Book Blitz Release Day: I See London by Chanel Cleeton

February 3, 2014

Harlequin HQN (Digital First)

New Adult Contemporary Romance

“I See London is fun, sexy, and kept me completely absorbed.” – Katie McGarry, author of Crash Into You

BOOK SUMMARY:

Maggie Carpenter is ready for a change— and to leave her ordinary life in South Carolina behind. But when she accepts a scholarship to the International School in London, a university attended by the privileged offspring of diplomats and world leaders, Maggie might get more than she bargained for.

When Maggie meets Hugh, a twentysomething British guy, she finds herself living the life she always wanted. Suddenly she’s riding around the city in a Ferrari, wearing borrowed designer clothes and going to the hottest clubs. The only problem? Another guy, the one she can’t seem to keep her hands off of.

Half French, half Lebanese, and ridiculously wealthy, Samir Khouri has made it clear he doesn’t do relationships. He’s the opposite of everything Maggie thought she wanted…and he’s everything she can’t resist. Torn between her dream guy and the boy haunting her dreams, Maggie has to fight for her own happy ending. In a city like London, you never know where you stand, and everything can change in the blink of an eye.

This is a New Adult romance recommended for readers 17 and up.

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Author Information

Originally a Florida girl, at seventeen Chanel moved to London to attend an international university.  In the four years that followed, she received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees, learned how to dance, travelled through Europe, and made lifelong friendships.  Chanel fell in love with London and planned to stay there forever.  But fate intervened on a Caribbean cruise, when an American fighter pilot with smooth dance moves, swept her off her feet. 

Now, a happily ever after later, Chanel is living her next adventure in South Korea.  An avid reader and hopeless romantic, she is happiest curled up with a book.  She has a weakness for handbags, puppy cuddles, and her fighter pilot husband.  Harlequin (HQN) will release Chanel’s New Adult debut, I SEE LONDON, on February 3, 2014, followed by a sequel, LONDON FALLING, later in the year.

author Links:

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Excerpts:

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Book Blitz & Giveaway- Don't Make Me Beautiful by Elle Casey

Release date: August 31st 2013

Self-Published

Synopsis via Goodreads:
A ROMANTIC SUSPENSE NOVEL. No one knew a woman lived there or that she even existed. A monster, living in darkness...

At twenty-six, Nicole doesn't even look human anymore. The beast made sure of that. So she hides. A monster consigned to a life of fear and solitude. This is all she deserves, she is quite sure of that.

And then one day out of the blue, the autographed baseball caught by Brian Jensen at the latest Marlins game enters her prison and manages to turn her world completely upside down.

Temptation comes in the form of pity at first, and then perhaps something more.

Does she dare to believe the things she's told, that this is not the life she was meant to live? That being a monster is not her forever-fate? And will she be willing to risk everything, to reach out and accept the helping hands around her? She knows only too well that hands can hurt. Finding out whether they can also heal is a risky proposition, especially when the beast is still out there. Looking for her.

**This story was inspired by true events. If you liked the movie "Sleeping With the Enemy", then you might like this story too. CONTENT WARNING: Violence, foul language, and adult situations. Not meant for younger readers.**

About the Author:

New York Times Best-Selling author Elle Casey is an American girl living in southern France with her husband, three children, and several furry creatures. She writes in a variety of genre including YA Fantasy, YA Action/Adventure, New Adult Romance, and Adult Contemporary Romance. She's a little on the wild side, usually busy making people laugh, and always in the mood for adventure. There's not much in this world that she loves more than reader interaction, so feel free to drop her a line.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads ~ Wattpad

Excerpt:

Liam’s mother reverses out of the driveway, their young son strapped into the back seat and waving like a maniac out his window. “Bye, Dad! See ya later!”

“Bye, Li-Li! See ya Wednesday!”

“I’ll bring him back before school,” his ex-wife says. “I have early meetings.”

“Sounds good,” says Brian, still waving to his son. He waits until he’s out of Liam’s sight before he puts his hand down. It’s nice to be alone for a few days, but he already feels the pangs of missing his child creeping in.

Standing in the driveway, Brian considers his next move. There’s an antique armoire in his workshop that needs a final coat of stain and then some clear-coat to protect it. It took a week to repair and refinish, but he scheduled two. He could do something else if he wanted to…

It can wait. The issue of the monster lady is weighing too heavily on his mind to let it go. Ignoring the warning bells going off in his head, he walks to the bottom of the driveway and turns left to go down the street.

“What am I doing?” he mumbles under his breath. “The guy obviously doesn’t like visitors.” The fact that the guy also looks like a Bantam rooster spoiling for a fight is not making Brian’s misgivings any fewer.

