tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5470746953745514042024-03-13T15:33:40.216-05:00 Mom With A Kindlebook reviews and so much more...Michelle @ Mom With A Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11209779238984404321noreply@blogger.comBlogger2039125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-547074695374551404.post-77125556169828615882015-12-16T06:00:00.000-06:002015-12-16T06:00:21.826-06:00BLOG TOUR [Excerpt & Giveaway] The Concealed by Sarah Kleck <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>The Concealed </b><br />
<b>by Sarah Kleck </b><br />
Publication date: November 1st 2015<br />
Genres: Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult<br />
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Synopsis:<br />
“Can you be happy when what you desire most means your doom?”<br />
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Evelyn Lakewood, an orphan, is crushed after the death of her beloved sister Zara. But the nineteen-year old enrolls in Psychology at Oxford in honor of Zara.<br />
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There, Evelyn first becomes friends with vivacious Sally and seemingly charming Felix. But the encounter with Jared Calmburry, whose incredibly blue eyes immediately captivate her, fundamentally changes her life. She is instantly drawn to this mysterious stranger around whom unusual things happen and who simply disappears every time Evelyn tries to confront him about his puzzling behavior. After finding a mysterious book with a unique symbol on its leather cover in the university library, her curiosity is perked. She doesn’t know what to make of it but Jared’s best friend Colin Sullivan encourages her with cryptic hints to continue her search for evidence. When she discovers the same medieval symbol is worn by hostile professor Karen Mayflower and engraved on another faculty member’s seal ring, she realizes that an ancient secret surrounds Jared.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26585966-the-concealed" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></div>
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Purchase:</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Concealed-Lakewood-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00VVWB0AU/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1442468554&sr=1-2" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-concealed-sarah-kleck/1122583107?ean=9781503947801" target="_blank">B&N</a> </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>EXCERPT</b></span></div>
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<b>CHAPTER 1</b></div>
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An endless stream of mourners followed the brown wooden coffin borne by six men in dark uniforms to the top of the hill. I trudged along through thick fall leaves behind the coffin. It was unseasonably cold for late October, and my frozen hands fiercely clutched the white lilacs she loved so much. It hadn’t been easy to get the lilacs at this time of year, but it was a small comfort for me to be able to offer her favorite flowers to her one last time.</div>
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I continued on, despite not feeling my legs beneath me as they carried me forward. When the six men abruptly halted, I stumbled. A deep, black hole gaped at my feet. As I looked down into it, I began to shake, not because of the biting cold but because of the feeling of helplessness that overwhelmed me. I no longer felt my body, and almost had the sensation of floating over myself, watching from above as they lowered the coffin into the black earth. Despair gripped me, took possession of every fiber of my being, and forced me back into my tormented body. A searing pain shot through my chest, making me cough. A bloodcurdling cry rang out in the distance and made every one of my hairs stand on end.</div>
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That’s her voice!</div>
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Where is she? I must go to her!</div>
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Turning, I looked for help but realized from the looks on the pitying faces of those in attendance that I was the one who had screamed.</div>
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A terrible, dull emptiness engulfed me and would not release me.</div>
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I bowed down with my last ounce of strength and placed the white lilacs on the coffin in which my sister would sleep forever.</div>
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*</div>
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Almost three months later. I opened my eyes and read the inscription on the rounded tombstone:</div>
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ZARA LAKEWOOD</div>
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BELOVED SISTER</div>
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WONDERFUL HUMAN BEING</div>
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I wiped the tears and snowflakes from my face and concentrated on why I had returned here. I had not come back since the funeral—I probably wouldn’t have survived if I’d come any sooner. But now the weight in the inside pocket of my black coat reminded me I wanted to tell my sister that something had happened. I pulled the heavy letter out and looked it over. It was addressed to Evelyn Francis Kathrin Lakewood.</div>
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Careful not to trample the flowers still decorating the grave under a thin crust of ice, I placed the envelope on the stone and took a step back.</div>
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“I was accepted by Oxford—what do you say to that?”</div>
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After completing my A levels, we had started searching for a good university for me, and, at Zara’s urging, I had applied for psychology at Christ Church in Oxford—though I did not give myself much of a chance and I had no idea how I’d pay for it. As it happened, I’d just been offered admission to the Hilary term in January because some fool had dropped out after the first trimester, and my name was apparently at the top of the waiting list. I wanted Zara to be proud of me. I owed everything to her . . .</div>
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When our parents died in a car accident when I was little, Zara fought like a lioness to gain custody of me—and she won.</div>
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She saw to it that we stayed together and I wouldn’t have to go to a foster family. Since our parents left us almost nothing, Zara got a job in addition to her training duties. It was my responsibility to focus on school and do the chores. She usually came home after midnight from her shift at the restaurant, leaving again for her classroom at the police academy a few hours later. Zara had barely turned eighteen, only to be burdened with a household and a seven-year-old schoolgirl. She had looked after me for the past twelve years as if I were her own child, not just her little sister. She had seen to it that the bills were paid, there was food on the table, and I always had clean clothes. She never let it show when we were broke again, and whenever I needed money for a school trip or something she only said, “I’ll figure it out, don’t worry.” Somehow she always found a way.</div>
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When I cried at night, she took me in her arms and comforted me until I fell asleep again. She was my mother, father, friend, and sister all in one, depending on what I needed at the time.</div>
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She was the best person I’d ever known. I still loved her above all else. I missed her so much it almost killed me.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q0NS-YlT5ms/VnDmxPYdtXI/AAAAAAAAM30/XF2wX5eb4GQ/s1600/The%2BConcealedauthor.jpe" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q0NS-YlT5ms/VnDmxPYdtXI/AAAAAAAAM30/XF2wX5eb4GQ/s1600/The%2BConcealedauthor.jpe" /></a><b>AUTHOR BIO:</b><br />
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Sarah Kleck, born in 1984, studied Education, Psychology and Sociology at the University of Augsburg.<br />
Currently, she’s working as a human resources officer and lives with her husband and a newborn in Germany near Lake Constance.<br />
“The Concealed” is her first novel<br />
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Author links:</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9805473.Sarah_Kleck" target="_blank">GOODREADS</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sarah.kleck.1" target="_blank">FACEBOOK</a></div>
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<script src="//widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>Michelle @ Mom With A Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11209779238984404321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-547074695374551404.post-13252198691448674172015-10-19T06:00:00.000-05:002015-10-19T06:00:06.723-05:00BLOG TOUR [Excerpt + Giveaway] American Ghoul by Walt Morton<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Welcome to my tour stop for <em>American Ghoul</em> by Walt Morton! This is a mature young adult paranormal dark fantasy novel.
The tour runs October 19-30th with reviews, interviews, guest posts and excerpts. Check out the <a href="http://www.cbbbookpromotions.com/tour-sign-up-american-ghoul-by-walt-morton-oct-19-30/" target="_blank">tour page</a> for the full schedule.
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<strong>About the Book:</strong></h3>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Seventeen-year-old Howard Pickman has some unusual problems: He comes from a family of ghouls with a long history of digging up corpses, and he’s just moved to a new school filled with kids that are scarier than he is. American Ghoul is the story of an exceptionally odd teenager trying to survive the most terrible time anybody has to go through -- senior year at high school.</span></span>
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"A gloriously macabre young-adult tale about the difficulties of being a teenage ghoul in the 1970s. Once readers dig up this clever supernatural story, they likely won't want to put it down." - KIRKUS REVIEWS<br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">"</span><span style="font-weight: normal;">Anyone wanting a refreshing story with a young voice full of humor and teenage angst, yet with all the Gothic trappings that have kept the genre popular for over two centuries, give American Ghoul a try! - </span>SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER<br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">"I admire Morton's story-telling ability, his macabre descriptions and his dark treatment of the high school experience from a teenager with a terrible secret. There were moments that chilled me to the bone, but kept me turning the pages to follow Howard's journey from outsider to anti-hero." - J</span>ACKSONVILLE NAVIGATOR
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16193477-american-ghoul?ac=1">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/American-Ghoul-Walt-Morton-ebook/dp/B00AFCTMCU/">Amazon</a></b></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The bus came right down Main Street into the heart of Pinebury and the driver let me off in front of the Pep Boys Auto Parts store. I got my bearings and found Hopkins Street. It was an unremarkable side street. The houses were two-story wood-frame homes, small and boxy. The founding of Pinebury was back in 1775 but all these houses were built during the 1930s in a colonial style common all over New Jersey.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">One thing New Jersey had was plenty of pine trees. The result was wood home construction everywhere. The good thing about pine is it’s easy to build with. The bad thing about pine is it’s a soft wood, and over time, many of the homes sagged as the pine aged. The sagging wasn't enough to bring the houses down, but it created a sad feeling. Like the homes were wooly mammoths being sucked down into a bog.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The last house on the left was Granny’s. It was a run-down colonial with dove-grey paint and dark blue trim peeling in uneven whorls. The grass in the yard was ragged and brown.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I hesitated there for a moment, but I had no place else to go. I knocked.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When Granny answered the door I stifled a gasp.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">She looked terrible.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Though in her mid-sixties, she looked ancient. Only five years earlier I remembered a stocky woman with powerful arms and a head of greying brown hair. She’d been a strong hospital nurse who could lift a patient from a bed without complaint.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Now her hair was bone-white and the flesh hung on her bones in that floppy-baggy way elderly women get. Her eyes hadn’t changed though. One eye was coal-black and the other a pale green. Far more dramatic than most ghouls.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">She stared at me and chewed on her lower lip.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Are your parents dead?” Granny said.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Yes, Granny.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Both of ‘em?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Yeah.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“You better come in and tell me about it.”</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Free for <a href="http://www.amazon.com/American-Ghoul-Walt-Morton-ebook/dp/B00AFCTMCU/">Kindle</a> Halloween weekend! 10/30-11/1 </span></b></div>
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<a href="http://www.cbbbookpromotions.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/author-walt-30K.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="Walt Morton" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-2854" src="http://www.cbbbookpromotions.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/author-walt-30K-287x300.jpg" height="300" width="287" /></a><strong>About the Author:</strong></h3>
Walt Morton is a writer, photographer, and artist. AMERICAN GHOUL, his debut novel, has been called “The Tom Sawyer of horror fiction.”
With this book he is continuing a decade-long exploration into weird tales via photography, film, painting and writing. Walt has lectured at the British Film Institute and studied intensively in five martial arts.<br />
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A complete biography of his exploits and interests would be so shocking, improbable and incredible that modesty demands "the less said the better." He would like to thank Jane Austen, who coined that "less said the better" idea. AMERICAN GHOUL is his first of several books that reinvent the supernatural horror genre. Born and raised in rural Pennsylvania, he now lives in California.<br />
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His upcoming novels in 2015 and 2016 will include works in horror, science-fiction, and detective genres.
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<b><a href="http://waltmorton.com/">Website</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/WaltMort">Twitter @WaltMort</a></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">GIVEAWAY:</span></b></div>
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Collectible, art-skull hand painted, signed and numbered by Walt Morton, the author</div>
Ends Nov. 4th
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<i>Prizing provided by the author, hosts are not responsible.</i><br />
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This event was organized by <a href="http://www.cbbbookpromotions.com/" target="_blank">CBB Book Promotions</a>.<br />
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Michelle @ Mom With A Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11209779238984404321noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-547074695374551404.post-81904007467575702812015-10-09T20:32:00.000-05:002015-10-09T20:32:00.258-05:00BOOK BLITZ [Guest Post + Giveaway] End of Day by Summer Lane (The Zero Trilogy #3)<div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9hESqRB5Bzk/VhcXIOuftgI/AAAAAAAAM2w/q7EDC2hvv30/s1600/EoD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9hESqRB5Bzk/VhcXIOuftgI/AAAAAAAAM2w/q7EDC2hvv30/s320/EoD.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">End of Day by Summer Lane<br />(The Zero Trilogy #3)</span></b><br />Publication date: <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1276385279" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">October 9th 2015</span></span><br />Genres: Dystopia, Young Adult</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><b>Synopsis:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The end has come.<br /><br />Elle Costas and her dog, Bravo, have survived the dangers of Hollywood and escaped the clutches of Slaver Territory. The apocalypse has been cruel, and the wasteland of California has forced them to seek shelter in a civilian refugee camp at a place called Bear Mountain.<br /><br />Here, they meet Cheng, a mysterious boy with the skills of a samurai, and Luli, a steampunk warrior with a thirst for vengeance. But friends cannot always be trusted. When a horrific tragedy befalls Bear Mountain, Elle and Bravo come face to face with their most dangerous enemy yet.<br /><br />Betrayal and heartbreak threaten to destroy the bonds of friendship. Desperate times call for desperate measures.<br />Run, or be caught.<br />Kill, or be killed.<br />Fight, or be forced to surrender.<br /><br />The end of the day will change everything.<br />Will Elle and Bravo survive?<br /><br />The explosive, thrilling conclusion to the #1 Bestselling Zero Trilogy by Summer Lane.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26253701-end-of-day?ac=1" target="_blank">GOODREADS</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/End-Day-Zero-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B0167GZ8V6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1444157121&sr=8-2&keywords=End+of+Day+summer" target="_blank">AMAZON</a> |<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/end-of-day-summer-lane/1122751518?ean=2940151216296" target="_blank"> </a></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/end-of-day-summer-lane/1122751518?ean=2940151216296" target="_blank">B&N</a></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-size: large;">What is it like to end The Zero Trilogy?
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<b><i><span style="font-size: large;">By Summer Lane </span><o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
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This is the first time I have ended a published series.
Currently I’m writing the seventh installment of The Collapse Series – and I
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With the Zero Trilogy, I’ve been on this journey of
completing Elle’s story for about two years. It would be difficult to pinpoint the exact
moment that Elle’s character jumped into my mind, because I’ve always wanted to
write a story about a very young but very strong female character in the apocalypse.
