Blog Tour: Enmity by E. J. Andrews - Guest Post: Character Profile

I'm happy to have E.J Andrews on the blog with a character profile of Hermia - one of the main POV's (the other being Nate) from her novel Enmity. 

If you would like a chance to win a copy, head over to Enmity's Goodreads page and enter (Aus and NZ residents only).  

If you'd like to follow the rest of the Blog Tour click here.

 Character Profile- Hermia

Name: Hermia

Meaning of Name: The meaning of Hermia is ‘Messenger’

Reason for Name: Hermia’s mother named her so because she saw her own self in the character of Hermia from Shakespeare’s – A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Nickname: Mia (Hermia hates this nickname and gets agitated when others call her by that name. It was a pet name her uncle and grandparents were fond of calling her, whom she is now estranged from.)

Age: 16

Height: 157cm

Gender: Female

Hair: Brown/Dark Brown, Wavy Curls, Mid Back Length

Eye Colour: Hazel

Relationship Status: It’s complicated with Chase

Personality: Detached, cold, resentful

Strengths: Exceptional aim with her badass crossbow

Flaws: Highly emotional, doesn’t like to cooperate with others, headstrong

Ambitions: Stay alive and give everyone hell whilst she can

Biggest fear: Hermia isn’t afraid of much at all but she is terrified of losing herself. She never wants to be defined by someone else, like a guy or a relationship

Occupation: Formerly cleaner / make-up artist at Elaine’s Gentleman’s Club

About the Book

Title: Enmity
Author: E. J. Andrews
Publisher: Harlequin Australia
Expected Publication Date: April 1st, 2014
Series: Enmity #1
Genre: Young Adult: Science Fiction, Dystopian 


Love vs Life.
Good vs Evil.
War vs Warfare.

Which would you choose?

After a solar flare wipes out most of the world’s inhabitants, it leaves behind nothing but a desolate earth and a desperate population. Existence is no longer a certainty. And with factions now fighting for the power to rule, people start to become reckless with their lives. The world has become a dangerous place.

Amongst the ensuing chaos, Nate and Hermia — two victims of the new world order — are taken against their will to The Compound. Joined by eight other teenagers all chosen for a specific reason, Nate and Hermia are forced to train as assassins to overthrow the current president and make way for a new leader of the free world. Here, they learn to plan, fight, and most importantly... to survive.

Except, despite the casual cruelty of their new existence, both Nate and Hermia — two very strong but very different people — begin to form fragile bonds within the group. But they soon realize their happiness is short lived...because their training is just the beginning.

A war awaits...regardless of how ready or willing they may be.

Purchase

  

Author Bio

E.J. Andrews was raised in a small town on the west coast of New Zealand by a gold miner with a fascination for guns and a nurse with an obsession with dragons.

Growing up, E.J. constantly felt that she needed to write down the vivid thoughts going around her head, but it wasn’t until her aunt gave her John Marsden’s Tomorrow series to read that her writing bloomed and her interest in books became a full-blown fixation.

At the age of eighteen she decided to live with her sister in Brisbane, Australia, where she found a job working at a boat club on the beautiful Moreton Bay. In between split shifts and while others her age were out enjoying their adolescence, E.J. was writing well into the early hours, trying to get down those ever-present ideas of a not-so-bright future. 

E.J. now lives on the Redcliffe peninsula with her partner and their cat Senga.

Blog Tour: Guest Post by Carissa Andrews, author of Pendomus

Follow the Tour Schedule

Guest Post

THE MANY BOOK LOOKS OF PENDOMUS

When I started writing Pendomus, I would occasionally get stuck. (Say it isn’t so!) When that was the case, I’d lean on my background in communication art (aka Graphic Design) to “sketch out” covers for the book.

It’s been three years since Pendomus first landed in my brain, so bear with some of the thumbnails. Not only has my writing grown with me, so has my visual art. As you may also guess, the book’s title has gone through a few different incarnations, too. ;)

What do you think? Can you see the evolution of the final cover buried in the older thumbnails?

Title: Pendomus 

Author: Carissa Andrews 

Series: Pendomus Chronicles, Book #1 

Publication date: October 10th, 2013 

Genres: Young Adult, Dystopia, Fantasy, Science Fiction

Synopsis:

Humanity has colonized on a tidally locked planet known as Pendomus, a planet of extremes. Half eternal scorching desert and half perpetual arctic night. Surviving along the temperate band between the two, we’ve set up home in a complex known as the Helix. Within the Helix lies a highly sophisticated, highly technological society functioning solely on humans fulfilling their life’s purpose. That purpose is determined and nurtured through a person’s natural aptitudes, as read by their daily brain scans. Eating, sleeping, even procreation is handled by professionals. These basic concepts, no longer a part of society’s every day norm.

