The Shadow Prince Teaser Tuesday #9: Meet Joe Vince (with gifs) and Lunar Chronicles Giveaway

You know what's infinitely better than a Monday? A Tuesday. Especially if it's a THE SHADOW PRINCE Teaser Tuesday!

Today we get to meet another one of my favorite characters from THE SHADOW PRINCE: Daphne's father--the Joe Vince. Daphne has barely met her famous father (he's a pretty big deal in the music biz...) four times in her life, so you can imagine her surprise and apprehension when he shows up out of the blue with a court order for full custody of her and the offer to attend a prestigious music program at a ritzy private school in California.

I've always had a very clear idea of what Joe would be like, and more specifically, what he would look like. I didn't even have to think about it. It was obvious as soon as I knew who the character was.  Imagine, if you will, a cross between David Tennant (specifically his character in Fright Night) and the lead singer from The National, Matt Berninger. Picture a British, mid 40's, leather pants wearing, binge drinking, but extremely talented rocker with the soul of quirky dork.

To help you picture him, here's a quick teaser of how Daphne describes him their first morning together in her new home.

"Joe finds his glasses: thick-framed, nerdy, hipster specs that clash with his leather pants, skull rings, and long, rocker hair.

Three things I know for sure about Joe so far.  The longer portions of his hair are extensions, he never wears his glasses in public, and even though he tries to pull off an ubercool, leather-clad, Top Forty rocker persona for the press, when I listen real closely, I can hear that he has more of this geeky, Indie singer-songwriter vibe. It's always baffled me, the few times we've met."

Are you seeing it yet?

I hope so, but to help you out here are a few visuals (because who can resist a good David Tennant gif?):

Just picture David Tennant in Fright Night. . .

in a mash-up with Matt Berninger of The National...

As an added bonus, here's an awesome song by The National:

Okay, giveaway time!

This week, in honor of re-tellings and re-imaginings of fairy tales and mythology, I'm giving away signed copies of CINDER, SCARLETT, and CRESS by Marissa Meyer! Marissa does a truly awesome job of bringing new life to old stories, something I hope to have done as well with THE SHADOW PRINCE.

Oh, and since I finally have an official Author page on Facebook, you can get extra entries this week by going and liking the page!  Click here if you want to go straight there. Otherwise, use the rafflecopter below to enter this week's giveaway.

The winner of last week's Teaser Tuesday is Jessica Klase.

(Winner, if you didn't get my email, hit the contact button in the menu above and send me your shipping address in order to claim your prize.)


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THE SHADOW PRINCE Teaser Tuesday #8: Save the Cat! (and giveaway)

It's Tuesday and that means it's time for a new teaser from THE SHADOW PRINCE! Today's teaser is about one of the most lovable characters in TSP--and one who isn't even a person. According to Greek mythology, Hades, the god of the Underworld, kept a giant, monstrous, three-headed dog named Cerberus as a pet.

So I decided that my character Haden Lord (who was inspired by Hades) should also have a pet. And naturally his pet would be . . .

 

the world's smallest cat!

Brimstone, Haden's cat (or hellcat, to be more precise) is based on this picture of Mr. Peebles (the Guinness Book of World Records' holder for smallest living cat in the world) but she looks more like my blue kitty, Ava, when she was just a wee girl.

 Brimstone is described as being "barely bigger than a guinea pig . . ."

 

But don't let her size fool you! Brim is a full-grown cat, and she hates being called a kitten. That's something you should keep in mind since Haden warns that you should never get a hellcat angry!

So why give Haden, a prince of the Underworld and a trained warrior, a pocket-sized feline for a pet?

First off, because it's unexpected. Secondly, if you follow me on Instagram, you've probably noticed that I like kittens. And thirdly, because I think it's important to find a way to show what makes a character--especially a character who might seem less-than-human or not all that emotionally available at first--lovable or redeemable. There are several ways of doing this, and in screen writing, showing this redeeming quality (or moment of compassion) is called "Save the Cat." Two of my favorite ways of creating a likable character is by showing something or someone that my character loves, or by showing who loves my character despite their flaws--even if that someone is a pet.