The Zero Trilogy seemed to almost write itself at times. Elle’s character
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rose. Poetic, I know. But true. </div>
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To finally end a story is a brand new sensation to me. I have
ended stories before – but those stories are all unpublished, private works
from the mind of a private girl in the wee hours of the night. To finish a
story that I have shared with endless readers is almost frightening – I don’t
want to say goodbye to Elle! Thankfully, her story intertwines nicely with The
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It was supremely refreshing to be able to tie the loose ends
of her story together, and to explain the unexplained. I love and adore the new
characters of End of Day. Cheng is my favorite male lead of the moment. He’s
devilishly handsome and mischievous, the perfect companion for a girl as quick
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In the end, I am thankful for every new opportunity I’ve had
because of this trilogy, and I am eternally grateful for the support from the
reading and blogging community, who really gave me my start as a writer, and
made Elle Costas and Bravo the bomb dog a phenomenal fictional force to be
reckoned with<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>. </div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Summer Lane is the #1 Bestselling author of The Collapse Series and the compelling tie-in novella books of The Zero Trilogy, as well as the upcoming Bravo Saga (releasing March 2016). She is also the author of Collapse: The Illustrated Guide, a #1 Bestselling graphic companion to her phenomenal original series.<br /><br />She is the owner of WB Publishing and Writing Belle, an online magazine. Summer is also an accomplished journalist and creative writing teacher.<br /><br />Summer lives in the Central Valley of California, where she spends her days writing, teaching, and writing some more. When she is not writing, she enjoys leisurely visits with friends at coffee shops, movie dates, reading and spending the day at the beach or mountains. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.summerlaneauthor.com/" target="_blank">WEBSITE</a> | <a href="http://writingbelle.com/" target="_blank">BLOG</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/SummerEllenLane" target="_blank">TWITTER</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Summer-Lane-International-Bestselling-Author/178664608947815" target="_blank">FACEBOOK</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5823376.Summer_Lane" target="_blank">GOODREADS</a></span></div>
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Michelle @ Mom With A Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11209779238984404321noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-547074695374551404.post-66222394381730295052015-10-08T06:00:00.000-05:002015-10-08T06:00:09.058-05:00BLOG TOUR [Guest Post + Giveaway] City of Roses by Donovan Pruitt <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>City of Roses </b></div>
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<b>by Donovan Pruitt </b></div>
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Publication date: May 5th 2015</div>
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Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Young Adult</div>
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Synopsis:</div>
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A young man ventures to his lost love’s childhood home in the abandoned city of Pripyat, Ukraine. When a sudden accident puts him off-course, he awakes to discover a lively and vibrant culture living in a nearby village and a woman who reignites his heart. But something sinister lurks in the shadows, and he must face the terror and help defend the village from evil before it is lost forever. Go beyond the tragedy of Chernobyl and discover the magic in the City of Roses.</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499622-city-of-roses?ac=1" target="_blank">GOODREADS</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/City-Roses-Donovan-Pruitt/dp/1943352003/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1436967703&sr=8-1&keywords=Donovan+Pruitt" target="_blank">AMAZON</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Things I Love to Hear My Readers Say</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The greatest feeling that I’ve experienced so far is inspiring people to educate themselves further on a topic I’ve addressed. One of the things I strive for, especially in some of my recent stories, is to write with an attachment to a real person/place/thing. In City of Roses, that thing is the culture that existed in Pripyat, Ukraine before the Chernobyl disaster. The book highlights several creatures taken from Ukrainian folklore/mythology that were a lot of fun to include. Even the title, City of Roses, is a reference to the Chernobyl director’s love for roses, so much that they were planted all over Pripyat. There’s a lot of real history and references to the nuclear fallout mentioned in the book. Even though the story is not contingent on the reader knowing the historical details that occurred, the knowledge of the event or even just an affinity for the culture, the people, and the location will enhance the overall appeal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I recently reconnected with some old friends from high school, and I was blown away when they told me that my book motivated them to research Chernobyl and Pripyat. They wanted to learn more, to attach themselves to the real events that were described in the book. I really don’t think I could have been happier to hear that. I made learning happen!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I hope when people read about the Chernobyl disaster in my book and see these odd, whimsical folklore creatures, they Google them. Google everything. Go beyond the book. Find the real stories that inspired me to write this one. Learn about the awesome mythology of another culture. City of Roses is a gateway to real events and real cultural icons. In many ways, the history is tragic, but I try to focus on the more uplifting possibilities of life, love, folklore, and the afterlife to get us all through it without crying (too much). And when I have a reader come and tell me that I inspired them to learn more, to read more, I’ve accomplished everything I ever wanted as a writer.</span></div>
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<b>AUTHOR BIO:</b></div>
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Donovan Pruitt has a passion for science fiction and fantasy, especially those titles that trend toward young and new adult storytelling. City of Roses was his first standalone book as an indie author, though he has also written for video games and was previously published as a co-author in the fantasy genre. You can visit him online at www.KalaEmpire.com or join the discussion on Twitter @KalaEmpire.</div>
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My Amazon book reviews are available here: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/profile/A2BE15IF4S23I1">https://www.amazon.com/gp/profile/A2BE15IF4S23I1</a></div>
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Author links:</div>
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<a href="http://kalaempire.com/" target="_blank">WEBSITE</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/KalaEmpire" target="_blank">TWITTER</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/12334965.Donovan_Pruitt" target="_blank">GOODREADS</a></div>
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<script src="//widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>Michelle @ Mom With A Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11209779238984404321noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-547074695374551404.post-78117750977787914602015-09-29T06:00:00.000-05:002015-09-29T06:00:01.704-05:00PROMO BLITZ [Excerpt + Giveaway] Last Light Falling by J. E. Plemons<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://sites.google.com/a/myaddictionisreading.com/fall-2015-promo-s/j-e-plemons">
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<span style="font-size: large; line-height: 18.4px;"><b>Last Light Falling </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large; line-height: 18.4px;"><b>by J. E. Plemons</b></span><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">YA Dystopian / Post Apocalyptic Thriller</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="line-height: 115%;">Date Published:</span></strong><span style="line-height: 115%;"> July 2015</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">Arena has left the nation’s administration with a dead president and a weakened military, and while the tragic memories continue to scar her, the government struggles to regroup without its leader. For the people who still remain in hiding, it’s evident the country is all but lost, and with Russian operatives taking over, the nation’s hope of recovering is grim.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">After months in hiding, Arena and her brother, Gabriel, fight to survive the aftermath while they trudge through unkindly terrain across the country to rejoin their friends, but what they soon discover may staunch their journey. The government’s failed attempt to rebirth a broken nation has caused civil unrest like no other.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">After reuniting with their friends, Arena’s decision to stay changes when she discovers the secrets of a refugee camp behind a clandestine group of rebels, known as the Southern Resistance. With an opportunity to escape to a permanent safe haven, Arena risks her life to lead the new fellowship. But the darkest days are upon them, and with a new war brewing, Arena’s path will take a dark turn as her survival is in jeopardy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">Into The Darkness captures the cruel truth behind our darkest secrets which may often cause us to question our faith. In this graphic second installment of the LAST LIGHT FALLING series, J.E. Plemons continues the grim story of Arena Power’s fate, testing her faith while she and her brother search for an answer to their survival in a brooding world filled with chaos.</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">CHAPTER 1</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">In the midst of tragic suffering, we all have fallen by death in one way or another, but because of His suffering, we are given hope and a gift of eternal life. I’m still hopeful for those who still remain in this wicked world, regardless of the unleashed hell that awaits us all.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">The light draws dim, and Gabe and I are forced to set camp as the sun sets behind the horizon. We find a small spot beyond a brushy field where a clump of trees stands out in the middle of nowhere. The trees are packed fairly tightly, but there is very little underbrush where we can start a fire without burning everything in sight.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">“How many more days you think?” Gabe asks as he clears the ground. I brush the sweat from my eyes and gaze wearily to the east. I’m afraid Carrington won’t be the same as we left it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">“Hard to say,” I simply answer. Fact is I haven’t the slightest clue. Nothing from this landscape looks familiar to home. I lay my pack on the cool soil and rest my swords peacefully against a gnarled tree trunk.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">“You hungry?” I ask.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">“Is the Pope Catholic?” he caustically answers. The sun quickly sets well behind the trees, leaving the horizon to glow.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">“Why don’t you get a fire started and I’ll fetch us some-thing to eat.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">While Gabe dresses the ground with kindling, I venture west, anxious to hunt. Night hunting is not my forte. With-out ample light, there’s no telling what’s lurking in the high grass that surrounds us. Although the land here offers abundant species of game birds, I fear the coyotes and bobcats</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">will scare them away. I kneel down in the brush and wait for something appetizing to cross my path.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">It’s been long since Gabe and I have had a decent meal we haven’t had to kill ourselves—not since before all this shit happened. Myra, our foster mom, was the chef of the household. Her roasted duck, a staple on special occasions, would have your taste buds hypnotized for days. And not many people know how to cook duck properly, but she sure did. Though she is dead along with my real mom, not a day goes by without some memory of her.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">It’s been twenty minutes now and not a single creature has stirred. I’ve impatiently waited too long to stay here. I trek further out toward a small thicket of live oak trees about a half-mile to the west.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">About halfway to the coppice a small hare hops past my boots. I lunge to grab it, but catch a handful of dirt instead. I can’t see a damn thing out here in this nest of weeds. My only hope is to nab something in that cluster of trees up ahead. I wade through the thick brush until the sound of heavy breathing halts my pace. I rest still and for a moment the labored wheezing stops. The sounds in the dark can be misleading, but this certainly doesn’t sound friendly. The tall grass suddenly rustles, but I can’t tell in what direction it’s coming from. Whatever it is, it seems to be scurrying frantically all around. I know it’s not a coyote, because he wouldn’t be moving this much; he would cowardly wait until I made the first move. A small tree limb snaps on the ground to my left about fifteen paces. I quickly bend down and hide within the scratchy underwood. I slowly draw one of my weathered arrows and carefully place it in the string of my bow, waiting for this animal to show itself. The rustling stops and the deep croaking sound of a bullfrog echoes in the distance. That is a pleasing sound, because I know there must be water nearby and I desperately could use a drink. No frog in its right mind would hop around in this barren land without water.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">It’s been too long for whatever is hiding out there not to move. Just then, my stomach decides to harmonize with that old bullfrog, growling with starvation. I’m so hungry right now, I’d eat a hot dog from a gas station, but I’m not leaving this spot until I find out what’s hiding out there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">I slowly stand up and walk toward where the raspy panting first started. The rustling in the grass continues when two pheasants fly out in front of me, trying to flee. I must have stepped near their guarded nest. A devilish squeal pierces the air, and two glowing eyes stare at me. In an instant, the tall grass begins to move toward me like a wave in the ocean. I raise my bow and pull the string back, but the arrow nock splits and falls from my hands. I quickly turn and run, hoping I won’t be mauled by what-ever is chasing me. The grass gets thicker and thicker, slowing me down, and that monstrous squeal pierces my ears.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">I dart through the weeds as they slash against my thighs like stinging whips. The persisting beast moans with a hellish roar, closing in on my pace, until I finally exit the brushy pasture into a small clearing. There’s not a safe enough distance between this creature and me to look back. It’s fast whatever it is.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">I alter my course toward an old oak tree in hopes I will climb far enough up its gnarled limbs for safe harbor. My sides ache from the exhausted running, and the muscle in my lower left calf gives in as I stumble hard to the ground beneath the old tree.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">I quickly roll over, pull my dagger from its sheath, and unexpectedly recognize the beast’s twisted tusks driving rapidly toward me. The moonlight shines through the clouded skies and reveals an infuriated feral hog ready to tear into my flesh with vengeance. If I falter, or lose my grip on my knife, I will be at the mercy of its sharp, bristling tusks. The savage pig bows back its hairy ears and leaps, its jowls open wide exposing its razor-sharp teeth. I swing my arm forward and thrust the end of my blade into the back-side of his thick, hairy-coated neck. The hog violently flops about, squealing, not going down without a fight. I stab him again and again until the shrieking finally stops.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">I lie there on the ground panting, the two-hundred-pound dead, bloody boar resting on my legs. I’m too tired to move, but the stench emitting from this fowl beast persuades me to do otherwise. Not what I was expecting to find for food, but it’s all we have, and unless a nice pheasant or squirrel decides to pleasantly drop in my lap surrendering to be eaten, it’s pork for dinner.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">I push the hairy hog off my legs and pull out my knife. Before I slice into its belly, a small wooden cross near the tree catches my eye. It leans to the side, sitting atop a pile of rocks. It reminds me too much of my uncle Finnegan’s burial that I can’t seem to peel my eyes from it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">Six months have passed since Gabe and I left Finnegan’s grave, and yet I still haven’t forgiven myself for his careless death. If he hadn’t shielded me from the soldier’s bullet at the training facility, I would be the one lying in that grave right now. But my raging hatred for General Iakov caused more pain and misery to our fellowship, and it got Finnegan killed. Though Iakov has fallen with his sol-diers in the facility, leaving a heavy stain on this new administration, it has broken a part of me I can’t get back.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">I feel less convinced of the path God has led me on with every step I take in this dark depraved place. If it is my des-tiny to help wipe evil from this world, it’s tearing me apart, because I can feel the fragility in my faith growing now. While I wish I could go back and change things, my fate has brought me here. . . hunting in the dark for survival.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">I quickly cut into the hog before the meat spoils and the blood taints our meal. There is just too much to carry back to camp, so I cut and skin what I can for the night and leave the stinky carcass for the vultures. The smell is just too repulsive to continue butchering this nasty beast, anyway. It’s beyond the depths of foul. I tie up what meat I can carry with me and wander toward the small coppice where that bullfrog was bellowing. I’m sure to find water somewhere nearby.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">The exposed roots twisting along the ground like a snake suggest an underground spring feeding these lonely trees. There stands a soaring cypress tree hovering over the bank of a small running creek that effortlessly meanders with twists and turns. I follow the brook until I reach the end where it pours into a clear spring. My weary eyes widen, and my dry, parched mouth salivates over this aquatic nectar.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">I dunk the canteens into the cold spring water in a less-stagnate area away from the growing moss and algae. I’m so thirsty, I couldn’t care less what’s floating in this sweet, quenching pool of goodness. As long as I don’t have to see what I’m drinking, I’m just fine. Bottoms up, I say.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">The unbearable frigid temperatures of winter have finally subdued and surrendered to the fresh blooming beginnings of spring, just like this water. Unfortunately, summer has found a way to creep in, because these long hot days have been murderous. It’s nearing May, I think, but I can’t be for sure. I lost track of time long ago.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">For six long miserable months, our weary legs have ambled through snowy drifts of white expanding as far as the eye can see. We have traveled through lifeless towns, abandoned farms, and fields of emptiness, but traveling by foot is our only way now. The roads are no longer safe. Our nation has changed into an ever-growing evil, and those who see it for what it really is have become a liability under harsh scrutiny.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">The hundreds of miles we’ve traveled from the East Coast have worn us thin, but I feel our journey to reunite with our friends is not too far away. Texas is the only thing on my mind, and I won’t be discouraged by another day of swollen feet. We haven’t come this far just to give up.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">There’s a glowing ember in the distance and I realize just how far away I am from Gabe’s warm fire. The air is starting to get a little chilly and I shiver. I make my way back to camp and find Gabe asleep on the ground in a fetal position. The egregious smell of pork smoking above the fire should wake his stomach up. Gabe has already built a spit-fire high enough above the flames to cook our meal. He’s a Boy Scout after my own heart.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">I’m too hungry to wait for this meat slab to hang over the fire the next eight hours. I slice off small manageable pieces to cook, skewer them on a couple of sticks, and lay them on a rock next to the fire. I wrap the rest of meat around the long piece of hickory Gabe had used for a walking stick, and secure it with some left over wire from my pack. I carefully rest the meat above the fire to slow-cook overnight. Hell, maybe the stench will evaporate from the pores, leaving us with some nice tenderloin for breakfast.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">I sit next to the crackling fire and dangle the small pieces on the wooden skewers right above the flames. The rendering fat drips from the pork causing the fire to flare up. The sizzling of the fat and crackling of the tissue begins to rouse Gabe, but I don’t think it’s the sound that has awakened him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">“Holy mother of God, what’s that smell, Arena?” Gabe says with his nosed pinched. It’s quite an uninviting smell, but I’ve been smelling and breathing it in for a while, so I guess I have gotten used to it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">“It’s our dinner,” I say.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">“You’re kidding me. What are you feeding me, the inside of a pig’s ass?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">Not quite, but damn near close, I think, trying hard not to smile. Okay, I admit the smell is objectionable, but this is all I have to offer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">“Unless you have anything better to proposition, this is our meal. I suggest you take it and fill that empty stomach of yours.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">This salty meat may taste gamey, but when you are as hungry as we are, you’ll eat just about anything, and my stomach can’t wait until the morning to find something bet-ter. Sure I would like to have a nice juicy steak and baked potato, but this will just have to do. We both hold our noses from breathing in the smell of this wretched swine. I stomach what I can and try to dilute the taste with the fresh spring water.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">Gabe eagerly falls back to sleep. I try to stay awake as long as I can to keep watch for any unwanted wild creature that may wander uninvited to our malodorous campsite. I’m pretty sure we have unintentionally attracted every wild beast for miles with the smoky scent of ass.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">I watch Gabe sleep comfortably below the canvased trees while my stomach churns. The world seems so lonely. Gabe is all I have left right now, and I don’t think I could bear the thought of losing him too. There were times in my life when I detested my twin brother, but I never stopped loving him, and right now, I need him more than ever.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">The harsh conditions we’ve experience in the last six months has forced us to both grow up, but none more than Gabe. He’s become a man before my eyes. His dirty blond hair drapes dingily below his ears and eyes. He’s still the same brother at heart, but he’s grown into something much different. Behind those skinny limbs and that frail body he used to carry, breathes courage now. We can never go back to what we were—time and history have changed, and so have we.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">I want to believe there is purpose in all of this, but I’m not sure anymore what I’m supposed to do. I feel lost with-out Finnegan by my side. He was the only family Gabe and I had left, and now he too is gone. But his bravery will never be forgotten, and because it was his choice to follow my divine path, we’ve weakened a dying nation at its heart. My enemy may be dead, but my nightmares are still much alive.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">I realize there is a reason for every event that happens to us, but I’m still having a difficult time accepting it. I may never fully understand my part in this world, but I will continue until I can no more. Many people left on this earth will accept their fate as meaningless acts of randomness. I believe now there is more to this world than just chaos and ruin. We were born with a plan, a purpose, and a choice. I choose to believe Finnegan saved my life to extend my fate, and I’m eternally grateful, but I wish not to endure any more hum-bling experiences through death.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">Instead of sleeping on the padded dirt next to the fire, I nestle in between the roots of an old oak tree. I prop myself up against rough ridges of splitting bark and stretch out my legs. I grab Jacob’s necklace around my neck and stare down at the worn silver cross like I do every night. I rub the edges with my fingers as if it were a nervous tick. I’m afraid I will never let go. The only boy I truly loved is gone, but his death will remain very alive in my nightmares. I fight to stay awake, but my body isn’t willing to compromise. Sleep wins the battle.</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">About the Author</span></strong></div>
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<a 1="" href="http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/hh501/myreadingaddiction/Last%20Light%20Falling%20Author_zpsxwrfridx.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/hh501/myreadingaddiction/Last%20Light%20Falling%20Author_zpsxwrfridx.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></span></a>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">Jay Plemons’ life is nothing short of ordinary. From an aspiring chef, carpenter, educator, musician, husband, and father, nothing ever seems too busy when adding yet another hat into the mix as a fiction novelist. With a degree in music business, and a minor in English from Middle Tennessee State University, the aspirations to continue his journey in the arts, has followed Jay to write the Last Light Falling series, which has not only touched on some of his personal experiences, but has also helped him further explore the heightened convictions of faith.</span></div>
