Book Giveaway: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

I'm giving away a brand new copy of Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. To enter leave a comment along with your email address. Open to U.S. only. The winner will be announced on July 30th.

Comic Book Giveaway

I'm giving away 5 comics to 1 winner. Each comic will come with a bag and a board. To enter leave a comment along with your email address. Open to US & Canada. The winner will be announced on July 30th.

Comics include:
Harley Quinn and Suicide Squad #1
Avengers: The Enemy Within #1
Batman: Night of the Monster Men #1
Star Wars C-3PO (one-shot)
Spawn: The Dark Ages #18

Upcoming Giveaways...

So, I forgot to do a Giveaway for Free Comic Book Day in May and June for my Blogoversary. So, in July keep a look out for 2 different giveaways.

Funko Pop! Giveaway

It's almost the end of summer and thought a giveaway is in order. I'm giving away 3 Funko Pops to one lucky winner. 

To enter leave a comment along with your email address. This giveaway is open to U.S. & Canada. The winner will be announced on September 3rd. Good Luck!

Included in the package:
-Harley Quinn Funko Pop
-Peter Pan Funko Pop
-Venom Funko Pop
Plus a few mystery items.

Giveaway: Box of Graphic Novels, Comic Books & Funko Pops

May 5th was Free Comic Book Day... in celebration I'm giving away some graphic novels and a bunch of comics.

To enter leave a comment along with your email address. This giveaway is open to U.S. & Canada. The winner will be announced on June 1st. 

Included in the box:
Guardians of the Galaxy: Guardians of Infinity (Graphic Novel)
All-New All-Different Avengers Vol. 1: The Magnificent Seven (Graphic Novel)
Domino #1
Batwoman #13
X-Men Blue #1
Green Arrow #22: The Rise of Star City
Ben Reilly: The Scarlet Witch #1
Doomsday Clock #1
Black Bolt #1
Convergence #5
Rocket #1
Harley Quinn #1 (one-shot)


Plus 2 mystery Funko Pops
and a few other mystery items

Blogoversary Giveaway - Celebrating 10 Years

June 1st marked my 10th year blogging. It don't seem like it has been 10 years. When I started out I had no real plan for the blog, but to share my love of the books I was reading.  I want to thank the readers who still stop by, the blogger community and the authors.

For this years giveaway, I have two of my favorite books to giveaway. 

I'm giving away Dead Until Dark which was my favorite book when I first
started blogging and my favorite book from the last year, The Casquette Girls.

To enter leave a comment along with your email address. Open to US/CA
The winner will be announced on June 30th. Good Luck!

Giveaway: Graphic Novel/Comic Books Prize Pack

Welcome to my annual Graphic Novel/Comic Giveaway!  I'm giving away a box
full of geeky goodies.

Below are pictures of some of the items that will be in the box.
To enter leave a comment along with your email address. Open to U.S. resident.
Winner will be announced on May 18th

• Jyn Erso Funko Pop (Target Exclusive)
• Oswald Cobblepot Funko Pop
• Harley Quinn's Greatest Hits Graphic Novel
• Outcast Vol. 1 Graphic Novel
• A-Force Presents Vol. 1 Graphic Novel
• Teen Titans Issue #24: When Titans Fall
• Ms. Marvel Issue #8
• American Gods Issue #1
• Star Wars The Force Awakens Issue #1
• Trinity Issue #1
• Plus More comis
• and a mystery items

Christmas Giveaway: 3 Books, 3 Winners

Welcome to my Christmas Giveaway!  I'm giving 3 Books away and I'll be picking 3 winners.

The books up for grabs are:

Star Wars: Before the Awakening by Greg Rucka
Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison
Viking Warrior Rising by Asa Maria Bradley

To enter leave a comment of which book you'd like to win along with your email address. Open to U.S & Canada. The winners will be announced on January 6th.

Spotlight & Giveaway: Paper Dolls Fashion Workshop by Norma J. Burnell

Paper Dolls Fashion Workshop

More than 40 inspiring designs, projects and ideas. For creating your own paper doll fashions.

By Norma J. Burnell

Out Now

Paper Dolls Fashion Workshop offers budding fashionistas a fashion-forward style lookbook of prompts, tips, and expert instruction as they learn to make their own paper dolls and paper doll wardrobes. Beginning with an overview of basic tools and materials, techniques, and embellishments, readers will embark on a creative journey through a variety of patterns and projects that teach them how to turn their own doodles, tangles, and designs into fabulous fashion looks and accessories - specifically for the purpose of creating their own paper dolls. With reusable doll models and blank clothing templates, artists will enjoy endless paper doll fun. From basics and sleepwear to dresses and outerwear, savvy style mavens will find an abundance of fashion-forward inspiration encouraging them to create their own designs, while a section on career, costume, and haute couture paper doll clothing inspires artists to let their imagination run free.


Giveaway
Thanks to Quarto Publishing Group , I have a copy of Paper Dolls Fashion Workshop to giveaway. To enter leave a comment along with your email address. Open to U.S. Residents. The winner will be announced on November 25th.

Giveaway: Adult Coloring Book - Atlantis

I'm giving away a copy of the Atlantis: Anti-Stress Coloring Book. Published by White Star, 96 pages.

To enter, leave a comment along with your email address. Open to U.S. residents. The winner will be announced on September 22nd. Good Luck!

