Oh Hey! Books.: Book Tour

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the WHERE ANGELS CAN'T FOLLOW by Jessi Kallison Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

About The Book:

Title: WHERE ANGELS CAN'T FOLLOW

Author: Jessi Kallison

Pub. Date: September 22, 2020

Publisher: Jessi Kallison

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 308

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon

It all started with an inexplicable slab of marble.

And now I can’t get her out of my head. It’s more than inspiration. It’s compulsion.

I see her in my dreams. And I wake up covered in marble dust, her statue more complete in front of me.

I can’t stop sculpting, and I can’t save the angel girl.

Now iconoclasts, a quartet of archangels, and a voodoo queen—along with the plague of little old ladies running my life—are all far too interested in the outcome.

I miss normal New Orleans. (Yeah, I said it.)

But there’s no going back until I free her and get the literal heavenly host out of my life. And maybe there’s no going back then.

Where Angels Can’t Follow: The Playlist

I listen to music when I write novels; I need it to tune out the rest of the world. I began Where Angels Can’t Follow a few years ago, but didn’t complete it and get through the editing until this year. So, this playlist is a bit more scattered than usual, but here are the songs that remind me of the world I wrote and the characters in it.

“Mercy” by Muse. (I absolutely could not have finished this book without this song. My local coffee shop had a gaggle of women in it one day, and they were deafening when I’d planned to knock out a chapter. I bought this song, and it became my tune-people-out song for the novel.)

“Little Monster” by Royal Blood.

“I’ll Follow You” by Shinedown.

“Saint Cecilia” by Foo Fighters.

“Unsteady” by X Ambassadors.

“Hurricane” by The Band of Heathens. (This song felt so New Orleans to me.)

“God’s Gonna Cut You Down” by Johnny Cash.

“Viva la Vida” by Coldplay.

“Save Me” by Remy Zero.

“Praying” by Kesha. (This one reminded me of Medusa. That’s all I’m saying.)

“Only Happy When It Rains” by Garbage.

“Trip Switch” by Nothing But Thieves.

“Hallowed Ground” by Bishop Briggs.

“Way Down We Go” by Kaleo.

“My Church” by Maren Morris. (I could hear Kiah singing this to annoy Grace.)

“Anthem of the Angels” by Breaking Benjamin.

About Jessi:

Jessi Kallison is a young adult urban fantasy author and poet. Her first novel Iron Shards is currently available, with upcoming releases of Where Angels Can’t Follow and Hell and High Water scheduled for Fall 2020. She is working on her third novel when she’s not exploring caves, prying her kids away from computer screens, running, or gardening. In addition to that rather time- consuming list, Jessi is enthusiastic about sci-fi and anything with enough caffeine to give her heart palpitations.

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon

Giveaway Details:

3 winners will receive a paperback of Jessi’s book IRON SHARDS, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

9/14/2020	Two Chicks on Books	Interview
9/14/2020	BookHounds YA	Interview
9/15/2020	TMBA Corbett Tries to Write	Guest Post
9/15/2020	Books A-Brewin'	Excerpt
9/16/2020	Oh Hey! Books	Guest Post
9/16/2020	The Book Rookery	Excerpt
9/17/2020	Lisa-Queen of Random	Guest Post
9/17/2020	Jaime's World	Guest Post
9/18/2020	Rajiv's Reviews	Review
9/18/2020	Jazzy Book Reviews	Excerpt

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I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the A MISPLACED CHILD by Heather Michelle Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

About The Book:

Title: A MISPLACED CHILD

Author: Heather Michelle

Pub. Date: September 15, 2020

Publisher: Late for Dinner Press

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Pages: 384

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD

Torn between two worlds, which will she embrace?

Elodie Harper is heir to the magical kingdom of Aluna. Trapped by an evil wizard in an illusion; Elodie grows up caught between two worlds, one of magic, and one of technology.

