Q+A with Dorothy Dreyer (My Sister's Reaper)

Please welcome today's paranormal guest author Dorothy Dreyer.  Dorothy is the author of My Sister's Reaper.

EJ:  When did you begin writing?

Dorothy:  I've written for as long as I can remember, but I really got serious about it about 4 or 5 years ago.

EJ:  What brought you to the paranormal genre?

Dorothy:  I love magic. I blame Harry Potter. ;)

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

Dorothy:  Definitely mind control. I have two teens in the house, so you can probably guess why.

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

Dorothy:  My book is filled with magic and mystery and horror and suspense and teenage angst and romance. Oh, and magic.

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

Dorothy:  I think Kelli Berglund would make a great Zadie. She's the right age, and she's got a dance background, which means she would probably be great in the action scenes.

For Gavin, I would have to say Douglas Booth. Just look him up, you won't question my choice, I promise.

My Sister's Reaper by Dorothy Dreyer.

Sixteen-year-old Zadie’s first mistake was telling the boy she liked she could bring her dead sister back to life. Her second mistake was actually doing it.
When Zadie accidentally messes with the Reaper’s Rite that should have claimed her sister Mara, things go horribly wrong. Mara isn’t the same anymore—Zadie isn’t even sure she’s completely human, and to top it off, a Reaper is determined to collect Mara’s soul no matter what. Now Zadie must figure out how to defeat her sister’s Reaper, or let Mara die … this time for good.

May 2013

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

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

Shadow Sight Book Birthday Giveaway

Happy 6-month book birthday Shadow Sight!

Six months ago today, Shadow Sight was published.  To celebrate, I am giving away 6 ebook copies!

Shadow Sight (Ivy Granger #1) by E.J. Stevens.

Welcome to Harborsmouth, where monsters walk the streets unseen by humans…except those with second sight, like Ivy Granger.
 
Some things are best left unseen...
 
Ivy Granger's second sight is finally giving her life purpose. Ivy and her best friend Jinx may not be raking in the dough, but their psychic detective agency pays the bills--most of the time. Their only worry is the boredom of a slow day and the occasional crazy client--until a demon walks through their door.
 
Demons are never a good sign...
 
A demon attorney representing the water fae? Stranger things have happened. And things are about to get very, very strange as a bloodthirsty nightmare hunts the city of Harborsmouth.
 
There's blood in the water...
 
Kelpies have a reputation for eating humans. Unfortunately, Kelpies are the clients. When an Unseelie faerie this evil stalks the waterways of your city, you have to make hard choices.
 
The lesser of two evils...

**Shadow Sight Book Birthday Giveaway**

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Want paperbacks?  Goodreads is giving away signed trade paperback copies of Shadow Sight here.  (US/CA/UK, ends April 9th)

Blood and Mistletoe (Ivy Granger #1.5), an Ivy Granger novella, now available.  Ghost Light (Ivy Granger #2) available July 9, 2013.

Kiss of the Butterfly Giveaway

We are giving away 2 Ebook copies of Kiss of the Butterfly by James Lyon.

Kiss of the Butterfly by James Lyon.

A mysterious letter starts a university student on a journey into the war-torn lands of rapidly disintegrating Yugoslavia. Naively trusting his enigmatic professor, the student unwittingly descends into a dystopian crucible of decay, destruction, passion, death, romance, lust, immorality, genocide, and forbidden knowledge promising immortality. As the journey grows ever more perilous, he realizes he must confront an ancient evil that has been once again loosed upon the earth: from medieval Bosnia to enlightenment-era Vienna, from the bright beaches of modern-day Southern California to the exotically dark cityscapes of Budapest and Belgrade, and horrors of Bosnia.
 
Vampires have formed an integral part of Balkan folklore for over a thousand years. "Kiss" represents a radical departure from popular vampire legend, based as it is on genuine Balkan folklore from as far back as the 14th century, not on pop culture or fantasy. "Kiss of the Butterfly" offers up the real, horrible creatures that existed long before Dracula and places them within a modern spectrum.
 