“Hey there, Brian. Going for a walk on this fine morning?” Ethel, his next-door neighbor is out trimming her bushes again. They don’t need trimming; they’re just a prop to give her a reason to be standing outside, waiting for passersby.

Brian waves. “Yep. Just getting some fresh air, I guess. Seemed like a good idea.”

“Little Liam gone for the week?”

She must have seen him drive by. She sees everything that happens on this street. “Just for a few days. He’ll be back on Wednesday.” Brian keeps walking, although slower. If he stops, he’ll be stuck there for an hour and probably end up in her kitchen having an iced tea. She’s the nicest, most talkative neighbor he’s ever had. He doesn’t usually mind it; in fact, he’s happy to indulge in a neighborly chat now and again - it’s why he moved to this area - but today, he’s on a mission and he doesn’t have time for gossip or an hour-long discussion about the upcoming weather and whether Mrs. Grandston down the street will ever start recycling.

“Tell him to stop by and see me when he gets home,” she says, poking her clippers vaguely in Brian’s direction. “I bought some new cookies at the store and I think he’s going to like them. He’s my official cookie taster.”

“I’ll tell him. He’ll be really happy to hear that.”

She waves with a gloved hand as he reaches the far side of her property line, and he waves back.

Maybe I should ask Ethel about the guy around the corner. Brian’s not sure that Ethel knows anything beyond the business of those living on Lodi Street. She stays pretty close to home, taking care of her husband who’s slowly going downhill with dementia. Brian’s not looking forward to the day she’ll have to put him in a nursing home. He has a feeling it will take the spark from her, and she’s fun just the way she is, even if she is a little nosy.

The house comes into view. As he gets closer, he sees that the window is still broken, but now there’s a piece of cardboard taped over it. The house is still, with no sign that anyone’s home. The large black truck that was in the driveway last night isn’t there. Maybe it’s in the garage.

Brian walks up to the porch, taking the steps slowly as he looks around. He’s not sure what he’s looking for, but everything seems to be in order.

“What the hell am I doing here?” he whispers to himself. What am I going to say if that guy comes to the door again? I’ll ask him for the bill, that’s it. Tell him I want to pay right away. Be a good neighbor. Brian shakes his head at his ridiculous thoughts. He already told the guy to leave the bill in his box. Showing up again and ringing the bell when the sign on it says not to feels almost like harassment. He looks at the sign again, reading the heavy scrawl.

DO NOT RING BELL. DO NOT KNOCK. WE DON’T TAKE VISITORS.

Brian frowns. He can’t get past the feeling that it’s just a weird thing to do, to put a sign up like that warning people away. It’s like something he would have done as a kid on a clubhouse to keep other kids from discovering his secret hiding place. It’s so ridiculous it almost begs people to discover whatever it is he’s keeping inside.

Brian laughs nervously at himself. Don’t be stupid. You’re a grown man and so is he. This is his house. If you trespass he can shoot your stupid ass.

Brian steps back away from the door, prepared to leave and never come back. But then the sound of his son’s voice and the vision of him standing on their own front porch the night before comes back to him. “She’s not sick, Dad. She’s just really ugly.”

Brian doesn’t want to see a really ugly woman. That’s not what’s motivating him to stand her on this porch and risk pissing off this neighbor. It’s just that … he’s a math guy. Brian has always been strong in math, from the time he was Liam’s age. He uses it every day with his work at restoring furniture, both in the actual hands-on stuff and the figuring he has to do later when he does his billing. Everything always has to add up in his world, and this situation with the monster lady? It wasn’t adding up.

Brian glances over at the cardboard covering the hole. Maybe I’ll just take a look at the damage and make a call to a glass company myself. Then I can go get some cash out of the bank and be ready to pay the guy when he gives me the bill.

Brian takes a few tentative steps down the porch towards the front window. A car comes down the street and he freezes, waiting until it’s a few doors down before continuing. Once in front of the window, he looks around the neighborhood. No one is outside, and he sees no faces in any other windows. These people need an Ethel.

Turning to look at the cardboard, he notices it’s stuck to the still intact frame with duct tape. “That’s going to be a problem when the sun melts that adhesive onto the PVC,” he says out loud. He runs his finger along the edge, hoping he can find a loose spot so he can pry up the cardboard a little to see the actual damage. It’s stuck on too tight, though.

His eyes roam up. A set of white, gauzy curtains are right in front of him, obscuring his view of the house’s interior. This house has the same basic layout as his, so he knows there’s a large living room of sorts on the other side of the glass. He wonders what the woman was doing when the ball came through her window. Was she sitting in the living room reading a book? Was she in the kitchen making cookies?

