Sunday, June 19, 2016

This is What Goodbye Looks Like by Olivia Rivers


This is What Goodbye Looks Like
Olivia Rivers
Publication date: June 17th 2016
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Lea Holder watched a boy die in the same DUI accident that ruined Lea’s legs and threw her little sister into a coma. As the only eye-witness to the accident, if she tells the truth in court, the drunk driver will go to prison and the dead boy’s family will have justice.
But Lea lies.
If she had told the truth, Lea would have put her own mom in prison for causing the accident. With the trial over and her mom set free, Lea attempts to rebuild her shattered life as she waits for her little sister to wake from her coma.
When Lea transfers schools, she finds herself in the same senior class as Seth Ashbury, the brother of the boy her mom killed. As Lea gets to know the person buried underneath Seth’s grief, she quickly falls for his quick wit and passionate soul. But Seth remains completely oblivious that Lea is the same girl who robbed his family of justice.
As their relationship deepens, Lea finally gets a taste of the love that’s been missing from her life since the accident. But soon she’s faced with a choice: she can continue her lies and accept the comfort it gives them both. Or she can tell Seth the truth about everything, and risk destroying both her family and her newfound love.
EXCERPT:
Every reasonable thought in my head disappears at the sound of his voice. It’s slightly different now—deep and strong, instead of choked with grief and dread. But the smooth tone is mostly the same as I remember it, and my gut twists painfully as a new set of footsteps approaches.
A sharp noise breaks through the sudden quiet, and I flinch, thinking for a split second that it’s the sound of tearing metal. But then I realize it’s the bark of a dog, and I squeeze my eyes shut.
I can’t do this. I have to do this, but I can’t do this.
“Seth!” Brie calls out. “Dude, you’re totally late. Again.”
He makes a low, disbelieving noise, something between a scoff and a chuckle. Now he sounds even closer. I take a deep breath and clench my hand tighter around my cane. If I don’t turn around and greet him, it’ll be obvious that I have an issue with him, but I can’t get my body to move.
“I’m fashionably late,” Seth tells Brie. “There’s a difference.”
“Yeah, there is,” Hannah says. “One is on time, and one isn’t. And only one is annoying, too.”
“Agreed,” he says. “You punctual people get so irritating.”
Hannah tosses a curse at him, but laughs to soften the impact. Then the footsteps stop, and something cold and wet nudges my wrist, right where my mitten ends. At first, I think someone’s pressing snow there, but then I feel a warm tongue lick the same spot.
I jerk back just as I hear Seth say, “Koda! You know I can hear that, you bad girl. No licking.” Then he says to the others, “Who’s she licking? She never does that to you guys.”
“That’s Lea,” Brie says. “She’s the new senior we got. Lea, this is Seth Ashbury. Seth, this is Lea Holder.”
My heart pounds a million beats per minute, and the adrenaline makes me strong enough to peel my eyes open. Looking down, I find myself staring right at Seth’s seeing eye dog. She looks just like she did at the trial, a regal German Shepherd mix with a glossy coat and wagging tail.
The dog nudges at me again with her nose, clearly expecting me to pet her. But instead I focus on the light-weight vest strapped to her back, letting my eyes follow the slim handle attached to it until I find myself staring at the guy gripping it.
Seth Ashbury stands right there, right in front of me. He also looks the same as he did during the trial—tall with lithe muscle, shaggy blond hair, and tan skin. He’s the spitting image of his older brother, right down to the sharp jawline and the way one side of his mouth lifts slightly higher than the other as he smiles.
A slim pair of sunglasses hides his blind eyes, but I’m betting they’re the same color as his brother’s. Parker’s eyes were shockingly blue, like a tropical sea, and their bright color contrasted sickeningly against the blood that dripped down his forehead after the accident.
I’m frozen. Maddie and Hannah giggle, probably thinking I’ve been stunned by Seth’s good looks. I’m sure any normal girl would consider him gorgeous, but I haven’t been normal in months, and nothing about Seth is beautiful to me. He’s just a reminder of crunching metal and squealing tires and my sister’s scream, her scream that seemed to echo and never, never, never end…
“Hey,” Seth says, holding out a hand in my general direction. “Nice to meet you.”
This is the part where I need to slap on a smile, recover from my brief awkwardness, and let myself go into robot mode. Shut down my emotions, boot up automatic functions. I reach my hand forward a little, and for a single moment, I think I’m going to pull this off.
But then I notice the slim chain around his neck, the one that has a small, silver medallion dangling from the end. The same medallion his brother was wearing when he died just feet away from me.
My gut twists, and my hand falls away, and I vomit all over his shoes.


