Blog Tour: Summer at Paradise Ranch by R. Barri Flowers (Excerpt + Giveaway)

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Hey everyone! Welcome to my stop on the Summer at Paradise Ranch Blog Tour! Today, I’m pleased to share an excerpt from the book with you. First, here’s the cover and synopsis:

Summer at Paradise Ranch CoverFrom R. Barri Flowers, author of the bestselling teen novels, COUNT DRACULA’S TEENAGE DAUGHTER, TEEN GHOST AT DEAD LAKE, and OUT FOR BLOOD, come the start of an exciting new young adult adventure series, SUMMER AT PARADISE RANCH.

Four months shy of turning sixteen, Lexi Montoya was still trying to come to terms with her parents’ divorce and her mom’s remarriage to a man she met online, relocating to Maui, Hawaii.

Choosing to remain with her dad in Seattle, Lexi had planned to spend her first summer since the divorce hanging out with her boyfriend, Matt, and best friend, Robin. But her dad had other plans, insisting she spend the summer visiting her mom and stepdad at his ranch called Paradise Ranch in Wailuku, in west Maui.

Lexi went there with an attitude. Then she meets a cute Hawaiian guy named Mitsuo, is thrown into a love triangle, become friends with a teen girl living on a ranch next door, April; rides her first horse– an Arabian mare named Poppy– learns to hula dance and surf, and finds herself embroiled in a dangerous rescue mission when Poppy and another horse named Casper go missing from her stepfather’s ranch.

By the time her tropical summer adventure comes to an end, Lexi hates to leave Maui and say goodbye to Mitsuo. But can she stay when Matt is waiting for her back at home to pick up where they left off? Or will he lose her to a summer romance?

SUMMER AT PARADISE RANCH is a great coming of age adventure with young romance and mystery in paradise. Now in eBook, print, and audio.

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And here’s the excerpt:

CHAPTER ONE

It was the last day of school before summer break and Lexi Montoya was leaning against her locker facing her boyfriend, Matt Holloway. Next to Lexi was her best friend, Robin Forrester, who was facing her boyfriend, Dirk Watson. Just four months shy of her sixteenth birthday, Lexi hated the thought that instead of spending summer vacation in Seattle, where she lived and had her friends to hang out with, she was being forced by her dad to go visit her mother in Hawaii.

The same mother who had abandoned her nearly a year ago, divorced her dad, and married a man she’d met on the Internet. In Lexi’s way of thinking, she was in no hurry to see her mother again—certainly not anytime soon. But her father had other ideas, believing it would be good for her to try to repair the relationship with her mother. Lexi suspected that he had an ulterior motive for sending her packing to Maui. Her dad had a new girlfriend, whom she believed he wanted to spend more time with—minus the presence of a teenage daughter to mess things up.

The notion of being an ocean way from Matt for an entire summer annoyed Lexi. But she had no choice in the matter.

It didn’t set well with Matt either. “That sucks!” he complained as she broke the news to him, gazing down at her with deep blue eyes.

“I know, right,” Lexi told him, flipping her long brown hair over her shoulder.

“What am I going to do without my best friend?” Robin complained, her forehead creasing above thin brows.

Dirk rolled his eyes. “Are you kidding me? Who wouldn’t want to go to Hawaii for an all-expense paid trip to paradise?”

“Uh me,” Lexi said. “Especially when my life is right here.”

“And it’ll be here when you get back,” he said. “But going to Maui…wow. Maybe my mom should try to hook up with someone there. My dad probably wouldn’t care too much, since she’s always complaining that he never pays attention to her anyway.”

Robin frowned. “That’s not very nice.”

Dirk shrugged. “Hey, I’m just saying.”

“Maybe I should give you the ticket then,” Lexi suggested. “You can go in my place and I’ll stay at your house, with my dad totally clueless.”

Dirk laughed. “I think Matt would probably have a problem with that.”

Matt ran a hand through his thick brown hair. “I’d have more of a problem if she met some surfer dude in Hawaii and decided to kick me to the curb and never come back.”

Lexi met his eyes in earnest. “That’s not going to happen,” she promised. “No surfer dude could ever take your place with me.”
“You sure about that?”

“Positive. I’ll just be going through the motions and putting up with my mom until the summer ends and then I’m back here where I belong.”

That seemed to pacify him. “Cool,” he said, grinning, before giving her a kiss.

Lexi was only too happy to kiss him back, loving the feel of his lips on hers. Besides, she wanted the kiss to be enough for both of them to last through the entire summer.

“Get a room,” Robin joked.

Blushing, Lexi broke the lip lock. “We’ll pick it up later,” she promised Matt.

“Sounds good to me,” he said.

“I just hope that in between all that fun in the sun you find the time to text your best friend and boyfriend—like every day!” Robin said.

“Definitely,” Lexi promised, even though the last thing she expected was much fun while on the island, where she was headed against her wishes.

* * *

That evening, Lexi was packing and wishing she didn’t have to, when her father came into her room.

“Can I help with anything?” he asked.

She faced him and frowned. “Yes, you can tell me I can stay home for the summer.”

“We’ve already been through this, Lexi,” he said. “You need to spend some time with your mother.”

“Why should I?” she challenged him. “She walked out on us.”

“I know and I’m not excusing that. But she’s still your mother.”

“I wish she wasn’t!”

Lowell Montoya stepped closer to his daughter, his brow furrowed. “You don’t mean that.”

“Yes, I do,” Lexi insisted, or at least she did on some level. “How can you just pretend what she did to you when she ran off to be with another man is okay?”

“It’s not okay,” he said. “What she did was unforgivable. Except, at some point, you have to forgive, if not forget, and move on.”

“You mean move on to Rebecca?” Lexi shot him a cold stare. “Isn’t that really what this is about—shoving me aside so you can pretend I don’t exist, just like mom did?”

“No, honey, that’s not what this is about. I would never shove you aside for anyone, and I don’t think that’s what your mother was doing—not intentionally anyway.” He paused. “This will always be your home. My relationship with Rebecca has nothing to do with how I feel about you as my only child and someone I love dearly. You’ve always told me I need to get a life. So now I’m trying to take you up on that and see where it goes.”

“Yeah, well I’d like to do the same thing with my relationship with Matt,” she said.

“And you will have plenty of time for that,” he assured her. “Your mother’s not perfect and neither am I. She’s reached out to you. Just give her a chance.”

Lexi fixed him with teary eyes. “And what if I hate it there?”

“Then you can come home. But I’m pretty sure that, in spite of your beef with your mother and desire to stay in Seattle, there will be plenty of things in Maui to keep you occupied.”

“I hope so,” Lexi muttered, though all she could really think about at the moment was being forced to face the mother who had turned her back on her.

