Forever Freed Giveaway Winners

Congrats tlynnetolles, Emma Lai, and Great Minds Think Aloud Book Club winners of our Forever Freed Giveaway at From the Shadows!

Tlynnetolles will receive an ebook copy of Forever Freed by Laura Kaye.

Emma Lai and Great Minds Think Aloud Book Club will receive Forever Freed trading cards.

Thank you to all who entered.

**All giveaway winners selected using Random.org**

Paranormal Guest Author: Sang Kromah (Concealed)

Please welcome today's paranormal guest author Sang Kromah!  Sang is the author of Concealed. 

EJ:  When did you begin writing?

Sang:  I actually created the background story as a child, but I began writing the story on a trip to California with my mom. It was the summer before I began grad school and I was supposed to be having fun and concentrating on modeling, but we got to the airport in San Francisco, I saw a girl, who for some reason took me back to the memory of the story I’d created as a child. When we got to the hotel, I began writing ferociously, and three months later, Concealed was born.

EJ:  What brought you to the paranormal genre?

Sang:  I’ve always been a paranormal fanatic. My parents always wondered what was wrong with me. They told me so many paranormal stories as a young child and when I became obsessed they wondered why. I’m always researching strange happenings and watching scary films (in various languages). I’m just passionate about the genre and couldn’t imagine writing anything else. I’d go crazy!

EJ:  If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?

Sang:  Oh wow! My younger brother and I ask this question quite frequently. My supernatural talents would be rapid cellular regeneration, so I could be indestructible and to be a healer. It may seem lame, but I could save so many people with my power. I wouldn’t publicize it. To me these two powers go hand in hand, because in order to continue to heal people you’d have to stay alive, and better way to do that than by being indestructible.

EJ:  Tell us why readers will enjoy your new release.

Sang:  Readers will love Concealed, because it’s unique and totally random. It’s an introduction to a side of fantasy that hasn’t quite been seen before with colorful characters that walk the line between good and evil so artfully it makes it hard to tell the difference. It’s a tasteful blend of fantasy, teen angst, mythology, and history rolled into one, and you won’t be able to put it down.

EJ:  If your book(s) were being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles? Why?

Sang:  My main character, Bijou is racially ambiguous and is stylish and Bohemian. You know the type, beautiful but insecure. She would most likely be played by Gossip Girl’s Jessica Szohr or Smallville’s Kristin Kreuk. The only other character that I have definitely found a match for is Amina. I watch a lot of foreign television and I watch an Australian soap opera, Home and Away. There’s this actress, Tessa James and I swear it was as if my words came to life and created this girl. Her whole look is Amina, the accent, the feisty yet bubbly attitude is so her.

Concealed (Concealed #1) by Sang Kromah

When sixteen year-old Bijou Fitzroy and her nomadic grandmother leave New York City to live in a home in the sleepy town of Sykesville, Maryland, Bijou thinks she will finally be able to live a normal life and be like everyone else. This move will be permanent, and Bijou cannot be anymore thrilled. After years of being shut away by her grandmother, Bijou will finally able to interact with peers, make friends, go to school, and live like a normal teenager.

Moving around and being homeschooled definitely made it difficult to make friends, but there are other reasons for Bijou’s solitude. With eyes that constantly change from gray to green to a honey-coated shade of brown and an ability to feel exactly what other people are feeling, the concept of obtaining closeness is more of a fable than a reality. Although her eyes are beautiful, their constant shift in color instills a sense of fear within other people and causes them to look away. Bijou’s premonitions, blackouts, and semi-prophetic dreams of a faceless boy don’t help her social musings either. Regardless, she decides to attend the local high school.

Bijou is immediately introduced to Sebastian Sinjin, a quirky and unusually beautiful boy who doesn’t seem to belong in a high school in nowhere Maryland. Sebastian is also special. Instead of looking away from Bijou, he makes direct eye contact with her. And when he shakes Bijou’s hand something dark and familiar to awaken within her as an electric shock surges through her body. Bijou soon finds herself deeply attracted to Sebastian, who remains aloof and often acts like Bijou doesn’t exist.

Despite the pains of having her first real crush, Bijou makes friends quickly and excels in all of her classes…well, all except for Mythology with Mr. Jennings. Mr. Jennings’ class starts off great with endless discussions of djinn and how they conceal themselves from the human eye, but things soon take a turn for the worse when the stories of the mythical creatures begin to take shape in Bijou’s life.


