Bewitching Book Tours: Guest Post from Tiffany Allee and Review

Today, Place of Reads is proud to have Tiffany Allee, author of Banshee Charmer and Succubus Lost posting.  

Guest Post:

Romance – A Must Have for this Reader

As a person who was a reader long before I became a writer, I've found there are certain elements in books that I really enjoy. I love mystery and suspense and (as you can probably tell from the books I write: paranormal or fantasy elements). And others that I almost feel have become requirements for me to fully immerse myself in a story. The biggest element I feel like I must have is the romance.

Okay, the title of this blog post may be a little misleading. I don't absolutely have to have a romantic element in the fiction I read, but I do feel like something is missing if there is no romance. Even a touch of a love story helps pull me into a tale where I wouldn't be drawn in otherwise. And it's even better if this element is part of the story's conflict.

Why?

I'm not entirely certain. Maybe because romance is an element in fiction that I find instantly relatable. Or because it feels like it pushes the stakes up even higher than a simple plot—even a life or death one—can do alone.

I recently read a wonderful book called White Horse, by Alex Adams. The plot was far from what most would consider romance, but one of the underlying motivators for the heroine was love. This element helped me to relate to the heroine in a way I might not have otherwise.

Are there any must have elements you require when picking up a new book? Any elements that immediately push you away?

About the Author

Tiffany currently lives in Phoenix, AZ, by way of Chicago and Denver, and is happily married to a secret romantic. She spends her days working in Corporate America while daydreaming about sexy heroes, ass-kicking heroines, and interesting ways to kill people (for her books, of course). Her nights are reserved for writing and bothering her husband and cats (according to them). Her passions include reading, chocolate, travel, wine, and family.

http://tiffanyallee.com/

http://tiffanyallee.com/blog/

http://www.facebook.com/authortiffanyallee

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

Books:

Banshee Charmer

From the Files of the Otherworlder Enforcement Agency, #1

Tiffany Allee

When she’s sent to a crime scene and finds her second dead woman in as many weeks, half-banshee detective Kiera “Mac” McLoughlin is convinced a serial killer is on the loose. Incubi are extinct, her boss insists. But what else can kill a woman in the throes of pleasure? When her partner is murdered after using witchcraft to locate the killer and Mac is thrown off the case, her frustration turns to desperation.

Certain the killer is an incubus, Mac works behind her department’s back to chase down slim, sometimes perilous leads. While the killer eludes her, she does discover handsome Aidan Byrne, an investigative counterpart from the enigmatic Otherworlder Enforcement Agency. Mac typically runs her investigations fast and hard, but with Aidan at her side, she’s running this one “hot” as well. But Aidan knows more than he’s letting on—something that could shatter their blazing romance and add Mac to the killer’s growing body count…

Succubus Lost

From the Files of the Otherworlder Enforcement Agency, #2

Tiffany Allee

Someone is kidnapping and incinerating otherworlders beyond recognition, and Detective Marisol Whitman, a succubus, races to find the murderer before he claims another victim. But her pursuit is derailed when her responsible younger sister vanishes. Marisol suspects foul play and enlists support from an unlikely source: an agent from the Otherworlder Enforcement Agency, Valerio Costa.

When the trail pointing to everyone from vampires to witches dries up, Agent Costa admits to knowing more than he’s shared. Marisol’s sister’s kidnapper harnesses more magic than she can imagine—and they’re running out of time. To find her sister before her powers are drained and twisted beyond recognition, Marisol must connect the dots between cases and put her trust in Costa, a salamander who may burn her before she can solve either case.  

My Review:

Succubus Lost by Tiffany Allee

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

 I loved this book.  Deliciously hot and mysterious at the same time, you can't help but keep reading the book and praying that work would stop interfering! 


I loved Marisol.  I thought that I wouldn't like her as much as Mac (book #1) because of the whole "weight of the world" thing with her sister and her being a succubus, but she exceeded my expectations.  I thought she was wonderfully balanced and a great character.  


For me Costa = Yummy, though he might have been yummier if he had used a bit more Italian :P.


