Character Interview with Katora Kase from Elixir Bound by Katie L. Carroll

Thanks, Nicole, for hosting the Elixir Bound blog tour. Katora Kase, the main character of Elixir Bound, has agreed to stop by and answer a few questions, even as she prepares for a big journey into Faway Forest.

• What is your current state of mind?

I’m excited to be going on such an important quest, though I guess I really can’t go into too many details here…who knows how many people might be seeing this, not a place to be talking about secret missions. Also proud that I have been chosen to lead this quest. And maybe a tiny bit nervous…Faway Forest is dangerous and I have a big decision to make…and there is a certain long-lashed young man going who may prove to be a distraction. I can’t afford to have distractions right now.

• What is your greatest fear?

I don’t like to admit I’m afraid of anything, but if I had to pick one thing, I would say a fear of being controlled. I like my independence and don’t want anyone messing with it!

• What do you consider the most overrated virtue?

Vanity, especially regarding looks. What a waste of time to be hung up on how you look.

• On what occasions do you lie?

Lately I find I’m doing more lying than I used to. Mostly when I have to keep a certain secret from being revealed. But I’d lie in a heartbeat to keep my family safe. No one messes with my family.

• Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

“Great Mother!” I’m not sure Mother Nature would approve of me using her name so much to express my less-than-virtuous feelings.

• If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I would love to be more open about my feelings, though if you told anyone I told you this, I would deny it. Seriously, though, I think life might be easier if I could me more like my sister Kylene, who tends to wear her emotions on her sleeve. I keep mine all bottled up and then get annoyed when people don’t understand me. But how are they supposed to understand me if I never let them know how I’m feeling?

• How would you like to die?

In my sleep when I’m an old elderyear lady who is leaving behind a great legacy. If I were to die young, I suppose I’d like to go doing something heroic, like saving a whole village of people.

Katora might have a few free minutes to answer a couple more questions if anyone would like to leave one for her in the comments. Just keep them brief; she’s got a quest to go on!

Elixir Bound blurb:

Katora Kase is next in line to take over as guardian to a secret and powerful healing Elixir. Now she must journey into the wilds of Faway Forest to find the ingredient that gives the Elixir its potency. Even though she has her sister and brother, an old family friend, and the handsome son of a mapmaker as companions, she feels alone.

It is her decision alone whether or not to bind herself to the Elixir to serve and protect it until it chooses a new guardian. The forest hosts many dangers, including wicked beings that will stop at nothing to gain power, but the biggest danger Katora may face is whether or not to open up her heart to love.

You can buy Elixir Bound at the MuseItUp bookstore, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, iBooks, and other online book retailers.

Author Bio:

 

Katie L. Carroll began writing at a very sad time in her life after her 16-year-old sister, Kylene, unexpectedly passed away. Since then writing has taken her to many wonderful places, real and imagined. She wrote Elixir Bound and the forthcoming Elixir Saved so Kylene could live on in the pages of a book. Katie is also the author of the picture app The Bedtime Knight and an editor for MuseItUp Publishing. She lives not too far from the beach in a small Connecticut city with her husband and son. For more about Katie, visit her website at www.katielcarroll.com, friend her on Facebook, or follow her on Twitter (@KatieLCarroll).

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Alex J Cavanaugh - Author of CassaStorm - Talks about who Influences him

Comment on Alex’s blog this week for a chance to win a Cassa mug, mousepad, magnet, and swag!

Who has influenced you the most with both writing and blogging?

Terry Brooks, Robert E. Heinlein, and Timothy Zhan were all influences. So was the team of Preston and Child – their pacing is perfect.

As far as blogging – wow! That would be a huge list. Every person we meet contributes in some way to our future. I’ll give you a few bloggers, though. Arlee Bird (Lee) set the example with blogfests and involvement, and my blog wouldn’t be where it is now without the A to Z Challenge. Elizabeth Craig was the perfect example of professionalism, consistency, and balance. L. Diane Wolfe showed me how to build my platform and strive for longevity. Old Kitty showed me how to keep my attitude positive. Jeremy Hawkins showed me how to give. And DL Hammons showed me how one idea could spark something big – and that giving up wasn’t an option!

CassaStorm

By Alex J Cavanaugh

From the Amazon Best Selling Series!