Cover Reveal + Giveaway: The Secret Lives of Rockstars By Suzanne Lazear

Title: The Secret Lives of Rockstars: Book One
Author: Suzanne Lazear
Publisher: Leap Books
Genre: New Adult Elf Punk, Urban Fantasy
Release Date: September 26, 2016

Blurb: Saving the world, one tour stop at a time.

Eighteen-year-old Bitsy Butler has never quite fit in, not with the dragons who raised her, the druid who took her in, or even with the non-human members of the cirque noir punk band she thinks of as family. Her chance to prove she can make it on her own comes with her band's first big solo tour. It’s all going according to plan when an angel walks into a bar and demands help with his demon problem.

If she doesn't step up, a magical war will break out, threatening Arizona and all those who call it home. With the help of a human, a sexy dragon, and the members of her band, Bitsy must stop an angry mob of chaos demons before the band leaves for their next tour stop.

It’s nice to be needed, but Bitsy has no idea how to defeat the demons and she just might get herself killed trying. But then, at least one problem would be solved...

Fitting in doesn’t matter if you’re dead.

GoodReads | Amazon | Smashwords

Excerpt from The Secret Lives of Rockstars:

“I’m Jake, Jake Messenger. I’d like to speak with you alone, if you please.”

          My blood ran cold and everything around us ceased to exist. “Why?”

          But I knew. There was only one reason why one of the Grigori would seek me

out. Somehow celestials just knew when someone could work gates properly,

especially the angels who walked the Earth. Anyone could make gates, but it took a

linewalker to work them without it being suicide. Linewalker wasn’t a race, but an

inherent ability. One I had.

          Also, if the celestials – the angels, demons, and the like – needed help from outsiders, things were very bad. The kind which ended in running, screaming, and death.

          I so didn’t need this right now. 

 About Suzanne Lazear:
Suzanne Lazear spins tales of the fantastic. She’s the author of the New Adult Elfpunk The Secret Lives of Rockstars (Leap Books) and the YA dark fairytale steampunk series The Aether Chronicles (Flux). Suzanne lives in Southern California with her daughter and husband where she’s trying to make tiny dragons out of wool. One day she’ll actually create a working cupcake cannon.


Visit Suzanne on Twitter, Facebook, and her website.

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Miss Peregrine Totebag Giveaway

June marks the 5 year anniversary release of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Rigg.  Thanks to Quirk Books I have a Miss Peregrine Tote (below) to giveaway.

To Enter: Leave a comment along with your email address. Open to US/CA. The winner will be announced on June 20th.

Front & Back

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

By Ransom Riggs

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of curious photographs.

A horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

Learn more about Quirk Books Miss Peregrine Contest... here

Comic Books/Graphic Novel Giveaway

Tomorrow is Free Comic Book Day. In Celebration of the day I have prize pack of a few items up for Grabs.

 Prize Pack Includes:
Deadpool T-shirt (Large)
The Flash Pop Vinyl Figure
Black Widow Vol. 1: The Finely Woven Thread (GN)
Marvel Knights: Fantastic Four Vol. 4 (GN)
Harley Quinn Annual 2014 #1
Original Sins #3
Gotham by Midnight #1
Invincible Iron-Man #1

To enter leave a comment along with your email address.
Open to U.S. Residents.  The winner will be announced on May 13th!


Learn more about Free Comic Book Day here.

Spotlight + Giveaway: The Return of the Witch by Paula Brackston

The Return of the Witch
By Paula Brackston

Standalone sequel to The Witch's Daughter

After five years in the Summerlands, Gideon has gained his freedom. Elizabeth knows he will go straight for Tegan, and that she must protect the girl she had come to regard as her own daughter. In the time since she the dramatic night in Batchcombe woods, Tegan has traveled the world learning from all manner of witches, and she is no longer the awkward teenager and novice spellcaster she once was. However, her skills are no match for Gideon's dark, vengeful power, and he succeeds in capturing her. Will Elizabeth be able to find her? Will they be able to defeat their nemesis once and for all?

In a breathless journey that takes them through history to the 17th and 19th centuries, witch pursues warlock. Three people steeped in magic weave a new story, but not all will survive until the end.

Author Links:
Website | Facebook | Twitter

Buy Links:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | The Book Depository

GIVEAWAY
Thanks to St. Martin's Press, I have 3 copies of The Return of the Witch to giveaway. To enter leave a comment along with your email address. Open to U.S. & Canada. The winners will be announced on  March 17th.

Release Blitz + Giveaway: First American Daughter by Laura Kamoie & Stephanie Dray

About AMERICA’S FIRST DAUGHTER:

In a compelling, richly researched novel that draws from thousands of letters and original sources, bestselling authors Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie tell the fascinating, untold story of Thomas Jefferson’s eldest daughter, Martha “Patsy” Jefferson Randolph—a woman who kept the secrets of our most enigmatic founding father and shaped an American legacy.

From her earliest days, Patsy Jefferson knows that though her father loves his family dearly, his devotion to his country runs deeper still. As Thomas Jefferson’s oldest daughter, she becomes his helpmate, protector, and constant companion in the wake of her mother’s death, traveling with him when he becomes American minister to France.

It is in Paris, at the glittering court and among the first tumultuous days of revolution, that fifteen-year-old Patsy learns about her father’s troubling liaison with Sally Hemings, a slave girl her own age. Meanwhile, Patsy has fallen in love—with her father’s protégé William Short, a staunch abolitionist and ambitious diplomat. Torn between love, principles, and the bonds of family, Patsy questions whether she can choose a life as William’s wife and still be a devoted daughter.

