Krista Ames's Blog, page 54

Spotlight: ALPHA BETA OMEGA: A Shifter Box Set @SizzlingPR #HOTNEWRELEASE @bloggerbees

Alpha Beta Omega: A Shifter Box Set  Releases September 13, 2016Buy it at the lows price of $0.99 before it goes off sale!
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Ten sizzling shifter stories from today’s hottest, bestselling authors.Healer’s Fate by Beth CaudillBearly Smitten by Misha CarverBreaking the Bond by Xandra JamesFeral – A Many Lives Story by Laxmi HariharanThe Beta’s Mate by Bethany ShawNight Falls by Nicole MorganThe Scarlett Legacy by K.N. LeeWounds to Bear by Lily MarieA Tiger’s Claim by Lia DavisTiger Time by Marissa Dobson
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#Spotlight FOUR by Archer Kay Leah #SizzlingPR @archerkayleah @SizzlingPR

Four 
Archer Kay Leah
Series: The Republic (#2)Genre: Fantasy romance, M/M romanceRelease Date: September 7, 2016Publisher: Less Than Three Press


On the outside, Mayr seems to have it all: a successful career as Head of the Guard for a prominent politician, family and friends who adore him, and the attention of beautiful women. But appearances are a good way to bury secrets, including the fact that while Mayr is a romantic at heart, searching for the one person to share his life with, his lovers keep leaving him.
When his last girlfriend takes him back and suggests an intimate night with Tash, one of her lovers, Mayr reluctantly agrees. The last thing he expects is to fall hard for Tash, who is nothing like Mayr's previous lovers—and about to undertake the Uldana Trials. If Tash fails, he'll likely die. If he succeeds, he must give up Mayr, and become the latest to leave Mayr standing alone with a broken heart.Amazon - Barnes & Noble - Kobo - Less Than Three PressExcerptHe waited, not sure what to expect as an answer.Tash played with the chain of his talon ring. "I really did have your interests at heart," he said quietly. "And since we're being honest: I didn't come tonight just to be a priest. I was hoping to see you. I'd thought of visiting again, but worried it was too soon—that you wouldn't want to see my face again. I was afraid you wouldn't trust me or listen to anything I had to say."Don't we make the pair? Mayr studied Tash's face, tempted to brush Tash's hair over his shoulder to see him better. Maybe there was a chance for them yet."One thing you said still confuses me," Mayr admitted. "What did you mean when you said this wasn't part of your plan?""It's a priesthood thing. I'm going through for the next level soon, though it's not yet set. I have to do some things before then and complete certain tasks. Prove my worth and how serious I am about committing to it." Tash smiled sadly at Mayr. "That's why I was with Sarene. I was having fun before I have to go through all of that. She offered something that wasn't attachment, just pleasure. Since being an Uldana restricts me from intimacy, I thought it wouldn't hurt."Tash shook his head. "But I hurt you, and that's not right." He laid one hesitant hand on Mayr's. "I truly am sorry for everything. Sarene made it sound like you were fully into it. Meanwhile, I had the distinct impression you were serious about her even though she was playing you. She's inept and too blind to fully comprehend what she had."Mayr threw blades of grass toward the hill. "You don't need to apologize. You told me I could get out and I didn't. I'm glad I stayed."And now for the moment of debilitating truth. "You asked how I was taking it, what we did, and I didn't answer. Because I couldn't." Mayr sucked in a deep breath. "I didn't know how to answer you, but I've been working it out. I've had a lot of time to figure out my exact reply."Rising to his knees, Mayr ignored his doubts. Before he lost his courage, he pressed his lips to Tash's, tugging gently on Tash's bottom lip before offering his mouth fully. It felt right. Good. He should have done it before.Tonight, he would not shy away. His fear of rejection would have to wait.As Tash gripped his arm and pulled him closer, Mayr's fears dissipated. When Tash's tongue entered Mayr's mouth, tasting and teasing, it sparked deep emotions Mayr had missed. Sincere desire, transcending the relationships he had accepted as all he could have.Slowly, Mayr broke the kiss, satisfied with Tash's ardent gaze. "Did I tell you that I'm really, really happy you're here?"Without waiting for Tash's answer, Mayr kissed him hard, wishing Tash could feel what he did. He felt lit up, more than he had in a long time. The relationship with Sarene had become a chore. And before her, it wasn't any different. I felt the same for the other women as I did her. Just going through the motions, telling myself they could be someone I could stay with for the rest of my life so I wouldn't be alone. Convinced they would stay and he would be happy, he had given them everything.All of it had been foolish desperation.But Tash offered the things missing from most of Mayr's relationships. Joyful intoxication derived from emotion alone. Breathtaking inspiration that made everything else in his life seem lacklustre. The restored hope that someone could consider him enough. Whenever Tash asked about him, his concern sounded genuine. In the smallest action, there was more care and respect than any of Mayr's girlfriends had shown him. The idea of being with Tash was both thrilling and terrifying, but deep down in his tainted core, he needed it."I'm hoping that answers your question," Mayr murmured. "Otherwise, it's going to take me a while to convince you, and I still have things to do tonight."Tash leaned his forehead against Mayr's. "No, you've made it clear. I won't ask again.""Then I've got a question for you.""Anything.""If I said I wanted to see where this could go, what would you say?"Lips traveled up Mayr's jaw and kissed a path to his brow. Arms encircled his waist, holding him upright against Tash's side. "Yes," Tash whispered against his temple.The breathy reply wreaked havoc on Mayr's body. A shiver shot through him from the back of his neck to his feet. To feel Tash's interest was one thing; hearing it was another. They were worth every night he had agonized over an apology."I have to get back to the feast." Mayr tilted his head. "Do you have a curfew? Do the other priests lock you up if you come home late?"Tash chuckled. "No. That's only for the Metahs. I'm free to do as I please. Why?""If you stay, we could spend time together after the feast is over. Maybe finally get around to knowing each other better?""Considering I came here mostly for you… there's no place I'd rather be.""Also known as yes.""Yes."And with one word, hope trounced Mayr's fear into submission. About the AuthorArcher Kay Leah was raised in Ontario, Canada, growing up in a port town at a time when it was starting to become more diverse, both visibly and vocally. Combined with the variety of interests found in Archer's family and the never-ending need to be creative, it has been this diversity that has inspired Archer's love of toying with characters and their relationships, exploring new experiences and crazy situations.Archer started writing stories at age six and became "that kid" with their nose in the books and a pen in their hand, pursuing the challenges of writing novels at age thirteen and conquering the dread of poetry at fifteen. Archer most enjoys writing speculative fiction and is engaged in a very particular love affair with fantasy, especially when it is dark and emotionally charged.When not reading and writing for work or play, Archer is a geek who has too many hobbies, keeping busy with other creative endeavors, a music addiction, and whatever else comes along, especially if it is in technological form. Archer lives in London, Ontario with a same-sex partner and their cat.Website - GoodReads - Facebook - Twitter - Amazon Author Page

It's All About the Book with Barbara Valentin and FLIGHT RISK @spinninginburbs #amazongiveaway

It’s All About the Book…

 Please tell us about your current or upcoming release. Title:  Flight Risk – book #4 in my Assignment: Romance seriesBlurb:  When Aubrey Thomas, a phobic travel writer, must chose between jumping to what she considerers certain death from a skydiving static line or sinking even deeper into debt in the unemployment line, she scrambles to find someone-anyone!-who can help her overcome her debilitating fear of heights. Enter John Trelawney, a charming window washer who thinks nothing of dangling by a cable fifty stories up and claims he can cure her. Everything about John makes Aubrey nervous... including the way her heart kicks into overdrive whenever he's around. But, at the end of her rope, she takes him up on his offer. Can he really help her get over her fear of heights? Or will Aubrey find herself free falling...possibly even in love with him?
What is this book’s genre?  Is this the genre you usually write in?  Are there any genre’s you haven’t written that you’d like to try?Romantic Comedy (contemporary) Yes and No

