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Thursday, 20 February 2014

Release Blitz - The Red Sheet by Mia Kerick

The Red Sheet
by Mia Kerick
Release Date: February 21, 2014
Publisher: Harmony Ink Press

One October morning, high school junior Bryan Dennison wakes up a different person—helpful, generous, and chivalrous—a person whose new admirable qualities he doesn’t recognize. Stranger still is the urge to tie a red sheet around his neck like a cape.

Bryan soon realizes this compulsion to wear a red cape is accompanied by more unusual behavior. He can’t hold back from retrieving kittens from tall trees, helping little old ladies cross busy streets, and defending innocence anywhere he finds it.

Shockingly, at school, he realizes he used to be a bully. He’s attracted to the former victim of his bullying, Scott Beckett, though he has no memory of Scott from before “the change.” Where he’d been lazy in academics, overly aggressive in sports, and socially insecure, he’s a new person. And although he can recall behaving egotistically, he cannot remember his motivations.

Everyone, from his mother to his teachers to his “superjock” former pals, is shocked by his dramatic transformation. However, Scott Beckett is not impressed by Bryan’s newfound virtue. And convincing Scott he’s genuinely changed and improved, hopefully gaining Scott’s trust and maybe even his love, becomes Bryan’s obsession.

With a foreword by C. Kennedy.


Excerpt from The Red Sheet:

I’D NEVER hidden in the high school boys’ bathroom, or any other bathroom, come to think of it, before. Not even once—from anybody or anything. I guess already being six foot two, and sharing no resemblance to a rack of bones, in my freshman year had kind of relieved me of the burden most ninth graders suffered of needing to hide from the terrible seniors—I’d already towered over most of them. But in more general terms, I didn’t hide because: A) I was too big to find any sort of a decent hiding spot in a men’s room, and B) everybody else was too busy hiding from me so all possible hiding spots were occupied. Nonetheless, here I was, cowering in a bathroom stall.

I needed to be alone for a few minutes. I needed to figure out what the fuck was happening in my life. I’ll put it this way: I was starting to get a sneaking suspicion that this weird personality change that had come over me went well beyond a desire for a red cape. Yeah, this was something far more complicated.

Inside the stall, the toilet had no lid to sit on, so sitting down on the toilet seat in a dignified manner, with my pants up, did not seem to be an option. On TV, I’d seen plenty of crafty characters hide in bathroom stalls by standing on top of the toilet seat so that if anyone looked under the stall to see if somebody was in there, no feet would be dangling down. But if I was to try that tack, I’d put my head right through the ceiling, as I’d grown at least two inches since freshman year. I guess six foot four wasn’t always an advantage. So I went with sitting cross-legged in front of the toilet. Unsanitary? Yes. Pathetic? Quite possibly. But it was the best I could come up with in the heat of the moment.

Strangely, when I finally got my long body folded into that bent-up position on the floor in front of the toilet, I could see that there was already someone curled up on the floor in the stall next to mine. So much for my solitary thinking time.

I directed my question to the lifeless body. “Excuse me… um… are you feeling okay?” I had no choice. I was called to respond to an insatiable drive within me to help those in need. And this guy had to be in major need or he wouldn’t be crumpled up into a fetal ball on the filthy bathroom floor. “Like… dude, want me to go get the nurse or something?”

I couldn’t see his face, as it was covered up by his arms. He didn’t make a sound.

“Is it your stomach? There’s a lot going around right now, I’d say. My mom is a nurse at County General Hospital and she told me that….” I let my words trail off, suspecting the guy wasn’t listening to me anyways.

“Just leave me alone.”

Well, that was a start, wasn’t it? I mean, we were communicating now.

Positive thinking, Bry.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that.” I was afraid too. I was afraid the new chivalrous part of me wasn’t gonna let me leave the bathroom until I had gotten this guy onto his feet and smiling up at me. And class started in ten minutes, which didn’t leave me a hell of a lot of time to accomplish my lofty goal. “At least tell me what’s wrong.”

“Like you don’t already know.” His response was both muffled and pissed-off sounding, but, again, it was communication, so I felt thankful. 

Thankful to whom? I had no idea. I was just thankful, period. (Try to hold off on the fucking analysis at this point, okay, reader?)

“Call me clueless, but I have no idea what is troubling you.”

He slid to the edge of my stall and stuck his head in. I saw a flash of blond hair and wire-rimmed glasses perched on an adorable nose—it was Scott Beckett, the kid from the cafeteria.

“It’s you.”

“Yeah, asshole, it’s me. So, go ahead, do what you came here to do. You going to give me a swirly? Make me lick the urinals…. What’s it going to be this time, Dennison?”

I had no idea how to respond. I’d never so much as laid eyes on this kid before, and he was acting like I’d been in on some kind of a bullying brigade directed solely at him. Either I had missed something major, or he had a very vivid imagination. “Refresh my memory, Beckett. Tell me what I did… uh, the last time.”

