Welcome: Author Frankie Rose!

For those of you that enjoy YA books, and haven't had the pleasure of reading Frankie Rose, please welcome her to our blog again!  Frankie is a real sweetie, down to earth and I just love chatting her up!!

Hi Frankie!!  It's so great to have you back on our blog!

Hey, Rhonda! I just love coming over to visit you! You’re always so welcoming and lovely.

Well Frankie, you have been a busy, busy lady! We are here to celebrate your newest release Raksha,which is the third book you have published in less than a year.  What can reader expect from Raksha?

Raksha is a YA dystopian novel, set in two different places—the Sanctuary and Freetown. Kit, the main protagonist, is a young girl on the run. She has spent her life as a falin, a fighter within the Sanctuary, participating in their monthly matches. She’s never asked questions, never been afraid of the fights, because the majority of people in the Sanctuary wear halos, a collar-like device around their necks that prevents them from feeling. The halos also have a secondary purpose in that they help heal the fighters when they’re wounded in the matches.

Kit is freed from her halo when she has to fight her best friend. She escapes and is found by Ryka, who leads her back to his home in Freetown. The story then follows Kit as she learns to handle feelings she’s never experienced before, as well as her struggle with the town’s priestesses, a group of supposedly holy women who want her dead.

Frankie, what inspired you to write this story??

Well, I wanted to write a novel built around knife fighting.  In my first book, I covered a couple of fights where the protagonist learned to defend herself with blades, and something just stuck with me about the whole thing. I researched; I did a lot of reading about Filipino knife fighting. I thought it would be really fun if I were to create a world where knife fighting was a way of life, an important rite of passage.

I also had a lot of Kit and Ryka’s characters down and desperately needed them to be a part of the story. They’re both a little fractured from what’s happened to them in the past, and I wanted them to be able to learn to lean on each other.

I just started reading this book, and I have to ask... Who is your favorite character, and why?

I’m going to surprise people when I say this probably, but right now my favourite character is James. He doesn’t have a massive role in this book, but he’s incredibly complex and I’ve enjoyed how baffled people have been by him. I’ve been asked, “what’s the deal with James? Is he a good guy or a bad guy?” A few people have tried to guess what’s going to happen with him in the next book, but I’m keeping quiet. I want to surprise everybody. I have a few little tricks up my sleeve where he’s concerned.

Of course I love Ryka and Kit, though. Writing them was really fun, especially as the walls started coming down for Kit and she admitted how she was feeling.

Are any of the characters in this story similar to you or anyone you know?

No, they’re not. When I write something, I want it to be entirely fictional. Things get messy when you start putting little snippets of other people into your work. Perhaps other authors don’t experience this problem, but when I’ve tried to do that in the past, the character somehow always morphs into that person and I can’t separate the two out. That gets annoying.

Will Raksha be part of a series, or a stand alone??

At the moment there are three books planned in the series. I literally just started working on the second book today. I’m really hopeful that I’ll be able to get it out in September/early October, but we’ll just have to see. I have other projects on the go, and sometimes other things take precedence over others.

Moving in a different direction, I learned why you like to write YA from your last visit.  Adult contemporary romance seems to be on the rise, do you have any plans to do any writing in that genre?

I’m about 70% of the way through writing my first NA novel, Icarus Rise, but I have to say I’m doing that in between other things. I’m not rushing it, because I want to stew on that storyline. It’s perhaps a lot darker than some NA novels, but then again I’ve read a few books recently that have been incredibly dark. It’s an interesting genre to write in at the moment and I definitely have a few other stories that would fall in the NA category that I’m going to pursue.

Quickie Questions:

What are you curently reading?

Right now, I’m reading 1Q84 by Huraki Murakami 

What is the next song in rotation on your ipod?

Only You by Ellie Goulding.

What is your favorite TV show?

The Walking Dead tied with Game of Thrones. You can’t make me choose ha ha!

Favorite fictional character (s) (Tv or Book)

Oh, toughie. Um, I think I’d have to say Jon Snow from Game of Thrones and Will Herondale from Cassandra Clare’s Infernal Devices series.

What do you do for fun?

Write! Ha ha… that’s a lame answer, but it’s true. There’s nothing I’d rather do than write. I’m a big photography nut so I do a lot of that, and I love going to the movies and reading. Also, I go skiing/snowboarding and bush walking, too.

Frankie, Thank you so much for stopping by today, as always it such a pleasure having you! I wish you all the best with Raksha and all your future work. 

