BORN TO LOVE WILD Blog Tour

BORN TO LOVE WILD
A Paranormal Romance Short Story Anthology
Stars and Stone Books

Featuring: USA Today Bestselling Author Traci Douglass, Cara McKinnon, Sheri Queen, Pepper McGraw, M.T. DeSantis, Read Gallo, J. Bigelow, and Andie Biagini.

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~Anthology website The Born to Love Wild authors all came together to answer some questions about their stories for the anthology. Here, they discuss things that help them get into a story—whether that is a song, ritual, spark of an idea, or something else.

Andie Biagini – “Water Temperature”
An engineering student and a cryptozoologist. One of them can talk to sea monsters, but it’s not who you think.

I think “send M.T. half of a story and hope she’ll tell me what happens next” counts as a ritual at this point, yeah?

J. Bigelow – “Focal Point”
Sometimes a wizard from Sweden needs help from a medium from Michigan.

I always go to my favorite bookstore which has a café in it. I usually get the same drink which tells my brain that it’s time to write.

M.T. DeSantis - “Forever Love”
To find a chance… A chance to find…

The idea for Forever Love just kind of hit me. I was at a complete loss about what to write for this anthology. Paranormal isn’t something that comes easy, so I was really testing my limits. I don’t know where it came from or how it got to me, but one day, the image of a fae dance was just in my head. I wrote the story in a few days after that initial image.

Traci Douglass – “Blood Strong: A Blood Ravagers Novella”
One guardian demon in love. One witch with a secret crush. One evil threatening their newfound connection.

I don’t really have anything. As long as I’ve got my laptop, coffee, tunes, and an Internet connection, I’m good to go.

Read Gallo – “The Flying Saltines”
When a river falls in love with an ordinary person will New York City survive?

Nope. No rituals. I write anytime, anywhere.

Pepper McGraw – “Full Moon Shenanigans”
The full moon’s coming and it’s time to embrace the wildness within.

As this is the third story in the Shenanigans series, it was fairly easy to get started. I just indulged in my main ritual when writing a series – I re-read the previous two stories to refresh my knowledge of the characters I would be writing about and to kind of get myself into their mindset. This has been a writing ritual of mine from the very beginning. If I get stuck in a story, I go back and re-read. If I’m starting a new story in a series, I read the one right before it. Starting a book completely from scratch—now that’s the real challenge!

Cara McKinnon - “A Change of Heart”
She’s a hybrid shifter who’s not supposed to exist. He’s a wolf who was born to protect her. But her secrets force him to choose: his mate, or his pack loyalty?

Even though the initial ideas for this story came together easily, it was still a pain in the butt to write. I definitely needed my Sunny app (it plays recordings of ocean waves and rain) to drown out distractions and help me focus.

Sheri Queen - “The Robinson Agency”
Some are born with the gift to see into the future. Others create their own destiny.

I was inspired by the tongue-twister of my great-great aunts’ names that gave me grief as a child. It was something that used to make me laugh when messing up saying their names really fast. That’s what made me create the sisters with an air of comedy to them.

~CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR AUTHORS

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The Love at the Edge of Seventeen Authors Talk About Their Characters

LOVE AT THE EDGE OF SEVENTEEN
A YA ROMANCE ANTHOLOGY
Stars and Stone Books
Featuring: M.T. DeSantis, A.E. Hayes, Serena Jayne, Cara McKinnon, Mary Rogers, and Kylie Weisenborn.

OUT TODAY!
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Q&A
For our blog tour, we asked our authors to talk about their characters. Did they have a favorite? A least favorite? How did they pick the names? Was it hard or fun?

M.T. DeSantis, “Be Null, My Heart”
Jaqi, Emma’s best friend, is my favorite. She’s the confident person I wish I’d been in high school, and she’s not afraid to call people “bat dung,” instead of something with more curses in it. Claire, the popular girl, is my least favorite. Yes, I know, disliking the popular girl who treats the main character like crap, how original. But I wrote her to be unlikable. So, I did a good job, at least from my perspective.
As for my character’s actual names, I just picked names I like. Emma’s parents and uncle, though, have superhero names, too. Those were a lot of fun.
-Styrene (Emma’s dad – manipulates plastic) – I actually took this name straight from the plastics world (thanks, Google). Basically, I searched for types of plastic, read a list on Wikipedia, and liked Polystyrene, minus the poly. I also learned about thermoplastics, if Wikipedia is accurate on the subject. If you liked high school chemistry but don’t remember much of it, check it out. It’s cool. •
-Belvedere (Emma’s mom, heightened senses) – She’s essentially the watchdog of the group. Belvedere is defined by the Oxford dictionary as “a summer house or open-sided gallery, typically at rooftop level, commanding a fine view.” I kind of see her as the one standing on a rooftop and keeping an eye out. Also, the word belvedere sounds badass. •
-Remberandt (Emma’s uncle, memory manipulation) This one was the most fun. Emma’s uncle has the ability to manipulate memories, hence the “rember” part of this name. When I was writing, I thought about how the word “remember” would combine nicely with Rembrandt, the artist. Thus, Remberandt was born—the memory manipulating crime fighter who likes to spew random art facts at people.

