The Grave Winner is free January 7th and 8th (today and tomorrow), and The Trinity Bleeds (the third and final book in The Grave Winner series) releases on the 9th! It’s 3 days of YA horror! Eeeeeeeeeeeeek!
Blog
Ringing in the New Year (Probably Illegally) and a #Giveaway For #Authors!
Hello there, 2016! Aren’t you looking all sexy and new! I have to say 2015 was kind of a blah year for me. Other than a few high points, it was pretty sleep-inducing. Sleep is a super special thing, but all year? Come on!
I rang in the new year with book research. I won’t tell you what I was researching because I’ll probably get arrested.
So! New year’s resolutions… the only one I have is to blog more, which is why I’m here today with two pieces of newses, one for each hand!
Number one newses is that the last book of The Grave Winner trilogy releases in seven days!!!
Heidi from Momma Says Read called The Trinity Bleeds, “quite possibly the best YA horror book I’ve read.” – Goodreads.
Wow! Thank you, Heidi!
Number two newses is that I would like to start paying it forward to all you authors out there. The writing community has always been so supportive to me and tons of other authors.
So, every month, I would like to give away a free critique of an author’s first 500 words here on the old blog. The first 500 words can be anything from your Nano project to a research paper to a cereal box that you created for whatever reason…anything! Seriously, folks. I. Read. Everything.
I just have three rules (yeah, yeah, I know):
- Your first 500 words have to be PG-13. The rest can be robot dinosaur smut.
- If you win, you only have 48 hours to email me your first 500 words. Or else I’ll choose a new winner!
- You should be comfortable with receiving a critique. Because we’re writers, peeps!
Why should you want to win this critique from yours truly? Well, I hate to brag, but…
- I’m super close to finishing my sixth novel.
- I’ve been critiquing other authors’ works for eight years, some of whom are now New York Times bestselling authors.
- I worked as an intern for a well-respected publishing company for one year.
- I’m represented by the uber-amazing Rossano Trentin of TZLA Literary and Film Agency.
So, yeah. That’s me.
My critiquing style looks like a hamburger: the top and bottom is filled with the good, and in the middle is the juicy part where I offer constructive criticism. And now I want a hamburger.
Interested? Hit the Rafflecopter below (but don’t actually hit it)! Also, happy new year!
Haunted Chemistry #petthecover #pnr
My books are getting re-released like crazy lately, and my sexy, scary novella, Haunted Chemistry, is no exception! How about this new cover? *swoon*
The official re-release date is in November, but because the book is already out, it’s for sale right now!
THE GRAVE WINNER is #free Through Oct. 27! #ya #horror
Halloween is my very favorite time of year, which is why I choose to celebrate it all year! This is why I never dust my house and there are cobwebs covering everything. Yep. That’s the reason.
Anyway, to help get you in the spooktacular mood, I’ve made The Grave Winner free on Amazon
Reviewers say:
“Witty and fast paced, The Grave Winner by Lindsey R. Loucks is a snarky blend of zombie horror and urban fantasy… I loved it.” – Kayti Nika Raet for Readers’ Favorite
“The Grave Winner… is more of a fantasy-zombie hybrid, with both enchanting magic and romance you might expect from a fantasy novel, kick-butt action and creeps you might expect from a zombie novel, and strong characters and storyline a reader would want from any story!” – Moosubi Reviews.
Also, What Gifts She Carried (The Grave Winner #2) is still only 99 cents, but will go up in price very, very soon!
Amazon
What Gifts She Carried Re-Release Day! #ya #horror
*flings confetti* Happy Re-Release Day to the second book in The Grave Winner trilogy!
Amazon
Leigh Baxton just wants to pick up the pieces of her life—if you could call it that—but someone keeps resurrecting the dead. These new zombies have a knack for spilling Leigh’s precious blood, something she was warned about by a certain pair of undead sorceresses.
Desperate to find out why they’re here so Leigh can put the nightmares behind her, she must learn more about the gifts she carries. With Tram’s training sessions and clues from her mom’s past, Leigh begins to piece together what she’s capable of.
Too bad there isn’t a Cliff’s Notes version to saving the world.
The zombies have teamed up with followers of the darkest sorceress who ever lived, and they’ll play a wicked game until she’s freed from her prison inside the earth. When the battle to the death begins, Leigh must rely on friends, crushes, and even her enemies to win the war, but not the grave.