He wrapped his arms around her and Lexi rested her head against his chest. I know I have to do this, she told herself reluctantly. Otherwise, she might never find out why her parents’ marriage failed when she hadn’t seen it coming. Or would her mother not even bother to tell her side of the story?

CHAPTER TWO

The following morning, Lexi was on the long flight to Maui reading a novel. Or at least she was trying to. She had trouble concentrating, as she found herself thinking about Matt, whom she was already starting to miss. Also weighing on her mind was what to say to her mother. Very little had been said when she just up and left for Hawaii to start a new life, minus her husband and daughter. Lexi wondered how she could get past that now that her mom was hoping to reconnect with this visit.

I can never forgive her for what she did, Lexi thought, even if her dad seemed to have done just that now that someone else had come into his life. But if she was going to get through this summer, she just needed to keep her cool somehow and deal with it until it was time to go back home.

The plane touched down at Kahului Airport right on time. After grabbing her bag, Lexi made her way into the terminal, before spotting the familiar face.

Lexi was approached by her mother, who looked like her, with long brown hair and blue eyes, but was a little taller and a lot tanner. Standing beside her was a tall Hawaiian man in his late thirties with black hair in a short ponytail and a mustache.

“Hello, Lexi,” her mother said.

She did not respond while her mom gave her a brief hug.

“This is my husband, Ernesto Estrella.”

Lexi gazed up at him as he said, “Aloha, Lexi.”

“Hi,” she said tonelessly.

“How was your flight?” he asked.

“It was okay.”

Joyce Estrella smiled weakly at her daughter. “I’m sure you must be tired and hungry.”

“Kind of,” she admitted.

“Well, we’ll take care of that,” her mother said. “Let’s go get the rest of your bags and get out of here.”

Lexi, still in no mood to be too hospitable, rolled her eyes and said, “Whatever.”

When she stepped outside, the warm, muggy air hit her face and Lexi took a moment to survey the surroundings. She saw some palm trees and other Hawaiian scenery. She couldn’t believe she was in Hawaii on the island of Maui, which made her the envy of many of her friends. Then she came back down to earth when she remembered she was there under protest.

The drive in Ernesto’s Ford Bronco was mostly silent other than a few words by Ernesto, seemingly for effect. That was fine with her. Since she really didn’t have anything nice to say, she figured it was best not to say anything.

Soon she saw them pass by the sign to Wailuku, the place in west Maui, located in Maui County, where her mother and Ernesto lived. It was there that Ernesto operated a working ranch. Lexi had seen livestock at the State Fair and zoo, but never on an actual ranch. But she was more interested in going to the beach and swimming while in Hawaii.

They passed by a red-haired girl around Lexi’s age, who was riding a horse in a meadow. Lexi felt a little envious, since she had never been on a horse before. Maybe she would get the chance during this trip.

“Welcome to Paradise Ranch,” Ernesto announced, as they drove up a winding road and through some gates onto the property.
Once out of the car, Lexi took in the ranch with its rolling hills, grazing horses, goats, ducks, chickens, and more.
Ernesto chuckled. “It’s probably not what you’re used to back in Seattle.”

“No, not quite,” she admitted, carrying one of her bags.

“Don’t worry,” he said, holding her other bags. “You’ll feel at home in no time at all.”

Lexi wasn’t so sure about that, but gave him a tiny smile anyway. It left her when she looked at her mother.

A couple of men walked up to them in full cowboy attire.

“Well, who do have we here?” said the darker skinned lanky one with black hair.

“This is Lexi,” Ernesto said, “Joyce’s daughter. Yoshito is one of our ranch hands.”

“Aloha,” he said, tipping his hat.

“And that’s Doug, our ranch foreman.”

“Howdy,” he said with a nod.

“Hi,” Lexi told them, noting that the ranch foreman was shorter and older than the other one and had gray hair.

“Why don’t we go inside and show you around,” Ernesto said.

She nodded at the man who was now her stepfather, something that would take a lot of getting used to.

They headed for the main house, which was surrounded by swaying palm trees. It was huge with lots of windows and a wraparound lanai. Inside, it looked just as spectacular with high ceilings, hardwood floors, and nice furnishings. Lexi noted that the windows in the Great Room had amazing ocean views.

“This is your room,” Ernesto said on the second floor, as she followed him and her mother into it.

It was spacious, bright, and had a ceiling fan in motion.

Ernesto put her bags down. “I’ll leave you two alone and whip up something to eat,” he said, and gave Lexi’s mom a kiss on the mouth.

“We’ll be down soon,” she told him. When they were by themselves, her mother said, “I’m glad you came.”

Lexi curled her lip at the corner. “As if I had a choice.”

Joyce frowned. “Look, I know you’re angry, but I want to try to make it up to you, if you’ll let me.”

“I don’t see how you can,” Lexi told her honestly. “You left dad and you left me so you could hook up with a man you met on the Internet.”

“It wasn’t like that,” she said.

“So what was it like, Mom?” Lexi demanded. “What was so wrong with the life you had that you gave it all up for this?”
Joyce sucked in a deep breath. “It’s a long story.”

Lexi pursed her lips. “Yeah, right. You can’t possibly justify what you did. And forcing me to come here won’t make up for it.”

“Look, whether you like it or not, I’m still your mother.”

“No—you stopped being my mother the moment you abandoned me,” Lexi retorted.

Joyce sighed. “I’m sorry you feel that way.”

“Just leave me alone.”

She glared at her mother and watched as she left the room.

Lexi took a moment to calm down, while wondering if she had reacted too strongly without really giving her mother a chance to explain.

How did she expect me to act? Lexi asked herself, having had months for her feelings to fester.

She took out her cell phone and texted her dad, Matt, and Robin to let them know she had arrived safe and sound.

* * *

Lexi sat at a long dining room table eating Hawaiian barbecued chicken, corn on the cob, and pineapple coleslaw. She admitted to herself that it was good, while remaining silent as her mother and Ernesto chatted as if they were one big, happy family.

“So I’m sure you don’t know too much about me,” her stepfather said.

“Not really,” Lexi said, trying to remember the few things her mother had offered to share about the man she had married.

“Well, maybe I can fill in the blanks,” he said. “I lost my first wife nine years ago in a tragic accident. Back then, we had both hoped to run this ranch and have a family. Once Gloria was gone, I thought I’d never meet anyone to share my life with again. Then your mother stepped into it and, what do you know, we turned out to be a perfect fit. I couldn’t be happier, especially now that I’ve been given the opportunity to meet her beautiful daughter.”

“We’re not a family,” Lexi blurted out, even if she appreciated the compliment. “You’re not my father and she’s barely my mother.” She shot her mom a cold stare and stood up from the table.

“Sit back down right now, young lady!” Joyce ordered her.

