Author Archives: Christie Cote

No big deal…

11 Wednesday Feb 2015

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My book is just being featured on Colleen FREAKING Hoover’s facebook page right now! You know, best-selling author of amazing YA/NA books. She is one of my all time favorite authors and a huge inspiration. I knew she would be giving away an autographed copy of my book, but seeing it actually posted on her facebook, well, I might be freaking out. Just a little… All I can say is, Thank you so much Colleen! It is so nice that you are willing to help out other authors get their name out there and give them some publicity! You are one amazing person.

Okay, so I could gush all night, but I really need to go to sleep!

Go check out THIS post and see for yourself!

Shift by Karina Espinosa Release Day Blitz

10 Tuesday Feb 2015

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It’s hard enough being an undergraduate student, an intern at Downtown Manhattan’s police station, and a bouncer at a local bar. Add her now ex-boyfriend who recently dumped her for the school’s resident bimbo—oh, and she’s a werewolf. 
 

Mackenzie Grey meets her match when she is kidnapped by the Brooklyn Pack and tossed between Sebastian and Jonah—the Alpha and the Beta. Being a lone-wolf in the city is dangerous, and now that the Pack has found her, so can every supernatural being in the         Tri-State area. And not even her sarcastic, smart mouth can get her out of this. 

 

When a string of kidnappings involves Mackenzie in supernatural politics, she questions her new acquaintances and finds unlikely allies. Can she escape Pack law and keep her freedom—or will she be condemned to an unwanted path?

 
 



 
With shaky fingers, I tried inserting the key into the lock. After a few unsuccessful tries, I was finally able and flung the door open. Taking three steps at a time, I got to the third floor and slammed my shoulder into my apartment door, leaving it hanging off the hinges. My canines and claws were out and the hair on my arms were thickening. Once I passed the threshold of my apartment, I started to strip my clothes off as I walked towards the back bedroom. 
 
I let out a shriek as my shoulder bones snapped and I involuntarily hunched over while holding on to the door knob. I’m almost there, c’mon, hang on, I told myself as I struggled to open the bedroom door and slam it shut behind me. I reached a distorted arm towards the cage and gripped one of the steel bars—flinging myself inside. Now on all fours, I crawled to the lock and clipped it shut. 
 
As if the sound of the bolt was permission enough, a howl ripped through me and the wolf was set free.




 

 



 
 

 Born in New York City, my family picked up and moved to South
Florida when I was twelve. After high school I spent the next few years
traveling and experiencing what life had to offer me. At twenty four years old,
I’m back in South Florida in my third year of University-majoring in
Communication studies. When not in the writing cave, I usually have my nose in a
book or on Netflix, cut off from the world with a huge bowl of ice cream.

 
Goodreads


 

Unleashed by Rachel McClellan Blog Tour (Exclusive excerpt and guest post)

28 Wednesday Jan 2015

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Hey everyone! Welcome to the Unleashed blog tour! I’m very excited to be a part of the blog tour. I’m excited about this book and am a huge fan of Rachel! Her books are amazing, and I had the pleasure of meeting her a few years ago in Maine. She has even given me feedback on my own writing. She is just an all around fabulous person, so please give her a warm welcome! I hope you enjoy the post!


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Unleashed: Young Adult (YA) twist on Jekyll and Hyde

Unleashed by:

Rachel McClellan

Genres: Romance, Thriller, Science Fiction

355 pages

Release Date: September 9, 2014

Seventeen-year-old Claire Williams’ tough upbringing has taught her how to throw a punch or two to survive, especially when it involves a man’s unwanted attention. But her strength waivers when she visits Bodian Dynamics, a medical research facility, and stumbles upon classified information—someone has stolen a drug that not only changes a person’s appearance, but will also unleash a dark and evil alter ego.

After an intimidating security guard threatens the lives of her friends if she speaks to anyone about the incident, Claire pretends the drug never existed. That is until she meets Gage, a teenage boy who doesn’t seem to have a conscience and who is hell-bent on making her just like him by unleashing her dark side.

But Claire knows a secret—he can only die while in his normal state. And since Gage knows personal information about her, Claire thinks she knows who it is: either her best friend or her recent boyfriend. And once she figures out which boy Gage is hiding behind, she’s going to kill him, even if it breaks her heart.

excerpt

A moment passed. Enough time for him to decide.

