Pages

Thursday, April 30, 2015

Two Week Blog Tour for The Recording Room by Iyana Jenna from April 27 to May 24, 2015.

therecording banner

Presented by: Sparkle book Tours
Sparkle Blog Button


recording room covergif

The Recording Room by Iyana Jenna
 
Audience: Adult 18+ - Genre: MM Romance Horror - Format: e-book - Publisher: JMS Books - Cover by: Written Ink Designs - Editor: Willem Schutte - Pages: (17, 172 words) - ISBN: 9781611527643 - Date Published: April 5, 2015

blurb
Lucian Salvatore returns to Clover East after his grandmother calls him home to take care of the family's recording studio. This is a welcome trip after the tragic loss of his boyfriend.
Nate Lockwood is the man who practically runs the Salvatore studio. He suspects he’s going to be replaced once Lucian comes home to take over the business. But Nate doesn’t plan on leaving Clover East so soon, at least not before he solves the mystery that’s the real reason he came to the small town in the first place.
Will Nate be able to discover what happened to his aunt who disappeared in Clover East so many years ago? What does her disappearance have to do with Lucian’s family ... and the haunted recording room in the studio where they both work?

links
 
 
buy now amazon

add to goodreads

excerpt

"You have family here? Clover East is such a small town. I don't visit often but I think I know who all the families are around here."
Nate was tempted to ask if Lucian knew Janette Madison, Nate's aunt, but he was afraid it would be too soon, too abrupt. "Nah, I don't have family here," he said instead. "I had just thought one of my aunts stopped by this town, but I'm not so sure myself." There, he had said it.
"You haven't had any news from your aunt?"
"No."
"You mean she's missing or something?" Lucian frowned.
"Honestly, I don't know if she's missing or just doesn't want to be found."
"Did your family ask you to find her?" Nate played with his bottle. He wouldn't look at Lucian. "No one asked me to locate her because there's no one else out there. She's the only family I have left. That's why I wanted to find her."
Neither spoke after that. When Nate lifted his head, he found Lucian staring blankly at a spot on the table. He wanted to ask about him instead but Nate couldn't bring himself to open his mouth. His mind was whirling with the thoughts that until now, years after he first came to this city, he still couldn't find Aunt Janette.
Nate,
I'm sorry about your loss and I'm very sorry I didn't come to the funeral. I was halfway around the continent and I was quite short of money. But don't worry about me. I met someone and he asked me to go live with him. I don't know if you've heard of Clover East, a small town in Illinois? I hadn't, before this. But I have a good feeling about this place, Nate. If you ever want to come to stay with me, you'll be more than welcome.
"No, she's definitely missing," he said suddenly.
"Excuse me?" Lucian looked startled. Nate didn't blame him.
"She sent me a letter, literally inviting me to be with her."
"What do you mean -- be with you?" "She met a man who asked her to come to Clover East. She understood I had just lost everyone so she wanted me to stay with her. She sounded so happy at that time. There were no signs that she wanted to hide. Something bad must have happened to her."
"Did she mention any names?"
Nate shook his head, and practically jumped when Lucian clasped a hand over his. When did he get so close?
"You're not alone anymore. We'll search for your aunt and we're going to find her. Together."
Nate gawked, first at the hand that was warm against his skin and then up to Lucian’s soft green eyes. The man was nothing like the cold, arrogant one Nate had met earlier that morning. He was almost afraid at the sudden change.
"Uh, thank you, I guess?"
"Does my grandma know about this?" "No, I never told her."
"Why didn't you?"
Nate had never thought about why it had not crossed his mind to talk to Helen about it. She had never asked him why he came to the town, thus, he didn't feel the need to mention it.
"I don't know," he said simply to Lucian. Lucian pursed his lips. "I just thought it might help, you know. She's lived here all her life. She must notice when there's a newcomer in town, especially when the person suddenly disappears."
"I found it strange," Nate said slowly, "that no one seemed to hear or see anything about her. It's like she never set foot in this place."
"Are you sure she was really here?"
Nate said nothing and took out his cell-phone. He opened the picture albums and scrolled down until he found what he was looking for. He showed the picture to Lucian, who scrutinized it like a doctor checking on a patient on an operation table. Nate could almost see through Lucian's eyes his aunt smiling at the camera, her long black locks blown by the wind. She posed in Clover East's city square in front of a group of tables belonging to a café there.
"She was alone."
"Yeah." Nate knew exactly what Lucian was thinking. If she'd been with someone, they might have been able to recognize them.
"I wonder who took the picture."
"She could've simply asked a passerby to do it."
"You're right." Lucian gave him back the cell phone. "She only sent you that?" "Yes, unfortunately."
"So she was really here but we have no idea for how long and whom she met."
"I was worried about her." Nate sighed, and when he looked up, Lucian's eyes bored into his.
"We'll tell my grandma when she's home and start an extensive search."
Nate didn't know what to say. He felt as if he was drowning in Lucian's gaze.
"O-okay," he said finally, after he realized Lucian had cleared his throat several times, awaiting his response.
"Good." Lucian heaved a deep breath and stretched out, pulling his arms high above his head, and Nate was unable to keep his eyes off the scrumptious sight. "So, will you stay for dinner?"

