Book Blitz: WEARILAND by Mary Shotwell

Trailer Reveal: ELF by Max Dune

LIES I LIVE BY--Trailer Reveal

On Filming a Book Trailer: SCHOOL OF DEATHS Blog Tour and giveaway!

Like many authors, I decided to create a book trailer.  Book trailers are similar to movie trailers, and help market new books to wider audiences.  I did not simply want photos of my cover or words across the screen.  I am a theatre teacher, and wanted actors.  I hired one of my students, named Montana, to film the trailer, and three of my students agreed to act in it.  I wrote the script assuming the trailer would be about two minutes long.

 

The four of us met at Montana's house on a Saturday morning.  I felt slightly awkward unloading scythes from my car, especially when we headed to the woods.  We spent 3 1/2 hours filming.  Each shot needed to be recorded multiple times, and while I did my best not to direct, there were a few instances where I did step in.  The boy playing the antagonist for example, could not stop laughing. 

Part of the experience included recording voiceovers. The kids did great, however we needed an adult voice for one of the parts, and we recorded my voice. I am sure I am not alone in saying I hate the sound of my voice. No matter how many times we listened to it played back, or what effects Montana used on it, my voice did not sound right to me. I am sure it will sound fine to others. 

While I work in stage theatre every day, this was one of my first experiences with film.

School of Deaths

by Christopher Mannino 

Release Date: 05/02/14

270 pages

Thrust into a world of men, can a timid girl find bravery as the first female Death?

Thirteen-year-old Suzie Sarnio always believed the Grim Reaper was a fairy tale image of a skeleton with a scythe. Now, forced to enter the College of Deaths, she finds herself training to bring souls from the Living World to the Hereafter. The task is demanding enough, but as the only female in the all-male College, she quickly becomes a target. Attacked by both classmates and strangers, Suzie is alone in a world where even her teachers want her to fail.

Scythes hungry for souls, Deaths who subjugate a race of mysterious magicians, and echoes of an ancient war with Dragons.

As her year progresses, Suzie suspects her presence isn't an accident. She uncovers a plot to overthrow the World of Deaths. Now she must also discover the reason she's been brought there: the first female Death in a million years.

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Buy Links:

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Trailer Reveal: SOUL BETRAYED by Katlyn Duncan

I am super excited to be able to share the trailer for Katlyn Duncan's SOUL BETRAYED, the third and final book in The Life After trilogy, coming February 27, 2014 from Carina.

The covers for each book in this series are gorgeous and the trailers are just as amazing.

If you haven't yet heard about this awesome series, available in eBook format, just check out the descriptions below.

And if you'd like the chance to win an Amazon eGift Card, the author has offered one up for giveaway. Just follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter.

Now, without any further ado, let me present to you...

The Soul Betrayed Trailer

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About Soul Betrayed

COMING FEBRUARY 27, 2014

Series: The Life After #3
Publisher: Carina
Print length: 223 pages
Format: eBook

Description...

The final installment of The Life After trilogy...

A Life for a Life

The battle between Shadowed and Guard has brought destruction and terror to Gate Seven and now Maggie wants revenge. As the only after-life being who can save the souls from ultimate death Maggie comes face to face with her own human body, preserved for a century, waiting for just this moment to arrive.

Yet, how far will Maggie go to exact her revenge on the Shadowed? And when she comes face to face with her past, how will she survive the onslaught of memories she thought long gone?

For when the truth comes out all is not what it seems and Maggie has finally run out of time... She must choose her destiny or watch all she has perish in the fight for her life!

AMAZON | GOODREADS

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About Katlyn Duncan

Katlyn Duncan was born and raised in a small town in western Massachusetts. Her overactive imagination involved invisible friends, wanting to be a Disney Princess and making up her own stories. Her bibliophile mom always encouraged her love of reading and that stayed with her since. Even though she works full time in the medical field Katlyn has always made time for books, whether she is reading or writing them.

Katlyn now lives in southern Connecticut with her husband and adorable Wheaten Terrier and she is thrilled to finally share her stories with the world.

