Kelly Oram's Blog, page 10
April 21, 2015
Scion playlist.
How is everyone enjoying Scion so far? I hope you're having fun with it. As you may know, (or not, because you wisely don't spend your time constantly stalking me) I can't write with music playing. It's too distracting. Way way way too distracting. BUT, I usually still have a list of songs that remind me of the book. I'll wear that playlist out during the plotting phase. Here's my list for Scion. :)
Enjoy! (And give it a listen, because it's awesome!)
1. Immortals Fall Out Boy
2. Don't You Worry Child Swedish House Mafia
3. Higher Devotion Jimmy Eat World
4. Love Runs Out OneRepublic
5. Sail AWOLNATION
6. Miss Jackson Panic! At The Disco
7. Back Against The Wall Cage The Elephant
8. Inferno Sir Sly
9. Cracks (Flux Pavilion Remix) Freestylers
10. Stop and Stare OneRepublic
11. Demons Imagine Dragon
12. Centuries Fall Out Boy
Enjoy! (And give it a listen, because it's awesome!)
1. Immortals Fall Out Boy
2. Don't You Worry Child Swedish House Mafia
3. Higher Devotion Jimmy Eat World
4. Love Runs Out OneRepublic
5. Sail AWOLNATION
6. Miss Jackson Panic! At The Disco
7. Back Against The Wall Cage The Elephant
8. Inferno Sir Sly
9. Cracks (Flux Pavilion Remix) Freestylers
10. Stop and Stare OneRepublic
11. Demons Imagine Dragon
12. Centuries Fall Out Boy
April 13, 2015
Scion release day!
Scion (Supernaturals #3)from bestselling author Kelly OramNOW AVAILABLE!Just $3.99 on AMAZON
Title: ScionSeries: Supernaturals #3Author: Kelly OramPublisher: BluefieldsRelease Date: April 14, 2015Other books in the series: Chameleon, UngiftedSummary: Russ Devereaux used to have it all—loving father, beautiful best friend, a carefree life in a town he loved, and strong magic. He was the king of his happy universe. Five months ago, that life was taken from him. Do not pass Go. Do not collect two hundred dollars.
He’s spent months fighting back and building himself a new life, in a new city, with new friends he now considers family. But suddenly, his new life might be in jeopardy of getting shot straight to hell just like the last one. Literally, this time.
He’s discovered power inside of him—an ancient, dark power that he shouldn’t have, can’t explain, can’t control, and definitely needs to keep secret. He needs answers, but before he can get them, he finds himself arrested and on his way to face the supernatural council. The same council that stole everything from him the first time.
As Russ struggles to keep his new power under wraps, his old life and he new one are about to collide and it’s bound to be explosive. He may not have all the answers he needs, but one thing is certain: he’ll be damned if anyone is taking his new life from him. That is, if he’s not just plain damned.
***TEASER***
BONUS CONTENT:Each book in the supernaturals series focuses on a different character and is told in their point of view. Scion (Book 3) is Russ's story, and he is excited to finally have his voice heard. If you'd like to get a sneak peek inside of his head, please enjoy this bonus scene from Chameleon written in his perspective. It's the very first chapter of the entire series, so even if you haven't started the Supernaturals series yet, you can still read it. It's totally spoiler free! (And hey, then you'll know what you have to look forward to in book three!) Here's a short excerpt:
I was trying to make her nervous on purpose. My whole intent tonight was to make her see me in a new way. What better way to do that than to crawl into bed with her in the middle of the night?We hadn’t been in bed together since we were kids. Back when the fact that we were the opposite sex didn’t matter. It definitely mattered now. She looked so incredibly sexy at the moment that I could hardly think of anything other than the fact that I wanted to obliterate the word “friendship” from all known languages.“What happened to the Disney Princess nightgown you wore the last time we were in bed together? That was hot.”But not nearly as hot as the tank top and panties she was wearing right now. Damn. I hadn’t expected her to sleep so risqué. I’d genuinely been prepared for Captain America pajamas or something, considering her infatuation with Chris Evans. But this…she looked… Double damn. Even if this plan totally backfired on me tonight, right now it felt like the best idea I’d ever had.As I took a mental picture of her, Dani finally realized she wasn’t wearing a bra and freaked out, pulling her covers up over her chest while glaring at me. If she hadn’t been awake before, she definitely was now. “You’d better have a damn good reason for being here or you’re going to be very sorry.” She was pissed but it was worth it. I gave her a pout. “Since when do I need a reason?”She opened her mouth to unleash a verbal tirade but I lifted a hand to stop her. I didn’t need to hear her rant. No lecture in the world was going to make me feel bad for sneaking in here and catching a semi-naughty glimpse of her. Am I shameless? Why, yes. Yes I am. It’s one of my many talents. Click here to read the entire RUSS POV Bonus Scene from Chameleon.
Or you can get started reading the series now. Chameleon, the first book in the series, is available for FREE DOWNLOAD on Amazon April 14th - 18th. It's a limited time offer, so don't miss out on the promotion! Snatch it up, while it's free!
Chameleon (Supernaturals#1)For small-town rebel Dani Webber magic and monsters are no more real than the Easter Bunny… until the day she accidentally stops time. Dani quickly discovers that not only do supernaturals exist, but she herself is one of them. This is great news for her life-long best friend Russ, who can finally come clean about his own supernatural status and his undying love for her. Before the two can start to enjoy the long overdue relationship, Dani is taken by a powerful council of supernaturals who believe she is the Chosen One destined to save them from extinction.
As if being kidnapped and expected to save the world isn’t bad enough, an ancient prophecy warns of the Chosen One’s dark nature: “Only the truest love will keep her an agent for good.” The council believes they know who this “true love” is and, unfortunately, that person isn’t Russ. The mysterious, powerful and devastatingly handsome Seer is the last person Dani wants in her life, but when she starts having visions of a horrific future, she has no one else to turn to for help.
Soon Dani finds herself torn between two very different boys with two very different opinions of whom she can trust. With the visions getting worse and time running out, Dani is forced to put aside her feelings and work with both the Seer and Russ before an ancient evil is unleashed upon the earth.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Kelly Oram wrote her first novel at age fifteen–a fan fiction about her favorite music group, The Backstreet Boys, for which family and friends still tease her. She's obsessed with reading, talks way too much, and loves to eat frosting by the spoonful. She lives outside of Phoenix, Arizona with her husband, four children, and a cat named Mr. Darcy.Connect with her through social media:Website * Amazon * Facebook * Twitter * Goodreads * GooglePlus
Never miss a new release! Subscribe to my newsletter for new release, events, and giveaway updates. SUBSCRIBE
Title: ScionSeries: Supernaturals #3Author: Kelly OramPublisher: BluefieldsRelease Date: April 14, 2015Other books in the series: Chameleon, UngiftedSummary: Russ Devereaux used to have it all—loving father, beautiful best friend, a carefree life in a town he loved, and strong magic. He was the king of his happy universe. Five months ago, that life was taken from him. Do not pass Go. Do not collect two hundred dollars.
He’s spent months fighting back and building himself a new life, in a new city, with new friends he now considers family. But suddenly, his new life might be in jeopardy of getting shot straight to hell just like the last one. Literally, this time.
He’s discovered power inside of him—an ancient, dark power that he shouldn’t have, can’t explain, can’t control, and definitely needs to keep secret. He needs answers, but before he can get them, he finds himself arrested and on his way to face the supernatural council. The same council that stole everything from him the first time.
As Russ struggles to keep his new power under wraps, his old life and he new one are about to collide and it’s bound to be explosive. He may not have all the answers he needs, but one thing is certain: he’ll be damned if anyone is taking his new life from him. That is, if he’s not just plain damned.
***TEASER***
BONUS CONTENT:Each book in the supernaturals series focuses on a different character and is told in their point of view. Scion (Book 3) is Russ's story, and he is excited to finally have his voice heard. If you'd like to get a sneak peek inside of his head, please enjoy this bonus scene from Chameleon written in his perspective. It's the very first chapter of the entire series, so even if you haven't started the Supernaturals series yet, you can still read it. It's totally spoiler free! (And hey, then you'll know what you have to look forward to in book three!) Here's a short excerpt:
I was trying to make her nervous on purpose. My whole intent tonight was to make her see me in a new way. What better way to do that than to crawl into bed with her in the middle of the night?We hadn’t been in bed together since we were kids. Back when the fact that we were the opposite sex didn’t matter. It definitely mattered now. She looked so incredibly sexy at the moment that I could hardly think of anything other than the fact that I wanted to obliterate the word “friendship” from all known languages.“What happened to the Disney Princess nightgown you wore the last time we were in bed together? That was hot.”But not nearly as hot as the tank top and panties she was wearing right now. Damn. I hadn’t expected her to sleep so risqué. I’d genuinely been prepared for Captain America pajamas or something, considering her infatuation with Chris Evans. But this…she looked… Double damn. Even if this plan totally backfired on me tonight, right now it felt like the best idea I’d ever had.As I took a mental picture of her, Dani finally realized she wasn’t wearing a bra and freaked out, pulling her covers up over her chest while glaring at me. If she hadn’t been awake before, she definitely was now. “You’d better have a damn good reason for being here or you’re going to be very sorry.” She was pissed but it was worth it. I gave her a pout. “Since when do I need a reason?”She opened her mouth to unleash a verbal tirade but I lifted a hand to stop her. I didn’t need to hear her rant. No lecture in the world was going to make me feel bad for sneaking in here and catching a semi-naughty glimpse of her. Am I shameless? Why, yes. Yes I am. It’s one of my many talents. Click here to read the entire RUSS POV Bonus Scene from Chameleon.
Or you can get started reading the series now. Chameleon, the first book in the series, is available for FREE DOWNLOAD on Amazon April 14th - 18th. It's a limited time offer, so don't miss out on the promotion! Snatch it up, while it's free!
Chameleon (Supernaturals#1)For small-town rebel Dani Webber magic and monsters are no more real than the Easter Bunny… until the day she accidentally stops time. Dani quickly discovers that not only do supernaturals exist, but she herself is one of them. This is great news for her life-long best friend Russ, who can finally come clean about his own supernatural status and his undying love for her. Before the two can start to enjoy the long overdue relationship, Dani is taken by a powerful council of supernaturals who believe she is the Chosen One destined to save them from extinction. As if being kidnapped and expected to save the world isn’t bad enough, an ancient prophecy warns of the Chosen One’s dark nature: “Only the truest love will keep her an agent for good.” The council believes they know who this “true love” is and, unfortunately, that person isn’t Russ. The mysterious, powerful and devastatingly handsome Seer is the last person Dani wants in her life, but when she starts having visions of a horrific future, she has no one else to turn to for help.
Soon Dani finds herself torn between two very different boys with two very different opinions of whom she can trust. With the visions getting worse and time running out, Dani is forced to put aside her feelings and work with both the Seer and Russ before an ancient evil is unleashed upon the earth.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Kelly Oram wrote her first novel at age fifteen–a fan fiction about her favorite music group, The Backstreet Boys, for which family and friends still tease her. She's obsessed with reading, talks way too much, and loves to eat frosting by the spoonful. She lives outside of Phoenix, Arizona with her husband, four children, and a cat named Mr. Darcy.Connect with her through social media:Website * Amazon * Facebook * Twitter * Goodreads * GooglePlusNever miss a new release! Subscribe to my newsletter for new release, events, and giveaway updates. SUBSCRIBE
Russ POV Bonus Scene (from Chameleon--spoiler free)
In honor of the release of Scion, which is told entirely in Russ's point of view, please enjoy this Russ POV bonus scene from the book that started it all, Chameleon. It's the first scene of the book, so it's spoiler-free no matter where you are in the series. Happy reading!
