Welcome to 2016! It's the Hello Hop!

We’re ringing in the New Year with lots of giveaways! And by sharing some fun and wacky facts about ourselves. There’s a new giveaway at each stop so be sure to visit them all!

So the New Year is upon us, and hopefully it's going to bring loads of new, awesome things into our lives...like new people, right? And there's no better way to break the ice when meeting new people than to share weird facts about yourself, so let's get right to it. I'm going to share five quirky facts about me, and I'm going to ask you to share some of your own to enter my giveaway. So without further ado...

1. I'm really scared of robots. Like, genuinely scared. I'm genuinely worried that Skynet is a future possibility (and apparently I'm right to worry). This all stems back to seeing Superman III at an impressionable age, and being horrified by Vera being transformed into a cyborg at the end. Ever since then, I've harboured a deep distrust of anything robotic, cyborg-ish, or even vaguely mechanical.

2. I collect tarot cards. I know how to read 'em too, although these days I very rarely do readings. I'm happy just to pull a deck out every now and then and admire the gorgeous artwork. My very first deck was the Tarot of the Moon Garden. I bought it from an indie bookstore in Liverpool while I was at university and taught myself to read the cards in my spare time. Since then I've collected all kinds of decks, from the Quantum tarot to the Santa Fe tarot.

3. I have five tattoos. I have a kanji symbol for "mind, body, and spirit" at the small of my back, which I got on my 18th birthday. A second kanji for "witch" at the top of my spine, which I got for my 21st birthday. A black and red tribal design at the small of my back, which I got on my last day of university. I have an elder sign beneath the witch kanji, which my fiance paid for as an anniversary present. And finally, I have the words "hope begins in the dark" on my left inner forearm, which I got last February as a Valetine's gift from my fiance. I'm trying to decide where to have number six...

4. I'm obsessed with perfume. Actually, this won't be news to people who know me, but if you're new here...I am obsessed. I have boxes upon boxes of perfumes. I make my own as well as buying from beautiful indie shops, so I also have boxes upon boxes of essential and fragrance oils. I never, ever wear the same perfume two days in a row.

5. I love true crime stories. I don't know if this is particularly weird, but I guess it's probably something not many people know. I'm addicted to the podcast Sword and Scale, and I especially love historical crime stories, the weirder the better!

Now, the giveaway! I'm giving away a copy of my urban fantasy, BLOOD WITCH, book one of the Blood Canticles series (it's definitely got some weird crime going on). 

To be in with a chance of winning, just tell me something not many people know about you! And don't forget to visit the other blogs on the hop. Happy hopping!