Flower of the Underworld Blog Tour

It's here! The start of the blog tour to celebrate the release of Flower of the Underworld! I hope you all will join in because we've got a lot of cool things planned. 

Every tour stop will bring you a different excerpt so make sure you check them all out. You can also comment on each blog post for extra chances to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for a signed copy of the book.

Tour Schedule

(Day One-April 23rd)
Introduction at Character Purgatory

Feature and Excerpt at The Page Dreamer
Character Q&A at The Labyrinth 

(Day Two-April 24th)

Feature and Excerpt at Not Unworthy

(Day Three-April 25th)

Feature and Excerpt at The Reading Hedgehog

Review and Excerpt at The Labyrinth 

Live Q&A on my Instagram & Twitter 8PM (EST)

(Day Four-April 26th)

Feature and Excerpt at The Overactive Imagination

I will be hosting a live Q&A on my Instagram account on Thursday night (April 25^th) from 8-9PM EST so get your questions ready! I will also be taking questions from Twitter for those who don’t have an Instagram account during the same time. Feel free to ask questions about Flower of the Underworld, or just writing and books in general, I'm not afraid to go off topic. If you’ll be asking questions on Twitter please make sure to @artfulscribbler with the hashtag #FlowerQ&A.

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Excerpt

Olympus Landscaping was a huge, multi-million dollar business that did jobs all over the country, especially for celebrities and the Hollywood types. And who wouldn’t want their yards done up in such a fantastic way? I might consider it myself if I lived in a clime that could support grass and green things. There were several branches of it open across the country, but this one, near New Olympus, was the one I liked best…for various reasons.

I strolled straight out to the garden, hands in my pockets, enjoying the afternoon sun while I could. I did get tired of the sun easily, but when you hadn’t seen it for weeks on end, even I could be really appreciative of stuff like that.

The garden was so lush and green. Trees gave shade, and flowers spilled out onto the sidewalks in perfectly constructed disarray. The garden culminated into a small courtyard, which was my favorite part, because it had a pond in the middle with a bunch of happy goldfish. I imagined having one of these in the Underworld but figured they would be happier in the sun.

I sat down on the bench near the pond with a contented sigh, and simply closed my eyes and turned my face up toward the sun. Of course, my whole pale body could use some sunlight, but it would look a little strange coming back to the Underworld with a tan. And it wasn’t like I had time to go to the beach either.

I was just enjoying soaking up the sun when I heard a voice.

“Oh, hello. I haven’t seen you around for a while.”

My eyes flew open and saw the girl standing in front of me. She had honey blond hair and green eyes, and a pleasant smile that told of a good nature but also seemed to hold a good sense of humor. She was dressed in a light sundress with green leggings and short fashionable boots with the tops turned down to show her chunky knitted socks. She was also holding a pot of bright pink flowers, completing the breath of fresh air she always was.

Yeah, so I did say that I had other reasons for coming here than to just enjoy the fishpond.

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Follow the rest of the tour for more excerpts!

Purchase Links

Add it on Goodreads

Smashwords
Kindle
Paperback link Coming Soon!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What to Look Forward to In Scars of War (feat. actual lines from the book)

It's almost release day for Scars of War! but in preparation for that, I thought I would share with you a little of what you have to look forward to when reading it--so I essentially just picked out some of the most random lines I could when I did my final read through. Hopefully this actually doesn't have adverse effects XD

Introducing: Actual Quotes from Scars of War

(Bonus points for anyone who can guess who said what)

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"But isn't it better to have creases in your skin than to be captured by a man of ill repute?"

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"Warriors with babies, all of them warming milk and changing nappies. It's enough to make you weep at the strength of their loyalty."

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"I swear, if I never see a patty pie again it will be too soon."

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"Well, I have to agree that, apart from the match-making--which you really have a problem with, by the way--it is a good idea."

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"You know those sweet, cavity inducing cuddle sessions you like to imbibe in in the library with your ladylove? Gone, if you don't have a nanny."

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"Oh sure, they might knit blankets and act all fuzzy and protective, but as soon as the first nappy change comes up there will be no loyalty left in the garrison."

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"Meat Stix--with an X? How do I know this is even meat? Never trust products where they purposefully misspell a word."

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"Two pints and a Shirley Temple for the Faerie Princess."

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"Do not take liberties with my muffin tops, woman!"

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"Is it Plan M for manly or musk?"

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"Now that you have been enlightened by the power of love, can we go defeat evil?"

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"Great, now all I can smell is feet."