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Michelle @ Mom With A Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11209779238984404321noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-547074695374551404.post-66420214652202321062015-09-25T06:00:00.001-05:002015-09-25T06:00:08.413-05:00BOOK BLITZ [Interview] The Fire Sisters by A.G. Henley (Brilliant Darkness #3) <div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Fire Sisters by A.G. Henley </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>(Brilliant Darkness #3) </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Publication date: <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_81366057" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">September 25th 2015</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult</span></div>
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<b><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Synopsis:</span></b></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Fennel and Peree are finally where they’ve worked ceaselessly to be: together and safe from the Scourge in the protected village of Koolkuna. But on the day of their partnering ceremony the children of the village are stolen away—Fenn’s loyal companion, Kora, among them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Fenn wants to bring the children home, especially as the villagers seem to blame Peree and her for the tragedy. Only since the death of her own family, she’s terrified that a wrong move on her part will lead to the loss of others she loves.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Despite her apprehension, Fenn and Peree join a small search party led by rival Kaiya, the one person who stands a chance of finding the children thanks to her mysterious past. As they travel away from the safe waters of Koolkuna and into the Scourge-infested wilds, Fenn endures Kai’s scorn, her subtle designs on Peree, and the squabbling of the group. But nothing in her life so far has prepared her for the fierce warrior women who will steal others’ children to preserve their own existence—the Fire Sisters.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">If Fenn is to survive the threat of the Scourge, rescue the children from the Sisters, and have a hope of making a life with Peree in Koolkuna, she must face her fear of failure and loss and become the leader she’s destined to be.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Read THE FIRE SISTERS, the thrilling conclusion to the bestselling young adult fantasy Brilliant Darkness series! There are three novels and two short stories in the series. The first novel, The Scourge, was a finalist for the 2013 Next Generation Indie Book Award.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>RECOMMENDED SERIES READING ORDER:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Scourge</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Keeper (novella)</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Defiance</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Gatherer (novella)</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23126188-the-fire-sisters?ac=1" target="_blank">GOODREADS</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fire-Sisters-Brilliant-Darkness-Book-ebook/dp/B014VF94F6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1442921574&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Fire+Sisters" target="_blank">AMAZON</a></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><b>1. Why don’t we start off with you telling us a little about yourself.</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">Thanks for having me! I SO appreciate bloggers for the good work you do to help authors get the word out about their books, and you’ve been especially kind to me. Thank you!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">So, I’m a YA author with a now complete (hooray!) series of dystopian/post-apocalyptic books. The Brilliant Darkness series begins with The Scourge, a 2015 Next Generation Indie Book Award Finalist, and includes The Defiance and the just-released The Fire Sisters. There are also two novellas in the series. The series features a blind girl who believes she’s mysteriously protected from flesh-eating creatures called the Scourge, but she hasn’t been tested—until now.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">I’m also a psychologist, which makes my workweek an interesting mix of fantasy and heart-wrenching reality.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222;"><b>2. I know it is good to hear an encouraging word now and then to know how much the readers love your books and to keep you going. So what is your favorite comment from a fan that really lifted your spirits?</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">I LOVE my readers, and I have such nice ones. They are incredibly supportive. One comment that has always stuck in my brain came very early after I first published The Scourge in January 2012. I was not planning to self-publish, but at the time I couldn’t interest an agent in my writing. I thought no one would buy or read my book.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">A woman, an early reader, said she was so engrossed in The Scourge that she read while trying to do her housework, and while changing her baby’s diaper. I was thrilled that the initial response was that the book was hard to put down. I see that as a primary goal for an author: to make you lose sleep, because you can’t stop reading : ) Consider that fair warning! You can see her actual comment here, third one down on the left:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">http://www.amazon.com/The-Scourge-ebook/dp/B0073O59OI</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222;"><b>3. I don’t want to give away any details in Fire Sisters to spoil the series for everyone else, so I will just focus on the series as a whole. I just love your Brilliant Darkness series! How did you come up with such a great idea for a story?</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">Thank you so much! I initially came up with the idea of people trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world full of swamps. I figured they’d move up into the trees. But, what if half the people moved up and wouldn’t share with the other half? That’s how the two main groups in The Scourge, the Lofties and Groundlings, were born. (The swamp idea kind of fell away, although water is very important to the story.)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">Then, I thought, what if the main character, a Groundling, was blind? And THEN, I thought, and what if there were zombie-like creatures that only she was protected from, due to her blindness??? And that was it. Fennel and the Scourge were born.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222;"><b>4. I find the concept of the Lofties (tree dwellers) and Groudlings (Ground dwellers) so fascinating. Then there is the dreaded Scourge. Can you tell us a little about each of them?</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">Lofties are all fair-haired and fair-skinned. Groundlings are dark. Once a year, the two groups meet for the Exchange, when they trade their infants based on their coloring. It’s a terrible time for both groups, but they’ve been locked in this tradition for generations. The Lofties hold the safety and security of the trees and treetops, while the Groundlings control the community’s only water supply. So they have a tense, mistrustful relationship, as you might imagine. The Groundlings are particularly bitter, because they have to hide in cold, dark caves for days when the Scourge come, because the Lofties won’t share their trees.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">The Scourge are vicious flesh-eating creatures that chase down and devour, or turn, any humans they come across—except the Sightless, like Fennel. I should say here that if you don’t like blood and gore, don’t be afraid of The Scourge. Most people who say they aren’t zombie fans, and are easily grossed out or afraid, don’t find my series to be objectionable at all. It’s really fantasy romance : )</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222;"><b>5. Your characters have a ways of getting themselves into so many bad situations and some causes problems for those around them. Which character(s) gave you the most problems when trying to write their story?</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">Hmm, I’m not sure any of them gave me problems. I LOVE creating characters. They usually just jump into my head fully formed!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222;"><b>6. I love so many of the characters in The Brilliant Darkness series so I can’t pick just one. Who was your favorite character to write?</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">I’m attached to my two mains, Fennel and Peree. It was so fun to build their relationship from scratch. But the most fun to write was Moray. He’s a bad guy, really, but he has heroic, good guy moments. I really tried hard to write him so that you couldn’t classify him, so he wouldn’t be black and white. I hope I succeeded right through The Fire Sisters.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222;"><b>7. I know right now the series consist of 3 full length novels and 2 novellas. So is this it or do you feel there will be a spin-off or prequel in the future?</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">Hmm, this is it for NOW. Funny you should mention a spin-off, though. I did try to leave the ending somewhat open for a few characters, and there are many more questions about the world of the Scourge…</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222;"><b>8. What are you working on now? Has a new story started to bring itself to life?</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">Thanks for asking! I’m writing a YA time travel short story right now for an indie anthology that will release in March. I met a group of women writers here in Denver who all write YA and are mostly indies. We have done a few writing retreats together, and at the last one someone said, “Why don’t we publish a short story anthology?” So, Tick Tock: Seven Tales of Time came to be! It’s so much fun to write a new character in a new world. I could totally see this leading to its own series down the road…</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">I’m also revising a novel I wrote last year that is YA speculative fiction. It will be a duology, if all goes as planned.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222;"><b>9. There is one question we like to ask all of our authors. Is there any advice you would like to give to the aspiring authors out there?</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">Read a lot. Write a lot. Honestly, that’s what being an author boils down to. I read, write, and create all day, and it’s a privilege to get paid to do it!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222;"><b>10. We would like to thank you for joining us today A.G. Henley you are amazing! Now I would like to give you the last word. Is there anything else you would like to tell us about your books or yourself that I did not ask about? Or is there something you would like to say to all the readers out there?</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">Thank you so much for reading and supporting the work of authors and bloggers! I can create books and worlds, but that’s only half the equation of reading. Readers provide their own lens and interpretation to what I write, and they bring richness to the experience of writing that would otherwise be very solitary. We’re a team – and I appreciate my other half!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">Thank you again for having me on the blog! It was a lot of fun.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">Interview questions created by Candy Cassin with Otherworldy Book Adventure. Used with permission.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">http://otherworldlybookadventure.blogspot.com/</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A.G. Henley is the author of the BRILLIANT DARKNESS series. The first novel in the series, THE SCOURGE, was a finalist for the 2013 Next Generation Indie Book Award.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A.G. is also a clinical psychologist, which means people either tell her their life stories on airplanes, or avoid her at parties when they've had too much to drink. Neither of which she minds. When she's not writing fiction or shrinking heads, she can be found herding her children and their scruffy dog, Guapo, to various activities while trying to remember whatever she's inevitably forgotten to tell her husband. She lives in Denver, Colorado.</span></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.aghenley.com/" target="_blank">WEBSITE</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/AG_Henley" target="_blank">TWITTER</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAGHenley" target="_blank">FACEBOOK</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5622429.A_G_Henley" target="_blank">GOODREADS</a><br />
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Michelle @ Mom With A Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11209779238984404321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-547074695374551404.post-33573922326777408602015-09-23T06:00:00.000-05:002015-09-23T06:00:00.877-05:00BLOG TOUR [Top 10 List] The Ark by Laura Liddell Nolen <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>The Ark </b><br />
<b>by Laura Liddell Nolen </b><br />
Published by: HarperVoyager<br />
Publication date: March 26th 2015<br />
Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult<br />
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Synopsis:<br />
There’s a meteor headed for Earth, and there is only one way to survive.<br />
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With her criminal record, sixteen-year-old Char is never going to get a place on an Ark, one of the five massive bioships designed to protect Earth’s survivors. The Arks are reserved for the real goody-goodies, like Char’s mom, dad, and brother, all of whom have long since turned their backs on her.<br />
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With Earth on the brink of destruction, Char must use all her tricks of the trade to swindle her way into outer space, where she hopes to reunite with her family, regardless of whether they want to see her or not.<br />
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Once she arrives on the North American Ark, Char discovers that the remnants of humanity haven’t achieved the egalitarian utopia they’d planned for. For starters, the “Officers of the Peace” are anything but peaceful, especially since stealing a spot on an Ark is a crime punishable by death…<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25066493-the-ark" target="_blank">GOODREADS</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00O0FY6B0/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641" target="_blank">AMAZON</a> | <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-ark-laura-liddell-nolen/1120419087?ean=9780008113629" target="_blank">B&N</a></div>
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Top 10 Favorite Book Quotes</div>
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1. "It must be Thursday. I never could get the hang of Thursdays." </div>
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Arthur Dent. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. This one’s on the list because I know exactly how he feels. Also, this book is fantastic. Sci fi comedy for the win.</div>
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2. "My days of not taking you seriously are certainly coming to a middle."</div>
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Malcolm Reynolds. Figured I’d put it out there right at the beginning: I’m cheating. This is a television show, not a book, and it was written by Joss Whedon. Firefly. Go forth and view happily.</div>
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3. "You want to know how I did it? This is how I did it, Anton: I never saved anything for the swim back." </div>
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Vincent Freeman (Gattaca) There I go again, cheating. Although this one’s a movie. It’s as good as science fiction ever got.</div>
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4. “All girls your age are witches.”</div>
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Finn in Thorn Jack by Katherine Harbour. This scene in particular shows the power of being young and innocent.</div>
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5. "We need not to be let alone. We need to be really bothered once in a while. How long is it since you were really bothered? About something important, about something real?" (Fahrenheit 451)</div>
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6. <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,</div>
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in secret, between the shadow and the soul.”</div>
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Sonnet XVII, by Pablo Neruda. This one might not be a real book either, since it’s a poem. But it’s one of the best quotes I’ve ever read about a love that perseveres in spite of brokenness.</div>
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7. "Science is magic that works." </div>
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Kurt Vonnegut, Cat's Cradle. This comes up more often than you might think, when you’re writing sci-fi.</div>
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8. Wash: "Psychic, though? That sounds like something out of science fiction."</div>
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Zoe: "We live in a spaceship, dear."</div>
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Firefly again! I love the self-awareness of this quote, as well as how it subtly develops the relationship between Zoe and her husband Wash. She might be my favorite female sci-fi character ever.</div>
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9. It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.</div>
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George Orwell, 1984. This is the greatest opening line of all time, and one of the best sci-fi quotes ever. The reader doesn’t know how wrong everything is yet, but something’s definitely off.</div>
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10. <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“You mean old books?"</div>
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"Stories written before space travel but about space travel."</div>
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"How could there have been stories about space travel before --"</div>
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"The writers," Pris said, "made it up.” </div>
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Phillip K. Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Besides coming from one of the finest and most celebrated pieces of sci-fi ever written, this quote is meaningful to me because I write and read sci-fi, and my book is about space travel.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GbdDgx0fjME/VgIBi2JsYiI/AAAAAAAAM04/HzWnW6z9PnI/s1600/TheArk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GbdDgx0fjME/VgIBi2JsYiI/AAAAAAAAM04/HzWnW6z9PnI/s1600/TheArk.jpg" /></a>AUTHOR BIO:</div>
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Laura grew up in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where she spent an excellent childhood playing make-believe with her two younger brothers. The Ark is the direct result of those stories and a lifelong devotion to space-themed television. It received a Work in Progress Grant from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Laura has a degree in French and a license to practice law, but both are frozen in carbonite at present. She lives in Texas with her family.</div>
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Author links:</div>
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<a href="http://www.lauraliddellnolen.com/" target="_blank">WEBSITE</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/lauraliddellnolen" target="_blank">FACEBOOK</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/LauraLLNolen" target="_blank">TWITTER</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13378500.Laura_Liddell_Nolen" target="_blank">GOODREADS</a></div>
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Michelle @ Mom With A Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11209779238984404321noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-547074695374551404.post-49563081762592602352015-09-23T05:30:00.000-05:002015-09-23T05:30:01.916-05:00COVER REVEAL! True Born by L.E. Sterling<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7121486.L_E_Sterling">L.E. Sterling</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Release Date: 05/03/16<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Entangled Teen<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">304 pages<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Summary from Goodreads:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i>Welcome to Dominion City.</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26114621-true-born" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--JkXDH_ranM/UjOiwxs5rVI/AAAAAAAAQ7I/98TLR-JzTcU/s1600/add+to+goodreads+black.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iJ90rbNBRyE/VgHqxnetQWI/AAAAAAAAi44/lDRqyPn4RXw/s1600/le%2Bsterling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iJ90rbNBRyE/VgHqxnetQWI/AAAAAAAAi44/lDRqyPn4RXw/s320/le%2Bsterling.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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<b>About the Author<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">L.E. Sterling had an early obsession with sci-fi, fantasy and romance to which she remained faithful even through an M.A. in Creative Writing and a PhD in English Literature - where she completed a thesis on magical representation. She is the author of two previous novels, the cult hit Y/A novel <i>The Originals </i>(under pen name L.E. Vollick), dubbed “the Catcher in the Rye of a new generation” by one reviewer, and the urban fantasy <i>Pluto’s Gate</i>. Originally hailing from Parry Sound, Ontario, L.E. spent most of her summers roaming across Canada in a van with her father, a hippie musician, her brothers and an occasional stray mutt - inspiring her writing career. She currently lives in Toronto, Ontario.</span></div>
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span><span style="text-align: center;"><b>Author Links:</b></span><br />
<a href="http://www.le-sterling.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo iconwebsite-32x32_zps1f477f69.png" border="0" src="http://i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/social%20icons/iconwebsite-32x32_zps1f477f69.png" /></a><span style="text-align: center;"> </span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/LESterling" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo icongoodreads32_zps60f83491.png" border="0" src="http://i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/social%20icons/icongoodreads32_zps60f83491.png" /></a></div>
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Michelle @ Mom With A Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11209779238984404321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-547074695374551404.post-73556566204151408292015-09-18T06:00:00.000-05:002015-09-18T06:00:02.343-05:00BOOK BLITZ [Excerpt + Giveaway] Fractured Suns by Theresa Kay (Broken Skies #2)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> </b><br />Publication date: <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1353709461" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">September 18th 2015</span></span><br />Genres: Post-Apocalyptic, <wbr></wbr>Young Adult</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><b>Synopsis:</b></span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: inherit;">We came in peace. <em>Lie.</em><br />We had no role in the Collapse. <em>Lie.</em><br />I have always been honest. <em>Lie.</em><br />I never lied to her. <em>Truth.</em></span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Reunited with her brother, and surrounded by Flint, Peter and her new-found grandfather, Jax Mitchell has still never felt more alone. The choice to follow Rym back to the city to find answers and see Lir is an easy one, but their reunion is cut short and Jax is forced to leave Lir behind. She finds herself traveling with some unexpected companions and heading back toward a place she’d hoped to never see again.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">After being imprisoned—and tortured—on the orders of his uncle, Lir hasn’t seen daylight or linked to anyone in weeks. After a lifetime of connection, the pain and loneliness is almost too much to bear. Elated that Jax actually came, Lir finds renewed hope and strength to continue fighting his uncle’s influence over the E’rikon, even when things look hopeless and Lir’s been branded a traitor by the very people he’s trying to save.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">While Jax and Lir fight separate battles, their missions have more in common than they realize. It’s a race against time to stop men driven only by greed and power. But the people they trust the most might be the very people working against them—and “family” doesn’t mean what it used to. Will they recognize their friends from their enemies in time to save the people they love or will they lose each other in the process?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20535475-fractured-suns?ac=1" target="_blank">GOODREADS</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01417BIWG/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641" target="_blank">AMAZON</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 130%;">I push the door open and slide through. The door closes behind
me, leaving me in the dark, and my hand instinctively searches the wall for a
light switch.</span><span style="line-height: 130%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 130%;">A familiar voice in the darkness. “Jax?”</span><span style="line-height: 130%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 130%;">I inhale sharply at the naked hope in that sound and the flare
of elation that crashes into me from somewhere across the room. Squinting my
eyes, I try to make him out. “Can I get some light here?” I say. “Not all of us
can see in the dark.”</span><span style="line-height: 130%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 130%;">There’s movement to my left, and then a soft blue light fills
the room. Not much, but enough for my eyes to finally find his.</span><span style="line-height: 130%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 130%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Hello.” Lir’s eyes travel over my face with a longing look. He
steps forward until he’s within two feet of me, the closest we’ve been to each
other in weeks. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 130%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If Rym looked tired, Lir looks exhausted. The charcoal-colored
uniform he wears highlights the dark bags under his eyes and contrasts deeply
with the paleness of his skin. The gold in his hair and eyes looks tarnished
and dull. He’s lost weight, too—his features are more gaunt than angular. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 130%;">“How have you been?” he says.</span><span style="line-height: 130%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 130%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">His almost nonchalant greeting is making it easy for me to hold
on to the fire of my anger, and I inject my words with heat. “How have I <i>been</i>?” My voice creeps up with each word.