Still sprawled out flat on the floor beside me, directly underneath the stall divider, his pretty face screwed up into a tight knot, he squealed, “Fuck you, Dennison! Acting like you forgot is even more insulting than what you did to me in the first place. Like, I can believe that you and your buddy torture any kid who looks like an easy target, so you can’t remember all the evil details of each individual case, but what you did to me? Saturday night? Just… just fuck you!”

I nodded and then shook my head. I was clueless and confused… and starting to feel guilty. For what, I didn’t know.

Plus, Scott Beckett was just so… so interesting. So appealing.

Why would I ever try to hurt him?

“God, you’re an even bigger asshole than I thought you were… and that’s sure saying something.” Scott dragged himself up off the floor. Once he was standing in the stall beside mine, he asked me, “So, other than last Saturday night, you usually play the role of the evil sidekick when you’re out in public. Where’s your buddy Wilson—the instigator?”

“Brandon Wilson?”

“Ya think? Let me guess… five, four, three, two, one… looks like he’s late, isn’t he? But I know he’s going to burst in here, conveniently, at any second now, right? Or maybe he’s waiting outside the door for an audio cue or something?”

I stood up too. What this dude was implying about my personal character was highly disturbing.

“Should I scream? Is that the signal—or are you going for the tears again, you fuckwad-asswipe?”

Signal?

Tears? Again?

Fuckwad-asswipe? Me?

“No, Brandon’s back in the cafeteria. Now listen, buddy, just do me a favor—”

“Did you just call me ‘buddy’?” He asked me so loudly that his voice echoed in the tiny stall.

“Just tell me what I did to you.”

His stall door slammed, indicating he was now out in the main part of the bathroom. So I came out of my stall as well. And Scott Beckett was just standing there in front of the sink, glasses in hand, looking up at me with round bright eyes, his pretty pink-skinned face saturated with the purest fury I’d ever seen, and it was all directed my way. I mean, this kid fucking hated me… and I didn’t know him from Adam. “I’m not about to do you any favors, Dennison.” His thin top lip curled up in disgust, and then he added in a low voice, “Besides, we both know what went down.”

With one last scathing look, he fled the bathroom. And I was even more flabbergasted than I had been five minutes before when I’d come into the men’s room to think.

That kid is completely full of bull.

Yeah, that had to be it: Scott Beckett was messing with my head. Right? But… but back in the caf, hadn’t Brandon suggested that we had done something to this kid… and that he seemed to be looking forward to the two of us finishing the job we’d started on him? And, for that matter, Jack had referred to the fact that Brandon and me had made more than one trip to the principal’s office in regard to bullying this kid.

I grabbed a hold on the sink, because the entire bathroom was suddenly spinning all around me. I was dizzy, but I was sure it wasn’t because of the shocking realization that I may have done something seriously nasty to Scott Beckett (that I somehow couldn’t remember) to make him hate me this way. No, it wasn’t that at all… convenient memory lapses don’t just happen. Most probably, I was dizzy because I was exhausted. I guessed that maybe I’d drunk more than my fair share on Saturday night, because, in truth, Sunday was mostly a blur too. Or maybe somebody had slipped me a roofie, which could definitely be the reason I was sick and dizzy and I couldn’t remember shit. All I had to do was just make it through the rest of the day, and then serve my detention, go home, and get a good night’s sleep. I’d tell Mom I was sick… that I wasn’t up for a big dinner. That was the truth too—I really wasn’t up for food or conversation.

Rest was all I needed… and tomorrow when I woke up, things would be crystal clear again.

But, shit, I hope Mom brings home those sheets.

Book Links:

About the author Mia Kerrick

Mia Kerick is the mother of four exceptional children—all named after saints—and five nonpedigreed cats—all named after the next best thing to saints, Boston Red Sox players. Her husband of twenty years has been told by many that he has the patience of Job, but don’t ask Mia about that, as it is a sensitive subject.

Mia focuses her stories on the emotional growth of troubled men and their relationships, and she believes that sex has a place in a love story, but not until it is firmly established as a love story. As a teen, Mia filled spiral-bound notebooks with romantic tales of tortured heroes (most of whom happened to strongly resemble lead vocalists of 1980s big-hair bands) and stuffed them under her mattress for safekeeping. She is thankful to Dreamspinner Press for providing her with an alternate place to stash her stories.

Mia is proud of her involvement with the Human Rights Campaign and cheers for each and every victory made in the name of marital equality. Her only major regret: never having taken typing or computer class in school, destining her to a life consumed with two-fingered pecking and constant prayer to the Gods of Technology.

My themes I always write about:
Sweetness. Unconventional love, tortured/damaged heroes- only love can save them.

Author Links:

Wednesday, 19 February 2014

Author Spotlight - Neerunni {Wattpad}

First Kiss & Broken Promises
Genre: Teen Romance

Wattpad Book Blurb:
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.





Excerpt

“When did you get in?” I asked, secretly hoping he had just walked in.

He opened his eyes and looked right into mine through the mirror. I wondered if I would be the first one to ever die of sensory overload as his lips slightly nudged my ear.

“When you were telling my sis how much we enjoyed our apple,” he whispered, chuckling softly.

