Karina Halle's Come Alive Blog Tour info!!!

Hey everyone!!!  It's that time again!  One of my favorite authors, Karina Halle, has another book release!!!  

I am not part of the blog tour but I AM helping spread the word for the best book I have read all year!  That's right, Come Alive is AMAZING!!!  The Megans over at The Book Asylum and Reading Books Like A Boss have put on a wonderful blog tour so make sure to check it out!!!  

Come Alive 

Experiment in Terror #7

By Karina Halle

Release date: June 23, 2013

Genre: Romantic Suspense/Horror
Age Group: General adult 17 +

Available on Amazon and Smashwords

Book Description:

It’s one thing to bring the woman you love back into your life. It’s another to try and keep her there. For Dex Foray, convincing Perry Palomino to open herself to their burgeoning relationship has been more challenging than hunting ghosts, battling demons and stalking Sasquatch combined. Add in the fact that the only way they can keep their Experiment in Terror show running is to take on a third partner in the form of the mysterious Maximus Jacobs — all while investigating a sinister voodoo sect in New Orleans — and you’ve got the perfect Southern storm and a recipe for disaster. Luckily, Dex has never been one to back down, even when his life –and heart — are on the line. 

Come Alive is told from Dex’s POV.

About the Author

The daughter of a Norwegian Viking and a Finnish Moomin, Karina Halle grew up in Vancouver, Canada with trolls and eternal darkness on the brain. This soon turned into a love of all things that go bump in the night and a rather sadistic appreciation for freaking people out. Like many of the flawed characters she writes, Karina never knew where to find herself and has dabbled in acting, make-up artistry, film production, screenwriting, photography, travel writing and music journalism. She eventually found herself in the pages of the very novels she wrote (if only she had looked there to begin with). 

Karina holds a screenwriting degree from Vancouver Film School and a Bachelor of Journalism from TRU. Her travel writing, music reviews/interviews and photography have appeared in publications such as Consequence of Sound, Mxdwn and GoNomad Travel Guides. She currently lives on an island on the coast of British Columbia where she's preparing for the zombie apocalypse. 

Karina is represented by Scott Waxman of the Waxman Leavell Literary Agency

For more about Karina Halle, please check out these links:

Consequence of Sound

Experiment in Terror
Karina Halle on Wordpress
Experiment in Terror Facebook
Karina Halle Facebook
MetalBlonde on Twitter
Karina Halle on Goodreads

Please check out the link for the blog tour schedule by clicking      --->here!

But what??? There's more???  You could possibly win cool stuff so make sure to check the tour stops!!!

Now you have all been so patient with me rambling so how about a little treat???

An excerpt from Come Alive!!!

I whipped around and pulled out the elevator’s STOP button. The elevator lurched then came still.
“What are you doing?” she screeched, wild-eyed.
“Nothing you need to worry about, baby,” I told her, placing both hands on either side of her head and kissing her hard, hard enough that she was flattened against the wall. We didn’t discuss it, but we naturally played our relationship cool in front of Jimmy. Now I was making up for lost time.
I bit her lower lip, pulling it between my teeth. She moaned and I smiled.
“You ever had sex in an elevator?” I asked, taking my mouth to her sweet neck and alternating between wet licks and fierce sucks. I didn’t care if she ended up with a million hickeys. The more the better.
“No.”
“Anywhere in public?”
“Does a Canadian national park count?” she whispered, sounding both turned-on and uneasy.
“No, it doesn’t,” I murmured, my hands cupping her breasts now. “Sounds like something we have to fix, doesn’t it?”
“Isn’t this illegal?”
I pulled away and looked at her. “Elevator malfunction. Living it up while I’m going down.”
She smiled and then arched her back to give me more access to her fantastic breasts. “You can’t use Aerosmith as an excuse.”
“I can do anything I want,” I grunted, pressing my erection into her hip.
“My goodness,” she exclaimed at the pressure.
I grinned, my hands folding down her bra and rolling her nipples between my fingers.
“I told you. I’m always hard for you, I’m just good at hiding it. Which, actually, isn’t easy when your dick is the size of your leg.”
She laughed and lowered my head to her breasts, my mouth yearning, searching.
“Hello?” a voice said from behind me.
Startled, I turned around, expecting someone in the elevator with us. I was probably expecting it to be inhuman as well.
But the voice repeated. “Hello? Are you okay? Is this car two? I have reports you have stopped.”
Shit. It was the security on the speaker. In some elevators, pulling out the stop button just stops the elevator. I guess in this one it alerted security. Cockblockers!

ONE MORE THING!!!  You can check out all my past blog posts tagged Karina Halle by clicking here.

Surprise Cover Reveal! ~ With Madness Comes the Light {EIT # 6.5}

Cover Reveal for And With Madness Comes the Light!

Experiment in Terror #6.5 by Karina Halle!

What?!  Another Dex Files you say?  I am all for getting into that mans head again!  Karina has teased her fans with the possibility of another Dex Files if On Demon Wings made it into the Final Round in the Goodreads best of horror category.  Guess what?  She was going to do it anyway and when she sent me this  image in an email, I almost licked my phone screen. Yum!  

But guess what else?!  She made it into the final round!  I am so proud of her success and hard work AND SHE MADE IT!!!  Go VOTE for On Demon Wings in the final round on Goodreads for best in horror!  

With a release date of February 14, 2013, check below for a delicious cover and fantastic blurb...

The Man. The Mystery. The Madness.

