Amy Reece's Blog, page 17

RELEASE DAY! LOVE ALWAYS, DAMIAN BY d. Nichole King

Love Always, Damian

(Love Always Series Book #2)

by d. Nichole King

Released: May 26th 2015

Publisher: Limitless Publishing






They say time heals all wounds. 
What a load of bull. It’s been four years, and Kate’s voice still echoes in my mind. 
Every. Damn. Day. 
I numb her memory when it taunts me. In college, I drown her out with booze and easy lays. 
I can’t do what she asked. 
I can’t let her go. 
Not even when Lia shows up, freaking ripping what’s left of me to shreds. Caring about someone isn’t worth the deadness that follows after they’re gone. I didn’t ask for this. Didn’t ask for her. 
And I sure as hell didn’t plan to miss her when she walked out of my front door. Now, if I want to keep her, I have to straighten myself out and earn her. I can’t screw this up. 
Because if I do, I’ll lose more than just Lia. 

I’ll lose my life…




Amazon Purchase Link









••*´¨`*•.☆•Excerpt••*´¨`*•.☆•

It takes me an

hour to get to the cemetery. After Mom and Liam died, I never stepped foot

here. Not until Kate convinced me to come. It had been one of her five wishes.

One through three I’d done because she was with me. Because I loved her. I

promised her number four, so I followed through. Number five, though?

Number five is

impossible.

I come here often

now—day, night, whenever I need to be close to her. Even in death, Kate draws

me in. To this place where she’d only trodden once when she was alive.

I grab the three

bouquets of flowers from the passenger seat and swing the door open. When Kate

brought me here four years ago, I barely managed to get out of the car. Now

it’s easy.

Too fucking easy.

I don’t even think

about coming anymore. It’s automatic. Routine, like my nightly shots of

whiskey.

It shouldn’t be

like this. In three short years I lost the three people I loved most. Death

sucks, and I’ve had my fill.

I slam the door

closed and tread over the grass. The three identical stones jut up from the

ground, and even when I’m here after dark, I don’t have a problem seeing them.

They’re etched into my memory.

The idea to have

Kate buried here beside my mother and brother was entirely mine and entirely

selfish. The Browdys had asked me to help with her funeral arrangements, and

other than the time of the graveside service, this had been my only request. This

way she’d be close to me.

Shade from the

elder tree casts a shadow over them. I stand inside its cover from the sun,

facing the cold memorials. These pieces of granite have no real connection with

the people they were.

Hell, they didn’t

even pick them out. Didn’t see them, yet their names, dates of birth and death

are etched into them as if they’d been owned by those they claim to represent.

Cemeteries—these

stones—aren’t for the dead.

No, they’re for

the living.

My gaze trails

over the Celtic symbols engraved at the center of each one. Identical to the

tattoos inked into my body. Faith. Brotherhood. Hope.

My eyes linger on

Kate’s as they usually do, and the memory of when I’d given her the trinity

heart necklace pours over me.

“It’s the Celtic symbol for hope. Now you’ll always know

where to find it,”

I’d told her.

Damn. I’d given it

to her so she’d think of me whenever she needed me, but really, it was I who needed

her.

I take a deep

breath to hold myself together. I lost everything the day Kate died.

I rake a hand

through my hair and shut my eyes. Out here, away from everyone, I don’t have to

pretend that I have a fucking clue how to live without her.

Out here, it’s just

me.

In front of Kate’s

gravestone, I lower myself to the ground, dropping the flowers at my side. My

chest is empty, yet somehow, it hurts. It’s the same damn thing year after

year—aching to see her smile at me just one more time. One more and I’d be

satisfied, I tell myself.

I know it’s a lie

because one more smile from her would never be enough. I need to touch her, run

my fingers over her warm skin and protect the hell out of her.

But I’m a failure.

I had the power within me, in my blood, to save her, and I failed.

