Cover Reveal...One

It is no secret that I am a cover junkie. So it is my pleasure to be a part of the cover reveal for One, by Mari Arden. Make sure to scroll down for your chance to win an Amazon gift card, a book or mouse pad.

Summary~

Jules Hendricks has had a string of bad "firsts."

 Embarrassing first kiss. Traumatic first date. An obsessive first boyfriend she can't understand.

It's taken her years but she's finally able to leave her small town life behind for a new start as a freshmen at UW- Madison. For Jules this chance to be independent and rebuild her life is an opportunity she won't ever let anyone take from her again. She's determined to make something of herself without a man by her side, in front, behind or anywhere near her.

Reid "Pax" Paxton is the star quarterback for the UW Badgers. His brush with death makes him understand how precious life is, and how important it is to take life by the horns, unafraid. Jules knows he's dangerous for her. Dark hair. Smoldering eyes. Killer smile. That dimple. That body. Those arms. Pax is everything she's trying to run away from, but she can't help coming back for more. Slowly he begins to show a life together can be more than just a dream. It can be their reality. The truth about reality is it's not always sunshine and butterflies.

Sometimes it's a wasteland.

Sometimes secrets can't stay buried.

Sometimes your past will find a way to hunt you down. 

AUTHOR BIO: 

I'm Mari Arden (Mari rhymes with safari). Teacher by day, author by night. When I'm not living my double life I like to hike and try foods from all over the world. Up until recently, I used to be scared of dogs. Even puppies. True story. Now I'm just afraid of anything with more than six legs. I write to soothe my soul and to, hopefully, entertain YOU. 

Adventurous? Come join my double life

An excerpt from One~

ONE

**Warning: the contents of this book are intended for readers 18+ and older due to explicit adult situations.           

            "Do I make you nervous?" His husky drawl drips like chocolate covering a ripe, round strawberry. Does he make me nervous? Does a simmering volcano make an ant nervous?

            I swallow. "Nervous? I'm not nervous," I babble, refusing to look at him. I'm in physical pain. What's that thing I do where I take in air, and then let it out? Oh yeah, breathing. I need to do that.

            Like right now.

            I make a strangled sound and inhale through my nostrils, taking in the smoky air like a ravenous puppy finding milk. Instantly I feel Pax's heat next to me. Soon I'll be immersed in it, wrapped in it.

            Wrapped around him.

            So does that make me nervous? Only a hundred kinds of nervous.

            "Time to begin!" Cade yells, as he jogs back to Pax and I, flashing his pearly whites. He pounds Pax on the back. "Don't drop the ball," he grins.

            "As if I ever do."

            Cade turns to me. I see the second he registers my cleavage is exposed to the world. His eyes appraise me slowly. He gives me an appreciative grin. "Well, hello there."

            "Hi," I reply. "Um, should we start now?" I don't mean to be rude, but I'm a second away from vomiting every cell inside me, and call me crazy, but I'd prefer not to start off my year known as the Vomiter.

            "Yes," Pax glares at Cade. "Let's start." He inserts himself between us, blocking Cade's view of me. His firm, half naked body is next to my face. Pax's musky cologne combined with a sweaty scent unique to him assails my nostrils until my senses are reeling out of control.

            Cade chuckles, looking amused. I want to glare at him. I don't find anything amusing about this. "Ready when you are."

            Pax turns to me, his emerald eyes dark pools in the sunlight. This close I see every glorious inch of him, from the tiny stubbles of black hair covering the lower part of his face to the rippling six pack decorating his stomach like a tattoo. I don't dare look any lower. My pulse skitters. I forget to breathe. Something hard and hot unfurls in my belly. Unable to tear my gaze from him I watch helpless as his mouth drifts closer, until he' so close his breath mingles with mine.

            "Ride me."

Excerpt copyright 2013 Mari Arden

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And Introducing...Ruth Silver

Today on Words Escape Me I am please to have Ruth Silver, the author of Aberrant, stop by and answer a few questions.

1. How long have you been writing.

I started writing when I was in high school. Mostly it was poetry in my spare time. It was my freshman year of college where I really took to writing, spending a lot of my free time drafting stories and writing fan fiction with friends online.

2. If you could have a super hero power, what would it be?

I'm not sure that this would be a super power, per say but I'd love to be able to teleport. I wouldn't need a machine, I could just think of where I'd want to go and travel there without any complications (flight delays, traffic, etc). I have family in another state and I'd love to be able to visit them in an instant and still be able to come home and play with my dog before bed.

