Book Giveaway: A Night Below New York and Author Interview with C. Jayee Cohen

16-year-old Sahara Azad, in the beginning of this modern-day Arabian Nights tale, has graduated high school early and is flying across the country to attend college in New York City, to get a degree in Paranormal Studies at the most prestigious program of its kind.
There she meets Rex, a handsome basketball star from her class who, to her great distress, seems only interested in her beautiful but stupid roommate.
Then one night, while she's helping him study, the two get swept up into an epic adventure. One that starts with a mysterious golden key and leads to a chase through a long-closed subway station, and to the 17th-century laboratory hidden underneath it. And continues with a trip far below, to a brass Arabesque city, where Sahara receives a proposal from a beautiful but dark king.
A proposal she not only can't refuse, but one she may not even live through.

Giveaway:
1 kindle or nook format ebook open internationally


a Rafflecopter giveaway

--The Twitter version: tell us about your book in 140 characters or less.

16yr girl&boy she's secretly in♥ find themselves stuck in a brass Arabesque city underneath the earth, w/king who wants to kill them both.

Whew, that was hard! Let me tell you, E. E. Cummings would've loved Twitter.

--How did you get the idea for the story?

For a long time I've loved The Arabian Nights. And, for almost as long, I've wanted to create a modern tale that had the same magic and wonder and romance.

--Which character would you most/least like to have dinner with?

Samantha, who's the mother of Leo -- a boy my protagonist is taking care of -- is the person I'd most want to have dinner with. She's kind of minor character in this particular volume, but, you know, sometimes minor characters just steal the story without the writer's permission. And that's the case here. She's smart and funny and strong and loving, and, in many ways, goes against the stereotype of a fashion model. I'm really hoping that in the next volume she'll have a much bigger role.

As for the character I'd least like to dine with, that would probably be Max, one of Leo's classmates, who's just a jerk. And a spoiled one.

--What are some of your favorite books? Do you still have much time to read?

I have so many favorites that it's hard to pick any. But the ones I love that relate closest to this book are The Arabian Nights (obviously), Manuscript Found in Saragossa, and the fiction of Washington Irving.

As far as my own reading, right now I mostly only have time for books relating to whatever subject I'm writing about, as I'm writing pretty much 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM every single day.

--Do you have any other works in progress? Any teasers or release dates?

Yes, I just completed the first draft of my next novel, which is paranormal romance about a golem, which is a mythical being in Jewish folklore. I have high hopes for it, and hope to have it ready by March or April.

--If a fairy godmother told you your life could be like a favorite book for 24 hours, which book would you pick and why?

Scheherazade, the narrator of The Arabian Nights (who my protagonist was kind of named after.) I'd pick her because she was a master storyteller, who amazingly kept telling them for 1,001 nights (of course, her life depended on it. :) )

--Do you need anything to write (music, coffee, etc)? Are there any songs on your playlist- songs that inspired you or that were playing while you wrote?

I need quiet to write. Any noise disturbs me, and, unfortunately, I live in a noisy environment.

As for songs that helped inspire me during the writing of this book, the only one was "Arabian Knights" from Souixsie and the Banshees.

--If you could have any superpower what would you choose?

The power to catch my typos on the first try.

--Besides writing, what do you like to do in your free time?

Editing. Also, having a background as well in computer art, I do my own cover designs. Which I really enjoy. In fact, the one I'm doing for my next book I'm pretty excited about.

--Is there anything else you want to add or say to your readers?

Thank you for considering my work, and I would be very much interested in your feedback, good or bad.

Lightning round: this or that?

Vanilla or chocolate? chocolate

Edward or Jacob? Edward

Hockey or soccer? hockey

Ebook or paper? ebook

Salty or sweet? salty

Beach or mountains? beach

Phone call or email? email

Early bird or night owl? early bird

Dog or cat? dog

Messy or neat? neat

Ninjas or pirates? pirates

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Review: Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

Cheerleader Isobel Lanley is horrified when she is paired with Varen Nethers for an English project, which is due—so unfair—on the day of the rival game. Cold and aloof, sardonic and sharp-tongued, Varen makes it clear he’d rather not have anything to do with her either. But when Isobel discovers strange writing in his journal, she can’t help but give this enigmatic boy with the piercing eyes another look.
Soon, Isobel finds herself making excuses to be with Varen. Steadily pulled away from her friends and her possessive boyfriend, Isobel ventures deeper and deeper into the dream world Varen has created through the pages of his notebook, a realm where the terrifying stories of Edgar Allan Poe come to life.
As her world begins to unravel around her, Isobel discovers that dreams, like words, hold more power than she ever imagined, and that the most frightening realities are those of the mind. Now she must find a way to reach Varen before he is consumed by the shadows of his own nightmares.
His life depends on it.

