Cover Reveal: The Glass Tower (The Rose Chronicles, Book Two)

Today, I am literally tickled pink to share with you the cover of THE GLASS TOWER, coming January 29th, 2016.

The Glass Tower is the second book in The Rose Chronicles series.

Blurb:

Locked in the safety of the Glass Tower, Bianka plots her revenge. Her body might be the property of Kefozsé, but her heart and soul belong to Batar. For him, she’ll do everything possible to fight for her freedom.

Artemis and the Oracle keep a close eye on their protégé as she begins to unravel their carefully laid plans. The fate of the kingdom now lies in the balance. Bianka cannot be allowed to do as she pleases.

A sudden turn of events pushes Bianka to the brink. Using her wit and charm, she soon entices new blood to the palace’s doors. Upon losing the trust of those shielding the kingdom from prying eyes, she unlocks the door to something even she isn’t prepared for. Little does she know, her duplicity comes with a heavy price.

 

Pre-order links will be available soon. 

And then there was one...

So, I am just going to put this out there. I AM RUBBISH at the whole blogging thing. But after talking about the possibility of closing down the blog with my team. We agreed that I just HAD to make a better effort.

And here I am.

So what's been happening in my world since I last, ahem, blogged?

Well, A LOT.

In the past eighteen months, so many wonderful and equally crappy things have happened in my life. I have lost friends, gained friends. Lost my confidence and regained it. I found myself at the bottom of the well, drowning. Consumed by desire, but broken by despair. It was a horrid place to be.

And then I sucked it up, killed off the self-deprecating ego and became proactive. If anyone was going to make it happen for me, it was ME.

Yes, I am the master of my own destiny and it is I who controls how far I go in this big old beautiful world of ours. No one else can make things happen for me, well, some can, but I had to put the work in.

I pulled on my big girl pants, I sat down and wrote, wrote, wrote .... and wrote some more.

Then something beautiful happened.

I saw my worth and so did the people in my little world.

I was signed by the incredible Italia Gandolfo in July of this year and ever since, it has been a whirlwind.

The self-belief I had in myself all those years ago has come back. Yes, I KNOW I will have days when I will doubt myself, but on those same days, I will overcome that doubt and continue writing. There is nothing else for it.

I was born to put pen to paper, to create worlds and stories. To give other's an outlet. To provide entertainment. To leave a legacy of my words behind me. And even after all is said and done, the hardships, the tears and the rejections have made me hungrier and like a beast, I will devour my future and claim it as my own.

My mantra for today: Never doubt your abilities. You are worth every tear, smile and good thing that comes your way. Self-belief comes from within. Let it shine xoxo

Book Review: Never Never by Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher

"How odd to be made of flesh, balanced on bone, and filled with a soul you've never met."
   
Charlize Wynwood and Silas Nash have been best friends since they could walk.  They've been in love since the age of fourteen. 
But as of this morning...they are complete strangers.
Their first kiss, their first fight, the moment they fell in love...every memory has vanished.
"I don't care what our real first kiss was," he says. "That's the one I want to remember." 
Charlize and Silas must work together to uncover the truth about what happened to them and why.  But the more they learn about the couple they used to be...the more they question why they were ever together to begin with.


"I want to remember what it feels like to love someone like that. And not just anyone.  I want to know what it feels like to love Charlie."

Never Never: A Novella Series, Part One.


What happens when Hoover and Fisher collaborate?
They conceive and give birth to something so fantastic that there are no words to describe the excitement, the thrill - the gut wrenching frustration.

This is a stellar read. So fantastic, I want to become a part of Charlie & Silas' world.

Colleen & Tarryn have done a brilliant job. So much so, I want to take them hostage and make them write the sequel faster. Only joking, well, just a tad.

Never Never is an unpredictable read. A well-written novella, told in two perspectives. Both equally thrilling.

The cliffhanger near had me pacing the floors, screaming with trepidation, but then the thought of book 2 stopped me going all Annie Wilkes, and more patient Hannibal Lecter <---- again, only kidding.

Bloody great read.

✫✫✫✫✫


Purchase your copy here:

Amazon

And....first post of 2015

Sometimes, just sometimes, I sit back, and I observe the shenanigans on social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and the like. I then find myself scratching my head and thinking, "what just happened there?"