As the facade of her mundane life of lies and fake smiles cracks, her kingdom crumbles in the absence of its ruler. Join Elodie as she navigates both lives not knowing which to embrace, and which to push into the back of her mind and forget as a bad dream.

Pronunciation Guide for The Misplaced Children Series

People

Gediminas - Ged-ih-min-ahs

Gedas - Ged-ahs

Elodie - El-oh-dee

Silas - Seye-lus

Oburleck - Oh-bur-leck

Beulah - Bee-ool-ah

Jesper - Jehs-per

Eyvindur - Ee-vin-door

Eyvi - Ee-vee

Beathan - Beth-ayn

Cooric - Coor-ick

Reza - Rez-ah

Ravid - Ra-veed

Dima - Dim-ah

Places

Aluna - Ah-loon-ah

Twoshy - Too-shye

Comak - Coh-mack

Tokke - TOHk

Laridae - Lar-ih-day

Tate - Tay-te

Rohap - Roh-haap

Pundica - Puun-dih-cah

Duum - Doom

Eplaria - Eplar-ee-ah

Wedren - Wed-ren

Skuna - Skoon-ah

Vasniydor - Vas-neye-door

Oskela - Oh-skel-ah

Ustra - Oo-strah

Scuoso - Skoh-soh

Breora - Bree-ohr-ah

Leronia - Leh-rohn-ee-ah

Qosha - Koh-shaa

Eres - Air-es

Things/creatures

Ruakh - Roo-ak

Cindix - Sin-diz

Ruemort - Roo-moort

INSERT YOUR EXCERPT OR REVIEW HERE!

About Heather Michelle:

Heather Michelle is an emerging author of young adult fantasy. She lives in Acworth, GA with her cat Mister Bingley and a slew of unique roommates.

Growing up, Heather Michelle spent more time living in her imagination than outside of it. Small town life sandwiched between the redwood forests and the Pacific ocean provided a rich scope for the imagination. Before the age of twelve, Heather Michelle was not a reader, but a chance encounter with a rented audiobook launched her into the vast world of the printed word, and she never looked back.

Website | Instagram | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon

Giveaway Details:

1 Winner will receive a $20 Amazon GC, International.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

8/31/2020	Two Chicks on Books	Spotlight
8/31/2020	JaimeRockstarBookTours	Instagram Post
9/1/2020	TMBA Corbett Tries to Write	Spotlight
9/1/2020	TMBA Corbett Tries to Write	Instagram Post
9/2/2020	BookHounds YA	Spotlight
9/2/2020	BookHounds YA	Instagram Post
9/3/2020	Adventurous Bookworm	Excerpt
9/3/2020	@adventurous.bookworm	Instagram Post
9/4/2020	For the Love of KidLit	Spotlight
9/4/2020	Jaime's World	Excerpt

Week Two:

9/7/2020	Rajiv's Reviews	Review
9/7/2020	Rajiv's Reviews	Instagram Post
9/8/2020	Jazzy Book Reviews	Excerpt
9/8/2020	Oh Hey! Books	Excerpt
9/9/2020	Nay's Pink Bookshelf	Review
9/9/2020	Nay's Pink Bookshelf	Instagram Post
9/10/2020	Books A-Brewin'	Excerpt
9/10/2020	Books A-Brewin'	Instagram Post
9/11/2020	Emelie's Books	Review
9/11/2020	Nerdophiles	Review

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Broken Arrow
Azaria M.J. Durant
(Darkened Destiny Saga #1)
Publication date: July 29th 2018
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

An ancient power long kept dormant stirs in the shadows once more as one boy embarks on a quest to earn his freedom and the freedom of his world!
Magic has turned to myth, the Vaelhyreans of old to legend, and the power wielded by the ancients has long been forgotten. However, with Ealdred, a mere half-breed slave boy, myth becomes real, the forgotten remembered, and the power of legend is reborn within him.
Ealdred is merged into a world of mystery, brimming with deceit, where the remaining Vaelhyreans are in a desperate fight for their very survival. When Ealdred is kidnapped by the power-mongering dark lord Zeldek himself, he must make a choice; to commit his newfound magic to Zeldek’s service or die. But when he meets Bellator, clever yet treacherous servant of Zeldek, an alternative is presented to him: to escape from Zeldek’s stronghold and embark on a quest to find a cursed arrow and free the Vaelhyreans from the spell that keeps their powers at bay.
Yet how can he survive in a world where magic is illegal, half-breeds are hated, and the four countries are on the brink of war?

