THE IMMORTAL CIRCUS Final Act Blog Tour and Giveaway!

I am so excited to have A.R. Kahler here today with a guest post about his final book in the Cirque des Immortels series! And of course I get a playlist (because I love music posts) so I'll be sharing videos of the songs I love Make sure to enter the giveaway below for a copy of the book!
Haven't heard of Cirque des Immortels series? Check it out!

The Immortal Circus Final Act (Cirque des Immortels #3)

Release date: January 14, 2014

(Releasing in serial format, 1 episode per week for 6 weeks)

Pages: 44 (episode 1)

Publisher: 47North

Formats: eBook

Find it: AMAZON | GOODREADS | FACEBOOK

This book is a Kindle Serial. Kindle Serials are stories published in episodes, with future episodes delivered at no additional cost. This serial currently contains one episode out of an estimated six total episodes, and new episodes will be delivered every week.

Episode List

An additional episode will be delivered every week until the book is complete. New episodes will be added to the same book on your Kindle, keeping your place and retaining your notes and highlights. You'll be notified via email when a new episode has been delivered.

Episode 1: January 14, 2014. All is not well within the Cirque des Immortels: war is brewing, the troupe is angry, and without Kingston there, Vivienne's in over her head. But when an unexpected guest arrives, she realizes her problems have only just begun.

Episode 2: January 21, 2014. Now Vivienne must not only deal with a mutinous troupe, but her long-lost lover. To make matters worse, there's a new player in the game. And this opponent is hell-bent on revenge.

Other Books in the series.

The Immortal Circus (Cirque des Immortels #1)

Release date: December 4, 2012 (serial); January 29, 2013 (print)

Pages: 224

Publisher: 47North

Formats: Paperback, audio, eBook
AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | GOODREADS

Murdered contortionists aren't exactly what Vivienne signed up for when she ran away to join the circus. But like most things under the big top, nothing is what it seems. With a past she can't quite remember, Vivienne finds that running away forever might not be as appealing as it once sounded—especially not when she realizes the devilishly attractive ringleader, Mab, is the Faerie Queen of legend—and that she and the rest of the troupe are locked in an age-old rivalry between the otherworldly Courts.

Aided by her friends Kingston—a feisty stage magician whose magic is quickly stealing her heart—and his smart-ass assistant, Melody, Vivienne finds herself racing against the clock to discover the culprit behind a series of deaths that should be impossible. However, the answer she seeks might reveal more about her own bloody past—and future—than she bargained for.

The show's just beginning. Step right up...

The Immortal Circus Act Two (Cirque des Immortels #2)

Release date: June 11, 2013 (serial); August 20, 2013 (print)

Pages: 222

Publisher: 47North

Formats: Paperback, audio, eBook

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | GOODREADS

Vivienne is almost content with her new life in the Cirque des Immortels. She has moved up from selling cotton candy to telling fortunes, she has a gorgeous, magical boyfriend, Kingston…and no one has been murdered since the clash between the otherworldly Courts. Her life under the faerie big top would be perfect, in fact, if not for the nightmares and visions that compel her to seek and confront her half-remembered past. But for Viv, not knowing her past may well be a blessing. There's a reason she ran away. But can she truly escape herself?.

The second act of the fantastically evocative Cirque des Immortels series, The Immortal Circus: Act Two draws readers further into a world that’s at once wonderful, seductive…and deadly.

Step right up…

Now on to the playlist!

Hi Jaime!

Thanks for hosting me. I hear you have a love for playlists, so I thought it would be a great time to talk about music and its influence on the books. And give you a little teaser.

The playlist for Immortal Circus has always been my dirty little not-so-secret: usually pop mixed with some more hardcore tracks. The chapter titles in every book are song titles, and I honestly won't let myself write the chapter until I have the title picked out. It's kind of strange, but I often feel like the title casts the tone for the rest of the chapter, and I feel the titles as a whole give a rough summary of the book's arc. There were many song titles I just knew I had to use in the series since book one, and they definitely changed the direction of the story in subtle ways. Others just fit so perfectly with the narrative that I couldn't not use them.

