ENDURE COVER REVEAL!

OH EM GEE, GUYS.

I am thrilled to death to be part of Laura Diamond's cover reveal for her new YA book, Endure. No, you don't understand. I got to beta a *much* earlier version of this book, and I was in love. So the fact that it's coming out soon has me flailing. Laura is an extremely talented author, and I think Endure is going to be her best release yet. Please check out the info, preorder if it's available (and if not, mark your calendars for July 12!), and support this talented lady!

Title: ENDURE (Book One of the Endure Series)

Author: Laura Diamond

Publication Date: July 12, 2013

Genre: YA dystopian

Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Justin's anemic blood is a blessing. Or a curse. It all depends on who you ask.

To most of the immortal Vie, his blood is a scourge: untouchable and useless. To some Vie, his blood is a drug. To Justin, it’s something that gets him in a lot of trouble. Being poisoned by a Vie is just one example. His sister getting kidnapped is another. Whether it’s being coerced by a deluded cult leader, or negotiating with Alex—an Vie scientist addicted to Anemie blood—Justin struggles to keep every mutated drop of blood he’s got.

His fight for survival gets more complicated when he meets Alex’s slave, Cara. Despite coming from different worlds, they’re both prisoners, at risk of being drained by a hungry Vie any moment. When she risks her own neck to help Justin find his sister, he's left with a terrifying choice.

Saving what's left of humanity.

Saving his sister. Saving the girl he loves.

Or sticking a stake in Alex’s chest. 

Justin can't decide which option will get him killed first.

Please visit ENDURE on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/review/new/18112776-endure

About Author Laura Diamond:

Laura Diamond is a board certified psychiatrist and author of all things young adult paranormal, dystopian, and horror. Her Young Adult Paranormal Romance novelette, NEW PRIDE, and novel, SHIFTING PRIDE, debuted late 2012 from Etopia Press. A spin off short story based on the lions of Tsavo, TSAVO PRIDE, is now available on Amazon. Forthcoming novels include EVOKE, Book Two in the ENDURE series, from Etopia Press, and a Young Adult Paranormal Romance, ZODIAC COLLECTOR, from Spencer Hill Press. When she's not writing, she is working at the hospital, blogging at Author Laura Diamond--Lucid Dreamer and renovating her 225+ year old fixer-upper mansion.

Find Laura Diamond on the web:

Blog: http://lbdiamond.wordpress.com/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/diamondlb

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/laura.diamond.52

Facebook Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorLauraDiamond

Website: www.AuthorLauraDiamond.com

Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Laura-Diamond/e/B009Y7L432/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1353277817&sr=1-2-ent

Goodreads author page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5815639.Laura_Diamond

Review: Tsavo Pride by Laura Diamond

Rogue shapeshifters, Santamo and Legeny, believe they are kings blessed with the power to shift into lions. Using that strength, they brutally defend their land from the British building the Ugandan Railroad that threatens their way of life. On a particularly ruthless raid, Santamo meets his match—Naserian. He spares the girl’s life, a move that fractures his relationship with Legeny and blurs his visions of cleansing his territory of invaders.

While the pile of bones in Santamo and Legeny’s cave grows, so does Santamo’s attraction to Naserian. When she challenges him to give up his murderous ways, will Santamo stay on the path of death he believes is his duty, or will he choose Naserian, and love?

Tsavo Pride is a companion short story to Diamond’s novel Shifting Pride (review here) and brings the story of the Tsavo lions, the shifters Nickie Leone briefly reads about as she’s learning about her true shifter nature—“For example, the lions of Tsavo, Africa, were frequently thought to have been shape-shifters gone rogue, former kings taking revenge on European invaders.”

That is exactly the story Diamond gives us. Though it’s brief, it’s also powerful and tragic. Diamond quickly tosses us into the mix as we watch the British, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Patterson, construct a railroad through the heart of Santamo’s territory. As the alpha of a two-man pack, Santamo takes it upon himself to figure out a way to stop Patterson. All the while, his brother and beta, Legeny, craves blood.

Diamond does an excellent job of getting the reader to crave more. Santamo’s dark imagery and defiance are palpable as we get the story from his first person viewpoint. He and his brother are not kind, yet there’s still a likeability to the alpha that keeps the reader invested in his revenge plot, even though in the end, it costs him everything he loves.

Readers who’ve loved Diamond’s intelligent and sometimes gritty world of shifter political intrigue would love Tsavo Pride, especially considering how this story helps shape our understanding of just how powerful the Leone line of black panthers truly is. By itself, Tsavo is able to stand on its own four paws as a beautifully tragic tale of how grief and anger and revenge can rob a person of what he desires most. 

Review: Shifting Pride by Laura Diamond

All month long, bloggers have been celebrating the release of Laura Diamond's newest release, Shifting Pride.


Here's the blurb:
 

Sixteen-year-old Nickie Leone has proof that her missing (presumed dead) father is still alive. Receiving his watch in the mail is the first in a line of clues brining her closer to discovering his whereabouts.

