NEW RELEASE: Prince of Ash and Blood by Cheree Alsop

THE PRINCE OF ASH AND BLOOD is about a vampire prince imprisoned under false charges. The appearance of a new prisoner, a werewolf girl who was betrayed and tortured in the name of the crown, interrupts his plots of revenge. With a new cause to stand behind, the vampire prince plans his own death as a means for her escape. But the kingdom has needs only the prince can fulfill. If both survive the dungeon, can they also survive the world of political intrigue, vengeance, and a newly awoken threat to the crown and his people?

Action, adventure, conspiracy, and danger intertwine in this paranormal take of The Count of Monte Cristo.

Author Bio:

Cheree Alsop is an award-winning, best-selling author who has published over 40 books, including two series through Stonehouse Ink. She is the mother of a beautiful, talented daughter and amazing twin sons who fill every day with joy and laughter. She is married to her best friend, Michael, the light of her life and her soulmate who shares her dreams and inspires her by reading the first drafts and giving much appreciated critiques. Cheree works as a fulltime author and mother, which is more play than work! She enjoys reading, traveling to tropical beaches, riding motorcycles, spending time with her wonderful children, and going on family adventures while planning her next book.

Cheree and Michael live in Utah where they rock out in their garage band, enjoy the outdoors, plan great quests, and never stop dreaming.

Find out more about Cheree...

Website | Facebook | Twitter

...and her books:

B&N | Amazon | Smashwords | Goodreads

Girl From the Stars: GIVEAWAY WINNERS!

Thanks for everyone who entered, but these two are the lucky, lucky winners!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

But don't worry! You can still get Cheree Alsop's series here:

Cheree's books:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | Goodreads

GIVEAWAY: Girl From the Stars Series by Cheree Alsop (books 1-5)

To celebrate the release of the final book in the series, Cheree Alsop is providing a set of the entire series for TWO lucky winners right here at To Read or Not to Read!

Liora Day, half-human, half-mess with her and you’ll die Damaclan, had been thrown onto a rough path at a very early age. But when she is broken out of a cage by Devren, the young captain of the SS Kratos, she is shown that perhaps humanity does have a heart. The Kratos is set on a mission to rescue fallen surveyors from the Revolutionaries, and Liora is given the choice to follow her Damaclan instincts, or trust Devren’s dark eyes and captivating smile that promise an adventure unlike any she has ever experienced. 

“Girl from the Stars is an entirely new take on the space opera genre. It’s refreshing to read about a strong heroine and genuine villains who feel real and mutli-dimensional. I liked the new races she has created, and the planets, battles, and space travel keep it fresh and exciting. I am very much looking forward to the rest of the books in this series. If they’re anything like this one, I’ll be up all night thinking about the delightful storyline and the heartbreaking path of the heroine.”- Suzanne McCarthy, Goodreads Reviewer
Read more reviews

Excerpt from the series:
"To live is a choice. You want, you need, you desire more than you have at this moment, and you strive for those things. You don’t settle; you fight for things to be better. You choose to reach for the next star, for the next emotion. You long for love, for acceptance, to belong. To truly live means to accept failure and to get up again.” He looked at her. “Yet to live is harder because there are consequences. What you do today impacts tomorrow. You have to decide what is worth carrying in your life, what direction you are heading, and what will guide your footsteps. Your friend has already made that decision."

Giveaway:
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About Cheree:
Cheree Alsop is a best-selling, award-winning author and the mother of a beautiful, talented daughter and amazing twin sons who fill every day with joy and laughter. She is married to her best friend, Michael, the light of her life and her soulmate who shares her dreams and inspires her by reading the first drafts and adding depth to the stories. Cheree is a fulltime author and mother. She enjoys reading, riding her motorcycle on warm nights, and playing with her twins while planning her next book. She is also a bass player for her husband’s garage band, Alien Landslide.
Cheree and Michael live in Utah where they rock out, enjoy the outdoors, plan great adventures, and never stop dreaming.

Find Cheree online:

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Cheree's books:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | Goodreads

NEW RELEASE SPOTLIGHT: Day's Hunt by Cheree Alsop (Girl From the Stars)

Check out the final installment to Cheree Alsop's YA science fiction series, GIRL FROM THE STARS.

