"THE CALL" Blog Hop: Part 2

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

Hope your week is continuing to go well! Today is Part Two of the Seymour Agency "THE CALL" blog hop hosted by the Seymour Agency Promotions Manager, Tonya Kuper! Want to know what happened during "the call" from my wonderful agent Nicole Resciniti? Check out my answer to the questions below.

TONYA: "The call." Do you remember the date you got the call from your agent? What did you do to prepare for the call? If you didn't get the stereotypical call then how did your agent offer representation? What was your reaction while on the phone? What was your reaction/thoughts when you got off the phone?

KAIT: Nicole called me and offered representation in the evening on Saturday August 13th, 2011 (yes, I remember it that specifically lol). I wasn't even remotely prepared for the call. If you read my last post about the "before part" of the call in Part One, then you might remember that I said Nicole actually left me a voicemail when I didn't pick up her call, because it was an unknown number. Her message was something along the lines of 'Hi Kaitlyn. This is Nicole Resciniti from the Seymour Agency. I wanted to let you know that I read Skinwalkers [the W.I.P title of what is now Twilight Hunter], I loved it, and I'd love to represent it.' I was sitting on husband, Jon's, couch (at that time he was still my fiance) and I literally jumped up and screamed at the top of my lungs. I think everybody in the whole apartment complex probably heard me lol. I immediately started crying and jumping up and down. Jon was laughing and jumping up and down with me lol. 

Before I called Nicole back, I called my mother and then my friend, Brittany Marczak (who is now a marketing assistant at Entangled Publishing), both of whom were an integral part of the writing of Twilight Hunter. Both my mother and Britt had supported me every step of the way, read several drafts, and they both were beyond happy at the news. 

Once I'd finished briefly talking with them, I called Nicole back. The conversation mostly consisted of me squealing in joy as she talked about how much she loved my book and her vision of where she would like to submit the manuscript if I accepted her offer. I didn't ask many questions, because I was on cloud nine. Everything I'd ever planned to ask if I ever got the call just completely toppled out of my head. So much for planning ahead!

When I got off the phone with her, I was still crying and the main word I would use to describe my feelings then is stunned. I cried on and off for the rest of that night out of pure happiness--and several times within the following week as well! 

Check back on Friday to read about the aftermath of the "call" from my agent, Nicole Resciniti!

Review: Sealed with a Curse by Cecy Robson

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Today we have a review of debut urban fantasy author Cecy Robson's novel, Sealed with a Curse, the start of the Weird Girls series! If you haven't already seen my review of her self-titled prequel novella, you can do so by clicking: here. Enjoy both reviews! Also, don't forget to check out the giveaway at the end of the post!

Synopsis: Celia Wird and her three sisters are just like other 20-something girls—with one tiny exception: they're products of a backfired curse that has given each of them unique powers that make them, well, weird…

The Wird sisters are content to avoid the local vampires, werebeasts, and witches of the Lake Tahoe region—until one of them blows up a vampire in self-defense. Everyone knows vampires aren't aggressive, and killing one is punishable by death. But soon more bloodlust-fueled attacks occur, and the community wonders: are the vampires of Tahoe cursed with a plague?

Celia reluctantly agrees to help Misha, the handsome leader of an infected vampire family. But Aric, the head of the werewolf pack determined to destroy Misha's family to keep the region safe, warns Celia to stay out of the fight. Caught between two hot alphas, Celia must find a way to please everyone, save everyone, and oh yeah, not lose her heart to the wrong guy—or die a miserable death. Because now that the evil behind the plague knows who Celia is, it’s coming for her and her sisters. This Wird girl has never had it so tough.

Genre: Urban Fantasy 

First Sentences: "The courthouse doors crashed open as I led my three sisters into the large foyer. I didn't mean to push so hard, but hell, I was mad and worried about being eaten. The cool spring breeze slapped at my back as I stepped inside, yet it did little to cool my temper or my nerves. My nose scented the vampires before my eyes caught them emerging from the shadows. There were six of them, wearing dark suits, Ray-Bans, and obnoxious little grins. Two bolted the doors tight behind us, while the others frisked us for weapons. I can't believe we're in vampire court." How can you not love an opening like that? Within the first few paragraphs, Robson has already drawn me into her fictional world. Vampire court? Pretty cool idea, not to mention the tension is already palpable. Celia is in a fierce mood and a pinched situation, surrounded by enemies. That equals badass action!

