Mundie Moms

Friday, September 23, 2011

Seers Blog Tour: Review & Interview

We're excited to be the next and final stop in The Seers Blog Tour! Today I'm excited to share an exclusive announcement from Heather! Seers isn't going to have just a sequel, it's now the first book in a 3 book series!!! Congratulations to Heather! We can't wait to read Demons and we're looking forward to reading the next book after that!

Today Heather's stopped by to answer a few of our questions, but first, here's a little bit about Seers and my thoughts on this wonderful debut.


Published by: Bonneville
To Be Released on: October 4th, 2011
Source: ARC from publisher to review
3 Stars- It's A Good Read
Purchase from: Amazon| Barnes & Noble

For Kate Bennet, surviving the car wreck that killed her parents means big changes and even bigger problems. As she begins to see auras and invisible people, Kate must learn to trust Patrick O'Donnell, a handsome Guardian, or risk her life being overrun with Demons. She soon realizes that both she and her heart are in big-time trouble.- quoted from Goodreads

Seers has is a really good paranormal read mixed with a great romance, and a some really fun characters that I enjoyed meeting. I really liked the way Heather starts off her story. The prologue is what really grabbed my attention and I wanted to know more of Patrick's story.

I liked the way Heather developed the relationship between Kate and Patrick. It felt realistic to me and it wasn't one of those insta-love ones. Don't get me wrong, they definitely were drawn to each other, and they had great chemistry. I like that Heather made me wait for their relationship to develop into something and more and she does at great job at drawing that out over the course of the book. That was also in part to the fact that Kate was already in a relationship with Aaron. Their relationship really reminded of what it's like to have that "first love". They both truly loved each other, they've been through a lot together, but it seemed obvious to me that they stayed together out of connivance more than love. They weren't in love, but they loved each other and just sort of stayed together just because. That made Kate's wrestling with her feelings for Aaron through out most of the story relatable. My only compliant is I felt that it took to long for Kate to realize her true feelings for both Aaron and Patrick. I felt that in dragging out her struggles with coming to terms with what was happening between her and Aaron took a little something away from the story for me.

I really liked the paranormal element with guardians, demons and Kate's ability to see people's auras and know how they're feeling. I enjoyed getting to know and reading about some of the characters that are apart of Kate's life. I felt that each character added something to the story and played a part in bringing the storyline to life, and Heather even throws in a couple good twists with some of them. I had hoped to feel some sort of connection with them and sadly I didn't. I think some of that was due to feeling that the story at times focused more on descriptions of things vs the characters. That's not saying the story itself wasn't good, because it was. I liked the friendships and the family dynamics, but I personally needed more of a connection with Kate and her friends to really love the story.

Seers is a good debut. It's a fast paced, clean cut, fun read. As I said before, I liked the paranormal elements in it and I think Heather does a good job at using Seers to set up the rest of her series. I'm really looking forward to reading what Heather has in store for Kate, Patrick and the rest of the cast as the series continues. I'd recommend for YA readers 12 years old and older.

Congratulations on your release. Could you tell us a little about Seers?
Seers takes a new approach to the guardian angel idea, which in turn opens up a whole new view of the afterlife. In this world, death definitely isn't the end—and heaven and hell aren't the only options out there.
The protagonist is Kate Bennett, on the verge of starting out her senior year in high school. She recently lost both of her parents in a terrible car accident that she herself barely survived, and if that weren't enough to deal with, she left the hospital with a new psychic ability. She can see mood auras on the people around her, but for the sake of trying to stay normal for her little sisters she doesn't tell anyone about her new sight, with the exception of her best friend, Lee. Kate fully intends to salvage her frayed relationship with her boyfriend, and enjoy a great senior year to boot. And then she meets Patrick O'Donnell, the new Irish student. Not only does he have an unusual aura, but he can also go invisible at will—and he seems to be stalking her. She will soon find herself in the middle of a war between immortals, where Seers (humans like Kate) are being hunted by both Guardians and Demons.

What was one of your favorite scenes to write and why?
One of my most favorite scenes to write was actually the prologue, which is set in Ireland about 200 years before the rest of the book. It's the scene where Patrick O'Donnell meets his death. It was strangely exhilarating to write about death in the first person, even though it was heart-wrenching at the same time. Describing his last thoughts, detailing the last beats of his heart … It was an amazing writing experience. (And yes, I realize that sounds very morbid.)

What authors have been influential on you as a writer?
Every author I've spent time with has taught me something, but I'll try to grab some of the best. J.K. Rowling taught me to think outside the box, and the importance of building a believable setting. David Eddings showed me the perfect balance between humor and danger, and the importance of mystery in a story. J.R.R. Tolkien helped me see the importance of giving your supporting characters strong personalities. Charlotte Bronte demonstrated the way to craft a story that holds the darkness of temptation and despair, while still never losing sight of truth and goodness. These authors—and so many others—helped me find the formula for my idea of the perfect story.

If you were going on a trip and could only take three books with you, what three books would you take?
It definitely depends on my mood, but if I were packing my bags right now I'd grab a Harry Potter book (probably #3), The Scarlet Pimpernel, and The Hourglass Door by Lisa Mangum.

If there was one author you could spend the day with (currently living or one from the past), who would you pick and why?
An extremely hard question, but I'd have to say Charlotte Bronte. She's a very inspiring woman and writer, and I'd love to have a chat with her. I love—and I mean LOVE—Jane Eyre. For its time it was daring, which makes it all the more exciting. And the heroine is someone I can really identify with; I love that she sticks to her beliefs, no matter what.

