Cecily Wolfe's Blog: The Start of Something New - Posts Tagged "excerpt"
WinterDream - Exclusive Excerpt!
Prologue
Large, white puffs floated all around me. Sinking into my flesh with their cold, yet light kisses. Every snowflake was different, specially crafted before it fell from the sky. They were beautiful, even as they melted. I tipped my head back to catch the snow as it fell. I felt as though I was floating through air, caught in a haze of ice flakes as sugary and sweet as the icing on the gingerbread house my governess and I had made together.
I stretched my arms out to my sides, spinning in place.
The green forest turned with me, a wood full of large spruces perfect for Christmas trees. They were decorated as such, lighted with white candles and draped in silver tinsel. On some, icicles hung on the tips of the limbs. It was a world in which the snow was like sugar and the air smelled delicious, like freshly baked cookies. It was perfect—a world of my own making, if I was capable of crafting something so… wonderful.
“Clara…”
The sound of my name trilled from a distance, carried on the cool, winter wind.
Turning slowly, I peered over my shoulder, catching a glimpse of a young boy my age. He was dressed in a bright red suit, adorned with golden epaulettes. His blond hair was brushed away from his face, revealing two bright blue eyes. His lips, pink as his cheeks, curved into a smile.
“Clara…”
“Yes?” I asked curiously, turning to face him. As I slid my hands over my cream and ivory lace nightgown, I suddenly felt quite foolish. My mama had always insisted I never wear my bedclothes in front of guests or visitors. And yet, here, in this strange and beautiful world, such things hardly seemed to matter. He took my hand and flashed another warm smile as he led me to a large, white carriage.
“Where are we going?” I asked softly, pausing before the door. The panels were solid ivory, adorned with a golden handle and step.
“Winter Dream,” the boy said with a relieved expression. “Home. Home to Winter Dream.”
“Winter Dream?”
“I’ve come to take you back, Clara. To where I am—to where all the people who love you live.”
“But I don’t know where this Winter Dream is. I’ve never been there…”
“Come with me,” he beckoned, squeezing my hand gently. “Come. . .”
The snow fell all around us; small flakes clung to the tips of our hair and eyelashes. As much as I longed to go . . . there was something holding me back. Something. . .
As I peered behind me, a small, dark shadow began to form. It started out small, like the size of a mouse, and it grew—or was I shrinking? The boy beside me held my hand, and his eyes grew wide with fear.
“No!” I screamed, tucking myself into his shoulder. Whatever it was, I didn’t want to see. I didn’t want to know.
“Clara, wait!” I heard him beg, his urgent tone tugging at my heartstrings. “Come with me, please.”
“No! I want to go home!”
As soon as the words poured from my lips, I woke with a start.
Here, there was only me and the four walls of my bedroom. A sheer sliver of light crept through the space of an open curtain, sparkling with the bright white of the snow outside. It was quiet, as if the world had not yet woken. As if I was the only one no longer dreaming sweet things. Instead, while everyone else slept, I contained the chill of my own strange dream.
I buried myself beneath the duvet and hugged my knees to my chest. I was alone, completely and utterly alone.
I closed my eyes tight, not wishing to face that Christmas morning. I wished only for the chance to slip back into my dream. To return back to that magical world, where a boy with bright blue eyes was waiting for me. Back to the place where an enchanting land called ‘Winter Dream’ existed.
Book Description:
This Christmas Eve… no creature was stirring…
Except, maybe, a mouse.
At long last, can true love break the Nutcracker’s curse?
For Clara Stahlbaum, this Christmas means the end of her youth. A daughter of the aristocracy, Clara is expected to give up her dreams of adventures and the extraordinary for more normal days as the wife of a cruel Viscount.
But when magical Uncle Drosselmeyer returns with his wondrous, dancing contraptions, and one...special gift for Clara, she is beckoned to the land of Winter Dream, where she is thrust into the greatest adventure of her wildest dreams. But will she be able to break the Nutcracker's curse?
Uncle Drosselmeyer’s apprentice, Anton, is handsome as he is mysterious. But what is it about him Clara finds so alluring?
Winter Dream is a phenomenal retelling of The Nutcracker from the eyes of Clara Stahlbaum with all the magic of the Holiday season. If you loved S. Jae-Jones’ Wintersong, you’ll fall in love with this stunning tale of love, war, redemption, and Christmas magic.
Book Teaser Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMRGy...
