Breathe by Elena Dillon Blog Tour, Review, and Giveaway

Breathe
Elena Dillon

Genre: Young Adult Romantic Suspense

978-0-9886353-0-2 Breathe Mobi
978-0-9886353-1-9 Breathe EPUB
978-0-9886353-2-6 Breathe Print
978-0-9886353-3-3 Breathe Smashwords

Word Count: 62,300

Cover Artist: Alexa Dillon

Smashwords

Book Description:

Jasmine’s life wasn’t normal for a 16 year old girl. It hadn’t been normal since
the murder of her older sister, Daisy, two years ago. Her life had been changed forever. The monster that murdered Daisy was never caught. That was the reason
her family decided to move away from their hometown in Southern California,
to start over. Hopefully in a place where the last name Rourke wouldn’t bring on
staring or judgment or morbid curiosity.

In Lafayette, Louisiana things are quite a bit different but in a good way. Good manners, Cajun accents and a whole lot of Southern Hospitality all make her think
things are going in the right direction. On top of that the most gorgeous boy she
has ever met is interested in her. Her new friends are better than she could have
hoped for even if she is worried about what they might think when they find out
who she is. Life would be perfect if odd things didn’t keep happening. Creepy phone calls, texts, and flowers in her locker start adding up quickly to something terrifying. Could the Monster have followed them to Lafayette? Was he coming
after her this time? Maybe she was just worrying unnecessarily…or not.

My Thoughts:

Dillon has written an interesting and suspenseful novel that is completely appropriate for the YA crowd without it feeling watered down. After reading Breathe I realized that I haven't really found a lot of suspense novels in the YA genre. I would love to see this trend grow.

A new town, a new school, and new everything, that's what Jasmine thinks her family needs the most right now. You can't really blame her, she has been holding the family together for the past two years ever since the murder of her older sister. 

Dillon's novel is very easy to read and get caught up in. The story flows quickly and I  couldn't wait to see what would happen chapter after chapter. I loved what a strong character Jasmine was, even if she does make some really stupid mistakes at times. I really enjoyed Easton and his super southern family. They were so much fun to read about. 

OK, here is my little nitpicking moment. Even though I really liked Easton as a character I was a little disgruntled with the insta love between him and Jasmine. I kind of wish the book had been a little longer so that we could have had more time for Easton and Jasmine to be that into each other. 

The ending of the book wrapped everything up really well and overall I  enjoyed Breathe. I will definitely be looking forward to Dillon's next book. 

About the Author

Elena lives and writes in a suburb North of Los Angeles. She has never lived anywhere
besides California which is probably a good
thing since she hates being cold and is terrified to drive in the snow. She loves being a wife and a mother to her three kids and three dogs, although really the bulldog is the fourth child who has never matured beyond the toddler stage.

A self-proclaimed nerd, she has been writing
since she was a child. She has only recently,
however, come out of the closet about this to her family and friends. They now understand better, but not completely, why she talks about characters in stories as if they are real people.

http://www.twitter.com/ElenaDillon

http://www.facebook.com/ElenaDillonAuthor

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16153090-breathe

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6581148.Elena_Dillon

https://plus.google.com/u/0/

http://elenadillon.com/

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Page 1 of Breathe

Most days I can almost forget someone murdered my sister. I try to go through every

day like a normal sixteen-year-old. I can eat breakfast, go to school, do homework, but then something will remind me that my family will never be the same. I’ll see my mom looking out the kitchen window—she has this blank look and her clothes are hanging on her. I worry she doesn’t eat enough to stay alive. Or I catch a glimpse of the picture on the coffee table we took three Halloweens ago, when Daisy and dressed up like crayons, and Caedan and Lily were Skittles. It seems like a long time ago, and then, again, I remember it like it just happened. We finally moved two weeks ago. Mom decided we couldn’t continue to live in Burbank.

Besides the obvious reason that Daisy’s murderer was never caught, someone was always staring at us with that look that said, “Isn’t it so sad what happened to the Rourke family?” But you know in their hearts they are thinking how glad they are it didn’t happen to them. It’s obvious they’re thinking my mom must have done something wrong. She wasn’t a good enough parent, didn’t supervise Daisy enough, didn’t call the police soon enough. They wanted to believe the murder of a teenage girl happened for a reason and they could avoid it, if they just did everything right. The thing is, I think the exact opposite is probably true.

