Guest post by Laney McMann author of Tied, giveaway and review too!

I am so excited to have Laney McMann guest posting today! Thank you Laney. :-)

Post topic: Genres. Which ones do you read or write?

For me, Fantasy is always my first love. Anything that includes fairy tales, myths, legends, magic—paranormal creatures, and different worlds, is what I both want to read, and to write.

TIED, and the Fire Born Novels in general, cover all of those bases and then some. I've added hints of history, modern day urban settings, and some mystery, as well. I like the idea that different walks of life—something that we may never even have heard of before, could be living outside our back door, or under our feet, or in another plane we can't see. So, I use those ideas and run with them in my stories.

When I'm reading, or looking for a new read, I search for those same concepts. Stories that are imaginative and transporting. The books that make me want to live inside them—walk in their worlds, be a part of that life.

Young adult is usually my first go-to when choosing new reads, and it's definitely what I prefer to write, mainly because of the immediacy of it, but I also love adult fantasy. Like Tolkien and George R. R. Martin. ;)

BIO:

With a passion for the supernatural and all things magical, Laney developed a voracious appetite for reading fantasy at a young age. A vivid imagination helped set the stage for creating her own worlds and placed her onto the writing path.

By the time she reached her teens, she'd accumulated notebooks full of poems, which led to short stories and finally novels. Young adult dark fantasy, paranormal romance, and mythology are among her favorite genres.

A former classical dancer and chef, she grew up in sultry Florida where she still resides with her family.


You can find her occasional ramblings on Twitter.

Book updates on her author page at Goodreads.

Her Facebook Profile for inspiration and randomness.

Updates on The Fire Born Novels at her Facebook Author Page

Her interests on Pinterest.

And she's now on Tumblr, too.

You can also contact her by email at: laneymcmannyaauthor(at)gmail(dot)com

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BLURB:

Normal people don't believe their nightmares stalk them. They don’t fall in love with boys who don’t exist, either.

Seventeen-year-old Layla Labelle, though, is far from normal. Her delusions walk the earth. Her hallucinations hunt her, and her skin heats to a burn every time her anger flares.

Or is that all in her head?

Layla doesn't know what to believe any more because if none of that’s true, Max MacLarnon must be an illusion, and her heart must still be broken.

No matter how much she wants to believe Max is real, doing so would mean everything else is, too. How, then, is that possible?

The answers lie in an age-old legend the supernatural aren’t prepared to reveal, and with a curse that could tear Layla and Max apart forever—if it doesn’t kill them both first.

In TIED, book one in the Fire Born trilogy, learning the truth will mean fighting an arsenal of demons, and being with Max will put Layla on a path toward her own destruction.

Just how far will Layla go to protect the one she loves?

The answer may never be far enough ... away.

 

Other Purchase Links:

 iTunes or The Book Depository

Here's an excerpt:

My window opened easily. The same way it had so many times before. Climbing out on the ledge, I found the ground empty and dropped from the second floor—a jump I'd made a hundred times. In another life.

My feet sunk into the sand, and I followed the well-worn pathway through the dunes. Even the strong evening winds hadn’t misshaped the deep gully. The ocean's breeze lashed at my hair as the moonlight glinted off the water’s surface. Seagulls flew up from their nesting grounds. They should have recognized me, since I’d been wandering at night for so long. Wrapping my arms around my knees to block the slight chill, I settled in the sand, and the birds quieted in a tight huddle, the wind blowing their feathers in awkward angles.

My gaze fell on a figure standing beyond the dunes edge, a shadow hidden within the darkness. My pulse quickened, but I didn't move. Another trick—an illusion. Weary of the games my mind continued to play, I bit back tears and the catch in my throat. I should have been immune to them—the hallucinations—the way they haunted me and followed me, but I wasn’t.

Forcing myself to blink, I turned my head away. The visions had grown worse as I’d become older. I’d tried to convince myself they were nightmares—or weird dreams. Hoped for years they were, but only people who sleep dream.

Unable, or unwilling to stop myself, I glanced back over my shoulder, thoughts flooding my brain. Memories I knew couldn’t be memories but I cherished all the same. For years I’d tried to shake them away. To make myself forget.

I couldn’t.

#**#**#

A stone raps against my bedroom window. I creep over and peer through the blinds.

"You’re late." I lean out over the sill, grinning at the boy staring up at me.

"Come on, let’s go before she comes," he says.

I climb onto the window ledge. "Be nice. She’s my friend."

"Okay. Jump." He waves at me to go faster.

"Move, and I will."

He takes one casual step to the side.

The jump isn’t too high; I make it all the time.

He grabs my hand when I land beside him in the soft sand. "Ready?"

I nod.

"One, two …"

"I’m going to tell!" Benny runs across my yard toward me, her blonde pigtails flapping in the wind. "You’re not allowed to talk to that boy, Layla! Your mom said!"

Max tightens his grip on my hand.

"Shut up, Benny! I'm old enough."

"You’re only nine. Don't go! "

"Three!" Max and I leave the ground.

“You're going to get in so much trouble.” Benny’s yell rings in the distance.

Our feet touch down in the wet grass of the Otherworld, icy sea air whipping at my face.

"Hopefully, she won’t follow us again." Max lets go of my hand.

"She won’t. I told her not to." I lead the way down the cliff face to the ocean.

"She never listens to you."


 


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My Thoughts:

To say that I was indeed tied up with this book, is putting it mildly. lol! I was so engrossed in this story that real life went on without me being aware of it. I could focus on nothing but finding out the truth. Tied literally had me in knots emotionally a few times throughout the story.

Layla thinks she may be going insane. She sees things that no one else does. She's not sure what is real or fake.

I will say that she's not insane but I won't say much else. :P I don't want to give too much away and spoil anything so I'm sorry if it seems like I'm dancing around the topic without really saying much. :-) Trust me you'll be glad that I did.

I will tell you that there was much mystery/suspense, lots of emotion, forbidden love, and supernatural beings in this book. :-) I would recommend this to all paranormal  fans.

I'll be looking forward to reading the next two books which I believe will be titled Torn and True.

I would caution that Tied leaves off with what some of you would consider a cliff hanger and it mixes present and past tense through out the book.

Thank you to J.Taylor Publishing and Laney McMann for providing me with the opportunity to be part of this tour and of course the review copy of Tied. i agreed to give my honest opinion and here it is: Laney McMann is very talented. She has certainly gained a fan in this reader. :-) Tied sucked me right in and kept me entranced the whole way through. I thought it was fantastic.

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