I am doing some author spotlights this month and one of them is the amazing Ella Medler. Each week I’ll be doing a review for one of her books and there will also be a guest post and some giveaways.
Ella’s book, Blood is Heavier was my first review and giveaway post for 2013! You can read my 5 Star review and enter the giveaway here. Giveaway ends Jan. 15th at midnight! Still time to enter.
Next up was my review of Martin Little, Resurrected. This story is quite different from the thriller, Blood is Heavier. You can read my 5 Star review here.
The cover art for this story is perfect. You know you’re in for a fun adventure before you even crack the book.
And now it’s time for my review of Eternal Island, Book One in The Eternal Series. This series is written by Ella Medler and Kristie S. Haigwood.
Eternal Island – A place where vampires rule, witches play, danger lurks and dreams really do come true.
This arrogant, been there – done that, vampire thinks he’s seen it all and done it all. That is until he gazes into Rainey’s crystal ball.
She warned him, this is your one and only chance at love, at finding your soul-mate. Make sure you want this before you gaze upon her. There’ll be no going back. Your heart won’t allow it.
Abe doesn’t take her seriously. Rainey is his personal psychic witch. She’s been forecasting his future for a long time and never once has it been about anything good. So why should this be any different.
Then he gazes upon Ariana’s face. If his heart was still beating, it would explode from his chest. He’s stunned by the rush of feelings he’s having. He has to have her, can’t stand a second more without her. Now he understands Rainey’s warning. She’s right, there’s no going back.
Per Abe’s demand, Rainey goes to get Ariana and bring her back to the island.
Ariana has been in a coma for many weeks. Not able to cope with the news of her husband’s death, she fainted and never woke up.
She’s been moved to a mental hospital as she shows no signs of waking. Rainey arrives and uses her witchy powers to get past the staff and enters Ariana’s room. She sprinkles some powder on her face and waits.
Ariana awakens, at first confused. Where is she, why is she here and who is this stranger?
As Rainey pitches her mysterious promise of a new life, a new beginning on a magical island, Ariana is persuaded to go. Perhaps because of her painful memories, she accepts that the island is real.
I can tell you this, I had so much fun reading Eternal Island. The cast of characters couldn’t be better and I laughed, hard!
Abe is the High Vampire, the big kahuna of the island. A long time ago a vampire discovered the island and invited others to come there to escape the slayers. When witches were being burned, drowned, and hanged, the vampire invited them to the island also. It was mutually beneficial. The witches watched out for the vamps during the day and the vamps protected the witches by night. And the witches cast a spell to keep the island hidden.
This is a great premise. A secret island, witches and vamps working together!
Abe is a stickler for rules and suffers no nonsense. It’s hard for him to be so unsure of himself now that he’s found love. Upon knowing he’s about to come face to face with Ariana – “I love her and I’ve never even heard her voice. Do you know how that makes me feel? Vulnerable! I feel weak.”
I like when a vampire and a human fall in love. All through the story I’m wondering, will he want to change her, will she want to be changed? Keeps the mystery flowing.
Rainey is a psychic witch and has to make sure Abe doesn’t rush things and scare Ariana off. She needn’t have worried. Once Ariana gazes into Abe’s eyes, she’s enamored.
Her roommate Becky catches on quickly and thinks Ariana does protest too much.
“It’s not what you think, Becky. Honestly.” Becky made a face and stared back unblinking. “Okay, there’s no point in arguing with you anyway, is there?”
“Nope, I always win.”
A fact I liked: He enjoyed drinking alcohol for the simple reason that it was something different. A human doesn’t like to only eat pizza or cheeseburgers all the time and the same applied to Abe’s kind. Blood, although necessary to stay alive, got old, boring, after a while. His favorite drink was Jack Daniels, or an AB Negative girl.
Yikes! I’m AB Negative!
This part written about Abe made me crack up: Abe had been lying in bed for hours trying to count those damn sheep. Three hours later he decided to start shooting the sheep.
The book is full of fun, laugh out loud, moments. But there is also some yummy romance and a slew of characters, good and evil.
One vamp wants another one dead. The other vamp wants said vamp dead. Who will get who first?
Will Abe and Ariana finally be together?
Will Rainey see the mysterious Kade again?
Will Jonah stay out of trouble? Not likely!
There’s hi-jinx, romance and intrigue in Eternal Island. With so much going on, there’s never a dull moment.
If I was invited, I wouldn’t hesitate to visit! Five Stars for Eternal Island! I want more.
