The Winner of Kelly Hashway's Goodies

I want to thank everyone for stopping by.  I loved reading the sentence endings.

So, without further ado....

The winner is......

*tosses all the names into the magic hat of tricks and swirls them around*

Fairday Morrow!!!!!!!

*confetti and leprechauns dancing a jig*

CONGRATS!!!!

Fairday, please contact me with your address!!!

Don't forget, everyone who has commented is automatically entered to win the grand prize at the end of the Spencer Hill Press Summer Blog Run.

Come back Monday to meet Emily White! Oh, and I have a super cool surprise, her cover reveal for FAE!

The SHP Summer Blog Run--Kelly Hashway

I’m very lucky (and so are you) to have Kelly Hashway visit during the second week of the Spencer Hill Press Summer Blog Run.  

*Trumpets blares and funny clowns climb out of a tiny car*

Kelly’s debut YA, TOUCH OF DEATH, will be released Jan. 15, 2013, and the second book in the series, STALKED BY DEATH, will be released July 23, 2013.  As a matter-of-fact, Kelly has several releases coming out.  You should just go check it all out here.

Why don’t you just go check out Kelly on twitter, Goodreads, facebook, and her blog. 

There’s all the links. Since I provided them, you should really go check them out.   Easy, peasy.

Okay, so let’s meet Kelly….

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog.  I’m very happy to have you.

Thank you for having me!

First, share with us your very favorite book from different points of your life and tell us why.

1)     Younger than ten? Any of the Nancy Drew mysteries. My friends and I pretended to be Nancy and her friends on the playground at school.

2)     Jr. High School? Anything by R.L. Stine. I loved the Fear Street books in particular.

3)     High School? The Great Gatsby—My sophomore English teacher loved this book, and his enthusiasm spilled over to me. I own three copies.

4)     Now? Percy Jackson and the Olympians: the Titan’s Curse—You can’t beat a book whose first line is about his mom packing his bag full of deadly weapons and sending him to school. That’s just awesome!

If you were stuck on an island, what is the one book you’d have to have with you?  

 Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Titan’s Curse

What man would you have reading that book to you?  

 LOL. I hope my husband doesn’t read this because since he refuses to read, it wouldn’t be him! I’ll go with Jensen Ackles. 

Share with us one book that you love, but you think hasn’t received the credit it deserves.   

Knee Deep by Jolene Perry. It has such a powerful message. Every teen girl needs to read it.

Your favorite hobby.  And you can’t say reading or writing here.   

LOL!! Playing with my daughter.

If you had only one chance to visit any place in the world, where would it be and why? 

The princess’s castle in St. Croix. I’ve been to St. Croix and seen it from afar, but I want to go inside!

First thing to pop into your head….

Ice cream or pie? Ice cream

Cheeseburgers or fish? Cheeseburgers

Strawberries or bananas? Strawberries

Flipflops or heels? Flipflops

Beer or shots of tequila? Tequila!

Most embarrassing moment in your life? I’ve accidentally used the men’s bathroom more times than I can count. I don’t know how that keeps happening to me.

You write children’s, MG, and YA books, which is your preference to write?   

Ooh, that’s tough to answer. I’d have to say YA because I mostly read YA books, and I had such great teen years. Writing for that age group is like getting to relive them.

If you could name one person that inspired you most to write, who would that be? 

My daughter, Ayla. She’s the inspiration for all I do.

I love this cover!!

Would you mind sharing the blurb for TOUCH OF DEATH?

Jodi Marshall isn’t sure how she went from normal teenager to walking disaster. One minute she’s in her junior year of high school, spending time with her amazing boyfriend and her best friend. The next she’s being stalked by some guy no one seems to know. 

After the stranger, Alex, reveals himself, Jodi learns he’s not a normal teenager and neither is she. With a kiss that kills and a touch that brings the dead back to life, Jodi discovers she’s part of a branch of necromancers born under the 13th sign of the zodiac, Ophiuchus. A branch of necromancers that are descendents of Medusa. A branch of necromancers with poisoned blood writhing in their veins. 