Author Bio:
Olivia Rivers is a hybrid author of Young Adult fiction. Her works include the independently published novels “This is What Goodbye Looks Like” and “In the Hope of Memories,” along with the traditionally published novel “Tone Deaf” (Skyhorse 2016.) As a certified geek, she enjoys experimenting with new publishing technologies, and her online serials have received over 1,000,000 hits on Wattpad.com. When Olivia isn’t working as a writer, she’s a typical teen attending college in Northern California. Olivia is represented by Laurie McLean of Fuse Literary, and nothing thrills her more than hearing from readers.

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Friday, June 10, 2016

Tuesday YA Cover Reveal & New Release ~ Suzannah Daniels & Heather Sutherlin


Shaman’s Curse
Suzannah Daniels
(Vampire’s Bane #2)
Publication date: June 2016
Genres: Dystopian, Paranormal, Young Adult
Maylin Kavanagh is on a mission.
After escaping the Warwick Vampires, she’s sworn that the only thing that can stand between her and reaching St. Louis for the next phase of The Program is death itself.
Determined to discover her purpose, her allegiance is with the human race. But the humans aren’t the only ones who want her.
Creed’s people claim that she’s the key to their prophecy and the cure for their curse. So why did he try to kill her?
And if that weren’t enough to ponder, she fears the vampires will hunt her—not for her blood, but for revenge.
As Maylin tries to find her place in a world filled with the supernatural, she realizes it’s not always easy to recognize the lies from the truth, the friends from the enemies. And maybe the hardest thing of all is being able to reconcile her head with her heart.
But it’s a fight for survival, and Maylin intends to win.
SHAMAN'S CURSE SUZANNAH DANIELS FULL JACKET FOR SHARING
Sequel to:
23499821

Author Bio:
Suzannah Daniels has had an affinity for words for as long as she can remember. She grew up in North Georgia with four brothers, so she learned at an early age to admire snakes and motorcycles. When she wasn't pestering her brothers, she could usually be found reading or writing.
She is the author of the Whiskey Nights series (new adult contemporary romance), the Dangerous Trilogy (young adult contemporary romance), Vampire's Bane (young adult paranormal), Ghostly Encounter (young adult paranormal romance), and Viking's Embrace (historical romance).
Currently, she lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee with her husband of twenty-nine years. Her children live nearby. The family pets include a Lab mix named Achilles, a Basset Hound named Annabelle, and a Shih Tzu named MooMoo.
Visit her website at www.SuzannahDaniels.com.

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Evening Shades by Heather Sutherlin
Soul Ties Series Book 2


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ABOUT THE BOOK

Life, and death, aren't always what they seem.
Archer and Hannah are determined to finish what they've started, but to do so they'll have to navigate the depths of his past. Forced to return to the Priory, the school where troupe members begin their training, they find more mystery than answers. It seems the dead hold their own secrets, and some are worth uncovering...even if it changes everything.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Heather Sutherlin lives in Arkansas with her husband and three children. She is the author of fantasy adventures for young adults. She loves all things creative and enjoys the worlds she dreams up, longing to live the adventure alongside her characters. When she’s not at her writing desk, she is busy exploring and learning with her children or cooking big, elaborate meals in the kitchen with her husband.
You can see more of Heather at her website, HeatherSutherlin.com