“Ms. Loucks writes her boots off in this the bloody action horror filled with vivid imagery and delicious suspense.” – Pam Godwin, Author
“Wow. Wow wow wow. This book is amazing!” – Amazon Reviewer
“…very dark and extremely frightening!!!” – Amazon Reviewer
Happy Re-Release Day to The Grave Winner! #ya #horror #99cents
The Grave Winner‘s title jumped into my head one day, and I started writing it in 2008. Later, it found and lost a publisher, but now it has been re-edited and re-packaged into something I’m quite proud of. *throws confetti* Happy Re-Release Day to The Grave Winner!
Only 99 cents!
Amazon
Kobo iBooks Add to Goodreads Book Trailer
Leigh Baxton is terrified her mom will come back from the dead — just like the prom queen did.
While the town goes beehive over the news, Leigh bikes to the local cemetery and buries some of her mom’s things in her grave to keep her there. When the hot and mysterious caretaker warns her not to give gifts to the dead, Leigh cranks up her punk music and keeps digging.
She should have listened.
Two dead sorceresses evicted the prom queen from her grave to bury someone who offered certain gifts. Bury them alive, that is, then resurrect them to create a trio of undead powerful enough to free the darkest sorceress ever from her prison inside the earth.
With help from the caretaker and the dead prom queen, Leigh must find out what’s so special about the gifts she gave, and why the sorceresses are stalking her and her little sister. If she doesn’t, she’ll either lose another loved one or have to give the ultimate gift to the dead – herself.
What Gifts She Carried, which is book two in The Grave Winner trilogy, releases in just two weeks.
Only 99 cents (but not for long!)
Amazon
Leigh Baxton just wants to pick up the pieces of her life—if you could call it that—but someone keeps resurrecting the dead. These new zombies have a knack for spilling Leigh’s precious blood, something she was warned about by a certain pair of undead sorceresses.
Desperate to find out why they’re here so Leigh can put the nightmares behind her, she must learn more about the gifts she carries. With Tram’s training sessions and clues from her mom’s past, Leigh begins to piece together what she’s capable of.
Too bad there isn’t a Cliff’s Notes version to saving the world.
The zombies have teamed up with followers of the darkest sorceress who ever lived, and they’ll play a wicked game until she’s freed from her prison inside the earth. When the battle to the death begins, Leigh must rely on friends, crushes, and even her enemies to win the war, but not the grave.
Oh, and a quick word about the third book, The Trinity Bleeds–I’m almost finished with the second draft! One more draft, and it will be ready for my editor. If you’re interested in beta-reading it, let me know!
The Grave Winner Trilogy #coverreveal #petthecover
Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve posted anything on the ol’ blog. (I’m so sorry, blog. I still love you.) Hopefully this post will more than make up for that!
I’m gearing up to re-release The Grave Winner books one and two (book three is on the way!), so naturally I need brand new covers to do that. You remember the amazing covers I had before? These new ones needed to be even better, which is a tall order for a potential cover designer. I put my complete trust in Rebecca Hamilton, USA Today bestselling author, editor, and, you guessed it, cover designer.
And OMG, look what she did!
I can’t stop drooling over them!
Books 1 and 2 will hopefully be ready for re-release in the fall, and if I cross my fingers, toes, and eyes, book 3 should be ready by the winter!
Would you like to add them to Goodreads? Here you go:
Fellow #Firefly Fan Right Here!: 13 Questions With @KJFogleman
Hey, everyone! Author Kathryn Fogleman is here for 13 Questions! I met her at an author book fair a few months back and found her absolutely delightful! Plus, she’s a fan of Firefly, so you know she has good taste and can be trusted. Here we go!
Me: Did you learn anything today? If so, what?
Kathryn: Well, a friend sent me a recorded podcast for an author’s class, and I learned that all of your social media should run back to your BLOG. Not your website. The reason for this is because your blog has all the fresh content and people can subscribe to your blog. Your website – not so much.
Me: This makes perfect sense! Where did the idea for Tales of the Wovlen: The Dragon’s Son come from?
Kathryn: The movie “Dragonheart” was the primary inspiration for The Dragon’s Son, along with “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves”, “First Knight”, and a few other medieval movies that my mother obsessed over when I was little.
