Friday, September 30, 2016

The Great Equalizer


The Great Equalizer


I wanted to share with you all a little about my life now.
It has changed—a lot.
On August 13th, as most of you who are friends with me on social media know, our house flooded in the so-called ‘Great Flood of 2016’. If you had asked me the day before if I thought that within twenty-four hours my house would be 53 inches under water, I would’ve laughed you all the way back home.
But then it happened.
We got out of the house when it was barely up to our knees and fled to my grandmother’s house for safety. We stayed there for five days, not knowing anything. We didn’t know if the water we had seen was the highest it had gotten or if the water had reached the roof.
Not knowing is the worst.
I call it the Great Equalizer because after the flood, there were no classes of people other than, flooded or not flooded. There were Mercedes and BMWs in line for the free meals right along with everyone else. Women with Coach purses were at their local Baptist churches picking out clothing right alongside women who had made garage-sale shopping into an artform.
The water of a flood doesn't care who you are, it just fills the empty spaces and takes over.
Rich or poor, the water takes it all.

So now, everything in my life is away from home. My kids’ homeschooling is done at the library. Showers and laundry is done at my mom’s house. If I want decent internet access—back to the library.

But we are grateful. We had flood insurance (even if they are taking their sweet time sending us a check). We lost everything material except about four plastic bins of things that were in the very tops of closets or on the highest shelves.
It was just material things. I have my husband and my kids.
Still, this post-flood life stinks.
Here’s the thing about post-flood life that you might not be aware of. My brain is mush since that day. I have a thousand things on my mind at once and I’m lucky if one or two of them get done in a day. Some days I find myself just reliving that Friday and Saturday wondering if I should’ve stayed up all night getting everything I could into the attic—onto higher shelves. Maybe if I stacked heavier things onto tables and cabinets and shelves, we wouldn’t have come in to find our refrigerator in the living room or my bookshelves on the floor.
If I had just only…a million times a day.
Until then, bear with me. I’m trying my best. I promise.
Now, the news on Beholden.
Yes, I said I would release it two days ago. I have broken that promise and I will tell you why.
It wasn’t ready, pure and simple. I don’t know if it is what I have gone through or what but I didn’t love the way it ended anymore. I didn’t love it at all. And so when I went to push that publish button on Monday afternoon, I just couldn’t do it.
That being said, it will be out sometime next week. I have already re-written most of the ending and it is so much better—so much better.
And I love this new ending. Which is the point.
Because I don’t want to give you, reader, anything less than what I absolutely love.
I hope you can forgive me.
Hip Whip will follow Beholden, hopefully sometime in October.
And God willing, we will have our house back before Thanksgiving.
Pray for Louisiana. 85% of the people around me flooded and most of them had no insurance.
I am so grateful for my readers and author friends who have stuck by me through this. Thank you doesn’t quite cover it.
Walking on bare concrete. Praying for sheet rock. Crossing my fingers for my office back soon,

Lila
 


Thursday, September 29, 2016

Throwback Thursday #TBT

Throwback Thursday #TBT


On the rink she’s tough, she’s a leader, she’s fast and she’s the epitome of a rebellious girl. But Nellie’s been hurt, only once, but it was enough to make her look at life through different eyes and off the rink she’s a timid girl who loves with no pretenses.
A long time ago Owen Black was betrayed by the girl he thought he loved and the guy he called his best friend. The anguish set off a domino effect of negativity in his life and he never has fully recovered. He meets Nellie Forrester and thinks he can let it go for her.
But how can you love someone when the wounds from your past are still wide open?



Monday, September 26, 2016

Some Exciting News...

I have some exciting news. On January 6-7-8, 2017 I will be at Wizard World New Orleans. I will be signing books with my NOLA Writer Gals. So, if you are in the area come by and see us. Get your books signed and maybe meet a new author. This is going to be so much fun. I can't wait to see you there.

Friday, September 23, 2016

The Cover is here for Crown of Cinders

I am beyond excited for my friend and fellow indie author, Rebecca Ethington. This is the official cover for Crown of Cinders, the final book of the Imdalind Series. Have you read this series yet? If not, Why? Seriously, its on of  my favorite series. You can get caught up on the series now and preorder the final book. I can't wait to see how this ends. Of course it is going to be Epic. Grab your copies now.