“I need to get some air,” Lexi snapped back, and stormed off. She heard her mother say, “I’ll talk to her.”

Ernesto responded, “Let her go. Give her some time to cool off and adjust.”

Lexi didn’t know if either was possible. Why had her father made her come here anyway? Did he seriously believe that seeing her mother and another man play house and pretend everything was all right would make it so?

She went outside and saw the red-haired girl she noticed riding earlier approaching the house.

“You must be Lexi,” she said. “I’m April Ashbrook. I live next door, even though the houses around here are pretty spread out.”

Lexi walked up to her. They were about the same height and slender build. April’s hair was long, with bangs and was pulled back into a ponytail. She had aquamarine eyes.

“Hi,” Lexi said. “How did you know?”

“Your mom has practically been singing about her daughter coming to spend the summer,” April said.

Lexi cocked a brow. “Seriously?”

April smiled. “She and my mom have become good friends since your mother moved in with Ernesto. Joyce talks about you all the time, and how much she misses you. Does that surprise you?”

“Uh, yeah,” admitted Lexi. “My mom and I aren’t exactly on the best of terms right now.”

“Oh.” April eyed her. “Want to take a walk with me?”

Since Lexi wasn’t eager to go back into the house yet, this was a no brainer. “Okay.”

“So you’re from Seattle?”

“Yep.”

“Cool. I was there once a long time ago, but I can’t remember much about it.”

“It’s a nice place to live,” Lexi said, proud to be from the Pacific Northwest.

“That’s great,” April told her. “Hawaii is pretty nice to call home, too.”

Lexi smiled as she thought about all the things Hawaii had to offer. “So how long have you lived in Maui?”

April grinned. “Pretty much my entire life. My dad is a retired member of the U.S. Coast Guard. He was stationed in Maui at Maalaea Harbor just a year after I was born and remained with the Coast Guard until five years ago.”

“So he’s now a farmer?”

April chuckled. “Actually, he’s a rancher, like Ernesto.”

“Is there really a difference?” Lexi asked.

“Not always. Farmers mostly cultivate land to produce food. Ranchers raise livestock, like cattle and horses. Some people are ranchers and farmers.”

Lexi blushed. “Thanks for the lesson for a city girl.”

April smiled. “Anytime.” She paused. “So what’s with you and your mom, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Actually, she did mind, since she barely even knew her. But she also felt comfortable around April, as though they were longtime friends.

“My mom met Ernesto online while she was still married to my dad.”

“Ouch!” April made a face. “I can see how that might piss you off.”

“Exactly.”

“Still, there are usually two sides to every story,” April said.

“Meaning…?”

“Meaning that maybe she had a good reason for doing what she did.”

Lexi frowned. “Hey, my dad never cheated on my mom and he wasn’t abusive or like a mass murderer or anything.”

April chuckled. “That’s good to know—especially on those last two points. Neither was mine. But that didn’t stop my parents from separating for a while, before deciding to get back together. It’s been cool since then, but it doesn’t always work out that way for every married couple.”

“Yeah, I suppose you’re right,” Lexi conceded, and thought about Matt’s parents getting a divorce. It had taken him time to accept it, but it seemed like he had. Maybe she should too, since it was pretty obvious her parents weren’t ever getting back together. “It still hurts, though,” she told April.

“I know,” she said. “Maybe now that you’ll be spending the summer with your mom, you can get past that.”

Lexi nodded thoughtfully, while keeping her options open. “I saw you riding a horse when we drove in.”

“Yeah, I love riding horses,” April said. “I’ve been riding since I was nine. Do you ride?”

“Not yet,” Lexi admitted. “But I plan to learn.”

“It’s easy as pie. We should go riding together sometime.”

“Cool,” Lexi said, though preferring she had a little practice first, so she could keep up without falling on her butt.

“Well, I better get back home,” April said. “I have to feed the chickens.”

“Wow,” Lexi said. “Sounds like fun.”

April laughed. “Not really, but I like helping out around the ranch, especially during summer break. You’re welcome to join me anytime you want, though I’m guessing that your mom and Ernesto will probably be putting you to work at Paradise Ranch before you know it.”

Lexi chuckled uneasily. “Maybe. Right now, I just want to see how things go between me and my mom.” And Ernesto too, she thought, realizing he was part of the picture, whether she liked it or not.

R Barri FlowersAbout R. Barri Flowers:
 
R. Barri Flowers is the bestselling author of young adult novels, including OUT FOR BLOOD, COUNT DRACULA’S TEENAGE DAUGHTER, TEEN GHOST AT DEAD LAKE, GHOST GIRL IN SHADOW BAY, DANGER IN TIME, andCHRISTMAS WISHES: Laura’s Story. His novels can be found in print, eBook, and audio. In addition to bookstores, many of the titles can be found at public libraries across the country.

The author has also written a number of bestselling teen and young adult related nonfiction books as well, including RUNAWAY KIDS AND TEENAGE PROSTITUTION, KIDS WHO COMMIT ADULT CRIMES, and CHILDREN AND CRIMINALITY.

Follow R. Barri Flowers on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest Goodreads, Google+, LinkedIn, YouTube, LibraryThing,Flickr,and www.rbarriflowers.net. And learn more about the author in Wikipedia.

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Cover Reveal: MIA by Michelle E Reed

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Welcome to the Cover Reveal for

Life AD 2: M.I.A.: Missing in Atman
by Michelle E. Reed

presented by Month9Books!

Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!

MIA

Dez is finally hitting her afterlife stride. She hasn’t missed a meeting or session in forty-two days, and she’s put the adventures and danger of her first days at Atman behind her. Life after death is becoming tolerable, yet nothing is quite what she’d hoped. Confusion over her feelings for Charlie, residual resentment over losing Hannah, and a continuous stream of unwanted assignments leave Dez restless and argumentative.

In a missed encounter with Crosby, her prying gaze lands upon a single entry in the datebook on his unoccupied desk. These few, hastily scribbled words reveal an enormous secret he’s keeping from her. Possessed by a painful sense of betrayal, she once again sneaks off to Atman City, determined to find answers to an unresolved piece of her life.

It begins as all their adventures do, but as light falls into darkness, a stop in an unfamiliar neighborhood sets forth a chaotic series of events. Dez will have to fight for her very existence, and will face painful, irreparable loss in an afterlife teeming with demons wielding ancient powers.

In M.I.A.: Missing in Atman, the second book in the Atman City series, Michelle E. Reed continues the story of Dez Donnelly, pushing her to her limits and surprising readers at every twist and turn of the vast world that is Atman.

Death was only the beginning.

