Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Fight or Flight Blog Tour and Giveaway!

I'm proud to be part of the blog tour promoting Jamie Canosa's new book, Fight or Flight!

Be smart.
Keep your head down.
And look out for number one.

These are the rules Jay has lived by for the past two years. The rules of surviving life on the streets. But when Em comes bursting into his life, in all of her disastrous glory, the rules go right out the window.
Survive.
Flee what’s been left behind.
And never look back.

Em’s plan was simple. Though, it was easier said than done. The city streets are dangerous and unforgiving to a new arrival. Especially, a seventeen year old girl who’s never known anything but life in the suburbs. Sometimes, however, what’s lurking behind those white picket fences can be more frightening than any dark alley.

Both of them made the same decision when life got overwhelming—to run from their demons. Brought together by fate or circumstance, Em and Jay find the kind of love neither of them ever expected. But when those demons come back to haunt them and their love is on the line, which instincts will they choose to follow this time . . . Fight or Flight?

*Warning: This story includes mature language and themes, and is intended for mature audiences.

Book Links:





Jamie Canosa is a full time author of YA literature, which she absolutely loves. When she’s not writing or spending time with her family, she can usually be found with her nose in a book. She currently resides in Upstate NY with her husband, and their three crazy kids . . . plus the dog, the bird, and the rabbit.

Her debut novel, Dissidence, was published in 2012 along with several novellas, including the first in her Heart and Soul series, Temptation.

Connect with her:




a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Book review: If I Stay by Gayle Forman

I realize many of my blog readers have already read this book, since it's been out since 2009 and was a #1 bestseller. But I just finished it today and have to share.

In the blink of an eye everything changes. Seventeen ­year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall what happened afterwards, watching her own damaged body being taken from the wreck.

Little by little she struggles to put together the pieces- to figure out what she has lost, what she has left, and the very difficult choice she must make.

Heartwrenchingly beautiful, this will change the way you look at life, love, and family. Mia's story will stay with you for a long, long time.




Damn it. I told myself I wasn't going to cry. I knew this was an emotional book, so before I started reading, I erected a wall of distance between me and the book to ensure it wouldn't hurt me. And, to its credit, this book didn't bang against my wall, demanding to be let in. Instead, it seeped, little by little, bit by bit.

Foreman's words are so subtle, so understated, that they snuck in through the cracks of my carefully constructed defenses and now I am drowning in all these feels. My feels are scattered across my room and I can't wrestle them back into place. They're out there and it's not pretty.

Adam. I love how he's not perfect, how they have troubles, how life has pulled them in different directions, but the depth of his love, of his devotion, of how he *gets* her, it nailed me.

Thank you, Gayle Forman, for a truly beautiful work of art that doesn't stand up and shout, "Look at me! I'm amazing!" It doesn't have to. It just is.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to finish ugly crying.

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Between on sale for 99 cents!

To celebrate the cover reveal of Even In Darkness (and the upcoming release on April 1st), I've decided to drop the price of Between to 99 cents. Now is a great time to tell your friends about it and get them hooked on the Scottish hotness that is Aiden MacRae! Amazon has the lower price already and the rest of the sites will be updating soon!

Friday, March 8, 2013

Even In Darkness Cover Reveal & Giveaway!


Isn't it beautiful??? *blissful sigh*

Huge thanks to Dave Farrell from Woulds & Shoulds Editing and Design who has designed all the covers for the Between series. He's a very talented guy and I highly recommend him if you're in the market for an awesome cover. :)

Here's the book blurb from Goodreads:

I thought it was over, that all our troubles were behind us.

We had a fairytale castle wedding surrounded by family and friends. Aiden wore a dress kilt, looking so handsome it made my heart squeeze, and I floated on air in a white version of the ball gown he’d cast for me in Versailles. Flower girl, ring bearer, Scottish ceilidh afterward—check, check, and check. It was perfect.

We were supposed to live happily ever after.

But that was before I walked in to find another woman in his bed, a demon with blood red eyes who’d disguised herself as me in order to get what she wanted most: a child from a heaven transporter.

And it was in that moment—watching my entire world crumble to the ground—that I knew.

This was not over. Not by a long shot.

***

If you missed the first chapter reveal of the book earlier, you can find it on the Aiden's Angels fan site here.

And to celebrate the cover reveal of Even In Darkness, let's do an international giveaway! Help spread the word about the hot Scot we all know and love and you could win a signed copy of Even In Darkness when it comes out. The release date for the ebook will be on April 1st, with the print version following shortly thereafter.

I am so excited to share the book with all of Aiden's Angels!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Author Spotlight: Carrie Secor

I have the honor of hosting new YA author, Carrie Secor, on the blog today. She's written a great post about the importance of being in balance, and she's even providing a chance for you to win a copy of her book, Tell. How cool is that??


Love ties them together. Death can't tear them apart.

Senior Cadie Dawson has just been named editor of the school’s literary magazine. She hasn’t written anything decent since her breakup with Tom last year. She’s a little surprised, and a lot conflicted, to find new inspiration in Shane, a guy who runs in a completely different social circle and also happens to be her best friend’s brother.