I couldn’t stop the shiver that ran up my body when Aryan tightened his arms around me and winked. We made a pretty picture in the mirror, standing entwined – my face flushed a deep shade of pink blossoms and he looked equally affected. His eyes shone with a brightness that lit up mine; his hair was mussed up, and I had an overwhelming urge to mess with it even more. Was this the desire Annie often gushed about after reading her romantic novels – the fire in the pit of my stomach, my racing heart, flushed cheeks, dazed eyes, and parted lips?

“Div, don’t look at me like that.” I heard him groan, the sound breaking my self control with a snap.

I whirled around and threw my arms around his neck.  He gasped before hugging me tight, almost lifting me off the floor. His hand cupped the back of my head, holding me tight to his broad chest. I could hear his heart race at a speed that matched mine. I inhaled deeply, and a feeling of homecoming settled around me. My fingers brushed his hair, which curled at his nape. Smiling to myself and burying my head into the warmth of his chest, I tugged at it hard. He yelped, lifting me off my feet and twirled me around.

Our laughter rang free in the air and bounced off the bathroom walls, echoing, filling me with happiness I had not known these last four years. Out of breath and dizzy, he slowly slid me down his body until my feet hit the cold floor. Looking deep into my eyes and his hands gripping my waist tight, he smoothly walked me back till my back pressed against the tiled wall. The coolness of the tiles at my back did nothing to dim the heat that coiled inside me at his proximity.

Bracing one hand against the wall above my head, he grabbed my tie and tugged lightly.

“Still haven’t learnt to knot a tie,” he chuckled softly, and shook his head.

I smiled fondly at him.

“Nah, I never had to learn when you were around. Then when you…” My smile slipped and my tongue suddenly felt heavy in my mouth, and I looked away. “I didn’t want to learn…” I whispered, feeling an invisible cloud settle around us.

I tried to move away, but his hands on my shoulders gently pressed me back against the wall. My downcast eyes found the v of his Calvin Klein tee fascinating. I could feel him stare at me, waiting for me to meet his eyes, but I started mentally tracing the red sprawling letters of ‘Make my day’ on his tee to avoid the temptation his eyes presented.

I heard him draw a long breath and sigh. “Hey, look at me,” he whispered softly, nudging my chin nimbly with his long fingers.

Drawn to the silent command in his voice like a moth to a flame, I obeyed.

“I’m here now.” His fingers tightened around my chin. “I swear on the red of the apple that we tasted, I’m right here and will be here unless you tell me to go away.”

Despite his smile, I could sense the nervousness behind his statement. He was promising me – a fresh promise. I simply stared because I wasn’t able to convince my mind to just jump in and believe.

“You want one more apple?” he asked, a twinkle returning to his eyes.

A giggle escaped my lips at his lame attempt at humor. I was glad he didn’t push me. Trust and I were no longer friends. I took his lead.

Tuesday, 18 February 2014

Blog Tour Guest Post & Giveaway - Tempus by Holly Lauren

About the author Holly lauren

Holly was born and raised in a small town in North Georgia. The third of four children, Holly grew up telling stories to get herself out of—and her siblings into—trouble. When she was eight years old, she penned her first publication: a newspaper called Sunny Dayz News. While she didn’t sell any actual copies, her sympathetic grandmother did peruse through the edition at least once.
When Holly isn’t dreaming up new plotlines for her next book, she enjoys breakfasting at Picnic Café in Dahlonega, Georgia with her (handsome) husband and their two (adorable) daughters.

Author Links:


Guest Post: 5 YA couple scenes I love

My sister and I are always highlighting scenes and quotes on our Kindles and sharing them with one another. I am going to share 5 of our favorites “couples” scenes below. So, actually, that title should say we love instead of I love. (But if my sister were writing this, she’d probably take all the credit.)

BE WARNED. WE ARE GIRLY AND SILLY AND BASICALLY LAME. 

1. Jace and Clary from City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

"How did you know I had Shadowhunter blood? Was there some way you could tell?"
   The elevator arrived with a final groan. Jace unlatched the gate and slid it open. The inside reminded Clary of a birdcage, all black metal and decorative bits of gilt. "I guessed," he said, latching the door behind them. "It seemed like the most likely explanation."
   "You guessed? You must have been pretty sure, considering you could have killed me."
   He pressed a button in the wall, and the elevator lurched into action with a vibrating groan that she felt all through the bones in her feet. "I was ninety percent sure."
   "I see," Clary said.
   There must have been something in her voice, because he turned to look at her. Her hand cracked across his face, a slap that rocked him back on his heels. He put a hand to his cheek, more in surprise than pain. "What the hell was that for?"
   The other ten percent," she said, and they rode the rest of the way down to the street in silence.

2. Tris and Four from Divergent by Veronica Roth

“You think my first instinct is to protect you. Because you're small, or a girl, or a Stiff. But you're wrong." 
   He leans his face close to mine and wraps his fingers around my chin. His hand smells like metal. When was the last time he held a gun, or a knife? My skin tingles at the point of contact, like he's transmitting electricity through his skin. 
   "My first instinct is to push you until you break, just to see how hard I have to press." he says, his fingers squeezing at the word break. My body tenses at the edge in his voice, so I am coiled as tight as a spring, and I forget to breathe.” 

