Guest Post - Amy Engel (The Book of Ivy & The Revolution of Ivy) Balancing Writing and Life

I am really pleased to be able to welcome the amazing Amy Engel to my blog today to share a guest post with us on how she Balances Writing and Life.

Amy Engel is the author of The Book of Ivy duology published by Entangled Teen, the second book in the series The Revolution of Ivy is due to be released on the 3^rd November! It is amazing.

The Revolution of Ivy

Author: Amy Engel

Series: The Book of Ivy

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Pages: 400

Release date: 3^rd November 2015

Synopsis (Goodreads) Ivy Westfall is beyond the fence and she is alone. Abandoned by her family and separated from Bishop Lattimer, Ivy must find a way to survive on her own in a land filled with countless dangers, both human and natural. She has traded a more civilized type of cruelty--forced marriages and murder plots--for the bare-knuckled brutality required to survive outside Westfall's borders.

But there is hope beyond the fence, as well. And when Bishop reappears in Ivy's life, she must decide if returning to Westfall to take a final stand for what she believes is right is worth losing everything she's fought for.

Balancing Writing and Life

Balancing writing and life can be tricky, but I am luckier than many because writing is my full time job. It would be much more difficult to achieve the necessary balance if I also had another career. Having said that, I do have a family (husband and two kids) and there are only so many hours in a day. What works for me is to try and get my writing done while my kids are at school, but there are times that’s just not possible and on those days (or months during the summer), I fit in the writing when and where I can. I’m not too particular about noise levels, etc. when I’m writing. If I always waited for a quiet, peaceful house, I’d rarely get any writing done.

I think, for me, the biggest challenge in balancing writing and life is that there is rarely a moment in the day when my brain isn’t churning, thinking about what I’m writing or about to write. I sometimes feel guilty about this when my kids are talking to me and I realize I haven’t been actively listening because I’m lost inside my own head. At those moments I have to make a conscious effort to pull myself back and really be present. Sometimes it feels like I’m living two lives: my actual one and then the one that goes on inside my head and often feels just as real.

People sometimes say to me that they would like to write a book if only they could find the time. The truth is if writing is important enough to you, you’ll find the time. I wrote my first YA novel (trunked) when my children were very small and needed almost constant attention. It required sacrificing sleep, my favorite television shows, time with friends, and sometimes even showers, but I managed to get it done. I make my writing a priority, along with spending time with and taking care of my family, going for a run most days of the week, and reading in the late evening. Those four activities are the ones I won’t give up or compromise on; everything else has to be worked in around them. That’s my secret to balance: figure out what’s most important to you and go from there. You can’t necessarily have it all, but you can find a way to have what’s necessary for you.

About the author: 

Amy Engel is the author of THE BOOK OF IVY (out now) and its sequel, THE REVOLUTION OF IVY, which will be available on November 3, 2015. In addition, her debut adult novel (gothic suspense), THE ROANOKE GIRLS, is forthcoming from Crown in early 2017. Amy lives in Missouri with her husband and two children.

All images/blurb/author details etc. have been copied from GoodReads

Guest post: Darkness series by Stacey Marie Brown

Stacey Marie Brown

The Darkness series is one of my favourites so I am excited to be able to host author, Stacey Marie Brown on the blog today to share with us the Darkness series music inspiration; it’s a great playlist!

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Books in reading order:

1.   Darkness of Light

2.   Fire in the Darkness

3.   Dwellers of Darkness

4.   Blood Beyond Darkness

Music was and is a huge part of writing the Darkness Series. The songs below immediately take me to the mood and feeling I want when writing. It will keep growing as the series continues. There are some songs by The White Strips, Imagine Dragons, and the Fall Out Boys that are good for getting into my action/fight scenes. Eli’s theme song when it comes to Ember is “Run Right Back” by the Black Keys. When I want to get into his mind I listen to “Evil Ways”. Ember’s for Eli is “Howl” and to get into her head is “Demons” and “Radioactive”.