I feel that people are becoming so disjointed, so terribly disassociated with normal behaviour and losing control on what should be deemed as reality, etc.  They feel the best way to attack another, is through cryptic status updates, calling out another, mocking; hell, some even go as far as to point out how someone is failing in a particular field.

I find it both disheartening and disgusting.

I am a good person, but I also know I am not perfect. I have a tongue in my head and know how to spit venom when needed. But I also have a compassionate side, a side that tries to see the good in everyone. Yet, time and time again, I've had the wool pulled over my eyes, when in actual fact I should have had my radar on high alert.

The past ten months have taught me much.


I have learned the hard way who my friends are, and that's not something I stomach very easily. Considering I am a thirty-seven-year-old, mother of five.

The truth is this: there are always two sides to every story, and if people are not willing to listen to your side, then they have no business being in your life. #FACT.

There will always be someone out there, chanting your name, doing their best to disparage you, discredit you, whilst making you look like a fool in the process. But, also, there will be people who genuinely care about you, want the best for you, never wishing ill on you.

In truth, it is always hard to let your guard down with people. It is difficult to let people in, trust them with your inner thoughts. It can also be extremely difficult to forgive those who've blatantly hurt you, but here's the thing: if someone has hurt you, forgive, forget and move on. Don't hang on to that bitterness, don't allow the spite to swallow you whole.

The internet is full of negativity, angst, drama-ridden feuds, and all based on one thing we've all got in common: egos.

No matter what anyone says, we all have egos, some bigger than others. And there lies the disease.

For all those who've removed themselves from my life in 2014, I bear no grudges or ill feelings. I do not harbour hate or feel the need to be involved in childish feuds. I am just saddened that I was never given a voice.

But that's old news now. 2015 is a year that will see some of my dreams realized and for that alone, I thank God and place all my trust in him.

Without faith and hope, what do we have?

So, as I close this post, I feel it pertinent to remind you all, that the internet, no matter how lovely it can be, it isn't the real world. Remember to disconnect, walk away and mingle with those who truly love and adore you.

Life is too short for drama and bitterness. 

24 Days of Christmas Showcase WINNER!

This is just a short post today.

Thank you to EVERYONE who took part in the 24 Days of Christmas Showcase, and to everyone who stopped by this blog and commented on my post. All your comments made me smile, and your genuine sincerity made my heart swell.

I used Random.org to chose the winner and it gives me great pleasure to announce my winner:

Comitessa de Luna

Please email me to info@julieannelynch.co..uk

Many thanks again, and to all my wonderful followers, thank you for being supportive. 

24 Days of Christmas Author Showcase

So, it's come to that wonderful time of the year again. A time when my father becomes a scrooge, my mother begs to have the tree up for longer than two days, and my husband fails miserably at 'getting' the hints I leave on a daily basis. Yes, 'tis the season to be jolly and all that jazz.

Anyway, in the wonderful world of books and Authorsville, there is a lovely little showcase going on throughout the month of December, showcasing 24 talented novelists, who just so happen are offering some little goodies to go along with all the Christmas cheer. 

24 Days of Christmas Author Showcase

The Story Behind The Shadow World Series

(warning, you may need a tissue)

Within the Shadows was originally written way back in 2010, when it was then known as 'In the Shadows'. The book had been in partial draft from 2008, but, me being the ever pessimist, I thought, "nah, this won't sell" or "people won't like it" - yes, I am human. But, after having my little boy in 2009, my sister Pamela spurred me on after having read the draft, and loving it.  Then our family went through the terrible loss of my sister's little baby son dying in the summer of 2009. It was a devastating time for all of us. We are a close knit family, and are very private, and when the news hit that Liam had passed, our world crumbled. 

You see, there are three girls, me being the eldest. And fate played a rather bizarre little trick on all three of us: we were all pregnant, with boys, all due within months of each other. I had Rory in April 2009, Genevieve had Eoin in May 2009, and Liam was due in August. It was exciting. The three of us, our growing bumps, the new lives we were excited to welcome into the family - the whole process of 'sharing' such an amazing experience, and then it fell apart.

I cannot describe to you the ache I felt, the guilt that my own little baby was fit and healthy, and there was my sister,touching her huge round bump, and her child lifeless inside. I was angry with God, angry with the doctors for not spotting the warning signs the week before. I wanted to help her, but there was nothing I could do. My heart and soul broke. 

