Book Release: Dawn on the Road by Lea Waterhouse PLUS Excerpt

Today marks the release of DAWN ON THE ROAD by Lea Waterhouse. Check out this young adult contemporary novel.

Dawn on the Road
by Lea Waterhouse


She’s here for the ride. For the road. For inspiration.

Dawn dreams of adventure, inspiration, and to feel something deeper. She’s certain that art will be the catalyst for these goals, except that the adults around her think she’s not being realistic. When Justin returns to her life the summer before her senior year, he convinces her to find inspiration on the road. Now she’s off, perched on the back of his motorcycle, heading up the coast to a preview weekend at an art school.

It isn’t long before Dawn realizes Justin’s view of inspiration is quite different than hers. He believes it comes from a God she was taught absolutely does not exist.

On the road, maybe she’ll find a friendship renewed. Maybe art. Maybe even love. Or perhaps she’ll find all three wrapped up in a different kind of inspiration, but only if Dawn can break from her upbringing, open her heart, and figure out what she believes.

Amazon | Kindle | BN

Excerpt

We were back on the road early, since we needed to make serious mileage if we were going to make it in time. That meant watching the sunrise over lush forests from the back of the motorcycle. Chilly morning air whipping my skin.

As excited as I was for the school tour and portfolio discussion, I was also looking forward to a leisurely ride back. We could take our time. Justin and I could continue all our wonderful philosophical discussions. We could see more gorgeous, natural places. I would spend hours on the back of the motorcycle with my arms wrapped around him. Maybe I would even dig deeper on all this religion stuff. I had to admit I was getting a little curious.

About the Author

Lea Waterhouse is a lover of words, wilderness, and roads to anywhere. She graduated from Vanguard University of Southern California with a major in English and minor in Religion. Other than writing, her passions are reading (of course!), traveling (by plane, motorcycle, car, boat, train…anything!), and viewing beautiful art.

Book Blitz: November Rain by Shannon A Thompson PLUS Excerpt and Giveaway

Today we're featuring NOVEMBER RAIN, the first in the Bad Bloods series by Shannon A. Thompson.

November Rain
Shannon A. Thompson
(Bad Bloods #1)
Published by: Clean Teen Publishing
Publication date: July 18th 2016
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

Seventeen-year-old Serena isn’t human. She is a bad blood, and in the city of Vendona, bad bloods are executed. In the last moments before she faces imminent death, a prison guard aids her escape and sparks a revolt. Back on the streets determined to destroy her kind, Serena is spared by a fellow bad blood named Daniel. His past tragedies are as equally mysterious as her connection to them.
Unbeknownst to the two, this connection is the key to winning the election for bad bloods’ rights to be seen as human again. But Serena is the only one who can secure Vendona’s vote. Now, Daniel must unite with her before all hope is lost and bad bloods are eradicated, even if it means exposing secrets worse than death itself. United or not, a city will fight, rain will fall, and all will be threatened by star-crossed love and political corruption.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / iTunes

EXCERPT:

“She used to tell me that a full moon is when mysterious things happen and wishes come true.” I stared at the little paper in my hands. “Do you think she tells my sister those stories?”

Daniel didn’t respond. He only listened. I had told him before I had a sister. He had probably assumed I lied, but I hadn’t. It was the truth, and it tumbled out like a story my mom created before bedtime. I tried to picture her telling stories to my sister, but nothing came. I only saw the little girl, with Mom’s hair and Dad’s eyes, standing in the road, saying my name.
“I’ve never met her,” I confessed, staring at the writing bleeding through the folded end. “I think her name is on this, but I can’t read.”
Daniel reached for it. “I can—”
“No.” I held the note against my chest. “I want to learn and read it on my own,” I explained, softer than my previous snap.
Daniel’s head tilted. “Robert never taught you.”
I wasn’t sure if it was a question or a statement, but I responded anyway. “He can’t read.”
Daniel’s eyes swept over me. He took the time to rub his face before looking away.
“He can’t read,” I repeated, studying his reaction. “Right?”
Daniel’s hand lowered to his lap. “I can teach you,” he said, and when he faced me again, he was remarkably closer than I realized. His hand moved to rest on my knee. My heart stabilized. “What else do you want?”
It was a question I had never heard before, and the way Daniel stumbled over the sentence suggested he had never been able to say it before either. Bad bloods weren’t allowed to want anything. Not even life. So, when I was asked, my mind spiraled into obscurity, never actually solidifying an answer even though I searched for one.
“I’ve never been allowed to want anything,” I confessed.
“Me neither,” Daniel agreed, and for a brief second, I was oblivious to the fact that his lips were on mine.