What's one thing you need when you're writing (ie caffeine, music etc)?
I need my music. Silence is stifling—I can't think when all I hear is the hum of my computer. For the most part I like music without lyrics, so I hear a lot of soundtracks. Hans Zimmer has saved my sanity more than once.
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Thank you Heather for stopping by Mundie Moms!

You can find out more about Heather's writing and her series by visiting her Seer Website, Heather's site, Cedar Fort Books, Facebook & Twitter

The Mephisto Covenant: Author Interview & Giveaway

I'm excited to have The Mephisto Covenant author Trinity Faegen on the blog today. I've recently read her debut and I enjoyed it. You have read my review here. I'm looking forward to reading her sequel!

Trinity has stopped by the blog today to answer a few of my questions. Before I share those, I wanted to share the synopsis of her book:

Sasha is desperate to find out who murdered her father. When getting the answer means pledging her soul to Eryx, she unlocks a secret that puts her in grave danger—she is an Anabo, a daughter of Eve, and Eryx’s biggest threat.

A son of Hell, immortal, and bound to Earth forever, Jax looks for redemption in the Mephisto Covenant—God’s promise he will find peace in the love of an Anabo. After a thousand years, he’s finally found the girl he’s been searching for: Sasha.

With the threat of Eryx always looming, Jax knows he has to keep Sasha safe and win her over. But can he? Will Sasha love him and give up her mortal life.



Congratulations on your upcoming release for The Mephisto Covenant! How would you describe your book in 5 words or less?


Thank you! We here at Chez Faegen are pretty excited! Well, I'm really excited. Everyone else will be glad it's finally here. Not that I've been obsessing or anything. Okay, five words: Romance, redemption, immortality, sacrifice, and loss.


I really liked your mythology for The Mephisto Covenant and the way you created your characters. Did you find it challenging to take some well known biblical figures and give them a unique spin to work for your story?


I'm so glad you liked the mythology! It changed eleventy million times before I settled on what's in the story now, although the twist on Adam and Eve having a child before the fall was there all along. What gave me the most trouble was Lucifer. He's always off-page, but he's important to the story, both as a threat to the brothers if they step out of line, and the one being protected by the Mephisto. Without him, there's an end to humanity's free will - which may or may not be true, but in the world of the Mephisto, it's their reason for being. It was extremely weird to paint Lucifer as a sympathetic figure. He's not the bad guy in this piece, and I had a hard time with that at first. I also worried angry hordes would come after me with torches and pitchforks. I was so wrong! Turns out, they have flashlights and iPads.


I loved the brotherly bond that Jax and Phoenix have. What inspired their relationship?


I wish I had a deep, soulful answer to this, but the truth is, I'm a sucker for buddy stories. What comes to mind off the top of my head is the recent-ish remake of King Arthur, with Clive Owen. I love the interplay between Arthur and his knights, the obvious bond of friendship and the willingness to die for each other. There's an element of romanticized mystery to my fascination with realtionships between guys, I realize, but I love it all the same. I enjoyed writing those scenes.


The cover is beautiful and really fitting of the story! Did you have a say in the cover?


I suspect had I disliked the cover, Egmont would have worked on changes, but I fell in love with it the moment I saw it. I was aked for my ideas of a cover, and this is nothing like I imagined, which is a good thing because it's so much better! I was on a river cruise in Germany, visiting the Christmas markets last December when we docked in Frankfurt and I was finally able to check email. I remember exclaiming and other passengers coming over to see why I was laughing and pointing. They all concurred that it's beautiful. Egmont rocks!


Are you able to tell us what story you're working on now?


I just turned in Book 2 of The Mephisto Covenant series; another brother, another Anabo. This one is very different from the first. For one thing, the Anabo is the First Daughter, with all the baggage that entails, and she has a boyfriend of two years, which mucks things up a bit, although this isn't a love triangle. Eryx is a main character, which was SO fun to write! Lots more action and drama, but also kissing. It's a romance, after all.


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Thank you Trinity for being with us today!

You can find out more about the series, visit Trinity's website
Don't forget to follow Trinity via her website| blog| twitter| facebook

You can pre-order The Mephisto Covenant from Egmont| Amazon| Barnes & Noble

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Thank you to Egmont, we have 2 SIGNED copies of The Mephisto Covenant we're giving away!!

To enter, please fill out the form below:
- This giveaway is open to residents of the US only
- You must be 13 yrs & older to enter
- 1 entry per person
- This giveaway will end on October 11th, 2011

Freebie Friday: Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Liani Taylor


The Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini taylor is "a beautiful, dark and engaging story". It's a fascinating story that really drew me in with it's uniqueness, it's incredible writing and fascinating world building. You can read my 5 star review here. Right now you can read the first 14 chapters on NetGalley! You can also click on the link below to read it.
You only have until September 27th to do this! After you read this you'll want to quickly pre-order the book, which you can do via Amazon| Barnes & Noble| Indie Bound. The first 14 chapters will leave you wanting more!

Laini is also going on TOUR!! Be sure to check out her tour dates here.

Be sure to follow both Laini and Little Brown on twitter to keep up with the latest news from Daughter of Smoke and Bone. You'll find their tweets under the #smokeandbone hash tag.

Don't forget to grab the widget!

Thank you to Little Brown, I have 1 copy of The Daughter of Smoke & Bone to giveaway!

- This giveaway is open to residents of the US only.
- You must be 13 yrs & older to enter.
- 1 entry per person (more than will result in your entries being deleted)
- This giveaway will end on September 26th, 2011

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