Thursday 10 May 2012

RAISE YOUR GLASSES TOUR

Hello! *waves* Anna Marie May here...
 Scarlet is kind enough to host me today so here it goes. I am actually starting off our blog hop called Raise Your Glasses Tour and you can find the full schedule on my blog here.
I am sure Scarlet has a post on her blog too!
We've all come together to celebrate our new releases so I guess this is my cue to start talking about my newest book, called Being Human. It is part of a series called Fallen Angels and as the name would suggest, it is about a fallen angel. I've recently held a mock interview with Kai, our fallen angel, which is hosted on my blog. You can find it here.
There will be a gift voucher at the end of the blog hop for one lucky winner - so stay tuned for more details.
I've always been fascinated by angels and even when I was little, I never thought they were blond, little cherubs with harps sitting on clouds. I've also taken a much darker view of them even before they became so popular. So I guess, it was inevitable for me to write a story about one fallen angel.
                                                                 
Here are the blurbs for the story:
Love is never simple, especially between an angel forced from Heaven, a Guardian of Earth, and the Devil. The forces of Heaven and Hell are rising, but all Kai can think about is the human who owns his heart.
Love's the key to salvation.
Or is it? If Kai hadn't once loved Lucifer, he might not have started down the path towards Armageddon. Nor would he have met Alex, a Guardian from an ancient blood line who now holds to the key to his heart.
As the forces of Heaven and Hell rise, Lucifer returns with an old prophecy and a legacy that could mean their salvation. But life is never this simple. Amidst new terrors rising from the shadows, and old family secrets being revealed, will the blossoming love between Kai and Alex stand the test of time? Or will it fall victim to the darkness slowly rising around them?
Only time will tell if love truly conquers all…

Reviewed by Pixie, received 4 STARS. You can view the whole review here.
I enjoyed the storyline and the twist of the Prince of Light and the Prince of Darkness was great and Kai and Alex have a couple of clashes, but figure out their relationship in the end. They are also hot together, although I did hope Kai would punish Alex for being an idiot (at least a little bit). This really is a really interesting storyline of how an adversary has played Heaven, Hell and the Earthly realm to begin a war that was prophesized thousands of years before. I am really looking forward to the next story in the series.
I will have to recommend this one to those who love angels, fallen angels, prophecies, hot sex, danger, stubborn men and a great ending.


Now, if you are not into reading a series because you feel it takes too long until it is done (I am right there with you guys), then rest assured this story can be read as a stand alone because it has an ending. I do try to always give my books proper endings even if they are a part of a series.
 And now I am rambling - sorry!
 If you are interested in winning a free copy, format of your choice (as long as it is supported by SILVER), then all you have to do is leave a comment below. Tomorrow I will collect the names, put them into a good, old hat and draw one of you.
 And as a parting gift, here is the offical excerpt:
 
"Shhhh..."Soothing murmurs, achingly familiar, set off tiny alarm bells within him and yet, the comfort won out over any other emotion.

A hand softly stroking his hair, rubbing his chin, and a sweet kiss planted on the bridge of his nose.

"Don't try to move yet," the man's voice continued, "You're still too weak. You need to give yourself more time to heal."

Velvety sheets caressing his naked body; his head cosseted by the softest pillow he had ever had the pleasure of lying on while his essence quivered with joy and dread.

Friend.

Foe.

No, friend!


His dazzled mind tried to decipher what was going on but no matter how hard he tried, struggling internally like he had never done before, nothing he did could make him stay conscious for more than a few seconds.

"Don't squirm," the teasing voice said, "Just relax. You're safe."

He knew whom the voice belonged to, Kai was sure, but for the life of him, he couldn't connect the dots.

At least not yet, and so he drifted back into uneasy dreams, into memories of pain and torture by those he had once considered his friends and family.

"Kai!"

He turned when he heard his name, a smile on his lips, but the pleasant feeling quickly vanished when he was grabbed and subdued.

As he was held down, face pressed into the floor, a knee firmly lodged into the small of his back, one of his attackers snarled, "You're a disgrace to our family."

