Saturday, 8 June 2013

ReVamped Blog Tour: Tens List plus giant giveaway!


Hey everyone, today is my stop on the awesome ReVamped Blog Tour organised by the lovely Amber and Jean over at Book Nerd Tours. This tour is the showcase for the book ReVamped (Angel Creek #1), as well as ReAwakened (Angel Creek #2) by Ada Adams. Below is some information on the books and the author. Keep reading to see the mouth-watering Tens List from author Ada on her favourite guys from her books. There are some intriguing facts and bits and pieces about them too, so be sure to check it out. Lastly, there is a huge tour wide giveaway thanks to Ada, don't miss out on that! Also, to check out the other stops of this tour, visit here for the full tour schedule. Enjoy! :)



Cover and Spotlight for ReVamped (Angel Creek #1) by Ada Adams





Synopsis

A simple mission turned deadly


Nineteen-year-old vampire Dawn has led a sheltered life within the confines of her father’s presidential headquarters. Upon being sent on a mission to revamp four goofy misfits into guardians of a peaceful little town of Angel Creek, Dawn believes that all her dreams have finally come true. What starts off as a simple task, turns into something unexpected, changing Dawn’s life forever and leading the action-loving, thrill-seeking vampire teen on a path of mystery, danger and intrigue.

When a human girl is kidnapped by a group of rogue vamps, Dawn discovers that there is more going on in Angel Creek than meets the eye. And it all connects to Ethan, the cute newcomer who seems too perfect to be true, Sebastian, the mysterious vampire with a turbulent past, and even Dawn herself. Dawn must not only succeed in revamping the troubled recruits, but must also prevent the vampire race from being overtaken by a malevolent villain who has a strange and obsessive fascination with her. As threat escalates, romance blooms, and ghosts from her past begin to surface, Dawn is sure of only one thing: her life will never be the same.



Cover and Spotlight for ReAwakened (Angel Creek #2) by Ada Adams





Synopsis

Becoming a vampire guardian was Dawn Fairchild's ticket out of the Scarlet House. Fresh off a successful mission, life in Angel Creek should have been great. But when her sort-of-maybe-boyfriend, Sebastian, disappears on a quest to help a beautiful vampire from his past, Dawn finds herself amidst a web of danger, lies, and deceit. 


Joining forces with Razor, an enigmatic rebel lacking both a verbal and a physical filter, and her band of Misfits—Brooke, Sophie, Hunter, and Seth—Dawn is thrust into a race against the clock to solve the mystery surrounding brutal Born kidnappings and come to terms with the sudden discovery of her own unique powers. With time ticking away and Born vampires’ lives in jeopardy, it quickly becomes evident that someone—orsomething—desperately wants Dawn and is willing to shed any amount of blood to get her.

Dawn has only one chance to face her demons and overcome all obstacles standing in her way as she embarks on the biggest mission of her life—one that threatens a deadly outcome for all involved.




Top Tens List from Ada:


Your favorite guy characters from your books, including random facts about them.


My favorite guy characters from "Angel Creek" are: Sebastian, Razor, and Hunter. 


My current favourite character of all time is Kade Weston, from my upcoming NA Contemporary novel, "Heartstings". He's kind of a mix between the three guys (minus the vampire aspect).

Sebastian York

Vampire – Made
Age: 21
Eyes: Silver
Hair: Black, Soft Curls
Height: 6’4
First Appears: “ReVamped” (Angel Creek Series, Book One)

Random Facts:

1.      Birthday: November 18th, 1853.
2.      Has a very special connection to Dawn’s past.
3.      His favorite sport is snowboarding.
4.      Trademark: sexy silver eyes.
5.      Once, when forced to choose a favorite TV show in an interview, he said:
“If I absolutely had to pick one, I guess, Supernatural. It’s a story about brothers who fight evil. Although, they talk about their feelings way too much for my liking.”
Who knew Sebastian liked Sam and Dean?!


