Welcome to my stop on the Christmas Cracker Scavenger Hunt!!
If this is your first stop, here's how this is going to work:
From each of the participating blogs, you'll collect a letter, which will form an anagram, of sorts, to something related to Christmas. At the bottom of this post, you'll find the link to the next stop. Hop from blog to blog and collect the letters. If you arrange the letters correctly and figure out the mystery word, the prizes up for grabs are:
Grand Prize:
Second Prize:
Here’s the clue you need from my blog for your entry into the Scavenger Hunt Grand Prize draw:
Winner will be drawn at MIDNIGHT on Monday, December 15th.
You can enter ANOTHER Rafflecopter below for a chance to win an ebook copy of Eye of the Soulor Secrets of the Soulby the very lovely Terri Rochenski! I'll be drawing a name for the ebook on Monday, December 15th!
Hello, hunters! I’m so excited to be hosting a stop on the Summer Reads Scavenger Hunt!
FORTY signed paperbacks (yes, you read that right - 40!!! That's a LOT of summer reading) are up for grabs and a whole helluva lot of swag to win along the way!
I’ve got some swagilicious prizes from author Alexander Nader that I’m giving away, but first, I was asked to list my top five summer reads and I’ve got quite a few parked on my Kindle right now. Some are older because I’m just getting started on the series. So here they are, in no particular order:
KERI’S SUMMER READING LIST:
The Ghost Files by Apryl Baker
Seven Sons by Lili St Germain
Reasonable Doubt 2 by Whitney Gracia Williams
Salt by Colin F. Barnes
Hereditary by J.A. Belfield
My number for this post is: 13
The Summer Reads Scavenger Hunt will run from TODAY until midnight on SUNDAY (19th July). To enter to win FORTYsigned paperbacks by a wide range of authors PLUS $30 worth of Amazon Gift Cards, simply hop around ALL participating stops, collect all of the highlighted numbers, add them together, and then go enter the requested details along with your calculated answer in the ENTRY FORM. You can find more information on how the stop works HERE. All stops will direct you to the next place to hop across to. And don’t worry if you get lost, because the entire list of participating authors can be found HERE.
GIVEAWAY TIME!!
My swag was donated by Alexander Nader, author of Beasts of Burdin and the Whiskey & Wheelguns books. Go check him out on Amazon if you haven’t already!
Not only is it Humpday—which means I have a delightfully long staff meeting to look forward to later this morning—but it’s also the start of the
SOUL RESURRECTED BLOG TOUR!!!
A number of very awesome bloggers have signed up to help me spread the word about the series!
These are fun and knowledgeable folks, well-read in the paranormal romance and urban fantasy genres. If you like dark fiction, sign up to their blogs because they have a keen eye for good books and can steer you in the right direction.
I frequently visit their blogs when I’m hunting down a new read.
In case you missed my launch day post, here is what I’ll be giving away during the blog tour:
Gift cards, books, bookmarks, totes, t-shirts and a limited edition print signed by the smokin’ hot cover model, Julian Christian!
All you have to do is hop from blog to blog and check out what’s going on! Spread the word about Soul Resurrected and increase your chances of winning!
On December 12th, I’m going to be over at Bitten By Books, answering all your questions about the Wrath brothers, the series, and whatever crazy stuff you wanna talk about. Grab your drink of choice and be sure to stop by to say hello! This was a lot of fun with Soul Avenged’s release and I look forward to hanging with you guys again! Plus you’ll have a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card.
Also …
With the start of the blog tour, I’m also kicking off the Scavenger Hunt today!
Go to the Scavenger Hunt page and just like you're filling out brackets for March Madness, you’ll print off the answer sheet. Keep it handy! Hop from blog to participating blog throughout the tour and record your responses to each question.
At the end of the tour, on December 11th, I’ll be activating the Response Submission Form right on the scavenger hunt page.
NOTE: In order to avoid confusion, all responses will be submitted in one shot. Response Submission form will NOT be activated until December 11th.
What’s the prize for this?
That, my friends, is a mystery … all I can say is, I’ve made it extra special just for you.
I want to thank everyone for picking up a copy of Soul Resurrected and enormous thanks for taking the time to leave a review. I’m not much of a reviewer, but I have written a few here and there and I know that a lot of time goes into writing them. Add the awesome pics and gifs that readers add to personalize their reviews and I’m certain it amounts to hours for many bloggers.
I want you to know, I appreciate your time.
