Winter Solstice!

It’s finally here! If we all survive the day, here’s what this special day means to some of the authors from our Tour.

Go over to Eternally Books to check out what the other authors have to say.

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What does the Winter Solstice mean to you?

When I think of the Winter Solstice, I think of the experience I had while visiting the famous passage tomb in Ireland called Newgrange. Newgrange isn't as well known as Stonehenge, but it's certainly older (5,000 years old!) and it's FAR more interesting. Newgrange is a Megalithic passage tomb that is buried underground and is precisely and mathematically aligned with the sun for about fifteen minutes, one day a year. On the Winter Solstice (Dec 21st) during sunrise, the light will shine through a small window at the entrance of the tomb, snaking all the way down the long passageway that leads underground, where it'll light up the huge ceremonial chamber inside. It is truly an amazing sight to witness...even with artificial light. There's a lottery to witness it real time on Dec 21st each year (and that's ONLY if it's sunny!). Here's more on Newgrange (including pictures of it) if you're interested: http://www.newgrange.com/ – P.T. Michelle

Wow! That’s amazing, and sounds way cooler the Stonehenge

It reminds me of my homeland Denmark. It
reminds me of the darkness at this time of year and how happy I am that I live in Florida
now where every day is a potential beach day. I love the sun and desperately need it all
year around! – Willow Rose

You’re just rubbing it in, it’s so cold and dark here! Send me to Florida please.

*in unison*

Becky: Christmas!!!
Sara: Dancingnakedinthewoods!!!

*Becky stares at Sara for a moment, then wordlessly gets up and walks away*

Sara: What? What?! – S.B. Rodgers

High-five Sara!! I feel ya girl! If I see any other woodland streakers I’ll check to see if it’s you.

The Winter Solstice, to me, is about “the moment”—that moment when you willfully open your heart to the next phase of your life. My advice: cherish each and every “moment,” for inspiration can never really be planned. It has its own agenda. - Amy Joy Lutchen

That’s beautiful!

It’s probably time for me to start thinking about doing some Christmas shopping… – Andy Monk

Good luck with those lines!

Happy Solstice!

Winter Solstice Event: Giveaway Winners!

 

It’s been a crazy two weeks, and I don’t know about you guys but I’ve now got even more books on my TBR pile! Luckily for some of you you’ve won copies of those books.

Also, don’t forget to step on over to Eternally Books to see if you won!

All winners have been chosen by Random.org and have been notified.

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Winner of Andy Monk’s The King of the Winter:

Shar from Paranormal Book Reviews

Winner of P.T. Michelle’s Lucid:

Melissa N. Rodriguez

Winner of the Willow Rose books:

1st place Savage & Broken – Shar from Paranormal Book Reviews

2nd place Beyond – Kat

Winners of S.B. Rodgers’ Guardian:

Ramona, Angie F., Daniel de Culla, Mardel, & Jennifer!

Winner of Dead, Undead, or Somewhere in Between:

Amber Eyes

Winner of Amy Joy Lutchen’s Renhala:

Anita Stewart

Winner of Amy Joy Lutchen’s beautiful necklace:

Kari

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Congratulations to all of the winners!

Winter Solstice Event: Interview & Giveaway with Amy Joy Lutchen

 

Don’t miss out on the other author interviews and giveaways that have already gone! You can enter all giveaways until December 19th! Just click here.

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Shera ( Book Whispers): In your own words, introduce yourself.

Amy Joy Lutchen: Hi! I’m Amy Joy Lutchen, and I’m absolutely thrilled to be here! I could almost pee in my pants. But don’t worry, I won’t. Oh, and by the way, I wrote a unique urban fantasy called Renhala.

BW: How would you explain Renhala, a realm that coexists alongside earth?

AJL: Renhala is a coexisting realm which houses the most interesting of lands you can imagine. It resembles a giant puzzle, where lands of astounding beauty connect with lands of nightmarish proportions.

BW: What was the process you took in building the world of Renhala? What’s your favorite thing about it?

AJL: I have to say that often Renhala took a running start on its own. So many mornings I would awaken and find an innumerable amount of scribblings on tissues on the side of my bed—ideas that couldn’t wait until the morning. Funny thing is when I’d wake up with black ink all over my face ‘cause I happened to use those tissues.

