A YA Summer Freebie!

Firstly, I would like to thank Angela for having me on her blog today! I’m here to promote Mages of Vane, which is currently free until July 28th over on Amazon. Mages of Vane is the second book in the Phoenix Element series. However, it can be read as a standalone title. Normality Twisted being the first book in the series.

Here's where to find my books: Amazon, and check me out on Twitter, Facebook, or Goodreads.

Mages of Vane on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Phoenix-Element-Mages-Jennifer-Kibble-ebook/dp/B014E2Y44W

Normality Twisted on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Phoenix-Element-Normality-Jennifer-Kibble-ebook/dp/B011LNG3M8

Mages of Vane takes place at a magic school where our hero, Anya, is taking classes more or less against her will. In order to protect her friends and family, Anya sought out the mages of Vane to free her body from a powerful, and corrupt entity. The entity known as Ashima isn’t the only being corrupt at Vane. Soon Anya must battle Blood Mages, and her own conflictive thoughts in order to keep the school from crumbling down.

Feel free to follow me on my blog at JenniferKibble.com, or on Amazon, and check me out on Twitter, Facebook, or Goodreads.

JenniferKibble.com: https://jenniferkibble.com/

Follow on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Jennifer-Kibble/e/B00BG2PAQU/

@Next_Jen on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Next_Jen

Jennifer Kibble on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJenniferKibble/

Follow on GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7340178.Jennifer_Kibble

 

Now on to the Q and A!

What was the most awkward dating situation you’ve ever found yourself in and have you ever used it in your writing?  

Can’t say that I have had that come up. There was an instance of spilled milk, literary, but nothing to make your jaw drop. I do use real world situations in my work, taking elements from different events in my own personal life and fitting them into the story. 

In interviews, authors are often asked what made them start writing. I think the real question is what keeps you writing even in a competitive environment like the publishing industry? 

I love my characters. They are a part of me and I want their story told. It wouldn’t be fair to them if I stopped their adventure right dab in the middle. And I do love to escape into my writing as well, so that is a plus. 

What is your favorite animal, the one that turns you into a big pile of mush when you see them?

I love animals! I have two cats and a dog myself. Pets and animals in general know how to make me feel better after a rough day. My favorite cat is the ocelot, which I finally saw at the Seattle Zoo a few years ago. I did a little jump of joy when I saw him. Then you have otters, red pandas, chinchillas, and of course cats and dogs.  

What place in the world makes you feel like all is right in your universe and do you go there often?  

This might sound silly and a little strange, but when I listen to music with my headphones on, late at night, I feel like I am transported elsewhere. It is also one of the best times for me to come up with ideas and scenes for my books. As for a physical place, I’ve only been there once: Mt. Rainier in Washington. The sights and the sounds of that area are truly majestic. I’ve lived near the beach my entire life, but seeing mountains, and that close, really struck a chord within me.

Finally, what story or storyteller has literally changed your life and how it affects you?  

Recently I discovered Critical Role. This is a show on Geek and Sundry where voice actors play Dungeons and Dragons. Their dungeon master, also known as the DM, Matthew Mercer, is a fantastic storyteller. By watching, I’ve gained some useful tips for my own stories, be it for my books, or for my own D&D adventure.

Once again, thank you for hosting me and thank you to the readers who took the time out to read what I had to say. I hope that you will download Mages of Vane and that you’ll enjoy it as much as I did writing it.

A YA Summer & An Awesome sale

Hi all! I'm a few days late posting for the latest YA summer author but am still super excited to turn my blog over to the talented Tara Ellis and let her tell you all about a sale she's running on her fabulous YA boxed set! Take it away Tara.

For a limited time, you can have the box set for under a dollar!

July 15th - 22nd

An alien plague. A sixteen-year-old girl. A fight to save the world.

The Forgotten Origins Trilogy is a fast-paced young adult sci-fi story, centered around sixteen-year-old Alex. What starts as a rare meteor shower ends up unleashing a viral plague that changes everything. Led into the mountains of the Pacific Northwest by cryptic clues left from her deceased father, Alex discovers that the past is not what she learned in school. When the human race balances on the brink of extinction, the fate of the world rests on the truth being exposed. To unravel the ancient secrets, Alex must rely on her friends, family and few allies. The Forgotten Origins is an epic saga, drawing the reader into a fascinating, frightening world where the unfolding drama will keep you riveted until the last page is turned.

The Forgotten Origins crosses many genres including science fiction, dystopian, fantasy, and supernatural. It is also a clean read! (PG-13)

[The series has a combined 78 reviews with a 4.6 average rating!]

