Monday, July 11, 2011

Pandora's Box: Guest Post, Review and Giveaway

I'd like to welcome over Katie Salidas over for a guest post today on the Pandora's Box Blitz Tour! Here's Katie!

Writing fast vs writing slow, which one is better?

What an interesting concept. Some writers can knock out a novel-length book in just a few weeks, while others take years to complete their work. Is one truly better than the other? I don’t think so. I think you have to write in your own time. If you rush the muse, you might not get the best results. On the flipside, if you take too long, your muse might get bored with you and leave. The ultimate goal as a writer is just to sit down and write something every day. Even if you don’t write very much, let’s say 500 words a day. If you commit to it and do it every single day that 80k (average novel length), would only take you 160 days to write. That’s a complete novel in less than 6 months. Not too shabby right?

Along with that, the more you write, the easier it comes. When I first wrote Immortalis Carpe Noctem, book one in the Immortalis series, it took me 5 years from start to finish. Not all of that was writing time, I spent a good year in the revision phase alone, but for arguments sake, we’ll just call it 5 years. While I was writing it, I had ideas for other stories including book two in the Immortalis series. By the time I was ready to write it, It only took me about 6 months to pen the first draft. The same thing happened when I began writing the third book in the series. I finished that one in a shorter amount of time.

Once you get into that writing habit it really takes over and it becomes less about word counts and speed and more about getting the story down on paper.

So, slow or fast, either is fine. Just be sure you are writing something every day.

Thanks for reading, and if you want to check out my work, you can find me at my website.

Immortalis Carpe Noctem (Book 1)

Becoming a vampire is easy. Living with the condition... that's the hard part.

Bleeding to death after brutal mugging, twenty-five year old Alyssa is rescued by the most unlikely hero: the handsome and aloof vampire, Lysander.

His gift of immortal blood initiates Alyssa into a frightening, eternally dark world filled with: bloodlust, religious fanaticism, and thousand-year old vendettas.

With Lysander as her guide, Alyssa will have to learn what it takes to survive in the immortal world. She'll have to find the strength to accept her new reality and carpe noctem; or give in, and submit to final death.

Hunters & Prey (Book 2)

Becoming a vampire saved Alyssa from death, but the price was high: the loss of everything and everyone attached to her mortal life. She’s still learning to cope when a surprise confrontation with Santino Vitale, the Acta Sanctorum’s most fearsome hunter, sends her fleeing back to the world she once knew, and Fallon, the friend she’s missed more than anything.

Alyssa breaks vampire law by revealing her new, true self to her old friend, a fact which causes strong division in the group that should support her most: her clan.

Pandora’s Box (Book 3) Release day - July 12, 2011

After a few months as a vampire, Alyssa thought she’d learned all she needed to know about the supernatural world. But her confidence is shattered by the delivery of a mysterious package – a Pandora’s Box.

Seemingly innocuous, the box is in reality an ancient prison, generated by a magic more powerful than anyone in her clan has ever known. But what manner of evil could need such force to contain it?

When the box is opened, the sinister creature within is released, and only supernatural blood will satiate its thirst. The clan soon learns how it feels when the hunter becomes the hunted.

Powerless against the ancient evil, the clan flees Las Vegas for Boston, with only a slim hope for salvation. Could Lysander’s old journals hold the key? And what if they don’t?

And how welcome will they be in a city run by a whole different kind of supernatural being?

Werewolves…

From Goodreads:
After a few months as a vampire, Alyssa thought she'd learned all she needed to know about the supernatural world. But her confidence is shattered by the delivery of a mysterious package - a Pandora's Box. Seemingly innocuous, the box is in reality an ancient prison, generated by a magic more powerful than anyone in her clan has ever known. But what manner of evil could need such force to contain it? When the box is opened, the sinister creature within is released, and only supernatural blood will satiate its thirst. The clan soon learns how it feels when the hunter becomes the hunted. Powerless against the ancient evil, the clan flees Las Vegas for Boston, with only a slim hope for salvation. Could Lysander's old journals hold the key? And what if they don't? And how welcome will they be in a city run by a whole different kind of supernatural being? Werewolves...

My Review:
I love this series! I read the first 2 books in about a total of about 4 hours, then maybe 2 more for this book. They were captivating, intriguing, and just plain old awesome! I loved Alyssa, I loved Lysander, and their relationship. I felt for the pain of them and the others of their family.

This book was a bit different from the other 2. For one, most of it takes place in Boston instead of Los Vagas. I liked that. It also had more supernatural creatures, not just mentioned, but actual people, and I really liked that.

