Showing posts with label Unbound Book Tours. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Unbound Book Tours. Show all posts

Thursday, October 25, 2018

Lake Effect ~ Book Blog Tour, Author Interview, & Giveaway!


Lake Effect
By Nicole Tone


Publisher Pen Name Publishing
Published September 25, 2018
Pages 308





After the death of her fiance, Sophie Daniels is struggling to keep herself together. Painting is the only way she’s able to clear her head and stay grounded. For her art isn’t a hobby — it’s her religion. With a semester away from finishing graduate school, she knows that, despite her loss, things are going to get better. In fact, her thesis adviser has even taken a special interest in her. Sophie’s convinced that she’s found the mentor that she’s been looking for. When he shows he’s interested in her in more than just a student/teacher way, she obliges him. Until his wife leaves him.

Sophie learns the hard way what happens when a man cannot take responsibility for his own actions.

Now she’s back to square one in pulling herself back together. She hasn’t just lost her fiancĂ© anymore: she’s lost parts of herself she’s not sure she’ll ever get back.

Like her ability to create.

Lake Effect is a raw exploration of human emotion and what it takes to save your own life.

ADD TO GOODREADS

Purchase through Amazon



What literary world would you love to visit for a day?
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I’m a die-hard Potter fan (Deathly Hallows tattoo and all) and even though I don’t think a day is enough to get enough magic, I’d still take it.

What book have you read that has most influenced your life and writing?
That’s a tie between The Bell Jar and White Oleander. Both books don’t shy away from difficult topics. Their main characters own their voice, their trauma, their need to survive. Both Janet Fitch and Sylvia Plath have very distinct ways of writing, too, that incorporate poetry into prose. The results are beautiful, raw, real stories about strong women who you root for even in their moments of weakness.

When you write, do you listen to music or do you prefer silence?
I make playlists for every project I work on! Music helps me keep a scene’s mood and tone even. There are many songs I’ve put on repeat for hours just to get a scene or chapter right.

Are you a morning writer, afternoon writer, or an evening writer? Does the time of day you write impact your writing?
Evening for sure. I like writing under the cover of darkness. Everything is quiet: the world, social media. There are less distractions and it’s way easier for me to focus on my personal projects once I’m done with my other work.

Tell us a little about your plans for the future.
More poetry and more novels! It’s just a matter of when I can actually get around to finishing up projects. I have a few ideas kicking around, in genres I haven’t written in before, but I’ve been working on Lake Effect for almost a decade so right now I’m enjoying this book finally being out in the world.

What steps do you take in drafting an outline?
I don’t write up an outline until I have the first draft done. I want to make sure my projects are character-driven, not plot-driven, because I find it’s easier for me to stay true to characters this way. Once I have that first draft written, I plot out everything to make sure timelines make sense and there’s consistency. This also shows me where I need to add to the book and how sub-plots would affect the book.

Is there another genre you are interested in trying out?
I’ve been reading a TON of domestic and psychological thrillers lately and I’d love to try my hand at something with a good mystery, and big twists, at the heart of the story.

Nicole Tone has always had a passion for writing. She has her BA in Creative Writing and Literature and an MFA in Writing. Nicole is a freelance writer and editor with pieces in Heels Down Magazine, Hello Giggles, Femsplain, and more. She is also the editor-in-chief of Pen Name Publishing.

When she isn't writing, she likes to dabble in photography, horseback riding, and traveling. She has a deep love for herbal tea, craft beer, and good coffee.
Nicole lives in Buffalo, NY, with her husband, three cats, and two very large dogs.



One Signed Copy of Lake Effect +
A specialty Lake Effect candle made by Novelly Yours!



Blog Tour Schedule:
10/22 A Striking Viper Author Interview
10/23 Where Genres Collide Excerpt
10/23 Rebecca Cahill Promo
10/24 The Faerie Review        Review
10/24 The Page Unbound        Review
10/25 Hall Ways Blog Author Interview
10/26 Rebecca Cahill Review
10/26 Books4Jessica       Excerpt

Book Tour Organized By:



Monday, July 23, 2018

Alice: The Wanderland Chronicles ~ Blog Tour Audio Excerpt & Review!

