Category: Books (Page 74 of 82)

Annika James author of Wanted and Giveaway

January 21, 2013 / Katie L. Carroll

Please give a warm welcome to fellow Muse author Annika James. Her paranormal YA Wanted came out last Friday (check out my sparkly review over on Goodreads). To win a copy of Wanted in the ebook format of your choice, simply leave a comment below. Winner will be randomly chosen. UPDATE: The giveaway is over and the winner has been chosen.

First, I have to thank Katie for having me here today!

Wanted is full of vampires and witches. In fact, not one of my characters is fully human. I choose to write paranormal because it is the genre that interests me the most.

Ever since I was younger, I have been interested in reading books about other beings. The first books I can remember reading were L.J. Smith’s The Secret Circle and The Vampire Diaries books, along with books by Christopher Pike and R.L. Stine. I think those early influences helped inspire my characters today.

As I got older, I expanded into Laurell K. Hamilton, Kim Harrison, J.R. Ward, and so many more authors. I loved the worlds of the previous three authors – how the paranormal was normal. That is what I strove for when creating my characters. I wanted a world where vampires and witches lived side by side with humans and no one thought anything about it. I wrote my characters like I would if were writing something not paranormal, then I simply added in their supernatural abilities.

With Ash, I did research on modern Wicca, and tried to add true elements of witchcraft into her character. She references the goddess several times, she casts circles, and she is affiliated with the elements. I wanted her to be a realistic witch, though with more power.

My vampires are different. They are not dead, that we know, and they do not have many limits – they can be out during the daytime, they only need to feed every couple days, they can eat and drink like humans, they age up to a certain point. I didn’t really have a formula when I began writing Wanted. I wanted my vampires to be mainstream, yet still have that romantic lure to them. Conor and Matt are simply dudes I created who I would like to hang out with. They just happen to drink blood.

When I was writing them, I thought of them as any other character, then added in the paranormal elements as I went. Tre was easier to write because he’s the bad guy. To me, he was the stereotypical bad vampire, so the vampness in him came easy.

For me, writing the paranormal was mostly natural, because it is what I’ve loved for so many years. My characters are a mish-mash of so many inspirations, along with my own ideas. It was so fun to write about Ash, Conor, and Matt, and I’m pretty sure we have not heard the last of them. After all, we all want to know what will happen with the knowledge they gained at the end of Wanted.

The vampire world I created still has secrets yet to be revealed. In Wanted, we really only get to know the young vampires, we don’t yet know how they stop aging, or what happens after they do.

I hope you enjoy reading Wanted as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please feel free to contact me with questions or comments, I love hearing from readers!

About Wanted:

Attacked as a young witch and left for dead, Ashlinn is deathly afraid of being bitten again. Having survived until she’s almost eighteen without donating blood to any of her vamp friends, Ashlinn figures she’ll continue to live bite-free. After her crush reveals how powerful she is, however, the Vampire Council declares she be claimed as a familiar, which requires biting. Ashlinn doesn’t want to be owned, even by hot vamp, Conor. Luckily, her best friend, Matt, volunteers for the job. She is given one week to choose her protector, and the list of willing biters keeps growing. Will she go with best friend Matt, hot vamp Conor, or someone else to protect her? Will she be able to get her power under control by then? Will she overcome her phobia of being bitten? And who says she needs to be protected, anyhow?

Wanted is available at the MuseItUp bookstore, Amazon, and other ebook retailers.

About Annika:

Annika James lives in small-town Wisconsin with her husband and two beautiful kiddos. She spends her days working to pay the bills and her nights dreaming of more fun ways to do so. Her passions include writing, reading, music and traveling with her family. She dreams of a world where vampires and powerful witches really exist, because life would be so much more interesting. For more about Annika visit her blog, Facebook page, or Goodreads page.

A Year on My Bookshelf: 2012

January 4, 2013 / Katie L. Carroll

I fell a little behind in my book reading this year. I managed to read 47 books, about 20 behind what I normally read. There are many reasons for that (having a toddler, working two jobs for a few months, having my own book come out and promoting it, and lots of reading time devoted to my editorial duties), but I don’t like to make excuses (Hah! Even though I just listed all my excuses out!).

My full list of books is on my Shelfari sidebar (just look to your right…you may have to scroll down a little) and on my Goodreads page. Still I wanted to highlight a handful of the books I found noteworthy and some I’m looking forward to reading this year.

Let’s start with books from authors I personally know (either in person or through the interweb). In the order I read them:

Okay, now some from authors I don’t personally know (except for maybe stalking them on the Interweb), but that I wish I personally knew. In the order I read them:

And finally some titles I’m looking forward to reading in 2013 (okay, the first two I’ve already finished and the third one I’m currently reading, but the rest I’m still looking forward to reading). In random order:

I know there are a lot more books I want to read, and even more that will pop up as the years goes on, but I included a sampling here. What were your best reads of 2012 and what are looking forward to reading this year?

Katora’s Winter Solstice

December 20, 2012 / Katie L. Carroll

I’m guest posting today at Lorrie Unites-Struiff’s blog with an original Elixir short story. Find out how Katora, Kylene, and Bhar celebrate the Winter Solstice.

