Jennifer Allis Provost's Blog, page 17

LEVITATE by Kendra L. Saunders

Do I have a treat for you guys today... Kendra L. Saunders - you know, the one who interviews fashion icons, and the author of INANIMATE OBJECTS and DEATH AND MR. RIGHT - has a new novella coming out. Without further ado, I bring you LEVITATE.    Elise Wilde journeys into the dangerous reality of futuristic city New Canterbury's upper echelon, pretending to be someone she's not in an attempt to steal a much needed medicine for her best friend. She is aided in her deceit by Anders St. Rhys, a mysterious man who drifts in and out of the city's most secret places.

When Elise encounters Jameson Yorke, though, her plan is thrown into chaos. Jameson offers Elise access to everything she's ever wanted, including the antidote her best friend needs... but Jameson is a member of the royal family. And the royal family is famously, terrifyingly cruel...  LEVITATE is a dystopian novella by Kendra L. Saunders, written as a gift for her fans. This exciting story will be shared chapter by chapter, once a week. Kendra’s goal with Levitate is to thank her fans for their support by providing them a complex female protagonist, a female-friendship driven story, plenty of action, intrigue, mystery and one (or three?) sexy guys, on top of all that. Read LEVITATE, comment on it, share it with friends on social media using the hashtag #Levitatenovella and check back soon for the next update!  Book notes:Title: LevitateAuthor: Kendra L. SaundersPublication Date: 7/2013-Suggested age range: 13 & upRead it: http://www.kendralsaunders.com/levitate.html

Cover Reveal - GIDEON'S SPEAR by Darby Karchut

GIDEON'S SPEARThe sequel to FINN FINNEGANBy Darby Karchut  Gideon’s Spear (The Adventures of Finn MacCullen #2) For Finn MacCullen, it’s time to Irish up. With a shout, Finn held the spear aloft. “Come along, ye manky beasties,” he yelled, throwing every bit of Gideon-ness he could into his voice. “I’ve a wee point to share with ye!” Gripping the end of the shaft in both hands, he swung it around and around over his head, creating a whistling sound. “Faugh a ballagh!”“The Spear!” Goblin voices screeched in panic. “The Spear of the Tuatha De Danaan!”“Yeah, you got that right!” Finn yelled back.When a power-crazed sorceress and the neighborhood pack of beast-like goblins team up and threaten both his master and his friends, thirteen-year-old Finn (not Finnegan) MacCullen does the only thing an apprentice monster hunter can do: he takes the fight to the enemy. And woe to the foe he meets along the way. Without further ado, here it is:    Praisefor Finn Finnegan (Book One of The Adventures of Finn MacCullen) “Overall, a great choice for adventure-loving readers who prefer their battle scenes with a hefty dose of ancient weaponry, ground-fighting skills, and just a touch of magic." --School Library Journal "If Lloyd Alexander had written The Ranger's Apprentice, the result might have been something like Finn Finnegan. Fantastic!" --Mike Mullin, author of Ashfall and Ashen Winter  "Finn Finnegan brings classic adventure into a modern day setting for a great read.”--Dee Garretson, author of Wildfire Run and Wolf Storm Title: Gideon's Spear (The sequel to Finn Finnegan)Author: Darby KarchutPublisher: Spencer Hill Press ISBN:  978-1-937053-94-9Release Date: 2/4/2014Formats: Paper, e-bookGoodreads TBR: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18046728-gideon-s-spear

Spotlight: SONGSTONE by Lena Goldfinch

Today we're spotlighting SONGSTONE by Lena Goldfinch! First of all, let's check out a truly beautiful cover:    About the Book   Kita can meld song into stone. In a world with no written word, storytelling—the ability to meld (or magically impress) song into stone—is greatly honored. The village honors her master as their medicine man, but Kita knows he's secretly a sorcerer who practices black magic using drops of her blood. She fears he’ll use her beautiful gift for a killing spell, so she conceals it from him. Each day, his magic tightens around her neck like a rope. His spells blind the villagers, so they can’t see him for what he really is.

Not that anyone would want to help her. She was found in the forest as a baby and would have died if a village girl hadn't brought her home. But the villagers saw Kita's unusual coloring and decided she belonged to the mysterious tribe who lives in the forests of the volcano, a people feared for their mystical powers. So they fear her too. Now seventeen, she can barely admit her deepest longing: to know who she really is and where she belongs.