A storm gathers across the galaxy…

Commanding the Cassan base on Tgren, Byron thought he’d put the days of battle behind him. As a galaxy-wide war encroaches upon the desert planet, Byron’s ideal life is threatened and he’s caught between the Tgrens and the Cassans.

After enemy ships attack the desert planet, Byron discovers another battle within his own family. The declaration of war between all ten races triggers nightmares in his son, threatening to destroy the boy’s mind.

Meanwhile the ancient alien ship is transmitting a code that might signal the end of all life in the galaxy. And the mysterious probe that almost destroyed Tgren twenty years ago could return. As his world begins to crumble, Byron suspects a connection. The storm is about to break, and Byron is caught in the middle…

"Cavanaugh makes world building on the galactic scale look easy. The stakes affect the entire known universe and yet Cavanaugh makes it intensely personal for our hero. The final installment of this series will break your heart and put it back together."
- Charity Bradford, science fantasy author of The Magic Wakes

“With a talent for worldbuilding and a compelling cast of characters, Alex J. Cavanaugh combines high powered space battles and the challenges of family dynamics to provide readers a space opera with heart.” 
- Elizabeth S. Craig, author of the Southern Quilting and Myrtle Clover mysteries

“…the racial conflicts propelled much of the plot in this story, driving home a message that's relevant to our own world and giving the book an interesting texture.” 
- C. Lee. McKenzie, author of Alligators Overhead

$16.95 USA, 6x9 Trade paperback, 268 pages, Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C.

Science fiction/adventure and science fiction/space opera

Print ISBN 9781939844002 eBook ISBN 9781939844019

$4.99 EBook available in all formats

Find CassaStorm:

Barnes and Noble - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1116848619?ean=9781939844002

Amazon -

http://www.amazon.com/CassaStorm-Alex-J-Cavanaugh/dp/1939844002/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1378484337&sr=1-1&keywords=cassastorm

Amazon Kindle - http://www.amazon.com/CassaStorm-ebook/dp/B00F2O9QMC/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1378811366&sr=1-1&keywords=cassastorm

Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17670532-cassastorm

Book trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Umm2l0XdHc&feature=youtu.be

Alex J. Cavanaugh -

Website – http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/

Twitter – http://twitter.com/AlexJCavanaugh  

Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4287922.Alex_J_Cavanaugh

Interview with Tricia Ballad, Author of Daughter of Oreveille

Everyone, please welcome Tricia Ballad, author of Daughter of Oreveille, for a wonderful interview! I just adore her cover.

Tell us your latest news.

Daughter of Oreveille, my debut novel, was released in August, 2013. Book two, Defender of Oreveille, is currently going through the editing process.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I knew I wanted to write stories when I was about four years old. I’ve always been fascinated by stories of magic, and the ability to transport someone to another world was the most powerful magic I could imagine!

Writing has always been a part of who I am, even during those years when the most interesting thing I wrote was a grocery list. I don’t think I really had an epiphany moment when I said, “Now I’m a writer!” any more than I’ve ever woken up and said, “Now I’m human!” It’s just something I’ve always been.

How did you come up with the title?
Social position and identity are core to the world of the Faeland, so I chose to use a shortened version of my main character’s noble title, Daughter of the House of Oreveille, as the title for her story.

Is there a message in Daughter of Oreveille that you want readers to grasp?

When I wrote Daughter of Oreveille, I wanted to redefine and explore the female heroine. I haven’t been able to identify with the strong female lead in many of the books I’ve read, because many of them seem to act more like men in women’s bodies. I wanted to write a more realistic female character, whose strength came from her femininity, not in spite of it.

When I was younger and forming my understanding of the world, I saw a geek culture that was very male-oriented, and if I wanted to hang out with the guys and do something more interesting than talk about make up, I had to fit in - I had to be “one of the guys.” I’m seeing that basic reality changing, and I think it’s great that more girls are stepping up in the geek world and saying, “accept us for who we are.”

I wanted to write a character that those girls could relate to, and to give them an example of a strong woman who understands the need to hide her true self, but who also learns that embracing her identity is far more powerful.

Can you share a little of your current work with us?
I have sample chapters of Daughter of Oreveille available at http://www.DaughterOfOreveille.com.

What paranormal creature would you be and why?
I would love to be one of the Fae!

If you could be any character in fiction, who would you be?

Elizabeth Bennet from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. I love her wit, and yet she’s just as likely to get carried away as any one of her sisters. Except for Jane. Jane is lovely, but I identify with Elizabeth.