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Title: Life AD 2: M.I.A.: Missing in Atman
Publication date: December 16, 2014
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.
Author: Michelle E. Reed

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Michelle E. Reed

Michelle was born in a small Midwestern town, to which she has returned to raise her own family. Her imagination and love of literature were fueled by a childhood of late nights, hidden under the covers and reading by flashlight. She is a passionate adoption advocate who lives in Wisconsin with her husband, son, and their yellow lab, Sully.

Connect with the Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

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Blog Tour: The Other Tree by DK Mok (Author Interview)

Hey everyone! I’m so excited to be a part of DK Mok’s blog tour for her novel, The Other Tree (January 2014, Spence City)! For my blog tour stop, I have an interview with DK. First, here’s some more information about The Other Tree:

The Other Tree

Family. Truth. Immortality.

Choose one.

It’s been four years since Chris Arlin graduated with a degree that most people think she made up, and she’s still no closer to scraping up funding for her research into rare plants. Instead, she’s stacking shelves at the campus library, until a suspiciously well-dressed man offers her a lucrative position on a scientific expedition.

For Chris, the problem isn’t the fact that they’re searching for the Biblical Tree of Life. Nor is it the fact that most of the individuals on the expedition seem to be fashionably lethal mercenaries. The problem is that the mission is being backed by SinaCorp, the corporation responsible for a similar, failed expedition on which her mother died eleven years ago.

However, when Chris’s father is unexpectedly diagnosed with inoperable cancer, Chris sees only one solution. Vowing to find the Tree of Life before SinaCorp’s mercenaries, Chris recruits Luke, an antisocial campus priest undergoing a crisis of faith. Together, they embark on a desperate race to find Eden. However, as the hunt intensifies, Chris discovers growing evidence of her mother’s strange behaviour before her death, and she begins to realise that SinaCorp isn’t the only one with secrets they want to stay buried.

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And now here’s the interview! Hope you guys enjoy it!

Question: Describe your book in ten words or less. Go!
Answer: Outcast botanist searches for Tree of Life in fantastical adventure.

Question: What scene do you most regret having to cut?
Answer: Thankfully, none of the scenes I loved ended up on the cutting room floor. If possible, I would have liked to fill the story with even more fascinating and improbable plants, but then it would have turned into a mythical botanical compendium.

Question: On the flip side, what was your favorite scene that got added during edits?
Answer: There’s a scene near the beginning that I was originally going to adjust to make the point-of-view transitions smoother. I ended up adding a chunk of new material, which had some really nice character moments, plus I squeezed in a Loki reference.

Question: Why the Tree of Life? Why Eden?
Answer: It was actually my sister who gave me the idea. She’s an avid reader, as well as an author herself, and she mentioned one day that she’d love to read a story about someone searching for the Tree of Life. I’ve always been intrigued by the themes in Genesis: mortality, knowledge, free will, and the choices we make. I’m also fascinated by botany, archaeology and ancient civilizations. Writing this story seemed like a great opportunity to fuse those things together in a sprawling adventure. And I couldn’t resist writing a novel with a botanist hero.

Question: Was it difficult balancing real Biblical events with the fictional parts of the story?
Answer: It’s always a challenge balancing different aspects of a novel – trying to remain authentic and accurate, while giving yourself artistic license to tell a particular story. For me, the most important things are being respectful to my readers, and writing the story I’m trying to tell.

Question: If you were to write another Biblical story, which Biblical event would you select and why?
Answer: I’m not sure if I’d write another story with Biblical elements. The Other Tree was such a particular story for me, about these specific characters and their individual journeys. I tend to be guided by which story is calling to me the strongest, so I just have to see where my writing takes me.

Question: After reading The Other Tree, what’s one thing you hope your readers come away with, or one lesson you want them to have learned?
Answer: One of my main goals as a writer is to create stories that are entertaining and heartfelt. Books have always been a great source of comfort and inspiration for me, and I’ve always loved stories that take me to amazing places, plunge me into thrilling escapades, and introduce me to people I can’t bear to let go of when the last page turns. I hope my readers finish the book feeling like they’ve just been on a fantastic adventure with good friends.

Question: Craziest thing you’ve had to Google for a work in progress?
Answer: I don’t know if I can pick the craziest, but there are certainly plenty of fascinating things I’ve learned. One of the fun and challenging things I had to research for The Other Tree was figuring out if it was biologically possible to create plants that can run around at human speed…

Question: Biggest writing quirk?
Answer: Notepads and pens. Everywhere. I always have them on hand in case I have an idea. If I don’t write it down straight away, I’m liable to forget.

Question: What books would you recommend to a reader who loved yours, and wants to read something similar?
Answer: I’m very much inspired by Terry Pratchett’s books. I love the way he blends quirky humour with meaningful themes, and creates such imaginative fantasy worlds, while ensuring that his characters are grounded in empathetic and believable situations. I strive to strike the same kind of balance between fun, fantastical stories, and thoughtful, emotional journeys.

Question: What are three must-have items when you sit down to write?
Answer: Thesaurus. Silence. Snacks. Lots of snacks.

Question: Are you working on anything new?
Answer: I’m very excited to be in the editing stages of my next novel, an epic fantasy standalone called Hunt for Valamon. It’s another fun adventure, but just a touch darker. It’s being released by Spence City in February 2015.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

About DK MOK:
 
DK Mok lives in Sydney, Australia, and writes fantasy, science fiction and urban fantasy novels and short stories. DK’s debut urban fantasy novel, The Other Tree, was released in 2014 by Spence City (an imprint of Spencer Hill Press), and her short story ‘Morning Star’ (One Small Step, FableCroft) was shortlisted for an Aurealis Award.

DK grew up in libraries, immersed in lost cities and fantastic worlds, populated by quirky bandits and giant squid. She graduated from UNSW with a degree in Psychology, pursuing her interest in both social justice and scientist humour.

She’s fond of cephalopods, androids, global politics, rugged horizons, science and technology podcasts, and she wishes someone would build a labyrinthine library garden so she can hang out there. Her favourite fossil deposit is the Burgess Shale.

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Cover Reveal: The Social Media Experiment by Cole Gibsen

Hey everyone! I’m so excited to be a part of the cover reveal for The Social Media Experiment by Cole Gibsen (September 2, 2014 from Entangled Teen)! The second I read the synopsis for this book, I was HOOKED! This book has it all – a gorgeous cover and an epic plot!

So, are you ready to see the cover??

Are you sure?

It’s gorgeous!

Okay, ready?

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Here it is!

The Social Media Experiment cover
 
Isn’t it amazing?? Personally, I love it and I CANNOT wait to get my hands on this book!!! Here’s some more information on The Social Media Experiment, including the official synopsis:

On the surface, seventeen-year-old Reagan Fray appears to have everything. She’s popular, Ivy League–bound, and her parents are rich enough to buy her whatever she wants. Behind the scenes, Reagan is a girl with an anxiety disorder struggling to hold the fraying threads of her life together. It takes work to stay on top, and when that fails, Reagan’s learned from her politician mother that a little social espionage never hurts. That is, until the day Reagan finds all of her texts and private messages printed out and taped to every locker in her high school.

