Blog Tour Book Review & Guest Post: Identity Break by Stifyn Emrys

Author: Stifyn Emrys

Series: Identity Break #1
Publisher: Createspace
Release Date: February 1st 2013
My Rating: 4 cups
Source: review copy offered by author in exchange for an honest review
Blurb (from Goodreads):

How far would you go to find yourself?

Imagine everything you thought you knew about yourself turned out to be a lie, and you didn’t know who was telling the truth. Imagine you possessed a secret so dangerous that, if it were exposed, it would reshape the entire world. What would you do if that secret were your very identity?

In almost every way, Palo Vista seems like a typical California city, with office buildings, schools, and homes sprawled out across suburbia, filled with families making a life for themselves at the dawn of the new millennium.

But two seniors at Mt. MacMurray High are about to find out that nothing is as it seems. Jason Nix is a star athlete and honors student who can’t seem to remember anything about his childhood. Elyse Van Auten is a budding artist from a broken home whose father left her mother two years ago - or so she’s been led to believe.

Like most teens entering adulthood, Elyse and Jason just want to find out who they really are. For them, however, the stakes go far beyond their own personal quest. Join them on a journey of self-discovery that becomes a desperate fight for survival against enemies determined to conceal the truth … and find out what happens when that fight becomes personal.

The first installment of a new science fiction/adventure series for young adult, adult and new adult readers. Full of action, twists and surprises.

Breathtaking, fast, on edge. That's what comes to my mind right now when I think about this book. I think it really is amazing when a book can be like that. 

I loved the idea of this book, not knowing what the truth really is, always wondering if something is real or not. That idea is both thrilling and terrifying, but it's such a great combination within Identity Break. Then there's the fact that I could never really grasp what was going to happen next. From the first page of the book, I couldn't quite manage to say "ok, this is what will go on next" and be right. I loved that, constantly being surprised.

The book has many POV. Even though at times it was a little confusing, I thought it was a great way to show the full story, not just a side of it. It felt really good. But, like I said earlier, don't think that it can help you anticipate things. At least it didn't help me. One other thing that I loved about the multiple POV. Even though, like I said, I was a little confused, the thing that I noticed is that the POVs don't "bleed" into each other. You know how sometimes you think "wait, I was in X's head, now I'm back to C's POV or is this B's POV??". It didn't happen with Identity Break. I had a very clear image of when I was in each character's head. That was very, very good.

The characters are also very good, they sort of jump out the page, they're so vivid and at times they almost seem real. I really couldn't put this book down. And I cannot wait for the next installment in this series.

GUEST POST:

I just started publishing books last year, so people may ask, “What the heck does he know about it? He’s a noob!”
I admit, it did take me three decades to get around to publishing my first novel, Identity Break . But I’ve spent my entire career writing and editing for newspapers, blogs and so forth.
Still, you might feel more comfortable taking advice from someone who’s been involved in fiction his entire life, so I’ll turn this over to Jason Nix, the protagonist of Identity Break. Here are his ten commandments of successful writing, in his own words:
1) Use active sentences. I’m on the football team, so I like action.
2) Write punchy. Get to the point, please. An action-adventure novel should have lots of action and adventure. Don’t make sentences so long I lose my way. I get lost in Identity Break a couple of times as it is, and believe me, it’s no fun.
3) Don't bore me with elaborate description. I just want enough info to make me feel at home. I can figure out the rest on my own. I’m not stupid, and if I wanted to look at pictures, I’d be watching TV. My girlfriend (well, I wish she were my girlfriend), Elyse, is an artist and knows how to draw pictures in her head. As for me, I don’t need a description of every flower petal or bird’s wing. Why would I? I have a photographic memory!
4) Keep the action coming. Like most good protagonists, I like a challenge. If you keep me sitting on my butt all day, I get restless. I am still a teenager, after all.
5) Make your characters (heroes and villains alike) charming. My nemesis, Pamela Throckmartin, is too charming for her own good. I could actually do without her charm, but I’m sure it’s fun to read about it. Just be glad you don’t have to deal with her personally.
6) Create characters your readers will relate to. Like me. I’m a star athlete with a genius-level I.Q. But underneath it all, I’m just like everyone else. Honest. (Wink, wink.)
7) Shun multisyllabic pomposity. Like that sentence. Just because you have a great vocabulary doesn’t mean you should flaunt it all the time. And yeah, I meant to say “flaunt,” not “flout.” I know the difference.
8) Have fun. But not at the expense of your favorite characters. Please! We have feelings, too (or at least we’re written that way).
9) Surprise the reader. Repeatedly. Make your readers say, "I should have seen that coming." Believe me, I didn’t see the twists in Identity Break coming. From my perspective, it would have been a lot easier if I had.
10) Don't write a dissertation, business proposal, résumé, abstract or legal brief. Write something you'd want to read! I’m graduating from high school soon enough. I don’t want to deal with that garbage until it’s absolutely necessary.