I really did not see the vililan coming.  I thought it was going to be someone else, but it was a nice twist on who it ended up being, and it did keep the story interesting.


I personally felt that this story, and the subject matter of the book (beyond the love/hate steamy romance), was quite appropriate.  I can't give too much away, but I though tMs. Allee did a great job of talking about the sex slave trade in a paranormal world so similar to our not-quite-normal world. 


I believe this book could have stood alone, just because there are so few to no references to book #1. And those references are just towards character names.  


Overall, I highly recommend this book and I'm looking forward to the next book in this series!


For my review on Banshee Charmer, click here.

PLUS, A GIVEAWAY!

Tour wide giveaway is a Salamander Pin and Succubus Lost ebook

the giveaway open to US Shipping

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Reading!

Cana

On the Tenth Day of Christmas, Katie @ Magic Is In Words Reviews Dash & Lily's book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

Dash & Lily's book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

I read Dash & Lily's Book of Dares and it was wonderful!:

"I've left some clues for you.

If you want them, turn the page.
If you don't, put the book back on the shelf, please."


So begins the lates whirlwind romance from the New York Times bestselling authors of Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist. Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locatiions across New York? Could their in-person selves possible connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?

Ramblings: This book just looked absolutely adorable--and I was right! I couldn't put this book down. I've been heading downhill with my reading lately ): but this book has brought me back on top! I was so gripped by this story that I read it in one day!

Characters: Lily and Dash were pretty compatible characters, although at one point in the story I was so mad at both of them! Lily for being dumb, and Dash for judging Lily! (Even though she didn't give off the best first impression.) Once I got over that though, I was pretty pleased with how the story progressed. Although, the characters didn't seem fully developed to me, maybe the story just needed more to it so I could get a better feel of the characters.

Plot: This plot moved rapidly and kept me turning the pages. There were a few key points to the story, but the rest of the time there didn't seem to have much going on. Even though there wasn't too much to the story (I felt it wasn't very deep) I still really enjoyed this book and the plot was new and refreshing!

Overall: A sweet romance, good for a stressed day and if you aren't looking for anything too deep. Don't pass up this sweet Christmas read!

Overall Rating: 3 Stars
Cover Love: 4 Hearts 

And, on my blog I'm giving away an ebook copy of The Magi until Christmas, so don't forget to sign up!

Katie @ Magic Is In Words

On the Nineth Day of Christmas, Damien Kelly Talks About Being A Writer

On the Nineth Day of Christmas, Damien Kelly Talks About Being A Writer

If at first... When I first decided— Yes! I'm going to be a writer! Forsooth!¹ —I felt that I should start with a Bang. I felt there ought to be some kind of Rite of Passage I could go through in order to give me the cosmic, karmic confidence to begin. You might, mistakenly, believe that this ceremonial act would involve investing in some decent equipment: a new PC, or lots of notebooks and shiny new biros. But while I would eventually get around to this, this was not the first thing I did. Nor was it to bone up on my library and research skills, absolute necessities for one’s future as a writer. Neither was that first thing a trip to my preferred bookstore, to immediately immerse myself in the nourishing words of others, learning and exploring at the same time. It wasn’t even the purchasing of a book on ‘How to Write Books.’² No. The first thing I did as a new writer was to buy a copy of the Writer’s Handbook and begin choosing publishers. And then agents: though it would never come to that, I told myself, as undoubtedly when my chosen publisher snapped up my first book, they would recommend a decent agent at the same time. Undoubtedly. Surely. Surely? A little later, I found myself looking at Literary Consultancies, just to appease my curiosity you understand, and opening that first tin of beer. By the time I was down to trying to decide which magazine had a sufficiently low subscription rate that they’d be less choosey about the quality of submissions—while simultaneously hunting the cupboards for carbohydrates, sweet carbohydrates—I was just about ready to slide my copy of the Writer’s Handbook onto the bookshelf and not write a word for at least a month. Laying so much store by the quality of one’s first step is the death of all too many writers’ careers. It held me back for years. And it was an anxiety with range: I had to make my first book timely for the market I would aim for. I needed to know what a publisher wanted so I could be sure I was meeting some mythical brief. I had to know what I was going to write before I began: every plot twist, every character, every skewed bit of physics or alternative cosmology. Eventually, it got down to the level where I convinced myself that nothing could begin with anything short of that killer first line. The hardest lesson you will ever learn is that that killer first line doesn’t exist. It's a third line, if you’re lucky. More likely it’s a fifth. Or a fiftieth. Author Paul Cornell wrote a great post over Christmas that you would be well advised to go and read in full, but which has as its third point: whatever problem you’re having with what you’re writing, it doesn’t matter. You’re going to have to rewrite it anyway. It’s a philosophy that I’ve come to see as applicable to almost every aspect of the writer’s life. Nothing takes in the first try: your killer opening; your original plot line; your first attempt at getting that first manuscript into publication. Whatever your first plans were, I wouldn’t get too attached. Creating is an inductive experience, but the actual task of writing is deductive. It’s about taking things away, and the things in question are those precious ‘firsts’ you sweated over for so long. Beyond that, learning that being a writer is something that actually happens after the writing’s been done, not before, has been instrumental in helping me understand what it is that separates art from the kind of everyday creativity that everyone engages in naturally. Writers inhabit that second reading of any piece of communication; that looking back and appreciating or critiquing or responding or building upon as necessary. All the words come first, the writing second. Or third, if you're lucky. More likely fifth. Or fiftieth. 


