Blog Tour (Guest Post): Beyond Redemption by Michael R. Fletcher @HarperVoyagerUS @FletcherMR @pumpupyourbook

Beyond Redemption Tour Schedule



Title: Beyond Redemption
Author: Michael R. Fletcher
Publisher: Harper Voyager (HarperCollins)
Release Date: June 16, 2015
Faith shapes the landscape, defines the laws of physics, and makes a mockery of truth. Common knowledge isn't an axiom, it's a force of nature. What the masses believe is. But insanity is a weapon, conviction a shield. Delusions give birth to foul new gods.

Violent and dark, the world is filled with the Geisteskranken—men and women whose delusions manifest, twisting reality. High Priest Konig seeks to create order from chaos. He defines the beliefs of his followers, leading their faith to one end: a young boy, Morgen, must Ascend to become a god. A god they can control.

But there are many who would see this would-be-god in their thrall, including the High Priest’s own Doppels, and a Slaver no one can resist. Three reprobates—The Greatest Swordsman in the World, a murderous Kleptic, and possibly the only sane man left—have their own nefarious plans for the young god.

As these forces converge on the boy, there’s one more obstacle: time is running out. When one's delusions become more powerful, they become harder to control. The fate of the Geisteskranken is to inevitably find oneself in the Afterdeath. The question, then, is: Who will rule there?

Guest Post

LUCK AND TERROR
or, Two Things Involved in Being a Newly Published Author
Michael R. Fletcher
I'm new to this writing thing. My first novel, 88 (cyberpunk), was published back in 2013 by a Canadian micro-press called Five Rivers. Prior to 88 I hadn't written anything—not even short stories—though I had made two false starts at novels. A year after 88 was published, my second novel, Beyond (grim dark/epic fantasy), landed me an agent and sold to HARPER in the US. If that seems like a big jump, it was.

How did I do it?

Blog Tour (Excerpt): The Clockwork Crown by Beth Cato

The Clockwork Crown Tour Schedule



Title: The Clockwork Crown (Clockwork Dagger Duology #2)
Author: Beth Cato
Publisher: Harper Voyager (HarperCollins)
Release Date: April 28, 2015
Rich in atmosphere, imagination, and fun, the action-packed, magic-filled sequel to The Clockwork Dagger is an enchanting steampunk fantasy, evocative of the works of Trudi Canavan and Gail Carriger.

Narrowly surviving assassination and capture, Octavia Leander, a powerful magical healer, is on the run with handsome Alonzo Garrett, the Clockwork Dagger who forfeited his career with the Queen’s secret society of spies and killers—and possibly his life—to save her. Now, they are on a dangerous quest to find safety and answers: Why is Octavia so powerful? Why does she seem to be undergoing a transformation unlike any witnessed for hundreds of years?

The truth may rest with the source of her mysterious healing power—the Lady’s Tree. But the tree lies somewhere in a rough, inhospitable territory known as the Waste. Eons ago, this land was made barren and uninhabitable by an evil spell, until a few hardy souls dared to return over the last century. For years, the Waste has waged a bloody battle against the royal court to win its independence—and they need Octavia’s powers to succeed.

Joined by unlikely allies, including a menagerie of gremlin companions, she must evade killers and Clockwork Daggers on a dangerous journey through a world on the brink of deadly civil war.

Excerpt

CHAPTER ONE
As she rode through the snowy wilderness of far southern Caskentia, Octavia Leander's spirits were buoyed by three thoughts: that although she fled from assassination and capture, she was undoubtedly in one of the most beautiful places she had ever seen; that thus far they had survived a full week without any sign of pursuit by horse or buzzer; and that her companion in the hard journey was Alonzo Garret, a man who had forfeited his career as a Clockwork Dagger--and possibly his life--in order to keep her alive.

Considering the dire circumstances, he made for delightful company.

Cover Reveal: After She's Gone by Lisa Jackson

Title: After She's Gone
Author: Lisa Jackson
Publisher: Kensington
Cover Reveal Organizer: Pump Up Your Book!
Release Date: December 29, 2015
In this explosive new thriller, #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jackson delves into the deep bond between two sisters and their shared dream that becomes a harrowing nightmare of madness, hatred and jealousy...

