Guest Post: Only Scandal Will Do by Jenna Jaxon

Today's guest is Jenna Jaxon, author of Only Scandal Will Do. Jenna Jaxon is a multi-published author of historical and contemporary romance who has been reading and writing historical romance since she was a teenager. A romantic herself, Jenna has always loved a dark side to the genre, a twist, suspense, a surprise. She tries to incorporate all of these elements into her own writing.
Jenna lives in Virginia with her family and a small menagerie of pets. When not reading or writing, she indulges her passion for the theatre, working with local theatres as a director. She often feels she is directing her characters on their own private stage.
She has equated her writing to an addiction to chocolate, because once she starts she just can’t stop.

                                                    Website / Facebook

Take it away, Jenna!

                                               Do You Believe In Magic?
There is magic in the book world. At least, I consider it magic.
My recently released romance novel, Only Scandal Will Do, has gone through the extremely tough process of writing, editing, cover designing, publishing and promoting - necessary steps to a fantastic product that will reach the targeted audience. Hard work? Extremely. Fun? Not always, though very rewarding. And as part of that reward, I’ve been blessed with a bit of the magic that I’ve dreamed about since I began seeking publication.
Only Scandal Will Do has its own book trailer.
Some people may not think that’s a big deal, but being in theatre as well as a romance writer, I understand how valuable it is for audiences to be able to see the vision you have of your book. The book trailer is that very opportunity. Yes, in our writing we are admonished to “show, not tell,” which we do with varying levels of success. But nothing can take the place of the visual experience of a story unfolding before you with colorful images and stirring musical accompaniment. We live in a world that bombards us with television, movies, video games, and music videos. And while the written word is still one of our favorite forms of entertainment, we still thrill to see books we love come to life on the big screen.
And while that is not going to happen on a big scale for most of us authors, we can experience that magic on a small scale--with a book trailer.
I had the great good fortune to win the lottery--not for mega millions, but for a book trailer. The fantastically talented Danielle Fine Tweeted one day that the next two people to Tweet her back would receive a free book trailer. Guess who was one of those lucky people?
Thus began an arduous, but so wonderfully rewarding, experience of creating a bit of movie magic--starring my very own hero and heroine from Only Scandal Will Do. I’d seen some of Danielle’s previous trailers and so I knew mine would be something truly special and magical. We talked, via email, and I gave her some ideas about what I was looking for, filled out her questionnaire, and got to work squeezing my 93K novel down into 56 words and 13 images—one was repeated as a theme several times and one (the final image) was the novel’s cover.
The magic is that those few words and images captured the novel’s plot, mood, and intensity perfectly. The soundtrack, music by Kevin McLeod titled “Five Armies” is also absolutely ideal for the trailer. To sing Danielle’s praises once more, the only suggestion I had for her was that the music should have the same sound as the soundtrack to Pirates of the Caribbean. That was apparently enough feedback for her to find the perfect score. And her timing of images to music is flawless. I may be biased, but to me it’s mesmerizing.
As a promotional tool (which is its ultimate purpose), the trailer has been effective. It hasn’t had as many views on YouTube as I’d like (I think a million views would be nice LOL), but I’ve heard from people who have watched the trailer and said, “That made me want to buy the book.”
And that is probably the best magic of all.
Here’s the link to my trailer for Only Scandal Will Do. Take a look and experience the magic!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdak1uQCpcA

Thank you so much for coming, Jenna! The trailer is great!

Guest Post and Giveaway: The Dream-Walker War by Tory Michaels

Today's guest is Tory Michaels, author of two books in the Dream-Walker War series, Blood Rage and Blood Mage Rising. Originally from the Sacramento Valley, Tory packed up and moved all the way to Southwest Florida in 2004 with her husband (a Florida native) under the premise that ‘hurricanes almost never hit that part of the state.’ That year, 4 blasted the area. 4 more came the following year, and her husband blames her for bringing the hurricanes. She now resides in Jacksonville and is relieved that, thus far, no more hurricanes have followed her around.
She began writing in kindergarten when a turnip wished to be human and, other than a hiatus shortly after getting married, has never stopped. Her love of vampires began somewhere in junior high, and combining the two loves didn’t take long. She loves music, considers herself a ‘book slut’ whose reading habits would break her family financially if given free reign, and is (usually) delighted to be a mommy of twin Shrimpettes and a Shrimp.

Tory Michaels Website / Facebook/ The Dream-Walker War Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

Take it away, Tory!

