Daughter of Isis Cover Reveal

Daughter of Isis (Descendants of Isis, #1)

by Kelsey Ketch

Release Date: 10/26/13

Cover Designed by: Steven Novak

Summary from Goodreads:

“Her mouth parted slightly, waiting for Seth to breathe life into her own body, just like in the story. She wanted him to awaken her senses.”

Their worlds collide in California’s high desert.

The last thing Natara “Natti” Stone wants to do is to start anew at Setemple High School. She wished she had never left London. Yet the brutal murder of her maternal grandmother has made her life very complicated. The only clue related to her murder is an ancient, encrypted necklace Natti discovered after her grandmother’s death. And if trying to adjust to American life is not enough, Natti is being stalked by a mysterious, charming high school senior, Seth O’Keefe, who is annoyingly persistent in his attempts at seduction.

Seth O’Keefe is secretly a member of the Sons of Set, an order that worships the Egyptian god of chaos. Seth’s blessing from Set, his “charm,” never failed, except with one person: Natti Stone. Her ability to elude him infatuates and infuriates him, and he becomes obsessed with the chase. But the closer he gets to her, the more his emotions take a dangerous turn, and he risks breaking one of the most valued covenants of his order. The punishment for which is a fate worse than death.

The adventure this unlikely couple becomes engulfed in could cost them their lives and their souls.

*Note: Content for Upper YA*

***Excerpt***

There was a crash and a loud gasping moan. She turned to the door next to her and stepped into the room. Her eyes widened as two entangled bodies jumped in the dark; the light shining from the hall streamed over the couple. She recognized the tall, copper haired upperclassman from the parking lot; the boy who had sent her the enchanting smile. Now he was completely shirtless, his fly clearly unzipped, and a brunette held tight in his arms. The girl glared at Natti. She struggled a little against the boy’s grasp, trying to cover herself with her bra.

Natti blinked in complete shock. “Okay.” She finally glanced at the empty room. “This is obviously not American Literature.”

“No duh!” the brunette snapped.

The young man smiled and turned to the girl in his arms. The brunette’s cold demeanor melted away once her eyes met his. He stroked her cheek, sending visible shivers through her body. Natti rolled her eyes, ready to gag.

“Now, now, Charlotte.” The honey-sweet voice made Natti freeze when she was just turning to leave. It gave her a dizzy feeling; a fog creeping at the back of her mind. “We shouldn’t be rude to our guest.” The boy’s eyes traveled Natti’s curves again. His grin widened. “Perhaps she’d like to join us. Maybe we can all get to know each other a little better.”

He motioned Natti to come inside. She unconsciously took a step forward; a strange force compelled her to join them. Her hands were reaching to pull her shirt off. It was as if she was no longer in control.

What the hell . . . ? Natti shook her head, finding the strength to resist through a familiar heavy sensation that rested against her chest. It was one she often got when someone lied to her. She was born with it. A gift, her grandmother called it, which could tell her when something wasn’t right. And as much as her body suddenly wanted to be next to the boy, feeling the skin of his lean, muscular chest, her gift was telling her something was off. His intentions were not pure.

She lowered her hands to her side, taking a step back into the hall. “Sorry.” She shook her head. “I don’t do threesomes.”

About the Author

During her high school years, Kelsey Ketch could always be found tucked away in a little corner of the hall or classroom, writing her fantasy worlds and creating illustrations and maps. Today is no different, except now she’s writing in the break room at her office building or at the tables of the Barnes and Noble Café in Cary, North Carolina. She is also an avid reader, a part-time book blogger at Ketch’s Book Nook, and lives with her two orange tabbies and awesome and humorous flat-mate.Daughter of Isis is her debut novel.
For more information, please visit her site at kelseyketch.com.

***Author Links***

   

Cover Reveal Organized by:

The Next Big Thing

So, Hugh Howey mentioned Sarra Cannon in his "The Next Big Thing" post and then Sarra Cannon mentioned me and now I'm hyperventilating a little. I wonder if this is how Celion Dion feels. HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO COME DOWN FROM THIS?

