Blog Tour: Time of the Fairies: Afterlight by Joseph Corsentino

This Virtual Book Tour is presented by Bewitching Book Tours.

You can get to the entire tour schedule by clicking HERE.

Welcome to The Wormhole and my day on the tour!

It is with great pleasure that I present Joseph Corsentino

and his beautiful book Time of the Fairies: Afterlight!

The Oddities of Time of the Faeries: Afterlight

Hello, Wormhole readers!  Thank you for this invitation to write a guest blog.

The title of this blog, The Wormhole, was rather odd, whimsical, and intriguing, which prompted me to consider all the oddities inherent in my creative endeavor, Time of the Faeries: The Afterlight.
It’s a graphic novel...but more in the style of an art book.  There’s art, there’s a Sci-Fi/Fantasy novel, so we can only label The Afterlight, End of the World, book 1 in a 4 part series, as a graphic novel, yet it doesn’t quite look like one.
It’s illustrated...but with digital photographs, something still rarely seen in book form, and definitely not to this extent.
It’s about Faeries.  It says so on the the title...but the Faeries don’t come in until the second book in the series.
It begins...well, at the ending.  The entire first book.  Where does that leave us in the second, third, and fourth book?

Time of the Faeries: The Afterlight has been several years in the making, and I feel these these oddities are what make the series unique.  I hope you will agree and join me in The Afterlight.

Joseph Corsentino

Artist/Author

Joseph Corsentino is a storyteller at heart who chooses photography as his medium.  He took his passion for Science Fiction and Fantasy to Los Angeles where he began Time of the Faeries, an epic retelling of the faerie mythology.  His stunning, ethereal, and realistic faeries, angels, and vampires can be seen in private collections and magazines all over the world.  His first book, published by Imaginosis Publishing, is a prologue into the Time of the Faeries universe.  Joseph is currently completing the four-part Afterlight graphic novel series and making appearances at conventions such as Dragon*con.

Title: Afterlight: End of the World
Author J. Corsentino
ISBN 978-0-578-08548-7
Size 98 pages
Genre: Full color fantasy art novel

Part 1 Time of the Fairies

Time of the Faeries: Afterlight is a four-part graphic novel series that explore the origins of the Faeries, the evolution of Angels and Vampires from a common Fae ancestor, and their own unique adaptations to the modern world. It follows the alliances and tensions that develop between these three species as they struggle to protect human civilization or shape it to their will. The Afterlight follows several lines of cause and effect, revealing possible versions of the Apocalypse at the hands of all three species.

In the first book, Afterlight, End of the World, we begin at the end with the Angel Apocalypse: a dying Earth, ravaged by war, now hosts only a few scattered pockets of humanity. These last survivors are being hunted to extinction by starving Angels, their energy consumed so that the Angels might live. Below ground, a small band of shape-shifting male faeries called the Phelans struggle to protect the last collection of human life in Los Angeles and a mysterious young girl who may hold the key to their survival. Above ground, as the winged forces amass to complete their genocide, a lone Angel named Halyon struggles to understand what went wrong, and why her race now hunts the very people they were charged to protect.  

Now - for your viewing pleasure.....

This is am amazing book - you truly must see it to fully appreciate it!

You can buy this amazingly beautiful book HERE.

Review: Seers by Heather Frost

Seers by Heather Frost

This book is available for pre-order HERE.

Amazon Product Description:
For Kate Bennet, surviving the car wreck that killed her parents means big changes and even bigger problems. As she begins to see auras and invisible people, Kate must learn to trust Patrick O'Donnell, a handsome Guardian, or risk her life being overrun with Demons. She soon realizes that both she and her heart are in big-time trouble.