A.E. Hayes, “Her First Fever”
I love Madeline – she is strong and independent, and she doesn’t rely on a boy to help her fulfill her dreams. She can be her own person without needing to date, but she can still open up to love. However, I identify with Johnny’s rough exterior and smart-ass banter, even if he is not always likeable. But “not always likeable” doesn’t equal “least favorite” to me. I don’t think I have a least favorite, to be honest: everyone in this story serves a purpose, and no one is specifically awful as a human being.
Since “Her First Fever” is such a personal story for me, I used two names I know very well, as they are… well, the easiest way to explain it is that Madeline and Johnny are friends and protectors for me, and they serve the same purpose for and to one another in the story. My memoir, Shattered: Memoirs of an Amnesiac as well as my follow-up collection of essays, Villain: The Voices of Shattered reveal a bit more about who Madeline and Johnny really are in real life.

Serena Jayne, “Dead Man’s Party”
Xander’s parents are my least favorite characters, because they put their dreams ahead of their son’s. Shay and Xander are my favorites. I love that their relationship evolves from a strong friendship.
Xander’s first name was inspired by the character in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. His last name was chosen to show his Russian roots. Shay’s name fit with her character, especially paired with her last name, Sinclair. Sometimes I change the names of characters during the course of writing, but Xander and Shay’s names stuck.

Cara McKinnon, “Three Jagged Pieces”
I don’t have favorites. All three of my protagonists are special to me in different ways. But least favorite would be Sam’s parents. There’s nothing I hate more in this world than people who use love as a weapon for control, guilt, and shame.
Character names either come to me in a fit of genius or are like pulling teeth. There’s no in-between. Noah and Sam were easy to name. Ava was much harder. I spent probably two or three hours going over popular baby names from 2000 until I settled on Ava.

Mary Rogers, “The Crayon Thief”
My favorite is Randall! By far, Randy. I mean, when you’re writing a romance hero, you want to fall a little in love with him yourself, don’t you? Randy has all the requisite romance hero traits, but he’s also someone who is sensitive, and kind. Not afraid of people who are not like him.
I was on the phone with my friend Susan when I was thinking of a name for my character who became—wait for it—Susan. Yeah, I’m brilliant like that. Randall came from an article I read that morning, and Tessa is just a fun name. Cindy came from another article, and Mueller—well, you may have heard that name recently.

Kylie Weisenborn, “Now I Am”
Well it’s pretty easy since I only have two characters – Annalyn is my favorite. And she was actually much weirder and heavily accented in my first draft, so you’ll see I toned her down a bit.
There’s not too much method to my madness when it comes to naming characters, I pick mostly based on how they sound out loud and how easily readable they are. I changed Carter’s name a bunch of times (he was Gavin for a long time), but Annalyn’s was pretty easy for me to decide on.

It's never easy to go through the fraught transition into adulthood, but the teens in this anthology have more to deal with than most: super powers, magic, illness, and prejudice against sexual orientation and gender identity. Fortunately, they all find love at the edge of seventeen.

M.T. DeSantis – “Be Null, My Heart” Teen love…with superpowers.

A.E. Hayes – “Her First Fever” Can a smart, stubborn girl look past the things she desires the most in life to help out her annoying, enigmatic biology partner – even if helping him comes with an emotional price?

Serena Jayne – “Dead Man’s Party” Despite formidable evidence to the contrary, Xander was magic.

Cara McKinnon – “Three Jagged Pieces” Boy meets girl meets boy.

Mary Rogers – “The Crayon Thief” The last time they talked, he stole her crayon. Now he wants to take her on a date. But why?

Kylie Weisenborn – “Now I Am” Annalyn is dead…so what is she waiting for?

~CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR AUTHORS

~Add LOVE AT THE EDGE OF SEVENTEEN on Goodreads

~Follow Stars and Stone Books on Twitter

~And check out the anthology website

Book Riot Read Harder Challenge: Between Venus and Mars

Title: Between Venus and Mars
Author: S.C. Mitchell

Book Riot Challenge Category: one-sitting book

I signed up to review this book for a virtual tour with Goddess Fish promotions over on my book blog. As it turns out, my boyfriend decided to put modular shelving in our closet the other night, and I had some free time. I figured I’d start this book while he worked and finish later. Either the shelving took him a really long time, or I flew through this. Whatever the case, it was done in one sitting.

I’ve been on a science fiction kick lately. Science fiction romance is probably my favorite romance subgenre, so this was such a treat. Between Venus and Mars didn’t disappoint my scifi addiction. In addition, the romance plot was beautiful, and the humor was hilarious. Zana is the bff I never knew I wanted. She’s smart, quick on her feet, and curses like a sailor. Kyle is hot and protective without being over bearing. He’s also got a superb sense of humor on him. Together, they were an award-winning couple.