3. R and Julie in Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

As she dampens my shirt with sadness and snot, I realize I'm about to do another thing I've never done before. I suck in air and attempt to sing. “You're . . . sensational . . . ,” I croak, struggling for a trace of Frank's melody. “Sensational . . . that's all.”
   There's a pause, and then something shifts in Julie's demeanor. I realize she's laughing.
   “Oh wow,” she giggles, and looks up at me, her eyes still glistening above a grin. “That was beautiful, R, really. You and Zombie Sinatra should record Duets III.”
   I cough. “Didn't get . . . warm-up.”

4.  Mara and Noah in The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

“Have you kissed many boys before?" he asked quietly.
   His question brought my mind back into focus. I raised an eyebrow. "Boys? That's an assumption."
   Noah laughed, the sound low and husky. "Girls, then?"
   "No."
   "Not many girls? Or not many boys?"
   "Neither," I said. Let him make of that what he would.
   "How many?"
   "Why—"
   "I am taking away that word. You are no longer allowed to use it. How many?"
   My cheeks flushed, but my voice was steady as I answered. "One."
   At this, Noah leaned in impossibly closer, the slender muscles in his forearm flexing as he bent his elbow to bring himself nearer to me, almost touching. I was heady with the proximity of him and grew legitimately concerned that my heart might explode. Maybe Noah wasn't asking. Maybe I didn't mind. I closed my eyes and felt Noah's five o' clock graze my jaw, and the faintest whisper of his lips at my ear.
   "He was doing it wrong.”

5. Peeta and Katniss in Mocking Jay by Suzanne Collins

“Peeta and I grow back together. There are still moments when he clutches the back of a chair and hangs on until the flashbacks are over. I wake screaming from nightmares of mutts and lost children. But his arms are there to comfort me. And eventually his lips. On the night I feel that thing again, the hunger that overtook me on the beach, I know this would have happened anyway. That what I need to survive is not Gale's fire, kindled with rage and hatred. I have plenty of fire myself. What I need is the dandelion in the spring. The bright yellow that means rebirth instead of destruction. The promise that life can go on, no matter how bad our losses. That it can be good again. And only Peeta can give me that. So after, when he whispers, "You love me. Real or not real?" I tell him, "Real.”
   And, because I am a shameless writer, here’s one of my favorite scenes from my debut novel, TEMPUS, out now:

BONUS: Zay and Chapel from Tempus by Holly Lauren

Chapel made a complete circuit, peeking through the breaks in the stream, but she still didn’t see him. Had he left her there? The thought burned a hole through her excitement. 
   The song changed again. This time it was something more current. A woman singing about going around and around. 
   “Tell me now, tell me now, tell me now, tell me now you know.”
   Chapel pulled her hair over her shoulder and wrung it out. She felt cold for the first time.
   “Don’t know how to feel about it. Something ‘bout the way you move.”
   She backed up to the center of the ring, making herself visible. She wondered if she should leave. 
   “Makes me think I can’t live without you, and it takes me all the way.”
   “Chapel.” His voice was right behind her. 
   “I want you to stay.”
   She turned slowly. Met his eyes. 
   “I want you to stay.”
   All pretense of play was gone as his fingertips brushed against her chin.
   "You're not at all what I thought you'd be,” he said. 
   Her heart thundered in her ears, along with the pulsing water around them. "What did you think I'd be?"
   He drew his dark eyebrows down. "I thought you were just another girl."
   She swallowed. "But instead I’m . . .”
   “Not." He dropped his hand, stared at his fingers.
   His breath was warm against her cheek as he stepped even closer and leaned his mouth toward hers. 
   She was paralyzed. 
   Not by fear. Not by indecision. But by the feeling that the moment was unique. That it was monumental for them both. That they were lowering their shields, holstering their weapons—at least for that perfect span of time.
   He kissed the side of her temple, just over her trio of freckles. When he leaned back and studied her, water droplets from his hair showered her like rain. 
   “Zay,” she whispered, and her voice, her always sure, always steady voice, shook. “I want—” She didn’t finish. 
   “I want, too,” he said simply. 
   Then she closed her eyes. His hand came around the back of her neck, and with his thumb, he angled her jaw toward him.
   “So beautiful,” he whispered.

Tempus

Author: Holly Lauren
Genre: New Adult Fantasy
Publisher: GMTA Publishing
Language: English
Format: eBook and Paperback

Chapel Ryan isn't crazy. At least, that's what she's been trying to convince herself of for most of her life. But after being hallucination-free for three years, Chapel finds herself facedown on her English classroom’s gritty linoleum floor. When she looks up, everyone around her is suspended in animation. Mouths hang open mid-yawn, feet hover mid-cross, Ms. Freeman’s arm flexes mid-sentence diagram. It's another hallucination. Or, is it?

