Sunday, May 29, 2011

Melissa Garrett

Melissa Luznicky Garrett is an author of adult and young adult novels. She lives in upstate New York with her husband, three children, and numerous animals. Melissa is currently hard at work on her next project.


Here is a bit about her novel, Turning Point:
She recalled her mother’s warning: Bad things always happen to nice girls like you.


Convinced a fresh start is all she needs to escape the problems at home, seventeen-year-old Jenna Lyons runs away in the middle of the night. But when her car breaks down on the outskirts of La Grange, Missouri, population less than a thousand, she gets sucked into the small town, and one family in particular. Jenna discovers there’s a liar in La Grange, and he’s deceived everyone. Now she must decide whether to run away from the truth, or blow his secret wide open. 

*Although this book is marketed to young adults, it is better suited for the older YA crowd.*

“TURNING POINT is a YA thriller that will rock your socks, young or old. You should add it to your wish list immediately. I recommend it to anyone who loves stories that expose hidden secrets.” ~ Tegan Allen, review on Goodreads

The Spirit Keeper synopsis: After her mother and grandparents die in a raging house fire, eleven-year-old Sarah Redbird ends up in the custody of her aunt and uncle. Six years later, Sarah discovers the fire may not have been an accident at all, but a deliberate act of revenge.

Sarah’s family has kept the truth of their Native American heritage secret her entire life, refusing to acknowledge where they came from. But when a family that has direct ties to their past moves to town, Sarah’s true identity is revealed.

What Sarah soon learns is that some secrets are better left unspoken.

“THE SPIRIT KEEPER is powerful, dreamy, and truly gripping. Garrett definitely knows how to weave mystery and magic.” Natalie Allan, author of Walking Through Darkness

"In THE SPIRIT KEEPER, Garrett has masterfully created a captivating story with characters that readers truly care about. Take a journey with a seemingly-ordinary girl who discovers she's part of an extraordinary world of untold powers." Lauren Loiacono, book enthusiast.



Melissa's books can be found at these retailers (among others):

And Melissa can be reached here:

Author of Adult and Young Adult Novels











Kristie Cook


Kristie Cook is not only an author but also a mother of three and a business owner who lives in Southwest Florida. As an air force brat she has lived all over the country and in Germany. Besides her family and writing of course, she enjoys reading, cooking, the beach, and traveling.

Her first paranormal novel for adults, Promise, released in the Summer of 2010 and just recently re-released with a fabulous new cover and new content. The sequel, Purpose, is also available and the third book is coming soon. Learn more about Kristie and her novels here.



A bit about Promise:

Alexis Ames has a life full of promise…but not all promises can be kept.

1st Place - 2010 Royal Palm Literary Award - Fantasy (Published) by Florida Writers Association

"An exciting and fascinating fantasy of demons and angels, highly recommended" - Midwest Book Review

"Promise is a book bursting at the seams - with an ending that'll leave you wanting more." - L. Reeves, A Life Bound by Books

"...completely blown away by the writing, story line, and characters..." - Jessica, Total Bookaholic

When Alexis Ames is attacked by creatures that can’t be real, she decides it’s time she learns who she really is, with or without the help of her mother, who guards their family’s secrets closely. After meeting the inhumanly attractive, multi-talented Tristan Knight, however, Alexis retreats behind her façade of normalcy…until she discovers he’s not exactly normal either. Then their secrets begin to unravel.

Their union brings hope and promise to her family’s secret society, the Angels’ army, and to the future of mankind. But it also incites a dangerous pursuit by the enemy – Satan’s minions and Tristan’s creators. After all, Alexis and Tristan are a match made in Heaven and in Hell.

"It had me up late at night to 'just read another chapter'" - Author Jessica Bell

"I would recommend this to anyone who has read Christine Feehan's Carpathian novels." - P.A. Fleming

Karlene Petitt

Karlene Petitt is published with JetStar publishing.

Karlene is a commercial pilot who travels the world on a daily basis. No matter what time zone she's in though she always finds time for her husband, kids, and friends. Her experience as a pilot gives her a unique inside perspective into her aviation based writing.


