Sunday, July 22, 2012

Marissa Carmel Guest Post and Giveaway


Hello everyone, I would like to welcome Marissa Carmel, author of iFeel and fellow Great Minds Think Aloud author to my blog. 


You plan, God laughs.  This is the story of my life.

Marissa Carmel


There are ideals and expectations I assume everyone has; whom you will marry, what your career will be like, where you will raise your kids. And yes, I had all those ideologies in my head, except mine were more like, have a career, don't get married and absolutely no kids.  Boy was I wrong. Today I am married with two kids, and living in a state I only passed through on occasion. And my career? Well let’s just say, I have more than one, and I never saw that coming.  Who needs more than one career? Apparently me. To make a long story short, I started my first career as a logistician, yawn, I won’t bore you with the details. The second career came shortly after.

I've always loved to write. Always. My imagination constantly runs away with itself, and I am without doubt following it. My best subject was creative writing. So when I would write, it was primarily for me (or a good grade). As time went on though, I found myself imagining more and more and wanting to create, but my life was so busy, and what would it get me anyway? Until one day my mother- in- law dropped a bomb that would change my life. She was talking to one of my husband’s cousins who was complaining about getting her college degree (she was already married with 4 kids. Yikes. I’d be complaining too.) And my MIL, the wise woman that she is simply said, honey, time is going to go by anyway, so you might as well do it. Well, it felt like the sky fell on me. The advice wasn’t even directed at me, but it resonated. I started writing that night. And never stopped.

My husband once asked where my creativity comes from, and in return I asked him if he ever heard voices in his head.  His reply, I needed to see a shrink. I told him a keyboard and a curser is the best therapy. I have always loved the supernatural, thanks in part to my mom; Charmed was one of our favorite shows to watch together and still is.  So when I started writing, it only felt natural that it took on a paranormal feel. But I didn't want to write about vampires or werewolves or really anything that had been done. I'm like that; I always tend to steer towards the opposite of popular and then proceed to make fun of it. So I started researching, and brainstorming, and concocting my mix of love, humor and emotion. Liv was already an entity in my head, festering. I'd often imagine a dark haired girl with amethyst eyes, suffering and alone. When I finally established who she really was, and what kind of supernatural elements she would possess, (an Empath-someone who can feel the emotions of others- with active abilities) I asked myself, what would it be like for someone like that to carry the world's emotions? Torrential I thought. What would it be like for her to fall in love? Even worse than torrential.  The story evolved rather quickly after that, but I didn't rush it.  It took me a little over a year to write, over two years to edit. I learned a lot about my writing style during that time, developed my voice and really tried to give it a life-like feel.

So here I am almost four years later, a husband, 2 kids, and a home in what feels like a foreign country; a daytime career and a nighttime career, all jumbling together, fighting for a piece of my time. Go hard or go home, my husband and I always joke, if we have a story, it needs a theme and that is it.  I wouldn't change it though, not for anything. Life is nothing, if not a venture - (I have no idea who said that).

Bibliography-
Marissa Carmel has been writing since a young age and although it has always been for personal enjoyment, she finally decided to breakout and share her imagination with the world. She hopes that her universe is as fun and intriguing to her readers as it is to her. Marissa Carmel is originally from NJ but moved to Maryland several years ago, she enjoys reading, writing, and catching up on her DVR library. She is currently working on the sequel to iFeel, Gravitational Pull, which she hopes to release sometime in 2012.



Book Blurb-
Lust. Anger. Hate. Desire. Love. Happiness. Joy. iFeel. 

Liv Christianni is isolated, alone, tortured and withdrawn, saddled with the torrential downpour of the world’s emotions. Accepting of her providence Liv has lost all hope, until one day fate steps in and spins the course of her life like a spiraling top. Hunted by a Spirit Stalker, Liv is forced to gain control of herself and her surroundings, threatened by the touch of her immortal love; she must find a way to survive both physically and emotionally as her reality is shaken up like dice on a Craps table. Can she find the courage to accept her true self? Can she love unconditionally cognizant of the condemning consequences? Can she rise from the ashes to become the person she was always meant to be? 