I can barely see

the inches in front of me as I break down. Four years ago, my father sat here

with me and told me the pain would never go away, but it would lessen over

time.

What a load of

bullshit; the pain has only grown.

“I miss you so

damn much, Katie,” I say even though she can’t hear me. And that thought kicks

me in the gut as much as anything. No matter what I say to her now, she’ll

never know any of it.

I slide my

fingertips over her name: Kathryn “Katie” Browdy. Seventeen short years on this

earth and I only had her last months. They were the best months of my life.

I sit with her

until the sun begins to send streaks of gold over the horizon. Even though Kate

would be disappointed, I need to pick up more liquor before I head home. I have

to have something to get me through this pain.

A gust of wind

rustles the dead flowers I left on their graves last week. I scoop them up and

replace them with the fresh ones I brought. Daisies for my mother, some generic

flowers he wouldn’t give a shit about for Liam, and red roses for Kate.

Always red roses

for my Katie.

“Love you, Mom,” I

murmur, fanning out the daisies in the vase beside her headstone.

Then I move onto

Liam’s. “Take care of my girl, man,” I tell him, then I remember how I’d taken

care of his. “But if you touch her, I’ll fucking kill you.”

I squat down and

lay Kate’s roses at the base of her stone. There’s nothing I could say to her

that I haven’t already said a million times. So I settle for the words I

couldn’t say until just before she died. “I love you, baby. I’ll always love

you.”





✯✯ Meet d. Nichole King ✯✯






Since I was born and raised in Iowa, I like to create stories where my home state is the setting. There’s nothing like small-town Midwest scenery to create the perfect backdrop for an amazing tale!

I’ve always loved to read and write. I’ll read anything: Classics, fantasy, contemporary, mystery, horror. It doesn’t matter as long as it draws me in. As a kid, I was raised on authors such as Lurlene McDaniel, R.L. Stine, Danielle Steele, Mary Higgins Clark, Stephen King, and Shakespeare.

Writing-wise, my fondness lies in the YA/NA genre, though I do have a couple of women’s fiction stories swimming around in my head. 

When not writing, I’m usually curled up with a book, scrapbooking, or doing yet another load of laundry.

Along with my incredible husband, I live in small-town Iowa with my four adorable (yet ornery) children and our dog, Peaches.




Website / Twitter / Goodreads / Author Amazon







Tour Host

HEA Book Tours PR & More

http://heabooktours.blogspot.com/

Book Junky Tours PR & More

http://bookjunkytourspr.blogspot.com/

A LIFE OF INCHES by Douglas Esper

A Life of Inches

by douglas esper

Publication Date: May 26, 2015

Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance, Sports

Buy: Amazon – Amazon PRINT

Synopsis:

Ryan Kelly and Woodie Wodyzewski always fight for every inch.

Whether on the baseball diamond, the basketball court, or even the dance floor, these two friends are true competitors.

When Ryan beats Woodie in a bike race because Woodie has the misfortune to be hit by a car, he seems to have won. But the beautiful girl who crashes into their lives is worth far more than any trophy.

Molly De Leon knows all about winning, and nothing will keep her from her goals.

Ryan and Woodie have been vying for Molly since the day they met. How can she possibly choose between them?

Woodie has a complicated family situation and she desperately wants to help him through his misery and confusion. A little on edge with a temper, he’s the bad boy in her life who reminds Molly a lot of her mother, a powerful politician she’s grown up watching bend men and women to her will with a simple smile.

Ryan, on the other hand, is very close to his parents, grounded, and has a good sense of humor. He’s not your typical jock; he’s a safe, reliable pick, and a constant in Molly’s life—that is, until his injuries lead him down a destructive path.

Molly realizes it’s time to make a decision…

But how can she risk losing either one of them when they both own a piece of her heart?

Check out my review under the Book Reviews tab!

