Hellhole by Gina Damico {Blog Tour: Interview}

Rockstar Book Tours

Today I have a great treat for you today! Today the author of the highly anticipated novel Hellhole, Gina Damico stopped by for an interview!!! Yup! So stay tuned for great things.

Title: HELLHOLE

Release date: January 6, 2015

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers

Pages: 368

Formats: Hardcover, audio, eBook

Blurb~

There was a time when geeky, squeaky-clean Max Kilgore would never lie or steal or even think about murder. Then he accidentally unearths a devil, and Max’s choices are no longer his own. The big red guy has a penchant for couch surfing and junk food—and you should never underestimate evil on a sugar high. 
With the help of Lore, a former goth girl who knows a thing or two about the dark side, Max is racing against the clock to get rid of the houseguest from hell before time, and all the Flamin’ Hot Cheetos this side of the fiery abyss, run out.

Find It:  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository | Goodreads

Thank you so much for taking the time to sit down and answer my questions. I am so happy to be a part of your tour!

1) Where do you write? Where is the place that allows words to flow? (Pictures are always awesome)

I’d love to say that I do most of my writing in my awesome office, but more often than not I just end up on the couch with my laptop. I don’t know what it is about couches, and lounging, and just feeling like a terrifically lethargic heap of uselessness, but it somehow stimulates creativity for me. My laptop is a tiny, microscopic thing, though, so when it comes time to edit and do some heavy-duty cutting and pasting, I switch over to my desktop, which I have recently fashioned into a standing desk. (If you’d like to know how to do the same thing for super cheap—like, less than $30—check out my blog post: https://ginadamico.wordpress.com/2014/10/08/office-overhaul-the-dirt-cheap-standing-desk/)

    

*That is very cool. I love writing on my couch, but I have a tendency not to get work done when I'm in the living room :)

2) Do you believe in happy ever after or are you more of a realist? Why or why not?

I think both possibilities can exist simultaneously, but only if you keep in mind that it’s all a matter of perspective. Defeating all the bad guys may seem like a happily ever after ending, but what about the bad guys? Or, if you have a hard time empathizing with the bad guys, what about the bad guys’ dogs? They never did anything wrong. Now their owners are never going to come home and feed them treats again. They’re just going to sit by the door and wait, making sad puppy dog eyes until they die of hunger. Are you crying yet?

*sniffles* I never thought of it that way... well unless I am really attached to a bad guy.

3) If you could be any character from your book, who would you be and why?

I’m not sure this answer is going to do me any favors, but Burg—the devil—gets to eat as many terrible snacks and desserts and junk food as he wants. I know, he’s eternally evil and has to live in hell and everything, but…you know. Bottomless Doritos. I’m just sayin’.

I think I would go with that too. I could go with eating all the cupcakes!

4) Pretend we are on an elevator together and we just met. We are talking about books, of course, and you tell me you are an author. In two sentences convince me that I must have your book….  And… GO!

You know how some days you get it into your head to steal a cheap little trinket for your dying mom, and then when you get home you discover that that tiny little sin has summoned a rude, obnoxious, junk-food-demanding devil who crashes on the couch in your basement and does nothing but play video games and refuses to leave unless you find him a mansion for him to live in instead? Then you will totally identify with my book.

5) I like to call myself the devourer, with that in mind, name your top 5 Devours for each category.

Read: Anything by Kurt Vonnegut, anything by Mary Roach, the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy by Laini Taylor, the Birthright trilogy by Gabrielle Zevin, and How to Sharpen Pencils by David Rees.

Movie: Titanic, Independence Day, Jurassic Park, Anchorman, Airplane

Love Independence Day

Music: My musical tastes are too pop-driven and embarrassing to discuss. I like Broadway musicals. Draw your own conclusions.

Munchie: Utz Cheeseballs, Doritos, chocolate chip cookies, Tim Tams, an entire block of cheese

6) If you were stranded on a deserted island, with water and food provided, what 5 things (no people or transportation) would you want with you?

