Haunting Violet By: Alyxandra Harvey
Walker Childrens Books (June 21st, 2011), 352 Pages.

Synopsis: Violet Willoughby doesn't believe in ghosts. But they believe in her. After spending years participating in her mother's elaborate ruse as a fraudulent medium, Violet is about as skeptical as they come in all matters supernatural. Now that she is being visited by a very persistent ghost, one who suffered a violent death, Violet can no longer ignore her unique ability. She must figure out what this ghost is trying to communicate, and quickly because the killer is still on the loose.

Afraid of ruining her chance to escape her mother's scheming through an advantageous marriage, Violet must keep her ability secret. The only person who can help her is Colin, a friend she's known since childhood, and whom she has grown to love. He understands the true Violet, but helping her on this path means they might never be together. Can Violet find a way to help this ghost without ruining her own chance at a future free of lies?

What is your favorite thing about writing in the Young Adult genre?

I adore the YA genre. I love how complicated and simple it can be, how far you can carry a metaphor and how you can find real friends in the characters you read and write about. Adolescence is one of the many rites of passage from ancient cultures that are lost to us. I think it’s to our detriment that they are missing from modern life. And I think YA literature and fairy tales and the wonderful intersection of both provide that.

Haunting Violet takes place in 1872 England, with your love of history you must have had a great time doing research for this book. Can you tell us anything about how you came up with the idea for Haunting Violet and what is it about this time in history that you knew would be the perfect setting for your story?

The idea for Haunting Violet popped into my head when I was reading about fake séances in the 1870’s. I love research into historical details so I was reading without any particular goal, just gathering like a magpie. But I could really picture Violet reluctantly working for her mother and how confused she would be if she ever found out ghosts were actually real. Once I had that question in my mind, I just felt compelled to answer it. And I’ve loved anything Regency (Pride and Prejudice!) for as long as I can remember and I think that’s where my love of Victorian England actually began. It was a natural progression until I just fell in love with the entire 19th century.

And at the end of the day there was just no better time in history for that particular story. It’s as much of a character as Violet is.

Can you share with us a favorite line or two from Haunting Violet?

“I was secretly entranced with the idea of a lady novelist. I should dearly love to be one. Or maybe a goblin-fighting pirate queen. It was difficult to choose sometimes” Violet, Prologue

“Surely a waterlogged girl with bracelets of bruises couldn’t be ignored like a wallflower. She stood out. And not just because of the smell.
I must be coming down with a touch of the ague.
Or suffering the effects of bad beef.
Surely that was it. I wasn’t sure which was preferable: hallucinations or illness or an actual psychical encounter.
I chose bad beef.” Violet, Chapter 4

Have you ever had an experience with a ghost? If so, could you share with us what happened?

I live in a gently haunted house built in 1860. Many of our friends who visit , especially the skeptical ones, have stories of having their hair pulled or seeing people where there are none. A few have even refused to come back! Happily, I’ve never seen a ghost since I have to sleep in our house and I already have a rather active imagination. Although, I’m not convinced I haven’t seen a ghost dog walking around. But that’s okay, I like dogs.

Can you tell us a secret about one of your characters in Haunting Violet?

Colin knows more than you think.

If you could travel back in time to live in any one place in the past, what year and place would you like to experience and why?

A great question that might keep me up at night! I’d love to visit so many places.

I would especially like to visit Regency England, circa 1815. I'd like to run around in a pelisse and flirt with handsome men wearing cravats.

I'd also like to drop in to Iron Age Celtic Britain, England late 1100's, Ancient Egypt, Victorian London (and Yorkshire to meet the Brontes), Quebec around 1630 (to see my ancestors!)....

I'd also kind of like to kick Henry 8 in the shins and then vanish back home safely before he could cut off my head. Is that so wrong?

Besides Vampires and Ghosts, is there any other supernatural/paranormal creature you would like to someday write about?

Absolutely! I have a soft spot for werewolves. And shapeshifters in general, actually.

And I did accidentally write a zombie book (out in 2012/13 sometime). I say accidentally because I thought I was writing about magic but then the zombies shuffled into the story and everything made more sense.

Lastly, would you tell us what you’re working on next?

I have a Faery YA “Stolen Away” out in May 2012 and the fourth book in the Drake Chronicles “Bleeding Hearts” out later this year. I am currently working on #6 of the Drakes and a few secret projects...