About Douglas Esper

It was at a very early age when I, Douglas Esper, (your friendly neighborhood author) realized I had a passion for the written word. As a youngster, I couldn’t get enough books to satisfy my desire to read and to this day, I still own many books my parents got for me. In school I gravitated toward reading and writing to the point teachers grew impatient with me for writing stories in class.

The passion and drive to read and write continues to this day and my goal of feeling comfortable in my own writing skin seems within reach. I’ve self-published 2 picture books for kids, Sammy’s Birthday Surprise and The Mystery of the Flying Tomatoes, a few short stories, and my debut novel, A Life of Inches, will be released by Limitless Publishing spring of 2015.

I live in North Ridgeville, Ohio, just west of Cleveland, with my wife, our kids, and that meddlesome dog.

I’m currently falling in love with David Fulmer books, and also enjoying the latest Les Roberts mystery novel. If I’m not reading or writing you can find me watching the Cleveland Browns losing on Sunday, writing music with my band, or observing my kids doing cute, and usually messy, stuff.

Hope this helps you learn a bit about me, but now it’s your turn…introduce yourself!

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Goodreads Giveaway! 4/30-5/31 Win a signed copy of SEEKER!

Goodreads Book Giveaway







Seeker



by Amy Reece

Giveaway ends May 31, 2015.

See the giveaway details

at Goodreads.

Enter to Win

COVER REVEAL! NOVEMBER SKY by Danielle Wicks

November Sky (Hardest

Mistakes #2)












by Dannielle

Wicks 


Release Date: 05/19/15


Limitless Publishing

Summary from Goodreads:

A

HEARTBREAKING LOSS.

 

A LOVE THAT TRANSCENDS MORTALITY.

A STRUGGLE BETWEEN HOLDING ON AND LETTING GO…

KRISTIAN REED is only seventeen years old when his girlfriend, JESSICA SCOTT,

dies in a tragic accident. Devastated and burdened with guilt, he finds it

impossible to move on.

Six years later, he’s not doing any better. He’s accepted a prestigious

internship at a big city new station, but he’s still losing himself in alcohol

and women to numb his pain.

BAILEY NICHOLS is assertive and annoying, but something draws her and Kristian

together. Her brother hates him, but Bailey is used to getting what she wants.

She knows the pain of losing people you love, and she’s determined to break

through Kristian’s emotional wall and prove they belong together.

Jessica is caught between worlds. She can’t let go of Kristian, but she’s not

meant to be here, and her lingering is threatening everyone and everything

around her as she begins to lose herself to the darkness.

Book One:

(linked to Goodreads)

Buy Links:
Amazon│Barnes

& Noble

About the Author

Dannielle Wicks currently lives in the town of

Kingaroy, Queensland in Australia. She is a TV show nerd and lover of cars.

She’s always had a love for writing, even in school. She used to hide her writing notebook inside her textbooks just so the teacher wouldn’t notice what she was up to. She loves reading, especially paranormal romance. When she’s not writing or working, she competes in Speedway Sedan Racing across the state. All of the books in the HARDEST MISTAKES series are based on a different main character, so you don’t really need to read them in order, although all the characters link back to each other in some way…(P.S. if you ever reference any of my books or myself on a social media site, be sure to use the #‎HardestMistakes hashtag or @DWicksAuthor)

Author Links:

   

Cover Reveal Organized by:

RELEASE DAY! BURNING DOORS by Renee N. Meland

Book Title: Burning Doors

Author: Renee M Meland

Genre: sci-fi thriller

Release Date: May 5, 2015

Hosted by: Book Enthusiast Promotions

Cain Foley committed his first murder before he could even drive a car. Not that he would’ve had anywhere to drive to. When he was fifteen, America was one of the poorest countries in the world, and its’ citizens took their hatred of that fact out on each other through gangs and violence. Children barely tall enough for carnival rides peppered the streets selling drugs (or themselves) so they could buy their next meal.