What inspired you to write this book?I work in downtown Chicago. While strolling down State Street on my lunch hour last summer, I skirted around some scaffolding and got doused with a bit of icky, sudsy water from a window washer's bucket. Later that same week, window washers were stationed at my building…some mighty hunky window washers. Afraid of heights as I am, I was careful to not get too close to the window, but still…a story was born. v How did you pick its title?  Did it come first or did you have to write the story first?Once I had the basic plot, the title sprang to mind and stuck. The rest of the story followed. v How did you create your characters?  Did you use any real life people in their making?John made his first appearance in False Start (book #1). While he played a small (but important) role in that story, I didn’t share many details about him. Aubrey’s first appearance came in Key Change (book #3). The more I developed her character even for those brief scenes, the more I knew I needed to somehow get her paired off with John. As I write, I need to have a face or persona that helps me envision the characters. For John, I picked Jake McDorman. For Aubrey, I pictured a young Tea Leoni.v Who is your favorite character of this book and why?It’s so hard to pick! I love that both Aubrey and John have to step way outside of their comfort zones to get what they want which ultimately leads them to each other. v What is your favorite part of this book?  Can you share an excerpt from that part?One of my favorite parts is their first encounter in a crowded coffee shop. Aubrey is trying relate a harrowing experience with a zip line and starts to pass out. John, standing in line behind her walks her to a chair where he’s able to calm her in a way no one else can.Except:            The interior of Chez Doug's started to spin.          Closing her eyes, Aubrey leaned back against something solid.          "I gotcha." That voice came from behind her.          With two hands gripping her upper arms, she let herself be walked to a nearby chair where the guy dropped to one knee right in front of her. Taking her hands in his, he said in a low, hypnotic voice, "Look at me. Look into my eyes."          Struggling to take a full breath, she yanked her hands from his and glared into his eyes—his rich, caramel-colored eyes.          And after a full minute had passed, she started to feel nothing short of fine. Absolutely calm and fine.          Morphing her glare into a scowl, she breathed, "How did you do that?"          At that, his teasing smirk returned. "You're not afraid of heights."          Her defenses on high alert, she shot back, "Oh yes I am," well aware that she sounded like a fifth grader picking a fight on the playground.          With a quick shake of his head and that same teasing smile, he murmured, "You're just afraid of falling."          Her face fell into a frown. "Oh."          The thought had never occurred to her, but now that she thought about it, it made perfect sense, especially after seeing her husband fall headfirst to his death not a year before. Eager to erase that disturbing image from her mind, she pulled her eyes back to his.          As if reading her mind, he said, "And I can totally help you get over that."          Ah, here we go.          "Yeah, I'll be you can," Aubrey chortled. "Excuse me. I have to go." She attempted to stand, but he sprang up first.          "Easy does it." Taking her clammy hand in his, John pulled her to a standing position. "You sure you're OK?"          His concern was starting to unravel her defenses, making it that much more difficult to keep her scowl on.          When she nodded, he reached into his back pocket and produced a pen. "Here. Just gimme a second."          Watching as he gave his pen a click, she was surprised to see him uncurl her hand and start writing something on her open palm.          It tickled like hell. Her scowl abandoning her, she pressed her lips together to suppress a giggle.          But the ink wouldn't stick. Her skin was still too damp.          Which might explain what he did next.          Aubrey watched, mesmerized, as he held her open palm to his mouth and blew on it.          While part of her brain knew he was just trying to dry her skin, when he locked his eyes on hers, the rest of her was all in for him doing more of the same on the rest of her clammy self.          Feeling the tip of his pen press against her skin with just enough force to leave a mark but not inflict any pain, a delicious warmth pulsed through her.          When he was done, he released her hand and looked right at her. "I've got to get to work. Give me a call sometime."
v What was the hardest part of this book to write? Can you share an excerpt from that part?A lot happens to Aubrey within the first 24 hours after meeting John. She’s on a tight deadline to get over her debilitating fear of heights and find a “plus one” for a wedding she’s standing up in. As a result, she quickly finds herself torn between Malcolm, a handsome, well-off accounting executive whom she has already asked to the wedding and a really hot nobody (John) who offered to help her get over her fear of heights. The hardest part was making it all feel genuine and plausible. Here’s a little snippet:          "How are you on boats?" John asked as they walked along the embankment.          "I'll have you know I've cruised down the Amazon, Yangtze, and Congo Rivers. I even rode on a fishing trawler in the North Atlantic with a bunch of tourists on a marine biology expedition. During a squall, too."           John stopped and turned to her. "Would you please stop doing that?"          
"What?"          
"Listing your credentials. I already know you're brave. You're the one who seems to have a hard time believing it."
           All she could do was stand there and wonder how it was that this guy who she had met a little more than twenty-four hours before just told her, in essence, the exact same thing her childhood BFF told her over too many margaritas.           Pulling herself up, she drew in a breath and replied, "I'm fine on boats, why?"           By way of an answer, he waved in the direction of a school-bus-yellow boat docked along the river embankment and said, "The quickest way to get where we're going."           After purchasing a pair of tickets, John handed her one. "Ladies first."
          Aubrey made her way to the stairs and started climbing to the upper deck. When John had caught up and slipped into the seat facing her, he teased, "This isn't too high?           Aubrey was busy coming up with a smarmy comeback when she saw him suddenly grab his phone from his back pocket. Leaning forward with his elbows on his thighs, he frowned at it, studying what she assumed was a text he had just received and then started texting back as if his life depended on it.           As he did, her eyes riveted on his hair, the style of which looked like a grown-out version of a bad five-dollar cut. And it was a complete mess.           Overcome with the urge to sink her fingers into it, she was surprised when he looked up.
          "Problem?"
          "No," she croaked.
 Forcing herself to swallow, she turned her attention to the high-rises flanking the embankment as the water taxi bobbed west. Just before ducking under the Michigan Avenue Bridge, it stopped to take on more passengers. Soon they were surrounded by a group of badly behaved kids and their oblivious parents.           The boat revved its engine and began edging west under the bridge. With Malcolm's high-rise soaring over them to her left, she wondered what he was doing at that very minute.           Probably working out or maybe reading some poetry or helping an elderly neighbor with their grocery shopping.           It never occurred to her that he might be doing something mundane like cleaning his toilet, flossing his teeth, or taking out his garbage.           She was busy trying to picture herself standing on the other side of Malcolm's window, watching water taxis ferry passengers under the Michigan Avenue bridge, when she heard a voice ask, "So what happened?"           It wasn't until she felt something nudge her foot that she realized it was John.           "I'm sorry. What?"          
He was sitting with his legs stretched out on either side of hers with his arms, his chiseled, tanned, mouth-watering arms, folded across his chest.           Down girl.           “Have you always been afraid of heights?”
v Did you have any special rhythm or quirks while writing this?This was the first book I didn’t completely plot out first. I let this one guide me which was both terrifying and really fun!
v Is this a stand-alone book or is it part of a series?  If so, we want to hear about it and what’s next in the series.  If not a series, what comes next to be released?It is book #4 in my series, but enough detail is provided to make it a standalone. Feedback so far is that the story seems richer story if you’ve read books 1 – 3 first.
***


Flight RiskAn Assignment:  Romance Novel, Book 4
Barbara ValentinRomantic Comedy / Chick LitGemma Halliday Publishing / 233 pages

When Aubrey Thomas, a phobic travel writer, must choose between jumping to what she considerers certain death from a skydiving static line or sinking even deeper into debt in the unemployment line, she scrambles to find someone—anyone!—who can help her overcome her debilitating fear of heights. Enter John Trelawney, a charming window washer who thinks nothing of dangling by a cable fifty stories up and claims he can cure her. Everything about John makes Aubrey nervous... including the way her heart kicks into overdrive whenever he's around. But, at the end of her rope, she takes him up on his offer. Can he really help her get over her fear of heights? Or will Aubrey find herself free falling...possibly even in love with him?


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About our Author:Author of the bestselling Assignment: Romance series, Barbara was named "Indie Star of 2015" by Publishers Weekly when her first book, False Start, earned a coveted starred review. A member of Romance Writers of America, she looks forward to the day when her to-do list includes "Send Oprah a thank you note" and "Accept Godiva's request to be a taste-tester."
Website: http://www.barbaravalentin.comFacebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Platespinner/Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpinningInBurbsAmazon: https://www.amazon.com/Barbara-Valentin/e/B00OPWO5NM/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1469732686&sr=1-2-entGoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8551312.Barbara_ValentinGoogle+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/100161712753019104174/posts

***Giveaway: $25 Amazon Gift Card


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Cover Reveal: A GENERATION OF VIPERS by Margo Bond Collins #MargoBondCollin #coverreveal #preorder

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A Generation of VipersA Shifter Shield Novella
Capturing the killer who was stalking the shapeshifter community should have earned weresnake Lindi Parker and her new boyfriend, mongoose-shifter Kade Nevala, a vacation.
Instead it earned them a basket of baby lamias and a whole heap of trouble. Someone in the shifter community doesn’t want those infants—or Lindi—to survive.
Not knowing who or what they can trust, Kade and Lindi must use every skill they have to stop a killer—again.
Available for pre-order on Kindle: http://amzn.to/2bwhl2c
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Excerpt
"Don't panic," Kade said that evening as he stirred a pot of his homemade spaghetti sauce. "It's not like you're bringing all these new lamia babies home to live in your house. We're going to set up a group home for them, with a live-in staff. You're their counselor, Lindi, not their mother."I poured a glass of Chianti and settled in on a barstool at the island in the middle of his large kitchen. "That's the thing. I'm not sure a group home is the right way to go with these kids.""You signed off on it when we came up with the idea." He narrowed his eyes at me and tasted the sauce, then added something to it. "Janice thinks it's the best option we have," he added, knowing that the leader of the shifters' Council had been tutoring me in all things shapeshifter recently, and that her endorsement mattered to me."Yeah, but…" I trailed off, trying to find the words to explain what I was trying to say. As usual, I didn't have to find the exact phrase for Kade to understand. Or any words at all. "You're worried that without a stable home-life, you won't be able to give these children the same kind of emotional training that your parents gave you."I nodded and took a long drink."We can provide stability. Everyone wants this to work.""Not quite everyone," I muttered darkly."Everyone who is directly involved wants this to work. You cannot be completely responsible for the entirety of the lamia race.""It's more than that." I considered what to say, how much to share of my own recent insights. "We will have plenty of other weres stepping in to help raise these kids, lots of people to teach them how to be solid shifter citizens. But until they're grown, I will be the only adult lamia in their lives. I will be the only weresnake they can model themselves on. That feels like a lot more responsibility than simply being their counselor. In that sense, I am kind of responsible for the entire lamia race.""Your parents did fine with you, and they're not shifters at all," he pointed out."But they managed it by encouraging me to focus almost entirely on my human side. I would like to give these children even more."Turning down the heat under the sauce, Kade put the wooden spoon down and made his way around to my side of the counter, where he spun the seat of my barstool around until I faced him. Then he took my face in his hands and leaned his forehead against mine. "You'll do a great job with them." Then he pressed his lips against my mouth.As usual, his kiss almost took my breath away. We hadn't been together long enough for the sense of wonder at his touch to fade. The sheer heat of our connection didn't show any signs of abating, either. The brush of his tongue against mine sent sparks shooting through my veins to pool in the pit of my stomach. It wouldn't take much to stoke that heat into a raging fire.But if we did that, his lovely dinner would be ruined.Not that I was sure I cared.


* * * Join the Shifter Shield Star NewsletterLove this Shifter Shield story? Be sure to sign up for the Shifter Shield Star to get all the latest about Lindi and Kade, along with all the other shifters in their world!  And if you haven't read it yet, be sure to download a copy of Lindi and Kade's first story, Under Her Skin.
You can also sign up for Margo's newsletterfor news about all her new releases and great book deals and goodies!

