Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Eternal Hope Scavenger Hunt! Interview with Frankie Rose.


Today is my stop on the Eternal Hope blog tour and scavenger hunt. I'm hosting an interview with Frankie and I am so glad she's finally been able to stop by. Don't forget to look for the mystery word. All the prizes are listed on the first and last blogs.


Welcome to Worlds of Wonderment Frankie!
Hi Jo-Anne thanks for having me! It’s awesome that I get to come ‘hang out’!

For potential readers, can you give us an overview of your books?
I’d love to! At the moment I have two books out, Sovereign Hope and Eternal Hope. The story follows a young eighteen-year-old girl called Farley whose life is turned upside down by a number of events, the first of which being the mysterious disappearance of her mother. On her mission to find her mother, Farley runs into Daniel, a snarky guy with a major attitude problem, and she finally learns a few home truths. Her father, the man she thought dead her whole life, is actually alive and he is on a mission of his own: to kill Farley before she can play her part in a prophecy she has been predestined to fulfill.
She is part of a bloodline of Reavers, men who steal the souls of others to gain power. Alongside Daniel and a cast of awesome friends and unlikely allies, Farley learns to fight and protect those she loves. There are a huge road blocks in her way, preventing her from finally being able to enjoy her relationship with Daniel, and we catch insights into each of the characters as we follow them through the events of the books. We watch them grow as people, as well as witnessing how their relationships with one another change dramatically along the way.

The Hope Series is a trilogy, what can readers expect from the books?
I really wanted to cover a bit of everything, you know? I wanted there to be heaps of romance, but I wanted there to be lots of action and drama, plus a pinch of horror thrown into the mix as well. I hope I accomplished that. I have to say, though, I am loving the romantic developments between my characters as the series progresses. It’s almost cruel torturing them sometimes, but then you get to give them the most perfect moments on the other hand as well.

What do you like most about Farley and Daniel’s characters?
 I like that they’re both real, in some ways. You’re probably questioning my sanity right now, but I don’t mean that I think they really exist. I just mean that they’re both incredibly flawed and have major baggage. They make mistakes and their relationship isn’t perfect.  In the past, I’ve been really frustrated and found it hard to connect with a story or empathise with its characters, because the male protagonist has been superhuman, beautiful and absolutely perfect in every way possible.  In the same vein, the female lead has been a simpering idiot who has no backbone. I wanted Farley and Daniel to empower each other with their strengths, but I also wanted them to admit when they were wrong and get mad at each other every once in a while.

Who is your favourite character to write?
I have to say Daniel. He’s so broken in some respects. I have a lot of love for him, because he was kind of a lost cause for a very long time, and so many bad things have happened to him. His mother’s treatment of him and his brother; Jacob and the other Reavers as he was ‘growing up’; the things that went down between him and Kayden, as well as his relationship with Aldan. It’s almost as though falling in love with Farley has given his character reasons to be hopeful again, and that’s definitely a big part of what Eternal Hope is about, especially at the end.

What sets your paranormal world apart from others?
I wanted it to be completely unique, and I wrote it with the intention that it would be completely different to anything else I’d read. I loved reading vampire/werewolf novels, but I got so sick of it after a while. I wanted to read something new and interesting, but then I thought…why not write something new and interesting instead? The world building in Sovereign and Eternal Hope was something I took time over. It developed over a period of time for me, and I made a conscious decision back when I started writing the first book that I wouldn’t dump the whole thing all at once on the reader. I didn’t want to info-dump, and there was a danger that would happen if I went all out and laid every single card on the table right from the start. I wanted glimpses of the Reaver’s world, as well as Daniel and his friends’ lifestyles, to be revealed in pieces over time.
The third book in the series, Lost Hope, will show a whole new aspect of the supernatural side of things, as well as Daniel and Kayden’s worlds. Knowing that Daniel was born in the UK, and that some serious stuff went down for Kayden there, it seemed like a natural progression for their story to end up there.

How did the idea for the Hope Series eventuate?
Well, again, I wanted to do something different. I spent a long time thinking about whom the bad guys were and what the initial conflict of the story was before things started to really build and take shape. I think, though, even before I got to that stage, I’d already planned out who Daniel and Farley were- what made them tick and how they would interact; who they would be for one another.
After that I got to thinking about logic behind a supernatural story, if ever there could be logic for something like that. I realised that realistically if there was an all-powerful being and they wanted to steal someone else’s power, they wouldn’t be going after blood. It would the soul they went after. The body is just a vessel, after all, and the soul is where our power truly lies.  I hadn’t read anything about soul reavers before, so I pondered on the subject and it all began to fall into place.

