Imajin Books Scavenger Hunt

'Summer Sizzles with Imajin Books' this August: Scavenger Hunt

This summer, celebrate the opening of the innovative Canadian publishing company, IMAJIN BOOKS. Their huge summer event began on July 1, 2011 and they rewarded readers and book reviewers, as their way to say "Thank you" for reading their books.

This August, the fun continues with an exciting Summer Sizzler Scavenger Hunt.

This event runs Aug 1 - August 31. Participants have a chance to win some fabulous prizes, including a Kindle ereader with wi-fi.

To enter:

1. Check out the Scavenger host list and click on each blog link.

2. Scavenge through these blogs until you find the Scavenger Hunt hidden badge/graphic. You'll find the graphic at their website, so you'll know what to look for.

3. Email them at imajinbooks@shaw.ca with "Scavenger Hunt" in subject line and the website link to the page with the badge you found, your name, mailing address and phone number, plus the title of the ebook you would like to receive if your name is drawn.

4. Each correct entry counts as an extra entry into the prize draws, so the more you find the badge and send those links, the more chances you have of winning the Kindle and other prizes.

Prizes:

· 31 winners will receive one ebook of their choice from published titles.

· 4 winners will received a signed novel (trade paperback) by authors Alison Bruce, Melodie Campbell, Cherish D'Angelo and Cheryl Kaye Tardif.

· Grand Prize: Kindle with Wi-Fi ($140 value): One grand prize winner (Kindle) to be selected from all eligible entries. Additional prizes may be added later.

This contest runs Aug 1 to Aug 31. Winners will be notified by email by September 3rd.

Entrant must be 18 to enter and be a Canadian or USA citizen. No purchase necessary. No substitution, no refunds, no cash value. The grand prize is not redeemable in cash and must be accepted as awarded. Void where prohibited by law.

Imajin Books authors, their families and any subcontracted associates of Imajin Books are excluded from this contest.

Imajin Books is an innovative, unique Canadian publisher with an eye on exciting, ever-changing trends and opportunities in publishing that opened its 'doors' to authors worldwide in late February 2011. They promise great reads by wonderful authors, with ebooks priced under $5 and trade paperbacks under $18.

From ImajinBooks.com: The future of reading is ebooks, and the future is NOW!

http://www.imajinbooks.com

Guest Blog and Giveaway with Stephanie Rowe

It Was an Accident, I Swear!

For my guest blog today, Fang-tastic books asked me to blog about the humor in my books, and why I do it. Tricky question….

See, here's thing about me. In real life, when I get on a roll, I make people laugh, and I love to see the delight on see on their faces when the laugher is filling their heart. What's more beautiful than a genuine smile? Not a lot, in my opinion. I'm not a joke-teller, and I'm not slap stick. It's more just my world view and my energy that can get people to laugh. I'm me, I'm unique, and I've learned to appreciate that.

So…transitioning to books… when I first started trying to get published, I wrote serious books. And you know what? They didn't sell. Because when I tried to be serious, I became boring and run-of-the-mill. But then I realized that I have that unique sense of humor, so what if I tried to put that on the page? No one is like me, right?

So, I wrote funny. On purpose. I took classes on being funny. I learned the rule of three, and assorted other "funny" tricks. And you know what? My books were all rejected as not funny. They were the kind of rejection that were like, "This author fails utterly to be funny. Tell her to give it up."

At that point, I started getting really frustrated. What was I to do? I finally decided to write something just for me. Not funny. Not serious. Just… me. So, I wrote a book that I called Beheading Your Lover (later published as Date Me, Baby, One More Time), and I decided to amuse myself while writing it. My only goal was to let the creativity flow, and my main goal as I was writing it was to be unexpected. To twist the plot and the characters and the setting and the mythical beings and everything onto their head. Be unexpected in all ways.

I had the best time writing it, because I was FREE from the burdens of trying to write for someone else. My agent marketed it as a paranormal, not as a "funny" paranormal, and it sold at auction. Hooray! I was happily writing the second book in the series when the first book came out..and all the reviewers loved how funny it was. Publisher's Weekly praised its "snappy patter and goofy good humor," and Booklist called it "laugh-out loud" and "magically mirthful."