Finding herself ostracized from her friends and on the receiving end of the bullying she used to dish out, Reagan won’t settle into her new role as social pariah without a fight. Determined to get back in with her friends and reclaim her social status before her mother finds out and sends her to boarding school, Reagan has no choice but to team up with outcast Nolan Letner.

But the closer Reagan gets to Nolan, the more she realizes all of her actions have consequences, and her future might be the biggest casualty of all.

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Cole Gibsen author photoAbout Cole Gibsen:
At seventeen, Cole found herself homeless with only a beat-up Volkswagen Jetta and a bag of Goodwill clothing to her name. The only things that got her through the nights she spent parked in truck stops and cornfields were the stacks of books she checked out from the library along with her trusty flashlight. Because of the reprieve these books gave her from her troubles, Cole vowed to become a writer so she could provide the same escape to readers who needed a break the reality of their own lives.

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Review: Uncaged by John Sandford & Michele Cook (Blog Tour)

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: Uncaged by John Sandford & Michele Cook (Blog Tour)Uncaged by John Sandford, Michele Cook
Series: The Singular Menace #1
Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers on July 8, 2014
Pages: 416
Format: Hardcover
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
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four-stars

#1 New York Times bestselling Prey author John Sandford and Michele Cook debut a high-octane young adult thriller series.

Shay Remby arrives in Hollywood with $58 and a handmade knife, searching for her brother, Odin.

Odin’s a brilliant hacker but a bit of a loose cannon. He and a group of radical animal-rights activists hit a Singular Corp. research lab in Eugene, Oregon. The raid was a disaster, but Odin escaped with a set of highly encrypted flash drives and a post-surgical dog.

When Shay gets a frantic 3 a.m. phone call from Odin—talking about evidence of unspeakable experiments, and a ruthless corporation, and how he must hide—she’s concerned. When she gets a menacing visit from Singular’s security team, she knows: her brother’s a dead man walking.

What Singular doesn’t know—yet—is that 16-year-old Shay is every bit as ruthless as their security force, and she will burn Singular to the ground, if that’s what it takes to save her brother.

Hey everyone! Welcome to my stop on the Uncaged blog tour! Today, I’m sharing with you my 4-star review of this epic young adult thriller. Enjoy!

Uncaged is unlike anything I’ve ever read and it’s definitely not a genre I usually gravitate towards. However, I enjoyed every single second of this thriller; it was a fast-paced read that kept me on my toes, dying to know what happened next. I would sit down, intending to only read a handful of chapters and I would end up reading a huge chunk of the book in a single sitting – I just couldn’t put it down!

At first, I really didn’t connect with Shay, the main character. However, I liked her right from the beginning – does that make sense? Normally, when I can’t connect with a character, it ruins the story for me. But I had nothing against Shay, so I still enjoyed getting to know her and seeing her story and her journey. She was never weak or defenseless. She was always strong and able to take care of herself, but I definitely still saw a lot of character growth in her from beginning to end. She starts out as more of a loner, in desperate need to find her brother. From there, she really opens up and begins to trust the people she has come to consider friends. And before that, trust was definitely not something Shay gave easily to anyone besides her brother.

Odin was interesting… From the synopsis, it seems like Uncaged is his story, but it’s really not. His actions get the story going, but it’s really Shay’s story. Odin is more in the background. Shay had to go looking for him and he’s the reason Singular goes after Shay. Without Odin doing what he did, Shay never would have gone to California and never would have met Twist, Cade, Cruz, Emily, etc. So, as I said, his actions get the story going, but this is truly Shay’s story.

I loved, loved, LOVED Twist. When we were first introduced to him, I was completely confused and uninterested. I mean, Shay describes him as looking like the Cat in the Hat and below is one of the first interactions we have with him:

“‘Assault on me is an insult to Dum and Dee,’ the Cat in the Hat said.”

I mean… What?? But as time went on, I pretty much adored him and everything about him. Clearly, this book is some kind of take on Oliver Twist. The hacking, the group home, the leader (Twist) – and obviously his name alone incites comparisons. To be honest, my first thought was “This book reminds me of Olivia Twisted by Vivi Barnes… And that was a loose take on Oliver Twist. So if that’s the case, this must be a take on Oliver Twist, too!”

I loved West. I don’t think I was supposed to.. I mean, technically, he’s not one of the good guys – at least in the beginning. But there was just something about him from very early on that made me adore him. I can’t explain it beyond that without risking spoilers. I will say, though, that the way his story ended in Uncaged… It broke my heart!

I loved the secondary characters in this book, as well. Cade, Cruz, Emily – and yes, X, especially! They, along with Twist and Shay, were like a family. Maybe not in the beginning, but they came to be. They always had each other’s backs.

Despite how much I enjoyed Uncaged, I did have a few problems with it, as well. The plot and timeline were not straight-forward. We’d have two chapters in a row that were from Shay’s story. Then, we’d skip to Odin’s story and it was something that took place hours (sometimes days) prior to Shay’s chapters. It was really confusing. Also, there were too many characters and too many plots and I just couldn’t keep track of what was going on and who was who most of the time. I still can’t sort out who half the Singular characters are… However, over time, I did get used to the writing style and it became easier to understand what was happening.

There was also a lot of technical jargon that I didn’t understand and I had to stumble my way through it. It wasn’t so confusing that it ruined the story for me; however, the story would have been MUCH better if I’d understand it.

Finally, I’m a HUGE animal lover. Going into this book, I knew it dealt with animal experimentation and lab experimentation and I tried to look past it because the overall plot sounded epic, but certain scenes just absolutely broke my heart, so that was difficult.

But then that ending.. WOW! That ending was insane, action-packed, crazy… I could go on and on. My heart was in my throat for much of the ending. Several things happened that I didn’t expect. I love the set-up for book two, though, and I’m really, really excited to see what happens next!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It had an interesting plot and intriguing characters. Plus, it’s not something I normally read and it was nice to discover a new genre. I definitely recommend this book to fans of Oliver Twist, as well as to fans of books that feature computer hacking and Oliver Twist-like plots, such as Remember Me by Romily Bernard, Olivia Twisted by Vivi Barnes and Don’t Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon.

four-stars

Blog Tour: Blood for the Sun by Errick Nunnally (Excerpt)

Hey everyone! Welcome to my stop on the Blood for the Sun (Spencer Hill Press, July 1, 2014) Blog Tour. Today, I’m pleased to share with you an excerpt from the book. But first, here’s the book’s cover and synopsis. Hope you enjoy!

