Thursday, September 29, 2011

Author Interview with Becky Banks & International Giveaway!!!




One of my favorite things to do is interview authors and today I get to do it again. This time with Becky Banks author of the incredible The Legend of Lady MacLaoch.


First, I want to thank you again for inviting me to be a part of your blog tour. I loved The Legend of Lady MacLaoch so I’m thrilled to be able to feature it.

1) So I have to know what inspired you to write The Legend of Lady MacLaoch?


The idea more or less began during my infamous trip to Scotland in 2009. I had started writing the book before I went, just getting to the part about a woman who goes to Scotland discover a long lost ancestry. The story changed drastically by the time I came back - mainly because the history and the stories associated with various places - most especially a little town called Portree on the isle of Skye. They captured my imagination and I found myself weaving them into the story. It was then that Rowan and his clan lands of Glentree and Castle Laoch were born.

2) Is the Legend of Lady MacLaoch your first novel?

Yes, and no. I’ve got two other manuscripts that I’ve begun and not gotten around to finishing. They are currently stuffed into the proverbial desk drawer. They will some day be finished but with the new story and more being created in my mind, it could be a while. :0)

3) How long did it take you to write?

The first (rough, rough, rough) draft took me just three weeks to complete. When stories come to me, they come fast and intense. It then took me roughly a year to edit and revise to the final version. Quite a quick processes overall.

4) I absolutely loved Rowan. What is your favorite thing about him?

He’s a great guy isn’t he?! And this is also a great question, one I’ve not gotten a lot of feedback on. Let me ask you, what is your favorite thing about him? (I'll be answering this question in my review. Stay tuned!!) For me it’s his quiet observance, and strength in character. The fact that writing him, he was a clan leader but was also human, down to earth and not officious.

5) I'm now a huge fan of your work. Are you working on anything new for your readers?

That makes my heart sing! Thank you! And yes I’ve got a new novel planned for 2012, its working title is The Mechanic. The Mechanic, is very very different from The Legend of Lady MacLaoch, as it is set here in the US and is much more of a gritty love story. The main character is a woman named Eva Rodgers. She’s a businesswoman and a chief editing officer for a large magazine, the man in the story is named Nathaniel Vellanova. Nate is a street-wise European auto mechanic with a brutal past. The grit comes out in strong language, even stronger characters and a storyline that is about fast cars, smart yet tragic youths and intense life changes. Oh, and the bond of it all? Love.



Now just for fun I always like to do a few getting to know you questions...

1) What is your favorite book? And why?

Oh that’s easy, currently for a fiction book it’s Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase. This book is tightly written, the story stays interesting to the end, a great strong female lead and witty dialog. I very rarely read books twice and within a day I was already re-reading it.

Note the Kindle version has a few grammatical errors (which I usually loathe) but I was reading so fast I skimmed them without wincing, and that’s saying something. For non-fiction it’s currently Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. I’m an avid gardener and foodie, and this book is the best of both worlds. You feel like you’re involved in all the best parts of food and food consumption with this book and Kingsolver takes a subject that can be very bland to write about and makes it entertaining.


2) And your favorite movie?

Oh my, this one won’t be so easy! Ah, Pride & Prejudice (BBC version) or Ever After or The Long Kiss Goodnight or The Bourne Identity or Thor or . . .  
(OMG! These are some of my favorite movies)

3) What 3 things would you absolutely have to have with you on a desert island?

For a second there I thought you said dessert island, and I thought, a spoon. :0)

Three things . . .  my initial thought is that I’d not want to be stuck there so a working satellite phone, water, and sunscreen. But then if I can’t leave I’d say, my husband, my pugs, and a fully stocked houseboat. :0)


4) When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

It wasn’t until a fiction writing course in college that I thought I could be a writer. Like most people, my family put emphasis on the sciences and I was encouraged to leave the arts to my hobbies. But as a writer that’s about as easy as telling humpback whales not to migrate to Hawaii every year. It wasn’t until The Legend of Lady MacLaoch was published (yes, that was in May) and I was holding the novel in my hands did it really hit me that being an author was what I was meant to do.

5) Are you a plotter or a pantser?


Oh, I’m a pantser all the way!! My personal belief is that you get more emotional and natural dialog from pantsing. Is it more work? You betcha, but for me even with an outline I just listen to my characters and let ‘em go! :0)  

Finally, a lot of my readers are aspiring writers. If you could give them one piece of advice, what would it be?