Guess what happened next? I freaked out. What? I was supposed to be funny? But I was a tragic failure when it came to writing funny! I seriously panicked. I had not been writing to be funny, and all of a sudden now that was my shtick?

I eventually chilled out, and I realized that I couldn't try to be funny. I simply had to continue to write from my own world view, which, for me, was creating a story that was unexpected with a bit of a satirical twist on whatever topic I happened to be addressing. Once I accepted that that's what I did, and that's how I needed to write, I was able to settle into my stories and write them.

I've continued that approach with this new series, including Touch If You Dare. People might say that having a tattooed, tortured warrior who is a failed knitter and a champion (albeit closet) hair styling guru is funny, but to me, Jarvis isn't about being funny. He came to life because I wanted to take the traditional paranormal warrior hero and twist it, giving him the unexpected soft side that is the bane of his existence. I love Jarvis as he struggles to come to terms with his two divergent sides, and I feel that he represents what human nature is: complex, conflicting, powerful, gentle and trying desperately to figure out how to balance it all. To me, that's who Jarvis is, and that's why he knits. If a reader finds it humorous, then what an added bonus to know that I could bring a smile to someone's face.

So, in a nutshell, I'm thrilled that my books make people laugh, but I don't try to be funny. I just let myself tell the story I want to tell. The minute I try to be funny… all will be lost, I fear.

What about you? Is there something that you've been most successful at once you stopped trying so hard to succeed at it?


TOUCH IF YOU DARE BY STEPHANIE ROWE—IN STORES JULY 2011

He’s just about the hottest warrior she’s ever seen…

Reina Fleming really appreciates a man who’s on a mission—especially when he’s a badass warrior doing his best to impress her. And Jarvis is charmed byt eh way Reina’s magic touch can soothe his dark side.

But when Jarvis’s attention puts her job, her home, and her family in danger, Reina has to decide whether love is worth the price…

Enter the nonstop, action-packed world of Stephanie Rowe’s love stories—you’ll never think of the manly arts in the same way again.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Four-time RITA Award nominee and Golden Heart Award winner Stephanie Rowe is an award-winning and national bestselling author of paranormal romance, and has written more than twenty-five novels. Stephanie has charmed reviewers with her unique blend of humor and otherworldly magic. She lives outside Boston, Massachusetts, where she is working on Book 3 in the Soulfire Series, Hold Me If You Can (January 2012).

For more information, please visit www.stephanierowe.com.

Would you like your very own copy of

Touch if You Dare?

Then leave a comment on this post

Include your email

Open to US and Canada

This giveaway sponsored by Sourcebooks

Upcoming Tours I Am Still Scheduling Spots For

Here are several tours I am still scheduling spots for- most have review pdfs available if you would like to review.

For more information on any tour or to set up a tour spot on your blog email me for details and availability.

Here are tours I am scheduling for that

I don't have buttons made for yet

Darwin's Children by Natasha Larry (paranormal YA)

August 29-Sept 5

In the Shadows

Sept 5- Sept 19

The Erotic Me Series by Lauren Hawkeye

4 books, 4 months, 4 tours

Scheduling stops for the first 2 weeks of

Sept, Oct, Nov and Dec

Nightingale by Ashley M Christman

Oct 11- Oct 25

Probability Angels and Persistent Illusions By Joseph Devon

Sept 9- Sept 23

The Hunter by Theresa Meyers (steampunk)

Oct 24- Nov 22

Sarah Gilman is one of my Entangled authors, you can view details about

Out in Blue at Entangled.

The Lure of the Vampire is a non-fiction book all about vampires, see more details at BBT

The Cowboy and The Vampire Aug 22-Sept 22

Boyfriend from Hell is a Paranormal YA

Mine Until Dawn is a Sexy Chick Lit

Both of these vampire books by Rue Volley are available for review

Rachel Firasek is another of my Entangled authors,

learn more about her book at Entangled

Spirit Seeker is a another paranormal YA fans of the genre are going to love

This erotic vampire series is one you can sink your fangs into,

both books are available for review in pdf format

Book 3 of the Deadtown Series by Nancy Holzner is almost full,

contact me to grab one of the remaining tour stops

Just in time for Halloween fun, Mind Over Monsters is a

must feature book for your site in October

Guest Blog and Giveaway with Kayden Mcleod

Thank you, Fang-Tastic, for having me here today.