 
play
 
 
giveaway
 Angels with Attitude - Author Interview

What would you have done differently if you were the main character of your book?

Yeah, I wouldn’t spend the night in that recording room, alone.

What was your inspiration behind this book? 

Please don’t laugh, okay? We were turning a room at my office to be a recording room so we don’t have to rent a studio if we want to record listening materials and tests for our books.

Why did you become a writer?

Now that’s a tough question. Why. Hmm. Maybe because I like reading and I’m always amazed by books I’ve read. But someday I didn’t find the one I really wanted to read so I tried to write it myself. I’m sure there’s a more profound reason, though, and I can’t think of any right now.

Do you have a favorite author or authors?

Yes, absolutely. I really admire and love Jeffrey Archer’s works. His stories are so attractive and I’m really fascinated by them.

Do you like to write your books in a continuing series? 

I have never written a series and it’s become one of my dreams.

If you could date any character from any book, who would it be and why?

I think it would be Gavin O’Malley, one of the main characters in my story, How Long Will I Love You. He’s a famous singer and a celebrity and although he is a kind of a jerk in the beginning, he proves himself that he is kind and gentle later on.

What kinds of books do you like to read in your spare time?

Romance, something light to entertain me and cheer me up.

As a reader and writer I think it is important to get to know your fans and make a connection with them as an author who takes the extra step to hear what their fans think and want in their continued writing is continued success and key to selling more books. Do you agree with that?

Totally. I love joining events in which I can go and chat with readers. I’m also always careful of what I say in social media because readers are very important to me and I don’t want to offend them whether I do it on purpose or not.

Do you cry when writing sad scenes?

Yes, I do, and I hate it because I can cry a river when it happens and it’s quite difficult to get back to what I’m writing.

Did you have a Cover Designer?

No. I publish with publishing companies and they provide the covers.

Who is your fictional boyfriend or girlfriend crush? 

Frodo Baggins.

If you were able to dine and have a one on one with your favorite writer/author who would it be?

I think it would be Carla Neggers. I love her books and I’m amazed by the ideas in her novels.

Do just re-read your favorite books? 

My very favorite books, yes.

Do you ever get in a reading slump like your readers do? 

I believe I do, if I haven’t found the next interesting book to read.