-A shipwrecked Staples freighter, spilling out enough notebooks and pens to last for years

- Scuba gear (I don’t know how to scuba dive, but it seems that with all that time and nothing else to do, I could teach myself. Or drown.)

- An immunity idol. I have watched enough Survivor to know how valuable those are.

- Blistex

- A penguin. Not as a pet, but more of an islandmate. “Hey, penguin.” “Hey, human.”

Love it!

7) I think characters are what make a book. Whenever I read a book I always pick a  favorite character moment. A moment I felt really defined the character. Pick one moment from any of your works or all of your works that would be your favorite character moment and please tell us why.

In HELLHOLE, after Max discovers the devil in his basement and starts scrambling to figure out how to get rid of him, his friend recommends he talk to Lore, a girl at school who used to be into the satanic arts. When he first meets Lore, he immediately bones it up and makes a fool of himself, blurting out sentences that don’t make sense in this life or any other. The more the talks, the worse it gets, and the less Lore wants anything to do with him. It ends with him shouting, “COME OVER TO MY HOUSE AND I’LL SHOW YOU AND WE CAN EAT QUICHE.” That’s our Max!

Thanks for having me!

*Thank you so much for stopping by!

About the Author~

Gina Damico is the author of Croak, Scorch, and Rogue, the grim-reapers-gone-wild books of the Croak trilogy. She has also dabbled as a tour guide, transcriptionist, theater house manager, scenic artist, movie extra, office troll, retail monkey, yarn hawker and breadmonger. A native of Syracuse, New York, she now lives outside Boston with her husband, two cats, and one dog, and while she has never visited hell in person, she has spent countless waking hours at the Albany Regional Bus Terminal, which is pretty darn close. Visit her website at www.ginadami.co.

Find Her: WEBSITE | TUMBLR | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE | GOODREADS

We are giving away a Hardcover copy of HELLHOLE to TWO WINNERS

Giveaway is open to anywhere The Book Depository ships.

Giveaway ends on January 21^st at 11:59 p.m. Pacific.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hey there book fans! I'm running a Follow Frenzy giveaway over the course of this blog tour, and the prize is pretty neato: a signed copy of HELLHOLE wherein each chapter will have a little bit of trivia and/or a doodle handwritten by yours truly. (Gina) (Damico) To enter, all you have to do is follow me on one or more of my various social media outlets (Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram, Youtube), then fill out this adorable little form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1MbfSsZCiALw_I_C7WpI0d71hPNe0b94Ot89sxFesUzM/viewform . That's it! The more things you follow, the more chances you will earn to win. Good luck!

Tour Schedule

Week One

Jan. 5^th                    Xpresso Reads – GUEST POST

Fiction Fare – REVIEW

Jan. 6^th  Paranormal Book Club – GUEST POST

Spiced Latte Reads – REVIEW

Jan. 7^th  A Dream Within A Dream – REVIEW

Book Jems – GUEST POST

Jan. 8^th  BookHounds YA – INTERVIEW

YA Midnight Reads – DUAL REVIEW

Jan. 9^th  Novel Novice – GUEST POST

Consuming Words and Worlds – INTERVIEW

Week Two

Jan. 12^th Once Upon a Twilight – REVIEW

 Book Sniffers Anonymous – INTERVIEW

Jan. 13^th No BS Book Reviews – INTERVIEW

 The Best Books Ever – REVIEW

Jan. 14^th Teen Readers’ Diary – GUEST POST

 The Book Bratz – REVIEW

Jan. 15^th Sweet Southern Home – REVIEW

 Eli to the nth – REVIEW

Jan. 16^th Bad Bird Reads – GUEST POST

 Crossroad Reviews – REVIEW 

The Sound at the Edge by Angela Day {Review}

Well, it's Tuesday... not really sure what I can say about Tuesday other than it's not Monday. But we are still kicking 2015's butt with another review! Woohoo, 2nd review of the new year. I just have to keep the momentum going. Today I am reviewing book 2 in a YA Fantasy series that I discovered last year and this one is all kinds of fun... plus it has dragons!!! Check out my review.

