UPDATE: The winner of BITE ME! by Melissa Francis is Jenn (comment left at 11:24am). Please email your physical addy to contests @ knightagency.net (remove spaces). Thanks to everyone who participated!!
Leave your name in the comments to win an autographed copy of BITE ME! by Melissa Francis. The winner will be announced tomorrow morning.
The 411: AJ Ashe isn't your typical seventeen-year-old vampire-as if there is such a thing! She's stuck in the middle of a huge fight between her two BFFs. Her ex-boyfriend-whom she's still totally in love with, by the way-is now her stepbrother. A former classmate-who, um, she may or may not have turned into a vampire-is stalking her. And now, apparently, the fate of humankind lies in her little undead hands. What ever happened to the good old days, when all a vampire girl had to worry about was the occasional zit and hiding her taste for blood?
TKA author Leigh Court made a cameo appearance during a MSNBC segment on the entertainment industry's response to the recession. Check her out discussing the benefits of escaping into a good book during these penny-pinching times below.
Diana Peterfreund's RAMPANT Reviewed by Publishers Weekly
Congrats to Diana Peterfreund for fantastic review from Publishers Weekly for her first young adult novel, RAMPANT, which will release August 25th.
REVIEW: "This compelling new adventure, Peterfreund’s (Secret Society Girl) YA debut, introduces an international cast of strong young women, virginal descendants of Alexander the Great, who hunt an unusual breed of monster: unicorns. Sixteen-year-old narrator Astrid Llewelyn never believed her mother’s stories about unicorns—portrayed as bloodthirsty, venomous and near impossible to kill—until one impales the boy she’s seeing. Sent to Rome (unwillingly) to train with other huntresses in response to the “Reemergence” of the supposedly extinct creatures, Astrid makes new friends and enemies, hones her powers and finds time for a little romance, while coming to grips with her new life (“Forgive me if enforced lifelong celibacy and possible death by dismemberment and poisoning don’t exactly get me excited,” she gripes). But she soon suspects (as will readers) that the war against the unicorns isn’t so cut-and-dried. With an atmospheric setting, personable ensemble cast and some reasoned discussions about virginity, this gripping page-turner evokes the same grrl-power spirit as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, packed with action, mystery and a complex and intriguing mythology. Ages 12–up (Aug.)"
UPDATE: The winner of SKYKEEPERS by Jessica Andersen is macbeaner! Congrats :). Please send your physical addy to contests @ knightagency.net.
Leave your name in the comments to win a copy of SKYKEEPERS: Final Prophecy, Book 3 by Jessica Andersen. The winner will be announced tomorrow morning. Good luck!
The 411: In this sexy series based around the Mayan doomsday prophecy, a group of magic- wielding warrior heroes called the Nightkeepers are ready to fight the demon creatures of the underworld to prevent annihilation…When prominent Mayanist Ambrose Ledbetter goes missing, his daughter Sasha tracks his remains down to an ancient temple. Before she can recover from the shock, she is kidnapped. Slick and charming recruit Michael Stone rescues Sasha from her imprisonment and feels an instant attraction. But he doesn’t dare get involved, with the threat of his dark side growing stronger and the powers of sorcery on the rise. Both Michael and Sasha will discover a new passion together and one they have to admit to in order to change their worlds…
Registration opened today for the 2010 EPIC Awards, which will be awarded in New Orleans at EPICon next March. So, if you are an e-book author -- make haste! The closing date for entries is August 15th. Find out more details on specific rules and regulations here. Good luck!!
UPDATE: The winner of an autographed copy of THE CALLING by David Mack is heidi2524! Please send your physical addy to contests @ knightagency.net (remove spaces). Big thanks to everyone who participated and especially David for writing such a fabulous post!
At first glance, my new urban fantasy THE CALLING might look like yet another "good vs. evil" showdown of super-powered people. I don't deny it has those elements, but this isn't merely a book (and, I hope, a series) about mystical heroes and villains who face off just to put the hurt on each other. THE CALLING is about a need I think many of us share: a desire to find something good in ourselves and in other people.
Several years ago when I first began working on THE CALLING, I knew I wanted to write a supernatural thriller about a protagonist whose "job" involves helping people in dire need. The challenge I faced was how to involve my main character in people's lives. I thought about some mainstream TV series that had solved this problem in simple ways. Should my hero, Tom Nash, place classified ads as on The A-Team or The Equalizer? Should he wander from place to place getting into adventures, as on The Incredible Hulk or Kung Fu? How was my hero to know who really needed his assistance? Then the answer came to me: he hears them pray for help. Once that "hook" was in place, I realized this needed to be the story of people who are called to take action in the world, to get involved when others turn away.
As peculiar a notion as my hero's "calling" might have seemed at first, I soon saw it as not all that different from the way some people feel their purpose in life is to put themselves at risk for others by serving as police officers, firefighters, or soldiers; or the way some people are drawn to professions in which they care for others, such as doctors, nurses, paramedics, psychologists, or the clergy. That became my touchstone as I considered my tale's "big picture." Behind its action, grit, and mystery, THE CALLING is about people struggling to bring out the best in each other as well as in themselves. So how about it, readers? Do you feel your profession is your calling? Or is your calling one you have yet to answer? Share your thoughts in the comments and leave your name for a chance to win a free copy of THE CALLING, personalized and autographed by yours truly! (U.S. and Canada residents only) Thanks for reading!