If you haven't yet grabbed a copy of
Soul Resurrected (Sons of Wrath, #2), find it here:
You can read some of the reviews for the book here: GOODREADS REVIEWS
Oh! And be SURE to check out the Special Contributors Page in the back of Soul Resurrected! If you indicated that you WANTED to be included on this page (on the voting form during the Cover Model Contest), you’ll find your name listed there!!
Now go, go, go! Get to winning some stuff!!
Grab a copy of Soul Avenged (Sons of Wrath, #1) here:
First, I want to thank the many readers who picked up a copy of Soul Avenged while it was 99 cents! Hope you enjoy the read!
Recently I was tagged by the lovely Krista Walsh to participate in this little Q&A about current projects that’s been circulating the blogosphere. I’m actually pretty excited because I get to chat about my upcoming release, Soul Resurrected, due out sometime in October.
And so on to the questions …
What are you working on right now?
Well, on a non-writing topic, I’m running a cover model contest for book 2 and asking my readers to choose the face of my character, Logan. That begins June 14th and I’m REALLY excited about it. I’m also opening the Sons of Wrath store in a couple of weeks too. As far as WiP’s, I’m working on edits to Soul Resurrected, the second book in my Sons of Wrath series. And if I keep to Krista’s format with this, then I get to share a snippet from the book! Yay!
Here’s a short scene from book 2 with Calla and Logan:
“Draven killed my brother. I intend to kill Draven.”
“You referring to the little prick that stabbed me? He’s my kill.”
“My kill. My kill,” she mocked. “You sound like some kind of prehistoric hit man.”
Logan’s cheek dimpled as if he tried to subdue a smile. “Let’s just say that I let you have a go at him—”
“Let me?” She leaned back against the window and crossed her arms. “What makes you think I’m asking your permission first? I get a kill shot, I’m taking it.”
His once-over, tits to legs, followed by a lick of his lips had her squirming on the inside.
“You’re fucking cute as hell when you’re feisty.” His gaze swung toward the road then back on her.
Warmth tingled in her cheeks at the same time her stomach fluttered like she’d ingested a brawling swarm of butterflies. She snapped her head to the side, diverting her attention toward the window, hoping he didn’t catch the sudden flush.
“What would you do? If he was yours to kill. How would you do it?”
She glanced back and frowned. “Why are you asking me this?”
“I’m a demon. A sick fuck. This shit turns me on.”
“He’s the reason my brother is dead.” Calla twisted to face him again, her jaw tight as she spoke, “Jake suffered a slow and painful death. So will Draven.”
How does it differ from other works in its genre?
I think a unique element of this series is the violence and gore. It’s a dark world with a variety of supernaturals, and humans often unwittingly find themselves caught in the middle. Yet, as it’s a paranormal romance, I like to tie everything up with HEA at the end. This book is steamier than Soul Avenged too.
What experiences have influenced you?
Just about every little detail in my life has some level of influence over my writing. A bad day can translate into a really violent scene. Hahaha! People I meet can give rise to heroic or villainous characters. It depends. Other writers have played a huge role in my writing as well. Their encouragement and feedback really pushed me to publish Soul Avenged (I originally hadn’t planned to do anything with this series).
Why do you write what you do?
If I didn’t write, I think I’d go nuts. A lot of what I do in my day is analytical, number crunching. I crave creativity. Paranormal romance and urban fantasy is the perfect genre to let my imagination run wild. I can create worlds, supernaturals in those worlds, and rules that they must follow. It’s fun and allows me to break from the madness of my day to day.
How does your writing process work?
My writing process is not ideal. In fact, I’m sure most writers would roll their eyes at the way I approach my stories. I can’t outline and plot or do anything organized like that. I put the earplugs in and as soon as my fingers hit the keys I’m typing what my characters tell me to write. As fast as I can, I’ll get the bare bones of the story onto paper, er, computer screen. Then its layer upon layer. I like to flesh out the main storyline first, which happens to be the blossoming romance between the H/h. After that, I fill in holes and add subplots. Then I probably take about 1-2 months of intense editing before I feel okay enough to pass it along to betas.
What is the hardest part about writing?
Cutting it off! My current WiP is 140K words because I just couldn’t stop. Now I’m tasked with having to cut 20K or more from the manuscript, while making sure all the meaty parts of the story are still in tact. I’m also very critical of my own work.
What would you like to try as a writer that you haven’t yet?
I actually have an idea for an erotica written down. Not sure if I'll do anything with it. I’m very closely bordering romantica in this current WiP. I’d also like to try horror sometime.
Who are the authors you most admire?
My favorites are Anne Rice, Poe and Kresley Cole. I also have a lot of respect for paranormal romance and urban fantasy author J.A. Belfield. That woman is incredibly strong with all she’s been through and writes brilliant stories. She also happens to be my editor and I think she’s just a whole helluva lot of awesome.
