Guest Post : Debra Kristi from The Age of the Hybrid series !!

Today, I am thrilled to have Debra Kristi -author of The Age of The Hybrid series- here to share with us a bit about her thoughts on writing!  I hope you enjoy and be sure to check out more on her books below! 

 

Why ‘The Right’ Critique Partners Matter by Debra Kristi

Hi! It’s an honor to be here today on Reviewing in Chaos, to talk to you a bit about my writing path, and what I learned about my writing partners along the way.

Writing is subjective. What you or I may think is the best story ever written, someone else may shrug at or mark as the absolute worst. Every great author has their negative reviews. If you doubt it, just take a look. Dr. Seuss, Stephen King, You name it, if they have written enough to find an audience, they have gathered negative attention.

That’s okay. Honestly, it really is. If you are writing from your heart, finding your voice, it’s not going to please everyone, and that means negative reviews will come. But how do you find that voice and bring it to a place where it’s ready to meet the world?

You write. And you write, and write, and write. Obvious, right? Except, writing alone isn’t enough. As writers, we need to open ourselves up to the voices of constructive criticism. Through the sharing of work and feedback we become better writers and storytellers. We hear that all the time. But I have a huge ‘but’ to add to this statement. Not all criticism is worth your time.

When I first started along my writing path, I settled in with a cozy little critique group. It was all ‘change this’ and ‘cut that’ until my voice was jumbled and my confidence obliterated. My story didn’t know what it wanted to be anymore. I could no longer see the path through the rubble or words remaining. That story got filed away (for a long time), waiting for my head to clear. Writing partners are a lifeline in your journey. The relationship not only has to be cohesive, it has to spark―encourage your muse and energize your soul. If it’s not, it may not be the right one for you. Don’t be afraid to walk away from an unhealthy writing relationship. I did and it turned out to the best choice. As difficult as it may be in the moment, in the end it will make you a strong writer.

How do you find the right critique partner for you? It may be an evolving process or you may strike gold right out the gate. I suggest making a list of what matters to you in your writing and then looking for those same traits in another. Start there and expand your list as you grow. No matter what you do, never forget that you words have value and how others critique them makes a difference.

~

A huge thank you for having me here today! It has been a pleasure, and all the support is truly awesome. Thank you, thank you, thank you to the readers and fans, because you are the most important part of being a writer.

 

The Moorigad Dragon 

(Book One - The Age of the Hybrid)

A Magical Universe ...
Hidden throughout the worlds are magical portals leading to the secret dimension where Mystic's Carnival is nestled.  A self-aware fair that is both carnival and circus combined, and filled with a plethora of supernatural and paranormal beings.

Performers and runaways, Kyra and Sebastian, are away visiting the human realm when they find themselves at odds.  Stay hidden, or interfere with a human's destiny? 

Saving a life doesn't go unpunished.

Kyra thinks saving Marcus's life is easy - slick as dragon snot- and a one-time deal. The resulting bond tying her to him and enslaving her as protector is unexpected.

She didn't expect one good deed to turn into an endless chain of good deeds. Or to complicate the relationship with her best friend, Sebastian.  And she especially didn't expect it to place her life on the line. 

Kyra's dragon must keep Marcus alive and salvage her relationship with Sebastian without losing herself or dying.

Buy it :  B&N  |  Amazon  |  Smashwords  |  Kobo  |  Ghost Girl Publishing

 

 

Dark Perceptions

Love is stronger than fear ... or is it?

The last thing Sara remembers is a conflicted night out with her boyfriend, Matt, and laying out under the dark night's sky.  How she came to be seated among the crowd under the Big Top is a mystery.  When and how did she get there?  She doesn't wait to find out.  Whether it's due to basic fear or the scary, hideous clowns, Sara and Matt run.  Run beyond the tent walls into the deep, dark alleys of the carnival.  What they find along their mad dash to the parking lot will have them redefining their idea of fun zones, thrill rides, and date nights.  Fear is an eat-you-alive monster.  Refusing to be defined by that monster, they will confront those fears.  What will they find? 

Perceptions can be excruciatingly misleading ... and some monsters have hidden claws. 

Buy it :  Amazon   |   B&N

  

Reap Not the Dragon 

 (Book Two - The Age of the Hybrid)
 
A Reaper with a mission.

