Review and Giveaway: Spirit Vision by Morgan Straughan Comnick

Spirit Vision

By Morgan Straughan Comnick

Check out the rest of the blog tour here! :D

Blurb:
If God gave you a mission, would you answer His call?

The Lord has given Stary, a high school freshman, a mission: extinguish the evil residing in the murderer of two teens—Maren and Umbra. Stary never imagined that her strange visions meant that she was the Spirit Warrior for God and now with her powers activated, she must train to use them and try not to get caught by the murderer who has the ability to hide and conjure up the dark powers from the fallen angel himself—Lucifer. If Stary fails, not only will she lose her life, but Maren and Umbra will lose their entry into heaven and the world will be exposed to the madness of the murderer for the next forty years until the new Spirit Warrior is born.

Add the book to Goodreads

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Review

First off I would like to thank my friend Sheenah for notifying me of this tour. I saw the cover reveal on Facebook and WOW! Can we just stop for a moment and appreciate the detail and the beauty of the art? The art is by Cherriuki. Yeah, just wanted to give a shout out before I start the review. And do note, even if I am friends with Sheenah and Morgan, my opinion on this book is unbiased.

Okay, let's start!
For the first 2 chapters, I was confused with the story, especially with chapter 1. We weren't given any context and that threw me off a bit. The descriptions were hard to imagine. And the added mystery and confusion the author intended was not helping. However, this isn't a total bad thing (intentional or not). Due to the "confusion", the mystery was that much better. I mean you don't want to show all your cards before the match even begin. ;) So it wasn't bad that I was lost because it just adds to how weird and confusing everything is to Stary. Plus it was only the first two chapters, no biggie, because the fun is about to start from there on.

Interview and Giveaway: Extracted (The Lost Imperials, #1) by Sherry D Ficklin and Tyler H Jolley

This post was proofread by Grammarly's Grammar Corrector. 

Welcome to the war. The Tesla Institute is a premier academy that trains young time travelers called Rifters. Created by Nicola Tesla, the Institute seeks special individuals who can help preserve the time stream against those who try to alter it. The Hollows is a rogue band of Rifters who tear through time with little care for the consequences. Armed with their own group of lost teens--their only desire to find Tesla and put an end to his corruption of the time stream. Torn between them are Lex and Ember, two Rifters with no memories of their life before joining the time war. When Lex's girlfriend dies during a mission, the only way he can save her is to retrieve the Dox, a piece of tech which allows Rifters to re-enter their own timeline without collapsing the time stream. But the Dox is hidden deep within the Telsa Institute, which means Lex must go into the enemy camp. It's there he meets Ember, and the past that was stolen from them both comes flooding back. Now armed with the truth of who they are, Lex and Ember must work together to save the future before the battle for time destroys them both again.

Interview Time

1.     If you could work with any author who would it be?  

Sherry- Tyler. Just Tyler. There’s a level of trust when you write with someone. I don’t know that I could work with anyone else.

Tyler – I have to say, being able to work with Sherry has made the writing process more enjoyable than if I were writing on my own.  In fact, I would recommend if you have anyone you are close to or have the same interests, get them to be your co-author.

2.     Who is your favorite author and is you writing style similar to theirs?  

Sherry- I don’t have one favorite. I’m a fairly diverse reader. And I’m not sure my style is similar to anyone else’s. Not sure I want it to be.

Tyler – My favorite author is probably Michael Crichton, and is my writing style similar? No.

3.     What's your favorite part of a book?  

Sherry- Depends on the book. Usually the climax, right before the end.

Tyler – My favorite part of a book is when ideas that are mentioned at the beginning become revealed as important plot points at the middle to end of the book.  Basically when the intertwining storylines come together.

4.     When naming your characters, do you give any thought to the actual meaning? 

Sherry-  Yeah. At least for main characters. Sometimes secondary characters don’t get quite as much attention, but in Extracted, it was intense. Every single character (that I got to name, Tyler named all the Hollows kids) was a real person with a real history. I got to re-name them in a way, but yeah. It was a lot of work.