Thanks for having me by, Rhonda! I would love to come hang out with you again soon! I have a few new projects I’m working on, so hopefully you’ll be catching a fourth book before July and a fifth in October. 

A HUGE, HUGE THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO IS PARTICIPATING IN THIS BLOG TOUR. I AM SO GRATEFUL TO ALL OF YOU, AND I SINCERELY HOPE YOU ENJOY READING RAKSHA. - Frankie Rose

EXCERPT:

I focus on him and clench my dagger in my hand. The sea of voices swells, and I’m certain I can pick out Miranda’s deranged shrieking, yelling over and over again, “End him! End him!”

Falin Asha’s brown eyes fix on me and it looks for a second like he’s crying. That can’t be right, though. I hover just out of his reach, staring at him. “What’s going on?”

He smiles crookedly and brushes his hair back out of his face. “It’s going to be okay, all right? Remember that.”

I’m so thrown by his comment that I am utterly unprepared for what he does next. The knife in his hand snakes out toward me, and I skitter away from him to the left.  He knows how I react, however, and he moves with me, my mirror image. He darts for me and does the unthinkable, something that spells the end to the fight and me along with it: he grabs hold of my striking arm at the wrist. A low gasp runs around the Colosseum, growing in pitch until it’s a rushing echo in my ears. I try and fumble for the Balisong on my belt, hoping I can flick it open and use it, but Falin Asha is there before me. He doesn’t knock my hand away, just holds his over it. He pulls me closer to him and sucks in a deep breath.

“Don’t let them see,” he hisses. With that, I feel a twisting movement between our two bodies, and then his eyes go wide. He looks stunned, the way Elin children do when they fall and they’re unsure whether they’re supposed to cry or not. I look down and see his own knife submerged up to the handle in his stomach. A cracking, bubbling noise comes out of his throat, and he smiles slowly at me. The whole Colosseum has gone deadly silent. I can think nothing other than this: What have you done? What on earth have you gone and done?

SHORT BIO

Frankie Rose is a British expat, who is currently enjoying the perks of living in Australia- her awesome husband, sunshine, and vitamin D. She spends her time creating fictional universes in which the guy sometimes gets the girl, the heroes occasionally die, and the endings aren't always happy. But they usually are.

PURCHASE LINKS

Available from 30 April.

SITE LINKS

Website:   www.frankierosewrites.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Frankie-Rose/149657735200116

Twitter:      @byfrankierose

Pinterest:   http://pinterest.com/frankierose101/

Raksha by Frankie Rose, Cover Reveal

Cover designed by Chelsea Starling

Raksha by Frankie Rose - Publication date: March 1st, 2013

She has no name. 
She has her knives; her training; her halo.

The first and second give her the tools and the skill to defeat the opponents she is pitted against each month. The third frees her from pain and fear. From any kind of emotion at all. Everything is as it should be. Everything is as it should be, until… 

FearPainAngerHappinessDesireGuilt

Love.

When a newly-named Kit escapes the Sanctuary after killing her best friend, the last thing she needs is another knife in her hand. Or Ryka, the damaged, beautiful blonde boy, who she refuses to let save her. Still learning how to process the onslaught of her new feelings, the sights and sounds of Freetown are overwhelming and strange. There are a hundred differences between her old home and her new one, but one thing remains starkly similar: the matches. Yet where the blood in the Sanctuary landed only on the colosseum floor, Kit will quickly learn that a river of red runs through Freetown’s very streets. 

Freed from the oppression of a society who stole her right to feel, the true horror of her old life leaves Kit wondering if she really has been freed at all. Would she be better off without the crippling horror of all the blood on her hands, or is the love of one boy worth living through all the pain?

Raksha is the call of the dead. It is the rumbling chant for fresh blood from the other side, the demand for sacrifice. The colosseum is behind Kit. The fighting pits await. 

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17157400-raksha

AUTHOR BIO

Frankie Rose:

Frankie Rose was born in the United Kingdom, but now lives with her husband in sunny Australia.

She officially makes things up for a living, and when she's not doing that, she is generally making paper birds out of receipts and old lists or taking photographs that make her smile. 

Author Links:

Website: http://frankierosewrites.com/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5834274.Frankie_Rose

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/frankie.rose101

Twitter: https://twitter.com/byfrankierose

Eternal Hope Scavenger Hunt, Frankie Rose

I read "Sovereign Hope" by Frankie Rose which was the first book in her Hope Series. It was refreshing to read YA PNR that actually held my intrest, and it was also a bit surprising to come across such a well develpoed cast of characters.  I am very excited to read Eternal Hope, and see what's next for Farley and Daniel.  Those of you participating in the Scavenger Hunt: Happy Hunting!  Also don't forget to visit the other blogs linked here for more clues!!

