Halloween Monster Giveaway at From the Shadows

Celebrating Halloween with fabulous giveaways October 1st-31st...celebrating the paranormal 365 days of the year.

Halloween is coming and E.J. has some wickedly delightful treats in store for you.  From the Shadows will be hosting numerous giveaways with a month-long Monster Giveaway ending October 31st (see below to enter). 

** Halloween Monster Giveaway **

To enter, fill out the form HERE.  You do not have to be a follower to enter.  This is a HUGE giveaway with a horde of fabulous paranormal books, eBooks, and swag.  Many giveaway items are international!  Please select which items you would like to be entered for on the form.  No tricks, but lots of treats!  Giveaway ends October 31st midnight EST.

US only Prizes:

She Smells the Dead Prize Pack:  signed copy of She Smells the Dead, bookmarks, postcards, and one XL "I Smell Dead People" t-shirt and She Smells the Dead tote bag!

Supernatural Sleuths and Paranormal Mysteries Prize Pack:  Ghost in Trouble by Carolyn Hart, She Smells the Dead by E.J. Stevens (signed), Ginger High by Melissa Burmester (signed)

Victorian and Georgian Vampires Prize Pack:  Dracula in Love by Karen Essex, Jane and the Damned by Janet Mullany

Teen Vamps, Ghosts, and Weres. Oh my! (Young Adult) Prize Pack:  Love Bites: A Vampire Kisses Novel by Ellen Schreiber, She Smells the Dead by E.J. Stevens (signed)

HOT Vamps, Witches, and Weres. Oh my! (18+) Prize Pack:  Bitter Things by Andrew Valentine (signed), Darkness Captured by Delilah Devlin, Strange Neighbors by Ashlyn Chase, Blonde with a Wand by Vicki Lewis Thompson.


Paranormal Trick or Treat Swag Pack #1: Bite Me! Dark-Hunter Glow in the dark bracelet, Mystic Witch bookmark, Black Dog and Rebel Rose bookmark, She Smells the Dead bookmark, She Smells the Dead postcard, Shadows of Myth and Legend bookmark, signed Beasts of Forever card, Beasts of Forever magnet, vampire eraser, jack-o'-lantern eraser, and more!

Paranormal Trick or Treat Swag Pack #2: Bite Me! Dark-Hunter Glow in the dark bracelet, Mystic Witch bookmark, Black Dog and Rebel Rose bookmark, She Smells the Dead bookmark, She Smells the Dead postcard, Shadows of Myth and Legend bookmark, signed Beasts of Forever card, Beasts of Forever magnet, vampire eraser, jack-o'-lantern eraser, and more!

International Prizes:

Paranormal New Release:  Your choice of Paranormalcy, The Iron Daughter, The Haunted or Crescendo from the Book Depository.

eBook #1:  Just Another Paranormal Halloween: Anthology
eBook #2:  She Smells the Dead by E.J. Stevens
eBook #3:  Black Dog and Rebel Rose by Danielle D. Smith
eBook #4:  Justice Incarnate by Regan Black
eBook #5:  Invasion of Justice by Regan Black
eBook #6:  Veil of Justice by Regan Black
eBook #7:  From the Ashes (novella) by Regan Black
eBook #8:  Dream Works (novella) by Regan Black
eBook #9:  Mystic Witch by Mark All
eBook #10: Beasts of Forever by Leanore Elliott

During the month of October we'll be joined by fabulous guest authors who will be sharing with us tales of chilling horror, humorous haunts, and passionate paranormal romance.  Some of the wonderful authors joining us include Eve Langlais, Keta Diablo, Shannon Delany, Lucien Black, Carolyn Hart, Krisi Keley, Quinn Keitt, Ednah Walters, Rae Lori, and Betsy Phillips.  So lovely fiends and ghouls, let's gather in the shadows for thirty-one days of paranormal fun!

