Cover for Crow's Rest Got a Star In a Contest!

I entered the cover design for Crow's Rest into a monthly contest put on by Joel Friedlander, and we got a Gold Star! That's basically like a runner-up or a special mention.

There were tons of great cover designs at UtopYA Con, too, and it really got that visual-artist side of me going--I'm already sorting through images that might make a good cover for the sequel to Crow's Rest, No Man's Land.

Of course, I should also put some effort into actually finishing NML, but sorting through visual inspiration is a great way for me to jump-start my writing creativity. If it wasn't for Pinterest's issues with copyright and attribution, I know I'd be a Pinterest addict if I joined!

If you'd like to congratulate the cover designer for Crow's Rest, stop by Kelley York's X-Potion Designs page and leave her a happy message!

DATE WITH A ROCKSTAR Blog Tour!

One of my fellow Spencer Hill Press authors, published through imprint Spencer Hill Contemporary, has a book coming out today!

To help celebrate, Sarah Gagnon has joined me for a Top Ten list, and a giveaway. But first I have to say her book, Date With a Rockstar, has a truly unique premise:

Only one girl will win the cash prize...and a chance at love with Jeremy Bane.

Monet isn’t just another lust-struck teenager trying to win the heart of Rock God Jeremy Bane--she needs the prize money from his new reality show to cure her illness.

Monet has Fluxem, a contagious disease that's spread through saliva. It's completely curable if you have enough money, which she and her single mother don't. Now that she's on the show, Monet has to work harder to keep her Fluxem hidden. She only has to keep the secret long enough to woo Jeremy Bane so he picks her as the winner. She doesn't even care about the love part; the prize alone will change her life.

But the real Jeremy Bane is nothing like she imagined. Monet finds herself fighting against feelings that make her want to give in to her attraction and Jeremy's attempts for a kiss. The further she goes in the competition, the more impossible it becomes to resist him--and when the producers turn the tables and start digging up dirt on the contestants, Monet fears her secret will be revealed before she's ready and ruin everything.

The only way to win Jeremy's heart is to tell him the truth, but confessing her disease could cost her the competition, the prize money, and him.

Doesn't that sound like a great romantic twist? And I think Sarah knows from romance, because she shared a list of Top Ten Kisses:

Sarah says: "I have definitely not read enough to qualify my opinions on top ten. So this is just going to be a list of ten really awesome kisses."

1. The first time Anita Blake and Jean-Claude kissed. That series is one I will never get tired of. If only I could control the dead and have powers that increased through kissing.

2. When Claire and Jamie first kissed in Outlander. Gabaldon had me the first time Claire climbed on the horse behind him, and now the show. He’s just so perfectly cast, I love watching and reading all my favorite scenes back to back.

3. These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman. Sigh, this book. So hard not to go total fan girl here. Tarver for me was a perfect hero, and Lilac’s strength was so endearing that when they finally got over hating each other, the romance felt so epic.

4. Alienated by Melissa Landers. I love when characters are closed off emotionally or physically and then all of a sudden a passionate kiss begins to change everything. An emotionally cold alien is the perfect set-up and the dialogue and chemistry leading up to the kiss, wow.

5. Unteachable by Leah Raedar. That whole book is a vortex of sexy from the first kiss to the last. Forbidden kisses are sometimes the best.

6. Archer’s Voice by Mia Sheridan because when the character development is so complete, every kiss reads right into my heart.

7. Pride and Prejudice, because Mr. Darcy must be added to all lists.

8. The Mind Readers by Lori Brighton. I can only imagine the craziness of being able to read someone’s thoughts while kissing them.

9. Cinder by Marissa Meyer. I was rooting for Cinder so hard, that my brain almost popped when Prince Kai finally kissed her.

10. Losing It by Cora Carmack. I love it when a heroine sets out to do something sexual. That alone is so empowering to me, add in Garrick’s British accent and Bliss’s internal dialogue— I was hooked. 

I have to agree with a lot of those--they are pretty awesome kisses! I'm going to wrap up the post with more about Sarah, and links to where you can find her book

Sarah Gagnon grew up in the frigid woods of Maine amidst snow and animal skins and has now moved back home. As a small child she wrote ship-wrecked romances all while being stared down by a taxidermied duck.

She has a BFA in photography and a minor in writing from the University of Southern Maine. She's the mother of two tiny, feral children and two ill-behaved dogs. For fun she’s taken up construction and interior design. Her first project: moving into a dilapidated farmhouse with her computer-genius husband. 

Website 

Twitter

Facebook

And here's where you can find your own copy of Date With a Rockstar

Goodreads

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

IndieBound

The Book Depository

Kobo

And...I did mention something about a giveaway, didn't I? If you live in the U.S., you could win a DATE WITH A ROCKSTAR t-shirt, and a paperback copy of the book! Enter through the Rafflecopter below

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Face in a Book Signing Photos

Still coming down from the signing euphoria--we had a great turnout at Face in a Book for my reading and signing on June 6. My hubby took lots of photos and you can see a full album on the Crow's Rest Facebook page, but here is a nice selection:

My crow mask and wings were a hoot

Glitter Crow watched over the treats while we finished setting up

The line forming for me to sign their books

Talking about A Compendium of the Faer Folke, the illustrated companion to Crow's Rest, and its progress towards release this summer

Reading

"That's a great question!"

I'm off to Nashville in a few weeks, and if you missed out on this event, you can still get a few of the signed copies I left for stock at Face in a Book.

Signing at Face in a Book Plus A New Video

The signing, reading, and Q&A at Face in a Book is only a few days away! And if you'll be joining us Saturday at noon, you're in for a treat because I'll be sharing a sneak peek at the illustrated companion to Crow's Rest, which is called A Compendium of the Faer Folke. You might pick up some Faerie lore to help protect you from the Fae!

Here is some more about the Compendium and how this field guide fits in with Crow's Rest:

The town of Crow's Rest may have a California zip code, but it shares a weakening border with Faerie--and Fae forces are making a move into our world.

Good thing there are references like A Compendium of the Faer Folke to help prepare our intrepid heroine, Avery Flynn, for the coming Faeriepocalypse.

Now you can read it too, and discover how to recognize and protect yourself from such creatures as corbin, lycorises, and wyverns.

Don't be caught unawares by the the Fae and their tricksy ways!

If that sounds intriguing, make sure you join us AT NOON on Saturday, June 6th, at Face in a Book in El Dorado Hills Town Center! And don't forget that if you're out of the area, you can also order a signed copy and FiaB will ship it to you after the event. Details on how to order are here.

And if you missed out on watching my episode of Story Connection during its airtimes, you can now watch it whenever you wish on YouTube. In this interview, I talk with host Danna Wilberg about cover art, research and inspiration, and how my writing journey played out. It's worth a watch!