A Howl in the Night by Courtney Rene - Virtual Tour and Giveaway!

Today we're welcoming author Courtney Rene to the blog on her tour with Goddess Fish Promotions for the paranormal YA, "A Howl in the Night".

Courtney is giving away $5 Amazon GCs to two randomly drawn commenter during the tour, so comment today AND follow her tour (if you click on the banner over there on the left, it'll take you to a list of her tour stops)! The more you read and comment, the better your odds of winning. You could be introduced to a great new author AND win a GC!

Courtney was brave enough to share five things about herself that we might not know. Thanks, Courtney!

There are many things about me that the world all ready knows. Here are a few that most don’t.

1. I am afraid of the dark. This is somewhat funny, as I love horror movies, and monsters and ghost stories. How can I still be afraid of the dark? No real answer there. I can tell you that we don’t leave the hall light on at night for the children. Oh no. We leave it on for me. Need something from outside in the car after dark? Go get it yourself, as I am not going out there alone!

2. I sleep walk and sleep talk. Yes, apparently I am quite the entertainer once I’m asleep. The only time this has actually been an issue was when I was pregnant. Everyone was worried I would go outside and into the road and be hit by a car. Why they only worried about this when I was pregnant is beyond me. If I wandered into the road pregnant or not, and was hit by a car, hello? I would still die. Also, just as an FYI, I am just as clumsy while asleep as I am while awake. Nice huh? I can’t even be graceful in my sleep. So, not fair.

3. My perfect date activity is going to a movie. I know a lot of people would say a weekend away, or a five star restaurant. Nope. Take me to the movies, buy me some popcorn (extra butter) and I am happy as I can possible be. No need to drop a ton of money on me. I’m a cheap date.

4. A lot of my fans and friends know that I am a Harry and David Gummy Bear snob, but most do not know that I am also quite the shoe addict. I LOVE shoes. All shoes. Heals, sandals, wedges, flip-flops. I love them all. My favorite part of the changing of the seasons is the opportunity to buy new shoes. I am not a fan of snow, but it gives me the perfect excuse to get out my boots.

And last, but not least:

5. There are several places that I want to visit before I die: Scotland, Ireland, Rome, Italy, and Greece. There is one place that I want to visit right NOW: Australia. I have been planning a trip there since I was eighteen. I have travel guides galore. I do research on things to do and see for fun. Life keeps getting in my way and holding me back, but not for much longer. I want to see the land, the ocean and the reef. I want to watch the surfers. I want to go on treks through the desert like Steve Irwin. I want to listen to the people talk. So many things to do and see and experience there. I can’t wait to go, and I hope it’s sooner rather than later.

There you have it, five things that you maybe didn’t know about me. Exciting huh? I lead a wild life, can you tell? What about you? Is there one thing you could share that we don’t know? Something fun and silly or even embarrassing, the people want to know!

Sweet Sixteen is supposed to be a turning point in your life. The world is before you in all its glory, just waiting for you to reach out and grab it. Right? For Abigail Staton, no. Not so much. Not only does she suddenly lose her best friend due to a fight, but out of the blue her mother expects her to believe that the father, she has never met, is actually a werewolf. With that revelation, Abby is thrust into the world of two wolf clans who are not only fighting each other, but also fighting for Abby, one of the few females born to the shape-shifters. Her father is determined to pair Abby up with Derek, a very dominant and overwhelming shifter. Abby vehemently balks at this union to disastrous results. When war is declared between the two clans, Abby has to decide what side she is actually on.

EXCERPT:

Then a new thought crashed into my brain. “Wait a sec. If my father is a werewolf . . .,”

“Not a werewolf, just a wolf,” my mom said interrupting me.

“Okay fine,” I said. If her story was true though, I had to wonder, what did that make me? It was my turn to pop up off the bed and pace around. What about me? Was I going to grow hair and fangs and run around trying to bite people? “Oh, God.”

It felt as if my life was over. How was I supposed to finish school if I turned into a wolf every time the moon was full?

Would it hurt to change? It always looked like it did in the movies. I had seen that werewolf movie where the guy runs around London eating people. The change was always accompanied with screaming and pain. Was I going to hunt down my friends and family and eat them?

I didn’t know if that was really how it worked or not, but before I could work myself up into a real freak fest, my mom said, “I have watched you all your life Abby, and I have never seen anything wolf-like about of you. I promise. That worry has always been in the back of my mind, but nothing has ever come of it. You’re fine. Come on, you don’t even like meat.”

Courtney Rene lives in Ohio with her husband and two children. She is a graduate and member of the Institute of Children’s Literature. Her writings include magazine articles, short fiction stories, several anthologies, and her Shadow Dancer series, published through Rogue Phoenix Press. For a complete listing, visit http://www.ctnyrene.blogspot%20com/. Feel free to contact her at ctnyrene@aol.com

http://www.ctnyrene.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/#!/Ctnyrene
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Shadow-Dancer/164433473646449
http://twitter.com/#!/ctnyrene

Virtual Book Tour and Giveaway: Shadow Warrior by Courtney Rene

Today we're welcoming author Courtney Rene to the blog on her tour with Goddess Fish Promotions for the paranormal YA novel, "Shadow Warrior".

