Monster Mash Blitz Day 8: Freaked by Juli Caldwell

Aisi Turay is losing it. Literally.

A couple of months ago, she could see ghosts and help them move on, or vanquish demons in her way with a few choice insults. Now? Not so much, and she’s pretty sure her least favorite demon is behind it.

Malus is back. He’s stronger than the last time she faced him, wielding power she never imagined a demon could have. Aisi realizes that he’s just a henchman for something much worse…something that wants everyone she loves gone.

As Malus brings the worst he’s got and then some, Aisi wages a fight for her life, and maybe her soul. 

Purchase your copy Here:  http://www.amazon.com/Freaked-Psyched-Book-Juli-Caldwell-ebook/dp/B014PZ76KW/ref

Juli Caldwell has a degree in English from Weber State University. She is the author of Psyched and Freaked, YA paranormal suspense novels; sweet romances Arms Wide Open and Beyond Perfection: a latter-day romance; and Secrets of the Mine, an adventure fantasy tale for tweens and teens. She also freelances as an editor for kicks. She lives near the shores of the Great Salt Lake with her husband, two bookworm daughters, and a dog who sheds too much.

Q and A with the Author

      1.       When did you know you wanted to write books? I don’t think it ever occurred to me that I wouldn’t write. I’m the kid who lived in a book and I always have characters and their dialogue streaming through my brain. There are two kinds of writers: people who think, “hey, I have a great idea...I think I’ll write a book!” and people who have no choice but to let the stories out of their heads. I think I’m the latter.

2.       What does your writing process look like? My writing process is a hot mess. I’m the least organized person I know, so I guess it’s a good thing my characters tell their stories for me. J.K. Rowling once said that stories sometimes tell themselves. Mine do. I just hope I do my characters a little justice.

Connect with the Author: 
https://twitter.com/ImJuliCaldwell
https://www.facebook.com/authorjulicaldwell
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/234294.Juli_Caldwell
https://plus.google.com/116654487528907442159/posts

10 fun Freaked (and Juli) facts:

·         Freaked is the sequel to Psyched.

1.          Aisi is biracial—half white and half African- American. Her dad is from Sierra Leone (or he claims to be...) and her mom is a freckled redhead from deep in the heart of American Appalachia.
2.          Aisi’s name is a Mende word that means sunshine. It’s her dad’s nickname for her.
3.          When I started writing Psyched, I didn’t want to have a specific setting in mind. And then I remembered driving through western Pennsylvania on a cross-country road trip, and I knew those gray riverside cliffs were perfect for the climax scene at the end. These cliffs appear in the opening scene of Freaked as well.
4.          I use a lot of African mythology in Freaked. It’s such a great source for inspiration—we don’t study it in school so the stories feel fresh and different.
5.         The demon’s name, Malus Indolus, means Evil Genius in Latin. Don’t worry—Aisi mocks him for this.
6.          The actual translation would be Malus Indoles, but readers kept calling him “malus in-dolls” so as I edited Psyched, I changed the spelling to something where ‘In-dole-us’ would be obvious. I forgot this as I wrote Freaked and had to change everything all over. Oh well...
7.          Aisi’s best friend Zinnia is based on my high school self—a little wired and crazy but overall harmless. Except I never would have dared to do that kissing challenge thing...(read Psyched if you’re not sure what that’s all about!)
8.          Aisi appeared in my head fully formed and all kinds of sassy during one of my college classes. I wrote down the rough outline for Psyched and laid the foundation for Freaked instead of taking notes that night. I guess my mind wanders during night classes.
9.          Aisi is the kind of girl I always wanted to be—strong, loyal, fierce, a warrior.

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Book Tour: Attack of the Warrior Queen Book 4 by Dee Krull

Dee Krull is a retired clinical hypnotherapist. She has a PhD in Clinical Hypnotherapy, specializing in Medical Hypnosis for which she spent twenty-five years in private practice in Southern California. She and her late husband chad retired in Tucson, Arizona in 2005 where she explored art, music acting, and writing. She has three children in Southern California, one who sdoped her in Sparks, Nevada  and seven grandchildren.

“The Saga of a World Called Htrae” was insired by her late husband’s love of science fiction and her own inquisitive nature of “what ifs.” It is a combination of science fiction, fantasy and her own knowledge of hypnosis.

