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Friday, 29 April 2016
Tuesday, 26 April 2016
Mother's Day Kindle Fire Giveaway!
Mother's Day Kindle Fire Giveaway
An awesome group of bloggers and authors have joined with me to bring you one fabulous prize!
One lucky winner will receive...
A Kindle Fire + Amazon Gift Code to fill it will ebooks ($250 Value)
Alternately the winner can choose $250 in Paypal Cash
Just go to the Rafflecopter at the end of this post and enter for your chance to win!
Thanks for this fabulous group of authors & bloggers who have sponsored this giveaway!
Sponsor List
I Am A Reader
Simple Wyrdings
Kimber Leigh Wheaton
Cynthia Luhrs Author
Laurie Here - Cont Fiction and More
Heather Boyd, Historical Romance Author
Krysten Lindsay Hager author
Diana's Book Reviews
Every Free Chance Books
FLYLēF Book Reviews
Tamara Gill
Love. Without You
The Page Unbound
Glistering Bs Blog
Joshua David Bellin
A Leisure Moment
Toi Thomas
Helen Smith
Megan Tayte (romance author)
My Crazy Bookish Life
The Serious Reader
Cool Cat Mysteries
Barefoot by the Sea
inspiredbooksguide
Reviews by Martha's Bookshelf
Author Mary Ting
Lori's Reading Corner
Beth M. Honeycutt
Jennifer Bardsley
Heather Gray
The Candid Cover
Author Dorothy Dreyer
Giveaway Details
Kindle Fire + Amazon Gift Code ($250 value) or $250 in Paypal Cash
Ends 5/7/16
Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use money sent via Paypal. 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 authors, bloggers and publishers on the sponsor list. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Q & A with Author Jessica Gunn
Today we have the amazing Jessica Gunn, author of GYRE from Curiosity Quills. I had the amazing opportunity of reading an Advanced Reader Copy of GYRE, and WOW! It blew my socks off!
Add it to Goodreads
You can purchase Gyre here: Amazon
Today Jessica has gratiously agreed to a Q & A with yours truly, and it has been featured on the #WOBooks YouTube channel.
Subscribe here.
Jessica Gunn is a New Adult author and avid science-fiction and fantasy fan. Her favorite stories are those that transport the reader to other, more exciting worlds. When not working or writing, she can be found binge-watching Firefly and Stargate, or feeding her fascination of the ancient world’s many mysteries. Jessica also holds a degree in Anthropology. To catch up with Jessica, follow her on Twitter (@JessGunnAuthor) or on her website, www.jessicagunn.com.
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads |Website | Blog |Pinterest
Add it to Goodreads
You can purchase Gyre here: Amazon
Today Jessica has gratiously agreed to a Q & A with yours truly, and it has been featured on the #WOBooks YouTube channel.
Subscribe here.
Jessica Gunn is a New Adult author and avid science-fiction and fantasy fan. Her favorite stories are those that transport the reader to other, more exciting worlds. When not working or writing, she can be found binge-watching Firefly and Stargate, or feeding her fascination of the ancient world’s many mysteries. Jessica also holds a degree in Anthropology. To catch up with Jessica, follow her on Twitter (@JessGunnAuthor) or on her website, www.jessicagunn.com.
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads |Website | Blog |Pinterest
Friday, 22 April 2016
Book Blitz: BROKEN FATE by Jennifer Derrick
Broken Fate
Jennifer Derrick
Published by: Clean Teen Publishing
Publication date: April 18th 2016
Genres: Mythology, Romance, Young Adult
Zeus gave her one simple job: Kill every human. Atropos—daughter of Zeus and the third goddess of Fate from Greek mythology —spends her eternal life snipping human lifelines when their mortal lives are over. As if being a killer doesn’t make life miserable enough, she and her Fate-wielding sisters must live amongst the humans on Earth thanks to a long-running feud between their mother and Zeus. Living on Earth means they must mingle with the mortals, attend the local high school, and attempt to fit in—or at least not stand out too much.
Killing and mingling don’t mix, which is why Atropos’ number-one rule is to avoid all relationships with the humans. Caring for the people she has to kill is a fast track to insanity. However, when Alex Morgan walks into her first-period English class, she knows she’s in for trouble. He’s the worst kind of human for her to like—one with a rapidly approaching expiration date. And he makes Atropos want to break all the rules.