Razor

Vampire – Made
Age: 24
Eyes: Dark Grey
Hair: Light Brown, Short
Height: 6’3
First Appears: “ReAwakened” (Angel Creek Series, Book Two)

Random Facts:

1.      Brother of one of the main characters in “ReVamped”.
2.      Extremely cocky; speaks his mind without a filter.
3.      May or may not have a small crush on Dawn.
4.      Was a trained doctor before being turned.
5.      Lives by three rules:
“Don’t dwell on the past, present, or future; party hard; never fall in love.”


Hunter Woods

Vampire – Made
Age: 21
Eyes: Green
Hair: Brown (Blue and Green Streaks, Red Tips), Long
Height: 6’1
First Appears: “ReVamped” (Angel Creek Series, Book One)

Random Facts:

1.      Plays the guitar. He’s really, really, really good. ;)
2.      Was in a band called “Blood Vultures”.
3.      Has a very tragic past that still haunts him…which one of my characters doesn’t?
4.      Used drugs and alcohol to cope with his pain. Thankfully, doesn’t anymore.
5.      Trademark: bright and vibrant hair color—always something different.


Kade Weston
Age: 23
Eyes: Light Blue
Hair: Dark Brown
Height: 6’3
First Appears: “Heartstrings” (Upcoming Novel)

Random Facts:

1.      Great kisser. This had to be #1, of course.
2.      Owns a horse named “Unicorn”.
3.      Has a tattoo of the grim reaper on his shoulder.
4.      Adrenaline junkie. Hasn’t left a mountain unclimbed!
 Doesn’t get romantically involved. No, scratch that—can’t fall in love with anyone because…oops, I can’t    share the story yet! :P


About the Author


Ada Adams
“Many people sing in the shower. I write scenes in my head and act them out.”

As a writer and an actress, Ada spends most of her days immersed in imaginary worlds. Much like the kick-butt female characters she enjoys writing about, Ada is a martial artist with a Black Belt in Shotokan Karate. She is also a big proponent of lifelong learning and has attained a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (it aids in creating characters with unique quirks!) as well as a Masters of Science in Education.

Ada began her writing career at the age of three with a string of short stories that only a mother could love, and has been inventing quirky characters and imaginary worlds ever since. She is an editor-in-chief of VEUX Magazine (
www.veuxmag.com) and a passionate advocate for the arts. A self-proclaimed book and TV junkie, she also loves animals, chocolate, and bubble tea.

Ada lives in Toronto, Canada. When she's not writing, you can find her on an adventurous nature hike with her puppies, Caramilk and Oreo. Or, more likely, deep in a jar of Nutella...

SOCIAL MEDIA:

REVAMPED LINKS:




Now, onto the giveaway! There will be four different lots of prizes and 14 winners! Enter enter enter! 

2 Winners will receive a Signed Copy of  ReVamped by Ada Adams.
1 Winner will receive a Signed Copy of  ReAwakened by Ada Adams.
1 Winner will receive a Poster and Bookmark of a Surprise Art by James Vallesteros.
10 Winners will receive One bookmark of a Surprise Art by James Vallesteros.

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Thursday, 16 May 2013

Love in Bloom Giveaway Hop


Hey guys, I'm participating in another giveaway hop with an awesome prize again! In this giveaway hop, I'm going to go with the Love In Bloom theme and so I will be giving away one Young Adult or Adult book of the winner's choice that contains Romance! Hopefully lots of Romance? But if there's only a bit that's fine too, just as long as there is romance somewhere in there ;) If the book of choice is Adult, then I just want to ask you to keep it clean romance. But if it's Young Adult, then the choice if all yours. This giveaway is open internationally as long as The Book Depository ships to you. Just enter the rafflecopter. Good luck!