"What?" he protested, "What are you talking about?"

"Take it easy, Raphael," someone else said. Kai didn't recognize the voice.

He craned his head, nearly breaking his neck in the process, to see who else was here. This wasn't right; surely someone would come to his rescue?

Raphael didn't take it easy. At least Kai assumed the vicious kicks to his side were coming from Raphael. Pain shot through his body like cascading ocean waves and he couldn't quite suppress a whimper.

"And you're telling me this pathetic excuse of an angel is one of the keystones?"

"He's been named."

Oh how Kai wished he had a fiery weapon, like his fellow warrior angels. How he wished he could call for it, wield it, and slice the heads off those who were trying to do him harm.

His fingers curled, his body tensed, and in his defense, he did try his best to get free but in the end, what was one scholar supposed to do against Heaven's fiercest angels?

A scream tore free from the depth of his heart, ripping through his chest and setting his body on fire... and then...


... Then he woke up. His ears were still echoing from his roar of pain as he tried to get his breathing under control. When the dark spots dancing in his vision finally ebbed, he fell backwards onto the bed, pulling the covers with him, curling them around his otherwise naked body.

He was glad the dream had cut out there. He shivered; goose bumps traveling up and down his body as he fought against the memories that tried to rise. If he could, he'd he'd erase being tortured from his mind, will the pain away, pretend it never happened. A sigh escaped his lips as he pressed his face into a sinfully soft pillow.

Get your hands off him!

Kai's eyes snapped open again, lips parting in a silent oh. There had been someone else there; someone who had interceded on his behalf... had there been fighting while he had lain there dying?

His thoughts were racing a mile a minute, jumping from one topic to another while he was unable to exert any kind of control. Death for an angel was final and absolute, unlike humans, who could either be reborn or find peace in the Afterlife. There were no such options for angels. You either were alive or you weren't.

"You're awake then," the teasing voice from before was back, jolting his memory, and like morning dew on a cold but bright day, an almost long-forgotten moment rose to the surface.

"Come on, you know you want to!" Lucifer insisted, nudging him along while Kai stood his ground.

"No," he complained. "I don't want to go and look at Father's creation. I've got things to do here."

"He's favoring them," Kai's friend complained. "Shouldn't we go and figure out why?"

"I'm busy." Kai brushed him off and with a fiery glare, Lucifer vanished.


Their last moment together as friends before Kai's foundations had been shaken and his life had taken a turn for the boring without Lucifer in Heaven to challenge him. And since a part of him had always blamed those pesky humans for taking the Morningstar away from him, Kai had never felt any need to visit the Earthly realm himself.

And here is the purchase link at Silver.
So if you want a free copy, post away, ask any question you want and I will reply as soon as I can. I will post the results on my blog and on facebook.
Cheers!
Anna
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26 comments:

  1. How did you come up with the name of Kai for a fallen angel? It seems like a choice that might have a bit of a story behind it!

    And totally put me in the drawing! I'm broke at the moment but would so love to read this!

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    Replies
    1. I did spend an awful amount of time researching angel names. I found a few good ones but they were either too odd or too complicated and none of them struck a cord with me. So I did more research and I settled on Kai because the name apparently means the following:

      1. Hawaiian unisex name meaning "sea."
      2. Pet form of Low German Gerrit, meaning "spear strong."
      3. Scandinavian name, possibly derived from Latin Caius, meaning "lord."
      4. Short form of Frisian Kaimbe, meaning "warrior."
      5. Variant spelling of Welsh Cai, meaning "lord." In Arthurian legend, this was the name of a Knight of the Round Table.

      I thought I could totally live with the above meaning and despite the maybe odd sounding angel name, I knew I could totally write a story with Kai as an angel and as a main character. I always need to be able to connect the name to the guy I have in my head and if those two images don't match, nothing happens...LOL.

      And consider yourself entered in the draw! I will announce tomorrow who won. Thank you for stopping by! :)

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    2. I am so sorry but the winner was ariadnechan. If you want another chance to win a free copy of Being Human (or of another ebook of mine), I will be on the Silver Facebook page tomorrow so you'll have another chance!