Then Pono, a young journeyman, arrives from the other side of the island. He's come to fulfill a pact between their villages: to escort a storyteller back to his village—a storyteller who'll be chosen at the great assembly. Finally, in Pono, Kita sees her one slim chance at freedom and she'll risk her life to take it.

A dark, twisty tale of sorcery, tummy-tingling romance, and adventure, inspired by the folklore of New Zealand's Māori people. About the Author  

Lena lives in a scenic small town in Massachusetts with her husband, two kids, and a very spoiled Black Lab. She writes fiction for young adults, mostly light fantasy with a healthy dose of "sigh-worthy" romance. You can visit her online at www.lenagoldfinch.blogspot.com. Author’s Links  Website: http://lenagoldfinch.blogspot.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/lena_goldfinch Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/lenagoldfinch Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4412038.Lena_Goldfinch Newsletter sign-up: http://lenagoldfinch.us5.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=d20c77e0f3ef8dff993ecfcf7&id=6b1c2994d1   There's also a sweet summer giveaway in conjunction with the blog tour! The giveaway is open internationally, and one winner (randomly drawn) will receive:  ·         A signed copy of Songstone (Paperback)·         A sea glass necklace with turtle charm (Picture will be included on the blog tour home page and in the introduction post)   ·         A $10 Dairy Queen gift card (U.S.) or a $10 Amazon.com gift card (international) Click the following link to enter the giveaway: SONGSTONE giveaway  You can find Songstone on: ~ Amazon (Kindle) ~ Barnes & Noble (Nook)~ Kobo~ Smashwords Thanks to @SeasonsHumility @lena_goldfinch for letting me share in the fun! SONGSTONE looks like it will be a great read!

Authors and Amazon: A Strange Relationship, Indeed

If any of you follow me on Facebook and Twitter, you probably saw some of these pictures late last week:
 
 I just about died when Copper Girl hit #37
And then, lucky # 13! 
We had a bit of excitement there, with Copper Girl heading all the way up to #13 in the Fantasy Romance category on Amazon. I, for one, couldn’t look away. I mean, author rankings are updated every hour. Every freaking hour! Not so long ago, authors had to wait weeks or even months for sales numbers. Yet here these ranking are, in almost real time.
Is it any wonder, then, that no matter how much someone detests the large book store chains, or Amazon in particular, authors are always drawn to them? Yes, we should all be supporting our local indie bookstore (I highly recommend The Spiral Bookcase – ask for Ann, she’ll take good care of you!), but Amazon has so many guilty pleasures: reviews, sales rankings, even a little map showing how our work is selling in each state. It’s an information-starved author's dream.
But, what is this information really telling us? As a quick Google search on Amazon author rankings will reveal, next to nothing. When you log into your Author Central page you can see BookScan numbers, this much is true, but you don’t see all the numbers. What’s worse, you don’t know which retailer’s numbers you’re looking at, because it isn’t specified. And, Amazon’s numbers are specifically not included, because they consider their information to be proprietary. Unless you’re self-published and put your work up via Kindle Direct Publishing, you don’t even get Kindle sales.
Copper Girl may have reached #13, but for the life of me I have no idea how many copies it sold to get there. I do, however, have access to a lovely sales graph.
What does all this mean? Well, the numbers may not be complete, but they’re better than nothing. You can also do some lovely sprucing up via your author page, adding such things as book trailers, Twitter feeds, and other information. All in all, it’s not such a bad system.
And, I will never forget how great it felt to see my little book reach #13. Happiness is priceless.   Sara had always been careful.

She never spoke of magic, never associated with those suspected of handling magic, never thought of magic, and never, ever, let anyone see her mark. After all, the last thing she wanted was to end up missing, like her father and brother.

Then, a silver elf pushed his way into Sara's dream, and her life became anything but ordinary.


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Teaser Tuesday - Rescuing Max

As some of you may know, I was at Readercon this past Friday. I was lucky enough to read from Copper Girl, and following is the passage.

