Archive for the ‘Vampires’ Category

Giveaway is over! I have NEW BLOOD For You!

Posted: September 8, 2012 in fiction, giveaways, Paranormal or fantasy, Series, Vampires, werewolves
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Just like I promised, I am having a giveaway of New Blood: Vampire in the City Book One.

Each week of this month I will have something new about this series. So stay tuned!

You can go here to read my review and the fun interview with author Donna Ansari.

Here is my show and tell about this great book!

cNew Blood



Emma Hammond is a normal young woman living in New York City whose life changes forever when one misstep brings her very close to death. Luckily, Alex Thompson, a handsome stranger (who also happens to be a vampire), jumps in to save her, turning Emma into a vampire. She quickly discovers the numerous advantages (no more allergies, glasses, or acne) and slight drawbacks (wanting to eat her boyfriend) of joining the ranks of the creatures of the night. But Emma soon finds out her new undead life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be when she gets pulled in to an age-old dispute between two feuding vampire clans.

 Loved it!!

Now for the giveaway.

Donna has been generous. I have 5 e-books of New Blood to giveaway!

Thanks so much Donna.

Entry is easy. Just leave a comment  or answer this fun question! What would you do if you found out your roommate was a vampire? Don’t forget to leave your email address! 

While it isn’t required, I would love it if you followed me on twitter and my blog. To follow Donna, just click on the links provided below.

Contest ends September 15th.

And next week I ‘ll be reviewing Wild Blood: Vampire in the City Book Two and I’ll also be inte….oops! Not supposed to tell ya that part. Since it slipped out I’m going to tell you. I will be interviewing Emma and Tammy, the roomies from the Vampire in the City series. I’ll have another surprise then!

If you liked this post please hit that tweet and Like button. It would make me smile! Thanks so much.

How to find Donna

 
 

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This Just In! Sneak Peak at Return To Darkness

Posted: September 4, 2012 in Alert!!, Book Promos, fiction, Paranormal or fantasy, Series, Vampires
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This just in from Nicole Bailey! Read on to hear it in her own words.

If you haven’t read in the midst of darkness , Book I, I will warn you that there are spoilers ahead. If you want to learn more about it you can go here and  read my review and  interview with Nicole and enter to win Book I.

Return to Darkness-Prologue

 
SPOILER ALERT–
Well, here it is, the much anticipated prologue to book two. If you haven’t read book one yet, then you probably shouldn’t read any further. For those of you who have read book one, I hope you’re excited after reading this. My intention is to suck you in like I did with the first book. Let me know what you think.
It was all happening again. It was like a horrible nightmare. I had replayed that first time in my head so many times. The only difference this time was that I was alone. But, I had gotten stronger and faster. At least, that’s what I kept telling myself. I had learned how to fight and attack better, so that would make a difference. Won’t it? I thought to myself. I can do this. I wanted this, after all. Now, if I could just keep myself from getting killed. But he was much stronger and older than I was. I guess I really hadn’t thought this through as much as I should have. And now wasn’t the time to start thinking about it. Now was the time to act. The only thing going in my favor was that I was on my own turf, and I was the one who found him. “Hello, Bird,” he said with an evil smile. I wanted to slap that smile right off his face. This wasn’t the time for a chat, but I couldn’t help myself. “How many times do I have to tell you never to call me that, you stupid git?” I could tell that he was going to say something, so with the vision of Finn’s beautiful face implanted in my mind, I attacked.
 
Sounds exciting. I will be watching and waiting for Return to Darkness!
 
If you just can’t wait, You can purchase you own copy of Book I by clicking on the image below.

http://www.inthemidstofdarkness.blogspot.com

https://twitter.com/MidstofDarkness

Contact: Nicole Bailey penquilla@gmail.com

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New Blood comes to town! Meet Donna Ansari’s Vampires

Posted: September 1, 2012 in fiction, Interview, Paranormal or fantasy, reviews, Series, Vampires
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I was so excited when I finished reading New Blood: Vampire in the City–Book One! I just had to ask the author, Donna Ansari,  if she would do an interview with me. And she said yes!

Even better! Each week this month, I will have something new about this series! So stay tuned.