Seventeen-year-old Runa Cophem longs to be more than part of the Helix machine. Her life inside is anything but fulfilling. She feels disconnected, and longs to be more than society dictates. Inside, no one socializes, no one interacts in a meaningful way. It’s never set right with Runa. She would love nothing more than to reach out to her family, but not even her own mother can show any semblance of love for her. Instead, Runa has found solace in the ancient woods nearby, despite being strictly forbidden.

Runa’s life takes an unforeseen turn when she’s brutally attacked, and left for dead in those woods near the Helix. Rescued by a stranger with blue hair, she’s immersed into a surprising way humanity has survived. Fueled by a yearning to belong, and an attraction she didn’t even know was possible, Runa wants desperately to make a new life. Yet, there’s much she doesn’t know about herself, about the planet and the forces controlling her from afar.

What she needs is some answers.

Purchase

Amazon

Author Bio

Born and raised in central MN, Carissa Andrews has always loved books. She started her career at 15 in a bookstore, just to be able to afford her book fetish. By 19, she worked for a magazine publisher. At 22, she was working for printers to learn their trade. At 27, she went back to school for graphic design, and became an award winning designer. Little did she know all of her experiences would lead her to becoming a self-publishing power house.

At 31, a magical world on a planet far away, invaded her mind.

At 34, she’s learned what she needs to make her work successful.

Pendomus (Book 1 of the Pendomus Chronicles) will be released OCTOBER 10, 2013.

Author Links

Website

Goodreads

Twitter

Facebook

Giveaway

Grand prize giveaway

Prizes:

-Perfumes and aquamarine stones (related to the book) - US/CAN only

-3 Amazon gift cards (2 x 10$ and 1 x 25$) - INTL

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour: Review: Shutdown by Heather Anastasiu with Excerpt & Giveaway

Release Date: July 2nd 2013

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Series: Glitch, Book #3
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopian

Purchase: Amazon

Synopsis via Goodreads:

The battle is all but over, and hope seems to be lost. Zoe and her fellow Resistance fighters are on the run, having lost their home, their protection, and their leader. They are outnumbered and outmatched by the powerful corporation that controls the world, and the cruel Chancellor is inches away from completing a scheme that would kill most of humanity. Zoe's only remaining option is to chase the impossible dream of upending the Link system, freeing the world from the hardware that controls their thoughts and emotions, and hope it will trigger a revolution. 

The plot requires a nearly impossible mission to infiltrate the dangerous Community, and it is a task that Zoe must unfortunately complete alone. With challenges and surprises at every turn, nothing goes according to plan. Adrien's visions of the future now show two possible outcomes: one in which they succeed, and one in which humanity falls. It all lies in Zoe's hands. 

Full of romance, high-adrenaline action and shocking twists, Shutdown is a heart-pounding conclusion to an exciting sci-fi adventure trilogy for young adults. 

The thrilling conclusion to an action-packed sci-fi trilogy.

Review

I want to keep this spoiler free for the whole series, but it might be hard, and I apologise up front if I give away any small details. I promise to keep the big things to myself though. =)

This series got better with every book. I enjoyed Glitched, but loved Override more. Now I love Shutdown more again. 

We were left heartbroken in Override, and to be honest, until about the 90% mark the heartbreak doesn't ease up. At the 60% - 70% mark I was like this:

Source

I'm not joking. I was so torn up by everything that had happened, and what was happening that if I wasn't reading in bed, I would have been on the floor like that! 

I love the characters in this story, including the ones I didn't like - I loved that they were that way. People are like that and it was nice to see realistic characters. The backstabbing, the lying, the honest, and even the ones that change. 

While the trilogy ends positive, its not the overly happy ending you think. There are shocks, and one of the twists I kind of guessed but wasn't sure how it would happen until it did. 

This is definitely one of my favourite series. It's action packed, emotional, and quick to read. I'm sad this trilogy is now over, but it one I definitely want to read again. 

★★★★★ 

It Was Amazing

Author Bio

Heather Anastasiu grew up in Texas and recently moved to Minneapolis with her family. When she's not busy getting lost exploring the new city, she spends most days writing at a café or daydreaming about getting a new tattoo.

www.heatheranastasiu.com | twitter.com/h_anastasiu

Previous Books in the Series

 

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour: Edge of Truth by Natasha Hanova - with Excerpt and Giveaway

Tour Schedule

Title: Edge of Truth 
Author: Natasha Hanova 

Publication date: June 6th 2013

Publisher: Sapphire Star Publishing 

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia

Synopsis:

Citizens who report to work on time, obey the Overlord’s laws, and stay off the Synbot’s radar, live long lives. Long, dull, monotonous lives.