It's coming... Halloween at From the Shadows

Celebrating Halloween with fabulous giveaways October 1st-31st...celebrating the paranormal 365 days of the year.

Halloween is coming and E.J. has some wickedly delightful treats in store for you.  From the Shadows will be hosting numerous giveaways with a month-long Grand Giveaway ending October 31st.  We'll be joined by fabulous guest authors who will be sharing with us tales of chilling horror, humorous haunts, and passionate paranormal romance.  So lovely fiends and ghouls, let's gather in the shadows for thirty-one days of paranormal fun!

**authors & publishers:  From the Shadows is still accepting books and other giveaway items (bookmarks, t-shirts, posters, etc) for our huge Halloween giveaway. Ebooks are also greatly appreciated for international giveaways.  Please contact E.J. for more information.**

Giveaway Winners + More Giveaways!

 The winner of my BlogFest 2010 Giveaway here at From the Shadows is Mary from Bookhounds.  Congratulations!

Didn't win?  Would you like another chance to win signed copies of She Smells the Dead and fabulous swag?  Here are some She Smells the Dead giveaways currently happening around the blogosphere:

Giveaway at Vampires and Tofu.  Enter to win an autographed copy of She Smells the Dead and bookmarks.  Giveaway ends September 18th. 

Giveaway at Book Crazy.  Enter to win a signed copy of She Smells the Dead, bookmarks, and an XL "I Smell Dead People" t-shirt.  Giveaway ends September 23rd. 

Giveaway at I Swim for Oceans.  Enter to win a signed copy of She Smells the Dead, bookmarks, postcards, and an XL "I Smell Dead People" t-shirt.  This giveaway is INTERNATIONAL!  Giveaway ends September 25th.

Friday the 13th Week Swag Giveaway

It is Day 3 of Friday the 13th Week at From the Shadows and I have 13 fabulous paranormal swag packs to give away!  Swag packs will include bookmarks, postcards, posters and magnets.  A few swag packs will also contain Clockwork Angel journals, however, these were damaged in transit so I apologize for any scuff marks on the covers. 

To enter my Friday the 13th Week Swag Giveaway please leave a comment on this post including your email address.  US mailing addresses only.  You do not have to be a follower to enter (though I always appreciate a follow!).  Giveaway ends August 15th Midnight EST.

Don't forget to enter my Friday the 13th Week Monster Giveaway.  I am giving away 13 paranormal books!  Click here to enter.

I would like to thank Simon & Schuster and author Danielle D. Smith for contributing to this giveaway.

Guest Author Interview: J.C. Marino + Giveaway!

Please welcome today's guest author J.C. Marino!  J.C. is the author of Dante's Journey and is currently working on Everything but the Face and Air.

EJ:  When did you begin writing?

JC:  I have to confess, I really don’t remember when I started writing.  As long as I can remember, I was always trying to tell a story… either in drawings, verbally or writing.  I still remember being 19 years old and bugging my roommate (in the military) to read this story or that one that I’d just finished.  It wasn’t until I moved to LA that I actually took classes in it and realized that writing is as much a “craft” as it is an “art”.  So, officially, I would say that I started writing in 1990 (when I moved to LA).  But that was screenplays.  Luckily, I had a day job, or else I’d be on the street corner with a cup in my hand.  Around the year 2000, I switched to novels.  I figured if no one was going to read my stories, I might as well write the ones I want.  With screenplays, the writer is stuck with all these limitations.  A screenplay written on spec by an unknown writer needs to be about 110 pages long and structured a very particular way (even if it hurts the story you’re trying to tell).  Plus, a screenplay isn’t self-contained.  It’s part of an ensemble.  You need a director, producer, editor, actors, etc, to make it work.  A screenplay is only a blueprint for a movie.  With novels, the writer gets the last say in everything… the characters, the story, the theme, etc.  Plus, it’s a self-contained story.  You can make it as long as you want and add the subplots needed for the story.

