13 Day's of Halloween Madness: Interview and Giveaway with Benjamin Kane Ethridge

Welcome to Book Flame's 13 days of Halloween Madness! 

 Today I would like to welcome Benjamin Kane Ethridge author of the Bram Stoker Award Winner Black & Orange for joining us here at  Book Flame. 

Interview

1. What inspired you to write Black & Orange?

Well a number of things actually. I wanted to write a novel that gave equal story time to the villains as it did the heroes. So there was that. I also wanted to write a Halloween story like none other that had come before it, a tale that didn’t rely on historical aspects of the holiday but on a completely different structure that included another world.

2. Have you ever come up with something so wild that you scare yourself, and it leaves you wondering where that came from?

This has happened to me before but the story was older and I hadn’t read it for a long while. I couldn’t remember writing some of the things I had and while I was reading out loud I felt a chill doing wind-sprints up and down my back.

3. How old were you when the writing bug hit you?

I’d say around 9 or 10. I wanted to write novels. I enjoyed children’s fiction but I really desired to write things that grown-ups would like.

4. Do you have any novels in the works?  Goals for future projects?

I have a few that are either in submissions or marinating before the big edit. My second novel is called DUNGEON BRAIN and it’s a dark science fiction meets locked-room mystery novel. It’s in submissions right now and my goal would definitely be for it to be published and published well!

5. What was the first horror story you remember reading?

THE STAND by Stephen King.

6. Would you rather walk through a graveyard at midnight or spend the night in a spooky abandoned house?

A graveyard, hands down. I wouldn’t feel as trapped.

7. What is your favorite Halloween monster?

Michael Myers

8. Do you have any fun Halloween experiences you can tell us about?

Too many to list. I remember some great experiences at my parents’ annual Halloween parties. It was all pretty much fun. I do also remember a not-so-fun moment of realizing I’d drank too much and was going to be sick dressed as Darth Maul. The force was not with me that night.

This or That

Pumpkin carving or Pumpkin painting?

Carving! It's more earthy.

Give out candy or Turn your lights off?

Candy! But nobody comes to our door.

Scary stories or Ouija board?

Stories. I find I get more out of them than slowly spelling out words. Ha!

Thank you for stopping by Book Flame, It was great fun interviewing you.

Black & Orange

"Forget everything you know about Halloween. The stories are distortions. They were created to keep the Church of Midnight hidden from the world. Every October 31st a gateway opens to a hostile land of sacrificial magic and chaos. Since the beginning of civilization the Church of Midnight has attempted to open the gateway and unite with its other half, the Church of Morning. Each year they've come closer, waiting for the ideal sacrifice to open the gateway permanently. 

This year that sacrifice has come. And only two can protect it. Martin and Teresa are the nomads, battle-hardened people who lack identity and are forever road-bound on an endless mission to guard the sacrifice. Their only direction is from notes left from a mysterious person called the Messenger. Endowed with a strange telekinetic power, the nomads will use everything at their disposal to make it through the night alive. But matters have become even more complicated this year. Teresa has quickly lost ground battling cancer, while Martin has spiraled into a panic over being left alone. His mind may no longer be on the fight when it matters most... because ever on their heels is the insidious physical representation of a united church: Chaplain Cloth."

About the Author 

Benjamin Kane Ethridge is the Bram Stoker Award winning author of the occult fantasy novel BLACK & ORANGE. Beyond that he's written several collaborations with Michael Louis Calvillo, one of which is a novella called UGLY SPIRIT, available in 2011. He also wrote a master's thesis entitled, "CAUSES OF UNEASE: The Rhetoric of Horror Fiction and Film." Available in an ivory tower near you. Ben lives in Southern California with his wife and daughter, both lovely and both worthy of better. When he isn't writing, reading, videogaming, he's defending California's waterways and sewers from pollution.

