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Dorianna by Catherine Stine Book Spotlight and Interview

30 Thursday Oct 2014

Posted by ehmusings in Book Spotlight, Interview

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dorianna

Internet followers, beauty, power. It all sounded good.

Until it transformed into a terrifying reality Dorianna couldn’t stop.

When her father is jailed, her mother ships Dorianna to her aunt’s house. Dorianna yearns to build a new identity, but the popular Lacey bullies her—mostly for getting attention from her ex, Ander.

Ander takes Dorianna to Coney Island where Wilson, a videographer, creates a stunning compilation of her. She dreams of being an online sensation, tired of being plain and lonely, and vows she’d give anything to go viral. Wilson claims he’s the Prince of Darkness and offers her the beauty and fame she’s dreamed of—warning her that a pledge has its downsides.  Dorianna has no idea of how dire those consequences might be.

Interview

Where did you find inspiration for your story?

I love psychological horror, not the bloody, violent kind, but the creeping dread type. Two of my favorite novels are A Picture of Dorian Gray by Wilde and Dr. Faustus by Marlow. Dorian is really just a later version of Faust. In fact there have been many twists on this trope but all have had a male lead player. I wanted to write a version with a young woman. I wondered what a truly contemporary version would contain, and where else a female player might go with the trope. All of these twists are about our shadow sides—how we handle temptation and dark urges when no one’s watching. It’s also about the irony that what people are secretly attracted to can often be the same things they publicly condemn! It’s about our deep terrors as well, the ones involving the so-called sins of the day: promiscuous sex, arrogance, urges to follow our “bad angels” into nefarious activities.

Dorianna is about the dark side of the Internet and our cravings for more followers, more Likes and more popularity, which is a truly modern obsession. Where would it lead her to, if she had dark powers, yet lost all control of them?

Is there a particular vampire story or movie or both that is a favorite?

I’m more into witches right now than vamps. In fact, I’m working on a witch novel, set in 1932 in a New Jersey beach town called Beach Witch. Dorianna is set in Coney Island, Beach Witch in Asbury Park. Apparently, I’m really drawn to skeezy beach and boardwalk scenes. LOL. As far as witch stories go, when I was little I adored The Witch of Blackbird Pond. As an adult, I recently read The Winter Witch by Paula Brackston. Good stuff.

If you could cast your characters, who would be the leads?

Maybe Amanda Seyfried as Dorianna. She’s got the long, blonde hair and slightly spooky eyes, set rather far apart, yet she’s quite beautiful.

For Ander, Dorianna’s love interest, I’d cast Cody Linley, since he’s wholesome, athletic, yet can have a sort of dishonest look (Ander’s in love with two girls, and doesn’t play exactly fair)

For Wilson, maybe Chad Michael Murray because Wilson is a Prince of Darkness, and Chad has that brooding, dark magnetism.

When writing where do you draw inspiration from?

I like complicated characters, struggling with internal as well as external issues. I also like sexy, charming individuals who sometimes use that ability to get what they think they need (and then get their comeuppance). Always I work hard to evoke a true and raw heart and an emotional core. I love magic too! I get inspiration from anything containing these elements: from reality, TV, films, and books—always good books.

Any writing quirks you care to share?

I rarely write in the morning. My best writing time is between 3 and 7:30 pm. I need quiet, and so I don’t listen to music when I write. Yet, I belong to a writing space and the sound of other people typing doesn’t bother me at all. In fact, it spurs me on.

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Upside Down by Lia Davis Book Blitz, Interview and Giveaway

25 Tuesday Mar 2014

Posted by ehmusings in Book Blitz, Interview

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upsidedown

Upside Down by Lia Riley
(Off the Map #1)
Published by: Grand Central
Publication date: August 5th 2014
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

Synopsis:

If You Never Get Lost, You’ll Never Be Found

Twenty-one-year-old Natalia Stolfi is saying goodbye to painful memories—and turning her life upside down with a trip to the land down under. For the next six months, she’ll pretend to be a carefree exchange student. Everything is going to plan until she meets a surly surfer with hypnotic green eyes, and the troubling ability to see straight through her act.

