Thursday, May 29, 2014

The End of You and Me


The End of You and Me


Book Blurb:

Sixteen-year old Kate can't live without London. Their friendship is intense to the point of obsession. Nothing else matters: not dating, college applications, or her military father’s disapproval. When beautiful red-haired Anastasia sweeps into town and becomes fast friends with the pair, life changes forever. Suddenly Kate's quiet world is threatened.

What makes an honor-student like Kate snap? Is it a redhead armed with seduction and lies? And how far will either of them go to get what they want?



Excerpt:


London and I had this kind of closeness that made other people uncomfortable. Everything about London felt like home to me – his wavy dark brown hair, the smell of his skin, the way he breathed when he fell asleep. We were so close, we could practically read each other’s minds.
Sometimes it was complicated, having a guy for a best friend.  Assumptions were made. Dating was virtually impossible. But it almost didn’t matter. The guys I liked never saw the real me. They just saw the bit and pieces: my straight brown hair, brown eyes, the way my legs looked when I strode down the hallway. London knew me. He was the only person who really did. Why would I ever want to ruin that?

Amazon link:

Website link:

Wendimlee.blogspot.com



Author Bio:


Wendi M. Lee wanted to be a writer ever since she was seven years old. Before that, she wanted to be an Ewok, an astronaut, and a kitten-tamer. She has a MFA in Fiction from Sarah Lawrence. She currently lives in Pittsburgh, where she carries at least two books and a writing notebook with her at all times.



Goodreads:


Blog/Website:

wendimlee.blogspot.com

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Against the Darkness Blurb Blitz Tour


Against the Darkness
by A.M. Griffin

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:
(book intended for 15+)

Seventeen year old Sinta Allen has one objective, to get from Tallahassee, Florida to her mother in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Seems simple enough right? Wrong. Hostile aliens have invaded Earth—and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that we’re losing the fight. While the aliens bring devastation and destruction and take people away to God knows where in their spaceships, Sinta, along with some of her classmates must rely on their survival instincts, a little luck and each other if they want to survive the venture across the country. The last thing she needs is for Wade, her school friend and Jason, her rescuer, to distract her along the way.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Excerpt Three:
He snaps his fingers, bringing my attention back to his face.

He mouths something that I can’t make out. I shake my head.

He creeps closer. I notice a few other things about him. Like the gun that he’s holding in one hand and some kind of knife in the other.

My eyes widen in understanding.

He’s here to save us.

I peer to my right and left. No one else is paying attention to him. I turn back to him.

“Where are they?” he mouths again.

I nod toward the cabin where Ms. Burgess is screaming.

“How many?” he mouths.

“Three,” I mouth back to him.

He nods and goes back into the woods.

No, I want to yell. Come back, don’t leave us here.

I’m about to do just that when he returns with another man, this one older, but similar looking. They creep closer to us, their eyes scanning everything around them. As they come closer I see the rifles strapped across their backs, the guns in shoulder holsters, the knives strapped around their legs and pistols in their hands. I want to cry.

If anybody can save us from the Tanners it’s them.

The tickle of a tear is on my cheek. I use a shoulder to wipe it away.

I don’t say a word as the younger one crouches behind me and uses his knife to cut through the ropes that bind my wrists. The other man goes behind MJ to do the same. I see him whispering something to MJ and MJ nodding in response. Once my hands are free, he moves down to my ankles and begins to saw away at the ropes there.

He glances up to me, his eyes focused squarely on mine. I have a hard time looking away and I think that’s his intention. “What’s your name?”

Instead of my name a cry escapes my lips.

“It’s going to be okay,” he says, still sawing away at the ropes. He takes a quick peek to his right, where the other man is working to free MJ’s feet. “My name is Jason, but all my fraternity brothers call me JC.” He attempts a smile. “You can call me JC.”

“I…I’m not your frat brother,” I say, in a stutter, as confusion clouds my mind. “I’m a girl.”