When the first Lord of the Rings movie came out, it set a blaze to my imagination and I knew right then that I wanted to write a fantasy story, set in a fantasy/medieval world, with little fantasy characters that went on fantastic adventures, and, of course, I wanted a dragon as a good guy throughout the entire thing. Nobody had a dragon as a good guy in their story until Dragonheart (and Anne McCaffrey’s books… if you want to call those real dragons). So, I HAD to have a dragon as a good guy.
Me: Awesome! What’s something about yourself that really annoys you?
Kathryn: Weeeeeell… three things, primarily:
Number one is “X” rated.
Number two is “R” rated.
Sorry kids… no show for them today!
But, number three is okay for all audiences. It is this: I am a couch potato. I don’t like it and I don’t know how it really happened, but it is true.
When I was a little kid, I was very active (mom won’t let me use the word “Hyper”). I wanted to be a horse trainer and a dancer when I grew up.
When I was in my teens, I was active. I trained my own horse successfully, I did a lot of cowboy work, and I was a pretty stinking good archer (lost the dancing somewhere).
Then I graduated high school, got in an accident that messed up my knee, hip, and hearing, and had two HUGE falling outs with family and friends… AHEM…
Needless to say, so many blows all in ONE year kind of messes with a person’s motivational button and happy dial.
Slowly – but surely – I am forcing myself to be less of a lounging starch tuber: get up and work out, go outside and work, exercise my dog, play ball, ride a bike, smile at someone, tell a joke… no cake… no cake… no chocolate milk… no cake… and NO sitting down unless it is to write. And no pity parties either. *squints at self*
Me: Being active is a good thing, but no cake?! I’m so sorry. What’s the name of the book you’re reading?
Kathryn: Right now it is The Arrival by Dakota Kemp. He has basically taken something from just about every geek-dom in existence, thrown it all into a blender, and made awesome-sauce from it… in another word, it seems to be a pretty good book.
Me: Cool! What scares you?
Kathryn: Very few things scare me.
*Glances around suspiciously and leans in closer*
However, I have this thing about snakes… okay, I have a really BIG thing about snakes. Snakes bug me. Pictures, stories, drawings, or the real thing: it all makes my poor little heart go “Ka-tunk, Ka-tunk!”
People in bunny suites – *Eye-twitch* – Can’t handle it.
And Peter Pan. There is just something about that dude that makes my brain fart helium.
Me: That’s so interesting! Pop or soda or soda pop or Coke?
Kathryn: If it has sugar, I’ll take it.
It it’s Root Beer or Cream Soda, I will rule the world with it!
Me: Yes! Why do you write?
Kathryn: Because the cranial explosion that would occur as a result of clogged cerebral-to-fingers filters would destroy the world.
I would die.
You would die.
We would all die.
The Dinosaurs would rule the earth again.
Me: HA! What’s the last song you listened to on purpose?
Kathryn: “Song of Durin” written by J.R.R. Tolkien and performed by Eurielle on YouTube. It is SO beautiful. And yes, I am a huge Tolkienite. I like listening to any music and reading anything that relates to any of J.R.R. Tolkien’s work.
Me: I’ll have to give that one a listen! What is your favorite salty treat?
Kathryn: Popcorn or Frito Corn Chips… I make kettle corn at home all the time, so I would really go for some corn chips right now. The scoops are the best.
Me: Yummmm. What makes you laugh?
Kathryn: Nearly anything. Myself especially. I can literally sit alone and crack myself up all day long.
Me: I’m so glad you answered that way! I find myself pretty entertaining, but a lot of people would disagree. Anyway, what’s your favorite planet?
Kathryn: Well, my mother would like me to say Earth, but I’m originally from Mars, and there is just no place like home. HOWEVER, in all honesty, I would have to say that Saturn is my favorite planet. I used to stare at it from my Martian bedroom window, and, after visiting that lovely planet, I have to say that they have the BEST gas weenies (Hot Dogs cooked over a gas fire… LONG story for another time).
So, in a word, Saturn rules.
Me: Yay for Saturn! You just walked in the door after a long day. What do you do first?
Kathryn: Moccasins go up in the shoe holder. Purse on the hook. Then I grab a cup of something to drink (tea, coffee, or water… maybe chocolate milk), walk into the living room, and talk about my day to my mom (or whoever is listening). I make my day into something exciting and funny, even if it was boring. It keeps my imagination and storytelling skills lubricated. Besides, who wants to hear about a boring day? I don’t.
Me: Writers never have boring days! Here’s a free plane ticket! Where would you like to go?