3.If Aberrant was ever made into a movie, who would you cast in the lead roles?

Tough question! When I wrote Aberrant, I didn't have specific actors in mind. I had to do a little searching online. Olivia was easier to decide who she would be played by, Elle Fanning. She has the physical traits as well as the acting chops to pull it off. For Joshua, I had a little more difficulty deciding. There were a few actors I could see playing Joshua. However, with Elle being a little younger for the role (and presumably would grow into the role), I'd cast Dylan Sprayberry alongside of her.

Abarrant reached the top 100 in Kindle sales within the first 48 hours of publication. Way to go Ruth!

You can find Abarrant on Amazon, or visit Ruth's blog, Write Away Bliss.

Here is a little about the book~

In the future Dystopian society of Cabal, the government instills equality for all and offers its citizens the perfect system. There is food, shelter and jobs for everyone. The one requirement is to follow the rules without question, including the government's match in marriage and "The Day of the Chosen", a lottery that randomly selects families to conceive children as natural means hasn't existed in generations. Following her eighteenth birthday, Olivia Parker accepts her requirement to marry her childhood best friend, Joshua Warren, and is eager to start her work assignment and new life when it all comes abruptly to an end as she's arrested and thrown in prison. The only crime committed, her existence. Olivia is unlike the rest of the world born not from "The Day of the Chosen." The truth haunts the government and puts her life in grave danger as one simple fact would destroy the perfect system.

With Joshua's help, Olivia breaks free of prison and is forced on the run. Together they set out to find the promised rebel town in search of a new home and new life together. Their situation seems less than promising as they reach the town of Haven. New rules and customs must be adhered to in order to stay. Leaving would mean most certain death in the large expanse of the Gravelands. Time is running out as the government mounts an attack to destroy Olivia and bury her secret with her. Thrown into a world unlike their own, they must quickly adapt to survive.

Cover Reveal and Giveaway...Addicted To You

I'm super excited to be a part of the cover reveal for Addicted To You, by Krista & Becca Ritchie.

Krista & Becca also run one of my favorite blogs, Nawanda Files. There you can read book reviews and up to date book to movie information. But without further ado, I introduce you to, Addicted To You.

Two addictions. One lie.

No one would suspect shy, Lily Calloway’s biggest secret. While everyone is dancing at college bars, Lily stays in the bathroom. To get laid. Her compulsion leads her to one-night stands, steamy hookups and events she shamefully regrets. The only person who knows her secret happens to have one of his own.

Loren Hale’s best friend is his bottle of bourbon. Lily comes at a close second. For three years, they’ve pretended to be in a real relationship, hiding their addictions from their families. They’ve mastered the art of concealing flasks and random guys that filter in and out of their apartment.

But when they go on a family boat trip, surrounded by open seas and limited male bodies in sight, Lily’s confronted with a big fear. Only one guy onboard can fill her addiction, and she’s sworn off going there with Loren Hale ever again.

Now the only person who can truly help her, can barely help himself. 

**This is a New Adult book recommended for readers 18 and up**

The giveaway is international as long as the Book Depository ships to you.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

And Introducing...E.J. Stevens

Today I would like to introduce you to E.J. Stevens. Author of the Spirit Guide and the Ivy Granger series. For a complete list of all of her books please visit her Goodreads Author page.

Thank you E.J. for taking the time answer a few questions.

1. How long have you been writing?

Writing has always been in my blood. I grew up in a family of prolific storytellers and my childhood was steeped in tales of supernatural horror and suspense. When I was very young I would join in the thrill of telling ghost stories. Writing novels was a natural progression to this early storytelling, though it wasn’t until 2010 that my first novel was published.

She Smells the Dead, the first novel in the Spirit Guide young adult paranormal series, published in 2010. This was soon followed by Spirit Storm, Legend of Witchtrot Road, and Brush with Death. The Pirate Curse, the fifth novel in the Spirit Guide series, is scheduled to release Fall 2013.

Shadow Sight, the first novel in the Ivy Granger urban fantasy series, released in 2012. Blood and Mistletoe, an Ivy Granger novella, released later that year. Ghost Light, the second Ivy Granger novel, is due to release July 9, 2013 and will be followed by Club Nexus, a collection of short stories set in the urban fantasy world of the Ivy Granger series, later this year.