Dex Foray has never been anyone’s fool – until he missed his chance for happiness with Perry Palomino. Broken and alone, Dex has no choice but to rise from the ashes Perry left behind and find his own path to redemption. But nothing in Dex’s life has ever come easy, especially when there’s a dark madness waiting in the wings.

Told from Dex’s POV, And With Madness Comes the Light spans the time period from the end of Lying Season (Book #4) until the beginning of Into the Hollow (Book #6). If you were every wondering what really happened to Dex while Perry was gone, now is your chance.

Sexy right?  Um, yeah, this is my new screensaver on my phone.  *licks screen*.  Trying to do this on my poor laptop that is on life support.  Excuse any formatting issues please!

For more about Karina Halle, please check out these links:

Experiment in Terror
Experiment in Terror Facebook
MetalBlonde on Twitter
Karina Halle on Goodreads

Consequence of Sound

My reviews and tags related to Karina Halle and the EIT series:
~ Darkhouse (Experiment in Terror #1)
   (Free: Nook, Kindle & Smashwords)
~ My interview with Karina Halle

Teaser Tuesday {#24}

This is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading

• Open your current read and choose a page at random. 
• Share two sentences (or more) from anywhere on the page, being careful to avoid spoilers. 
• Be sure to share the title and author.

This weeks tease comes from Into the Hollow by Karina Halle with a release date of THIS THURSDAY! 11-15-12!!!

“You know we could make a clothing optional rule around each other. That way we’d always be naked and never have to laundry.” 

The way he said it made me shift in my seat uncomfortably. 

“All right, Dex, quit it. You’re beating a dead horse.” 

“I’m beating something horse-sized, that’s for sure.”

Bahahaha!  I love Dex!  Relentless as ever, he is so hilarious in this installment!  I love reading about Pervy Dex!  There is nothing sexier than a funny man.  But don't let that fool you.  There are so many layers to this character that this installment has me going from one emotion to the next.  And I enjoyed every last minute of it! 

Say what?  You haven't read anything from the Experiment in Terror series yet?  Well check it out!  Darkhouse, book 1, is free on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords!

Thrills and Chills Experiment in Terror Giveaway!!!

Looking for some sexy thrills and chills to read about this Halloween season?  Then enter for your chance to win the entire e-series of Experiment in Terror by Karina Halle!  

In honor of Halloween and the release next month of Into the Hollow  ( EIT #6), I will be giving away the entire Experiment in Terror series in e-book format through Amazon.  

I can't say enough great things about this series and I want to spread the creepy/pervy/highly entertaining joy around!  I have been beta reading Into the Hollow for Karina and I'm so damn excited about its upcoming release!  Back with a wicked sense of humor, shameless banter and spectacularly spooky haunts, Perry and Dex are off on another adventure that is sure to have me quaking in my boots.  And I'm offering one lucky winner the chance to win the entire series!!!  There are 5 full lengths and 3 novellas to date.  Check out a sneak peak from chapter 1 of Darkhouse and enter the giveaway below! 

Darkhouse (Experiment in Terror #1)
By Karina Halle

With all the vampire, werewolf and faerie books out there, it's easy to become numb to all things supernatural. The antidote? Darkhouse introduces two real and unforgettable characters, Perry Palomino & Dex Foray, amateur ghost hunters who are "attractive, relatable and oddly heroic," "flawed but loveable," "slightly crazy" and just the most endearing pair to ever tackle the paranormal...just don't call them normal. Darkhouse is a thrilling and sexy new take on concepts like Supernatural and The X-Files, bringing a breath of fresh air to a genre that has been inundated with the dead.

CHAPTER ONE 

I stood in a round, white room with only a porthole-shaped window to break up the monotony. The view outside was nothing more than an inky void. The smell of tidal pools and rotting kelp seeped in through the cracks where the silicone had crumbled away. I didn’t know where I was or why I was there. But I knew something had summoned me.

I spun around, suddenly conscious of a door, and saw a saffron-colored glow spilling out from underneath the doorframe, mildly illuminating the stark walls. Chilled air flowed in with the light and tickled the tops of my bare feet. The blue nail polish on my toe was chipped, making it look like I had half a toenail. This caught my attention more than the cold hardwood floor and the rough splinters beneath. The lights went out. The door whooshed open, almost soundlessly, and a huge rush of arctic wind battered my body, whipping my nightgown around me like a pink, polyester flag.

The floorboards creaked. I felt the weight of some unknown mass travel along the length of them to my feet. I couldn’t move and I wasn’t sure I wanted to.

The lights from outside the room came on again, illuminating the air abrasively. My eyes stung. A pounding sound filled my ears. I covered them with my hands until I realized it came from my very heart.

In the doorway I saw a silhouette of a man.

My heart, and the pounding, stopped. The man came for me, a mass of unfathomable malevolence. I screamed and screamed until the black depths of his silhouette was all I could see. I fell into him, fell into the darkness, in one never-ending cry.

Until...

A pair of hands grabbed my arms and pulled me up. They shook me until the darkness behind my eyes bled out into a blinding white.

And suddenly, I was in my bedroom lying underneath a smorgasbord of tangled sheets with my sister Ada peering over me. Her forehead furrowed with concern, making her look years older than fifteen.

She let go of my arms and stepped back.

“You scared the shit out of me, Perry,” she grumbled.

I propped myself up on my elbows and looked around my room at the concert posters on the walls and stacks of vinyl and CDs in the corner, taking comfort in their familiarity. My rarely touched electric guitar rested haphazardly against the window seat, a pleasing contrast to my stuffed animal collection.

