NAked with Kimberly Chase

1. Who are you and what should we know about you in 50 words or less?

 

            I write new adult science fiction and I'm represented by Brittany Howard of the Corvisiero Literary Agency. I hold a Bachelor's degree in Aeronautical Science, which basically means I'm a geek that loves flying airplanes.             Naturally, I tend to write about aviation, hot flight instructors, and—let's not forget—kissing!

 

2. Which one: chocolate or bacon?

That's a terrible decision to have to make. How could I possibly choose? Chocolate bacon, maybe?

 

3. What is the name of your book and what is it about in 50 words or less?

The Apollo Academy out 8.6.13:

Eighteen-year-old Aurora Titon's dream to reach the stars becomes possible when she's accepted to train as a pilot-astronaut at the Apollo Academy. Everything seems perfect except her unreciprocated crush on a fellow student, the sexy astronaut bent on making her life hell, and the fact that someone keeps trying to kill her.

 

Add it on GoodReads here.

 

4. Tell us your main character's name and 3 adjectives that describe him/her. (If you have multiple main characters, do this for each).

Aurora: Determined. Shy. Thrill-seeker.

Zane: Intelligent. Dark. Mysterious.

Sky: Hot. Arrogant. Pilot.

 

5. Please share with us an excerpt of 150-200 words from your book.

Random Passages:

"There was only one place Aurora Titon ever felt free and in control--the cockpit. It didn't matter what she flew or what the destination was, only how her wings sliced through the air."

 

"The kiss was like every other experience she'd had with Sky. Demanding. Intense. Bruising. They made out like they were going to war, their lips caught in a desperate battle against one another."

 

"They flew like homesick angels as they tore their way up through the night above them, pressed firmly back in their seats."

 

"Zane’s heart raced and he didn’t think it had anything to do with the fact that he was about to jump from fifteen-thousand feet. Aurora, the girl he’d met the night before at Beat, the one he couldn’t stop thinking about, actually volunteered to jump first. He felt a sudden urge to stop her, but it was too late."

 

"If someone was trying to kill her—and from her most recent experience she could say they definitely were—why the obsession with asphyxiation?"

 

Follow me on:

 

 

Please visit my website at: www.kimberlypchase.com!

 

So there you have it- a geeky-cool-sexy NA like nothing else on the market. I'm super excited for it. Stay tuned for the cover reveal next month!

 

xoxo,

 

Lucy

 

Cover Reveal: Indelible by Bethany Lopez

Title: Indelible
Author: Bethany Lopez
Expected release date: July 9, 2013
Genre: Contemporary
Age Group: New Adult
Cover Designed by : B Design alliebbooks.wordpress.com – Photo by Kelsey Kukal-Keeton
Cover reveal organized by: AToMR Tours

Book Description:
After a year of partying, Sam decides to buckle down and focus on college. Things are going great until a one-night stand leaves her pregnant and alone. Raising a child while going to school isn’t easy, but Sam is determined to be strong for her daughter. She doesn’t have time for guys or relationships, and takes great care to protect her child and her heart.

Judd doesn’t fit the mold of a college ballplayer. His long hair and tattoos may fit the life he’s created for himself, but baseball is the one thing he takes seriously. When he meets Sam, he’s immediately drawn to her curves and refusal to put up with his crap. When Judd learns the truth, can he handle the responsibility that comes with loving a single mother?

Sam yearns for the fire that Judd fuels in her, but her child’s needs have to come first. Can two people at different stages in their life find a way to make a life together?

Author Bio:
Bethany Lopez began self-publishing in June 2011. Since then she has published various YA and NA books. She is a lover of romance, family, and friends, and enjoys incorporating those things in what she writes. When she isn't reading or writing, she loves spending time with her husband and children, traveling whenever possible.

Author social media links:
IAN - http://www.independentauthornetwork.com/bethany-lopez.html

Webpage - www.bethanylopez.blogspot.com

Twitter - https://twitter.com/#!/BethanyLopez2

Facebook - http://on.fb.me/LypEaO

Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/bethanylopez2/

Sneak Peek: Epiphany by Christina Jean Michels

Title: Epiphany
Author: Christina Jean Michaels
Genre: Contemporary/romantic suspense
Age Group: New Adult/Adult
Expected release date: July 19, 2013
Event organized by: AToMR Tours
First three chapters on Goodreads until release date:

Book Description:

“I had my first psychic dream when I was nine. Psychic implied power, and powerful wasn’t a word I’d use to describe myself. I couldn’t foretell the future or conjure visions at will, but I couldn’t think of a more fitting word to describe what I sometimes saw in my dreams.”