Sebastian is finished following commands.  Higher powers be damned.  He has his own agenda- find Kyra and help restore her memory.

At first his plan goes better than expected.  But as life starts looking up for the would-be Reaper, his metaphorical sickle becomes caught in a web of complications.

Things were never smooth for Sebastian and Kyra.

Best-laid plans sometimes rest in peace.

A detour, unexpected and unwelcome, delivers Sebastian into the depths of a grave situation.  Misfortune and misunderstanding are the cards dealt to him.  And events fail to flip in his favor. 

Creatures from hell all want a piece of the young Reaper.  If Sebastian ends up dead, that's okay.  For he has a more grievous beast to worry about.  To save the woman he loves, Sebastian will venture into the heart of an all-powerful fire demon.

Sebastian must find a missing dragon and the key to Kyra's memory without being devoured by sinister beasts or even worse consumed by his own inner demons.

Buy it :   Amazon   

GIVEAWAY:

Hop over to Goodreads for a chance at winning your own copy of Dark Perceptions.  

Ends March 1st, 2015.

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Final Stand by Rose Garcia

Final Stand by Rose Garcia
The Transhuman Chronicles #2

Dominique is still alive after killing Tavion, the Tainted who's hunted her for lifetimes. Yet her protectors still fear for her life. They force her to flee Houston and abandon the friends she loves. But they can't protect her from herself. When Dominique starts hearing Tavion's voice in her head, she realizes that her personal connection to the Tainted still exists. And when her car is ambushed, she discovers another frightening truth—someone close to her is a traitor.

Desperate for answers, Dominique seeks the aid of first lifers Trent and Infiniti. With their help, she hopes to find her new enemy. But things get complicated with Trent because of her emotional pull toward Farrell, and even more complicated when the whispers in her head threaten her loved ones. Determined to live, Dominique decides to make a final stand against the forces that want to end her. For good.

Available on  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

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ABOUT ROSE

Rose Garcia is a lawyer turned writer who's always been fascinated by science fiction and fantasy. From a very young age, she often had her nose buried in books about other-worlds, fantastical creatures, and life and death situations. More recently she's been intrigued by a blend of science fiction and reality, and the idea that some supernatural events are, indeed, very real. Fueled by her imagination, she created The Transhuman Chronicles--a series of books about people who have overcome human limitations.

Rose lives in Houston with her husband and two kids. You can visit Rose at www.rosegarciabooks.com

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Book Blast- Avenge by @AmityHopeAuthor #Paranormal

Avenge
(Malice, Book 2)
by: Amity Hope

Publication:   Jan. 17, 2015
ASIN: B00QSNHBDW
Length:  210 pages
Genres: Teen/ YA , Paranormal Romance


Blurb: 
 
Tristan Johnson is not an easy guy to get to know. He’s quiet, shy, and borderline elusive. That never stopped Samara Cavanaugh from claiming Tristan as her best friend, her tutor, her longtime crush. She knows Tristan better than anyone. Sam was the one person that Tristan had allowed himself to get close to. But even Sam wasn’t aware of the secrets her best friend had been keeping. When Sam’s life was in jeopardy Tristan didn’t hesitate to protect her. Now that he’s gone, Sam will do whatever it takes to get him back.

Buy on Amazon

Samara Cavanaugh has grown up in a world filled with magic users. She’s used to bizarre and peculiar. But when a stranger checks in at The Bella Luna, the bed and breakfast her family owns, the strange occurrences in Granite Falls escalate. Many people are leery of Levi, their new guest. He claims to be in town doing research but Samara’s friends aren’t so sure that his claim is as innocuous as it appears to be. When two of her classmates disappear, her friends seem convinced Levi had a hand in it. Those closest to her have been keeping secrets from her. Those secrets put everyone close to her in danger. Suddenly, her unrequited crush on her best friend, Tristan becomes the least of her troubles.

