Nerdscape for Kevin Hearne's giveaway!

This is my second entry into Kevin Hearne's  Hounded giveaway. This nerdscape is titled 'The battle for the all-spark continues'. Optimus Prime faces down his Decepticon enemies alone......

Day 6 - Guest post by Jaye Wells

This Is the First Line of the Rest of Your Life
By Jaye Wells

Inspiration can strike at strange times. Talk to a dozen writers and they'll give you a dozen odd locations where they've had an idea--in the shower, on the toilet, eating a bagel, at a funeral, etc. But for me, the most important piece of inspiration I've had so far hit me while I was driving down the road. 

I remember very clearly cruising down Beltline Road in Addison, Texas. I was approaching a stoplight and thinking about a story I needed to write for a friend's flash fiction contest. At the time, I was just another aspiring writer. The contest in question was a for-fun event my friend hosted on his blog a couple of times a year. He'd post an image that would serve as the jumping off point for all the stories entered. 

For this contest, he'd posted a picture of a full moon peeking from between clouds. Since I already wrote paranormal fiction, this image was perfect. But the pressure was on. I didn't want to write just another paranormal story. Which is why, on that sunny afternoon, I was thinking about what I wanted to write as I ran errands. 

I was about 100 yards from the light when a voice spoke in my head. "Digging graves is hell on a manicure," the female voice whispered. 

The car might have swerved--or maybe I'm just imagining it did. But that one little line, that one perfect little line, grabbed me by the throat. I pulled to a stop at the light and tore my car apart looking for a piece of paper, a pen, anything. I didn't want to forget it. But of course, I wouldn't forget it. How could I? A character that would say something like that was someone I wanted to get to know. 

"Digging graves is hell on a manicure," ended up being the first line for that flash fiction piece titled, "I Can Dig It." The 250-word story was about a vampire who was burying a body when she is discovered by another vampire who threatens her and ends up dead, too. The story got a lot of great feedback in the contest. So great, in fact, that I decided to write an entire novel about this intriguing female vampire with the ironic view on life and a violent streak. 

That book, of course, turned into RED-HEADED STEPCHILD. RHSC was the first urban fantasy I ever wrote--before that I'd written romances that will never see the light of day. And that first urban fantasy novel became my first published novel.  

Today, I'm working on book five of the Sabina Kane series. It's the last book in the series, which is the first last book in a series I've ever written. My how life has changed since RED-HEADED STEPCHILD debuted. But looking back, I see how one small first--that one line--lead to a string of other firsts and how, at the end of the day, you never know when a simple car ride can change your whole life.

Remember to leave a comment and your email address for the chance to win a $50 Book Depository giftcard.

Day 5 - Guest post by Cynthia Eden + Giveaway

You Never Forget Your First…

Happy Blogoversary, Jo-Anne!  It’s great to be here at Strange Candy Reviews, and I sure am excited to talk about my “first”—well, my first romance book, that is.

It’s been over twenty years since I picked up my first romance book at a local K-Mart. I was browsing the aisles, a twelve-year-old girl who was looking for something new (yep, I started reading romances early), and I found a Harlequin Romance that caught my eye: THE ASKING PRICE by Amanda Browning.

I read the book eagerly. There was angst. Romance. Betrayed lovers. Drama. And…a happy ending. One book, just one, and I was addicted. This book didn’t just change my reading habits; instead, it changed my life. Suddenly, I knew (yes, at 12) what I wanted to be: a writer. I wanted to pen stories that ended happily. I wanted to write about love and danger and drama—I wanted to have the thrill of creating stories and sharing them with readers.

This book (that, yes, I still have on my keeper shelf even though the pages have long since yellowed), changed my life. It made me happy. It made me dream. And it made me write.

Do you remember your first romance novel? Share it with me! One random commenter will win her/his choice of either DEADLY HEAT or DEADLY LIES (my romantic suspense novels published by Grand Central’s Forever line—I promise, you’ll find danger and a happy ending in these pages!).

Thanks for checking out my post!

Cynthia Eden

www.cynthiaeden.com

BOUND BY BLOOD--.99 eBook Available Now

NEVER CRY WOLF—Available 6/28/11 from Kensington Brava

So leave your answer and email for your chance to win a copy of either Deadly Heat or Deadly Lies by Cynthia Eden. All entries from this post are also entered into the $50 Book Depository gift card giveaway!