I’m afraid I don’t do funny books.

author
Iyana writes M/M short stories and novellas. Her works have been published by Evernight Publishing, JMS Books, Books to Go Now, Torquere Press, Bitten Press, Leap of Faith Publishing, Breathless Press, and Alfie Dog Fiction.
Iyana lives in Jakarta, a city famous for its traffic jams, a lot of cars and motorcycles, and people selling stuff on the roads. You can spend two hours on the road going to a place you can reach in half an hour in a normal situation. Thanks to the traffic jams, though, Iyana can come up with a lot of stories, mostly shorties, as she prefers to spend the time during her trips writing into her cell phone rather than sleeping.
Another thing Iyana loves is kitties. Right now she has three of them. Their names are Cil, Horus, and Betsy, and one kitten. When she doesn’t write, she plays with them, or they would play with her when she writes.
media
clip_image008clip_image010clip_image006[1]clip_image004[1]clip_image012
follow the tour
April 27
Fictional Rendezvous Book Blog
Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents
Kacey's Kreations
Andrew Jericho
April 28
A Great New Read
Shh... Kymberlee's Reading
April 29
Deal Sharing Aunt
Hot Sensual Romance
LeTeisha Newton
April 30
Jessica Coulter Smith, Author
Angels with Attitude Book Reviews
Wren Michaels' Blog
May 1
London's Scribbles
The Avid Reader
Loves All Things Books
May 4
Night Owl Reviews
Melissa M Wolff
May 5
Cathy Brockman Writes Romance
Booky Ramblings of a Neurotic Mom
May 6
Love Bytes
Literary Musing
May 7
The Blog of C.R. Moss
Archaeolibrarian - I dig good books!
BookHeathens
May 8
Rustys Reading
Gay.Guy.Reading and Friends
S.J. Maylee
May 11
Hearts On Fire Reviews
Indy Book Fairy
May 12
TTC Books and more
Because Two Men Are Better Than One
May 13
Author Lynn Burke
Eclipse Reviews
May 14
Nikka Michaels
Portals to New Worlds
Books Books Books

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

One Week Blog Tour for The Nines by Dakota Madison & Sierra Avalon from April 15 to 23, 2015

theninesbanner


Presented by: Sparkle Book Tours
Sparkle Blog Button



the nines covergif


The Nines - Series: The Nines # 1
by Dakota Madison & Sierra Avalon
 
Audience: New Adult/ Adult - Genre: Romantic Suspense - Format: eBook - Publisher: Short on Time Books - Cover by: http://coveryourdreams.net/ - Editor: Shirley Pearson - Pages: 202 - ASIN: B00UXJUMQ0 -Date Published: April 13, 2015


blurb

USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR Dakota Madison and Sierra Avalon team up to bring readers a new breed of antiheroes…THE NINES.

Vengeance is mine not the Lord’s. It’s what I breathe for. It’s what I’m still living for. I live for the moment when I will literally have his eye for mine. It’s been two years. Two long and difficult years, but my plan is nearly complete. When I’m not in a hospital having doctors try to repair my ravaged body I spend my time on the computer, doing hacking jobs for large corporations and governments who don’t want to get their hands dirty or be associated with a job if things go sideways. But they don’t have any reason to worry. I’m meticulous, so I’ll never get caught. Just one thing stands in my way: The mysterious young woman without a past who desperately wants to be part of my future. I just need to figure out why…

THE NINES is an ongoing romantic suspense series. Each book can be read as a STAND ALONE NOVEL or as PART OF THE SERIES.