So, three months ago, we had a family meeting. We got out a map of the US and each

chose a city and state. Mom and I did research on ours, Caedan picked his based on name only, and Lily did the spin-around-and-wherever-your-finger-lands routine. Thankfully, we pulled mine out of the hat. I don’t know how I would have felt living in Smackover, Arkansas. Caedan thought it was hilarious. He is so twelve.

Falling Angels Saga by E.Van Lowe Blog Tour and Giveaway

Heaven Sent
Falling Angels Saga Book Three
By E Van Lowe

Genre: Paranormal YA

What Does It All Mean?

Readers who devoured Boyfriend From Hell and Earth Angel will be captivated by the third book in the Falling Angels Saga.

As summer break for Glendale Union high begins, heartsick Megan awaits Guy's return while struggling to control her emerging abilities.  Love is in the air, but can the new loves in Megan, Maudrina, Suze and Aunt' Jaz's life be trusted? Nothing is what it seems.  Meanwhile, the Satanists are set to hatch their most diabolical scheme ever, and if it comes to pass, Satan may finally win out.

Megan has precious little time to unravel the cryptic message hidden in the riddle she received at the end of Earth Angel. If she doesn’t, the life of someone most dear to her will be lost forever, and Megan may yet find herself living in HELL.

Excerpt: http://evanlowe.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Sneak_Peek_-_Heaven_Sent2.

My Thoughts on Heaven Sent:

I love E. Van Lowe's writing, his style is fun, engaging, easy to read, and largely character driven. He has a way of writing strong, witty female protagonists that have just enough flaws in them that they seem real. Considering Mr. Lowe is in fact a mister, this never fails to impress me. 

The Falling Angels Saga has definitely been one of my favorite YA angel series. I love that Lowe has been able to write about fallen angels in an original way. The humor in these books are part of what have made them my favorite. Megan is such a sarcastic character, which I love. While she has plenty of overly angsty moments Lowe balances these out by keeping other characters around her that will call her out on that crap. Just when you want to start telling her to suck it up another character does it for you. Maudrina's character has really grown and is given more of a chance to shine in Heaven Sent and I really grew to love her and her quiet strength. I was pleasantly surprised to see her step up and be so strong. 

I've really enjoyed The Falling Angels Saga so far and even though Heaven Sent didn't dissapoint me it wasn't my favorite of the three. I think mostly I was seriously missing Guy, as is poor Megan. I did however enjoy the introduction of a few new characters and a serious twist I barely saw coming. I'm looking forward to finding out what these new characters will bring to Megan's overall story.    

Alright Mr. Lowe you've gotten me hooked for sure and now I'm anxiously awaiting the next book!

    Earth Angel

Falling Angels Book Two
E Van Lowe

Genre: Paranormal YA

Heaven Can Wait!

Just because Megan Barnett recently defeated Satan, has a fantastic new best friend, and has won the love of deliciously handsome, Guy Matson, doesn’t mean her troubles are over.  Far from it.  For Megan doesn’t realize it, but in her possession is a powerful weapon, a weapon sought after by both angels and demons and everything in between.  They will do ANYTHING to get it.

In E. Van Lowe’s humorous, romantic and thrilling sequel to Boyfriend From Hell, Megan winds up in a gripping life or death battle to save herself, the boy she loves, and all of mankind from unthinkable evil.

Megan Barnett has recently defeated Satan, found a fantastic new best friend, and has won the heart of deliciously handsome, Guy Matson.  But that doesn’t mean her troubles are over.  Far from it.  For Megan doesn’t realize that she is in possession of a powerful paranormal weapon, a weapon sought after by both angels, demons and everything in between.  

In E. Van Lowe’s romantic yet thrilling sequel to Boyfriend From Hell, Megan finds herself in a gripping life or death battle to save the boy she loves, and all of mankind from unthinkable evil.