Author Bio:
Shannon A. Thompson is a twenty-three-year-old author, avid reader, and habitual chatterbox. She was merely sixteen when she was first published, and a lot has happened since then. Thompson's work has appeared in numerous poetry collections and anthologies, and her first installment of The Timely Death Trilogy became Goodreads' Book of the Month. As a novelist, poet, and blogger, Thompson spends her free time writing and sharing ideas with her black cat named after her favorite actor, Humphrey Bogart. Between writing and befriending cats, she graduated from the University of Kansas with a bachelor's degree in English, and she travels whenever the road calls her.

Visit her blog for writers and readers at www.shannonathompson.com.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

GIVEAWAY!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour: Elemental Secrets by Elle Middaugh PLUS Giveaway

Today we're featuring ELEMENTAL SECRETS by Elle Middaugh. Take a look at this YA fantasy, read the excerpt, and enter the rafflecopter below!

Elemental Secrets
Elle Middaugh
(The Essential Elements, #1)
Publication date: February 27th 2016
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

Valerie Moore was a beautiful, headstrong girl with below-average social skills and above-average anxiety (including a flair for over-analyzing).
With her mother long deceased, and her father recently deployed, she ends up being sent to live with her eccentric aunt in a tiny town nestled in the mountains of Pennsylvania. But, being a Navy brat had made her into a bit of a loner, and making friends certainly wasn’t her strongest suit. As if the life of a typical teen wasn’t hard enough.
But Valerie soon discovers she’s not a typical teenager. Not by a long shot.
SECRETS are revealed…
…About her family, about her newfound friends and relationships, and about her whole world… Things that have been kept from her for her entire life…
But the biggest secret of all is revealed when Valerie discovers that she has Elemental powers, and a chain of inexplicable and irrevocable events unleashes throughout the little town…

Excerpt

Just then, Jay leapt from his chair. He froze and cocked an ear toward the tree line. “Did you hear that?” he asked us. “Turn the music off.”

Chase bolted to the speakers, and just as he killed the music, the impossible happened. Suddenly, the entire bonfire snuffed out all at once. No warning, no smoke. Just poof, total darkness.

“Chase!” Holden yelled.

“On it!” he shouted back quickly as the fire rose back up out of the ashes, brighter than before, casting light back through the alcove.  

“Sienna, get her out of here,” Holden demanded as he lifted us out of the chair. He kissed me, then pulled me out of the way of a falling tree limb. “Go! I’ll meet you back at my house as soon as I can.”

More branches fell all around me as I sprinted after Sienna. The world was sloshing around like a drink as I ran. I felt heavy and weightless at the same time, and the ground seemed to latch and loosen around my feet, as if it couldn’t quite decide whether to trip me or not. I nearly fell at least a dozen times, but a sudden gust of wind consistently kept me upright. I might’ve been drunk, but this was the strangest weather pattern I’d ever seen… Global-mother-fucking-warming.

There was an explosion. I stumbled to a halt on my hands and knees and glanced back. Half of the woods were on fire, fueled by a vengeful wind that pushed it wildly through the trees. Holden! I turned to run back, but Sienna grabbed my arm.