“What the hell? You asked me to come here, to risk not only my life but
everyone else’s, to ask me how I’ve been? I’ve been just peachy. How about
you?” I close my eyes and take a deep breath, swallowing back the other words
that are fighting to pass my lips: <i>Why
did you leave me? I’ve missed you. I’m sorry. <o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 130%;">When I open my eyes again, he’s moved closer. I’m frozen in his
gaze, a burn forming behind my eyes from the tears I refuse to let him see.</span><span style="line-height: 130%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 130%;">He lifts one eyebrow in a graceful arch. “Based on the context
in which I have heard you use that word… I believe I’ve been peachy too.”</span><span style="line-height: 130%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 130%;">A sound that’s half laugh, half sob explodes from my mouth, and
I throw myself into his arms. It’s the only thing I’ve really wanted to do
since the moment I saw him, and though I know it’s stupid and impulsive, I
can’t hold myself back anymore. There’s still a whisper of suspicion in the
back of my mind, but I ignore it.</span><span style="line-height: 130%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 130%;">Lir jolts, a splash of cautious elation flowing from him, before
wrapping his arms around me and pulling me close to his chest. One of his hands
presses into the small of my back, a slight tremble in his fingers. He relaxes
into the hug. His arms and shoulders loosen and his breathing steadies.</span><span style="line-height: 130%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The only person she knows who had a subscription to Writer's Digest at eleven and was always excited to write research papers, Theresa has been putting words to paper since a young age. Living in the mountains of central Virginia with her husband and two kids, she works as a paralegal by day, binges on Netflix at night and finds bits of time in between reading almost everything she can get her hands on and laundry to craft stories that tend to feature broken characters in sci-fi or paranormal worlds, with a touch of romance thrown in for good measure.<br /><br />She's constantly lost in one fictional universe or another and is a self-proclaimed "fangirl" who loves being sucked in to new books or TV shows. Theresa originally wanted to write horror novels as an ode to her childhood passion for Stephen King novels, but between her internal Muse's ramblings and the constant praise for her sci-fi pieces from her writer's group - The Rebel Writers - she knew she should stick with what was working.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Author links:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.theresakay.com/" target="_blank">WEBSITE</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheresaKayAuthor" target="_blank">FACEBOOK</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/AuthorTheresaK" target="_blank">TWITTER</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7751265.Theresa_Kay" target="_blank">GOODREADS</a></span></div>
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Michelle @ Mom With A Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11209779238984404321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-547074695374551404.post-15892524574903866252015-09-16T06:00:00.000-05:002015-09-16T06:00:01.457-05:00BLOG TOUR [Interview + Giveaway] Steam by Stacey Rourke (The Legends Saga, #3)<div style="background-color: white;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Steam by Stacey Rourke<br />(The Legends Saga, #3)<br />Publication date: September 14th 2015<br />Genres: New Adult, Paranormal</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Time passes, sins forgotten.<br />The bodies of the victims long since rotten.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Trapped within the essence of the Headless Horseman by the guilt of slaughtering her best friend, Ireland Crane follows the father of science fiction, HG Wells, in search of freedom from the curse that binds her. Instead, she discovers even he has a hidden agenda. A dark, relentless passion to be reunited with the woman he loves has driven him to manipulate time and a murderous Horseman.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Yet heed my warning, as the Raven flies,<br />The Hessian will come … and you will die.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">All that prevents Ireland from abandoning Wells’ twisted pursuit, or introducing him to her sword, are the undead witches haunting her. Begging for freedom from a vile succubus, the ghoulish coven leads Ireland and her crew on a journey through Salem’s sordid past. There, they learn there is more to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s history than a scarlet letter, and the secret they’ve uncovered seeks to destroy them all.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25788343-steam" target="_blank">GOODREADS</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Stacey+Rourke&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3AStacey+Rourke" target="_blank">AMAZON</a> | <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Stacey+Rourke?fs=0&_requestid=375564" target="_blank">B&N</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-align: start;"><a href="http://tinyurl.com/nv2znzu" target="_blank">Amazon US</a> </span><br style="text-align: start;" /><span style="text-align: start;"><a href="http://tinyurl.com/qxml2dt" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a> </span><br style="text-align: start;" /><span style="text-align: start;"><a href="http://tinyurl.com/p4mv9j3" target="_blank">Smashwords</a> </span></span></div>
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<b>Do you like the spotlight or lurking in the shadows? </b></div>
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Yes. Both. I have moments where I like to shine, then I am more than happy to slink back into the shadows.</div>
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<b>How many books are in your TRB pile? </b></div>
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So many. For real. It’s insane. It grows like the mountain of laundry I can never seem to get caught up on.</div>
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<b>What is next on your to read list? </b></div>
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I am eagerly awaiting the releases of Winter by Marissa Meyer and Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard. In the meantime I just started a novella by Aveyard, Queen Song.</div>
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<b>What one item would you eat for the rest of your life?</b></div>
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Sushi!!!!!!</div>
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<b>What is the last thing you bought? </b></div>
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My gown for the Once Upon a Book Author Signing and Happily Ever After Ball that I am hosting in Frankenmuth Michigan August 12-13 2016! I cannot wait!</div>
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<b>Pet Peeves? </b></div>
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When people that don’t know me shorten my name to “Stace” I don’t know why, but it drives me insane. Also, when people stand at intersections collecting money for charity. What if I already donated and I’m just driving back by? Where do I look? Do I make eye contact and wave? NO! Because then they come over to the car. It’s too stressful. Just talking about it, I need to lay down.</div>
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<b>Pizza or Pasta? </b></div>
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Pasta</div>
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<b>What is something people would be surprised to know about you? </b></div>
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I can touch my tongue to my nose. Like a giraffe. It’s gross.</div>
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<b>If you had 24 hours alone how would you spend it? </b></div>
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Reading, writing, and working out. Not necessarily in that order.</div>
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<b>If you could meet one person who has died who would you choose? </b></div>
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Edgar Allen Poe, I want to know if he’s as twisted in person as his writing.</div>
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<b>What do you do in your free time? </b></div>
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Free time? What’s that? But what I do have I spend with my kiddos!</div>
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<b>Can you share a little about the current title you are working on?</b></div>
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It’s super top secret, but it will involve another well-known villain!</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">RONE Award Winner for Best YA Paranormal Work of 2012 for Embrace, a Gryphon Series Novel</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Young Adult and Teen Reader voted Author of the Year 2012</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Turning Pages Magazine Winner for Best YA book of 2013 & Best Teen Book of 2013 </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Stacey Rourke is the author of the award winning YA Gryphon Series, the chillingly suspenseful Legends Saga, and the romantic comedy Adapted for Film. She lives in Michigan with her husband, two beautiful daughters, and two giant dogs. She loves to travel, has an unhealthy shoe addiction, and considers herself blessed to make a career out of talking to the imaginary people that live in her head. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Visit her at </span><a href="http://rourkewrites.weebly.com/" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">rourkewrites.weebly.com</a></div>
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<a href="http://diaryofasemi-crazyauthor.blogspot.com/" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">diaryofasemi-crazyauthor.<wbr></wbr>blogspot.com</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Facebook at </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/staceyrourkeauthor" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/<wbr></wbr>staceyrourkeauthor</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Other Books by Stacey Rourke:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Gryphon Series:</span></div>
</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Conduit</span></div>
</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Embrace</span></div>
</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sacrifice</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Ascension</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Legends Saga:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Crane</span></div>
</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Raven</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Steam</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Stand Alone:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Adapted for Film</span></div>
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Michelle @ Mom With A Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11209779238984404321noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-547074695374551404.post-81287698041122277312015-09-08T06:00:00.000-05:002015-09-08T06:00:02.515-05:00BLOG TOUR [Excerpt + Giveaway] Rival Dreams by Natalie Decker (Rival Love #3)<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C6MjEx4C2rI/Ve42amoQnkI/AAAAAAAAMzA/OMhsc3_nkZk/s1600/Rival%2BDreams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C6MjEx4C2rI/Ve42amoQnkI/AAAAAAAAMzA/OMhsc3_nkZk/s400/Rival%2BDreams.jpg" width="266" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span class="il">Rival</span> <span class="il">Dreams</span> by Natalie Decker<br />(<span class="il">Rival</span> Love #3) </b><br />Published by: Swoon Romance<br />Publication date: September 1st 2015<br />Genres: Romance, Young Adult</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><b>Synopsis:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Skylar Fletcher and Caleb Morgan have been together for almost two years. On the surface, everything is great. Skylar is kicking major butt in swimming and has been offered the captain spot. Caleb is the top quarterback in the league. And even though their schedules can be a little hectic at times, they’ve always seem to make time for one another.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But once Caleb is approached by the NFL, his behavior turns odd. He flakes out on appointments to check out apartments and doesn’t call her on the nights when they’re apart.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Pro football has been Caleb’s <span class="il">dream</span> since forever. But what kind of idiot asks a girl to drop everything so he can follow his <span class="il">dream</span>?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="il">RIVAL</span> <span class="il">DREAMS</span> is the dramatic and heartwarming conclusion to Natalie Decker’s <span class="il">RIVAL</span> LOVE series.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24241151-rival-dreams?ac=1" target="_blank">GOODREADS</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rival-Dreams-Love-Book-ebook/dp/B012XYVID8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1440425393&sr=8-1&keywords=Natalie+Decker++Rival+Dreams" target="_blank">AMAZON</a> | <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/-Natalie-Decker-Rival-Dreams?store=allproducts&keyword=+Natalie+Decker++Rival+Dreams" target="_blank">B&N</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">Skylar<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">The Daily</span></i><span style="font-family: "TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;"> is spread out before me on the table. Caleb is across from
me working on his philosophy paper. I look up from the newspaper and say, “I
found one.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">Caleb rubs his temples and says in a tired tone, “Yeah?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">“I think so. We’ll have to check it out, of course. But
listen to this: two-bedroom apartment with walk-in closets, one bathroom,
kitchen, spacious living room, washer and dryer included. No more rolls of
quarters. Yay!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">His gaze meets mine. “Sounds good. How much is it?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">“It’s only five hundred a month. We can afford that.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">He nods. “Whatever you want, babe.” He looks back down at
his laptop.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">“Caleb, we don’t have to move in together if you don’t want
to.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">“Skylar.” He focuses on me again. “I want to move in with
you. I’m just frustrated with this stupid paper that’s due in a couple days. My
prof has been on my ass, and honestly, I think this is by far the stupidest
class I’ve ever taken.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">“I told you you’d hate it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">“I know you did.” He smiles. “I thought it was going to be a
cake class.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">I laugh. “Serves you right, then, taking stuff because you
think it’ll be easy.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">He groans. “Hush it over there.” He leans across the table,
and I meet him halfway with my lips. He pulls back a little. “Much better.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">I smile at him. The alarm on my phone goes off. “Crap. I
have to go. I love you, and I’ll see you later.” I push back my chair, fold up
the paper, grab my backpack, and then kiss Caleb one more time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">***<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">In the weight room, I count out a rep on the sled. Zachery,
one of the butterfliers on the guys’ team, stands over me as I push the weights
up with my legs again. “Looking good from this angle, Sky.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">“Keep dreaming, Zach,” I grind out as I lower the weights to
my chest and push them up again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">“I’m telling you, you have no idea what you’re missing out
on.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">“Oh, believe me, I’ve heard, and it’s not worth it.” I use
my thumb and index finger to measure out an inch, and he just laughs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">His dark eyes do a once-over on me. His blond hair reminds
me of a Brillo Pad, all stiff, tight curls, and closely shaved to his head.
Definitely nothing like Caleb’s hair, which is soft, long, and always looks
like he has bedhead.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">“Anyway, I came over here to tell you Coach needs you to
stop by the office.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">I lock the sled into place and stand. “You know, you could
have just said that first.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">He smiles. “And miss all of our flirty conversation? Where’s
the fun in that?” He winks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">I roll my eyes and push past him. I snatch the cleaning
spray and paper towels and head back to the machine to wipe it down. Once
that’s done, I head to the locker room, change, and then leave for the pool
area.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">Entering my coach’s office, I look around and don’t see him
in the room. Great. I came here for nothing. I’m going to smack the hell out of
Zach the next time I see him. I turn to leave and slam straight into a chest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">I look up at Coach Marshal and take four steps back.
“Sorry,” I mumble.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">“It’s okay. Have a seat, Skylar.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-46aed7Yy7Vg/Ve42SvkLv1I/AAAAAAAAMy0/X1m9fmY3YA0/s1600/Rival%2BDreams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-46aed7Yy7Vg/Ve42SvkLv1I/AAAAAAAAMy0/X1m9fmY3YA0/s1600/Rival%2BDreams.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">AUTHOR BIO:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Natalie Decker is the author of <span class="il">RIVAL</span> LOVE series. She loves oceans, sunsets, sand between her toes, and carefree days. Her imagination is always going, which some find odd. But she believes in seeing the world in a different light at all times. Her first passion for writing started at age twelve when she had to write a poem for English class. However, seventh grade wasn’t her favorite time and books were her source of comfort. She took all college prep classes in High school, and attended the University of Akron. Although she studied Mathematics she never lost her passion for writing or her comfort in books. She’s a mean cook in the kitchen, loves her family and friends and her awesome dog infinity times infinity. If she’s not writing, reading, traveling, hanging out with her family and friends, then she’s off having an adventure. Because Natalie believes in a saying: Your life is your own journey, so make it amazing!</span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: inherit;">Author Links:</span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://rivalloveseries.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank">WEBSITE</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7487891.Natalie_Decker" target="_blank">GOODREADS</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/natalie.decker.716" target="_blank">FACEBOOK</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/AuthorNatDecker" target="_blank">TWITTER</a></span></div>
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<script src="//widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>Michelle @ Mom With A Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11209779238984404321noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-547074695374551404.post-33714284831882510702015-09-04T06:00:00.000-05:002015-09-04T06:00:01.590-05:00BOOK BLITZ [Excerpt + Giveaway] Legends by Doug Solter (Skid #3)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span class="il">Legends</span> </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>by Doug Solter<br />(Skid #3) </b><br />Publication date: September 2nd 2015<br />Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><b>Synopsis:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Looking for an exciting young adult read about a kick-butt girl that doesn’t revolve around high school?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Meet Samantha. She drove the car that killed her dad. Now racked with guilt, the 18-year-old-girl racer dedicates her life to becoming what her dad always planned her to be…a racing champion. Now demoted to number three driver, Samantha feels alienated from her friends on the crew and Manny. And the worst part of it is…she knows it was all her fault.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Determined to make amends and save her Formula One career, Samantha re-commits herself to winning the championship. But how? How can she convince her boss to give back her car? How can she convince the crew that she’s changed? And how can she win eight consecutive races against the best drivers in the world? That’s what it will take for her to have a shot at the world championship.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Manny doesn’t like to create waves. His uncle owns the racing team, but the crew teases the boy like one of their own. But that’s okay. Manny dreams of designing his own race cars and he thought his girlfriend Samantha would race them. But she tossed him to the side when the self-absorbed racing star took over from the small-town girl from Oklahoma that he fell in love with.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Samantha needs an edge. She needs that revolutionary new transmission Manny designed that made her car so nimble and fast. But Manny hates her. She neglected him so bad that he broke up with her. Why would the boy help her? Especially when Manny’s ex-girlfriend is making her move to take Samantha’s place.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The world now thinks Samantha Sutton is a joke. Solid proof that girls don’t belong in a race car.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">She doesn’t have a choice. Samantha must prove the world wrong.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26014097-legends?ac=1" target="_blank">GOODREADS</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Legends-Skid-Young-Adult-Racing-ebook/dp/B01359CXPM/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1441032663&sr=1-1&keywords=legends+doug" target="_blank">AMAZON</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><b style="font-family: inherit;">(</b><b style="font-family: inherit;">Skid (book 1) is free and Rivals (book 2) is only 0.99 this month so readers can get caught up with the series!)</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Munich_Airport"><b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Samantha</span></b></a><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Munich, Germany</span></span></i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">The
human shell that bears my name wears jeans, a little makeup, and a St. Louis
Cardinals baseball cap. She feels hollow. Like her guts have been scooped out.
The guts that made her take risks. The jittery stomach that made her puke
before a race. The pulsing heart that made her fall in love. The delicate
tissues that made her human. Made her real.</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">It’s
all been sucked out of her.</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Shutting
my eyes, I listen to the sounds around me in the first-class departure lounge.
A man speaks to his wife in German. He’s flying to Toronto on business and must
be on the phone since he’s telling her when his plane is scheduled to leave. A
woman in a strong Jersey accent scolds her child for making a fuss over her
drink. Yeah, she’ll be sitting right next to us on our flight, I bet.</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">I
tune out the voices and stretch on this comfy leather couch I found.</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">The
silk scarf covering my face lifts as my sister leans in to destroy my moment of
nirvana. </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">“Are
you gonna be moody on the plane too?” Paige asks.</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">“Yes.”
I grab the scarf and place it back over my face.</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Paige
lifts the scarf again. “Do you want a cookie? The walnut chocolate-chips are
wicked.”</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">“No.”
I take it from her again. I don’t wanna talk. Eat. Or experience life. I want
life to leave me alone for a while. Or better yet, forget that Samantha Sutton
ever existed. </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Doesn’t
Paige get the message? Do I have to spell everything— </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Paige
lifts the scarf. “Please stop feeling sorry for yourself. You’ll get through
this. Everything will be mucho better. You’ll see.”</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">A
spark of rage throws me off the couch and into my sister’s face. “Shut up. You
don’t know anything. My future is gone. I screwed up my entire life and I don’t
need my baby sister acting like she knows what’s best for me because you don’t
know crap. You’re useless to me right now. Do you understand? Useless. Go
bother someone else with your condescending wisdom.”</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Paige
wants to cry, but she somehow chokes off the tears. She stands and grabs her
purse before shuffling out of the lounge.</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Good.
Now I’ll have some freaking peace.</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">I lie
down on the leather couch. Voices murmur around me. Fingers point. That loud
argument with Paige draws the room’s attention to that eighteen-year-old girl
on the couch. That girl who looks oddly familiar because she took off her
stylish Italian scarf and her large designer sunglasses that disguised her identity.</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Crap.</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Please
leave me alone. I don’t want to be <i>her</i>.
I want to be a nameless traveler. A plain, uninteresting girl you would pass in
the hallway without a second peek. </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">I
throw on my sunglasses, hoping it will make me invisible again.</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Wrong.</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Their
hushed voices start it off.</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">“Is
that the girl who…?”</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">“Samantha
Sutton. Yes, that’s her!”</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">“How
could she do that to her team?”</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">“What
a spoiled brat. Did you hear what she did?”</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">“What
an embarrassment to the sport.”</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">“She’s
a teen girl. What do you expect?”</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">The first-class
lounge becomes my court room. All the passengers self-appointed judges. I can’t
look at them. But I can’t stare at the ceiling for another hour. Maybe if I sit
here and be quiet, they’ll leave me alone.</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">The
voices go on and on as if I can’t hear all the awful things they’re saying
about me. </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">People
take pictures. I ignore them and play a game on my phone.</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">They
stand up and approach me. </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">I
don’t look up or acknowledge them.</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Those
people snap pictures anyway. Like I’m this inanimate object. Not a person with
feelings. Or a girl who craves her privacy.</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">A few
ask questions. Normally I would answer and be that professional sports
celebrity I’ve been in the past. But I’m too fragile now. If I talk about
what’s happened this week, dig up all those horrible moments again, I’ll
totally lose it. So I walk out of the first-class lounge…</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">…and
into a sea of media. They circle me like a pack of wolves and I’m trapped. They
just won’t let the story die. Guess my location isn’t a secret now. Microphones
and cameras aim for my head. It’s the quickest way to take me out. Their
questions fly like spears…</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">“What’s
the real reason you skipped the German Grand Prix? Was it to get back at the
team for not supporting you?”</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">“Will
Porsche sack you for embarrassing them?”</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">“Did
Ralf Wolert’s nephew break up with you because he found out you were pregnant?”</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">“Was
the pressure too much for you? Are you seeking professional counseling?”</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">“Is
this the end of your career in Europe? Will you try to race in America?”</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">I
can’t answer them. The mountain of crap that I’ve created is suffocating and I
have no energy left to fight it.</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">My
cheeks become moist. </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Crap.