If it's not obvious, I'm a huge Sarra Cannon fan girl...as evident by this video. If you haven't read the Peachville High Demons series, the first one is FREE on all eretailers including Amazon, so get it now.

But the purpose of this Internet meme, as some of you know, is to talk about your next book. The My Alien Romance series is over, I know, it's sad. A lot of people have emailed me about continuing the series, but I think it ended just the way I wanted it to. There is going to be three more books in the My Paper Heart Saga (because of the huge support from fans on that one when the book was going to be a stand alone), but today I'm going to talk about my upcoming project. The #SecretNAProject I've been teasing everyone with on Twitter. I'm working with Mae I Design for a cover and will reveal that in February with the release date in April. So without further ado, The answers about THE ONLY EXCEPTION.

What is the title of your next book?
THE ONLY EXCEPTION

Where did the idea come from for the book?
For awhile I've wanted to write a book with a liberal girl and a conservative guy, but couldn't think of a great storyline. Then I saw an episode of new girl in which Schmidt pretended to be Mitt Romney's son. Instantly that put an idea in motion of a conservative senator's son living next door to an uber liberal girl.

What genre does your book fall under?
New Adult Contemporary. It's pretty hot, but nothing I wouldn't let my MIL read. There are some controversial topics and some different political things, but as one of my CPs told me, "I hate politics, but I loved your character's banter on it."

What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie?

I kind of have an obsession with casting my characters...obviously. For MPH, Blaine and Libby were actually just in my head the whole time and hard to pick someone that would represent them. It got easier the more I wrote. I'm only going to pick a few characters, but hopefully it should give you a little taste.

Monica Remy- She's a fiery liberal with an eyebrow piercing and "auburn" hair (so she says...everyone else says red.) I would go with either Emma Stone or Jane Levy. I heart them both.

Trey Chapman- The conservative senator's son with a killer set of green eyes and a dimpled smile. *sigh* I think Colton Haynes would be amazing. I was pinning and came across his picture and then I think I drooled on my Ipad.

Melissa- Monica's friend and co-worker who has a mound of curly, brown hair and always keeps Monica in check. I think Emmy Rossum has the spunky personality and definitely the hair to pull of Melissa.

Mindy (Trey's mother)- She is described as bottled blonde and the perfect senator's wife. Immediately I thought of Anna Camp and her role in True Blood. So she's only 30 and would play a nineteen year old's mother...it could happen....

I have a very OBVIOUS choice for Trey's father, but I'm not going to put that down, so I'll just put my chocie for his mother. I realize that the actors for the son and mother are probably the same age, but it's my book and I think how I want.

What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?

Fiercely liberal Monica Remy prefers to blend in. Despite her tattoos, piercings, and outspoken personality, she transferred to Central to escape—before she finds out that her next door neighbor is the uber conservative senator’s son, Trey Chapman.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Self-published

How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
No laughing...uh like two weeks. I write a lot and every day. With my new work schedule I probably write at least two-four hours a day with my lunch break, after work, and sometimes before work. It's crazy, but then it went off to my alpha reader, revise, first round cps, revise, and right now it is off to second round cps and then after I revise that, to my editor.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I'm sure that people are going to compare this to the big NA books that are out there now like THE SECRET OF ELLA AND MICHA or LOSING IT or books like that, but really what makes this book stand out is that I took the formula of bad boy and good girl and flip flopped it. Yeah, my hero is a genuine good guy. Soak that one up.


Who or what inspired you to write this book?
This book really took a lot of my heart and soul. Like I said, the episode of New Girl started it, but I needed something dark for Monica to escape from and then I had to put a political scandal in that dark moment. There is a moment in which Monica faces her dark past and I literally cried while writing it. I love this book so darn much it's a sin.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
Um...it's sexy? No, ha, there is more to it then than, but I try to pride myself on writing as sexy as possible without getting down and dirty (as obvious by the alien books). I'm not saying the characters don't get down and dirty, but...

For those who are leary on politics, it's more political banter. The characters have different beliefs in things, but it leads for some interesting scenes that will have you laughing out loud or crying with the characters.