“He’s fine, Valerie, I promise! Let’s go!”

“No one is fine, Sienna! The whole damn forest is burning!” The panic overtaking my system was fueled by adrenaline, but it burned through the alcohol in my blood as well. I needed to get to Holden. It was the only thing I knew through the chaos.

Then suddenly, the flames doused out. Hot steam rising from the bark was the only reminder that they were ever alight.

What. The. Hell!?

I had never been more terrified in my entire life. I had no idea how to explain the shit that I’d just seen, except for ‘global warming’, or ‘being drunk’. Or, worst of all, ‘supernatural’ crossed my mind, and what the hell kind of explanation was that?

“Valerie! Run!” Sienna cried as it began to rain.

No, it was pouring, and I could sense that it was freezing cold, even if I couldn’t feel it. In fact, it was freezing. Balls of hail soared to the earth like rockets, as if they weighed more than they should, or like gravity had been multiplied.

Finally, my feet kicked into action. I righted myself and ran once more toward Holden’s house.

When I shot from the woods, I wanted to drop to the pavement and cry, or puke, or scream, but I was too afraid a tree might lean over and pummel me, so I ran until I burst through the front door.

Sienna grabbed my hand and led me upstairs; she didn’t know where Holden’s room was any more than I did, but she kept looking until she found it. Once inside, she shut the door and locked it behind us.

The feel of the room seemed very Holden, like a blustery day at an elegant beach. The carpeting was a sandy tan color and the walls were a pale windy gray. Everything was accented with a crisp white. His bed was intricate and huge, maybe Victorian, and looked soft enough to swallow you up. I wanted to curl up in his sheets, get lost in his cologne, and pretend that everything was normal and fine.

But it wasn’t, and Holden was still out there. The fear churning in my gut was making me nauseous, so I started pacing. “What the hell just happened, Sienna?”

She had slunk to the floor and was now leaning with her back against the white bedroom door. She thoughtfully pursed her lips as she looked away. “I’m not exactly sure.”

“Not ‘exactly’?” I repeated with narrowed eyes. “So you do, at least, have an idea?”

She grimaced, but glanced at me softly. “Yes.”

I threw my hands in the air as I wore a path into the carpet. “Then please explain this shit! The bonfire went out like a light, then flipped back on just as easily. The trees were on fire, and then they just suddenly weren’t! Tree limbs were falling everywhere. Rain turned into hail—in September! I mean, what the hell!?”

Her mouth opened, then closed, and she shook her head. “I…can’t.”

“You sound just like Cade!” I shouted angrily.

“I’m sure I do!” She stood and plopped down in Holden’s desk chair. “I don’t want to make a case for the guy, but you have to understand, Valerie. Some things, inexplicable things, are forbidden to be revealed or explained.”

“Well I guess somebody screwed up on the ‘revealed’ part, huh?”

“Yeah, your boy Cade.”

“I have no idea what the hell you’re talking about; Cade was nowhere to be seen!”

Sienna pointed a finger. “Seen being the operative word.”

Goodreads / Amazon

Author Bio:
Elle Middaugh is a newly published author, born in the sticks outside of Clearfield, Pennsylvania. After moving around the east coast a number of times, she now lives in her hometown with her husband and three children.
Reading has been a favorite past time since Elementary School and choose-your-own-adventure books. Writing has been her dream since Middle School when she first began penning her own material. Being published is the most awesome achievement in her writing career so far, but she hopes for more exciting landmarks and stepping stones in the future!
She’s a proud Navy wife; a frazzle-brained mother; a homebody who dislikes cleaning; a fan of tennis, and fitness in general; a lover of hot tea, mountain dew, and all things fiction; and she’s a bigger My Little Pony fan than her children.

Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

GIVEAWAY!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blitz: Tempting Death by Elizabeth Holloway

Today we're joining the book blitz for TEMPTING DEATH by Elizabeth Holloway! Take a look at that cool cover! Be sure to read an excerpt from this thrilling YA paranormal!