Her choice will follow her in the years to come, to Virginia farmland, Monticello, and even the White House. And as scandal, tragedy, and poverty threaten her family, Patsy must decide how much she will sacrifice to protect her father's reputation, in the process defining not just his political legacy, but that of the nation he founded.

EXCERPT

It was my haste that made me stumble halfway down the stairs. Only a wild, wrenching grasp at the carved wooden rail saved me from a broken neck. Alas, the heavy fall of my feet echoed up the staircase and drew my father from his rooms.

“Patsy?” he called, peering over the bannister.

I froze, breathless, my belly roiling with shock and anger and revulsion. I ought to have pretended that I didn’t hear him say my name. I ought to have hurried on, leaving him with only the sight of my back. I ought never to have looked up at him over my shoulder.

But I did look up.

There on the landing my father loomed tall, a tendril of his ginger hair having come loose from its ribbon, his shirt worn without its neck cloth, the stark white linen setting off more vividly the red flush that crept up his throat. Was it shame for his behavior with Sally or . . . ardor?

On the heels of giving witness to his behavior, the thought was so excruciatingly horrifying that heat swept over me, leaving me to wish I’d burn away to dust.

“Are you hurt?” Papa asked, hoarsely.

I couldn’t reply, my mouth too filled with the bitter taste of bile. Finally, I forced a shake of my head.

He glanced back to the door, then back at me, his hand half-covering his mouth. “Were—were you at my door just now?”

“No,” I whispered, as much as I could manage under my suffocating breathlessness. And how dare he ask if I’d been at his door when neither of us could bear the honest answer? Even if Papa didn’t know what I’d seen, he knew what he’d done.

He ought to have been downstairs with us, reacquainting himself with the little daughter who still didn’t remember him. He ought to have been sipping cider with the young man who fancied me, giving his permission to court. He ought to have been doing a hundred other things. Instead, he was preying upon my dead mother’s enslaved half-sister—and the wrongness of it filled my voice with a defiant rage.

“No, I wasn’t at your door.” I held his gaze, letting him see what he would.

My father paused on the precipice, clearing his throat, absently smearing the corner of his lips with one thumb. “Well—well. . .did you need something?” As if my needs were at the forefront of his thoughts.

My fingers curled into fists as a lie came to me suddenly, and sullenly. “I was coming up to fetch my prayer book.” Surely he knew it was a lie, but I didn’t care. If he challenged me, I’d lie again, without even the decency of dropping my eyes. I’d lie because between a father and a daughter, what I’d witnessed was unspeakable. And I’d learned from the man who responded with silence to my letters about politics or adultery or the liberation of slaves. . . .

Papa never spoke on any subject he didn’t want to.

Neither would I.

“Are you certain you weren’t hurt,” Papa finally murmured, “ . . . on the stairs?”

Rage burned inside me so hotly I thought it possible that my handprint might be seared upon the railing. I bobbed my head, grasped my skirt, and took two steps down before my father called to me again.

“Patsy?”

I couldn’t face him, so I merely stopped, my chest heaving with the effort to restrain myself from taking flight. “What?”

A heavy silence descended. One filled with pregnant emotion. I feared he might be so unwise as to attempt to explain himself, to justify or confess his villainous lapse in judgment, but when he finally spoke, it was only to ask, “What of your prayer book?”

Swallowing hard, I forced words out despite the pain. “I’ve reconsidered my need of it. I’m not as apt as some people to forget what it says.”

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Buy Links:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1oT6IZw
Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/1oT6Hon
iBooks: http://apple.co/1Kz82KS
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1Q19xyl

Add it to your Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25817162-america-s-first-daughter

Advanced Praise for America’s First Daughter:

“America’s First Daughter brings a turbulent era to vivid life. All the conflicts and complexities of the Early Republic are mirrored in Patsy’s story. It’s breathlessly exciting and heartbreaking by turns-a personal and political page-turner.” (Donna Thorland, author of The Turncoat)

“Painstakingly researched, beautifully hewn, compulsively readable -- this enlightening literary journey takes us from Monticello to revolutionary Paris to the Jefferson White House, revealing remarkable historical details, dark family secrets, and bringing to life the colorful cast of characters who conceived of our new nation. A must read.” (Allison Pataki, New York Times bestselling author of The Accidental Empress)

About Stephanie Dray:

STEPHANIE DRAY is an award-winning, bestselling and two-time RITA award nominated author of historical women’s fiction. Her critically acclaimed series about Cleopatra’s daughter has been translated into eight different languages and won NJRW's Golden Leaf. As Stephanie Draven, she is a national bestselling author of genre fiction and American-set historical women's fiction. She is a frequent panelist and presenter at national writing conventions and lives near the nation's capital. Before she became a novelist, she was a lawyer, a game designer, and a teacher. Now she uses the stories of women in history to inspire the young women of today.

Website |Newsletter | Facebook |Twitter | AMERICA’S FIRST DAUGHTER Website

About Laura Kamoie:

Laura Kamoie has always been fascinated by the people, stories, and physical presence of the past, which led her to a lifetime of historical and archaeological study and training. She holds a doctoral degree in early American history from The College of William and Mary, published two non-fiction books on early America, and most recently held the position of Associate Professor of History at the U.S. Naval Academy before transitioning to a full-time career writing genre fiction as the New York Times bestselling author of over twenty books, Laura Kaye. Her debut historical novel, America's First Daughter, co-authored with Stephanie Dray, allowed her the exciting opportunity to combine her love of history with her passion for storytelling. Laura lives among the colonial charm of Annapolis, Maryland with her husband and two daughters.