I eyed my alarm clock. Two minutes until it blared uncontrollably. The observation was hazy, like I was not quite in my body yet.

“Well?” Ada said, crossing her arms. She was still in her pajamas, but her heavy-handed makeup was meticulously applied.

“Well what?” I repeated.

“Um, hello! Any explanation why your screams made me put down my mascara in mid-stroke and come rushing in here?”

“You have good hearing?”

“Perry!” Her voice bordered on a shrill hissy fit. Ada was always a degree or two away from full-on teenage angst.

“Well, I don’t know. I had a bad dream. Or something…”

It was a dream now, wasn’t it? My memory was disintegrating into bits and pieces, and the more I tried to recall it, the more I came up blank. But that feeling, that horrible feeling of dread still clung to the recesses of my mind like sticky cobwebs. Even the bright autumn sunshine that shone through my window wasn’t cleaning it up.

Author Info:

Karina Halle is a music journalist and all around wino who resides in beautiful British Columbia. When she's not rocking out or taking a nap, she can be found writing her ghost-hunting Experiment in Terror Series.

Links :

Blog | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Darkhouse  (EIT #1) is FREE!!! 

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~  Smashwords

Also you can grab The Benson (#2.5) free!!!

Amazon ~ Smashwords

Pick up these 2 and I will gift you the other 6 titles to complete the series!  You must respond to the winning email no later than Sunday, 10.28.12 to claim your prize!

The Devil's Metal tour ~ Guest Post

The following is an interview that Dawn Emerson did with famous tour manager, Jacob Edwards. This interview was nixed from the original 1974 article that Dawn wrote on Hybrid for Creem Magazine.



Dawn: Hi Jacob, thanks for taking a few minutes to sit down and talk with me.

Jacob: Aww, cut the crap Dawn, you’ve been hounding me all day. Can’t even sit on the bloody crapper without seeing your smiling face there.

Dawn: Yes, well, anyway, I know you’re a busy man…

Jacob: Then why are you interviewing me right now? You know the bus leaves in 30 minutes and I have no idea where the hell Robbie went.

Dawn:  I thought I saw him take that short, blonde chick around the corner.

Jacob: Well that’s no surprise. I guess if I need him I can go check the rubbish bins in about 10 minutes.

Dawn:  I promise this won’t take as long as that. But that brings up a question: You’ve been seen as one of the more vocal and intimidating tour managers out there-

Jacob: Is that so?

Dawn: Uh huh.  I was wondering how you manage keeping the boys in Hybrid alive and well.

Jacob: I’m keeping them alive, for now, I suppose. Keeping them well…that’s another story.

Dawn: It must be challenging to let them have their freedom without compromising their performance.

Jacob: As a tour manager, your first job is to manage. If that means I have to find them the prettiest trollops in arse-crack Minnesota in order to keep them in line, then that’s what I’m going to do. If keeping them obedient means letting them snort a kilo of coke up their nose every now and then, then that’s fine with The Cobb. Managing is about keeping the balance. I keep the balance.

Dawn: You keep the balance? Care you elaborate on that?

Jacob: Now you’re just being nosy.

Dawn: I’m a journalist. It’s my job. Just as it’s your job to be evasive.

Jacob: Right. Well, every band, whether it’s Hybrid, Wishbone Ash or someone else, they all have a tendency to over indulge in the bad and ignore the good. It sounds like simple math and it is…I just know that you have to have equal amounts of good and bad in order to keep a band alive. Or, at least successful.

Dawn: So Robbie can go bang the chick around the corner as long as it doesn’t interfere with his singing the next day.

Jacob: Exactly. There’s nothing wrong with them gang-banging groupies in a bathtub full of baked beans if it helps their performance.

Dawn: Hold on…who gang-banged groupies in a bathtub full of baked beans?

Jacob: A good manager never tells. Now if you’ll pardon me, I’ve got some managing to do.

Dawn: Wait, one last thing. Throughout the tour I’ve noticed a sense of urgency and despair from Sage Knightly. He’s yet to open up to me in any way and definitely avoids my many attempts at an interview…I was wondering if you could shed some light on that.

Jacob: Sage? Sage has some issues he’s working on. They aren’t really mine to comment on.

Dawn: What kind of issues? I know that the last album was almost entirely influenced by him and wasn’t perceived as well as the others. Does he feel like he’s let the band down or does he feel like the band is holding him back?

Jacob: I guess you could say both. I wouldn’t go about getting your expectations high about him, though. Sage is always the quiet, mysterious guitarist and that’s the role he’ll play to the bitter end.

Dawn: Who says the end has to be bitter?

Jacob: Welcome to rock and roll, Dawn.

Book Blurb: 

It’s the summer of 1974 and 21-year old Dawn Emerson has only three things she wants to do: compete one last time in the Ellensburg Rodeo, win back her ex-boyfriend Ryan, and become the best damn music journalist at Central Washington University. But all her plans are left in the dust when she’s contacted by Creem magazine to go on the road with one of her favorite groups, the up-and-coming metal band, Hybrid.

At first the assignment reads like a dream come true. Not only will Dawn land some much-needed credibility as a female music journalist, but she'll finally get to experience life from the other side of the stage, and maybe crack the drunken, enigmatic code that is guitarist Sage Knightly. Instead, Dawn finds herself on an aging tour bus filled with ego-maniacs, band politics and a whole lot of sex, drugs and rock n’ roll. When monsters start showing up in dressing rooms and some of Sage’s groupies become increasingly strange and dangerous, Dawn discovers the band is not only going places – they’re going straight to Hell.