He straightened and lifted the cover on the center console. He ignored the blood dripping off his arm and removed an almost full vial. The other night he’d only taken a few drops, just enough to leave the world behind. And nothing bad had happened. He seemed to be able to control it the more he drank. The image of Mindy, stiff and cold, came to his mind. That won’t happen again, he insisted. Prayed.

The vial was warm in his palm and he rolled it around with his thumb. The bluish liquid rocked back and forth, back and forth. A drop of blood fell from his hand onto his lap. Just a little more to silence the brothers, pain and darkness.

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Buy Unleashed on Amazon US, UK, and CANADA/B&N

guest post

TV SHOWS MAKE MY WRITING BETTER

I admit it. I like television. I watch a lot of it, thanks to the miraculous invention of TiVo. Magical hour happens when the kids are in bed. I grab my mounds of laundry, sit in front of my talking educational box and begin to learn.

Just what am I learning by watching singing teenagers, a vampire love triangle, and brain-eating zombie’s? I am learning how to pace a story. I am learning how to bring tension into every scene. And I am learning how to increase the stakes.

Today’s shows are geared towards audience’s whose attention spans are not easy to keep.

Sometimes I wonder if an amazing book like Pride and Prejudice would work in today’s marketwhere teenagers and a lot of adults expect instant gratification.

So where does that leave us writers? Somehow we need to find a balance of writing as good as the Greats while incorporating the fast paced styles of today. What are some of your favorite shows to watch?

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Follow the tour schedule here

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Author Rachel Mclellan

Rachel McClellan, author of Unleashed and many others, was born and raised in Idaho, a place secretly known for its supernatural creatures. When she’s not in her writing lair, she’s partying with her husband and four crazy, yet lovable, children. Rachel’s love for storytelling began as a child when the moon first possessed the night. For when the lights went out, her imagination painted a whole new world. And what a scary world it was…

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Website • Blog • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads

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Ready for the Unleashed Giveaway? Enter below via the Giveaway Tools form!

Good luck, and happy reading and winning!

Unleashed Virtual Book tour presented by…

Happy-Geek-Media

Happy Geek Media

Christie Cote

Excursions in Baking–Chocolate Chip-Peanut butter- Heath Cookies

26 Monday Jan 2015

Posted by in Baking, Blog, Excursions in Baking

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Okay, so it has been a lot longer than I had wanted since my first Excursions in Baking post. I ended up getting way too busy. I recently made a ton of cookies to bring in to work because it was my last day. A while back, my husband found this awesome chocolate chip cookie recipe, and along the way I decided to tweak it and add different candies in it. The cookies are always a hit! The recipe is heavily based off of THIS recipe from Allrecipes.

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Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons hot water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter chips
1 cup heath chips

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Mix together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth.

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3. Beat in the eggs one at a time.

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4.Stir in the vanilla, Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter along with salt.

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5. Stir in flour, chocolate chips, and nuts.

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6. Drop large spoonfuls onto un-greased pans.

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7. Bake for approximately ten minutes, until edges are brown. (I tend to undercook them, so the middle is still a little gooey, so time can be based on how you desire your cookies. The cook time will also differ with how large you make your cookie spoonfuls, or I tend to make balls. I like larger cookies, so I tend to make mine larger than the recipe suggests.)

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~ENJOY~

You know you want to try these, so give it a whirl, and let me know how they turn out!

Shift by Karina Espinosa Cover Reveal

08 Thursday Jan 2015

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I’m super excited to reveal the cover for Shift by Karina Espinosa (A day late. SORRY!)! I had the pleasure of meeting karina and sharing a table with her at the Ribbons for Cancer Author Event in Augusta Maine last summer. I’m excited for the release of her next book! Congrats Karina! The cover is gorgeous, don’t you think?
Shift  by  Karina  Espinosa
Releasing February 10th, 2015
It’s hard enough being an undergraduate student, an intern at Downtown Manhattan’s police station, and a bouncer at a local bar. Add her now ex-boyfriend who recently dumped her for the school’s resident bimbo—oh, and she’s a werewolf.
Mackenzie Grey meets her match when she is kidnapped by the Brooklyn Pack and tossed between Sebastian and Jonah—the Alpha and the Beta. Being a lone-wolf in the city is dangerous, and now that the Pack has found her, so can every supernatural being in the Tri-State area. And not even her sarcastic, smart mouth can get her out of this.
When a string of kidnappings involves Mackenzie in supernatural politics, she questions her new acquaintances and finds unlikely allies. Can she escape Pack law and keep her freedom—or will she be condemned to an unwanted path?
Shift Cover


