Pre-Order Obumbrate and win SMOKIN' Prizes!

Earlier this week I posted some very beautiful bookmarks for Obumbrate, my second novel continuing The Illumine Series (TIS) where Illumine left off. And in that post, I may have mentioned that I would be unveiling a way to get your hands on some of those gorgeous beauties come Thursday.


Well, guess what? It's Thursday!


I had been thinking about ways to give everyone the best gift ever all week, and the conclusion I got at the end seemed perfect. Why not do a giveaway?! 


Two lucky winners who pre-order a paperback copy of Obumbrate will win a SWAG package of SMOKIN' awesomeness (pun most definitely intentional.) Two lucky winners will receive: 

1 OBUMBRATE T-Shirt (S-L, will be made for the winner!) 

3 SIGNED OBUMBRATE bookmarks! (So two for you, one for a friend! Or all three for you if that tickles your fancy.)

1 OBUMBRATE Pendant Necklace! (Just like the one that was given away at Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile! 

The Rafflecopter will close on MAY 11th, so you only have until then to be entered to win this package!  Don't miss it! 

The New Bookmarks Are Here!

Guess what?! 

No, I didn't get a pet duck. Thanks for asking, though. 

But I DID, however, get some new bookmarks made! 

Check them out below! These are brand new, freshly made Obumbrate bookmarks! 

Like 'em? Want to get your hands on 'em? Well, you can't yet, but you will be able to soon! 

This Thursday at noon I will be posting how you can get your hands on these pretties! 

Until then, if you like them, let me know in the comments below! 

COVER REVEAL: Obumbrate

It's finally here! That's right, it's time to quit hiding the cover for book two of The Illumine Series and reveal the cover for Obumbrate! 

Following a neat little trend on quoting the dictionary, here's the definition of Obumbrate-

ob·um·brate

 [ob-uhm-breyt]

1. to darken, overshadow, or cloud.

And without further ado...

Oooh, sound sneaky, huh? And check it out- Essallie's pendant is right on the cover! The cover in all its entirety, from photos taken to digital editing, was done by your truly! One of the coolest things I love is show you the imagery in my mind when I write, and creating covers from scratch does just that. 


Later on next week I'll be sharing with you all the ability to pre-order a signed copy of the second book with a whole mix of goodies right from this blog. But until then, you'll just have to keep checking off the days until July 7th! (I promise, it'll be here before you know it. -insert wink here-)

ILUMINE'S WISH Winners!

Holy smokes. It's almost 10PM and I didn't post this up yet for everyone! I'm so sorry! (Blame it on my... cat?)

First, in a totally non-grammy-winning speech sort of way, I want to say thank you to everyone who helped host, run, post about, and participate in the ILLUMINE'S WISH event. It was, in my opinion, a huge kick-butt success! I may not have pulled numbers like a well known author, but I'd like to think I did a buzzworthy number for someone still dipping her feet into the realm.

Winners for the different variety of prizes that were offered on a mix of blogs will be emailed or mailed out some time this week. I have it all sitting in my living room taking up approximately half of my floor and a loveseat, so... yeah. Kind of needs to get shipped soon before my family revolts on me for kidnapping the house with my stuff.

What I CAN announce in stark clarity are the winners of the ARCs of OBUMBRATE that was held right here on my blog. I will be emailing all the winners tomorrow, and those who don't get back to me within 48 hours I shall have to pass on and pick another. Standard policy and all the shnaz.

I know, I know. Get to the point, Alivia.

Alright, so the winners of the 5 ebook copies of OBUMBRATE are...

1- Christina Bahr
2- Jessica Haight
3- Helen Bush
4- Nancy Storey Allen
5- Alicia Marie Ezell

UPDATE: All five ecopy winners were emailed with the copies as of 10:40PM on May 6th! Please check your emails, ladies. 


Yay! Big round of applause to the first batch of winners!

Oh I know, you want to know about the paperback winners, too. No worries, I have them right here!

The winners of the 5 paperback copies of OBUMBRATE are...

1- Dana
2- Terri Matlock
3- Artemis
4- Vivien
5- Emily Rencich


A huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge congratulations to all of you! I'd start keeping your eyes on the mail over the next week or so!

Don't forget, this Friday April 20th will be the cover reveal of OBUMBRATE right here on the blog! I believe it may be going on another blog or two as well (I've been hiding from my inbox) so don't be surprised if you see it popping around all weekend!

So This Nutcase Buys A Movie Ticket...

A little over a week ago I started spam-bombing all of you with a long time fascination of mine. From Twitter to Facebook, all anyone got out of me on April 4th was either Titanic related or a brief mention about Illumine going free for 48 hours via KDP Select.

For those of you who aren't privy to my Twitter or Facebook feed, I'll clarify. Hi, my name is Alivia. And I'm addicted to Titanic ANYTHING.

The original Titanic that James Cameron was released on December 19, 1997 (thanks Siri). 14 years later and people are still willing to buy tickets, regardless of price, to see this movie on the big screen! In case you missed that, I'll repeat. FOURTEEN YEARS.

As a writer who aspires to see their work one day on a big screen, this does a number of things for me. For one, it gives me hope by showing me that you don't need any fancy jingles or bells or whistles to make something memorable- you just need a good story. Two, it reminds me that a good story is timeless. Two very important key pieces an author should always keep in mind while writing.

