26 July 2016

Release Day Launch: Bearliest Catch by Bianca D'Arc

Bearliest Catch RDL
Today we have the great new paranormal romance, Bearliest Catch by Bianca D’Arc. Be sure to check it out and grab your copy, and enter her giveaway  

BearliestCatchFinal-72-200x300About Bearliest Catch:   Drew spends his days fishing in the Pacific, far from Grizzly Cove, seeking the peace of the ocean. Jetty lives in the ocean, part of a hunting party of mer folk, in near-constant danger now from the evil creature that roams the deep. When they meet, sparks fly and the ocean comes alive with danger. Can they get her people to safety?


Exclusive Excerpt: “I’d better go and tell the others what you’ve said.” She walked toward the stern of the boat slowly. “Is it safe to swim after a meal like that? I mean, most humans have to wait a bit before they go swimming after eating. How does that work for you?” He looked adorably confused and genuinely curious, so she humored his question. “Once I shift, the mer characteristics win out, so it won’t be a problem.” She sent him a smile as she walked farther away. It was hard to leave him, which surprised her, but she couldn’t stay. She had responsibilities to her people, much as she would have loved to spend the rest of the day with the sexy bear shifter. He followed her, and they both stood at the stern of the boat, his hooks picking up nothing during their meal and continuing to just drift with no action. “If you go a little northwest, you’ll find some big sturgeon and halibut. The fishing is much better in that direction right now,” she offered, hoping to help in some small way. “I might as well give you a solid tip on where to find dinner since you fed me part of your lunch.” She turned to him, laughing lightly. “The tip is appreciated, but you don’t owe me anything, sweetheart.” The breath caught in her throat at his use of the endearment. He also stepped right up to her, not a foot between their bodies as he looked down into her eyes. She almost forgot to breathe. “But…” She didn’t know what she was objecting to as his head drifted lower. Was he going to kiss her? “Ssh,” he soothed her, drawing her under his spell. “If you really want to repay me for the sandwich, all I ask of you is a single kiss.” What? Alarm bells sounded in her mind, but they were drowned out by the nearness of him. She could feel his warmth only inches away from her, and she wanted to snuggle up against him. She’d been so cold for so long… Which was an odd thought for a mer to have. Mer didn’t feel cold. The oceans were their home. So what had gotten into her now? And why was she suddenly so eager to snuggle up to a land dweller? Oh, he was a shifter—they had that in common—but he still lived on land, and she in the sea. Though she could survive very well on dry land too. In fact, she’d spent most of her youth on land, with her family, doing the normal things that humans and shifters did. She’d gone to school, had friends, drove a car, had a job, and even moved in with her boyfriend. But the situation with Dirk was what had driven her into the sea. She refused to go down that path again. Dirk had been human, a little voice inside reminded her. Andrew was a shifter. Maybe things would be different with a shifter. Did she dare try to find out? As his lips touched hers, all thoughts fled in the face of his passion. What started as a simple kiss turned into something much more profound within a single heartbeat. He took her into his embrace, and she did get a chance to snuggle up to his warmth, basking in the feel of his strong arms around her. He kissed her lightly, at first, then gradually deepened the kiss when she made no move to push him away. His tongue danced with hers, showing her new patterns of pleasure even as her knees threatened to give way. He was holding her up, his hands around her waist, supporting her, not imprisoning. And that was the key. He held her firmly, but lightly. She could break free any time she wanted…which was why she stayed.      

Excerpt:
I’m not entirely sure how it happened, but in my latest book, Bearliest Catch, a wounded-warrior bear shifter gets mixed up with a mermaid. I didn’t intentionally set out to write a mermaid character when I started this series, but I guess the coastal setting and the situation in the fictional world, where there is a demon-like entity in the water, combined to make it reasonable to have at least one of my heroines be a mermaid.
She’s not your typical little mermaid though. I decided if I was going to write mer creatures, I was going to develop their society and roles in it more fully than I’ve seen done before. So my mer females are part of a hunting party. Essentially, they’re protectors of their larger community, and when they run afoul of the danger in the water, they begin to interact with the land-dwelling bear shifters who have just moved into town. Inevitably, sparks ignite between the two as they work together to fight the evil that has beset both the town and the surrounding ocean.
Sometimes, as a writer, stories take you in unexpected directions. I think it’s always exciting when your imagination is posed the big “what if” question and comes up with something that surprises you. And I think, for the most part, readers enjoy that kind of spontaneous leap into new directions too.
While a lot of people who don’t read the genre seem to complain that romance is too formulaic, I don’t agree. Romance goes where you want to take it. Sure, there are some tropes and more or less standard story lines, but we’re not all limited by those things. Many of us routinely bounce into new and exciting places with our stories.
In the Grizzly Cove series, I’ve mixed up the backgrounds of all the characters. The series starts off with three novellas in which the heroines are all human women who had no idea there were shifters in the world until they moved to Grizzly Cove. In the fourth book, which is novel-length, the heroine is a witch. (A good witch.) And then I started introducing mermaids. Where it goes from here, I’m not sure, but you can bet I’ll keep introducing unexpected elements and characters. That way, it keeps the work fresh for both me and, hopefully, for the reader.
The heroes in this series are all bear shifters with different challenges. Even though they’re all bear shifters, not all are grizzlies. I’ve been having fun with different types of bears from different parts of the world to make each hero a little unique. The men also have a military background. They were all part of the same Special Forces unit and are a true band of brothers. Retired from the military now, they were seeking a quiet place to live and maybe find mates, but they didn’t bargain on the evil that’s been hunting them from just off shore.
This paranormal romance series is a mix of adventure, excitement and sexy attraction between the heroes and their ladies. I like to make my books about equal parts romance and adventure and that holds true for this series. As we go along, the stakes get higher and the overall situation in the cove gets more complicated. I hope you enjoy the unexpected twists and turns as they happen when you’re reading, as much as I do when I’m writing them!

