Wendy Russo Archives - Lindsey R. Loucks

January Black by @wendysrusso & Touch of Frost by @Rush_Monroe Release Par-tay!

December 15, 2014December 14, 2014 by Lindsey Loucks, posted in January Black, Lynn Rush, Touch of Frost, Wendy Russo

Books! Giveaways! Parties! Read on!

Wendy S. Russo is re-releasing January Black in print on the 15th, and Kindle on the 25th. Purchasers of the print copy will be able to pick up a Kindle copy for $0.99, and members of Amazon Prime will be able to read the book for free via Kindle Unlimited until March 25, 2015.

January Black Blurb:
Sixteen-year-old genius Matty Ducayn is the son of The Hill’s commandant. As such, he’s expected to conform to a strict, unspoken code of conduct. Small acts of defiance over years—such as walking on the grass—have earned him a reputation for being unruly. When sarcastic test answers finally get Matty expelled from school, King Hadrian offers him a diploma if he can answer a deceptively simple question, and then dismisses the only answer.

To prove his worth to society, Matty wrestles with the king’s word games, the kingdom’s historical record, and laws that don’t make sense. He meets Iris Locke, a street smart gardener, along the way. After enchanting him at a glance, Iris helps his research, keeps him out of trouble, and finally breaks his heart.

Alone again, Matty finds himself on collision course with a deadly law, one he will have to break to answer the king’s question. Was Hadrian challenging him, or teaching him a lesson? Without Iris, it won’t matter, because Matty won’t stand down for anyone else.

January Black is the 2013 Readers’ Favorite Silver Medal winner for YA-Coming of Age.

Book Links:

Kindle USA: http://bit.ly/januaryblack

Amazon Print: http://bit.ly/januaryblack-print

Kindle UK: http://bit.ly/januaryblack-UK

Kindle CA: http://bit.ly/januaryblack-CA

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/januaryblack-GR

Wendy’s Bio

Wendy S. Russo got her start writing in the sixth grade. That story involved a talisman with crystals that had to be found and assembled before bad things happened, and dialog that read like classroom roll call. Since then, she’s majored in journalism (for one semester), published poetry, taken a course on short novels, and watched most everything ever filmed by Quentin Tarantino. A Wyoming native transplanted in Baton Rouge, Wendy works for Louisiana State University as an IT analyst. She’s a wife, a mom, a Tiger, a Who Dat, and she falls asleep on her couch at 8:30 on weeknights.

Connect with Wendy on Facebook (http://facebook.com/wendysrusso) and Twitter (@wendysrusso).

LYNN’s INFO:

I have three novels releasing on the 15th–The Touch of Frost Trilogy. Originally they were released Amazon (digital) Only. But now, it’s everywhere, **including print**. So, since three books can be overwhelming, feel free to just focus on the Frostbite cover if that works for you. I’ll send a graphic that has all three covers on it. 🙂

BOOK BLURBS:

Frostbite (Touch of Frost #1)

–Book Trailer here: http://youtu.be/azsucCVtXL4?list=UUjjm2Iqo7D67gGnKG17tv2g

Amanda gives a whole new meaning to cool…

Amanda Smith is sick of getting chased from town-to-town. So when she lands in tiny Trifle, Arizona, she hopes it’s her last move for a long time. Despite hating the smallness of the town, she settles in and finds a best friend, and even a boyfriend. Normality at its finest.

But for a girl who can shoot snow from her hands and lift a two-ton truck over her head like a bag of feathers—normal is not an option.

The scientists who murdered her mother come barreling into Amanda’s quiet life. She must decide if she’ll run again or stay and fight. The price of either choice might be her life or the lives of those she’s come to love…

Absolute Zero (Touch of Frost #2):

Death may be the only way I can live…

The Center is destroyed. Mandy and Georgia have their own place near campus and are ready to start their new lives as college students. All that’s missing is Mandy’s steamy relationship with Zach. His sudden distance and irritability has Mandy wondering…and possibly wandering.

