Live Unaware by Cole Gibsen - Cover Reveal!!

I am thrilled to be a part of the cover reveal for a very dear, amazing friend of mine, Cole Gibsen! Here's the deets on her awesome book!

Life Unaware

by Cole Gibsen

Release Date: 04/28/15

Entangled Teen

Book Summary:

Regan Flay has been talking about you. 

Regan Flay is on the cusp of achieving her
control-freak mother's "plan" for high school success―cheerleading,
student council, the Honor Society—until her life gets turned horribly,
horribly upside down. Every bitchy text. Every bitchy email. Every lie,
manipulation, and insult she's ever said have been printed out and taped
to all the lockers in school. 

Now Regan has gone from popular princess to total
pariah. 

The only person who even speaks to her is her former best
friend's hot but socially miscreant brother, Nolan Letner. Nolan thinks he
knows what Regan's going through, but whatnobody knows is that
Regan isn't really Little Miss Perfect. In fact, she's barely holding it
together under her mom's pressure. But the consequences of Regan's fall from
grace are only just beginning. Once the chain reaction starts, no one will
remain untouched... 

Especially Regan Flay.

About the Author

Cole Gibsen first realized she different when, in
high school, she was still reading comic books while the other girls were
reading fashion magazines.

It was her love of superheroes that first inspired
her to pick up a pen. Her favorite things to write about are ordinary girls who
find themselves in extraordinary situations.

Author Links:

   

Cover Reveal Organized by:

Cover Reveal and Giveaway! Senshi by Cole Gibsen

I am just squeeeing out loud ya'all :) My good friend Cole Gibsen is revealing the cover to her book Senshi, the sequel to her amazing Katana. Senshi continues the story of reincarnated samurai warrior Rileigh Martin (see Katana blurb below).

Without further ado.....

And if you want to start the series from book one, be sure to check out Katana:

Kill Bill meets Buffy in this supernatural samurai tale: 


Rileigh Martin would love to believe that adrenaline gave her the uncanny courage and strength to fend off three muggers. But it doesn't explain her dreams of fifteenth century Japan, the incredible fighting skills she suddenly possesses, or the strange voice giving her battle tips and danger warnings.

While worrying that she's going crazy (always a reputation ruiner), Rileigh gets a visit from Kim, a handsome martial arts instructor, who tells Rileigh she's harboring the spirit of a five-hundred-year-old samurai warrior.

Relentlessly attacked by ninjas, Rileigh has no choice but to master the katana--a deadly Japanese sword that's also the key to her past. As the spirit grows stronger and her feelings for Kim intensify, Rileigh is torn between continuing as the girl she's always been and embracing the warrior inside her.

(awesome book - go read! :D )

AND NOW FOR THE GIVEAWAY! Cole is not only an amazing author but also a crazy talented crafty lady and is giving away a super cute hand-embroidered coffee sleeve!

How cute is that!? All you need to do to enter to win is leave a comment below. I'll take entries until midnight next Wed (Aug 1) and announce the winner Thursday Aug 2. 

Congrats on another amazing book Cole!!

For more info on Cole, you can find her at the following links:
Facebook
Website
Blog
Twitter
Goodreads

Also check out her mermaid tale, Breathless - another awesome read :)

Cole Gibsen's BREATHLESS

Okay - I was so excited for today because I *thought* it was the book birthday of the awesome book BREATHLESS by my sweet friend Cole Gibsen. And I just realized the book released on the 21st. :(

So, this is a tad late, but I absolutely couldn't let it pass by without a huge shout out :) Here is all the juicy info:

BREATHLESS (Crescent Moon Press March 21 2012)


Obituary-reading emo girl Edith Small is broken - the end result of forcing herself inside a mold that doesn't fit. All she wants is to conform to her strict sergeant stepfather's rules long enough to make it to graduation day. But a boat accident threatens to unravel the life Edith has worked so hard to keep. 


After waking up in a hospital with a lacerated shoulder, Edith fakes amnesia. Because admitting she received her injuries from a blue-haired girl who breathes underwater is all the reason Sir needs to send Edith on the first bus to military school. Safe at home, Edith struggles to put the nightmare behind her. 


But the mysterious creatures that live in the ocean aren't about to let her forget. After meeting Bastin - a strange boy with silver hair and black eyes - on a secluded dock, Edith learns about the war raging undersea to end human existence. A war that Edith, unwittingly, has become the key to winning. 


In a world where death is an ever-present shadow and motives are as dark as the bottom of the ocean, Edith must decide if her life is worth risking for a love that can't survive past the shore.


March has been a very busy month for Cole as her first novel, Katana, also released this month. If you haven't had the pleasure of meeting Cole yet, definitely check her out.

You can pick up Breathless at Amazon, B&N, BAM, or wherever you enjoy buying books :)

CONGRATS COLE!!!!!

Friday Funnies and Blog Tour Stops

Today's Blog Tour Stops:

I have the pleasure of joining:

Mary Lindsey and Cole Gibsen

today...two of my wonderful QueryTracker friends. Stop by and leave a comment for more entries in the Grand Prize Giveaway! Only four more Blog Tour days to enter!