Funny, witty, real, and poignant, iFeel rips into your soul, and sets your emotions on fire.

If you are a fan of Charmed or Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries or The Secret Circle this series is for you!

Excerpt-
I direct my anger towards the mocking bottles of crazy pills settled in the cabinet. I attack them; clearing all the glass shelves in one angered fit. Tiny orange bottles fly all around my white tiled bathroom, exploding an array of colored pills against the walls and floor. It feels like I am bombing my past; liberating my future and releasing myself from whatever binds me. I want to be free, and if that means destroying my whole apartment in the process to get there, I am willing to do that.
I can feel the rage course through my veins; my head throbs and my throat burns as I thrash at my tiny bathroom. All I can hear are the voices of people who mean the most to me, those who encourage me, those who support me. To my surprise, the loudest voice is the one who is farthest away. Justice’s words echo against the tiled surface, telling me to let go, to accept my fate, to be magical and not mental. It makes me miss him all the more, but what he said finally makes sense.
My breaths pulse quickly in my lungs, as if the air is thinning. I have worked myself up into a crazed frenzy to expel my true self. My enraged fit has resulted in a bathroom bloodbath, me versus myself.
And I won.

Reviews-
I Feel great, on fire, changed, content about this book. This book is indeed a different kind of writing. I enjoyed the story very much. Extreme beings combust with contact. One that hides from all public life simply to keep from feeling every emotion from everyone around her. Destined to spend her life in lock up inside her own apartment. The other one an angel sent to protect all that is good and to keep evil from harming this "feeler". Seraphs and empaths ignite and paint the town in flames in this story. Characters that will open your heart can make you laugh, show anger in large amounts and also open your eyes on things we take for granted. Good read for sure. Loved the flow and design of details.
Great for all YA, Angels & Demons, and Fantasy fans alike. Will recommend to all. KUDOS AUTHOR Marissa Carmel. Happy Reading 
from Tammy @ GREATMINDSTHINKALOUD

This author finds a way to make this story relatable to the reader, suspending your disbelief and extracting your empathy for what the characters endure.
An absolute page turner. The character of Liv has been through so much in her short years. Her friends and family attribute her strange and overtly keen behavior as having a mental imbalance. Depressed and loaded on a colossal cocktail of mood stabilizers, her friends stage an intervention and drag her to one of the many clubs at the shore. Lost in a sea of bodies, music pounding, she dances with fate and comes face to face with her destiny. As if awaking from a hazy dream, Liv finds herself without her rose color classes. Now confronted with a sudden life and death situation, she must find a way to tap into her strength and new found power.

When this book was finished you can't help but to feel enveloped in the tail so much you don't want it to end. I hope this author produces a sequel. This literary journey is just simply too good to be finished! - Amazon.com

This book is available at Createspace and on Amazon.com. As a reviewer I highly recommend it because it is unique and pleasurably entertaining to read. As a reader it tugs at the heart as the author explores the human heart and soul from the highs to the lows of forever love and has charming mysterious Justice protecting her against all evil, it has endearing qualities of bonding and breaking down the barriers of truth and the unknown discovering a powerful bond between a man and a woman that comes once in a lifetime. - Amazon.com
Contact Info-
Twitter- @MarissaCarmel
Facebook- Marissa Carmel
Goodreads.com
Purchase Links-

To enter to win one of two copies of iFeel comment on this post, I will be randomly selecting two winners. 

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Sunny With a Chance of Homicide still FREE

Today is the last day to get Sunny With a Chance of Homicide for FREE.


Do you want to read a book that has been called more graphic than scenes from both Jeff Lindsay and Val McDermid books? Well, for the rest of today you can grab that book for FREE.http://www.amazon.com/Sunny-With-Chance-Homicide-ebook/dp/B0089AB188/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Can you make it past the beginning? 

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Sunny With a Chance of Homicide FREE on Amazon


Truly a page-turning, edge-of-your-seat read. EffinNikktastic  |  1 reviewer made a similar statement
These are just a few excerpts from three of my nine reviews on Amazon. Make sure to grab your free copy today.Randall's crazy world awaits you.


