Book Blitz: If Only We by Jessica Sankiewicz @Jess_Sankiewicz

We're happy to be a part of the IF ONLY WE book blitz today. Check out this interesting novel by Jessica Sankiewicz, and be sure to read the excerpt and enter the Rafflecopter below!

If Only We

by Jessica
Sankiewicz

Release Date:
10/27/13

Summary from Goodreads:

They say all it takes is one wrong move and you lose the game. One false step and you’re trapped. One slip-up in your choice of words and you ruin a friendship forever. That is what they say. They
say I lost.

I do not believe them.

At the end of the summer after graduation, Adrienne wonders what happened to cause her life to be in ruins. She isn’t getting along with her mom, her stepsister isn’t talking to her, and, to top it off, the boy she’s been in love with doesn’t want anything to do with her. She believes the turning point was a choice she made at graduation. When she wakes up the next day, she has been transported back three months to that moment, the one where everything started to fall apart.

Adrienne realizes she has been given a second chance—and this time she doesn’t want to mess anything up. Reliving the entire summer, though, turns out to be a lot harder than she thought. As the same days and weeks go by, she starts to see how simple decisions can make a huge impact on the world around her.
Despite knowing some of what lies ahead, there are some things she didn’t anticipate. She thought she knew what mistake led her to where she ended up the first time. She was wrong.



And by the time summer is over, she discovers what was really at stake.

Available from:

  

About the Author

Jessica is the 28-year-old author of IF ONLY WE, a YA contemporary. You can often find her either reading or marathon watching TV on DVD, her favorites being Castle and Veronica Mars. She frequently mismatches her clothes and giggles uncontrollably. She knows almost every Billy Joel song by heart. She collects books and toys, and she has an intense love of cats and lemurs. Currently in the midst of her quarter-life-crisis, she is still takin' names and getting
very close to reaching an epiphany.

Author Links:

    

EXCERPT :

I never imagined a day when I wouldn’t want the sun to shine. One of the best things about summer is the sunshine; its warmth and the light it casts late into the evenings. It beats the chill and shorter days of the winter. Today is different. Today isn’t just another summer day.

Today I am heading to the cemetery.

I flip the dial on my car radio to find something to listen to on the way. I hate driving without something playing. Nothing comes on that is appropriate. No music sounds good right now, so I just turn it off. I wish something would feel good and distract me from the already awful day I’m having.

Since I got in late last night, I didn't speak to my mom until this morning. I should have just skipped breakfast and avoided the kitchen entirely.

When I sat down, she said, “Based on what Lyndsay has told me, River's Bend would be a great place to work.”

I tried to not openly flinch but it was impossible. Not only impossible to not do, but also impossible for my mom to not notice.

“What was that for? It's not my fault you missed out on that opportunity because you ran off to your father's.”

“I'll be going to school on Monday. I'm still going to be a nurse. You should be happy.”

“I am happy that you will be a nurse.”

I sighed. “Then why is it such a big deal that I didn't volunteer this summer? It's not like that one thing makes a difference in the long run.”

“It shows how dedicated you are in carrying out family tradition.”

Instead of rehashing the same conversations I had with her all summer, I stood up and left the house without another word.

I pull into the drive for the cemetery and park under the shade of a maple tree. I sit there with one hand on the wheel and the other on the key in the ignition. It’s time. Time to get out of the car.

It's time for me to face him.

GIVEAWAY:

One print copy of If Only We (INT)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blitz Organized by:

Excerpt: Counting Shadows by Olivia Rivers

Can you believe it's December already? I just got used to writing 2013, and in less than a month, I'll have to start all over with the new year. Not that I'm dreading 2014, because I'm not. Not at all.. But it still feels like this year has disappeared faster than chocolate in my house when I'm writing (which is pretty fast).

But who has time to complain about sneaky, disappearing things like 2013 and chocolate, when we have a book excerpt to read?  Olivia Rivers has stopped by to share a bit of her YA fantasy novel, COUNTING SHADOWS, with us.

Two hearts, one kiss…
…Nothing left.

Faye’s soul-mate is everything she should hate—an Angel, an outcast, an enemy. Ashe is just one more imperfection in her life that somehow makes everything… perfect.