Day 4 - Guest Post by Kevin Hearne

Completing my first novel changed my life.

It is an utter piece of trash that will never, ever be published, but its importance as milestone for me cannot be overstated.

For the longest time—most of a decade—I couldn’t finish one, and I beat myself up about it. How can I want to be an author, I asked myself, if I don’t feel strongly enough about my work to complete it?

I think part of my problem was taking those writing advice books to heart. I read too many of them and it damaged my brain. All their guidance about how to write, market, and sell your novel—sometimes with competing ideas—banged around my head and had me writing things I didn’t care about for an audience I truly didn’t know. I must have abandoned ten different manuscripts trying to follow their advice on how to write a bestseller.

What changed things for me was when I decided to write for myself. It still took me six years, but I wrote some crazy shit about an eco-terrorist who used those Coleman propane lanterns to firebomb fast food restaurants. The media dubbed him the Green Lantern, and I thought the comic book joke was funny. I threw in a history professor who was trying to find some Aztec gold buried in Arizona five centuries ago. Oh, and he was running from the Russian mafia too.

It made no sense. It’s truly awful. But it had a beginning, middle, and end, and I was highly amused while writing it. Most importantly, I learned that I could finish a book, and that gave me the confidence to start another one. I wrote my next book in half the time. My third book was the one that got me an agent and a publishing deal—and again, I wrote it to please myself. My fourth and fifth books were written in five and six months, respectively, and now I have the confidence to say I can keep up that pace. I owe that confidence entirely to just getting through my first book—my first, unpublished horror of a book. I will always look back on it fondly.

Kevin Hearne is the author of The Iron Druid Chronicles, to be published in Australia by Voyager. You can visit him at http://www.kevinhearne.com and follow him on Twitter @kevinhearne.

Remember to leave a comment and your email to win a $50 Book Depository giftcard!

Day 3 - Guest post by Eleni Konstantine

The First  Cover Design

Thanks Strange Candy Reviews for having me on your blog. Congratulations on a great first year.

I love a good blogoversary.  It's a time to look back and reflect.

I’m a big fan of cover art. I love how colour, text, and images combine to entice you to open the covers  to reveal the magic of the story within.

One day, I decided to enter the 2010 Little Gems cover contest run by the Romance Writers of Australia. I had been playing around with stock images and creating banners for my website, so I had wanted to take this one step further.

I had been going through a hard time (family health issues), which left me with the inability to concentrate on the written word. But working on this cover competition was exactly what I needed. So I decided to not worry about writing and instead concentrate on designing.

It must take incredible artistic skill to do a cover, right?

Well, yes and no.

You don’t have to be an artist to do a good cover. You see, I think you need the technical ability, and an eye for design. What I see myself in regards to book covers is that I’m a designer, not an artist. Yes, there are people who create artwork from scratch, but I wasn’t one of them in this case (one day, I hope).

I had burrowed through stock image websites, looking for images for the theme ‘Topaz’. I am an omnivore when it comes to art, enjoying a different range of styles and looks. The resulting ideas that flowed reflected this. From the more classic to the more abstract. From bright colours to dark colours, and even pastels. My mind spun with ‘what about this’.

I explored Photoshop Elements, making different mock-ups with an image(s) and font size. I adjusted lighting, contrast, colouring. I added layers with different features. I chopped, changed, and combined a number of elements together. I found out a little about printing, and I finally placed in my entries.

And won.

(Well technically, my alter ego won *grin*)

I can’t tell you what a huge thrill this was for me. Even more so, that one of my favourite designs was chosen. Being the first time I had ever done this, I didn’t think I would be successful. Oh, I hoped, but I was realistic. I was not an artist. But, like I said before, I was a designer.

This was the winning entry.

It represents a more ‘classic’ look.

I continued to learn more about design as I worked with the printer to get the best possible result. What a thrill to see it in print form at the launch at the Romance Writers of Australia conference last year, and to be awarded with my certificate.

It was the boost I needed at the time, to keep going with my creative pursuits. I haven’t spent as much time doing the designs I would like to do, but I do feel it helped me with my writing. They seem to balance each other out.