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http://bookwhales.blogspot.com/

http://booksaresanity.blogspot.com/

Book Information:

 

Title: Eternal Hope

Series: The Hope Series, Book Two

Author: Frankie Rose

Published: October 10, 2012

Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

 Synopsis:

He loves me, he loves me not, he loves me

When your friends go missing and you don’t know if they’re dead or alive; when you tie your soul to the one you love; when you kill to protect and your family suffers, there’s only one thing you can do:

Move to Montana.

Farley Hope is special. She was prophesied to kill the forebears of her bloodline- a race of cold-blooded Reavers, men who steal the souls of the living to gain power. The Quorum had counted on Farley ending her own life in the process, but when Kayden came to her aid and helped save both her and Daniel, he undid their plans. Now the Quorum are displeased, not only with Kayden, but with Farley and Daniel too. Though her father is now dead, Farley’s troubles with the Reavers are far from over. An ancient Immortal, trapped for a thousand years, wants Farley for himself, and he will stop at nothing to claim her.

With secrets that lead to anger and pain, that turn friendship to dust, the group must overcome the problems within their own circle before they have a hope of fighting off the powers that threaten their lives.

Amazon | GoodReads

About the Author:

As a child, I was always accused of being bookish because I wore glasses- big, horrible, ugly ones with too-thick lenses. Those kids, the super smart ones who always know which tender insecurities to poke at in order to provoke

life-long complexes, used to accuse me of reading too many books and that my eyes were going to rot out of my head (their words, not mine!)

The truth of the matter was a little more embarrassing: I used to sit too close to the T.V. That was the reason why I had to wear glasses, but kids don’t really care about small, insignificant details like the truth, and so I was labelled a nerd. The label kinda stuck, and after some sage advice from my awesome nana (nana, you rock!) I decided that if I was going to be abused for my supposed literary obsession, I might as well develop one.

I guess that’s how I got into books and reading at an early age. Since then, I’ve been ripping through books like they’re going out of fashion, which, thankfully, they’re not. Good thing, too, because I’m a writer now, and books are my business!

Thank you to everyone who has supported and encouraged me on my journey- look for your names in the acknowledgements! And a big thank you to you, the reader. I hope you’ve fallen in love with Farley and Daniel just like I have, and that you’ll join them in the next book, Eternal Hope!

Amazon Author Page | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads | Website | YouTube

 

Excerpt – Written specifically for the Scavenger Hunt and cannot be found anywhere but participating blogs:

Farley felt her face redden, which was _________ inappropriate. Daniel and Kayden were _______ she was watching, and for once their sparring lacked the flashy showmanship they usually employed to _______ her. For the two of them, nothing _______ beyond the dimly lit parameters of the hangar. Beyond the lunge, beyond the parry, beyond the block.

     This was how it would really go down, if they ever meant to do serious harm to one _______. Movements fluid and graceful, there was _________ primal about their circling. Quick _______ of calculating eyes, green and blue, preempting the other’s next move. Kayden’s hair was darkened with sweat, but both their chests rose and fell with __________ regularity. In and out. Slow and steady. The stern, focused expressions on their faces said ____ were in total control.

     Farley let the darkness wash over her and kept her presence hidden. The confrontation was too ___________ to interrupt. Bare chests, muscled and tanned; silver flashes of metal as their blades sang through the air. Even Cliff would have been impressed. Farley bit her ______ lip as Kayden darted _______ in a sure leap, thrusting out with deadly precision towards Daniel’s throat.

     The ______ would have been a killing blow. Would have been, if it had even ______. Daniel sprang back and duck-rolled over the dusty floor, crouching into a defensive pose. With his knife ________, his eyes lifted to fix on Kayden, but they _____ quite made it.

     Farley’s heart leapt to her throat. Those eyes, piercing and sharp, fixed on her _______. She swallowed and braced against the wall behind her, trying to camouflage with the _______. Kayden shifted forward, ready to take _________ of Daniel’s distracted position, but the dark-haired boy simply lifted his hand. A wordless gesture: ____.

Kayden stopped.

   Robotically, Daniel rose, his _____ suddenly vanished, and dropped the knife into the dirt. Kayden’s apparent confusion only lasted a second; the moment he ________ it - that she was there - was _______. One second he was ________ Daniel’s creased brow, the next he had spun around impossibly quickly and was staring, too. Blue and Green. Farley felt her throat closing up. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

    Daniel brushed a hand back through his slightly curling hair, his face trained into a nothing __________. There was ______ he could do to hide the war in his eyes, ______. “So you’re back.”