Karlene's first novel, an aviation thriller, Flight For Control, is now available in hardback, paperback, and eBook.
AmazonB&N 

Here is a bit about Flight For Control:

After a ten-year leave, Kathryn Jacobs has been invited back to the N.T.S.B to investigate a series of unexplained airline crashes. But her husband, Captain Bill Jacobs, has his concerns. While her twin daughters are off at camp, and Bill is actively campaigning for the Pilot Union Presidency, Kathryn secretly begins her investigation. What she learns will shock the nation.

Flight For Control is a thriller that reads like a mystery. But to Kathryn, there is no mystery on the condition of the airline industry—it’s broken. Planes are crashing. Pensions are lost. Pilots are financially and emotionally bankrupt due to fatigue, furloughs, and loss of seniority. It’s time that someone takes control before it’s too late—unless it already is.

Your life is in your pilot’s hands. Do you know who’s flying your plane?

Karen Hooper

Karen’s debut YA fantasy novel, Tangled Tides, was released by Rhemalda Publishing, and her newest book, Grasping at Eternity will be released in May of 2012.

Karen was born and bred in Baltimore, frolicked and froze in Colorado for a couple of years and is currently sunning and splashing around Florida with her two beloved dogs. She's addicted to coffee, chocolate and complicated happily-ever-afters. Due to her strong Disney upbringing, she still believes in fairytales and will forever sprinkle magic throughout all of her novels.

She co-founded a teen focused blog with some other awesome YA authors: YA Confidential and is grateful to be part of another talented group of authors called the Indelibles.

Author Website: http://www.karenamandahooper.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/Karen_Hooper

Tangled Tides is the story if a human girl turned mermaid who discovers she is the only soul who can save a world of sea creatures.

“Adventure, family secrets, and sizzling romance. I couldn’t put it down!” ~Rae Carson, THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS.

“This novel does for mermaids what Twilight did for vampires.” ~Addison Moore, the CELESTRA series.

You can buy Tangled Tides at: Amazon, Rhemalda Bookstore, Barnes & Noble

Judith Graves

Judith Graves is published with Leap Books.

She reads as much as she writes, devouring at least two books a week. She loves heated debates over character motives...she's been kicked out of several book clubs for just this reason. With her faithful sidekick at her feet--that'd be, Willow, a yellow lab--Judith remains unfazed by book club drama and is furiously writing more paranormal stories. Which hopefully, you'll read.

Working in a school library, Judith is surrounded by children's and young adult literature (there's no escape!). She fosters the joy of reading in students and staff at her school. She helps out with the school choir and drama club. If it has to do with words or music, Judith is around. A singer/songwriter for more than 10 years, Judith often writes songs about her characters--since they are beasties of the night, this makes for interesting listening.


You can find Judith's books here:

Judith's books include Under My Skin, Second Skin, and Spirited

Here is a bit about her first novel, Under My Skin:

All her parents wanted was for Eryn to live a normal life...

Redgrave had its share of monsters before Eryn moved to town. Mauled pets, missing children. The Delacroix family is taking the blame, but Eryn knows the truth. Something stalks the night. Wade, the police chief's son and Redgrave High's resident hottie, warns her the Delacroix are dangerous. But then so is Eryn--in fact, she's lethal.

But she can't help falling for one of the Delacroix boys, dark, brooding--human Alec. And then her world falls apart.

A normal life? Now that's the real fairytale.

Heather McCorkle

Heather McCorkle is published with Compass Press.

She is an author of fantasy, in all its many sub-genres. Helping other writers and supporting authors is one of her many passions. When she's not writing or surfing her social networking sites, she can be found on the slopes, the hiking trails, or on horseback. As a native Oregonian, she enjoys the outdoors almost as much as the worlds she creates on the pages. No need to travel to the Great Northwest though, you can find her on her blog and Monday night's on Twitter where she co-moderates the #WritersRoad chat with her editor and good friend TS Tate.