First I want to tell you about the story.

cNew Blood



Great job with the cover art Donna. This face is now Emma for me. And the graveyard looks familiar. I recall a certain something that happened there:)

Now for my thoughts and ramblins.

Her night starts normally enough. Emma spends the evening at work. Her job at the advertising agency is not like they portray on TV. Most of the work is tedious and time-consuming. Then along comes the night supervisor, dropping on her desk a rush job which keeps her late.

Staying late to finish it is why Emma winds up in the wrong place at the wrong time, or is it? Well, that is for later.

Exiting the subway, Emma is only a block away from her house when she sees them. Two young men are assaulting another man.Before she can stop it,  her scream slips out and their attention turns to her.

She can see one is holding what looks like a knife and the other a stick. Huh?  As they rush her, she realizes she is mistaken, the knife is actually a metal cross. Screaming still seems like a good idea, but just seems to spur them on.

She manages to get her can of Mace out and let’s go into the eyes of one of her attackers, while the other one just places the cross on her skin. What’s up with that? She keeps screaming and they run off. A quick glance at the victim reveals he is none the worse for wear. She takes a long look, thinking “He’s beautiful.”  He assures her he is fine and after she accepts his thanks, Emma scoots towards the safety of  home, ready for this night to be over.

The whole encounter leaves her feeling strange. What did the boy with the stick mean when he yelled”Looks like we’re going to dust two blood suckers tonight!?” And why was it so hard to walk away from the stranger afterwards?

What Emma doesn’t realize is, that night  set something in motion. Her next encounter with the stranger is not by chance. And when Emma wakes up at his place, feeling great, wearing someone elses pajamas, with no idea how she got there, she is none to happy.

“You had better tell me exactly what happened, bub, because the last thing I remember, I was crossing Queens Boulevard…”

Emma’s life is changed in an instant and it will take all of the courage and take-charge attitude she has to get her through the rough times ahead.

And I do mean rough. Emma gets out of one situation and ends up in another and another…. It is amazing she is still walking around.

She has some new friends, strange friends, and gets a roommate, which really complicates things. How do you hide the fact you are now a vampire from your roommate and best friend? This leads to some sticky and funny situations.

Check out this scene where Emma and Alex are looking up how to kill a vampire on the computer.

I turned back to the computer, where I did a search for :”anatomical position of the heart.” A few minutes of searching and we found out that the heart is two inches to the left of the sternum, between the fourth and fifth ribs.

“Great,” I said. “Now how are we supposed to practice this?”

Alex started unbuttoning his shirt and I reflexively turned away…

“What are you doing?” 

“I thought you could practice on me using the blunt end of the stake, and it’s easier to see where the ribs are without my shirt on.”

Still flustered, I said, “I guess you should lie down for this.” I stood up and went back into the living room, where I had left the stake. While I was doing that, Alex completely removed his shirt and laid down on the couch.

I hadn’t really gotten a good look at his naked chest in adequate lighting before. Now that I had the chance, and was technically supposed to be studying it anyway, I gave it a good long look. His muscles had good definition without being beefy. You could see the indentations where his ribs were, but just barely. His chest was mostly hairless, except for a small tuft between his nipples. Looking farther down, I saw that he also had a slim, vertical strip of hair from his navel to the top of his pants.

“If you’re confused, count,” he said, unexpectedly.

Alex must have seen the confused expression on my face, because he looked highly amused and said, “I mean, you should count my ribs.”

“Right,” I said, desperately trying to concentrate on the task at hand. I held the stake in my left hand and used my right index finger to trace down from his collarbone, feeling for ribs. “One…two…three…four…here.”

“That’s too far over. Remember the website we looked at? Go a little more towards the center.”

I slowly moved my finger over a few inches. “How hard do I have to push it in?”

“As long as you aim between the ribs, you shouldn’t have to push that hard. But the main thing is that you will want to do it very quickly, so you don’t give them the chance to wake up before you finish.”

I definitely did not want that to happen.

“Also, I think sitting on his crotch may wake him up,” Alex added.

Did I forget to mention there is some fun, sexual situations in New Blood. They are more hints than explicit, but still sexy.

Lots and lots of surprises, plenty of schtick, and,yes, some romance and sexual encounters, New Blood delivers.

