Synopsis:

Purchase:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Timekeeper-Rising-Duo-Book-ebook/dp/B010RD2B24/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1438194747&sr=1-1&keywords=Timekeeper+Rising

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/timekeeper-rising-allyssa-painter/1122283351?ean=2940152025255


Guest Post
In preparation for this blog blitz, I asked the person organizing it, Giselle from Xpresso Book Tours, what exactly I should write about in my guest posts.  She suggested many things, but one was my favorite male characters in YA.  I’m not entirely sure why they had to be male?  Maybe it’s that whole book boyfriend craze?  I don’t know.  So I started thinking.  She actually said they could be in any fiction, if I wanted, but I quickly realized I absolutely had to limit it to YA.  There’s just too many.  And as I made the list, I realized something else.  Many of the characters I listed actually came from my favorite books.  Not every book on this list is my favorite, and many of my favorites did not make this list.  But many did.  Another thing I realized was this: If I had had to name my favorite female characters too, many of them come from the exact same books, and to be honest, I will probably point those out too as I proceed.  Because, really, I think characters are important no matter their gender, and I’m not one of those book boyfriend people.  (I know, I know!  How dare I?  It’s really just because my husband is as amazing, if not more so, than any of the men on this list, I promise.  He is like the ultimate book boyfriend.)  Anyways, let’s move on to the list, shall we?
In no particular order (really, just the ones that popped into my head):

Justin – The Voice by Jennifer Anne Davis.  The Voice is actually in my top 10 (probably even my top 5) books.  I absolutely love this book and adore the author.   But that’s not the point of this post, is it?  Justin is an amazing character.  He is strong and caring.  He cares so much for the MC but most of the time, he can’t even show her or tell her.  He works so hard to protect her and she doesn’t even know it at first.  He is the ultimate gentlemen and I just love him so much.  Audrey from the book is an amazing female character too, if you’re curious.  She goes through hell and manages to not only survive, but become a much stronger person because of that.  And that is something to be admired.

Darmik and Savenek – The True Reign Series – Jennifer Anne Davis.  I know there are two people on this line, but I wanted to keep the book together.  Darmik is a fighter, the commander of the king’s army, so he’s definitely tough and strong, which is in and of itself a good thing.  But he also completely turns his life around for one girl.  And when I say completely turns his life around, I mean, he could be murdered by his own family for his actions.  But he doesn’t care, because he’s more interested in doing the right thing and protecting this girl.  And Savenek, well, he’s just sarcastic and snarky and that’s just so fun.  No, he really is great for other reasons.  But those are the main two.

Cinder/Brian and Rob – Cinder and Ella by Kelly Oram.  To give you a little background info, this a contemporary Cinderella story, but it’s woven in such a way that is actually quite subtle and brilliant.  Brian is our handsome prince, known to Ellamara, our Cinderella, as Cinder.  He is a cocky and conceited playboy.  But he’s also an incredible friend who cares very deeply for Ella.  Not only would he walk over hot coals for her, he’d crawl over them.  He is an amazing character in his depth.  He’s snarky, he’s arrogant, he’s irritating.  But he’s also clever, caring, and kind.  Rob is a supporting character, but he is just so sweet to Ella too, a perfect gentlemen, that it’s nearly impossible not to like him.  He’s just too good of a guy.  P.S.  Ellamara is brilliant and I highly recommend this book, just as I do pretty much every book on this list.  Scratch that.  Every book.

Grayson – The Avery Shaw Experiment by Kelly Oram.  This guy is kinda like Brian, except where Brian is famous and rich, Grayson is merely handsome and popular.  But the same rules apply.  He’s pretty cocky and full-of-himself, but he goes out of his way to help Avery.  He does things he’d rather not do, like join the science club, to try to comfort her after his jerk of a brother breaks her heart.  He deprives himself of what he wants because it’s best for Avery.  He steps out of his comfort zone to help her.  And that is very gallant, and the perfect way to steal my heart.  I’m starting to notice another pattern.  I think I love guys that are devoted to their women.  I think that’s the main requirement.  Interesting.

Tristan – Archers of Avalon Series by Chelsea Fine.  Let me start this one by saying, it has been a while since I’ve read this series, so I’m a little fuzzy on all the details, but I still love Tristan enough that I remembered him.  Tristan is a tortured soul.  Literally, I think.  I’m trying really hard to explain my love without spoiling the plot of all these books, so forgive me if I mess up and do so, or if I’m super vague.  Tristan loses his girl over and over again.  She keeps dying.  And when she’s alive, he can’t be with her, or he accelerates her death.  But being away from her literally causes him pain.  To keep her alive, though, he stays away from her, taking the pain, so that she might have a chance at life.  He not only sacrifices his desires and accepts horrible pain, but he also does everything he can to protect her and stop her curse of dying all the time.  And no matter what she does in any of these lives, he still loves her as much as he did the first time he fell in love with her.  He comes across as a jerk at first, but really, he just loves her so much that he makes her hate him to save her.  Which is tragic and beautiful.  Tristan is a hunter, an old soul, and a bit of bad@$$ for lack of a better term.  He’s morbid in a funny sort of way, and stronger than most.  He’s just a very well written character, I think.

Maxon – The Selection Series by Kiera Cass.  I’m not going to talk much about Maxon, I don’t think, since I know how popular of a series this is.  Maxon is self-deprecating, intelligent, and really cares.  He has a hidden strength and humility that most people don’t see and despite his horrible father and job demands, he really does care about people.  And he loves America enough to give her the world.   (I love America and her stubbornness by the way)

Kile, Henri, Erik – The Heir by Kiera Cass.  Technically, this is in the selection series, but different main characters, so I separated them.  It’s hard to choose a favorite character from this book, but these are my top 3.  I don’t even know what to say about Kile.  I just love him.  He’s willing to do whatever Eadlyn needs.  He wants to talk and comfort her and know her better, but she just wants to make out, and he accepts that, because it’s what she needs from him.  Henri is just… How could you not love Henri?  I mean, really?  He’s just too adorable.  And Erik is a good man.  He truly cares for Henri, when most would just see him as a job.  And he truly cares for Eadlyn too.  He takes care of her more than most of the other guys, even though he doesn’t have too.  Also, Eadlyn is an amazing character.  I know a lot of people for some reason don’t like her.  Maybe because she’s too different from America?  But I actually think she’s great.  She’s realistic.  And even though a lot of people think she’s too mean or callous, I don’t.  She has to be, a lot of the time, to protect herself.  Even in the book, she’s let her guard down before and gotten hurt.  So she’s a lot more cautious. She wears a mask.  And I think that makes sense.  (Sorry.  I know that’s off-topic).

Akinli – The Siren by Kiera Cass.  Akinli is just a good-natured, friendly, goofy guy who falls in love with a silent girl.  He is just a true, good guy, and I love him for it.

And because I just can’t help myself, here are two from adult fiction.  These are two of my favorite books, so you’ll just have to bear with me.
Samuel – Running Barefoot by Amy Harmon.  Samuel is a Navajo who begrudgingly befriends a young girl who teaches him more about life than he could ever imagine.  She turns his life around and helps him become the man he wants to be.  He becomes a marine and returns years later to find that the young girl he’s befriended has become a grown woman who has lost her fiancé and her light.  She’s lost, and he decides to show her the way.  He’s a strong character that hates to fail or show weakness, but does so for Josie.  He’s a man that is stubborn enough to push Josie into remembering who she used to be, even though she doesn’t want to.  He forces her to move on and to start living her life again.  His growth in the book is extraordinary and is astounding to watch.

Taylor – The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks.  I don’t know exactly what to say about Taylor.  I love this book and I love him, but it’s been years since I’ve read The Rescue.  Taylor is one of those rare men who becomes a father to a child that does not belong to him.  To make him even greater, the child is autistic.  Not a lot of people bother with autistic children, but this man not only bothers with him, he treats him like a son.  And that means something to me.  He’s a good man that has to face his self-destructive behavior in order to be with the woman he loves and her son.  I like Taylor for other reasons too, but mainly just for the way he treats the little boy.

Author Interview
 Author Interview – All About That Author
This is just a rapid fire, “get to know Allyssa Painter” sort of thing.

Who’s your favorite author?
    I… How can anyone ask a reader that?  Top 5 (not in any specific order): Jennifer Anne Davis, Kiera Cass, Maggie Stiefvater, Nicholas Sparks, and Dr. Seuss.  Other amazing authors: Kelly Oram, Amy Harmon, Maddy Edwards, Scarlett Dawn, Rick Yancey, etc.  The list could go on and on.

What are your reading habits like?
    Did you not figure out from the first question?  I read basically anything.  I don’t read horror (I’m not a scary story type of person) and I don’t read erotica.  Otherwise, I read pretty much everything.  I mainly focus on YA but I also read NA and Adult.  I read intermediate and children’s books as well.  I love fantasy.  I think it’s probably my favorite.  But I also love dystopian, paranormal (which is fantasy, but still, people specialize it), romance, contemporary, a little sci-fi, etc.  Pretty much, I read anything that catches my eye.

What kind of music do you like?
    Everything but rap, I think.  Country and Christian music is what I set my radio to, but my iPod also has soft rock, alternative rock, metal, pop, gospel, etc.

Favorite Food?
    I don’t know that I have one.  Do desserts count?  If not, probably pasta in general.

Favorite recipe?
    Candy Cake or Somoa Sheet Cake.  Here’s a link to somoa sheet cake: http://www.chef-in-training.com/2015/01/samoa-sheet-cake/  For candy cake, just make a german chocolate cake, poke holes in it, pour a can of sweetened condensed milk over it, then a jar of caramel ice cream sauce, then whip cream, then crush butterfingers (or your candy of choice) over the top.  It’s a delicious mess.  I do love apple pie too, though.  I usually make homemade apple pie at least once a year, either for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Favorite Color?
Purple.  Especially light purple.  Like lavender.

Dreams?
    Besides being an author, which I guess I am now, and attending the WV Book Festival as an author, which I will be in October, my dreams include learning sign-language, visiting Italy, being a foster mom, adopting at least one child, and making my family happy.  I’m sure I have more, but those are the main ones that come to mind.

Favorite past times?
    Besides reading and writing, I love photography, baking, and spending time with my family and friends.  Family is a huge part of my life and I’d be lost without them.  I also love to do things outdoors and to make things.  I make cards and scrapbook, and my husband and I usually come up with ideas of things to make our family for Christmas.  Sometimes I work with my dad in our woodshop to create clocks, wooden boxes, etc.

If you won a million dollars what would you do with it?
    Y’all are going to hate this answer, ‘cause I’m no fun at all, but here goes.  I would save a good deal of it.  I would give a some of it to charity (my favorite charities are Wounded Warrior Project, Soldiers’ Angels, Avery’s Angels Gastroschisis Foundation, Huntington’s Disease Society of America, and Autism Speaks.)  Then I’d use it on my family.  My dad loves football, so I’d buy him tickets to one of the bowl games (I think he really wants to go to the Rose bowl, but I don’t know.  I don’t know much about football).  I’d take my mom to Italy.  We’ve both always wanted to go.  I’d buy her some books, too.  I’d take my husband to Germany and buy extravagant things for my grandparents, in-laws, etc.  Depending on how much I had left over (I don’t know how much I’d save or give to charity), and when I won it, I may or may not use it for a house or new car or something.  It would just depend on our needs at the time.  Oh, and I’d buy a lot of books.

If you had to move to any state but your own, where would you move?
    Probably Colorado, if I actually had a choice.  My husband is in the Navy, though, and he’ll be going active duty in a few years, so I probably won’t have much of a choice.  But I love CO.  It’s beautiful and mountainous and reminds me of home.  I don’t think I’d mind NC or MD too much either, though.  They’re pretty nice.