Yearly Archives:: 2013

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Demanding Ransom Tour Stop: Guest Post + Giveaway

Posted by 7 Comments

Today as part of the Demanding Ransom Blog Tour – Kismet Book Touring – I’ve got the lovely Megan Squires on the blog with some fun facts about herself! She loves Breaking Bad, so now we’re BFFs! Have a look and enter to win before you go! 🙂

Demanding Ransom Tour Stop: Guest Post + GiveawayDemanding Ransom by Megan Squires
on June 2013
Genres: NA, Romance
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

Sometimes life takes things away from you. In nineteen-year-old Maggie Carson’s case, it’s taken more than its fair share.

Determined to move forward, Maggie embarks on her first year of college, hoping to finally put her past behind her, exactly where it belongs.

But that’s hard to do when the present is just as difficult. And even harder when someone like Ran, the gorgeous paramedic that keeps crossing Maggie’s path, challenges her to face things head on, rather than bury them like she always does.

Ran hasn’t had a perfect life either. But there’s something different about him, and something different about the way he makes Maggie feel. Maybe meeting Ran is life’s little gift for Maggie—a sort of consolation prize for enduring everything she's had to go through.

But things don’t come easy for Maggie. Why should love be the exception? And just when everything starts to settle, it’s all turned on its head once again.

If there is one thing Ran has taught Maggie, it’s that you can’t sit on the sidelines of your own existence. When life takes something that’s yours, you have every right to demand it back.

Only for Maggie, that is easier said than done.

Guest Post by Megan Squires


10 Random Facts About Megan Squires (in no particular order)

I have never seen any of the original Star Wars. Or any Indiana Jones. Or The Sound of Music. Call me un-American if you will. I did, however, seen the Baz Lurhmann  Romeo and Juliet seven times in the movie theater. So I think that proves that I’m not only a bit of a creature of habit, but when I like something I tend to become a bit obsessed.


I was an International Relations major in college, yet have never really traveled internationally.  Well, that’s not entirely true. I did go to Costa Rica for two weeks when I was in my early twenties, but other than that, I’m a bit of a homebody.

I photograph newborn babies for a living. For the past five years, I’ve been a photographer and have a studio where I get to snuggle and photograph brand new babies. Other than writing, I think I have the best job on earth.

I write about my life. Sort of. I typically can’t get away from pulling past experiences into my stories. The snowboard scene in Demanding Ransom where they shut down the lift? Yeah. That happened. Luckily, it was with my best friend and not a guy, but still mortifying nonetheless.

Up until a couple of weeks ago, I was a Diet Coke addict. As in I would wake up and have a can every morning (and then several more throughout the day). Then I just decided to quite cold turkey. After getting past the initial few days of caffeine withdrawals, it wasn’t as difficult to kick as I thought it would be.

My first book boyfriend was Noah Calhoun from the Notebook. And I think he’ll always have a piece of my heart, though Jace Lightwood and Augustus Waters have successfully edged their way in.

This September I’ll celebrate my 10-year anniversary with my hubby.  And we’ll be going to Italy, so I can finally put all the international relating to use!

I wrote my first book on a whim. My best friend had just finished reading the Hunger Games and she said she needed another “escape” book, so I thought, “Hey, why not?” I was up that night outlining what later became Traced.

I’m obsessed with Breaking Bad. And have an unhealthy addiction to Jesse Pinkman. So excited for the final season to start in August!

I wrote Demanding Ransom in just under 30 days. I still don’t know how I did that, especially when I look at The Rules of Regret (my current work) and see that I’ve been writing it since February. I guess when inspiration hit, it really slugged me with that one!

About the Author


Megan Squires lives with her husband and two children just outside of Sacramento, California. A graduate from the University of California, Davis, Megan is now a full-time mother, wife, and dreamer – though her characters don’t often give her much opportunity to sleep.