¹ The statement alone didn’t seem enough to signify my qualification for such a lofty role, so I felt a little poetic decoration would emphasise the point nicely. I, like nearly every other writer that has ever lived, started out really, really bad. ² I soon owned a fine clutch of these, mind you, though you wouldn't have known to look at my bookshelves at the time. I hid them: to my thinking, being seen reading such a text was akin to seeing a panic stricken nuclear power plant technician, seated at his console with his hand wavering above the blinking bulbs, leafing through a copy of “How Not To Make Your Workplace Go Boom For Dummies.” -----------------

Damien Kelly, author of The Christmas Gifts and the rather dishevelled figure behind christmasmacabre.com is husband to the beautiful Katrina, father to Daniel and Taylor, an associate lecturer in psychology with the Open University, and an aspiring writer of genre fiction. You can find full details of his anthology of seasonal macabre at his website, along with bonus stories, mp3s and links to the YouTube channel and videos. Or you can get The Christmas Gifts now from Amazon.

On the Eighth Day of Christmas, Richie @ Bound and Determined Talks About Christmas

On the Eighth Day of Christmas, Richie @ Bound and Determined Talks About Christmas.

So, most people think we’re a little crazy.  But you have to realize, we’re busy.  And, after all, the early bird gets the worm.  Naturally, we start Christmas preparations early.  Just ask anyone who knows us.

We start thinking about sending out our Christmas cards in June.  We have a family picture taken, which has gotten increasingly difficult to do with each additional child we created.  We have three kids.  Most people I graduated college with are married, maybe with one kid, but three??  But, I digress.  Ok, so back to Christmas… Until this year, our family photos have been on the staircase at my parent’s house.  The hilarity of taking them is boundless.  We’ve had sick kids still in their pajamas, kids looking the wrong way, making funny faces…you name, our kids have done it in the course of taking our Christmas card photo.  This year, we opted to have a friend of ours who is a professional photographer do them this year (when we did our summer trip to my parents, it was too hectic to get the picture done!) which seemed to work better (the kids weren’t distraught by having to leave their Grandma’s house!).

By the end of July we have had the prints done, and begin addressing, signing and stuffing the Christmas cards (that we usually buy during the after Christmas sales for 90% off!) by the first of August.  We hand-made them this year.  Mistake.  There was not enough time to perfect them, so, they were mediocre.  Not quite a fail, but not the best ever.

As August draws, to an end, the envelopes are stamped and deposited at our nearest post office drop box.  In case you didn’t catch that, we mail our Christmas cards in August. 

