The Weeping Paperback Cover Reveal

Twenty years ago, Catherine Whitley was the victim of a horrible crime. Betrayed by her friends, including the boy she loved, she was left to die when the Rock Harbor Opera House caught fire, taking a disturbing secret with her to her grave.


Seventeen-year-old Heath Ingram was driving the night his Jeep careened off the road, killing three of his closest friends. Once a popular, outgoing athlete, Heath now suffers from severe depression and crippling anxiety. His parents decide to send him to stay with his uncle in Rock Harbor, Oregon for the summer, praying that by getting away he will be able to put this awful tragedy behind him.


When Heath starts working at the newly renovated Rock Harbor Opera House, he meets Molly, a young dancer who awakens in him a desire to start over and move on. But, when he begins having visions of a half-burned girl in a white dress, he starts to think he may be slipping even further over the edge. 


As the apparent hauntings become more intense, Heath begins to fear for his safety. With the help of his friend Josie, Heath discovers an unsettling secret that ties the mysterious girl to both their families. When two of their friends die unexpectedly, Josie and Heath realize that something, or someone, is after the children of those who wronged Catherine, and they are next.


http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13177213-the-weeping

This is one summer read that you won't want to miss! And only $2.99 in e-book! Check it out today!

Dead Reckoning Blog Tour

Jett is a girl disguised as a boy, living as a gambler in the old West as she searches for her long-lost brother. Honoria Gibbons is a smart, self-sufficient young woman who also happens to be a fabulous inventor. Both young women travel the prairie alone – until they are brought together by a zombie invasion! As Jett and Honoria investigate, they soon learn that these zombies aren’t rising from the dead of their own accord … but who would want an undead army? And why? This gunslinging, hair-raising, zombie western mashup is perfect for fans of Cowboys vs. Aliens and Pride & Prejudice & Zombies.


Goodreads


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This book is perfect for anyone who loves zombies and westerns. An original take on a genre that has had many great authors, this book has adventure and some nice zombie hordes running amok. 

Now for an interview with these two amazing authors!

Rosemary Edghill: Hi, Dana, and thanks for having me (and my lovely and talented co-author) as your guests. 

Q: How did you decide to combine zombies and a western?

Rosemary Edghill: It was totally a case of "what's the most improbable thing that can go here?"  DEAD RECKONING is completely about improbability: the gunslinger is really a Southern Belle, the prim bluestocking is really a mad scientist….

Mercedes Lackey: Well, we wanted to do something different.  There's plenty of contemporary YA horror/monster/occult fiction out there, but not too much that's set in a historical period (though A Great and Terrible Beauty does spring to mind.  Rosemary and I both like westerns, and it's an interesting period, a time and place where things were unsettled in every sense of the word, so almost anything could happen, and a time when there just isn't the sort of fast information transfer and communications we are so used to, so it's absolutely right for something nasty to come out of the woodwork that the reader will recognize but the characters won't.  As for zombies, well, we wanted to focus on Jett, Gibbons and White Fox, so we picked antagonists who are quite literally mindless.  And yet, at the end, you can feel sorry for them.

Q: What are some of your favorite zombie books and films?

RE: I like the classic Romero stuff; in books, I like the nonfiction things like ZOMBIE:CSU

ML: Oddly I am not a big zombie fan.  I do like the very cheesy Bela Lugosi White Zombie, and I'm a fan of Sean of the Dead.

Q: The main character has tried to maintain that she is a boy at the beginning of the book. What inspired your story line?

ML: History.  There was a lot of that going around in the mid-late 1800s, far more than most people realize.  If you weren't lucky enough to be in a family that was in a position to protect you, it was dangerous to be a girl, and triply dangerous to be alone and a girl.  And if you were in a family that was in a position to protect you, there were so many restrictions on your behavior that sometimes running off in boy-drag was the only way to keep your sanity.

RE: The whole idea of someone dressing as a member of the opposite sex is one of my big favorites, and it was more common in real life history than you'd think.  Basically, I wanted Jett to have all the cool fun of being a gunslinger, and I wanted her to be a girl, too.  Presto!

Q:When you are not behind the keyboard, what are some of your favorite things to do?

RE: ::laughs::  Sleep!  Also, one of my furkids is a licensed Therapy Dog, meaning I can take him into hospitals and nursing homes and schools and so on, so when I'm AFK, you'll find me on the end of a leash…

ML: Play my favorite MMORPG, City of Heroes, and work on outfits and painting my collection of resin Asian Ball Jointed Dolls.  I actually have two collections, my Secret World Chronicles superheroes (who get to wear contemporary clothing as well as spandex and armor) and my Elven Court, which has some adorable little anthros in it as well as elves.