BW: Meeples. just have to ask how did you come up with them, a little Holy Grail inspiration? ( Meeples: small cute bunnies with talons and an undeniable thirst for imposing self-destruction on others.)

AJL: I am only going to say that you wouldn’t believe the amount of fictional literary genius that falls out of the mouths of babes.

BW: What was the hardest part of writing Renhala? What was your favorite?

AJL: Wow, I haven’t been asked this yet. Hmmm. I’d have to say that the hardest part was actually writing a scene in the first version of the book (which my editor read). It was an explicit assault scene which I actually lived (in real life), but we, my editor and I, thought it best to maybe start the novel AFTER “an assault” occurred, which was fine by me. I was happy to just get that ugly event out of my head and on paper, where I could knead it and mash it into something entirely different. You see, my book was actually a therapeutic, literary jam session for me, which morphed into the most magical and inspiring land ever: Renhala! Those awesomely quirky creatures/characters that were birthed as I wrote proved to be heroes of mine that I will forever cherish.

Cool, I think I just answered both of your questions!

BW: Is there any particular character that you ended up loving the most by the time you were finished?

AJL: It appears that Bu (the stinkiest, but most adorable six-hundred pound creature you’ll ever meet) seems to be a BIG (pun!) winner with my readers, but I have to say that Kioto, the Akita, steals my heart, for unconditional love is one of the greatest gifts around.

BW: When you're in a writing jam, is there a particular author you look to for inspiration? One that makes you ask, "What would ‘insert author's name here’ do?"

AJL: Ok, perhaps Stephen King? But when I do that I scare myself and then cower in a corner.

BW: What can readers look forward to seeing from you? Are you writing more books for the Renhala universe?

AJL: HaHa! Why, yes, they can. I am currently working on book two of the series, and let me say it’s a bit darker, a bit shorter, but no less exciting! AND, while working on this project, the most wonderful YA book idea happened to fall out of my head, too.

BW: For you personally, not your characters, between a vampire love interest and a werewolf love interest which do you prefer? (What team are you on? Team Vampire or Team Werewolf.)

 AJL: Yikes! I think about this ALL the time (is that weird?). I’m thinking Team Werewolf. Immortality’s just not cuttin’ it for me. Hot werewolf love wrestling sounds much more interesting to me . . .

BW: Go wild! Let us know something funny about you, share something that's on your mind, or anything else that's important about your books.

AJL: Random Thing On my Mind: Just today I was scrolling through Facebook, and I saw a relative of mine who actually asked for advice on picking either a kindle fire or a nook. I let her know that that was equivalent to asking “Republican or Democrat.” I was ready to see some blood.

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About the author

Was born in Chicago and slept in a dresser drawer for the first few weeks of my life, marking me as a future claustrophobe.

I studied at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana (man I grew up quick), where I became a number, but decided it was a good number.

I now write in my spare time as I eat snacks, making sure they are not in multiples of three. That number makes me nervous.

Author of Renhala, a unique urban fantasy.

Goodreads | Blog

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Giveaway:

There are two giveaways below! The eBook copy of Renhala is open internationally, while the necklace is only open to US and Canadian residents.

Good luck!

Here is what the lovely necklace looks like, designed and made by the author herself!

Winter Solstice Event: Giveaway J.A. Saare

Don’t miss out on the other author interviews and giveaways that have already gone! You can enter all giveaways until December 19th! Just click here.

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Well I was going to have a interview and giveaway with author Chelsea fine, but sometimes the Holidays get ahead of us. So today instead I’ve decided to support a new found author that I’ve greatly enjoyed. Well, she’s not new found I just got around to finally reading Dead, UnDead, or Somewhere in Between by J.A. Saare. You can check out my review here, to see how much I loved it!

One bad corpse can ruin your whole day.

No one knows that better than Rhiannon Murphy.

She left behind the flash and sass of Miami for the no-nonsense groove of New York City, eager for a clean slate and a fresh start. A bartender by trade, a loud mouth by choice, and a necromancer by chance; she managed to keep her nifty talent hidden from those around her—until now.

The deliciously good-looking vampire, Disco, knows her secret. When he strolls into her bar to solicit help investigating the mysterious disappearances of his kind from the city, Rhiannon discovers he’s not the kind of person that appreciates the significance of the word no.

But in a world where vampires peddle their blood as the latest and greatest drug of choice, it’s only a matter of time before the next big thing hits the market. Someone or something is killing vampires to steal their hearts, and unlike Rhiannon, this isn’t their first stroll around the undead block.