Guest Blogger Candace Havens: The All-Important First Kiss
I love it when the hero and heroine come together for that first kiss. In my books, I make the reader wait until an explosive moment, usually after a big fight. Then POW! Right I the kisser. I love those deep, sensual kisses.
When Alex and her main man, Jake, come together for the first time in DRAGONS PREFER BLONDES, it is one sizzling moment. I know, I wrote it, but every time I read it I get that quick tightening in my belly that comes from a really good kiss. The kind that makes the butterflies take flight in your stomach and makes your knees a little weak.
First kisses are always so exciting, even if they don’t always go as well as they do in fiction. I’ve been trying remember my first kiss, and I think it might have been in second grade with Michael Slocum. It must not have been terribly eventful, because I can’t remember much about it. The first kiss I do remember well was Paul Kibby teaching me how to French kiss in the seventh grade to the sounds of the Starland Vocal Band singing “Afternoon Delight.” They were sloppy wet kisses, but at the time I didn’t know any better. (I know my mom is really proud right now.)
I do have two favorite kisses from my past. The first was with Craig Price when I was in the ninth grade. We’d been circling each other for weeks one summer, just hanging out at the lake. Skiing, marshmallows by the campfire, the whole bit. Then one afternoon he kissed me, and POW! I don’t remember the specifics, but I do remember the weak knees and the realization that I’d never “really” been kissed before. It was awesome.
But not as awesome as the guy who kissed me in December of my Freshman year in college. We’d been friends my first few months of school there. I can honestly say we were best friends. One night I went on a date with a creepy guy, who will remain nameless, but he took me to this cool place. After I punched him in the nuts and made him take me home, I told my best friend all about it.
He was all set to punch the guy out, but I convinced him to take me back to the place. It was on this mesa in the middle of nowhere, but the stars were so close it felt like you could touch them. We were sitting on the hood of his car (which was a big deal because he really loved his car) and looking up at the midnight sky. All of the sudden he leaned over and kissed me. It was a good thing I was sitting down because there’s a good chance I would have fainted.
The kiss was that powerful. “I don’t think you need to go out with any other guys,” he told me as he pulled away. I honestly couldn’t speak. If you know me well, you know what a big deal that is. Then he kissed me again and I decided he was right.
I came home that Christmas and told my mom that I had met “the one” and his name was Steve. We’ve been married 25 years this past June.
So I want to hear about your first or favorite kiss. Who made your knees weak? Or how about the best movie kisses? I think my favorite most recently was the one between Edward and Bella when they are in her room in the “Twilight” movie. I can watch that scene again and again. So tell me yours!
SPECIAL NOTE: And make sure you check out Candy’s contest page at www.candacehavens.com. She’s giving away tons of prizes and has lots of ways for you to win! Make a comment today on this blog post, and you’ll automatically be entered to win one of the prizes.
A.J. Whitten's new YA novel, THE WELL, received a glowing review from Publisher's Weekly blogger Barbara Vey's Saturday Morning (Book) Club/YA Style.
The 411 on THE WELL:If Hamlet thought he had issues, he should have talked to Cooper Warner.
His mother’s normally sunny demeanor has turned into something—homicidal.
And what’s worse, she has help in her hunt for Cooper: A ravenous monster living at the bottom of the old well in the woods behind their house. She’s determined to deliver her 14-year-old son straight into the creature’s eager clutches. Cooper turns to his girlfriend, Megan, for help, but then, to his horror, the creature takes her prisoner.
Now, it’s up to Cooper to fend off his murderous mother, finish his Hamlet paper, and enter the putrid lair at the bottom of the well to rescue Megan. And when he confronts the creature, Cooper must make the toughest decision of his life: kill, or be killed.
Inspired by Hamlet, THE WELL puts a terrifying twist on the Shakespearean classic.
UPDATE: The winner of THE VAMPIRE'S BRIDE by Gena Showalter is Beth Harar. Please email your physical addy to contests @ knightagency.net (remove spaces). Congrats! Thanks to everyone who participated. Leave your name in the comments to win a copy ofTHE VAMPIRE'S BRIDE by Gena Showalter. The winner will be announced tomorrow morning. Good luck!
The 411: He is Layel, king of the vampires, a master seducer no woman can deny. But since a rogue horde of dragons killed his beloved over two centuries ago, Layel has existed only for vengeance...until he meets Delilah.
Wary of love, the beautiful Amazon wants nothing to do with the tormented vampire. Yet there's no denying their consuming desire every time he nears her.
Neither trusts the other--nor can they survive alone. For in an impossible game of the gods' devising, they've been trapped on an island, about to face the ultimate challenge: surrender to the passion that will bind them forever...or be doomed to an eternity apart.
It's almost time for BBQ, bathing suits and, best of all, FIREWORKS!
The Knight Agency would like to wish you a happy and safe Fourth of July holiday.* Check out the video below to get in the spirit!
*Please note, our offices will be closed July 2nd & 3rd in observance of the holiday. If you are a client and have questions about the schedule, please contact your individual agent.
The 411: AJ Ashe isn't your typical seventeen-year-old vampire-as if there is such a thing! She's stuck in the middle of a huge fight between her two BFFs. Her ex-boyfriend-whom she's still totally in love with, by the way-is now her stepbrother. A former classmate-who, um, she may or may not have turned into a vampire-is stalking her. And now, apparently, the fate of humankind lies in her little undead hands. What ever happened to the good old days, when all a vampire girl had to worry about was the occasional zit and hiding her taste for blood?
