Trailer Park Tuesday (4): SOMETHING STRANGE AND DEADLY

Blood, Sweat and Books hosts the Trailer Tuesday meme and you can check out their awesomeness as well. Since I live in Middle Tennessee, I decided to country-fy my meme and go the trailer park route. *snortle* In my home away from home, I will spotlight some of the awesome book trailers out there in the world. Since the bigguns don't really need my meager help with anything, I will focus mostly on the little dogs; the indie authors and the self pubbers out there.

BUT!

I have to, HAVE to, take a moment to give some major props to SOMETHING STRANGE AND DEADLY by Susan Dennard. Why? Because I cannot stop thinking about this freakin' trailer! Sooz's book birthday was last week and I am STILL going all stupid-giddy over this trailer. So in hopes of finally retrieving some semblance of sanity, I am sharing this awesomesauce debut from Miss Sooz.

SOMETHING STRANGE AND DEADLY is the first novel of a gothic trilogy. Gothic trilogy? Seriously? Now THAT sounds freakin' fantastic! I am so there. You may know Miss Sooz from the Pub(lishing) Crawl blog-site. I am so excited about this debut from Susan and you all should be too!

Please just TRY to tell me this doesn't look awesome...

Author: Susan Dennard

Publication Date: 7/24/12

Goodreads Connection

There's something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia. . . .

Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about.

Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to what she's just read in the newspaper:

The Dead are rising in Philadelphia.

And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor . . . from her brother.

Whoever is controlling the Dead army has taken her brother as well. If Eleanor is going to find him, she'll have to venture into the lab of the notorious Spirit-Hunters, who protect the city from supernatural forces. But as Eleanor spends more time with the Spirit-Hunters, including the maddeningly stubborn yet handsome Daniel, the situation becomes dire. And now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her very life may hang in the balance.

Hells, to the YEAH people! I am all over this puppy. You should be too!

THE IRON KING: Hard hitting awesome

My name is Meghan Chase. In less than twenty-four hours I'll be sixteen. Countless stories, songs, and poems have been written about this wonderful age, when a girl finds true love and the stars shine for her and the handsome prince carries her off into the sunset. I don't think it will be that way for me.

I know, I know... I'm late to the Julie Kagawa party. The important thing is, I got there. I'd seen the covers for the Iron Fae series and the craziness surrounding Team Ash during the YA Crush Tourney, but hadn't read the books. I picked up THE IRON KING several months ago and finally sat down to read.

And I didn't stop until I finished the book.

Good GAWD it was non-stop!

Meghan Chase just wants to turn 16 and get her learners permit. Then maybe, just maybe, she can get out of the sticks and do something, anything, that doesn't have to do with her parents pig farm. Of course, the story doesn't end there. Meghan is central to a centuries long battle between the Summer and Winter Courts of Nevernever, the Fae world. The Fae know she exists, but no one knew where she was, until now. After jumping ship with her best friend, Robbie, to go find her 4 year-old little brother, Ethan, Meghan discovers just how wrong the fairy-tales are.

From the very beginning, THE IRON KING was just punch after punch. Some Faery books start off slow with a lot of back story or world building, but not so here. Miss Julie grabs you by the bottom lip and pulls you through to the very end. From strange disappearances of Meghan's dad, a horribly stale existence for a 16 year old girl, a torturous and humiliating experience with the 'hot guy' at school, things she should not be seeing, a brother who sees too much, a best friend who has secrets of his own, and an evil little changeling that takes her brother's place... And all that before she even discovers Nevernever!

Once Meghan crosses the line over to CRAZY, she discovers the truth of her friend, Robbie. She also discovers that her life will never be the same. The Fae will use her as a pawn, the Wyldwood will eat her alive (literally), her step-mom wants her dead, he father doesn't trust her, the disturbingly hot Winter prince wants her dead, a mysterious Iron King may be the cause of the rapidly deteriorating Nevernever, and saying 'thank you' is equivalent to sealing your own coffin. Words are binding and contracts cannot be broken.

The characters were great! Meghan was adorable. She may be of noble blood, if only half, but she is so not the noble type. She really is just your average teen trying to save her little brother. She makes some grave mistakes, but shows a ton of courage when it counts.