Kathryn: Scotland! Or New Zealand? Tough choice! Scotland has a lot of really rich history that I am interested in, and it has Loch Ness. I might see Nessie! Plus, some of my father’s family originated from Scotland (Clan Campbell… verm, verm!). But, New Zealand has Hobbiton, Rivendell, and sheep. Lots of sheep.
I don’t know… Australia would be pretty cool to visit too. Or Ohio… or Alaska…
Ack. Whatever! I’ll just stop at Albuquerque when Bugs Bunny makes a left there.
I’ll see you in Alubuquerque! Thanks for stopping by!
BIO: Kathryn Fogleman is a self published Amazon author of family friendly Fantasy and good humor. She also happens to be a Science Fiction nerd with a dash of crazy fangirl.
WEB: http://www.kathrynjfogleman.com/
BLOG: http://www.depthsofimagination.net/
BOOK: http://bit.ly/DragonSonToW
FB PAGE: http://bit.ly/FBkjf
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/KJFogleman
Girl on Her *Own* Horse: A Guest Post by @ineswrites
Girl On Her Own Horse: A Guest Post by Ines Johnson
Have you been paying attention to the evolution of the Cinderella story? If you’ve watched the Disney blockbuster, Frozen, then you have. Young girls and women are no longer waiting around for a man to come by on his horse, sweep them off their feet, and give them shoes.
Okay, I doubt any of us would turn down the shoes!
My point is that women are now taking the reins of their own stories and rejecting the Cinderella trope of changing themselves into someone new. In many, dare I say most, of these stories the prince doesn’t pay attention to the Cinderella character in her ordinary world of working 9-5pm with grime under her nails and threadbare clothes. He doesn’t look her way until she gets magicked into expertly applied makeup, a binding, shape-shifting corset, and brand new shoes.
My first notice of this was in the film Working Girl. This 80’s retelling of the Cinderella story featured a bright secretary who had dreams of entering the boardroom with a briefcase instead of coffee. When her wicked boss steals her idea, the secretary seizes an opportunity to steal into a high profile business meeting by pretending that she’s her boss, while also wearing her boss’s dress and shoes. Melanie Griffith, as the secretary, uses Harrison Ford’s charming character to get her into the board room’s door. When the business deal goes south, Griffith doesn’t wait for the knight in a business suite to rescue her. Instead, she shows off her ‘head for business and bod for sin’ in order to win a business deal, thwart her boss, and get her man.
A decade later Drew Barrymore retold the Cinderella story in Ever After. In a pivotal scene when Barrymore’s character, Danielle, has been taken prisoner by the evil Pierre Le Pieu, the audience holds their breath as the prince leaps onto his horse and heads off to rescue her. But Danielle picks up not one, but two swords, and swashbuckles her way to an escape. As she’s walking out of the castle a free woman, the prince arrives moments too late with her shoe in hand.
Nearly another decade later came another retelling with Penelope. Penelope is an heiress born under a curse that can only be broken in the face of true love. The problem? Penelope’s face doesn’t inspire sonnets and poems as much as it does a hankering for breakfast meats. Penelope’s snout nose has caused her to be rejected her whole life, including rejection from her own mother. When she finally finds a man willing to tolerate her looks and break the curse, she comes to the realization that she likes herself just the way she is. And just like that, the curse is broken and Penelope’s outside matches her glowing inside.
In today’s stories, women don’t wait around for men on horses. They take the reins, defend themselves, and declare love to their own reflections. They’re now even qualified to deliver true love’s kiss to their own sisters as we saw in the blockbuster Frozen.
In my fairytale retelling, Pumpkin: a Cindermama Story, my heroine has given up on fairytale love. Single mother Malika “Pumpkin” Tavares lost faith in fairytales after she fell for a toad. Town royalty Armand “Manny” Charmayne has been searching for his soulmate all his life, whom he’ll recognize at first sight by a golden aura, that only he can see, surrounding her person. Manny doesn’t see gold when he meets Pumpkin, but the more he gets to know her the more he considers defying fate, if only he can convince her to take a chance on love again.
Blurb
Single mother Malika “Pumpkin” Tavares lost faith in fairytales after she fell for a toad. Now she believes she’s not cut from the storybook, heroine cloth and searches for Mr. Good Enough amongst the sidekicks and supporting men of the town.
Love at first sight isn’t a cliche for town royalty Armand “Manny” Charmayne. For generations the Charmaynes have spotted their soulmates by seeing a golden aura the first time they laid eyes on The One.
