Nancy Straight Author Post and Top 10!! *Giveaway*

Nancy is such a pleasure to talk to.  Meeting her over a blog tour was amazing and

I was SUPER excited to be able to work with her in this event!!

MEET NANCY STRAIGHT!!!

 Nancy was born in Sioux City Iowa, left the cold of the Midwest in 1991 and only returns to see family in the summer time. She spent ten years traveling the world as a US Marine and settled in rural SC with her husband and two children.  She enjoys reading all types of Paranormal and New Adult literature.

Find Her:

Goodreads||Facebook||Blog||Twitter

Nancy Straight's Books
& where to BUY them!

Blood Debt: Amazon||Barnes & Noble

Centaur Legacy:  Amazon||Barnes & Noble

 Meeting Destiny:  Amazon||Barnes & Noble

Destiny's Revenge: Amazon||Barnes & Noble

Destiny's Wrath: Amazon||Barnes & Noble

Top Ten!
10 things readers may not know about Nancy Straight

1. I LOVE Starbucks’ White Mocha Latte and Mountain Dew, (but not together).

2. I have a lead foot so I set cruise control when I drive, even in 25 MPH zones. (Yes, I have the tickets to prove that this is necessary!)

3. I almost never win when I play Angry Birds, but have my 8 year old close, so he can clear the hard levels for me.

4. I grew up on a farm in Iowa and am opposed to eating fresh chicken (not opposed to meat - just opposed to any meat that was alive a few hours before lunch).

5. I am a huge fan of the show, Big Bang Theory, on CBS. Bazinga, Baby!

6. I have a stray cat that I feed every night and morning but she’s never let me get closer than within 3 feet of her – I keep thinking eventually I’ll wear her down and she’ll let me pet her. (Six months and counting with no love!)

7. I have a crush on Reed from Amy Bartol’s Premonition Series. (If you haven’t read her series – stop what you’re doing and get it now. I promise you’ll love it!)

8. I spent the first ten years of my adult life as a US Marine. While active duty I lived in (1) Kaneohe, Hawaii, (2) Iwakuni, Japan, (3) Dana Point, California, (4) Oceanside, California, and (5) Virginia Beach, Virginia. In addition to living in so many amazing places I also got to visit: Alaska, Australia, Korea and Thailand. For any of you still in high school who don’t know what to do with your life – the military was a great place to figure out who I was and what I wanted to do.

9. I have a full-time career that I love and regardless of how popular my books become – I don’t think I’ll ever give it up.

10. I share my life with two fantastic sons, three rotten dogs and a husband that I adore.

Guys this made me smile so much!! Just from the few times I have chatted with Nancy it became clear to me she is a fun person and well lets face it she loves the Big Bang Theory so she has to be awesome!!! 

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6 Months Later....and I'm still a slacker...

Yep, that's right, I'm still alive.

Though my obvious efforts to blog aren't apparent, because well, I haven't been making an effort. It's not like my obsession with books, authors and my fictitious boyfriends has gone away....it's just that life, kids, work, fitness, The Walking Dead, Instagram (yes, I am an Instagram whore) and every other daily task seems to be getting in my way.

 I haven't truly been marking down what I've read, or what I've thought about these books for that matter, but that spark I was missing for a long time finally came back to me! 

Credit for this can be given to a specific series of books;

Vampire Academy

It has to be my inner nerd who feels an instant connection to this partially broken, yet bad-ass heroine who will do nothing but fight until the last breath has left her body for those she loves, and sacrifice everything in the process, that made me DEVOUR this series.....or it could be all the "eye" candy...either way it's a win!

Anyways, I'm not going to go into true reviewer mode, or babble on and on and on, but I will leave this very short post with a very important note........

I

AM

BACK!

**REVIEW** Blood Debt by Nancy Straight

I really enjoyed Meeting Destiny but I LOVED this one!!  Make sure you pick

up a copy because it is amazing and worth every penny!

