August 07, 2014

Blog Tour: Lailah by Nikki Kelly {Guest Post & #Giveaway}

Welcome to our stop on the LAILAH by Nikki Kelly blog tour!

Today Nikki is here is talk a little about LAILAH. You can also enter for a chance to win a copy of LAILAH. Open to US residents only.


Hi Nikki!

Welcome to Good Choice Reading!

Tell us the one scene you loved writing & why? Spoiler-free of course. ;)


There are so many scenes in Lailah that I loved writing – it’s hard to pick just one! If I had to be really honest, it would probably be the scene between Lailah and Jonah in Chapter Twenty Three. It’s pretty hard to explain why without spoilers, but I will try my best!

Lailah and Jonah are in the basement of a nightclub, which is a sort of gentleman’s club. An emotional rendition of Lana Del Ray’s Born to Die is being sung, accompanied by a grand piano, and Jonah pulls Lailah into a slow dance.

A few moments ago Lailah had caught Jonah in an ambiguous situation that was not to her liking and she is now rather flummoxed by him, so her emotions are all over the place.

Then, as Jonah takes her in his arms, Lailah finds herself becoming even more conflicted at his touch.

During the scene Jonah is, for once, actually quite upfront about what he wants and, after some to-ing and fro-ing, they kiss. But no sooner has Jonah’s lips pressed to hers, she realizes that he’s broken an earlier promise to her (I believe as the song goes, ‘it’s in his kiss’!) and she pulls away, hurt and upset.

She delivers some angry words to Jonah before making for the exit.

The scene itself was probably my favorite to write because, by this point in the story, I really wanted the two to share a truly intimate moment. I wanted Lailah’s walls to be broken down and by the ‘wrong’ person.

Lailah is, by nature, stubborn and strong-minded, and believes for various reasons that I won’t go into (spoilers sweetie!) that Gabriel is the fella for her. But, of course, she meets Jonah, who is a bit of an enigma, and he royally throws a spanner in the works.

Jonah is crucial to Lailah’s journey. The simple problem of what Jonah is causes Lailah to question the preconceptions and assumptions that she’s made about people, life, and the world. Then, through the story, the who he is and who he is becoming to her chips away, allowing him to get under her skin. So there had to be a moment where he finally causes a definite crack in her confident exterior – one that she can’t disguise.

I wrote the scene in a fairly seductive way, which I found very enjoyable. As a writer, I don’t think you have to be explicit with seduction and sex for it to be powerful. In fact, I think if you can craft the language right, you can leave just enough to the reader’s imagination and that, I think, is somehow far better.

Creating this scene felt a bit like writing a song – building it up, reaching that climactic moment; then the pause, before bringing it tumbling back down again.

Here’s a quote from that scene:

‘Sinking deeper into Jonah wasn’t helping; he’d suddenly become quicksand, and the more I struggled to fight him the faster he pulled me down.’

Playlist Song: Lana Del Ray: Born to Die




ABOUT THE BOOK...



The girl knows she’s different. She doesn’t age. She has no family. She has visions of a past life, but no clear clues as to what she is, or where she comes from. But there is a face in her dreams – a light that breaks through the darkness. She knows his name is Gabriel.

On her way home from work, the girl encounters an injured stranger whose name is Jonah. Soon, she will understand that Jonah belongs to a generation of Vampires that serve even darker forces. Jonah and the few like him, are fighting with help from an unlikely ally – a rogue Angel, named Gabriel.

In the crossfire between good and evil, love and hate, and life and death, the girl learns her name: Lailah. But when the lines between black and white begin to blur, where in the spectrum will she find her place? And with whom?

Gabriel and Jonah both want to protect her. But Lailah will have to fight her own battle to find out who she truly is.


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ABOUT THE AUTHOR....



NIKKI KELLY was born and raised only minutes away from the chocolately scent of Cadbury World in Birmingham, England. Lailah was first launched to wattpad, an online readers and writers community. Within six months, the novel had over one million reads. Lailah is Nikki’s debut novel, and the first book in The Styclar Saga. She lives in London with her husband and their dogs, Alfie (a pug) and Goose (a Chihuahua).



-Nikki Kelly will be on the October Fierce Reads Tour! Get more info here: http://www.fiercereads.com/
-Follow Nikki Kelly on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Styclar
-Check out her website: http://www.thestyclarsaga.com/
-Be sure to visit her Wattpad page: http://www.wattpad.com/user/TheStyclarSaga





OPEN TO US RESIDENTS ONLY
MUST BE 13 OR OLDER TO ENTER
CONTEST ENDS MONDAY, AUGUST 11TH
WINNER HAS 48 HOURS TO CLAIM BOOK ONCE EMAIL IS SENT


TO ENTER LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW TELLING US WHY YOU WANT TO READ THIS BOOK? HOW BAD? ;) 

BE SURE TO LEAVE A WAY FOR US TO CONTACT YOU SHOULD YOU WIN. 


GOOD LUCK!





22 comments:

  1. Great post! I'm completely dying to read this book. I love vampires and angels and have yet to read a book that features both! I also love epic books that feature good vs evil, especially when things aren't so black and white. The world-building sounds phenomenal too. All the excites!

    And if I'm lucky enough to win *fingers crossed* my email is starlight.starbright.ks (at) gmail.com

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    1. I'm sooo glad to hear all the excites!! Sounds like lailah should be right up your street or your cup of tea might be more appropriate (I'm English you see!!) xox

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  2. I'd love to read this book! I really want to know why she has visions from a past life.

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    1. Ah yes lailah's existence is a complicated tale one that the first book focuses on following her journey!! Xox

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  3. This looks and sounds awesome!!!! Thanks so much for the fun post and giveaway :)

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  4. Excellent post. This book sounds like it will be really interesting - very little in life is ever black and white there is really lots of gray.

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  5. Excellent post. This sounds like it will be a very engaging story - good versus evil where very little is black and white.

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    1. Hi Dana!! Yes indeed there is a focus on the light and the dark and the shades of grey in between!! I hope you enjoy it xox

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  6. I'd love to win this book! The cover is gorgeous, the premise is amazing, and the book contains three things I ABSOLUTELY love. Vampires, cute boys, and supernatural elements!

    fandommonthly[at]gmail[dot]com

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    1. By the sounds of things lailah would be right up your street!! Thanks so much!! Xox

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  7. I've been wanting to read this ever since I heard of it! And oh, that guest post has me wanting it even more. It sounds wonderful. :)

    underhillholly(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  8. I LOVE paranormal books and especially ones where one of the boys gets the girl to question everything, like Jonah does with Lailah, because it means characterization is excellent!! LOVE the world too :)

    thank you so very much :)

    ccfioriole at gmail dot com

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    1. Thanks so much Christina!! I hope you enjoy it !!!

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  9. I want this book so badly because I LOVE Nikki Kelly! She and I are twitter buddies, and she is an amazing person. I read an excerpt of her book, and it was truly fantastic! I NEED to meet these hotties, Jonah and Gabriel. I love paranormal reads and vampires and angels. :) I got rejected on Netgalley & never got a response back from the publisher for my physical copy request. I want it SO SO SO SO SO SO BAD!!!!!

    aperfectioncalledbooks(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. Lovely Rachel!! My twitter buddy indeed you have an arc copy coming your way now I believe though right?!!! Xox

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  10. I love angel book stories! I find them so dramatic and always an entertaining read!

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  11. I want to read this book because it sounds so different and exciting. Thank you! :D

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  12. I want to read this book because it sounds so different and exciting. Thank
    you! :D

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