A little background: Sara's brother was arrested ten years ago for practicing magic, and his family hasn't seen him since. Having discovered where Max is being held, Sara and Micah decide to embark on a rescue mission.
 ###

Twilight came, and under cover of darkness, Micah and I left the relative safety of the Raven Compound and my fairy mother behind. I would definitely be asking her a few questions about that when we had the time. Now, we were hiding in the woods that encircled the stone prison that, in turn, encircled my brother.
As we crouched in the damp, decaying leaves, I considered how much my life had changed in such a short time. Only a week ago, I had been an office drone whose only indulgences had been caffeinated beverages and fast driving. I had pretended to know nothing of the ways of magic, had hidden my mark from anyone who might glimpse it; I had never hung out at a beach or even sunbathed in the park, never joined a gym, never worn any of the cute, fashionable shirts that might have ridden up and revealed my secret. I had been gifted with one of the strongest bloodlines in history, yet I’d spent much of my life wishing for the magic to just leave me alone.
No more would I hide. I was a Corbeau by birthright and the daughter of a fairy queen.
I am a force to be reckoned with.
I slid my hand into Micah’s, seeking a bit of warmth for my cold fingers. He squeezed reassuringly but didn’t look away from the prison. And well he shouldn’t, since we’d been waiting for the guards to change for the better part of an hour.
“Do you think it will work?” I’d asked back at the Compound. The Raven had given me one of its feathers, still glossy and black despite the many centuries since his death, along with the assurance that we would be able to leave the prison with Max in tow, unseen and unstopped by the guards. Of course, like all things magical, it had come with a hefty catch: our dreamselves could not carry the feather, thus making this rescue all the more dangerous.
“What does your heart tell you?” Micah countered.
“It’s rather silent on the matter,” I replied, though, in truth, it beat a quick tattoo  against my breastbone. “But I do know that The Raven has never failed my family, not once, when we needed him.”
Micah had smiled at that; in the Otherworld, the integrity of a long-dead bird was as good as gold.
Once we’d returned to the Otherworld, the rest of our preparations had been simple. First, we’d spent a good amount of time placing small pieces of metal in various pockets and pouches about our bodies, retrievable at a moment’s notice, in case we needed to wield it, either to strike a foe with added force or even build a wall. Well, in case Micah needed to wield it, since I was still limited to gently bending small portions of copper.
At first I didn’t understand why the metal we secreted in our clothing was mostly iron. Micah had a quantity of silver within his body to call upon, and I’d assumed he would stay true to his metal. When I asked, he explained that it was far more effective to strike someone with iron than silver.
“Is that why Ferra’s a queen?” I’d asked when he pointed that out. “Because iron is a stronger metal?”
“In a way. You don’t find her to be the picture of royalty?”
I made one of those unladylike sounds that Micah so disapproved of. Really, he was just going to have to accept the fact that I was not very refined. “I always imagined a queen as a kind woman, who cared for her people more than anything. Ferra is not that sort of woman.” An image of my mother appeared in my mind’s eye; while I hadn’t known she was a queen, Mom would move mountains for her family. I couldn’t imagine her behaving like the despicable Iron Queen, not one bit. “And shouldn’t the queen be a precious metal, like gold or platinum?”
He smiled ruefully. “Things are not always as they should be.” I caught the sadness in his tone, and remembered the gold gaudily displayed in Ferra’s palace, and the gold lined oubliette. I also remembered that silver is a precious metal too, surely worthier of the throne than ugly old iron. But Micah didn’t want to talk about it, and he turned his attention to the far more pressing task of breaking Max out of prison. As for me, I let him get away with his distraction technique. For now.
“It is getting inside that requires stealth,” Micah murmured as we watched the guards. “Leaving shall be simplicity itself.”
By simplicity, Micah meant that he intended to take Max and me along one of the metal pathways he used for traveling, much as he did in the Mundane World. In order to accomplish this, he’d tasked the silverkin with placing sufficient metal at short intervals between the prison and his home, almost like a trail of silvery breadcrumbs, to guide us to safety. Since the prison proper contained only a small amount of metal in the various electronic devices, and all metal had been removed from the soil underneath it, it was the best we could do.
I nodded, deliberately not speaking, or even thinking, about our impending escape. Micah was confident, and that was all that mattered. Never mind that it was a foolish, risky plan that centered on a dead bird’s feather and a few pounds of iron filings. Never mind that it could very well end with Micah and me either dead or sharing Max’s cell. Nope, not thinking about that at all.
Micah lightly touched my arm and jerked his chin toward the prison. The guard had finally retreated to a small side building the size of a garden shed, and through the window, I could see him munching on a sandwich. Carefully, we rose and Micah wrapped his cloak around both of our shoulders.
“You’re sure this will work?” I asked.
“It worked the last time,” he replied. “They never saw who breached their puny wall.”
“I thought you were your dreamself.”
“I woke as soon as I sensed you in danger.” Huh. So Micah, in his wakeful body, had charged through a stone fortress full of enemies armed with terrible, terrible weapons, enemies with a special taste for Dreamwalkers at that, all for me.
I stood on my toes and stretched to kiss his jaw. He touched my hair but said nothing, not that I’d expected him to. He had to concentrate on blending in.
Micah referred to his cloak as his chameleon skin, but it wasn’t really a lizard’s hide. As near as I could tell, the fabric was woven from various plants with magical properties; close to the hem I could make out something like mandrake leaves, and the clasp was a curl of belladonna, complete with dark, shiny berries. The sum total of these plants meant that the cloak would keep Micah either warm or cool as needed, lend him speed if he were pursued, and hide him from his enemies. Not like a cloak of invisibility, he’d cautioned me. Some things were quite rare, even in the Otherworld. No, this cloak worked more like a pencil eraser, blurring itself along the edges, so it was hard to tell where the cloak ended and the surrounding landscape began. If one looked directly at Micah one would see him, clear as day, but who looked directly at something that isn’t there? This chameleon skin was a most useful garment indeed.
Gingerly, we made our way across the open space toward the imposing cinder block wall encircling the prison. Unlike Micah’s last visit, when he had rushed into an unknown environment hoping his illusion would hold, we were trying to be subtle. Conveniently, there was no door or fence, just an opening wide enough to drive a truck through, flanked by cameras and plastic spike strips, poised to be flung under any uninvited tires. I wondered how well plastic fared against rubber.
My heart pounded so loudly I thought the guard would surely hear it, but he didn’t look up from his lunch as we walked by the shed or as we stepped beyond the wall. A few steps later, Micah opened the door to the facility, and, as anticlimactic as it was, that was it.
We were in.