About Bianca D’Arc: Bianca D’Arc is the USA Today bestselling author of over 50 romance novels. She has twice won EPPIE Awards for her work, along with the Australian Romance Readers Favorite Erotic Romance eBook of 2008 for her first werewolf romance, Lords of the Were. She is a native New Yorker who worked as an executive on Wall Street during the summer of 2001. She changed careers after the tragic attacks of 9/11 and started seriously pursuing publication in 2005. She has a Bachelors degree in Biochemistry, a Masters in Library Science, and a Juris Doctor, but she doesn’t take herself too seriously. She loves her garden and plays the piano, ukulele and guitar.  

Connect with Bianca! Website: www.biancadarc.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BiancaDArcAuthor/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/biancadarc  

Enter Bianca’s Giveaway: a Rafflecopter giveaway

14 July 2016

Blog Tour by Life After Juliet by Shannon Alexander



Life After Juliet by Shannon Lee Alexander
Release Date: July 5, 2016
Genre: Contemporary YA
Synopsis: Becca Hanson was never able to make sense of the real world. When her best friend Charlotte died, she gave up on it altogether. Fortunately, Becca can count on her books to escape—to other times, other places, other people...                  

Until she meets Max Herrera. He’s experienced loss, too, and his gorgeous, dark eyes see Becca the way no one else in school can.

As it turns out, kissing is a lot better in real life than on a page. But love and life are a lot more complicated in the real world...and happy endings aren't always guaranteed.

The companion novel to Love and Other Unknown Variables is an exploration of loss and regret, of kissing and love, and most importantly, a celebration of hope and discovering a life worth living again.

Meet Shannon,
Shannon Lee Alexander is a wife and mother (of two kids and one yellow terrier named Harriet Potter). She is passionate about coffee, books, and cancer research. She spent most of her time in high school hiding out in the theater with the drammies and techies. Math still makes her break out in a sweat. She currently lives in Indianapolis with her family.

Author Links:
Website
Author Twitter
Author Facebook
Author Goodreads
Newsletter




Author Interview:

1) What inspires you to write?

I write character-driven stories, so everything begins with a character for me. I joke around that I’ve always had voices in my head because for as long as I can remember, I’ve been watching stories like movies in my head. Daydreaming is my favorite thing to do!

Eventually, one voice will get louder than the others. If I listen, a story will start to unfold.

2) Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Let yourself enjoy writing. I think aspiring writers (myself included) get too focused on the end result—the completed novel, the literary agent, the publishing deal, etc. But all of that is just chatter, and it takes away from what you need to be doing, which is enjoying developing your craft.

Be silly. Make mistakes. Throw away your outlines. Take wrong turns. Write scenes you have no intention of keeping. Create characters with deep, complex back stories—and then kill them off so you can create new characters. Play with your craft. Read. Copy your favorite authors. Write bad fanfiction. Write great fanfiction. Explore writing to its fullest.

Actually, this is good advice for me, too, because even though I have two novels published, I’m still aspiring to be the best writer I can be. (☺ Thankfully, I already excel at being the cheesiest writer I can be. ☺)


3) What do you do when you are faced with writers block?

Wallow in paralyzing self-doubt and pity. Usually large amounts of sugar consumption is required.

Then, when I’ve wallowed enough (and made myself sick from eating one too many Swedish Fish), I’ll refocus. I recently went to hear Rick Yancey, author of The Fifth Wave, speak, and he had some great advice that helped me. And since writers are all thieves, I’ll steal it and pass it on to you.

Rick Yancey says that when you find yourself blocked, it means that your mind is trying to do two things at once. It’s trying to be creative, and it’s being judgey. Now, here’s where you guys suffer from me retelling this, because I’m pretty sure Rick Yancey had a better way of saying it. I’m pretty sure “judgey” wasn’t a word that came out of his highly educated mouth. But you get what I’m saying, right?

When you’re stuck, it’s probably because in the middle of trying to create something from nothing, your brain has switched gears on you and is analyzing everything you’ve just written. And of course your judgey brain is being a total jerk and telling you that your beautiful creation is crap, so the creative part of your brain freezes and then you find yourself eating two bags of Swedish Fish, which, if you’re wondering is seventeen portions more than any human should ever eat in one sitting.

So, do like Rick Yancey says, and turn off the jerk side of your brain so you can keep creating.

Or just call me, and I’ll send you some Swedish Fish.

4) Do you have an email subscription or a street team for me and my followers to follow to keep up to date on your books?

I do! Right now, the street team is called The Backstage Crew because we’re working hard to make sure Becca and the LIFE AFTER JULIET gang get their chance to shine on stage. If you’re interested in joining the crew, fill out this form.

If you ever want to email me or follow me on any social media platform (Instagram is my new favorite playground!), then you can find links to all of those on my webpage.

And if you want to receive my newsletters (don’t worry, I’m terrible at news so there’s only maybe four that go out a year, but they are always worth the wait), then you can sign up here!

Thanks so much for hosting me! Happy reading!
 
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