When Manny meets Pumpkin he sees…nothing, but sparks fly off the richter scale. The more he gets to know her the more he considers defying fate, if only he can convince her to take a chance on love again.
Amazon Purchase Link
Goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24927912-pumpkin
https://www.facebook.com/ineswrites
https://twitter.com/ineswrites
Website
https://inesjohnson.wordpress.com/
Publisher
Author Bio
Ines writes books for strong women who suck at love. If you rocked out to the twisted triangle of Jem, Jericha, and Rio as a girl; if you were slayed by vampires with souls alongside Buffy; if you need your scandalous fix from Olivia Pope each week, then you’ll love her books!
Aside from being a writer, professional reader, and teacher, Ines is a very bad Buddhist. She sits in sangha each week, and while others are meditating and getting their zen on, she’s contemplating how to use the teachings to strengthen her plots and character motivations.
Ines lives outside Washington, DC with her two little sidekicks who are growing up way too fast.
Heart Song by Kansas Native @SamLaFantasie
Relena wants freedom, depending on herself and not having to answer to anyone, but a betrayal takes that away. The last thing she expected was the incredibly handsome Marren to free her.
The catch?
She has to fall in love with him, fulfill a prophecy involving their heart song, and rejoin the two realms. But Jiren, the last Ancient of his kind, isn’t convinced and will stop at nothing to maintain his throne, even if it means breaking their most sacred law.
Available Now
Take the Quiz
Join the Party
For today only, there will be fun, games, and special appearances by Marren and Relena. Don’t miss it!
Excerpt
Chapter 5, scene 2
“Spring is definitely in the air.” I giggled to myself as Marren’s arm tightened around my hand.
“It is, indeed.”
He led me down a path that forked to the right and opened into a small field of the most beautiful, tallest, red tulips bordered by trees, as if he had cut out a place for these flowers, and they grew with the magic that had won over my heart. I held my breath for fear that letting it out would make them fade.
“By the Gods, this is beautiful!”
“I thought you would like it. Go on.” He motioned toward the field.
I looked into his eyes, as if to make sure he wasn’t joking, and then stepped tentatively into the field of flowers. Their light scent danced in the air. It was sweet and mild. At about the halfway point, I looked over my shoulder at Marren, still standing on the path. I smiled, facing him and cocked my head to the side. I wondered what was taking him so long to join me. He nodded toward me a smirk pulling at the corner of his lips. I turned back around taking another step, finding a rock that rolled underneath my foot. I fell to the ground and started laughing.
I was pulled up by Marren so fast it took my breath away. “Are you okay?”
I nodded.
Slowly, he placed my hands on his shoulders then slid his down the side of my arms, along my back, and coming to a rest at my waist. He pulled me into him, pressing our bodies together. I took in a deep breath as a rush pulsed through my veins. The woods became silent, and the wind stopped blowing, as if the world stilled for us. We started to sway, slowly, from side to side. It was awkward, like he was nervous, which made a giggle bubble out of me, shaking my frame against his. He chuckled in response and started spinning me as we glided through the flowers, twirling one way and the other in motions that were graceful, magnificent, and magical. My feet barely touched the ground, like we floated in the air.
We dance in circles, through every inch of the flower field as we gazed into each other’s eyes, looking into forever. Eventually, we slowed, returning to the center of the field and shifting back into the sway before stopping completely.
“I want you to promise me something . . .” Marren said. I worried that there was something on his mind, a weight that burdened him.
“What?” I asked.
“Promise you’ll remember this day, no matter what decision you make.” His voice was sad and fearful.
“What decision am I to make?” I asked, twirling a strand of his hair around my finger and losing myself in his eyes.
He pressed his lips to mine. The sweetness in his kiss filled me, but his lips were almost too soft. “You’ll see . . . just promise me you’ll remember today.”
About the Author
A Kansas native, Samantha LaFantasie spends her free time with her spouse and three kids. Writing has always been a passion of hers, forgoing all other desires to devote to this one obsession, even though she often finds herself arguing with her characters through much of the process. She’s primarily a fantasy writer but often feels pulled to genres such as sci-fi, romance, and others.
Samantha became a bestselling author with the Pandora Boxed Set (which includes Made to Forget: Nepherium Novella series–Part One) on both Amazon and USA Today.
Samantha loves to take time to enjoy other activities such as photography and playing her favorite game of all time, Guild Wars 2.
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