Spencer Brokaw, future bestselling author!

31.8.12

Last year Spencer Brokaw wrote his very first novel. And what is so awesome about it, is the fact that he was just 12 years old. Awesome right?
He has recently started to produce his first vlogs and I asked him if I could share one with you. He was thrilled actually and said, of course! So let me introduce you to Spencer Brokaw, author of The Impenetrable Spy...


For more information about Spencer and his fabulous books, visit www.spencerbrokaw.com

REVIEW: The Forsaken by Lisa M. Stasse

28.8.12

As an obedient orphan of the U.N.A. (the super-country that was once Mexico, the U.S., and Canada), Alenna learned at an early age to blend in and be quiet—having your parents taken by the police will do that to a girl. But Alenna can’t help but stand out when she fails a test that all sixteen-year-olds have to take: The test says she has a high capacity for brutal violence, and so she is sent to The Wheel, an island where all would-be criminals end up. The life expectancy of prisoners on The Wheel is just two years, but with dirty, violent, and chaotic conditions, the time seems a lot longer as Alenna is forced to deal with civil wars for land ownership and machines that snatch kids out of their makeshift homes. Desperate, she and the other prisoners concoct a potentially fatal plan to flee the island. Survival may seem impossible, but Alenna is determined to achieve it anyway.

This is possibly the BEST book I've read this year and that means I preferred it to The Hunger Games! Yes, it's THAT good! Once I started reading, I just couldn't put it down.
One of the other reviewers here said that this book is an 'epic Hunger Games', which is quite a good description but in my opinion The Forsaken is better (and I love the Hunger Games!). It's more in-depth, perhaps a little more adult. I actually cried at one point too (okay then, I cried at more than one point). The Forsaken truly is an epic read. If you liked Lord of the Flies, then it will probably appeal to you too. It's quite scary in parts and it really makes you think...  What if? Could this kind of thing really happen in our lifetime?
Keep an eye out for author Lisa M Stasse because she's going to be huge. This book has the potential to become a true classic. I can't wait for the next book in the series!

#YAIndieCarnival: Off to college

24.8.12

This week, we're off to college. As none of my books (so far!) have college scenes in them (my protagonists have been a bit too young), I figured I'd recall a college scene from someone else's books. The one that particularly stands out to me is The Morganville Vampire series by Rachel Caine. Have you read them?
I think I've only got as far as Book 5, Lord of Misrule, but plan to eventually read the rest. They are pretty cool!
Anyway, thinking back to the books, I remember when Claire first entered the University at Morganville... being the new kid there and having no idea that the town was virtually run by vampires. And then later when she'd attend classes knowing what she knew... kinda creepy, don't you think?
Anyway, my post this week is clearly kinda lame :) I think maybe the summer sun has finally got to me... either that or my brain is just too focused on writing the Morgan Sisters at the moment ;)
Next week, there's no Indie Carnival so that my American counterparts can celebrate Labor Day. So have a great holiday guys and gals!! xx

To read more college tales, visit my awesome fellow carnis...

1. Laura A. H. Elliott author of Winnemucca & 13 on Halloween, Book 1 in the Teen Halloween Series
2. Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series

BRAND NEW COVERS for The Raven Saga

19.8.12

I'm absolutely delighted to have brand new covers for all three books in The Raven Saga!!
Fabulous author and book cover designer, Emma Michaels, has worked her magic and produced these gorgeous masterpieces for me and I couldn't be happier :)




Stay tuned because I've got another Grand Cover Reveal for my new book on 1st September!! WOOP WOOP!!!!

#YAIndieCarnival: All about the readers

17.8.12



Today at the YA Indie Carnival, it's all about the readers. Sadly, living in a little corner of Portugal, I never get the opportunity to visit book fairs, signings and the like so I've never met any of my readers, the majority of which are based in the US and the UK.
But I have had the real pleasure of receiving fan mail. And receiving fan mail is TOTALLY awesome! It makes everything totally worthwhile, giving me a warm fuzzy feeling inside.
Perhaps one day, things will change and I'll be travelling the world to visit my fans! Hey... a girl can dream, can't she?
To read about my awesome buddies, the YA Indie carnis' experiences with fans, visit the links below.
Before I sign off, I just wanted to say a HUGE THANK YOU to Laura Elliott for all her hard work with the Indie Carnival. She's done a massively awesome job in creating such a fun, successful weekly event. I'd also like to welcome the talented T.R Graves who will be taking over as ringmaster in September. Looking forward to it, T.R! The best of luck!