Now let’s hear from Ella and Kristie. They’re here to tell us how they met and how they became co-authors. Enjoy!
E: I’d been reading and reviewing indie books for a while, and in April last year I tripped over Kristie on twitter, or maybe facebook – one or the other. I offered to read and review Save My Soul for her. What a story! That book stood out head and shoulders above the rest. There were so many twists and turns, and Kristie has such a way to make you love her characters – I fell in love with pretty much every single one. Then I edited Forbidden Touch for her. Another winner. It’s so much easier to edit something you enjoy reading. And so our friendship blossomed. Kristie is such fun to talk to. I love her sense of humour.
K: Ella’s right, we met first on twitter, but with as broad as the twitterverse is, I didn’t realize we were already connected until Ella offered to review Save My Soul in one of the groups we are both members of on facebook. In turn, I read and reviewed her Martin Little, Resurrected (Loved it! Can’t wait for the sequel. She really has a way with humor and sarcasm, and those are two of my favorite tools I use in writing, as well). I was extremely surprised when I realized that the sequel wouldn’t be coming out for a while, that a thriller would be coming out first. WHAT? Okay, I’m not big on thrillers, but her first book was written so well, and she had edited and loved Forbidden Touch so much, that I had to give it a try. If I didn’t like it, I could just keep my mouth shut, right? Well, I couldn’t keep my mouth shut, because her voice in the novel made me look at thrillers in a whole new light. It got 5 stars from me, and I am anxious to get my hands on the next Hunter book. My, my, I am long-winded, what direction should I be taking this? Oh, right, Eternal Island. I wrote 3 of the epic Eternal novels two years before I even met Ella. They had been collecting dust, but they needed so much work to be publish worthy, that I stuck them on the back burner until I had a chance to get back to them, but with so many ideas for new novels crowding my head, I feared it would never happen. A thought came to me while driving one day, and I had to pull over so I could write her the email right then. I never even questioned it or thought that it wouldn’t work. I asked Ella to visit Eternal Island and see if she could work with me to make it any better. It is definitely a story that needs to be heard.
E: Yes, it was all Kristie’s idea. I was… well… surprised to say the least. I’d read good and bad things about co-authoring, but they all fizzled out of my mind simply because I felt so close to Kristie. I know we live thousands of miles apart, but in our hearts we feel as if we’ve lived our whole lives together, like sisters. Isn’t that right, Kristie?
K: Sisters? Yes, we are. If not by blood, then by souls. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that we could make it work. 99.9% of the time our minds are on the same track and page. We… finish each other’s thoughts. “Why didn’t I think of that?” was said several times by the both of us.
E: I read the material as it was and loved it. I loved the idea of an island of the freaks, so to speak, a current-day kingdom with its own king and set of rules, and a down-to-earth approach to living in harmony with each other. Actually, a lot of so-called developed country governments would do well to read Eternal Island. That’s an idea. Shall we gift them some copies, Kristie?
K: That is the best idea I’ve ever heard, Ella. The planet would be so much better with the simple, yet strict, rules that the vampires set on Eternal Island. I would pack my bags and leave today if I could live there. It’s my dream escape, and I allow myself to visit every day.
E: I started working on Eternal Island, fitting it in amongst editing jobs, but then got interrupted by a holiday (I would have kept going but my family threatened to take away my laptop, and I wasn’t prepared to lose that!). I went back to work after my return and, helped by some delays in receiving some manuscripts for editing, got it finished at the beginning of September. Or so I thought. Kristie went back over it and made more changes, and then it came back to me, and back to Kristie – can’t remember quite how many goes we had to get it straight, but it was worth it. I don’t remember ever having so much fun playing with scenarios, thinking up smart retorts and working out which character should react which way. I firmly believe in strong, well-developed characters, and Kristie’s characterization is very good, so we had a good common point there.
K: I love my characters, even the secondary ones, so I made it a point to make them all as real as possible. Each of them have their quirks and problems, and each of them are unique in their own special way. I would say Jonah is my favorite to write, because he is so care-free and full of life. He loves being a vampire and he loves women and the chase to get them… all. lol. Which is your favorite, Ella? I think I might already know the answer, though. =D
E: I absolutely love Abe. He’s so clueless to start with. I can just visualize giving him a hug. And Jonah has got to be a close second. But… you know the last scene in the book? Get ready for some competition in the affection stakes. 😉
K: Oh, I know who you’re talking about. Lips are sealed. He is quite yummy, but I don’t want to spoil it for our readers. They must dig in and find out for themselves. 😉
E: I have to say there were a couple of scenes that stretched me. I only wrote satire and action thrillers before this one, and while there are a few action scenes in Eternal Island – and the pace is relentless, just as I like it (read it and you’ll see) – I never before had to get a… hmm… romantic scene right. Stop giggling, Kristie.
