NOTICE:

This blog will be closing down as of November 1st 2015.

All posts will be moved to my tumblr page:
AshleyAnneReadsThings.com

Please follow me there!

Also, my email address has changed to

ashley@ashleyannereadsthings.com

Thanks lovelies!

~Ashley

Monday, March 30, 2015

Cover Reveal & Giveaway: Red Sky Dawning by Ian J Malone { @ianjmalone }



Synopsis 

Five years after the historic Battle of Dulaston, Danny Tucker, Lee Summerston, and the Renegades have settled nicely into life on Aura — yet none more so than Tucker. Fueled by a rising career as an ASC staff sergeant and a love unlike any he’s ever known, Danny is in the prime of his life and at last free of the demons that have stalked him for years.

Some demons never die, though, and when an old enemy beckons to settle a personal score, Danny soon finds himself swept up in the backlash of a climaxing civil war, and straight into the crosshairs of a father’s bloodlust for revenge.

RED SKY DAWNING is the much-anticipated sequel to 2013’s MAKO, and the tale of one man’s quest to bury his past and protect those dearest to him as the fate of billions hangs in the balance. 


“Thematically speaking, this is very much a story about growing up,” says author Ian J. Malone, a native Floridian who now resides in Durham, North Carolina with his wife and step son. “Whereas book one was this plucky little tale about five bar-flies, rocking through hyperspace on the road trip of a lifetime, book two chronicles a lot of the unforeseen fallout stemming from decisions they made along the way. From an author’s standpoint, it was an intense story to write, but I think readers will really like where it leaves the saga entering the third and final book.”

Among the things readers can expect from RED SKY DAWNING are an array of new characters, a deeper look into the Alystierian Empire, and a healthy dose of political intrigue.

Still, Malone insists that MAKO fans will still find all of the action, humor, and pop-cultural charm that have since become the series’ calling card. “C’mon, guys. What’s a MAKO book without beer jokes and Funyuns?”

RED SKY DAWNING arrives on Amazon April 30th 2015. The audiobook will follow shortly thereafter on Audible and iTunes.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

As a graduate of Florida State University, I’ve written in a number of arenas over the years ranging from public health to news and sports. When it comes to my fictional work, however, I’m a firm believer that nothing shapes an author’s writing like experience. That’s why I credit my tenures in radio, law enforcement, sport management, and the military for much of my thematic inspiration, plus the legion of family and friends who’ve stood with me along the way.

Beyond writing, I’m an avid fan of audiobooks and sports, though it’s also not uncommon to find me at a concert (LOVE music!), a movie, or somewhere out by a grill.

At present, I reside in Durham, North Carolina with my incredible wife, son, and our two dogs — but I’ll always be a “Florida boy” at heart. ;)




Winner will receive a Signed Copy of MAKO, a Signed RED SKY DAWNING Poster, and a bag of Funyuns (inside joke for those who read the books)

Winner will receive a $20 B&N gift card, a Signed RED SKY DAWNING Poster, and a bag of Funyuns



Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Cover Reveal & Giveaway: Signs of Life by Selene Castrovilla { @SCastrovilla }

I'm so excited to take part in the cover reveal for SIGNS OF LIFE (Rough Romance #2, sequel to MELT)! Check out the cover below, enter the giveaway, and be sure to let us know what you think in the comments.
Signs of Life (Rough Romance #2) by Selene Castrovilla

SIGNS OF LIFE (Rough Romance #2) by Selene Castrovilla | Last Syllable Books Release Date: November 10, 2015

No good deed goes unpunished… The tables are turned with a vengeance in this tour de force sequel to MELT. Now it’s Dorothy who is fragmented and lost, while Joey keeps the promise he made her to better himself – even though she’s gone. Joey tells his story “now ”—nearly a year after the shocking conclusion of MELT. Dorothy tells what happened “then”— in the moments and hours after the Glock dropped. This time the stakes are even higher, as Joey forces himself to move forward while Dorothy is frozen in place. But when he learns of a devastating decision, Joey races to find her before it’s too late. Truth, consequence, repercussion and modern medicine collide as pieces converge in this psychological, thrilling story, which begs the question: Can love really conquer all?

Add Java Man to your Goodreads TBR!

What do you think of the cover?