I had a great time following Emma, reading about how she juggles all of the new complications in her life, or is it un-life? You will too.

Like the supernatural? Vamps and other such characters? You’ll enjoy New Blood. Plenty of strange for everyone.

  I loved this book and highly recommend it!

And now I want you to meet Donna.

 Hi Donna. It is so nice of you to stop by and talk for a while.
 
 My readers are anxious for this interview to get rolling, so why don’t you start by telling us about yourself.
 
I live in New York City with my husband and two-year-old son. I’ve lived here most of my life and love it, which is why I wanted to write a series based here. When I was a child, the two things I’ve always wanted to be when I grew up were a writer and a mother, so I consider myself pretty fortunate that I’ve been able to accomplish both of those goals.
 
 I loved how the story started. It felt like it could’ve been me on any given night at work. Did you draw on past experiences when you wrote about Emma’s job and her boss?
 
You’ve discovered my horrible secret–yes, I work in an advertising agency, just like Emma. Although I work in the editorial department, which is probably more boring than working in the art department. Any job where you get excited over the misuse of a semicolon is probably boring by definition. And as for the demanding and annoying co-workers, no comment!
 
 I am always curious about how a story gets started. Where did your idea for Emma and New Blood come from?
 
I’m a long-time Buffy fan, and I love a strong female lead character who learns to overcome adversity. So I wanted to write a story where the protagonist became a vampire and had to deal with all the different dramatic lifestyle changes that it entails. 
 
When you started New Blood, did you already plan on writing it as a series, or did it just grow into one?
 
It’s a little hard to remember at this point. The truth is I wrote New Blood about six years ago. Then I didn’t touch it for a number of years, during which time I went through some major life changes. Then, when finally I read it again, I realized both that I wanted to publish it and that the story had to continue.
 
 Is there a part of the story you really liked but had to remove, and if so, could you tell us why? I know you can’t relate the scene in detail as it would be a spoiler.
 
Technically no, but I did at one point consider writing slightly more explicit romantic scenes. I may have even tried writing a sentence or two, but only ended up embarrassing myself.
 
 Another thing I keep forgetting to ask is, do new characters just pop into your head while writing or do you build them first and then add them in?
 

I am a big believer in outlines, so it’s rare for me to write anything at the spur of the moment, although it does occasionally happen as the story is coming to a conclusion. But part of my writing process is to come up with backgrounds for all the characters, even ancillary ones. 

 
 Now that we have the serious questions done, let’s have some fun shall we?
 
Okay!
 
 Who was the first boy you kissed?
 
My first “boyfriend” was a kid named Thomas in my first-grade class. We insisted on being partners when walking to and from the lunchroom and kissed each other hello and goodbye every day.
 
 What is your favorite reptile?
 
My favorite reptile is a leopard gecko named Spot. Once when I was in an unhealthy relationship, my boyfriend said he would break up with me if I bought a reptile for a pet. The very next day I went out and bought Spot. 
 
If you could have any automobile, which would you have?

The DeLorean from Back to the Future so I could time travel! Seriously, I live in NYC, so driving is the least effective means of going from place to place.
 
 
 What would you like to be called if you had to change your name?
 
My mother told me that when she was pregnant with me, she was approached in a dream by a being who said she would have a daughter and she should name her Donna Marie. I find it hard to argue with that. For awhile, I was thinking about changing my last name to Lancaster (my mother’s maiden name), but then I got married and changed it to Ansari instead.
 
 Say you are locked in a room by yourself. What book would you like to have with you?
 
Can I just have a Kindle and internet service? I know it’s strange but I don’t read that many books in my genre. Right now I’m reading A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth. It’s about 1,500 pages. I’d be fine in the locked room for days!
 
 
 Thanks for answering all of my questions Donna. I can’t help myself sometimes. Curiosity gets the better of me and I forget how busy you must be.
 
Thanks! It was fun!
 
 
Hey Donna.  Should we tell them about the upcoming giveaway? I really want to tell them!
 
To celebrate the upcoming release of book three in the Vampire in the City series, I am giving away five free copies of the book that started it all, New Blood!
 