So, I can now say, I’m a cover designer and writer.

You can learn more about Eleni and her works by visiting her website.

Remember to leave your a comment and your email for a chance to win a $50 giftcard from the Book Depository!

Day 2 - Guest post by Diane Whiteside

First Earrings

What does it say that I came into a set of wheels before my ears were pierced? Well, for one thing, my parents were very conservative. As for the car, attending the only college which offered my chosen major meant certain sacrifices – starting with distance from home and the swift realization that local bus service sucked. Enter one small, cheap, used car into my life shortly after I arrived at the dorms.

But earrings? Not so fast. No metal was allowed to pierce the flesh of my parents’ child. Well, at least not for years. By then, I was paying my own way through school and felt liberated. Liberated enough to dump the screw-backed earrings I’d always loathed because they either fell off or hurt my ears if I tightened them enough to stay on.

The alternative was pierced ears. Ooh, dangerous thought – metal entering my flesh, exactly what always sent my parents into loud agonies of squeamishness. On the other hand, they couldn’t stop me and I could have so much more fun shopping for pierced earrings than screwback or clip-ons. Ah, the retail therapy possibilities! Oh, the stretch on my tiny college budget! Oh, the pure joy of hunting jewelers’ booth for the right pair of earrings… And show off my independence.

But I digress. My mind was made up. As soon as I had the money, I’d get my ears pierced.

That’s when trouble hit. I got my year-end bonus in mid-December – just before leaving to spend Christmas vacation with my family. The local department store had a fabulous sale on hoop earrings, including a stainless steel pair which would be perfect for starting out. The nurses where I worked were amazed my ears weren’t pierced and had promised to help.

The money burned in my pocket. I took a deep breath and splurged.

It was a quiet afternoon at the nursing home. Soon a half dozen nurses gathered around to approve my choice of earrings. They decided the head nurse would pierce my ears, after her second-in-command – an artist – selected the exact spot on my earlobe. Coffee and cookies were passed around while my earlobes were thoroughly disinfected with alcohol wipes. (To hospital standards, thank you very much!) We chatted and chuckled while the ladies told stories about how their ears and their daughters’ ears were pierced.

Then I got on the plane to visit my folks.

My mother was horrified when she saw me. She launched into a tirade about how I’d risked my health by assaulting my ears in that dirty fashion. I countered by recounting who, where and how my ears were pierced. My explanation silenced her, at least around me. Privately, I kept reminding myself of all the great earrings I could buy for myself.

It was an edgy visit at first. My parents kept looking at me sideways and asking if my ears hurt. (No, they didn’t, much to my parents’ continued surprise.) My folks gradually calmed down and started talking to me about new and unusual topics, like politics.

We even wound up shopping together – for earrings. Yup, you heard me right. Mother and I both like pretty baubles but she prefers bracelets. We were killing time in a jeweler’s store and she came over to see what I was looking at. She too started ooh’ing and ah’ing over pierced earrings and I thought, “Gotcha!”

When she fell in love with a pair of earrings, I bought it. I still wear that first pair of black and gold earrings, in honor of woman power and togetherness.

What was your first pair of earrings like? Do you have a piece of jewelry that makes you feel alive and warm?   

Learn more about Diane and her books  by visiting her website.

You can read my review of The Shadow Guard here.

Remember all you have to do to enter is leave a comment, in this case Diane has asked a question, leave your email in case you win!

My first Blogoversary! with Christina Phillips

Welcome everyone to my new blog thanks to Kayden McLeod. It's My first blogoversary,and I thought it would be a good idea to have some awesome authors stop by and tell us about one of their 'firsts'. To kick things off we have a guest post by Christina Phillips. My blogoversary runs from 22 April - 6 May and the major prize is a $50 gift card from the Book Depository! If I reach 350 followers by the 6th May I will also have a signed copy of Pleasure Unbound to giveaway thanks to Larissa Ione. All you have to do is leave a comment on each post. If you only comment on one post thats 1 entry if you comment on all posts (including reviews) you have more chances of winning. So lets begin..........

Congratulations on your first year Blogoversary, Strange Candy! And thank you for inviting me onto your blog to help celebrate!