He blinks his eyes a few times as they adjust to looking through the white curtain. There’s a couch in the center of the wall facing him with side chairs on its left and right, its dark, burry contours getting clearer the longer he stares. A small coffee table rests in the middle of the conversation area. His eyes roam the walls, wondering what the pictures in frames look like. It’s too difficult to see. He steps back and stands straighter, embarrassed when he realizes he’s being worse than Ethel, staring into people’s houses like this.

It’s then that something inside the house catches his eye. Brian stops moving for a moment as he focuses his attention on the dark shape on the floor. He steps closer to the window, going so far as to press his face up against the glass and cup his hands around his eyes, trying to see better. What is that? A carpet on the floor? No. It’s not a carpet. It’s too bulky. It looks like…

He bends down, a sense of urgency overtaking his good sense. He scratches desperately at the edge of the duct tape, finally getting a corner of it to peel away from the window frame. He draws it down, careful not to let it tear. Once it’s free on one side, he grabs the cardboard and pushes it sideways, like opening the cover of the book.

What the hell am I doing? This is nuts… He ignores his own concerns, needing more than anything else right now to just confirm that what he thinks he’s seeing on that floor is not what he’s seeing.

The hole in the window is finally revealed, and it’s big enough for his hand to fit through. Thank you, Liam. Never in his wildest dreams did he ever think he’d thank his son for breaking someone’s window.

Brian reaches through and grabs the curtains on the other side, using both hands to pull the bottom of them out through the hole. As soon as he has the entire bottom seam through the broken window, he lifts it up and looks into the small space that’s remaining. Now there are no curtains in the way and he can see into the living room as clear as if he were standing inside the house.

“Holy Mary mother of Jesus,” he whispers. He raises his voice. “Ma’am … ! Miss … ! Are you okay?”

There’s what he assumes to be a woman lying on the floor in the middle of the room. All he can see is the back of her head and blood on her one exposed hand. “Ma’am! Are you okay?!”

No response.

“Fuck!” he yells, hurriedly shoving the curtain back through the hole and pushing the cardboard into place. He cuts the back of his hand on the glass, but he ignores the blood, the pain, and everything else as he struggles to get his cell phone out of his front pocket.

“Nine-one-one, what’s your emergency?”

“Hello, this is Brian Jensen and I’m standing on the front porch of …” He leans out and looks at the number on the front of the house near the door, “…thirty-two Fresno Street, and there’s a woman inside her house who’s passed out and there’s blood. She needs an ambulance.”

“Are you the homeowner, sir?”

“No, I’m a neighbor. Can you please send someone quick? I’m afraid she might be … dead. I’m not sure. She’s not moving.”

“Can you check for a pulse?”

“No, I’m outside. But just wait a minute. I’m going in.”

“Sir, is there anyone else at the home?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Hold the line while I call the house,” the operator says.

Brian’s at the front door when the woman comes back on the line. “They don’t appear to have a home phone on record. Have you tried the doorbell?”

“No.” Brian realizes how ridiculous it is that he hasn’t bothered to do that first. Surely the guy who lives here needs to know his wife is passed out on the floor. She’s obviously sick. Maybe she hit her head or something when she fell.

Brian rings the doorbell several times and bangs on the door with his fist. “Is anyone home?!” he yells.

No one answers.

“I don’t think anyone’s home but her,” Brian says to the operator. He tries the handle, but the door is locked. “I’m going to see if they have another open door somewhere.”

“Sir, I don’t recommend you break into the home.”

“I hear ya, but I’m doing it anyway.”

Brian runs around to the back and tries the door he finds there. It’s locked up tight as well. “The back door’s locked too. I’m going back to the front.”

“The ambulance is on its way along with a police officer. Can you stay on scene until they arrive?”

“Of course.”

“Do you want me to stay on the line with you?”

“No. Thanks for your help.” Brian hangs up without waiting for a response.

Going back to the front, he scrambles to pull the cardboard off and the curtain through the hole again. He leaves blood on the curtains in his attempts to see inside.

“Ma’am, an ambulance is on its way, okay? Ma’am, can you hear me?”

He’s about to look away when he sees her first finger move. It’s just the slightest twitch, but he’s sure he saw it. “I see you moving! I know you’re alive! They’re coming, okay! They’re coming!”

A low moan comes from inside the house, from the woman. Brian’s breath catches in his throat as her hand moves again, this time to slide out across the carpet. It leaves a smear of blood behind.

She moans again, this time an agonizing sound that makes Brian’s skin crawl. “You’re going to be okay. I called nine-one-one.”

