Sarah Ballance's Blog, page 48
December 25, 2012
$50 Book Blast: “Faith” by Heather Bixler
Faith – 4 Week Mini Bible Study
In this four week mini Bible Study you will examine your faith and what it means to have faith in God. He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20 Our faith begins with what we know and believe about God. Our faith will carry us how far we are willing to let it take us. Faith is a choice and we need to begin by choosing to believe in Jesus and His power to move mountains, heal the sick, and save us from all our sins through His sacrifice on the cross. When we believe in God we then learn to walk in faith and trust God. But first we must believe, and it’s up to us, we can either choose to believe in Him or not. But faith will mean nothing until we believe with all our heart that God is who He says He is.
Praise for Faith
Don’t have time to read a long book on faith? This study will give you simple tools to understand faith and help you to develop a closer relationship with God. ~Lorilyn Roberts
This is a great book that allows you to start looking deeper into faith. I love the fact that there is a lot of scripture reference so one can look into the Bible and further study the word. ~Shraon
This study was a wonderful lift to my faith. I encourage others to take this short journey to an increased faith. ~Shirley Strait
Purchase
Print * Ebook
Author Heather Bixler
Heather is a Christian Stay at home homeschooling mom of three, married to a firefighter, and a writer. She is founder of www.CSAHM.com among other websites for Christian mothers, and women. Heather is passionate about sharing God’s word in a practical and loving way.
Blog * Twitter * Facebook
Book Blast Giveaway
$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 1/3/13 – click here to enter
Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

December 22, 2012
12.23.2012 #SixSunday with Last Call

Coming soon to FTMP!
Thanks to my six kids (yes, I always blame them) and the wonderful, inevitable Christmas chaos of baking and wrapping and visiting, I’m still catching up on SSS, but I will see you all soon!
Well, folks, it finally happened. Nick finally gave in. Here’s a peek at the morning after that, just moments before things take a nasty turn.
Through the haze of sleep, the tick of ice hitting the windows might well have a fire crackling nearby. Whether from body heat or euphoria, the cabin felt toasty warm. It felt right. Nick stirred, his hold on Rhys never wavering—not even when he stretched and his legs howled in retort.
Sore.
He wouldn’t admit that any time soon.
LAST CALL is now on GoodReads! Click here to add it to your TBR list.
Enjoy your Sunday six sentences at a time! To see other participating authors, click here.


December 19, 2012
“Pinpoint” by Sheila Mary Taylor (Legal Crime Psychological Thriller) – G!veaway

