Wow, we are just zipping through May, and that means so many of our favorite authors have books and sequels that we’ve heard so much about, finally being released!
Available today is Inked Armor, by Helena Hunting! Happy Reading!
Synopsis: In this follow-up to Clipped Wings, the emotional love story continues between Hayden and Tenley; two young people who desperately want to love and be loved but are afraid to completely let go of their pasts.
In the wake of losing Tenley Page, tattooist Hayden Stryker’s tumultuous past is haunting him. Plagued by nightmares about the murder of his parents, Hayden reaches out again to Tenley. Having run from the man she doesn’t believe she deserves, Tenley finally lays her guilt to rest. Despite their intense physical attraction, Hayden and Tenley struggle to repair their fragile emotional connection. As Hayden gets closer to the truth, he must find a way to reconcile his guilt over his parents’ death in order to keep the woman who finally cracked his armor, and found her way into his heart.
You’ve read Clipped Wings. And its prequel Cupcakes & Ink.
You’re so close to getting the sequel Inked Armor on its upcoming May 13th release day that you can almost taste the cupcake icing.
You’ve pre-ordered your copy of Cracks in the Armor due out June 23, 2014, and put it at the top of you ‘Beach Reading’ list.
And today we are happy to help spread the word that author Helena Hunting now has a new novella called Between the Cracks available to help bridge the wait! Wow, she’s been busy!
The cover falls in line perfectly with Helena’s other covers, so we know right away that the novella will have some basis in her first two books and include characters we’ve already come to love along with some new!
Synopsis:
Tattooist Chris Zelter doesn’t always make the best decisions when it comes to the people he cares about, or the women he gets involved with. Things have changed recently, though. Chris has lost interest in casual flings as he finds himself wrapped up in Sarah Adamson, a waitress at the local strip club he frequents. It takes months of persistent attention before she finally agrees to date him, and he’s determined not to mess it up.
Just as things are finally going his way, Chris receives a troubled phone call in the middle of the night from Hayden Stryker, his best friend and business partner. Unexpected revelations and the sudden departure of his girlfriend, Tenley, has nearly sent Hayden over the edge. Add in a speeding ticket and an impounded car, and Hayden is balanced on the precipice of a total meltdown. Worried about his friend, Chris sets out on a rescue road trip, first to get Hayden, and then to bring back Tenley. The two men run into unforeseen roadblocks, proving even the best intentions don’t guarantee results.
Chris and Hayden return to Chicago empty handed, and Chris is left feeling as if he’s let down all the people who matter, especially Sarah. But Chris discovers that sometimes the best way to deal with failure is to find a way to forget about it. And losing himself in Sarah is the perfect way to do just that.
****BONUS: You’ll be able to get it for free through iTune/iBookstore and Kobo! Check Helena’s website for the link! Or, it’s currently 99 cents on Amazon! Don’t let this one slip between the cracks--get it today!
We hope you caught the radio interview Helena Hunting, author of Clipped Wings, did with Lori Ness, host of Northwest Prime and guest co-host, Chick Lisa. Helena was very sincere about her characters’ roots, humble about her experience leading up to publishing, honest about her covers, and grateful to the support of fans like you! Helena is genuine and gave an amazing interview!
On the side, after the interview, we made one more inquiry out of Helena, which she graciously answered.
If you could hand pick an artist to be involved in writing music inspired by the love story of Hayden & Tenley, whom would you choose?
“Prior to the show I would have picked either Christina Perri or The Neighbourhood, but Lori introduced me to a new band called Ninth Floor Mannequin and their music, along with the story behind their lead singer Jarrod amazes me and I love their sound. So if I could pic any band to write a soundtrack for the book, it’d be them for sure.”
Here are some links to catch up on more information/interviews with Helena:
The sequel, Inked Armor, will be released on May 13th! Look for the F2F chicks to be participating in that blog tour! And, if you are heading to the upcoming RT Convention in New Orleans, Helena wants you to stop by and say hello to her!
Tomorrow afternoon, April 11th at 4:30 EST (3:30 CST/1:30 PST), Helena Hunting, one of our newest favorite published authors, will be chatting with Seattle WAVE radio DJ Lori Ness on her show Northwest Prime.
This is a great opportunity to get to know Helena and listen as she and Lori explore why women authors love to write about the “bad boy.” (Ooh! Yes, let’s get into the nitty gritty of that one!)
Chick Lisa will be joining them half way through to talk more with Helena about her debut novel Clipped Wings.
And it’s sequel Inked Armor.