Think about it- if your story went on the big screen tomorrow, would people be willing to see it again fourteen years later, regardless of monetary inflation? I don't want to be harsh, but for most stories this is a no. There are a small few out there that will forever hold a base. Star Wars and Harry Potter come first to mind. I highly doubt I'm the only one who'd go back to see the movies all over again on the big screen fourteen years later if they were played. But what about say, Sucker Punch? Shutter Island?

I'm not saying all stories need to have an enrapturing romance or edge of your seat action or thoughtful underscores. But it does help. If you break down Titanic, you easily understand why it still captivates hearts young and old to this day.

- Romance. Rose and Jack, regardless of actors portraying them, had a passion. Their words were carried them through, and each statement said 'I love you' without actually saying it every two minutes. When it clicks, it's pure unbridled magic.

-Action! Sprinkled in bursts, having action gave people time to savor the softer scenes while clawing at their armrests the second the music picked up pace. Do you need explosions and car chases and gunfights? No! How about a fistfight? Or a foot chase?

-Underlying themes. Rose felt trapped, and wanted to break free. Jack, with his entire being, held the freedom she so obviously envied.


I have many a day where my sole aspiration is to write something memorable like James Cameron's rendition of Titanic. To create that level of building pressure on the heart to the point where you feel for almost every character on that screen.

And now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go see Titanic again on the big screen and cry because JACK STILL DIES. /sob



Small side note; check back tomorrow for a post on a re-cap of ILLUMINE'S WISH! And don't forget, April 20th is the cover reveal of OBUMBRATE! 

The BEST Birthday EVER!

Yes, you read that right! Today is the big day! On this day, many a year ago, back when things like cell phones and LCDs screens were a geeks wild super-dream, I showed up! And then proceeded to cause havoc and flaunt Mexican food joints whereever I went.

Speaking of, I had nachos yesterday. And they were delicious.

I'm getting off track. Okay, so, you know how with every birthday we get to make a wish and blow out some candles, right? No, I don't want your candles. No, I don't want you to start singing Rihanna's Birthday Cake. And yes, if you sing It's my party and I'll cry if I want to, I may have to hit you with a tranq dart because that song drives me INSANE.

Again, getting off track.

We all want to make our special day, well, special. And I'm no different, for the most part. See that pretty little picture on the top left of the screen? You know, the one that says Illumine's Wish?

Want to make my birthday the best ever?

Share it.

You heard me. Share it. Post it on Facebook (with a link back!), tell your friends to Google it, lather your Twitter in it, battleram your Tumblr, talk about it on Goodreads, just let it be heard. I can say all day that I'd like you all to share my book and get Illumine on a bestseller list, but honestly? I know that's a difficult feat for someone so small. Not impossible, but difficult. And if I spend my whole birthday checking Amazon compulsively for sales ranks to see if I hit #1 in a category, well, I'll have wasted one heck of a day.

But let me tell you. Seeing that icon of my event, the one that over a dozen other bloggers linked arms with me to do, is probably the best gift a girl like me could ever ask of her friends. Yes, I said friends. I don't really consider people who follow my blog 'followers'. Friends is nicer, because you went out of your way to keep me on your radar a-la Britney Spears song, so friends is definitely cooler.

So one more time, this is what I think you should all do if you want to get a cheesy, super-grinny smile on my face all day.

One- Share that photo. Everywhere. Temporary tattoos might be on the extreme side, but if you do that, I definitely want pictures.
Two- Don't forget to enter in the giveaways going on all over the place! Jessica via Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile has a beautiful specially made pendant of Illumine, among the other delicious goodies, up for grabs!
Three- Post in the comments if you want to say Happy Birthday! Birthday wishes, especially funny ones, always make me smile.

And don't forget, there's still a few days left to enter to win one of TEN ARCs of OBUMBRATE! I wouldn't miss out on this one if I were you. Not to puff my Coco Puffs, but I have a good feeling book two is really going to overshadow book one by miles.

ILLUMINE'S WISH: Win 10 ARCs of OBUMBRATE!

It's time! Are you ready to partake in the best party this week on the internet?

April 8th to 14th is going to be very special, not just here on my blog but on a huge mix of blogs, Facebook pages, Twitter, and more! This week is officially the week of Illumine's Wish, a massive internet hop in a cross celebration of both Illumine and The Illumine Series (TIS), but my own birthday on the 11th as well.

During the whole week, a mix of websites will be offering anything you can get your hands on. From signed books, bookmarks, jewelry, you'll have a chance every day to win! You'll get to see tons of reviews, guest posts, and some very special sneak peeks of Obumbrate, due out this July!

Hold on. I have more, mwahahaha.

So let's just say you're a huge fan of the series, and you can't wait to read more of Essallie and Kayden. Maybe you want to know more about that mysterious Ari guy, too. But wait until July? That's nuts! Well, thanks to my magical, mystical powers (not really) I'm giving you a shot to win one of ten Advanced Reader Copies (ARCs) of Obumbrate! Excited now?!

If I've caught your attention, awesome! I hope you're so excited for this event that you jump up and down for joy! I know I am- and trust me, it isn't the caffeine for once! And if you're really excited, don't forget to share this event anywhere you can! Post it on your Twitter (#illumineswish), Facebook your friends, add the Illumine's Wish icon to your Tumblr, poswt about it on Goodreads, let the world know what's up!


Let's make this a celebration no one will EVER forget- starting with you!