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Tuesday, May 14, 2013

"When I'm not writing" with Jocelynn Drake + giveaway!

Jocelynn Drake Jocelynn Drake is our guest this week for our "When I'm not writing" feature. She's got multiple titles under her belt as the author of two series: the Dark Days books and The Asylum Tales. Jocelynn is here today to celebrate her latest Asylum Tale, DEAD MAN'S DEAL, which was released last week. She's also providing a giveaway of the first novel in the series, ANGEL'S INK, so be sure to stick around to the end of the post!


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Sadly, I feel like when I’m not writing, I should be writing. But everyone needs a break from work to let their brains rest just for a bit. During my downtime, I am a gamer. I’m not one of those hard-core gamer chicks who can school you on any game and/or system set in front of her (But it would be cool if I was.) However, I do know my way around a PlayStation controller.

Final FantasyMy first love is the Final Fantasy series by SquareEnix. I fell in love with Final Fantasy VIII on PlayStation One. Enraptured by their detailed storytelling, I have played Final Fantasy 7, Crisis Core, 8, 9 10, 10-2, 12, 13, and I’m now working on 13-2. I’ve also played their Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2, which are the Disney/Final Fantasy mash-up games.

Jocelynn Drake tattooOf all the Final Fantasy games, I think Final Fantasy X is my favorite, but then who doesn’t love a tragic love story. The graphics were beautiful. The battle system was brilliant. The storytelling was epic. I guess it should be no surprise that I have a Final Fantasy X tattoo to commemorate my love.

A couple years ago, my love of video games found a new addition – the Assassin’s Creed series. While I will freely admit that I’ve skipped the first game in the series, I am hopelessly in love with the rest of the games, particularly those featuring Assassins CreedEzio Auditorre d’ Firenza. What’s not to love? Suave, passionate, dedicated, and so very handsome. The storytelling is superb (which is pretty important to me if you haven’t figured that out) and I love wandering around renaissance Italy (or even running across the rooftops).

The added bonus is that Assassin’s Creed series has an online feature that lets me play assassination missions against other gamers. (So, if you happen to be killed by a JDrake while playing Assassin’s Creed online – my bad.)

UnchartedBesides epic battles and sexy Italians, I also love building cities and civilizations, so I’ve naturally gotten addicted to SimCity. I’m also planning to start the Uncharted series soon, and not just because I share a last name with the main character (though it doesn’t hurt). What’s not to love? Explosions and treasure hunting.

Playing video games allows parts of my brain to space out for a time or to even work on a plot issue while I concentrate on things like locating all the Borgia flags and figuring out a clue 6to get me to Eldorado. Video games allow me to escape into another world while avoiding the written world for a short time, because sooner or later… that book I’m working on will be calling me back.

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Thanks for stopping by, Jocelynn! Always great to meet a fellow gamer!

For more information about Jocelynn and her books, check out her website or follow her on Facebook or Twitter.

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Here's the scoop on DEAD MAN'S DEAL:

Dead Man's Deal by Jocelynn Drake (Asylum Tales #2)In a world where elves, faeries, trolls, werewolves, and vampires swim free in a sea of humanity, sometimes you need an edge. Looking for a little love? Need some luck? Desperate for revenge? Gage can give you what you need. The most talented tattoo artist in town, he knows the right symbol and the right mix of ingredients and ink to achieve your heart's desire. One tattoo is all it takes. But remember, everything has its price...

Gage learned that lesson long ago, in ways he'd rather not remember. But the cruel and powerful wizards in the dreaded Ivory Towers he escaped aren't about to let him forget. Though Gage has managed to stay out of sight, he can't outrun the past forever. The wizards know Gage is using forbidden magic, and they intend to punish him for his transgressions.

Too bad if innocent humans and monsters—entire cities—get in the way. They will quell a nascent magical uprising and Gage will be the sacrifice they need. First, though, they have to find him...

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

Here are the earlier books in the series:

Bronx by Jocelynn Drake Trixie by Jocelynn Drake Angel's Ink by Jocelynn Drake Blood by Midnight anthology

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giveaway

Jocelynn is kindly offering up one (1) copy of ANGEL'S INK, the first book in the series, to a lucky reader!