Tempting Death
Elizabeth Holloway
(The Grim Trilogy #1)
Publication date: May 30th 2016
Genres: Paranormal Romance, Young Adult

The truck should have turned Libbi Piper into a Libbi pancake, but a mysterious boy named Aaron saved her life. The problem? Aaron’s the local Grim Reaper. The bigger problem? He saved Libbi’s life so she can take over his job.

Libbi has just days to choose between dying like she was supposed to or living a lonely life as Death Incarnate. The choice only gets harder when she learns Aaron’s reasons for wanting out of the whole morbid business. Basically, his job sucks.

Still, when Aaron looks at her, there’s something more in his eyes. Something dark and secret. Something he’s hiding. Libbi will be damned if she’ll die without figuring it out. And she’ll be damned if she lets him go.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble

EXCERPT:

The creep is back.

I may not be able to see him, but I know he’s here, somewhere. Call it intuition. Or maybe it’s just the eerie memory of when the guy stared me down last night. I don’t know, but I’m not taking any chances.
I hunch over my history final and release my thick hair from behind my ears. It swings forward like a dark-brown curtain and hides my face.

Show’s over, buddy.
I can’t look around, not with Mr. Winkler on “cheater duty.” Hopefully, the guy will get bored and go wherever the hell he went last night when he took off.
The final is what’s important. I need to focus on this test.
I read the next question on the page, but the loser’s gaze bores through my dark shield of hair and my arms erupt in gooseflesh. Before I can skim the multiple choice answers, my eyes betray me and shoot up to scan the classroom.
Mr. Winkler sits at his desk scratching at some poor schlub’s paper with his red pen of doom. His bald head gleams in the harsh fluorescent light. God, I hope it’s not my paper he’s destroying. I can’t afford another bad grade in this class.
I quickly scan the rest of the classroom through the part in my hair, but everyone is working. Eerie feeling or not, nobody’s looking at me.
But I know someone is watching. Just like last night, I can feel his stalker stare.
This is ridiculous. I shake my head and rub my arms to dispel the goose bumps. This guy has freaked me out so much I’m imagining his eyes on me now. I don’t have time for this. I have an exam to finish.
The tip of my pencil hovers over the letter C, and something in my peripheral vision shifts. I snap my head up and finally see him.
The guy I caught staring at me at the art show last night, the guy who warned me something bad was going to happen to me today, stands at the tiny rectangular window in the door. He tilts his head and his ice-blue eyes lock on mine, sending a shiver through my body.
Shake it off, Libbi, I tell myself. He’s just a crazy boy with a crush.
Actually, with his tousled black hair and his nose pressed against the glass like that, he looks a little like a lost puppy. If he wasn’t so creepy, I’d almost feel sorry for him. But couldn’t he choose a better time than the middle of my history final to eyeball me? Plus, he said he wanted to talk to me alone, and this is most certainly not alone.
I point to my partially finished test and mouth, “Final exam.”
He nods. A half-smile lifts the corners of his lips.
“Bye.” I wave my hand.
“I need to talk to you,” he mouths.
“No,” I reply, but he continues to stand at the door.
Dude, catch a clue already. I spin away from the door, sneak a peek at Mr. Winkler, and shove the eraser of my pencil between my teeth. I yank the eraser out of its metal holder and flick it at the back of Haley’s head. Her chair squeaks as she jumps and whips around to glare at me.
“What?” she whispers.
“Look.” I point over my shoulder with my pencil to the classroom door. “That crazy guy I told you about is at the window.”
We turn to the door together, but the window’s empty. He must be a shy creeper.
“Where?” Haley says.
“Never mind. He’s gone.” I slump back in my chair. At least I can finish my test in peace.