Cassie Kramer and her younger sister, Allie, learned the hazards of fame long ago. Together, they’d survived the horror of a crazed fan who nearly killed their mother, former Hollywood actress Jenna Hughes. Still, Cassie moved to L.A., urging Allie to follow. As a team, they’d take the town by storm. But Allie, finally free of small-town Oregon, and just that little bit more beautiful, also proved to be more talented—and driven. Where Cassie got bit parts, Allie rose to stardom. But now her body double has been shot on the set of her latest movie—and Allie is missing.

Police discover that the last call to Allie’s phone came from Cassie, though she has no recollection of making it. Instead of looking like a concerned relative, Cassie is starting to look like a suspect—the jealous sister who finally grew sick of playing a supporting role. As the tabloids go into a frenzy, Cassie ends up on a Portland psych ward. Is she just imagining the sinister figure who comes to her bedside, whispering about Allie—a visitor of whom there is no record? Is someone trying to help—or drive her mad?

Convinced she’s the only one who can find Allie, Cassie checks herself out of the hospital. But a sudden slew of macabre murders— each victim masked with a likeness of a member of Cassie’s family—makes Cassie fear for her safety and her sanity. The only way to end the nightmare is to find out what really happened to Allie. And with each discovery, Cassie realizes that no one can be trusted to keep her safe—least of all herself...

Buy Links
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Google Play | Kobo


About the Author

Blog Tour (Guest Post & #Giveaway): Desert Rising by Kelley Grant #PUYB @HarperVoyagerUS @PumpUpYourBook

Desert Rising Tour Schedule



Title: Desert Rising
Author: Kelley Grant
Publisher: Harper Voyager Impulse (HarperCollins)
Release Date: April 21, 2015
“It frightens me, knowing the One has called up two such strong individuals. It means that there are troubled times in our future, and you must prepare yourselves.”

The Temple at Illian is the crown jewel of life in the Northern Territory. There, pledges are paired with feli, the giant sacred cats of the One god, and are instructed to serve the One’s four capricious deities. Yet Sulis, a young woman from the Southern Desert, has a different perspective – one that just might be considered heresy...

Sulis’s twin Kadar, meanwhile, is part of a different revolution. When Kadar falls in love with a woman from a Forsaken caste, he finds he’s willing to risk anything to get her people to freedom. But with Sulis drawing a dangerous level of attention from the deities, and war about to break out on two fronts, change may not come as easily as either twin had hoped.

An astonishing debut, Kelley Grant brings to life a powerful new epic fantasy tale of determination and self-discovery.

Guest Post

Writing Advice
Kelley Grant
I think the most common advice given to new writers is “write what you know.” Common advice, and frustrating to a budding fantasy or science fiction writer. I’m writing about dragons, or spaceships that haven’t been invented yet. How can I write what I know, when what I’m writing doesn’t exist? And why does it matter? Shouldn’t a writer be free to let her imagination wander?

Cover Reveal: Blood Stitches by Erin Fanning

Title: Blood Stitches
Author: Erin Fanning
Publisher: Lyrical Press (Kensington)
Cover Reveal Organizer: Pump Up Your Book!
Release Date: May 12, 2015
It’s called El Toque de la Luna–The Touch of the Moon. At least that’s how nineteen-year-old Gabby’s older sister, Esperanza, refers to the magical powers she inherited from their Mayan ancestors. Esperanza says women with El Toque weave magic into their knitting, creating tapestries capable of saving–or devastating–the world. Gabby thinks Esperanza is more like touched in the head–until a man dressed like a candy corn arrives at their Seattle home on Halloween. But “Mr. C” is far from sweet..

Soon, Gabby and her almost-more-than-friend, Frank, find themselves spirited away to a demon ball, complete with shape shifters–and on a mission to destroy Esperanza’s tapestries before they cause an apocalyptic disaster… And before it’s too late to confess their true feelings for each other.