So, without giving too much away, here's the full chapter title list. I'd love to hear what you think it entails for our characters. :)

Best,

Alex

1: Dark Paradise – Lana Del Rey

2: Lace and Leather – Britney Spears

3: Crimes of Passion – Madonna

4: Faithfully – Journey

 
5: Cold Case Love – Rihanna

6: Soul Meets Body – Death Cab for Cutie
7: Tightrope – Janelle Monae

8: Demons – Imagine Dragons 

9: Midnight City – M83

10: Bedtime Story – Madonna

11: To Have and Not to Hold – Madonna

12: Goodbye to Innocence – Madonna

13: Mad House – Rihanna

14: Figure 8 – Ellie Goulding

15: Bad Romance – Lady Gaga

16: Kids – MGMT

17: Die Another Day – Madonna

18: Breath of Life – Florence and the Machine

19: My Immortal – Evanescence

20: Time After Time – Cyndi Lauper

21: Some Unholy War – Amy Winehouse

Thanks A.R. love the playlist!

About A.R. Kahler

Alex is many things, but first and foremost, he’s a Sagittarius.

Born in Iowa and educated across the States, he’s taught circus in Amsterdam and Madrid, gotten madly lost in the Scottish wilderness, received his Masters in Creative Writing from Glasgow University, and drummed with Norse shamans. Sometimes he also walks about on stilts. Or sews. Or hammers tiny pieces of metal into pretty shapes.

When he’s not writing or climbing in the rafters, he’s probably drinking coffee. And seeing as he currently resides in Seattle, there’s coffee aplenty.

He is represented by Laurie McLean of Foreword Literary.

Find him:

TWITTER: & @ImmortalCircus/WEBSITE/TUMBLR/GOODREADS

Giveaway Details:

A tour-wide giveaway for…

Audiobooks of Act One and Act Two, full set of trading cards, signed bookplate

Giveaway is US Only

Prize will be shipped by the author

Giveaway Ends January 20th at 11:59 p.m. Pacific

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check out the Book Trailer:

Tour Schedule

Jan. 13th - Me My Shelf and I - “Serials” Guest Post

Jan. 14th - Fiktshun - “Vivienne” Guest Post

Jan. 15th - In the Best Worlds - Top 5 Quotes/Moments Guest Post

Jan. 16th - Two Chicks on Books - Playlist Guest Post

Jan. 17th - Fantasy Book Addict - “Lasts” Guest Post

Blog Tour- INDEPENDENT STUDY Dream Cast and a Giveaway!

I am so excited to have Joelle Charbonneau here today! I freaking love her Testing Series yep I've read all 3 but if you want to see my review for INDEPENDENT STUDY go here! I love the realness of this dystopian world this could happen to us someday and it absolutely fascinating to read! Make sure to enter the giveaway below for a copy of the book!
Haven't heard of INDEPENDENT STUDY? Check it out!

Title: INDEPENDENT STUDY

Author: Joelle Charbonneau

Pub. Date: January 7, 2014

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Pages: 320

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble

She's fought death and won. But how can she fight her fears?

Avry knows hardship and trouble. She fought the plague and survived. She took on King Tohon and defeated him. But now her heart-mate, Kerrick, is missing, and Avry fears he's gone forever.

But there's a more immediate threat. The Skeleton King plots to claim the Fifteen Realms for his own. With armies in disarray and the dead not staying down, Avry's healing powers are needed now more than ever.Torn between love and loyalty, Avry must choose her path carefully. For the future of her world depends on her decision.

Now on to the Dream Cast!

A girl’s gotta dream….

I was really excited when Jaime asked me to come up with my dream cast for The Testing trilogy.  When I write, I never think about which actor could play which part.  In fact, even after Paramount optioned THE TESTING on launch week, I purposely didn’t give casting any real thought because I was too busy revising Graduation Day.  I could only see the characters that lived in my imagination.  They didn’t look like actors.  They looked like—well—them. 