Stifyn Emrys is a journalist and educator who has written on subjects as diverse as history, religion, politics and language. He has served as an editor for fiction and non-fiction projects, and his first book, “The Gospel of the Phoenix,” was published in the summer of 2012. He has published four other books, including three non-fiction works and the children's fairy tale “Feathercap.” “Identity Break” is his first novel. He lives on California’s Central Coast with his wife (also an author), stepson, cat and dog.

 Connect with Stifyn!
Facebook page: www.facebook.com/semrys
Amazon: www.amazon.com/Stifyn-Emrys/e/B008LHKFM2/
Twitter: @stifynemrys.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/pub/stifyn-emrys/58/b73/36b
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/6453846.Stifyn_Emrys
Blog: http://semrys.blogspot.com/
Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/stifyn-emrys?dref=2207

Blog Tour Guest Post: Sherri Hayes & Giveaway

Please welcome Brianna, the heroine of the Finding Anna series, on Ruby's Books (read my reviews for Slave and Need).

How do I (Brianna) feel about being freed?

Lost? Confused? I don’t always know how to feel about not being a slave anymore. There are all these decisions, and I don’t know how to make them. Stephan helps me a lot. I don’t know what I’d do without him.

At one point, I wanted to be a teacher, but I don’t know if that’s possible anymore. Stephan says it is, but I’m not sure. I don’t know if I could stand up in front of a room full of kids, people, let alone teach them something.

I’m also afraid that one day, I might lose Stephan. He’s the one person that I feel completely safe with. I want to be what he needs me to be, but sometimes, I’m not sure I can. All I can do is try, and hope it is enough. Hope that I’m enough.

Giveaway Time!! 

I have two (2) ebook copies of Need to give away. All you have to do is fill out the form below. Comments are welcome, but you have to fill the form to enter the contest.You have until August 8 (Wednesday) to enter. I will announce the lucky winner on Thursday, August 9. Be sure to check back here to see if you won. I will be emailing the winner as soon as possible to let him/her know how to claim the prize.

This giveaway is open internationally!

NOTE! Winner must respond to my email in 72 hours, or a new winner will be chosen.

Please read the Giveaway/Contest Policy before entering.

Guest Post: Ellen Cardona

Please welcome Ellen Cardona, author of Brownie Fix (read my review here)

Writer’s Procrastination

Some people think that writers just write a steady stream of words, and it turns into a novel. That doesn’t happen to me, not even on a good day. If I’m going to jump into a manuscript or edit for a long period of time and be committed to it, the first thing I do is procrastinate. I’ll do it for a couple of weeks that turns into a month until I just can’t stand the pressure of it anymore and have to start writing.

Here’s a recent day when I procrastinated. Of course, my normal procrastination schedule was thrown off because my kids have started summer break:

Wake up at 4:30: Write. No way. I go out with my running buddies to burn off the guilt that I’m not writing.

7:00-8:00: Eat breakfast and watch Buffy The Vampire Slayer because the kids are on summer break and are asleep. Maybe Buffy will give me inspiration?

8-9:30: pull up manuscript that needs editing and stare at it. Check emails and Facebook and realize that I’m exhausted because I got up at 4:30 to go run. Sleep.

10:00-11:00: pick up house, clean it, stare at manuscript, check and answer emails, do a blog post to release the guilt that I’m not working on my manuscript. Get one child ready for swim lessons and yell at teenager to get up from bed.

