The Outlanders Blog Tour

So, I have been on blog tour since Oct. 18 and will continue to be until Nov. 1. I am so thankful to all my wonderful friends and bloggers who hosted me throughout this tour and will host me in the days to come. One of my most favorite things about publication has been meeting all these wonderful people--fans, bloggers, other authors, everyone! I am humbled that people have purchased my books and read them. It's a dream come true to have my words read by others!

Exciting book news update:

1) Both The Prophecy and The Outlanders will be out in print on November 15!! I got to hold the print proof in my hands, and I absolutely cannot describe the feeling! SO AMAZING!

2) The Prophecy got an AMAZING review this week. I'm still on cloud 9 about it! Here it is from Caught Up In Books! PS. It's on sale to celebrate The Outlanders release, so you can pick up a copy for only $.99!!! 

Erin and Deek life update: 

1) Deek and I finally got our gym equipment set up at the new house, so we did a workout last night. I'm totally sore this morning. Youch! 

2) We are in the process of proofreading the print proof for errors. It's been a while since I've looked The Prophecy, so we'll have fresh eyes. 

He is totally hawt!!!

3) I already went with the purple hair, and now I've add the blonde highlights to it!!

BIG NEWS: In other news...this happened! SQUEE!!

If you want to enter the rafflecopter drawing for my blog tour, here it is!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

12 Random Facts--Emily Callahan

12 RANDOM FACTS--EMILY CALLAHAN

Today, I am honored to be hosting the lovely Emily Callahan. She could not be more sweet-hearted! And I just love these facts! Did you know she hosts a secret website? What about, you might ask? Well, read on, dear reader, read on! ;) Emily and I have a few things in common--we rock out as short girls, we love period pieces, and we love personality quizzes! See what you have in common with Emily and be sure to visit her blog, Dystopia Capital!

1) My favourite foods are my mom’s homemade perogies topped with gravy or sour cream and fried onions, and just about anything chocolate. If there were no such thing as weight gain or heart disease, I would probably eat a lot of both every single day. What’s a perogy, some ask? It varies from culture to culture, but since I’m German, they’re little dough balls, stuffed with either cottage cheese or a potato-cheese mixture (or fruit for dessert), then fried or boiled.

2) I almost always wear skirts or dresses. I’m kind of petite, so I find that pants are usually too long and dig in in the wrong places. Sometimes I wear capris, or shorts, or rompers in summer, and I wear leggings a lot in winter, but I tend to mostly wear skirts and dresses.

3) I’ve almost never had a crush on someone who isn’t British (or Scottish, having now watched Outlander). I don’t know whether it’s the accent or what, but it’s just what I seem to go for. My first crush, which was sometime in pre-adolescence (can’t remember when) was Daniel Radcliffe. That lasted for a couple of years, but then he started saying strange things, and he had to go. Sorry Daniel!

 4) Speaking of crushes, my first book crush was Gilbert Blythe from Anne of Green Gables (my fav book ever!). I love how he and Anne are best friends.

5) Back to Jamie Fraser (well, more like back to Outlander) I’m a sucker for period dramas. I love all things Jane Austen, having first read Pride and Prejudice at age seven, and almost never miss Masterpiece Theatre. Some of my favourite, binge-watch worthy t.v. shows are Call the Midwife and Outlander, and I grew up on shows like Wind at my Back and Road to Avonlea. I actually have a second blog, http://iluvperioddramas.wordpress.com , but I hardly blog on it (maybe I will if I get more visitors J )

6) If I wasn’t studying English, and planning on a career in writing/communications, I’d either be a nutritionist or an esthetician (or something related to conflict resolution, since that’s my minor). I also love working with children, but I figure I’ll have my own someday J

7) When no one is at home, my favourite thing to do is blast music and sing and dance. I don’t think there’s been a lot of days in the last several years that I haven’t listened to either Taylor Swift or Ed Sheeran (or both). I was actually in musical theatre when I was a teenager, so the affinity towards music (and singing, and dancing) makes sense. If you want to see what my latest favourite songs are, then follow me on Twitter!

8) I don’t know whether it’s because I was destined to study children’s literature or what, but I love kids’ movies and t.v. shows. Seriously. At age twenty-one, I can still quote sections of Little Bear episodes, word-for-word (my fav episodes are the Suzanne Collins-written ones), and my favourite movie is the Disney version of Beauty and the Beast. I still watch it all the time.