****This is for USA & Canadian residents, the book will be gifted through Amazon’s Kindle store.****

Winter Solstice Event: Interview & Giveaway S.D. Rodgers

Don’t miss out on the other author interviews and giveaways that have already gone! You can enter all giveaways until December 19th! Just click here.

Guardian has been one of my favorite angel books, and I’m so excited that Rodgers decided to take part of this tour. Now 5 lucky readers get a chance to win a free copy.

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Shera (Book Whispers): In your own words, introduce yourself.

S.B. Rodgers: We are a sisterly writing duo from Ontario, Canada and we go by the penname S.B. Rodgers. We met at the young ages of twenty-two months and zero days, thrust into each other’s lives by fate and situations beyond our control.  As a team we bring very different skills to the table, each one’s strength perfectly complimenting the other’s weakness. We try not to take ourselves very seriously and strive to look for the humor in life. We live together in Waterloo in a house with one red wall.

Sara is the younger of the two. She lives with one cat, seven dolls and her potato head man collection. Regrettably she is not Spiderman or Batman, but she is a card holding Pokémon master and that’s good enough for now. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She collects graphic novels and manga as well as all things written by the fantastic Neil Gaiman. When she's not reading or writing she's needle felting and posting her work on her popu-lish tumblr account: The Land of Fluff and Needles.

Becky is the classic girly-girl. Her blond hair and pink nails served as the perfect camouflage during school years where teachers undoubtedly took her day dreaming for air-headedness. To the contrary, she spent that time drifting in and out of imaginary worlds filled with fantastical creatures and memorable characters. Today she divides her time between working with animals as a certified pet stylist and typing away at new manuscripts. Among other things she describes herself as a Gleek, sci-fi nerd, smustle expert extraordinaire and above all she just “wants to believe.” She lives with her two German Shepherds-Abby and Odin-and is driven by delusions of grandeur.

BW: Ever since reading Guardian I’ve been a huge fan and I’m really fond of the original cover. So I have to ask what made you decide to give Guardian the new look? Who designed it?

Old:	New:

S.B.: First of all, thank you Shera! It’s a pleasure to be back on your blog again. The reason we decided to re-vamp Guardian is simple, the original is just too hard to see on sites like Amazon, Smashwords, Kobo and ibooks. Though we still LOVE the original cover and still believe it would look great on a bookstore shelf, the new one is much easier to see and thus be noticed. We so want to be noticed!

As for who created it? Well, it was a mash-up of our talents (as our work tends to be). Becky came up with the concept, and Sara used her Art School Superpowers™ to make it zesty.

BW: Abby is the main character of Guardian and is quite literally stuck in the middle of a power struggle between heaven and hell. The character growth Abby goes through in Guardian was one of the things that I appreciated the most, watching a broken individual find their way back. What can readers look forward to seeing in the sequel Thief?

S.B.: To quote our favorite movie of all time (The princess Bride);

“… Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles...” No, but seriously--by the end of Guardian, we had barely scratched the surface about who and more importantly what Abby is. Our poor powerless girl isn’t who she was in book 1 chapter 2 anymore, and we think fans will enjoy the ride as we watch her come into her own. Of course, there’ll be something there for everyone--Abby isn’t the only one who’s going to struggle to adjust. But be warned, we’re not done breaking her heart just yet! *evil smirks.*

BW: Raph and Gabriel help to make up the steamy love triangle, and I have to confess that by the time I turned the last page of Guardian I had no idea who I was rooting for. Not to give too much away, but can readers find the same love triangle drama in Thief? Will there be a “big” revelation for Abby concerning the two?

S.B.: Rest assured, the triangle is still firmly in place and will remain so for the foreseeable future! As for a ‘big” revelation, well, we guess you’ll have to read it and find out. We have to admit that we love keeping our fans and characters on their toes.

BW: Satan has to be the coolest villainess to grace the pages of Paranormal YA, and I know in our previous interview it was stated that Satan solved a plot issue for Thief when she decided to make her presence known as Lucifer’s plotting wife. What can readers expect from Lucifer and Satan this time around?

