Judith Graves's Blog, page 2
February 8, 2016
Cover Reveal: BLUES BONES
Today’s the cover reveal for BLUES BONES written by one of Leap’s new middle grade fiction authors, Rick Starkey. Rick is one hell of a cool guy – not only does he write about music – and Voodoo – just wait until you hear about his day job.
About Rick
Rick Starkey is a graduate of the Institute of Children’s Literature. His main interest is writing novels for middle 
grade. Rick has sold short pieces to Highlights for Children including a game, magic tricks, and a short story. Knowing that most writers often wish that they had started their career earlier in life, Rick teaches a basic course for the Talented and Gifted Program (T.A.G.) at Walter’s State Community College in Morristown Tennessee. Rick’s students learn the basics of magazine submissions including cover and query letters, market research, and manuscript preparation. The T.A.G. program is for students grades 5 – 8 and come from seven counties in East Tennessee.
Rick lives in a 200-year-old log cabin in the Great Smoky Arts and Crafts Community in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, where he and his wife, Betty, own and run Make It Magic, a magic shop and craft store. A day in Rick’s life includes recommending and performing magic tricks for customers of all ages, carving a bear from a log with a chainsaw, and working on his next novel. Follow Rick by clicking on the handy links below:
Now for the awesome cover and book summary…
BLUES BONES – releasing March 7, 2016
Thirteen-year-old Rodney Becker has found the perfect cure for stage fright. Voodoo! 
Armed with the stolen finger bones of a dead blues guitar player and a mishmash of voodoo spells from the Internet, he and his best friend enter a graveyard at midnight to perform their ritual. Now, all that stands in his way of winning a local guitar competition is the power of RETURN – a side effect of the voodoo that spells disaster for Rodney.
His cure has become a curse. How else can he explain jamming his finger so bad he can’t hold a guitar pick, his part-time dad stealing his guitar, and his mom getting into an accident that could have taken her life?
How much is Rodney willing to risk to achieve his dream of being a guitar legend?
Pre-Order Sale Price of just $2.99 – regular price starting March 7th.
Goodreads | Amazon | Smashwords
And don’t forget to enter the Amazon gift card GIVEAWAY!
January 25, 2016
The Unmoving Sky: Cover Reveal
It’s my pleasure to help Leap Books: Shine author, K.L. Hallam, spread the news about her upcoming YA suspense / thriller novella, THE UNMOVING SKY. Today is the cover reveal being shared by some very keen bloggers, myself included.
Meet the author:
K.L. Hallam, an air force brat as a young child, who moved around to more schools than she can list, 
gathering the stories that would connect to her heart. She writes MG, YA, and short fiction, or anything she hasn’t tried, a member of SCBWI, a singer and songwriter, illustrator and mother of two teenagers. She lives in New York City and spends her mornings writing in a Jazz club.
Follow K.L. Hallam on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and her website.
And don’t forget to take a second to enter the Amazon gift card GIVEAWAY!
Now for the big reveal….
….drum…roll….please….
Pretty cool, eh? Lots of drama. And here’s the official blurb:
There is nothing darker than the woods, until you meet your worst fear.
Jackson Bower has a lot on his mind lately. His younger brother hasn’t been the same since his mother’s death. His father’s drinking is out of control. Then there’s Jackson’s girlfriend and the grief that ties them together even as it threatens to drive them apart.
He distances himself, hoping for a little perspective at the family lodge. But when their father gets drunk and dangerous, he and his brother escape into the woods.
Night creeps in, and the rains come fast. Artie slips down a ravine. He’s wounded and the brothers seek shelter in a cave, only to find someone else already taking refuge there.
A desperate man with plans to destroy their town.
Jackson must get him and his wounded brother out of the cave and over the mountain to warn everyone in time. Without getting them both killed first.
Book Links:
Goodreads ~ Smashwords
Check out the booktrailer:
December 3, 2015
Fright Before Christmas: Ty Drago
As part of the Release Blitz for FRIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS I’m thrilled to share a teaser from Ty Drago’s story, Saturn Rising.
Author Bio – Ty Drago:
Ty Drago is the author of several published novels, including the critically acclaimed YA series, THE UNDERTAKERS, which has been adapted for a feature film. His short fiction and articles have appeared in numerous magazines, e-zines, and anthologies, including WRITERS DIGEST. He and his wife Helene live in New Jersey.