Silence flooded the hangar. Farley took a moment to _______, pretending not to ______ Kayden’s fist clenching repeatedly ______ the handle of his knife.

           “Yes,” she whispered, her voice _______. “I guess I am.”





Operation Find Daniel Revealed!! The Hope series by Frankie Rose

I was lucky enough to have been given the chance to read Sovereign Hope by Frankie Rose, and I absolutely LOVED it!! I'm anxiously awaiting the sequel Eternal Hope,  and we are excited to participate in this post with Frankie!

 


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Interview with Collin Atkinson- model, actor and the new hottie who will be gracing the cover of Eternal Hope, the second book in Frankie Rose’s Hope Series!!
Frankie Rose asked her readers to help her find the perfect guy to become swoon worthy Daniel Montisauri, and now Operation: Find Daniel is officially over! She would like to thank all of the awesome girls who took part in the operation, please accept this ten minute chat with Collin is your reward!



From Ali of Ginger Reads reviews:
What appealed to you about being the cover model for Daniel?
 Collin: I thought it was a great opportunity and I have a love for fiction, well anything that can get you out of your mind and into someone else’s perspective.
 
What career would you be pursuing if not for modeling?
Collin: Other than modeling I really enjoy medicine and helping people, I’m still in school working toward my biology degree at the moment actually but if I was to still work in the arts I would love to be an actor.
Girls in the States want to know... Boxers or briefs?
Briefs definitely, better support ;)

 If you could have dinner with anyone (dead, alive or fictional), who would it be and what would be the first thing you ask them?
Collin: I would have to say Zeus, I’m a sucker for Greek mythology and would love to ask him about all the stories that went untold.

 From Mel of Girls Hearts Books.
What sort of modeling do you normally do? Is this your first book cover?
Collin: Yes this will be my first book cover, I usually do commercial and editorial modeling along with some events which is why I was so excited for this opportunity!
 
What hobbies do you enjoy?
Collin: I’m a little nerdy actually, I really enjoy videogames, horror movies, and building computers but I’m from Florida so I also like wakeboarding, boating, camping and all that stuff as well.
 
Do you see yourself modeling 5 years from now? If not, what are your plans?
Collin: I hope so if the market still calls for it, I would really like to be acting at that point, hopefully on a television series!

 From Carmen of Book Me!
Hi Collin, Thanks for agreeing to this interview! We in the Book Blogging world love to get to know the guys gracing the covers of our favourite books! Is it weird that your purrrdy face is going to be out there as the physical embodiment of uber hot guy, Daniel Montisauri? And are you prepared for a whole heap of fangirls? 

Collin:I think I’m ready. I hope so anyway, is there a way to prepare for that? Haha, I think it will be a little weird because many of the people that have seen my photos are local and this will be on an entirely different scale, I think it’s awesome this series already has a fan base. I’m excited though, I think the book is great and I’m really happy to be working with Frankie!

Do you enjoy reading? Have you read the Hope series? If No, then do you intend to read the book your face will be plastered all over the front of? 

Collin: I love reading, it’s something I think everyone should do more of, helps you escape from reality and yes, I really enjoyed it and I feel I can relate to Daniel very easily.

What was your reaction when Frankie Rose asked you to be her Daniel for the Eternal Hope cover? 

Collin: My first thought was holy crap! Then it was…wait is this real! Once she responded I couldn’t wait to get involved further!

 Have you always wanted to be a model? And are there any big modeling campaigns that we would recognize you from? 
Collin: Actually up until about a year ago I never even considered it but a friend of the family told me I should try it and had a photographer reach me on facebook. I don’t have any major campaigns at the moment but I will be doing a shoot for the marketing of Abercrombie this September!

Daniel has been described as brooding and mysterious, while also being vulnerable and completely lovable at the same! Think you share any of his personality traits?   
Collin: I would say I’m very similar to him, especially when you first meet me I’m pretty quiet but as I open up I’m very easy to talk to and have a very strong love for all my friends and I think that goes both ways.

One of my favourite aspects of Daniel's character is his obsession with his engines. What about you, ever feel the need to get greasy-with-it under the hood of your car? Or are you strictly a lets-take-it-to-the-mechanic kind of man? 
 Collin:  I actually drive a pickup truck, a black ford f-150 my uncle gave me when I was 16, that truck is my baby haha. I don’t work on my engine per se but I do like to change my own oil, fuel filters, the basics, not on Daniel’s level but definitely not taking it to mechanic right away.