EXCERPT:
I turn off my desk lamp and computer, starting to get up, but then sit back down. My curiosity about Alex has been building all day. I’ve tried to tamp it down, to forget him, but I can’t. Even Chloe’s chatter couldn’t take him out of my thoughts. I boot the computer back up and give in to temptation.
I search for Alex’s record in our database. What I’m doing isn’t forbidden, but I rarely bother to check on the humans once I assign their manner of death. I forget them until I see them again on their date of death. However, tonight, I want to see what kind of fate Lacey devised for him and refresh my memory about how and when he’ll die.I find his file but just as I’m about to double click and open it, I pull back. Do I really want to know what Lacey has planned for him? He’s already faced grief and loss. What if his fate gets worse than that? Do I want that knowledge?
I think for a few moments and decide it doesn’t really matter either way. He and I aren’t going to become friends. I enjoyed our afternoon together, but that has to be the end of it. If his fate is bad, I can live with it. He is, after all, just another human. Easy come, easy go.
I double click on the file. His entire past and future lies before me. I scroll down to the end of the document, looking for the relevant part, the date of death. I don’t have to scroll far.
May fifteenth of this year.
I read the page again. The date doesn’t change. May fifteenth is a little less than two months from now. I quickly scroll back up, looking for the details on how he will die. I’m furious when I find them.
GUEST POST
Funerals,
Book Ideas, and Other Odd Behavior
Whenever
people ask me where I get my ideas, I say, “Anywhere and everywhere.” Almost
anything can be the seed of an idea for a story. Yet for all that I mine for
ideas in every aspect of my life, even I never expected to get an idea at a
funeral. But that’s exactly where Broken Fate first appeared in my head.
It was
the funeral of a relative who died way too young. Like any sane person, I hate
funerals, even more so because I tend to be a snotty crier. Once the tears
start, it gets embarrassing. I do everything I can to keep myself together
until I can cry in private. So there I was, trying to distract myself from
thoughts of death, when I found myself thinking of, well, death. Specifically,
what kind of nonsensical, cold, cruel system would claim someone so young?
I remembered
the unit on Greek mythology from my freshman English class. That was where I
first heard the myth of the three Fates: The first spins human lifelines, the
second assigns them their destinies, and the third kills the humans by cutting
the lifelines.
[IMAGE
4]
My brain
locked on the third Fate. How bad would that job stink, I thought. All you do
is kill people, day after day. And you’re immortal, so it never ends. You’re
just a cog in the business of life and death. After a while, you wouldn’t even
care any more. Your days would just be snip, snip, snip. It’d be like working
on a never-ending assembly line.
Beyond
the fatigue, you couldn’t possibly have any relationships with humans because
loving people you have to kill is insane. “Hey, let me love you so I can kill
you and then be sad.” Um, no. But what would happen if one day you did fall in
love with a human, and that human had a very short shelf life?
There it
was: The idea for Broken Fate. I spent the rest of the service working it out
in my head, thus averting the snotty crying crisis.
I wanted
to write it down, but that’s not cool in the middle of a funeral. After the
service, I reached for my phone, but since we’d carpooled to the service it was
still in the car back at the house. I dug around in my purse for a pen but I
didn’t have one.
I kept
chanting, “Fate, Fate, Fate,” in my head until I caught up to my cousin at the
reception.
“I need
to use your phone to send myself an email.” I said.
She
looked at me strangely, but fortunately my family is great at overlooking weird
behavior. She handed over her phone and I sent myself the following:
“Fate,
business, crappy job, how could you love someone if you had to kill everyone,
person with rapidly approaching expiration date.”
So a
novel about death was born at a funeral. Since I can’t separate the funeral
from the book, Broken Fate has become a weird, bittersweet, and humorous last
memory of my relative. That’s strangely comforting.
AUTHOR BIO
Jennifer is a freelance writer and novelist. As a freelancer, she writes everything from technical manuals to articles on personal finance and European-style board games. Her interest in storytelling began when she was six and her parents gave her a typewriter for Christmas and agreed to pay her $.01 per page for any stories she churned out. Such a loose payment system naturally led to a lot of story padding. Broken Fate, her first novel, earned her $2.80 from her parents.
Jennifer lives in North Carolina and, when not writing, can often be found reading, trawling the shelves at the library, playing board games, watching sports, camping, running marathons, and playing with her dog. You can visit her at her official website:www.JenniferDerrick.com.