My thoughts:
Wonderfully written.  Loved the characters.  The world she has built for her characters has a variety of elements.  The world that Kate lives in with her family and friends is solid and realistic, the author has captured the high school feel with accuracy.  The world that Kate finds when she meets Patrick and Toni is something completely new.  
     Her demon/guardian ideas are refreshing.  I loved the idea that a person chooses at their death to either go on to heaven or to become a guardian.  I wonder how she chose 25 as the perfect age, but it seems alright, but my favorite part of her heaven is that everyone gets to be with those that they have loved and lost.  That children automatically go to heaven and get to go on being raised my their parents when they are all united again.  It brings a smile to believe that her idea of heaven could be possible.  
     I enjoyed all the characters.  Kate is great.  Toni makes me laugh.  Lee is the best friend we either all have or if not, all want.  Kate's sisters are typical and realistic, making me glad I not only am not a twin but don't have twins of my own.  Aaron is that perfect boyfriend that you always hear about people having.  Kate's grandparents are wonderful.  But with all these characters, and those I didn't list, Patrick is by far and away my favorite character.  He is "that" guy, the one we all dream about.  
     The plot moves quickly.  The story is fantastic.  Kate's journey from a regular high school girl with a loving family, to an orphaned girl living with her sisters and her grandparents, to a member of a demon fighting team with special powers is a ride you don't want to miss.  I will be waiting for the sequel! 

Interview with Denise Grover Swank ~ author of Chosen

Virtual Book Tour presented by Bewitching Book Tours!

Welcome back to the Wormhole!

Denise Grover Swank was gracious enough to offer an interview:

? When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

When I was a kid. I loved to read and make up stories.

? How many jobs did you have before you became a writer?

Multiple! I’ve done all kinds things, some for very short stints just to try something new. I’ve worked at a fast food chain (as a teen), worked at a floral shop taking orders, worked in a preschool as an assistant, worked for a cement company review AutoCAD drawings of parking garages, worked in a pathology laboratory processing tissue samples for pathologists to examine for cancer (an actual career that lasted 13 years) and as a kitchen and bath designer. I’m Gemini. Nuf said.

? How long does it take you to write a book?

First draft, four to six weeks. Multiple rounds of revisions including beta readers, two to three months.

? What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?

It takes me a while to settle down into it, but once I do I’m hyper focused.

? Do you have a routine that you use to get into the right frame of mind to write?

? Where do you get your ideas or inspiration for your characters?

They just appear in my head. Which is a bit scary when you consider some of them. ;)

? How do you decide what you want to write about?

Sometimes an idea just pops into my head. (The Chosen series) Sometimes it’s a character and I build a story around  him or her. (My southern mystery Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes) Other times I decide I’m going to write using a particular plot point and build around that. (My YA novel Torn coming out the end of November about an alternate universe.)

? What books have most influenced your life?

Oh dear. This is hard. So many. As a kid, Little House on the Prairie. I used to pretend to be Laura and tie a baby dress around my head and pretend it was a sun bonnet.

? What is the first book you remember reading by yourself?

It was first grade and about a girl who got shiny new red shoes. The illustrations were black and white except for her shoes. I read that book many times.

? What are you reading right now?

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins. If I can wrestle it away from my fourteen year old daughter.

? What do you like to do when you are not writing?

? What is your favorite comfort food?

Spaghetti.

? What do you think makes a good story?

Great characters that make me care about what happens to them.

? Who would you consider your favorite author and why?

I love Sarah Addison Allen who writes magical realism. Her characters are sweet and southern and her words are gorgeous.

? What book, if any, do you read over and over again?

Fun random questions: 

·        dogs or cats? Dogs

·        Coffee or tea? Coffee (Starbucks addict)

·        Dark or milk chocolate? Dark

·        Rocks or flowers? Flowers

·        Night or day? Night

·        Favorite color? Green

·        Crayons or markers? Markers

·        Pens or pencils? Pen 

Blog Tour: Ardeur by Danielle Gavan (Giveaway too!)

This virtual book tour is presented by Bewitching Book Tours.

You can get to the entire tour schedule by clicking HERE.

Welcome to The Wormhole and my day on the tour!

It is my pleasure to welcome Danielle Gavan!!!

Danielle Gavan lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband of eight years and their two sons. Danielle has been writing since she was in middle school.  

She loves a good book and is usually found with her nose in one. She has an extensive list of them on her book pile. When she's not writing or reading, Danielle keeps herself busy designing book covers and editing.

Her guilty pleasures are her favorite television shows Bones, House and Hawaii Five-0.