Tyler – No, I did not, except for Lex which was short for Alexei.

5.     How do you get started with writing a story (as in, how do you start developing the story, how do you get inspired for it)? 

Sherry- It’s different for each story. Extracted was a LOT of what I call book scaffolding. You have to have this intense blueprint of your book, make sure each piece falls perfectly into place. But, for example, my new book doesn’t even have an outline. I’m surprised by every turn it takes.

Tyler – I retire to my office in my house where there’s a big white board and I just start writing down ideas.  I take a photo of that and then I use it to create somewhat of an outline. I have a tendency to write my book in scenes versus a linear outline.  For some reason when I have a certain scene that is so vivid in my head, I have to just write it so I can move on to the rest of the story.  

6.     What advice would you give to people who "run out of creativity" when writing? 

Sherry – Step away for a bit. Try to take in other things, books, movies, even just wandering around old antique stores helps me. Also, relax. The best ideas come when the brain is relaxed. But never stay away from writing for too long. Once you quit writing routinely, it’s difficult to begin again.

Tyler – I agree with Sherry, stepping away from your writing for too long makes you get out of a routine.  I’ve suffered from that in the past. What I like to do is find somebody who has the patience to listen.  I like to talk through the certain creative slump that I am in. By default my wife usually ends up being that person.

Happy Release Day: Jaded Stone by Kelly Walker (and a giveaway!)

Earlier this month, we revealed the cover to Jaded Stone by Kelly Walker. Well today, we are happy to see Jaded Stone out and about in the world. We want to wish Kelly a happy release day!

Kelly is kind enough to host a $50 Amazon/$50 PayPal cash giveaway. Read on to see how you can win.

In Cornerstone, Valencia Roth died to protect her daughter. In Jaded Stone, she'll live for her.

Sampler♥Giveaway: Afterparty by Ann Redisch Stampler

About AFTERPARTY: A toxic friendship takes a dangerous turn in this riveting novel from the author of Where It Began.

Emma is tired of being good. Always the dutiful daughter to an overprotective father, she is the antithesis of her mother—whose name her dad won’t even say out loud. That’s why meeting Siobhan is the best thing that ever happened to her…and the most dangerous. Because Siobhan is fun and alluring and experienced and lives on the edge. In other words, she’s everything Emma isn’t.

And it may be more than Emma can handle.

Because as intoxicating as her secret life may be, when Emma begins to make her own decisions, Siobhan starts to unravel. It’s more than just Dylan, the boy who comes between them. Their high-stakes pacts are spinning out of control. Elaborate lies become second nature. Loyalties and boundaries are blurred. And it all comes to a head at the infamous Afterparty, a bash where debauchery rages and an intense, inescapable confrontation ends in a plummet from the rooftop...

Buy Links:

Amazon | B & N | Book Depository | Indiebound

First 3 Chapter Sampler

Cover Reveal ♥ Giveaway: Sunrise by Mike Mullin

Synopsis:

The Yellowstone supervolcano nearly wiped out the human race. Now, almost a year after the eruption, the survivors seem determined to finish the job. Communities wage war on each other, gangs of cannibals roam the countryside, and what little government survived the eruption has collapsed completely. The ham radio has gone silent. Sickness, cold, and starvation are the survivors' constant companions.

When it becomes apparent that their home is no longer safe and adults are not facing the stark realities, Alex and Darla must create a community that can survive the ongoing disaster, an almost impossible task requiring even more guts and more smarts than ever — and unthinkable sacrifice. If they fail . . . they, their loved ones, and the few remaining survivors will perish.

This epic finale has the heart of Ashfall, the action of Ashen Winter, and a depth all its own, examining questions of responsibility and bravery, civilization and society, illuminated by the story of an unshakable love that transcends a post-apocalyptic world and even life itself.

Review ♥ Giveaway: Little Fish: A Memoir from a Different Kind of Year by Ramsey Beyer

 Told through real-life journals, collages, lists, and drawings, this coming-of-age story illustrates the transformation of an 18-year-old girl from a small-town teenager into an independent city-dwelling college student. Written in an autobiographical style with beautiful artwork, Little Fish shows the challenges of being a young person facing the world on her own for the very first time and the unease—as well as excitement—that comes along with that challenge.