*Received a free copy in exchange for an honest review

Blurb~

Thane found the power of his Song in time to save his best friend Remi, but in so doing, burned it out. He's left part dragon, part human, and songless to start over again in Sanctum to train himself to control the monster that rages within. Remi comes along and discovers her mother is alive. Trapped in the Shaerealm and held captive, Remi's mother might have found a weapon that could change the balance of power in the realms forever. But Sanctum won't save her. It's up to Remi, Thane, and anyone else they can convince to come with them to break all the rules and bargain with the ancient ones to find a way across the void of space and escape to a world where all the laws of nature have changed. If they succeed they'll reunite a family. If they fail, they and anyone with them will die. And if they can't make the journey in the right way at the right time with the right people, the Weave itself may unravel and drag all their worlds into unmaking.

Find It: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble Paperback

My Review~

Thane's life hasn't always been easy, but the moment that Remi entered his life easy took on a whole new meaning. Then again so did normal. Thane no longer has just fitting in to worry about, now he has to worry about the Song that he's lost and the fact that he can't get control the dragon that is now a permanent part of him, but that doesn't stop him from putting everything on the line for his best friend Remi. When his friends are in need Thane is the first one in line.

But Thane and Remi are under watchful care of General Gage and the Omega Team at Sanctum, they can't go anywhere or say anything without someone knowing and that's exactly what they don't want. Because what they are planning is not only illegal, it is dangerous, stupid, and very well could get them both killed.

In Sound at the Edge we are taken on an adventure to another world, Shaerealm, where the creatures that walk around are as beautiful as they are dangerous. But that world holds something... someone very special to Remi, her mother, and she will do anything to get her back. And just like most teenagers Remi thinks she knows everything and thinks that Thane and her can sneak into this other world, steal back her mom and sneak away before the bad guys and good guys even know they are gone. Ha! Typical teen. Shows her what she knows. 

Thane knows they can't do it alone so he recruits one person to help. Maybe recruits isn't the right word, more like guilts his roommate Twitch into assisting them on their crazy "rescue" mission. In all their sneaking around they manage to raise the suspicion of the rest of the Omega team and suddenly going to the Shaerealm doesn't seem impossible. The Sound at the Edge has all the players from book 1, The Darkest Day that I loved so much. Brennan, Jaeger, Paka, Charlie, Twitch, and of course Thane. 

The team is much the same team they were in book 1 but this time we get a deeper look at the team and how they operate. No longer is Thane just figuring things out and sneaking around, now he is a part of Sanctum. Every member of the team has a role to play in the story that unfolds and I absolutely love the entire Omega team. Brennan is the cool, calm, and collect lead that sizzles hot just under the collar. He can play hard ball when needed, kicks total butt, but knows how to handle things with finesse. Paka... well she's Paka a totally awesome panther who I definitely wouldn't want to cross. She is definitely the most lethal of the bunch. Then you have Jaeger, the crazy little monkey imp, thing that is absolutely hilarious and out of control. The dynamic between him and Twitch provide some of the best comedy in the entire book. 

Each character in the series has grown since book 1 and author Angela Day is carefully unraveling more of their story. One character that I was immensely pleased to learn more about is Twitch, Omega's tech whiz. In this book we discover exactly what makes him Twitch. We see him out of his element and in his element and we really get to dive deeper into his story, which I am so happy about. 

Of course when talking about characters you can't forget Thane. Poor Thane. That boy has been through so much, but we really get to see Thane come into his own in The Sound at the Edge. He is still a gentle soul, fully giving, that despises lying, but he is learning to stand on his own, learning to trust his own instincts. But... I really don't like the way he let's Remi walk all over him. I really liked her in book 1, but by the time I was done with this one I wanted to smack the crap out of the girl. I blame her for everything that happened in the Shaerealm, for the losses, and for the agreement that Thane has to make in order for them to go there. 