A lawyer, a murderer and a policeman – caught in a tangled web of love, loss, terror and intrigue.
When lawyer Julia Grant interviews Sam Smith who has been charged with an especially vicious murder, she feels a strange connection to him, as if she has met him before, as if he holds the key to something she has forgotten among the unbearable memories from her past she has determinedly blotted out.
He feels a connection too. “Julia, you are the only one who can help me,” he pleads.
Is it the same connection? Does he know something she cannot recall?
When he is duly convicted despite her best efforts, he suddenly turns on her in the courtroom and threatens that one day he will make sure to wreak his revenge on her.
But why? What has she ever done to him?
And then, on his way to prison, he escapes ……
Amazon.com Kindle | Book Trailer http://youtu.be/R7Ou3N7hx8Q
Pinpoint | Excerpt
Strangeways Prison, Manchester, England (September 1994)
I’ve represented many murderers and am often surprised at how normal they appear. But this one is different. As he walks into the interview room he stops dead. His mouth drops open. His eyes bulge. His elbows clamp to his sides as though a knife has plunged into his back. And he looks straight at me unlike most who bow their heads till I say something to make them feel at ease, and who look past me when they tell me their stories. Not this one.
‘Please sit down,’ I say. His name is Smith. Sam Smith. This is what it says on his file cover. It’s what he called himself when he was interviewed by the police.
‘I know it seems stupid,’ I say, ‘but can I ask you to confirm your name. Your full name.’
I don’t know. I just don’t see him as a Sam Smith. Stupid name anyway. Nobody calls their kid that. Maybe I’ll know from the way he tells me. The name, when he says it himself, will either sound like it belongs or like he’s pretending.
‘Sam Smith,’ he says, and something in the timbre of his voice gels with the curve of his lips and the way his slightly protruding eyes follow mine …
And now he’s nodding his head. Or am I imagining it? And there’s an almost imperceptible smile on his face. That smile. And those eyes. I grip the desk. I can’t breathe. My skin turns cold, clammy. My fingers tingle. A fragment of long forgotten memory skitters through my head then vanishes …
There’s only one person I’ve ever known with eyes like those. And my darling twin brother died twenty-six years ago. Before my real life began.
Scary coincidence.
But let’s get on with it and start the job – it’s going to be a long haul, and he’s got a lot to do to beat the charge. Murder. Horrible, cold-blooded, psychopathic, sexually motivated sadism.
And I think I know him.
FRIDAY
Eight Months Later
- 1 -
The door to the jury room swung open. The seven men and five women filed in and took their seats. Julia Grant glanced at the dock. Perched behind the thick protective glass Sam Smith looked immaculate in a fresh white shirt, the blond beard newly trimmed, nothing moving except those marble-blue eyes.
She noticed that Detective Chief Superintendent Paul Moxon was already back with the small group of officers who had gathered, sitting opposite the jury benches and eyeballing the jurors throughout the trial. Old trick, hard to get the judges to move them away, to persuade them that they are engaging in deliberate psychological warfare for the jury’s votes. Paul smiled at her – a slow half smile and a slightly raised eyebrow, as if to say that for only one of them would today’s verdict spell success.
She smiled back. Defence versus Prosecution. Part of the day’s work. Only this time the stakes were higher than usual.
She looked towards the dock and saw that Sam Smith was also watching her. Their eyes met, but there was not a blink of recognition, his face so alien it was hard to imagine how the thoughts haunting her in the eight months she had been preparing his defence had ever entered her mind. Eight months studying his face across the narrow interview table for some tell-tale sign. But right now there was nothing in that face she could relate to. Nothing that even hinted at a link. Nothing that drew her to him. Good-looking men seldom delivered what their looks promised, she thought. Some unsuspecting female might be attracted until she looked into his eyes. Fish eyes. Cold and hard. Shut off from the rest of the world except for rare fleeting expressions of sadness when they seemed to drift into the past – and drag Julia with them.
The Clerk of the Court rose to his feet. ‘Court stand,’ he blurted in his usual offhand way.
The door opened. Mr Justice Dale strode to his red leather chair, scarlet and ermine robes flowing, wig well down his forehead. He nodded to the crowded court and sat down.
Julia pressed her shoulders against the back of the solicitors’ bench. Another five minutes and it would all be over. And what then?
He might be free, but would she ever be?
The Clerk of the Court cleared his throat. ‘Will the foreman of the jury please stand.’ He looked directly at the foreman. ‘To the charge of murder, have you reached a verdict upon which all of you are agreed?’
‘Yes.’
Something made her glance at Smith again as if he’d called her name out loud. Instead of looking at the foreman, who was the person about to pronounce on the rest of his life, his gaze was fixed on her, waiting for her to turn and look at him, knowing that she would. Oh, that stare. That look. He thinks he has some power over me, she thought. Some right of claim. Men always expect to have power over women. One way or another. Even Sam Smith.
Or whoever he really was.
‘Do you find the defendant guilty, or not guilty?’ the Clerk of the Court asked in his precise, clipped voice.
Even a hardened criminal like Smith must surely feel some trepidation now. But there was not even a flicker to show he registered one iota of emotion.
Julia sat back in her seat, determined not to look at Smith again.
The hushed court waited.
Amazon.com Kindle | Book Trailer http://youtu.be/R7Ou3N7hx8Q