S.B.: What can you expect from the couple from hell! *wink*DRAMAAAAA!!! She is still plotting and he is still, well, Lucifer. It’s safe to say from where we left off that the sexy-fun battle between the two is going to intensify. But that’s all we have to say about that. (p.s. This question made us SQUEE! Thank you so much for such an amazing compliment. Just WOW!)

BW: Thief, book 2 in the Guardian series, has been pushed back from its summer 2012 release date. What’s the new date?

S.B.: We announced earlier this week that Thief will be launching in the first quarter of 2013. We haven’t picked a date yet but it’s likely to be in the months of February-March.

BW: In a previous interview here you mentioned that you’ve got about 14 books, or series, that you’re working on. What ever happened to plans for “YA superhero novel-Legacy-and a YA Sc-fi-Aurora-both to be available this summer”?

S.B.: Yes we were a little zealous early on in our announcing of projects. Basically, our goal is to be published authors! After years of hard work we are closer than ever before to meeting this goal but it’s a very long road. Aurora is currently in its final stages but we intend to query it to agents first. If it doesn’t make the cut, then we will simply publish it ourselves. Same with Legacy.

We have been told by many industry professionals that our books really are high caliber stories, but it just depends on what the market is demanding at the time we query. It’s complicated stuff!

 BW: The last interview you guys did on BW, you both stated that you were Team Werewolf and Team Demon. Has that changed? ( Werewolf vs Vampire, Demon vs Angel)

Nope! Still love the werewolves, and there’s no denying a sexy demon.

BW: What are some of your current favorite books?

S.B.: Wow, tough question!

Sara: Homestuck, World War Z, Unwritten (graphic novel), NeverWhere, Game of Thrones.

Becky: Hunger Games, World War Z, The Luxe Series, Harry Potter, American Vampire (comic).

BW: There are a lot of amazing books that are being made into movies, what are some of the ones that you’re most interested in seeing?

S.B.: By the time this is published we will have seen the Hobbit !We also look forward to the rest of the Hunger Game series, Game of Thrones (it totally counts!), and the new season of Sherlock. We were so excited about World war Z, but not so much after seeing the trailer .

BW: Go wild! Let us know something funny about you, share something that's on your mind, or anything else that's important about your books.

S.B.: Something funny: We break into random song and dance numbers more often than the Glee kids. We aren’t nearly as polished as them, but it’s the heart that counts, right?

On our mind: Bullying is bad. We all have feelings. Don’t be a jerk! Also we could really go for some pizza right now, nooooooooommmmm.

Our books: Two words: Sneak. Preview. Heck yes! Here’s your exclusive sneak peek at Thief, the upcoming sequel to Guardian. Enjoy!

BW: Wow! Thanks you guys! Well I hope everyone enjoyed the interview, because I’m off to read that sneak peek!

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About the authors

We are sisters, writing partners and most importantly best friends. We love everything to do with the literary world and spend our time creating YA and Middle-grade fiction.

Goodreads | Blog | Twitter | Facebook

 

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Giveaway:

This is a international giveaway, up to 5 lucky winners! Giveaway last until December 19th.

Winter Solstice Event: Interview & Giveaway Willow Rose

Don’t miss out on the other author interviews and giveaways that have already gone! You can enter all giveaways until December 19th! Just click here.

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Shera (Book Whispers): In your own words, introduce yourself.

Willow Rose: I'm 36, mother of two young girls and a stepmother of a boy and a girl. I live in Florida, but am originally from Denmark. We moved to the US 3 years ago because we had always dreamt about living in a warmer place.

BW: Just looking at your author page on Goodreads you write a lot of genres besides paranormal. (Touching base in mysteries, thrillers, horrors ext.) What is your favorite genre to write in?

WR: I love all genres, that's why I write all kinds. I started out as a mystery-writer and had three books published back in Denmark by a major publishing house there. They are all translated into several languages but not yet to English. Later when I began writing my books in English I started trying out different genres and I love to change between them. When I have been writing in one genre for a few months then I desperately need to write something completely different. Like when I've been writing horror novels for awhile I badly need to write something romantic. In that way I'm never bored or sick of what I'm writing. It's new all the time. I enjoy that immensely.

BW: Savage, the first book in Daughters of the Jaguar, attracted my attention to your writing, and it looks like many readers have been swept off their feet with it. What is it about Daughters of the Jaguar that is so different from other animal shifter books out there?

