Blog Tour – Gemini by Dylan Quinn

Title: Gemini
Author: Dylan Quinn
Genre: NA Urban Fantasy Romance
Hosted by: Lady Amber’s PR
Blurb:
Twin Souls. One Sacrifice.
Northwestern University senior Zoe Adams has spent her fifth incarnation on the run. Abused and abandoned by those she once trusted, Zoe turns her back on a duty her soul accepted lifetimes ago to focus on a music career in this one. Until her Gemini’s untimely arrival forces Zoe to choose between a love she can’t remember and a life she’s always dreamed of.
Cade Adams has waited twenty-one years to reclaim his beloved soul mate, but his elation is short lived. As Zoe struggles to let go of her human life, demons from Cade and Zoe’s past threaten the Gemini, and they find themselves living on borrowed time.
The Tree of Souls is empty, and only the Eternal Sacrifice can refill it. Is forgotten love worth dying for, or is five incarnations more than one soul can take? With more than just the fate of their reunion at stake, love becomes an Eternal Sacrifice Zoe and Cade may not escape.
Since sneak reading her first big girl romance at the age of eleven, Dylan’s been addicted to Happily Ever Afters. Playing pretend with swoon-worthy book boyfriends and their strong leading ladies often keeps Dylan sleep deprived, though she seldom complains about dreaming in dialogue.
With juxtaposed interests, Dylan writes it all ~ Character driven romance in NA, YA and adult, from sticky sweet to taboo heat ~ Urban Fantasy to Contemporary Romance and Romantic Suspense. Nothing’s off limits.
When she’s not writing guilty pleasures, Dylan plays stage mom to her daydreamer offspring in the Midwest. This Music fangirl goes nowhere without her beats and playlists. She has an affinity for Moscato and chocolate-covered strawberries. Dreams of singing on the Voice with Adam and Christina, and fantasizes about getting trapped in Mystic Falls with Damon Salvatore.
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Gemini Excerpt published with permission © 2016 Dylan Quinn
Cade
While I held Zoe, every nerve woke from its slumber. My heartbeat increased and a hum of energy surged through me. Just being near her was intoxicating.
I craved to kiss her lips, but I wouldn’t. Not until she sought me to.
Until her body spoke to me.
“So what can you tell me?” She asked. “What’s the plan?”
“The plan is you get to know me. The way all relationships develop.” I released her just enough to look into her eyes. “We spend time together, and your heart will answer the rest. And when you so choose, I’m yours—heart and soul.”
Although in time, she would understand that I already was.
“What’s the catch? Other than giving up my life here? I need all the information if I’m going to make a decision this important.”
“There’s a reason you can’t be privy to all the secrets of this life. This must be a decision based on your soul. No logic can go into choosing love.”
Her eyes narrowed, and her irritation returned.
“Well in case you’ve missed the past millennium, people today don’t just fall in love overnight. Life’s not a Disney movie.”
She pulled away, and I let her go.
Zoe was right. Unions in modern times were complicated. Raz said there were many variables humans took into account when choosing a mate, and Zoe, although the same soul, had different experiences during each incarnation. I couldn’t force her to love me or to choose our life together, as much as I wanted to.
Each of her lives was a lesson for me as well—in relinquishing control. All I could do was trust in her heart and our love. Trust her soul would return to me.
“Humanity is about choice. I would never force you to love me. And I would never choose my happiness over yours, but yes. I am hoping your heart will choose me.”
Her breathing slowed, and her lips parted slightly, just enough to send my heart racing.
My Gemini mark began to pulsate. To burn.
I needed to kiss her.
She needed to kiss me.
After thousands of years loving Zoe, I could read her body as if it were my own.
Searching for what Raz called her tells, I first regarded her eyes. They were always the most expressive. They danced between mine and my mouth. Her breaths became shallow. A pink flush spread across her cheeks as she inched toward me, shifting nervously between her feet.
Should I try? Part of me was unsure, but my body betrayed my wits.
I’d waited twenty-one years for this moment.
I could wait no longer.
I moved toward her, inhaling her sweet scent, and rid the space between us.
Her eyes grew wider, and her lips parted. Waiting. I could hear her heart pulsing rapidly.
Her body gave her answer.
“My greatest desire is for you to find happiness.” I stepped closer, picked up a long strand of her dark locks and tucked it behind her ear. Running my fingers along her jaw, I whispered across her cheek.
“You have no memory of a life before this.”
I gently grasped her chin, stroked her bottom lip with my thumb, and edged toward her.
“But I’ve seen our life together.”
I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her closer, our lips now fractions apart.
Her eyes never left mine, and her body trembled in my arms.
“And I will always. Choose us.”
Her breath breezed across my cheek as I pressed my lips to hers. Soft. Gentle. Trembling beneath mine. The tingling sensation I’d missed so much returned, running rampant throughout my body.
I pulled back, not more than a centimeter, to gauge her response.
Her eyes remained closed, lips parted. Waiting for my return.
I brushed a kiss gently, then deeper into her.
She allowed me to explore her soft lips. They parted further still, and I edged my way in, exploring her sweet mouth.
An intense force rushed through my veins, to my chest and arms. Her life force burned within every muscle. My body that longed for her was now alive from her touch.
Zoe fell into my embrace, letting go of all the tension she’d been holding. She enfolded her arms around my neck, pressed her chest against mine, and gently tugged at my hair. Her hands ran down my cheeks, then to my shoulders and waist.
She pressed her kiss deeper into mine, soft at first, then fervently, as if this was our last.
One block at a time, her wall was crumbling—the pain replaced with a longing for our love. Soon, her memories would resurface, and I would have my Chayah back. Our souls Converged as one.
Zoe broke our kiss, pulled back and gulped a breath of air. She opened her eyes, her body still quaking in my arms. A minute passed. Her gaze drifted up, and a single tear slid down her cheek.
“It’s you,” she whispered.
I placed my hands on her face, held her cheeks gently, and gazed into her emerald eyes.
“It’s me.”