Meticulously researched, “Kiss of the Butterfly” weaves together intricate threads from the 15th, 18th and 20th centuries to create a rich phantasmagorical tapestry of allegory and reality. It is about divided loyalties, friendship and betrayal, virtue and innocence lost, obsession and devotion, desire and denial, the thirst for life and hunger for death, rebirth and salvation. “Kiss” blends history and the terrors of the Balkans as it explores dark corners of the soul.
 
“Kiss of the Butterfly” is based on true historical events. In the year of his death, 1476, the Prince of Wallachia -- Vlad III (Dracula) -- committed atrocities under the cloak of medieval Bosnia’s forested mountains, culminating in a bloody massacre in the mining town of Srebrenica. A little over 500 years later, in July 1995, history repeated itself when troops commanded by General Ratko Mladic entered Srebrenica and slaughtered nearly 8,000 people, making it the worst massacre Europe had seen since the Second World War. For most people, the two events seemed unconnected…


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To learn more about Kiss of the Butterfly and author James Lyon, please read our interview with James here at From the Shadows.

Cover Reveal: Blurred by Tara Fuller + ARC Giveaway

Time for a cover reveal!  Feast your eyes on the cover for Blurred by Tara Fuller.

Blurred (Kissed by Death #2) by Tara Fuller.

Cash is haunted by things. Hungry, hollow things. They only leave him alone when Anaya, Heaven’s beautiful reaper, is around. Cash has always been good with girls, but Anaya isn’t like the others. She’s dead. And with his deteriorating health, Cash might soon be as well.

Anaya never breaks the rules, but the night of the fire she recognized part of Cash’s soul—and doomed him to something worse than death. Cash’s soul now resides in an expired body, making him a shadow walker—a rare, coveted being that can walk between worlds. A being creatures of the underworld would do anything to get their hands on.

Blurred available July 2013.

Enter to win an eARC of Blurred by Tara Fuller.  

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**Note: Prize will be distributed by the author/agent/publisher when ARCs become available.

Q+A with Lisa Voisin (The Watcher)

Please welcome today's paranormal guest author Lisa Voisin.  Lisa is the author of The Watcher.

EJ:  When did you begin writing?

Lisa:  I began writing poems and stories in grade school. It carried on through high school, to the point where I preferred writing over my other homework. Needless to say, my parents were concerned about me and tried to talk me out of this ridiculous notion that I could earn my living as an author.

They won out for a little while, then I took up technical writing just to prove I could earn an income from the written word. Though my mom is no longer around to see me follow my dreams, my dad is now one of my biggest supporters.

EJ:  What brought you to the paranormal genre?

Lisa:  I have always loved the paranormal genre. When I was a kid, my favorite books were ghost stori es and Gothic romances. I've also always been interested in what's on the 'other side', and I got my first Tarot deck at sixteen. As someone who now teaches meditation on the side, I've come to know that those psychic gifts, those other worlds we like to categorize as "para"normal is actually part of a greater truth. While the creatures that we read of in this genre might not live and breathe in our world in a literal sense, they represent something in all of us. In the Jungian sense, we know these beings archetypally, as part of our collective consciousness.

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

Lisa:  Gosh! That is a tough one. With great power comes great responsibility. Since I write about angels, I'd have to say I have an affinity for them. I've always wanted to banish evil in the world, and as a fan of the TV show Supernatural, I'm always thrilled when Castiel smites a demon. I just love the way he smites! I'd love to do that! :)

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

Lisa:  Readers will enjoy The Watcher for a few reasons. First of all, it's a love story that reminds people of the purity of love itself. It's also a story of redemption and forgiveness, and good versus evil--both internally in the self and externally in the world--that touches into the depth of human potential.

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

Lisa:  What a great question! And one I have a great deal of difficulty with, because I write from a place of feeling the characters. Seeing them comes second. That being said, I'd have to say the closest I've seen to Michael is a younger Henry Cavill (pre-Superman, for sure), and Mia is a younger Emilia Clarke or possibly Kat Dennings. I also know that new acting talent is discovered every day, and the actors meant to play these characters would appear if a movie were made.

The Watcher by Lisa Voisin.

Millennia ago, he fell from heaven for her. Can he face her without falling again?