Ramsey Beyer grew up on a farm in Paw Paw, Michigan, before escaping to city life in Baltimore, where she earned a BFA in experimental animation. She currently lives in Philadelphia and Little Fish is her first (traditionally) published book.

Review

Thank you Zest Books for allowing me to be on the tour!

For me, I never had the transition Ramsey had. No scary moving away from my parents, no experience with dorms, new cities etc. But I still related to this book. Ramsey's background was completely different from me. Growing up in a small town, having 4 sibling were things I didn't experience. But reading her journey through her Freshman year just made me realize no matter what your background is, we will experience similar things, for example being nervous about moving away, getting confused, trying to be more social etc.

One of the things that I related most to! XD

Cover Reveal ♥ Giveaway: Bitter Pill by Stacey Kade

The truth is a bitter pill...

Rennie Harlow is having a bad year. She had a handsome husband, a good job, and a renovated condo in Chicago. Now, thanks to one "exotically beautiful" paralegal, she’s divorced, faking her way through a writing career, and living above her hypochondriac mother's garage back in Morrisville, the small town she couldn't leave fast enough at eighteen. On top of all of that, she just found Doc Hallacy, the local pharmacist, dead behind his counter. And the worst part is, he's the third body she’s stumbled across this year. 

Jake Bristol has lived in Morrisville his whole life. A former bad boy turned sheriff, he doesn’t believe it’s just Rennie’s luck or timing that’s the problem. He thinks she’s too nosy for her own good. The last thing he needs is her messing around with his murder investigation so that she can freelance for the Morrisville Gazette. But as they both delve deeper into Doc's death, they find that things don't add up. This isn't a robbery gone wrong or the work of a desperate junkie. Someone has a secret they're killing to keep. The only question is—who's next? 

Cover Reveal & Excerpt & Giveaway: Chaos by Christine O'Neil

Today Christine O’Neil and Entangled Teen Ember are revealing the cover for book 1 in The Kardia Chronicles Series, CHAOS. 

Coming out this August!

On to the reveal!

 

Interview ♥ Giveaway with Sheenah Freitas, Author of the Zincian Legend Series

Genre: YA fantasyRelease Date: March 13, 2012
Kaia disappeared for five years. Now she's back and her planet is on the brink of war.

The new "Numbers" program, created by the Tueors' leader, tracks and isolates demigods. Kaia's friend, Catrina, refuses to take part, and that makes her the most dangerous Number of all.

It's Kaia's duty to gather and protect the treasures of the gods. But neither the treasures nor Catrina are what they appear to be.

As the day a dire prophesy foresees draws near, will Kaia reverse the gears of fate, or will everything she's ever loved be burned away by the flames of war?

Goodreads

(Amazon) | (Barnes and Noble) | (Book Depository) | (iTunes) | (Smashwords)

First and foremost  I am veryyyy happy to have Sheenah, who is a super awesome friend and author here on FireStarBooks today. I had a blast!

INTERVIEW TIME!!

Who is your favorite author and is you writing style similar to theirs? 

J.K. Rowling~! I just want to visit Hogwarts forever. I seriously doubt my writing style is similar to hers, but if anyone ever compared my work to hers, I would die happy and demand that quote be engraved on my tombstone.

When naming your characters, do you give any thought to the actual meaning?

I think I give too much thought into the meaning of names. I’m constantly pouring through name meaning websites and books and trying to figure out if it’s a good match or not. And then there are the rare occasions where I just pick a random and just go with it.

How do you get started with writing a story (as in, how do you start developing the story, how do you get inspired for it)?

I think I tackle writing a book like animators tackle making a movie. Or at least, that’s how it feels sometimes. I have my outline and then I start drafting. Sometime during the draft phase, I make storyboards of scenes complete with sketches. To see how my characters look and the blocking involved visually helps me make a scene richer (or at least I hope it does).

What are your current projects? 