Chapel prepares to tear herself back to reality when something happens. Something that has never happened before in any of her hallucinations--someone moves. And not just any someone—it’s the new guy with a scar over his lip and a reputation as black as his perfectly styled hair. And all of the sudden Chapel's white-knuckle grip on her life has slipped, and with it, her assurance that what she's experiencing isn't real.

Grab your copy of Tempus!


Blog Tour Organised By:



Giveaway Details

20 Kindle or ePub copies of Tempus up for grabs.

Ends March 15th (23:59 p.m. GMT).

International giveaway.





Goodreads Book Giveaway

Tempus by Holly Lauren

Tempus

by Holly Lauren

Giveaway ends March 20, 2014.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
Enter to win

Cover Reveal, Excerpt & Giveaway: The Hurricane (The Storm Saga #2) by Madison Louise


The Hurricane (The Storm Saga #2)
Release Date: March 2014

Summary from Goodreads:
Ever since the storm that changed Millicent, and her brother’s lives, giving them storm powers, Millicent had never been truly happy, but with Felix back, and all of them together, things were just like they used to be before the storm—minus the 17th century—it was time to try school again, but together this time, and without everything that almost separated them again. But just as everything was falling back into a normal steady pace, things start to fall apart again. A new enemy, Tyler, doesn’t want them to be around, he wants them dead, wants to finish what his cousins failed to do months before.

Millicent tells the others to start training, getting ready for the fight that is sure to come, but things fall apart farther and farther, until Millicent is just holding onto a thread, and that thread is Felix. But only for a time. Because sometimes, even love has its limits. Even though that love had time to grow and strengthen.

With the new threat looming over their heads, the family scattered, Millicent isn’t sure how this will end happily, for her, for Felix, for her family. Especially with something comes into Felix and Millicent’s life, and changes it forever. 

Will they all be able to come together again, and face the threat? Or will they bend to those who wish to destroy them?

Excerpt from The Hurricane:

I turned and looked around, I spotted a park bench, and then I saw someone with dark brown hair sitting on it. “Michael!” I cried, I ran towards the bench, and Michael turned around. I stopped in front of the bench, and Michael looked away. I sat down next to him, slowly. “You ok?”

Michael put his head in his hands. “Everyone keeps asking that. But no, I’m not ok. I wish people would stop asking me that.”

“But we just care about you—”

Michael’s head shot up, and the wind blew a little stronger than it had been. “I’ve heard that too. From some of my friends, but then…they just decided that they didn’t care anymore.” He stood up, and I watched him sadly. I saw Matthew get out of the car and walk towards us.

“Things are just hard right now, alright? Everything will go back to normal here soon—” I tried.

Michael laughed, and put his hands in his pockets. “No, Millicent, they’re not going to back to normal. Ever since we found Felix—”

“Don’t blame this on him.” I said sternly.

“You thought the same thing though!” he turned to look at me. “While I was lying on a cold floor, dying. But now that everything is just great, you don’t even spend time with me or even Matthew anymore. Even your cat, it’s all about Felix now, isn’t?”

I felt like I just got all the air sucked out of my lungs. I swallowed, I felt the lightning crawl into my hands. That hurt as much as it made me angry. “We’re not boyfriend and girlfriend, I’m his wife. I’m supposed to spend time with him. If this was back then, I wouldn’t even be living with you guys. I would most likely only see you once a month or even that.” 

“But this isn’t ‘back then’ is it, Millicent? It’s the twenty first century, where most couples live with their families until they can get back on their feet. And if you’re so keen on the idea of leaving me and Matthew, go ahead, go off and live with Felix.” He started to walk away, but Matthew came out of nowhere, and grabbed him by the arm, that’s when the rain started to fall. I took in a deep breath, trying to keep the lightning inside. The wind picked up. 

“You apologize right now.” Matthew his voice was even, but I heard it crack a little.

Michael yanked his arm away. “No, Matthew. I’m done with this. I was done with this a long time ago, but I didn’t want to go anywhere because I thought ‘oh hey, they still want me’ but I have a feeling that you guys don’t want me anymore. Am I right?”

“That’s not true.” I said quietly, my tears mingled with the rain.

“But it is.” Michael snapped, he turned back to Matthew, who was trying to keep himself together. “I’m done with this, I’m done with this family. You guys can go back to the ‘love of your lives’ and I’ll go find something to do with my miserable and immortal life.” He turned on his heel and started to walk to his car. I let out a sob, and Matthew just watched him walk away.

My feet got a mind of their own. I took off after my brother. “Michael!” I sobbed, I caught up with him, but he didn’t stop walking. I wrapped my arms around his waist, and started to sob. “Don’t leave.” I sobbed into his shirt.

He stilled, but he didn’t put his arms around me like he would do if Michael wasn’t leaving me. 

“Don’t leave me.” I sobbed. “Please don’t.”

Michael pried my arms off around him, “Goodbye, Millicent.” He said quietly. He turned around and jogged the rest of the way to his car, he got in, started it, and drove away. I fell onto my knees, and sobbed.

He was gone.