Find the rest of the series: Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | Amazon

Confronted with the truth about her origin, Liora has to make a difficult choice that can change the entire fate of the Macrocosm. Battling loss, Ketulans, and the desires of her own heart, Liora confronts an evil she thought long banished from her life and the cosmos. The fight she faces turns out to be the most difficult of her life in more ways than one. Can she survive the consequences of her own actions long enough to defeat the greatest peril of her existence?

Find Cheree on the web:

website: www.chereealsop.com
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authorchereealsop
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chereealsop
 
Get the book now!
Amazon for paperback & ebook: http://www.amazon.com/Cheree-Alsop/e/B006NPWD2Y/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1372913544&sr=8-2-ent
Barnes&Noble for ebook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/cheree-alsop?store=allproducts&keyword=cheree+alsop
Smashwords for all ebook formats: http://www.smashwords.com/books/search?query=cheree+alsop
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29971596-girl-from-the-stars-4--day-s-journey?from_new_nav=true&ac=1&from_search=true

DAYBREAK by Cheree Alsop Promo & Giveaway + NaNo Update

For me, NaNoWriMo is in full swing. I'll get to an update in a minute but first I've promised to help Cheree Alsop promote her brand new sci-fi series with a book giveaway. Yay! *cue dramatic cover*

Girl From the Stars, book 1:

Daybreak

Liora Day, half-human, half-mess with her and you’ll die Damaclan, had been thrown onto a rough path at a very early age. But when she is broken out of a cage by Devren, the young captain of the SS Kratos, she is shown that perhaps humanity does have a heart. The Kratos is set on a mission to rescue fallen surveyors from the Revolutionaries, and Liora is given the choice to follow her Damaclan instincts, or trust Devren’s dark eyes and captivating smile that promise an adventure unlike any she has ever experienced.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
So sign up! Enter! You know you want to...
 
NaNo Update
I mentioned this on my Facebook page, but I've joined the Rebels this NaNo.

Ohhhhhh yeeeeaaaahhhh

1. Fix the ending of my novel

I'll have to rewrite the last four chapters, figure out a more characteristic way to end everything, all in keeping with some good sibling development between the characters, and still finding a way to add in some good foreshadowing. *phew!*

2. Rewrite the subplot

Due to some changes I made to the series timeline when I started to outline in-depth in the last few months, I'll have to do a rewrite of the intrigue subplot, to make sure all those pesky threads line up.

3. Consistency changes

>self explanatory<

And then, if I have some free time...

4. Study Character Development and work on my unfinished project, Glass and Cinders

Forget Word Count

Initially, I entered my project as 'My Novel' at the NaNo website, but I knew that even if I could count all written, revised, and edited words I'd still never reach 50k. (I'm only revamping the last four chapters of a 60k children's book.)

I could feel that word count bar between my shoulder blades, irking me with its incessant '0'. There was an insane pressure building in me to just write, write, write to appease the virtual word count gods and to show off to the world that I've 'still got it'. (I'm ridiculously competitive during NaNo.) But I'm not here for the word count.

So I deleted it.


The Update 

So far, I've written about 10,000 words.

Now this may not sound like much in the scheme of NaNo. It isn't. But the
thing about these 10,000 words is that they're working.

Just taking the time this month to concentrate on my project -not being
distracted by, sorry, this blog and my vlog- has been a huge help. I
may have to take annual Internet sabbaticals from now on.

I've rewritten three of the four chapters. They're still only drafts, but I'm very happy with them so far.

And that's it for now. Wish me luck, everybody! 

Writing Update + GIVEAWAY!!!

Writing Update

Some of you may have noticed that I haven't talked about writing or the progress on my novel in quite a while. I'll confess it. It's because I was stuck. I knew there was something wrong with my story, something that I was missing, but I couldn't figure out what it was.

I tried a variety of things. I tried to convince myself it was all in my head. That didn't work. I tried to push on editing and revising anyway, hoping the flaw would present itself. That really didn't work.

For more than a year I have been struggling with this. Remember that PlotNoWriMo series I did pre-NaNo last year? Just another attempt to fix my book. And while, in the long run, all that plotting is paying off, I still hadn't identified the real problem in my story.

Every time I sat down to work on finishing my MG fantasy Rodney and the Gonjii, I was overwhelmed by this shadow of doom lurking over it. Imagine the frustration! I've been burying myself in book reviews and book vlogging because, hey, that's building up my platform so it's accomplishing something, right?