Nate Ashcroft, a beautiful, but mysterious, guy literally falls into Mandy’s life, shattering her already unstable relationship with Zach. When an unknown agency sets its targets on Mandy and Georgia, ugly truths of Mandy’s powers, her parents’ deaths and the people she’s chosen to trust send her life into a tailspin.

One only her death can stop.

Cryostorm (Touch of Frost #3):

They made his body, she’ll awaken his soul…

Three months ago, my twin sister, Georgia, and I had to die so our loved ones would be safe from the scientists hunting us. After months of searching, we’re close to finding the one person who can help us find closure, Georgia’s adoptive mother, Lois.

Snowstorms and an unexpected run-in with GenCorp, the latest entity charged with capturing us, delay our mission and break our spirits. The only light in my supernaturally chaotic life is Nate. He’s given up everything to protect and take care of me, and each minute I’m with him confirms how much I love him. Finally ready to share my heart again, I take the next step, admitting my true feelings.

The mad scientists who want to tear me apart and use my body for a freak show, once again taint my happiness with a disturbing technology that rips Nate from my arms. As I battle GenCorp’s warped technology to save my soulmate, I’m faced with the vivid reality: the Nate I knew and fell in love with may be lost forever.

And if I get him back, will I still be able to say those three precious words?

LINKS FOR TOUCH OF FROST BOOKS:

Frostbite:

Kindle USA: http://bit.ly/FrostbiteAMZN

Amazon Print: http://bit.ly/FrostbiteAMZNPrint

Kindle UK: http://bit.ly/FrostbiteAMZUK

Kindle CA: http://bit.ly/FrostbiteAMZCA

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/FrostbiteBN

Barnes & Noble Print: http://bit.ly/FrostbiteBNPrint

Kobo: http://bit.ly/FrostbiteKobo

iBooks: http://bit.ly/FrostbiteiTunes

Absolute Zero:

Kindle USA: http://bit.ly/AbsoluteZeroAMZN

Amazon Print: http://bit.ly/AbsoluteZeroAMZNPrint

Kindle UK: http://bit.ly/AbsoluteZeroAMZUK

Kindle CA: http://bit.ly/AbsoluteZeroAMZCA

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/AbsoluteZeroBN

Barnes & Noble Print: http://bit.ly/AbsoluteZeroBNPrint

Kobo: http://bit.ly/AbsoluteZeroKobo

iBooks: http://bit.ly/AbsoluteZeroiTunes

Cryostorm:

Kindle USA: http://bit.ly/CryostormAMZN

Amazon Print: http://bit.ly/CryostormAMZNPrint

Kindle UK: http://bit.ly/CryostormAMZNUK

Kindle CA: http://bit.ly/CryostormAMZNCA

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/CryostormBN

Barnes & Noble Print: http://bit.ly/CryostormBNPrint

Kobo: http://bit.ly/CryostormKobo

iBooks: http://bit.ly/CryostormiTunes

LYNN’S BIO:

Growing up in the land of 10,000 lakes and cold, snowy winters, Lynn Rush has been known to weave a little of that cool Minnesota climate into her stories, but these days, she much prefers desert living. She resides in Phoenix, Arizona, with her husband, and when she’s not busy writing her next trilogy, she can be found pounding the pavement, training for her next endurance event.

Connect with Lynn on Twitter (@Rush_Monroe), through Facebook (Facebook.com/LynnRushWrites), or her website LynnRush.com.

Don’t forget to enter the giveaways! Prizes are: #1: $25 e card, #2: Magical Swag Pack from Wendy Russo; #3: Frosty Swag Pack from Lynn Rush. GIVEAWAY is Open 12/15-12/31/14.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And don’t forget to join the Facebook party tomorrow! I’ll be there, too! Here’s the link: https://www.facebook.com/events/743540915729689/

#petthecover: January Black by @wendysrusso

November 10, 2014November 9, 2014 by Lindsey Loucks, posted in January Black, Pet the Cover, Wendy Russo

Sixteen-year-old genius Matty Ducayn is the son of The Hill’s commandant. As such, he’s expected to conform to a strict, unspoken code of conduct. Small acts of defiance over years—such as walking on the grass—have earned him a reputation for being unruly. When sarcastic test answers finally get Matty expelled from school, King Hadrian offers him a diploma if he can answer a deceptively simple question, and then dismisses the only answer.