Sheila Mary Taylor was born in Cape Town beneath the towering slopes of Table Mountain. Her Scottish parents, both serious academics and writers, despaired of her, as the things that turned her on as a youngster seemed far removed from their serious world of academia.
And no wonder. Cape Town was a distracting paradise to grow up in: mountain climbing, surfing in the glistening waters of the Indian Ocean, roller-skating, riding, hunting – and parties galore. She did it all, although the thing she loved most was dancing, and until she was twenty-three when she met Colin, her husband-to-be, on a visit to the UK, she wanted to make ballet her career. But having been surrounded by wall-to-wall books from an early age, and listening to music almost non-stop as her father played his hi-fi classical records so loud it was like having an orchestra in the house, was bound to have a belated influence on her. Yet it was only much later that these two strong influences – combined with the clock-ticking heartbreak of her youngest son Andrew being diagnosed with teenage cancer – would change her life and kick-start her writing career.
Her plethora of unusual activities: jockey in amateur ladies’ races, exhibition roller skating in night-clubs, a spell of acting and directing, secretary to a diplomat, creator and editor of a dramatic society magazine, dancing in the Royal Albert Hall, and above all, living in exciting exotic places around the world with Colin, her mining engineer husband of almost sixty incredible years – have all enriched and inspired her writing.
http://sheilamarytaylorauthor.blogspot.com/
http://sellyourstoryuk.com/2012/10/01/sheila-mary-taylor/
Twitter: @AuthorSMBelshaw
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sheila.belshaw
LinkedIn: Sheila Belshaw
Giveaway
To enter to win one of five print and five ebook copies of Pinpoint, please click here to go to the tourwide rafflecopter giveaway. Thank you, and good luck!

December 15, 2012
12.16.2012 #SixSunday with Last Call

Coming soon to FTMP!
Rhys is hoping she and Nick can put the past behind them, but he’s still staring down a wall of guilt. Right before this six, he’s lamented he doesn’t want to be “that asshole” who shot her, left town, and came back for a “piece.” Her response follows.
“I appreciate your concern,” she said, “but you’re always going to be that asshole who shot me.”
He snorted. “Thanks a lot.”
Rhys slid her hand under his shirt and traced his spine with her fingertips, delighting in his shivers. “As for the piece, if you don’t want to be with me, say so. Otherwise, stop interceding on my behalf.”
(The shooting was accidental and in the line of duty. Nick and Rhys worked together undercover until her injuries ended her career.)
LAST CALL is now on GoodReads! Click here to add it to your TBR list.
Enjoy your Sunday six sentences at a time! To see other participating authors, click here.


December 13, 2012
Review: Christi Barth’s “Planning for Love” (Contemporary Romance)
Heroine and wedding planner Ivy Rhodes believes in love and happily ever after. Hero Bennett Westcott, a reality show camera man, not so much. Fortunately these two don’t let that minor detail stand in the way of a smokin’ weekend encounter during which Ivy realizes he’s her man. But Bennett takes note of the sappy love-and-forever direction Ivy has in her sights and flees. (No, really, he’s outta there.)
When Bennett returns, this time producing and filming Ivy in a new reality show she hopes will fund her next business venture, she plots to make him hers. Of course, with Bennett’s deep-seeded opposition to all things romantic, Ivy has her hands full: she needs to make him not only fall in love with her, but to realize, admit, and EMBRACE it. This sounds like a monumental task, but Ivy is convinced she can handle it, and considering her ability to solve OMG-wedding-day problems for her clients, there’s room for hope.
Her colleagues? Not so much believers. Ivy’s friends and coworkers — who rock so hard I want them for myself — have seen this all before. To put it nicely, they remain unconvinced. Adding to the oft-hilarity of having Bennett in constant proximity with a world of circling hearts is the group dynamic, which is practically a character in itself. At some point during the reading, I realized I would probably recognize most of these guys if I saw them on the street, which either says a lot about Ms. Barth’s writing or my own mental state. (Eh…probably a little of each.)
Needless to say, Ivy’s well-sculpted plans don’t go as … planned. The first notable kink in her streak of perfection comes at the worst time — an important family event — during which Bennett makes a cringe-worthy scene in front of pretty much everyone Ivy knows. (No, really, I cringed. And might have offered some him unsolicited advice, which he naturally ignored, apparently because scolding the screen of a Kindle isn’t an effective method of communication).
I loved this story. To say it’s delicious is an understatement (oh, yeah, there are some calories involved), and when I say I want to hang out with these characters I am SO not kidding. Some of my favorite moments are those when Bennett realizes this group of awesome doesn’t just belong to Ivy anymore … they’re his friends, too, and genuinely so. As as genuine friends are prone to do, they don’t lead him to this conclusion by being polite. They do so with some well-aimed brutality, hitting him, like Ivy, where it hurts-so-good: his heart.
If you enjoy lighthearted contemporary romance, PLANNING FOR LOVE belongs at the top of your reading pile. I’m SO looking forward to the next installment in Ms. Barth’s Aisle Bound series!
Find it @ Carina Press (epub) | Amazon Kindle
(copy provided by the author for review)


