Review: VAMPIRES RULE

Note: Because this is one of my books, I am not going to review it myself.  I will copy and paste reviews below that other people left on Goodreads, Amazon, or their blogs.

Summery (from Amazon): 

They don't call him Jackpot for nothing.

Jack has always beat the odds... until now. When a werewolf tried to kill him, vampires saved him. When he got tired of life as a vampire, another attack gave him back his mortality. Now Jack just wants to live a normal life, but what's normal about having a hunter for a girlfriend, a brother who wants to stake him to be on the safe side, and a werewolf building an army to rule the world?

Because this is my book, I will post some reviews from Goodreads but will not review it myself.  I am also not changing anything about the reviews, not even the misspelled words. 
 

Reviews:  I'm disappointed this book isn't more popular. After reading this book, I'm craving for more. I was hesitant that it revolved around a guy main character, but this book definitely pushed away my fears. I loved hearing Jack's thoughts on going from a human to a vampire to a human. It was intriguing to hear about a vampire going back to being mortal, especially when he turned mortal because he was scratched by a werewolf.-- from Black Nailed Reviews

 

Vampires Rule took me by surprise. I was not expecting this book to have the awesome story line that it did. K.C.Blake has written a winner with this series.-- I Heart YA Books

 

I would like to congretulate K C Blake on an amazing book. This was my first time reading a self- published book and I was not left disappointed.
This book is great for YA Paranormal junkies, filled with vampires, werewolves and others.--Tabatha, from Goodreads

 I downloaded Vampires Rule by K.C. Blake from Smashwords and I am glad that I did.-- Stephen Perigo, Goodreads

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I enjoyed reading this book, it gave a new spin on Vampires
and Werewoves. I loved the Silver character, and the romance
element. I am excited to read the second book to see how they
fare when facing the head werewolf. The suspense
in the book is great, with lots of different enemies to face.
There are many original ideas that make this series very interesting.
--Deb, Goodreads


 

Review: RUMBLE FISH

Summary (taken from Amazon): Rusty-James knows he is a tough teen, but he wants to be even tougher, just like his older brother, the Motorcycle Boy. He wants to stay calm and laugh when things get dangerous, to be the strongest streetfighter and the most respected guy this side of the river.

My Review:  This book was assigned to my entire English class when I was in my first year of high school.  I remember other students thinking it was cool that we got to read about gangs.  I know I was surprised. 

This is the book that made me fall in love with S.E. Hinton's novels.  Hinton also made me fall in love with writing.  The beginning of this book is awesome.  An older Rusty-James meets an old friend on the beach but doesn't recognize him at first.  The memories start flooding back and we find out that Rusty-James has had a difficult life.  He always wanted to be like his older brother.  His best friend (and others) scoff and tell him he'll never be like the Motorcycle Boy.  The sad thing is that he gets his wish. 

The cover: It has been changed many times over the years, but this is the cover that I remember.

 

 

I am giving it a A+, because it is a classic and I can read this book again and again and still enjoy it to this day.

Marketing 101: J is for Jungle Marketing

Okay, this is actually called Gorilla Marketing, but I needed a 'J'. 

What is Jungle Marketing?  It is trying something risky that might gain some notoriety (sell some books) or maybe not.  It is risky.  Sometimes it is borderline illegal.  Here are some examples of thinking outside of the box:

1.  Leave your book at the mall or at a park or school for someone to 'steal.'

2.  Dress up in a costume and show up at an event that goes with what you wrote.  You might wind up on the news.

3.  Go to the taping of a show, something like Good Morning America, and hold up a sign or the book itself.

4.  Stand up in front of others and read something from your book.

Check in later for Marketing 101: K

Crushed: A Review

For those of you to yet read Crushed, here is an awesome review by A Sprinkle of Books.  What caught my eye is the adorable kitten pic she used to illustrate how the romance made her feel.  You have to check it out for the cat if nothing else. 

http://sprinklesofbooks.blogspot.tw/2012/08/review-crushed-by-k-c-blake.html#more

Marketing 101: I is for Interview

This is another great way to get your name and titles of your books out there.  Look for blogs willing to interview authors.  There are tons of them.  Even blogs that will not review your book if it is an ebook or if you are Indie, will usually agree to interview you.  In fact, I have found most of these people to be more than willing.  They are excited to do it.

