A.M. Deese: Ignited Guest Blog + Contest

Today, we’re hosting a stop on the official blog tour for Ignited by A.M. Deese — and first up we’ve got a guest post from the author, but keep reading to learn more about Ignited and enter for your chance to win a copy.

Freshman year of college I enrolled in a specialized course on Romantic literature. I didn’t enroll because it was an advanced course, but rather for the opportunity to do something solely because it was of an interest to me (we got to read Frankenstein!) Since childhood I had dreamed of being a writer but it was just that, a dream. Something unattainable like wishing to be a famous singer. The final for the course involved a project which allowed one to be as creative as one wished and I used the opportunity to write a short story (epistolary and Gothic in style because Romanticism.) When the assignment was returned to me I was given my grade alongside with the note Please see me after class. Naturally, as this was the beginning of our class session I was thrown into instant anxiety and forced to wait and wonder for the next hour. Once everyone had finally shuffled out of the classroom I made my way to the front to speak with my Professor. I didn’t at first believe the words she said to me, didn’t dare to believe that she had pulled me aside merely to compliment my story. When something has been a far off dream for so long it’s hard to believe you had the power to reach out and take it, all this time. I remember the feeling, little jerking trembles, tiny ice cubes pressed into my skin on that sticky day in Tampa. She gave me some books, among them The Forest for the Trees. The excellent stories and advice in that book, coupled with my professor’s belief in me, gave me the courage to change my major to creative writing. I had much to learn, and I still do, but I never would have dared to embark on this journey if I hadn’t gotten that one gentle push I needed.

A NOBLE DAUGHTER.

A FORMER SLAVE.

SCORCHED EARTH AND DANGEROUS GAMES.

“Jura imagined it sounded like rain.”

Juggling death is nothing new for seventeen-year-old Jura, daughter of the First of the Thirteen, successive rulers of the Republic of the Sand Sea. However, when a blood chain ensnares her father, she is thrust into the seat of power and forced to rule her elders.

“To Tylak, water had never tasted sweeter.”

Jura must track down her father’s assassin and balance a country on the verge of collapse. To find the Prince of Shadows and uncover the truth, Jura puts her trust in Tylak, a former slave accused of stealing from the Everflame—a man she once condemned to death.

In a world where water is currency and enemies lurk around every corner, Jura will use her wits or risk igniting a world war.

In stores March 27th: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Google Play Books | Goodreads

Alexis Marrero Deese is an avid reader of young adult and fantasy. Her favorite authors include Brandon Sanderson, Jaqueline Carey, and Orson Scott Card. She graduated from the University of South Florida with a Bachelor’s Degree in Creative Writing and a sun tan she misses dearly since her move to northern Georgia. She has a passion for cooking, spends entirely too much time on Pinterest, and is a self-proclaimed dog training expert to her family’s legion of dogs.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Win one signed paperback of Ignited by A.M. Deese, one glow-in-the-dark dragon pendant, one leather-bound dragon journal, and a $5 Amazon gift card! This is a pre-order giveaway but you do not need to buy the book to enter, buying the book just gives you more entries.