Q: If the world were to suddenly go into a zombie apocalypse, what three things could you not live without?

RE: Well, one of them is the internet, so I see a big problem already.  But aside from the stuff needed to survive the zombie apocalypse and fight zombies (a long list right there!), I'd want my computer, my dogs, and a lifetime supply of Mtn Dew…

ML: A way of generating electricity, a clean water source, and a reliable food supply.  Terribly practical, I know.  Actually rather than taking over a mall, in the event of a zombie apocalypse, our plan is to take over the local WalMart warehouse.  It's actually got its own power supply, there are no windows, there are few doors and those are easily barricaded, and it has virtually everything you would need to survive, right there.  While everyone else will be looting the malls and stand-alone stores, we'll have more than enough to supply us.  Can you tell we've actually thought about this?

Q: What are some of your stranger writing habits?

RE: I, um, may have a special writing hat that I can't write unless I'm wearing…

ML: There's generally a parrot on the back of my chair or on my arm.  Or, occasionally, trying to cuddle into my neck.  And I can't write without my Ganesh doll, my gryphon "sea-opal" carving, my Companion Cube, my beckoning cat, and my Commie Unicorn on the desk.

7. What one thing would you tell a prospective writer?

ML: Don't talk about it, do it.  Write at least an hour a day, every day, no matter what.  Turn it into an addiction, one you feel bad about when you don't do it.

Q: Do you have a playlist for the book?

RE: Usually, I just take one song and put it on endless repeat (see: "strange writing habits") while I write.  I once wrote three books to Blue Oyster Cult's "Don't Fear The Reaper", and since this was pre iTunes in my world, I actually wore out four CDs.  For DEAD RECKONING, I actually rotated through several songs: Loreena McKennitt's "Night Ride Across The Caucasus", "Run Through The Jungle" by Creedence Clearwater Revival, and a number of classic Western movie themes: How The West Was Won, The Good The Bad And The Ugly, Hang 'Em High… and the theme from the original Wild Wild West, of course!

ML: Some classic western soundtracks.  The Cowboys, How The West Was Won, Dances With Wolves, that sort of thing.

Q: Do you outline or are you a panster?

RE: Outline all the way!  It's the only way to really make a collaboration work, if you ask me…

ML: The only way to do a collaboration like this is to outline, but I am an outliner all the way.  That said, if the book wants to deviate from the outline, I rewrite the outline.

Q:  What is your next writing project?

ML: The next Valdemar book, the next Secret World Chronicles book, the last Shadow Grail book, the last Elvenbane book.  I generally work on several projects at once, it keeps me from ever suffering from writer's block. 

Thanks ladies for the excellent interview!

Check out more titles from Bloomsbury.

New From Melissa Marr: Carnival of Souls

Transcendence by C. J. Omololu: A Summer Read Not To Miss

When a visit to the Tower of London triggers an overwhelmingly real vision of a beheading that occurred centuries before, Cole Ryan fears she is losing her mind. A mysterious boy, Griffon Hall, comes to her aid, but the intensity of their immediate connection seems to open the floodgate of memories even wider.


As their feelings grow, Griffon reveals their common bond as members of the Akhet—an elite group of people who can remember past lives and use their collected wisdom for the good of the world. But not all Akhet are altruistic, and a rogue is after Cole to avenge their shared past. Now in extreme danger, Cole must piece together clues from many lifetimes. What she finds could ruin her chance at a future with Griffon, but risking his love may be the only way to save them both.


Full of danger, romance, and intrigue, Transcendence breathes new life into a perpetually fascinating question: What would you do with another life to live?


Goodreads


Sounds like a great beach read!!

Hot Summer Reads: Tempest Rising and Tempest Unleashed

Tempest Maguire wants nothing more than to surf the killer waves near her California home; continue her steady relationship with her boyfriend, Mark; and take care of her brothers and surfer dad. But Tempest is half mermaid, and as her seventeenth birthday approaches, she will have to decide whether to remain on land or give herself to the ocean like her mother. The pull of the water becomes as insistent as her attraction to Kai, a gorgeous surfer whose uncanny abilities hint at an otherworldly identity as well. And when Tempest does finally give in to the water's temptation and enters a fantastical underwater world, she finds that a larger destiny awaits her-and that the entire ocean's future hangs in the balance.