Author of the paranormal Earth-conscious channeler series for teens and up: Born of Fire (FREE novella), Fire With Fire (novella), The Secret of Spruce Knoll, Channeler's Choice, Rise of a Rector. The historical fantasy for older teens and up, To Ride A Puca, and the epic fantasy for older teens and up The Dragon Empire. Heather also has stories in the following anthologies: In His Eyes (FREE) and Winter Wonders. Coming soon, the epic fantasy for new adults and up, The First Dragonwatcher.



You find Heather's books at:

You can find Heather at:
And her design site:

Halli Lilburn

Born in Edmonton, AB, Halli Dee Lilburn was a writer from the beginning, but didn’t take notice until her journals overflowed her shelves. She now resides in southern Alberta with her husband, three children, two cats and a German shepherd. She works at the local library.

She has works published in Canada’s History, Canadian Stories, Poetry Quarterly, Seeding the Snow, Grey Sparrow Journal and SPIRITED ghost stories anthology by Leap Books. Her novel SHIFTERS is published through Imajin Books.

She is a gardener, artist, photographer, seamstress, poet, genealogist, and singer. She can pick up spiders, handle the sight of blood, subdue aggressive dogs, and make a mean grilled cheese. She can also keep her sanity. Most of the time. You can find Halli at the following links:

Elle Strauss

Elle Strauss writes time travel and merfolk chic-lit, light SF and historical YA fiction. She's married with four kids and two cats. When not writing, she's reading, hanging out with friends and family, and sometimes traveling. She lives in the beautiful Okanagan Valley, famous for beaches and vineyards.

You can find Elle's books here (among other places):

Her debut young adult fantasy, Clockwise, released this September! 

A bit about Clockwise:

Boy watching with her best friend would be enough excitement for fifteen year old Casey Donavan. She doesn't even mind life at the bottom of the Cambridge High social ladder, if only she didn’t have this other much bigger problem. Unscheduled trips to the nineteenth century!

When Casey gets talked into going to the Fall Dance, the unthinkable happens--she accidentally takes Nate Mackenzie, the cutest boy in the school, back in time. Protocol pressures her to tell their 1860 hosts that he is her brother and when Casey finds she has a handsome, wealthy (and unwanted) suitor, something changes in Nate. Are those romantic sparks or is it just ‘brotherly’ protectiveness?

When they return to the present things go back to the way they were before: Casey at the bottom of the social totem pole and Nate practically the flag flying from the top. Except this time her heart is broken. Plus, her best friend is mad, her parents are split up, and her little brother gets escorted home by the police. The only thing that could make life worse is if, by some strange twist of fate, she took Nate back to the past again.

Which, of course, she does.

Eisley Jacobs

Eisley Jacobs lives in Denver, Colorado with her three children and husband.
Eisley actively writes the characters that stroll through her head. The first YA Novel she completed was in high school, but some how got lost in the shuffle into real life. While studying at college, stories began to plague her mind and she tried her best to keep them at bay while she did more important things like... like... who are we kidding. Her grades suffered because the voices wouldn't stop. So instead of going insane, she wrote.
In 2010, a blue dragon named Deglan interfered in her attempts to finish the final book in the YA series and thus BORN TO BE A DRAGON was hatched. The novel was written in less than two months and almost a year after completion, has found a home on Amazon and in the hearts of many children.
Now, with the second book in the DRAGONS FOREVER series out, BLINK OF A DRAGON, she is working on other middle grade and young adult novels all while trying to keep up with the fan base for DRAGONS FOREVER. To learn more about Eisley and her novels click here.

A bit about Born To Be A Dragon:
Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup…

This is what Lord Edric wants you to believe. He will do anything in his power to see that humans never come in contact with dragons again. However, he doesn't plan for Meia, the foster child who dreams of dragons, believing they are real. Or Deglan, the ten-year-old dragon who bears the ancient mark that threatens everything Lord Edric has worked for.

Join these two unlikely friends as they discover the truth behind a legend so extraordinary it will alter each of their lives… forever.

Available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and a book store near you!


A bit about Blink of a Dragon:
Discovering Meia’s tied to the dragons is one thing, but when a rival dragon is caught hanging out in the fifth grade, Meia knows things couldn’t get any worse. Is she ever wrong!

