1303 - The Dragonslayer cover reveal

Yes, it's time for the cover reveal of the next thrilling installment in Christine Rains' 13th Floor Series, 1303 - The Dragonslayer. Feast your eyes!

Title: 1303 – The Dragonslayer (The 13th Floor series, #3)

Author: Christine Rains

Genre: paranormal romance

Release date: February 13th, 2013

On the rooftop of neighboring building, dragonslayer Xanthus Ehrensvard fires at his target, Governor Whittaker. How he missed the shot, he doesn't know, but fleeing the scene, he picks up an unwanted passenger. Gorgeous reporter Lois King saw Xan's face, and she believes it's the story to make her career. Except he can't let her walk away knowing what he looks like. Xan has to show her the Governor is a bigger threat to the world than he is.

Xan knows dragons never went extinct. They evolved with human society, taking on mortal forms, and slithered their way into positions of great influence and power, just like the Governor. But it's no easy chore proving to someone that dragons still exist, and even more so, they're disguised as famous people. Xan must convince Lois or find another way to silence her. An option, as he gets to know her, he likes less and less.

After all, dragonslayers are no longer celebrated heroes but outlaws. Just as the dragons wish it. But this outlaw must make a plan to slay the dragon or risk its retribution.

Author Bio:

Christine Rains is a writer, blogger, and geek mom. She has four degrees which help nothing with motherhood, but make her a great Jeopardy player. When she's not writing or reading, she having adventures with her son or watching cheesy movies on Syfy Channel. She's a member of S.C.I.F.I. The 13th Floor series is her first self-published series. She has four novellas and eighteen short stories published.

Website 

Blog 

Facebook 

Twitter

Goodreads


What an intriguing premise! Dragons in government... maybe we have a few of those around right now, it would explain a thing or two. Congrats, Christine, and have a great weekend everyone!

Physical Movement and the Re-invigoration of my WIP

So, a couple of weeks ago, I posted about my goals for this year, as many others have done. I didn't write about any plans to get in shape, although that is also one of my aims, and having made a start, it's made a marked impact on my writing.

I came back after the Christmas break with the intention of finishing up the first draft of my WIP, started in NaNo 2012. But things weren't really happening. I didn't have the energy for it I had before. Admittedly I hadn't done a lot over the holiday - I went to visit my parents, which involved a lot of... eating, and at home there was quite a lot of eating too. Especially chocolate.

This week I was determined to start in on my exercise goal. My relationship with it has been sporadic over the years - an initial burst of activity, which after a while fizzles out. For example, as a teenager, I used to get up at 6am to run round the park, before doing my paper round and going to school. Sometimes I had a paper round after school, too. But the running probably only lasted about six months. I think I burnt myself out.

This year I'm planning to make working out a regular part of my life. It's started with walking my daughter to and from nursery, instead of taking the van. A simple change, but so far, it's worked wonders! That little walk has allowed me to clear my head, letting me focus on what needs done in my work. So after I get back from dropping her off, I feel ready to go. I'm still not entirely sure how it will all end, but I'm enthused about the challenge again, instead of it being the onerous task it was before. And my productivity has definitely increased.

Along with doing the abswing in the evening, I'm planning to make this my regular exercise. And it's totally free of charge!

Have you made any fitness goals this year? How are you doing with them? Do you find that exercise helps your writing?

1302 Blog Tour

Today I'm pleased to welcome back Christine Rains, as part of the tour for the second installment in her 13th Floor Series, 1302 - The Alpha. This time last month, Christine was here talking about villains for Part 1, and she's back today for more on the same topic. But the villains in her new book are of a different hue, as Christine will explain.

*

The Greedy, the Bad, and the Nasty. There are many types of villains. The ones out for the money and power. The demented genius who believes what he's doing is right. And those baddies who just love to cause pain and suffering.

Last month, you were introduced to Vetis in The Marquis. He's one of those villains you love to hate. Maybe you even secretly cheered for him because he's so entertaining. You won't find a villain like that in The Alpha. These bad guys are loathsome.