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A Familiar Darkness 




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Monday YA Cover Reveals & New Releases ~ J.P. Epperson, Rachel A. Marks, Jess Haines, & Rita Branches


Angelic Anarchy
Genre: Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy
Release Date: September 6th 2016

Summary:  


Heaven on Earth. Humans throw those words around, not fully understanding their meaning. They imagine a perfect world, free from pain and suffering. No doubt they probably dream a fairy tale world of unicorns and rainbows. Silly, those humans. Don’t they realize Heaven is already walking on Earth?

They get angels wrong too, telling tales to children to explain away the loss of a loved one. Spreading false hope that loved ones spread wings and become the watchful guardians and protectors of those they leave behind. We angels have never been human, nor will we ever be.
I am a warrior, a true weapon of God. My name is Belleeza. Mostly everyone knows me as The Terrible Beauty, a nickname I did not give myself. Both angels and demons know me to be a ruthless, vindictive, cold-hearted killing machine--A blood lusting, pain giving, death-loving assassin of God. Is it true?--Well not entirely. Although I don’t try spread the word otherwise. I desire to be a loner. People and angels alike tend to steer away from that which they fear and that suits me just fine. The truth is…I’m just good at what I do.


About the Author

JP Epperson lives in Atlanta, Georgia. She is a lover of all things fantasy and paranormal. When not writing or sitting with her head in a book she enjoys spending time with your husband and two sons. JP is a lover of the outdoors and her second home is a tent in the woods curled up with a book next to a campfire.
Author Links:
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Cover Reveal Organized by:



Darkness Savage
Rachel A. Marks
(The Dark Cycle #3)
Published by: Skyscape
Publication date: October 13th 2016
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
The forces of Darkness have only gotten stronger as Aidan struggles to control his newly awakened abilities that seem to be his only hope for fixing the mess he made by waking up his little sister, Ava, who seems to think it’s all a game as she taunts him and begins a torturous game of cat and mouse. And while Rebecca isn’t sure where she fits in the fight, one thing she does know is that something has gone very wrong inside her. And uncovering what it is could upend any hope Aidan has to save the lives of everyone he’s grown to love.
Everything he’s built, everything he’s fought for until now, hangs in the balance—as well as the fate of the world. Now Aidan and the Lights he’s brought together must take their true place to fight the forces rising from the shadows at a startling rate, forces trying to tear them apart. But when Aidan can’t save the one thing he needs the most, he begins to wonder if he’ll have anything true left to hold on to in the end.
Previous books in the series:
25010747 25690185

Author Bio:
Rachel A. Marks is an award-winning author and professional artist, a SoCal girl, cancer survivor, a surfer and dirt-bike rider, chocolate lover and keeper of faerie secrets. She was voted: Most Likely to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse, but hopes she'll never have to test the theory. Her debut series The Dark Cycle, described as Dickens' Oliver Twist meets TV's Supernatural, is now out through Skyscape, beginning with DARKNESS BRUTAL.