Her whole life, it had just been the two of them. Before her mother’s last breath, she gave Camille the information she had craved her entire life: the identity of her father. Daring to contact him, Camille was welcomed by an entire family she never knew existed. But nothing comes without a price, as she discovers when her family claims a legendary heritage tracing back to a centaur touched by Zeus. 
As she learns the secrets of her Centaur bloodline, she is drawn into a forbidden love with Drake. Her life may be the blood debt required to pay for her mother’s transgressions. The same person who once held her mother captive, and forced her into decades of hiding, now controls Camille. Her only chance is to seek a piece of her mother’s past that will win her freedom and the life she desperately wants.

Release Date:  July 15, 2012

Published By:  Createspace

Review Copy:  Mobi.

*recieved by author 

Buy It:
Amazon||Barnes & Noble
**NOTE: It's actually FREE so don't miss out!!

Review

  When I asked Nancy to sign up for Indie Girl March I was excited that she said yes.  I read Meeting Destiny last year for a tour and loved her writing and even though I still have yet to  get my hands on the rest of that series, when she asked if I would like to review Blood Debt for this event I was all over it!  Even with how much I liked Meeting Destiny, I loved Blood Debt.  I didn't read much into it before starting and truth be told I'm so glad I didn't because  it gave me a chance to be all kinds of surprised!

With her mothers passing Camille is left with the one thing she thought she would give anything to get, her fathers name.  With no family and the name she has always wanted Camille decides there is only one thing to do and makes the call.  Little does she know how much this will change everything she has ever known.  To her and my surprise she has more family than she ever imagined.  Then things got both a little suspicious and really interesting.  One new father, a step mother that despite your fathers infidelity welcomes you and five very eager brothers is bound to change everything.  Plus the fact she learns why her mother really had no relationships and why she ran away from everything.

  Camille was really an interesting character.  I know you hear that a lot but I was so pulled in by her.  Maybe it was the fact I related to her and her "not doing it just because you said so" attitude.  Despite her easy acceptance of her new family (name) did occasionally stop to question things.  There were a few moments at the start when things were really odd and all I could think was why the heck aren't you either running or questioning this more but this didn't last long.  It also helped that she didn't just jump right on the train when they tried to tell her what she was.  She believed they were some sort of weird cult or so something and  really I couldn't blame her because I had considered it myself.   Eventually she does however slip into believing and to my relief she didn't just start following all of their rules.  She stays who she is and basically tells them to deal with it.  Now I'm sure I could tell you much more about this awesome girl but best to leave some things for you to see for yourself.

The romance/relationship part of this one was not your run of the mill romance.  When Camille accepts what she is and who her family is she kind of learns that relationships and marriage is something completely different than what she was raised with.  Meaning you get married because he is the best male and not always because you love them.  Don't get me wrong the guys love, protect and cherish you but it's not the typical date until you find the right one.  Kind of like window shopping for a guy and picking because he may be the best.  This isn't Camille's ideal and her attraction to Drake is forbidden and could destroy more than just her reputation, it could destroy his life and family.  There is no insta love, insta attraction maybe but I can't blame her because I think I may have swooned a little over the guy.  All around the romance was amazing and so far from rushed that I savored every moment!

  Nancy Straight has really hit a home run with this series and the characters she has created.  The second I can spring for them I will be picking these up to have them on my shelf.   The writing is smooth, beautiful and paints out everything with extreme ease.  The need for book two is strong within me and basically anything Nancy Straight.  Trust me this is one author that you should be rushing to pick up because I know I am!!  

Quotes

I wanted to argue with him.  I didn't like the idea that he felt I needed protecting.  I wasn't some frail flower, but Will had said something that bothered me- something about my mothers family and that she had run away from them at seventeen.

Centaur?  The half-people, half-hoarse things?  No freakin' way!  Mentally ill and delusional.  I wonder if Will knew she was a loon.  He'd have to know, right?