EJ:  What brought you to the paranormal genre?

JC:  This particular story (Dante’s Journey) is set in the afterlife, but I wouldn’t say it was the paranormal aspect that attracted me.  Growing up, I was more of a movie buff than a reader.  I would watch anything listed as science fiction.  Two movies I loved were “The Day the Earth Stood Still” and “The Thing” (the originals – not the remakes).  TV show-wise, “Outer Limits” and “The Twilight Zone” were big with me (again, the originals – not the remakes).  It wasn’t until I got hooked on “Combat!” that I realized it wasn’t so much the scifi aspect that I found fascinating, but the human condition.  Outsmarting Nazis in WWII or outsmarting aliens on Mars… there’s really not much of a difference, writing-wise.  That’s just setting.  It’s the human reactions and interactions where the real writing comes in.

Don’t get me wrong, the paranormal aspect of this story is fascinating.  Dante’s Journey is about the human condition.  It just happens to be set in Hell.  The main character’s (Joe Dante) journey is internal and spiritual.  But it’s personified by the external setting of Hell (Hell being the original Dante’s Inferno).

EJ:  If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?

JC:   Hmmm… I would love to heal people with one touch.  Why?  I guess it would make me feel better to ease other people’s pain.

But, I would also like the ability to change my shape and look like anyone I want.  Why?  Well, I’d need it to get in and out of places in order to heal people anonymously.  I mean, what good is a superpower without a secret identity?  Plus, come on… what guy wouldn’t want to go out on a Saturday night wearing Brad Pitt’s face?

I never said I wouldn’t use my powers for fun.

EJ:  Tell us why readers will enjoy your new release.

JC:   A previous reviewer of the book pretty much hit the nail on the head… the book spends as much time on Joe’s internal spiritual journey as it does on his outer journey through Hell.

In fact, Joe’s inner journey mirrors his outer one, but in the opposite direction.  The deeper he goes into Hell, the worse it gets, yet the more he’s forced to look inward to ultimately question his place in regard to God.  I think it’s a very unique book as it doesn’t rely on swords, sorcery or magic, but rather the human condition within the extraordinary situation of one man finding himself in Hell.  I think the reader will see certain aspects of themselves in Joe (or even some of the other characters) and question their own place in the world, as well as their possible place in this particular afterlife.  A basic belief in most world religions (most certainly Christianity) is that no one is perfect.  Joe doesn’t realize this at the beginning of his journey.  I want the reader to look at the Inferno and say “Heck, I could end up in THAT ring.”

Plus, it’s a fun book.  It’s light enough to keep the reader smiling, yet heavy enough to keep them thinking, guessing, and even philosophizing.

EJ:  If your book(s) were being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles? Why?

JC:  I don’t believe that there’s a novelist out there that doesn’t ask this question and think of certain people when writing these characters.

Dante’s Journey is an epic-level adventure, so I could spend ten-plus pages on who would play what character.  Some characters are in the novel only for a chapter, but his/her appearance is key to Joe Dante’s story.

I always thought that Matt Damon would make an excellent Joe Dante.  It’s funny but it took me a long time to write Dante’s Journey.  When I first started the book, I wrote it with Bruce Willis in mind.  But the evolution of the story and characters made me reevaluate who would be better.  Matt Damon is physically correct for the role.  He’s originally from the Boston area.  And he’s a great actor.  He can be action-oriented, deep, or both.  And Joe’s character requires that.

As for Virgil, even though I describe him as a younger man, I have to go with Johnny Depp.  The man’s middle name is “Mystery”.  That’s what would be needed for Virgil.

As for the Angel… I originally thought of Robert DeNiro.  But now… I have to go back with Bruce Willis.  The Angel is tough… funny… and a soldier.  I can’t think of a role where Bruce Willis wasn’t at least two of those three.

Thank you J.C. for joining us here at From the Shadows!  To learn more about J.C. Marino and his books, please visit his website.