See ya all next week ;) xx

1. Laura A. H. Elliott author of Winnemucca & 13 on Halloween, Book 1 in the Teen Halloween Series
2. Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series

The Broken Destiny release party

13.8.12

~Her Destiny is to rise above the fall ~
The Broken Destiny
 To celebrate the release the debut Novel
The Broken Destiny
One winner will win:
The Broken Destiny
Is the first book in The Broken Series. A cross over between, Science fiction, dystopian and an Urban Fantasy adventure.
Her Destiny is to rise above the fall that threatens her soul. Her soul is the key to unlocking a secret weapon that has been hidden since the time of the ancients. Ava and her kind have been exiled to planet Poseidon after Earth’s destruction. Ava carries a secret journal hidden from The Council and The Keepers which have led her to believe everything they were told about their origins is a lie. Weeks after one of her friends go missing, she is saved from an attempted kidnapping by a Minoan boy, and taken back to their village where the truth of her kind and her prophesied destiny is brought to light. Her destiny is to rise above the fall, to reveal the truth, to save her kind, and expose the lies. Her Destiny starts off with betrayal. Through a series of horrific events she will become what she hates to save the ones she loves.
They aren’t gods and goddesses. They aren’t angels. They’re the beings upon which human myths and biblical stories are all based.
They are Estilorians.
Humans and Estilorians once shared the earth. Over time, humans realized they could never have the powers and abilities of the long-lived Estilorians, and began warring against them as well as each other. To save humanity from themselves, the nine Estilorian elders joined together to create their own plane of existence, removing all Estilorians from the human plane and becoming beings of legend.
In so doing, they doomed themselves to an emotionless existence. No happiness or joy. No optimism or hope.
And no love.
Millennia later, their possible salvation comes in the form of three teenage, half-human girls…the daughters of one of their own.
The Daughters of Saraqael.
  
Dead Radiance and Dead Embers stunning bookmarks
  
Dead Radiance
That day I knew for sure. I'd lost control of my tears then. They fell in huge, mocking drops. I stared at Joshua through those bitter tears, my heart missing beats as I tried to remember to breathe. I finally knew what the glow meant. I was a freak and Joshua was going to die. Bryn Halbrook had always seen the glow. But it is only when her best friend dies that she discovers the meaning of those beautiful golden auras — Death. Alone, lost in the foster system, she struggles to understand who she is and why she was cursed with the ability to see the soon-to-be-dead. The new foster kid, Aidan, isn’t helping any. Mr. Perfect seems to fit in no matter what, making her feel even more pathetic. But when his affections turn to her, Bryn finds him hard to resist. Impossible actually. A mystery himself, Aidan disappears, leaving behind a broken heart and a mysterious book that suggests Bryn might not be entirely human.
Enter to win

You can now vote for The Broken Destiny on Goodreads
Giveaway runs until the 20th of August
Follow Carlyle on her

The Broken Destiny Revealed tour for more awesome prizes 
http://www.carlylelabuschagne.com/blog-tour.html

B o o k s 4 T o m o r r o w: FANTASTIC MUST-READ E-BOOKS GIVEAWAY!

12.8.12

To be in with a chance of winning 56 ebooks (yes, you read that right, 56 ebooks!), visit the link below and enter this awesome competition....
B o o k s 4 T o m o r r o w: FANTASTIC MUST-READ E-BOOKS GIVEAWAY!:

#YAIndieCarnival: Beat the heat

10.8.12


Today at the YA Indie Carnival we're dishing out hot summer reads! And I've got a few awesome reads for you to get your teeth into. Here are some of my favourite books that are just perfect for the beach, the pool, the terrace, outside under the shade of a tree or just snuggled up indoors out of the heat!

Hidden & Thicker Than Blood by Shalini Boland

I've read Hidden three times over the past couple of years and each time I've loved it even more. If you love vampire stories, then Hidden is a must-read! Thicker Than Blood, the sequel, came out earlier this year and it certainly didn't disappoint. I can't wait for the third book in The Marchwood Vampire series!! Oh, and once you've read those, check out Shalini's other books, A Shirtful of Frogs (I'm reading it soon!) and Outside which is, like, one of the BEST dystopian novels I've read! LOVE LOVE LOVE it!

