The authors of Indie Inked think mothers (in fact, all women) are extremely special and we want to celebrate this fact by giving them a chance to win some pampering and a little time to relax.

We’ve put together two prize packs stuffed fill of goodies. There is hours worth of reading, swag and a gift voucher… so you can treat yourself to something nice.

The giveaway ends on Mother’s Day – Sunday, May 12th.

Here are the prize packs…

Prize Pack 1

 

Prize Pack 2

 

Thank you so much to every author who has donated their work. Your generosity is amazing.

Good luck to everyone participating. We all hope you have a very special Mother’s Day.

Enter the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win one of the above fantastic prizes!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Link to the official blog for this Giveaway HERE. 

Great news! Forged by Greed is offered as one of the prizes during an awesome giveaway hop organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer. This giveaway hop runs until April 30th and it is called Showers of Books. There are over 200 blogs participating. Which means… yes! A LOT of books to choose from. 

There are FIVE copies of the Forged by Greed ebook offered in either of these formats: mobi, ePub, or PDF.

Enter my RAFFLECOPTER for a chance to win AND click this LINKY to see all the participating authors and blogs. Try to visit as many as you can, because there are some fantastic books offered out there.

I will select FIVE Winners through Random.org, so go ahead and fill out the Rafflecopter.
DON’T CHEAT, BECAUSE I WILL CHECK THE RESULTS.

If you are new to my blog and not familiar with my book, Forged by Greed, here is the link to Amazon where you can read a short synopsis and also the readers’ reviews. 

Good luck! 

Sarah Billington, the author of The Kiss Off is releasing the second book in the series, Over It. Book one, The Kiss Off has a brand new cover too.

Coming July 2013

The list of prizes:

My very first post on this blog included a shoutout to my buddy, Angela Brown who was then getting very close to publishing her first YA novel, Neverlove. 
Today, I am very excited to announce that Angela is about to release her second book – a novella Frailties of The Bond. 

When I saw my friend and a fellow YA author, Myndi Shaffer’s first published novel, Shrilugh, I fell in love with the cover. It’s simple, yet sophisticated; it’s interesting and grabs attention; it promises a good read and it is somehow different from many of the YA book covers. Maybe because the artwork is done in black-and-white. Or maybe because the image of the tree is intriguing like a well-kept secret. And now Myndi’s second book, The Darkening (see the cover reveal post HERE) is finished and will be published very soon. There is another tree on the cover of The Darkening, which made me wonder about the significance of the image.

I am pleased to have Myndi visit my blog today and talk about the story behind the Shrilugh trees. Go ahead, Myndi.

Glad to be here, Angela. I’m excited to share about what has inspired the design I have used for The Shrilugh Saga. Both Shrilugh and The Darkening take place in two different worlds: a fictional version of ours, and another world accessed through a mystical Door atop an old abandoned silo. Originally, both books began as one and were called The Silo Door because I went into writing that first draft with the mindset of the story centering around the Door. Soon, however, the story grew, the plot thickened, and the Door itself became secondary. Which meant (a) there was going to be more than one book, and (b) I needed to find another name for the first book, and the series as a whole.

The name of the other world is Archethenia. (That’s never mentioned in the the first book for two reasons: the main character, Aydan, never thought to ask, and the secondary character, Rein, never thought to tell.)

Archethenia isn’t terribly different from our own world: its occupants look human (though they’re not). They eat similar foods, have families, live in houses. But it’s a more rustic world – no electricity, no machines. It’s a more formal world – women wear dresses, servants and slaves abound, and there is a social caste.

It’s also a more sophisticated world – though there is little technology like our own, there is a fineness to what they do have. Their carriages are sleek and move with more grace than our automobiles. Their architecture is handcrafted and made with intention, with symbolism carefully integrated in unexpected places. As we get into the pages of The Darkening we’ll find that they are not quite so limited in technology as we thought – it just looks different than our own.