***It was three in the morning and I’d never been more awake. After months of planning, the night was finally upon me. Slipping through the unlocked front door, I smiled. I’d really outdone myself this year. And, for once, I was sure Dani was going to be happy with her birthday surprise. Of course, that didn’t mean she’d still like me in the morning. By the angels, I hoped she still liked me in the morning.The place was dark, but it wasn’t hard to find Dani’s room. Aside from the fact that I knew every square inch of the Webber’s house by heart, all I had to do was follow the obnoxious sounds of the saw mill coming from the back of the house. Dani snored like a freaking freight train. When we were younger, we used to have sleepovers and I’d always have to spell her quiet so I could get some sleep.I came to stand at the head of her bed and watched her for a moment. She could hardly be described as peaceful with all that racquet she was making, but I wanted to remember every single thing about this night. Just in case…“Dani!” She rolled over and mumbled something incoherent. The girl liked her sleep, and she was usually an uber grouch if she didn’t get enough of it, but I wasn’t about to let that stop me. “Psst! Dani, wake up!”“Russ,” she groaned. “Go home right now.”Chuckling, I shoved into her bed with her. When she refused to move an inch, I poked her. “Scooch over.”“No. And be quiet on your way out. If my parents find you here—”“We won’t get busted.” Especially not when I spelled the room soundproof.“Sit up. I have something for you.”She’d wake up for presents. Even at three in the morning. Dani loves presents. To her credit, she did try to resist the call of gifts once she read the numbers on her alarm clock, but she still pulled herself into a sitting position and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. I clicked on her bedside lamp and moved to sit right in front of her, matching her Indian-style position like we were about to have some kind of special powwow. A birthday powwow. As I settled in, Dani let her eyes rake over me. She’d been doing that a lot lately. It was one of the reasons I’d decided that tonight would be more than just her annual Russ Devereaux Birthday Surprise. “Mesmerized by my stunning good looks?” I teased.Dani blinked back into focus. “What?”“You were staring at me.” And it was driving me crazy.I may be the king of restraint due to necessity, but I was bound to crack if she was going to start undressing me with her eyes every time we were together. Wanting someone as badly as I wanted Dani was hard enough, but seeing my desire returned in her eyes was… I swallowed. I had to do something. I couldn’t keep living like this, in this torturous limbo. I’d been waiting for Fate to throw me a bone somehow, but she was taking too long and I’d run out of patience. Tonight, one way on another, things were going to change between Dani and me. Please, Mother Creator, let this be the right choice.“That was just me sleeping with my eyes open,” she lied. “It’s three in the morning. What are you doing here?”It was so Dani to cover up her embarrassment by pretending she was annoyed with me. Too bad she never fooled me. She was nervous right now. Want to know a secret? I was trying to make her nervous on purpose. My whole intent tonight was to make her see me in a new way. What better way to do that than to crawl into bed with her in the middle of the night?We hadn’t been in bed together since we were kids. Back when the fact that we were the opposite sex didn’t matter. It definitely mattered now. She looked so incredibly sexy at the moment that I could hardly think of anything other than the fact that I wanted to obliterate the word “friendship” from all known languages.“What happened to the Disney Princess nightgown you wore the last time we were in bed together? That was hot.”But not nearly as hot as the tank top and panties she was wearing right now. Damn. I hadn’t expected her to sleep so risqué. I’d genuinely been prepared for Captain America pajamas or something, considering her infatuation with Chris Evans. But this…she looked… Double damn. Even if this plan totally backfired on me tonight, right now it felt like the best idea I’d ever had.As I took a mental picture of her, Dani finally realized she wasn’t wearing a bra and freaked out, pulling her covers up over her chest while glaring at me. If she hadn’t been awake before, she definitely was now. “You’d better have a damn good reason for being here or you’re going to be very sorry.” She was pissed but it was worth it. I gave her a pout. “Since when do I need a reason?”She opened her mouth to unleash a verbal tirade but I lifted a hand to stop her. I didn’t need to hear her rant. No lecture in the world was going to make me feel bad for sneaking in here and catching a semi-naughty glimpse of her. Am I shameless? Why yes. Yes I am. It’s one of my many talents. Besides, it was almost time. “Patience grasshopper.”Watching the clock, we both waited in silence for the neon light to flick to the right number, and then I grinned. “There. It’s three eleven in the morning on September twenty-third. You are officially sixteen.” I reached for the ginormous box that I spent an hour trying to wrap perfectly and said, “Happy Birthday, Dani.”She was speechless. A rarity, I assure you. I laughed at her shock. “Surprised?” “Actually, yes. Very.” Not that she hadn’t figured out why I was here the moment I woke her up, but I’m pretty sure she expected something much more…public. My birthday surprises for Dani were something of a legend here in Carmine. This was by far the lowest key I’d ever gone. I had my own selfish reasons for keeping it private this year, but I still knew she’d love it. She hates her birthday surprises as much as she loves them.She tore her eyes from the package I was holding and gave me a wry smile. “For future reference this surprise is a lot better than most of your previous ones. Definitely better than last year.”Thinking back to the epic surprise of last year, I frowned. “You didn’t like the poem I wrote you?”“The poem I could live with. Even though I don’t think anything that starts with, ‘Dani, Dani, she’s good for the heart. She likes crap like Shakespeare and hates when I fart,’ really counts as poetry. But the fact that you recited it during a mandatory pep rally thrown in my honor?”The pep rally. Definitely one of my finer moments. “Yeah. That was a good one.”“How did you get Principle Green to agree to it anyway?”“I’m a very persuasive guy. Now if I could only persuade you to open this gift already.” I dropped the package into Dani’s lap, laughing at the way she grunted when it knocked the wind out of her. The box was a lot heavier than she’d been expecting. Ten pounds to be exact.She pulled the bow off and stuck it on my head. “Should I be scared?”And now for the best part. I handed over an old picture she’d drawn way back in the fourth grade.Dani’s parents are obsessed—like, borderline psychotic—about taking pictures and keeping stupid crap. They had an entire bedroom in this house that they used for scrapbooking and storing junk. A few months ago I was in need of some blackmail material, so I asked Dani’s mom Rachel if I could look through the scrapbooks. Not only did I find a picture of a lobster-faced Dani wearing a sweater with a unicorn on it—definitely blackmail worthy—I also discovered the drawing I’d just handed her. It was a picture of the two of us swimming in a pool of red Jell-O, and it was titled, “My Birthday Wish.” The moment I saw it I knew exactly what I’d be doing for her birthday this year, and I asked my dad for a spell that would work.“Where did you get this?” she gasped.“I’ll never tell. But tonight, Miss Webber, you are getting your birthday wish.”Her eyes popped wide open and her face lit up as bright as day. “No way!” If I hadn’t spelled her room, she’d have wakened her parents with her squeal. She was so excited. This was going to be absolutely perfect. “Get dressed.” I came in the front door, but I crawled out the window because that seemed a lot cooler and more rebellious. Dani—typical girl that she was—totally had a weak spot for the “bad boy” type. (Captain America, aside.) I had no problem playing the role for her. As I disappeared out the window, I called back in a whisper, “Don’t forget your swimsuit.” …“You are a freaking genius!” Dani squeaked when we broke into Brad Halloway’s back yard to borrow his pool.I knew she’d like that. Brad is such a douche. He’s your typical entitled rich prick in a small town. Any chance Dani and I have to hate on the guy, we take full advantage of. Plus, his pool is heated and it was starting to get chilly at night. I didn’t want to freeze.Dani skipped across the pool deck, proudly holding her giant bag of Jell-O. Her excitement promptly died as she realized it would take, like, a thousand of those bags to turn all this water to gelatin. “Okay, so maybe you’re only a genius in theory. You’d need like five hundred pounds of this stuff to make this pool solid.”“Where’s the trust?” I asked as I caught a handful of the pinkish dust she was now dumping in the water. “This is industrial-strength Jell-O.”“Even still. It’s barely going to be enough to turn the water red.”She was right of course, but I still pretended to be hurt by her skepticism and pushed her toward the other end of the pool. “Just make sure you spread it out, Doubty McDoubterson.” She started pouring the Jell-O all around the edge of the pool and called out to me in a whisper a few seconds later. “You see? It’s not even turning red. It’s barely pink.”Showtime. “Ah, but you’re forgetting I still have this.” I held up the handful of Jell-O power I was holding and whispered the quick transformation spell my dad taught me before blowing the granules into the water. As they floated down and dissolved, Dani cocked her head to the side and looked at me like I was mental. “That’s it?” She shook her head and chuckled to her self. “You are such a moron.”I’d be offended if she wasn’t right about the situation. In fact, if Dani hadn’t thought there was something completely off about this, I’d have thought shewas the moron. “I can’t believe you have that little faith in me. Go get the skimmer and start stirring.”You see, the thing is, I have magic, but Dani doesn’t know it. She doesn’t even know that magic exists. Dani is human. And the number one rule in the Supernatural world—the thing they start drilling into our brains from the moment we’re old enough to understand—is that humans can’t know we exist. Their minds supposedly aren’t capable of handling the truth of it. The rumored statistic is that only one in a thousand humans can really accept supernaturals when they learn of our existence. The other nine hundred and ninety-nine either go crazy and end up in mental institutions, or become hunters and dedicate their lives to killing supernaturals out of fear. Sadly, I’ve seen a few of the mental patients myself, and my dad has grappled with a hunter once or twice, so though I’m not sure how they came up with the official statistic, I’m sure there’s truth behind it.But Dani’s different. She’s special. She’s the one. I know she is. Dani’s shocked gasp pulled me out of my thoughts. She was stirring the water with the pool skimmer and thanks to my spell, she was mixing cherry flavored Jell-O instead of water. The proof was right in front of her, but she just kept staring down at the pool as if waiting for it to turn into water again. I couldn’t help feeling smug. “Told you so.”Her head shook slowly back and forth. “I don’t get it. This shouldn’t be working.”“Maybe the Jell-O knew my birthday present would be totally lame if it didn’t work.” I could have turned the pool to Jell-O before I brought her here and told her I’d spent all night dumping a million pounds of gelatin into the water, but I chose to change it in front of her eyes because I wanted to test her. I figured if she accepted the impossible stunt easily enough, then she was definitely the one in a thousand that could handle the truth. And if she freaked out, well, then I’d have to subtly start doing magic in front of her a little more often to ease her into the truth.But she wasn’t going to freak out. She was the one. She would accept it. She’d accept me. She had to.I gave her a few minutes to mentally process everything and then stripped down to my swim shorts and stuck my feet in the pool. FYI? The concept of swimming in Jell-O is way better than the actual act. “This feels pretty nasty.” Smiling, Dani joined me on the pool’s edge and nodded, wrinkling her nose as she lowered her feet into the goop. “Slimy.”“And sticky.” Dani looked down at the Jell-O and smirked “At least it’s warm.”“Yeah.” I bit the inside of my cheeks to keep from laughing. “That’s why I picked this pool. It’s the only heated one in town.”Dani grinned at me. “How very insightful of you. I thought you picked it because Brad is a prick.”See? I told you she’d appreciate that. “Happy coincidence.” I shrugged. “And I swear I don’t know anything about his big pool party on Saturday.”We finally cracked up, and as the laughter died down, Dani began swirling her legs around in the Jell-O. “It kind of tickles.” “It’s gross. You sure you want to go all the way in?”I have to admit I was really hoping she’d say no, even though I knew she wouldn’t. The things I do for the girl sitting next to me… I’d have to shower for a good hour to get the fruity smell off me, and it was going to be a nightmare for my skin. I’d be all dried out, and I was running low on my moisturizer. I buy a special kind on the supernatural black market. It’s incredible, but really hard to get. “Of course!” she chirped, as I knew she would. Her next statement, though, caught me off guard and knocked the wind out of me. “It’s not every day your best friend magically fulfills one of your life-long wishes.”It took me way too long to respond. “What if I could?” I asked.“Could what?”