Author Tara Ellis lives in a small, rural town in Washington State, set in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. She enjoys the quiet lifestyle with her husband, two teenage kids and several dogs. Tara was a firefighter/EMT, and worked in the medical field for many years, before committing herself to writing young adult and middle grade novels full-time. 

She grew up on sci-fi, was a devoted Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica fan, and has since found a love for conspiracy theories. This background, combined with a wild imagination has led to The Forgotten Origins Trilogy. The first book in the series, Infected, was a finalist in the IAN 2015 Book of the Year Awards, was awarded Honorable Mention in the 2015 Reader's Favorite Book Awards, named 'Indie Book of the Day in Oct, 2014' and voted as 'Top 50 Indie Books of 2014'. (readfreely.com)

Her on-going middle grade mystery series, The Samantha Wolf Mysteries, has hit the best seller status on Amazon in the children's detective story genre several times, and continues to grow in popularity. The engaging, fun stories herald back to the days of Nancy Drew and Trixie Beldon, and several readers have commented that the series is of the same caliber. These are clean reads that are suitable for the whole family to read together, and are also part of the Kindle Unlimited program.

Join Tara's newsletter to be notified of all new releases and sales events! Newsletter

Find her on facebook at: Facebook

twitter: Twitter

Visit her author page on Amazon to find all her books!:  Amazon page

A YA Summer- Karin De Havin

Hi All! I hope everyone had a great 4th of July weekend! I'm excited to get back to our fabulous YA summer where I'm celebrating and sharing Young Adult authors all summer long! Today I'm hosting author Karin De Havin and her books. She's sent over all kinds of information and I'm going to let you read all about her then you can go check out her work and see if it will be your next summer read! I know that's where I'm headed:)

Title: The Girl Chameleon Episode One

Author: Karin De Havin

Publisher: 9 Yards Publishing

Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult, Romance

Blurb:

Jen is a seventeen-year old girl who gets average grades and has a boring normal life except for one thing—she is a human chameleon.

She can transform herself into any inanimate object she touches. An ability she’s hidden from everyone, especially her parents. After all she is just an average girl so no one would believe she could do something so extraordinary. That is until she meets Ainsley, a handsome artist at a gallery showing. His painting are so beautiful and lifelike Jen wants to jump inside them and become one with the fantastical worlds. When they go out to dinner after the gallery opening, Jen senses there is something special about Ainsley too. He has a secret just like hers.

They’d make the perfect couple—if only his secret wouldn’t kill her

Excerpt:

Excerpt From The Girl Chameleon Episode One…

Speeding through the air, my wings flash a kaleidoscope of colors as they pulse across the bedroom. I make a sharp turn and bank toward the bay window. My momentum quickly fades and I land gently on the carpet. I haven't learned to master transforming into a real bird yet so I have to satisfy my curiosity about flight by turning into a plastic toy instead. Kit, my five-year-old baby brother, giggles with delight as he pulls the rubber band back and launches me into the air again.

The blissful feeling of flight is cut short when I hear Mom calling my name. “Jennifer, get your butt down here right now. You’re going to make Kit late for kindergarten.”

Mom hollers again and I concentrate on the floor. First, my feet pop up, then my arms and legs. A warm sensation spreads through my limbs as blood pumps through my veins once again. It’s a feeling I’ve experienced since my first transformation into a teddy bear at the age of four.

About the Author

Karin De Havin writes Young Adult fantasies as well as Paranormal Romance stories from her timber frame home in the Pacific Northwest. She lives with a pair of tuxedo cats that like to help her write by jumping on the keyboard, and her pianist husband who occasionally is known to wear a tuxedo and tinker with the keyboard too. 

Contact: Karin De Havin

Karin’s Website

Karin’s Facebook Author Page

Karin’s Street Team Havin’s Den

Karin’s Book club & Newsletter

Karin’s Pinterest Boards

Here’s the links to the episode.

https://www.amazon.com/Chameleon-Episode-Shifter-Vampire-Alliance-ebook/dp/B01H4WUAC4/

The second episode just went live too

https://www.amazon.com/Artist-Vampire-Episode-Two-Contemporary-ebook/dp/B01HYN4EL6/

Thanks for stopping by!

A Summer of YA with the amazing Lia London!

Welcome back for week two of a summer of YA. Those of us that love the Young Adult Genre would probably content reading a YA book by the pool or on the beach, if only life would let us:)

Today, I'm introducing the very talented  Lia London and  sharing what I call the NOT-BORING-FIVE-QUESTION-INTERVIEW.