Crown of Cinders
Rebecca Ethington
(Imdalind, #7)
Publication date: November 28th 2016
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult
The Internationally Best-Selling Imdalind Series comes to a close in this long awaited heart-pounding conclusion.
For centuries the war that has raged within magic has ripped the world apart. Fought between Skȓítek and Trpaslík; killing father and son, and destroying a fragile balance between mortal and magic.
For centuries everyone has been awaiting the Silnỳ, searching for the girl who was prophesized. The girl with power strong enough to defeat the evil that plagued the world, and bring the war to an end.
For centuries, everyone was wrong.
The Silnỳ was not what they had been told, the promises of future distorted by a sight that was tarnished. The evil was not what they had expected, not what they had been fighting against. Instead it was hidden amongst them; plotting, waiting for their time to strike.
And it did. With fire and blade the hidden evil took it’s place upon a throne of blood. The evil has shown itself and now only one person can save them all.
But with Sights that are no longer infallible and armies that are abandoning their king – it is no longer clear who that person is, or even if they have the courage to stand up to the evil and face their end.

Teasers:

Ovailia said nothing before turning away, her hair swinging down her bare back, revealing the scar that had been opened and reopened, both at my expense.
“You don’t even wear your battle scars well. All that magic and you are still left wanting.”
She didn’t turn, didn’t reply. Still, I could still feel the heat of her anger, her magic as strong as the intensity of the volatile flames.
It was then that the laugh finally escaped me, my humiliation escaping me in a razor sharp snap that cut across her skin. It cut across the air and put her firmly in place on a pedestal far below mine. She could never be my equal, and it was time she knew it.”


“The three men shivered before me, their bodies construed on the floor in poor attempts of a bow. They quaked with every step I took before them, the sound of my footfalls loud in the hollow expanse of the hall. The echo of the void made everything louder. I could even hear them breathe in sharp little inhales that accentuated their panic.

“This is a grand hall.” My voice was a loud snap as I continued to pace, sidestepping a large pool of still damp blood that remained from the massacre of a few days ago. “I remember when it was carved out. Three skilled Trpaslíks stood in the large cavern we now use as a walkway, their magic pulsing, moving, melting the rock. That was before the fire magic was lost to your kind. That was before any of you were born …”
I ended with a laugh, the loud, disreputable sound barking inside my chest in a pleasant ripple, echoing against the hollow room with a ridge of danger that was not missed by the three men.
They shivered all the more, curling their spines into themselves as if that could somehow save them.
I laughed harder. Nothing could save them. They would understand the punishment for defying me soon. Then death would find them. I had a job for them first, however.
“I was alive, though,” I continued, the laugh ending with a snap, the rough edges of my voice hard against the rocks. The entire room trembled underneath it, underneath my anger. “I saw it all. I was here when they carved the hall, when they protected the deep wells of magic. It was my magic that they cowered beneath, much the same way as you do now.”




Where to find Rebecca:


Thursday, September 22, 2016

Throwback Thrusday #TBT

Throwback Thursday: #TBT

Forced Autonomy


The United States has collapsed. Those citizens who are left are in one of two classes. One: Citizens who have undergone forced lobotomies, as mandated by the United Nations. Two: Those who fight against their tyranny.

Petra Kingsley falls under both classes. She falls in line with the drones, pretending her procedure worked. Four years she's existed among their ranks, hiding in plain sight, being worked to the bone and starved almost to death.

Lawson is a bounty hunter of sorts. His target isn't the guilty, it's those who are lost in the folds of a broken society.

When he spots Petra working in the masses, he stops at nothing to help her escape.

But he has no idea who exactly he's helping--and who will now be hunting them both?



Monday, September 19, 2016

Imdalind by Rebecca Ethington is on Sale...Grab your copies now

This is one of my Favorite series ever. These books are amazing. If you have not read this story now is an excellent time to get caught up before the final book releases.


Title: The Imdalind Series
Author: Rebecca Ethington
Genre: YA Paranormal
Crown-Cover-Photo-2.jpg


The Internationally Best-Selling Imdalind Series comes to a close in this long awaited heart-pounding conclusion, Crown of Cinders. Pre-Order your copy today.
In celebration, the rest of the series has been put on sale - but only until the Sept 23rd!