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble

A Little Bit of Q&A

OHB: Do you read much and if so who are your favourite authors?

Since I started writing, I haven’t been reading as much as I would like. But there are a few authors that
I really love and will read anything they write. Jennifer A. Neilson, Suzanne Collins, and JK Rowling are
good examples of that. When I was younger, I usually read more of the classics, so I also really love the
works of JRR Tolkien, Jane Austen, and Sir Walter Scott, among others.

OHB: Rowling and Tolkien are favorites of mine too.

OHB: Over the years, what would you say has improved significantly in your writing?

My descriptions and character interaction, for sure. Recently I discovered that I am a world driven writer,
which makes sense when I look back at my writing when I was a beginning writer. I used to dive into long
descriptions of the scenery, the history, the people groups, the cultures, the lore, etc. of my story’s world,
which brought the word count up (as a result, the word count of the first draft of Broken Arrow was over
120,000), but left little room for actual story. I’ve been working on narrowing that down a lot, and
focusing more on the character development aspects of the story as well as fleshing out the world.

OHB: Whoa. 120,000? I am definitely a lover of lore too.

OHB: Do you proofread and edit your work on your own or pay someone to do it for you?

Both. I work tirelessly to iron out my own writing, and once I feel it is good enough, I send it to an editor.
For Broken Arrow, I actually ended up sending it to two separate editors because I wasn’t satisfied with it
after the first editor had gone through it and I had self-edited it some more.

OHB: triple edited. Nice.

OHB: Have you ever left any of your books to stew for months on end or even a year?

No. I’m not a writer that can leave a story world to focus on another. When I start a book, I need to work
on it to completion or I can’t focus on anything else. I may deviate writing the first or second drafts of the
sequels, but I return to edit the other within a month or two, and I never leave the world of the story to
work on another.

OHB: very interesting.

OHB: What is the most important thing about a book in your opinion?

The most important thing about a book is quality writing. It doesn’t matter if you have a good story idea
or good characterization or even good plot. If it isn’t written well, very few people will pay to read it. It
has to be well edited by a professional editor, and yes, the author will have to pay for that. Doing
everything with passion and excellence is the best way to succeed.

OHB: very true. I think as a reader that if we are not captured in the first 20 pages then it may become
a DNF book {did not finish}.

OHB: If you had the choice to rewrite any of your books, which one would it be and why?

Broken Arrow is my only completed book, and while I see things I’d like to change every time I glance
through it, I would be rewriting it to the end of time if I had my way.

OHB: that does make sense. I feel that we personally struggle with our own work more than those who
read or see it.

OHB: What is your take on the importance of a good cover and title?

A good cover and title are extremely important. As readers, the first part of a book that we see is its cover,
including the title, and that is how we will judge the content.

OHB: Yes. That is correct.

OHB: Have you ever designed your own book cover?

I designed the cover of Broken Arrow. I’m an aspiring artist, so I took out my sketch pad, a pencil, and I
sketched two or three different designs before I came up with the right one. I then spent time searching for artists on Fiver who I thought could convey the idea of what I wanted. I picked out the colours, and paid an artist to make it for me. Once he had produced the final product, I searched free font websites for the cover font (which I also used on the interior). My sister dabbles in photoshop, and put the rest together for me.

OHB: Wow! I think you and your sister did an amazing job.

OHB: Do you believe a book cover plays an important role in the selling process?