Dee Wrote the first book in Arizona. When she decided to place the beginning of her story in Arcata, California it rekindled her love of the Northwest where she now lives with her boyfriend, Bob, and their family of pets; where she is busy writing her next book in the series.

Check out her website:  dees-world.net

"The fourth book in the series finds Laurel and Learden waging a deadly war with the aliens called priests.They are now using the portals to bring in another alien they call the 'tall ones' who communicate through their thoughts.

To make matters worse she finds that her mother's sister, once thought to be dead, is alive and well and is a master of dark magick. she would have Laurel as her slave and her army at her command if she could gain the upper hand.

In order to keep her from doing just that Laurel and Learden must separate so the 'dark witch' cannot use Learden to gain access to Laurel and her Guard. Apart they are devastated and must move on their own to combat the aliens.

Learden connects with his past and fights the aliens the only way he knows how, with his old crew and a few new ones as well.

Laurel and, Banrion, the giant white griffin, fight together from the sky while Learden fights on land and finds other ways to communicate with her. But when the aliens gain the upper hand Laurel is captured by a new faction of Elves and eventually finds new allies through them. They also help her search for Learden.

Meanwhile Learden is captured and escapes only to discover there is another danger to the planet and it's daoine, one that has been there before and they are more fearsome and evil than even the aliens who are preparing to bring them through the portals."

Purchase your copy here:

www.amazon.com/Attack-Warrior-Queeen-World-Called-ebook/dp/B015P3SEEA/

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Top Ten List

Ten of My Favorite Things

1. Music – I have been singing since I was little. Most recently I sang in a choir of seventy for seven years in Tucson, Arizona. We did two concerts a year Spring and Christmas.

2. Art – I am an artist myself since I was very young. My favorite things to paint are cats, big and domestic, and birds of all kinds, but I have recently been attracted to doorways and windows. My favorite mediums are oil and watercolor.

3. Animals – I have always loved animals. Right now we have two dogs, Sara (black lab); Toby (Boston Terrier) ; a cat, Gwynie (black long hair); five birds, Jigzie (dbl yellow head parrot), Pretty Boy and Pretty Girl (cockatiels, Pete (lovebird), and Blue Boy (parakeet). We also see deer, raccoon, and a variety of wild animals on our property.

4. Movies – I love movies of all kinds but action/adventure/fantasy/sci-fi are my favorites.

5. The Redwoods – I live amongst them. We have at least four on our seven acres of land.

6. Yoga – I have been practicing and teaching since my twentys.

7. Family – I have four children and seven grandchildren. They all live in Southern California and I see them as often as I can. I live in Northern California.

8. Writing – I love to write fiction and am chomping at the bit to start my next book which will be book five in the series. I love my characters and I can’t wait to see where they will lead me next.

9. Doing Craft Shows – I have been doing craft shows for some time now. I am a wire sculpter and I make jewelry with my craft, crochet, and sell my books at the shows we do. I love meeting the people at the shows and many of the other crafters are our friends. 

10. Creating Characters for my books – in the beginning I fashioned my characters after people I have known for a long time but eventually you run out of people and have to create your own. The names of my characters are all anagrams of my names.

Snippet:

From Chapter Three - Laurel

“Everyone touch hands when I say so.” We stopped at the bottom stair, “now,” I said quietly. We all disappeared and reappeared on top of the mound. Suddenly silence moved through the multitude like the fingers of a fog; creeping through trees, around tents and campfires. When stillness pervaded I held my hand up and everyone dropped to one knee.

I took a deep breath, feeling the immensity of the salutation before me; tears sprang to my eyes. So many with the confidence in me to lead them to victory. “Please Mother Goddess give me the strength and the power to go forward and do what must be done.” I felt Dena’s hand on my shoulder.

“You can do this, Laurel; the Goddess is in you right now. If you could only see your face you would know it too, you are glowing and your eyes are green crystals.” She said with emphasis.