I can’t start bawling. Not here. Not in front of the cameras.</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">They want to break you. Reduce you to
nothing. Don’t let them do it.</span></i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">The
cameras move in to capture my face. The tears flow and I can’t stop. These
reporters will get what they want. A pathetic little girl crying over the boy
she loves.</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">I
wedge myself in between two reporters and push through them. I dash across the
terminal in this frantic state. Searching for an escape. Searching for anything
that will keep them away.</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">And
they’re chasing me. Seriously. Chasing me across the freaking airport.</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">I
spot a women’s restroom and dash inside.</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Finding
an empty stall, I slam the door shut and sit on the cold toilet seat. I relax
for a second and rest my head against the wall. Then it rolls out like a tidal
wave. I sob and the tears drip off my jaw. I drift forward. My wet cheek slides
against the wall. The friction it makes is the only thing preventing me from
collapsing on to the bathroom tiles.</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">There’s
a commotion as the restroom door opens. Things being moved around. It must be
the mob. They won’t give up. They’re stuffing themselves into this bathroom.
Excited that I’ve trapped myself inside this stall. They don’t care about
decency. Or empathizing with the pain of a human being. All they care about is
their story. Catching pictures of me in this helpless position would be the
perfect image for their news feeds. </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">The
stall door opens. </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">It’s
Paige.</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">She
kneels down and wraps her arms around this hollow and broken girl who’s totally
lost it. Paige rocks me back and forth like a child. But it does the job. It
helps me find my voice. </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">“I
didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know what to say,” I blubber through the
tears. “I’m losing my mind.” </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">“Don’t
worry,” Paige says in this upbeat tone that I hated a few minutes ago…but I so
need to hear now. “I blocked the door. No one’s coming in here.”</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">“But
they’re still out there. Waiting to pounce. I can’t—I can’t get on a plane
now.” I sniff and my nose is clogged from crying. “Look at me. I’m a disaster.
And everyone’s gonna stare at me on the plane for what…? Nine hours?”</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">“We’ll
charter a private jet home, okay? Megan will have a cow, but this is an
emergency and we’re spending the money.”</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">I
manage a nod.</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Paige
dives into her purse for a moist towelette and cleans my face. I sneeze and
snot comes out my nose. Paige gives me a tissue and I blow into it. Paige gets
rid of the tissues and my ball cap. She brushes my hair to make me look like a
girl again.</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">I
breathe in and relax.</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Paige
searches her purse and takes out a big cookie. “Here, I saved you one.”</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">I take
the cookie and examine its rocky surface of walnuts and serious chunks of
chocolate. My mouth waters. “Are they really wicked?”</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">“Dude!
You won’t regret it. Now do the Cookie Monster on that bad boy while I call
NetJets.”</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aKC5rh3n3Nk/VekHOT-xA5I/AAAAAAAAMyE/hWrxEiZti5A/s1600/Legends.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aKC5rh3n3Nk/VekHOT-xA5I/AAAAAAAAMyE/hWrxEiZti5A/s200/Legends.jpg" width="170" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">AUTHOR BIO:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Growing up in Oklahoma, Doug Solter began writing screenplays in 1998 and became a 2001 semi-finalist in the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences' Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting. He made the switch to writing young adult novels in 2008. His first novel, the Formula One racing romance SKID, was honored as a young adult semi-finalist in the 2013 Best Kindle Book Awards. His paranormal werewolf romance MY GIRLFRIEND BITES was honored in the same category in 2014. Doug is also a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. He respects cats, loves the mountains, and one time walked the streets of Barcelona with a smile on his face.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Author links:</span></span></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://dougthewriter.wix.com/main" target="_blank">WEBSITE</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Doug-Solter-Young-Adult-Author/208511029289982?ref=hl" target="_blank">FACEBOOK</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/DougSolter" target="_blank">TWITTER</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6127991.Doug_Solter" target="_blank">GOODREADS</a></span></div>
</span></div>
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<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="ebeffea510" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/ebeffea510/" id="rcwidget_9jvrcetw" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><script src="//widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>Michelle @ Mom With A Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11209779238984404321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-547074695374551404.post-50348719561581583832015-09-02T05:00:00.000-05:002015-09-02T05:00:01.986-05:00BLOG TOUR!! The Salvation of Gabriel Adam (Revelation Saga #2) by S.L. Duncan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AnaBrmLnhuI/VdJ6KeP57ZI/AAAAAAAAvQA/3mQXvW5eROA/s1600/salvation.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AnaBrmLnhuI/VdJ6KeP57ZI/AAAAAAAAvQA/3mQXvW5eROA/s400/salvation.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div>
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-khN_EYJEVdU/Va7CqhlbHYI/AAAAAAAAuSk/gWRRZB3zvBY/s1600/b2ap3_thumbnail_SalvationGA_red.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-khN_EYJEVdU/Va7CqhlbHYI/AAAAAAAAuSk/gWRRZB3zvBY/s400/b2ap3_thumbnail_SalvationGA_red.jpg" width="247" /></a><b>The Salvation of Gabriel Adam <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/122351-revelation-saga">(Revelation Saga #2)</a></b><br />
<b>by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4563332.S_L_Duncan">S.L. Duncan</a></b><br />
Publisher: Medallion Press<br />
Release Date: August 11th 2015</div>
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Synopsis:</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Embattled by an uncertain future, Gabriel Adam is now slowly succumbing to the powerful ring that he credits with stopping the demon sent to Earth to start the second war between the light and dark realms. As his health fails, his feelings grow for his archangel friend Micah. With the inevitability of his future ever nearer, he wonders if time is left to rekindle what they once shared.</div>
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But a darkness is growing in Istanbul. Lilith has used her alluring beauty to manipulate Simon Magus, the new Turkish president, into giving her great power. Wanting only to reunite with her one true love, she seeks to find seven ancient vials and pierce the veil that separates the dimensions, unleashing hell upon the Earth.</div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hZ-gu2fV7Vg/VdJ9ak7ufQI/AAAAAAAAvRc/qmhEPoSEFgA/s1600/4563332.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hZ-gu2fV7Vg/VdJ9ak7ufQI/AAAAAAAAvRc/qmhEPoSEFgA/s1600/4563332.jpg" /></a>I'm a writer and traveler seeking stories from inspired locations - a connection of prose to place. The first book of my YA book series, THE REVELATION SAGA, releases 2014 from Medallion Press. I am represented by John Rudolph of Dystel & Goderich Literary Management.</div>
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Michelle @ Mom With A Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11209779238984404321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-547074695374551404.post-17844456994761491432015-09-01T06:00:00.000-05:002015-09-01T06:00:04.284-05:00BLOG TOUR [Guest Post + Giveaway] The Deep Beneath (H.A.L.F) by Natalie Wright (H.A.L.F #1)<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The <span class="il">Deep</span> <span class="il">Beneath</span> (H.A.L.F) </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>by Natalie Wright<br />(H.A.L.F #1)</b><br />Publication date: January 7th 2015<br />Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><b>Synopsis:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">H.A.L.F. 9 has taken his first breath of desert air and his first steps in the human world. Created to be a weapon, he proved too powerful for his makers and has lived a sedated life hidden from humans. But H.A.L.F. 9 has escaped the underground lab he called home, and the sedation has worn off. He has never been more alive. More powerful. Or more deadly.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Erika Holt longs to ride her motorcycle east until pavement meets shore. She bides her time until graduation when she’ll say adios to the trailer she shares with her alcoholic mother and memories of her dead father. But a typical night in the desert with friends thrusts Erika into a situation more dangerous than she ever imagined.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Circumstances push the two together, and each must make a fateful choice. Will Erika help H.A.L.F. 9 despite her “don’t get involved” rule? And will H.A.L.F. 9 let Erika live even though he was trained to kill?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The two may need to forget their rules and training and if either is to survive the dangers of the <span class="il">deep</span> <span class="il">beneath</span> them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24396204-the-deep-beneath?ac=1" target="_blank">GOODREADS</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1505524725/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641" target="_blank">AMAZON</a> | <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/half-natalie-wright/1121019444?ean=9781505524727" target="_blank">B&N</a></span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Most Difficult Character I’ve Written<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The work of developing characters is often the most fun part of writing for me. I’m learning who the people are that I’ll “work with” over the next several months. While it’s a lot of work (I often have several notebooks of character history, genealogy charts, and pivotal backstory scenes that never make it to the final work), it’s necessary and enjoyable to see the characters unfold before my eyes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Generally, the protagonist and her motivation and goals come fairly quickly to me. Protagonist motivations and goals are often easily relatable – even noble.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But the antagonist <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>is usually much more difficult. When creating a bad guy (or girl) character, it is harder than it may seem to craft a believable “baddy” without resorting to stereotypes or having the character seem like a caricature – a “stock” villain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Additionally, antagonists are – by their nature – antagonistic to the goals of the protagonist. Goals that, as I’ve already mentioned, are usually relatable and even heroic. This push against the noble goal means that by definition the antagonist may be someone that isn’t very likable. The villain may even be downright frightening.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">People often ask me if my characters are based on myself or people I know. The truth is that all characters are a combination of personalities and traits of people that I’ve met/known/observed as well as my own personality. It’s me plus all I’ve known in my life – which is another way of saying all the characters are me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And it can be scary to delve into that part of yourself. To search within for the motivations/traits/goals/ambitions, etc. that are contrary to the noble and heroic person that we strive to be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">When I first conceived of Commander Lillian Sturgis, the antagonist in <i>H.A.L.F.: The Deep Beneath</i>, she was more of a “stock” villain – the ubiquitous evil scientist. But with the help of my editors, I saw that she had the capacity to be so much more. And that the story demanded that she be more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The problem was that I had not (at that time) worked on Sturgis’ backstory. I hadn’t taken the time to explore Commander Sturgis in the same way I had my main characters. When I went back and worked more on Commander Sturgis, I realized she had a pretty incredible story. She became more fleshed out. And when that happened, she became a larger part of not only <i>The Deep Beneath</i> but of the remaining books in the trilogy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">By knowing who she is – not just what she does to move the plot along – I was able to sprinkle in actions/thoughts here and there to show more of her personality. At times we see Sturgis as a brilliant woman struggling to make her mark in a man’s world. At other times, we see her as downright creepy. Looking through Sturgis’ lens on the world, she certainly sees herself as heroic even if the main character thinks she’s a crazy bitch!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The antagonist is often the most difficult character to get a grip on, but it’s truly rewarding when I’m able to craft a villain that people love to hate. I hope readers love to hate Commander Sturgis as much as I do!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Natalie is the author of H.A.L.F., a young adult science fiction series, and The Akasha Chronicles, a young adult fantasy trilogy. She lives in the high desert of Tucson, Arizona with her husband, tween daughter, and two young cats.<br /><br />Natalie spends her time writing, reading, gaming, geeking out over nerd culture and cool science, hanging out on social media, and meeting readers and fans at festivals and comic cons throughout the western United States. She likes to walk in the desert, snorkel in warm waters, travel, and share excellent food and conversation with awesome people. She was raised an Ohio farm girl, lives in the desert Southwest, and dreams of living in a big city high rise</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Author links: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.nataliewrightauthor.com/" target="_blank">WEBSITE</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/468945.Natalie_Wright" target="_blank">GOODREADS</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/NatalieWright.Author" target="_blank">FACEBOOK</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/NatalieWright_" target="_blank">TWITTER</a></span></div>
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<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="d0425123873" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d0425123873/" id="rcwidget_0neroqv4" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>Michelle @ Mom With A Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11209779238984404321noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-547074695374551404.post-30325708608280836432015-09-01T05:30:00.000-05:002015-09-01T05:30:00.051-05:00BLOG TOUR [Excerpt + Giveaway] Stepping Stones (The Stone Series, #1) by Kacey Vanderkarr <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Stepping
Stones (The Stone Series, #1)<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6951222.Kacey_Vanderkarr">Kacey
Vanderkarr</a> </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Release Date:
08/25/15<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Urban Fey
Press<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Summary from
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Onnaleigh
Moore is part of a plan—and it isn’t hers. When her brother dies in a car
accident, Onna is desperate to preserve the tatters of her family. Any hope of
finding normalcy vanishes when her mother runs off and her dad turns to booze
to numb his pain. Onna’s grief is crippling, but the boy who showed up just
when she needed him is helping her cope.<br />
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Everett’s presence is comforting, though he knows things—Onna’s name just
before they met, where she lives, and sometimes he comments on thoughts she
doesn’t say aloud. She pegs him for a stalker, or maybe psychic, but the truth
is deadlier than she imagines. As their feelings for one another deepen,
Everett confesses a horrifying secret: Onna’s brother is only the beginning of
the plan, and some fates are worse than death.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25359560-stepping-stones?ac=1"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25359560-stepping-stones?ac=1">Add to
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Later that day, Onna plucked her phone
off the bed and cradled it in her hands. She’d never considered how much of her
life revolved around the tiny piece of plastic and metal. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Her father left, off to the funeral
home to pick out a casket. She tried to go with him, but he refused to the
point of yelling, so she let it go. She couldn’t imagine walking between the
caskets, trailing her fingers over shiny silver and brushed brass, trying to
find a perfect fit for Caleb. Would he want mahogany and gold? Lacquered black
with silver accents? What about the interior, the satin where his skin would
rest forever? White? Ivory? Open or closed? Maybe he wanted to be cremated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Onna shuddered, relieved she hadn’t
gone. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Unlocking her phone, she pressed the
number three, waiting while speed dial connected. Her hand shook when she
lifted the phone. It went straight to voicemail. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">“It’s Caleb, you know what to do.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">She waited patiently for the beep.
“It’s me,” she started, words hardly a whisper. “I—” she broke off, trying to
arrange her thoughts into something that made sense. “I just…miss you.” She
hung up and dialed again. One day, she knew a stranger would answer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Biting her lip to ward off tears, she sat on
the bed and pulled her knees up to her chest, trying to think of what Caleb
would tell her to do. <i>Life is for the
living, Leelee,</i> he’d say, or, <i>I love
you little sister, but it’s time to let me go.</i> Or maybe, <i>just think of how small my carbon footprint
is, hardly a blip!</i> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">She smiled a little. That was exactly
how Caleb thought. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Onna pushed a few buttons on her phone,
stalling, knowing she would regret whatever came next. Then she dialed her
mother’s number. It didn’t ring. Dead, crackling air, filled her ear and then a
stranger’s voice, the one she feared from Caleb’s number, told her the number
she was trying to reach was no longer in service. She disconnected, clutching
the phone until her knuckles turned white. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A hot ache swelled in her belly, arcing
upward to her throat. Onna pressed her mouth against the bony curve of her knee
to stifle the screams, so hard that she drew blood, but the sounds kept coming,
over and over, until her throat was raw. She was glad her father wasn’t home to
hear it, that Hunter hadn’t seen her break down. She was on her own in this,
determined not to let her dad see how devastated she felt. Someone had to take
care of him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Her hand vibrated, and she looked down,
surprised to see her cell still clutched there. Everett’s name flashed on the
screen, though Onna knew she hadn’t added his number. He must’ve done it
sometime the day before. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">E: <i>Do
you want me to come back?</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">She stared at the words, remembering
how he knew where she lived, and how he told her his mo<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>ther
was dead. She should say no. Everett was a stranger, but twice now, he’d seen
her cry. He bandaged her wounds and watched over her while she slept. His hands
helped pull Cora from the burning car. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">He’d helped her, but he’d also held her
down. Maybe she couldn’t save Caleb, but she could’ve died trying.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Still, Onna couldn’t deny the bit of
the warmth Everett created inside of her when everything else was frozen. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">She sniffed and wiped away a tear.
Maybe a stranger was exactly what she needed. She hit reply.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">O: <i>Yes.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Kacey Vanderkarr
is a young adult author. She dabbles in fantasy, romance, and sci-fi, complete
with faeries, alternate realities, and the occasional plasma gun. She’s known
to be annoyingly optimistic and listen to music at the highest decibel. When
she’s not writing, she coaches winterguard and works as a sonographer. Kacey
lives in Michigan, with her husband, son, and crazy cats. Along with her
novels, Reflection Pond and Antithesis, Kacey's short fiction can be found in
Sucker Literary Vol 3, and the upcoming Spark Vol 7, Ember: A Journal of
Luminous Things, and Out of the Green: Tales from Fairyland.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Author Links:<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://kaceyvanderkarr.com/">Website</a>│<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6951222.Kacey_Vanderkarr">Goodreads</a>│<a href="http://www.twitter.com/kacimari">Twitter</a>│<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kacey-Vanderkarr-Young-Adult-Author/128956043852072">Facebook</a><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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Michelle @ Mom With A Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11209779238984404321noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-547074695374551404.post-14490430917287518492015-09-01T05:00:00.000-05:002015-09-01T05:00:01.480-05:00BLOG TOUR [Teaser & Excerpt + Giveaway] Superstition by Lucy Fenton <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QdKsmPxWHFs/VeUETgkLJYI/AAAAAAAAMv8/G1cvqJNePws/s1600/Superstition.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QdKsmPxWHFs/VeUETgkLJYI/AAAAAAAAMv8/G1cvqJNePws/s640/Superstition.jpeg" width="425" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">Superstition<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14086871.Lucy_Fenton">Lucy Fenton</a> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Release Date: 08/03/15<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">What happens when your childhood nightmares of being bitten by strange
creatures in a dark wood aren’t just dreams?</span></i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Sixteen-year-old Arden St. John’s life takes a strange turn when she finds an
unusual animal injured near her new house on the south east coast of Australia.