Until he’s murdered.

With the only person she loves ripped away, Faye sets out to avenge Ashe’s death. The task seems impossible, until she finds Lor—an Angel who looks nearly identical to Ashe’s killer. Arrogant and hot-headed, Lor is everything Ashe wasn’t. But Lor is connected to her soul-mate’s past, and Faye needs him to find the killer—even if Lor is potentially deadly.

But when Faye discovers that Ashe’s past isn’t as black and white as she thought, she faces an impossible choice: Give up the hunt, and risk the lives of others. Or continue pursuing Ashe’s murderer, and forfeit the lives of everyone in her family—including herself.

GOODREADS    AMAZON

EXCERPT:

His black eyes settle on mine, the pain in them a silent accusation. Ashe knows he’s about to die. And he knows I’ve lied about his Fate.

I can’t feel guilt. I can’t feel anything. There’s only my ragged breaths and the tears pressing against my eyes. Ashe steps toward me, even though I’m in the opposite direction of the door. No, I silently beg him. Run. I don’t realize I’m shaking my head until he falters.

“Stop,” one of the guards hisses, even though he already has. “Don’t go near the Lady Faye.”

My heart pounds wildly. “Just count the beats when you get scared,” Ashe told me months ago, as he pressed his palm over my heart. “Remember that I’ll protect you until the day they stop. And don’t be scared anymore.”

I gasp in air. One, two, three, four…

He walks toward me, his face hard with determination.

Five, six, seven…

One of the guards shouts and stabs his spear forward. At Ashe. My Ashe.

My heart stops.

I scream at the guard, telling him to stop, to leave, to disappear and never show his face again. But my words are a jumbled mess, and it’s too late. The spear pierces Ashe’s right wing, drawing blood. Nausea fills me as the red blood mingles with his crimson feathers. I’ve always loved his wings. They mark him as an Angel, the one bit of perfection in my life.

Now those wings are ruined.

Ashe’s eyes never leave me, even as the guard tears his spear out of the wound. I swallow hard. I’ve never stared into his eyes for too long, knowing I’d probably lose myself in all the pain and loneliness in their depths. Now I never want to look away.

“Get moving,” the guard with the bloodied spear growls. He stabs at Ashe again, but Ashe grabs the shaft of the spear before it strikes him. He yanks the spear from the guard and snaps it in two. Ashe allows one of the halves to clatter to the stone floor, but keeps hold of the sharpened end. His gaze slowly sweeps over the four guards with weapons, a low growl rumbling in his throat.

“You can’t do this,” I say, finally finding my voice. “My father would never allow it.”

“Your father ordered this,” snaps the guard without a spear. He braces for an attack, as do the others.

Then their leader takes a step forward and pushes out a staying hand. “Wait.”

I recognize this leader as Jolik. He was my bodyguard for awhile before Ashe became my Guardian. I’m not sure how many bodyguards I went through—five, six?—but they never lasted long before I excused them.

Jolik nods to Ashe. “Let him say goodbye.”

The weaponless guard speaks up. “He could kill her.”

“He won’t,” Jolik says, shaking his head.

Ashe doesn’t wait for Jolik to change his mind. He drops the broken spear and rushes to me. Cupping my face with one hand, he uses the other to press me against him. Familiar heat radiates off him this close. He tilts my chin up and kisses me so gently, I barely feel his lips against mine. But I can feel the desperation, and as he presses me a little closer, I know this is a goodbye.

The kiss only lasts a moment. Then the guards drag him away, and those threatening tears finally spill. I’m not sure if the tears are angry or anguished. Or maybe just broken.

“You’re right, little sparrowhawk,” Ashe says over his shoulder.  “Everything is going to be okay. I promise.”

I don’t get to respond. The last guard exits my chambers and slams the heavy door closed, leaving me truly alone for the first time in years. I take a shuddering breath, willing the doors to burst open, for Ashe to come rushing back to me.