Connect with Benjamin Kane Ethridge

• Website:http://www.bkethridge.com/
• Goodreads:http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4448495.Benjamin_Kane_Ethridge

:Giveaway: 

Benjamin Kane Ethridge is generously giving away:
One (1) trade paperback and thirteen (13) Kindle versions of the novel Black & Orange

U.S. only for the paperback 
International for Kindle versions

To Enter

Leave a comment below with your info

Optional: Extra Entry

Follow BookFlame via GFC

Tweet this giveaway


Become a fan/friend of the author on Goodreads

Please leave separate comments for each entry

Contest/ Giveaway Policy 

To give everyone a fair chance and enough time to enter instead of ending this at midnight on Halloween I will end this giveaway on November 13th

Also don't forget to leave your email in your comment so I can contact you if you win. You don't have to leave your email in all your entries just one.

13 Day's of Halloween Madness: Interview and Giveaway with Megg Jensen

Welcome to Book Flame's 13 days of Halloween Madness! 

 Today I would like to welcome Megg Jensen  for joining us here at  Book Flame. 

Interview

1.     What inspired you to write Sleepers?

My son is adopted. While Sleepers has absolutely nothing to do with our real lives, it evolved from a conversation I had with my husband about adoption. The best stories always start with a “What if.”

2.     Have you ever come up with something so wild that you scare yourself, and it leaves you wondering where that came from?

Sure. In fact, an upcoming novel is like that. I don’t forsee releasing it before 2013, mainly because I need the time to think about how to do it right.

3.     How old were you when the writing bug hit you?

I wrote my first book at age seven. It was seven pages long and about unicorns.

4.       Do you have any novels in the works? Goals for future projects?

I have more than twenty novels in various states of completion on my hard drive. Eventually most of them will be published.

5.       What was the first horror story you remember reading?

I’ve never been a fan of horror. I’d have to say The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan. I think that qualifies as horror.

6.       Would you rather walk through a graveyard at midnight or spend the night in a spooky abandoned house?

Easy. Walk through a graveyard at midnight. I’ve done it and survived. ;)

7.       What is your favorite Halloween monster?

It’s a tie between bats and zombies.

8.       Do you have any fun Halloween experiences you can tell us about?

I hated Halloween as a little kid because it scared me so much. It doesn’t help that my brother and his friend set me up one year. They scared me so bad, I nearly peed my pants. Jerks. LOL!

This or That

Pumpkin carving or Pumpkin painting?

Painting!

Give out candy or Turn your lights off?

Candy!

Scary stories or Ouija board?

Scary stories!

Thank you so much for having me!!!! :D

Thank you for stopping by Book Flame, It was great fun interviewing you.

Sleepers ( The Swarm #1)

"An adoptee raised in a foreign land, sixteen-year-old Lianne was content with her life as handmaiden to the queen, until a spell cast on her at birth activated. Now she's filled with uncontrollable rage and access to magic she thought had been bled from her people years ago. Even her years of secret training in elite hand-to-hand combat and meditation can’t calm the fires raging inside her. 

Her heart is torn between two boys, the one she’s always loved and the one who always ignored her. But when the kingdom threatens to tear itself apart due to rumors surrounding the queen’s alleged affair, who will Lianne protect and who will she destroy? "

About the Author 

I've been a freelance parenting journalist since 2003 and began writing YA novels in 2009. I co-run DarkSide Publishing, am a member of SCBWI, and I blog about writing while juggling freelancing, volunteering, and family life. I live in the Chicago suburbs with my husband, two kids, and our miniature schnauzer, Ace. 

Connect with Megg Jensen

• Website:http://meggjensen.blogspot.com/
• Goodreads:http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4574107.Megg_Jensen
• Twitter:http://twitter.com/meggjensen
• Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/meggjensenauthor

:Giveaway: 

Win a E-ARC of Sleepers and some Bookmarks


Note to entrants: The E-ARC of Sleepers wont be available until mid  November so if you win please give it a few weeks for "delivery." Meanwhile Megg Jensen will gladly send you some bookmarks.

To Enter

Only requirement is you must be a GFC follower of my blog (if your not you can join on the right hand side)

Optional: Extra Entry

Tweet this giveaway
Follow Megg Jensen via Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads or her blog(website)

Please leave separate comments for each entry

Contest/ Giveaway Policy 

To give everyone a fair chance and enough time to enter instead of ending this at midnight on Halloween I will end this giveaway on November 6th at midnight

Also don't forget to leave your email in your comment so I can contact you if you win. You don't have to leave your email in all your entries just one.