Thank you so much for taking the time to visit with us Alyxandra! We hope you’ll be able to come by again soon.

Thanks so much for having me!

Find Alyxandra Online:

Website | Twitter | Facebook

Check out the Haunting Violet Book Trailer:

"Waiting On" Wednesday is an event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. The purpose of this weekly event is to spotlight a soon-to-be-released book that you are very much anticipating. "Waiting On" Wednesday will also give bloggers an opportunity to share ideas for our TBR lists.

Title: Fury (Fury, #1)
Author: Elizabeth Miles
Publisher: Simon Pulse, 352 Pages (August 30th, 2011)
Preorder here: Amazon, Borders, Barnes and Noble,
The Book Depository

Synopsis: The first book in a paranormal teen trilogy featuring three beautiful, mysterious girls wreaking havoc on a small New England town. 

Sometimes sorry isn't enough.... 

It’s winter break in Ascension, Maine. The snow is falling and everything looks pristine and peaceful. But not all is as it seems... 

Between cozy traditions and parties with her friends, Emily loves the holidays. And this year’s even better--the guy she’s been into for months is finally noticing her. But Em knows if she starts things with him, there’s no turning back. Because his girlfriend is Em’s best friend. 

On the other side of town, Chase is having problems of his own. The stress of his home life is starting to take its toll, and his social life is unraveling. But that’s nothing compared to what’s really haunting him. Chase has done something cruel...something the perfect guy he pretends to be would never do. And it’s only a matter of time before he’s exposed. 

In Ascension, mistakes can be deadly. And three girls—three beautiful, mysterious girls—are here to choose who will pay. 

Em and Chase have been chosen.

Title: Misfit
Author: Jon Skovron
Publisher: Amulet, 362 Pages (August 1st, 2011)
Preorder here: Amazon, Borders, Barnes and Noble,
The Book Depository

Synopsis: Jael Thompson has never really fit in. She’s changed schools too many times to count. The only family she’s ever known is her father, a bitter ex-priest who never lets her date and insists she attend the strictest Catholic school in Seattle. And her mother—well, she was a five thousand year old demon. That doesn't exactly help. 

But on her sixteenth birthday, her father gives her a present that brings about some unexpected changes. Some of the changes, like strange and wonderful powers and the cute skater boy with a knack for science, are awesome. But others, like the homicidal demon seeking revenge on her family? Not so much. 

Steeped in mythology, this is an epic tale of a heroine who balances old world with new, science with magic, and the terrifying depths of the underworld with the ordinary halls of high school.

Title: Twisted (Intertwined, #3)
Author: Gena Showalter
Publisher: Harlequin, 304 Pages (August 30th, 2011)
Preorder here: Amazon, Borders, Barnes and Noble,
The Book Depository

Synopsis: SIXTEEN-YEAR-OLD ADEN STONE HAS HAD A HELL OF A WEEK. HE’S BEEN:

Tortured by angry witches. 
Hypnotized by a vengeful faery. 
Spied on by the most powerful vampire in existence. 
And, oh, yeah. Killed – twice. 

His vampire girlfriend might have brought him back to life, but he’s never felt more out of control. There’s a darkness within him, something taking over . . . changing him. Worse, because he was meant to die, death now stalks him at every turn. Any day could be his last. 

Once upon a time, the three souls trapped inside his head could have helped him. He could have protected himself. But as the darkness grows stronger, the souls grow weaker – just like his girlfriend. The more vampire Aden becomes, the more human Victoria becomes, until everything they know and love is threatened. 

Life couldn’t get any worse. Could it?

Three supernatural titles I can't wait for! Witches, vampires, demons... just to name a few things that can be found in one or more of the books. What do you guys think of these three books featured in this weeks WoW?

*covers are always subject to change.
*I am not compensated at all for any of the links within this post.

Title: Between
Author: Cyndi Tefft
Publisher: Createspace/Self Published, 246 Pages (April 21st 2011)
From: the Author, Thank You!

Synopsis: It just figures that the love of Lindsey Water's life isn't alive at all, but the grim reaper, complete with a dimpled smile and Scottish accent.

After transporting souls to heaven for the last 300 years, Aiden MacRae has all but given up on finding the one whose love will redeem him and allow him entry through the pearly gates.