Well, I’d have to say that the one thing I learned is the more time you spend on a project the better your skill at it becomes. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t also add that no matter how much editing you’ve personally done on your book (if you’d like to become an author) it needs to see a professional editor who specializes in your genre before it’s seen by the public (i.e. - pitched to a publisher, published, printed, etc.). A solid editor is indispensable.



About the Book:


The Legend of Lady MacLaoch

Buy It:  Amazon  /  Barnes & Noble


A legendary love, an unforgiving curse, and the discovery of a lifetime ...

Centuries ago a vengeful curse buried itself deep into the history of the MacLaoch clan and become a legendary tale told by all those not cursed by its words.

In present-day Scotland, the laird and chieftain of the MacLaoch clan is an ex-Royal Air Force fighter pilot who has been past the gates of hell and returned a changed man. Rowan MacLaoch does battle with wartime memories and a family curse that threaten to consume him—unaware that his life and that of the history of the clan will be changed forever by the arrival of an American woman.

Cole Baker, a feisty recent graduate of a master’s program, stumbles upon the ancient curse while researching her bloodlines. Moved by the history of the MacLaoch clan and the mystery of its chief, she digs into the legend that had been anything but quiet for centuries.

On their quest for answers, Cole and Rowan travel to places they have never before been and become witnesses to things they have never before fathomed. The legend—one started with blood—will end with more shed as its creator finally exacts her justice.



About the Author:

Becky Banks grew up in the Maui countryside, where she spent her childhood running through grassy fields, swimming in the ocean, and learning the time-honored local tradition of “talking story.” She moved to mainland after high school to attend Oregon State University, where she studied forestry, natural resources, and science education.

With a keen understanding of human nature and a knack for vivid narrative, Becky’s writing resonates with power, charm, and wit. Her stories will enchant you, and her characters will become an unforgettable part of your life.

Becky lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband Keith.

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And now for the giveaway!!!

I wanted to open this up internationally so the giveaway will be for an e-book in the format of your choice. All you have to do is follow this blog, follow Becky Banks' blog, and fill out the rafflecopter below. Easy, right?! Contest closes 10/1/2011




















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Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Recent Reads - LIE

Lie

LIE, by Caroline Bock

 3.5 of 5 Stars

Buy It:  Amazon  /  Barnes & Noble

Genre:   Young Adult, Contemporary

Pages:  224

Publication:   8/30/2011, St. Martin's Griffin

Why I Chose It:   I was given an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) in return for an honest review.

Synopsis (from Good Reads):   Everybody knows, nobody’s talking. . . .

Seventeen-year-old Skylar Thompson is being questioned by the police. Her boyfriend, Jimmy, stands accused of brutally assaulting two young El Salvadoran immigrants from a neighboring town, and she’s the prime witness. Skylar is keeping quiet about what she’s seen, but how long can she keep it up? 

But Jimmy was her savior. . . .

When her mother died, he was the only person who made her feel safe, protected from the world. But when she begins to appreciate the enormity of what has happened, especially when Carlos Cortez, one of the victims, steps up to demand justice, she starts to have second thoughts about protecting Jimmy. Jimmy’s accomplice, Sean, is facing his own moral quandary. He’s out on bail and has been offered a plea in exchange for testifying against Jimmy.

The truth must be told. . . .

Sean must decide whether or not to turn on his friend in order to save himself. But most important, both he and Skylar need to figure out why they would follow someone like Jimmy in the first place.


My Review:  Lies can take you a lot of places, but never back.

This is my favorite line in the whole book. It speaks to the part of me that knows that even when the truth is hard, lying--and living with that lie--is harder.

The story is told from multiple, and by multiple I mean like ten, viewpoints which I thought was going to be disconcerting but wasn't. I actually liked getting to see the story from different angles. To get a sense of how a vicious hate crime affects everyone involved. How a community as a whole can be ripped apart.

While I liked Skylar, her relationship with Jimmy is full-on dependence and is borderline abusive. Not physically, but mentally. There's a moment in the story where Skylar convinces herself that everything will be okay once she sees Jimmy. That Jimmy will tell her what to think. I realize this kind of relationship exists in real life, but for me it's still a little hard to swallow.

Other than that I spent a lot of the time hating the remaining characters in this story, except for Skylar's father. He had his flaws, but in the end he tried to redeem himself.

I enjoyed the writing style in this one. It was sharp, concise, tense, but it was a lot of telling. You spend most of the story inside the characters head as they recall the night the beating took place and consider the consequences. If you're looking for action, look elsewhere.