Goodreads

Tempest Maguire is happy with her decision to embrace her mermaid nature and live among her mother’s clan within the ocean’s depths. Even though training to one day ascend the throne for the aging mermaid queen is rigorous, she finds refuge in the arms of Kona, the selkie who first opened her up to her mermaid side. But when word comes that one of her brothers has been gravely injured on land, Tempest immediately rushes to his side—which also brings her back to her old flame, Mark. And in her absence, a deadly battle begins raging at the hands of Tempest’s old nemesis, the sea witch Tiamat. As the dangerous war erupts, Tempest’s two loves—Kona and Mark, sea and land—will collide for the first time, both to protect her and to force her to choose.


Goodreads

Mermaid stories are what summer is all about! These two books are in my digital to be read pile and look like lots of fun!

I hope you are all having a wonderful summer! Leave me a comment and tell me what you are reading...

Archon by Sabrina Benulis: The Interview

Angela Mathers is plagued by visions of angels, supernatural creatures who haunt her thoughts by day and seduce her dreams by night. Newly released from a mental institution where she was locked away for two years, she hopes that her time at the Vatican’s university, the West Wood Academy, will give her a chance at a normal life. Unlike ordinary humans, Angela is a blood head — a freak, a monster, the possible fulfillment of a terrifying prophecy of overwhelming death and destruction. Only in Luz, the Vatican’s wondrous enclave, are blood heads accepted and encouraged to discover what kind of powers or special abilities they might possess.


But within West Wood, a secret coven plots, and demons and angels roam the streets searching for the key to open Raziel’s book — a secret tome from a lost archangel. Some are determined to destroy Raziel, while others, like the beautiful Supernal Israfel, one of the highest of the high, wish to free him. And when the Archon — the human chosen to possess the spirit of a dead angel — rises as foretold, they will control the supernatural universe.


Torn between mortal love and angelic obsession, Angela holds the key to Heaven and Hell — and both will stop at nothing to possess her.


Goodreads

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

Archon takes everything I enjoy in a YA and crosses over into the murky politics of Heaven and Hell. It is a steady read that will have you turning the pages. Add in some pretty wicked witchery, spirits, demons and a prep school with a pretty interesting cast of characters and you have yourself one great novel. I asked the wonderful author if she would do an interview and she was very happy to share some information about herself and Archon.

What I liked:

The dynamics of Heaven and Hell in this book are really gray. Elements of witchery, angels gone amok and priests that have a lot to hide made this a page turner that you won't want to put down.

What I didn't:

The term "blood head" was odd. I get the gist of it, but wished there was another term that rolled off the tongue better, so to speak. I keep seeing trolls with redcaps and bloody wounds when I hear the phrase. 

Overall:

The plot was well formed, the characters compelling, dialogue believable, action non stop and I love that there will be more in the series. If you enjoy books about angels, teens with edgy attitudes, witchy characters with an agenda and boarding schools with lots of intrigue, you need to give this book a try.

4.5/5

Now for the interview!!!

1. What first interested you in the politics between Heaven and Hell?

When I first thought about the version of Heaven and Hell that I wanted to create, I envisioned these realms not in a spiritual sense, but more with the idea that Heaven and Hell were other worlds with creatures and beings calling them home much like we call Earth home.  It then followed that angels and demons would have their own culture, and since they were advanced beings, their own kind of government and "political system."  The idea of the Devil's failed war against Heaven also being a revolt against a decadent regime instantly followed.  I knew this would also be a story that had a very intense past influencing a very dramatic present, and so it followed that the political drama that makes up the history of our three great angels Israfel, Lucifel, and Raziel would be as important as the supernatural side of things.

2. What is it that inspired you to write about "blood heads" and the idea that an angel can be killed and brought to life again within a human being?

In Archon the term "blood heads" is a derogatory name for people with red hair.  They are called "blood heads" because at least one of them will be the prophesied Ruin of humanity, making their destiny a "bloody" one.  Thus, the red hair is seen as symbolic of the Archon's dark future.  My creative reasoning behind this actually had to do with witches.  In the past, red hair was sometimes seen as the mark of a witch or someone with supernatural powers.  In Archon, all blood heads are suspected of being the prophesied dark messiah, especially those with said supernatural powers.  To me, it all just interconnected seamlessly.

