Cover Reveal: Forty Nights-- Stephanie Parent.

Please welcome back Stephanie Parent who's celebrating her cover reveal for Forty Nights. I read one of Stephanie's other books, Defy the Stars. It was awesome, so I'm sure these are too! 

Forty Nights (Neima's Ark #2)

by Stephanie Parent

Release Date: September 2013
Cover Designed by: Najla Qamber Designs

Summary from Goodreads:

Neima, her family, and her grandfather Noah have found themselves trapped aboard an ark as a great flood destroys all life in the world. As their time aboard the ark lengthens, food begins to run out, wild animals grow restless, and family tensions become as much of a threat as the flood outside. In the second and final installment of Neima’s Ark, the stakes are higher, the conflicts are greater, and Neima finds herself facing a choice as impossible as the destruction all around her.

Forty Nights is a continuation of the story begun in Forty Days, and it’s recommended that you read Forty Days first for the best experience. Forty Nights does, however, contain a character guide to refresh readers’ memories. The Neima’s Ark series is a historical, feminist reimagining of the story of Noah’s Ark rather than a religiously oriented one, and the novels are best suited for readers who are comfortable with new interpretations of biblical stories.

Book One:

(Linked to Goodreads)

Forty Days is currently FREE!  Get your copy!

  

About the Author

Stephanie Parent is a graduate of the Master of Professional Writing program at USC and attended the Baltimore School for the Arts as a piano major. She moved to Los Angeles because of Francesca Lia Block's WEETZIE BAT books, which might give you some idea of how much books mean to her. She also loves dogs, books about dogs, and sugary coffee drinks both hot and cold.

***Author Links***

  

Bringing Characters to Life

I was a first hand witness to something strange today. I literally saw characters come to life. And I'm not using the word literally as hyperbole. Here's the scoop:

Recently my author friend, Jay Mims, guest posted on this blog for his book, Five Santas. His main character is a private investigator named Dan Landis. Well, today I got one of those emails that tells me I have a new comment on my blog post. Here's what it said:

Jay, 

My name is Dan Landis , I am a private investigator here in the state of Idaho and have owned an agency for 8 years. I thought it was so cool to see you wrote a book about me. I would love to meet you. Look me up sometime at D.L. Investigating llc. here in Idaho. 
Thanks 
Dan Landis PI.

I thought it was Jay joking with me. Come to find out, there's a real PI in Idaho named Dan Landis. I think Jay Mims has some sort of magic mojo to bring his characters literally to life. I wish I could do that! 

The idea got me thinking. What is it that makes our characters real, so real that teenage girls fall in love with them or so real that readers feel contempt for the antagonist and go around talking about him or her wherever they go? I know I've done it. I've read characters that became so real to me that I treated them like real people. 

1. Dialogue. I think one thing that makes characters real, at least for me, is dialogue. Can I tell a character's personality from the way they speak? Can I identify them by only reading their speech? So when I'm writing, I try to make sure that each person has a particular way of speaking.  

2. Actions. I'm talking the little actions. Those tiny idiocyncrasies that make a person real. Like the way my dad twists his moustache between thumb and forefinger when he's reading. Or how my mom will wipe her hands on a dish towel and carelessly toss the wet rag over her shoulder. These little details, interspersed throughout a book make the characters more realistic.

3. Flaws. Let's face it, nobody's perfect and if our character comes across to the reader as the perfect little kid or the stereotypical whatever, it's fake. The reader will see right through that. So no matter how 'goody two shoes' girl X is, she must have something that will bring out a devilish side of her. Or maybe that mild mannered guy who seems to have everything together is really impulsive and it's that impulsivity that gets him into the conflict. 

So readers, what is it for you? What makes characters so real they jump right off the page? For me, I'm going to start talking to Jay Mims to see what his secret is. After all, I've never had my characters contact me online!


Check out Jay's book. 

The Five Santas

Dan Landis is slumming it as a security guard at a department store. The money’s nice, but he also made sure Abbey has a job in the gift wrapping department. Dan chases a thief into the alleyway, only to discover the body of Santa Claus stuffed behind a dumpster. One body leads to another, and pretty soon Dan’s up to his ears in Yule Tide murder. He’s hired to protect the department store Santa, who appears to be more then meets the eye, but as the bodies keep piling up, Dan begins to smell something rotten in Denmark. Abbey being arrested might have something to do with that.

Open Book Society says “The author, Jay Mims, offers the reader a charming protagonist, whose wittiness defends against the violence surrounding him.”

Author Elizabeth Seckman says, “If you miss Moonlighting with Bruce Willis, you'll want to meet Dan Landis.”

And Jean The Book Nerd says, “Mims has provided us a great holiday/murder mystery story that is surely appreciated.”

Cover Reveal-- Switched-- Cassie Mae

I'm very excited to have Cassie Mae on RBTL for the first time. Cassie and I met in an online group for authors. Let's celebrate with her as she reveals her new cover for SWITCHED, coming out in December of 2013 from Random House FLIRT.

Blurb:

Cassie Mae redefines the New Adult genre with a novel that answers the eternal question: What do you do when you’re head-over-heels for your best friend’s guy?

Ever since high school, Kayla has been crazy for gorgeous football player Talon. But before she could muster the courage to tell him, he became a hot item with her beautiful BFF, Reagan. The only person who knows Kayla’s secret is Wesley, Talon’s best bud—and he’s got it bad for Reagan. Now they’re all in college together, hanging out 24/7. For Kayla, seeing the two lovebirds together is absolutely unbearable. So Kayla and Wesley hatch a plot to drive them apart. But time is ticking and they must act now, before Talon gives Reagan the Christmas gift she’s been waiting for.

Sure enough, the once-happy couple is fighting, Reagan suddenly can’t get enough of Wesley’s goofy sense of humor, and Talon seems to be paying more attention to Kayla than a guy who’s “just a friend” ever should. But something just isn’t right. Then Kayla and Wesley accidentally spend a night together, and discover a hitch they never considered: that switching partners may not lead to a perfect ending after all.

About The Author:

Cassie Mae is a nerd to the core from Utah, who likes to write about other nerds who find love. She’s the author of the Amazon Bestseller REASONS I FELL FOR THE FUNNY FAT FRIEND, and is the debut author for the Random House FLIRT line with her New Adult novels FRIDAY NIGHT ALIBI and SWITCHED. She also has a three book deal with Swoon Romance Publishing, including her book HOW TO DATE A NERD. She spends time with her angel children and perfect husband who fan her and feed her grapes while she clacks away on the keyboard. Then she wakes up from that dream world and manages to get a few words on the computer while the house explodes around her. When she’s not writing, she’s spending time with the youth in her community as a volleyball and basketball coach, or searching the house desperately for chocolate.

Purchase Link: http://www.randomhouse.com/book/231684/switched-by-cassie-mae

AT WHAT COST Book trailer

I'm giddy today because I get to share with you something amazing! My friend, Travis of Travis Carlson Productions, created a wonderful, beautiful, heartfelt (there aren't enough adjectives to describe it) book trailer for AT WHAT COST. And now, I get to share it with you.

See, I told you it was fantastic! A huge thank you goes to Travis for his hard work in creating the trailer. If you're an author and want to contact Travis, here's his information:
 vimeo.com/traviscarlsonpictures


Please share on your social newtworks.

You can find AT WHAT COST on
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
and Astraea Press