This post is part of the Demanding Ransom blog tour:

Monday, June 24th – Just Reading For Fun 
Tuesday, June 25th – Nose Graze
Wednesday, June 26th – The Irish Banana
Thursday, June 27th – Proserpine Graving Books
Friday, June 28th – The Bookswarm

Monday, July 1st – Bewitched Bookworms
Tuesday, July 2nd Supernatural Snark 
Wednesday, July 3rd – Krista’s Dusk Jacket 
Thursday, July 4th – Basia’s Book Shelf 
Friday, July 5th – Caffeinated Book Reviewer

Monday, July 8th – Rose’s Book Corner
Tuesday, July 9th – Confessions From Romaholics
Wednesday, July 10th – Xpresso Reads
Thursday, July 11th – The Book Cellar
Friday, July 12th – Selkie Reads Stories 

Waiting on Wednesday (85)

Waiting on Wednesday (85)

Posted by on 07/10/2013 • 39 Comments

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine  and spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.  My pick this week:

 

Whoa this sounds really cool and different for a dystpian/sci-fi/whatevers. I like the murder mystery included in it, too! What are you waiting on? Link me up! 🙂

Review: Nomad by J.L. Bryan

Review: Nomad by J.L. Bryan

Posted by on 07/09/2013 • 25 Comments

JL Bryan has always impressed me with the level of originality and excitement he works into his novels (big fan of Jenny Pox), and I was yet again taken aback, this time by a time-travel dystopian that is full of thrills and has a kick-ass heroine to boot!

Time-travel dystopian! When I saw those words together my mind kind of flipped, making me unsure of what to expect. For one, time-travel is nothing to play around with if you’re not fully committed to deliver. I have a low level of patience for ignored time loops and paradoxes, and while I’m still wrapping my head around the details of JL’s take on it with Nomads and the universe taking care of itself, it’s one of very few time-travel plots that I…

Review: In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters

Review: In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters

Posted by on 07/08/2013 • 30 Comments

It excites me so when I come across a novel that shows me there can still be books that thoroughly stand out from any other in its originality and outstanding story-telling. I can not even believe that In the Shadow of Blackbirds is Cat’s debut novel!

What I love most from this book is how, through impressive research, Cat achieves an exceptionally poignant historical atmosphere from a time that saw through so much death and horror. The fall of 1918 had not only the highest death toll from the Spanish Flu which killed over 50 million people (some sources even say up to 100 million), but it was also in the throes of the first World War. Having been fascinated by an epidemic flu that, even to this day,…

Stacking the Shelves (62)

Stacking the Shelves (62)

Posted by on 07/07/2013 • 47 Comments

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews featuring the books we got this week, and I also mention blog news/happenings of the past week. 

Happy belated 4th of July to my American friends! 🙂 I hope you’re all having great weather. It’s sweltering here. And of course I have a cold. Blah! So did you see? Our Cover Madness giveaway hop started this week! There are 60 blogs all hosting giveaways for some pretty covered books so make sure to hop away! I also posted a sweet giveaway for an ARC of Antigoddess for my UK and England peeps! And how’s everyone finding life without Google Reader? Not so bad eh? I’m preferring Feedly and Bloglovin myself I find they’re even better than GR! Have you all…

Fresh Batch (New Releases July 7th – 13th)

Fresh Batch (New Releases July 7th – 13th)

Posted by on 07/06/2013 • 10 Comments

Exclusively titled for Xpresso Reads, Fresh Batch features the hottest releases of this upcoming week.

Flavor of the week:

Fifth Grave Past the Light Darynda Jones Series: Charley Davidson #5 Publication date: July 9th, 2013 by St. Martin’s Press

Charley Davidson may not look like your everyday, run-of-the-mill grim reaper, but she has vowed to reap grimness wherever she goes despite this unfortunate fact. Sadly, she gets sidetracked when the sexy, sultry son of Satan, Reyes Farrow, moves in next door. As he is the main suspect in her arson case, she is determined to stay away from him until she can find out the truth. According to her therapist, however, she lacks conviction.

When dead women start appearing in her apartment-lost, confused and terrified beyond reason-Charley…

Book Girls Don’t Cry: Where Are All the Parents?

Book Girls Don’t Cry: Where Are All the Parents?

Posted by on 07/05/2013 • 32 Comments

Inspired by Book Buzzers, Book Girls Don’t Cry is a weekly feature where we each discuss/vent/advise on the chosen weekly bookish topic. Don’t miss Jenni on Mondays, and Amy on Saturdays:  

So Many Orphans!

Seriously? Where are the parents in YA novels? I have noticed a common theme where the characters are either orphans, live away from home (like in a private school dorm or with an uncle), have parents who are always at work or otherwise clueless/uninvolved in the book at all, or gone on vacation for the duration of the story. I know that these “excuses” are things that can happen. A lot of parents are uninvolved, too busy with their careers or otherwise to be very… parenty, but it seems to be such a common occurrence…