You heard it folks. Next week I will be having a giveaway. Five chances to win New Blood: Vampire in the City – Book One. And there’s more. After that I’ll be…….oops, can’t tell you yet!
 
About the author:
 
Donna Ansari was born in New York City and has lived there for most of her life. Donna graduated from Pace University with a BA in Literature and Communications. Since then, she has been working as an editor, primarily in the field of medical education.
Donna lives in Queens with her husband, son, and large black cat. She is not currently aware of any vampires in her neighborhood.
 
 
You can find Donna here:
 
 
 
 
 
To purchase your own copy, just click on the cover image below.

Come See The Revamp Book Trailer!/Author Beck Sherman

Posted: August 25, 2012 in Book Promos, fiction, horror, Paranormal or fantasy, reviews, Vampires, Videos
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I love book trailers. Whenever I find a new one, I like to post it here so I can share it with you. They are such a fun and cool way to promote a book!

Today I am sharing the trailer for Revamp by Beck Sherman.

After the video, follow this link to read my 5 STAR review: http://wp.me/p27ipo-dT

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CA6GEtgc0yY]

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Giveaway is Over/Signed Paperback and Bookmark/in the midst of darkness by Nicole Bailey

Posted: August 24, 2012 in fiction, giveaways, Interview, Paranormal or fantasy, reviews, Vampires
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Lets talk about in the midst of darkness by Nicole Bailey. After my review read further to enter the giveaway for a chance to win a signed paperback and one of Nicole’s pretty bookmarks, and I have a BONUS for you. Nicole is stopping by for an interview. So keep reading and get to know the author behind this story.

For the giveaway details, just look for the BOOKWORM at the bottom of the post.

In the Midst of Darkness (Book 1)

Waverly grew up in Yachats, Oregon. A small town. A really small town, Population: 617. As soon as she graduated high school she got out of there and landed in Portstewart, Ireland, close to the university she would be attending.

One day, while following her usual routine of heading to the beach for a walk, she quite literally bumped into Finn O’neill.  They both felt the rush of electricity between them upon contact.

They quickly became inseparable, feeling as if they had known each other for a long time.

But Finn is hiding a secret, a secret that if revealed could  put both of their lives in danger.

To complicate things, Waverly’s best friend Jess comes to visit and is caught up in the deadly game of cat and mouse between Finn and his cousin Kieran.

Will they risk all to be together and can they survive what is coming?

You’ll have to read the book to find out:)

I found this book to be fun and quick to read.  There is no love triangle here but there is some instant love. I found it to be believable as we all experienced this “puppy love” as young adults. For some, it lasted, for others, it faded with time. The attraction between Waverly and Finn goes beyond this, is almost spiritual and meant to be. It brought back a rush of tenderness.

As for Jess. She is the friend we all had that we called complicated. She is young and brash, diving headlong into whatever interests her at the moment. Sometimes she behaves selfishly, but didn’t we all when we were younger? She is also very loyal and steps up when needed.

Kieran is just plain bad. Selfish and cruel, he is  always about self-gratification and doesn’t care who he crushes in that pursuit. There is not one redeeming quality in him. His character is well written.

in the midst of darkness is what I would call a YA Fantasy or YA Paranormal Romance. I feel it is written for mature teens to adults and would recommend this to the young ladies out there.

The only thing that put me off was the use of the word Love. It was used as a term of endearment by Finn, and it was used often. But that is a small detail and maybe in Ireland, that is the norm. It did not take away from an enjoyable reading experience.

The story is a little slow in the beginning but once the characters and plot are established it gets rolling and builds to some interesting predicaments and the author wraps it up nicely, with an ending that leaves you wondering what comes next.

This is Nicole’s debut novel and she is hard at work writing the sequel. We will be hearing (and reading) more from this author. I look forward to the next chapter in the lives of Waverly and Finn.

  I really liked it and recommend it.

REceived this book from the author for my honest review. Thanks so much Nicole.

Please welcome Nicole Bailey

Hi Nicole. Thank you for stopping by. Lets get right to it!

What genre do you classify in the midst of darkness as, and is there another genre you would like to write?