Fright Before Christmas Book Blurb:
It’s the most wonderful time of year…or is it?
Christmas Eve is a night of mystery and magic, but not always in ways we expect. Things lurk in the shadows and they’re not the least bit jolly or merry. Let’s just say some presents are better left unopened.
‘Tis the season to be screaming along with our thirteen tales of holiday horrors. Ghosts. Monsters. Demons. And more!
This Christmas, be careful what you wish for…
Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ B&N ~ iBooks ~ Leap Books
Don’t forget to enter the GIVEAWAY ($10 Amazon GC).
a Rafflecopter giveaway:
Goodreads Book Giveaway
Fright Before Christmas
by Shannon Delany
Giveaway ends December 05, 2015.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
November 30, 2015
Fright Before Christmas: Release Day!
Today’s the launch of a super fun middle grade horror anthology in which I have one story, THE TELL-TALE SCARF. This is a great read for grades 5 and up. Fans of the Goosebumps series will appreciate the blend of laughs and screams.
The best part about this anthology? All the stories take place on Christmas Eve and there’s a reason for this. There’s much scary folklore from around the world surrounding Christmas and the pagan origins of this holiday. From the “evil Santa” known as Krampus (check out the film releasing in December) to the ghosts haunting Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens’ classic, A Christmas Carol.
So bring on the holiday madness with a bit of seasonal mayhem. Check out the FRIGHT trailer, then go snag your copy today! BUY LINKS: Amazon | iTunes | B&N | Goodreads
October 31, 2015
Crossroads Blog Tour: LAST DAY!
Well, it’s already the last day of the tour and we’re ending with a bang. Today I’m introducing you to three DREADFULLY CO
OL young adult authors. Plus, they’ll answer a few fun Halloween(ish) questions so we can PICK THEIR BRAINS!
Check out the tour’s Facebook Page for swag offerings and don’t forget to read to the end of this post to enter the GRAND PRIZE giveaway of a $50 Amazon Gift Card. What better way to celebrate Halloween than by scooping up a bunch of free reads?
Here are today’s CROSSROADS TOUR FEATURED AUTHORS:
Patrice Lyle
Patrice Lyle has never met a ghost story she didn’t like. She’s been fascinated with the paranormal since childhood. She attributes this fascination to having heard old family stories of ghostly wreaths, ESP, and money hidden in the lining of antique purses. She grew up on the Oregon Coast and has a Master’s Degree in Writing Popular Fiction.
Now she lives with her husband and three cats near Orlando, where she’s working on the next Poison Ivy novel and trolling the area for ghostly happenings.
Follow Tina via her website, as well as on Twitter and Facebook.
THE QUESTIONS
What’s the spookiest song you’ve ever heard / one that gives you chills?
“Break On Through” by The Doors. It always makes me think of breaking on through to the other side.
Got a favourite creepy urban legend / one that never fails to freak you out?
Yes… the kidneys heist one! Where you wake up in a bathtub and discover your kidneys have been removed. That always freaks me out!
THE CASE OF THE WASHED-UP WARLOCK (POISON IVY SERIES: BOOK TWO)
When thirteen-year-old Tulip Bonnaire’s super-cute crush, Dexter, is threatened with expulsion from Poison Ivy Charm School, she can’t help but take the case. Someone has put a spell on Garrett’s Levitation skills and all the evidence, including the testimony of a sea hag stone, points to Dex.
Tulip can’t imagine Poison Ivy without him, so she’s intent on proving his innocence.
But that means delving into an old secret to find out who turned Garrett into a washed-up warlock.
Buy links:
Jessica Byliss
Jessica Bayliss is an author of commercial fiction who loves nothing better than getting lost in a good story, whether in print or on film. When not busy with her latest fiction project, she can be found loving her friends and family—especially husband, Eric—playing with one pesky Havanese, or trying to appease an ornery cockatiel, typically with a cup of coffee near at hand. She has several stories out now, another on the way, and a novel in the works to be released later this year. Recent works: “Breathless,” a standalone romantic ghost story; “The Muse,” a short horror piece in Issue 31 of Sanitarium Magazine; “Alice in Wilderland,” a contemporary YA story in the Alice in Wonderland-inspired anthology, “Beware the Little White Rabbit”; and “The Ship,” a free piece of flash fiction in Theme of Absence Magazine.