“Magically make all your wishes come true.”I swallowed down sudden butterflies. Was now the time? She seemed to be fine with the pool of Jell-O in front of her. There was nothing scary about this moment. She was even a big fan of the Supernatural. Okay, maybe she was just a fan of the show Supernatural because Sam and Dean Winchester were “yummy.” Her word, not mine. But still. I’d heard her say having magic would be cool. How could she not accept the truth?Before I could work up the nerve to tell her, she threw her head back and laughed. “Yeah, that’s all I’d need. I’m spoiled enough as it is. Besides, if wishes came true every day they wouldn’t be magical anymore. Nope, once in a lifetime’s good enough for me. Now come on, I’ll race you to the other end!”And that was that. She took off into the nasty, gooey, slimy-yet-sticky Jell-O, and I had to join her or she’d call me a pansy for the rest of my life. Man, I really hoped sugar didn’t make your skin break out.…It was gross. So, so gross. But Dani was thrilled by the experience and that made it all worth it. Still, I nearly cried tears of relief when she called it quits and agreed to a dip in the spa. She even beat me to it.My brain clouded over with a foggy haze when she leaned back in the steaming water, closed her eyes, and released a long blissful sigh. “We should make spa hopping a weekly occurrence.”I was definitely game. Especially when I slipped into the water with her and she gave me that look again. Her eyes darted quickly over my chest. She licked her lips and swallowed as if her mouth was suddenly too dry. I met her gaze, wanting her to know I was feeling it too, but I might have been too direct because she looked away and tried to pretend the sexual tension hadn’t been there. What I didn’t get was, why was she being so shy? She had to know I was crazy about her.“Seriously Russ, you’ve outdone yourself this year. Thank you. Best birthday present ever.”Her eyes were closed again so she didn’t see me smile. She truly would have been content with a ten-pound bag of Jell-O and a night of trespassing. I loved that about her. But I wasn’t finished with the gift giving. I reached over the side of the hot tub to my pile of dry clothes and grabbed the smaller package I’d brought with me. “Really?” I teased as I held out the necklace box. “So then I didn’t need to get you this?”Her eyes popped open and she stared in confusion at the present in my hands. “What’s this for?”“You didn’t think I was only going to give you a bag of Jell-O for your birthday did you? I’m way smoother than that.”Her face softened in a way I wasn’t used to. Serious was not a look I often saw on Dani Webber’s face. Seriously pissed off maybe, but not just serious. “You gave me a lot more than just a bag of Jell-O and you know it.”My skin itched with awkwardness. Yeah, her surprise tonight was a lot more meaningful than a bag of Jell-O and a chance to vandalize Brad Halloway’s pool right before his big party. I’d essentially fulfilled one of her life-long dreams tonight. But that didn’t mean she needed to bring it up and get all mushy about it. I shrugged, refusing to acknowledge the magnitude of the gesture. “Yeah, well, now I’m giving you that so shut up and open it.”“Yes, sir,” she teased with a mock salute. I held my breath as she tore off the wrapping. I was usually good with the gift-giving, but this gift was different. I was either reaching a new level of amazing and romantic, or I was crossing a line and was going to seriously freak her out. Her reaction was anyone’s guess.She flinched when she recognized the velvet box as a jewelry box but quickly laughed. “Russell Alexander Devereaux what did you do?”She didn’t believe there was really jewelry in it. I couldn’t blame her. I’d never given her jewelry before. Actually, she probably expected something funny or random—like a lock of my hair or something.Insecurity punched me in the gut. It was too much. She was going to freak. In a bad way. “Just open it,” I said after she caught me in the middle of my mental breakdown.She took so long lifting the lid of the box I nearly snatched it from her hands and did it for her. The anticipation was killing me. Then she gasped.What she saw was a beautiful, expensive antique necklace, but what she had was a very powerful amulet filled with generations of Devereaux magic. It was meant to lend strength and protection to its wearer. “Do you like it? It’s been handed down in my family for generations.”She forced another nervous laugh. “Very funny.”Yup. Definitely crossed a line. But I couldn’t take it back now. Had to press on. Swallowing back my nerves, I took a breath and explained its significance. “Dad gave it to my mom when they got married. After she took off and left it behind, he told me he’d never be able to give it to another woman so he gave it to me.”All the blood drained from her face.Shit. “I can’t accept this.”She tried to hand me the box and I pushed it back. “I told Dad I wanted to give it to you, and he agreed that I should.”She shook her head. “But it was your mother’s. It’s an heirloom. This should stay in your family.”Didn’t she understand at all? She was my family. She was my best friend. She was the love of my life. She was my everything. “You’ve been my best friend since we were riding tricycles and making mud pies. I want you to have it.”After searching my eyes for a long moment, she looked back down at the necklace. Brushing a trembling hand over the amulet, she whispered, “I—I don’t know what to say. Thank you, Russ.” Okay. I’d freaked her out, but maybe I’d also scored some more-than-friends points. One could only hope.She was completely overwhelmed, but I was on a roll now and I couldn’t stop. I slid across the hot tub, moving to sit right next to her. It was now or never. There was so much I wanted to say to her. So much I felt, and so much I needed her to know before I missed my opportunity and some other guy moved in because she thought I saw her as just a best friend—or angels forbid—a sister.I’d known Dani for thirteen years now. I’d been in love with her for about three minutes less than that. And we’d been best friends for about three minutes less than that. I saw her, I loved her, she hit me with a shovel, and we’ve been best friends ever since.In all the thirteen years we’ve been inseparable, I’ve never once made a move on her. I’ve never given her any hint that I wanted more than her friendship. I assume she knows, but I refused to go there because I was hiding this huge secret. My mom left my dad and me, abandoning us completely because she was human and my dad never told her the truth about us. But eventually she had to find out because her son was a warlock and wouldn’t be able to control his magic at first. When Dad finally explained, it was too late. He’d waited too long. He got too deep in the relationship—married her and had a supernatural child with her—before giving her the chance to accept us. She couldn’t handle it. I couldn’t do that to Dani. Dani was different. Dani would handle it. Dani could do this. Everything was going to be okay.I took a deep breath. “Dani, there’s something I have to talk to you about.”Her head snapped up and a mixture of emotions crossed her face. Confusion. Fear. Hope. It was the hope that gave me courage.My dad always said my mother was strong. He was convinced she would have handled the truth if he’d only trusted her and been honest before getting into a relationship with her. I wanted a relationship with Dani, but I wasn’t going to make the same mistakes as my dad. She would know everything about me before I asked her to trust me with her heart.Until lately, my fear of losing her—of her not accepting me—always kept me from telling her the truth. But I couldn’t hide anymore. I needed her. I hated the “just friends” status and if I had to live it for even a day longer, I was going to go insane. I took her hand in mine, the truth dripping from my lips, and then my thoughts completely derailed. Her hand was cold and clammy. And it was shaking. Not just trembling, but violently shaking. And she looked pale as a vampire. “Dani? Is everything okay? You look like you’re about to pass out.”“I’m fine,” she said. But her voice sounded ragged, out of breath. She reached for her head. “It’s just a headache. I haven’t been feeling all that well for the last couple weeks, but I’m okay.”What the hell? “A couple weeks? Why didn’t you tell me you were sick?”“Because it hasn’t been that bad. I’m fine, I promise. I’m already feeling better.” She smiled and gave me her full attention. “Now, what were you saying? You wanted to tell me something?”I wasn’t completely convinced she was fine, but I knew she’d never admit to being really sick even if she were, and the color seemed to be coming back to her cheeks, so I took her word for it and tried to refocus my thoughts back to the reason I’d brought her here tonight. “You’re my best friend.” She frowned. “Duh….”She really wasn’t going to make this easy. “Because you’re my best friend, there’s something I can’t hide from you anymore. But before I tell you what it is, you have to promise you’re not going to freak out.”She stiffened next to me and sucked in a breath, but, nervous as she was, there was a spark of excitement in her eyes. I could do this. “Um....” I took her hand again as I tried to force the words out. “Dani, I…”Damn it! Why was this so hard? I was such a freaking scardy cat.“You…?” she prompted.Just spit it out, idiot! You can do this! You have to do this!“DaniI’mawarlock.”“Huh?”I took a deep breath and said the words again, slower this time. “I’m a…warlock.”She blinked at me, completely confused, so I tried to explain. “Supernatural beings, like the kind you read about in books—witches, vampires, werewolves—they’re real. I’m one of them. I’m a warlock, Dani. I have magic. My dad too.”She blinked again. Opened her mouth. Closed it again. Blinked some more. Cocked her head to one side. Frowned. Shook her head. Opened her eyes. Blinked again. And then she plastered her hand to my forehead. “We need to get you home,” she said. “You feel way too hot. I think meningitis is supposed to make you delusional and that can kill you.”She thought I was crazy. That was fine. She was allowed to be confused. Shocked even. It was a lot to process. “I’m not sick, Dani.” I moved the hand she was holding against my forehead to my cheek, and shivered from the feel of her touching my face. It wasn’t a “friendly” gesture. It was intimate. And it was amazing. This was how I wanted things between us. Dani sucked in a breath, feeling the special connection as much as me, and goose bumps exploded up and down her arms. She wanted me as much as I wanted her. I was sure of it.But then the moment was broken and her confusion gave way to anger. Now it was time for the backlash I’d been expecting. “I know I sound crazy but—”“Crazy?” She barked out a harsh laugh. “You don’t sound crazy. You sound like a moron!”I flinched. She wasn’t scared or in denial, or even a little angry. She was over-the-top pissed. And she was hurt. I could see it in her eyes. But why? What had I done that hurt her? I was telling her the truth. Was it really so awful to have magic? Was it because I’d waited until she was sixteen to come clean? Had I made my dad’s mistakes after all?“After everything you’ve done tonight to make this the most perfect birthday I’ve ever had, you’re really going to ruin it now?”Okay, that just made me mad. I had done everything I could to make this night perfect. I’d wanted to make this as easy as possible for her. This was supposed to be a special moment between us. Why was she getting so bent out of shape and acting like a jerk? “I’m not trying to ruin it!” “Then stop being a coward and just say what you really want to say!”And that’s when I finally got it. She wasn’t pissed about me being a warlock. She didn’t actually believe I was one. She hadn’t heard a word I’d said. Not really. Her human mind had edited the entire conversation to fit her expectations. She knew I cared about her, and she’d thought I was finally going to admit it. It had hurt her that I hadn’t. She thought I was lying to her, making up a ridiculous story because I wussed out of telling her how much I love her. She waited for me to say something, but I couldn’t. My throat was closed up with too much emotion. My heart was breaking. I’d been positive. So sure that Dani would be the one in a thousand who could deal with the truth. She’s the strongest, bravest, most understanding human I know. And she loves me. I know she does.And she just didn’t get it. Couldn’t get it. Her mind was simply human. It wasn’t her fault, but how could I ever be with her now? I couldn’t tell her the truth and risk breaking her mind. My secret had to stay a secret. But how would I ever explain this?Just then, the back porch lights of Brad’s house flicked on. “Who’s out there?” Mr. Halloway shouted. “I’m calling the sheriff!”
It was time to go. Dani and I bolted before they let the dogs out of the house, and we didn’t get a chance to talk again. She ran home and stopped me with a look when I tried to follow her. I’d have to think of something—some way to fix this—tomorrow because she needed a few hours to cool off.
***Enjoy this bonus excerpt? Get the whole story HERE. (Original book written in Dani's POV)Chameleon(Supernaturals#1)
For small-town rebel Dani Webber magic and monsters are no more real than the Easter Bunny… until the day she accidentally stops time. Dani quickly discovers that not only do supernaturals exist, but she herself is one of them. This is great news for her life-long best friend Russ, who can finally come clean about his own supernatural status and his undying love for her. Before the two can start to enjoy the long overdue relationship, Dani is taken by a powerful council of supernaturals who believe she is the Chosen One destined to save them from extinction.
As if being kidnapped and expected to save the world isn’t bad enough, an ancient prophecy warns of the Chosen One’s dark nature: “Only the truest love will keep her an agent for good.” The council believes they know who this “true love” is and, unfortunately, that person isn’t Russ. The mysterious, powerful and devastatingly handsome Seer is the last person Dani wants in her life, but when she starts having visions of a horrific future, she has no one else to turn to for help.
Soon Dani finds herself torn between two very different boys with two very different opinions of whom she can trust. With the visions getting worse and time running out, Dani is forced to put aside her feelings and work with both the Seer and Russ before an ancient evil is unleashed upon the earth.