Bran Lockhart is having the worst year on record. After the girl of his dreams turned into a nightmare, he slunk back to Melbourne to piece his life together. Yet no amount of disappointment could blind him to the pretty California girl who gets past all his defenses. He’s never wanted anyone the way he wants Talia. A single semester abroad won’t  cover something this serious. But when Bran gets a stark reminder of why he stopped believing in love, he and Talia must decide if what they have is once-in-a-lifetime . . . or if there’s a plane to California with her name on it.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18733288-upside-down?ac=1

Purchase:

–Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Upside-Down-Off-Map-Riley-ebook/dp/B00H25FLWS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1392359538&sr=8-1&keywords=upside+down+lia+riley

–B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/upside-down-lia-riley/1118069185?ean=9781455585717&isbn=9781455585717

Five Fast Facts about Lia Riley, author of UPSIDE DOWN (Off the Map #1)

1. UPSIDE DOWN is set primarily in Australia. What do you think it is about Australia that so captivates people’s imaginations? And why is Australia the perfect place for romance?

I jumped on a Qantas flight the month before my twenty-first birthday for a study-abroad trip. My expectations were simple: cross the equator, pass the International Date Line and rock out (er, study REALLY HARD) for six months. Instead, I discovered a place that has become my second home.

First and foremost, I love Australians. I mean that quite literally. I married one–the perfect souvenir! Generally speaking, Australians excel at dry wit and have one heck of an anti-authoritarian streak. To me, nothing is sexier than a sense of humor, and when the guy making the jokes has a hot accent and cheeky grin?  Life=made!

Secondly, to say that Australia’s landscape is dramatic is an epic understatement. The continent’s isolation has spawned animal, plant and human diversity that are like nowhere else on the planet. Even a quick jaunt into the wilderness yields a bone-deep sense that you are in an ancient place.

This is a country of extremes. When it’s hot, it’s bloody hot. When animals are poisonous, it means they can kill you with one bite. When there’s a storm rolling in from the Southern Ocean? Those waves are going to be huge.

So if you fall in love in such a place? Buckle up–the ride’s going to be intense.

  2. What are three words describe your hero? Heroine?

 The three words I’d choose for Bran are:

  • Temperamental
  • Perceptive
  • Magnetic

The three words I’d choose for Talia are:

  • Sensitive
  • Playful
  • Self-deprecating

3. Can you describe your book in five words or less? 

 Offbeat. Witty. Wanderlust. Heart-searching. Chemistry.

4. What did you do before writing?

Drink less! I kid, I kid. But if you ever want to see a KICKASS Michael Jackson lip-synch, slip me a bottle of tequila. I can “Man in the Mirror” you to tears. I have worked in non-profit middle management, as a legislative assistant, and barista. I’m pretty sure my mom believes I still “pour coffee.”

5. What’s your dream travel destination?

I have a massive Antarctica fetish (I’ve been once. A penguin sat on my lap. Yes, it was bliss). My ultimate trip would be to South Georgia Island smack dab in the Southern Ocean. I’d also love to visit Madagascar, Iceland, Svalbard, Palau…islands are sort of my thing.

—-

AUTHOR BIOlia

Lia Riley writes offbeat New Adult Romance. After studying at the University of Montana-Missoula, she scoured the world armed only with a backpack, overconfidence and a terrible sense of direction. She counts shooting vodka with a Ukranian mechanic in Antarctica, sipping yerba mate with gauchos in Chile and swilling fourex with stationhands in Outback Australia among her accomplishments.

A British literature fanatic at heart, Lia considers Mr. Darcy and Edward Rochester as her fictional boyfriends. Her very patient husband doesn’t mind. Much. 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. Right now, Icelandic hot springs and Scottish castles sound mighty fine.

She and her family live mostly in Northern California.

Web: www.liariley.com
Twitter: @liarileywrites
FB: https://www.facebook.com/authorliariley
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/liariley
Tumblr: http://liarileywrites.tumblr.com

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Unconventional Fling by Allyson Lindt Book Tour, Interview and Giveaway