 
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1BwMBmb 
 
 

Born in New York City, my
family picked up and moved to South Florida when I was twelve. After high
school I spent the next few years traveling and experiencing what life had to
offer me. At twenty four years old, I’m back in South Florida in my third year
of University-majoring in Communication studies. When not in the writing cave,
I usually have my nose in a book or on Netflix, cut off from the world with a
huge bowl of ice cream.

 
 
 
Twitter: @TweetsByKarina 
Instagram: karina745
 
 
 
 
 
 

My friend is publishing a book!

08 Thursday Jan 2015

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Hi Everyone!

It is very rare that I know another writer personally. I have a few writer friends who I met via blogging, but not hung out with, or met in person. Today I have the pleasure of sharing my friend Zach’s first guest blog appearance as a new Author. I’ve known Zach for a few years now, and am glad he is finally able to publish his writing. I look forward to seeing his book out in the world. I hope you all will take the time to check out his wonderful guest post on Tales of a Formally Inadequate Fat Girl‘s blog HERE. The cover and synopsis can be found below. Congratulations Zach! I look forward to having your book on my shelf.

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The Curious Tale of Gabrielle by Zachary Paul Chopchinski

Expected Publication: 2015

A young Gabrielle is driven by her will to explore and see new things. She cannot stop or rest until all within her reach has been experienced and explored. Driven by an astounding will and lack of common fear, she finds herself able to face things most adults might fall before. Yet has there been a journey that has been meant specifically for her all along? Is there a path that has been created just for her to travel?

Follow Gabrielle as she ventures through the lives of many with the experience of only her own. What will happen as she discovers the lives—and tragedies—of the souls who choose her to see their story? It’s a journey through history, life, and love unlike anything that could be imagined—except perhaps by a young girl.

| Goodreads |

Midwinter’s Eve Giveaway Hop 2014 Winners

01 Thursday Jan 2015

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Thank you all who entered my giveaway for the Midwinter’s Eve giveaway Hop! It was a lot of fun. I appreciate all of the visits, likes, follows, and comments. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and gave as well as received awesome gifts. I have two winners for the giveaway, who have been notified via email that they won!

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1. Janan Cheskis- Autographed copy of Rain and SWAG.

2. L.J. Redding- An e-book copy of Rain and SWAG.

If you didn’t win, keep a look out, there will be more giveaways! Congratulations Janan and L.J.!

Happy New Year: 2015

01 Thursday Jan 2015

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Happy New Year Everyone! 2014 had its bumps, but all around it was a great year. Here are some of my highlights from 2014 in no particular order:

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  1. I published my first book.
  2. I declared a college major.
  3. I did my first book signing at Bull Moose Music.
  4. I did my first book event at the Ribbons for Cancer Author Event in Maine and met some really cool authors and bloggers.
  5. I applied for graduation.
  6. People actually read my book, and some really liked it.
  7. I celebrated my first wedding anniversary with my husband.
  8. I realized that even though I’m lacking in friends that I get to hang out with in person, I met some amazing people online because of blogging before 2014 and continued to have them as friends through the year. We became friends in a nontraditional way, but as we have talked, shared interests, and been there for each other, these online friends have turned into some of my best friends. Michele and Mickey, thank you for continuing to be such amazing friends through 2014 and I’m super excited to continue our friendship in 2015. I also made a new friend because of blogging in 2014, Tiffany, who has made me laugh so hard it hurts on more than one occasion. Thank you for coming into my life this year. You three girls make life more interesting, are all very thoughtful, caring, and all around amazing and I love having you all in my life. Thank you for making 2014 fantastic. I hope 2015 will be the year I can meet you all in person, but if not, I know it will happen eventually.
  9. My husband supporting me, taking care of me, making me see things clearly, and being my best friend. Thank you for taking on 2014 with me, and conquering it by my side. I’m so grateful for you and love waking up next to you each morning. I love you to infinity and beyond.
  10. My husband and I got our first Christmas tree together and decorated it.
  11. My husband and I starting our own family traditions together.
  12. All of the new little memories I made.
  13. Reading new books.
  14. Taking some negative things in life and creating poetry out of it.
  15. Writing.
  16. Adopting my new dog Harley.
  17. Reviews for Rain.
  18. Networking.
  19. receiving messages about my book meaning a lot to the sender.
  20. Tiffany and Amanda surprising me by making teaser pictures for my book after reading it.