Also available in the Supernaturals series:
Look for Priestess (Supernaturals#4), coming 2016. Don't miss the exciting conclusion to the Supernaturals series. Subscribe to my newsletter to be emailed when the book becomes available. SUBSCRIBE
***It was three in the morning and I’d never been more awake. After months of planning, the night was finally upon me. Slipping through the unlocked front door, I smiled. I’d really outdone myself this year. And, for once, I was sure Dani was going to be happy with her birthday surprise. Of course, that didn’t mean she’d still like me in the morning. By the angels, I hoped she still liked me in the morning.The place was dark, but it wasn’t hard to find Dani’s room. Aside from the fact that I knew every square inch of the Webber’s house by heart, all I had to do was follow the obnoxious sounds of the saw mill coming from the back of the house. Dani snored like a freaking freight train. When we were younger, we used to have sleepovers and I’d always have to spell her quiet so I could get some sleep.I came to stand at the head of her bed and watched her for a moment. She could hardly be described as peaceful with all that racquet she was making, but I wanted to remember every single thing about this night. Just in case…“Dani!” She rolled over and mumbled something incoherent. The girl liked her sleep, and she was usually an uber grouch if she didn’t get enough of it, but I wasn’t about to let that stop me. “Psst! Dani, wake up!”“Russ,” she groaned. “Go home right now.”Chuckling, I shoved into her bed with her. When she refused to move an inch, I poked her. “Scooch over.”“No. And be quiet on your way out. If my parents find you here—”“We won’t get busted.” Especially not when I spelled the room soundproof.“Sit up. I have something for you.”She’d wake up for presents. Even at three in the morning. Dani loves presents. To her credit, she did try to resist the call of gifts once she read the numbers on her alarm clock, but she still pulled herself into a sitting position and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. I clicked on her bedside lamp and moved to sit right in front of her, matching her Indian-style position like we were about to have some kind of special powwow. A birthday powwow. As I settled in, Dani let her eyes rake over me. She’d been doing that a lot lately. It was one of the reasons I’d decided that tonight would be more than just her annual Russ Devereaux Birthday Surprise. “Mesmerized by my stunning good looks?” I teased.Dani blinked back into focus. “What?”“You were staring at me.” And it was driving me crazy.I may be the king of restraint due to necessity, but I was bound to crack if she was going to start undressing me with her eyes every time we were together. Wanting someone as badly as I wanted Dani was hard enough, but seeing my desire returned in her eyes was… I swallowed. I had to do something. I couldn’t keep living like this, in this torturous limbo. I’d been waiting for Fate to throw me a bone somehow, but she was taking too long and I’d run out of patience. Tonight, one way on another, things were going to change between Dani and me. Please, Mother Creator, let this be the right choice.“That was just me sleeping with my eyes open,” she lied. “It’s three in the morning. What are you doing here?”It was so Dani to cover up her embarrassment by pretending she was annoyed with me. Too bad she never fooled me. She was nervous right now. Want to know a secret? I was trying to make her nervous on purpose. My whole intent tonight was to make her see me in a new way. What better way to do that than to crawl into bed with her in the middle of the night?We hadn’t been in bed together since we were kids. Back when the fact that we were the opposite sex didn’t matter. It definitely mattered now. She looked so incredibly sexy at the moment that I could hardly think of anything other than the fact that I wanted to obliterate the word “friendship” from all known languages.“What happened to the Disney Princess nightgown you wore the last time we were in bed together? That was hot.”But not nearly as hot as the tank top and panties she was wearing right now. Damn. I hadn’t expected her to sleep so risqué. I’d genuinely been prepared for Captain America pajamas or something, considering her infatuation with Chris Evans. But this…she looked… Double damn. Even if this plan totally backfired on me tonight, right now it felt like the best idea I’d ever had.As I took a mental picture of her, Dani finally realized she wasn’t wearing a bra and freaked out, pulling her covers up over her chest while glaring at me. If she hadn’t been awake before, she definitely was now. “You’d better have a damn good reason for being here or you’re going to be very sorry.” She was pissed but it was worth it. I gave her a pout. “Since when do I need a reason?”She opened her mouth to unleash a verbal tirade but I lifted a hand to stop her. I didn’t need to hear her rant. No lecture in the world was going to make me feel bad for sneaking in here and catching a semi-naughty glimpse of her. Am I shameless? Why yes. Yes I am. It’s one of my many talents. Besides, it was almost time. “Patience grasshopper.”Watching the clock, we both waited in silence for the neon light to flick to the right number, and then I grinned. “There. It’s three eleven in the morning on September twenty-third. You are officially sixteen.” I reached for the ginormous box that I spent an hour trying to wrap perfectly and said, “Happy Birthday, Dani.”She was speechless. A rarity, I assure you. I laughed at her shock. “Surprised?” “Actually, yes. Very.” Not that she hadn’t figured out why I was here the moment I woke her up, but I’m pretty sure she expected something much more…public. My birthday surprises for Dani were something of a legend here in Carmine. This was by far the lowest key I’d ever gone. I had my own selfish reasons for keeping it private this year, but I still knew she’d love it. She hates her birthday surprises as much as she loves them.She tore her eyes from the package I was holding and gave me a wry smile. “For future reference this surprise is a lot better than most of your previous ones. Definitely better than last year.”Thinking back to the epic surprise of last year, I frowned. “You didn’t like the poem I wrote you?”“The poem I could live with. Even though I don’t think anything that starts with, ‘Dani, Dani, she’s good for the heart. She likes crap like Shakespeare and hates when I fart,’ really counts as poetry. But the fact that you recited it during a mandatory pep rally thrown in my honor?”The pep rally. Definitely one of my finer moments. “Yeah. That was a good one.”“How did you get Principle Green to agree to it anyway?”“I’m a very persuasive guy. Now if I could only persuade you to open this gift already.” I dropped the package into Dani’s lap, laughing at the way she grunted when it knocked the wind out of her. The box was a lot heavier than she’d been expecting. Ten pounds to be exact.She pulled the bow off and stuck it on my head. “Should I be scared?”And now for the best part. I handed over an old picture she’d drawn way back in the fourth grade.Dani’s parents are obsessed—like, borderline psychotic—about taking pictures and keeping stupid crap. They had an entire bedroom in this house that they used for scrapbooking and storing junk. A few months ago I was in need of some blackmail material, so I asked Dani’s mom Rachel if I could look through the scrapbooks. Not only did I find a picture of a lobster-faced Dani wearing a sweater with a unicorn on it—definitely blackmail worthy—I also discovered the drawing I’d just handed her. It was a picture of the two of us swimming in a pool of red Jell-O, and it was titled, “My Birthday Wish.” The moment I saw it I knew exactly what I’d be doing for her birthday this year, and I asked my dad for a spell that would work.“Where did you get this?” she gasped.“I’ll never tell. But tonight, Miss Webber, you are getting your birthday wish.”Her eyes popped wide open and her face lit up as bright as day. “No way!” If I hadn’t spelled her room, she’d have wakened her parents with her squeal. She was so excited. This was going to be absolutely perfect. “Get dressed.” I came in the front door, but I crawled out the window because that seemed a lot cooler and more rebellious. Dani—typical girl that she was—totally had a weak spot for the “bad boy” type. (Captain America, aside.) I had no problem playing the role for her. As I disappeared out the window, I called back in a whisper, “Don’t forget your swimsuit.” …“You are a freaking genius!” Dani squeaked when we broke into Brad Halloway’s back yard to borrow his pool.I knew she’d like that. Brad is such a douche. He’s your typical entitled rich prick in a small town. Any chance Dani and I have to hate on the guy, we take full advantage of. Plus, his pool is heated and it was starting to get chilly at night. I didn’t want to freeze.Dani skipped across the pool deck, proudly holding her giant bag of Jell-O. Her excitement promptly died as she realized it would take, like, a thousand of those bags to turn all this water to gelatin. “Okay, so maybe you’re only a genius in theory. You’d need like five hundred pounds of this stuff to make this pool solid.”“Where’s the trust?” I asked as I caught a handful of the pinkish dust she was now dumping in the water. “This is industrial-strength Jell-O.”“Even still. It’s barely going to be enough to turn the water red.”She was right of course, but I still pretended to be hurt by her skepticism and pushed her toward the other end of the pool. “Just make sure you spread it out, Doubty McDoubterson.” She started pouring the Jell-O all around the edge of the pool and called out to me in a whisper a few seconds later. “You see? It’s not even turning red. It’s barely pink.”Showtime. “Ah, but you’re forgetting I still have this.” I held up the handful of Jell-O power I was holding and whispered the quick transformation spell my dad taught me before blowing the granules into the water. As they floated down and dissolved, Dani cocked her head to the side and looked at me like I was mental. “That’s it?” She shook her head and chuckled to her self. “You are such a moron.”I’d be offended if she wasn’t right about the situation. In fact, if Dani hadn’t thought there was something completely off about this, I’d have thought shewas the moron. “I can’t believe you have that little faith in me. Go get the skimmer and start stirring.”You see, the thing is, I have magic, but Dani doesn’t know it. She doesn’t even know that magic exists. Dani is human. And the number one rule in the Supernatural world—the thing they start drilling into our brains from the moment we’re old enough to understand—is that humans can’t know we exist. Their minds supposedly aren’t capable of handling the truth of it. The rumored statistic is that only one in a thousand humans can really accept supernaturals when they learn of our existence. The other nine hundred and ninety-nine either go crazy and end up in mental institutions, or become hunters and dedicate their lives to killing supernaturals out of fear. Sadly, I’ve seen a few of the mental patients myself, and my dad has grappled with a hunter once or twice, so though I’m not sure how they came up with the official statistic, I’m sure there’s truth behind it.But Dani’s different. She’s special. She’s the one. I know she is. Dani’s shocked gasp pulled me out of my thoughts. She was stirring the water with the pool skimmer and thanks to my spell, she was mixing cherry flavored Jell-O instead of water. The proof was right in front of her, but she just kept staring down at the pool as if waiting for it to turn into water again. I couldn’t help feeling smug. “Told you so.”Her head shook slowly back and forth. “I don’t get it. This shouldn’t be working.”“Maybe the Jell-O knew my birthday present would be totally lame if it didn’t work.” I could have turned the pool to Jell-O before I brought her here and told her I’d spent all night dumping a million pounds of gelatin into the water, but I chose to change it in front of her eyes because I wanted to test her. I figured if she accepted the impossible stunt easily enough, then she was definitely the one in a thousand that could handle the truth. And if she freaked out, well, then I’d have to subtly start doing magic in front of her a little more often to ease her into the truth.But she wasn’t going to freak out. She was the one. She would accept it. She’d accept me. She had to.I gave her a few minutes to mentally process everything and then stripped down to my swim shorts and stuck my feet in the pool. FYI? The concept of swimming in Jell-O is way better than the actual act. “This feels pretty nasty.” Smiling, Dani joined me on the pool’s edge and nodded, wrinkling her nose as she lowered her feet into the goop. “Slimy.”“And sticky.” Dani looked down at the Jell-O and smirked “At least it’s warm.”“Yeah.” I bit the inside of my cheeks to keep from laughing. “That’s why I picked this pool. It’s the only heated one in town.”Dani grinned at me. “How very insightful of you. I thought you picked it because Brad is a prick.”See? I told you she’d appreciate that. “Happy coincidence.” I shrugged. “And I swear I don’t know anything about his big pool party on Saturday.”We finally cracked up, and as the laughter died down, Dani began swirling her legs around in the Jell-O. “It kind of tickles.” “It’s gross. You sure you want to go all the way in?”I have to admit I was really hoping she’d say no, even though I knew she wouldn’t. The things I do for the girl sitting next to me… I’d have to shower for a good hour to get the fruity smell off me, and it was going to be a nightmare for my skin. I’d be all dried out, and I was running low on my moisturizer. I buy a special kind on the supernatural black market. It’s incredible, but really hard to get. “Of course!” she chirped, as I knew she would. Her next statement, though, caught me off guard and knocked the wind out of me. “It’s not every day your best friend magically fulfills one of your life-long wishes.”It took me way too long to respond. “What if I could?” I asked.“Could what?”“Magically make all your wishes come true.”I swallowed down sudden butterflies. Was now the time? She seemed to be fine with the pool of Jell-O in front of her. There was nothing scary about this moment. She was even a big fan of the Supernatural. Okay, maybe she was just a fan of the show Supernatural because Sam and Dean Winchester were “yummy.” Her word, not mine. But still. I’d heard her say having magic would be cool. How could she not accept the truth?Before I could work up the nerve to tell her, she threw her head back and laughed. “Yeah, that’s all I’d need. I’m spoiled enough as it is. Besides, if wishes came true every day they wouldn’t be magical anymore. Nope, once in a lifetime’s good enough for me. Now come on, I’ll race you to the other end!”And that was that. She took off into the nasty, gooey, slimy-yet-sticky Jell-O, and I had to join her or she’d call me a pansy for the rest of my life. Man, I really hoped sugar didn’t make your skin break out.