When she takes it to the local vet, a terrible truth is inadvertently exposed
to her. </span></i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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She discovers a secret underworld, where witches are commonplace and trolls
masquerade as queen bees, terrorising the other students with impunity. A world
where vampires traffic in the lives of children, draining their bodies once
they reach maturity. Where adults auction their own children to extend their
lives.</span></i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Arden finds out she’s one of those kids, her life traded by the mother she
never knew. Now she’s caught up in this ancient and corrupt economy operating
just below the surface of modern society. She’s a hot commodity, and it’s only
a matter of time before the vampire who bought her comes to claim his
prize. </span></i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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But Arden’s not going down without a fight.</span></i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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to Goodreads</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mZi8uNZW62g/VeUEGbHstCI/AAAAAAAAMvw/mg0byJpPBLA/s1600/Superstitionteaser.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mZi8uNZW62g/VeUEGbHstCI/AAAAAAAAMvw/mg0byJpPBLA/s400/Superstitionteaser.jpeg" width="390" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The further into the bush she went, the
more anxious Arden felt. <i>If something
happened to me, how long would it be before Dad noticed? I could be dead for
days before someone found me, </i>Arden thought, unhappily. The compulsion to
turn around and seek out others grew stronger and her footsteps slowed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">And then through the trees, she saw
something. Curiosity overcoming her disquiet, at first she thought it was a
rocky outcrop and moved towards it, trying to see what was veiled by the leaves
of the trees. The flash of sunlight whitened out her vision as she stepped out
of the shade into the clearing. Blinded, she waited for her eyes to adjust.
Squinting, the blurred shapes gradually resolved into the ruins of a stone
building. The roof was gone and the walls stuck up like the blunt teeth of a
fallen giant. Arden walked around what had once been a large structure that had
been left to crumble back into the earth. It was built on a headland, the view
of the ocean clear on the far side. A lone gum tree clung to the edge of the
cliff, roots visible where the earth had crumbled away. Dead, its bare branches
stood out starkly white against the dark clouds forming over the ocean. There
was a storm coming in, but it was still a way out to sea. Catching sight of a
marking on the stone, she moved towards it to examine it more closely. It was
weathered almost flat, but tracing the rough gritty surface with her finger,
she made out the distinctive shape of a convict arrow. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Amazed, she walked in through a doorway,
trying to work out what type of building it had been. There had been a large
central room with many tiny rooms opening from it. They were small, storerooms
perhaps? Exploring deeper into the ruins, there was a room that had been more
protected at the rear and the purpose became apparent. The stubbed remains of
bars were still embedded in the stone in one section and in the corner of the
room were cross hatched markings on the walls, counting off the days. She was
standing in a convict gaol. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l_0otxQjpmY/VeUEQFb3hXI/AAAAAAAAMv4/3LGn9ipPuJI/s1600/Superstition.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l_0otxQjpmY/VeUEQFb3hXI/AAAAAAAAMv4/3LGn9ipPuJI/s1600/Superstition.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">About the Author</span></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">L. C. Fenton lives in Sydney, Australia with her husband and two
children. In addition to her cake- making business, she works as a freelance
copywriter and pens occasional articles for various online magazines.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Not being one of those people who had a burning desire to be anything in
particular, L. C. worked her way alphabetically backwards through the available
degrees at Sydney University. Surprisingly, given the amount of fun she had at
school, L.C. finally managed to graduate with a completely unemployable degree
in Philosophy. A Law degree soon followed, however, simply to make it possible
for some organization to hire her.</span></div>
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">After ten soul-destroying years wandering aimlessly in the corporate
wilderness, L. C. threw it all in and reassessed. Deciding to bring the
"one day I will write a book" idea to the present, she started and
hasn't stopped. As a huge fan of the romance genre, she writes the kinds of
books that she enjoys to read.</span></span></div>
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
</span>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">In her spare time, L. C. Fenton...actually she has no spare time. She sleeps or
reads copious amounts of romance novels instead of sleeping.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://lcfenton.com/">Website</a>│<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14086871.Lucy_Fenton">Goodreads</a>│<a href="https://twitter.com/lfen">Twitter</a>│<a href="https://www.facebook.com/lucyfentonauthor">Facebook</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Michelle @ Mom With A Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11209779238984404321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-547074695374551404.post-6376398034772514042015-09-01T04:30:00.000-05:002015-09-01T04:30:01.087-05:00RELEASE DAY BLITZ [Guest Post + Giveaway] The Body Institute by Carol Riggs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background: white;">The Body Institute</span></div>
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<span style="background: white;">by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8055261.Carol_Riggs">Carol Riggs</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white;">Release
Date: 09/01/15<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white;">Entangled
Teen<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white;">Summary
from Goodreads:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Meet Morgan Dey, one of the top teen Reducers at The Body Institute. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thanks to cutting-edge technology, Morgan can temporarily take over
another girl’s body, get her in shape, and then return to her own body—leaving her
client slimmer, more toned, and feeling great. Only there are a few catches…<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">For one, Morgan won’t remember what happens in her “Loaner” body. Once
she’s done, she won’t recall walks with her new friend Matt, conversations with
the super-cute Reducer she’s been text-flirting with, or the uneasy feeling she
has that the director of The Body Institute is hiding something. Still, it’s
all worth it in the name of science. Until the glitches start…<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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She’s feeling less like herself and more like someone else. And when protests
from an anti–Body Institute organization threaten her safety, she’ll have to
decide if being a Reducer is worth the cost of her body and soul…<o:p></o:p></span></i><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21466668-the-body-institute?ac=1" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--JkXDH_ranM/UjOiwxs5rVI/AAAAAAAAQ7I/98TLR-JzTcU/s1600/add+to+goodreads+black.jpg" /></a><br />
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Links:</b></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Body-Institute-Carol-Riggs/dp/1633751252/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427140852&sr=8-1&keywords=carol+riggs+the+body+institute" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Amazon</a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">│</span><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-body-institute-carol-riggs/1119221222?ean=9781633751255" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Barnes
& Noble</a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">│</span><a href="https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/the-body-institute" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Kobo Books</a><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Fun Facts About Writing THE BODY
INSTITUTE<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">1. BOYFRIEND NO MORE</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">. The main
character, Morgan Dey, used to have a boyfriend named Aaron in the beginning of
the novel—until 8 months before the book was published. He got slashed by
Carol’s Entangled Teen editor. In the original version, Morgan broke up with
him by walloping him in virtual paintball. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">2. BEST FRIEND TWEAK</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">. Morgan’s best
friend, Blair McClure, was called Bunny in the first drafts. Blair sounds more
serious and fits her better, now that she’s Morgan’s science-minded friend.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">3. TITLE CHANGE</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">. The previous
title of THE BODY INSTITUTE used to be SHAPERS. This was changed by Strange Chemistry
when the book was under contract with them, before they went out of business
and Entangled Teen picked up the book. ET liked the new title and kept it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">4. EVEN EARLIER TITLES</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">. Back in 1990
when the novel was just an idea, the working title was FARRADAY’S FAT FARM. In
2010 when Carol started the actual writing, this morphed into EMRT.
(Electromagnetic Resonance Transfer—the process of downloading one person’s
brainmap into another person’s body.) An
editor at an SCBWI conference wisely suggested that Carol change this to
SHAPERS. (Now the body-swapping process is more simply called ERT, which is
more reader-friendly.) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">5. INSTITUTE WORKERS</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">. When the book
was called SHAPERS, the weight loss was performed by workers called Shapers,
instead of being called Reducers as they are now. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">6. AVATARS NO MORE</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">. In early
versions, Morgan had a holographic princess warrior avatar that popped up on
her phone; she used this instead of the texts and voice-to-text that appear in
the final version of the book. Bunny communicated using a (duh) bunny avatar,
and Krista used a slinky clown. Morgan’s ex-boyfriend Aaron was a troll.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fD__1IocPzs/VPUBIahXU7I/AAAAAAAAbq4/Y-Gince9Udc/s1600/carol%2Briggs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fD__1IocPzs/VPUBIahXU7I/AAAAAAAAbq4/Y-Gince9Udc/s1600/carol%2Briggs.jpg" width="161" /></a></div>
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the Author</b></span></div>
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I'm
a YA writer represented by Kelly Sonnack of Andrea Brown Literary. My sci-fi
novel THE BODY INSTITUTE explores the themes of society, identity, and body
image. I live in the beautiful, green state of Oregon and have a Studio Arts
degree; I'm an SCBWI member. </div>
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You'll usually find me in my writing cave, surrounded by my dragon collection
and the characters in my head. I also enjoy reading--mostly young adult
novels--as well as drawing, painting, and quilting. I also attend writing
conferences, walk with my husband, and enjoy music and dance of all kinds. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b>Author Links:</b></div>
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<a href="http://www.carolriggs.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo iconwebsite-32x32_zps1f477f69.png" border="0" src="http://i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/social%20icons/iconwebsite-32x32_zps1f477f69.png" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8055261.Carol_Riggs" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo icongoodreads32_zps60f83491.png" border="0" src="http://i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/social%20icons/icongoodreads32_zps60f83491.png" /></a> <a href="http://www.twitter.com/Artzicarol" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo icontwitter-32x32_zpsae13e2b2.png" border="0" src="http://i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/social%20icons/icontwitter-32x32_zpsae13e2b2.png" /></a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CarolRiggsAuthor" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo iconfacebook-32x32_zps64a79d4a.png" border="0" src="http://i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u367/nereyda1003/new/social%20icons/iconfacebook-32x32_zps64a79d4a.png" /></a><br />
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<b>GIVEAWAY:</b><br />
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Michelle @ Mom With A Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11209779238984404321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-547074695374551404.post-12814148858889771462015-09-01T03:00:00.000-05:002015-09-01T03:00:02.207-05:00VIRTUAL TOUR [Excerpt & My Review + Giveaway] Dead Scary by Sally Gould<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O4_XO_tbb9E/VeUJzweJOfI/AAAAAAAAMwQ/nZm8p7y6ynM/s1600/DeadScary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O4_XO_tbb9E/VeUJzweJOfI/AAAAAAAAMwQ/nZm8p7y6ynM/s400/DeadScary.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-u6REsYajTDg/VeUJ7L7vi3I/AAAAAAAAMwg/bFDEv_sybjg/s1600/DeadScary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-u6REsYajTDg/VeUJ7L7vi3I/AAAAAAAAMwg/bFDEv_sybjg/s400/DeadScary.jpg" width="248" /></a><b>Dead Scary</b><br />
<b>by Sally Gould</b><br />
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BLURB:<br />
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Adam is an ordinary boy, except for one thing. He can see and talk with ghosts. When his family moves into what seems like the home of his dreams, Adam finds out it isn't his dream home after all. Edward Lawrence, a bossy ghost who was Adam's age when he died, regards the home as his own and he doesn't want to share it with an annoying boy who can see him. After Edward fails to convince Adam to get his family to move out, he seeks powerful help from the earthbound spirit world to get rid of them. However, Adam has an ally in the earthbound spirit world as well as knowing a handful of tricks to get rid of ghosts. Adam just has to get rid of Edward before the Council of Earthbound Spirits authorizes Warrior Spirits to get rid of Adam and his family. But will Adam succeed in time?<br />
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Links to purchase Dead Scary</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Scary-Ghost-refused-leave-ebook/dp/B00QY0ACFS/ref=la_B00KNMPM9Y_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1431046703&sr=1-1" target="_blank">AMAZON</a> | <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/dead-scary-ghost-who-refused/id977841991?mt=1%201" target="_blank">APPLE</a> | <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Dead-Scary-by-Sally-Gould?keyword=Dead+Scary+by+Sally+Gould&store=ebook" target="_blank">B&N</a> | <a href="https://store.kobobooks.com/search?Query=Dead+Scary+by+Sally+Gould" target="_blank">KOBO</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;">Dead Scary is a fast, fun and entertaining read. What happens when your parents make it big and you get the home of your dreams and then there's s ghost named Eddie in there to ruin it all for you? </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;">Yep! That's what happen to Adam. They both wanted each other to move out. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;">If you love ghost stories and a little group of bad ghosts with an angel thrown in and if you are under 13 then this is a great book for you. Considering that this was a middle to lower YA book I enjoyed the heck out of it!! 4 Stars!! </span></span></div>
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As if he could read my mind, he leant forward and said to me, 'Adam, already I can see that it'd be difficult for me to put up with someone who can see me in my own home. I'll give you and your family time to find another house to move into. You can stay here for now ... as long as you follow my Rules.'</div>
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I began to argue but Dad called out from the other end of the house. 'Adam, come and help!'</div>
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'Not in a million years,' I said to the ghost of Edward Lawrence before I turned my back on him and left the room.</div>
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As I headed down the hallway, I realized the home from heaven had been too good to be true. I'd have to get rid of this stubborn ghost all by myself. But an uneasy feeling swept through me. I'd never got rid of a ghost, because Grandpa George had always been there to do it for me. At least Grandpa George had left me with the things I'd need. Still, I felt unsure. Never could I remember Grandpa George getting rid of a ghost like him. One who was so confident and sure of himself, like a person who knew exactly what he wanted and how to get it. A chill went up my spine as I noticed Emily on the grass out the back. She was squealing at the top of her voice while she ran around in circles taking in all that space.</div>
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AUTHOR<br />
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Sally Gould loved books from a young age, but never considered writing them. While she was busy getting up to the mischief that teenagers get up to, she forgot about books all together. Then total insanity took hold and she became a corporate lawyer. Fortunately, she had two sons and they inspired her to write stories for children. Of course, her oldest son is responsible, logical, studious, considerate, grateful and even makes his bed. The youngest one is only interested in having fun - lots of it. And, except for his teachers, he makes everyone laugh. Their antics have inspired many of Sally's stories. Sally lives in Melbourne, Australia with her family and two dogs - Pebbles, who is sensible, and Jade, who just wants to have fun.<br />
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<a href="http://www.sallygould.com.au/" target="_blank">WEBSITE</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sallygouldchildrensauthor?ref=aymt_homepage_pane%20l" target="_blank">FACEBOOK</a></div>
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GIVEAWAY</div>
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Sally Gould will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Additionally, Goddess Fish Productions will be awarding a $5 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn host.</div>
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<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="28e4345f1136" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f1136/" id="rcwidget_xex5mkbc" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>Michelle @ Mom With A Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11209779238984404321noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-547074695374551404.post-9530534194062930952015-08-29T05:00:00.000-05:002015-08-29T05:00:02.182-05:00COVER REVEAL!! Beyond the Veil by Laura N. Anile (Time Shifters, #2)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W0_pi-F6-sM/VeEH0YeKDaI/AAAAAAAAMvM/H_AgGMflDtA/s1600/Time-Shifters-Book-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W0_pi-F6-sM/VeEH0YeKDaI/AAAAAAAAMvM/H_AgGMflDtA/s640/Time-Shifters-Book-2.jpg" width="424" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="il">Beyond</span> <span class="il">the</span> <span class="il">Veil</span> by Laura N. Anile </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">(Time Shifters, #2) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Publication date: September 2015</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Genres: Dystopia, Young Adult</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Synopsis:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In <span class="il">the</span> first book of <span class="il">the</span> Time Shifters series, seventeen-year-old Ryder is mysteriously pulled into <span class="il">the</span> year 2127, swapping places—and bodies—with eighteen-year-old Ziron. Caught in a web of lies and forced to conceal his true identity, danger is lurking around every corner. Desperate to survive, Ryder needs to unravel <span class="il">the</span> conspiracy and figure out why Ziron stole his life if he hopes to find his way home. Unable to deny his heart, he is drawn to a girl who can never learn his secret. But how can he be with her when she thinks he’s someone else?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Book Two in <span class="il">the</span> Time Shifters series follows Ziron’s journey to 2015 and reveals how and why he performed <span class="il">the</span> brazen act that tore Ryder from his home. Why did he risk everything to swap places with Ryder? And how can he deceive Ryder’s family and friends when he knows nothing of Ryder’s world? Ziron has put it all on <span class="il">the</span> line to travel back to 2015, knowing <span class="il">the</span> future of humankind is at stake. He will give his heart to a girl he meets there, but will he be forced to give his life to protect those he loves? Ziron only hopes he can stay alive long enough to complete his mission, before his enemies catch up to him and <span class="il">the</span> future is changed forever.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">To celebrate <span class="il">the</span> release of <span class="il">the</span> sequel, <span class="il">the</span> first book in <span class="il">the</span> series will be available to download *FREE* for a limited time via <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L2024OW" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Amazon</a>,<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/time-shifters-book-1-beyond/id894308311?ls=1&mt=11" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">iBooks</a>, <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1119776929?ean=9780992279035&itm=1&usri=9780992279035" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">B&N</a> and <a href="https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/time-shifters" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Kobo</a>. Please <a href="http://lauraanile.com/php/mailinglistform.htm" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">join <span class="il">the</span> mailing list</a> to be alerted when Book 2: <span class="il">Beyond</span> <span class="il">the</span> <span class="il">Veil</span> is available in bookstores (coming September 2015).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26057589-beyond-the-veil" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">AUTHOR BIO:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Laura has had a lifelong love of writing, which she explored in a successful marketing career before penning her first novel. She loves all things humorous, laughs too loudly and finds her own jokes amusing. She has a passion for traveling and exploring <span class="il">the</span> world but has a phobia of suspect hotel rooms with questionable hygiene. And, oh yeah, she isn't clairvoyant and doesn't own any crystal balls.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Laura has written two novels, 'Time Shifters Book One: <span class="il">Beyond</span> Time' (YA dystopian) and Visions (paranormal); a children's book, 'Lets's Go, Fabio! (Florence)'; and a free collection of short stories, entitled 'Unmasked Secrets'. <span class="il">The</span> second book in her Time Shifters series is due for release in early 2015.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">For more information, please go to <a href="http://www.lauraanile.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">www.LauraAnile.com</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Author links:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.lauraanile.com/" target="_blank">WEBSITE</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Laura-N-Anile-Author/145897772283260" target="_blank">FACEBOOK</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/lauraanile" target="_blank">TWITTER</a></span></div>