15 Wednesday Jan 2014

Posted by ehmusings in Book Tour, Interview

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Unconventional Fling
by Allyson
Lindt
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Jade
is in Nashville on her third week of a month-long business trip. She doesn’t
mind seeing a new city every week, but she’s dragging after so many without a
break. When a sexy stranger wants to share her breakfast table, she welcomes
the change in scenery. The easy banter and teasing that dances behind the eyes
of the handsome voice actor have her wondering if just this once, a one-night
stand might be worth her time.
Brandon
is tired of the playboy image that comes with his cult-celebrity status. When
he meets a business woman with a travel schedule as hectic as his, she lights a
spark deep inside. The problem is, he’s hoping for something long-term, and
she’s hesitant to start anything that will become long-distance. With less than
three days before they go their separate ways, Brandon has to show Jade there’s
more to them than just an unconventional fling.
Mini Blurb:
Jade
needs to break up a monotonous, five-week business trip. A one-night stand with
Brandon, the sexy voice actor she meets at breakfast, is the perfect solution.
With three days before they go their separate ways, Brandon’s hoping to show
Jade there’s more to them than an unconventional fling.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt:
Jade’s heart dropped into her shoes when she realized she’d
reached the front of the line. What was she supposed to say? She shifted her
weight from one foot to the other while the actors took pictures with the
person who’d been in front of her. And then it was her turn.
Brandon’s eyes grew wide when she stepped forward, smile
quickly spreading. “I didn’t know you were a fan.”
She couldn’t help returning the pleased look but made sure
to tuck away most of her giddiness. “I didn’t realize you were famous.”
He grabbed a small poster off a nearby stack that sported
the cartoon characters she figured were him and his cohorts. He scribbled
something, holding it at an angle so the glare of the lights above kept her
from reading it.
He nodded to his left. “Who’s your friend?”
She followed his gaze to Andie, who stood at the edge of the
line, almost hopping with irritation. Jade’s smile faded to embarrassment.
“That’s who I borrowed the pass from to stand in line.”
He grabbed another print. “I’m flattered. What’s your plan
now that you’re here?”
“I hadn’t gotten that far,” she confessed.
He handed her a print and nodded at the now wide-eyed Andie.
“For your new friend.” Then he handed her the second one. “For you. Don’t get
them mixed up.”
Jade gave him one last smile. “Thanks.”
She trudged toward Andie, handing off the girl’s pass and
the signed poster without another word, and then headed upstairs. So much for
her brilliant plan to seduce the gorgeous stranger. Maybe she should just stay
in her room the rest of the night.
When she pulled out her signed print and turned it over to
read the inscription, her embarrassed heat shifted to something new.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Casting the Characters
 
There are a lot of
things I spend ages pondering when I write a new story. What to name my
characters, where they live, what their professions are… But one of the things
I always spend the most time on is what they look like. Because it’s my
fantasy, so I might as well go all-out.
As part of that, I love
to figure out who would play my characters on the big screen. Unconventional Fling was a little
different as far as that was concerned, because I already had a very distinct
image of what my hero looked like before I wrote a single word. The story was
built around him.
So, who could slide
into this role? I asked myself, did such a guy even exist? Rugged, manly, and
just as comfortable in a suit as in jeans and a T-shirt.

Ian Somerhalder is
pretty much everything I picture in Brandon. Square jaw, capable of fierce or
soft, and… absolute yum.
Which meant I needed to
match him with an appropriate leading lady. Jade came to me with dark hair and
pale eyes. One of my favorite combinations. The contrast is always stunning to
me. And she’s got

to be able to pull off sultry one moment, professional the
next, and a confident air of sexy all the time.

Megan Fox. Absolutely. The
perfect combination of girl next door, and stop a guy in his tracks depending
on her mood.
Besides, the two of
them as a couple, I figure they’d turn a lot of heads. But that doesn’t mean I
took everyone into account. Tell me, your favorite brunette actress and actor,
and convince me they’re a hotter couple than Megan Fox and Ian Somerhalder.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Allyson Lindt
is a full-time geek and a fuller-time contemporary romance author. She was
lucky enough to marry her muse and soul mate. When they’re not spending way too
much time gaming, they’re building new worlds together. She loves a sexy
happily-ever-after and helping deserving cubicle dwellers find their futures
together.
Find Allyson
Lindt
Website:
http://allysonlindt.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Allyson-Lindt/116062025108551
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/AllysonLindt
Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7024176.Allyson_Lindt
Amazon author
page: https://www.amazon.com/author/allysonlindt
Buy
Unconventional Fling:
Liquid Silver
Books: http://www.lsbooks.com/unconventional-fling-p842.php
Amazon US:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00G2ETTXW/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00G2ETTXW&linkCode=as2&tag=itsalwabothej-20
Amazon UK:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Unconventional-Fling-Working-Girls-Guide-ebook/dp/B00G2ETTXW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382382035&sr=8-1&keywords=unconventional+fling
ARe:
https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-unconventionalfling-1326187-149.html
 
Allyson will be awarding a $10 Amazon gift card, and ecopies of her books Conflict of Interest, and Toeing the Line to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, and a $15 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn host.

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