Overall it's worth a read for anyone that enjoys a character-driven, emotional, contemporary novel, but it won't make it to my favorites shelf.

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Monday, September 26, 2011

The Good Karma Giveaway

Okay, well it's official. I will be publishing my debut novel BREATHE on 11-11-2011. And since everything is better with friends, I won't be doing this alone.

That's right Dark C.A.R.M.A is coming and you have a chance to get in on the fun.

I guess I should probably tell you a little about Dark C.A.R.M.A., right? Well, we're a group of Young Adult authors joining forces to bring you 5 different and fabulous books which will be available for your reading pleasure on 11-11-2011.

The C in C.A.R.M.A is C.K. Bryant and her debut novel BOUND...



The first A is Ali Cross and her debut novel BECOME...




The R is for RaShelle Workman and her Sci-Fi Romance EXILED...



The M is for me, Melanie McCullough, and BREATHE. My cover will be revealed soon...

And last, but certainly not least, is the final A, Angela Kulig and her second novel PIGMENTS OF MY IMAGINATION...



Because we're launching as a team, we can offer awesome prizes and lots of fun! Stay tuned for prizes you could win in the days ahead.

But between now and release day, we want to warm up with a little button-grab giveaway . . .

Help us spread the word about the Dark CARMA tour, and enter to win one of the five books featured on this tour!

Just grab our button (the one over there in the upper left corner of my blog), post it on your blog sidebar and then head on over to Dark C.A.R.M.A Tour to learn more about us and enter to win 1 of 5 amazing books!!!


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Saturday, September 24, 2011

Banned Books Week Giveaway!!!


The lovely folks over at I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and I Read Banned Books are hosting a banned books giveaway hop, and I'm taking part!!!  The requirements are simple in that I must either giveaway a banned or challenged book or include information about banned or challenged books.

The giveaway runs from Saturday September 24th to Saturday October 1st, with winners to be announced October 2nd or 3rd.

To read more about Banned Book Week, go here.
Or for a list of frequently challenged books, go here.

For my part, I am giving away some of my favorite banned or challenged books. The winner will have their choice of the following:

1. Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson

Speak

2. The Giver, Lois Lowry

The Giver (The Giver, #1)

3. Cut, Patricia McCormick

Cut

4. Crank, Ellen Hopkins

Crank (Crank, #1)

5. Scars, Cheryl Rainfield

Scars

6. Break, Hannah Moskowitz

Break


As with all my giveaways the rules are simple:

1. You must be a follower of this blog
2. Leave me a comment telling me which book you want and include your email address

There is no requirement to tweet or facebook or spread the word in any manner. However, should you choose to do so, it would be greatly appreciated.

The last day to enter is Saturday October 1, 2011!!!!

*Open to US & Canada residents only

This hop officially opens at Midnight September 24th, 2011 but due to time zone differences, it's probably best to wait until noon Saturday to visit all the participating blogs listed below. If you start now, a lot of sites won't have their giveaway post up.





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Thursday, September 22, 2011

To Be Read Thursday {8}


TBR Thursday is a weekly post where I draw attention to books by sharing with you the books I've purchased, books I've received for review, and 10 books on my TBR list.
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Books Purchased:

The Luxe (Luxe, #1)

Luxe (Luxe #1), Anna Godbersen
(11/20/2007 / Harper Collins)

Buy It:   Amazon Barnes & Noble

Synposis from Goodreads:  In the self-contained world of young Gilded Age Manhattan socialites, Elizabeth and Diana Holland reign supreme.

Or so it seems. Scratch the surface, though, and you can detect festering jealousies that threaten to topple them. Elizabeth suffers a more literal fall when her carriage overturns and she is carried away by the swift East River current. That's only the beginning of the action and suspense in The Luxe, the launch volume in a teen series by Anna Godbersen.


The Demon Trapper's Daughter

The Demon Trapper's Daugher, Jana Oliver
(02/01/2011 / St. Martin's Griffin)

Buy It:   Amazon Barnes & Noble

Synposis from Goodreads:   Riley Blackthorne just needs a chance to prove herself – and that’s exactly what the demons are counting on…

Seventeen-year-old Riley, the only daughter of legendary Demon Trapper, Paul Blackthorne, has always dreamed of following in her father's footsteps.  The good news is, with human society seriously disrupted by economic upheaval and Lucifer increasing the number of demons in all major cities, Atlanta’s local Trappers’ Guild needs all the help they can get – even from a girl. When she’s not keeping up with her homework or trying to manage her growing crush on fellow apprentice, Simon, Riley’s out saving distressed citizens from foul-mouthed little devils – Grade One Hellspawn only, of course, per the strict rules of the Guild. Life’s about as normal as can be for the average demon-trapping teen.