On Sale for $.99 January 19th -31st Buy on Amazon

 

 

 

About the author:

Amity lives in beautiful northern Minnesota with her two sons, two cats and their Rottweiler. She has a degree in elementary education and worked in that field for ten years before deciding to self-publish. Her first self-published novel, Twisted, was listed by Amazon as a Top 100 Kids & Teens Kindle Book of 2012. It hit Amazon's Teen & Young Adult Contemporary Romance Best Sellers List in several countries. Truths and Dares held the #1 position on Amazon's Best Sellers in Teen & Young Adult Contemporary Romance eBooks in the UK. If she's not writing, or spending time with her boys, she's most likely reading

Find Amity on Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

 

  Giveaway:

Enter to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card. Giveaway ends 1/31/15 at 11:59 pm EST a Rafflecopter giveaway

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#Excerpt - Final Life by Rose Garcia #Giveaway

Final Life by Rose Garcia
Book #1 in the Transhuman Chronicles

Nothing sucks more than being forced to move cross country during senior year. And Dominique Wells doesn't think things can get any worse until she's invited to a quirky neighbor's party. When pressured into playing a magical card game, Dominique's world goes from sucky to terrifying. She begins having visions of a red desert and an evil presence--a presence who hints at past lives and promises to kill her.

Plagued by fear and suspicion, and unaware of a family secret kept hidden from her, Dominique is determined to live. Together with a mysterious and gorgeous guy who's moved in while his parents are away, and a hot, popular guy from school, Dominique must seek clues to her past if she's to survive. That, and keep her emotions in check for the two guys she suddenly can't stop thinking about because if she doesn't, she'll be dead. For real.

Available on  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

___________________________________________________________

EXCERPT

            The image of blue sky, white sand, and calm waters popped into my mind, edging out the fear and panic that had taken over me.

            My body slipped to the ground. My knees sank into the cool, pebbly sand. A soft breeze flowed through my hair. Farrell stood beside me at the water’s edge, staring out at the still water. He extended his arm and helped me to my feet. I brushed myself off, recalling the terror and pain I had just left behind in the red desert. I patted my chest.

            “Am I really here?”

            “No,” Farrell said sadly. “Only your mind is here.”

            “Farrell, am I—?” I paused, not wanting to say the words, as if keeping them to myself would change my fate. “Am I dying?”

            “Yes.” He took my hand. “There’s nothing I can do.” His calmness filtered into me. And for a minute there, death didn’t seem so bad.

            My attention turned to a bird in the distance that soared through the cloudless sky. For eight lifetimes now I had died, and this was my last time. The world would never be the same, and it was my fault.

            Farrell squeezed my hand. “Remember what I said? The last time we were here?”

            Of course I remembered. “You told me the end is not yet written, and to trust myself.”

            The bird, a white Egret, flew closer and glided right over us, wings outstretched. A lone, feather escaped its plumage. The delicate quill drifted back and forth in the sky. Just like the feather from my dreams and the feather Ms. Ryken had given me that I had later seen at Jan’s. And then it dawned on me that it was the same color as Farrell’s aura. I extended my hand, reaching out for it. When it touched my palm, it disappeared.

            Like flipping a switch, I was back in the desert. Heat exploded inside me. The air in my lungs had almost emptied. Warm, thick blood dripped from my fingers. Farrell and Trent were on the other side of Tavion’s dark energy force, and I was still inside, barely alive. Tavion continued to lift me at my throat, squeezing the life out of me.

            “Dominique! Fight!” Trent yelled.

___________________________________________________________

ABOUT ROSE

Rose Garcia is a lawyer turned writer who's always been fascinated by science fiction and fantasy. From a very young age, she often had her nose buried in books about other-worlds, fantastical creatures, and life and death situations. More recently she's been intrigued by a blend of science fiction and reality, and the idea that some supernatural events are, indeed, very real. Fueled by her imagination, she created The Transhuman Chronicles--a series of books about people who have overcome human limitations.

Rose lives in Houston with her husband and two kids. You can visit Rose at www.rosegarciabooks.com

___________________________________________________________

GIVEAWAY


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#Excerpt : Beautiful Experiement @VictoriaSkyline #Paranormal #Teen

Beautiful Experiment
(Island of Defiance Trilogy, Book 1)
by:  January Valentine

Publication:  June 2013
ISBN: 0615828590
ASIN: B00DIQU1KW
Length:  332 Pages
Genre:  Teen  Paranormal Fantasy

Book Description: 

Six unruly teens are abducted on their way to a juvie home. Dumped onto an uncharted island. Could things get any worse? Hell, yeah. Hostility and envy run rampant. Throw in some alphas, divas and demons, and what do you have? Beautiful Experiment. Book One of the Island of Defiance Trilogy.