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | PINTEREST | TUMBLR | G+ | GOODREADS

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The Giveaway

This reveal includes a giveaway for a $15 Amazon eGift Card to one winner, ending on February 28th.

Enter in the Rafflecopter below...

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About Soul Taken

Series: The Life After #1
Release date: June 4, 2013
Publisher: Carina
Print length: 223 pages
Formats: eBook

Description...

Book 1 in The Life After trilogy.

After-life just got a lot more complicated

Maggie is a Soul Collector. It’s her job to transport souls from the Living Realm to the After – but during a mission to find a stolen soul, she ends up stuck in a teen mean girl’s body.

Trapped, Maggie’s soul is catapulted into Ally’s life – and the human world she hasn’t experienced for one hundred years. But, as a descendant of the most powerful beings in the After, Maggie must rescue Ally before the girl’s soul dies…

To survive, Maggie must uncover devastating secrets – because with one soul taken by a terrifying enemy, Maggie’s could be next!

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | GOODREADS

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The Soul Taken Trailer

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About Soul Possessed

Series: The Life After #2
Release date: October 28, 2013
Publisher: Carina
Print length: 256 pages
Format: eBook

Description...

Life after Life

Now Maggie has been given the chance of her after-life to become a Guard, nothing will stand in her way. Not even the undeniable attraction she feels for her trainer and past love—Jackson. But when the battle between Shadowed and Guard begins again which side will she choose?

When her boss, Felix, partners Jackson and Maggie up with Ally and Cooper to investigate terrifying Shadowed activity, she doesn’t think it could get any worse. Jackson and Cooper barely tolerate each other and this time, Maggie isn’t just proving her loyalty to the Guard during one mission...she has a side mission too. One so secret and so dangerous she can’t tell a soul... Book 2 in The Life After trilogy.

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | GOODREADS

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The Soul Possessed Trailer

Book Blitz: MORE by T.M. Franklin

When today's Book Blitz happened across my inbox, I knew right away I had to participate. This was one of the first New Adult books I picked up that was not a contemporary romance. I was skeptical because, well, I'm me, but also because I had my doubts at the time that new adult could do genre fic the way YA does and still maintain it's categorical identity. If you've read my review of MORE, you know this was one of the very few, infrequent times I've been wrong about anything in my entire life. I consumed book 1 and moved immediately on to requesting a galley of Book 2, THE GUARDIANS, which I'll be reviewing here in the next couple weeks. In the meantime, here's a little about MORE, and an excerpt that will leave you, well, wanting more. Oh come, on, work with me here, people. 

More (More #1)

by T.M. Franklin

Release Date: 10/04/13

Summary from Goodreads:

Ava Michaels used to think she was special.

As a child, she fantasized about having magical powers . . . making things happen. But Ava grew up and eventually accepted the fact that her childish dreams were just that, and maybe a normal life wasn't so bad after all.

Now a young college student, Ava meets Caleb Foster, a brilliant and mysterious man who’s supposed to help her pass Physics, but in reality has another mission in mind. What he shows Ava challenges her view of the world, shaking it to its very core.

Because Caleb isn't quite what he seems. In fact, he's not entirely human, and he's not the only one.

Together, the duo faces a threat from an ancient race bound to protect humans, but only after protecting their own secrets—secrets they fear Ava may expose. Fighting to survive, Ava soon learns she's not actually normal . . . she's not even just special.

She's a little bit more.

EXCERPT

When closing time finally came around, Ava shivered as she walked out of the diner, huddling deeper into her wool coat and tugging her scarf up over her mouth. She hoisted her backpack higher onto her shoulder before setting off down the sidewalk, quickly covering the two blocks to campus and only looking over her shoulder nervously a handful of times.

Maybe a dozen.

Fifteen, tops.

She hurried down the walkway toward the dorms, the dim path lights flickering little circles of yellow on the frosted concrete. The moon glowed slightly behind the haze of wispy clouds, and a shout of laughter drew her attention to a couple coming toward her, arms entwined. They were dressed as Romeo and Juliet, their costumes partially hidden under thick coats and mittens. They kissed, breath clouding around them, and began to run, smiling at her as they went past.