Follow Jessica via her website, as well as on Twitter and Facebook.
THE QUESTIONS
What’s the spookiest song you’ve ever heard / one that gives you chills?
“Oh Fortuna” from Carmina Burana. I’ve sung that with a couple choirs, and it’s incredible.
Got a favourite creepy urban legend / one that never fails to freak you out?
OMG, any story about bugs that use humans as unwilling incubators. You know, the spider bite gone wrong. Baby spiders everywhere.
Beware the Little White Rabbit: An Alice-in-Wonderland Inspired Anthology
Thirteen powerful voices in young adult fiction invite you to journey into startling new Wonderlands in this nod to the 150th anniversary of Lewis Carroll’s timeless character, ALICE.
Mystery. Madness. Mayhem. Each story in this collection will intrigue, bewitch, and enchant. Through rich historicals, castles and keeps, wormholes, secret workshops, deadly plagues, and gritty urban explorations, we present new tales of Alice and her white rabbit.
Whether an intrepid reporter, a would-be car thief, or the last human in a world ruled by machines, at the heart of each story Alice is a girl discovering who she really is in worlds that never fail to surprise.
What wonders await, oh curious reader? Leap down the rabbit hole and discover the truth…
Buy links:
Barnes & Noble | Amazon | iTunes
Christine Fonseca
Tina Ferraro is the author of several young adult novels and novellas, as well as upwards of a hundred romantic short stories for teens and adults.
A two-time finalist for the Romance Writers of America’s RITA award and the National Reader’s Choice award for her young adult novels, her interests include Facebook Scrabble, the color orange, and chasing coyotes out of her neighborhood.
Follow Tina via her website, as well as on Twitter and Facebook.
THE QUESTIONS
What’s the spookiest song you’ve ever heard / one that gives you chills?
Love this question. No doubt it’s the Creep cover by Carrie Manolakos. After that, any of the covers used in the series #Stalked
Got a favourite creepy urban legend / one that never fails to freak you out?
My alma mater, #WellsCollege has a rich ghost history. Even now, when I visit the campus, I feel like the #Wellsghosts are watching me
COLLIDE
***FINALIST IN 2015 KINDLE BOOK AWARDS***
The most dangerous secrets are the ones that kill.
When a surprising mental breakdown draws too much attention from a secret government group call the Order, 17-year-old Dakota discovers that her so-called boring life isn’t so boring after all. Between the lies, secrets and assassins out to kill her family, Dakota discovers there’s more to paranormal activity than ghosts and cheap mind tricks. Now she must uncover the truth before a new breed of terrorism takes everything away – including her life.
Buy links:
ENTER THE CROSSROADS TOUR GRAND PRIZE GIVEAWAY!
October 29, 2015
Crossroads Blog Tour: DAY FIVE
I am so excited this tour is underway and I’m able to introduce you to some DREADFULLY COOL young adult and middle grade fiction authors EVERY DAY this week leading up to Halloween! Each day, I’ll be featuring a few new authors and sharing their wicked amazing releases you’ll want to dig your horror/thriller-loving claws into. Plus, they’ll answer a few fun Halloween(ish) questions so we can PICK THEIR BRAINS!
Check out the tour’s Facebook Page for daily swag offerings and don’t forget to read to the end of this post to enter the GRAND PRIZE giveaway of a $50 Amazon Gift Card. What better way to celebrate Halloween than by scooping up a bunch of free reads?
Here are today’s CROSSROADS TOUR FEATURED AUTHORS:
Tina Ferraro
Tina Ferraro is the author of several young adult novels and novellas, as well as upwards of a hundred romantic short stories for teens and adults.
A two-time finalist for the Romance Writers of America’s RITA award and the National Reader’s Choice award for her young adult novels, her interests include Facebook Scrabble, the color orange, and chasing coyotes out of her neighborhood.
Follow Tina via her website, as well as on Twitter and Facebook.
THE QUESTIONS
What’s the spookiest song you’ve ever heard / one that gives you chills?
“Teen Angel” always gives me chills…the squeaking of the brakes, knowing the boyfriend’s going to die…
Got a favourite creepy urban legend / one that never fails to freak you out?
Urban legend: at midnight on Halloween, look into a mirror to see your husband-to-be. (Half-Life, Leap Books, 2015)
HALF-LIFE
Half a life is not worth living.