book links


buy now amazon
buy now from kobo
buy now from ibooks
 
 
excerpt

Vengeance is mine not the Lord’s. It’s what I breathe for. It’s what I’m still living for. I live for the moment when I will literally have his eye for mine. It’s been two years. Two long and difficult years, but my plan is nearly complete. When I’m not in a hospital having doctors try to repair my ravaged body I spend my time on the computer, doing hacking jobs for large corporations and governments who don’t want to get their hands dirty, or be associated with a job if things go sideways. But they don’t have any reason to worry. I’m meticulous, so I’ll never get caught.
I have the one thing that most people don’t.
Time.
After I was burned it was difficult for people to look at me and when they did, it was with pity or disgust, often both.
Even my own mother.
I don’t want anyone’s pity. And I have enough disgust towards myself to last five lifetimes.
So I left everything I’ve ever known and started over on my own.
Now I spend my days and nights in the small home I inherited from my aunt when she died. I would never have chosen to live next door to a large state university. It’s often loud and there are young people everywhere. It’s a constant reminder of everything I lost. I don’t feel young anymore. I feel like an old man trapped in a twenty-year-old body. If wisdom is the gift of tragedy I’d rather be ignorant.
I rarely leave home. It’s amazing what you can have delivered to your door these days. When I do need to go outside, it’s always at night and I always wear a mask. Not like the ones kids wear on Halloween. It’s more like the one that the Phantom of the Opera wore, but my mask is black and was specially designed to cover the burn scars on the left side of my face.
My latest job is for an Eastern European mob family. Modern day computer espionage has given a whole new meaning to the term “mob hit.” There’s no blood, no violence, just five million dollars vanished from several off-shore accounts in the blink of an eye. And I get fifteen percent. Not bad for a few weeks’ work. Is it wrong to steal from criminals? I call it karmic justice. I don’t take jobs that could hurt innocent people. I only wrong people who have wronged others.
I have the luxury of a hefty bank account and very few needs. I don’t need to work another day my entire life and I wouldn’t want for a thing. But I need to keep my mind occupied. So I take hacking jobs that interest me and I take university classes online.
Having online discussions with my virtual classmates gives me the illusion of having friends and a social life. I realize it’s a poor substitute, but it’s the best I can do given my situation.
I try not to dwell on the past. The person I was, Mr. Popularity, the Class President, the Homecoming King, died the day my body burned like a barbeque on the Fourth of July.
My life now is in the shadows. Living with the fringe dwellers on the edge of humanity. I often feel like a man whose body has died, but his mind hasn’t caught up to that fact yet.
When my computer roars I know I have an incoming message. It’s from one of my contacts in China. I get a lot of work from the Chinese. I don’t speak Chinese and don’t have the patience to learn, so I use an intermediary to broker the deals. He gets fifteen percent of every deal he mediates.
I hear the familiar buzz of SKYPE and when I click on the icon Xiang Yuan appears on the screen. He’s young, probably just a few years older than me, but much better dressed. He always wears five hundred dollar suits and I’ve never seen him wear the same one twice. “I can get you eight hundred thousand,” he says.
I don’t reply right away. I like to play things cool.
He continues. “With your skills this job won’t take more than one week. Who else will pay close to a million for one week’s work?”
“The Russians immediately come to mind,” I reply.
“And they’ll slit your throat if you don’t deliver on time. We have much more patience than that.”
I give a hearty laugh. “You guys are saints. You’d never slit a hacker’s throat. Maybe I should tell that to Jenks. Oh, wait. I can’t. You killed him.”
“Jenks got sloppy. That’s one concern I never have with you. You’re too meticulous.”
I shake my head. “You’re just saying that because you need me to take the job.” “You’re the best person for the job,” he corrects.
“I’m the only guy you’ve got left.”
“Nine hundred thousand. But that is the final offer. Do we have a deal?”
I nod. “We have a deal.”
“Good. Let me know when the job is completed.”
“Don’t I always?”
Xiang Yuan doesn’t bother with a reply. He simply disappears from the screen.
I don’t need the money, but it’s an easy job that will probably only take a few days’ work. They’re offering close to a million for it. It’s not something I can refuse.
I rise and take a stretch away from my laptop. Sometimes it starts to feel like an appendage and that’s when I know I need a little time away from it. I step into the kitchen and make a fresh pot of coffee. While it’s brewing I glance out my kitchen window. My aunt liked to garden and the backyard is like a small sanctuary. I like to look at the plants and flowers, but I can’t be bothered with the maintenance. I have a gardener who comes by once a week to trim and weed and do whatever else needs to be done to keep it looking nice. I’ve never actually met the man, but I leave a check in an envelope for him under a mat on the back porch.
