Whispering Hills Blog Tour *Review & Interview & Giveaway*

Book description:

            Title:

            Whispering Hills

            Genre:

            YA Paranormal Romance

            Description:

            For as long as she can remember, seventeen-year-old Alexis Forbes can      hear the thoughts of others. Most recently, she is disturbed by the dark,     unfamiliar voice of a frightening killer: callous, cunning, charismatic…and         dead. She hears his every sinister thought. But she can’t tell anyone. No   one would believe her.

           

            Alexis is suddenly being haunted by a terrifying past she doesn’t             remember, and a ghost with a serious score to settle. Even Chance, the            gorgeous new guy she’s falling for, has his own ghostly secret. He’s definitely not like any guy she’s ever met. Alexis soon discovers she has a connection to the dead and it runs much deeper than she could ever       imagine.

            And if the sociopathic entity has his way, she’ll finally be sentenced to the      fate she escaped thirteen years ago.

            GoodReads Page

            Taryn's Website

            Tarny's Blog

            Taryn on Facebook

            Taryn on Twitter

  

Final Cover

Taryn Browning writes young adult paranormal romance and urban fantasy novels. Her debut novel, DARK SEEKER, is available on Amazon and B&N.  The sequel, DARK RETURN, comes out in late, 2012.
Taryn  graduated with a BS in Education from Towson University and went on to earn a MS in Reading from Hood College. She lives in Virginia with her husband, two young sons and their dog. When she's not writing, she enjoys reading, spending time with friends and family, music, movies, and the beach. Visit her at www.tarynbrowning.com, on twitter and facebook.


Whipering Hills Giveaway!

One winner will receive the following:
1 e-copy of Whispering Hills
1 signed Dark Seeker bookmark
1 signed Whispering Hills bookmark
All you need to do is fill in the Rafflecopter and Good Luck :)













This post may contain spoilers

Nata ArtistaDonna - Interview Questions

1.   Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

            I live in Virginia with my husband, two young boys and dog. I love reading, 

            writing, music, and spending time with my friends and family.

2. What are your current projects?

I am currently working on Dark Return, the 2nd book in The Seeker Series. It is due out at the end of the year. The 1st book in the series, Dark Seeker, and the prequel story, Dark Beauty, are available on Amazon and B&N.

3. Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

          I began writing about 4 years ago during a stressful time in my life, including 

         moving from Pennsylvania to Virginia. I found reading and writing to be a great 

         escape from my everyday responsibilities. One day an idea came to me and I 

         decided to write a book. Writing quickly became my passion and I’ve been doing it 

         ever since. It has been so wonderful to be able to share my stories. It is my hope 

         that they will provide at least one person with the outlet he/she needs.

4. What sparked the idea for your novel?

I wanted to write a murder mystery with a strong paranormal theme. So I guess you could say, my idea was to write a murder mystery with ghosts, and of course a shocking twist, or two...

5. If you could have any superpower what would you choose?

I'd love to be able to move things with my mind. It sure would make cleaning the house and doing the laundry easier, lol.

6. If you could meet one person who has died who would you choose?

         Wow, interesting question. Hmm, I guess it would be Ella Fitzgerald - a jazz singer. 

         I don't know much about her, other than one of her quotes that I came across a 

         few years ago that really resonated with me. She said, "Just don't give up trying to 

        do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don't think you 

        can go wrong." I'd like to talk to her about, not only how much impact her words 

        have  had on my life and my writing, but about her insight into following your 

        dreams and never giving up on your passions. 

7. When you were little, what did you want to be when you "grew up"?

I wanted to be a teacher and that's actually the profession I went into after college.

8. How do you react to a bad review?

         I appreciate the time people put into reading and reviewing my stories and respect 

        their opinions. We are all individuals. People connect to different writing styles 

        and  storylines. Just like people have different tastes in food and movies, the same is 

        true for books. I listen to what reviewers say and in many cases the reviews help 

       me focus on what's important to include in the next books in the series. I get an idea 

       of what my readers are craving from my books. Reviews are a great learning tool and

       I am grateful for every review I receive.

9. Can you see yourself in any of your characters? 

Definitely. I also create characters that have opposite personalities. For example, Summer is very straightforward. You never have to wonder what she's thinking. This is something that I admire in Summer, since I spent lots of my life, especially in high school and college, worried about what others thought. Summer is definitely blunter than I would ever want to be, but I can see what life experiences have led to her feeling the need to put a wall up. She grows a lot in the book and I respect her for this.

10. If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

There are a few writers who have both inspired me to write and helped shape me into the writer I am today. They include Stephenie Meyer, Richelle Mead and Cassandra Clare.

11. How did you come up with the title?

          I wanted something ghostly or spooky sounding, plus it happens to be the name of 

         the town in the book.

12. Is there a song you could list as the theme song for your book or any of your characters?

Haunted (Evanescence) - book

Misguided Ghosts (Paramore) - Chance

Your Call (Secondhand Serenade) - Chance

Thinking Out Loud (Lesley Roy) - Alexis

Misfit (Lesley Roy) - Summer

For You Only (Trading Yesterday) - Alexis & Chance

Just A Little Girl (Trading Yesterday) - Alexis

13. Print or Ebook?

This time last year I would have said print, but now I'm in love with my Kindle.

14. Do you work with an outline, or just write?

I just write. I plot the direction I'm going, but my imagination takes it from there.

15. What's one piece of advice you would give aspiring authors? 

         Never give up on your passions. Keep writing and reading what you love and it 

        will show through your work. There is no greater gift than being able to share 

        your stories with others. Always stay true to yourself, keep learning and improving 

        your craft. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

FYI:   Big Giveaway on SupaGurl Books the last day of the tour

My Review

   

  

 First of all, I love the title 'Whispering Hills'

     Immediately hooked from the very  first sentence "I'm going to kill her,"and something about dumping a body at the lake made me wonder who was trying to kill her?
Alexis was instantly attracted to the new hot guy, Chance. Alexis's thirteen year old torn drawing of a butterfly and Chance's heartagram necklace were the crucial puzzle pieces weaved into the story. 
     
     Alexis could hear people's thoughts except for some strange reason she couldn't hear Chance's thoughts. The only person Alexis confided in was her sister, Brooke. Alexis couldn't and wouldn't  tell her mother about her telephathic power, otherwise she might risk being locked up in the crazy house. Her mother, too busy organizing the towns social events, was oblivious to what was happening to her daughter. 

     Summer, was introduced early in the story, portrayed as a goth outcast, daughter of a Dianic witch, dressed in black, colored hair and heavy makeup, who later became Alexis's best friend. They didn't know at first about their unusual bond. So it turned out that the creepy voice that spoke in Alexis's head was Chance's cousin Gabriel. And to make matters even worse, Chance and Gabriel were ghosts. You may wonder how could Alexis and other people see Chance if he was a ghost, well that's when the heartagram came into play. The heartagrams power allowed Chance and Gabriel to be visible to the living. How cool is that!

     Gabriel returns to Whispering Hills with only one thing on his mind,  possession of the heartagram.

     Finally, a memory wiped from Alexis's memory at the age of four, came back full force, revealing her standing in the middle of a road  attempting to retrieve her butterfly drawing.  Summer saved Alexis from being hit by a car. Summer changed the order of events by pushing the car of the road with her mind, saving Alexis from her death, causing the death of Gabriel, his parents and his cousin Chance, resulting in a butterfly effect.

     I truly enjoyed reading this book and recommend it to others. I give this book 5 of 5 stars.