12:00-1:00: Go to Power Yoga to release more guilt and pressure from not doing what I’m supposed to be doing.

1:00-2:30: Get changed, dressed, hair and make-up done so that I’ll feel better so that I can write.

2:30-3:30: Realize I can’t write because I have to get kids from summer activities or I’ll usually tell them to go find something to do, even though I’m not doing what I’m supposed to be doing.

3:30-4:30: Stare at computer.

5:00-9:00: Chauffeur duties for kids’ activities and will bring laptop to edit manuscript but spend time gossiping and completely zoning out.

9:00-11:00: Spend time with the family and husband.

Ok. This is a slight exaggeration, and all my days are not like this one. Sometimes, I substitute brownies for yoga, and I don’t get up at 4:30 every morning. I actually do have a part-time teaching job, and sometimes my family will eat dinner at the table.

This sounds absolutely nuts, but it’s normal for me. No wonder people think writers are crazy. Hmm. That manuscript is still waiting . . . I’ll think I’ll make some brownies.

 

Author Bio:

Ellen Cardona wrote Brownie Fix to help deal with the postpartum depression she experienced after one of her pregnancies. Through her writing, she found that postpartum depression was real but conquerable, especially when one has the help of some dark chocolate and even darker humor.

When Ellen is not writing, she teaches literature to college freshmen and attempts to help them understand the writing process, though they think she’s crazy because of her love for literature and writing.

Ellen graduated from the University of Texas at Dallas with a PhD in Humanities with a specialization in Literature. Even though she has published several academic works on Ezra Pound, she could not ignore her true passion as a fiction writer.

Ellen lives in Richardson, Texas and continues to learn daily from her husband and two children. In good times and bad, she still enjoys her brownies.


Connect with Ellen!
Website (AND TO DOWNLOAD THE FIRST CHAPTER FREE!): http://www.ellencardona.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/EllenCardona
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/ellencardona <http://twitter.com/#%21/ellencardona> <http://twitter.com/#%21/ellencardona>
Blog: http://ellencardona.com/blog/

Email: elle (at)ellencardona(dot)com

Guest Post and Giveaway: Allie Jean

Please welcome Allie Jean, the author of Legacy Of A Dreamer (read my review here).

Legacy of a Dreamer was spawned from an idea I've had in my head since I was very little. I must have been somewhat disturbed as a child, because I'd have horrible, violent nightmares that had so much vivid detail to them, it felt like I was stuck in a horror film. No, I didn't have any major trauma when I was young, but my mother attributes my unnatrual fear and creative imagination to Michael Jackson, oddly enough.

When I was three years old, my parents allowed me to watch Thriller for the first time, and let me tell you, I still remember the spine curdling fear I'd experienced when his eyes turned yellow at the end, followed by that horribly creepy laugh. Lord, I thought the devil himself was going to pop out of the that TV and come get me. My mother laughs to this day, retelling the look in my eyes when the music video had finished. She could tell right away that allowing me to watch that may have not been the best idea.

And yes, that is when the nightmares began. It was also around that time that I had an imaginary friend who was a werewolf, but I digress.

The premise of my book is about a girl who suffers from debilitating, terrifying nightmares since she was very young. She doesn't remember much about her past, only having a small recollection of being dragged away from her childhood home only to be put into foster care. She attributes the nightmares to something that happened in her past, something so terrifying, her mind has chosen her sleeping hours to play it out in the most twisted ways.

Giveaway Time!!

I have one ebook copy of Legacy Of A Dreamer to give away. All you have to do is fill out the form below. Comments are welcome, but you have to fill the form to enter the contest.You have until Thursday (May 31)* to enter. I will announce the lucky winner on Friday, June 1st. Be sure to check back here to see if you won. I will be emailing the winner as soon as possible to let him/her know how to claim the prize.

This giveaway is open internationally!

NOTE! Winner must respond to my email in 72 hours, or a new winner will be chosen.

Please read the Giveaway/Contest Policy before entering.

*UPDATE: due to personal reasons, I extended the period of this giveaway. 