Thursday, 21 April 2016
Book Blitz: Enlightenment by Liz Keel
Today we're joining the book blitz for ENLIGHTENMENT by Liz Keel. Come take a look at this installment of the Driel Trilogy from Fire Quill Publishing.
Title: Enlightenment
Author: Liz Keel
Series: The Driel Trilogy
Publisher: Fire Quill Publishing
Release Date: 21ste April 2016
ISBN: 978-0-9969748-7-5
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29547596-enlightenment
After losing everything, all seventeen-year-old Thea wanted was to be a normal teenager. Instead, she was attacked by a mysterious creature she thought only existed in fairy tales. Now thrown into the unknown realm of Faey, Thea is forced to determine the difference between reality and fantasy, in a world ruled by a dark elite and a society wracked by intolerance and prejudice.
With the support of her new friends and a mysterious dark haired, blue-eyed guardian watching her every move, Thea will discover that when it comes to Faey, nothing is what it seems. Will her courage and desire to save this new world from darkness be enough? Or will Thea be the next victim to fall to the dark whispers of fate…
About the Author:
I live in Surrey, England, a short walk from the beautiful Windsor Park, with my husband Richard and our two gorgeous children Noah and Olivia. For me, writing is nothing short of an addiction and I often find myself sneaking out to my writing shed for just a few minutes, which can often turn into hours of pure, unadulterated bliss catching up with my characters and continuing their story. In-between writing, I teach in a primary school where there’s never a dull moment! I will also often be found Kindle in hand, reading a wide variety of genres but with YA fantasy and paranormal romance at the forefront of my reading list.
Although I’m currently writing the second book in the Driel trilogy, other characters involving all things fantasy, paranormal and YA romance are jockeying for position, wanting me to write their story next, so watch this space!
It is such a privilege to share my stories with you the reader. Thank you enough for taking the time to find out more about me.
To find out more about Liz, visit her website:
www.lizkeelauthor.com
Author’s Links
Facebook author Page
Website
Fire Quill Publishing
Read below for an excerpt from Enlightenment:
“No!” I screamed. It had happened again. This was the fourth night in a row I had woken up with a start, beads of sweat dampening my forehead and a sick feeling swirling in my stomach. Rubbing my face whilst trying to sit up I thought back to the same terrifying dream that had been haunting me for weeks now. Not that I expected it to be any other way. I mean, watching your parents die in a car crash will have that effect on you. The difference was that I was supposed to have died. I know it sounds crazy but there was no way I should have survived that; yet I had, and I was sure that the only reason I was still alive was because of the bright light that had emanated from my body.
We were supposed to have been setting off on a three-month expedition around India, but only got as far as our local town in Montana before it happened. One minute I was sitting in the back of the car fiddling with my iPod and the next second I’d heard Mom screaming. I’d looked up just in time to see a car skidding along on the road before it hit us side-on, flipping us into a ditch. Even now the fear I’d felt at the time – the fear of what was to come – still swallows me whole. Time had seemed to slow down as I had watched my mom and dad being thrown around as the car had turned upside down. Our screams had been overwhelming and I’d been reaching my breaking point, when suddenly all went silent and
I had been engulfed in a bright, orange glow that had blinded me. Everything after that was hazy. I remember smacking my head on the window, which had been followed by an unbearable pain that had made my skull feel as though it would explode. I put my hand to my forehead, feeling a warm and sticky liquid trickling down the side of my face. Putting my hand out in front of me, I saw it was blood, but my fuzzy brain couldn’t comprehend what I was seeing. It was at that point black spots started to creep into my vision, making everything seem blurry. Then, however much I tried to stay awake, the darkness won and I slipped out of consciousness.
I awoke to an incessant bleeping and hushed whispers of ‘So young’ and ‘Such a shame’ and it was at that point I knew both of my parents were dead. Upon opening my eyes, a numb feeling began to take over as I realised I was in the local hospital with doctors giving me sympathetic looks and calling me sweetie whilst a nurse asked me who they should contact. That was an easy answer: no one. My parents had both been only children and their parents, my grandparents, had died when they were young. There was no one else.
Wednesday, 20 April 2016
12 Hours in Paradise Blog Tour: Interview with Kathryn Berla PLUS Giveaway
Hello, everyone! Hope you're having a happy Hump Day. Today we're chatting with author Kathryn Berla about her book 12 HOURS IN PARADISE. Come get to know Kathryn and her young adult romance.