I would consider it to be Young Adult Paranormal Romance. I don’t really think it’s for younger teens though, although it is pretty clean compared to a lot of the other stuff out there in my genre. I don’t know if I could ever write another genre. This genre has always been my favorite, so it’s what I’m most familiar with. My friends and family have told me I should write a book about the adventures of living with all boys after reading our family blog. Maybe one day.

Could you explain your writing process? Do you start with a character or does the plot come first?

This book actually started by itself one night. A friend on facebook posted, “So there I was…” That’s it. For some reason, that sparked an idea and within a few minutes, the prologue came to be. I wrote a couple of chapters within the next couple of weeks, and then it just sat there. I never really dreamed that it would turn into a book, though. After the prologue, I had to figure out some names. I have always loved the name Finn, and I researched names for Waverly. I wanted a three syllable name because when he’s calling to her in the prologue, that’s the way I imagined it. In the beginning, I had no plot. It literally came as I was writing. I had a few ideas of what I wanted to happen, but not a set plot. Last summer, I decided that I wanted to work on it, and I ended up writing the entire book during summer break.

I always want to ask this and keep forgetting. How do you choose the names for your characters?

As far as the other characters go, I wanted authentic Irish names, so I went online and looked up some names that sounded cool. Kieran’s name actually means “dark one,” so I thought that fit his character well. Jessie just popped in my head while I was writing. I’ve always liked those boy names that can be girl names also.

Where do you like to write, and do you use pencil and paper or write on the computer?

I wrote the book in my kitchen at our computer desk. The night I wrote the prologue, I grabbed a pen and paper quickly to write it down before I forgot and then put it on the computer.

What do you do for fun when you are not writing?

When I’m not writing, I enjoy hanging out with my family. I love to watch my boys play baseball and football. I like to scrapbook, but haven’t done any in forever. I enjoy watching movies with my husband as well.

I know you are very busy writing the sequel to in the midst of darkness. Is there anything you can share with us, perhaps a tease about what’s coming up?

I’m planning on posting the prologue to Return to Darkness on my blog soon. I will let you know that Jessie meets someone and there is a trip back to Ireland. We haven’t heard the last of Kieran or his father, Darcy either.

Now I am going to throw in some fun questions.

What is your dream vacation?

My dream vacation is Ireland of course! I always wanted to go to Paris. I dreamed of it for years. But then I started writing this book and fell in love with Portstewart. I would love to make enough money from the book sales to travel there with my husband someday.

What scares you?

I’m terrified of sharks. I grew up in California going to the beach. I saw “Jaws” as a young girl and have been afraid of them ever since.

Do you prefer watching movies or TV shows?

I love to watch both movies and TV. But if I had to choose, I would probably pick movies. My favorites are 80’s movies and Romantic Comedies.

Do you like swimming at the beach or a pool?

I love the beach. Waverly has a lot of my characteristics, including a love of the beach. I actually grew up going to Newport Beach all summer long. I loved to swim in the ocean and just got back this summer for a day during our vacation. It’s never long enough for me to get my fix.

What’s you favorite holiday?

Favorite holiday has always been Halloween. I love to dress up and who doesn’t love candy. But the last couple of years, I have decided I love Thanksgiving more. I love my husband’s fried turkey!

Thank you for stopping in Nicole. I know you are busy writing and I appreciate you taking time out from your schedule to share with us.

Thanks again Laura! I enjoy talking about the book and how it came to be. And I appreciate all of your help and interest.

And now for the giveaway!

Nicole has offered one Signed Paperback and one lovely bookmark of in the midst of darkness.

Isn’t that awesome!

 

As always it is easy to enter. Just leave your email and a comment for Nicole, or say something about the interview or this post.

Contest ends September 8th.

While it is not required, it is much appreciated if you would follow my blog.

Also you can follow Nicole here:

http://www.inthemidstofdarkness.blogspot.com

https://twitter.com/MidstofDarkness

Contact: Nicole Bailey penquilla@gmail.com

Get to know Nicole

Nicole is a stay-at-home mother of four busy boys. When she isn’t at sporting events and chauffering the boys, she finds time to write. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from Boise State University, and she recently rediscovered her passion for writing. In The Midst of Darkness is Nicole’s first novel and she is currently working on the sequel.

To purchase her book, just click on the cover image.

GOOD LUCK!!  If you liked this post please hit that twitter button.

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