Published in US: Aug 2010
1st in series
Source: library

My Review:

    I was really drawn to the premise of this story and while I liked the characters, the plot just was not for me. That said, I couldn't put it down even in the parts that seemed to drag a bit. In the more complex parts, I think it was all me because I think I just didn't get it. Probably because I've never quite understood Poe and I skipped over the discussions about the work, and it correlated with the plot. 

    While I think that Varen was awesome, and I appreciate that Isobel defies the popular status and genuinely wants to be a nice person, Gwen was really my favorite. I love her eagerness, bluntness and wish that she could have held a more critical part in the plot. 

     I was pretty lost at the end, and was kinda let down that there wasn't a complete happy ever after, but I suppose since its a first book, that is understandable. 

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Infamous Book Trailer

Infamous by Sherrilyn Kenyon

The world has fallen in love with Nick Gautier and the Dark-Hunters. Now Nick's saga continues in the next eagerly anticipated volume...
Go to school. Get good grades. Stay out of trouble. That's the mandate for most kids. But Nick Gautier isn't the average teenager. He's a boy with a destiny not even he fully understands. And his first mandate is to stay alive while everyone, even his own father, tries to kill him.
He's learned to annihilate zombies and raise the dead, divination and clairvoyance, so why is learning to drive such a difficulty? But that isn't the primary skill he has to master. Survival is.
And in order to survive, his next lesson makes all the others pale in comparison. He is on the brink of becoming either the greatest hero mankind has ever known.

Trailer URL:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vho8Bshc61Y

READ THE FIRST TWO CHAPTERS: 

http://www.sherrilynkenyon.com/book/infamous/

 SHERRILYN KENNYON LINKS:

Website:

www.officialsanctuary.com 

www.sherrilynkenyon.com for more about SHERRILYN KENYON, INFAMOUS, and all of her novels.

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Cover Reveal and Excerpt: Taste by Kat Evangelista

At Barinkoff Academy, there's only one rule: no students on campus after curfew. Phoenix McKay soon finds out why when she is left behind at sunset. A group calling themselves night students threaten to taste her flesh until she is saved by a mysterious, alluring boy. With his pale skin, dark eyes, and mesmerizing voice, Demitri is both irresistible and impenetrable. He warns her to stay away from his dangerous world of flesh eaters. Unfortunately, the gorgeous and playful Luka has other plans. When Phoenix is caught between her physical and her emotional attraction, she becomes the keeper of a deadly secret that will rock the foundations of an ancient civilization living beneath Barinkoff Academy. Phoenix doesn’t realize until it is too late that the closer she gets to both Demitri and Luka the more she is plunging them all into a centuries old feud.

Oh! And there is a hidden link somewhere within excerpt post. The link will lead you to a super exclusive third excerpt

Book Trailer:

Song Credits: "Hunger" © Noelle Pico.

Full Download available at http://sheisnoelle.bandcamp.com

Taste Excerpt 2

I sat up and followed Calixta’s gaze upward. I rubbed my eyes. I didn’t know what I was seeing at first. A statue? ­My brain refused to snap together coherent thoughts.  I didn’t realize I’d fallen so close to one of the garden benches until I stared up at the boy that sat on one. He was strikingly beautiful. His tumble of blonde hair curled just above his sculpted cheekbones. He wore a silk shirt and a loosened cravat, like he’d become bored while dressing and decided to leave himself in disarray. His ivory skin and frozen position was what had me mistaking him for something carved from marble by Michelangelo. Then he sighed—a lonely, breathy proof of life. If I had to imagine what Lucifer looked like before he fell from heaven, the boy on the bench would certainly fulfill that image. My brain told me I had to look away, but I couldn’t.

“Luka,” Calixta said again, her voice unsure, almost nervous. It no longer contained the steel and bite she had threatened me with, which made me wonder who the boy was.

He leaned on his hands and crossed his legs, all the while keeping his eyes fixed on the night sky. His movements spoke of elegance and control. I’d encountered many people with breeding before, but his took on the air of arrogance and self-assuredness of someone used to getting what he wanted when he wanted it.

I only realized I’d been holding my breath when my lungs protested. I exhaled. My heart sputtered and restarted with a vengeance. Luka tore his gaze away from the stars and settled it on me. I’d expected pitch-black irises, like the other Night Students, but blue ice stared back at me.

“Human,” he whispered.

He reached out, and with a finger, followed an invisible trail down my cheek. I stiffened. His touch, cooler than Demitri’s, caused warm sparks to blossom on my face. He lifted his finger to his lips and licked its tip. He might as well have licked me from the way my body shivered.