Haven't started this series, yet? Check out book one below and grab a copy today!
MELT by Selene CastrovillaBased on true events, MELT is both a chilling tale of abuse, and a timeless romance. MELT will hit you like a punch in the face, and also seep through the cracks in your soul. MELT is a brutal love story set against the metaphorical backdrop of The Wizard of Oz (not a retelling). When sixteen year old Dorothy moves to the small town of Highland Park, she meets, and falls for Joey – a “bad boy” who tells no one about the catastrophic domestic violence he witnesses at home. Can these two lovers survive peer pressure, Joey’s reputation, and his alcoholism? Told in dual first person, Joey’s words are scattered on the page – reflecting his broken state. Dorothy is the voice of reason – until something so shattering happens that she, too, may lose her grip. Can their love endure, or will it melt away? MELT: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Selene Castrovilla

About Selene Castrovilla

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr | Pinterest
Selene Castrovilla is an award-winning teen and children’s author who believes that through all trends, humanity remains at the core of literature. She is the author of Saved By the Music and The Girl Next Door, teen novels originally published by WestSide Books and now available digitally through ASD Publishing. Her third children’s book with Calkins Creek Books, Revolutionary Friends, has received numerous accolades. She is also a contributing author to UncommonYA. Selene holds an MFA in creative writing from New School University and a BA in English from New York University. She lives on Long Island with her two sons. Visit her website www.SeleneCastrovilla.com for book excerpts and more information!

Giveaway



Monday, March 16, 2015

Book Blitz & Giveaway: Slumber | Christy Sloat | @ChristySloat

Slumber banner

slumberSlumber by Christy Sloat
Genre: YA Fantasy
Not all princesses get their happily ever after…
They tell me I killed my boyfriend Phillip in cold blood. I stabbed him twenty one times. I’m only seventeen years old, and I am serving life in Spindle Ridge Asylum for the Criminally Insane.
I don’t remember killing him, so it’s really hard to believe I’m capable of murder. In fact I don’t remember anything before I came to Spindle Ridge, not even my boyfriend.
I can only grasp onto my realistic dreams while the madness of the asylum threatens to pull me under.  I dream I’m a beautiful princess and there is an evil faerie named Maleficent who is bent on my destruction. The dreams are the closest thing I have to memories of my life, except they aren’t real.
I’m crazy. I’m not a princess.
They’re the mad illusions of an irrational teenage girl, right?
They’ve assigned me a new doctor, and she says I can trust her, and that she’ll help me see the truth of who I really am.
When she arrived she brought a new patient, Sawyer, who is everything Spindle Ridge isn’t: exciting, mysterious and beautiful. He promises he’s here to rescue me. Trusting either of them frightens me.
Could it be possible that my dreams are more than just the imaginings of a delusional girl? Could they be truth?

Christy SloatChristy Sloat is a SoCal born girl who resides in New Jersey currently with her husband, two daughters and Sophie her Chihuahua. Christy has embraced the love of reading and writing since her youth and was inspired by her grandmother’s loving support. Christy passes that love of reading, writing, and creativity to her daughters, family, and friends. When you do not find Christy within the pages of a book you can find her being mommy, wife, crafter, and dear friend. She loves adventurous journeys with her friends and can be known to get lost inside a bookstore. Be sure to venture into her Past Lives Series, The Visitor’s Series, and watch for many more exciting things to come. Check out her website www.christysloat.com 




Connect with the Author:
Instagram http://instagram.com/authorchristysloat_writes
Facebook: Christy Sloat Author www.facebook.com/christysloatauthor
Twitter: @ChristySloat
Read below for an excerpt from the book: 
Chapter 2
Dr. Altman