    The idea of an angel being killed and brought back within a human host had a lot to do with how I wanted to portray angels and demons in the novel.  In the world of Archon angels are superior beings and immortal, but they can be killed.  It this followed that they would have a soul that could possibly possess a host or even reincarnate, much like a human ghost or spirit.  Tha "afterlife" for angels and demons is hinted at very subtly in the novel, but explored much more in the later installments of the trilogy.  To explain any more would involve major spoilers!

3. Do you write to music? Is there a playlist for your book that gets you in the right frame of mind?

I wouldn't say there's a definite playlist, but yes, I write a lot of scenes to music! Or, maybe I should say I listen to the music and then write the scene after that extra little bit of inspiration.  I listened to everything from Lady Gaga to the soundtracks to Pirates of the Caribbean and The Dark Knight while writing Archon.  The Dark Knight probably makes the most sense. lol

4. In your books, the Devil, commonly known as a man, is a woman. Can you tell us how you came to see Her in that light?

The Devil being a woman instead of a man just felt so right for the story.  I'll admit, I was so tired of how the Devil is portrayed in most books and movies that I really wanted to do something different, yet complimentary to tradition at the same time.  So part of the decision was just me trying to think outside of the box.  However, Lucifel (the name of the Devil in Archon) and Israfel were in many ways meant to be two sides of the same coin.  Much of Lucifel's masculine behavior and demeanor has to do with her jealousy of her angelic sibling.  Also, it felt right that as the Archon's number one rival for supremacy, she was a female who will battle another female on equal grounds.

5. Usually, the sides of good and evil are very black and white. In your book, they operate on multiple shades of gray and often the lines blur. Can you tell us how you came to create this world?

In this story, angels and demons are more like alien beings than they are embodiments of pure good or evil.  But to explain further, this is also a story demonstrating the  unsettling idea that good and evil can, in some cases, amount to a point of view.  For instance, in some cultures of the world a certain action might be considered terrible, while in another and for the same action, no one would bat an eyelash. I think this quality of the novel also emphasizes that realistically, no villain is 100 percent evil, just as no hero would be 100 percent good.  Every character has their own motivations, dreams, dark secrets, and hopes that move them in one direction or another, regardless of whether they are angels, demons, or humans.

6. The idea that the insane can see into the abyss and glimpse what we can not is an idea long put out there for discussion. Do you think that is true?

I think it is very true that "there is a fine line between genius and insanity."  Very often, people with fractured minds seem to see a world that perhaps is always in front of us, but which our conscious minds have learned to filter out.  If you are talking about the supernatural, I firmly believe that altered states of mind sometimes reveal "another side" to reality that is often off limits to human senses, and usually for very good reasons.

7. You use arcane magic and church mythology in an inspired way. How did you find them intertwined and what first made you think of merging them?

Theology and "magic" go hand in hand when you are talking about angels or demons.  Most of the "religious" inspiration for Archon was taken from what we might call the arcane face of Christianity, how it deals with the occult.  If you are taking an excorcism at face value, for example, you are dealing with a supernatural creature who is being commanded and manipulated by words (in that case by a priest).  It all seemed to come together so well for Archon, where you have a city like Luz dominated by the supernatural and an almost medieval atmosphere, where angels and demons are taken seriously and feared for the powers that they possess.  Most real life books about angels and demons speak about them quite convincingly, and I wanted that tone to permeate the novel. I hope that answers your question!

8. What are you working on now?

Right now, I am working on Book 2 in The Books of Raziel trilogy, as well as another YA project I have had on the backburner since publishing Archon.  Book 2 has the working title of Covenant and takes us from Luz and farther into the supernatural realms that make up the trilogy.  The main conflict of Book 2 centers a lot around the Archon's decision to become a force for that indefinable good or evil, and how that choice can be made in the face of a dark destiny that seems inescapable.  Whereas Book One has a dark atmosphere of foreboding, Book Two has a breathtaking beauty and solemnity to it and moments of great heroism and emotion.  Angela really comes into her own as both a heroine and a force to be reckoned with.

9. For any would be writers out there, what is one piece of advice you would give them to help them succeed?

To all would be writers, there is one key to this industry.  It is always good to have talent, and a great and original idea for your book, but no one will ever read it if you don't have persistence.  No matter how many rejections you receive (and believe me, every author and writer gets them at some point) you have to write and write and send out your work until you're blue in the face.  Do that, and you will achieve your dreams.  It all comes down to how much you want it.  Ask yourself about your writing, "If no one ever read my book/story, would I be happy?"  If the answer is "no" then don't stop.

