Category: Books

An Exciting New Adult Paranormal Thriller: Empath (Flawed #1) Book Release and Giveaway

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle8 Comments

I am breaking the rules a little today in the Indie Block Party, I hope you don’t mind. So much of what makes indie writers successful is the support of other indie writers.  My friend Becca J. Campbell’s new release, Empath is coming out soon. Today, we are celebrating with a book blitz.

Day 2: Introduce your WIP Empath Book Blitz

Empath eBook cover SMI’m very excited to announce the release of my latest New Adult novel Empath, the first book in the Flawed Series. Read on to find out more about this paranormal thriller and be sure to enter the giveaway at the end for an awesome prize package.

The Struggle of an Empath

Supernatural empathy isn’t a gift, it’s a curse. Anywhere she goes, Jade’s emotions are replaced by those of the people around her.

Jade grew up in a suburb of Colorado Springs, protected from other people by her parents. Now she faces college—and the world—with nothing to shield her from unwanted feelings.

When Cam, a classmate with a major crush on her unintentionally hijacks her emotions, Jade struggles to keep from being carried away in feelings of attraction. When Ethan, a psychopath with a thirst for fear, fixates on her, the emotional impact could be lethal.

Caught in a deadly trap, Jade must untangle the emotions and find a way to use her empathic curse to overcome this killer or be overcome by him.

Empath eBook Now Available

Get your ebook copy now at any of these sites (paperback copies are not yet available, but coming soon!):

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Barnes & Noble

Kobo (coming soon!) | iTunes (coming soon!)

Prize Package Giveaway

To celebrate the release, I’m running a giveaway for two lucky winners.

Grande Prize:

A rare, autographed proof copy of the paperback

A 12″ X 18″ poster of the cover art

Empath notebook
Empath notebook

Empath collector’s button

Empath button prize copy

Second Prize:

An autographed paperback copy

a Rafflecopter giveaway

IMG_9817 a lowresBecca J. Campbell is the author of the New Adult Romantic Science Fiction novels Foreign Identity and Gateway to Reality, and Sub-Normal, a series of short stories. An avid lover of stories that tiptoe the line between fantasy and reality (even when they plunge off one side or the other), Becca looks for new angles on bridging the gap between the two. She holds a special place in her heart for any story that involves superpowers or time travel. Her passion is defying the limits of her own creativity. You can find her on her Author Blog, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Pinterest, and Amazon

Are you excited about Becca’s new release?

Indie-block-party August 19 to 30

Come back tomorrow, for Day 3 post when I share my WIP and Interview one of my characters.

 Full instructions are available at The Peasants Revolt or Dawna Raver’s blog.

Cover Reveal – The Faerie War by Rachel Morgan

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle5 Comments
I recently read The Faerie Guardian and I didn’t even wait to finish before sending Rachel a message to tell her how much I enjoyed it. When she asked for bloggers to help her spread the word about The Faerie War, I jumped at the chance. Isn’t the cover super cool. Start reading the first two in the Creepy Hollow series, so you’ll be ready when #3 is released in October.
The fate of the faerie world is in her hands…
Title: The Faerie War
Series: Creepy Hollow, Book Three
Cover Designer: Morgan Media
Publication Date: Oct 2013

Journey to Publication – Halo of the Nephilim Blog Tour

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle5 Comments

The journey from idea to publication is never a straight line.  Author Dina Rae can certainly relate. Help me in congratulating her on the release of her new book Halo of the Nephilim and read about her publication tale.

halobanner1My experience in the writing process has been a roller coaster ride.  My first novel, The Last Degree, was picked up by an unscrupulous publisher last year.  There were so many problems-editing, posting it on distribution sites, formatting, etc.  I could go on forever.  It was the absence of royalty checks that prompted me to exterminate the contract.  I put the book up on Amazon as a self-pub Kindle Select deal.  I have no complaints with Amazon.  My second novel, Halo of the Damned, and the sequel, Halo of the Nephilim, are traditionally published.  To be honest, the experience is really a disappointment.  I don’t want to be negative because the publisher does pretty much what most small/medium publishers do-very little in terms of advertising and promotion.  What can I say-I’m a rookie who is learning.  I have not been in this business long enough to give anyone advice, but I will say this: Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket.

Author Bio:

Dina Rae is a new author that is here to stay. As a former teacher, she brings an academic element to her work. Her research on the Yezidi religion and love of art inspired her story telling for Halo of the Damned.
Her second novel, The Last Degree, is a fictionalized account of the Freemason’s role in the New World Order. Dina’s grandfather was the Most Worshipful of his lodge. The subject has always held a personal interest.

Her latest novel, Bad Juju, is about an old Haitian bokor who mentors two teens in the dark arts. A unique blend of horror, romance, and literary fiction meant for adults and mature teens.
Dina lives with her husband, two daughters, and two dogs outside of Chicago. She is an avid reader, tennis player, movie buff, and self-proclaimed expert on conspiracy theories. She has appeared in several literary blogs, newspapers, e-zines, and radio shows as a guest

 Where to find Dina

Webpage | Twitter | Facebook

 Untitled

Buy Links: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Rafflecopter Giveaway

Title:  Halo Of The Nephilim 

Author:  Dina Rae 

Genre: Paranormal Fiction/Horror

Series:  Follows Halo of the Damned 

Number of Pages: 244

Publisher: Eternal Press 

Formats available: E-book

Can a fallen angel, his band of broken souls, and nephilim children change the world?

Armaros the Cursed, Satan’s favorite of the Fallen, falls once again after breaking the rules.  Fearing an eternity of punishment, he desperately attempts to save himself by sending a bird to his island.  The SOS message is received by his beloved congregation.  Can these loyal worshipers rescue him from the pit?