AND, hot guy in dress clothes. That's all.

****

So, that’s The Only Exception and this is the first time I'm talking about it! Scary! It's out of the bag!

Now, it’s my turn to tag five writers. I haven’t checked to see if they were already tagged because I’m too lazy and it was hard to pick only five, but I decided to go with a few that have helped along with some ideas for this book...and then I added one more. I DO WHAT I WANT.

Juliana Haygert

Chelsea Cameron

Laurie Larsen

Kelsey Ketch

Leigh T. Moore

Eryn LaPlant

Book Tag

Now that the little one has been taking longer morning naps I've found some time to catch up on blogging, YEAH!  (Now if I can just get some motivation to write and not delete the 1200 words that I wrote while her dad was playing with her last week...)



Well, to start off some more blogging I was tagged in Kelsey Ketch's book tag post.  I usually don't do these, but this one was really cute, so I couldn't resist.  I'm not tagging anyone, but if you want to do it as well you can.  Or if anything you can just see what I'm reading :)



1. What genre do you prefer?
I like Young Adult.  Usually I prefer contemporary, but I've really started to get into Science Fiction works (maybe it's because I wrote one?) I do read some chick-lit and romances, but I just like the realness and relatability that I have to YA characters.  (Probably because I secretly think that I'm a 16 year old boy trapped in an old woman's body).


2. Must have books in your library?
My personal library or the public library?  Let's go with my personal library...The Sookie Stackhouse series, The Hunger Games series, All of John Gile's books (signed by him, including The First Forest and I wish I could Read), and my signed copy of Paranormalcy by Kiersten White


3. Most expensive book you own?
I think I got rid of most of my college textbooks except the ones that were actual books (Guyland and some others).  My husband has a couple computer books that run like fifty books each and then I have a grammar work book that is probably the most expensive.  (I think that writing, having critique partners and a friend that's a freelance editor has helped more than the grammar work book ever could).


4. What books do you covet most?
Well...it's unpublished, but I would really love to pick up a copy of one of my own books.  Other than that, books by my writer friends which include (Not all have been published):  Death's Island by Kelsey Ketch, The Prince and the Corner Bakery by Kienna Riley (I believe it's been published under this name?), Seven Rivers (I believe that's the title?) by Laurie Hayes, Road to Redemption by Laurie Larsen, The third Ghost and the Goth book by Stacey Kade and The Rules by Stacey Kade
5. Favorite authors? You can name three.

Megan Mccaferty, Charlaine Harris, Ann M. Martin (I'm diverse)


6. How much do you spend on books in general?

I recentlly started getting more ARCs, so I haven't spent as much recentlly, but for awhile it got pretty bad.  I was spending atleast $50-$100 a month on books and knew that I had to stop.  I also share books with my MIL, so that's saved some costs that she buys a book and then I read it after her.


7. Favorite book store?
I love little local book stores with cafes and all that jazz, but since there isn't anything like that around here I'll go with Barnes and Noble (which I think is the only book store near me currently...sad).


8. What do you think the current trend in young-adult is?
There is A LOT of paranormal romance out there and I think it's getting kind of saturated.  I think that contemporary will NEVER go out of style and really think there could be a shift to more Science Fiction with Beth Revis making the NYT best seller list.


9. What series do you wish had more books?

Hunger Games...I wanted a better way for Mockingjay to end and I want more Katniss/Peeta loving.


10. Books you’ve always had in your library?

The Dr. Seuss books and John Gile's picture books (He's from my hometown)





11. Books currently in your bag or purse?

I carry a diaper bag which I don't put books in because my daughter has a blow out poop problem which may cause me to put poopy clothes in her diaper bag.  But I do carry my Ipad which currently has an ARC of The Near Witch and Wherever You Go on it.


12. Most prized book in your collection?

That's a really hard one...I would have to say John Gile's The First Forest (I feel like I'm a broken record about this book).  But the illustrator lives down the street from most of my family and I grew up reading John Gile's works (hometown guy again), so it's a book with a great story and something I can pass down to my daughter.


