Thursday, August 30, 2012

Blog Tour: Guest Post + Giveaway w/ Amanda Arista!


WELCOME TO THE BLOG, AMANDA! :)
 

Amanda was born in Illinois, raised in Corpus Christi, lives in Dallas but her heart lies in London. Good thing she loves to travel.

During the summer after second grade, she read every book in the young adult section of the library, much to the surprise of the local librarian. So she started making up her own stories and hasn’t stopped.

She has a husband who fights crime, one dog who thinks he’s a real boy, and another who might be a fruit bat in disguise.

When not writing, Amanda often dreams of co-opening an evil bakery and sell despicable desserts. Her particularly favorites are larvaceous lemon bars and sinful cinnamon streusel.

She spends her weekends writing at coffee shops, practicing for the day that caffeine intake becomes an Olympic sport, and plotting character demises with fellow writers Wolvarez, Killer Cupcake and Keith (names have been changed to protect the not-so-innocent).


 
 

Where to Find Amanda:


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Blog 9- Nine Lives


This will explain a lot

I have one, maybe two guilty pleasures. One will never be named in a public forum (it’s a TV show that most people find appalling but I can’t get enough). The other is cheesy horror movies.

My love of the cheese started at a very young age and has probably warped me to the point that I will never be able to write a contemporary romance. My brain just doesn’t work like that anymore. It goes straight for the demonic and magic option across all situations. I love a good demonic possession or a coven of teenage witches.

I have a few favorites that can definitely be seen in my series Diaries of an Urban Panther, outside of the fact that I gave my main character, Violet Jordan, my dream job- writing horror movies.

The first favorite is Slither. It stars my favorite funny man Nathan Fillion and has a gross factor of probably around a 9. But it is hilarious! It knows that it is a campy horror movie and does not pretend to be anything else. It’s so very meta. I love that it combines funny and frightening and the funny definitely made it onto the pages of Diaries.


My favorite series is the Gingersnaps series, a Canadian endeavor into the teen horror genre starring Katherine Isabelle and Emily Perkins. This werewolf allegory aligns with the angst of growing up and growing hair in strange places. But the key to making this movie completely awesome is the relationship between the two sisters. I love their interplay and the complicated nature of their relationship. Though in Diaries, Violet and Jessa are not actually sisters, their taunting but loving nature comes through when they are put into very trying situations.

The last and possibly the most transparent love of mine is Devour. Two words: Jensen Ackles. The boy is gorgeous and beautiful and between this one and My Bloody Valentine, can officially be crowned as the most handsome man on the planet when he is splattered with a little blood. On a bad day, I can pop this direct-to-video release and just sit back and watch a handsome boy be psychologically hunted down by a demoness. Now I’m not going to state on the record that Mr. Ackles was the inspiration for my romantic lead, but I don’t recommend looking too closely at the description of Chaz Garrett nor how many times he ends up bleeding in the series.


So now you know. I have a love of horror movie. The cheesier the better. I prefer demons to axe murders, but I’ll take a good fright fest over a romcom any day.

Do you enjoy a good scare?

~Amanda Arista

 
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Nine Lives of an Urban Panther by Amanda Arista
Publisher: Avon Impulse (September 11, 2012)
Series: Diaries of an Urban Panther, 3
Genre: Urban Fantasy

Violet Jordan‘s Rule #3 of being a superhero: Family first, fur second.

Dear Diary,
With new supernatural creatures popping up at every turn (Ghouls? Really?), the city divided, and my long-lost cousin blazing into town, I've got a lot on my mind. Oh, not to mention I'm supposed to be planning a wedding. Chaz has got to be the best, most patient (and probably clinically insane) fiancÉ around.

But defeating my sworn enemy in a battle for the souls of Dallas is going to require more than just my full attention. It means learning to depend on everyone—especially Chaz—if any of us are going to make it out of this alive. Because if Plan A doesn't work, I'm going to need them for Plan B. And Plan C . . .

 
 

Where to Buy*:
Amazon | BN | NOOK
More Info:


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One winner (from the entire tour) will win a Diaries of an Urban Panther gift set! [Includes: "All three Diaries signed, A coffee mug and your choice of a $25 Amazon/BN giftcard for more happy reading!"]

 
How to Enter:
  • MANDATORY: Leave a comment or ask a question and you will be entered to win a Diaries of an Urban Panther gift set at the conclusion of the Nine Lives blog tour, running August 20th to September 3rd.
  • OPTIONAL: For more chances to enter:


Giveaway ends September 3rd!
 
Follow the rest of the tour HERE--more comments means a better chance at winning! Good Luck!

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Thanks for stopping by today Amanda! I love the titles for your books, and they all sound great! :)

Readers, don't forget Amanda's question for you!

Do you enjoy a good scare?


TBQ: I'll be honest--I've never been on for horror/scary movies. Or books for that matter. But I do occasionally watch (and read) some. It's not the "scary" factor that puts me off of them, but rather, more often than not, the cheesy special effects, horrible acting and sub-par plots. But hey, that's just me! :D




Enjoy!   



Until Next Time,
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*TBQ's Book Palace is a member of both the Amazon and Barnes and Nobles affiliates program. By using the links provided to buy products from either website, I receive a very small percentage of the order. To read my full disclosure on the matter, please see this post!

6 comments :

Amy Valentini said...

Hi TBQ and Amanda,
I love, I absolutely adore, a really good SCARE!
Slasher movies and such don't really do much for me but give me a sneak up in the dark, make your skin tingle and the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, jump out of the dark, BOO! kinda scared and I'm in seventh heaven. I think it's the adrenaline rush. : )
Looking forward to the new book, Amanda - squeeee!

mariehahn13 said...

Hi and thanks for sharing! :)
Horror movies are a staple at our house, a variety watched and enjoyed, with zombies being the shared favorite! Our 6 year old daughter is constantly reminding us that it isn't real, it's "only ketchup!" lol We live for "The Walking Dead", and there isn't a zombie flick on earth we haven't seen :)
Thanks for the opportunity to win a great prize! :)

bn100 said...

Interesting posts. Not really a fan of a scare.

bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

wanda f said...

I do love a good scare the adrenaline ruch is awesome lol.For me if its a scary movie realisitic ones like Scream or I know What You Did Last give me the biggest scares though I do love ones like Rose Red who doesnt love ghosts . I jump every time .Realy enjoyed your post .Have a great week and a fantastic weekend
flanagan@mebtel.net

June M. said...

I have always loved a good scare. It does take a lot to scare me, I grew up watching horror movies/thrillers so these typically are more humorous to me than scary. Things may startle me (someone saying something to me when I am off in my own world or something) but I can't really remember the last time that I was scared.
June
manning_j2004 at yahoo dot com
*already follow on FB (June Manning) & Twitter (@juneannm) and commented on tour post

Carin said...

I hate to be scared, I think I am alone in this most people seem to love it. :O) Carin
myreadingobsession at hotmail dot com