Hi and thanks so much for featuring me in your lovely blog. Very briefly, I’m a full-time author of YA and middle-grade fiction. I love both genres for their very different appeal. My YA book about crisis and recovery (LA CASA 758) was published in Spain by Penguin Random House.
Tell our readers a bit about 12 HOURS IN PARADISE. What's the story about?
12 HOURS IN PARADISE is a departure from my last novel in that it’s a story purely about love and what one would be willing to risk in order to achieve it. My characters, Dorothy and Arash, meet in Hawaii while on
vacation. They decide to sneak out at night, away from parents and chaperones, to spend time together on Dorothy’s last night in Waikiki. It’s a memorable night because the two are strangers at the beginning of the night, but by the end they’ve come to know each other so deeply that the thought of walking away forever seems painfully impossible.
vacation. They decide to sneak out at night, away from parents and chaperones, to spend time together on Dorothy’s last night in Waikiki. It’s a memorable night because the two are strangers at the beginning of the night, but by the end they’ve come to know each other so deeply that the thought of walking away forever seems painfully impossible.
Great name for a female protagonist, wink wink. How did the idea of the story come to you?
About a year ago, I binge-watched “Before Sunrise”, “Before Sunset” and “Before Midnight”. That trilogy really intrigued me and made me wonder if it would be possible for teens (still in high school) to have a similar experience.
Are you a plotter or a pantser?
Most definitely a pantser.
What’s the hardest part of writing for you?
Trying to make a place for my finished novel out in the real world. The actual process of writing, I adore. None of it feels hard.
What do you absolutely have to have nearby when writing?
My good-luck smiley squishy ball with spindly black arms and legs, white gloves and super-fancy shoes. I wish I could show him to you, he’s very handsome.
If you could have any super power, what would it be?
To be invisible without a doubt. I’m a natural snooper although I can’t do it in real life because it would be so rude. But if I was invisible…That’s probably why I became an author.
What's the weirdest thing you've googled?
How to get a wild animal out of your chimney. This was for real life purposes, not for writing.
Finish this sentence: If I'm not writing, I'm probably...
Hiking or watching one of my favorite shows: Walking Dead, Girls, Game of Thrones, etc.
Here’s the part where you thank the people who are supporting you. Let's hear your shout outs.
Oh my gosh! So many people at Limitless Publishing so let’s just say everyone at Limitless Publishing. My PA, Michael Weekly for helping me through the craziness of book release stuff. My editor, JoSelle Vanderhooft. All my talented author friends for providing a feeling of community, including: Macy F, Spencer H, Vera B, Lisa R, Alice R and so many others. My friend, Deborah B, who has been the sounding board for almost everything I’ve written. Samantha, who has great playlist suggestions. And of course, my three sons, Jeremy, Lucas and Corey. And my husband George. For everything.
Thanks so much for stopping by the blog!
Thank you! ☺a Rafflecopter giveaway
Monday, 18 April 2016
Friday, 15 April 2016
Book Blitz: Competing with the Star by Krysten Lindsay Hager
Competing with the Star
Krysten Lindsay Hager
(The Star Series, #2)
Published by: Limitless Publishing
Publication date: March 22nd 2016
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Hadley Daniels’s life seems perfect…
Before the beginning of sophomore year of high school, Hadley and her family move to a beautiful beach town, where she makes amazing new friends and lands the boyfriend of her dreams-Nick Jenkins. He’s the kind of guy every girl swoons over, and it isn’t long until Hadley discovers some are still swooning.
A famous ex-girlfriend makes matters more complicated…
After some time dating, Hadley and Nick form a deep bond. But insecurity sets in when Hadley discovers her boyfriend once had a huge crush on her friend-who just happens to be the beautiful former teen TV star, Simone Hendrickson.
The past is the past-or so they say…
Hadley confronts Nick, who confesses about his history with Simone. Though he claims to only have eyes for Hadley now, it’s hard to believe-especially when she’s blindsided with the news that Nick and Simone kissed after school.
Now Hadley must determine who is telling the truth. Love, betrayal, friendship…who needs soap opera drama when you’re busy competing with a star?