We were previously honored to interview Helena quite extensively here on Fics 2 Flicks but hope to use the live time to get her to expound on a few more subjects, including having her…
Share a little more about the cover designs that go against current trend. We just love her covers!
Tell us a little more about the prequel novella Cupcakes & Ink as well as what to look forward to in her followup Cracks in the Armor
Talk to us about the positive aspects/experiences of having emerged from the Twilight fanfiction fandom
We’re helping you connect to this wonderful new author!
You can support Helena by tuning in tomorrow afternoon to listen to her live interview at www.northwestprime.com (just click on Listen Live) and tweeting your questions to @iguestinfo or @fics2flicks either before or during the show!
Or…if you are unable to listen live but have a question (or comment) for Helena, feel free to leave it in the comments of this post and Chick Lisa will likely persuade Helena into answering it on the show! Then you can listen to the recorded show through the Northwest Prime website once it is posted! Well isn’t that the icing on the cupcake!?!?!?
Our friends over at Fifty Shades Film are also hosting an awesome giveaway contest in support of Helena. The grand prize winner will receive the following:
Autographed copy of CLIPPED WINGS and INKED ARMOR
Clipped Wings and Inked Armor Vanilla Flavored Lip Balm
Clipped Wings stickers
Clipped Wings and Inked Armor temporary tattoos
A Special “Clipped Wings” Bracelet
Hayden “Cupcake” inspired treats including Cupcake Flavored Dental Floss and Cupcake Flavored Toothpaste.
For more prizes and complete details on how you can enter to win, go here!
In the world of Twilight fanfiction, there are stories that are known as “biggies.” Clipped Wings & Inked Armor is definitely one of them. So when it was announced that it was going to be published, Kitt and I were excited for the author and for the chance to watch her mainstream career take flight. (See what we did there?) Helena is also one of those authors who is very appreciative of her fans and approachable on Twitter. You’re going to love her and her words if you don’t already. Speaking of her words…
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
F2F: First of all, thank you for agreeing to this Q&A and for giving us the opportunity to do an audiobook giveaway of Clipped Wings. We’re thrilled to be a small part of this next step in your journey.
HH: It really is a pleasure! Thank you for inviting me to chat!
F2F:When you wrote the original Clipped Wings & Inked Armor as Twilight fanfiction, was it just something you did for fun or had you always wanted to be a writer?
HH:When I started Clipped Wings & Inked Armor back in 2009, I was taking a break from another piece I was writing. I inadvertently stumbled across fanfic (I’m not sure there’s any other way for that to happen). After reading several stories, I thought it would be interesting to write one of my own. I just wanted to see if I could write something people would want to read. I’ve always written, however, the vast majority of my stories are packed away in boxes in my basement. Until CW&IA, I’d kept my writing very private. That story changed things. (A/N: We’re so glad it did!)
F2F: Do you have any advice for aspiring writers hoping to get published?
HH: Edit. Edit. Edit. And outline. I had a very loose working outline for CW&IA when I started writing it way back when. I was about six chapters into the rewrite when my very patient, kind, reasonable friend Alex put the brakes on and encouraged me to flesh out an outline. It took about a month. I sucked at it. But eventually I got to the point where I had a very tight outline for both Clipped Wings and Inked Armor. After that, the writing process was much smoother.
I encourage writers to find crit partners and to set aside the fear of cutting scenes or chapters if they disrupt the flow of the story. In the case of CW&IA, I cut out about half the book. I was extraordinarily fortunate to have a group of women from The Writers’ Collective (here) work with me on three manuscripts. By the time we got to IA, we were all very comfortable with the process. A first draft is just that…a first draft. The hard work comes after.
F2F: Speaking of getting published, how did you celebrate once you got the acceptance news?
With tears of joy and some wine. My agent Brooks and I spent nearly a year on submission and in that time I’d rewritten the entire story. There were definitely some moments when I questioned whether it would ever happen. I took the story from 430k down to roughly 225k. It was challenging, but being able to hold the book in my hands makes it worth it.
F2F: Transitioning from fanfic gave you the freedom to pick new character names. Is there any significance in choosing Hayden and Tenley?
I picked the name Hayden Stryker long before I started the rewrite. It just fit his character. Stryker always makes me think of lightning, which is reflective of Hayden. He’s electric, severe, intense. I wanted his name to reveal that about him.
Tenley’s name is unusual, and so are her circumstances. Tenley is a unique individual – her trauma, her experiences, who she becomes during the story. I wanted her name to embody that about her. And I thought it was quirky and cool, so I ran with it.