COC cover.jpg
For centuries the war that has raged within magic has ripped the world apart. Fought between Skȓítek and Trpaslík; killing father and son, and destroying a fragile balance between mortal and magic.
For centuries everyone has been awaiting the Silnỳ, searching for the girl who was prophesized. The girl with power strong enough to defeat the evil that plagued the world, and bring the war to an end.
For centuries, everyone was wrong.
The Silnỳ was not what they had been told, the promises of future distorted by a sight that was tarnished.
The evil was not what they had expected, not what they had been fighting against. Instead it was hidden amongst them; plotting, waiting for their time to strike.
And it did. With fire and blade the hidden evil took it's place upon a throne of blood. The evil has shown itself and now only one person can save them all.
But with Sights that are no longer infallible and armies that are abandoning their king - it is no longer clear who that person is, or even if they have the courage to stand up to the evil and face their end.



About The Author:smile

Rebecca Ethington is an internationally bestselling author with almost 700,000 books sold. Her breakout debut, The Imdalind Series, has been featured on bestseller lists since its debut in 2012, reaching thousands of adoring fans worldwide and cited as “Interesting and Intense” by USA Today’s Happily Ever After Blog.
From writing horror to romance and creating every sort of magical creature in be-tween, Rebecca’s imagination weaves vibrant worlds that transport readers into the pages of her books. Her writing has been described as fresh, original, and groundbreaking, with stories that bend genres and create fantastical worlds.
Born and raised under the lights of a stage, Rebecca has written stories by the ghost light, told them in whispers in dark corridors, and never stopped creating within the pages of a notebook.

Author Links:

Amazon | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook | Web

preorder2.jpg

Buy Links:
#Free with #KindleUnlimited
Kiss of Fire (Imdalind #1) hyperurl.co/fysz56
Eyes of Ember (Imdalind #2) hyperurl.co/853qop
Scorched Treachery (Imdalind #3) hyperurl.co/zdq8ag
Soul of Flame (Imdalind #4) hyperurl.co/lnfp3f
Burnt Devotion (Imdalind #5) hyperurl.co/4i0jau
Dawn of Ash (Imdalind #6) hyperurl.co/DawnofAsh

Crown of Cinders (Imdalind #7) Pre-Order
Barnes and Noble: hyperurl.co/BNCrown

Saturday, September 17, 2016

Stalker Saturday

Stalker Saturday #SocialMediaStalkerSaturday

Do you want to know where to find me? I am all over social media. You can find me on many different platforms. Make sure you are stalking, um.. following me to get all the latest news and join in with the fun.










Friday, September 16, 2016

NOLA Para Fantasy Con



I am excited to announce I will be at NOLA Para Fantasy Con on September 24, 2016. It begins at 9am and it is located at East Bank Regional Library. I am speaking on a panel about The Unique Legends and Lore of Southern Louisiana from Ghost Stories to Swamp Monsters. This panel begins at 11:30 am. I look forward to seeing you there.

Follow the link below for all the details.


Thursday, September 15, 2016

Throwback Thursday: Burden #TBT


In the depths of the Louisiana swamps, clans of bear shifters roam freely. Hawke Turnclaw, the Alpha over all of his kind, is drowning in the legacy left to him by the Alpha before him, his own father. When he goes on a rescue mission to save a rogue Black bear from the clutches of a Grizzly clan, he finds more than just a Black bear, he finds his mate.


Echo has always been told she's an anomaly, a fluke. She's the only bear of her kind and that makes her a hindrance to her clan. She's tried to run away, but they keep her tethered through guilt and a shock collar around her neck.


And then someone shows up claiming he's her mate.


Now belonging to a new clan, will she ever be able to understand that she's so much more than just a burden?


Teaser

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Tuesday Teaser...on Wednesday?




I'm working on Beholden furiously!! I am determined to not let the flood get me down any more!!!

So, a little teaser?


Enjoy.

Lila


From Aspen's POV

“A good time for what?” Creator above, please don’t let it interfere with tonight. I had been waiting all my life for my mate to mark me.
“For me to clear the air. I’m not just going to let me daughter go and mark you and get marked without some—assurance.”
Though I had declined her offer of water, I choked. Yes, everyone in the clan probably knew that Acacia and I would be marking each other soon, especially with the upcoming clan run, but most of us didn’t just blurt it out like that.
I especially didn’t expect it to be blurted out by her mother of all people.
And without the backup of Acacia by my side.
Sitting across from your future mother-in-law wasn’t the time to cower.
Squaring my shoulders while I cleared my throat, I was ready. “I’ll answer any questions you have honestly, ma’am.”
She smiled down at the brownie still being dissected. “You know, my mother used to say that you can believe anything from a man who looks you in the eyes like you just did.”
“You can. Shoot. I’m ready.” I tried to be a little playful, but she wasn’t playing around.
I didn’t blame her. Acacia didn’t need just anyone in her life—she needed a mate who was willing to do what it took to make her happy.

