Cold Blooded Blog Tour and Giveaway

I love the Jessica McClain series and I have the talented Amanda Carlson here to discuss her third book in the series, Cold Blooded.

1. Tell me about your new release Cold Blooded.

It’s full of non-stop action and adventure. If you’re waiting to see what happens to Jess & Rourke you won’t be disappointed! It picks up right were HOT BLOODED left off.

2. Where did you come up with the idea for Jessica and her family?

The first scene of the book played out like a movie clip in my head.  It all went from there.  Once she was done shifting, I knew she had a family who loved her.  Those family ties were really important to me.  Jessica is not a dark twisted heroine, she’s well rooted and it helps her navigate the major changes in her life.

3. What kind of research did you have to do for this series?

I do minimal research, except for the mythological beings in the book.  I love bringing true myth and history in when I can.  Eudoxia was actually the name of Ivan the Terrible’s daughter in history.  Selene is the real name of the Lunar Goddess in myth.  Lots of my beasties are from myth as well.  Try googling some of them!

4. Do you have any influence over choosing the covers of your books?  The cover model for Jessica is perfect.

I gave them physical descriptions, but I didn’t have any say.  They did a great job with the covers.  I feel very lucky.

5. What are you working on now?

I’m working on more books in the series, as well as some “sekrit” projects! Stay tuned.  The best place for updates and info on the “up and coming” from me is my author facebook page.

6. Do you envision any actors playing your characters while you are writing?

No, in fact I’m super bad at that game when anyone asks!  Each character is really a conglomeration of looks, characteristics and voice all melded into one.  Honestly, I like it better that way.  Each reader should be able to substitute their favorites in for any of the characters.

7. Any advice for aspiring writers?

Keep going! This business is all about hard work and persistence.  You have to finish the book first.  After that you keep editing and querying.  Then, while you’re querying, start something new.  Don’t put all your eggs into one basket and keep writing.  Always keep writing.

Thanks for having me on the blog! Super excited for COLD BLOODED to release next week.

About the Author:

I’m a Minnesota girl, born and bred. I started writing stories about teenage girls and their social missteps when I was in high school. I still have the handwritten spiral notebooks to prove it.

I started writing in earnest after my second child was born. After purchasing our first computer, I thought to myself, what better way to spend my time than e-mailing unsuspecting family members super cute stories about my exceptionally darling children? Isn’t that what computers were made for anyway?

The writer in me stretched and gave a defiant shove. I was hooked.

I jumped into writing classes, joined local writing chapters, organized author book signings, joined critique groups and participated in conferences. I had a blast writing a column in a local food & wine publication, and eventually tied together all my parenting stories into one full compilation.

My first fiction attempt was a contemporary romance, but I couldn’t seem to find the story. After my kids starting bringing home YA urban fantasy, I suddenly knew where my passion for fiction writing had been hiding. It was inside the action packed pages of an Urban Fantasy novel. Reading each new series was so much fun, I quickly realized this genre brought something to the storyline I hadn’t really seen before. It brought a hefty shot of adrenaline combined with a side of female kickass, all combined with that element of “other” I found so intriguing.

After reading YA, I picked up every adult UF I could get my hands on and I’ve been fully immersed in this genre ever since. On occasion I still pick up a “regular” book. But for the most part I find them lacking in superpowers and the excitement of the unexpected.

I started FULL BLOODED because kickass heroines rock and I love shifters of all kinds. There aren’t enough warm-blooded girls to go around, in my opinion. I fell into Jessica’s story and had such a great time writing it. I couldn’t imagine writing anything other than urban fantasy now.

When you’re creating a story in this fantastic genre, it can contain almost any elements you can dream up. Creatively, for me, there’s nothing better.

Now I think it’s about time to share it with all of you.

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Jennifer’s Review of Cold Blooded

TITLE:  Cold Blooded

SERIES #: Jessica McClain #3

CHARACTERS: Jessica, Rourke, Tyler

AUTHOR:  Amanda Carlson

PUBLICATION DATE:  10/8/13

ORDER LINKS:  Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS: Jessica McClain is on the run…again.  Finally reunited with Rourke, Jessica arrives home to find that her best friend has been kidnapped, her father has vanished, and the supernatural Sects–witches, demons, and sorcerers–don’t even have the courtesy to wait until she is unpacked to attack.

Now, mastering her powers as the sole female werewolf might not be enough to save them.  Thrown together in a shaky truce with the Vampire Queen, Jessica must show all the different Sects what the true meaning of “the enemy of my enemy” is or her father will die.

REVIEW PROVIDED BY: Jennifer            NUMBER OF STARS: Five Stars

REVIEW: This book is the third in the Jessica McClain series and each book keeps getting better and better.  Cold Blooded picks up right after the events of Hot Blooded and Jessica finds herself on the run from demons and sorcerers while looking for her missing best friend, Marcy.  Jessica and Rourke are now finally together and looking forward to spending some quality time with one another.  But all that has to be put on hold when Jessica is summoned to the Vampire Queen’s home in New Orleans to serve a debt that they owe her and along the way bring an all-out war among paranormal beings to her doorstep.  Jessica has to then side with the Vampire Queen to protect the people that she cares about before it is too late.

I have to say that this is one of my favorite series and I look forward to reading every book when it comes out.  Jessica is such a great kick-ass heroine who is still coming to terms with her new supernatural powers and has finally been reunited with her mate, Rourke.  There is non-stop action from the very first page and the story is so well-written that you feel like you’re watching a movie instead of reading a book.  I absolutely love this series and all of its characters and I can’t wait to see what Amanda Carlson comes up with next.

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