But now that the series is written and I’ve had a chance to move onto a new project, I loved looking at the characters with the thought of which actors would best bring them to life on screen.   Now, I think I should best confess that I totally want to play a part if it ever really gets made into a movie.  I’m thinking I’d be great at Cia’s Mom or one of The Testing officials.  Of course, I’d also be happy if they just let me sneak on set for a day to watch a scene being filmed.   The idea of someone bringing The Testing off the page and onto the screen is just astonishing.  Here’s hoping it happens.  And if it does…ahem…here are my casting suggestions!

Malencia (Cia) Vale – Francesca Santoro

You can’t look her up on IMDB because she isn’t there – yet!  Francesca (Chessie) is currently finishing her senior year at Syracuse Univeristy where she is majoring in Musical Theater.  She is also my voice student and one of the main inspirations for The Testing.  She is also wickedly talented.  Cia is a girl who is idealistic as well as smart.  I think casting an unknown talent to play Cia is the best way to pull the reader into the world of The Testing.  That way they won’t be seeing a star from some other movie.  They’ll be seeing Cia all the way.

Tomas Endress –  Freddie Highmore

Boy next door cute, looks trustworthy and he knows how to bring great energy to the big screen!

Malachi – Nadji Jeter

I think he’d be fabulous as the shy, socially awkward Malachi.

Zandri –  Emma Roberts

She might be a little too old, but she has the abandon and fabulous hair of Zandri.

Stacia -  Emma Watson

Okay – the world might know her as Hermione Granger, but I see her as Stacia.  Especially with the short hair and the piercing looks she can give the camera.  Let’s face it-- no one would have a problem believing that she is smart enough to pass The Testing. 

 Michal – Chace Crawford

If I was Cia I’d trust him to help me.   Wouldn’t you?

Will –  Thomas Brodie-Sangster

He’s got a smile that would charm anyone.  And I think he could play the multi-layered Will with a great deal of skill.

Dr. Barnes – Dennis Quaid

Dennis Quaid is one of my favorite actors.  He has THE BEST smile.  He is also the type you would automatically believed had your best interest at heart.  Or does he?

President Collindar – Sigourney Weaver

Okay – I admit that this is taking some liberties with the casting.  Afterall, President Collindar is described as having almond eyes and dark hair.  I always pictured her as someone of Asian decent, but Sigourney Weaver is an amazing actress and she’s tall.  With Cia’s short stature, I think having a President with some height could make for some really interesting scenes.  Of course…you’ll have to read Independent Study and Graduation Day to know what those scenes are…

Raffe – Alexander Ludwig

Another controversial choice since he appeared as Cato in The Hunger Games movie.  However, I would argue that he didn’t get near enough to do in that movie and that he is perfect for Raffe.  (Who appears in Independent Study.) 

Symon – Ralph Fiennes

Another Independent Study character.  He could totally rock this role.  Trust me!

Damone – Tyler Posey

I think he’d make for an intriguing choice. 

 Professor Holt – Joanna Gleason

Since seeing her appear as The Baker’s Wife in Stephen Sondheim’s INTO THE WOODS, I have loved Joanna Gleason.  She has the ability to stop everything in a scene with just one glance.  She’d be awesome.  And, truth be told, I’d love to have an excuse to meet herJ

Thanks Joelle love the cast especially who you cast for Raffe! Love that guy :D

About Joelle:

Ever since I can remember I loved telling stories. As I grew up, I started performing those stories on the stage. Creating vivid characters and singing wonderfully complex songs were my passion. I graduated from Millikin University with a Bachelors Degree in Vocal Performance and then continued onto DePaul University for my Masters Degree in Opera Performance. From there I went onto perform across the Chicagoland area in a variety of Operas, Operettas and Musicals. I also started teaching acting classes and private voice lessons to pass my passion along to the next generation.

Not exactly the path you’d expect a writer to take.

I’d never dreamed of writing a novel. But I loved to read. Then one day I had an idea and I started to write. I found my passion for creating characters lived on the page as well as the stage. It is my hope that the characters I’ve created resonate with you and make you smile.

I still teach voice lessons and sing for the occasional professional event. But the rest of my time is spent with my husband and son while dreaming up new and interesting stories. I hope that someday I hear yours.