Probably not a good idea to take advice from your dead twin sister. High school sophomore Trisha Traynor and friends have played the Halloween mirror game for years, the one that’s supposed to show a glimpse of the guy they’ll marry. But no one’s ever seen anything.
Until tonight—when Trisha is gob smacked by the candlelit arrival of her long-deceased twin sister, instead of her crush, Kirk Maxwell.
In a voice and vision that only Trisha can hear and see, Chessie claims to be back on a compassionate journey. Trisha fears she’s gone nuthouse crazy. But she nonetheless follows the instructions Chessie outlines in their nightly conversations, until she finds herself stepping across some ethical lines, and probably ending all chances with Kirk.
When a sisterly showdown ensues, resulting in the shattering of the mirror, Chessie’s gone again, and a heartsick Trisha sets about righting her recent wrongs. That is, until she stumbles upon the real reason Chessie had come back and the most important glimpse yet that the mirror could never predict.
Buy links:
Dorothy Dreyer
Dorothy Dreyer has always believed in magic. Born in Angeles City, Philippines, to a Filipino mother and American Father, Dorothy grew up a military brat, living in Massachusetts, South Dakota, Guam, New Jersey, and New York. She now lives in Frankfurt, Germany, with her husband, two teens, and two Siberian huskies. Dorothy not only writes books with some element of magic in them, but has a fondness for reading those kinds of books as well. She also enjoys movies, chocolate, take-out, and spending time with family and friends.
Follow Dorothy via her website, as well as on Twitter and Facebook.
THE QUESTIONS
What’s the spookiest song you’ve ever heard / one that gives you chills?
Memphisto by Depeche Mode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Lu1eNt2Yuw
Got a favourite creepy urban legend / one that never fails to freak you out?
There’s a Filipino legend about an Atwan. It invades the homes of pregnant women and devours the fetus. *shudders*
MY FRAYED ETERNITY (Reaper’s Rite Book Three)
Just when Zadie thought life was returning to normal, one of the most important people in her life turns up missing. When Zadie finds out this disappearance has something to do with Reapers, her worst fears are realized.
Not only have the Reapers returned, but a plan to up the stakes and bring the Reaper’s Rite to the next level is discovered. Using their Vila powers, Zadie and her sister Mara must set out to rescue their friend and do what they can to put an end to the pact between witches, faeries, and Reapers, before all is lost for eternity.
Buy links:
ENTER THE CROSSROADS TOUR GRAND PRIZE GIVEAWAY!
October 28, 2015
Crossroads Blog Tour: DAY FOUR
I am so excited this tour is underway and I’m able to introduce you to some DREADFULLY COOL young adult and middle grade fiction authors EVERY DAY this week leading up to Halloween! Each day, I’ll be featuring a few new authors and sharing their wicked amazing releases you’ll want to dig your horror/thriller-loving claws into. Plus, they’ll answer a few fun Halloween(ish) questions so we can PICK THEIR BRAINS!
Check out the tour’s Facebook Page for daily swag offerings and don’t forget to read to the end of this post to enter the GRAND PRIZE giveaway of a $50 Amazon Gift Card. What better way to celebrate Halloween than by scooping up a bunch of free reads?
Here are today’s CROSSROADS TOUR FEATURED AUTHORS:
Elizabeth Holloway
Elizabeth Holloway is an author of young adult fiction living in Southern Pennsylvania with her two teen children and their growing number of pets.
In addition to writing, she is a registered nurse, an avid reader, an out-of-practice artist, a karaoke singer, and a music lover. She is still trying to decide what she wants to be when she grows up.
Her first novel, CALL ME GRIM, is available NOW. The sequel, DEATH BECOMES ME, will release in Fall 2015. She is represented by Lindsay Ribar of Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. Follow Elizabeth via her website, as well as on Twitter and Facebook.
THE QUESTIONS
What’s the spookiest song you’ve ever heard / one that gives you chills?
Throwback time! The beginning of Funeral for a Friend by Elton John gave me the creeps. So did the pictures in the album.
Got a favourite creepy urban legend / one that never fails to freak you out?
I love the one about a boy who picks up a girl on the side of the road only to find she’s been dead for years. Wrote a novel about that one actually.
DEATH BECOMES ME
Libbi and Aaron are Grim Reapers on the run. They may have escaped their hometown of Carroll Falls unscathed, and are together and alive (well, more or less), but they’ll soon find there’s a price to pay. A deadly one.