10. What is one book that inspired you as a writer and why?

The number one book that inspired me as a writer was The Lord of the Rings.  No matter how cliche it sounds, it is not only one of the best trilogies ever written, but it is the perfect example of sucessfully creating a fantasy world that seems only a step away from reality. Its only downside is that it starts slowly--but let's face it, the rules of popular fiction were different decades ago.  Sometimes novels that require a little bit of patience turn out to be the most spectacular. :-)

Many thanks to Sabrina for taking the time for this interview!

Burn Mark Blog Tour: June 25th

Fires, fires burning bright in the forests of the night...join me on this exiting blog tour!

http://www.facebook.com/BloomsburyTeens

The Unquiet by Jeannine Garsee

Sixteen-year-old Rinn Jacobs has secrets: One, she’s bipolar. Two, she killed her grandmother. 


After a suicide attempt, and now her parents' separation, Rinn and her mom move from California to the rural Ohio town where her mother grew up. Back on her medications and hoping to stay well, Rinn settles into her new home, undaunted by the fact that the previous owner hanged herself in Rinn's bedroom. At school, her classmates believe the school pool is haunted by Annaliese, a girl who drowned there. But when a reckless séance goes awry, and terrible things start happening to her new friends—yet not to her—Rinn is determined to find out why she can’t be "touched" by Annaliese...or if Annaliese even exists. 


With the help of Nate Brenner, the hunky “farmer boy” she’s rapidly falling for, Rinn devises a dangerous plan to uncover the truth. Soon reality and fantasy meld into one, till Rinn finds it nearly impossible to tell the difference. When a malevolent force threatens the lives of everyone she cares about--not to mention her own--she can't help wondering: who should she really be afraid of?


Annaliese? Or herself?


Goodreads


 Netgalley is the blogger's best friend. There is no denying it. After seeing this book and some others by Bloomsbury (look for upcoming blog tours), I was completely hooked from the first page. Ghost stories are something that will usually grab me instantly and with the edgy character that Rinn has, I loved it immediately. 


Overall:


4.5/5


The way the author takes her work at a psychiatric hospital and gives Rinn some very real problems was something that made this book special. The ghost element combined with the enigma of mental illness was a compelling mystery that unfolded like a complex piece of origami. If you like ghost stories or are a fan of Ellen Hopkins and her edgy real life issues, this is a book you will enjoy. Look for it on bookstore shelves in July of 2012.

A Breath of Eyre by Eve Marie Mont

Emma Townsend has always believed in stories—the ones she reads voraciously, and the ones she creates in her head. Perhaps it’s because she feels like an outsider at her exclusive prep school, or because her stepmother doesn’t come close to filling the void left by her mother’s death. And her only romantic prospect—apart from a crush on her English teacher—is Gray Newman, a long-time friend who just adds to Emma’s confusion. But escape soon arrives in an old leather-bound copy of Jane Eyre…




Reading of Jane’s isolation sparks a deep sense of kinship. Then fate takes things a leap further when a lightning storm catapults Emma right into Jane’s body and her nineteenth-century world. As governess at Thornfield, Emma has a sense of belonging she’s never known—and an attraction to the brooding Mr. Rochester. Now, moving between her two realities and uncovering secrets in both, Emma must decide whether her destiny lies in the pages of Jane’s story, or in the unwritten chapters of her own…


Goodreads

When the publisher told me about this book, it sounded like one I would really enjoy. Jane Eyre was one of the books I loved from my school reading days. Who couldn't love the troubled Mr. Rochester and the governess who claimed him as her own, despite the odds?


This book was so much more than that, however. Take a modern girl who has grief issues from the death of her mother and the isolation of boarding school and cross it with the story of Jane Eyre and you have a tale that will keep you turning the pages.


Overall:


I loved this book for the characters, the voice and the energy in which it moved from scene to scene. Emma is a character that reaches out to all of us as she tries to deal with the isolation of being in a place where she does not belong. I am eagerly awaiting more from this author and I hope this series will continue!


5/5

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

At seven minutes past midnight, thirteen-year-old Conor wakes to find a monster outside his bedroom window. But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting — he’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments. 




The monster in his backyard is different. It’s ancient. And wild. And it wants something from Conor. Something terrible and dangerous. It wants the truth. 




From the final idea of award-winning author Siobhan Dowd — whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself — Patrick Ness has spun a haunting and darkly funny novel of mischief, loss, and monsters both real and imagined.