Thank you Sang for joining us here today at From the Shadows!

To learn more about Sang Kromah and her books, please visit her website.

Paranormal Guest Author: Elizabeth Miles (Fury)

Please welcome today's paranormal guest author Elizabeth Miles!  Elizabeth is the author of Fury.

EJ:  When did you begin writing?

Elizabeth:  I have always written. As a child, I wrote fiction and non-fiction and what would now be considered “fan fiction” — stories that continued or expanded on the trajectories of well-loved (by me) characters like Laura from the Little House on the Prairie series. In college, I majored in print journalism and I started working for an alt-weekly newspaper after I graduated. That’s still my day job: narrative journalism with an alternative spin. I started writing fiction again in 2010, at the urging of my longtime friend and fellow YA author Lauren Oliver (Before I Fall, Delirium), who was instrumental in helping Fury become a reality.

EJ:  What brought you to the paranormal genre?

Elizabeth:  I love realistic fiction, but I appreciate the freedom that paranormal provides. Incorporating paranormal elements into a contemporary tale, which is what I feel I did with Fury, gave me the opportunity to heighten certain scenarios, to give (creepy) life to esoteric emotions, to attach real danger to typically cerebral concerns. It allowed me to explore the concept of vengeance from an amplified perspective. Not to mention, it’s fun — both to read and to write. And I like creepy things.

EJ:  If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?

Elizabeth:  I used to hem and haw over this question — invisibility? teleportation? mind-reading? All of those options sounded cool but none them really inspired me. Then, the other day, I was watching Enchanted, gleefully smiling during the singing/dancing scene in Central Park (“That’s How You Know”), and my boyfriend said, “This would be your superpower — the ability to turn normal situations into big musical scenes.” And he’s dead right! Brilliant! I would be the Musical Theater Mage, transforming quotidian life into sweeping, powerful production numbers.

EJ:  Tell us why readers will enjoy your new release.

Elizabeth:  Fury is both scary and sexy, and its characters are real, flawed, and interesting. The idea of karma, the question of whether or not revenge is actually sweet — these are concepts we grapple with daily (whether or not we want to admit that is a different story). Fury offers a fresh, exciting take on paranormal YA lit.

EJ:  If your book(s) were being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles? Why?

Elizabeth:  I don’t want to say too much about this because I don’t want to influence the way readers imagine the characters in their heads. That said, I really enjoy Elle Fanning (she was so good in Super 8 and Somewhere!) and I would be honored to have her portray a character in the Fury series.

Fury (Fury, #1) by Elizabeth Miles

Sometimes sorry isn't enough....

It’s winter break in Ascension, Maine. The snow is falling and everything looks pristine and peaceful. But not all is as it seems...

Between cozy traditions and parties with her friends, Emily loves the holidays. And this year’s even better--the guy she’s been into for months is finally noticing her. But Em knows if she starts things with him, there’s no turning back. Because his girlfriend is Em’s best friend.

On the other side of town, Chase is having problems of his own. The stress of his home life is starting to take its toll, and his social life is unraveling. But that’s nothing compared to what’s really haunting him. Chase has done something cruel...something the perfect guy he pretends to be would never do. And it’s only a matter of time before he’s exposed.

In Ascension, mistakes can be deadly. And three girls—three beautiful, mysterious girls—are here to choose who will pay.

Em and Chase have been chosen.


Thank you Elizabeth for joining us here today at From the Shadows!

To learn more about Elizabeth and her books, please visit her website.

Wolf Days of Summer Giveaway Winner

Congratulations Harpreet of A Spark of Interest: Books for Teens winner of our Wolf Days of Summer Giveaway at From the Shadows!  Harpreet will receive copies of Spirit Storm (Spirit Guide #2) by E.J. Stevens, Forever (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #3) by Maggie Stiefvater, and Wolfsbane (Nightshade #2) by Andrea Cremer.

Thank you to all who entered!

**All giveaway winners selected using Random.org**

Happy Birthday (to me)

I'll be away from my blog (and Twitter, and Goodreads, and email...)  much of the day.  I've scheduled a mini blog holiday, but the paranormal guest author schedule will resume this Thursday with a visit from Elizabeth Miles, author of Fury. 