Why did I point that out?

“Really? I hadn’t noticed.”

“Huh?” I’m as confused as ever.

With my feet free, he crawls quickly up to my side.

“Are you still with me? You look like you’re about to freak out and bolt.”

I nod. Yes I’m okay and yes, I’m going to run.

“Stay with me sweetheart,” he says, in a rush. “I’m going to give you this knife and you’re going to free the other girls. After they’re free, I want you to take them where you first saw me, okay? Behind those trees are some backpacks, you wait there for us. Do you hear me?”

Yes.

“Answer me. Do you understand what I want you to do?”

“But what if you don’t make it. They can kill you,” I whisper. I can’t cover up the fear that is smothering me.

The smile he gives me this time is genuine, not at all forced, and all I notice are the deep dimples in his cheeks. “We got this.”


And for some reason I believe him. “Okay.”


~~~~~~~~~~~~~



AUTHOR Bio and Links:

A. M. Griffin is a wife who rarely cooks, mother of three, dog owner (and sometimes dog owned), a daughter, sister, aunt and friend. She’s a hard worker whose two favorite outlets are reading and writing. She enjoys reading everything from mystery novels to historical romances and of course fantasy romance. She is a believer in the unbelievable, open to all possibilities from mermaids in our oceans and seas, angels in the skies and intelligent life forms in distant galaxies.

Now available from Ellora’s Cave:

https://www.ellorascave.com/index.php/authors/index/author/slug/a.m.-griffin/

You can find out what else I’m working on by visiting my website:

http://www.amgriffinbooks.com/

Like my FaceBook page for exclusive news and free books and swag giveaways!

http://www.facebook.com/amgriffinbooks

Follow me on Twitter!

https://twitter.com/AMGriffinbooks

 The author will be awarding a t-shirt, a wire bookmark, and a $20 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

Follow the tour and comment for more chances to win!


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Friday, May 16, 2014

The A-Word Tour



Jenna Samuels and her guardian angel brother battle heavenly head-honchos and earthbound bullies in this Texas-set hilarious follow up to The Sweet Dead Life. 

It's been almost a year since Jenna Samuel’s stoner brother, Casey, bit the dust and returned as her guardian angel. A year since Casey and his “angel boss,” Amber Velasco, saved Jenna’s life and helped her foil the bad guys—more or less. A year in which Jenna has solved the true mystery of the universe: how to get one Ryan Sloboda to ask her out. 

Jenna’s feeling mighty cheery about life and love. But Casey, whose doomed relationship with Lanie Phelps (who has no idea her boyfriend is, well, dead) isn’t doing much to distract him, has his own big question: Why is he still hanging around? 

Bo Shivers, a heavenly head honcho Jenna and Casey didn't even know existed, might have the answer.  Bo knows something big is coming. Something that might just change everything for Jenna Samuels, who once again finds herself up to her non-winged shoulders in heavenly secrets of global proportions—just as she’s finally found the perfect Homecoming Dance dress.

Amazon


Review:

Jenna Samuels has indeed had a very interesting year. She was poisoned, her brother is dead and returned to her as a guardian angel and her father is off in la la land in Austin. Her Mom is still half out of it after being drugged with memory loss drugs and her love life is just picking up. 

Life with a window into A-world is not as peachy as you'd think it would be. Jenna has some hard life issues to look at, starting with who killed Amber, her brother's angel boss. We meet Bo Shivers (I love that name!) and learn a whole new side to the angel game. Not everything is as cut and dried as people think. There are shades of gray with rules that are sometimes not exactly clear for angels and humans alike.

Jenna teams up with her new boyfriend Ryan and her best friend to puzzle out yet another mystery, landing herself in deeper trouble than ever before. The child Jenna is beginning to grow into a young woman, if she makes it out alive. This book is choc full of Southern fried Texas sass, kolaches, eternal questions and some very zip-tastic one liners that had me snickering into my coffee. 

5/5 Fun, humorous and fit for teens of all ages. This book is a keeper and I can't wait for more!