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Michelle @ Mom With A Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11209779238984404321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-547074695374551404.post-19770906900126547162015-08-28T06:00:00.000-05:002015-08-28T06:00:08.706-05:00BLOG TOUR [Playlists + Giveaway] Aurelious Forty; Volume One by Dianna Beirne <div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--VjT4ELFCR8/Vd_GtcaJmXI/AAAAAAAAMt8/aw8RgY_TrkQ/s1600/Aurelious%2BForty.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--VjT4ELFCR8/Vd_GtcaJmXI/AAAAAAAAMt8/aw8RgY_TrkQ/s400/Aurelious%2BForty.jpeg" width="250" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Aurelious Forty</span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">; Volume One<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">by </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/10777252.Dianna_Beirne"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Dianna Beirne</span></a></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><b> </b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Release Date: 12/20/14<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">252 pages<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Summary from Goodreads:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Aurelious Forty has led a lonely, troubled life. He stays disconnected
from the world around him with no family and no friends. He lives merely to
exist…to survive.<br />
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Aurelious’ life changes in an instant when an impulsive decision forces him to
abandon everything he has ever known. Choosing to follow strangers into a new
world, he discovers he was born with a gift so strong, so unique; it could give
him the power to change humanity.<br />
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But the shadows of his childhood are long and dark and run through every fiber
of his soul. Can Aurelious break the chains of his past and use his gift for
good? Or will the nightmare of his tormentors set him on a path of revenge so
fierce it could destroy us all?</span></i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23768803-aurelious-forty-volume-one"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Add to Goodreads</span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Buy Links:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://amzn.to/1KfaSDk" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Amazon</span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: inherit;">│</span><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/aurelious-forty-volume-one-dianna-beirne/1120892012?ean=2940046450088" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Barnes & Noble</span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: inherit;">│</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/aurelious-forty-volume-one" style="font-family: inherit;">Kobo Books</a></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Playlist
inspired by Aurelious Forty; Volume One</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">I think the thing that stands out for me most with Aurelious Forty is how
emotional it is. The characters and, as a result, the readers go on an
emotional journey that can be pretty extreme at times. Much like our own lives,
there are highs and lows for each person that we meet on the pages. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">I listen to music all the time. I mean all the time. Driving, cooking,
doing laundry, taking a walk, daydreaming, you name it and I’ll have music on
while I’m doing it…even if I’m doing nothing. Don’t get me wrong, I love
silence, I think best when there is no noise at all and I can’t write with
music on but I often use music to get into the mind or soul of a character. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">When I was writing the last two chapters of Aurelious Forty; Volume One I
listened to <i>It Will Rain</i> by Bruno
Mars about a million times simply because, to me, it sounded like the intensely
emotional scene that I was writing. So anytime that I wasn’t actively writing
that scene on the day I wrote it, I was playing that song so I could stay in
the mindset of my characters. I’m pretty sure my son thought I was nuts, but
the process worked for me, it’s an intense scene to say the least!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">So, that song is on my playlist inspired by Aurelious Forty; Volume One
along with a whole host of others. The songs are either representative of a
particular character or situation they are in and they all evoke some emotion,
well for me they do and maybe they will for you too. And in case you were
wondering, I listened to a lot of Mumford and Sons while writing Volume Two!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">A Simple Man</span></i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> by Shinedown<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">If I Tremble</span></i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> by Front Porch Step<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sail</span></i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> by Awolnation<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Drowning</span></i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> by Banks<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked</span></i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> by Cage the Elephant<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Pompeii</span></i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> by Bastille<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">It Will Rain</span></i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> by Bruno Mars<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Now and Forever</span></i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> by Drake<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Jar of Hearts</span></i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> by Christina Perry<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Round Here</span></i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> by Counting Crows<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Centuries</span></i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> by Fall Out Boy<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Say Something</span></i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> by A Great Big World<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Stay</span></i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> by Rhianna ft. Mikky Ekko<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Uprising</span></i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> by Muse<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pc9CE7YvS58/Vd_GwhMT0vI/AAAAAAAAMuI/J_MLOkewLw4/s1600/Aurelious%2BForty.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pc9CE7YvS58/Vd_GwhMT0vI/AAAAAAAAMuI/J_MLOkewLw4/s200/Aurelious%2BForty.jpeg" width="138" /></a></div>
<b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">About the Author<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Dianna Beirne lives in a fantasy world. Okay not really, but part of her
wishes she did and, since that’s technically impossible, she writes about
fantasy worlds instead. Her first Young Adult novel entitled Aurelious Forty;
Volume One quickly turned into her first Young Adult series with the addition
of Aurelious Forty; Volume Two and, Aurelious Forty; Volume Three.<br />
<br />
When not writing, she’s generally daydreaming which morphs into wondering if
that last daydream could turn into a book. She has also recently discovered podcasts
but doesn’t exactly understand what they are or why they’re different from
regular radio shows. So it’s safe to assume that her next book won’t be about a
podcast. Instead she’ll just keep listening to the ones that she finds that
hilarious because laughing is one of her favorite pastimes and she finds way
too many things funny!<br />
<br />
Prior to dedicating her time to writing, Dianna taught undergraduate and
graduate courses about using literacy in the elementary, middle, and high
school classroom. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education, a
Master’s degree in Literacy and a Doctorate in Education specializing in
Curriculum and Teaching.<br />
<br />
Dianna lives in New York and is the grateful mother of a son whom she misses
terribly when he is away at college.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.aureliousforty.com/"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Website</span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">│</span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/10777252.Dianna_Beirne"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Goodreads</span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">│</span><a href="https://twitter.com/DiannaBeirne"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Twitter</span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">│</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Aurelious-Forty/710063509085753?ref=aymt_homepage_panel">Facebook</a></span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Book Blitz Organized by:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<a href="http://yaboundbooktours.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">YA Bound Book Tours</span></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Michelle @ Mom With A Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11209779238984404321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-547074695374551404.post-83287168643714453852015-08-28T05:00:00.000-05:002015-08-28T05:00:07.245-05:00COVER REVEAL!! Cursed by Christina Bauer (Beholder, #1)<div style="background-color: white;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span class="il"><br /></span></b></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pWJeIkke1fI/Vd_FfWwnjjI/AAAAAAAAMt0/oYmNmeQsClg/s1600/CursedB1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pWJeIkke1fI/Vd_FfWwnjjI/AAAAAAAAMt0/oYmNmeQsClg/s640/CursedB1.png" width="412" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span class="il"><br /></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span class="il">Cursed</span> by Christina Bauer </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>(Beholder, #1) </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Published by: Ink Monster LLC</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Publication date: <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_148891181" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">March 29th 2016</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Genres: Fantasy, Romance, <wbr></wbr>Young Adult</span></div>
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<b style="color: #222222;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Synopsis:</span></b></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Although Elea’s the most powerful necromancer in history, she’s spent most of her nineteen years imprisoned in the <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_148891182" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">Midnight</span></span> Cloisters. Enchanted manacles keep her unique brand of soul magick in check. While the guards and initiates seem contented to torment her, the Cloister’s Mother Superior is obsessed with finding a safe way to destroy Elea, both body and soul.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Escape seems impossible until a handsome hunter named Asher offers to help. Elea takes a chance and soon develops feelings for the mysterious stranger. However, Asher may not be who he claims. Then again, Elea may not be, either…</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Pre-orders are now live at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cursed-Beholder-Book-Christina-Bauer-ebook/dp/B013CKZBPS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1438797990&sr=8-1&keywords=bauer+beholder" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cursed-christina-bauer/1122457783?ean=9781943858088" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a>, <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/cursed/id1026072287?mt=11" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">iBooks</a>, and <a href="https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/cursed-76" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Kobo</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26016579-beholder" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">AUTHOR BIO:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Christina graduated from Syracuse University's Newhouse School with BA's in English as well as Television, Radio, and Film Production. Her day job is in marketing for companies like Microsoft, Cisco, and Brainshark. Back in the go-go 90′s, she founded her own software start-up, Mindful Technologies. Christina believes that, upon close examination of Tolkien's text, it's entirely possible that the Balrog was wearing fuzzy bunny slippers.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Author links:</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://inkmonster.net/authors/cbauer" target="_blank">WEBSITE</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/CB_Bauer" target="_blank">TWITTER</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/authorBauer" target="_blank">FACEBOOK</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/546812.Christina_Bauer" target="_blank">GOODREADS</a></span></span></div>
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Michelle @ Mom With A Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11209779238984404321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-547074695374551404.post-24921774636581603642015-08-28T04:00:00.000-05:002015-08-28T04:00:03.176-05:00BLOG TOUR [Chapter One] Spinner by Michael J. Bowler<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xgOmEhnSoTY/Vd_JU_N2HmI/AAAAAAAAMuc/ck_uMLtLKEQ/s1600/Spinner.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="147" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xgOmEhnSoTY/Vd_JU_N2HmI/AAAAAAAAMuc/ck_uMLtLKEQ/s400/Spinner.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Michael
J. Bowler<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Genre: teen horror/mystery<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Publisher: YoungDudes Publishing<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Date of Publication: August 5,
2015<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">ISBN: 978-0-9946675-1-9<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Number of pages: 464<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Word Count: 138K<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Cover Artist: Louis C. Harris<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Book Description:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Fifteen-year-old Alex is a
“spinner.” His friends are “dummies.” Two clandestine groups of humans want his
power. And an ancient evil is stalking him. If people weren’t being murdered,
Alex might laugh at how his life turned into a horror movie overnight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In a wheelchair since birth, his
freakish ability has gotten him kicked out of ten foster homes since the age of
four. Now saddled with a sadistic housemother who uses his spinning to heal the
kids she physically abuses, Alex and his misfit group of learning disabled classmates
are the only ones who can solve the mystery of his birth before more people
meet a gruesome end.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">They need to find out who
murdered their beloved teacher, and why the hot young substitute acts like
she’s flirting with them. Then there’s the mysterious medallion that seems to
have unleashed something malevolent, and an ancient prophecy suggesting Alex
has the power to destroy humanity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The boys break into homes, dig up
graves, elude kidnappers, fight for their lives against feral cats, and ultimately
confront an evil as old as humankind. Friendships are tested, secrets
uncovered, love spoken, and destiny revealed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The kid who’s always been a loner
will finally learn the value of friends, family, and loyalty.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">If he survives…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Available at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Spinner-Michael-J-Bowler-ebook/dp/B00YFLMTUO/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1432870663&sr=1-1&keywords=Spinner+-+Michael+J+Bowler">Amazon</a><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Chapter
One<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">What
Are You?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Alex felt uneasy
as he lay in his bed and listened to the wind outside. It had been an okay day
at school – he’d only been called “Roller Boy” twice, which was almost a world
record. After school, he’d kicked it at Roy’s house and they cranked some
Hawthorne Heights tunes and chilled. Even Jane hadn’t bitched at him. So why
can’t I sleep? He didn’t know the answer. His eyes returned to the dancing
shadows that flitted across his floor from the window. His drapes were closed,
but the wind whistled through the trees, and the shadows mesmerized him. The
patterns of light and dark pulled on his eyelids, dragging him slowly under. A
dream loomed at the edges of his consciousness. One of those dreams. Sleep
overcame him, and the dream began….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Ms. Ashley
trudged down a flight of stairs from her second floor apartment to street
level, carrying several overflowing bags of trash. The traffic sounds were
omnipresent, but otherwise the night was calm and clear.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">A slight breeze
ruffled her long brown hair as she slunk quickly to the rear of the complex.
Rounding the building, she passed alongside a sloping hill of ivy-covered
ground toward the row of trashcans in the far corner. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Looking chilled
and unsettled, Ms. Ashley lifted one lid and struggled to get all her bags in
without spilling anything. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">A rustling noise
startled her and she whipped her head around to the left. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The ivy-covered
hill ascended upward into darkness, but there was no movement. Only a creepy
silence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">She quickly
tossed her bags into the can and dropped the lid back in place with a hollow
clang. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Suddenly, a
large cat dropped onto the top of the can from somewhere above. She uttered a
startled cry and leaped back a few steps.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The cat meowed
and she chuckled, extending one slightly trembling hand. The animal snuggled
against it, wanting to be stroked. She ran her fingers through the fur around
the cat’s neck and under its chin. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">More rustling
leaves drew her attention to the ivy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The darkness in
this corner was deep and penetrating, making the vines and leaves snaking their
way up the slope barely visible. Another cat materialized from beneath the
thick cover of ivy. Then another. And another. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> In seconds, the hillside crackled and seethed
with cats of all shapes and sizes. Their glowing eyes shone like eerie beacons
in the night. The cat beneath Ms. Ashley’s
fingers hissed and swiped its claws at her, raking the top of her hand and
drawing copious amounts of blood.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Startled, she
cried out and yanked her hand back, gazing in shock at the dark liquid gushing
forth and spilling onto the concrete at her feet. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Terror etched
her face.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">She cautiously
backed away. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The cats
crouched on the hillside, poised and threatening. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The huge one
she’d been petting wailed into the night, and then they were on her, leaping
and clawing at her face and hair. Hundreds of cats streamed down the hillside
and flung themselves at her while the big one sat and watched like a general
commanding his troops. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Ms. Ashley
screamed, but loud traffic sounds drowned out her cries. Flailing wildly, she
turned and stumbled along the side of the building toward the street,
desperately crying out for help. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Claws dug into
her back and raked across her neck. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Teeth sunk into
her arm. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">She shrieked in
agony as they yanked out chunks of her hair and raked at her legs, shredding
her sweat pants and digging viciously into her soft flesh. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Blood spilled
from everywhere on her body. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The street
loomed just ahead. She tossed one cat off in a frantic attempt to save herself,
only to have three more replace it. She clearly didn’t have much time before she’d
topple beneath a tidal wave of claws and fur.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">A large truck
roared along Lincoln Boulevard as Ms. Ashley staggered toward the curb. The
headlights were bright and blinding. The biggest cat now flew from the
retaining wall at her face and gouged a chunk of flesh out of her cheek,
exposing the bone. She wailed in agony. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Her knees
buckled, but Ms. Ashley managed to stay on her feet while stumbling headlong
into the street at a frantic pace. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Suddenly aware
that the truck was almost on her, she clutched at the nearest light post in
desperation. One bloodied hand caught the post and slowed her momentum as the
cats ceased their brutal attack. She gesticulated frantically with her free
hand, hoping to attract the attention of the driver. With her urgent gaze fixed
on the truck, she didn’t see the figure in black leap from behind the retaining
wall right at her. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Strong hands
pressed hard into her back and propelled her forward. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The truck mowed
her down in a splatter of blood and gore, flinging her broken body to the
pavement and then crushing it beneath massive tires. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">As the truck
screeched to an ear-piercing halt near the corner, the figure in black melted
into the darkness. Several cats sniffed the dead woman's remains before they,
too, disappeared into the shadows. The first cat was the last to depart,
watching as the horrified driver jumped from the truck cab and pelted toward
Ms. Ashley’s broken body. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The cat seemed
to grin before vanishing into the night….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Alex screamed
and bolted upright in bed, sweating profusely, his young face etched with
horror, hair plastered to his sweat-sheened forehead. Heart thumping with
urgent terror, he scanned his darkened room. The door leading outside was
closed, but the ominous shadows still crept through the window. His desk was
messy as usual, and the door to his bathroom stood ajar, but he’d left it that
way. Everything looked like it had before he fell asleep.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Dropping onto
his pillow, Alex fought to control his breathing and calm his pounding heart. A
dream. That’s all it had been. He’d known one was coming, and he’d been right.
God, he hated those dreams! Poor Ms.