Buy Links
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Google Play | Kobo


About the Author

Cover Reveal: One Last Time by Denise Daisy #Giveaway

Title: One Last Time
Author: Denise Daisy
Publisher: Lyrical Press (Kensington)
Cover Reveal Organizer: Pump Up Your Book!
Release Date: August 4, 2015
When it comes to love, time is all they need...

Averie is terrified of anything remotely scary, but when she finds herself short of cash, she has no choice but to work on the catering staff at the creepy historic Faulkner mansion. The Faulkner Plantation was the site of a bloody massacre in the 1800s, and the event is an attempt to change its reputation. There’s just one catch: the host has more in store than dinner. Soon Avery, along with a handsome guest named Quillan, is transported—back in time...

It’s one month before the massacre and Averie and Quillan must find the courage to do more than survive. Together, they must uncover the truth about the Faulkner family and try and stop the murders. But as Averie and Quillan grow closer, the stakes are higher than they expected. Will they be able to put their feelings aside to change the past—and find life, and love, in the place Averie fears the most?

Buy Links
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Google Play | Kobo


About the Author

Cover Reveal: Wicked Ride by Rebecca Zanetti #Giveaway

Title: Wicked Ride (Realm Enforcers #1)
Author: Rebecca Zanetti
Publisher: Lyrical Press (Kensington)
Cover Reveal Organizer: Pump Up Your Book!
Release Date: June 23, 2015
“Non-stop action and a hero to die for!” — Alexandra Ivy

If you love the Dark Protectors, these wicked hot Realm Enforcers are for you!

Alexandra Monzelle is a hard-fighting, heat-packing Seattle vice cop, and she’s not much interested in being protected. Her short skirt and sex-kitten heels are tools to lure her suspects into talking about the deadly new drug hitting the streets. She can take care of herself and then some. Unfortunately, she can’t seem to get that through to Kellach Dunne.

Kellach is a fresh import from Dublin, and he’s landed at the heart of a vicious motorcycle club that deals in guns, narcotics, and mayhem. He’s all male, all rough power—and all interference in her damn investigation. Maybe he’s one of the good guys. Maybe not. Lex knows an affair with an immortal like him would risk everything. No matter how delicious he looks…

Buy Links
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Google Play | Kobo


About the Author

Cover Reveal: Deception by A.S. Fenichel #Giveaway

Title: Deception (The Demon Hunters #2)
Author: A.S. Fenichel
Publisher: Lyrical Press (Kensington)
Cover Reveal Organizer: Pump Up Your Book!
Release Date: July 7, 2015
When Demons threaten Regency London, only a Lady can stop them.

Lillian Dellacourt is beautiful, refined and absolutely lethal. She’s also the most feared and merciless demon hunter in The Company. She’s come a long way from the penniless seamstress’s daughter sold to the highest bidder, and it wasn’t by trusting a man, let alone an exiled Marquis with more on his mind than slaying the hellspawn...

For Dorian Lambert, Marquis de Montalembert, being sent to keep track of Lillian is no mean task. He’s wanted the fiery vixen since he first heard of her five years ago. But wooing the lady while fighting the demon uprising is no easy feat, especially when the lady’s tongue is as sharp as the Japanese sai blades she favors for eviscerating the spawn of hell.

These two will have to learn to trust each other fast, because the demon master is back, and he’s planning to turn Edinburgh into a living hell...

Buy Links
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Google Play | Kobo


About the Author

Blog Tour (First Chapter Reveal): From Frights to Flaws by Sunayna Prasad

Alyssa Mccarthy’s Magical Missions: From Frights to Flaws Blog Tour Schedule



Title: From Frights to Flaws (Alyssa McCarthy’s Magical Missions #1)
Author: Sunayna Prasad
Publisher: FriesenPress
Release Date: August 19, 2013
Twelve-year-old Alyssa McCarthy can no longer stand the toughness of her uncle and wants a better life. But one day she discovers not only the existence of magic, but also a villain hunting her down. The villain uses magic and magical technology to kidnap Alyssa to the Fiji Islands. As much as she wants to go home, she has to face some dangerous challenges first. Not only that, the villain himself must also be defeated. Can Alyssa succeed, even with the help of her mentors?