9) I’m addicted to personality quizzes (you, know, the ones where you find out if your personality is more cotton candy lip-gloss or vanilla swirl lip-gloss). I swear I’ll be wearing out Buzzfeed when I’m in the nursing home! But if you follow me on Twitter, you already know about this addiction, since I post my results on there!

10) I guessed the Broadchurch killer in episode 2! British mysteries are another one of my British obsessions. I’ve seen almost every episode of Midsomer Murders, except the new ones.

11) Reading The Hunger Games changed my life. It made me interested in YA novels, and how adolescents think, and it’s what started my interest in dystopian literature. I don’t think that I’d be majoring in Children’s and Young People’s literature if I hadn’t read it. Now, I get to read YA all the time and call it “research”!

12) I can speed read. I read an average of 30-50 full-length books a year (and some of them are pretty long, like Kate Morton’s family sagas).

Visit Emily online!

Poster Giveaway!!

Y'all are AMAZING! Thank you so much for helping me get to 400 FB likes and 2,000 Twitter followers! I'd like to show my appreciation by offering some posters and books to my loyal fans! If you already follow @ErinRhewBooks (me), @BookFishBooks (my publisher), and @DeekRhewBooks (the love of my life), you are golden! If you don't, you can start now and be entered to win!

In case you're wondering just what you're entering to win, let me show you!

5 lucky people will win posters for The Prophecy and The Outlanders! They are super cool (I may have some hanging in my dining room).

The GRAND PRIZE winner will receive signed, print copies of The Prophecy and The Outlanders AND posters for each!

Sorry, he's all mine and not part of the prize pack. ;) 

Since these prizes are US only, I can't forget my international peeps! So, there is also a prize for eBooks of The Prophecy and The Outlanders!

Thanks again for your constant support. It means the world to me! I am blessed with truly AMAZING fans!! ((HUGS))

a Rafflecopter giveaway


PS. I have a side giveaway going on too. I am proofing The Prophecy for errors before it goes to print. If you find the most errors in the eBook (only $.99 on Amazon if you don't have a copy already) and send them to me before Monday, Oct. 27, you will win a signed, printed copy of The Prophecy! 

Indie Fall Fest!!!

Dudes and dudettes!! I will be here starting Friday, Oct. 24 through Thursday, Nov. 20! You will have a chance to learn a great deal about your favorite indie authors--including a bunch of my peeps from BookFish Books--as well as WIN FREE STUFF!!! Join us here and here!!

12 Random Fact--Judith Perez

Today, I have the lovely Judith Perez from The Cozi Corner Book Blog playing the 12 Random Facts game with me! Judith is a reader of all things, and I just love that about her. We can usually be found on Twitter talking books! ;) She's agreed to share some fun facts about herself with all of us today. I can totally relate to #11 (short girls unite), but Deek will be sad to hear about #4! ;) Take it away, Judith! 

12 Random Facts--Judith Perez

1) I love Dinosaurs! Always have, always will. I thought about becoming a paleontologist for a long time, and I even have a stegosaurus shaped birthmark on my right ankle!

2) I love learning new languages and scripts. I am fluent in Spanish and English, Intermediate in Japanese and French, and beginner in Korean and Arabic. I also am in the process of learning Braille and the Deafblind Manual Alphabet.

3) I am horrible at keeping fish alive. Every pet fish I have bought or won has died within a day. I once bought one at the pet shop all ready to go, got home, put it down and went to use the restroom and when I came back it was dead! Needless to say, I have given up on the idea of having fish as pets.

4) I watched the movie IT by Stephen King when I was very young and developed a strong phobia of clowns until the age of 17. My Psychology teacher helped me get over it. I am no longer afraid of clowns but I have been forever weary of picking up a King novel.

5) I love and appreciate all genres when it comes to reading. You will find everything from classics to erotica on my shelf. I am a firm believer that all books have something to offer and am proud to stand up for reading diversely and widely.

6) I have never been one to care much about grammar and spelling. Coming from a linguistic background, I look at language as a tool for communicating. If you get the message across, it doesn’t matter to me if you write "You’re" or "You Are."