I also have enormous respect for the indies.
Who are new authors to watch out for?
Some authors that I think readers should check out are: J.A. Belfield (mentioned above), Colin F. Barnes, Narcisse Navarre, KL Schwengel, Krista Walsh, Candice Bundy and Terri Rochenski.
What scares you?
Spiders and failure.
As this is a blog chain, I'll leave it open for anyone who'd like to participate and discuss a current WiP!
Perhaps you’ve seen this Liebster Award going around. Well, guess what? I got nominated—not once, but twice—by the lovely J.A. Belfield and Soo over at Silk Screen Views. So I thought I’d combine the two into one post.
Here’s how this works:
* Each nominee must answer the 11 questions.
* Create 11 questions for the next nominees to answer.
* Link back to who nominated them.
* Choose 11 people and link them in your post.
* Go to their page and tell them.
* No tag backs!
Okay so first up, my questions from Soo:
What was your first response when you got my email about the Liebster Blog Award?
Um. What the hell is this?
Name a weird event that has happened due to running a blog. If the answer is no, tell a joke. It must be FUNNY!
I can’t even pull off a written joke, I’m THAT bad. Okay so, weird event? Uh, I’ll go both website and blog and I’d have to say the DAILY weird events are the search terms people have used to get to my site. Some of my faves:
Angels and demons having sex
Eating out in Keri Lake <<I’ll assume they were looking for the Greek resort here
Blindfolded ankles tied with rope <<curious to know which page they landed on.
Has anything unexpected happened to you by writing a post? If the answer is no, create a haiku about your blog.
Hmmm. *thinks REALLY hard to keep from having to write a damn haiku* Oh yeah, here’s one: I was writing teaser posts for my Cover Model Contest, you know, cropping sexy bods and saving the likely candidates into folders. Later, I ended up having an issue with a work-related account and had to call IT, who accessed my laptop remotely. He pulled up my recent files and there were all the half-naked men with no heads. Kinda felt like a perv.
Light saber or magic wand? Defend your answer! =)
Sabers are all about ass kickery. Wands are for marching band color-guard wannabe wizards.
What is a flaw you would never give up?
I’m incredibly picky about my own writing. Maybe even a little obsessive I guess.
If you could rid the world of stupid people, would you? Why or why not?
Probably not. It’d be hard to appreciate the smart ones if all the stupid ones disappeared. Reminders, right?
What three things do you absolutely must have to survive the Zombie Apocalypse?
A recipe for artificial brains, cans of Lysol spray and probably Nerf guns, because c’mon, decaying flesh can’t be all that impenetrable.
Is there a book you regret reading? What was it?
My sister’s diary when we were teenagers.
What do you do when your creative juices dry up and you can’t write anything but ellipses?
Um … well … I guess I … jeez … I dunno … take a break? … Uh … read someone elses’s stuff for a while? … Can’t really … think, ya know?
What is your definition of a white lie?
Practice.
Why did you decide to accept the LBA & participate in the blog meme?
My muse ditched me for a cheap fling with fast fingers and quicker keystrokes. I had nothing better to do.
Onto the next round of questions from J:
What is your favourite genre to read?
Definitely paranormal romance and urban fantasy.
You’ve just won a competition and the prize is any pair of shoes in the world of your choice. Describe them.
My dream shoes? Stilettos that feel like I’m wearing Nikes. Holy hell, I’d wear those suckers while cleaning house, even.
Which fictional character would you most like to meet and why?
I keep thinking this is going to change over time, but it hasn’t. Rydstrom Woede because there’s something about this demon that gets my fan girl flags waving. Some serious thigh-clenching going on too.
The zombie apocalypse is upon us. Undead beings are beating at your door, slobbering over your freshly-cleaned patio windows, and you’re barricaded into your living room. Sticking to truth, what’s the most useful item you have to help you swing your way out of this somewhat precarious situation?
Am I the only one who wonders what the big deal is about zombies? We’re talking the walking dead here, right? Decaying flesh and all that? Seems one swift kick would send your foot flying through a rib cage and out its ass. So I guess a pair of steel-toe boots.
I’ll never understand why mashed potato is considered a signature dish for a certain chicken restaurant in the US, so if you couldn’t have both, but had to choose, which way would you swing? Chicken or mash?
I actually LOVE mashed potatoes. Besides, lots of things taste like chicken anyway. Not like I’d miss it.
What is your most favourite accent in the world *cough* British *cough*?
What’s Gerard Butler’s accent again?