Every night on the news, Cain watched as an angelic blonde woman who lost her own child swore she’d end it. She assaulted America’s televisions with praise for the Parental Morality Law: a set of rules that spells out exactly what it takes to be a parent in the eyes of the government, and the consequences of breaking those rules. He prayed every night that she’d come to rescue him before his father took off his belt again.

Before she could save him, Cain faced a fatal choice: fight back or die on the basement floor.

He chose life.

Now on the run, he finds himself being hunted by a police officer with his own special brand of torture. Before he can save even a handful of the children who have been swept up in the gang life, he must first cover up not one, but two murders: his father’s and one committed by a teenage madam who is either the love of his life, or his final undoing. As he feels himself being pushed further and further to the edge, he realizes that surviving his father was just the beginning.

The first time I killed someone, it was an accident. Though I guess it was the kind of accident that happens when you squeeze your hands around someone’s neck for too long, or when you shove someone who is standing too close to the edge of a building. In my case, I accidentally killed my father when I beat him to death with a pipe.

He had set me up that night, I’m sure of it. I was always careful to leave the TV volume down so I wouldn’t be caught. But when I flipped the power on that night, the news roared. The woman I wanted to see was there, giving a speech like always, but her voice came out with the force of thunder. Sweat drenched my body when I heard the door to my parents’ upstairs bedroom fly open and hit the wall. The foundation shook and so did my limbs. I sat frozen in a seated position as I heard his footsteps. All I could focus on were his shiny patent leather shoes coming toward me. Even in the middle of the night, he took the time to slip them on.

I could smell him before I even saw his feet. He constantly stunk of mouthwash and old cologne; it was some putrid mix of sandalwood and beach vacations that we would never take. He cackled as he stepped toward me, so the minty air from his breath reached me before his hand did. I felt my head hit the floor before I felt the familiar sting in my cheek.

“You’re so stupid. You really think you’ll ever leave here? Where do you think you’re going to go, huh? You need me. She hasn’t come for you and she never will!” He kicked me in the side with his foot.

My stomach clenched from the impact.

I usually kept quiet when he hit me. At most, I would agree with whatever he was saying to stop him before he did real damage.

It never worked.

No matter what I said, or didn’t say, the blows would keep coming. My mother was always conveniently upstairs, but no one can tell me she couldn’t hear the snap of his belt or the furniture rattle as he shoved me into it.

That night was different. Maybe it was watching the woman from the television, or maybe it was the way his smile stretched across his face as he struck me, I don’t know. But when he was finished and heading back upstairs, I spat towards him.

My cheeks burned as I did it. In fact, my whole body felt like it was on fire. But I’d be lying if I said I wished I could take it back. Even when he turned, eyes wide when he noticed the wad of saliva glistening on the concrete floor, I didn’t regret it one bit.

I may have even cracked a smile.

Renee N. Meland lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two dogs. Her favorite obsessions are Rome, learning new recipes, and exploring the world around her. She is an avid reader of speculative fiction, and believes that telling stories is the best job in the world.

It’s Alive: Seeker Release Day

I am excited to announce the release of my debut novel, Seeker. It goes forth into the big, wide world today and I pray it finds a loving audience. The next three books in the series will follow this summer and early fall. Jack and Ally have become a part of my family and I love them dearly. 

Seeker: Book 1 in The Seeker Series

Ally Moran has always just known about things—things she shouldn’t really be able to know…

Suddenly when she starts having vivid visions about a former friend who is in desperate trouble, the adults in her life think she might hold the key to an ancient mystery.

Jack Ruiz has a troubled past, but is trying to make a fresh start at a new high school…

He just wants to keep his head down and graduate, hopefully before he turns 20. The last thing he needs is to get involved with a feisty redhead and her psychic visions.

While Jack valiantly attempts to keep Ally at arm’s length, she is equally determined to be a part of his life. Who will win this battle of wills?

More importantly… 

Can this unlikely couple work together to find answers to Ally’s visions before someone gets killed?