They don’t. Silence settles over the room, screaming the truth:

Nothing will ever be okay.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Olivia Rivers is the author of five novels, ranging in genres from Epic Fantasy to Contemporary Romance. Along with being a writer, she’s a freelance digital artist, a literary agent assistant, and a high school student. She’s a nerd at heart, and is a hopeless fan-girl for Doctor Who and Pokémon. Olivia lives in California with a dog who thinks he’s a cat, a cat who thinks he’s a dog, and a kitten who is just generally confused. 

Author Links:

Website

Goodreads

Twitter

Interview with Scott Craven + DEAD JED Trailer + Giveaway! @chapterxchapter @Month9Books @Scott_Craven2

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving weekend. Now let's rock into December, starting with an interview with an awesome author. And I've met him in person, so I can tell you that legitimately! Let's welcome Scott Craven, who's here to talk about his hysterical MG zombie novel, DEAD JED. Be sure to check out the trailer at the end of the post, and don't forget to enter the Rafflecopter for your chance to win the giveaway!

Welcome to We Do Write, Scott! Tell us a bit about yourself.

Hi Dorothy. I’m a journalist who for 35 years (or so) has been telling other people’s stories. I was born in California, moved to Arizona, and now can’t get Steve Martin’s “King Tut” out of my head. Wait. OK, there it goes. I’m a featured reporter for The Arizona Republic in Phoenix, and a single father to 18-year-old Bryson. Being a dad now is more about course correction than holding his hand and picking out his clothes. In fact, I wish he’d pick out my clothes. I’m also a big fan of zombie movies and have always believed the undead have gotten no respect. I bet they’d agree to stop eating brains if we stopped shooting them in the head.

How long have you been writing?

My first short story, as far as I know (thanks for saving it mom), involved Thanksgiving and its invention by the Pilgrims. The first-grade assignment was more about handwriting than writing, and I sucked at both. I’ve gotten way better at writing, and I still suck at handwriting. I immersed myself in writing during a journalism class in my sophomore year in high school. From then on I knew what I wanted to do. How lucky is that?

I can't wait to read DEAD JED. Can you tell readers what the story is about?

Jed Rivers is a pretty average 13-year-old, if you don’t count detachable limbs and an unbeating heart. Unfortunately, those who make a career of picking on others notice Jed isn’t what they would consider normal, not with his gray pallor and a talent for holding his breath for, well, ever. In a grade where kids are punished for being smart or overweight or wearing cheap clothes, Robbie (Pine Hollow’s Grade A bully) takes exception to someone who dares to be undead. But when Jed embraces his zombieness, he finds a way to get back at his tormentor.

Now I'm even more excited! How did the idea of the story come to you?

There I was, enjoying a nice long shower (one of life’s great pleasures), and my mind wandered to zombies. And what a bad rap they got. What if a nice guy just happened to be a zombie? How would he be treated? And how tough would it be to fit in when you are of an age when fitting in is all that matters? I knew right then I could write a book on it, in part thanks to the two very miserable years I spent in middle school.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Pantser, absolutely. Plotting is way too much work, and I am inherently lazy. I admire those who sit down and figure everything out, using outlines and graphs and pie charts. When I finished a chapter, my goal was to leave off sorta knowing where I might go next. I wasn’t always successful. At those times, I’d put my head down and write just to get something on the computer. It worked, even if it involved way more rewriting than I like.  

What do you absolutely have to have nearby when writing?

My dog Sandy on the couch, a diet soda to my right, and iTunes playing a mix of 1970s and 80s R&B. Let’s do this.

I can totally dig that! What are you reading right now?

Richard Russo’s memoir “Elsewhere,” recommended by a friend (one of life’s many treasures are friends with similar literary tastes). I’m enjoying it immensely, especially when the author and his mother move to Arizona and are overcome by Phoenix’s bleak, car-dependent sprawl (that was more than 40 years ago, and it’s still true).

If you could have any super power, what would it be?

A super power that could grant me any super power. Is that cheating? Too bad.

OMG Why have I never thought of that? That's perfect! I want that too! What's the weirdest thing you've googled?

I just googled that question and got some great weird-google ideas, most involving mature themes. People, please, get your minds out of the gutter.

LOL. You're asking the impossible. ;) Finish this sentence: If I'm not writing, I'm probably ...