Robbie, or should we say Robin Goodfellow (snicker), is HIGHlarious! True to form, Miss Julie places Puck as the comic relief, but he's just as dangerous as the rest of the Fae. As Oberon's fave lackey, his job is to protect Meghan, and he takes that job seriously.

Ash... Okay, so now I understand the fuss over this Winter prince. Sure he's hot and dangerous and wickedly evil with that icy blade of his, but he is stocked FULL of determination and loyalty it makes my palms sweat. Even when faced with his own death, he pushes on to honor his contracts. There is just something so shmexy about a guy who's true to his word...

THE IRON KING was beyond awesome for me. Like I said, this puppy was full of action and did not let up for a SECOND! Miss Julie racked my socks with this book and I am soooo itchin' to get my hands on the next book, or all of them... *wink*

Through the entire book, there were only two things that really bugged me. Toward the end, Meghan is given a choice (I will not give any spoilers here, if you've read it, you know what I'm talking about). This is pretty standard stuff, but Meghan actually entertains part of the choice that didn't feel in-line with her character. It kind of set me back a bit and I wondered why Meghan suddenly showed this sort of shallow side. She didn't show that before. Maybe I just read too much into it. Who knows.

I also questioned, just a little bit, the connection between Meghan and Ash. She is a Summer princess. He is a Winter prince. Being of the Summer court, she is sensitive to overly cold things. Being of the Winter courts, Ash IS an overly cold thing, complete with cool skin. How are they able to kiss and not cause some major complications? Not sure. Maybe this will be addressed in other books or, again, maybe I'm reading too much into it.

All is all, I loved the book. THE IRON KING is a definite read!!

INESCAPABLE indeed

My name is Evie Claremont and this was to be the making of me–my freshman year of college. I’d been hoping that once I’d arrived on Crestwood’s campus, the nightmare that I’ve been having would go away. It hasn’t. 
I may be an inexperienced seventeen-year-old, but I’m grounded…sane. I look for rational explanations to even the strangest circumstances. Since meeting sophomore Reed Wellington, however, nothing makes any sense. Whenever he’s near, I feel an attraction to him–a magnetic kind of force pulling me towards him. I know what you’re thinking…that sounds fairly awesome. Yeah, it would be…if he liked me, but Reed acts as if I’m the worst thing that has ever happened to Crestwood…or him. But get this, for some reason every time I turn around he’s there, barging into my life. 
What is the secret that he’s keeping from me? I’m hoping that it’s anything but what I suspect: that he’s not exactly normal…and neither am I. So, maybe Crestwood won’t be the making of me, but it could be the breaking of me. I’ve been left to wonder if the dark future my dream is foretelling is…inescapable.

I love bookish get-togethers. Not only do you get to shmooze with like-minded folks (read: book obsessed kindred spirits), but you often discover new authors and new books. UtopYA Con was one of these sorts of get-togethers. Sure, it was uber educational and all around awesome, but I also discovered a few new reads. One such read is INESCAPABLE from Amy A. Bartol.

Miss Amy is a self pubber and INESCAPABLE is the first book of The Premonition Series. At UtopYA, I saw the books, the posters, the tank tops, the swag, and Miss Amy as well. First, let's talk cover love...

Just TELL me this doesn't grab ya! Simple. Darkly intriguing. Yum. And then the tank tops... Just imagine a pair of angel wings with 'Reed' in lovely script between them...

I had to buy it. I had to find out who this Reed was.

And I did.

Reed is yummy, let's just get that out of the way. He is your irresistible rough-around-the-edges-but-will-stop-at-nothing-to-keep-you-safe dream. A warrior. A soldier. And boy does he take his job serious.

INESCAPABLE was a great read. I thoroughly enjoyed the story line. Sure, it's another angel book, but Miss Amy had enough bits to make it a unique story. This is certainly not your "oh angels are so pretty and lovely" sort of book. Uh..no. Them angels is bad, and tougher than 2-day old pizza!

