Guest Author Post with Amanda Arista and Giveaway

Today I would like to welcome author Amanda Arista to the blog. Amanda is currently on tour promoting the release of her book Claws and Effect which is part of her Diaries of an Urban Panther series. So everyone please give Amanda a very warm welcome.

Hello there! Thanks for having me over at Ramblings today. I'm excited to share with you a little about me and my new release Claws and Effect: Diaries of an Urban Panther.

Violet Jordan was an answer to a simple question: what would I do if I was trapped in the back alley with a monster? I'm not a super hero. I'm not particularly athletic nor have any sort of demon heritage. I'm a normal every day girl who likes coffee. So what would I do? Violet’s initial reaction was what I would have done: thrown my shoe and run like hell.

Violet Jordan was initially just a way to explore the paranormal world from a normal girl stand point. As a reader, I was tired of half vampire-half demon assassins as main characters. Again, I'm a normal girl and I wanted to see a new world from fresh, un-hard-boiled eyes. And i wanted to write a romance from beginning to end. An actual romance where we get to see the happily-ever-after.

And then Violet got cocky and took over. I first knew there was more to Violet Jordan than a simple writer when I found out about her parents. No hero has parents, and when I found out why hers were dead, I knew that she had more to offer than just a normal girl in an abnormal situation. She was a fully formed character that could still be someone's guide to a paranormal world, but was no longer going to be my little puppet. And the girl wanted a boyfriend.

In Diaries of an Urban Panther, we watched as Violet embraced her curse and fought to protect the family she put together using her new abilities but not letting them control her. I knew that Violet’s story wasn’t over after the first book. She’d come into her power, but she’d done some damage in the process, to herself, to the city, to her new boyfriend. Hence the second book. What happen in the aftermath of her triumph? What happened to that creep that bit her in the back alley to begin with?

Claws and Effect was a welcomed return to Violet's world. There were so many questions unanswered and so many more ways to torture her. But deep down, Diaries was a romance. I wanted to see Violet happy, and hopefully so did the readers. Claws and Effect has Violet figuring out what to do with a boyfriend when you're being pulled in a million directions. Sounds familiar? Again, a normal girl with normal problems.

And do I think that Violet's story is over with this second book? Heck no. Will she get married? Will she finally get that fairy tale despite the actual fairies? Will she take over Dallas and become the demon in the prophesy?

Its questions like that I can't wait to explore and hopefully take you, dear readers, with me.

Thanks for letting me share me and Violet's world with you today. If you've got any questions, I'll be checking in, and if you comment, you'll be entered to win a $25 gift certificate.


Violet Jordan Rule #2 of being a superhero: Find reliable sidekicks

Dear Diary,

Once I took down Haverty, the Primo of the city, I thought life was going to get better. After four assassination attempts, I’m thinking not so much. Haverty’s pack needs a new leader and I’ve just about run out of reasons why I’m not right for the job. Besides, having loyal followers would definitely help me fight off whoever’s out for my blood. Especially since my boyfriend is always busy playing White Hat to every Wanderer except me.

So now I just need to figure out how to mentor new shifters, run a pack, keep my “real” job, and have some sort of personal life. I guess it’s all in a day’s work for this writer-by-day / panther-by-night.

Places to purchase:

| Amazon | Barnes & Noble | 

**Author Info**

Amanda was born in Illinois, raised in Corpus Christi, lives in Dallas but her heart lies in London. Good thing she loves to travel! The summer of second grade, she read every book in the young adult section of the library, so she started making up her own stories and hasn’t stopped.

She has a husband who fights crime, one dog who thinks he’s a real boy, and another who might be a fruit bat in disguise. When not writing, Amanda often dreams of co-opening an evil bakery and sell despicable desserts. Her particularly favorites are larvaceous lemon bars and sinful cinnamon streusel.

She spends her weekends writing at coffee shops, practicing for the day that caffeine intake becomes an Olympic sport, and plotting character demises with fellow writers Wolvarez, Killer Cupcake and Keith (names have been changed to protect the not-so-innocent).

Places to find Amanda:

| Site | Facebook | Twitter | 

**Giveaway**

Amanda Arista and Harper Collins will be giving away a $25 Amazon.com gift certificate to 1 randomly drawn commenter during the tour. So make sure to check out all of Amanda's stops to increase your chances of winning.

*Must leave a comment along with an email address

*You don't have to be a follower, but it is appreciated

*Open until Januaray 6th.