… thinking of ways to put off writing. Hey, look at all these weird things people google. What’s this one? No idea, but let’s find out where it leads …  

Ahahaha! *follows you* And finally, where can people find you and your books online?

You may find “Dead Jed: Adventures of a Middle School Zombie” at all of the finest retail sites, including Amazon.com. bn.com and Walmart.com. You’ll also find it if you google my name and zombie, but you’ll also find some other strange stuff. Wait, where are you going? Don’t say I didn’t warn you …

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18158040-dead-jed Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | KOBO | Indiebound

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Book Feature: Undertow by KR Conway @sharkprose @NereydaG1003

Undertow (Undertow #1)

by K.R. Conway

Release Date: 10/18/13

Summary from Goodreads:

Luckless Eila is unknowingly the last of her kind: Rare. Gifted. Breakable. Stunning Raef is her kind's historic enemy: Soulless. Lethal. Lost. A legendary death 160 years before would set their lives to collide, forcing a beautiful killer to become a savior, a simple wallflower to become a warrior, and ruthless destiny to become a death sentence.

SUMMARY:High school senior Eila Walker knows that good luck skips over her like an Easter Bunny on Speed. So when she inherits her grandmother's million-dollar Cape Cod home, she is downright shocked. And yeah, her new town isn't perfect: the cheerleaders are heinous clones, the local undertow can kill ya, and her Great Grams was supposedly fried by lightning in the harbor square. Still, Eila is hopeful her luckless days are in the past . . . until history decides to repeat itself.

A self-proclaimed loner and previous-social reject, Eila thinks she's hit the jackpot when drool-worthy Raef O’Reilly becomes her friendly, yet weirdly protective shadow. But being hauled beneath the waves by an unnatural undertow slams the brakes on bliss – especially when Raef storms to her aid with coal-black eyes and iron-like strength.

Eila, entirely freaked, demands an explanation and Raef comes clean, revealing that neither of them are average humans but rather the genetic remnants of an angelic pissing-match gone wrong. Eila supposedly can channel the power of human souls, while Raef is quite adept at stealing them. Even worse, the legend about her ancestor isn't such a myth, since Eila’s grandmother was one kick-ass warrior until her lightning-like power backfired. A power that is written all over Eila's DNA.

Now sought by Raef’s own family for her destructive ability, Eila must trust him to watch her back. But when a quest for information goes terribly wrong, Eila is suddenly left with only two options: become a weapon for the enemy or follow in her Gram’s fearless footsteps to save those she loves. Unfortunately she needs a willing enemy to ignite her suicidal energy and the only one she trusts has been guarding her butt and scorching her lips.

Excerpt:


I forced myself to control my chattering mouth, well aware that something may be in the water with us. I managed to breathe the warning into his soaked hair, my body vibrating from the violent shivering.

“Sssomthing’s in the waterrr.”

“Not anymore,” he replied darkly, but my frozen mind couldn’t process his words.

He swam quickly through the current to the edge of the river, towing me effortlessly in his arms. He tried to get me to my feet on the riverbank, but I crumbled under the throb of my ankle. “Can you stand?” he asked, latching onto my waist to support my weight.

I shook my head. “Hit my ankle,” I gasped.

He instantly gathered me into his arms and I clutched him tightly, as he ran along the river’s edge back to the parking lot and my Jeep. It was as if I weighed nothing. I never knew he was so strong. I felt exhausted, succumbing to a fatigue that I never knew existed and my chest seemed tight. I was shaking so badly that I thought my teeth would break. Raef ripped off one of the soft-sided windows from my 4x4 and reached through to unlock the door. He set me down on the passenger seat and I wrapped my arms around me, trying to contain the little heat my body was vainly attempting to produce. Raef climbed in the other side and looked at me shivering uncontrollably.

“Strip down to your underwear. Your clothes are going to speed up hypothermia,” he instructed, handing me the blanket from the backseat. I started to strip, too freakin’ cold to be self-conscious. “Where are your keys?” Raef demanded urgently, as he searched my soaked jacket.