January Black is the 2013 Readers’ Favorite Silver Medal winner for YA-Coming of Age.

January Black will be available for pre-order on Amazon 11/28/2014.

About the Illustrator

Liliana Sanches started studying Visual Arts at the age of 16 and soon felt attracted to the Romantic artwork from the 19th century. The Pre-Raphaelites and Friedrich were her biggest inspirations at the time, and she felt compelled to explore this graphic language of desolated landscapes that were the reflection of the painter’s emotions.

After graduating college, specializing Graphic Design, she created her own business under the name of “Princess of Shadows.” Her style had now evolved and had technical knowledge to support it. Intricate concepts with a much better grasp of image composition and visual balance, and also used color and shape psychology to imprint her work on the viewer.

Along the years she has been working with musicians, authors and even other designers who have allowed her to express her creativity, develop visual communication skills and explore different graphic styles to better suit each project.

Nowadays, here personal work has been exploring the human psyche, imbuing it with a dark surreal feeling. Her biggest inspirations are J-Horror movies, dreams/ nightmares and mental health pathologies.

Princess of Shadows on DeviantArt

About the Author

Wendy S. Russo got her start writing in the sixth grade. That story involved a talisman with crystals that had to be found and assembled before bad things happened, and dialog that read like classroom roll call. Since then, she’s majored in journalism (for one semester), published poetry, taken a course on short novels, and watched most everything ever filmed by Quentin Tarantino. A Wyoming native transplanted in Baton Rouge, Wendy works for Louisiana State University as an IT analyst. She’s a wife, a mom, a Tiger, a Who Dat, and she falls asleep on her couch at 8:30 on weeknights.

YA Book Alert: #JanuaryBlack by @wendysrusso

December 11, 2013 by Lindsey Loucks, posted in January Black, Wendy Russo

About January Black

Sixteen-year-old genius Matty Ducayn has never fit in on The Hill, an ordered place seriously lacking a sense of humor. After his school’s headmaster expels him for a small act of mischief, Matty’s future looks grim until King Hadrian comes to his rescue with a challenge: answer a question for a master’s diploma.

More than a second chance, this means freedom. Masters can choose where they work, a rarity among Regents, and the question is simple.

What was January Black?

It’s a ship. Everyone knows that. Hadrian rejects that answer, though, and Matty becomes compelled by curiosity and pride to solve the puzzle. When his search for an answer turns up long-buried state secrets, Matty’s journey becomes a collision course with a deadly royal decree. He’s been set up to fail, which forces him to choose. Run for his life with the challenge lost…or call the king’s bluff.

January Black is the silver medalist in the 2013 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards, Young Adult – Coming of Age category.

Praise

Reader Reviews

Blog Reviews

The Year of the Snake

February 10, 2013February 9, 2013 by Lindsey Loucks, posted in Crescent Moon Press, The Grave Winner, Wendy Russo, Year of the Snake

Today marks the beginning of the Chinese new year. According to the Chinese Zodiac, 2013 is the Year of the Snake. Some of the things that the snake represents are deception, delusion, and opportunism. Dun, dun, dun!

Wendy Russo came up with the brilliant idea to help celebrate the new year and those cunning snakes by posting a scene from our writings that has to do with deception, delusion, and/or opportunism.

Here’s my scene from The Grave Winner:

The [news] woman turned towards me. Her eyes grew brighter as she click-clacked her ruby red high heels faster than I’d ever seen anyone go. Before I could run or react, she took my elbow and dug her sharp red fingernails into my arm.

“What do you think is causing the dead to return to life?” She shoved her furry microphone at me.