Danielle welcomes email and you may contact her at daniellegavan@rhpublishing1.com.

You can also find her hanging out on the forum she shares with Jennifer Feuerstein. The Crowded Minds is a great place to relax and have a little fun.

Find Danielle on the web:

http://www.daniellegavan.net

http://dgavan.blogspot.com/

http://twitter.com/#!/DanielleGavan

http://www.facebook.com/danielle.gavan

http://everythingerotic.blogspot.com/

http://thedigitaldigest.blogspot.com/

And now... on to the interview!

? When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

Professionally? I’d say 2009. I’ve been writing for pleasure since grade school. The first thing I can remember writing was in seventh grade. A friend and I passed a small, heart shaped sticky note pad between us and we wrote the story together. Naïve tweens that we were, the story had us married to our favorite rock stars at the time. I was wed to Jon Bon Jovi, she to Richie Sambora. Jon and I had nine children. Nancy and Richie had eleven, if memory serves.

? How many jobs did you have before you became a writer?

Oh, boy. Do I have enough fingers to count them all? Hmm... Maybe if I use my toes I’ll have enough. Let’s just say I spent way too many years working in the Customer Service/Call Center industry. Wait… I’m sort of still in Customer Service, aren’t I?

? How long does it take you to write a book?

It depends on what else I have going on in my life. Ardeur took me five months to write. The timeframe for my novellas varied. Most of the chapters were written for Everything Erotic, one of the blogs I contribute to, so they were composed a month at a time.

If I’ve got loads of free time, I can usually crank out two to three thousand words a day, sometimes more.

? What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?

For the most part, I’m a pantser. I can work with a very basic outline but if I know the ending, forget it. That last chapter, or two, has to be a mystery. If I have even an inkling of how the story ends my muse packs up and takes an impromptu vacay.

? Do you have a routine that you use to get into the right frame of mind to write?

I don’t know if you’d call it a routine, per se. When the kids are in school, the first couple of hours in my day are spent getting them ready and sent off. After that, I’ll grab a cup of coffee or a glass of water and park myself at my desk. I hit ‘play’ on iTunes and let my fingers fly across the keyboard. There isn’t really a ‘right frame of mind’ for me to write. There are, however, wrong ones. If I’m stressed or in a bad mood it’s best I stay away from the computer until I’ve relaxed.

? Where do you get your ideas or inspiration for your characters?

From my shampoo bottle. Ideas and characters usually come to me when I’m in the middle of washing my hair. I suppose it’s because I’m able to relax for the couple of minutes it takes to wash and condition the curly mess. Other times, I’ll see a picture or hear something and think ‘Hey, that would make an awesome story.” Then we’re off to the keyboard to bang it out before I forget.

? How do you decide what you want to write about?

Usually, I have a list of projects that need working on. Whichever one is closer to completion gets worked on first. At the moment, I’ve got three novellas and a series of novels that I’m working on. The novellas get worked on at least once a month since the chapters from those get posted on either Everything Erotic or Digital Digest. The series gets worked on a bit more often. The first novel is in the revision stages and, my co-author and I, hope to have it out this fall.

? What books have most influenced your life?

Hmm… I’d have to say the books that introduced me to romance novels. Virginia Henley’s The Raven & The Rose, The Pirate & The Pagan, The Dragon and The Jewel, The Hawk and The Dove.  Had mom not handed me The Raven & The Rose to read one afternoon, I may never have discovered this genre and grown up to write romance novels of my own. 

? What do you like to do when you are not writing?

You mean I’m supposed to do other things besides work? lol Kidding. I’m a stay-at-home mom so any time I’m not writing is spent with my kids, taking care of things around the house or running errands. I don’t get a lot of free time. Anything I want to watch on television gets recorded and I watch it after the kids have gone to bed – if I’m not passed out shortly after them.

? What is your favorite comfort food?

Now that’s an easy answer. Basmati rice with a little bit of butter, salt and pepper. Super yummy. Oh, and red velvet cake with thick buttercream icing. Pure heaven.

? What do you think makes a good story?

Compelling characters, a believable storyline and good writing. I’m not a diehard believer in Happily Ever After endings. If the hero and heroine are together and happy, I’m good with that.