Author Bio:
Elizabeth Holloway is a writer of young adult fiction living in Southern Pennsylvania with her two teen children and their growing number of pets.
In addition to writing, she is a registered nurse, an avid reader, an out-of-practice artist, a karaoke singer, and a music lover. She is still trying to decide what she wants to be when she grows up.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

GIVEAWAY!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hosted by:

Book Blast: The Descendant Prophecies by Mary Ting

Today we're featuring FROM TITANS, Book Four in the Descendant Prophecies by Mary Ting. Take a look at the fourth book in this mythological series, read an excerpt, and watch the trailer. Be sure to enter the giveaway at the end of the post!

From Titans (Book #4) by Mary Ting
Everyone is searching for Mason.

Zeus sent Hermes, and the Oracles have used their magic, with no success. A sparkle of hope arises when Eris, the goddess of Chaos, sends an invitation to her wedding engagement party. She’s holding Mason hostage, and Skylar and her friends only need permission to enter Eris’s world to rescue him.

At the party, Eris gives them one condition: In exchange for Mason, they must travel to the Land of Reverse and bring back the bottle of gold water King Midas used to wash himself free of his gift. Further chaos follows when Eris not only sets up a hunt in the Labyrinth of Crete, but makes a bargain with the Titans she rescued.

The Titans possess power more than anyone anticipated, and Cronus is hungry for revenge after his own children locked him up in Tartarus. No one is safe. Not even the humans.



Praise for the Series
"From Gods takes mythology to a whole new level of imagination with its incredible plot and amazing characters. It's full of hotness that you never want to end!" Michele, Insane About Books

"From Gods by the AMAZING AUTHOR Mary Ting is OMGods good!! If you even LIKE Greek Mythology, set aside some time because you will DEVOUR Mary Ting's Demi Gods and Vultures!!!" Mindy, Books Complete Me

Grab a FREE copy of From Gods this weekend ONLY!

From Gods (Book #1) by Mary Ting

Did you just see a flash of lightning across the sky on a clear sunny day?

Don’t blame Mother Nature.

Skylar Rome can’t wait to spend her last summer before college with her cousin, Kayla. Everything changes when they meet the Grand brothers. Skylar is sure she should stay away from Mason Grand, but their attraction is undeniable. Then Skylar’s life erupts into turmoil. She steps into a world where descendants of ancient gods have super powers, evil beings chase her, and questions arise about her own identity. She is running out of time and running for her life, while trying to unravel the mystery of what they want from her.

Forced into a battle set into motion long before she was born, will Skylar find the answers she seeks, or will she die trying?



Excerpt

“Mason, MASON, MASON!” Skylar panicked.

“I know. Skylar, hold on tight. I’m going to brake.”

“But there are cars behind us.”

“We have no choice. Don’t worry. I got this.” Mason pushed down on the brake forcefully. The car hydroplaned to the right. “Hold on.”

Skylar gripped the first thing her hand found. The water from the road jetted up into the air like in a water show, but the car kept gliding sideways, until finally it spun in a full circle and stopped. With no time to waste, Mason turned it to the right and accelerated, hoping to dodge what was coming toward them.

Out of nowhere, a long piece of ice, taking the form of a spear, darted through the trucks’ tires and punctured some of them. More ice spears came soaring out of the rain, but this time ten or more sphere-like ice balls followed, denting the sides of the trucks. One went through a windshield. With flat tires, the trucks now glided as if skating on ice, maneuvering from side to side.

“Did you do that?” Skylar asked excitedly.

“No. Must be Poseidon’s kids. Where the hell are they?” Mason spread his right arm out in front of Skylar as if to protect her. “Bend down, Sky.”

One of the trucks hit another and veered off, hitting yet another one. The crash caused the trucks to flip and tumble, heading straight for Mason’s car. With a look of shock, Skylar held her breath. There was no time to move, think, or get out of the car, so she closed her eyes and prepared for the crash.