About the author

Amy Reece lives in Albuquerque, NM with her incredible husband and two ridiculous mutts, Greta and Sodapop (who makes an appearance or two in The Seeker Series). She also drives Jack’s ’65 Mustang. When she’s not writing, she teaches high school English and social studies along with various classes at the local community college. She loves bringing Albuquerque to life for people not lucky enough to live there. She is a voracious reader and has never met a wine she didn’t love. She’s hoping to need many research trips for future writing projects.

Book 2: Dreamer coming June 9    

Cover Reveal! Love, Always, Damian by D. Nichole King

Love Always, Damian by D. Nichole King

(Love Always #2)

Published by: Limitless Publishing

Publication date: May 26th 2015

Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
Synopsis:


They say time heals all wounds.What a load of bull. It’s been four years, and Kate’s voice still echoes in my mind.Every. Damn. Day.



I numb her memory when it taunts me. In college, I drown her out with booze and easy lays. I can’t do what she asked.

 I can’t let her go.



Not even when Lia shows up, freaking ripping what’s left of me to shreds. Caring about someone isn’t worth the deadness that follows after they’re gone. I didn’t ask for this. Didn’t ask for her.

And I sure as hell didn’t plan to miss her when she walked out of my front door.

Now, if I want to keep her, I have to straighten myself out and earn her. I can’t screw this up.

Because if I do, I’ll lose more than just Lia.

I’ll lose my life.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23691093-love-always-damian

Purchase book 1: http://www.amazon.com/Love-Always-Kate-Book-ebook/dp/B00JGWV3WW/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

AUTHOR BIO:

Born and raised in Iowa, d. Nichole King writes her stories close to home. There’s nothing like small-town Midwest scenery to create the perfect backdrop for an amazing tale.

She wrote her first book in junior high and loved every second of it. However, she couldn’t bring herself to share her passion with anyone. She packed it away until one day, with the encouragement of her husband, she sat down at the computer and began to type. Now, she can’t stop.



When not writing, d. is usually curled up with a book, scrapbooking, or doing yet another load of laundry.

Along with her incredible husband, she lives in small-town Iowa with her four adorable children and their dog, Peaches.

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. A man who never reads lives only one.” –George R. R. Martin, A Dance with Dragons

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Author links:
https://twitter.com/dNicholeKing
http://www.dnicholeking.com/
https://www.facebook.com/authordnicholeking?ref=hl
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7762889.D_Nichole_King

Release Day Blitz! Beyond Kale: Vegan Recipes for Everyone by Rachelle Rowlett

Get it now!

It’s release day for an amazing recipe collection for vegans and non-vegans, alike! Congratulations to Rachelle Rowlett on her debut cookbook!

Why am I featuring a cookbook on a blog normally devoted to YA authors? Because Rachelle, or Shella, is 18 years old and just wrote a freaking amazing cookbook!

I have the honor of knowing Shella personally, as she is one of my students. This book was her senior project and I can’t begin to describe how hard she worked all year long. In addition to the book, she has a great Youtube channel, Rachelle’s Creations, that you should really check out and subscribe to. She demonstrates how to make many of the recipes in her book, as well as some that aren’t.

I made the corn and potato chowder, which was easy, economical, and delicious! I never would have thought of substituting pureed navy beans for the cream! It was awesome and much lower in fat! I have tasted many of the recipes in the book and was impressed by all.

CONGRATULATIONS SHELLA!!!!

Meet the Author

Rachelle Rowlett was born in Santa Fe, NM, in 1997. She is a self-taught cook, artist, and writer. She enjoys outdoor activities and working with other people. She is passionate about animals and conservation. She is planning adventures involving exotic cuisines and extensive world travel. This is her first book.