Evie, short for Genevieve, is just beginning her freshman year at Crestwood College. It's the perfect beginning to a new life. *snort* Yeah, right. Then all hell breaks loose and the crazy happens. Evie is tossed into a strange world of heavenly warriors, or the Powers, the Fallen, Reapers, Seraphim, and all she wants is to pass her classes and keep her scholarship!

Nightmares have plagued her for months, a strangely familiar boy wears the very thing she dreams about, another boy produces monstrous butterflies in her gut whenever he's close, and then there's that sorority prank she's helping to plan... Evie is a busy girl.

The characters in INESCAPABLE were fun to read. Evie is just your 'average' girl, well, so we think. HA! But she has some serious guts! She may not think things through very well, just ask Reed, but she aims for the best. Or at the very least, the best fun. *wink* Evie is a likable sort and believable.

Russel is just awesome. He's my Carolina boy. LOL Miss Amy had the dialogue set up to take in his drawl and boy was that fun. I may not be a native Nashvillian, but I hear enough drawl to appreciate. Russell's cadence in speech was there in his words, and it fills you with warm humid nights and lightning bugs.

Reed. Oh Reed. This guy has some serious Patch potential. Those of you who know who Patch is can appreciate. Reed doesn't have Patch's snark or cockiness, but they both share that fierce protectiveness that is totally HAWT!! Grrr... And even though Reed is older than dirt, literally, he has this naivete that is completely endearing. I will never, ever look at Twinkies or mac-n-cheese the same way again.

The pace was great and INESCAPABLE left me certainly wanting more. As is common for self pubs, or some indies, there were some typos and areas that could have benefited from another beta read or CP, but overall it didn't pull me away from the story. As a newbie writer, I think I'm just overly sensitive to these areas. *sheepish grin* INESCAPABLE was thoroughly enjoying, and I look forward to picking up the next installment: INTUITION.

Before we go, I will leave you with two quotes from INESCAPABLE that left my mouth sort of dry...in a super yummy way. Enjoy!

"'I said that you are poised to be the most perfect creature I have ever encountered, under God, and the affection that I feel for you cannot be measured on Earth, or in Paradise.'" -- Reed

"It doesn't feel like a kiss goodbye; that it its masquerade. This kiss is more like having a gentle wind caress my lips in introduction, as if it exists just for me now." 

You're welcome. Now go get INESCAPABLE!

Trailer Park Tuesday (3): DEFIANCE

Blood, Sweat and Books hosts the Trailer Tuesday meme and you can check out their awesomeness as well. Since I live in Middle Tennessee, I decided to country-fy my meme and go the trailer park route. *snortle* In my home away from home, I will spotlight some of the awesome book trailers out there in the world. Since the bigguns don't really need my meager help with anything, I will focus mostly on the little dogs; the indie authors and the self pubbers out there.

This week, though, we are taking a peek at DEFIANCE from C.J. Redwine. Miss C.J. is a Nashville native so I felt regionally obligated to send a shout out. HA! Who am I kidding? I'm so excited about this book. Miss C.J. seems like a spitfire of a lady and I'm sure that will translate to her characters as well. Hell, I just read QUERY: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO GET STARTED, GET NOTICED AND GET SIGNED that she penned and her 'tude-ish voice was ever present there. The good kind of 'tude. The kind that makes me giggle and want to call her friend. 

Anyway, DEFIANCE is the first book of a planned series and I have heard all kinds of delish about it over the Twittersphere. The trailer? Well! Feast your eyes on the snip-it below and TELL me you don't get all stupid-giddy watching! My inner pyro may be the source of my giggles, but I have to say, DEFIANCE is definitely on my list of must haves.

Author: C.J. Redwine

Publication Date: 8/28/12

Goodreads Connection

Within the walls of Baalboden, beneath the shadow of the city’s brutal leader, Rachel Adams has a secret. While other girls sew dresses, host dinner parties, and obey their male Protectors, Rachel knows how to survive in the wilderness and deftly wield a sword. When her father, Jared, fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector, her father’s apprentice, Logan—the same boy Rachel declared her love for two years ago, and the same boy who handed her heart right back to her. Left with nothing but fierce belief in her father’s survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself. But treason against the Commander carries a heavy price, and what awaits her in the Wasteland could destroy her.