About the author Madison Louise

Madison Louise decided at a young age that she wanted to write. Since she was nine she has written many books. Now Madison is a teen pursuing her dream of becoming best seller author. She spends her time writing, reading and drawing, the occasional Just Dance when she has the time. Madison lives in Ohio, with her parents, her sister, and all their pets.

Author Links:

Cover Reveal Organised By:


The Hurricane Giveaway

Two winners will receive an ebook of The Storm and Thunder & Lighting and a pre-ordered ebook of The Hurricane.

Monday, 17 February 2014

BOTW - WEEK 40 {Wattpad}

Again
Genre: Teen Romance

Wattpad Book Blurb:
Seventeen-year-old Jaymie Andrade isn't thrilled about moving all the way to Florida from Alaska; she's pale, reserved, and a loner. So moving a town where drunk teenagers are always rocking to parties every weekend and everyone knows each other, it jeopardizes her small barricaded wall of peace and collected world where only she is visible. But as always, something had to come along and intrude. Jaymie's two-year long childhood crush from middle school, Alex Averin, also happens to have moved to Florida with his family years ago.

Now the issue isn't that he moved but the fact that the last time they talked, Alex didn't seem like he was interested in her, and Jaymie plans to keep it that way. Alex is attractive, tan, 6'2, and a surfer, and the complete opposite of Jaymie, therefore, eliminating any delusion of a possible relationship. Being involved in such a situation, chances of a relationship blossoming is very low. So, when Jaymie detects even a hint a of interest that Alex is showing towards her, it'd be an understatement to say she was dumbfounded.

Click here to read the book.


First Kiss & Broken Promises
Genre: Teen Romance

Wattpad Book Blurb:
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. 

Click here to read the book.




Echo
Genre: Mystery / Thriller

Wattpad Book Blurb:
Jemma Pearson has been running from her past for as long as she could. When she thinks of settling down and of letting go, her demons finally catch up with her. You know what they say. You can run, and you can try to hide, but you can never escape.

Click here to read the book.













Taken By Destiny
Genre: Teen Romance / Mystery / Thriller

Wattpad Book Blurb:
Sixteen year old Lucy Harper is a girl with a settled life. But soon enough, scandals from a terrifying and grave past-about which she is unknown-would surface and consume her in them... pushing her till her last breath.

As she battles, she has to fight against an unseen power. Or she may loose everything that she has ever cared for. 

Intriguing dreams where she meets a girl, who demands peace | A boy who is almost nonexistent and finds trouble for her | And scary and deadly threats that point the inevitable | Lucy, sure has to fight against her destiny, even she knows she can't...

Click here to read the book.

Saturday, 15 February 2014

BOTM - How To Be A Girl {Wattpad}

How To Be A Girl

Jordan Lee is as boyish as her name implies. She's always been just "one of the guys." Up until now, she's enjoyed being a tomboy, but when she finally confesses to a friend that she likes him in a more-than-friends way, Jordan realizes that being a bro sometimes...sucks. Everything Jordan says seriously is taken for a complete joke, and Matt Hendrickson doesn't believe her for a second. And so, Jordan enlists the help of her best friends: Cameron Summers, a Ladies' Man, and his model sister, Grace. They're going to teach her how to be what she isn't--how to be a girl.








Interview

1. Please tell the readers a bit about yourself.

Well, my name's Ivey. I'm a sixteen-year-old junior in high school, and I've been writing on Wattpad for roughly around 2 and a half years now. I want to major in some sort of science (either biology-related or chemistry-related) and minor in English when I get to college. Along with writing, I also put a good amount of energy into piano and singing. My family's got four kids total--I have three sisters--so I really love writing as a way to shut them all out.

2. What types of books do you write?

A majority of my books are teen fiction / romance / humor type of stories, but lately I've been trying to shift away from those fluffy teen chick-lit novels and explore things totally different. Goliath was my first attempt to do so; it's got darker themes involved. I plan on writing a science fiction novel, too, once I've got it all planned out.

The subgenres may differ, but I have a feeling that the big umbrella genre I'll always write for is Young Adult, only because right now I'm a teenager, and teens are what I know. Plus, it's pretty fun, too.

3. How many books have you written?

I've completed two, but only one complete one is posted (Behind These Walls), while I have an edited version up for the other (Why She Fell). How to Be a Girl is so, so, so close to ending. I've got a lot of works-in-progresses, though.

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

I'm looking forward to 22 Jump Street and The Fault in Our Stars movies. For books...I don't really have any, haha.

5. What type of books do you enjoy reading?

Honestly, if it's well written and interesting, I'll enjoy it. Lately I've been reading a lot of great American classics authors (i.e. John Steinbeck, F. Scott Fitzgerald) because I'm taking American Lit for my English class, and I'm really enjoying reading them so far.

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

I wouldn't want anything except

1. A boat.
2. A map.
3. And food.

7. Are you considering a sequel?

I was at first, but now, I'm not so sure. We'll see how I manage to end this book, I guess.