The Extraction List by Renee N. Meland

The Extraction List

GENRE: Young Adult Dystopian

When fifteen-year-old Riley Crane finds out her best friend Olivia is being abused at home, she knows just who to turn to: her mother Claire, writer and spokesperson for President Gray’s Parental Morality Law. Under this law, Task Force Officers remove children from their homes if their parents do not meet certain guidelines, taking them to government-run boarding schools. Once they arrive, supervisors rehabilitate them, turning them into productive members of society. Or at least that was how it was supposed to work…

Now, after a government official threatens to make Riley the law’s latest victim, Riley and Claire must rely on Cain Foley, a gifted killer with a tongue as sharp as the knives he carries, to get them out of America alive. Though he slices through men’s necks as if they are warm butter, Riley can’t seem to keep her cheeks from flushing every time he speaks. But when they stumble upon a deserted boarding school, Riley sees that escaping the country is only part of their problem. Together, Riley and Cain figure out that a killer can save a life, and a mother can damn a nation.

RELEASE DATE: April 7th, 2015

AUTHOR INFO: https://reneenmeland.wordpress.com/

Twitter @reneenmeland

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8194285.Renee_N_Meland

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Renee-N-Melands-Books/311899338826241

Author Bio: Renee N. Meland lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two dogs. Her favorite obsessions are Rome, learning new recipes, and exploring the world around her. She is an avid reader of speculative fiction, and believes that telling stories is the best job in the world.

EXCERPT:

Sometimes a killer can save a life. In this case that life happened to be mine. I wish I had met him before the whole mess started. Maybe he could have saved more of us.

Maybe he could have saved us all.

I met the man who saved my life exactly one month after he killed his twentieth person. Of course he didn’t call it “murder,” he called it surviving, though sometimes I thought he should try to explain the difference to the people buried in the ground. To me, one label didn’t necessarily cancel out the other.

***

One of my teachers used to say the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Trust me, I knew all about it; I called that road “mother.” That teacher never mentioned what the road back was made with. I figured it was because nobody’d ever found one. Hell sort of struck me as a one-way-ticket kind of thing.

The night the Taskforce showed up on our doorstep, my mom screamed. After my brother Aidan’s death, then Dad leaving, hearing her carrying on like a crazy person wasn’t exactly new and different. I didn’t even flinch at first. I figured maybe she was missing my dad all the way to the bottom of a tequila bottle—again.

After a couple minutes though I slammed my copy of Crime and Punishment shut and left my room. I took my sweet time going downstairs to see her, hoping to hold on to the little bit of normal I’d had just seconds earlier. I stopped by the bathroom and grabbed a giant bottle of aspirin. Just in case.

Then I decided I was kidding myself. I knew better. There was no way she wouldn’t need aspirin.

“Riley! Get your stuff! We have to leave right now!” I ducked as Mom greeted me with a scene full of flying paper, jackets, and a few photo albums. They seemed to spin like a paper and plastic tornado, twirling through the air and landing unevenly in a giant duffel bag spread open at her feet. Even in the chaos I paused for a second to wonder how Mom’s hair managed to stay fastened perfectly in place. The image in front of me looked almost ordinary, a beautiful blonde woman in a fitted black skirt, white blouse, and hair pinned back in a bun, with a briefcase resting just inside the door.

Except this woman had thrown half our living room into orbit.

“Mom, what’s going on? What happened?”

Mom grabbed me by the shoulders and stared right into my eyes. “We need to leave right now, okay? I need you to not ask questions and just go pack a bag. You need to just trust me and do what I tell you, okay? And do NOT come downstairs until I say so.” Mom didn’t blink. I remembered the last time she didn’t blink during a whole conversation: When she told me that she and Dad needed to “work on their communication.” I found out later that was Mom-speak for “Dad’s about to abandon us and slam the door for the last time.”

I suddenly wished for the empty tequila bottle.

“You are my life.” Mom kissed my forehead, and I ran up the stairs. I didn’t come down again until I heard the gunshots. At fifteen, I was all too familiar with the sound. A person was never too young to know the snap of a gun anymore. But it was different coming from our house, like a firecracker going off inside my brain.