Ashley. He lay there, sweat making his t-shirt cling uncomfortably to his chest
as his heart rate slowly drew down. Could this dream be like the one about his
parents? He hadn’t had one like that in years. It seemed so real! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">He lay in bed
worrying about the morning, and what he’d find when he got to school, even
though there was nothing he could do to change anything.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Gradually, he
calmed down; the tree branches outside tapping against the house lulled him to
sleep. The last image to assail him before he went under was that ugly-ass cat
grinning at him before running off into the dark.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7xoSkk6j4w0/Vd_KLq2iTyI/AAAAAAAAMus/87PNeX-Clbk/s1600/Spinner.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7xoSkk6j4w0/Vd_KLq2iTyI/AAAAAAAAMus/87PNeX-Clbk/s200/Spinner.png" width="156" /></a><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">About
the Author: <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Michael J. Bowler is an
award-winning author of eight novels––A Boy and His Dragon, A Matter of Time
(Silver Medalist from Reader’s Favorite), and The Knight Cycle, comprised of
five books: Children of the Knight (Gold Award Winner in the Wishing Shelf Book
Awards), Running Through A Dark Place, There Is No Fear, And The Children Shall
Lead, Once Upon A Time In America, and Spinner. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">His horror screenplay, “Healer,”
was a Semi-Finalist, and his urban fantasy script, “Like A Hero,” was a
Finalist in the Shriekfest Film Festival and Screenplay Competition.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">He grew up in San Rafael,
California, and majored in English and Theatre at Santa Clara University. He
went on to earn a master’s in film production from Loyola Marymount University,
a teaching credential in English from LMU, and another master's in Special
Education from Cal State University Dominguez Hills. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">He partnered with two friends as
producer, writer, and/or director on several ultra-low-budget horror films,
including “Fatal Images,” “Club Dead,” and “Things II,” the reviews of which
are much more fun than the actual movies. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">He taught high school in
Hawthorne, California for twenty-five years, both in general education and to
students with learning disabilities, in subjects ranging from English and
Strength Training to Algebra, Biology, and Yearbook. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">He has also been a volunteer Big
Brother to eight different boys with the Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters
program and a thirty-year volunteer within the juvenile justice system in Los
Angeles. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">He has been honored as Probation
Volunteer of the Year, YMCA Volunteer of the Year, California Big Brother of
the Year, and 2000 National Big Brother of the Year. The “National” honor
allowed him and three of his Little Brothers to visit the White House and meet
the president in the Oval Office.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">He is currently working on a
sequel to Spinner.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">His goal as a YA author is for
teens to experience empowerment and hope; to see themselves in his diverse
characters; to read about kids who face real-life challenges; and to see how
kids like them can remain decent people in an indecent world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.michaeljbowler.com/" target="_blank">WEBSITE</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/michaeljbowlerauthor" target="_blank">FB</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/BradleyWallaceM" target="_blank">TWITTER</a> | <a href="http://www.sirlancesays.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">BLOG </a>| <a href="http://michaeljbowler.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">TUMBLR</a> | <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/michaelbowler/the-knight-cycle/" target="_blank">PINTEREST</a> | <a href="http://www.freado.com/book/16160/children-of-the-knight" target="_blank">FREADO</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6938109.Michael_J_Bowler" target="_blank">GOODREADS</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Michael-J.-Bowler/e/B0075ML4M4/" target="_blank">AMAZON</a> </span></div>
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Michelle @ Mom With A Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11209779238984404321noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-547074695374551404.post-33779336321347243922015-08-26T06:00:00.000-05:002015-08-26T06:00:04.912-05:00BOOK BLITZ [Excerpt] Shadow in the Sea by Sheila A. Nielson <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span class="il">Shadow</span> in the <span class="il">Sea</span> </b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>by Sheila A. Nielson </b><br />Publication date: July 15th 2015<br />Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><b>Synopsis:</b></span></div>
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<span><span style="font-family: inherit;">When sixteen-year-old Sadelyn Hanson washes up on the shores of Windwaithe Island, her beauty and the strange marks on her wrist make superstitious locals suspect she is a mermaid. Feigning amnesia, Sade hides a far worse secret: she was sailing to her own murder trial when she was thrown overboard by the real killer, the cunning and cruel Captain Westwood.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sade’s quiet effort to rebuild her life on the island is threatened when she meets an actual young merman. Unable to speak his language, Sade still longs for the warm companionship he offers, despite the locals’ dire legends about merfolk and their dark magic. But her confused feelings for the impossible boy become the least of her problems when Captain Westwood’s ship docks at Windwaithe. With nowhere to escape, Sade must trust in the one person who doesn’t fear the merfolk. A woman who had dealings with them herself—years ago.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25318717-shadow-in-the-sea?ac=1" target="_blank">GOODREADS</a> | <a href="http://amzn.to/1Nnu2ad" target="_blank">AMAZON</a> | <a href="http://bit.ly/1Mx6kt1" target="_blank">B&N</a> | <a href="http://bit.ly/1TOb1CR" target="_blank">eBOOK MALL</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I forced myself to lift my head
and look around. The <i>Bonny Mary </i>was adrift, the towline having fallen
into the water when I dropped it. I was now a full twenty yards from shore and
drifting<i> </i>farther every second.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“No, no, no, no!” the horrified
words were wrung from me as I looked madly about for the oars. I caught sight
of them bobbing on the waves far ahead of the boat. I looked helplessly about
me. Only the sound of the ocean filled my ears. How was I supposed to get back
to shore? The ocean pulled at the <i>Bonny Mary </i>as if she were a piece of
driftwood.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Clawing at the water like a
panicked dog, I vainly tried to propel the boat towards shore with my bare
hands. It was useless.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Help! Someone help me!” I
shouted at the deserted beach.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The whole boat jerked suddenly
beneath me. I was thrown forward and clutched at the gunwale for balance. The
boat stopped drifting. I could see the water rushing beneath its bow as if it
moved against the tide under its own power. Like a needle of a compass, the
boat’s nose turned slowly in a circle until she once again faced the Rumbles in
the same direction we just came from.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“What in heaven’s name…” I said
under my breath.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Out of the water just in front of
the bow of the <i>Bonny Mary </i>emerged the top of someone’s head. My mouth
gaping, I stared<i> </i>into a pair of dark eyes, fringed by a full head of
wet, corn silk<i> </i>colored hair. It was a boy—at least I thought it was. His
nose<i> </i>and mouth were still hidden beneath the shimmering surface<i> </i>of
the sea. He blinked. I caught my breath. Something wasn’t<i> </i>right. His
slightly slanted eyes, his pointed ears, they did not look quite—human.<i> <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The boy’s head and shoulders rose
from the sea, in one smooth<i> </i>movement. I gasped aloud as I finally got a
good look at him. He was without a doubt the most incredibly handsome<i> </i>creature
I had ever laid eyes upon. <i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The apparition looked like he was
almost a man, eighteen or nineteen perhaps, with skin the color of fine
porcelain and fair hair that shone with the same warm luster as cream colored
pearls.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Though they were dripping wet, I
could see his clothes were made of the finest material. A long sleeved, loose
fitting white shirt clung wetly against his powerful arms. Over the shirt he
wore a vest of the strangest cloth. In some lights it looked gold, in others a
shimmering green like the scales of a fish.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Who are you?” I whispered in
awe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">As if in answer, the young man
lifted his hand from the water. Wound tight around his wrist was the lead line
of the <i>Bonny Mary</i>. He pulled back on it. The muscles along his arms
flexed and grew taut as the boat surged back toward shore. I clutched at the
gunwale, bracing myself against the sudden movement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">He’d come to save me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The young man heaved himself
backward against the towline. A large, supremely golden fish tail broke the
surface of the water for a moment, stroking powerfully against the force of the<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">tide. It took me all of five
heartbeats to realize it belonged to my strange aquatic rescuer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">James had been right about the existence of mermaids
after all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-omw7XQfKxAY/Vd0nBIZcykI/AAAAAAAAMtA/rSpvcXtHnJo/s1600/ShadowInTheSea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-omw7XQfKxAY/Vd0nBIZcykI/AAAAAAAAMtA/rSpvcXtHnJo/s1600/ShadowInTheSea.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">AUTHOR BIO:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sheila never did figure out what she wanted to be when she grew up. She graduated from college with a BFA in illustration, has worked as a children's librarian for over eighteen years, and would eventually like to be a full-time author. Why pick one career when you can have many? Sheila lives with her two pets, a goffin cockatoo and a tiny toy poodle. She was born and raised in California but has come to also love her adopted home in Utah where she currently resides.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Author links:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.sheilanielson.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank">WEBSITE</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Forbidden-Sea/300689349440" target="_blank">FACEBOOK</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/sheilaanielson" target="_blank">TWITTER</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3090324.Sheila_A_Nielson" target="_blank">GOODREADS</a></span></div>
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Michelle @ Mom With A Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11209779238984404321noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-547074695374551404.post-55552965222860802892015-08-25T06:00:00.000-05:002015-08-25T06:00:00.678-05:00BOOK BLITZ [Excerpt + Giveaway] Cage of Deceit by Jennifer Anne Davis (Reign of Secrets #1)<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yM8PyTJrFo8/VdvFDM0TB4I/AAAAAAAAMsk/6vwc2Z9LvxI/s1600/Cage%2Bof%2BDeceit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yM8PyTJrFo8/VdvFDM0TB4I/AAAAAAAAMsk/6vwc2Z9LvxI/s400/Cage%2Bof%2BDeceit.jpg" width="266" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span class="il">Cage</span> <span class="il">of</span> <span class="il">Deceit</span> </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>by Jennifer Anne Davis<br />(Reign <span class="il">of</span> Secrets #1)</b><br />Published by: Clean Teen Publishing<br />Publication date: <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_241759210" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">August 25th 2015</span></span><br />Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult</span></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: inherit;">Jennifer Anne Davis’ best-selling True Reign series captivated readers from the very first page. Now, get ready to become entangled in the follow-up series, Reign <span class="il">of</span> Secrets. In this new series, follow Allyssa, the daughter <span class="il">of</span> the beloved Emperor Darmik and Empress Rema— and find out what happens after happily ever after.</span></em><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Seventeen-year-old Allyssa appears to be the ideal princess <span class="il">of</span> Emperion—she’s beautiful, elegant, and refined. She spends her days locked in a suffocating <span class="il">cage</span>, otherwise known as royal court. But at night, Allyssa uses her secret persona—that <span class="il">of</span> a vigilante—to hunt down criminals and help her people firsthand.<br />Unfortunately, her nightly escapades will have to wait because the citizens <span class="il">of</span> Emperion may need saving from something much bigger than common criminals. War is encroaching on their country and in order to protect her people, Allyssa may have to sacrifice her heart. Forced to entertain an alliance through marriage with a handsome prince from a neighboring kingdom, she finds herself feeling even more stifled than before. To make matters worse, the prince has stuck his nosy squire, Jarvik, to watch her every move.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Jarvik is infuriating, bossy and unfortunately, the only person she can turn to when she unveils a heinous plot. Together, the unlikely pair will have to work together to stop an enemy that everyone thought was long gone, one with the power to destroy her family and the people <span class="il">of</span> Emperion. Now the <span class="il">cage</span> Allyssa so longed to break free from might just be the one thing she has to fight to keep intact. In order to save her kingdom, she will have to sacrifice her freedom, her heart, and maybe even her life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23688106-cage-of-deceit?ac=1" target="_blank">GOODREADS</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cage-Deceit-Reign-Secrets-Book/dp/1634220986/ref=la_B00BSEJ0UI_1_7_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1430932022&sr=1-7" target="_blank">AMAZON</a> | <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cage-of-deceit-jennifer-anne-davis/1121983469?ean=2940151928984" target="_blank">B&N</a></span></div>
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Allyssa despised sparring in a dress. However, that was the
way her father had taught her to fight. He said if someone attacked her, she
would be in a gown, so she had to be able to maneuver in heavy fabric.</div>
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“Faster,” Marek
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She wanted to growl
because he was right, she was too distracted. Putting all thoughts of the
pretty prince out of her mind, she gave Marek her full attention. He swung his
sword, hitting hers near the hilt, making her drop it. Not intending to lose
their match so easily, she twisted and came in close to him. When he went to
grab her, she rammed her elbow into his stomach. He hunched over and she yanked
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He dropped his
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“I win,” she
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Catching his breath,
he wiped his forehead. “You seem to have gained a few new moves.” Not a
question.</div>
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“Perhaps,” was all
she said in reply. The training room was lined with her personal guards. She
knew her father didn’t want her practicing—he’d rather she prepare for the
ball. But in order to make it through dinner and dancing, she had to release
her anger and frustration.</div>
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Marek took their
wooden swords and put them back on the rack.</div>
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“I’m not ready to
return to my rooms.” She still felt off balance and unsettled.</div>
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He glanced to the
door where Mayra and Madelin were waiting for her. “I need to go over some
security details with my father,” Marek stated.</div>
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“Then go.” She waved
him away. “I’ll only be a few more minutes.”</div>
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He briefly spoke
with the guards before he said, “Your Highness,” and left.</div>
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As soon as he was
gone, she put leather gloves on and went to the hay figure secured to the wall.
Taking a deep breath, she started punching it, imagining the dummy was the
prince. Smiling, she started hitting it harder and faster, allowing all of her
aggression to evaporate.</div>
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Someone started
clapping, and she spun around about to yell at whoever had interrupted her.</div>
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Prince Odar stood
there with a smirk.</div>
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“What are you doing
here?” she demanded, wiping the sweat off her forehead with her arm. He was
accompanied by two of his soldiers and the squire she noticed earlier in the
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He clicked his
tongue. “A testy remark from someone so delicate and lovely.”</div>
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Her eyes narrowed.
She was dirty, smelly, and certainly not the picture of a princess at the
moment. The squire clasped his hands behind his back, staring daggers at her.
He must not approve of a woman who could take care of herself, knew how to
fight, and who dared to sweat. She hated him almost as much as she hated the
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“I’m sorry, Your
Highness,” she said, trying to keep the detest from her voice. “Please excuse
me, I must prepare for this evening.”</div>
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Mayra rushed forward
and placed a cloak upon Allyssa’s shoulders. The princess yanked the hood up,
concealing herself so no one from the court would see her all sweaty. She swept
out of the room, not looking back. She could have sworn she heard the prince
chuckling as she hurried down the corridor.</div>
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“Why didn’t you use
the opportunity to speak with the prince?” Mayra asked, trying to keep up. “He
obviously sought you out.”</div>
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Allyssa’s eyes
sliced over to her lady-in-waiting. “Because,” she snapped, “I don’t want to
talk to someone who flatters with pointless words.”</div>
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Mayra laughed. “He
is rather charming.”</div>
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“He appears to be
exactly as a prince should,” Allyssa said. “And I have no interest in princes.”</div>
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“Aiming a bit
higher?”</div>
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“No,” Allyssa
replied. “I’m aiming for someone a bit more real.”<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">AUTHOR BIO:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Jennifer graduated from the University <span class="il">of</span> San Diego with a degree in English and a teaching credential. Afterwards, she married her best friend and high school sweetheart. Jennifer is currently a full-time writer and mother <span class="il">of</span> three young children. Her days are spent living in imaginary worlds and fueling her own kids’ creativity.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://jenniferannedavis.com/" target="_blank">WEBSITE</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6466369.Jennifer_Anne_Davis" target="_blank">GOODREADS</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJenniferAnneDavis" target="_blank">FACEBOOK</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/AuthorJennifer" target="_blank">TWITTER</a></span></div>
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<script src="//widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>Michelle @ Mom With A Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11209779238984404321noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-547074695374551404.post-34993447341152330802015-08-19T06:00:00.000-05:002015-08-19T06:00:11.030-05:00BLOG TOUR [My Review + Giveaway] The Summer the World Ended by Matthew S. Cox <div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span class="il">The</span> <span class="il">Summer</span> <span class="il">the</span> <span class="il">World</span> <span class="il">Ended</span> </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>by Matthew S. Cox </b><br />Published by: Curiosity Quills Press<br />Publication date: June 29th 2015<br />Genres: Post-Apocalyptic, <wbr></wbr>Young Adult</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">As far as Riley McCullough is concerned, her best friend getting ‘dragged’ off to Puerto Vallarta for <span class="il">the</span> first two weeks of <span class="il">summer</span>vacation was <span class="il">the</span> <span class="il">end</span> of <span class="il">the</span> <span class="il">world</span>―at least until <span class="il">the</span> bombs fell.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Life in suburban New Jersey with her mother has been comfortable, not to mention boring, to an introverted fourteen year old. As if her friend’s surprise trip wasn’t bad enough, her expectations for <span class="il">the</span> ‘best <span class="il">summer</span> ever’ disintegrate when she gets sent across <span class="il">the</span> country to stay with a father she hasn’t seen in six years. Adjusting to a tiny, desert town where everyone stares at them like they don’t belong proves difficult, and leaves her feeling more isolated than ever. To make matters worse, her secretive father won’t tell <span class="il">the</span> truth about why he left―or what he’s hiding.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Her luck takes an unexpected turn for <span class="il">the</span> better when she meets a boy who shares her interest in video games and contempt for small town boredom. In him, she finds a kindred spirit who might just make <span class="il">the</span> middle of nowhere tolerable.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Happiness is short lived; fleeing nuclear Armageddon, she takes shelter with her dad in an underground bunker he’d spent years preparing. After fourteen days without sun, Riley must overcome <span class="il">the</span> sorrow of losing everything to save <span class="il">the</span> one person she cares about most.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24424842-the-summer-the-world-ended?ac=1" target="_blank">GOODREADS</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Summer-World-Ended-Matthew-Cox-ebook/dp/B010L0L0J8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1438691500&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Summer+the+World+Ended" target="_blank">AMAZON</a> | <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-summer-the-world-ended-matthew-s-cox/1122233043?ean=9781620079041" target="_blank">B&N</a></span></div>
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This book was AMAZING!!I was completely drawn in from the first
chapter on. Have you ever watched a series on Netflix and before you know it
you have watched 7 seasons? Yep that’s exactly what happened. Before I knew it
I was at the end. As disappointed as I was that it was the end, Cox did an awesome
job with this book and tied it all together. And oh my gosh where did he get
the idea for this book? it was a brilliant
one. All of the twists and turns and the utterly amazing plot will keep you
asking questions. Another thing how can a guy write a female part so well?</div>
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Riley was a 14 yr old expecting to have the best summer ever.
She loved video games and playing online with others. She does all the things a
typical teen does. I loved the video element because I have a 14yr old son and
I knew all the games and the slang they were using. Yep, I am well versed in
gaming language LOL! When one night her life changed forever and she was thrown
into a town and a life with her dad that she hadn’t seen in years. Her dad was
somewhat of an end of the word prepper. Riley handles everything that is thrown
at her like a trooper and after it all lands on her feet a very well adjusted teenager.
We find out things are not always as they seem. I hate to give away too much because
you will love this book. The ending is quite the surprise and not at all what
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I can’t brag on this book enough and the great job Cox did.
I’m looking forward to seeing more from him. Check this book out you won’t be disappointed!!</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">5 Stars!!!</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Born in a little town known as South Amboy NJ in 1973, Matthew has been creating science fiction and fantasy worlds for most of his reasoning life. Somewhere between fifteen to eighteen of them spent developing </span><span class="il" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">the</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> </span><span class="il" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">world</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> in which Division Zero, Virtual Immortality, and </span><span class="il" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">The</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> Awakened Series take place. He has several other projects in </span><span class="il" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">the</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> works as well as a collaborative science fiction endeavor with author Tony Healey.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Hobbies and Interests:</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Matthew is an avid gamer, a recovered WoW addict, Gamemaster for two custom systems (Chronicles of Eldrinaath [Fantasy] and Divergent Fates [Sci Fi], and a fan of anime, British humour (<- deliberate), and intellectual science fiction that questions </span><span class="il" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">the</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> nature of reality, life, and what happens after it.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">He is also fond of cats.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Author links:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.matthewcoxbooks.com/wordpress/" target="_blank">BLOG</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7712730.Matthew_S_Cox" target="_blank">GOODREADS</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MatthewSCoxAuthor" target="_blank">FACEBOOK</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/mscox_fiction" target="_blank">TWITTER</a></span></div>
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