Why do you think YA is such a popular genre?
To me, it’s so popular because it gives us back our adolescence. First love, first opportunity to be independent, first chance to be who we really want to be. Nearly everyone I know loves reading YA, because it takes you on a journey where it’s okay to still believe in improbable and impossible things. It’s okay to immerse yourself in a fictional story where ghosts, vampires, fairies, and even soul reavers exist when you’re a teenager, and people don’t necessarily want to give that up just because they graduated from high school, or even college. Heck, why should we have to give that up at all, regardless of how old we are?

Is there anything you are currently working on that you could share with us?
Yes! I’m currently working on a new novel that is close to ready for its first round of editing. This book is a first for me on a couple of different fronts.  It’s my first foray into dystopia, as well as a new writing style. I’ve always written in third person, but this time I’ve elected to go with first person, which I have loved. I definitely don’t think I will ever go back to third now.
I’m keeping pretty hush hush about this book at the moment. I’d like to keep polishing it until it’s shining in its full glory before I share it with the world, but I will let you know that it’s a story about knife fighting. I’ve had SO much fun writing the romance for this new book, and the main characters are as close to my heart as Daniel and Farley are for sure. The female protagonist, Kit, is seriously kickass, as is Ryka, the male protag. There’s a whole lot of snark in the beginning of their relationship as they actually try to ascertain who out of the two of them is the most badass. That was really fun to write.

 Was there a specific reason as to why you chose to self-publish your books?
I had the opportunity to be published through a small press agency, but when I looked over their contracts I realised I wasn’t gaining anything through signing with them.  I knew that the amount of work ahead of me wasn’t going to change just because I paid out a huge wedge of my royalties to a company, and I couldn’t justify doing it. This way, I have complete artistic license with my stories, characters, cover art, release dates etc. I’ve had a great journey publishing the Hope Series. I’ve learned so much along the way. That obviously doesn’t mean that if I ever had the opportunity to sign with one of the big six, I wouldn’t grab onto it with both hands, though. With self-publishing comes a lot of hard work that leaves very little time for actual writing. It would be fantastic to have a team of people supporting you so you could focus on your art instead of marketing etc.

What is the last song you sang at the top of your lungs?
Oh, I’m so ashamed! It was The Voice by John Farnham. Please don’t judge me. I just can’t help it. I was trapped in the car and it was on the radio. It’s almost a compulsion, my need to belt out that song whenever I hear it.

Do you have a favourite book boyfriend? Why him?
SO HARD. Seriously. Gah… right now, I’m going to say my favourite book boyfriend is Cassel Sharpe of Holly Black’s Curse Workers Series. It’s an amazing series, and Cassel is just plain awesome. He’s all messed up but he’s incredibly smart, and there’s a certain something about con men and grifters that catches my attention. Maybe because they’re smoother than smooth and dangerous. Cassel’s definitely more than a little dangerous with those hands of his!



Book Information
Title: Eternal Hope
Series: The Hope Series, Book Two
Author: Frankie Rose
Published: October 10, 2012
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

Synopsis:
He loves me, he loves me not, he loves me

When your friends go missing and you don’t know if they’re dead or alive; when you tie your soul to the one you love; when you kill to protect and your family suffers, there’s only one thing you can do:

Move to Montana.

Farley Hope is special. She was prophesied to kill the forebears of her bloodline- a race of cold-blooded Reavers, men who steal the souls of the living to gain power. The Quorum had counted on Farley ending her own life in the process, but when Kayden came to her aid and helped save both her and Daniel, he undid their plans. Now the Quorum are displeased, not only with Kayden, but with Farley and Daniel too. Though her father is now dead, Farley’s troubles with the Reavers are far from over. An ancient Immortal, trapped for a thousand years, wants Farley for himself, and he will stop at nothing to claim her.

With secrets that lead to anger and pain, that turn friendship to dust, the group must overcome the problems within their own circle before they have a hope of fighting off the powers that threaten their lives.


About the Author:
As a child, I was always accused of being bookish because I wore glasses- big, horrible, ugly ones with too-thick lenses. Those kids, the super smart ones who always know which tender insecurities to poke at in order to provoke life-long complexes, used to accuse me of reading too many books and that my eyes were going to rot out of my head (their words, not mine!)

