Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Blog Tour: Touching Evil by Amber Garr (Giveaway)

This virtual book tour is presented by Bewitching Book Tours.
Click HERE to see the tour schedule.
Welcome to The Wormhole and my day on the tour.
It is my pleasure to feature: Amber Garr and Touching Evil.
Amber has stopped by for an interview:
 How many jobs did you have before you became a writer? I have a full time job that I will probably always have - I work as a marine biologist at a research institute.

 How long does it take you to write a book? I can usually finish the first draft in a month or two, followed by several more months of beta reading, editing, and more editing.

 Do you have a routine that you use to get into the right frame of mind to write? Music. I can’t function without music.

 Where do you get your ideas or inspiration for your characters? I’ll pull some characteristics from people in my life, but I always try make each one unique. That way people can’t accuse me of writing about them!

 How do you decide what you want to write about? I usually visualize the first scene or opening line. And once I have that, and start thinking about where to take the story, it will flow from there.

 What books have most influenced your life? I’ll use the ones that have influenced my writing - pretty much everything from Kelly Armstrong, Richelle Mead, Charlaine Harris, or Kim Harrison.

 What are you reading right now? Rising by Stephanie Judice

 What do you like to do when you are not writing? If I’m not dancing or choreographing, I like to read.

 What is your favorite comfort food? Sugary things (and they’re not allowed in the house!)

 What do you think makes a good story? Great characters.

Fun random questions:

• dogs or cats? both

• Coffee or tea? Iced tea

• Dark or milk chocolate? Milk chocolate

• Rocks or flowers? rocks

• Night or day? day

• Favorite color? blue

• Crayons or markers? markers

• Pens or pencils? pens


More about the author:
Amber Garr spends her days conducting scientific experiments and wondering if her next door neighbor is secretly a vampire.  Born in Pennsylvania, she lives in Florida with her husband and their furry kids.  Her childhood imaginary friend was a witch, Halloween is sacred, and she is certain that she has a supernatural sense of smell.  She writes both adult and young adult urban fantasies and when not obsessing over the unknown, she can be found dancing, reading, or enjoying a good movie.


Touching Evil
Book One of The Leila Marx Novels
Amber Garr
Genre: Urban FantasyNumber of pages: 326
Cover Artist: Amber Garr
Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/1z7SEGu0jwo
Book Description:
 Leila Marx is trying to put her life back together after her fiancĂ© is murdered. Her book illustrating career has limited her social contact and nightmares have trapped her in the past. When a police acquaintance enlists her help with a difficult case, Leila is surprisingly thankful to have a purpose. Not only will this help to keep her mind focused, but she will be able to use her talents as a touch clairvoyant that are frequently dismissed by skeptics. Leila and Detective Garrick Pearson delve into the mystery behind a series of missing teenage girls and mummified corpses while fighting their own growing attraction to each other.
 
Conner Hoffman is an intriguing lawyer and striking half-demon who enters Leila’s life unexpectedly. Although her visions are terrifying, she is fascinated by his charm and his legacy. When it becomes evident that the murders are linked to a paranormal event, Conner introduces Leila to a world unbeknownst to ordinary society. She suddenly finds herself immersed in supernatural politics, sorcery, and danger as she becomes the killer’s next target. Staying alive will mean relying on friends, accepting the unbelievable, and trusting in her heart again.

Short Excerpt

What does one wear when they commit the first felony of their life? I probably spent two hours going through my closest trying to find something criminal. It had to be black. Yes, definitely black. I finally settled on a turtleneck, spandex workout pants, and the only pair of black sneakers I’d ever owned. They were left over from my waitressing days and I was pleasantly surprised to see that they were still in good shape, even if they did smell a little like grease.
I just finished pulling my hair back into a low bun, like spy girls do in the movies, when the doorbell rang. Conner was here and my heart fluttered instantly. Last night had been a lot of fun and I really enjoyed my evening with Garrick, but this was the first time any man had been to my house who wasn’t a part of the police force since Russ was killed. This was also the first time I’d ever had a half demon in the house, at least as far as I knew. After another quick glance in the mirror, I bounced over to the door.
And as soon as I opened it I realized how much of a dork I must have looked like.
There was Conner, in a regular pair of jeans and a college sweatshirt doing all that he could not to laugh at me. I glared up at him.
“What? No one told me what to wear so I had to improvise.” He started laughing but then choked it back down when I tried to close the door on him. His foot shot out and blocked my attempt.
“I’m sorry. You look good. Really.” He smiled fully at me and then bowed his head as he put his hands together in a prayer-like position. “May I have permission to enter my ninja warrior princess?” 
I could see his shoulders shake with amusement again and I refused to be embarrassed. With an exaggerated sigh, I walked back into my bedroom, leaving Conner to let himself in. I decided that he should wallow in uncomfortable silence for a while, although when I came back into the living room and saw him flipping through some of my illustrations, I realized he was unfazed.
“These are really good. You’re quite talented.” I stood there, leaning against the wall for a few seconds trying to judge if he was being serious or not. Just as I started to give him the benefit of the doubt, he arched an eyebrow my way and said, “A much better artist than fashionista.”
I threw the sweatshirt I had in my hands at him and stomped over to the kitchen. His laugh consumed the room and I was surprised to find a smile on my face as I opened the refrigerator.
“Should we take snacks?” I asked. We were going to drive to a spot close to the house and wait until it was clear. I’d been told that it might take several hours and I didn’t want the cambion getting hungry while we waited.
“Sure, if you want. Maybe some water would be good.” It was obvious that he enjoyed my lack of stake-out abilities. 
I grabbed one of my reusable grocery bags and filled it up with water, crackers, and Twizzlers. All of the essentials. I briefly considered grabbing a bottle of wine to control my anxiety, but decided against it in the end.
“So, are we ready to go?” I asked as I hoisted the bag on my shoulder and grabbed the sweatshirt back. He studied me for a moment and then pulled an object from his back pocket.
“Not until you put this on,” he said as he tossed something small and black at me. It was a ski mask, one of those ones that covered everything except for your eyes. I pulled it over my head and batted my lashes.
“Am I ready now?”
He laughed and took the snack bag off my shoulder. “Yes, Leila. I think you’re ready for a life of crime.” 


1 Signed paperback copy of Touching Evil with SWAG (US Only)
2 ebook copies via coupons (INT)


a Rafflecopter giveaway