13 Day's of Halloween Madness: Interview and Giveaway with Jenna-Lynne Duncan

Welcome to Book Flame's 13 days of Halloween Madness! 

 Today I would like to welcome Jenna-Lynne Duncan author of YA Novel Hurricane for joining us here at  Book Flame. 

Interview

1. Do you research real events, legends, or myths to get ideas?
   Hurricane Katrina is the backdrop for my novel but because of my personal experience I had to do little research for it.  

2. What inspired you to write Hurricane?

It was based on a short story about a kidnapping I wrote when I was younger. The idea and characters were stuck in my head. It was a story I always wanted to tell.

3. Have you ever came up with anything so wild that you scare yourself and it leaves you wondering where that idea came from?

Some of my ideas will come from dreams that I’ve had. Sometimes I have the craziest dreams and even though it’s a really good idea, I’ll be like ‘where did that come from’?

4. Would you rather meet a vampire or a werewolf?

Ohhh, tough one! I would have to say vampire.

5. Have you ever visited a haunted house?

Yes! Oh, are we talking about a real one or a fake Halloween one? Either way, yes I have visited both! The Lalaurie Mansion, New Orleans most haunted house is in my novel. So it is a perfect read for this time of year.

6. Do you dress up for Halloween? If yes what are you going to be this year?
Yes! I am going to a masquerade ball this year and will dress in the era of Hayden Boudreaux with a Victorian style dress.

7. What is the first horror story you remember reading?
The Lottery by Shirley Jackson.

8. Pumpkin carving or Pumpkin painting?
Pumpkin carving! I love baking the seeds!

9. Give out candy or Turn your lights off?
I am usually not home to give out candy but I always leave a bowl out. Aw, turning off your lights is just mean!

10. Scary stories or Ouija board?
Scary Stories. I haven’t been near a Ouija Board since I was ten. It wasn’t until recently that my friend told me it was him spelling out the words and not a ghost!

Thank you for stopping by Book Flame, It was great fun interviewing you.

Hurricane ( Hurricane #1)

"I anxiously looked around, my heart palpitating, just in time to see an alligator slink into the green algae covered water that was on either side of us. I swallowed hard, and my heart raced even faster. Alligators were a different type of predator—the one thing I was afraid of. Now I was on my own personal swamp tour. What if my kidnappers left me in the middle of a swamp with five of them creeping up on me? I’ve had that nightmare before and—oh no, if my dreams really are a sign of the future—I couldn’t breathe now." Adriana couldn’t decide what was worse—that Hurricane Katrina was heading for New Orleans, or that she might not survive her kidnapping to see its potential effects. She had trusted Hayden, even fallen for him, and now he and his brother Luke were taking her deeper and deeper into the Bayou. Why had two of her classmates, the mysterious Boudreaux brothers, kidnapped her? Why had Adriana’s dreams started predicting the future? Most importantly, would she make it out of the Bayou alive…"

About the Author 

Jenna-Lynne Duncan graduated from the University of St. Thomas with degrees in Political Science, International Studies, and Middle Eastern Studies. Hurricane is her debut novel and she is planning a series. 

Connect with Jenna-Lynne Duncan

• Website:http://www.jenna-lynne.com/
• Goodreads:http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4957254.Jenna_Lynne_Duncan

:Giveaway: 

Win a signed cover, bookmark and pin. 

US ONLY

No P.O. Box 

To Enter

Only requirement is you must be a GFC follower of my blog (if your not you can join on the right hand side)

Optional: Extra Entry

Tweet this giveaway

Please leave separate comments for each entry

Contest/ Giveaway Policy 

To give everyone a fair chance and enough time to enter instead of ending this at midnight on Halloween I will end this giveaway on November 5th

Also don't forget to leave your email in your comment so I can contact you if you win. You don't have to leave your email in all your entries just one.