Calling All Bloggers!

Ellie Abela’s life has been anything but easy. Tragedy follows her where ever she goes, and she’s been a lot of places. At twenty she’s lived in over ten different states, all because of her dad’s career in medical research. … Continue reading

In Between Seasons Sign Ups Now Open

In 2021 the world as we know it changed. The government collapsed, and the worst characteristics of human nature were shown as the world fell into ruins. Years after The Fall, the Tribes that were established are still at war. … Continue reading

Teaser Tuesday

1 Teaser Tuesday HeaderThis week is a real tease because you can’t even buy it!

Flawed Perfection (Beautifully Flawed, #1)

“I thought Bobby broke up with Jackie?” I asked, watching as Adam’s face turned red.

“Well, they are totes back together. Jackie and I work together,” Monica explained.

Her lingo was ridiculous, and I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing at her.

She narrowed her eyes at me and cocked her head.

“You know what? Jackie kind of looks a lot like you…except she’s blonde,” Monica said.

I watched as Adam blinked his eyes in shock.

“Doesn’t she?” Monica asked him.

“Yeah,” Adam began, rubbing his scruff; “a bit.”

“Any who—can’t wait to meet your Andy.”

“I don’t own him.” I couldn’t bite my tongue.

She shrugged at me. “Ready to go, Boo?”

Adam swallowed and his eyes were hard and vacant.  He did not like being called that.

“Sure,” he still answered to it, though.

ADD IT:

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Cover Reveal Date: 2/7/14

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Book Release Date (Blitz Date): 3/7/14
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Giveaway: Yes, International e-book and Paper Swag Pack

Tour Dates: 3/10/14- 4/4/14
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Giveaway: Yes, US Only- Paperback, Ultimate Swag Pack; International e-book and Paper Swag Pack

2012 The Beginning of The Fall

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I didn’t know what caused the government to collapse or why things were the way they were, and when I met Hunter he knew little more. When it started we were too young to see why, and when we were old enough we were too indoctrinated in fear to care. This is the toll of following a leader blindly—you openly accept that some things just are. Then the lies drown the truth, and you are left with little understanding of why. In the end it doesn’t matter.  Surviving the downfall is all that matters.