Seconds before impact, Mason’s car flew up into the air and over the trucks. Somehow, as if by magic, the water created a liquid bridge, guiding the car safely over, and then it thumped hard onto the ground on the other side. Without looking back, Mason sped away as the sound of screeching brakes and metal hitting metal blasted behind them.



Author Mary Ting

International Bestselling, Award-Winning, Author Mary Ting/M. Clarke resides in Southern California with her husband and two children. She enjoys oil painting and making jewelry. Writing her first novel, Crossroads Saga, happened by chance. It was a way to grieve the death of her beloved grandmother, and inspired by a dream she once had as a young girl. When she started reading new adult novels, she fell in love with the genre. It was the reason she had to write one-Something Great. Why the pen name, M Clarke? She tours with Magic Johnson Foundation to promote literacy and her children's chapter book-No Bullies Allowed.







Blast Giveaway

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 6/13/16

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 author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blast: Aqua by Katherine Armstrong Walters

Today we're joining the book blast for AQUA by Katherine Armstrong Walters. Take a look at this book, read an excerpt, and enter the giveaway!

Aqua by Katherine Armstrong Walters

Eighteen-year-old Marin has few clues about where she came from, outside of a recurring nightmare of a horrific boating accident. Determined to prove to the world and to herself that she can overcome her water phobia and lead a normal life, she enrolls in a summer internship at a marine research facility in California.

When a cataclysmic accident suddenly brings her drowning nightmares into reality, she learns a secret about herself that begins to unlock the mystery lurking in her hidden memories. What she discovers could be the key to her past, but opening that door forces her to choose between two worlds and two hearts, and starts a chain of events that could destroy everything and everyone she loves.



Praise for Aqua:

“This book grabbed me right away and never let me go! The characters were fresh and believable and immediately took you into their world. Not sure who the intended audience would be but I am 68 and enjoyed it immensely but my 16 year old granddaughter would love it too! Kathy Walters allows us to enter into the world of her imagination and escape our own for a while. I am looking forward to more from her!”
~Gerri Stephy

“Heart-stopping adventure and swoon-worthy romance that will take your breath away.”
~Heather Hepler, author of Frosted Kisses and The Cupcake Queen.

Excerpt

Over twenty feet of surging seawater now separated her from her life-saving gear, and the force of it shoving through the submerged beach exit dragged her, spinning her around the rocky cave. Three feet of air was all that was between her and the dripping roof. Her fingers scrabbled to gain a handhold in the slippery walls, her legs fighting the current to gain access to the beach opening, ducking her head underwater, straining with all her might toward it, but the water pouring in beat her back.

Her mind spun frantically, jumping through stages in her life; despair at what Paul would think, angry at her stupid fantasy of living without the fear of the deadly water swirling around her. There was nothing but terror to believe in now. Who would be foolish enough not to be afraid of this living, breathing monster sucking the air from her lungs?

The top of her head brushed the rocky roof and she pressed her face to the broken surface, screaming and crying and pleading for help. This was it; this was the end of everything. She clawed desperately at the rocks, crushing her face to the melting air, pushed by the hand of the merciless sea. The last pockets sifted noisily up through the rocky ceiling, through small cracks and fissures that led to the surface many yards above, merging her dying screams with the thin whistling pressure of the triumphant ocean, disappearing into the darkening sky.


Author Katherine Armstrong Walters
Katherine Armstrong Walters has been making up stories since she was old enough to talk. She was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, but moved to Texas where she and her husband, Kelly, have enjoyed living in the country and raising their five fabulous sons, two cats, one snake and a small herd of chickens. When she’s not writing she loves sketching, editing, painting, reading, being outdoors, remodeling, and travelling with her family. Her favorite hobbies include boating and Star Wars.

Website * Facebook

Blast Giveaway – $100 Amazon Gift Card or $100 in Paypal Cash

Ends 6/1/16

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. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blast: Narine of Noe by Danika Dinsmore

Today we're joining the Narine of Noe Book Blast. Take a look at this beautiful book, read an excerpt, and be sure enter the rafflecopter below!