“The patient seems to be developing more symptoms. Her dreams are showing no improvement. May need to look into her medication and alter it slightly—”
            “Dr. Altman?”
Dr. Altman hit stop on his recorder as a nurse walked into his office.
“Ah, Nurse Mary, how can I help you?” he asked the nervous nurse standing in his doorway. She bit her lip as she opened the door further.
“I’m just checking on Rory’s progress. I was sent by the director,” she informed him.
He swiveled his chair around, looking out onto the grounds below. He had been working for the Spindle Ridge Asylum for one year now, and he was constantly asked about certain patients by the director. It’s a part of his job he was used to, yet normal routine would be the director waiting until he was done with his reports. He would then hand deliver them to the director and wait for her to schedule a meeting. This director had more say, an annoying approach. After each session with a patient, either Nurse Mary or one of the other many nurses came to his office and interrupted his recording sessions.
“Doctor, did I come at a bad time again?” Mary asked. She knew how impatient he could be. She stood there waiting for his reply.
Finally he turned his chair and stood up. He walked to Mary and patted her on the shoulder. “No. I’ll go to the director myself, Mary. Save you a trip.” Accordingly, he walked out the door and up the flight of stairs leading to the director’s office, leaving a confused Mary in his wake.
He reached the door of the director of the asylum. Her office sat on the top floor overlooking the ocean view that sits just outside the asylum walls. She, by far, had the best view of the place; even better than his view of the gardens. He knew she was unprepared for his arrival, but he knocked anyway.
“Come in, Mary, you idiot—” She stopped short seeing Dr. Altman at the door. “Oh, I am terribly sorry, Dr. Altman. Do come in.”
Dr. Malisa Fenwick, or Dr. M for short, was a tall woman with raven black hair that she kept pulled so tight that he feared for the safety of her eyes. She smiled at him. It was always a disturbing smile, never quite reaching her eyes.
 “I came about my session with Rory; you wanted to know about it. So instead of sending nurses to my office, I will come to you,” he said matter-of-factly. “I feel it’s better this way.”
Her smile faded fast, and she nodded her head motioning for him to take a seat. He did but kept his eyes steady with hers. Dr. Altman was not scared of Dr. M, not for a second. The staff may flitter around her like scared little children, but he was a man of science and would not be intimidated by her.
“Well?” she said impatiently.
“Rory’s progress is slow. I can tell you that much right now. I was in the middle of my recordings when I was interrupted by Mary. I was going to give you the full report after lunch,” he explained.
“Peter, let’s be frank, shall we?” she asked even though she really didn’t want an answer. “Just tell me what your suggestion is.”
 She sat back into her plush, white leather chair. It matched all the other pure white furniture in her office.
“Okay then, I think you have an unhealthy obsession with my patient,” he blurted. “You can’t wait for my official report, ever. It’s not fair to me as a doctor and it’s unfair to the patient.”
Dr. M stood fast, her chair flying out from behind her. She was mad and that anger had no problem reaching her eyes. They flared with hatred for him as he sat in front of her.
“How dare you come in here and diagnose me! You know what that girl did! I am merely keeping track of her progress. Progress that she is apparently not making, according to you.” Dr. M stopped, took a deep breath and continued. “I’m afraid that if you can’t make some sort of progress with that girl within two weeks’ time, I will be asking you to step down as her doctor. Do you understand?”
She said this as calmly as she could.
Dr. Altman’s face turned red with fury.
“You’d take her away from me after all this time? Do you know what that would do to her? What that would do to me? She trusts me!” he shouted.
“Dr. Altman, I’m not worried about her missing you when you’re no longer her doctor. I am, however, worried about whether or not she starts remembering why she is here in Spindle Ridge. It’s detrimental that the girl gets better and understands what she did to land herself here.”
“This is not a jail, Malisa. This is a hospital for the criminally insane. She doesn’t need to remember the awful things she did. She just needs to understand that what she did was criminal and the difference between right and wrong.”
“And you have two weeks to get her to do so. Now, Peter, leave my office and never come here unannounced again,” she said as she fixed her skirt and recovered her chair.
“I’ll do my best, Malisa.”
 Just before he slammed her door he heard her say, “You’ll do your best or you’ll be sorry.”
The Giveaway: 

2 Signed Bookplates for print books. 2 winners; open to US/CA only

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Release Day: Pocketful of Sand | M. Leighton

Pocketful of Sand M. Leighton
A story of heartbreak, loss, redemption and second chances: Pocketful of Sand from New York Times bestselling author M. Leighton
Get it on Amazon | iBooks | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Google Play
Add it on Goodreads


“She’s beauty for my ashes. And I’m hope for her heartache.”—Cole Danzer

Pocketful-of-Sand250
I don’t know what makes a great love story. Is it that instant attraction when boy meets girl? The passionate kisses and the fairy-tale ending? Or is it a lifetime of tragedy, paid in advance, for a few stolen moments of pure bliss? The pain and the suffering that, in the end, you can say are worth it for having found the missing piece of your soul?

The answer is: I don’t know. I don’t know what makes a great love story. I only know what makes my love story. I only know that finding Cole when I did, when Emmy and I were running from a nightmare, was the only thing that saved me. That saved us. He was more broken than I was, but somehow we took each other’s shattered pieces and made a whole. If that is what makes a great love story, if that is what makes an epic romance, then mine…ours is the greatest of them all.