13 Day's of Halloween Madness: Guest Post by Alexis Donkin + Character Interview

Welcome to Book Flame's 13 days of Halloween Madness! 

I am pleased to welcome Alexis Donkin Author of  The Brothers here today on Book Flame 

For many people, holidays are an important time. Memories wrapped in smells, colors, and seasons are rich during holidays. No autumn holiday does this more than Halloween. Perhaps it is the hayrides, the messy orange pumpkin carving, the roasting of pumpkin seeds, or the thick face paint required for trick-or-treating along with a flamboyant costume that makes the day special. All these things combined form strong memories dredging up past Halloweens. But nothing about a human experience with Halloween comes close to the experience of Samhain for an Otherworlder.

I was lucky enough to catch up with seventeen year old Khloe Alwell, an important princess of the Otherworld, to chat about the importance of the holiday. Sitting in a locally owned coffee shop in her favorite tiny New England town, we sipped hot beverages while the rotting leaves blew around the cold outside.

Me: So Khloe, what is so special about Halloween for an Otherworlder?

Khloe: Well, in some ways it's a lot like the human holiday. We do dress up, have parties, and eat apples...

She paused as she blushes deeply. I took a drink delicately from my hot cider to let her collect herself.

Me: Clearly there's more to eating apples than just eating.

Khloe: Uh, yeah. We also have bonfires and sing songs. But there are some other things that are maybe a little different. We use turnips instead of pumpkins for luminaries, for example.

Me: Oh really?

Khloe: Yes, that is actually the old human tradition. I guess Otherworlders just liked it, and we don't change very much. We tend to stick to our ways a bit more than humans. She flashes me a gorgeous smile.

Me: That's right. But the holiday has some differences for you, does it not? Why do Otherworlders celebrate it at all?

Khloe: Originally, it was our holiday. Humans used to live close to Otherworlders. You adopted the holiday from us. As you know, there are veils – different planes of existence. Halloween, or Samhain, is our New Year. It is the promise of things to come – the movement of the year from light into darkness. But even though it's going from light to dark, it is hopeful. It is a time of transition and because of that, the veils become thin. If you have any second sight, you may be able to sense some of the things that are behind the veil.

Me: Now that reminds me, doesn't half your family live beyond the veil?

Khloe: Yes. My father's side is Sidhe. They live on another plane - another veil. My mother's side, are Seelie, and they live in plain sight – with humans.

Me: How is it that no one knows you're there?

Khloe: It's not like we're broadcasting our abilities to move wind and water around. There's no reason to freak you guys out!

Me: No, I agree. I heard that Halloween has a special significance for you. Is that true?

She grins broadly at me.

Khloe: Well, it is my birthday. I was born at exactly midnight between October 31 and November 1.

Me: Is there anything special about that?

Khloe: It's a very special time to be born. There are stories going back thousands of years about children born on Samhain. Some are even human legends – children being born with magical abilities and leading important and charmed lives. Of course, those children were at least part Otherworlder, likely part Seelie.

Me: So then you have a charmed life to look forward to? She rolls her eyes.

Khloe: Not really. It is a crazy one though – I can't tell you too much. But I do have a destiny and it's a big one. The world has to change – or there's going to be a huge war. I will tell you this – the Seelie and Sidhe are going to reunite. One way or another it will happen.

Me: Sounds intense!

Khloe: It is. But you'll have to read my full story to find out more.

Me: Deal! Speaking of stories, there's a rumor going around that you have a new man in your life. Tell me about him.

She blushes furiously, averting her eyes.

Khloe: Uh, there is a boy, but I don't want to say more now. We're only sort of seeing each other.

Me: Is he an Otherworlder?

Khloe: I have a few different friends that are boys. Most of my friends are Otherworlders. That's all I can say right now.

Me: But a few of them are hotties.

She smiles widely.

Khloe: Constantine and Freyr are both pretty cute in their own ways. Constantine is my best friend, and he's definitely a child of the Apollo Arcana tribe.

Me: What is that?

Khloe: Arcana are the Mediterranean Otherworlders. Each of the twelve Olympian gods you've heard of were actually just really famous Otherworlders. They split off into tribes when the Seelie and Sidhe separated.