Stefanie Porter lost her place as the Alpha werewolf in the Nicolet Pack. It was a fair fight. She simply wasn't strong enough to beat Wyatt, but he is far from being a fair man. Usually the loser is exiled from the pack's territory, but since refused to be his mate, he imprisoned her in his cellar. She escaped, but she lost everything.

Wyatt is a cover model for Alpha men. He's handsome, muscled, possessive, and dominant. Something inside of him is twisted, though. He takes what he wants with no care for the pack. Vicious isn't a strong enough word to describe him. He's a supernatural psychopath with a single focus: hunt down Stefanie.

No matter Wyatt's strength, he can't hunt Stefanie alone. He killed the members of the pack that opposed him, but others rolled over for him. Colin and June are the big, dumb goons. If their Alpha barks, they jump. Even if they have no ambition to lead, their cruelty is still detestable.

There's also Wyatt's brother Matt. He came first and scouted the Nicolet Pack, making preparations for his brother. Stefanie's sister fell in love with him, and they became a mated pair. Matt's betrayal was far worse than Wyatt's for he took Stefanie's sister with him.

Without a family and a pack, Stefanie is on her own. Until she meets a lone wolf with ambitions to be a superhero. He's sort of geeky, but he can make her stronger. Powerful enough to beat Wyatt? That remains to be seen.

What's your favorite type of villain? Can you name any that twist a heroic model and make it something evil?

Title: 1302 – The Alpha

Author: Christine Rains

Genre: paranormal romance

Release date: January 13th, 2013

One run in the woods wouldn't matter, or so thinks werewolf Stefanie Porter. Being cooped up in her apartment for months must have messed up her instincts, because her former pack almost catches her until a mysterious lone wolf jumps in to help Stefanie escape.

The cruel Alpha Wyatt not only stole her pack but refuses to give Stefanie her freedom. She can't hide in her apartment any longer or it will drive her crazy. She puts her trust in the lone wolf who can teach her some of his unusual urban survival tricks. James Roberts might be a bit geeky, but he's smart and looks hot when the argyle sweater comes off. His ridiculous ambition to become a superhero might be admirable if Wyatt couldn't rip him limb from limb.

With the pack scouring the city for her, Stefanie must convince James to teach her and control her own Alpha nature, or fight not only for her life, but his as well.

Purchase Links:

Amazon

B&N

Smashwords

Kobo

Goodreads

Author Bio:

Christine Rains is a writer, blogger, and geek mom. She has four degrees which help nothing with motherhood, but make her a great Jeopardy player. When she's not writing or reading, she having adventures with her son or watching cheesy movies on Syfy Channel. She's a member of S.C.I.F.I. The 13th Floor series is her first self-published series. She has three novellas and sixteen short stories published.

Website 

Blog 

Facebook 

Twitter

Goodreads

All the best for your continued success with the series, Christine!

Overcoming Adversity blogfest

Welcome to my very first blogfest! I do hope you'll join me, because I think it's going to be a lot of fun. The idea is to create a very special anthology to put on sale via Amazon, that will go towards the college fund for my amazing stepson, Andrew.

If you don't know, Andrew has cerebral palsy and is coming to the end of his time at Stanmore House School in Lanark, a fantastic place that he has attended since joining the nursery class about fifteen years ago. I believe that the input from his teachers, and the technology available at the school, have helped shape him into the talented individual he is today. Unfortunately post-18 things don't look quite so good in Scotland. Andrew was basically told he would be attending Motherwell College (no element of choice), where he would be doing the "Access-8" course which more or less amounts to daycare (fingerpainting and the like), nothing that was going to push him to develop, or end up with a career.

I won't get into the ins and outs of the politics but basically the Scottish Government believes in mainstreaming and "inclusion". Unfortunately this seems to result in further education not being needs-led, but those with complex needs being fitted in around the margins and not given the resources that would really help them. We were not willing to blithely send Andrew off to Motherwell College, so we investigated alternative options to find the places that would really meet Andrew's needs were south of the border. We have now settled on Beaumont College in Lancaster, which Andrew has visited and offers amazing facilities like Eye Gaze technology, which would enable Andrew to use his eyes to select from different phrases and communicate much more effectively. He is interested in following a film editing course.

