Jess was my guest a while ago and shared some interesting facts about her H&W Investigations series and her latest release 'Forsaken by the Others'.
Did you read the interview and enter the contest? Jess is giving away lots of signed books and even thought there is still some time left to enter! It won't hurt! It doesn't cost anything! And you might win!
Use the Rafflecopter widgets below to enter the contests! Make sure you enter the correct giveaway! One is International and the other is US/CAN.
Jess was my guest a few weeks ago and shared some interesting facts about her H&W Investigations series and her latest release 'Forsaken by the Others'.
Did you read the interview and enter the contest? Jess is giving away lots of signed books and even thought there is still time left to enter! It won't hurt! It doesn't cost anything! And you might win!
Use the Rafflecopter widgets below to enter the contests! Make sure you enter the correct giveaway! One is International and the other is US/CAN.
I love having guests on the blog and I am extremely happy when those authors come back time and time again! So I am very happy today to have author Jess Haines back on the blog. Find out more about her new release, her books and enter the contest! Enjoy!
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Amber : Welcome back to Amberkatze's Book Blog! You have a new H&W Investigations book out! How does it feel to have the series doing so well? Jess : Thanks so much for having me back! I’m delighted how well the series is doing. When I first started out, I had no idea so many people would enjoy my work, and I still get a thrill every time a new fan tells me they just discovered my books.
Amber : What can your loyal readers expect from this new installment, Forsaken by the Others? Jess : Shiarra has gotten herself into hot water this time. For her own safety, the vampire Royce sends her to stay with one of his allies in Los Angeles. While she’s gone, she has to deal with angry werewolves, back-stabbing vampires, and zombies that just don’t know when to quit. Oh, and fringe-hobo vampires with a minor obsession with karaoke. Amber : How about the people who haven't yet tried the H&W Investigation books? Should they start from the beginning? Why? Jess : While I like to hope that you can pick up what’s happening in each book without having to pick up the earlier ones, you’ll get the most bang for your buck if you know the history behind how she ended up in the mess she deals with in Forsaken by the Others. Here is the read order: Book 1: Hunted by the Others 1.5: Spark of Temptation (short story in the Nocturnal anthology) Book 2: Taken by the Others Book 3: Deceived by the Others Book 4: Stalking the Others Book 5: Forsaken by the Others Amber : How is the series doing in regards to your ideas and plans? Is everything on track? Jess : So far, everything is going according to plan. I’ve done some refining over time and added some unexpected flourishes along the way, but the overarching plot has stayed on track. Amber : So how long do you want to keep the H&W Investigations open? Do you have an end in sight? Jess : I do have an end. In a perfect world, it will end in nine books (assuming I get another contract to continue the series with Kensington after I turn in the 6th book). Amber : How much say do you get in the publishing process once you hand in the book? Jess : Let me see if I can demystify the process a bit. Note that not all publishers necessarily do it the same way—this is just my experience. With Kensington, first I write outlines which go over the major plot points of the novel, long before I write it, and send those to my editor. So far, he hasn’t mentioned anything needing changes at that stage. After I write the book, I give it to my editor. He reads it and lets me know if it is accepted as it is or if it needs some changes. I’ve never had to change anything major. Mostly just adding small touches to clarify points or scenes that need it. I can always veto those changes. After that, the book goes on to copy edits. That’s where a copy editor reviews every page, checking for spelling, grammar, and similar content-related errors. I get to review and, if I like, veto those changes, too. Lastly, the book goes to the page proof stage—a printout of what it will look like when it’s bound up in book form—and I have one last opportunity to make corrections before it goes to print. In a nutshell, that’s how the editing process works. Amber : How long does it take from finishing all edits for ARC's arrive on your doorstep? Do you see any versions before this? Jess : I think the above might answer the second part of your question. As for when the advance reader copies arrive, I usually get them about 3 months in advance of the release date. Amber : Are you working on any other projects that you can tell us about? Jess : At the moment, aside from the blog tour, I’m working on the 6th book in the H&W Investigations series, which is as yet untitled and guaranteed to be full of drama, zombies, and inappropriate pants feelings. Amber : Are there any projects you aren't working on but want to start up if and when you have the time? Jess : I’ve got quite a few, actually. I don’t want to give any details because I don’t have anything else (aside from book 6) contracted and I don’t want to get anybody’s hopes up about particular stories that haven’t been written/sold yet. Amber : What have you been reading lately? Do you have any recommendations for us? Jess : I’ve been doing a ton of reading, catching up on my mountainous TBR pile! If you like urban fantasy, give Yasmine Galenorn’s Otherworld series a shot. If you like gritty, dark urban fantasy, Chuck Wendig’s BLACKBIRDS was excellent. If you like paranormal romance with a steampunk flavor, I strongly recommend Delilah Dawson’s WICKED AS THEY COME. Amber : And what about TV and Films? What has been keeping you entertained lately? Jess : I’ve recently discovered and fallen in love with Dexter! I know it has been on the air for quite a while, but I hadn’t seen it until it recently came up on my (also mountainous) Netflix queue. In the last month or so I’ve devoured the first six seasons. I was also behind the times on the Harry Potter movies, and only recently got to watch the last 3 movies. That was a great series that only got better with each successive film. Amber : Do you ever listen to music when you are writing? Have soundtracks for your books? Jess : I try not to. It tends to distract me more than anything. Though I did find one particular song apropos to a scene in Taken by the Others… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giaZnIr-faM Amber : If you could choose any location to spend a couple of months writing, where would you like to write? Jess : I think somewhere with very few distractions. A cabin in the woods, probably. As much as I enjoy traveling, when I go somewhere new, I have a tendency to spend a lot of time being a tourist. If I was going to get any work done, I would need to be somewhere familiar but quiet. I loved the forests of New Hampshire and the Catskill Mountains in upstate New York as a kid. If I just wanted to get away from it all to focus on writing I think those would be great places for that purpose. Amber : Thank you for being a guest on the blog again! I hope you will be back again soon! Jess : Thanks again so much for having me back, Amber! I hope everyone enjoys Forsaken by the Others!