Website |Newsletter | Facebook |Twitter | AMERICA’S FIRST DAUGHTER Website

Guest Blog & Giveaway with Sharon Ashwood

Once Upon a Time is Now

I remember standing in a cathedral when I was a little girl, staring down at the stone face of a knight. The statue was life-sized and in full armor, an effigy stretched in eternal sleep upon his tomb.  Although it was August, the medieval building was cold and gloomy, the only light filtering through towering windows of stained glass. With all the power of my child’s imagination, I wanted to wake him and find out who he was. Perhaps I could kiss him like Sleeping Beauty in reverse, and he would sit up and look around him at the new modern world. What fabulous adventures would follow?

When I began my new book series, I remembered my knight in his lonely sleep—and how I wanted him to wake up in the here and now. What if the Knights of the Round Table—enchanted into sleeping stone—had been scattered to museums and private collections throughout the United States? If they had to be awakened one by one to reunite with their brothers and defeat a threatening enemy? What if a hot-tempered, dangerous, and devastatingly handsome knight was roaming around town, eager to fight or carouse or sweep my heroine off her feet? Welcome to my new series, CAMELOT REBORN.

Of course, no knight is complete without a lady, and the hero of ENCHANTED WARRIOR, Gawain of Lothian, needs the help of a thoroughly modern historian named Tamsin Greene. She’s the key to finding the other knights, but she’s also a powerful witch and if there’s one thing that Gawain refuses to trust, it’s sorcery. But he’s not going to get the maid without her magic, and little does Tamsin know that Gawain holds the key to an ancient secret that changes everything she believes about her own past. Not even Merlin can stop the fireworks when these two meet!

Giveaway:  

I’ll give away one signed paperback copy of ENCHANTED WARRIOR to a commenter.
Please make sure to leave an email address. The winner will be announced February 8th.

Short Excerpt:

          Huge hands grabbed her from behind, pulling her backward until she collided with a rock-hard chest. Tamsin inhaled, about to scream, but a palm clamped over her mouth. A moment later, the man’s free arm grasped her middle. Tamsin lunged forward, but his grip was an iron bar. Her next move was to kick back, aiming for the man’s knee. She missed, catching only his shin with the soft sole of her boot. He grunted and pulled her against him so tightly she could barely breathe.
          “Don’t,” he said, the word clipped and cold.
Tamsin froze, going utterly still. Whoever this was, his psychic shields were so powerful he’d been completely hidden from her scan. After fretting about evil creatures stalking witches, she was too scared to reach for her magic. Every instinct warned her this stranger would not tolerate further defiance. This was a professional. A predator. A true threat. She knew it on a level so primitive it was coded into her DNA.
           Her obedience seemed to work, because the hand clamped over her mouth slowly moved away. He tasted of salt, sweat and man. He hadn’t used weapons to overpower her, just brute strength. That show of confidence made him seem all the more deadly.
          “You will not cry out.” His words had traces of a brogue—Scottish, perhaps. His deep, masculine voice vibrated through the line where their bodies touched and sank into her bones.
          “Please,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “What do you want?”
          “Turn around.”
          The arm locked about her loosened, allowing her to move but not to escape. Tamsin shrank away as far as she could, the heat of his body a sharp contrast to the cool November air.
          “Turn,” he repeated. “I want to see your face when I question you.”
          Tamsin obeyed, sliding within the circle of his arm. It put their faces barely twelve inches apart, and that was only because he was so tall. Her first instinct was to avoid eye contact, to rebel at least in that small way, but curiosity won. She snatched a glance from under her lashes.
          She froze all over again as he nailed her in place with a brilliant blue gaze. He was younger than she’d expected—maybe in his late twenties—and handsome enough that she forgot to breathe. His face had strong bones, the features bold and almost sensual. Heat rose to her cheeks as her insides curled into a protective ball. He was far too magnetic, far too there for comfort.
          He studied her face a moment longer, his gaze filled with bold assessment. It finally broke when the corners of his mouth quirked. “You are the historian who is supposed to explain this place to visitors, Tamsin Greene?”

For a longer excerpt, click here:  http://www.sharonashwood.com/camelot-reborn/

Book Blurb:

An ancient evil rises. An ancient warrior awakens.

In an age clouded by legend, Gawain was one of King Arthur’s greatest knights. When he awakens centuries after the fall of Camelot, he faces his most daunting quest yet-the search for his missing companions. His hope is that Tamsin Greene, the alluring historian at Medievaland Theme Park, can help him. Then he senses the magic within her… Gawain will now have to trust a witch-and his own heart-to rouse the knights of the Round Table and save humanity from a faery onslaught.

Author Bio:

Sharon Ashwood is a novelist, desk jockey and enthusiast for the weird and spooky. She has an English literature degree but works as a finance geek. Interests include growing her to-be-read pile and playing with the toy graveyard on her desk. As a vegetarian, she freely admits the whole vampire/werewolf lifestyle would never work out, so she writes her adventures instead.
Sharon is the winner of the RITA® Award for Paranormal Romance. She lives in the Pacific Northwest and is owned by the Demon Lord of Kitty Badness.