At nineteen, Logan McEntire is many things. Orphan. Outcast. Inventor. As apprentice to the city’s top courier, Logan is focused on learning his trade so he can escape the tyranny of Baalboden. But his plan never included being responsible for his mentor’s impulsive daughter. Logan is determined to protect her, but when his escape plan goes wrong and Rachel pays the price, he realizes he has more at stake than disappointing Jared.

As Rachel and Logan battle their way through the Wasteland, stalked by a monster that can’t be killed and an army of assassins out for blood, they discover romance, heartbreak, and a truth that will incite a war decades in the making.


Oh yeah, baby! It makes me wanna dance in my chair. =^)

Trailer Park Tuesday (2): AWRY

Blood, Sweat and Books hosts the Trailer Tuesday meme and you can check out their awesomeness as well. Since I live in Middle Tennessee, I decided to country-fy my meme and go the trailer park route. *snortle* In my home away from him, I will spotlight some of the awesome book trailers out there in the world. Since the bigguns don't really need my meager help with anything, I will focus on the little dogs; the indie authors and the self pubbers out there.

The little guys need love too, y'all!

This week let's take a look at the latest from the super sweet Chelsea Fine, AWRY. I had the pleasure of meeting Miss Chelsea at UtopYA a couple weeks ago. The woman is just too cute and reminded me of my little sister in so many ways I got homesick. She was totally down to earth and I totally fan-girled her over Tristan. Yuuummmm.... Tristan....

Anyhoo... AWRY is the second installment to the Archers of Avalon series and A MUST READ! I have not had the chance to get my greedy paws on AWRY (wink, wink Chelsea!) but I cannot wait. Team Tristan all the way, y'all!

Check out the trailer for AWRY and tell me, them boys is not de-LISH!

Author: Chelsea Fine

Publication Date: 6/10/12

Goodreads Connection

Sometimes love is meant to be. But sometimes...love is the death of you....

Seventeen-year-old Scarlet has just died. Only, dying isn't unusual for a girl under a centuries old curse that left her semi-immortal. 

This time, though, she comes back to her current life instead of awaking in a new one, and she realizes the curse is changing. Together with the immortal Archer brothers, Scarlet must piece together her life and try to break the curse before her impending death comes again.

Double yum. Oh yes, we will be reading AWRY.

Oh! and as an added bonus, tell me this is not just super juicy.... Love a hot guy with hot tattoos. Grrrr...

Tristan Archer and his wicked tattoo

You are soooo welcome! Happy reading, y'all!

TIMEPIECE: A piece of work

A threat from the past could destroy the future.

Kaleb Ballard was never supposed to be able to see ripples--cracks in time. Are his powers expanding, or is something very wrong? Before he can find out, Jonathan Landers, the man who tried to murder his father, reappears. Why is he back, and what, or whom, does he want?

In the wake of Landers's return, the Hourglass organization is given an ultimatum by a mysterious man. Either they find Landers and the research he has stolen on people who might carry the time gene, or time will be altered--with devastating results for the people Kaleb loves most. Now Kaleb, Emerson, Michael, and the other Hourglass recruits have no choice but to use their extraordinary powers to find Landers. But where do they even start? And when? Even if they succeed, just finding him may not be enough ...

The follow-up to Hourglass, Timepiece blends the paranormal, science fiction, mystery, and suspense genres into a nonstop thrill ride where every second counts.

Myra, oh Myra. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways… Okay, seriously, enough with the swoony crap! I can’t help it, though. The woman is awesome.

TIMEPIECE, the second installment to the Hourglass books, released just last month. I know, I’m a wee late in my reading. *sheepish grin* If you haven’t read HOURGLASS, you seriously need to. Here, let me help. Click HERE to snag yourself a copy and read up on the little spitfire known as Emerson Cole. You also need to understand Em to really appreciate some of TIMEPIECE.