Some people might have switched projects at that point, but I was loathe to do so. There are two reasons I didn't. One, I'd made a pact with Rodney. This is going to be the first book I finish, if not the first book I publish. Two, I knew the problem arose from my method of writing. What would be the point of switching projects just to write that one into a hole?

Do you know how I finally managed to identify the problem? A two-hour brainstorming session with my dad, who is also a writer, and also happens to know just enough about the series to point out the problem.

There was nothing to connect my villain and my hero.

Yeah, I know. This sounds obvious. Elementary, even. But I was so focused on the plot, what had to be done, foreshadowing, stretching the story across six books, how it all connected -I didn't notice. Worse yet? I didn't know how to fix it. Fortunately, just by looking and discussing what I already had for the story and the universe, he was able to spot not only a plausible connection for the characters, but one whose elements were already included in my plans. It's almost like it was planned from the beginning. Go figure.

 

Yesterday's progress

This is why brainstorming sessions and writing groups are so important. 

Here's the thing. I am a good writer. I've been writing for fifteen years. The actual act of writing is not what I generally have a problem with. Writing a book series, however, is a new facet of the art form to me. And I just learned a hard but needed lesson in it.

This has been my first major trial in the realm of writing. It totally sucked. But I learned something valuable here and you know what? I'm still in love with writing. I'm calling this a victory because for the first time in my life I wondered if I really had the chops for a line of work that I've dreamed of doing since I was nine. I actually contemplated giving up on writing. But I didn't.




So for all of you writing hopefuls out there, this is just someone else telling you that writing is hard. That doesn't mean it's not worth it. We all have our moments of doubt and despair in writing. Don't let it define you. Don't let yourself believe that you're not cut out for it or you're not a real writer just because you're going through a rough patch. Get yourself a good brainstorming partner and a critique group and take that challenge.

Good luck!

And speaking of writing a book series...

GIVEAWAY
Cheree Alsop has just finished her latest series, Werewolf Academy, and I've got three copies to give away!

Werewolf Academy: Chosen

Alex knew choosing the path of the lone wolf wouldn’t be easy, but challenging Jaze Carso for the chance to bring the Werewolf Academy to the public would prove to be much harder. Alex has to decide how far he is willing to go to give werewolves the life he has fought for. Will his trust in humans become the biggest mistake of his life, or will his hope in humanity prove that selflessness can change prejudice? Alex has bled for both sides; now is his time to challenge whether those sides will do the same for him.
Everything Alex has fought and bled for comes together in this final book in the Werewolf Academy series. New threats arise, an old enemy resurfaces, and the bond of love is tested to the extreme in this gripping conclusion.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Find out more about Cheree and her books!

Website | Facebook | Twitter |

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords |

Thanks for stopping by! Good fortune in all your endeavors. ^_^

Giveaway Winners

*drum roll please*

First up, the winner of The Fangs of Blood Haven by Cheree Alsop is...

a Rafflecopter giveaway
And second, the winner of Revelation by J.E. Thompson...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congratulations, winners! And thanks so much to everyone who entered this giveaway!

All right, now go have a spectacular day. ^_^

Giveaway | April Wrap Up

Two book giveaways in one day? How did we get so lucky!?

Cheree Alsop, author of seven YA series and several novels with a supernatural edge, is launching her brand new series, The Monster Asylum, and she's providing an ebook copy of the first book, The Fangs of Bloodhaven. (This giveaway is open internationally.)

Being a teenage vampire in a human family isn’t easy, especially in a city where harboring any monster subspecies is illegal. When Everett is injured attempting to save a werewolf, she takes him to the Monster Asylum, a place that shouldn’t exist, and introduces him to a world of acceptance and possibility. Dark creatures begin to plague the five cities. Everett’s ability to fight against them makes him irreplaceable if the human world that fears him can accept a vampire as a hero.

 


Cheree Alsop is a seriously accomplished independently published author who churns out books like there's no tomorrow. She's one of those indie authors who's helping the industry get a good name. Find out more about her:

Website | Facebook | Twitter |

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords |

a Rafflecopter giveaway


J.E. Thompson is celebrating an awesome new book cover, and wanted to share the love. A paperback copy of the first book in his Almost Human series, Revelation, is also on the giveaway list! (This giveaway is only open to US residents.)