Author Links:
Contact: Sharon@SharonAshwood.com
Pinterest: Newsletter:   http://www.sharonashwood.com/newsletter/
Blog: http://www.sharonashwood.com/daily-strange/
Website:  http://www.sharonashwood.com
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/SharonAshwood
Facebook Fanpage:  https://www.facebook.com/authorsharonashwood

Buy Links:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Harlequin | Kobo

iBooks | The Book Depository | Audible

Star Wars Giveaway

In celebration of the upcoming theatrical release of Star Wars The Force Awakens
I'm giving away a Star Wars prize pack.

The prize pack includes:

• Star Wars: Lost Stars by Claudia Gray
• Kylo Ren action figure
• Pop! Captain Phasma
• Pop! Finn (Game Stop Exclusive)
• Plus a few other goodies

To Enter:
 Leave a comment along with your email address. Open to
U.S. Residents. The winner will be announced on December 21st. 

MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU

Blog Tour & Giveaway: The Sky Ghosts Series by Alexandra Engellmann

Fill this simple Google form to sign up for the giveaway. Five winners will receive the first two books of the Sky Ghosts series in any ebook format and have a chance to read the rest of the series for free. Giveaway ends on December 1^st.

Sky Ghosts: All For One
By: Alexandra Engellmann
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Action/Romance

Jane and Pain are Sky Ghosts – and they kill for a living. Highly trained bodyguards by day, they patrol the New York streets at night to keep the city safe from their enemies, Sky Beasts. One night they save two young men from their enemies’ blades and find themselves in the middle of a war. As they put their lives at stake to save their wards, the main mystery remains unsolved: why would the Beasts hunt two ordinary human boys?

Spellbinding and violent, Alexandra Engellmann’s Sky Ghosts series is exactly what Urban fantasy fans are looking for – a blend of action, humor, mystery, and a unique magic system.

“Sky Ghosts is a great mixture of sword-fighting, humor, wit, sexual tension, and “imperfect romance” that brilliantly lets the readers feel like the characters, while supernatural, are fairly ordinary people underneath it all.” – Joe Jackson, author of the Eve of Redemption series

Amazon / Goodreads

Sky Ghosts: Marco
By: Alexandra Engellmann
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Action/Romance

It was hate at first sight. She broke chairs on his head, and in return he broke her bones.

When Marco joined the New York Sky Ghosts Headquarters, he expected trouble. What he didn’t expect was a girl half his size that would turn his life into hell. They spilled too much of each other’s blood for any hope for reconciliation. How did it happen that they ended up spilling blood for each other on a daily basis?

“I laughed a lot while reading Marco. The silly teenage nature of him and Pain combined with their stubborn natures and violent streaks made for some suitably hilarious and cringe worthy scenes.” – Belart Wright, author of the Average Joe series

Amazon / Goodreads

Follow the author:

Amazon / Website / Patreon

Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Cover Reveal/Giveaway & Excerpt: Don't Get Caught by Kurt Dinan

Don't Get Caught
Author: Kurt Dinan
Release Date: April 1, 2016
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

17-year-old Max Cobb is sick of being “Just Max”—the kind of guy whose resume boasts a measly 2.5 GPA and a deep love of heist films. So when an invitation appears in his locker to join the anonymous, untraceable, epic prank-pulling Chaos Club, Max jumps at the opportunity to leave “Just Max” in the dust.

Except that the invite is really a set-up, and Max—plus the 4 other kids who received similar invitations—are apprehended by school security for defacing the water tower.  This time, Max has had enough. Time for Heist Rule #6:

Always Get Payback.

Let the prank war begin...

Pre-Order Here

About Kurt Dinan:
Kurt Dinan is a high school English teacher. He’s had several short stories published, including one in 2010’s The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy and Horror. He lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, with his wife, three young sons, and baby girl. Don’t Get Caught is his first novel.  http://kurtdinan.blogspot.com/

Enter to Win An Advance Copy of Don't Get Caught by Kurt Dinan:

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Debut author Kurt Dinan reveals the cover of Don’t Get Caught, and gives readers a first-time sneak peek:

Describe your book in 140 characters or less?
A high school nobody recruits a crew of misfits for heists and pranks to get revenge on the mysterious Chaos Club. #DontGetCaught

How did you come up with the idea for Don’t Get Caught? Look, who hasn’t wanted to rob a bank?  Or at least hasn’t thought about it?  I can’t be the only one, right?  Right? So, I suppose Don’t Get Caught is my way of robbing a bank without risking actual jail time because, let me make this clear, I would not do well in prison.  I love capers, heists, and schemes, and while the crew in this novel aren’t robbing banks, they are satisfying my criminal thoughts by doing the teenage equivalent of bank robbery--wrecking havoc in their high school.

Tell us about the main character. Max is a high school nobody, a kid who’s smart enough and nice enough to get by, but who doesn’t really fit in anywhere.  So basically, he’s me at sixteen.  But what Max has that I certainly didn’t have is a genius-level ability to scheme and a newly discovered gift for leading misfits.  He’s underestimated by everyone, a fact that works to his advantage when he decides it’s time to write his name in the wet cement of the universe by destroying a forty-year-old secret society.

Did your class in high school pull any memorable pranks? Or is there one you wish you had pulled? My prank life didn’t begin until college when I helped mastermind a promotion for a fake campus concert that almost led to my arrest.  But in my final year of high school, the six-hundred members of my senior class were crowded onto bleachers for an all-class picture.  I look at that picture now and see an opportunity for chaos.  I mean, how much would it have cost to hire an airplane to drop a hundred gallons of water at the precise moment the picture was taken?  Or to organize a group of kids to all wear neon shirts and arrange themselves into something profane within the crowd?  It’s missed opportunities like this that keep me up at night.

