A COLD DAY IN HELL Blog Tour and Giveaway

The City may be calm, but is the Hunter about to become the hunted? 

For the first time in months the City is peaceful, so peaceful that Gabi’s suspension from the Societas Malus Venatori doesn’t feel like a punishment. Her relationship with Julius is stronger than ever and Kyle has finally found his soul mate, even if he seems to need some convincing. Gabi thinks boredom is her most serious problem. She couldn’t be more wrong. 

The visitor Julius has been both expecting and dreading arrives, bringing with him dire news. An old enemy, out to destroy them, has revealed to the Masters of the Vampire race that Gabi is a Dhampir. The visitor’s presence also answers the question that’s been simmering in Gabi’s head for years; the truth of her origins. This truth brings with it a deeper understanding of the implications of her very existence, and she doesn’t like what she discovers. But it’s too late to change what’s been done and Julius must now answer to the Princeps’ Court. 

As Gabi makes plans to leave the City, drawing danger away from friends and family, a dark prophesy by the Magi Oracles forces her to change course. She will not be leaving the City alone, and she will not be running from the threat. She, Julius and a handful of others will be heading straight into the mouth of the beast. They must present themselves at Court before the Princeps travel to the City and inadvertently uncover one of the most closely guarded secrets of the Magi world. 

While the Princeps wear a face of impartiality and civility, what boils beneath the surface is a storm of selfishness, greed, lust and perversion. Danger lurks in every corner and it soon becomes clear that someone is determined to ensure that Gabi will never get the chance of a fair hearing. 

Old friends and old enemies do what they have always done best, while new friends and new enemies emerge at every turn. Only one thing is sure; it’ll be a cold day in Hell before Hellcat goes down without a fight. 

Put the coffee on and warm up your page-turning finger, it’s going to be a long night. 

This is a full length novel. 

Purchase links are :
Smashwords  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/376635
Amazon U.S  http://www.amazon.com/Cold-Day-Hell-Hellcat-ebook/dp/B00GO3HIYI/

Amazon UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cold-Day-Hell-Hellcat-Series-ebook/dp/B00GO3HIYI

Amazon Canada http://www.amazon.ca/Cold-Day-Hell-Hellcat-ebook/dp/B00GO3HIYI

Amazon Australia  http://www.amazon.com.au/Cold-Day-Hell-Hellcat-Series-ebook/dp/B00GO3HIYI

There is also a giveaway attached to this blog tour the link is
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/YmUxMTAzMGU2ZDk3YTBmY2RiMGE5YzcyZjkyZDc4OjQ=/

Mindy Haig's HIDDEN IN THE PAGES

Hidden in the Pages

by 

Mindy Haig

Here our the beautiful bookmarks that Mindy ordered to celebrate the release of Hidden in the Pages.  Look for them coming very soon!

My name is Mindy Haig  I am originally from Saddle Brook, New Jersey.  After college I moved to Delray Beach, Florida, and married my husband of nearly 22 years, then a job change sent us to Austin Texas where we have lived since 1994.  The photo above is me with my lovely daughter, Delaney at the Roman Baths in Bath, England.  Delaney is a Graphic Arts student and has done the cover art for The Messenger and Glory, also the composite art for Cybilla, my short story in Fusion: a collection of short stories by the Breakwater Harbor Books Authors.

Mindy Haig's Author Links

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Mindy-Haig/e/B00CJF2UY8/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_5
http://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Pages-Mindy-Haig-ebook/dp/B00GSG5KS2/ref=la_B00CJF2UY8_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1384992856&sr=1-5

Hidden in the Pages
www.amazon.com

When his mother unexpectedly died just before Christmas, Jantzen Burke's world fell apart. He lost his father to his grief and the cold grandfather he never knew came to stay. Lonely and afraid Jantzen looked to his grandfather for some comfort, but instead of sympathy he was given a journal with a magical power, the pose to find his perfect mate.

Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7065704.Mindy_Haig
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MindyHaigAuthor?ref=hl

Twitter:  @mindyh101

Interview with Poet-Author Brandy Cross

WINTER IN ME

by Brandy Cross

There’s nothing soft about the leaves that fall

And winters chill it takes them all                                             Brandy Cross

Another night all alone

I guess that’s why it’s broken

And I could almost feel

The softness of your skin

And wonder what it would be like

To hold you close and then.

The frost that sets in

As the day turns into night

Wake up in the morning

And nothing makes it right

Because it’s become a part of you

Nothing left that you can do

And I could almost feel

The softness of your skin

And wonder what it would be like

To hold you close and then

This house is not my home

It merely holds me in

And love it’s not that close to me

Too far away to ever be

Sit and watch  the leaves that fell a long time ago

Autumn  rain has turned  into the cold of winter snow

A little shiver at the sight of ice on the tree

I’ll cover up, and  try to hide,  the winter in me

Welcome to Vision and Verse, Brandy.  What have you written?