I’m currently working on the last book in my trilogy. I usually work on one novel project at a time, however, an opportunity came along where I’m also working on an Alice in Wonderland project with one of my author buddies. So balancing the two projects has been interesting, to say the least.

Free for Limited Time♥Giveaway: Stitch by Samantha Durante

Stitch by Samantha Durante is FREE on Kindle this Friday (June 7th) to Tuesday (June 11th)

A college ghost romance with a SURPRISING dystopian sci-fi twist, Part 1 of this trilogy is sure to keep you on your toes!  (And better yet, Part 2 - Shudder - launches on the 15th!)  You definitely don't want to miss this innovative debut novel that will appeal to fans of the YA and New Adult genres.

Stitch (Stitch Trilogy, Book 1)

by Samantha Durante

Genre: YA/NA Dystopian/Paranormal Romance

Synopsis: see Amazon or Goodreads

Rating: 4.3 stars (100+ reviews)

Get Your FREE Kindle Copy Today!  Limited Time ONLY (June 7-11th)

Playlist♥Giveaway: King's Crusade by A.D. Starrling

King’s Crusade

Seventeeen Series Book 2

AD Starrling

Genre: Supernatural thriller

The perfect immortal warrior.

A set of stolen, priceless artifacts.

An ancient sect determined to bring about the downfall of human civilization.

The exciting, action-packed follow-up to Soul Meaning and the second installment in the supernatural thriller series, Seventeen.

When a team of scientists unearth scriptures older than the Dead Sea Scrolls in a cave in the Eastern Desert mountains in Egypt, a mystery lost to the tides of time is uncovered. Heading the expedition is Dimitri Reznak, the Head of the Crovir Immortal Culture & History Section. But the monumental discovery is spoiled by evidence of looting and half the priceless artifacts Reznak has been seeking for centuries have disappeared.

Alexa King is a covert agent for the Crovir First Council. When she is approached by her godfather for a mission that could help elucidate the enigma of her lost past, she finds herself delving into the dangerous and shadowy world of secret religious societies. Assigned by Reznak to assist her is Zachary Jackson, a gifted human and Harvard archaeology professor.

In their search for the missing artifacts, King and Jackson stumble upon the existence of a deadly sect whose origins are as mystifying as the relics they are searching for. From North Africa to the doors of Vatican City itself, they unveil a centuries-old plan that aims to shatter the very structure of civilized society.

With the help of Reznak and a group of unexpected allies, King and Jackson must stop the enemy and uncover the astonishing truth behind the missing artifacts and King’s own unearthly origins before all is lost.

Smashwords     Amazon US ebook     Amazon UK ebook       Book Depository

Playlist

Hello and thanks for having me on your blog!  ♥

Today, I am pleased to present part of the music playlist for King’s Crusade, Book #2 of the supernatural series Seventeen. I say part, because the actual playlist has 61 songs on it! I’ve chosen my favorites and explained how they relate to the scenes in the book. You have been warned. They are LOUD! 

1.    Warrior by Disturbed

To me, this first song defines the protagonist of King's Crusade. Those lyrics send shivers down my spine and set the pace and flavor for the entire story. I had this on constant replay when I was writing the final battle scene!

A (Sponsored) Fashion Giveaway: Firmoo Sunglasses

Firmoo is the World's Most Popular Online Eyeglasses Store with 580K+ fans on Facebook. Their mission is to offer varieties of unbelievable cheap yet fashionable prescription & Plano eyewear to the consuming public. All of their eyewear is directly from affiliate factory, so the price is 85%~90% lower than that in the traditional brick-and-mortar stores. 

Follow Firmoo on Twitter and Facebook.

Note: I didn't receive anything from Firmoo except for emails ^^''. The sunglasses below are what I thought I would look best based on the pictures, style, and Firmoo handy-dandy online sunglasses tester. <---Haha, I got obsessed with it.

Interview (Vlog Style)♥Giveaway: The Savage Blue by Zoraida Cordova

A storm is coming...