Jodi’s deadly to the living and even more deadly to the deceased. She has to leave her old, normal life behind before she hurts the people she loves. As if that isn’t difficult enough, Jodi discovers she’s the chosen one who has to save the rest of her kind from perishing at the hands of Hades. If she can’t figure out how to control her power, history will repeat itself, and her race will become extinct.

And since it is coming out six months after, what about STALKED BY DEATH?

The blurb for Stalked by Death hasn’t been released yet, so I’ll just say that things get a whole lot worse for Jodi in this book. The stakes are so much higher, and she stands to lose everything.

Time for the Tantalizing Teaser Temptation: 

          In my mind, I heard shrieks and screams. I saw the soul soaring through the air and into the ground where it came to rest in its body. The soul fought against my blood, not wanting to be back, but the power of my blood was too strong. With the soul in place, flesh began to reform over the bones. My cheeks felt wet and warm against the slight breeze in the air. Tears were the only outward sign of the agony I felt inside. I was torturing this soul. It was angry and in pain. The body moved slightly, and then its fists started pounding on the coffin. I didn’t want to see anymore. I couldn’t take it.

            “No!” I dropped to my knees and started to claw at the ground, ripping handfuls of grass and dirt.

            “Jodi!” Alex wrapped his arms around my waist and lifted me up. He stepped back, away from the grave. “Stop! Calm down. Tell me what’s wrong.”

            I doubled over, hysterical. “I saw everything. That poor soul was ripped out of the afterlife. It was crying out in pain, and it was terrified when it realized it was back in its body. Back in its grave.” I squeezed his arms for comfort. “Oh, God, Alex, it’s punching its way through the casket. I can see it all.”

For all the lucky people who stopped by, Kelly is kind enough to give away… 

Touch of Death bookmarks, stickers, a compact mirror with the symbol of the 13th sign of the zodiac, and a CD with the Touch of Death play list (which hasn’t even been revealed yet!).

WOW!!!!!

Just two things to enter:

1)      You have to follow my blog.  Need directions---scroll back up closer to the top, right hand side and click follow 

2)      You have to add Touch of Death to your Goodreads To-Read list. (Just click the Goodreads tab.)
 

Oh, of course, one more thing.  You have to finish the sentence below (Please no longer than 50 words.)

One day while in the bathroom, I ripped back the shower curtain only to reveal (place end of sentence here)

Winners will be announced Saturday, June 30^th.

Don’t forget, everyone who enters is automatically entered to win the grand prize at the end of whole summer run. 

Thank you all for stopping by.  Please leave Kelly a comment thanking her for her time and for the ultra-cool prizes.  

The Winner Is....

Happy Monday!!

And what happier way to spend a Monday when you might be the winner of the ultra cool T-shirt and a signed copy of BETRAYED.

But before I announce the winner (*sigh* I know. I know.) I want to thank everyone for stopping by and playing.  I really loved reading all the captions. 

Okay, okay.

And the winner is......

*tosses all the names into the magic hat of tricks and swirls them around*

Elie!!!!!!!!!


GRATS ELIE!!!   *balloons and confetti*
Elie, please contact me at j.lspelbring@yahoo.com with your info.


For those of you who didn't win, no worries.  You are still eligible to win the grand prize at the end of the blog run.

And once again, I want to thank Ednah Walters for stopping by.  If you haven't read BETRAYED, I highly suggest you do.  Great book!!!

The SHP Summer Blog Run--Ednah Walters

I’m so very pleased to announce Ednah Walters as the first author to stop by my Spencer Hill Press Blog Run.

SQUEE!!  *confetti and balloons*

Welcome Ednah to my little blog.

Ednah is the author of THE GUARDIAN LEGACY and the first of the series, BETRAYED, was just released June 05.

You should pop on over to her blog right now because she has a contest where you can win your very own copy of BETRAYED. Free book!  Can’t beat that.

I’m gonna be nice and even provide the link. <----that’s it right there.  Click on it and go enter her contest.

As a matter-of-fact, I’m gonna provide a lot of links to Ednah, so that you can stalk…err… lurk … um… follow, yes follow her.  Goodreads, twitter, and facebook. 