2012 marks the beginning of The Fall, a recession that is far closer to a depression is wreaking havoc on the US, and no one seems to be able to agree on anything. Fast forward to 2016, it’s over, The Fall is complete. There’s nothing left to the US government and the dooms day preppers are bathing in the glory that they were right, and they were prepared. These preppers have divided into factions called Tribes, led by a Chief who assigns Generals to train the soldiers to fight the dirty battles to keep what they’ve pillaged. These soldiers are ranked as Trackers, who track and obtain information, but are never supposed to be seen and Hunters, glorified Trackers who have gained the right to kill enemies just by surviving their missions. While all of this is going on a child is sheltered from the truth and trained to be a heartless killer, a robot of a General and another child is sheltered from it all and told that nothing is going on. The woods give both of the children solace–the children of the those that believe they are the two strongest men in this corrupted world. Fast forward to 2031: What happens when their worlds collide as adults, already molded by hate and fear, and one sent to kill the other? They will find the truth in the most unlikely of places–inside themselves and each other.

In Between Seasons is the first novel in the post-apocalyptic romance series, The Fall. Join Kate and Hunter as they fumble through a world they don’t understand, hunger for the truths that they hunger for and in the end discover that none of it matters as long as you survive.

For the truths that were well hidden away from Hunter and Kate, follow this blog to get updates on the second novel in the series, Permafrost: Mara and Rob’s Story release date TBA.

Add it to your Goodreads Shelf: HERE

Fan the Author: HERE

1st January: Book Excerpt & Giveaway – http://readingawaythedays.blogspot.co.uk/
2nd January: Guest Post & Giveaway- http://www.lettersinsideout.net/
2nd January: Review & Giveaway- http://readwriteandreadsomemore.blogspot.co.uk/
3rd January: Review & Giveaway- http://www.readingteen.net/
3rd January: Review & Giveaway- http://talesofbooksandbands.com/
4th January: Book Excerpt & Giveaway- http://ljduett.blogspot.co.uk/
4th January: Review & Giveaway – http://aboveaveragebelowspecial.blogspot.co.uk/
5th January: Review & Giveaway- http://www.mundiemoms.blogspot.co.uk/
5th January: Interview & Giveaway – http://readinglittlebitofeverything.blogspot.co.uk/
6th January: Review & Giveaway- http://tsktskwhattoread2.blogspot.co.uk/
6th January: Guest Post & Giveaway http://wefancybooks.blogspot.co.uk/
7th January: Review & Giveaway- http://www.onceuponatwilight.com/
7th Janaury: Guest Post & Giveaway- http://we-do-write.blogspot.co.uk/

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Sales Saturday: The Results

For today’s second ever Sales Saturday I decided to talk about something that was not as planned: The Walking in the Shadows blog tour. I had seen a lot of bloggers doing blog tours and had heard it was a good way to get exposure. Now, for those not familiar with blog tours, you find someone who sets them up for a price, or for free. They have contacts with numerous bloggers and set up reviews, giveaways, and other events to happen for the duration of time chosen (usually a week to a month). I found someone who was very kind and worked hard to set up the tour. The tour was a week, and it had several large blogs with followings of over 1,000, but many with followings below 300.  There were to be 4 giveaways during the week as well and the tour would begin the weekend after the book was released. I’ve read a ton of places that the best thing to do to increase sales is to publish another book, but this wasn’t the reason I did it. The novel was ready to be published, and I was very happy with everything from the cover on the front, to the back, to everything in the middle.

What happened?

The bloggers

I received some great reviews from several of the bloggers. One of the bloggers that was supposed to review the book and post never did. I am still not sure what happened there, but I hope she is okay because she hasn’t posted on her blog in a long time.