What books formed your thinking or reflected who you were as a child and teen reader? I read a lot of early Stephen King probably before I was old enough, and then through high school it was mostly comic books and classics.  I do specifically remember reading Helter Skelter during my junior year, dragging that non-fiction monster around with me for a month or so.  Looking back on it now, that’s probably all of the evidence needed to explain why I didn’t have a girlfriend in high school.

Excerpt from Don't Get Caught

I may not be a fan of heights, but I especially hate ladders. I always think the rung I’m on is going to break away and send me plummeting. So climbing the water tower ladder in the dark, the rungs sticky for some reason, only worries me more. But despite that, I’d be lying if I didn’t say how awesome this was. The higher I climb, the harder my heart pounds from the adrenaline. I feel like a jewel thief scaling a skyscraper at midnight on his way to stealing the Hope Diamond.

Up ahead in the darkness, Wheeler goes into a mock newscaster’s voice announcing, “Five Asheville High School students fell to their deaths last evening when—”

“Shut up,” Malone says.

The climb takes only two minutes but feels like an hour when the ladder ends at the base of a metal grating no more than four feet wide. If a strong wind blows, a waist-high railing is all that’s there to keep me from hurtling to my death.

“Wow, this is higher than I thought,” Ellie says, looking out over the lights of the town.

Malone, recording everything with her phone, says, “I wish I had my climbing gear. I’d love to repel off this.”

“What was it Jesus said, Ellie?” Wheeler says. “‘I think I can see my house from up here’?”

And me, I want down. And not just down, but to roll in the grass and kiss the earth. Then, as I’m about to wuss out, Ellie’s hand is in mine and she’s leading me along the platform.

“Come on,” she says. “Let’s look for the next clue.”

Her hand is soft and warm, and if the platform gives away right now, I can die a happy man.

“You get to open the next envelope if there is one,” Ellie says. “Or maybe it’ll be like in the movies, and there’ll be a cell phone that rings and—”

My foot kicks something metal sending it clanking and skittering across the platform before dropping into the night.

From the other side of the tower Malone says, “What was that?”

I look down at my feet and see four more of what I’ve just booted—spray paint cans.

And in one horrifying moment, I realize why the rungs were sticky when we climbed.

Red paint covers my hands.

Oh shit.

I lean back for a better view of the water tower to see what’s been spray-painted there. The wet paint trails down from certain letters like red teardrops.

Double shit.

Heist Rule #5: When in doubt, run.

But we don’t get that chance.

Suddenly, the water tower lights blaze to life illuminating the newly painted message for the entire town to see.

Assville High School, Home of the Golden Showers.

Both Malone and Wheeler say, “Shit.”

Ellie says, “Wow.”

Adleta says nothing.

And then a voice booms from a bullhorn below where red-and-blue lights flash in the parking lot.

“This is the police. Come down immediately.”

So much for Don’t get caught.

Book Blast + Giveaway: The Kasadya Hellhound Series by Karen Swart

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Kasadya Hellhound Awakened
Series: Kasadya #1
Author: Karen Swart
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Paranormal
Audience: YA/NA - 14 years and up
Formats: Paperback and E-book
Publisher: Karen Swart
Cover by: Melody Simmons
Edited by: MAI-Editing-Services , There for you Editing Services & Blue Butterfly Editing
ISBN: 978-1311699121
Date Published: 21 August 2012
Pages: 342 pages

Blurb -

In a constant battle between good and evil, evil is dominating the battlefield and leading mankind to its destruction. With our Creator's intervention, a creature destined to conquer and destroy is created. He gives mankind hellhounds to fight back and reclaim freedom.

Join seventeen year old Kasadya Levourne as she fights against evil to protect us. With each step, she faces destruction, and yet she has the talent to give it back tenfold. Stubborn and hard-headed she makes her mark in the Fallen world and starts a battle none can escape. Not even her trainer, the very attractive Chax de Luca, was prepared for her presence.

Will evil prevail? Or will Kas and her Fallen friends succeed in protecting us against it? Hold on to your seats, this is going to be one hell of a ride.

Special Note:

The Kasadya Series is read back to back, book 1- 3 ends with a cliff hanger.

Now Free on all platforms!