Headline reads, "New tribe emerges from the Brazilian jungle."
A never before seen tribe suddenly appears. Bigfoot sightings filter in. A raccoon shows up with red fur. Animal Control rounds up increasing numbers of stray dogs wandering the beach but no owners claim them.
For fifteen year old Michelle Thorn, seeing a living Bigfoot in the Oregon forest is only the beginning. The next few weeks will shatter her beliefs about who she is.


Bigfoot. Conspiracy. Murder.
Bring it on.

This adventurous thriller, laced with a bit of sci-fi flair, is J.E. Thompson's first novel. You can find out more about him and his newly released anthology Deliciously Dark Tales here:

Blog | Facebook | Amazon |

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Now for the wrap up! I'm talking about all the books I read and got in April, with just a little bit of singing and maybe a pantomimed Psycho scene. (Okay, definitely that.)

ALL THE LINKS:

Geek Girl by Holly Smale
Video Review | Blog

The Ghost is Love by Jonathan Carroll
Video Review | Blog

Brother Odd by Dean Koontz
Goodreads

Of Witches and Wind by Shelby Bach
Video Review

Of Sorcery and Snow by Shelby Bach
Video Review

OF ENEMIES AND ENDINGS by Shelby Bach

Video Review | Blog

Fairest by Marissa Meyer

Goodreads

Third Daughter by Susan Kaye Quinn
Video Review | Blog

Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi

Video Review | Blog

May the Fourth Be With You Always

Ten Books I Recently Added to my TBR

BOOK GIVEAWAY: Instinct (Werewolf Academy) by Cheree Alsop

Woohoo, another giveaway! Again, the wonderful Cheree Alsop is providing two ebook copies of her latest Werewolf Academy book, Instinct. If you'd like to check out my review of Strays, part of the same series, you can find it here and here.

I've mentioned before that Cheree Alsop is an amazingly prolific author. Instinct is her sixth book published this year. For those of us gearing up for NaNoWriMo, this is pretty inspiring. Who knows? Maybe someday we'll write that many books a year, too.

Hey, we can hope, right? ;)

Werewolf Academy: 

Instinct

 

Alex’s quest to stop the General’s army of extremists gets personal when someone he cares about is taken. Lives are put on the line and Alex is pushed far past his limits to bring her home. The General is ruthless in his attempt to get Drogan back, and he knows Alex is the key to finding his son. Through it all, Alex comes face to face with someone he thought he would never see again. The question is, can instinct and his heart agree on the path he should take?

a Rafflecopter giveaway


The giveaway ends November 3. Good luck, everybody!

 
About the Author
Cheree Alsop is the mother of a beautiful, talented daughter and amazing twin sons who fill every day with joy and laughter. She is married to her best friend, Michael, the light of her life and her soulmate who shares her dreams and inspires her by reading the first drafts and adding depth to the stories. Cheree is currently working as an independent author and mother. She enjoys reading, riding her motorcycle on warm nights, and playing with her twins while planning her next book. She is also a bass player for her husband’s garage band, Alien Landslide.
Cheree and Michael live in Utah where they rock out, enjoy the outdoors, plan great adventures, and never stop dreaming. 

You can find Cheree all over the web: Website | Facebook | Twitter |
You can also find her books at Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Smashwords |

BOOK REVIEW: Strays by Cheree Alsop + Giveaway Winners

This review originally appeared as a booktube review on my YouTube channel. The video is available at the bottom of the post, or you can read it starting NOW! =) 

Strays is the first book in indie author Cheree Alsop's newest YA series, Werewolf Academy. This story is about werewolves who live in secret in the modern world. They live in secret partly because your run-of-the-mill everyday human would be terrified of them, and partly because there's a group actively trying to exterminate them. So yeah. Secret is a good way to go.

This series centers around orphan siblings Alex and Cassie who live full-time in the first and only school specifically for werewolves. Wolves live in packs, so every school year the students are divided into packs to learn to watch out and take care of each other. This was my favorite element of the book. On the one hand, it's very realistic because the packs have become very cliquey. There are specific Alphas and they always pick out the same pack every year -one pack is usually full of brawn, the next brains, etc. This frustrates Alex because he understands the true nature of the pack. It isn't about being the strongest or the smartest, it's about having the best mix of all these characteristics. The qualities of the pack members shouldn't be similar, but dissimilar and balanced. I love the intricacies of the pack politics, if you will, and how Alsop combined them with the more common clique and bully problems of school life.