Paperback   Kindle 

Excerpt:
http://evanlowe.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Earth_Angel_4_Chapters_11-16-2012.pdf

Click here for my thoughts on Earth Angel

Boyfriend from Hell
Falling Angels Saga Book One
By E Van Lowe

Genre: Paranormal YA

Aww, Hell No!
Fifteen year-old Megan Barnett and her single mom, Suze, have a special relationship—they are friends, close friends, who do almost everything together.
“But come on, guys, she’s my mother… Can I really tell her that while we’re snuggled up on the sofa watching Spider Man Three, I’m secretly undressing James Franco with my eyes?  Of course not…”
The special bond takes a turn for the worse when Suze decides to start dating again.  She hasn’t had a man in her life since Megan’s father left ten years ago.  
Enter two mysterious young men, Megan’s new classmate, sinfully attractive bad boy, Guy Matson, and the dangerously handsome art dealer, Armando.  Before long Megan and Suze both wind up in steamy relationships.  But neither of the handsome guys is quite what he seems.  In fact, one of them is Satan, with his sights set on a new bride.  Megan has precious little time to figure out how to stop him.  If she doesn’t, either Megan or Suze are quite literally going to HELL. 

www.whitewhiskerbooks.com  Paperback     Kindle

Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/39hI9rmwI5A 

Excerpt:

http://evanlowe.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Boyfriend-From-Hell-FREEBIE.pdf

Click here for my thoughts on Boyfriend From Hell

About The Author

E. Van Lowe is an author, television writer,

screen-writer, playwright and producer who

has worked on such TV shows as "The Cosby

Show," "Even Stevens," and "Homeboys In

Outer Space." He has been nominated for

both an Emmy and an Academy Award. His

first YA Paranormal novel, "Never Slow

Dance With A Zombie," was a selection of

The Scholastic Book Club, and a nominee for

an American Library Association Award.

His Best Selling novels, “Boyfriend From

Hell” and “Earth Angel,” are the first two

books in the Falling Angels Saga. “The

Zombie Always Knocks Twice” is the first

book in his Hollyweird series.

E lives in Beverly Hills California with his

spouse, a werewolf, several zombies and a

fairy godmother who grants him wishes from time-to-time.

www.evanlowe.com

http://vanlowe.blogspot.com/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/E-Van-Lowe/152364748167154

Blog Tour: Shallow Review and Author Guest Post

Shallow
Going Under Series Book 2
By Georgia Cates

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary

Formats available: ebook

Cover Artist: Georgia Cates

Book Description:

Nick Hawke likes his car fast and his girls even
faster. He blows through females quicker than his
muscle car races down the drag strip in Collinsville and he wouldn’t have it any
other way. Determined to avoid the devastation he has watched his father endure
in the aftermath of his mother leaving, he believes there is no room in his life or
his heart for a relationship lasting more than one night. He seeks happiness in
things that won’t let him down...fast cars, parties and one night stands. To his
absolute dismay, all of that changes when he unexpectedly runs into an old friend
and is introduced to Payton Archer, the first girl he ever wanted for more than one
night. There’s only one catch...she is completely immune to him and his smooth
talking ways.

Payton Archer is looking for what Claire has with Jessie, but she has given up on
finding it...at least until she leaves for college in the Fall because she is certain that
is where she will find the perfect guy to fit into her perfect world. She plans on
Summer being nothing but three uneventful months of fun, but it turns out to be
anything but ordinary when Payton is introduced to Nick Hawke, one of Jessie’s
old Collinsville friends. She is shocked by her immediate and intense attraction
for “Hawke” because nothing about him is what Payton is looking for. Sure, he’s
hot and sexy but he comes from Collinsville and that is definitely not on her list
of prerequisites. Everything about him makes Payton’s heart speed because he is
exciting and dangerous, but his fast car and the dangerous chances he takes isn’t
what scares Payton the most...it’s the way Nick Hawke makes her feel every time
he looks at her. Can Payton find that moment of total fearlessness and make the
decision to leave the safe, shallow end of love to risk going under completely?

My Thoughts:
As a fan of Going Under I was really excited to read Shallow by Georgia Cates. While Going Under was about Claire and Jesse, Shallow is about Claire's best friend Payton and bad boy Nick Hawke. Cates does a great job of writing novels with wonderfully flawed characters that make you fall in love with them despite those flaws.