Blood for Sun
After more than one hundred and forty years, Alexander Smith is suffering from memory loss that plagues him like a supernatural Alzheimer’s. He has lasted longer than most by clinging to the love he has for his adopted daughter, the vampire Ana, and puzzling out cases of missing or murdered children. Without them, he wouldn’t be able to ignore the ghost of a child from his guilty past or fight the whispers goading him to kill. On his latest job, he’s stumbled upon a vampire conspiracy that has left a trail of child murders up and down the East Coast-a conspiracy that promises inoculation against the sun. If true, the conspirators’ success would mean a bloody conflict, altering the balance between humans and the supernatural forever. Losing more of his mind every day, Alexander has two impossible tasks ahead of him if the world is to survive: stop the vampire coven and reconnect with his humanity.

Goodreads

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And here’s the excerpt! Enjoy!

“Damn the world, I’m hungry. My mouth was watering and I was only somewhat ashamed to admit that the thought wasted meat kept crossing my mind. Children are a guilty pleasure–even an addiction.

I swore them off a lifetime ago.

Standing outside, I could smell the death of her. The number 1329, stenciled on the facade, identified the building from its indistinguishable brothers and sisters. It was near dawn in the Peter O’Neil projects, and a dead black girl lay upstairs in a building that looked as if the bricks had been molded with clotted blood.

Two City of Boston detectives met me here. These were the right people to care, but there were never enough of them. The forensics team hadn’t arrived yet. Delayed, I presumed, by the unusually high rate of murder this year or some clever words from one of the detectives.

The cops were concerned because, over time, they’ve developed two necessary survival skills: one, the ability to detect a predator, and two, the wherewithal not to ignore that information. My attendance was always a bizarre problem, a discussion no one wants to have–even with themselves.”

NunnallyAbout Errick:
 
Born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, Errick A. Nunnally served one tour in the Marine Corps before deciding art school would be a safer–and more natural–pursuit. He remains distracted by art, comics, and genre novels. A designer by trade, he is a black belt in Krav Maga with Muay Thai kickboxing mixed in. His work has appeared in eFiction’s inaugural SciFi issue and in the anthologies Doorways to Extra Time, Wicked Seasons, Inner Demons Out, A Dark World of Spirits and The Fey, After the Fall, and In Vein. Errick’s novel Blood For The Sun is available from Spence City.

Website

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Cover Reveal: Avian (The Dragonrider Chronicles #2) by Nicole Conway

M9B-Friday-Reveal

Welcome to the Cover Reveal for

Avian (The Dragonrider Chronicles #2)
by Nicole Conway

presented by Month9Books!

Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!

EbookCover(AVIAN)

What kind of power is lurking inside him?

After a year of training to become a dragonrider, Jaevid Broadfeather has been sent home to rest during a three-month interlude. But when he returns to find the king drake has chosen Beckah Derrick as his new rider, Jaevid realizes something big is about to happen. Every fiber of his being is pushed to the breaking point as Jaevid battles through his avian year, preparing for the final graduation test of the battle scenario. But there is more standing in his way than a few pushups and fancy sword moves.

Jaevid must face a new fear as he is tormented by a gruesome nightmare of a mysterious gray elf warrior murdering the royal family of Maldobar. It seems obvious to him that this is some kind of message about how the war started long ago—until Felix assures him the king is very much alive. With his strange powers growing stronger by the day, and that violent dream replaying in his mind every night, Jaevid no longer wonders if he will pass his avian year or not . . . he wonders if he will even survive it.

The truth will soon be set loose.

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Title: Avian (The Dragonrider Chronicles #2)
Publication date: August 26, 2014
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.
Author: Nicole Conway

Chapter-by-Chapter-header---About-the-Author

NicoleConwayPhoto

Nicole is the author of the children’s fantasy series, THE DRAGONRIDER CHRONICLES, about a young boy’s journey into manhood as he trains to become a dragonrider. She has completed the first two books in the series, and is now working on the third and final book.

Originally from a small town in North Alabama, Nicole moves frequently due to her husband’s career as a pilot for the United States Air Force. She received a B.A. in English with a concentration in Classics from Auburn University, and will soon attend graduate school.

She has previously worked as a freelance and graphic artist for promotional companies, but has now embraced writing as a full-time occupation.

Nicole enjoys hiking, camping, shopping, cooking, and spending time with her family and friends. She also loves watching children’s movies and collecting books. She lives at home with her husband, two cats, and dog.

Connect with the Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook

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Complete the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win!

(Winners will receive their book on release day)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

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Cover Reveal: A Murder of Magpies by Sarah Bromley

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Welcome to the Cover Reveal for

A Murder of Magpies by Sarah Bromley

presented by Month9Books!

Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!

Chapter-by-Chapter-header---Guest-Post

A MURDER OF MAGPIES cover art

Besides the dream of seeing your book in print, one thing so many authors daydream about is what the cover will look like. I come from an artistic background. My grandmother was a watercolorist, and I actually spent time in college as an art major before switching first to forensic pathology (don’t ask—it obviously didn’t last) and eventually English. As someone who’s visual, I was excited and, to be honest, nervous for what Month9Books would come up with as the design for the cover of A MURDER OF MAGPIES.

Georgia McBride asked for my input, which I know is rare because so often authors don’t get much say, if any, in their cover art, but I still didn’t know what to expect. Yet when I saw it, I adored my cover. How could there be any other cover for A MURDER OF MAGPIES? The design brings in details like the cobblestone roads of the book’s setting, Black Orchard, Wisconsin. I could imagine walking down that road in the fog and knowing someone was watching. The antique-style light plays off Vayda’s family’s business in the antiques trade as well as her ability to take emotion and turn it into electricity. Then the bird . . . I love the bird’s position as it is hunched over to peck at the ground as if uncovering a secret, and this is a story where everyone has secrets.

FINAL_ A Murder of Magpies_Bromley

Winter in Black Orchard, Wisconsin, is long and dark, and sixteen-year-old Vayda Silver prays the snow will keep the truth and secrecy of the last two years buried. Hiding from the past with her father and twin brother, Vayda knows the rules: never return to the town of her mother’s murder, and never work a Mind Game where someone might see.

No one can know the toll emotions take on Vayda, how emotion becomes energy in her hands, or how she can’t control the destruction she causes. But it’s not long before her powers can no longer be contained. The truth is dangerously close to being exposed, placing Vayda and her family at risk.

Until someone quiets the chaos inside her.

Unwanted. That’s all Ward Ravenscroft has ever been. To cope, he numbs the pain of rejection by denying himself emotions of any kind. Yet Vayda stirs something in him. He can’t explain the hold she has on him–inspiring him with both hope and fear. He claims not to scare easily, except he doesn’t know what her powers can do. Yet.