And Dawn has a backstage pass. 

Additional info: the Devil's Metal is a New Adult Paranormal Romance

Author Info:

Karina Halle is a music journalist and all around wino who resides in beautiful British Columbia. When she's not rocking out or taking a nap, she can be found writing her ghost-hunting Experiment in Terror Series.


Links :

Blog | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon

Giveaway 1 : a Rafflecopter giveaway Giveaway 2 : a Rafflecopter giveaway

Waiting on Wednesday {#20}

Hosted by Breaking the Spine, a way to share upcoming highly anticipated releases.

My pick this week is Into the Hollow by Karina Halle with a tentative release date of October 23rd, 2012 by Metal Blonde Books.

Perry Palomino has fought her demons – and won – but the battle 

is far from over. She’s now left broken and on her own, leaving behind her life and family in Portland to focus on giving Dex Foray – and the Experiment in Terror show – a second chance. But their past mistakes continue to tease and test their relationship, as does the wild and desolate terrain of the Canadian Rockies. The snow-covered peaks and ravenous forests hide an urban legend too unbelievably frightening to be true and the only way the duo has a chance of surviving is if Perry can let in the very man who sent her to hell and back.

Rated 16+ for language, gore and sexual content

Damn I am so excited for this one!!!  This is one of my favorite series from one of my favorite authors and I CANNOT FUCKING WAIT for this!  Perry is one of the best female leads I have ever read about and Dex is easily one of my favorite fictional men of all time!  Karina keeps her fans on the edge of our seats by teasing us relentlessly and recently released the first 2 chapters (unedited) to whet our appetites!  

If you're caught up with the series, go here for a sneak peak from Into the Hollow!  If you're not caught up with the series, what are you waiting for?!  Pick up Darkhouse, where all the craziness started, for free on Amazon and Barnes & Noble !!!

The Devil's Metal tour ~ Review

The Devil's Metal

By Karina Halle

5 out of 5 STARS

It’s the summer of 1974 and 21-year old Dawn Emerson has only three things she wants to do: compete one last time in the Ellensburg Rodeo, win back her ex-boyfriend Ryan, and become the best damn music journalist at Central Washington University. But all her plans are left in the dust when she’s contacted by Creem magazine to go on the road with one of her favorite groups, the up-and-coming metal band, Hybrid. 

At first the assignment reads like a dream come true. Not only will Dawn land some much-needed credibility as a female music journalist, but she’ll finally get to experience life from the other side of the stage, and maybe crack the drunken, enigmatic code that is guitarist Sage Knightly. Instead, Dawn finds herself on an aging tour bus filled with ego-maniacs, band politics and a whole lot of sex, drugs and rock n’ roll. When monsters start showing up in dressing rooms and some of Sage’s groupies become increasingly strange and dangerous, Dawn discovers the band is not only going places – they’re going straight to Hell. 

And Dawn has a backstage pass.

***

Additional info: the Devil's Metal is a New Adult Paranormal Romance

Author Info:

Karina Halle is a music journalist and all around wino who resides in beautiful British Columbia. When she's not rocking out or taking a nap, she can be found writing her ghost-hunting Experiment in Terror Series.


Links :

Blog | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon

 ...The road to hell is paved with good intentions...

(Unknown)

Karina Halle has become one of my favorite authors not only for her writing style but her strong character developments and fantastically written plots. She's an auto buy for me and I'm so happy to read something new straight from the mind of this creative genius.

Ever wonder what it would be like to be on a tour bus with men of mass sex appeal, alcohol, drinking and demons at every stop?  No?  Well take a dive into The Devil's Metal and see what it's like through the eyes of a small town girl named Dawn as she goes on tour with Hybrid to write an article for Creem Magazine.

The characters... Dawn is a great lead character. She's authentic and deals with everything that is thrown at her with a strong spine. So much crazy stuff happens but she keeps her cool. Sage is a mystery but a great one at that.  Sage is, well, something else entirely. Not paranormally speaking. He's just this sexy, dark and mysterious puzzle that slowly unravels. His page time with Dawn is fantastic and eagerly had me flipping pages to see what would happen next.  But first how about a quick tease from the book to describe Sage...

I kept my eyes moving and settled on the last person on the bus. The person sitting at the end of the long couch.
Sage Knightly.
He was leaning against the wall with a book in hand, his long, black-jean clad legs sprawled in front of him. On his feet were his trademark flip-flops, his wide upper body in a wide-collared black shirt that was unbuttoned halfway, a peek of his scruffy firm chest popping through. Tattoos drifted out of the sleeves and onto his forearms. He was looking at me with all the intensity in the world, and in my numb state I couldn't read any expression on his face. His gray-green eyes were clear and piercing, framed dramatically by his low, strong brows. Black curly hair fell softly on his forehead and onto the sides. His dimpled chin was strong, his bottom lip was full with an upper lip that curved sweetly. His skin was bronzed and looked more exotic in person, alluding to his rumored Hispanic ancestry.
He was the man on my wall.
My musical hero.
My musical crush.
And he was on the bus, sitting there, right in front of me.