I do. Especially for a self-published author. If your cover looks like it was slapped together by an amateur
on paint, readers will immediately make an assumption about the writing of that book. Like it or not, most people do judge books by their covers. I think that a well made cover helps the book to sell that much more because the reader can already tell that the author cared enough to promise quality to the interior as well.

OHB: yes, yes and yes! I 100% agree with you on that point as a reader. We love pretty covers.

OHB: Do you attend literary lunches or events?

I’ve attended a few local write-ins during the NaNoWriMo season, and I have attended a young writer’s
conference in Kansas two years in a row now. I find the conferences very helpful and encouraging, but
I’m not a fan of writing around other people. I need to be in my quiet space to be able to focus.

OHB: that totally makes sense.

OHB: How would you feel if no one showed up at your book signing?

That would be very discouraging, to be sure. I would probably deal with it about like I deal with criticism;
feel depressed for a day, but then shrug and say better luck next time. There’s not much else I can do.
I can’t afford to allow anything to discourage me. I am confident in my writing, and in myself.

OHB: That is right! You go girl.

Author Bio:
Azaria M. J. Durant is a young, passionate writer of fantasy with plans to branch out into sci-fi and dystopian. She enjoys writing stories with action, adventure, unexpected plot twists, and fleshed out characters that challenge gender roles and expectations.
Azaria lives in Atlantic Canada with her family, cats, and dogs, and her big dreams to travel the world. In the moments when she isn’t writing, she is sketching concept art for her stories, participating in community theatre, or curled up with a good book and a bag of mint chocolates.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Nemesis
Kat Ross
(Fourth Talisman, #4)
Published by: Acorn Publishing
Publication date: October 20th 2018
Genres: New Adult, Fantasy

In the fourth volume of the Fourth Talisman series, Nazafareen risks everything on a desperate gamble to stop the Vatras once and for all…
With Meb safely among her own people, Nazafareen has finally embraced her dangerous fire magic. She is the Fourth Talisman, destined to free the heirs from the wards binding their own extraordinary power. With Nocturne and Solis poised on the brink of war, the choices she makes will decide the fate of mortals and daevas alike.
Determined to confront Culach and make amends, Nazafareen goes to Val Moraine, setting off a chain of events that ultimately leads her deep into the perilous wasteland called the Kiln and the faceless enemy waiting there. But the ancient hatred that shattered the world a millennium before is stronger and far more devious than she and her companions imagine.
Is the Viper truly dead? And can Nazafareen triumph without facing the darkness that lurks within her own heart?

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

Excerpt

Artemis climbed above the western peaks, a pale blue disc next to the warm yellow of Selene and the silver of Hecate. It was strange to see three moons, Nazafareen thought. When she’d first arrived in Nocturne, the Wanderer had been a tiny dot, hardly distinguishable from the surrounding stars.

But over the last months Artemis had drawn closer and now it dwarfed Selene, the second-biggest moon. When it reached its full glory in a few weeks’ time, Artemis would summon tides to cover the land for leagues.

A portent of the war to come? Or simply a celestial coincidence?

Nazafareen gripped the next outcropping of icy rock and hauled herself up. Even in a fur-lined glove, her fingers had gone numb. The thin air of the high passes made the moons look close enough to touch, but it also left her fighting for each breath.

At least the night was clear and calm. Despite her exhaustion, Nazafareen felt at peace in the mountains. She liked the clean smell of snow and the way it crunched beneath her boots. The sky spread out above, inky black and dense with stars. The Valkirin range had its own unforgiving beauty that seemed to suit the daēvas who lived there. Nazafareen had come to know both the Danai and the Marakai fairly well, but the Valkirins remained a mystery. The other clans considered them aggressive and bigoted. They’d tried to kill her several times, so she couldn’t really argue with this assessment. Still, she had to convince them to join forces against the Vatras—a task that Victor had made exceedingly difficult.