I'm off to celebrate my birthday and eat LOTS of cake! xx

Darkness Descending Giveaway Winner

Congratulations NoraA of NoraAdrienne's Reviews winner of our Darkness Descending Giveaway at From the Shadows!  NoraA will receive a signed paperback copy of Darkness Descending, the first book in the Vampire Armageddon series, by Devyn Quinn.

Thank you to all who entered!

**All giveaway winners selected using Random.org**

Toxic: Blood Countess Ebook Giveaway Winner

Congratulations elaing8 of My Love for Books winner of our Toxic: Blood Countess Ebook Giveaway at From the Shadows!  Elaing8 will receive an ebook copy of Toxic, the first book in the Blood Countess series, by Eve Langlais.

Thank you to all who entered.

**All giveaway winners selected using Random.org**

Paranormal Guest Author: Violet Yates (Tears of Heaven)

Please welcome today's paranormal guest author Violet Yates.  Violet is the author of Forgotten Forest of the Innocent, Lost and Found, Leaves of the Fall and Tears of Heaven.

EJ:  When did you begin writing?

Violet:  I started writing stories when I was eight years old. I read Highlights for Children, a children's magazine, a lot back then. I wrote a story about a bunny and submitted it to them. They didn't use the story. Later, after I had my kids, I wrote a lot of non-fiction, like Letters to the Editor. They always were published. I really didn't think seriously about writing fiction until I was in my mid-twenties. I bought numerous notebooks, intending to start, but didn't know where to start. Somewhere around 2001, I jumped in. I wrote my first novel after 9-11 happened- I realized at that point that life was short and it was time to start realizing my dreams. Of course, my first novel was awful. I went back to school after receiving numerous rejection letters and learned how to write better while I was an English major.

EJ:  What brought you to the paranormal genre?

Violet:  While I was planning on doing an independent study with one of my professors, the idea of using Hawaiian culture came into play. I wanted my book to be unique, and a big part of Hawaiian culture is their gods and goddesses. So I started putting little references here and there about Madame Pele, the Hawaiian Fire Goddess, into my novel. Much later, I realized I could have my character, Lena, take on Pele's powers, and thus, it would be classified as paranormal, but literary as well.

EJ:  If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?

Violet:  I would love to fly. Really. I have these dreams all the time in which I'm flying... I literally start flapping my arms and soon enough I'm in the air high above everyone else. It's a great feeling of freedom. :)

EJ:  Tell us why readers will enjoy your new release.

Violet:  I think the magnetism of Pele will draw people in. Face it, people like bad characters as much as they like heroines. Lena, who takes on Pele's powers in my novel, is a classic seductress who will stop at almost nothing to take what she wants, and what she wants is Ikaika. She will murder to have him. Whether she gets him is for the reader to discover.

EJ:  If your book(s) were being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles? Why?

Violet:  Ever since Twilight made the supernatural come back into vogue, I've thought about this. My problem is that most of my characters are Hawaiian or part Hawaiian at least, and I don't know of any Hawaiian actors or actresses. Whoever played Lena, however, would have to be really beautiful, with reddish black  hair and of Hawaiian descent. Kaitlyn would probably be easier to cast, being of Irish descent with auburn hair. Maybe I'd cast Kristen Stewart when she gets a little older? That would certainly create a stir for my book. :)

Tears of Heaven by Violet Yates

Lena Ka'awa takes on the powers of the Hawaiian Fire Goddess Pele, which causes catastrophe for Kaitlyn and Ikaika. Kaitlyn's husband dies in a fiery car accident. Ikaika's wife, Beth, and their child, Aolani, are also killed. Kaitlyn and Ikaika meet up at the graveside and look to each other for friendship and comfort. Aolani is now a ghost with supernatural powers; she 'pushes' Kaitlyn to investigate the 'accident' further, causing them to suspect that Lena killed them. The volcano is about to blow and all their lives are in danger- they need to find out how to appease Pele… will they find the answer in time to save them? Can they fight against the awesome powers of Pele?


Thank you Violet for joining us here today at From the Shadows!

To learn more about Violet Yates and her books, please visit her website.

Paranormal Guest Author: Laura Kaye + Forever Freed Giveaway

Please welcome today's paranormal guest author Laura Kaye!  Laura is the author of Hearts in Darkness and Forever Freed.

EJ:  When did you begin writing?