? Who would you consider your favorite author and why?

Now that’s a hard one. If we could mash Diana Gabaldon and Laurell K. Hamilton into one person I’d say her. Diana’s Outlander series is incredibly well written, researched and the books suck you into Jamie and Claire’s world from the first word. Laurell’s books are smart, sexy and her characters are incredibly vivid. 

? What book, if any, do you read over and over again?

I’ve read Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series several times in its entirety. I have all seven books in hardcover, tattered dust covers and all. I also have the Lord John spinoffs.

Fun random questions: 

·        dogs or cats? Cats, even though I’m very allergic.

·        Coffee or tea? Coffee.

·        Dark or milk chocolate? Milk chocolate.

·        Rocks or flowers? Flowers. I’m allergic to those, too.

·        Night or day? Day.

·        Favorite color? Blue.

·        Crayons or markers? Crayons.

·        Pens or pencils? Pencils. 

And now...the giveaway!

You can buy a copy of this great story HERE or HERE.

You can read my review by clicking HERE.

Thanks for stopping by The Wormhole.

Happy Reading.

Blog Tour: An Unexpected Bride by Shadonna Richards

This blog tour is presented by The Bookish Snob Tours.

You can see the entire tour schedule by clicking HERE.

Welcome to The Wormhole and the last stop on the tour!

Please welcome Shadonna Richards.

? When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? I first realized when I was a little kid. (Smile) I began writing stories as soon as I could hold a crayon.

? How long does it take you to write a book? Depending on the length of the book it could be anywhere from 2 weeks to 10 years!

? What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?  Hmm. I don’t think I have an interesting writing quirk.

? Do you have a routine that you use to get into the right frame of mind to write? Not really. I usually write when I’m inspired—which, thankfully, happens to be a lot. Life inspires me. Having said that, I write much better when it’s totally quiet in the house like very early in the morning.

? Where do you get your ideas or inspiration for your characters? I get my ideas and inspiration for my characters from my imagination and everyday life. I’m always asking myself the “what-if” questions.

? How do you decide what you want to write about? Ideas usually just come to me.  I’m often with a pen and paper and try to write them down as fast as they come.

? What books have most influenced your life? The Holy Bible.

? What is the first book you remember reading by yourself? It was that long ago…I really don’t remember. I’ve been reading since early childhood.

? What are you reading right now? I’m reading a few contemporary romances on my Kindle right now.

? What do you like to do when you are not writing? In addition to spending quality time with my family and socializing, I’d have to say reading. I love books.

? What is your favorite comfort food? Anything with chocolate.

? What do you think makes a good story? Great characters, a solid plot and a little suspense. I love trying to figure out what’s going to happen next.  

? Who would you consider your favorite author and why? Too many to name. I have a lot of favorite authors that inspire me.

? What book, if any, do you read over and over again? The Bible—in passages.

Fun random questions: 

·        dogs or cats? Both.

·        Coffee or tea? A hot, delicious mug of steaming tea, anytime.

·        Dark or milk chocolate? Milk chocolate.

·        Rocks or flowers? Both, it depends on the occasion.

·        Night or day? Day.

·        Favorite color? Pink.

·        Crayons or markers? Markers.

·        Pens or pencils? Pens. 

BIO

Shadonna enjoys reading and writing about the magic of romance and the power of love. Winner of Harlequin’s So You Think You Can Write - 2010 Day Two Challenge, she is a member of the Romance Writers of America. An Unexpected Bride is her first novel. She has her BA in Psychology and lives in Canada. You can visit her at www.shadonnarichards.blogspot.com or send her an e-mail at Shadonna (at) ymail (dot) com

You can buy this book HERE or HERE.

You can enter to win a copy of this book by filling out this form!

Thanks for stopping by The Wormhole!
Happy Reading!

Blog Tour: Chosen by Denise Grover Swank

This Virtual Book Tour is presented by Bewitching Book Tours.

You can get to the entire tour schedule by clicking HERE.

Welcome to The Wormhole and my day on the tour!

It is with great pleasure that I present

Chosen and the author, Denise Grover Swank!