How excited are you?  BETRAYED is hot off the presses. You have a blog tour and contests going on.  Exciting things happening. 

And, if I’m not mistaken, there is a prequel, AWAKENED.  Both of the covers are just…I’ll just say tasty.  What I like to call inhibition killerz at their best.  Go check out the covers here .  Drool worthy.

Back?  Good.  They were drool worthy, right?

Now a little bit about Ednah…

What type of books did you read when you were younger?

Suspense-Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys series then I graduated to romance (Mills and Boons and Agatha Christie).

During my teens, the romance books were very *clears throat* tame. They couple didn’t touch or kiss until the end of the book. What do you think? Tamer than most YA books, right?

Who are your favorite authors now and why?

I like Cassandra Clare and Rachelle Mead because they are good at writing urban fantasy and I love urban fantasy. When not reading YA books, I read adult romance by several authors, including J.R. Ward, Sherrilyn Kenyon and Nalini Singh.

Besides writing and reading, what other hobbies to you have?

I love to dance. I do zumba at least three times a week, and I love to dance with my girls, especially my 7 and 9 year olds. We have an amazing collection of zumba songs. We even have Wii Zumba and Just Dance.

What is your absolute favorite pastime?

Reading. Seriously, I read everything-from Robert Ludlum and Tom Clancy espionage to medical and courtroom drama, romance to YA. I’ve even read some amazing biographies and non-fiction (The Road Less Traveled, my fav)

What is your favorite food that you make for dinner?  Care to share the recipe?

Jambalaya. I wish I had the recipe written down. I tend to add whatever I have in my freezer, lol, though shrimp, chicken and celery sticks are a must. Next time, I’ll write a recipe. Promise.

First thing that pops into your mind.

Wine or margaritas? wine

Cupcakes or cookies? cookies

Sweats or jeans? jeans

Vanilla or chocolate? chocolate

Favorite movie? The Notebook

Most embarrassing moment?  Really?  

*Insert evil laugh*

Come-on, share.

*sigh* okay. When I was 17, I was invited to a party hosted by this hot guy I was into at the time. So my girlfriends and I arrived there, all dressed up and looking amazing. I had on a top with spaghetti straps and no bra. Yeah, we were being naughty. Just when the guy walked up to talk to us (although I’d like to think he was about to talk to me), one of my straps snapped. Now that wouldn’t have been so bad if I was flat-chested. I ran out of there pressing my top to my chest and tears in my eyes. I was so humiliated. Now if that happened to me now, I would improvise and not leave the party.

When did you find your love for writing?

I’ve always wanted to write. When in high school, I’d write school plays for the drama club or my class. I think my love for writing comes from reading. I read a lot growing up.

Can you tell us about the very first book you ever wrote?

Actually, the first book I ever wrote was Little Red Riding Hood Before the Three Bears. I wrote quite a bit of children’s short stories, or should I say, my version of classical fairy tales. I still have them. Maybe one day I’ll have them published, lol.

Would you mind providing us with a short description of AWAKENED, the prequel to BETRAYED?

Most teens turn sixteen and get the license to drive, but Lil Falcon gets the license to kill. Orphaned as a child and raised by an eccentric grandfather, Lil is concerned with surviving high school and is unaware that she's a Guardian-a being with super powers charged with killing demons and protecting humanity. When she meets Bran, a mysterious boy with amazing abilities, his psi energy unlocks her latent powers. But Bran has a secret that can ruin their growing relationship, and the truth she discovers may destroy everything she believes in unless she finds the right balance between love and sacrifice.

A description of BETRAYED.

Lil isn't just an average teenager. She's one of the Nephilim--the descendants of humans and angels--which gives her some serious psi skills and a mission for redemption. Just when Lil thinks she's found a balance between her normal life with human friends and her training to become a Guardian, she's warned that someone close to her will betray her. When the boy she loves starts acting strangely and one of her human friends acquires a supernatural ability, Lil begins to realize that someone is manipulating the people she loves... and won't stop until she's been lured to the dark side.

Now for the tantalizing teaser to tempt us with.