Laura:  I wrote my first stories as a child. I was an only child and alone a good bit, so I became very good at entertaining myself, and cultivating a vivid imagination was one part of that! The first story I remember writing, although I doubt it was my first, was a paranormal retelling of A Secret Garden. I have no idea whatever happened to the notebook in which I handwrote the story, but I can still see the book in my mind’s eye. In high school, I won a prize for a story called “Peter Save the Tsar,” which was a time travel tale about a modern-day kid who stopped the assassination of the Russian royal family in 1917.

That story also reveals my interest in history, which is where my writing became concentrated once I went to college and graduate school. As a professional historian, writing has been a part of my life for my entire career. But it wasn’t until three years ago that the fiction bug hit me—literally! I hit my head on July 4th and after several weeks of severe headaches and other “post-concussive” side effects, I found myself wanting to write fiction. At the end of August, I started writing the book that became Forever Freed, and the draft was done by November 1.

EJ:  What brought you to the paranormal genre?

Laura:  Well, as my paranormal retelling of A Secret Garden shows, I’ve been interested in the paranormal since I was a small child. That interest stems from my family, all of whom believe in the supernatural. It was completely normal for my family to sit around my grandmother’s dinner table on a Friday night and tell stories about their houses being haunted, or the evil-eye curse my grandmother believed her mother-in-law placed on her, or the angel that came to my grandmother when she was pregnant with my mother. We all saw instances of odd, unexplainable things happen in some of our family’s houses, particularly my grandmother’s. The supernatural just was. The two authors I remember being totally hooked on the earliest were Anne Rice and Stephen King, so I’ve always been most interested in the paranormal genre. And it’s so totally cool to be writing in it, now!

EJ:  If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?

Laura:  Teleporting. I would totally love to be able to move from one place to another instantaneously just by willing it. How cool would that be? Poof! And you’re gone. Need to check on someone? You can. Need to get somewhere quick? No problem.

EJ:  Tell us why readers will enjoy your new release.

Laura:  I would love to! Forever Freed is a paranormal romance about a reclusive, empathic vampire who falls in love with a woman he planned to kill and her young daughter, then fights his ancient guilt, bloodlust, lie by omission, and an old vampire rival who threatens everything he holds dear.

One thing I think is interesting and appealing about Forever Freed is that it is first person point of view from the vampire hero’s perspective. And Lucien Demarco is such an amazing, sympathetic, complicated character—his mind is an interesting place to be.

Another enjoyable part of the book is the heroine’s daughter, Olivia, who goes by “Ollie.” Ollie is as central to the plot and to Lucien’s character development as the heroine Samantha is, and Ollie’s often an incredible scene stealer. Not to mention how heart-melting it is to see Lucien and Ollie interact.

Readers will also enjoy the way the paranormal world in Forever Freed is meshed with the real world of contemporary Detroit, and the rationale for that is based on the true history of the city, which I think is pretty cool.

EJ:  If your book(s) were being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles? Why?

Laura:  Ooh! I love this question! For Lucien, it’s so easy too! Alex O’Loughlin was THE character in my head the whole time I was writing Forever Freed.

This picture perfectly captures Lucien’s mood and the general atmosphere of the book. And, ya know, IT’S ALEX O’LOUGHLIN!!! (LOL) I’ve always had a harder time picking just the right actress for Samantha Sutton—maybe Amanda Seyfried or Kate Hudson—they both have that pretty wholesomeness about their look that I associate with Samantha. Dakota Fanning when she was young would’ve made a great Ollie, but of course she’s all grown up now! Dakota always had that cute precociousness that is totally Ollie. Thinking about the book being made into a movie is so much fun!!!

 Forever Freed by Laura Kaye

A heart can break, even one that no longer beats.

I stalk my new neighbors, a single mother and her child, drawn by the irresistible scent of their joy and love. I crave their blood, starved for some healing respite from my ancient grief. Now to lure them into my grasp.

But they surprise me. Little Olivia accepts me without fear or reservation—talking, smiling, offering innocent affection that tugs at my long-lost humanity. Her mother, Samantha, seeks me out when she should stay away, offering sweet friendship, and calling to the forgotten man within me. They lure me instead.

Ah, Dio, Lucien, run and spare them while you can…


Thank you Laura for joining us here today at From the Shadows!

To learn more about Laura Kaye and her books, please visit her website.