I actually write for a living as a copywriter, it's the best job ever but I've written for way too many websites to count. So far I'm about three quarters of the way through a sci-fi novel that I'm putting on hold for NaNoWriMo and about to start a little Fantasy/Horror book that I promised my sister I would write for her.

What is your favorite genre to write?

 Definitely Sci-Fi.

Favorite food?

Tough… I'm going to go with strawberries.

Where would you like to visit?

 Egypt, I've always been fascinated with it.

Favorite musical artist?  Do you listen to music when you write?  What?

My favorite artist is Guns n Roses (a bit old school I know) but yes I listen to music when I write, and the what depends on the mood. I've got everything from Wagner to Cradle of Filth, but  mostly I do tend to stick right around the classic rock area. Music is a great way to relax no matter what you're doing really.

What makes you laugh?

 Humor… what was I supposed to say?  I'm pretty easy, I laugh at almost everything, even when it's not funny.

How old were you when you started writing?

I wrote a crappy one page story about a unicorn when I was 7 (in color pencil), my parents flipped out like it was the best thing ever and I've been hooked ever since.

Where do you get your inspiration?

Actually it really depends. The alien book that i wrote and am editing now I sort of got bits and pieces of that from a nightmare about being attacked by a giant flying squid and the one I'm writing for November, my sister asked me what was the most horrible awful psychological thing I could come up with, and that was that. Inspiration comes in all shapes and sizes, I once wrote a poem/song based on sitting in a swing watching leaves fall.

What do you do when you get a writer's block?

I drink tea (of course I do that anyway), write something else, stare at the screen in abject despair, or do kickboxing. (my handwriting is too awful to make long term writing in notebooks feasible, although my first two novels were written that way and remain that way).

Who is your favorite author?

I'm a book junkie, there is no one best author. But I'll give it a shot. Tanya Huff-Orson Scott Card-Jim Butcher-Mercedes Lackey-Stephen King-Dean Koontz-Terry Goodkind….okay I should stop now.

Best book you ever read.

 While I could not honestly say there has been 'one best book' but I guess I could say that one of the first 'adult' books I read (I was 9) was Madeleine L'engal's 'A Wrinkle in Time' and it was what made me want to write.

Who is the one person who has influenced your personal life the most and why?

I would have to say myself. That may sound stuck up or egotistical or something but I know there have been a lot of people who had a huge impact on my life but I think that at the end of the day I made some really major decisions and ended up going my own way. Sometimes it's the only way to go to be happy.

If you could sit down and have a conversation with ONE person, living or dead, real or fictional, who would it be and why?

That would probably be Tanya Huff, although there are I'm sure there are more worthy persons out there, she just strikes me as someone who's really decent, down to earth, and probably a blast to talk to.

What advice would you give someone who aspired to be a writer?

Press pages. Create a press page with your plot before you even think about writing a book because it will help you in the middle of the book when you've sailed past your inspiration and into the muddling realm of not knowing what to write next. I guess I would have to say that there is no one right way to write a book (say that out loud five times really fast) but that you shouldn't be afraid to edit your book like your former 12th grade English teacher is about to go over it in front of your entire High School class. There can actually be a big gap between how good something is when you first write it, and how it reads to you a month or two down the road. Also, remember to have fun, it's just a book.

Thank you for being with us this morning, Brandy.  Good luck in all your writing endeavors.

Life would be better if we wore more tutus.

An Interview with Author Ryan Attard

Ryan Attard 

Malta, a tiny island in an ocean far, far away

Welcome to Vision and Verse this morning, Ryan.  What have you written? 

Firstborn, Book 1 of the Legacy Series. Big Wolf on Campus and Dread Night are two short stories/ novellas that are also part of the same series but are more side stories. 

What is your favorite genre to write? 
Urban fantasy. I love taking tried and tested mythology and Dungeons and Dragons elements and putting them in today’s society of smartphones, fast cars and sassy attitudes.  I also love action and comedy. Having grown up on Power Rangers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles there is no way I can avoid a swordfight scene. I also cannot resist telling jokes, and making fun of the main character. I guess you can blame the 10 or more sitcoms I watch per year.

Favorite food. 
Anything that is not too greasy or too heavy. I have the stomach capacity of a sparrow. I’m quite picky with my food, but I’m also heavily addicted to chocolate. 

Where would you like to visit? 
I have the Legacy Series set in Eureka (because I love Greek puns) California. Lots of the second book (coming out soon) takes place in Trinity Forest, which I understand is a great hiking place. I’ve never been to the United States and I want to rectify that ASAP. Maybe I could go further and say I really (really, really) want to have a panel at a comic con, just because that even would be a slice of heaven for a guy like me.