K: he he he he he Sorry. I can’t help it. You are so good at writing romance, I don’t know why you never tried it before. It all came natural to you. Flexible? I think so. You made the love scene, as well as all the other scenes better, and I don’t think I could have picked a better author to work with. You make magic happen. Mwah!
E: Stop that! You’re making me blush. There are a lot of awesome scenes in this story. Still, I think Eternal Immortality is going to be better. I feel it in my bones.
K: Right you are there, Ella. The cover says so much about the story, but still leaves the reader wondering what is beyond the door. Well, they will have to turn the pages to find out. Eternal Immortality ties up the loose ends of Eternal Island and lets other threads fray for Eternal Inception, book 3 of the Eternal series (Coming in the Fall, y’all!)
E: So, I guess what we’d like to say, in conclusion, is that if you feel it in your heart, if you’re comfortable with your on-line friends and have an awesome idea for a book, don’t let the miles get in the way. Writing a book together is easier than you think. If anything, it’s more fun, and there’s a better chance to keep each other going, no matter what else is going on in the world. I can’t wait to get back to work on the next book, and the next one, and the one after that, and so on.
K: Yep, you said it all! Thanks for having us, Laura. Sorry we didn’t let you talk much. We forget about the world around us when we get chatting. Thank you all so much for dropping in. I hope Eternal Island is a place you’d like to visit now. It’s a never ending story. It’s ETERNAL.
You ladies are awesome. I didn’t need to say a thing. Thanks you so much for stopping by.
And now for the Giveaway
Kristie and Ella are offering 3 e-books for the giveaway.
Entry is easy. Please leave your email address and answer this question, “Who would you like to meet on a fantasy island?”
Giveaway ends Jan. 28th.
Thank you and Good Luck everybody.
Coming soon Eternal Immorality, Book Two in The Eternal Series. Another stunning cover.
You will be seeing a lot more about Ella and Kristie and their books here on fuonlyknew!
About Ella Medler
I live in Cornwall with my husband and our two teenage daughters. Together, we care for a large assortment of pets, some small enough to fit in a fish tank, and some capable of causing you significant injury on impact. I was born in Transylvania but got chucked out due to my inability to grow fangs and reluctance to sleep in coffins.
My first book, MARTIN LITTLE, RESURRECTED is a lighthearted fantasy novel full of action and unique takes on life. It’s total escapism. Heartened by positive reviews on my first book, I published BLOOD IS HEAVIER, an action thriller, which is an explosive and emotional struggle to save a father’s most treasured possession. ETERNAL ISLAND, a paranormal romance, is now live. I have co-written it with a brilliant American author, Kristie S. Haigwood. My next release is book two in the Hunter Series, BLOOD IS POWER, which should be out before the end of the year. In the pipeline are sequels for all of the above and a spin-off from Blood is Heavier – Tequila’s story.
Future works
Blood is Power (Book Two in the Hunter Series)
Martin Little Takes Epic Action (Book Two in the Martin Little Series)
Deal With It – Tequila’s story
In collaboration with Kristie S. Haigwood
Eternal Immorality
Eternal Inception
Contacts
Blog
Website
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter
About Kristie Haigwood
Ever find it hard to talk about yourself? Yeah, I have that problem, too. I have been married to my soulmate for 8 years, who wouldn’t pick up a book unless promised that it was filled with pictures. I have a beautiful 7 year old daughter, Riley, that talks too much and has a very vivid imagination. I have no clue where she got those traits. My step-son, Hayden, is 16 and very into football and hunting. I am a writer of paranormal suspense romance. If you enjoy a great love story with a massive amount of drama about angels, demons, ghosts, vampires, witches and fairy tale creatures brought to life through a twisted mind, then you might just enjoy reading my work.
Website
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter
To purchase these books, click on the covers.
Books by Ella Medler
Books written with Kristie S. Haigwood
Books by Kristie Haigwood
E-book: BrazGirl
About the Author: New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Bella Andre has always been a writer. Songs came first, and then non-fiction books, but as soon as she started writing her first romance novel, she knew she’d found her perfect career. Known for “sensual, empowered stories enveloped in heady romance” (Publishers Weekly) about sizzling alpha heroes and the strong women they’ll love forever, nearly all of her novels have appeared on Top 10 lists at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple and Kobo.