EXCERPT:
Then the most beautiful sound in the world came along—the final bell. I grabbed my bag and rushed out the door to my locker, where I ran into Reagan O’Hara, Nick’s gorgeous ex-girlfriend. “Watch where you’re going, spaz,” she said, glaring at me. “Exactly where are you in such a hurry to get to anyway? I can’t imagine that you’d have plans.”I could have said, “Off to meet my boyfriend, you know, the guy you used to badmouth me to,” but no, I took the high road and said, “Excuse me,” and kept going.
“Whatever, loser,” she said. My shoulders tensed. As I tried to ignore her and tell myself it was just jealousy, I couldn’t pretend that her words didn’t hurt. I had been considered kind of a loser at my old school in Goodacre. I had had one super close best friend who I did everything with, Lexi Irvin, and when she moved to Dallas, it was as if I had been abandoned. So yeah, I had felt like a complete loser in Goodacre, but now I was here in Grand Haven, with new friends and a new positive outlook on life. I had a new best friend, Charlotte Lidstrom, and had become friends with former teen TV star Simone Hendrickson and her best friend, Asia Milanowski.
It could be intimidating hanging out with Simone since she was popular, pretty, and famous. Sometimes I felt invisible next to her, and unfortunately, hanging with Simone sometimes meant spending time with people like Reagan or Simone’s other friends, Pilar Ito and Morgan Kemp. Morgan was the ultimate mean girl. I swear, even if she told me she loved my outfit and was hooked up to a lie detector test saying she was telling the truth, I still wouldn’t want to risk it and I’d go home and change. But today I was not going to worry about Morgan, Reagan, or any of that. I was just going to focus on my first date with Nick.
Until I rounded the corner and ran into Simone, who was waiting for me at my locker with Morgan and Pilar.
“Hey, Hadley,” Simone said. “Wanted to return your lucky bracelet. Let’s hope it helped me pass my math test.”
She handed me my heart and natural stone charm bracelet and I slid it on my wrist. Morgan looked down at my hands and made a face.
“Why are you wearing such dark nail polish?” she asked me.
My face got warm. “I thought the color was pretty when I saw it in the store. I’ve never seen this shade of purple with so much blue in it.”
“Guys aren’t into weird nail polish colors,” Morgan said as she fluffed her long curly blonde hair with her red polished fingers.
Great, so even my nail polish was wrong. Could I do anything right?
“Here comes Nick,” Pilar said, and the girls all got quiet.
“Hey, guys,” he said, coming up and nodding at them. I started to curl my fingers under so he wouldn’t notice my dark polish—the color that up until a few minutes ago I thought was unique and beautiful was now making me feel like a little oddball.
“Cool color,” Nick said.
“Huh?”
“I like the blue. It’s very you,” he said, and then he reached over and intertwined his fingers with mine. Take that, you dark nail polish haters.
“So are we all heading over to Scoops together?” he asked.
Simone played with a strand of her long blonde hair, but didn’t say a thing.
“Yup, we thought we’d go over with you guys,” Morgan said, smiling up at him with her gleaming white teeth.
Wait, what? No, not cool. This was our first date and I knew I’d feel awkward talking to him around a group—a group judging me on what I said, did, and apparently even the colors I wore.
Author Bio:
Krysten Lindsay Hager is a book addict who has worked as a journalist and humor essayist. She is the author of the LANDRY's TRUE COLORS SERIES and the STAR SERIES. TRUE COLORS was her debut novel and the first book in the LANDRY'S TRUE COLORS series. BEST FRIENDS...FOREVER? (Book 2) was #1 in Amazon's hot new releases in teen & young adult values and virtues fiction and #1 in Amazon's hot new release in children's books on values. Landry in Like (Book 3) was #3 in Amazon's Hot New Releases for Girls & Women. Her work has been featured in USA Today, The Flint Journal, the Grand Haven Tribune, the Bellbrook Times, and on the talk show Living Dayton. Check out her YA novel, NEXT DOOR TO A STAR (book 1 in the STAR SERIES) and COMPETING WITH THE STAR: Book 2 in the STAR SERIES. You can follow her at: http://www.krystenlindsay.com.
Thursday, 14 April 2016
Book Blitz: Everdeep by Candace Knoebel
Today we're joining the EVERDEEP book blitz. Take a look at this young adult paranormal romance by Candace Knoebel and be sure to enter the giveaway at the end of the post.