And now, for some funnies :D

Times are bad. Children no longer obey their parents, and everyone is writing a book.

— Cicero 

I know of three ways to recognize another writer: Writers are shamelessly nosy. Writers tell good stories, even about dumb old, daily things. On most writers, the earmarks of thrift, if not outright poverty, are evident. 

— Joyce Thompson 

 

 (ha! this is soooo me on a diet :D )

And coming up!!! Mystery Agent Contest over at Operation Awesome! We'll start taking entries Feb 1st - our awesome awesome AWESOME mystery agent is looking for 25 word pitches for MG and YA.

Another cool post from the awesome Cole Gibsen :D

Had to take another brief moment to tell you that if you haven't read Cole Gibsen's post on Writing Like an X-Man, then you need to run, not walk, over to her blog. Seriously, one of the best posts EVER. :D

Friday Funnies Inspired by Cole Gibsen

(LOLcat built from original photo by sutefani in orlando, under a Creative Commons-Attribution license by way of Flickr.)

[Writers] search for rejection. If they don't get it they reject themselves.

~ Charlie Chaplin about actors...but works pretty well for writers too ;-)

The reason 99% of all stories written are not bought by editors is very simple. Editors never buy manuscripts that are left on the closet shelf at home.

- John Campbell

Thank you so much, Cole, for hanging out with us this week! It's been a pleasure having your as our Spotlighted Author :)

Linkage!!

Cole's Blog
Cole's Website
Cole on Facebook
Cole on Twitter
Awesome Cole Youtube Video

Special Quote Day with Cole Gibsen

(Another taste of Katana - enjoy!!)


My heart dug into my chest like a jagged stone. This was crazy! I wasn’t supposed to die this way—diced to pieces by ninjas. It sounded ridiculous just thinking it in my head. “Kim,” I pleaded, “I don’t know what you think is going on, but it’s not true. I’m not a reincarnated warrior. I just got lucky before. I can’t fight. Don’t let them do this!”


His face was an expressionless mask. “There is no other way.” He bowed his head. “Kill her.”

Linkage!!

Cole's Blog
Cole's Website
Cole on Facebook
Cole on Twitter
Awesome Cole Youtube Video

Cole Gibsen - The Day I Learned to Take a Hit

The former step-dad was not a nice person. I spent most of my childhood and teenage years trying to avoid him. When I was a senior in high school, I often fled my house in the middle of the night and met up with my boyfriend who kept a sleeping bag stored in his camper shell because my midnight phone calls became so regular. We’d park in the middle of a cornfield and sleep in the bed of his truck because I had nowhere else to go and his parents wouldn’t let a girl sleep over (understandably). In the morning, I’d dust myself off, comb the tangles out of my hair with my fingers, gargle with Listerine, and go to school. Just another day…

The step-dad was fond of calling me lazy. He’d laughed and told me I was dreaming when I said I wanted to go away to college. He’d bully, taunt, and belittle me with his words and size to the point that I began to believe him. I began to think I was stupid, lazy, and would never amount to anything. That was, at least, until the day I got kicked out of the house.

I was seventeen and sitting at the kitchen table eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The sun was out and the screen door was open allowing a warm breeze to sweep through the kitchen. My twelve year-old brother had just run in the house after a swim in the pool. He was wrapped in a towel and talking to me – though I can’t remember now what we were talking about.

Enter the step-dad. But this time, instead of attacking me he went for my brother.

“You’re dripping all over the floor!” he had screamed. “Are you stupid?”

My blood began to boil. This had never happened before. Normally I was the target not my kid brother.

“No, you’re not stupid,” the step-dad continued. “Stupid would imply you have a brain. But you don’t, do you? You’re brainless.”

My brother shrunk back as I had so many times before. As if he could will the floor to open and swallow him whole. My own fear was mirrored back at me in his eyes and it made me sick.

No.

I wouldn’t let step-dad to this. Not to my brother. My vision clouded over in a haze of red and I leapt from my chair with enough force to knock it over. “Shut up!”

The step-dad looked over at me, stunned, for I’d never, in the seven years he was married to my mom, spoke to him that way.

“He’s not stupid!” I’d screamed at him. “He’s smarter than you’ll ever be.”

At this point the step-dad’s eyes had dilated and he lunged. With his hands twisted in my shirt he shoved me against a wall with enough force to knock the wind from my chest.

And then, after several gasps for breath, I screamed the words that to this day make me smile every time I think about them, “Do it again! I dare you! Do it again!”

And of course he did and I was roughed up pretty good before being tossed from the house and having my belonging set on fire. But that’s not the point. The point is, I finally found the strength to not only defend my brother but to stand up for myself as well.

If that day never happened, I wouldn’t have gone to college and received my degree. I would have kept dating losers instead of finding my husband, a man who is convinced there is nothing I can’t do, and tells me so daily. If that day never happened, I wouldn’t have survived querying agents, submitting to editors, and wouldn’t have my book deal.

