Happy New Year 2015 Recap

2015 has been an amazing year for me.  There have been so many achievements and milestones reached.

2015 Highlights

• Reaching over 2.5 million views here on my blog, From the Shadows.
• Paneling and signing books at numerous events, including Anthocon, Author Reader Con NOLA, Authors After Dark, InCONceivable, Speculative Fiction: Southeast, and Hallowread.
• My video interview at SF:SE on the show Hangin' with the Authors (in which I use jazz hands while describing my books).
• That awkward moment when Orson Scott Card sat beside me on a panel and poked (harmless) fun at a title from my backlist.
• The epic thunderstorm that threatened to drown us on our Ghost Tour in New Orlean's French Quarter. 
• Nearly getting heat stroke on our NOLA Cemetery Tour (and becoming permanent resident).
• Walking the haunted streets of Ellicott City with Hallowread authors and Dead of Night Paranormal Investigation.
• Spending time with the Paranormal Romance Guild at Authors After Dark in Atlanta. 
• Receiving positive feedback on my solo writing workshops (which means that I will be doing more teaching in 2016).
• Publishing my 14th book (with more on the way for 2016).
• Birthright making the 2015 Top Ten Best Book Cover list at Hot Listens.
• Birthright being nominated for Best Book and Best Cover in the BTS Red Carpet Book Awards.
• Birthright becoming a finalist for Best Book in the BTS Red Carpet Book Awards (I hope to see you all at the awards ceremony in April at TNEE in Atlanta).

...and, of course, meeting and spending time with so many wonderful authors and readers.  

Happy New Year!

Thank you all so much for accompanying me on this incredible journey.  I appreciate your friendship, readership, and support more than you could know.

I hope to continue to stay in touch with all of you in 2016.  You can follow me here on my blog From the Shadows and on Twitter, About Me, Amazon, Goodreads, Pinterest, LinkedIn, BookLikes, Tsu, Google+, Facebook (personal), and my Facebook Author Like Page.  Want book release news and giveaways in your inbox?  Sign up for my author newsletter here.  I promise to never share your email address, and I only send about one newsletter each month.

2016 Appearances

• Boskone 53, Boston, MA Feb 19-21, 2016
• The Novel Experience, Atlanta April 6-10, 2016
• TBA, Dublin, Ireland May/June 2016
• Sinfully Yours Author Event, Manchester, NH July 21-24, 2016
• Imaginarium Convention, Louisville, KY October 7-9, 2016

With new live appearances added to my tour schedule, a new release in the Ivy Granger series, and the debut novel in the Dark Arcana series coming, 2016 promises to be another incredible year!

Q+A with Rachel Marks (Darkness Brutal)

Please welcome today's guest author Rachel Marks!  Rachel is the author of The Dark Cycle urban fantasy series, including DARKNESS BRUTAL.

Q+A with Rachel Marks

EJ:  When did you begin writing?

Rachel:  When I was pregnant with my fourth munchkin I was restless and couldn't find anything good to read. I'd always loved writing poetry and short stories in high school, so I decided to try my hand at a novel. I finished my first manuscript twelve years ago. Needless to say, it took me a few tries to learn my craft and break through into the publishing world (DARKNESS BRUTAL, my debut novel, released July 1st 2015). But that time was what I needed to perfect my art.

EJ:  What brought you to the science fiction genre?

Rachel:  I've always loved fantasy, cutting my teeth as a tween on Madeleine L'Engle's Wrinkle In Time and C.S. Lewis' The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe. I soon moved on to Stephen King, and Anne Rice as a teen, devouring anything creepy or sinister that I could get my hands on. Today I read widely, mixing a lot of High Fantasy, Paranormal, YA Romance, and Historical.

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

Rachel:  I'd definitely want to be a shapeshifter. I think that it would be very cool to be in animal form and be able to climb trees or fly. And it would help me connect more with nature, which I love. Plus, animals in the wild never have to worry about dieting. ;)

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

Rachel:  Well, I'm hoping they'll like it! It's definitely written for lovers of the Paranormal and if you don't like weird, you will not like DARKNESS BRUTAL. It's also, as the title implies, very dark. The street kids in the story come from rough places and the main character is no exception. TV's Supernatural meets Oliver Twist in modern day Los Angeles. It's a story with demon hunters, where a homeless teen attempts to save his sister from the curse trying to take over her heart. It's a story of family, both lost and found, with a lot of mystery and a little romance, plus a dash of humor. Hopefully, all together it's a recipe for a sinister and fun read.

EJ:  If your book was being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles and why?

Rachel:  Recently I was asked this question and so I went on a hunt. Since my story is very diverse, it's been super fun finding just the right cast. After watching the miniseries TUT on Spike TV last week, I definitely think Avan Jogia could play Aidan. He's got everything except the right color of eyes (Aidan has hazel). Kara could be played by a young (and much more edgy) Kristen Kreuk or a young/edgy Vanessa Hudgens, and Rebecca could be played by a red-haired Eleanor Tomlinson.

Thank you Rachel for joining us here today at From the Shadows! 

To learn more about Rachel Marks and her books, please visit her website.  You can also explore her world in our Paranormal Road Trip to Los Angeles the setting of Darkness Brutal.

Darkness Brutal (The Dark Cycle #1) by Rachel Marks.

Aidan O’Linn’s childhood ended the night he saw a demon kill his mother and mark his sister, Ava, with Darkness. Since then, every three years the demons have returned to try to claim her. Living in the gritty, forgotten corners of Los Angeles, Aidan has managed to protect his sister, but he knows that even his powers to fight demons and speak dead languages won’t keep her safe for much longer.

In desperation, Aidan seeks out the help of Sid, the enigmatic leader of a group of teens who run LA Paranormal, an Internet reality show that fights demons and ghosts. In their company, Aidan believes he’s finally found a haven for Ava. But when he meets Kara, a broken girl who can spin a hypnotic web of passionate energy, he awakens powers he didn’t know he had―and unleashes a new era of war between the forces of Light and the forces of Darkness.

With the fate of humanity in his hands, can Aidan keep the Darkness at bay and accept his brilliant, terrifying destiny?

Genre: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
Add to Goodreads.

Have a question for Rachel?  Ask in the comment section below.  We love questions!

Book Giveaway: Fated Dates by Abraham Steele

It's the holidays, and we are giving away free books!

Fated Dates Book Giveaway

We are giving away an ebook copy of FATED DATES, the first book in the Fated Date Agency paranormal romance series by Abraham Steele.

Fated Dates (Fated Date Agency #1) by Abraham Steele.

Bryant had always known that Cade was straight. After years of crushing on his best friend, the bookish young omega was ready to move on. Cade would never be interested in him like that. It was time to move on - time for Bryant to get matched by the Fated Date Agency.

The agency's response only showed Bryant how cruel fate could be. His sexy jock friend wasn't just a crush - he was the only one for him. But Cade was still straight. Bryant couldn't let him know that they were fated mates.

And yet... he couldn't let him go.

Genre: M/M Paranormal Romance
Add to Goodreads.

To enter, please leave a comment below.  This giveaway is 18+ and is INTERNATIONAL.  Giveaway ends January 11, 2016 midnight EST.

Happy holidays!