The Foxworth Coven, Book One, Death of Innocence has been released by Solstice Publishing! I have been anxiously awaiting this for a long time now.

Death of Innocence was the first book I’d ever finished, though not the first book I’d written—nor the first book I’d written in the Foxworth Coven Series.

What is now Kindred Fate, the third installment in the Foxworth Coven Series I am still in the process of finishing up, was the first book I had ever penned. It was started over ten years ago, sitting at 140K when I had finished my first draft. I was a teenager, reading VC Andrews, RL Stine and Christopher Pike.

My style back then reflected my age. The plot was complicated, too much so, yet told in an adolescent manner. The story deserved and needed more. And while it read like YA, even with the situations that were definitely adult, I was leery of writing the level of sex I had put into the book, making for an awkward read. I watched this book grow as I ploughed through it, changing details and characters—the entire storyline time and again. And yet, I still wasn’t happy with it.

In my mind, I’d known the back-story of the Foxworth Coven. The past wouldn’t leave my muse alone. To start in the twenty-first century left too much untold—and the story of the ghosts in the history left too much to speculation. So following my muse’s insistence, I went back a century, to British Columbia, 1904, when the Foxworth Leader, Canya was still human. Gregory, the Heir to the Coven, fought his obligations to his people. He was determined to be his own man, and not the vampire his parents, Anastasia and Henry had groomed him to become. But life never really works out the way someone intends it to. Outside forces, fate and tragedy intervene in everyone’s time at one point or another. Canya and Gregory were no different.

After finishing Death of Innocence, I was even more perplexed. Now it felt like something else was missing. It took me a long time after that to figure out, Arcadia, Gregory and Canya’s step-son, had a story of his own. And then Natural Urges, Book two was born. This one is coming out with Solstice Publishing in the next few weeks.

The last two installments of the Foxworth Coven Series, Crimson Shadows and Blood Deeds, is one book broken into two. The story was too big, with several characters who’s babbled to me, needing to have their say in the series set similar to a journal.

The Foxworth Coven is not the biggest, most feared Coven without just cause. They know heartache, loss and pain—but they also thrive with love, loyalty and friendships with the most powerful entities their world knows. Their knowledge of magic put most vampires to shame, and they use these benefits to the best of their ability.

You can purchase the first book in the Foxworth Coven from All Romance, BookStrand and Amazon.com. Or directly from Solstice Publishing.

Fictionwise and print will be coming soon.

Watch The Trailer

I’m also throwing a special contest for The Foxworth Coven’s release! Wiccan Wear Jewelry has designed a magnificent piece inspired by Canya Foxworth from Death of Innocence, called “Vampire Kisses—Foxworth Coven.”

Rules for this contest and how to enter, including photography of the piece can be found on her website: http://www.wiccanwearjewelry.com/contest.html

Thank you so much for hanging out with me today! Leave a comment about the series, vampires, the Foxworth Necklace contest or any questions you may have for your chance to win a signed print copy of Demonic Pandemonium, the third book in the Cornwall Coven Series.

My Blog:
http://www.kaydenmcleod.blogspot.com/

Wiccan Wear Jewelry:
http://www.wiccanwearjewelry.com/

Thank you so much for hanging out with me today!

Happy Reading…

Kayden McLeod
http://kaydenmcleod.com/

Guest Blog with Lisa Kessler

I’m so excited to be on the Fang-tastic book site today!

This is my first stop in my first Book Blog Tour for my debut novel, Night Walker! Did I mention I’m excited? LOL

I’ve been a voracious reader ever since I was a child, idolizing the authors who wrote new worlds for me to escape into. I never dreamed I would one day write a book and see it published.

After I had my daughter, I got bitten by the writing bug. I started writing every night, just for fun. Before I knew it I had filled up my computer’s hard-drive with characters and stories that would never see the light of day.

Vampires were always my favorite characters to write. I really enjoy writing a character who has watched the world change, with lifetimes of memories and experience. It’s also fun to figure out how they keep themselves going in an endless night.

Having them be dark and dangerous doesn’t hurt either! :-)

My hero, Calisto Terana, has been alive for over two hundred years. He traded his soul for the promise of redemption and the chance to find his one love when she lives again.