Me: Sounds like there's a major story there.

Khloe: You'll have to read the book.

Me: Okay, so what about Freyr?

Khloe:Freyr is – definitely a Norse god. She sighs and laughs. I don't know what's happening there.

Me: And I heard you just recently met someone at your father's palace.

Khloe: Oh Alexis, you're jumping way ahead of yourself. There's no one worth mentioning at Mac Darragh. I do have some friends there, but that's still pretty new. She smiles slyly.

Me: There are rumors about you getting apples from one or more boys this year. What does that mean and who can we expect to hand over the goods?

Khloe: I plead the fifth! I'm not saying yes or no to anyone yet! There's a story that goes with apples, and why they're used the way they are. Apples are a fruit of promise in a season of darkness – it's the perfect symbol for the Otherworlder New Year, Samhain. But an apple is more than just a symbol for Samhain. It is also a promise you make to a person. If a boy gives a girl an apple, it's kind of like giving her a ring.

Me: You mean, Otherworlders give fruit instead of rocks?

Khloe: Uh, well, sometimes they do both. But, yes.

Me: Weird.

Khloe: Hey, rings are human symbols of a prospective husband's ability to provide for a wife and any children. Otherworlders don't really need to worry about that. They can get whatever they need whenever they need it, even the “poorest” Otherworlder is pretty well set. We can make plants grow out of season and we mostly live in nature – well anyone who lives under the veil does anyway. So who needs money?

Me: Must be pretty nice! So, are you expecting anything special this Halloween?

Khloe: I think I'm probably going to dress up as a pixie again.

Me: Pretty ironic.

Khloe: Yeah. I might even carry a wand this year.

Me: Any trick-or-treating? She smiles wickedly. 

Khloe: Ha! Sidhe do have a reputation for tricking. I'm going to plead the fifth. Who knows who or what you'll see crossing through the veils this Halloween? Just keep your eyes open. It's safer that way – if you're human.

The Brothers

"Khloe Alwell is about to turn sixteen, find her first real friends, fall in love, learn every legend is true, discover her parents are living a lie, and one more thing. She's not human.

Moving from town to town with her mother who is absent six months out of the year and an mousy academic stepfather, Khloe Alwell never had time to make friends or fit in. Everything changes the September before her sixteenth birthday, when Khloe finds herself in a small New England town starting yet another new school. There she befriends three strange brothers who introduce her to a world where human myth and legend are fictionalized histories of an older more powerful race divided. Drawn to Khloe, the brothers and their childhood friends will help her uncover her parents' complicated past, come to terms with ugly truths that plague all people, as well as discover Khloe's true identity, abilities, and her importance in the world under the veil.

Dive into the first installment of Khloe's adventures in a hidden world where things are more than what they appear, and people are the same, no matter who they are."

About the Author 

I've grown up all over the place, gone to art school, college, graduate school and traveled around the US and the world.  I've written and performed music, studied and sold my art, been a youth pastor, consulted for non-profits, and clawed halfway up corporate ladders.

The one constant in my life has been my need to write. During 2010 I completed my first manuscript - a young adult urban fantasy, The Brothers.  I am currently working on putting that book into print on demand (look for that soon!). The sequel, Lovers and Rivals is in editing, while I am writing the prequel/sequel Lilith and Ammon. Expect Lovers and Rivals by December 2011 and Lilith and Ammon in early 2012! On top of that, I have joined a science-fiction project, The Apex, which will be a seven part series of novels, graphic novels, and movies. Look for Legion in 2012! It's an exciting time for my writing and I hope you enjoy reading these books as much as I have enjoyed writing them.

Beyond this, my life so far has been a variety show, sometimes a sitcom, and frequently a movie plot. It seems my writing is meant to be as well.  So enjoy.  I hope it makes you laugh and rethink things, or notice something new you hadn't before.

Connect with Alexis Donkin

• Website:http://alexisdonkin.blogspot.com/ 
• Facebook Page:http://www.facebook.com/alexis.tara
• Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5090764.Alexis_Donkin