Don’t forget, today is the last day to buy Elixir Bound for $1.99. I’d love for you to support my publisher’s website and buy it from the MuseItUp bookstore, but you can also get it on Amazon. (So that means it’s also the last day of my shameless self-promotion…for now!)

I’m off to do some last minute shopping with (and for!) The Boy. Let’s see, tonight I need to address those Christmas cards and finish decorating the tree. This weekend is the annual Christmas cookies decorating party with my niece, nephews, my twin-not-twin sister, and my mom. Pictures next week! And I’ll have some more thoughtful posts coming in the New Year.

In the meantime, peace and love this holiday season!

Elixir Bound Sale

December 18, 2012 / Katie L. Carroll

Just in time for Christmas, Elixir Bound is only $1.99 on Amazon. If you don’t have a Kindle, don’t fret, Elixir Bound will be $1.99 on Thursday, December 20th at the MuseItUp Bookstore (where you can buy it for your Kindle, Nook, computer, or other device). UPDATE: Elixir Bound is on sale one day early–as in right now–at the MuseItUp bookstore if you want to buy it. No shipping or wrapping required!

In case you haven’t heard what Elixir Bound is all about, here’s a short blurb:

Katora Kase is next in line to take over as guardian to a secret and powerful healing Elixir. Now she must journey into the wilds of Faway Forest to find the ingredient that gives the Elixir its potency. Even though she has her sister and brother, an old family friend, and the handsome son of a mapmaker as companions, she feels alone.

For it is her decision alone whether or not to bind herself to the Elixir to serve and protect it until it chooses a new guardian. The forest hosts many dangers, including wicked beings who will stop at nothing to gain power, but the biggest danger Katora may face is whether or not to open up her heart to love.

Check out Lorrie Unites-Struiff’s blog on Thursday for an original short story about how Katora, Bhar, and Kylene celebrate the Winter Solstice.

The Liebster Award

December 7, 2012 / Katie L. Carroll

Thanks to Meradeth Houston over at the Write Stuff for passing on the Liebster Award to me.

What is The Liebster Award you ask?
Well, it’s an award given to up-and-coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. Think of it as a virtual pat on the back. A bit of recognition for doing a good job and encouragement to keep going.
And let’s not forget the bloggers that have been blogging for a while and have great blogs.

In the spirit of the award, let me just take a minute to plug my blog. I’ve added a bunch of sharing buttons all over the Observation Desk, so I encourage you to click on those. Also, note the sidebar where you can subscribe to the blog. All you have to do is type in your email address and you’ll receive an email when a post goes live. I promise I do not use your email address for anything else. Finally, you can click on the RSS feed in the coffee cup up in the right-hand corner to add the Observation Desk to any reader. Okay, on to the questions!

1. If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would purchase?

Definitely a Ferrari…a red one, like Magnum P.I. drove.

2. Is there something unique about you that you’d like to share with the readers?

I used to be quite the jock. I earned 12 varsity letters in high school for soccer, basketball, and track.

3. Where is your dream place to live and why?

Well, I actually like the small city I live in now (corny, right!). There’s a nice green downtown, lots of beaches, and most importantly my family is nearby. But if I bought a second home, I think it would be in London.

4. What do you find is the most difficult part of the writing process?

For me the hardest part right now is breaking through all the fear and self-doubt and just getting the story written. Writing for publication is a tough, tough business to get into, and it’s hard not to let the fear paralyze you.

5. Tell us something about yourself that we don’t know.

I get very, very nervous about showing my emotions in public.

6. Do you have any pet peeves?

When you smile at a stranger to be polite, and they don’t smile back. So rude!

7. Do you have any special habits you do when you write?

Unlike with sports, I really don’t have any special habits for superstitions when it comes to writing. I do like to have tea while I’m writing, but I don’t absolutely need it.

8. Did you ever write your friends or family members in your books?

Yes. 🙂 *evil laughter*

9. What is your favorite drink?

Well, tea I’ve already mentioned, so I’ll say that Riesling is my favorite wine.

10. Who gives you the best encouragement to keep writing?

My 13-year-old nephew, who is also a writer (and his mom, my twin-not-twin sister).

11. Do you have a critique group or a special author circle?

Yes! I have a local critique group I meet with once a month and a few writer friends online as well.

Okay, the last part of this award is to list 11 random things about myself.

My favorite Harry Potter book is Goblet of Fire. I used to be a puzzle magazine editor. When I was three years old, I told everyone I was a boy because I wanted to play baseball for the New York Yankees. My elbows are double-jointed. I once pierced my own belly button. The last book I read is Kimberly Sabatini’s Touching the Surface. I have really weird dreams all the time, some of them lucid. My favorite artist is Vincent Van Gogh. I could eat pizza every day. I publish under my maiden name. How many is that? Apparently I’m not very good at counting…okay one more. My favorite person in the world is The Boy, of course!

I now have the pleasure of passing this award to two fabulous bloggers and authors: Kay Lalone, author of “Ghostly Clues” (who you met earlier this week on the blog) and Tonja Drecker, author of “In the Shadow of the Eagle’s Eye” in the upcoming anthology “Real Girls Don’t Rust.”

I’ve asked them both to answer the above questions, and instead of giving 11 random things about themselves, share their 11 favorite books!