IT'S FINALLY HERE!! Eye of the Soul Cover Reveal!!!!! #SQUEEE

I have been DYING to share the cover of my debut fantasy novel, Eye of the Soul for what seems like FOREVER.

This WiP has been in the works for over 5 years. Five long, stinkin' crazy years. In that time I've moved twice, got married, and had 2 kids. Been a bit busy, and I'm surprised I ever finished this labor of love!

When J. Taylor Publishing offered me a contract for the 2-book series, Pool of Souls, I was jumping out of my skin. Excuse the cliche, but there's no other way to say it. Book #1, Eye of the Soul, is set to release on October 7th of this year, and book #2, Secret of the Souls, in October 2014.

Anyhoo. Here's the purdy & blurb.

Click on image to add on Goodreads

Escape. 

That should be Hyla’s first thought as her people are chained and imprisoned for no imaginable reason. 

Instead, Hyla finds herself traveling through a land void of Natives, with human soldiers pillaging in desperate pursuit of her, and in search of the mystical Pool of Souls—home to the one man who can save her people.

Or so she believes.

Led by her faith in the deity Fadir, Hyla is met along her journey by Jadon—a human male and fierce King’s warrior, and his childhood best friend Conlin—one of the few Natives aware of his Fadir-given Talents.

Protected by Jadon, guided by Conlin, and with an unfailing belief in the purpose of her pilgrimage, Hyla carries on. 

Like her, though, another searches for the Pool, and should he gain access first, everyone she loves, and everything she knows, could be lost.

Forever.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So whatcha think? I couldn't be more thrilled with it. This cover IS the story in picture form.

Feel free to reblog and share!!!

#CoverReveal : Tied (Fire Born #1) by Laney McMann #YAlit #PNR #UF

Fire Born #1

by Laney McMann

Release Date: September 9, 2013

Target Reader: Young Adult

Keywords: Fiction, Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy

 

Back of the Book

  

Normal people don't believe their nightmares stalk them. They don’t fall in love with boys who don’t exist, either. 

Seventeen-year-old Layla Labelle, though, is far from normal. Her delusions walk the earth. Her hallucinations hunt her, and her skin heats to a burn every time her anger flares. 

Or is that all in her head?

Layla doesn't know what to believe any more because if none of that’s true, Max MacLarnon must be an illusion, and her heart must still be broken.

No matter how much she wants to believe Max is real, doing so would mean everything else is, too. How, then, is that possible?

The answers lie in an age-old legend the supernatural aren’t prepared to reveal, and with a curse that could tear Layla and Max apart forever—if it doesn’t kill them both first. 

In TIED, book one in the Fire Born trilogy, learning the truth will mean fighting an arsenal  of demons, and being with Max will put Layla on a path toward her own destruction.

Just how far will Layla go to protect the one she loves?

The answer may never be far enough ... away. 

I don't know about YOU, but this cover looks FREAKY. Definitely grabs the attention! I'll be sure to check this one out.

What do you think? 

BIG NEWS!! My Fantasy Series 'Pool of Souls' is Contracted!

*Insert MAJOR dork dancing galore!*

I can't say it any better than the J. Taylor Publishing offical press release:

Debut Novelist, Terri Rochenski, signs two-book deal with J. Taylor Publishing for Pool of Souls - a fantasy series set in fictional Derlund.

Terri Rochenski signs two-book contract with J. Taylor Publishing for her Pool of Souls series, including Eye of the Soul and Secrets of the Soul.

Apex, NC - December 17, 2012 - Terri started writing stories in the 8th grade, when a little gnome whispered in her brain. Gundi’s Great Adventure never hit the best seller list, but it started a long love affair with the fantasy genre, and from that, came the Pool of Souls series including Eye of the Soul and Secrets of the Souls.

“Pool of Souls started as a necessary way of working through a tough time in my life a few years back,” says Rochenski. “What sprouted as a simple story took life and grew into something I never expected or imagined.”

“The Pool of Souls series is a fantasy adventure, laden with conflict and a pathway to finding one’s true self,” says J. Taylor Publishing. “In a world unlike our own, the characters struggle in a way adults will be able to connect—whether it be hardship of life, relationships, religious or faith issues and even loyalty.”