But then a Grade Five Geo-Fiend crashes Riley’s routine assignment at a library, jeopardizing her life and her chosen livelihood.  And, as if that wasn’t bad enough, sudden tragedy strikes the Trappers’ Guild, spinning Riley down a more dangerous path than she ever could have imagined. As her whole world crashes down around her, who can Riley trust with her heart – and her life?


Books Recieved for Review:

 Seranfyll
From the author

Crave
From Harlequin Teen

The Iron Knight (Iron Fey, #4)
From Harlequin

Crazy in Paradise
From the author

Haunted
From the author

There You'll Find Me
From Thomas Nelson

My Sweet Saga
From Admiral J. Press


Books Won:

Imaginary Girls
From Keriann

 Eighth Grade Bites (The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, #1)
From Patricia Lynne

All These Things I've Done
From Parajunkee

The Radleys
From Goodreads First Reads

 Beckoning Light
From Goodreads First Reads

On Canaan's Side: A Novel
From Goodreads First Reads

The Boy in the Suitcase
From Goodreads First Reads

Moonlight on Linoleum: A Daughter's Memoir
From Goodreads First Reads

To Be Read Books:

Click on book cover to see a synopsis.

Ruined 1. Ruined, Paula Morris

Diavolino 2. Diavolino, Steve Emmett

Being 3. Being, T.R. Mousner

The Goddess Test (Goddess Test, #1) 4. The Goddess Test, Aimee Carter

Nearly Departed in Deadwood (Deadwood Mystery #1) 5. Nearly Departed in Deadwood, Ann Charles

Hereafter (Hereafter, #1) 6. Hereafter, Tara Hudson

Bumped 7. Bumped, Megan McCafferty

White Cat (Curse Workers, #1) 8. White Cat, Holly Black

Incarceron (Incarceron, #1) 9. Incarceron, Catherine Fisher

If I Stay (If I Stay, #1) 10. If I Stay, Gayle Foreman


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Monday, September 19, 2011

Recent Reads - Shut Out

Shut Out

Shut Out, Kody Keplinger

 3.5 of 5 Stars

Buy It:  Amazon  /  Barnes & Noble

Genre:   Young Adult, Contemporary

Pages:   288

Publication:   9/5/2011, Poppy

Why I Chose It:   I received an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) through Goodreads First Reads.

Synopsis (from Good Reads):   Most high school sports teams have rivalries with other schools. At Hamilton High, it's a civil war: the football team versus the soccer team. And for her part,Lissa is sick of it. Her quarterback boyfriend, Randy, is always ditching her to go pick a fight with the soccer team or to prank their locker room. And on three separate occasions Randy's car has been egged while he and Lissa were inside, making out. She is done competing with a bunch of sweaty boys for her own boyfriend's attention

Then Lissa decides to end the rivalry once and for all: She and the other players' girlfriends go on a hookup strike. The boys won't get any action from them until the football and soccer teams make peace. What they don't count on is a new sort of rivalry: an impossible girls-against-boys showdown that hinges on who will cave to their libidos first. But what Lissa never sees coming is her own sexual tension with the leader of the boys, Cash Sterling...


My Review:  Well Cash Sterling is officially my Fictional Guy Crush of the Week. There should be an award for that. If there was, I'd vote for Cash. I adore him. I just wanna cover him in something sweet and lick it off.

That being said, I will tell you that he was the biggest highlight of a book that while cute, sweet, and oftentimes funny, is not one of my favorites. In fact, I finished this a few weeks ago and, aside from my deep love for Cash, I'm having trouble remembering what I felt about it.

Bear in mind that this is in no way a reflection on the writing ability of the author. I haven't read DUFF, Kody Keplinger's debut novel, but I can tell you from Shut Out that she is a phenomenal talent. I just don't know if I cared for Lissa. She was bossy, neurotic, and decided to use sex as a weapon.

I can't say I blame her. Her boyfriend was a jerk. I knew this despite the number of times she tried to convince me that he was a nice guy.

Her control issues were at times overwhelming and made me want to scream at her. But none of this deterred me from flipping through the pages at a rapid pace. I couldn't put it down. It's written that well.

So, I guess the bottom line is that while I failed to connect with Lissa, I still connected with the story line. I still laughed my way through and wanted to see her end up with Cash in the end. I would definitely recommend to those who enjoy a good romantic comedy for teens.