Another thing I found quite interesting is that Alex, our main character, is not an Alpha male. He is not the leader of any pack. In the natural order of werewolves, the highest rank he will ever hold is second-in-command. Of late, I have been very intrigued by the idea of a story where the main character is more of a sidekick or secondary hero in the grand scheme of things, and this is the closest I've ever read to that.

But things aren't all about cliques and school troubles. Very soon our werewolf boarding school endures more than they're usual amount of trouble when the man who murdered Alex and Cassie's parents sets his sights on the twins.

To Read or Not to Read?

Cheree Alsop is an independently self-published author. I am very picky about the quality of the books I read and so I'm overly cautious when it comes to self-published materials. If you're the same way, don't worry about Alsop. Hers are good quality novels and more people should definitely be reading them.

Strays gets four stars from me, and I'm very interested to learn more about this world of werewolves.

Going in, I must mention that Werewolf Academy is a companion series to Alsop's first werewolf books, called the Silver series. More like a spin-off, set many years later, which retains some of the original cast in supporting or minor roles. The two series seem to overlap quite a bit, but Strays does feed you enough background information that it isn't necessary to read the Silver series first. I didn't, and I enjoyed Strays very much.

Verdict: To Read

Giveaway Winners

Onward! Now that you're all dying to read this book, let's find out who our two winners are!


a Rafflecopter giveaway
 
Congrats, winners! You should hear from me shortly.

Bummed you didn't win? Don't be. I'm giving away another set over on my YouTube channel. All it takes is a like and a comment to enter! This ends Wednesday, Oct 1, so don't miss out. Thanks for playing, everybody!

Did anybody else notice the total number of entries was 42? The answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything? Because that kind of made my day.

Original Review:

GIVEAWAY: Werewolf Academy by Cheree Alsop

Every once in awhile I get an email from author Cheree Alsop, and every time she's announcing a new book. She is one of the most amazingly prolific writers -never mind YA writers- that I know of, and I'm happy to be giving away even more of her books. Some day, we'll have to get Cheree to tell us how she manages it!

Cheree has just released the first two books of her new series, Werewolf Academy. This is a spin-off of her original werewolf series, Silver. I'm halfway through Strays right now, and I'm having a hard time putting it down. (Honestly, only the thought of someone else getting the chance to enjoy it dragged me away to write this post!) I'll have a review up soon.




Strays:

Werewolves are struggling to survive. Jaze and those who remain of his pack build an Academy to protect the children who endured the genocide. Alex and Cassie arrive as orphans after losing everyone they love. The twins find themselves in a new world where they have to survive the politics and dangers of being a werewolf in a world that wants them destroyed. But outside forces have found them. Can Alex protect his sister and survive the attacks of a man who wants them dead and will stop at nothing to see it happen?

Hunted:

The threat towards Alex and Cassie has intensified. Alex may no longer be safe at the Academy. Drogan will stop at nothing to find him, and the deadly force the Extremist is prepared to use threatens anyone Alex is with. Can Alex find the reason for the attacks and stop Drogan before everyone the werewolf cares about is in danger? Alex has to find the source of the questions that have put both his heart and his life on the line, but the answers might be more than he is prepared to accept.

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For those of you leaving comments, let's have you answer this completely random question: Would you rather be a werewolf, a unicorn, Godzilla, or a master of disguise who could pass off as all three?

Good luck, everyone!

Cheree Alsop is the author of several young adult series, featuring everything from werewolves to angels to superheroes. What more could you want?
You can find her all over the web: Website | Facebook | Twitter |
You can also find her books at Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Smashwords |

The Return of Korra! Plus, Giveaway Winner

Return of Korra

Right from the trailer, I knew Book 3: Change had the potential to be the best Legend of Korra season yet. But now it might actually be true.

Reason #1 -

I have, and always will be, a Zuko fangirl.