 

Brownie Points: As I said in my review of the Weird Girls' novella, Robson has an outstanding and superb voice filled with all the right stuff--humor, sass, emotion and a relatable narrative character--and Sealed with a Curse doesn't disappoint. The Wird girls continue to be fun, sympathetic characters, you can't help but love. No matter their perils or mistakes, Celia and her sisters are easy to champion as they battle with werewolves, vampires, and a viscous supernatural vampire virus throughout the course of the novel. What really stood out as a unique trait to me (as a romance writer and reader) was the stronger than usual romantic elements within this urban fantasy. In the UF genre I often find myself craving more romance than I'm given. This wasn't the case in Sealed with a Curse. It walks the perfect line between sexy romance and action packed urban fantasy, so romance readers and urban fantasy lovers alike will enjoy this novel. Besides, who doesn't love a rivalry between two sexy supernatural men? Aric the werewolf and Misha the vampire? I vote both, please! It's clear who is the winner of Celia's heart, but I won't spill the beans ;-)

Beefs: No major beefs. Sealed with a Curse hits the ground running with action and tension, and it kept me hooked and longing for more up to the very last page.

Ending: As with any great novel, I didn't find the plot predictable in any way. I continued to be surprised by it's twists and turns in the best of ways.

Recommendation and General Comments: Overall, I can't say enough great things about The Weird Girls series. Both the self-titled prequel novella and Sealed with a Curse are a fantastic jump-start to what I'm certain is going to be a continuously capitvating and enchanting series. The second novel in the series, A Curse Embraced, cannot come soon enough! Unfortunately, we'll have to wait until July 2013 for that one =( But I bet it will be well worth the wait! 

I give Sealed with a Curse a rating of a full moon, the highest rating here at Nocturnal Readings.

 

 

I highly recommend this book to readers who love urban fantasy, and those who enjoy paranormal romance as well. The novel will be available in both paperback and e-book formats starting December 31st! A reasonably priced awesome read. So get your asses in gear and pre-order, folks! 

 

CHECK OUT THE GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!!! Cecy has graciously gifted me with a signed copy to give away to one lucky winner! This giveaway is open to both U.S and international entries!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

 

Fall in Love Blog Hop and GIVEAWAY

Happy (shortly belated) Halloween, everyone! Hope you had some great autumn festivities with more to come. A las personas que celebran el dia de los muertos, espero que disfrutan sus felicidades! En caso de mi espanol esta mal, perdonme por favor--no es mi lengua nativa y estoy aprendando lol.

First things first. As part of the Fall in Love hop theme hosted by the wonderful Reader's Confession, I want to gush about my two favorite debut authors this year: Kate SeRine and Cecy Robson. See their covers below! =D Aren't they pretty?

Both writing urban fantasy with a wonderful dash of romance, but casting their own unique spins on the genre, these ladies' novels rocked my socks off! Kate SeRine's gritty, badass heroine Tess "Red" Little knows how to hold her own in a world where fairytales run rampant. And Cecy Robson's kind-hearted, Weird Girl, Celia Wird, has a fierce inner tigress--literally!--and Celia's not afraid to sink her claws into anyone who threatens her family.

These debut authors have amazing voices. In all her stubbornness and intelligence, Tess kept me right by her side and rooting for her from the very first page, and Celia is a woman after my own heart--she balances the line between the girl everyone can relate to and a badass superwoman perfectly. ;-)

The writing is strong in both of these novels and any urban fantasy reader, and even those who normally enjoy solely paranormal romance, should give these fantastic debuts a try. I'm looking forward to the next installment of the Transplanted Tales and of the Weird Girls.

If you'd like to check out my full review of Kate SeRine's Red, please click the link: Review of Red. I also plan to host the wonderful Kate SeRine again in the coming months of 2013 with the release of the second novel in her Transplanted series, The Better to See You.

You'll have to wait patiently for my full reviews of Cecy Robson's Weird Girls. On November 27th I'll be posting a review of the Weird Girls Novella and on December 18th I'll be posting a review of the first full length novel in the series, Sealed with a Curse. I will clue you in--if you haven't caught my drift already--and say that I LOVED both Cecy Robson's books!

Now, onto the giveaway! U.S entrants only please!

Since my own publisher is Harlequin, I will be giving away four different Harlequin novels from various lines (three of which are signed): Killing Me Softly by Maggie Shayne (single-title romantic suspense), The Protector by Carla Capshaw (inspirational historical romance), His Bride for the Taking by Sandra Hyatt (contemporary romance, and The Longest Night by Cindy Dees (romantic suspense).

The giveaway starts today, November 1st 2012, and ends November 11th 2012 with the winner announced on the 12th.

So how about you? Who are your favorite debut authors of 2012? Please share in the comments! And don't forget to enter the giveaway! Extra entries for those who follow via FB or Twitter, or those who tweet about the contest. Cheers!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow Friday #117

Happy Friday, everyone! I'm sure you're all glad it's the weekend! And the weekend means, it's time for some blog hopping. So please hop on over to Parajunkee's View or Alison Can Read, and hop around to some new blogs. You can also participate in the social media hop as well! So have fun and check out my answer to the weekly blog hop question below.

This week's question:

What do you hope to accomplish with your blog? Is it to one day become an author yourself, just for fun, maybe get some online attention, or maybe something very different?