She couldn’t help smiling back.

Their footsteps echoed away until once again, the only sounds interrupting Ava’s quiet breathing were the crunch of her own boots and the squeak of her backpack straps.

And . . .

Ava stiffened, the peculiar feeling sliding over her once again. She scanned the landscape around her, facing straight ahead but her eyes seeking, carefully combing the surrounding shadows.

Nothing.

Still, she couldn’t shake that creepy sensation that someone was watching her. She quickened her pace, slipping off her right glove and reaching into her coat pocket to grip her pepper spray tightly.

Was that . . . ?

Were those footsteps?

Ava’s heartbeat quickened, her palms growing moist even in the brisk cold. She flipped the safety off the pepper spray, her thumb poised over the button. As she neared the bridge marking the halfway point to her dorm, she glanced over her shoulder quickly. Seeing nothing, she hurried over the bridge, cursing the burned-out bulb that left it in darkness.

Suddenly, a stifling feeling overcame her—like a dark blanket had been thrown over her head to suffocate her—and she whirled around, her backpack clattering to the ground as she whipped the pepper spray out of her pocket and held it at arm’s length. Ava gulped for air, eyes frantically darting about, and the trembling hand holding the pepper spray flailing as wildly as her gaze. She was sure someone was there. She swore she could feel them. She stood frozen with fear, waiting . . . watching.

After a few long moments, she shook her head, glad nobody had witnessed her desperate panic. With a heavy sigh, she pocketed her pepper spray, embarrassed at her own ridiculousness. She had to stop this nonsense. She was driving herself crazy. It was just a dream making her jumpy, nothing else.

Just a crazy, scary dream.

Ava bent to pick up her backpack, sliding it onto her shoulder as she scanned the horizon one more time. With a self-deprecating chuckle, she turned around to continue home.

Only to stop short in terror.

A man—a huge man—stood before her, mouth twisted in rage. He towered over her, at least six and a half feet tall, his shoulders wide, and arms banded with muscle. Shaved close to his head, his dark hair shadowed his skull, and his intimidating appearance was only enhanced by the jagged scar running down the right side of his face, from forehead to chin. He didn’t wear a coat, only a tight, black shirt and fatigues, black boots on his feet, and a wide leather belt with a mean-looking gun holstered at his hip.

It couldn’t be. But it was.

It was him. The man from her nightmares.

Ava scrambled back, but he reached out in a flash, gripping her upper arms and lifting her up so her toes barely brushed the ground. One hand slid to her throat, and he held her easily, pulling her closer to his frightening face.

“Please,” she begged, the word catching as she fought to breathe.

The man’s glare tightened, and Ava stared in morbid fascination at his mismatched eyes—blue and green—odd and vividly terrifying. She struggled, reaching for her pepper spray, only to have it slip from her fingers as she kicked out at the man.

He responded by laughing humorlessly, flipping her around and banding one arm around her torso. His grip was like iron, and she could barely breathe.

“Please,” she said again, dizziness closing in. “I can’t,” she gasped.

A press of metal to her temple transformed her fearful trembles into horrified shudders. She had no doubt. She was going to die. Her eyelids fluttered shut in defeat as he cocked the gun, the loud click echoing off the trees.

Then, a flash of black, a gust of wind, and suddenly she could breathe again. The man’s grip loosened, but he didn’t release her.

“Damn you,” he growled. “Stay out of this!”

Ava pushed him, her efforts in vain, as he hitched her up in response, tucking her under his arm like a bag of groceries. She kicked her legs, flailing desperately as the man spun about, pointing his gun into the darkness.

“Show yourself, you coward!”

The same flash of black, another blast of wind, and Ava fell to the ground, her head cracking on the concrete. She curled onto her side, moaning, lifting a hand to the back of her head, and squinting in shock at the blood that came away, streaking across her trembling palm.

Low grunts and the crack of bone on flesh floated on the air toward her, muzzy with her disorientation. She tried to focus, but could only make out two dark figures exchanging blows. Ava tried to sit up, but collapsed back onto the icy ground, overcome by a shock of dizziness and nausea.