Payton Archer has to be the most sarcastic character I have ever had the pleasure to read, and Nick Hawke ate it up and dished it out just as fast. The banter between the two in the first half of the story is so much fun and really kept me laughing. While I really enjoyed the chemistry between Payton and Nick I felt like their relationship progressed way to quickly. I would have loved a bit more of a chase between the two.

Plot: A slightly predictable romance that follows the standard romance novel formula 

Characters: The best part of this novel, the characters definitely deliver

Writing: fun, feisty and entertaining

Ending: sweet and then a prologue

Mature Content: This one is definitely for the older young adult crowd. Lots of sexy times and while it's not overly graphic it's not tame either

Overall: I enjoyed Shallow. It was an easy read that kept me entertained. If you liked Jesse and Claire's story in Going Under you'll probably enjoy Shallow as well. 

About the Author:

Georgia resides in rural Mississippi with her

wonderful husband, Jeff, and their two

beautiful daughters. She spent fourteen years

as a labor and delivery nurse before she

decided to pursue her dream of becoming an

author.

Blood of Anteros, Book One in The Vampire

Agápe Series, was her first novel and it was

released in September 2011. She decided to

briefly step away from the paranormal genre

to try her hand at a young adult

contemporary romance when she wrote

Going Under, but returned to the paranormal

romance platform to complete the second book in The Vampire Agápe Series,

Blood Jewel.

Her current works in progress are Shallow (A Going Under Novel) which will

release on September 27th and Blood Doll (The Vampire Agápe Series #3), to be

released in January 2013.

Georgia Cates Blog

Georgia Cates on Facebook

Georgia Cates on Twitter

Shallow on Goodreads

Guest Post by Georgia Cates

Thank you for having me as a guest today. My name is Georgia Cates and I’m the

author of Blood of Anteros, Blood Jewel, Going Under and Shallow. Today, I’m going to

talk a little about what constitutes romantic chemistry between characters.

Characters can be very similar in nature and love the same things, but that doesn’t

make for interesting fictional chemistry. “Conflict. Push and Pull. Desire and

Obstacle.” Do you hear what I’m screaming? Call it what you like, but these are the

basics that make romantic chemistry pop.

There’s always an underlying attraction beyond the hurdle the hero and heroine

must jump. They may believe they hate one another, but the reader knows better and

we can’t wait for the characters to realize it. It’s what we crave, what we need and we’re

just plain pissed when the characters are too ignorant to see what we see, but that’s

what excites us. It’s why we read and root for our characters to fall in love.

For me, the best chemistry is the unwanted kind...the friendship that somehow turns

into more, enemies finding themselves not hating one another as much as they thought

or falling for the bad boy when you know you should choose the good guy. There’s very

little I enjoy more than a relationship with unwanted chemistry. What can I say? It’s my

guilty pleasure.

Whether I’m reading or writing, my choices in heroes tend to lean more toward the

bad boy side. Not everyone would call my bad boy characters “bad” so maybe the

word “troubled” is a more suitable term. I love a tortured hero and who could be a better

match for him than a heroine that can make it all better. Of course, that’s not what he

wants, but I don’t care because I want my chemistry. I want her to have the power to

save him from himself.

Romantic chemistry is attraction that the hero and heroine can’t ignore, hard as they

may try. The harder they try, the more the readers enjoy the chase but in the end, we

want characters that will “fix” one another and find happiness. Otherwise, it becomes a

tragedy.

Flight (The Crescent Chronicles Book 1) Review and Blog Tour

Flight
By Alyssa Rose Ivy
The Crescent Chronicles, Book 1

Genre: Mature YA/New Adult
Paranormal Romance
Number of pages: 250

Book Description:

Sometimes you just have to take flight.

A summer in New Orleans is exactly
what Allie needs before starting college.
Accepting her dad’s invitation to work at
his hotel offers an escape from her ex-
boyfriend and the chance to spend the
summer with her best friend. Meeting a
guy is the last thing on her mind—until
she sees Levi.

Unable to resist the infuriating yet
alluring Levi, Allie finds herself at the center of a supernatural society and forced
to decide between following the path she has always trusted or saving a city that
might just save her.