Here's an excerpt from THE SHADOW PRINCE about Brimstone:

"She's a tiny little thing, but a good deal bigger than the puff of fur she'd been when I rescued her from one of the owls' clutches when she was only a few days old. As a runty newborn, she'd been tossed out of the nest by her mother, left to die in the Wastelands. That's why I'd saved her--and that's why she rarely left my side and could always find me no matter where I was--we'd both been rejected by the only family we'd ever really known. That made us kin."

So Haden "saves the cat" by literally saving a (hell)cat. But Brimstone isn't just a plot device, she's an important character in the book. I think of her as the older sister that Haden always needed. She scolds him when he's being thoughtless, prods him to do the right thing, and even tries to help him out with the ladies on occasion. Brimstone is fiercely loyal and deeply bonded to Haden, and he to her--a connection that plays out in important, and hopefully unexpected, ways in the book.

For more Brim and Haden, be sure to check out THE SHADOW PRINCE on March 11th!

(BTW, I kind of dream of the day someone does some Haden and Brimstone fanart!)

Now for a giveaway!

Brimstone loves music so I am giving away one of my silver lyre necklaces. Brim also comes from a long line of ancient mythological creatures, so I am also giving away a signed copy of RELIC by Renee Collins, an exciting book about people who harness special powers from the bones of ancient magical creatures.



Enter to win using the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.

Last week's Teaser Tuesday winner is: Madeline Hale!

(Winner, if you didn't get my email, hit the contact button in the menu above and sen me your shipping address in order to claim your prize.)

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Teaser Tuesday #7: Get a sneak peek inside the book (and giveaway)

Happy, happy, Tuesday!  I hope you're having a good one. Did you know we are only 6 weeks away from THE SHADOW PRINCE debut on March 11th?!!!

If you're in Utah, I hope you'll join me for the official TSP launch party on Saturday, March 15th at 2:00 p.m. at The King's English Bookshop. There will be prizes and food and me smiling and talking my face off.  (A full list of TSP events is coming soon!)


So a couple of big boxes arrived on my doorstep yesterday.


Everyone was very excited to see what was inside . . .


As it turned out, the precious cargo was my author copies of THE SHADOW PRINCE!!!! I duly freaked out and squeeeeed and took a million pictures.

 
Even Mei Mei wanted to get in on the action.

 
Or more likely eat the box they came in.

Since I went a little nuts with the pics, I thought that for today's Teaser Tuesday I would give a little sneak peek of the ins and outs of the hardcover book. (Because I'm book-nerdy and I love that sort of thing--so hopefully you do, too.)



First a look at the gorgeous cover. It's even prettier in person than in the comp renderings I've seen before. (Interesting thing to note: in the comp pictures the background seemed more greenish, in these pics it looks more blackish, but in person it's actually more blueish.)



Here's the spine of the dust jacket. (So you know what you're looking for in case the bookstore doesn't display the book face-out. ;) )



 Here's the back of the book with a pull-quote to entice readers. (And it's one of the quotes that I shared as a teaser a few weeks ago.) Love the way this looks!


Here's what the book looks like without its dust jacket. (You know, just in case you're a guy reader, or you know a guy reader, who might like the book but might think the cover isn't gender-neutral enough, you can just slip that cover off and viola, a nice plain blue book! But you know, as far as any picky guys are concerned, as far a both story and cover go, I think this book is pretty boy-friendly.) (P.S. My carpet isn't orange. That picture is just weird.)


 
Here's the spine of the actual book. I have to admit, I am swooning over that gold lettering. How gorgeous is that?!

 Now for a look inside:



The flap jacket copy. (a.k.a. the book summary.)



The title page. (This is the very first hardcopy of THE SHADOW PRINCE that I have ever signed!)



Here's a pic of page one. (If you have really good eyes, you just might be able to read it.)


 
Here's a picture of the first page of chapter two.


 
This is one of my favorite things about the interior design. Each chapter that is from Haden's point of view is marked by the astrological symbol for Hades. (Ya know, because he's from the Underworld and all.)