It’s not a bad plan for someone with a hidden, emotion-based ability to trigger earthquakes. In a world pitted against her, sixteen-year-old Rena Moon strives for a life beyond working herself to death at the factory. Seeing an alternative, she risks selling relics from the forbidden lands at Market. It becomes the worst decision she ever made. Someone kidnaps her best friend in exchange for the one thing that would end her oppression.

Driven by loyalty, Rena and seventeen-year-old Nevan Jelani, soulful composer, green thumb extraordinaire, and the secret love of her life, plot to rescue her friend and reclaim her salvage. Still, the thought lingers whether Nevan is a true hero or another thief waiting for his chance at her loot. Events spin wildly, deepening Rena’s suspicions and pushing her limit of control. With more than her chance for freedom at stake, she must decide if she’s willing to kill to protect what’s precious to her. For once, the Overlord isn’t holding all the power, but can Rena live with being reduced to what she’s trying so hard to escape?

Buy Links 

Barnes & Noble

Amazon

Excerpt 

The sweeping red glow across the sidewalk sent shards of panic through Rena. Fear glued her feet to the ground even though the Syn would round the building any second.

“Rena,” Nevan whispered. “Can’t get to the ladder without you. Otherwise, I’d grab your stubborn butt and haul you up there myself.”

“We should hide under something, not on top, out in the open.”

He let out a quick breath. “Don’t you feel the heat coming off this building? It’ll disguise our body signatures. Trust me.”

Those two words carried so much weight. Now wasn’t the time to debate options. She placed her palm on his shoulder and a foot in his hand.

He straightened, his other hand clasped around her ankle. “Now, step on my shoulders and reach up to the ladder.”

Breathing through an open mouth, she followed his directions, stretching as high as she could. “I can’t reach. Not even close.”

“We don’t have much time.”

The red beam skittered across the sidewalk and grass a few yards away, edging ever closer to the building. Grotesque images of human experimentation flashed through her mind.

“Lil’ Mama, d’you hear me? Step on my hands. I’ll boost you up.”

His fingers crackled under her weight; the unpleasant sensation made her cringe. She almost lost her balance. His arms trembled as he grunted and boosted her straight up. She glided her hand along the control house wall for support. The concrete felt warm and the rough texture scraped her palms. When she reached the bottom rung, she put all her weight into pulling it down. The metal screeched in protest as the ladder released. The base of it hit the ground with a loud thump. Rena glanced over her shoulder in time to see a set of Syns round the building.

“Climb!” The urgency in his voice spiked her with adrenaline, propelling her to shift her full weight to the ladder.

Below her, Nevan’s foot hit the bottom rung, but it was too late.

“Halt!” said one of the Syns.

Rena scurried down the ladder between Nevan’s arms and ducked under them to jump off. “Hide around the building,” she whispered to him.

She didn’t wait to see if he complied. With her head tilted down to hide her face and her ID ring behind her back, she walked toward the machines. She wanted to tackle them, but had to maintain the appearance of someone experiencing remorse or else they might stun her. She followed the pound of their footsteps through the ground and allowed the fear of getting caught to roil through her. Her soles tingled for a moment, then her calves clenched so hard, she stumbled and fell. The pain moved into her legs and across her back as she hunched on the ground. She whimpered, but refused to release her power.

The Syns stopped in front of her.

Rena risked rolling forward on the other side of them and forced them to turn their back to the control house. Still crouched, she spun to face them.

“Citizen, please stand and identify yourself.”

“Identify this!” Rena reached out, one hand on each Syn, and imagined every ounce of her fear jolting from her hands and into them. She envisioned billions of tiny tremors ripping apart their internal circuitry. After a loud pop, sparks rained down on her and she jumped to her feet. The backpack caused her to lose her balance and she stumbled. The Syns twitched as tendrils of smoke curled from their nostrils. Rena covered her nose against the stench of burning plastic.

“Rena,” Nevan said. “We gotta hide.”

She peered at him between the Syns. Somehow, he’d snuck close enough for her to see the shock on his face. She slipped between the machines. “We should run.”

He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the white building, once again. “Nowhere else to go. No time to argue.”

When they reached the control house, she climbed the ladder. Her limbs felt weak from exertion. Every thud of Nevan’s feet against the rungs thundered through the metal as he followed. The ladder folded up after he reached the fire escape landing. They dashed up three, four stairs at a time.