F2F:Hayden and Tenley have deeply personal issues to overcome, issues that both help and get in the way of their growing relationship. You write their struggle so beautifully. How did their story come to you? Which character was in your head first?
HH: Their story developed as a result of events that occurred which stuck with me. A groom and groomsmen were in a limo on their way to the wedding. A tractor trailer jackknifed and everyone died, leaving a devastated bride at the altar. That kind of trauma would leave deep scars. It made me question how someone could move on from such deep emotional wounds.
I suppose that indirectly answers the next question. Tenley’s trauma was the inception, but Hayden was the one I developed first. With his own traumatic past and his poor coping skills, he was the one person who could understand and relate to Tenley in a way others might not. She was the catalyst for a change that had been coming long before her arrival in his life. The body modification acted as the vehicle for connection and healing, within and between them.
F2F: What made you decide to write the prequel novella Cupcakes and Ink as opposed to a sequel? Or can fans also look forward to a sequel novella? (hint, hint)
HH:Cupcakes and Ink was an opportunity to explore Tenley and Hayden’s frame of mind just prior to meeting. Tenley is running from a past she can’t escape and she’s in such a dark, lonely place. Hayden is on the cusp of change. Neither one of them knows what’s coming until it hits them.
If you’re referring to Cracks in the Armor, it’s about secondary characters in CW & IA 🙂 I don’t have a sequel planned for Hayden and Tenley after Inked Armor, but I’d love to write Chris and Sarah’s story.
F2F:We really love the unique covers. Did you have any input into designing them?
HH: I sure did! I had lots of ideas for the covers, and I passed them over to the art team at S&S. They did such a fabulous job turning those initial ideas into gorgeous artwork. I love the juxtaposition between the covers for Clipped Wings and Inked Armor. It’s such a reflection of the light and dark.
F2F: We’re thrilled that Clipped Wings is also available as an audiobook! How involved were you in the process?
HH:My involvement was limited, but I adore Jason Carpenter’s and Elizabeth Louise’s voices for Hayden and Tenley. Hayden’s voice is so deadpan, and it makes me smile every time I hear it. (A/N: I read the ARC, but as a self-professed audiobook addict, I will definitely be doing a “reread” by listening to the audiobook! -Lisa)
F2F: If your fics were to one day be turned into flicks, who do you envision in the lead roles?
HH: This is a question I’ve pondered at length. Midian from SMIBooks brought my attention to a tatted up model named Stephen James who is absolutely gorgeous. If he was an actor, I’d put him in the role in a heartbeat. As for Tenley, Imogen Poots is gorgeous and well suited for the role.
Hayden (Stephen James) and TK
Tenley (Imogen Poots)
F2F: Are you working on any other projects you can share with us? We know the Twilight fandom will want to know if The Misapprehension of Bella Swan will ever be published, for example.
HH: That is a project I’d love to work on! I’m hoping it’s one of the next I get to tackle. I already have names for those characters and they make me giggle. I have another completed manuscript ready to roll and I’m very much hoping I get to write Chris and Sarah’s story, because I love those characters. So yes, I have a few potential projects! (A/N: Very exciting news!)
F2F: Do you have any book signings/appearances coming up so fans can get out to meet you?
HH: I’ll be at RT in NOLA in May, LoveNVegas in October as well as the DC Author Event in March 2015. I’ll be sure to post any signings and events on my website as they arise.
F2F: Congrats on the debut of Clipped Wings, and we wish you nothing but continued success as you find new readers!
HH: Thank you so much for making this a stop on the blog tour!
SYNOPSIS
Their body art is hot. Their chemistry is even hotter.
From her dark hair sweeping below her waist to her soft, sexy curves, Tenley Page intrigues tattoo artist Hayden Stryker in a way no one else ever has…especially when she asks him to ink a gorgeous, intricate design on her back. Yet for all her beauty, there is something darkly tragic and damaged about Tenley that Hayden is everything.
Covered in ink and steel, Hayden is everything Tenley has never dared to want, awakening a desire to explore more than the art adorning his stunning body. Trapped by a past that leaves her screaming from nightmares, Tenley sees Hayden as the perfect escape. Although he has secrets too, if they both keep themselves guarded perhaps their intense physical connection will remain only that.