He had no idea he would wait so long.

By the time he meets Kate, hope has turned to bitterness. Instead of using his Night Walker abilities to heal, he now uses them to hunt and feed on the refuse of humanity. He’s thrown completely off-balance when he realizes he finally has another chance to love her, but she has her own baggage and no memory of him.

It’s been a long hard journey to finally see this book published, but the moment I get to hold a copy in my hands every second will have been worth it. Thanks so much for stopping by today on my first blog stop!

I’ve got a new page up on my website with some photos and music that are featured in the book… http://lisaslair.com/NightWalker.html so stop by if you’re curious.

Also, I’m having a virtual Night Walker release party with prizes and fun on facebook, so consider this your invitation and click that you’ll attend…:-) http://www.facebook.com/?tid=1732769362783&sk=messages#!/event.php?eid=219541484756584

I’m trying to think of something to do in real-life too, to celebrate Night Walker’s release day… (Besides be a dork and cry! LOL) Have any ideas?

Lisa

Book Description:

He gave up his soul for a second chance to love her…

Two and a half centuries ago, Calisto Terana lost everything when a zealous priest murdered the woman he loved. Now, desperate for another chance to love her, he wants redemption for the mistake that cost her life.

She’s haunted by dreams of her own death…

After catching her fiance with another woman, Kate Bradley returns to San Diego to clear her head. The last thing she needs is romance, but after meeting Calisto she’s drawn to him in ways she doesn’t understand.

They’ve waited in the shadows for centuries…

Calisto has no doubt Kate is the reincarnation of his lost love, but the Fraternidad Del Fuego Santo has a new watcher with dark ambitions of his own. As old enemies reemerge and a new threat arises, the betrayal that enslaved Calisto to the night might destroy the only woman he’s ever loved again.


Title: Night Walker
Author: Lisa Kessler
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: August 2011
ePub ISBN: 978-1-937044-12-1
Mobi ISBN: Coming soon!
Print ISBN: 978-1-937044-13-8

http://www.entangledpublishing.com/night-walker/

View the book trailer at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OTD8VdDCOc

Books 2, 2 1/2, and 3 coming December 2011, January 2012, and June 2012!

About the Author:

Lisa Kessler is an avid reader and writer of dark fiction. Her short stories have been published in print anthologies and magazines, and her vampire story, Immortal Beloved, was a finalist for a Bram Stoker award.

Lisa recently signed a 4 book deal with Entangled Publishing to release her Night Series. The first book, Night Walker, is scheduled to be released August 5th.

When she's not writing, Lisa is a professional vocalist, performing with the San Diego Opera as well as other musical theater companies in San Diego.

You can learn more at http://Lisa-Kessler.com

Lisa lives in southern California with her incredibly fun husband and two amazing kids.
http://lisaslair.com/

http://lisakessler.wordpress.com

http://twitter.com/LdyDisney

http://facebook.com/LisaKesslerWriter

Interview with Geatriz and Delight in Cruelty Giveaway

Delight in Cruelty
by Geatriz

A story of three different characters that somehow find themselves together. Yuzuki, a vicious vampire with barely a care for anyone's life, even her own. Sole, an immortal that finds himself as Yuzuki's pet... and likes it. Miranda, a vampire hunter that is too broke to afford... well anything. Hunting vampires doesn't pay the bills.

LINKS:

Geatriz.com
DelightInCruelty.com

Interview

Can you tell readers a little bit about yourself and what inspired to write in this particular genre?

- My real name is Geatriz. Its not a pen name or anything like most people assume. I love writing and I have always had a thing for fiction. Going off into another world is so much better than living in reality. Being normal is too boring.

What is it about the paranormal, in particular vampires that fascinates you so much?

- Sometimes just believing in something that isn't real is enough to get you out of your own head for a while. We as people have so many problems and daily hassles that race through our heads all day, its nice to get away from it all-- even just for an hour or two.

What inspired you to write this book?

- I always read about a male lead hero always saving the day. I wanted a story of a female villain ruining it instead. Yuzuki herself was a character unlike anyone else I have ever read about or met. I loved it so much I had to keep going.

Do you have a special formula for creating characters' names? Do you try to match a name with a certain meaning to attributes of the character or do you search for names popular in certain time periods or regions?