The Fairy Circle & Fairy Thief by Johanna Frappier

Johanna's imagination is just totally awesome! I love the way she writes and her main character, who goes through some crazy stuff, is just like a regular teenager, you know? She's just so cool. If you love fairy books, then you've got to try this series... it's SO different from anything else you've read, I'm sure of it! AMAZING!

The Bringer by Samantha Towle

So far this is the only book I've read by Samantha (although I have others on my Kindle, ready and waiting... !) and it was AM.A.Z.I.N.G! I loved everything about it, especially the Australia connection! Again, this book is totally unique and there is no doubt that you're gonna LOVE IT!

Rippler by Cidney Swanson

I was totally taken aback by Rippler (probably because I had absolutely no idea what it was going to be about!) because it was just so brilliant. Cidney writes beautifully and her main character's 'problem' for want of a better word, is probably one of the coolest 'problems' around (although a tad awkward at times). This book is an awesome summer read... go and get it, like now (it's FREE at the moment)! AWESOME!

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Yes, I know, I know... I'm kind of behind the times. I was a late comer to The Hunger Games and my goodness, I wasn't disappointed. It was AMAZING. I'm sure you've all read it by now so how about re-reading it? You're bound to notice little bits of awesomeness than you missed the first time round! SUPER!

Paradox by Patti Roberts

Again, this is one of those books that was unputdownable. It is so unique, unlike any other books I've ever read. I love that it incorporates different worlds (I ain't giving anything away here!). Patti is a super writer and I can't wait to finally get round to reading the sequels! WONDERFUL!

Anathema by Megg Jensen

I LOVED this book, everything about it just draws you in and you end up sitting up late at night desperate to know what happens next! It's a real page-turner. You must read Anathema... it's FREE at the moment (!), you'll be totally engrossed after the first page! BEAUTIFUL!

There are so many other wonderful YA books that I could go on and on and on...! How about trying out books by all the YA Indie Carnis? There are some real gems to be found among them, for example, have you tried The Raven Saga... it's really very good ;)

To beat the heat and find out some more awesome summer reads, check out my awesome buddies, the YA Indie carnis below.... See ya next week ;) xx

1. Laura A. H. Elliott author of Winnemucca & 13 on Halloween, Book 1 in the Teen Halloween Series
2. Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series

Where are they now? Ally Sheedy

9.8.12

Being such a HUGE TV and movie addict, I often wonder what happened to some of the stars of yesteryear, don't you? I figured I would track some of them down (well, not literally, of course!) and see for myself. Here is the first in a series of Where Are They Now?

Ally Sheedy
Photo credit: quicheisinsane via photo pin cc
Remember Ally back in the 80s where she starred in loads of awesome teenage movies? She was one of the so-called Brat Pack? Appearing in movies like Breakfast Club and St Elmo's Fire. I don't know what reminded me of it, but the other day I had am image of another movie she was in, about a maid? Anyway, I couldn't remember the exact details so I googled her to find out. It was called Maid to Order and it was FAB. I was also then reminded that she was also in Short Circuit and WarGames. Do you remember them? They were just the coolest movies back then!
Photo credit: ikrichter via photo pin cc
Anyway, Ally is still a working actress, although as far as I can tell, she has failed to continue the success she had back in the day. Ally has also written a couple of books! Cool, huh?  She Was Nice to Mice: The Other Side of Elizabeth I's Character Never Before Revealed by Previous Historians was written by Ally when she was just 12 and it became a bestseller, apparently! Her second book, is a book of poetry entitled Yesterday I Saw the Sun.
Photo credit: Bridget Laudien via Wikipedia cc 

Girl Crush

8.8.12

I just came across a cute post by Sarah, from the Whimsical Mumblings Blog, who posted about her awesome girl crushes. I know we all have them... you know, those famous gals that we love purely because they are just too darn cute, or because they play the coolest characters on screen. Well after reading Sarah's post, I just HAD to post my own. So here they are, my girl crushes...