As this is a party celebrating ‘firsts’ I thought I’d share how I felt when I first held my debut historical romance in my hand. It had been a long time coming – ten years in fact! During that time I wrote category romance, first person chic-lit and then paranormal romance. I worked with editors on revisions and new ideas, caught the interest of several agents—but there was never any cigar.

So I decided to try something completely new for me—erotic romance. My very first erotic novelette sold! I had clearly, at long last, found my voice!

But as exciting as that first was, my true love has always been writing full length books, because I can explore so much more in terms of world building and digging deeper into the characters of my hero and heroine. And so, spurred on by my sales to a small e-publisher, I wrote my very first full length erotic romance. Somehow it also decided to be a historical romance and if that wasn’t enough—seeing as I’d never attempted to write a historical romance before—it turned out to be an ancient historical romance with hot Roman warriors and magical Druid heroines.

So there I was with an erotic ancient historical romance with fantasy elements which I loved to bits but seriously doubted would ever find a home in the market.

But within a month of querying agents I accepted representation from my dream agent at 11.30 pm one Friday night while we chatted on MSM. Not that it’s engraved in my memory or anything! Three months later we signed a two book deal and so began a whirlwind of more ‘firsts’.

On 16^th August 2010 my early author copy of FORBIDDEN arrived. O.M.G. It was so pretty and shiny and the cover looked even more fabulous in real life! I might have kissed it once or twice and walked around the house clutching it like a cuddly kitty, and made everyone wash their hands before they were allowed to stroke it. Much to my husband’s bemusement I even took it to bed with me that night!!

Since then my second book CAPTIVE has been released—and it was just as exciting the second time around as the first!

Christina Phillips writes hot ancient historical romances for Berkley Heat.

FORBIDDEN:

"Set in the time of the Roman Empire, Phillips' wonderful story of the romance between a Roman soldier and a Celt is more than entertaining"

Romantic Times BOOK Review, 4 Stars

CAPTIVE:

Phillips’ second in the Forbidden series is just as hot as its predecessor. Readers will be held Captive by the magic between Druid priestess Morwyn and Bren.

Romantic Times BOOK Review, 4 Stars

                                                                   

Christina’s Website

Christina’s Blog

Christina’s Facebook

Don't forget to leave your email so I can contact you if you win. Having my blogoversary button displayed will earn you an extra 2 points, so please leave a link if you put it on your blog. 

Review: The Shadow Guard by Diane Whiteside

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Brava (April 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9780758225191
• ISBN-13: 978-0758225191
• ASIN: 0758225199

Purchase from:

Click the Amazon link

The Book Depository

The Shadow Guard. They are the darkest of Black Ops. A force operating outside the sphere of the CIA or FBI. Taking their mandate not from the U.S. government, but from magic. And sex.

Sahir. Astrid Carlson is one of them, a mage on a mission. With her wispy blond hair and those long, long legs, she can make a man forget himself. Until it's way too late.

Kubri. Jake Hammond is the only thing she needs, the human conductor who can focus all her strength, bringing her to a peak of power, or shattering her completely. Yeah, she's got a hundred or so years on him, but who's counting when there's an unstoppable assassin to take down--and unstoppable chemistry to take on. . ..

*****

The Shadow Guard is a paranormal romance with a difference. There are no vampires or werewolves, but there is magic. And sex. Astrid works for the FBI, but she is unofficially undercover. In truth she’s a Sahir, a mage. She wields magic to help humanity. Astrid is strong, capable and isn’t afraid to push the limits her superiors set. With a killer on the loose she enlists the help of her online gaming partner, Jake Hammond, who also happens to be a cop. Jack is tall, dark and handsome. He’s also a Kubri, a human conductor.  He strengthens her, to bring her to hit the highest point of her power. Although Astrid hides her true self from Jake, circumstances push her to reveal what she is, and what his role in her life now could be. A Kubri helps power a Sahir through sex. It’s electric between the two of them, but Astrid is afraid of losing someone else she cares for and, in the process she could destroy herself. Jake finds himself drawn to Astrid, and actually deals with the truth of who she and he are very well. He has faith. Together they work through the information they have to find and stop those responsible for the murder and an even bigger scheme, which I never saw coming. The battle at the end is quite spectacular. Astrid I really enjoyed the chemistry between Astrid and Jake. It was there from the get go, and never let up. They completed each other; the Sahir/Kubri relationship brought them even closer. The premise of Sahir’s and Kubri’s is very interesting, as I haven’t read anything similar before. There is definitely a lead on with two characters from this book, and I can’t wait to read their story.