Darkness Series Inspiration Music

*Killing The Light- B.R.M.C
*Everlasting Light- Black Keys

*Evil Ways- Bues Saraceno
*My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark- Fall Out Boys

*Demons- Imagine Dragons
*White Rabbit- Jefferson Airplane
*Howl- Florence & The Machine
*Seven Nation Army- White Stripes
*Run Right Back- Black Keys

*Make Me Wanna To Die- The Pretty Reckless
*People Are Strange- The Doors
*What Light- Wilco
*Train Song- Ben Gibbard & Feist
*Tautou- Brand New
*Everything You're Breathing- The Parlor Mob
*Slow Life- Grizzly Bear
*Only For The Night- Florence & The Machine
*Come Undone- Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan
*Hearing Damage- Thom Yorke
*Radioactive- Imagine Dragons
*Seven Year Itch- The Fumes
*Seven Devils- Florence & The Machine
*I Only Want You- Eagles Of Death Metal

*Icky Thump- White Stripes
*Creep- Radiohead
*Psychotic Girl- Dan Auerbach
*Heavy In Your Arms- Florence & The Machine
*I Can't Hear You- The Dead Weather
*Someday Baby- R.L. Burnside
*Hang Me Up To Dry- Cold War Kids
*Crawl- Kings Of Leon
*Sweetest Kill- Broken Social Scene
*Hurricane Drunk- Florence & The Machine
*Grounds For Divorce- Elbow
*The Prowl- Dan Auerbach
*Hang You From The Heavens- The Dead Weather
*Cosmic Love- Florence & The Machine
*Punching In A Dream- The Naked And Famous
*The End Of The Line- The Love Me Nots

Music can change your mood; affect how you see something…What is the song which really gets to you? Good or bad.

About the author: Stacey Marie Brown is a lover of hot fictional bad boys and sarcastic heroines who kick butt. She also enjoys books, travel, TV shows, hiking, writing, design, and archery. Stacey swears she is part gypsy, being lucky enough to live and travel all over the world.

She grew up in Northern California, where she ran around on her family's farm, raising animals, riding horses, playing flashlight tag, and turning hay bales into cool forts. She volunteers helping animals and is eco-friendly. She feels all animals, people, and environment should be treated kindly

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Synopsis....

1.   Darkness of Light - Amazon 

Freak. Witch. Crazy. Schizo.

Ember Brycin has been called them all. She’s always known she’s different. No one has ever called her normal, even under the best circumstances. Bizarre and inexplicable things continually happen to her, and having two different colored eyes, strange hair, and an unusual tattoo only contributes to the gossip about her.

When the latest school explosion lands her in a facility for troubled teens, she meets Eli Dragen, who’s hot as hell and darkly mysterious. Their connection is full of passion, danger, and secrets. Secrets that will not only change her life, but what and who she is—leading her down a path she never imagined possible.

Between Light and Dark, Ember finds a world where truth and knowledge are power and no one can be trusted. But her survival depends on finding out the truth about herself. In her pursuit, she is forced between love and destiny and good and evil, even when the differences between them aren’t always clear. At worst, she will incite a war that could destroy both worlds. At best, she will not only lose her heart but her life and everyone she loves. Once the truth is out, however, there will be no going back. And she’ll definitely wish she could.

2.   Fire in the Darkness - Amazon 

It's been four weeks since Ember Brycin witnessed what her powers are capable of. The Electrical Current Storm has turned Seattle, Washington into a natural disaster zone. The death toll is in the thousands with countless others homeless and hungry.

And Ember is the one who caused it. Something she will have to live with every day.

Those people who were unable to escape either turned quickly into gangs or live in shelters. Ember, on the other hand, can’t do either. With a price on her head and a Dark Dweller on her ass, she is constantly on the move. Both Light and Dark are hunting her for their own purpose to use her as a weapon or a pawn in the war between the Unseelie King of the Dark and the Seelie Queen of the Light.

Em needs help but doesn’t know who to trust: Lars, the mystery man Torin told her to find? Torin, the Seelie Queen’s personal knight, who has sworn to keep Em safe? Or Eli, who wants to turn her over to the Unseelie King, but whom she has an undeniable, intense connection with?

No matter what she chooses she will probably lose—her life or everything and everyone she loves.