                                                        Unreality in the Real World
First, let me say thank you for having me on your blog today. I liked your topic suggestions so much (why vampires or how did I pick my setting), that I’m going to combine them!
My Dream-Walker War (two books out with one almost done and the fourth/final one in the planning stages) takes place primarily in South/Southwest Florida (Tampa and Fort Myers). You might think that’s an odd place to put a bunch of vampires, but…not really, if you think about it. If you put them in somewhere like Washington State, you’ve got those super long days during the summer. Sure, you get nice long nights in the winter, but it’s still a pain. In Florida, and other more globally central locations, there’s far less of a seasonal shift as to length of day. So, to my mind, it’s logical that they’d cluster in Florida despite the frequency of rainy days.
Now, as to why I write about vampires. I’ve been fascinated by the supernatural my entire life. I remember loving the show Dracula: the Series when I was 16 (short-lived sit-com, believe it or not), and the Ben Cross incarnation of Dark Shadows (cut after a single season, which cutting I firmly blame on the first invasion of Iraq). But I look at the undead and see more than the broody/sulky vamps (a la the Angels and Edwards of the world) or evil, soul-less creatures (Angelus and innumerable other purely evil critters). I don’t get why they must lose their souls upon conversion to vampirism (yes, I know the mythology behind vampires). So, I decided to write about vampires who really aren’t that much different than humans. They’re who they were in life, just with really long life-spans and a liquid diet.
My fascination with vampires comes from the ageless/immortal factor. Being immortal seems like a pretty good deal, doesn’t it? Can you imagine the things people would see if they could live longer than our puny 60-100 years? Heck, just a century ago, we were toddling along in the first cars, no internet and movies weren’t even that huge yet. And now, here we are with instantaneous access to movies at home, easy communication from almost anywhere in the world, and we can go from New York to Japan in under a day (assuming you get the good connecting flights). What new and wonderful things are going to change in the next hundred years? Or how about a thousand?
The main male characters (I hesitate to call both of them “heroes” given one is a sociopath) of my books are 1200 and 1000 years old, respectively. One came from Viking society, the other from Celtic. Imagine the changes they’ve seen? Heck, even my heroines aren’t that young (one’s 200, the other 250). I don’t see why a 1000+ y/o vampire would prefer a fresh, young human over a woman who’s been around for a couple hundred years. Granted, Anthony and Dara (Blood Rage) met while Dara was still human, but they didn’t make a real go of things until she was close to her two-century mark. I just like the freedom you’d get after seeing and doing so much. So that’s why vampires.
Thanks for having me here and hope I haven’t bored you. Have a great week!

That is an interesting twist on the classic vampire tales, and thank you for coming, Tory! Now for the giveaway! To enter, just use the Rafflecopter form below!

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Review: Enclave by Ann Aguirre

Book Details:
Enclave
By Ann Aguirre
Genre: Young Adult
Published April 2011, Feiwel & Friends
Hardback, 259 pages
ISBN: 9780312650087

Synopsis:

          In Deuce’s world, people earn the right to a name only if they survive their first fifteen years. By that point, each unnamed ‘brat’ has trained into one of three groups–Breeders, Builders, or Hunters, identifiable by the number of scars they bear on their arms. Deuce has wanted to be a Huntress for as long as she can remember.
As a Huntress, her purpose is clear—to brave the dangerous tunnels outside the enclave and bring back meat to feed the group while evading ferocious monsters known as Freaks. She’s worked toward this goal her whole life, and nothing’s going to stop her, not even a beautiful, brooding Hunter named Fade. When the mysterious boy becomes her partner, Deuce’s troubles are just beginning.
Down below, deviation from the rules is punished swiftly and harshly, and Fade doesn’t like following orders. At first Deuce thinks he’s crazy, but as death stalks their sanctuary, and it becomes clear the elders don’t always know best, Deuce wonders if Fade might be telling the truth. Her partner confuses her; she’s never known a boy like him before, as prone to touching her gently as using his knives with feral grace.
As Deuce’s perception shifts, so does the balance in the constant battle for survival. The mindless Freaks, once considered a threat only due to their sheer numbers, show signs of cunning and strategy… but the elders refuse to heed any warnings. Despite imminent disaster, the enclave puts their faith in strictures and sacrifice instead. No matter how she tries, Deuce cannot stem the dark tide that carries her far from the only world she’s ever known.

This book is less dystopia and more post-apocalypse, with zombies thrown in - though they are never given that name. Though the plot focused solely on Deuce's life inside and outside the enclave, I was much more curious about the details of the world that Deuce lived in. The answers to these questions were sadly few and far between. It quickly became apparent that it was not in Deuce's nature to be inquisitive, and I was often distracted from Deuce's single-mindedness to be a Huntress. Deuce's two closest friends come from the other two groups, but little is told about these groups or the members that populated them. I was especially curious about Deuce's Breeder friend, who fathered a baby boy, but he is unfortunately removed from the plot before much development could occur.
Many loose threads are pushed aside to make way for the character of Fade, and Deuce's relationship with him. I saw much potential in Fade's character because of the potential of his backstory, but the possibilities of what he could accomplish in the enclave are wasted. In the end, despite the title of the book, the plot seems to be more about what happens Topside than saving or reforming the enclave. Plus, I know little more about the Freaks (zombies) than I did when I started the book. While the book brimmed with potential, much of the characters' potential was unrealized, and the book ended with too many loose ends and unanswered questions. While I typically love YA literature, I think this book was too juvenile for me.

The Cover: The cover is both mysterious and creepy, especially with that hand coming out of the corner, which hints at the rabid creatures hidden within the pages of the book. While creepy is not always my thing, this works.

First Line: "I was born during the second holocaust."
What a shocking way to open a book - and immediately I have all kinds of questions regarding this second holocaust.

Favorite Quote: "Instead I'm here, where day by day, I don't know if I'll have food to eat or a place to sleep, if I'll wake up with something trying to kill me. It's hard. And it will get harder, the farther we get from known territory. We have no idea what's out there. None. And either you're ready to start over... or you're not. No more of this. If I didn't let go of what I've lost, I'd go crazy. I suggest you do the same."

Read For: Young Adult Reading Challenge, Read Your Own Name Reading Challenge, Dystopia Reading Challenge