There’s a lot of mystery woven into the story. It reads more like a paranormal romance detective story. Strange, you may think, but grab a copy of the Shadow Guard if you’re looking for a paranormal romance with a difference.

I give it 3.5/5.

This book was sent to me by the author.

5 & Under Wonder no2.

The 5 and under wonder is meme started by Natasha over at A Great Book is the Cheapest Vacation.

This weeks 5 & under wonder is A Tale of Two Goblins by H.P Mallory at only $2.99! I love all H.P's books and if you haven't picked one up yet I suggest you do. They're awesome. 

A Tale of Two Goblins is book 2 in the Dulcie O'Neil series. Here's a little more about it.

A Dreamstalker— a creature that stalks and kills its victims in sleep.

A fairy in law enforcement determined to stop him.

A potions smuggler who possesses something she wants.

A vampire with his own agenda.

And a partner who couldn’t possibly be sexier or more frustrating.

Dulcie O’Neil is a fairy working in law enforcement for the Netherworld. 

When Knight Vander approaches her with a case regarding comatose victims, she agrees to help him, imagining the most difficult part will be combatting her attraction to him.

But, what Dulcie isn’t betting on is the fact that the case becomes personal when she learns all the victims are somehow linked to her.

When her best friend falls victim to the Dreamstalker, Dulcie must do everything in her power to ensure her friend’s survival, including associating with criminals and accepting the fact that desperate times do definitely call for desperate measures.

So head on over to Amazon to grab your copy today!

If you'd like to know more about H.P and her books, visit her website and Facebook.

Review: Blood Moons by Alianne Donnelly

Product Details Format: Kindle Edition File Size: 401 KB Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited Publisher: Liquid Silver Books (November 1, 2010) Sold by: Amazon Digital Services Language: English ASIN: B004D9FYU0 Purchase Information Amazon They say no good deed ever goes unpunished, a sentiment Dara understands fully now that she is paying for a crime she didn't commit. It was stupid to call in a murder she didn't really see. But how could Dara have kept silent? Now a stunning -- scratch that, a dangerous -- man with a frightening secret of his own is telling her he can help. Yeah, right. A telepath knows better than to trust mere words. The last decade of Tristan's life has been penance. All that time spent among the worst dregs of society might have made him begin to question his humanity, but he’s never felt so much like an animal as he does around this timid, delicate female. Her very presence stirs the beast within him; Tristan can feel it growing stronger every day. Any more time with Dara, and it might overpower him completely. But without her, he stands no chance at all... ******* Dara Frost tried to stop a murderer by calling the police after ’dreaming’ the incident. Instead Dara has been sentenced to New Alaska, a maximum security prison planet. There she chooses wolf block, where the most dangerous of criminals are kept. For some reason it calls to her. There, she has to share a cell with Tristan Hunt, a big, scary, sexy alpha male. Dara finds him very attractive and struggles to keep her eyes off him. Tristan fights his baser urges and does his best not to get closer to her. Although a little afraid of Hunt, Dara feels safe with him. Hunt is trying to serve his time and has as little interaction with others as he possibly can. Dara’s arrival awakens a deep protectiveness in him. At first he is irritated with her presence and his reactions to her. To Dara’s surprise, Hunt takes her under his heavily muscled protection. Both Dara and Tristan are telepaths and it adds an interesting aspect to their connection. Dara is a bit of a loner and considers herself broken. Tristan teaches her to harness her telepathy and this is how they form a unique bond. Although they both know a relationship of any kind between them is ridiculous under the circumstances, they can’t fight the pull they feel towards each other. I really enjoyed how their relationship starts out. Hunt is yummy, and I’d love to get my hands on him. He struggles with feelings she awakens in him, especially a stupid, fierce need to keep her beside him at all times. Dara feels he is just using her, and is waiting for the other shoe to drop. Tristan has undergone genetic experiments, which are playing havoc with his mind and body. His protective streak borders on obsessive, and when he begins changing her fights the feeling of wanting Dara close but also wanting to push her away for fear of hurting her. Dara is fascinated by his change and wants to help him in any way she can. When Dara heads back to Earth to help stop the true murderer, Tristan is beside himself with worry and fear. He tracks her down but the murderer catches up with Dara and kidnaps her. Tristan will stop at nothing to get her back. He utilizes all his new abilities to get her back. Blood Moons is a sci-fi romance, with a little paranormal thrown in for good measure. I enjoyed the settings the author created, but I did find the futuristic aspects a little vague. It may just be the sci-fi nerd in me, but I found the closeness of some descriptions of items etc too close to what we have today, and it just didn’t ring true with the time era that was created. I could picture the entire story, with the vagueness letting my mind run wild with imaginings. Dara and Tristan seem so unlikely a couple but they work in the end. There wasn’t much, if any that I found annoying in either character. I just love Tristan! Lol. Blood Moons nearly kept me up past my bedtime, and if I didn’t have to work the next day I think I would have stayed up all night reading. It’s a sexy, exciting and intriguing read. Pick it up if you’re a fan of Rhyannon Byrd’s Primal Instincts or Jennifer Ashley’s Shifters Unbound. I give it 4/5.  I received this ebook from the author.

