Thursday, October 25, 2012

BLOG TOUR - Fate Fixed by Bonnie Erina Wheeler +Giveaway




Welcome, Bonnie! How did you come up with the idea for Fate Fixed? Were there any real people that influenced the character’s personalities?

So often I am asked where the idea for Fate Fixed came from. It is an answer that many find surprising. Two years ago my teen daughter, Miranda, was very ill and hospitalized for an extended period of time. She was so sick that she could not tolerate any sounds from TV, conversation or music. I spent hours reading while she slept. That time allowed me to remember how much I enjoyed writing as a child.

Although I hadn’t written in years, I decided to write a novel that Miranda would enjoy. I knew she loved YA paranormal romance and I did too, so I crafted my Erris Coven characters. Once I knew them, the idea for Fate Fixed came. Instantly I fell in love with Torin and Lexie and realized that I had to finish the novel even if I was afraid to do it. As soon as Miranda was feeling better, I gave her the manuscript. I was so afraid she would laugh me out of her room, but to my surprise, she loved it.

There are a few characters with personalities like my Erris Coven characters.  Theo may only be a minor character, but he is greatly inspired by one of my daughter’s best friends.  Both Theo and his real-life counterpart are fiercely loyal and always funny.  There will be more of Theo in the upcoming novels.

Another character that is based in reality is Courtney Parsons. I think most people go through high school with at least one person that leaves them feeling self-conscious and embarrassed.  Usually a classroom antagonist has something going on in their life that explains away their unsavory behavior, hence, the idea for Courtney’s character.




Title: Fate Fixed
Series: An Erris Coven Novel - Book One
Author: Bonnie Erina Wheeler
Published: Self Published – July 2011
Word Count: 58,000
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

Synopsis:
When Lexie Anderson’s mother suddenly announces she is marrying a Romanian immigrant, Lexie willingly leaves behind her busy life in Connecticut for her penance in the "Moose Capital of the World.” Small town living is strange enough, now Lexie must cope with her overbearing stepfamily monitoring her every move. They disappear into the woods at night and keep a strange secret locked in their shed. Her once calm mother is now having violent outbursts and Lexie’s little sister is hearing sinister sounds coming from the forest behind their new home. Lexie’s biggest surprise comes when she discovers the boy she has been dreaming about since her accident is living in Maine. Despite Torin’s questionable reputation, Lexie cannot resist the physical and emotional attraction pulsating between them. Animals and people in town are turning up dead and Lexie learns the strange new world she lives in has real life monsters. Just when she decides she wants to be with Torin forever, she must fight to protect her mother and sister from being harmed by a formidable evil.


About the Author:

BONNIE ERINA WHEELER is a lifelong resident of New England and a University of Connecticut student. 

Having grown up in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, Bonnie discovered her love of writing early on, but did not begin writing novels until May 2011. As the daughter of author, Glen William Ruane, storytelling and world building is a family affair. Bonnie’s daughter, Miranda E. L. Wheeler and son, Robert D. Wheeler, share in the family’s passion and have both published in the last twelve months. 

When not in class or working on her next novel, Bonnie enjoys spending time with her husband, Jerry. Together the two have been writing their own special love story since marrying in April of 1995. Their children Miranda, Justin, and Bobby give them great joy. Their family is made complete with the addition of Petey, a Spanish water dog, they adopted from their local pound. 

Bonnie’s plans for the future include writing more novels in the Erris Coven Series, as well as, writing several contemporary young adult novels that have been in development for some time.

                                Amazon Author Page | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads | Blog



Synopsis for Blood Twist: An Erris Coven Novel Book Two

From Bonnie Erina Wheeler, the author who brought you Fate Fixed, comes the second installment in the Erris Coven Series, Blood Twist

Braden Murphy knew he was going to die. There was a twist to his family secret – one that was forced upon him from the time he was a child. For years he envisioned his final days and tried to be strong enough to leave his family. Now that it was time, he was ready to make good on a deadly promise. Except for one unexpected glitch, a raven haired beauty insisted on joining him. 

Liz Sanders thought her best friend’s stepfamily was weird, but she never would have guessed they were werewolves. Now Liz must travel with a secretive half-vampire in search of a lycanthropy cure. Landing in a nest full of blood thirsty vampires wasn’t on the agenda, but neither was falling in love.

Braden is tempting, but Liz’s feelings for him are complicated. She wishes he would open up about his past and give her a reason to trust him. Just when Liz thinks she can let her guard down, she’s forced to confront the evil that has been stalking Braden’s past for years. Death is here and ready to destroy everything they've fought to save.