If you could visit any fictional land (created world/situation/etc) from any book of your choosing, which world/situation would choose to play witness to and why?
I’d like to be a patient in the UGH. Hot demon docs taking care of me? Yeah uh, sign me up!
Slippers or socks? No, they’re NOT the same!
Socks.
Favourite James Bond actor? Why, what’s so special about him, then?
Hands down, Sean Connery. The accent, the sex appeal.
Best (in your opinion) special effects for a werewolf film to date? (to the US folk out there, film = movie. )
Honestly, much as they are a guilty pleasure, I cannot take Twilight films seriously. I think I do more laughing than anything else. And the transformations in True Blood, though sexy when they involve Alcide stripping down, do nothing for me. I gotta go with An American Werewolf In London. That transformation scared the hell out of me when I was younger. Still the best in my opinion:
And last but not least: Head into your mobile (mobile = cell phone *snicker*) scroll through your ‘favourites’ list of numbers, find the number that you dial the most … Who is it? Can I have their number? ‘Cause they must be pretty cool if you ring them all the while, right?
Most dialed number is hubs.
And now here's my 11 questions for the nominees:
Well, it turns out that your good-for-nothing fairy godmother actually came through with a spell that works. The next book you read will become your reality. That’s right, you’ll be transported from your current existence, straight into the book. The question is, which book do you pick up next?
Your crazy uncle has finally done it … he’s built a time machine that he’s pretty sure is going to work, though he hasn’t actually tested it yet. On humans, anyway. You’re asked to be his guinea pig. Knowing there’s a good chance you might not come back from this trip, to which period would you like to travel back in time?
While showing off your old cheerleading moves at an outdoor keg party, you lose your balance doing a herkie and land on a patch of ice, knocking your head pretty hard. Your doc declares you out of sorts and writes you a note to excuse any behaviors deemed ‘temporarily insane’. What’s at the top of your havoc-wreaking agenda for the day?
What’s your favorite supernatural?
If you were stranded on an island and had the choice between a hot guy or a REALLY good book with a smokin’ hot alpha, what would you choose?
First date attire: jeans and t-shirt or a dress?
It so happens you’ve got some mad guitar skills. You decide to form a band. What’s the name of your band?
After months of floating alone through space, you land on a planet that makes our tropical paradises here on Earth look like the slums. Even more exciting than that, the only beings on the planet are men. But that’s not even the cake … every one of them are book boyfriends from the many romance novels you’ve read the last few months in your cramped spaceship cabin. Okay, sure, maybe you’ve lost your mind, but that’s irrelevant. The important question here is: who’s gonna be your leading man on this crazy planet?
If you could be any badass female from any book or movie who would you be and why?
Describe yourself in three words.
The supes are at war with each other and as one of few humans remaining you’re forced to take a side. Which supe is more likely to come out on top and why? Demons, werewolves, vampires or witches?
I know this thing has gone around the net quite a bit, so I’ll pick a few of my favorite bloggers and leave the other 5 or so open to anyone who’d like to participate!
I was recently tagged by the very lovely Krista Walsh to participate in this fun blog hop. It’s cool because I get to talk about my next big project, and since so many developments toward getting it published have occurred in the last couple of weeks, I’m pretty damn excited. Before you jump into my responses though, be sure to have a look at Krista’s too—looks like she has a very interesting book in the works!
What is the working title of your book?
Soul Avenged (Sons of Wrath, #1)
Where did the idea come from for the book?
I’m not exactly sure. The main character, Ayden, has been rattling the cages for a while now and back in January, I finally sat down to find out what all the noise was about.
What genre does your book fall under?
Paranormal romance but probably a bit more on the side of urban fantasy.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Oh man, I have no clue. Maybe once it’s released, my readers will tell me who fits the characters. Ha!
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
After being brutally attacked by Lycans, a female teams up with a brood of Wrath demons for revenge.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Self-published
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
A little over six weeks
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
JR Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood, Gena Showalter’s Lords of the Underworld.
Who or What inspired you to write this book?
Just the unrelenting draw of the characters in the story. As they became more distinct, I needed to know more about their world.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
The story is set in gothic Detroit. Even though many parts of Detroit are abandoned and run-down, it has its little diamonds embedded within the city. In fact, I’ll be blogging about Detroit coming up.
This book also falls a little outside of my usual writing – it’s very dark, much more violent and the sex scenes have a bit more steam.
***
For step two of the blog hop, it’s my turn to nominate 5 amazing writers. I’m dying to know what they're cooking up in their secret labs! Be sure to check out what they’re working on next:
If this is your first stop, here's how this is going to work:
