Giveaway and Interview: Earth Angel (Falling Angels #2) by E. Van Lowe

 

earth angel

Earth Angel (Falling Angels #2)

by E. Van Lowe

Release Date: December 8th 2011

Just because Megan Barnett recently defeated Satan, has a fantastic new best friend, and has won the love of deliciously
handsome, Guy Matson, doesn’t mean her troubles are over. Far from it. For Megan doesn’t realize it, but in her possession is a powerful weapon, a weapon sought after by both angels and demons and everything in between. They will do ANYTHING to get it.
In E. Van Lowe’s humorous, romantic and thrilling sequel to Boyfriend From Hell, Megan winds up in a gripping life or death battle to save herself, the boy she loves, and all of mankind from unthinkable evil.

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Interview:

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Ever since the first book in the Falling Angles Saga was published, so many people have asked me “who does your book covers? They’re gorgeous!” Today I’m unveiling my secret weapon. I’d like everyone to meet the woman who created and designed the covers for Boyfriend From Hell and Earth Angel, my new friend Jayde, also known as Adara Rosalie. First a brief bio.

Known as Adara Rosalie, Jayde, is a self-taught digital artist living in the Sydney Region of New South Wales, Australia. Her works bring forth the beauty in the dark, strange and Gothic. Her images are beautifully rendered, with a blend of photo manipulation and digital painting, showing a natural talent for creating new and fantastic visual artworks that are original in concept.
Fast becoming sought after for her particular style, Adara has been commissioned for the design of a number of CD covers, promotional displays, and book covers.
She has also been featured in magazines such as Advanced Photoshop (Issue 81), won a number of awards on artist community websites (thanks to all her supporters, whom bolster and strengthen her and her art with their wonderful comments) and a variety of other wonderful things that are to be confirmed in the near future (including publication in a digital book by Quarto Publishing Ltd.).

Jayde currently lives at home with her family and her puppy-dog, Constantine, but has recently made another big change in her life by purchasing her first home with her partner, Michael.

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1) Hi Jayde. Thanks for stopping by. I noticed when I first saw your work that you have an eye for making things pretty using Photoshop. Where does this gift come from?

I am an only child so developed a vivid imagination at an early age that developed in later years into a passion for visual arts. It was not until I enrolled into a visual arts diploma at TAFE (tertiary educational institution) that I was introduced to Photoshop in one of the core units. I was instantly captivated with the program (if a little over whelmed at first by all the tools and features) and branched out in my spare time in researching tutorials and practicing with it until I understood all aspects of the program. If I was unsure how to create an effect I took the initiative to contact other artists to ask their advice, or if available, discuss techniques with my teachers.

Every artist develops their own individual artist practice and finds inspiration in a variety of ways (music, TV, movies, life experiences, appropriation of concepts, history, mythology, culture or subculture). I find my inspiration from my love of Gothic subcultures, mythology, fables and life experiences.

I was not always as proficient with Photoshop. My first works are devoid of finesse and were very raw. I did not have the knowledge to create special effects or produce professional quality images. It is only with hours and hours of practice that I was able to create high quality images that were visual representations of my imagination.

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2)Tell us a little about yourself?

I have been subject to High School Bullying because I came from a low income household and saw things differently from others. In year 12 , I found the body of my Uncle who had committed suicide. In spite of this trauma I continued on to complete year 12 and receive my High School Certificate. It was through the support and care of my teachers and family that helped me to succeed.

I had to put off enrolling into university, and had to enter the work force to be able to pay household living costs. I waited 5 years before my family was financially stable, I took a leap of faith and quit my job, and enrolled into a diploma of visual arts course that ran for 2 years. It was in those two years at Tafe, working and developing my skills, that I discovered that working in an office as a paper pusher was not a career that makes me happy. In my last year of Tafe, I applied to the Australian Catholic University to enroll into a Bachelor of Teaching/ Bachelor of Visual Arts, and to my utter delight was accepted. I was a mature aged student. My education comes first. It is the basis for a career that I love and a solid income.

In the meantime it I have been working with digital art, and following my personal dreams of becoming a well-known artist and book cover designer. It has taken me 5 years to build my artist portfolio, reputation and network. I am continually reaching new heights and have never been happier with my life and choices.

3)The Falling Angels Saga covers are really gorgeous. How hard was it to come with the design? How hard was it working with E? (Be honest)

Thank you! I was truly honored and blessed to be able to work with E. (and not only because I grew up with the Cosby Show)! Working on any commission for a client has its ups and downs, it is the most difficult thing to be able to take what another individual envisions and try to create a visual image. I have worked with a variety of clientele and found that E. was one of the most pleasurable and easiest clients to work with.

E. provided me with an outline, or suggestion, on the type of images that he envisioned and gave me creative license to work within my own imaginative and artistic capabilities. This provided me with the freedom to work WITH E. on creating the perfect cover.

4) Whats your favorite project you ever worked on? Why?

I don’t really have a favorite project, but if I had to choose, I would say working with E. on his book covers. I love being able to develop freely, creating new works of art that reach out and capture the imagination of people. I think that the act of creating, in itself, is a wonderful gift and I love every moment that I have creating.

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5) What are your guilty pleasures in life?

Hmmnnn, guilty pleasures… I love pepperoni pizza! I know that it is not healthy, but so yummy! And I am a HUGE fan of Family Guy.

6) Where can fans find you on the web?

My works of art can be found in a variety of places. I have many artist portfolios, and am a member of a few sites where prints, posters and iPhone cases can be purchased of my work.

Redbubble:http://www.redbubble.com/people/jayderosalie

Deviant Art: http://jayderosalie.deviantart.com/

Advanced Photoshop UK: http://www.advancedphotoshop.co.uk/user/adararosalie

The Untapped Source: http://www.theuntappedsource.com/artist_detail.php?category=344

Art Flakes: http://www.artflakes.com/en/shop/adararosalie

Flickr:http://www.flickr.com/photos/adararosalie/

Shadowness: http://shadowness.com/Jayde

Thanks for stopping by, Jayde. For those of you who haven’t read Boyfriend From Hell , Earth Angel or Heaven Sent, judging from the reviews, what’s between the covers is pretty good, too. I hope you’ll check them out.

 

About the Author

e van lowe

E Van Lowe was born in the Bronx a long time ago, back in the days when children were supposed to be seen and not heard. Fortunately for E, his parents allowed him to speak freely. Unfortunately for his parents and older brother, E had a lot to say. He was speaking quite freely until one day, while his mother was trying to watch her “stories” (which is code for soap operas), she suggested that instead of speaking freely, he write all his important thoughts down. E wrote down many important thoughts, such as: crayons melt when you leave them on the radiator, or toy soldiers melt when you drop them in the muffin batter before mom puts it in the oven. His brother thought he was weird, but E was only ten years old at the time. What did he expect, Shakespeare? E liked writing things down so much, he decided that when he grew up, he was going to become a professional writer.

E has gone on to write for many award winning TV shows including: The Cosby Show, and Even Stevens. He also co-wrote the Academy Award nominated short film, Cadillac Dreams. Never Slow Dance With A Zombie was his first teen novel.  Boyfriend From Hell is the first in the Falling Angels Saga.  The second novel in the saga, Earth Angel, will be coming out soon.  It seems E still has lots of important, and weird, thoughts to share with readers.

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***GIVEAWAY***

1 winner will receive E-book copies of Boyfriend from Hell and Earth Angel (Open Internationally)

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~YA Bound Girls
YA Bound | Email
Nereyda Gonzalez ~ Trisha Wolfe

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$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Giveaway: Yours Affectionately, Jane Austen by Sally Smith O’Rourke

Yours Affectionately, Jane Austen

Was Mr. Darcy real? Is time travel really possible? For pragmatic Manhattan artist Eliza Knight the answer to both questions is absolutely, Yes! And Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley Farms, Virginia is the reason why!
His tale of love and romance in Regency England leaves Eliza in no doubt that Fitz Darcy is the embodiment of Jane Austen’s legendary hero. And she’s falling in love with him. But can the man who loved the inimitable Jane Austen ever love average, ordinary Eliza Knight?
Eliza’s doubts grow, perhaps out of proportion, when things start to happen in the quiet hamlet of Chawton, England; events that could change everything. Will the beloved author become the wedge that divides Fitz and Eliza or the tie that binds them?