Fate Fixed by Bonnie Erina Wheeler Tour Schedule:
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Wednesday, October 24, 2012

BLOG TOUR - Something of a Kind by Miranda Wheeler




Why I Write YA & What Made Me Go Indie 
– Guest Post by Miranda Wheeler

Whether or not I wanted to write YA wasn’t a question from me. Young Adult is easily 90% of what I read for entertainment, and has been since I discovered a love for reading in the beginning of middle school. That being said, being sixteen myself, part of me feels that no one understands what it is like to be a teenager than a teenager. Those younger haven’t experienced it, and as one ages, there are inevitable distortions. Besides where my place as a writer came in, there are several elements I really love about YA. Not only is it crafted for an age group I most intimately relate with at this point in my life, but it also has clear differences from other genres. In a purely YA novel, there is little obscenities – the profanity is kept at a minimum (which I have always found to be more effective), any present gore is rarely nauseating, and in most cases, there is no sexual content  present – and if it is, it is not overtly graphic. The writer is also simpler – despite a clever darling here and there, it does not get tangled and worn with hackneyed prose like some adult novels – whilst at the same time, the intelligence level of the protagonists, or at least narrator, does not underestimate the reader (which seems pretty common in middle grade, although there are a variety of exceptions). The most important thing for me, however, was the hope. YA readers do not settle with unsatisfied – and rarely indulge in a tragedy. They want a character to fight for something they believe in, to overcome, to fight the odds, to complete the development arc, to deal with gritty things in the most human (or inhuman) ways. There is something mystifying about trying one’s best to deliver that.

Going the indie route was a less black and white decision. My mother is an indie YA paranormal romance author (Bonnie Erina Wheeler of The Erris Coven Series), and it’s fair to say I’m tech support. She’s a smartie – learning as she goes and getting quicker and more independent – but from the beginning I did a lot of assistance in figuring out the publication websites, formatting into templates, and aside from one presently purchased from an artist she wasn’t satisfied with, I’ve done the majority of her covers. She, of course, kept me updated on all of her review processes and what she was learning, and at some point I found myself with a Facebook friends list and a mass of Twitter followers filled with people from the indie world. The most influential pro in going indie was that I knew how to do it, and I had an idea of what to expect. At the same time, I’ve previously been published with short stories in formal magazines and the like, and also through my mother, I know a few people who are actively involved in the traditional publishing industry (those who vehemently are against the indie movements). I’m addicted to literary magazines that boast the importance of a low-residency MFA program and traditional publication (indie isn’t not even on their radar) like Poets&Writers. I’ve read books filled with interviews with agents and publishers cover to cover. Then there’s the satistics. Something around 2% of querying authors get picked up by an agent, and the majority of the 98% are never read. In the traditional world, we hear of Christopher Paolinis and Alexandra Adornettos, but most agents and trad-pub authors frown upon publishing youth. Inevitably, though, there’s something about the indie that really gets to me: it’s rising, it’s the underdog, and it’s scaring the willies off the publishers. There’s something here, in this business, that hasn’t even been tapped – it’s the iceberg that took down the Titanic, and we don’t even have a clue what’s under the water at this point. Why not go indie?

Connect with Miranda Wheeler
 Amazon     Facebook     Twitter    GoodReads     Blog


About Miranda Wheeler
A current high school student, 16-year-old author Miranda Wheeler lives with her loving family in her hometown of Torrington, Connecticut. An avid reader, she’s been whipping through books and producing novel-length projects (though none published prior to Something Of A Kind) from the early age of eleven. Having previously released short stories, some published in magazines such as TeenInk and others via “indie” mediums, she has many plans of continuing to write, as well as pursuing other passions and an eventual teaching career. While the official cover is a work in progress and the title won’t be released until the promotional media is obtained, several other projects are in the works: a YA steampunk novella, a YA paranormal romance, and a YA sci-fi-series, in addition to unofficial talks of a Something Of A Kind sequel.

Buy the Book
                                          Amazon    GoodReads    Smashwords


About Something of a Kind
As a 17-year-old artist, Alyson Glass had her future mapped – she’d go to art school, study in Paris, and eventually make enough bank to support her single mother. The trouble is, things don’t always go as planned – especially a sneak attack of stage-four ovarian cancer.

Suddenly motherless and court-ordered to move in with her estranged father, Aly’s forced to leave behind her New York hometown for the oddities of Alaska. Ashland seems like cruel and unusual punishment – at least until her dad ditches her at a local restaurant and she crashes into a super-hot, guitar-playing diner-boy with a horrific home life.

Noah Locklear is used to waiting – waiting for his shift to end, waiting until his drunkard parents go to bed, and waiting for the day he can get his sister away from their dysfunctional family. The summer before senior year, the elusive researchers that ruthlessly pry into Ashland’s history shatter a final cord with Noah’s abusive father, one of the town’s elders. Unfortunately, as far as his parents are concerned, the new girl who’s changing everything belongs to the outsiders. With their relationship increasingly forbidden, the struggle of knowing who to trust reveals that nothing is what it seems.