Her moaning turns to a strange keening, like a growl and a sob blended together into something almost animalistic. The sounds of a siren in the distance reach Brian’s ears. He’s frozen in place, holding up the curtains and peering inside, as her head slowly turns.

The ambulance turns into the driveway as her face comes into view. Brian needs only one second to take in the sight of the horror before him before the blood in his veins goes cold and the words fall out of his mouth unbidden.

“Oh my god … what happened to your face?”

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Book Blitz: Wuther by V.J. Chambers

Wuther by V.J. Chambers 
Publication date: July, 2013 
Genre: New Adult Retelling

Synopsis:
This new adult retelling of Wuthering Heights is intended for mature readers due to explicit sexual content and coarse language.

Instead of storms tearing through Yorkshire moors, the sounds of '90s grunge rock whisper through backwoods American cornfields...

And give new life to the Bronte characters you love to hate.

A gypsy orphan, Heath Galloway adores Cathy Earnshaw, his childhood sweetheart. He would do anything to protect her from her drunken, abusive father--even push the man down a flight of stairs to stop him hitting her.

But with her father dead, Cathy's older brother Matt runs the Earnshaw farm and both of their lives. And Matt despises Heath. Forced to drop out of school and work the fields, Heath is separated from Cathy and the two begin to drift apart.

When Cathy meets the rich, blond, and suave Eli Linton, she finds herself torn between Eli's charm and Heath's brute potency.

Fiercely proud and stubborn, Heath doesn't take well to being brushed aside. He'll get what he wants, or he'll get revenge. No matter how long it takes.

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About the Author:

V. J. Chambers likes bad boys, but she likes them to be actual bad boys, not misunderstood weaklings who cover up their emotional scars with a thin veneer of pretend bad-boy-ness.
She likes to tackle difficult philosophical questions. She likes to push fiction to the edge, to go just a little farther.
She writes stories about difficult people living difficult lives in difficult situations. Usually, there’s magic. Or monsters. Or space. Or gun fights. A lot of times, there’s also L-O-V-E. (Or at least uncomfortable conversations about sex.)

She’s the author of the Jason and Azazel series and many other stories for teens and adults. She lives in Shepherdstown, WV with her boyfriend Aaron and their cat.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

“A compound of vulgar depravity and unnatural horrors.”

“Burn Wuthering Heights.”

“Wuthering Heights is a strange sort of book, yet, it is impossible to begin and not finish it; and quite as impossible to lay it aside afterwards and say nothing about it.”

“In Wuthering Heights the reader is shocked, disgusted, almost sickened by details of cruelty, inhumanity, and the most diabolical hate and vengeance.”

“Heathcliff… a creature in whom every evil passion seems to have reached a gigantic excess.”

Thus read the reviews of Wuthering Heights when it was first released in December 1847. It was obvious that Emily Bronte had written something polarizing. Some people were disgusted with the book. Others were impressed with it.

It was horrifying but fascinating. And I think if the book is read today, the same phenomenon occurs. The characters in the book are intriguing, but they are also difficult to, well, like.

No character is more difficult than Heathcliff himself. Even Emily Bronte’s sister Charlotte was made uncomfortable by Heathcliff. She wrote that Heathcliff’s love for Cathy was “a sentiment fierce and inhuman.” She called Heathcliff an “evil genius.” To Charlotte, Heathcliff’s “ever-suffering soul… dooms him to carry Hell with him wherever he wanders.”

Is Heathcliff tortured and damaged like a modern-day romance hero? You betcha.

Is Heathcliff the titular bad boy, the one whose masculine power is absorbing and exciting? Oh, heck, yes.
Heathcliff is a character unlike any that we’ve seen before, but he’s not completely foreign to us. He has aspects of a hero, but he also has aspects of a villain. We root for Heathcliff as he struggles to overcome the class barriers that keep him from marrying Cathy. We feel sorry for him when he is beaten by Hindley. And we are utterly caught up in his passion, his deep love for Cathy. But at the same time, Heathcliff disturbs and frightens us. He’s violent. He’s cruel. He’s obsessed with revenge. And he seems irredeemable.

When I set out to retell Wuthering Heights, I wanted to capture that with my book. I took some pretty heavy liberties with Bronte’s tale, but my goal was always to be able to provide the kinds of characters that she does—confusing, deep, real characters, full of flaws but still captivating.

A retelling can never truly hope to encapsulate the brilliance of the original, so I know that my book is not even close the masterpiece of Wuthering Heights. But I hope that my Heath is absorbing. I hope that he inspires your pity and your anger. And I hope you fall in love with him just a little bit, despite how awful he is. 