You can PreOrder on Amazon and the Parliament House Publishing Website
About the Author:
Amazon Best Selling Author, Chantal Gadoury, is a 2011 graduate from Susquehanna University with a Bachelor's Degree in Creative Writing. Since graduation, she has published "The Songs in Our Hearts" and “The Songs We Remember,” with 48Fourteen Publishing, and "Allerleirauh,” “Between the Sea and Stars,” and “Blinding Night” with Parliament House Press. Chantal first started writing stories at the age of seven and continues with that love of writing today. Writing novels for Chantal has become a life-long dream come true! When she's not writing, she enjoys painting, drinking lots of DD Iced Coffee, and watching Disney classics. Chantal lives in Muncy, Pennsylvania with her Mom, Sister and furry-’brother’ Taran.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CGadouryAuthor
Blog: http://www.chantalgadoury.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chantalgadou...
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chantalgado...
Amazon Author Central: http://www.amazon.com/Chantal-Gadoury...
Parliament House Press: http://www.parliamenthousepress.com/
Parliament House Press Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theparliamen...
Review & Excerpt - Only a Breath Apart by Katie McGarry
Just when I thought McGarry couldn't get any better - she does. This had me absolutely spellbound in every way. (review here:https://bit.ly/2B3AL9l)
Would you dare to defy destiny? Are our destinies written in stone? Do we become nothing more than the self-fulfilling prophesies of other people's opinions? Or can we dare to become who we believe we were born to be?
“A gorgeous, heartfelt journey of redemption and love” (Wendy Higgins), ONLY A BREATH APART is a young adult contemporary novel from critically acclaimed Katie McGarry. “Haunting, authentic, and ultimately hopeful” (Tammara Webber), order your copy of ONLY A BREATH APART now!
About ONLY A BREATH APART:
They say your destiny is carved in stone. But some destinies are meant to be broken.
The only curse Jesse Lachlin believes in is his grandmother’s will: in order to inherit his family farm he must win the approval of his childhood best friend, the girl he froze out his freshman year.
A fortuneteller tells Scarlett she's psychic, but what is real is Scarlett’s father’s controlling attitude and the dark secrets at home. She may be able to escape, but only if she can rely on the one boy who broke her heart.
Each midnight meeting pushes Jesse and Scarlett to confront their secrets and their feelings, but as love blooms, the curse rears its ugly head…
Amazon | Kobo | Google Play
B-A-M | Barnes & Noble | Apple Books
“Gritty and real, Only a Breath Apart is a story of hope conjured from pain, strength drawn from innocence, and love earned from self-respect. Beautiful, poignant, and fierce.”
―Kristen Simmons, critically acclaimed author of the Article 5 series
Add it to your Goodreads today!
Katie McGarry’s ONLY A BREATH APART – Review & Excerpt Tour Schedule:
January 21st
@booksniffer7 – Review
Bickering Book Reviews – Review & Excerpt
Book Ballistic – Excerpt
Book Hoarder Mom – Review
Brittany and Elizabeth’s Book Boutique – Review & Excerpt
Celindareyesblog – Excerpt
Cinta Garcia de la Rosa – Excerpt
Crystal's Book World – Excerpt
Do You Dog-ear? – Review & Excerpt
Little Shop of Readers – Excerpt
Novel Addiction – Excerpt
Resch Reads & Reviews – Review
Sister Sister Book Blog – Excerpt
This Jabberwocky Eats Books – Excerpt
Writing My Own Fairy Tale – Review
January 22nd
A Book Lovers Playlist – Excerpt
Beware Of The Reader – Excerpt
Beyourselfbebhaltair – Review & Excerpt
Booknerd1107 – Review
CeliaMoontown – Review & Excerpt
Crazy Chaotic Book Babes – Review & Excerpt
Echoing Books – Excerpt
GataLeitora – Excerpt
Its a mun thing – Excerpt
Mean Girls Luv Books – Excerpt
Mythical Books – Excerpt
Read more sleep less – Review
Stellar Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
The Lovely Teacher Addictions – Excerpt
The Romance Reviews – Excerpt
Words Are Life – Review & Excerpt
January 23rd
A Novel Glimpse – Review
Bewitching bibliophile – Review & Excerpt
Book Freak – Review
Books Are My Life – Review & Excerpt
Bookworm Misfit – Excerpt
ClaryNathanWill – Excerpt
Craves the Angst Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
Latteandbook – Review & Excerpt
Once Upon a Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
Phishbowl's bookshelf – Review
Red Hot + Blue Reads – Review & Excerpt
Sascha Darlington's Microcosm Explored – Excerpt
The Book Hammock – Review & Excerpt
The Readdicts Book Blog – Excerpt
Velarisreads – Excerpt
January 24th
A Court of Coffee and Books – Review & Excerpt
Avid Reads – Excerpt
Book Boyfriend Reviews – Review
Bookishly Nerdy – Review & Excerpt