For 23-year-old Mackenzie Hill, tossing her life down the garbage disposal is easy after a painful incident shatters her life. Her heart is bleeding, and moving to Watcher’s Point is a chance to start anew, only she isn’t prepared for the guy who walks out of her dreams and into the flesh. Literally . . . because she’s been dreaming about this sexy stranger for years.

Mackenzie is even less prepared to face the dark nature of her dreams. They’ve turned disturbingly gruesome, full of blood and murder, and when they begin to coincide with the media’s headlines, she and Aidan realize her visions might be the key to stopping a madman from killing again.

Only Aidan has painful secrets of his own, and perhaps the biggest danger of all is falling for him.

About the Author

Christina Jean Michaels was born in Paradise, California, but she has found the true home of her heart in Eugene, Oregon where she finds plenty of inspiration for storytelling. 

When she was young, her mother said she hated words. Now she can't imagine not writing. She became an avid reader when she was thirteen and discovered the world of Sweet Valley High. About a year later she realized she could play God and write about her own characters. She has been writing in some form ever since.

She lives with her husband and their four children—three rambunctious UFC/wrestling-loving boys and one girl who steals everyone’s attention. 

Prologue

I awoke in murky stages, the first being a nauseating sense of movement. The second was the realization that something was wrong. Horribly wrong. The third was the clearest and the most horrifying—my wrists were tied together, as were my ankles.

A low groan vibrated in my throat as I pulled at the bindings. Despite the persistent throb at my temples, I focused on the misty recollections; the wafting fog on the highway, the beam of a flashlight, and the splintering sound of glass.

I forced my eyes open and met total blackness. My cheek rested against the floor of what I assumed was a van, and a putrid smell burned my nose—an odorous mixture of mildew and bleach. I held my breath as the vehicle bounced over uneven ground, and my ribs hit the floor hard with each lurch.

Where the heck am I?

My heart beat out of control as I tried to remember, but I drew a blank. I couldn’t recall anything beyond a blinding light and an explosion of pain in my head . . . then nothing.

“Don’t panic,” I chanted in a whisper as I tested the rope. Come on! I slid my wrists back and forth, and the knot loosened the slightest bit as the van came to a violent stop. The engine shut off, and I didn’t dare move or make a peep. A door creaked open and then slammed with an echo. I ceased to breathe as his footfalls drew closer, crunching on gravel with each step. I counted them.

One, two, three, four, five . . .

Keys jingled from the other side, and the handle squeaked and turned. The van dipped under his weight as he entered. I wished I could see him, but I was lying on my stomach . . . completely vulnerable.

“Where am I?” It wasn’t the question I wanted to ask—the one I could barely think of.

What are you going to do to me?

My body went rigid as he came near. He rolled me to my back with rough hands, and his silhouette loomed large, a dark shadow blocking the soft light of the waning moon. He shifted, causing the moon’s beam to glint off the cigarette lighter in his hand.

“No . . .” My plea came out a squeak, an ineffectual cry for mercy. I was only an object to him, something to torture and kill for his perverse pleasure.

I squeezed my eyes shut and yanked at the rope, ignoring the pain biting into my wrists. Hysteria wouldn’t help my situation, so I held it in. In fact, from what I knew of the Hangman, my cries and pleas would only heighten his pleasure . . . his arousal. Vomit burned in my throat, accompanying the rancid taste of fear, but I forced my eyes open anyway.

He sparked the lighter to life, and the flame illuminated his face. His eyes peered at me, two expressionless voids holding no remorse for what he’d done to all of those other women.

For what he was about to do to me.

His expression was so empty—distorted into something unrecognizable—that it took me a few seconds to realize who towered over me. I couldn’t comprehend what I was seeing.

“Why?” My voice broke on the question, but he didn’t answer. A tear slid down my cheek as acceptance nicked at my composure. I wasn’t getting out of this. Aidan would find my body—I didn’t know how I knew, but I did. The bastard would dangle my death in front of him like a trophy. A muffled sob escaped. Not panicking was impossible.