 

Praise for Yours Affectionately, Jane Austen
O’Rourke creates a world that defies cynicism and demands suspension of disbelief – even in this age of doubt and hyper-realism. Sheer escapism at its best. Clever, charming and affectionate. ~Jocelyn Bury …the reader must tenaciously read on rather than put the book down to satisfy their hunger for the story to resolve, which it does in characteristically Jane Austen fashion. ~Erin Murdock
In Yours Affectionately, Jane Austen, author Sally Smith O’Rourke creates a compelling story that investigates what and who might have inspired Jane Austen. While the story line is certainly far-fetched, it is a truly unique idea, one that captivated this reader until the very last page. ~Meg Massey

 

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Author Sally Smith O’Rourke Sally Smith O’Rourke is a surgical scrub nurse at the City of Hope national cancer research hospital in Duarte, California and resides in the near-by Victorian village of Monrovia. With her late husband, author Michael O’Rourke (aka F.M. O’Rourke) Smith O’Rourke owned and operated a medical advertising company where she used her diverse talents to produce and co-write teaching films and videos. Working not only with major medical and surgical manufacturing companies but also network television. These endeavors ultimately led to a collaboration on two feature films (direct to video) and three published novels. The wife and husband writing team of Sally Smith and Michael O’Rourke, being long-time fans of Jane Austen, wrote The Man Who Loved Jane Austen released by Kensington Books in 2006. Kensington followed that very successful effort with The Maidenstone Lighthouse in 2007 and Christmas at Sea Pines Cottage in 2009, both also collaborative projects by Smith and O’Rourke. Published after her partner and spouse’s untimely death in 2001, the publisher chose not to use the names Michael O’Rourke and Sally Smith (as the manuscripts were presented), releasing all three books under Sally Smith O’Rourke. Yours Affectionately, Jane Austen is Sally Smith O’Rourke’s first solo novel.

Yours Affectionately tour

 
 
Book Blast Giveaway $50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 6/6/13
 
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Cover Reveal: Anti-thesis by Kacey Vanderkarr

Antithesis Cover

Anti-thesis by Kacey Vanderkarr

Blurb:

My name is Gavyn.

Liam doesn’t care that I only have one arm. He actually likes my red hair and freckles. I might forgive him for kidnapping me.

My name is Gavyn.

I lost my Liam. I’ve lost them all. And now it’s my job to make sure they don’t show up again.

My name is Gavyn.

I had a life with Liam, but he couldn’t give me what I need. Then I killed his father. I don’t expect he’ll forgive me for that.

My name is Gavyn.

About the author:

Kacey Vanderkarr

Kacey Vanderkarr is a young adult author. She dabbles in fantasy, romance, and sci-fi, complete with faeries, alternate realities, and the occasional plasma gun. She’s known to be annoyingly optimistic and listen to music at the highest decibel. When she’s not writing, she coaches winterguard and works as a sonographer. Kacey lives in Michigan, with her husband, son, crazy cats, and two bearded dragons. Visit www.kaceyvanderkarr.com for more information.