…It was gross. So, so gross. But Dani was thrilled by the experience and that made it all worth it. Still, I nearly cried tears of relief when she called it quits and agreed to a dip in the spa. She even beat me to it.My brain clouded over with a foggy haze when she leaned back in the steaming water, closed her eyes, and released a long blissful sigh. “We should make spa hopping a weekly occurrence.”I was definitely game. Especially when I slipped into the water with her and she gave me that look again. Her eyes darted quickly over my chest. She licked her lips and swallowed as if her mouth was suddenly too dry. I met her gaze, wanting her to know I was feeling it too, but I might have been too direct because she looked away and tried to pretend the sexual tension hadn’t been there. What I didn’t get was, why was she being so shy? She had to know I was crazy about her.“Seriously Russ, you’ve outdone yourself this year. Thank you. Best birthday present ever.”Her eyes were closed again so she didn’t see me smile. She truly would have been content with a ten-pound bag of Jell-O and a night of trespassing. I loved that about her. But I wasn’t finished with the gift giving. I reached over the side of the hot tub to my pile of dry clothes and grabbed the smaller package I’d brought with me. “Really?” I teased as I held out the necklace box. “So then I didn’t need to get you this?”Her eyes popped open and she stared in confusion at the present in my hands. “What’s this for?”“You didn’t think I was only going to give you a bag of Jell-O for your birthday did you? I’m way smoother than that.”Her face softened in a way I wasn’t used to. Serious was not a look I often saw on Dani Webber’s face. Seriously pissed off maybe, but not just serious. “You gave me a lot more than just a bag of Jell-O and you know it.”My skin itched with awkwardness. Yeah, her surprise tonight was a lot more meaningful than a bag of Jell-O and a chance to vandalize Brad Halloway’s pool right before his big party. I’d essentially fulfilled one of her life-long dreams tonight. But that didn’t mean she needed to bring it up and get all mushy about it. I shrugged, refusing to acknowledge the magnitude of the gesture. “Yeah, well, now I’m giving you that so shut up and open it.”“Yes, sir,” she teased with a mock salute. I held my breath as she tore off the wrapping. I was usually good with the gift-giving, but this gift was different. I was either reaching a new level of amazing and romantic, or I was crossing a line and was going to seriously freak her out. Her reaction was anyone’s guess.She flinched when she recognized the velvet box as a jewelry box but quickly laughed. “Russell Alexander Devereaux what did you do?”She didn’t believe there was really jewelry in it. I couldn’t blame her. I’d never given her jewelry before. Actually, she probably expected something funny or random—like a lock of my hair or something.Insecurity punched me in the gut. It was too much. She was going to freak. In a bad way. “Just open it,” I said after she caught me in the middle of my mental breakdown.She took so long lifting the lid of the box I nearly snatched it from her hands and did it for her. The anticipation was killing me. Then she gasped.What she saw was a beautiful, expensive antique necklace, but what she had was a very powerful amulet filled with generations of Devereaux magic. It was meant to lend strength and protection to its wearer. “Do you like it? It’s been handed down in my family for generations.”She forced another nervous laugh. “Very funny.”Yup. Definitely crossed a line. But I couldn’t take it back now. Had to press on. Swallowing back my nerves, I took a breath and explained its significance. “Dad gave it to my mom when they got married. After she took off and left it behind, he told me he’d never be able to give it to another woman so he gave it to me.”All the blood drained from her face.Shit. “I can’t accept this.”She tried to hand me the box and I pushed it back. “I told Dad I wanted to give it to you, and he agreed that I should.”She shook her head. “But it was your mother’s. It’s an heirloom. This should stay in your family.”Didn’t she understand at all? She was my family. She was my best friend. She was the love of my life. She was my everything. “You’ve been my best friend since we were riding tricycles and making mud pies. I want you to have it.”After searching my eyes for a long moment, she looked back down at the necklace. Brushing a trembling hand over the amulet, she whispered, “I—I don’t know what to say. Thank you, Russ.” Okay. I’d freaked her out, but maybe I’d also scored some more-than-friends points. One could only hope.She was completely overwhelmed, but I was on a roll now and I couldn’t stop. I slid across the hot tub, moving to sit right next to her. It was now or never. There was so much I wanted to say to her. So much I felt, and so much I needed her to know before I missed my opportunity and some other guy moved in because she thought I saw her as just a best friend—or angels forbid—a sister.I’d known Dani for thirteen years now. I’d been in love with her for about three minutes less than that. And we’d been best friends for about three minutes less than that. I saw her, I loved her, she hit me with a shovel, and we’ve been best friends ever since.In all the thirteen years we’ve been inseparable, I’ve never once made a move on her. I’ve never given her any hint that I wanted more than her friendship. I assume she knows, but I refused to go there because I was hiding this huge secret. My mom left my dad and me, abandoning us completely because she was human and my dad never told her the truth about us. But eventually she had to find out because her son was a warlock and wouldn’t be able to control his magic at first. When Dad finally explained, it was too late. He’d waited too long. He got too deep in the relationship—married her and had a supernatural child with her—before giving her the chance to accept us. She couldn’t handle it. I couldn’t do that to Dani. Dani was different. Dani would handle it. Dani could do this. Everything was going to be okay.I took a deep breath. “Dani, there’s something I have to talk to you about.”Her head snapped up and a mixture of emotions crossed her face. Confusion. Fear. Hope. It was the hope that gave me courage.My dad always said my mother was strong. He was convinced she would have handled the truth if he’d only trusted her and been honest before getting into a relationship with her. I wanted a relationship with Dani, but I wasn’t going to make the same mistakes as my dad. She would know everything about me before I asked her to trust me with her heart.Until lately, my fear of losing her—of her not accepting me—always kept me from telling her the truth. But I couldn’t hide anymore. I needed her. I hated the “just friends” status and if I had to live it for even a day longer, I was going to go insane. I took her hand in mine, the truth dripping from my lips, and then my thoughts completely derailed. Her hand was cold and clammy. And it was shaking. Not just trembling, but violently shaking. And she looked pale as a vampire. “Dani? Is everything okay? You look like you’re about to pass out.”“I’m fine,” she said. But her voice sounded ragged, out of breath. She reached for her head. “It’s just a headache. I haven’t been feeling all that well for the last couple weeks, but I’m okay.”What the hell? “A couple weeks? Why didn’t you tell me you were sick?”“Because it hasn’t been that bad. I’m fine, I promise. I’m already feeling better.” She smiled and gave me her full attention. “Now, what were you saying? You wanted to tell me something?”I wasn’t completely convinced she was fine, but I knew she’d never admit to being really sick even if she were, and the color seemed to be coming back to her cheeks, so I took her word for it and tried to refocus my thoughts back to the reason I’d brought her here tonight. “You’re my best friend.” She frowned. “Duh….”She really wasn’t going to make this easy. “Because you’re my best friend, there’s something I can’t hide from you anymore. But before I tell you what it is, you have to promise you’re not going to freak out.”She stiffened next to me and sucked in a breath, but, nervous as she was, there was a spark of excitement in her eyes. I could do this. “Um....” I took her hand again as I tried to force the words out. “Dani, I…”Damn it! Why was this so hard? I was such a freaking scardy cat.“You…?” she prompted.Just spit it out, idiot! You can do this! You have to do this!“DaniI’mawarlock.”“Huh?”I took a deep breath and said the words again, slower this time. “I’m a…warlock.”She blinked at me, completely confused, so I tried to explain. “Supernatural beings, like the kind you read about in books—witches, vampires, werewolves—they’re real. I’m one of them. I’m a warlock, Dani. I have magic. My dad too.”She blinked again. Opened her mouth. Closed it again. Blinked some more. Cocked her head to one side. Frowned. Shook her head. Opened her eyes. Blinked again. And then she plastered her hand to my forehead. “We need to get you home,” she said. “You feel way too hot. I think meningitis is supposed to make you delusional and that can kill you.”She thought I was crazy. That was fine. She was allowed to be confused. Shocked even. It was a lot to process. “I’m not sick, Dani.” I moved the hand she was holding against my forehead to my cheek, and shivered from the feel of her touching my face. It wasn’t a “friendly” gesture. It was intimate. And it was amazing. This was how I wanted things between us. Dani sucked in a breath, feeling the special connection as much as me, and goose bumps exploded up and down her arms. She wanted me as much as I wanted her. I was sure of it.But then the moment was broken and her confusion gave way to anger. Now it was time for the backlash I’d been expecting. “I know I sound crazy but—”“Crazy?” She barked out a harsh laugh. “You don’t sound crazy. You sound like a moron!”I flinched. She wasn’t scared or in denial, or even a little angry. She was over-the-top pissed. And she was hurt. I could see it in her eyes. But why? What had I done that hurt her? I was telling her the truth. Was it really so awful to have magic? Was it because I’d waited until she was sixteen to come clean? Had I made my dad’s mistakes after all?“After everything you’ve done tonight to make this the most perfect birthday I’ve ever had, you’re really going to ruin it now?”Okay, that just made me mad. I had done everything I could to make this night perfect. I’d wanted to make this as easy as possible for her. This was supposed to be a special moment between us. Why was she getting so bent out of shape and acting like a jerk? “I’m not trying to ruin it!” “Then stop being a coward and just say what you really want to say!”And that’s when I finally got it. She wasn’t pissed about me being a warlock. She didn’t actually believe I was one. She hadn’t heard a word I’d said. Not really. Her human mind had edited the entire conversation to fit her expectations. She knew I cared about her, and she’d thought I was finally going to admit it. It had hurt her that I hadn’t. She thought I was lying to her, making up a ridiculous story because I wussed out of telling her how much I love her. She waited for me to say something, but I couldn’t. My throat was closed up with too much emotion. My heart was breaking. I’d been positive. So sure that Dani would be the one in a thousand who could deal with the truth. She’s the strongest, bravest, most understanding human I know. And she loves me. I know she does.And she just didn’t get it. Couldn’t get it. Her mind was simply human. It wasn’t her fault, but how could I ever be with her now? I couldn’t tell her the truth and risk breaking her mind. My secret had to stay a secret. But how would I ever explain this?Just then, the back porch lights of Brad’s house flicked on. “Who’s out there?” Mr. Halloway shouted. “I’m calling the sheriff!”
It was time to go. Dani and I bolted before they let the dogs out of the house, and we didn’t get a chance to talk again. She ran home and stopped me with a look when I tried to follow her. I’d have to think of something—some way to fix this—tomorrow because she needed a few hours to cool off.
***Enjoy this bonus excerpt? Get the whole story HERE. (Original book written in Dani's POV)Chameleon(Supernaturals#1)
For small-town rebel Dani Webber magic and monsters are no more real than the Easter Bunny… until the day she accidentally stops time. Dani quickly discovers that not only do supernaturals exist, but she herself is one of them. This is great news for her life-long best friend Russ, who can finally come clean about his own supernatural status and his undying love for her. Before the two can start to enjoy the long overdue relationship, Dani is taken by a powerful council of supernaturals who believe she is the Chosen One destined to save them from extinction. As if being kidnapped and expected to save the world isn’t bad enough, an ancient prophecy warns of the Chosen One’s dark nature: “Only the truest love will keep her an agent for good.” The council believes they know who this “true love” is and, unfortunately, that person isn’t Russ. The mysterious, powerful and devastatingly handsome Seer is the last person Dani wants in her life, but when she starts having visions of a horrific future, she has no one else to turn to for help.
Soon Dani finds herself torn between two very different boys with two very different opinions of whom she can trust. With the visions getting worse and time running out, Dani is forced to put aside her feelings and work with both the Seer and Russ before an ancient evil is unleashed upon the earth.
Also available in the Supernaturals series:
Look for Priestess (Supernaturals#4), coming 2016. Don't miss the exciting conclusion to the Supernaturals series. Subscribe to my newsletter to be emailed when the book becomes available. SUBSCRIBE
March 11, 2015
Scion Cover Reveal and Giveaway!
Title: ScionSeries: Supernaturals #3Author: Kelly OramPublisher: BluefieldsRelease Date: April 14, 2015Other books in the series: Chameleon, Ungifted
The Cover:
The Blurb:Russ Devereaux used to have it all—loving father, beautiful best friend, a carefree life in a town he loved, and strong magic. He was the king of his happy universe. Five months ago, that life was taken from him. Do not pass Go. Do not collect two hundred dollars.