By escaping Carroll Falls, Libbi and Aaron have broken the Reaper’s covenant with Abaddon, aka Death himself – and now they’re right at the top of Abaddon’s Most Wanted list. There’s nowhere to hide, and not a single person, alive or dead, they can turn to for help.
But just as it’s looking like the end of the line, Libbi hears word of a Reaper in hiding – a Reaper who once escaped Abaddon’s wrath. Finding this mysterious Reaper might be the perfect solution… if Death doesn’t find them first.
Buy links:
Amazon| Barnes & Noble | Audible
Jennifer MurgiaJennifer Murgia writes moody fiction for teens—from paranormal fantasy (ANGEL STAR, LEMNISCATE, THE BLISS), to contemporary gut-punchers (BETWEEN THESE LINES). Her latest, FOREST OF WHISPERS, a 17th century historical mystery (about witches!) was a School Library Journal Fall 2014 HOT TITLE, and a 2014 Moonbeam Children’s Literature Award Winner (Bronze Medal for YA Horror/Mystery). The sequel, CASTLE OF SIGHS, releases October 27, 2015 from Spencer Hill Press. She is the co-founder and coordinator of YA FEST and currently resides in Pennsylvania. Follow Jennifer via her website, as well as on Twitter and Facebook.
THE QUESTIONS
What’s the spookiest song you’ve ever heard / one that gives you chills?
IN THE ROOM WHERE YOU SLEEP by Dead Man’s Bones. Really creepy lyrics, not to mention they play it in THE CONJURING.
Got a favourite creepy urban legend / one that never fails to freak you out?
There’s a local urban legend about Hope Road in Easton Pa where a boy and his girlfriend’s car broke down. When he didn’t return after leaving for help, he was found hanging over the car, dead.
CASTLE OF SIGHS (Sequel to FOREST OF WHISPERS)
Some secrets cannot be kept–in life or in death.
Months have passed since Rune has heard a single whisper from her long-dead mother, the great witch of Bavaria. But the absence of one evil has only made room for another. After rightfully inheriting her ancestral home, Pyrmont Castle, Rune settles into a quiet life taking care of two orphans left in the wake of the terrible witch hunt that claimed dozens of lives in the nearby village. As the days grow colder, the castle’s secrets beckon, and something darker seems to have been awakened, as well.
Rune finds herself roaming where no one has set foot in a long time. In the bowels of the fortress is a locked room full of memories that hang like cobwebs–shelves stacked with jars, strange specimens, putrid liquids, and scrolls of spells. Rune is undeniably drawn to what she finds there, and she begins to dabble in the possibilities of magic, hoping she will find a cure for the strangeness overwhelming the castle.
And the key may lie in the dark forest she once called home and the boy she thought she knew.
Buy links:
ENTER THE CROSSROADS TOUR GRAND PRIZE GIVEAWAY!
Crossroads Blog Tour: DAY THREE
I am so excited this tour is underway and I’m able to introduce you to some DREADFULLY COOL young adult and middle grade fiction authors EVERY DAY this week leading up to Halloween! Each day, I’ll be featuring a few new authors and sharing their wicked amazing releases you’ll want to dig your horror/thriller-loving claws into. Plus, they’ll answer a few fun Halloween(ish) questions so we can PICK THEIR BRAINS!
Check out the tour’s Facebook Page for daily swag offerings and don’t forget to read to the end of this post to enter the GRAND PRIZE giveaway of a $50 Amazon Gift Card. What better way to celebrate Halloween than by scooping up a bunch of free reads?
Here is today’s CROSSROADS TOUR FEATURED AUTHOR:
Heather ReidHeather L. Reid writes character driven YA urban fantasy, paranormal, and speculative fiction and is the author of the Pretty Dark series (Month9Books) She is both American and British and has called six different cities in three different countries, home. Her strong sense of wanderlust and craving for a new adventure mean you might find her wandering the moors of her beloved Scotland, exploring haunted castles, or hiking through a magical forest in search of fairies and sprites. When she’s not venturing into the unknown in her real life, she loves getting lost in the worlds of video games or curling up by the fire with good story. For now, this native Texan is back in the Lone Star State, settling down with her Scottish husband and writing whatever new tales of fantasy her imagination dreams up. Get Heather’s news via her website, and/or follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
THE QUESTIONS
What’s the spookiest song you’ve ever heard / one that gives you chills?