The teens are referred to as waywards, informed their parents have sent them to the island for rehabilitation. While they struggle with their predicament, and each other, they come to a shocking realization ... for once in their lives, they have to follow rules.



Brook has lived on the Island of Defiance his entire life, with no choice but to believe everything he has been taught. As he approaches eighteen, the secret of who he is, and the ultimate fate he must face, begins to unfold. To complicate matters even more, Brook grows to experience something he has never known ... love.



How do you convince a stranger a dreadful mistake has been made? Gabriella Winslow is an honors student who has always helped others, but now has to fight for herself. Something unimaginable wants her as much as the beautiful island boy with whom she is falling in love.



Beautiful Experiment is Book One of The Island Of Defiance Trilogy (paranormal - fantasy - romance - for teens and adults) but is also a stand alone.  Mature 16+ for adult language, drugs & alcohol, mild sexual situations & mild violence.

Buy  it :  Amazon   |   Barnes & Noble   |  Kobo

(Brook and Father are waiting on the beach for the skiff to arrive with a new delivery of wayward teens. This is Brook's first encounter with the supernatural force that will intensify until he eventually learns exactly what is attempting to overtake him, and why.) 

The surging tide is tempting. I'm concentrating on the foam that is quickly erasing my footsteps. It's not the caw of gulls that alerts me, because the winged creatures have vanished. In their place, the air is filled with my name. I lift my face to something startling, and my heart begins to pound. 

The sky has burst into flame. Red and gold, it's raging. The sun is the sky. Scorching. Shooting stars, like flaming spears, are dropping all around me. If I don't shut my eyes, I'll be blinded. If I do, I'll be nothing but a solid target. The wind wails like a mother who has lost her child. "When the third moon falls, the beast will devour the sky." 

As suddenly as it started, it ends. I'm standing beside Father, totally disoriented. Am I standing? I look down at my feet, because I feel legless. I'm floating. Struggling to regain control of my mind, my body, the shock. 

I grip the clipboard and pen with my knees, so that I can draw my palms across my twitching eyelids, astonished that I'm actually still holding onto anything. 

"Did you see that flash? Did you hear that creepy voice?" I'm breathless, massaging my pounding temples with burning fingertips. "My head feels like it's about to split open." I rattle each eardrum with a pinky, then plug my ears to listen intently. Was the urgent whisper that turned me to stone inside my head? Phantom sounds? I've never experienced this kind of phenomenon before. "My eyes pain." 

Father regards me with a mix of surprise and concern. "You have a migraine?" 

"Migraine?" I scoff. What the fuck, loops through my head. I'm freaked out, left with a strange feeling this is not going to be like other days. I try to shake it off, like I shake him off. 

The sky is now clear and so perfectly blue, it looks as though it's been painted by deliberate strokes of an artist's brush. It is a seamless dome of beauty. If we were not receiving today, I might be lying on the pristine beach, permitting my thoughts to wander far beyond my own boundaries. Maybe I'd be lounging on my bluff, or climb my watchtower tree, burrow into its welcoming arms where I collect my years, watch over all that is mine. 

"Feeling better?" His voice is buffered, but coarse enough to jar me from thought. 

Skimming Father, my gaze snaps back to the waves, the skiff that is almost upon us. "I'm fine." I don’t mention how bad my body aches, and feels like it’s being torn apart. I stretch my arms, then my neck, trying to pin down what I did to cause these muscle spasms. The bomb that’s about to explode in my head. 

When the ocean is calm it's translucent, sparkling with sunlight as though it's coated with billions of precious gemstones. Today it's not much more than rolling waves and seaweed. 

"I've never seen it this rough." Between wind and thunderous surf, I have to face him or my voice will be useless. 

"Storms." His reply is blunt. 

"You wouldn't know it by the sky." I bring my gaze to a more pleasant sight. 

"There's one brewing out there. You'd feel it if you had my knees." Staring gravely at the ocean, his body is rigid. 

"Are you in pain?" 

"Nothing I can't handle." 

"Let's hope the weather holds off until we've settled them." 

"Rain or shine, we've got our work cut out for us, Brook." 

"As always." My stomach rises to my throat as I watch their approach. I wonder if I'll ever get used to this way of life. Do I want to? Of course not. There are so many other things I'd rather be doing right now, like hopping onto that boat, and for starters, checking out the other side of this island. 