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Smoke and Mirrors
Jess Haines
(Blackhollow Academy #1)
Publication date: May 1st 2016
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
A girl who uses her illusions to fool the world into thinking she’s just like all the other magi.
A dragon who sees through her lies.
Together they just might survive a world that wants to control or destroy them both.
Kimberly may wield ultimate cosmic power, but even a mage has to pay the rent. No one will hire her for her magic talents until she’s got the credentials, so she’s stuck in a crappy rent controlled apartment with her mother, yearning for treats she can’t afford at her part time job in a café, counting down the days until she graduates the secret Blackhollow Academy school for magi. Only then will she have the certificate she needs to land her dream job in a coven.
The problem? She needs a familiar to graduate.
As an illusionist, she doesn’t have the ability to summon or create a familiar of her own. Her only option is to convince a supernatural creature to let her bind it instead. Since having a powerful Other at her beck and call would guarantee her a place in a coven after she graduates—and legendary treasure hoards are an added bonus—she thinks binding a dragon as her familiar will solve all her problems…
Because sometimes a girl needs a dragon, not a knight.
EXCERPT:
Viper made a soft hissing sound of irritation between his teeth, pulling back from her. “Cormac has no vision. I know what I want and I’m prepared to offer anything to get it. You have but to ask.”
Well. There was one thing. Her cheeks flared crimson and she squirmed a bit before stuttering out another question, swallowing back her embarrassment.
“You keep a hoard like a dragon, right? I don’t suppose you would consider loaning me a little? I swear I’d pay it back.”
His head tipped to one side, and he looked her up and down anew. She suspected he was just noticing her frayed cuffs and cheap shoes. He’d been so intent on getting whatever it was he wanted out of her that he hadn’t paid attention to the package it came in until now. When she caught the very slight curl of his lip, there and gone in a flash, embarrassed heat filled her cheeks.
Feeling both dirty and humiliated, she ducked her head. “Never mind. I shouldn’t have asked. I’m sorry, I don’t think I can do this.”
“Come now, I’m sure it’s not that hard. All it takes is a yes.”
“No,” she said, this time with a bit more vehemence. Cormac was right. There was something off about Viper, and never mind what a perfect ass she’d just made of herself. Worst of all, that flash of disgust showed he obviously had no respect for her. At least Cormac never made her feel tolerated. “Thank you for the offer, but I’ll find some other way of getting what I need.”
He slowly rose to stand, heaving a sigh as he settled back on his heels.
“That’s unfortunate. This would have been much easier if you had agreed.”
Kimberly would have asked what he meant by that, but the look in his eyes froze her in place.
His eyes burned a molten gold as he spread his arms, which were expanding and shifting at an alarming rate. Faster than she might have thought possible, he was growing, his clothing melting and skin disappearing under a layer of metallic scales. Nearby, people were noticing, shouting and screaming in fear as they stampeded in every direction to escape the shapechanging Other in their midst.
When he ceased growing, from the tip of his nose to the end of his tail, he was over thirty feet long, with a wingspan half again that size.
Kimberly sat immobile, unable to so much as squeak in terror as the beast before her lurched back to arch its neck and spread its wings, barbed tail lashing as it growled at her. One thick, talon-tipped paw lashed out, flattening her on the grass and squeezing the air out of her lungs. It gave an awkward, one-legged hop forward to catch its balance before clenching its claws to dig deep furrows in the grass and close around her waist and legs, pinning her.
Then those wide, ribbed wings began to flap, the sun playing off the tones of brass and copper and gold. The ground fell away, people scattering before the airborne monster.
And Kimberly could do nothing but pray, staring up at this great beast that had her in its claws.
She’d gotten what she’d asked for. Now she would have to pay the price.


Author Bio:
I'm a displaced New Yorker with a penchant for the silly, the obscure, and the fantastical. Tampa, Florida is home for the time being. I'm currently working on the H&W Investigations urban fantasy series and the Blackhollow Academy young adult contemporary fantasy series. Find out more about my books, drop me a line, or join my mailing list at www.jesshaines.com!

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Tuesday, June 7, 2016

ASP of Ascension by B.R. Myers






ASP of Ascension
by 
B.R. Myers
Genre: YA
Release Date: July 21st 2015
Fierce Ink Press

Summary from Goodreads:


Nefertari “Terry” Hughes has three rules for surviving high school:
#1 Don’t attract attention.
#2 Don’t get involved.
#3 Don’t make trouble.

A year after the accident that left her crippled and took her mother’s life, sixteen-year-old Terry just wants to keep her head down and survive her new high school. When she catches the eye of cute basketball star Zach — who happens to be the boyfriend of mean girl Allison — all hopes of flying under the radar are gone.