First Chapter Excerpt

The sound of the rain banging against the window distracted Alyssa from washing her lunch dishes. She stared out the window and watched every drop. What better way to spend a Thursday noon than to wash dishes? No hard work involved—just looking out the window.

Gone were the happy days of living in her uncle’s house. No more family fun. No more sweets and desserts. Just a structured life of strict and unfair rules. Alyssa longed for a normal and better life—the kind she’d lived before her parents had died in a car crash five years ago. She wanted to be like many children her age, but when would it happen? Not any time soon

Unless… she could find her godfather’s phone number and call him without her uncle knowing. One of the rules here was that all phone calls had to be earned unless there was an important reason to call someone. She hadn’t talked to her godfather ever since she’d also lost her aunt three years ago. She had never been able to find his number nor had she ever succeeded at convincing her uncle to let her talk to him. But she still remembered how sweet, fun, and caring he’d been. He even could be her legal guardian since her parents had designated him as one. If she could find his number and ask about moving in with him, her life would be happier.

But now something didn’t seem right with the raindrops, which took Alyssa’s mind off of her godfather. They turned grayish blue. Huh? How could that be? That broke the laws of nature. Too distract her more, though, the blue deepened into a dark grayish blue. What could be going on?

Blog Tour (Review & Giveaway): The Diabolist by Layton Green

The Diabolist Blog Tour Schedule



Title: The Diabolist (Dominic Grey #3)
Author: Layton Green
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Acquired Via: Pump Up Your Book! Tours
Release Date: June 4, 2013
In this gripping thriller, the bizarre murder of a Satanic priest in San Francisco draws Dominic Grey and Viktor Radek, private investigators of cults, to the scene. Witnesses claim a robed figure, seemingly able to appear and disappear at will, set fire to the priest. When the leader of another Satanic cult in Paris dies under similar circumstances, the case only grows stranger… and more dangerous.

Convinced that a charismatic New Age prophet is behind the murders, the investigators undergo a perilous journey into the world of the occult as they try to penetrate the prophet’s inner circle. From the catacombs of Paris to London’s nefarious East End, from the haunted walls of York to a monastic fortress in the Sicilian wilderness, the case plunges Viktor and Grey into a vortex of black magic, ancient heresies, and the dark corners of their own pasts.

The Diabolist is a chilling novel that not only pulsates with action and suspense, but also mines a trove of fascinating historical, philosophical, and paranormal research to probe some of our closest held beliefs. From the opening pages to the astonishing conclusion, this latest installment in one of today’s most original new thriller series is not to be missed.

My Review

Reviews of Previous Books:

The Egyptian (Will's review)

It is a rare and excellent thing to find a novel that you feel like has been written expressly for you, and Layton Green's The Diabolist is just that. I would like to blame my co-blogger, Will, for my not reading Green's previous work and call him a rat-faced, monkey sniffer for it, but that would not be fair because he did try to get me to read them. (You know what it's like to have been behind on your reading for, oh, say, two years, right?) Because of Will's love for Green and Green being such a nice guy, I jumped on the opportunity to review The Diabolist. And let me tell you, it was a pleasant surprise for me.

Cover Reveal (Giveaway): Romancing the Million $$$ Ghost by Heide AW Kaminski, Pam Ryan, & Dorothy Thompson

Reveal Schedule



Title: Romancing the Million $$$ Ghost (Spirit Seekers #1)
Author: Heide AW Kaminski, Pam Ryan, & Dorothy Thompson
Reveal Organizer: Pump Up Your Book
Release Date: October 2013
Eccentric tobacco tycoon Rodger Hawthorne III can have anything his heart desires except his dead wife, Sarah. Feeling responsible for the car crash that killed her twenty years earlier, he offers one million dollars to anyone who can find her spirit and bring it to him within one week or the money is forfeited. Six spiritually-challenged—but highly intuitive—women find his ad over the Internet and accept his challenge only to embark on a journey they didn’t quite expect that covers astral traveling, past life regressions and spiritual encounters of the unworldly kind.

While this book is lightly based on a true story of a real man who is offering one million dollars to anyone who can prove that spirits exist, this story is purely fictional.

Or is it?