I saw several of the giveaways show up on GR group posts from the bloggers advertising them.

The Giveaways

Well, from the giveaways I’ve learned several things. One is that Rafflecopter giveaways are the way to go. Why? No one entered the giveaways that required a comment posted, granted these were on smaller blogs, but I truly believe that the way Rafflecopter operates is great.

Rafflecopter has set up features that allows those that enter to earn extra entries by doing things such as following a blog, commenting on the blog, friending GR, etc. These are great because it allows the author, and the blogger host, a way to keep in contact with the “customer”. It gives an incentive to the one entering to get more than one entry.

As for the amount that entered, one of the larger blogs had around 140 entries, and the giveaway was only a few days long. The second giveaway is still going on, but still only has 48 entries.

Sales

None, no lie, absolutely no sales on either of my novels for that week.

What I’ve learned?

Bloggers

Well, they are great! I’ve noticed that some blogs have massive followings (upwards of 22,000+); now I really would like to know how they did it! I’ve seen several forums where you can gain “a follow for a follow”, but what this has me wondering is the value of that follow. If they are following, but don’t have an interest in what you say, is it really worth it? It forces the numbers up and looks great to those looking at the site, but how many are really following–looking at each post? Now, those that have many followers and participate in blog tours, may participate in a lot. So, how does an author stand out on a blog that posts 4-5 giveaways, books, a week? I’m not really sure. I’m guilty of going on those forums, but I’ve found some awesome blogs that I really enjoy reading.

Giveaways

I think that this was the biggest learning curve, and I’ve been trying to obtain some knowledge by looking at Rafflecopters that have 1000’s of entries. I’ve noticed one thing, the Rafflecopter is posted on multiple blogs. Thus, instead of doing 4 giveaways, one on each blog, there is one giveaway posted on all the blogs that are participating. I think this is a much better idea, and I plan to use it on my future blog tours.

Giveaways don’t give buying incentive. Okay, I’m guilty of this too. I enter for a free book, but then I forget about the book and never pick it up because I didn’t win, so I was never reminded that I wanted to read it. Believe me, I think that giveaways are great, and by no means am I saying I won’t be doing them any more, but I believe that moderation is the key to this one. I also think Rafflecopter’s bonus entry features can be utilized to remind the reader they wanted to read the novel.

Sales

Yes, I was utterly disappointed in this. I thought, and maybe this is where I went wrong, that the visibility factor, would boost my sales. I think there were a few factors in this.

  • Blog Size- So, without offending anyone, we all have to start somewhere, a lot of the blogs were smaller blogs. Now, I do have to say, some of these smaller blogs have very valuable followers–ones who go out and buy the books because they said so. This is what I meant by the value of a follow. You can tell by the comments that they receive at the end of their posts. I would go with great, smaller blogs, with solid followers over blogs with a large number of followers who just click delete when they get the email about the post.
  • Giveaways- I already went over this, but giveaways don’t give sales incentive.
  • Car Accident- I was in a car accident on the third day of the tour, and thus I couldn’t do any promotion myself because I was sore, upset, stressed and looking for a new car.
  • Variety- The tour consisted of mostly reviews, which is great, don’t get me wrong; I love reviews! From a readers perspective what really gets me is things that get me into the book before I’ve even read it, like a character interview, play lists, character profiles, dream casts, etc. I did have a character profile on one day during the tour, and I think that my readers really enjoyed that. I have to give credit to another for all the others I listed off, Kayla at Ramblings of a Book Junkie. Kayla happened to invite me to her new group where she sets up blog tours, and invited me to participate in her tours. Now, I am not in a position to do that right now, but I do plan on doing so in the future. At any rate, I contacted her because I wanted to see about doing another blog tour for Walking in the Shadows. I explained what happened, and we had some constructive emails back and forth about the subject. Now, this is not to say there is anything wrong with my other blog tour host–I am using her for another tour for In Between Seasons in the first week of January. The thing with blog tour hosts is they each have different contacts! So, I think it’s beneficial to use more than one. I also spoke to Kayla about some other ideas I have for my next novel to be published, hopefully in Spring. She will be helping me out with a month long tour, and a cover reveal that spans multiple blogs!
  • Length- I won’t know for sure until my month long tour with the new novel, but I think that a longer tour, with more stops, allows for more visibility.