Reason #2 -In the first three episodes we've already seen some much-needed character interactions and reactions. Asami's role has returned to a more central point; I have my fingers crossed she won't get pushed into the background again. She and Korra have had some bonding time, which I really needed to see. Ever since Mako's switch from Asami to Korra, the two gal pals haven't had much screen time, and I wasn't sure how their friendship was going to play out.
Which brings us to Mako. Awkward, awkward Mako. I really needed this one. All my disapproval and disappointment of Mako's poor way of handling things essentially evaporated when he couldn't put two words together in front of the girls. (Also, Korra and Asami having a little laugh at his expense is icing on the proverbial cake.)
This friendly understanding is so much better than over-extended relationship drama, so I'm glad Bryke handled it this way.

Reason #3 -AIRBENDING. Like, seriously. Random airbenders popping up all over the world. People who have the chance to restore an entire civilization. People who, of course, have their own lives to be concerned about. I love this blessing/complication because it's so messy and intriguing. As always, Bryke have managed to twist a great storyline with genuine adversities.
Plus, the fact that Bumi is now an airbender... *squee!*

Reason #4 -I'm loving the ATLA nostalgia poured into these first three episodes. The Avatar and her team off on a globe-trotting adventure, a dangerous conspiracy in Ba Sing Se, the Dai Li (Dai Li! Dai Li! Dai Li!), and pretty soon the Avatar is going to be helping out the less fortunate along her travels. (The gang of outlaws? They're totally going to teach Korra to ride those motorcycles. Mark my words.)
I've loved LoK because it has such a different feel and formula than ATLA. It's unique. I've enjoyed staying in one place for whole season, to get a better taste for them, for a little in-depth exploration. But as much as I love Republic City, curiosity about what the rest of the world looks like in the future has been killing me.

I still have questions about where this season is going. Who are the mysterious convicts from different corners of the world? What is their goal?
What about the spirits? Are they only in Republic City, or are they now roaming the entire world? Other than the return of airbenders, how will the joined realms effect the world? Will Team Avatar get a spirit memeber?
And why does the Internet seem to hate Kai? Personally, I love this kid. He's a cocky scamp  who needs guidance and, while Bolin has designated himself 'big brother', I have a feeling Kai is mostly going to fall under Mako. I cannot wait to see this develop. ^_^



So, yeah. 'Change' might be the best Legend of Korra season yet.

Giveaway Winner

Now on to what you've all been waiting for -the winner of the Silver Series Mass Book Giveaway!

Drum roll, please...

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congratulations, Mark. I've already sent you an email about your winnings. Enjoy!

Thanks, everyone, for entering and making this giveaway a success. Don't forget: you can still get a copy of Silver by Cheree Alsop, the first book of the series, for free at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.

Have a great week, everyone!

Silver Series Mass Book GIVEAWAY!

To celebrate the release of Cheree Alsop's Silver Moon, the seventh and final book in her Silver series, I'm having a mass book giveaway! You're not just entering to win one book, but a complete set of the ENTIRE series.

That's right. Six books*. One whole series. Two lucky winners.

One giveaway will kick off right here with the Rafflecopter below. A second giveaway will be begin at my YouTube channel -To Read or Not to Read?- later this week, and you can enter both.

(For those of you who haven't used Rafflecopter widgets before, here's a quick how-to video.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway


To pique your interest, here's a character blurb about the book from Jaze Curso:

“Werewolves hide among you; it’s a secret we have fought for centuries to keep. We were almost wiped out once, and know better than to let the secret out again. But just like humans, werewolves are impulsive and sometimes uncontrollable. That’s where I come in. My job is to protect the werewolves and help them live full and happy lives. There are Hunters and others who don’t believe werewolves have rights and should be hunted and exterminated like animals. I’ve done what I can to smooth Hunter-werewolf relations, but extremists, fighting rings, and covert agencies feel that the fate of werewolves should be to die, be forced to fight for the entertainment of humans who watch the mutilation and bloodshed like it’s a sport, or be experimented upon to unlock the secrets of our superior strength and increased healing capabilities.

I have seen things that would break me if I didn’t remember what I was fighting for. I found my father hacked apart by Hunters, and have rescued friends and comrades from fates worse than death. I feel a noose closing in as though those I care about are in danger, but I can’t find the source of it quickly enough to save them. There are so many werewolves in trouble, and though my team and the Hunters and werewolves that make up what some consider my private army work night and day to rescue them, it’s not enough. We need to do more, and so I am creating a team strong enough and smart enough to stop the threats hurled against us by ignorant humans who fear what they don’t understand.