7) For a long time, I was obsessed with nail polish and nail art and managed to accumulate about 150 different nail polishes. The cool thing is many of my friends picked me up nail polishes when they traveled, so I now have some from Saudi Arabia, Japan, Korea, Germany, and France.

8) I cry. A lot. Movies and books make me sob all the time. My friends and family poke fun at me all the time for getting so emotionally invested in “fictional” characters!

9) I am a terrible artist when it comes to drawing and painting, but I am fairly good at crafts. One of my favorites is making bookmarks. I own about 60+ bookmarks and only 15 are not handmade by me. It is a really relaxing and fun hobby.

10) My name was originally supposed to be Edith. But there was some sort of mix-up at the hospital, and I ended up with Judith instead. I am really glad because I love the name Judith so much more!

11) I am only 5’2 and, even though I normally don’t mind my height, it sometimes gets hard working at a hardware store. So many things are out of my reach, and I get comments all the time about how “cute” it is when I have to reach up on tip toes to grab stuff.

12) I have a strong dislike for both pickles and watermelons. I can smell them a mile away and always have to walk away. If one of those two have touched my food  I won’t be able to eat it! 

Be sure to check Judith out on her blog and on Twitter!!

The lovely Judith!

What Is Love? Baby, Don't Hurt Me

Hello everyone! Hope you're having a good week so far! Before I get into the meat of my blog post, I have to put up some fun pics from my weekend with Deek!

We went to a chili cookoff, and the food was delicious!! This Southern girl LOVES some cornbread, so my day was made when I saw that among the samples!

Then we went to the outlet malls, and I tried on different hats for the fun of it. I love hats! 

The next day, I won the grand prize at our town's festival, so I took my man out for a free lunch date! Free somehow tastes even better! While we were having fun taking selfies to pass the time waiting for our food, we ended up taking what may be one of my most favorite pictures of us! 

^Favorite^

AND apparently I've been under a rock because my friend Kristen--the lovely blogger at Pretty Little Pages--created an adorable meme for The Prophecy!!

Now, on to the crux of this post!! I was talking to a friend over the weekend about lasting love. I carried the conversation over to Deek as well. Because Deek and I are ponderers, we spent a good part of the day walking around town, hand-in-hand, and discussing this topic. We have a consensus that effort must be made by both parties. Neither party can check out emotionally and leave the other person holding the bag. But effort can't be the only ingredient. There's selflessness and fidelity. Agreement on core values. Making time for one another. Making the other person a priority.

But what happens when one person doesn't put in effort or acts selfishly to continually injure the other? How can the second person save the relationship if the first isn't willing? At what point is enough enough? When has a relationship passed the point of salvation, and when is it still redeemable?

We'd love to hear your thoughts! Add to our conversation. What elements must a long-term romantic relationship have to make it from the first day until forever?

Cover Reveal--Absence of Light by Meradeth Houston

Today, I'm hosting my amazeballs (she taught me that word) friend and critique partner, Meradeth Houston. If you haven't checked out her Sary books, you so should! But today, she's got a NEW non-Sary book called Absence of Light by Evernight Teen! And...and...and...there's a Rafflecopter giveaway!! <dance par-tay>  Without further ado...I present Meradeth Houston!

Some of you have probably heard me talking about my next release: An Absence of Light. I'm incredibly excited about it and the release day, October 31st, is right around the corner. Halloween is only too appropriate for this thriller novel and I hope you all enjoy it. I just got my final cover and I'm stoked to get to share it with you all! And because I can't resist, I'm doing a little giveaway: an Amazon gift card (open internationally), and a swag pack of awesomeness (to US residents, because shipping costs a pretty penny I don't have). So are your ready for this? :)

Leah’s always seen the shadow creatures. She thought she was immune to their evil—until now.

She’s walked into a massacre, stolen a BMW, and is running from the law for a crime she didn’t commit. Nineteen-year-old Leah’s life just went from mildly abnormal to totally crazy at lightning speed. But no one will believe that the shadow creatures are framing her for the murder, because she’s the only one that can see them. At least that’s what she thought.