Here are some suggestions of what you might choose:

Pushing the Limits
True
Graceling
Clockwork Princess
Bitterblue
The Iron King
Such a Rush
The Fault in Our Stars
The Elite
Slammed

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Tuesday, 7 May 2013

Tiger's Quest by Colleen Houck Book Blast


This is a book blast for Tiger's Quest by Colleen Houck in celebration for a new paperback edition release of Tiger's Quest (Tiger Saga #2). Tiger's Quest is an amazing sequel to the best-selling YA fantasy Tiger's Curse. I've read this whole Saga (currently containing 4 books) and absolutely loved every word of it. It's my favourite YA series.





Back in Oregon, Kelsey tries to pick up the pieces of her life and push aside her feelings for Ren. But danger lurks around the corner, forcing her to return to India where she embarks on a second quest–this time with Ren’s dark, bad-boy brother Kishan, who has also fallen prey to the Tiger’s Curse. Fraught with danger, spellbinding dreams, and choices of the heart, TIGER’S QUEST brings the trio one step closer to breaking the spell that binds them.
 Winner of a Parent’s Choice Award!
You can purchase Tiger’s Quest at the following Retailers:

About the author:


Colleen Houck’s New York Times bestselling Tiger’s Curse series has received national praise with the fourth book, Tiger’s Destiny, debuting September 2012. Colleen is a lifelong reader whose literary interests include action, adventure, science fiction, and romance. Formerly a student at the University of Arizona, she has worked as a nationally certified American Sign Language interpreter for seventeen years. Colleen lives in Salem, Oregon, with her husband and a huge assortment of plush tigers.
About Colleen:Website  

Giveaway Time!

The giveaway is international and this is what amazing price you can win: 


1 Winner will receive a Tiger’s Curse Series Box Set by Colleen Houck.
2 Winners will receive a Signed Paperback Copy of Tiger’s Quest by Colleen Houck.


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Thursday, 2 May 2013

Maid of Secrets Blog Tour: Author interview + Giveaway


Hello everyone and welcome to my stop of the Maid of Secrets Blog Tour! If you don't already know what this book is about, scroll down and see my previous Waiting On Wednesday post which has all the info about the book itself. Thanks to Simon &Schuster for the ARC copy and thanks to Sel at Bookcase to Heaven for organising the tour. Today author of the book Jennifer McGowan is going to drop in and do an awesome interview with me here at my blog. Keep reading to find out what witty comments Jenn has for my questions and also remember to enter the tour-wide giveaway at the end!




Author Bio via Goodreads:
Jennifer McGowan writes Young Adult romance full of swash and buckle. Her first novel, MAID OF SECRETS, debuts in Spring, 2013 from Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
Age: Royal Secret
Came From: A small town in northern Ohio
Became a Maid of Honor: After bringing her tale of spygirls to the noble city, and winning the favor of the great house of Simon (& Schuster).
Special Skill: Matrix-like reflexes, superior strength, fabulous wit… okay, ah – we’ll get back to you on that.





So hi Jenn! Welcome to my blog and thanks for agreeing to take on my many questions :D

Angela, hello! Thank you so much for having me today at Framed In Words. I can’t believe Maid of Secrets’ debut is almost here!

Thanks, Jenn! We’ve got a lot of questions for you today, so let’s jump right in. How did you come up with the idea to write Maid of Secrets?

I’ve always loved the Elizabethan time period, and in fact the very first romance I ever wrote was set in Queen Elizabeth’s era—I just never submitted it, because it wasn’t quite ready for prime time. A few years ago, I was looking for a fresh new idea to get me motivated to write, and I started thinking about Queen Bess again. I began researching, stumbled across an interesting account of how the Queen’s advisors couldn’t figure out how the Queen seemed to know things she shouldn’t… and the idea of a spying corps of Maids of Honor was born!

Do any of the characters in Maid of Secrets resemble/reflect you in anyway? If so, how?