An Excerpt from HUNTED (Unedited scene from the next Guardian Legacy book)

Bran’s gaze shot to mine as he reached out to take the dagger from my hand. I had kicked his butt.

“Don’t worry,” I said. “I promise to go easy on you this time.”

Smirking, he took the dagger and flipped it around. The blade gleamed as it whipped in the light. He flung it in the air then grabbed it backhand and lunged for me, the blade directed at my throat. I batted his arm away and surged toward him.

He used my weight and threw me over his head, but I teleported and reappeared on his side. He was waiting for me and I barely managed to block his attack. Another bout of strikes and counterstrikes followed and it seemed like forever before I tackled him and had him at a disadvantage. I loomed over him, my pulse quickening.

“You are enjoying this?” he said.

“Oh, you have no idea.” My powers had grown by leaps. Usually, I couldn’t keep up with him. I pressed the edge of the blade to his skin, loving the way his eye widened. I would never hurt him and he knew it. Still… I nicked him. He sucked in a breath.

“You’re playing with fire,” he warned in a voice gone suddenly husky.

Heat pooled like warm honey in my belly. “What are you going to do about it?”

He grinned.

“This.” His free arm looped around me and pulled me on top of him.

***

Now for all you lucky people who stopped by, Ednah is kind enough to offer two T-shirts and a signed copy of Betrayed.  

I soooo want that shirt.

I'm already reading the book. HA! HA! HA!

I’m not even going to make you hop all over the place to win.

All you have to do is follow my blog.  That’s right, my blog...my rules. 

Oh, and this little contest.  What?  You didn’t think you would get off that easy did you? 

In the comment section, please write a caption for the pic below.  You know, something funny.

You have until Saturday, June 23rd.  Winner will be announced Monday, June 25, 2012. 

Thank you so much for visiting Ednah.  I really enjoyed having you.

Please be sure to leave a comment thanking Ednah for her time and super cool prizes. 

Enjoy the contest!!!  Good luck!

Don't forget at the end of the blog run (the whole blog run) one lucky commenter will win the grand prize!!!  Pretty awesome.

Dont Forget: THE SPENCER HILL PRESS SUMMER BLOG RUN

I'm so pleased to announce that THE SPENCER HILL PRESS SUMMER BLOG RUN is starting next week, Monday, June 18th.

Wondering what it is all about?

Well, let me tell you.

At the beginning of each week, starting June 18th and continuing through the summer, I'll be hosting an awesome Spencer Hill Press author who will be telling a bit about themselves, a little about their books, entice us with a tantalizing teaser tempter (say that fast), and a contest.

That's right.  A contest!

At the end of the each week, one lucky person will win a prize.

YAY for PRIZES!

Wait, there is more.  At the end of the blog run, one super-duper lucky person will win a awesomely cool prize of a B&N gift card to buy...well, books of course.  

Good time, good times!

Below is the list of authors who will be visiting:

6/18    Ednah Walters

6/25    Kelly Hashway

7/02    Emily White

7/09    Angela Townsend

7/16    Daniel Cohen

7/23    Lisa Rogers

7/30    Kimberly Ann Miller

8/06    Michelle Pickett

8/13    Lisa Amowitz

8/20    Kate Kaynak

8/27    Darby Karchut
9/03    Mary Gray

List is subject to change if needed due to emergencies, date conflicts, or if I want to mess with people.

I can't wait to see you all there! 

  

THE SPENCER HILL PRESS SUMMER BLOG RUN

The last couple of weeks, I've been hinting at some awesome stuff brewing over here on my blog.  Well, I'm going to give you a tantalizing taste of what's happening here over the summer.

Each week, I will be hosting a Spencer Hill Press author.  SQUEE!!

What are they bringing to the table?

Let me tell you:

We'll get to know them a little better, a teaser of their work, and PRIZES.  Yep, PRIZES.  Awesomely cool prizes.  And if truth be told, it's beyond awesomely.   

Each week throughout the summer there will be a lucky commenter who will win awesome stuff ranging from ARCs to gift cards to swag. 

Keep an eye out.  The fun starts June 18th and continues throughout the summer.

I'll see you there.