About the Author
Allie Jean was born with an overactive imagination. At a very early age, a child, her days were spent inventing stories, directing her sisters in made-up plays or telling elaborate ghost stories. Her mind never took breaks, or shutdown, even when she slept. When her eyes shut at night, she would have vivid dreams complete with extensive, elaborate plot lines, and good overcoming evil villains.

She was encouraged by her parents, even at a young age, to write down her tales, and it has remained a somewhat secret hobby. It became a means to escape from the drama of real life into one of the many worlds she created.

Now, living in California with her husband of ten years, her love of storytelling had taken a back seat with the arrival of their four children. Though, she always found time to write down her thoughts on whatever was handy, including a stray diaper or two while rocking a sleeping child in the middle of the night when her character's begged for attention as well.

As a busy wife, mother and working full-time outside the home, somehow she has been able to write down her relentless character's story. Her once secret hobby and private world, is now released for other's to enjoy. Nothing would make Allie happier that to continue writing and spend more time at home with her family on a more full-time basis.

Guest Post: Vanessa Morgan

Please welcome Vanessa Morgan, author of A Good Man.

 

 

A Good Man  by Vanessa Morgan

Blurb: Do you like Dexter and American Psycho? Then chances are you will love A Good Man. 

Louis Caron is a good man – he's a vegetarian, feeds homeless people, takes care of animals and is converned with the ecological well-being of the planet. But his altruism has a sinister edge – he's a vampire and local detective Taglioni becomes increasingly suspicious of him. Louis' attempt to escape the police will take him on a journey into his own private hell where he is not only forced to confront his worst fears, but where he will also destroy the lives of those he cares about.

PLACES WHERE I HAVE WRITTEN A GOOD MAN

I often get asked during interviews if I have a favorite place to write. Usually, it's from the serenity of my home - at my desk, or, if it's freezing outside, in bed with my cat, a giant cup of hot tea, extra blankets and a radiator on maximum heat. I also write wherever or whenever I can: public transport, waiting room, etc. However, some places outside the house do lend themselves perfectly to write. Here are some of the places where I have written my latest release, A Good Man:


Airport

I live only a couple of minutes away from the airport of Zaventem, Belgium. Once 10 o'clock in the evening, there are no more departing flights and the departure hall is eerily empty. As Starbucks in Zaventem Airport stays open all night, it becomes the perfect place to work – soft jazzy sounds, cheesecake and hot chai tea create the perfect ambience to write for hours.

Zaventem Airport is also a good place to write during day-time, especially if you can get a spot in one of those restaurants with a panoramic view of the departing airplanes. Working can be really enjoyable when it's something you're passionate about and in a place you love.



Offscreen

I wrote the third act of A Good Man in the inviting cellar bar of Cinema Nova during the OffScreen film festival. For those who wouldn't know, OffScreen is a film festival in Brussels, Belgium, that specializes in cult films.The spooky decorations of the festival definitely add to its inspiring atmosphere.

For those of you who are interested in some other favorite writing spots of mine. Here's another post about my all-time favorite writing spots: http://vanessa-morgan.blogspot.com/2012/01/best-places-to-write.html

About Vanessa Morgan


Screenwriter and novelist Vanessa Morgan is known as the 'female version of Stephen King'. You can find out more about Vanessa Morgan and her work by going to her personal blog http://vanessa-morgan.blogspot.com. If you like cats, you might also like the web comic about her cat Avalon at http://avalon-lion.blogspot.com.


Other books by Vanessa Morgan


The Strangers Outside

Two sisters, Jennifer and Louise, return to their remote holiday cottage after a day at the seaside. But little do they know they're being surrounded. Soon after their arrival, the girls will come face to face with the strangers outside. When the assailants make their intentions known, things take a shockingly terrible turn and an intense battle for survival will begin.



Drowned Sorrow

Megan Blackwood has just lost her son in a terrible accident. Now she has come to Moonlight Creek with her teenage daughter Jenna, hoping that a change of scenery might help to put her life back together. But something odd is going on in Moonlight Creek. When rain falls over the village, the inhabitants commit grisly murders, leaving the village deserted with the first rays of sunshine. Beneath the lake's surface, an eerie presence watches... and waits... Waits to reveal a tragic past drowned in mystery and fear. One that doesn't bode well for visitors. By the time Megan realizes that her daughter is in danger, it might already be too late.