Torn between her growing attraction to Aiden and heaven's siren song, Lindsey must learn the hard way whether love really can transcend all boundaries.

Review: 4 Stars - Between is an emotional story set in the land of Between – hence the title. It’s about a girl – Lindsey – who passed away too soon but found something in the between. It’s about Aiden who’s been transporting souls to heaven for 300 years. It’s about fate and strength, it’s about pain and grief… and so much more.

Between is Lindsey’s and Aiden’s story told through Lindsey’s eyes. She has a great voice in the first half, but really takes hold in the second part of the story. Tefft has written a strong pair in these two characters and made their story and each of the characters extremely emotional and emotionally driven, which grasped on and didn’t let go.

Aiden has been around for over 300 years. He takes souls onto heaven, always the one being left behind. He’s very old fashioned and very Scottish - swoon. His history and aspects of the story, as he’s showing Lindsey via what he calls ‘casting’ made him into a character that felt so real and true. The story he told was rough and sometimes harsh, but it was his truth and the truth of a time so long ago.

The budding relationship between Aiden and Lindsey happened a little fast, and without much reason, however when you don’t know how much time you’ll get to spend with someone you love, the true reality of things tends to take a back seat and love takes over. At least that’s how I saw it through my eyes.

Tefft had me ready to pull my hair at when I was blindsided by something that happened in the book. It totally took me by surprise. Just when I thought I might have some idea what would happen, the rug was pulled out from underneath me and that was where I shed a few tears. It was pretty brilliant where plot twists and the story are concerned.

One thing about this book is, I’d say it has a YA and Adult tug of war feel going on. I can see it being one or the other, really either or. Lindsey is in college, though still a teen… and Aiden, well he might look as he did when he passed, but he’s still over 300 years old. If anything I’d recommend this to older teens and adults. I can see both enjoying this title.

I can honestly say that I didn’t know quiet what to expect when it came to this title. The religious aspect of the story was a bit more than I had imagined, but in the end it didn’t change what I thought or felt about the characters, the story or the book as a whole.( I’m not a religious person at all) By the end of the book, with the turn of the last page, I wasn’t ready for the story between Lindsey and Aiden to end. Lucky for me, Tefft is writing a sequel that I’m already eagerly waiting for. If you are looking for something totally different and ready to shed a few tears, don’t mind the added aspects of religion, then this is the perfect ready for you.

FTC Disclaimer: I did NOT pay for this book, nor have I been compensated at all in any way or means for reading and writing this HONEST review.

Synopsis: It just figures that the love of Lindsey Water's life isn't alive at all, but the grim reaper, complete with a dimpled smile and Scottish accent.

After transporting souls to heaven for the last 300 years, Aiden MacRae has all but given up on finding the one whose love will redeem him and allow him entry through the pearly gates.

Torn between her growing attraction to Aiden and heaven's siren song, Lindsey must learn the hard way whether love really can transcend all boundaries.


Check out my review for Between Tomorrow!

How did you come up with the idea for Between?

I wanted to write a good versus evil story, but I thought angels and demons were overdone. So I started mulling over other ways to bring heaven into the equation without making the character an angel. The Transporter idea allowed me the flexibility to create a whole realm between heaven and earth where I could make up the rules.

I’m also a sucker for a good love story, so anything I write has to be heavy on the romance. I’d been reading Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series and fell in love with Scotland, so that’s why the hero is Aiden MacRae, a Scot from the 18^th century!

What was your favorite part of writing Between?

I loved talking through ‘what if’ scenarios with my friends and family as the scenes were taking shape in my head. They’d get really into it, though strangely enough, my hubby always dreamed up bad things to happen to Aiden. Ha! I’d go on walks along the waterfront during my lunch break at work and puzzle out where the story should go next.

Of course, the best part of writing (to me) is when a reader gets excited about your book and falls in love with the characters. Nothing tops that!

Would you be able to share with us a favorite line or two from the book?

I was suddenly reminded of exactly what I’d wanted to do with him on the picnic blanket. I jerked back from him, my cheeks aflame.

“You don’t hear all my thoughts, do you?”

He threw his head back with an uproarious laugh and I narrowed my eyes in my most menacing glare, which made him laugh harder. “Gracious, woman, what kind of thoughts have you been thinking that you don’t want me to know?” His eyes danced with naughtiness and I turned away from him in an embarrassed huff. He reached out and grabbed my arm, pulling me easily to him.