Collector of book boyfriends – Review
Dazzled by Books – Review & Excerpt
Kick Back & Review – Excerpt
Lisa Loves Literature – Excerpt
Milky Way of Books – Review
Star-Crossed Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
Sweet Red Reads – Excerpt
Tale Out Loud – Excerpt
The Cover Contessa – Excerpt
The Lovely Books – Excerpt
The Start of Something New – Review & Excerpt
January 25th
A Literary Perusal – Review & Excerpt
Abellafairytale – Excerpt
Book Bite Reviews – Review & Excerpt
Boundless Book Reviews – Review & Excerpt
Confessions of a Wordaholic – Review & Excerpt
Fandomly Bookish – Excerpt
Girl Plus Books – Review
I Heart Romance & YA – Review
Kaidans Seduction – Excerpt
Short and Sassy Book Blurbs – Excerpt
Tales of dreams and nightmares – Excerpt
The Book Branch – Excerpt
The Book Trollop – Review & Excerpt
VoxLibris – Review & Excerpt
Witchy Richey’s Booktastic Reviews – Excerpt
January 26th
Ali's Bookshelf – Review & Excerpt
Beauty and Lace – Excerpt
Blunt Book Blog – Excerpt
Book Angel Booktopia – Review & Excerpt
Bookish Intoxication Writes – Review & Excerpt
Confessions of 2 Book Lovers – Review & Excerpt
Crazii Bitches Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
Family, Books and Food – Excerpt
Jesssiereads – Excerpt
Little Read Riding Hood – Review & Excerpt
Lovelyreadspublishing – Excerpt
Madison’s Library – Review & Excerpt
Rainy Days and Pajamas – Excerpt
Reese's Reviews – Review & Excerpt
Southern Vixens Book Obsessions – Excerpt
January 27th
3 degrees of fiction – Excerpt
All Things Dark & Dirty – Excerpt
As the Book Ends – Excerpt
Book Bitches Blog – Review
Books 4 Girls – Review & Excerpt
Bumbles and Fairy-Tales – Review & Excerpt
Chasing Faerytales – Review
Feed Your Fiction Addiction – Review
K&M Sultry Reads – Excerpt
K's Korner – Excerpt
Less Reality More Books – Review & Excerpt
My Fangirl Chronicles – Excerpt
Poetry law and something more – Review & Excerpt
Roxy's Reviews – Excerpt
Two Books in a Shelf – Excerpt
January 28th
Aaly and The Books – Review
A Book Fanatic Obsession – Review & Excerpt
BenderDreamerGirl: read.dream.escape – Excerpt
Book Reader Addicts – Review & Excerpt
Bookishly Slytherclaw – Review & Excerpt
Contagious Reads – Review & Excerpt
Devilishly Delicious Book Reviews – Review & Excerpt
Escape 2 Fiction – Review & Excerpt
Midnight Book Girl – Excerpt
PBC – Excerpt
Rad Babes Read – Review & Excerpt
The Book Hookup – Review & Excerpt
Tween 2 Teen Book Reviews – Review & Excerpt
We Live and Breathe Books – Review & Excerpt
January 29th
A Gingerly Review – Review & Excerpt
A Lovely Book Affair – Excerpt
Bangor belle books – Excerpt
Becky on Books – Review & Excerpt
Books & Tea – Review & Excerpt
Chapter by Chapter – Review & Excerpt
Cupcakesandbookshelves – Excerpt
Desperately Seeking HEA’s Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
Echosreviews – Excerpt
GotToReadThoseBooks – Excerpt
Kindle and Me – Review & Excerpt
Lita's Book Blog – Excerpt
Margay Leah Justice – Excerpt
The Book Maven – Review & Excerpt
The Library of Belle – Excerpt
January 30th
Actin' Up with Books – Review
Book Reader Chronicles – Review & Excerpt
Bookistry_by_Ashleigh – Excerpt
Buttermybooks – Review
Ficwishes – Review & Excerpt
Geeky Reading – Excerpt
Little Bookworm Reviews – Review & Excerpt
Lo’s Lo-Down on Books – Review & Excerpt
Read. Eat. Love. – Review & Excerpt
Taylor Fenner’s Bookish World – Review
The Butterfly Reads – Excerpt
The Writing Finch – Excerpt
YA Bibliophile – Review & Excerpt
January 31st
Adventures in Writing – Review
Becca’s Bookish Life – Review
BookCrushin – Review & Excerpt
Here's to Happy Endings – Excerpt
Little Lovely Books – Review & Excerpt
Margaux – Excerpt
Ms. Me28 – Excerpt
Nerdy Soul – Review & Excerpt
Readers Live A Thousand Lives – Review
TBR Book Blog – Excerpt
The Bookish Introvert – Review & Excerpt
True Story Book Blog – Excerpt
February 1st
Alotabooks13 – Review & Excerpt
bad boys and bedtime stories book blog – Review
Caitlin's World – Review & Excerpt
CJR The Brit – Review
Court of Binge Reading – Excerpt
Hedwig Reads – Excerpt
Literary misfit – Excerpt
Moonlight Rendezvous – Excerpt
Readers Retreats – Excerpt
The Reading Faery – Review
Total Book Geek – Excerpt
Twirling Book Princess – Review & Excerpt
Vera is Reading – Excerpt
Whoo Gives A Hoot – Excerpt
YA/NA Book Divas – Excerpt
Katie McGarry Bio:Katie is the author of the PUSHING THE LIMITS series, THUNDER ROAD series, SAY YOU’LL REMEMBER ME, and the upcoming YA novel, ONLY A BREATH APART. Her novels have received starred reviews, critical acclaim and have won multiple awards including being a multiple Goodreads Choice Award Finalist for YA Fiction, multiple RT Magazine's Reviewer's Choice Award Finalist for Best YA Fiction, including a win in the category, and she was a 2013 YALSA Top Ten Teen Pick.