One of the differences between our world and theirs is found in nature – specifically, the trees. Not all their trees, but one species in particular, called Shrilugh. When dusk settles in, the Shrilugh trees begin to glow, lighting the world around them with a warm, inviting light.

Part of my inspiration for these trees came from a simple, childhood-driven love for Christmas tree. Growing up, I was always fascinated by our family Christmas tree. My mom loved Christmas, and our tree would be laden with lights, sparkly gold garland, lights, more ornaments than you can count, and more lights. The woman had a knack for stringing the lights and placing the ornaments in a way that took our tree from looking like the fake that it was to a Glowing Glorious Thing That Deserved Your Awe.

I remember looking at that tree, and then looking out my bedroom window at night, wishing the trees that lined the river in the distance would glow too. I was especially fond of a very tall cottonwood, whose branches stretched up higher than the rest, and oftentimes found myself praying with all my child-like might that God would light up that tree, just for me.

When we moved back to Kansas from Hawaii, one of the first things I noticed was how darn short the trees are here. They have to be. The winds that come howling across these plains make it tough for a tree of any height to survive.

Cottonwoods are the exception. They’re sturdy buggers who aren’t afraid of the wind; in fact, I’d have sworn the one I favored as a kid longed for it. While the other trees around it seemed to hunker down and wait out the gales, that tree seemed to dance in it.

The Kansas landscape seemed so brown and desolate compared to Hawaii. Short trees, little water. It could have been a pretty depressing shift, but three things saved it for me: the stars at night, the lazy sunsets, and the cottonwood trees.

One cottonwood in particular. Along Highway 196, between Whitewater and Newton, on the north side of the road, stands a giant. He’s right at the crest of a hill, standing watch over the travelers as they pass by. I like to think that he and the cottonwood of my youth are related somehow – cousins? Brothers?

So that’s how Shrilugh trees came to be – a combination of my love for my mom’s Christmas trees, and my love for a couple friendly cottonwoods. And since these glowing trees (and the mythology behind them) are ultimately central to the plot of the series, it seemed natural to give the first book (and the series itself) their name.

Thank you for sharing this story with us today, Myndi!

What do you think about the Shrilugh trees? Would you like to have one in your garden, especially for Christmas? Or for any other occasion? Just imagine, using Myndi’s words that “when dusk settles in, the Shrilugh trees begin to glow, lighting the world around them with a warm, inviting light.”   

Blurb:

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We often have special announcements, deals, events, and fun stuff about YA books to share with you. Stay in touch by signing for my newsletter HERE, and for my blog – click to the right of this post to go to the sign up box. Also click HERE to like and purchase Forged by Greed on Amazon.com and HERE to like and purchase it on Amazon UK. Go HERE to Like my Facebook Page. And HERE to friend me on Twitter. Plus, you can become my fan on Goodreads HERE..

It’s time for a giveaway! Forged by Greed is one of the books participating in the YA Paranormal Giveaway Hop organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and by [YA] Between the Lines. The giveaway runs from February 21st to February 27th and features Young Adult books with Paranormal elements. Some of the authors featured in the giveaway are: Alexia Purdy, Lizzy Ford, Cameo Renae, J. Anne Huss, Alivia Anders, Brina Courtney, Tara West, and several others. 

There are three copies of the Forged by Greed ebook offered in either of these formats: mobi, ePub, or PDF. 

Enter my RAFFLECOPTER for a chance to win AND click this LINKY to see all the participating authors and blogs.

If you are new to my blog and not familiar with my book, Forged by Greed, here is the link to Amazon where you can read the short synopsis and also the readers’ reviews.

So – what are you waiting for? This is a great opportunity to win some fantastic YA paranormal books! Good luck.

I’m happy to announce yet another book cover reveal – Witch Flame (A Keepers of the Stones Novelette) by my friend and one of the YA Ninjas, Tara West. I love love love this cover. The hues and the whole composition fit perfectly with the title. And the flames are so vivid as if they could burn right through my computer screen. 

