer.. but Bob Ross was a huge inspiration growing up! I could watch him for hours. :D

7. Who are some of your favourite authors to read?

Love Brynn Meyers, JR Ward, Cassandra Clare, JK Rowling, Lauren Kate, Cambria Hebert, Charlain Harris, John Corwin, Libba Bray

8. What do you like to do in your spare time?

Spend time with family (three kids and a hubby) and friends. Love to travel, take pictures, draw, paint, and learn (oddly enough, I crave learning)

9. Where is your favourite place to work?

When it's warm, outside. :D

10. What are your favourite types of pictures to take? (Faces, nature, sunsets - that kind of thing) :)

People. LOVE people, their story, their emotions, it's just personal. :D

If you'd like to find out more about Regina and her Mae I Design business, you can follow the links below. 

Facebook: 

Facebook.com/maeidesignandphotography

Twitter: 

twitter.com/reginawamba

Book Review - Skin Deep by T. G. Ayer

Panther Shape-shifter Kailin Odel just wants to be normal. Leaving her clan, and her Alpha responsibilities, to live with her grandmother in Chicago had been the best thing for her. 

Only then did she discover her ability to track and kill the soul sucking undead creatures called Wraiths. Now she protected the humans, and had something to be proud of.

But, when she discovers the body of a murdered shape shifter, Kailin has to come to terms with the reality that her own kind are just as vulnerable as the humans. 

The closer Kailin gets to the killer the more she has to face the intricacies of her people. When the time comes can she accept who and what her real purpose is?

Whenever I write a review for this lovely lady, I always start with the same thing... T. G. Ayer writes beautifully. I love the way she crafts her text. Her language and descriptions always make me smile. She paints a vivid picture and I appreciate this about her writing.

Skin Deep is a great story. The world T. G. Ayer has created is alive with conflict, tension and dark creatures. I could picture it all so clearly and was immediately drawn into Kailin's problems. Poor Kailin, she has a tough battle on her hands and things just keep going from bad to worse. Thankfully she can kick some serious butt and has the ability to become a panther. A panther! How cool is that!

Logan is a great love interest. I liked his character and as always, I wanted to see more of the two of them together. I like that Kailin calls on him and doesn't constantly push him away which sometimes happens with strong, self-sufficient females.

The only thing that made me wrinkle my nose when reading this book was the violence. I found some of it a little too much for my tastes, and that is simply a matter of opinion. Because T. G. Ayer is so good at describing everything, the scenes really jumped out at me and there are some pretty full on things that happen in this story. 

If you're looking for a novel set in a dark world, with a plethora of fascinating characters and a healthy dose of other worldly magic, then you should definitely check out Skin Deep.

4 stars from me.

PURCHASE LINKS:

Amazon

Smashwords

Barnes & Noble

COVER REVEAL - The Working Girl by Morgana Black

Before I reveal this very saucy cover, I just wanted to say that I'm not sure this book will be my cup of tea. I'm not sure, maybe it will be, but it looks like it could be a little raunchy for my tastes.

However, I know there are many of you out there who love a hot New Adult novel, and from what I can tell, Morgana Black will definitely deliver ;o)

So here it is people....

 *This book is not suitable for readers under the age of 18*

When college brainiac Juliette joins a friend on a casting call as a dare, she gets a lot more than she bargained for. After her audition she's asked to join a list of women as part of an elite escort service. Suddenly she's thrust into a world of luxury and fantasy. But while her wildest dreams are becoming a reality, her nightmares also creep into her life. Juliette must now find a balance between the light and the dark or risk losing everything.

Expected Pub August 2013

Morgana Black is a hair stylist by day and hottie writer by night. She walks her dogs in high heels and never leaves the house without red lipstick. She firmly believes in the power of Zen, and does Yoga freely in her backyard, in her favorite set of pumps.

If you'd like to connect with Morgana online, here is her FACEBOOK PAGE.

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

Author Highlight - T. G. Ayer

It is very cool to have T. G. Ayer visiting my blog today. She is an amazing writer and has become a close friend. Her latest book Skin Deep is now out. I'm halfway through reading it. She has created a fascinating world and I can't wait to see how the book ends. Keep an eye out for my review post next week :)

But for today, as part of her Skin Deep Blog Tour, here is Tee's interview on Skin Deep and writing.

1. What inspired Skin Deep?

I'm a fan of paranormal and fantasy. the idea of shifters and magic has always enthralled me. Kailin's story came about when I read a scene in a novel where a killer removes the skin of his victim- that inspired the skinned Walkers body being found by the main character- everything just flowed from there. And this book was not plotted - totally on hundred percent pantsed.

2. Who is your favorite character in Skin Deep and why do you like them so much?

Tara the metal-singer -besides Kailin of course  - I love Tara's power, would love to be able to mold any metal to whatever shape I like - and of course, Tara will have her own DarkWorld tale in time

3. If Kailin and Bryn (from your Valkyrie novels) met each other, how do you think they'd get along?

I think they would. Kailin's a bit of a mommy and in many way's so if Bryn. Both are strong and like to be treated with respect. Of course, Kai won't trust Bryn entirely becuase even if she's a Valkyrie she was raised a Human and Shifters don't trust many Humans.

4. I know you are passionate about your craft. What is your favourite part of the process?

I love writing but I also love the part where the ideas begin to fall into place. Where as soon as you ask yourself a question about the MS a whole bunch of ideas and solutions fall into place like pieces of a gigantic puzzle. Love it.

5. Do you listen to music when you write? 

I do listen to music but I tend to prefer quiet during the day. Most of my wriitng is done listening to the three Cold Play albums I have running on repeat- for some reason their music helps me shut everything else in my mind down and allows me to concentrate.

Five Favourites

1. Author - Dean Koontz - cos to this day he still manages to hold my attention and give me the chills

2. TV Show - Revenge - isn't it fun to live vicariously through someone avenging herself against the people who have wronged her.

3. Movie genre - Anything thats fantasy - I love M. Night Shymalan's movies - a little horror a little fantasy- perfect

4. Actor - Gerard Butler - need I say more? 

5. Place to read - by the fire, under a blanket sipping hot chocolate - and since I have no fire sitting in the sunshine will have to do. - oh and lots of rain will make it totally perfect

Thanks so much for visiting YAlicious today. It's so super cool to have you :)

If you'd like to connect with Tee online, you can follow the links below.

tgayer.com
www.facebook.com/TGAyerAuthor

twitter.com/#!/TGAyerAuthor

tgayer.wordpress.com

www.goodreads.com/author/show/5726831.T_G_Ayer