Website/Twitter/Facebook/Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

3 INDEPENDENT STUDY prize packs with a finished copy of the book, a GRADUATION DAY ARC, a bracelet, pencil, & temporary tattoos! US only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check out the Tour Schedule:

Week One:

12/30/2013- My Guilty Obsession- Review

12/31/2013- Magical Urban Fantasy Reads- Interview

1/1/2014- Tales of the Ravenous Reader- Guest Post

1/2/2014- Hannah Reads Books- Review

1/3/2014- K-Books- Review

Week Two:

1/6/2014- Fiktshun- Interview

1/7/2014- Parajunkee's View- Interview

1/8/2014- Jenna Does Books- Review

1/9/2014- The Book Cellar- Guest Post

1/10/2014- Two Chicks on Books- Guest Post

Blog Tour- TASTE OF DARKNESS Meet Loren and Quian and a Giveaway!

I am so excited to have Maria V. Snyder here today! I am one of her biggest fans I love all of her books and I freaking loved TASTE OF DARKNESS it was the perfect ending to the Healer Series! I fell hard for all of the characters in her books and I loved the smartass duo of Loren and Quain.And today we get to see what happens when they interview each other! Make sure to enter the giveaway below for a copy of the book!
Haven't heard of TASTE OF DARKNESS? Check it out!

Title: TASTE OF DARKNESS

Author: Maria V. Snyder

Pub. Date: December 31, 2013

Publisher: Harlequin MIRA

Pages: 464

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble

She's fought death and won. But how can she fight her fears?

Avry knows hardship and trouble. She fought the plague and survived. She took on King Tohon and defeated him. But now her heart-mate, Kerrick, is missing, and Avry fears he's gone forever.

But there's a more immediate threat. The Skeleton King plots to claim the Fifteen Realms for his own. With armies in disarray and the dead not staying down, Avry's healing powers are needed now more than ever.Torn between love and loyalty, Avry must choose her path carefully. For the future of her world depends on her decision.

Now on to the interview!

The following is Loren and Quain being interviewed about how they met each other and Kerrick and Belen:

Loren:  I was sipping tea at the Nasty Bear tavern—

Quain:  Tea?  At the Nasty Bear?  No one’s gonna believe that.

Loren:  Shut up, Quain.  It’s my turn, you’re next.  Let’s see I was in the town of Vix in Tobory Realm, minding my own business  [Quain snorts in amusement] when this distraught father enters the tavern.  Seems his daughter had been kidnapped and forced to work in the infamous Vix’s Vixens brothel.  He was hoping to hire some people to help rescue her.  He was going to need more than a couple as the place had more security than Queen Bianca’s bedroom.  No one volunteered.  Or rather no one sane volunteered, but a very young, very drunk, hot-headed—

Quain:  Hey, I’m not a hot head.

Loren:  Noticed he didn’t protest the young and drunk.

Quain:  My dad had just died and I was drinking to forget.  Besides, you volunteered, too.

Loren:  I didn’t want you to get yourself killed.  The plague had killed so many, I couldn’t stand by and watch some young idiot throw away his good luck at surviving.

Quain:  And you hated the idea of a young girl being forced to—

Loren [snapping]:  Yes, that too.  Without law enforcement, criminals were preying on the survivors.  And we were letting them!  At that time, the survivors should have been banding together and supporting each other.  Anyway, I offered to go along, hoping a few others would as well.

Quain:  No luck.  We left and checked out the brothel and once I gotta a good look at the security, I sobered up real quick.  These guys had muscles on top of muscles. 

Loren: Which is why we decided to go in and pretend to be clients.  The father stayed outside as he’d already been tossed out of the place earlier that night.

Quain: And we had to pretend to be clients who likes to…  who likes their girls…  [blushes bright red]

Loren: Tied up since Loni, the daughter, wouldn’t be cooperating at this point. [shakes his head in disgust].

Quain:  We each were led to a room and…er…freed the girls, but neither was Loni, so we searched for her and inadvertently revealed the real reason we were there.