Artwork by http://maiarcita.deviantart.com/ and photography by http://charligal.deviantart.com/ .

DOWNLOAD WITCH FLAME FOR FREE ON AMAZON, BARNES AND NOBLE AND ITUNES!

From the bestselling author of the paranormal Whispers series, comes a new fantasy saga…

Feira, a fledgling witch just discovering her own powers, must battle warriors and monsters before she and her true love can find a safe haven away from the vengeful eye of a jealous goddess.

Bonus origin myth included: The Beginning of Time

This short story is a prelude to Curse of the Ice Dragon, Keepers of the Stones, Book One.

Excerpt from Witch Flame:

Chapter Two

Feira was just sixteen summers when a booming knock shook the door of her foster mother’s small hut. She knew it wasn’t her foster mother, as Akahi had left just moments ago to pick berries and would not be back until evening. Feira quickly dropped the wooden spoon into the cauldron of Akahi’s special healing brew and rushed to the door.

What she saw before her nearly made her knees buckle—her beloved Tumì, draped over his brother’s shoulder, with a cracked and bloodied skull.

Tumì’s mother, Katriana stood beside her sons. She looked at Feira with keen eyes and a twisted scowl. “He calls your name, but says nothing else,” she said in a voice that was surprisingly devoid of emotion.

“Bring him inside,” Feira beckoned. “What has happened?”

“He was struck by a palma. Foolish boy,” Katriana growled as she followed them inside. She looked around the modest room with derision in her cold eyes before plopping down on a nearby stool and helping herself to a cup of Akahi’s wine. “I told him to be careful around those heavy fruits. Now who will take care of me if he is dead?”

Feira pulled back the furs of her own small cot. “Lie him down here,” Fiera said to Tumì’s brother, while trying her best to stifle her rage at Tumì’s heartless mother.

Tumì’s beefy brother, Nuk, who had been born a mute, answered with a grunt. He dropped Tumì onto the cot without care and stepped back, a vacant expression in his hooded gaze.

Feira often marveled at the differences between Tumì and his family. His mother and brother had rich, golden skin and flowing chestnut hair like many inhabitants of the nearby seaside village of Aloa-Shay. Tumì’s skin was dark, and his hair an unruly mess of black straw that he had to weave in a tight braid, else it would spring wildly from his head.

Feira leaned over Tumì and brushed her hand across his brow. His eyelids fluttered open, but his pupils had receded somewhere in the back of his skull. Sticky blood clung to his matted hair and skin. One corner of his temple had been crushed. Feira shook her head as silent tears cascaded down her face. Most likely, he’d been trying to chop down a palma pod so that he could add more coin to his greedy mother’s purse. The large palma pods that hung from tall trees could yield hundreds of small, sweet fruits. But the pods were heavy, and falling palmas had killed more than one hapless villager. Feira wondered how Tumì had managed to speak her name, or anything at all with such an injury.

She bit her bottom lip while stifling a sob. Tumì would die without her care, but if Feira healed him, she knew she would be marked as a witch. No mere doctoring could bring someone back from the brink of death.

Her gaze shot to Tumì’s mother, who was looking at her expectantly with that serpent cold gleam in her eyes. More than once, Katriana had accused Feira of bewitching her son. Now the cold bitch would have proof that Feira was a witch, for Feira knew she could not take another breath if her true love was gone from this world.

Feira was only glad her foster mother wasn’t here to see what she was about to do. The Elements save she and her mother, once Katriana knew the full extent of Feira’s powers.

DOWNLOAD WITCH FLAME FOR FREE ON AMAZON, BARNES AND NOBLE AND ITUNES

DOWNLOAD CURSE OF THE ICE DRAGON ON AMAZON, BARNES AND NOBLE AND ITUNES

Connect with Tara here:

FB Author page   Amazon Author Page   Twitter   Blog   Website

Do you like YA fantasy books? Have you read any of Tara’s books before? What do you think about this cover? Would you buy even an unknown book, just because the cover caught your eye?

Happy reading!