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And there's also some of this:

And some of this:

And this:

Oh yeah, and also this:

So join me tomorrow for the official release! I'm running a giveaway for the first two books as e-copies for anyone who comments, but I'm also running a deal where if you buy Scars of War in either paperback or e-copy you can email me for free e-copies of the first two books as well ^_^ So either way, you have a chance to get the first two books free so if you haven't read them yet, you should do that, because look at all this insanity! 

BLOOD TIES Cover Reveal!

Here we are, finally in post-production of my new novel, Blood Ties marking the first in a new series The Modern Tales of Na Fianna. And without further ado, here is the cover!

Let me know what you think!

And here is my excerpt reading, so enjoy some story time :-)

Don't forget to add Blood Ties to your to-read shelves on Goodreads!

Also, this is the perfect time to ask me anything you want to know about this new series, with the Ask the Author program on my Goodreads profile. I'd love to hear any questions you might have :-)

And remember, Blood Ties will be out for purchase next Tuesday the 16th, both in paperback and e-book, so keep a watch on it. I will also be revealing information about the upcoming release blog tour soon!

Thank you all for stopping by, I look forward to sharing more about my book with you! 

Review: GILDED by Christina Farley

Title/ Author: Gilded (Gilded #1) by Christina Farley
Genre: YA, Urban Fantasy, mythology
Rating: 4/5 stars
Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Jae Hwa Lee is a Korean-American girl with a black belt, a deadly proclivity with steel-tipped arrows, and a chip on her shoulder the size of Korea itself. When her widowed dad uproots her to Seoul from her home in L.A., Jae thinks her biggest challenges will be fitting in to a new school and dealing with her dismissive Korean grandfather. Then she discovers that a Korean demi-god, Haemosu, has been stealing the soul of the oldest daughter of each generation in her family for centuries. And she's next.

But that’s not Jae’s only problem.

There's also Marc. Irresistible and charming, Marc threatens to break the barriers around Jae's heart. As the two grow closer, Jae must decide if she can trust him. But Marc has a secret of his own—one that could help Jae overturn the curse on her family for good. It turns out that Jae's been wrong about a lot of things: her grandfather is her greatest ally, even the tough girl can fall in love, and Korea might just be the home she's always been looking for.

Review:

Thoughts on the Overall Book: I love any book about mythology of any kind and since I knew next to nothing about Korean mythology this was a really fun book to read, and besides that it had a likable cast and was a good adventure. I was actually lucky enough to meet Christina Farley at an author event so I was doubly excited to read this book.

Cover--Yea or Nay: I love the covers for these books. It's what attracted me to them in the first place :)

Characters: Jae was a likable heroine. She was tough and smart but didn't really come across as having an attitude. I think she took herself a little too seriously on occasion, but that is just a human flaw that made her relatable. At the end of the day, she stepped up to do what she had to do and was willing to protect those she cared about. Marc was probably my favorite character in the book, he was a really nice guy and likable and even better, he allowed Jae to sort of accept help and made her, not vulnerable, but realize that she wasn't alone in her mission. I also really liked her grandfather, he was an interesting character, and I actually would have liked to have seen more of him. Same with her Aunt, but hopefully in later books. Haemosu was also a pretty awesome villain. He was classy and suave but obviously dangerous. He also made good on his threats which made him all the more realistic.

The Romance: Inevitably, there is a little romance between Jae and Marc, but it doesn't interrupt the storyline and I actually really liked them together :)

Writing Style: First person present tense from Jae's perspective. I didn't mind being in her head, and I think it was a good way to tell this story, with her finding out all about the strange things that are going on. The descriptions of the gods and mythological creatures was really cool, and I could easily picture what it is like to live in Korea, the descriptions of it were very vibrant. My favorite descriptions of it were of the Spirit World. They were really vivid and almost like a dream sequence which fit really well in my opinion. I also loved the build up of the story here. There were a lot of little twists and turns and all come together in the end and I liked seeing how things all fit together to end in an awesome climax and a cliffie. Overall a well crafted adventure story that made me want to read more. I also want to say that while Jae is joining the ranks of heroine archers, her skills actually have a place in the folklore so it's cool and not just cliche.

Accuracy/ Believability: As I said before I know nothing of Korean mythology and very little of the culture itself, but I do know the author lived in Korea for a while and did expensive research so I trust that she got it right! Reading this book definitely made me want to explore it more, though.

Problems/What bothered me: No real problems here. I really enjoyed this book.

Conclusion: 4 stars. A fun and interesting adventure novel. I really look forward to continuing the series!

Recommended Audience: Girl read ages 14 and up, Fans of urban mythology and fantasy would enjoy this one. Probably would appeal to Percy Jackson fans as well.