At the top flat, Nevan covered Rena’s mouth. He pinned her against the building with his body while pointing down through the vertical slats of the steel railing at another set of Syns below. She gasped. Thankfully, his hand muffled the sound. The Syns approached the ones Rena had short-circuited. Her breaths came in shallow pants. What if they figured out what had happened?

Seven feet stood between them and the rooftop. No ladder in sight and her powers depleted. Moisture blurred Rena’s vision. Nevan put one finger to his lips in a silent “shh” as he removed the other hand from her mouth. He pointed up to the roof then tapped his shoulders. She nodded, not arguing this time.

He turned around, and with his feet shoulder-width apart twisted, as if to see her face. In quick succession, he tapped his right thigh, left thigh, right shoulder, left shoulder. She nodded and he placed his hands on his knees to brace himself, ready for her to climb up his back. She glanced at the new Syns. With their back to the control house, they opened the skulls of the fried ones. She knew they planned to run some sort of diagnostics and prayed there was nothing left for them to trace.

With her hands on Nevan’s shoulders, Rena stepped onto his right thigh and then left. Sweat dampened the back of her shirt and slicked her palms. She wiped them on her pants before she grabbed Nevan’s lifted hands for balance and stepped onto his shoulders. He let out a quiet breath as he pushed to a standing position and pressed her shins against the back of his head. From the vantage point, Rena saw another set of Syns approach. How long until they scanned the control house?

Nevan angled toward the building. She hooked her hand over the ledge and hauled herself up, using his hands for extra support. The concrete scraped her chest and stomach as she crawled over the top and rolled onto the roof. In a split second, she was on her feet and reaching for him.

He was too far away.

Author Bio

Natasha Hanova is an award-winning author of young adult and adult dark fantasy/paranormal fiction. Her short stories are published in Undead Tales 2, October Nightmares and Dreams, and Once Upon a Christmas. She is a member of Novel Clique, YALitChat, and an Affiliate member of the Oklahoma Writer’s Federation, Inc. She lives in Kansas with her wonderful husband, twin boys, and daughter.

Author Links

Twitter

Facebook

Goodreads

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour: Interview with Gina Marie Long, author of Rocked, A Chelsie Valdar Saga

 Tour Schedule

I'm excited to have an interview with Gina Marie Long, the author of Rocked, to share with you today. I hope you enjoy, and check out the Rocked book details further down the post. There is also a giveaway for an ebook copy of Rocked. 

Could you tell us a bit about your latest release?

Rocked: A Chelsie Valdar Saga, 1 focuses on Chelsie, a modern-day Viking warrior teenager who lives in Oregon. She has a younger brother, Ash, who is better with his brain than with battles. Throw in shape shifting Bigfoot who look hot and hunky as humans, an abandoned werecat, the search for a mystical weapon, a deranged stalker who is after Chelsie and is power-hungry, and the clock is ticking down to the impending Apocalypse-in one week. The story is suitable for age 13 and up. It’s categorized as young adult, paranormal thriller, urban fantasy.

What have you learned about writing and publishing since you first started?

A lot. I could write an entire book on that, but there are already so many awesome books on the subjects of writing and publishing. I’ve learned that nothing happens as fast as you want it to. There are a world of distractions and shiny things trying to grab my attention all the time. Marketing is incredibly important. Don’t bother “being an author” if you won’t dedicate time to promoting your books. The catch: don’t push books into people’s face, very rarely advertise them, people despise being “sold to”. The answer: network, make connections with people, show you care. The problem: this takes mega-time. And it’s impossible to be everywhere if you are only one person and still hope to write additional books. Oddly, but thankfully, I really love marketing! But the time…eeek! Another thing I discovered since I first started publishing is the number of other writers out there. It is unreal how many people have published books (whether with traditional publishers, self-published, a combo of the two, whatever way). It is difficult trying to let the world know you and your books exist among the sea of other authors’ books. So, hello out there! I’m waving at all of you nowJ

Is there anything you would do differently?

I would not have waited so long in between each of my published books. I wish I hadn’t wasted so much time. It would have also been nice to have had an entire series finished (or close to it) and then start releasing them like boom, boom, boom…have the whole series be out there so when a reader finished reading one, the other was instantly available to buy. I know that is not the norm for authors…you write a book then you publish it. Start over - write then publish. Repeat. I have ADHD and OCD, too, and I believe these mental issues mess with progress and maintaining a productive writing schedule. Sticking to a real work schedule, say Monday through Friday from 8 to 5, just as if I was driving into a regular job, is critical if you want to be a full-time author and want to keep pumping out books, do marketing, and hope to bring in a decent income.

Who, or what, if anything has influenced your writing?