 

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BREAKING GLASS by Lisa Amowitz - Interview, goodies, and more!

Today, I am lucky enough to host a stop on the blog tour for Lisa Amowitz's  debut novel, BREAKING GLASS! Without further ado, let's move on to the interview: 


You’ve managed to craft a story that’s equal parts thriller and mystery, with a healthy dose of coming-of-age drama. What gave you the original idea for Breaking Glass?
I’ve been asked this in almost all the interviews I’ve given and each time I answer it a little differently—but for you my dear, Jennifer, I shall list them all.
 
1)      the tumultuous relationship between the uptight landlady of the summer property we rented four years ago and her bitchy spoiled daughter. (don’t ask me why).
2)      The tree on that same property with twisted roots.
3)      My son’s friend’s stubborn obsession with a very flighty and unreliable girl all through high school.
4)      The way boys, in general totally hate to talk about their real feelings.
5)      The creepy twisty roads in the town of Croton-on-Hudson
6)      The reservoir in Croton-on-Hudson
7)      The little spark of an idea I had about a boy who raises a girl from the dead and messes around with her ghost.
 
What made you position Jeremy as a track star?
Because it’s the perfect occupation for a kid who is trying to run from his past.
 
Susannah, the girl at the center of Jeremy Glass’s world, is quite a talented artist, as is the author. Anything autobiographical there? Yes—just a bit, in that I was once a moody, wacky little art girl back in the day and had my share of boys that seemed to romanticize me without really trying understand who I really was. But that’s really the only similarity.
 
 
Not only is Jeremy an amateur Civil War historian, you also delve into Kabbalah. Did these diverse subjects involve a lot of research? You might say that while writing Breaking Glass, Wikipedia was my best friend. My real nerdish obsessions kicked in for a book about Nathan Hale I has since set aside, but still plan to write one of these days. I really do love American History, particularly Revolutionary War history. If you scroll through the pages of Breaking Glass, you will find the Nathan Hale reference.
 
What an exciting debut novel! What’s next for you? Why thank you, Jennifer! I have the first book in the Finder Series, VISION, releasing next year in May from Spencer Hill Press. It’s the story of Bobby Pendell, a boy stricken with debilitating visions that set him on the trail of a serial killer in his small country town. I am also working on a young adult murder mystery with much more blatant autobiographical elements.
 