When Leah stumbled across a group who share her ability, she discovers they have something she doesn’t: a way to fight back. When the group offers to teach her how to kill the shadow creatures, Leah jumps at the chance. But something is brewing with the creatures. They’re tracking down the hunters like there’s no tomorrow. Leah suspects that maybe there won’t be, and it’s up to her to make sure tomorrow comes. Because she’ll do anything to stop the shadows, including risking her life—and the life of the one she loves—to keep the world from being lost to darkness forever. (Goodreads)

I've been describing this novel as the X-Files meets Buffythe Vampire Slayer. Except, it's more on the sci-fi side than the paranormal. And it may make you want to leave the lights on. Or keep one of these handy:

This will make a whole lot more sense once you've read it!

Actually, part of the fun of the swag pack is that I'm giving away some of these:

They make great shadow weapons...well, so long as Leah has had some time to make modifications :)

Another note: I'll be looking for reviewers SOON, so if you're game let me know in the comments and I'll be emailing :) Hope you enjoy the giveaway, and any and all sharing is massively appreciated!!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

12 Random Facts--Army Mom Maura!!

I met Maura on Twitter, and she's just the sweetest! So, I'm super stoked to have her on the blog today for my 12 Random Facts game! I love this game because you find out things you didn't know about your friends. Maura and I are SO on the same page about #10 for sure!! And until my great-grandmother passed a few years ago, our family had the same as Maura's #8!!

12 Random Facts about Army Mom Maura

1. I collect Harry Potter books. I own editions in 5 languages (US English, UK English, German, French, & Spanish). I hope to add Italian, Greek, & Turkish so I'll have a copy from every country I've been to plus Spanish cause my mom tried to convince me to take Spanish in high school by buying me my favourite book (Prisoner of Azkaban). It didn't work. (; I took French!

2. My husband & I got married 72 hours before he deployed to Iraq & we spent our first six months of marriage half a world apart.

3. I have a multiple draft, completed manuscript that I've worked on for over seven years, but I'm terrified to send it to an agent.

4. I love to cook/bake. So does my hubby. One of my favourite things is when we cook together!

5. I spell things in British English thanks to my quirky mama. It used to drive a few of my high school teachers batty!

6. I speak bad French. I mean BAD French. Especially after several years of being out of practice. I do plan on teaching my kiddos some French once they get a bit older!

7. My kiddos are 21 months apart. A thought that used to frighten me, but now I wouldn't change it for the world! (Their names really aren't Punk and Ladybug, but those ARE their nicknames!)

8. I have five generations of females living on my mom's side and we all have a form of Elizabeth in our names! We range in age from my great-grandmother at 93 to my daughter at 1 1/2 years old. (:

9. I'm a HUGE Disney fan. Hubby teased me when I was pregnant with Punk that now that we had a kid, I would have a legitimate reason to watch Disney movies.

10. I'm a HUGE history nerd. Especially 15th-16th century England. I love all things Elizabethan/Tudor England.

11. I majored in International Relations at Middle Tennessee State University. I wanted to work in the State Department or at an embassy. Now, when I get the chance to finish my degree, I want to major in English, maybe even double major with History.

12. I love to travel and hope that I can travel with my children as much as I traveled with my parents as a child. I've been to Europe three times & to 3/4 of the States!

Find Maura!

My blog The Whimsical Mama can be found at www.armywife2310.wordpress.com

Catch me on Twitter: @armywife2310

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/15854554-maura

The Mystery of the Victorian House

Web world, we need your help! Since Deek and I moved into this Victorian, we've been plagued by a burning question. We wander around and imagine the births, lives, and deaths of those who graced these halls before us. We can imagine the laughter of children and the tears of heartache from those of yester-year. But, one thing continues to stump us. We've Googled, we've pondered, we've asked people, and...nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. So, now we are imploring you, dear internet peeps, help us solve the mystery!!

What are these bolts for, and WHY are they in the bedrooms?? Oh, and keep it clean please, folks!

The eye bolt is huge, and it sticks all the way out to the other side of the house a good ways. What was it used for in the late 1800's/early 1900's? We'd love to receive your knowledge or just have people ponder with us!

**Random side note: I feel all Nancy Drew now!**

Rhew-ral Life

You may or may not know, but Deek and I moved into a new house--a gorgeous, historical Victorian.

So, we decided to spend some time wandering around our new town and setting up the house. Here are some pics from our adventures! 