Book Blitz: Lost by M. Lathan

Lost by M. Lathan 

Series: Hidden, #2 

Publication date: June 20th 2013 

Genre: YA Paranormal

Book Description:

Three months ago, Christine Grant found herself, her love, and impossible friends, while losing the memories of the biggest piece of her past.

Now, her powers are spinning out of control and must be tamed by the woman who saved the world, the same woman Christine is predicted to kill in less than a month.

Wanting to punish catty girls was just the beginning. It’s only a matter of time before she discovers that the world is not as safe from her as she hoped it was.

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About the Author:

M. Lathan lives in San Antonio with her husband and mini-schnauzer. She enjoys writing and has a B.S. in Psych and a Masters in Counseling. Her passion is a blend of her two interests – creating new worlds and stocking them with crazy people. She enjoys reading anything with interesting characters and writing in front of a window while asking rhetorical questions … like her idol Carrie Bradshaw.

Website ~ Goodreads

Excerpt:

Prologue

Fear stole my breath as I plummeted into frigid water. I flailed my arms and legs, uselessly trying to swim against the current. The haunting voice of a child sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” as I sank deeper.

I fought my way to the surface only to be taken again. The little girl droned, “And the rockets’ red glare,” as water rushed into my lungs.

I wasn’t alone. A blurry figure struggled near me, both of us sinking, drowning in red tinted water. Blood. It swirled with the suffocating blue, an inescapable villain dragging us deeper and deeper.

We were two helpless bodies adrift in a world with no air or hope, no chance of survival. The white lights glowing beneath us looked welcoming and safe. The figure gave in. Its lifeless body sank towards the lights as the little girl sang, “And the home of the brave.”

Chapter One

I woke up, pouring sweat, in Nathan’s bed.

With his eyes closed and mouth open, he rolled away and yanked the blanket off of me, attending to my needs in his sleep. I shrugged off the creepy dream of me drowning. Over the last three months, I’d dreamed plenty of things that hadn’t happened. Nate had held me underwater in the pool earlier. I was sure that moment had just followed me to sleep. The odds of it being a vision were low.

It had been almost two months since I stopped letting myself have them or use any of my powers. They were getting worse as I used them openly for little things. I would try to move something, and it wouldn’t just lift. It would slam into the wall before I felt it moving. I didn’t know mental powers could grow, develop even more than they already were. They were getting faster, stronger, and wilder, so I was back to suppressing them like I had at St. Catalina. Life was simpler that way, normal. Or as normal as living with three magical beings that should be extinct could get.

I closed my eyes to force myself back to sleep, and an angry snore rattled Nate’s throat. I reached on his nightstand for my phone. He wouldn’t be able to deny this one. Another series of snores ripped through the silent pool house just as I pressed record. I laughed, and he opened his eyes.

“Smile, baby,” I said. He groaned and reached for the phone.

“What are you doing?”

“Oh, nothing. Just collecting evidence.”

He wrestled my new phone from my hands and held it out of my reach. “How do I stop the video?”

“Like I’d tell you.”

He grunted and threw the phone to the foot of his bed. “That thing is too expensive to be so complicated,” he said.

“It’s not complicated. It’s probably just made for humans and you’re-”

He grabbed me and wedged his fingers under my arms before I could tease him about the side of him that barks. “I’m what? What am I, Chris?” I squealed, flopping around in his arms like a dying fish.

“Handsome!” I offered, to end the tickle attack.

“Liar.”

“Smart. Kind. Loving. Sexy!” He relaxed his fingers and slid them from my armpits to my back. “Which one did it?” I asked.

“Sexy,” he whispered and kissed me. And that was really all it ever took to kick things off between us. Steamy kisses, roaming hands.

That was how we’d spent most of our time during our three-month-old relationship – in my bed, in his bed, in the common areas when we had the house to ourselves. I kept waiting for this to get old, his lips on mine, but every kiss felt like the first, and like I’d die if it were the last.

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Book Blitz: Come Back To Me by Coleen Patrick

 Title: Come Back to Me
Author: Coleen Patrick

Publication Date: March, 2013

Genre: YA Contemporary

Synopsis:

Whitney Denison can’t wait to start over.

She thought she had everything under control, that her future would always include her best friend Katie… Until everything changed.

Now her life in Bloom is one big morning after hangover, filled with regret, grief, and tiny pinpricks of reminders that she was once happy. A happy she ruined. A happy she can’t fix.

So, she is counting down the days until she leaves home for Colson University, cramming her summer with busywork she didn’t finish her senior year, and taking on new hobbies that involve glue and glitter, and dodging anyone who reminds her of her old life.