 
And each chapter by Daphne is marked by the astrological sign for Lyra. (Why? Well, you'll have to read the book to find out.)



Actually, all the other symbols on the cover are astrological symbols for different Greek gods. I bet you can guess a few.



Here's a picture of the very last word in the book. Any guesses as to what it is?

So how big is the book?


 
About the size of a kitten.


Giveaway time:

I've already promised three of these hardcopies out to previous Teaser Tuesday contest winners, but I thought I would give away the copy that I used as my model today.*** (As in, the very first hardcopy that I've signed.) Enter to win using the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.

Btw, if you decide to PRE-ORDER your copy of THE SHADOW PRINCE, be sure to save your receipt. You might want it later. (HINT, HINT pre-order goodies/contest *cough, cough*)

***Kitten not included

Oh and I can't forget. Last week's winner of ROOMIES is: Jamie G.

(Winner, if you didn't receive my email, please hit the contact button in the menu and send me your shipping address to claim your prize. It must be claimed within 30 days or it will be forfeit.)

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Teaser Tuesday #6: The Perfect Song (and a giveaway)

I'm in a melancholy mood today so I thought I'd share a song that is featured in THE SHADOW PRINCE that encapsulates how I feel.  In the book, Haden--who knows very little of music because it is forbidden in the Underrealm--gets goaded into performing a song in front of the entire town. Desperate not to fail, and looking for a way to get close to Daphne, Haden convinces her to perform a duet with him. Daphne suggests a song in this excerpt from THE SHADOW PRINCE:

      "It's 'Falling Slowly' by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova--from one of my favorite movies. It's the first duet I thought of, but after looking at several others, I think it's the best option."
      I read over the words. Imagining the lyrics with the notes evokes an uncertain, wanting ache inside my chest. "It's perfect."
     "It's going to take a lot of practice," she says. "Are you up for spending that much time with me over the next couple of weeks?"
     "Yes," I say.
     At this moment, there's nothing I want more.

Check out the song for yourself and see if it makes you feel the same way as it does Haden. Personally, I agree with him, it's perfect.



Now for the Teaser Tuesday Giveaway!

Today I am giving away a book by an author who is one of my all favorites (both because she's an amazing writer and a really inspiring person): Sara Zarr.  I've got a copy of her latest book, ROOMIES, that is signed by both Sara and her delightful co-author, Tara Altebrando, for a very lucky winner. Use the Rafflecopter below to enter.














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THE SHADOW PRINCE Teaser Tuesday #5

Greetings, friends!

Yesterday was my birthday and Hubs took me on a dessert tour of Salt Lake City--and now I am stuck in bed with a sugar+gluten hangover. (But man was it worth it!) My hands are so swollen with inflammation that I can barely type, so I am going to keep today's Teaser Tuesday short and super duper upbeat!

Today I am giving you a sneak peek at the inspiration for one of my antagonists: Simon Fitzgerald.

Simon is tasked with the job of overseeing Haden while he is on his quest to the mortal world, and the inspiration for his character was born out of this question that would pop into my mind while watching one of my favorite sitcoms:

What if Chris Traeger from PARKS AND RECREATION were evil?

Yep, those are the kind of weird questions that pop into my head on a regular basis. I think that's why I'm a writer. (Or possibly just crazy?) But answering that question in THE SHADOW PRINCE led to a character that was *quite literally* the funnest antagonist to write.

No giveaway this week, but I leave you with the gift of THIS VIDEO compilation of some of *the best* Chris Traeger-isms from the show. Just watch and think: What if this guy were evil? 
(Sorry embedding the video here was blocked, so you'll have to click on the embedded link.)


Winners from last week's Teaser Tuesday giveaway are:
 Jessica@a GREAT read
Nicole Mainardi
 Rebecca Hipworth

(Winners, if you didn't receive an email from me, hit the contact button in the menu and send me your shipping address to claim your prize. All prizes must be claimed within 30 days or will be forfeit.)

Everyone, be sure to come back for next week's Teaser Tuesday! (Hint: I'm giving away a signed book from one of my most favorite authors.)