The ocean is a vicious place. Deeper and darker than Tristan could have imagined. Beneath its calm blue surface, an ancient battle is churning —and no one is safe.

In the quest for the Sea Throne, Tristan has already watched one good friend die. Now he must lead the rest on a dangerous voyage in search of the trident that will make him king. But while Tristan chases his destiny, the dark forces racing against him are getting stronger, and the sea witch of his nightmares is getting closer.

Battling sea dragons and savage creatures of the deep, Tristan needs his friends' support. But they each have their secrets, and a betrayal will force Tristan to choose between his crown and his best friend Layla — the only girl he's ever loved.

Hiiii! Today I am sooooo honoured to have Zoraida stopping by for a Q&A session, what's cooler is that she did it in a vlog form!! Awesome! If you didn't know, I loooovee The Vicious Deep (the first book in the series), I myself did a horrible vlog review of it....aha...go check it out if you want here. Anywhooo~ Let's get started with Zoraida :D

Interview

Giveaway

Now time for the epic giveaway! At the bottom of the post you will see the prize packs, super awesome right? So why wait, enter now! :D

Excerpt♥Giveaway: Touch by Melissa Haag

Synopsis

A touch. That’s all it takes for Tessa to know her future with a boy. Her mom tells her she needs to choose her best option before she turns seventeen. Problem is, she sees all her ‘options’ dying before they turn thirty. That may have worked for the last fourteen generations of women in her family tree, but she can’t choose and condemn someone to an early grave.

An unfortunate incident at school starts a chain of events that reveals a centuries old chaos demon and a chance to remove her ‘gift’ forever.

Excerpt

“Tessa,” a deep rumbling voice quietly drifted to me, “its Morik.  Open your eyes.”

My heart gave a little flutter at the sudden sound of his voice.  I took a calming breath and pushed any fear I had aside.  He told me to open my eyes as if I’d purposely closed them, as if they actually listened to me.  I tried opening them anyway and to my surprise, it worked.

It took a moment for them to adjust to the darkened room, the only light coming from under the bedroom door.  I heard the TV on in the living room.  I’d always thought they went to bed after I did.

“Can you turn on the reading light?” I whispered not wanting to turn on the bedroom light.

A quiet click later, the dim yellow glow from the light blinded me.  Usually kept in a kitchen drawer for emergencies, I’d snagged it when I’d gone for a glass of water before brushing out my hair.  I’d thought I’d need it to stumble around outside in the dark.

I sat up in bed, mentally bracing myself.  No fear, I reminded myself as I swung my legs over the edge of the mattress and turned toward the light.

He wasn’t as I remembered him.

Review♥Giveaway: Soul Meaning by AD Starrling

Soul Meaning
Seventeen Series Book One
AD Starrling
Genre: Supernatural thriller
ISBN: 978-0957282605
ASIN: B008L8IU8C
Number of pages: 420
Word Count: 108,187
Cover Artist: Streetlight Graphics
Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA
Smashwords iTunes BN Sony ebooks
Blackwell Waterstones Book Depository Foyles Big Hay

Book Description

A half breed immortal. An international manhunt. A race against time to stop a terrifying plot that threatens to kill millions. The gripping, action-packed debut novel by AD Starrling and the first in the supernatural thriller series Seventeen.

‘My name is Lucas Soul.
Today, I died again.
This is my fifteenth death in the last four hundred and fifty years.’

The Crovirs and the Bastians. Two races of immortals who have lived side by side with humans for millennia and been engaged in a bloody war since the very dawn of their existence. With the capacity to survive up to sixteen deaths, it was not until the late fourteenth century that they reached an uneasy truce, following a deadly plague that wiped out more than half of their numbers and made the majority of survivors infertile.

Soul is an outcast of both immortal societies. Born of a Bastian mother and a Crovir father, a half breed whose very existence is abhorred by the two races, he spends the first three hundred and fifty years of his life being chased and killed by the Hunters.

