For What It's Worth


Friday, February 14, 2014

Heartbreakers Blog Tour: Day 6 - Jen McConnel & Eileen Cook, Tina Bustamante, Sara Hantz

Who can resist a heartbreaker?

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Welcome to the last day of the Heartbreakers Blog Tour - hosted by the lovely Judith Tewes.

Check out the week in interviews here

New to the Heartbreakers Tour? All this week I featured YA/NA authors – from self-published and small press to traditional publishers, debut authors to bestsellers. Get swept away with these tales of first love, melting kisses and of course – heartbreak.

There’s a great variety to choose from so I hope you enjoy discovering these authors as much as I have. I have lots of reading ahead!

Please follow along and be sure to enter the the awesome giveaway for a FREE KINDLE + EBOOKS from the Heartbreakers Blog Tour Authors!

The Heartbreakers Blog Tour on Twitter

I have FOUR authors today to close out the tour! Let’s get started & don’t forget that giveaway at the end of this post!

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Jen McConnel: The Secret of Isobel Key (Bloomsbury Spark, 2013) | Daughter of Chaos (Month9Books, March 2014)

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The Secret of Isobel key: Lou is in the middle of a quarter-life crisis. Fresh out of college, she’s unemployed and unsure of herself. But when she gets the chance to escape to Scotland with her best friend, it could be the answer to her quest for self-discovery. The trip is not at all what she expected, especially when her tour guide turns out to be the dreamy historian Brian, and together they embark on a hunt for information about Isobel Key, a woman accused of witchcraft in the seventeenth century.

They set out to learn the truth of the condemned witch, but Lou isn’t prepared for the knowledge that awaits her. She must face her own demons if she has any hope of righting the wrongs of the past.
Flashing between seventeenth century Scotland and a contemporary romance, THE SECRET OF ISOBEL KEY is a mystery that will please readers of all ages.

Daughter of Chaos: There comes a time in every witch's life when she must choose her path. Darlena's friends have already chosen, so why is it so hard for her to make up her mind? Now, Darlena is out of time. Under pressure from Hecate, the Queen of all witches, Darlena makes a rash decision to choose Red magic, a path no witch in her right mind would dare take. As a Red witch, she will be responsible for chaos and mayhem, drawing her deep into darkness. Will the power of Red magic prove too much for Darlena, or will she learn to control it before it's too late?



Karen: Daughter of Chaos sounds fantastic!  Darlena sounds pretty powerful and frightening lol What are her powers as a Red Witch and Daughter of Chaos?

Jen: Thank you! Darlena’s not entirely sure what her new powers entail, but being a Red Witch has made her stronger than anyone she’s ever met. She could destroy the world if she wanted to, and that’s what some of the gods are hoping for. But Lena’s a wild card, and she’s not happy doing what people expect. :)

Karen: Who is your author crush and how have they inspired your writing?

Jen: There are so many authors I look up to and admire, but the first who comes to mind is Jennifer Armentrout. I’m in awe of the how prolific she is, and I love her YA and NA. I got to meet her last summer at UtopYaCon, and I made a total fangirl fool of myself, but she was epically gracious.

Karen: Both The Secret of Isobel Key and Daughter of Chaos sound AH-mazing! She also hit the cover lottery! Both are gorgeous!

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Eileen Cook: The Year of Mistaken Discoveries (Simon Pulse, February 25, 2014)

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Friendship is a bond stronger than secrets in this novel from the author of The Almost Truth and Unraveling Isobel.

As first graders, Avery and Nora bonded over a special trait they shared — they were both adopted.
Years later, Avery is smart, popular, and on the cheerleading squad, while Nora spends her time on the fringes of school society, wearing black, reading esoteric poetry, and listening to obscure music. They never interact, until the night Nora approaches Avery at a party, saying it’s urgent. She tells Avery that she thought she found her birth mom — but it turned out to be a cruel lie. Avery feels for Nora, but returns to her friends at the party.


Then Avery learns that Nora over-dosed on pills. Left to cope with Nora’s loss and questioning her own actions, Avery decides to honor her friend by launching a search for her own birth mother. Aided by Brody, a friend of Nora’s who is also looking for a way to respect Nora’s legacy, Avery embarks on an emotional quest. But what she’s really seeking might go far deeper than just genetics.




Karen: Your heroines are often described as "sassy". What makes for a good sassy character?

Eileen: Confidence.  When I was a teen I had a lot of things going for me- great friends, a wicked sense of humor, I was smart, however, what I focused on was everything I didn’t do well.  I wasted a lot of time and energy worrying about what people thought of me. If I could go back and do it again I would tell myself to lighten up.  I admire characters who find their inner sassy and move toward being more confident in who they are.

Karen: Do you believe in love-at-first-sight, or soul-mates?

6431026Eileen: I don’t believe in love at first sight, but I do believe you can know quite early that the person you are with is the type of person you could be in love with.  I think that everyone has a soul mate, but I don’t believe that there is only one.  I’ve seen too many people who have lost their soul mate, but been able to find love again.