The cast of characters is varied and they all add different layers to this book. I enjoyed all of them immensely. Even the creepy ones. Those are the ones you have to watch out for.  Well, Jacob too.  I'm definitely keeping my eye on him. ;)

The plot... From the start the plot is set at a great pace. We aren't overwhelmed with too much information and are given just enough to give us clues for what is to come and keep us on the edge of our seats. The scenes flow from one to the other very smoothly and set up a wicked pace for the last half of the book. The horror elements are laced in with fantastic imagery and build-up to a terrifying speed.

Another highly enjoyable part of the book is all the music. Music is a passion of mine and I love how this is not only rich with decade inspired fashion and language, but how authentic all the music aspects are. The clubs, the tours, the fans... I was thrown into a decade long since passed and I loved every minute of it.  Extra bonus was the insight on what it is to be a female music journalist.  I'm sure it's not an easy road but one Dawn handles surprisingly well with her integrity intact.

I just have to finish by saying two things.
The last two chapters. HOLY CRAP! Seriously! Grab onto your seat 'cause it's a wild ride! Karina finished the story arc perfect in my opinion and left a few lingering questions as a great segue for the sequel. Fantastic. I couldn't have asked for a different conclusion.
Second thing I want to say? Holy hell Batman hot steamy sexy times! Whew! She knows how to write a sex scene without being too crude or having it be unbelievable. The scenes were perfect and complimented the story completely.

If you are in the market for something new and unique, this book is for you. It's sexy and terrifying all at the same time!  Give it a try today!

Please check back Thursday for a guest post from Karina Halle for The Devil's Metal tour!  You can also check out my Karina Halle tag for all my reviews and guest posts.

Giveaway 1 : a Rafflecopter giveaway Giveaway 2 : a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal ~ Into the Hollow by Karina Halle

Expected Publication: October 23rd, 2012 by Metal Blonde Books
Into the Hollows on Goodreads

Perry Palomino has fought her demons – and won – but the battle is far from over. She’s now left broken and on her own, leaving behind her life and family in Portland to focus on giving Dex Foray – and the Experiment in Terror show – a second chance. But their past mistakes continue to tease and test their relationship, as does the wild and desolate terrain of the Canadian Rockies. The snow-covered peaks and ravenous forests hide an urban legend too unbelievably frightening to be true and the only way the duo has a chance of surviving is if Perry can let in the very man who sent her to hell and back.

Karina has quickly become one of my favorite authors not only for the fantastic character developments and scary yet highly entertaining plot locations, but also because of her tremendous writing skills and the ease with which her books captivate me completely.  The synopsis mixed with this kick ass cover by  Najla Qamber really has me fucking excited to read this.  After all the crazy things that have happened throughout the series, I am ready for this one to continue a warped and terrifying journey into parapsychology as we follow Dex and Perry on their next adventure.

Karina has mentioned doing something for 30 days of EIT leading up to the release of Into the Hollow.  Check out Experiment in Terror on Facebook for future details!

Pssst.... Hey you!  Haven't read it yet?  Get Darkhouse,  #1 in the Experiment in Terror series FREE!!!
Nook ~ Kindle ~ Smashwords

Also you can grab The Benson (#2.5) free!!!
Amazon ~ Smashwords

Check out my Karina Halle tag to see my reviews and other fun posts.

Cover Reveal ~ The Devil's Metal by Karina Halle

Expected publication: September 2012 by Metal Blonde Books

Synopsis from Goodreads.  Add it to your to TBR list today!

It’s the summer of 1974 and 21-year old Dawn Emerson has only three things she wants to do: compete one last time in the Ellensburg Rodeo, win back her ex-boyfriend Ryan, and become the best damn music journalist at Central Washington University. But all her plans are left in the dust when she’s contacted by Creem magazine to go on the road with one of her favorite groups, the up-and-coming metal band, Hybrid. 

At first the assignment reads like a dream come true. Not only will Dawn land some much-needed credibility as a female music journalist, but she’ll finally get to experience life from the other side of the stage, and maybe crack the drunken, enigmatic code that is guitarist Sage Knightly. Instead, Dawn finds herself on an aging tour bus filled with ego-maniacs, band politics and a whole lot of sex, drugs and rock n’ roll. When monsters start showing up in dressing rooms and some of Sage’s groupies become increasingly strange and dangerous, Dawn discovers the band is not only going places – they’re going straight to Hell. 

And Dawn has a backstage pass.

***

The Devil's Metal is the first book in a two-part New Adult Horror/Paranormal Romance and very (very!) loosely based on the author's exploits as a music journalist. Hell comes in different forms.

Wow.  Just wow.  This cover is gorgeous!  Between the synopsis and the beautiful cover art by Bret Taylor, this is a must read for me.  I can't wait!!!  No really, can we fast forward?  Where's a DeLorean when you need one? ;)

~ Emmy

Dex-Files Blog Tour ~ My Interview with Maximus

Hey everybody!  I just wanted to say thanks once again to Karina Halle for letting me host this blog tour for her!  I love this series and it has been a pleasure to coordinate this and review it.  I also want to thank all the bloggers who participated!  This was a lot of fun and all these lovely ladies made it really easy for me! Please check out the blog tour main page for links to all the participating bloggers reviews and/or teasers.  


To wrap up the tour, I want to share with you my interview with Maximus.  Yeah, I flirt shamelessly with the big guy.  I have no regrets. ;)  Don't forget to enter for the US/Canada Giveaway at the bottom of the post!  