Contains material that some may find disturbing. Not intended for readers under the age of 18.

PoS-MLeighton-LaunchMeme3
Get it on Amazon | iBooks | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Google Play
Add it on Goodreads


mleighton

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author M. Leighton is a native of Ohio. She relocated to the warmer climates of the South, where she can be near the water all summer and miss the snow all winter. Possessed of an overactive imagination from early in her childhood, Michelle finally found an acceptable outlet for her fantastical visions: literary fiction. Having written over a dozen novels, these days Michelle enjoys letting her mind wander to more romantic settings with sexy Southern guys, much like the one she married and the ones you'll find in her latest books. When her thoughts aren't roaming in that direction, she'll be riding horses, swimming in ponds and experiencing life on a ranch, all without leaving the cozy comfort of her office.

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Blog Tour Review & Giveaway: Empty Cup - Suzanne Costigan


ABOUT EMPTY CUP

Title: Empty Cup
Publication date: November 3, 2014
Publisher: Rebelight Publishing Inc.
Author: Suzanne Costigan


Mom’s new boyfriend is creepy.

On the night of her seventeenth birthday, Raven finds out he isn’t just creepy, he’s dangerous. He leaves Raven broken and bleeding, but Mom blames her for what happened. She kicks Raven out of the house with nothing but a blanket to protect her from a frigid winter night.

Alone.

Devastated.

Abandoned.

As Raven struggles with the aftermath of the ultimate betrayal, she seeks solace in her imagination and a teacher who seems to understand her situation. She ultimately discovers that her world won’t change if she relies upon someone else to do it. Real change begins within.


“…Sure to prompt reflection and provocative discussions on important issues.”
-Allan Stratton, author of Leslie’s Journal

“Not an easy story, but an important one. Compelling, powerful, and engaging.”
-Eric Walters, author of Power Play.




ABOUT SUZANNE COSTIGAN:

Suzanne Costigan is a child welfare advocate, supporting high risk children in her home, and an active member of the Winnipeg writing community. Empty Cup is her first novel.


Connect with the Author:  Website | Twitter Facebook Goodreads








I received a copy of this book for review. This does not effect my review in any way. 
Thank you to Rebelight Publishing, Suzanne Costigan, and Chapter by Chapter for the opportunity to read this. 

Suzanne does an amazing job showing us Ravens world through her eyes. Raven is knocked down to the lowest point she has even been. Her mom kicks her out after a terrifying event. Suzanne was able to catch my attention and kept me turning the pages until the very end. 

A heartbreaking, and heroic story. Just when you think things couldn't get worse, things 
turn for Raven. This one is hard but worth the read. 

4 WONDERFULLY deserved Coffee Cups



Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Book Blast & Giveaway: Liars, INC | Paula Stokes @pstokesbooks



Synopsis 

For fans of Gone GirlI Hunt Killers, and TV's How to Get Away with Murder.

Max Cantrell has never been a big fan of the truth, so when the opportunity arises to sell forged permission slips and cover stories to his classmates, it sounds like a good way to make a little money and liven up a boring senior year. With the help of his friends Preston and Parvati, Max starts Liars, Inc. Suddenly everybody needs something and the cash starts pouring in. Who knew lying could be so lucrative?

When Preston wants his own cover story to go visit a girl he met online, Max doesn’t think twice about hooking him up. Until Preston never comes home. Then the evidence starts to pile up—terrifying clues that lead the cops to Preston’s body. Terrifying clues that point to Max as the murderer.

Can Max find the real killer before he goes to prison for a crime he didn’t commit? In a story that Kirkus Reviews called "Captivating to the very end," Paula Stokes starts with one single white lie and weaves a twisted tale that will have readers guessing until the explosive final chapters.

For more information, check out THE OFFICIAL LIARS, INC. WEBSITE.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Paula Stokes writes stories about flawed characters with good hearts who sometimes make bad decisions. She’s the author of several YA novels, most recently Liars, Inc. and The Art of Lainey. Her writing has been translated into nine foreign languages. Paula loves kayaking, hiking, reading, and seeking out new adventures in faraway lands She also loves interacting with readers. Find her online at authorpaulastokes.com or on twitter as @pstokesbooks.




--Giveaway is open to International. | Must be 13+ to Enter

2 Signed Copies of Liars, INC. by Paula Stokes.
2 Mini Swag Packs.
Includes (2 Signed Bookmarks, 1 Magnet, 1 Signed Bookplate).