Karen: Eileen is one of the few authors from this tour that I’ve read (& enjoyed) before. My copy of Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood still has a prominent place on my shelf because I can’t bear to pass it on. The cover makes me giggle every time.


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Tina Bustamante: As Waters Gone By (Leap Books, 2013)

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Secrets in the Light... When Ellie moves in with her aunt on Orcas Island after her mother's death, she doesn't expect to have one of the most incredible summers of her life. She doesn't expect to restore a mysterious lighthouse that holds an important key to her past, or to rehabilitate a crazy dog, or to see a strange man who may or may not be a ghost. And the last thing she expects is to meet Will Larson, who flips her summer upside down. But, when Will's past and her own collide, will their relationship survive the secrets they both conceal, or will these unshared secrets tear them apart? Can Ellie gain the courage to uncover the truth of who she really is and finally find a place where she belongs, or will she choose to remain an outsider?


Karen: What gifts would your characters, Ellie and Will from As Waters Gone By, give each other for Valentine's Day?

Tina: They'd give each other thoughtful gifts. Will would probably give Ellie an old version of Jane Eyre that he's searched all over town to find, and Ellie would put together a really cool, romantic date - and would also give Will a new book - Something random and thoughtful, and witty.

Karen: What is the craziest thing you've ever done in the name of love?

Tina: I packed up my home, sold my cars, filled a 40ft container, and moved to Chile.

Karen: Be sure to check out TIna’s website. It’s a wonderful mix of books, life and her adventure’s building a home in Chile.

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Sara Hantz: In the Blood (Entangled Teen, 2013)


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For seventeen years Jed Franklin’s life was normal. Then his father was charged with the abuse and murder of four young boys and normal became a nightmare.

His mom’s practically a walking zombie, he’s lost most of his friends, and the press camps out on his lawn. The only things that keep him sane are his little sis; his best friend and dream girl, Summer; and the alcohol he stashes in his room. But after Jed wakes up from a total blackout to discover a local kid has gone missing—a kid he was last seen talking to—he’s forced to face his greatest fear: that he could somehow be responsible.

In a life that’s spiraled out of control, Jed must decide if he chooses his own destiny with Summer by his side or if the violent urges that plagued his father are truly in the blood.



Karen: Who is your author crush and how have they inspired your writing?

Sarah: Elizabeth Scott. Living Dead Girl made such an impact on me and made me realize that it’s ok to write about edgy and unpleasant issues.

Karen: What’s the craziest thing you feel that you’ve ever done in the name of love?

Sara: A spur of the moment wedding, with McDonalds as the wedding lunch.

Karen: Love that! My husband I eloped in FL, then spent the day at Busch Gardens, ending the day with a generic cake from the grocery store.

Thank you Jen, Eileen, Tina & Sara for joining me today, and to Judith for hosting this tour!
Happy Valentine’s Day everyone – may your day be free of heartbreak lol

Follow the tour! & don’t forget to enter the giveaway!
a Rafflecopter giveaway


Participating Authors:

B.A. Binns: Minority of One (All The Colors Of Love, 2014)
Tina Bustamante: As Waters Gone By (Leap Books, 2013)
Eileen Cook: The Year of Mistaken Discoveries (Simon Pulse, 2014)
D.G. Driver: Cry of the Sea (Fire & Ice Young Adult Novels, 2014)
Christine Duval: Positively Mine (Bloomsbury Spark, 2013)
Laurie J. Edwards: writing as Erin Johnson. Grace and the Guiltless: Wanted Book 1 (Curious Fox, 2014)
Janet Gurtler: 16 Things I Thought Were True (Sourcebooks Fire, 2014)
Sara Hantz: In the Blood (Entangled Teen, 2013)
Brenda Hiatt: Starstruck (Createspace, 2013)
Denise Jaden: Never Enough (Simon Pulse, 2012)
Jenny Kaczorowski: The Art of Falling (Bloomsbury Spark, 2013)
Jen McConnel: The Secret of Isobel Key (Bloomsbury Spark, 2013)
Jeri Smith-Ready: This Side of Salvation (Simon Pulse, 2014)
Judith Tewes: TBA (Bloomsbury Spark, 2014)

Participating Bloggers:

For What It's Worth
Judith Tewes
A Life Bound By Books
Ashley Poston
A Simple Love of Reading
Little Library Muse
Jennzah.dot.net

11 comments:

  1. So What by Pink

    Happy V-Day, Karen, and I do want to read Daughter of Chaos. Red witches? Sold!

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    1. I know. I love the title and it sounds fantastic.

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  2. What great questions. Loved the what crazy thing you did for love. :) Also, love the sound of these books!

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  3. Fun interviews! I love Eileen's answer about love at first sight and Tina's craziest thing she did for love.

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  4. The Year of Mistaken Discoveries sound good and I really adore the cover!

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  5. Love her thoughts on love at first sight and soulmates!

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  6. Thanks for sharing! In the Blood sounds really great. I love books that deal with psychology.

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  7. Thanks so much for hosting us!!

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