For all the times I’d witnessed the murders of other women in my dreams, I’d failed to see my own.

Trailer Reveal: Catching Liam by Sophia Bleu

Another exciting post for us today as we reveal the trailer for our own Sophia Bleu's upcoming romance, Catching Liam. Need a refresher about the book? Well, here you go:

Twenty-one year-old Jillian Nichols only has one rule when it comes to boys: catch and release.

Boy-catching isn't just a game for Jillian and her friends, it's a lifestyle. After all, boys might be good for a dance or a drink and certainly a little under-cover action of the scandalous variety, but expect much else and you're bound for heart ache.

So when her best friends and fellow boy catchers start dropping like flies junior year, Jillian is determined to keep boys in her bedroom and out of her heart. Until she meets Liam McAvoy, the kind of guy that sticks around to make waffles and who can't—or perhaps won't—take a hint.

Study abroad student Liam doesn't want to be another notch on Jillian's bedpost. Actually he has much more interesting ideas for Jillian and her bedposts, but his student visa's set expiration date means he can't promise her forever. That doesn't mean he's going to walk away from the challenge of discovering why Jillian is hell-bent at keeping people at a distance.

Before long, neither is sure who is catching who—or if they're playing for keeps. Jillian knows one thing though: falling in love will not only break the only rule of boy-catching, it could also break her heart.

And here's the trailer. We love it and know you will too!

Another Blog Post Defining New Adult Plus a Giveaway

As the title of this post implies, there have been quite a few bloggers who have discussed and defined the New Adult category in recent months. Even our own Tamara Mataya spoke briefly about it in this blog's introductory post.

But it hasn't been talked about by me yet, and certainly not in reference to my book, Fixed on You (out June 24th, shameless plug), so now you get another epistle.

Let me begin by posting a few definitions from some well-known sources.

“The Transition from child to adult doesn’t happen overnight--just ask as anyone who is or has been (or is a parent to) a teenager. But the transition from teen to adult doesn’t happen overnight either. There’s a period of time where adulthood feels like a new pair of shoes. The expectations of independence and self-sufficiency are still new, still being broken in. New Adults are the people who have just begun to walk in those shoes; New Adult fiction is about their blisters and aches.” -from Kristan Hoffman, winner of St. Martin's Press New Adult Contest

 "Protagonists generally fall between the ages of eighteen and twenty-six, though exceptions may apply. NA characters are often portrayed experiencing: college, living away from home for the first time, military deployment, apprenticeships, a first steady job, a first serious relationship, etc." -NA Alley: What is New Adult

"New Adult (NA) fiction is a developing genre of fiction with protagonists in the 18-25 age bracket. The term was first coined by St. Martin's Press in 2009 when they held a special call for “…fiction similar to YA that can be published and marketed as adult—a sort of an ‘older YA’ or ‘new adult’.” New Adult fiction tends to focus on issues such as leaving home, developing sexuality, and negotiating education and career choices." -Wikipedia

Here's the thing. I started writing Fixed on You last fall with no thought to New Adult or regular Adult or any of that. I simply had these characters that were floating around in my head and I wanted to put them down on paper. When I was finished, one of my critique partners said, "Oh, you wrote a New Adult book!" And another of my critique partners said, "This is not New Adult. No way."

Let's take a look and see what the difference in opinion may be. My main character, Alayna Withers begins the book on the eve of her MBA graduation. She's twenty-six years old. She's swamped with student loans. She's beginning her career. She has never had a successful relationship with a man. She's cut off from her family and hence alone for the first time.

So far, we have a New Adult book, right? Fresh out of school, dealing with new adult issues. Alayna's possibly a little two old for the age range, but total new adult.

Except the main man in the book is not a new adult at all. He's Hudson Pierce, a twenty-nine year old business genius in the likes of Christian Gray, Gideon Cross, and Ethan Blackstone. And the issues that Alayna and Hudson deal with are not related to any of the new adult elements in Alayna's life.

Where does that leave me classifying this book? New Adult or Adult? I've seen Naked by Raine Miller and Fifty Shades of Gray by E.L. James and Bared to You by Sylvia Day all classified as New Adult in one place or another. Take a look at the greatest New Adult Books lists on Goodreads and you'll find them all there.If you are one of those people who considers these books New Adult, then I think you'll put Fixed on You there too.