WR: Daughters of the jaguar is just a beautiful story with wonderful characters. It's a great love-story with big emotions. I loved writing the first two books in the series because their lives and stories grabbed me. They are at one point so realistic yet it is still a supernatural story. But we all know the choices they have to make and people don't always make the choices that we wish they would. And what we don't realize is that the decisions we make early in life end up meaning a great deal later in life.

BW: Daughter of the Jaguar takes place in 1983, what made you to decide on that decade to tell the story?

WR: I wanted the three books to cover three decades of the character's lives. I chose 1983 because the first book is slightly inspired by my husband's adventures in '83. He left Denmark to go to Florida and live with a very wealthy family. Just like Christian in the book. Plus I love the 80'ies. Who doesn't?

BW: Broken is the second in the Daughters of the Jaguar series, what made you decide to take it ten years into the future?

WR: That was the plan from the beginning. I wanted it to be like a saga where we follow the characters through big events in their lives. In that way I think we get to know them really good and understand them better. The third book will take place in '03.

BW: You have another paranormal series, Afterlife, which is young adult. Beyond is the first book, and from the excerpt it sounds like there will be Angels involved. Angels have really taken the YA world by storm, what can readers expect from Beyond that makes it stand out from the rest?

WR: Beyond is a book about a girl who dies and wakes up in a new world. She has this new body that she doesn't know how works, and that is what they are going to teach her at the Academy, the school where she is going to stay at for three years. The Angels teach people all about the Afterlife and how to fly (even through tornadoes and walk on rainbows etc.) It's a love story in a fantasy-world about life after death.

BW: On the original Beyond cover there’s a catch phrase “Death is Only the Beginning” and it’s true when Meghan wakes up and is another world. What gave you the idea for the Afterlife of the series?

WR: I loved writing about magic and new worlds and my husband told me he thought I should write about life after death. "What could be more magical than that?" he asked. I couldn't agree more.

BW: When you're in a writing jam, is there a particular author you look to for inspiration? One that makes you ask, "What would ‘insert author's name here’ do?"

WR: I have always loved Anne Rice and Isabel Allende, but there are many writers I look to for inspiration. In a jam I normally take a walk, though. Fresh air always clears my mind and helps me solve the problem.

BW: What can readers look forward to seeing from you? Are you writing more books for the Daughters of the Jaguar and Afterlife series?

WR: I will be writing a third book and probably also a book about Aiyana, the female character in the book. I want to write about her childhood and teenage-years when she first discovered who and what she really was. That could be really interesting. But right now I'm writing a YA-paranormal suspense-novel called "I am Wolf". It'll probably be out by the end of January.

BW: For you personally, not your characters, between a vampire love interest and a werewolf love interest which do you prefer? (What team are you on? Team Vampire or Team Werewolf.)

WR: I'm definitely a wolf-lover. I love the shape-shifter theme. I love the idea of the beast inside of us all getting out. Plus I prefer my men hairy and warm-blooded.

BW: Go wild! Let us know something funny about you, share something that's on your mind, or anything else that's important about your books.

WR: I don't know if it is funny or even interesting to anyone else than me, but I have actually written ten books in less than eighteen months. And English is my second language by the way :-) Good thing I have a great editor!

BW: Huge thanks to Willow Rose for participating in this tour as well as giveaway some goodies!

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About the author

I am a Paranormal Romance, fantasy and mystery/horror/thriller writer. I am originally from Denmark but currently living in Florida, USA.

I am the author of the Afterlife-series. It is a Y/A Paranormal Romance-novel for the young reader with a twist of both fantasy and mystery in it. Currently I have released three books in the series, Beyond, Serenity and Endurance. They are both available on Amazon.com, Smashwords, Barnes and Nobles, etc. and as paperback if you prefer that.

I have also written a mystery-novel called One, Two... He is coming for you, and a fantasy novel called The Eye of the Crystal Ball.

Latest I have released the first two books in a new series called Daughters of the Jaguar. The first book Savage is out now and so is the sequel Broken. It is a shapeshifter/paranormal romance series for the adult reader over 16 years of age.

Right now I am working on a sequel to my mystery/horror thriller "One, Two ... He is coming for you".

Don't hesitate to contact me either here on Goodreads, twitter, on Facebook or my blog.

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Giveaway:

There will be two winners! First place wins a copy of Savage and Broken. Second place will win a copy of Beyond! Giveaway is open internationally, ends December 19th.