Friday, January 18, 2019

#Giveaway The Allegiance Series by Erin McDermott



Captive
Rebel
The
Allegiance Book 1
by
Erin McDermott


Genre:
YA Fantasy Romance

In
a world where Greek Gods rule over the Allegiance, Marylyn O’Conner
struggles to survive. 



Marylyn
is a rebel, forced to do the rebellion’s bidding until an
unforgiving family debt is paid. A pawn in the war against the
Allegiance, she is obligated to become a rebel spy, or her family
will suffer. 


When
word spreads that an Allegiant Prince, Ariston, has escaped rebel
captivity vowing to hunt down rebel spies, Marylyn realizes her only
hope is to escape Allegiant territory. 


While
on the run, Ariston captures Marylyn, preventing her from any chance
of returning home. Desperate, she knows she needs to escape her
alluring captor or risk the safety of her family. 


But
Marylyn can’t keep herself from falling for the mysterious prince
as she finds that he can empathize with her troublesome past - a past
no ally has understood before.







Immortal
Rebel
The
Allegiance Book 2

He
is scarred by betrayal, she lives by deceiving others...



Betrayed,
rebel Michael O’Conner blames himself for the Allegiance laying
waste to the rebel town Pyke. After Pyke’s destruction, a curse of
immortality was placed on him by the three Furies. Ashamed, he vowed
to live a disconnected life, undisturbed by anything occurring
outside his seclusion.


Phoibe
is an Allegiant bounty hunter, circumstances forcing her to collect
bounties or lose her only home. When she is tasked with capturing a
girl named Marylyn O’Conner, for a promising reward, Phoibe agrees.
To aid in her mission, she creates an alliance with the isolated
immortal, Michael O’Conner.


After
learning his sister has been taken captive by an Allegiant Prince,
Michael O’Conner realizes he can no longer hide from the world. He
agrees to join Phoibe and save his sister, completely unaware of her
ulterior motives.


Phoibe
knows she needs to keep everything a secret from the handsome
immortal, or risk losing her only home. Phoibe only hopes she can
handle the heartache that will come with betraying a man who has
already experienced so much betrayal in his past.







Forgotten
Rebel
The
Allegiance Book 3

She
will do anything to save him, even risk her only chance to return
home...



Fanny
is an exiled princess of the Allegiance, a faction favored by the
Greek Gods. She was exiled for loving a rebel, but now he has gone
missing. She will do anything to find him - even place her trust in
the mysterious yet enticing stranger, Adonis.


He
promises Fanny he knows where the rebel, Charles, has been taken, but
refuses to explain how he knows. Seeing that he is her only hope, she
follows him on a journey to the Allegiant capital, hoping Charles is
still alive.


The
only catch? Adonis does not know Fanny is exiled. She needs to feign
Allegiant royalty if she wants his help. Desperate, that is exactly
what she does.






"When did you first begin writing?"
  I began writing in 3rd grade while watching my brother's Little League games. I would just sit in a corner and write. The books I wrote were inspired by "Little House on the Prairie," by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I would sit and write about my life in the houses I lived in, just as she wrote about her life in her diaries.

"When did you decide to first publish a book?"
  I always loved writing, but the idea of publishing a book seemed like an impossible dream. I never thought I'd finish a book, never mind actually publish something. It wasn't until I was working a job that I really didn't enjoy that I decided to set to my dreams and complete a book. Then my first book was born, Captive Rebel.

What advice would you give to those who are trying to write a book?
   I once read somewhere that writing is like building a sand castle. The first draft is you filling a sandbox with, well, sand! It's messy, it's unstructured, but it's something to work with. Knowing the first draft is going to be sloppy is the only way to finish the book. Once you finish a book your goal seems more realistic and the edits will come on easy. The edits are you building the sand castle in that scenario, by the way.

What inspired you to write Captive Rebel?
   Actually, I had a dream. It was a vivid dream and I needed to get it down on paper. In one night I wrote 10,000 words. Then, I didn't look at that story again. Not until after my job in New York City when I finally decided to begin pursuing my dreams.

Erin
McDermott was born and raised in New Jersey. She graduated college
with a bachelors degree in History. If she's not in her room writing,
you may find somewhere on the Jersey Shore with her family. She has
been writing stories since 3rd grade. It was not until after
experiencing the fast-paced life New York City had to offer that she
decided to finally take the plunge and finish her first book, CAPTIVE
REBEL (The Allegiance, Book 1).