As Aly encourages Noah to investigate the legends he’d always written off as stories, they uncover the one thing their fathers can agree on: there’s something in the woods.


Something Of A Kind by Miranda Wheeler Tour Schedule:

Monday, October 22, 2012

Shadow of the Mark Cover Reveal & Giveaway





SHADOW OF THE MARK 
by Leigh Fallon



About the Book
Life for Megan Rosenberg just got a lot more complicated.

While she evoked the air element, and her feelings for Adam intensified, a web of lies, deceit, and betrayal has been spun around  her.  With the Order tightening its hold, and the reinstatement of the Mark Knights, Megan has more questions than  answers as the Marked Ones grow in strength.

New people arouse suspicion, the DeRises start behaving strangely, and Megan begins to unravel a destiny shrouded in mystery.   It's a destiny the Order has struggled to hide, and a destiny someone from the past, far in the past, has already laid claim to.

Alliances will be made, and friends will be lost, as the Order's dark secrets are revealed by the very thing they sought to destroy.


About Leigh Fallon
Find Leigh Fallon on Facebook
I started out life in South Africa. A year later my parents moved home to Dublin, Ireland. When I was older and realized my parents had moved me from exotic Durban, to sedate Rathfarnham, Dublin 16, I was rightly ticked off.

Giving up lions for sheep, I grew up in the foothills of the Dublin Mountains where I went to a convent school and had to contend with uniforms, gabardines, and nuns. When not dodging the beady glare of  the Sisters of Mercy, I was devouring every book I could get my hands on.

I traveled all over Europe while working in banking and treasury, but I gave up my calculator in favor of a keyboard and haven't stopped writing since. My first book, Carrier of the Mark, was published by HarperTeen in 2011.

Our home is in Cork in the south of Ireland, but we're currently on loan to Massachusetts in the US where I continue to write books about  magic, ghosts, and romance, with a bit of Irish flavor.


Learn more about Leigh Fallon on her website
Keep up with her and The Shadow of the Mark Series on Twitter and Facebook





As if the Cover Reveal wasn't enough, 
Leigh has also been gracious enough to offer a 


SHADOW OF THE MARK GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Review: Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon

RATING: ✮✮✮✮✮
ABOUT THE BOOK

Their love was meant to be.

When Megan Rosenberg moves to Ireland, everything in her life seems to fall into place. After growing up in America, she's surprised to find herself feeling at home in her new school. She connects with a group of friends, and she is instantly drawn to darkly handsome Adam DeRÍs.

But Megan is about to discover that her feelings for Adam are tied to a fate that was sealed long ago—and that the passion and power that brought them together could be their ultimate destruction











Buy the Book:

Amazon     




REVIEW: 

After the loss of her mother and several cities later, Megan's dad secures a job in Ireland. Getting used to a new school is one thing, but getting used to a new country is a whole other ball game for Megan. 

To her surprise, the cutest boy in school, Adam DeRís, has clearly noticed Megan from day one, but he avoids her at all cost. Things get a little weird when Megan's friends warn her to steer clear from Adam and his "cursed" family. But will Megan listen to their advice and ignore the strong attraction she feels for him?

Alone and on her way to a party one night, Megan is aggressively bullied by two of her classmates. Her fear releases something within her of which she was not aware. Now Megan must make a decision that concerns her life and the boy she's fallen in love with - Adam. 

In this wonderful tale, Leigh Fallon has managed to capture the vivid images of beautiful Ireland and its culture. The characters and world that the author has created in this story are realistic and unique and leave the reader pleasantly filled with the magic of her words. Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon is an elemental read, by all definitions of the word "elemental".







Connect with Leigh Fallon:


Twitter     Facebook     Website


ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

I started out life in South Africa. A year later
my parents moved home to Dublin, Ireland. When I was older and realized my
parents had moved me from exotic Durban, to sedate Rathfarnham, Dublin 16, I
was rightly ticked off.

Giving up lions for sheep, I grew up in the foothills of
the Dublin Mountains where I went to a convent school and had to contend with
uniforms, gabardines, and nuns. When not dodging the beady glare of  the Sisters
of Mercy, I was devouring every book I could get my hands on.

I traveled all over Europe while working in banking and
treasury, but I gave up my calculator in favor of a keyboard and haven?t
stopped writing since. My first book, Carrier of the Mark, was published by
HarperTeen in 2011.

Our home is in Cork in the south of Ireland, but we're currently on loan
to Massachusetts in the US where I continue to write books about  magic, ghosts,
and romance, with a bit of Irish flavor.


Coming in 2013 
from HarperTeen


Shadow of the Mark
by Leigh Fallon


*Available for Pre-Order on Amazon