Forsaken by the Others Book Description: The Others–vampires, werewolves, things that go chomp in the night–don’t just live in nightmares anymore. They’ve joined with the mortal world. And for private investigator Shiarra Waynest, that means mayhem… Have a one night stand with a vampire, and you can end up paying for it for eternity. P.I. Shiarra Waynest, an expert on the Others, knows that better than most. Yet here she is, waking up beside charismatic vamp Alec Royce with an aching head…and neck. Luckily, Shia has the perfect excuse for getting out of town–namely, a couple of irate East Coast werewolf packs who’d like to turn her into a chew toy. On Royce’s suggestion, Shia temporarily relocates to Los Angeles. But something is rotten–literally–in the state of California, where local vampires are being attacked by zombies. Who could be powerful enough to control them–and reckless enough to target the immortal? Following the trail will lead Shia to a terrifying truth, and to an ancient enemy with a personal grudge…
Also Jess was giving away a signed copy of her H&W Investigations book, Stalking the Others!
Now the contest is over and it is time to see who is the lucky winner! So keep reading and look in the Rafflecopter Widget to see if it is your name showing!
Keep the contests going by using the Bookdepository.com and Amazon.com links/Banners below and around the site.
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How to claim your prize!
Please contact me via email - Amberkatzes_book_blog at gmx dot eu within the next 7 days to claim your prize. Your claim will go quicker if you send me your address. If you won a contest where you can choose your prize, then please make sure you state in your email which book you would like. This will help things go alot quicker! If you won an e-book please make sure you send me the email address you would like the book sent to!
If you email me and don't get a reply within 48 hours please post on the blog letting me know. Some email gets eaten by my spam filter. However please don't send me more than one email unless you really don't get an answer within 3 days. I am not online 24/7 ;) Sometimes it takes a little longer to reply.
If a prize isn't claimed after 7 days I will usually pick another winner!
Please also note that I can not be held responsible for prizes that come direct from authors. I will check with them for you if you haven't received your prize but I can not hunt down your mail! Any prizes that come from myself could come from a 3rd party eg. Amazon or Bookdepository. If I am sending a prize myself please be aware that it could take a few weeks to reach you as it is coming from Europe.
Keep the contests going by using the Bookdepository.com and Amazon.com links/Banners below and around the site.
I am very honoured to be one of the sites revealing the next cover in the H & W Investigations series by Jess Haines!
Check out the amazing cover and the back cover blurb! Then make sure you head over to the Rafflecopter contest! You could win a copy of Forsaken by the others! The fifth book in the H & W Investigations series!!
BACK COVER COPY:
The Others--vampires, werewolves, things that go chomp in the night--don't just live in nightmares anymore. They've joined with he mortal world. And for private investigator Shiarra Waynest, that means mayhem...
Have a one night stand with a vampire, and you can end up paying for it for eternity. P.I. Shiarra Waynest, an expert on the Others, knows that better than most. Yet here she is, waking up beside charismatic vamp Alec Royce with an aching head...and neck. Luckily, Shia has the perfect excuse for getting out of town--namely, a couple of irate East Coast werewolf packs who'd like to turn her into a chew toy.
On Royce's suggestion, Shia temporarily relocates to Los Angeles. But something is rotten--literally--in the state of California, where local vampires are being attacked by zombies. Who could be powerful enough to control them--and reckless enough to target the immortal? Following the trail will lead Shia to a terrifying truth, and to an ancient enemy with a personal grudge...
Contest :
Want to win a copy of Forsaken by the others? Follow the link below and use the widget to enter the contest run by Jess Haines. The contest is open till Feb 22nd!
