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.

http://www.joypreble.com/

http://joypreble.tumblr.com/

https://twitter.com/joypreble

https://www.facebook.com/joy.preble

Praefatio: The Blog Tour

PRAEFATIOby Georgia McBridePublication Date: May 21st, 2013

ISBN-13: 978-0-9882513-7-3

ISBN eBook: 978-0-9882513-8-0

Synopsis

Seventeen-year-old Grace Ann Miller is no ordinary runaway. After missing for weeks, Grace is found on the estate of international rock star Gavin Vault, half-dressed and yelling for help. Over the course of twenty-four hours Grace holds an entire police force captive with incredulous tales of angels, demons, and war; intent on saving Gavin from lockup, and her family from worry over her safety. But instead, authorities believe that Grace is ill, and suffering from Stockholm Syndrome, the victim of assault and a severely fractured mind. Undeterred, Grace reveals the secret existence of dark angels on earth, an ancient prophecy and a wretched curse steeped in Biblical myth. Grace’s claims set into motion an ages-old war, resulting in blood, death and the loss of everything that matters. But are these the delusions of an immensely sick girl, or could Grace’s story actually be true? Praefatio is Grace’s account of weeks on the run, falling in love and losing everything but her faith. Who do you believe?

LINKS:

Please include book and author links within your post, formatted however you wish, the rest are optional.

Book Links: Goodreads - Barnes And Noble

Author Links: Website - Facebook Page - Twitter - Pinterest

Month9Books: Website - Blogger Central - Facebook - Twitter - Pinterest - Goodreads 

Review:

A book with stunning imagery and choices, Praefatio will shake your view of angels and the choices that were made to stay among humans. This book is a war between Heaven, Hell and the space between. I have only just begun to read, but it has sucked me in and I don't think I will be coming out from under any time soon. Author Georgia McBride has given us a tale of epic proportions with characters that will make you care. Grace is unforgettable and I wonder what I would do if faced with a similar situation. 

Excellent read so far...no sleep for me tonight!

4/5

ABOUT GEORGIA MCBRIDE:

Georgia loves a good story. Whether it’s writing her own, or publishing someone else’s, story is at the heart of everything Georgia does. Founder of Month9Books, YALITCHAT.ORG and the weekly #yalitchat on Twitter, Georgia spends most of her days writing, editing, or talking about books. That is, of course, when she is not blasting really loud music or reading. Born and raised in NYC, she now lives in North Carolina with four dogs, a frog, a parrot, 2 kids, parents and a husband. PRAEFATIO is her first novel.

TOUR WIDE GIVEAWAY:

Grand prize includes a signed copy of PRAEFATIO, nail polish, Halo perfume, postcards,  candy, Garnier Nutrisse hair color, and a PRAEFATIO keychain(US Only). 

TOUR SCHEDULE: 

May 20 - Falling for YA (Guest Post)

May 21 - Dana's YA Bookpile (Review)

May 22 - Mommabears Book Blog (Review)

May 23 - YA Book Central (Interview)

May 24 - Beauty and the Bookshelf (Review)

May 25 - Little Lovely Books (Review)

May 26 - Brenda Drake Writes (Interview or Guest Post)

May 27 - Chapter by Chapter (Guest Post)

May 28 - Cuzinlogic (Review)

May 29 - Dear Teen Me (Feature)

May 30 - Burning Tree Reads (Interview & Review)

May 31 - Bookalicious (Review)

June 1 - Proserpine Craving Book Blog (Interview)

June 2 - Books of Love (Review)

June 3 - Happy Book Lovers (Review)

The Sweet Dead Life: The Blog Tour

"I found out two things today: One, I think I'm dying. And two, my brother is a perv."

So begins the diary of Jenna Samuels, who is having a very bad year. Her mother spends all day in bed. Dad  vanished when she was eight. Her older brother, Casey, tries to hold together what’s left of the family by working two after-school jobs—difficult, as he’s stoned all the time. To make matters worse, Jenna is sick. Really sick. When she collapses one day, Casey tries to race her to the hospital in their beat-up Prius and crashes instead.
 
Jenna wakes up in the ER to find Casey beside her, looking pretty good. Better than ever, in fact. Downright . . . angelic. The flab and zits? Gone. Before long, Jenna figures out that her brother didn’t survive the accident at all, and she isn’t just sick; she’s being poisoned. Casey has been sent back to help Jenna find out who’s got it out for her, a mystery that leads to more questions about their mother’s depression and their father’s disappearance.

THE SWEET DEAD LIFE buy links

Amazon

B&N

IndieBound

GoodReads

Playlist post:

There’s a lot of angst and humor going on all at once in THE SWEET DEAD LIFE. The Booklist review covers that when it says, “ There’s a whole lot going on here: poisonings, blackmail, sibling relationships, romance, and abandonment, in addition to angels, but the unifying thread is Jenna’s clever, bitter, self-aware, and loving voice…” Which I think sort of covers it all quite nicely.

So the playlists for these characters and for the novel as a whole run that emotional range from hopeful to grief-stricken to sassy.

Jenna Samuels, the novel’s narrator has a life that is totally upside down. Her dad has been MIA for five years. Her mom is unemployed and depressed and getting worse. And Jenna is sick and getting sicker, with some undiagnosed illness. And then she collapses and her brother crashes the car taking her to the hospital and she eventually realizes that he didn’t come through fine. He died and now he’s come back as her guardian angel. (This is not the central mystery of the novel, by the way, in case you think it’s a spoiler!) After which they solve a huge mystery that connects everything. Above all, Jenna is a tough Texas girl!

For Jenna, I think the following songs reflect all these aspects:

Scar Tissue—The Red Hot Chili Peppers

How to Save a Life—The Fray

Give Me Novacaine—Green Day

Drive—Incubus

Be Still—The Killers

And Jenna’s hopefulness I think comes across in I Hope You Dance—LeeAnne Wommack

Excellent choices!

Review:

Joy Preble is an author that I am always confident in. Her Dreaming Anastasia series wowed me with it's mythology and legends and now this wonderful book is doing the same. The Sweet Dead Life is a totally different read and I love it! The funny and quirky voice of Jenna Samuels, the main character, is just perfect. She is a kid with problems, just like most of us. Except she has some doozies! Her mom is kind of missing in action, her dad has literally disappeared, her brother is dead and still hanging around and someone is trying to poison her. Life can be really weird sometimes, especially when you are peeing lime green and feeling like you are going to pass out most of the time. 

This book grabbed me right away with the semi dark twisty plot, unusual scenario and I find myself wondering what in the world could make someone pee lime green. Just saying. lol. Joy has done an outstanding job on this book! Jenna is a character I could identify with totally and especially how annoyed she got with her brother. There are some really funny scenes that are full of snark and sheer hilarity.  I am still in the throws of reading it, so if you will excuse me, I have a few pages left to go and I am dying to find out what happens! Awesome read! This is one you are going to want on your summer read list for sure!



5/5 For quirky awesomeness!!!

Joy Preble is the author of the popular and highly acclaimed Dreaming Anastasia series. 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. A tireless advocate for literacy and great books, she is at the center of the all-important Texas YA scene.

Joy Preble Social Media and Website

http://www.joypreble.com/

https://twitter.com/joypreble

Falling Angels Saga Tour and Giveaway

Why I Love Research by E. Van Lowe

When I was young teenager in junior high school I hated doing research for school projects.  Back then, research seemed to be a boring waste of time.  Like so many lazy teens, I got as much mileage out of as little research as possible.  Fortunately for myself and my readers, I‘ve left the laziness behind.  Today, research is not only fun, it is crucial in shaping my ideas.

When I set out to write Boyfriend From Hell, the idea was fairly simple: protagonist versus the devil.  It was only when I began doing my research on angels that I discovered The Book of Enoch and the existence of fallen angels, also known as Nephilim.  In shaping my Nephilim character, Harrison, I chose not to go the route of Casandra Clare’s Shadowhunters (which I hadn’t yet read at the time) and stuck with the more romantic notion I discovered in the lost books of the bible: the idea that an angel could be willing to give up heaven for the love of a mortal woman.

This powerful, romantic notion emerges in Boyfriend from Hell and gets more developed in Earth Angel and Heaven Sent.  Even the title The Falling Angels Saga (explained in Heaven Sent) is based on this notion.  Use of my research can also be witnessed with the crucial characters of Ibwa and Orthon, demons whose existence I discovered surfing the net.

When I find a juicy piece of research, my mind starts reshaping my story around it.  The Falling Angels Saga would probably have been one short, boring book if not for my willingness to do research.  This is why I love research so much.  It makes me seem smarter than I really am. In a few days I will begin the research for the final book in the saga.  I have no idea of where it will take me, but I know it will help create something interesting and exciting for my readers.

*The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices are series by author, Cassandra Clare featuring demon fighting Nephilim known as Shadowhunters.

Boyfriend from Hell

Falling Angels Saga Book One

By E Van Lowe

Genre: Paranormal YA

Aww, Hell No!

Fifteen year-old Megan Barnett and her single mom, Suze, have a special relationship—they are friends, close friends, who do almost everything together.

“But come on, guys, she’s my mother… Can I really tell her that while we’re snuggled up on the sofa watching Spider Man Three, I’m secretly undressing James Franco with my eyes?  Of course not…”

The special bond takes a turn for the worse when Suze decides to start dating again.  She hasn’t had a man in her life since Megan’s father left ten years ago. 

Enter two mysterious young men, Megan’s new classmate, sinfully attractive bad boy, Guy Matson, and the dangerously handsome art dealer, Armando.  Before long Megan and Suze both wind up in steamy relationships.  But neither of the handsome guys is quite what he seems.  In fact, one of them is Satan, with his sights set on a new bride.  Megan has precious little time to figure out how to stop him.  If she doesn’t, either Megan or Suze are quite literally going to HELL.

www.whitewhiskerbooks.com  Paperback     Kindle

Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/39hI9rmwI5A

Excerpt http://evanlowe.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Boyfriend-From-Hell-FREEBIE.pdf

Earth Angel

Falling Angels Book Two

E Van Lowe

Genre: Paranormal YA

Heaven Can Wait!

Just because Megan Barnett recently defeated Satan, has a fantastic new best friend, and has won the love of deliciously handsome, Guy Matson, doesn’t mean her troubles are over.  Far from it.  For Megan doesn’t realize it, but in her possession is a powerful weapon, a weapon sought after by both angels and demons and everything in between.  They will do ANYTHING to get it.

In E. Van Lowe’s humorous, romantic and thrilling sequel to Boyfriend From Hell, Megan winds up in a gripping life or death battle to save herself, the boy she loves, and all of mankind from unthinkable evil.

Paperback   Kindle 

Excerpt:

http://evanlowe.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Earth_Angel_4_Chapters_11-16-2012.pdf

Heaven Sent

Falling Angels Saga Book Three

By E Van Lowe

Genre: Paranormal YA

What Does It All Mean?

Readers who devoured Boyfriend From Hell and Earth Angel will be captivated by the third book in the Falling Angels Saga.

As summer break for Glendale Union high begins, heartsick Megan awaits Guy's return while struggling to control her emerging abilities.  Love is in the air, but can the new loves in Megan, Maudrina, Suze and Aunt' Jaz's life be trusted? Nothing is what it seems.  Meanwhile, the Satanists are set to hatch their most diabolical scheme ever, and if it comes to pass, Satan may finally win out.

Megan has precious little time to unravel the cryptic message hidden in the riddle she received at the end of Earth Angel. If she doesn’t, the life of someone most dear to her will be lost forever, and Megan may yet find herself living in HELL.

Excerpt : http://evanlowe.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Sneak_Peek_-_Heaven_Sent2.pdf


The Review:

This series is very much full on teen angst meets a massive fight between good and evil. Complete with a voice that sucks you in from the first page, these books will have you reading until late in the night before you realize you have done it. If you liked Twilight, Mortal Instruments or the Halo series, you will love these books. Paranormal twists, betrayals and some very devilish fun await your reading pleasure.

The relationship between Megan and her mom will make you laugh and roll your eyes. Any kid hates when their mom starts dating again (raise hands) and she is no different. The most fun is when you are trying to figure out exactly who is going to get the boyfriend from Hell. Lol. Great drama and lots of reading fun.

4/5

About The Author

E. Van Lowe is an author, television writer, screen-writer, playwright and producer who has worked on such TV shows as "The Cosby Show," "Even Stevens," and "Homeboys In Outer Space." He has been nominated for both an Emmy and an Academy Award. His first YA Paranormal novel, "Never Slow Dance With A Zombie," was a selection of The Scholastic Book Club, and a nominee for an American Library Association Award.  His Best Selling novels, “Boyfriend From Hell” and “Earth Angel,” are the first two books in the Falling Angels Saga.  “The Zombie Always Knocks Twice” is the first book in his Hollyweird series.

E lives in Beverly Hills California with his spouse, a werewolf, several zombies and a fairy godmother who grants him wishes from time-to-time.

www.evanlowe.com

http://vanlowe.blogspot.com/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/E-Van-Lowe/152364748167154

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