Thanks so much for having me! These were really great and thoughtful questions.   
BREAKING GLASS from Spencer Hill Press, July 2013
by Lisa Amowitz
On the night seventeen-year-old Jeremy Glass winds up in the hospital with a broken leg and a blood alcohol level well above the legal limit, his secret crush, Susannah, disappears. When he begins receiving messages from her from beyond the grave, he’s not sure whether they’re real or if he’s losing his grip on reality. Clue by clue, he gets closer to unraveling the mystery, and soon realizes he must discover the truth or become the next victim himself.
ISBN: 978-1937053383
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Author bio:

 
 
 

Lisa Amowitz was born in Queens and raised in the wilds of Long Island, New York where she climbed trees, thought small creatures lived under rocks and studied ant hills. And drew. A lot.
When she hit her teens, she realized that Long Island was too small for her and she needed to escape. So she went to college in Pittsburgh. Go figure.
On leaving college, Lisa became a graphic designer living in New York City. She eventually married her husband of a zillion years, had two lovely children, and was swept away to a fairy tale life in the Bronx, where, unbelievably there are more trees and wilderness than her hometown. She can see the Hudson River from her kitchen window.
Lisa has been a professor of Graphic Design at her beloved Bronx Community College where she has been tormenting and cajoling students for nearly seventeen years. She started writing eight years ago because she wanted something to illustrate, but somehow, instead ended up writing YA. Probably because her mind is too dark and twisted for small children.
BREAKING GLASS which will be released in July, 2013 from Spencer Hill Press, is her first published work. VISION, the first of the Finder series will be released in 2014, along with an unnamed sequel in the following year. LIFE AND BETH will also be released in the near future, along with graphic novel style art.
Find Lisa on Facebook
Follow Lisa on Twitter
 
Rafflecopter link:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/MmIxODE0NDAyYjdlN2M5MGZhN2I2ZTNlZWNkZWFmOjE=/ 
 
Giveaway items:
(1)   custom pendant like the one pictured on the book cover

(2) signed ARCS
(1) original work of Breaking Glass related art created and signed by the author.

We are also going to be making a free download of SHARDS, which is an illustrated preview of BREAKING GLASS.
 
Page URL: http://www.site.spencerhillpress.com/Shards.php   Direct upload: http://www.site.spencerhillpress.com/uploads/Shards_Amowitz.pdf
 

Happy Book Birthday COPPER GIRL!

It's finally here - COPPER GIRL releases today!

Eek!

My preferred place for you to purchase it? The Spiral Bookcase. It's an awesome independent bookstore in Philadelphia, and the proprietress, Ann, is brilliant. Tell her I sent you.

However, you can also find COPPER GIRL here.  And here.

Be sure to leave a comment, and tell me what you thought of Sara's adventures in the Otherworld.

Teaser Tuesday - COPPER GIRL, Chapter Two, Part Two

Two days until COPPER GIRL hits the shelves! Below, find the second half of Chapter Two, where Sara realizes that Micah knows a lot more about her than just where she works. ***

Of metal. There are two ways one can learn the workings of magic: years and years of rigorous study, or by simply being born to it. If you’re born into a magical bloodline, you’re said to be touched by an element, either earth, air, fire, water, or metal. The nature of your element is passed from father to child, just like a surname. Once in a while, someone is born touched by more than one element, but that’s awfully rare.
You also take on the characteristics of your chosen element, or rather, the element that’s chosen you. For instance, those touched by fire tend to be quick to anger, and those of earth are stubborn but loyal. I’ve never met anyone who admitted to being touched by water, but I’ve always imagined them as cowardly. And air? Who knows what they’re like? Flighty, perhaps?
I’ve always been glad that my family’s line is of metal. It means I’m strong, both physically and mentally, and courageous. I’m loyal, like those of earth, but not quite so stubborn. And… and that’s all I really know, because we haven’t been allowed to speak of magic since the wars ended, and magic was outlawed.
I was young when the wars began, but from what I remembered, the news reports all said that the wars had started when those who’d been born without magic became jealous of Elementals’ innate abilities. So, the learned magicians got together with the Mundane humans and started up their own civil rights movement, claiming that they should be considered equal to the Elementals. The problem was, they weren’t equal. They never, ever would be, being that it took months, or years, for a Mundane to learn even simple spells like the casting of a fey stone. When the Elementals brought up this small but important fact, all hell had broken loose. Literally. Still, there had been no war or outright rebellion at that point. The learned magicians may have been collectively outraged, but they grudgingly accepted their place, and the Mundane humans—those who did not study magic—were content with things as they were. Then, a Fire Elemental conceived of a way to sell fey stones to the masses; normally, a fey stone will only burn in the presence of its caster, but this enterprising individual spent decades studying the spell and determined which materials would cause the light to burn for years. It was a brilliant invention, one that could save the average family hundreds, or maybe thousands, in electricity. Just imagine, a never-ending light bulb.