I really hope that opinion changes and that Remi can redeem herself in my eyes, but right now I just don't see it.

The Sound at the Edge was definitely a good book that had me in it's clutches til the end. Angela Day did a great job of creating Shaerealm and bringing it to life. She managed to find the balance between giving enough description to see the world without putting me into a coma. This book was the perfect combination of new and old world. It had lots of action, laughter, fun, creatures, world building, and mystery. 

I still don't have a clue about what's going to happen in the next installment in this series. My mind is going crazy with questions and theories as to exactly how a certain person plays into all this. I don't know if I am supposed to like this person or hate this person. Angela Day definitely has done a good job leaving me a jumbled mess. Bravo!

The Sound at the Edge is a fun piece of fantasy that will take you to other worlds and introduce you to creatures that you otherwise would never meet. It is definitely a story that will leave you guessing and puzzling for more. And did I tell you that it has dragons? Cause it does, awesome ones, that's really all the reason you need to read it! 

Contradictions (A Woodfalls Girls Novel) by Tiffany King {Release Blast}

Today I am privileged and honored to be able to take part in the release blast for the very talented author, Tiffany King. I absolutely love Tiffany King, she has an incredible way of crafting a story... of course she also has this uncanny talent for making me cry. Every. Single. Time! But I love her more for it. Now on with the release!!!

Contradictions

A Woodfalls Girls Novel

Tiffany King

"Without a doubt, the chemistry between the party-girl heroine and the geeky-but-adorable hero is off the charts explosive."—RT Book Reviews

"Fun, fandom, romance and the perfectly sweet kind of opposites attracting."—NY Times Bestselling author, Jay Crownover 

Blurb~

When everything starts spinning out of control . . .



Three years into college, Tressa Oliver’s life is a nonstop party. She’s skating by in her classes, and there’s no shortage of drinking, dancing, and general hell-raising. The only aspect that hasn’t been much fun: She can’t shake the toxic jerks that always seem to gravitate toward her.



It will take someone totally wrong . . .



Trent James is the classic anti–bad boy: smart, boring, and way too serious. To a wild girl like Tressa, there’s no way in hell they’re compatible—especially since Trent seems to see straight through her defenses.



To set her right.



When a college prank goes terribly wrong, Tressa starts to suspect that her partying ways are leading nowhere fast. Now she has to turn to the last person she ever thought she’d ask for help—and quickly discovers that there’s more to Trent than meets the eye. . .

Find it: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes | Kobo

Granted Wishes by Tanya Vought {Cover Reveal}

Happy Monday everyone! I know that seems like a contradiction, but I am hoping to have a happy one so I figured some positive words couldn't hurt! Today I have an adorable cover reveal for you, check it out!

Granted Wishes by Tanya Vought

Publisher: Booktrope

Expected Release: February 17, 2015

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Blurb~

A decision that will change her life forever. After the loss of her husband, Gracelynn Calhoun has struggled with her life and career. Forced to take a four week vacation or be fired from her job, she surprises everyone including herself and agrees to the vacation. The owner of Antonetti Suites, Giovanni works hard and doesn’t have time for relationships or love. That is until he literally crashes into Gracelynn. She brings back all the feelings he thought he would never feel again. With the odds stacked against them in every way possible, will they forge ahead together or will this be the end of the road for their newfound love? Will the whispers from above bring them together or will misunderstandings ruin what could be an amazing second chance at love?  

 

About the Author~

Tanya Vought is a hopeless romantic who thrives on Dr Pepper. She loves to sing… whether it’s a song off the radio or one she makes up with her kids. Tanya can almost always been seen with a book in hand or reading on her phone. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two imaginative children.

Find Her: Facebook | Website | Twitter