Author Bio:

Alyssa Rose Ivy lives in North
Carolina with her husband and two
young children. Although raised in
the New York area, she fell in love
with the South after moving to New
Orleans for college. After years as a
perpetual student, she turned back
to her creative side and decided to
write.

http://www.alyssaroseivy.com/

http://twitter.com/#!/alyssaroseivy

https://www.facebook.com/AlyssaRoseIvy

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5047249.Alyssa_Rose_Ivy

My Review:
I absolutely love love love the idea behind Flight! Finally, a paranormal plot that is original and unique. Alyssa Rose Ivy took the paranormal romance formula and twisted it around to be new and exciting. I loved her spin on the different shifters. The writing is fast paced and fun to read and never let's you become bored or uninterested.
I could have been completely in love with Flight if not for two problems I had. First, the ending. This book ended so abruptly that I had to go searching on the internet to make sure I wasn't missing part of the book. The second problem for me was the romance part of Flight. I felt like there was no build up to the falling in love between Allie and Levi. I wanted to have more of a spark and passion and I don't know....more.
Once Levi stopped acting like such a player I really started to like him, and his friend Owen was totally awesome. I'm really hoping for more Owen in the next book. For some reason though I had a really hard time connecting to Allie. I felt like she was cold and distant throughout most of the book and I had a hard time seeing why Levi developed such intense feelings for her.

Plot: Fresh new idea
Characters: Some were great others were meh
Writing: Easy to get caught up in
Ending: UGH! I really hated where this book ended, it didn't feel like an ending
Mature Content: There is mentions of drinking and and some non graphic sexy times
Overall: I liked Flight and I will definitely be checking out book 2 (Focus, coming January 2013) to find out what will happen with Levi and Allie and the entire New Orleans paranormal community.
Recommendation: If you are a fan of paranormal and you want something different then you should definitely check out Flight. Even though I felt like this book wasn't perfect it was still worth reading.

Blog Tour:The Zombie Always Knocks Twice Review and Giveaway

Tour Wide Giveaway 

10 Kindle copies of The Zombie Always Knocks Twice

1Bewitching zombie prize pack contains: zombie bag, zombie zone caution tape, fake brains in a meat container (because what's a zombie prize pack without brains right), two rubber duckies, a large bloody hand print sticker, Bat Bite hand sanitizer, Halloween theme bottle stickers, a purple skull mug, and a Bewitching notebook, pen, and necklace.

Open to US Shipping

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Zombie Always Knocks Twice
E. Van Lowe
Hollyweird #1

Genre: YA Paranormal
Publisher: Imajin
Cover Artist: Ryan Doan

Kindle ebook: 978-1-926997-74-2
Trade paperback: 978-1-926997-81-0
Page Count: 177 pages

Book Description:

Hollywood California, Swimming pools,
movie stars… and now the risen dead

Hollywood can be a difficult place to grow
up, especially if you’re Kristine Golden, a
fifteen-year-old necromancer with a sworn duty to lay the risen dead back to rest
and no desire to be in the movie business.

When handsome deadie Alex Romero swaggers into her life, Kris must keep her
promise, despite her growing feelings for him. If that’s not enough to give a girl
a headache, a murderous zombie comes knocking at Kris’ door, rocking her world
and threatening her family.

Can Kris solve the mystery of the rampaging zombie before someone else winds
up dead? Or will the walking dead take over Hollywood and turn it into…
Hollyweird?