Chris stepped in front of me and reached for the door knob so he could open the door for me.  Two points for the tall sexy gentleman with great manners.

I hated it when my girlfriends got overly infatuated with guys they hardly knew.  I didn't believe in. nor was I ever someone who wanted to her about love-at-first-sight: the whole idea was a crock of crap.

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For her part in the giveaway Nacy has donated copies of Blood Debt & Centaur Legacy!
Totally jealous of whoever wins these and I may have to bribe you for them :D

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Author J.J. Bonds Crossroads Series & Interview

If you couldn't tell from my Crossroads review I am having somewhat of a 

love affair with the book and well I full out look forward to more J.J. in the future!

Meet J.J. Bonds

J.J. Bonds is an independent author who writes Young Adult Paranormal Romance & Urban Fantasy. She is the author of the Amazon best selling Crossroads Academy series. J.J. lives in Carlisle, Pennsylvania where her obsession with all things paranormal keeps life interesting. She lives with her husband, daughter, and two rambunctious dogs. Loves Buffy, Mexican food, and zombies. Sings off key.

Find Her: 

Website||Facebook||Twitter||Goodreads

J.J. Bonds Books

Crossroads

Find it: Goodreads

Buy It:  Amazon||Barnes & Noble

**NOTE: Crossroads is currently FREE on Amazon!!! Don't dely go get your copy!!

Red Dawn

Find it: Goodreads
Buy it:  Amazon||Barnes & Noble

Interview

Pink=Me

Red= J.J.

Hi, Tiffany! *waves excitedly from central PA* Thank you so much for featuring me at 

Escaping… One Book at a Time! I’m so excited to be part of Indie Girl March and for the opportunity to chat with other book lovers!

 Crossroads was such an addictive read when did the idea come to you?

Believe it or not, the inspiration for Crossroads struck while I was working on my MBA back in

2010. There I was sitting in Finance and all I could think about was vampires. I’ve always loved

paranormal fiction, but at that point, I hadn’t thought seriously about writing in years. I had

no idea what was going on in the publishing industry with the growth of e-readers and self-

publishing. I just knew that I was working all day and spending my evenings in some really

boring classes. So while everyone else was figuring out the future value of a dollar, I was writing

character profiles and plotting Crossroads. I haven’t looked back since!

 If you dumped your purse what would you find in there every time?

Lip gloss. I’m not really big on makeup, but I swear that stuff is addictive. I never leave home

without it and have tubes stashed everywhere. Car, desk, purse, junk drawer. I blame Bonne Bell

for starting me down this path at an impressionable young age. (And, yes, I am aware that I may

be in need of a 12 step program.)

Don't worry I need a 12 step for Bath & Body Works products! They are everywhere!!

The one thing that you just could not write without?

I couldn’t write ‘Chapter One’ without an outline. There are pantsers and there are plotters.  

Me? I am a plotter extraordinaire! While I have a ton of respect for the pantsers, I have no 

idea who they do it. I can’t start writing without a detailed outline. It allows me to get to know 

my characters and keeps me focused, ensuring the story doesn’t wander. Besides, I have an 

insatiable curiosity and couldn’t stand not knowing the ending!

One thing about you that may surprise your readers.

You might say I’m addicted to being busy. In addition to writing, I have a full time job as a 

buyer and also put my marketing skills to use as a Publicist for Entangled Publishing. I love the 

publishing industry and relish the opportunity to work with and promote other authors!

Have you considered writing something other than Vampires?

Definitely. I love the characters in Crossroads and the series will always have a special place in 

my heart (read: I’m having trouble letting go), but there are other stories fighting to get out. I’m

currently working on an adult romance in addition to the third and final book of the Crossroads

Academy series. The biggest challenge is finding enough time to write everything that’s kicking

around in my head. If only I could get more hours in a day….

One place you would love to visit and why.

I don’t have one specific place that I’d like to visit, but touring Europe is on my bucket list.