During
her years in college she expressed a deep interest in Greek
Mythology, which she incorporates into The Allegiance Series. She is
incredibly grateful to her family for supporting her throughout the
trials and tribulations of the independent publishing process.





Follow
the tour HERE
for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!



Thursday, January 17, 2019

#Giveaway Hometown Girl After All by Kirsten Fullmer



Hometown
Girl After All
Hometown
Series Book 2
by
Kirsten Fullmer


Genre:
Contemporary Romance

Julia
lost everything while she was ill. Self-conscious and alone, she’s
moved to Smithville, determined to hide away in her rundown Victorian
house. Little does she know, she can’t hide anything in a small
town, including her interest in the deliveryman. 



Resolved
to keep his life simple, Chad has his hands full running his delivery
business and supporting his adopted family. So why can’t he get
that withdrawn city girl, Julia, off his mind?


Will
the eccentric but well-meaning Smithville folk push Julia and Chad to
open up, or will the emotional toll drive them both back into
seclusion?







Hometown
Girl at Heart
Hometown
Series Book 1

Hometown
Girl Forever
Hometown Series Book 3

Christmas
in Smithville
The Hometown Series
Book 4

Hometown
Girl Again
Hometown Series Book 5


I may live and work in a forty-foot trailer, referred to as an RV, but I don’t consider my home a recreational vehicle just because it’s self-contained, and has wheels. My home is spectacularly well thought out, cozy, and complete with everything we need. (washer/dryer, fireplace, even a dishwasher!) So what does my house have to do with my writing? Everything! When I conceptualized Smithville, the small-town setting for the Hometown Series, I didn’t realize that I was creating a hometown for myself.

My husband, Steve, and I, travel for his job with our little dog, Bingo. We usually live in one place for three to six months, then hitch back up and head to the next job. Even though Steve has a job waiting when we get there, the moves are sometimes stressful, but always interesting. I have to put aside my work, pack up all my do-dads, crafts projects, dishes, and plants. We maneuver our home through storms, narrow mountain roads, lost RV park reservations, and traffic. Steve has to start over with a new crew on a different site. Sometimes it seems that only Bingo truly enjoys all aspects of the journey. We do get to meet a lot of great traveling folks, as well as weekend campers, and we see loads of beautiful countryside. Sometimes we even manage to slip a stay on the beach into a move.

I do miss having my own yard and garden, friends nearby, and of course I wish my kids and grandkids were close enough to pop in for Sunday dinner. I miss knowing for sure which way is east. (Am I the only map loving person who is bothered that the GPS is upside down half the time?) To be honest, I even miss running into someone I know at Wal-Mart when I look a mess. But I love being with my husband, and I enjoy meeting new people and seeing new places, so it works out. I even wrote a stand alone novel based on my husband’s work and the lifestyle we lead!

I grew up in a small town, number six of eight children, and I’d describe myself as caring but opinionated, self-sufficient, and very attached to my husband. Maybe that’s because when we travel, we depend on each other. I’ve been writing full time for five years and I’m hooked. My stories take time and effort to mold and shape, but the characters are my companions, my traveling friends. If that means I’m wacko or quirky, all the better! I collect input for my books from my husband and grown kids. I discuss story lines with them, and ask them to read and reread my drafts, helping me create characters and situations that feel real, and that are entertaining. I couldn’t do it without them.

I had written three of the books in the Hometown Series before it occurred to me that, in Smithville, I had created a place for my heart to live. Smithville is filled with people going about their daily lives, dealing with their personal issues, irrational fears, and hard-won accomplishments. They can be silly, flustered, selfish and unaware, as well as resilient and clever, that’s what makes it feel real. It’s a place I’d like to call home.