Twitter: @kacimari

Blog: www.kaceyvanderkarr.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kacey-Vanderkarr-Young-Adult-Author/128956043852072

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FREE on Amazon: Fairy Tail by Andrew P Weston

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Fairy Tail by Andrew P Weston

FREE on Amazon June 20th – 22nd

For the third year running, a ritualistic serial killer has struck again in the week leading up to Halloween, leaving a gruesome and bloody trail in his wake.
It’s the same every year. One murder every day, until his quotient of seven has been reached. Butchery doesn’t begin to describe what happens to those who he gets his hands on. Then the killer vanishes – only to return twelve months later as merciless as ever.
When he does resurface, he appears to strike randomly and at will. It cannot be established exactly how the killer selects his victims, or why. As such, the detective leading the case is no closer to discovering the identity of the ruthless predator than he was when the slayings began.
It’s only when the detective gets an unexpected break that things get interesting…

Amazon Buy Link

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Review: Transparent by Natalie Whipple

Transparent

Transparent by Natalie Whipple

Published: May 21 2013

Purchase: Amazon

Synopsis:

Plenty of teenagers feel invisible. Fiona McClean actually is.

An invisible girl is a priceless weapon. Fiona’s own father has been forcing her to do his dirty work for years—everything from spying on people to stealing cars to breaking into bank vaults.

After sixteen years, Fiona’s had enough. She and her mother flee to a small town, and for the first time in her life, Fiona feels like a normal life is within reach. But Fiona’s father isn’t giving up that easily.

Of course, he should know better than anyone: never underestimate an invisible girl.

Review:

It’s like The Godfather and X-Men combined to make a story that is hard to put down for a YA reader. While I am not a fan of Mafia stories I am a fan of books about people with super human abilities. This is a unique and interesting blend of the two genres and I am so happy I was able to read it!

Fiona has been an unwilling part of her dad’s world for most of her life. Her dad is huge crime lord and because of his family’s exposure to a drug called Radisure, every member of his family has a unique side effect or super ability. Fiona’s ability is that she is transparent, unless she is wearing cloths, you can’t see her. This is an ability her dad loves so when he tells her she will be killing someone for her next assignment her mother finally comes out of his spell long enough for the two of them to escape.

They make their way to a small town in another crime lord’s district. One of the first things that her mother makes her do is go to school. It soon becomes apparent that she is not very strong in Math so she has to be tutored by a grouchy boy named Seth. She starts to make friends with his brother Brady and their friend Bea all the while worried that one of her brothers will turn her and her mother into their dad who has just shown up in town…

I really enjoyed this book for so many reasons. The plot was different and moved along quite easily. I felt like I could connect to the characters especially Fiona and Seth. This is just a good YA Paranormal novel and I am looking forward to seeing what else this talented writer comes out with.

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Excerpt and Giveaway: The Watcher by Lisa Voisin

The Watcher Cover

Millennia ago, he fell from heaven for her.

Can he face her without falling again?

Fascinated with ancient civilizations, seventeen-year-old Mia Crawford dreams of becoming an archaeologist. She also dreams of wings—soft and silent like snow—and somebody trying to steal them.

When a horrible creature appears out of thin air and attacks her, she knows Michael Fontaine is involved, though he claims to know nothing about it. Secretive and aloof, Michael evokes feelings in Mia that she doesn’t understand. Images of another time and place haunt her. She recognizes them—but not from any textbook.

In search of the truth, Mia discovers a past life of forbidden love, jealousy and revenge that tore an angel from Heaven and sent her to an early grave. Now that her soul has returned, does she have a chance at loving that angel again? Or will an age-old nemesis destroy them both?

Ancient history is only the beginning.

Find it: Goodreads | Amazon |Amazon.CA |B&N | Indie Bound | Inkspell | Kobo | Chapters / Indigo

Book Details:

Title: The Watcher

Author: Lisa Voisin

Publisher: InkSpell Publishing

Publication date: March 4, 2013

ISBN13: 9780985656225

Pages: 541

Excerpt:

He pulled the car over to the side of the road and parked it without speaking. As the rain thrummed against the roof of his car, my heart stuttered anxiously against my ribs, like a hummingbird flapping its tiny wings.

He took a deep breath and his voice was thick when he said, “If I misled you…”

My heart stopped, and I blinked at him as heat filled my face. He hadn’t misled me. The feelings I had for him were one hundred percent my own doing. I should have known better.

“I’m not available,” he continued, “the way you want me to be.”