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Join The Vampirarchy, Margo's Street TeamWant to hang out with the author, win book prizes, see the stuff covers first, and support Margo's books on social media? Join The Vampirarchy, Margo's street team on Facebook!   * * * About the AuthorMargo Bond Collins is addicted to coffee (mmm...caffeine) and SF/F television, especially Supernatural (mmm...Winchesters). She writes paranormal and contemporary romance, urban fantasy, and paranormal mystery. She lives in Texas with her daughter and several spoiled pets. Although she teaches college-level English courses online, writing fiction is her first love. She enjoys reading urban fantasy and paranormal fiction of any genre and spends most of her free time daydreaming about heroes, vampires, ghosts, werewolves, and the women who love (and sometimes fight) them.
You can learn more about her at http://www.MargoBondCollins.netand follow her on all the usual social media outlets (listed below).
For updates about publications, free fiction, and other goodies, be sure to subscribe to her newsletter: http://eepurl.com/caUeyr
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YA Interview with Charity West with Battered not Broken @Writer_Charity @evernightteen #giveaway

 YA Author Interview Questionnaire
Hi and welcome ! 
o   Can you tell us a little about yourself?I’m a young adult author with two published books, and a ton of partials waiting to be finished. I’m also a wife and mother (of both human and cat children). When I’m not writing, I love to read, especially romances. I’ve been known to read some mysteries too though. And I love to watch Tim Burton movies.

o   When did you start writing and were you always interested in being a published author?
I tried writing my first book in high school, even though I never finished it. It wasn’t until I finished my first novel, which happened to be an adult novel, that a friend encouraged me to submit my book to a publisher. I’d never even thought being a published author was in the realm of possibility for me.

o   What do you think is or has been the hardest part of getting published?Waiting. I’m very impatient and waiting has to be the hardest part for me. First, you wait to find out if your book is accepted. Then you wait for edits and cover art. Then you wait for your release date. 

o   What inspires you to write?I get ideas from something as simple as a trip to the grocery store, or maybe I’ll see a movie and maybe the backstory on one of the characters will give me an idea.

o   Do you plot out your stories or just wing it?I just wing it. When I first start a book, I seldom know more than my characters’ names and the first sentence.

o   What drew you to writing YA ?  Would you or have you tried any different genre?I like writing YA because it’s a challenge for me. I’ve written over 70 adult novels/novellas in various romance genres, but writing a sweet romance is   more challenging. My daughter is a teenager and one day she asked why I never wrote anything she could read. So I wrote a YA. She still doesn’t read my books though because she prefers dystopian stories.

o   Can you tell us about your current release?Battered Not Broken is about Wren Michaels. She’s suffered abuse at the hands of her father all her life, and when he throws her out of the house, she realizes it could be a blessing. When she starts over in a new town, she assumes the name of Wendy Somers, in hopes her father won’t find her. There’s one thing she knows she has to do above all else…avoid the law. Except that isn’t so easy when you’re falling head over heels for a man with a badge.

o   Do you have a favorite scene in this book?  If so, could you share an excerpt with us?My favorite scene is when Wren (who’s going by Wendy at this point) and Gray meet for the first time.
My break came to an end, and I clocked back in and tied my apron around my waist again. I pulled out my pad and pen as I headed back into my section, pausing momentarily when I saw broad shoulders covered in khaki and knew one of the deputies was in my section. It seemed I was going to be baptized in fire tonight. Plastering a smile on my face, I approached the table. My jaw nearly dropped when I got a good look at the guy. I’d been expecting someone older, but he had to be around my age. As his green gaze clashed with mine, my breath caught in my throat.His lips tipped up in a smile, and my heart gave a kick. I gave myself a mental slap and reminded myself that I needed to focus on my job and avoid the law, even if they came in tempting packages like this one. I licked my lips and tried to steady my hand as I gripped my pen.“Are you ready to order?” I asked.“Sweet tea with the special,” he answered. “I don’t believe we’ve met before. I’m Gray.”I stared at the hand he held out before finally grasping it. He had a firm shake, and the callused feel of his palm against mine made shivers run down my spine. I had to admit, uniform aside, he was just the kind of guy I would normally go for. If it weren’t the fact that I was fairly certain I was breaking some sort of law, I might have been tempted to flirt a little. But the last thing I needed was a cop getting close to me. Cops asked questions, and I was pretty sure he wouldn’t like my answers.“Wendy,” I said after realizing I never gave him my name.“You must be new to the diner,” he said. “I come in here all the time, and I’ve never seen you before.”“It’s my first day.”He nodded. “I figured as much. I hope you decide to stick around.”I opened and shut my mouth a few times. Was he flirting with me? “I, ah…”Gray winked, and my knees nearly buckled. Hurrying away from his table, I turned in his order, glancing over my shoulder to find him still watching me. Something told me he was going to be trouble, but I wasn’t sure if it was the kind of trouble that would find me arrested or the kind that was going to arrest my heart. Either way, it was better to steer clear of him, if I could.
o   Do you have any other stories in the works?I have about 15 partials right now in various stages of completion. The one I’ve focused on lately is about a rock star, but I have football players, baseball players, the boy next door…lots of stories to choose from. I’m not sure which one will be finished next.
o   How does your family feel about your writing?They’re supportive, but hardly any of them read my books. Two of my aunts and my Nana will read anything I write. Then I have another aunt, a teen daughter, and a husband who will never read what I write, because I don’t write in their preferred genre.
o   When you aren’t writing, what do you do for fun?I do a lot of reading. Sometimes I’ll take a few days off and just read. Well, aside from taking care of my family, but when everyone else is occupied or asleep, I read.
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BATTEREDnot brokenby CHARITY WEST
Contemporary/Romance/Young Adult40K, Evernight Teen Publishing

Who knew falling for a man in Khaki could cause so much trouble?Battered and bruised, Wren has taken a lot from her father over the years, but when he throws her out of the house, she sees it as a blessing in disguise. She has no job, no home, and never finished high school, but what’s all that compared to a life without abuse? When she starts over in a new town, under a new identity, she makes it her goal to fly under the radar.New town, new life. Only, there’s a corrupt deputy intent on stealing Deputy Gray Frampton’s family fortune, a slight case of aggravated identity fraud, and a night in the local jail. It’s enough to make any girl’s head spin. Wren Michaels has to find a way not to spend the next three years in jail, warn Gray that Deputy Pritchard is after him, and somehow hold onto the happily-ever-after that is finally within her grasp—assuming Gray wants a felon as his girlfriend. Who knew falling for a man in khaki could cause so much trouble?
Buy Links:    Evernight Teen    Amazon    AReEvernight Teen:  http://goo.gl/yeFxAaAmazon:  https://goo.gl/rt9vgpARe:  https://goo.gl/DBAxou
14+ due to violence and adult situations
Excerpt:The shadows crept closer as a deep cold settled into my bones. I cowered on the floor of my closet, hidden behind shoes and clothes, as I listened to the slap of flesh against flesh. He’d come home drunk again, even more so than usual, and he’d barely cleared the door before landing the first blow. It was cowardly of me to hide. I should stand up and fight—do something to make him stop. My phone was still clutched in my hand, and my heart pounded in my chest, the thump-thump loud in my ears. I knew I should call 9-1-1 and get help for Mom, but I also knew that even if they arrested him, they’d never keep him. Mom would give the cops some bullshit excuse as to why he was beating her, or say she fell, and then she’d refuse to press charges. If I thought things were bad now, they’d be even worse if he went to jail for the night. We’d lived through that horror once already, and once was more than enough. No one had to tell me my dad was an abusive asshole who thrived on being a bully. I’d experienced it firsthand. My palms grew slick as I heard my mother’s whimpers and then booted steps coming down the hall. Was I going to be next? The footsteps grew louder, and I heard my bedroom door slam into the wall. I bit my lip to stifle my cry, hoping he wouldn’t find me. He shuffled around my room, his boots clomping and scraping the wood floor as he searched for me. When the closet doors were flung open, I squeezed myself as far into the corner as I could, but I knew it wouldn’t be enough.An iron grip closed around my arm, his fingers biting into my skin, as he jerked me out of the closet. I stumbled and fell to my knees at his feet, bracing myself for what would happen next. My head was wrenched back, tears stinging in my eyes as he fisted my hair. There was such hatred in his gaze, such contempt, as if he couldn’t even stand to look at me. I’d always done everything he’d ever asked, and still it wasn’t enough. As far as my dad was concerned, I’d ruined his life, and he was going to make me pay for it until I was able to leave this place behind. “Thought you could hide from me?” he slurred. “Stupid little bitch.”The slap across my cheek made tears spill down my face, but I ground my teeth together so I wouldn’t make a sound. When he knew he was causing me pain, he seemed to enjoy it more, and I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. He pulled hard until I was standing upright, my hair still clutched in his fist, and then he punched me in the stomach. I folded at the waist, gasping for breath as stars danced in my vision and bile rose in my throat.“Worthless. That’s what you are.” He kicked out and knocked me to my knees again. “You should be groveling, thanking me for your life. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t even be here, you ungrateful shit.”Yes, because thanking him for the abuse he heaped on me day after day, thanking him for all the hurtful names I’d been called, thanking him for the days I’d had to skip school because I couldn’t hide the bruises—that was exactly what I wanted to do. One day, he would get what was coming to him. I didn’t know how or who would do it, but I knew someday he’d piss off the wrong person and they’d beat his ass until he cried like a baby. And I hoped like hell I was there to see it. I’d kick back with some popcorn and enjoy the show. I hated him. Hated him.“You think I don’t see the way you look at me?” he demanded. “Well, I’m tired of it. I’m finished with you. My life was better before your mother got knocked up. Ever since she popped you out, you’ve been nothing but a financial drain. Not anymore. You have five minutes to pack your shit and get the fuck out of my house. And if I ever see you again, I’ll make you wish you were never born.”Like I didn’t already wish that every day of my life. I should thank him for offering me freedom, even if I had nowhere to go. Anything was better than staying here. Plenty of people lived on the streets, so there wasn’t any reason I couldn’t do it, too. It just meant I’d have to find a way to get my GED sooner rather than later. Dropping out of high school hadn’t been the best decision in the world, but when Dad had broken my arm, Mom had thought it would be better than facing questions we couldn’t answer.He stomped out of the room, and I heard his bedroom door slam. After grabbing a bag out of my closet, I shoved several outfits, underthings, and socks into it. I snatched my toothbrush and hairbrush out of the bathroom and crammed them in there, too. As an afterthought, I grabbed the travel pouch from under the sink that had shampoo, soap, and a razor tucked inside. I didn’t know where I would go to shower, or where I was going to sleep tonight, but I would figure it out. Maybe Mom would let me come home to bathe while Dad was at work a few times a week. Plus, it would give me a chance to check on her.I zipped up my bag and then grabbed my backpack and purse off the bed. With my keys clutched tight, I walked out of the only home I’d ever known. Mom didn’t say a word as I passed her, and she didn’t try to stop me. Maybe she figured I was better off living anywhere but at home, and she may have been right.
About the Author:Charity West is a young adult romance author who has always had her head in the clouds. She had her first crush when she was four, and it lasted for six years. Then she quickly fell head over heels for another boy, until she had to move away and leave him behind. Jumping from one boy to another, she finally found a keeper when she was twenty, and she’s been married to him ever since.By the time Charity was twelve, she was sneaking her mother’s Harlequin romances and reading them in secret when she was supposed to be asleep. Teased throughout middle school and high school for the bodice ripper covers on the books she openly read in class, she knew that one day she wanted to write her own happily-ever-afters.Twitter - https://twitter.com/Writer_CharityFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/CharityWestAuthorAmazon Author Page - http://www.amazon.com/Charity-West/e/B01BTUV3AA/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0Giveaway:$10 Evernight Teen GC