Author Jess Haines is helping underprivileged kids this Christmas and needs your help!
If you think you can help then all you have to do is send Jess donations of NEW:
* Clothing
* Books (preferrably middle grade / young adult – any books donated should be appropriate for children and teens)
* Toiletries
* Make-up
* Gift cards (preferably to Target and Walmart)
Think you can help Jess out? You can read her blog post here for more information on how to send the items to her and the details regarding packaging and the age range for the gifts.
Also feel free to help spread the word by forwarding or re-posting this information on your own blogs, Twitter, Facebook, etc.
I will admit to being a little behind with the H&W Investigations series but what I have read I really enjoyed. So when Jess Haines asked if I wanted to be a part of her Blog Tour to promote the latest release in the series, well I couldn't say no!
STALKING THE OTHERS is due out on July 3rd and if you haven't already tried the series yet then make sure you do! Until then enjoy the guest blog and make sure you check out the other stops in the tour and enter the contest!
Shiarra has been having a pretty bad time of things lately. She’s here with some of her friends (and otherwise) to tell you about it. This time, the H&W gang are going to discuss how their actions sometimes resulted in consequences they weren’t expecting. Over to you, Shia!
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Shiarra: Is this some kind of dig against my decisions of late? ‘Cause if it is, it isn’t appreciated.
Royce: I wouldn’t take it so personally, Ms. Waynest. As far as I can tell, this is just more of the same passive-aggressive attempts to rile us as the rest of these ridiculous interviews.
Chaz: I guess it’s true. I wasn’t expecting Shia to fly off the handle when she found out—
Shiarra: If you finish that sentence, I am not going to be responsible for my actions.
Sara: Calm down. Let’s not start any fights while we’re in front of an audience, huh?
Arnold: She’s already in plenty of trouble. I doubt she can make her situation much worse than it already is.
Royce: Perhaps. I wouldn’t underestimate her ability to take a bad situation and make it worse.
Shiarra: Hey!
Sara: The vampire’s got a point. You’ve got a history of getting yourself involved in some pretty awful messes.
Shiarra: Okay, look, I know my judgment isn’t always great, but it’s not that awful, either.
Arnold: You dated him for how long before you realized he was a werewolf?
Chaz: Five months. And she only found out because I decided it was time to show her.
Shiarra: Anybody tell you lately that you’re an as—
Sara: Language.
Royce: Most Others aren’t comfortable revealing what they are. As the subject matter of this interview implies, there are far-reaching consequences to such an action. Contrary to what the movies would have you think, prior to the fall of the Twin Towers, most of us went to extremes to hide our nature from humanity. Even those we trust.
Shiarra: Gee. I can’t imagine why. “Hey, guess what! I turn furry at the full moon! Neat, huh?”
Chaz: That’s not very funny.
Arnold: It’s worse when you’re a mage and you can’t show off to your gaming buddies. Man, when I was in high school, you have no idea how tempting it was to mess with the dice or call up an illusion or two during our D&D campaigns.
Sara: Only you would regret that, dear. That’s why I love you.
Arnold: Hey, what can I say? I am what I am.
Royce: I’m baffled what one has to do with the other.
Chaz: I don’t get it either.
Shiarra: I guess nerds like that magic stuff. They’re playing characters that use magic and swords, so if they saw it in real life, well…
Arnold: We prefer to be called geeks, but yes, that’s about right.
Sara: I’m still surprised you like to play those games. You can cast spells. Why do you need to play a game where a fake character casts fake spells?
Arnold: In real life, I can’t abuse my power.
Royce: Rather, we choose not to do so.
Chaz: For the most part, I guess.
Shiarra: Yeah, you’re just Mr. Exception to The Rules, aren’t you?
Chaz: What’s that supposed to mean?
Sara: Guys. Enough. Public forum, remember?
Shiarra: He still has to answer for what he did.
Royce: That he does. I don’t think you two realize just how far-reaching your actions have been. It’s been a public relations nightmare to keep the press from jumping on the reports of Others hurting people, questioning the validity of contracts, digging into our connections…
Arnold: I’m glad I don’t have to deal with contracts.
Sara: Why is that, anyway?
Arnold: Magi aren’t considered as “dangerous” as vampires or werewolves since we don’t feed on people.
Royce: Yes. It’s unfortunate the general public has not realized just how dangerous you really are.
Shiarra: What? What are you talking about?
Chaz: Most magi can perform illegal black enchants—stuff that messes with your mind—without a trace. You’d never even know they were messing with you if they put enough effort into it. That’s why Weres avoid them most of the time.
Sara: I always wondered why you guys never got along very well.
Royce: Many Others do not get along with those not like themselves.
Arnold: Yeah, and some of us don’t get along with our own kind, either.
Chaz: I heard a mage fight is like the ultimate laser light show.