Everdeep
Candace Knoebel
(Night Watchmen, #4)
Publication date: April 14th 2016
Genres: Paranormal Romance, Young Adult
There are some sacrifices we never recover from…
Faye Middleton is at a crossroads in her life. After breaking the last seal and discovering their Rebellion camp was destroyed, she returns to Ethryeal City, determined to avenge the deaths of her mother and friends.
Faye and her team do what they can to keep their Coven intact now that the Priesthood has fallen, but with Darkyn attacks threatening the exposure of their kind, the Primeval Coven is close to being cut off by the United Nations.
Until Meredith, a mysterious Darkyn, appears, claiming she has information that will help Faye bring down the two responsible for the deaths of her mother and friends, and for the fall of her Coven. The only catch is that it requires returning to the very place she lost her mother—the Underground.
Not wanting to risk any more lives, Faye and Weldon agree to go with Meredith on their own. They know Faye will have to face the one machine every Coven is after—the Exanimator. No one who has ever stepped in has ever come out the same, if at all…
But Faye will do anything she can to protect those she loves, even if it costs her life.
Grab book 1 – Everlasting – for FREE until April 15th only!
—
EXCERPT:
Jaxen’s on the edge of the bed with nothing but a pair of gunmetal gray sweatpants on, an empty glass in his hand, and a half-empty bottle resting by his feet.He looks so tortured. Looks at me as if he wishes he were seeing someone else. Someone less distant and broken. It feels like ice is eating away at my bones. Like fire is scorching every one of my nerves.
“How did your meeting go?” His strangled words slur a little.
“Okay, I guess.”
I make my way over to him, but everything feels so unfamiliar and shaky—like walking into another plane of time. Like stepping on a spider web and finding myself caught as the truth makes its way across, ready to spin me and drain my blood.
He makes a haphazard gesture for me to sit next to him. “That good?”
“It was fine,” I lie, taking the empty glass from his hand. I grab the bottle by his feet, pour myself a shot, and toss it back, reveling in the fiery burn running down my throat that washes away the awful taste the Belladonna I took a few minutes ago left behind.
“So, this is what we’ve become then?”
I hate the desolation in his voice. There’s a desert between us without a hope for either one of us crossing it.
“What’s that?” I ask a little tersely, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand and downing another shot. I’m trying to pretend I don’t know where this is headed. That I don’t see and hear the heartache ripping our guts out right now, because I need to pretend. I need to fake that everything is okay. Need him to believe I’m fine because the moment I don’t… the moment he looks at me, knowing I’ll die and seeing that death reflected in his gaze, then it will all be over.
Everything.
He tries to clear his throat, but the sound is painful. Like he’s swallowing tears. “I don’t know. Strangers? Two lovers who lie to one another? Who hide things from each other? Who can’t turn to each other whenever something bad is happening?”
I don’t recognize this Jaxen. This raw ache in his voice that scratches at the door of my heart, waiting for me to open it. I find myself missing the old him. The one who had his emotions under control. Who could take this pain and survive in it.
I set the glass down. Brace my hands on my knees as the alcohol sends my brain spinning. “I love you, Jaxen. More than I could ever explain to you.”
He laughs like he might be losing his mind. “Yet, here we are, our entire future splitting off from each other.” The cynicism in his voice is as thick as tar, and it’s choking my ability to think. To make sense of what I should and shouldn’t say.
I need a breath of fresh air. Need a new body to hide in. One where I’m safe from his prodding. Safe from myself.
“Jaxen, what am I supposed to do?”
“Stop shutting me out.” His chest heaves, heart throbbing in his neck.
I find a shadow across the room. Feel my regret slip down my cheek.
“I can’t even feel your mind anymore. It’s like you’re… you’re purposefully pulling away from me. Like you’re a ghost haunting me.” His eyes are flashing with anger now. He’s two steps from falling off the edge. From losing it all. I want to tell him everything. Want to tell him about my impending death, and that it’s easier this way because he’s going to lose me, only, not because of his curse.
Because of my curse.
“There are things, Jaxen. Things we knew would happen one way or another,” I say, and I find myself surprised by how calm I sound when my heart rattles at the cage of my bones to be free from my irrevocable torture.
“Things,” he retorts, spitting out the word with heavy distaste. “No, Faye. Things are that dresser or this pillow. Things are not the secrets Mack, Weldon, and Seamus has asked you to keep from me. Things are not the way you’ve been handling everything lately. That’s called shutting down. That’s called knowing about something that’s going to happen… that’s going to affect both of us, and you deciding not to tell me.”