I glared at her over-excited, makeup-plastered face. “I… try not to think about it. But people like you make that impossible.”

Something flickered across her eyes, and she gasped. Was she shocked that I wasn’t eager to participate in this news circus? She stared at me a beat past uncomfortable, smoothed an eyebrow, then smiled into the camera. “Perhaps it’s the result of too much processed food. We’ll have more at ten on this developing story.”

“And we got it.” The cameraman lifted the bulk off his shoulder and pressed several buttons.

“What do you think you’re doing?” a female voice hollered. Mrs. Rios, the Spanish teacher, dodged reporters and trotted up to the woman. “There’s no way you had enough time to contact this student’s parents for permission to put her face on TV. You just got here.”

The news lady removed her grip from my arm. “Relax.” She turned and glared at me. I was getting a lot of that today. “We’ll cut her attitude and just use a shot of her lunch tray.” She gave Mrs. Rios a chilly smile. “No harm done.”

Yep, it’s short and non-spoilery, and it’s deceptive and opportunistic in more ways than one. My evil laugh goes here.

If you’d like to read more slithery Year of the Snake inspired scenes from other authors’ works, here is a list of participants. You should definitely check these out!

Happy Book Birthday to January Black

January 20, 2013January 20, 2013 by Lindsey Loucks, posted in Book Birthday, Books, Crescent Moon Press, January Black, Pet the Cover, Wendy Russo

Actually it’s a belated birthday, but it still counts! My fellow Crescent Moon Press sister, Wendy S. Russo, has just released her debut YA book called January Black.

Here’s the cover:

Pet it. Love it. It’s so pretty!

Here’s the blurb:

As the son of The Hill’s commandant, sixteen-year-old Matty Ducayn is expected to conform to a strict, unspoken code of conduct. Small acts of defiance over years—such as walking on the grass—have earned him a reputation for being unruly. When sarcastic test answers finally get Matty expelled from school, King Hadrian offers him a diploma if he can answer a deceptively simple question.

What was January Black?

The challenge takes Matty, and his girlfriend Iris, beyond The Hill’s walls and tightly controlled media into a gritty world kept in check by riot police. There, the young couple follows a path through old books and clandestine news pages that becomes a collision course with a deadly royal degree.

As he realizes he’s been set up to fail, Matty must make a choice: walk away from the challenge with Iris and his life. Or call the king’s bluff.

It’s available at Amazon in both Kindle and paperback versions, and it’s available at Barnes and Noble. You should totally go read it!

A Midsummer Night’s Blog Hop Character Interview

June 21, 2012 by Lindsey Loucks, posted in A Midsummer Night's Blog Hop, Crescent Moon Press, Diane Haynes, Leigh, The Grave Winner, Wendy Russo

My lovely and talented Crescent Moon Press sister Wendy Russo put together a super fun blog hop. I joined (duh!), and Wendy paired me with the lovely and talented Diane Haynes, also a fellow Crescent Moon Press sister. Our main characters were to interview each other. Leigh is my main character from The Grave Winner. Micah is Diane’s main character in her book Rift Healer (more info about it below). When these two characters got their mouths flapping, sparks flew, and not the romantic kind either.

This is how it went down:

Leigh: Hey. How’s life?

Micah: Good, thanks. Hey, what’s with the hair? And the piercings?

Leigh: What about my hair? You have a problem with my hair? Of all the things to pick at, like my combat boots or my decapitated doll shirt, you have a problem with my hair. It’s a normal shade of blond, genius. Just like my mom’s. Now back off.

Micah: Is that a knife in your boots? Real classy. I carry a wand.

Leigh: A wand? Huh. My sister would love you then. She’s all into wizards and stuff. She’s read the entire Before Merlin’s Beard series three times. So do you do magic?

Micah: Yeah. But it’s nothing I can tell a ‘muggle’ about. And, umm…sorry, but I’m not really interested in speaking with your sister–I’m in love with a genuine angel. Her name’s Haley and she’s the most beautiful girl in the world. You wanna talk about magic? She’s IT.