All of this has caused a certain amount of heartache, partly from having Andrew attend college in a different country when we are used to being very close to what's going on at school; but we know it will be really good for him. The main issue is the huge amount of fundraising required, which we feel is discrimination as further education is free in Scotland but there is nothing up here appropriate for Andrew. However we are meeting this challenge head-on with various events, and this brings me to the point of this blogfest. (Finally!)

It feels like we are doing this in the face of adversity from the authorities, but we have an iron conviction that we are doing the right thing. So I would like you to write something in that vein: overcoming adversity for something you believe in. It can either be a flash fiction piece, or an episode from your real life. Poetry is fine too.

The Rules:

* Sign up on the linky list below

* Please keep your entry to 500 words

* Please post on either Monday 4th or Tuesday 5th February

* I'd better say, keep it family-friendly! I'm sure it will be anyway.

Err... that's it! Once it's all over, I'll compile all the entries into the anthology which will be released as soon as possible, with all proceeds going towards Andrew's fund. I really hope you'll be able to join me, and please spread the word by whatever means you choose. The more the merrier! I'd also really appreciate it if you could display the blogfest button somewhere on your page. The ant is Andrew's mascot and will also feature on the book's cover.

As always for constant updates on Andrew please check out his Facebook page. Thanks!

Goals for 2013

Happy New Year everyone! A bit late, but I got there in the end. Hope everyone had a refreshing break and you're geared up for the next twelve months.

So what do I hope to achieve this year? More writing, of course: I'm aiming for two new drafts, including a win in NaNoWriMo. Didn't manage that last year, and I'm actually still a couple of thousand words shy of 50k: so my first priority is to get that wrapped up, then I'll get back to editing my thriller The Memory Cell. Ideally I would get both of these books published this year, but I'm reluctant to set timescales, as I don't know what's around the corner. But I definitely want to push myself in that direction, get my work out there and see what happens, as scary as it seems.

Another project I want to release is my short story collection. I talked about this a bit last year, vaunting a summer release, but I think I need a bit more material. I've neglected writing short stories for a while, so my plan is to set aside one day a week - probably a Friday - for either writing or editing them.

I also have something else up my sleeve, and for this I'm going to need help from all of you! It's a fundraising venture to help send my stepson, who suffers from cerebral palsy, to a specialist college in England - a place that will help him to flourish and shine. The first step in this project will come in the form of my first ever blogfest, which I'm planning for February or March. Stay tuned for more details soon! In the meantime, if you want to keep up with Andrew's progress, you can follow his blog, On The Road To College, or his Facebook page.

And finally, like many of you, I'm still working on finding the balance between keeping up with all you lovely folk, and everything else that life demands! Things are getting busier all the time, but I know I'm not alone in this dilemma. Any tips gratefully received! Here's to a happy and productive 2013 for all of us!

1301 blog tour

Today I'm honoured to welcome Christine Rains as part of her blog tour for 1301 - The Marquis, the first in what looks like a really exciting series of supernatural novellas. She's here to talk about those characters we love to hate (or hate to love) - villains. So without any further ado, take it away, Christine!

Villains. Some of the most memorable characters in fiction are of the evil variety. Dracula, Voldemort, and Captain Hook. Their hypnotizing eyes and maniacal laughs. You know them as well as the heroes, and sometimes they're even more famous. It's been their sinister plan all along, of course.

In The Marquis, the hero Marc pits himself against a trickster demon named Vetis. Vetis isn't afraid to get his hands dirty, but he's not at all stupid. He's not bulging with supernatural muscle nor eager to crush everything into rubble. He has minions for that. What makes him so dangerous is his skill with illusions, his keen mind, and his vicious tongue. He could convince someone to hang herself and not lift a finger. Unless he's doing so through a text message.

Vetis is introduced as a mid-level demon forced to do boring work like tempting a vampire to sup upon a drugged teen. There's no fun in a job that offers no challenge. So when Marc steps in to save his vampire friend, Vetis sees his chance to torment one of his former comrades and rise up in the ranks of Hell by bringing back the head of the infamous Marquis.