2. Can you tell us about any of your future works?

I have three books publishing in 2013.

THE PIRATE CURSE is the fifth novel in the Spirit Guide young adult paranormal series. In this series, Yuki has the unusual gift of sensing ghosts through the sense of smell. Though smelling dead people isn’t much of a gift. For Yuki, a goth outsider who’s already the target of her school’s worst bullies, it’s more like a curse. 

Thankfully, Yuki has an amazing group of friends who have helped her to survive high school. But now high school is over. With the knowledge that nothing will ever be the same once the summer ends, Yuki is determined to make the most of the time she has left before her friends leave for college.

But when Yuki starts smelling salt brine and seaweed, she finds her summer vacation hijacked by pirates...the DEAD kind. Will the ghost of Black Sam Bellamy, Prince of Pirates, lead Yuki and her friends to treasure or terror?

GHOST LIGHT is the second full-length novel in the Ivy Granger urban fantasy series. Ivy Granger is back, gathering clues in the darkest shadows of downtown Harborsmouth. Ivy’s psychic detective agency is beginning to prosper. Too bad her newfound notoriety brings a mob of angry faeries to her office door. 

CLUB NEXUS is a collection of short stories set in the world of Ivy Granger. Harborsmouth is built on a confluence of ley lines, and at the center of this convergence of power sits a nightclub hidden in shadow. If you’ve ever wondered what vampires and faeries do for fun, look no further. When you’re a supernatural beastie, all roads lead to Club Nexus.

3. If your books were to be made into a movie, who would you cast in the leading roles?

Such an exciting idea! 

I think actress Jodelle Ferland would be excellent in the role of Yuki, the lead protagonist of the Spirit Guide series. Gemma Ward looks very similar to how I envision Yuki’s best friend Emma. Chris Zylka and Chase Crawford each have the potential to play swoonworthy Calvin. Ian Somerholder has the perfect mannerisms for Simon. I’d love to see Field Cate as Gordy and Georgie Henley would make a cute Katie.

Casting the Ivy Granger series is a bit more difficult. There are so many possibilities! Megan Fox, Odette Annabelle, Erica Cerra, Olivia Wilde, and Taylor Cole would each make an excellent Ivy Granger. I haven’t found the perfect actress for the role of Jinx, Ivy’s rockabilly best friend, but Zooey Deschanel may have the right style for the part. Tilda Swinton would be wonderful as The Green Lady, the glaistig who rules the Harborsmouth carnival. Johnny Depp has the ability to play charismatic eccentric characters and would be excellent in the role of Sir Torn, lord of the cat sith. Mia Wasikowska would be lovely in the role of Ivy’s mother in her younger years and Caleb Landry Jones would be excellent in the role of Will-o’-the-Wisp. Amanda Seigfried has the look of the Tuatha Dé Danann druid Béchuille. With the help of CGI, Bryce Dallas Howard could make an impressive Melusine. Rose Leslie may be able to pull off the role of the Hunter Jenna. Helena Bonham Carter would be fabulous as the powerful witch Madam Kaye. Then, of course, we must cast our hot kelpie king. Henry Cavill has the chiseled good looks and six-pack abs necessary to play Ceffyl Dŵr, though his baby blues would have to be hidden behind midnight green contact lenses.

4. Can you tell us anything about yourself that we may be surprised to know?

I am completely ruled by my corgi overlord. No, really. Think about it. My corgi has more beds than I do; she has seven beds, while I have just the one. And she dictates my writing schedule. If my corgi wants attention, I don’t have a choice but to obey. 

5. Who has been your favorite character to write? Why?

I love all of my characters, but I have to admit that I most enjoy writing mischievous characters. For this reason, I adore writing scenes featuring the brownie Hob. I also enjoy writing about kleptomaniac pookas and troublesome pixies.

If you’d like to keep up with my current writing mischief, visit my blog or follow me on Twitter.

Thank you so much for having me here today at Words Escape Me.


Author Bio:

E.J. Stevens is the author of the Spirit Guide young adult series and the bestselling Ivy Granger urban fantasy series. When E.J. isn't at her writing desk she enjoys dancing along seaside cliffs, singing in graveyards, and sleeping in faerie circles. E.J. currently resides in a magical forest on the coast of Maine where she finds daily inspiration for her writing.

You can learn more about E.J. by visiting her blog From the Shadows:http://www.fromtheshadows.info