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Excerpt -

Prologue
There was a time when heaven was filled with peace and serenity. God, Jesus Christ, and all the Angels lived in harmony; no evil and no sin existed. Until one fateful day...
With all gathered to hear their Sire speak, God rose and addressed his Angels. Before all, he proclaimed His Son, Jesus Christ, was equal to Him. That Christ’s words should be obeyed as if they were His own. Christ would command the heavens, with the same authority as Him. All the Angels bowed down before Christ and accepted their Sire’s proclamation, all except for one…
An Archangel was furious with this proclamation. He was his Sire’s right hand, the deliverer of justice, the commander of many legions. He had served his Sire for centuries, and never failed him. It should be to him that God bestow power, not a Son whom had never even seen battle.
With his heart filled with hatred and jealousy, he gathered all the angels in secret. He told them that their days of sweet liberty were at an end. That God has now placed Christ as their ruler and that they should now obey his wishes. Many angels were angered at such a false statement, but many also agreed with the Archangel. He had led them for many years; why should they now question his leadership?
The faithful Angels fled to God and told Him what was happening, and together they prepared for war. With the sun rising on a new day, God and his Angels stood ready for battle against the Archangel and his followers. The battle only lasted a day, the Archangel and his followers defeated before the sun set for the night.
Seeing the angels on their knees before Him, He gave them one final chance… “Repent and declare your loyalty, and I will forgive you, my children.” He told his beautiful angels, tears falling with each word. This was His family. This was His love. How could they betray Him? Some of the Angels cried their penance, begging Him to forgive them for their deceit. They claimed that the Archangel deceived them, and they followed him into battle, as they have done for centuries.
God took pity on them, but still believed that their deceit must not go unpunished. He had spoken many times about the importance of punishment, that lessons learned must be earned... “I herewith grant you mercy, but as punishment you will be sentenced to an earthly realm. I will take your beauty as payment for my children lost today. In the place of your beauty, I will give you purpose. In mercy, and because I love you still, I give you life in this realm. Let this be known, that I was merciful this day,” God finished.
He placed them in an earthly realm, and called it Exsilium. In this realm they would carry their deceit, and earn their place with him. He took their beauty and replaced them with elements of his earth. Half would be of animal and element, and would resemble punishment. The other, in a humanoid form, and would resemble mercy. He called them his Fallen.
The Archangel, and those whom did not repent, were not that lucky. God looked into the eyes of His once faithful angels and only saw destruction, hatred, jealousy, and heartache. He knew that His beloved ones had died this day, and that others needed to be protected. But how could you destroy one you loved? He placed the Archangel, and his followers, in another earthly realm, but where Exsilium was above the earth, this one was in the center. With one wave of His hand, their beautiful forms were replaced with forms as ugly as their hatred and deceit. Using His word and blood, He sealed this realm from any other.
As He looked into the many eyes of hatred, He spoke his final word... “This realm will be called Hell, and you will be called demons. You, my once faithful Archangel, you will be called the Devil. Your angel name will be erased from the past, present, and future. You will be forgotten,” He proclaimed and left them to their demise.
Many years have passed since that day. God created mankind and cherished his new children. The male and female were his new hope; in them he would find peace again. But the Devil had grown strong through the years, and somehow managed to enter God’s garden. Here, he found the female God created, using her to strike back. He whispered words of deceit in her ears, and watched as God’s new children stepped into sin. With her first bite, a crack appeared in the seal around Hell, and demons escaped to earth.
From that day onward, the Devil and his demons created chaos amongst God’s new children, leading one after the other into sin. God looked upon this and decided to fight for his loved ones. He went to Exsilium and spoke to the Fallen... “You, my children, have proven your loyalty in the years that have passed, and so I came to offer you another chance at Heaven. If you slay the Devil and his demons to protect mankind, I will give you a place in my Heaven once again. With your last breath on this earth, you will join me and your brethren in Heaven,” He finished. The Fallen agreed and God gave them the power to move in and out of Exsilium to battle the demons. The war between Good and Evil began.
But as mankind spread over the earth, sin became their followers. And with each sin, the demons grew stronger and created more demons to torture mankind. The Fallen were now fighting against millions; they needed assistance to ensure victory. God had watched the battle from Heaven and saw that they were failing because of their numbers. He also saw that the demons grew stronger than the Fallen. He intervened and created a new creature. This creature would have features encompassing the best of both worlds. One half was as strong and loyal as the Fallen, while the other was as hard and enduring as a demon. This was His ultimate weapon. This would be His greatest creation. To ensure that these creatures could not be swayed, He placed Heaven’s soul into them. He called them His hellhounds.
The hellhounds delivered justice swiftly, as strong and just as the Fallen. Yet hard and durable like the demons, they conquered the earthly realm and the demons retreated. Not one hellhound could be swayed. All stayed true to their calling. God, knowing that the Devil and many more demons had retreated, gave His hellhounds life, and offered them a place among the Fallen.
Until this day they still watch over mankind, protecting them from evil. Will we be worth it?



Kasadya Hellhound Twisted
Series: Kasadya #2
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Audience: YA/NA - 14 years and up
Formats: E-book
Publisher: Karen Swart
Edited by: There for you Editing Services & Blue Butterfly Editing
Cover by: Melody Simmons
ISBN: 978-1301357192
Pages: 251 Pages
Date Published: 15 February 2013

Blurb -

She fought against all odds and became the warrior she was meant to be … or so she thought. In a world where the rules have changed, can she embrace her destiny and become the hellhound she was meant to be?

Kasadya is back in Exsilium and finds her world a little different. Her half-breed fallen friends join her, and they are ordered to complete their apprentice training in order to obtain the right to be guardians. She must learn that her own fate cannot be denied and that others are set to follow. But most of all, she must learn that to trust is the greatest battle of all.

The tables are turned and Kasadya is put to the test. Will she be able to prevent her own death, or that of a friend? Or will her actions call forth the destruction of Earth and Exsilium?
For a Phoenix to rise, it must first die. —Chax De Luca

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Kasadya Hellhound Born
Series: Kasadya #3
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Audience: YA/NA - 14 years and up
Formats: E-book
Publisher: Karen Swart
Cover by: Melody Simmons
Edited by: MAI-Editing-Services & Blue Butterfly Editing
ISBN: 9781301863594
Pages: 235 pages
Date Published: 15 August 2013

Blurb -

In a world filled with evil, the Fallen prepare for the ultimate battle against the demon world!

Kasadya is ordered to unleash her crazed born transformation to complete her divinity. But there is a chance that her born will be uncontrollable, and she will be destroyed. There is just one person that can save her; her charm, her destined mate. Left without a choice, she must surrender, and place her life in his hands.