About the Authors

Blog Tour (Excerpt): The Alchemist Agenda by Marty Weiss

Join Marty Weiss, author of the thriller novel, The Alchemist Agenda, as he tours the blogosphere July 1 - September 27, 2013 on his first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book!


When Charlie Rocklin and his company Gold Diggers Exploration set out to recover a 17th century shipwreck, they discover an undocumented Nazi submarine with enigmatic symbols. Ariel Ellis, a femme fatale historian with a mysterious past, proves that the U-boat contains the key to a formula more valuable than any sunken treasure, and more deadly than any weapon that has ever existed. In this globetrotting international adventure, Charlie and Ariel uncover an accelerating tempest of secrecy, lies, and agendas, fighting not only for the truth, but for their lives. Weiss's debut novel is a lightning-paced story with surprises at every turn, and shows us that our personal legends may be more real than we ever could have imagined.

Excerpt

Just as Charlie turned off the shower, he heard the fall on the stairs, even though his bathroom door had been closed and his office was set apart from the others. Then everything went silent, unusually so. He haphazardly dried, quickly put on his street clothes, made sure he stuffed his wallet and his black book in his back pockets, the two personal effects he only left behind when he was training, and then secured the necklace with the crest around his neck, now the third item he would no longer leave without.

He peered out into the hallway.

It was too quiet. Something was not right.

He walked into the lower level offices. Nothing out of place. Then he looked behind a table and saw:

Two dead bodies.

Book Blast (Giveaway): Love Vindicated by Lila Munro

Main Blast Page
In 1980, Kyle Montgomery’s life was seemingly perfect. Heavily recruited by Force Recon fresh from the Naval Academy, he’d been working black ops for the Marine Corps for six years and was on the cusp of being promoted to Major. He was on the fast track to bigger and better things, had all the right people vetting him, and he'd married the woman of his dreams and was exploring a lifestyle which could have ended his career. With the Iranian embassy under siege and the Middle East in turmoil, Kyle was sent on a mission which would change the course of his life forever.

Returning home after three months of being invisible, Kyle finds his wife has been murdered by the very people he'd been sent to protect. And instead of the government retaliating, they hand him his walking papers with the agreement they’ll never speak of the events again. It's like Kyle never existed. His wife never existed. And the people who maimed and tortured her never existed.

Resigned to never again walk that path, Kyle opens the first Steele Image club with the thought of providing a safe haven for others like him, those who were invisible to the public and most of the government. Those who had eclectic sexual tastes. Those who would later become his allies. And his enemies. And both will drive him back to the place he’d thought he’d let go of forever to vindicate his love…

Buy Links
Amazon | All Romance Books
About the Author

Blog Tour (Guest Post & Giveaway): The Birr Elixir by Jo Sparkes

Tour Schedule

Construction of a Heroine
by Jo Sparkes
What makes a great heroine?

Oddly enough, it’s not a question I ask myself when I’m writing. But I do reflect on it while reading from time to time. And that’s never a good sign for a book, by the way.

A book offers the audience an amusement park ride, and the characters are the carts in which we travel. All good carts invite you in, make you want to sit, and then rivet you in place when the journey twists and turns.

A heroine must appeal. That doesn’t mean she needs to be beautiful, especially if her inner beauty shines through in the end. What’s important is that we identify with her – and oddly enough, that means we appreciate her flaws. A good story has an outer problem she must solve – but a great story also has an inner problem.

She must grow as a person, and we get to grow with her.

Yet in great literature, we don’t have to necessarily like everything about her. Only – a part of her.

Blog Tour (Guest Post & Giveaway): Search for the Lost Realm by Kraig Dafoe

Tour Schedule
Search for the Lost Realm is an epic journey in which a young man named Varan wants to find a power which has been missing from the world of Kantania for thousands of years.

Varan sets out but soon discovers his true mission is to save the worlds creator from a spiritual bond placed upon him by the powerful demon, Eldrok.

From demons to dragons and sorcerers to soldiers, battles erupt and Varan must hurry or the world could be lost to darkness forever.

This story does not consist of action alone as Varan faces dilemmas of the heart, struggles of the flesh and complex issues of the mind.


Do not let rejection get you down.
by Kraig Dafoe
There is something you should know. If you are not famous, rejection lies in your future. That’s the way it is, but never give up on your dreams. When I first started the process of trying to get an agent, I was rejected more than fifty times. I started looking at my material and decided to do some rewrites, thinking my story or the writing was the reason for my rejection. The second time I tried getting an agent, again I was rejected numerous times.

After a while, you start to realize just how tuff this seemingly easy task is. I spoke with an agent not so long ago and he flat out said agents don’t care about great stories, they care about making money. It makes sense; they get paid if you make money, and if you’re not a known celeb, then odds are not in your favor.

Blog Tour (Guest Post & Giveaway): The Sixth Power by Carol Nicolas

Tour Schedule

Tania Westing, a high school senior, is one of the Gifted Ones, descendants of an ancient family with seven special powers. Some of the powers are common, and some are rare.

Until her geneticist brother Tom was murdered, Tania lived an ordinary life. Now hidden in her mind is a clue that will reveal Tom's research, including secret formulas to unlock all seven powers. During spring break, Tania meets and falls in love with handsome Dan Maclean. When Tania reveals her rare power to heal, the evil Gifted Ones who killed Tom suspect Tania has his research and formulas and come after her. Tania must learn to use her powers to help save Dan's sister in time to keep Tom's secrets safe.



Roger's Rap
by Carol Nicolas

Character Blog for The Sixth Power(to be accompanied by a rap beat)

Yo! My name is Roger, and I’m here to say,
I’ve got Tania’s back in a very special way,

Blog Tour (Guest Post): Oddities & Entities by Roland Allnach

Tour Schedule
Oddities & Entities is a surreal, provocative anthology of six tales within the supernatural/paranormal/horror genres, exploring a definition of life beyond the fragile vessel of the human body. The stories are: Boneview, in which a young woman struggles to balance her ability to see through people with the presence of a supernatural creature in her life; Shift/Change, in which a hospital worker struggles to regain his memory as he is confronted by a series of desperate people; My Other Me, in which a lonely college student finds himself displaced from his body by his alter ego; Gray, in which a frustrated man is stunned to discover a little creature has been living in his head; Elmer Phelps, in which a brother and sister find themselves linked in a strange reality by a bat bite in their youth; and lastly, Appendage, in which a cynical mercenary is hired by his son to protect a research lab on the verge of a stunning discovery.


E-readers vs. the Printed Book
by Roland Allnach
A few years ago Amazon introduced an interesting idea: the Kindle, a small device on which to read electronic copies of books. Since then, a growing field of e-readers has contributed to the reshaping of the publication world and the way readers interact with their books.

Blog Tour (Guest Post): The Blood Poetry by Leland Pitts-Gonzalez

The Blood Poetry is a dark and otherworldly literary novel about a clan of grotesques. Epstein, the protagonist, who delivers his innermost rants in a berserk vernacular all his own; Abby, Epstein’s wife, whose disappearance sparks our protagonist’s descent into guilt and vice; Olivia, Epstein’s mother, who is undead and tames her ruthlessness by joining a Pentecostal church; Astor and Fester, conjoined twins who date back to the Civil War and elders of the Pentecostal church who profess their own brand of redemption to Epstein; Professor Applebaum, Olivia’s boyfriend during Epstein’s childhood, who forced Epstein to participate in a series of horrifying acts; and our once rambunctious Sylvia, Epstein’s daughter who returns to life after dying, only to become repulsed by the sound of her grandmother’s thoughts and all human touch, but whose yearning for her father to restore her to health is Epstein’s best chance at reclaiming his own humanity.

BookExpo America 2012

Guest Post by Leland Pitts-Gonzalez
I arrived at the Javits Center in New York City for the BookExpo — an oversized, rolling suitcase in hand to tote back all of those advanced copies of my novel that I would surely fail to give away. Inside, the Javits Center was somewhat aesthetically pleasing in that express, faux-luxury-hotel kind of way. Yet, mainly it was a beehive of suited and badged industry folks, shuffling as quickly as possible through the aisles and offshoots lined with publishers and author’s associations — some of which by this time next year will have gone under.