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Guest Post: Book of Angels by K.H. Mezek @karenalainehunt @evernightteen #amazongiveaway #YA #UF

In Book of Angels, Sera gets to know Peter and the other Night Angels better and to understand their pasts. 
The Queen in Night Angels was inspired by Ahhotep I, Queen in Eygpt, born in 1560 BC. Her husband and Pharaoh was Ahmose, the inspiration for Fabian Gore.  
In Book of Angels, Sera discovers the stories of the Turnings of all the Night Angels, along with Fabian Gore, the Queen and her two sons, Mehmet and Vlad. When I was a child, I went to the places they are from: to Egypt, Turkey, Slovenia. As an adult, I lived between London and a small village near Lake Bled, the inspiration for the location of Strejan’s castle. The knowledge of the Night Angels’ pasts is a terrible burden for Sera to absorb into herself. Especially her knowledge of Peter. She begins to understand him a little better, as well as the other Night Angels. The cruelty and suffering that they have known, once in their human lives, and then the horror of the killings they committed as vampires, is hard to reconcile with what they claim to have become as cultured and self-controlled denizens. Sera still doesn’t know if she should trust them. She is torn between her love and distrust of Peter. She feels that as long as she is the Keeper of the Key, she will never know if anyone cares about her for herself, or if they just want the key. 





Lake Bled, Slovenia, with its medieval church on an island and castle on a rocky cliff, it is my second home. My daughter is half Slovene. This is where Peter grew up, with Professor Strejan as his tutor. They were both taken to the Ottoman Empire where Peter was trained to be a warrior.After Sera takes the Book of Angels, she takes it to Dante, a rebel vampire, who refuses to call himself a denizen, for safe-keeping. When she goes to pick it up from Dante, Peter comes with her. They have an encounter on the stairs of an old apartment building in Boyle Heights, an LA neighborhood with a lot of history and culture. Here is a short excerpt showing the constant tension between Sera and Peter. They are standing on the steps of the old apartment building, about to go inside to retrieve the book:Before going in, I hurriedly explained what had happened in the library. “You have the Book of Angels?” he said in surprise.“Yes.”Peter hugged me. “You're amazing.” Then, he grew serious again. “You need to know that the room beneath the library, it would have been impossible for you to survive moving through the wall.”“But, I did,” I said, not comprehending.Peter explained further. “You say you moved through the wall and into a tunnel. But we checked that room. There's no tunnel nearby. If you had moved through that wall, you would have found yourself stuck in solid earth.” “So, how did I survive?” Peter shook his head. “You tell me. You're the one who did it. Sera ... you moved through about a mile of earth before you reached a tunnel.” He stopped speaking so I could digest the meaning of what he was saying.“That's not possible,” I said.“Apparently, it's possible for you. Any other denizen would have been torn apart. I don't think anyone's fully aware of how incredible your powers are. And as you grow stronger, your powers will grow with you.” I was standing still and rigid. This information frightened me. It was as if I didn't even know myself, as if my body had a mind of its own. “Look,” said Peter. “Don’t obsess over it. We need to hurry, remember? I just wanted you to know.”“Thanks.” I started up the steps, then stopped again. “There's something else.” I jerked my head to the top of the stairs. “There's a bad ass Rebel in there guarding the book—calls himself a vampire.” I looked closely at Peter to see his reaction. He appeared startled for a moment, before a slight smile appeared on his lips. “His name wouldn't be Dante, would it?”I punched his arm. “I think there's a lot of things the Night Angels haven't explained to me.”“We're doing our best, Sera. So much has happened that there hasn't been time to explain everything. For example, explaining how you moved through the earth like that, I told you as much as I could, right now, as we stand on these steps, needing to go inside and deal with the book. There's only so much explaining that can be done. Many things you'll just have to experience to understand. That could take countless years.”I had to admit that this was true. My accusations were unfair.  Peter was looking up at me with concern, where I stood on the step above him. From far off, the sound of police sirens could be heard, while inside the courtyard, all was quiet and peaceful, the moonlight shimmering on the flowers, the scent of jasmine filling the air. Peter put his hand on my arm and said softly, “Why do I get the feeling you're the one who is purposely keeping information from us?”I shook him away, the peaceful moment gone. “Why do I get the feeling that's what you do? Anyway, you don't own me!”Peter sighed impatiently. “You behave like a spoiled child.”“Maybe because I am!” “I don't want to fight with you,” said Peter, sparks of anger now in his eyes. “Let's start this conversation over again. Remember when I said you were amazing? Well, you are. I don't know anyone who could do what you've done. You have the book. Even Blanca is beginning to change her opinion of you.” I said sarcastically, “Wow, what a miracle.”Peter touched my chin with his fingers, a fleeting touch but it shook me to the core. “Just take the compliment for once, okay? You're amazing.”I rolled my eyes. “Okay, thanks. Now, we better get in there.”Peter laughed softly. “What a girl!” 
* * *


Book of Angels(Night Angels Chronicles, 2)by K.H. Mezek
81K / Evernight Teen PublishingRomance, Fantasy, Suspense, Urban Fantasy

All Sera ever wanted was to solve the mystery of her dad’s death and find out whether or not the Night Angel, Peter, really loved her. Now, there are bigger issues at stake. After being saved from death by the Night Angels, Sera returns to Oak Haven to find her brother, Salem, has been saved by her nemesis, the sinister Los Angeles mayor-to-be, Fabian Gore. Sera and her brother meet again in their hometown of Oak Haven as powerful denizens. And as enemies. Someone is channeling power to the Queen, imprisoned in St. Catherine’s Monastery. If she escapes, the Ancient Ones will rise up from their sarcophagi beneath churches throughout the world and wreak vengeance on denizens and humans alike. 
To thwart the Queen, Sera has no choice but to form an uneasy alliance with Gore. Meanwhile, Sera’s power and her connection to the Key of Mystery is growing. Only she can open the Book of Angels. But whoever does that will become something that Sera never wants to be: the Seventh Angel. How can Sera solve her own problems when everyone else wants her to solve their problems as well?  
Buy Links:  Evernight Teen / Amazon   / ARe