But nothing, not even passion, can keep them safe from their pasts…
SPOILER-FREE REVIEW
Thanks to Gallery Books, we were fortunate enough to get an ARC of Clipped Wings to read in exchange for an honest review. But honestly? We already knew we were going to love it 🙂
For those of you who love your book boyfriend to be a tatted up bad boy with a big heart, you’re going to freaking love Hayden. For those of you who don’t think you would love your book boyfriend to be a tatted up bad boy with a big heart, you’re going to freaking love Hayden. And you’re going to love the way he helps Tenley tear down the wall she built to protect her heart and, in so doing, tears down his own.
With alternating POVs, Helena Hunting takes you on an emotional journey with these characters, and you will never look at tattoos (or cupcakes!) the same way again. The way she understands how deeply personal the art of ink is, and how that understanding creates so much intimacy between Hayden and Tenley, will take your breath away. These two have a long way to go to reconcile their hearts with their minds, but their souls have already started to fill in the outline.
Thanks to the generosity of Helena Hunting, publicist extraordinaire Enn Bocci, and Simon & Schuster, we are giving away a Clipped Wings audiobook to one lucky winner!
The giveaway ends 3/14/14 at 12:00 am EST. The winner will need to provide an email address for instructions on how to access the free audiobook. Good luck!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Helena Hunting lives on the outskirts of Toronto with her incredibly tolerant family and two moderately intolerant cats. She’s putting her degree in English Lit to good use by writing contemporary erotic romance.
The prequel to Clipped Wings—“twisted, dark, incredibly erotic…a love story like no other” (USA TODAY bestselling author Alice Clayton)—this emotional tale follows Hayden and Tenley as they struggle to let go of their pasts and maintain an emotionally safe distance from each other.
Tenley Page is looking for a new start: a new city, a new apartment, a new life. Her plan is to keep to herself and stay focused. But leaving her past behind and starting over isn’t as easy as she thought. And neither is maintaining her solitude. As Tenley settles into her new surroundings, she finds herself drawn to Inked Armor, the tattoo studio across the street. But it’s the gorgeous, dark-haired tattoo artist who captures her interest. There’s something about his severe beauty that captivates her—and not just in her waking hours.
Covered in the ink he inscribes on other people’s skin, Hayden Stryker has made a career out of being a tattooist. He’s got his own business and a tight circle of friends. As far as he’s concerned, that’s all he needs. At least until his aunt, who owns the antiques and used book store across from his tattoo studio, hires a new employee. At first his intrigue is based on physical appeal; hot chick equals something nice to look at. But as he begins to catch glimpses of the fiery personality under the fragile, feminine exterior, his fascination with Tenley grows. Annoyed by his inability to control his fixation, Hayden decides the best way to cure him of the new obsession is to get to know the girl under her skittish façade.
But like the ink he wears as armor, Tenley has the ability to get under his skin and stay there.
(Stephen James as Hayden and Janet Montgomery as Tenley)
Be sure and check out our cover reveal post here for more information on CLIPPED WINGS (March 2014) and INKED ARMOR (May 2014)!
About the Author
Helena Hunting lives on the outskirts of Toronto with her incredibly tolerant family and two moderately intolerant cats. She’s putting her degree in English Lit to good use by writing contemporary erotic romance.
We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to reveal these covers!! As long-time Twilight fanfiction fans know, CW&IA is one of the “biggies” in the fandom. We can’t wait for fellow fans to see them and, of course, for new readers to discover the story and the author. The books will be published through Gallery Books, an imprint company of Simon & Schuster, in March 2014 and are available for pre-order now!
CLIPPED WINGS
By: Helena Hunting
Publication Date: March 2014
Price: $15.00
ISBN: 9781476764290
An emotional love story that follows the touch-and-go relationship of Hayden and Tenley; two young people who desperately want to love and be loved but are afraid to completely let go of their pasts.
As Hayden and Tenley navigate their newfound but slightly unstable relationship, they want to trust each other, but Hayden is hiding a dark and shameful past that he doesn’t ever want Tenley to find out about. And Tenley has secrets of her own that could make Hayden run away forever. When Tenley asks Hayden to put a beautifully elaborate tattoo across her back, the two form what they thought was an unshakeable bond. But when Tenley’s past shows up on her doorstep, will Hayden stand by her side…or run?
INKED ARMOR
By: Helena Hunting
Publication Date: May 2014
Price: $15.00
ISBN: 9781476764306
Helena Hunting lives on the outskirts of Toronto with her incredibly tolerant family and two moderately intolerant cats. She’s putting her degree in English Lit to good use by writing contemporary erotic romance.
(Stephen James as Hayden and Janet Montgomery as Tenley)
Fics2Flicks 