Fascinated with ancient civilizations, seventeen-year-old Mia Crawford dreams of becoming an archaeologist. She also dreams of wings—soft and silent like snow—and somebody trying to steal them.

When a horrible creature appears out of thin air and attacks her, she knows Michael Fontaine is involved, though he claims to know nothing about it. Secretive and aloof, Michael evokes feelings in Mia that she doesn’t understand. Images of another time and place haunt her. She recognizes them—but not from any textbook.

In search of the truth, Mia discovers a past life of forbidden love, jealousy and revenge that tore an angel from Heaven and sent her to an early grave. Now that her soul has returned, does she have a chance at loving that angel again? Or will an age-old nemesis destroy them both?

Ancient history is only the beginning. 

Releasing March 2013

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

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

Character Interview: The Blend Series

Please welcome today's paranormal guest author Lori Pescatore.  Lori is the author of Human Blend, Earth Blend, and Terminal Blend.

Lori: Hello, My name is Lori Pescatore. I am the Author of The Blend Series; Human Blend, Earth Blend and Terminal Blend. Today I have with me the main protagonist of the series, Julie. Welcome, Julie.

Julie:  Thank you.

Lori:  The books are about your life and struggles to live a normal life. Do you think you will be able to achieve that goal?

Julie:  Highly improbable given my circumstances, but can't blame a girl for trying.

Lori:  How has your character changed over the course of the trilogy?

Julie:  I grew up emotionally, I think. I had let my physical age rule my mental age when it should have been the other way around. I feel I've also defined the relationships in my life to a degree.

Lori:  Ah, yes, the love triangle seemed to grow a bit as the books continued.

Julie:  I think it was more me trying to sort out my true feelings and understand what I wanted or didn't want in my life.

Lori:  Have you come to control the abilities that made you stand out?

Julie:  That is still a work in progress. I have managed to come to an understanding about how they work. Some I enjoy like the healing, but others, I would rather they be locked away forever.

Lori:  Some characters do not survive in this series; how hard was that for you to deal with?

Julie:  Is there a way to deal with it? If you know of a way, please tell me. The hardest part is when you are responsible for that loss, whether directly or indirectly. I still have nightmares.

Lori:  Are you sad the series is over?

Julie:  The series in print may be over, but I will still continue on. My life doesn't stop just because we've ended the writing of it.

Lori:  Does that mean you might be open to another one at some point?

Julie:  I think I should be asking you that question.

Lori:  I think we are out of time, thank you for stopping by. Maybe we will run into each other again some day.

Julie:  You know where to find me.

Terminal Blend (Blend #3) by Lori Pescatore

An Epic battle is brewing. Can Julie's newly unleashed abilities help save her and her friends? Prepare for a war of otherworldly proportions where the unexpected becomes the norm and nothing is what it seems. Is Julie the key to saving the Earth and her people or will she once again need the help of her Earthling friends? Not everyone will survive as the playing field shifts and consequences will extend throughout the universe.
Terminal Blend is the final installment in The Blend Trilogy. In Human Blend we met a girl named Julie on the run from her past. Her unique abilities made her hunted prey. Along the way she encountered some amazing people like Eli, an Earthling who wanted nothing more than to protect her and Marcus, who was like her and explained the truth of their origins. Add into the mix a boy named Austin, who unearthed a few secrets of his own. In Earth Blend we heard the back story to the supernatural creatures introduced in book one. In the final installment, the lies mount and Julie must find a way to cope with the new threat that could destroy everything and everyone she holds dear. Come immerse yourself in the final chapter of this amazing trilogy.


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

To learn more about Lori Pescatore and her books, please visit her website.  Also, don't miss our author interview with Lori and our character interview with Percone here at From the Shadows.

Final Days of 2012 Giveaway Winner

Congratulations Nikola winner of our Final Days of 2012 Giveaway here at From the Shadows.  Nikola will receive Kindle copies of Two Ravens and One Crow, an Iron Druid Chronicles novella by Kevin Hearne, Blood and Mistletoe, an Ivy Granger urban fantasy novella by E.J. Stevens, and Have Stakes Will Travel, stories from the world of Jane Yellowrock by Faith Hunter.

Thank you all for entering!