What did he mean, the way I wanted him to be? Any way I could be with him would be fine. Anything was better than not speaking at all. And then the pieces came together: gorgeous and unavailable. He had a girlfriend. Oh God! Why hadn’t I seen the signs before? He didn’t flirt with anyone because he was in love with someone else.

Not caring about the rain, I opened the door and dashed out of the car.

Michael caught up with me and grabbed my arm. I pulled it away.

“It’s wet,” he said. “I’ll take you home.”

Tears burned my eyes, making me grateful for the heavy rain that washed them away, cooling my skin. “I’ll walk.”

“Come on,” he said, “don’t be foolish. You’ll catch a cold.” A wet strand of hair clung to my face. He brushed it aside, so gently, and a deep current trembled through me, compelling me toward him. It was all I could do to hold my ground. His eyes widened and he stepped back. In that moment, I knew he felt it too.

I glared at him. How dare he touch me? Why did he care? Why did he pay attention to me at all?

He shook his head sadly. “Mia, I’m…”

Taken. I know. I shook my head, not wanting to hear any more, and there was this look he gave me, a mixture of pain and something else—something forbidden—that made me want to kiss the rain from his lips.

 

About the Author:

A Canadian-born author, Lisa Voisin spent her childhood daydreaming and making up stories, but it was her love of reading and writing in her teens that drew her to Young Adult fiction.

A self-proclaimed coffee lover, Lisa can usually be found writing in a local café. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her meditating or hiking in the mountains to counteract the side effects of drinking too much caffeine!

Though she’s lived in several cities across Canada, she currently lives in Vancouver, B.C. with her fiancé and their two cats.

Find her: Twitter | Facebook | Website | Blog

Links (if the shortened versions don’t paste into your blog post):

Website: http://www.lisavoisin.com.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisavoisinauthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lvoisin @lvoisin

Blog: http://lisavoisin.wordpress.com

The Book Trailer:

http://youtu.be/ukoCDlW05-Y

Rafflecopter Giveaway:

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Lisa Voisin and Inkspell Publishing are giving away print (US/Canada/UK) and ebook (INT) copies of The Watcher as well as this lovely angel wing necklace.

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Review: Parallel by Lauren Miller

Parallel

Parallel by Lauren Miller

Publish: May 14 2013

Purchase: Amazon

Synopsis:

Abby Barnes had a plan. The Plan. She’d go to Northwestern, major in journalism, and land a job at a national newspaper, all before she turned twenty-two. But one tiny choice—taking a drama class her senior year of high school—changed all that. Now, on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, Abby is stuck on a Hollywood movie set, miles from where she wants to be, wishing she could rewind her life. The next morning, she’s in a dorm room at Yale, with no memory of how she got there. Overnight, it’s as if her past has been rewritten.

With the help of Caitlin, her science-savvy BFF, Abby discovers that this new reality is the result of a cosmic collision of parallel universes that has Abby living an alternate version of her life. And not only that: Abby’s life changes every time her parallel self makes a new choice. Meanwhile, her parallel is living out Abby’s senior year of high school and falling for someone Abby’s never even met.

As she struggles to navigate her ever-shifting existence, forced to live out the consequences of a path she didn’t choose, Abby must let go of the Plan and learn to focus on the present, without losing sight of who she is, the boy who might just be her soul mate, and the destiny that’s finally within reach.

Review:

You know how excited you feel when you read a synopsis for the first time and think. ‘Wow, I so have to read this!”? That is how I felt when I read the blurb for Parallel because it sounded kind of similar to the movie Sliding Doors. Unfortunately, this book ended up not working for me and was not as enjoyable as I had hoped.

I am not saying that this was a bad story, just one I had a really hard time keeping track of. I have never been a real fan of a book that switches back and for a lot and that is just what this book does. It slowly became a very confusing mess and I felt like I was fighting to keep everything straight.

I don’t know if I had connected better with the characters or felt the romance wasn’t so much like the usual ‘love triangle’ then maybe I would have enjoyed this more. All I do know is I was happy when I finished this so I could move on to another book. And that is not a feeling you want to have…

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