Suddenly, the two dark beings seemed to meld into one, and in the next moment, she felt herself floating. She blinked; a face took form above her briefly, the features cast in shadow.

“Do I . . . do I know you?” she mumbled, fighting for consciousness.

“I’ve got you,” a low voice replied, and Ava nodded as a cool palm stroked her forehead, and the darkness consumed her.

-MORE, Chapter 4

Available from:

Amazon│Barnes & Noble│Kobo

Check out the FREE short story!

About the Author

T.M. Franklin started out her career writing non-fiction in a television newsroom. Graduating with a B.A. in Communications specializing in broadcast journalism and production, she worked for nine years as a major market television news producer, and garnered two regional Emmy Awards, before she resigned to be a full-time mom and part-time freelance writer. After writing and unsuccessfully querying a novel that she now admits, “is not that great,” she decided to follow the advice of one of the agents who turned her down—write some more and get better at it. Her first published novel, MORE, was born during National Novel Writing month, a challenge to write a novel in thirty days.

She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, Mike, is mom to two boys, Justin and Ryan, and has an enormous black dog named Rocky who’s always lying nearby while she’s writing. Whether he’s soothed by the clicking of the computer keys or just waiting for someone to rub his belly is up for debate.

In addition to MORE, Franklin penned the Amazon best-selling short story, Window, as well as another short story, A Piece of Cake, which appears in the Romantic Interludes anthology. The sequel to MORE, The Guardians, will be released November 7, 2013.

Connect with T.M. Franklin

Website | Facebook | Twitter  | Goodreads    

GIVEAWAY:

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Book Blitz Organized by:

THE APOLLO ACADEMY--Cover Reveal, Book Trailer, Giveaway and LOTS of FANGIRLING!

Can I start out this post as professionally as possible?

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! My PitchWars Mentor/Amazeballs CP's debut novel is coming out in just a little over a month!!!!!

**deep breath**

Okay, sorry. Let's start over. 

The incredibly talented Kimberly P. Chase's debut New Adult Sci-Fi novel, THE APOLLO ACADEMY, will be coming to a Kindle or bookstore near you on August 6, 2013. In the meantime, check out the cover and super-cool Book Trailer below. 

About THE APOLLO ACADEMY

As the heiress to Titon Technologies, eighteen-year-old Aurora Titon can have whatever she wants—clothes, expensive gadgets, anything money can buy. All she really wants is to escape her pampered, paparazzi-prone life for the stars. Becoming the first female pilot to train as an astronaut for the Apollo Academy is exactly the chance for which she has been waiting. Everything would be perfect if it weren't for her unreciprocated crush on a fellow student, the sexy astronaut bent on making her life hell, and the fact that someone keeps trying to kill her. 

The first in a four book new adult science fiction series, The Apollo Academy, is an action packed story of love, discovery, and survival.

Early praise for The Apollo Academy:

"I am obsessed with this book! Suspenseful, sexy, and just a great read!" 

-Cora Carmack, New York Times Bestselling author of LOSING IT. 

“Exquisite worldbuilding, thrilling suspense, and a sexy flight instructor! Chase’s exciting debut novel is one you don’t want to miss.” - K.A.Tucker, Author of Ten Tiny Breaths and One Tiny Lie

Don't forget to add THE APOLLO ACADEMY  to your Goodreads TBR list!

About the author:

Kimberly P. Chase holds a Bachelor's Degree in Aeronautical Science from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, which basically means she's kind of a geek and loves flying airplanes. Naturally, her books tend to include aviation, hot flight instructors, aviator glasses, and—let's not forget—kissing! When Kimberly's not writing or reading, she's hanging out with her husband, four-year-old son, and two dogs.

Find Kimberly:

Website     Facebook    Twitter

Enter to win an ARC (Advance Reader Copy) or Kick-ass Swag Here:

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If you can't tell, I am super duper excited about this book. I cannot wait to get my hands on the final, sexy, schmexy product.

Don't forget to add THE APOLLO ACADEMY  to your Goodreads TBR list!