      Sorry you didn't win but thanks so much for stopping by and participating!

      Delete
  2. It's such a great story & I can't wait to read more. You always have the best ideas for stories, I don't know how you do it

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    1. I don't know how the ideas come either...they just show up and I roll with them. I am so glad to hear you liked it! Thank you. :)

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    2. FYI - the winnder is ariadnechan.

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    3. I'm glad for ariadnechan

      I don't mind paying for your stories, they are so good

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  3. I already have a copy but just wanted to congratulate you on its release.

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    1. Thank you! Are you coming in September?

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    2. FYI - the winnder is ariadnechan.

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  4. wow, the story sounds amazing! :) I will buy a copy for sure if I don't win ;)

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    1. Thank you! And I've entered your name now into the draw. Will get back to you tomorrow with the results! :)

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    2. I am so sorry but the winner was ariadnechan. If you want another chance to win a free copy of Being Human (or of another ebook of mine), I will be on the Silver Facebook page tomorrow so you'll have another chance!

      Sorry you didn't win but thanks so much for stopping by and participating!

      Delete
  5. The book is so on my wish list, so if I do not win I am buying it!
    Yvette
    yratpatrol@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Thank you! I will be annoucing the winner of the free copy later today... :)

      Delete
    2. I am so sorry but the winner was ariadnechan. If you want another chance to win a free copy of Being Human (or of another ebook of mine), I will be on the Silver Facebook page tomorrow so you'll have another chance!

      Sorry you didn't win but thanks so much for stopping by and participating!

      Delete
  6. Glad to see this release. Hope to get a chance to get this book one way or another.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am glad you're interested in it! I will be announcing the winner of the free copy later today. :)

      Delete
    2. I am so sorry but the winner was ariadnechan. If you want another chance to win a free copy of Being Human (or of another ebook of mine), I will be on the Silver Facebook page tomorrow so you'll have another chance!

      Sorry you didn't win but thanks so much for stopping by and participating!

      Delete
  7. This awesome!

    i love angel and fallen angel stories so much, i really hope i can win so i can read your story.

    it would be an awesome mother's day present right?
    and hey i'm a mom!

    question: how many books will contain the series? because this sound really interesting.

    I love Mythology angels and prophesies also slash so this is marvelous also i love your writing.

    so i really hope i can win

    thanks for the opportunity
    and i hope you become top seller because you deserve it!

    ariadnechan livejournal

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    1. Me too! I love the concept of fallen angels. I've always been fascinated by them even before they became sort of 'popular' and I guess it was only a matter of time before I would write a story of my own.

      Congratulations on being a Mum! That must be tough but rewarding, I would imagine. I can only claim 'mothership' of one cat, sadly deceased now...

      Currently the plan is for it to be a trilogy. One more book focusing on Kai and Alex and I am thinking, one book at least should focus on the Alex's sister and the reasons for this will become clear once you've read the book. I don't want to spoil it for or for anyone else who might read it but if you read the book, you'll know why...LOL.

      I will be cutting up paper soon and putting all your names on it...and once my flatmate is back, she'll pull out a name... :) Thank you for stopping by!

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    2. Congratulations! Your name was picked out of the hat! Let me know what format you want (as long as it is supported by SILVER) and I will E-mail you a copy.

      If it is a pdf you want, I have those here. If it is another format, I'll have to request it for you but either way, Happy Winning!

      You can E-mail me directly at amariemay@gmail.com

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  8. I'm too late for the contest, but I had to say that that is an *awesome* excerpt. Really amazing. I need to read this series!

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    1. Sorry you are too late! Internet allowing, I will be over at the SILVER facebook page today. I will be giving away yet one more free ebook so there's still a chance...if the internet allows me that it. In any case, I am glad you liked the little 'spoiler' and if you do get the book, I hope you will like it! Thank you for stopping by! :)

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  9. I think this sounds fascinating, and a story well worth buying! Thanks for sharing this excerpt, and insight into your creative process.

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    1. You're welcome. I hope you will enjoy the story. :)

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