Leigh: Oh, ouch. I just got burned. My sister’s nine, by the way. You’re probably a little too old for her, lover boy.

You can’t, you know, raise the dead or anything with your magic, can you? If so, stay away from Heartland Cemetery or else your face will soon get a nasty visit from my fist.

You’re in love with a genuine angel? Cool. I’m not in love with anyone. I thought I was in “like” with my best friend’s brother, but he turned out to be such a liar. But there is that one boy who always lurks around the cemetery… I can’t believe I just told you that.

So, this Haley girl-what’s she like?

Micah: I see the dead and sometimes I talk to them, but I avoid cemeteries–they’re a bit too crowded. Haley’s wonderful. She can heal the earth. There’s no one like her and I can’t believe I finally found her.

Oh, and lay off the tough-girl thing. You don’t fool me, or anyone else.

Leigh: Tough girl thing? Whatever. You must think you’re soooo smart. Don’t think for one second that you know me. You don’t know how it feels to have your mom die. You don’t know how it feels to have the prom queen come back from the dead the same day as your mom’s funeral. So take that big brain of yours and–did you just say “heal the earth”?

Micah: I’m sorry about your mom, but the prom queen? I see that sort of thing everyday. No biggie. And yeah, Haley just points her wand and the gashes in the earth close. She’s amazing. I have the ability to see people who’ll be important to me in the future and Haley is all over my future. I knew about her months before I even met her. The things I can do made her nervous at first, but now–we’re good.

Leigh: Yeah, right. No biggie. I suppose the inky darkness that seeps from her feet and kills everything is no biggie either, huh?

But gashes in the earth? What kind of gashes? Ones caused by earthquakes or something? We don’t have earthquakes in Krapper, Kansas, so I wouldn’t know about those.

So you can see people who are important to your future? Can you see into my future?

Micah: I think you’re imagining the inky crap–that stuff just doesn’t happen. The gashes in the earth were caused by a rare earthquake in MA. and monsters were leaking out. It was up to us to heal the earth and close the rifts.

And, no. I don’t see anyone else’s future. Nice try.

So, who’s taking care of you and your sister?

Leigh: It’s so easy for you to dismiss everything I say, huh? It’s “no biggie” about the dead prom queen, or I’m just “imagining the inky crap.” Are you always so dismissive of people who aren’t “important to you in the future”? If Haley wasn’t important to your future, would you dismiss her too? You sound like you’re really full of yourself.

And my dad is taking care of me and Darby. Not that it’s any of your business.

Micah: Hey, let’s calm it down a bit.

Okay, so what did the prom queen say? Did you know her? Why do you think she appeared to you?

I don’t dismiss those who aren’t important to my future, I just…hmmm. Maybe I do. It just seems like there’s never enough time. You wouldn’t bother with someone just walking down the street–unless maybe they were in trouble, right? That’s how I feel about most people. Other than this conversation, you and I will never see each other again, but here I am, trying to understand you. And see how much fun I’m having?

Let’s leave Haley out of it.

Leigh: I’ll calm down when I feel like it. Yeah, I knew the prom queen, but her social circle is my social nightmare. I don’t know why she appeared to me. Probably because she was in the graveyard, and I ran off after my mom’s funeral. I almost stepped in the black inky stuff dripping off her. I thought my grief was making me see things. But I wasn’t.

I only dismiss people who are wrapped up tight in their own lives to even glance at other people. Like the prom queen’s social circle. Are you the prom king type?

Micah: Why are you so angry? Are you always so rude to people who try to help you?

It’s no wonder you’re not part of the prom queen’s circle–if I were as socially awkward, angry and jealous as you, no one would want to be around me either.

And yeah, I was the Prom King–what of it? What does that prove to you? That I’m good-looking? Not my fault. That I have a good personality & people like me?ALL my fault. You see, I make an effort to be nice to people and get along with them. Something you probably can’t even imagine.

You’re not bad looking. You might have been Prom Queen or even had a DATE, if you smiled occasionally.