Trouble is brewing in the cosmos, but Deglan can’t put his claw on why. That is, until the leader of the exiled dark dragons abumshes them and takes everyone captive.
The fate of the dragons and possibly the whole world falls to Deglan and Meia when they escape to search for the only creature powerful enough to send the dark dragons back into the abyss.
What they encounter along the way will make this adventure worth fighting for.
Available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and a book store near you!

Ebony McKenna

Ebony McKenna lives in Melbourne, Australia with her husband and young son.

She has worked as a journalist, market researcher, website editor, and company director. She also waitressed, cleaned and prepared food in her family's restaurant when she was a teenager.

In high school McKenna excelled in English and Literature, earning herself a place in the journalism course at Melbourne's RMIT University.

In the 1990s she worked as a journalist on many leading Melbourne newspapers. She won many awards - including scooping first and second place in the one night for best news report. By day she wrote other people's stories, but by night she plotted epic adventures.

Now she writes novels for a living.

"The Ondine books are a sparkling combination of romance and magic – perfect for teen girls. Written with genuine humour and unique eccentricity, the series is an obvious choice for fans of The Princess Bride and Ella Enchanted.

Ebony McKenna is a fantastically imaginative author whose scope and story-telling encompasses the bizarre, the mysterious and the romantic." 

Her novels:

Dawn Dalton

Dawn Dalton started writing at the age of 8 upon discovering writing about monsters was way less scary than looking for them under her bed. She's still leery of things that go bump in the night, but thinks her storytelling skills have improved. Dawn lives in Canada with her husband, stepdaughter and three bullmastiffs. You know, just skulking around.

Her haunting story, THREAD OF THE PAST, is included in the Spirited anthology published by Leap Books (2011).

You can find Dawn on her Blog and on Twitter as @dawn_dalton

About the SPIRITED Anthology:

Haunted houses. Haunted hearts.  And a past that refuses to die.
Spirited, a haunting collection of 13 tales guaranteed to keep you up all night.

THREAD OF THE PAST – By Dawn Dalton

Letitia Hawke is used to feeling invisible and the only thing that makes her senior dance bearable is the location – one of the most haunted houses in the country. The Tish makes an unexpected connection with Elijah and it’s bye-bye wallflower, hello gothic rose. Too bad the Franklin House is a jealous host.

Dawn also writes adult thriller and paranormal fiction under the last name IUS. For more information, please visit her blog.

Christine Fonseca

In addition to writing books related to giftedness, Christine Fonseca writes novels for teens. Her debut YA Gothic series, The Requiem Series, examines the role of redemption and sacrifice. The prequel novella, DIES IRAE, will be available in digital format by Compass Press in Feb. 2012, followed by the first novel in the series, LACRIMOSA (Compass Press, March 2012).

Christine lives in Southern California with her husband and daughters. When she's not helping adolescents deal with the transition to adulthood, or spending time with her family, she can be found sipping a skinny vanilla latte at her favorite coffee house, writing her next book.

Here is a bit about Lacrimosa:

It’s been three thousand years since the fall of Azzaziel and the rebirth of evil; three thousand years since the Sentinal Order, an elite group of warrior angels, returned to Celestium. Their job—rid Earth of the dark creatures, the UnHoly. And with luck, end Azza’s rule.

As if casting out demons isn’t hard enough, five-hundred-year-old Nesy has to masquerade as a teenage girl to do it. Nesy is the best of the Sentinals. She never makes mistakes, never hesitates, never gets emotionally involved. Until she meets Aydan.

He is evil incarnate; a fallen angel that feeds off the souls of others. Everything Nesy is supposed to hate. But she can’t, because he’s also the love of her former life as a human girl—a life that ended too soon, tying her to emotions she was never supposed to feel.

Now Nesy must choose between doing her duty—damning Aydan to the fiery depths of hell—or saving him, and condemning herself. And her choice may cost her, and Celestium, far more than anyone realizes.

You can find Christine's novels here (among other retailers):