3.   Dwellers of Darkness - Amazon / TBD

Some days feel like years, but in Ember Brycin’s case just the opposite is true. Em would be 22 now—if she were human. She’s not. She is a Dae—part Demon and part Fay—with a little Dark Dweller thrown in to make her more of a freak.

Life has become further complicated for Ember since returning from the Otherworld. Besides being continuously hunted by the Seelie Queen, Ember is at the top of the Unseelie King’s list, after breaking her oath with him. No one breaks a vow with the Unseelie King without extreme consequences.

Adding to Ember’s problems is a certain Dark Dweller whose mood has become violent and cruel. As much as she’d like to deny it, there is an undeniable connection between them. Eli is sexy, gorgeous, and frustrating as hell. She also knows he is holding something back, something that could change their relationship forever. 

But her problems go way past him. As the tension for war mounts between the Seelie and Unseelie (Light and Dark), the tension at the Dark Dweller’s compound escalates even more as they prepare to obtain the Sword of Light—the only weapon able to kill the Queen. 

But is Ember the answer to the location of the sword? Is she the one to fulfill the prophecy? As usual nothing is ever what it seems.

4.   Blood Beyond Darkness - Amazon

After months of searching, Ember and her friends have finally located the Sword of Light, the only weapon capable of destroying Queen Aneira and ending her rule. This is Ember’s destiny. Or so she thought. Now a pact to save the man she loves changes everything.

In this final installment in the Darkness Series, when the truth comes to light, Ember will learn some things are better left in the dark as her world is ripped even further apart. It is no longer a rabbit hole, but a never-ending black void full of endless lies, betrayals, and secrets.

The fight for Earth has begun, and Ember will have to make the ultimate sacrifice to save millions of innocent lives and those she loves.

But this price may be too high—even for her.

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Series/Author spotlight - Marie Landry (Angel Island)

I am pleased to welcome the lovely, Marie Landry to the blog today to share with us details of her Angel Island series and also a teaser from her upcoming book Take Them by Storm.

The Angel Island books are a series of standalone companion novels. Waiting for the Storm is Charlotte O’Dell’s story, After the Storm features Charlotte’s sister Ella, and Take Them by Storm is about Ella’s best friend, Sadie. The books explore themes of grief, family, friendship, love in its many forms, romance, and more.

Waiting for the Storm

Synopsis: After the death of her mother, the last thing seventeen-year-old Charlotte O'Dell wants to do is spend the summer on Angel Island with her family. Her younger sister hates her, and her dad is in his own little world. It's a recipe for a disastrous summer on the island, until Ezra Rhodes walks into her life.

The boy next door makes Charlotte forget her almost paralyzing fear of really living her life. Stunted from taking care of her mother in her last months, Charlotte is drowning. With Ezra, she feels something again, and as he repairs her family's summer home, she dares to think he might actually be fixing her, too. Ezra challenges Charlotte to leave her comfort zone, and as their friendship slowly blossoms into more, Charlotte begins to come alive again.

But Ezra has secrets...secrets he isn't sharing with Charlotte. Despite her new-found happiness in Ezra's arms, Charlotte can't help but feel there's a storm on the horizon. And she isn't sure if she and Ezra can weather it unscathed.

GoodReads ~ Amazon ~ Kobo ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Smashwords

After the Storm

Synopsis: For most people, starting senior year at a new high school would be a nightmare, but for Ella O’Dell it’s the new beginning she desperately needs. Two months after her mother’s death, she’s ready to leave behind the rebellious, unhappy person she became when she found out her mom was dying.

When Ella meets River Maracle and Sadie Fitzgerald, she begins to learn it’s okay to be herself, even if that means being different. River and Sadie aren’t ashamed of their misfit status—River grew up on a reservation, and his mother is the school counselor; Sadie stands out with her funky homemade clothes, and is a master at ignoring the whispered rumors that have plagued her since the beginning of high school.

Ella finds a kindred spirit in Sadie, and something more in River. After almost a year of pretending to be someone she’s not, she finally embraces life and allows herself to have fun without constant guilt. But despite her budding happiness, something is off with her new life. She doesn’t want to dwell on the past, but Angel Island is a small place, and she soon realizes her demons are harder to outrun than she thought…

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Take Them by Storm

Publication date: January 6th, 2015

Cover and pre-order information coming soon!