Review: My Superhero Sister by Toni LoTempio

• Product Details
• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 278 KB
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Toni LoTempio (January 25, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004KZP1Q4

Purchase Information
Amazon
Smashwords
Holly Hamilton has always been perturbed by the way her older sister, Ellen, seems to get everything. It's especially tough living in the shadow of your sister's cape when she's a super heroine named Suprema!

With one super-parent and one not, it was inevitable that the girls would turn out different. Unfortunately for Holly, she takes after her earthling mother. Ellen has taken over their retired father’s role as Century City's reigning superhero, balancing school and super-duties with remarkable ease while it’s a struggle for Holly to get through her English class without mishap, not to mention those Cheer Squad tryouts!
The girls learn their father’s old nemeses, Anti-Hero, has escaped from his Space Prison, and they’re concerned – Anti-Hero nullified their father’s powers once – what else does he have in store for him and Suprema? When another teen superhero extraordinaire appears on the scene, they’re even more puzzled. Who is Magna Boy? Is he friend or foe? And does he have a connection to Anti-Hero? The appearance of two new guys at school, teen heartthrob Tad Barker and nerd Ed McGee, set Holly and her sister to wondering—and arguing—could one of them be the new super kid on the block? If so, which one? 
Working with her friend Mona and her scientist uncle, Holly finally uncovers Anti-Hero’s dastardly plot – he intends to capture Suprema and Magna Boy and siphon their powers for himself! Before she can warn her sibling, however, Anti-Hero strikes and captures the superheroes. Now it’s up to Holly to use her ingenuity and prove to everyone, but most of all herself, that you don’t’ have to be a superhero for good to win out over evil…or to nab a super-boyfriend, either!

______________

My Superhero Sister by Toni LoTempio is a light, fun read. One you could probably read in one sitting. I loved all the aspects of a traditional superhero story, with the story not actually being about the superhero, but her very normal little sister. Holly is the focus of MSS, but she is a wonderful character. She’s smart, funny and has a little bit of an unusual hobby. She likes to collect bugs. Her fascination with them plays a pivotal role in the story too. Her and her sister Ellen have a normal sibling relationship, it’s just Ellen has super powers. Holly is of course sometimes slightly envious of her sister, but realizes being a superhero is not as fun as she thinks. She has a great relationship with her parents. Her mother is very loving and worries about her little half superhero family. Her father is a vet in his downtime, being the other superhero in their family. Anti-hero is the bad guy and is of course bent on world domination. He’s one of those smart-dumb people. You can't help but dislike him. It ends up being Holly who mostly saves the day with an unexpected transformation. She has the help of her best friend Mona, and Mona's uncle Professor Kane. I would say this is a book for younger readers, maybe the 10-15 year olds. The story is engaging and the characters are fun. There is a little romance, but it’s only G rated and is very cute and sweet. I found quite a bit of the story funny, it made me smile. If you’re after something for your younger readers then grab a copy of My Superhero Sister, you won’t be disappointed.