Now for the giveaway!

** Dante's Journey Giveaway! **

To enter leave a comment on this post with your email address.  This giveaway is for US mailing addresses only (sorry! J.C.'s Goodreads First Reads giveaway is international).  You do not have to be a follower to enter (though I always appreciate a follow!).  Giveaway ends Friday August 6th at Midnight EST.  

Dante's Journey is a fabulous urban fantasy read!  A hard-boiled trip to Hell.  Visit here to read my review.

400 Followers Giveaway Winner!

The winner of my 400 Followers Giveaway is:

Melissa (My World... in words and pages)

Congratulations Melissa! 

Thank you to all who entered and to all of my fabulous followers! If you didn't win this giveaway do not worry.  I am hosting many wonderful giveaways this month!  Enter my Tyger Tyger International Pre-Order Giveaway and look for my Dante's Journey Giveaway coming July 22nd.   To make sure that all of my giveaways are fair I use Random.org to select giveaway winners.

Tyger Tyger International Pre-order Giveaway!

Enter to win a pre-order of Tyger Tyger by Kersten Hamilton!  This giveaway is international (to anywhere the Book Depository ships).  You do not have to be a follower to enter (though I always appreciate the follow!).  To enter simply leave a comment with your email address so that we may contact you if you win.  Giveaway ends July 27th at Midnight EST.

Read my review of Tyger Tyger to learn more about why this Urban Fantasy read made it into my Top Three Best Books of 2010!

Guest Author Interview: Tim Wendel + Red Rain Giveaway!

Please welcome today's guest author Tim Wendel.  Tim is an award-winning novelist and journalist and the author of numerous titles including his fabulous new work of historical fiction Red Rain.

EJ:  When did you begin writing?
 
Tim:  I always enjoyed reading as a kid. My family grew up in the country, between Buffalo and Rochester in Western New York. Of course, this well before cable television and the Internet, so reading was what you had. My parents were big readers and going to the local library was a huge deal. We went every weekend during the winter. Richard Ford, who I’ve had the good fortune to do a workshop with, once said that if you love reading then it’s only natural to try writing yourself. That’s what I started to do by junior high school. I wasn’t particularly good back then. I was a lousy speller. But I worked on several newspapers in college and then after graduation. They were a great proving ground. I covered everything from fires and murders to sports events and concerts. That period really improved my ability to write and do it on deadline. Later on in my career, I wanted to learn more about writing and that first took me to conferences at Squaw Valley and then to do graduate work at Johns Hopkins University. To me, nothing is more satisfying that writing well.

EJ:  Tell us why readers will enjoy your new release.
 
Tim:  RED RAIN is the story of the best-kept secret of World War II, the Japanese fire balloons. The backdrop and historical period is very much based in fact. More than 10,000 such paper balloons, with incendiary bombs, were launched from Japan in the last 18 months of the war. More than 300 landed in North America. The reason the story isn’t in our history books is that our government decided to keep it secret. That was a basic part of dealing with this particular national threat.
Oakley Hall, who was one of my mentors and a founder of the Squaw Valley Writers Conference, read an early draft of RED RAIN. He told me the novel was about secrets. When are such secrets hidden and when are they revealed? That became my focus in finishing RED RAIN and it’s been a key aspect for readers.

EJ:  How did you first learn of the fire balloons used by Japan in WWII?
 
Tim:  It was in the last few months of Bill Clinton’s administration and several us were discussing at a party in D.C. how jaded things had become, how may be it wasn’t best that all the secrets were out, so to speak. That’s when a complete stranger asked if we knew about the best-kept secret of World War II – the Japanese fire balloons. He was with the Smithsonian and he told us a bit about the balloons. How they started forest fires throughout the West. I couldn’t get the story out of my head and a few days later I was at the National Archives and then the Library of Congress beginning to research the novel. RED RAIN took off from there.
That led me to writing about a world and force that I’d gotten to know many years before. What I’m talking about is fire and the people who fight forest fires for a living. Two decades or so ago, when I was barely out of college, I was on a Hot Shot crew in Arizona. These guys and the smokejumpers are the top fire fighters in the West. I filled up notebooks about that experience and in RED RAIN I finally found a home for that material. Much of fire scenes, where the crew is battling the blazes ignited by the fire balloons, comes from those times. It’s based on real life and moments I participated in.