 Beyond the boat, a floating veil of mist rolls in like billows of steam from a tremendous boiling kettle. I am no longer able to see the large vessel from which the skiff was launched. 

 The atmosphere of the island is as such, inviting one moment, rejecting the next. Father calls it a gentle beast, with characteristics and charm like the women he has known. My glance shifts, falling upon the shoreline curve where a jetty, composed of rocks chiseled and stacked by nature, projects like the nose of a dolphin and the forest begins. This is as far as my eyes pan. 

 "Thank you for cutting your hair." For a moment his eyes wash over me, then his gaze refocuses on the others who are struggling against the relentless current. "I know it pains you." 

 "Don't you mean shearing?" I huff. "I don't understand why I can't grow it long. I have awesome hair, or so I've been told." I smirk. 

 He shoots me a phony glare. "You've been told, huh? No cozying up to any of these girls. I don't want another batch begging to stay." 

 "I'm not a womanizer. Just good company." I shrug. 

 "No nighttime jaunts to the lagoon, either. And I mean it this time." Now his glare is authentic. 

 "Yeah, yeah. I know. Stay out of the lagoon. Out of the forest. Out of the lockers. Pretend to like my boring life." 

 He almost looks sympathetic. "One of these days you'll understand." 

"What? Why I can't swim at night?" 

 "You're impossible sometimes, and the reason I ask you to cut your hair is to set a good example." 

 I let out a tired sigh. My hand runs over my smooth scalp, the shadow of bristles so short and sun-bleached, my reflection in a mirror looks hairless. If not for my deeply tanned skin, I would look anemic. 

 "Seems a waste. Six or more inches of attractive dark hair again and again swept into the trash." My jaw sets as our discussion continues. "I like my hair long. It makes me feel ..." 

 "Like a rock star?" He chuckles, scrubbing my head playfully. "In so many ways you remain such a child, yet you desire to be worldly. Do you admire them?" 

 "Not as you might be thinking." My eyes lower, landing upon my anxious toes digging through a mound of sand. 

 I swing my gaze across the vast horizon which is now shaded with purples and blues, fantasizing about the places beyond. The order of the world not contained within this globe of existence called Defiance Island. I know the temperament of the waywards, but wonder what others are like. Are they beautiful? Intelligent? Kindhearted? Do they possess the nature that can make a man want to tear another to shreds?

January Valentine is the pen name of Victoria Valentine, New York writer and indie book publisher. See Victoria's Author pages: http://www.amazon.com/January-Valentine/e/B007Q28DFE
http://www.amazon.com/Victoria-Valentine/e/B005LYVSTM



I chose to use a pen name because some of my writing is steamy, and I wanted to separate Victoria, who writes contemporary fiction and children's storybooks. Since my birth month is January, January Valentine seemed an appropriate pseudonym.

I also host a blogtalkradio show: Away With Words, every Wednesday evening at 6 PM EST where I interview other writers and poets and discuss writing in general: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/aww1



In June, I released my first paranormal romance, Beautiful Experiment, book one of Island of Defiance Trilogy. Wheel Wolf was released on August 20th, and instantly became an Amazon bestseller in Horror/Suspense/Paranormal.

I've written three other novels: Love Dreams contemporary romance, Sweet Dreams in the Mind of a Serial Killer, and Head Over Wheels New Adult romance. All are available on Amazon and other booksellers, or will be shortly in ebook and paperback.

I publish books for other authors through Water Forest Press, which I founded some years ago. In the past I have written poetry and song lyrics, but now I focus on fiction. I've created multiple websites and blogs that I don't have time to manage very well.

My desire to be in a rock band brought me into a recording studio ... where my lyrics sprang to life with the help of a local alternative rock band. Together, we produced a CD.

I enjoy designing book covers and YouTube videos, and outdoor activities such as hiking and swimming. I love all kinds of music. Watching horror flicks and Tyler Perry movies are my escape from reality.

I have an addiction to engraved pens that I buy to accompany each of my books. My office is filled with paperbacks, t-shirts, silver bullets, wolf head necklaces, crystals, and all kinds of swag. 

My sites and pages.

Stalk her :

Website    |  Blog   | Facebook   |   Twitter

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