Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Review Blog Tour Stop for The Dream Slayer/Contest

Blog Tour Contest Information: Leave a comment with your email address to be entered to win an Amazon $50 GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour and a second prize of an EBook Copy of Glistening Haven,a Dystopian Novel to another randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better you have of winning. The tour dates can be found here: 

Official Book Blurb: In the young adult teen series Dream Slayer, Natalie Johnson has always dreamed she’s someone else; calm, beautiful, in control. A chosen warrior with a maniacal arch nemesis and a dreamy boyfriend, the type that can make your knees melt and your heart quiver.

Real life is much different. She’s tormented by a bully and endures the sharp tongue of her father, but finds solace in her dreams.

When her bully ends up dead, de ja vu from a dream hits her hard as everything around her begins to fall apart. Whatever killed Sarah in her dreams is now in reality, hunting her from the shadows. And it wants her dead.

Somehow as the lines between reality and nightmare blur, Natalie must discover hidden strength to pull her friends and family back from the brink of madness.

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My review:

In The Dream Slayer we meet Natalie Johnson, a young woman who dreams she is someone different, a person in control, beautiful and more. Reality is hard for Natalie as she deals with bullies and a critical father so escaping into her dreams is her reprieve. But even she didn't anticipate her dreams melding with reality and it is up to her to save her friends and family while trying to stay alive. 

Ms. Cooper delivers a wonderful story that will thrill you to the tip of your toes. Lots of action, intriguing characters and more abound within the pages of The Dream Slayer. I couldn't put it down and frankly, it made me stay up till the wee hours of the evening just to see how it ends. The writing flows nicely, storyline dips and curves as it weaves its spell around you and the reader discovers alongside Natalie that the person she longs to be is within her, all she needs to do is believe in herself. 

Ms. Cooper is a new to me author that I am eager to explore more of. The Dream Slayer delivers a different spin on those dreams and reality melding scenario that leaves you breathless. Witty dialogue, captivating characters and more are found within the pages of The Dream Slayer. This is truly one young adult series I am eager to read more of. 

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Teaser Excerpt from The Dream Slayer:

Tristan grabbed her arm. “Nat, what’s the matter?” he said, but his voice was drowned out by the throttled engine. Suddenly, the car was charging toward them. It swerved up onto the curb with Natalie in its sights.

There was no time to react. She was going to be hit and she braced for impact by squeezing her eyes shut.

“Nat!”

Tristan’s yanked on her arm, and they tumbled across the street into a stack of empty cardboard boxes. Natalie crashed right into a brick wall and fought the bile rising in her throat. The world spun in crashing waves as her vision fluxed in and out. Her head throbbed from the impact, but her heart was still unable to comprehend what had happened.

Screeching tires heralded the car leaving scene. She rolled over onto her stomach and saw Tristan lying beside her. Natalie’s eyes followed the car speeding down the street with a stream of smoke coming out of its tailpipe.

“It… didn’t have a license plate,” Tristan said.

Natalie’s chin quivered, and she quelled it by biting her lip. She closed her eyes and rested her head on her arm. If she breathed or moved, Natalie would vomit.

Tristan touched her cheek and rested his forehead against hers. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah.” Her voice shook when she spoke. “Yeah, I’m good.”

“What a lunatic. Didn’t he see you?”

Natalie’s chin quivered. “He saw me.”

Tristan’s head snapped toward her. His eyes were wide, searching hers for an answer.

“He swerved towards me.” Natalie’s voice was low to keep the tears back. She thought if she spoke any louder, there would be an unstoppable rainstorm. “He wanted to hit me.”

Buy The Dream Slayer at http://www.amazon.com/The-Dream-Slayer-Paranormal-ebook/dp/B007ZRYPV6/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1360013136&sr=1-1&keywords=Jill+Cooper

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Jill Cooper loves tea more than coffee and is obsessed over finding that perfect recipe.She was born in 1977 and shared a room with her sister for 18 years. Early on she had dreams of writing romances and mysteries. It was something she did when most kids were trying out for softball or out riding bikes.