From my kitchen window I also have a slightly obstructed view of the small street I live on. The fact that it’s Macedonia Boulevard and my name is Alexander is a coincidence that is not lost on me.
The house is one block removed from one of the major thoroughfares the students frequent, so it’s not as noisy as it could be for being so close to campus. I’m still just a few blocks away from some of the dorms and much of the off-campus housing.
I’m surprised to see a beautiful girl, carrying a backpack, stop right next to my house. I have no idea who she is, or why she’s stopped there, but she looks lost.
Her long, dark hair moves slightly in the breeze and when it finally blows away from her face I can see her magnificent brown eyes and perfect pink lips. If my wishes came true and I was finally dead I know I’d be looking at the face of an angel.
I shouldn’t be standing in front of my window in the daylight staring at her. If she turned at just the right angle she could see me, and that wouldn’t be pretty. It would probably traumatize her. I need to move away from the window, but I can’t. I’m completely mesmerized by her.
When she looks at the street sign then looks up and down the block again there’s little doubt in my mind that she’s lost. I want to tell her that she’s just a block from campus. She hasn’t wandered too far afield. But I can’t leave the house, especially not in the daylight. I know as soon as she took one good look at me she’d probably run away screaming before I even had a chance to utter a word.
As she heaves a large sigh my gaze is immediately drawn to her chest. She’s wearing a pale pink sundress that fits like a glove and accentuates all of the lovely curves of her petite body. For a few moments I think about what it would be like to have my hands on her body. To touch her in the most intimate of ways. To run my fingers along her perfect, unblemished skin.
Then I chide myself for even giving in to those thoughts. There’s no use in imagining what I can never have again. Access to a woman’s body is something I lost forever. No woman would ever consider being with someone as damaged and disfigured as I am.
I considered my life over the day that half of my flesh was burned off of my body. The doctors working on me didn’t think I would live. They called it a miracle that I didn’t die. I call it a life sentence with no chance of parole.
I realized pretty quickly that my life had irrevocably changed. What I didn’t really understand until much later was the impact my injuries would have on the other people in my life.
It wasn’t until my high school girlfriend, Sara, was finally allowed to visit me that reality punched me in the face and knocked my teeth out. Sara and I had been together for over a year when it happened. She would have been burned just like me if she didn’t have a doctor’s appointment that morning and arrived late to school.
Her allergy shots kept her from dying in the blaze, or even worse, surviving it like I did.
She told me that she loved me nearly every day we were together. She was supposed to be my soul mate. We were supposed to spend our lives together.
But when she saw me in the hospital for the first time after the school bombing it was like she didn’t know me. When she looked at me all the love vanished from her beautiful brown eyes. It was like she was looking at a complete stranger.
That was the moment I knew my life as I had known it was over. Sara never came back to visit me and I never saw her again.
I spent my senior year of high school being homeschooled because I was in and out of the hospital so much. I’m smart and was always a good student so I finished all of my work early and started taking college classes in January of what was supposed to be my senior year of high school.
I traded in my high school prom and senior graduation parties for a life of worldwide hacking jobs and built my reputation as one of the best in the field of cyber espionage.
For a brief moment I panic because the girl standing outside my house turns to face me and for a second it’s almost like she can see inside of my house and she’s watching me.
But I know it’s not possible. If she really had caught a glimpse of me she would have already backed away in horror, wouldn’t she?
The girl just looks puzzled. Her head is cocked like she’s trying to figure something out. Then I see her walk towards the front of my house.
I hurry out of the kitchen and into the living room. I move the curtains on the front windows the slightest bit so that I can just make out what she’s doing. She’s standing right outside on the front walk way, staring at my front entrance.
What in the world could she possibly want with me?
Then it occurs to me. Maybe it’s not me she wants at all. Maybe she’s one of my aunt’s former students.
She looks down at a small piece of paper in her hands and then looks back up at the house. It’s almost as if she’s trying to decide whether or not she should walk up to the front door and knock.
I’m not sure what I’ll do if she does decide to knock on the door. It’s broad daylight. I only have deliveries come at night, when it’s difficult to see me, and I always leave the lights off, obscuring their view of me even further.
I hold my breath waiting to see what the girl will do. Just when I think she might make her way up to the door she takes off down the road instead.
I breathe a small sigh of relief that I don’t have to deal with her at the door. But in a small way I also feel a twinge of disappointment.