Narine of Noe (Faerie Tales from the White Forest Book Four)

Narine of Noe should have had her whole life to train to take her father’s place as High Sage. But when a mysterious force falls from the skies, sending the world into elemental chaos and her father into mortal danger, the fate of every living creature lands on her shoulders . . . including that of the Eternal Dragon. Without the Dragon it is impossible to regain the Balance of All Things. An elaborate plan to save the world must be hatched, and Narine is forced to take charge in a world gone mad.

Before the White Forest was born, before the Great World Cry, the story that started it all. . .





Praise for Narine of Noe and the White Forest series
A charming, magical journey...
~Cassandra Rose Clarke, Author, The Assassin's Curse series

Dinsmore weaves a coming of age story through a world that is both fantastic and believable.
~Rise Reviews

I was hooked before I finished the first chapter . . . I fell in love with Narine and you will, too.
~Brenna D'Amico, actor, Disney’s Descendants

Excerpt


Narine dropped to the sand from the force of the Eternal Dragon’s energy. Never could she have imagined the power of Its presence. There was no resisting or competing with that power; the Dragon commanded the elements like no other. Each bit of earth, air, fire, water inside of Narine blew open, mere seeds popping over a fire.

The Dragon glanced at her with Its eternal eyes, no more than a flick, but in that flick she plummeted deeper inside herself than she had ever known. Her existence in that eternity lasted less than a moonsbreath before she was back, gasping for breath.

Her father, perched at the edge of the dock, caught her eye, a look as eternal as the Dragon’s. He smiled at her, gestured with open hands, and then fell from the pier. Before she had time to react, to digest what had just happened, the Dragon opened Its mouth and inhaled. The world froze. She felt the Dragon’s great inhale pulling at her heart, but she could do nothing as It drew that breath and absorbed Thorze’s corporeal energies as Its own.

As It exhaled, Narine felt her own cells fill back up with her Father’s Knowing. His Transitioning of himself into her. She could feel it rooting, thin tendrils weaving themselves through the miniscule spaces within her being.

But it was too fast; it was too much. There was no way she could contain it all.

She wasn’t ready! It wasn’t her time!

“No!” she cried and grasped at the wet sand. “Father, no!”

The world popped back into place, her cries became those of Vendra’s, reaching her great flipperpaw after Thorze’s body as it plummeted into the water’s darkness.

Vendra leapt to the side of the pier, the waves shook the world, and she slammed into a silver pillar.

The great Dragon huffed and knocked Thorze’s scepter away with Its thick sea green tail. The scepter flew across the water and landed on the shore before Narine with a

heavy, wet thud. No! It couldn’t be!

“Father!” she cried, searching the waters, tears streaking her cheeks. “Father!”

The Dragon dipped Its head back into the lake, and, in one fluid motion, arced Its massive body after it. The tail of the great serpent flicked out from the water like a tongue, and the serpent was gone. The World Sages stared at the water in silent shock. Waves lapped at Narine’s feet, dragon-sized ripples.

She looked down in her daze. The scepter. She picked it up from the sand, and her body immediately seized up. A white light tortured her vision, and then streaks of blue and silver blended within the reassuring voice of her father, Yes, Narine. Take the Dragon’s Gift.








Author Danika Dinsmore

Danika Dinsmore is an award-winning author, performance artist, and educator. Over the past 25 years she has developed content for the page, stage, screen, and web. Danika currently works in literary and speculative fiction with an emphasis on juvenile & young adult literature. Author of children’s fantasy adventure series FAERIE TALES FROM THE WHITE FOREST, she often takes her interactive Imaginary Worlds Tour on the road, performing and teaching world-building & creative writing at schools, conferences, and festivals across North America.

Website * Facebook * Twitter

Blast Giveaway

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 5/30/16

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 author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.





a Rafflecopter giveaway