**Forever Freed Giveaway**

We are giving away one ebook copy of Forever Freed by Laura Kaye to one lucky winner and two sets of Forever Freed romance trading cards to two runners up!

To enter, please leave a comment on this post including your email address (so we may contact you if you win).  You do not have to be a follower to enter (though I always appreciate a follow!).  This giveaway is INTERNATIONAL.  Giveaway ends August 30th midnight EST.

Paranormal Guest Author: M.J. Hearle (Winter's Shadow)

Please welcome today's paranormal guest author M.J. Hearle!  M.J. is the author of Winter's Shadow.

EJ:  When did you begin writing?

MJ:  I've written as long as I could hold a pen. Storytelling fascinated me from a young age, however these early stories were greatly limited by my vocabulary. For example, the narrative rarely extended past 'The cat sat on the mat'. As I learnt new words the stories became more complex, though never ran further than ten or so pages. Originally, I thought I'd exorcise this storytelling impulse of mine through film rather than fiction. Ten frustrating years later, I decided I'd abandon this goal and try writing a novel instead. It would certainly be a lot cheaper than filmmaking and I wouldn't have to rely on anyone but myself (it's tough trying to get people to work for free on a low budget movie). While, it was a little scary at first, the more I wrote the more confident I became and before I knew it I had a finished manuscript, which snagged me an agent and a publishing deal. To say, I was extraordinarily lucky is an understatement.

EJ:  What brought you to the paranormal genre?

MJ:  I've always been a voracious reader, but the genre I read more than any other was horror. Call me crazy, but I just love being scared. I'm not really a fan of the whole 'paranormal' label. It seems like a marketing term cooked up by booksellers and publishers wary of some stigma carried by the word ‘horror’. I didn’t even know it existed until I started meeting with publishers and found out Winter’s Shadow was a ‘paranormal romance’. I suppose some novels that slip into this genre, might not be overtly horrific, but if a novel has a werewolf or a vampire or some other supernatural creature, and there's a good amount of suspense and bloodshed then it's a horror novel. Even if the central plot line is romantic. You can dress it up and call it something different, but the reason people pick it up is because they’re looking for that illicit thrill. They’re looking to be scared. Otherwise, they’d just buy a bodice ripper. As far as I’m concerned Winter’s Shadow is a horror novel with a strong love story at the centre. Paranormal... It sounds like a psychological condition. Sorry for the digression :)

EJ:  If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?

MJ:  Immortality. There's a lot I want to get done and not enough time to do it in.

EJ:  Tell us why readers will enjoy your new release.

MJ:  Winter's Shadow is unlike any other novel currently gracing the 'paranormal' section of your local bookstore. No vampires, werewolves, angels, fairies, gods or any of the other various supernatural denizens make an appearance. I've gone to great lengths to create an entirely new mythology, with a new monster(s) for readers to fear and fall in love with. Apart from all the spooky stuff, at its core Winter's Shadow is a love story. I’d tentatively suggest the relationship between Blake and Winter is sketched in a slightly less idealised way than is typical for the genre. Both are a little more broken, a little more real than the characters which generally populate this sort of fiction, which makes their love all the richer.

EJ:  If your book(s) were being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles? Why?

MJ:  I think Sophie Turner who stars as Sansa Stark in HBO’s Game of Thrones could do a decent job as Winter, though she might be a little bit too beautiful. Winter isn’t supposed to be stunning but most Hollywood actresses are nothing less than jaw dropping. Ultimately, I’d probably go for an unknown actress, with an emphasis on talent over looks. As for Blake, I wish I could go back in time and cast a young Jeremy Sisto because he would be perfect. He played ‘Billy’ in Six Feet Under, which is incidentally one of the greatest shows of all time.

Winter's Shadow by M.J. Hearle

Blake Duchamp...

He's all that Winter Adams can think of. Ever since their fateful meeting at Pilgrim's Lament. Ever since he looked at her with those emerald eyes. Ever since he saved her life.

But Blake isn't all that he seems. There is a strangeness about him, something dark and otherworldly. Something dangerous. In his attic is a secret he would kill to defend, but Winter seems to have a special ability to make him forget his duty. And he is her only protection against the gathering darkness.

The only problem is, to protect Winter, Blake must risk exposing her to an even greater danger. Himself.


Thank you M.J. for joining us here today at From the Shadows!