Joy Preble is the author of the popular and highly acclaimed Dreaming Anastasia series as well as The Sweet Dead Life, the prequel to The A-Word. A former English teacher, Joy grew up in Chicago and is a graduate of Northwestern University. She is now a full-time writer and lives with her family in Texas, where she has learned to say "y'all" without any hint of irony.





Monday, May 5, 2014

Krissy Bells: Fag Book Blast


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Krissy will be awarding a $10 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn winner via the Rafflecopter at the end of this post. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour. Remember, the more stops you visit, the more chances you earn to win.


Aaron Garrett is many things in life: he is a son, a friend, a student, and caring boyfriend to his lovely girlfriend Leigh Ann. In these roles, he is kind, hardworking, smart, loving, dedicated, and considerate. At Jefferson High School, he is a leader, a football star, and well-respected by his peers. Aaron’s life is perfectly on track, he is pursuing a college scholarship and hopeful for the future, except for just one thing: Aaron Garrett is gay. When a former child star from Aaron’s small Southern town saturates the national media after making homophobic comments, Aaron’s life is turned upside down as supporters rally around the sentiments. Social media attention begins to swell nationally and locally until it begins to eat away at every part of Aaron’s existence.

Enjoy an excerpt:

The news show began airing the same video interview that had been playing on every news station all weekend long. Jonathon Jenkins was an aged, shorter-than-average former child star with beady eyes and a sleazy goatee. “Homosexual activity is what is wrong with this society, period. Homosexuals, drunkards, sinners—they are tearing us away from the Lord. I am not scared to say that this liberal doctrine toward gays is what is tearing at our society’s moral fiber, and I for one won’t stand for it. It starts with the gays and homos, and then it just goes on from there—beastiality, child predators. It’s all the same. It is absolutely sick that these individuals act like it’s natural for these homosexual relationships to even exist, let alone that they should be allowed to marry or form any union under our government. Just the thought of these despicable sinners—well, it just makes me physically ill. When they all burn in hell, I won’t cry over it.”

“Did you hear about this?” Sherry asked her son. “You know he’s from here.”

“Yeah, it’s been on the news all weekend. You couldn’t really miss it. And he lived here when he was like seven, Mom.”

Aaron noticed the story a couple nights ago when his Facebook feed exploded with comments regarding Jenkins’s statement. While a few responses trickled in to rebut the words of the former Kids in Charge actor, the majority were posts supporting his moral stand.



Krissy Bells was born and raised in the Detroit metro area. A former school secretary, she now spends her days as a stay-at-home mom. She is passionate about her family and friends, her Dachshund named Harry, and anything topped with cheese or chocolate. Krissy can be contacted at authorkrissybells@gmail.com. Thank you for reading!

Goodreads - Authorpage:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7905172.Krissy_Bells

Amazon - Author Page:
http://www.amazon.com/Krissy-Bells/e/B00IPS6FWQ/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1395853053&sr=8-1

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/krissy.bells.5
Enter to win!

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Horse of Wind and Shadow



Five Fast Facts about L.B. Shire and her writing schedule...
1. I write everyday, no matter what horrible mash of words come out. Those can be deleted later.
2. I love to mix and match genres...As in Horse of Wind and Shadows, it has romance, horses, zombies, and an apocalyptic setting!
3. I write from a laptop, on the couch and have the television on. I need the background noise to concentrate!
4. Most of my book ideas popped into my mind while on my lengthy drive to work. It provides lots of thinking and plotting time.
5. My advice to beginning authors...same as what others have said. You have to write. Get those words that haunt you on paper, and go from there!


Book Blurb:
Evil lurks in the waters off the Oregon coast. A lone girl, a magnificent horse, zombies... Can hope prevail with each hoof beat in the sand? 


All Taryn wanted was to have a horse again.