What will I do for future tours?

  1. One giveaway for all blogs involved
  2. Rafflecopter giveaways only
  3. Variety
  4. Longer duration
  5. Followers are numbers, but faithful followers are the ones you want

I will be having a week long tour for In Between Seasons in the first week of January with Reading Away the Days Tours (my original host) and a week long tour for Walking in the Shadows with Ramblings of a Book Junkie in the second week. Now, what book will get the month long tour?

Well, that’s for you to find out and me to know 😉

I’m not sure if this sales information helped anyone, but I’d like to give a special thanks to the following blogs that help me:

Babblings of a Bookaholic

Cause I say So

Reading Away the Days

Book Briefs

WovenMysts

I am a reader, not a Writer

We Do Write

Young Adult Book Addict

Reading a Little Bit of Everything

Ramblings of a Book Junkie

Tiffany Loves Books

Bloggers are the best way for an author to reach their readers because bloggers are readers. They make dreams come true!

COMING UP:

Author Spotlight with Tiffany Loves Books

 

CHECK OUT MY NEWEST INTERVIEW:

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1107201-cassandra-giovanni#comment_form

An Author’s Challenge–Closing the Genre Gap

The blog tour continues! I’m sorry that I did not post yesterday, but I was in a major accident yesterday evening. I am glad to say that all parties involved are fine with the exception of the deer. He’s quite deceased right now, and the cars are most likely too. I am waiting for the insurance assessor to tell me that the car that my husband and I struggled for is (deep breathe) gone. Cars are replaceable, but people aren’t, nor are deers. I apologize deer, but highways are not good places for you to be.
There are many times I’ve been asked what is the hardest thing about writing a novel; well, it’s not writing the novel! First, if you’re going this route, it’s writing the query letter. Oh, many an author loathes a query letter. What’s so hard about it? Well, you have the hook sentence and then the pitch. The pitch is essentially your book description AKA the blurb. The blurb is the hardest part for me. If you aren’t an author, imagine condensing 60,000 plus words into less than 300. It’s a daunting task, and I can’t tell you how many blurb drafts I’ve done. There’s so many approaches, first person or third person and how much information you give away. So, what does this have to do with the genre gap? What is the genre gap?
The “Genre Gap” is the difference between what the book actually is and what the reader picks it up believing it to be. I’ve learned very quickly that genre is the foggiest of areas of writing imaginable. I quickly came to terms with the fact I was mainly a romance novelist, but none of my novels are merely romances–that’s just not my style. They all have small back stories that build the characters and their relationships. Now, in reading my blurbs its pretty obvious that the books are romances, but the other part is the foggy destination.
I believe there are two reasons behind this issue. The first being stereotypes created by popular predecessors of the genre. This was a challenge I faced with In Between Seasons due to the fact that dystopian/post-apocalyptic is very popular right now. Thus, people expect a certain “string” of similarity in all of them. I must say that most authors deliver this, me, well not so much. It’s character driven with the back drop of a corrupt world. The lack of detail into the corruption is due to one thing: my character’s knowledge of the corruption. In Between Seasons shows the world as Hunter an Kate understand it.
The second issue that I believe contributes is the lack of genre specifics available for authors on Goodreads. There is no place for the author to choose a genre (Unlike say, Amazon or B&N where you specifically choose the target market, genre and sub-genre. For me it is always Juvenile Fiction (aka YA)>Romance>Sub-genre). On Goodreads the genre is based on what shelves the novel is on, shelves that might I mention, are personalized to the user. So, right now In Between Seasons shows up as Sci-Fi>Dystopia. Now, if you have read some of my previous posts, you know that I didn’t even know that In Between Seasons was post-apocalyptic, dystopian until after I wrote it. Walking in the Shadows was far easier, from the beginning it was always very clear to me what I was writing. A romance with a suspense back drop of a rampaging murderer obsessed with vampires. Vampires, do however, typically fall under paranormal romance, but seeing these aren’t “really vampires” it does not fall into this category at all. So, I looked up the definition of Romantic Suspense and discovered it only accounts for 7% of the Romance genre. Here’s a brief quote from Wikipedia:
“romantic suspense novels are often similar to mysteriescrime fiction and thrillers, and paranormal romances use elements popular in science fiction and fantasy novels”
Indeed, Walking fits well into this plot line, but it blurs it too. I don’t fit my writing in a box. Here’s where it blurs it, Wikipedia goes on to say:
“Like all romances, romantic suspense novels must place the development of a relationship between the protagonists at the heart of the story. The relationship “must impact each decision they make and increase the tension of the suspense as it propel the story. In turn, the events of suspense must also directly affect the relationship and move the story forward.”[36] Romantic suspense novels tend to have more “clean” language, without the “emotional, intimate” descriptions often used in more traditional romances.[36] Because the mystery is a crucial aspect of the plot, these novels are more plot-driven instead of character-driven.[36]
 