Synopsis: This book is a standalone companion novel to Waiting for the Storm and After the Storm. The books do not need to be read together or in order, but please note that this synopsis contains mild spoilers for After the Storm.

Sadie Fitzgerald has always been different, and not just because she makes her own clothes and would rather stay home watching Doctor Who than party with kids her age. When it’s time to leave Angel Island for college, Sadie is eager to put her old life behind her. Small-minded people and rumors have plagued her for years, but with the love of her adoptive family, the O’Dells, Sadie has learned to embrace who she is. Now she’s not afraid to admit the rumors about her are true: she’s gay.

For the first time in her life, Sadie feels free to be herself. She dives into college life and begins volunteering at the local LGBT center, where she discovers her small-town upbringing left holes in her education about life outside Angel Island.

The world is a bigger and more accepting place than Sadie ever imagined. She’s finally found where she belongs, but with the reappearance of someone from her past, an unexpected new friendship, and a chance at love, Sadie soon realizes she still has a lot to learn about life, friendship, and love

GoodReads

Bio: Marie has the best job in the world—one where she gets to make stuff up for a living and shamelessly eavesdrop on everyone around her. She writes happily ever afters while dreaming about the day she’ll have her own epic love story to tell. Most days you can find her writing, reading, fantasizing about traveling the world, listening to U2, watching copious amounts of TV on DVD, or having grand adventures with her nephews and niece.

For more on Marie and her books please visit http://sweetmarie-83.blogspot.ca. She also loves to chat with fellow book lovers, so feel free to tweet her @SweetMarie83 any time!

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Guest post & Giveaway - ONE SONG AWAY by Molli Moran

Molli Moran

Molli Moran is the amazing blogger behind Books and Whimsy, she is now also a fabulously awesome author!

I am pleased to introduce you all to ONE SONG AWAY which is scheduled to be released in December. Molli has also written an amazing guest post to share with us about her experience going from a book blogger to an author.

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo

SYNOPSIS

Release date: 1st December 2014

She needs a fill-in boyfriend. He needs a favor. It’s the perfect, no-strings arrangement until they both realize it’s too real…

Sophie-Claire Wright’s life is like a bad country song on repeat. She keeps running into her cheating ex, her songwriting career isn't taking off, and her roommate just kicked her out of their apartment. With nothing to lose, she decides to do the one thing she said she’d never do: she moves back home. She left her small Southern town with big dreams, but now she’s going home with empty pockets.

Life moves at a slower pace in Sophie’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it hometown, but her well-meaning, matchmaking mama doesn't have a slow gear. Sophie invents a boyfriend to hold off her mother’s efforts, but she’s out of luck when her mom wants to meet him. Sophie panics until she runs into Jake Cooper. Her high school crush (and former best friend) is back in town, too, and when he asks her for a favor, she agrees...on one condition. He says he’ll be her fill-in boyfriend, so it should be simple: re-introduce him to her family and then “break up” with him after a few weeks.

Sophie is sure she’ll be able to resist Jake this time. Sure, she was in love with him years ago, but that was then. This is now, no matter how great he looks, or how she feels around him. But she didn't bargain for moments that feel all too genuine. Dates that don’t seem fake. Kisses that leave her shaken and wanting more. Sweet moments where she forgets they aren't really dating. And she didn't count on old feelings resurfacing and complicating their arrangement—which is starting to feel less like acting and more like the real deal.

Soon, Sophie can’t tell which kisses are real or fake, but she knows she’s in deep...and she thinks Jake is, too. When she gets a chance to go back to Nashville and chase her dreams again, she has a choice to make: stay or go? Continue hoping that the life she wants is one song away, or finally write her own song?

Available for pre-order at: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo

Molli's social media: Twitter | Goodreads | Facebook | Tumblr | OSA on Goodreads

As some wonderful folks know, and as hopefully more will find out soon, I'm an author. I wrote a book and published it this year. It's called AS YOU TURN AWAY and on the surface, it's about two ex-lovers who get a second chance at being together. It's also about discovering love for yourself and your family, about the saving graces of friendship, and mostly, about coming home. I'm publishing a second book in December called ONE SONG AWAY (unrelated to my debut) that covers some similar themes, but is a bit lighter overall, with plenty of swoony kissing scenes, and, I hope, heart and humor.