If you could host a lunch for three or four other authors and their characters, who would those authors and characters be?

Without a doubt, it would be the cast of Outlander (author Diana Gabaldon and the most delicious Jamie Fraser).

I’d like to meet Richelle Mead and her characters from the Vampire Academy series (though I’d like it best if I had some supernatural powers, too).

Of course, who wouldn’t want to meet the Harry Potter and Twilight characters in person (if only to compare them to their movie star counterparts)? I share Ronald Weasley’s petrifying fear of spiders, so we’d have that in common to talk about. And I want to know what Edward really smells like (almond, sunlight, vanilla, honey?). C’mon, glamour me!

Can you tell us a bit about your experience with being self-published?

There are definitely pros and cons to going this route. You get to be in control of everything (which is good) but you have to be in control of everything (which is bad)! I love that I was able to choose the title and cover for my book, which is not always the case for traditionally published authors. On the other hand, I don’t have an expert team of editors, formatting gurus, web designers and salespeople backing me up. It’s all up to me.

There is a ton of information online about self-publishing, but it takes hours to weed through it. And even then, so much of the process is trial and error. It’s not for the faint of heart, but it definitely has its rewards.

Do you have any must haves for writing? (ie, snacks, drink, setting, etc.)

Brian Crain’s piano music was always playing in the background. I must have listened to his album, Sienna, at least 1,578,756 times (give or take)! I usually wrote on my laptop in the living room on the couch, though sometimes I would retreat to the bedroom if I needed some peace and quiet. I work a full-time job, so I wrote in the evenings and on the weekends.

I try not to snack while writing because I am so focused on the story that anything I put in my mouth would be empty calories. I love Diet Pepsi and always had a glass of that at my side, though!

Would you be able to tell us anything about projects you’re currently working on?

After the launch of Between, I will jump into finishing the sequel, Hell Transporter. The first draft is about a third of the way done already, but I haven’t looked at it in a while. I’m excited about spending more time with Aiden and Lindsey, and fleshing out the next chapter for them!

Lastly, are there any tips, tricks or advice you could give to anyone looking into self-publishing?

It’s tempting to just slap together a quick cover just to get the story out there, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that a cover is the most critical piece of your packaging. You want it to be the absolute best that it can be. It may the only chance you have at grabbing a reader’s attention.

Hire someone to create the cover for you if you’re not a graphic artist. I used Woulds & Shoulds Editing and Design and I’m thrilled with how they took my idea and turned it into something amazing. In some Waiting on Wednesday blog posts, followers have commented that they can’t wait to read it based on the cover alone!

It was great having you here today Cyndi! Thanks so much for stopping by. We hope you’ll visit with us again soon.

Thanks for having me on the blog!

Find Cyndi Online:

Blog | Twitter | Facebook

Don't forget to check back tomorrow for my review of Between!

Title: Dead Iron (Age of Steam, #1)
Author: Devon Monk
Publisher: ROC Trade, 352 Pages (July 5th, 2011)
 
Synopsis: Welcome to a new America that is built on blood, sweat, and gears...
 
In steam age America, men, monsters, machines, and magic battle for the same scrap of earth and sky. In this chaos, bounty hunter Cedar Hunt rides, cursed by lycanthropy and carrying the guilt of his brother's death. Then he's offered hope that his brother may yet survive. All he has to do is find the Holder: a powerful device created by mad devisers-and now in the hands of an ancient Strange who was banished to walk this Earth.

In a land shaped by magic, steam, and iron, where the only things a man can count on are his guns, gears, and grit, Cedar will have to depend on all three if he's going to save his brother and reclaim his soul once and for all...

ENTER TO WIN ONE FINISHED

COPY OF DEAD IRON!!

Here's the rules and how to enter... don't worry, it's super easy!

Fill out the form for your entry to count
You must be at least 18 years old to enter
This giveaway is open to US residents only.
Giveaway ends: July 16th, 2011

A huge Thank You goes out to Penguin/ROC for offering the copy to giveaway.

Thanks to everyone who enters and good luck to each of you. As always winners will be chosen via random.org. If you have any questions be sure to check my policy page or feel free to email.