But clues aren’t the only new thing in Nickie’s life. There’s the Memorial Banquet her mother insists she help prepare for … there’s the new kid/hottie, Xavian, and … well, the growth of whiskers and a tail!

Filled with secrets and a new love of tuna fish, Nickie must partner up with Xavian (don’t you know he’s a shapeshifter too?) to rescue her dad before she loses him forever. Oh, and she need to figure out how to be a cat, too.

I loved this book, and I was sad when I read the last words. Diamond has created such an interesting world, complete with complex pack politics and an engaging mystery, and nestled it so neatly within our own. I feel like I could walk out my door and find a new shifter friend, or enemy. What I appreciated most about Shifting Pride is the care Diamond takes in interspersing shifter info and lore into the story, be it with a book Nickie finds or folklore other shifters share with her. Diamond is very thorough in her world-building and it definitely adds to the overall realism of this shifter tale. 

Diamond does a fantastic job keeping the pace snappy. She gives us just enough information without overloading the reader or making her plot predictable. With each new revelation, I was anxious to see how she manipulated the information and was not disappointed. I kept hanging on to each word, each sentence, each paragraph, each page, hoping right along with Nickie that she would soon be reunited with her dad.

Shifting Pride is a must-read for anyone who enjoys an engaging story. Even if one strips away the shifter element, we’re still left with a great book about a daughter who will stop at nothing to bring her missing father home. 

Also to celebrate, Laura's publisher, Etopia Press, is giving away a free download of the prequel novella New Pride.

A shapeshifter without a pride, Richard Leone strikes a tenuous friendship with power hungry, Derek, from an unstable, rogue group.

On a hunt in the forest, they encounter a gorgeous brunette, Molly, partying with friends around a campfire.

Derek tells the rogue pride and they bristle at humans trespassing on their territory. Richard risks life and tail to protect his secret and the humans – especially Molly – while simultaneously trying to win her heart.

When Molly is kidnapped, he faces taking on the rogue pride alone, but quickly finds he has to put his trust in Derek, not only to rescue his new love, but to ensure the rogue pride doesn’t wreak havoc on his new town.

 

About the author:

Laura Diamond is an author of all things Young Adult (YA): paranormal, dystopian, and horror. As a board certified psychiatrist, Diamond knows how people react and pulls out the emotions, not only from the characters but also the reader. She approaches each book differently usually beginning with a single character – envisioning what they look like, how they perceive their world, what challenges they have to navigate, and who’s with them along the way, whether it be a friend or foe.

Diamond likes writing Young Adult (YA) because it’s during a time in life that is rife with challenges and intense emotions. The paranormal interest comes in because Laura has always had an affinity for magical creatures and dark worlds.

When she's not writing, she is working at the hospital, blogging at Author Laura Diamond --Lucid Dreamer, where she helps writers “shrink-wrap” their characters, and renovating her 225+ year old fixer-upper mansion. She is also full-time staff member tending for her four cats and a Pembroke Corgi named Katie.

 

 

Free Promo Friday - New Pride by Laura Diamond + GIVEAWAY!!!

 A shape-shifter without a pride, Richard Leone strikes a tenuous friendship with power hungry, Derek, from an unstable, rogue group. On a hunt in the forest, they encounter a gorgeous brunette, Molly, partying with friends around a campfire. Derek tells the rogue pride and they bristle at humans trespassing on their territory. Richard risks life and tail to protect his secret and the humans—especially Molly—while simultaneously trying to win her heart. When Molly is kidnapped, he faces taking on the rogue pride alone, but quickly finds he has to put his trust in Derek, not only to rescue his new love, but to ensure the rogue pride doesn’t wreak havoc on his new town.

About the author:


Laura Diamond is a board certified psychiatrist and author of all things young adult paranormal, dystopian, horror, and middle grade. Her short story, City of Lights and Stone, is in the Day of Demons anthology by Anachron Press (April 2012) and her apocalyptic short story, Begging Death is in the Carnage: Life After the End anthology by Sirens Call Publication (coming late 2012). Her debut young adult paranormal romance, SHIFTING PRIDE, is coming December 2012 by Etopia Press. When she's not writing, she is working at the hospital, blogging at Author Laura Diamond--Lucid Dreamer , and renovating her 225+ year old fixer-upper mansion. She is also full-time staff member for her four cats and a Pembroke Corgi named Katie.

Sound good to you? (It sure does to me!) You can purchase NEW PRIDE from Amazon here.

How to find Laura Diamond on the web:
Blog
Twitter
Facebook
Facebook Author Page
Amazon.com Author Page 
Website

AND NOW FOR THE GIVEAWAY:

From the author:

I will be giving away copies of NEW PRIDE to several lucky fans! Please click the link below and fill out the form on my fan page to enter.

Thanks!

http://authorlauradiamond.com/?page_id=37