To enter the giveaway, obey the Rafflecopter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway







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Do you guys have suggestions for who you’d like to see featured on the blog? If so, you can make your suggestions on this page. No guarantees that your favorite authors will be able to participate but we’ll try!

Authors, would you like to visit and share with us? Please email me at jennblogs (at) gmail (dot) com and we’ll set it up!

Jenn

Born and raised in the Toronto area, Jenn moved to St. John's, Newfoundland, eight years ago for school. She's still in school (thankfully on another degree!), now trapped in her dissertation. When she's not dissertating, which happens more often than it should, Jenn spends her time reading, watching movies, playing volleyball, travelling, and enjoying the local music scene. Her latest addictions: yoga and Almond Crunch cereal.

19 People left their mark' :

  1. I don't play video games only because I rarely have time! We have a Wii and sometimes I will play Mario Kart. Can't wait to find out what Gage it up too! thanks :)

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  2. This is embarrassing, but I don't play video games, either! My favorite has always been Ms. PacMan, lol.

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  3. I am horrible at video games. I have played Mario some.

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  4. I don't play video games. The best I could ever do was with duck hunt ;).

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  5. OOh I enjoyed The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time! Never did beat that game! Also enjoyed Mario Kart: Double Dash and The Haunted Mansion Game! Me and my sister played that when I first got it and my old GameCube and we totally beat the game in like 2 or 3 days!

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  6. I don't play video games. I don't like them however my children love them. My kids love Mario, Zelda, Pokemon, and Star Wars. I just play board games. My favorite is Srabble.
    Thanks :)
    lorih824 at yahoo dot com

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  7. Sadly, we have satellite connection to the internet and limited download so I can't play video games online. I would be an intense gamer if I could. We had a Nintendo in the '80s and I loved playing games (PacMan, Ms PacMan, Asteroids) on that. My children and grandchildren got me a Wii last Christmas and I'm going crazy learning new games. Right now, Mario Cart and Star Wars are two that I'm learning. Hoping to get into a little more heavy duty games soon.

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  8. I don't play video games at all.... I'm a reader :) But my BF does and he likes that I read cuz then I don't bother him about how much time he plays and visa versa ... it's a win/win!

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  9. I am not very good at video games. I do like Pac Man.

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  10. I'm a big RPG fanatic and the Final Fantasy series is on the top of my favs list. I own FFiv and FFvii through FFxiii but haven't played 13 yet. My favorites so far are FF9 (I love Zidane and Vivi) and FFxii. Other than FF, I'm also a huge fan of the Suikoden series, the Tales series, and Dragon Quest series. God of War series and Prince of Persia series are pretty awesome too but they're action-adventures not RPGs.

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    1. I would love to follow Joycelyn on Twitter but Twitter has limited me until I get more followers. I'm keeping a list of people to add when I'm allowed.

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  11. I don't have the latest systems; I play games on my Playstation (the original one). I've never been good at games where you have to jump, even if it's a kid's game with a character like Garfield or Donald Duck. I like driving games (Need for Speed or Test Drive) and game shows (Jeopardy, Who Wants to Be a Millionare, and Wheel of Fortune).

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  12. I dont play as much as I used to but strategy and adventure were always a draw.

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  13. The Phantasy Star games, Kingdom Hearts, and other RPG style games

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  14. I haven't played video games in years. One of the reasons I don't own any now is because I'm afraid if I started I'd get hooked, stop going to work, get fired, lose my apartment and end up on the street with nothing but my Wii (or whatever gaming system I bought).

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  15. I love the Dead Man's Deal cover. Men with tattoos..mmm love.
    PS3 and computer games are my escape as well. Skyrim, Dragon Age series, Call of Duty series and MMO's(WoW, Guild Wars). Then I have a secret love of the ancient computer games from when I was younger.. Kings Quest, Black Cauldron, Space Quest.. Guess I'm a game nerd :P

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  16. I don't care for video games. It is just not my thing, I like books and reading.

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  17. Dance Central and old school Sega Genesis games.

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