The Mundane CEO of the power company had not been pleased by this development .
The wars had lasted almost three years, but we hadn’t been discouraged. We—the Elementals—knew that we were stronger, and we’d never had any doubt that we’d prevail. Then, the unthinkable happened. We lost.
To this day, no one knows how. Oh, there’s lots of speculation, but the real reasons remain somewhat elusive. The schoolbooks say that many of the war mages realized the error of their ways and immolated themselves. Yes, they used the word “immolate”, and that, right there, is a clue that it’s all propaganda. Other sources claim that Elementals don’t mesh well with those of opposing natures, and infighting was what did us in. That supposed infighting was also the impetus for creating the Peacekeepers, a squad of government goons specially outfitted to make Elemental lives miserable.
Well, no matter which version they hand out in their propaganda, the end result was the same - the Council of Elementals disappeared. Without their leadership, we lost.
My dad was on that council.
Once the Mundanes claimed victory, we assumed that life would pretty much return to normal, but we were so, so wrong. Instead of just declaring themselves equal to the Elementals, the learned magicians were also outlawed, along with all other ‘unlicensed magic’. In essence, without a special dispensation from the government (which, I might add, tosses spells around like cheap confetti), you could be thrown in prison for something as innocuous as conjuring up a bit of heat to warm your coffee.
We never found out what happened to Dad.
I’d spent most of my life trying to pass for ordinary. I tried to act like a Mundane human, someone who didn’t understand magic. I never talked about it, never thought about it, and never, ever practiced it. So, how did Micah know?
 “Of metal?” I asked, tentatively.
“I was certain when I felt your mark.” Huh. No one mentioned marks, either. I usually kept mine covered; those who saw it either thought it was a tramp stamp or refused to let on that they recognized the signs of magic. “Copper, yes?”
“Copper,” I affirmed, my voice now hardly a whisper. “You could tell just by feeling it?”
“By your hair,” he replied. I protested that I dyed my hair, but he looked pointedly at my hips. Oh, right. “May I see it? Your mark, I mean.”
I didn’t see any reason why he couldn’t, since he’d pretty much seen the rest of me. I turned around and lifted my nightie, exposing the mark across my lower back that forever named me as a member of the Raven clan, one of the most powerful bloodlines in history. Well, before magic was outlawed; now we were just… regular. And watched. My mark was copper-colored, and took the shape of a raven with its wings outstretched, the tips of the feathers reaching my sides. My sister, Sadie, bore a nearly identical mark. I didn’t remember what Max’s mark had looked like.
Micah traced the edges of the raven, his light touch sending shivers through my body. I remembered how he’d massaged my back during our earlier encounter, how I’d instantly become a molten heap of need. “Is everyone’s mark so sensitive?” I asked.
“Some, but not all,” he replied, his fingers now stroking my spine, near the raven’s maw. “Fire marks may burn you if you touch them, and thoseof stone feel hardly anything at all.”
“Do you have a mark?” I asked, peeking over my shoulder. Again, Micah smiled at me.
“I do.” He pulled off his leather shirt, revealing wiry muscle sheathed in warm, caramel skin. Before I could truly appreciate the most attractive male chest I’d ever encountered, he turned his back and I saw his mark. It was shining, metallic silver, just as mine was copper. It swept across his back like filigree wings emanating from his spine, arching over his shoulder blades in a graceful fall that reached below his waist.
“You… you’re silver,” I murmured, my eyes flitting from his mark to his hair. “Just like I’m copper, you’re silver.” Micah murmured some sort of an agreement, but I barely heard him. Hesitantly, I touched his back, his mark glinting in the near-dark. His flesh was warm and inviting, almost hot where it was incised with silver. “Oh, Micah. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Many thanks, my Sara.” His muscles tensed, and I wondered if touching his mark was having the same effect on him as when he’d touched mine. I dropped my hands, and he turned to face me. “Forgive me, if I’ve misinterpreted your actions.”
“I didn’t know what I was doing, calling you,” I admitted. “But I am glad that you came back to me.” At that, he kissed me—hard—and pushed me onto my back. I didn’t resist. Far from it , I welcomed him.
“Wait,” I breathed. “Will I ever see you while we’re awake?”
“You wish to?”
I nodded. “More than anything.”
“Hold me tightly, my Sara.” I did, and the air thickened and rippled around us. Once again, I heard street noises and the radio blaring one floor up, and I could smell the alley. I’d been so thoroughly enchanted by Micah, I hadn’t noticed the lack of my usual annoyances. But now that I was awake, they had returned, and there was a half-naked man in my bed.
I screamed, my wakeful self having no idea who Micah was or why he was here. Ever practical, Micah kissed me, effectively smothering my cries and jogging my memory at the same time. He knew he’d succeeded when I stopped screaming and kissed him back.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, still trembling. “It was so sudden!”
“It is hard to pull yourself to wakefulness so quickly,” he murmured. “You behaved much better than I did my first time.”
“I did?” He nodded, and wiped away tears I hadn’t noticed. “Thank you.”
“For what, my Sara?”
I didn’t get to answer. My screams must have woken Juliana, and she was banging on my door. “I’m fine!” I yelled. “Just a nightmare.”
“Open up!” Now she was jiggling the handle. Luckily, I always locked my door, a habit left over from sleeping in the dorms, but she was insistent. Once she had decided on doing something, nothing could stop her.
“She can’t find you here,” I whispered. “They’ll kill you if they find you.” Micah nodded, and in the next moment, he was gone. I don’t mean he left by way of the window, which I assumed was how he had gotten in; he was here, and then he wasn’t. I blinked, but was quickly dragged out of my amazement by Juliana’s banging and yelling. I pulled on my robe and threw open the door.
“You’re gonna wake the neighbors,” I admonished her.
“The way you screamed, I thought one of them was murdering you,” she countered.
“Aw. My Juliana in shining armor.” She responded with an artful sneer, and we were back to normal.
“It’s almost six, anyway. I’ll make some coffee.” I nodded and shut the door to dress. Not only did I not want to explain my silk nightie to Juliana, but I figured I might as well get ready now. There wouldn’t be any more sleep for me at the moment. After I picked out a pair of jeans and a shirt, I took off my robe and almost screamed again. He had taken my panties again!
 