Review: UNDERTOW by Michael Buckley

Title/ Author: Undertow (Undertow Trilogy #1) by Michael Buckley
Genre: YA, Urban Fantasy
Rating: 5/5 stars
Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Lyric Walker’s life is forever changed when she witnesses the arrival of 30,000 Alpha, a five-nation race of ocean-dwelling warriors, on her beach in Coney Island. The world’s initial wonder and awe over the Alpha quickly turns ugly and paranoid and violent, and Lyric’s small town transforms into a military zone with humans on one side and Alpha on the other. When Lyric is recruited to help the crown prince, a boy named Fathom, assimilate, she begins to fall for him. But their love is a dangerous one, and there are forces on both sides working to keep them apart. Only, what if the Alpha are not actually the enemy? What if they are in fact humanity’s only hope of survival? Because the real enemy is coming. And it’s more terrifying than anything the world has ever seen.

Action, suspense, and romance whirlpool dangerously in this cinematic saga, a blend of District 9 and The Outsiders. 

Review:

Thoughts on the Overall Book: It's been a long time since I read any of Michael Buckley's books, but I did enjoy the first couple Sister's Grimm books that I read and really wanted to see how he did with YA. I was not disappointed, in fact, I think this is definitely one of the best books that have come out this year so far.

Cover--Yea or Nay: I do really like the cover, it makes me curious to see what the story is about.

Characters: I'll admit that at first I wasn't really sure if I would connect with Lyric. She wasn't a bad character, it was just that she seemed a little je ne sais quoi. As the story progressed, however, she grew into a wonderful heroine, strong yet still seeming to be on the unassuming side, without an attitude, and had the ability to push past her fears and inner demons to do what needed to be done. My favorite character was Bex, though. She was just an awesome best friend and I think we all hope to have a Bex. Just the fact that she was one of those people who could always smile and and always bounce back even when her life was utter rubbish to put it mildly made me love her all the more. Shadow was also an awesome guy friend and I really liked him too. I really enjoyed the Alpha characters too. Fathom was actually really surprising, because I was expecting your typical YA brooding hero, but he was actually more of the kind of quirky, quiet and awkward type. He did have anger management issues but it was because he was thrown into a new life and he was a prince, but he was kind of adorable too. I will admit that I really did have mixed feelings about Lyric's mother. I did understand where she was coming from, but I think she should have made some better decisions. There were also a plethora of characters who were SOOO fun to hate. Bex's disgusting stepdad for one, and Bachman and Mrs. Novakova too, because I can't stand busybodies like her, especially when they are dangerous ones. In any case, this was an amazing cast. Oh, and of course Mr. "Coffee" Doyle, I did end up liking him, though I just couldn't not picture him as Phil Coulson for some reason.

The Romance: If you picked this book up from the synopsis expecting it to be a typical YA romance filled with pointless mush, it isn't. There's actually a very sweet and slow attraction between Lyric and Fathom and I totally approve. 

Writing Style: Despite the fact I'm not totally a fan of present tense, I didn't notice it too much in this one, probably because I was so enamored of the story itself. First off, it is nothing like it sounds in the synopsis.The cover makes it sound like a kind of fun YA romance, kind of mainstream. I was totally floored by what we actually get in this story because it is SO MUCH more than that. This is one of the few books about racial discrimination that actually did it right. A lot of authors would totally go all preachy and I hate books like that, but this one didn't. I felt is presented the situation very, frighteningly even, accurately. It wasn't even all the cliche evil scientists and experimentation like most sic-fi novels portray, it was more a presentation of a difference of race. This book isn't really a romance so much as a book about friendship and bonds and getting past differences. Breaking down walls. It taught a lesson without actually saying it was, it had no real agenda apparent, but yet, I saw it, and most readers probably will too. And that's what I love most in these sorts of books. That means it's done right. This book was just so much more serious and realistic than I ever could have thought, even with sea creatures thrown into the mix. So yeah, I was totally shocked but in the best way possible.

Accuracy/ Believability: Despite the fantasy elements, very accurate. As I said previously, I think this book did a really good job of showing exactly what goes on in these kinds of situations. 

Problems/What bothered me: Nothing really to report here.

Conclusion: 5 stars. The way this book made me feel could earn nothing less. I was just totally floored by what this book was as opposed to what I expected and that's a good thing. One of the most powerful books I've read in a long time, especially for one that wasn't historical fiction. It is a very mature YA read and I really look forward to seeing where the series goes.

Recommended Audience: More girl read, but could be a guy read as well. Seventeen and up. If you're looking for a more realistic fantasy novel, check this out.