To learn more about M.J. Hearle and his books, please visit his website.

Evening With A Vampire Giveaway Winner!

Congratulations Catie (Forbidden Passions Reviews) winner of our Evening With A Vampire Giveaway at From the Shadows!  Catie will receive an Evening With A Vampire prize pack containing a signed copy of Crimson Dawn by Ronnie Massey plus a vampire movie and matching poster.

Thank you to all who entered!

Don't miss our other fab giveaways, including Wolf Days of Summer Giveaway for a chance to win Spirit Storm, Forever, and Wolfsbane (ends 8/22), Toxic International Ebook Giveaway for an ebook copy of the first book in The Blood Countess series Toxic (ends 8/19),  Darkness Descending International Giveaway for a signed paperback copy of the first book in the Vampire Armageddon series Darkness Descending (ends 8/20).

Paranormal Guest Author: Kendare Blake (Anna Dressed in Blood)

Please welcome today's paranormal guest author Kendare Blake!  Kendare is the author of Sleepwalk Society and Anna Dressed in Blood.

EJ:  When did you begin writing?

Kendare:  First novel, 7th grade. First complete novel, 9th grade. First novel that didn't completely suck, not until after my undergrad.

EJ:  What brought you to the paranormal genre?

Kendare:  The horror and paranormal genre was my first love when it came to reading. By the time I started writing seriously, I was reading mostly literary fiction, so that's what I wrote. I don't know why it took me so long to get back, but it feels like I never left.

EJ:  If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?

Kendare:  If I could have one supernatural talent, it would be some kind of alien thing, like being able to manipulate the molecular structure of things. Turning an apple into a cupcake, stuff like that. Why would I want that? Because then I could turn apples into cupcakes. Oh, it would be awesome.

EJ:  Tell us why readers will enjoy your new release.

Kendare:  I hope readers will enjoy Anna Dressed in Blood, because...because... I mean, I suppose there are a lot of reasons that I HOPE they like it. I hope they find it scary. I hope they find it well-paced and well-written. But I really hope readers enjoy the characters. I have a hard time saying, "My book is this" or "My book is that" because it might not be either of those things to the readers.

EJ:  If your book(s) were being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles? Why?

Kendare:  I think Summer Glau from Terminator: the Sarah Connor Chronicles would be a good Anna, if she were younger. She's got a great watchful curiosity about her, a very quiet presence. But she can also tear your head off.

A younger Kevin Zegers would make a good Cas, because he plays just a hair of vulnerability pretty well. And Cas looks like him. Hair always in his eyes.

Anna Dressed in Blood (Anna Dressed in Blood, #1) by Kendare Blake

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn't expect anything outside of the ordinary: track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home. But she, for whatever reason, spares Cas's life.


Thank you Kendare for joining us here today at From the Shadows!

To learn more about Kendare Blake and her books, please visit her website.

Spirit Guide Series News: Release Dates, Revisions + More!

This has been a busy week with exciting news regarding the Spirit Guide YA paranormal series.

New Release:  We now have an official release date for the third book in the Spirit Guide series.  Legend of Witchtrot Road releases October 4, 2011.

Legend of Witchtrot Road (Spirit Guide #3) by E.J. Stevens

The night of Samhain may be behind them, but Yuki and her friends have only begun to face the challenges of their paranormal gifts. Tensions are rising--in the pack, at school, and within their tightly knit group of friends. 

Surviving agitated ghosts, irritated witches, angry werewolves, and the horrors of high school has never been so hard. 

New Books:  The Spirit Guide series continues!  We have officially begun work on Brush with Death (Spirit Guide #4) and The Pirate Curse (Spirit Guide #5) each with an estimated 2012 release.  A Spirit Guide series supplemental, The Calvin and Yuki Diaries, is also expected to release in 2012.

New Mailings:  To celebrate the upcoming release of Legend of Witchtrot Road, I have sent signed postcards featuring the spooktacular Legend of Witchtrot Road cover art to everyone on my mailing list.  Yes, even international fans received personalized postcards!

Not on E.J.'s mailing list?  Use this easy peasy online form to sign up now and receive Spirit Guide series updates and free swag.

New Giveaways:  Do you like winning free books and swag?  If so, be sure to visit the Contests and Giveaways page at the official Spirit Guide series website for up-to-date information and links to fab giveaways.