You need an attitude adjustment.

Leigh: I’m angry because my mom’s dead, the prom queen came back to life on the day of my mom’s funeral, and I’m afraid my mom’s going to come back next, okay? My mom can’t come back from the dead looking like the prom queen with her mouth hanging wide open, looking terrified, and dripping darkness everywhere. She just can’t!

And I don’t see you trying to help me. All you’re doing is dismissing me and telling me I need an attitude adjustment. That helps me how? Why don’t you take your Prom King self and go make out with Haley or go heal a gash in the earth or something.

Micah: I’m sorry your mom’s dead. Really.

And I can help you. I talk to the dead, find out what they want and send them back. The drippy prom queen’s just looking for attention. They do weird stuff like that when they have something important to say. She will follow you around until you figure it out. I don’t think your mom would do that to you.

Since it all started at the cemetery, let’s go there.

Honestly, I’ve done this before.

Leigh: Okay. I’ll go to the cemetery with you. The prom queen just speaks in unintelligible whispers though, but maybe you can understand her.

Once we’re there, what will you do? Just talk to her?

Micah: You know, you’re kinda pretty when you’re not growling like a mad dog.

Leigh: You’re not so bad yourself for a prom king.

*They both head to the cemetery.*

They didn’t kill each other! *throws confetti* Yay! This was great fun. Special thanks to Diane and Micah for putting up with Leigh and me. If you would like more information about Rift Healer, here’s the cover and blurb:

After a minor earthquake, the enchanted forest in Bidwell, MA, is infested with monster-spewing rifts.

Gisele’s great nephew, the gifted Micah, and his distant cousin, Selena, arrive to assist. Together with Gisele’s summer students, twins Haley and Lacey, they will try to help the magical forest.

Much to the consternation of the beautiful Selena, Micah identifies Haley as The One whom he’ll share his future. But after witnessing a terrifying display of Micah’s Gift, Haley cools to his advances and unexpectedly discovers her own Gift– she can heal the earth.

Monsters, mayhem, and teenage angst follow the small group as they confront evil in the forest and a dangerous prediction that ‘one will fall’. Will they heal the rifts in time? Can they save the unicorns? And is Haley really destined to be with Micah?

It sounds awesome!!!

If you would like more info about my book, The Grave Winner, here’s the blurb and a link to add it to your Goodreads page (I don’t have a cover yet):

Leigh Baxton is terrified her mom will come back from the dead — just like the prom queen did.

While the town goes beehive over the news, Leigh bikes to the local cemetery and buries some of her mom’s things in her grave to keep her there. When the hot and mysterious caretaker warns her not to give gifts to the dead, Leigh cranks up her punk music and keeps digging.

She should have listened.

Two dead sorceresses evicted the prom queen from her grave to bury someone who offered certain gifts. Bury them alive, that is, then resurrect them to create a trio of undead powerful enough to free the darkest sorceress ever from her prison inside the earth.

With help from the caretaker and the dead prom queen, Leigh must find out what’s so special about the gifts she gave, and why the sorceresses are stalking her and her little sister. If she doesn’t, she’ll either lose another loved one or have to give the ultimate gift to the dead – herself.

If you wold like to follow the rest of the blog hop, see below:

The Interviews!

Gregor Caine + Circe (Christine Ashworth & Claire Gillian)

Sydney + Poseidon (Cindy Young-Turner & Sasha Summers)

Caleb + Arland and Kate (Kinley Baker & Krystal Wade)

Leigh Baxton + Micah Fuller (Lindsay Loucks & Diane M. Haynes)

Shayla Dormyr + Kara Magari (Raven Bower & S.M. Boyce)

Kellyn O’Brien + Julianna (Louann Carroll & Siobhan Muir)

Ivory + Sara Wiley (Rebecca Hamilton & Sandra Bunino)

Xylia and Landon + Avant (Avery Olive & Kary Rader)

Asar + Matty Ducayn (Jean Murray & Wendy Russo)