Guest Post: Ellen Byerrum

Please welcome Ellen Byerrum, author of the awesome Crimes of Fashion series. She stopped at my blog to talk about fashion and crime solving.

Welcome Ellen!

 

Lacey Smithsonian: Solving Crimes with Fashion Clues

Some people might not think that fashion and mystery go together. But I do, as I ponder what’s more mysterious than a great outfit? The way it fits and feels and flatters? And what’s more eye-popping fun than a crime of fashion?

I write the Lacey Smithsonian Crime of Fashion mysteries, where style and murder take center stage. Lacey has what I call ExtraFashionary Perception (EFP for short). Every outfit tells a story, especially for Lacey, who is a reluctant fashion reporter in Washington, D.C., The City Fashion Forgot. Although she would like to work on a “hard news” beat that would get her more respect around her newsroom, she has a talent for finding clues in clothing and motives in style a la mode.

We all have this power, but Lacey has it to the n^th  degree. She solves crimes with fashion clues. The major crimes in my books are more serious than reckless dressing or shopping while ability impaired; nevertheless, Lacey also finds time to address, in her Crimes of Fashion and Fashion Bites columns, the lesser fashion faux pas around her.

So, what is a crime of fashion? Maybe you’d like to smack someone who wears pajamas in public, or at least issue a fashion citation. Visible panty lines make you crazy. You’d kill for those heels. Figuratively, of course. But another woman might take action: She might shoplift a dress from a boutique, or pinch some posh lingerie.

Ideas for fashion crimes can come from anywhere. I was in a Victoria’s Secret lingerie shop one day while a sales clerk was making a crime report to a policeman. A woman had just stolen an entire drawer full of Victoria’s Secret bras. The clerk didn’t have a very good description of the culprit, but she knew one thing for certain: The thief was a 36C, the size of the stolen merchandise. I watched the cop dutifully write down this fashion clue, and I visualized the suspect lineup. It’s really too bad that 36C is the most common size of woman in America. I’ve haven’t used that particular crime of fashion in a book yet, but someday it might pop up.

Like Lacey, we all tell stories with our clothes, and we intuit much about others’ stories by what they wear. In just one look we make snap judgments about people, before they even open their mouths. Look, there’s a suburban soccer mom! A congressional staffer! A presidential candidate! (Run for your lives.) We label a boy in a blue Mohawk a skateboard punk, a girl in black lipstick, multiple piercings, and choppy hair with a tiara, a Goth princess. In Washington, D.C., we can tell at a glance the lawyers, the lobbyists, and the P-WIPs (“Powerful Women In Pearls”). It’s fun, it’s instinctive, and this skill might even protect us in times of danger.

The books in the Crime of Fashion series all pose questions about fatalities and fashion. For instance:

• What’s a bad haircut got to do with murder? (Killer Hair)

• What happened to a young designer who went missing during World War II, and could there be a connection with the disappearance of a present day Washington, D.C., intern with fashion-industry aspirations? (Designer Knockoff)

• What are the lethal ramifications when an extreme makeover turns an ugly duckling into a swan? (Hostile Makeover)

• A century ago, Romanov princesses were executed wearing jewel-filled corsets. Could there be one lost corset full of jewels still out there somewhere, silent witness to a massacre? (Raiders of the Lost Corset)

In my latest book, Death on Heels, Lacey’s ex-boyfriend is accused of murdering three women, all found barefoot on lonely country roads. Lacey must leave her comfort zone and the District of Columbia to travel back to Sagebrush, Colorado, where she cut her teeth as a reporter. Caught between two men, with a vicious killer on her trail, Death on Heels is a whole new—and potentially fatal—frontier for this fashion reporter.

As I continue the series, I find the books becoming more personal for Lacey, and more dangerous. And I’m always on the lookout for good crimes of fashion, both style-related and otherwise. If you’ve got a good one, let me know.

And thank you so much for inviting me here today.

Thank you so much for stopping by, Ellen! I've said it once and I won't stop saying it: this is a must read series! I can't wait to read all the first 7 books and I know I'll be so impatiently waiting for the ninth novel.