There’s so much history and romance that I can’t possibly leave this world without experiencing

it personally. Although, with my luck it’ll probably turn out like National Lampoon’s European

Vacation since I’m only fluent in English and Spanglish and, much like Katia, have zero sense of

direction. ;-)

Most exciting moment you have had as an author so far :D

Oh, man. This is so embarrassing, which means it’s a really great question. For me, it was getting

a message on Facebook from Imogen Rose, author of The Bonfire Chronicles. She’d read and

enjoyed Crossroads and actually featured it as a Kindle Kisses giveaway. It was so unexpected

that I was completely floored. I’m a big fan of her books and I *might* have had a fan-girl

moment. (Yes, despite the fact that I work with best-selling authors everyday and am supposed

to take such things in stride.) It was so completely humbling to have such an amazing author

sharing my work with her fans.

Thank you so much J.J. for a fun and interesting interview!!

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**REVIEW** Crossroads by J.J. Bonds

I love Indie Authors!  One of my favorite things about this month is getting

to meet new ones!! J.J. Bonds is an excellent example of why I am excited!!

When Katia enrolled at Crossroads Academy she knew things weren’t exactly going to be easy. The sole heir to the worlds’ most powerful vampire, her presence was bound to cause a stir. But nothing could have prepared her for this. Whispers follow everywhere she goes. So does trouble.
Bodies start turning up in nearby Rutland and Katia is sucked into a twisted web of danger and deceit. Haunted by nightmares she can’t explain and a thirst for blood that is never sated, Katia will do whatever it takes to keep her past buried.
Nothing at Crossroads is what it seems and Katia’s secrets may be the darkest of them all.

Release Date: November 9, 2011

Review Copy:  Mobi.

**Provided by Author

Buy it:

Amazon||Barnes & Noble

Review

  J.J. where have you been hiding?  I guess maybe it wasn't you and it was me but regardless of who it was we are acquainted now.  This book was such a pleasant surprise, brought some new things to the table and kept some of the popular lore.  There is so much of this book that will capture you.  Well personally I was a little consumed and found myself having to pry the book from my own hands to head to work.

  The story is based in a vampire elite boarding school and Katia's arrival.  Being the new girl wasn't what she was worried about but more the fact that she is the great niece of one of the most powerful vampires in existence.  It is very apparent that she is also not there to make friends but to please her Uncle.  Though Katia doesn't worry about controlling her thirst like the school focuses on, she does have a difficult time trusting others and letting them in.  However there is something more going on and the quiet and somewhat solitary life Katia begins to adjust to is thrown for a loop when the very thing she doesn't want to talk about seems to have found her.

  I loved Katia right from the start.  Though she was distant from most of the other characters, her snark and back bone make her easily one of my top female characters this year.  She also fought to be better because of who she was related to and did not want to cause any embarrassment.  This was kind of refreshing, I mean frequently you get the rebellious, don't give a crap and cause the ripples characters when they come from privilege.  Katia respected her Uncle and his position but the thing was that with Katia you always felt like there was something more.  Something that you were missing and well the fact that she doesn't tell anyone her secret kind of aids that.  Truth be told I thought I got it once and kind of did but the secret holds tight almost until the end and Katia even then doesn't want to give it up.

  J.J. has created something here that has me addicted.  There are so many reasons to enjoy this read and look forward to the next book!!  Her writing style is wonderful and there is no doubt in my mind that it is part of the reason I loved this one so much.  Her characters weren't perfect but that just made them easier to relate to and more believable, so in that sense they were kind of perfect.  The details of the world J.J. created are really wonderful and made it so easy to picture everything every step of the way!  Lover of vampires?  Pick this one up!  Heck even if you aren't trust me and give this one a try.

Quotes

With the thirst, I'd developed a sixth sense allowing me to see the donors' memories and feel their emotions as I drink.  The images are always scattered and the intensity depends on whether I am drinking direct from the source and the age of the blood.

