Book release and cover reveal - INTO MY ARMS and WITH EVERY BREATH by Lia Riley

Another first for this blog, I'm now helping announce and celebrate book releases!

It's my pleasure to help celebrate the release of INTO MY ARMS by Lia Riley!

Into My Arms

INTO MY ARMS by Lia Riley (September 8, 2015; Forever Yours E-Book; Off the Map Series)

"You're here because I want to touch you."
Beth Jacobs spends her days slogging away in a corporate "fish bowl," as the hard-working assistant for one of North America's youngest dot-com billionaires. Aleksander "Z" Zavtra is the definition of dark and dangerous with a sexy Eastern European snarl. He's also ruthless. Curt. Exacting. An infuriating man she loves to hate. While Beth hardly sees him, it's as if he's always watching her . . .

Z doesn't do romance. But he never expected to be captivated by a whip-smart, fiery assistant who just so happens to share an uncanny resemblance to the beautiful face that haunts his dreams. He craves Beth. He wants to stroke her skin, to feel her heat beneath him. And what Z wants, he gets. And for one weekend, the lines between employer and employee are blurred as Z and Beth give themselves completely to the dark pleasures they've both been dreaming about.

Buy the book!

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BAM

And as if things couldn't get more exciting for Lia, 

WITH EVERY BREATH's cover is revealed today as well! 

Ready?

HERE IT IS!

WITH EVERY BREATH by Lia Riley (December 29, 2015; Forever Trade Paperback)

BREATHE DEEP . . . AND JUMP IN
At the ends of the earth, Patagonia is a land where ambition trumps reason and the savage summit of La Aguja lures the most determined climbers. It's also the last spot a "play-it-safe girl" like Auden Woods expects to find herself. But she'll lace up her brand-new hiking boots and do whatever it takes to secure a dream job at an adventure magazine . . . even if it kills her. And it just might. When disaster strikes, her only chance at survival comes in the form of the surliest, sexiest mountaineer ever to come out of Scotland.

After a climbing accident cost him his brother, professional mountaineer Rhys MacAskill is at the end of his rope. Redemption is not in his future. That is, until a terrifying storm blows a budding journalist into his tent and it's up to him to make sure they both survive until morning. Despite the demons weighing on him, Rhys can't resist the temptation of the charming American and one wild night just isn't enough.

Auden and Rhys soon learn there are no shortcuts as they navigate their way between life, death, and atonement, and discover something they never expected-love.

Pre-order now!

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Congrats, Lia! What an amazing day for you!

About the author:

After studying at the University of Montana-Missoula, Lia Riley scoured the world armed only with a backpack, overconfidence and a terrible sense of direction. When not torturing heroes (because c'mon, who doesn't love a good tortured hero?), Lia herds unruly chickens, camps, beach combs, daydreams about as-of-yet unwritten books, wades through a mile-high TBR pile and schemes yet another trip. She and her family live mostly in Northern California.

COVER REVEAL: DIVIDED BY SHARON M. JOHNSTON

Introducing my second cover reveal: This beautiful book cover of Sharon M. Johnston's DIVIDED!!

And the premise sounds GREAT. Pick it up! I know I will!

Book Blurb

A new heart should mean new life, instead it’s a living nightmare.

Mishca Richardson’s life is at an all-time high after her heart transplant. With new boyfriend, Ryder, she has the perfect summer romance. Even the nightmares plaguing her sleep since her operation can’t dull her new dream world.

Yet, life starts to unravel when Mishca develops superhuman abilities. She does her best to hide them so as not to end up a science experiment in a lab, but she can’t ignore the strange instant attraction she experiences when she meets her university professor, Colin Reed.

Torn between love and obsession, Mishca must unite her divided heart and decide between the two men. But when the truth about her weird powers comes to light, she’ll have a lot more to worry about than romance.

Praise for Divided

“DIVIDED is a fast-paced adventure filled with mystery, romance, action, and humor.

Mishca and Ryder rank up there with my favorite heroines and heroes ever!

Sharon M. Johnston is an author to watch out for.”  

           

WENDY HIGGINS, USA Today and New York Times bestselling author.

Preorder DIVIDED now!

About the author

From sunny Queensland in Australia, Sharon writes weird stories and soulful contemporaries across a number of categories. Working as a PR specialist by day, in her spare time she writes, blogs, plays with her fur babies and plays computer games with her family. She's also been stalked by women wanted to know where she buys her shoes.

Find her on:

Her website

Facebook

Fellow writer/Twitter love fest

Last year, I had a story I wanted to share. I shared it in Pitch Wars. It was enjoyed, but not enough. And it needed something more. Many tips and advice on it came my way.

So, I put it away and wrote a new story. And I fell in love with it.

Then, I decided to put that away so I could return to the old story and rewrite it. And I did.

This year, I decided to try to share it again.