He’s spent months fighting back and building himself a new life, in a new city, with new friends he now considers family. But suddenly, his new life might be in jeopardy of getting shot straight to hell just like the last one. Literally, this time.
He’s discovered power inside of him—an ancient, dark power that he shouldn’t have, can’t explain, can’t control, and definitely needs to keep secret. He needs answers, but before he can get them, he finds himself arrested and on his way to face the supernatural council. The same council that stole everything from him the first time.
As Russ struggles to keep his new power under wraps, his old life and he new one are about to collide and it’s bound to be explosive. He may not have all the answers he needs, but one thing is certain: he’ll be damned if anyone is taking his new life from him. That is, if he’s not just plain damned.
The Excerpt:
As we took the elevator up to the fifty-sixth floor my nerves reached an all-time high because of what I knew would be waiting for me when I reached the top. Or rather, who would be waiting. I glance at Duncan, trying not to let my panic show. “Are you taking us directly to the council?”“Yes.” Duncan eyed me suspiciously. “Is that a problem? It sounded like you guys wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible.”“We do,” Ethan assured him. I did, but that didn’t mean I was looking forward to it. I swallowed back the chunks that were starting to rise in my stomach and asked something I had to know. “Will she be there?”I avoided Ethan’s gaze and held my breath as I waited for Duncan’s answer.“She’s a member of the council now Russ, as is the Seer. They will both be there.”Of course they’d both be there. Because the universe hates me. “Does she know I’m here?”Duncan took a minute to answer me. “I thought it best not to warn her. She would have just agonized over it unnecessarily.”“Agonize over it?” That pissed me off. “She has no right to—”“You don’t understand. She’s been a wreck, Russ. I never even told her I saw you.” “She’s had no idea where I was this whole time?” For a second I felt bad. But then I remembered the way she clung to him when she said goodbye to me and I got angry again.Duncan sighed. “You asked me to keep her out of your life. If she knew where you were, she would have come looking for you. This is going to be very difficult for her. More so than for you I think. You seem to have moved on better than she has.”“I’ve moved on better?” I couldn’t listen to any more, and since I couldn’t really punch anything I kicked the side of the elevator. “She moved on before I left.”“Would you like to see her before you’re brought in front of the whole council? I can take you to a holding cell and tell her you’re here. The council would understand the delay.” “No.” That sounded like hell on Earth. “I don’t want to talk to her. I was sort of banking on never seeing her again. Lets just get it over with.”“It might make things go a little smoother if you got it out of the way before you’re questioned.”I laughed hard. “You think the council cares about questioning us? They’re going to do whatever they want no matter what Ethan and I say. To tell you the truth, Duncan, I don’t really believe they’re going to let us go. That’s why I came. If they’re going to try to kill Ethan, then they’re going to have get through us both.”Duncan laughed as the elevator doors chimed open. “Nobody is going to kill anybody. You’re always so dramatic, Russ.” As Duncan ushered us down the hall, I stopped hearing what he was saying. The consulate was fairly busy. There were people everywhere, but it wasn’t their stares that made my heart pound as I looked at them. I kept waiting for one of them to be a familiar face.Duncan gave me a sympathetic smile and shook his head. “The council isn’t what you think. They aren’t cruel monsters. Dani was an unfortunate case, so your perception of them is skewed. I promise you they can be reasonable, caring people. They want order and justice, and they will be fair. They’ll listen to your story. I honestly don’t think you’re in any danger.”“We’ll see,” I grumbled.I stumbled to as stop as we came to a set of large double doors. “Where’s Grace when you need her?” I gasped. Ethan glanced at me and I nodded at the doors. “Dani’s in there. I can already feel her energy.”“You want to hold my hand?” Ethan asked, holding out his cuffed wrists to me and batting his eyelashes. “I may not dissolve bonds, but I’m every bit as pretty as Grace.”I appreciated his attempt to give me crap. I needed the distraction. I was supremely messed up right now and he knew it. Joking might be the only way to get me through this. “Bite me.”We laughed, but the smiles left our faces the second the doors opened. Game time.
The Giveaway:
Kelly is giving away 10 signed posters of the Scion cover, and one grand prize of all three books in the series so far (signed).Giveaway is international. To enter, help Kelly with her cover reveal by sharing the cover, passing along photo teasers, or making your social media profiles and avatars Russtastic. The more you share the better your chances of winning!
A collection graphics (Cover, photo teasers, avatars, Facebook cover, etc...) to share for this giveaway can be found here:
SCION COVER REVEAL GRAPHICS
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Have fun and good luck!
Scion is the third book in Kelly Oram's Supernaturals series. Be sure to check out the first two books in the series, Chameleon, and Ungifted.
Kelly Oram wrote her first novel at age fifteen–a fan fiction about her favorite music group, The Backstreet Boys, for which family and friends still tease her. She's obsessed with reading, talks way too much, and loves to eat frosting by the spoonful. She lives outside of Phoenix, Arizona with her husband, four children, and a cat named Mr. Darcy.Connect with her through social media:Website * Amazon * Facebook * Twitter * Goodreads * GooglePlusFor a limited time: Subscribe to Kelly's email list for new release, events, and giveaway updates, and she'll send you a free ebook from her backlist! (Offer not valid for Scion or any other upcoming releases.) SUBSCRIBE
March 9, 2015
V is for Virgin FREE download. :)
Hey guys! V is for Virgin is free on Amazon today. If you haven't read it yet, now's a great time to snag it!
V is for Virgin on Amazon
Here's a short excerpt and summary.
"You haven't seen Tralse's website today." She said it as a statement, not a question.
Without saying another word—apparently there were none to explain the coming horror—Robin surfed over to Tralse's website. Aside from having posted videos from the concert last night of their new song, Kyle had posted a new blog.
"Ten reasons why Virgin Val sucks?" I screeched.
A couple walking past the store looked up, startled, so I bit my tongue to keep from spouting profanities of my own.
I clicked on the blog. There was no way to make myself not click on it.
The Top Ten Reasons Why Virgin Val Sucks
10. She called me a one-hit-wonder.
9. She doesn't appreciate the endearing nickname I gave her.
8. She makes me write stupid blogs about her at four in the morning.
7. She's encouraging people not to have sex.
6. She blew me off when I asked her out.
5. She has a crush on a douche bag.
4. She won't answer any of my calls.
3. She's such a tease with her look-but-don't-touch policy.
2. I played a whole effing concert just for her and she didn't come even though she told me she would. (You're such a liar!)
And the #1 reason why Virgin Val sucks?
I still want her anyway.
A full minute of silence passed with me simply staring at the computer screen, blinking over and over, hoping that the next time my eyes closed the blog would disappear.
"It's actually very sweet…" Robin said. "If you think about it."
My jaw, which had already fallen slack, hit the floor as I gaped at her. "Sweet?" I choked on the word. "I'm going to KILL him!"
…
From the best selling YA romance author of The Avery Shaw Experiment comes a wildly funny and heart-melting rockstar romance. Kyle Hamilton is the quintessential bad boy, but Val Jensen is not your typical good girl.
When Val gets dumped for her decision to stay a virgin until marriage, the nasty breakup goes viral on YouTube, making her the latest internet sensation.
After days of ridicule from her peers, Val starts a school-wide campaign to rally support for her cause. She meant to make a statement, but she never dreamed the entire nation would get caught up in the controversy.
As if becoming nationally recognized as "Virgin Val" isn’t enough, Val’s already hectic life starts to spin wildly out of control when bad boy Kyle Hamilton, lead singer for the hit rock band Tralse, decides to take her abstinence as a personal challenge.
How can a girl stay true to herself when this year’s Sexiest Man Alive is doing everything in his power to win her over?
V is for Virgin on Amazon
Here's a short excerpt and summary.
"You haven't seen Tralse's website today." She said it as a statement, not a question.
Without saying another word—apparently there were none to explain the coming horror—Robin surfed over to Tralse's website. Aside from having posted videos from the concert last night of their new song, Kyle had posted a new blog.
"Ten reasons why Virgin Val sucks?" I screeched.
A couple walking past the store looked up, startled, so I bit my tongue to keep from spouting profanities of my own.
I clicked on the blog. There was no way to make myself not click on it.
The Top Ten Reasons Why Virgin Val Sucks
10. She called me a one-hit-wonder.
9. She doesn't appreciate the endearing nickname I gave her.
8. She makes me write stupid blogs about her at four in the morning.
7. She's encouraging people not to have sex.
6. She blew me off when I asked her out.
5. She has a crush on a douche bag.
4. She won't answer any of my calls.
3. She's such a tease with her look-but-don't-touch policy.
2. I played a whole effing concert just for her and she didn't come even though she told me she would. (You're such a liar!)
And the #1 reason why Virgin Val sucks?
I still want her anyway.
A full minute of silence passed with me simply staring at the computer screen, blinking over and over, hoping that the next time my eyes closed the blog would disappear.
"It's actually very sweet…" Robin said. "If you think about it."
My jaw, which had already fallen slack, hit the floor as I gaped at her. "Sweet?" I choked on the word. "I'm going to KILL him!"
…
From the best selling YA romance author of The Avery Shaw Experiment comes a wildly funny and heart-melting rockstar romance. Kyle Hamilton is the quintessential bad boy, but Val Jensen is not your typical good girl.
When Val gets dumped for her decision to stay a virgin until marriage, the nasty breakup goes viral on YouTube, making her the latest internet sensation.
After days of ridicule from her peers, Val starts a school-wide campaign to rally support for her cause. She meant to make a statement, but she never dreamed the entire nation would get caught up in the controversy.
As if becoming nationally recognized as "Virgin Val" isn’t enough, Val’s already hectic life starts to spin wildly out of control when bad boy Kyle Hamilton, lead singer for the hit rock band Tralse, decides to take her abstinence as a personal challenge.
How can a girl stay true to herself when this year’s Sexiest Man Alive is doing everything in his power to win her over?
February 28, 2015
Join me for the Scion cover reveal and enter to win a Russtastic giveaway!
As you've hopefully heard, the release of Scion, the third book in my Supernaturals series, is just weeks away! If you're unfamiliar with this series, it's a YA urban fantasy/paranormal romance series. Fun times, I promise.
Each book is told from a different main character's point of view. Book three, Scion, is all about Russ Devereaux! (And he is excited to finally have his say, let me tell you.)
If you haven't had the pleasure of meeting Russ yet, there is a great introduction to him on my website, which you can read HERE. (Or you can always read the first two books, Chameleon and Ungifted.)
Now onto awesomeness...
I need to reveal the cover for Scion, and I'm recruiting all my readers to help me! As thanks, I've also planned a Russtastic giveaway for anyone who helps spread the cover love.
The cover will be revealed to the world Wednesday, March 11th, but you guys have the chance to see the cover early and be entered to win one of TEN signed Scion posters, and a grand prize of a signed copy of all thee books in the series (to be shipped as soon as print copies of Scion are available). That's eleven winners total, of which one lucky duck will become the proud owner of signed copies of the entire series thus far! The giveaway will, of course, be international to include all Russ's world-wide fans. (Of which, he informed me, there are billions.)
To receive the cover a full five days early, and be entered to win this most excellent Russ-filled giveaway, you have to participate in the cover reveal. That's right, it's not just about the book bloggers this time! As much as I love and appreciate my book blogging lovelies, I love and appreciate my readers too, and I want you to be able to join in the fun this time around.
Your participation can be as simple as sharing the cover and book info on your Facebook feed the day of the reveal, or as extravagant as going all I HEART RUSS DEVEREAUX FANGIRL CRAZY. Of course, the more involved you get, the more chances to win you earn.
If you would like to participate in the cover reveal & giveaway, click this link and fill out the quick sign up form so I can send you an email with all the details.
I will be providing the cover, blurb, book release date (April 14th), author pic bio and links, a short teaser from the book, a raffelcopter giveaway code, and professional graphics to use as avatars/FB headers that day if you feel so inclined to let Russ take over your social media for the event. :) The rafflecopter will include a variety of ways to earn entries by posting on your social media. I'll make sure to send the code for all blog posters who would like to add it, and a link to enter on my website for those without blogs.