One, two, Freddy’s coming for you! The Nightmare on Elm Street theme song is super creepy too.
Got a favourite creepy urban legend / one that never fails to freak you out?
Bloody Mary used to terrify me. All through middle school I refused to close the bathroom door for fear she would come out of the mirror and kill me.
PRETTY DARK SACRIFICE (Pretty Dark #2)
It’s been five weeks, two days, and eight hours since Aaron vanished without a trace. Everyone wants her to move on, but Quinn can’t, not after his spirit—or something—appears to her at his memorial, convincing her he’s still alive. When a mysterious box materializes on the very spot where Aaron disappeared, Quinn finds herself at the center of an ancient prophecy of betrayal, revenge, and sacrifice that takes her to the depths of the underworld to face Lilith—Adam’s first wife.
If Quinn can stop Lilith from unleashing the demon horde Eve trapped inside the box during the Battle of Eden millennia ago, she will save the human realm and free Aaron from an eternity in torment. All it will cost her is her own blood.
Buy links:
ENTER THE CROSSROADS TOUR GRAND PRIZE GIVEAWAY!
October 27, 2015
Crossroads Blog Tour: DAY TWO
I am so excited this tour is underway and I’m able to introduce you to some DREADFULLY COOL young adult and middle grade fiction authors EVERY DAY this week leading up to Halloween! Each day, I’ll be featuring a few new authors and sharing their wicked amazing releases you’ll want to dig your horror/thriller-loving claws into. Plus, they’ll answer a few fun Halloween(ish) questions so we can PICK THEIR BRAINS!
Check out the tour’s Facebook Page for daily swag offerings and don’t forget to read to the end of this post to enter the GRAND PRIZE giveaway of a $50 Amazon Gift Card. What better way to celebrate Halloween than by scooping up a bunch of free reads?
Here are today’s CROSSROADS TOUR FEATURED AUTHOR:
Sarah BromleySarah Bromley drinks too much coffee, likes her music loud and off-key, and has loved spooky things since she first saw “An American Werewolf in London” when she was five years old. She currently lives in the St. Louis area with her high-school-sweetheart-turned-heroic-husband, three children, and her dogs. Follow Sarah via her website, as well as on Facebook and Twitter.
THE QUESTIONS
What’s the spookiest song you’ve ever heard / one that gives you chills?
“Bob” by Primus. It gave me awful nightmares. To this day, I cannot listen to it.
Got a favourite creepy urban legend / one that never fails to freak you out?
Bloody Mary used to terrify me. All through middle school I refused to close the bathroom door for fear she would come out of the mirror and kill me.
A MURDER OF MAGPIES
Winter in Black Orchard, Wisconsin, is long and dark, and sixteen-year-old Vayda Silver prays the
snow will keep the truth and secrecy of the last two years buried. Hiding from the past with her father and twin brother, Vayda knows the rules: never return to the town of her mother’s murder, and never work a Mind Game where someone might see.
No one can know the toll emotions take on Vayda, how emotion becomes energy in her hands, or how she can’t control the destruction she causes. But it’s not long before her powers can no longer be contained. The truth is dangerously close to being exposed, placing Vayda and her family at risk.
Until someone quiets the chaos inside her.
Unwanted. That’s all Ward Ravenscroft has ever been. To cope, he numbs the pain of rejection by denying himself emotions of any kind. Yet Vayda stirs something in him. He can’t explain the hold she has on him–inspiring him with both hope and fear. He claims not to scare easily, except he doesn’t know what her powers can do. Yet.
Just as Vayda and Ward draw closer, she finds the past isn’t so easily buried. And when it follows the Silvers to Black Orchard, it has murder in mind.
“Richly written, A MURDER OF MAGPIES isn’t a book to be read, but one to be devoured by the light of a dying fire. Sarah Bromley will pull readers in and have them glancing constantly over their shoulder, where the ghosts of the past await them.”
– New York Times bestselling author Heather Brewer
Buy links:
Indigo | Barnes & Noble | Amazon
ENTER THE CROSSROADS TOUR GRAND PRIZE GIVEAWAY!