What is up with this crazy possessiveness of hers?  Maybe she hasn't heard the old adage about freeing that which you love the most.  Then again, maybe she knows there isn't a creature in its right mind that would voluntarily come back for more of her bitchiness.

She may be right, but I just don't have it in me.  I've been in a hurry for as long as I can remember.  Patience will never be one of my better qualities; I always want to get right to the end result.

Giveaway

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Susan Kaye Quinn & The Mindjack Series

Today I am excited to have Susan Kaye Quinn on the blog!!!  She is such a

wonderful author and has been since the day I met her on twitter!

So meet Susan:

Susan Kaye Quinn is former rocket scientist and engineer, but now she writes novels because she loves writing even more than shiny tech gadgets. Susan is the author of the bestselling Mindjack Series, which includes three novels, three novellas, and a trailer. She's currently writing a steampunk fantasy romance, just for kicks. When that's out of her system, she has ambitious plans to embark on a series about the Singularity (the time when computers become more intelligent than humans) that should appeal to fans of the Mindjack novels. Unless she gets sidetracked by this new future-noir novella or spends too much time on Facebook. Could go either way.

Find Her:

Website||Goodreads||Pintrest||Twitter||Facebook

Susan's Books

The Mindjack Trilogy 

Buy Them! 
Open Minds Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, Kobo
Closed Hearts Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, Kobo
Free Souls Amazon, Barnes and Noble

The Mindjack Origins Collection

Buy Them!

Amazon, Barnes and Noble

Interview

pink= me
blue= Susan

I LOVED Open Minds! Thanks! Where did the idea come from? It popped into my head while I was trying to think up an idea for a 1^st paragraph contest. It came to me as an image, actually, of a girl who couldn’t read minds, sitting in a room filled with mindreaders, painfully ostracized and alone. Then the idea refused to let go, and I was forced to write a novel about it. Pesky ideas.

What is your favorite part about being an Indie writer? The freedom to write what I want and let readers decide if they want to read it or not.

Name one thing that you don't think you could live without. I’ll skip the obvious (my husband and kids) and go straight to the truth: tea. It’s a problem. No, I’m not getting help for it.

Is there anything that you find you need to have while you write? I need background noise personally :) I actually need silence. I’ve been known to check out a study room at the library, just so I can achieve that near total quiet that comes from isolation and just the ventilation system whirring. If I can’t have that, I’ll drown the burblings of noise from cats, kids, and that strange surging sound from my washing machine with an endless loop of Green Day.

Has a character ever become something other than what you had planned? Who? My characters are pretty obedient. They know I’ve killed off a few of them before.

Inspiration. Where do you find yours and what would you say to inspire others? I’m inspired by the many authors I know who are carving their own paths, breaking the rules, and generally doing what everyone says you can’t/shouldn’t/ought-not-to... and being a success anyway. I’m a bit of a rebel that way. What would I say to inspire others? Be yourself. That may sound easy, but it’s not. Being what other people expect is easy; being yourself, the self you’re meant to be, is really hard work. But whenever you’re feeling stressed about trying to sell books, or land a contract, or hit some measure of “success” in the world as an author, I wish I could take you, my author-friend, by the shoulders, look deep into your eyes, and say, “You only need to be your true self. Put your energy into finding that unique thing inside you that’s dying to come out, and the rest will follow.” It’s not easy, but the good stuff never is.

How did you come up with you characters names? Babynames.com Or random searches on the internet about “male indian names” or “names that mean REDEEMED.” Every once in a while, I’ll steal a name from a church song. That’s probably a sin, but I don’t think they missed it.

  Thank you Susan for stopping by and chatting with me!! 