Zooey Deschanel
Photo credit: [ebarrera] via photo pin cc
Emily Deschanel
Photo credit: Genevieve719 via photo pin cc
Ksenia Solo
Photo credit: satin_shirt via photo pin cc
Kristen Ritter
Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lge/ cc 
Katy Perry
Photo credit: Michael @ NW Lens via photo pin cc
Reese Witherspoon
Photo credit: Patrick McEvoy-Halston via photo pin cc
Sandra Bullock
photo credit: Raios de Luz - Gláucia Góes via photo pin cc
Pauley Perrette
Photo credit: tixgirl via photo pin cc
Anne Hathaway
Photo credit: Anthony Citrano via photo pin cc
Lindsay Price
Photo credit: vagueonthehow via photo pin cc
Emily Blunt
Photo credit: gdcgraphics via photo pin cc
I'm sure I'll remember more in the next few days, in which case I'll post an update! So about you, who are your current girl crushes?

Music to inspire you...

7.8.12

A little while ago I came across this little gem... it's hauntingly beautiful. I've added it to my playlist on Youtube and listen to it every now and again when I'm writing. Lucinda Drayton, a Hundred Thousand Angels... enjoy!

I feel for Robert Pattinson & Kristen Stewart right now

6.8.12

Photo credit: lyk3_0n3_tym3 via photo pin cc 
I was really saddened to read about Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson's split last week. I know it's hard to believe that she would cheat on our lovely RPatz, but there must be reason behind it. Surely, nobody cheats unless there is an underlying problem with the relationship in the first place? They seemed like the perfect couple... so in love. And yet, she can't have been so desperately in love with him if she would go off for a bit of a fling with some movie producer / director (whatever!), could she? I had hoped that they could work it out, but I guess it's tough to forgive something like that, especially when it's plastered in every newspaper, blog, website, yada yada yada all over the world. Poor RPatz must be feeling so betrayed and poor Kristen must be feeling so guilty. I really do feel for them both. I'm sure they're both hurting so much right now. I just hope they can accept what has happened and move on and be happy, whether it's together again (I hope so!) or with different partners. They deserve to be happy, just like the rest of us.
Photo credit: lyk3_0n3_tym3 via photo pin cc

#YAIndieCarnival: Do you Pinterest?

3.8.12


This week at the YA Indie Carnival, we're talking about Pinterest and I can honestly say that I am obsessed with  it. It's incredibly addictive. I haven't been on Pinterest much for the past week or so, for various reasons, but when I do open that page and all those wonderful images are staring back at me, I get totally sucked in. I could sit scrolling through them for hours (it has been known!). I use it mostly to scout for pictures to inspire my writing as it's so fantastic for that. Check out my book mood boards:
The Raven Saga
The Morgan Sisters
I try to avoid pinning images that are clearly copyrighted, unless it leads directly to a site that gives permission. I also avoid pinning other people's pins when they have been taken directly from google / bing / yahoo, etc.

For more posts on Pinterest, check out my fabulous fellow carnis...
2. Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series
3. Heather Self
Click here for more Indie News:

WIN $50 GC and loads of awesome autographed book!

2.8.12

Like most people, I always love a great giveaway and here's a totally awesome one! You could win a $50 Amazon Gift Voucher, as well as tonnes of amazing autographed books!! So what are you waiting for? Just gain as many entries as you can on the Rafflecopter below (give it a minute to load!). Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The inspiration behind The Raven Saga

2.8.12

I put this little book trailer together using videos I took whilst in Canada in 2009. I wanted readers to get a sense of the beauty of British Columbia where The Raven Saga is set...

Wanna be a zombie? Do a detox!

1.8.12

Photo credit: Through Painted Eyes via photo pin cc
I've done no writing this week whatsoever and, although I feel guilty about that, there is valid reason why not. I had a pretty rough week after suddenly deciding to go on a raw food detox diet. I'm not sure exactly why I decided to do it there and then but I did and holy cow, did I have no idea what I'd let myself in for.
Having never been through detox before, I had no clue that it could cause such pain! Day one was okay, apart from a mild headache, but then day two (and the rest of the week) I had the most awful pains in my legs and lower back. The pain was so severe in fact, that it prevented me from sleeping. I just couldn't lie down for more than 20 minutes at a time. So most of my nights last week were spent walking around the living room. And because of my lack of sleep, I couldn't concentrate either. I was like a zombie... I kid you not.
Most people would take painkillers but I was on detox... the whole point of which is to rid the body of toxins so I wasn't about to put even more back in! So I suffered and endured the pain. Thankfully, I started feeling better on Sunday and I'm almost back to normal now. Sleeping feels like such a luxury!
Photo credit: Through Painted Eyes via photo pin cc
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