Dear readers:  I have tried my hand at ghost hunting before, staying in haunted hotel rooms, snapping photos at random in the middle of the night, leaving beef jerkey out in hopes to taunt "the butcher" into action... No such luck.  I feel some people are more sensitive to spirits then others.  I don't appear to be lucky (or unlucky) enough to have the ever loving crap scared out of me like we see happen to Dex and Perry all the time on their show Experiment in Terror.  Yes,  I'm a Shownet junkie.  So what better way to find out more than with an interview with a ghost whisperer by the name of Max featured in the Webisode Red Fox?  He was kind enough to agree to meet with me for coffee so I could ask him some questions.

*Drinking an extra chocolaty iced mocha, plugging away on my laptop, I shadow descends upon the table.  Looking up, then up, then up some more, I push my glasses up my nose and get a view of a ginger Elvis minus the horrible jumpsuit. This one wears plaid*

Hi! My name is Emmy! You must be Max.  It's nice to meet you!

Pleasure to meet you Emmy. Aren't you a pretty little thing. Oh, and it's Maximus if you don't mind.

*Blushes profusely* OK Maximus it is.  So tell me, what is it that you do?  Is ghost whisperer the term you would call yourself?

I reckon that makes the most sense, though I'm forever blaming Jennifer Love Hewitt for ruining that title for me. Actually, I reckon if I had to be more specific, "ghost listener" would be a more appropriate term. I can pick up on the feelings of the dead, their thoughts before they died but so far I haven't been able to communicate with them. Maybe one day. For now, I just lend the dead an ear.

What do you do with the information you learn from the dead?  Do you help the spirits themselves or is it more closure for loved ones?

Generally I pass the information to the spirit's loved ones. They are the ones who usually hire me to do this. They want to know the truth and I give it to them. I guess I can be seen as a guide of sorts. I'm not only helping the ones they left behind but I'm helping the spirits. Many of them are lost and reckless in the darkness and once I can pass on their message, they seem to go. In a way, I guide them toward the light. Pretty cool, huh?

Wow!  That's a pretty special talent you have there!  When did you first notice this gift?

Uh, well let's just say a very long time, darling.

Hmmm... Ok.  Let's backtrack a little if you don't mind.  Though you are proving to be a man of mystery, I'm going to try to get to the bottom of you. You have such a.... strong accent.  Where are you from?

Louisiana.

What was your major in college?  Any extra curricular activities?

I majored in Film Theory. My activities? Playing bass. Listening to ghosts. Talking to fine ladies like you.

*Clears throat*  Oh. Oh, ok.  Film Theory, I'm saving that topic for later but now you've sparked my curiosity.  *taking a long look at his clothing and pompadour*  So, do you play a stand up bass?  What kind of music do you play or listen to?

I listen to all kinds of music and believe it or not, I can play all kinds of music too. But I stick to the bass. There's something very raw and...sturdy about it. Real thick sounds. Hit you hard. Wouldn't you say? I don't play the stand-up but that would be fun one day. Maybe if I could find a jamming partner.

Well, there is something desirable about music that you can feel deep down in your bones, that makes you move to a rhythm you feel calls to you.  Are you in the market for a jamming partner?

Sure. What can you play?

Me?  Oh, I've tried my hand at the guitar off and on for about 15 years. It's that dreaded F chord that gets me.  I need to build up my strength in my fingers.  But I love to sing.  Not that I'm good.  Tolerable though.  I'm very theatrical.   If that sounds like something you're interested in, we could jam.

Do you like to be up on stage?  Performing for the masses with all eyes on you?

Don't be so bashful, little lady. I reckon we'd make mighty fine partners. For jamming..amongst other aspects.

I do like to be on stage. I'm not really a performer but I'm such a big fellow that the eyes can't help but come my way. 

*Big smiles*  Hmmm... Maximus, you have so many talents and such a commanding presence. *shrugs*  I'm not usually so bashful.  You have a way with words.  Are you a lyricist as well?

No not at all...I usually leave that to the singer.

Back to Film Theory...  Have you pursued the use of your degree?

Only recently as a matter of fact. It's kind of a hokey way of doing things and not really what I envisioned myself doing after NYU but I just started doing some projects for this website called Shownet. Don't worry if  you haven't heard of them...most people haven't.

*sigh*  I love Shownet!  That's how I got your name.  The Experiment in Terror webisode for Red Fox?  Wow!  That was some seriously crazy stuff.  Well, what little video coverage there actually was for us to see.  OK Mister Evasive, I'm setting myself up for this one but will try anyway.  What kind of projects are you working on?

Actually I had nothing to do with the Red Fox episode. Sure, you can see me in it sometimes and if it wasn't for me, they wouldn't have even filmed it at all but *shrugs* that's life.

Right now I have a few projects up my sleeve. I've been negotiating with Jimmy Kwan, the Shownet CEO, about possibly taking over the Experiment in Terror show since it seems to have died a miserable death, but there's just been talk. That's it.

Don't be so modest!  You should take credit for your connection with Red Fox.

*leans in*  What's all the drama?  Did something happen with the hosts of the show?  They have such great chemistry on screen.  Not that you wouldn't be a great addition. *winks*

I'm not too sure. I don't usually involve myself with other people's problems. *winks back*

Well, we all have our secrets.

Surely a show like that would benefit greatly with a skill like yours since you appeared in Red Fox.  I'm sure many would tune in to see you in action.

I've never had a paranormal experience myself but do know people who have.  How do apparitions appear to you?  Is it like a residual feed that you see that helps you in your line of work?  Can you hear them?

Sort of. I basically see them as they were and hear them as they were. It's like a faded imprint. It doesn't last very long either, so I have to be sharp.