14+ due to adult situations
Excerpt:The next thing I knew I had leapt into the air with the two of them, my mind on St. Catherine’s Monastery, and I found myself hurtling through the Passage, horribly aware of every atom in my body and the indomitable forces of the universe that were trying to pull me apart.As if it were a part of my very being, I held myself together, “remembered myself”, and traveled through the Passage.Within seconds, I was floating down from the sky, surrounded by the immense, desolate beauty of what looked like a moonscape. Except that the moon shone brighter and bigger than I had ever seen. Behind me, sand stretched, wave upon wave of it, with not a hint of grass or trees, while in front rose a sheer cliff, taller than a skyscraper. The monastery seemed to grow out of the rock, so closely was it pressed against the cliff.“All looks peaceful,” observed Peter.“Maybe too peaceful,” said Blanca.Together, we jumped over the fortress walls, landing in the empty courtyard. We entered the sixth century basilica. We walked from the vestibule into the ornate nave and down the aisle, toward the sanctuary. I gazed in awe at the ancient artifacts and the icons shining with gold. Hundreds of lamps hung from the high ceiling like glittering galaxies, bathing the vast room in an eerie light. Out of the shadows the figure of the Abbot appeared, wearing a long gray robe and a cylindrical, flat-topped hat. His long black hair was tied in a knot at the nape of his head, a frizzy beard spreading out from his face like tangled wire. His large, hooked nose resembled a bird’s beak and his dark eyes burned uncannily from deep sockets.He greeted us with a humble bow and wordlessly led us through a dark and narrow arched doorway into a small, circular, windowless chamber, padding silently on bare feet. The chamber was empty except for one plain wooden table. On the table sat the black lacquered Life Box, looking just as insignificant as the Object Holder had when I had first seen it and fought over it with Salem. This box, though, was about twice the size of the one that had held the key. And, whereas the Object Holder had a gold lock and tiny gold key to open it, the Life Box had no lock and no visible way to open it.On either side of the table stood two impressive Bedouin warriors. Each had one hand resting on a curved scimitar and the other holding the hilt of a knife tucked into a belt. Their faces were lined and weather-beaten and expressionless, as if carved from the rocks of the mountain. The desert surrounding the monastery was home to many Bedouin. They were devout Muslims with a long history of guarding the monastery. They had made a vow to guard the Life Box with their lives.The Abbot motioned for the Bedouin to stand at ease.Bowing low to us, the guards said in unison, “Assalamu alaikum.” It meant, “peace be upon you.”Along with Peter and Blanca, I responded, “Alaikum assalamu.” This meant, “upon you be peace.”Like everything else in my crazy life these days, I had no idea how I knew to say that, but I did.The Abbot didn’t speak, just gestured for us to gather around the box.“He has taken a vow of silence and hasn’t spoken in thirty years,” said Peter.My attention was drawn to the box. I realized it vibrated and hummed in an almost undetectable manner. Only when I remained completely still and stared fixedly did I notice it. “This it does without stopping and just today, it gained in force,” said one of the Bedouin.Sure enough, as we watched, the box jumped slightly, shuddered, and jumped again before falling back into its continual vibration. It hummed a little louder now.As I watched in fascination, I slowly became aware that the key around my neck was growing heavier and beginning to burn.The box vibrated more violently and hummed louder. As it did, it rose into the air and hovered about two feet above the table. The vibrating and humming grew so loud I thought the box might split apart.The key was searing my skin and I yelled in pain. I tried to tear it off, but it was stuck to my chest and my hand burned when I touched it. I felt the Queen’s presence, reaching out to me. It was pure evil and I felt attracted to it. I wanted to bow down and worship the Queen, give her the key. I became brutally aware of her perfections and my own failings. I loved the Queen! I despised and hated myself! Horrible thoughts rose in my mind, the impulse to do horrible things.Blood was pouring from my eyes. Tears or something worse, I didn’t know.“Take me away!” I cried out to the others. “She’s grabbing at me. Take me away. Please!”The Bedouin had drawn their swords and whipped out their daggers, but there was nothing they could do except stand there, at the ready. Blanca and Peter had drawn their swords, too. They’d placed themselves as a shield between me and the box. The Abbot ran in front of us all and pushed Blanca and Peter back.He turned to face the box, bracing himself as if against a great wind, and raised his hands to heaven in prayer.Peter and Blanca were then able to pull me out of the chamber. I don’t think I could have moved before the Abbot faced the box. As soon as we were back in the nave, I collapsed onto the ground, gasping great gulps of air, thankful to find the heat of the key subsiding. With a great cry, I tried to take it off, but it was stuck. Completely stuck now. To my skin.“Fuck this key! Why am I cursed with it?”My entire body was bathed in red sweat. I looked down at myself in horror. What had I become? What nightmare had I entered? I pushed back my hair and swallowed, my throat dry and constricted. I had to get control of myself. I breathed in and out deeply.“She’s getting stronger all the time. She’ll get out. Maybe soon. And I was ready to help her!” I shuddered.“But you didn’t,” said Peter.“At least now we are sure she is still inside,” said Blanca.“She won’t stay there.” I could see my fate, as I had already seen it in my Turning, and it was clearer than ever. One day I would face the Queen. And I would fail! How could I not, when she was so easily able to deceive and confuse me?One of the Bedouin exited the chamber. “The Abbot wants you to know he is now sure someone is channeling power to the Queen, but he cannot see who.”“It’s just not possible,” said Blanca. The Bedouin bowed respectfully. “I only tell you what the Abbot believes.”“Thank you,” said Peter.The Bedouin continued. “The Abbot further believes that you must discover who is doing this. You must stop them or she will escape.”He bowed again and returned to the nave.“He’s right,” I said, as we walked out of the sanctuary and into the vestibule. “She and her sons will kill me and take the key.”“Coward.” Blanca kicked the church door open with her foot. “We might as well be protecting a pile of trash! If it weren’t for the key around your neck, I’d kill you myself!”For the first time, Blanca’s words didn’t bother me. “You can call me what you want, I don’t care. But you better listen because she will escape and we won’t be able to stop her. We need to figure out what to do instead of arguing all the time.”“Well said,” said Peter. “Let’s get back to the castle and tell the others.”We were outside of the basilica now and we stood for a moment, surveying the courtyard, the full moon casting eerie shadows across the ground. I looked more carefully and saw that some of the shadows moved like living things.“What’s that?” I asked.Peter and Blanca looked up to the sky and I did the same. A gathering storms of wispy black tendrils snaked across the sky, mirroring the moving shadows on the ground.“What the hell…” I said.“Wind demons,” said Blanca.I looked at Peter inquiringly. “Seventy-two demons were captured by King Solomon and then released by mistake. Up there you see maybe twenty of them.”The Abbot and the two Bedouin had joined us in the courtyard.“We have never seen them here before,” said one of the Bedouin.“And so many,” said Peter. He sighed. “I hate wind demons.”The Abbot was motioning us to follow him. We hurried across the courtyard, which was now filled with a howling wind, the shadows of the wind demons slithering back and forth across the stones like snakes. A group of monks appeared, running in the opposite direction, heading for the church.“They will pray,” yelled one of the Bedouin above the din.This was not making me any happier. I had just escaped the clutches of the Queen and now I had to contend with wind demons? Was there no end to the problems I had to face in one day?The Abbot led us into the Fatimid mosque that stood across from the church. Standing on its own, opposite the gigantic bell tower, was the minaret and we entered and climbed swiftly up the stairs. It was from this highest point that the muezzin sang across the desert, calling the followers of Islam to prayer, five times a day. We climbed out onto the little platform that ran around the top of the minaret, and from here, I felt the full force of the gale. The shadows screamed and I could see cavernous, greedy mouths appear and disappear as they whipped around the tower, creating a whirlpool of darkness. Only when I looked straight up could I see clear sky and stars. But that opening was growing narrower by the minute. All around was completely empty of light, as if the very sky itself had been sucked into a giant black hole of whirling mouths and tails, into which we, too, would be sucked if we tried to fly upward.Peter and Blanca unsheathed their swords and I did the same.Peter pointed with his sword. “We must fly straight up. They don’t dare come too close to the minaret.”The Abbot nodded, making motions that we should hurry.“Put your sword away,” Peter said.I began to object, then obeyed. This didn’t seem like the time to argue.He gripped my arm. “Listen carefully! Jump onto my back. Once we’ve achieved the Passage, we’ll be safe. Until then, you must hold your breath—don’t breathe, understand? If you do, the shadows will enter and steal your soul.”I nodded, terrified.I jumped onto his back and held on tightly.The Abbot raised his arms, while the Bedouin brandished their swords at the swirling darkness. It seemed to abate a bit, and Peter and Blanca seized that moment to leap into the air. I breathed in deeply and held onto my breath.All was chaos in the tunnel through the shadows, the terrible wind trying to push us back down, a screaming noise like a thousand pigs being gutted. Flying straight upward, the two Night Angels fought the demons with their swords, slicing into the tendrils that tried to encircle them.I was sure we had almost made it when I felt an icy tendril touch my leg. I almost opened my mouth to scream. As it was, I let go of Peter with one arm and tried to reach down to bat at the tendril. I felt myself slipping halfway down his back and scrambled to pull myself back up again.I was falling!The snaky thing had my ankle now. I tried to kick with my foot to shake it off, while struggling to get a better hold on Peter. I was growing weaker. I had to take a breath. My chest was exploding.And then, the Passage was achieved and we were through. I pushed away from Peter with relief, feeling the now familiar force of my molecules trying to split apart and me holding them together, as we rocketed through space and time, landing within seconds in the little garden of the castle. 


Key of Mystery, Book 1,  is also available now:  Amazon    Evernight Teen     ARe
About the Author: Karen Hunt aka KH Mezek is the author and/or illustrator of nineteen children’s books and numerous essays and short stories. 'Reflections from Istanbul,' an excerpt from her childhood memoir, won the 2015 New Millennium Writings Nonfiction Award. She is the co-founder of InsideOUT Writers, a creative writing program for incarcerated youth in Los Angeles, and the founder of the MY WORLD PROJECT, connecting youth in remote areas around the world through art and writing. She is a 2nd degree black belt in Tang Soo Do, a first degree brown belt in Eskrima, and a boxing and kick-boxing trainer. As a child, she and her family escaped out of Egypt right before the 6 Day War, lived in a 17th century castle in Switzerland and smuggled Bibles into communist countries, to name a few of her adventures. As an adult, she continued her adventures, living between London and a village in Yugoslavia. Key of Mystery and Book of Angels, volumes one and two in the NIGHT ANGELS CHRONICLES, are published with Evernight Teen.  
Blogs: http://khmezek.com/https://khmezek.wordpress.com/https://twitter.com/karenalainehuntNIGHT ANGELS Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/nightangelschronicles/
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Spotlight: MANIFESTING DESTINY by M Pepper Langlinais @evernightteen #amazongiveaway

Manifesting DESTINY(Changers)M Pepper LanglinaisRomance/Paranormal/Fantasy65K, Evernight Teen Publishing

Sixteen-year-old Cee has a hopeless crush on her best friend Marcus. Unfortunately for her, he’s gay. In the wake of Marcus’s older brother leaving home to join the Aerie, Marcus has become increasingly distant. When Cee discovers she has a troublesome dragon named Livian living inside her things grow even more complicated. 