December 12, 2012
End of the World G!veaway Hop – Dec. 14th – 21st (INT) W!nner’s Choice!
The world isn’t the only thing ending on 12/21/12 … this giveaway ends then, too! And in the doomsday spirit, you get to take one book with you. Which one will it be? The winner of this hop will get to choose! Read on to find out how you can enter.
The End of the World Giveaway Hop is hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and My Life With Books. Please be sure to hop over to visit both blogs, and click here for nearly 150 additional giveaways.
You Name the Prize!
What book would you save if the world was coming to an end? It’s up to you! The winner of this giveaway will be able to choose his or her own ebook prize. The book must cost $6 US or less and will be delivered to the winning email address as an ebook gift from either Amazon or Barnes & Noble (winner’s choice). If you do not have an ereader, you can download Kindle for PC for FREE, so there’s no excuse to sit this one out!
How to Enter
To enter, simply leave a comment with your email address. Optional: I’d also appreciate it if you’d consider following my blog (there’s a subscription box at the top of the sidebar) and liking my Facebook page, which you can do by clicking “like” in the box in the left sidebar or by clicking here to go to Facebook. Thanks so much for your support, and I look forward to your entries!
The Fine Print
Void where prohibited. Open to everyone who can legally participate. No purchase necessary to win. Again, VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. For more information about giveaways, click here.
Click here for nearly 150 more awesome family-friendly giveaways!

December 11, 2012
Featuring Author Rosalie Stanton ‘Cause She’s Old(er)
Today is Rosalie Stanton’s birthday. You may have already witnessed how very much I love her, but I can’t let her birthday go by without some more lovin’. So that said, my friends, delight in a few of her newest naughty releases.

He’s a vampire with a story. She’s a woman with a past.
The second Ryker spots the girl with midnight hair, he knows there’s more to her than meets the eye. She boasts the title of vampire hunter, but something’s off, something’s missing, and that something pulls him close…until backing off isn’t an option.
For years, Izzie has lived for the night, outrunning ghosts from home that seem to find her wherever she lands. Alongside her friend and mentor, who rescued her when she was at her lowest, she destroys creatures she once thought couldn’t exist. But Izzie doesn’t have what she needs to be her best, and doesn’t know if she ever will…or if the life she has is the one she wants.
When a shadow from Ryker’s former life surfaces to collect a forgotten debt, vampire and hunter are thrust together in a strange world of eroticism and servitude. They must trust each other if they mean to escape, but when trust turns into something more, the real enemy becomes harder and harder to pick out.
Available at Amazon | Available at Barnes and Noble | Excerpt

Lennon Bishop’s harmless crush on his hot secretary, Kenzie Drake, morphs into an overwhelming obsession when it arrives—a tape, delivered anonymously. He has no idea what to expect when he plays it, but certainly not a naked Kenzie bringing herself to orgasm. Soon his obsession becomes too much to handle and Lennon has no choice but to quietly remove her from his staff.
But then he comes home one evening to a burglarized apartment, and when he catches the culprit in the elevator, his shock at discovering it’s Kenzie is quickly overshadowed by his anger. She’s stolen a confidential file that he needs for his first high-profile case—but that’s not all she took.
The power goes out and the elevator breaks down, trapping them inside. Which gives Lennon plenty of time to explain to his former secretary why she found her own personal sex tape in his VCR. And maybe, finally, give in to temptation.
Available at Amazon | Available at Barnes and Noble | Excerpt

As far as birthdays go, university librarian Clarice St. Clair hasn’t had a string of successful celebrations, and her twenty-fifth doesn’t look to be any different. It’s not enough that the sexy subject of her schoolgirl crush walked in on her with her pantyhose around her ankles, but now her mother has dropped possibly the largest bomb in the history of large metaphoric bombs.
Happy birthday. You’re about to become a succubus.
Professor Weston Ryans has known Clarice since her days as one of his students. Though now they are nothing more than friendly colleagues, he clearly recalls her enthusiasm, her wit, and the litany of sinful things he wanted to do with her after hours. After catching her with her nylons around her ankles, he decides to smooth things over, but ends up hearing his favorite former student is the bargaining piece in a demon contract. And Weston knows something about demon contracts–he lost his father to one.
Suddenly everything is thrown into question. Clarice is about to change, but she doesn’t believe it. Weston is determined to help, but he doesn’t know how, and the clock is ticking. Yet when the transformation starts, Clarice finds herself hungry for one thing…and Weston is happy to cater to her needs.
Available at Amazon | Available at Barnes and Noble | Excerpt