- Not really a formula. I hear names and think they sound great. Sometimes I make up my own. Sometimes I do look up what the name means but usually I just go with what I like, what sounds nice. Sometimes I do search for names of that era. So I guess it just depends on my mood. Haha.

Was one of your characters more challenging to write than another?

- Vincent. He's a very calm and collected vampire. I needed someone that was somewhat opposite Yuzuki. Someone to kind of ground her. He's the "mommy" type. The person that says "You shouldn't be doing that." But he also doesn't try to stop her or get in her way which is why she respects him so much. (He was mostly difficult to write because I'm definitely not calm or collected.)

Is there a character that you enjoyed writing more than any of the others?

- Sole. I know Yuzuki is the main character but Sole was my favorite simply because he adds humor to such chaos. He knows his way of thinking is odd but he goes with it. (I mean really. Who would like someone that tortures them?) I really invoked all the men in my life for him.

Do you have a formula for developing characters?Like do you create a character sketch or list of attributes before you start writing or do you just let the character develop as you write?

- They just develop. They grew minds of their own. Yuzuki was this hard villain that just didn't give a shit and as we progressed, she really showed a softer side and tells why she got so hateful.

What is your favorite scene from the book? Could you share a little bit of it, without spoilers of course?

- My favorite... oh wow, so many. I think I really loved when she first meets Sole. Basically she drinks from him, thinks he's dead and throws him down like a rag doll, very carelessly. As she's walking away, he speaks. She realizes he's alive and starts breaking his limbs and watching him heal again. Yuzuki proceeds to throw Sole in her car and make him her toy.

Another is her testing how regenerative he really is. (Sole is an immortal for anyone who have not read the first chapter at www.delightincruelty.com) Yuzuki pumps pure adrenaline into Sole's heart and watches his heart blow up in front of her. Gruesome stuff, but quite entertaining.

Can you tell readers a little bit about the world building in the book/series? How does this world differ from our normal world?

- Very chaotic. This is our world with more of a look into minds that are different from your own. Miranda is a vampire hunter that struggles with not having any kind of money. So even though she is a superior being, she hates it because she spends all of her time and energy hunting and has nothing in return.

Yuzuki is a very disturbed mind. She is the one that is most different from others. If you've ever been angry enough to completely let yourself go, that is just the first stepping stone to becoming like Yuzuki.

With the book being part of a series, are there any character or story arcs, that readers jumping in somewhere other than the first book, need to be aware of? Can these books be read as stand alone?

- The books do slightly build on each other. Alkin from the first book was a man who took advantage of vampires. He comes back in the second and is reintroduced.

Do any of your characters have similar characteristics of yourself in them and what are they?

- Haha... Well...
I took a lot of features from myself and exaggerated them or flipped my features and gave them things that I do not have. Vincent is calm, patient. I'm... not. Yuzuki, however, is extremely blunt. I am blunt, but not to that extent.

Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? How do you deal with it?

- Around chapter six, I hit a brick wall. Instead of sitting there trying to figure out what should happen next, I jumped into Yuzuki's past. When I came out of Yuzuki's past, it was like a breath of fresh air and I just picked up exactly where I left off.

Do you have any weird writing quirks or rituals?

- Weird quirks, yes. Pertaining to writing, I dont think so. I do have to have a drink next to me, the lights dimmed, or off and a friend to bother that I finished a chapter. (Maybe a little quirky.)

Do you write in different genres?

- I could... but like I said. Normal is too boring for me. I don't want to be normal, nor do I want to be in that boring world. Give me a fantasy land to escape to. That's what I want.

Do you find it difficult to write in multiple genres?

- Err... No? Not likely...Maybe? Possibly? Most likely... Yes. (Let me live in my fantasy world!)

When did you consider yourself a writer?

- After I had my first sale. That was exciting. I sent my family a copy and my uncle called me and said "I hear we have a writer in the family." I giggled.

What are your guilty pleasures in life?

- ...Do I have to tell you? Lol. I like to go to the mall and people watch. They do odd things! The young girl with her boyfriend who's blabbing his ear off and he's so not listening. Or the older couple that you can tell have been together for so long. He holds the door and kisses her hand. Oh how sweet it is when he looks at her! ... Maybe I'm a lot more quirky than I thought. NO MORE QUESTIONS!!! Okay, a few more.