8. What inspired you to become a writer?

When I was in third grade, I read "The School Story" by Andrew Clements. I was only 8 at the time, and the main character was 10 (I think), so it made me realize that anyone can write a book. I'd always had a constant flow of imagination going on (I daydreamed a lot as a kid and I still do), so I figured if the girl from "The School Story" could write a book, why couldn't I?


How To Be A Girl Scavenger Hunt

Click the image below for more details

BOTW - List #40 {Wattpad}

BOTW WEEK 40:






Friday, 14 February 2014

Happy Valentine’s Day – Kindle Fire HDX, Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash ($229) Giveaway

Kindle Fire Valentines

Win a Kindle Fire HDX, Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash ($229 value)

This is a joint AUTHOR & BLOGGER GIVEAWAY EVENT!

Bloggers & Authors have joined together and each chipped in a little money towards a Kindle Fire HDX 7" (or $229 Amazon Gift Card or $229 in Paypal Cash).

All New Kindle Fire HDX 7" Giveaway
The winner will have the option of receiving a 7" Kindle Fire HDX (US Only - $229 Value)



  Or $229 Amazon.com Gift Card (International)



  Or $229 in Paypal Cash (International)



      Giveaway Sponsors
Sign up to sponsor the next Kindle Fire Giveaway:
http://www.iamareader.com/category/kindle-giveaway-sign-ups


Giveaway Details

1 winner will receive their choice of an all new Kindle Fire 7" HDX (US Only - $229 value), $229 Amazon Gift Card or $229 in Paypal Cash (International).

There is a second separate giveaway for bloggers who post this giveaway on their blog. See details in the rafflecopter on how to enter to win the 2nd Kindle Fire HDX 7".

Ends 3/16/14

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the participating authors & bloggers. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

Thursday, 13 February 2014

$50 Book Blast - Lumière by Jacqueline E. Garlick

Lumiere
Lumière by Jacqueline E. Garlick 

One determined girl.
One resourceful boy.
One miracle machine that could destroy everything… 

After an unexplained flash shatters her world, seventeen-year-old Eyelet Elsworth sets out to find the Illuminator, her father’s prized invention. With it, she hopes to cure herself of her debilitating seizures before Professor Smrt—her father’s arch nemesis—discovers her secret and locks her away in an asylum.

Pursued by Smrt, Eyelet locates the Illuminator only to see it whisked away. She follows the thief into the world of the unknown, compelled not only by her quest but by the allure of the stranger—Urlick Babbit—who harbors secrets of his own.

Together, they endure deadly Vapours and criminal-infested woods in pursuit of the same goal, only to discover the miracle machine they hoped would solve their problems may in fact be their biggest problem of all.

When darkness is safer than light…


Praise

“One of the most inventive story worlds I’ve read in years…” Donald Maass, Author of Writing the Breakout Novel, Writing 21st Century Fiction, and The Fire in Fiction

“Such an engaging story featuring witty dialogue, gripping action scenes and a romance that will make your heart melt!” Laurel May

“I liked the mix of reminders I got from authors like Mervyn Peake, L.Frank Baum and Ray Bradbury. I'm sure that every reader will find shades of other famous writers, including or excluding these three.” Richard L. Bunning

“Eyelet and Urlick, the two main characters... There's so much to love! They are like salt and pepper: totally different, spicy, argumentative, and brilliantly smart.” Rosemary Danielis


Excerpt From Lumière:

“Wait!” I shout, surging forward, shouldering my way through the crowd. I fight my way to the front and pound on the doors of the carriage. “Please!” I shout. “I need to speak to you!” But the stranger doesn’t hear.

He brings his whip down hard over his horse’s back and the carriage leaps forward, parting the angry crowd like soil in a furrowed field. “Wait!” I hoist my skirts and chase after the carriage. “Please!” I shout. “Please! Wait!”

A second crack of the whip and the carriage moves faster. I race on, struggling to keep up to its side. If I lose sight of the carriage, I’ve lost everything. All hope of ever leading a normal life.

I can’t let that happen. 

Won’t let that happen.

He will not take my father’s machine.

“Please, I beg you, stop the coach!” I lunge, throwing myself at the back of the coach, barely catching a toe on the edge of the running boards, embedding my nails into the carriage’s seams. The carriage bursts forward through the streets of Gears, the city fast becoming a memory.

“Stop!” I plead as my boot slips from the running boards. I swing out to one side and dangle by one arm. 

The stranger at the mount turns his head. “What are you doing?” he shouts. “Get off!”

“Get off?”

I kick my way back up onto the platform.

“I said get off!” he shouts again.

“I won’t!” I say, hoisting, myself up higher onto the cab.

My foot slips again and I sink beneath the rooftop, striking my chin hard on the way down. Grasping at the coach’s seams I desperately try to hold on, the toes of my boots burrowing twisted trenches in the dirt road below. My heart lodges in my throat as I lose my grip and swing out again to the opposite side.

“Bloody Hell!” I hear the stranger curse.