Sophomore Melody Dawson has been friends with Andy for so many years, she’s never really known anything else. Lately she’s been wondering what it would be like to take their relationship to the next level. When she tries to build up the courage to take the risk and tell him, she finds herself facing the prospect of life without him.

Welcome to small-town Pennsylvania, where everybody lives within a stone’s throw of everybody else, and the rumor mill is the prevailing force in every high school student’s life. Relationships change, people move away, and friendships are tested, all within the privacy of a very public school. You might bluff or you might fold, but once the cards are dealt, everyone has a tell.


Balanced, i.e. "Why I Love Accounting" 

 I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. In Tell, Cadie is asked what she wants to do with the rest of her life, and her response is nearly identical to what mine was in high school: “I want to write. But I can hardly do that right away. I’ll probably pursue something in editing or publishing until I can get published myself.”

 Or, teaching English. Of course, we all know how well that panned out. I loved the idea of having a positive influence on students, as so many of my teachers had on me, but when I was working toward my education degree, I found nothing less appealing than the thought of having to go back to high school, even as an educator. Do you know how early those people have to get up in the morning? I know that school starts so early so it can be finished early so kids can do extracurricular activities and then eventually spend time with their families, but seriously, the thought of having to be somewhere that early in the morning makes me physically ill anymore. I can’t believe we force kids to do that.

 I bounced around with degrees. Education was a no-go. I took a year off from school to consider my options. The only thing I knew after being off from school for a year was that I could not be a waitress for the rest of my life, so I went back to school with less of a clue than I had the first time, declaring my major as general studies. After a semester, I thought, “Maybe I could be a business major.” After all, I’d always liked playing Monopoly and Zapitalism. (You can play Zapitalism too, at http://www.zapitalism.com.) I took one accounting class over that summer and enjoyed it. In my second accounting class, my professor was passing back our first tests when he stopped at my desk and asked me if I was an accounting major. 

“No,” I said.

 “You should be,” he answered, handing back my exam, on which I’d gotten a 108%.

 Well, okey-dokey then.

 I was an accounting major the last three semesters. It was the longest standing relationship I had with any major. Accounting was the degree that stuck. I still thought that accounting would be a means to an end. I was writing Tell, and that was the end goal, wasn’t it? To get published. I was still just working until I could have success as an author, and then I wouldn’t have to work at a “real” job anymore. Nobody dreams of growing up to be an accountant. I was going to be an author.

 Here’s the kicker that nobody (least of all me) was expecting: I actually really like accounting. Legitimately and a lot.

 Do you know what the symbol for accounting is? A yin-yang. I found that out my senior year, when ordering class rings, because you can get the symbol for your major inscribed on the ring. I saw that accounting was a yin-yang and I thought, “Lawd, how stupid.” Well, if you’ve seen me, you might have noticed that I now have a yin-yang tattoo on my wrist, not just because of its association with accounting, but because of what it represents. The reason accounting has yin-yang as its symbol is because of one word: balance. For every debit, there is an equal credit. If you are out of balance (or OOB, as we like to call it), you cannot go any further. Well, I like to live my life that way too. Balanced.

 I have “Accounting” mode: DEBITS | CREDITS | ALLOCATION | ACCRUAL | RECONCILIATION | EXCEL | AUDIT | FINANCIAL STATEMENTS | GENERAL LEDGER

 I have “Author” mode: WRITE | EDIT | PROOFREAD | DAYDREAM | BLOG | PROOFREAD | TALK TO MYSELF IN THE MIRROR ABOUT MY CHARACTERS | GOODREADS | PROOFREAD AGAIN

 I have “Faith” mode: PRAYER | SERVICE | REFLECTION | SELF-IMPROVEMENT

 I have “Girlfriend” mode: [EXPLICIT CONTENT BLOCKED BY YOUR BROWSER]

 I also have “Vegetate” mode: EAT CHEEZ-ITS | PLAY WITH CAT | DRINK WINE | CARDS AGAINST HUMANITY | EARTHBOUND ON SNES | FAILBOOK

 I feel balanced. I like that I spend my days at the office and then can come home and write. When I start getting OOB errors, I can adjust a little bit, reorganize myself, until things get balanced again. The life of a full-time writer was not for me. My heart also belongs to another.

Follow Carrie Secor on her blog and enter the giveaway below!

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/062ad51/


Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Even In Darkness Cover Reveal This Friday!

The gorgeous cover for Even in Darkness, the third book in the Between series, will be revealed this Friday, March 8th. Aiden's Angels across the globe are coming together to share the cover and spread the love of Aiden MacRae.

*does dance of joy*

If you want to be part of the excitement, email me at cynditefft at gmail dawt cohm (see how sneaky I am? LOL) and I will hook you up!

You're gonna love the new cover, peeps. And the release of the book is coming up really soon! April 1st will be here before you know it...

Monday, March 4, 2013

Did You Get The Email??

I sent out an exciting email to Aiden's Angels about the Even In Darkness cover reveal and what comes after. Did you get the email? If not, click here to sign up for the Aiden's Angels mailing list!