She is thrust even further in the spotlight when Fraser, the editor of the school newspaper, learns Mr. Hughes is the renowned archaeologist overseeing the new Egyptian display at the museum, which is rumoured to include Cleopatra’s sarcophagus. Fraser’s research leads to the fifty-year-old mystery of a girl who vanished while on a school trip to to the museum along with an artifact that may be Cleopatra’s asp.

When Mr. Hughes falls into a coma and his co-worker claims it’s the curse of Cleopatra, the stakes become too high for Terry to ignore. Terry must work with Fraser and her new candy loving friend Maude to find out what happened fifty years ago in hopes of saving her father before time runs out.

Rated T - Teen 13 and up: May contain violence, crude humour, suggestive themes and/or strong language.


Q&A With BR Myers  

1.Did you base Maude Sanchez the III off of someone you know?  

No one specifically, but I think Maude is a combination of women in my life whose qualities I admire. Most notably her enthusiasm and sense of individuality with the confidence to stand out from the crowd.  

2.How come Zach plays Basketball instead of Football, because it seems that most high school jocks play football? 

That’s such an interesting distinction. I didn’t consciously choose which sport Zach should play, he just came to me as a basketball player. 

3. Which character in The Asp of Ascension do you find the most relatable?  

Oh! What a great question. I hope most of the characters are relatable to the reader on some level or at least interesting, whether it’s Terry desire to be invisible, Zach’s pretence to hide his disability or Maude’s strategy to deal with bullying. Each have their own struggle that they try to keep private—except for Fraser. He seems totally together, doesn’t he? He was a lot of fun to write.

4. Why did you choose to write a mystery about Egypt while still writing about someone who’s struggling to fit in at High School?  

I grew up reading my older brother’s comic books and my favourite stories were how the underdog stumbled upon powers and became a hero ... or a villain. As I wrote Asp of Ascension, I played on that theme. For me, story ideas come in the form of a scene I can’t stop thinking about. I kept imagining the burglary scene in the museum, which I composed as a prologue then edited out and eventually threaded into the last part of the book. Terry’s past and the role of the asp developed as I wrote.  

5. What made you choose Terry’s leg to be affected by the explosion in the cave as opposed to any other part of her body?  

That was how I saw her—a girl with a limp who was trying to hide under her sweatshirt hoodie. Terrywas grieving with many levels of loss; her mother, her mobility, and her identity.   

6. Why did you choose to have Terry’s life mirror Cleopatra’s as opposed to any other Egyptian monarch?  

Cleopatra remains one of the most iconic figures in ancient history, her very name brings forth images of splendour and conspiracy. During her height of power she ruled over more land and had more wealth than any modern day leader. Naturally, she was the first figure I thought of and as I researched her life there was so much incredible material to draw from.  

7. What were the steps you took to plan and then write out your mystery?

Once I decided to turn Asp of Ascension into a full length novel, I outlined the story with the help of Blake Synder’s beat sheet. This gave me a basic road map of where the story was going. However, as I wrote, the characters sometimes took the story line in another direction. So even though I knew how I wanted the story to end the plot did take a few detours.  

8. How do you come up with the basics of a mystery? 

A mystery follows the same guidelines as outlining any story, except that you have to drop subtle hints for the reader so they can play detective along with the main character.   

9. Do you ever regret anything you write that actually gets published?

I’m sure I’ll look back and wish I had changed some sentences or fixed a few phrases, but I think regret is a waste of energy. As a writer I realize my craft will improve and that means not everything will be as perfect as I thought it once was.   

10. Is there going to be any sequels coming out any time soon? 

Diadem of Death will be released this July!  



About the Author

I write YA, appreciate a design in my cappuccino, love shopping for vintage jewelry and dream in color. Coming from Nimbus Publishing, my contemporary coming of age novels, BUTTERFLIES DON'T LIE (SEPTEMBER 15,2014) and GIRL ON THE RUNJUST JESSE (Fall 2015). from Fierce Ink Press, ASP OF ASCENSION (July 2015).

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