Favorite musical artist.  Do you listen to music when you write?  What? 
I listen to a lot of ‘underground’ music – artists who have made it on their own or who develop their own style. The most inspiring musician I know of is Klayton aka Celldweller. Guy started with nothing and suffered for it, but now he’s a successful musician. That mirrors what I went through when I decided to write full time. 

As for what I listen to when I write – I don’t. Creation needs peace and quiet with only the voices in my head to speak. However, when I need to pump myself up I plug in Celldweller, Blue Stahli, Krewella, SiN.Tex and anything which tickles my fancy. Sometimes it’s a soundtrack from Two Steps from Hell and sometimes it’s some sexy latin R’n’B, other times it’s EDM pumps. 

What makes you laugh? 
Anything serious. People get so hung up on little annoying things that they fail to see the big picture, which is always cause for laughter. Once you lower those social barriers anything becomes funny (and inappropriate). 

How old were you when you started writing?
I started doodling fanfics when I was 16, because I wanted to impress my social circle of otakus and general geeks. But I got serious about it when I was 19. That’s when I came up with Legacy.

Where do you get your inspiration? Books, movies, manga, comics, cartoons, anime, music, parodies, stand-up comics – pretty much anything. I haven’t found my off switch yet so even when I’m not writing, I’m absorbing potential ideas.

What do you do when you get a writer's block? 
I look at my empty bank account. I don’t believe in inspiration but desperation. In the words of Jim Butcher: “I don’t get writer’s block – I have a mortgage.”

Who is your favorite author? 
Jim Butcher would take that vote but there are at least another 20 who are close seconds.

Best book you ever read.
Anything which I am reading currently. I’m extremely picky; if I keep it for more than two days, it’s good. And so far I have read a lot of very good books. 

Who is the one person who has influenced your personal life the most and why? 
I have two friends with whom without I would be one terribly lost soul. The first helped me start writing and guided me when I had no idea what to do. The other is an artist who like me found it difficult to take the leap and go full time. You have to understand that in our country no one is a full time artist and making money out of your talent is both frowned upon and discouraged. Together we decided to take the leap and haven’t looked back since.

If you could sit down and have a conversation with ONE person, living or dead, real or fictional, who would it be and why? 
Myself. Not because I’m vain but because that way I’d get my ideas sorted out quicker and no one would accuse me of being insane. I would be quite literally talking to myself. 

If that is too weird, I’d love to chat with any author or musician or comic I like. There are a few which have inspired me more than others and I would love a minute to examine their heads. If anything I’d simply love to thank them for their awesome work.

What advice would you give someone who aspired to be a writer? 
Just do it. You’ll get shot down, you’ll get rejected and you’ll feel heart broken. A lot of times you’ll feel like you’re putting in countless hours of work for nothing.  But if you keep going you will get past that and when you hold a finished manuscript in your hands, it’s the biggest sense of accomplishment and high you can imagine. That is something that thousands have strived for and tried but very few succeed. That feeling, that joy and serenity is worth all the hardships. Anything worth having is worth fighting for. 

A little more about Ryan Attard.

As an avid reader of fantasy and fiction books, Ryan got tired of waiting for his favorite authors to publish their next novels and decided to simply entertain himself instead. He then spent the next three years learning, in excruciating detail, why it takes authors such a long time to write a book that they can live with.

Ryan lives on a tiny island, sometimes not even shown on maps, where his only friends are animated drawings and disembodied voices. And since everything in the outside world is boring to him, he took a journey inwards with some of his own made up characters.

Enter The Legacy Series, a story about a cursed wizard with a huge magical handicap, a talking demonic cat and an evil twin sister as they save the world from evil in its various forms. The name Firstborn has a quintuple meaning: Erik is a firstborn son, the main villain is considered a firstborn in biblical terms, the book is the first of the series and it is also Ryan’s first ever book. There is also another meaning, but he cannot reveal it without divulging a secret which would unravel the end of the series.

According to his colleagues, manager, and whip-bearer, Ryan is horribly addicted to what he does. He writes and writes and writes; sometimes forgetting to do those silly things like eat or sleep. Sometimes he looks up and wonders where last night’s starry skies have gone and why are there so many people walking on the street. Sometimes he deludes himself into taking a break, by going to a movie or listening to an album – but when he does, he is watching and listening, absorbing ideas and inspirations. Sometimes he even watches you, waiting in the shadows, in darkest recesses of your mind.

Ryan would like to declare that he should not be taken seriously. He is one of those annoying and slightly insane people who have conversations with wisps of air and write their Author’s Note in the third person.

Find out more about Ryan at his official website: RyanAttard.com