Goodreads

This book was brought to my attention by a wonderful friend who is always telling me great books to read. He did, in fact loan me his copy until mine arrived from the publisher for review. I had to struggle not to cry all over it. 


This book, at first glance, looks very much like a monster in the closet, creeping up the dark and hollow places kind of book. In some ways it is, but not like you think. 


First, there are monsters. Yes. Of course. What kind of story would it be without one? Patrick Ness has created a story that is a tribute to those dealing with bullying, grief and death. Heavy prospect. But this book does it and with a grace to its pages that left me breathless and openly sobbing as I turned the last page. I can't remember the last time a book did that for me. 


Without telling everything in the story (but oh, I really, really want to this time!) I can tell you that it is wonderful for anyone dealing with hardships in life. Grief, death, bullying, anger issues, discontent at home...you name it, it's in there, complete with some pretty amazing artwork to boot. 


And finally, the biggest monsters may not even be the ones in the closet, or staring in through the window...they may be in the darkest recesses of our soul.


Overall:
5/5

Social Punk Blog Tour and Giveaway!

Ima would give anything to escape The Dome and learn what’s beyond its barriers, but the Chicago government has kept all its citizens on lockdown ever since the Scorched Years left most of the world a desert wasteland. When a mysterious group of hooded figures enters the city unexpectedly, Ima uncovers a plot to destroy The Dome and is given the choice between escaping to a new, dangerous city or staying behind and fighting a battle she can never win.


Goodreads


I received this e-book from the author in conjunction with the blog tour. It is a great futuristic adventure!


What I Liked:


This book had a voice that grabbed you from the first page. "E" as Ima likes to be called, is a character you can identify with even as she is drawn from a world of terror at the hands of someone who is supposed to be protecting her, and lead into a world that is unlike anything she has ever known. (No spoilers here!)


What I Didn't:


Not a thing. 


Overall:


Social Punk is a foray into different forms of reality and is very much for an older teen audience, due to some sexual situations. They are handled well, however, and do not detract from the story in any way. If anything, they serve to give Ima greater depth. If you enjoyed The Hunger Games you should give this book, soon to be a trilogy, a try!


4/5


Here are some excerpts from the book:


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Excerpt #1: Prologue


After playing God for six years with the world he created, he couldn’t control any of his subjects, none at all. Over the years, he had watched them evolve and become the sum of their own choices rather than the sum of his; and for that, he regretted ever giving them life.


A small, blinking red light from just inside his eyelid reminded him of the news they sent him earlier that morning. The company had cancelled his funding and would shut down his project within three months. According to them, the project cost too much and took up too much space, and the inconclusive results couldn’t be published reputably, now or in the future.


Six years of his work, tens of thousands of lives at stake—and he could do nothing to save any of it. He bowed his head, letting his chin rest on the rim of his breakfast smoothie. The smoothie reeked of powder—crushed pills—but he supposed he had better get used to it. He wouldn’t be able to afford the luxury of real food after they canned him.


He closed his eyes and called up the camera view of one of his favorites, number 3281. She fascinated him; he couldn’t deny it. When he had designed her, her pre-teen rebelliousness lit fire in her eyes. A survivor, he’d thought. He’d meant for her to have it all—to grow up, to get married to the love of her life, and to have a beautiful family of her own someday.


But he had only given her sadness so far. Instead of creating a strict father, he had given her an abusive one. Instead of creating a loving boyfriend, he had given her a friend who could never love her. And instead of creating a strong, proud mother, he had given her a meek one, who watched the whole thing unfold and did nothing about it.


He looked at his last and final creation sitting in the chair across from him—his own son, not awakened yet. The law forbade him to have any children of his own, so this boy would substitute.


But he had done the unthinkable with this creation—he had bestowed on it his own thoughts, emotions, and decision-making processes. He’d given the boy his own mind, his own physical characteristics, his own wants and desires.


He had never done so with any of the others because of the dangers of investing too heavily in any one of his subjects. But who could he kid? He had not stayed objective thus far, watching some of his subjects more closely than others, wishing for the happiness of some at the expense of others. He had become an abomination, a monster of his own doing, who had created subjects only to watch them suffer.


He couldn’t forgive himself; not now, not ever. His eyes lingered on the vial that sat next to his breakfast smoothie, that he’d stowed away for the day when they destroyed all his work, his entire world. He would save it, tuck it away for now, for as long as he could protect them. When things spun out of his control, he would drink it and end himself the way he had ended them.