I can’t believe the anger radiating off him like heat waves. The fury raging in his eyes as his hands clench and unclench against his legs, like he’s trying to contain the outburst that’s been coming my way since we returned here to Ethryeal City.
Author Bio:
Candace Knoebel is the award-winning author of Born in Flames-book one in a young adult fantasy trilogy. She discovered in 2009 through lunch breaks and late nights after putting her kids to bed, a world where she could escape the ever-pressing days of an eight to five Purgatory. And an outlet for all the voices residing in her head.
Published by 48fourteen in 2012, Born in Flames went on to win Turning the Pages Book of the Year award in February of 2013. In January of 2014, the last book in the trilogy, From the Embers, was released, thusly completing the trilogy. She now works on the Night Watchmen Series, while guzzling Red Bulls and pretending to be a ninja on Heelys.
Wednesday, 13 April 2016
Book Blitz: The Warrior Prophet by Lisa Voisin PLUS Excerpt and Giveaway
Today we're joining the book blitz for THE WARRIOR PROPHET by Lisa Voisin. Take a look at this young adult urban fantasy and read the excerpt. Don't forget to enter the giveaway at the end of the post.
The Warrior Prophet
Lisa Voisin
Published by: Inkspell Publishing
Publication date: April 13th 2016
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
Mia Crawford is a prophet.
She can see angels. She also sees demons. Everywhere.
The angels are preparing for war to get her fallen angel boyfriend, Michael, back. A war that could take years.
Haunted by visions of Michael’s soul being tortured, Mia can’t rest until she knows he’s safe.
To save him, she must make an impossible journey through Hell with the one person she prayed she’d never see again.
Grab book 1 – The Watcher – for only $0.99 for a limited time!
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EXCERPT:
He tucks his wings into himself, but they are still so close I could touch them. He walks a small circle around me. Still a dance.
“That’s very different,” he says.“I don’t see how. I am human. They are my people.”
He bends forward until his face is inches from mine. “Your mother had passed. You needed me. We’re allowed to appear when we are needed.”
His breath warms my cheek and it’s all I can do not to lean closer.
“Really?” My eyes search his for a sign—any sign—of feelings for me. “She died ten moons ago.” Did only pity bring him? “Why did you stay?”
A light breeze ruffles the leaves overhead. It’s warm but welcome. Michael backs away, the tops of his cheeks lit with pink. He swallows and his Adam’s apple jumps in his throat. “Perhaps I needed you.”
His voice is music, and his energy hums through me, making me bold. I couldn’t imagine him needing anyone, least of all me. With a smile, I glance at him and hold up the feathery filament. A small piece of his magic, its light sparkles and plays along my hand, the lines of his throat and jaw, the front of his tunic.
“If I return this,” I say. “What will you give me in exchange?”
“Well.” He frowns and thoughtfully strokes his chin, but his eyes are still smiling. “What do you want? Riches and jewels aren’t mine to command. I am but a humble servant.”
“Can you make it rain? It would be good for my father’s crops.”
“You know I cannot,” he scolds. “Doing so would be interfering.”
I do know, but enjoy the game, the way he looks at me as though he sees something hidden deep inside me, the secret of who I am.
“How about a kiss?” I ask.
He casts his gaze to the ground and bows his head. “Of course. A blessing.” He rests his hands on my shoulders, and even that light touch scorches me. White-hot like the sun.
Closing his eyes, he leans in to kiss my forehead, but I want a real kiss. Not the kiss of an angel, but of a lover. I rise to my toes, lifting my chin, and press my lips to his.
Author Bio:
A Canadian-born author, Lisa Voisin spent her childhood daydreaming and making up stories, but it was her love of reading and writing in her teens that drew her to Young Adult fiction.
Lisa is a technical writer, a meditation teacher, and the leader of the Lynn Valley Literary Society’s Young Writer’s Club, a writing group for teens. A self-proclaimed coffee lover, she can usually be found writing in a local café. When she's not writing, you'll find her meditating or hiking in the mountains.
Though she’s lived in several cities across Canada, she currently lives in Vancouver, B.C. with her fiancé and their two cats.
More about Lisa can be found on her web site: http://www.lisavoisin.com.