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Thursday, February 13, 2014

Book Tour: The Wind Whisperer By Krista Holle #Giveaway @KristaHolle @DarkWorldBooks




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The Wind Whisperer Tour



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The Wind Whisperer

At fifteen, Anaii is the most important member of her tribe-and the most mysterious. Ever since Anaii can remember, the spirits of the wind have whispered of fertile hunting grounds and imminent enemy attacks. But when her people are ambushed by a brother clan without any apparent cause, the spirits remain eerily silent.

As the village prepares to retaliate, Anaii is pressured by her best friend, Elan, to marry him. It's an old plea-Elan has spent a lifetime loving her, but Anaii only sees a childhood playmate out of an imposing warrior. Stifled by Elan's insistence, Anaii escapes into the forest where she meets Jayttin, the beautiful son of the enemy chief.

Enamored by Jayttin's carefree spirit and hope for peace, she repeatedly sneaks away to be with him, but when her deception is discovered, Elan is devastated. Pledging his lifelong affection, Elan gives her a passionate kiss, and Anaii begins to see her friend in a new light.

While Anaii is tormented over which man she must choose, the wind whispers of a new threat that could destroy both tribes. Only a union will afford a chance at survival, but the reality of that union is based on one thing-which man Anaii chooses to die.

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Excerpt:

I looked around cautiously before freezing at the sketchy outline of a muscular man partially hidden in the grass. A man! He was sprawled on his back and golden pink from too many hours in the sun. My heart pounded to see the unfamiliar pattern of a deer on his breechcloth. I had marched myself directly into the reach of a Zennite warrior!

I gingerly took a step backwards, but to my horror, the man's black eyes fluttered open. I turned and hurled myself back across the meadow, just as the man shot up and flew after me like a predatory bird. My muscles burned and strained to lengthen the space between us, but getting away was hopeless. I was not a challenge to even the young boys in the foot races.

After a few powerful strides, the warrior tackled me to the ground, painfully grazing the skin on my cheek. I wheezed a few times before my lungs filled with air.

"A Chippoke?" he asked between breaths.

I feverishly punched and kicked to free myself. "Get-off-me!"

"Stop! I'm not going to hurt you," the warrior chuckled as he struggled to pin my arms and legs. His voice was calm and pleasant, but lying was no different than breathing to a Zennite.

"I cannot promise the same," I wheezed as I fought.

"You're a bobcat," he said with a laugh. "A bobcat with no teeth or claws."

"Let me go!"

"I will when you're calm."

Strong hands held my wrists while his full weight pinned my torso against the earth. Fighting him was as useless as running. "You are not a boy," I spat angrily, fully taking in my attacker. It was little comfort that he didn't look like a bloodthirsty killer. He was admittedly handsome with an angular face and sleek black hair that hung well past his shoulders. He was not as tall as Elan, but his muscles were narrow and built for speed. There was something different about his eyes too. They were as black as soot-very unlike the brown woodsy colors from our tribe.

The warrior smirked down at me. "My mother will be very surprised to hear that. All this time she's assumed…"

My face heated, but I fiercely met his gaze. The Zenni were like wild dogs and pumas-they could smell emotions. "What I meant was, you are a man, not a boy."

"Oh, I see, but you must understand, I'm not a man yet."

"You must understand I'm a squirrel! Get off! You're hurting me!" I ordered with a useless heave.

"No," he said with a smirk.

It was then I realized I might die-right after I was lulled into a false sense of security. My chest pounded as I searched for the killer's weapon. "Are you going to kill me?"

"I do not feel like killing you just yet," he said as his long hair swirled in my face. Were we to play a game before he killed me?

"I am glad the mood doesn't strike you," I snarled. The warrior studied me with a drawn brow. Was he guessing that I was the forest witch? I didn't think I looked like a witch, but I wasn't certain what one should look like-evil at least.

"I don't understand something," the warrior said. "Your eyes are blue-the blue of an angry sky. Are you the daughter of a god?"

"Yes," I said, heaving against his weight again. "Now get off me, or my father Achak will strike you dead with lightening."



Author Interview:



What inspired you to write The Wind Whisperer?

I wrote The Wind Whisperer while living on land once owned by Pocahontas. Everywhere I looked, I saw the region where Pocahontas lived. She was a big inspiration to me. A lot of the elements in the story come from the local Powhatan tribe.

When or at what age did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I've always wanted to be a writer, but I didn't get serious until after the huge success of Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series. It occurred to me that there is a huge audience of women who adore "love" stories as much as I do.

What is the earliest age you remember reading your first book?

I'm not sure when I read my first book, but I became an obsessive reader in middle school. While the other girls were devouring Judy Blume books, I was scouring the library in search of fairy tales from around the world. I couldn't get enough fairy tales. I still love them.

What genre of books do you enjoy reading?

I love paranormal romance. A little love-a little magic…life doesn't get any better.

What is your favorite book?