I am a high school student, and my attempt to live a normal life is shadowed by the werewolves who need my help. Charts of recent werewolf activity hang from my bedroom walls in place of posters. A computer tracking the rogue packs that intimidate the local wolves and endanger innocent humans sits by my bed. In place of text books, pens, and paper, my backpack is filled with guns, knives, and the occasional bag of beef jerky (you don’t want to mess with a hungry werewolf). Instead of studying for classes, my friends spend their days creating high-tech monitoring devices and tracking down the locations of fighting rings, torture chambers, and laboratories.

I have loved with all of my heart, which is the way of the wolf. I have tracked through fields lit by the light of the full moon as it rested upon my shoulders like a cloak of strength. I have suffered to see the pains other werewolves have gone through, and almost died saving a human girl who stole my heart and gave me my life back. I live in the hopes of avenging my father’s death by saving those in pain, and I give every day-”

A sound reverberated through the room. Jaze Carso set down his pen and a smile spread across his face. The curtains to either side of the open window swayed gently in the breeze to create dancing trails of moonlight across the page. Jaze opened his hand and let it play across his palm. A welcome shudder ran through his body. He stood as the howl sounded again, more persistent this time. He took off his clothes and didn’t fight the phase. His joints shifted, pulling him onto his hands and knees. His ears elongated and moved to higher points on his head while his muzzle grew and sharp canines lengthened. Jet black fur ran up his arms and down his body, covering his shoulders and back in a soft undercoat followed by the thick, longer guard hairs. It felt good to be in wolf form again, like putting on a pair of worn shoes molded by time to fit only the wearer’s feet. Jaze shook to settle into his wolf form, then stretched.

Another howl rose and other voices joined it. The notes took on the warm, rounded tones of his pack ready for a night run beneath the welcome embrace of the full moon. Jaze pushed aside the curtain with his muzzle and the moonlight cast his brown eyes with a golden glow. Stars glittered within the inky blanket of night and the full orb above washed the city in an other-worldly glow. Eyes watched him from below, one pair dark blue, another deep crimson red, one set violet, and the last golden and deep with the secrets of the wild. Jaze gave a wolfish grin and leaped from the window.

Cheree Alsop is writing several supernatural series for young adults. You can find her all over the web: Website | Facebook | Twitter |
You can also find her books at Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Smashwords |


*Book 1 of the Silver series -Silver- is already available for free at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords in ebook form.

The Winner is...

The giveaway for Heart of the Wolf by Cheree Alsop is now over! And the lucky winner is...

JON!

Congratulations and thanks for entering!

For everyone else, don't forget that you still have a chance to win a copy of this YA novel over at my YouTube channel.

Good luck!

Book Giveaway -Heart of the Wolf Part Two by Cheree Alsop

To christen this shiny new blog, I'm going to have my very first book giveaway!

Heart of the Wolf Part Two is the brand new YA release from indie author Cheree Alsop, who I recently had the great pleasure of meeting, and I'm giving away three ebook copies. That's right, THREE! Two right here on the blog, and one over on my booktube channel, ToReadNottoRead, and you can enter both.

First, the book blurb:

When Prince Edric saved the life of Fade, a Wolf Shifter, he had no idea the events that would follow. Now Fade’s life is on the line not only for Edric, but for the entire kingdom of Anira. Fade has to decide how far he will go as his strength, spirit, and his love for Princess Kelianna are tested to their limits. Anira hangs in the balance as Fade is forced to choose between aligning himself with the Kaidan warriors who threaten it, or risk losing everything to a peril greater than any imagined.

You can find out more about the series at Cheree's website. 

One thing I noticed and loved is that she listed songs that inspired the story. Here are a few to give you a taste:

• Best Part of Me by St Leonards
• Silent Lucidity by Queensryche
• Saint Christopher (On My Way) by Michael Logan

Cheree says music has a huge impact on her writing. With powerful songs like these behind her book, I can't wait to dig in. (You can find the rest of this list here.)

Here's How To Enter

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Contest ends April 14 at 12:00 AM. Winners will be announced here on the blog next Monday.

A second giveaway for the third and final copy will start on my YouTube channel this Wednesday. You need only comment to be entered, so keep an eye out!

You can find more about Cheree Alsop and her YA supernatural novels at her website, Facebook, and Twitter. You can find her books at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashword.

Good luck!