About the Author:

 

Ellen Byerrum writes the popular Crime of Fashion mysteries, set in bustling Washington, D.C., The City That Fashion Forgot. Featuring style sleuth Lacey Smithsonian, who solves crimes with fashion clues, the eighth book, Death on Heels, takes Lacey out of her comfort zone and into the Wild West where she confronts her past and an old boyfriend who is accused of murder.

While researching fashion, Byerrum has collected her own assortment of 1940s vintage dresses and suits, and the occasional accessory, but laments her lack of closet space. She has been a D.C. news reporter in Washington, a playwright, and holds a Virginia P.I. registration. Although she currently resides in Denver, fashion reporter Lacey Smithsonian will continue to be based in Washington, D.C.

Byerrum is currently at work on the ninth book in the Crime of Fashion series, Veiled Revenge. You can find more about Ellen on her Web site or on Facebook.

www.ellenbyerrum.com


www.facebook.com/EllenByerrum


Byerrum/e/B001H6SB3O/ref=sr_tc_ep?qid=1324515363


http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/ellen-byerrum?store=allproducts&keyword=ellen+byerrum


http://www.mysterybooksellers.com/imba-members

Blog Tour Guest Post: Resa Nelson & giveaway

Please welcome Resa Nelson, author of The Dragonslayer series (The Dragonslayer's Sword and The Iron Maiden) and Out Lady of the Absolute. If you haven't read this series yet, you should! There's also an awesome giveaway, so stick around.

How I Created and Designed a Sword for Dragonslayers

My research for my 4-book Dragonslayer series included taking a course in blacksmithing (because my main character is a female blacksmith) and taking courses to learn historically accurate ways to use medieval weapons (because she makes swords for dragonslayers). Earlier in this blog tour I wrote about how I modeled the fantasy dragons in my books on a real animal: the Komodo dragon. Today I’m going to tell you how I decided what kind of sword my characters would need to kill one.

Don’t get me wrong: I love dragons. When I was a teen I loved Anne McCaffrey’s Pern series. But in my Dragonslayer world there are two types of dragons. One type you don’t want to kill. But the other type is extremely dangerous and won’t hesitate to kill people – that’s the type of dragon that must be slain.
Because Book 1 in my series is called The Dragonslayer’s Sword, I decided I need to pay a lot of attention to the exact type of weapon my main character forges. After all, her sweetheart is a dragonslayer and her work is what keeps him safe.

I took courses where I got hands-on experience using medieval weapons, and I spent most of my time studying how to use the German long sword. I’m (almost) 5’2” and the German long sword stands nearly as high as my shoulders, about 4’ or so tall. It’s a two-handed weapon, so you grip it pretty much the way you grip a baseball bat except you keep space between your hands: you jam one hand against the pommel and the other hand against the crossguard. For me, that means there’s about a 5” gap between my hands. Even though the sword is huge, this grip gives you a lot of control.

A common misconception is that swords are heavy. As big as the German long sword is, it typically weights 2 or 3 pounds. If I lived in the Middle Ages and devoted years to developing my sword skills, I think this type of sword is the largest I’d be able to handle comfortably. And if I were to face a dangerous dragon, I’d want the longest sword I could find to keep as much distance between me and the dragon as possible!

My next decision came from library research. I modeled my fantasy world on the beginning of the Viking era, and I learned that there was a technique (which tended to be a well-kept secret among sword-makers) called pattern welding. In a nutshell, you can’t predict how strong or weak any given piece of iron is going to be until after you’ve already made a weapon out of it and you use it in battle. It will either hold up or it might bend or break – and you’ll be dead if that happens. If I were facing a dragon, there’s no way I’d want my sword to bend or break! Pattern welding is a technique (which I describe in detail in Book 1 in my series) where you take different pieces of iron and essentially twist them together when you make the sword. It’s likely some pieces of iron will be weak but others will be strong, and you’ll end up with a weapon that’s strong but also flexible, which is exactly what you want.

So the dragonslayer’s sword could be a real weapon. I combined the design of a German long sword with the sword-making technique of pattern welding. In my fantasy world, it’s what some characters call a “dragonish sword,” but the details about it come from our world.