You see, I queried KATANA and another novel for two years before landing my agent. Each rejection (and there were a lot of them) was like the step-dad. “You’re not good enough,” they’d whisper. “You’re never going to make it. You’re writing sucks. Just save yourself the trouble and give up now.”

I could have done just that; given up and spared myself the pain of rejection. But that’s the thing – yeah rejections suck ducks, but they’re just pieces of paper. Take it from someone who takes martial arts – I’m not gonna lie, getting punched in the face hurts like a mother. But an email? A letter? Not so much.

If you believe in yourself, if you can take a hit, nothing and nobody can knock you down.

You got a rejection?

Do it again. I dare you. Do it again.

Linkage!!

Cole's Blog
Cole's Website
Cole on Facebook
Cole on Twitter

Awesome Cole Youtube Video

Special Quote Day with Cole Gibsen

For an extra special treat, today's quote will be a small peek at Cole's YA novel, Katana - enjoy!


“I’m afraid,” he whispered.

“Of what?” I whispered back. I was afraid myself, but I couldn’t think of why I should be.

“I’m afraid that if I touch you, even for a moment, I might not be able to let go.”

Linkage!!

Cole's Blog
Cole's Website
Cole on Facebook
Cole on Twitter
Awesome Cole Youtube Video

Author Spotlight Week - Interview with Cole Gibsen

I first had the pleasure of meeting Cole three years ago when I joined the brand new Querytracker site and found the forum. She is one of the most talented and all around awesome people I have ever had the opportunity to meet and I am very proud to call her a friend.

Cole recently had some very good news to share - her novel Katana will be published by Flux in early 2012! I have been privileged to read this book and cannot wait for it to hit the shelves!

To kick off our Author Spotlight Week, I asked Cole to answer a few questions for us about herself and her writing.

MM: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? 

CG: Always. Unfortunately, I had a step-dad who was fond of telling me how stupid I was so I didn’t believe I could do it and never tried. Lucky for me, when the economy started to sour four years ago, my small business folded. I know that sounds like a bad thing, but being jobless gave me the opportunity to really think about what I wanted to do with my life. It was the kick in the pants I needed to pick the pen back up.

MM: What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

CG: How therapeutic it is! My husband says he can always tell when I haven’t written in a few days because I’m on edge. (That’s a nice way of saying I’m a Snarky Von Crankypants.) When this happens, he kicks me out of the house with my laptop and coffee money. (I’m a very lucky girl.)

MM: You recently sold your book, Katana, in a two-book deal with Flux. 
Congratulations!! Can you tell us a little about your book?

CG: Thank you so much. I’d love to! KATANA is the story of Rileigh, a seventeen year-old girl who, after surviving an attack in the mall parking lot, gets possessed by the spirit of a fifteenth century samurai warrior. When a lover from her past life appears along with a mysterious enemy, her problems only increase.

MM: Who is your favorite character in the book, and why?

CG: Oh wow. I don’t know that I have a favorite because I love them all. Even my villain holds a special place in my heart. If I have to choose, I guess I’d say Rileigh because she’s sarcastic, addicted to shoes, and can disarm an attacker wielding nunchaku with a window squeegee.

MM: LOL Sounds like my kind of girl :D What about you? Who is Cole Gibsen ? What do you love to do, besides writing?

CG: Uh, I don’t think there’s enough room on the internet. LOL. But seriously, I’m a hopeless nerd. James Marsters touched my hand at Dragon Con and I almost died. I can talk comics with the best of them and spot all the inaccuracies in any Marvel movie. I love to sew and quilt. And I’m a diehard Harry Potter fan. There’s a group of us that dress up as characters from the movies to attend the HP premiers. This year I’m working on Bellatrix’s dress. It. Will. Be. Epic.

MM: Okay, seriously, I wish I lived closer to you because I would so be right there with you! :D Tell us a little about finding your agent and your road to publication –

CG: I can tell you it was a lesson in patience. It took two novels, two years, and over a hundred rejections before I landed my agent, Chris Richman. From there it took another year and several revisions before we landed our deal with Flux. Totally worth the wait!

MM: What was the hardest part of this journey for you? The easiest, or most fun?

CG: The hardest part, but also the most gratifying, was overcoming my own self-doubt and proving to myself that I could write a novel and get it published.
The most fun has been meeting all these incredible writers online and at conferences. I’m very lucky to now have friends across the country and even around the world. Writers are amazing people and I’m blessed to have so many in my life.

MM: What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

CG: Hmmm…I guess I’m not too quirky in that department. I do, however, always wear my noise reduction headphones and if a caramel frappuccino is within arms-reach, that’s even better!

MM: Thanks so much for the interview and for being our Spotlight Author this week! And congratulations again on your sale!!

Cole will be with us all week, so come back tomorrow for a few words of Gibsen wisdom :D

Linkage!!! If you'd like more information on Cole, please check out her links.

Cole's Blog
Cole's Website
Cole on Facebook
Cole on Twitter
Awesome Cole Youtube Video