I have lots of favorites that include Divergent, Twilight, Girl with a Pearl Earring, The Notebook. Whatever I read it has to have a romantic element to it.

You know I think we all have a favorite author. Who is your favorite author and why?

I love Shannon Hale for the sweet and magical ways she tells her fairy tale type stories. I also love Tracy Chevalier for the way her historical stories come to life. Stephanie Meyer also impacted my writing style. Is there any girl who didn't want to be Bella when she read Twilight?

If you could travel back in time here on earth to any place or time. Where would you go and why?

Having grown up in Virginia, I've always been fascinated with colonial America. I'd like to go back 1700 Virginia and live the simple life for a while. While I'm there I would like to attend a formal ball and take a stroll through a formal English garden.

When writing a book do you find that writing comes easy for you or is it a difficult task?

Coming up with a great plot is the hard part. After that the story just flows out of me.

Do you have any little fuzzy friends? Like a dog or a cat?

I have a cat named Mia. She has an obsession with the family socks. She carries them to and fro across the house.

What is your "to die for", favorite food/foods to eat?

In the perfect world I'd eat crackers and dip all day long

Do you have any advice for anyone that would like to be an author?

Write as much as you can and then find great beta readers who aren't afraid to hurt your feelings. After that be prepared to have your feelings hurt a lot.



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Krista Holle

Krista Holle is an award winning author who stepped up her writing after reading Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series. It occurred to Krista that there is an insatiable audience of women and girls who want to read books filled with stories about true love-not just vampires. When Krista is not writing, she loves to collect seashells, watch movies, and eat obscene amounts of pizza. Krista currently resides in Montpelier, Virginia with her husband, four daughters and an eccentric cat with a weird attachment to the family's socks.



Website/Blog - Twitter - Facebook - Goodreads - Amazon



Giveaway:



GRAND PRIZE: 1 Kindle Fire, $25 Amazon Gift Card and a printed copy of The Wind Whisperer
Runner-up 1: Printed copy of The Wind Whisperer
Runner-up 2: Ebook copy of The Wind Whisperer



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Spotlight: Above Par by Crystal Donahue @CDonahue_Writes @Shades_of_Rose




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Above Par by Crystal Donahue



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There are no mulligans in love.

Drew's life just got a whole lot harder. Her relationships are falling apart, her little sister is failing math, and her parents are leaving for Florida to take care of Grandpa. Now not only does she have to play surrogate parent, study to graduate from her last semester of college, and deal with the looming threat of full-on adulthood, she has to do it all while running the family's mini-golf course by herself. Even the upbeat Drew is starting to feel like she just drove her ball down the unfairway.

Her luck takes a turn when she meets Weston, the snarky geometry teacher. He's smart, capable, dependable, and handsome-a real hole in one. But even Weston has a few hazards of his own. Now Drew will have to decide whether his secret is the wedge that drives them apart, or pushes them together.



Excerpt:

"Need some help with that?"

With a smirk, I lower my head to line up my shot. "No thanks, I've been eavesdropping on your inspirational speeches so I think I can handle it. You make me want to be a better player both on the green and off," I tease, "maybe you should write a self-help book."

He just grins and shakes his head. "I think I'll leave the writing up to your dad. I'd be happy to help you with your form though."

My head remains down but I lift my eyes so I can see him watching me. "My form? What's wrong with my form?"

"From where I'm standing, I can't find a single flaw. But in the interest of being thorough, I should probably take a closer look just to be sure." Weston places his hands on mine and wraps around me as we both grip the putter. Standing so close our bodies melt together, my mouth starts to go dry. My heart is pounding wildly, tapping out a steady and thunderous drum beat.

"And now?" I ask, feeling breathy and weak.

"You're perfect," he whispers into my ear and I can feel the last remaining bit of air squeezing from my chest.

Buy Links: Amazon Barnes & Noble All Romance eBooks



About The Author:

Crystal Donahue has been fortunate to live all over the US, including Arizona, Hawaii, and Georgia but she currently resides near the Iowa/Illinois border with her tornado obsessed son and their mischievous cat, Brownie. She is a procrastinator of epic proportions, finds humor in almost everything, loves sarcasm and loathes washing dishes.

A 2004 graduate of Western Illinois University, Crystal has held several unique jobs including driving a Zamboni and being a relay operator for the hearing and speech impaired. While working as a claims adjuster she realized life is too short not to do something that makes you happy, so she quit her job to become a nurse. Between work and raising her son she somehow manages to find time to write too, usually to the detriment of her social life. Fortunately her friends and family are amazing so it isn't much of an issue…yet.

Hmm. Something unique...When I was little I wanted to grow up to be an Egyptologist. Hieroglyphics and ancient cultures fascinate me. In junior high I wrote a short story about a female Egyptologist that gets trapped inside a pyramid and fights for survival. I hope to someday find the time to turn it into a full length novel. And of course, going to visit the Egyptian pyramids is on my bucket list!

Author Links: Site Facebook Twitter Goodreads



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