His face appears over the top of the cab seconds later. His eyes are lit like flares. I hang by the tips of my fingers, shocked, staring up at him. I don’t know whether to scream or cry.

add to goodreads

jacqe
Author Jacqueline E. Garlick 


 I'm Jacqueline Garlick. Author of YA, New Adult, and Women's Fiction. I love strong heroines, despise whiny sidekicks, and adore a good story about a triumphant underdog. I love to read, write, paint (walls and paper) and plan cool writing events for cool writers. I have a love/hate relationship with chocolate, grammar, and technology. I prefer creating things to cleaning things, and baking to cooking. I believe laughter is a one-stop-shop solution to all that ails you and if that doesn’t work there’s always Ellen Degeneres. You will always find a purple wall (or two) in my house (perhaps even a door) and a hidden passageway that leads to a mystery room. (Okay, so you won’t find a hidden passageway but a girl can dream, can’t she?) Oh, and tea. There will always be tea. I love specialty teas...and collecting special teacups from which to drink them. (See website for collection.)

In my former life, I was a teacher (both grade school and college-don't ask) and more recently I've been a graduate of Ellen Hopkin’s Nevada Mentor Program and a student of James Scott Bell, Christopher Vogler and Don Maass. An excerpt from Lumière earned me the 2012 Don Maass Break Out Novel Intensive Scholarship.

Lumière—A Romantic Steampunk Fantasy—is my debut novel, Book One in my young adult The Illumination Paradox Series. I am represented by Josh Adams of Adams Literary.


 


BookBlast Giveaway $50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 3/14/14

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

Wednesday, 12 February 2014

Author Spotlight - Bree_Niah

Ignis

After a government shutdown that leaves the nation in disarray, a new power comes in to relieve the people’s problems. The Three Kings take over; giving the people hope in a land of violence and anger, but their help comes with a price. Instead of just getting everything back up and running they take a dictatorship control over everything and separate everyone into two factions, Superior and Inferior. Those a part of Inferior are treated with the strictness of the smallest mistake getting them beaten or killed and those in Superior are treated extremely well, both so that rebellion is far off their minds.

Aine Burk was born into the Inferior faction and has been different from the others all of her life. She wasn’t afraid of what would happen to her and has the marks all over her body to prove it. Now with just a spark of rebellion in the air and an event that puts her on the Three Kings radar she has enough ammunition to start fighting back. To take down the Three Kings before they can abuse their power more than they already have.


Interview

1. Please tell the readers a bit about yourself.

My name is Jenniah and I am 17 years old, in my senior year of high school. Writing hasn’t always been my thing, but when I got into it, it became my love. I’m also a Future Sailor of the U.S. Navy.

2. What types of books do you write?

Any genre that appeals to me is what I’ll write. Teen Fiction, Science Fiction [which Ignis is], Non-Teen Fiction, Romance, Vampire, just pretty much anything accept Historical Fiction and Non-Fiction.

3. How many books have you written?

I have started seven books, but never finished any of them. There is Ghosts, Redo, Secrets, Their Fight, The Set-Up and Ignis and I plan to finish all of those stories and someday publish them.

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

I’m looking forward to Divergent, The Fault in Our Stars and Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1. As for books I’m looking forward to Sixth Grave on the Edge and City of Heavenly Fire.

5. What type of books do you enjoy reading?

Almost all genres appeal to me, it just depends on how intriguing the plot of the story is.

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

1. Either my friend Leonna or Eric.
2. First Aid Kit
3. Machete

7. Are you considering a sequel?

At least two more books are going to be written to continue the story of Aine, it will not all fit in one  book.

8. What inspired you to become a writer?

When I was able to write stories or things that I thought up and didn’t get irritated or find it boring I knew that it was something I could do. Once I realized all of that, I also thought of how  books bring me and lots of others joy and wanted to experience the feeling of being the one who gives the people that joy.


Excerpt

"You've just made my life a little bit better Aine, but I can't say I won't miss our almost daily meetings." Todd chuckled humorously as he spoke and I would have come back with a snarky remark, but I was cut off.

"Release them."

I didn't have to look to know that it was the King's voice that had spoken, and had caused the men to move away so quickly and snap to attention. Though just because I didn't need to didn't stop me from looking up, and looking him straight in the eyes.

"Nothing here will be taken into account since it was not this woman's fault. I'm sure she had no prior knowledge of this attempt. As for the girl she was just protecting her from you. What you really should be worrying about is that rebel. He made an attempt on my life and escaped, maybe I need to bring in some new leadership if the current couldn't handle one man." His tone was soft, but held a deadly undertone.

Though he was talking to his little henchmen he didn't tear his eyes away from mine, and I refused to back down from the stare. Even as they uncuffed us, we stared and I could see in his eyes that there was something he was thinking, but wasn't saying right now. Well not while he was around us at least.

I had just caught the eye of the wrong man, and no matter what he had planned, nothing good could come from it.


***

Lily paced the small space of her room for almost half an hour before she turned to look at me, her face contorted in what looked like pain, anger, sadness, and just a little determination.

"They're coming. Not tonight, but they are and you have to be prepared for them when they do. We all have to be prepared."