I love this format because you can learn a lot about an author in just a few random questions and us YA book lovers, well, we like it fast moving and interesting! To let you get to know Lia, here's her interview.



Hi Lia, 
What animal makes  your heart happy and do you have one as a pet?
Well, my favorite domestic animals are good ol' cats and dogs, and I have one of each: the cat to keep me humble by ignoring me, and the dog to boost my ego by adoring me. In the "wild", I'm awfully fond of squirrels and otters. We have a resident squirrel in our back yard--and a scrub jay. They form an inter-species friendship that delights me to watch. 

Do you have a favorite scene out of a book that you’ve written that you would want to experience yourself (we’d love an excerpt) Why is it your favorite?

Hmmm. I don't think I'd want to experience my favorite scenes because they're usually gut-wrenching or way to action-packed for an old lady like me, but in MAGIAN HIGH, I do enjoy the first time the main characters take a class. Kincaid is an average mage and Amity is a genius without magic skills. She has a massive chip on her shoulder, but they have a good chemistry--which is handy because they are lab partners. 

Here's that excerpt:

Luck had it that Amity Griffin and I were made lab partners in chemistry.  I’m the only Mage paired with a Nomer.  I don’t think Mr. Petercriss approves of desegregation, and this was probably his jab at me for having supported it.  He stuck us in the back of the room with the faucet that drips, as if daring me to do some magic on the water or something.  He knows I can’t.  It’s common knowledge that I can’t even make a simple Water Ball.

While he gave the opening lecture, Amity reached over and unscrewed the spout and pulled out the little rubber ring.  “Cracked,” she muttered.  Then she took the gum out of her mouth, twisted it onto the ring and put the whole thing back together.  She finished as Mr. Petercriss came to our lab station to hand us our test tubes.  He looked at her suspiciously, but she smiled up at him kind of fake and said, “I fixed the drip.”  He grunted and went back down the aisle.  “Without magic,” she added under her breath.  She turned on her stool and faced me all perky—but like she was making fun of me.  “So, are we going to learn how to make love potions or something?” she asked, measuring some kind of oxide powder into the tube.  “’Cause I’m thinking you need one handy with your pathetic flirting skills.”

“I wasn’t flirting.  And…this is chemistry.”

“That’s not Mage code for Witch Potions class?”

For the first time since we met, I looked at her like she was dumb.  “You do know that witches aren’t real, right?”  I pointed to my nose and head.  “Look.  No warts or pointy hat.”

She floundered for a second before answering.  “Of course, but then what makes you Mages think you’re so special—just because you can fly around like superheroes?”

“Not all of us,” I said.  “And I’m not a superhero, either.  Look.  No cape.”

“Okay, so you just look like Marvelman,” she said, almost smiling.  “But can’t you guys all make stuff disappear in a puff?”

“That’s a cheap theater trick with smoke bombs and trap doors, Amity,” I said, starting to get mad.  “Matter is matter.  You can move it around, but you can’t make it disappear.  That’s a basic law of physics.”

Her eyebrow shot up.  “Can you name a single law of physics?”

“I…”

Mr. Petercriss stopped by our station right at that moment to rescue me by chewing us out for talking more than working.  Amity started moving quickly, trying to light the Bunsen burner.  It didn’t work, and her face started showing all kinds of angry.

“Is everything at this stupid school broken?” she griped.  “We’ve got to heat this now, or we won’t have time to test the reaction.”

Putting the test tube back in the rack, I touched the rounded end with my finger, let out a few sparks, and then pulled back to let a short flame lick the bottom.  The stuff inside started to melt, and I ventured a sideways glance at Amity.  Her mouth actually hung open.

As soon as she saw me looking, she smirked.  “Okay, Kincaid.  How did you do that?”

I shrugged.  “I don’t know.  Just did it.”

“But you have to know how.  Did you think something, or say a spell, or—?”  I shot her a warning look.  “Sorry, but really, how?”

The whole time she talked, she sketched the chemical reactions on our worksheet and did calculations in the margins.  “How do you do all that?” I asked, trying to change the subject.  “I can’t even spell half these chemicals, let alone diagram reactions that fast.”

That was probably the least impressive thing I could have said, but apparently, really funny.  She laughed so hard she snorted.  I mean actually snorted, and half the class looked back at us.  Great, I thought.  Kincaid, the Kinky Lover of Pig Nomers.  I can see it coming.

What is the name of your latest book out and which character would be your best friend if they could come and hang out with you.