Though completely unrelated to Christmas prep, but completely relevant to this post, we decorate the house for fall/Halloween at the beginning of October or end of September.  Which is fun and the kids love all the spooky decorations and candy.  Then, only a few days into November, we take the fall/Halloween decorations down and start trimming the house for Christmas.

By the end of the first weekend in November, we have decorated the house, put the tree up, and even hung the wreaths on the doors.  Christmas music plays quietly and softly in the background during this and Christmasy-scented candles burn.

Why do we start so early?  We’re busy.  There’s so much traveling and parties and such that if we didn’t start Christmas early, we wouldn’t be home enough to enjoy it properly!  And, my wife refuses to help if we don’t decorate early.  I need all the help I can get, there’s only so much daylight, and there are so many books to read!

Now…

Get to reading Christmasing,

Richard

About the Author:

Richard is a full-time husband, father, and part-time book blogger and all round bookish nerd.  Or geek.  Either way, he’s one cool daddy-o (at least his kids think so!).   Check out his blog at http://boundanddeterminedtofindagoodread.blogspot.com

On the Seventh Day of Christmas, The Author Jason Halstead Talks About E-books

On the Seventh Day of Christmas, The Author Jason Halstead Talks About E-books

The Ebook – What it’s Worth vs. What it’ll Sell For

I’ve got more books available on Amazon than I have fingers on my hands. What’s more, I have plans to put out at least 6 more in 2012, hopefully as many as 12. All written by me, not co-authors or partners. Yet in spite of this, I struggle with the same dilemma so many other authors have these days: how to price their book.

I’ve read some great articles by some very successful writers. From John Locke to Michael Mathias to Michael Hicks and more than a few others that I can’t remember the names of. Each has a pricing strategy, but each arrived at that strategy through trial and error. I’m coming up with my own strategy, but I still like to test the waters from time to time. Sadly, I usually regret the testing period.

The very successful writers with high prices are exceptions to the rule, in my educated opinion. They’ve made it big and built up enough of a following that they can now set their prices and expect them to be met. The Jason Halstead’s of the world, on the other hand, are still trying to hit that magic amount of books and readers. Until we get there, we are slaves of the system and have to rely on tactics and campaigns to help move our products.

I write science fiction, fantasy, and mix in a lot of other genres for fun (paranormal and romance being the two most often tossed into the blonder). Because the number of people who are hooked on what I write is probably still under a hundred, anybody who stumbles across my book will look at it and compare the price of mine versus one of the other ones on the webpage in the same genre. If all things are equal in their mind (cover, title, blurb, etc.), they’ll go with the cheaper one.

A big argument I’ve seen many times is the belief that a more expensive book draws in more readers who are expecting a quality product. That tells me those authors consider readers who buy cheaper books little better than riff-raff. Shame on them. All readers are created equal, and every one of them has the same power in their hands as far as feedback, rating, and reviewing is concerned. Or the ultimate vote of power – future sales.

I have a tactic I use that I recently read Amanda Hocking also uses – though I can’t claim she’s trying to emulate me. The first book in each of my series I price at $.99. Something she doesn’t do is this: if at all possible, I try to make it free. There’s a few reasons for this – I’m trying to get people introduced to my writing, firstly. I hope they like what I do and if that’s the case, then they’ll buy the other books in the series (which I price according to length – anything at or beyond 50k words is $2.99, below that typically $.99). I’ve had some pretty good luck with this. My free books (two so far, Wanted and Dark Earth) have “sold” 40,000 copies since late November and brought in a decent stream of people reading my other books (primarily the sequels but not exclusively limited to them).

Another reason is that I want people to have a chance to check me out without having to spend any time. It’s a show of faith on my part and I want people to know that I appreciate every reader very much, free or paid. To that point I have a newsletter on my website and for the people who sign up for it I try to give them special deals whenever possible – a free ebook download from my website and a pre-release period of a new book where they can get it on Amazon at a discounted price being my two current gifts.