This year it's stronger. This year I'm stronger.

How?

I listened. I read. I pondered. And I revised my ass off.

I follow a collection of amazing writers.

From a simple bit of advice of tense that helped their own novel to a day-by-day book plotting in a month to a short letter that told me what was missing from my MS, I've gotten the best bits.

Then, the critique partners I've met and came to trust my babies with have become a support group beyond what I could ever expect.

So, as I prepare to enter my second Pitch Wars with a new version of last year's story, I must make this post short. But I have a huge list of thank yous. And a lot of you already know who you are.

Pitch Wars Pimp my Bio!

Hello everyone! 

This is in response to the #pimpmybio for PITCH WARS, also known as the coolest opportunity for writers to get to know each other and work with pros in the biz. 

This is all due to Brenda Drake, who had this brilliant idea 

and has gotten to watch it blossom to the contest it is today. 

(She's an author herself and has a couple books 

THIEF OF LIES and TOUCHING FATE) coming out!)

And here are a few random facts about me, Ann Marjory K, other than being a YA and NA writer.

*I'm from Chicago!*

It's my hometown! My family and I live in the center of it. Steps from Soldier Field (I'm not a Bears fan, though), the Sears Tower (it's never going to be the Willis Tower to me), Lake Michigan 

and the coolest museums around. 

Look, you can see my house!

*Best Food Ever?*

Sushi! Gawd, just give it to me and I'm happy. I also get out-of-control cravings for Indian food and chips and salsa. Not to say I give in, I just crave them hard. 

Cute! And I will eat it all.

What I eat everyday? Sweet Potatoes. Blame my Whole 30 diet. 

Baked, roasted, mashed or topped with a dab of ghee, I love them.  

Nom.Nom. In many ways.

*Drinks!*

If I lived on coffee, tea and water, I'd be fine. I take my coffee black ever since my freshman year of college when I decided to check it out. All that cream and sugar get in the way of caffeine.

*Favorite all time books my MS is nothing like.*

I fell in love with 100 Years of Solitude and Wise Blood in college. The beautifully written, magical realism of 100 Years and the brilliant, unforgettable characters of Wise Blood will stay with me forever. I've yet to read their equals. Once every five years I'll pick them up. Matter of fact, I'm due.

*What I Read More Often*

Most of the time, I stick with YAs, NAs and some adult. I like fantasy, so long as it's light, but that's not to say I won't read a good fantasy like Lord of the Rings. I love contemporaries as well. And when there's humor, that' a bonus. 

When I need a break, I read a non-fiction something.. anything! 

*Stress relief, sewing, also known as the anti-writing*

When I need a break from writing, I turn to my sewing machine. I haven't had a lesson since junior high and I tend to follow my own pattern rather than someone else's, but I'm having a blast with it. I've altered many t-shirts, mini skirts and love creating costumes.

*Costumes*

Speaking of, I can't go without sharing what a huge nerd I am. I don't think I ever outgrew Halloween. I took it to another level last year, though, and tried cosplay. It is the most fun I can have one weekend per year. If you can recognize any of these characters, I give you bonus geek points!

ps: It's even more fun when my kids join in.

6 extra facts some people may find interesting:

1. I've never once watched Big Bang Theory. 
2. I also can't quite get into Dr. Who.
3. I will reference Princess Bride, Sixteen Candles and The Goonies as much as humanly possible. 
4. This is the first blog entry and/or tweet I've ever used gifs in.
5. I also love Star Wars (possible more so now that I have kids who dress as Princess Leia and Boba Fett). Watching order here: New Hope, Empire, Jedi, Clone Wars, Rebels. (Don't bother with those first three, they just draaag). 
6. Oh, and Empire is the BEST one because, well, AT-ATs. 

Look at them! Aren't they AWESOME? *STOMP* *pew! pew!*

That's all I got! Check out the rest of my fellow contestants here!

And Thank You, Chris Keelty, for hosting everyone!

FIRST EVER COVER REVEAL: TOUCHING FATE BY BRENDA DRAKE

Today, I am proud to take a new step in Superheroic Endeavors: Cover reveals and support for the amazing authors I've been lucky to interact with since entering the writing world.

I can think of no better one to start with than this amazing lady, Brenda Drake.

She was one of the first writers I friended on Twitter. Her website is an excellent source of up and coming books and writers. She's the host of numerous contests for writers and agents, including Pitch Wars, which I'm planning to enter in a couple weeks. In the writing world, she's pretty much the biggest advocate and superhero we have.

And here is the cover of her book coming out October 13!

Ready?




Here it is!!

***

Touching Fate

by Brenda Drake 

Release Date: 10/13/15

Entangled Teen: Crave

Summary from Goodreads:

Aster Layne believes in physics, not psychics. A tarot card reading on the Ocean City Boardwalk should have been a ridiculous, just-for-fun thing. It wasn't. Aster discovers she has a veryunscientific gift—with a simple touch of the cards, she can change a person's fate.