The Pool of Souls series is set in fictional Derlund, in a fantasy world where humans and ‘Natives‘ rarely intermingle, and tracks the story through the perspectives of Hyla and Miri, both Natives, Jadon, a warrior, Belwig, a high priest and Conlin, a particularly interesting young man. Each character sets about on a pathway toward a single location, and as their stories intertwine, their purposes are revealed.

“Enlightenment is a key element to this story, but in multiple ways and in different manners for each character,” says J. Taylor Publishing, adding, “We fell in love with Ms. Rochenski’s writing and the vivid imagery of a new world, coupled with a new race of creatures. We’re very excited to add these two novels to our catalog and to bring Ms. Rochenski from short-story writer to debut novelist.”

“Twelve years ago, Anne Tyler told me I’d one day be signing a book for her,” says Rochenski, adding, “I strived to fulfill that prophecy, but quit when the tough times began. Here it is—a new life later—that I’m finally going to be able to mail a book to her, signed of course. It was her mentoring all those years ago that instilled the dream I’m now realizing. If not for her belief in me, I would have put the pencil down and given up long ago.

Now, as Terri escapes to Middle Earth during her rare ‘me’ moments when her two young daughters allow, she can call herself a published novelist, and when not playing toys, picking them back up, or kissing boo-boos, she can be found sprawled on the couch with a book or pencil in hand, creating more worlds for all of us to enjoy.

Eye of the Soul is planned for release in October 2013 with Secrets of the Soul to follow one year later.

     How friggin' COOL is that????? I'm still jumping out of my skin.

*One last dork dance as I click 'publish'*

#Review : Reaper by @LSMurphy

YA Paranormal

By L. S. Murphy

Synopsis:

There's no way sixteen year old Quincy Amarante will become the fifth grim reaper. None. Not over her shiny blue Mustang. Her Jimmy Choos. Or her dead body.

She’s supposed to enjoy her sophomore year, not learn about some freaky future Destiny says she has no choice but to fulfill.

It doesn’t take long for Quincy to realize the only way out of the game is to play along especially since Death can find her anyway, anywhere, anytime. And does.

Like when she’s reassuring her friends she wants nothing to do with former best friend Ben Moorland, who’s returned from god-knows-where, and fails. Miserably.

Instead of maintaining her coveted popularity status, Quincy’s goes down like the Titanic.
Maybe ... just maybe ... that’s okay.

It seems, perhaps, becoming a grim reaper isn’t just about the dead but more about a much needed shift in Quincy’s priorities—from who she thinks she wants to be to who she really is.

What a unique (to me anyway) morbid premise. I’ve read of MCs whose touch kills, but an MC who is an actual reaper??? Great idea, but you just know this story can’t end well.

Quincy is your typical high-schooler, but something happens during her sophomore year that changes her life. Majorly. She’s to become the 5^th grim reaper. It causes just a smidge of trouble for this girl to say the least.

I’ll preface this review by stating that most of my yuckies aren’t against the star rating. They’re things I personally found yucky, but were doubtless intentional by the author because of it being a YA.

Yummies: The first I’ll address is the character of Quincy. She's spot on. So much so that I didn’t care for her one bit. It really stinks when an author gets their characters so right that you don’t dare deduct stars just because you don’t like their … well, character! WELL done.

The ending. While you know nothing good can come from what Quincy is faced with, Ms. Murphy wraps this puppy up nicely. I was pleased, so that’s a huge plus as far as I’m concerned.

Her writing style is easy. Enjoyable. I had no troubles envisioning everything that transpired.

Yuckies: I have to mention the MC here. Couldn’t stand the chic. She’s your typical ‘I want to be popular & I’ll do anything to keep my status’ bitch that roamed the halls in my own high school. The popular snob and all her crappy attitudes toward friends, boys, and life in general drove me batty. I wanted to slap her. Seriously.

And speaking of HS, this story really had that setting / feel to it. It was so well done that I was back in school myself, wanting to (but never infiltrating) that popular crowd who loved to snub their noses any chance they got.

This started a bit slow for me because of these two yuckies. I wasn’t drawn in. Didn’t empathize whatsoever. Whenever this happens, it's a star deduction right off the bat. Regardless of the slew of yummies. 

Recommend: If you’re a YA fan & love to be transported back to those hypocritical high school days have at it. You’ll love it.

Early #BookReview : After Dark (The 19th Year #1)

YA Paranormal

by Emi Gayle

Release Date: October 31, 2012

From Goodreads:

What eighteen year old Mac Thorne doesn’t know will probably kill her.

In exactly eight months, five days, three hours and thirteen minutes, Mac has to choose what she’ll be for the rest of her life.

She has no choice but to pick. As a Changeling, it’s her birthright. To Mac, it’s a birthchore. Like going to school with humans, interacting with humans, and pretending to be human during the pesky daylight hours.

Once darkness descends, Mac can change into any supernatural form that exists—which makes her as happy as she can be. That is, until Winn Thomas, the biggest geek in her senior class figures out there’s more to what hides in the dark than most are willing to acknowledge.

In this first of the 19th Year Trilogy, Winn might know more about Mac than even she does, and that knowledge could end their lives, unless Mac ensures the powers-that-be have no choice but to keep him around.

My Review: 4.5 Stars

Have you ever thought it'd be cool to be a changeling? Change into a fairy or  siren? A dragon? Troll? Mac, the MC, has unbelievable changeling abilities - she can choose to be anything. Anything you've read about before.

This story is the beginning of her journey in finding which form she'll choose for the rest of her life. Before she turns 19, Mac must decide her fate - demon or angel, vampire or witch - and take her place on the Council.

Yummies:

1 - Winn, the nerd. The glasses-wearing, braino with muscles. He seems to be a contradiction at first. Mac finds him so hot (so how can the reader NOT?) yet he's a nerd. Works in the library. Didn't jive for me at first, but within a few chapters after his introduction, he became my new favorite book boyfriend. Cradle robber. Yup. That'd be me.

He's responsible. Grounded. Has a good head on his shoulders. He's the opposite of Mac. The perfect balance for her, an excellent supporting character.

2 - I love the fact that Mac is a changeling without limits. I've read all the changeling stories before, but a single character that can beome anything from the paranormal world?? Sweet.

Yuckies:

This book started a bit slow for me. Wasn't sure exactly why, though. The writing is excellent. Now that I'm finished, I think it's because I wasn't onboard with Mac. She's got a distinctive voice & is a fun character, but a bit too mouthy, bad attitude-ish for my liking.

Cocky kids get under my skin in real life, and I think that's why her mouthy inner monologues drove me batty.

Recommend:

Definite YES. I love snarky and while this was a smidge much for me, most will love Mac - adore her attitude. You'll definitely enjoy her unique story & get caught up in the questions she needs to ask - and the answers she'll be forced to face.

The major problem I think you'll agree upon is the fact it'll be at least a year 'til the next installment.

Let's go, Emi. Get writing!!!

Sorry the rest of you all will have to wait for Halloween to nab this book. hehehehe

It'll be well worth the wait, trust me!!

Click HERE to add After Dark to your Goodreads to-read.

Call of the Sea #BlogTour Meet smokin' HOT Daniel O'Rourke

Welcome to today's stop in the Call of the Sea Blog Tour. I'm excited to share with you my review for Rebecca Hart's debut release due out June 21st AND a character interview with the smokin' hot Daniel O'Rourke! 

From Goodreads:

Elysandra Winters has always yearned for a life of adventure on the rolling seas and is willing to do whatever it takes to fulfill her dream. When her Privateer father continually refuses to allow his only daughter to sail, Ellie defies him, disguises herself as a boy, and goes in search of a captain who will give her a chance to prove her worth.

Thanks to the cursed selkie blood coursing through his veins, Daniel O'Rourke needs the sea to survive. After giving up on his humanity and spending three years in seal form, he decides to give his human side another chance. Daniel goes in search of a job and a sense of normalcy, earning himself a position aboard Captain Winter’s ship, The Siren's Call. However, his new captain’s first assignment has nothing at all to do with sailing, and everything to do with his headstrong young daughter.

Years later, when the leader of a band of bloodthirsty pirates murders Captain Winters, Daniel and Elysandra’s lives come crashing back together with the force of a hurricane. Both experts in deception, they must find a way to trust each other if they are to have any hope of hunting down the captain’s killer.