One fall night in Boston, the Hunt starts again, resulting in Soul’s fifteenth death and triggering a chain of events that sends him on the run with Reid Hasley, a former US Marine and his human business partner of ten years. When a lead takes them to Washington DC and a biotechnology company with affiliations to the Crovirs, they cross the Atlantic to Europe, on the trail of a French scientist whose research seems intrinsically linked to the reason why the Hunters are after Soul again.

From Paris to Prague, their search for answers will lead them deep into the immortal societies and bring them face to face with someone from Soul’s past. Shocking secrets are uncovered and fresh allies come to the fore as they attempt to put a stop to a new and terrifying threat to both immortals and humans.

Time is running out for Soul. Can he get to the truth before his seventeenth death, protect the ones he loves and prevent another immortal war?

Review

I received this book last year from AD and read it in a heart beat. I re-visited it for this blog tour. <3 I love AD to death, and she is one of best friends, but in no way did that affect my review. Hope you guys enjoy~

If you love Supernatural, or Grimm, Person of Interest, Nikita or anything of the sort, you will LOVE this book.

The book started like no other; it completely captivated me. Imagine sneaky little arms coming out of the book and pulling you into the book...yup. I felt I was thrown into a live action film with bullets flying right past me. My sympathetic nervous system was going crazy. This book will:

Organ
Effect
Eye
Dilates pupil
Heart
Increases rate and force of contraction
Lungs
Dilates bronchioles
Blood Vessels
Constricts
Sweat Glands
Activates sweat secretion
Digestive tract
Inhibits peristalsis
Kidney
Increases renin secretion
Penis
Promotes ejaculation

Above was copied straight off of Wiki...haha, I was too lazy to type it up. Gosh my profs and  teachers should be ashamed of me for going into science. 

But really, I haven't felt this attached to a book from the very beginning since I read Hunted by Cheryl Rainfield. I literally had trouble breathing. It was almost like a very vivid dream, you know the ones that sends shivers down your body long after you wake up? The story wasn't scary but it felt so real!

GMTA's Books Giveaway

Julia @ As You Wish Reviews is hosting multiple giveaways of Great Mind Think Alike books. Since not a lot of people entered, GMTA asked for bloggers to share the giveaway with the readers so I am doing so now. So if any of the books interest you, go ahead and enter! :)


C. Michael Powers Code: a Rafflecopter giveaway Ellen Mae Franklin Code: a Rafflecopter giveaway Debbie Brown Code: a Rafflecopter giveaway

Interview♥Giveaway: Vengeance Bound by Justina Ireland

Title: Vengeance Bound

Author: Justina Ireland

Publisher: Simon & Schuster for Young Readers

Release date: April 2, 2013

Amazon |Barnes and Noble | Indiebound

The Goddess Test meets Dexter in an edgy, compelling debut about one teen’s quest for revenge… no matter how far it takes her.

Cory Graff is not alone in her head. Bound to a deal of desperation made when she was a child, Cory’s mind houses the Furies—the hawk and the serpent—lingering always, waiting for her to satisfy their bloodlust. After escaping the asylum where she was trapped for years, Cory knows how to keep the Furies quiet. By day, she lives a normal life, but by night, she tracks down targets the Furies send her way. And she brings down Justice upon them.

Cory’s perfected her system of survival, but when she meets a mysterious boy named Niko at her new school, she can’t figure out how she feels about him. For the first time, the Furies are quiet in her head around a guy. But does this mean that Cory’s finally found someone who she can trust, or are there greater factors at work? As Cory’s mind becomes a battlefield, with the Furies fighting for control, Cory will have to put everything on the line to hold on to what she’s worked so hard to build.

Interview with Justina Ireland

Please share with us a little bit about Cory and what readers can expect from the main character.

J.I: Cory is pretty much a hot mess. Her real name is Amelie, but since she’s on the run she has to use an alias, and she’s kind of lost herself. She’s lonely but also not good at making genuine connections with people, mostly because she has to hide such a large part of her life. So she lives a very fractured existence: normal life by day, the Furies’ vengeance by night.

Vengeance Bound is really about Amelie reconciling those two parts of herself, and deciding who she wants to be: an agent of the Furies or a normal girl with normal interests? And really, can she even be normal?