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**REVIEW** Closed Hearts by Susan Kaye Quinn

When you control minds, only your heart can be used against you.
Eight months ago, Kira Moore revealed to the mindreading world that mindjackers like herself were hidden in their midst. Now she wonders if telling the truth was the right choice after all. As wild rumors spread, a powerful anti-jacker politician capitalizes on mindreaders’ fears and strips jackers of their rights. While some jackers flee to Jackertown—a slum rife with jackworkers who trade mind control favors for cash—Kira and her family hide from the readers who fear her and jackers who hate her. But when a jacker Clan member makes Kira’s boyfriend Raf collapse in her arms, Kira is forced to save the people she loves by facing the thing she fears most: FBI agent Kestrel and his experimental torture chamber for jackers.

Release Date:  May 23, 2012

Published By: Createspace

Review Copy: Mobi. (Smashwords)

*copy provided by Author for event

Buy it:

Amazon||Barnes and Noble||Smashwords

Trailer

Review

  I'm just going to go ahead and say what's on my mind now.  What in the heck just happened?!  There is no way what I read is true, yet I believe my eyes and the way my heart reacted.  I have loved Susan's writing and characters since the first chapter of Open Minds and am surprised it took me this long to dive into this one and now finishing this one my mind is reeling and all I can think of is finding out how it all works out.  Things changed in this book but we always look for growth in characters and story development, so the change though hard and at times heart breaking I'm sure was needed.

  Kira's life has changed.  She lives under the name Lucy in hiding from everyone that is now after her for revealing the Jacker secret or for being a Jacker.  What is up posed to be a quit life in hiding quickly turned into a novel packed with action and adventure.  We discover more about Jackers and as it turns out there are different types.  Kira may be special but there are other out there that are special in different ways.  They are labeled as mages and I want to be one!  The entire world is evolving again but people aren't ready for it or open minded about the new changes, they see it as a threat and one that needs to be controlled.

  As far as characters go Kira is fairly kick ass but at times she is too hard on herself.  What she did at the end of Open Minds changed everything and for her family's safety things did have to change for her but she does fight for some semblance of normal.  Though when she is given the chance to fight for what she started and those people that need it she wants nothing to do with it.  This actually did surprise me, a lot.  When the problem becomes personal and someone she cares about gets dragged in she does fight for what's right and learns a lot about others in the process.  By the end of everything she was kind of beaten down and pulled apart but this made her stronger, made her step up and she was way more kick ass than ever.

  The shiny new star in this one is Julian.  He is the charismatic leader of the mages (super Jackers) and trying to recruit Kira.  He has the best of intentions but doesn't put up with crap either.  When Kira all but endangers herself and those around her he deals with it.  I am not going to lie I kind of had hopes that Kira would fall for him.  I loved Raff but I think that they make a better match.  Julian is also fighting or the right things, the right reasons and I admire his determination to help things progress.  I'm not really sure where things will go with Julian from here but I think things will be better because of him.

  Looking back at it all there was just as much action in this installment as there was in the first.  The biggest thing is that there are more twists and more change.  Susan certainly has a way of pulling you in, making her characters vivid and placing them in situations that they will prove their worth.  Though the ending left me a little heart broken it opened up to other possibilities and really has me excited for Free Souls.  Like I need it yesterday and not just because I want to know how it ends bu because I am addicted to Susan's world and characters.  Anyone that is a fan of YA Dystopian needs this series in their collection!

Quotes

"We're the next step in the evolution of mankind."  Oh boy.  It was worse than I thought.  Julian was a jacker revolutionary with a little crazy sprinkled on top.

He must have linked strongly enough, just short of jacking, that I was able to hear his linked thoughts.  How could he be in her mind at all without me sensing him?  Julian was a puzzle that was hurting my brain.

I pressed my cheek against the cold flexiglass.  He was a monster.  Why wasn't I strong enough to stop him?  My chest caved into the emptiness inside me.

Julian stood with his feet planted wide and his arms crossed, looking slightly dangerous in his all-black clothes.  Finally, my dad nodded.  I thought it was bad when they didn't like each other; somehow my dad and Julian agreeing on something, particularly about me, was worse. 

Check in tomorrow for an interview with Susan and her bio!!! 

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