   

Teaser Tuesday - COPPER GIRL, Chapter Two Part One

Only one week until COPPER GIRL hits the shelves! Below, find the first half of Chapter Two. It seems that the dream Sara had was more realistic that she'd realized... *** Happy hour turned into last call, and Juliana gladly accepted my offer of crashing on my couch. We were forever staying over at one another’s apartments, since we lived on opposite sides of town. Not to mention that Juliana didn’t own a car and public transportation was both expensive and unreliable. If you counted on the bus schedule, you might get caught out after curfew, and the Peacekeepers, our friendly neighborhood government goons, weren’t known for their understanding natures. Since neither Juliana nor I wanted to pay the late penalty, whoever’s place was closer to the side of town we ended up on invariably became our resting place for the evening. Since I lived closest to The Room, I played hostess more often.
While Juliana settled herself on the couch, I grabbed a quick shower, only to end up standing before my closet, dripping wet, overthinking what I would wear to bed. Like it mattered, right? Normally, I’m a tank top and shorts girl, but there was this cute, just sexy enough nightie that hung out in the back of my closet. Pale lavender silk, I’d bought it almost a year ago for a boyfriend who hadn’t lasted long enough to see it. His loss, really.
I unceremoniously dropped my robe and slipped the nightie over my head. The lace bodice was so revealing I was practically topless, and the short skirt floated over my hips. As I pulled on the matching panties, I deliberately did not question why I’d decided on this outfit. Then I flipped off the air conditioner (whenever it runs while I sleep, I get a headache), opened the window, and climbed into bed. In no time, I was asleep.