I think I have a little bit of Meg (the thief and heroine of Maid of Secrets) in me – her quirky sense of humor in particular. I also admit to having a similar interest in the Mysteries of the Universe that Sophia has. I wish I had Meg’s power of recall, Beatrice’s ability of persuasion, Anna’s genius and Jane’s ability with a blade… but you can’t have everything!

What is your favourite time of day to write and why?

Early morning, without doubt! I am very much a morning person. I know it’s going to be a good day when I get up and get to my Work in Progress before the sun even comes up.

I envy those writers who can write into the wee hours of the night… if I were to try that, I’d end up with sentences that read “And she looked up as the mirror began talking to her and said shfweezlllitzubaaaaa…”

If there’s one place in the world you could choose to live, where would it be and why?

I would like to live in coastal Spain, actually. My dream is to be able to live for six or so months at a time in one place—renting out a small bungalow or apartment with a cool view or an interesting story—and then move on to a new place with new vistas to explore. I’ve done the whole “house with a picket fence” thing… now I would like to start traveling a bit more lightly through the world!

What would be your weapon of choice and why?

A dagger of any stripe. Including throwing daggers. Like my spy girl Jane, I appreciate the fact that daggers are silent, good for close combat, and efficient. Of course, it wouldn’t hurt for me to know my way around a gun, but for sheer versatility, I’d take a sharp blade.

Wow, I sure wouldn't want to be at the wrong end of that blade! *Stepping away slowly* So, what is your favourite snack in between working hard on your books?

I’m a huge fan of almonds – I will snack on them throughout the day. And if there is dark chocolate in the house well… it probably won’t be for long. Seriously, though, writing is such a sedentary, solitary pursuit, I really have to be careful to remember to MOVE each day. It is far too easy to get caught up in the work and forget to be healthy!

What do you think is important for a Young Adult novel?

I think it has to be written for TEENS—and not just for adults who want to read YA fiction. I think teens are at a unique point in their lives… the whole world is pure potential for them, and they seem to have an invincible spirit no matter how challenging their lives have been up to that point. I think YA fiction needs to honor that spirit, and provide stories that help teens stretch themselves to reach that potential.

If you could live in any ONE story, which one would it be?

Aigh!! What a great question!! I’ll go with the first idea that springs to mind: the world of J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series (paranormal romance series—not YA—about kick-butt vampires)… as long as I had lots of money and a super-cool skill.  I mean, I’d need to be a central figure in order for that to work. I think that probably holds true for most stories. Even If I’m going to live in Jane Austen’s Regency England… I’d need to have money and prestige (or the ability to get it) for that to be cool!

Haha, I know favourites are hard to pick, but if one character can come to life from any book, who would you choose and why? (what book is he/she from?)

Another great question! My immediate answer is not very useful, as it’s the character Armaeus from a book I’m writing now – he’s the incarnation of the Tarot’s Magician. But as to a fictional character from someone else’s book… I’d have to say Aragorn from Tolkien’s The Lord of The Rings. And as to why – he is a prince and a warrior in a time when civility is in ruins, yet he still manages to choose his enemies nobly and stay true to his ideals. We need more of that in our world today, I think.

What is the most interesting thing you’ve learnt from writing this series?

How strong Elizabeth had to be to achieve all that she did as Queen. Like her or hate her, she was one woman who decided what she wanted and then went after her dream with every ounce of her soul. She had the world stacked against her, and she still ended up on top, no matter the cost to her personally. Even in something so slight as being able to trust her closest advisors… Elizabeth knew she could only do so up to a point. The person she had to trust most was—herself.

A message for all of us, even today! J

Thank you for such an awesome list of questions, Angela!!

No problem Jenn. Thank you for the entertaining answers and for visiting my blog. Good luck with future writings and I'm sure the readers will love your books. Ta ta for now but I hope to have you back maybe sometime. :) 

Alrighty, did you like the interview? If you do, go to Bookcase to Heaven or Jenn's blog to follow the rest of the tour. Remember to enter the giveaway below! 