Marcus urges Cee to go to the Magi to have Livian removed, but the more Cee becomes attached to Livian, the more she questions the decision. Should she change her natural self for the crush who will never love her anyway?
Buy Links:  ARe   Evernight Teen   Amazon


Evernight Teen:   http://www.evernightteen.com/manifesting-destiny-by-m-pepper-langlinais/Amazon:  https://goo.gl/PZCF1bARe:  https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-manifestingdestiny-2084785-140.html


Excerpt:Heat spread through her. Cee’s face elongated, her arms extended, her nails formed into claws, and her feet became suddenly very heavy. The bony spires erupted from her shoulders, and Cee was compelled to double over to allow the wings to grow.Throughout, Cee fought the urge to resist, though her instinct was to do just that. She wondered what she looked like, caught a glimpse of red scales, and realized her eyesight had become sharper. All the details of the trees around her impressed themselves upon her brain: the cracks and flakes in the bark, the saw-tooth edges of the leaves, and every little spot and insect thereupon.How big was she? Cee realized she was at eye level with the middle of the trees. She looked down and saw her friends pushing themselves even harder against the trunks, making way for Cee’s—or Livian’s, she supposed—tail as it snaked by.Yes, we’re very pretty, said Livian impatiently. But we don’t have time for showing off just now.The massive wings began to move, slowly at first, gathering speed that put the force of the helicopter’s artificial wind to shame. Cee realized she had no control over what was happening. It was all Livian, and she was housed inside him, somehow, along for the ride.It was equal parts thrilling and petrifying, bursting through the treetops and being free of gravity. Cee would have liked to spend more time experiencing it, but there was the helicopter, like a massive black bug, and Livian went right for it.* * *
About the author: M Pepper Langlinais is an award-winning screenwriter, produced playwright, and author. Her latest novel CHANGERS: MANIFESTING DESTINY, first in a new YA fantasy trilogy, is now available from Evernight Teen. M holds a Master of Arts in Writing, Literature and Publishing and a Bachelor of Science in Radio-Television-Film. She has a love of Shakespeare, having both performed and taught his work, and has also interned on Hollywood film sets. M worked for Houghton Mifflin and Pearson before deciding to devote her full time to writing (and occasionally parenting). She lives in Livermore, California with her family, cat, and hamster. Find out more about her and her books at PepperWords.com.
 ***
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JASMINE MOON #SPOTLIGHT by Celia Breslin @celiabreslin @decadentpub

Jasmine MoonBlack Hills Wolves Celia Breslin
Genre:  Paranormal RomancePublisher:  Decadent PublishingDate of Publication: June 3, 2016
ISBN:  9781683610458ASIN:  B01GKB9WMONumber of pages:  108Word Count:  36,400Cover Artist:  Fiona Jayde


Tech mogul and workaholic wolf Evan Luparell has little time for distractions but takes a break for his brother’s wedding in South Dakota. When asked to escort another wedding attendee from the airport to Los Lobos, he agrees. Then he meets the curvy spitfire, and she ignores him.
Designer and wolf Mina Carver didn’t mean to be rude to the handsome, glowering man claiming to be her ride, but she was busy working. Now she must endure a ride to the Black Hills with the cranky but sexy dominant wolf. Unexpected mating energy sparks between them, but still—should she dismiss, or kiss him?
Kisses win and they agree upon a no-strings fling. But with each wedding activity throwing them together, and their powerful chemistry and mate compatibility complicating matters, can two workaholics truly have their fun then walk away?

All Romance     Amazon UK     Amazon US     B&N    Kobo
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Excerpt:
Evan tipped his head and eyed the ceiling. Prompt replies, punctual people. Striking deals and hitting deadlines. These items made his world tick. Not loitering around a miniscule airport pulling a Waiting for Godot moment on infinite repeat for a no-show, flakey designer from California.
God grant him patience and balls of steel when he showed up without the designer and the all-important wedding dress, because his future sister-in-law Darci would certainly be unhappy. He’d have to beg a favor from his assistant, have her snag a couture dress, and fly it ASAP to the Rapid City airport. He could afford a gown from some famous designer in Chicago or New York, something likely superior to whatever his soon-to-be sister-in-law’s no-name friend had created. Right? Shit, he hoped women’s fashion proved so easy.
He took a deep fortifying breath and froze. Airport smells assailed his senses—the sharp tang of bleach and lemon-scented cleaners, the floral perfume from Rental Car Girl who eyed him like a piece of candy. Black coffee, donuts, fried fast food, and under it all, the distinct musk of wolf.
Female wolf.
She smelled damn good. His wolf perked up, and his legs propelled him toward the empty baggage claim, where one bright-pink suitcase covered in Hello Kitty stickers sat, unclaimed, on the unmoving L-shaped conveyor belt. Her scent, stronger here, socked his gut, and his gaze shot to the corner.
The chaos around the woman stunned him silent. Large, paper coffee cup, half-eaten banana, and a quarter of a powdered doughnut perched on a brown paper bag next to her. Crumbs splattered the linoleum and the woman’s long-sleeved blue blouse in a thick layer of white, sugary dust. On her other side, two pink garment bags lay like corpses, along with a bubblegum-pink unzipped duffel as long as her outstretched, denim-clad legs. Some of the bag’s contents—pads of drawing paper and large swaths of fabric—protruded over the opening, the fabric splaying over her legs in a rainbow-colored blanket. Her feet peeked out of the mess, encased in sparkling pink UGGs. Good grief, sequins? She smacked her shiny boots together in a poor imitation of Dorothy and bobbed her head from side to side in time to some music only she seemed to hear. Her shoulder-length red hair, the color of ripe dark cherries—his favorite fruit—gleamed under the harsh airport lighting and curtained most her face from his view, save a pert nose and small chin, both speckled with a generous amount of freckles.
He’d always liked freckles.
Clearing his throat, he stepped closer, but she didn’t flinch in surprise or look up. Her attention remained on the tablet on her lap, the stylus between her pale, freckled fingers swiping without hesitation over her screen. Her extreme focus reminded him of his sister Lexi in one of her artistic frenzies. The resemblance ended there.
While his sister took after the rest of their tall, lean, and tan family, this woman seemed the polar opposite—pale, petite, curvy, and freckled. His preferred type. A flicker of interest stirred in his gut. Did she have those cute little spots on the rest of her? Speckled fur when in her wolf form? His wolf huffed his interest in finding out, but Jasmine the Oblivious Designer didn’t acknowledge his presence.
His fascination faded, replaced by renewed irritation. She damn well should have scented and noticed his wolf by now, and she should have waited at their agreed upon rendezvous point. She should not be sitting on the dirty linoleum of an airport, lost in her work. Didn’t she realize the dangers of ignoring her surroundings?
He positioned himself right in front of her wiggly, booted feet. “Excuse me, J—”
“Sh.” She raised her arm and flicked her hand in the universal get lost gesture.
He gaped at her. “Excuse me?”
Another wave of her hand while her stylus streaked across her tablet screen with the other. “Not interested.”
Nice voice. Low and husky. Her attitude, on the other hand…. “But—”
“Go away.” Her velvet voice carried a stubborn edge.
In other circumstances, he would’ve admired her strength. But he’d wasted copious amounts of time hunting for the clearly inconsiderate and irresponsible female. “Fine. Get your own damn ride to Los Lobos. Jasmine.”


About the Author:
  Celia lives in California with her husband, daughter, and two feisty cats. She writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance, and has a particular fondness for werewolves, vampires, and the Fae. Her award-winning vampire series - The Tranquilli Bloodline - is available from Champagne Books.  Jasmine Moon is her third werewolf story (and a stand-alone read!) for Decadent Publishing’s multi-author, shifter line: Black Hills Wolves.
When not writing, you’ll find Celia exercising, reading a good book, hanging with her family, or indulging her addiction to Joss Whedon’s TV shows and movies.

Web site: http://www.celiabreslin.com/
Blog: http://www.celiabreslin.com/blog/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/celiabreslin
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CeliaBreslinAuthor
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/CeliaBreslin
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/celiabreslin/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/celiabreslin/

Author Interview with Megan Gaudino, author of NEVER KISS AND TELL #amazongiveaway #YA #PNR

Hi and welcome ! 
o    Can you tell us a little about yourself?
Sure! I’m the author of the Guardian Kiss series, I’m an insatiable reader, and an obsessive instagramer. 


o    When did you start writing and were you always interested in being a published author?
I didn’t start writing until I was in college. At the time I was just writing for fun and thought publishing was something I could never accomplish. I didn’t seriously consider it as a possibility until I joined Wattpad in September of 2013.

o    What do you think is or has been the hardest part of getting published?
All the rejection? Haha! Just getting people to read your work I’d say. This is a tough business. You can get rejected without someone even reading a word of your story. You have to find someone who “gets” your work and that can be almost impossible sometimes.

o    What inspires you to write?
So many things. Mostly other books probably but also music, movies, and TV shows. Strong relationships, either real or fictional, always make me want to write too.

o    Do you plot out your stories or just wing it?
My answer to this question has always been wing it, but lately I’ve been planning things out a bit more. I don’t know if I’ll ever be a writer who has all those neatly printed index cards of plot points, but I might be getting into a lose outline before I start writing now. Who knows?!

o    What drew you to writing YA ?  Would you or have you tried any different genre?
I feel like YA will always be my first and true love. YA books are just always magical in that, at that age, ANYTHING can happen. But, I also really enjoy the drama and heat in NA. I have written a couple NA stories actually and maybe will get them published soon.

o    Can you tell us about your current release?
Never Kiss and Tell is the sequel to Always Kiss Me Goodnight, and is the 2nd book in the Guardian Kiss trilogy. But, it is no forgotten middle child. This book is full of action, twists, and heat. Sophia’s eyes are further opened to this whole new world and the reader is right there with her.

o    Do you have a favorite scene in this book?  If so, could you share an excerpt with us?
Since I mentioned the heat in this book…