When I got to the entryway, a pool of blood belonging to a man in a gray suit tried to hold my shoes to the floor. The sticky mess grabbed the soles of my sneakers and smelled like raw steak fresh out of the plastic wrap. I winced as I stepped through it toward my mom. A pink piece of paper rested on top of the pool, slowly flooding with the dark red liquid. Bo, my mom’s best friend, had appeared too. Pistol smoke swirled gently from the tip of his weapon.

It wasn’t the blood, but the paper that made me scream. I felt the color drain from my cheeks, and I wondered if I looked as white as the dead man lying on our floor. “What the hell is going on? Is that pink paper what I think it is?”

Mom ignored my question. I hated being ignored more than anything, especially by her. But since there was a dead body involved, I figured I’d make an exception.

“Oh my GOD—you KILLED him!” Mom screamed, and in all her stick-thin glory started flailing her arms, hitting Bo with the strength of a flightless bird. Her bony fists bounced off his body as if his chest were made of rubber. If it hadn’t been a murder scene, it would have been kind of funny.

“Are you SURE? I saw him push you and I panicked. Maybe he’s just wounded.”

Thank God Bo didn’t panic more often.

Mom took a deep breath and stepped through the blood. She gently picked up the man’s hand and placed two fingers on his wrist. When she released it, her fingertips were stained red. “Yes. He’s dead.” She made a grand gesture, starting at his head and finishing toward his feet. “That’s what dead people look like. What are we going to do?”

My hands shook, partially from fright and partially because no one would tell me why there was a dead guy in the entryway.

Or why he had the pink slip of paper.

Bo grabbed Mom by the shoulders and held her still. “Claire, we’re going to grab Riley and we’re going to get out of here before more people come looking for this guy. I’ll tell you the plan on the way.”

Mom scoffed at him with wide eyes. “Plan? I don’t need your plan. I’m going to go straight to President Gray about this and he’s going to fix it. He has to.”

A twinge of hope rose inside me, working its way up from the tips of my toes to the top of my head. Maybe we wouldn’t have to leave our home after all. Maybe our little visit was just a really complicated, really messy misunderstanding. “Yeah, Mom’s right. I’m sure he’ll fix this. I can’t actually be on the Extraction List, right, Mom?”

“Of course not. There’s no way.”

Mom started toward the door, but Bo stepped in front of her.

“Claire, you saw the paperwork with your own eyes. Gray knows all about this. His signature is there.” He pointed to the guy on the floor. “This guy was going to grab your daughter. We need to go right now.” Bo took Mom by the hand and dragged her out the door.

I hesitated, frozen in the growing pool of red. Sweat broke out on my forehead, and it wasn’t because of the crippling D.C. heat. If I was on the Extraction List, I was supposed to end up like all those other people from my class, the ones who the Taskforce grabbed right from their desks. Those were the ones who disappeared. Since Mom had written the law that the Taskforce was responsible for enforcing, I never thought that I would ever be a target. Politics was all about protecting its stars, and there was no bigger star than my mother.

But that little pink piece of paper could only mean one thing. I forced myself to look down at it. I searched the document, eyes falling on the bottom right corner. It was faded, stretched by the blood into an unnatural shape, but it was there—the President of the United States’ signature.

I grabbed the bag Mom had been trying to pack and zipped it shut. I swung my own bag over my shoulder and followed Mom and Bo out of our house, hoping that I would someday be able to come back. But deep down, I knew we were about to drive away forever.

Fading Away Release Day Blitz!

Fading Away
Hardest Mistakes Book 1
by Dannielle Wicks
Publisher: Limitless Publishing LLC
 
Release Day April 7th
Purchase Link: http://amzn.com/B00V5K132S
Paperback: Order Paperback HERE


One night.
One stupid mistake.
Changes everything.

SAMMY STEVENS was tragically orphaned at the age of nine

and sent to live with a foster family in the town of Miakoda Falls.
She’s constantly bullied at school by the arrogant,

selfish, one and only… KAI JORDAN.
Kai is your typical entitled teen who’s on the verge of

attending a university and having everything he ever wanted handed to him.
 