 My Review:

What a pleasure to read this without a week or so between chapters! Yes, I was blessed to be an early beta reader. I saw CotS in the rough. Not that it was really rough to begin with - unpolished if you will. ;)

Yummies: I thought I was caught up in the story before! The simplicity of Ms. Hart's writing makes for a super rich but easy read. No paragraph upon paragraph of exposition. Pure writing at its best - character, tension, & action. So, so good.
And what characters they are! Ellie is a short-tempered, stubborn young woman intent upon sailing the ocean.
Daniel (my Danny Boy) is a selkie and has loved Ellie since first seeing her as a young girl.
Both are so real - so flawed - so human-like that I felt their emotions, highs & lows.

This debut novel is one of those that you dread noticing the remaining pages ebb away. You CAN NOT put it down, yet the desire to do so and make it last longer is almost too much to bear.

Yuckies: There aren't any. Period.

Recommend: Abso-freakin'-lutely. Even if pirates, intrigue, and the high seas aren't your thing, you'll fall in love with this story - its characters kick @$$.

Speaking of which ...

I decided to sneak into the time machine hidden by the government here in an underground bunker in NH's boondocks. I needed to meet Danny Boy. I threw a letter through first telling them who I was, what I wanted, and where to meet me then stepped through ….

Electricity shot through my body. Every nerve tingling, I opened my eyes. I stood on a windswept bluff, a secluded cove with racing white crests below me. Sand trickled around my flip flops. The scent of the sea and salt filled my nose.

A scuffle sounded on the path behind me and I spun.

Danny. Oh boy, oh boy.

Chestnut locks glinting in the setting sun topped an angular face. He brushed a fringe from his eyes, muscled arm straining against a linen shirt.

Can we say butterflies? I hadn’t been that tongue-tied since high school.

He strode toward me, firm lips curling into a warm smile.  Chocolate eyes twinkled beneath an arched brow. “Mrs. Rochenski?”

“T-Terri. Please.” I extended my hand.

Oh, the warmth of his work-worn palm. Delish tingles crept up my arm. It was easy to see why Ellie couldn’t resist him.

“Daniel.” His gaze took in my jean capris and tank top. He didn’t flinch, but he wouldn’t. Ellie always dressed in breeches.

“I … uh … don’t have a lot of time. Mind if we sit by this scarred tree?” I asked. 

Daniel gestured for me to lead the way.

I sat cross-legged in the sand and pulled a small notepad and pencil from my back pocket as he lounged on the ground beside me.

Trying not to stare, I cleared my throat. “So. Danny Boy.” My face flamed at the slip. “Um … may I call you that?”

“As long as you don’t call me Skipper, we’re good.” He winked.

Lord have mercy. I relaxed my grip on the pencil before it snapped. “Would you mind telling us a little about yourself?”

“I’ve never been one to talk about myself, but I grew up in Youghal, Ireland until my father kicked me out when my mother passed away. He and I never really got on well, and when Ma passed, well, things went from tense to impossible. Of course, if he hadn’t been the man he was, I’d never have left home, worked for Captain Winters, or met Ellie. She can be rather frustrating, but I can’t imagine my life without her.”

Lucky girl. “Your mother passed a very unique gene to you.”

He nodded.

“What exactly is a selkie?”

“That’s a good question. Basically, a selkie is a shapeshifter with a seal form and a human one. Selkies, however, don’t have full control over when they change their form. Each year, I have to take seal form at leas,t one complete lunar cycle per year or risk illness and in the case of my beautiful selkie mother, death.”

I scribbled his words onto paper as the sounds of the surf swept up the cliff on a brisk wind. I pushed back a strand of whipping hair. “So in those lunar cycles, ever run across a mermaid who made you forget about Ellie—even just briefly?”

“How could anyone forget about Ellie? I’ve never known anyone more sure of who she is or what she wants. I find that distractingly sexy, don’t you?”

I wanted to say, “I think you’re sexy” but I didn’t think Ellie would appreciate it much. I decided to ignore his question. “Are human girls really worth it?”

“So far I have no complaints.” A chuckle rumbled in his broad chest. “Of course, I’ve not been married long… Can I get back to you on that one?”

“Ah, marriage—the perfect institute to thoroughly get to know someone. It may not have been long since your marriage, but you’ve known Ellie since she was a child. Can you offer some advice on dealing with a hot tempered woman?”