My Answer: I started blogging and continue to blog in hope of drumming up a fan base for my writing. The first novel in my debut paranormal romance series, Shadow Hunter (Execution Underground, #1), releases in September 2013 with Harlequin's single-title HQN line. I hope that my blog will earn it some attention =) Check out my Goodreads link on the sidebar to read more about it ;-)

Check back on Monday! Cheers ;-)

Fictional Priorities

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Hope you're all having a great week!

I came across this little gem on Facebook a while ago and thought I'd share it with you. "Going to the grocery store just isn't a priority when the fate of a fictional character is hanging in the balance."

So I was wondering, have you ever neglected priorities, obligations, or even just your 'to-do' list for the sake of a fictional character? If you're really enjoying the book your reading, do you have a hard time putting it down until you're finished?

For me, a book that I love that made me neglect my priorities was The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I bought the book right after Thanksgiving of 2010, when I was still an undergraduate student. I decided to open it and read a few pages one day, during the middle of semester finals week. Boy, was that a mistake! I had a 16 page paper to write for a class on postcolonial fiction. I'd procrastinated and it was due in two days! But I could NOT put The Hunger Games down! So what did I do? Well...I spent a day reading The Hunger Games and then wrote a 16 page research paper in one day. Surprisingly enough, I got a B+ on the paper. Moral of the story: I don't know, you tell me lol.

Someday, I hope that my books, like SHADOW HUNTER, will be enough of a page-turner that someone can't put it down either.

What's a book that's done this to you? Leave your answer in the comments. Til Friday ;-)

Signing My Harlequin Contract!!!!

Happy Monday, everyone! Hope you had a great weekend!

Though I received my three-book deal from Harlequin back in May, I just finally received the official contract in August. For the sake of memories, I filmed me signing it and thought I would share it with all of you!

I was so super excited to sign that contract! And have been waiting impatiently for my advance ever since LOL! I may just have some other exciting news to share with you soon, who knows *wink wink*

And with that, I leave you a second excerpt from book one in the Execution Underground series, SHADOW HUNTER! This one is HOT, so if you're under 18, look away. You can check out the first excerpt here: E.U Excerpt #1

In the first excerpt we saw werewolf hunter and Execution Underground member, Jace McCannon, in the first pages of the novel, leading up to the discovery of the corpse of a young girl, who'd been slayed by a sadistic Rogue werewolf. In this excerpt, Jace has taken werewolf heroine and Rochester packmaster, Frankie Amato, captive after finding her in wolf form at the scene of the crime. He forces her to shift to human form and cuffs her ;-)

SHADOW HUNTER EXCERPT #2

            Jace was screwed, so totally screwed. He slammed the door to his black H3 and rounded to the driver’s side of the car. Reaching for the handle, he silently cursed himself and wondered what the hell his problem was. Catch and kill. That had always been his philosophy with hunting. Never once had he kept one of those monsters alive. Until now.

            He climbed in the car and closed the door behind him. Glancing in the rearview mirror, he saw her wiggling in the backseat, naked breasts swaying as she fumbled against the cuffs. He shifted his weight and his erection pressed against his pants in an attempt to escape. As much as he wanted to succumb to her beauty and the electricity which flowed between them when they touched, he knew better. He’d already thought too much with his lower head tonight.

            She was right about the evidence. With no blood on her, no weapons, and a different scent, there was no question she hadn’t killed that girl. But either way, looking at her was a betrayal to his job, his fellow hunters. And damn it, he sure as hell wouldn’t change his conviction for a sweet lay. Werewolves were his enemies and they always had been. He slammed his fist onto the steering wheel. The whole situation was bullshit. She hadn’t done anything wrong, so he wasn’t sure he could bring himself to kill her, but shit, she was a goddamn wolf.

            He revved the engine and glanced in the mirror one more time. Her jaw clenched, pure frustration evident on her face as she continued to struggle with the handcuffs. Princess was seriously pissed off. Ripping his eyes from her gorgeous allure, Jace pulled away from the curb and slammed down the gas pedal. He floored it. Damn meeting started in fifteen minutes.

Copyright Kaitlyn Ballenger, Harlequin Enterprises Limited

Follow Friday #116

Happy Friday, everyone! I'm sure you're all glad it's the weekend! And the weekend means, it's time for some blog hopping. So please hop on over to Parajunkee's View or Alison Can Read, and hop around to some new blogs. You can also participate in the social media hop as well! So have fun and check out my answer to the weekly blog hop question below.

This week's question:

What's the biggest word you've seen used in a book lately - that made you stop and look it up? Might as well leave the definition and book too.

My Answer: Honestly, I can't think of the last time I had to stop and look up a word while reading lol. Not only am I a writer, but I have a B.A in English, am almost finished with my Masters in Writing, and actually am a paid English tutor for high school students, so I have a pretty expansive vocabulary.

Check back on Monday for an awesome announcement! Cheers ;-)