I pointed toward the river, my shaking preventing me from speaking clearly. Without hesitating, he grabbed the drive column just below the steering wheel and ripped the cover off, hot-wiring the Jeep to life in mere seconds.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18301716-undertow?ac=1

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FSOCHOK/ref=s9_simh_gw_p351_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1AR19AE6FWNH90MMJGD3&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1630083502&pf_rd_i=507846

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/undertow-kr-conway/1117255469?ean=9780989776301

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/undertow-26

What readers are saying:

WOrkS of FiCTioN – “All in all Undertow is a great book that not only keeps you guessing, but doesn’t let you set it down. I loved the characters and their interactions and definitely hoping for a continuation of their story.”  

Reading Diva – “This series takes paranormal somewhere I haven’t been as a reader and I can’t wait to spend more time at the Cape or wherever Eila’s journey takes her. Do I recommend this book? Yes, Yes, Yes, and YES!” (TOP PICK winner)  

Book Talks by the Library Lady – “I could not put this one down!  Even when I needed to put it down, I had to almost immediately pick it back up.  It took mere hours for me to read this entire book and I am truly ticked that Eila's next story won't be published until July 2014.  I don't want to wait for this story to continue! This is an addictive read.”

About the Author

I have been a journalist for 15 years and serve on the Board of Directors for the Cape Cod Writers Center. I also drive a 16-ton school bus because I am ENTIRELY NUTS. In addition to working jobs that should come with a warning label , I hold a BA in Psychos (Forensic Psych), torment the tourists about Jaws, and occasionally jump from the Town Neck bridge in an attempt to reclaim my youth. I live on Cape Cod with two smallish humans who apparently are my kids, my fishing- obsessed husband, two canines (adept at both flatulence and snoring), and a cage-defiant lovebird that sleeps in a miniature tent. Nope - that's not a type-o. The bird is quite the indoor camper.  

***Author Links***

http://capecodscribe.com/

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7212275.K_R_Conway

http://www.twitter.com/sharkprose

http://www.facebook.com/pages/KR-Conway/510814265666213

***GIVEAWAY***

2 – Signed print copies of Undertow (US only)

1 – ebook of Undertow (INT)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour Hosted by:

YA Bound Book Tours

An Unlikely Goddess Book Trailer

It's cold, raining, snowing and sleeting and I just spent the last four hours fighting people at the grocery store. Between the holiday this weekend (Thanksgiving, for those of you not in the U.S.) and the mass hysteria that a little rain mixed with snow equals the apocalypse, insane people have flocked to the stores in droves. They're stocking up on the mandatory toilet paper, kitty litter, milk, and, due to the holiday, turkey, stuffing and booze.

Needless to say, it was a madhouse. Which is why I am so glad to come home, curl up with a cup of hot cocoa, and share with you this fabulous book trailer for the award winning AN UNLIKELY GODDESS by Mohana Rajakumar.

Winner of the SheWrites New Novelist competition 2011

Sita is the firstborn, but since she is a female child, her birth makes life difficult for her mother who is

expected to produce a son. From the start, Sita finds herself in a culture hostile to her, but her irrepressible personality won’t be subdued. Born in India, she immigrants as a toddler to the U.S. with her parents after the birth of her much anticipated younger brother.

Sita shifts between the vastly different worlds of her WASP dominated school and her father’s insular traditional home. Her journey takes us beneath tales of successful middle class Indians who immigrated to the U.S. in the 1980s.

The gap between positive stereotypes of South Asian immigrants and the reality of Sita's family, who are struggling to stay above the poverty line is a relatively new theme for Indian literature in English.

Sita's struggles to be American and yet herself, take us deeper into understanding the dilemmas of first generation children, and how religion and culture define women.

AMAZON

CHEERS!

We Have A Winner!!!

Month9Books editor, Courtney Koschel, has picked a winner! Woo-hoo! To celebrate, and keep you in suspense just a tad longer (yes, I am evil), here are some balloons.

And now... 

The winner is...

Joan He

YA light scifi: INGENICIDE
65k

In the year 2089, education has been reinvented; prodigies run rampant in every imaginable work field. Before the "Genocide," a violent movement designed by Normals to topple the meritocracy, sparked in the US, 16 year old Sibyl Kenschild only wanted to be a Space Manipulator and design rooms that evoked the deepest stirrings of human emotion. But when the the bullets go off at the post-graduation dance, she realizes that it'll take not a Space Manipulator, nor a prodigy, but a traitor to survive.