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Wednesday, 1 May 2013

Waiting On Wednesday: Maid of Secrets

Today I'm doing a Waiting On Wednesday post on the book Maid of Secrets by Jennifer McGowan. I was lucky enough to receive an e-ACR of it from Simon & Schuster Books and I really enjoyed it. The official blog tour has kicked off today at author Jennifer McGowan's blog, and tomorrow I will have the honour of being the second stop with a fun-filled, witty and entertaining author interview with Jenn. Don't forget there will be a tour-wide giveaway that you don't want to miss. Be sure to stop by again tomorrow and join in with the fun! 



Here are the information below for this book, not long until it comes out  and everyone can read it too. 




Maids of Secrets by Jennifer McGowan



Blurb via Goodreads:
Seventeen-year-old Meg Fellowes is a wry, resourceful thief forced to join an elite group of female spies in Queen Elizabeth’s Court. There she must solve a murder, save the Crown, and resist the one thing that will become her greatest freedom–and her deadliest peril. 

For Meg and her fellow spies are not alone in their pursuit of the murderer who stalks Windsor Castle.

A young, mysterious Spanish courtier, Count Rafe de Martine, appears at every turn in the dark and scandal-filled corridors of the Queen’s summer palace. And though secrets and danger are Meg’s stock-in-trade, she’s never bargained on falling in love…


Hardcover, 416 pages
Expected publication: May 7th 2013 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers


Tuesday, 30 April 2013

Top Ten Tuesday (#1)


Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week, I'll make a list about the top ten YA books I think YA lovers should not miss out on.

Top Ten YA books YA lovers should not miss


1. Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices #3) by Cassandra Clare


Not just Clockwork Princess, but this whole series! Book one: Clockwork Angel, Book two: Clockwork Prince. Stunning YA series. I've only just freshly wrote a review on Clockwork Princess. Want to know why you should read it? Find my reviews on all three books at my review index :)


2. Graceling (The Seven Realms #1) By Kristin Cashore


Assassins, people with gifts and mismatching eyes, olden day/Renaissance kind of period. Fantasy and adventure. Sounds like your thing? This is one of the best olden-day style adventure fantasies ever! Read it now! 


3. Heist Society (Heist Society #1) By Ally Carter


Thieves, family business and a life of "good" teenage crime-makers. Intriguing read! I learnt so much about art, places in the world and of course, thievery from this book. 


4. The Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa

I'm cheating a little here, I don't just recommend The Iron King (book 1 of The Iron Fey series), but the whole series. I mean, truth be told, if you liked the first book, you're not going to stop there are you? One of the only Fey stories I enjoyed (and one that I absolutely LOVED). There are lots of humour, bravery, love and friendship. And lots of conflict and wit-matching. The four books in order are: The Iron King, The Iron Daughter, The Iron Queen and The Iron Knight


5. Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin #1) by Robin LaFevers


You've probably already started to see a trend: I love well-written assassin stories. This book is very rich with historical content as well as action. I've just finished the second book Dark Triumph and loved that almost just as much as Grave Mercy. Review will be coming shortly. 


6. The Tiger's Curse Saga by Colleen Houck


This is my favourite YA series of all time. The culture, action and language is just uncompetable. My favourite is actually the last book: Tiger's Destiny. YA fantasy at its best.


7. Poison Study (Study #1) by Maria V. Snyder


I loved the characters and the creativity of this series. Some of my favourite YA characters are from here. Actually, any Maria V. Snyder book is good, you can't go wrong with her books.


8. Partials (Partials #1) by Dan Wells


YA Sci-fi at its best. Full of knowlege and technical stuff and the huge revolving question about what it means to be human. Poses great questions and make you think.


9. Stormdancer (The Lotus War #1) By Jay Kristoff


Steampunk at its best. Rich culture and beautiful writing. Highly highly recommend it.


10. Divergent (Divergent #1) By Veronica Roth


Action packed and intense.