What should you say in an interview?  Try to think of interesting things to say about your books and about you personally.  Have you done something that not many others have?  Do you have a special skill or talent?  Have you met someone famous?  These are all great topics.

One other piece of advice when interviewing: Think of some awesome quotes.

I actually heard this from a famous writer.  He said we should all work on quotes for interviewers that are so great they will be quoted again and again.  He actually claims to have seen his quotes on other blogs months later.  Sounds good to me.

Check back for Marketing 101. 

YA Indie Carnival: Most Memorable Appearances

This week at the Carnival we are sharing our favorite experiences from book signings or other public appearances.  So be sure to check out the other Carnis below.  As for me, I have only done one book signing so far.  It was unforgettable.  The one thing that I will never forget about it is when I gave a free copy of Crushed to this young girl who didn't have the money to buy a copy.  I could tell she was very interested in reading it, so I gave her one that had been slightly damaged.  (My mother spilt coffee on the edge of it).  She held it between both hands and stared down at it in awe as if I'd handed her the most precious of gifts.  That look is the reason I write.  Hopefully she enjoyed reading it as much as she enjoyed receiving it. 

There were a few other interesting things that happened during that signing.

1.  My aunt and uncle showed up to surprise me, driving in from another state.
2.  A few people sneered at my book and told me they don't read.
3.  Two people wanted me to autograph the book, then realized they didn't have the money to pay for it.
4.  People like free candy.  The free candy drew them to the table, but a lot of them just took the candy and ran without glancing at my book.
5.  Two little boys asked for my autograph.  (One of them brought his mom back later and she bought a book).

Join me in a few days when I post Marketing 101: I is for Interveiw.  Only then... check out the other Carnis.

1.	Laura A. H. Elliott	2.	Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series
3.	Heather Self	4.	T. R. Graves, Author of The Warrior Series
5.	Suzy Turner, author of The Raven Saga	6.	Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog
7.	K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed	8.	Gwenn Wright, author of Filter
9.	Heather M. White, author of The Destiny Saga	10.	Liz Long | Just another writer on the loose.
11.	Ella James	12.	Maureen Murrish
13.	Valerie Sloan	14.	YA Sci Fi Author's Ramblings
15.	A Little Bit of R&R

YA Indie Carnival: Hot Summer Reads!!!

This week at the Carnival we are discussing the best books of summer.  When you go to the beach or take a trip somewhere, what book do you take with you?  Have you discovered new books this summer or re-discovered some great reads?

At the moment I am re-reading the Mortal Instruments.  Why?  Two reasons.  I love them and I just bought City of Lost Souls.  Before I get into that book I need to refresh my memory.  Cassandra Clare is my favorite writer.  I love how she paints a picture.  Her characters are awesome and she's the best (in my opinion) at giving you a visual read.  It's like watching a movie.

City of Bones:  This is the first of the series.  Clary meets and falls in love with Jack, a Shadowhunter.  If you haven't read it, you really should.  For more on this book, check out the review that I did on it.

City of Ashes/City of Glass:  Okay, I honestly don't remember which of these comes second.  I can't remember the name of the one I'm reading right now.  That's pretty bad. 

Anyway, by the time I finish these books the summer will be long over.

Check out the other Carnies to see what Summer Reads they are loving.