Just as Vadya and Ward draw closer, she finds the past isn’t so easily buried. And when it follows the Silvers to Black Orchard, it has murder in mind.

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Title: A Murder of Magpies
Publication date: October 28, 2014
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.
Author: Sarah Bromley

Chapter-by-Chapter-header---About-the-Author

Sarah Bromley

Sarah Bromley lives near St. Louis with her husband, three children, and two dogs. She likes the quiet hours of morning when she can drink coffee in peace, stare into the woods behind her house, and wonder what monsters live there. When she’s not writing or wrangling small children, she can be found volunteering at a stable for disabled riders.

Connect with the Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

~*~*~*~*~*~

As an extra-special treat, I’ve got an exclusive excerpt to share with you guys!

Alone, Ward swiveled to face me. “Why are you so quiet?”

“My mom liked to say that if a secret’s revealed it’s the fault of the person who confided it,” I answered.

“You have secrets?”

As of right then, I wanted more than ever to tell him mine.

That would be foolish. Dad worked too hard to protect Jonah and me. My hands twirled the hair pooled in my lap. Ward ducked his shoulders and smiled when I lifted my head.

“What happened when you walked me home?” he asked.

“You won’t understand. There are a lot complications and—”

“Try me. I don’t scare easily.”

His hands covered mine, fingers coiling around my wrists. His body mirrored mine, leg tucked up on the bench while the other hung limp. I dispatched my feelers to grab onto his energy, to find any trace of a lie. He wasn’t afraid of the challenge of being with me.

He should have been.

He should have been terrified, and he wasn’t, and I didn’t know what to make

Chapter-by-Chapter-header---Giveaway

Complete the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win!

(Winners will receive their book on release day)

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Pandora’s Wonderland: Pandora’s Books Turns One!

Hey everyone! Meredith from Pandora’s Books here. For those who don’t know, I’m doing a joint Blogoversary celebration with Kayla and Stacie from A Wonderland of Reading. The festivities started on May 26 (their one-year Blogoversary) and will end on June 24 (my one-year Blogoversary). We’ll be alternating days and providing fun guest posts from our fellow bloggers and author friends. You can visit A Wonderland of Reading to see the first post and learn more about the details and the grand prize giveaway!

~*~*~*~*~*~

Today, Pandora’s Books turns a year old. I’m in complete shock right now because I can’t believe it’s been a year since I started on this incredible, amazing journey! So many great things have happened and so much has changed. I’m beyond grateful for everything this blog has brought into my life – amazing friends, incredible opportunities to work with authors I love and an internship that led to a job!

So many people have stood by me throughout this journey, so many people have made this experience what it is. Without those people, it wouldn’t have been the same. You guys made every day fun and worthwhile!

Blogger Shout-Outs:

Kayla (A Wonderland of Reading): My blogging BFF, my partner in crime and my co-host in this amazing event. I have NO CLUE where I’d be without you! Do you remember the first time we really started talking? We agreed to be “productivity buddies” so we would both get work done and it escalated from there. Thank you for being awesome-sauce amazing! <3

Stacie (A Wonderland of Reading): The third co-host in this event and the third part of the Kayla-Stacie-Meredith triangle! Ah!! Girlie, seriously, I adore you! I’m so glad we started talking!! I don’t know what I’d do if you had left the blogosphere! You’re always here for me and I’m always here for you! We’ve been friends for so long, I can’t imagine NOT knowing you! <3

Stacee (Adventures of a Book Junkie): My Bookish Fairy Godmother! I’m pretty sure you’re one of my oldest blogging friends. You’ve always been here for me and you never got sick of me, even in the beginning when I bombarded you with twenty million questions about blogging. You’ve always been so good to me and you spoil me rotten! I don’t think I would have survived blogging for a year without you. THANK YOU <3

Jessica (Just a Book Lover): I’ve known you almost as long as I’ve known Stacee. And like Stacee, you were epically awesome when it came to answering all my silly, obnoxious questions. You’re awesome and I <3 you!

Crystal (Crystal in Bookland): Girl, you rock! Especially with everything I’ve had going on lately, you’ve been like my rock. If I didn’t have you to talk to, I think I’d fall apart. Thank you for being awesome and sticking by me. Plus, you made my birthday this year the best birthday I’ve had in a VERY long time. I’ll never forget that! <3

Nikki (Fiction Freak): Lady, if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be blogging right now. You are AMAZING and I’ll always be grateful for your help. Thanks for helping me out in the very beginning, when I was clueless and had NO IDEA what I was doing! <3

Christina (Ensconced in Lit): I adore you! You’re so sweet and kind and we’ve been friends for so long now, I can’t even remember what life was like BEFORE. We’ve been through so much together and, though we haven’t spoken as much lately, know that I completely adore you! <3

Celeste (The Reading Nook Reviews): Ahhhhhhh *Tackle hugs* You rock, girly! Seriously, you’ve been so good to me and I’m so, so glad we became friends! Also, you spoil me! <3

Octavia (Read Sleep Repeat): Girl!! You’ve been so awesome, hilarious and fun to chat with! You’re also the GIF Queen.. I don’t know how you do it! The ones I found are nowhere near as awesome as yours! Thanks for helping me with my Binge Read Challenge! I’m going to re-organize and try to do it next year instead :) Thanks for being an awesome friend! <3

Honorable Mentions: Denise, Jessica (Lovin Los Libros) Kaitlin, Maura, Mary, Jessica (Fly to Fiction), Angie, Angela, Lili, Kelly, Jon, Eli, Julia, Julie, Kat & Steph, Taherah…… And anyone else I might have missed!

Extra Special Honorable Mention to Alexia, Alyssa and Kris = So sorry I forgot you amazing ladies earlier! My head must be in the clouds! I hope you lovelies can accept my apologies!

I know I’m missing people.. I’m SO sorry! It’s not intentional! There have been so many amazing people in my life this year, it would take three posts twice this length to get you all, but know that I adore you all, you all rock, and I’m eternally grateful for every single one of you!