Sometimes, when I try to imagine what it was like in that delivery suite as my nephew was born to eternal life, I cannot comprehend the utter fear or anguish I feel knowing that the room was full of silence. A silence filled with tears, broken hearts and dreams. 

When we laid Liam to rest 3 days later, I don't think, to this day, I've ever felt grief like it. I would never wish that kind of loss on anyone.

Now, as you can imagine, having a baby is tough enough, especially when the blues hit, but, I fell into a deep depression. One that saw me going through the motions, on auto-pilot, doing all the things required of me, but not really 'being' there.

Flash forward six months, and I decided then, that I owed it to both Pamela, and little Liam, to complete the book. And I did. I wrote the final script within 12 weeks - back then, a record for me. 

I poured my heart into the book. Much of the darker elements, interwoven themes and motifs are representations of that darker time in my life. I believe each character in the book embodies a part of me (most writers do). I suppose you could say that all the layers, the finer details, stuff that could be missed, in a sense, immortalizes the grief, and I couldn't be more prouder. 

Within the Shadows is dedicated to Liam, and now that it has been optioned and in development for film, I feel like the soul of the story will live on, surpass any of my original dreams and expectations. How amazing is that?

This book is a story about broken dreams, loss, anger, betrayal, and self discovery. It is a journey from the deepest, darkest pits of hell; a manifestation of finding the courage to take on those demons. To go to battle with the darkness, to overcome the pain. 

Yes, there are vampires, shadow creatures and dark entities - but c'mon, I'm a writer :)

Blurb

Living on the razors edge, Giselle Bergman's life is torn apart by her cheating boyfriend. Little does she realize that he is the least of her worries when her long term friend, Alex, reveals a secret long hidden, and introduces to his family and a new, darker world; a world of lies, deceit and corruption. 

Thrown from one problem straight into another, the razors edge gets thinner and sharper, testing Giselle's sanity and vitality. Never truly knowing who her allies are, Giselle soon learns not to trust anyone, not even herself. How far will Giselle run to escape what fate has dealt her? 

Will she truly be free from the shadows that not only want her soul, but have her reborn as their Queen? 

Join Giselle on a journey that is only beginning... Not even she can hide when living within the shadows.

If you would like the chance of winning an eBook of Within the Shadows I am giving one reader the chance of winning this book, and you can also enter the 24 Days of Christmas Spotlight Event, which is below. 

So, to be in with a chance of winning, just comment, and you are automatically in for the running.

Be sure to visit the event so you won’t miss any of the giveaway’s or awesome author posts. Click here to visit the event page for 24 Days of Christmas Author Showcase. We have an amazing line up of authors for the month!

December 1 Willow Cross

December 2 Jennifer Malone Wright

December 3 Rose Shababy

December 4 Author JH Glaze

December 5 Ednah Walters

December 6 K.B. Miller

December 7 Nely Cab

December 8 Cat Miller

December 9 Karen Lynch

December 10 Stacey Rourke

December 11 Kristen L. Middleton

December 12 Julie Gilbert

December 13 Elizabeth Kirke

December 14 Brae Wyckoff

December 15 Belinda Boring

December 16 Derinda Love

December 17 Melissa Haag

December 18 Julieanne Lynch

December 19 Joann H. Buchanan

December 20 G G Carver Author

December 21 Cambria Hebert

December 22 Rue Volley

December 23 Lachelle Redd

December 24 Kristen Anne Inger Iversen

ALSO! A huge thank you goes out to the organizer of our little event, As You Wish Tours! Go check out as you wish for all your book promo needs. Readers can find some amazing books there as well.

Good luck to everyone who enters and thank you for letting me share my story with you!

To Enter to win a Kindle Fire HD, PLUS an ebook from each of the authors listed above, simply enter the giveaway below.

Merry Christmas

Entry-Form

Cover Reveal: Hour Measure By Mark Roemmich

I am so proud and excited to be a part of the cover reveal for a good friend and mentor, Mark Roemmich. His debut novel, Hour Measure (which I've read) is due for release December, 17th, and through L.D.B Press, today, we are excited to show the world the gorgeous cover.