The last sentence is where I blur the lines, and honestly, as an author and an artist, I think that’s okay. My romantic suspense is character driven. The other feature that ties my novels together, besides romance, is being character drive. As for Walking, I mean with a name like Tad Knightley, of course it’s going to be!

The last reason for the gap is one of human nature, one that we will never be able to address; human nature. Words are open to perceptions, Walking mentions vampires briefly, and thus could be construed to be a paranormal romance. I can promise you one thing, there is not one iota of paranormal in this novel.

The question ends up being how do we address this gap? I’m honestly not sure; as an author I struggle with closing the genre gap in displaying blurbs that make it blatantly obvious and don’t give too much away.

It’s possible the only way to close the gap is proper marketing and then of course, reviews. The more reviews a book obtains, the more likely it is to become clear what the book genre falls into if there is some “fogginess”.

It’s occurs to me now that there may be “trigger” words an author should keep in my, like, oh say, vampires… Nope, no Edward Cullen here, try again later.

Today’s Blog Stops:

YA Book Addict– Review 4 Stars “It was definitely the authors easy flowing writing style and the romance that pulled me in and kept me engrossed in the story.”

Reading Away The Days– Character Profile, learn more about Abigail first hand! (This was one of my favorite things to do for the blog tour, so please check it out!)

You Kill Me (In A Goodway)

That’s right…It’s Monday again! On this Music Monday, I’ve decided to honor one of my blog tour stops bloggers–Kylee, THIS one is for you! Kylee and I connected in a reading group, but once we were friends I noticed that we both have very good taste in music! I’ve enjoyed not only discussing novels, but music with her! Now, from this I know that her favorite band and unhealthy obsession (or so she says, I on the other hand, don’t feel that music can be unhealthy…well, except for death metal…scary!) is Sleeping with Sirens.

SONG: You Kill Me (in a good way)

ARTIST: Sleeping with Sirens

CD: With ears to hear and eyes to see

GENRE: Post-hardcore, Pop Rock

LYRICS:

I know that hope weighs on your mind, lost within the seams,
it seems like we lose ourselves in between.
But the harder things become, the harder you push away.
Oh baby, yeah baby, it kills me.

You said it, you said it
I’ll take you at your word.
These promises that you can’t keep,
it’s getting harder to hold on.
You said it, you said it
don’t ever let me fall.
Don’t give up because you’re losing
(you haven’t lost).

In time you’ll find that we can sober up,
clean up any dirt so we can open up.
These wounds have been open for forever now.
Come on, be strong.
Your mind has gotten the best of you.
You’ve done enough and you are enough.
Let’s fall asleep tonight,
I’ll hold you close and show you you’re not broken.