In the ancient stories, gods frequently gave their sons as gifts. Now, he would give his son as a gift to her, number 3281. So she could be happy in her last months on earth, before they destroyed her with the rest of them.


Excerpt #2: Food-related


Twelve cups of water sat on the table, four for each of them. Next to each cup sat a pill—yellow for fat, red for carbs, blue for protein, and green for vitamins.


Vaughn took the red pill, ripped it in half like a pack of sugar, and poured it into his cup. He set his cup into a contraption on the table and it whirled and hissed. When the machine finished, the cup had a pink, swirly liquid inside.


Nahum looked at the four cups in distaste.


“Not up to your standards?” Vaughn asked, shooting his drink. He swallowed the mixture in one large gulp. “I would get you something else, but we’re rebuilding our hash. We can’t afford real food, plus it’s bad for you anyway. Extremely difficult to maintain a balanced diet.”


“Synthetic food can’t cost that much,” Nahum countered. He grinned. “We had it in our little fake world, at least.”


Vaughn chuckled. “Synthetic food is even worse for you than real food. Shortens your life. We stopped eating that stuff at the turn of the century. It gave people long-term hyperactivity, which can kill you. LTH took out a lot of the population, kind of like cancer in your day, except a bigger deal because the population had dwindled so low already. Plus, people live indefinitely now.”


Nahum’s nose twitched as he laughed. “People don’t live indefinitely.”


But Vaughn looked genuinely surprised. “Of course we do. Have you seen anyone who looks over the age of twenty-five to you?”


“What does that mean, though?” Ima asked out of curiosity. “How could you live indefinitely? You may not look older, but you still age.”


Vaughn grinned. “Like I said before—there’s a lot you don’t understand about this world.”


Excerpt #3: Fashion-related


A woman with long purple eyelashes, who kind of reminded Ima of a butterfly, brushed by Ima with tattooed art entirely covering both her arms. One of the tattoos started out as a young boy who grew just a little older with each second, until he looked like a man. To Ima’s amazement, the tattoo played like a home video.


Ima looked at Vaughn for explanation. “How—?”


“Pixel skin-grafts,” Vaughn whispered into ima’s ear. “Some people do their entire bodies in them. Doesn’t do much in terms of protection, but lets you change your outfit on a Clout.”

Monica Leonelle is a well-known digital media strategist and the author of three novels. She blogs at Prose on Fire (http://proseonfire.com) and shares her writing and social media knowledge with other bloggers and authors through her Free Writer Toolkit (http://proseonfire.com/free-writer-toolkit).




And now for the contest! Only a few days left to enter!

Feature and Follow Friday

The question of the week is:

What was the best and worst book you have read in the last month?

Best: Pure by Julianna Baggott

I loved it for the YA cross-over and the dystopian themes.

The worst book I have been trying to get through in the last month but probably won't be able to finish is  Among Others by Jo Walton.

 I had high hopes for this book. Usually anything with witchery and fairies will have me thrilled and reading like a fiend. The format of this book is done in lots of diary entries with not very much point to it all. There are many mentions of excellent sci fi books which is good, but I am feeling like this book is a never ending misery fest that is just not going anywhere. I was bored and I hate being bored with a book I was excited about. (sighs sadly)

Thanks for joining me on the hop! Stay tuned for some great giveaways coming your way!

Article 5: The Review

New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., have been abandoned. 


The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes. 


There are no more police—instead, there are soldiers. There are no more fines for bad behavior—instead, there are arrests, trials, and maybe worse. People who get arrested usually don't come back. 


Seventeen-year-old Ember Miller is old enough to remember that things weren't always this way. Living with her rebellious single mother, it's hard for her to forget that people weren't always arrested for reading the wrong books or staying out after dark. It's hard to forget that life in the United States used to be different. 


Ember has perfected the art of keeping a low profile. She knows how to get the things she needs, like food stamps and hand-me-down clothes, and how to pass the random home inspections by the military. Her life is as close to peaceful as circumstances allow. 


That is, until her mother is arrested for noncompliance with Article 5 of the Moral Statutes. And one of the arresting officers is none other than Chase Jennings—the only boy Ember has ever loved.


Goodreads


Article 5 showed up in my mailbox one day and boy am I glad it did. Dystopian novels are fast becoming one of my favorite genres. The plot is steady and unpredictable and I couldn't wait to get to the next page. The main characters are flawed, which makes them all the more believable. The descriptions of some of the experiences were so real, I could hear the action in my head, just like a movie. In fact, I found myself yelling at the book when a character did something I thought was crazy, or breathing fast when they were running for their lives.