I felt him before I saw him, his firm body pressed against mine , his lips caressing the back of my neck. Micah. I rolled over to face him; even in the darkness of my room I could see he was still in that weird brown getup, boots and all, but I didn’t care. Hopefully, it would be gone soon.
“Micah,” I murmured, savoring his name on my tongue. “You’re here.”
“I heard your call, my Sara,” he murmured. “You’re wearing more here,” he continued, tracing the edge of my panties, “but less here.” His deft fingers danced across my lacy bodice.
“Do you like it?”
“I do.” Micah hooked a finger inside my panties and drew them lower. “I most certainly do.” We remained wrapped up in each other for long, blissful moments, until he spoke again. “I am so glad you called me again, my Sara.”
“Why do you keep saying that?” I asked. Yes, I argued with a dream. I am a psychology student’s dream case study . Ha ha. Dream. “You’re not even real.”
At that, Micah raised his head.“I am as real as you are,” he replied, somewhat indignantly. “Twice now, you have called me to your dream.”
What? No, no, no, no, that’s not good. Not good, not good at all. “That’s not possible,” I whispered.
“It is more than possible, my Sara. It has come to pass.” Serious now, Micah sat up and took my hands. “I have watched you often, gazing toward the entrance to my lands. I’ve always felt your power. Still, until earlier today, I had no idea that you were a Dreamwalker, as I am.”
He said it. He just had to say it.“Don’t say that!” Micah looked hurt and confused, so I amended, “If anyone hears you, there’ll be questions .”I glanced toward the open window, but I neither saw nor heard a dronewhizzing by.
Micah nodded, but his brow remained furrowed. “As you wish.”
“I still don’t understand,” I continued, moving to sit up. “You say I was looking toward your lands, but I don’t even know where you’re from.”
“Where you put your mechanical for the day,” he replied as he tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. “The trees you favor mark the entrance to my domain.”
Once I figured out that “mechanical”meant “car”, I considered where I parked in the office lot. I’d always chosen to leave my convertible in the back of the lot, mainly because it was a nice car and most of my coworkers, like most everyone else these days, were dirt poor. I didn’t want to answer any questions about how I could afford such a nice vehicle if I didn’t have to.
But Micah was right in that I’d always favored one particular spot. It was situated in front of two pine trees, their massive trunks wound together like a lovers’ embrace. I’d never seen anything like it, certainly not in such big trees, and they’d captivated me from the moment I saw them. And yes, I gazed at them often.
“The pine trees?” I asked. Micah smiled when he nodded. But that didn’t answer my questions, since they weren’t in front of a door or path. There wasn’t even anything behind them, except the electric fence separating REES from the property next door.
Suddenly, my eyes widened in shock and recognition, and I grabbed a handful of his silvery hair, exposing a set of pointed ears. “You’re an elf!”
“Micah Silverstrand, Lord of the Whispering Dell,” he replied, with a polite nod. Rubbing my temples, I considered my situation. I was in a dream that wasn’t a dream, sitting in bed with a man whom I’d thought was a mere figment of my imagination, but who happened to be some sort of royal elf. And a Dreamwalker. Like me. Maybe—hopefully—I was just really drunk.
But…I can’t explain it, but as I looked at this elf, with his silver eyes and fluffy hair, he was more real to me than anyone else I’d ever known.
“I’m sorry, Micah,” I said at length. “I didn’t know I could call anyone this way. Nothing like this has ever happened to me before.”
At that, his pale brows nearly touched. “When you offered a token and lay nearly bare before me, I assumed you wanted me.” Token? Oh, right, my panties. “And tonight, you have bathed for me, attired yourself as a queen, and have allowed me ingress to your chamber. What else was I to think?” I stared from the open window to my silk nightie. Why had I put this on? Had I been calling him, subconsciously? Could I even do that? I didn’t know. But I couldn’t do it again. Not unless I wanted to end up like Max.
Micah was still speaking, so I met his gaze. “When I learned that you are of metal, as I am, our attraction became clear.” Crap. He knows I’m an Elemental, too?

YA Crush Tourney - Team Torin (Runes, Ednah Walters)

The YA Crush Tourney is starting its first round of voting. For those of you who don't know already Catie @ Forbidden Passions Reviews is Team Torin's advocate. Torin is the hero in Runes, the new paranormal series by Ednah Walters. If you haven't read Runes, you're missing out on this delicious piece of man candy! If Torin were real flesh and blood there would hair pulling, stiletto stabbing, clothes ripping riots in every city he visited. Catie is looking for Street Team members to help out so if you are interested: 1) Change your Twitter, Facebook, Google+, whatever avatar to one the above picture or one of the buttons on her blog .(there are two TEAM TORIN buttons).
2) Tweet VOTE #TEAMTORIN on June 17th.... as often as you can and rally your followers!
3) If you have a blog, copy and repost this, please. His battle is on the 17th, so be sure to mention that too!
4) Put the button for Team Torin all over the internet (tumblr, Pinterest...) 5) Don't forget to vote for Torin tooEdnah promised to give away some swags in appreciation for all the love Torin gets, a chapter and some hot scenes in Torin's POV. So stay tuned.Make sure you visit the Runes blog for all kinds of updates, memes and all around cool stuff.
Now come on peeps! Let's get this newbie his first YA Crush Tourney champion title!! Go #TEAM TORINEdnah WaltersYA Fantasy Series-The Guardian Legacy Contemp. Romance-The Fitzgerald SeriesYoutube, Blog(YA), Blog(Adult) FB, TwitterAvailable on Amazon