You said it, you said it
I’ll take you at your word.
These promises that you can’t keep,
it’s getting harder to hold on.
You said it, you said it
don’t ever let me fall.
Don’t give up because you’re losing

(Hold on)

Don’t you think if it’s meant to be, it will be?
Don’t you think things will work out eventually?
Hold on.

You said it, you said it
I’ll take you at your word.
These promises that you can’t keep,
it’s getting harder to hold on.
You said it, you said it
don’t ever let me fall.
Don’t give up because you’re losing.

ANALYSIS: Okay, so at first I thought…man, this sounds like Sky Lit Drive, which I can only tolerate in very small doses. It is similar, and the singer sounds so much like Sky Lit Drive, but when the screaming kicks in on this song–well, that sold me. What else sold me? Solid riffs, and lyrics. I’m quite enjoying the “repeat” feature here. The lead singer sounds slightly female from the high tone in his voice, which is why I automatically thought Sky Lit Drive. My husband mentioned something about Coheed and Cambria, but I know the name, but not the band. The issue with a lot of metal is that, for me, sometimes the artists start to blend into each other. The first time I heard this band was on my Blessthefall radio (FYI Blessthefall is one of my top ever bands), and I honestly thought it was this song because I felt the same way then.

Here is Kylee’s review on her blog Babbling of a Bookaholic:

Title: Walking in the Shadows
Author: Cassandra Giovanni
Published: October 27th, 2012
Book rating: 4 stars
Cover rating: 5 stars
Having read Cassandra’s debut novel In Between Seasons I must point out I feel like this book showed a different style of writing and she can definitely pull of both! In her debut novel she told the story of Kate and Hunter through dialogue. In Walking she tells the story in a completely different way and after reading her first novel I had felt she could only get better as an author and I was completely right! I absolutely loved Walking! This book is not only a romance novel but a mystery. Tad and Abigail’s (I’m going to be using her real name, not the one she was given for protection.) relationship was so cute. I was cheering for them the entire time just wanting them to be able to be with each other and happy without complications or problems to stop them! If I didn’t like Abigail so much as a character I’d go and snatch Tad up from her because let me tell you he is SWOON worthy!! This man is drop dead sexy and so, so sweet! The way he is portrayed throughout the story by Cassandra was perfect and his name is definitely on the never ending list of my book boyfriends. I love how strong he tried to be throughout the book and how he ended up always trying to fight for his relationship with Abigail instead of just giving up like she suggested they do. Abigail was such a strong person, I can not imagine how difficult it would be to lose your parents from a serial killer let alone lose them in general. It was so hard for me to watch her beat herself up throughout the story and not see what was so obvious. She had been through so much and come out the other side, if someone was put in her situation half of them wouldn’t be able to come out as strong! I think Tad did a great job trying to show her how beautiful a person she truly was! Okay, enough ranting about how perfect Tad was. The mystery side of this novel comes from the fact that the serial killer decided to be psycho and follow poor Abigail to her new life. The killer decides to strike again and Abigail feels like she’s going to be next. I assumed who the killer was earlier on in the book but when I was actually told who it was I was completely freaked out. The killer is literally some psycho path who needs to be locked up in a mental hospital!! I loved the twist of the Crimson Reign aspect of the murders and I highly recommend you all read this book. The story was beautifully written and the ending was perfect, I was definitely tearing up! It was such a great book, I didn’t it to end.
Favorite Quotes
 
They didn’t understand, for we were Shakespeare and they were mere actors in the play. – Abigail

Seconds seem like a lifetime when the life you lived is slowly drained out of you by those who care not what you felt, hoped, or dreamed. – Abigail

Check out a never seen before  excerpt at my other blog stop at Reading a Little Bit of Everything: HERE