It's easy enough to insult Marc's beard and bad wardrobe, but Vetis doesn't just want to kill him. He wants him to suffer before he takes his head. How to do that? Find out what matters to the old demon: his city, his friend, and his lady love.

There's nothing sacred to Vetis. Nothing is more terrifying than an enemy who has no conscience and likes to flaunt that fact. His wit is more deadly than a sword. He'll get what he wants in any way it takes. Vetis' plan might lead to the destruction of everything Marc holds dear and then Marc will welcome the fate Vetis has in store for him.

Villains like Vetis push heroes to their every limit and then beyond. Sometimes they even win. And the trickster demon believes he has his victory in hand.

Who are your favorite literary villains?

Title: 1301 – The Marquis

Author: Christine Rains

Genre: paranormal romance

Release date: December 13th, 2012

Blurb:

Life after Hell isn't more exciting than watching football and fixing a busted pipe. Once a powerful demon, Marc enjoys his quiet existence and a good cup of coffee. With big ambitions to gain his master's favor, a trickster demon named Vetis shatters Marc's peace and vows to deliver Marc's head to the fires of Hell. Not before he destroys everything Marc cares about, of course.

Marc's power has diminished over the years. Heaven will never grant him absolution, and he refuses to return to Hell. Running isn't an option. The city of Carmine is his territory. It's also home to his favorite cafe owner, Mae Hopkins. The dame has a lovely smile, but it's her heart and soul that shine bright.

While his city burns and his love is captured, Marc must decide to surrender or let hate and anger fuel him to become the fearsome beast he so loathes: The Marquis. If the Marquis rises, Vetis can be defeated and Mae saved, but Marc would be lost to his demon forever.

1301 - The Marquis on Goodreads

Purchase links:

Smashwords

Amazon

Kobo

B & N

Author Bio

Christine Rains is a writer, blogger, and geek mom. She has four degrees which help nothing with motherhood, but make her a great Jeopardy player. When she's not writing or reading, she having adventures with her son or watching cheesy movies on Syfy Channel. She's a member of S.C.I.F.I. The 13th Floor series is her first self-published series. She also has two novellas and sixteen short stories published.

Website 

Blog 

Facebook 

Twitter

Goodreads

Congratulations, Christine! I'm looking forward to reading this and the rest of the installments!

Fraction of Stone cover reveal

I'm here today to help with the cover reveal for Fraction of Stone, the debut novel by Kelley Lynn. Kelley is a positive and vibrant force in the blogosphere, who is enthusiastic about her work and giving back to others. Get excited, because her book looks and sounds fantastic! Congratulations, Kelley. And what's more, she's holding a giveaway for two ARCs too. Coolness!

Here's all the details you need...

Fraction of Stone by Kelley Lynn
Release Date: March 21st, 2013 by Sapphire Star Publishing
Genre: YA Fantasy

Book Description:

Wind tunnels, torrential rains and earthquakes tear apart Casden. The cause of the world’s imbalance is unknown, but the mounting occurrences suggest there’s little time before life ceases to exist.

Rydan Gale and Akara Nazreth are the only humans with the ability to wield magic. The tattoo on their necks and the discovery of an ancient book, dictate they are the key to the world’s survival.

But the greatest obstacle for saving mankind isn’t the bizarre creatures, extreme betrayals and magic-fearing men hunting them.

It’s that Akara doesn’t believe the world is worth saving. 

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16160501-fraction-of-stone

Book Trailer:

About the Author:

Eventually the day came when the voices in Kelley Lynn’s head were more insistent then her engineering professor’s. So instead of turning to her Thermodynamics book, Kelley brought up a blank page on her computer screen and wrote. Somewhere along the way she became a Young Adult author.

Kelley was born and raised a Midwestern girl. She’s not afraid to sweat and fills her free time with softball, soccer and volleyball. (Though you probably don’t want her on your volleyball team.) She occasionally makes guest appearances as a female vocalist for area bands.

You can find Kelley hanging out at her blog, titled in her name, as well as the group blog she shares with her fellow critique partners, Falling for Fiction. Kelley is a member of the Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators.

Kelley Lynn's Links: Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

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