New Tour Info:  I will be on tour launching the release of Legend of Witchtrot Road during September and October.  I'll be visiting book blogs throughout the tour and these amazing sites will be hosting a variety of interviews, guest blogs, and giveaways.  We will also be having a HUGE book release party here at From the Shadows with loads of prizes.  Stay tuned for more tour updates.

New Editions:  As the anniversary of the first Spirit Guide series book release approaches, and as ereader technology evolves, we have revisited the first two books in the series.  Sacred Oaks Press announced earlier this week that all Spirit Guide series books have been reformatted for a more enjoyable reading experience.  Kindle uploads of She Smells the Dead and Spirit Storm are now reformatted and updated with series excerpts.

Happy Reading!

Toxic: Blood Countess Ebook Giveaway

Today we have a special treat for our readers.  We are giving away one ebook copy of Toxic, the first book in the Blood Countess series, by Eve Langlais.

Toxic (Blood Countess, #1) by Eve Langlais

"Either you’re with me, or you’ll feed me."

Humans are for eating and I am not one to play with my food, so I’m baffled as to why one geeky mortal doctor makes me wish our kind could be together without my brand of love being toxic. As if suffering from human emotions isn’t problem enough, our world is about to engage in a war where our chances of survival are slim at best. And no one wants to listen.

But, I didn’t become the general of the vampire Queen’s army by being diplomatic. Everyone will fight in the upcoming battle, or they’ll feed my troops and I. Either way, all things living will do their part.

I am after all the Blood Countess, toxic lover to humans, vicious bitch to my enemies, and my word is law.

To enter, please leave a comment on this post including your email (so we may contact you if you win).  You do not have to be a follower to enter (though I always appreciate a follow!).  This giveaway is international.  Giveaway ends August 19th midnight EST.

To learn more about paranormal author Eve Langlais, check out our past interview with Eve.

Paranormal Guest Author: Devyn Quinn + Darkness Descending Giveaway

Please welcome today's paranormal guest author Devyn Quinn!  Devyn is the author of many novels including Embracing Midnight, Flesh and the Devil, Possession, The Keeper of Eternity, Man After Midnight, Soul of the Wildcat, Echoes of Angels, the Dark Tides series (Siren's Call, Siren's Surrender, Siren's Desire), the Kith and Kynn series (Sins of the Flesh, Sins of the Night), and releasing this week, the first book in the Vampire Armageddon series, Darkness Descending.

EJ:  When did you begin writing?

Devyn:  Although I began to dabble in my teens and early twenties, I didn't seriously begin writing until my thirties. It was then I began to study the craft of writing and apply that to my own writing.

EJ:  What brought you to the paranormal genre?

Devyn:  I grew up on a diet of Dark Shadows and The Night Stalker, as well as reading thousands of Gothic titles that featured vampires, werewolves and the like. I loved every moment. It was pretty much a no-brainer that I would have to write gothics of my own.

EJ:  If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?

Devyn:  I think being invisible would be super cool. Imagine the places you could go and the things you'd see if no one knew you were around. Shape-shifting into another form would also be awesome.

EJ:  Tell us why readers will enjoy your new release.

Devyn:  I'm hoping that I've put a new spin on the tried and true vampire lore, and made it interesting and exciting for readers.

EJ:  If your book(s) were being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles? Why?

Devyn:  Hmm. If Darkness Descending were to be a movie, I would definitely have to cast Hugh Jackman as Maddox and Amanda Seyfried as Jessie. What a cool, kick-ass team they would be!

Darkness Descending (Vampire Armageddon, #1) by Devyn Quinn.

Fallen angels in the form of vampires are infecting humans one by one, creating an army fit for Armageddon. Jesse Burke, driven by vengeance to destroy the vampiric angels, has been protecting New Orleans from the onslaught, unaware that she has a much greater destiny awaiting her in the face of the oncoming apocalypse...


Thank you Devyn for joining us here today at From the Shadows!

To learn more about Devyn Quinn and her books, please visit her website.

 **Darkness Descending International Giveaway**

We are giving away a signed paperback copy of Darkness Descending (Vampire Armageddon #1) by Devyn Quinn to one lucky winner!

To enter, please leave a comment on this post including your email address (so we may contact you if you win).  You do not have to be a follower to enter (though I always appreciate a follow!).  This giveaway is international!  Giveaway ends August 20th midnight EST.