It keeps coming back to pricing. My advice is that if you’re not established in the industry, ignore the pricing advise from those who are. People like us need exposure first. Get your books out there in the hands of people and generate buzz about them. Bring them back in for sequels or other material and when you’ve sold five hundred thousand or so then you can start dabbling with pricing. Until then, keep them affordable and as low-risk as possible. I can’t even count how many times I’ve been told by a reader they were surprised at how good Wanted or Dark Earth was, given that it was a freebie. And yes, those people came back to buy and read more of my books.

It can be a bitter pill to swallow. You may feel your book is worth $5.99 or $9.99 (or more), but you can only get what it’s worth out of it by finding what you can sell it for.

To learn more about Jason Halstead, visit his website and view his books, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.

Featured Book by Jason Halstead:

Website: http://www.booksbyjason.com
Blog: http://booksbyjason.wordpress.com

On the Fourth Day of Christmas, Author Frank Acland Talks About His First Book

On the Fourth Day of Christmas, 

Author Frank Acland Talks About His First Book

It was at about this time last year when I got the idea for my book, The Secret Power Beneath. I was walking in the snowy woods with my daughter and suddenly had the thought that I might write a book. I'm not sure what it was about that time and place that gave me the urge, but it was a resolve that I decided to stick to. I only had the vaguest notion about what the subject should be -- it would feature an underground world, and an advanced civilization based on a new form of energy technology. But at the outset I really didn't have a clear picture of what I wanted to do.

The next few weeks and months found me trying to piece together the book scene by scene, chapter by chapter. It was exhausting and exhilaration and the same time, taking much time and energy -- but gradually it fell into place. Plot ideas developed -- characters were added and subtracted, and after about eight months the work was finished. It seemed like the last few chapters were the hardest -- tying up loose ends and coming to a satisfactory conclusion were not easy. The re-reading, proofreading and editing was laborious and tedious -- but it was necessary to get rid of errors and clutter.

Suddenly I found I had finished the book. It was at once a relief and an anticlimax. For a long time I had been thinking, "I will feel so good when this is all finished." But when it was over, I felt somewhat of a loss. I found I had put so much myself into the book that it was strange not to be involved any more. However there was, and still is, the sense of having achieved something that I was satisfied with. 

I also hope that the story might introduce readers to new ideas and think of new possibilities. The energy technology described in the book -- "The Secret Power" -- is fictional, but I believe we are ready to see breakthroughs in energy technology unlike anything seen before in the world. In another role as an author I write a blog about a new form of energy technology that appears to have the potential to radically change our world. Go to http://www.e-catworld.com for more on this.      .

As far as my fiction work goes, I think there is more to write. The story has places it can go -- but right now I can't quite summon up the resolve yet that I had last year -- I know what is involved! This time last year I was unaware of everything that would be required to complete the job, but I have the satisfaction of knowing that I set a goal for myself and achieved it -- and in the process did work that I am satisfied with. 

I don't consider myself a successful author in terms of sales or critical acclaim. But I do feel a certain sense of success in simply having set a goal and worked until I completed it. I could have easily given up and left another half written manuscript to be forgotten or discarded. 

It is gratifying when people say they enjoyed the book. That has always been my hope -- that people will become absorbed with the story, and find something that sparks their interest in there. It's funny how a writer can become attached to characters they create -- these were people I invented, and yet I somehow felt they had a separate identity from my own. I wonder about their futures and what they might do with their lives. Maybe one day I will find out!

Frank Acland

For more information about Frank Acland and his books, check out his website at http://www.frankacland.com.

Featured Book 

On the Third Day of Christmas, Rebecca @ Bending the Spine Reviews The Christmas Gift

On the Third Day of Christmas, Rebecca @ Bending the Spine Reviews The Christmas Gift by Damein Kelly

I am very excited to be part of this event!!! I recently reviewed an awesome Christmas book that was extremely different from any other Christmas book I have read before. Hope you enjoy.

Description

The season of giving is a season of darkness; a season of extended nights and twilight days. And the gifts of the season aren’t always the kind you’d hope to receive.