Luka’s curious gaze held mine. “Leave us,” he said, but not to me.

“But—” Calixta protested like a spoiled child.

He spoke in a language I hadn’t heard before, remaining calm yet firm. The words had a rolling cadence I couldn’t quite follow, like rumbling thunder in the distance. They contained a harsh sensuality. The consonants were hard and the vowels were long and lilting.

Footsteps retreated behind me.

Luka reached out again.

It took me a minute to realize he wanted to help me up. I hesitated. He smiled. I smiled back timidly and took his hand, completely dazzled. Even with my uniform soaked from melted snow, I didn’t feel cold—all my attention was on him and the way his callused hand felt on mine. Without moving much from his seated position, he helped me stand.

“What’s your name?” he asked. He had a voice like a familiar lullaby. It filled my heart to the brim with comfort.

I swallowed and tried to stop gawking. “Phoenix.”

“The bird that rose from the ashes.” Luka bent his head and kissed the back of my hand. “It’s a pleasure meeting you.”

My cheeks warmed. My head reeled, not knowing what to think. I couldn’t understand why I felt drawn to him. And the strange connection frightened me.

From behind, someone gripped my arms and yanked me away before I could sort out the feelings Luka inspired in me. I found myself behind a towering figure yet again. Recognizing the blue-black silk for hair tied at the nape, relief washed over me. Calixta hadn’t come back to finish me off.

Demitri’s large hand wrapped around my wrist. Unlike the night before, no calm existed in his demeanor. He trembled like a junky in need of a fix. The coiled power in his tense muscles vibrated into me.

“What are you doing here?” Demitri asked.

I didn’t know he’d spoken to me until I saw his expressionless profile. I sighed.

“Phoenix.”

I flinched. The ruthless way he said my name punched all the air out of me. “You owe me answers,” I said with as much bravado as I could muster.

“I owe you nothing.” He glared. “In fact, you owe me your life.”

“I don’t think so.”

Ignoring my indignation, he faced Luka, who’d remained seated on the bench during my exchange with Demitri. “Why is she with you, Luka?”

“I wasn’t going to taste her, if that’s what you’re implying,” Luka said. “Although, she is simply delicious. I wouldn’t mind if you left us alone.”

There it was again. Taste. The word that kept coming up between these Night Students and I was connected to it in an increasingly uncomfortable way. To taste meant to sample, but what? My flesh? They had to be joking because the alternative wasn’t funny.

“The sins of the father …” Demitri left his sentence unfinished.

Luka’s smile shifted into a snarl. “Obey my command.” His chin lifted. “Kneel.”

Demitri’s stance went rigid. His grip tightened around my wrist.

Okay, weird just got weirder. Why would Luka want Demitri to kneel before him? I thought back to Eli and the others bowing to Demitri when he questioned them, but they didn’t kneel. Seriously? Were they all living on a different planet or something?

“Kneel.” Luka’s detestable smirk made his features sinister rather than angelic. The real Lucifer: a fallen angel.

Without letting go of my wrist, Demitri knelt down on one knee and bowed his head, his free hand flat at the center of his chest. “Your command has been obeyed,” he said formally.

Luka nodded once.

Demitri stood up and pulled me toward the school without telling me where we were going. Not having the time to thank Luka for saving me from Calixta, I risked a glance back. Luka smiled at me. His smile spoke of whispers, secrets, and promises to be shared on a later date.

About Kat:

When Kate Evangelista was told she had a knack for writing stories, she did the next best thing: entered medical school. After realizing she wasn't going to be the next Doogie Howser, M.D., Kate wandered into the Literature department of her university and never looked back. Today, she is in possession of a piece of paper that says to the world she owns a Literature degree. To make matters worse, she took Master's courses in creative writing. In the end, she realized to be a writer, none of what she had mattered. What really mattered? Writing. Plain and simple, honest to God, sitting in front of her computer, writing. Today, she has four completed Young Adult novels.

Author Website: www.kateevangelista.com

Twitter: @KateEvangelista

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kate-Evangelista/165693410143202

Find Taste on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13484226-taste

Crescent Moon Press page for Taste: http://crescentmoonpress.com/books/Taste.html

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Update

Just wanted to apologize for my sporadic posting, blog visits (I'm about a month behind now--so keep on commenting and I'll catch up!) and comment responses.
We've been traveling a lot, and my little girls have been sick. J with RSV (respiratory virus) and K with an ear infection. Also, they think that J has hip dysplasia, so that has me pretty worried. She's already had an xray, and will go for an ultrasound this week.
I'm still around though, and have some posts scheduled.
Here's a couple beautiful faces of whats been keeping me busy,

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