See, Myra McEntire flipped the script on us and TIMEPIECE was written entirely from Kaleb Ballard’s POV. Yummmm….Kaleb…. Sorry, I was typing something wasn’t I? Back on track. Ahem… So yeah, Kaleb is so different to read from than Em. HOURGLASS was from her POV. We got a sense of Kaleb in HOURGLASS, but he shines in TIMEPIECE like the sweat on my brow from trying to eat a Fireball.

Some time has passed when we pick up TIMEPIECE. But it opens with a bang, I tell you. I thought I was seriously gonna have to stalk Miss Myra and sucker-punch her for such an opening! Alas, all came around and I cooled my heels.

Jack Landers is still on the loose, we meet a creepy Poe guy who has a freak time related ability our Team Hourglass can’t figure out, Teague may not be as bad as we think, or possibly just worse, Chronos is just a myth along with the Infinityglass…or are they?

TIMEPIECE hooked me in with Kaleb’s unique voice and snarky southern gentleman who remembers his manners…in most occasions. Many questions from HOURGLASS are answered, but many more take their place with TIMEPIECE. We learn more about Jack, along with a face-slap that I saw coming. (giggle) Kaleb and his dad play a little emotional ping-pong that broke my heart at times. Sometimes a big, tatted, pierced, screw-up (at least that's how he sees himself) like Kaleb needs a hug too! Geez!

Then we have Lily. Our little Tiger Lily. Oh, I just thought I loved Emerson. And I do, but Lily is my kind of GIRL! Feisty, smart, feisty, direct, feisty, doesn’t put up with anyone’s BS, feisty, and she has a heart of pure platinum! Did I mention she’s feisty? The banter between Lily and Kaleb KILLED me. Love it. I also have to admit there were numerous occasions where I screamed out “kiss her already!” Scared my dog when I did.

In fact, allow me to share a spoiler-free favorite line of mine: “I wanted to unzip my skin and pull her inside.” Ooooh nelly! Yum-mmy!

Emerson and Michael take a bit of a backseat in TIMEPIECE, sort of. They are there and the tension between Kaleb and Mike, when it comes to Em, is pretty awesome. Then the tension, AGAIN, between Kaleb and Mike, when it comes to Liam Ballard (Kaleb’s dad), was just wow. Kaleb has, shall we say, some daddy issues. More heartbreak here…

Anyway, I felt the overall feel of TIMEPIECE was sort of like a countdown. Even when the book was done, I still felt the tick-tick-tick of something in the corner. Sure, we learned some about Chronos, the Infinityglass, and how Team Hourglass needs to figure out/find both to secure the time continuum, but so much still hangs in the balance. What is Chronos, really? Can Lily find the Infinityglass? Will Jack find it first? Will Teague? What if Team Hourglass accidentally gets stuck in the new live-and-in-person rips that plague Ivy Springs? If Team Hourglass does find the Infinityglass, will they still have time to put everything right? Or will everyone’s timeline get screwed and our fave freak magnets end up on completely different timelines?

We will have to wait for INFINITYGLASS to know for sure…

Trailer Park Tuesday (1)

Alright peeps! I'm going to jump on the meme wagon, but tweak things a bit. Why? Because I can't leave well enough alone. Ask my mom.

Blood, Sweat and Books hosts the Trailer Tuesday meme and you can check out their awesomeness as well. Since I live in Middle Tennessee, I decided to country-fy my meme and go the trailer park route. *snortle* Going forward, I will spotlight some of the awesome book trailers out there in the world. Since the bigguns don't need my help with anything, I will be focusing on the little dogs; the indie authors and the self pubbers out there.

The little guys need love too, y'all!

This week I would like to honor the lovely and crazy talented Raine Thomas. Miss Raine was the inaugural winner of Best Trailer Award at UtopYA Con this past weekend. And seriously, this trailer is AWESOME! If you have not seen the DEFY trailer, please treat yourself...

Author: Raine Thomas

Publication Date: 4/29/12

Goodreads Connection

Defy

Seventeen-year-old Tate is about to make her parents’ dreams come true. Unfortunately for her, their dreams foretell her death.

Eager to explore the Estilorian plane and prove her abilities, Tate goes against her parents’ wishes and leaves the area of protection surrounding her home. Her choice puts her on a deadly path…one that leaves her alone, severely injured and battling for her life.