I looked out over the Guard that I was the leader of, perusing the grounds where that same Guard had set up a camp complete with fighting arenas, nutrition tents, small villages where Humans were protected from the outside dangers, were making clothing, food from hunting, and a very large open area for the griffins and aircraft. There were children everywhere who were just as quiet as the adults. Finally I reached down and released my sword from its sheath, and holding my arm in the air I yelled, “HTRAEIANS, THIS IS OUR WORLD! IT IS TIME TO SEND THE ALIENS HOME! TIME TO LET THEM KNOW THAT THEY ARE NO LONGER WELCOME HERE!” With each phrase there was cheering and swords in the air. When they quieted again I lowered my sword and spoke slowly projecting my voice and choosing my words carefully as I spoke to their hearts. “It is time to get ready for our first offensive move on this continent. Our spies have told us that the aliens have set up a large base camp north of us. I was in the area when I was captured and taken to the high desert before Learden found me and I was released. A Hybrid named Kronus captured me with the intention of turning me over to the aliens. He has been spying for the aliens since the beginning and if captured would be a valuable prisoner. Do not kill him if you find him. Bring him to me and I will use him against the aliens.”

“Just after twilight tonight we will attack. By air, on the back of griffins and on the ground. When I am finished here you will begin to prepare for battle and I will brief your commanders and lieutenants. They will give you your orders and we will move out as soon as the new moons rise. We are in the new moons faze of Winter Solstice, a turning point of the year ahead. We will make the best of this as we set off to war against a malevolent foe.”

“The Witch Council will send magick with us that will devastate the aliens, confuse them and make them want to leave our planet for good. The new moons give us the cover of darkness so they will not see the griffins above them nor will they be aware of those of you on the ground. Do not be afraid of them, they are horrible creatures with the curse of a vile life on a vile planet called Hoth. LET US SEND THEM BACK THERE!” I shouted as I raised my sword once more. Shouts came from everyone and swords were raised by those who had them. I waited for the shouts to die down.

“May the Goddess keep us safe from harm and may the One that created us give us strength and courage to see this through.” When I raised my head I saw the entire Guard, once again, down on one knee before me. “Rise and go forth and prepare for battle.” Before I was able to leave there was a shout from one of the groups, “My queen, where is, Learden your mate and consort?”

Come follow along with this great event and see all the blogger participating in this Book Tour over on Facebook.

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Monster Mash Blitz Day 7: Storm by Kate Palmer

When cattle rustlers steal Storm’s cattle, two different ranchers offer help. Now Storm is in danger of losing more than her ranch.

Pre-order your copy here:
http://www.amazon.com/Kate-Palmer/e/B0095BOV78/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

Kate Palmer believes in wholesome entertainment. Her books explore characters undergoing tough situations without compromising standards or becoming bitter. She likes the rush of emotions romantic suspense creates and strives to keep it clean. Her love of farm and ranch life shines through her Women of the West Series.


Connect with the Author here:
http://www.katrinapalmer.com
https://twitter.com/KatePalmer40
https://www.facebook.com/KatePalmerAuthorhttp://www.amazon.com/Kate-Palmer/e/B0095BOV78/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1 

Here are some fun author interview questions!

5- Is there a message you would like readers to get out of this book? What is it?

Most of my books explore characters undergoing tough situations without compromising standards or becoming bitter. That’s the message I hope readers internalize.

Time for a Snippet!

Snippet #2

I tied Badger’s lead rope to the hitching post. “Lyle, you can help me.”

“Sure.”

“It’s in my truck.”

Lyle followed me out of the barn.

I stopped at the passenger door of my truck and turned to Lyle. “ What are the suspicious circumstances?”

Lyle’s mouth opened then clamped shut. He shook his head. 

“Come on Lyle.”

“Should have known you wanted something from me. You never ask for help.”

“Connor was like a little brother to me.”

Lyle’s eyes darted back and forth while his jaw worked. “If you heard about suspicious circumstances, then you also heard that I don’t know nothin’ until Monday. And neither do you.”

I opened the truck door and slid the painting out, turning it to face Lyle.

His eyes widened, then blinked hard as his hand reached to cover his trembling mouth. “It’s perfect,” he whispered.

“I need to know what happened that morning.” A quick cramp squeezed my abdomen. I’d need another dose of ibuprofen to make it through the funeral.

Lyle didn’t take his eyes from the painting. “Me, too.” Then his eyes met mine, and he said, “I will find out. But today, I will honor the family’s wishes.”