And finally, Collin, the question that thousands of girls, women, and maybe even a few men, will want to know now that you're gracing the cover of Eternal hope: ARE YOU SINGLE?  
Collin: Sadly no, I am taken at the moment hahaha! 

Sovereign Hope is out now! Eternal Hope is set to be released late October, make sure you catch it. Not only will Collin be appearing on the cover of the next book, but he will also be featuring in the book trailer too! You can like his page and drop by to say hello at https://www.facebook.com/bookcollin

Sovereign Hope by Frankie Rose

Farley Hope was seventeen when her mother disappeared. In the last six months not much has changed, except that her eighteenth birthday came and went and still no sign of Moira. Her life is just as complicated as it always was: since her father died in a car crash before she was even born, she’s officially parentless, and to top it all off she’s still suffering from the hallucinations. Mind-splitting, vivid hallucinations- the kind prone to induce night terrors and leave you whimpering under your covers like a baby.

The last thing on her mind is boys. Farley is on break from St. Judes’ when she meets Daniel. It’s not some casual run in at a party, or even a blind date with friends, though. Daniel is the guy stalking her in his 1970′s Dodge Charger; the guy standing at her  window in the LA lunch hour traffic, determined  on dragging her out of her truck.

The moment Farley lays eyes on Daniel, everything changes. However, regrettably for Farley, her life isn’t set to change for the better. She is drawn into a world that will shake apart everything she thought she ever knew. There are truths out there that she must learn: who her father really was, and what it means to have his blood flowing through her veins; that a person’s soul is their only real currency, and there are people who would do anything to take hers; that loving someone can hurt so much more than hating them; but, most importantly, when your future is predestined, there is little you can do to change it.

Farley Hope is prophesied.

 Her coming has been awaited for hundreds of years.

She is destined to end the tyranny of the Soul Reavers.

To do so she must die.

Release Date July 1st 2012

 Rhonda's Review

"When the tailsman and the fair sovereign borne of the line are found in unity, she will possess the power to destroy our great people forever."

I wanted so much to love this book!

I have been in the mood for something different lately, and haven’t been able to find one  that’s already in my kindle to read.  I ran across this book, and read the blurb, then viewed the trailer.  I’m a sucker for a good book trailer, (I know some people don’t dig them, but I do.) At this point I was certain this was the book I was looking for.

Well let me tell you, Frankie Rose delivered!!
This book in fact exceeded my expectations. I have kind of strayed away from YA books lately unless they’ve been Mature YA.  Mostly because of the maturity level of the characters.  I found the characters in this book to be absolutely wonderful! They were so much fun to read, from the H/h, Farley and Daniel, to the cast of secondary characters.   Farley was so cute with her sassiness, and her inner dialogue, and she stepped up to the plate when it was time to be a tough girl.  And who doesn’t love the mysterious brooding hero??   I absolutely fell in love with Daniel when he started letting the walls come down. These two made me smile a lot, and I loved the romantic element between them,  

The Reavers, which are the most powerful among the immortals and they are the villains.  I loved the simplicity of their background, and I didn’t need a glossary to follow the different types of Immortals.  They’re slightly like vampires but they’re not.  There is no blood exchange between them, they’re power comes basically from an exchange of energy if you will.  There are the Immundus who are like minions for the immortals, and then there are the people who live in the Four Quarters who are basically the “lower class” of the immortals. They don’t have any significant powers, but do have the life span of thousands of years.  Then there are the whytes which are basically an immortal abomination, they remind me of something straight out of  “28 Days Later”.

Sovereign Hope started out with a bang, and kept my attention throughout.  I had numerous questions swimming around in my head, but most were answered as the story unfolded.  I found the pacing of the story perfect, and it’s loaded with action.  I thought the author's descriptives were perfect in painting the scenes,  from the colorful world in Aldan's head to the action scenes. This story is told in the 3rd person POV, which I loved.  You get to see inside everyone’s head, and know what they're thinking and feeling.  Now I adored Aldan and Agatha so much, and loved Beatty too, these are my favorite of the secondary cast.  (My heart swells just thinking about them.)  I can't express enough how much I loved this book, however; I did hug my kindle when I was finished and was disappointed that my time with these characters was over.


Anyway, This is a fantastic book, and I haven't been this excited about sharing a book in a while!   I definitely recommend to those that enjoy a good YA read.  I can’t wait for the next book!! 

  A BIG thank you to Frankie Rose for the opportunity to read this!!

5 HUGE SHINY STARS!!!!