When she runs into the stranger who drove her home on graduation night, after she’d passed out next to a ditch, she feels herself sinking again. The key to surviving the summer in Bloom is unraveling whatever good memories she can from that night.

But in searching for answers, she’ll have to ask for help and that means turning to Evan, the stranger, and Kyle, Katie’s ex-boyfriend. Suddenly, life flips again, and Whitney finds herself on not only the precipice of happy but love, too, causing her to question whether she can trust her feelings, or if she is falling into her old patterns of extremes.

As she uncovers the truth about her memories, Whitney sees that life isn’t all or nothing, and that happy isn’t something to wait for, that instead, happy might just be a choice.

Excerpt:

I went to the rec center.

The front desk pointed me down a checkerboard-tiled hallway. Halfway down, I heard guitar strumming and a mish mosh of clanging tambourines. I transferred the paper bag with the last muffin to my other hand and swiped my damp palm against my shorts. I moved toward the music, my gaze darting from one closed door to the next, until I found the right classroom. There, I peeked into the square window on the door.

Evan.

He stood in the middle of the room, chairs pushed to the edges, orchestrating a dozen or so kids holding tambourines, triangles, and recorders. The sound they made was loud, shy of any sort of regular rhythm, much like my heart suddenly, but they were all smiling, including Evan. He clapped his hands over his head, while the guitar strapped around him swayed. His shirt was blue—another button down, sleeves rolled to his forearm and shirttail hanging over his shorts as they played to their finale. The tallest boy crashed his cymbals together while the kids with tambourines shook them wildly in the air.

The butterflies in my stomach joined the ruckus, and I pressed a palm to my stomach. It was just nerves thinking about our forthcoming conversation. It wasn’t going to be easy to ask him about that night.

A girl in braids, the one holding the triangle, pointed at me and, in the moment, before Evan turned, I felt the muscles in my legs tense, but I stayed still. I wasn’t going to run the other way anymore, not when I wanted answers. Instead, I waved, and Evan raised his hand before heading in my direction.

“All right guys.” He opened the door wide. “I’ll see you Friday.”

One by one, the kids streamed past me, chattering to one another. I focused on the tops of their heads, unsure of how I would start my conversation with Evan.

“Hi.” I said, when the last kid was halfway down the hallway. Then I got tongue-tied. I smiled at him, but my lips trembled, drawn up by sudden nerves.

Evan put out his hand for me to shake. I smiled, scrunching up my nose.

“Hi,” he said. “I’m Evan Foster.”

I laughed. A slow smile spread on his face, and I felt the butterfly orchestra in my gut move into crescendo mode. I held out my own hand. His hand closed over mine. It was warm, strong.

“Whitney Denison,” I said, feeling a little bit silly. That turned out to be good though, because as I took a deep breath, my nerves evened out. “Whitney Elizabeth Morgan Denison.”

Evan raised an eyebrow. “Oh, well in that case, I’m Evan Sebastian Foster.”

“Sebastian?”

“Yes, my mom was really into The Little Mermaid.”

Again I laughed, but then stopped. “What? Wait, you’re serious?”

“Yeah. She named me after Sebastian the crab.”

“And you tell everyone this story?”

“Not really.” He watched me in a way that sent my heart on a faster pace. “So, girl-with-two-middle-names…”

“I don’t think I’m ready for you to be calling me by my Native American name.”

He grinned and glanced down at the floor for a moment. Then, he reached a hand in his jeans, pulling out his car keys. Immediately, I was disappointed. I didn’t want to be done talking with him. I was just getting started.

I remembered the bag in my hand and held it up to him. “Are you hungry?”

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About the Author:

Coleen Patrick grew up in New Jersey, Virginia, Michigan, Louisiana, and Indiana. Always being the new kid, she learned that books and friends are precious—and dessert. She never met a dessert she didn’t like (except for flan).

When she’s not writing, reading (or avoiding flan), she enjoys TV, arts and crafts, quoting movies, and trying to take cool photos.

She lives in Virginia with her husband and two kids.

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Book Blitz: Awakened by Kriston Johnson

Title: Awakened 

Author: Kriston Johnson 

Series: The Legends Of Elyndia, #1

Publication date: April 25th 2013 

Genre: YA Fantasy

Synopsis:

Can fighting for the right side be the wrong thing to do?

Draven, the tyrant ruler of Elyndia for the last one thousand years, searches for the one who can fulfill his prophecy.

The Paladins, an elite band of warriors sworn to protect their way of life at all cost, search for the one with the ability to bring their world crumbling down.

An innocent girl, tormented by demons only she can see, lives on the brink of insanity and longs for a life of peace.

