February Author Appreciation w/ Giveaway: For the marvelous Stacey Rourke!

Keeping up with our monthly Author Appreciation events, Mel and I have decided that we would dedicate February to the hilarious and wonderful Stacey Rourke. :)

Stacey Rourke is the author of The Gryphon Series (The Conduit, Embrace, and Sacrifice [available next month!]), and The Sidekick Chronicles (A Gryphon Series short). While I have just started Sacrifice for an upcoming blog tour and should not be talking about it yet anyway (oh. em. geeeeee!), I can tell you this entire series is superb. I have adored every page I've read, and I actually have not wanted to punch Celeste yet... I know- weird. The books are told from Celeste's perspective and tell us about her life as "The Chosen One". Rourke managed to make this topic fun for me again (I hate these things.. They're all the same- whiny protagonist who sits around for days upon days while things get worse and worse and doesn't do anything until their boy/girlfriend is in danger blah...blah...blah...That is not the case here) and I can honestly say this is probably one of my favorite series. 

But putting the awesomeness that is The Gryphon Series aside, Stacey is awesome in and of herself, too. She is super sweet and really cares about her readers and reviewers, and a total riot-- She makes me laugh any time we've chatted. I adore her and her work and will be a lifelong fan, for sure!

Now if you all will excuse me, I'm gonna go read some more of Sacrifice ;)

Because we love you guys, and we love Stacey-you get to enter this kick ass giveaway!! Stacey was sweet enough to donate to the cause so be sure to thank her!  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

For those of you who have been totally ignoring my constant fangirling, here are the summaries for the Gryphon series!

The Conduit

The Gryphon Series Book #1

By Stacey Rourke

Published in 2011 by Anchor Publishing

All 18-year-old Celeste Garrett wants is to head off to college and make those fun, yet ill-advised, choices college kids are known for. And maybe to spend some time with the hot cameraman she just met. Instead, because of a pact her ancestors made in the 17th century with a mythical creature, she has to save the world.

While normal kids are slamming energy drinks and cramming for exams, Celeste will get her adrenaline rush fighting a fire breathing dragon. She wants to meet friends in the quad and exchange lecture notes, but first she must exchange blows with a shapeshifting demon on the rooftop. Life isn't always fair for a superhero, but at least she doesn't have to do it alone. With her brother and sister as sidekicks, they alternate between saving lives and getting on each others' nerves. Together the trio encounters unspeakable odds, mystical forces and comes face-to-face with an image that will haunt them forever--their grandmother in a leopard print bikini.

Buy The Conduit:

Amazon

And...

Embrace

The Gryphon Series #2

By Stacey Rourke

Published May 10th, 2012, by Anchor Group

Whether she likes it or not, eighteen year old Celeste Garrett has come to terms with being the Chose One. She knew having a "normal life" would be tricky, between intense training sessions and epic demonic battles, but she didn't know at what cost it would come. That is, until a dear friend is harmed by the malicious forces hunting her.

Now, she'd like nothing more than to retreat into her hermit lifestyle to prevent anyone else from getting hurt. But startling revelations, amazing new abilities, and mortifying moments in front of insanely hot guys won't allow time for that. Soon, Celese finds herself surrounded by darkness and wondering who she can trust--if anyone.

Buy Embrace:

Amazon

Writing is something I have always done. I can remember in elementary school creating stories that I would stand up and read aloud to my classmates…whether they liked it or not.   As I grew older I didn’t flaunt my writing as freely. It became something I did just for me to vent my teenage angst, or chronicle my journey to adulthood. I never thought about becoming a writer because that title prompted the visual of a grey-haired man in a tweed smoking jacket with suede elbow patches, slaving over an old fashion typewriter while puffing away on a pipe. No way was that stuffy kind of life for me. (Plus tweed is itchy.) Instead I wanted to be in the spotlight! I wanted to be–pause for dramatic effect–an actress!  I gave it my best shot, too. Got about as far as any aspiring actress can get in Flint, Michigan. Which is exactly no where. But I did get two great things out of my time delving into the theatrical world; I gained the ability to act out the scenes I write to make sure they’re believable (yes, I really do that and no, you can’t watch) and I met my amazing husband. 

My theater ambitions behind me, I decided to do the “mature,” “grown up” thing and went back to college. As I worked toward my Bachelor’s degree in marketing I did a lot of writing.   Essays, research papers, PowerPoint presentations. All of it mandatory, none of it what I would ever call fun. Even then, becoming a writer never entered my mind. No, then I was going to be a business tycoon…or somethin’. Truth be told, I never picked writing. It picked me. During my time as a stay at home mom I needed an outlet to give me a mental break from diapers, formula and midnight feedings. That’s when my hands found their way back to the keyboard. Story ideas began coming at such an incessant rate that my rapidly clicking fingers couldn’t keep up. Post-It notes and scrapes of paper with story ideas decorated every inch of our house. In mid-conversation with my husband I would dart off to jot down things that would come to me. Sweet guy my hubby is, he would just shake his head at my obvious rudeness and hold my place in the conversation. 

My first book was completed for an entire year before I told anyone about it. I outed myself as an author and then sent out my first round of query letters to literary agents. Surely, it would be picked up immediately and become an overnight success! Yeah, not so much. For two years I got rejection, after rejection, after rejection, after rejection…you get the idea. Thankfully with the ever increasing pile of rejections came feedback. I digested all the suggestions and applied the usable ones to my manuscript. Little by little, the rough edges were chipped away and the diamond shone through. The work paid off when I received an email from a publisher offering me a contract on The Conduit.

It’s been a long road, and it ain’t over yet. But now, at thirty-mumble, mumble years old I finally know what I wanna be when I grow up–-a writer.

Follow Stacey Rourke: 

Goodreads

Facebook

Anchor Publishing