But I didn't start out as an author. In  2011, a good friend of mine started a book blog. I'd been blogging at LiveJournal for years, and so I figured "How different can a book blog be?" Undaunted, I started one, and then had to ask myself "What do I want to do with this space?" Social media has given everyone their own platform, and once I learned the way around mine, I used it to talk about my love for books. I thought two or three people might eventually follow my blog and want to hear what I had to say.

The truth is, the decision to start blogging changed my life. I joined Twitter and began connecting with fellow bloggers, and discovered this huge, thriving community of people like me. I made friends, some of whom I've even met. I read books I never would have read if it were up to me, all because people I trusted recommended them. In the online book blogging community, I found a home.

In the fall of 2012, my life changed again. I lost a job I had thought of as a career, and while looking for work, I did two important things. I came out to my family, and took my relationship with my girlfriend public. And I started writing a book. A real book. Not the short pieces I'd written in the past, or the longer, but ultimately not-book-ish ones I wrote with a few friends. And the book blogging community - my community - was there for me, supporting both parts of my new life.

Everything sort of sped up then. I found work, and the months of soul searching and cold weather melted with spring, then summer. I published my debut, and found yet another home in the amazing New Adult community, of which I am SO proud to be a part. These authors are some of the most passionate, awesome folks around - and that's saying a lot, seeing as how my first experience was with the YA authors community.

I don't blog as much anymore, although I try to keep my blog dusted off. Mostly, I share writing tips and news there, with short reviews mixed in. Once I published my first book, I struggled a lot with finding my voice again. It took a little while to learn how to have a foot in both worlds, how to be an author and a blogger. Suddenly, blogging was just as fun as it always was, but I wasn't sure how to do it anymore. I'm still trying to find my footing, so in the meantime, I spend more time on Twitter, talking about books there.

And something magical happened. Even though I stopped blogging regularly, the book blogging community still feels like home. My blogger friends and I still chat all the time about upcoming books, which ones we've read and enjoyed, and what trends we like and dislike. Sometimes some of my author pals and I will chat with my blogger friends. We laugh, we joke, we say inappropriate things. And that's what I like to call the best of both words.

I'm not sure how I got so lucky to find a group of smart, funny, awesome people who listen to me talk about femism, Stefan Salvatore, writing kissing scenes, and coffee on a regular basis, but I did. And I'm thankful every day for my online home.

About Molli: Molli is a Southern author who doesn't consider her day complete if she hasn't written. She loves coffee and talking fast, things she attributes to being raised by Gilmore Girls. She's a romantic at heart, and brings that to her books, which are usually about quirky characters chasing after their happily ever after. Although content when reading, she can often be found watching and flailing over Doctor Who, cuddling her various pets, or spending time with friends, family, or her girlfriend. Molli loves Oxford commas, country music, Stefan Salvatore, and scarves. 

If you need to reach her for any reason - especially if you want to talk books, or theorize about Doctor Who, you can send her an email or tweet her

Molli's social media: Twitter | Goodreads | Facebook | Tumblr | OSA on Goodreads

Giveaway! Molli has kindly offered one very lucky reader an eBook copy of One Song Away.

To enter please complete the rafflecopter form below, not all options are mandatory. Giveaway is open internationally as long as you are able to accept eBooks.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Guest post - Jen Fredericks (Woodlands Series)

Jen Frederick

I am so pleased to be able to welcome Jen Frederick to the blog today; Jen is the author of the amazing Woodlands series which is one of my fave New Adult series.

Today, Jen is sharing with us her Woodlands journey.

Books in order: (can be read as standalone)

Undeclared (2013) - Amazon

For four years, Grace Sullivan wrote to a Marine she never met, and fell in love. But when his deployment ended, so did the letters. Ever since that day, Grace has been coasting, academically and emotionally. The one thing she’s decided? No way is Noah Jackson — or any man — ever going to break her heart again.