Thursday, September 8, 2016

Shifters and Spice: A Shifter Romance Collection Release and Preorder




I am so excited to announce that Shifters and Spice is available for preorder.  It will be released on October 23, 2016. Grab your copy now for $0.99. You will find the preorder links below.



Shifters and Spice: A Shifter Romance Collection

If you dream of shifters, this set of 20 brand new shifter stories featuring USA Today and New York Times best-selling authors has you covered. Whether you like them large and in charge or sleek and sexy, you'll find the right story to spice up your night in these pages


Featuring:
A.J. Bennett — Masquerade
Becca Vincenza — Contracted
Blaire Edens — Frenzied
Carolyn Spear — Taming the Puma
Dara Fraser — Lion's Pretend Girlfriend
Desiree Holt — Shadow of the Wolf
Dominique Eastwick — Bearing the Hunger
Erin Hayes — I Found My Rhino
Ever Coming — The Mismatchmaker
H.D. Gordon — Blood Sport
Hazel Boyer — Accidentally Mated
Kate Richards — An Evening in the Superstitions
Lila Felix — Wolf Protector
Lisbeth Frost — Encounter on a Mountain
Louisa Bacio — The Luna Twins
Margo Bond Collins — Laugh Out Love
Marissa Farrar — Wolf Torn
Merryn Dexter — Bear Faced Lies
M.J. Haag — Escaping the Lutha
Rachael Slate — Untamed Lord of Thessaly
Preorder Links:











Monday, September 5, 2016

Lightning Forgotten is now Available in Print

 
Clean Teen Publishing is excited to share the print release of LIGHTNING FORGOTTEN by Lila Felix. LIGHTNING FORGOTTEN is the third and final book in The Lucent Series, which released today in print! The first novel— LIGHTNING KISSED— hit best-seller lists right away and is currently free in digital format! This new adult paranormal romance series is a must-read. If you are looking for a complete series to dive into, make sure to check this one out!


LIGHTNING FORGOTTEN by Lila Felix (PAPERBACK)



The stunning conclusion to The Lucent Series by Lila Felix is now available in print format! No spoilers here, so if you would like to read the blurb, you can check it out here.

Read LIGHTNING KISSED by Lila Felix FOR FREE in digital format!
AMAZON / BARNES & NOBLE / iBOOKS KOBO / BOOK DEPOSITORY



Colby Evans can leap from one country to the next in a heartbeat. She can see every sunset in every time zone in the same day. She can travel across the world in a flash. She defies gravity and physics with every breath she takes. She’s tested her abilities and found them limitless.

She is the lightning. She is Lucent. And nothing can stop her.

Except him.

Theodore Ramsey isn’t supposed to be able to flash like Colby. The power of travel is passed on from mother to daughter in their people. Except once in every hundred generations.

Theo is the one.

He can flash like Colby. And it makes him a target to their enemies and to himself. His abilities change everything he knows about life and throws his future into an uncertain tangent. In fact, the only thing certain in his life is the love he feels for Colby.

Their love defies time and space and has been the only constant thing in their lives since childhood. But even their infallible love will be stretched to its limits.

She will risk her life to protect him. But he will risk everything to protect them all.

Lightning Kissed is the first book in The Lucent Series by Lila Felix.

ABOUT LILA FELIX:
Lila Felix is full of antics and stories. She refused to go to Kindergarten after the teacher made her take a nap on the first day. She staged her first protest in middle school. She almost flunked out of her first semester at Pepperdine University because she was enthralled with their library and frequently was locked in. Now her husband and three children have to put up with her rebel nature in Louisiana where her days are filled with cypress trees, crawfish, and of course her books and writing. She writes about the ordinary rebels who fall extraordinarily in wild, true love. For more visit www.lilafelix.com


Thursday, September 1, 2016

Throwback Thursday: Love & Skate Series #TBT

On the rink she’s tough, she’s a leader, she’s fast and she’s the epitome of a rebellious girl. But Nellie’s been hurt, only once, but it was enough to make her look at life through different eyes and off the rink she’s a timid girl who loves with no pretenses.
A long time ago Owen Black was betrayed by the girl he thought he loved and the guy he called his best friend. The anguish set off a domino effect of negativity in his life and he never has fully recovered. He meets Nellie Forrester and thinks he can let it go for her.
But how can you love someone when the wounds from your past are still wide open?