Halo of the Nephilim is the sequel to Halo of the Damned.  The story begins with Armaros’ arrest. Declared dead, his only known surviving daughter, Joanna Easterhouse, proves her relation and inherits everything.  She catapults her career from an entry-level advertising assistant to the head of Armaros’ advertising empire.  She should be on top of the world, but knows everything good must come to an end.

Joanna’s sister, Kim Easterhouse, marries Sean Slattery.  Joanna generously includes them as key players in her advertising chain.  They, too, have much to smile about, but a string of events leads them back to old family secrets.

Wickedness looms over the Easterhouse family once more, forcing them into an unlikely showdown filled with page-turning excitement.  Like Halo of the Damned, Halo of the Nephilim is filled with conspiracy and angel lore taken directly from scripture and other ancient writings.  More mind control themes top off this tale of doom.  Dina Rae delivers the darkness in the most entertaining light.

July 8  Turning The Pages Review

July 9 Angels Are Kids & Fur Kids Guest Post

July 10  Over A Cuppa Tea  Review/Guest Post

July 11 The Avid Reader Guest Post

July 12 Sydney Aaliyah Guest Post

July 13  Share My Destiny   Excerpts

July 15 Wicked Readings by Tawania  Guest Post

July 14 Red Reader Author Interview

July 16 A Buckeye Girl Reads   Excerpt

July 17 Hanging With Bells  Guest Post

July 18 Amys Booket List  Guest Post

July 19 A Buckeye Girl Reads  Playlist

July 20 Forget The Housework, I’m Reading Review

July 21  Christy’s Book Addiction Excerpt or Interview

July 22 Christine Rains Guest Post

My Weekly Update – Followers

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle10 Comments

I enjoy getting new followers. It makes me smile. When I notice Mel Chesley was hosting a New Followers bloghop, I had to participate. Simple bloghop, add your name to the link and follow other blogs on the list.  I’m excited to make new friends.

  • Click over there to follow my on WordPress, by Email, Bloglovin or Network Blog
  • Click here to follow me on Twitter – @sydliyah
  • Click here to follow me on Pinterest
  • Chick here to follow me on Goodreads

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Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…

Post to Ponder

The Networking Introvert by R.C. Lewis – The online community can be quite supportive in person as well if given the chance.

Something Special for Writers by Angie Richmond – See what makes Angie want to dance around throwing skittles in the air.

I’m So Sick of Words by Elise Fallson – I read this post a few times this week. So relatable. Sometimes that’s how I feel about writing.

#JuNoWriMo Post to Ponder

Rules for #JuNoWriMo Sprints by Eden Mabee – Never participated in a word-sprint on Twitter, join Eden and the other JuNoWriMo sprint leaders (myself included) everyday this month under the #JuNoWriMo hashtag.

Sarah Chafin: #JuNoWriMo Interview by Fel Scotzig – See how Sarah combats writer’s block.

Coolest Thing

17667605The debut novel by Alessandra Thomas. I loved it. It was the coolest thing I read last week. I started it on Friday morning and had to finish it before going to bed on Saturday night.  It is a New Adult Romance where the heroine has body issues and the hero has a past to overcome and they have some really great sex scenes in the mix.  I don’t review books, but I do recommend. I loved this book.  Click on the book if your interested in purchasing this great read.

New Followers
PK Hrezo
Liam Wood
Joe Seeber
Dee Coded
 
Next Week’s Schedule
Tuesday – Tattoo Tuesday – A Tattoo to Celebrate a major life event. 
Thursday – The 5 Obstruction Blogathon – Really unique concept. 
*Short schedule this week. Busy with #JuNoWriMo.

Secondary Character Bloghop

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle22 Comments

bloghop3Hosted by this generous group: Theresa Paolo, Kelley Lynn, Jessica Salyer, Jenny Morris and Suzi Retzlaff. They are giving away stuff, so sign up.

In Movies:  Jack Nicholson as Colonel Nathan Jesup in A Few Good Men kept popping in my head when I thought about a secondary character who stole every scene.

Thanks to Aaron Sorkin for writing the words.  Scene always gives me chills.

I did a little more research and realized Jack is a 4 time award nominated and 2 time award winning secondary character.

See Easy Rider, Reds, Terms of Endearment & A Few Good Men.

In Books: My favorite secondary character is actually the narrator of my new favorite book, Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby.  I just love Nick’s consistent sense of hopefulness in Jay Gatsby.  Nick wanted to believe in Jay so bad every step of the way.  This one of my favorite scenes that demonstrate this:

“By the way, Mr. Gatsby, I understand you’re an Oxford man.” 
“Not exactly.” 
“Oh, yes, I understand you went to Oxford.” 
“Yes —- I went there.” 
A pause. Then Tom’s voice incredulous and insulting:  
“You must have gone there about the time Biloxi went to New Haven.” 
—
“I told you I went there.” said Gatsby.
“I heard you, but I ‘d like to know when.” 
“It was in nineteen-nineteen. I only stayed for five months.  That’s why I can’t really call myself an Oxford man.” 
Tom glanced around to see if we mirrored his unbelief.  But we were all looking at Gatsby. 
“It was an opportunity they gave to some of the officers after the Armistice,”  he continued.  “We could go to any of the universities in England and France.” 
I wanted to get up and slap him on the back. I had one of those renewals of complete faith in him that I’d experienced before.  
Daisy rose, smiling faintly, and went to the table.
 
Again, must give credit to Mr. F. Scott Fitzgerald for the written words.

I haven’t seen the movie, yet. I’m a little skeptical whether Tobey MacGuire is able to do Mr. Nick Carraway justice.

What are some of your favorite secondary characters?  Make sure to visit the other bloghop participants and discover other great secondary characters.