The truth of the matter was a little more embarrassing: I used to sit too close to the T.V. That was the reason why I had to wear glasses, but kids don’t really care about small, insignificant details like the truth, and so I was labelled a nerd. The label kinda stuck, and after some sage advice from my awesome nana (nana, you rock!) I decided that if I was going to be abused for my supposed literary obsession, I might as well develop one.

I guess that’s how I got into books and reading at an early age. Since then, I’ve been ripping through books like they’re going out of fashion, which, thankfully, they’re not. Good thing, too, because I’m a writer now, and books are my business!

Thank you to everyone who has supported and encouraged me on my journey- look for your names in the acknowledgements! And a big thank you to you, the reader. I hope you’ve fallen in love with Farley and Daniel just like I have, and that you’ll join them in the next book, Eternal Hope!

Excerpt – Written specifically for the Scavenger Hunt and cannot be found anywhere but participating blogs:

Farley felt her face redden, which was _________ inappropriate. Daniel and Kayden were _______ she was watching, and for once their sparring lacked the flashy showmanship they usually employed to _______ her. For the two of them, nothing _______ beyond the dimly lit parameters of the hangar. Beyond the lunge, beyond the parry, beyond the block.
This was how it would really go down, if they ever meant to do serious harm to one _______. Movements fluid and graceful, there was _________ primal about their circling. Quick _______ of calculating eyes, green and blue, preempting the other’s next move. Kayden’s hair was darkened with sweat, but both their chests rose and fell with __________ regularity. In and out. Slow and steady. The stern, focused expressions on their faces said ____ were in total control.
Farley let the darkness wash over her and kept her presence hidden. The confrontation was too ___________ to interrupt. Bare chests, muscled and tanned; silver flashes of metal as their blades sang through the air. Even Cliff would have been impressed. Farley bit her ______ lip as Kayden darted _______ in a sure leap, thrusting out with deadly precision towards Daniel’s throat.
The ______ would have been a killing blow. Would have been, if it had even ______. Daniel sprang back and duck-rolled over the dusty floor, crouching into a defensive pose. With his knife ________, his eyes lifted to fix on Kayden, but they _____ quite made it.
Farley’s heart leapt to her throat. Those eyes, piercing and sharp, fixed on her _______. She swallowed and braced against the wall behind her, trying to camouflage with the _______. Kayden shifted forward, ready to take _________ of Daniel’s distracted position, but the dark-haired boy simply lifted his hand. A wordless gesture:
____.
Kayden stopped.
Robotically, Daniel rose, his _____ suddenly vanished, and dropped the knife into the dirt. Kayden’s apparent confusion only lasted a second; the moment he ________ it - that she was there - was _______. One second he was ________ Daniel’s creased brow, the next he had spun around impossibly quickly and was staring, too. Blue and Green. Farley felt her throat closing up. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.
Daniel brushed a hand back through his slightly curling hair, his face trained into a nothing __________. There was ______ he could do to hide the war in his eyes, ______. “So you’re back.”
Silence flooded the hangar. Farley took a moment to _______, pretending not to ______ Kayden’s fist clenching repeatedly ______ the handle of his knife.
“Yes,” she whispered, her voice _______. “I guess I am.”


Don't forget to check out the other blogs that also have tour stops today or you'll miss out on words!
November 28th –  Carmen @ Book Me! - http://www.bookmereviews.com
November 28th – Taneesha @ A Diary of A Book Addict - http://adiaryofabookaddict.blogspot.com.au

Monday, November 26, 2012

Review: Eternal Hope by Frankie Rose


Title: Eternal Hope
Series: The Hope Series, Book Two
Author: Frankie Rose
Published: October 10, 2012
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

He loves me, he loves me not, he loves me

When your friends go missing and you don’t know if they’re dead or alive; when you tie your soul to the one you love; when you kill to protect and your family suffers, there’s only one thing you can do:

Move to Montana.

Farley Hope is special. She was prophesied to kill the forebears of her bloodline- a race of cold-blooded Reavers, men who steal the souls of the living to gain power. The Quorum had counted on Farley ending her own life in the process, but when Kayden came to her aid and helped save both her and Daniel, he undid their plans. Now the Quorum are displeased, not only with Kayden, but with Farley and Daniel too. Though her father is now dead, Farley’s troubles with the Reavers are far from over. An ancient Immortal, trapped for a thousand years, wants Farley for himself, and he will stop at nothing to claim her.

With secrets that lead to anger and pain, that turn friendship to dust, the group must overcome the problems within their own circle before they have a hope of fighting off the powers that threaten their lives.