Signing Postponed

Yes, the feeling of having power is very good! We just got our power back on from Monday, yesterday. We just got cable and internet a few hours ago! Unfortunately, others in the state of CT have not been so lucky, and our thoughts are with them. One of those effected by Hurricane Sandy was the wonderful indie bookstore that my signing was scheduled for this Saturday, Bank Square Books. Due to this the release signing for Walking in the Shadows has been postponed until the store is functioning again. Now, this isn’t to say you can’t snatch up a signed copy for yourself. You can get a signed copy from my Etsy store, and I will gladly dedicate it to whomever you wish. Currently, shipping to the US for the signed novel is $2.50, well, in honor of my upcoming blog tour, my wonderful fans, and the fact that there will not be a signing, there is a FREE shipping code to US residents. To snatch up your signed copy for $12.99 (MSRP: $14.99) with FREE shipping just enter ReleaseFREE at checkout!

I did mention the blog tour. Here’s the schedule:

Review @ http://www.babblingofabookaholic.blogspot.co.uk/

Review @ http://youngadultbookaddict.blogspot.co.uk/

Review @ http://livingforthebooks.blogspot.co.uk/

Interview & Giveaway @ http://we-do-write.blogspot.co.uk/

The Giveaways are going to be pretty awesome, so please stop by each blog!:

1 ebook, key chain and bookmark

1 ebook, necklace and key chain

1 ebook, necklace and signed photographic print

1 ebook, promotional flyer, rack card, photographic print (all signed)

Available to UK, USA, CANADA

What else is coming up?

I am currently working with the high school I graduated from, NFA, to set up a signing in their library as well as meeting with classrooms. If you are a teacher in the CT area, please feel free to contact me if you would like me to meet with your students as well. I enjoy showing my love of writing and sharing that with hard work (very hard work), you can be a published author.

The improper balance…and when it catches up

First, my awesome blog tour button. Yes, it’s coming up soon, and I can’t wait to do my first blog tour hosted by Megan over at Reading Away the Days. Who by the way, is seriously awesome and nice. We are planning all sorts of awesome giveaways and book swag to go with the tour–it’s going to be awesome, and I hope you join us.

So, I have been taking notes for ideas for meaningful blog posts that add something to the world. I just looked in my notebook and saw this “The improper balance–writing, marketing, work, and having a life (not!)”. This seemed the perfect post for tonight, as I am the energizer bunny running on one battery (I told my boss this last week), but finally that last battery died, and yet I am still working. What. A. Surprise. NOT. I am a hard worker, so much so that I have run myself down. Wednesday I woke up with a sore throat–oh, it’s just post-nasal drip. I called my mom, who is an amazing APRN, who said, umm…love, you have a cold. Then it smacked me in the face Thursday I woke up, on my husband and I’s fourth anniversary and it felt like a mack truck had parked itself in my face. You guessed it, I still went to work, 10.75 hour day. I got home and curled up on the couch. Today, still sick, yet I felt I neglected my blog this week, so here I am…At any rate I had an interviewer ask me how I balance everything, and when she asked this I realized–I really am not balancing everything. What no one warned me about self-publishing is that there is a huge learning curve. It’s A LOT of work to do it right (am I doing it right? I am not sure–my sales tripled last month though!). I know it will be worth it, and I have to say thanks to my amazing husband for dealing with me living on the computer, and working all the time at either a normal job, or at my writing. He’s always been used to me writing a ton, but this marketing thing, he is not so used to. After feeling this run down, yesterday and Wednesday I was minimally online, and you know what–nothing bad happened! I didn’t sell anything, but I realize I can take a break if I need it. I just have to stop being so stubborn and realize when I need it! The thing about writers, or should I say me, is that I am ALWAYS thinking about writing, or something to do with writing. It runs in my veins. It’s just a part of who I am, so it’s hard for me to stop. and. breathe.

So, my advice to my driven novel writing friends–stop and breathe when you need it.

Message to my readers–I do have a sense of humor–or I think part of this was funny (maybe it wasn’t), and I love writing for you, so much that I forget to stop and breathe!

Tomorrow, more book swag work–wait, did I say I was going to stop and breathe–who needs air?

 

Do you like the blog tour button?  😀