Noah has always known exactly what he wants out of life. Success. Stability. Control. That’s why he joined the Marines and that’s why he’s fighting his way — literally — through college. Now that he’s got the rest of his life on track, he has one last conquest: Grace Sullivan. But since he was the one who stopped writing, he knows that winning her back will be his biggest battle yet.

Unspoken (2013) - Amazon

Whore. Slut. Typhoid Mary. 

I've been called all these at Central College. One drunken night, one act of irresponsible behavior, and my reputation was ruined. Guys labeled me as easy and girls shied away. To cope, I stayed away from Central social life and away from Central men, so why is it that my new biology lab partner is so irresistible to me?

He's everything I shouldn't want. A former Marine involved in illegal fighting with a quick trigger temper and an easy smile for all the women. His fists aren't the danger to me, though, it's his charm. He's sliding his way into my heart and I'm afraid that he's going to be the one to break me.

Impulsive. Unthinking. Hot tempered. 

I allow instinct to rule my behavior. If it feels good, do it, has been my motto because if I spend too much time thinking, I'll begin to remember exactly where I came from. At Central College, I've got fighting and I've got women and I thought I was satisfied until I met her. 

She's everything I didn't realize I wanted and the more time I spend with her, the more I want her. But she's been hurt too much in the past and I don't want to be the one to break her. I know I should walk away, but I just can't.

Unraveled (2014) - Amazon

Twenty-five-year-old Sgt. Gray Phillips is at a crossroads in his life: stay in the Marine Corps or get out and learn to be a civilian? He’s got forty-five days of leave to make up his mind but the people in his life aren’t making the decision any easier. His dad wants him to get out; his grandfather wants him to stay in. And his growing feelings for Sam Anderson are wreaking havoc with his heart…and his mind. He believes relationships get ruined when a Marine goes on deployment. So now he’s got an even harder decision to make: take a chance on Sam or leave love behind and give his all to the Marines.

Twenty-two year old Samantha Anderson lost her husband to an IED in Afghanistan just two months after their vows. Two years later, Sam is full of regrets—that she didn’t move with her husband to Alaska; that she allowed her friends to drift away; that she hasn’t taken many chances in life. Now, she’s met Gray and taking a risk on this Marine could be her one opportunity to feel alive and in love again. But how can she risk her heart on another military man who could share the same tragic fate as her husband?

Unrequited (January 2015)

I fell in love with New Adult sometime in the summer of 2012. I didn't even know it wasn't until I was missing in my life until I began reading about young college students falling in love and I find their place in the world. As I was reading the stories I realized I had of my own to tell.

The time in your life following graduation from high school is a shocking period. You are expected to know everything but know nothing. You are expected to be responsible for managing loans, rent checks, utility bills, nights out with your friends with very little prior experience. You are expected to make lifelong decisions about your future in the space of less time than it takes bake a cake for that magical 18th birthday.

Is it no wonder that it is a period of time in which individuals are fraught with anxiety and high emotion? I think not.

I remember the lazy days of college very well where I was convinced that I belonged with no one and fit in no place. Yet it was during those years of searching both outside myself and inside, that I learned who I wanted to be even if it took years after to become that person.

When I sat down to tell the story of the five young men who live in the posh development called The Woodlands, I wanted to capture that time in all of our lives where we are both uncertain but tremendously brave; where we are both longing for love but afraid of it too; where we are open minded to change and open hearted to others; where we form lifelong passions and goals that shape our futures forever. 

In fiction, we authors are allowed to create our own stories. Individuals magically learned their life lessons and perform that magical act of growing up within the space of 90,000 words or less. They are transformed by the people that they encounter and the experiences they endure.

While their life is microwaved, or heated up in a short amount of time as opposed to the crockpot slow cooking of our real lives, there is something both tragic and hopeful about reading the loves and lives of these newly minted adults.

About Jen Frederick:

Website : Facebook : Twitter : Goodreads

Jen Frederick lives with her husband, child, and one rambunctious dog.  She's been reading stories all her life but never imagined writing one of her own. Jen loves to hear from readers so drop her a line at jen@jenfrederick.com.

Buy links: AMZN : BN : Kobo : Apple : Smashwords