Tell me that just does not get you all tingly! Awesome. I adore Raine, she was fantastic to meet and I look forward to the FIRSTBORN trilogy.

What about you? Seen any awesome trailers lately you are just DYING to tell others about?

There is room at the top for ALL of us!

Many, many apologies to everyone for sort of falling off the face of the earth. With managing some health issues, my 10 1/2 year old Lab's health issues, and seemingly endless life crap, things just sort of...well, went to the crapper. That's me being honest, and PG-13.

Anyway, that's neither here nor there. As you may have seen from my multiple tweets on the subject, I was very excited about a wee event called UtopYA Con that took place right here in Nashville. A start-up convention for YA paranormal writers, authors, and all the freakin' readers who obsess... stalk... LOVE to read! I knew it would be the cat's meow, and I was right. Over the next several days, or weeks as time wills, I will try to recap some of the awesome I experienced over the last couple days.

For now, I just have to give my thanks. Many, many thanks.

Janet Wallace, Nashville's Kid-Lit Meet-Up group organizer and owner of Social Deviants, birthed this idea for UtopYA and she did a phenomenal job. This was the second time I've gone to this sort of event, the first being the SCBWI Conference in NYC. SCBWI was big and awesome and crazy informative, but UtopYA had something in it I didn't really find at SCBWI NYC. I thought I had, and I'm sure it IS there, but it was not as blazingly obvious as it was at UtopYA.

That thing, is HEART.

I'm not a hard core writer. I will be the first to admit this. There are so many freakin' awesome writers and authors out there. Me? I'm the sort of misfit kid in the back of the room that never really...'fit.' But I LOVE to write. It has freed me in so many ways over the last two years. Quite literally, I have finally found...me. It took thirty mumble-grumble years to do it, but hell if I found her finally.

UtopYA oozed with wonderful people that were just like you and me. Some were traditionally published, most were either indie published or self published, some just budding out on the page. Did they throw it around like a fluorescent pink boa with diamond crusting? Nope. Did they spout stats like a stock broker on crack and zero sleep? Nuh-uh. Were they welcoming? Were they excited to meet someone who has read, or is dying to read, one or all of their books? You bet your buttered biscuit baby!

When I say UtopYA has the heart I didn't find at other, larger, meets, I mean it. We were all there for the same reason: we love YA paranormal. There was a common unity no matter where you are in your career. The writing community really IS a community. It is a family that I am so very proud to be a part of. I still feel sort of like a distant cousin tip-toeing around the edges at times, but I still felt it. I felt the heart of this Con. I felt the heart of UtopYA.

Will it be the same in 2013? I sure as hell hope so! But really, I think it will. Everyone there, I think, picked up on the same vibe. We are readers. We are writers. We are authors. We are a group of people who LOVE to help the next coming. "There is room for all of us!" "A success for one, is a success for all." We all strive to the same goal: readers. And readers LOVE to read...a LOT.

The lovely Willow Cross said in a panel I attended, and I will paraphrase here: it might take her readers a week to read her novel, what are they going to do with the other 51 weeks of the year? 'If you like my books, here, check out my friend's book too!'

That is what we do as writers, as authors. Support. Community. Family. Friends. You CAN do it. We ALL can do it.

Willow Cross, Raine Thomas, Amanda Havard, Myra McEntire, Chelsea Fine, Tiffany King, L.M. Preston, Angeline Kace, Teal Haviland, Tammy Blackwell, M.R. Polish, Amy Bartol, Abbi Glines... oh my word there are just too many. All of these women were phenomenal to meet and share experiences with. We laughed, we cried, we joked, we teased. We were just like those crazy cousins that get together at family reunions and gossip over who is doing what.

And why?

Because we are a community. We are a community of writers. And there is room for ALL of us.

Will YOU be a part next time? UtopYA Con 2013 is on the books. Come be part of the HEART of this awesomesauce community. You will NOT be disappointed. Come play. Come laugh. Come learn. Come fan-girl. Come be a part of the family.





Footnote. Yes, I totally cried writing this whole thing. But I'm a crier. That's how I roll y'all. =^)