February 23, 2015
My marketing presentation from #ANWACon15, for those of you who asked. :)
Hey everyone!
I belong to a writers organization called the American Night Writer's Association (ANWA). I had the wonderful privilege of speaking at the annual Phoenix conference this weekend. I gave a class on author marketing, and had many people ask if I would post my presentation on my website, so here it is...
Click the following link for a downloadable PDF of my slides. I'm also available to answer any questions on it. Just shoot me an email. :)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD a PDF of the presentation
Thank you to all of you who sat in on the class! I hope you got something out of it. Hopefully I will see you in Provo at Storymakers in May. (I'm not teaching there, but you can always comes say hi!)
Also...
I do not own any of the images used in the presentation except for the ones that are about me/my books, and I made no money from them or this class. I found the pictures on a simple google search and am not sure who they belong to. If any of the bloggers who own these images would like me to remove them, or would like to be credited, shoot me an email and I will be happy to do either. Thanks!
I am not affiliated in any way with Danielle Steel. I simply used her homepage as a great example of a good author website. (Keep up the fantastic work Danielle!)
The concept of a "Home Base" is something I heard from an author friend of mine who does a lot with marketing, Bryan Cohen. He's great! You can check out his website HERE.
The books I reference on learning more about making the most of your Amazon profiles (keywords, descriptions, etc...) are called Make A Killing On Kindle, and How To Sell Fiction on Kindle by Michael Alvear. There are many others, but I have personally read both of these and found them very useful.
And the cartoons about what NOT to post on social media are recreated using pages from my favorite children's book Don't Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus by Mo Willems. Such a fun book!! You must all go and check it out because it's fantastic!
Thanks guys! I had so much fun! And remember, the one thing that is the MOST IMPORTANT thing about author marketing... The Best way to sell your book is to publish the next one, so write on!
February 16, 2015
El Experimento de Avery Shaw!
Hey guys, most of you have probably heard, but if not, The Avery Shaw Experiment will soon be available in its third language! I don't have a specific release date for the Spanish version, but we're probably about six weeks out. Somewhere in the end of March/early April. This will be my first Spanish release, and is being self published like all of my English books. If it does well, I'll continue to have the rest of my books translated into the language. (Unless any Spanish publishers come along and want to do that for me. I'm totally okay with selling foreign rights. :D )
If you run a Spanish review blog and would like a digital review copy once the translation is ready, you can sign up HERE. I will contact you once the book is ready.
If you run a Spanish review blog and would like a digital review copy once the translation is ready, you can sign up HERE. I will contact you once the book is ready.
January 31, 2015
Brian & Ella discuss all things Halloween!
Brian and Ella wrapped up the Cinder & Ella blog tour on Halloween with one last Internet chat over at Paper Cuts blog. They talked costumes, candy, and scary movies!
EllaTheRealHero:Hey everyone, Cinder and Ella here! We want to thank Rachel for inviting us to stop by Paper Cuts today.
Cinder458: Yeah, we’re happy to be here. My actual name’s Brian, though, not Cinder. You can call me Brian. Ella forgets that sometimes.
EllaTheRealHero:I don’t forget. It’s just that Cinder & Ella are so cute together. I like it.
Cinder458: It’s a little cheesy. And it makes me seem like one of those actors who doesn’t know the difference between myself and the characters I play.
EllaTheRealHero:Sorry. You’ll always be Cinder to me. Cinder & Ella. It’s cute. Not cheesy. And it’s a fun play on words that people can remember, so it’s probably going to stick. You have a nickname. Embrace it, my friend.
Cinder458: Whatever. We’re getting off topic again.
EllaTheRealHero: Yeah, we’ve done that a lot this tour. We’re kind of terrible at the blog touring stuff, aren’t we?
Cinder458: Speak for yourself. I’m awesome at it.
EllaTheRealHero:You’re the one who got us off topic.
Cinder458: Well you’re the one who refuses to use my name.
EllaTheRealHero:You’re doing it again. This is our last stop. We have to get at least one right. Come on, focus, we’re supposed to be talking about Halloween.
Cinder458: Right, so, Rachel, Halloween. Hit me.
RachelPaperCuts: Okay, let’s start with costumes. If you guys dressed up together, like, as a couple, what would you want to go as?
EllaTheRealHero:Cinder and Ella from The Druid Prince. Obviously.
Cinder458:Boring.
EllaTheRealHero:What?
Cinder458: Been there and done that. I had to wear that dumb costume for months while filming. I don’t want to go as Cinder and Ella. Let’s be something different for a change. That’s what Halloween’s really about, anyway. Disguising yourself. Being someone you don’t normally get to be. We’re always Cinder and Ella. You won’t even call me by my real name!
EllaTheRealHero:Because Cinder’s cuter.
Cinder458:Whatever. I’m not being Cinder and Ella for Halloween.
EllaTheRealHero:All right, how about Cinderella and Prince Charming? That would be so cute too.
Cinder458: And cliché, woman. Come on. You’re more creative than this.
EllaTheRealHero:Fine. What do you think we should go as?
Cinder458: I’m thinking a doctor and his sexy nurse. How awesome would that be?
EllaTheRealHero:Are you kidding me?
Cinder458: What? I think it would be awesome to be a doctor!
EllaTheRealHero: And you said I was being unimaginative? It doesn’t get more cliché than Doctor and Sexy Nurse.
Cinder458: But it doesn’t get any hotter, either. Come on Ella, where’s your sense of adventure? Be my sexy nurse. Oh, or I know, I could go as a butler and you could be the maid.
EllaTheRealHero:Let me guess, you mean a sexy French maid with that little black dress, white apron, and fishnet tights?
Cinder458: Is there any other kind?
EllaTheRealHero:I am not going as a French maid. Or a sexy nurse.
Cinder458: A Pimp and his ho could be fun too.
EllaTheRealHero: In your dreams!
Cinder458:Underwear models?
EllaTheRealHero:Okay, moving on. Next topic, Rachel?
RachelPaperCuts:Um… how about candy? What kind is your favorite?
Cinder458: All the chocolate of course.
EllaTheRealHero:Agreed.
RachelPaperCuts:That’s it?
EllaTheRealHero: What’s better than chocolate?
RachelPaperCuts:Wow, okay, I guess I just expected more of an argument.
Cinder458:Really? Home come?
RachelPaperCuts:Uh… No reason. Lets move on. How about scary movies? Do you like them? What are your favorites?
EllaTheRealHero:They aren’t a good romance or an epic fantasy, but they’re all right, I guess.
Cinder458: They’d be a lot better if Ella would respond to them appropriately.
RachelPaperCuts:What do you mean?
Cinder458: Well you know. Because at a scary movie, your girl freaks out and clings to you through the whole movie. She makes you hold her and buries her face in your chest at the really scary parts. Jumping and squeaking and stuff. It’s great!
RachelPaperCuts:And Ella doesn’t do that?
EllaTheRealHero:If I ever acted like that I’d have to slap myself in the face.
Cinder458: Ella is that girl in the theater—you know the one I mean, there’s always at least one—who isn’t clinging to her boyfriend. She’s sitting upright in her chair, laughing at inappropriate times, groaning loudly, and yelling at the “idiot girl” on the screen for opening the door or running up the stairs. She’s obnoxious.
EllaTheRealHero:I am not that bad.
Cinder458: She literally threw her popcorn at the screen once and it got all over the guy in front of us. The management asked us to leave.
EllaTheRealHero:Oh, come on, that was the worst movie ever. Us getting kicked out was the most entertainment anyone in that theater got that night. It depends on the movie. The Ring, for instance, really creeped me out. I had nightmares from that one.
Cinder458:Really? I just figured out what we’re going to do tonight.
EllaTheRealHero:I’m not watching that movie again.
Cinder458: Yes you are.
EllaTheRealHero:No way. That girl is creepy. I told you: nightmares. I’m not watching it. Sorry.
Cinder458: You’ll be fine. You’ll have me. I’ll fend off any psycho chicks who crawl out of the TV. I’m Prince Cinder, remember? I’m excellent with a sword.
EllaTheRealHero: No.
Cinder458: Come on, it’s Halloween. Give me this one chance to watch a scary movie with my girl and have her actually act like a girl. I’ll keep you safe, Ella. Promise. And I’ll make sure you don’t have any nightmares.
EllaTheRealHero: Oh yeah, and how are you gonna do that, genius?
Cinder458: Easy. After the movie’s over, I’ll distract you and give you something a lot sexier to dream about all night.
EllaTheRealHero:Um…
RachelPaperCuts:Oh my. That’s… Is it hot in here?
EllaTheRealHero:Very.
Cinder458: So, we done here? Can we go now? It’s late and the woman and I have things to do.
RachelPaperCuts:Well, um, I mean we still had a few questions—
EllaTheRealHero:I think we’d better end it. We’ve officially distracted him to the point of no return. Things will only go down hill from here and I’m assuming you’d like to keep this appropriate for teens…
RachelPaperCuts: Uh, yeah. That would probably be wise. Okay, well, um, thanks for stopping by then.
EllaTheRealHero:You’re welcome. Thanks for having us.
Cinder458: Yeah, thanks. This has been an enlightening tour stop. Later everyone. Read the book and all that jazz. Peace out!
EllaTheRealHero:Hey everyone, Cinder and Ella here! We want to thank Rachel for inviting us to stop by Paper Cuts today.
Cinder458: Yeah, we’re happy to be here. My actual name’s Brian, though, not Cinder. You can call me Brian. Ella forgets that sometimes.
EllaTheRealHero:I don’t forget. It’s just that Cinder & Ella are so cute together. I like it.
Cinder458: It’s a little cheesy. And it makes me seem like one of those actors who doesn’t know the difference between myself and the characters I play.
EllaTheRealHero:Sorry. You’ll always be Cinder to me. Cinder & Ella. It’s cute. Not cheesy. And it’s a fun play on words that people can remember, so it’s probably going to stick. You have a nickname. Embrace it, my friend.
Cinder458: Whatever. We’re getting off topic again.
EllaTheRealHero: Yeah, we’ve done that a lot this tour. We’re kind of terrible at the blog touring stuff, aren’t we?
Cinder458: Speak for yourself. I’m awesome at it.
EllaTheRealHero:You’re the one who got us off topic.
Cinder458: Well you’re the one who refuses to use my name.
EllaTheRealHero:You’re doing it again. This is our last stop. We have to get at least one right. Come on, focus, we’re supposed to be talking about Halloween.
Cinder458: Right, so, Rachel, Halloween. Hit me.
RachelPaperCuts: Okay, let’s start with costumes. If you guys dressed up together, like, as a couple, what would you want to go as?
EllaTheRealHero:Cinder and Ella from The Druid Prince. Obviously.
Cinder458:Boring.
EllaTheRealHero:What?
Cinder458: Been there and done that. I had to wear that dumb costume for months while filming. I don’t want to go as Cinder and Ella. Let’s be something different for a change. That’s what Halloween’s really about, anyway. Disguising yourself. Being someone you don’t normally get to be. We’re always Cinder and Ella. You won’t even call me by my real name!
EllaTheRealHero:Because Cinder’s cuter.
Cinder458:Whatever. I’m not being Cinder and Ella for Halloween.
EllaTheRealHero:All right, how about Cinderella and Prince Charming? That would be so cute too.
Cinder458: And cliché, woman. Come on. You’re more creative than this.
EllaTheRealHero:Fine. What do you think we should go as?
Cinder458: I’m thinking a doctor and his sexy nurse. How awesome would that be?
EllaTheRealHero:Are you kidding me?
Cinder458: What? I think it would be awesome to be a doctor!
EllaTheRealHero: And you said I was being unimaginative? It doesn’t get more cliché than Doctor and Sexy Nurse.
Cinder458: But it doesn’t get any hotter, either. Come on Ella, where’s your sense of adventure? Be my sexy nurse. Oh, or I know, I could go as a butler and you could be the maid.
EllaTheRealHero:Let me guess, you mean a sexy French maid with that little black dress, white apron, and fishnet tights?
Cinder458: Is there any other kind?
EllaTheRealHero:I am not going as a French maid. Or a sexy nurse.
Cinder458: A Pimp and his ho could be fun too.
EllaTheRealHero: In your dreams!
Cinder458:Underwear models?