October 25, 2015
Crossroads Blog Tour: DAY ONE
I am so excited this tour is underway and I’m able to introduce you to some DREADFULLY COOL young adult and middle grade fiction authors EVERY DAY this week leading up to Halloween! Each day, I’ll be featuring a few new authors and sharing their wicked amazing releases you’ll want to dig your horror/thriller-loving claws into. Plus, they’ll answer a few fun Halloween(ish) questions so we can PICK THEIR BRAINS!
Check out the tour’s Facebook Page for daily swag offerings and don’t forget to read to the end of this post to enter the GRAND PRIZE giveaway of a $50 Amazon Gift Card. What better way to celebrate Halloween than by scooping up a bunch of free reads?
Here are today’s CROSSROADS TOUR FEATURED AUTHORS:
JANET FOXJanet Fox’s published works include the non-fiction middle grade self-help book GET ORGANIZED WITHOUT LOSING IT (Free Spirit Publishing) and three young adult historical novels: FAITHFUL, FORGIVEN, and SIRENS (all Speak/Penguin). Her debut middle grade novel THE CHARMED CHILDREN OF ROOKSKILL CASTLE is due out March 15, 2016 from Viking. Janet is a 2010 MFA graduate from Vermont College of Fine Arts, and she’s represented by Erin Murphy, Erin Murphy Literary Agency. She lives in Bozeman, Montana, where she and her husband are ruled by an energetic Lab, but you can also find her at www.janetsfox.com, connect with her on Twitter, and follow her on Facebook.
THE QUESTIONS
What’s the spookiest song you’ve ever heard / one that gives you chills?
That has to be the Psycho soundtrack. I can’t even listen to it without seeing the images! In fact, so many of Hitchcock’s films featured incredibly scary music – The Birds, even Vertigo. I get chills just thinking about them.
Got a favourite creepy urban legend / one that never fails to freak you out?
I do believe in ghosts. So I can’t watch super-scary movies. I can’t read anything freaky before bed. If I do, I pay for it. I used to think that if I lay very still, on my back, with my hands under the covers, the monsters couldn’t get me. At some level, I still believe that.
THE CHARMED CHILDREN OF ROOKSKILL CASTLE
This is a middle-grade novel set in a spooky Scottish castle during WWII. The lady of the manor has set it up as a temporary boarding school for children escaping the Blitz. But something is not right with that castle or that lady, and the children begin disappearing one by one. There are clues that a spy is in the house; there are undeniable signs of a sinister magic.
Ghostly hauntings, enigma machines, creepy noises, and peculiar teachers all hint at a complicated mystery. It’s a race against the clock for one girl, her two younger siblings, and her new best friend to get to the bottom of things.
Buy links:
Country Bookshelf | Barnes & Noble | Amazon
KELLY HASHWAYKelly Hashway fully admits to being one of the most accident-prone people on the planet, but that didn’t stop her from jumping out of an airplane at ten thousand feet one Halloween. Maybe it was growing up reading R.L. Stine’s Fear Street books that instilled a love of all things scary and a desire to live in a world filled with supernatural creatures, but she spends her days writing speculative fiction for young adults, middle graders, and young children. Kelly’s also a sucker for first love, which is why she writes YA and NA romance under the pen name Ashelyn Drake. When she’s not writing, Kelly works as an editor and also as Mom, which she believes is a job title that deserves to be capitalized. She is represented by Sarah Negovetich of Corvisiero Literary Agency.
THE QUESTIONS
What’s the spookiest song you’ve ever heard / one that gives you chills?
I’d have to say the theme song from the movie Halloween. You know that tune that says Michael Myers is coming to get you.
Got a favourite creepy urban legend / one that never fails to freak you out?
To this day, I still can’t say Bloody Mary three times into a mirror. No way.
THE MONSTER WITHIN
The moment seventeen-year-old Samantha Thompson crawls out of her grave, her second chance at life begins. She died of cancer with her long-time boyfriend, Ethan, by her side—a completely unfair shot at life. But Ethan found a way to bring her back, like he promised he would. Only Sam came back wrong.
She’s now a monster that drains others’ lives to survive. And after she kills, she’s tortured by visions—glimpses into her victims would-have-been futures had she not killed them. Barely able to live with herself and trying to make things right, Sam ends up a pawn in a vicious game of payback within the local coven of witches.
But when the game reveals what Ethan had to do to save Sam, she must make a choice that will change all their lives forever.
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