From the very first chapter Eternal Hope grabs you by the throat and doesn't let you go. I think I enjoyed this book more than the first, Sovereign Hope. The story picks up a few weeks after Sovereign Hope, with the group looking for their friends who have been missing for some time which leads them to Montana. If you thought Farley has faced some scary people before, you will be shocked at the latest threat; an ominous entity that will stop at nothing to get a hold of Farley. I was surprised with the twist Frankie throws in. I felt sympathy for this evil, which I don’t think I have for any other villain. This threw me a little, but once you read Eternal Hope you will understand what I’m talking about.

I loved the addition of Kaydens character; he brings an extra element to the story. He’s almost the comic relief, with snappy one liners and a cheeky demeanour. We find out more about his and Daniels past, which is quite heartbreaking. I love Daniel, but Kayden now his own spot in my heart.

Farley grows a lot during Eternal Hope. She’s already a down-to-earth, grounded eighteen year old who has dealt with more than most people could ever imagine. She has a backbone and works through her fear to face her problems and enemies. Daniel and Farley’s relationship is explored a whole lot more. They’re flawed people who carry a lot of baggage, but it gives them a feeling of realness, like they were a random couple you might meet on the street. Daniel is broken is many ways, he’s been treated awfully during his life, some of it incredibly cruel and you wonder how he’s not a complete lunatic. You’ll love him even more.

We get to learn more about Oliver and Tess, plus some new characters. I loved reading about all their relationships and how they interact with one another. The conflict between some of them is interesting and it’s great reading through their little, and big, problems with one another. Frankie blends all these characters and their personalities into the story seamlessly.

Eternal Hope is a fantastic second instalment to the Hope Series, full of action and drama. It’s a unique paranormal world and Frankie should be commended at how well it works. The wait for book three is going to drive me nuts. I need more of these characters!
5/5

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Interview & Giveaway with Aidan Lucid

Welcome to Worlds of Wonderment Aidan!
Thank you, Jo-Anne, for having me. It’s an honour to be here.

For those haven’t read your book, can you tell us a bit about it?
My novel, Return of the Son of Hamorin, which is book one of The Zargothian Tales trilogy, is about a young American high school kid named Henry Simmons who finds a gold coin. He later learns that the coin has magical qualities and it takes him to a wondrous land named Zargothia where he must free the humans from a savage alien race known as The Sadarkians. He’s not alone in his quest, however, and has the help from a witty talking cat named Jasper and two Airforce pilots from 1945. Will Henry succeed in his quest and free King Argoth and the humans?

Is the Zargothian Tales part of a series? If so, what can we expect from this series?
Yes, The Zargothian Tales is part of a trilogy and you can expect lots of action with shocking twists and turns (especially in book two) with a healthy dollop of humour thrown in as well.

Can you tell us about your main characters?
Sure. The main character is Henry – a happy-go-lucky 15 year-old American high school kid who loves reading Superman comics and has his eye on a blonde cheerleader. His life is turned upside down when he finds the golden coin and Henry learns a valuable lesson in having a lot of magical powers at his disposal and the responsibilities that come with this power.
King Argoth - king of the humans in Zargothia - is a king fighting for freedom but he cannot do much until Henry’s arrival and he hopes to free the humans from the Sadarkians’ cruel reign.
King Zakarius - king of the Sadarkians and Henry’s nemesis - is a ruthless king and will stop at nothing to be rid of humans forever. Zakarius hates the humans for a past betrayal but little does he know that all is not what it seems.

How did you get the idea for the Zargothian Tales?
I don’t know really. I guess it all stemmed from a question, “What if a World War II plane was attacked by dragons” and I took it from there. I love all things military and I thought it would be cool to have a WWII era plane attacked by a flying dragons but I didn't know how to incorporate the dragons into the opening scene in the book. One day I was watching a documentary on a tragic incident that occurred in December 1945 called ‘The Flight 19 incident’ and that was basically about four planes mysteriously disappearing over The Bermuda Triangle back in 1945 and they've never been found since. I thought that it would be cool to use the Bermuda Triangle as a means of bringing the dragons into my story.
King Argoth and the Zargothian inhabitants were originally from a humorous short story I wrote but it was going nowhere so I used those characters and brought them into this book and it worked perfectly. I love history, especially medieval warfare, and it was this love of that time period that inspired some of the battles in Return of the Son of Hamorin.  While I was researching medieval warfare, certain facts about how soldiers fought in siege warfare gave me some cool ideas to use in my book and the end result proved pretty effective. I just hope the readers feel the same way. J

Where do you draw your inspiration from?
Even though authors such as Tolkien and David Gemmel have been a bit of an influence, I’m very much my own man and have developed my own style and honed it over the last decade.