(You can get Love and Skate FREE on Amazon)



Despite the odds, Reed Wolfe is making it, by the skin of her teeth. Her dreams and aspirations will have to wait until she can get on her feet. Because right now she’s homeless and churning on a downward spiral.

Falcon Black is existing. Not living, not thriving, just jutting along a path. But when he finds Reed, he can’t resist the urge to help her, lighten her load. But Falcon tends to go overboard, over the line, crossing boundaries he never thought he would and risking her trust in the process.

Can she accept his love or will it end up smothering her? 




Maddox is running.

By accident, he discovered long ago that he was adopted as a baby and his need to find his biological father has consumed him ever since. Now, on a road trip, determined to find his father and his sanity, and armed with locations and his cousin, Nixon, to help him, maybe he can find the answers he’s been searching for. With nothing but a suitcase and a wad of cash to get him there, lead after lead takes him further from home.
But he’ll find much more than he intended.

He finds Storey, a pint sized pin-up model who has learned painful lessons about guys. Her wounds run deep, but so do his. She knows what she wants, but will she recognize it when it’s right in front of her?

Maddox can’t touch anyone without feeling like his skin is crawling, but just maybe his instinct to protect this amazing girl will supersede his own hang-ups.

If he can brush her skin and start to feel alive inside...everything will change.



I’ve loved her since we were kids. But loving someone gets tough when they don’t love you back.

Nixon Black has made mistakes. He made one mistake that would change his life forever. Now he’s working and in school—and he’s got a three year old. He gave up dating when Scout was born, but every night he retreats to another life in his mind, one he could’ve had with her.

Journey spent her formative years on the arm of any boy that didn’t expect anything out of her. She was hiding from the one person who did expect something in return—Nixon. Years after being cheated on and dumped for the last time, she takes a job at a daycare center where there’s a genius of a ginger haired girl whose last name is Black.

But the roles have been reversed and Journey is no longer Nixon’s first priority. Can he make room for the new Journey? And when he does, will he be able to forgive the old one?




Rex has firsthand knowledge of how love can rip a person to shreds. How it can swallow a person whole, leaving them gasping for air, and dying a lonely person. He watched his mother give everything she had to his father and then she died, too weak and frail to continue on. His father, the deranged man who could barely feed himself—taking care of him left a permanent crease on Rex's heart. He swears he can still hear his pleas for help in his sleep. Nothing can give him solace from the painful memories.
Except this girl.
Hayes is a constant and consistent optimist. She's witnessed her mother and father’s almost perfect marriage and taken it as an example of what she wants. But she can’t seem to find a guy who is sincere. She’s dated them all— snake-in-the-grass jerks, straight-up commitment-phobes, fakes and phonies alike. They all fit her perfect dream on the outside, but when the relationship gets to the nitty gritty, they all crumble like stale bread.
Unable to find a better man, she settles for nothing instead, wondering if a man who treats her right could even exist. With perfect parents and a team name like I Kilda Girl, that man would have a lot to live up to.
Until this boy.
When she sees a rugged, tattooed guy who shows up at all the derby bouts, she wonders if chasing the bad boy might just be right.

AMAZON   GOODREADS  


*****


OMNIBUS CONTAINS: Love and Skate, How It Rolls, Down 'N' Derby, Caught In A Jam, and False Start. 
This set contains the complete series. 


AMAZON



*****

*This is Book One of the Love and Skate spin-off series.*

For months, Cyrus Black has been in hiding. After ruining his cousin’s chances of college, he goes from job to job, from place to place, making sure he doesn’t have to face them—or himself.

Beatriz Morales is set. She has a plan, a schedule, and a dream. Life has thrown her a few curve balls, but nothing keeps a derby woman down.

She’d never admit it, but she’s stretched too thin. Something has to give.

Love doesn’t just choose a person to see our strengths—sometimes love chooses the person we trust with our weaknesses.


The choice is hers.