EllaTheRealHero:Okay, moving on. Next topic, Rachel?
RachelPaperCuts:Um… how about candy? What kind is your favorite?
Cinder458: All the chocolate of course.
EllaTheRealHero:Agreed.
RachelPaperCuts:That’s it?
EllaTheRealHero: What’s better than chocolate?
RachelPaperCuts:Wow, okay, I guess I just expected more of an argument.
Cinder458:Really? Home come?
RachelPaperCuts:Uh… No reason. Lets move on. How about scary movies? Do you like them? What are your favorites?
EllaTheRealHero:They aren’t a good romance or an epic fantasy, but they’re all right, I guess.
Cinder458: They’d be a lot better if Ella would respond to them appropriately.
RachelPaperCuts:What do you mean?
Cinder458: Well you know. Because at a scary movie, your girl freaks out and clings to you through the whole movie. She makes you hold her and buries her face in your chest at the really scary parts. Jumping and squeaking and stuff. It’s great!
RachelPaperCuts:And Ella doesn’t do that?
EllaTheRealHero:If I ever acted like that I’d have to slap myself in the face.
Cinder458: Ella is that girl in the theater—you know the one I mean, there’s always at least one—who isn’t clinging to her boyfriend. She’s sitting upright in her chair, laughing at inappropriate times, groaning loudly, and yelling at the “idiot girl” on the screen for opening the door or running up the stairs. She’s obnoxious.
EllaTheRealHero:I am not that bad.
Cinder458: She literally threw her popcorn at the screen once and it got all over the guy in front of us. The management asked us to leave.
EllaTheRealHero:Oh, come on, that was the worst movie ever. Us getting kicked out was the most entertainment anyone in that theater got that night. It depends on the movie. The Ring, for instance, really creeped me out. I had nightmares from that one.
Cinder458:Really? I just figured out what we’re going to do tonight.
EllaTheRealHero:I’m not watching that movie again.
Cinder458: Yes you are.
EllaTheRealHero:No way. That girl is creepy. I told you: nightmares. I’m not watching it. Sorry.
Cinder458: You’ll be fine. You’ll have me. I’ll fend off any psycho chicks who crawl out of the TV. I’m Prince Cinder, remember? I’m excellent with a sword.
EllaTheRealHero: No.
Cinder458: Come on, it’s Halloween. Give me this one chance to watch a scary movie with my girl and have her actually act like a girl. I’ll keep you safe, Ella. Promise. And I’ll make sure you don’t have any nightmares.
EllaTheRealHero: Oh yeah, and how are you gonna do that, genius?
Cinder458: Easy. After the movie’s over, I’ll distract you and give you something a lot sexier to dream about all night.
EllaTheRealHero:Um…
RachelPaperCuts:Oh my. That’s… Is it hot in here?
EllaTheRealHero:Very.
Cinder458: So, we done here? Can we go now? It’s late and the woman and I have things to do.
RachelPaperCuts:Well, um, I mean we still had a few questions—
EllaTheRealHero:I think we’d better end it. We’ve officially distracted him to the point of no return. Things will only go down hill from here and I’m assuming you’d like to keep this appropriate for teens…
RachelPaperCuts: Uh, yeah. That would probably be wise. Okay, well, um, thanks for stopping by then.
EllaTheRealHero:You’re welcome. Thanks for having us.
Cinder458: Yeah, thanks. This has been an enlightening tour stop. Later everyone. Read the book and all that jazz. Peace out!
Interview with Ella
While Brian was off doing busy important superstar stuff, Ella sat down with Coffee, Books, & My Kindle!
Hi Ellamara! Welcome to Coffee, Books & My Kindle, it’s an honor having you today.
Thank you for having me. I’m glad to be here.
Since your love story with the handsome Brian Oliver hit the news, you have been in the spotlight a lot… How are you feeling about that? Are you more comfortable with everything going around?
The fame has been a big adjustment, but Brian’s really gotten me through it. It’s not my favorite thing but it’s worth our relationship. I don’t know that I’m more comfortable with the horrible things being said about me as much as I’ve just gotten better at ignoring it all. Plus, I’ve been able to use the experience to start helping others by speaking to groups about my experiences, so it’s worth it.
I know your tragic accident was very hard for you. You lost your mother, spent eight months in a hospital, had thirty-seven surgeries in a year, and your recovery wasn’t easy, but now you’re in a better place, right? What would you say to other people, teenagers, or young kids who are living a similar case?
I am definitely in a much better place than I was. I think the most important thing I could tell anyone, no matter what their specific struggles are, is to be brave and let people help you. It’s hard to admit sometimes where we’re having trouble, and we don’t want to be judged for our weaknesses. But there are things we can’t recover from alone, and we shouldn’t have to. My therapist said it a million times: you need a support system. Find the people who love you, and let them help you. Ask for help, and let them be there for you. It’s scary, but it will help you heal.
What’s going on with your stepfamily?
Same old, same old, I guess. Things get a little better with them every day. Nobody can expect miracles over night, but now that we’re all making sincere efforts, I’m sure we’ll feel like family soon enough.
I was researching about you and obviously found your blog, pretty interesting by the way and there was a post about your recently recovering path and the conversation with your dad, so my question is how did you feel when you had the counseling session with your dad, and how both of you are dealing with your relationship?
I have mixed emotions about my father. When he finally broke down and told me his story, I was heartbroken for both myself and him. I’m angry, but I’m also hopeful. And now that I understand him better, I’m working on letting go of my resentment. We’re slowly building a relationship. It’s awkward sometimes, but I can see that he loves me, and even though we still have our issues, I do love him too, and I’m grateful to have him back in my life.
Tell us a little about your beginnings on the blogosphere? What motivated you start a blog?
I wanted free books! LOL. I’m a big reader. I love it. I used to follow a lot of blogs and every time someone would post about having a shiny new arc of a book I still had to wait months to read, I was green with envy. I also couldn’t afford to pay for my reading habit. So I started a blog in hopes that I could build up a following large enough that publishers would send me books. I had no idea that I’d love it so much, but after the first month or so I was hooked on blogging!
Did you remember your first post?
Yeah, I do, even though it wasn’t all that exciting. I started with a book review about The Cinder Chronicles. It wasn’t the blog post that Brian found and emailed me about. That came much later. When I first started I only posted basic book reviews. It took me a while to learn how to post on other topics. So my first few posts weren’t as creative as the ones I do now. I hadn’t found my groove yet.
Are you ready for a few flash Q&A? Take a breath and go
Favorite contemporary author? Simone Elkeles. Her Rules of Attraction series is amazing!
Your top 5 all time favorite books includes…? The Cinder Chronicles books 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5! ;)
Best moment as blogger?
The moment Brian Oliver tweeted about my review of his movie The Long Road Home. At the time I still didn’t know who he was, so I thought it was random, and that the worlds biggest celebrity had found my review and liked it. That, or getting to interview L.P. Morgan and Jason Cohen about The Druid Prince at FantasyCon. That video interview is still my most popular post on my blog!
Curling with a good book or movie night?
Tough call. Depends on the book and the move. I enjoy both activities equally. If Brian’s reading to me I used to always pick that over anything, but now that we’ve met in person, snuggling up with him on the couch in front of a movie is pretty fantastic too.
Cinder or Brian?
Now, see, that’s the brilliance of those two. They are one in the same so I don’t have to choose. I get to have my cake and eat it too!
What was the third object you left at the café?
Hmm, well, I left my book, my gloves, and my walking staff. Though, I did manage to get home with my staff that night. If you want to get metaphorical, I also left my old life in that café that night, because once I left, nothing was ever the same.
Done!
Oh this was so fun but time is over. Do you want to say goodbye to your fans and readers?
Thanks for having me. I’m glad I could stop by and share a little bit of myself with you. And I just want to say thank you to all of my fans and readers. They’ve been a huge support to me, and they definitely make life interesting! Never stop reading!
All the best with your plans and say hello to Brian please!
I will, thanks!
Hi Ellamara! Welcome to Coffee, Books & My Kindle, it’s an honor having you today.
Thank you for having me. I’m glad to be here.
Since your love story with the handsome Brian Oliver hit the news, you have been in the spotlight a lot… How are you feeling about that? Are you more comfortable with everything going around?
The fame has been a big adjustment, but Brian’s really gotten me through it. It’s not my favorite thing but it’s worth our relationship. I don’t know that I’m more comfortable with the horrible things being said about me as much as I’ve just gotten better at ignoring it all. Plus, I’ve been able to use the experience to start helping others by speaking to groups about my experiences, so it’s worth it.
I know your tragic accident was very hard for you. You lost your mother, spent eight months in a hospital, had thirty-seven surgeries in a year, and your recovery wasn’t easy, but now you’re in a better place, right? What would you say to other people, teenagers, or young kids who are living a similar case?
I am definitely in a much better place than I was. I think the most important thing I could tell anyone, no matter what their specific struggles are, is to be brave and let people help you. It’s hard to admit sometimes where we’re having trouble, and we don’t want to be judged for our weaknesses. But there are things we can’t recover from alone, and we shouldn’t have to. My therapist said it a million times: you need a support system. Find the people who love you, and let them help you. Ask for help, and let them be there for you. It’s scary, but it will help you heal.
What’s going on with your stepfamily?
Same old, same old, I guess. Things get a little better with them every day. Nobody can expect miracles over night, but now that we’re all making sincere efforts, I’m sure we’ll feel like family soon enough.
I was researching about you and obviously found your blog, pretty interesting by the way and there was a post about your recently recovering path and the conversation with your dad, so my question is how did you feel when you had the counseling session with your dad, and how both of you are dealing with your relationship?
I have mixed emotions about my father. When he finally broke down and told me his story, I was heartbroken for both myself and him. I’m angry, but I’m also hopeful. And now that I understand him better, I’m working on letting go of my resentment. We’re slowly building a relationship. It’s awkward sometimes, but I can see that he loves me, and even though we still have our issues, I do love him too, and I’m grateful to have him back in my life.
Tell us a little about your beginnings on the blogosphere? What motivated you start a blog?
I wanted free books! LOL. I’m a big reader. I love it. I used to follow a lot of blogs and every time someone would post about having a shiny new arc of a book I still had to wait months to read, I was green with envy. I also couldn’t afford to pay for my reading habit. So I started a blog in hopes that I could build up a following large enough that publishers would send me books. I had no idea that I’d love it so much, but after the first month or so I was hooked on blogging!
Did you remember your first post?
Yeah, I do, even though it wasn’t all that exciting. I started with a book review about The Cinder Chronicles. It wasn’t the blog post that Brian found and emailed me about. That came much later. When I first started I only posted basic book reviews. It took me a while to learn how to post on other topics. So my first few posts weren’t as creative as the ones I do now. I hadn’t found my groove yet.
Are you ready for a few flash Q&A? Take a breath and go
Favorite contemporary author? Simone Elkeles. Her Rules of Attraction series is amazing!
Your top 5 all time favorite books includes…? The Cinder Chronicles books 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5! ;)
Best moment as blogger?
The moment Brian Oliver tweeted about my review of his movie The Long Road Home. At the time I still didn’t know who he was, so I thought it was random, and that the worlds biggest celebrity had found my review and liked it. That, or getting to interview L.P. Morgan and Jason Cohen about The Druid Prince at FantasyCon. That video interview is still my most popular post on my blog!
Curling with a good book or movie night?
Tough call. Depends on the book and the move. I enjoy both activities equally. If Brian’s reading to me I used to always pick that over anything, but now that we’ve met in person, snuggling up with him on the couch in front of a movie is pretty fantastic too.
Cinder or Brian?
Now, see, that’s the brilliance of those two. They are one in the same so I don’t have to choose. I get to have my cake and eat it too!
What was the third object you left at the café?
Hmm, well, I left my book, my gloves, and my walking staff. Though, I did manage to get home with my staff that night. If you want to get metaphorical, I also left my old life in that café that night, because once I left, nothing was ever the same.
Done!
Oh this was so fun but time is over. Do you want to say goodbye to your fans and readers?
Thanks for having me. I’m glad I could stop by and share a little bit of myself with you. And I just want to say thank you to all of my fans and readers. They’ve been a huge support to me, and they definitely make life interesting! Never stop reading!
All the best with your plans and say hello to Brian please!
I will, thanks!