13. What non-fiction books are on your shelf?

Let me just say that I was a Women's Studies and Political Science major, so my non-fiction books are pretty interesting...they include: Guyland:  The perilous world where boys become men and I believe some other Women's Studies books that I used in my thesis.
So, to finish… Tag! You’re it!

Pay it Forward: Fangirl style

So the lovely Shelli is running a Pay it Forward contest on her blog in which we have to write a post about someone who gave back to us, whether in writing or just in life in general.

Today I regale you with a writer girlmance that started over the summer when a down on her luck writer hadn't even started writing about aliens yet, and was dealing with the woes of rejection from her first manuscript.

Yes, I do look like a lolcat when I complain or cry about writing.  But, anywhoo... I was browsing through Querytracker.net success stories when a familiar name came up "Ketch."  (Or the great Kelsey Ketch)  I had seen here query some of the same agents as me, and even receive some of the same rejections.  So I read her success story and was BLOWN away by her perserverence after sending out 199 queries until she found the right agent.  Then the Fangirl in me came out...

I wanted to talk to her.  To see how she had such perserverance and I just wanted to hear her story.  So I lurked on Querytracker for awhile until I finally got the courage to message her and ask for an interview.  Which she TOTALLY said yes to and raised my meagerly followers rating that I had at the time.  (She is a pirate rockstar!)  But our story didn't end there...

We became Twitter friends.  Sending eachother differant messages and posting on eachothers blogs whenever we could.  But then came the day when I realized how much the Fangirl needed her pirate.  I was finishing up my second draft of HOW TO DATE AN ALIEN and realized that it needed more action, but for some reason my brain couldn't get that to my fingers and I needed help. So I asked Kelsey if she could maybe take a look at my manuscript and give me some ideas.

This is where the epic Pirate V. Alien debate was born!  She returned the notes for my manuscript within WEEKS and had some awesome suggestions!  BUT she didn't stop there.  If I ever had a question or just needed help getting my brain to function, she was there to help!  I have no idea how I would have written so many action scenes without her help.  Or knew that one girl could have so many alien jokes....

So today the Fangirl pays it forward to salute the awesome pirateness of Kelsey Ketch and hopes that I can someday have her mad pirate skills! 

(Note:  Sorry Kelsey, my picture of you wouldn't load, so I thought this was a good likeness...)

Monday Musings

In the word of Kelsey Ketch: Magan must do REE-SEARCH

As I come near the end of my second draft of HOW TO DATE AN ALIEN, I've realized how important extra research is and how much of a pain in the butt that research can be.

I did some research before I started the first draft, watching Roswell and other Sci-fi shows and talking to aviation people about flying planes.  But as I went through my editing I realized that there were some things that needed be explained and that required research. (or REE-SEARCH)...especially the mother ship

I knew that my alien drones would have smaller stealth fighter planes and that mother ship would be a bigger, more advanced stealth fighter.  But I was still stuck.  After checking out Beth Revis's site, I knew that there was a lot more to my ship, but just didn't know how to go about it.  So, of course, I asked her via Twitter and she gave me the advice to structure the ship based on the occupants needs.  From there I found an early version of Horten 229 V3 Stealth fighter plane blue print (note:  modern stealth fighters are hard to find blue prints for), and was able to get the basic layout for my ship.


But then what did it look like on the inside?  Without even knowing it I used a lot parallels with good and evil, the dark side and the light side.  But envisioning the ship in my head took a little help from a band I had almost forgotten about from the 90's

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NczLNctogZk

It's the video for Orgy's "Fiction (Dreams in Digital)."  (note:  I couldn't get the video to transfer over to my blogger).  The sci-fi feel and crazy techno-glam lyrics helped fuel my visions of the mother ship and make them come to life.

Creepy isn't it?

So that's the research I've had so far.  The second draft is almost done.  I'm happy with it, but I want more.  So that's what I have betas and an editor for...oh and of course my REE-SEARCH.

What are you doing for REE-SEARCH?  Do you find anything that helps?