What is your favourite genre to read?
I don’t have a favourite genre as such. I love reading everything from fantasy, to sci-fi to non-fiction books on the paranormal and historical figures such as Julius Caesar and Irish patriots. 

If you could co-author a book with anyone alive or dead, who would you choose and why?
Hmm…that’s a pretty tough question to answer. Gosh, there are so many talented authors out there that I couldn't possibly choose one. If I did have to choose, I guess I’d love to do something with Geoff Johns on Superman. I know he’s not an author of books but he wrote some damn fine comic book stories and let’s face it, who wouldn't want to work on Superman?

If you were a superhero, what would your name be?
Considering I’m from Ireland, I think it would be Shamrockman! Ha, ha. Just kidding! I don’t know really. I guess my super powers of choice would be flight, teleportation and invulnerability to bullets, knives etc. But as for a name, gee, that’s a tough one.  The Green Avenger would be one name I’d like. 


When Air Force Pilots Edward Johnson and Conor MacCall flew a routine patrol over the Atlantic, the last thing they expected to encounter was bogeys. Even more unexpected was the nature of the bogeys – large flying reptiles belching streams of flame. In their efforts to evade, the two find themselves in a strange new world, a world at war, and in urgent need of a leader. Could the long awaited leader be found in a quiet high school boy?

Aidan Lucid hails from a small town called, Ballyheigue in County Kerry, Ireland. He has been writing since 2002 and in 2004, he first began to send out his material to magazines, newspapers etc. and was published seven times that year. Since then he has been published widely in many ezines and poetry anthologies. In 2005, while recovering from a car accident, Aidan wrote his debut fantasy novel, The Zargothian Tales: Return of the Son of Hamorin, (www.thezargothiantales.com), which was published by WordTechs Press in ebook format in December 2010 and in paperback in 2011. Despite being born with a very rare syndrome known as, Moebius Syndrome, Lucid has never let his disability hold him back and he has received diplomas of distinction in freelance journalism and creative writing from online courses and was a film reviewer for his local newspaper, The Kerryman, for nine months in 2007.

Aidan is now working on book two of The Zargothian Tales series and has his own film review blog – The Lucid Review where he reviews all the latest cinema and DVD/Blu-ray releases. Mr Lucid is also branching out into writing screenplays. For more information about this author, go to: www.aidanlucidauthor.com    

To win a copy of The Zargothian Tales: Return of the Son of Hamorin, fill out the Rafflecopter form.


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Thursday, November 1, 2012

Covered - Wicked Fate by Tabatha Vargo

Sick of looking at cover after cover that all seem the same? Well check out this cover reveal for Tabatha Vargo's Wicked Fate! How awesome is it? It grabs you attention and forces you to read the wicked blurb. Read on to find out more about Wicked Fate and Tabatha.


What if you lived in fear of yourself?


For Mage McPherson being afraid of herself is just the norm. Thanks to that fear, being a loner in a small town never bothered the mysterious Mage. Once she received her secret abilities, she figured being alone was the safest way to be. That all changes during her sophomore year at Summerville High when Adam, her equally mysterious secret crush, starts to notice her.



Afraid that she might harm Adam, Mage must learn to either control or deny herself. With Adam by her side she's more powerful than she’s ever been, but is she powerful enough to defeat her worst nightmare? She learns a hard lesson about love and magic when her destiny comes to collect.

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Tabatha has been writing since she could pick up a pencil. Her first publication was a little poem in her elementary school paper, from that point on she was hooked. When she was a teenager, she traded in her girly magazines for personalized writing notebooks.

At nineteen, she met her own personal prince charming and writing took a back burner for a while. She is now married to that prince and the mother of a beautiful Six year old princess/rock star. Once her daughter was born, writing came back into her life, and she finished her very first novel in May of 2009. 

She is pursuing a Bachelors in English and hopes to one day teach while continuing to write. 

As a stay-at-home mom and full-time student, Tabatha enjoys the freedom of spending a good bit of her days doing what she loves the most…writing.


Goodreads Book Giveaway

Wicked Fate by Tabatha Vargo

Wicked Fate

by Tabatha Vargo

Giveaway ends November 30, 2012.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
Enter to win