But all that changes when he is involved in a car

accident after a night of partying…
He’s suddenly and painfully brought into the world of the

supernatural.
Kai turns to the last person he ever would’ve expected,

Sammy, as he struggles with his new identity and watches the people closest to

him move on. And he is forgotten.
 

As Kai and Sammy grow closer, Kai must figure out a way

to either fight to stay human or risk being stuck forever, as a prisoner of his

own body…
 


Excerpt
— My door swings open before I reach it and I smack into

a naked chest.
“Oh. Sorry.” My face heats up in embarrassment. Kai

smirks down at me and walks past. “Hey!
Where are you going?”
He doesn’t stop as he looks over his shoulder. “I heard

Ashlee leave.”
“Kai! Come back here!” I yell and follow after him down the

stairs and into the main hallway. “You can’t just walk around the house. What

if Ashlee comes home? She’s not going to knock; she’s just going to walk in.

This is her house. Besides, she said she would be right back.”
Kai stops so suddenly I nearly collide with him again.

“You worry too much, Sammy.” I narrow my eyes. He’s started calling me by my

nickname. I’m not sure if I’m okay with that.
“Aren’t you cold?” I challenge, referring to his naked

top half. Not that I’m complaining, but I know for a fact he owns a t-shirt and

it’s like minus a million in here.

A brilliant smile lights up his face. “Nope.”
As if on cue, the front door clicks open and Ashlee

shuffles in, hands full of plastic bags. “Sam! I’m back with the Chinese! Get

your butt down here!”
Kai turns to me, silver eyes wide. As soon as Ashlee

rounds the corner from the front door she’ll see him. “I told you,” I whisper

frantically as I drag him into the small hall closet.
“Sam?” Ashlee’s voice sounds so close, she must be just

outside the door. I exhale a heavy breath as her footsteps echo up the stairs

away from us. The light seeping under the door makes everything look dark grey.

I realize then that my hands are pressed up against Kai’s bare chest and he has

his arms wrapped tightly around me. We both let go at the same time and look

away.
“I understand why I’m hiding in the closet,” Kai

whispers, his breath tickling the hair on top of my head. “But why are you in

here with me?” I glance up to see his quirked eyebrow, and scowl at him, pressing

my lips together tightly.
“Shut up! I didn’t exactly have time to think this

through, okay?” His quiet chuckle echoes through the small space, I narrow my

eyes in annoyance and twist to stare at the gap under the door.

I can feel the heat radiating off Kai’s skin. I slowly

lift my head to look back up at him. He’s gazing down at me with his mouth

slightly open, his silver eyes glitter in the dim light. The atmosphere becomes

heavy and tense, crackling with electricity; I’m caught in his gaze, slowly leaning

closer to him. His hands come up and barely brush my arms. I inhale a shaky

breath and take a half step back, biting my lip. My back hits the wall of the

closet with a soft thump, breaking the spell. Kai’s eyes widen and he looks

away quickly.
“I should get out there, before she sends a search

party.”
He nods, still not looking at me and I move to open the

door.
“I’ll save you some dim sum?” The corner of my mouth

lifts in a small smile; I grasp the door knob and slip out of the closet. I

shut the door behind me with a snick and lean back against it, shaking my head.

What was that? Pushing off the door, I walk down the hall into the kitchen to

find Ashlee… —

Dannielle Wicks
Currently lives in the town of Kingaroy, Queensland in

Australia. She is a TV show nerd and lover of cars. She has always had a love

for writing, even in school. She used to hide her writing notebook inside her

textbooks just so the teacher wouldn’t notice what she was up to. She loves

reading, especially paranormal romance. When she’s not writing or working, she

competes in Speedway Sedan Racing across the state.


WEBSITE / FACEBOOK / TWITTER / WATTPAD

​​