Denise Grover Swank began writing her first novel in the fourth grade, stopping at page seventy on her wide ruled spiral notebook. She continued writing in high school and attempted several novels in her twenties before life got in the way. In the fall of 2009, she participated in National Novel Writing Month, which led her to completing her first novel, a book which shall be eternally chained to a pillar in her external hard drive. Denise released her first published book in July, 2011, a southern mystery titled Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes. Denise lives in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. She has six children, two dogs, and an overactive imagination.

You can find out more about Denise and her other books at www.denisegroverswank.com and you can connect with her on Twitter.    

And now an excerpt for your reading pleasure:
(from Chapter 1):

When she smiled, Will almost lost his composure. Her face completely changed, catching him off guard. After watching her for twenty-four hours, this was the first time he had seen her smile. She was attractive enough, lean but with curves in the right places, and long brown hair she pulled back in a ponytail. Looking at her now, he lost himself in her deep, dark brown eyes. But when she smiled, the tension in her face fell away, leaving an ethereal beauty he didn’t expect.

“Who were those guys?” he asked, trying to refocus.

Her smile disappeared. “No one you want to know.”

“What do they want?”

If possible, her face became even harder. “We need to get you back to the motel.”

“Don’t you want to call the police?” He had no intention of calling the police, but it sounded like the right thing to say.

“No.”

Getting information out of her was trickier than he hoped. “What are you going to do now?”

She turned to look at him, the loose strands of long brown hair dancing in the breeze around her face. She looked wild and ruthless. “Look, we can take care of ourselves.”

This turn of events had completely changed his plans. Of course, nothing about this job was what he expected. They never told him she had a kid and he’d complained bitterly when he found out. He didn’t do kids. He was explicit about that. But the group who hired him said they didn’t care about the kid. They wanted her and raised their offer. It was hard to refuse. Somewhere along the path of their self-destructive course he thought of a Plan B, which was much better than his original plan. Maybe things were turning his way. “Let me help you.”

She pulled up to a stop sign at the four-lane highway. “No, thanks, we’re good.”

“We can trust him,” a small voice in the back said.

She looked up sharply and spun around to look at the kid in the back.

Will turned, too. The boy looked like a cherub out of one of those Renaissance paintings he had studied back in his college art appreciation class. Short blond curls framed his face of pale skin with rosy cheeks. Big blue eyes with long dark eyelashes. Will thought the kid’s beauty was wasted on his gender.

“We can trust him,” the boy repeated.

She turned to look out the windshield and hung both of her arms over the steering wheel. “Are you sure?” she asked, staring straight ahead.

“Yes.”

She rested her chin on her hands and closed her eyes. He decided she must be trying to figure out how to deal with this change of events. Personally, Will thought it was going too far on the permissive parenting scale letting a preschooler make a decision like that, but hey, it worked in his favor. He sure wasn’t going to protest.

“Okay,” she finally said, sitting up. “I need to leave town. They know we’re here so we’ve got to leave as soon as we can.”

“Who exactly are they?” Will asked. As far as he knew, he was the only one on this job. He’d be pissed if they hired someone else as backup.

“You don’t need to know that,” she said, turning at the corner. “How do you plan on helping us?”

“I can help you leave town.”

“Why would you do that?” Her eyes narrowed as she looked behind for signs of the SUV.

Will had seen the damage. The SUV wasn’t going anywhere. Where the hell had she learned a move like that?

He gave her his rugged, bad boy smirk and shrugged. “What can I say? I’m a sucker for a damsel in distress.”

“Do better than that,” she snorted.

He liked that she wasn’t easily snowed, even if it made his job more difficult.

“Let’s just say I’m hoping to get lucky, and maybe if I’m nice enough, I will.” He gave her a slow, lazy smile as he leaned against the door, crossing his arms.

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t count on it.”

“Don’t crush a man’s hopes. Just wait and see. I might grow on you.”

Raising her eyebrows, she twisted her lips into a wry smile. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

I hope you enjoyed learning about Denise Grover Swank and reading a piece of this great story!

You can buy this book HERE and HERE.

You can read my review HERE.

Thanks for stopping by The Wormhole!

Happy Reading!