The world (or should I say universe) Mitchell built was really interesting. Earth has been abandoned for hundreds of years. It’s only inhabitants now are livestock and sentient kangaroo-type creatures. Zana travels there to bring back animals for her starving people to both eat and care for. Kyle is accidentally summoned, naked, to Earth by Zana touching the Soul Mate Tree, a mystical tree that unites people who are meant to be together. Poor Kyle just happened to be in the shower when love called. From cover to cover, Between Venus and Mars kept me entertained with snappy dialogue, fast-paced action sequences, and sweet-and-spicy romance. It’s really no wonder I finished it in one sitting.

Saturday Seven: Books I Geek Out With

Saturday Seven

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews

Wednesday was Pi Day, a holiday I celebrate without shame. So, here are seven books to get your geek on.

-Geekerella by Ashley Poston

-Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

-The Geek’s Guide to Unrequited Love by Sarvenaz Tash

-Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde

-Dating on the Dork Side by Charity Tahmaseb and Darcy Vance

-I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maureen Goo

-The Boyfriend Thief by Shana Norris

What books do you geek out with?

Come say hi on Twitter

Saturday Seven: Books I Enjoyed as a Kid

Saturday Seven

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews

In honor of the new A Wrinkle in Time movie hitting theatres this weekend, I give you…

Seven books I read as a kid and loved.

-A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle (my all-time favorite book)

-Book of Enchantments by Patricia C. Wrede

-Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit

-The Hermit Thrush Sings by Susan Butler

-The Fifth of March by Ann Rinaldi

-Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White

-Cinderella 2000 by Mavis Jukes

What book did you love as a kid?

Drop me a line on Twitter @desantismt

Read Harder: HEART OF IRON by Ashley Poston

Heart of Iron by Ashley Poston
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Read Harder Challenge: new-to-you ya or mg series

I first heard of Ashley Poston when Geekerella came across my radar. A modern Cinderella retelling about a geek girl and a movie star steeped in fandom? Yes, please. I read Geekerella very soon after discovering it. It wasn’t the geekily ever after/all my dreams came true I hoped it would be, but still, I enjoyed it. Poston went on my watch list.

At the beginning of February, Goodreads sent me the new books from authors you’ve read email for the month. Poston was right at the top with Heart of Iron. The premise looked intriguing, so I decided I’d try it when it came out at the end of the month.

And I’m glad I did. I’ve been on an intensive world-building kick lately, and Heart of Iron delivers in spades. The political setup of the universe, the descriptions of ships and planets, the entire goddess mythology—it was all so well done. Going in, I didn’t realize this was a series. Based on that and from the description, I expected a first-person narration from Ana with many declarations of undying love set against a scifi background. What I got was so much more than the romance I thought. Ana is just one of many points of view in this complex and brilliant tale. Everyone has something to lose, down to the most side minor characters, and the ending left me startled breathless at how this could even happen.

The characters in Heart of Iron are so real. Even D09, the Metal who supposedly cannot feel emotions (who can obviously feel emotions), is exquisitely three-dimensional. Ana’s crew is family, if not by blood, and their bonds are felt so strongly. Side note: I really want the captain’s hair.

Rob goes through such a transformation in this story, dealing with hard truths and really finding his own. I wanted to kill his mother and, for that matter, all the villains. They were terrible, horrible people I got behind hating easily. The lengths some of them went to…I won’t spoil. Just be prepared to glare a lot.

So, now that I know this is a series, I’m eagerly anticipating the next one.

And for my dopy moment of the month, I totally did not realize this was an Anastasia retelling until I saw something on Twitter. So, if you enjoy this, also read the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, which I realized were retellings before reading them. Carry on.




View all my reviews

Cover Reveal for LOVE AT THE EDGE OF SEVENTEEN!

It’s cover reveal day! (squeals like Anna from Frozen)

LOVE AT THE EDGE OF SEVENTEEN
A YA ROMANCE ANTHOLOGY
Stars and Stone Books
Featuring: M.T. DeSantis, A.E. Hayes, Serena Jayne, Cara McKinnon, Mary Rogers, and Kylie Weisenborn.

It's never easy to go through the fraught transition into adulthood, but the teens in this anthology have more to deal with than most: super powers, magic, illness, and prejudice against sexual orientation and gender identity. Fortunately, they all find love at the edge of seventeen.

M.T. DeSantis – “Be Null, My Heart” Teen love…with superpowers.

A.E. Hayes – “Her First Fever” Can a smart, stubborn girl look past the things she desires the most in life to help out her annoying, enigmatic biology partner – even if helping him comes with an emotional price?

Serena Jayne – “Dead Man’s Party” Despite formidable evidence to the contrary, Xander was magic.

Cara McKinnon – “Three Jagged Pieces” Boy meets girl meets boy.

Mary Rogers – “The Crayon Thief” The last time they talked, he stole her crayon. Now he wants to take her on a date. But why?

Kylie Weisenborn – “Now I Am” Annalyn is dead…so what is she waiting for?

~CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR AUTHORS

~Add LOVE AT THE EDGE OF SEVENTEEN on Goodreads

~Attend the Facebook release party

~And check out the anthology website

Find Stars and Stone Books online:

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