Stephenie Meyer, Anne Rice, Amanda Hocking, Suzanne Collins. I also watch many supernatural and sci-fi TV shows, such as: The Walking Dead, Being Human, Supernatural, Grimm, The Vampire Diaries, True Blood, Beauty and the Beast, Lost Girl, Revolution, Defiance.

Do you plan everything or just let the story flow?

I plan just about everything. I do a major outline before I even start writing the book. The outline is usually 10 pages in length. Handwritten, too, and both sides of the paper! Tons of research, Google Maps, figuring out names, creating the mythology rules for my beings, character traits and things to know about them. I don’t always follow the outline 100%, though. As I write the story, I might realize it’s better to change something than to keep my original plan, especially if what I had scribbled in the outline doesn’t make sense anymore or is boring or inconsistent or I come up with a new kick-butt idea. I’ve even created new characters completely out of the blue midway through the book and some of those characters are so cool!

What is your favourite food?

Pizza.

Are you a morning person or a night owl?

Morning (although I am found on many occasion at the computer at 10:30 at night).

Where do you dream of travelling to and why?

Montana, perhaps around the Missoula area. We have toyed with moving there.

Do distant places feature in your books?

Not sure how to answer this one. I’ve published three books and all are set in the present time (not the past or in the future). Some of the locations have been my hometown area (Highland, Illinois), Kentucky, Massachusetts, Oregon.

Do you listen to music while writing?

Sometimes I do listen to music that I have on my iPod or I’ll turn the radio on. Other times, the music is too much of a distraction and I’ll turn it off. I DO love listening to music, though, and have an enormous collection!!

What are three words that describe you?

Hyper, talkative, animal-lover.

What's your favourite book or who is your favourite writer?

It’s impossible for me to narrow it down to a favorite book or writer. I sit here and try, but too many titles and authors flood my mind. The best I can do is list authors I love: Anne Rice, Amanda Hocking, Stephenie Meyer, Christine Feehan, Jacquelyn Frank, Karen Marie Moning, Heather Brewer, Morgan Rice, J.L. Bryan, J.A. Konrath, Suzanne Collins, Stephen King, Justin Cronin, Maggie Stiefvater.

Title: Rocked: A Chelsie Valdar Saga, #1 

Author: Gina Marie Long 

Publication: February 16th 2013 

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Thriller/Urban Fantasy

Synopsis:

The Apocalypse is coming...in one week. Chelsie Valdar and her brother are modern-day Viking warrior teenagers. They must find a mystical sword belonging to their ancient ancestor and flee to safety at a secret shelter, if they hope to survive. As the clock ticks, several Bigfoot and an outcast werecat become invaluable friends helping with the search for the sword and offering supernatural protection. Misfortune haunts their every move. Conflicts delay their progress. Especially when a devious and deranged enemy is infatuated with Chelsie and hungers for the sword, desperate to escape to the shelter with Chelsie by his side. Time is running out.

Buy Links

Amazon

Smashwords

Barnes & Noble

Author Bio

Gina Marie Long is an author of paranormal thrillers, urban fantasy, and young adult novels. She has written the Unknown Touch-Werewolf Series and Rocked – A Chelsie Valdar Saga.
Gina's fiction stories are inspired from her interest in the supernatural, science fiction and fantasy world. She enjoys reading, watching evening TV shows, movies and listening to music. Writing indulges her passion for the entertainment arts, giving her active mind a playground of possibilities to explore. She stays active on social media sites and blogging, making connections with others who share the same interests.

She writes about werewolves, vampires, witches, werecats, Bigfoot, an occasional demon, psychics, Vikings, and riveting human characters. But not ALL in the same book! In addition, a light romance is included to spice things up (come on-every book, movie and TV show has some sort of a love story in it). The books do not fall under the romance category...just enough in the storyline to satisfy the girls. And the boys can breathe easy with the knowledge that they're not reading a romance novel but a paranormal thriller, instead. Depending on which series, the ages of the main characters are 16 through 30. Most are on the younger side.

"It's exciting to create strong characters that the readers fall in love with…or want to strangle! Writing books about other beings, such as werewolves and vampires, allows rules to be broken concerning life and the world as we know it. The idea to have these supernatural species living and breathing among us is so wickedly intriguing. Having close contact with them, developing relationships, and dealing with the good vs. the evil - it sweeps you away into another reality – an escape from real life. You wonder and worry about what the characters will stumble upon next. Or, what horrific tragedy knocks them flat on their faces."~~Gina
She lives in Highland, Illinois, with her husband and Jessie Cat.

Author Links

Website

Goodreads

Facebook

Twitter

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway