BOTW - Haunted

Haunted

Paranormal / Horror

Click here to read the book.

Upcoming Releases for 2014

I haven't been excited about books for some time now, so I'm hoping the new year has a spectacular bundle of must-reads to reignite my passion.

Here are a few books that are on my radar for 2014.

January
See Jane Run by Hannah Jayne

February
Destination Unknown by Amy Clipston

May
Boys Like You by Juliana Stone
After the End by Amy Plum

July
Eleanor by Johnny Worthen

August
Just Call My Name by Holly Goldberg Sloan

BOTW - List #33

BOTW WEEK 33:

Merry Christmas from CBY!

Here's to a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!

See you all in 2014!

Author Spotlight - Neerunni

First Kiss & Broken Promises

First Kiss can be earth-shattering and so can ‘broken promises’, especially when both are sealed and delivered by the one who has held your heart in the palms of his hands since the day you turned a teen. 

Seventeen year old Divya Narayan is a high-spirited young girl with an adventurous streak in her, who doesn’t think twice before taking a risk. She learns very early in life that broken promises by ones you love equals a broken heart. So she makes two promises – Never to fall in love and never to break a promise. 

One fateful night four years ago, Aryan Diaz not only broke Divya's heart but also her trust and their unique bond of friendship. When the charming heart-breaker returns next door to Divya, he holds more than a key to her locked heart; he has answers that can set her free to break the promises she made. 

Join me as I paint their love and their first kiss with vibrant colors that dull the promises they both had to break.

Wattpad | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr | Ask.fm

Interview

1. Please tell the readers a bit about yourself.

My name is Neeraja, but friends call me Neeru. I am from India. I have seen 38 summers and would like to believe I am wiser for it. I am a hands-on mom who loves to write, dream, and write some more when am not busy driving my family crazy. 

I am one of the directors, along with my husband, in a mobile app development company that we started a year ago. Since I’ve started writing, I have hardly been able to do justice to my role there. Thankfully, my husband understands my need to focus on getting my first fiction right with as little distractions as possible. Becoming a published author is a dream destination. Meanwhile, am thoroughly enjoying the journey.

2. What types of books do you write?

I am currently writing romance but would love to branch out into murder mystery, historical, fantasy, or even horror someday. 

3. How many books have you written?

First Kiss & Broken Promises is my first fiction.

4. What movie and/or book are you looking forward to this year?

Playing catch up with Hunger Games and in Television, I’m looking forward to Arrow, Game of Thrones, Homeland, and Intelligence. 

I’m most excited about beta reading one of the most popular fantasy books on Wattpad, which the author is currently rewriting for publishing. I already have the first few chapters in my inbox. 

Secret by Rhonda Byrne and the Millennium series by Stieg Larsson are few others I am eagerly looking forward to reading. 

5. What type of books do you enjoy reading?

I love most genres – romance, mystery, thriller, historical, and fantasy (this is a recent addition after reading ‘Paladin’ by Sally Slater on Wattpad). Werewolf stories are my guilty pleasure.

6. If you were stranded on a desert island what 3 things would you want with you?

1) My sanity intact 

2) Characters from my story ‘First Kiss & Broken Promises’ to keep me company 

3) Power of teleportation *I did mention retaining my sanity: D

7. Are you considering a sequel?

Absolutely but depends on the characters. If they decide to run away to the deserted island without me, then I may have to find closure in this book itself :)

8. What inspired you to become a writer?

A burning need to express, emote, role play, dream, imagine, and create has been the main source of inspiration besides encouragement from friends and family. Simply put – I just want to tell a story the best I can.

Excerpt

“Wanna chase me, Pigtails? Come get me,” he taunted, his laughter fading with the blurring images.

I tossed restlessly, tangling the sheets around my legs. The heat was unbearable, and I struggled to sleep. Car doors slamming shut woke me up from my sorry attempt at sleep. 

Light giggles and whispered conversations wafted through the open windows. My eyes shot open and I sat up on the bed. It was a still night with curtains as motionless as the walls beside it. I threw the sheets off my legs and got off the bed. Walking to the window, I drew the curtains aside and peered into Annie’s courtyard where her mom’s car was parked.

I could make out Annie’s silhouette near the car; she was talking animatedly with someone. My brows furrowed and my head tilted as far as the window would allow in an attempt to catch sight of the person behind the car’s open trunk door. The person must have said something funny for Annie threw her head back and laughed loudly. Her arm shot out to punch the person playfully with so much familiarity; my sleep deprived mind cleared instantly.

Airport! They were back from the airport! 

As if to validate my brain’s lucidity, a hand emerged from behind the trunk door holding a haversack. My breath locked in my throat, anticipating what my eyes longed to see. Those seconds, those precious seconds he took to shut the trunk and emerge from behind, felt like hours and then the time stood still.

My eyes zoned in and stayed riveted on his appearance. Moonlight cast a silver shadow on his silhouette defining his long slender frame. This was a moment my fingers itched to hold my camera and capture, but my eyes refused to shift its gaze from the man, drinking in his every movement. He hitched his haversack onto his right shoulder, shaking his hair out of his eyes and weaving his left hand through it. He then casually threw his arm around Annie’s shoulder and pulling her close, he started walking to the front door.

A few feet from the door, Annie broke away and ran back to the car. As usual, she forgot something. My eyes refused to follow my friend and stayed on the man…the boy I had not seen for four years.

Aryan!

He lifted his head towards my window so suddenly as if I had called out to him. My eyes bulged out of their sockets and I quickly clamped my mouth shut with my hands, resisting the impulse to duck or dive back into the room away from the window.

Despite the storm raging inside me, I stood rooted to the spot as still as the moonlit night, as still as the man below. He could not see me, right? But I could feel his eyes bore into mine and my heart hastily beat a staccato. I blinked. In that instant, the moment broke and he turned his head away towards Annie.  Both of them entered their home without a backward glance.

I stood there, looking at the last spot he had been.

Pigtails! I closed my eyes on a sigh.

BOTW - Trouble

Trouble

Teen Fiction / Coming of Age / Humour

Wattpad Book Blurb:

Alexandra Carter is a trouble maker with a capital T. She's a straight D student and rides a big bad Harley. She spray painted the school locker twice, vandalized the girl's bathroom once, got into numerous catfights, almost set the girl's bathroom flaming, set the girl's bathroom on fire. And got sent to the principal's office a billion times. When she gets expelled, much to her happiness and gets transferred to a new school, much to her dismay, she has to start over.

Meet Alexander Parker. Handsome. Tall. Arrogant. Black sheep. And did I mention that he is the sole heir to the throne of Gerbaine? So when these two bad asses collide, what do you get? A crazy roller coaster ride with annoying catfights, more rule breaking, sarcastic comebacks, innuendos, prank wars and a whole lot trouble.

Click here to read the book.

BOTW - More to Life

More to Life

Romance

Wattpad Book Blurb:

Running from the past is hard, but with the right help, the freedom can taste oh so sweet. 

Start with splash of Brianna, a determined romantic who is trying to fight heartbreak and maintain her idealistic notion of true love.

Mix in equal parts of Mitch and Emma, twenty-somethings who are ready to paint the town red with their single-life escapades.

Top it off with Tom, a fellow romantic with a growing sweet spot for the new girl.

Pour them all together in Asia, add ice, and shake well for the perfect Mai Tai cocktail full of shenanigans, romance and heartbreak.

As the months progress, the secrets begin to unravel, and what started off as good fun, could very well test the limits of their fragile bonds.

Click here to read the book.

BOTW - First Kiss & Broken Promises

First Kiss & Broken Promises

Teen Romance

Wattpad Book Blurb:

First Kiss can be earth-shattering and so can ‘broken promises’, especially when both are sealed and delivered by the one who has held your heart in the palms of his hands since the day you turned a teen. 

Seventeen year old Divya Narayan is a high-spirited young girl with an adventurous streak in her, who doesn’t think twice before taking a risk. She learns very early in life that broken promises by ones you love equals a broken heart. So she makes two promises – Never to fall in love and never to break a promise. 

One fateful night four years ago, Aryan Diaz not only broke Divya's heart but also her trust and their unique bond of friendship. When the charming heart-breaker returns next door to Divya, he holds more than a key to her locked heart; he has answers that can set her free to break the promises she made. 

Join me as I paint their love and their first kiss with vibrant colors that dull the promises they both had to break.

Click here to read the book.

BOTW - Stone Cold

Stone Cold

Teen Fantasy

Wattpad Book Blurb:

"The stone first started to show on his father's right forearm. Pale onyx veins then spread throughout his body, shining like polished marble."

Stone has claimed most of the magical creatures of the world, forcing the rest to go into hiding. It seeps into their skin and sucks the magic out of them, drop by drop until only their hulls are left behind.     

Xander is the prince of the Tuatha Dé Danaan, also known as the fae. He is tasked to find the one who can stop the stone. But after five decades of trying to find it, he comes up empty handed. Until one fateful night, when he sees a girl breath life into stone.

Click here to read the book.

BOTW - Catered

Catered

Teen Romance

Wattpad Book Blurb:

Austin's a cater waiter working for New York City's top catering service. Aria's the cynical stepdaughter of one of the city's richest men. When her mother married Ned Rochester, they traded in a small house for a penthouse, and road trips for private jet trips. When Austin and Aria's paths converge, sparks fly. But will she be able to overcome her fear of commitment? And will be able to fit into her jet-setting, champagne-swilling world? Or will there be a catering culture clash?

Click here to read the book.

BOTM - Taint by Lana_sky

Taint

As a suffering epileptic with uncontrolled siezures, Miriam always knew she was different.  For her, it's better to be invisible--but that all changes when He comes to town; a boy with murder in his eyes, and blood on his soul.  

He's different too.  Maybe not even human...

But there's a dark secret behind the truth of Miriam's siezures.  Her days are numbered--and she doesn't even know it.

Only one thing can save her.  

One person.

It's too bad that the curse that could end up saving her life, could be the very thing that destroys it...

Wattpad | Website

Interview

1. Please tell the readers a bit about yourself.

I’m Nikki.  I’m twenty two years old and I write stories.  :P

2. What types of books do you write?

I actually started out writing Fantasy, believe it or not, and then I branched out and found my home in Paranormal/Urban fantasy.  Basically vampires, werewolves, demons and witches are my forte.

3. How many books have you written?

A LOT.

4. What movie and/or book are you looking forward to this year?

I’m really excited for the second in the Hunger Games Trilogy, Catching Fire.

5. What type of books do you enjoy reading?

I actually only enjoy reading books with some element of fantasy or paranormal.  In other words: someone, somewhere within those pages needs to get bitten by something.  I’ve found that contemporary (normal) lit either bores or depresses me.

6. If you were stranded on a desert island what 3 things would you want with you?

1. Laptop
2. Juice
3. Internet

7. Are you considering a sequel?

Taint is actually part of a series.

8. What inspired you to become a writer?

I am a habitual daydreamer.  I daydream about imaginary people constantly and have ever since I was very young.  Writing keeps me sane and gives me and outlet for my crazy characters.

Taint Scavenger Hunt

Click the image below for more details

BOTW - List #32

BOTW WEEK 32:

Author Spotlight - beats96

Proteus Trilogy: Book One: Warrior

A teen called 1498 is raised in a place called the Research Center. He's trained to fight, and as time goes on his skills are put through tests, each one more difficult than the last. As he progresses, he begins to wonder, what is all of this for? And why can't he get out?

Wattpad

Interview

1. Please tell the readers a bit about yourself.

Well, I hail from America, and I come from a good-sized family. There are ten kids in all, and I'm number five. I'm sixteen, and besides writing my books, I like to read, hang out with my various siblings, and fight vampire ninjas.

2. What types of books do you write?

As of right now, it's Teen Fiction/Action, but I'm thinking about branching off into Teen Urban Fantasy.

3. How many books have you written?

This is my first book, but I'm working on a couple others: the sequel to Warrior and the aforementioned Urban Fantasy book.

4. What movie and/or book are you looking forward to this year?

That's a hard one! Well, for 2014, there's The LEGO Movie. I'm really pumped about that. Bookwise, I'm looking forward to the next book in the Heroes of Olympus series, the Blood of Olympus.

5. What type of books do you enjoy reading?

Mostly Fantasy, such as the Inheritance Cycle, The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia and others like that. Any book by Steven James. I also enjoy the Art of War by Sun Tzu. If you haven't read that, go get a copy. It's amazing. Besides those, my number one favorite is the Bible. Even if you don't agree with everything in it, it's go some amazing things in it.

6. If you were stranded on a desert island what 3 things would you want with you?

1. First off, Bear Grylls. The man can survive anywhere.

2. Second, a giant, plush baby cheetah.

3. Third, an Oceanic Airlines ticket. We'll have to go back, Kate. (LOST reference)

7. Are you considering a sequel?

Definitely! In fact, I'm writing it right now.

8. What inspired you to become a writer?

I really love reading, and as I would read, I would get ideas for stories. Eventually, I decided I wanted to write down the ideas. From that came my first book, a rather pathetic attempt which shall never see the light of day.

Excerpt

I move away from the grille, as she pulls it open and slides into the room after me. I The library here is similar, no, identical in layout to the one on Level 10. The only difference is the books. They have several I’ve never even heard of.

The library is empty. I glance at Lee. “Have you tried going outside the room?” She nods. “Yeah, but as soon as I crossed the door, an alarm of some kind went off, and I hid in the ducts. I haven’t tried since.”

I nod, thinking. Obviously, we’ve never had that problem on our levels. As I stand there thinking, I hear the door open. My eyes meet Lee’s, and we both decide the same thing. We hide behind bookshelves. It would take too long to get back inside the grille and put it back into place. I look around the corner of the bookshelf carefully.

Then I see who walked into the room.

It’s me.

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BOTW - Errand Runners

Errand Runners

Teen Fiction / Action

Wattpad Book Blurb:

In Nova City, sixteen-year old Nole does what he has to in order to provide for his brother and sister. But after Nole comes into contact with a mysterious teenager and is suddenly targeted for a crime he didn't commit, their stable way of life begins to crumble. With lethal gangs and brutal city Enforcers, he must navigate his way through the corrupt city system in order to keep himself and his siblings alive.

Click here to read the book.

BOTW - Stalking the Undead

Stalking the Undead

Teen Fiction / Paranormal

Wattpad Book Blurb:

Lilliana felt trapped between reality and nightmares. Suddenly the dreams and the nightmares were becoming real – and they were worse. Now she was having to fight to survive, and if she lost, the reality would cease to exist.

Click here to read the book.