Truthfully, I wouldn't care about this except that so many things you have to fill out as an author require you to label your book. You have to put keywords in Amazon, you have to describe your book on Goodreads and to your blog tour host. So I have to call my book something!

Therefore I'm calling it New Adult Crossover/Adult Romance. Because that's as good as I can get. It has elements of New Adult, but it has an Adult theme. How's that for compromise?

And since you sat through all that which was basically me rationalizing anything I ever say about what category Fixed on You fits in, here's a giveaway! It's actually a 2 weeks until release giveaway, but right now I'm so excited about the impending birth of my book that I'll celebrate anything. Enter and pass it on!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Release Event: For Everly by Raine Thomas plus Giveaway

Title: For Everly
Author: Raine Thomas
Publisher: Iambe Books, LLC
Release date: May 27, 2013
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Group: New Adult
Event organized by: AToMR Tours
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17835522-for-everly 

Book Description:
Determined to overcome a dark and tragic past, college student Everly Wallace is only months away from earning her degree in physical therapy. She’s consumed with school, caring for her ailing grandfather, and figuring out how to pay the next bill. The last thing she wants is a relationship, but it just might be the one thing she needs.

Major League pitcher Cole Parker hasn’t fought for anything in his life. He went from a privileged upbringing to a multimillion dollar All-Star career. But when his pitching shoulder starts to give him trouble at only twenty-four years old, he faces the possibility of his injury becoming public knowledge and costing him everything.

In a desperate bid to save his career, Cole decides to hire someone to treat his injury, someone who will keep things off the record and out of the media. He finds the perfect solution in Everly. As mysterious as she is beautiful, she provides an enticing distraction from his pain. Soon, physical therapy is the last thing on his mind.

When an act of betrayal brings the truths they both fear to light, Cole will have to fight for the first time in his life…not just for his career, but for Everly’s love.

Want more? Here's an excerpt.

“I know you’re not seeking any romantic connections right now, Everly,” Wyatt interrupted, giving Cole a quelling look. “We’re here in a strictly professional capacity.”

Now she looked more at ease. “I see. Are you seeking a consultation over Cole’s rotator cuff injury?”

Cole stiffened. He glared at Wyatt.

“I haven’t told her a thing,” Wyatt said with raised palms.

“You didn’t have to say anything,” she said with a shrug, leaning back against Rowan’s desk. Her keen gaze met Cole’s. “I noticed that you favored your left hand throughout your meal, using it to drink, eat, and bring your napkin to your mouth, but you’re a right-handed pitcher. And just now, when you moved to clear space on the couch, you stopped breathing and swallowed hard when you moved your right arm, telling me you’re hiding pain and have a reduced range of motion.”

His mouth opened over her observations. He looked again at Wyatt. His brother gave him a look that said, See?

“But how do you know it’s a rotator cuff injury?” Cole asked. Could other people see what she did? If so, he was so screwed.

“That, I’ll admit, was an educated guess based on your age and profession,” she answered. “I’ve only observed your symptoms and haven’t done any scans or tests to confirm. You’ll want to rule out bursitis, tendonitis, adhesive capsulitis, and other possible causes of your shoulder pain, of course.”

Despite what he’d seen this evening and his brother’s assurances, Cole was surprised by Everly’s quick assessment. She looked like she should be out club-hopping, not spouting medical jargon with such an intent expression on her face.

He also realized, since she knew his profession, that she had known who he was the moment she saw him. So why hadn’t she mentioned that before now? Maybe she wasn’t a fan.

“We’ve had scans done,” Wyatt said. “X-rays, an MRI—the whole load.”

He moved over to the desk. Everly stepped to the side as Wyatt reached over to retrieve the large manila envelope resting there. She hit Cole’s leg and nearly toppled onto his lap. Out of instinct, he reached out to help her maintain her balance. His hands ended up on her nicely shaped rear end.

She sprung away like a gazelle fleeing a lion. When she turned to look at him, he realized her cheeks were nearly as red as her hair. Her reaction went a long way toward putting him back on an even keel.

“I don’t bite,” he said with a grin. “Come and have a seat.”