	Laura A. H. Elliott	2.	Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series
3.	Heather Self	4.	T. R. Graves, Author of The Warrior Series
5.	Suzy Turner, author of The Raven Saga	6.	Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog
7.	K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed	8.	Gwenn Wright, author of Filter
9.	Heather M. White, author of The Destiny Saga	10.	Liz Long | Just another writer on the loose.
11.	Ella James	12.	Maureen Murrish
13.	Valerie Sloan	14.	YA Sci Fi Author's Ramblings
15.	A Little Bit of R&R

POLL: Choose A Cover

Shifters Rule will be released soon, and I have two covers.  I need to pick one.  That's where you come in.  I am also asking friends and family.  Majority rules.  I will announce the winning cover next month.  To vote, leave your answer in the Comments section.  Do you prefer the first cover or the second cover?  They are both black, so the edges might not show up.  I didn't know what to do about that.

YA Indie Carnival: Pinterest

Have you heard of Pinterest?  It is a cool site where you can pick and pin pictures that you like to your board.  You can also share them on Facebook and Twitter.  You can follow people and see their boards.  This is what we're talking about this week on the Carnival.  Tell us what boards you have and what pins you collect.  Here are mine.

1. Supernatural:  I have a board with pics and funny pins with Sam and Dean (sometimes Castiel) from Supernatural.  For example: one pin says, "If they say it's haunted, don't go in."  Of course I like the ones with pictures of the guys on it.  There is one that is super funny.  It has a pic of the cast from Lost walking around on the beach near the plane wreck and says something like this is what the actors of this show do between scenes.  Then it shows Sam and Dean with their pants rolled up and feet in a kiddy pool.  This is what they do between scenes. 

2.  Recipes:  I love to collect recipes.  My most recent was Pumpkin Cheesecake Balls.  See, if you had a Pinterest account (they're free) you could follow me and get this awesome recipe along with others. 

3.  Books:  I have pics of my covers and a few others.

4.  Aw, That's Cute:  This is where I put adorable pics of cats and puppies.

What boards do you have on Pinterest?

View the other Carnis to find out what they on theirs.

.	Laura A. H. Elliott	2.	Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series
3.	Heather Self	4.	T. R. Graves, Author of The Warrior Series
5.	Suzy Turner, author of The Raven Saga	6.	Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog
7.	K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed	8.	Gwenn Wright, author of Filter
9.	Heather M. White, author of The Destiny Saga	10.	Liz Long | Just another writer on the loose.
11.	Ella James	12.	Maureen Murrish
13.	Valerie Sloan	14.	YA Sci Fi Author's Ramblings
15.	A Little Bit of R&R

Review: The Demon's Lexicon

Summary:  Sixteen-year-old Nick and his brother, Alan, are always ready to run. Their father is dead, and their mother is crazy—she screams if Nick gets near her. She’s no help in protecting any of them from the deadly magicians who use demons to work their magic. The magicians want a charm that Nick’s mother stole—and they want it badly enough to kill. Alan is Nick’s partner in demon slaying and the only person he trusts in the world. So things get very scary and very complicated when Nick begins to suspect that everything Alan has told him about their father, their mother, their past, and what they are doing is a complete lie. . . .

Cover:  The original cover looked kind of dorky.  The guy playing the part of Nick reminded me too much of Clark Kent from Smallville.  This cover is much better, although Nick still doesn't look as intimidating as he actually is in the story. 

Review:  I have to admit the only reason I read this book is that I got it for two dollars at my local bookstore, used.  But I am so glad I took the chance on it.  First of all, a YA book from the male perspective is refreshing.  We are told the story through the eyes of Nick, a sarcastic yet charming boy with a fondness for swords.  In fact this book had me from the first sentence, something about the sink leaking and that was a tragedy because Nick kept his favorite sword there. 

This is a story of two brothers, Alan and Nick.  Alan is the older, sympathetic, deep thinker while Nick is the witty, sarcastic, dangerous one.  They are being followed by magicians and demons because their mother stole a charm and someone wants it back.  So the brothers and their insane mother move from town to town, never truly fitting in.  This book has one INCREDIBLE shocker of a secret at the end.  Even if the writing wasn't good, the characters weren't charming, and the surprises didn't keep coming, I would still tell you to read it for the ending alone.

I give it an A because I will read it again in the future, probably more than once.