Since you won't indulge in how long you have had this ability, can you at least tell me your experiences on learning to deal with it and how you use that information?

It's just so unique and would frighten me.  Are you bombarded or is it just when you seek them out?

Er...both. I can be bombarded. And I've had to seek people out too.

Well Maximus, I think you've revealed as much as you're willing to so I'll wrap this up.

If you were stuck in the Twilight Zone and had to repeat the same day over and over, what album, book and drink would you have everyday?  Let's throw in one more part, where would you be?

I reckon I'd have an ice cold Coors, a copy of Lestat, Led Zeppelin IV...and where would I be? Would saying "home on the bayou" be cliche? Because that little lady is heaven to me.

I had a swell time with you, Emmy. Thank you.

No, thank you!  It's been a pleasure. And maybe I should give you my number, you know, just in case you want to add anything.  *winks and hands him a business card* Bye Maximus!  *saunters out of the coffee shop*




So what did you think of our favorite douchecanoe?  Pretty evasive if you ask me.  ;) Just what is he hiding??? Leave a comment below!

 Enter for a chance to win one of the EIT books autographed by Karina Halle!  (Oh yeah, a Twinkie wallet too!)

Check out Escapism From Reality for the blog tour International Giveaway!

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Dex-Files Blog Tour ~ Review & Giveaway!!!

I've had the great pleasure of coordinating this blog tour this week for Karina Halle and the release of the The-Dex Files.  Please check out Escapism From Reality for the blog tour kick-off with her review and an International Giveaway!  Also check out the tour home page for calendar of events.  One of my favorite series out there, The Dex-Files is an intimate glimpse into the multifacted character of Dex Foray.  I loved every minute of it. 

The Dex-Files 

(Experiment in Terror #5.7)

By Karina Halle

5 out of 5 STARS

Release date: August 13th, Metal Blonde Books 

"And with madness comes the light..."

When I started this, I knew I was going to gain a new perspective of one of my favorite and tortured characters to ever grace my kindle. Is that dramatic?  Yes.  Is it how I feel?  Absolutely.  But what I did not expect was the larger puzzle unravelling that you will see if you just pay attention. I will not go into detail. This is too great an addition to the series to spoil anyone with my perceived revelations of the bigger picture.  But I got my eyes on you Karina, and your wicked ways.

My perspective of Dex Foray:

I’m a hypocrite because I can’t stand weakness in others, even though I’m born of weakness myself. I dish it out and then laugh when they try and dish it back. Like I’m above it. And sometimes I think I am.

I’m a hypocrite because I hunt ghosts and I’ve pretended all
this time that the ghosts haven’t been hunting me.

And I’m a hypocrite because I judge people. I judge the fuck out of everyone I meet, from their music tastes, to their jobs to their lifestyle choices. I judge them but fuck them if they dare judge me. They think they understand this monster in me, the monster in all of us. But they don't.

The prologue is a deeper look into the young Dex we got a sneak peak of in Old Blood.  The times they are a changing for this young one and I wanted to just give the lil guy a hug.  So young and scared.

In After School Special, Dex is 15 and a ladies man already.  Yeah, he was a slut.  Not going to sugar coat it.  We also get to see what a trouble maker he was and what was happening at home.  I had an "Oh shit" moment for sure.  The riddle starts to unravel.

Dear Abby:  Dex is in college.  Max joins the band and soon, Dex is dating Abby.  Just another little sliver in that crazy cranium of Dex's.  And all the while, I'm only 24 pages in and have already been astounded by this look into this amazing character.

Big Dumb Sex: I should not have enjoyed this as much as I did.  I was properly scandalized to say the least.

Fuck trouble.  I wasn't asking for it.

I was inviting it.

Butterfly Caught:  Red Fox!  This was such a fantastic book and things were still so new and fresh between him and Perry.  They're practically still strangers.  Max is back on the scene and we hear of a Dex Foray special.

Seriously people,  I could not put this down.  I wanted to know more about Dex, needed it.  To know what the hell he is thinking.  He's so complex.

... At the same time, I wanted to draw her out and make her strong, like a diamond from coal.

Digging the Grave:  During Dead Sky Morning...  So much was happening in that book.  My heart was breaking to read his inner thoughts.  Just one of many times that it would happen in this novella.

When Good Dogs Do Bad Things:  It was really hard not to jump to this chapter when I first got my hands on this ARC.

Then I threw caution to the wind and did the thing I'd been dreaming about doing.

You now what scene I'm talking about.  Karina brings out a whole new definition to the term Slip N' Slide and I couldn't appreciate her pervy mind more if I tried.  I make no apologies people.  I like getting to know the dirty side of Dex.  Every side of Dex is worth knowing.

It was a mistake, even if it was the most unregrettable mistake of my life. 

She Loves Me Not fast forwards to Lying Season.  This was a very poignant moment in discovering the depth of Dex Foray.  I can't even quote what I want to from this because it's so profound, so telling, and so heartbreaking.

Mr. Self Destruct: In all of the EIT books, this was the most difficult part to read.  My emotions change like a reflection upon a fun house mirror.

 Bailout:  This is an amazing insight into the future of Experiment in Terror in this glimpse from Into the Hollow.  This series has already taken us through many highs and lows, taken us to the darkest corners of Karina's imagination and the progression of the series looks just as emotionally gripping.