If Hollywood made a movie about your life, whom would you like to see play the lead role as you?

Anne Hathaway. I love that she has a strong sense of grace, and yet she does not sugar-coat her opinions when she is standing up for what she believes in.

Blurb: Brianna, Daughter of the House of Oreveille, will inherit everything - if she plays by the rules.

Instead she rejects yet another fine noble of the Faelands in favor of a half-Fae commoner.

How much will Brianna be forced to sacrifice to protect the life - and the man - she has chosen?

She has never been afraid to break the rules, but when she rejects yet another potential husband

from one of the most powerful Houses in Faeland, she risks more than disapproval.

The House of Oreveille has been without a Defend since her father’s death in the jotnar wars. Her mother’s drunkard second husband has neglected his duties; the estate has fallen into decay and rumors are flying that the grand house of Oreveille, protector of the border between Gaia and the Faeland for thousands of years, may soon fall.

Brianna does not intend to repeat her mother’s mistakes, but to save Oreveille she must weigh

the fate of her people, and the safety of the Faeland, against the desires of her heart.

For More Information Visit: TriciaBallad.com

AVAILABLE NOW ON AMAZON

Bio: Tricia Ballad started making up stories as soon as she was old enough to talk, and began writing them down soon after.

When she could not find a story to fit her mood, she wrote one. And in one way or another, she’s been writing ever since.

After spending most of her childhood cavorting with words when she should have been learning algebra, she came up for air in college, did her fair share of stupid things, met the love of her life, and managed to graduate with a degree in creative writing. 

Tricia spent the next decade in a haze of sleep deprivation and diapers. When she finally remembered how to sleep again, she returned to writing stories. Her debut novel, Daughter of Oreveille, was released in August 2013.

Tricia lives in Illinois with her husband, four children, and assorted other creatures. She is fairly certain there is a family of coffee-stealing gnomes hiding in the walls.

Cover Reveal - Unnatural by J.A. Belfield

Unnatural

A Holloway Pack Story

by J.A. Belfield

Release Date: April 7, 2014

Target Reader: Adult

Keywords: Paranormal Romance, Werewolf

Back of the Book

Unnatural. One word to sum up werewolf Kyle Larsen—his mood swings, abnormal body, and choice of female.

The first two, he blames on the vampire venom.

The third, though? No, feline shifter Brook Nicholls was all his doing—a female of whom the pack will never approve.

As part of the Coalition, an organisation with even stricter rules than the pack and a rigidly warped sense of responsibility, Brook comes with a whole lot of opposition of her own.

No wonder the two of them keep their relationship secret for as long as they can.

Now, distanced from his family by his own indiscretions, Kyle’s left to fight battles he’s unsure how to win—some of them even against his own pack.

Is one woman really so important that he’s willing to defy his Alpha for her?

If his heart has any say in the matter, the answer will be yes.

 

URL: http://www.jtaylorpublishing.com/books/40

BLACK HELLEBORE Blog Tour Sign Up

Ack, there's less than a month until October 1st and the release of Black Hellebore! Guys, I am so so so excited for this book. I can't wait for you all to read it!

Here's the unedited blurb:

Once a year for the past decade, Nicholas Adams returns to Falledge and leaves a black hellebore on his high school sweetheart's grave. While departing Falledge, he spies a man sneaking into the laboratory. Nicholas chases after him and dies for his trouble.

A witch brings him back to life, but Nicholas soon realizes he's not the same man. Turns out, magic combined with a black hellebore in his pocket changed him into a kind of a super man.

His sweetheart's twin, Julianna Paige, is the deputy of Falledge, struggling to solve several murders. Nicholas, and his alter ego the Black Hellebore, helps her, even as she helps him move on and even start to love again.

Unfortunately, Nicholas wasn't the only one changed in the laboratory explosion. He's going to need his superhero strength to stop the supervillain bent on destroying Falledge, and killing the Black Hellebore.

Being a superhero was never part of Nicholas Adams' plans; neither was working side-by side with his deceased girlfriend's twin. Who ever thought falling in love could be more dangerous than fighting a supervillain?

:D :D :D

Hopefully I'll be able to share the cover soon. *squirms in chair with excitement*

Now I need to set up a blog tour for it. If you're interested, please fill out the form below! If you don't have any dates available in October but do in November, that's fine, you can still fill out the form.

Please sign up! You know you want to!