“I was kind of hoping you might give me some.” Laughter barked past his grin. “I’ve always been a rather calm personality. It takes a lot for me to lose my temper, so that helps. Patience, too. That’s a big one.” He shrugged sculpted shoulders. “I’m still learning.”

Drool stormed my mouth. If only he lived in the 21^st century and wasn’t a selkie …. “If you could be completely human, would you give up the selkie part of your life?”

“If you’d asked me that before I’d met Ellie, I’d have said yes in a flash. Then, all I wanted was to fit in, to belong. But now, having a child on the way and a woman who accepts and loves me for who I truly am… who would trade that away? No, I’m happy with who I am,” tan hands lifted to make air quotes, "‘selkie curse’ and all.”

A smile lifted my lips. “Why that’s one of the sweetest—”

My eyes clenched shut as electric shock waves once more lit my body like a torch. I swallowed back nausea and lifted tingling lids. Florescent lights threw the bunker in shadows. An alarm shrieked in my ears.

Damn.

Check out my Debut Novel Blog Hop HERE for a chance to win an eBook copy of Call of the Sea! Contest open until June 13th.

Swing over HERE for Rebecca's blog tour list. Lots of great prizes!!

Rebecca Hart is a single parent, full time IT geek, and reformed gaming addict living in Upstate NY. When not at the office with her nose buried in a laptop trying to fix it, she can be found at home with her nose buried in a laptop, writing instead. Her debut novel, a Paranormal Romance titled CALL OF THE SEA, will be published by Inkspell Publishing with a release date of June 21, 2012, giving Rebecca one more reason to look forward to summer. Rebecca’s short stories have been featured in anthologies published by Pill Hill Press, Wicked East Press and DFE Quarterly (erotica). She enjoys hearing and interacting with her readers.

Find Rebecca:                  
Website
Facebook
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Book Review: G: The Girl of Fire and Thorns (Fire and Thorns #1)

YA fantasy novel by Rae Carson 

4.5 Stars

Elisa is the chosen one.

But she is also the younger of two princesses, the one who has never done anything remarkable. She can't see how she ever will.

Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.

And he's not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies seething with dark magic are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people's savior. And he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.

Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young.

Most of the chosen do.

By the end of page 1, I was hooked. By the end of the first chapter I was in love with the 16 year old MC, Elisa. An overweight, unremarkable young woman - unlike the heroines of most fantasy novels written today. If it weren't for her age, this novel easily could be classified as adult fantasy, IMO. Elisa is unaware of how wise she really is, and Ms. Carson did a beautiful job of bringing this woman to life.

As for the world building and other characters in this debut novel ... phenominal job. Believable and vivid, I was transported to another land quite unlike our own. At least where I live, anyway.

Love, loss, religion, and magic, this story has it all. The only reason I didn't finish it in one sitting is because I have two little girls vying for my attention. Yeah. Sometimes a quickie read takes two weeks.

Anyhoo ... if you love fantasy as I do, I highly recommend this book. The only reason I didn't give it a full 5 stars is because a book has to MAKE me ignore whining, crying children to earn it. While this is a top notch story, I put it down with ease when needed.

Definitely looking forward to reading more from this awesome author!

Book Review: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms

A Fantasy Novel by N. K. Jemisin 

4 Stars

Yeine Darr is an outcast from the barbarian north. But when her mother dies under mysterious circumstances, she is summoned to the majestic city of Sky. There, to her shock, Yeine is named an heiress to the king. But the throne of the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is not easily won, and Yeine is thrust into a vicious power struggle with cousins she never knew she had. As she fights for her life, she draws ever closer to the secrets of her mother's death and her family's bloody history.

With the fate of the world hanging in the balance, Yeine will learn how perilous it can be when love and hate - and gods and mortals - are bound inseparably together.

What can I say??? This is one engaging, complex, and confusing (if you're not paying attention) debut novel from N. K. Jemisin. She's got a great voice and a great imagination, but honestly I was a bit lost here and there due to all the scene breaks / 'head' hopping. Once I got an inkling of what was going on within the MC, Yeine, it was easier for me to follow.

Now I must say, however, that this could totally be due to the 'mommy brain' I'm fond of blaming things on. It happens when you have 2 toddlers at home with you ALL DAY LONG.

If you're into fantasy & looking for something fresh (& just a tad bit hot), definitely give this a read.