He patted the cushion beside him. She looked at it warily, then moved her gaze to him. He patted the cushion again. Her lips moved on a whispered comment of some kind as she stepped around his legs and sat down. It was a small victory, but he felt better.

When he turned to look at her, he caught her scent, a unique fragrance that reminded him of whipped vanilla cream and frosted wildberries. She met his gaze. The combination of her nearness, her scent, and the cautious look in her lovely eyes had his whole body reacting.

Oh, this was such a bad idea. 

The author is hosting a Release Giveaway of (2) signed paperbacks of For Everly, a custom For Everly inspired bracelet worth $35, and a $10 Amazon Gift Card. This is open to the U.S. and Canada. Following your blog is an extra +2 entry option on the giveaway. Please use the below Rafflecopter code to offer the giveaway. You will need to copy/paste the code into the HTML tab when creating a post.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author
Raine Thomas is the award-winning author of a series of YA Fantasy/Romance novels about the Estilorian plane, including the Daughters of Saraqael Trilogy and the Firstborn Trilogy, and a New Adult Contemporary Romance, For Everly. She is a proud member of Romance Writers of America and is a contributing blogger to The Writer's Voice. When she isn’t planning weddings, writing, or glued to social networking sites, she can usually be found on one of Florida’s beautiful beaches with her husband and daughter or crossing the border to visit with her Canadian friends and relatives.

Crit me baby, one more time!

I know. I've slapped myself for that bad title, but I stand by the sentiment.

We NEED critique. We need to revise, and edit. Drafting the manuscript isn't enough. Editing it yourself isn't enough.

Have you ever seen this?

Our brains are magical, mysterious, wibbly-wobbly things that can create the most AMAZING stories. They can make us jump in fright at a piece of string on the floor that hasn't moved, but we suddenly think is a GIANT SPIDER.

When it comes to words, a lot of the time we see what we expect to see.

It's worse when we are trying to edit the things we've written. I feel like a rockstar when editing for other people. I can find missing words, adjust punctuation, tweak like a BOSS.

But my CP's routinely find things in my MS's that makes me >cringe< because OMG we entered an elephant graveyard for commas, and, I've, found, them, all, and, jammed them into page two!

And this section? Oh, you mean the one where there was an echo, and I used the same word three times in one sentence because my brain was phoning it in for that paragraph.

Yeah. Awkward.

You will ALWAYS be better at critting someone else's manuscript than your own because you don't know what is coming. Your brain can't trick you into seeing what isn't there. Our brains WANT to fill in the blanks! They want to help! They're that annoying (awesome) kid sitting at the front, frantically waving their hand in the air before the whole question is out of the teacher's mouth.

Your brain is an insufferable know-it-all.

The good news, is that you have friends!

I hope. Otherwise, awkward.

You NEED critique partners. If you don't think you do, then sweetheart, pass me a cup of that self-deluded ego juice. It may not take a village to write a manuscript, but only an idiot thinks their first draft is perfect without another set of eyes on it.

FIND a critique partner. Or three. Find someone who has strengths you lack. If you KNOW your punctuation/ grammar are shaky, find a hard ass who will point out all your bonus commas. If you are technically strong, but always end up with drafts shorter than a skirt-belt, then find a CP who can show you places to expand.

It's about finding a CP who is the *right fit* for you.

Cheerleaders are great. Some days we feel so torn down from all the negatives, and 'no's in this business, that we need someone to pick us up and make us see the shininess in our WIP again. Cheerleaders can make us feel fabulous.

But they aren't going to make you stronger, or your MS tighter.

Find a CP who is right for you. Not all crit partners are made equally. It has to be reciprocal, and you need someone who understands your genre. Nothing stings more than a CP not getting your genre, and not knowing what to say to make your MS better because they just couldn't get into it.

I have CP's who I love who don't read every genre/ category I write in. That is fine! I don't read everything either.

We all have our strengths, and areas that need shoring up.

Find people who can fill your breach.

:D:D

 It's about trust, give and take, and being honest. Crit partners can help toughen that skin, and show us how to kill our darlings. They can point us toward better ones. They can be the one you turn to, that person in the trenches with you who *so* understands the unique frustrations from this writing business.

They will be your fresh set of eyes, a typo catcher, a hand holder, and an ass kicker when you need motivation.

If you're a writer, FIND A CP.

I cannot stress this enough.

xx Tamara