“Don’t be afraid.” Leo’s deep voice wrapped around me like velvet.
I bolted to the light switch and flicked it up. Was my mind playing tricks on me?
“Leo…” It was barely a whisper and held a hint of a question.
“My Sophia.” He stood up and held his arms out to me, just waiting.
Waiting was something I’d done a lot of for Leo. I kept my spot by the door, with hopes so high they could kill me. He looked the same—out-of-this-world hot, and fortunately not injured in any way my eyes could detect. He wore severely distressed light-washed jeans and a plain black V-neck. His flaxen hair curled wildly around his face and his lips were tight.
The look was so good on him I almost couldn’t take it.
The dark look on his face told me he was feeling exactly the same way about me and my dress.
Without knowing who made the first move, I ended up in his arms. Leo held me close to his chest as my feet no longer touched the ground. I clung to him with everything in me, not caring how hot his flesh felt against mine and forgetting to be angry with him for being gone so long.
“I missed you,” he told me as his hand cupped the back of my head while his other supported the entirety of my weight.
“I missed you more, I bet,” I told him, believing my words to be true. There were so many thoughts swirling in my head.
“Impossible.” He sat us down on the edge of the bed and cradled me in his lap since I refused to end our hug.
“Well, you could at least see me.” I had to point out the obvious. I’d had no way of knowing if he was even alive.
Leo gently nudged my head up with his shoulder and tilted my chin with his burning fingers until it was level with his. “I’m sorry I left you.”
Before I answered, his lips caught mine in a crushing kiss. My hands buried themselves in his hair and held his face as close to mine as possible. My heart was beating so loudly I was sure he could hear it and I couldn’t breathe but it didn’t seem to matter.
Leo’s mouth only left mine to kiss my shoulder, then trailed down to my arm. Where his lips met my skin, visible puffs of steam appeared.
“Oh, God.” He groaned and tried to pull away from me.
“No,” I told him as I tried to keep him close.
“I’m hurting you.” He brushed the hair away from my eyes, just barely touching me.
“Stopping would hurt me.”
My words were all it took for his lips to be back on mine. Leo fell back on the bed and pulled me with him. First I was on top of him. Then all of a sudden Leo was on top. My hands pressed into his back with all the strength I had as I pulled him closer to me.


o    Do you have any other stories in the works?
Yes! The third and final installment in the Guardian Kiss series. It will give us all the answers we’ve been waiting for.

o    How does your family feel about your writing?
Everyone is super supportive. I never really let any of them read the book before it was published so I’ll get random text updates like “I can’t believe that just happened!” or “Why must you love cliffhangers so much!” It cracks me up.

o    When you aren’t writing, what do you do for fun?
Read, of course. I know that’s a cliché answer but it is true. I’m also obsessed with Instagram and watch pretty much every show on HBO.

***



NEVER KISS AND Tell(Guardian Kiss, 2)
by Megan Gaudino
Romance/Paranormal/Teen72K/Evernight Teen Publishing

Sophia Destino has a target on her back.Someone is determined to make sure she doesn’t see tomorrow. When Leo takes off on a dangerous mission to track down her attacker, Sophia is left to deal with a life that’s been turned upside down. Then she discovers her importance to guardian legend. She thought she was strong. She thought she could trust Leo. Until she discovers that her biggest fear is Leo’s greatest desire. Leo wants to be human again, and Sophia is the key to him doing just that. But should she risk everything for Leo and their happily ever after, or has Leo been tricking her all along to get what he wants?

Buy Links:   Evernight Teen    Amazon     ARe




14+ due to adult situations
Excerpt:“Don’t be afraid.” Leo’s deep voice wrapped around me like velvet.I bolted to the light switch and flicked it up. Was my mind playing tricks on me?“Leo…” It was barely a whisper and held a hint of a question.“My Sophia.” He stood up and held his arms out to me, just waiting.Waiting was something I’d done a lot of for Leo. I kept my spot by the door, with hopes so high they could kill me. He looked the same—out-of-this-world hot, and fortunately not injured in any way my eyes could detect. He wore severely distressed light-washed jeans and a plain black V-neck. His flaxen hair curled wildly around his face and his lips were tight.The look was so good on him I almost couldn’t take it.The dark look on his face told me he was feeling exactly the same way about me and my dress.Without knowing who made the first move, I ended up in his arms. Leo held me close to his chest as my feet no longer touched the ground. I clung to him with everything in me, not caring how hot his flesh felt against mine and forgetting to be angry with him for being gone so long.“I missed you,” he told me as his hand cupped the back of my head while his other supported the entirety of my weight.“I missed you more, I bet,” I told him, believing my words to be true. There were so many thoughts swirling in my head.“Impossible.” He sat us down on the edge of the bed and cradled me in his lap since I refused to end our hug.“Well, you could at least see me.” I had to point out the obvious. I’d had no way of knowing if he was even alive.Leo gently nudged my head up with his shoulder and tilted my chin with his burning fingers until it was level with his. “I’m sorry I left you.”Before I answered, his lips caught mine in a crushing kiss. My hands buried themselves in his hair and held his face as close to mine as possible. My heart was beating so loudly I was sure he could hear it and I couldn’t breathe but it didn’t seem to matter.Leo’s mouth only left mine to kiss my shoulder, then trailed down to my arm. Where his lips met my skin, visible puffs of steam appeared.“Oh, God.” He groaned and tried to pull away from me.“No,” I told him as I tried to keep him close.“I’m hurting you.” He brushed the hair away from my eyes, just barely touching me.“Stopping would hurt me.”My words were all it took for his lips to be back on mine. Leo fell back on the bed and pulled me with him. First I was on top of him. Then all of a sudden Leo was on top. My hands pressed into his back with all the strength I had as I pulled him closer to me.
* * *Books 1 and 2 now available HERE
About the Author:Megan Gaudino works in a high school library by day and on her own books by night. She is particularly fond of every show on HBO and writes YA and NA novels full of emotions. Megan lives in Pittsburgh where you can find her reading, writing, and Instagraming.  Goodreads- https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14238281.Megan_GaudinoInstagram- https://instagram.com/mkgaud/       Tumblr- http://mkgaud.tumblr.com/WeHeartIt- http://weheartit.com/MkgaudTwitter- https://twitter.com/mkgaudWattpad- http://www.wattpad.com/user/mkgaud
* * * *
Giveaway:$15 Amazon gift card, a From the Page Leo's Scent candle, a Craft'dVan custom magnetic bookmark, and some healing crystal's used in the book

a Rafflecopter giveaway

It's All About the Book with Christine Potter and her new release, IN HER OWN TIME @chrispygal @evernightteen #giveaway #YA

It’s All About the Book…
 Please tell us about your current or upcoming release. 
My current book is In Her Own Time, Bean 2.  It’s the sequel to Time Runs Away With her. 
Summer 1970: Bean Donohue’s sixteen, she’s finally got a good band together, and she’s crazy in love with her artist boyfriend Zak. She’s also about to get the coolest summer job ever, and her impossible mom’s conveniently out of town. So why does she keep ending up in 1953…or 1779? And who's that guy with the black ponytail and the Kent State t-shirt? He knows way too much about her. Should Zak be worried—or should Bean?

 What is this book’s genre?  Is this the genre you usually write in?  Are there any genre’s you haven’t written that you’d like to try?  
This book is a paranormal romance, YA.  And yes, this is my genre.  It’s time travel, which is my favorite form of paranormal writing.  I’ve thought about writing contemporary new adult fiction, but lately, I’m being called by the ghostly stuff again.  I’d like to do a series with some kids who get involved in ghost investigations.  I live in a 1740-era house that has ghosts, and I’ve had the local ghost busters by with their equipment.  It was good spooky fun.  You’re never lonely in a haunted house!
 What inspired you to write this book?
I needed to find out what happened to Bean Donohue after the end of Time Runs Away With Her!  I’m a pants-er, not a planner, which means I fly by the seat of my pants instead of charting things out when I write.  The only way I was going to know what happened to Bean and her cool boyfriend with the long, long silver-blonde hair was to write the book.  So Bean and Zak kind of acted it out for me.  When I’m really writing hard, it’s kind of like watching a movie.  Hint: what happens is a lot scarier than the first book!
How did you pick its title?  Did it come first or did you have to write the story first?I almost always have to write the story first.  This book deals with my belief that there have to be rules for time travelers, and that we are all owned by our own times.  So: In Her Own Time.  Bean can travel backwards, and she can only observe; she doesn’t affect the things she sees.  But suppose someone broke the rules…

How did you create your characters?  Did you use any real life people in their making?
Absolutely I use real people.  Bean is partly me as a young woman, but she’s much more confident.  Her boyfriend Zak is a mash-up of a good boyfriend I had when I was younger, a not-so good boyfriend I had when I was younger, and my very supportive husband. My younger sis had a boyfriend who drew with a Rapidograph, like Zak. And I stole Zak’s name from an old college friend.  Bean’s mom plays classical piano beautifully,  like my mom did.  Bean’s colleague at the FM radio station she gets a job interning at is based on a dear friend of mine who works at ABC radio news, and also upon the news director at an FM station I was involved with in the mid nineteen seventies. But when I get writing, the characters come to life and turn into…well…characters.  Fiction’s kind of magic that way.

Who is your favorite character of this book and why?
I have two favorite characters in this book: Samantha Thorne, Bean’s hyper-privileged private-schooled gal pal, who turns out to be an absolute rock in this book—if a bit zany. Sam isn’t always the most careful, but she has a huge heart, and there’s a wisdom in her impulsiveness, believe it or not.  Also, she’s funny.  And I like my villain, who is really complex and heart-breaking.  I can’t say more—or even name-- that character without getting into spoilers!  