Reese Van Buren is cursed. Like the kind of old-school, centuries-old curse that runs in royal families. Every firstborn son is doomed to die on his eighteenth birthday—and Reese's is coming up fast. Bummer. He tries to distract himself from his inevitable death...only to find the one person who can save him.

Aster doesn't know that the hot Dutch guy she's just met needs her help–or that he’s about to die.

But worst of all…she doesn't know that her new gift comes with dark, dark consequences that can harm everyone she loves.

Add to Goodreads

About the Author

Brenda Drake, the youngest of three children, grew up an Air Force brat and the continual new kid at school until her family settled in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Brenda’s fondest memories growing up is of hereccentric, Irish grandmother’s animated tales, which gave her a strong love for storytelling. So it was onlyfitting that she would choose to write young adult and middle grade novels with a bend toward thefantastical. When Brenda’s not writing or doing the social media thing, she’s haunting libraries, bookstores,and coffee shops or reading someplace quiet and not at all exotic (much to her disappointment).

Author Links:

Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook

Cover Reveal Organized by:

YA Bound Book Tours

Claiming the Power

In May, my YA had it. It had interest. It had a (somewhat) solid platform. It had the power.

And it suddenly disappeared and lost the power.

Why?

Because I'm my worst critic.

And it's an up-and-down thing. I love it one day. Loathe it the next.

So, I put it away about a month ago and devoted myself to working on my amazing critique partners' work. I even added a few first chapter swaps to find beta readers.

And then the hugest urge to return and revise struck me.

Problem was, it's was not for my YA, it was for my NA I wrote back in November.

So, once I again, I listened to my heart and brain and gave the NA a look for about two weeks. Sent a couple samples out. Continued to love it. I think it has a lot of potential but needs a bit of work still.

Then, I even started plotting another NA in my head. (I dared not try paper or else I've committed.)

But now, the time has come to return. I need to give it more love. I've got some readers who will hopefully give it love as well.

Because after all the rewrites, I'm taking this one into Pitch Wars.

And I'm not going to lose the power.

Wish me luck!

The Writer's Voice entry - Mega Girl Query + first 250

This is for a contest called The Writer's Voice (Link). Good luck to everyone who entered and thank you our #TheWVoice hosts!

QUERY: 

Dear Agent,

Being a human wrecking ball with the emotional stress of high school life sucks. 

Mega Girl dreams of standing next to the other superhero elite defending the city of Detroipia. As awkward junior, Lauren Chapman, she just wants to get through high school without breaking yet another desk, or worse, a wall. Exhaustion from late-night patrols sticks her with an F in biology. But she can’t complain about Dane, her new tutor with those floppy bangs and killer eyes.

Mega Girl’s secret identity is constantly tested whether it be a speedy wannabe sidekick, a stiletto-wearing jewel thief or the general public believing she’s too inexperienced fueled by a trending superhero-hating blog.

When everything comes to a head, Lauren needs to decide what’s most important: her superhero reputation or Dane, who has the uncanny ability to calm her strength despite making her heart skip a beat when he walks in the room.

MEGA GIRL (complete at 65,000 words) is a YA contemporary fantasy that combines the thrills of Spiderman with the everyday quirkiness of Gilmore Girls. It is a standalone novel with series potential.

I am a former features writer with a journalism degree and have decades of experience reading comic books.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

FIRST 250 WORDS:

Three crimson slashes burn my eyes. My pulse reverberates against my temples. Time stops. Air lodges in my throat until I gasp.

An F?

“Ms. Chapman?”

“Huh?” My neck snaps as I look up. Ow. Cramp.

A couple feet ahead, Mr. Smiley stands. His hands link over his argyle sweater vest. Stifled giggles flutter throughout the classroom.

“I asked if there was a problem.”

All eyes are on at me. “Um, nothing,” I say.  

I fold the biology quiz and stuff it deep inside my torn canvas backpack. There. Now I can pretend it doesn’t exist. At least during the forty minutes I’m stuck in this musty classroom.

Smiley walks through the aisle toward my seat. His fingers press on my desk and he leans closer so I have to smell his coffee breath.

“I’d like to see you after class,” he whispers and walks away.

The snickers resume. Next to me, Kendra Wooten crinkles her heavily made-up eyes and snorts. “Who flunks biology?”

I sink lower in my seat. It trembles beneath me. Just crap-perb. I better pull it together or the chair will collapse. Sure, I get Cs, the rare D, but never an F. Dad’s going to kill me. Or worse, not let me go out on patrol tonight.

Smiley returns to the front of the room and conducts class in a usual fashion that renders us powerless. I count on lecture days to relax so I don’t break things. When I freak, I’m an emotional epicenter.