In book one of the Hometown Series, Tara, who grew up in Smithville, is working to overcome childhood trauma. She learns to loosen up and overcome her control freak nature. (I may, or may not struggle with this, haha) Her loving grandmother, Winnie, is partly my own mother and bits of both of my grandmothers. In book two, Julia comes to Smithville expecting to hide away after a debilitating illness, but colorful characters like Becky and Bobby draw her out and build her confidence. This one was written from the heart after I spent a few rough years healing from my own illness. In book three Lizzie moves to Smithville to live out the dream of owning her own alpaca farm, as well as escape her overbearing mother. (I do love alpacas!) Through friendship, laughter, and Smithville craziness, Lizzie finds illumination where she least expects it. In book four (a Holiday romance) Gloria struggles to overcome her past reputation, one that small towns don’t easily forget, but her kindness hasn’t gone unnoticed. (If you’ve ever had everyone in town know your business, you understand!) And in book five, the one I’m currently writing, Katherine returns to Smithville, after years away, to open a vintage RV glamping park, and is forced to face her first love, as well as her lost naiveté. (I have no idea where the glamping idea came from!) Of course my leading ladies fall for an imperfectly delicious man along the way. I suppose that each of these women, their friendships, and their healing processes, are a part of me looking for resolution to my own upsets and disappointments, in a place surrounded by camaraderie and fun.

I hope you will join me in Smithville, and get to know and love the people there like I do. Bingo and I will be waiting for you in the fifth-wheel parked just outside of town.


At the diner, Chad stepped behind Julia and pushed open the door for her, his hand warm on her back to lead her through. Bells chimed, announcing their arrival, and Marge glanced up from behind the counter. Her customary greeting froze on her lips as she did a double take, her conversation with a bald man seated in front of her forgotten.
The song on the jukebox ended and all the diners turned in the suddenly silent room to watch Julia and Chad walk to a table.
As Chad pulled out Julia’s red vinyl and chrome chair, the jukebox clicked and clattered, changing records. The first few words of the song P.S. I LoveYou, drifted across the room, as Julia did the butt-lift and scoot maneuver so Chad could scoot up her chair. The other diners slowly returned their attention back to their plates and conversations.
“It’s the Beatles,” Chad commented distractedly, shifting his chair up to the table, his eyes darting nervously between Julia and the other customers.
She nodded, engrossed in digging through her purse for something. Giving up in frustration, completely for- getting what she’d been looking for, she turned to hang her purse on the back of the chair, inadvertently catching the eye of a man and woman at the next table who sat staring, with their forks still hovering in mid-air.
Chad cleared his throat and lifted two menus from behind the salt and peppershakers. “So, what do you want to eat?” he asked, his voice a bit too loud.
Jumping in her seat, Julia’s gaze flew from the staring couple, back to Chad. “I—I’m not sure. What’s good here?”
Pretending to glance over the menu, Chad berated himself for bringing Julia to the diner. Why hadn’t her taken her to Uniontown where they could have cuddled in the corner booth of a crowded restaurant where no one would notice them? Feeling the back of his neck burn, he glanced over to see Marge’s pink tennis shoes on the floor next to the table.
He sighed inwardly and followed the pink uniform up to Marge’s face, which clearly but silently said, “I knew it!”
“Well,” Marge stated, her tone speculative, a wide grin on her face. “What can I get for you two this fine evening?”
Chad glanced at Julia, noting the misery written across her face, and he flinched. “I’d like a Coke. Julia?”
“Water please,” she muttered, not making eye contact with Marge.
Pretending to scribble on her pad, Marge sized up the couple over her reading glasses. “You got it,” she finally replied, turning on her heel.
Julia adjusted the salt and peppershakers into a row with the container of sugar packets and the ketchup, then turned her attention back to her menu.
“I like the meatloaf,” Chad said, glancing up. “Hmm,” she mumbled, turning the page. “And the tuna melt.”
Julia nodded.
“Sometimes I get the—”
Marge plopped two large red plastic tumblers on the table, and scooted the one full of water toward Julia. The aging waitress then tugged two paper-wrapped straws from her apron, tossed them on the table, and collected her pad and pencil. With one hip cocked and her glasses balanced on the end of her nose, she glanced between Chad and Julia.





Kirsten
grew up in the Western US and graduated from high school in
1984. She married soon there after and quickly built a family.
With three young children and number four on the way, she returned to
college in 1992. Her career as a draftsman included many settings
ranging from a steel fabrication shops to prestigious engineering
firms. Balancing family life with the workplace forced her to
become the queen of multitasking. In 2001, bored with the cubical
life, she moved on to teach drafting in technical college, then to
opening her own consulting firm teaching 3D engineering software. Due
to health problems, Kirsten retired in 2012 to travel with her
husband for his job. She now works writing romance novels and enjoys
spoiling her three grandchildren. Since 2017 Kirsten has lived and
worked full time in a 40' travel trailer with her husband and her
little dog Bingo.


* Amazon


Follow
the tour HERE
for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!