Alice: The Wanderland Chronicles (BK 1)

By J.M. Sullivan

Publication Date: August 2018
Publisher: Bleeding Ink Publishing
Genre: Fantasy, Fairy Tale Adaptations
Pages: 360



ALWAYS PROTECT YOUR QUEEN

Ever since the outbreak of the Plague, life hasn’t been easy, and for seventeen-year-old Alice Carroll, it just got worse. Her sister, Dinah, has contracted the ‘un-deadly’ Momerath Virus and without a cure, will soon be worse than dead. She’ll be momerath.

Alice must leave the safety of the Sector and venture into Momerath Territory to find the antidote - if it exists. Chasing a rumor about a mysterious doctor with the cure, Alice falls down the rabbit hole into Wanderland, where ravenous momerath aren’t the only danger lurking.
COMING AUGUST 2018!


LISTEN TO AN AUDIO EXCERPT FROM CHAPTER ONE!


HALL WAYS REVIEW: When I saw the fabulous cover of Alice: The Wanderland Chronicles, I was immediately drawn-in for the read. Finding out it was a reimagining of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland (but with zombie-like creatures), the deal was sealed.  In this could-be-now world where a plague has horribly altered or wiped-out many humans, readers are in for a wild ride as main character Alice races the clock – and a white-haired doctor – as she navigates a ravaged Phoenix in search of an antidote. 

Author J.M. Sullivan does a great job describing both Alice’s feelings as well as the setting, both which put readers right into the midst of the scenes as they unfold. With the vivid and detailed descriptions, it is easy to feel immersed in this dangerous, desperate world and to feel Alice’s fierce determination to overcome adversity from both man, woman, and monerath.  I am proud of my active imagination and appreciate that Sullivan respects her readers and doesn’t get overly graphic with her descriptions of the battles or carnage.  It is sufficiently gross, but not over-the-top, and never sugar-coated. 

Another aspect I appreciate is that there isn’t any insta-love or love triangles or even much of a romance element. HOORAY! Alice is clearly interested and intrigued by two characters, as are they with her, but it's natural instead of rushed. If there's a sequel (and there should be since this one is called “Book One,”), I imagine readers will see these relationships continue to progress as they have so far -- where characters’ emotions evolve as they discover more about each other. Fingers crossed!  

I like the science behind the origins of the monerath virus and how people and corporations often get so blinded they forget about humanity and the bigger picture.  I could see how there could be a very interesting prequel or companion book, which would be a great way to fill in the significant plot holes and a way to explain some of the characters’ connections, gifts, and limitations.

Despite the book being categorized as a fairy tale retelling, I don't really see many parallels between Sullivan’s Wanderland Chronicles and Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, and it's really not a re-imagining of that story. I enjoyed the references, quotations, and some of the clever names and personality traits that were inspired by Carroll’s AIW, though. Rather than a re-telling, readers familiar with Carroll’s AIW will smile and think of Sullivan’s Wanderland more in an "Oh, I see what you did there" kind of thing. It mostly works as a fun element though at times, it’s a little cheesy or clichĂ© in an otherwise unique story. Happily, the book is very cleanly edited with just a few errors that caught my eye. This was almost as refreshing as the unique premise and plot.

“Returning library books might have been completely irrelevant,
but it gave her guilty conscience a reprieve.

Library Bonus Points Awarded for the main character’s bookish tendencies, use of the library, and a most excellent library scene. (Yeah, readers know it’s coming but it’s still pretty awesome.) I love that despite their being in the midst of a zombie apocalypse, and that the library hasn't been functional in ages, Alice not only keeps reading, but she still returns the books she "borrows." Thank you to Unbound Book Tours for providing me an eBook copy in exchange for my honest opinion – the only kind I give. 


J.M. Sullivan is a science teacher by day and an author by night. Although known to dabble in adulting, J.M. is a big kid at heart who still believes in true love, magic, and most of all, the power of coffee.  If you would like to connect with her for a healthy dose of sparkle, positivity, and a touch of crazy, you can find her on online!






July 23rd
Hall Ways Blog | Review w/ Audio Excerpt 1
A New Look On Books | Guest Post 1

July 24th
Just Books | Audio Excerpt 2
The Page Unbound | Comparison Review
Ishiee's Book Blog | Author Interview

July 25th
Books and Ravens | Guest Post 2
Everywhere and Nowhere | Author Interview 2
Rebecca R. Cahill | Audio Excerpt 3

July 26th
A Million And One Magazine | Author Interview 3

July 27th
Turn The Page | Review



Book Tour Organized By