Author Shout-Outs:

Amalie Howard: I will NEVER stop being grateful to you for everything you’ve done for me. You’re amazing, kind, sweet and – did I say amazing? Basically, I ADORE YOU. I will bow down to your awesome! <3

Kristi Cook: When I first met you at the Voracious Reader and you recognized me from Twitter and from reviewing an eARC of Eternal, I nearly cried. It was so surreal – I had been reading your books for so long, I just couldn’t get over it! Thanks for being such an amazing, amazing friend over the last year! <3

Heather Lyons: I ADORE YOU AND YOUR BOOKS AND YOUR SWOONY GUYS AND YOU! No, seriously, your books were the first ones I ever reviewed for a publicist and I fell in love with them, right from the start. You’re amazing and I’m so honored to be a part of your street team and #TeamKellan. Thanks for being amazing! <3

Rachel Harris: Back before I was a blogger, I won Taste the Heat. It was epic and I did an informal review of it for your agent and Goodreads. I seriously feel like getting that taste of reviewing and seeing how excited you were about it, it really fueled my desire to blog. I love books and I love spreading the word about books and I really realized that thanks to you and TtH! So THANK YOU! <3

Dahlia Adler: You’re amazing. No, seriously, you’re epically amazing. Very early on, you helped me connect with the next three authors I’m about to mention. Robin, Vivi and Jamie were my first ever author interviews on my blog. I was SO nervous to approach authors, so your help and guidance made all the difference. It encouraged me to approach more authors. It also opened me up to three books I might not have known about or read otherwise. You’re constantly tweeting advice to bloggers, authors and readers – valuable advice that truly makes a difference. And in between all that, you found time to write an amazing book (That I’m cuddling/dying to read as we speak!). I don’t know how you do it all, but you’re amazing and I adore you. Thank you for everything you’ve done! <3

Robin Constantine: Your book was one of the first ones that made me excited to read contemporary again. You’re the sweetest and I’m still so sad I missed your signing! Hopefully you’ll come back to NY soon!! <3

Vivi Barnes: I adore you so much! I’m so sad we missed getting to meet at RT14, but it WILL happen! <3

Jamie Grey: You rock and your books rock and what would I do without you?!?! Thank you for being so awesome and so epic! <3

A.G. (Anita) Howard: I didn’t know what a Book Boyfriend was until Morpheus. I didn’t realize how amazing Alice in Wonderland retellings were until Splintered. You’re amazing, I adored meeting you at BEA and thank you for being awesome and amazing! <3

Basically, I adore all of you, I’ve loved every minute of speaking with all of you and getting to know all of you. For me, authors are rockstars and you guys are the BEST. You’ve each changed my life in some way or another and for that I’ll be forever grateful!

And, of course, thank you to my amazing Spencer Hill Press family! You guys are amazing and I love you all!! These last few months have been surreal! I adore working with all of you! Shout-outs to Cindy, Damaris, Brooke, Jenn AP, Vikki, Dahlia, Patrice, Kelly, Megan, Kate, Jessica, Trisha, Patricia, Danielle, Kelsey, Rhonda, Kim, Erica and Sarah (And SO SORRY if I missed anyone!) <3

Accomplishments:

-> 21,523 total page views
-> 1,456 Twitter followers
-> 349 Bloglovin followers
-> 249 Goodreads friends
-> 163 Facebook likes
-> 93 email subscribers
-> Moved to WordPress
-> Became a conributing writer for YA Interrobang
-> Got invited to two Harlequin Teen Previews
-> Got auto-approved for HarperCollins on Edelweiss
-> Got an internship that turned into a job(!!!)
-> Went to BEA (And met many of you fabulous people!)
-> Got auto-approved for Harlequin on NetGalley

I can’t believe all the things that have happened in just ONE year.

More than anything, I’ve found a place to call home. I was always the outsider in school, the weird girl who liked to read about aliens and vampires. The freak who – GASP – liked to WRITE about aliens and vampires. Man, I’ll never forget that day in eighth grade English when my study group laughed at me for telling them that.. It’s been SO INCREDIBLE becoming a part of the blogosphere, finding friends who GET IT when I need to flail about a book, swoon over a book boyfriend, or even cry about a book. YOU GUYS GET ME!

And, even more incredible, you’ve stuck by me in this first, rocky year. I had no clue what I was doing half the time. I made mistakes. I stumbled a lot. But you guys just stood by me, encouraged me to keep going, to not give up. I can’t tell you all how much that means to me. I’ve had a LOT going on in my personal life recently – something I don’t share with anyone on Twitter. But I want you guys to know that with everything that’s going on, you’ve been like my rock. You’ve kept me afloat. You’ve been there for me to lean on and I’ve kept going because of how awesome all of you have been. Okay, I’ll stop with the cheesy metaphors and cliche sayings.

I just want to give ALL of YOU ALL the HUGS!

But those of you who went to BEA know that I’m an awkward hugger…

So I’m just going to stick with saying THANK YOU FOR BEING AMAZING!!! And thank you for making this first year epic! Here’s to another year of success for Pandora’s Books and another year of adoring all you lovely people! Cheers!

Blog Tour: Quantum Spirit – Apocalypse by Sallie Haws (Book Promo + Book Trailor)

Hey everyone! Welcome to my stop on the Quantum Spirit – Apocalypse Blog Tour! Today, I’m pleased to share the brand new book trailer with you. First, here’s the cover and synopsis:

Quantum Spirit cover‘She’s gone!’ Katrina’s eyes were big as saucers.

I guess she didn’t really believe that I would disappear because the color had drained from her face as she stared wide-eyed and slack jawed at the center of the circle. The others opened their eyes in awe. I felt the strength of the circle fluctuate with the drop in energy, and the vibrancy of the colors dimmed as the group’s anxiety increased causing the contraction of their auras.

Then I noticed the woman . . . ‘Hello, Salena,’ she greeted me with a smile.
 
‘My name is Amalya Gaian. Welcome to the Fifth Dimension.’

Salena Hawthorne is coming of age in more ways than one. And, the changes she is experiencing go way beyond simple hormonal overload. When her “family gift” comes on with a vengeance, Salena has to learn how to channel her developing psychic abilities to stop a pandemic from wiping out millions of lives.

Her newfound gifts of reading auras and inter-dimensional travel give Salena more trouble than she is ready to handle. With the weight of several worlds on her shoulders, Salena will need to call on her family, the Society of the Silver Moon, her Spirit Guide, and a few other unexpected allies to take on the supernatural enemies that threaten their very existence.

Goodreads

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Indigo | iBooks

And here’s the book trailer! Enjoy!!

 

Sallie Haws Author picAbout Sallie Haws: 
As the great-granddaughter of the inventor of the drinking fountain and founder of Haws Corporation, Sallie Haws put her UC Santa Barbara bachelor’s degree in organizational psychology to work to make a positive impact on her family’s business. Sallie held numerous jobs in the company over her 26-year tenure from file clerk to President and CEO.

At a young age, Sallie’s passion for writing was fed by taking creative writing classes in high school and college. It was nursed along throughout her adult years by a voracious reading habit of paranormal, sci-fi, fantasy novels.

After selling the family business in 2011, Sallie finally had the time and inspiration to write.

“Quantum Spirit – Apocalypse” (August 2013, Fedd Books) is the culmination of years of personal and professional life experience combined with the desire to empower, entertain and inspire adults and teenagers.

Sallie lives in Reno, Nevada, with her husband, son, daughter and black kitty named Chubs.

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