I gnawed my lower lip. “Monday then.”

“There’s nothing you could do about it anyway. This,” he pointed to the painting, “is what the family needs right now. Go on and take it up to the house.”

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Monster Mash Blitz Day 6: Pemberley Cowardly Witness by Ayr Bray

 Cowardly Witness simmers with secrets and suspense. 

Matthew Poe is the only witness in a case of murder and corruption in the lead mining industry. After an attempt is made on his life, he seeks refuge at Pemberley.

Mr. Darcy, bound by honour and duty to his King and country, agrees to take him in, though his presence puts everyone at Pemberley in danger—including Darcy’s new bride, Elizabeth.

When Mr. Poe’s secret is revealed with disastrous consequences, will Darcy succeed in protecting his loved ones and the witness, or will he be forced to choose between family and honour?

In Cowardly Witness, Ayr Bray masterfully creates a world around Pemberley electrified with the excitement and intrigue of a riveting suspense story.

Purchase your copy here:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0104PJX3U?tag=ammbt-20

B&N: http://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=W1PQs9y/1/c&mid=36889&murl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.barnesandnoble.com%2Fw%2Fcowardly-witness-pemberley-1-ayr-bray%2F1122183623%3Fean%3D2940151538091

Kobo: http://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=W1PQs9y/1/c&mid=37217&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fstore.kobobooks.com%2Fen-US%2Febook%2Fcowardly-witness

Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=bNTyCQAAQBAJ

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1021158362?uo=8&at=1l3vwPw

Gumroad: https://gumroad.com/l/AyrBray-CowardlyWitness?as_embed=true&outbound_embed=true 

"From an early age I have always been fascinated by the written word and the mood and atmosphere it creates for a reader; especially those books that affect me and transport me to some far-off place. These are the elements I strive to create in my books. My books in many ways record what most affects me: my feelings and experiences with family, friends, and those I have run into on my life's journey. My hope is that in my books you will find something that touches you, something which will resonate in your soul and remind you that you are strong and can overcome anything, especially if you have the support of loving friends and family." - Ayr Bray

Ayr Bray is from the Pacific Northwest, but travels as much as possible so she doesn't have to deal with the cold.

Q and A With the Author

A lot of authors I have noticed have music as a way to help with their writing. Is this something that you have used as well? If not what are some things you have used?

Noise canceling headphones so the only thing I can hear are the voices in my head.

Is there a message you would like readers to get out of this book? What is it?

I hope readers know that I stand up for right and think the noblest people are those who stand up for people who cannot stand up for themselves. That is why I love Mr. Darcy in the Pemberley series. He helps those who cannot help themselves.

Ayr loves to hear from readers. Connect with her at her website http://www.ayrbray.com or on Facebook at http://goo.gl/kAAO3u. 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ayrbray
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AyrBray

Snippet

The information that Mr. Poe was dead and soon to be buried in the Masson Cemetery was just what Lord Sharpson and his associates most wanted to know. Freddy scrawled a nearly illegible note on a dirty scrap of paper. He was just folding it when he espied the inquisitor and Mrs Poe leaving together.

Seeing a boy of about eleven years old, Freddy motioned for him to approach. He was a regular at Freddy’s stall. He was a smart and steady lad who liked the wooden soldiers and horses best, and, to Freddy’s despair and delight, he could not read a jot.

“Want to earn a farthing?” Freddy asked, holding up a coin in front of the boy.

“Yes, sir,” The boy answered, his eyes wide with anticipation.

“Take this message to the two-story brick house on the corner of Main and Broad. Can you do that?”

“Course I can.”

Freddy handed over the note and the farthing. “You make sure it gets there. I’ll not be pleased if I find out you were lax on the job.”

“You can rely on me,” the boy said, throwing a mock salute before he took off running in the direction instructed.

The lad reminded Freddy of himself at that age. Always ready to run an errand for a coin or two. That was before his experiences in the Secret Service mad him suspicious of everyone. More than a few men in his former profession, himself included, had been raised more by the cold streets than by a mother’s gentle hand. Such an upbringing better prepared them for a life in the Service. To excel required a certain finesse. Finesse with a pistol, or a dagger, or with information.

The latter was Freddy’s speciality. He knew things, and if he did not, he had the means to discover them.

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