First...we stopped for pizza! Yes, he's my #1 guy! <insert lovey eyes>

Yes, we ACTUALLY do make these faces in public...be warned if you ever hang out with us... ;)  

Next, we toured the little town and found all kinds of delights--Shakespeare aboundeth, gelato heaven, and weirdly cool art! 

    

Then we came home to start setting up the house and discovered the cat loves Shakespeare too! Go figure! 

Any finally, poor Deek discovered what happens when you give me a few minutes to myself. I am a total America's Next Top Model wannabe...smeyes... ;) 

      

Until next time my friends,

Erin

It's Back! 12 Random Facts with Kayla DeGroote

I remembered how much fun I used to have doing the 12 Random Facts game, so I put a call out on Twitter to see if anyone wanted to play. Guess what? People did! And today, I have the pleasure of presenting you with Kayla DeGroote's 12 Random Facts!!

Before we get to the facts, let me tell you a little about Kayla! She's an awesome Twitter buddy of mine who runs a book blog called A Wonderland of Reading! You can find her on Twitter @KaylaIChooseYou, and you can find her blogging pal, Stacie, @shybooknerd.

Now, on to the facts!! I present Kayla DeGroote!

1. I am a hardcore Pokemon fan. Not even kidding you right now. I've loved it since I was a kid and it has been in my life for as long as I can remember. I've got plushies, cards, shirts, pillow cases, bed sheets/blankets, video games, movies, even a Pikachu backpack. My favorite Pokemon are the eeveelutions but Pokemon in general is like my life right alongside books.

2. I am a feminist. That doesn't mean I hate men or anything, I just believe that because I am a woman that I should have the exact same rights as a man. I should be treated with the exact same respect as a man would be treated. 

3. I'm agnostic. That being said I do find religion, all religion, to be quite interesting. Just their belief systems and how all these different religions choose to worship. They're all different but yet in many ways they are the same and I love that about religion. I just don't like when people use religion to excuse their bigotry.

4. I have over 500 books all in my own personal library (almost) all the way shelved. I have this little room that goes off the living room in my house that has floor to ceiling shelves built into the walls. There's also a built in old time-y desk. I spend about 99% of my time at home in that library.

5. I am probably one of the most awkward nerdy girls you will ever meet. It's actually a little sad how socially awkward, and just awkward in general, I am.

6. I am a die hard chocoholic and I am not ashamed. When it comes Halloween I buy all the on sale candy I can get and just pig out. I have no regrets.

7. Dr. Pepper is to me what coffee is to others. I love it and drink more than I probably should, it's honestly one of the only things I drink. It is like the best thing ever.

8. I am a book hoarder. I need to get rid of my books because I'm running out of room and I can't afford my book habit but I just can't part with any of my books and if I do, I almost immediately go out and buy like 2x the amount I just got rid of. I wouldn't be surprised if my cause of death was being crushed because a mountain of books fell on me.

9. I'm not a huge fan of the classics. I've tried to read several like Wuthering Heights, Pride & Prejudice, Lord of the Flies, Jane Eyre, To Kill a Mockingbird, etc and just could not get into any of them. The original Alice and Edgar Allen Poe, so far, are the only "classics" that I read and enjoy.

10. I don't watch a lot of TV and the TV I do watch, I go all out with. I love crime shows like Criminal Minds, NCIS, CSI, and Law & Order: SVU. I watch marathon after marathon of them, a lot of the time repeat episodes, and never get bored or tired of it.

11. I judge books by their cover and title. I know everyone always says not to do that but I do. When I go to the bookstore or even just browse online I always look for eye catching titles and covers. If a book doesn't have one or the other (or both) then I don't even spare it a second glance to look at the synopsis. So the key to my heart is a gorgeous cover and an eye catching title. Even if I don't end up liking to book, if I like it well enough I still keep it on my shelf just for the prettiness. Ridiculous I know.

12. I am a history buff. I love learning about history, more specifically the dark and gruesome history as well as the 20th century. Sometimes when I'm bored I'll go online and look up facts or videos about random facts about things like the Holocaust, the 20s, the world wars. I especially like to look out for when the History Channel does documentaries or specials about certain subjects or periods of time. History is such a fascinating thing and I can never get enough of it!

Such great facts! Thanks for sharing Kayla!! Stay tuned next week for Maura's (Army Wife) 12 Random Facts!