And the list goes on and on :).

???????????????????????????I’m entering the New Year missing my grandfather, who passed away in the end of 2014, but I have a lot to look forward to.

  1. Graduating with a BA in Communications.
  2. My nephew being born and meeting him.
  3. Hopefully publishing another book.
  4. Possibly doing a writing retreat with Mickey, Tiffany, and Stefanie.
  5. Writing Before the Rain.
  6. Writing more of my millions of other ideas.
  7. Spending time with my husband.
  8. Starting a new career.

And whatever else 2015 brings! I can’t wait to see what the year brings. I hope 2014 was amazing for you, if not, 2015 is a blank slate, so make 2015 spectacular either way. Take time to appreciate the little things, be kind, thoughtful, positive, and pay it forward.

Thank you everyone who had an impact on my year for 2014! I look forward to the memories we will all make this year!

Midwinter’s Eve Blog Hop

20 Saturday Dec 2014

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The Midwinter’s Eve Giveaway Hop is hosted by Bookhounds and I Am A Reader, Not A Writer.

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Happy Holidays everyone! I hope you are enjoying time with all of your loved ones. I’m giving away an autographed copy of Rain, an e-book copy of Rain, and SWAG! To enter use the link for the raflecopter form below the book cover. Don’t forget to check out the other blogs participating by using the Linky link at the end of the post!

Rain

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Remembering September 11, 2001–13 years later

11 Thursday Sep 2014

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Our memories are crazy. Ask us where we were and what we were doing thirteen years ago on any other day and we probably wouldn’t know, or be able to picture the day. Most of us have a pretty vivid memory of September 11th though. I believe this is called a flashbulb memory. I was young, in 5th grade at the time, but I remember.  I had just moved from Vermont to Maine a week or two before it happened. I was in a new state, and new school in Westbrook Maine in Mrs. Noise’s class. It is rare that I even remember my teacher’s names from that far back, but I remember hers.  It was first apparent that something was wrong when we weren’t allowed to go out for recess. I mean that was a big deal.  We were kids and had a lot of energy and needed to play outside to get it out. My class began to become more alarmed as we watched parent after parent arrive to pick up their children.  Mine didn’t come. I just watched through the window at all the others leaving, speculating about what could possibly be happening. I never could have guessed. No one would tell us what was going on, but we were stuck in that classroom, no longer doing work until the ones that had not been claimed by their parents were free to go. I took the bus home like I normally did and went home. My dad and step-mom weren’t there. The TV was on playing the footage over and over again. I was confused and scared and didn’t know if something had happened to my dad and step-mom too.  I watched it until they came home. I think that was the first time I understood what a terrorist attack was. I still didn’t understand the why or even what happened to its full extent, but as I learned more I gained a little more understanding. I still don’t understand how people can just take so many innocent lives. I get being pissed at the US for whatever reason, I know we don’t have the best track record, but the people being attacked aren’t the ones that did whatever it was that pissed them off. I suppose not everyone has a rational mind. SIGH. I guess I will never really understand, just like I never understand when people go on shooting sprees and stuff like that. This world has turned into a very scary place.

Today I remember that day. I didn’t know anyone who died or was hurt, but I am thinking about all of those lost lives and the brave firefighters, police and all first responders that were there that day. They deserve to be remembered every day, but as our lives get busy we lose sight of that, so today is the time to put our busy lives on hold for a few minutes to honor all the lives affected by September 11, 2001, A day I, and so many others, will never forget.