Please send the query, first 50 pages, and a one page synopsis (ending included) to Courtney Koschel with the words "Three, Two, One, Pitch Contest Winner" in the subject of the email.

CONGRATULATIONS!

And thank you to all that participated! I am always impressed with the quality of work we get here when we run these contests. You guys are awesome. Really.

Guest Post: Why I Love Genre Mash-ups, by Krystle Jones

TGIF! And to celebrate the end of the work week, and the beginning of a four day weekend for me (not that it matters to you, in any way, but I'M stoked :-)), we have Krystle Jones here to discuss why she loves genre mash-ups.

But first, Krysle's YA Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy, THE RED SECTOR CHRONICLES, is now available! Here's a little about the story.

The strength of Sloane’s heart is about to be put to the ultimate test.

After the Eclipse – the night vampires began openly slaughtering human victims – everything changed. Out of fear, the government salvaged what remained of the human population and enclosed them in massive, security-laden cities called White Sectors, while marking the vampire infested territory as Red Sectors.

When seventeen-year-old Sloane McAllister’s twin brother disappears, she seems to be the only one who thinks he isn’t dead, and she vows to stop at nothing to find him. Gathering her courage, she braves the Red Sector to search for clues to his whereabouts. By chance, she encounters Aden, a handsome, charismatic vampire with a hidden agenda. He turns Sloane against her will and whisks her away to his underground city. Enemies quickly become friends as Sloane struggles against her attraction to Aden, and resists her growing loyalties to the creatures that ruined her life.

But the vampires themselves are the least of her problems. A war is brewing between the humans and vampires, along with a growing web of deceit and betrayal. And before it’s all over, loyalties will be tested, hearts will be broken, and no one’s lives will ever be the same.

Amazon                   Smashwords

Why I Love Genre Mash-Ups

By

Krystle Jones

It’s not enough for me to write in one genre – I have to have 3-4 in my novels. Okay, maybe that’s a bit excessive. I try to stick to no more than three, because otherwise, you might not please any readers if they go in expecting one thing out of a book and find out it’s something totally different. But I do think a lot of books have one predominant genre and one or two supporting genres, and to me, that adds more richness to the story.

I think maybe my love for genre mash-ups comes from my love of a bunch of different genres. I love to read – and write – soft sci-fi, epic fantasy, horror, contemporary love stories, urban fantasy, paranormal romance, and so on. As long as it entertains me, I’ll give it a shot. My “favorites” shelf is filled with books from a bunch of different genres, and a little bit of that leaks out of me when I write, I think.

Though I wasn’t thinking about it at the time, there’s also a good marketing aspect to mashing up genres in your stories. I didn’t fully realize this until I came across this article about Charlaine Harris’s Sookie books. (Sorry, can’t remember the name of the article!) If you’ve read the Sookie books, they have a blend of cozy mystery, paranormal romance, and urban fantasy. As a result, Charlaine pulled in readers from not one, but three different genre pools, thus increasing her audience. Her publisher sends her to book conventions ranging from romance, to sci-fi/fantasy, to mysteries. Needless to say based on her success, the genre-mashing thing isn’t all bad. =)

On the off-hand, genre-mashing can backfire if the “feel” of the story is too weird for the audience to grasp. Genres are there for a reason, and I think each genre has its own feel. It’s jarring when you’re reading along, and all of a sudden, the story veers off into a totally different genre. It can change the whole atmosphere of the story, and make it a bit like wading through mud trying to finish it. So if you’re going to genre-mash, take care to make sure one genre stays predominant, your “main flavor.” Let the others be your seasoning.

About the Author

Krystle Jones was born and raised in the small, southern town of Tullahoma, Tennessee. Reading and writing have been lifelong passions of hers. In addition to being a novelist, she is also an award-winning flutist, and moonlights as a voice actress. Her voice can be heard in the popular online game, Alice is Dead 3. 

Author Links:
website
twitter
facebook
goodreads

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