She's always loved dark mysteries, but also enjoys a great comedy so she tries to include both these things in everything she writes, one way or another.

She lives in Danvers, MA with two cats, a toddler, a husband, and a 1964 yellow taxi. Her life is chaotic, but fun. She can be contacted at http://www.jillacooper.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/jillybug

 facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jill-Cooper/319251368110396




16 comments:

Jibriel said...

Great premise! Who would you like to see play the role of your hero?

Jibriel.O(at)web(dot)de

Mary Preston said...

I would love adding authors to my list.

marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

theevasmommy said...

Thanks for hosting me today! I am glad you enjoyed Dream Slayer! This helps me a lot as I am currently working on book 3 in the series, to see people enjoy my work!

Jill Cooper
www.jillacooper.com

theevasmommy said...

Hi Lena,

That's a good question! With the Dream Slayer series I think about what it is I'm trying to say in a specific book. For Dream Slayer it was to love yourself and that you can be strong, and confident no matter what any one else thinks.

And it just kind of grew from there. I knew Natalie *had* to be the one with power and she had to realize it on her own. The dream world is there to break up the drama, and Natalie's very serious struggles.

But as the books continue, I hope everyone will see how important Natalie's alternate personality is not just to her, but to her story.

Jill Cooper
www.jillacooper.com

theevasmommy said...

Hey Jibriel,

Another great question!

I think I would like someone who isn't really too famous, but someone who can really own the role. They'd have to be strong, but have a real vulnerable quality about them.

That said, I'd say Hailee Steinfeld could pull it off.

Jill Cooper
www.jillacooper.com

theevasmommy said...

Hi Gala,

I've been given alot of advice and read so many books. If you strip away what people will tell you about how to layer characters, how to write snappy dialogue, and how to put in your foreshadowing, I'd say the best piece of advice I got about writing was:

Never Give up.

Because you can't! Everything you write, no matter how crappy, you learn from, and helps you develop your voice. Your talent. And each of it is important.

So never give up. Just keep going. And don't listen to anyone who says you can't do it.

Jill Cooper
www.jillacooper.com

Anas said...

Love the excerpt! Did you chose the cover yourself?

moonsurfer123(at)gmail(dot)com

theevasmommy said...

Hi Anas,

I hired a cover designer, but I did have creative control. I told him what I was looking for and this is the end result.

Glad you liked it!

Jill Cooper
www.jillacooper.com

theevasmommy said...

Hi Lana,

Thank you! I am an Indie (or self published) author, so I organize my book promotions myself. I do this by hiring 'blog tour' companies to help me get the word out using bloggers and reviewers.

My success wouldn't be possible without them!

Jill Cooper
www.jillacooper.com

Ami said...

Very intriguing excerpt. What does it mean to you, being a published writer?

shadowrunner1987ATgmailDOTcom

theevasmommy said...

Hi Ami,

It is pretty much everything.

Writing is great and parts of the process get the adrenaline running. You reach a high, exciting place.

But when it's over, it's over. Being published means other people are sharing in what I do. It is way more fun to have others read your work, than to leave something you've written in a drawer.

When someone says they connected with a character or they couldn't put the book down, its the ultimate validation. It makes the sweat and tears worth it.

Anzu said...

This sounds lovely, how do you come up with the names of your characters?

anzumerlin at mail dot ru

theevasmommy said...

I wish I could tell you, I really don't know. LOL

I think of what type of character I want someone to be. And then it just sort of comes to me.

For Natalie I wanted to make her unassuming and I thought of last names that were common. Nothing exotic about Johnson.

Unknown said...

Thanks for the suspenseful excerpt. I have a feeling I am going to be up late reading this too because I have to see what happens next

fencingromein at hotmail dot com

MomJane said...

What an exciting excerpt. This is such a unique and thrilling story. Loved the excerpt.

bn100 said...

Very nice review.

bn100candg(at)Hotmail(dot)Com

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