EJ:  If your book 'Red Rain' were being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles? Why?
 
Tim:  The novel as two main characters – Yoshi and Starling. A key part of the plot is will they ever get together? Yoshi is a Japanese-American woman, and I always thought that Ziyi Zhang from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon would be great in the role. As for Starling, the male lead? It’s too bad Sam Shepard has grown so old in the tooth. He would have been great. So, who’s a young Sam Shepard? Maybe Joseph Fiennes. The funny thing we already have footage of another key cast member – the fire balloons themselves. Check out the YouTube book trailer for RED RAIN. The footage of the balloons in flight is real. We uncovered it at the National Archives here in D.C.

Red Rain by Tim Wendel.

As the B-29 bombers began to pound Tokyo and most of the other major Japanese cities to rubble, the Japanese military became desperate to find a way to once again instill fear in its enemies. Out of such efforts was born the greatest secret of WWII — the fire balloon. One woman, Yoshi, camouflaging her identity, is sent to uncover these delicate but deadly creations.

Read my review of Red Rain by Tim Wendel here.

** International Red Rain Book Giveaway **

Tim Wendel is giving away a copy of Red Rain to one lucky From the Shadows reader!  To enter, please leave a comment with your email address.  This giveaway is international and you do not need to be a follower to enter.  Giveaway ends Tuesday July 6th at Midnight EST.

Thank you Tim for joining us here today at From the Shadows and for the wonderful giveaway!

Spirit Giveaway Winner!

Thank you to all who participated in the guest author interview with Andrew Feder and the Spirit Giveaway.  The winner of Spirit by Andrew Feder is:

SiNn!

This is the first time that Random.org selected the number "1" as a winner.  Congratulations SiNn!

400 Followers Giveaway!

 From the Shadows has reached 400 followers!  I have some of the most wonderful readers.  You're the best!  To thank you for following, I am offering another follower giveaway.

**Giveaway**

I am giving away your choice of a new copy of Crazy School by Cornelia Read or a gently read copy of Poison Study by Maria Snyder (see my review of Poison Study here).  To enter simply be a follower, old or new, and leave a comment on this post with your email address.  To US mailing addresses only (sorry, I have an international contest coming up next week so be on the look out!).  Giveaway ends at Midnight EST Saturday July 10th.

Virtual Book Release Party!

Hello everyone!  Let's adjourn to the parlor where the shadow servants have brewed us a steaming pot of tea and have laid out some lovely finger sandwiches.  Oh, but do be a dear and don't feed the birds.  They have a nasty habit of perching on my guests and whispering all my secrets.  Naughty birds!   

Ah, but it is time.  Let the festivities begin!

Today is the official release of my new book of paranormal poetry Shadows of Myth and Legend.  To celebrate I have some goodies to give away throughout the day.

One lucky visitor will receive a signed copy of Shadows of Myth and Legend.

Shadows of Myth and Legend by E.J. Stevens

Now available at
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Powell's Books,  Smashwords and other fine book sellers.

Reviews at
My Overstuffed Bookshelf, Paranormal Romance Guild, and Goodreads.

Book Trailer on YouTube.



All party goers who leave a comment on this post on April 11th will receive a free Shadows of Myth and Legend bookmark (while supplies last! US only).  Please leave a comment here on the party post with your email and I will contact you for your mailing address.

One of my party guests will also receive a $15 iTunes Gift Card!

One lucky winner will receive a lovely Shadows of Myth and Legend magnet with their bookmark!