Loren:  Inadvertently?  This is when that hot headedness of Quain’s made its second appearance.  So outraged by what he saw, he started busting down all the doors and making a racket.

Quain [shrugging]: We were running out of time.

Loren [sighs]: Because you…oh, never mind. 

Quain:  And it worked.  We found Loni.

Loren:  But it didn’t take long for the muscle men to converge and…  Well, it wasn’t pretty.

Quain:  Yeah, good thing Kerrick and Belen showed up.  I was doing fine, but Loren was floundering.

Loren:  Floundering?  Seriously?  Have you ever seen a flounder?

Quain:  It doesn’t matter.  I used it correctly in a sentence.

Loren:  No you didn’t.  I was far from…never mind.  Either way, it was excellent timing on Kerrick and Belen’s part.  Later we found out they’d been in the Nasty Bear and heard everything, but didn’t want to call attention to themselves by volunteering in public. Instead they followed us and learned the plan from the father.

Quain:  Belen cleared a path for us.  He tossed those big muscle men aside like they were toys and I think I heard growling.

Loren:  It was groaning and it was coming from those unfortunate enough to be in Belen’s way.  Kerrick’s skills with his sword were impressive, he kept the other guards from getting close and the four of us, along with Loni and five girls escaped.

Quain:  Yep.  It was a nice bit of work and the father was very happy to see his daughter.

Loren:  Kerrick told us that he’d seen similar bad things happening all over the Fifteen Realms, and he and Belen were on a mission to help a ruler who would get our world back. 

Quain:  I joined up right away, but Loren took some convincing.

Loren:  No.  I agreed and you—

Quain:  No.  You have it all wrong.  I—

Loren:  Planned to go back to the Nasty Bear and finish drowning your sorrows, while I—

Quain [huffs in disbelief]:  You are incapable of admitting I’m right.

Loren:  I’ll admit it when it’s ever true.

Quain [growls and launches himself at Loren]:  Argh!

Thanks guys! You crack me up!!

About Maria:

Maria V. Snyder changed from being a meteorologist to a novelist in 1995, when she began writing to keep her sanity while raising two children. Since then, she has published numerous freelance articles in magazines and newspapers, and teaches fiction-writing classes at the local college and area libraries. The classes give her the wonderful opportunity to encourage fellow writers, and to keep improving her craft.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Maria always had a fascination with big storms. Dreaming of chasing tornados, Maria earned a bachelors of science degree in meteorology at Penn State University. But she discovered, much to her chagrin, that forecasting the weather wasn't one of her skills. In order to chase tornados you had to predict where they might form. Creating fantasy worlds where she has complete control of the weather was more agreeable to her.

Maria's research on food-tasting methods with an expert chocolate taster, her husband, turned out to be a delicious bonus while writing Poison Study.

Maria has a brown belt in Isshinryu Karate, and enjoys playing volleyball and the cello. Traveling in general and via cruise ship in particular are her biggest distractions from writing. Maria has traveled to Belize, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Europe, Mexico, the Caribbean and through the Panama Canal.

Maria lives with her husband, son, daughter and yellow lab, Hazelnut, in Pennsylvania where she is at work on more LUNA novels. She is also pursuing a master's degree in writing popular fiction from Seton Hill University.

Readers are welcome to contact Maria at the following email address: maria@mariavsnyder.com.

Where you can find Maria:

Website/Blog/Facebook/Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

2 Copies of TASTE OF DARKNESS International

10 Copies of TASTE OF DARKNESS US Only

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check out the Tour Schedule:

Week One:

12/30/2013- Read Now Sleep Later- Interview

12/31/2013- Tynga's Reviews- Guest Post

1/1/2014- Fiktshun- Guest Post

1/2/2014- Bibliophilia, Please- Interview

1/3/2014- Snowdrop Dreams of Books- Review

Week Two:

1/6/2014- http://www.parajunkee.com/         Parajunkee- Guest Post

1/7/2014- Moonlight Gleam Reviews- Review

1/8/2014- The Cover Contessa- Interview

1/9/2014- Two Chicks on Books- Guest Post

1/10/2014- Mundie Moms- Interview