Fair warning--there is talk of sex and a few steamy scenes involving Cash, but you should know this from the synopsis. It's the basis for the whole plot.

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Friday, September 16, 2011

We Have a Winner - Possess Giveaway!!!

Possess


And the Winner of a beautiful hardback copy of Possess by Gretchen McNeil is...
 

Jessirae



Please email me your mailing address at Melanie(dot)M(dot)McCullough(at)gmail(dot)com and I will send you this amazing book. You'll love it!!!



*Winner chosen by Random.org.
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Thursday, September 15, 2011

Dreamland (Riley Bloom #3) Giveaway

Dreamland (Riley Bloom, #3)

The awesome Katelyn Torrey is giving away a copy of Dreamland by Alyson Noel on her blog. This is the third book in the Riley Bloom series. Go here to enter.

Katelyn feeds my book addiction with regular posts on upcoming titles and spectacular reviews. Seriously her reviews put most others to shame, including my own. So even if you have no interest in Dreamland you should still check her blog out here.

She has amazing posts and a few other giveaways going on. Wait, why are you still reading this? You should have clicked her link and left already. Go!!


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TBR Thursday {7}


TBR Thursday is a weekly post where I draw attention to books by sharing with you the last book I purchased, a book I've received for review (new feature), and 10 books on my TBR list.
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Last Book Purchased:


Jumping off swings

Jumping off Swings, Jo Knowles
(8/11/2009 / Candlewick Press)


Buy It:   Amazon Barnes & Noble

Synposis from Goodreads:  Ellie remembers how the boys kissed her. Touched her. How they begged for more. And when she gave it to them, she felt loved. For a while anyway. So when Josh, an eager virgin with a troubled home life, leads her from a party to the backseat of his van, Ellie follows.

But their -one-time thing- is far from perfect: Ellie gets pregnant. Josh reacts with shame and heartbreak, while their confidantes, Caleb and Corinne, deal with their own complex swirl of emotions. No matter what Ellie chooses, all four teenagers will be forced to grow up a little faster as a result.

Told alternately from each character-s point of view, this deeply insightful novel explores the aftershocks of the biggest decision of one fragile girl-s life-and the realities of leaving innocence behind.


Received for Review:
 
The Demon Lover
 
Demon Lover, Juliet Dark
(12/27/2011 / Random House)
 
Synopsis from Goodreads: I gasped . . . or tried to. My mouth opened, but I couldn’t draw breath. . . His lips, pearly wet, parted and he blew into my mouth. My lungs expanded beneath his weight. When I exhaled he sucked in my breath and his weight turned from cold marble into warm living flesh.

Since accepting a teaching position at remote Fairwick College in upstate New York, Callie McFay has experienced the same disturbingly erotic dream every night: A mist enters her bedroom, then takes the shape of a virile, seductive stranger who proceeds to ravish her in the most toe-curling, wholly satisfying ways possible. Perhaps these dreams are the result of writing her bestselling book, The Sex Lives of Demon Lovers. After all, Callie’s lifelong passion is the intersection of lurid fairy tales and Gothic literature—which is why she finds herself at Fairwick’s renowned folklore department, living in a once-stately Victorian house that, at first sight, seemed to call her name.
 
But Callie soon realizes that her dreams are alarmingly real. She has a demon lover—an incubus—and he will seduce her, pleasure her, and eventually suck the very life from her. Then Callie makes another startling discovery: He’s not the only mythical creature in Fairwick. As the tenured witches of the college and the resident fairies in the surrounding woods prepare to cast out the incubus, Callie must accomplish something infinitely more difficult—banishing this demon lover from her heart.

 
To Be Read Books:
 
Click on book cover to see a synopsis.

 
Someone Else's Life 1. Someone Else's Life, Katie Dale
 
Burnout 2. Burnout, Adrienne Maria Vrettos
 
The World As We Know It 3. The World As We Know It, Joseph Monninger
 
Partials 4. Partials, Dan Wells
 
What My Mother Doesn't Know 5. What My Mother Doesn't Know, Sonya Sones
 
Cracked 6. Cracked, K.M. Walton
 
Breaking Beautiful 7. Breaking Beautiful, Jennifer Shaw Wolf
 
Invincible Summer 8. Invincible Summer, Hannah Moskowitz
 
Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles, #1) 9. Beautiful Creatures, Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
 
The Body Finder (Body Finder, #1) 10. The Body Finder, Kimberly Derting
 
 
 

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