December 10, 2012
Deadly Trilogy Boxed Set by Alexa Grace
With more than 600 five-star reviews, it’s time for you to discover the three Deadly Trilogy books: Deadly Offerings, Deadly Deception and Deadly Relations.
Deadly Trilogy Boxed Set
From bestselling new author Alexa Grace, The Deadly Trilogy, three books with non-stop suspense and a healthy dose of toe-curling passion will have you holding your breath from the first page to the last.
Deadly Offerings – Book One – Anne Mason thinks she’ll be safe living in the Midwest living on a wind farm left to her by her ex’s mother. She may be dead wrong. Someone is dumping bodies in her corn field and telling Anne they are gifts—for her! And how can she be falling in love with the hot attorney who represented her ex-husband in their divorce proceedings?
Deadly Deception – Book Two- Enter the disturbing world of illegal adoptions, baby trafficking and murder with new detective Lane Hansen and private investigator Frankie Douglas. Going undercover as husband and wife, Lane and Frankie struggle to keep their relationship strictly professional as their sizzling passion threatens to burn out of control. Can they keep passion in control long enough to take down two murderers?
Deadly Relations – Book Three – Detective Jennifer Brennan, still haunted by her abduction five years before, devotes her life to serve and protect others. Love is the last thing on her mind, but will it find her after three young women go missing and are found murdered on her watch and she vows to find the killer — or die trying.
Alexa Grace’s Deadly Trilogy Boxed Set – With more than 600 five-star reviews, it’s time for you to discover the three Deadly Trilogy books: Deadly Offerings, Deadly Deception and Deadly Relations.
Find it @ Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo Books

“Lane, I know you’re ready to do undercover work, but with this case I need two cops who can pose as a married couple. Unfortunately, we’ve got three women on the team. One is built like a linebacker and the other two are pregnant.”
“Sir, for this case, why don’t we go outside the department? I know a Private Investigator who can handle herself on a job like this.”
Newly appointed Sheriff Tim Brennan’s brows drew together in a suspicious expression. “What’s the PI’s name?”
“Frankie Douglas. I worked with her last year on the Charles Beatty serial killer case. She’s a former sharpshooter for the Army.”
“Is this the same Frankie Douglas you shot?”
Lane’s face flushed with the guilt he still felt about the shooting.
“Yes, sir. It was an accident. We were heading down the stairs of Beatty’s cellar to apprehend him when one of the steps gave way and when I fell my gun went off and hit Frankie.”
“Has Frankie Douglas done police work before?”
“I heard she’s a former detective.”
“I think I’ve heard about her. Isn’t she a pretty tall blonde woman?”
“Oh, she’s smokin’ hot. Think Victoria Secret hot.”
“Is that right? Do you have a personal thing going with Ms. Douglas?”
“No sir. Strictly professional.” Of course, if he’d had a chance, he’d have made in personal in 2.5 seconds.
Brennan glared at Lane then picked up his phone and dialed a number. “Hello, Frankie, this is Uncle Tim. I may have a job for you. Would you please drop by my office?”
Find it @ Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo Books

Alexa Grace’s journey started in March 2011 when the Sr. Director of Training & Development position she’d held for thirteen years was eliminated. A door closed but another one opened. She finally had the time to pursue her dream of writing books — her dream since childhood. Her focus is now on writing riveting romantic suspense novels.
Alexa earned two degrees from Indiana State University and currently lives in Florida. She’s a member of Romance Writers of America (national) as well as the Florida Chapter.
Alexa Grace is listed in the top ten of Amazon’s Top 100 Most Popular Authors in the categories Romantic Suspense and Police Procedural. She was recently named one of the top 100 Indie authors by Kindle Review. A chapter is devoted to her in the book Interviews with Indie Authors by C. Ridgway and T. Ridgway. Her books Deadly Offerings, Deadly Deception, and Deadly Relations have consistently been listed in the top ten of Amazon’s Top 100 Bestselling Romantic Suspense and Police Procedural Books. All three books are available in Alexa Grace’s Deadly Trilogy boxed set.
Her writing support team includes five Miniature Schnauzers, three of which are rescues. As a writer, she is fueled by Starbucks lattes, chocolate and emails from readers.
Deadly Holiday, published in November 2012, is her holiday-themed romantic suspense novella, featuring all her Deadly Trilogy characters.
Profile of Evil, the first book of the Profile Trilogy will be available in spring 2013.
Learn more @ Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads


Book Blitz: The Homeschoolers (YA Contemporary) by Henry Circle

“Life is too big to squeeze into a weekend.” That’s what “half-heathen” public school misfit, Christina Begoni, learns after a bout of Spanish class diarrhea has her escaping into the arms of a holy-rolling homeschool group. With her mustachioed, evil genius brother and cute redneck bully in tow, Christina joins innocent homeschoolers, Sunny and David on a hilarious and often gripping adventure on the Mississippi River. Experience the thrill and romance of the never-ending weekend with The Homeschoolers.
Find it @ Amazon
The Homeschoolers | Excerpt
When I get back to the stand, Sunny says, “You were gone awhile. Did you get lost?”
“I squirted myself!” I announce, quite abruptly.
“When? Just now?” Sunny asks with concern.
David chimes in, “Oh no. You must have stopped at the tamale stand. I could have told you that was going to happen. If you need, I’ve got some Pepto back in the truck.”“Oh, no. Not right now,” I explain. “Something reminded me of a past incident. I was getting picked on at school because back around Christmas holidays I got really sick. The embarrassing part is that I diarrhea squirted in my freakin’ pants, right in the classroom, in front of everyone!” I’m hysterical with laughter. I have to admit, even though it was the worst thing that has happened to me thus far in life, it’s still hilarious when you hear it said aloud. Kip is still lying on the ground, with his back turned to us, pretending to sleep, but his body is quaking with silent laughter. Sunny and David are stone-faced.
Sunny looks especially puzzled. “I don’t see how that’s funny. You got sick, and then your peers taunted you about it. That is not very nice.”
“That’s what I’m thinking,” David says. “It’s like someone saying, ‘Ha. Ha. You have Hodgkin’s Lymphoma’. I don’t get it.”
“Oh, no. It is funny, but bless you both for thinking otherwise,” I say, pulling David and Sunny to my sides and kissing them both on the cheek. I’ve shared my shameful secret, escaped the hands of my nemesis, and have garnered two allies in Sunny and David. There’s nothing Ricky Kelly could do to bring me down now.
Find it @ Amazon

Henry Circle is a Mississippi native, a freelance writer, a sometime hermit and a most-times loud mouth. She attended homeschool for one glorious year.
Henry is the daughter of actor, John Turturro, a winner of the prestigious Caldecott Medal and former Las Vegas showgirl. None of which is true.
Learn more @ Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads


December 9, 2012
$50 Book Blast: Alchemists Academy by Kailin Gow
Check out ALCHEMISTS ACADEMY by Kailin Gow and learn how you can enter to win a $50 Amazon gift card or Paypal cash!

What do you learn here…at the Academy? Wirt asks. Magic? The responsibility to use your powers responsibly? Uh…something like that, his roommate Spencer said. More like how to rule worlds. Wirt, is used to being shuffled from foster home to foster home, adopting a devil-may-care attitude toward the world along the way. Now he s in a school he can t escape, learning to develop his latent magical abilities, for what use, he doesn’t know…to save his world or to destroy it…
Find it @ Amazon * Barnes & Noble
Stones to Ashes | Excerpt
Wirt screwed his eyes shut, wishing fervently that he was somewhere, anywhere else. Right now, being back with Joan and Peter was looking an awful lot more appetizing. First, though, he had to find some way to get out of here…
Wirt doubled up as his stomach suddenly cramped. For a moment, he though he had been hit, but that hypothesis went by the wayside as the feeling spread to every muscle in his body at once. As far as Wirt knew, and thanks to some of his earlier misadventures he did know, not even three people could manage to hit you everywhere simultaneously. Wirt forced his eyes open, and then quickly shut them again, because the golden radiance surrounding him was simply too bright to look though. Around him, the gasps of the three bullies were clearly audible.
“He’s glowing, Rich. Why is he glowing?”
“How should I know? Look, just grab him.”
“You grab him. He could be radioactive or something, the way he’s glowing.”
“Oh, so it’s all right for me to grab radiation boy, is it?”
The sounds of a scuffle came to Wirt, but they were quickly replaced by silence. He didn’t really care, because by now the unpleasant sensation running through his body had reached unbearable levels, feeling as though every scrap of him were being pulled in a different direction.
As suddenly as it had come, the sensation passed. Wirt had to concentrate just to breathe, and he stood like that for long seconds. He didn’t dare open his eyes, at least until it occurred to him that the three older boys might still be there waiting to hit him. That made his eyes snap open so quickly that for a second he couldn’t make sense of anything around him. When he did, Wirt took a step back, and that itself was surprising enough, given that there should have been a chain link fence in the way. Instead, he was standing in the middle of a field, with no sign of any fences anywhere in sight.
Find it @ Amazon * Barnes & Noble