I also loved the ending! One thing that I like about this kind of ending-it makes you remember why you love the series, and why you want to read the next book-it was just so darned good!

This was a great book, you guys really, really need to check it out!

Author: Katie Salidas
Series: Immortalis #3
Read: July 10th, 2011
Source: Virtual Book Cafe Review Copy
Reason Why: Sounded really great! And it was!
Publisher: Rising Sign Books
Published: June 1st 2011
5/5 Hearts
4.5/5 Books
5/5 Stars









Giveaway :
I hosting a giveaway of this book, Pandora's Box. It'll be a ebook copy, and so it's going to be International. It'll go to just for today, the 12th, for you guys to enter. So you better enter quickly!

To Enter:
In the comments, tell me something that you think you'd like about this book and your email.
For Bonus Entries, 1 each, with usernames

-GFC follow this blog
-follow this blog by email
-follow Katie on twitter
-follow me on twitter
-add this book on Goodreads

for a max of 6 entries.
 
Bio:
Endowed with special powers and abilities, beyond those of mortal women, I can get the munchkin off to gymnastics, cheerleading, Girl Scouts, and swim lessons. I can put hot food on the table for dinner while assisting with homework, baths, and bedtime… And, I still find time to keep the hubby happy (nudge nudge wink wink). I can do all of this and still have time to write my novels.

Sorry… I can’t even write that with a straight face.

Lies, all lies.

Here’s the reality. I’m a sleep-deprived, overworked, mom who just doesn’t know the meaning of the word balance. I try so hard to do it all, (be super mom, wife, & author) and at the end of the day I fall face forward into the couch.

Yes, you read that right, I tend to sleep on the couch. It’s a point of frustration for my hubby and a thing of comedy for my daughter. Imagine waking up to your little child yelling, “Mom slept on the couch again!!!”

Because being supermom (or trying to) means a lot of time devoted to family, writing is often done when said family is peacefully snoozing away. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve fallen asleep with my laptop, on the couch. It just happens. Then, bright and early at 7am either my hubby (on his way to work) or my daughter (getting ready for school) wakes me up.

Writing is my passion. It’s a part of me. More than just a hobby, it’s a compulsion. I have to do it. If I don’t do at least one writing related thing each day I get cranky.

Hopefully, my passion can be your entertainment!

Contact and Buy AKA Links:

  Stops on the Tour:
Guest Post and Giveaway at Pulling Teeth 
Guest Post and Giveaway at JC Martin Fighter Writer 
Interview and Giveaway at All Things Books
Review and Giveaway at Giveaway Blogdom
Giveaway at Read My Mind
Guest Post and Giveaway at Live To Read 
Guest Post and Giveaway at Best Books 
Review and Giveaway at Reviewers Helping Authors 
Guest Post and Giveaway at JETaylor 
Guest Post and Giveaway at Hot Gossip Hot Reviews
Guest Post and Giveaway at Coffee Table Reviews
Review, Guest Post and Giveaway at Words I Write Crazy
Review, Guest Post and Giveaway at Lisa's World of Books
Review and Giveaway at Authors By Authors
Guest Post at Chaos & Insanity
Interview at Authors Interviews 
Review, Guest Post and Giveaway at Taking Time 4 Mommy
Interview and Giveaway at Immortality and Beyond
Guest Post and Giveaway at Walker's Muse
Interview and Giveaway at BK Walker Books Etc.

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of The Virtual Book Tour Cafe' and a copy of this book was provided to me by the author. Although payment may have been received by The Virtual Book Tour Cafe', no payment was received by me in exchange for this review nor was there an obligation to write a positive one. All opinions expressed here are entirely of my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, the book's publisher and publicist or the readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*

5 comments:

  1. Thank you Sally for participating in this tour :). Great review!

    BK

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you so much for hosting me today and for reading the entire series! I am so pleased to hear you enjoyed this series.

    Good luck to everyone participating today.

    Katie Salidas

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I loved the first two books and am really looking forward to reading this one too.

    bacchus76 at myself dot com

    ReplyDelete
  4. :D I like reading :) And you really need to read it!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I want to know what is in the box - what more can I say:) LOL What fun this blitz tour has been. I am finding all these new blogs to follow and reading wonderful posts about this lovely author and her books. Thank you for participating and for the giveaway opportunity. I have signed up to follow your site and look forward to reading more of what you have to share.

    dz59001[at]gmail[dot]com

    ReplyDelete

I love comments, so comment away! I'll comment back if you leave a post-specific link for me to visit! If you leave that link, I'll always comment back, even if it's like, a month late!

This is an award free blog! Thanks for thinking of me but I just don't have the time to pass it along!