What I liked:


The fast paced action, plot, characters that were flawed enough to make them real.


What I didn't:


Not a thing. 


Overall:


I think this book is up there with my favorite dystopian books that I have read recently. It would be a great candidate for a movie and if you like The Hunger Games you will love this book. The characters are interesting, the question of whether or not the government has the right to take over your life with extreme moral codes is super compelling and the harrowing adventures will keep you on the edge of your seat. Make sure you put this one on your to be read list.


4.5/5

Masque of the Red Death: Available In April

Everything is in ruins. 

A devastating plague has decimated the population. And those who are left live in fear of catching it as the city crumbles to pieces around them. 

So what does Araby Worth have to live for? 

Nights in the Debauchery Club, beautiful dresses, glittery make-up . . . and tantalizing ways to forget it all. 

But in the depths of the club—in the depths of her own despair—Araby will find more than oblivion. She will find Will, the terribly handsome proprietor of the club. And Elliott, the wickedly smart aristocrat. Neither boy is what he seems. Both have secrets. Everyone does. 

And Araby may find something not just to live for, but to fight for—no matter what it costs her.(less)

Goodreads

This book grabbed me the moment I laid eyes on the cover. Simple gorgeous and full of mystery. Who is the girl with the shadowy parasol? Why is her face hidden? Why are her arms bared? Interesting...

What I Liked:

This book takes a classic Poe tale and gives it a dystopian twist that I found very appealing. The ruins of society, a disease taking over what is left combined with a war between science and religion make this an exciting read. The characters are flawed by grief and struggle to exist in a world of political intrigue, disease and despair. The cover art alone got me interested enough to dive in head first and I was not disappointed. In fact, this book was a page turner and the ending has me ready for a second book. (I hope there is one.)

What I Didn't:

This book is for older teens-the drug abuse party life is for a mature group, but that being said, it is handled well.

Overall:

4.5/5

This book was a page turner and the romance element continually had me guessing. Science vs. religion is a powerful subject. Combine that will flawed characters you grow to love and a world that is teetering on the brink of disaster and you have a fast paced read that will keep you enthralled. This book will be available in April, so make sure you put it on your Goodreads to be read list.

Fever: Chemical Garden Trilogy Book Two

Rhine and Gabriel have escaped the mansion, but danger is never far behind. 


Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trap, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans await her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago - surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopelessness. 


The two are determined to get to Manhattan, to relative safety with Rhine’s twin brother, Rowan. But the road there is long and perilous - and in a world where young women only live to age twenty and young men die at twenty-five, time is precious. Worse still, they can’t seem to elude Rhine’s father-in-law, Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion...by any means necessary. 


In the sequel to Lauren DeStefano’s harrowing Wither, Rhine must decide if freedom is worth the price - now that she has more to lose than ever.


Goodreads

The Chemical Garden Trilogy is a great dystopian world with characters put into harrowing situations that not many of us would know what to do with. Imagine a genetic disorder that kills before you reach adulthood, forcing girls into marriage arrangements to keep the human race alive until the scientists can discover what is killing everyone off by the age of 25. Enslaved by her circumstances, Rhine, the main character takes her life in her hands when she tries to escape to find her twin brother. 

While the start to the book was a little slower than I would have liked, it quickly ramped up and was a roller coaster ride through the perils of a carnival devoted to prostitution and Rhine's search for her brother and the illness that takes her over. The end of the book (no spoilers here!) was a cliff hanger that had me letting out a howl and threatening to hold my breath for book three. 

4.5/5

What I liked:

The story development is good. You don't know which direction it is going and I like that. Rhine is a sympathetic character and you can't help but feel for her as she fights to maintain choices in a world where girls are only valued as property and for their body. The suspense building is stellar and by the end I was turning pages faster than my fingers could work. 

**Many thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy of this great book. I liked it so much I ended up buying it for my Nook and iPad e-book collection.

What I didn't:

The beginning was a little slow and it was a little frustrating to watch  the drug addiction portion of the book. Story wise, it makes sense to keep the characters subdued this way (with drugs) but I was chomping at the bit for them to move to another part of the story. Also having the hero half dead from addiction was not as romantic as I would have liked-but this is dystopian fiction. Things are rarely ever perfect, so it does fit. It just frustrated me at the time.

Overall:

I think this book is a great continuation of The Chemical Garden Trilogy and well worth the read. Book three can't come quick enough.