A new student has entered The Alchemists Academy, and he brings with him an explosive power that threatens the Academy and the legend of Merlin. Wirt thought he was the only bad boy at the Academy, but he was wrong. Not only is Roland Black worse than Wirt, but a new teacher had replaced one of their beloved teachers, and she has more planned for Wirt and his friends than just lesson plans. Alana, his crush has grown prettier, and now he is rivals for her attention with not only his best friend Spencer, but newcomer Roland, as well. On top of that, it is their second year, and the year where all the students must pass a test to move on to the Elite Class at the Academy. The Elite Class is the only class in the third year at the Academy, and the students who fail will be sent home, others will face something even deadlier.
Find it @ Amazon * Barnes & Noble
Elemental Explosions | Excerpt
The moment didn’t last long, and Wirt opened his gift in a shower of wrapping paper. His parents looked on, those same smiles present on their faces. He looked down into the box, only to see that it was empty. Or not quite empty. Inside was a square of paper, on which careful handwriting stood out clearly. Wirt picked it up and read the words “Merry Christmas, beloved son. You cannot see, taste, or smell your gift, but you will know it when you feel it.”
“What?” Wirt asked. “I don’t understand. Is this some sort of riddle?”
His dream mother and father didn’t say anything. They just smiled and stared at the box in a way that suggested that Wirt was missing something. Not knowing what else to do, Wirt reached down into it, searching it by feel in case there was something at the bottom that he might not have noticed.
There was. Wirt yelped as something closed around his wrist, and tried to yank his arm back. It didn’t move, and as Wirt looked down, he saw dark fingers clasped on his arm. They weren’t just dark-skinned; they were absolutely black, as though carved from onyx or jet. They were as implacable as stone too, refusing to relinquish their grip as Wirt tried to jerk away.
“Help me,” he said to his parents, but they just shook their heads sadly, staring in that way parents had that told you that whatever was happening was for your own good.
The arm pulled at Wirt, and it pulled with far more strength than Wirt had ever experienced. He tried his best to brace himself against it, but slowly, inexorably, the hand drew him towards the box. That swirled with darkness now, and Wirt got the feeling that it was suddenly far deeper than it had been a moment ago.
He found out as the hand dragged him in, though how he fit into the box, Wirt wasn’t sure. He only knew that he fell. Only after a second or two, he wasn’t falling. He was walking along a tunnel instead. The walls were of natural earth, while huge tree roots showed up at intervals like roof beams and standing stones lined the walls, marks on them seeming to tell a story that Wirt could not understand.
Find it @ Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Kailin Gow is the award-winning, international bestselling author of over 80 distinct books.
Kailin Gow is also the President of a media company, a media personality, and has been writing full-time since she was first published. Holding a Masters in communications management and leadership positions in Fortune 500 corporations, she puts her leadership abilities, her experience, and desire to help others into her fiction books. As a result, she has written the forthcoming, Finding the Heroine in You book which is also a national tour. She is a mother and spends whatever spare time she has volunteering at the Red Cross, Battered Women’s Shelters, and other organizations.
Currently her Frost Series is in development for a major international MMO Game, and she has over 14,000 and growing Frosters on her facebook fan page.
Find her @ Facebook * Twitter * Book Club * Website * Blog * Goodreads

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 12/31/12
CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
*You need not enter your twitter name for each entry. Simply enter it for the first person you follow and leave the others blank.
The Fine Print
Open to anyone who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent’s permission. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