Behind her, the cloaked shapes of Herodotus, Megaera and Darius moved up the steep slope. After emerging from the gate, the four of them had roped themselves together for the climb over Langjökull glacier, with Nazafareen in the lead. Val Moraine should be close if Herodotus’s calculations were correct. She imagined Victor’s surprise when they turned up at the holdfast. She would be glad to see him, though Darius’s father was not the one she braved the mountains for.

She reached an icy ledge and stepped aside to make way for Darius. Like the rest of them, he wore a heavy cloak with a scarf wrapped around his face, leaving only his blue eyes visible. They waited together, breath steaming, for Megaera and Herodotus to inch their way up.

“I think Val Moraine is just over the ridge,” the scholar said through chattering teeth.

“I hope your father has sentries posted,” Megaera muttered to Darius, leaning heavily on her staff. “Because I’m not climbing another cursed mountain after this one. You say there’s tunnels?”

“Should be,” Darius replied, his voice muffled through the scarf. “That’s how Victor got inside.”

Megaera looked up with a grim expression. “Then let’s get this over with.”

The pass across the glacier lay a hundred paces above. Nazafareen studied the slope, finding a line of crevices, and started up again. They ascended the eastern face, which was exposed to the wind from the White Sea. It had scoured away most of the snow, but ice coated the rock beneath and she placed each step with care. More than once, the rope suddenly grew taut as someone below slipped. Darius took most of the weight—he seemed to have no trouble with his footing—and each time, Megaera or Herodotus was saved from plummeting back down the mountain.

At last she gained the saddle to the next valley. Moments later, Darius clambered over the rim and hauled their companions to relative safety. More peaks marched into the distance, jagged white teeth against the sky. Nazafareen searched for Val Moraine but saw only ice and snow. Surely such a mighty holdfast would be visible in the bright moonlight. Her heart sank. They had relied on Herodotus and the secret maps he studied before their departure, courtesy of the Emperor of Tjanjin, that showed the location of Gates in both the Dominion and the Valkirin range.

“It must be here,” Herodotus said faintly, scanning the mountains. “It must be.”

Nazafareen and Darius exchanged a look.

“Perhaps you misread the runes,” Megaera said. “Or chose the wrong gate.”

Herodotus gave her a level look. “Of course, it didn’t say Val Moraine, the markers of the Gates are far older than the holdfast, but I’m certain the one we came through corresponded to the maps. I have many faults, but my memory is not one of them!”

Megaera blinked. Herodotus was usually mild-mannered, but he looked nearly as angry as when Darius told him about the Oracle kidnapping daēvas.

“Then it must be close,” Nazafareen said soothingly. “Perhaps we should rest here for a few minutes and get our bearings.”

“Yes.” Herodotus sagged a bit. “I’m sorry. Let me think. Hecate always rises in the west, so I know we’ve been going in the right direction. How many leagues would you say we’ve covered?”

“Not as many as you might expect,” Darius answered wryly. “With the elevation gain—” He cut off, gaze lifting to the skies above the glacier. He held himself still for a long moment, like an animal sniffing the wind. Then his shoulders stiffened. “Get down,” he hissed.

Nazafareen sensed nothing but dropped to a crouch immediately, pressing into the shadowed recesses of the rock wall. Herodotus and Megaera were a beat slower to react and Darius launched himself across the narrow shelf, dragging them both flat just as four winged shapes soared overhead.

Nazafareen watched them pass, the dark silhouettes of hooded riders clear against the moons.

“What were they?” she whispered once the party had passed out of sight.

“Abbadax,” Darius replied in a sober voice.

Map of Nocturne and Solis

Author Bio:
Kat Ross worked as a journalist at the United Nations for ten years before happily falling back into what she likes best: making stuff up. She’s the author of the dystopian thriller Some Fine Day, the Fourth Element fantasy trilogy (The Midnight Sea, Blood of the Prophet, Queen of Chaos), and a new gaslamp mystery series that opens with The Daemoniac and continues with The Thirteenth Gate. She loves myths, monsters and doomsday scenarios. For more information about Kat’s books, come visit her at katrossbooks.com.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

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