What is your favorite part of this book?  Can you share an excerpt from that part?  
I like it when the book is just getting going—Bean’s first trip into the past in the opening of the book. Bean calls her time traveling “It.”  She gets to see her parents bringing her infant self home from the hospital, sixteen years earlier.  And there’s a little surprise at the end…
…And in the next moment, Bean found herself alone, just outside the house. The air was sharp. Tall trees that had just been in full summer leaf were suddenly bare, and smaller than they’d been seconds before. Bean tried to peer back in through the kitchen window, but the lights were off, and she couldn't see anything. She stood in her side yard, sometime in the past. It was happening again…            And It was enough of a shock that she didn’t even know how she felt. She’d been glowing from the night before with Zak, happy to have had Sam pound on her door with music and laughter. Bean stuck her hands in the pockets of her thin blue cotton robe, and looked up. The sky looked like early afternoon: pale sunlight behind a thin, high layer of clouds. In front of her house, underneath the living room windows stood three overgrown barberry bushes. Bean had never seen them before. The ground was hard and cold, and she was barefoot.            Alrighty, then. Damn it. Lately, Bean had been perfectly fine with life in 1970. What year is this supposed to be?She had no idea.             Zak said love is always why this happens, she thought. But then she felt the happiness beginning to leak out of her. If Zak were right, why had she slipped backwards just now? She had a whole June weekend to spend with him, feeling nothing but love…and now, this.It made no sense. All she could do was watch, deal, and try to keep warm.             It really was pretty chilly. She tried jogging in place to warm up, which helped a bit. Her toes were soon numb, though.  After a few minutes, a black car with big, round bumpers pulled into the driveway and clattered to a halt. There was the rasp of an emergency brake being set.  And Bean’s father — very young, and too thin for his thick, grey winter coat — got out of the driver’s side. Bean put a hand over her mouth, and watched as he ran urgently around to the passenger’s door. He yanked it open.            “Can you make it?” Bean’s dad called into the car.            “Of course I can make it,” said her mother’s voice. A high-heeled shoe and a nylon stocking-covered leg emerged. Then came the rest of Bean’s mom, wearing a brown tweed overcoat and a floppy green beret. She walked a bit unsteadily, clutching a bundle of white blankets wrapped around a baby, which began to wail.            “Sh-sh. Sh-sh-sh,” said Julia as she wobbled up the walk. She stopped when she got to the front door.            “You wouldn’t happen to have remembered the house keys, would you, Tom?” she called. Tom patted down three pockets in his coat before something jingled. He rushed a key into the lock. Then he looked back at the car. Both its front doorsnow stood wide open, and he sprinted back down the walk toward them. Bean sucked in her breath hard, taking it all in. Was that her days-old self,crying, inside the house? Sixteen-year-old Bean felt a little weepy, too.  It’s 1953, then, she thought. Just after my actual birthday. Wow…             The wind blew and she shivered.            And then there was a hand on her arm.

What was the hardest part of this book to write? Can you share an excerpt from that part?
This book has some violence in it.  Not a whole lot by TV or movie standards, for sure, but I found it tough to write.  I’m a peaceful sort.  Without spoiling the plot, here’s a taste of that scene:
“Bean, nobody’s here,” Zak called. “C’mon. Let’s go back to the car.”             “Yeah, maybe we should,” she said. “I really don’t need to get sucked back into this crap. Nobody’s here, anyway. ” Zak was disappearing into the darkness past the powder room window’s light, and she hurried to catch up to him.            …But then Bean felt a searing heat on her shoulders. Something stung her arm, needle-sharp. A bee? At night? No—a spark! She slapped at it. Just behind her, an outbuilding — some sort of woodshed—was on fire. There was no swimming pool to reflect the flames, but they illuminated the clapboard siding of a house that would become the radio station’s commune almost 200 years later. Its one downstairs window glittered orange and yellow.             Bean ran away from the blaze, back into the yard. The air around her was bitter, punishingly cold, really, but the woodshed was fast becoming a furnace. She raised a hand to shield her eyes from its glare, and saw a tiny red mark on her arm where the spark had landed. It smarted.             Two men with muskets ran by just in front of her, so close that their coats brushed against her jeans as they passed. She squinted into the night in the direction they ran, but lost them in the shadows. The brilliance of the fire dazzled Bean, and made it hard to see into the yard. But the space in front of the shed — the door, the side of the house, a few feet of ground between them — was lit up like a stage.            “Whoreson!” someone yelled, and Bean knew that voice…


 Did you have any special rhythm or quirks while writing this?
I wrote the opening of this novel right after I finished Time Runs Away With Her, and then I put it away for a while while I promoted that book.  Most of the body of In Her Own Time was written during National Novel Writing Month, racing to finish the first draft with some of my Evernight Teen colleauges.  It was really intense writing that hard—a whole book in a month—but I think it gave the plot a sense of urgency it might not have had otherwise.  I’m looking forward to NaNoWriMo this year!

 Is this a stand-alone book or is it part of a series?  If so, we want to hear about it and what’s next in the series.  If not a series, what comes next to be released?This is the second book in what I’m calling The Bean Series.   There will be one more, also time travel, with mostly the same cast of characters—but like Book Two, I’ll be introducing some new ones.  All I can tell you about Book Three is that it’s two years on—1972—and Bean is in college.  She is a more experienced time traveler, and there are some very big surprises. 
Christine, thank you so much for spending the day with us, we were thrilled to interview you and find more about you as a YA writer !!!  Hope you come back to visit us soon ! 
*  *  *  *  * 
In Her Own TimeThe Bean Books, #2
by Christine Potter
Romance/Time Travel/Suspense63K, Evernight Teen Publishing
Summer 1970: Bean Donohue’s sixteen, she’s finally got a good band together, and she’s crazy in love with her artist boyfriend Zak. 
She’s also about to get the coolest summer job ever, and her impossible mom’s conveniently out of town.  
So why does she keep ending up in 1953…or 1779?  And who's that guy with the black ponytail and the Kent State t-shirt?  

He knows way too much about her.  Should Zak be worried—or should Bean?

Buy Links:    Evernight Teen    Amazon    ARe

14+ due to sexuality and adult situations Excerpt:Bean found herself alone, just outside the house. The air was sharp. Tall trees that had just been in full summer leaf were suddenly bare, and smaller than they’d been seconds before. Bean tried to peer back in through the kitchen window, but the lights were off, and she couldn't see anything. She stood in her side yard, sometime in the past. It was happening again…And It was enough of a shock that she didn’t even know how she felt. She’d been glowing from the night before with Zak, happy to have had Sam pound on her door with music and laughter. Bean stuck her hands in the pockets of her thin blue cotton robe, and looked up. The sky looked like early afternoon: pale sunlight behind a thin, high layer of clouds. In front of her house, underneath the living room windows stood three overgrown barberry bushes. Bean had never seen them before. The ground was hard and cold, and she was barefoot.Alrighty, then. Damn it. Lately, Bean had been perfectly fine with life in 1970. What year is this supposed to be? She had no idea.Zak said love is always why this happens, she thought. But then she felt the happiness beginning to leak out of her. If Zak were right, why had she slipped backwards just now? She had a whole June weekend to spend with him, feeling nothing but love…and now, this.It made no sense. All she could do was watch, deal, and try to keep warm.It really was pretty chilly. She tried jogging in place to warm up, which helped a bit. Her toes were soon numb, though.  After a few minutes, a black car with big, round bumpers pulled into the driveway and clattered to a halt. There was the rasp of an emergency brake being set.  And Bean’s father—very young, and too thin for his thick, grey winter coat—got out of the driver’s side. Bean put a hand over her mouth, and watched as he ran urgently around to the passenger’s door. He yanked it open.“Can you make it?” Bean’s dad called into the car.“Of course I can make it,” said her mother’s voice. A high-heeled shoe and a nylon stocking-covered leg emerged. Then came the rest of Bean’s mom, wearing a brown tweed overcoat and a floppy green beret. She walked a bit unsteadily, clutching a bundle of white blankets wrapped around a baby, which began to wail.“Sh-sh. Sh-sh-sh,” said Julia as she wobbled up the walk. She stopped when she got to the front door.“You wouldn’t happen to have remembered the house keys, would you, Tom?” she called. Tom patted down three pockets in his coat before something jingled. He rushed a key into the lock. Then he looked back at the car. Both its front doors now stood wide open, and he sprinted back down the walk toward them. Bean sucked in her breath hard, taking it all in. Was that her days-old self,crying, inside the house? Sixteen-year-old Bean felt a little weepy, too.  It’s 1953, then, she thought. Just after my actual birthday. Wow…The wind blew and she shivered. And then there was a hand on her arm. 


Book 1 in The Bean Books seriesis now available:Time Runs Away With HerEvernight Teen  Amazon   ARe


About the Author:Christine Potter lives in a small town not far from the setting of Time Runs Away With Her, near the mighty Hudson River, in a very old (1740) house with two ghosts.  According to a local ghost investigator, they are harmless, “just very old spirits who don’t want to leave.”  She doesn’t want them to.
Christine’s house contains two pipe organs (her husband is a choir director/organist), two spoiled tom cats, and too many books.  She’s also a poet, and the author of two collections of verse, Zero Degrees at First Light, and Sheltering in Place. Christine taught English and Creative Writing for years in the Clarkstown Schools.  She DJ’s free form rock and roll weekly on Area24radio.com, and plays guitar, dulcimer, and tower chimes.
All purpose me on FB: https://www.facebook.com/christine.potter.543Series FB page: https://www.facebook.com/beanstravels/My blog: http://chrispygal.weebly.comTwitter: @chrispygalInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrispygal/
*  *  *Giveaway:  $10 ET GC and ebook copyhttp://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/fdb586fd87/" rel="nofollow" data-raflid="fdb586fd87" data-theme="classic" data-template="" id="rcwidget_k8wl5hgx">a Rafflecopter giveaway https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com...">