Karina also provides a soundtrack for the The Dex-Files with her use of song titles for most of the files.  Just one more reason for me to love this series.  “Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” ~ Berthold Auerbach

Overall, this series is one of my favorites and calls to me on many levels.   Possibly defined as a newer genre or category called new adult, it's generational yet timeless all the same as we see the characters encounter personal demons.

Enter below for a chance to win an autographed book from the Experiment in Terror series by Karina Halle!  This Giveaway is open to the US and Canada.  Also included is a wallet I embellished with a Twinkie.  ;)

Please check out Escapism From Reality for a chance to enter an International Giveaway for the Dex-Files Blog Tour!

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For more about Karina Halle, please check out these links:

Consequence of Sound

Experiment in Terror
Experiment in Terror Facebook
MetalBlonde on Twitter
Karina Halle on Goodreads

My reviews and tags related to Karina Halle and the EIT series:
~ Darkhouse (Experiment in Terror #1)
   (Free: Nook, Kindle & Smashwords)
~ Red Fox (Experiment In Terror #2)
~ The Benson (Experiment in Terror #2.5)
   (Free on Smashwords)
~ Dead Sky Morning (Experiment in Terror #3)
~ Lying Season (Experiment in Terror #4)
~ On Demon Wings (Experiment in Terror #5)
~ Old Blood (Experiment in Terror #5.5)
~ My interview with Karina Halle


Check back Saturday, August 4th for my interview with Maximus! ;)

Random Shenanigans ~ Karina Halle and the Dex-Files Blog Tour edition

Hey everyone!!!  So I've been busy coordinating the Dex-Files Blog Tour and I am so excited!!!  So this is my pre-tour post to give you a heads up!!!  (Yes, all the exclamations are important.)  I was hooked, devil horns and all, at the very beginning by what Karina started with Darkhouse.  The story arc is unique with great character development.  We have Perry, real yet flawed.  Maybe more relatable due to her flaws.  It has been amazing to see the transformation of her character throughout the series.  Also a big part of the EIT series is DEX!  What can I say about Dex?  Hmmm...  He can be obnoxious and over confident yet knows when to say the right things.   Well, he often says the wrong things most times too, but hey, that's one thing I love about him.



About Karina:

The daughter of a Norwegian Viking and a Finnish Moomin, Karina Halle grew up in Vancouver, Canada with trolls and eternal darkness on the brain. This soon turned into a love of all things that go bump in the night and a rather sadistic appreciation for freaking people out. Like many of the flawed characters she writes, Karina never knew where to find herself and has dabbled in acting, make-up artistry, film production, screenwriting, photography, travel writing and music journalism. She eventually found herself in the pages of the very novels she wrote (if only she had looked there to begin with).


Karina holds a screenwriting degree from Vancouver Film School and a Bachelor of Journalism from TRU. Her travel writing, music reviews/interviews and photography have appeared in publications such as Consequence of Sound, Mxdwn and GoNomad Travel Guides. She currently splits her time between her apartment in downtown Vancouver and her sailboat, where a book and a bottle of wine are always at hand. 


Darkhouse is her first novel and the first one in the Experiment in Terror Series. Things only get better from here on in.


What is The Dex-Files you ask?  It's a companion novel (#5.7) in the Experiment in Terror series all told from Dex's POV.  Read below for the synopsis on Goodreads.

Expected Publication: August 13th, 2012


The truth is out there...


The Dex-Files is a compilation novel that accompanies the Experiment in Terror Series and is not to be-read as a stand-alone. In the Dex-Files we find a variety of scenes and chapters from the enigmatic Dex Foray's POV from books #1-6 in the series. Some of these scenes have been previously published, albeit from Perry's POV, while other scenes are completely new.


In addition to it not being a stand-alone, the novel also contains some major spoilers and should be read only by those who have read all the published books in the series. 


Book #1 - Darkhouse
*Lighthouse Meeting
*Pie Scene
*Jenn and Dex


Book #2 - Red Fox 
*Bar Scene - extended
*Playing Nurse


Book #3 - Dead Sky Morning
*Strippers
*Truth or Dare
*Tent Scene


Book #4 - Lying Season
*Lunch With Friends
*The Big Question
*The Xmas Party


Book #5 - On Demon Wings
*A Phone Call

Book #6 - Into the Hollow
*Bailout

Calendar of events:

Monday July 30th ~ 

Sinfully Delicious Book Reviews  ~ Opening shenanigans Review  (US/Canada Giveaway)

Escapism From Reality ~ Review (International Giveaway)

Tuesday July 31st ~ 

The Bookish Babes ~ Review

Reading the Paranormal  ~ Review

Supa Girl Books ~ Teaser

Wednesday August 1st ~

Hackaroo's Reviews ~ Review

What The Cat Read ~ Review

Readers Confession ~ Guest Post or Teaser 

Thursday August 2nd ~

Supa Girl Books ~ Review

Little Read Riding Hood ~ Review

Pawing Through Books ~ Teaser

Friday August 3rd ~ 

Getting Naughty Between the Stacks ~ Review

What The Cat Read  ~ Guest Post

Unputdownable Books ~ Teaser

Saturday August 4th ~ 

Pawing Through Books ~ Review

Attack The Stacks ~ Review

Sinfully Delicious Book Reviews  ~ Interview with Maximus

I will be updating my Dex-Files Blog Tour page at the top with links for all the blog posts once they have been made. 

OK!!! Enough from me for now!  Oh, just one more thing... Check out my tag for EIT and Karina Halle for past reviews and other random shenanigans.

~~~~EMMY