During this blog tour I’m telling lots of stories about the research I’ve done for my Dragonslayer series. You can find out where I’ve been and where I’m going next by checking my website (http://www.resanelson.com), my Facebook page (Resa Nelson & The Dragonslayer’s Sword), or following me on Twitter (ResaNelson).

If you’d like to sample my work for free, you can download a free “mini” ebook called “Dragonslayer Stories” from my website at http://www.resanelson.com/files. No cost, no obligation, nothing to sign up for, no information gathering. I like giving away samples of my work so you can decide for yourself whether you like it or not. If you do, you can enter to win a copy of the first two books in my series, which I’ll give away at the end of this tour on Feb. 14. To enter, just send email to ResaBonusGifts@aol.com. (I won’t keep your email address – this just makes it easier for me to keep track of entries.) I’m also doing a book giveaway on GoodReads, so you can enter to win at http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/19270-the-dragonslayer-s-sword.

Giveaway Details:

The giveaway on Goodreads is for residents of the US only. Don't worry if you're not a US resident though, you can win a copy of the books if you send an email to the address above (ResaBonusGifts@aol.com).

Thank you for stopping by, Resa!


About Resa Nelson

Resa Nelson has been selling fiction professionally since 1988. She is a longtime member of SFWA (Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America) and is a graduate of the Clarion SF Workshop.

Resa was also the TV/Movie Columnist for Realms of Fantasy magazine for 13 years and was a contributor to SCI FI magazine. She has sold over 200 articles to magazines in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Her first novel, The Dragonslayer’s Sword, was nominated for the Nebula Award, the highest honor in science fiction and fantasy. It was also a Finalist for the EPPIE Award. This medieval fantasy novel is based on a short story first published in the premiere issue of Science Fiction Age magazine and ranked 2nd in that magazine's first Readers Top Ten Poll. The Dragonslayer's Sword is Book 1 in a 4-book series. Book 2, The Iron Maiden, was recently published. Book 3 is scheduled for publication in Summer 2012.
Resa's standalone novel, Our Lady of the Absolute, is a fantasy/mystery/thriller about a modern-day society based on ancient Egypt. Midwest Book Review gave this book a 5-star review, calling it "a riveting fantasy, very highly recommended."
In real life, Resa is a fan of chocolate, travel, summer, museums, ballet, movies, and Broadway musicals (her favorites are Les Miserables and Wicked). She lives in Massachusetts.



About the books:

The Dragonslayer's Sword




For Astrid, a blacksmith who makes swords for dragonslayers, the emergence of a strange gemstone from her body sets in motion a chain of events that threaten to destroy her life. Her happiness is shattered when her lover-the dragonslayer-disappears without a trace, and the life that she knows and loves implodes without warning. Astrid lives in a world of shapeshifters whose thoughts have the power to change not only themselves but others. Everything Astrid knows to be true is called into question when she learns the truth about her past and the mysterious family from which she was separated as a child. Reality turns inside out as Astrid gradually learns the truth about the people she loves as well as those she disdains. With the fate of dragons, ghosts, and slaves in foreign lands resting on her shoulders, Astrid faces the challenge of deciding who she is and how she will stand up inside her own skin. Will she withdraw and hide from the world that has disappointed her so much...or will she rise to lead others to freedom and peace?




The Iron Maiden

For Astrid, a blacksmith who makes swords for dragonslayers, the emergence of a strange gemstone from her body sets in motion a chain of events that threaten to destroy her life. Her happiness is shattered when her lover-the dragonslayer-disappears without a trace, and the life that she knows and loves implodes without warning. Astrid lives in a world of shapeshifters whose thoughts have the power to change not only themselves but others. Everything Astrid knows to be true is called into question when she learns the truth about her past and the mysterious family from which she was separated as a child. Reality turns inside out as Astrid gradually learns the truth about the people she loves as well as those she disdains. With the fate of dragons, ghosts, and slaves in foreign lands resting on her shoulders, Astrid faces the challenge of deciding who she is and how she will stand up inside her own skin. Will she withdraw and hide from the world that has disappointed her so much...or will she rise to lead others to freedom and peace?