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Excerpt:
~SCARLETT~
Evangeline fans herself. “That boy is hot.”
Hot isn’t exactly the word I would use for him. Hot somehow feels…lacking. Hot is for some boy in our gym class who has recently grown facial hair. Jess Lachlin is no boy. He has fire-red hair, a sun kissed tan from all the hours working on his land, deep green eyes and a body made to handle rough, rugged days.
I might have been ignoring Jesse for years, but I’ve seen him. Every girl in this school has gone out of her way to drive or walk along one of the country roads to watch Jesse as he works his land. Living across the street, I’ve had a front-row view. His shirt off, drenched in sweat, muscles rippling as he moves, the way he sometimes pauses in his front yard and looks across the road as if he knows I’m watching. A fluttering in my chest and then—
“Would you date him?” Evangeline asks.
“No.” Camila’s answer is swift. “And it’s not like he dates anyone. Except for his friends, the boy is a recluse.”
“Why wouldn’t you?” The kneejerk question surprises even me when it pops out of my mouth. Camila and Evangeline look at me as if those were the first words I’d ever spoken. If I could hide under the circulation desk without making this moment worse, I would.
“Besides the fact he’s cursed and anyone a Lachlin falls in love with drops dead?” Camila walks toward me and Evangeline follows. Camila watches me with more curiosity than I care for, but it’s nice that she’s moving the conversation in my direction. “Jesse’s a train wreck, and he taints anyone in his vicinity. Dating him would be a social, emotional and literal death sentence.”
I’m familiar with the curse, and it’s no truer than Glory and her prophesies. “That sounds melodramatic.”
“It’s not.” Camila has a swear-to-God seriousness to her. “Mom and Dad had Bible study at our house last night, and Pastor Hughes came. Everyone thought I was in the basement, but I went to the kitchen for something to drink, and I heard Pastor Hughes ask everyone what they knew about Jesse.”
Eavesdropping. How Camila.
“Did you know that before Veronica started hanging with Jesse that she was on track to be a concert pianist?” Camila says.
“Seriously?” Evangeline tilts her head in disbelief, and I’ll admit to putting down my cell.
“Seriously. And Leo Wheeling was a star soccer player, predicted to be the first freshman to play varsity for our high school, and then he started hanging out with Jesse.”
Faint middle school memories of hearing Leo’s name over the announcements regarding soccer emerge in my mind.
“Then someone said that before Nazareth Kravitz moved here, he had taken the ACT in the seventh grade and received a perfect score. He moved here, met Jesse and the rest is history.”
Nazareth sleeps through most of our classes, that is, when he bothers showing for school.
I nibble on my bottom lip as I’m not sure how much I like the Jesse-is-the-devil enthusiasm. I may share the opinion, but that doesn’t mean anyone else should.
“Of course, then there’s Jesse himself. Drinking, drugs.”
“The fights,” Evangeline pipes in.
“Don’t forget the suspensions—”
“And he’s been arrested!” Evangeline finishes Camila’s statement like the two share a brain. Her eyes sparkle like that precious piece of scandalous gossip was just too good not to spread.
“The boy is a walking disaster,” Camila continues. “Anyone who hangs out with him wants to become a loser. It doesn’t matter he’s going to be a millionaire once he sells his grandmother’s land. Anyone who spends time with Jesse is asking for hurt.”
“And death.”