I give it 3.5/5.

The author kindly provided me with a copy of this ebook for review.

Don't forget that you can win one of two copies of My Superhero Sister, just by telling me who your favorite superhero is. Click here.

Character Interview: Holly & Ellen - My Superhero Sister + Giveaway

An interview with: Holly and Ellen Hamilton of MY SUPERHERO SISTER!

TLT: Welcome, girls! And thank you for doing this interview!

Ellen: No problemo! I’m happy to take time out of my daily patrol to help you.

Holly: And I’m always glad to get out of English Class 

TLT: Ellen: What is your favorite superpower?

Ellen: Oh, golly. There’s so many I like, but I guess I like my Expando-Breath. It really comes in handy at times, like if I have to get Holly somewhere in a hurry.

TLT: What about you, Holly? If you were super, what would your favorite power be?

Holly: Flying, definitely. People tell me my head’s always in the clouds anyway 

TLT: What sort of person are you? Day or Night?

Ellen: That’s tough. I guess night. Flying up among the stars basking in the glow of the moon is really cool.

Holly: I’m day. That’s when I do my best experiments in Prof Kane’s basement!

TLT: Favorite Movie:

Ellen: Wow – any of the X-Men movies. They are supremely cool – and Wolverine is HOT!

Holly: I like The Dark Knight, but I’m also fond of My Super EX-girlfriend – especially since it was your inspiration for writing about us, LOL

TLT: what is one thing people would be surprised to learn about you?

Ellen: Wow – that I do have a hard time with history. It’s not my favorite subject.

Holly: That I really prefer being mortal – honest! Even though I have a super-sister, a super-dad, and now a super-boyfriend, I like to keep my feet firmly on the ground.

TLT: What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?

Ellen: Fly straight through a dam. I couldn’t stop in time. Boy, was I soaked!

Holly: Actually study for an English exam 

TLT: if someone could describe you in one word, what would it be:

Ellen: that’s easy – SUPER

Holly: Normal  Of course, that’s a relative term 

Thanks for letting me interview you, girls!

Ellen: Thank you!

Holly: Yeah, and we hope people will want to read more about us in MY SUPERHERO SISTER! Thanks so much for having us!

Holly Hamilton has always been perturbed by the way her older sister, Ellen, seems to get everything.  It's especially tough living in the shadow of your sister's cape when she's a super heroine named Suprema!

With one super-parent and one not, it was inevitable that the girls would turn out different.  Unfortunately for Holly, she takes after her earthling mother. Ellen has taken over their retired father’s role as Century City's reigning superhero, balancing school and super-duties with remarkable ease while it’s a struggle for Holly to get through her English class without mishap, not to mention those Cheer Squad tryouts!

The girls learn their father’s old nemeses, Anti-Hero, has escaped from his Space Prison, and they’re concerned – Anti-Hero nullified their father’s powers once – what else does he have in store for him and Suprema?  When another teen superhero extraordinaire appears on the scene, they’re even more puzzled.  Who is Magna Boy? Is he friend or foe?  And does he have a connection to Anti-Hero?   The appearance of two  new guys at school, teen heartthrob Tad Barker and nerd Ed McGee, set Holly and her sister to wondering—and arguing—could one of them be the new super kid on the block?  If so, which one?

Working with her friend Mona and her scientist uncle, Holly finally uncovers Anti-Hero’s dastardly plot – he intends to capture Suprema and Magna Boy and siphon their powers for himself!   Before she can warn her sibling, however, Anti-Hero strikes and captures the superheroes.  Now it’s up to Holly to use her ingenuity and prove to everyone, but most of all herself, that you don’t’ have to be a superhero for good to win out over evil…or to nab a super-boyfriend, either!

Find out more about Ellen, Holly and more of Toni LoTempio’s writing at her website: www.tonilotempioauthor.webs.com – her cat’s blog – www.catsbooksmorecats.blogspot.com

And friend her and the girls on Facebook!

Giveaway:

2 winners will each receive an e-book copy of MY SUPERHERO SISTER (Smashwords coupon). Just leave a comment with your favourite Superhero! Don't forget to leave your email.

Ends 17/4/2011

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