Synopsis:Waking up in solitary confinement is never fun for anyone, and Randall is no exception. He is subjected to relive crucial moments from his past until he finds himself out on his own, free. He finds new love, but as always an old flame complicates things. His reality and fantasy worlds collide putting him in a very compromising position. Can he make it out with his relationships intact?

Fun Fact: Sunny With a Chance of Homicide was nicknamed "torture novel" until I was nearly finished with it. With that in mind there is a lot of torture, violence, and profanity. 


Click HERE to get you copy.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Cover Reveal: Memories (Closure Series Omnibus Edition)- Lissette E. Manning

Hi Everyone.

I just wanted to share with you all the cover reveal for Memories (Closure Series Omnibus Edition)

It's release date is slated for July 25, 2012.

Below you'll find the book blurb and a short excerpt from Closure.

Genre: Drama, Romance, Short Stories


Book Blurb

He wanted to remember. She would rather forget.
Memories is a compilation for the Closure series which includes the first two books, Closure and Broken.

Follow Ben and Ellie Morgan as they recall pieces of their past and deal with the pain and heartache that ensues because of the decisions they've taken, decisions that will change their lives forever. 

A heart-felt and bittersweet journey, it's one anyone can relate to.

Excerpt:

I’m leaving, Ben.
Ellie’s words still rang with crystal clarity within my head. For the life of me, I could not brush them off. The devastation my wife had wrought upon me still resonates with each passing day.
I tried to make sense of what she’d said to me, but my mind refused to acknowledge every word that had spilled from her lips. We’d spent so much time together, building a life that had spoken volumes. Everything had seemed so perfect. And yet it was not. With those three words, she had shattered the very world I’d built around her.
Taking a deep breath, I walked throughout the house she and I had shared. Everywhere I looked, I saw something that reminded me of her. The Prince of Tides, a book she had always meant to read, lay forgotten upon the coffee table. A misplaced pen lay haphazardly on the mantle. A pair of worn slippers were tucked discreetly underneath the edge of her desk. Seeing these things brought forth a wave of heartache so deep that it suffocated me.
Leaning across the doorjamb as I surveyed the contents of my living room, I brought to mind the day she had told me she was leaving. The memory of it was still so vivid it left a sour taste within my mouth.


About the Author:



Lissette E. Manning is an author from Connecticut. She has been writing since she was six-years-old and spends most of her time trying to place her thoughts into order and giving life to the stories that are always brewing inside her head.

She enjoys reading books, listening to music, playing the occasional video game, watching movies, and spending time with friends and family. She's also a bit of a computer geek.

Her writing genres of choice are Science-Fiction/Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal, Short Stories, as well as Poetry. She's currently working on several projects due out sometime this year such as The Secret Keeper, Tales of Velosia: The Prophecy, The Corsicanth Princess, and many more.

Where you can find Lissette E. Manning:










Saturday, July 7, 2012

Thieves Only Gain Momentary Success




If someone builds a sandcastle and asks you to watch it, and walks off for a second it isn't your sandcastle. It is theirs. They took the time, care, and effort to build it. You are just someone they trust to watch it for a bit. Maybe you can add on a few shells to pretty it up, but you wouldn't build a fence around it and keep the original builders out. Okay, so this post isn't actually about sandcastles. But the premise is similar.


The facebook group Great Minds Think Aloud was taken over by someone promoted to admin status. You presented yourself as an ASSET to a respected page, and then tore it down. If you think that will stand in the Indie Author community you are sadly mistaken. Real authors work hard, too hard to gain a following. That isn't taking actual writing in to consideration. So how dare you steal someone's hard work. If you think we are going to buy "My cat changed administration status" bullshit, you are wrong. How daft do you think we are? Just so you know, writers are pretty intelligent people by nature.


Also, we stick together. Author Karma is the basis for a lot of these groups. You are probably the same slime that tears down others to feel better about yourself. Here's an idea. WORK HARD AND MAKE YOUR OWN SUCCESS. Oh, right. It is easier to lie and steal and cheat. You have just set an entire community against you. Good luck living this one down. 

Giving it back is the right thing to do, but it doesn't absolve you of your blame. That's like stealing someone's child and then giving it back and expecting no repercussions...