When she spotted the black steed running through the ocean waves, she knew there must be a way to capture the feral horse. Her best friend, Flyn, said it wasn't possible. Not one to turn away from a challenge, will she risk friendships and love to make her dream come true? 


Flyn has been Taryn's self-proclaimed protector since they were kids. Thrust into a world of unpredictability, he tries his best to keep the strong-willed girl out of trouble. Taryn stumbles upon a horse and decides she wants to make it her own against his growing concerns. Will he be able to keep Taryn safe, or will she be lost to him forever?

Excerpt:

Flyn, her protector and companion. It started from the moment he moved next door to her parent's house. Like her, he was a single child, left to his own devices much of the time.
They'd become fast friends who played together, shared countless secrets, pulled numerous pranks. And now, they'd survived together, when others hadn't.
"I can't believe there's a horse near here. I can't wait to see it again." Taryn grasped his shoulder and squeezed. "This is so unbelievable." She bounced on the bed next to him.
"You and those high maintenance hay burners." He threw his hands in the air and gave her a pointed look. "You can't have a horse, Taryn. Where do you plan keep it, anyhow? People in the compound would serve it up for dinner. Peter would be first in line with his knife and fork."
Taryn cringed at Flyn's words. Peter, the current leader inside the sanctuary, was also her arch enemy Vanessa's father. "Hey now, I can't help it." A pressure built in her chest as her lips formed a pout. His grim words threatened to take the wind out of her sails.
"The stallion is beautiful, powerful. Free..." She stared off in the distance. "Maybe that's why it calls to me. It represents what we don't have and haven't experienced in a very long time." Her emotions betrayed her and a tear escaped down her cheek before her fingers could erase it. It seemed a lifetime ago she'd even seen one of her beloved equines.
"Hey now, don't cry." Flyn gathered her into his arms. Her head rested beneath his chin. His scent was familiar and calming to her senses.
She pondered how he'd changed this past year they'd lived inside the refuge. He's grown into a man. The smattering of facial hair across his jawline proved it. A very handsome man at that. She sighed. He'd be seventeen this year.
"You know I hate to cry. It's a useless waste of energy."
"But it makes you feel better," Flyn said, brushing his finger across her cheek, wiping away the evidence.
"Do you remember the things we used to dream about doing? I'd have my license and could work now. Be able to save money for college. I sometimes wonder if I'll ever be able to go to school and become a veterinarian. I hate this life...fearing if the only thing I have to hope for is to dodge zombies in order to make it through another day." Taryn quieted. The bleak outlook she'd spoken of darkened her mood. If I can catch this horse, life will be more tolerable.
"Don't feel bad. I have the same worries. In my mind, I try to come up with ways to make our current situation better. There must be a way to get through this, find our families, and feel safe again." Flyn looked her in the eye.
"I hope you're right," she said.
Right now, they endured and existed. Food, health, and a ray of sunshine. They considered the simple things in life precious gifts to hold tight to their hearts.
"From now on, when we leave the compound, I'm not letting you out of my sight. Understood? It'll be over my dead body one of those zombies gets a chance to infect you." He pulled her from his chest and clutched her upper arms. Tension radiated through his fingertips and zinged across her skin.

"You know I'm able to take care of myself. I've learned how to stay alive. I don't need you babysitting me every second of the day." Her words sounded strong and sure to her own ears. Too bad little nags of doubt crowded her mind. She brushed them away. If I want to capture this horse, I need to be strong.

Links:







Author Bio: L.B.Shire

L.B. Shire has been writing stories for as long as she can remember. A lover of most all genres, her favorites include: Western Romance, YA, Paranormal and Shifter stories, to name a few!
When not writing or researching, L.B. enjoys spending time with family, riding one of her horses, and, of course, reading anything that is set before her! She currently resides on the West Coast in a sleepy little mountain town. There, in the midst of all that beauty, she plans her characters' next adventures.