In a race against time, the Fallen must stand together and fight the evil threatening to invade earth. If her divinity was in reach, victory would be theirs. That is until she starts having visions of the final battle, and her true destiny is revealed. She just found her love and place in the Fallen world; will she be able, and willing, to sacrifice it all?

Book Links-

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Excerpt -

“Kasadya, don't do this to me,” Chax spoke, using Corra.
I stopped completely and looked at him. Reaching for my necklace, I held it.
“I am so sorry, Chax. This is the only way; we can’t win any other way. I know; I have seen the end too many times,” I replied.
His face fell even more and he looked around, searching for a way out.
“I want to thank you... for being there for me. For searching for me when I went missing. For enduring all of my crap. I am sorry I messed up so many times. But not this time; this I promise. But most of all, thank you for loving me.” Even my mental voice broke down on the last part.
Chax started to scream and pound at the invisible wall, while others joined him. I looked at Nanini, shocked that she couldn’t get out.
“Take care of Max for me,” I sent to her.
Tears formed and ran down her cheeks, but she nodded.
“Kas, let us help you!” Lotan yelled. My friends, my family were still trying to save me. Tears ran down my own face now.
“I love all of you. Thank you for always being there for me.” Finally my mental voice began to a sob.
I turned away, afraid that the sight of them would stop me.
“Kasadya! Don’t do this to me. I beg you!” Chax yelled at me.
Demons were closing in around me, but my heart was so broken I just let the tears and heartache spill out of me.
“I am so sorry, Chax. Forgive me.” With that, I stormed forward.
I used my g-force punches to clear the masses out of my way. When that stopped working, I started shifting. Demons grabbed at me and some got in a slice or two. But I wasn't stopping.
I saw Ballen trying to flee from me. He thought I was heading for him. Good. I needed him on the other side when I blew it up. Using my wings for momentum, I sent a massive g-force punch into the horde that remained between me and my target. They flew backwards, clearing the way for me to advance. I swiped at a few too close and took their heads. Blood sprayed all over me. Searching for the hole to make sure I was heading in the right direction, I saw the shoulders and arms of something freaking big, already beginning to breach.
I need to move faster!
I lifted up with my wings. They were tired, but I had no other option. Now I had the flying demons to contend with. We fought and sliced and I sent a few down to earth without a head. At last, I was advancing on the hole. Pain shot through my left wing and I tumbled to the ground, hitting hard. At the last moment I made sure that the front of my body hit the ground and not the back. Demons jumped me all at once. Ballen was yelling at them to stop me. I used everything I had left and flung out with my wings and arms. They went flying and just in front of me was the hole with the devil stuck in it. Ballen was standing at the entrance watching me, his face a mask of shock.
With a deep breath, I reached for the pouch and took hold of the balls. Now armed and ready, I just had a few feet to go. I stormed through the demons, not caring if they sliced me open. I wasn't stopping for a fight anymore. I held the balls to my chest, sealing them from any other impact. Then, finally, I was at the entrance of the hole. With the last of my strength, I leaped into the air and went flying straight for it.
There were many things that go through your mind that moment before you die. I remembered my first step into Exsilium. Meeting Lada and Nanini. Meeting Chax and hating my first day. I remembered our fun at the beach, the Hellhouse and the grub spot. Seeing Lada and Lotan kissing for the first time. Meeting Max and Ryan, and then all of the rest. My heart no longer troubled by Kali or Seth or all the others who had betrayed me. I remembered finding Chax and the Fallen again. Seeing my parents again. So many memories bombarded me at that last moment. I remembered my day and night with Chax, and how it felt to be loved.
“I love you,” I sent a final message to him.
He was still screaming my name, begging for me to stop.
I remembered why I was doing this. For them I gave my heart, my life. Ballen's shocked face was in front of me, right in my path. Just when I reached him, I dropped the balls and slammed into him.



Kasadya Hellhound Defined
Series: Kasadya, #4
Author: Karen Swart
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Audience: YA/NA - 14 years and up
Formats: E-book
Publisher: Karen Swart
Cover by: Melody Simmons
Edited by: Blue Butterfly Editing
ASIN: B00J698M1A
ISBN: 978-1311495075
Pages: 135 pages
Date Published: 21 March. 2014

Blurb -

For centuries his only reason for existence was to destroy evil. But when he finally found his mate, that all changed for the deadly Chax De Luca. When the hellhound Kasadya captured his heart, he surrended it to her, thinking he’d finally found what he’d been looking for. Little did he know that his mate would sacrifice herself to save them all.

His fury is legend. His wrath, merciless. His love for his mate, undeniable. He’s going to hell to retrieve his heart, and if that means that he must destroy hell itself, then so be it.

Kasadya awakes to a world in peril, her mate forever changed, and a war filled with evil creatures intending to enter Earth’s realm and destroy all that she holds dear. Can she complete her divinity in time to save her loved ones and mankind? Will she have to choose? Or will all be lost in the final battle?

The final battle is here, and with it, secrets are revealed and worlds are changed forever.

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About the Author -

I am a complete book addict, and really proud of it. My entire world is made of books. From reading to writing to blogging to helping other authors. A day without my world of books would be impossible. I am a mother of three, two boys and a little princess. Happily married for 10 years with my high school sweetheart. I live in South Africa, just on the rims of the Kalahari Desert in a small town with one shop and friendly faces.

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