When seventeen-year-old Jade Rosenberg reads from an antique book, she has no idea she just read an incantation awaking her inherited power. But when opposing—and equally terrifying—groups invade her home, she learns she is descended from an enchanted realm and a member of a powerful race thought to have been hunted to extinction.

Ripped from her world, Jade is forced to seek refuge from those who want her dead. She is given one of two options and the time has come for her to make a choice: assassinate their sworn enemy…

Or sacrifice her soul.

Excerpt:

Prologue

Blood-encrusted iron shackles tethered Gabriel to the stone dais, digging into his bare skin, grinding to the bone. Fighting starvation and sleep deprivation, he hunched over, swaying back and forth, hovering between nightmare and reality. Sweat gleamed off his shirtless body as the jailer stirred the white-hot coals in the small fire pit next to him. He accepted what he’d done the same way he accepted his punishment—without­­ regret. It was judgment day and one man served as judge and jury.

The torch flames flickered against the stone walls like a serpent's tongue. Councilman Haywood shuffled across the medieval courtroom floor clutching a rolled piece of parchment in his meaty hand. Once the councilman read Gabriel's sentence out loud, his fate would be sealed.

“This is an unfortunate event.” The councilman’s baritone voice echoed off the walls. “Not since the fall of the Ancients have we been betrayed in such a manner, and not by one brother, but two.” He turned and addressed Gabriel, who straightened his posture and glowered at the councilman.

“Your carelessness has put not only your own people at risk. The fate of the world is now in jeopardy.” The portly man paced back and forth before the inquisitive crowd. “But because of your family's reputation, I have decided to give you a chance to redeem yourself.”

A thick wood-planked door swung open and banged against the cavern wall. A tall and husky man with salt and pepper hair stormed into the room, his sword bouncing off his leg.

“Why is Gabriel not properly represented?” he demanded.

“Jesper Turner, you have no authority within these walls.” The councilman sneered, taking pleasure in reminding Jesper of that fact.

Jesper paused for a second. “You’re right, but the elf queen does.” He showed no sign of wanting to debate with the pig-headed man. He turned and strode back toward the door.

The councilman cursed under his breath. “I was about to offer him a deal.” Jesper waited, staring over his shoulder with narrowed eyes. “We are offering him the chance to fulfill his original duty. To track down and eliminate the Elemental girl known as Jade.”

“What do you mean eliminate?” Jesper asked.

“To kill her.”

“Absolutely not. I will not do it.” The muscles in Gabriel’s chest tensed. These were the first words he had spoken since his unjustified arrest eight days before.

Jesper motioned for Gabriel to remain silent. “Why does the Council wish to kill an innocent girl?”

“Because we have never been more at risk. If Draven finds her first…” The councilman shook his head. “Besides, how would she be any different from the other hundred creatures he has brutally slain this past year? He has proven himself to be Elyndia’s most talented assassin. It’s a shame to let that talent go to waste.”

“Because they were demon beasts, and he did nothing but send them back to the void. We are talking about a young girl.”

“A young girl who holds the fate of our world in her hands. And let me remind you of something. You both made a sacred vow to protect this land at all costs. Want to or not, you have to admit this girl is a threat. And let us not forget why we are here. Gabriel’s carelessness allowed the escape of the one and only person who knew how to find her.”

Gabriel held his head high in defiance. “Given the opportunity, I would do it again.”

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About the Author:

Kriston Johnson lives in Southwest Washington with her husband, teenage son, and miniature Australian Shepherd. Her home rests at the fringe of an old growth forest that she insists is the home of Jason Voorhees. Her husband thinks that’s a ridiculous assumption, because everyone knows it’s really Bigfoot. Every summer Kriston participates in the annual pilgrimage to Faerieworlds, a real life faerie realm here on Earth, and has an unhealthy obsession with Star Wars, The Vampire Diaries, and Iron Man. Awakened is her first novel. You can visit her online at www.kristonjohnson.blogspot.com.

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Hell's Hollow by Summer Stone: Interview & Giveaway

Hell's Hollow by Summer Stone
Publication date:  March 2013 
Genre: YA Paranormal

Synopsis: 
When Seraphina was younger, she healed her best friend's injured hand. Terrified by the inexplicable cure, the girl shunned her. From that day on, Seraphina found herself without friends, a freak and an oddity. And so she obeyed her mother’s rule to refrain from using her innate ability, heeded her mother's warning that its use could land her in the local mental health facility alongside her aunt and grandmother.

But when sixteen-year-old Seraphina finds a mysterious, wounded boy hiding in the hollow in the woods behind her house, she can't hold out against the overpowering urge to help him. She is drawn to him each night, and as they come to know one another, their irresistible attraction blooms.