My latest book is actually nonfiction, but in MAGIAN HIGH, I would totally want to hang with the main character, Kincaid. (This is assuming I were 40 years younger). He's down-to-earth and accepting of everyone and has no idea how cool he is. Plus, y'know, really handsome and can fly and shoot fire from his hands.  

What is the most hilarious thing you’ve ever seen or experienced, the thing that still makes you chuckle when you think about  today, and do you think you could ever use it in your writing?

Ah, there have been many bumbling missteps in my life, and a goodly number of them showed up in my romantic comedy, Her Imaginary Husband. One involved accidentally wearing mismatched shoes to school, and the other had a teacher climbing up on to the desks and chasing a wasp with a yard stick during class--and then getting caught by the principal!

Finally, what fun stuff are you working on now and when can we expect to get our hands on it?

As I mentioned, my current WiP, due out at the end of July, is a nonfiction inspirational memoir called Knocking & Knowing. Maybe not what this audience is looking for. Most recently in the world of YA fiction, though, I released Ancients of Drandsil and the Circle of Law, and action adventure set in a pre-industrial world where the "Ancients" have the power to control things like water, wind, animals, and even death. A reviewer said they were like Superheroes from Narnia. That works! Referring back to that earlier question, there are tons of moments I'd love to experience from this book, but I wouldn't want to live there. No indoor plumbing, internet or Diet Coke...

 Thanks for stopping by to learn more about Ms. London. You can learn more about her books here Lia's books. She's got some great summer sales going on this week!

A summer of YA

I'm so glad you stopped by because today I'm launching a summer long celebration of Young Adult authors. I still love reading YA and of course writing about teenagers and all their crazy adventures. This summer I'm working hard on Belakane, a novella about the origin of The Secret Keeper curse!! While I'm in my theoretical writing cave, I thought I'd take the opportunity to share with you some of my favorite YA authors and their latest work.

Sooo, every Monday through the summer drop by to discover a new author or series, starting today!

To get the ball rolling author C.E. Wilson is having an amazing sale on the first book of her fantasy series The Boy With Words.

Isn't the cover gorgeous!
And here's the blurb....
White Frost has only ever known the darkness. Everything outside of her closed society is The Unknown – a strange and dangerous place accessible to only a chosen few. White’s only glimpse of the world beyond comes from her beloved cousin in the form of mysterious collections of words that hint at astonishing wonders. When an accident upends her simple existence, she’s given an unlikely chance to see the truth for herself.
What she finds is greater and more terrible than she could have imagined, and before long she is forced to make the most important choice of her life: does she accept her safe, limited world that she’s known or take a desperate gamble in a world not meant for her with the Boy with Words?

Love the name White frost and it sounds like a great story, a perfect way to escape on hot summer day! You can check out reviews as well as Ms. Wilson's other work on Amazon click here

 Well friends, thanks for stopping by and celebrating A YA summer. See you next Monday for another brilliant Young Adult author:)

10 reasons you might be accused of being a witch in 1692

 Now that book 2 in the Secret Keeper Series (IN THE DYING LIGHT) is released, I get to put my energy back into writing. Originally, I only intended to write three books but the longer I worked on book three, the more Belakane, the enchantress that created the Secret Keeper curse, came to life-begging to have her own story told.

Well, she gets her wish. Belakane, the novella should come out right around the same time I publish the final book in the trilogy.

Because Belakane takes place in 1692 in Salem Massachusetts during the heat of the Salem Witch trials I've been doing a ton of research on the era. It was a crazy time in history, better than fiction and I've loved studying it. Thank you Google!

For your enjoyment, I've made a top ten list of reason's you might be accused of being being a witch in 1692.

Also, just this week you can pick up the first book in the Secret Keeper series for FREE, FREE, FREE....AND BOOK 2 IN THE DYING LIGHT FOR .99shiny pennies cause it's part of a summer sale. Here's the link to catch that awesome deal. click here

Now here's the top ten reasons you might be considered a witch in 1692

1. You have unique moles or scars(this is the devils mark)
2. You mutter to yourself(this means you are casting spells)
3. You are fond of or close to an animal, particularly a cat. They call your animal a familiar and think you use them to cast your dark magic.
4.  Milk or buttermilk has spoiled while in your "cooler"
5. You are female
6. You are related to or associated with a accused witch
7. You are contentious or stubborn (Men could be forceful, but if a woman was...she's a witch:)
8. You are in a "low" social position
9. You couldn't have children or were widowed(clearly you were being punished by God)
and finally...
10. You were middle aged.

Whew, I'm glad I didn't live back then. I'd be in trouble for sure! Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to grab your free copy of The Secret Keeper on Kindle, Nook and I-books and In The Dying Light for .99cents!