Excerpt

The man coming up the block toward us in the hooded sweatshirt stopped directly in our
path, about ten feet away. The hood dropped revealing his face. The hair on the left side of his
head had been shaved off revealing tiny bits of bony white scalp. Huge staples held his crooked
jaw in place. There was a large indentation in his forehead from some sort of blunt force impact.
His left eye was covered with a milky, white cataract, and the right drooped unnaturally into his
cheek.
My breath caught yet again. Standing before us was a zombie.
‘LEAVE US ALONE!” the zombie screeched. Then he took off on a dead run and
plowed into Alex with the impact a freight train.
Just great, I thought. Hollyweird—where the dead come out to play.
Zombies aren’t what the movies make them out to be—slow moving, brain dead,
brain suckers. They’re the result of a raising gone bad. They can be strong, and fast, and very
dangerous. Also, a bite from a zombie won’t make you a member of the living dead, although
I’m sure it must hurt like hell.
The one that plowed into Alex was almost six feet tall and about seventeen years old. He
hit Alex with inhuman force, propelling him backward. They slammed into a parked car that
seemed to explode on impact. The twisting metal and shattering glass sounded like a horrible
automobile accident. The car was totaled, and Alex was embedded into the passenger side, like a
toy soldier into a wad of Play Doh.
“Oh, God!” I screamed.
Alex’s eyes were closed. He wasn’t moving… but the zombie was. He peeled himself
away from Alex and the wreckage.
“Zombie!” I called at the top of my lungs. “I command you to tell me who raised you
and what you are doing here.”
The zombie faced me, a puzzled look on his distorted face. It dawned on me he hadn’t
known I was a necromancer until then—not that it made a difference. He wasn’t bound to me so
he didn’t have to answer my questions. I was bluffing.
“LEAVE US ALONE!” He screamed in response. He started for me and a wave of fear
rippled my gut.
“I command you to stay back!” I called, but my voice was cracking, my words lacked
conviction. I took a few shaky steps backward. The zombie continued toward me.
Just then the sound of twisting metal snagged both our attention. Alex’s eyes were open,
and he was separating himself from the wreckage. He shed the automobile with the ease of a
snake shedding an old skin. He began advancing on the zombie.
“What’s going on down there?” We all looked up and saw three men, all Johnny do-
gooders, running up the block in our direction.
“Leave her alone,” one of them called.
The zombie looked from the advancing men to Alex and me.
“Hhhhh!” Hot breath hissed angrily at us. Then he took off past us like a deer, bounding
up the block. By the time the men reached us he was nowhere in sight.
“You ok?” one of them asked.
“Yes. He… attacked us?”
“What the heck happened here?” Another of the men asked. He was staring at the
twisted pile of metal that used to be a Buick.

Before I could open my mouth, Alex launched into an explanation. “My girl and I were
out for a stroll, and he was taking a sledge hammer to that car when we happened upon him.
Guess it was some kind of vendetta. And when he saw us he decided to add us to the list.” The
lie flowed from his lips effortlessly.
“Hey, aren’t you on that TV show?” the third man asked.
Alex smiled. “The Beloved. Yes. You watch it?”
“No, but my girlfriend does. She can’t get enough of you vampire guys.”
Any suspicions the men may have had about our presence on the street or Alex molesting
me immediately vanished. Alex was a bona fide Hollywood star. I guess they thought all stars
were boy scouts. Where have they been?
Several minutes and three autographs later the men were gone, and Alex and I were
walking back to the party.
“You told that lie like you do it all the time,” I said.
“I’m a dead person among the living. I do do it all the time.”
That wasn’t what I was talking about, but I didn’t push it. He seemed annoyed. I guess
being attacked by a zombie wasn’t an everyday occurrence for him either.
“If it makes you feel any better, I memorized the car’s plate number. I’ll take care of the
damage,” he said, his words softening.
“Thanks. That does make me feel better.” I wanted to hold my tongue, but I couldn’t.
“So, you have any enemies who’d want to send a zombie after you?”
“I don’t have any enemies. I’m a lover not a fighter.” The annoyance was back.
“Maybe you loved the wrong woman.”
“I’m dead. I can’t love any woman,” he replied. The words were seething with anger or
pain. I couldn’t tell which.
“He said ‘leave us alone.’ Who’s us?” I asked.
“I don’t know!”
He was getting agitated again so I dropped the subject. But not without noting there was
more to Alex than he was telling me. A vindictive zombie had been set loose in Hollywood.
It was something I needed to look into along with the deadie from the diner. My, my, I was
suddenly a very busy girl.

About the Author:

E. Van Lowe is an author, television writer, screen-
writer, playwright and producer who has worked on
such TV shows as "The Cosby Show," "Even Stevens,"
and "Homeboys In Outer Space." He has been
nominated for both an Emmy and an Academy Award.
His first YA Paranormal novel, "Never Slow Dance
With A Zombie," was a selection of The Scholastic
Book Club, and a nominee for an American Library
Association Award. His Best Selling
novels, “Boyfriend From Hell” and “Earth Angel,” are
the first two books in the Falling Angels Saga. “The
Zombie Always Knocks Twice” is the first book in his
Hollyweird series.

E lives in Beverly Hills California with his spouse, a werewolf, several zombies
and a fairy godmother who grants him wishes from time-to-time.

http://evanlowe.com

http://vanlowe.blogspot.com/

@evanlowe

http://www.facebook.com/author.e.vanlowe


Writing About A Gifted Child

If you are a fan of paranormal stories, one thing I’m sure you enjoy is reading about how our
heroes and heroines deal with their paranormal gifts. This is also true for me. In exploring
the relationship between Kris, the protagonist in The Zombie Always Knocks Twice, and her
ungifted sister, Anne Marie, I delve into my own past.

I grew up in a gifted household. No, not me. Definitely not me. I am about as ungifted as they
come. However, my older brother was gifted with an ability in mathematics. As kids, while I
was busy outdoors playing and getting into as much trouble as I could find, my brother was at
home working on equations. By the age of twelve he had already gone through all the algebra
and geometry books my parents could find and was delving into calculus.

I remembered all the attention my brother got. It didn’t bother me. I thought he was weird. I
mean, what twelve year-old doesn’t want to play? Yet in writing my new book, I wondered
how Kris’ gift might affect her sister. A single gifted child in a normal family can have an effect
on the entire family. That is the underlying premise of The Zombie Always Knocks Twice.
Of course, Kris has all sorts of other problems like a rampaging zombie, a girl who was raised
from the dead and wonders if she was murdered, not to mention a budding romance with a new
deadie.

For me, however, the key to the book is exploring my own reality. It’s what I love most about
writing paranormal. I get to explore my normal in an abnormal way.





My Review:

For me E. Van Lowe is one of those authors that never fails to entertain. His writing is easy to read and fast paced. His characters are quirky and fun, the plots unique and suspenseful. The Zombie Always Knocks Twice reads like a paranormal Veronica Mars which is one of my all time favorites, and I can see this being  an amazing tv series if done right.

I love the way Lowe works family dynamics into a zombie book, of all things. Kris and her dad seemed to have such a great relationship until her sister Anne Marie showed up after running away and being gone for two years. Not only does her sister come back but all of the sudden Kris's gift is needed more than it has been, and with Anne Marie is quick to point out to dear old dad that Kris's gift is endangering everyone's life. Gee, thanks sis. Now let's just throw a little more at an already stressed Kris and give her a hot dead guy that needs her help as well.

If you're already a fan of Lowe's books I think you'll be glad to know that this series is starting out just as great as his others. If you haven't read Lowe yet and you like paranormal stories then you should definitely check out this book and his others. I can't wait to see what Kris gets into in the next book.

Taking Chances Review and Giveaway Blog Tour

Taking Chances         

By Loni Flowers

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance

Date of Publication: March 1^st, 2012

ISBN: 978-1468184587

ASIN: B006X6FTJC

Number of pages: 382

Word Count: 86,000₊

Amazon          Barnes & Noble       Smashwords  

Blurb/Book Description:

At age twenty-three, Alex has had a hard life. His parents died when he was quite young, leaving his grandparents to raise him. Right before his high school graduation, his grandparents passed on too, leaving him all alone.

After losing everyone he's ever loved, Alex turns to the streets in a self-destructive pattern until he finally ends up in Springhill, where he tries to make a new life for himself.

Clair’s childhood was normal until age thirteen, when her father left the family and she never heard from him again. Consequently, her mother went into a deep depression, forcing Clair to grow up quickly.

After finishing high school, Clair’s heartache over her father’s absence as well as her unbearable mother drive her to strike out on her own. But having nowhere to go and no family to speak of, Clair wanders aimlessly from town to town, homeless, and without purpose. Looking for work wherever she goes and living hand to mouth on the streets is tough, Clair discovers, but living with her mother is worse.

Now twenty-one years old, Clair has found her way to the last place she and her family took their final vacation as a family--Springhill. While in town, she crosses paths with Alex and their ensuing relationship grows faster than expected. Soon Clair wonders if coming back to Springhill and meeting Alex was the best decision or the worst decision she ever made.

My Thoughts:
First I have to point out that Taking Chances is NOT a Young Adult novel. I feel like the cover leads you to believe that it is and I just wanted to be clear that it isn't. You could probably consider this one a New Adult with plenty of sexy times (nothing overly graphic). 

OK, that being said let's move on to the story.  I felt like Taking Chances started out really strong. After a while though Clair started to bug me a little and then a lot actually. However, I really liked Alex, he definitely carried me through this novel. Alex is a great character. A man with compassion, honor, and is quite sexy to boot. 

Clair comes to town basically as a vagabond, after having dinner and intending to move on through the small town she is attacked by some local losers. Alex steps in a saves her before things get as bad as they could. Clair and Alex discover that neither of them have had the easiest time of it in their young lives. Clair is hesitant to let anyone into her life, even sweetheart Roz, the town's diner owner. Roz was a wonderful character and I really hope/wish every town had a Roz. Clair's distrust of everyone really started to wear a bit thin and then the choices she started to make really bugged me. 

I really enjoyed reading Taking Chances and my lukewarm feelings toward Clair didn't keep me from getting into the story, you can't like everyone. I really liked Flower's writing style. She kept the book moving along nicely and did a great job of writing alternating points of view. 

 Want a chance to win your own ecopy of Taking Chances? Enter Here:

 > a Rafflecopter giveaway

Author Bio:  

Loni Flowers lives in Eastern North Carolina with her husband; two wild toddlers, who never slow down for a second; and three couch-potato dogs, who only raise an eye when foods around. She spends her days working full-time for a well-known bank. When she's not playing on the internet or chatting on Twitter or Facebook, she spends her free time with friends and family waiting for the next big idea strike.

She enjoys reading most anything, but is a sucker for a good romance story. Contemporary romance is her writing genre of choice but isn't opposed to writing something different should an excellent idea hit.

Some of her favorite authors include: L.J. Kentowski, Stefne Miller, Cassandra Clare, J.K. Rowling, and Karen Marie Moning, Nicholas Sparks, Jodi Picoult... just to name a few.

Blog: http://www.loniflowersauthor.com/

Web: http://www.loniflowers.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/LoniFlowers

Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/AuthorLoniFlowers

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5405526.Loni_Flowers

Thanks so much for having me on the blog today and for allowing me the opportunity to share a little about myself.

Today I thought I give you some insight on the places I hope to visit sometime in my lifetime. There are so many more than what I have here, but there are the few that instantly popped into my mind.
Here they are, in no particular order:

Paris

The city of lights, the city of love… I’ve always wanted to visit here. I want to stay at a grand hotel, with a balcony when I can stand outside at night and take in the city and its light. I want to see the Eiffel Tower with easy from my room and walk hand in hand through the city streets with my husband. Visit the Musee du Louvre- the world’s largest museum. See the Notre-Dame Cathedral. There is just so much to see here!

           Maui

Paradise! Exotic beaches, beautiful ocean front resorts, the lush landscape, sand, tropical breezes, Hawaiian cuisine. What else is there to love?

           Crete

This island in Greece is so beautiful. It has ancient ruins and gorgeous beaches. It just looks like a beautiful place to visit. 

       Sydney, Australia

 I’ve always wanted to visit here. Traveling all the way across the world though does frighten me a bit but it’s just the price I’ll have to pay to see this city. I’d love to visit the Sydney Opera House, see the Harbour Bridge, visit the Royal Botanic Gardens, and catch some sun rays on one of their beaches.  

         Bora Bora

      There isn’t much sightseeing here. With an island that is only six miles long… there really isn’t much to do, which would be fine by me. Relaxation on a beach surrounded by lush jungles that stretch into sky high volcanoes (extinct volcanoes)… sounds amazing doesn’t it? 

           Rome 
      The Vatican Museums, the Colosseum… home to fettucine, ravioli, bruschetta and cappuccino! Sign me up NOW. I love pasta, enjoy the Roman architecture and art that dates by centuries. It’d be a dream to visit this place some day.

There you have it! Are any of these places you with to visit? Have you been to any of these before? I’d love to hear about it.

Thank you again for spending a few minutes with me today. I had a great time!