She longs to uncover his secrets — where he comes from and why he's hiding and how he came to be so wounded — and to share her own, though she knows it's forbidden. And while her healing touch seems to be helping him, it's hurting her. When the symptoms of psychosis — experienced by the women in her bloodline who used their powers — begin to plague Seraphina, she is faced with the unbearable choice of saving her sanity or the boy she’s come to love.

with Summer Stone

What inspired you to write Hell's Hollow?

It was really the name of the town that inspired me. For years, my family and I have gone up to the Sierra Foothills and there's a big street sign in a rural area, much bigger than most street signs, that says Hell's Hollow. Every time we would pass that sign, I would think, Someday I'm going to write a book about a town called Hell's Hollow. I didn't know what it would be about until I started writing it. I started with the name of the town and then with the protagonist and just let them lead me into the story.

What is your writing process like?

I need quiet to really be able to get to the sweet spot where the writing flows. So I don't listen to music and I prefer not to be at a noisy café. My best writing comes when I let the character tell me the story. With Hell's Hollow I was surprised by many elements of the storyline, none of which would have happened if I'd really tried to guess at what would come next. So listening for the voice of the characters and the voice of the story are key for me.

What were your favorite elements of Hell's Hollow to write?

I really enjoyed writing the growing relationship between Seraphina and Zach. I loved the build up from strangers to friends to something more. And because she isn't sure if he's real or a figment of her potential loss of sanity, there's an element of mystery that was fun to play with.

Also, the crazy parts! I loved writing her psychotic grandmother and also the scenes where Seraphina's own sanity begins to waver. I actually did quite a bit of research on different types of psychosis and based much of her aunt and grandmother's behavior on videos I watched of schizophrenic patients.

Were there parts of the story you didn't enjoy writing?

I always struggle a bit with writing the parts when everything is going wrong. I'm impatient to get to the places where things are working out. So I really have to push myself to hold out and let things be bad for a while. It makes the payoff of the happy parts so much richer.

Did you do much research for Hell's Hollow?

I did! I actually really enjoyed my research for this book. First, I spent time in the area of the Sierra Nevada foothills where the story takes place and even went to Big Trees State Park to get a feel for the giant trees that live in the Hollow. I spent quite a bit of time online researching psychosis and schizophrenia. I also did a lot of research on the history of the area — both of the Native American tribes that lived there and on the Gold Rush history. Other areas of research included the serpent-handling religion of West Virginia, alternative forms of healing, mythology about Hell, diseases caused by wild animals, baking and a few others I won't mention so as not to give anything away.

In Hell's Hollow, Seraphina has the ability to heal. Her grandmother hears people's thoughts. And her aunt sees the future. If you could have any super power, what would it be?

Ooh. That is a tough question! I have secretly always wanted Seraphina's power. But there are others that would be super cool too. I'd say flying, but I'd probably get motion sickness :)

Why does Seraphina, who has always obeyed her mom's rule about not using her special ability, decide to start trying?

Partly, it's because the tugs from the Hollow have begun to keep her awake at night and bother her all day. And partly, it's because of Zach. She wants to help him. There's also one more piece, which is that she's sixteen and her mom's rule feels wrong to her, and she's getting brave enough to make up her own mind.

 Quick Qs:

Ocean or mountains: ocean

Winter or summer: summer

Chocolate or vanilla: Always, always chocolate

Movie night or dancing: movie night

Harry Potter or Hunger Games: yes

Favorite type of food: Thai

Favorite rainy day activity: reading, of course

Favorite recent(ish) movie: Pitch Perfect

Favorite sound: laughter

Trivia about Hell's Hollow:

Sera's favorite baked good is an ooey gooey sticky bun.

Zach's favorite candy is a Mars bar.

Sera has 3 older brothers. They were inspired by the 3 brothers of my best friend from kindergarten. That friend never hesitated to tell people that her middle brother was her favorite. It's very clear that Sera's middle brother is her favorite too. And he's her favorite for the same reason — he's sweet to her.

The Tale of Hell's Hollow, which Sera tells Zach in the novel, was partly inspired by actual events that took place in that part of the state during the Gold Rush.

You can purchase these books at:

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About the Author:

Summer Stone loves immersing herself in the worlds that live inside her mind. When she's in the real world, she likes kicking back on the beach, exploring new places, reading (of course) and eating rich, gooey chocolate. She loves spending time with her husband and kids, which she does as much as she can. Summer writes young adult and women's fiction, both supernatural and contemporary, realistic and looks forward to sharing her novels with you! 

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