playlist

 
 
giveaway
 

about the author

clip_image008
USA TODAY Bestselling author Dakota Madison is known for writing New Adult and contemporary romance with a little spice and lots of heart. She likes to explore current social issues in her work. Dakota is a winner of the prestigious RONE Award for Excellence in the Indie and Small Publishing Industry. When she’s not at her computer creating spicy stories Dakota likes to spend time with her husband and their bloodhounds at their home outside Phoenix, Arizona. Dakota also writes under the pen names SAVANNAH YOUNG, SIERRA AVALON and REN MONTERREY.

media links
 
 

clip_image010clip_image012clip_image014clip_image004[1]


Angels with Attitude - Author Interview

What would you have done differently if you were the main character of your book?

The main character hides what she believes is a terrible secret. I don’t think I would have hidden it at all. It’s difficult to say, however, if you’ve never experienced it.

What was your inspiration behind this book? 

I was starting to see a lot of articles like this one: http://jezebel.com/the-story-behind-american-universitys-rapey-violent-se-1566309032  about rape on college campuses and I wanted to address the problem in a novel. I was also inspired by the current trial of Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. I wondered what it would be like to be the sibling of someone who committed such a horrible act. What would your life be like? And what would happen when you came face to face with one of your brother’s victims?

Why did you become a writer?

I’ve wanted to write ever since I learned to read. It’s definitely a passion of mine.
Do you have a favorite author or authors?
One of my favorites is Colleen Hoover. I love her writing style and the subjects she chooses to tackle.

Do you like to write your books in a continuing series? 

I think readers enjoy continuing series more than stand-alone novels.

If you could date any character from any book, who would it be and why?

My biggest character crush is still Kian Kavanagh from my Dakota Madison Fire on Ice series. I think it’s because he’s the character I’ve written who is most like my husband.

What kinds of books do you like to read in your spare time?

I read a lot of different types of books, but I tend to enjoy romance novels the most.

As a reader and writer I think it is important to get to know your fans and make a connection with them as an author who takes the extra step to hear what their fans think and want in their continued writing is continued success and key to selling more books .Do you agree with that?

I often ask my fans for suggestions for my books. Of course I only have three of them…just kidding! 

Do you cry when writing sad scenes?

Yes! I always wondered if I was the only person who did that.

Did you have a Cover Designer?

I use a number of different cover designers. For his book I used http://coveryourdreams.net/

Who is your fictional boyfriend or girlfriend crush? 

Right now I have a crush on Dick Casablancas (played by Ryan Hansen). He’s a character in Veronica Mars and Play It Again, Dick.

If you were able to dine and have a one on one with your favorite writer/author who would it be?

Even though I don’t read much horror I’d love to meet Stephen King. He’s such a prolific writer I’d love to pick his brain!

Do just re-read your favorite books? 

I have re-read a few books. The book I’ve re-read the most times is Beautiful Disaster.

Do you ever get in a reading slump like your readers do? 

Not really. I like so many different types of things it doesn’t seem to be an issue.
What is the funniest book you ever read?
Lunatics by Dave Barry and Alan Zweibel 

follow the tour
April 15
Cu's eBook Giveaways
2 Girls & A Book
Eclipse Reviews
April 16
Bound 2 Escape
Archaeolibrarian - I dig good books!
Portals to New Worlds
April 17
United Indie Book Blog
Rustys Reading
Books Books Books
Our New Generation for Reading
April 20
Ms Me28
Booky Ramblings of a Neurotic Mom
Indy Book Fairy
April 21
Badass Bloggettes
The Avid Reader
Melissa M Wolff
Blushing Babes Are Up All NIght
April 22
Fictional Rendezvous Book Blog
Angels with Attitude Book Reviews
April 23
The Phantom Paragrapher
TTC Books and more
JeanzBookReadNReview