19 September 2013

COVER REVEAL: Red Dirt Road by Annie Rose Welch


Red Dirt Road by Annie Rose Welch
Adult romance
Expected Publication: September 24th, 2013

The Saving Angels Series continues…

A new cast is introduced, while journeys already taken start to merge with the present, leading you down the old Red Dirt Road.

Death has always seemed just one step behind Layla Hill, taking almost everyone she’s ever loved. After she loses the love of her life, Layla vows to never love again—how could she, when she’s a death magnet?

Trying to outrun fate traveling with her uncle Willie and his band, Layla meets Michael Roberts, a beautiful Irish boxer as gentle on the piano as he is brutal in the ring. He proves as relentless in life, fighting for a place in her world even as she pushes him away, trying to protect him from her killer tendencies.

But neither foresees the sinister presence waiting for Layla at the end of the Red Dirt Road.


GCRPromotions is currently organizing a tour for Red Dirt Road. If you're interested in being a stop on the tour, sign up HERE.

16 September 2013

COVER REVEAL: Alchemy by Sheena Boekweg, Melanie Crouse, & Sabrina West!


"Do you want me to be dangerous?" he asked, his voice husky and low.
I gulped, and for a moment I was incapable of speech. But he was quiet, waiting. "No. I don't."
"Then I'm not dangerous at all," he murmured. His gaze moved from my eyes to my mouth. "You've never been safer than you are at this moment." I shivered as his breath tickled my skin. Our lips were mere millimeters apart when the sky shattered in a kaleidoscope of colored light. 


We didn’t know how much we had to lose until we were infected with magic. Sam was in love, Juliette was the main caretaker for her siblings, and Ana and her dad planned the best parties in New York. But we lost it all when we were shipped to Chebeague, an exclusive school for newly infected mages.

Everyone knows about the mages, those who survive the infection and end up with magical abilities. We’ve seen the power of magic, the high-paying jobs, and the world fame. But we never saw the cost. We didn’t know we’d be forced to give up everything: sanity, family, even the right to talk on the phone.

We didn’t know mage was just another word for prisoner.




12 September 2013

Blog Tour: Strangers by AL Parks, Guest Post & Giveaway!




Strangers by A.L. Parks
Genre: Romantic suspense
Release date: September 6th, 2013

Bereaved bride Abby Clark is tortured by visions of the fatal crash that took her fiancée on their wedding day.  She succumbs to a dark existence where loneliness, sadness and nightmares dwell; until handsome, brooding Bryce Holden walks through the door of her favorite coffee shop, wearing the same cloak of despair and grief.  Abby discovers in Bryce someone who understands love and loss, and soon their close friendship grows into a deep love.  But ghosts make strange bedfellows, and Abby is forced to battle the tormenting images that continue to haunt her, and confront the ethereal presence of a beloved wife to protect her future with Bryce.  





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Guest Post

“A Novel Is Born”

Ask a writer where they got the idea for their book, and you are likely to get a different answer from every single one. A dream, a ride on a train, a song on the radio…the list is endless. As endless as the creative possibilities that drive us to continue to write. The storyline may have morphed and changed in varying degrees throughout the writing process as well, changing from the original thoughts that first blossomed in the writer’s mind. It could be slight changes as the writer learned more about the characters, or drastic changes as the story took on a life of its own with every keystroke.

Strangers began as a prompt. I was participating in a prompt challenge at the beginning of the year, where I was given a new prompt every day, and had to write the first 300 words to a story based on that prompt.  Sadly, I have no idea what the prompt was that inspired Strangers. I assume it was something to do with Valentine’s Day, or perhaps tragic loss.

Something about Bryce and Abby would not let go, though. I ended up extending their story to about 3,000 words. It was not the only prompt I did that with, and I proudly have the start of some really interesting stories that I hope to return to someday. It is so wonderful to have a starting point sometimes; a few words that you have already written that may call to you again in the future. Or maybe they won’t…maybe they will just be fun little starts that I can return to and read with fondness. Who knows?

But Bryce and Abby…they just kept sneaking back into my mind, tapping me on the shoulder, and reminding me that they still had more to say. So, I listened, and extended their story to 50,000 words. Through rewrites, and edits, and more edits, I finally got it to about 54,000 words, and thought I was done.

HA!

I knew Abby and Bryce’s love story was one that others would like to discover, so I started on the road to publication. Someday I will write a blog about the rollercoaster ride of self-publishing, but I am still on the rollercoaster at the moment. It’s moving slowly up a huge hill, almost to the top. The anxiety is killing me. I am excited, thrilled, scared out of my mind, and my chest most days feels like my heart is about to thump right through my ribs, and run for the hills. I worry about what my face is going to look like when I see the stupid picture they take when you are just starting down the hill. You know the one? Where you either look like you are excited for the adventure, or going to throw up on the people in front of you? Yeah…next Saturday morning, the day after Strangers is released; I will post my rollercoaster picture. Hopefully, I will not have to apologize to anyone for puke in their hair.

The next step to publication was to send Strangers to my editor to tear apart. Now, when you send your manuscript to an editor, you are basically telling them that this is perfect. The story could not be better written than it is right at this very moment!

Then you get your MS back from your editor, and discover how very wrong you are…it is humbling, to say the least. After you go through their remarks, edits, input, and suggestions, well, you cuss a lot. You yell at them in the comfort and safety of your home, where they will not hear you, and tell them they are full of shit, and obviously overpaid for their services. Then you walk away for a few hours, come back more calm, and re-read their remarks, edits, inputs, and suggestions. And you realize that they are not overpaid, they want your book to be a success – and that they are correct in their assessments.

Yes, that is pretty much exactly what I did. Then I sat down and added about 20,000 more words to Strangers, sent it back out, and am happy with the story I have put together. Abby and Bryce have settled into lounge chairs in my mind, are keeping relatively quiet, and drinking mimosas. I am trying to convince Jake and Eve, the characters from my new book, The Return, to speak up and help me out with a few issues in their story. So far, they are content to tell me it’s time to tell their story, but are teasing me about how they want it introduced…

Characters…they are sometimes a flaky bunch.

I have wondered, though, what the original prompt was that first gave birth to Abby and Bryce. It would be fun to see what that prompt would inspire today.


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About A.L. Parks

I am just starting in this crazy world of writing and publishing. Lately, however, there are just too many characters in my head begging me to tell their stories...so here I am. Writing, publishing, sharing and, hopefully, entertaining. I love a great love story, but really want to tell a story with an edge; characters who are imperfect, trying to find the perfect love.

Strangers is my debut novel, and will be released on September 6, 2013. I will have another novel, The Return, with an anticipated release date of November 1, 2013. I have been focusing mainly on short stories, but have felt a need to get to know the characters more in-depth, and in turn, tell more of their stories. I have some fairly interesting people living in my head!

I have my own blog (www.parkingitrighthere.blogspot.com), where I review books, and discuss my new projects. I also contribute to www.SheReadsNewAdult.com, dedicated to the emerging new adult romance genre. We have great fun over there...be sure to check us out!

I currently live outside Washington D.C. with my family. We spend many hours exploring the area and the deep history of this beautiful land, while experiencing as much of life's wonders as possible. I have traveled abroad and lived in almost every corner of the U.S., and hope my writing reflects various cultures, people, and places.



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