Courtney will be giving away $10 Amazon.com gift certificates to two randomly drawn commenters during the tour. So comment today AND follow her tour (if you click on the banner over there on the left, it'll take you to a list of her tour stops) -- the more you read and comment, the better your odds of winning. You could be introduced to a great new author AND win a GC!

Courtney was kind enough to answer my questions. Take it away, Courtney!

Why YA?

I choose YA for the simple matter that I am surrounded by teens almost every single day. I talk with them, and listen to them, and try very hard to understand them. Young Adults are just entertaining people in general. You never know what they are going to say or do. Putting all that character and spontaneity and life into story form was so very fun.

Why fantasy?

I love fantasy. I still build fairy houses around my big trees just for the sheer silliness of it. Plus what if? Right? YAs and Teens, still want to believe in fantasy. Whether it’s vampires or werewolves or fairies, they want to believe. I want to write for someone that still has that belief in place.

Would you share a few world-building tips?

One big one would be to make sure you can see the world in your head. All of it. Not just the edges, but the middle and the corners and the underneath of it all. I am not much of an outliner. Actually I hate to outline, but I did have to check myself when it came to creating Acadia. It was all gray and blurred and that showed big-time in the story. I had to stop, sit down, and really plan out Acadia. Once I did that, it was 100% better and a much better world and story.

Another would be to have fun. You have a chance to create your own world. So…create it!

What do you do when you get writer's block?

Sometimes all I need to do is get away from the story for a bit. Go outside, sit in the sun, walk in the woods, work in the garden, just something. Then when I sit back down to start working I am refreshed and ready to get to it.

Other times, I have to really take a break. Mull over in my brain for a few days what isn’t working or why the story is stuck. I will take that opportunity to get in some reading. Focusing on another story is the best way to get away from your own.

Any fun / strange quirks you have you'd like to share?

Strange quirks, eh? Sadly, I have many. First, I have an addiction to Harry and David Gummy Bears. This addiction is posing a real problem too, as our local store shut down this past fall, and now they are nowhere to be found within a hundred miles. You can’t buy them on line anymore either. It’s a horror story in the making. Second, I happen to be a renowned klutz. Don’t stand to close or I may take you down with me. One good thing to come out of this is that I can firmly say, I know how to fall and do it quite well. I am the only child I know who was removed from ballet class due to being a danger to myself and to others. Sad, but true story. Welp, that’s enough dirt on me for now.

What's one thing about you we'd probably never guess?

I am supremely shy. No really, I am. In writing you wouldn’t know it, but in person, WOW.

Any new stories in the pipeline you'd like to tell us about?

Well, I do have a new paranormal YA novel coming out later in 2012 called: A Howl in the Night. Yes, you guessed it. It’s a shape-shifter story. Not your normal, “Oh No! I’m a werewolf” type, but a “Cool, look what I can do” type. Plus add in a power struggle and two jealous boys and you have quite the fun romp of a story, at least if you ask me *G*.

I am also finishing the last installment of the Shadow Dancer series. Revisions….ick. Since I know you will all just LOVE Shadow Dancer and Shadow Warrior, you'll need to stick around to see the end. The working title at the moment is: Shadow’s End.

You can check my blog to find updates on both of these novels, as I am usually very excited about releases and tend to over spew about them…everywhere.

Sunny finally makes her first jump over to the Kingdom of Acadia that is on the other side of the shadows, for what she hopes is a vacation. Only her vacation turns into quite an unwanted adventure. Aside from new and unexpected issues regarding her relationship with Leif, Sunny meets the rebel group, makes new friends, fights with controlling her powers, and finds herself neck deep within a county that is torn apart by two sides, each fighting for power. Acadia is not quite what she imagined. How is she, one young girl, suppose to unite the Kingdom as well as unseat a King to take her place as ruler of Acadia.

**

"This is going to feel a bit strange," he said, still looking at me.

"Strange, how?" I asked. Strange weird would be okay, but strange pain, would not.

Leif shrugged his shoulders and said, "Just strange."

Then before I could get a better answer out of him, he said, "Here we go. One, two, pull."

I did as Leif instructed. I pulled the shadows up and over me again and suddenly, without warning, I was jerked painfully backward. The world was suddenly dark and grey. Everything was spinning out of control. It was spinning around and around and over and over, and my head clouded and fogged. I felt like I was tumbling and falling, and then we stopped, just as instantaneous as we had begun.

The ground was now solid again beneath my feet. I wobbled once, twice then I dropped to my knees and threw up the entire contents of my stomach. I felt Leif pull back my hair for me and thought absently, that's nice.

My head still spun, even after my stomach finally stopped heaving. I sat back on my feet, my head hung down. A bottle of water was thrust under my nose. I took it and washed out my mouth as I tried to regain my senses. The first real thought that came to my head was, "That felt more than a little strange."

About the author: Courtney Rene lives in Ohio with her husband and two children. She is a graduate and member of the Institute of Children’s Literature. Her writings include magazine articles, short fiction stories, several anthologies, and her Shadow Dancer series, published through Rogue Phoenix Press. For a complete listing, visit www.ctnyrene.blogspot com . Please feel free to contact her at ctnyrene@aol.com .

www.ctnyrene.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/#!/Ctnyrene
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Shadow-Dancer/164433473646449
http://twitter.com/#!/ctnyrene

Remember to leave a comment and be entered to win one of two $10 Amazon GCs!

Thanks for stopping by today, Courtney.