Other than writing, what are some of your interests, hobbies or passions in life?

- I don't just write stories. I write poems, songs. I love to play piano (at a beginner level) and sing. I love to do theater make up and make it look like I'm dead or dying. I'm very good at special effects make-up. Check out my myspace or facebook pictures for proof.

What was the last amazing book you read?

- Night by Elie Wiesel. I cried from beginning to end. I finished the book and was still crying after. (A story of a teenager in the concentration camps at Auschwitz and Buchenwald.)

Where is your favorite place to read? Do you have a cozy corner or special reading spot?

- I curl up with a blanket my mom made me when I was twelve and a warm cup of chocolate. I make the house freezing cold so it can feel like winter. (Unless it is winter.)

What can readers expect next from you?

- I'm plan on publishing the second of the Delight in Cruelty series and then taking a break from that to release a story I've had an idea about for the past few years. That's for a later interview though.

Where can readers find you on the web?

www.Geatriz.com, www.delightincruelty.com, or even just myspace or facebook. I accept everyone.

Would you like to leave readers with a little teaser or excerpt from the book?

You can read the first chapter at www.delightincruelty.com, however, this excerpt is a little later in the book from Sole's perspective. It gives you a better idea of exactly what kind of torture this immortal is put through.

- "This is concentrated adrenalin. It takes very little to effect someone's heart and little more to cause serious side effects, such as death." She pulled out a small needle and filled it half way. She injected me. I felt my heart beating harder. I started to tremor and my hands were balled into shaking fists. I felt excited, angry and scared. I wanted to run, fight and have sex all at once... and then it started to fade.

I was breathing heavily. My body felt exhausted and sore. Soon that was gone, too. Yuzuki dabbed my forehead with a cold washcloth. 'She's very good at pretending to care,' I thought, but said nothing. She pulled out a bigger needle. As she got closer, I saw the structure was longer, thicker. Was she determined to make me scream?

Yuzuki filled the needle as much as she could and looked down at me. "Try to keep breathing." Her face was stone, careful and careless.

The needle was suddenly deep in my chest and slowly she pushed the adrenalin into my body. I felt my heart stopping and starting. My body was trying to reject this poison. It was like fire pulsing through my body. I felt organ after organ fighting to stay alive. I couldn't breathe and then I could. Every muscle was tensed up as my body started to shake. My eyes went blurry and I couldn't hear anything.
I felt sweat falling over me. I screamed. I screamed and screamed. I felt the pressure in my chest building and the pain was growing unbearable. I looked over to see the only comforting thing blurring to nothing. I saw pain in Yuzuki's eyes. It was all gone.

"Sole..." was the last thing I heard.


x x x


The adrenalin blew up my heart with so much pressure, it blew out of my chest... Damn it! That was painful.

Giveaway Time

Geatriz has offered to giveaway

2 signed copies of Delight in Cruelty

2 readers will win

Open to US Shipping

To enter leave a comment and your email

Entangled Will Be At Coffee Time Romance

Event #1

__________

What: A COFFEE TIME ROMANCE CHAT with Entangled Authors

__________

When: Tuesday Evening, AUGUST 2, 2011 at 9EST (8CST / 7MST / 6PST)

__________

Where: CLICK HERE TO JOIN Coffee Time Romance (it’s free!) and to friend us

Hope you will join us!

Then, as if that’s not enough, on Friday, August 5th, we’ll be running a majorly exciting contest over in the Forum section of Coffee Time Romance. Did we say CONTEST? Read on…

__________

Event #2

__________

What: AN ENTANGLED SCAVENGER HUNT

__________

When: Friday, AUGUST 5th, all day long. Scavenging begins at 10 AM EST (9 AM CST / 8 AM MST / 7 AM PST)!

__________

Where: CLICK HERE TO JOIN Coffee Time Romance (it’s free!) and to friend us

The Grand Prize: Everyone who participates in our super fun Scavenger Hunt (details at the Live Chat on the 2nd!) over at Coffee Time Romance on the 5th will be entered into a drawing to win a BRAND NEW KOBO eREADER!!!

Come to the Live Chat on the 2nd to learn more!