The Christmas Gifts: a collection of twelve tales of the uncanny, where unusual gifts - be they rare, unexpected, inappropriate or even unwanted - come wrapped in a piece of that seasonal darkness.

When loving your friend means denying your hunger. When the luster of gold doesn't stop it being a chain. When giving is another word for sacrifice. This is the Christmas Macabre. Little children walk with monsters—Saints with Devils. Everyone wears red.

Give the gift of the macabre this holiday. Suggested for mature readers. (Goodreads)

Book Details

Title: The Christmas Gifts

Author: Damien Kelly

Publisher: lulu.com

Release Date: September 20, 2011 

ISBN-10: 1447830628

ISBN-13: 978-1447830627

Author’s Website

Source: Author

Review

Generally Christmas stories are sweet and all about spreading a little holiday cheer. The Christmas Gifts is twelve short stories that go a bit of a different route. 

This is my first experience reading any Christmas horror stories. When I agreed to review The Christmas Gifts I had no idea I would like it so much, but the description and cover is right on, so I had nothing to worry about. I love a good short story and these are little horror gems that where very satisfying to devour. 

I loved these dark tales each one different from the next. There where twist and turns, paranormal, and humor that was nicely unexpected. One of my favorite stories was actually a non-paranormal about a woman getting her last vengeful present from her late husband.

Damien Kelly is an author I will be putting on my “watch for next project list!” I loved his sense of dark comedy and the steady voice he placed throughout The Christmas Gifts.

Happy Reading,

Rebecca 

http://bendingthespine.blogspot.com/

Awesome! Reread worthy.

4 out of 5 stars 

Recommended For

Adults: For language, violence      


Want to get to know Damien Kelly better? Then be sure to check out the Nineth Day of Christmas, as Damien will be guest posting.

* There are freebies to check out on Damien’s website!*

Aspire to Inspire Guest Post by Author Prudence Bice

Aspire to be Inspired

Advice for New Authors, Including Myself

Guest Post by Author Prudence Bice

There is one question I am asked more than any other, either when I’m at a book signing, or talking to a book group. The question? “How do you become a better writer?” My answer is usually the same, “Read…read, and then read some more!” I’ve even given this advice in a few interviews on this same blog tour already, but today, I’d like to expand on that a bit further.

Let me say first that I love to read, probably more than I love to write. In all fairness, my love of reading came first. In fact, Amazon should offer me some stock in their company because I order so many books. Just yesterday I was thinking about my Christmas list and the UPS man popped into my head. Maybe I’ll buy him a book.

Lately I’ve been trying to expand my reading experience, to reach out and taste, per say, what other types of genres have to offer: science fiction, mystery, paranormal, and graphic novels, genres I don’t often read. Then there are the classics. As a writer of historical fiction, I’d be foolish to pass up the opportunity to view the world through such an accurate historical perspective. Classic writers, such as Jane Austin, Charlotte Bronte, Mark Twain, and Charles Dickens, all of whom I love to read, were contemporary writers of their time. They wrote how they lived. Their characters not only reveal through dialog and thoughts how they spoke, but what their attitudes and emotions were. Their books seem to transport you to another time, another place. The experience is golden.

If you do not like to read classical literature, read what interest you. For an author, reading is what often fuels the creative process. It feeds our imaginations, increases our vocabulary, and expands our knowledge of things both past and present.

I came across a web article the other day written by a book examiner named Michelle Kerns. I loved her explanation on how an author’s mind works. I’d like to share it with you.

“Think of the author's mind like a pool of water. Every book read, every idea considered, every bit of dialogue overheard, goes into that pool. In fact, the only way a writer can hope to continually improve and grow is to put as much water in there as possible. (Consider Stephen King who said in his memoir, On Writing, "If you don't have the time to read, you don't have the time (or tools) to write. Simple as that."). When an author starts working on a project, his or her fledgling ideas are nourished by the water, if you will, taken from that mental swirl of all the things read and considered before.”

I want lots of water in my pool and tools in my toolbox. Reading is one way to make that happen. So, “Happy Reading” to all you aspiring authors and readers and thanks for stopping by my blog tour.

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